Wilmington City Council Agenda Briefing Meeting — July 14, 2025

The Wilmington City Council met in an Agenda Briefing at 8:30 a.m. on July 14, 2025, at the Skyline Center, 12th Floor Conference Room, 929 North Front Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, to review the agenda for the July 15, 2025 regular Council meeting. Mayor Bill Saffo presided and conducted roll call. Present were Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett Sr., Councilmembers Charlie Rivenbark, Luke Waddell, David Joyner, and Salette Andrews; Councilmember Kevin Spears attended via video conference. Staff included City Clerk Penelope Spicer-Sidbury, City Attorney Meredith Everhart, City Manager Becky Hawke, and department directors. Mayor Saffo and Councilmember Rivenbark later departed, and Mayor Pro-Tem Barnett presided over the remainder. No formal votes were taken during the briefing.

Consent Calendar

• The consent calendar contained 12 resolutions (C1–C12): approval of minutes; new leases for 115 North Third Street and Skyline Center space; a lease amendment with Coastal Beverage; a constituent service office lease for U.S. Senator Ted Budd; grant applications for fire prevention/safety and for U.S. Tennis Association court resurfacing; purchase of a Chevrolet Silverado work truck and a passenger van; a three-year contract for a use-of-force simulator system; the FY 2025–2026 Annual Action Plan for CDBG and HOME funds; and a three-year workers’ compensation claims administration agreement.

Other Agenda Items Reviewed

• Public hearings were scheduled for two rezoning requests: 2.8 acres at 3606 Market Street from O&I Office and Institutional to CS Commercial Services, and 0.81 acres at 3816 Market Street from O&I to CB Community Business.
• The agenda also included ordinances making supplemental appropriations and a construction contract award; resolutions covering fossil-fuel-free investment strategies, social district standards, a social district advisory committee, the Convention Center Advisory Committee, and condemnation authority for the Independence Boulevard/River Road roundabout project.
• Councilmember Rivenbark requested that a thank-you note be sent to the New Hanover County ABC Board in connection with O2, a $20,000 grant for five mobile printers and six radars.
• On O6, the $176,264 appropriation for the Kenan Fountain Repair Project, Rivenbark asked whether the City would be made whole. Public Works Director Dave Mayes said the insurance settlement process was ongoing, and Finance Director Martha Wayne noted the fountain had been hit more than once, requiring staff to determine which damage was associated with which accident and to compare repair quotes.
• Parks and Recreation Director Amy Beatty advised that O9a and O9b were revised because the Legistar entry mistakenly attached the contract twice rather than the contract and memorandum of understanding; revised copies were distributed.

Wilmington Clean Energy Goals & Senate Bill 266 Briefing

• Dave Mayes reviewed the City’s climate action history. He noted that in 2009 Council adopted a resolution establishing a greenhouse gas emissions baseline and reduction goal, and in 2021 Council adopted a resolution setting clean energy goals for 2035 and 2050.
• The municipal greenhouse gas goal is a 58% reduction by 2050 from a 2007 baseline of 9,704 metric tons of CO2. Mayes reported that 2024 emissions rose to 12,132 metric tons, partly due to acquisition of the Skyline Center and retained surplus properties; he anticipated decreases after surplus property sales, energy efficiency/renewable projects, and a gradual transition of the municipal fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles. The 2024 emissions split was 49% from building electricity, 43% from fleet fuel, and 7% from street lights.
• The 2035 clean energy goals are 50% clean energy for municipal operations and 50% of the municipal fleet converted to electric vehicles; the 2050 goals are 100% for both. Mayes noted a waiver exists when technology is not available.
• A councilmember asked how the 2035 goal relates to the City’s sustainable municipal building policy, including cost limits. Mayes responded that the 2035 goal was set in 2021 and preceded the building policy; the Silver LEED building policy supports the clean energy goal.
• Mayes stated that Duke Energy’s current mix is 47.5% clean energy, measured through EPA eGrid 2023. Meeting the clean energy goal requires more nuclear, solar, and wind and less coal and natural gas.
• Mayes identified Senate Bill 266, the “Power Bill Reduction Act,” as the primary concern because it eliminates the interim 2030 carbon reduction goal of 70% while retaining the 2050 carbon neutrality target. It also allows rate increases for construction work in progress, which are charges on customers for planned new power-generating facilities before they are operational. He said the bill had been vetoed and could still be considered during the remainder of the legislative session.
• A councilmember suggested that the Clean Energy Commission be placed on standby to make recommendations if the bill becomes law, and Mayes agreed. Mayes also confirmed that the fleet transition study was in early stages: the consultant had held its second monthly progress meeting and was gathering data.

Stormwater Permit Renewal Process

• Aaron Beckner, Assistant Public Works Director, presented the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit renewal. Wilmington established its stormwater program and fee in 1998 and was designated a Phase II community in 2007.
• Permit cycles are five years, and the City has completed three Phase II cycles. Based on current population, the state has informed staff that the next permit cycle will be a Phase I permit. Both Phase I and Phase II require a Stormwater Management Plan, six minimum control measures, and annual reporting; Phase I adds water quality monitoring and industrial inspections. The City has partnered with UNCW on water quality monitoring for nearly 30 years, but industrial inspections will be a new planning and programming effort.
• The City’s first audit by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), conducted in 2023, evaluated 129 program requirements. Deficiencies included Stormwater Management Plan documentation, private Stormwater Control Measure (SCM) maintenance and record keeping, tracking/documentation of Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE), and written procedures for certain minimum control measures.
• Corrective actions included a letter to the state that resolved the SWMP documentation issue; hiring a dedicated stormwater compliance inspector to inspect more than 600 privately permitted SCMs, with more than 100 inspections already completed; strengthening IDDE coordination with code enforcement and creating a centralized Energov tracking system; and budgeted work to improve good-housekeeping and pollution-prevention procedures.
• Preparations for the Phase I transition include expanding water quality monitoring with UNCW, working with the Legal Department on industrial inspection authority, strengthening private SCM and IDDE oversight, and working with NCDEQ to draft the new permit language.
• Timeline: the anticipated 30-day public comment period is August 2025; permit issuance is expected January 1, 2026; the permit becomes effective July 1, 2026; the SWMP development period runs July 2026 through June 2027; and implementation runs July 2027 through June 2031. Asked how the public would comment, Beckner said the state manages the public comment process, and the City can also help distribute the notice.

Key Outcomes

• No motions or formal votes were taken during the agenda briefing.
• Staff revised O9a and O9b to correct the Legistar attachment error before the July 15, 2025 Council meeting.
• Staff agreed to provide a more current answer on the Kenan Fountain insurance recovery.
• According to the minutes, the meeting adjourned at 9:05 a.m.