Wilmington City Council Agenda Briefing Meeting

The Wilmington City Council held an Agenda Briefing meeting on Monday, October 6, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, Skyline Center, 929 North Front Street, Wilmington, North Carolina, to review the agenda for the October 7, 2025 regular Council Meeting. Mayor Bill Saffo presided, with Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett, Sr., and Councilmembers Charlie Rivenbark, Luke Waddell, David Joyner, and Salette Andrews in the room; Councilmember Kevin Spears attended via video conference. Also present were City Clerk Penelope Spicer-Sidbury, City Attorney Meredith Everhart, and City Manager Becky Hawke.

Consent Calendar

• Staff reviewed the routine items scheduled for the October 7, 2025 meeting, including approval of minutes (C1); a resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for a $623,331 New Hanover Community Endowment community safety grant for a comprehensive firefighter health, safety, and wellness initiative (C2); a resolution authorizing a three-year, $145,800 contract with LP Wilmington Inc. for commercial window washing services at city-owned properties (C3); and a resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter the FY 2026 Section 5303 planning grant agreement with the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority (C4).
• The agenda also included public hearings on unfit dwellings at 914 South 12th Street and at 1720 [street name garbled in transcript]; ordinances including O1 (adding Sec. 6-10, Certain Actions Prohibited on City Property, second reading), O3A ($4,209,071 appropriation for the Parks Operations Facility project), O3B (construction contract award to JM Thompson Company of Cary, North Carolina, for $11,921,273.04), O4A (FY26 tree planting appropriation), O5A ($9,135,132 appropriation for replacement 800 MHz radios) and O5B (agreement with Motorola Solutions); and resolutions R1 (early childhood education) and R2 (real property acquisition for park and recreation amenities).

Agenda Amendments & Corrections

• City Manager Becky Hawke announced two minor amendments: Item O1 was corrected to remove the word "occupy" from the draft ordinance, consistent with Council's most recent amendments; and Item O4A's dollar amount was corrected from $575,023 to $577,023 for the FY26 Tree Planting Contract. The transcript contains a garbled reading of this amount ("$177,000... $577,023"); the minutes state the printed amount was $575,023, corrected to $577,023.
• Councilmember Charlie Rivenbark asked that tree species names be provided in English; Amy Beatty, Director of Parks and Recreation, said staff would provide the information to Council that day.

Item R2 Inquiry – Real Property Acquisition

• Councilmember Salette Andrews asked why staff discussed Item R2 with New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet before Council was informed. She said she was surprised to see the item on the public agenda Friday morning and first learned of the county's involvement from a Port City Daily reporter after county commissioners discussed it at their agenda briefing the day before.
• City Manager Becky Hawke responded that she spoke with Mr. Coudriet on Wednesday to ensure the resolution's wording reflected what the county would be amenable to; she characterized it as a broad awareness conversation, not an effort to solicit support. She noted the public documents were posted briefly on Thursday, which was not normal, and that staff would request a Closed Session with Council at the next meeting for more detail.
• Councilmember Andrews commented that the County Manager did the right thing in notifying his elected officials and that she was surprised to hear about the item from the media.

Summer Employment Program Outcomes – Voyage

• Genna Wirth, Executive Director of Voyage, reported on the summer 2025 employment program. When vital funding was pulled, Council provided an additional $40,000 on top of the originally awarded $24,000, making the City of Wilmington the program's largest funder for summer 2025; the City sponsored 40 of the 70 students placed in jobs.
• The eight-week program placed 70 students across 23 work sites in eight industry types, marking its 10th iteration. Over 95% of enrolled students completed more than 100 working hours; students were ages 14 to 21 and all were within 80% of the area median income. 22 of the 70 students receive additional support through other Voyage services.
• Career interest categories included healthcare, human services, trades and business, followed by athletics, law, and education. Students received in-depth workforce development training through Step Up Wilmington.
• Supervisor evaluation scores rose from an average of 53% after the first week to 85% in the final week, and students' confidence in their future rose from approximately 58% before the program to 90% at the end. It was the first year that 100% of students improved or maintained an average score of at least 4 out of 5 on supervisor evaluations, and 100% left with a completed NC Works profile, resume, and SMART Goal career plan.
• Outcomes included 7 students receiving CTE credit through New Hanover County Schools, 6 students offered jobs after the program, and 5 previously justice-involved students participating. Wirth read a parent's message crediting the program with keeping her children "out of trouble, out of the streets, and out of jail"; both are now in college.
• Voyage is partnering with LINC to restore leadership development and the Voyage Youth Leadership Council, helping students learn civic engagement and advocacy. The summer outcomes helped Voyage secure $710,000 in grants from the United Way and the endowment over the next couple of months.
• Wirth stated that supporting Voyage also supports other nonprofits and City departments that benefit from the students' work, including the Boys and Girls Club, YWCA, and Wilmington Parks and Recreation.

Proposed Changes to Council's Rules of Order

• Deputy City Manager Mary Vigue presented proposed changes to streamline the agenda process. Current rules require consent agenda items to be resolutions only, and Rule 12 requires all ordinances to receive four votes and both a first and second reading.
• Vigue explained that State law requires general ordinances to pass by a majority of at least five members; if passed by five, the second reading is automatically waived. Special items such as the budget and planning items are not covered by this statute.
• Three recommended changes: (1) allow non-controversial ordinances on the consent agenda, excluding public hearings, budget items, and other state-governed items; (2) amend Rule 12 to allow ordinances to pass on first reading with five affirmative votes; and (3) correct a typographical error in Rule 13. The City Manager would determine which items are non-controversial, and Council may pull any item for discussion. Staff proposed bringing a Resolution to amend the Rules of Order at the next October meeting.
• Councilmember Kevin Spears stated he is not in favor of the changes, saying staff should put forth their best effort to make meetings efficient and that he does not want certain powers taken from Council. He also referenced a prior practice of providing the full agenda draft to Council before publication.
• Councilmember Luke Waddell expressed support, calling the proposal a long time coming and noting that smaller items add up and that items can be pulled from consent for discussion.
• Councilmember Salette Andrews urged a balance between efficiency and public participation, citing limited public comment opportunities, the difficulty of determining what is controversial, and the need to benchmark other cities' public comment practices. She also said the remote participation rule for Closed Session meetings should be amended to reflect actual practice.
• Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett, Sr., asked whether items under a set amount (e.g., $10,000) could be classified more easily; Vigue responded that even small items can be controversial. He also asked whether Council has been voting incorrectly; Vigue clarified that State law does not require two votes on regular ordinances and that the additional step is the City's own rule.
• Councilmember Charlie Rivenbark stated he has no problem with the changes, as items would still receive the same scrutiny.

Key Outcomes

• Council voted unanimously to enter a Closed Session pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-318.11(a)(5) to discuss the potential acquisition of real property, on a motion by Councilmember Waddell, seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Barnett. After reconvening, Mayor Saffo advised that Council provided instruction and guidance to staff; no other action was taken, and the meeting adjourned.
• No action was taken on the Rules of Order proposal; staff will bring a proposed Resolution to the October 2025 Council meeting.
• Staff will provide Council the tree species list in English.