The Wilmington City Council met in regular session at 6:30 p.m. on October 7, 2025, at City Hall, Skyline Center, 929 N. Front Street, Wilmington, NC. Mayor Bill Saffo presided; Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett, Sr. and Councilmembers Charlie Rivenbark, Kevin Spears, Luke Waddell, David Joyner, and Salette Andrews were present. The meeting included proclamations, a consent agenda, public comments, public hearings on two unfit dwellings, multiple ordinances and resolutions, and a closed session. The next regular meeting is scheduled for October 21, 2025.
Call the meeting order of the Wilmington City Council. I'd like to welcome all those who are with us here this evening and all those who are watching us at home. Thank you for taking an interest in your government. At this time I'd like to introduce Captain Joe Michael James of the Wilmington Fire Department. If he's here to please come forward and give our invocation and ask if everyone will stand, remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance. City Wilmington proclamation reads whereas ageism refers to the stereotypes, how we think, prejudice, and how we feel, and discrimination, how we act toward others based on age. And where the population in Wilmington is aging, as there are approximately 23,000 people over the age of 65 Wilmington, or 19.8% of the population. And whereas ageism negatively impacts people's health and longevity, financial well-being throughout life, while holding positive ideas about our older future selves is associated with a seven and a half year increase in life expectancy. And whereas preventing ageism in education, employment, housing, culture, and health care will benefit all of us, and it is up to all of us to ensure that older people are respected and portrayed as capable, competent, effective, and valued in all areas of society. And whereas ageism awareness and preventing ageism is essential to promoting health and well-being for current and future generations within our city, ensuring all individuals age with dignity, respect, and the support they deserve. Now, therefore, we, the members of the Wilmington City Council, do hereby proclaim October the 9th, 2025 as ageism awareness day in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. So I'm going to give you this. And I'm going to let you speak. So hi there, I'm Tina Newsom, and I coordinate the gerontology program at UNCW. With me is Amber Smith, who's the director of the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center, and Logan Britt, who is the aging compliance specialist with the Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging. So thank you all for providing this proclamation to help raise awareness about the impact of ageism on people of all ages. We're all aging and we work with and on behalf of people of all ages. Promoting positive ideas about our own future selves and recognizing, embracing, and celebrating the capacity and contributions we can all make throughout life, improves engagement and well-being for each of us. Ageism is a massive challenge in our society and often goes unnoticed. But negative thoughts, feelings, and treatment of someone simply because of a person's age are detrimental to each of our well-being, our health, and how we how long we live, particularly when we internalize negative ideas about growing older. We're grateful that the city of Wilmington is committing to committed to being an age-friendly community. Age-friendly approaches and communities inform how infrastructure is developed to be accessible, safe, and welcoming for people of all ages. Age-friendly communities help people stay active and connected to one another throughout long lives, creating ongoing opportunities for engagement and processes for reaching out to those at risk of social isolation. Great gains in life expectancy have been made in our society within living memory. A 100-year-old person today was not expected to live past about 65 or 70 when they were born. Efforts and resources in this city to address the opportunities and needs of the populace across the life course are vital to eliminating ageism and promoting active engagement across generations. Thank you for reinforcing the city's commitment to keeping Wilmington a great place to live a long, engaged and meaningful life. Thank you. Keep up the great work. Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Proclaiming naming the week of October, the 6th of the 10th, 2025 is Minority Enterprise Development Week. City of Wilmington, North Carolina proclamation reads whereas a National Minority Enterprise Development Week, also known as National Med Week, is observed in October to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of the minority business enterprise community, and whereas North Carolina agencies, municipalities, and organizations host events to honor small minority and women-owned businesses, and whereas the City of Wilmington encourages and actively seeks to do business with minority and women-owned business enterprises, better known as MWBE, for those of you that are paying attention tonight for all advertised projects, and whereas MWBE programs increases opportunities for historically underutilized businesses and promotes a business-friendly environment that promotes collaboration, creativity, accountability, and inclusion, which are in direct alignment with the city of Will of Core Values as we strive to make a better Wilmington every day, and whereas creating and operating a business is a cornerstone of the American dream, and the City of Wilmington believes that dream belongs to everyone and celebrates the accomplishments of our MWBEs and value the many ways that our communities enriched by them. And whereas creating and operating a business is a cornerstone of the American dream, and the city of Wilmington believes that dream belongs to everyone and celebrates the accomplishments of our MWBEs and value the many ways that our communities enriched by them. Now, therefore, I Bill Sappho on behalf of the Wilmington City Council do hereby proclaim six October the 6th through the 10th, 2025, the City of Wilmington's Minority Enterprise Development Week and encourage all residents of Wilmington to get to know their local MWBEs, business owners, and work together to celebrate their many accomplishments in our community. And I just want to say on behalf of the city, thank you for everything that you folks do every single day. And Jerry is an old friend of mine here to do so much great work uh in promoting uh minority businesses in our community and as well as our region. So with that, I'm gonna turn it over to Linda. Linda. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mayor and Council for acknowledging Medweek. It is happening across this country. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan enacted Medweek. He made it a part of the federal government's celebration to acknowledge that minorities and women-owned businesses make great contributions to our community. We believe they're the bedrock of our community along with small businesses. They're unique. They celebrate culture. They bring so much. They employ and they add to our tax base.