OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting – November 5, 2025

City Council & Planning Commission — Wednesday, November 5, 2025
BodyWilmington, North Carolina
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateWednesday, November 5, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 25:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

I call the meeting to order the Wilmington City Council.

0:04

I'd like to welcome all those who are with us here this evening and all those who are joining us via TV or whatever device you're on.

0:12

Um at this time I'd like to introduce Captain Joe Michael James of the Wilmington Fire Department for the invocation.

0:18

I will ask for everyone to stand and remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:29

Mayor Pro Tem.

0:31

Thank you.

0:32

Pray.

0:33

Father, we thank you for another opportunity to serve your people by doing the work that we do.

0:39

We thank you for the privilege that you give us to serve and the minds that we use and our wisdom.

0:45

And most importantly, God, we thank you for the favor that you've granted this city to make it the place that will we call all call home.

0:53

May what we do tonight bring honor and glory to you, for in his name I pray.

0:58

Amen.

0:58

Amen.

0:59

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

1:18

Thank you, Michael.

1:20

I didn't I did a better one than you anyway.

1:24

I got you coming.

1:28

Can you come in?

1:29

Yes, please come forward.

1:36

That's okay, sir.

1:38

Mr.

1:38

God, we know that promotions don't come from the east, west, north, or south, but they come from God.

1:45

In your infinite wisdom, you seem fit to choose new leaders, God, for this such a time as this.

1:53

I ask God that you will bless them, God, and use them and give them wisdom above their years, your years.

1:59

I thank you for my new chief, God, who I embarrassed myself not being here when I was supposed to be, and he's in the room.

2:06

But I ask that you would continue to bless him and use him, God, in such a time as this.

2:11

I thank you, God, for this board.

2:14

I thank you, God, for the board to come, and I thank you, God, for your blessing that you've been upon Wilmington all these years.

2:20

In your son's name I pray, Amen.

2:22

Thank you, Mayor.

2:23

Amen.

2:23

Thank you.

2:24

Thank you.

2:24

Thank you.

2:26

Before I move on to the presentations, um, you know, yesterday, obviously, we had um our municipal elections for the city of Wilmington and uh the citizens of this community um exercise their right as citizens in this country to vote, and uh they have obviously spoken.

2:42

Uh I I want to say thank you to all of the voters that came out uh and participated in our city elections.

2:49

It was a very spirited and and uh a very uh good campaigns that were run across the board.

2:55

A lot of the issues that uh our community has concerns about were shared with uh not only with the candidates but also what the candidates would do if elected, and I felt that everybody ran very good campaigns.

3:08

I I do want to recognize that three of the uh individuals that won last night, uh uh Ms.

3:14

JC Lyle, Miss Cassidy Santa Guido, who's also with us here tonight, and also Chakima Clinton Quintana is also here with us uh this evening.

3:24

I want to say congratulations to each and every one of you.

3:27

I know that uh we'll be working very hard in the coming months and years in respect to the issues that uh that face our community, uh a growing community, a growing region, and um, you know, we're gonna be looking for a lot of work from all of us up here.

3:42

We've got a lot of things to do and to accomplish.

3:45

So I want to say thank you and congratulations.

3:50

And also, I I want to also recognize um my fellow council members here tonight that um are going to be uh leaving uh in in two more meetings, but uh councilmember Charles Renbark, who is the longest serving council member in the history of our community, and that's an outstanding um achievement to say the least over ver over many many years, and I will also say that uh Councilman Ravenbark uh took some very significant votes in the in the 90s that uh projected this community uh in a way that uh we would not have a lot of the things that we have today if it wasn't for his actions and what he was able to do.

4:28

Um so I just want to say on behalf of the citizens of Wilmington, thank you, Charlie, for your service.

4:32

Also, Mayor Pro Tem, um Clifford Barnett, who is an outstanding citizen, an outstanding individual, and it's an outstanding uh man of faith.

4:43

Uh, I just want to say, Clifford, thank you for everything that you have done for our community over these last eight years.

4:49

It has not gone unnoticed.

4:50

And I can tell you one thing if there's one person that that was really passionate about affordable housing was you, and anybody that ever came before us, he would always ask the question is how many units are there for affordable housing for our community and for the citizens of our community.

5:07

And I just want to say thank you for everything you've done.

5:10

And um, you have been a you've been a solid rock for this community for many years, and I just want to say thank you.

5:17

And um Mr.

5:22

Luke Wadell, I just want to say thank you for everything you have brought to this community.

5:26

If there was one person that counted the paper clips, the pencils, and where the money was being spent, was Luke Waddell.

5:34

And uh he was always concerned as to the impact of all of the expenditures that we did year in and year out and how it impacted our citizens.

5:44

He was always there for you, and I can assure you that this man did his homework, read the read all the material, did the job.

5:52

Um he did an outstanding job in this in this city council.

5:56

Uh was very instrumental in what we've been able to accomplish here with the Skyline Center.

6:00

All of us have participated in that, but uh really evaluated and looked at it very critically to make certain that the investment that we were making on behalf of the citizens of this community was the right investment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████33%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Affordable Housing██████████████████18%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Environmental Protection██████████10%
Public Health Awareness██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting – November 5, 2025

The Wilmington City Council held its regular meeting on November 5, 2025, at 6:30 PM in City Hall. The meeting included opening remarks from Mayor Bill Saffo recognizing the recent municipal election results and thanking outgoing councilmembers, a proclamation for National Hospice Month, approval of multiple consent agenda items, a discussion and tabling of the Housing Advisory Committee resolution, unanimous passage of a resolution opposing Chemours’ expansion, and approval of board and commission appointments.

Opening & Election Remarks

Mayor Saffo noted that municipal elections were held the previous day (November 4, 2025) and thanked voters. He recognized winning candidates J.C. Lyle, Cassidy Santaguida, and Chakema Clinton‑Quintana. He also thanked outgoing Councilmembers Charlie Rivenbark (longest‑serving councilmember in city history), Mayor Pro‑Tem Clifford Barnett (noted for affordable housing advocacy), and Luke Waddell (noted for fiscal oversight).

Proclamation – National Hospice Month

Mayor Saffo read a proclamation designating November 2025 as National Hospice Month. He presented it to Jason Clamme (Director of Community Engagement) and Eric Walker (Vice President) of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare. Mr. Walker noted the organization serves more than 8,000 patients and families each year and has served the community for over 45 years. The proclamation was accepted.

Consent Calendar

Items C1–C6 were considered as a consent block. Councilmember Andrews requested that item C5 be pulled for separate discussion. The remaining items (C1, C2, C3, C4, C6) were approved unanimously by a 5‑0 vote (motion by Mayor Pro‑Tem Barnett, seconded by Councilmember Spears).

  • C1: Approved minutes of October 20 and October 21, 2025 meetings.
  • C2: Authorized a supplemental agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for a virtual reality use‑of‑force simulator system.
  • C3: Authorized application for a Bureau of Justice Assistance FY25 Body‑Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program Grant ($339,367) with a required local match of $169,684.
  • C4: Adopted updated Lead Planning Agency Agreement with Wilmington Urban Area MPO and authorized a lease at 525 N. Fourth Street.
  • C6: Amended membership of the Downtown Municipal Services District Advisory Committee.

Discussion Item – Housing Advisory Committee (C5)

Councilmember Andrews requested that item C5 (Resolution Establishing the City of Wilmington Housing Advisory Committee and Bylaws) be pulled. She stated the bylaws were not ready, noting that the committee should be expanded from a “Workforce Housing Advisory Committee” to an “Affordable Housing Advisory Committee.” She cited a need to refine purpose, develop a work plan and housing priorities document, and adjust membership to avoid overly narrow definitions. She moved to table the item until the Council’s first meeting in January 2026. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Spears and passed unanimously (6‑0).

Resolution Opposing Chemours Expansion (R1)

Councilmember Andrews introduced the resolution and recognized Mr. Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear Riverkeeper and Executive Director of Cape Fear River Watch. Mr. Burdette spoke in strong support of the resolution, detailing:

  • Chemours contaminated the Cape Fear River and drinking water supply for over 500,000 residents.
  • CFPUA has invested over $80 million in treatment upgrades, with ongoing annual costs passed to ratepayers.
  • Chemours has refused to pay for treatment, sued to stop community health studies, lobbied to weaken PFAS regulations, and violated consent orders repeatedly.
  • New analysis shows ultra‑short‑chain PFAS in alarming amounts in finished drinking water.
  • Chemours seeks to expand its Fayetteville Works facility, potentially increasing production by 20% and emitting more than an additional ton of PFAS annually.
  • Epidemiological studies show Wilmingtonians have significantly higher PFAS blood levels than average Americans. Mr. Burdette urged Council to pass the resolution, stating it sends a message to the NC Department of Environmental Quality to protect public health. Councilmember Andrews moved approval; seconded by Councilmember Joyner. The resolution passed unanimously (6‑0).

Appointments Committee Report (RP1)

Councilmember Rivenbark, Chair of the Appointments Committee, presented recommendations for boards and commissions. After clarifying an appointment (LaShonda Teague reappointed to Commission on African American History), the following were approved unanimously (motion by Councilmember Andrews, seconded by Councilmember Rivenbark):

  • Commission on African American History: Reappoint LaShonda Teague (term to 11/21/2028); appoint Gwendolyn Bolden (term to 11/18/2028).
  • Golf Course Advisory Committee: Reappoint Joseph Anthony, Tony Upchurch, Craig Davis; appoint Mike Ford (all terms to 10/09/2028).
  • NCino Sports Park User Group Advisory Committee: Reappoint Lara Schuhmann (Ultimate Frisbee Club); appoint Genia Artis (CVB) (terms to 10/17/2028).
  • Wilmington Planning Commission: Reappoint Danny Adams (term to 09/21/2028).

Additional Items

  • Councilmember Spears thanked voters, congratulated the mayor and new councilmembers, and offered thanks to outgoing members, notably Councilmember Rivenbark.
  • Councilmember Andrews reminded of the Veterans Day Parade (Saturday, November 8, 2025, entertainment at 10 AM) and the Veterans Day Ceremony at Long Leaf Park on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at 11 AM.
  • Mayor Pro‑Tem Barnett thanked the community, noted an 1898 Memorial Celebration and a pastors’ celebration on Monday, November 10, 2025, and encouraged love and kindness.
  • Councilmember Joyner thanked outgoing members and congratulated the mayor and incoming colleagues.

The meeting adjourned at 6:56 PM.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved (items C1–C4, C6) 5‑0.
  • Housing Advisory Committee resolution (C5) tabled to January 2026 by unanimous vote.
  • Resolution opposing Chemours expansion (R1) adopted unanimously.
  • Appointments approved unanimously for multiple boards and commissions.

Meeting Transcript

I call the meeting to order the Wilmington City Council. I'd like to welcome all those who are with us here this evening and all those who are joining us via TV or whatever device you're on. Um at this time I'd like to introduce Captain Joe Michael James of the Wilmington Fire Department for the invocation. I will ask for everyone to stand and remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Pro Tem. Thank you. Pray. Father, we thank you for another opportunity to serve your people by doing the work that we do. We thank you for the privilege that you give us to serve and the minds that we use and our wisdom. And most importantly, God, we thank you for the favor that you've granted this city to make it the place that will we call all call home. May what we do tonight bring honor and glory to you, for in his name I pray. Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Michael. I didn't I did a better one than you anyway. I got you coming. Can you come in? Yes, please come forward. That's okay, sir. Mr. God, we know that promotions don't come from the east, west, north, or south, but they come from God. In your infinite wisdom, you seem fit to choose new leaders, God, for this such a time as this. I ask God that you will bless them, God, and use them and give them wisdom above their years, your years. I thank you for my new chief, God, who I embarrassed myself not being here when I was supposed to be, and he's in the room. But I ask that you would continue to bless him and use him, God, in such a time as this. I thank you, God, for this board. I thank you, God, for the board to come, and I thank you, God, for your blessing that you've been upon Wilmington all these years. In your son's name I pray, Amen. Thank you, Mayor. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Before I move on to the presentations, um, you know, yesterday, obviously, we had um our municipal elections for the city of Wilmington and uh the citizens of this community um exercise their right as citizens in this country to vote, and uh they have obviously spoken. Uh I I want to say thank you to all of the voters that came out uh and participated in our city elections. It was a very spirited and and uh a very uh good campaigns that were run across the board. A lot of the issues that uh our community has concerns about were shared with uh not only with the candidates but also what the candidates would do if elected, and I felt that everybody ran very good campaigns. I I do want to recognize that three of the uh individuals that won last night, uh uh Ms. JC Lyle, Miss Cassidy Santa Guido, who's also with us here tonight, and also Chakima Clinton Quintana is also here with us uh this evening. I want to say congratulations to each and every one of you. I know that uh we'll be working very hard in the coming months and years in respect to the issues that uh that face our community, uh a growing community, a growing region, and um, you know, we're gonna be looking for a lot of work from all of us up here. We've got a lot of things to do and to accomplish. So I want to say thank you and congratulations. And also, I I want to also recognize um my fellow council members here tonight that um are going to be uh leaving uh in in two more meetings, but uh councilmember Charles Renbark, who is the longest serving council member in the history of our community, and that's an outstanding um achievement to say the least over ver over many many years, and I will also say that uh Councilman Ravenbark uh took some very significant votes in the in the 90s that uh projected this community uh in a way that uh we would not have a lot of the things that we have today if it wasn't for his actions and what he was able to do. Um so I just want to say on behalf of the citizens of Wilmington, thank you, Charlie, for your service. Also, Mayor Pro Tem, um Clifford Barnett, who is an outstanding citizen, an outstanding individual, and it's an outstanding uh man of faith. Uh, I just want to say, Clifford, thank you for everything that you have done for our community over these last eight years. It has not gone unnoticed. And I can tell you one thing if there's one person that that was really passionate about affordable housing was you, and anybody that ever came before us, he would always ask the question is how many units are there for affordable housing for our community and for the citizens of our community.

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