Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting – January 6, 2026
Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting – January 6, 2026
The Wilmington City Council met in regular session on January 6, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations, a public hearing, several ordinance and resolution votes, and a closed session. All votes were unanimous except where noted.
Presentations
- CFPUA Annual Report: Kenneth Waldroup, Executive Director of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, reported on a $129.35 million budget, 112 capital projects underway (valued at $789.5 million), and receipt of the industry’s highest award – the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies Platinum Award. He noted the Authority installed 1,147 meters with an infrastructure value of $14,155,492. He also discussed the ongoing interbasin transfer request from Fuquay-Varina for 6 million gallons per day, stating the Authority’s position that water should be returned after use and that a local hearing is being sought. Councilmember Joyner asked about a one-time free connection opportunity for communities with PFAS-contaminated wells; Waldroup confirmed $28 million in grant funding covers installation and system development fees.
- Shelter Strategy Update: Rachel Schuler, Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services, presented an update on the city’s shelter strategy. She highlighted the need for an extremely low-barrier shelter (30–40 beds, swelling to 50), the importance of identifying a lead partner before selecting a site, and a recommendation for a summer point-in-time count to measure changing conditions. Councilmember Andrews asked about the winter point-in-time count; Schuler said details are being finalized and volunteers will be sought. Chief Zuidema reported that hiring of four new social worker positions is ongoing; interviews were completed December 15 and seven applicants are in background checks.
Consent Calendar
- Items C1–C6 were approved 7‑0, excluding C4 which was pulled for discussion.
- C4 (Resolution Establishing the City of Wilmington Housing Affordability Advisory Committee and Bylaws): After debate about membership composition – Mayor Pro‑Tem Spears expressed concern that the membership was too high‑level and lacked sufficient representation from residents of affordable housing – Councilmember Andrews moved to amend by adding two additional members who are residents of designated affordable housing units, for a total of 11 members. The motion passed 6‑0, and C4 as amended was adopted unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Joel Barrio (representing Democratic Socialists of America, Wilmington chapter) spoke about Avelo Airlines’ $150 million contract with ICE, noting Avelo is the only commercial airline with such a contract, that it has flown at least 1,500 deportation flights, and that the Wilmington Tourism Development Authority provides $125,000 in advertising funds per new route (Avelo added two routes last year, totaling $250,000). He urged the council to consider prohibiting city contracts and advertising funds with companies collaborating with ICE, as was done in Wilmington, Delaware. He offered to meet with councilmembers for further discussion.
- Two other scheduled speakers did not appear.
Discussion Items / Public Hearing
- PH1 – Land Development Code Amendment (R‑3 Zoning District): Proposed amendments to reduce rear setbacks from 15 to 10 feet, reduce minimum lot area for duplexes from 4,000 to 2,500 square feet when certain building orientation standards are met (including a front porch requirement), and correct a typo. Councilmember Lyle recused herself as the original applicant. Staff found the proposal consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. No public comment was received. The ordinance was approved 5‑0 and second reading was waived.
- O1 – Supplemental Appropriation for Skyline Center Debt: Finance Director Martha Wayne explained that $4,071,670 from the sale of surplus property would be appropriated, with ~$3.9 million used to pay down variable‑rate debt on the Skyline Center, bringing the outstanding balance to ~$4.7 million. Mayor Saffo noted the original debt was $23.8 million and that prepayments have put the city well ahead of schedule. Approved 6‑0; second reading waived.
- O2a/O2b – Dawson & Wooster Streets Resurfacing Supplemental Agreement: Kyle Burden, Project Manager, stated that NCDOT agreed to reimburse additional costs beyond the initially agreed $1,911,000, for a new total reimbursable amount of $2,165,000 for milling and resurfacing from 3rd to 17th Street. The resolution and companion ordinance were approved 7‑0 and 6‑0 respectively; second reading waived.
- R1 – Support for South 16th Street Lane Reduction: Traffic Engineer Denys Vielkanowitz presented NCDOT’s plan to reduce travel lanes on South 16th Street from Castle to Queen Street, adding curb extensions, pedestrian signals, crosswalks, and on‑street parking. Councilmember Santaguida asked about crosswalks at Queen Street; Vielkanowitz explained NCDOT does not mark crosswalks without pedestrian control signals. The resolution passed 7‑0.
- R2 – Opposition to Independence Boulevard Extension: Planning Director Linda Painter detailed the project’s history and the draft Environmental Impact Statement, which shows an elevated design (due to CSX railroad refusal for at‑grade crossings) with only three east‑west connections, displacing 59–71 residences and 31–37 businesses, reducing community cohesion, and disproportionately impacting Title VI populations. The resolution opposes further consideration of the project, recommends WMPO remove it from the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan and strategic plan, and urges that funding be reprogrammed to other north‑south corridor projects. Approved 7‑0.
Key Outcomes
- All agenda items (consent, public hearing, ordinances, resolutions) were approved with unanimous votes (7‑0 or 6‑0) except the recusal on PH1 (5‑0).
- The Housing Affordability Advisory Committee membership was amended to include two additional residents of affordable housing units.
- Council provided instructions to staff during closed session (held pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. §143‑318.11(a)(1) and (a)(5) for privileged/confidential information and real property negotiations). No action was taken in open session after reconvening.
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
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 watching us at home. Thank you for taking an interest in your government. At this time, I'd like to introduce uh Sergeant Ronald Evans of the Wilmington Police Department. If you'll please come forward to give our invocation and we'll ask if everyone will stand, remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance. Sergeant, welcome. Good evening, Mayor, Mayor Pro Town Council. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your continued grace and mercy that you bestow upon us day in and day out. We thank you for your protection, your protection from the seen and the unseen. Lord, I ask that you continue to bless this council, touch them and guide their minds and their hearts as they prepare to make decisions that would be beneficial for every citizen of Wilmington. We pray this prayer in your son's precious name. Amen. This year, we adopted a 129.35 million dollar budget designed to address our aging infrastructure challenges and retain essential services. We have an unprecedented 112 capital projects underway, valued at 789.5 million dollars. We had a groundbreaking for the Southside Reclamation Facility, a generational investment in our community, and we've completed the first utility consolidation with another entity since CFPA was initially formed. This summer we welcomed graduate students from UNC Wilmington's Cameron School of Business and the School of Business in Surrey, United Kingdom, to help us improve our organizational efficiencies and find new effectiveness. And finally, we ended the calendar year with national award recognition for our reclamation treatment facilities, our water treatment facilities, and the highest honor provided by our industry for water system utility management. Now your water and wastewater utility continues to grow, although at a slightly slower pace than last year. We received and set 1,147 meters, which is slightly down from the 1,213 from the previous year. But the value of the infrastructure conveyed to us by the development community was 14,155,000. That's an increase of almost $3 million over the previous year. And despite a rate increase that was necessitated by the inflationary pressures that we all observed and costs associated with replacing the South Side Reclamation Facility. Our water and wastewater services are still the most affordable in the region, with an average amount of customer income spent on water and sewer with our authority below that of Brunswick County, Fayetteville, and Pinder County. Our system development charges also remain some of the lowest in the region, demonstrating our commitment to the economic vitality of our community. Now, as this city council knows so well, consolidations of local government services is a difficult and labor-intensive work. Such consolidations are not taken lightly, but when they're done right, bring the value for all for decades to come. I'm pleased to report that we did it right this year. Our authority completed its consolidation with the town of Wrightsville Beach in September. A merger that meets the needs of our new partners and ensures the cost of consolidation is not borne by city or county customers. Multiple infrastructure projects are underway right now to bind our utilities closely together, and our new customers have received their last bill from the town and their first bill from CFPA. In addition to the 1,147 meters that were set through orderly growth, we now have an additional 2,0800 metered connections to share the cost burden of operational expenditures with all. Our board has begun the work necessary to provide the next 50 years through the award of two major contracts under progressive design build philosophies. Final costs are expected to be known by March of this year, and our board will vote on the largest and most important of the final contracts as early as May of 2026 at the same meeting where they will approve our next budget. Our end goal though remains the same. It's unchanged. We'll replace this existing facility and we'll add additional capacity to support orderly growth. And we will achieve this goal and we will open this new facility by 2029. Now good governance is the hallmark of a well-run local government. Our utility continues to receive national recognition for operational and management policies of our board. Our strategic plan was formed from the goals and objectives of our board and is based upon the effective utility management principles, our industry's primary guidance for best governance practice and continuous improvement. Last year, we were invited along with a handful of other utilities to be part of the update to this national guidance, all based on our success and experience recently. And this year we received our industry's highest award for water system utility management, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agency's Platinum Award for Utility Excellence. We've been recognized by our peers, the largest and most complex utilities in the nation, as a national utility of note. Now the burden falls upon us to maintain that status and to drive forward through innovation and positive change for our utility and our industry. And I want to recognize our board members, past and present, for their vision, foresight, and discipline, and unwavering commitment to public service. And I want to thank our staff for translating that board's vision into reality. Now, ongoing maintenance of our water infrastructure is critically important from projects designed to sustain our community to projects designed to support tomorrow. Your utility continues to put its board strategic capital improvement plan into action.
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