OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026

City Council & Planning Commission — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyWilmington, North Carolina
SessionCity Council & Planning Commission
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:02:10

Transcript — Verbatim
0:35

I'd like to bring the meeting to order to the Wilmington City Council.

0:38

I'd like to welcome all those who are with us this evening and all those who are watching us at home.

0:42

Thank you for taking interest in your government.

0:44

At this time, I'd like to call on Sergeant Ronald Evans of the Wilmington Police Department to come forward and please give our invocation.

0:50

If everyone was standing, remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

0:54

Good evening, Mayor Council.

0:55

Let us pray.

0:56

Dear Heavenly Father, uh, first and foremost, we thank you for your many blessings, your grace, and your mercy that you bestow upon us day in and day out.

1:06

We thank you for everything that you have done in our lives, everything that you're doing and everything that you are going to do.

1:13

We ask that for your protection from the seen and the unseen in our daily lives.

1:20

I thank you for this council.

1:22

I pray that you will continue to touch their minds and their hearts and continue to give them wisdom as they make the decisions that will be for the benefit for every citizen of the city.

1:34

We pray this prayer in your son's precious name.

1:37

Amen.

1:38

Amen.

1:39

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

2:00

First item of business is our consent agenda, items one through four.

2:06

Are there any items that any councilman would like to hear separately?

2:08

If not, what are the wishes of council in respect to the consent agenda?

2:13

We have a motion.

2:18

So moved.

2:18

Motion motion to approve by Councilmember Joyner.

2:22

Second.

2:22

Second by Councilmember Andrews.

2:24

Any further discussion?

2:29

All in favor of that motion, please indicate by saying aye.

2:32

Aye.

2:32

Aye.

2:33

Any opposed.

2:34

That item passes unanimously.

2:36

That brings us to our next item of business, which is our public information segment.

2:40

We have one speaker that is signed up to speak with us this evening.

2:43

Mr.

2:43

Joel Barrio, who is uh here in the city of Wilmington, who's speaking about a Velo Airlines 150 million contract with ICE.

2:52

Mr.

2:52

Barrier here.

2:56

Okay.

2:58

Seeing no, we'll move on to our next item of business, which are ordinances.

3:02

Item O one A is an ordinance appropriating three million seven hundred and one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six dollars for the Greenville Loop Trail Section Three project.

3:11

And then O1B is the resolution awarding a construction contract in the amount of three million seven hundred and twenty-four thousand three hundred and fifty-nine dollars to the Morgan Trucking and General Construction Incorporated for the Greenville Loop Trail Section Three Transportation Bond Project and the Greenville Loop Sidewalk Project.

3:29

At this time I'd like to recognize City Manager Ms.

3:31

Hawk.

3:31

Ms.

3:31

Hall.

3:32

Thank you, Mr.

3:32

Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem members of Council.

3:35

These items will be presented by Division Project Manager Mike Niklicky.

3:45

Good evening, Mr.

3:46

Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem members of Council.

3:48

Before you tonight is an ordinance and companion resolution to award the construction of Greenville Loop Trail Section Three.

3:57

Before I get into some of the details of the bid and and the funding, I know we have a couple few new council members.

4:05

Just like to give just a little bit of background on this project.

4:34

Once that was finalized, City Council supported us splitting that into several sections of the 4.3 miles.

4:42

We were able to split that into four sections that allowed us to expedite the sections that had maybe a less complicated design, did not have as much property acquisition or less utility relocations.

5:00

So on the map here that you see, the red section has been completed that runs along Holly Tree and connects to the Central College Trail, which was a transportation bond project as well that was completed a few years back.

5:07

The yellow section is section two, adds a multi-use trail plus a signal at the Bradley Creek Elementary School for Safe Crossing.

5:18

That project is currently under construction and projected to be completed this summer.

5:23

Section three is the blue section, which is subject of our discussion tonight, and that runs from Bradley Creek School across Oleander and connects to the River to Sea Bikeway on Park Avenue.

5:34

There's a small section that you see there in purple or magenta.

5:38

It's called the Greenville Loops Sidewalk, and I'll give you a little bit more information on the next slide.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████20%
Transportation Safety█████████████████17%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Environmental Protection███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Public Safety█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Wilmington City Council Regular Meeting - January 20, 2026

The Wilmington City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 6:30 PM at City Hall, Skyline Center, 929 N. Front Street. The meeting included approval of consent items, ordinances for trail and drainage projects, adoption of the 2026 legislative agenda, a code of ethics amendment, board appointments, establishment of a community relations committee, and a continued resolution on harbor dredging. The council also entered closed session and authorized a worker's compensation settlement.

Consent Calendar

  • C1. Approved minutes of the January 5, 2026 Agenda Briefing and January 6, 2026 Regular Meeting.
  • C2. Adopted a resolution authorizing a five-year contract with Spectrum Enterprise, Inc. for city-wide area network upgrades, not to exceed $1,961,880.
  • C3. Adopted a resolution awarding a city-wide tree and stump removal contract to Lanier Tree Service, LLC for $125,774.
  • C4. Adopted a resolution endorsing an application for a Governor’s Highway Safety Program grant of $25,000.
  • All consent items passed unanimously (7-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made. Scheduled speaker Joel Barrio (regarding Avelo Airlines’ $150 million contract with ICE) did not appear.

Discussion Items

  • Greenville Loop Trail Section 3 (O1a & O1b): Division Project Manager Mike Naklicki presented the project, which adds 4.3 miles of trail to the existing network. The ordinance appropriates $3,701,766 (from transportation bond, sidewalk project funds, and transportation motor vehicle tax). The companion resolution awards a $3,724,359 construction contract to Morgan Trucking & General Construction, Inc. (a local MBE/DBE contractor meeting a 14% participation goal). Construction is expected to be completed by late fall 2026. Both items were approved 7-0, and the second reading of the ordinance was waived unanimously.
  • Wisteria/Clearbrook Drainage Improvements Stage II (O2a, O2b, O2c): Assistant Public Works Director Aaron Beckner introduced three companion items: O2a appropriates $118,700 from Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) for utility relocations; O2b awards a $3,994,752 construction contract to Wells Brothers Construction Co., Inc.; O2c approves an interlocal agreement with CFPUA for the $118,700 reimbursement. The project extends from Dogwood Lane to Camellia Lane to reduce flooding and improve water quality in Hewletts Creek. All three items passed, but meeting minutes record O2c passing 6-0 (the transcript shows a unanimous voice vote, creating a discrepancy). O2a and O2b passed unanimously (7-0).
  • 2026 State and Federal Legislative Agenda (R1): Director of Legislative Affairs Kara Spencer reviewed the city’s priorities, including opposing legislation that undermines local authority, supporting increased infrastructure funding, housing affordability, disaster recovery, Cape Fear River protection, PFAS response, film incentives, and federal roles in disaster recovery and chemical regulation. The resolution was approved 7-0.
  • Code of Ethics Amendment (R2): City Attorney Meredith Everhart explained that the code (last amended in 2018) was updated to reflect current state law and City Charter references. Approved 7-0.
  • Wilmington Harbor 403 Project (R3): Mayor Saffo reported that Secretary Reid Wilson of DEQ had announced a pause in the Army Corps of Engineers’ consistency review for the harbor deepening project. Kara Spencer noted negotiations were possible. Council debated whether to pass the resolution or wait. A motion to continue the item to the February 3, 2026 meeting passed 7-0.
  • Appointments Report (RP1): Councilmember Andrews presented recommendations from the Appointments Committee. Appointments included Kristie Ford (Commission on African American History), Donna Everette (Convention Center Advisory Committee), Sheree Darien and William Piatt (Loan Review Board), Terry Smith (Parks & Recreation), Kitt Starnes (Sister City Commission), Mayor Pro-Tem Spears and Councilmember Santaguida (MPO representatives with Cm. Lyle as alternate), Cm. Clinton-Quintana (Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority replacing Charlie Rivenbark), and several Zoning Board of Adjustment appointments (Alain Norman, Bill Day, Greg Thompson, Jim Downey, Hunt Harris). The report was approved 7-0.
  • Community Relations Advisory Committee (RP2): Councilmember Andrews explained the committee will be city-only (not joint with the county) with all at-large positions, seeking members with experience in civil rights, faith, business, nonprofit, or Title VII communities. The resolution establishing the committee and bylaws was approved 7-0.
  • Closed Session and Worker’s Compensation Settlement: The council unanimously voted to enter closed session under NCGS §143-318.11(a)(3) to discuss potential legal claims and a worker’s compensation matter (Harvey Schultz v. City of Wilmington, IC File No. 2401-5695). After reconvening, the council authorized a settlement of $130,000 for that claim (7-0). No other actions were taken.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved as presented (7-0).
  • Greenville Loop Trail Section 3: Appropriation and contract awarded (both 7-0); second reading waived.
  • Wisteria/Clearbrook Drainage Stage II: Appropriation (O2a) passed 7-0; construction contract (O2b) passed 7-0; interlocal agreement (O2c) passed 6-0 per minutes (unanimous voice vote per transcript).
  • Legislative Agenda, Code of Ethics, Appointments, CRAC: All passed 7-0.
  • Wilmington Harbor 403 Resolution: Continued to February 3, 2026 meeting (7-0).
  • Closed Session/settlement: Motion to enter closed session passed 7-0; settlement of $130,000 authorized 7-0.
  • Next regular meeting: February 3, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to bring the meeting to order to the Wilmington City Council. I'd like to welcome all those who are with us this evening and all those who are watching us at home. Thank you for taking interest in your government. At this time, I'd like to call on Sergeant Ronald Evans of the Wilmington Police Department to come forward and please give our invocation. If everyone was standing, remain standing afterwards for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Good evening, Mayor Council. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, uh, first and foremost, we thank you for your many blessings, your grace, and your mercy that you bestow upon us day in and day out. We thank you for everything that you have done in our lives, everything that you're doing and everything that you are going to do. We ask that for your protection from the seen and the unseen in our daily lives. I thank you for this council. I pray that you will continue to touch their minds and their hearts and continue to give them wisdom as they make the decisions that will be for the benefit for every citizen of the city. We pray this prayer in your son's precious name. Amen. Amen. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. First item of business is our consent agenda, items one through four. Are there any items that any councilman would like to hear separately? If not, what are the wishes of council in respect to the consent agenda? We have a motion. So moved. Motion motion to approve by Councilmember Joyner. Second. Second by Councilmember Andrews. Any further discussion? All in favor of that motion, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed. That item passes unanimously. That brings us to our next item of business, which is our public information segment. We have one speaker that is signed up to speak with us this evening. Mr. Joel Barrio, who is uh here in the city of Wilmington, who's speaking about a Velo Airlines 150 million contract with ICE. Mr. Barrier here. Okay. Seeing no, we'll move on to our next item of business, which are ordinances. Item O one A is an ordinance appropriating three million seven hundred and one thousand seven hundred and sixty-six dollars for the Greenville Loop Trail Section Three project. And then O1B is the resolution awarding a construction contract in the amount of three million seven hundred and twenty-four thousand three hundred and fifty-nine dollars to the Morgan Trucking and General Construction Incorporated for the Greenville Loop Trail Section Three Transportation Bond Project and the Greenville Loop Sidewalk Project. At this time I'd like to recognize City Manager Ms. Hawk. Ms. Hall. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem members of Council. These items will be presented by Division Project Manager Mike Niklicky. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem members of Council. Before you tonight is an ordinance and companion resolution to award the construction of Greenville Loop Trail Section Three.

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