Why do you put up barriers to hear from your citizens in a public forum? You should be removing barriers, making it easier to hear from those you are here to represent. I was one of those new individuals that started participating during the pandemic because it was virtual.
My name is Elizabeth Fulks and for 6 years I have worked as a telecommunicator for Raleigh Wake Emergency Communications, well until Sunday. Our 911 center has reached critical staffing levels that is putting the safety of the citizens and our first responders in danger. We are working below minimum staffing daily. 12 hour shifts without lunch breaks and mandatory overtime on our days off. If these trends continue over the summer there is a good chance when you call 911 it might ring for several minutes before someone answers. Minutes that can be the difference between life and death for someone you love.
Something is rotten in the way we pay for development.
With Raleigh among the fastest growing cities in the country — with tall buildings springing up everywhere and all the small houses torn down to make room for McMansions — why are Raleigh taxpayers getting hammered by rising property tax rates?
I have lost count as to how many times I have spoken before you. I will say that over the last 18 months, I have learned how quiet you actually are. The excuses that have come out of you on a multitude of subjects is baffling. From community engagement, to affordable housing, to first responder pay! Your priorities are skewed and it’s led to placing anything and everything ABOVE the people you represent.
You as a city council can take the charge on this — back in 2019 the Charlotte City Council created buffer zones and put in place noise ordinances so that people seeking reproductive care could receive their healthcare in peace. And recently in Austin, Texas, some of their city council members wrote a resolution to decrimininalize abortion by restricting city funds from being used to investigate any abortions and make investigations of abortion-related crime as the lowest priority for their police department.