HIGHLIGHTS
- Mayor Pro Tem Branch absent and excused from both meetings
- Updates on Transportation Bond, Affordable Housing Bond, and Parks Bond. Lots of discussion about Transportation project delays.
- Public comments focused on the Mine Creek Greenway, preservation, community engagement, the Christmas parade, reparations, Glenwood South, Affordable Housing, Missing Middle, and policing. Mayor Baldwin was often inattentive, sometimes defensive, and very autocratic.
A. 4:00 P.M. WORK SESSION CALLED TO ORDER BY THE MAYOR
1. Transportation Bond Update
Since 2005, four transportation bonds have been approved by Raleigh voters: 2005 ($60M), 2011 ($40M), 2013 ($75M) and 2017 ($206.7M), totaling $381.7M in investments in transportation infrastructure.
Programmed annually through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), these investments seek to enhance the City’s roadways, sidewalks/multi-use paths, bicycle facilities and transit facilities. As staff has previously shared with Council, projects and programs in the 2017 Transportation Bond have had schedules and budgets significantly affected by COVID, construction and real estate cost inflation, and a highly competitive market for staffing and construction services. This has resulted in previous City Councils deferring some projects to reallocate monies to close funding gaps in other projects.
During the work session, staff gave a presentation on the history of bond packages, the status of the 2017 Transportation Bond projects, and future transportation bond considerations.
Staff also used this opportunity to provide updates on the recent Parks Bond and Affordable Housing Bond.
- Update on Six Forks Road Project will be presented at 10/17 council meeting
- Average 4 – 6 years for a project from start to finish
- Councilor Harrison asks about capacity to handle projects from a new bond considering status of 2017 bond projects
- Councilor Black brings up lack of communication regarding updates on Six Forks Road Corridor Plan. Staff plans to ask for public feedback about options.
- Councilor Patton asks for an update on Atlantic Avenue. Contract was terminated and hope to finalize a new contract within a few months. Probably will finish a year and a half from March. Also asked for information on NCDOT Betterments Project and update on changes to sidewalk petition process.
- Councilor Jones asks about Leesville Road prioritization
- Mayor Baldwin asks about Person Street project delays and asked about implications of West Street extension deferral.
2. 2020 Affordable Housing Bond Update
In November of 2020, voters approved an $80 million housing bond aimed at addressing the City’s affordable housing needs. The bond funding was divided among the following five program categories: public-private partnerships ($28 million), rental development gap financing ($24 million), transit-oriented site acquisition/preservation ($16 million), homebuyer assistance ($6 million), and owner-occupied home repair ($6 million).
In January 2021, City Council approved a five-year spending plan for the bond funds which commenced July 1, 2021. Thus far, more than $42 million in housing bond funding has been committed or spent, which represents nearly 80% of the bond funds that have been budgeted and made available to-date.
During the work session, staff provided an overview of the activities and spending that have occurred in each of the five housing bond categories.
- Councilor Forte asks how these programs are communicated to the public. A perfect opportunity for CACs.
- Mayor Baldwin explains that Affordable Housing money should be spent in the buckets approved by voters. Shouldn’t that also be true of money from the Transportation bond.
- Councilor Patton asks about new ways of providing services, especially for unhoused people with pets or people who don’t identify as either male or female.
3. Parks Bond Update
On November 8, 2022, Raleigh voters approved the $275,000,000 Parks Bond Referendum, which was incorporated in the adopted FY2024-FY2028 capital improvement program budget. During the October 10, 2023 City Council work session, staff provided a brief update on the 2022 Parks Bond roll out including project status and early engagement actions.
A. 7:00 P.M. EVENING AGENDA
B. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY THE MAYOR
C. PUBLIC COMMENT
1. Rules of Decorum for Public Comment
2. Voice Mail Public Comment
- Octavia Rainey spoke asked that the City not hire private duty security at Moore Square as they have in the past.
- Marilyn Alphin spoke against relocation of Mine Creek greenway.
- Kay Maningas spoke against relocation of Mine Creek greenway.
- Jim Samborsky spoke against relocation of Mine Creek greenway.
- Sara Mason spoke against relocation of Mine Creek greenway.
- Matthew Brown asked that motorized vehicles be allowed in the Christmas Parade.
- Tony Strickland spoke against relocation of Mine Creek greenway.
- Chris Crew spoke about adopting preservation as a value.
- Pat Butler asked the Council to establish a racial equity and reparative justice commission
- Robert Courts spoke about citizen engagement.
- Sharon Williams did not speak.
- Andrea Fennell spoke about the need for reparations.
- Don Lewis, a fourth-generation Shaw alumni, raised concerns about the City’s decision to rezone land around Shaw resulting in gentrification.
- Nicole Williams spoke about being a victim of a hate crime.
- Woody Biggs spoke about the impact of crime and noise on real estate values.
- Shane Collins shared concerns about gentrification, inadequate services for the unhoused, and staff compensation.
- Frank Hielema spoke about Mayor Baldwin’s attempts to bully council, serious concerns about Missing Middle, and council’s lack of response to citizen concerns.
- Tim Niles spoke about the fallacy of trickle down housing affordability and the failure of Council to adhere to the Expanding Housing Choices vision statement to include affordability.
- Nathaniel Dibble did not speak.
- Donna Bailey spoke about the City’s decline under Mayor Baldwin, and especially about the withdrawal of City support for CACs and the negative impacts of Missing Middle. Also the change from majority to plurality elections, granting herself and extra year in office, and the increase in homelessness under Baldwin’s administration.
- Denise Fitzpatrick talked about public safety concerns at the Moore Square Bus Terminal and asked for more protection.
- Kimberly Muktarian spoke about murders and shootings in Raleigh North and called out the Mayor for not paying attention to public speakers.
- Delmonte Crawford spoke in support of a reparative justice resolution.
- Joshua Bradley spoke about the need for housing and support services as well as crime in Glenwood South. He asked councilors to promise to not take money from developers. Criticized the Council’s priorities.
- Zainab Baloch spoke in support of setting up a H.E.A.R.T. unit as an alternative response to mental health crises.
- Hwa Huang spoke in support of a reparative justice resolution and raised concerns about homelessness.
- Trey Brooks, father of young girl who died in the Christmas parade last year, explained that his family had never been contacted about cancelling the parade and that no one from the City had ever spoken to the family about it, and asked that basic safety measures be put in place and that the parade be re-instituted with motorized vehicles.
D. ADJOURNMENT
1. Adjourn Meeting