Highlights Despite previously guaranteeing 3 minutes per speaker at Public Comments and establishing a special meeting to accommodate that, Mayor Baldwin instituted a one-minute limit per speaker because 108 people had signed up to speak. Four councilors voted for...
Meaningful engagement involves listening, hearing & taking action
Listening sessions with no action eventually lead to lack of resident belief that resident needs are indeed being heeded which results in demoralization of residents, or perhaps that is the intent.
Raleigh City Manager quietly receives whopping 10% pay increase
As an over 50 year resident of Raleigh, I write in opposition to the action taken yesterday afternoon by the council to give a mid-year raise to the city manager of a whopping 10% to her already $323,977 annual salary. As a taxpayer and Raleigh resident, this huge mid-fiscal year raise, while our city’s public safety and first responder workforce are in critical need of human resources and competitive compensation, along with the embarrassing lack of action for a year on the highly public and negatively media focused parade permitting process is embarrassing at the very least while sending very negative, questionable signals to city employees and the public of what the Mayor, City Manager and Council value most.
Save our parades
Wouldn’t you like to be seen as the heroes who saved our parades, rather than the Grinches who canceled them. Please direct staff to allow vehicles.
December 5, 2023 City Council Meetings
Highlights from December 5, 2023 Council Meetings
The UDO opens a Pandora’s Box
In my view, the UDO adopted in 2013, perhaps inadvertently, opens a back door to undercut the zoning rules.
Density does NOT create affordability
You could have negotiated to include the same number of 56 affordable units as a community benefit for the increased entitlement given to the applicant while allowing them to benefit financially from 154 additional market rate units. Maybe even go crazy and ask them to increase from 56 to 60 affordable units while still gaining 250 units at market rate. A WIN-WIN for everyone.
Benefits of affordable housing extend beyond providing a roof over one’s head
Ultimately, the transformative capacity of affordable housing extends beyond providing a roof over one’s head. It acts as a catalyst for community wide improvements, positively impacting crime rates, mental health, incarceration rates and childhood learning. This isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential and it’s a key requirement for a thriving community.
Raleigh is underreporting noise complaints to the residents and the media
I am here tonight to talk about noise. In Glenwood South we have been very suspect about the numbers being reported by the city. And we were right to be suspect as we now have evidence that the city has downplayed and grossly under-reported noise complaint calls. Every citizen and every news outlet who unwittingly reported the city provided incorrect statistics to the public should be outraged.
NOVEMBER 21, 2023 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Highlights from the November 21, 2023 Work Session and Afternoon Session