5/17/22 City Council Meeting

5/17/22 City Council Meeting

HIGHLIGHTS Councilor Buffkin absent again for all of work session and some of afternoon session (many recent absences seem to coincide with his NC Senate campaign activities, showing his priorities) Several councilors express concerns about lack of transparency and...

May 10 Council and Committee meetings round-up

May 10 Council and Committee meetings round-up

Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Z-67-21, located at the intersections of I-440 at Lassiter Mill Road and Lassiter Mill Road at Six Forks Road. This despite strong concerns expressed by area residents concerning the impact on fire safety, traffic,...

Allowing virtual public comments at in-person meetings would increase citizen participation

Allowing virtual public comments at in-person meetings would increase citizen participation

First, I would like to address a statement Councilor Stewart made at a recent meeting. She said that it’s the same people who participate in public comment time after time, but this simply is not true. I collected data from City Council minutes for September 4, 2018 to September 7, 2022 for a total of 64 meetings: 32 meetings before Council began meeting virtually and 32 meetings after. You can see this data displayed in the bar graph. During the virtual meetings, participation in public comments increased 17%, and the number of individuals that spoke only once before council increased 23%.

May 3 2022 City Council Meeting

May 3 2022 City Council Meeting

HIGHLIGHTS Once again a last minute change from in-person to virtual meeting due to Covid outbreak among staff. All public hearings will be continued to May 10 at 4pm except for Floodplain Maps which is referred to Planning Commission with recommendations needed in...

April 5, 2022 City Council Meeting Highlights

April 5, 2022 City Council Meeting Highlights

HIGHLIGHTS April 12 work session cancelled; budget work session to be held on April 11.Missing Middle Text Change (TC-20-21) public hearing scheduled for May 3.Approved refinements to Neighborhood Traffic Management Program.Approved Highwoods Property Owners...

City Council Retreat March 4-5, 2022

City Council Retreat March 4-5, 2022

Raleigh City Council held their annual retreat at Dix Park Chapel. While the meeting was viewable remotely, members of the public were not allowed to attend, which is curious considering Council now requires in-person attendance for individuals who want to speak at...

City Council Meeting Highlights – 3/15

City Council Meeting Highlights – 3/15

HIGHLIGHTS Plans for expanded convention center and convention center hotel are being revised post-Covid. Municipal Service District (MSD) for Midtown referred to Safe, Vibrant, & Healthy Communities Committee April meeting. Public Comments focused on Engagement,...

Keep a Remote Option for Engagement

Keep a Remote Option for Engagement

Lisa Hughet recently sent the following email to Raleigh City Council. Lisa has lived in Raleigh for nearly 30 years and says "my activism really kicked into high gear during the pandemic. Ironically, coinciding with a new City Council who appears not to have the...

February 15, 2022 City Council Meeting

February 15, 2022 City Council Meeting

Highlights City Attorney reaffirms her position that hybrid meetings would be illegal DESPITE the fact that Cary Town Council was holding hybrid meetings even before the pandemic. Mayor Pro Tem Stewart says they are hearing from the same people in remote meetings as...

City Council Work Session – February 8, 2022

City Council Work Session – February 8, 2022

Mayor Baldwin announced that a decision regarding Raleigh’s mask mandate will likely be made in a couple of more weeks after additional data is gathered. Staff presented some proposals on Tree Conservation options. Despite staff telling previous councils that NC...