2026-09-14 - City Council

13:16I know. Sorry.

13:27Hello.

13:29We've been having it the last

13:31few.

13:39All right. Um. Well. Good

13:41evening. Um. Good evening. All

13:45right. Apologize for the audio.

13:47With that, we'll call our

13:49Monday, September 14th meeting

13:51to order. Uh, with that, as

13:53with every meeting, we welcome

13:54those who are joining us in the

13:55audience, those who are joining

13:56us remotely. We welcome you as

13:57well. Uh, at this time, we will

13:59have our invocation. We'll ask

14:00that Minister Terrence Phillips

14:02of True Vine Ministries if he

14:03will come ask at all, will

14:04please stand for the prayer

14:06immediately following. If we

14:07could repeat the Pledge of

14:08Allegiance together.

14:10We bow our heads. Our father in

14:14heaven, hallowed be thy name.

14:16Thy kingdom come. Father, we

14:18thank you, God, for your grace

14:19and your mercy. We thank you,

14:21God, for all that you've done

14:23for us. Father, in your word,

14:24you. You asked and you told us,

14:27father, that if we needed

14:28wisdom, father, that we would

14:30ask you. You are the giver of

14:31that very wisdom. Lord God and

14:33Father, we pray, father, for

14:35this meeting tonight. Lord God,

14:36we pray. Father, for your

14:37wisdom. Give us leadership,

14:40father, that comes only from

14:41you. Give us guidance that only

14:43comes from you. Lord God and

14:44Father, we thank you, God, for

14:46each and every heart that is

14:47gathered here today. Lord God,

14:49we pray, father, that you would

14:50bless them. Lord God, open our

14:52eyes that we can see you like

14:53we've never seen you before.

14:54Lord God, open our ears that we

14:56can hear your voice like we've

14:58never heard before. And we

15:00thank you God, for these and

15:01all other blessings. In Jesus

15:02name, Amen.

15:05Amen.

15:07United States of America.

15:10The Tudor republic for which it

15:12stands. One nation under God,

15:15indivisible, with liberty and

15:17justice for all.

15:19Minister. Thank you, Mr.

15:20Chairman. Thank you for great

15:22prayer. Thank you for joining

15:23us. We know you very familiar

15:25with you, even though you got

15:26the wrong shirt on. Is that is

15:28that Duke up there? Lord have

15:29mercy. Uh, but tell us a little

15:31bit about yourself in the in

15:32the great ministry that you're

15:34a part of.

15:34All right. My name is Terence

15:36Phillips. I am a member of True

15:39Vine Ministries, which is at

15:4053, 15 Morganton Road. Um, and

15:44if you guys are familiar with

15:46True Vine Ministries, uh, this

15:48Sunday, we are actually having

15:50a old school Sunday. Um, at

15:53True Vine. You know, we we're

15:54normally very casual, but what

15:57makes this old school is we're

15:58going back to wearing suits and

16:00big hats and going back before.

16:03Before there was a such thing

16:05as praise and worship. Uh, so

16:07we're going to the choirs and

16:10things like that. So if you

16:11want to attend. Hey, we welcome

16:13you there.

16:14We appreciate it. And thank

16:15you. And and Pastor Jones,

16:17you're going back to sing up

16:18the windows back.

16:18In the day. Yes. Alright.

16:20Yes. Yes, sir. But thank you.

16:22Thank you so much. Let's give

16:22him a round.

16:23Yes, sir.

16:27All right. And again, as we

16:29work through our audio, we

16:31appreciate your patience. Um,

16:33so with that, we will move to

16:34the announcements. I have

16:36council member Jones, Mayor Pro

16:37Tem Thompson, and council

16:38member Haire.

16:39Mm. Thank you, Mister Mayor.

16:40Um, just want to announce that

16:42on Tuesday, September the 29th,

16:46at the time of 6:30 p.m.. Uh,

16:48we will be having a community

16:50wide district meeting at

16:52Country Club Community Outreach

16:54Center at 651 Country Club

16:56Drive, uh, in Fayetteville. All

16:59are invited is for district

17:00three. But all in any city

17:02residents are there. We're

17:03going to have some information,

17:05uh, that we want to share.

17:06What's going on? We have we'll

17:07have some individuals that will

17:09be sharing some pertinent

17:10information as it relates to

17:12our youth, to our seniors, and

17:14some health related activity.

17:16Again, that's Tuesday,

17:17September 29th, 6:30 p.m.. Uh,

17:21we will also have, uh, one at

17:23least one of our state

17:25representatives, uh, there to

17:27answer some questions that we

17:28have before them. So thank you

17:29so much, Mister Mayor.

17:30All right. Thank you. And I

17:32think we got the audio. Uh,

17:34mayor pro tem. Good. Thank you,

17:35Mister mayor. Uh, first.

17:36Let me say that tomorrow, the

17:4015th of September through the

17:4215th of October is Hispanic

17:44Heritage Month. Heritage month.

17:47Let's, uh, recognize the

17:50population who has contributed

17:51so much to the society. This is

17:52a month that we celebrate them.

17:54Also, September is suicide

17:56prevention month. Let's make

17:58sure we reach out to all those

17:59individuals who may be going

18:00through some difficulties and

18:02let them know that they are not

18:03alone, and you are here to

18:04support and help them with the

18:06services they might need just

18:07to get them, uh, in the right

18:09mindset. And thirdly, let me

18:12add that with you, anniversary

18:14is coming up the 22nd and 23rd

18:17of October, the women's

18:19luncheon will be the 22nd. The

18:22prayer breakfast will be the

18:2323rd, and the concert will be

18:25that evening at Kingdom Global

18:27Impact. Thank you, Mister

18:28Mayor.

18:29Thank you, Councilman hair.

18:31Thank you. Mayor.

18:34Uh, calling on all Divine Nine

18:38organizations. We will be

18:40having a get out to vote.

18:43Praise and worship Sunday on

18:47this coming September the 20th.

18:52That will be at Kingdom Impact

18:54Global Ministries. 2503. That

18:59is September the 20th. The

19:02service starts at uh, 9 a.m..

19:06Please wear your dress colors.

19:09A praise and worship divine

19:12nine. Get out to vote service,

19:15and we'd love to see all the

19:16brothers, all nine of the

19:17brothers and sisters in the

19:19organizations there. Thank you

19:21mayor.

19:21Thank you, Councilman Davis.

19:23Thank you mister. Thank you,

19:25Mister Mayor. Uh, just wanted

19:26to announce, as we guys can,

19:28some of us can see that we do

19:29have Fayetteville next advisory

19:30commission here. Um, they will

19:32be having their now and zero

19:33future fest on September the

19:3626th. Tickets are now live. Um,

19:38they have a lot of nice feature

19:40guests. And also, the 82nd

19:41Airborne Division band will

19:43also be there. So please go to

19:44their Facebook and sign up and

19:46get your tickets. Thank you

19:47sir.

19:48Thank you and welcome

19:49Fayetteville next. Uh, know

19:50you've had your busy days and,

19:52uh, look forward to what you

19:54what you're bringing into the

19:55city. So thank you for your

19:56work. All right. Council, uh,

19:58no further announcements. Uh,

20:00go to Mister Doctor Hewitt for

20:02city manager's report.

20:04Thank you. Mayor Colvin and

20:06members of council. Um, uh,

20:08several things tonight, and

20:11we'll be asking Mister Cuffy to

20:13come up and give us a little

20:14bit more information along the

20:15lines of what? Um, House member

20:18Davis was talking about as

20:19well. But first, I'd like to

20:20say I'd like to take a moment

20:21to recognize and announce the

20:23upcoming retirement of several

20:25members of our organization,

20:26their years of dedicated

20:27service, leadership, commitment

20:30have made a lasting impact on

20:31our city and our community. Uh,

20:33we're deeply grateful for their

20:34contributions and wish them all

20:36the best as they begin their

20:37will, earn new chapter of their

20:39lives. Um, starting with Miss

20:41Tracy Brogdon, assistant 901

20:43communications manager for 29

20:45years of service, who is

20:47retiring October 1st, 2026.

20:50And, um, uh, Mr. David got a

20:53traffic signal technician three

20:54with 11 years of service. He'll

20:56also be retiring in October.

20:58First, Mister Leonard

20:59MacDonnell. Um, five years of

21:01service as a maintenance

21:02worker. Will be retiring

21:03October 1st as well. Um, I'm

21:05going to ask Chris Collie if

21:07he's here. Just a moment to

21:08come up as well. Um, in

21:10addition to the $25 million

21:12hood award, we were notified

21:14today that some additional

21:15grants, some from HUD, came

21:17through, which I think, um,

21:18will provide council with more

21:20information on. But, um, always

21:22looking for good news, positive

21:23news that we can share with the

21:24community. Um, if you will

21:26start with that. And then I

21:27will do the, um, if you can

21:29also talk about the Strong

21:30Partners initiative as well, if

21:31you have that as well.

21:36Um, so I got a really cool

21:37email today. Um, from HUD. Uh,

21:41so one of the things that, you

21:43know, kind of the the platform

21:44of the, the new HUD, I guess

21:46you could say is, um, yes, they

21:49want to fund initiatives to

21:50help make housing affordable

21:52and create housing opportunity

21:53in our country, but they also

21:55want to look at how cities and

21:57counties and local governments

21:59can make development easier,

22:02faster and cheaper, um, so that

22:05they can open up some of those

22:05different housing pipelines.

22:07And so, um, one weekend, uh,

22:10about a month and a half ago, I

22:12stayed up till 3 a.m. applying

22:13for a grant on a lark, um, that

22:15we might get it. Uh, we worked

22:17with, uh, our chief information

22:19officer. Um, and, uh, and our

22:21development services director,

22:22and then our development

22:23services manager. Um, Alex

22:25Montana, and we put together a

22:27grant for an automated

22:29permitting system. So using

22:31some new technology, some

22:32emerging things, and working

22:33alongside HUD to see how we can

22:35speed up and automate our

22:36permitting and plan review

22:38process, create a better

22:40experience for folks that are

22:41coming in and submitting to

22:43build in our city. So today we

22:44got an email saying that we'd

22:46won $1 million grant for that.

22:48Um.

22:49Yeah. Um.

22:53Uh, it's it's I couldn't have

22:56done it without Alex. Alex. Uh.

22:58Uh, my Johnny, he he

22:59interviewed Mike. I lost count

23:02of the number of different

23:03software vendors and platforms

23:05and things that are out there

23:06that we could take advantage of

23:07and talk about what they did

23:08really well and what they they

23:10don't do well, and what we

23:11could try to sell HUD on. And

23:12we were able to make that

23:14successful. So we'll be doing a

23:15lot more talking about that in

23:17the future. We still got to

23:17bring it back to council for

23:18approval. Um, but, uh, we'll be

23:21partnering with HUD and

23:22hopefully trying to make our

23:23development processes a little

23:25bit easier and more

23:26streamlined. So, um.

23:28Thank you, Mr. Colla. We always

23:30like to hear about receiving

23:32money. So, uh, in addition to

23:33the million dollar grant, um, I

23:35know, uh, many members of the

23:37community heard about the, uh,

23:39Choice Neighborhood award,

23:40which, uh, you and your office

23:42and, and, uh, and many members

23:44of the community, we we

23:45highlighted that last week in

23:46their work. Um, you want to

23:48talk a little bit about just

23:49very briefly, some of the

23:50things that that could actually

23:52help us to, uh, unlock over

23:54there.

23:55Uh, yeah. Absolutely. In fact,

23:57I recently had a conversation

23:59with some home builders in our

24:00community that asked, how could

24:02they help? Um, revitalize the

24:05Marks and Road area, and they

24:06had some plans for housing,

24:08and, um, they wanted a fast

24:10track approval. Like, just give

24:11them a I was like, we we we got

24:13standards. Like council is very

24:14intentional about development.

24:16Um, but this is the stuff that

24:18they're looking for is, is how

24:19can they build upon the $531

24:23million of public and private

24:24investment that we've got going

24:26here? Um, and create more of

24:28that. And we can do that by

24:29working on innovative systems

24:31like this with HUD as a

24:32partner. Um, across multiple

24:35departments, our IT department,

24:36our development services

24:37department, with City council,

24:38the manager's office. Uh, to

24:40make development easier for

24:41people to navigate. Um, the $25

24:45million is is huge. I mean, the

24:47lion's share of that money goes

24:48towards housing development.

24:49Um, and so that that becomes

24:51that, that about 20 million of

24:53that money becomes 100 plus

24:55million dollars of new

24:56development on the Murchison

24:57Road corridor with 300 and I

24:59think, 23 new housing units.

25:02Um, those housing units will

25:03replace the affordable that is

25:04there, add a little bit more

25:06affordable and then add mixed

25:07income units on top of that so

25:08that we have communities with

25:10families at different stages in

25:11their journey, all living

25:12together and creating

25:14neighborhoods and communities.

25:15We also got some homeownership

25:16thrown in there too. And if

25:17y'all want me, I can stay here

25:18all night and talk about the

25:19stuff we've done.

25:20No.

25:20We don't want that. Yes, sir.

25:21So the other thing that the

25:22manager asked me to talk about

25:23really quick was our Stronger

25:24Partners initiative. Um.

25:29Something really. So I came to

25:31the city about seven years ago,

25:33and something really cool has

25:34happened in the last seven

25:35years. Um, uh, things are no

25:37longer my idea. And they keep

25:39happening with my team, and

25:41this is one of them. So we

25:42hired, uh, this this bright

25:44lady. Jackie. Um, and she came

25:46in, and I kind of gave her a

25:48general. Hey, I want to make

25:49nonprofits in our community

25:51better. Um, we've done a lot to

25:53help nonprofits begin. But how

25:55do we take the ones that are

25:57here and help make them

25:58stronger? And so she went out

25:59and did a bunch of best

26:01practice research with other

26:02cities. Um, Alex Baker, my

26:04assistant director, went to

26:05Duke and got a nonprofit

26:06executive director

26:07certification, and we took all

26:09that information, and we

26:10started coming together with

26:12Mary Holmes, um, a couple of

26:14other leaders in our community,

26:16Scott Embry from the United

26:17Way, and said, how can we put

26:18together a roundtable to help?

26:19Executive directors of

26:21nonprofits grow and make their

26:23nonprofits stronger. Um, and so

26:25what they came up with was this

26:26nonprofit roundtable. And Alex

26:28just brought me the notes that

26:29he wrote for this. Um, but

26:32really, it's just to build that

26:33capacity and deepen their

26:35impact on our community. You

26:36know, we don't need a million

26:38nonprofits. If we had 20 really

26:41strong ones with great roots in

26:44the community and impactful

26:45programs, what would that do?

26:46And that's the idea is how do

26:48we take some nonprofits that

26:49have been established in our

26:50community and build them up to

26:51be stronger? So we're going to

26:52talk to them about strategic

26:53planning. We're going to talk

26:54to them about board

26:55development, about oversight of

26:57financial resources and and

27:00make sure that what they're

27:01doing is what matters in our

27:02community and that they can

27:03measure it.

27:05Thank you. Thank you so much.

27:06And let's give a round of

27:07applause for community economic

27:10development. Doing big things

27:12in our in our community. We

27:14appreciate the work. We look

27:15forward to seeing, uh, the

27:17continue to see the fruits of

27:18the labor of you and your team.

27:19So thank you. Thank you for the

27:20briefing.

27:21All right, Mr. Mayor. Just two

27:22other items. Um, first is, um,

27:25uh, as we contemplate tomorrow,

27:29uh, um, championship possible

27:31championship game between the

27:33Fayetteville woodpeckers and

27:34the Charleston RiverDogs. It's

27:36game two. And whoever wins

27:38that, uh, if the woodpeckers

27:40win, will be the Carolina

27:41League champions, which is very

27:43exciting. Um, hopefully we'll

27:44be able to have that as

27:45something we'll be able to hang

27:46our hat on on Wednesday morning

27:47as well. But in addition to

27:49that, we have Mister Cuffy

27:50here. If he could briefly come

27:52forward and announce a little

27:54bit about the 900 fest and

27:57which is coming up as well, in

27:59just a few short weeks. Thank

28:01you sir.

28:01Thank you. Good evening, Mayor

28:04Colvin. City council, uh, city

28:07Manager Hewitt and city staff.

28:09Thank you again for allowing me

28:11to stand before you, as well as

28:13for your continued support and

28:15efforts throughout this

28:16process. After months of

28:17planning, conversations,

28:19partnerships, and a whole lot

28:21of work, we are officially just

28:23days away from the 910 Future

28:24Fest and Fayetteville. We are

28:26ready for September from

28:29September 24th through the

28:3026th. We're celebrating our

28:32city, our people, our ideas,

28:34our talent, and the

28:36opportunities that exist right

28:38here at home throughout the

28:40festival will be creating

28:41opportunities for people to

28:42connect and grow. With

28:44volunteers joining us from

28:45colleges and universities

28:47across our community. Our

28:49luncheon learn with PwC and the

28:50city's Economic development

28:52team, uh, focusing on career

28:55and workforce opportunities and

28:57our business pitch, competition

28:59and collaboration with

29:00Fayetteville State University,

29:02the Fayetteville Cumberland

29:03Entrepreneurship and Business

29:04Hub, and Camelback Ventures.

29:06We'll also be supporting youth

29:09focused programming through the

29:10two six project and additional

29:12activations happening

29:14throughout the festival. Uh,

29:15and then Saturday, September

29:18the 26th, we're celebrating.

29:21We're taking over the stadium

29:22for the 910 Future Fest concert

29:25featuring Lloyd, Waka Flocka

29:27Flame, and an incredible lineup

29:29of local and regional talent.

29:32Uh, to include our very own

29:3482nd Airborne Band. This entire

29:37festival is about showing what

29:39Fayetteville has to offer, not

29:41just who we can bring here, but

29:42the talent we grow here and the

29:44businesses we build here, the

29:46opportunities we create here,

29:47and the culture that makes this

29:49city ours. So, Fayetteville,

29:52this is your invitation. Come

29:54learn something. Come support a

29:55local entrepreneur. Come

29:57experience and activation. Come

29:59to the concert. Bring somebody

30:01with you. And most importantly,

30:03come be part of what we're

30:04building here. Tickets are on

30:06sale now and for festival

30:07information, updates,

30:10activations. Um, you can follow

30:13us on all platforms at.

30:15Fayetteville. Next. Mayor.

30:18Council. City manager and city

30:20staff, thank you again for

30:22helping us get to this point.

30:24Now it's time to show everybody

30:25what the 910 can do. We'll see

30:28you at the 910 Future Fest.

30:37Lastly, I'm sir. Um.

30:39Let's see. Thank you. Thank

30:40you. Mister Kofi. I know you

30:41all have put in some long

30:43hours, and, uh, to make this

30:45possible, so, uh, look forward

30:46to to seeing the fruits of your

30:48labor as well. So thank you for

30:49activating that energy. And,

30:51uh, in the Fayetteville next.

30:53Yes, sir. Doctor hill.

30:54Yes. Thank you, mayor. And then

30:56the last one is you contemplate

30:57your next item, which is

30:58approval of the agenda. I'd ask

31:00that you take 7.086 and move

31:04that to your upcoming work

31:05session. And item 8.01, move to

31:08the 928 meeting. Have a staff

31:11member who couldn't be here

31:11tonight for that presentation.

31:13So those are the two items I

31:14would ask you to consider as

31:15you adopt the agenda.

31:16All right. Thank you. Doctor

31:17Hewitt. So council is, uh, as

31:19we look for a motion to approve

31:21with the modifications

31:22mentioned, uh, it will be to

31:24approve the agenda, with the

31:25exception of 7.086, which you

31:27can, uh, elaborate for the

31:29minutes that will be moved to

31:30the next available upcoming

31:32work session at 8.01, will be

31:36moved to the, uh, 928 meeting.

31:39So with.

31:40That, I'll entertain a motion

31:41to approve what? Those changes.

31:42What about the others?

31:43Uh, we'll get to those in

31:45consent.

31:45So move, Mr. Mayor.

31:46All right. Motion by mayor Pro

31:47tem, second by Hondros. Uh,

31:50discussion on the motion. All

31:53right, counselor, look to you

31:54for your votes. Uh oh.

31:59Councilmember McNair, you're

32:00joining us. How are you? Shall.

32:12It. Okay. Did she thumbs up or

32:14down? Green. All right.

32:19Can you hear me?

32:20We can hear you. How are you?

32:22Okay. I'm good.

32:24Uh, are you green on this

32:25approval of the agenda?

32:27Yes.

32:28Alright. Thank you. All right.

32:30Motion carries. Unanimous. So,

32:32Council, as we look to move to

32:34the items under consent, there

32:36was some, uh, desire go there.

32:39Uh, 7.0837.085 and 0867.08 ten

32:55and 11 and 12. Uh, well, six

32:58was moved. So it's disregarded.

33:01Uh, but I'll go to

33:01Councilmember Hondros. Thank

33:03you, Mr. Mayor.

33:03Um, we'd like to approve the

33:05consent agenda. With the

33:06exception of items 7.085 and

33:097.0811 for separate up and down

33:12vote and items 7.083, 810 and

33:17812 for a brief um,

33:19presentation from staff and or,

33:21uh, question comment period.

33:23All right. So we had 7.083, and

33:27I think we missed 11, 7.5.

33:29And 11 were for a separate up

33:31or down vote. Three I mean,

33:33five and 11 separate up and

33:34down vote, three, ten and 12

33:35for a brief, uh, staff

33:37presentation and or questions.

33:39All right. So that's a motion

33:41to approve those changes. Is

33:42there a second? Seconded by.

33:44Here. All right. Uh, I think

33:46Miss Green beat you to it. Uh,

33:48Councilman, here. Uh. All

33:51right. Um, so motion, uh, would

33:54properly second council look to

33:55you for your votes, for the

33:56approval. With those

33:58exceptions. Councilmember

34:00McNair.

34:01That is green.

34:03All right. Motion carries

34:04unanimous. All right. We'll

34:05start with 7.03. I think that

34:07was yours. Uh, Councilmember

34:08McMillan.

34:09Yes.

34:09Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, this

34:12item was, uh, the accept and

34:16appropriate, uh, $112,000 for

34:23the fiscal year 25 Edward Byrne

34:25Memorial Justice Assistance

34:27Grant. I wanted to ask, chief,

34:29if you could join us for this

34:30discussion. Pulled this for a

34:32couple of reasons. Uh,

34:33definitely wanted the public to

34:34understand the implications of

34:36accepting this grant. Uh, what

34:39we talked about upstairs, uh,

34:41first was the, uh, the piece of

34:43the grant application that

34:45applied towards dual purpose K9

34:48acquisition. Uh, and, chief, if

34:50you could, uh, describe the

34:53difference between, uh, search

34:56and patrol dogs. Uh, and then

34:59also, if you could tell us the,

35:01uh, the data that we collect

35:02and report to the the public

35:04about, uh, use of force in

35:06terms of, uh, of dogs and their

35:08use on the public.

35:10Yes, sir. Uh, Council member

35:12McMillan, uh, mayor tem, city

35:16manager staff. Um, just in

35:18reference to this, um, this

35:20particular grant, uh, just so

35:22that everyone's clear and you

35:24stated it was, um, we submitted

35:26it back in October of 2024.

35:30October 1st, 2024. And we just

35:34received the award letter in

35:36July. July 31st of 2026. So,

35:41um, this grant was submitted

35:44before I even came on board.

35:46But what we have found in terms

35:48of this particular grant is for

35:51utilized utilization of

35:52equipment. So, um, we also, in

35:55terms of our equipment, one of

35:57the items that we were

35:58desperately in need of are the

36:00replacement of our canines. So,

36:03uh, as you understand, in terms

36:06of our, our canines after a

36:08certain age, they, you know,

36:09they, they wear very, very

36:11quickly in terms of the

36:13lifespan of it being a, a

36:16credible and formidable, uh,

36:19talent in terms of being able

36:21to work and enforcement

36:22capacity. So therefore we try

36:24to go ahead and utilize a

36:27period of time and then go

36:28ahead and trade them out. So we

36:30need to replace our canine. So

36:32three of these, um, three of

36:34them will be replaced with this

36:35particular grant. And if you

36:36notice this, about $36,000

36:39because it's about 12,000 per,

36:41uh, per canine. And so it says

36:43it's a dual purpose. So it's

36:45able to sniff out narcotics,

36:47but also, uh, tracking or

36:49tracing of articles as well. So

36:51that's the, uh, the particular

36:54utilization of the canines for

36:56the police department now. And

36:58when we talk about use of

36:59force, any particular use of

37:01force involving our canine, it

37:03goes through the chain of

37:04command. And it's also, uh,

37:06brief to uh, to myself and our

37:09executive staff, and we, um,

37:12evaluate that situation and

37:15whether or not, if it was

37:16within policy or not, and if it

37:18was not, uh, if it was outside

37:20of policy, then we would

37:22determine the proper

37:23disciplinary action or

37:25counseling that would take

37:26place at that point. And that

37:28is reported on our quarterly

37:30report that you'll see in our

37:31use of force that we report to

37:34you.

37:34Right on. Thank you for

37:35explaining that. Uh, of course,

37:37concerns about the utilization

37:40of canines, uh, for so many, so

37:42many different reasons, some of

37:44them historic, uh, in terms of

37:46how they've been used by law

37:48enforcement. Uh, but of course,

37:49our opportunity, uh, to make

37:52sure that there's oversight and

37:54accountability, even in

37:56employment of canines. Uh,

37:58another thing that really

37:59concerned me was the, uh, just

38:01looking through the agreement

38:03with the federal government. It

38:04was about four different

38:06paragraphs that focused on, um,

38:08anti dei measures, uh, as well

38:12as, uh, cooperation with Ice.

38:15Um, my read on it was that this

38:18comes with strings attached,

38:20that, uh, accepting these funds

38:22uh, would also incur, uh, a

38:25responsibility to report

38:26certain things to, to the

38:27government, some of which I

38:29know the North Carolina State

38:31Assembly has kind of doubled

38:32down on, uh, but one to really

38:34speak towards these types of

38:37grants. How often we're seeing,

38:38uh, these requirements and then

38:41what we can do as a city, uh,

38:43to keep each other informed

38:45about what we're signing up for

38:46in the strings that are

38:47attached.

38:49So what we will say in terms of

38:51these particular grants, it's

38:53not only just the grants that

38:56police apply for. I believe any

38:58particular grant that you see

39:00coming down, um, you know,

39:02economic development, whatever

39:04the grants that they receive,

39:05there are certain wording also

39:06that's also implied or

39:09addressed in those particular

39:10grants. So it's not just for

39:12police and, uh, for us in terms

39:15of when we look at these

39:16grants. And if I stated again,

39:19you notice that it was October

39:212024 that we submitted for this

39:23grant. And on the back end was

39:25when these, uh, you know,

39:27certain, uh, wording or

39:29conditions, I think the

39:30attorneys had an opportunity to

39:31take a look at that. But in

39:33terms of the police department,

39:35um, we're not doing anything

39:37more or less than we would do.

39:40Um, you know, in terms of

39:42enforcement, um, you know,

39:44with, with anything with the

39:46city or state legislature that

39:49we have within our ordinances

39:50or within North Carolina state

39:52law. So, uh, when I say that, I

39:54just want to make sure that

39:55everyone's clear that we're not

39:57doing anything more than, um,

39:60what we would do normally in

40:01our everyday, uh, cooperation

40:04with the federal government.

40:05Okay.

40:06Thank you for clarifying this.

40:07And I just for the city

40:09attorney, I understand now that

40:11this is something that that

40:12we're seeing quite often,

40:13frequently. Um, would this be

40:16something that we could flag,

40:18uh, for ourselves for the

40:19council's, uh, oversight of and

40:21then also for the public to

40:23understand, uh, every time that

40:25we take a fund with these

40:26strings attached to help the

40:28public understand what we're

40:29doing. And I'm really speaking

40:30towards the anti die language

40:32that's in this, as well as the

40:35Ice cooperation. About three

40:36paragraphs worth of commitments

40:38that we're making to the

40:39federal government.

40:42Yes, sir. Councilman McMillan,

40:44um, we are seeing this language

40:47in all of the grant agreements,

40:49um, from the federal government

40:50that, as the chief said, not

40:52just police, but ECD. Um, our

40:54HUD grants, our airport grants.

40:56Um, we're being awarded a

40:59grant, but this is a voluntary

41:01process where we applied for

41:02the grant. So, um, I don't see

41:04where the city would challenge

41:07that part of the process.

41:09However, I have seen, um,

41:11cities get involved with, um,

41:13challenging the OMB or the

41:15White House's Office of

41:16Management and Budgets rule.

41:19Um, overhaul of the grant

41:20making process. Um, as well as,

41:24um, when they really retract or

41:29terminate grants or contracts.

41:31I've seen those be challenged.

41:33Um, but not on this end where

41:34you've applied for a grant. And

41:36in order to receive it, you

41:37have to agree to these

41:38conditions. So your options are

41:40you don't accept the funds or

41:42you accept the the terms in the

41:45agreement.

41:45Right. So I appreciate that. So

41:47it feels like there's there's

41:48more leverage on this and

41:49pre-application maybe some for

41:51some future future purposes and

41:54more opportunities for

41:55discussion as a council on what

41:57we commit ourselves to. And I

41:59appreciate the robust

42:00conversation around the the

42:01Model Cities initiative and

42:04would would just encourage the

42:06council that we all keep this

42:07in mind. The strings that are

42:08attached now to asking for

42:10these federal dollars. But

42:11thank you for your time as

42:12well.

42:13Yes, sir.

42:13Chief. Thank you, Councilmember

42:15McMillan. Uh, Mister Manager,

42:17how much of the city's budget

42:19comes from federal that CDBG

42:22block grant? It handles poverty

42:24reduction. And what would you

42:26say our percentage of roughly.

42:29I couldn't hazard to say, I

42:31think from, um, Chris Kelly's

42:33shop, we get several million

42:34dollars from airport. We get

42:37several million dollars

42:38transit, probably 4 million, $4

42:44million. Um.

42:448020 on transit. I'm.

42:46Talking about transit. And I

42:47think that's accounted for as

42:48well. Um, but a significant

42:50amount of it. And in addition

42:52to that, not only is it the

42:53federal government, but some of

42:55the language that came down

42:56from the state also promulgates

42:59the same thing.

42:59So so my point was, and, you

43:01know, I like the spirit of what

43:03you're saying, but the reality

43:04is, is that there's an

43:05executive order that applies to

43:07the $25 million choice

43:09neighborhood grant. It applies

43:10to any federal grant because we

43:12had to revise, um, when we went

43:15to D.C., they told us that you

43:17had to revise it to comply with

43:19the new rules. And then the

43:21state, of course, who gives us,

43:23you know, our authorization to

43:25exist already said that that

43:28law enforcement had to comply

43:29with federal government in Ice.

43:31Correct? Correct. Um, and so I,

43:35although good in spirit, I

43:36think that, you know, this is a

43:38result of elections having

43:39consequences. But at the end of

43:41the, um, the city runs on

43:43federal and state, uh, state

43:45direction in dollars, but

43:46federal dollars in particular

43:48are intertwined in everything.

43:50So, um, but the good part about

43:53this is that this grant, not

43:55only this is the city and the

43:57sheriff's office that applied

43:59for this.

43:59That is correct. We split,

44:00split this grant.

44:01And this is for it says to

44:03support technology and

44:05equipment, which is certainly

44:08needed. Uh, mobile

44:09connectivity, which is cell

44:11phones and the ability to be

44:12able to communicate medical

44:13kits, crime scene response

44:15tools, lights, lighting

44:17systems, portable power off

44:19road vehicles. So as a whole

44:21number of things that, uh, of

44:23usage that you can use this,

44:25use this grant for. Is that

44:26right?

44:26Right. And specifically for,

44:29for our this particular grant

44:30for us, we're going to be

44:32utilizing it for patrol and

44:34patrol. It's going to be

44:34purchasing the, uh, the

44:35canines, but also for our

44:37emergency response team, our

44:39ERT. Also, many people may know

44:41it to be as Swat, but it's our

44:44push to talk, um, capabilities,

44:47our voice projection units are

44:49another, um, critical area that

44:52we needed to replace was our

44:54ballistic vest. And so we were

44:56able to purchase about 100

44:58plates, um, for expired plates

45:02that we were operating, um, and

45:04trying to, you know, to

45:05replenish. So that's going to

45:07be really critical for the

45:08safety of our officers. And

45:10that in itself was about

45:1280,000, $80,000.

45:14Right. So. Well, we appreciate

45:16it. Uh, Council, any other

45:17questions? I just wanted to

45:18clarify that some of these

45:20things are.

45:20If amendment.

45:25Yeah, yeah.

45:26For sure. If I may, Mr. Mayor.

45:28Yes, sir. Second, round. Uh,

45:30thank you again. Uh, just

45:32wanted to underscore that, uh,

45:34late last year, when we

45:35understood that the country was

45:36going to be going through a lot

45:37of changes, uh, there's some

45:39rights we're going to be taking

45:41away. Uh, we understood the

45:43beast that ice would become and

45:46how that would impact us. A lot

45:48of people ask the question,

45:49well, what are our values as a

45:50city? How do we stand up for

45:52each other as a city? And I

45:55think, uh, in terms of

45:56underscoring and understanding

45:58the implications that this is

46:00having on us, on our

46:01institutions, on even the

46:03agreements, the basic

46:03agreements we're making, uh, to

46:05fund the city. We have to at

46:07least speak about what's

46:08happening. Uh, we can't let it

46:10happen in silence. Uh, we

46:12cannot allow it to happen

46:13without underscoring what our

46:15values are as a city and who we

46:17are as Fayetteville. Uh, so for

46:19that reason, I'm appreciative

46:21of the opportunity to have this

46:22discussion. And thank you,

46:23Mister Mayor. All right.

46:25So so.

46:25Council.

46:26Look to you, uh, um, for an up

46:29or down vote for this, uh,

46:31Councilman Hodges.

46:32I was just going to move to

46:34approve.

46:35All right, this is most of my

46:36council to approve. Second by

46:37Davis. Uh, we've had robust

46:39discussion on it. So, Council,

46:40I look to you for your vote.

46:43Council member McNair Greene.

46:46All right.

46:48Motion carries 9 to 1. Those

46:49vote in opposition. Council

46:50member McMillan. All right.

46:52Thank you. Chief. Yes, sir. All

46:54right. Uh, council will look to

46:56the next item which was pulled

46:57for up or down with 7.085 and

47:0111, I think our or connected

47:03councilman hair. That was your

47:04request?

47:05Uh, yes, sir. Um, I'll read it

47:07out, but I thank you, sir. I'll

47:11read it out. But, uh, my

47:14colleague will move on. On what

47:16the. On the motion. But it was

47:18to adopt the ordinance amending

47:20section five five of the city

47:24code to authorize alcohol sales

47:27by permit vendors at the courts

47:30of Glenville Lake and other

47:33designated city uh facilities.

47:40All right, so you had.

47:44One.

47:44As well. Um, so basically, uh,

47:48I guess you wanted an up or

47:49down vote. Um, this was to, uh,

47:52Mr. Manager, who from your team

47:54is handling A5 and and 11.

47:59Documents.

47:59So I guess what, A5 um, as the

48:03city looks to host and to start

48:05to become a, uh, a hosting

48:06site, it has some tournaments

48:07coming up. I guess you can

48:09speak to that document.

48:09The vote would have been just

48:11enough for me. Oh, okay.

48:12Oh, he didn't need it. Okay.

48:13All right. So he just wanted to

48:15up and down vote. He didn't he

48:16didn't need it. So y'all y'all

48:17get a break. All right. Council

48:19look to you, Councilman

48:20Hondros.

48:20I moved to approve 7.085 and

48:247.0811.

48:25All right, there's a motion by

48:26Councilmember Hondros, second

48:28by Davis. Discussion. All

48:30right. Council look to you

48:31before you.

48:31Vote.

48:35Councilmember McNair.

48:37That is green, sir.

48:38All right, all right. Motion

48:41carries, uh, 9 to 1. All right.

48:44Thank you. Council member here.

48:45Council moving to the next

48:47item, which is 7.08 ten. Um,

48:50does Councilmember Jones, I

48:51believe, wanted to have this a

48:54little more discussion from our

48:55director of fast, Miss Neil.

48:58Yes, yes. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

48:59And and briefly, what I wanted

49:01to, uh, do is want Director

49:03Neil to just come and share

49:04with the public, uh, the

49:07standards, uh, and our first,

49:08uh, I'm, I'm very, very, very

49:10excited to be a part of a

49:11council that prioritize, uh,

49:14transit transportation. And I'm

49:15I'm really excited. I know

49:17you've, uh, even before

49:18council. Uh, we've had some

49:20robust discussions, uh, on bus

49:23amenities, specifically the

49:25benches, shelters, uh, trash

49:26cans, things of that nature. So

49:28to be able to put forth this,

49:29uh, council request and have a,

49:31a gracious council to support

49:33it, because I know they were

49:34dealing with the same thing,

49:35uh, to get us here to basically

49:37allow you to put these

49:40amenities in place. I know we

49:42allowed at 300,000, uh, during

49:45budget season, and you work

49:47your magic and are basically

49:49going to bring us a return of

49:50almost four times that, uh,

49:52amount. So what I want you to

49:53do is just for the general

49:54public to let them know what

49:55that looks like. The standards.

49:57What were they? Why were they

49:58important? Because, again,

49:59we're a policy making body. Uh,

50:01we had to request some policies

50:03to be changed in regards to the

50:04threshold. So I just wanted you

50:05to speak to that so that our

50:07community can know what what we

50:09did, why we did it, and how

50:11it's going to go forward. Thank

50:12you, Mr. Mayor.

50:15Um.

50:16Tanya. Michael, thank.

50:20Okay, there we go. There you

50:22go.

50:22Good afternoon, mayor and

50:24council. Uh, doctor Hewitt,

50:26city attorney. Uh, Tiffany. No.

50:27Transit director. Uh, the

50:29service standards that we have

50:30is just a policy tool. And so,

50:33Council, you are responsible

50:35for adopting some service

50:36standards that help us define

50:38what service delivery and

50:39design is. It's only a place

50:41just to make sure there's an

50:42open and equitable distribution

50:44of assets. So transit doesn't

50:46get to choose, uh, arbitrarily

50:49where we want to just put our

50:51bus stop amenities. Our policy

50:52defines that for us. So in

50:54April, uh, Doctor Jones brought

50:56a council member request for us

50:57to look at that. We conducted

50:59an analysis to see if it made

51:01sense for us to reduce our

51:03service standards. And it does,

51:05uh, in our current policy that

51:07was dated or revised back in

51:092021, it stated that our

51:12amenities were for a shelter,

51:13have to be 15 boardings on

51:15average for bench, it was six

51:18on average, and there was no

51:19standard for a trash can. Well,

51:21part of this upgraded, revised

51:23service standards we've lowered

51:25the threshold to allow us to

51:27have more of an impact. A lot

51:28of people think that customer

51:30service for transit starts as

51:31soon as the person gets on the

51:33bus, but it doesn't. It starts

51:34with them waiting at a bus

51:35stop. And so because of your

51:37graciousness, prioritizing

51:39transit and putting your money

51:40where your mouth is, you've

51:41given us a few extra dollars

51:43that we can leverage, uh, and

51:45blend in with our FTA funding,

51:47which is a great thing, so we

51:48can make it stretch further.

51:50We've already met with our bus

51:52stop amenities vendor. They are

51:53excited about the projects over

51:55the next 12 to 18 months, you

51:57will see a huge impact of us

51:59not only modernizing our stops

52:02and changing out, uh, amenities

52:04at certain standards. At

52:06certain stops. You will find

52:07that we will be adding

52:08amenities to some areas that

52:11have not been able to reach

52:13that ridership threshold, to be

52:14able to get amenities.

52:43All right. Thank you, Mister

52:44Neil. Thank you. Good work. I

52:46am starting to see, uh.

52:47The.

52:48Starting to see more benches,

52:49trash cans and and so we see

52:51the fruits of your labor. Thank

52:52you. mister.

52:52Mister mayor.

52:53Jones. Doctor Jones.

52:54There's one thing I was looking

52:55for that I didn't get from

52:56Missus Neil.

53:24I.

53:47I.

54:19I.

54:25I.

54:41I.

55:03I.

55:14I.

56:05I.

56:31I.

56:37I.

56:43I.

57:08I.

57:35I.

57:36I.

57:36I.

58:01I.

58:12I.

58:48I.

58:51I.

58:59I.

59:15I.

59:41I.

1:01:15I.

1:02:50I.

```*