City Council Zoning Meeting - Regular Meeting

Manage lanes don't work. That's the limit. I don't see any numbers in here. There we go.

Okay. City where it does. We're ready. So Good afternoon, everyone. Good morning, and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here. Good evening. I think it's evening, but you never can tell in this weather. So I want to say thank you for joining us here in person, and we also want to recognize those that are watching online for our April 27 business meeting. So now let's begin with introductions at the dais, and we will start with our city working city Clerk. Clerk. Okay.

Billy Toms, deputy city clerk.

Andrea Leslie Fight, city attorney.

Good evening. Dimple Edgemere at large.

Good evening. I'm Victoria Watlington, and I have the pleasure of serving you as a

member at large. I'm Joy Mayo. I represent District 3.

Marcus Jones, city manager.

I'm Vi Wilde, Charlotte mayor, but I would also like to take a moment that we continue to recognize council member Johnson, who is working very hard to keep her husband healthy, and I hope she's watching us tonight. Thank you very much.

Evening, everyone. James Mitchell, mayor pro tem.

Good evening. Kimberly Owens representing District 6.

Malcolm Graham, District 2. Ed Drakes, District 7.

Good evening. Luana Mayfield, council member at large, and I would like to acknowledge our judge, Charlotte Brown, who's in the house with us tonight.

Good evening. JD Masueta Arias proudly representing the East Side District 5.

Good evening. Dante Anderson, District 1.

Alright. Thank you very much for all of you, we'll continue our meeting. We begin our meeting with an invocation and expression of inspiration, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. This this information is intended to solemnize what we're doing in the work that we do. We expect that we would like to have all of you participate and follow us, but we wanna do this and note let us know that we celebrate the religious diversity in our community, including those without a religious faith. Tonight, I'm going to ask council member Ashmira to give us our invocation.

Thank you, madam mayor. Good evening. Please bow your heads. We gather tonight in service to our community, guided by shared responsibility to listen with openness, lead with integrity, and act with purpose. As we recognize Earth Day and Arbor Day this past week, let us be reminded of our deep connection to the world around us, to the trees we plant, the water we protect, and the neighborhoods we are called to serve.

Charlotte Water has asked residents to practice voluntary conservation as our region manages dry conditions, reminding us that our natural resources are not unlimited, that reality should guide every decision we make from how we grow to how we build to how we protect the people who call the city home. May our decisions reflect not only the needs of today, but the hopes of generations to come. Whether we are discussing transportation projects like I-seventy 7, the placement of data centers or the preservation of green space and clean air, may we remember that progress must never come at the expense of people. Let us have the wisdom to balance growth with stewardship, innovation with responsibility, and urgency with parents. The trees we plant and the environment we protect are lasting investments in Charlotte's future, symbols of resilience, sustainability, and care.

May we carry that same spirit into our work here, nurturing a city that is inclusive, thriving, and worthy of those who who will inherit it after us. We are thankful for this day, its opportunities, and its challenges. May we be inspired to give our best and be assured of your presence with us. Let us move forward together.

Amen. Amen. So

please join us if you would like to for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States

Of America

and to the republic for which it stands for my nation under God, indivisible, with liberty

and justice for all.

There? Yes, sir. Mister Hayes.

I would like to just take this opportunity to point out that we have the Charlotte Catholic School political science class in the chamber with us. Would you guys stand up?

Oh, right. Welcome.

Let's put on a good show for them so

that one day they may want to come down

and be in these seats. Thanks, crisis.

So I think he was just making an offer for you guys to come down after you take out all of your college and everything else that you're gonna do. Alright? So thank you very much for being here with us tonight. So, let's continue. We'll start with our consent agenda items, questions and answers, placed for the council that have opportunities. So, I have before me the agenda items twenty three and forty three may be considered in one motion except for those items removed by council. Are there any items to be removed by council?

Excuse me, mayor. Just sorry. Logistically, there's also two that have been pulled. Item number forty one and forty three are settled. They're property transactions, so they're removed from the agenda.

That's good plan that we get something accomplished in that. So thank you very much. And so I did Ms. Ms. Bartlington. Bartlington. Yes. Ms. I couldn't hear you. Ms. 31. Ms. So 30 item 31 will be on this. Ms. Bartlington: Ms. Right. Anyone else that has anything that they wanted to pull or change? Hearing none of that, let's go to item 31. Okay. And who who presented that item? Oh, I thought Mayfield had I don't know. Don't know. Know.

I'm Miss Long, you wanna go first?

Okay. I just I didn't want council member Mayfield to miss her numbers. So if we're gonna jump to 31 then?

Mhmm.

Alright. Thank you.

I had a couple

of questions for staff. Thank you all for pulling some of these answers. I just wanna enter them into the record for the public. Firstly, as it relates to the CATS Capital Program Management Services, are the consultants gonna be assigned the tasks for the CBI firms listed in the staff report? So those are

the ones that they've put forward. Now it depends. This is task order, so it's not already predetermined. And depending on the task order, yes, they will negotiate with the CBI firms, with the ones they've listed and potentially others too.

Okay. So what's important to me is that in particular for the the CBI related businesses that they are included on some of the things, right? Because what I would hate to see happen is our our team that was brought together end up not being able to utilize their CBI businesses because those tasks don't fall within their scope. So what role do we play in ensuring that that

So we do work with them and negotiate based on the task. And based on the general task, they've already identified some people that they would use. But to your point too about following up, anytime they submit an invoice, they have to submit their utilization too. So we do monitor that

For sure. For payment. Okay. So that one's pretty important to me on a from a proactive stance, I understand. Certainly, they'll they'll send over the appendix with the payout, but I want to make sure that we are helping to guide those discussions to ensure that there's sufficient utilization on tasks that make sense.

Yes, does.

That makes sense whether it's risk management or anything?

And this is more project management, so they've already got some partners lined up for those.

Yes. So then, I'm sorry, last thing on that one. I just wanna be clear. Partners are there, but when it actually comes to executing the work, how do we know that those partners will be utilized for the specific scope that they

So so in general, they're just based on the types of work they're doing, they already know I'm gonna do this project management. So I've got these partners whenever I get. So there's two firms, and depending on which one aligns better with the task, it it's more so about which firm versus the specific, because they've already designated who CBI partners they're gonna use. Okay. If you have sorry. And maybe I'm not being clear, but if you look at the bottom so if I'm one of these and I get a job I know I'm gonna use, this person for risk management, I've already defined who I'm gonna use because that's gonna be standard no matter. Even though the scope might be different, it's going to be standard for the project management work.

So what you're saying is if firm A a risk manager and firm B has a risk manager, they've already determined firm is going to take that piece of the scope. I could see if only one firm has a particular type of service, but if two firms have the same service within their team, how are we ensuring that CBI firms are actually getting part

of that system?

So when

the task is done, we we city staff and CBI and CATS work with them to make sure they have participation or they wouldn't move forward with a task unless, to your point, unless it's some unique extenuating circumstance where they weren't just consulting and not doing something.

Gotcha. Thank you for that. My second question there on '31 again is is there a mechanism for cats to report back to counsel how CBI utilization is being tracked on a monthly basis? I know we talked about the the payouts and the invoice appendix that comes with it.

But So there's a couple options. You know, if if counsel it's up to counsel's pleasure. If they would like to receive, like, a report out currently, they don't. But they are included in the it's not as, robust as what you mean, but annually Mhmm. From the CBI report. But and we do get it on invoice basis. But to your point, if counsel's preferences receive it more often, we could provide that.

I certainly would like to see it more often just because this is gonna be a substantial one going forward. Then thirdly, after contract execution, would Katz be open to the consultants bringing in other local firms?

Yes, for sure. I mean, of course, we always want more participation. Now it depends, and we've had to work with procurement to make sure and CGI to get them, make sure they're registered, and make sure whatever requirements or legal pieces are in place, but yes.

Speaker Awesome. And then lastly, I just wanted to comment that it's important that as we think about all of the infrastructure and transportation work that's going on in these specific that that coordination is there with NCDOT going forward because there's gonna be a lot of decisions to be made and as we'll hear more about later on today, thinking about the projects as a part of that broader network. Thank you for following up on these.

All right. All right. Mr. Graham.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. And I'm tracking 100% with Councilmember Rawlinton. This is the largest transit project in the city's history. These firms identify small and minority owned firms as the part of their package, and I want some insurance that they these guys are going be utilized and that they were just not inserted to get the contract. And so can they come back in six months and tell us where they are with the utilization of those firms that they have identified?

Yes. Because we wouldn't be paying them. And we could tell you two things. What what contractually was negotiated and also report out on utilization.

Utilization with those firms that they identified that will be a part of their team. Correct.

And it's task order. So, you know, how many ever so it's each one. So it's individual ones. When you said a big project, yes, sir, for sure. But these are task orders of individual pieces of a project.

But yes. Think that's extremely important. And you said the word. The second one is payout, making sure that when these firms are paid that the invoices are timely paid. That seems to be historically an issue. And so small business owners can't wait as long as some of the other big boys that are getting paid. There can be some, again, six month comeback to this council in terms of all those firms are being utilized and making sure that they are timely paid for the services that they rendered. They can't wait sixty, ninety, one hundred and twenty days.

Our general is thirty day turnaround and we tried to beat that. So if you're hearing about the ones that aren't, yeah, we definitely will look into

There's reputation out there that we don't pay out bills timely. Well, timely. Right? And so as we move forward with this, especially towards small businesses, I mean, they just cannot wait. Right? So I'm tracking with council member Walning telling that for sure. And, yes, I'll just leave it there. And I would love for this to come back in six months, and we can find out who's on first and who's on second and who's participating.

Yes, sir.

Thank you very much. I do want to know that you have the opportunity for us to have additional information, so I'm going to move the consideration to Ms. Mayfield on item 31. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Along with Doctor. Watlington and Councilmember Graham's comments, I want to make sure that it's very clear where I think we have an opportunity when our subcontractors contract with the prime. That is a separate contract that the city is not a part of. One of the challenges that has been shared with council member Mitchell and other members of council is it is ourselves Mhmm. That do not receive necessarily thirty, forty five day pay.

They may receive pay sixty, ninety days, or even up to one twenty. That's right. And the way that the contracts are written Mhmm. They do not have the ability to come to counsel and to go back to help ensure that their payment is within a timely manner. I believe that the city pays the prime Mhmm.

In a relative quick manner. That prime is not always making sure that our subs, who are in much different financial positions we have a couple of million dollar projects here, more than multimillion dollar projects where we have a participation where one prime is getting $5,000 or another is getting under $50,000. Well, that $50,000 could be the turnaround of whether or not they are able to pay their employees. Although under council member leadership and other council members leadership, we created a partnership with Climb. Climb is not there to be a enforcer of payment.

They are not a payment collection agency. That is not why we created that partnership there, to help with the contracts. So we have already identified this. Staff has been working on it. We just I believe, for my colleagues, we want to ensure on the front end, because I have asked this question at previous meeting, how do we track when we identify multiple subcontractors to be a part of a major contract? How are we tracking? Because we have some that I've met where we award they were listed to be awarded a year ago. Right. But yet, they have not actually been able to participate in work. That's right.

So I think we have an opportunity with utilizing modern technology and other ways to actually track to ensure that if we're going to identify you as being rewarded, we should have some type of mechanism where we are staying within a certain window, either a quarter or by the second quarter, we have clearly identified that sub being able to participate or have a window of expectation of when they will be able to participate. Of course, this does not fall all on you, but I'm hoping that staff is mainly our manager here is where we have an opportunity to really ensure that we are supporting and growing our small businesses in the city. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Thank you. Is there anyone else that has a remark or note an issue? So let's go ahead and say that we is there are we prepared to take a vote for any additional items? All right? Item 33.

Excuse me, madam mayor. So it'd be a motion for consent items 23 through 43 with the exception of 33. Forty one and forty three.

So moved. Second.

I'll second over there.

We have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor, please raise your hands. I believe that's unanimous. Thank you. Satellite. Now comes the fun part. All right. So, let's go ahead and continue, and I want to recognize, Council Member Owen Kimberly. Would you take didn't We didn't action

one. On

Did we take action on item 30 No.

Did not.

We just talked about it. Just talked about All right. You, Ms. Watlington.

I move to Okay. Approve.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Any other comments? All in favor? All right, I believe that's unanimous. Thank you very much for that. Right, so, Council Member

So, am

I just reading the proclamation?

Yes, please.

Sure.

Thank you. I have a proclamation to read. Whereas, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease in which a person's brain loses connection with their muscles, slowly reducing a person's ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. And thousands of new ALS cases are reported every year. Estimates show that every ninety minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from ALS.

Whereas on average, patients diagnosed with ALS survive only two to five years from the time of diagnosis, and the exact causes of ALS are unknown, and there is no known cure for ALS, and whereas people who have served in the military are more likely to develop ALS and die from the disease than those with no history of military service, and whereas securing access to new therapies, durable medical equipment, and communication technologies is of vital importance to people living with ALS.

Yeah, I can't remember that.

And whereas clinical trials play a pivotal role in evaluating new treatments, enhancing quality of life, and fostering assistive technologies for those living with ALS. The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research globally and has committed more than 154,000,000 to support more than five fifty projects across The United States and 18 other countries. The ALS Association is committed to make ALS livable and cure it for everyone, everywhere. And whereas ALS awareness month provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the dire circumstances of people living with ALS, acknowledge the terrible impact this disease has had on individuals and their families, and support research to eradicate the disease. Now, therefore, our mayor, Valle Alexander Lyles, does hereby proclaim the month of May 2026 as ALS awareness month in Charlotte and commend its observance to all of our residents.

Witness her hand and seal the city of Charlotte by Liles.

Is there anyone in chamber

to whom I can present the proclamation?

Okay. We will follow-up with

the person who proposed it.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Great job, Kim.

And so now we will go to our public forum. I would like to thank all of you for joining us. And on behalf of the entire city council, I ask that all speakers and audience members be civil and courteous in their use of language. Speakers are encouraged to address counsel and should refrain from responding to audience members. Likewise, audience members should be courteous of each speaker and not yell out or interrupt their that person.

We want to ensure that everyone has the chance to be heard, and since there are more than 10 speakers today, each speaker will have two minutes to address the council, and we will start with Gary Marion. Mister Marion.

Do we have anyone in overflow? Is there anyone in overflow?

Is there someone in overflow? I don't. I'm not aware. Okay.

If Gary can hear us, then he can come in.

All right. And then our next speaker is John Chin. Mr. Chen, thank you. If you would come down and get a microphone up there on that dais up there.

Thank you.

Well, this one will work?

Yes, this one will work. You have two minutes. Thank you.

Thank you. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. Good afternoon.

Name is John Chan. I'm with the Carolina Asian American Chamber of Commerce and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. In 2022, in the wake of COVID-nineteen pandemic and the rise in anti Asian violence, our team made a commitment. We have a vision to transform our diverse and often insular community with a significant income disparity in recent decades into one that's more connected and mutually supportive entity, especially for those who are underserved. I'm pleased to report to you that we've been making meaningful progress.

In 2023, we launched A Journey of Hope deposit I'm sorry, Exhibit with a three month event that brought together over 20 ethnic groups to share their stories. It's not just an exhibit, it's a bridge connecting 20 communities who rarely worked together in the past. And with the city council support, with the eco partner and later on the financial partner grants, we're able to expand our programs for workshops to support the small Asian owned businesses, as well as skilled trade training for the young adults in our refugee communities. This year, over 50 participants will work and get completed, get a certificate in areas like HVAC, electrical works, EMS, computer literacy, all pathways leading to solid jobs and better future.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Two minutes there fast? It

does go very quickly.

We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership. We're not just building programs, we're building lives. Strengthening our community and creating opportunity for everyone to succeed. Thank you very much. And also, I want to acknowledge the people coming to support us and thank you, the Cambodian and the Montenyang communities. Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Jeremy Lamb. I'm sorry, Angelica Crawford. Ms. Crawford? Yep.

Good evening, mayors, city council members, and community leaders. My name is Angelica Crawford. I am the executive director of jumping dreams, a world champion Charlotte based nonprofit double dutch program. For the past eight years jumping dreams has served over 7,000 youth across our city. We've provided summer camps, after school programming, summer feeding initiatives, and consistent youth engagement even during COVID when kids needed it the most.

Through the art and sport of Double Dutch, our athletes have represented Charlotte nationally and internationally bringing home first place titles, but more importantly demonstrating discipline, leadership and strong character wherever they go. Tonight, I'm not here just to share the story but to ask for your support. In June 2026, our Double Dutch program will represent the city of Charlotte in a world tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. These are talented, hardworking young people who have earned this place on stage. We're seeking financial support to help cover their essential needs to get there.

It could be travel, lodging, meals, anything. The kids work really, really hard to represent our city for the positive that Charlotte has to give and we don't want the financial barriers of the families to prevent them from going. If you need numbers of how you guys can support, I'm happy to send the email to get the support, but it's bigger than that. So, we've been here for eight years and we've gone from churches to schools to community spaces, whatever we could do to provide programming. What I'm looking for is a home for our kids.

If you think about a kid going from foster home or family homes, they're not gonna grow effectively until we have a home. I'm So, looking for a home for jumping dreams if the city can help us get a home so we can sustain, grow and continue to make an impact. I'm a product of what I started along with all of our coaches who are volunteers coming from Hartford, Connecticut, Boston, New York, everywhere and now we're here to pour back into the kids. I'm just a product of what we do and I need help. That's it. Thank you for your time.

No, thank you for what you do. I mean, that's an important thing and to have double dutch winners, this is like really cool, right? So, let's just see how the community can help as well as we can help and we'll just keep on going. Thank you so very much for what you're doing. Thank you. Thank you. I wish I brought the bag for it so we could just put everybody's money in right now. We'll figure it out. We'll work on it. Okay, so now we're going to hear from Doctor. Donald Jason. Oh, Jeremy. Really get this one. Jeremy Lamb.

Hello.

Mr. Lam. Hi, my

name is Jeremy Lam. I play cello in the Charlotte Symphony and I'm here for thank you for the second time in six months to talk about all the cars that drive around that have either no mufflers or they have illegally modified muffler cutouts. So, they you know they make they do that to make a hellacious noise and last time in October when I spoke here, you put me in touch with Sean Heath, the deputy city manager. But, he honestly didn't even know what a muffler cutout was and so he said he would talk to the police and I don't think he really knew what to do. So, I just in the last couple months, just walking around the streets of Charlotte where I'm dining and sleeping and whatever.

I made a video for you guys and I'm turning the volume up so you can hear what cars sound like with modified muffler cutouts, okay?

Oh, you.

Wait, no, no,

no, no.

Don't pull up the wrong video.

Okay, thank you. I think that we we we got it. We really did get it.

Thank you.

It would be great if you

guys could do something about it. Thank you.

Thank you for your music. I mean, seriously, thank you for playing in the orchestra.

I think he really missed the symphony part, not

listening Thank to

you, mister Driggs. All right. So, we'll continue on, and we're going to hear from Barbara Wine. Doctor. Ellington Drive? Doctor. Johnson Jason.

Donald Jason. Yeah.

Is he here? Mm-mm. Mr. Donald Jason. Nope. Oh, okay. So I'm so sorry. Mr. Donald Jason. Donald Jason? Okay. Ms. Barbara Wein. Now, we'll go to Barbara Wein. Ms. Wein? Barbara Wine? Okay. And then our next one is John Abraham. Abraham?

So Mike Wine, Mr. White, Mr. Mike Wine. Think we've got Anthony Abram. We're going down this list here. Anthony Abram, just to make sure. Chris Connolly.

There he is. Alright.

Okay. Here we are.

Good evening. My name is Chris Connolly and I have lived in Charlotte since 1993. My family moved to the downtown neighborhood as pioneers in 1998. Back then, our downtown was just starting to populate with homes and learning how to come alive after 5PM. As true believers in our city's promise, our neighbors wholeheartedly supported our leaders' efforts to make this happen.

In time, our city attracted tourists, diners, sports fans, music goers, music lovers from across the region. We even brought leaders here from across the nation to see President Obama accept his historic renomination in 2012. And for a while, we were so proud and with good reason. But every bit of that progress to attract and keep residents and visitors are now in jeopardy. This jeopardy is jeopardized by lawless street takeovers.

It's jeopardized by bicycle mobs that endanger themselves and everyone around them. It's jeopardized by grown men acting like adolescents showing off, trying to prove something by blasting their car sound systems and revving their engines like they're at NASCAR or cutting out their mufflers like we just heard. All of which is illegal, but none of which is enforced or penalized. This is because our police department is grossly understaffed and must therefore triage and respond only to to the crisis of the minute. It does not have the necessary resources to proactively tackle the offenses that destroy the attractiveness, the livability, and the vibrancy of our community.

I think we would be embarrassed right now on the national stage if we were to bring back the DNC here with what we've allowed our center city to become. Sad sad to say. Last year, this council passed a substantial vibrancy tax just on the Triangle Street business and residential community. That money has not yet been applied in ways that can significantly address these very traffic related issues on this trying corridor, which is literally and figuratively the backbone of our city. We ask that you use these resources and other resources, our tax dollars, for effective reinforcement of these traffic and noise related laws that will make our city enjoyable and safe. Thank you for our service to our community.

Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Matt Wesler. Thank you. Come on down.

Good evening, city council. My name is Matt Weschler, and I serve as one of your advisers on the Charlotte bike advisory committee. I'm also the father of a 19 old toddler who rides on the back of my bike as I commute with him from the West End to daycare in Uptown, which I've been told is very cute. Aw. In my role on the BAC, I regularly hear from Charlotte teens who would also like to bike with their children, but choose not to because they feel our streets are unsafe.

That perception is grounded in reality. In Charlotte, pedestrian and bicycle crashes make up just one point five percent of all crashes yet account for twenty nine percent of all serious and fatal injuries, a disparity well above the national average. When streets feel dangerous, people don't bike. As a result, Charlotte lags behind pure cities like Minneapolis where the average worker is 10 times more likely to commute by bike. That difference is not accidental.

Minneapolis has made sustained investments in building a safe connected bike network, funding its bicycle program at roughly $14 per person per year compared to about $3 per person per year in Charlotte. That funding gap translates directly what we can and cannot build. Charlotte's bike program is a low cost, high impact safety tool. It allows people to avoid our high injury corridors by building connections between existing low stress neighborhood streets turning dead ends into living ends while linking strategic investment areas into a coherent citywide network. For that reason, the BAC recommends increasing the bike program budget from its current $8,000,000 every two years to $20,000,000 every two years.

If new sales tax revenues are programmed as anticipated, that would scale the bike program proportionally with overall CDOT funding while significantly expanding its impact.

Thank you.

Thank you. All right. So, our next speaker is Hugh Templeton. It's Temple Templeton.

Mayor Lyles, Roger Mitchell, good to see you.

Nice seeing you, sir.

My name is Hugh Chappellman. I'm the general manager of the Grand Bohemian here in Charlotte. I was the opening general manager and been here for seven years and are a proud resident.

Thank you.

My history is that I've worked and lived on four continents doing luxury hotels for over thirty eight years. I'm representing a community in this town with me in the in the audience that is very concerned. The market is down 4% of travelers coming into Charlotte over the last twelve months. Part of that problem is amazingly attached to the video we heard earlier, noise in the city. One needs to understand that perception is reality.

Not only is the noise an issue, it is also the perception of safety as an issue in a location that has got a convention center, more than 212 hotels, more than 2,500 restaurants. I have examples which I'd like to share with the with the council, which I'll pass out, of all of the complaints. Not all. Many complaints that exist in our in in our world. I'm gonna give you an example. My hotel, 70 complaints in 2025. Yeah. 70, not so big deal. There's a thing called intent to recommend. That's when a guest tells tells you either online or through a survey or what have you, how well are you doing.

My hotel does 78% positive process versus 22% negative. Not so bad. Mhmm. If you take that number out, it moves to 83% if you take the noise complaints out. That puts you in elite status. Right? That that mentions you in a into premier process. We're talking about how do we do this and make this better. You know, we're losing business as a city. I'm losing business as a hotel.

How much of a problem? $140,000 I spent to put third glazing into my hotel. My investment into a noise problem that's our problem. It is very important that we as an organization or as a city address this issue not only for its for its safety issues, but its long term negative impact on the potential business outliers that exist for us as a city. Thank you. But I'm coming here with a solution. We have an idea. There are there are places around the world that do this very well.

You're terrible.

Even in our own country in Philadelphia where they come up with a situation of sound activated street cameras. So you'll get fined if your car is too loud.

You? It's mayor like good.

Sure. I just wanted to make sure that we're being recognized in this, and so we've had your remarks, additional remarks as well. I we've heard this is an issue, and I think that we've got to pay somewhere in a place to figure out how this works better. So thank you very much for the comments and bringing it a reality. Thank you. No

problem. I'll leave these here.

Give it to the clerk at the end there. Perfect.

Next our next speaker is Kathleen Mundle.

Good evening mayor and members of the council. I pretty much have nothing left to say because I am also here to talk about the noise in the city as a neighbor who lives here and I would like but still quickly to make a couple of points. One is that we who live in the city understand that cities are noisy. Noisier places certainly than suburban neighborhoods and rural neighborhoods. I would like you to understand that we living in the city are neighborhoods too.

We live in a neighborhood. I have spent twenty three years at the corner of 7th And Church Streets, a block away from the Discovery Place. That's my neighborhood. We have families, we have houses, we have children, we have buildings. We in the city are being subjected to noise levels and safety issues that would not be tolerated in other parts of the county.

Excessive noise levels lead to safety issues, noise and safety issues lead to business issues as you just heard, and they discourage people from coming into the city. I mean I can tell you about my brother and sister-in-law who with a group of six other people came into the city all the time. They were in the city when I first moved here more than I went to restaurants in the city. I can't get them to come to dinner anymore. You walk down the street at night and it's just it's noise, it's aggravating.

We live in those of us who live in the city live in literally a canyon where that noise that jeremy talked to you or listened to you reverberates forever at two or three or 04:00 in the morning and sometimes on sunday afternoons. I would like to say that Charlotte aspires to be a world class city. While several world class cities and other cities of our size have instituted creative pilot programs to deal with

these

issues we have not. You just heard one of them which is a very popular one and that' the cameras. I want to tell you that we want to be a world class city and we' asking you and our elected officials and public leaders to find it in yourselves to tackle this problem that other cities are addressing while I'm sitting here speaking. I know we can do this, know we can be a city with a truly enviable reputation, but right now we're coming up short.

Thank you so very much. Our next speaker is Charles McDowell.

Good evening, mayor, council members. My name is Charles McDowell Medino, and I have been working at Charlotte Airport for over a year. I earned $12.50 an hour helping American Airlines passengers who need wheelchair assistance navigate the airport safely. The passenger I assist can be elderly, disabled, or visually impaired. I help them with their luggage, assist them getting to to the bathroom, and make sure they are able to get something to eat before they get to their flight.

I try to make passengers day better and help them travel with less stress. But every day I face stress due to my poor working conditions. The weight of being the sole provider of my family sits heavy on my shoulders. I take care of my young nephew and help my sister out. If I have to miss a couple days of work because I'm sick, it disrupts our entire cash flow.

I don't get paid sick leave and I can't afford health insurance. If I don't go to work, I won't be able to pay for basic necessities. These are a pair of my work shoes. As you can see, I walk 10 to 14 miles every shift and I'm now on my third pair. The reality for us workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is that we are on we're understaffed and don't have enough workers.

Some of us are even asked by management to double push, meaning pushing two wheelchairs at the same time. Imagine walking through a crowded airport pushing two wheelchairs at once while trying to navigate around people. Now add a tight connection and your luggage to the situation. It's stressful and can be dangerous for both me and the passengers. When it's really busy, I've seen passengers left behind waiting more than thirty minutes because there simply aren't enough of us.

My job is to make sure these passengers are comfortable and safe, but how can I do that if I'm being rushed by management? They rush us while doing aisle chairs. These are narrow wheelchairs we use to transport passengers. We're helping them to get to and from their seats on the aircraft. But some of these chairs are maintained and falling apart. We can do our best for customers, but management tells us that they can get fined if passengers stay on the plane too long. Passengers deserve better and so do we, Thank the

you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dorothy Griffin.

Is

Ms. Griffin here?

She's at

the very top. Thank you so much for, yes, opportunity for her So to be thank you very much. Go ahead and begin. Hello.

My name is Dorothy Griffin, and I've been working for the airport for eight years. I've worked as a terminal cleaner, a cabin cleaner, and now I'm inside the pro shop at ABM. And my job is to give out the equipment to the workers that clean the planes and search the planes for foreign objects, equipment, so they can do their work. We play an important part in the travel safety of the passengers, but we work hard to make sure that they have safe travels, but we are underpaid. We are tired. We don't excuse me. I'm tired. My coworkers, sometimes, they don't have the right equipment to work with, and we get blamed for that. We don't get no overtime. We always have to do this.

If they don't find the object on the plane, they get fired. They're always I'm tired. I'm tired. I'm sorry. I'm just tired of not of making poverty wages.

We have to do all of this, and they want us give them our best and we do give them our best because we love our job, but half of our workers are homeless. We don't make enough money to feed our families. Don't make enough money for this. I' 68 years old last year I had to let my car go because it was either drive to work or have somewhere to stay and I chose to have a place to stay. We don' get PTOs we don' have time off I am a grandmother, a great grandmother.

I have 17 grandkids, 14 great grandkids. I had to take a PTO, an unpaid day off to see the birth of my great grandbaby. It is not fair. All we are asking for is livable wages. We do Charlotte Douglas Airport. We give them our all. As everybody knows, American Airlines is one of the biggest airlines out there. It is no way that we should be making poverty wages and they are breaking in all the money. It is just all we are coming here wanting is to pay us what we do because we give you what you are doing. Make sure you are safe in your travel.

Thank you very much. Our next speaker is Ms. Corley. Miss Corley?

Good evening, mayor and council members. Thank you for your time. I'm here to ask that you install a noise camera on Church Street to address the persistent problem of excessively loud cars and motorcycles. This is not just an annoyance. Chronic noise affects sleep, stress, and well-being.

It's a safety issue as well since uptown is densely populated with crosswalks, jaywalkers, dog walkers, workers, and children. Cities from New York to California have already implemented noise camera systems. In 2023, Knoxville's noise camera pilot program caught over 1,300 noise violations in only a few months. Their noise camera data demonstrated that these loud cars often drive with quick, dangerous acceleration in heavy pedestrian areas. Their threshold for enforcement is 82 decibels, about the sound of a blender.

Many altered cars far exceed a 100 decibels, comparable to a jackhammer or being on a construction site. More specifically, Knoxville signed a contract with the company BlueLine Solutions out of Chattanooga for red light speeding cameras. BlueLine Solutions Company subcontracts noise cameras using Intelligent Instruments Company noise cameras out of New York City. Again, this is at no additional cost. Knoxville has gotten the red light cameras and at no additional cost, they get the noise cameras.

They are moving forward with two permanent noise cameras in their downtown. We all want Charlotte to remain a lively welcoming city that looks after residents and visitors. By handling noise violations objectively without traffic stops or extra police resources, we can protect our quality of life and keep uptown safe, vibrant, and fun for all. I strongly urge the city to implement a camera on Church Street If other cities are successfully solving this problem, why can't Charlotte?

Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Tom Hatchett. Where are you? Where is he? He's on camera. Our writer. Is he is doctor Hatchett in? If not, we'll go on and Our next speaker is Connie Proctor.

Good evening. My name is Connie Proctor and I'm currently serving as chair of bicycle advisory committee. The last time I was here, I shared with you a vision of a calm but vibrant tree lined street where people of all ages and abilities could move freely. I come back tonight to remind you of that vision and ask for your action to help make it a reality. Watlington sent a message yesterday acknowledging that the way we have been approaching transportation planning is wrong. I'm here to strongly agree. Community needs and concerns should not be considered at the end of the process. They should be considered at the beginning. Important work has been done as part of the strategic mobility plan. The community was asked what they wanted.

The answer was clear, more choices. People in Charlotte want to be able to choose something other than a car for every trip. They reiterated that desire when they voted for the 1¢ sales tax. It is time to listen. It is time to shape the budget to reflect those needs and desires.

It is time to build public spaces that serve children, the elderly, and everyone in between. I am therefore asking you to increase bicycle program budget from 4,000,000 annually to 10,000,000 annually. The work and work with us to find ways to deliver better bicycle projects quicker. The only way to solve traffic is by providing viable alternatives to driving. So let's fund those viable alternatives. Let's build a Charlotte where we can meet face to face, not windshield to Thank you.

Our next speaker is Phoenix Emmanuel. Is he Mister Emmanuel? Alright. I'm going to, go to the firefighters budget request for me Mendez.

Melendez.

Melendez. So when would I talk about this?

Any time.

Good evening. Let's play a game where it was my husband. February 2026, during the first two days of a back injury when I could hardly walk to get myself food, use the bathroom or tend to our dogs. January 2025, when I frantically called my husband that our power was flashing in and out quickly followed by the smell of burning within sixty seconds. The dogs and I were home with no heat and freezing temperature for days without him.

September 2024, I was in our home with no power for fifteen days. I received one last call the morning of September 27, my husband asking if we were okay as hurricane Helene unexpectedly stood over our county in South Carolina before he went radio silent for days. He left on deployment to the mountains of North Carolina with other fire departments to help. Here's the truth, where was my husband is our everyday reality in our household during sickness, our region's famous snowstorms and other weather related incidents, holidays and birthdays, dishes for phone calls are only a few minutes long and much more. Can I share the hard reality of our household?

My husband has always had a second job as many firemen do. Our friends often ask, so what is your husband's side hustle? Every fireman we meet has a second job. Firefighters work fifty two hour work weeks, twelve more than other departments. Meanwhile, we cannot afford to live within a reasonable distance from the city which employs my husband.

We currently face an even larger economic stress as we experience a one income household for the first time after I was laid off in December 2025. My husband loves his job but I see all this risk and sacrifice, training and dedication, passion for serving the citizens of this city while we cannot sustain even the basics of living where he serves. We are falling behind on sleep, quality time, and bills while he's risking his life running into burning buildings. I watch my husband sacrifice his mental and physical health with long term emotional and sleep issues. I am the wife of fireman Travis Cash who serves in the special ops team of Charlotte Fire Department Rescue eleven while maintaining a second job.

We demand a livable wage to provide for our family. Where is Travis Cash tonight? His second job. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mr. Gonzales. Mr. Gonzales? I do not I

don't see James Lockhart.

All right, we'll come back. All right, our next speaker and our last speaker for this evening is Mr. Lockhart.

Yeah, don't see James Lockhart.

So this concludes our opportunities for our public hearing and having that. Thank you all for being so patient and being so ex I just really have to say it's a good way of getting to know what's going on, and you guys have done a great job to help us tonight. Thank you very much. All right. I have we have mister

It's on record. Mayor Kauss, I just wanna recognize a colleague, a former colleague, who served on the dais, actually served in this seat as mayor pro tem. He's here tonight, mister Braxton Winston. Braxton, glad to see you here, sir. Alright.

So let's go on to item number a public hearing and a decision on a resolution to close a portion of an unopened right of way off Fort Fort Henson Road. Thank you. Alright. Who's It's a public hearing. Nobody no one signed up, so, is there a motion?

Move to approve a and

b. Second.

We have a motion for a and b and a second. Any other comments? All in favor, please raise your hand. Anyone opposed? Alright. That's unanimous. Alright. The next one is a landmark designation. So let's see who's is this the one for Dumfries area? Opening a public hearing on the Ferries Farm Silos Historic Landmark designation. Madam Clerk, do we have any speakers? We have no speakers. Anyone on the council for comment? All right. All in favor?

We're to conduct the public hearing to close portion of unopened right of way A and B adopt a resolution to close.

Second.

Thank you very much, Ms. Mayfield. All in favor, please raise your hand. Anyone opposed? There's no opposition. So let's see. So now we're going to go to a public hearing on a resolution to close a portion of at Adjacent. Adjacent to Raleigh Street. Madam Clerk, do we have any speakers? We don't have any speakers. Is there any one from the council?

We'll to

approve a and b.

Second. All right. We have a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. Anyone opposed? It's unanimous. And now we're going to open the public hearing on a resolution to close a portion of an alleyway off Wadsworth Wadsworth Place. Madam clerk, do we have any speakers? Alright.

Move to approve a

and b.

Thank you, mister Driggs. Again. Our next pick we're now going to open the public hearing on a resolution to close a portion of right of way May

we have to do we have a second

have a motion.

We need a second.

Yes. A second.

I need to vote.

All in favor?

There we go.

Alright. Thank you. Let's go ahead and do that again, all over again. Here we go. Do we have anyone that would like to comment on this? On the speaker. Okay. All in do we have a motion?

For nine? We're on item nine.

For nine. Yes. Yes, for nine. Move to

approve A and B.

Second.

All right. We have a motion and a second. And so all in favor, please raise your hand. All right. We're now going to open public hearing on 2026 General Airport Revenue Bonds and Construction Period Financing. Madam Clerk, do we have any Yes. Two. We have two speakers. Can you provide me that information?

Patrick and Tracy Montrose.

Alright. Patrick Waterman. Mister Waterman?

Good evening, mayor Lyles, mayor pro tem Mitchell, and members of the Charlotte City Council. Thank My name is Patrick Waterman, I serve as the incoming president for the american council of engineering companies of north carolina. It's an association representing more than 200 engineering firms across the state engaged in projects that drive economic growth, ensure public safety, and protect our quality of life. Approval of these general airport revenue bonds help provide capital program that delivers not only essential infrastructure but sustained employment for engineers, designers, surveyors, environmental specialists, construction managers, and skilled trades from across the Charlotte region. While tonight's vote may not be controversial, it is consequential.

These bonds fund projects that put people to work on the airport campus well beyond the fence line. CLT's capital program depends on the depth and expertise of North Carolina based engineering, construction firms that strengthen the state's national reputation and keeping this work and these paychecks local. ACEC strongly supports policies that advance infrastructure investment while promoting quality, innovation, and professional excellence. We believe this bond request is a result of strong collaboration among the city, airport leadership, airline partners, and the private engineering sector. That collaboration translate directly into employment for local residents.

Thank you for your consideration of the broader impact that CLT Airport has on our region and its workforce. Thank you again.

I don't know if we need to say who you are but if you'd like to be happy and to introduce myself and

good evening everyone. My name is Tracy Montross. I'm managing director of government affairs for American Airlines. I'm very pleased to be with you, mayor and members of council. This month, American Airlines proudly celebrated its centennial anniversary, a hundred years of connecting people, communities, and economies, and few places reflect that better than the legacy here in Charlotte.

For more than forty years, American has invested steadily, not speculatively, in Charlotte Douglas International Airport, aligning infrastructure growth with demand, operational needs, and the long term success of the hub. City Council's approval of the 2026 general airport revenue bonds reinforces that same long term vision, supporting CLT as one of the region's most powerful economic engines with an airline hub that supports a 150,000 jobs statewide and $30,000,000,000 in economic impact. Importantly, airport revenue bonds are not backed by local taxpayers, they are repaid through airline rates and charges and airport generated revenues. As the largest airline at CLT, American assumes the majority airline share of these costs, reinvesting in the infrastructure necessary to sustain long term operations. In other words, airline commitment enables large scale investment in your airport.

Over the past decade alone, American has supported more than $3,000,000,000 in capital through the Destination CLT program with an expanded terminal lobby, fourth parallel runway, new concourses, and significant airfield and terminal improvements. These multi year investments depend on predictable airline revenue, stable policy and growing passenger demand. A strong primary airline partner enables an airport to finance infrastructure at investment grade terms and that financing depends on an anchor airline's willingness to assume long term financial responsibility coupled with restraint in future expansion and approach American has demonstrated throughout its century of service. In conclusion, American Airlines investment is a great deal for the city of Charlotte. Thank you for your time.

You.

All right. Move to approve

A, B, and C. Second.

Okay. We have a motion to close A, B, and C. Do you have it in front of you, or does everybody have that? So, comments? All in favor? All right. All in in favor. Thank you very much. And so, we have unanimous support. All any other questions before we go into that? So all in favor?

We've done it. We're good.

We just done. Thank you very much. Okay. Any opposed? Any oh, you have I'm sorry, I didn't I looked and Is I thought I had a there anyone that is in opposition? Okay.

It was unanimous. Sorry.

You said unanimous, right?

Yeah, was unanimous.

Thank you very much. So thank you very much, guys. Thank you for that. And we're really appropriate. Now, let's go on to the next item, which is we'll now move into the business section that includes adopt a resolution authorizing the donation of 139

report? City city manager report.

You have a report. Sure.

You have a outstanding report, don't you?

I think it's called outset at REO, at least there. So Okay. Now.

Thank you, mayor, members of council. Earlier today, you received, I believe in your offices, the impact report as it relates to the Mobility Plus. And what's so important about this is that the team has been working for the better part of nine months for us to get a better understanding of what are the gaps that are out there. So we have this $25,000,000,000 opportunity for our region over the network the entire state over the next thirty years. But we need to get a better understanding of do we have the workforce that's available to meet the demand, and do we have the businesses that are locally available to meet the demand.

So in both cases, we don't. But that doesn't mean that we haven't already begun to look at programs that can scale up the workforce and scale up businesses. This will be in the Jobs and Economic Development Committee next Monday. What I wanted to do again is to basically, one, get it to you first because we have the towns, the county, the CLC, the alliance, the MPTA that's all waiting for this report. So I'll take one step back.

As you recall, 40% of the 1% sales tax is for transit, 20% is for bus. That's going to make its way to the MPTA. There was a question earlier today. Beginning July 1, the MPTA is receiving the sales tax, both the half cent and 1% sales tax, but they won't be ready to take on our staff until 01/01/2027. So we have this great opportunity to use this report to see how we can make sure that not just and many of the questions that happened earlier tonight

Mhmm.

About CVI, how do we have different businesses that can take participate in this. That's why this gap analysis is so important. And again, it starts with the council, but I'm very proud of the team and how you've worked so diligently to pull this all together. It's a lot of data. It's a lot of data. It's a lot of data, but it's going to be useful as we tackle this opportunity. So that's the end of my report, ma'am.

Alright. Any questions about the report? Yes. Yes. Miss Mayo.

I have a quick question. Just based on some of the comments we received today about noise in uptown, and I saw a referral for that. Do we know when that's coming through? Would that be part of this mobility plan? As we're thinking about red light cameras, can that be have instituted at the same time with mobility dollars with the payback?

So I'll start by saying the red light cameras, they've already been referred to community.

Yeah. But can we

refer this other one

next Monday, and I believe later tonight. Right. There's going to be a discussion about the noise.

Oh, okay. Thank you. I saw the the memo. Okay. Thank you.

Mhmm. Thank you very much. So you you got a cheerleading squad up here. So Thank you. Alright. So now we will move into Mayor President 12. Mayor President Oh, yes. Ms. Henderson.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Before we move on from the manager's report, I just want to ask a question around process execution. So beginning July 1, the MPTA will receive the penny sales tax Mhmm. The 60% and the half penny sales tax. But they won't be in operation mode for another six months. Right?

Correct.

Okay. So during that time, do we have insight as to the activities that they will be working on and investing in between July 1 and January 1, where I'm assuming their readiness level will be 100% for receipt of our city assets. Do we know what they're working on over the next six months?

So that's a great question. And city attorney, if I fumble, help me out, please. Okay. So there are certain requirements in the payback that must be met by July 1. That's exactly what the authority is working on now. I would say hand in hand with the the city and the authority. We feel comfortable that they will meet those targets. Okay? Okay. In a perfect world, they would have assumed the staff and the article 43 and article 34 on July 1.

We all know that we won't be ready for those other components of it. We've always said employees first, right? And so there are certain things just from an employee perspective, like health care, that is much better to be on a calendar year than on a fiscal year. So a lot of thought process with Employees First is let's make sure that we have this transition in such a way that helps them, but also let's make sure we set the authority up for success as we also protect the city.

Thank you for that update. And, you know, my interest in this is just professionally having done a lot of cutovers for systems and large system integrations throughout my career. To be able to take on these assets, as well as the systems and the backbone effectively that's going to run the MPTA operationally, it's a huge and onerous task to level up your readiness. So, I just would love for us, you know, for our responsibility, for our appointment to the trustees, and then a good faith measure of just being good intergovernmental partners. If there's a way that in which we, the council, can get a steady cadence of an update of the readiness between July 1 and January 1, I think that will be very helpful for us to understand what's in front of us and if we have to pivot in any way, shape, or form.

So a regular cadence of an update, whether it manifests through a written report or perhaps having the chair or one of the trustees come and provide an update. But I think that level of communication will be very helpful to us and to our residents.

And I and I totally agree. I think and we will do that. One thing that's really important, this is not a 07/01/2026 we're finished or 01/01/2027, we're finished. This will be decades because they're they're assets that still have debt associated with them. So we're going to have to be in lockstep for a very long time.

I want to mention as well we do have a working group consisting of myself and councilmember owens and doctor wadlington and our job is to be briefed on the meetings for example that are taking place between the staff and the mpta board and preview like look at far into the future as possible and keep counsel up to speed on what is being discussed and what might be headed our way in terms of a decision so we're never in a position of being asked to vote on something without having had a long runway to think about it.

Thank you mister Driggs and I appreciate that and perhaps this working group could be the conduit of that level of transparency. I'm not sure if you wanna take on the responsibility of updating counsel on MPTA's work activity, but I'll leave But that to your working I do think, nevertheless, whatever vehicle it is, whether it's the working group or whether it's the trustees, a trustee of the MPTA, I believe we need to have a level of transparency and a regular cadence of update as it relates to organization and operational readiness to take on our assets come January 1. Thank

you. Alright. Mister Graham?

I concur with that, and I think the update should come from the authority itself. Mhmm. Right? Not the working group. We wanna talk directly to the authority, the chairman, the vice chairman, and members of the trustees in terms of what they're doing, when they're doing it, why they're doing it, so we all can have the same information at the same time.

Okay. Alright. Yes, miss Mayo.

Just to kind of piggyback off that, can we create a cadence or some kind of expectation? So once a month, you know, they join us at, you know, whatever type of meeting. Maybe the transportation and planning committee meeting and do a report out, but I think it's imperative that we actually set in stone when that's gonna happen so that it's not, you know, suggestion. I think it needs to be, yeah, a direct ask Mhmm. And not so broad.

Is that something we can do? Can we make a motion

on that? I don't know.

If my colleagues, my group colleagues agree, we can make a recommendation based on what we've been told tonight. And that would be part of what we're trying to accomplish, to make sure that communication is as the council wants. So we'll work on that.

Yeah. Madam mayor, may I make a motion? Yes. I'd like to make a motion that we ask m MPTA to brief do a briefing at the Transportation and Planning Committee meeting once a month, for council members regarding, you know, how how things are going, how we're collaborating.

Second. K. We have a motion of second. Is there any further discussion?

I would just say, do you intend for that to be a board member, a representative, or do you want is it okay if we just have somebody who knows who works there and knows what's going on to come? Or

It should be a board member. It should be.

A board member. Right? Madam Mayor. And see if the if the chair will do it. Yeah.

I I we have another comment down here. I don't know if mister Graham would first or if you were.

Miss Thank you, Madam Mayor. I would suggest that it's actually either the chair or the vice chair or one of our appointed trustees, again, to create stickiness and a transparent horizontal relationship between the MPTA and the council.

So we need to communicate to that board the desire of this council we don't have the authority to direct them to do that but communicate to them that we would like to have that update.

Mr. Graham?

And I think we should stay in constant contact with our appointees.

Mhmm.

Right? And so there needs to be a regular cadence with them, whether it's quarterly or or bi yearly where we meet with them and share with them our expectations. For an example, we had a presentation talking about the the bus stops

Uh-huh.

And whether or they're going to be sheltered or not. Uh-huh. That's something we need to tell our trustees there is an expectation that there's uniformity throughout the system in reference to bus stops and being protected from the sun, the rain, etcetera. Mhmm. Cadence with our trustees, I think, is extremely important in addition to Council Member Anderson, the chair or the vice chairman, so they can have that type relationship which is intergovernmental.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, so should it be going into intergovernmental?

Oh, I don't know. It's

already on on another track.

So do you wanna do you wanna amend

the motion? No. No. No.

Yeah. Wanted to know if there is amendment to the motion. Is there one? All right. Thank you. All in favor of the motion, please raise your hands. Anyone opposed? I think that was unanimous. Okay. So now we're at Charlotte Fire Department protective vest donation. We'll move to the business section of our agenda for item 12. Is there a motion to adopt a resolution authorizing the donation of 139, and I don't know how to say this, Fannex Defense Systems Plate Carriers to the following entities, guys. Oh, they've gone, so just sorry. There you go. Someone knows how to say it well for me.

So thank

you very So for the following entities, Caroline Fire Department, Dallas, Huntersville, Pineville, Steel Creek, West Mecklenburg, and Mecklenburg County, Moldtide.

Second.

Thank you. We have a motion and a Is there any further discussion?

No.

Hearing no discussion, all in favor? Anyone opposed? All right, next. Our next one is 13, a grant and donation for the Rail Trail Bridge project. For item 13, is there a motion to authorize the manager or his designee to accept a grant in the amount of $2,000,549 from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization, was just being spoken about, organization for the Interstate 277 Rail Trail Bridge Project, authorizing the city manager or his designee to accept a donation in that amount for 511,000, and from the Queen's Table for the interstate rail, two two seventy seven rail trail bridge project, and adopting the budget ordinance appropriating the appropriate amount of $205,149 and $395 from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization and $511, and you can all read that

to So move, madam mayor.

So move. In Second move to move a, b, and c. I'm sorry. Someone over here say Move

a b

and c. We

have we have an a b and c recommendation.

Second. We have a second.

We have a motion and a second. Yes, sir. All in favor Madam Mayor, can I make a comment? Comments. Yes.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I just wanted to make a very quick comment about this project because, this project has been in the works for many, many years, and it's actually reconnecting neighborhoods that were divided Mhmm. By an interstate some years ago. We say South End and Uptown, but really and truly, it was the historical African American neighborhood of Brooklyn, that was really separated from, the other part of our city.

And

I had the pleasure of going to an event last year, last October, where we kicked off the prop this project and worked with other partners who partners who are investing in it. But it it's a really lovely bridge. It's a a multiuse pedestrian crossing for families to walk and bike and and use other mechanical pedestrian devices as well. It connects over 40 miles of bikeways into the center city, and so it's a very safe way for cyclists to get into the center city. And it's gonna be a very beautiful design with the double arches reaching over 40 feet, and it will be the widest part of the rail trail.

So it'll be able to deal with the capacity of the rail trail in addition to pedestrians trying to connect with both neighborhoods. So very happy to see this project advance. Thank you, madam mayor.

Alright. Thank you. Are there any other comments or questions? Hearing none, all in favor of the motion, please raise your hand. All right. Is there anyone who objects? No, we're going to object. So then, let's go to, our next item, which is accept a grant in the amount of $1,000,200 from the North Carolina Forest Service for tree maintenance and planting, and adopt a budget ordinance appropriating that same amount in grant funds from the North Carolina Forest Service to the Neighborhood Development Grants Fund. Do we have a motion?

Move to approve a

and b.

Second. We have

a motion and a second. Any conversation or any questions? I do. All

right. Ms. Tree? Ms.

Mayoho. Yeah, very true. I just had a quick question for this. Is this going to be street trees with this maintenance? Or are they planning to do on public private public property as well. I know at one point, had received some funding from the federal government, but because of our current administration, you know, things did not go as planned. So just wanting a little bit more clarity on is this gonna be on street trees, which are owned by the city of Charlotte, or is this gonna be on private property?

Alright. Phil, do you

wanna Good evening. Phil Reagor, Department of General Services director. This particular grant is designated for city owned city owned trees and right

of way. Alright.

So we will be working in underutilized areas that need street tree maintenance in the right of way.

Alright. Yes. So when you say underserved communities, are you are you looking at data for that being thoughtful of equity? But are are you also doing under canopied regions as well? So I I guess I'm wanting to know how you're designating some of those. Because I I think we should also think through not only underserved, but also areas that have historical historically lower canopy than some of their more affluent peers. So just wanting to think through both of those because that can be a huge barrier for some of our most vulnerable residents, you know, taking care of trees. Even though, you know, they are the city's trees that you're you're talking about, many of our residents are still having are burdened by those.

It's a great question. The the map of underserved areas is defined by the state.

Mhmm.

And so we're using that map

that they use to define those areas in the city.

Are are you also taking into consideration based on which areas historically have a lower tree canopy? So are you doing both? Are you doing underserved and under canopied?

This is really about the canopy that we have today to ensure that we have quality maintenance in those areas. Again, those areas are defined by the State Forest Service. And so in the event that we have to remove a tree, you'll notice that part of this funding is to replant trees.

I can just talk to you later. Yeah. No worries. Yeah, I'll just follow-up a little later. Thank you.

Alright. So is there any other question? Any other comments? All in favor of a motion? Sorry.

Can I ask one more question?

Yes. You certainly can. Sorry. Sorry.

When you talked about replacing trees, are you planning to water those new trees at all?

Yes, ma'am.

So that's gonna be in y'all's budget to water the trees?

Yeah. That's a part that's a part of our planting program.

Okay. Thank you.

Alright. All in favor of the motion, please raise your hand. Anyone opposed? I don't see anyone. Actually, we'll keep going and go to the next item, which is item 16, an interlocal agreement for Smith I'm sorry, 15. Smithville. I'm trying to get us going. All right, on '15, there's a motion to a resolution ratifying the urban cost share program agreement with Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District.

Move to approve.

Second.

We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no discussion, all in favor raise your hands. Anyone opposed? Okay. So that passes. So next item is 16, and adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager or his designee to negotiate and execute a local agreement with the town of Cornelius to execute the Smithfield Water System Improvements Project, authorize the city manager to approve the reimbursements request for the actual cost of the utility construction.

Move to

approve A and B.

We have a motion for A and B, and we have a second. Is there any further discussion?

VANILA

Hearing no further discussion, all in favor, please say aye or

And so that passes. So let's go to the next item. So item 17, is there a motion to adopt the housing and community development proposed fiscal year twenty twenty seven annual action plan?

Vote to approve. Second.

We have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing no discussion, all in favor, please raise your hand. Anyone oppose let's see. No, we don't have any opposition. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention. That's okay. Okay. So on the next item is item 18, and I wanna recognize miss Mayfield.

Thank you, madam mayor. I am motioning to a, approve up to 20,617,000 in housing trust fund allocations for the following affordable housing developments contingent upon their receiving a low income housing tax credit award from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, where applicable, The Village at Greer Heights for 2,763,000, which is a 9% low income tax credit in Council District 1, Oak Valley Family for 1,000,500, which is a 4% low income housing tax credit, also in Council District 1 Mineral Springs Commons 2 with for 1,000,100, which is a 9% low income tax housing credit in Council District 4 River District 2 for 5,000,600, which is a 4% low income housing tax credit in Council District 3 Billingsley Homeownership, 1,050,000, which is a home ownership in Council District 1 Oakdale Road for 2,930,000, which is also a home ownership, which is in Council District 2 Legacy at Park Creek, 1,334,000 homeownership in Council District 2 Hovis Road, $780,000 homeownership in Council District 2 South Kriegler Duets, $360,000 home ownership, also in Council District 2 Abilene at Prosperity Church, 800,000 home ownership in Council District 1 Zion Hills, 1,000,000 home ownership in Council District 5, Wisteria Drive 1400000 home ownership in Council District 6, as well as B approve up to 300,000 in federal fund allocations for the village at Greer Heights 9% low income housing tax credit, multifamily affordable housing development, which is in Council District 1, And C, authorize the city manager or his designee to execute, amend, modify, and renew contracts and other required documents to complete the transactions.

Second.

We have a motion on the floor, and miss Mayfield has given you the information and if everybody has it. So, let's see how all miss

We have a motion and a second.

Miss Anderson. I know. Miss Anderson.

Thank you. Thank you, madam mayor. I'm just trying to do an alignment here of what's in front of us and what's on our RCA. It it appears that the Evoke Living at LaLaura Lake has been was not a part of your motion. Correct. But it is a part of our RCA here. Correct? It also it also appears that River District 2, which was which was not brought forward the last time we discussed this as of being an approved project, but now it's on you are motioning that it be on the approved Correct. Okay. Can we have some further discussion about that?

Because it sounds like we have scratched one and brought in another. And I've had some I've had some some conversations with some of my colleagues. I was of the understanding that if we were going to advance something, that we would advance both. So I'd I'd

like to start

that That's another

So for clarification, mister, if it's a question sent to my motion Yes. Of which I sent out a very detailed email to all of council last week. So for clarification, the committee has not had a conversation regarding any reallocation of particular funds. Yet for one of the projects, it was mentioned on more than one occasion as presentations were made that they were attempt two rounds of funding through our housing trust fund. This is one of two.

They are it will feasibly be accessible for them to be a part of that second round. Committee did have an additional conversation last week, but we are also working towards our ad hoc instead of creating a whole separate committee. For ad hoc, we are going to utilize the membership of the committee and add additional meetings so that we can actually drill down what funding do we have still available in our housing trust fund under what line item, as well as if there are any considerations for reallocation of funds. As a committee, we will be able to have that discussion. The reason my recommendation and the reason that I sent an extremely detailed email to all of council last week is because with the opportunity of the River District, with all of development and growth that is happening throughout the city, as well as the investments that are happening at the River District, this is an opportunity to ensure that we have two projects that come out very close to each other, as well as the potential impact of River District not going towards the initial goals from 2017 where the expectation was to create and support a entire new community that would have two diverse price point housing in it, both in multifamily and in single family.

Right now, this project, out of for my recommendation, and I have talked to a number of our council colleagues as well, which is why what is presented tonight is the clear it is not it basically is not trying to allocate additional funds because we had three other projects that were recommended for a deferral. This is versus a swap. At the end of the day, this is a pretty much a swap of versus recommending one to be deferred to the second round, one that representatives acknowledge that we will attempt up to two rounds, making a recommendation that they are then brought forward in the second round. So we have a motion and a second on it. The River District is a project that will address a lot of the concerns in a part of the city that is being developed, that is already seeing incredible growth and already seeing price ranges that are above market or at the current market rate, whereas this will help us to ensure that we have some diversity in our product for our workers that live out in the area and aligns with the city's goals and commitments and the infrastructure investments that we have made into that project going back to 2017.

I wanna recognize mister Graham followed by miss Sashmira.

Thank you, madam mayor, and and thank you council member Mayfield for the email and the conversation that we had earlier today, but but I see it a little different. Certainly, I I clearly understand why we need to support what's happening in the River District, and I support that wholeheartedly. But it shouldn't be at the expense of evoke living. And is there a way for us to do both, right?

There is.

And I think we should. And even if it's a reallocation of some of the buckets, I think one of the things that the council has to maintain is a level of flexibility in reference to how we utilize the dollars. Also, we're getting ready to get really deep in our budget in May and approval in June. And hopefully, there'll be a bond referendum in November, which will replenish all three buckets for the community. So I I hope and I'll be willing to second the motion, make a motion that we find a way tonight to fund both projects.

Mhmm.

And then I I think

So Is that a substitute motion?

What? Would be a substitute motion.

Do you have a substitute motion on the floor? Second. We have a second for that motion, but we have several people that want to address this issue. So I'm gonna start off with, Ms. Ashmira followed by Ms. Watlington, and then Ms. Mayo.

Thank you, madam mayor. First of all, thank you to the committee chair, council member Mayfield for the detailed email where she explains what they are saying. They are not saying no to I just wanna be make I just want to make sure. So the committee did not say no to the Evoke Living at Willora Lake. All they are saying is defer it to the next round so they the committee gets to do the work.

We talk about the process and process and process. Well, this is the process that committee is recommending because they came up with the allocation. So let's not talk about the process if you're not gonna stick with the process because the committee came up with the allocation from what I understood based on your email and and having this proposal be part of the second round of discussion that the committee will further discuss. So correct me if I'm wrong there. Yes.

That's correct. Okay. And then also I wanna speak in favor of the River District proposal. I did we all got an email from one Mac and they are making solid arguments about solid point about why we need to ensure that we include River District in our in our decision tonight because we don't want River District to end up like what we are seeing in Ballantyne.

So We love Ballantyne.

So I will support the committee's work, and I will support the motion that the chair has made.

That's all

I have.

Ms. Watlington. Ms. Thank you.

Listening to this and in discussions previously with my colleagues, I definitely see a couple of different sides. Having served as the chair of the housing safety and community committee and the part of the subgroup with council members Mayfield and Driggs on allocating the $100,000,000, it was very intentional the allocations that we set up to drive particular behaviors in our development community. The innovation fund in particular was set aside specifically to try to drive new ideas and I do think that that is still important. I do think given the rigor with which we set those targets, that if we're going to make adjustments, which we did say that we would we would maintain that flexibility. If we're gonna make those adjustments, I think we need to give that conversation.

It's just due rather than making the adjustments here at the dais because as I understand it, there may be a couple of other strategic projects that we feel like are still adding value. So I'm absolutely supportive of the River District and do want to see that move forward at this in this round. Just listening to the comments at the dais, I'm wondering if there is an appetite at all since committee meeting is next week to have the policy discussion there and then come back May 11 to actually vote projects. I just don't want us to be making project decisions here without considering the how that impacts the overall policy. And I'd I'd love to hear from the chair or others as to how they feel about that.

I can I don't wanna make a commitment on that with how soon they'll come back because I do know that we have one, we all got an email earlier that we're getting ready to have some changes within the housing and neighborhood services? So I also want to make sure that what we have on the calendar is in alignment, yet at the same time we are prepared to have the detailed conversation with the ad hoc in identifying specific meetings to add for that. But I would double check with Mike and the team while y'all continue discussing.

Okay. So then depending the answers to those questions, I would ask if you would accept a friendly amendment to defer since the substitute motion is already on the floor. But we can wait until the answers. It may not be.

Doctor. Yeah, yeah, and probably not, right? I think we even more reason that there's going to be leadership change that we make a decision sooner than later. And it's really whether or we're going utilize additional resources from one bucket to the next, right? And one of the things that you said when you established the three buckets was a level of flexibility, right? And so, I think this demonstrates some flexibility Okay. Kind of going where the shovel ready projects are, and letting the dollars follow that, notwithstanding the good work you and the committee did in terms of setting the three priorities, right? And so I just think, you know, we should move forward with the bid out. I'll listen to more members and comments.

All right. So, she has an update. Ms. Mayo? Ms. Mayo is next.

Ms. Yeah. I mean, I would support Victoria's

amendment. So that's an amendment to the amendment?

Yeah. To potentially defer and we have that conversation

Substitute.

In our in our committee potentially. Substitute motion.

Oh, substitute. Oh, we have

to be substitute motion on the floor.

You have to be voted

Oh, You didn't Well, point

of order.

Council member was Council

member

I just wanna make sure Andrea, would you help us? We're just having discussion. We have an on the motion on the floor.

Substitute

motion. Substitute motion made by mister Graham.

Mister Graham. Mister Graham. Seconded by miss Anderson.

Yep. Yep.

Correct? Yes. And they won't accept.

So that's what we're we're discussing right now is the substitute motion Right. That we haven't voted on.

That's right. Oh, I thought she was saying that. I'm sorry. I think miss Mayo was She was miss Watling too. Saying. Okay. We vote

on the substitute motion as

is because the amendment

was not accepted. So there's discussion on the sec I'm sorry. So there's discussion on the substitute motion at this point Mhmm. Around the dice, and

then there needs to

be a vote on the substitute motion. And then after that, depending on how how that vote turns out, we'll revert back to the original motion.

Then we could amend the motion. So where we are So on the substitute

substitute motion. Motion.

We're gonna have the substitute motion, and now She shows me no No. No. No. That's not true. That is not true. So So

may I counsel, thank you. Rebecca, if if you don't mind, because because I I do think one issue for all of us is, the funding level, how much do we have remaining.

So,

mayor I'm sorry.

Before

Is this is this reference to motion to the substitute motion? Because

because councilman Graham is trying to do both. And so I I think for a lot of us around the table who are not on the housing committee is how much funding could be remain in that bucket. Because I'm like him, wish we could vote tonight. Since we got worried about your new Can

I jump?

Just think

that this is Yeah. You expected me to say under my manager's report. I'm waiting

till the end. Okay. Before

Rebecca addresses the the question. Yeah. I'd like to just announce

and then if we include River District with the committee and staff recommendation, where would that leave us?

Sure.

Let's be clear. The motion that I what I motion was very specific. Yes. The amended motion was adding in what I did not Right. Say. So that dollar amount has to be added in so that way that motion has to be clarified just a little bit to say to add additional 5,850,000. So from there, Rebecca.

I'm doing some quick math up Good evening. Rebecca Heffner, Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services. So, I think that there's two balances to discuss. One is the balance as or three. As written on the agenda, the balance remaining would be 14,281,000 and some change.

The balance remaining after the motion that council member Mayfield made would be 14,500,000 and if you made the third motion with both River District and with Laurel Lake the balance would be 8,680,000 and that's over overall across all the categories in the housing trust fund.

Thank you.

Alright. Any further discussion, miss Mayfield? So, for clarification,

out of if we were to do both, that total of 8,680,000, 5,000,000 of that is what we currently have. So this will be

Stay strong.

If we were to move forward, just looking at rental opportunity. I wanna make sure that everyone's clear where that potential 8,680,000 lies. So the And I wanna make sure that I'm not inaccurate as far as having to potentially have a conversation of reallocating the line item that we have not had a discussion about?

Sure. So, if you're following the action as written in the agenda. So I'm going back now to the action preview presentation, the housing trust fund forecast. That's the balance would be 14,280,000. The places where funding would remain are home ownership category 2.7, supportive housing and shelter 2.75. There would be a million dollars remaining in housing rehab, 5,000,000 in the innovation pilot fund and $2,600,000 in site acquisition and just a little bit of change, about 200 ks in administration and evaluation.

Thank you. All right, so

We're relocating So,

Rebecca, you gave us 8,600,000. That would be the balance if we approved if we approved the motion made by council member Graham. Correct?

Correct. Totality. In totality.

Yeah. In in totality. Are there any projects in the pipeline right now?

So so there are you mean for those other categories?

For that $8,600,000 balance. Because it's in totality. So what I'm trying to get to is how many projects are in the pipeline because we are not looking at it holistically by trying to make a decision here. Right? Because the committee is not not able to do the work. So I'm trying to figure out if you're gonna have to make a decision, what are the projects that are in the pipeline that we should be looking at from the holistic perspective.

Well, you have several other projects in the rental housing production category that were recommended for deferral. So, that

being,

sure I'm giving you all of the right names. Nevin Trace and the Grier Reserves and addition to River District which were recommended for deferral. The modular home and ADU development under the innovation category that was also recommended for deferral. And you have received two applications in your rental housing preservation category to NOAA developments that are going to be discussed by council committee on May 4. You have already exhausted funding in that category but those submissions came in before those funds were exhausted.

So those those will be discussed in housing committee on May 4.

Thank you so plan. Personally, I'm not in position to decide now because considering that there are multiple projects in the pipeline and what happens if we were to approve this and then one of the other projects that might be higher on the priority list, we would be doing in service to that. So I would prefer us sending it back to the committee so they can look at it holistically and provide recommendations the

council.

That's all I have. Thank you. Actually before, I know that we asked council member Mayfield to check-in with the staff on the May 11 timeline. If we can just get a response to that.

The answer to that question Rebecca did respond to. Rebecca if So you would like

part so if these decisions were deferred until May 11, all of the developments would still be able to move forward on their timelines. The important date that drives the spring RFP schedule is the deadline for tax credit applications with the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency which is May 15. And so, you would have an opportunity on May 11, but that would be the deadline for a decision in order to support the applications to the state.

Thank you.

And mayor, for clarification Can I Okay? As the chair, I'm following up on what my director just said for

return to speak.

Hey, Over here. Mister Drake's at what's next?

I mean

I haven't said anything yet. You've been at it the whole

Go ahead, Ed.

I just want to know, do we have anything in the pipeline for the innovation $5,000,000? Are we gonna arrive at the end of the year not having actually invested that as intended, and therefore should we be thinking about the fact that it can be available because it's not likely to be used.

The other information is on it?

Staff have been in conversation with a couple of developers who have ideas and concepts for that innovation pilot fund, but have not provided any date on which they might be able to put in an application.

So not this year.

Ms. Watlington. Ms. Watlington: Thank you. Just a couple of things. Just on the innovation, I know that and I know we've had a little bit of a connection as it relates to some of the projects or at least one of the projects that is in the innovation fund. I want us to be careful to remember that we we don't we don't see the future. We're we're in April 2026, and the innovation funds intent was to do something a little bit different. So I don't expect that it's go that whatever comes through at this point has the level of rigor to know what their schedule is gonna be by the end of the year. So that is less concerning for me because we plan to do another round.

I think by then, we would know whether or not we would want to pivot. And I certainly think that if we have this discussion in a week, we can we can have these discussions in a better way. I think this right here is an exact example of what we're seeing play out in broader discussions at transportation and other things where we are we are making decisions before we really have a robust discussion around our values and how that shows up in policy. So I would implore us rather than rushing a decision today now that we've learned that we have two weeks and we can take this to committee and have a responsible discussion about this considering the projects that are in the pipeline. I would just ask again to please consider to amend the motion so that we can do right by our people.

Like, I get it. You got your six and you can go there, but let's let's do better if possible. You get that going.

Mister Mitchell?

I know. I'll just say, mayor, I think everyone is top. We're ready for the vote call for the oh, I'm sorry.

Miss Mayfield?

Yeah. Clarification. Thank you, mayor. So I also wanna make sure that everyone remembers that we have an innovation summit that the city is one of the partners of that has that is identified and bringing people all across the nation. So that's one of the triggers for that particular bucket of which we were made aware of that when we first had our conversation regarding our innovation bucket that we were going to win and that that summit was gonna be hosted in Charlotte because it moves around.

The other thing the other piece that I want us to keep in mind is, as director Heffner just mentioned, that will be a three day window. So between when we have our meeting on the eleventh and the closing being on the fifteenth. The recommendation that I propose is the recommendation that I stand by. So we do have another round that's coming, but I do believe that committee should have the opportunity to have a deeper conversation about the possible reallocation of funds because as was heard, if we move forward with the amended recommendation tonight, that potentially would give us 8,680,000 in totality, which is really 3,000,000 and some change because 5,000,000 of it is already identified, really less than that because 2,600,000 is allocated for site acquisition, the 5,000,000 is in the innovation bucket, and we have, what do we say, about 200,000 or so that's still in administrative. So it's not really 8,000,000 that potentially would be accessible, and we do know that there's more projects that are coming forward.

That is why I read it the way that I read it. So I'm still even though we're on the amendment that we need to vote on, I am gonna ask the votes are gonna land the way that they land. We are either gonna get the votes on the amended version, but what I am standing by is the recommendation that I read and that we got a second off.

With the addition. I wanna make sure that we have the right, which well, I'm I I believe miss Mayfield's program that was sent around, and then it was a question of an additional for the An amendment. For the Substitute. Substitute to go into the mister Graham. So we have two items on the on our list, and so help me Substitute motion should