Town Council

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Town Council Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes - Final Friday, March 14, 2025 8:30 AM Library, Meeting Room B Language Access Statement Welcome, Introductions and Group Picture Mayor Anderson called the meeting to order at 8:37 a.m. Legislative Representatives, Council Members, Partner Organizations, and staff introduced themselves and took a group picture. Present: 8 - Mayor Jessica Anderson, Mayor pro tem Amy Ryan, Council Member Camille Berry, Council Member Paris Miller-Foushee, Council Member Karen Stegman, Council Member Theodore Nollert, Council Member Melissa McCullough, and Council Member Elizabeth Sharp Absent: 1 - Council Member Adam Searing Other Attendees Interim Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Deputy Town Manager Loryn Clark, Town Clerk Brittney Hunt, Media Relations Manager Alex Carrasquillo, Chief Of Staff Jeanne Brown, Town Attorney Ann Anderson, Director of Building and Development Services Chelsea Laws, Business Management Director Amy Oland, Strategic Communications and Marketing Executive Director Susan Brown, Economic Development Program Coordinator Sarah Potter, Transit Director Brian Litchfield, Planning Director Britany Waddell, Community Sustainability Manager John Richardson, Representative Renee Price, Representative Allen Buansi, Local Government Services Director for Central Pines, North Carolina League Of Municipalities Staff Liaison Erin Wynia, Central Pines Finance Manager Lee Worsley, State Senator Graig Meyer, North Carolina League Of Municipalities Staff Liaison Seth Palmer, Professor of the Practice in Public Leadership at UNC Ivy Taylor. Chapel Hill Mayor: Update on Complete Community Mayor Anderson provided Chapel Hill's Complete Community update highlighting sustainability, greenways, and housing. Page 1 of 3 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 14, 2025 Handouts [25-0124] Chapel Hill Staff: Updates on Town initiatives and key topics Economic Development Manager Sarah Potter, Transit Director Brian Litchfield, Deputy Town Manager Loryn Clark, Planning Director Britany Waddell, Sustainability Manager John Richardson highlighted goals, actions and challenges from the following departments: Economic Development, Transit, Housing, Planning, and Sustainability. Interim Town Manager: Legislative Priorities and Federal Funding Updates Interim Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger provided an update on Community Safety in the absence of Police Chief Celisa Lehew. Ms. Nirdlinger shared the Town's interest in the proposed shift to municipal bonds and changes to the state building code, provided updates on federal funding and potential threats to various Town departments, including Transit, Planning, Affordable Housing, Police, Library, and Sustainability. Legislators, Mayor and Council members, and staff discussed Affordable Housing, building codes, the Housing Trust Fund, relief bills for Hurricane Helene, infrastructure funding, and the federal to state to local tax shift. Senator Graig Meyer spoke about the impacts of federal funding, acknowledged UNC's efforts, and encouraged Chapel Hill to serve as a beacon to the congressional delegation and in litigation to avoid harmful cuts. Senator Meyer shared a meeting that is scheduled for May 9th at the Junction in Chapel Hill at 3:30 p.m., discussed the Chancellor's priority of affordable and work force housing, and the upcoming hiring of Executive Director for Carolina North. State Legislators: General Assembly Priorities and Updates Representative Renee Price acknowledged the challenges faced by the NC House in addressing various mandates and issues, including the implementation of migration isolation laws in collaboration with ICE, affordable housing, environmental concerns, and a bill to address microplastics. She also highlighted ongoing efforts to improve mental health and substance abuse services. Representative Allen Buansi expressed gratitude to the staff for their efforts and provided updates on several key bills. He discussed HB-171, which aims to conduct audits of local governments. He also mentioned a bill for non-partisan municipal elections and updates on legislation that impacts local governments' ability to collect taxes and tax revenue. Representative Buansi highlighted the Fair and Affordable Housing Act, which seeks to inject more funding into NC housing funds and reimplementation of the solar energy tax credit. Page 2 of 3 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 14, 2025 Council members asked questions about fiscal cliffs, various housing bills, fair and free transit, the privatization of public services, and strategies for navigating obstacles to protect the Town while preserving values. Partner organizations: Quick Updates (NCLM, Metro Mayors, Central Pines, UNC at Chapel Hill) Erin Wynia, Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina League of Municipalities, introduced Seth Palmer, Chair of Directors. Mr. Palmer discussed the effects of urban affairs on municipalities, particularly the impacts of federal funding and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina. He emphasized the importance of keeping the League and Legislators well-informed. Ms. Wynia presented the 2025-2026 North Carolina League of Municipalities Legislative Goals, which focus on resilient infrastructure, healthy finances, uplifting under served communities, vibrant communities and neighborhoods, and adaptive municipal operations. Alana Keegan, Director of Central Pines Local Government Services, acknowledged the Council and staff's ability to work together effectively. She encouraged Council Members to advocate for federal-funded grants and to view Central Pines as a valuable tool. Ms. Keegan shared insights on engaging federal and private partners to fill gaps, building on the work done in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and updating infrastructure. Ivy Taylor, Director of Local Relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discussed several key topics including the importance and current status of research funding, the beginning of a new energy study and reintroduced the concept plan for Carolina North. Lastly, she emphasized the importance of affordable housing, particularly for the workforce and students. Handouts [25-0125] Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 10:09 am. Page 3 of 3