February 2023 meeting summary: legal assistance, affordable housing, budget

I'm writing with February meeting updates. It was a busy month, including my Community Office Hours, which were a great success! Thanks to everyone who attended and/or helped spread the word. My next Community Office Hours are Saturday, March 18, 11 AM, Anisette Sweet Shop in Five Points.

1. We learned about the new Wake Legal Support Clinic and allocated funding to help support their work. The clinic is open at the Wake County Courthouse and provides free resources to Wake County and Raleigh residents on all civil matters. You can learn more here.

2. We partnered with Passage Home and Triangle Family Services to administer more than $500,000 in funds for a homelessness prevention and diversion program. In January, we directed staff to develop the program to provide assistance to unhoused members of our community, and selecting two nonprofit agencies to administer the funding was the next step.

3. We received an update on our Vision Zero program. Vision Zero is a transportation safety strategy first implemented in Europe in the 1990s, aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities and injuries while increasing mobility for all. In 2020, during my first term, we authorized staff to create and implement the first-ever Vision Zero program in Raleigh. In 2021, we allocated funding to hire a full-time Vision Zero Program Manager and the manager was hired in 2022. Now, staff is working to implement our Vision Zero program. The city was recently awarded federal money to assist in these efforts. A Vision Zero website with more information, including upcoming projects, will be live soon. Check the City of Raleigh website for more information.

4. We had our first budget work session. Our fiscal year begins July 1, and by State law, we must approve a budget before June 30. To that end, we engage in a series of budget work sessions on Mondays to address portions of the budget. At our first work session staff forecasted a budget shortfall, which is an issue we'll need to navigate over the next few months. At our next budget work session, on Monday, March 13, we'll discuss Raleigh Water, solid waste services, planning and development fees, and our Community Engagement office.

5. We took several actions to help facilitate the preservation or construction of affordable housing, including: leasing nearly 3 acres to DHIC for a 32-unit affordable rental development; authorizing nearly $1.6 million for site work at the new King's Ridge affordable housing community; leasing a handful of city-owned properties to the developer of Pines at Peach Road, 119-unit affordable rental development; authorizing an additional $360,000 (previously authorized $1.5 million) for Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, Inc.

Our next regular City Council meetings are Tuesday, March 7, at 1 PM and 7 PM.

jonathan.melton@raleighnc.gov