Final 2022 meeting summarY: new City Council, rail projects, e-bikes
Final 2022 meeting summaries: new City Council, rail projects, e-bikes
I'm back with the last City Council update of 2022. I want to start by thanking you all for electing me to another term on Raleigh City Council. It's an honor to serve at-large. A priority during my second term will be getting out into the community more; to that end, I'll be announcing some "community office hours" beginning in January where I plan to spend 1-2 hours at locations throughout the city each month for informal conversations. I hope to see you there!
1. The 2022-2024 City Council was sworn in on Monday, December 5, and our first meetings were Tuesday, December 6. I'm excited to announce that the mayor appointed me as Mayor Pro Tem for 2024 (CM Corey Branch will serve as Mayor Pro Tem in 2023). I was also re-appointed chair of the Economic Development and Innovation Committee as well as Raleigh's liaison to the N.C. League of Municipalities I'm looking forward to taking on more leadership responsibilities this term and continuing to grow my relationships with the new Council Members.
2. At the last meeting of the prior City Council, we appropriated General Capital Reserves to fund the outstanding sidewalk petition projects and unfunded street improvement projects. These are projects designed to make our streets safer and more pedestrian friendly that were promised to neighborhoods but lacked funding. I'm glad we made a commitment to these infrastructure improvements by fully-funding these projects.
3. At the first meeting of the new City Council, we approved $25,000 from Council Contingency Funds to administer a temporary emergency housing assistance program. We also directed staff to allocate some remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to assist with shelter for unhoused individuals.
4. At our work session this week, we received an update on some transit projects. We learned about ongoing work to implement some rail projects, specifically the S-Line and commuter rail. The S-Line will provide high speed rail connection from Raleigh to Richmond (and then on to DC) with multiple stops in Raleigh and neighboring cities and towns along the way. Trains will travel at speeds greater than 100 mph and will cut travel time significantly.
Commuter rail is still in the early planning stages. You can read more about the commuter rail project here: https://www.readyforrailnc.com/
In the meantime, Amtrak provides multiple trains to/from Raleigh to Charlotte daily with stops in Durham, Cary, etc. in between each day. An additional train/route is being added in 2023. While it's still not as convenient or frequent as commuter rail, next time you're traveling to one of these places check Amtrak first! My husband and I often take the train to/from Durham; it's $14 round trip per person; much cheaper than gas, rideshare, and much more convenient than dealing with traffic or parking!
5. I asked staff to look into creating an e-bike rebate program, which could help assist Raleigh residents defer the cost of purchasing these bikes. Several cities across the country have implemented these programs with great success. I hope to have an update sometime in the next few months.
Our next City Council Meetings are Tuesday, January 3. I'll be back after with more updates. Until then, jonathan.melton@raleighnc.gov
