Happy 2025!  I hope everyone enjoyed a nice holiday season.  After a few weeks off, the City Council had a busy month, with regular meetings and our annual planning retreat.  Below is a summary.

1.  We revised our noise ordinance.  You may have read about this in the news or seen folks post about it on social media. Last year, we enacted a new noise ordinance that prohibits "unreasonable noise" (defined as noise that disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, health, peace or safety of a person) within 150 feet away at night (after 11 PM) and 300 feet away during the day.  We also switched from a decibel meter to reasonable person standard, because in an area that is generally noisy, it is difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint the source of the noise using a decibel meter.  None of these provisions about the noise ordinance were changed this month; the only things that changed were the penalties.  Before, folks would receive a citation but not comply, because the citation was simply the cost of doing business.  Now, with these new changes, if you receive a citation you must immediately move the noise inside for 24 hours (the DJ or band can keep playing, just inside) and you can get more than one citation a night.  If you've read anything else online suggesting we're trying to shut down nightlife, that's simply not true. We need thriving, fun entertainment and nightlife establishments, that are also safe and respectful neighbors.

2.  We approved funding to add mental health clinicians in the city’s 911 call center to connect people in crisis to services.  I pushed for this program when I was first elected in 2019, and with the support of two subsequent City Councils, we finally got it done.
This initiative is the first step in implementing our alternative response program, which will include a Community Response Team that will operate independently from the police, more information here. Sometimes when folks call for help, they need specific assistance and not an officer to respond.  This program is going to help care for the community, while also allowing our officers to focus on actual crime and safety issues. It’s a better allocation of our resources.

3.  We approved funding for construction of more affordable housing, allocating more than $3 million for the Maple Ridge development. This development will offer 146-units and 54 units will be offered at or below 50% AMI (Area Median Income).

4.   We adopted a resolution to the NC Department of Transportation in support of renaming an intersection after Conen Morgan.  Conen was a leader in the community and recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.  He tragically lost his life in a boating accident in 2023. I first met Conen in 2019 when I was running for office; he was extremely generous with his time, support and encouragement over the years since then.  He is truly missed by so many folks, and it was an honor to support this resolution.

5.  We had our two-day annual planning retreat this past Friday and Saturday.  Topics of discussion included annexations, public comment, and housing affordability.  You can watch the entire retreat online, on the City of Raleigh YouTube channel.  During the retreat, staff played a video by a City Councilmember in the DC area, Justine Underhill. The video explains how adding housing, of all types, even luxury, helps with affordability and to reduce homelessness. It's a fantastic video that uses easy to understand examples, and I highly recommend watching.

I have Office Hours this upcoming Saturday, February 1, from 11 AM to 1 PM at Deja Brew, 5001 Falls of Neuse Rd; I hope you'll join me!  Our next regular City Council meetings are Tuesday, February 4 at 1 PM and 7 PM.

jonathan.lambert-melton@raleighnc.gov