Happy Pride!  We had a busy May, including budget work sessions and discussions.  We passed the budget this week.  Below is a summary of our May meetings and an overview of the fiscal year 2024 budget.

1.  We authorized more than $7 million in gap financing funding for development of affordable rental units.  Three proposals received the funding, located in central, west and southeast Raleigh.  Cumulatively, the three developments will create almost 300 affordable units, with 52 units reserved for households earning no more than 30% of the area median income (AMI) and 64 units of supportive housing.

2.  We expanded the downtown social district boundaries and hours of operation.  A social district is a defined outdoor area in which a person may consume alcoholic beverages sold by an ABC permittee. The State government legalized social districts in fall 2021, and we created a social district pilot last summer.  The pilot social district comprised of mostly the Fayetteville Street corridor and a small portion of the Warehouse District.  The hours of operation for the pilot were 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days week.  Feedback from the pilot social district was overwhelmingly positive, and we voted to make the social district permanent with a few adjustments.  We expanded the boundaries to include all of the Warehouse District.  We also expanded the hours to 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week. We also directed staff to implement more sustainable cups (the State law doesn't allow glass, but we want to deter single-use plastic) and more permanent signage and recycling receptacles.  The updated social district will take effect August 15, 2023.

3.  We authorized purchase of 4 properties along the upcoming New Bern Avenue bus rapid transit (BRT) route.  Acquiring land along transit for affordable housing is one of the goals intended to increase the supply of affordable housing in the city.  The plan for these 4 properties is to create a mixed-use development with retail space, office space, and substantial affordable housing.  The city will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for developer interest next year.

4.  We allocated even more funding and additional city-owned land for construction of affordable housing.  We allocated $1.3 million in 2020 Affordable Housing Bond funds to Southeast Raleigh Promise for construction of 27 affordable rental housing units on 10 city-owned lots.  We also allocated of $700,000 to CASA for the construction of a 9-unit supportive housing development at 601 Method Road.

5.  We passed the $1.26 billion budget for fiscal year 2024.  As a reminder, our fiscal year begins July 1 and concludes June 30.  The budget does not contain a "general" tax increase; the only tax increase in the budget was approved by voters last fall, when they passed the $275 million parks bond by 70+%.   Some budget highlights include: fare free transit, nearly $33 million for affordable housing and programs to address and prevent homelessness, $150k in grant funding for an e-bike incentive program, increases in hourly pay for school crossing guards, and 5% pay increases for public safety employees.  You can read more here. I also requested that the City Manager implement education pay incentives for all pubic safety employees (Raleigh Police have received this incentive for many years, but Raleigh Fire and Emergency Communications employees do not).  This issue will come back to us in the early fall for funding an approval.

I have Community Office Hours this Saturday, June 17, 9-11 a.m. at Transfer Co. Food Hall, 500 E Davie Street; I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Our next regular City Council meeting is Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 1 p.m.  We have additional regular City Council meetings Tuesday, July 5, at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and then we are on summer break until mid-August.  I will send another summary of the June and July meetings before taking a little summer break.

jonathan.melton@raleighnc.gov