[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] down all right thank you everyone all right I want to call the um Charlotte City Council action review meeting to order and we'll start with introductions and we'll start with our clerk Billy tons deputy city clerk Renee Johnson District 4 good evening margerie Molina District 5 good evening Dante Anderson mayor protim district one hi I'm VI LA and I serve as mayor Sean Heath assistant city manager Ed Driggs district 7 good evening Lana Mayfield council member at large Patrick Baker City attorney tar MCC distri all right thank you um we have consent items that are in in that we received in our agenda book and items 17 through 50 may be considered in one motion but our before we go to that motion let me ask if there are any items that the c a council member would like to um have for a separate Vote or would like to take it off of our list of votes so um and I know that I saw a report from um Marie to say that there are some things that needed to be followed up so is there for comment or for a separate vote any any council member would like to have comment Miss Mayfield yes madame mayor for number 19 I want to see if we could defer that Vote for This Cooperative purchasing contracts between the seven vendors that are listed on here there is one vendor that is a minority owned vendor but the our dbe process since we go out for collective bargaining Marie was able to get some additional language for me earlier on that Marie can you share that yes ma'am and I would have to you said something about deferring the vote Al together I would like to so we can get because I know that yeah get your thing um there one it's several different businesses that are listed we have this Cooperative purchasing agreement I am not sure and since this was just presented to us on Friday for us to vote on it tonight there was no time for me to ask questions prior to this evening what our actual process looks like to ensure that we have diversity within the pool that we reach out to for rfps like there is a company that is actually they have a contract with the city of Louisiana the Calvin Braxton Ford that is out there that was not aware and did not know that we had an opportunity in order to contract with the city so I'm trying to get better information on how what that looks like when who's at the table in these Cooperative agreements so in the Cooperative agreement the one that you recognize or have information about is it's not in there it is Louisana is is it a state contract or a city contract they just signed they just through their they just signed a purchasing agreement with the city of Louisiana that was done through their Cooperative I'm just saying this is a minority owned business that was not aware so since this was brought was in our packet on Friday for us to vote on tonight I am trying to get a better understanding of who is actually at the table when these cooperative agreement requests go out I just I was just saying that is it a city Cooperative or a Statewide Cooperative would be Louisiana so I was just wondering which city it is um I could tell you which city and I think the contract was with the city of Lockport in Louisiana but it was done through the same process that we done this okay except for this vendor is not in the system so I'm trying to get a better understanding of how do we Okay M and yes Miss Mayfield just giv the schedule and the next opportunity for this to come before you wouldn't be till late August and we may miss some of the some of them we have like 6 months windows and once we miss a production schedule on a particular piece of equipment or vehicle we miss it this is 10 weeks I don't I would hope that we don't have anything out there considering this particular agreement is for the purchase of light duty trucks and some other things that we don't have anything that's getting ready to break down in 10 weeks I'm just sorry I meant not just the 10 weeks then there's also a production schedule by the vendor and if you don't get in on that window you got to wait till that production cycle rolls again so I'm not sure about this I'd really prefer I mean it's definitely it's up to you I mean it's going to take six votes to do it but I would like for us to take into consideration to not put us in a position where and this isn't for you Marie but for staff to present us with a decision that information on Friday for a decision that has to be made on Monday and then if there's questions about it to say well we need to go ahead and vote on it and then we'll figure it out later I understand so um I would like to suggest that because we do have these requirements for a number of things and a lot of the items on our agenda this day is all about getting our infrastructure started out with these kinds of vehicles and equipment so I I guess the question I would say is that we could guarantee that this vendor would be included next after we find the information but I see Phil rer here so help us understand the impact of not doing this and if there is a pathway for another vendor to join at some point in this process right so um there's a question um about the cooperatives in in general the cooperatives are too specifically who is at the table so that they know so that we have diversity in our selection process because on the actual application for the dbe it does give you the opportunity to say that if you have any specific certification whether it's minority female veteran then please share it share that yes so two two cooperatives here one's a national Cooperative that's the sourcewell cooperative and one is a state Cooperative which is the sheriff's the state Sheriff's cooperative and so as a matter of pract so so what happens is these entities will uh go out and put out bids for specific pieces of equipment and then vendors will come and bid and they will get selected based on low bid um and these cooperatives are available to to entities across the country and so that's how they get buying power right um traditionally when the city of Charlotte has tried to put out uh rfps or uh in this case invitation to bid for equipment uh our buying power actually isn't big enough to get uh a lot of response and so it's uh why we traditionally use cooperatives because the cooperatives represent more buying power and with more buying power we get better priceing um the second thing is is that in general before we um use a Cooperative we look at our mwsb certified firms to see see if there are any certified um and in this case there there are not any certified firms in our database um that would have yielded uh or in other words we wouldn't have lost an opportunity because we chose to go to a Cooperative uh Maria is right these this these series of contracts will be some of the contracts we use to uh purchase equipment uh to sort of realize the replacement list that you all adopted through the fy2 budget so we will be purchasing equipment throughout the year there are windows of opportunity to put your orders in um because there are certain manufacturing runs and if we miss that window of opportunity we may miss out on the ability to purchase that piece of equipment this year uh potentially so um that's sort of how that works uh Miss Mayfield did I did I capture your question and if not to a certain extent I think the for me the bigger opportunity is to not give us a 24hour to 48 hour notice of make having to make a decision because again receiving this and seeing it for the first time on Friday to go into it and research it and then to come Monday and say well if we don't move forward with this today then we lose the window but if I have clear questions because I take the time to go in and look up each one of these vendors yes there is one vendor in this group of multiple excuse me that is a minority on business but there are other opportunities out there so being put in a position where you need to IM immediately make a decision on something or oh we lose the opportunity if we don't do it today it's not a good position it's not a fair position to be placed in I apologize that I'm not familiar with the vender that that you familiar with they exactly they may not May But please understand they may or may not have been on these collaboratives I mean they did not and that that's why I was asking for clarification of the process cuz they didn't even know about it and it's not ours it's not ours to advertise it's a it's a state or national Cooperative right that's why I just need a clarification and I appreciate you attempting to help clarify it is that conversation that we always talk about if you're not at the table so I wanted to get an idea of who's at the table when we're going into a Cooperative agreement how diverse are our options to say please submit because we're going to go with the lowest responsible bid but who gets the opportunity to even submit so that's what I was trying to get clarification on so thank both you and Mar for getting that for me that one I would like for a separate vote thank you all right we'll have a separate vote on item 19 any other it comments or separate vote items all right hearing none all in favor of items I'm sorry I'm sorry any others oh yeah I'm just going to go ahead and just say um which one number 30 31 34 okay 19 38 I'm sorry 38 19 I got it 19 mhm 31 mhm 34 all right 38 thank you all right so do we have a we have a could we have a motion for all of the consent items with the exceptions just stated by Miss Mayfield So moved second all right we have a motion and a second hearing no further discussion all in favor please raise your hands anyone opposed all right so the next items that we have are um 19 item 19 um do I have a motion for item 19 Cooperative purchasing contracts so move we have a motion a second any further discussion hearing none all in favor please raise your hands anyone opposed thank you item 30 South Boulevard Light Rail facility roof recovery and replacement do we have a motion so move so move second and we have a second any further discussion hearing none all in favor of item 30 um please raise your hands anyone opposed we have one o in opposition the next item is South End station preconstruction services do we have a motion so moved all right second we have a second any discussion hearing none all in favor please raise your hands anyone in oppose opposing all right Miss Mayfield that's 31 oppos okay all right the next one is airport fourth parallel Runway Road Wes Runway roadway relocation that's a lot of RS construction do we have a motion so moved and we have a second any further action I have comment yes Miss M thank you the challenge that I have with this one is a understanding just the language of how opposed to adding the additional funds in the break down through BL development they're identifying an additional 2% to the following terms which basically when you look at the hauling so Silverback Brothers will be in total receiving around 178 $174,000 on this project hauling is broken out multiple times through this so when you go through blight Express Logistics their breakout of this project that is valued over $ 23 million a million6 57 and 60 is going to one Hauling Company whereas the three other hauling companies are around 140,000 they initially did not meet the dbe goals they went back out they have found another 2% that 2% is reu utilizing both Silverback Brothers as well as Kingdom Trucking again both of them basically averaging out around the same amount of money around 24 something, it would be helpful to have a much better understanding of how we identify one Hauling Company to receive almost $1.7 million but then we identify three smaller ones that are bar barely being able to achieve $200,000 for the work that's going to go along with this so I have a challenge with how this is identified and how credit is given okay um I see our staff um Jack's coming in from airport to talk about hauling good evening Council mayor thank you very much so um the values that are calculated here are based on the company's ability to provide the service so it's Express Logistics as an example is a larger Hauling Company than the other two so what they've done is provided as much as they can as much as those smaller companies can to the project that's why the numbers are different thank you for the explanation there is a considerable difference in there and at least one of the companies has had opportunity to grow through the city so it would just be helpful to one just list the total versus breaking it up and saying well we've decided we're going to we can the way this reads is Silverback was able to do more work initially versus them having that opportunity on the front end when when the dbe goals was not met and you had to go out and identify another 2% then was the conversation of saying okay we can utilize you to do more of the work because that helps us meet the goal versus that should have been the conversation all right we have a motion and a second all in favor please raise your hands Sunshine Cleaning Services will provide the cleaning materials and the management so that's $400,000 worth of management that needs to happen for a cleaning company to go in and do their job no ma'am the the majority of that cost is the materials the chemicals to actually do the cleaning they'll have Sunshine will have management staff there to manage the labor Night by night but the majority of the the cost that is not attributed to the labor is for the cleaning materials so we're saying we're Contracting with sunshine to purchase the materials for Sunshine to then contract at the tune of $633,000 okay thank you all right um all in favor of the motion please raise your hand anyone oppose thank you we have the opposition so that continues us through our um consent agenda all right so our now now I want to ask um Sean Heath for an overview of what we're going to discuss today in our action review thank you mayor members of council tonight we have one action review item it's an annual update on the Strategic energy action plan and we have Chief sustainability and resiliency officer Sarah Hazel here to provide the briefing all right thank you so much mayor and Council I appreciate this opportunity annually to work through some updates from your strategic energy action plan um I hope that you all received in your packet not this Thursday but last Thursday this item this was our annual update packet you should have also received a summary energy benchmarking report in that packet as well so I'm not going to rehash um all that you I'm sure read uh thoroughly but I'm going to give you some high points and also talk a little bit about some of the efforts over the past 6 months in 2024 um based on investments and policies that have come to fruition so I always start with City council's ambitious and aspirational goals to become a lowc carbon City to power our Fleet and our buildings by zero carbon sources and so for context on the right hand column the focus area is buildings and transportation those are the areas that yield the most emissions so those are the areas of focus that we've had since 2018 uh and then Workforce Development to really power this transition that's needed to make a big impact and so um what you can you can understand is that while this is a energy action plan what this really is all about is the health and well well beinging of our community um because if we've seen anything over the past couple of hot days climate change and the impacts affect all of us but they do affect our most vulnerable populations bipac communities Frontline communities in an even bigger way and so um just keep that in mind as we go through this presentation I did want to mention that over the past year we've continued to make progress updating our uh seap dashboard um we've had it for about a year now and we continue to put more and more information about CommunityWide indicators related to our progress and this is really important because uh through the justice 40 initiative which is an initiative from the Biden Administration to put 40% of resources into underinvested communities having public data that demonstrates opportunities CommunityWide to Coal coales around issues is really important so we continue to update this dashboard and we hope that it can be a tool not just for us as a city to be transp parent but also for our partners to work together um to advance climate action so for the next several slides I'm going to hit some high points on your leadership as a municipality which is really what our 2030 goals are all about and so for three years now we've done energy benchmarking so as a reminder energy benchmarking is measuring our energy use intensity over time and looking at our progress the lower the eui the more efficient building um is using energy and so if you see this progress over time you can see that this year we saw an overall 8.2% reduction in our energy use intensity across our entire portfolio of benchmarked buildings which is great progress and over half of our buildings saw a reduction we do see an opportunity to improve in the office building type and we do believe that some of the um increase there is due to return to work um as as more and more people are coming into some of our office buildings over time so um we're going to investigate that further but this progress is a testate to the work of Bill riger's team and others who are doing good projects around HVAC LED lighting building automation controls I will highlight one partner um crva specifically crva as well as our cultural facilities saw the biggest decrease in energy use intensity from last year to this year this is the second year that they've been a part of this so um these uh are really important because they are by far the biggest buildings that we have so over 50% of the square footage of the buildings that we Benchmark fall into this category so to see um the majority of those buildings uh see progress in this area as something that's really commendable and this is just an example of a lunch and learn that crva hosted for their employees to talk about the importance of sustainability across a variety of areas including their efforts to be a a really strong partner with the city around our strategic energy action plan um I do want to highlight that I believe on this roof this is the same roof that um you can look down on from the 15th floor we now have solar helping to power this facility so here's a a snapshot of that work in progress um but that that is on and generating energy all day today um which I think is uh just a really exciting project that shows uh our leadership Charlotte's leadership and everybody who comes into the council chambers you know above their head um there's there strong renewable energy powered by the sun um on the whole we have about 33 projects uh either in operation or in some level of construction um just for context the 19 systems that we currently have online many of which came online over the past year and a half uh are enough energy which is the equivalent to powering 175 homes um for a year so that just gives you a little context most of the times the projects are big enough to power 20 30% of our energy use for that building um but it is significant when you look at it in context and beyond that I just wanted to mention a few recent wins just over the past couple months um you adopted the strength and sustainable facilities policy which has us powering our buildings with electricity moving forward for all new buildings um it also places a bigger emphasis on things like battery storage for resiliency purposes uh we broke ground on the all electric fire station I think there was a good image of that earlier with many of the council members who were there um which is a really an exciting project a long time coming if you look at this picture in the background this is uh Firehouse 43 you can see uh up to the I guess the left hand side um you can look at the additional solar this is actually a project that was built Net Zero ready and just this year we were able to put the additional solar on based on your Investments and we'll be certifying this is a net zero Firehouse so these are these are you know round the-clock facilities that are going to be powered um by clean renewable energy and then finally you approved this green Source Advantage bridge program helping to build a large solar project about 45 minutes away um that will really step into the Gap where um where we need to towards those 203 gos and I would um be remiss if I didn't shout out um my team in the back there hosted the first comprehensive staff training with our partners in HR sold out um on Earth day and we were able to bring folks around in an uh electric bus to our facilities to see the role that everybody can play and they were all officially deputized to continue this work wherever they sit so what does this lead to so when we look at powering our buildings by zero carbon sources this is the projection based on your most recent Investments and all of the efforts that I just described were within 20% of hitting the goal of powering our buildings by zero carbon sources in fact um we are projected to offset all of our electricity use by zero carbon sources by 2030 and so um with additional efforts that is within shot and and um we've talked about this many times this is an aspirational goal but um it's it's something that could be achievable based on all of the efforts of the city council over the past couple years so exciting exciting work um more work to do now let's talk a little bit about our Fleet so um what we can see here is that we have about 10% of all of our Fleet so that's light duty to heavy duty that are currently alternative fuel 3% are EV so that's over 150 vehicles are electric vehicles um we avoided 43% more carbon than last year so we continue to replace our vehicles with more efficient vehicles but there's still more work to be done when it comes to continuing to reduce the emissions from our existing Vehicles so things like anti-idling uh when we're we can't replace with an EV using alternative fuels so that we can continue to see that number decrease um and uh and see the carbon avoided increase over time I will say last time we talked about this I did note that there was a real challenge around take-home vehicles um since we have so many take-home vehicles in our Fleet and the inability to figure out a charging solution for for folks um and uh manager Jones isn't here but a big shout out to manager Jones who just signed our electric vehicle take-home policy to help support that effort and to step into that Gap um supporting folks who are either charging at home or who don't have access and can charge at public charging so um we look forward to seeing how that yields additional results in the coming years uh a big piece of this is is Workforce Development and I did want to highlight cats um for a second here through an FTA Grant and ongoing work with the ebes that cats has um they've developed a really great battery electric bus training that's trained over 500 staff and so um we talk a lot about what's needed in the community a lot of what's needed based on some of the slides that I just um was was uh reviewing are things with our own Workforce and so um with Danielle and Sheila and the great work that's going on there's a lot that can be replicated and built upon and I did want to take a moment to highlight cat's e serve Academy so now I'm just going to move to talk a little bit about more Community facing work those 2050 goals to become a low carbon City so uh this year the corridor's team launched an electric bike program with dream key partners and Wells Fargo yes um you know uh Rocky Mount Institute just released a study and it really demonstrated that because so many trips are short trips ebikes are a really big strategy for stepping into the Gap not only to help people get to where they need to go but to reduce emissions and so I'm excited to see this partnership launch excited to see where that can go city council invested a million dollars in the high energy use income qualified program with Duke Energy now over a year ago that program launched this year uh we've supported about 50 households to do that critical health and safety works that is needed to be able to come in and do the Deep energy retrofits and um that will continue this year so we talked a little bit about how we Benchmark our own buildings but this was the first year of our power down the crown program which was inviting uh others to join us in this effort large building owners um we saw a great array of different folks who join this program so everywhere from Fortune 500 companies to local churches uh to universities to Health Care Providers and so uh recruitment is open for this next year um I would love if city council could help spread the word uh it is a opportunity for people who do not have to share their energy use data publicly to do so and join us to hit that goal of 10% energy use intensity reduction and then it's a a great um cohort of Partners who are sharing information information about Federal rebates uh we had the EPA come in Duke Energy come in and talk about incentives so working together to to strategize to hit that CommunityWide goal and uh the univer unarian Universalist community of Charlotte um saw a really big reduction in energy use intensity so we wanted to highlight them on this picture and then CommunityWide when you look at the solar um both in residential and Commercial sector um this is part of what's on our dashboard now that you can take a look at and you can also see where it is in Pockets um we're seeing obviously overall an increase in solar capacity since the adoption of the ca there are many levers um both policy level levers uh work at the Utilities Commission to help support U breaking through barriers to adoption of more solar on commercial and residential households and so I wanted to share this data to also share that in your uh Council packet tonight there is an item at the end of the meeting which is to accept a grant funding from the um doe so the department of Energy's best practice is so one of their best practices to support the uptake of solar especially in low-income households uh is called a solarized program and we've seen this be very successful in other places specifically um in the Triangle was the most most recent example and so with this grant which is a block Grant um we are going to work on a solarized program which will have a specific focus on income qualified households to step into that barrier to support um more more uh clean renewable energy in residential households and Commercial so last budget year Council allocated funds um specifically to support our strategic energy action plan in an update so I'm happy to say that we are now under contract with e working with civility localized just kicking off to um to update our strategic energy action plan and so uh there'll be several pieces of this we'll do an updated CommunityWide greenhouse gas emissions inventory we're going to look at aligning our intersecting policies work around housing work around the Strategic Mobility plan the comprehensive plan which was adopted after the cab was adopted um and better embed Equity throughout every piece of this as well as the latest technology ol and climate science so um look forward to that and that was also something that mayor L had referred to committee so we'll be doing more updates once we kick this off in in committee with the goal of completing in uh sometime in 2025 early 2025 and so I have two more slides this one I'm particularly excited about uh we have this opportunity with Partners from the sustainable cities fund funding some of our CBO Partners like Soul Nation working with clean air andc as well as the KN Foundation to uh work together to co-lead what we're calling green prints these are addendums to the corridors of opportunity playbooks that focus on environmental justice climate action and sustainability and so um we are uh working right now on a kickoff to this opportunity so more to come on that but what we're really looking to do is identify actionable projects um so we can really focus on pulling down some of that Federal funding that I spoke about earlier um in areas that need it most and to use this lens through this cor great uh Corridor process to um really enhance the work and build on the work that's already been done so um green prints kicking off in in two corridors at the end of the summer and so while there's lots of opportunity Lots U of work to do I did just want to take a moment to recognize that um there's been a lot of progress and so for the second year in a row we received an A minus from CDP that's the uh basically a global reporting standard and um we're excited to continue to see see that consistent recognition for good work uh as a City compared to others and then uh the Bloomberg American sustainable cities the Bloomberg uh challenge the second iteration we've been selected man Jones talked a little bit about this earlier but this is really at the intersection of building black wealth and climate and so uh we'll be hiring a director hopefully by the end of summer that's in process right now to be embedded in uh in the city with two other staff to focus on that really critical intersection and then finally we were recognized uh as the 14th highest local government when it comes to operations from the American Council for energy efficient economy um that's really great considering we're looking at the top 100 cities and cities in states that have had these types of efforts ongoing for years and years and years uh I think when we first started we were ranked 75th overall now we're 25th overall and so um just another way to get a look an outside look at how we're doing and what we need to do to improve and so um with that I will pause and say thank you for um giving me an opportunity to to talk a little bit about this but I'm really happy to receive any feedback answer any questions now um or of course anytime Sarah thank you for this presentation we know that you at one point almost was like the one man one woman band and now look at all of this that we've achieved I am just it's remarkable but I also want to recognize your ability to um work with so many multiple groups and pull so much together so thank you for the work that you've done now I'd like to ask if there are any comments or questions for all right we'll start with Mr drgs uh thank you so much Sarah um so in the time since we adopted the ca what kind of changes have there been in technology that would cause us to maybe revisit so I'm thinking uh the buses for example and how how are the Battery Technology in buses evolved or are there new uh models in terms of partnership with energy companies so has the landscape changed since we did this the first time yeah and it continues to change because this is really on the this is really on The Cutting Edge of technology so battery life is getting better and better um there's some uh some manufacturers that are no longer in existence that were in existence when we started but then there's more and more newer versions uh emerging a lot has changed in the landscape of additional incentives so I'm interested and we're very interested to see how the inflation reduction act incentives support continued work around electrification for example we get $7500 back on every EV we we buy um minimally uh some of the larger Vehicles we get up to 30% back so that helps to drive the overall um landscape and what's available but yeah you know battery storage technology has continued to improve we have one battery storage project um that continues to to yield um good results but there's still a lot a lot more to to happen so when you think about some of our biggest vehicles and I'm focusing mostly on vehicles because I feel like that's where we have the such biggest opportunity and a gap um you know some of our hardest working Vehicles right now on EV the way that we we do our operations and how hard and long they work let's say for example Solid Waste trucks um there's just not an EV model right now that works for the way that we do our work it might work for a very small jurisdiction um but it doesn't work for us um but but those things are emerging so it may be a question for Mr Kagel but what is the status of batterypowered buses I mean we we had a pilot program that we were doing and uh and again if it's uh if you're not up to this then on this I mean uh can talk to Mr Kagel but I just know that there were questions about whether we some of our routes would could actually be served by battery powered buses and even in the time from when we first started talking about them until the prog program we started a lot had changed right so uh even some of the manufacturers um specifically to that point what's the timetable for uh the the update because I think aren't you coming to the my committee for that yes yeah so um we're now under contract with our consultant so our goal is to be done by March of 2025 okay um so we'll we'll be we'll be in your neck of the woods after all right summer break all right thank you Mr dggs um mayor proam thank you madam mayor and um Sarah thank you for all the work that you do you I get to partner with you from time to time going out to the community and we've made significant strides and just want to thank you for your hard work in this area can you um talk about with the green prints who which one are the two quarters of opportunity that you're launching that at the end of this year uh B Ford and freedom Wilkinson no district one okay all right but the but but the goal will be to yeah comp the goal will be to hit all of them I thought we could slide Sugar Creek in there just as a just as a just just asking me or just just asking I you know I've received so much really great feedback about the the electric bike program um that we launched and I'm wondering are there any plans that you can share with the community about next steps um with that program is there an opportunity to expand it just say a little bit more about it yeah so um I think I'd have to defer to the corridor's team on that I will say I've heard the same thing and with all of the resources that are available through a variety of different grants there is an opportunity um to to look at scalability uh but uh I'll I'll follow up with more information from the corridors team okay and then just um two two last points one is the climate risk assessment that it sounds like um it'll be available will it be available this summer so we will have that as part of the updated strategic energy action plan so we'll be able to bring the the um pieces of that that we're including for comment and for part of the engagement okay because I'm thinking that's going to May perhaps inform form with programs like green prints right yeah the trying to address the heat islands and things of that nature and these um communities that have been underserved um okay and then my last my last question is just slide 15 is pretty incredible when you look at from 2010 to today of how many residents have decided to partake in in solar energy and I'm I just wonder how does that how does that compare to other cities our size some of our peer cities have are we increasing the rate higher then or right in step with some of our peer cities it's all over the board and so there's so many factors that contribute to um to an uptake of solar everything from permitting to uh the Duke Energy or other utility offerings um and rates around that and so um I I'll say that the triangle uh I don't have the data in front of me but because they focused this effort around um Bringing Down the cost of solar through this solarized program they've been able to see a bigger jump in numbers because um it's just it sometimes can be cost prohibitive for folks not just um income qualified folks but but all folks uh and so looking at that and also the layering of what you need to be able to do a solar program we heard from in an early pre meeting for our green prints we heard from folks look I'm not even thinking about solar because I need a new roof you know and so it's really about being strategic about those Partnerships where you know if um if housing and her Services is putting a new roof on a household and they're already income qualified how do we layer layer uh the solar on top of it so I think there is a lot of opportunity here in Charlotte um by no means are we last or or first excellent thank you and keep up the good work thank you council member azira thank you Madame mayor so sir s i I also would like to Echo what our colleagu said uh we appreciate your leadership as the mayor said c your team is a small team but certainly Mighty I see all of them here um I appreciate the collaboration with Partners to further our CF goals uh what I really uh have um appreciated in past couple of years where we are doing more community outreach um especially we partnered with other nonprofits and agencies that work in this space on Earth Day and having your entire team out there really advancing our CF goals and talking to people about our CF goals that was certainly uh significant because we know that the city the city's goal of 2030 is just one part of the overall C app right we have a large Community goal where we need Partners like crva and others residents to help us meet our 2050 goals and that takes community outreach and really meeting our young people uh that's in schools or having Earth Day Celebrations I think that's very important uh obviously one of the critiques we had last time was the public facing dashboard uh I know there have been some tweaks that have been made and I've heard from the Coalition a climate change Coalition that there has been a greater level of transparency uh so I appreciate those data concerns have been addressed uh so I uh certainly appreciate your small and and a mighty team that's uh sitting there thank you all all right council member Johnson thank you Madame mayor I just want to say thank you and great work to you and to your team um for all the work that you're doing I uh especially want to to recognize the community outreach I know that we talked about before having something on the the page what what a the average citizen can do to reduce their carbon footprint so I hope that that's working um I also think it's great that our municip municiple buildings are we're moving toward solar power and the and the progress that's been done so um thank you I just wanted to say thank you and great work um and also from an equitable perspective I think that's so important that we're reaching out to the corridors of opportunity that's a population that we really have an opportunity to make a difference so thank you that's all I have mayor we look forward to the next steps I think that's everyone that wanted to speak on this item so um thank you very much and keep up the great work thank you very much all of our partners that are with us on this we really agree with that so thank you okay um now to all of you who are sitting and waiting for us to go into our regular meeting we're now going to have a closed session so Mr attorney so you guys can go downstairs and have water which is what we provide regularly to all of you so um we'll need to clear out this room for a Clos session and M Baker mayor for the late people can I go get my dinner and come back need a motion to go into close session pursuant to gs43 3181 A4 uh to discuss economic uh development incentives uh pursuant to that statute so Mo we have a second a second did you second that m okay second and so all in favor of the motion please raise your hand okay thank you everyone session all right [Music] [Music] [Music] out oh [Music] [Music] out [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] St [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] p o [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] n [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] way [Music] [Music] you [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] out my dear friend show me your sh SC Le myand skin my neck stretched out in juice good [Music] day things me sing a little be of your [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] my body light was your thing to be [Music] good you are the the the dream dream you are my you are my [Music] [Music] [Music] is gone you staying alone like youe broken several pieces [Music] you alone and very tired all things we say to you are usess anymore my [Music] friende try to recover [Music] fever nightmare is to now the time has come to take a decision you can stop about got afternoon everyone thank you for joining us for the Charlotte City Council um business meeting um it's June the 24th 2024 um I want to call this meeting to order and we're going to start with introduction starting with our city clerk Stephanie Kelly city clerk happy Monday dple AR at large good evening everyone Tiana Brown Charlotte City Council District 3 good evening everyone I'm Marjorie Molina I represent District 5 good evening I'm Renee Johnson and I'm honored to represent District 4 good evening everyone James Mitchell city council at large Sean Heath assistant city manager v l and I serve as mayor good evening everyone and welcome to District One Anderson mayor protim district one good evening everyone Malcolm gram charot city council District Two Ed DRS District Seven tarar 6 welcome everyone Lana Mayfield council member at large Patrick Baker City attorney We Begin our meeting with an invocation whether it's an expression of of our um person that we asked to do this and inspiration that's provided for us so that we can have the ability to um work with this community to be the kind of city that we all want for people to understand that they can live in and Thrive well um we do celebrate religious diversity in our community and including those that do not have a religious faith and tonight we would ask council member Driggs to provide us our invocation or words of wisdom following um that at that after we complete with um council member dggs we'll stand for the Pledge of Allegiance again if you choose to do so join us so begin this with Mr drgs thank you mayor and uh please join me if you're so inclined heavenly father thank you for the many advantages we enjoy in our wonderful city of Charlotte the blue skies the Vitality of our diverse Community the prosperity that so many of us enjoy this Council has worked hard in recent years to ensure that we continue to enjoy these advantages in the future but big challenges remain and many important questions are not yet answered as we enter our summer schedule and get some distance from the immediate demands of weekly meetings help us to reflect on how we can attain the many goals we have for the city and live up to the responsibility that has been entrusted to us may we return to our full schedule after the summer refreshed and energized ready to pursue a future in which everyone can benefit from our vision for 2040 and Beyond in your name we pray amen amen thank you please stand if you wish to I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you um before we dive into an a very um vibrant agenda I'd like to recognize that we would like to recognize that we celebrate many things in our community and so today I want to recognize council member Lana Mayfield for two actions today Miss mayfeld thank you so much Madame mayor I would like to ask for them to stand and as I read this and that is for dear coaches and members of the Charlotte Cardinal's rugby team as mayor Charlotte I want to congratulate you on winning the 2024 High School boys National Rugby [Applause] Championship which I understand which I understand is an enormous feat especially considering that your Club is relatively new established only three years ago and being the first East Coast rugby team to ever win the national championship the club serves as a diverse demographic of families promoting diversity within our Multicultural community and the surrounding areas and provides coaching and learning skills for boys and girls of all ages from elementary school through High School while also teaching values and life lessons through the game of rugby you are having a positive impact on our community and we are grateful to you for providing a safe and positive environment for these players as well as your Outreach to underserved community and Charlotte thank you and congratulations on a great season sincerely mayor V Alexander [Applause] La is a crazy crazy night tonight would love to be able the mayor would love to be able to do a picture but with everything going on wanted to make sure you had that thank you so much thank you guys and that covers my steps for today next I would thank you again mayor like to acknowledge through Proclamation we will have Mr Chad Turner of the Carolina's LGBT chamber Raven Moore of Charlotte black pride as well as Liz show with Charlotte Pride to receive the city of Charlotte Proclamation whereas the city of Charlotte is home to a vibrant and diverse Community among which are lesbian gay bisexual transgender and queer lgbtq citizens and residents and whereas Charlotte's lgbtq plus Community their family friends neighbors and co-workers have positively shaped the cultural business Civic faith and social fabric of Charlotte throughout its history and whereas the month of June is traditionally celebrated as lgbtq plus pride month commemorating the historic uprising of the lgbtq people of color trans people young people at New York City Stonewall Inn on June 28th 1969 which served as the Catalyst for the resulting Gay Liberation movement from the June 28th 1970 Christopher Street Liberation day March from which all Martin Pride events Trace their Origins and whereas charlott's lgbtq plus Community First attempted to organize socially and politically as early as 1971 with his first Pride events finally held in 1981 and the ensuing decades inspiring the creation of Charlotte pride in 2000 and Charlotte black pride in 20 2005 and where as community members will join together throughout June and continuing into July with Charlotte black pride and in August with Charlotte Pride to celebrate the history culture community and triumps of the lgbtq plus people across our region now therefore I by Alexander LA mayor of shet do hereby Proclaim June 2024 AS lgbtq Plus pride month in Charlotte and commend its observance to all citizens witness my hand and the official seal of the city of Charlotte [Applause] [Music] Chad [Applause] is thank you again that now I I I want to say this um I want you to know that while Miss Mayfield um provided that eloquent speech and and recognition I want you to know how much important it is for us to recognize the lgbtq community and to be a part of this great city and what you bring has been amazing so thank you very much for being able to be here tonight and as well be recognized but I think you guys do pretty well on all the marketing and everything else that's being done is so thank you for um being a part of us that's what we really really appreciate so with that um we are going to go and begin with our public forum so on behalf of the entire Charlotte City Council I ask that we all recognize that speakers and audience members should be civil and courteous in their use of language speakers are encouraged to address the council and should refrain from responding to audience members likewise audience members should be courteous to each speaker as well not yell out or interrupt them because we want to ensure that everybody is heard and so tonight we start with our city council and monthly um public forum and I'm going to start with Nicholas Thomas followed by Joshua Beasley Nicholas Thomas and Joshua Beasley are you here we are if you would come down and I always say those are steep steps be careful and here's the podium right there if you you would just go right up to that podium in a microphone so if you would give us your name please uh yes my name is Nicholas Thomas uh thank you ladies and gentlemen of the city council for giving me the opportunity to speak this evening uh I am the program director for reimagine re-entry and we are an organization that is dedicated to providing uh juvenile re-entry services to at risk youth in our community um we offer uh count counseling mentorship as well as job training which as I'm sure you all know are very crucial um programs that are needed to reduce recidivism as well as to give these young people an opportunity to build a productive future for themselveses um by investing in our re-entry uh programs it is an investment in the future of our communities um by giving these people these young people a chance to to be successful we not only transform their lives but we also uh enhance Public Safety as well as reduce the long-term cost associated with repeat offenses and we are um looking for support as well as uh funding so that we can continue to develop and expand on the services that we offer so that we can give uh our youth a chance to thrive and this is a personal uh Endeavor for me in that I am a formerly incarcerated person myself uh having served um two separate federal prison sentences so that I know the impact that re-entry Services have and uh the importance of them and I look forward to hopefully working with each and every one of you in the future on this matter and uh I thank you again for your time and your consideration this evening thank you very much thank you so I wanted to let you know that we will have followup by the staff for each person that comes down to speak as they petition or tell your story we try to follow up and see what is the opportunity that we would have so our next is our next speaker is Marissa gar I mean sorry tell me this is Joshua Joshua Beasley sorry and our next speaker is mar gar if you would come down as well um no I'm sorry I was speaking on behalf of Joshua he was supposed to be here by now but he wasn't he was with Nicholas um he has my name is sh Canon hold on I'm sorry I'm sorry we because we he signed up he has to be the person to speak um and so hopefully if you could just give him a call and and see that is he in the building yet we'll put him we'll come back to you if as he comes in so let's start with Marissa gar and T Tina Bayer okay good okay um good evening thank you for your time tonight my name is Sissa garst and I've been living in different parts of meinberg County since I was 6 years old um this is my home and I'm deeply committed to our community's welfare both human and animal um I'm a parent and an activist and I volunteered over the years for organizations like Reproductive Rights Coalition Thompson Child and Family Focus and Friends of fand for years I've dedicated myself to animal rescue from fostering to trapping neutering and returning over 100 Community cats in Charlotte it too often my efforts are hampered by the Stark reality of our shelter's limitations countless times I've arrived with injured cats and kittens when the only alternative was leaving them to suffer outside sadly in some of these cases I was turned away due to lack of space and was forced to make room for yet another foster I know this is rarely an option for many people seeking help from the shelter which means many animals are left outside to slly succumb to their injuries I know this to be true as I used to help run the hotline for friends of feral felines a local TNR group every week i' respond to C call from people desperate for assistance with injured or neglected animals after being turned away from the shelter it is gut-wrenching knowing or trying to help yet not feeling like you have the support or resources or no Humane options the truth is our shelter is overburdened understaffed and underfunded it struggles to meet the demand in a rapidly growing city saying no to an animal need weighs heavily on me knowing that for everyone we help there are countless others we cannot reach without fast change and Council support I feel like there's no end in sight to this crisis that's why I urge you to make animal services and independent department and to continue with plans for a new Adoption Center we must start somewhere and build upon that people are exhausted animals are suffering tremendously and with your help we can start to change that thank you so much for your time thank you very much thank [Music] you Miss Bayer is that correct yes oh please my name is Tina bear I'm a volunteer at animal care and control I'm here to ask you to please follow through with construction on the adoption center as a start to addressing the problems at the shelter and to please make animal services and independent city Department volunteering at the shelter has meant constantly having to live with things getting worse not better more dogs getting surrendered not enough staff to handle our huge amount of animals kennel attendants doing the backbreaking job of several people defeat on their faces it's the job of kennel attendants to retrieve the dogs to be euthanized and then to wield their bodies to the incinerator people who choose a life of working with animals don't want to see them lose their lives last week volunteers collected money for the kennel attendance to show thanks in an attempt to lift their Spirits giving them their gifts was a joyful moment and an otherwise very sad B week we need the city to step up and make their jobs better our whole shelter staff is struggling our shelter community and caretakers try so hard to stay upbeat but we are all struggling as a volunteer I don't have to be there at times I've wanted to quit like the day last year I gave a dog named Angus a bath and a half an hour later he was dead I walked a dog named lasso I was told make his walk a good one it's his last I found a dog named Isaac a home but I was a day too late it hurts I will not quit because I know our community needs volunteers like me Charlotte has to do better by its citizens and its animals thank you thank you our next speaker is Kelsey Joseph Council uh manager Jones thank you for your time tonight I've been working with several of you over the last year my name is Kelsey Joseph I'm a friends of camass board member we the nonprofit that supports animal care and control I want to express our gratitude for the approval of 10 much needed positions within animal care and control however I must also bring to your attention a pressing issue due to budget constraints within the police department only eight of these positions will be filled with new allocations two are being filled by individuals who have been working in over hire positions that were previously funded using donor dollars or salary savings after being taken away from acnc this situation underscores the critical need for animal services to operate independently with its own dedicated budget and resources allowing the budgetary savings from acnc to remain with and support acnc Staffing and programs we are also thankful for the bond money earmarked for the adoption center I know councilwoman azmir had to step out but I'm incredibly grateful for her advocacy on this it's heartwarming to see progress and we hope for its Swift continuation however it's crucial to emphasize that this adoption center alone cannot solve our challenges it represents a step forward but much more is needed in terms of capacity and people power I urge Council to seriously consider establishing Animal Service as a standalone department and investing in a new main shelter our current facility aged over 30 years is inadequate in size poorly designed and poses safety risks to caretakers and animals its proximity to the deafening noise of aircraft engines only compounds these issues while we appreciate the steps taken so far they are just the beginning of what is required to adequately address the crisis within Animal Services thank you thank you our our our next speaker is Erica Eric Willis Eric Willis do I don't see anyone that's calling so our we will um follow up our next speaker is danine Carol danine Carrol thank you m car good evening Council pleasure um Denine Carol um I'm here tonight to talk about something that affects every single person in this room it is health care and it is patient services and it it is the stress that is happening here in the local community um I've moved down here from New York I'm a proud North Count to graduate went back to New York came back down here to help ENT who was aling I'm sorry sir what school what school you graduated from North Carolina Central University and I'm also a member of Delta Sigma Theta okay um just a quick background really quickly because I know I have short of time um I graduated from Central history degree uh NYU with a masters of public administration I have a pre- nursing background uh 15 years in Insurance I've worked in it um I um am a public servant at heart um the reason this is personal for me is because I have a a health condition and I have moved down here 7 years ago and I find myself having to fly back to New York to get assistance here to get appointments with Atrium Health to get um services from some of the uh Physicians there's a lot of stress on the system now I know locally uh the city council can only do so much that it's meinberg County it's state it's local but I'm coming to me to to to um the city council here to ask if you can do more I know that there are a couple of initiatives but people 120 people are moving here to Charlotte every single day and what Atrium continues to do is say oh we know that it's a lot of people here we don't have enough Physicians we don't have appointments urban planning if we have enough here stuff here in the city where we're focused from an urban planning standpoint whether it's housing anything else why can't Atrium Health work with the city work with meinberg work with the state to make sure we have the proper patient services the Physicians are not stressed out because let's say they have 20 minutes to uh originally to serveice Patient now they have 15 they are stressed out and it's so bad that some of the Physicians can't even get appointments and they work for the hospital so I'm coming to the council to ask if there's anything you can do to partner with your constituents patients the Health Care system and put more pressure on Atrium by the way December 4th of 2023 I did a a story on WBTV with CLA Cosby I actually reached out to the media to investigate and unfortunately it's the same thing oh there's a lot of people moving to Charlotte what is the path forward um I prepared a 75 page PowerPoint presentation with research I unfortunately I wasn't able to get it to you guys it is a comparison between atrim and oant all of the the uh counties um and what's going on the top 10 uh issues here with Charlotte um some of the lawsuits I've compared it to best hospitals in New York Presbyterian I've talked about or identified other uh representatives in this uh six months I've reached out to state representatives agencies so on and so forth um I did not reach out to the proper parties but I figured I'd start here with all of you as I know you can do some you know something with your jurisdiction not anything but what can we do to partner what's the way forward so I'm asking if the council can work with me your community um councilman R drgs I live in Valentine so you are my representative district 7 um and obviously uh councilman Johnson okay yes the Bell is running but thank you very much I appreciate it thank you very for coming thank you our our next speaker is Christine Edwards s there you there okay good evening um High mayor La council members I'm joining you all today not as a stranger but as a partner in community engagement I see some familiar faces here and I have not been in front of you all in some time but I wanted to share my experiences with you these past couple of years as a longtime charlatan and as a business owner so as you all know I believe that Community engagement is a Cornerstone of trust and accountability and we can all create a better quality of life through Community engagement and that's the mission of my company civility localized so first I want to commend you all for the efforts that you've put in to improve the procurement process to allow for more dbe and nbe to participate and I have benefited tremendously through these relationships and and I want all small business owners to understand the importance of small business inclusion and I also want to commend the city on increased efforts to engage the public but there's always more that can be done so today I stand before you to advocate for increased transparency in local government um when residents see how their tax dollars are being spent how policies are made and how decisions are reached they're going to be more likely to believe that the government is working for them so I urge you all to continue to keep your doors open share more information and be accountable to those that you serve so I want to end my time in front of you by inviting you all and all of those who are listening to join me as we officially launch the Civic impact Academy launching fall 2024 this firstof its kind initiative will convene government leaders and Community leaders in a cohort style program to learn from one another on how to deliver Equitable Community engagement government leaders will learn empathy through participants lived experiences and Community leaders will learn how to navigate local government systems both audiences will have benefited through social capital and relationship building so this program is for anyone who has ever tried to get new sidewalks or stop signs installed in their neighborhood who better to pair them with than city planners budget analysts and posos that know the ins and outs of the local government budgeting process applications for this program open July 1st and our first Workshop begins in September so I encourage you all to get in touch with me to learn more or visit Civic impact academy.com and I'm going to leave you with a quote from Nelson Mandela uh education is the most powerful weapon with which you can use to change the world so how will you all change the world today thank you thank you very [Applause] much our next speaker is Douglas Saul Douglas Saul okay I want to come back um Joshua Beasley have you arrived thank you please come down hi up there good evening Council good evening appreciate youall giving me the opportunity to address you all today um I'm actually here today to offer our services as a community partner um I uh am the owner and U and CEO of a number of programs to benefit the community uh we have Rockwell Development Center which provides day treatment services to to youth who are having problems uh succeeding in Traditional School environments we have therapeutic foster care agencies which are making a difference given the uh the the loss of group homes and things like that that uh that we experienced after covid uh we have U uh re-entry services that we are currently uh implementing as well and we have a new program that uh we're um getting ready to implement which is an after school social emotional learning program uh which is uh free of charge to Medicaid recipients and essentially is meant to bridge the gap uh where the schools are trying to do triage with these kids but are coming up short due to you know the funding issues and all the other um issues that that they have to deal with on a day-to-day sometimes the social emotional learning part kind of Falls by the wayside um our program is Medicaid funded um it we provide transportation when we do an intake we do a basic needs assessment at the uh at the child's house uh which uh allows us the opportunity to assess uh their hygiene their clothing issue the food uh we then utilize our uh our Partnerships with our nonprofits and and other communities um to uh get them those uh those necessary food clothing and and hygiene products uh we also have Community Partnerships that allow us to provide transportation for these kids at no cost to uh to the parents or the kids or the schools um and we also have Partnerships that help us address the um drug addiction issues that uh currently uh happen in a lot of these families um and then we also have intensive services that were allowed to bring to bear on the families themselves uh because as we know if you have kids that have issues more than likely you have a home with with adults that have issues and uh all of this is provided um under Medicaid uh so we're looking to provide these Services um so we can partner up with you guys let us know how we can use those services to help as you guys are more in touch with your constituents and you know the needs of uh of the people that you work for if there's something something we can do to help them we want to be there to help them um we consider this to be a partnership between ourselves and uh and the City of Charlotte I'll cut it short thank you again for uh for listening thank you Eric Willis did Mr Willis come in um and I think that is the me the rest of our list so um Mr Saul Douglas Saul are you in the room okay um Madam clerk do we have any other people signed up so thank you all for um Coming Down and expressing um your goals your attributes um knowing that we have a lot of things to do in our community and you help us inform what we have the ability to achieve so thank you very much so we are going to begin with our formal agenda tonight and that agenda is for our first item is item number eight Madame clerk do we have any speakers on the public hearing on General obligation so we're we do not have any we need to open and close the public hearing for item eight um do I have a motion to Mayor do move to approve action a b and c all right second okay thank you very much um any further discussion on this all in favor of all of the items that we recommended um in the motion all in favor please raise your hand anyone opposed Mr barari opposes thank you all right so that moves us to item number nine and is a policy section of our agenda and this is the time that we talk about are there any updates from the manager's office Mr Heath no updates from the manager's office right answer right answer all right so the next item on our agenda is much more serious than that um the next item is the policy item for tonight is the Katie blessing Center for item 10 do I have a motion to Second 2.5 million from fiscal year pay as you go to in support of the ktie blessings Center overall Capital campaign to develop a pediatric Behavioral Health care facility and authorize the manager or his designator negotiate execute and amend the necessary contracts so forb does that need to be clarified anyone any comments or questions all right we have Miss Molina followed by Miss Johnson uh thank you so much Madame mayor I'll make my comments brief I just um with the support of my colleagues tonight I want to congratulate the star Med team on bringing something to our area uh that has not been seen before it's the first of its time mental health facility um for a demographic that has been UND served um in our area in our region across our state um and so I am excited to with the again support of my colleagues to potentially be a partner um and just going back to speaking to the starm Mount team in the beginning of their um in in the beginning of their Vision behind what this would be um it was really star Mount putting their money where their mouth was they came in uh with a $2 million implementation of of their own their own money to say this is what we would like to do for our region for our area um and then they went to our state our state became a partner um our county is now a partner and you know um hopefully we will become a partner tonight in this area in this um in this fac facility that is uh in District 5 it's on the east side um and it will be on the central Alamar Corridor actually right in front of Eastland um I've seen the projections of what it intends to look like I think the vision is absolutely amazing um and again I just want to congratulate the team for Having the courage and the vision to take on such a um a large vision and something that would benefit us um in the city the region and the state and that's that's all I have thank you Madame mayor Miss Johnson thank you Madame mayor I just want to piggyback off what council member Molina said we are honored to support this this is a behavioral health facility for youth so when the the individuals got up and spoke about Juvenile Justice and re-entry services this is this is a a strategy or a resource in the community it's going to help to to address the uh the mental health and uh for juvenile when we were listening to this as a as a committee we learned that 99% of the individuals who are involved and the youth in involved in the Juvenile Justice System have history of mental health so it's exciting to address this proactively and we're we're looking forward to supporting it so thank you all right any further comments hearing none we have a motion on the floor all in favor of the motion please raise your hands two hands two and um anyone opposed all right then that motion passes thank you very much we are looking forward to the opportunity we we see too much of mental health issues and not enough um places for people to be able to access so thank you very much all right our next item on our agenda is the Bank of America Stadium improvements project now before we begin this a couple of things I need to say um we do have a number of speakers that would like to participate before we begin our um dialogue and in that case because we have more than 15 people signed up you will have a two-minute speech limit so if you did it for three chop begin to chop it off and so that we can do that's two and we can hear from everyone um so but let's begin um with the motion so that we can begin to work from this is there a motion to authorize the city manager or his designate to re negotiate and execute agreements between Panthers football and Panthers stadium collectively known as temper sports and entertainment and the City of Charlotte and the amount not to exceed $650 million for Bank of America Stadium improvements and a new Fieldhouse to include in with the terms listed below and we have that on our agenda too as well the terms and we'll go into that in more detail but let's hear from our speakers our motion I do need a motion do I have a motion move um action A and B second Mr Graham makes the motion and Mr Mitchell seconds the motion so now let's begin with our speakers and I'd like to have Miller Yoho come down and followed by Joe boss hello and thank you for this opportunity my name is Miller yo and I'm here tonight to speak in favor of the stadium Renovations professionally in my role the Charlotte Sports Foundation we look to bring large high-profile events a lot of these are in Bank of America Stadium the Dukes Mayo classic Dukes May Bowl yes we're the people who dump mayonnaise on coaches but we also have an economic impact and as I started to prepare for this conversation I want to share some things that you might know and this is all pulled from zip Cod zip code data 40,000 people visit for each one of our uh college football games 40,000 visitors come to Charlotte roughly 68% of the fans who come to a college football game in Charlotte they're from out of town on average they book 24,000 hotel room nights and on that helps us generate $17 million of direct economic impact per football game to me these underscore the economic impact that each of these games have and the importance additionally these Renovations we've already talked about them in our office what we can do to bring more events to Charlotte what we can do to with more uh just facilities things to do and then also I want to speak as a personal citizen this is something I'm for this seems like it is well thought out by the city it seems like it's well supported and it's something that you should vote for and then for me I'm someone who grew up in Gastonia I remember in 1996 when the stadium stadium was built it felt different the city felt had had energy and I'll admit I was a little bit late it wasn't until 2015 that I really got on the bandwagon but that year that Stadium felt different than anything I'd ever admit we still talk about how it shook at that NFC State uh championship game and and now I'm a parent I get to watch another generation of Carolina Panther fans grow up and there's two things that become a parent one they know Atlanta's the bad guys and two they still call that Stadium the Mayo bowl no matter what they see what version of the city any picture that's the first thing they see we call it Bank of America Stadium but that's their City Pride that's what they view that's the thing that they identify with as charlatans and for me that really underscores the importance of this building thank you very much I appreciate that I think all of us like the Mayo Bowl especially when they eat out of the gallon jugs and okay all right so I'm Mr Boss thank you and will Pitts would follow as a res after Mr Boss okay that thank you Madame mayor good evening I'm Joe boss Chief advocacy officer at the Charlotte Regional business Alliance thank you again for considering these important upgrades to Bank of America Stadium we support the proposed investment in Bank of America Stadium which is a key economic driver for our city and region in Charlotte we have a long history of making progress through public private Partnerships we are united now for this project and we can point to a history of consensus and collaboration on important projects that are beneficial to Charlotte we've come together before and the results have been trans transformative the impact we have seen and felt from major public private Partnerships in our community like Charlotte Douglas International Airport UNCC Charlotte the arts and culture camp campus the Nascar Hall of Fame Spectrum Center and the ACC relocation are undeniable in all these instances the business community and elected leaders came together to contribute ideas resources and effort to do something positive for Charlotte as we look to support and Advance the next chapter in our public private partnership Story by upgrading Bank of America Stadium the business Community is united in our support with many opportunities for public input you've heard from people in many sectors of our economy including Hospitality restaurants and local shops and businesses of all sizes whose employees frequent local establishments and the stadium there is Broad support from the business Community for these upgrades as the voice of business the Charlotte Regional business Alliance thanks teer sports and entertainment in the city of Charlotte for being willing to make such critical investments in this community's future and encourages the city council to vote Yes on this proposal thank you Mr pit good evening my name is Will pittz and first and foremost I want to thank you for your time tonight I'm excited to be here this evening to speak in favor of the Bank of America Stadium renovation project as the Chief Operating Officer for the Charlotte Sports Foundation an organization whose mission is to drive high economic impact and enhance the quality of life for those in this community Through high-profile Sports and major events this is not only a very exciting opportunity but an imperative one for our city to consider as someone who's worked in the sports industry for nearly 15 years but called charlot home for almost 30 I've witnessed firsthand the transformation and growth of our community since the Kina Panthers decided to call Charlotte its home back in 1996 since that moment in time the sports entertainment industry has helped grow our community into one of the most vibrant Uptown areas in the country it also uniquely serves host to most of our major sporting events in a centralized location so as you consider this very important topic tonight I ask you to remember just a few things first and foremost the Bank of America Stadium is a Community Asset it serves host to the count of Panthers and Charlotte FC and it will continue to do so for the next 20 plus years but it's also served home to some of the largest concerts in college football games in the country furthermore temper sports and entertainment has made the As the community excuse me um asset available to us for other needs such as mass vaccinations during the pandemic when an outdoor venue was required or highlighting some of our local high school teams through high school football games so we need to continue to invest in an aging building and we need to continue to make it one of the best outdoor stadiums in the country it'll help us with our future efforts to recruit some of the best sported events in our community and in our country so I thank you for your consideration and this investment that will yield a great return for our city thank you thank you thank you Mr longa would you um have use are our next speaker and Reverend John Korn follows you okay thank you thank you mayor L I'm David Longo the founder chairman and CEO of CBI workplace Solutions I also serve as the first vice chair of the Charlotte Regional business Alliance I wholeheartedly support the investment of in Bank of America Stadium why because I was here before it existed and I know what we have today I appreciate each member of the city council and mayor for you considering this proposal and this important step forward for the city as we ensure a state of the art facility is here for years to come I also want to acknowledge the leadership of teer sports and entertainment for their commitment to upgrading Bank of America Stadium at CBI workplace Solutions we employ 140 people we also support small business median business and large businesses throughout our region that employ thousands of people we to help businesses create a workplace that is better supports what they do for their clients and Community we also have expanded our reach into the community through our live love serve Foundation we're invested in this community thinking even more broadly this proposed investment in Bank of America Stadium likewise will result in a modernization of one of the fundamental economic assets the stadium has been open for 30 years and is only recently begun regularly housing nonf football events this includes the addition of a home slate of matches for Charlotte FC I might add my three and six-year-old grandchildren love those games um and additional concerts and other events the stadium is really great selling point for talent as we try to grow our community it's important that we attract and retain Talent into this community if we want to continue to grow and prosper economically CBI has a as a business owner who's also involved with the Charlotte Alliance in her efforts to grow the economy advocate for business we appreciate you considering this thank you all right Reverend CLI horn um and then following Reverend CLE horn is Mr Jonathan Stewart Madam mayor and council members good morning good good evening and uh thank you for your time and Happy Pride by the way let me start by saying thank you you have difficult exhausting and often thankless jobs your job is to decide priorities what matters the most to us all as a community not a singular Vote or issue but what as a city do we value the most the Nobel laurate and human rights Advocate Ellie Vel said when someone suffers and it is not you that person comes first his very suffering gives him priority tonight you're asked to vote on a highly charged matter whatever you decide true suffering is not really at stake there's an old story about a Samaritan who reached across lines of difference to care for a traveler in need Reverend Dr Martin Luther King said two pastors by found the man and said if I stop to help this man what will happen to me the third who actually helped the beaten traveler asked a different question if I do not stop and help this man what will happen to him the first question you might say is a business one or perhaps a political one the second question is a moral one the difference Dr King said is that one the one who stopped and helped acted with what Dr King said was dangerous unselfishness after tonight I think all of our neighbors will still be praying especially those who suffer that our city values them thank you thank you very much Pastor all right hello Mr Stewart y'all can hear me yes we can hear you um hello I'm Jonathan Stewart uh former Carolina Panther and I owe my presence here today to this incredible team Carolina Panthers getting drafted here was hitting the jackpot for me being born and raised in Washington state with roots in Georgia the Panthers gave me a chance to come back to the South every offseason I traveled and trained across the country but by March I always found myself missing home and that home was the Carolinas football opened doors for me and many others I met my wife here started a family we're deeply focused on giving back to the community I have a bond with men that I have that I will cherish forever a connection with a city that welcomed me like I was their own I currently coach a middle school football team with some former teammates of mine my daughter plays soccer here and me and my wife showcased local businesses through our company Charlotte lately this Stadium Renovations don't just enhance fan and fan and player experiences they embody what sport of what the sport of football does for Charlotte I know firsthand that Panthers unite people from all walks of life bringing them together in the spirit of Sport the fans deserves the the fans deserve this and the community community also deserves this the name Queen City isn't just a title it represents Grace strength and vision as stewards of this city we must uphold these qualities leading with Integrity pursuing excellence and seizing opportunities to elevate our city this is an investment in our City's future economy and residence it signifies our dedication to growth progress and the Relentless pursuit of Excellence that defines the Queen City let's Embrace this opportunity to build a future where the Queen City shines brighter even more so than it did in 2015 thank you for your time thank you very much um our next speakers are Douglas Wilson and Larry shahen all right it's not a contest in the front they not supposed to be there but I just I guess I'm go for you right Mr Wilson okay I just want to say ladies in the front row we have a policy that we have our signs beyond Behind that so if you wouldn't mind um just so I know it's kind of like we have it but we are doing this to make sure that we're safe up here as well so thank you thanks very much okay Mr Wilson all right uh good evening uh city council uh my name is Douglas Wilson and I the uh owner and founder of Alexander Wilson Consulting um I've lived in uh Southwest Charlotte now since uh 20012 2002 and I'm here to ask you to vote in favor of the pantheris stadium renovation um I'm a panis fan long-suffering one um and uh um I I remember uh when I first moved here um I worked at a healthc care firm off a Tyvola Road and I remember the traffic of the Hornets Forum being there and I always found that very exciting I was a I love seeing Alonzo Morning Play Back in the Day in fact I actually mimic some of his moves even I was only 5'9 um but I uh remember when the Hornets left because we did not build that arena for them and then we got the Bobcats which wasn't that great in my opinion uh and I remember how much that hurt the city and uh the reason why I'm here to ask you to vote for uh the the renovation of this stadium is because I don't want to see the Panthers leave and I know a lot of uh folks in the community feel that you know that they haven't won a game in a while uh but um the Panthers represent Charlotte and they represent um the growth of our community and so I stand here before you as a small business owner and as someone that's been in this city now now I can't believe it 20 plus years already um I have um made this my home and I really want to see the city continue to grow and I've seen it grow a lot over the last 20 years so I ask you to vote in favor of this and unfortunately I don't know why but I always have to go behind my friend Larry Shaheen so thank you very much you Mr Shaheen I should be saying how unfortunate I always am to have to go behind Mr Wilson and try to match his standard uh good evening Council Madame mayor staff my name is Larry Shaheen I'm an attorney here in town and my address is 333 West Trade Street right up the street I am a proud charlan I am proud of this community I'm proud of what we build but when you look back in the history of the city not just 40 years ago in the early 80s you look out just up the street Uptown was not what it was it was different it was desolate it was not what we expected and then what happened a lot of folks who were a lot smarter than me and a lot smarter than the rest of us in this building and that sat on that D said we're going to change this city and they did the Hornets the Panthers the work that was done to turn our uptown into one of the most vibrant locations in all of the United States and how was that done through public private Partnerships through folks who are willing to work together to engage to create something that otherwise wouldn't be able to happen and of course that is something that takes courage this vote's not easy tonight but I'm here to ask you to vote for this proposal for two major reasons one the cost of doing this now is significantly less than the cost of what it will take to replace this for those of you who may or may not be paying attention the state of Kansas is currently actively courting the Chiefs the cost that they're estimating for their new stadium is $3 billion think about that for a minute and tonight we have an opportunity to put a one for one correct investment into our community I ask you for that support thank you thank you our next two speakers are lamberto Valia and Scott Brian lamberto a Arena sorry I I have a um a Language Coach over here for me and I need it desperately so miss Molina would you introduce me and Council my name is lamberto Miguel Aila I'm the co-founder of daily view pools a swimming pool construction company that exists to build outdoor spaces that Inspire time together I'm also an alumni of UNC Charlotte and of every Small Business program in the city most recently I participated in two Government Contracting programs including the city of Charlotte's contract development Academy and business LGE pad which opened up my mind to the possibility of Government Contracting for small businesses like myself I'm an MBE firm first generation college graduate from a low income family graduate in Huntersville and I believe this project will provide opportunities not just for the tourism industry but for the Contracting a small business community in Charlotte so I ask you to um move forward with the renovations as um myself and 50 plus other contractors in this program that the city put together recently would be more than interested and happy to participate as a small subcontractor in that you know project uh again you know when you look at um programs like this like most recently the Spectrum Center there's been a lot of push for MBE firms and contractors like myself to participate and is a an opportunity that um It's relatively new to us and a lot of last thing I'll notice when people think about Renovations people think about the finishes but then often think about some of the things that make a building operate as an example the air conditioning and also the loading dock which will provide our Market to be more competitive with other cities you our current loading dock at the panther C is pretty small so the renovation hopefully will increase that and also provide opportunity for small businesses in our community specifically MBE firms to participate in this renovation thank you thank you all right our next speaker is Scott gryan come on down thanks for coming back is that Scott amazing good evening city council my name is Scott Brian and I was here last week and I have um encouragement to come back again this week I'm writing to express my deep concern with the rush vote on the 650 million doll tax funded investment to the stadium without Fair public input or Fair access to more details I think if we really want to speak truth tonight that's what this is really Weighing on people and I and I hope it's Weighing on each of you it is well known particular records are repeatedly denied by the council to Citizens and media including the chronic unpublishing of written minutes this is just not who we are as a city what burden does it pose to a body of government to recognize when a project launch involving a partnership with the private sector still deserves deserves additional time still deserves a democratic process the economic committee did not fulfill its responsibility to build in enough time during these long negotiation discussions for public or Council input I don't know anybody in this chamber tonight that can dispute that I just think this is common sense in addition to um a few of my earlier points it's still not clear to the public why was a mere 15-year non- relocation Clause negotiated instead of a 30-year deal that other cities have currently secured and again environmentally what is happening to all these plastic um seum Stadium seats that are planned for removal the mistrustful political climate across the United States is at a Breaking Point when elected officials lead with common sense it is a much needed antidote to our pervading cynicism of government many implore you to demonstrate if not the voters to the younger generation that speaking up does matter like our Congressman uh our councilman uh Brown hosted last week there was just so inspirational to see the youth here if democracy is like a forest this council is cutting down our largest trees if the Democratic tenants of due process and transparency is ignored in closing if you vote to approve the deal tonight the Public's perception that the light that you that initially called you to serve has dimmed thank you our next speakers are Ian Ian Albuquerque q and Juan Irvin next speakers Juan come on down yes thank you and is Mr and oh yes no on so uh good evening members of council I'm here to oppose this particular uh this particular bill or whatever it's called Professor Dr Craig dekin from uh the University of North Carolina charot argues in his paper that three decades of research on economic impact and sport events found scaned evidence that hosting such an event generates the benefits and benef uh cons uh commiserated with the uh public subsid I.E he's making the argument that subsidizing these type of buildings do not have the return of investment that we're claiming that they do for the city to recuperate a $650 million investment the stadium would have to generate 8.9 billion in stadium related sales that is if this uh the sales tax were to remain at 7.5 on June 12th City count excuse me City staff had a did a presentation entitled Bank of America state ium investment and Community assets Assets in it it claimed that the stadio generated $1.1 billion in 2023 and it generated 54 million dollar in taxes and it s it cited an impact and economic report paper by Dr Tom Reagan however that particular paper is not available on the city's website I urge Council to use the hotel tax in places such as the bo Django Coliseum under obin's Auditorium who desperately need this my point is backed up by another article written by Atlantic not too long ago um on 20 uh May 8 2024 by Dan Moore he argues that about $30 billion has been spent in the past in the past three decades not to include uh tax exemptions for this thing for for these type of Renovations and they do not have the return of investment that they are promised thank you thank you our next speaker is Corey Carell and Dante mcor did you get one hello uh hello Council my name is Corey Carell and I want to thank you all for allowing me to speak here today having spent over three years working Economic Development I just want to take some time today to express my full support for the proposed Improvement project at Bank of America Stadium I firmly believe the Improvement plan for the stadium is a vital investment in the future of Charlotte this initiative Promises to invigorate the local economy enhance the city's National profile and provide substantial benefits to Residents and visitors alike these upgrades will better position Charlotte to attract high-profile events like college football domestic and international soccer concerts and more Bank of America Stadium is well positioned in uptown Charlotte to support small businesses nearby keeping those local businesses stimulated is critical to the local economy and quality of life standards we have been accustomed to the commitment to quality of life has largely driven Charlotte to be in the position to make these types of upgrades tourism Revenue has an outsized role funding the public portion of these upgrades it is my belief that continuing this commitment to B America Stadium will further spur tourism and opportunity to upgrade our city in the future just like sports the city of Charlotte is in constant competition with other cities to attract companies workers residents and visitors we have seen other teams in cities like Buffalo Jacksonville Nashville and more make similar public and private investments into the respective stadiums in order to remain competitive on and off the field it's critical that Charlotte not fall behind the eightball investing in the stadium also demonstrates a commitment to preserving a key cultural asset for Charlotte Bank of America Stadium is more than just a sports venue it's a community Gathering Place that's that Fosters City Pride and unity by supporting the Improvement plan Charlotte is investing in its own identity and future ensuring that the stadium remains a vibrant and integral part of the city's landscape for years to come thank you for your time and consideration thank you Mr mccor and little and little master mcor's I assume got to start them out early yes that's right but uh I ain't going to take too much of your time I don't even need to p for two to three minutes uh I'm an owner of multiple businesses uh I just want to say in simplest forms I think it's a bad deal and I wouldn't do it but uh it's a reason why y'all are sitting up there and uh tonight is going to show you know did we make the right decision that'll be all oh thank you and good evening thank you our next speaker is Grace fendrick and followed by Garland green and welcome back thank you thank you for coming back I am here to speak on behalf of myself and over 537 others who signed a petition against this proposal I would like to start off with a few statements that I would urge everyone to remember as we go through with this vote number one this is not a public or Community Asset it is a private asset of temper sports and entertainment two this funding is primarily coming out of the pockets of Charlotte residents through the food and beverage tax so we should have a meaningful say and how it is spent three the money being used is not required by state law to only go to stadiums or Hospitality interest state law requires it be used for tourism you are choosing to have such a limited and strict interpretation now last week I made it clear how disappointed I have been with the handling of this issue with public notice of only three weeks for a project that was told to me has been underway for over a year and a half but today I'm going to focus on the proposal at hand economists across the board and political aisles agree that publicly financed stadiums are bad deals for cities we will not get a return on our investment there are ways to make it less bad like giving the city some ownership in the stadium Andor the teams demand they give us some stake in the game plus if this deal is as good as it is being made out to be why are private investors not jumping at this opportunity because it is in fact not a good deal additionally a recently reported Clause mandating subsequent City councils to meet with tsse about funding a new stadium in 20 years is disgraceful what is even the point of the renovations then you are handcuffing future Generations to your failures and mistakes also it just shows that tsse is not looking to leave given the reputation of tsse it wouldn't surprise me if they approach other cities and across the country they might be met with a poetic drink to the face the city has the power here unless tsse wants to completely relocate not just one but two teams they will stay here we have the power use it call their Bluff vote no [Music] Mr Green thank you for coming back thank you for coming back and you please be yes can you hear me yes we can hear you yeah my name's Garland green I live in South Charlotte uh edricks is our good council person uh oh I read whoever did this right up did a tremendous job and I want to congratulate them I didn't see it before today and it answered a lot of questions that I had had in my mind and uh I just kind of wonder why something like this wasn't posted on the Charlotte website way before now because I think it would ease a lot of the tensions that you now feel so think about that now Ed will tell you that I get into the weeds a lot into the detail and there were three things here that I have that I couldn't find in here and you don't have to answer them today but if somebody will get back to me I'd appreciate it it all has to do what I call the hospitality tax I want to know what the rate is a percentage rate 1 2 3 4 5% uh I'm interested to know how many dollars are generated annually for the hospitality tax and thirdly I'd like to know how many dollars are in the current fund so if somebody could get back to me i' would appreciate that that now the next thing that I want to talk about because we're spending $650 million what I call inside the gates but how about outside the gates people and I've sent you emails and some of you responded to it but I think it's important is um people come down early to these games and events and they liked what I call party hardy they like to pop up tents they like to yeah eat food out of the back of their cars and things like that and we do not have world class first class hardly any class tailgating facilities I've been down here and you you're tailgating on gravel Lots un whatever have you so if somebody could get behind that if the Panthers and the city could get behind that I think that would be a big benefit to us all thank you I did enjoy your email though it was really great thank you all right um so that ends our Madam clerk anyone else so this concludes the um public forum list of speakers for this item we have a motion on the floor now and so I'd like to recognize the um chair of the um gosh I forgot where we are um with Malcolm Graham with our Economic Development chair thank you Madam mayor uh and good evening everyone I'm probably going to talk longer than I I want to but I think it's really important that we establish um the terms to the deal for the general public um next steps if this is approved for the public and then Madame mayor I would like to uh explain to the public why I'm voting yes on the deal uh first ID like to acknowledge and thank the members of the economic development committee uh council member Mitchell uh council member molena uh council member barari council member Drees and the mayor proam councilwoman Anderson uh for their support and their participation formally and informally over the last several months and weeks I I really appreciate uh their imput uh no matter how they vote tonight um I want to thank the members of the committee uh tonight we have before us a policy document for approval to provide a public private partnership between the city of Charlotte and temp sports and entertainment to renovate Bank of America Stadium home of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC one of the only stadiums in the country that has two professional sports franchise Bank of America is well over 30 years old and has been the corporate and the community meeting spot for decades where folks come for sports and entertainment the stadium is owned by temp sports and entertainment the land which it sits on is owned by the city of Charlotte the council was first brief about the possibilities of a renovation project in January of 2023 at our Council planning Retreat on the campus of UNC Charlotte at the Marriott Hotel informal talks between the city management the economic development team legal and temporal Sports began from February to November of 23 informal talks and negotiations in December of 2023 our formal neg negotiations began with teer sports and entertainment Council was advised of that during an executive session in December of last year in January 2024 Council had the opportunity to visit Bank of America Stadium and talk a tour and had the opportunity to meet with key members of their leadership team and saw the condition of Bank of America Stadium as well as review a 800 page report at least I did of of some of the recommendations for stadium upgrade and approval in May of this year uh the the um the management team brought to for the city council for approval and consideration uh the deal that we're talking about today on June 3rd the economic development committee met for the first time and publicly discussed uh the private public partnership on June 3rd we had a council member readout on June 10th we had action review where the council had an opportunity to review it on June 12th we had another Ed committee meeting on June 17th we had a public comment session on June 17th we also voted for the resoning for the practice facility if should be also noted that we had at least four executive sessions throughout the year where Council had the opportunity to discuss and talk about the private public partnership between the city of Charlotte uh and temper Sports in addition to the public comments we had a website where we receiv received well over 600 comments comments opposing the stadiums right around 51% those support is 27% uh 22% following the category of wunning a new stadium wanning uh the team to improve their own arm field performance a wide variety of other topics related to the deals what came through loud and clear and we acknowledge at least I acknowledge that there were some trust issues related to this deal uh The Rock Hill was mentioned often Eastland was mentioned often an onfield performance of the team was mentioned off often as well I believe however that the tax the the variable that makes the most sense for me is the $1.2 billion of Economic Development return on the investment the funding source for the project comes from the convention center fund it was extended in 2023 but for that extension we would not be having this conversation here today I want to thank the hospitality travel lines for going to Raleigh uh getting the type of uh commitment from the general assembly to extend the tax so that we have the opportunity to have this conversation here today I want to remind the public that these funds cannot be used for public safety for sidewalks for Education homelessness strictly related to resources that are narrowly tailored to travel and tourism not General operating expense the renovations will modernize the building as I indicated before uh you can argue about the numbers but we expect to have a $1.2 billion economic impact which goes to support those who work in the travel and tourist industry waiters waitresses bus boys Bale Hoppers small business owners Uber drivers lift drivers all will feel the impact of this particular deal the terms of the deal uh stack is commenced to start working in 2025 and to complete the stum work in 2029 the city funding will contribut $650 million where $688 million will come from temper sports and entertainment again the source of the funding for the city will be through the travel and tourism tax it should be noted that City funds when we're paying for work for at the stadium city funds are paid after work and specific projects are completed City funds are paid directly to companies doing the work on the project these are contractors who hire individuals to do the work to complete the renovation terap Sports and and Enterprise funding between 25 and 29 will be $150 million they will also be responsible for any cost overrun in addition terap sports and entertainment will also expand no less than 42 1 million on Capital repairs renewals replacement and improvements and operation maintenance to the stadium again the $421 million is guaranteed after execution of this agreement the city pays $15 million off his 650 towards the Fieldhouse terap sports and entertainment agrees to a 20-year n relocation term for both the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC uh the city uh and temporal Sports will in terms uh work on traffic management up to a million dollars that the city will pay uh and temper Sports will pay the city $500,000 annually for the use of and improvements of the stadium facilities the city will also provide uh access to the cats Lots cats will enter into an agreement for the use the cats Lots includes usage within the reson the approval on June 17th 2024 there's been talks about a new stadium all over the news over the last week and I just want to remind uh everyone the language does not establish that there will be a new stadium in 2046 but acknowledge that the Bank of America Stadium will be 50 years old at the end of the current proposed agreement and that the two parties will need to address that it's also a protection measure for the city that established as soon as the two parties will begin those discussions and creates a forecast and a timeline for future city and staff ownership a similar provision has been included in agreements with the Hornet related to the Spectrum Center renovation and it's Inc common stipulation and Stadium Arena agreements um and so it's aspirational uh and we cannot find another Council to what will happen in the future lastly there's Community benefits temper sports and entertainment has negotiated with us 27% minority in women's participation goals 15% minority business Enterprise 12% women small business Enterprise they have agreed to ensure that as Prime contractors track and Report payments made to mwsb subcontractor this is include ensuring contractors's report mwsb utilization the city will use our reporting system to verify payment and verification as well uh lastly Civic support and Community engagement there's a wide variety of community engagement aspect uh in our materials for an example Tera Sports will uh give us seven um annual days to use the facility uh develop a Sports Management seminar hosting the black sports Business Academy for HBCU students and a wide variety of other uh intangibles Community benefits to the community the council members have this listed uh in their in their documents and the again um the gentlemen referred to it uh being in the council uh packages so it's public document for everyone to read and review uh through the um uh Community benefits uh lastly and two points one uh not in our notes but uh temp sports and entertainment and staff have agreed to an annual checkin with Council to update on construction projects completed and upcoming projects status of mwb participation and Community engagement initiative on an annual basis and we'll work out the details on that but again there will be a check in on an annual basis where we will say how are you doing where are you going and so that we can make sure that there's a clause like you trit verifier right that these things are are getting done and it's just not for tempor sports and entertainment but any large scale projects that we we should do there should be a check in from those who that were participating I.E the Pearl and other uh agreements that we've already made at this di uh and then lastly sustainability um you receive from in the package today by email um temper sports and entertainment will work with uh Honeywell to audit energy conservation measures with special attention given to sustainability recycled waste carbon emission um water conservation and air quality U lastly if this deal is completed uh and approved tonight uh the next steps would be um for a contract of development uh which would go from July to around September October uh October and November Council will vote for the financing of the deal uh we anticipate in February uh there will be uh the local government consideration of the vote and Raleigh of the deal and the funds will be made available in March again the funds will go to contractors directly not to T sports and entertainment over the summer the city team team Finance Economic Development the manager office and transportation all will be working to dot eyes and cross tees uh and legal and legal for sure and legal uh to dot eyes and cross tees to ensure um um that that occurs and and that brings me to a question Madame mayor for for the City attorney if I can please uh which is you know trust but verify something that I've been saying for the last year have uh trust sister agreement that we will vote on tonight the verification is the documents dting the eyes and the crossing the tees can you explain to the council the process for tonight going forward from a legal perspective that protects the city interest and investment and how that will be enforced moving forward yes uh thank you for the question uh council member Graham and I look forward to other questions from the council uh as well uh what you have here are what we call Deal points uh these uh this is the um negotiation that have been put together uh primarily uh by the economic development team um coming from Miss Dodson and I think she's identified Jim Leonard uh who's a sports-based attorney who's done a lot of these deals and David Abrams who you've met before uh is very experienced in the financing of these deals um so what you have here are the deal points that's basically the outline of what it is that we're about to do so after tonight depending on how you vote we will be shifting to taking these deal points and putting them into legally binding documents uh and this is the uh uh the work where although uh the action is to authorize the city manager designated to negotiate and execute agreements there's a heavy involvement from the city attorney's office to make sure that all of these agreements uh come together as the deal points are are are put out here so um and just you know a bad example is you know we're not going to go out and negotiate a $700 million contribution from the city when you said 650 that's going to be the number because that's what's in uh this this document going forward uh but often times as you get into negotiations they going to be little tweaks here or there um not uh in terms of uh you know changes material changes to uh the agreements um but as you go go down the parties and that's where it's important for the parties to make sure there's a clear meeting of the minds going forward uh and that you know will take some time as as as now the attorneys and I've got a team of attorneys um I've got people you know with real estate uh experience I've got people with direct uh contract uh experience on these deals and then myself when I've done both of these uh uh types of things we'll come together and and have those conversation and then put these deal points into enforcable uh contracts I don't want to make it sound like uh the deal team is no longer a part of this in fact there we we should all be working hand inand and that includes Economic Development uh Finance for sure General Services uh possibly even cats or whatever you know department needs to come together this is now team Charlotte going forward uh with uh with us playing the the legal role of bringing this all into uh uh legally uh defensible and enforcable documents that's the critical part um one of the things that I've heard is you know what happens if uh one of the parties defaults uh and that's part of the the process by which we're building in Provisions for uh if there is a default what happens um you know going forward uh I know that been some questions about what that looks like that's literally what it is that we're going to be doing from this point forward uh and that's how we handle all of our um all the C certainly in the time that I've been here this is how we've handled uh this type of structuring of these documents uh go going forward and there's going to be back and forth as there typically is on on this um but but we will be negotiating very hard as we always do to protect the interests of the city uh and to uh anticipate you know potential uh situations where this may go haywire and and make sure that we're protected in that in that regard and the the other side's going to be doing the same thing that's just the natural part of uh the process going forward so uh again and I'm happy to to answer more questions but what what we're doing uh and this what you have in front of you is not a contract it's not a legally binding contract until we put it into a document that's ultimately executed uh by the parties going forward um it is certainly my my hope if if you uh choose to approve this going forward uh that the part is going to be acting in good faith to to come together uh and have an actual agreement that that hopefully we can all be proud of uh should this Council decide to move uh forward so um I tried to give you sort of a a general uh but there's going to be a lot of heavy lifting from the attorney's office one interesting thing that you all have done uh in recent deals uh is that you have stated on the record the expectations from my office uh in terms of not only doing our job but making sure that you understand the status of the negotiations uh and if there are any any you know changes material non-material what have you you should absolutely have a clear understanding as to what we did at the end of the day and and that's uh very important uh and I think in the last uh Sports deal that that that we did uh that was very clear that that you wanted that kind of uh uh feedback and and that deal is not not quite uh done but you'll get that from me and if there are things that you want from from me uh in terms of those levels of of of assurances as we're going forward you know we're H I'm happy to uh make sure that that you all have all the information that you need uh not only in terms of what we're doing tonight but that we're doing what we said were what what what you're expecting uh Team Charlotte to be doing uh going forward and uh and that's that's the general process thank thank you and and again tonight what we're doing is voting on the policy document for a tonight so it's the policy uh and now Madame mayor I'm going to to to shift and and talk about why I support it um as the District Two representative and what I earlier was I'm just kind of laying out the deal points for uh for the community um I love Charlotte um I I believe in Charlotte's growth uh I believe in the people Charlotte I've been here and understand the nature of public private Partnerships and I strong support the $650 million investment in Bank America Stadium because I'm deeply committed to the growth and the vision of our community this investment is not merely about enhancing Sports venue but also about making a strategic decision that supports the city broader goals in multiple sectors first the investment will significantly boost the Charlotte's travel and tourism industry which is critical as one in nine individuals work in this sector this includes the various roles as I indicated ated before in terms of the waiters and the waitresses and the bus Boys The Uber drivers the stadium ambassadors the employees and hotels and small businesses by improving this Stadium we create more opportunities for these individuals and ensure that Charlottes continue to be an attractive destination for tourism and events moreover the investment plays a vital role in supporting the recovery of Uptown Charlotte postco 19 the economic impact of this thriving area is estimated to be 1.2 billion annually revitalizing the stadium will stimulate economic activities drawing both local visitors and adding the financial Rejuvenation of businesses that have been struggling during the pandemic Nationwide and international branding opportunities are another significant benefit of this investment as the Carolina PLS are set to play in Germany later this year we have a unique opportunity to showcase Charlotte on an international stage this exposure only enhances the City's reputation but also creates avenues for corporate recruitment International Partnerships fostering economic growth and Innovation furthermore the project will create numerous jobs and Contracting opportunities particularly for minority communities and firms as we work towards making our city more affordable inclusive Equitable these opportunities are essential for empowering diverse segments of our population finally the stadium will bring a wide variety of community benefits from hosting significant events that bring citizens together to offering program that engage uplift our youth the revamp Stadium will serve as Community Hub enhancing our cities vibrancy and unity in summary the $650 million investment in Bank from Oran stadium is Forward Thinking initiative that aligns with charlott's vision for the future it supports economic growth tourism Community enrichment social Equity making a worthy investment that will yield returns for our city and our residents I urge the council to support the amendment on the floor thank you Madame mayor thank you Mr Graham um I know that Miss Mayfield had her hand up and I thought it might just be easier so we'll start with Miss Mayfield and we'll come around to miss azira and then we'll just come around on our diet say thank you thank you madam mayor I actually have a couple of questions for our attorney Mr Baker it was noted in both emails and comments tonight regarding what has been identified in our language the economic impact and what we are potentially looking at tonight with this just being an overview without having the actual details are there any clawbacks that are there in regards to this suggested economic impact if it's not met or is there the ability in the conversation to add details to ensure that something like that is cified so I I don't know that there's anything specific in the deal points that have been provided to you but again this is part of the negotiation process uh I believe and I don't have uh in front of me past documents for for the uh Bank of America Stadium but we'll be looking at those things again to maximize the protection uh that we have uh for for the city if uh for instance there's a and this gets back to those default Provisions uh for instance the number $421 million that that is a guarantee of of the um of the Panthers putting putting that in and there's an expectation that 421 million means 421 million not 380 million or what have you as they will have the same expectations that $650 million from our side doesn't mean 500 million it means 650 million and if the parties do not fail they'll be in default of of the contract and there can be penalties for that um what that specifically looks like is is that's what we're putting into the document going forward um and uh and that's that's you know basically what we're going to be doing for the next uh few months is to secure the promises that the parties are making to each other but also secure the um uh potential defaults uh should a promise not be made so right now these are an outline of promises where I personally have concern is at the very beginning regarding authorizing the city manager and or his design that doesn't mandate that it is the attorney's office to go full in unless I'm looking at that incorrectly because I believe just for clarification that we've had language before that basically stated once the details were codified and contract the contract still came back to council before actually moving forward and releasing funds I have uh and it's interesting you say that I have seen rcas in the past and I'm talking 10 15 years ago on some of these uh where uh I would call it the decision Paradigm was different um and it was the attorney then that was uh bringing the the contract but but that's not the decision Paradigm that we have here um what we've been doing since I've been here uh has been you know the the process that we have right now which is that we bring the deal points to you and that gives us our marching orders to to go forward so how long have you been with the city since 2019 okay so immediately after 2019 we went into a pandemic so we had a whole new world of how things move forward for me I would be more a lot more comfortable if we utilize previous language because we have never been here before where we're talking about this dollar amount the last time we had the major Panther deals it was what 75 million so that broke down to like 12 million a year over that period of time even then that language the finyl language came back to full Council for counsel to be able to review it prior to so I have I'm wondering do you have as our representative that is your main responsibility is the protection of Charlotte as well as this Council have any concerns in the deal points that as far concerns as far as you being able to legally codify based on the few years that you have been in this role and other deals when it came time to negotiate the specifics of the deal no I appreciate the question uh there's nothing in the deal points um that would would come to our attention as saying no we can't do that uh we can't pay you know for instance if we didn't have uh there there's special legislation that allows us uh to put money into stadiums uh above 60,000 seats if we didn't have that legislation uh or we couldn't do something I I I would certainly well I would have told uh the negotiating team long before we got here hey you can't do that we don't have the legislation to do that so there's nothing in here uh that says this can't be done uh legally basically you know the issue the hard work the lifting is again reducing all this to legally enforceable documents but nothing that's been been U provided here uh is a um a non-starter or you know we don't have the authority uh to do that uh going going forward so it was noted in here a number hopefully all of council had a chance to speak with the not only the leadership of TSC as well as I Economic Development leadership we have in here at lion State and TSC is committing to 10 apprenticeships and working with contractors that prioritize utilizing local Workforce throughout the project there's no clarification or are we talking about 10 annually 10 over 15 I personally push for it to be 12 to 14 cuz for the amount of money that we're talking about contributing we should be able to me that's under the Community good as far as apprenticeships and for the app apprenti ship to Be Imagined well beyond the workforce piece because there's a lot of administrative behind the scenes positions you have college students and high school students that study in sports management to me that falls under that category of having an opportunity of an apprenticeship not this limited when it come time when it comes time to actually negotia in the details because this language that's in front of us is what we're being asked to approve do you foresee any push back to if you were to say okay well 12 to 14 was identified with some clarity on annually as well as multiple opportunities within the TSC administrative offices between the two organizations do you see a conversation which you have shared with us previous with other ation well no council approved this so this is all I have to do no so uh and and that's that's an excellent question and using this as an example uh if for instance as we're papering this document the number came down to five my response would be what we put in front of council was that there would be 10 apprenticeships so if you're changing the you know the deal then then I you know we need to let Council uh know that if that number grows to 12 to 15 or there's something else that that that occurred I mean the the number you know certainly at at a floor should be 10 um but that's part of the negotiating process uh if there's a desire uh for more apprenticeships or an opportunity uh and that's where that that conversation comes in where we're we're sitting down talking with them and when we get to that area we can talk about what they had in mind as we're papering this going forward so still on that line again so that I have Clarity what we have in here is working with contractors that prioritize utilizing local Workforce through the project that can be interpreted as being the organization that introduces versus for 650 million I would think tsse is who is going to be identifying opportunities for apprenticeship so if there is a misunder a different interpretation I want to ensure sure that when it comes time for the negotiations what we are not seeing that we are committed to is the loose language that we've identified today because this language specifically identifies something versus saying within TSC it's saying TSC is committed to apprenticeships and working with contractors that could be five and five whatever I want to make sure that there's a clear understanding cuz for my colleagues who are new and for those who have been around for a while and worked under our previous City attorney we remember that the contract when it came to us when it got to this point of coming around the diets there were some very clear points in that contract we have the records on it we have the deal points on it I have a copy of a old one so there was a time prior to 2019 where these deal points were clearly negotiated prior to council then voting on and then there were additional deal points that were identified later so I want to make sure that I'm understanding clearly one you just stated that you do not have any concerns regarding being able to negotiate although I have a clear concern with the a with authorized the city manager versus stating in A or B that this should come back to council once the deal points so identify you have stated you do not have concerns with being able to clearly negotiate the expectations of this Council to protect this city so I want to be clear it takes two to tango on on these things uh so when we're negotiating there's a meeting of the mines and we're going to be taking these deal points and then as we're putting them into documentation there needs to be a meeting of the minds going forward and uh we'll certainly take what we have here and and move forward and we'll also have the the deal uh Partners as well uh Miss Dodson and her team in terms of you know what these things need to shape up as as we're U negotiating uh the process with the and this is on all of all of these issues quite quite frankly not not just this uh because again you know what's here is not a contract and and as we're sitting down uh with folks it is going to be hey what what did you mean by this this was my understanding this was your understanding and hopefully that we'll you know we'll start off with yes we were all together this is a meeting of the minds but sometimes you find out in in these conversations that there isn't uh maybe a meeting of the minds and there's needs to be some some further discussion on these things uh and that's the part where you know and that's that's not atypical uh in negotiations that's literally I am shocked if it is okay here are the deal points and then it just all falls into place in two days um it's often you know what you mean by this well that's not what I had in mind okay well then let's talk about that uh and there's some negotiation going forward as well and that would be with all of these not not with just uh one uh in particular hopefully the majority of them you know we're we're we're we're we're clear we move forward we knock it out um but there may be you know some some things that take a little bit longer and that quite frankly is natural in the negotiation process so for me and to my colleagues I would like for us to consider a process that was previously used where once if Council decides to move forward with these deal points then we are to direct the city manager to bring back to versus what we have in Action a so I guess it will be an amendment to action a versus the language of authorized the city manager or his designate to negotiate and execute the agreements for the Panthers somewhere in this language it a sentence if is in the form of an amendment for me is for after the deal points for this contract to come back to council because at the end of the day city manager City attorney Economic Development direct director TSC are not the ones that went to the community and asked the community support us however we land we all need to feel comfortable with that yes or no for me I would feel a lot more comfortable uh because unfortunately there have been too many times over the last few years where when it came time to identify the deal points we get we receive information that is different than what we as a councils thought we were going to be getting based on these deal points when it came to contractual obligation I will feel more comfortable so I would like to put that in form of an amendment I hope I can get a second on it that's going to be up to my colleagues all right so um Miss Mayfield I'm writing that down as the deal point to come back to council so let's go ahead um Miss azir yes oh excuse did I need to to have a second on that for to be a part of discuss back I wanted to get everybody's because I don't know if that someone want to amend it or have more about it and trying to do it so that we can come back to all of it thank you mayor all right Miss ashme yes thank thank you Madame mayor council member Mayfield raised some really good points this past month has been really challenging for all of us I've heard from a great many of our Charlotte residents our constituents and our voters on this issue their positions are hugely different and they fall into three categories one those who say yes and this very small number are chiefly business folks who derive personal benefit from the stadium however among them I've heard from some entrepreneurs that I highly respect J Patel and T Sonni two those who say no I have to tell you the overwhelm ing majority of responses are in this group many spoke to me about the flaw philosophy and policy which I share that allows wealth to be transfer transferred from the poorest among us into the pockets of billionaires however this [Applause] polic please let let please we I asked at the beginning if we would allow the council people to speak so thank you however this policy can be modified only by the state legislators and not by us all three this last group probably the second most numerous is in the middle they want to see the details of this deal they want legal Protections in place that my colleague counil member may feel raised rightfully so when you're dealing with a partner who who sadly has a long history of not following through on his commitments I was helpless in answering the concerns of this last group why one I don't have the details of the terms myself true we were invited to read it but we were not provided a copy to study and that's not the same thing at all two I don't have a copy of the economic impact report so important we are talking about a billion dollar or more in economic impact three I don't have a copy of the payment schedule which I have requested numerous times however as an elected official I'm expected to cast my vote on the largest investment of public funds in Charlotte's history a 650 million proposal without all facts before me I just cannot do it my conscience simply will not let me I personally know many entrepreneurs in this room and I can guarantee you that no one will sign off on a capital expenditure of this magnitude without seeing the contract without seeing the missing information and you should expect no less from your elected officials this process is totally lacking transparency well before I continue I have two questions for our City attorney Mr Baker how have you structured deals of this magnitude historically so um my time in the other jurisdiction and and my time here are are two different ways of doing it um as uh council member Mayfield uh mentioned in the past uh there was a a a different structure a different decision Paradigm um where the uh I think there was still a deal points checkin and then the the attorney was sent out to go negotiate uh and bring it back to council for what was probably a perfunctory at that stage um uh uh check in uh with with the council uh and that is what I was used to prior to coming here since coming here we've done a different Paradigm um which is the Paradigm that you have in front of you where we bring deal points where deal points are negotiated um and then we get your sign off on uh that going forward and uh and then we go put the documents together uh with this um the language that's in front of you the um uh the neg iate and execute uh language as well so so I've worked under I there may be other paradigms as well um but but now I've worked under under two paradigms uh and I think that I brought in for you know my time here W with Council you know contracts that have uh you know definitely uh protected the city going forward we haven't had any of these contracts come back uh to bite us or we've forgot something and we've got a very experienced team um that works under both paradigms as well I think the documents at the end of the day are going to be the same I think it's a little bit more work on my end to make sure that there's Clarity because I find myself now going back to this document to make sure that there's you know we're staying in line with the deal points that have been put together uh and that's our my guiding uh uh process going forward so the short answer is I've done it both ways there may be other paradigms as well uh but I've done it both ways so you have excuse me so you have done it both both ways so what you are seeing here is what started with the city of Charlotte not historically uh what you had done in doram where you were used to having a contract in place that's how that was how it was done in doram and I think that's that's what council member Mayfield had raised prior to Mr Baker's appointment as the City attorney under Bob Hagerman we had the full contract in place so so this situation of not having the term sheet and the contract is unique to Charlotte in recent years only so so to my my second question based on your experience and the concerns that you have heard from my colleagues council member Mayfield council member Drake myself Johnson and others what should be our process for approving the deal of this magnet dude so that that's that's a really good question and it's a tough question because you actually created the decision Paradigm how this comes to you it comes from the council so to answer it as I said I've done it both ways um I my team will work just as hard regardless of the Paradigm uh in terms of making sure that there are protections uh for the city going forward um but ultimately it's you it's what you're comfortable with as a body uh in terms of those check-ins and I would say uh again the last deal that we did the comments I think were very strong about uh the expectations of making sure that that there's Clarity going forward and that you understand how the deal uh uh ends up and I will certainly when that deal concludes you will have a a clear report in terms of what we did how it's stuck to the the deal points that were provided and that we successfully negotiated that once it's uh uh complete I want to make sure that every city council member is able to read and absorb the information and get an assurance that our city and our taxpayers are fully protected before we cast uh our board so I'd like to make the following motion and that's a substitute motion that we authorize the city manager and the City attorney to negotiate agreements between tsse and the City of Charlotte for Bank of America Stadium improvements and bring those details back to the council to execution can if you've written that down would you please pass it around for me because I couldn't hear every stat let me repeat So based on council's inside I make the following substitute motion authorize the city manager and the City attorney to negotiate agreements between tsse and the City of Charlotte for Bank of America Stadium improvements and bring those details back to the council prior to execution second okay we have a motion and a second for a substitute motion but she has an amendment she had an amendment she has an AM she stated I'm sorry I can't everybody gets to may feel said an amendment yes I made a making another motion now because we have a substitute motion we'll continue to go around the dis to have council members so I'm going to Mr ashmir have you concluded yes I have all right Miss Brown wow a lot and I'm just going to add to it don't know where to start I'm looking at my inbox and I've gotten emails from the business Community I've gotten emails from people constituents that supported me and voted for me I got telephone calls from people that think that you know they're they have affluence uh in the community but for me I love the city of Charlotte born and raised in the city of Charlotte lived in District three my entire life entire life and that's public record can be verified and checked I can repeat every address District 3 is growing is one of the fastest growing districts with development we have a lot of crime in District 3 we have a lot of people that can't afford to go to the parinas the Carolina Panthers games in District 3 I ride up and down West bouevard from Steel Creek I use 160 every day and I come to the corner of West Boulevard and Remount Road and when you get to the corner of the 1500 Block I make a right and I go to the First Street and I make another right and that's cow's road we own property on that street and that's the street that I live on grew up on Revolution Park and those children they run around the streets never ever been in the Panther Stadium may never even get a chance to look at it and see what it looks like for me and my constituents and for the people that put me in this seat that voted for me I heard them loud and clear I heard my colleagu say key economic drivers I want to shout out Scott Brian you're amazing grace and Reverend I think it was John CL who was it John clor whoever the ran was we only had one in here so he was amazing I see the signs for the animal Shel which I support $650 million is a lot of tax mayor's money we know that the hospitality fund is for the stadium Renovations we understand it has extreme ex uh limited uses for the stadium I saw something today in the email that just blew my mind I want to go to it we have an obligation to be at this Das to take the tough questions to answer the tough questions to read through the emails and it's not easy I see the business community in full effect in full swing but today and tonight I'm representing a different Community I'm representing a community that can't be here a community that may have mothers that's working 15 16 our days that may want to voice their opinion about what they think should happen in our city and I know that this money is allocated specifically for the stadium so let's be clear I understand that for the record but I also want to be clear on people that matter to me people that matter to me are the people that have a voice that need to be elevated it's the Union that we ask to vote for us when we're in our campaign season it's the children that want to go to the Panther stadium that may not ever get to get there when someone suffers I think the Reverend said this if I stop to help what happens to me I'm the person that stopped and helps I remember when I swore in and I took a oath at this Das and I said the day that I can't serve my community and my people and that's been a lot of pressure but I have to unapologetically standing my truth and unapologetically standing in my truth is standing for the people that can't stand for themselves we have strong members on this Council they've negotiated the deals I haven't been here long I've been here for six months they've worked on it but something that stuck out with me was the last speaker he said he read the document and it provided a lot of insight on him but where was that document before today why didn't we get it for me it's all about transparency we have to continue to have transparency and I think we're missing that everybody on this di have their voice this is mine when we go and we look at the 600 people let me pull it out I want y'all think I don't know what I'm talking about I went through every last one of these and I went through these while I'm grieving the loss of not one grandparent but two but my commitment to this city one grandparent my grandfather's been buried my grandmother we're doing it Saturday but my commitment is to this city and the people that put me in this seat I went every one of these we put it on the website and I was told that it's not sufficient well why is it out there why is it out there and you want to know what you can get a copy of this and the majority of us know I Mark with a x for no a definite no I Mark with a check mark for a definite yes and then I drew a slash for those that said something about oh we like to be outside we want to talk we're burning up in the summertime I can't go over every last one of these comments but I went through them it was my homework and then we got something in our packet these comments were on the website from the constituents and the community and I don't want the business Community to think that I don't care about them but I have to elevate the voices of the people that can't Elevate them for themselves CU we have a lot of business people out here that's smart with the numbers and economic development and $1.2 billion and it sounds good don't it it sounds real good until we get Mr terer angry again at TS Sports and then he you know might throw something at city council you know I'm being very very honest the behavior of someone that's asking us for $650 million is ridiculous $300,000 fine for that how much would city council have to pay if we throw something on somebody going into and I didn't take a lot of phone calls for a reason my counselors can say my council members would say I'm pretty transparent so let me use my transparency right now I told somebody I thought about voting yes until I really took my time to do my homework and my research at what we were doing I got the packet I read through it and we got a graph and somebody can help me find out where that graph is cuz I know we have other intelligent degreed council members waiting to speak I'm looking for the graph that had 50% no 29% yes where is it at I want to speak about that as well there's a reason why I didn't answer my phone from I want to use my voice for my people for my community for white black Chinese Asian Hispanics lgbtq the folks that may never ever step in Panther stadium so we got a graph City website comment things so I'm trying to I'm going to short it in a minute I want to re read what I got here so if you look at it in the blue I don't know if you guys can see this very very small somebody got a picture of it I'll just speak on it I can put it on the screen well we can get it up on the screen that's fine that on the screen you would had to do I want the graph I want the graph up cuz I want to speak on the graph needed to do that earlier know how to do that I'm I'm not sure that we have the um the ability to put it up or we don't have it on now but I think if everyone has the opportunity to look at this um everybody got it in the packet but it's really for the people in the audience to see um so while we negotiate and you guys get all of the policy piece together and the legal piece for me it's the voice of the community it's the community engagement it's that young lady that stood up there and that's going to be starting a Civic engagement Community Committee and she want people to join those are the committies that I want to be a part of I want to be a part of a city council that has transparency that our our voters and our constituents know that when we're negotiating deals we're negotiating their best interest and I don't think we're doing that with this so on this graph I told you I went through 600 Pages it's not 600 pages but it's six 600 Comm be exact I went through every last one of it might have went over to 700 6 7503 and the majority of them was NOS but what I was told when I asked the question was we can't use this we can't use this there's no transparency in this how do we know that the person didn't vote more than one time how do we know that they don't live in the city of Charlotte but if we have information out on a website like this then why would we use it why would we allow them to com in if we can't control The Narrative of that this is very important information and at the top it says share your feedback on Bank of Meer Stadium upgrades proposal your input is appreciated so if your input is appreciated and we don't value it then we shouldn't put it out there we shouldn't put it out there that's that 700 pages right here 700 comments so on the graph then we got 50% oppos which was blue use funds elsewhere which we've already said that we could not 29% which is colored graph in Orange support approved using public funds and then there's a gray 5% ensur City protections so people don't care about the city being protected at all 10% designed the roof in new stadium 1% was a lighter blue improve on field performance first and then 5% of the traffic Equity timing in process whenever you talk about elected officials and people sitting in a seat that makes decisions for the 14th largest city in the United States of America you would want people at the Das to be able to communicate clearly to you what we're going to vote $650 million on I am one that cannot so I will not support it at this level I'm not saying that it's not an economic driver I'm not saying that it's not going to bring in jobs and resources we know that everybody love the Carolina Panthers I do been been been been following them since 1995 when the ray K incidents happened so tell me and sherica Adams said I don't know what's going on in the city of Charlotte in the Carolina Panthers because I do I remember that negative publicity that Ray Karu brought to our city so I've been following them since they started but what I want people to know is when you send me an email as your servant in this seat cuz it's not mine I'm sitting in the seat that's elected for the people by the people if I lose the seat it's because the people don't want me here anymore but I'm going to do the best that I can do standing in my truth trying to figure out what we can share on this deal I don't have enough information I don't feel comfortable moving forward with it at this level and from all the emails that I got not finished yet someone emailed me today they were a little upset about the speaking and I just wanted to bring that to um public there were some speakers that spoke I know that Grace and Scott both spoke and they spoke amazing twice and so this person that emailed me said that they vot their voices were being silenced and that's not fair okay if we're going to give people um opportunities to speak we have to let everybody speak we have to be sharing that same Common Ground so if they get to speak twice they was just here then we need to let other people speak so I have a problem with that per our phone discussion I receive um your online speaker signin form below requesting to speak this month however since you recently spoke on 42224 you will not be eligible to speak again until 722-24 or later to enable speakers an equal opportunity to address the city of Charlotte an individual may only speak at public forums once quarter for 90 days well we have Grace and we have Scott so that's certainly not true we got to clean that up we can't cannot do that to our constituents this was signed by Tama Ingram office manager Office of the city clerk so when my constituents email me and tell me that we've silenced their voice and they can't speak and then we have other people in here speaking that's a problem so I have this and I have a copy of it if anybody wants to see it so as I'm going to close because I know some people think I'm rambling and that's fine I think sometimes people get up to they ramble too okay I need to be able to speak for those that cannot speak I want to speak for those that need their voice elevated and that's why I'm here I have nothing to gain and everything to win if you want to know um I have some great things going on in my life okay so I really want to serve and be the best servant that I can be for the people that put me in this chair and in doing so I want to share that they said do we care about people that are being re criminalized do we care about people that are sleeping under the bridges do we care about people that cannot afford to live in this great City that's going to have this affluent stadium that has such a large attraction and people coming into it do we want to make sure that we're given the same economic opportunities for everybody in my district that's not happening our nation for Road on West Boulevard on Old Steel Creek if we go down and we go down in Colony Acres even if we go in Steel Creek if we look at the SK scales that are unbalanced I just want everybody to know that for my district the reason when you called me the reason when they called and I didn't answer is cuz I want to spill out for the people that care about me and put me in the seat I need to use this seat to elevate the voices of everybody from all Democrats okay of life not just black people yes they are heavily heavily oppressed and suppressed but not just them as I stated all nationalities with me serving in District 3 in order for me to look at this deal and make sure I can explain it if I can't explain it then I can't support it thank you thank you all right Miss Johnson oh you not going are you going around or well we are going to go around but miss Molina said let's go around to start with you and then we'll get to Mr Mitchell okay I was okay so I'm just going to just follow follow what my colleagues have said they they've brought up some great points um councilwoman Molina ashir and brown so thank you Molina has not Molina I'm sorry Mayfield Mayfield Mayfield as you're gonna be good okay so anyway them we've talked about economic impact and economic driver we've heard that I'm sure in the news dozens of times um there's a document that's cited and Mr juen who is a District 4 Leader reached out to me earlier and he also said it today he wasn't able to find that document although it is cited so it's possible that it was a consultant or something and it was emailed to teer or email to the city but it's not something that we've seen um so when you talk about transparent that is a concern so thank you for that question and there's also something that was said that we've been talking about this deal since January I think 22 I think one of the council members said but I can recall in 2019 when I was interviewed by The Observer a question about the stadium so unless the Observer uh you you guys had a huge scoop or you were psychic this is something that's been in the community for a long time and I say that because as been we've been discussing it long enough that the public should have been engaged well before a month ago when we talk about transparency we you've not seen the details because we don't have the details we're working from a term a snapshot of the terms so I have a question um for the attorney Mr Mr attorney you said that you weren't concerned conern you didn't have any concerns with the term sheet that and that because that's all we have but you can't foresee any concerns he would have for the contract because there's not there's not a contract is that correct there is a so so again we're baking these into legal documents um so you know there's again we want to make sure there was a meeting of the minds and that's part of the negotiating process I mean that's the the best that I can can answer uh is that that's just you know what we do when we're negotiating to try to get it uh boiled down to a legally enforceable document okay yeah but but this strategy there could be uh concerns or something that the City attorney wouldn't be accountable to the voters if something were to happen Mr taer um it was mentioned that he didn't go to the community he didn't come before Council personally so he's not the one that are accountable to the voters we are so I'm going to be supporting the substitute motion because it's our job to understand the details there's not an entrepreneur that would that would go into um any type of deal without knowing the contract there's none of us that would even buy a house without knowing what's in the contract you're not going to have a term statement and sign that type of contract for the the largest purchase that that you've ever made so I'm going to be supporting the substitute motion because right now we know the what but we don't know the how and the how those details are important um we've also heard uh trust but verify this is not a situation that you would trust but verify we need to see the the details because that's how you avoid the UN what is it un uh unintended consequences right because so many times they are foreseeable um I also wanted to say I love Charlotte also and I can say that I think I'm the the most recent transplant to the city so I definitely love the city I moved here because it's thriving we we can't argue that the Panthers do that they are an asset to this city however it's our responsibility as council members as leaders of this city to be good public stewards and in that we need to know what we are voting for and also we also have to consider um our priorities so um at this point I will be um supporting the substitute motion um and that's all I have to say thank you thank you Miss Johnson so we will thank you guys I know that's one way to stay awake up there okay um Mr Mitchell okay um thank you mayor and counsel and um I just do have a couple of questions I think my colleagues have raised and I think we need to be as transparent as we can with all the citizens who have provided questions to us so uh Teresa do you mind coming let's talk about the the financial and the payment there's a lot of question and I think the big one is do we write a check for 6 $50 million to one person so let's make sure uh we share with the public the payment schedule of our $650 million commitment sure so uh Teresa SMI CFO thank you for the question so the way this would work is very similar to the way that we Finance our other programs right so we would look at using four tranches or buckets of financing that would be based on the cash flow schedule so those would be shortterm draw notes like a construction period loan uh if you think of the way that you construct your house so as the work is done we would pay the vendors we would draw down from that short-term note as that was happening and then we would convert that short-term note to long-term debt and that long-term debt would align with the term of the non- relocation agreement with the Panthers so that we're not or with the tsse so that we're not financing anything longer than that non- relocation agreement so so we use the word tranes but I want the citizen to be able understand what we saying so we talking about a payment schedule so from 2024 to 2029 five years so are we making a payment per year no so again it it would actually go to the vendors as the work is happening right so the the tranches that we outlined in the presentation was was based on a cash flow estimate and as we've said that work would have to progress based around seasons and schedules so that looks more or less like 150 million as the first trunch okay 200 million as the second then another 200 million and then finally wrapping up with 100 million but again those would happen as the work is progressing so it would not all happen at once and it would definitely not be one single payment okay and so we talked about the tour uh the tourism bucket and I I see some of my uh HTA stakeholders here so thank you all for your work and lobbying and R as council member Graham mentioned but one concern we have we have another important project that's important to this community it's called the Eastland project so we want to make sure we have not exalted all our tourism fund so we cannot do Eastland so can you talk about the capacity we have remaining so so we can do other the things absolutely so um you all will remember in June of 23 you all approved a resolution that basically set aside the $20 million for the Eastland Redevelopment project so at the time that that happened we have reserved that capacity within the convention center fund so as we talk about additional projects that may come later that capacity is still held for Eastland okay okay thank you Teresa one reason I I would be supporting the motion on the floor is C of the mwsb participation and I think one thing out there for our minority women on business is make sure we know we are intentional about reaching this 27% Stephen U may do you mind if I talk I think you you said that you wanted to support the motion motion on the table is a substitute so so why don't you just go right into to the mwbe yes yes and yes Ste so stepen do you mind sir so is this appointing your motion I think this is very important because we talking about how do we change our community and it's a a great opportunity for us and 15 15% for MBE and 12% for wbe is how we change the lives of our small business so Stephen can you from your perspective how can we make sure we hit that aspiration goal 27% well the commitment that we received from city council uh the city manager's office the mayor uh everyone on the government side we have to receive that same level of commitment from uh TSC uh you know attorney Baker talked about takes two to tango talked about a meeting of the mine we went through the dance with tsse uh it was productive uh you see what uh showed up in these terms uh but of course the devil's in the detail and as you bake this and bake it into the contract that is really what's going to get us to uh you a good start then of course there has to be real collaborations there has to be uh communication between CBI maybe some of my uh colleagues in Economic Development General services we meet uh with them early on understand those uh most challenging scopes of work that we know there's limited availability however there is availability and then there's enough time to increase the availability so all of that's going to be important of course uh there's the reporting the compliance side of it we've uh asked that it be reported into our b2g uh system they've agreed to that at least uh at this point uh so we feel really uh solid about that but it'll take a lot of work uh my staff has rolled up their sleeves uh since we started having these communications and I am optimistic but again uh the devil's in the details and I'll be really excited when we get to the end and if that 27% is and I me doing the math $175 million I I'll be super excited okay than thank you Stephen Mary Council we got other colleagues let me just say brief a while um I'd be supporting the chair motion of moving forward and awarding 650 million for our tourism to what I call one of our greatest asset we have in this community and that is the Bank of America Stadium um and in fact part of our term we will get two additional days and talking to um M Coleman uh we talked about one of those days is HBCU football classic you all remember last year over 48,000 people attending the North Carolina Central and the A&T game and so there's a commitment in 2028 and 2029 we will have the opportunity to play that game in Bank of America Stadium then when I talk to Miss Taylor about how do we really provide opportunity for HBCU students and we talked about doing the sports management Academy we talked about really giving HBCU opportunity to learn on the management side and have Academy to understand Sports it's a tough decision for all of us but as one of the longest serving uh councilman I feel like I'm old as dirt down here sometime um we try to do what's best for Charlotte I think we you heard and my council members mentioned about some growing pain for real pain on our citizens and I hope our citizen realize we hadn't forgotten about you that's why we passed a very good Budget on June 10th so we can do more than one thing in that great City we can take care of those and offer better minimum wage we can spend $100 million on affordable housing we can talk about re-entry program that now we're going to spend additional $250,000 to do and we can help our tourism and make sure two of our professional teams not one but two our professional team play in a quality facility as we call um the bank of americ stadium so I hope after this what the side you on you remember you still live in the city of Charlotte and we're can continue to work together and move the city forward thank you mayor Miss Molina thank you Madame mayor um so um I I needed to to gather my thoughts I asked for a pass um so I I guess I'll start from the beginning in that I've had um the what I consider to be a blessing to serve with four men on the economic development committee uh some of our most outspoken members at that um and so from the beginning of hearing this proposal I I will admittedly tell you that there has been um additions I mean because our initial close session was really just kind of an overview of the prospect of the need and since then there's been continuous development around what this project would be and in any business negotiation and I and listen I represent East Charlotte District 5 in East Charlotte and and I want to be clear because someone recently um updated my my language in that you know we're a big city and I think that's a very important part of mentioning 9 nearly 177,000 people we are the 15th largest city in the last 12 months we've had 15,600 people move to the city of Charlotte that is a great sign what that means and will continue to mean is that we have a destination location that means that people see a benefit right now in being a member of our community and that and that's something that we have to protect um and not to minimize because I I I think back like my colleague the vice chairman of the economic development committee uh Mr James Mitchell and you're not old you're seasoned thank you thank you I take it I take it um said in in that um you know the Eastland project was one it I I came into one of the most difficult decisions of my career and I've done a lot I've done a lot of different very diverse things um and to come in and my first decision the first weight that I had to hold was the Eastland Mall formerly Eastland mall then now called Eastland Yards Project it was tremendous there was a tremendous amount of pressure um and with the unanimous support of my colleagues we were able to secure you know $30 million from this similar fund balance to uh hopefully bring home that project really soon that's what we're looking forward to um but but it was the I I have to admit also I mean in the same vein of talking about this particular project um coming off of that and then having to negotiate this I was salty at first y'all I wasn't I wasn't I wasn't open I mean to be completely transparent with you I was like well dang I wouldn't be in this if temper would have just stayed in East Charlotte right like I was a little upset uh to be honest with you and and it first very reserved and and seemingly closed because of it because my initial thoughts was does he even care about our community um but the responsibility that I hold in having the honor of holding this position is bringing both the voice of the people that I represent and let me be clear I was elected by the people of District 5 to be a voice towards making a Citywide decision that's what we're all here to do we bring a voice that otherwise wouldn't be heard to this Collective um had it not been for the people with foresight to create District members we wouldn't have diversity of voice the purpose of the District representative is for diversity of voice um to ensure sure that we have diverse representation across the city across economic demographics um and so with that said uh I represent a demographic that is very diverse one of the most diverse in the city um and this particular project represents American football and football soccer as we call them um and and in the area that I represent people are ecstatic about the game of soccer estatic um there's not many community members that I talked to that aren't estatic about the possibilities Copa Mundial coming here putting us on an international stage and so many other opportunities and and I have to weigh that I weigh that against you know like uh council member Brown said right when we get 600 or 700 community members that speak out of the 96,000 although that's a very very very small quantitative percentage of the human beings that we represent in the seat they still matter and and so not withstanding any of uh the percentages of of humans that we've heard from in this uh particular process but what we weigh in this particular um decision is the 54.3 million of economic impact the jobs um jobs are important to everyone in the city in order for us to maintain how we live and where we live and so we also we hold the ability to negotiate with the private sector so that they can create jobs for our community members um so I mean I can name a a a list of different things that you know uh would be good and would be concerning I mean I I I would be remiss to say that I didn't have any concern but I've also had an opportunity to hear um kind of the the Baseline of what this will be and I got some specific details if you'll allow me Madame mayor because I feel like the person who can bring this to light would be Tracy Dodson um I think it's important to bring her up because there's something that I've seen that I don't know that it's public but today's decision is an initial policy decision this isn't saying that the council will not have another touch point with the activity of what we are reviewing today um and so Tracy if you can help me there's a timeline that I'm aware of if you can explain that what exactly we're looking what's being proposed to us today and what that timeline looks like for the council moving forward and when we're anticipating coming back to this particular decision thank you council member Molina um actually the way that we have laid this out out you do have a second vote in the future you will vote on the financing um anticipated some point in this fall the way we did it with the Hornets is we told you we would bring you back the documents before you voted on the on the financing so that you had you had them in hand and you could review them and you could see what was the final negotiation of of the documents so from tonight vote on the terms we would then work with everybody to exe or create the documents ready for execution and then you would vote on the financing of it in the fall from there uh Matt and Teresa go to work um and working with the LGC and getting ready for the state approvals that would be required to then potentially unlock the financing somewhere in the first quarter of next year okay and and that's good and so stay right there because there with with that being said I know that um there was some language that I had a question about because someone actually brought it to my attention so I asked you so another thing about this particular position is a lot of the times a lot of what we do um if there's a question brought to us we may not get right back to you an email but if someone sends me a question or they reach out to me and they ask me something I'll go to the source knock on your door I'll call you I'll send you an email hey can you can you help me answer this I got someone asking and so someone asked me about the traffic management um that's in this language um about the city will pay up to 1 million annually to assist with traffic can you can you explain that is that 1 million additional dollars or so I'm glad you picked up on that because that is one point um that has changed since we were in front of you with the deal last time there's actually two deal points and council member Graham hit him when he went over the deal points um we have when initially when we presented we did present that uh we would pay half a million a year in traffic management this is an increase increase from the current 250,000 that we currently pay as a part of the 2013 agreement so we were we were uh proposing to increase by 250,000 annually that was as we stated in presentations that was because of the increase from about 10 events a year to more than almost 40 events a year so we felt like that was that was warranted um two things that have changed is one we have increased that amount to up to a million a year however at the same time temper sports and entertainment is now also paying a half a million a year in rent for the city facilities that we're investing in on on the in the building so we're not it's not a new additional Financial commitment from if you look at the bottom line of of money it's not a new Financial addition to what we have presented in the past the additional 250 is on top of the 650 the 650 was for the construction years and it's specific to improvements on in the building and on the site and then the additional 250 a year for the traffic management was in addition to that on an annual basis going forward okay and one last piece um can you tell me when you say traffic management who who is the beneficiary who what how does that happen well the the payment that we're talking about essentially is not going to tsse and that's a great point to to acknowledge it's going to um a third party entity that we have with cmpd that pays the off-duty officers and so essentially that's where our funds would go to then pay the off-duty officers for time and management of the events okay that's I appreciate that point so um so just to be clear just to restate we will return to vote on the financing piece is that correct correct that is in fall and today we're voting on what again on the terms the terms of the potential agreement as stated and as our attorney said once there's terms agreed to then you start legal negotiations yes putting it into a legal document yes okay and we would then review that in coordination with the finance agreements so these things so and again I think and I've had conversation at nauseum with our attorney as well um just to be clear about that to understand from a procedural perspective like what does this mean right because it is important for us make it make it very clear that I think there's no one at this day who is not interested in protecting the interest of our community and our taxpayer I don't think anybody here I feel very confident that no one here wants to um um mess that up or have there be an issue or have there be something that we regret doing right and so um I think many of us have done what we feel like is our level of due diligence I in particular the way that I've done that and I'd like to be completely transparent is I've spoken to particular stakeholders I've spoken to the tsse team I've spoken to jool Lau at nauseum because he's going to be my best friend after this uh I've spoken to you know our economic development director and their team and our city manager and my colleagues on the economic development committee to make sure that with what is available to us right now and still not negotiate it am I comfortable enough right now to say these terms I'm comfortable enough to move forward with and for me that answer is yes 27% mwsb means that there are 27% of our community that's going to experience economic impact that can change their fam's lives and that means a lot that means a lot in the largest potential deal in our City's history for them to have access to projects that can change the trajectory of their lives and their children's lives I'm excited about that I'm excited about some of the recent negotiations that have been put in the RCA to say that we would bring the HBCU classic and y'all know that was James Mitchell um all day every day who brought that in um to to say that our HBCU could benefit from the impact of this decision as well and so there there are some of the benefits that I'm not saying I I will not say that they are outweighing some of what we've heard from the people that go to work and and I have to iterate you know it uh sometimes we seem because we sit in these seats that we're so disconnected from the everyday lives but we we have families all of us we all navigate the realities of being a charlatan with our own different you know and varied situations and and we feel some of the same things that's that's the beauty of it all and so um none of that is loss um but that's my reasoning and I want I like I I explain like I I had someone say if you can explain it to a third grader that means everyone understand so I like to get as granular and as simple as I possibly can to make sure I don't lose anybody in my explanations so I hope I've been as thorough as I possibly can and where I am and what my why is I'm sure I'm going to hear from people for and against that but that's where I sit and thank you Madame mayor for allowing me the time thank you Miss Molina all right so now we'll start with Mr barari and then we Mr Driggs and then we would have all have spoken and we'll okay and then the mayor protim sorry she said no oh my gosh and then the mayor protim and then we will um then we will take a vote on the motion as well as the am thank you Mr barari uh good evening this was a very difficult process and decision for me personally because I've been a strong believer that publicly funded stadiums have notoriously been bad deals for taxpayers this doesn't have to be the case but it's not easy to break the cycle we've seen historically across the country that is the case there aren't many conservatives I might add that are elected officials left here in Charlotte but as your neighbors we make up 20% of this community and you should know we take these decisions very seriously and we set a very high bar for even considering topics like this that's why I and many of my colleagues here proactively had working sessions in Tracy dodson's office to get access to and perform diligence on all documentation that has been crafted and negotiated over the last many months specifically including the negotiated and Redline contracts that have been crafted by our legal and business teams together and in its current state has zero unresolved issues in the red lines from our legal department which align to the deal points in front of us all now I'm thankful to my colleagues who cared enough to take advantage of this option to have a meeting of the minds that was open to us all the way I think about this deal in its simplest terms is to picture it as three phases the foundation is number one from 2018 to today tsse has invested 125 million and expanded the economic impact of the stadium from 600 million to 1.2 billion and annually second is the expansion phase as we now embark on phase two for the next 5 years the city will invest 650 million on a specific and defined list of assets while tsse invests 150 million and that's all followed by the third phase from 2029 to 2045 which I'm just referring to as completion and growth where tsse will invest $421 million on three things and they will invest all of that money based on the contract that's been negotiated building things they didn't get to in phase two maintaining things that they did get to and operations I've articulated my desire to see a spirit of additional waiting placed on capex opposed to Opex in that Final Phase but that is the art of the deal that has to occur still I have also requested in the final phases of this contract execution that we ensure that overtime pay is competitive with peer cities for cmpd and our First Responders that we ensure those officers required to serve on versus Off Duty due to staff a shortages in the department be paid at off duty rates and ensure those payments be made in a timely manner to the department for smoother budget processing so the question that's left for anyone watching still at this point is how do you know if this deal is good or not $ 54.3 million in taxes will be generated Ann in the MSA here which means that we will have an 11.9 year payback period additionally I as a person deeply skeptical of this type of modeling by Nature believe we have made a forecast that can be trusted the study that was done was done based on 2023 actuals not forecasting we've also performed comparative analysis on these forecasts alongside two other major league team stadiums as an additional mechanism to ensure numbers we can count on in addition that payback period there are four quick reasons that have helped me come to the conclusion that this is the best Stadium deal in the United States over the last 15 years one we're going to see an explosion of economic impact over the next two decades in uptown and this will be a major driver I'll give you an example the US performance center has been working in real time right now to recruit the world military games to Charlotte in 2027 and I've have already gotten word the potential of these investments in our stadium is very compelling to them as they sit on the one yard line of this decision that win would tee us up to win the 2031 PanAm games which would then position us for the 2040 Olympics in Charlotte I am fully convinced TSC is viewing the stadium not only as a great place to watch a game but a massively powerful economic tool for our city second we are not going to make future investments in capex or operating expenses our money is one time giving confidence to taxpayers they know the true cost and commitment they will be signed up for three tsc's commitment to maintain the facility ensures the stadium will remain in good working order which is also an important factor ensuring the team stays in Charlotte and then four having the defined and agreed upon injunctive relief we have agreed upon in this contract without set liquidated damages allows us the ability to go after amounts that would be more in line with future values equal to today's 650 million if the team it to attempt to leave so I'll just say it simply we will recoup our $650 million entirely and be in a profitable situation starting in year 12 the team almost certainly would not be able to leave here in addition to this Ironclad contract I've been assured by people I trust this won't happen and if in an unlikely scenario they do leave we will be able to recoup our entire investment in addition to the ROI from tax revenues so I'm going to vote for it and there is absolutely no reason for us to vote for this substitute motion on the table the work has been done and those who haven't seen it chose that path I have an RCA here on my phone dated 422 2013 that says in action B authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute reference agreements in conformance with the above business terms before Patrick Baker's time here this was our standard protocol um this has been a consist IST president of how we've done all of our deals here in Charlotte thank you thank you all right Mr DRS that was emphatic um so uh first of all I'd like to express my appreciation to tsse for their willingness to make this very large investment in Charlotte uh it's a big commitment I'd also like to welcome members of the team who are here nice to see you tonight I hope you're enjoying the conversation um I am in support uh I'm am strongly in support I've been involved in conversations about this I've looked at a lot of the terms that we're talking about tonight and studied them and I've asked myself what's missing uh is there anything missing that could come back to hurt us I've had conversations with the city attorney about that and I think at the level at which the council should consider these things uh our bases are covered there's a lot of stuff that has been referred to here how many apprenticeships or how do we know this is and and that's not Central to the decision that we have to make tonight we have to make a big picture decision a major one uh I will say that I am in support but I I confess it might be easier for me to just say no frankly because it is controversial uh this is a tough one and frankly uh the comfortable thing might just be to say no and I'm sure there are people here who would appreciate it if I did um the opposition to any Public Funding in one of these deals is a major factor there are a lot of people out there who think we should just there should be no public money for sports teams and um I I agree that uh the economic impact analysis is kind of hard to interpret like I'm not betting a lot on that number I do think that if you invest $1.3 billion in our economy you're probably going to see a result right uh but uh there are studies that have been alluded to by economists who say there is no economic benefit to these teams and that interests me actually I I'm trained as an economist myself and if I performed a study that found that there was no benefit to these Investments and I then considered that the great majority of large American cities have NFL teams and partner with their owners with large amounts of money my inclination as a as a scholar would be to go back and question my methodology it's like the the observable facts do not align with that particular theoretical exercise so uh um I'm I'm scanning my notes Here bear with me uh I I will also admit that um we have to be candid there are concerns about Mr terer uh about his wealth the power that comes with his wealth his ability to do what he wants and publicity about some past events I'm not going to get into those I just want to emphasize a couple of things uh for one he personally invested $2.5 billion dollars of his own money to bring a major league sports franchise to us to Charlotte and to become the owner of another major league sports franchise here in town that's a lot of money it's a big investment it's a big commitment to our city um he has also invested $117 million in the stadium without the benefit of the agreement we're talking about tonight he just put that money out there and is waiting for us to back him up because he wanted to get moving uh he and Nicole by the way have been good citizens and have invested millions in charitable causes here in the city and the media is not as interested in covering that um so when I look at the deal I take a kind of big picture view of it we put in 650 million no more uh the team puts in $688 million including the 117 that they've already spent they are further committed for 150 million to cover early investment and cost overruns but they're also liable if the cost overruns exceed the amount that is covered by that um I also consider some of what I've heard tonight about less fortunate people in our community and how they're somehow excluded uh from this transaction because they can't afford the tickets or whatever uh 27% mwsb I've never seen a number like that that's a hundred million hundreds of millions of dollars that are going to be spent with small minority owned businesses I also look at uh many of the jobs that are created for the work that will be done at the stadium will go to lower income people who will be grateful to have that employment there are further jobs that will be created in the hospitality industry and many of those are also for the benefit of lower income people who will be grateful for that uho uh employment so uh the stadium will be activated I'm not going to recite a lot of what you've already heard about the advantages um but there there are a lot of advantages it's an exciting prospect it's an opportunity for us to kind of step back and think about the vision that we have for our city and that centerpiece there that stadium and everything that happens there I did look also at deals in other cities andc comparables so uh as it turns out discussing this with Mr Abrams it's a little hard to make an apples with apples comparison but other cities have done I can tell you that there are many of them that are very large numbers and uh it's worth noting also uh Charlotte is the 22nd largest MSA in the country of the other 218 have NFL teams two of the three te cities that don't have NFL teams are San Diego and uh St Louis who had them and lost them because the city wasn't willing could was not able to come together with the owners of the team on a vision for the facility and the future and other cities showed them more interest than they moved you know and that's what could happen to us if we don't take advantage of a great opportunity that we have with this transaction I'll note also it's a 15-year deal why is it only 15-year deal because the stadium does not have a more than that much life left it's a 30-year old stadium by the time it gets to be 50 years old you don't want to be in the middle of a contract you want to acknowledge that as the stadium nears the end of its useful life you're going to have to talk about what comes next but we are not committing anything we have declared that we will start to talk about it we're not going to start to talk about it before a certain year and we'll see other people will see I don't expect expect to be here probably anywhere by then but uh other people can decide then what the city should do you know do we buy a new stadium do we feel do we look back and say hey our last investment was not very successful so let's just let creates uh very big headaches for the team and the schedule that they are on for their benefit and ours to try and get the work done that's contemplated by this agreement so if we consider not doing it tonight or or if we consider requiring another check-in that basically devalues the commitment that we make tonight and we should ask ourselves if we're considering that do we really need it is it is it worth it are there things that we don't know about yet that actually require that we come back you know are we going to come back and vote on the apprenticeships or uh on on some of these details and my attitude has been in this situation uh and and I will confess freely by the way I'm very much in step with a number of people here who have objected to kind of the process and and how this came to us and the timeline I get that but at the same time I'm just focused on this big picture uh so if I see something in the terms or in my conversations with the city attorney that tells me no uh I cannot leave that question unanswered I can't leave it to the the lawyer that the City attorney or the manager to work that out I need to work that out I don't see it I I see enough here for us to feel confident that we are looking at an opportunity and that we should not get sidetracked by process problems or issues that that are not fully worked out uh and therefore that we should be uh that we should be willing to move ahead tonight and um and be grateful frankly that we have the opportunity to to get two SPS franchises and everything else that comes with this based on an investment that will not exceed the 650 thank you thank you mayor protim thank you Madame mayor uh this has been a really great conversation and it's a culmination really of months and months and months of work as a council we've had 15 individual touch points on this deal um beginning as Mr had laid out um at our strategy session in 23 I am a Charlotte native born and raised and I can actually remember when we didn't have a uh NFL team and certainly not an MLS team and I've said before I I had to to be a fan of the Steelers because we there were no there were no Panthers but I can certainly tell you that the way Charlotte looks and feels now compared to when I was young and there was no sports teams to Rally around there was there was no Spirit of unity it looks incredibly different right so Sports unite people football soccer sports are really the great equalizer where no matter what your background is whether it's soci economic or diverse perspectives you can come together as a team and collectively work to win and to be better and that resonates not only with the Panthers and not only with our soccer team but it resonates with our residents that's what unites the residents with the sport people get excited even even people who've never been to the stadium before will listen on the radio will be checking underneath their table while they're at dinner with with their family what's the update what's the update it's the it's the unification of sport um that is incredible and we're the we're the 14th largest city in the country I'm looking at numbers that talk about economic impact just with the Panthers $76 million so then so then TSA goes and invests in a soccer team that has an impact of $234 million and then adds more activities to the stadium over 40 nights a a year there's activity at the stadium that generates $169 million and this is for jobs it's for our hospitality industry it's for our young people who want to have something to believe in it is incredible to have sport at this level that we have it in Charlotte it's a privilege if you don't believe me go ask some Oakland residents who managed to lose three professional sports teams in a very finite amount of time because of an inability to get a decision around investment I have always said that growth is really and truly a privilege and charlot has been growing over the last decades but we're at a particular moment a time in our growth where it has to be managed and we have to make strategic decisions we have to be able to invest in ourselves I think investing $650 million from our Hospitality fund that will just automatically generate more dollars more Revenue more insight more visibility to Charlotte on a national and international stage is a good deal for what we're getting we need to make sure that the stadium remains a destinational asset that it can not only sustain the 42 events that that goes on but potentially double it increase it by 50% it's more jobs for our community and so I will absolutely be supporting this I think um you know when you look at deals around the country and we've been working on this for a long time so we've had the opportunity to work with outside counsil to work with ins side Council to look at deals that have been done for new builds and Renovations I think if you look at our our deal that we have in front of us that has $650 million capped that does have it does not have any additional tax to our residents but rather using dollars that are earmarked for this specific uh activity we have one of the best deals in the country I i' I'd ask anyone to go out and find another deal that's similar to this or better to this for a renovation with the understanding that investment will continue in the out years so past 29 the $421 million will continue to make the stadium a destinational asset so we can continue to attract these events and by the way the work is is going to be done while the Eon the economic activity continues so it's not like the doors are going to be closed and all of a sudden the city will be hurting for 6 months or nine months because there won't be activity tsse is going to continue to do the upgrades as they're continuing to operate which is e even more stress on them so kudos to them for doing that I also just want to say I think this evening we had some conversation around an individual and this this conversation this deal is not about an individual it is about the city of Charlotte and how she will grow and how we as stewards of her growth will make the best decisions possible to ensure that her residents that the economy that the environment will not only continue to to grow and Thrive but it will be a welcome welcoming environment where we'll continue to have people who want to come and visit us want to come and take up Charlotte as its residents so this is about the city of Charlotte's future it's not about an individual and with that being said I am happy Madame mayor to support the work and the effort that the economic development committee has done they they've made me a ex officio member which has been great because I've been able to work with them on on on these deals and I'm H I'm very proud of what we have in front of us I think other cities will will look at what we have and work to get a similar deals that we've operated on over the last several months thank you madam mayor okay so every council member has had a chance to speak and on this issue we have a substitute motion Madam clerk would you read The Substitute motion as um provided by Miss ashme yes ma'am based on council's insight to authorize the city manager and City attorney to negotiate agreements between tsse and city of Charlotte for Bank of America Stadium improvements and bring those details back to the council prior to approval all right so I think um and we've all had a chance execution I'm sorry for execution okay so we all have had the conversation all in favor of the substitute motion please raise your hand that's one two three anyone opposed um one two three four five six the clerk has got that all right the second item what that's Miss Mayfield would you read the requested Amendment for Miss Mayfield from Miss Mayfield we just have a motion on table mayor state it she wanted to have it so never moved forward May because we did not move forward and you're okay with that I didn't say that but y'all jump around we all okay with okay we're all okay with it I didn't say that either that's T just making a comment okay so so when I asked about Clarity on my Amendment and asked if I needed to have a second on it that's remove the conversation around so uh attorney without a second yeah with so a motion to then would require a second that's what I thought at the time that I did it so clerk Kelly did you capture no ma'am that's what I thought you know what it looks like there six it don't even whether I vote Yes or No I have concerns but I will say I appreciate I thank you clarified for me the questions that I had so thank you Mr attorney well thank you so now that means we have the main motion on the floor can we read that again Madam clerk yes ma'am me go back up to wouldn't it be to approve action a that was already mot but I wanted we've been talking a lot about transparency and making sure and besides I want to make sure the media knows what we're doing and so if we look at this I mean I'm glad to go ahead and reread it again if I can find where it is thank you very much all right so the action the the primary motion was authorize the city manager is designed to negotiate ex and execute agreements between Panther football LLC pfl DT soccer LLC DTS and Panther Stadium LLC collectively referred to as teer sports and entertainment and the City of Charlotte in an amount not to exceed $650 million for the Bank of America state improvements and a new Fieldhouse to include terms listed below and those terms are represented on the agenda so um we have a motion all in favor Madam mayor if you read it we we should probably hear Part B too okay we should to Part B Part B is to adopt a budget ordinance appropriating $650 million from proceeds of debt in the convention center Capital fund for Bank of America's Stadium improvements and a new Fieldhouse all right it came out of a recommendation with the economic development committee and um do we have we have a motion on the floor now and I have a question yes Miss air yes so I have a question for Miss Dodson I know Miss D Dodson talked about a second vote on finan I'm sorry I'm sorry Miss asir I thought that you just wanted to comment on the motion but I think when we had because this is my question is on I understand but we have a rule that we took everybody around and that was on the substitute motion my question I guess point of clarification Mr attorney my question is on the original motion on the second vote so can I ask that I I unless the has the question been called yes because everyone everyone has that was on the substitute motion it's beening on the primary motion as well we started off in that way and then we had the substitute motion from you but we also had the motion already didn't pass so let me make sure that I'm saying this correctly we had a motion and miss and then it went to Miss Mayfield and then it came to you and you said a substitute motion that's right so I commented on the substitute motion now that you're going back I think that this is what the question we have the the rules of procedure that we have Mr Baker everyone has spoken then I have the ability to say we have had everyone speak on the issue now can I ask Mr Baker my question M Mr bukari I'm not talking to you with all due respect you do not have the floor exactly God so if you do not want to listen you can leave the room Mr Baker my question to you is can I ask a question on my on the original motion because we were discussing a substitute motion and that's why I did not ask my question so the the question Al timately As I understood it was that you were talking about both um so if the question has been called and let me be clear about this if the question has been called then a vote has to occur to call the question and that vote requires 2/3 uh vote to call the question so seven of you will would have to vote to call the question and then you would vote does that you want me to repeat that yes cuz that made no sense mayor set the rules Mr B so I I'll I'll read exactly what's in there call the previous question the motion is not in order until all council members who have indicated a desire to be recognized have had the opportunity to speak once which as I understand it has occurred this now requires so so someone will have to make a second to call the previous question and requires a two3 vote and is not debatable second so so there needs to be so there's now been a second and 2third of speak 10 requires seven of the 10 of you uh to do this so in order to do that do I have to ask a question so then they can they understand what my question is I I I understand that but that you've already gone around once and and if seven people vote to call the question then you then you're going to go ahead and vote if yeah we haven't done that the question hasn't been called I I don't want you to feel like being M motion was made in second I think that we're not trying to silence anyone in this Con we are trying to follow the rules of procedure so that they can be repeated in other situations that we have like this and so I think Mr Baker is really just saying this is where we would have to vote to say yes or no to an additional comment is correct and that's what we need to follow so let's just raise our hand and vote on that case so Madame mayor for clarification please with all due respect she wants to pose a question and we have to get a second which I did because and vote on that it's because it was already because we've already approved the motion of the discussion that we had so when we just took that last vote that would be like opening it up again if that's and that we can't just open up anything every time because we'd be here forever okay so I think that what we're trying to do is make sure that we're following the procedures yes ma'am okay so just point of clarity are you saying we were discussing two motions at the same time I believe that's correct that's what I understood you all were doing around the die so that everyone could get their comments about what had been disc an active motion on the floor we were discussing that motion was denied so now normally we would have the opportunity to discuss the original motion but we had Miss for example Miss Johnson you've supported the substitute motion Mr Mitchell supported the primary motion so we did have that discussion of both motions at the same time everyone had a place that they chose to take position on and I think that's what's really the gist of this for M May point of clarity though I want to know how can we discuss two motions at one time you exactly because don't make sense to me at all I'm sorry I just want to know because people as you were making your decisions and and expressing your intent you said that you would be able to support or not support and we had two open motions at one time when we discuss support or opposed actually Mr Graham and Miss Mayfield did not even get to comment on my motion because I made a motion much later in the process Mr Baker I you know I know that this is very important to some folks and I don't want us to be in a situation where we feel like we didn't understand each other so I'm going to go ahead and say Miss azir I don't know that we can have a question from the staff but from the attorney and then we will um consider the the motion's closed okay so do you have a question for the attorney um I'm you wanted to ask Trac her question she saying so maybe well then I'll just ask question to Mr Baker well I know that on the original motion there is going to be a second vote on financing yes uh which Miss D dson had mentioned so by the time of that vote will the contracts already be executed and if they're already executed then would the city be in breach of the contract if it did not approve then fin then if it didn't app then approve the financing this fall so in in another in other words is this financing vote going to be a meaningful opportunity to revisit the contract it would not be a meaningful Vis uh opportunity to revisit the contract in large part because the contract would if it if we successfully negotiate the contract uh it's going to be financed by the vote that's coming to you and Miss Dodson or um Teresa I'm getting way into your territory here but that's what's coming back is to fund the financing obligation that's in the contract cont if you recall Mr Mitchell Mr Graham said that we would be doing this because we would have the ability to have the policy document we now have a policy that we're going to work I got it through this thank you all right mad thank you for your courtesy now we can we got one mayor on this di thank you thank you thank you so um we've gotten both motions everybody is okay where they stck all right we're working on the overarching contract would you like for me to call call the question yes let's call the question I like to call the question please mayor and counsel I'm not aware so you have the question that are moving I want to make sure Madam clerk he I can't hear Madam clerk um we have the motion read into the minutes and now we're going to call the question all in favor of the motion please raise your hands the oral talking this the original motion correct me the original motion yes so it's one two three four five six seven okay motion sorry what the one one Miss Mayfield okay you want to do it again so including Miss Mayfield now we have 1 2 3 4 we have the right number the mayor how many Miss Mayfield Mr barari Mr DS Mr Graham Miss Anderson and Miss Molina and Mr Mitchell are our F in support of the motion all all right all opposed all right I got two hands up well okay that's all well and good one vote I know I want to make sure people get it so we have a motion and we have a few other items on theend agenda [Music] actually all right Madam clerk we have the Madam clerk thank you all for Nicholas thank you madam clerk we have a review of the um recommendations for committees tonight we have items 12 it okay item 12 took about 73 what was item 12 oh business th water th water okay I [Applause] don't they got what they wanted they always do all right here we go all right Council we have um agenda item number 12 storm water refunding revenue bonds adopted Bond Adam item a action a adopt a bond order move for approve of a b and c second we have a motion and a second any further discussion this is on page it's item 12 agenda item 12 storm water refunding bonds this is basically a technical issue with our finan I just want to look at it before I we got a second already before yes we have a second shuffling scooting tell me when you're prepared yes ma'am give me just one second Madam mayor thank you thank you for your patience all right go ahead proceed all right so all in favor of the motion as stated actions a b and c under storm water refunding revenue bonds please raise your hands all right is that's unanimous all right the next item is item 13 14 that's 12 item 13 it is a bio gas renewable natural gas station adopt a resolution authorizing the sale of unconditioned biog gas recovered from the wastewater treatment process thank you I'm second any discussion on this one this is from the water department this is from um Charlotte water any questions any comments all ready to raise your hands all in favor please raise your hands sure anyone opposed all right thank you the next item is item 14 um Department of energies efficiency and conservation block grant and we're getting a budget ordinance for 700 talk about that today all right so we have a motion and a second any discussion all in favor please raise your hands all right anyone opposed all right thank you the next item is item 15 actions related to City owned property for the evoke living Valentine multif family affordable housing development this is an enan financing position not anything that we're doing with our money for approve of a b and c second all right we have a motion and a second and any questions all in favor please raise your hand anyone opposed all right the next item is appointments to the Charlotte Regional visitors Authority mayor I will um would like to share that Keith Haywood has been U appointed all right how many votes did he Mr Haywood has been appointed to ke congratulations Kei okay so um there's there's not a I have there's a zoning item for us that's compact residential development text Amendment this is render a decision on petition 2024 67 to amend the unified development ordinance the public hearing was on hell on June 17th the purpose of this amendment is to add new compact residential development option to neighbor one zoning districts um to allow for smaller lot sizes and setbacks requiring more open space I think Miss azmir champion at some point so do we have a motion to render the decision on the unified development ordinance so moved you have a motion and a second any further discussion hearing none all in favor I I just wanted I just you want to comment to that yes thank you madam mayor I I just wanted to thank Allison this is in direct response to addressing community's needs so thank you uh one thing I hear about Allison in out in the community whether people agree with her or not that she makes herself available and she's accessible uh so even when there are times where you disagree with people they appreciate that you at least answer their call and answer their emails and that you make time to meet with them so I just wanted to say that out loud thank you all right thank you very much um we've all in favor we've already adopted the motion so all in favor the motion please raise your hand for the development ordinance anyone opposed all right thank you I do believe at this point in time that we are adjourned see really see you guys I'm sure some other as you take your time away I hope everyone enjoys it refreshes I think who as Ed said when we come back let's come back ready to keep it rolling all right thank you everyone good night night [Music] [Music] he e