In addition to passing a $321 million city budget last week and approving Mayor Mitch Colvin’s plans to build a 300-unit apartment complex, the Fayetteville City Council on June 24 approved several other items of note:
- The council voted 10-0 to provide legal representation to two police officers, Sergeant Timothy Rugg and Officer Zacharius Borom, in a lawsuit against them stemming from the fatal shooting in July 2022 of Jada Johnson.
- In light of that shooting, the council voted 7-3 in favor of a request by Councilman Mario Benavente to establish a sentinel event review process. A system would be set up to review police use-of-force incidents with the goal of improving police practices without placing blame “or to create additional situations where folks are harangued,” Benavente said.
- There was a unanimous vote to change the paid parking hours downtown to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from the previous 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The new hours took effect Monday, July 1.
- The council voted unanimously to annex and rezone the Bobcat of Fayetteville dealership on Angelia M Street off U.S. 24 and Whitehead Road east of the Cape Fear River. The owner wants to connect to city water and sewer to expand with a new sales and service building, engineer Gordon Rose told the city council. The property is 3.5 acres.
On the sentinel review process, Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members Benavente, Deno Hondros, Lynne Greene, Malik Davis, Courtner Banks-McLaughlin and Brenda McNair voted in favor. Council members Kathy Keefe Jensen, D.J. Haire and Derrick Thompson voted against the idea.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
