 as I read the proclamation, and then when I've done, I'll just turn it over to you all. Okay, and then we'll be in time when you can do it. Okay, all right. Okay. Not a mayor approach, let me get my seat. That's fine. I'll just, I'll just sit here. So when he calls it, I got these extra copies. I'll just give that to you. You can give it to the clerk right here. She's the clerk. This is angry, right? Thank you. It's all straight. Good evening. We like to call the Durham City Council meeting the daughter at 7 o'clock PM on January the 4th, and certainly want to wish all of you a happy new year and pleased to have you here this evening. We probably have a pretty short agenda, but what I like to do is take a moment of solemn meditation, please. Thank you. I'll ask Councilman Davis, who would lead us in the pledge. Madam Clerk, would you call the roll, please? Mayor Bell. Present. Mayor Pro Tem Cole McFadden. Councilmember Davis. Councilmember Johnson. Councilmember Moffitt. Councilmember Rees. And Councilmember Schul. We have two proclamations this evening, and I'm going to ask first if Councilman Davis would introduce first. Thank you, Mayor Bell. I'd like to ask if we could have the representatives from the Benjamin and Edith Spaulding Descendants Foundation and any representative from the George White Bar Association and any representative from the Durham City Workers Association if you would come and stand with me. This is a proclamation recognizing George H. White Remembrance Day. Whereas Durham and Duke University will be the site of the 115th anniversary banquet of George Henry White's famous farewell to Congress speech on January 29th, 2016 at the Searle Conference Center on the Duke campus with Congressman G.K. Butterfield as the keynote speaker. And whereas this banquet will be sponsored by the Phoenix Historical Society, the Benjamin and Edith Spaulding Descendants Foundation, the George Henry White Bar Association and the North Carolina Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Masons which is headquartered in Durham and other partners. And whereas the North Carolina NAACP has its state headquarters in Durham and the George White and George Henry White was a founding member of the Philadelphia Pennsylvania branch of the NAACP. And whereas George Henry White served in the North Carolina House of Representatives as a member of the North Carolina State Senate, but most famously represented the second congressional district of North Carolina in the United States Congress. And whereas George Henry White was born in 1852 in Bladen County, North Carolina before the emancipation of the enslaved community. And whereas he attended the Rehoboth Freedman School before matriculating at Howard University in Washington, D.C. And whereas George Henry White worked as a teacher and principal in Newburn before studying for and passing the North Carolina Bar Exam and becoming a lawyer in 1879. And whereas George Henry White later became a state legislator, a state solicitor, the grand master of the North Carolina Prince Hall Masons, he ultimately was elected to and was sworn into the 55th United States Congress in 1897. As a representative, as a U.S. representative, he appealed to his congressional colleagues for federal assistance for the African-American victims of the 1898 Wilmington massacre and sponsored anti-legion legislation. And whereas due to the institution of racially restrictive state laws, state constitutional amendments, and the United States Supreme Court rulings including Plessy versus Ferguson, George Henry White became the single remaining African-American member of Congress at the end of the 55th session of the United States Congress in 1901. And whereas during his final floor speech at the final speech on the floor of the United States House of Representatives on January 29th, 1901, George Henry White gave his famous farewell address in which he declared that though he was departing, the African-American would rise up like the mythical Phoenix bird and serve again in the United States Congress. And whereas the city of Durham, North Carolina, commemorates and remembers the life, legacy, and the 115th anniversary of the 1901 Phoenix speech of George Henry White. Now therefore, William V. Beal Bale, Mayor of the city of Durham, North Carolina, does hear by proclaim Friday, January 29th, 2016, to be George Henry White Day in Durham. And he encourages all citizens to recognize and remember the accomplishments of this great and historic man. Witness Mayor Beal's hand and the corporate seal of the city of Durham, North Carolina on this day, on this fourth day of January, 2016. And it's signed by William V. Beal Bale. And here is the proclamation as read and I will turn the podium over to Mr. Spauldin. Thank you, Council Member Davis for sponsoring this proclamation on behalf of the organizations that I represent. I have a short testimony I would like to read that is presently being passed out to the mayor and other members of the council at this time. Mayor Beal and the members of the city council, my name is Vincent Spaulding and I'm the past president and the current chief operating officer of the Benjamin Union Spaulding Descendants Foundation, which was established for educational, literary and charitable purposes among other functions. Tonight, I'm here to speak in support of honoring George Henry White while establishing a George Henry White day in Durham in order to recognize the 115th anniversary of his farewell speech to the US Congress January 29th, 2001. My organization is among six other organizations located mostly in the United States in North Carolina who have come together to take action to promote the life and accomplishments of the United States Congress and George Henry White. Other organizations in addition to the organization I represent are the Phoenix Historical Society of Talboro, North Carolina, the George Henry White Bar Association of Durham, North Carolina, the North Carolina Grand Lodge of Prince Hall, Masons, Concerned Citizens of Whitesboro, New Jersey, the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church of Newborn, North Carolina and Living Descendants of George Henry White in North Carolina and Durham. In addition to these representatives, these organizations have come together to use the combined prestige of their organization to uplift the name and legacy of George Henry White. In George Henry White's farewell speech to the Congress in 1901, he was a sole voice in Congress for some 10 million Afro-Americans. In the opinion of many congressmen, Congressman White's farewell to Congress speech is as significant as the American, in American history is Reverend Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech over 62 years ago. White's farewell to Congress speech includes the best summary of the progress of African-Americans achieved in 35 years. At that time, since slavery and detail the fraud and violence of white supremacy who disenfranchised Afro-Americans across the South by 1900. His final and prophetic word that Phoenix like he, the Negro, would rise up someday and come again were fulfilled by Dr. King in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Congressman White was the highest-ranking Afro-American elected official in the United States when he served in Congress in his courageous advocacy for the equal rights of all citizens has not yet received recognition in the mainstream of American history. A testimony is a flyer that provides an overview of the banquet we are sponsoring at the Duke University Serial Conference Center on January 29, 2016 to celebrate and mark the 115th anniversary of George Henry White's farewell dress to the U.S. Congress. I sincerely hope that the members of the Durham City Council will vote to pass a resolution establishing the George Henry White Day and Derm on January 29, 2016 in connection with the 115th anniversary of George Henry White's farewell dress to the U.S. Congress January 29, 1901. Thank you for this opportunity to testify in support of this resolution. Well, thank you, Vincent. Now, Eddie, as I noticed, you spoke about Congressman Butterfield being the keynote speaker, one of his staff persons is here tonight also. He's a recent comment from his office. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Let's recognize the Mayor Pro Tem. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening. I will be reading a National Mentoring Month proclamation. And DeWarren, would you come stand with me and anybody else who's here supporting the reading of this proclamation? Whereas in 2002, the Harvard School of Public Health and Mentor, M-E-N-T-O-R, the National Mentoring Partnership created National Mentoring Month. And whereas the goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of youth mentoring, recruit individuals to mentor, encourage organizations to engage and integrate quality in youth mentoring programs, and seek to highlight effective mediation in preventing juvenile delinquency. And whereas a mentor is a caring and supportive individual who devotes time to nurture youth by promoting the discovery of personal strength and potential in a structured and trusting relationship. And whereas quality youth mentoring encourages positive choices, promotes self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces young people to new ideas. And whereas mentoring programs have shown to be effective in combating school violence, discipline problems, substance abuse, incarceration, and truancy. And whereas development experts agree that youth mentoring is critical to the social, emotional, and cognitive development of our young people and helps them navigate the path to adulthood more successfully. And whereas research shows that young people who were at risk for not completing high school, but who had mentors were 55% more likely to successfully enroll in college. 81% more likely to participate regularly in extracurricular activities, more than twice as likely to hold leadership positions in a club or sports team, and 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities. And whereas mentors help young people by promoting networking, connecting with industry professionals, setting career goals, and ultimately assist in finding gainful employment. Now, therefore, I, William V. Bill Bell, mayor of the city of Durham, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim January 2016 as National Mentoring Month in Durham, and hereby call upon public officials, business and community leaders, and educators, and encourage all citizens to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in order to, number one, recognize the men and women who serve as staff and volunteers at quality youth mentoring programs, and who encourage our youth to find inner strength and reach their full potential. Secondly, acknowledge that mentoring is beneficial because it encourages educational achievement, reduces juvenile delinquency, improves life outcomes, and ultimately strengthens communities. Third, promote the creation and expansion of quality youth mentoring programs across Durham to equip young people with the tools needed to lead healthy and productive lives, and lastly support initiatives to close the mentoring gap. Witness my hand in the corporate seal of the city of Durham, North Carolina, this fourth day of January, 2016, William V. Bill Bell, mayor. Would you like to give a few words? On behalf of the Durham County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, we would like to thank mayor and mayor for this proclamation. The future of our young people really does depend on our community providing them with the support and the resources they need to identify and achieve their goals. And one of the reasons we're highlighting mentoring is because mentoring is an effective strategy that keeps our young people from the juvenile justice system and ultimately out of the career to prison pipeline. So thank you all so very much. We'll be having additional events throughout this month, one of which will be working with the book harvest to solicit donations of gently used children's books, as well as having a breakfast and recognition of mentors in this community in February. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Well, we certainly appreciate both proclamations this evening and certainly focusing on young people is very important in this community. And Vince, I want to appreciate you again for allowing us to honor JLJ Dwight at the banquet, but you aren't us by bringing it here to Durham. We think it's very appropriate person for events such as this that to happen. Glad to Duke University is supporting you also. I'm not going to, some of you here for the first time, we're getting ready to get into the agenda so don't feel you've got to sit through a meeting if you have something else to do. I'd like to recognize members of the council for comments, recognize the council of Moffitt. Yes, sir, thank you, Mayor Bell. Many of us have known over the years Dr. Sharon Elliott-Bynum, who has worked very hard here in Durham to provide healthcare and other services to everyone regardless of their position in life. And very sad to announce, I mean, I'm not announcing, very sad to relay that Dr. Elliott-Bynum lost her fight with a relatively long illness at far too young an age. And so we lost her yesterday. Well, we took a silent meditation for her, if you don't mind. Thank you. Recognize them there, Proto. I was going to recognize the loss of my sister, Sharon Elliott-Bynum, but thank you, Don, for that because we serve on a committee together and we work so tirelessly to get her some money to help with her programs. I'd like to recognize another sister, Lois Caraway. You might recall Mr. Nathaniel White, who had a tailor business? I'm sorry, no, no, no. Mr. Nathaniel Walker. He had the tailor like this, okay. Still had white on my mind. After he died, Lois Caraway took over the business. And I just wanted to have a moment of silence and commemoration of her life. She passed on Christmas Eve after a fight with cancer. She was the gentle spirit of love, God, community, and family, and I met her because she was doing some work for the police department when I was an employee. Thank you. Recognize newest Abe Lincoln Counselor. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. When I was elected to this office two months ago, I knew that we had some of the best city employees in the world, but since my election in November, my respect and appreciation for the employees of the city of Durham has only grown. Whether it was from the time between my election and my swearing in a month ago, when city staff here in this building and all over the city bent over backwards to help train me on exactly what the city does and how it does it. Or if it's been in the last month, I've tried to figure out how to do my job and they've ably assisted me in doing that. I have come to respect and appreciate so much the work that they do. I know all of us received an email last week about our city inspectors and how hard they work and how heavy a workload they have and how much they go beyond the call of duty to help folks in Durham. I just wanted to mention that, but the main reason I wanted to say something tonight is that over the last week and a half, we experienced some really heavy rains and really difficult flooding. And as I drove around the city of Durham during those storms, I saw the employees of our department of public works everywhere in the city blocking traffic in order to keep people off of flooded roadways, going into very deep undrained areas to try and unclog drains to help keep areas safe, keep roadways open. And as I just wanted to extend my appreciation to all the city staff, but especially in light of the difficult hazardous work that they did last week to the members of the staff of the department of public works for some really extraordinary efforts to keep our city up and running and keep us all safe. So thank you. Thank you, Council Member Johnny. Any other comments? I think I'm supposed to be sworn in. I'm sorry, so much. This is Mayor Pro Tem. Who's gonna swear? Oh, she didn't know if you wanna do it tonight. Are you ready? Yeah. Okay. She's just playing the process, what's up? Yes. Mayor Pro Tem, Co. McFadden is gonna be sworn in tonight as the Mayor Pro Tem. At the advice of the Institute of Government, they are suggesting that that be done. This is a new process for those who may or may not know that as a clerk indicated, the Institute of Government has suggested, and maybe the city attorney might add to that, the swearing in of the Mayor Pro Tem of the City Council versus. Yeah, and because it is new, let me just add that the question really is that the Mayor Pro Tem is there to serve in particular if the Mayor becomes incapacitated and the question then becomes, could he or she actually act in the official capacity without being sworn in? And that was the question that was in front of the Institute of Government and they suggested in that emergency situation to go ahead and do it now when it's not an emergency. So if something does come up, we don't have to worry about whether she is actually sworn in to serve as the Mayor. For a cold McFadden. I call her cold McFadden. Do hereby solemnly swear. Do hereby solemnly swear that I will support and maintain the Constitution of the United States. That I will support and maintain the Constitution of the United States. And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina. And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina. Not inconsistent, they're with. Not inconsistent, they're with. And that I will faithfully and impartially. Discharge the duties of my office. Discharge the duties of my office. As Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Durham. As Mayor Pro Tem of the Great City of Durham. Yes, so help me God. So help me God. Are there any other announcements by the Rims of the Council? If not, we'll proceed with the agenda as printed. The first item will be the prior items by the city manager. Thank you Mr. Mayor. Good evening. Thank you Mr. Mayor. Good evening everyone. Happy New Year, no priority items. Likewise, City Attorney. Thank you Mr. Mayor. On tonight's general business agenda, item number 15, Carver Street Extension Contract ST257 Award. As you recall at our work session last year, there were some questions that were raised about this particular contractor that we had in place. But because of the timing of the questions, we really didn't have the opportunity with the holiday to meet with the contractor until this afternoon. We met with the contractor at two o'clock. And by we, it's myself, along with the Fred Lamar of my office and staff from the Public Works and the Finance Department. But we did sit down with Triangle Grading and Paving to get some responses to the questions that you asked. And then we had a separate meeting after that of just city staff members. What we'd like to do and what I'm proposing to do is to refer item 15 back to the attorney's office to give us the opportunity to synthesize our notes and provide that information to you, along with our legal analysis based on the facts that we gleaned from the meeting today. That gives you some time to review the information. If you've got other questions or concerns, I'd be happy to call a closed session on Thursday to discuss the items more in detail with you. I did want to recognize, however, that members of Triangle Paving and Grading are here today. And I appreciate the meeting with us this afternoon and we'll continue our conversations if you're so inclined to refer this back to the attorney's office. Thank you. You've heard the priority item about a city attorney recommendation, entertain a motion on? So moved. Second. It's been properly moved. Second, Madam Clerk, will you open the vote? Close the vote. It passes, seven is zero. I would recognize the city clerk for any priority items. My item has already been taken care of, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor. I recognize Councilman Moffitt. Would it be appropriate to move referring item 15 back to the city attorney's office at this time? Now I'll make that motion. It's been properly moved. Second, Madam Clerk, will you open the vote? Close the vote. It passes, seven is zero. Okay, we'll move to the consent agenda. The consent agenda may be approved with a single vote. If the item is removed by city council person or someone in the public, we'll discuss that later in the program and I'll just read the heading between the consent agenda items. Item one is Durham Homeless Services Advisory Committee appointments. Item four is the passenger vehicle for higher commission reappointment. Item five is street infrastructure acceptances. Item six is physical year 2016-2017 budget development schedule. Item seven is grant project ordinance amendment historic preservation fund grant. Item eight is urban ministries of Durham, Inc. 2015-2016 community development block grant contract for community cafe meals for emergency shelter residents. Item nine is November 2015 bid report. Item 10 is contract between Musco Sports Lighting LLC in the city of Durham for sports lighting at CM Herndon Road Park Baseball Fields. Item 11 is land lease between the city of Durham and Durham Regional Association of Religious Inc. Item 12 is request for lien and civil penalty waiver or cancellation for the properties at 2401 and 2403 Orange Street. Item 13 is general services contract for the Durham Armory. Item 14 is sewer only utility extension agreement with Unufo, Agaya, and Yania, Guadal, Pina. Wow, I hope we got that right. To serve 2639 East Geer Street. Item 15, this item can be found on the general business agenda. Item 17 is commercial meter replacement project phase three, MR9, award of construction to Vanguard Utility Services Inc. Item 16 is contract for purchase of installation maintenance of water management, laboratory information management systems, LIMS. Entertain a motion on approval consent agenda. Second. Second, Madam Clerk, we open the vote. Open the vote. Close the vote. Pass the seven. Move to the general business agenda. Item 15, Harbor Street extension contract ST 257 award. The meeting is adjourned at 728 p.m. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.