Residents urge action on PFAS, police oversight, housing and youth sports during Fayetteville public forum

Thirteen residents and community representatives used the City Council—9s public forum to press local officials on environmental contamination, public safety oversight, housing policy and youth resources.

Lizette Rodriguez, founder of Free Full Freedom For All, urged the city and county to coordinate opposition to a proposed state rule she said would allow self-monitoring by polluters of PFAS discharges; she also noted the city recently joined a nationwide lawsuit against manufacturers of PFAS-containing firefighting foam and asked local bodies to send a joint letter opposing the state proposal. Rodriguez described possible federal funding risks for PWC (public water) and said concerns center on longstanding contamination tied to Fort Bragg and industrial sites.

Sean McMillan, an organizer for community safety groups, urged the council to adopt a sentinel event review (SER) process to examine police-involved incidents and to restore independent civilian oversight after council previously voted against implementing the SER; he cited a list of local deaths in police custody or during police contact and asked the council to revisit earlier commitments.

Speakers also raised school-safety and juvenile justice concerns. Monika Gannon said schools were calling law enforcement to resolve disputes she said staff should handle, and urged better use of school resource officers. Jose Hyde Cardona pressed the council to address child trafficking and child abuse rates and asked the city to take a greater role coordinating school resource officers and support services.

On housing and development, Ben Holtquist of Strong Towns Fayetteville recommended zoning changes that would expand small-scale housing options (allowing duplexes, backyard cottages and eliminating minimum lot sizes and parking mandates) to increase affordable supply. He emphasized that subsidized housing alone will not resolve affordability if supply remains constrained.

Youth and recreation concerns were voiced by James House, who said a local softball team was given only four softballs and asked the council to consider infrastructure and equipment investments such as batting cages and field improvements. Several council members and staff later referenced ongoing grants and facility work intended to support youth athletics.

Business owner Eric Washington described a downtown private club applying for a mixed beverage retail permit who has been denied by zoning because the clubhouse is within 75 feet of a school; he asked for council support and was advised of an appeal process through zoning and state law regarding alcohol provisions.

Speakers included advocates for LGBTQ acceptance inviting council to a community prom event, nonprofit leaders proposing youth art displays to be placed at public venues, and local residents asking for better policing priorities. Council members acknowledged the public forum input and directed staff to follow up where appropriate; the forum is governed by city policy limiting speakers to three minutes.

The public forum produced no immediate council votes on the items raised; speakers—9 requests will require separate agenda items or staff follow-up for formal council consideration.