City of Fayetteville Update – LPR Government Affairs

July 13, 2020 | Volume 1, Issue 66 | FayettevilleNC.gov

City launches newly designed services-oriented website
The City of Fayetteville launched a new services-oriented website on June 30 with key resident services front and center on the home page.

In addition to redesigning the city’s main website, the Police Department, Fire Department and Transit Department’s websites have also undergone a complete redesign, maintaining the city’s new design elements.

City staff worked hand-in-hand with Granicus, a leading provider of cloud-based, citizen engagement software solutions to the public sector, for the past year to refine the website rebuild. The site was designed using feedback from surveys conducted by Granicus with our users, as well as by using key analytics from our most visited pages and requested services. The site is built with continuous improvement in mind and will be adapted to the changing needs of the community.

“In addition to vastly improved aesthetics, improving functionality was a top priority,” said Kevin Arata, Corporate Communications Director. “It is imperative that our residents and visitors are able to easily access the information they need, and this website helps better facilitate that process. To that end, we worked with Granicus and City staff to ensure that we had both an appealing design and user-friendly interface.”

“The teamwork between our Corporate Communications Department, the Information Technology Department, Police Department, Fire Department, Transit Department, Granicus, and the more than 30 content managers across the City to make this happen was critical to the success of our new site. It truly has been a group effort.”

The website was last redesigned in 2015, resulting in an increase from 75,000 page views per month to more than 175,000 page views per month, with much of that increase attributed to making the site mobile and tablet-friendly. The new site maintains its mobile and tablet-friendly design. Residents can expect to see a much-improved web experience when visiting the newly redesigned site.

The website url address remains the same; FayettevilleNC.gov.

Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation announces season closures
Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation pools and splash pads will be closed for the duration of Summer 2020. Also, no camps will open this season. These decisions were made with support from the City of Fayetteville’s Emergency Management team and Cumberland County Health Department.
FCPR does reserve the right to revisit those decisions. Any changes would come after consensus by FCPR, the City of Fayetteville Emergency Management team and Cumberland County Health Department, and future Executive Orders issued by the Governor.
All affected registrants are being contacted and notified that refunds will be processed immediately.
FCPR leaders have remained in contact with peer cities and neighboring agencies statewide to secure “best practices” in the field of parks and recreation. The ripple effects that can result from just one case of COVID-19 in a camp or aquatic setting where multiple people are present are far reaching. It is also clear that the effects of COVID-19 are continually changing, along with health and operational guidelines.

City Council Members approve FY2021 Budget
Fayetteville City Council members approved the fiscal year 2020-2021 (FY 2021) budget June 29. The approved, balanced operating budget is $234,160,261 across all funds. The priorities in developing this budget were to offset expected revenue losses due to the Coronavirus pandemic while maintaining city services and addressing market-based pay gaps for public safety workers. The property tax rate remains at 49.95 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, unchanged for the fourth year. The storm water fee remains at $6.00 per month and the solid waste fee increases by $35 to $225 per year, relieving the need for tax support for solid waste operations.
FY2021 is unique because of challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. City leaders estimate a reduction in main revenue sources of up to $10 million over the current and upcoming fiscal years. The Fayetteville Public Works Commission will contribute COVID-19 supplemental funding of $4 million over FY 2020 and FY 2021 to help offset those revenue impacts.
Below are some of this year’s budget highlights:
• $2.5 million for public safety pay increases, including market-based adjustments for Police, Fire, and Emergency Telecommunicators
• $7.3 million financing for the relocation of Fire Station 4
• $4.4 million for pavement preservation funding
• $3.5 million for storm water watershed studies, $600,000 for drainage projects and $500,000 for the drainage assistance program
• $808,000 for sidewalk improvements
• $550,000 for municipal agreement with North Carolina Department of Transportation for the Bragg Boulevard Sidewalk project
• $160,000 to add a fourth litter crew and to enhance litter awareness
• $200,000 for racial equality and community healing initiatives to be determined by City Council
• $100,000 to continue the partnership with Cumberland County to fund strategies to assist homeless citizens, $80,000 to partner with Communities in Schools for a Student Support Specialist position in support of the Pathways for Prosperity Comprehensive Action Plan, and $50,000 for homeless initiatives to be determined by Council
• $96,050 for park and playground improvements
• $50,000 to purchase land for a second dog park
• $1.4 million for one-time bonuses for non-public safety employees in lieu of pay increases
• Hiring a Technology Asset Specialist to ensure reliability of equipment in solid waste vehicles
• Hiring two new Code Enforcement Administrators to enhance solid waste code compliance and rapid response to community issues
• Hiring a Construction Management and Capital Projects Director
Visit fayettevillenc.gov/budgetchronicles to learn more about the present and past budget years and how the city’s finances are managed.

City of Fayetteville Corporate Communications
433 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301-5537
910.433.1451 or [email protected]

Published by Angie Hedgepeth