City Council
The Durham City Council for 2007 - 2008 includes
(lt to rt sitting) Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden,
Mayor William V. 'Bill' Bell, Diane N. Catotti,
(standing) J. Michael Woodard, Howard Clement, III,
Eugene A. Brown and Farad Ali.
Council Composition:
The City of Durham has a council-manager form of government. Durham City Council is comprised of seven members: three members from specific wards, three at-large members and the Mayor. The terms for City Council seats are staggered. Nonpartisan elections are held every two years.
Council Responsibilities
City Council is the legislative and policy-making body for Durham and is the final authority on most matters relating to the City. The Council is responsible for establishing general policies for the City; appointing the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk and members of various boards and commissions; enacting ordinances, resolutions and orders, reviewing the annual budget, and authorizing contracts on the City's behalf.
Council Meetings
Work Sessions
The City Council holds a work session two Thursdays preceding its regular business meeting to receive information briefings and presentations. The work session is held at 1 p.m. in the Council's Committee Room (located on the second floor of City Hall). At its work session the City Council discusses departmental items on the Council's agenda and asks questions of City staff relating to agenda items.
In addition, citizens can address the City Council at work sessions to express a matter of interest or a concern. For guidelines on Citizen Matters see "Citizen Participation - Citizen Matters."
Regular Business Meetings
The City Council convenes its regular business meeting every first and third Monday at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall (101 City Hall Plaza). The meetings are open to the public and can also be viewed live on cable channel 8.
View meeting agendas.
Citizen Participation & Guidelines
The City of Durham values your opinion and invites you to address the City Council on any matter of interest to you or your community.
Citizen Matters
Citizens may address the City Council about a matter of concern at Council's work session meeting (held two Thursdays preceding the Council's regular business meeting). "Citizen Matters" are heard in the Council's Committee Room beginning at 4 p.m.
Citizens who wish to address the City Council at the work session must make their request in writing to the Agenda Coordinator by Monday at 5:00 p.m. ten days prior to the City Council Work Session meeting at which they wish to speak. This process gives City staff adequate time to review the citizen's concern in advance and to give a response to the citizen when he/she appears before Council.
Should a Council member wish to allow a citizen who has not submitted a written request to present an issue at the work session, a 2/3 majority vote of the Council is required to suspend the rules of procedure.
To make a request to address Council at a work session, citizens can use the Request to Appear Before the Council form. Forms are also available in the City Manager's Office.
The request should be postmarked one week prior to work session date and sent to:
City Manager's Office
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701
Public Hearings
Public Hearings are held by the City Council to give citizens the opportunity to comment on current issues involving the City. All public hearings are advertised and placed on the Council's agenda to receive citizen remarks.
To make comments at a public hearing, citizens can sign up in advance of the meeting by contacting the City's Clerk's Office at 560-4166. Citizens can also sign up at the time of the Council meeting by using the "Speaker's List" card located at the City Clerk's desk in City Council Chambers prior to the start of the meeting.
Citizen Boards and Commissions
The Mayor and City Council appoint citizens to serve on 24 different boards and commissions that address various aspects of Durham's quality of life - from cable television services and historic preservation to transit services and workforce development.
Citizens interested in serving on a board can obtain an application from the City's Clerk's Office on the second floor of City Hall. An application is active at the time of vacancy only. For more information, call the City's Clerk's Office at 560-4166.
Staying Current: Agenda Items and Actions
To find out about current or recent Council actions, visit the City's website. Under the "Inside City Hall" selection, click "City Council".
You can also dial 560-4636 to access INFO-LINE - the City's 24-hour automated telephone information system. Listen to the introductory message and press or dial 1032 to access "What's on the Agenda."
To send a general email to all Council members, council@ci.durham.nc.us.
City Elections
City Elections for the Durham City Council are held every two years (in odd number years). The terms for Council's three at-large seats, three ward seats and mayoral seat are staggered. Therefore, all seven council seats are not up for election during the same election year.
The residency ward system exists to provide for representation on City Council from different areas of the City. The concept of residency wards means that the City Council candidate must live in the ward he/she seeks to represent on Council, but that the candidate is elected by all voters of the City. Wards do not impact where a citizen votes or for which candidate(s) a citizen can vote.
To vote, a citizen must be registered 30 days before an election. Citizens can register to vote in person at the Durham County Board of Elections Office (706 W. Corporation Street). Applications may also be obtained at any public library and the Department of Motor Vehicles. After registering to vote, you will receive a card from the Durham County Board of Elections providing precinct and polling place locations. For more information, call the Durham County Board of Elections, 560-0700.
To send a general email to all Council members, council@ci.durham.nc.us.
To post mail to City Council Members:
Office of the City Council
101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701