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Mayor and Council Annual Retreat

Town of Holly Springs · Town Council
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 2:00 pm

Retreat or planning session Fees and utility ratesPublic facilitiesRoads and transportationBonds and debtBudget and appropriationsHousing and affordabilityPolice and public safetyStormwater and floodingWater and sewer

Agenda document Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Holly Springs' mayor and council spend three days on a strategic planning retreat, with no votes taken. Day one covers board governance and a citizen satisfaction survey; day two covers the town's budget outlook, debt affordability, and major infrastructure priorities including transportation projects, public facilities, housing affordability, and utility investments (including a planned Utley Creek Water Reclamation Facility expansion); day three wraps up with stormwater management and open discussion of items like marketing for Eagles Landing Park and e-bike and scooter safety.

Nothing here is formally decided; the retreat sets direction ahead of upcoming budget and infrastructure decisions.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The council spent three days on planning and reached most of its decisions by consensus rather than a recorded vote. It settled on raising the stormwater fee from $5.20 to $6.50 per Equivalent Residential Unit to cover a maintenance backlog, agreed to keep pursuing two new fire stations, and committed to a compensation pay study every three years rather than adding a cost-of-living adjustment. It also went into closed session Thursday, by unanimous vote, to discuss an economic development project.

On housing, the council favored expedited approvals, incentive zoning and land-use changes as near-term tools, with homeowner rehabilitation assistance and development financing as longer-term goals. It directed staff to keep pursuing added wastewater treatment capacity and leaned toward shifting more transportation funding toward bike and pedestrian projects. The council also decided to keep Eagles Landing Park's name after a student marketing class proposed switching it to Hawks Landing, and asked police to bring back proposed rules for e-bikes and e-scooters on town greenways.

How the votes went

The council voted unanimously twice on Thursday, to enter and then leave closed session on an economic development matter, and closed the retreat with a unanimous vote to adjourn Saturday. No other item on the agenda came to a recorded vote; the council reached its decisions by consensus instead.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Holly Springs's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Jump to an item (18 on this agenda)
  1. Welcome and Opening Comments
  2. Review of Agenda & Team Activity
  3. Governance and Working Together as a Governing Body
  4. Citizen Satisfaction Survey Results
  5. Day One Wrap-up
  6. Key Takeaways and Reflections from Day One
  7. Budget Outlook
  8. General Debt Affordability Outlook
  9. General Infrastructure Investments: Transportation
  10. General Infrastructure Investments: Public Facilities & Other Infrast…
  11. Housing Affordability
  12. Utility Infrastructure Investments
  13. Day Two Wrap Up / Confirmation of Strategic Direction
  14. Key Takeaways and Reflections from Day Two
  15. Stormwater Management
  16. Parking Lot Items / Open Discussion
  17. Next Steps and Wrap Up
  18. Adjourn

Agenda items (18)

Presentation · 8Procedural · 5Discussion item · 5
  1. Welcome and Opening Comments
    Procedural
    Mayor opens the retreat.
  2. Review of Agenda & Team Activity
    Procedural
    Review of the retreat agenda and a team-building activity.
  3. Governance and Working Together as a Governing Body
    Discussion item
    Facilitated discussion on board governance and how the council works together, continuing after a break.
  4. Citizen Satisfaction Survey Results
    Presentation
    Staff and a consultant present results from a citizen satisfaction survey on local government services.
  5. Day One Wrap-up
    Procedural
    Close of day one.
  6. Key Takeaways and Reflections from Day One
    Discussion item
    Council reflects on the previous day's discussions.
  7. Budget Outlook
    Presentation Budget and appropriations
    Staff present the town's budget outlook.
  8. General Debt Affordability Outlook
    Presentation Bonds and debt
    A consultant presents the town's general debt affordability outlook.
  9. General Infrastructure Investments: Transportation
    Presentation Roads and transportation
    Staff review current and potential future transportation projects, including roadways, intersections, intelligent transportation systems, sidewalks/sidepaths, and bicycle lanes.
  10. General Infrastructure Investments: Public Facilities & Other Infrastructure
    Presentation Public facilities
    Staff review public facilities and other infrastructure investment needs.
  11. Housing Affordability
    Presentation Housing and affordability
    Staff, including a Wake County housing official, present on housing affordability.
  12. Utility Infrastructure Investments
    Presentation Fees and utility ratesPublic facilitiesWater and sewer
    Staff and a consultant review current utility projects and water quality, utility rate modeling, and future considerations including a Phase II expansion of the Utley Creek Water Reclamation Facility.
  13. Day Two Wrap Up / Confirmation of Strategic Direction
    Discussion item
    Council confirms strategic direction and closes day two.
  14. Key Takeaways and Reflections from Day Two
    Discussion item
    Council reflects on day two's discussions.
  15. Stormwater Management
    Presentation Fees and utility ratesStormwater and flooding
    Staff present on stormwater management.
  16. Parking Lot Items / Open Discussion
    Discussion item Police and public safetyRoads and transportation
    Open discussion of leftover items, including marketing for Eagles Landing Park, e-bike/e-scooter/e-moto safety, and other items raised during the retreat.
  17. Next Steps and Wrap Up
    Procedural
    Council reviews next steps and closes the retreat.
  18. Adjourn
    Procedural
    Retreat adjourns.

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