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Strategic Town Board Retreat-Feb. 5-6, 2026

Town of Fuquay-Varina · Board of Commissioners
Thursday, February 5, 2026

Retreat or planning session Police and public safetyBonds and debtBudget and appropriationsComprehensive planFees and utility ratesPublic facilitiesHousing and affordabilityRoads and transportationTax rate and revaluationAppointments and personnelEconomic development incentivesFire and EMSHistoric preservationLitigation and settlementsParks and recreationRezoningState legislative agendaStormwater and floodingSubdivision and site plansTransitWater and sewer

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

The board spent two days setting priorities and, on the two biggest questions, chose restraint. It will advance one of four candidate transportation projects, and only after testing what it does to town finances, having concluded that the existing $57 million portfolio must be substantially finished before taking on another that could move the property tax rate.

On parks it did the same. The five-year plan was built around a $60 million bond referendum that failed in 2024, and recreation fees in lieu will not cover it. The board picked two projects, Action Park improvements and the Fleming Loop turf conversion, and deliberately left the rest until it has another year of growth data.

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

Staff put four transportation projects in front of the board as the best value for money: the Hidden Valley greenway at $2,349,352, the W. Academy Street railroad project at $6,788,483, S. Fuquay Avenue improvements at $4,000,000, and phase two of the Bowling Road, Wagstaff and S. Main Street work at $8,000,000, a little over $21 million together. The board advanced only the Academy Street railroad project, conditioned on assessing the effect on town finances first. It wanted more information about a downtown improvement package before committing to a streetscape on S. Fuquay Avenue, and asked management to price a consultant for a downtown streetscape plan ahead of the budget workshop.

On parks, staff were direct that the adopted five-year plan cannot be delivered on anticipated recreation fee in lieu revenue, and walked the board through the difference between general obligation and limited obligation bonds. The board agreed unanimously to prioritise Action Park, adding parking and renovating the restrooms and courtyard, and to pursue resources for the Fleming Loop turf conversion contingent on Wake County hospitality tax money. Nothing else on the list advances this year.

The South Park Community Center discussion went the other way. Staff asked whether the board had concerns about taking the more expensive of two concepts out for public feedback given its cost. The board unanimously said it should go out, and said it wants the renovation to match community demand and stand comparison with the Hilltop Needmore community center. The concepts go to a town board meeting, then to Let's Talk FV for public comment, then to the parks advisory board.

Shade structures got a straight no. Staff put a case study at one town park at $337,000, shading a single downtown bench at more than $5,500, and larger structures upward of $42,000, with the cost driven by commercial-grade equipment meeting safety criteria. The board agreed unanimously that the benefit does not justify the spend against other priorities.

The retreat closed with a priority list arranged under the strategic plan's core values. Safety and security covers a street lighting assessment, a police officer residency incentive and further utility infrastructure investment. Governance covers expansions of the police department, public service center and town hall, a new fire station, and better communication. Quality of life carries the park items along with a downtown park plan that may involve buying property, and the Library Park plaza and armed services concept. Economic vitality covers an economic development strategic plan, recruitment of high-wage jobs and of conferences, and control of land for industrial marketability. The retreat adjourned at 7:50 pm.

How the votes went

The retreat took decisions by unanimous consensus rather than recorded votes on individual items. The only formal motion was adjournment, which passed 5-0. The minutes were adopted at the March 9 regular meeting.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Fuquay-Varina's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Jump to an item (19 on this agenda)
  1. Call to Order and Opening Remarks
  2. Municipal Statutory Authority Overview
  3. Financial Overview
  4. Community Survey Review
  5. 2025-2029 Strategic Plan Overview
  6. Transportation Overview - Part 1
  7. Human Resources Overview
  8. Law Enforcement Overview
  9. Public Utilities Overview
  10. Economic Development Overview
  11. Downtown Overview
  12. Planning and Land Use Overview
  13. Housing Overview
  14. Facilities Overview
  15. Parks and Recreation Overview
  16. Shade Structures Discussion
  17. Transportation Overview - Part 2
  18. Retreat Recap and Priority List
  19. Adjournment

Agenda items (19)

Presentation · 13Discussion item · 4Procedural · 2
  1. Call to Order and Opening Remarks
    Procedural
    Mayor Harris called the retreat to order; Commissioner Smith led an invocation.
  2. Municipal Statutory Authority Overview
    Presentation Litigation and settlementsState legislative agenda
    Town Attorney Adcock reviewed municipal authority under GS 160A and 160D and the town's exposure to litigation risk.
  3. Financial Overview
    Presentation Budget and appropriations
    General Fund position is stable to strong despite lower permit revenue; the Utility Enterprise Fund faces pressure from a drop in equivalent residential units affecting development-fee revenue and capital plan goals.
  4. Community Survey Review
    Presentation Police and public safety
    Board reviewed citizen-satisfaction survey results and asked GIS to assess adding street lighting on Academy and Lawrence Streets, citing past safety incidents.
    Board directed a GIS lighting assessment.
  5. 2025-2029 Strategic Plan Overview
    Presentation Police and public safetyTransit
    Staff reviewed the strategic plan, including police officer recruitment and customer-service issues with the town's GoRaleigh transit partnership.
  6. Transportation Overview - Part 1
    Presentation Bonds and debtRoads and transportationTax rate and revaluation
    Staff reviewed $44 million in completed and $57 million in funded/upcoming transportation projects, plus four cost-ranked unfunded options, and the tax and bond implications of adding new ones.
    Board chose to complete the existing $57 million portfolio before pursuing new bond-funded projects; removed the Holland Road/Purfoy Road intersection project in favor of Sunset Lake Phase II overruns.
  7. Human Resources Overview
    Presentation Appointments and personnelBudget and appropriations
    Staff outlined a $241,000 FY27 market-study investment to keep town pay competitive and reviewed a restructured personnel policy.
  8. Law Enforcement Overview
    Presentation Police and public safetyPublic facilities
    Staff reviewed emerging law-enforcement technology (drones, GPS pursuit tracking) and staffing/facility constraints.
    Staff to research incentives for officers to live within town limits, to revisit during the budget process.
  9. Public Utilities Overview
    Presentation Fees and utility ratesStormwater and floodingWater and sewer
    Staff reviewed CIP projects, rate models, an interbasin transfer update, and stormwater-permit-driven investment needs, raising a stormwater utility fee or a tax increase as funding options.
  10. Economic Development Overview
    Presentation Economic development incentives
    Staff updated the board on the search for an economic development director and plans for an updated strategy focused on high-wage, high-tech jobs.
  11. Downtown Overview
    Presentation Comprehensive planHistoric preservation
    Staff reviewed the Downtown Generational Plan, including the Piney Woods Park concept and redevelopment of the former Fidelity Bank (TR Ashworth) and Bostic Wilson sites.
    Board agreed to continue advancing the Piney Woods Park concept.
  12. Planning and Land Use Overview
    Presentation Comprehensive planHousing and affordabilityRezoningSubdivision and site plans
    Staff reviewed Town Center Residential zoning for the Lincoln Heights area, Form-Based Code districts, transportation impact analysis timing, and access problems for the 150-lot Coley Preserve subdivision.
    Board reached consensus that TCR is appropriate for Lincoln Heights, and agreed to require transportation impact analyses at the rezoning stage instead of later in permitting.
  13. Housing Overview
    Presentation Housing and affordability
    Staff proposed a roughly $150,000 affordable/workforce housing study, paired with a caution that a study without a funding commitment accomplishes little.
    Board reached unanimous consensus against committing town funds to subsidize developer or builder housing costs.
  14. Facilities Overview
    Presentation Fire and EMSPolice and public safetyPublic facilities
    Staff reviewed police department space needs, a possible fifth fire station on the NC-55 South or NC-42 corridor tied to Wake County's plan to close Fire Station 3, and the Public Service Center Phase II expansion timeline.
    Board agreed police facility expansion and Public Service Center Phase II are top strategic priorities.
  15. Parks and Recreation Overview
    Discussion item Bonds and debtFees and utility ratesParks and recreationPublic facilities
    Staff covered the recreation fee-in-lieu formula, Library Park renovation concepts, naming of a new park near Willow Springs Elementary, a hospitality-tax grant for Fleming Loop Park turf, South Park Community Center renovation options, and five-year capital project prioritization.
    Board directed hiring a consultant to reassess the fee-in-lieu formula, chose the higher-cost South Park renovation concept for public input, named the new park 'Kennebec Road Park,' and prioritized Action Park improvements and Fleming Loop turf funding over other projects.
  16. Shade Structures Discussion
    Discussion item Fees and utility rates
    Staff presented cost estimates for shade structures in parks and downtown, ranging from about $5,500 per bench to $337,000 for a full park installation.
    Board agreed the cost-to-benefit ratio doesn't warrant pursuing shade structures over other priorities.
  17. Transportation Overview - Part 2
    Discussion item Bonds and debtRoads and transportationTax rate and revaluation
    Staff revisited the four highest cost-ranked transportation projects and a downtown streetscape project on S. Fuquay Avenue.
    Board agreed to advance the W. Academy Street/Railroad project pending a finance impact assessment, and to complete the existing $57 million portfolio before considering new large transportation spending; asked for more information before committing to the S. Fuquay Avenue streetscape.
  18. Retreat Recap and Priority List
    Discussion item Budget and appropriationsComprehensive plan
    Staff presented a consolidated list of retreat priorities grouped under the town's strategic-plan core values: safety and security, effective governance, character and identity, quality of life, economic vitality, and fiscal strength.
  19. Adjournment
    Procedural
    Retreat adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
    Passed unanimously, 5-0 (Adcock/Haynes).

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

Other recent meetings of this board