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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 appropriationsParks and recreationPublic facilitiesComprehensive planFees and utility ratesHousing and affordabilityRoads and transportationTax rate and revaluationAppointments and personnelFire and EMSLitigation and settlementsStormwater and floodingSubdivision and site plansTransitWater and sewer

Agenda document Minutes Watch

What's on this agenda

At a two-day strategic planning retreat, the board weighed major capital priorities against a General Fund that's stable but a Utility Enterprise Fund under pressure from slowing growth. It committed to finishing $57 million in already-funded transportation projects (including the NC-55 Bypass and Hilltop/Five Points reconfiguration) before adding new ones, chose to advance the W. Academy Street/Railroad project among four cost-ranked options, and dropped the Holland Road/Purfoy Road intersection project in favor of covering cost overruns on Sunset Lake Phase II. The board declined to commit town funds to subsidize affordable/workforce housing, but backed a police-officer residency incentive, a downtown streetscape study, and hiring outside consultants to reassess the parks recreation fee-in-lieu formula and study future Town Hall office-space needs.

On facilities, police department expansion and the Public Service Center Phase II expansion were treated as top priorities, alongside discussion of a possible fifth fire station tied to Wake County's plan to close Fire Station 3. The board named the new park by Willow Springs Elementary 'Kennebec Road Park,' agreed to keep advancing the Piney Woods Park downtown concept, endorsed the Town Center Residential zoning designation for the Lincoln Heights area despite raised gentrification concerns, and directed staff to require transportation impact analyses at the rezoning stage rather than later in permitting.

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

How the votes went

No roll-call votes were taken on the substantive planning items; the board reached unanimous consensus on each as discussed. The only formal motion was to adjourn, which passed 5-0 (Adcock/Haynes).

Speaking at this meeting

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

Agenda items (19)

Discussion item · 14Staff or committee report · 3Procedural · 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
    Staff or committee report Litigation and settlements
    Town Attorney Adcock reviewed municipal authority under GS 160A and 160D and the town's exposure to litigation risk.
  3. Financial Overview
    Staff or committee report 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
    Discussion item 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
    Discussion item 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
    Discussion item 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
    Staff or committee report 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
    Discussion item 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
    Discussion item 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
    Discussion item
    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
    Discussion item Comprehensive planParks and recreation
    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
    Discussion item Comprehensive planHousing and affordabilitySubdivision 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
    Discussion item 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
    Discussion item 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 Parks and recreation
    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 appropriations
    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).

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