Council Quickies: CIAA’s Potential Return and Public Safety Measures

Charlotte City Council held a business meeting on Monday night that was preceded by an action review segment and public forum. 

The action review included updates on efforts to bring back the CIAA and citywide public safety measures. Airport workers and animal shelter volunteers addressed council during the public forum and the business portion of the meeting included a vote on the city’s new Workforce Development Strategic Plan.

On the Agenda:

• Action Review: CIAA
• Action Review: Public safety
• Public Forum: Airport workers and animal shelter volunteers
• Business Items: Business grants and workforce development

Action Review: Bringing the CIAA back

Charlotte is one of 10 cities that have been invited to bid to host the CIAA tournament from 2028-30. Our city was home to the tournament from 2006-20. Before that it was in Raleigh (2001-05) and since then it’s been in Baltimore (2022-26). The city will need to submit a bid by April 15.

Baltimore is the only city besides Charlotte that’s known to be interested in actually submitting a bid, according to Steve Bagwell with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.

Ed Driggs said he supports the CIAA’s return but has concerns about safety. “We have to acknowledge that in more recent years there had been another element; the tournament became a destination for people not attending [games] and there have been incidents.” 

He said he’d like to hear CMPD’s plan for dealing with the crowds.

“I think it’s really a tremendous opportunity for the community. It’s not a slam dunk but I like the momentum moving forward. There are some free throws we have to make to make this a successful bid,” said Malcolm Graham, a graduate of CIAA member school Johnson C. Smith University. 

He mentioned that one first step will be to ensure the availability of Spectrum Center for the event. 

Dante Anderson said many people still mourn the loss of CIAA in Charlotte. Like Graham, she emphasized that CIAA-sanctioned events did not see crime or violence and suggested speaking to city staff and organizers in New Orleans, where similar issues occurred at non-sanctioned events surrounding Essence Fest.

Rocking a CIAA sweatshirt, James ‘Smuggie’ Mitchell voiced his fervent support for bringing CIAA back to Charlotte. “They have been a tremendous partner for this city and this community,” he said, adding that without CIAA taking place in our city for the 15 years that it was here, the city would not be hosting NCAA tournament games now.

Action Review: Public safety efforts

During his public safety update, Shawn Heath with the city manager’s office presented stats showing a drop in crime to start 2025 (Jan. 1-March 17) compared to the same span last year, acknowledging that it’s a short span but is a strong start for the city’s crime prevention efforts.

The stats showed overall crime down 11% during that span, violent crime down 19% and property crime down 9%. They also showed homicides down 33% from 24 at this time last year to 16 this year. 

The final slide of Heath’s presentation laid out nine strategies that will serve as priority focus areas for the city, broken up into three categories: city investments and policy, evidence-based community programming, and state policy items. 

City investments and policy include investing more money in CMPD with plans to grow the department starting in fiscal year 2027, enhancing local ordinances to better address nuisance properties, and utilizing drones as first responders by leveraging technology as a “force multiplier” to reduce risk to officers and enhance public safety. 

For evidence-based community programming, Heath suggested expanding Atrium’s hospital-based violence intervention program, Project BOOST; launching a youth-led social norms campaign; and seeking opportunities to connect ongoing city programming and investments to re-entry programming to reduce recidivism and enhance economic opportunity for formerly incarcerated residents. 

In terms of state policy items, focus areas included support House Bill 50 (Senate Bill 320), which enhances retention of law enforcement officers with at least 30 years of service; seeking and supporting additional funding for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office and county courts; and working toward construction of a local juvenile detention center. 

“The drone idea I think is just completely outrageous, but that’s just me,” said Tiawana Brown, the first to comment following Heath’s presentation.

LaWana Mayfield echoed Brown’s concerns, stating that she’s not comfortable hearing that staff is moving forward with the idea of utilizing drones when council hasn’t discussed the topic yet.

Regarding the idea of building a local juvenile detention center, Mayfield said she would be against any privatized plan that would involve a company operating the facility for profit.

Though Tariq Bokhari said he’d like to have seen “more teeth” in the suggested solutions, he believes it is a milestone in the city’s ongoing discussion around public safety. “Let’s make sure we don’t make this a one-time exercise and then move on. This is a living thing…”

Malcolm Graham acknowledged that another budget increase may be needed for CMPD to allow the department to recruit more officers. “The police department already takes up a lion’s share of our budget but I don’t think they’re keeping up with the population growth.”

Public Forum: Airport workers and animal shelter volunteers

Starting Monday night’s public forum was a volunteer at the Animal Care & Control shelter who said staff there is “constantly under pressure from all sides” as the shelter has been in an overcrowding crisis for years. “Every month we make the same plea,” asking for more funding and a new facility. 

Volunteers and staff have also repeatedly asked that AC&C be removed from under the CMPD umbrella and instead be allowed to operate as an independent agency. 

“We cannot foster or adopt our way out of this crisis,” said another volunteer, who asked for stricter ordinances and licensing/permitting mandates for dog breeders in Charlotte among other legislative measures that are needed to provide relief.

Read more: CMPD Animal Care & Control Opens Satellite Shelter Amidst Crisis (2023)

“Losing animals not because they’re dangerous or sick but due to a lack of space is heartbreaking and honestly cruel,” said another volunteer. “We do this because we care but we cannot fix this problem alone … We need bigger changes in the city.”

Laura Kelly, a protector for unaccompanied minors and caretaker for disabled and elderly passengers with American Airlines, spoke next. She said her team is so understaffed she sometimes has to push two folks in wheelchairs across the airport simultaneously.

Kelly added that low wages are what leads to high turnover. She asked that the city raise the standards at the airport to allow for workers to take pride in their work.

According to a release from the 32BJ SEIU sent out in the lead-up to the meeting, Kelly currently lives in a hotel room with her husband and two kids and is constantly faced with the hard decisions of choosing between necessities like food and medications or paying her bills.

Maribel McBeath has worked as a cabin cleaner for ABM at the airport for 12 years. She said her team is understaffed and rarely gets time to use the restroom or get a drink of water, let alone take a break, which puts them all at higher risk for injury.

According to the SEIU release, McBeath is currently dealing with health issues and has racked up thousands of dollars in bills because she can’t afford health insurance.

Former Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston spoke in support of the many airport workers in the crowd on Monday night. “Airport workers are not easily replaceable. Their specialized training and experience are crucial to airport operations,” yet many don’t earn a living wage, he said. 

Winston pointed out that workers are essential in ensuring safety for passengers. “Studies indicate that low wages and high turnover lead to a workforce less familiar with essential security protocols. It’s time to put an end to this revolving door for workers.”

Later in the meeting, LaWana Mayfield and Renee Johnson referenced back to those speeches, asking city staff to come back with suggestions as to how council can use its leverage/authority to ensure better pay/treatment for airport workers.

Business Items: Business grants and workforce development

Council approved three Business Investment Grants for companies moving to or expanding their operations in Charlotte, all of which had been agreed to as incentives to encourage said companies to do so.

The grants included $22,843 for DetraPel, Inc., which announced it would relocate its headquarters to Charlotte in February; $171,936 for Groninger USA, LLC, which announced an expansion of its advanced manufacturing operations in CLT in January; and $166,874 for RXO Corporate Solutions LLC, which announced last November that it would expand its headquarters operations in Charlotte. 

Council unanimously approved a new Workforce Development Strategic Plan that “establishes key focus areas, goals, and strategies to guide the city’s efforts in addressing our current and future workforce needs.” 

Council approved a five-year lease agreement with Mecklenburg County to lease two city-owned parcels along the Little Sugar Creek off Archdale Road for a buck a year so Park & Rec can include the parcels in the construction of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

Charlotte City Council will have a week off before gathering again on April 7 for committee discussions.