Durham City Council approved $3.66 million for hybrid police SUVs and a $200,000 bus rapid transit study, but rejected a police-fire pay proposal after learning 196 employees were bypassed in raise calculations.
City Council rejected a police-fire pay proposal after learning 196 employees were bypassed in raise calculations, and asked staff to recalculate retroactive costs of $95,000 to $188,000 for a July 1, 2024 implementation date.
Council approved $3.66 million for 77 hybrid police SUVs and greenlit a $200,000 bus rapid transit feasibility study along Durham's highest-ridership corridor from East Durham through downtown to Duke Hospital.
Residents warned Council that an $18 million parks bond funded by unassigned budget surplus risks gentrification and displacement, with rents up 31 percent since 2019 and property taxes rising $346 per $100,000 value.