Robert Rice, RCAC (Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council) Chair and Glenwood CAC Chair and other CAC proponents are expecting the City Council to vote to support Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs) on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, four years after the council voted to abolish support for the citizen groups.
The topic is not on the city council agenda; however, council members are expected to bring up the topic during their individual reports.
Current CAC leaders would like the city to provide CACs, at minimum, with:
- Free, monthly meeting space in a convenient city facility within the geographic boundary of each CAC
- Access to City-owned technology from online meeting programs (such as Zoom) and equipment for meetings (e.g. cameras, projectors)
- A level of financial support for each CAC for communication purposes (e.g. mailings, yard signs, streaming services).
CACs were started in 1974 by Raleigh’s first Black mayor, Clarence Lightner. They provided a way for the City to share information and to receive feedback from the community. Many believe the mayor of Raleigh pushed to abolish support so that developers (her main source of campaign financing) would not have to deal with residents and their opinions regarding rezonings.
