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Town of Cary · Town Council
Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 1:00 pm · Courtyard by Marriott Raleigh Cary/Parkside Town C, 1008 Parkside Main St, Cary, NC 27519

Regular meeting Budget and appropriationsEnvironment and sustainabilityPublic facilitiesRezoningRoads and transportationStormwater and floodingBonds and debtFire and EMSHousing and affordabilityLand conversion and large developmentSolid waste and recyclingState legislative agendaTax rate and revaluationTransit

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What's on this agenda

Cary's quarterly council meeting on November 13 produced one figure worth remembering: 12 percent. The town manager told the council that when residents say the council approves nearly every rezoning, the technically correct answer is that only 12 to 20 percent of potential rezonings ever reach a council vote, because the council's policy goals filter out the rest before that.

The council also learned it recouped $46.9 million from reassessed capital projects — $15 million back to the general fund balance and $31.9 million to capital reserve, of which $18.2 million is restricted to transportation, $7.6 million to parks from developer payments in lieu, and $6.1 million unrestricted.

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

The Citizen's Convenience Center problem got its first airing here. Finding a new site within a year would be hard, would cost a great deal, and would probably need to sit in a bond referendum, with a gap in service during any transition. Members noted the site is a block or two from the future multimodal centre and asked whether the whole corridor could be reimagined as one space rather than parcel by parcel, and that the area is what train passengers see of Cary.

On state legislation, the town attorney and manager described two changes that limit local control. New flag rules make size limits hard to enforce and may allow any flag at all, with the practical problems not yet worked out. And the one-year waiting period after a failed rezoning attaches to the property rather than the applicant, so a new owner can reapply immediately; only three waivers have been signed since 2020.

Finance reported property tax collections steady at about 99.9 percent, total revenue up 18 percent in FY 2025 over FY 2024, and a 36 percent increase driven by an eight-cent property tax rate rise.

Cary has the first Volterra electric fire truck on the East Coast, housed at Fire Station 9, which finished its first quarter of service — it stayed on scene more than three hours, recharged quickly and answered further calls. Two traffic signals at High House Road and Weston Parkway came to about $1.8 million together, the most expensive the town has installed, on inflation and rising project costs.

For the coming budget, staff proposed replacing the flat ranking of the town's six pillars with quadratic voting at the February retreat, where members allocate voice credits and each additional vote on one priority costs more, discouraging anyone from putting everything on a single item. A member suggested the AAA bond rating pillar might be better named fund balance health; the manager said a community can have a strong fund balance without a AAA rating, so both could stand.

On flood insurance, members asked the town to publicise the rate reduction more thoroughly and to run a campaign making clear that standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage.

How the votes went

No votes were recorded. The minutes are marked draft.

From the published minutes.

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Agenda items (7)

Presentation · 5Staff or committee report · 2
  1. II.A Intergovernmental Update
    Staff or committee report RezoningRoads and transportationState legislative agenda
    State legislative changes affecting the town. New rules make flag size limits hard to enforce and may permit any flag to be flown, with practical questions unresolved. The one-year waiting period after a failed rezoning attaches to the property rather than the applicant, so a new owner may reapply; only three waivers have been signed since 2020. The council also discussed pavement condition index targets, with the town aiming at 78 to 80 against a state figure of about 72.
  2. II.B Citizen's Convenience Center
    Presentation Bonds and debtPublic facilitiesSolid waste and recyclingTransit
    The recycling and waste drop-off centre must move off the North Carolina Railroad right-of-way. A new site would be expensive, would likely need to sit in a bond referendum, and could mean a gap in service. Members noted the site is a block or two from the future multimodal centre and asked whether the corridor could be reimagined as one space, and that it forms the view of Cary from passing trains.
  3. II.C Finance
    Staff or committee report Budget and appropriationsTax rate and revaluation
    Property tax collections held at about 99.9 percent, consistent with prior years. Total revenue rose 18 percent in FY 2025 over FY 2024, with a 36 percent increase attributable to an eight-cent property tax rate rise.
  4. II.D Capital Projects
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityFire and EMSPublic facilitiesRoads and transportationStormwater and flooding
    Cary has the first Volterra electric fire truck on the East Coast, at Fire Station 9, which completed its first quarter of service and demonstrated it could stay on scene more than three hours, recharge quickly and respond again. A regional wetland project on the west side of Harrison Avenue, built through a public-private partnership, manages stormwater and will get vegetation and a pollinator garden. New signals at High House Road and Weston Parkway cost about $1.8 million together, the town's most expensive, and will include audible signals for people with visual impairments.
  5. II.E Budget
    Presentation Budget and appropriations
    Reassessed capital projects returned $46.9 million: $15 million to the general fund balance and $31.9 million to capital reserve, of which $18.2 million is restricted transportation funding, $7.6 million restricted to parks from developer payments in lieu, and $6.1 million unrestricted. Staff proposed quadratic voting at the February retreat to weight the town's six budget pillars, where extra votes on one priority cost more, and earlier public engagement through surveys, boards, a budget academy and a pilot with smaller groups next autumn.
  6. II.F Development
    Presentation Housing and affordabilityLand conversion and large developmentRezoning
    Staff addressed the claim that the council approves every rezoning. The manager said the accurate figure is that 12 to 20 percent of potential rezonings are approved by the council, because policy goals filter cases out before they reach a vote. It is very rare for a case to come forward against a staff recommendation, though applicants may insist. Discussion also covered a 225-unit multifamily proposal with structured parking on Chatham Street, across from the mobile home redevelopment, which does require rezoning where the mobile home property does not.
  7. II.G Environmental
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityStormwater and flooding
    Members asked the town to publicise a reduction in flood insurance rates more thoroughly and to run a campaign making clear that standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.

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