Rawn highlights intentional growth and shared progress in State of the City address

Mayor Molly Rawn used her second State of the City address to outline recent work on housing, infrastructure and public safety and to note an upcoming March 3 bond referendum.

Mayor Molly Rawn delivered her second State of the City address Tuesday at the Fayetteville Town Center. She made the event more conversational and set up informational kiosks so residents could speak with department heads. After the speech she held a brief question-and-answer session with a local reporter. The address reviewed priorities including housing, infrastructure and public safety and referenced a March 3 bond referendum. Key announcements: - The event lasted just over 30 minutes, with about a 10-minute Q&A session following the speech and kiosks available for resident input. - On housing, the city provided funding and restored relations with the Fayetteville Housing Authority, hired Marlee Stark as the first chief housing officer, overhauled the community resources division, shortened developer approval times and bolstered emergency shelter coordination during extreme weather. - For infrastructure, city crews repaired more than 1,000 of the municipality's more than 10,000 water and sewer lines last year and plan to increase that work this year. - Energy and waste changes include a power purchase agreement approved with Entegrity Energy Partners in December 2023 and a soon-to-be-online solar array expected to supply about 90% of city facilities’ energy; recycling collection will shift to an all-in-one cart system scheduled for June. - The City Council adopted a balanced budget addressing a reported $3 million general fund deficit, and a fire safety bond that includes a new fire station and training facility is on the March 3 ballot. - Additional items noted were a commitment to add a shelter and bench at every bus stop by 2028, a recent $24 million expansion at Packaging Specialties, the region’s largest Pride festival, and the return of the Veterans Day parade. Summary: Rawn described the past year as one of laying foundations, building trust and making steady, shared progress across several areas of city government. Several initiatives are in early implementation or await voter decisions, with the bond referendum set for March 3 and the new recycling carts planned for roll‑out in June. The administration also noted the solar array will come online soon and that infrastructure repairs will continue this year.