Mayor· month-level start: December 2019 per Laurinburg Exchange 2019-12-17 (sworn in at organizational meeting; continuous mayor); month-level end: November 2027 per city council page 'Term Expires 11/2027'
James T. Willis
Laurinburg
No biography on file yet.
Voice
- Meetings spoken in
- 12
- Total speaking time
- 1:48:04
- Avg per meeting
- 9:00
- Segments
- 1893
Want every word Willis has said?
The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Willis said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.
Top issues during term (20)
Potential electric rate impacts from NCEMPA wholesale rate change
About $132,000 (0.8% of billed revenue) is recoverable through six recommended process fixes.
Speed bumps request on Midland Way
Bridge Creek demolition
$93,500 in state ARPA funds — no local water and sewer dollars used.
Zoning appeals consolidated under City Council
Peden Street duplex rezoning
Downtown revitalization and Brownfields plan
The $500,000 EPA grant has closed; staff will pursue the next round of EPA grants, and implementation costs are estimated in the plan.
Disposal of vacant city-owned parcels
Sales are expected to bring minimal revenue by design — the goal is returning parcels to productive private ownership, not profit.
Special Use Permit request on Dundee Drive
No city infrastructure costs; the hospital funds its own development.
2026 Sky High Aerospace Expo
Sponsorships and donations fund the nonprofit event; ticketed day is Saturday only.
City vs. County water system friction
McGirt's Bridge Road multifamily special use permit
Water and sewer capital projects
About $46 million in work, with roughly $31 million covered by state grants and loan forgiveness rather than local ratepayers.
Three sidewalk projects
The city pays only 20 percent; the rest comes through NCDOT.
Purchasing policy and minority participation requirements
No direct cost; noncompliance risked voiding state-funded contracts.
FY 2026-2027 City Budget
Multiple fund transfers within the current-year budget; no new tax impact stated.
Bridge Creek & College Park Sewer Rehabilitation
A $250,000 transfer within the water/sewer capital project fund.
FY 2026-27 Budget Input and Retreat
Public input helps shape how the next year's budget — and your tax dollars — get spent.
127 Main Street restoration project
$669,979 of a $1.1 million grant-funded rehab, with the city seeking reimbursement from Commerce and Main Street.
Special use permit hearing on Parcel No. 01004202025
City Manager's Salary
Determines the compensation of the city's top administrator from the city budget.
Decisions during term (32)
Recorded while Willis was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.