Jonathan Melton

On May 4, 2021 Raleigh City Council approved a tax increment grant (TIG) policy which Melton voted in favor. The TIG policy allows the city of Raleigh to provide up to $5 million per year (2% of the annual budget) in tax rebates to private developers, effectively shielding them from increases in property taxes due to rising property values.[17] A month later on June 1, 2021 Raleigh City Council passed an annual budget that included an increase in property taxes generating an increased $7 million per year which was supported by Melton.[18] Critics of the TIG policy point to the combined actions of increasing property taxes on Raleigh residents and providing tax rebates for select private developers as an unfair redistribution of wealth from average residents to wealthy real estate developers.

The increase in property tax rates came at a time when property values throughout the Triangle region were climbing due to national trends in the housing market and impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] While Melton was part of a coalition to increase property taxes for Raleigh residents, neighboring Durham County was working to implement a tax assistance program. On October 6th, 2021 Durham County tax office in partnership with the Durham department of social services launched a program to provide up to $750 of tax relief to qualifying residents as a means of combating gentrification and displacement of low-income residents.[20]

Melton has campaigned on the issue of bringing more affordable housing to Raleigh, however during his time on council housing costs skyrocketed an estimated 42.5%.[21] Melton was part of a coalition strategy that primarily targeted increasing the housing supply and the density of housing through private market forces. Little effort was made to ensure affordable housing units were included when rezoning cases were brought before city council to increase density, with Mayor Baldwin and allies such as Melton repeatedly claiming that North Carolina state law prohibited inclusionary zoning. Critics of Raleigh City Council's housing policies point to the density bonus program implemented by Charlotte which allowed for height increases in existing zoning if private developers committed a certain percentage of units as affordable housing units.[22] Others criticized the housing policies as naïve, saying the private market strategy relied on the premise that providing any type of housing would inevitably lead to a stabilization of housing prices for all types of housing; a flawed premise as for-profit developers primarily construct luxury style homes beyond the financial means of working-class residents. The rising prices of housing and rental costs in Raleigh that coincided with Melton's tenure likely increased the rate of displacement and gentrification occurring within the city substantially. Housing justice advocates with claim that this was the intent of Mayor Baldwin’s coalition policies from the start, and that Councilor Melton aided and abetted these harmful policies.

In February 2020, Councilor Saige Martin brought forward a motion to disband citizens’ advisory councils. These advisory councils were distributed geographically across the city[23] and served as a mechanism for community engagement for proposed rezoning. Applicants seeking to rezone their property could present their case to residents of the CAC for the nearby area and receive feedback and address concerns. A non-binding vote would be held by the CAC, which could be taken into consideration by City Council along with the Planning Commission’s vote when deciding if a rezoning case should be approved. Supporters of CACs say they provided a mechanism for participatory democracy and prevented for-profit developers from running roughshod through low-income communities and wildlife habitat.[24]

During the February 4th, 2020 city council meeting, Councilor Saige Martin brought forward a motion to disband CACs by ceasing financial support by the city, and ending their involvement in any rezoning cases moving forward. Melton voted in favor of the motion. Martin claimed the funds were needed to revamp community engagement.[25] Unfortunately this claim rang hollow when City Council spent $70,000 for an outside consultant to provide a report on community engagement. Among the recommendations the consultant, Mickey Fearn, provided was the formation of neighborhood enrichment units.[26] Former members of CACs speculated these neighborhood enrichment units were CACs by another name, and that Melton voted disbanded CACs and spend $70,000 for someone to tell them to reinstate CACs. In the months that followed, concerns were voiced to city council during public comment that the Planning Commission was overwhelmed with the increased workload of unpolished rezoning cases. These concerned individuals claimed that CACs served to reconcile a significant amount of differences between developers and residents prior to reaching the Planning Commission, thus resulting in more beneficial rezoning and a more balanced workload for the volunteers of the Planning Commission.

Critics of the decision to disband CACs point out that Raleigh City Council elected not to disband Development Services Advisory Committee (DSAC)[27] and claim the City Council (including Melton) only cares to engage with the Private Developers that contribute money to their political campaigns, and not engagement with the average citizens of Raleigh.