Keeping the community informed: Dunn Area Chamber of Commerce hosts annual State of the City luncheon

By Faith Hatton, posted Aug 31, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

From left to right: Dunn City Manager Justin Hembree, City of Dunn mayor William Elmore, Dunn area Chamber of Commerce CEO Kristina Harrell, Moderator and local business owner Terry Whittenton, Dunn Assistant City Manager Billy Godwin, and Chief of Police for the City of Dunn Lynn Gay.

The Dunn Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed residents, business owners and a multitude of economic development organizations to the Dunn Community Center on Thursday, Aug. 27, for their annual Dunn State of the City Luncheon.

This event gave a platform to the City of Dunn officials and law enforcement to give an update on important infrastructure projects, the state of economic development and more.

“One of our priorities is creating opportunities for meaningful conversations that keep our business community informed and engaged. We believe that strong communities are built on communication, collaboration and a shared vision for the future. Today’s event is an opportunity to hear directly from the leaders who help shape that future every single day here in Dunn,” shared Dunn Area Chamber CEO Kristina Harrell.

The event featured four panelists, with moderator and local business owner Terry Whittenton asking pointed questions about some important developments.

Panelists included:

City of Dunn Mayor William Elmore
City Manager Justin Hembree
Assistant City Manager Billy Godwin
Chief of Police Lynn Gay

The meeting discussed upcoming events, including a State of Healthcare forum on Thursday, Sept. 10, and highlighted recent achievements in Dunn.

City manager Justin Hembree highlighted infrastructure improvements, team stability and new business activity. As the city continues to meet conditions to lift a system-wide sewer moratorium that blocks new connections, preparations and budgets are already being made to provide crucial improvements.

Budget highlights include:

The city council set aside $20,000 to fund the Stewart Theater project as that project moves forward to be able to renovate the theater and make it an even better showcase for downtown Dunn.
$175,000 to go towards renovating C.B. Codrington Park to increase accessibility and improve the facility.
$720,000 dedicated to a stormwater fund
About $5.2 million set aside for Water funds
About $6.3 million set aside in Sewer funds

“One of the things that the council did that I think was very forward thinking was the council this year set aside $500,000, half a million dollars to fall to our fund balance, and what that means is that we're going to ensure moving forward we're continuing to be good stewards of our money. We're going to manage our finances appropriately,” shared Hembree.

The conversation highlighted the city's efforts in public safety and community development. Chief Gay emphasized the importance of a safe community for business and residents, mentioning targeted crime prevention, technology use and a downtown foot patrol.

“We live in a strong, safe community. We target recurring crimes, crimes with repeat offenders. I'm unafraid to have the Flock conversation offline. If you want to, we can have it publicly. The use of technology is not going to go away, and so we have to use that to our benefit. But there's a huge accountability piece. We have to be accountable for how we're using it, and so I'm determined to continue. And I appreciate the city council and the continued trend of investing in technology,” shared Chief Gay. “Some more practical things you'll see is, you may have noticed our downtown business foot patrol. We want to be out in the public talking to business owners and residents and help prevent crimes at the lowest level before they actually become an issue.”

Gay also highlighted that the Dunn Police Department is operating with 47 out of 50 positions filled.

The city is undertaking several significant infrastructure projects: a $12 million East Side Pump Station to address sanitary sewer overflows, a $3.4 million stormwater project and a sewer rehab project involving 88 miles of lines. The city also plans to recondition 65 miles of streets and has allocated funds for future paving projects. A $400,000 budget is set for 2027, with future infrastructure priorities including water system upgrades and stormwater improvements.

The mayor shared that the city aims for balanced growth, enhancing downtown and expanding opportunities for local jobs and businesses.

“We will have completed almost $81 million worth of repairs to our wastewater system, and those repairs are going to be complete in 2026, and we will come out from under the moratorium. That's going to be great because it's going to create an environment for business growth and residential growth in the community, and all the stuff that we're doing as far as sewer repair is generational changes that's going to benefit this community for many many years to come,” shared Mayor Elmore.

You can find more information on the City of Dunn on their website here and more on the Dunn Area Chamber of Commerce on their website here.

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