At-Large Council Member· 2025-12-02 to 2029-12-01 (month-level end: December 2029 per city Boards, Commissions and Committees directory (updated March 2, 2026, sanfordnc.net/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/740) lists 'Term Expires: 12/2029'; start = oath of office at the Dec 2, 2025 organizational session minutes; first took this office Aug 16, 2022 per Aug 16, 2022 minutes) (cycle default: NC terms begin first Monday in December)
Linda Rhodes
Sanford
No biography on file yet.
Voice
- Meetings spoken in
- 20
- Total speaking time
- 1:31:16
- Avg per meeting
- 4:34
- Segments
- 1141
Want every word Rhodes has said?
The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Rhodes said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.
Top issues during term (19)(Development)
Unified Development Ordinance review
Hewitt argues growth raises taxes and school costs faster than the revenue it brings.
Rollingdale annexation
Annexation would extend city services and add the property to the city tax base; no immediate cost identified.
Economic development incentive agreements (Projects Sunshine, Volt, Maize)
Up to about $39.5 million in city incentives over 12 years, paid out of general fund revenues as 80% grant reimbursements of taxes the company actually pays.
affordable housing
This development could help stabilize local housing costs by increasing the overall supply of homes in Sanford.
Data center moratorium request
The project is tied to anticipated tax revenue, but full public costs and impacts remain unstudied.
Tramway Area Commercial Growth
Commercial expansion grows the tax base but adds traffic near an already busy intersection.
Non-Contiguous Annexation of 29.6 Acres on South Wilmington Street
Not yet determined — annexation would extend city services to the property, with fiscal effects to be examined at the hearing.
Annexation of 27 acres on Carthage Street (Rollingdale Investment, LLC)
The annexed property is expected to generate roughly $1,975 a year in city property tax revenue.
Oakden mixed-use gateway development at U.S. 1 and Cullen Road
Public water, sewer and streets would serve the project, and the developer would deed a pump station site to the city.
Ali Java Horner Boulevard residential unit
A project of this size could add significant housing and tax value, though specific figures weren't given.
Annexation and industrial rezoning of Hawkins Avenue site
Adds about $756,700 in assessed value to city rolls — roughly $4,200 in annual city tax revenue — plus fire district payment obligations.
Oakton Mixed-Use Community on Colon Road
A large new development expands the tax base, though infrastructure demands will follow.
Broadwell development redesign along NC 87
Growth and Quality of Life Concerns
Palomino Townhomes Rezoning to Urban Neighborhood
Private roads must be brought to city standards and accepted for public maintenance if the property is developed.
421 North Townhomes design change
Property values and local business revenue could shift as hundreds of new households move into the growing Sanford area.
economic development incentives
Local taxpayers are ponying up $46 million upfront, hoping a billion-dollar industrial facility will eventually pay off through long-term economic growth.
Relocation of Abandoned Graves at 603 Rod Sullivan Road
The developer is covering relocation costs to Broadway Cemetery, so no cost to taxpayers.
CDBG Grant Amendment for Washington Avenue Neighborhood Revitalization
An additional $4.05 million in state grant funding, not city money.
Decisions during term (5)
Recorded while Rhodes was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.