Are we waiting on Councilmember Allen?

Someone text them to see if they are on the one.

We'll get one more minute before we start.

Council member Allen is on the slide.

Thank you.

I'm gonna go ahead and get started.

The Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026, virtual meeting of the Greensboro City Council.

In the continued interest of public safety, the Greensboro City Council will meet virtually today, and the format of this meeting may differ from the standard format used for meetings held in the council chambers.

I will now do a roll call to confirm council members are in attendance in the virtual meeting.

Please state uh now that all council members must have video and audio on for the entire meeting.

I am here, Mayor Pro Tim Roth.

I believe maybe logging on soon.

Councilmember Allen.

We'll go back and pick him up.

Councilmember Holston?

Present.

Councilmember Black?

Present.

Council Member Crawford.

Present.

Councilmember Parker.

Present.

Councilmember Marshall.

Present.

Councilmember Thurm.

Present.

All right, is anyone uh rejoined at this moment?

Mayor Pro Tem Roth or Councilmember Allen.

All right.

We will begin this meeting with a moment of silence.

And now let us please join in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mrs.

Thurm, would you lead us in the pledge, please?

Sure.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

And to the Republican Republic for which hands.

One nation.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh we will go to item D one, which is a motion to adopt the City of Greensboro, City Council policy and procedures, and rules of decorum.

Is there any discussion or do I have a motion?

I'll move the item.

Move by Mr.

Marshall.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Seconded by Mrs.

Thurm.

Any further discussion?

Hearing none, we will do a roll call vote.

Have we had um Mayor Pro Tim Roth and Councilmember Allen join yet?

Mayor Pro Tim is having some trouble getting logged on.

Okay.

Councilmember Allen is present.

Great, thank you.

We will come back and get her vote if she is in by the end of this roll call.

Uh got council member Holston.

Aye.

Councilmember Allen.

Councilmember, we're doing the uh yes, the roll call but council member Therm.

Aye.

This is for the D1, Mr.

Councilmember Allen.

The rules of decorum.

Yes.

You're saying aye.

All right, council member Marshall.

Aye.

Councilmember Parker.

Aye.

Councilmember Crawford.

Aye.

And council member black.

Aye.

I am an aye as well, and that passes unanimously.

Let it be noted that Mayor Pro Tim Roth is not yet in the meeting.

She's she's here.

She is.

Okay, Mayor Pro Tim Roth.

We were voting on the rules of decorum and procedures.

If you uh would like, would you go ahead and vote on that?

Yes, I'm an I vote, please.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So that passes unanimously.

Thank you all very much.

So the rules and of decorum and procedure may be found on the city website under the city clerk department.

Should anyone like to go and review those?

The City of Greensboro strongly encourages input from all residents.

The council chambers serve as a welcoming and safe environment for all residents.

The council rules of procedure and decorum are posted on the city website, and all speakers are expected to read and adhere to the rules when addressing the council during a speaking opportunity.

To address the council this evening, participants must have completed the speaker sign-up virtually, and pursuant to the rules prior to the council meeting, those registered online should confirm their attendance with the city clerk and/or Mr.

Canopino.

All handouts must be given to the city clerk for dispro distribution prior to the start of the council meeting.

For the public comment period, each speaker signed up to speak will get three minutes each to speak.

If there are more than 25 speakers, the time may be reduced to two minutes per se speaker.

Speakers may address specific consent or business agenda items with three minutes allocated for remarks.

All speakers are expected to adhere to established rules of decorum.

Speakers shall be civil and courteous in their language and presentation.

Insults, profanity, the use of vulgar language or gestures or other inappropriate behavior directed at the council, the audience or city staff are not allowed.

Speakers who disrupt the meeting in this manner will be given a warning, and if unheeded will be removed from the meeting.

Any inappropriate or disruptive conduct will result in immediate removal.

A first removal carries a three-month suspension from in-person participation.

A second violation results in a six-month suspension, and a third violation or any instance involving physical altercations results in a 12-month suspension.

Any violation of state criminal laws may also subject the individual to criminal charges.

Those suspended from in-person participation will retain the ability to attend virtually via Zoom, ensuring their right to free speech.

And if the Zoom speaker violates the rules of procedure and decorum, they will be muted.

Speakers may have the city IT team play videos that have already been sent into the city clerk for its security check.

Any videos, media, or supplemental documents utilized by speakers during this meeting are not reviewed or verified by the city for accuracy, completeness, or authenticity.

The city does not endorse or adopt the content, and all opinions and views expressed are solely those of the speaker.

Speakers may not transfer their time to others, and the mayor or presiding officer will determine the speaking order based on the number of speakers.

The mayor may modify the time allotted to each individual and approaching the dais when we are in person is not permitted.

Speakers may not address the audience or nor employees of the city of Greensboro.

The public comment period is for speakers to address council members only with their comments, and this is an opportunity for council to listen and take notes.

Any violation of this protocol and the speaker's time shall be surrendered.

Zoom participants must refrain from speaking until they are recognized and called upon.

State statute requires council members to vote on all matters unless a direct financial interest exists, or if the council member serves on the board of a nonprofit organization that receives city funding.

All motions will be moved and seconded, and the presiding officer will announce the vote tally.

The consent agenda covering items G1 through G6 consists of routine and non-controversial matters that are approved with a single vote.

Any council member may request the removal of an item due to a conflict of interest or to vote in opposition.

Items withdrawn for discussion will be carried forward to the next business meeting.

If an item is found to be time sensitive, the mayor may request that a vote be taken.

We will move on to our ceremonial ceremonial and presentation items.

And this is the time we have item E1, a resolution to declare James Daniels with an honorary designation of poet laureate for the city of Greensboro, North Carolina for two years.

I will be reading the resolution, but Jackie Boone would like to make a uh short comment, brief comments prior to the reading of the resolution.

Jackie.

If someone can let Jackie speak, please.

Okay.

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and members of City Council.

It is my honor to introduce James Daniels.

James participated in the highly competitive process and received outstanding scores from a panel review team that reflect both his artistic excellence and his commitment to community.

The Greensboro Poet Laureate Program continues in the spirit established by the late Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne Johnson in 2023, when she named the city's first poet laureate and affirmed the power of poetry in civic life.

James embodies the talent, voice, and vision needed to carry forward this role.

Creative Greensboro and the Greensboro Cultural Affairs Commission stewards the work of the program, and we're excited for the impact he will have throughout our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I will read the resolution and then afterwards, after our vote, uh Mr.

Daniels will let you speak for a moment.

So resolution to declare James Daniels with an honorary designation of poet laureate for the City of Greensboro for two years.

Whereas the City of Greensboro recognizes the long diverse and rich history of the arts, an important element of our community.

Whereas the City of Greensboro supports the arts, promotes poetry and literacy, and is seeking ways to make the arts more vibrant and accessible to all residents.

Whereas the poet laureate composes poems that raise consciousness to a greater appreciation of arts and poetry.

Whereas the Greensboro City Council resolves to declare James Daniels with an honorary designation of poet laureate for the City of Greensboro for two years.

Whereas poet James Daniels is a published poet and the creative writing director at North Carolina ANT State University, and his work appears in Poets.org, the Greensboro Review and his chapbook God-based, I'm sorry, Goddamn Eden, Bull City Press 2025.

He's been a staple in the Greensboro literary community for the past six years and is committed to formalizing connections between communities, creatives, colleges, high schools, and institutions to build an ecosystem of poets.

Whereas poet James Daniels is a published poet and the creative writing director.

It has been said of poet James Daniels that he believes in feeding the mind, body, and soul through his art.

And now therefore be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Greensboro that the City Council hereby declares James Daniels an honorary designation of poet laureate for two years to be effective February 3rd, 2026.

Adopted this the third day of February 2026.

I will accept a motion.

I moved.

Moved by Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth.

Second.

Second.

I think there were a lot of seconds there.

I heard Miss Black first.

So seconded by Councilmember Crystal Black.

I will go down and do a roll call vote.

Councilmember Crawford.

Aye.

Mayor Pro Tem Roth.

Aye.

Councilmember Holston.

Aye.

Councilmember Marshall.

Aye.

Councilmember Thurm.

Aye.

Councilmember Parker.

Hi.

Councilmember Black.

Aye.

Council Member Allen.

Hi.

All right.

And would Mr.

Daniels like to say a few words, please?

Of course.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you, God, first and foremost.

Thank you to the city for bestowing this honor upon me.

Thank you to Creative Greensboro for all that you've done to support me.

And thank you to the forerunner poets before me, like Josephus and many others.

And thank you to all my friends and family, both the ones watching on YouTube and the ones who supported me thus far.

And I want to say that I'm a people's poet first and a peace poet second.

And it's always informed by a spiritual love geared towards seeing the beauty in all people and providing a medium for a more restorative view of ourselves and the communities around us.

And for me, this is the love of Christ, but for many others who connect spiritually to different things or varying non-religious practices and rituals.

When I say spirit, I mean this web of connections between us all that creates the communities that we're in.

And Greensboro has a spirit that I'm committed to loving on and celebrating in many ways as I can build the capacity for because I laugh with Greensboro.

I lament with Greensboro.

I stand in the center of conflicts to fight for Greensboro.

And I ultimately want that spirit to flourish.

So I just pray that with everyone's help here and across the city that I steward this well and create a poetic community that looks like all of us.

So the God be the glory, and I love all of y'all.

Let's get it.

Wonderful.

Do I hear any council members might like to make a comment?

I know that I will in a moment.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Yes, and I want to say that what you just said was beautiful in itself.

So I appreciate that very much.

And I can see a beautiful relationship between you and the city of Greensboro.

So welcome aboard.

Anyone else?

I don't want to miss anyone.

It's a little hard to see on the Zoom screen.

I'd just like to add congratulations and welcome.

The same here.

You have large shoes to fill with Josephus.

Uh awesome.

I can tell that just listening to you just now that uh he's left us in pretty good hands.

Congratulations.

I look forward to hearing more of your poetry.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you all, and thank you so much, Mr.

Daniels.

Of course, thank you.

Wonderful.

Now is the time for speakers from the floor on non-agenda items.

This is an opportunity to hear from anyone wishing to speak.

Generally, this is a time of listening for the council.

Speakers will be allotted three minutes each and may not relinquish any remaining time to another speaker.

Speakers are limited to three minutes total to speak, play a video, and or refer to supplemental materials in whatever order the speaker chooses.

If there are more than 25 speakers, the time may be reduced to two minutes each.

The subject will be noted from the speaker's notes, and if it requires action or a request, the city clerk or city manager will note as such and provide steps for any required response or after action.

Please leave your email and contact details with the city clerk if you have not already, as this will facilitate communication.

All right, I'm going to start down the list.

I've tried to group them in groups that have the same subject, but please bear with me because I'm working from two or three sheets here.

Madam Mayor.

Yes, Mr.

Holston.

Yes, just a quick uh housekeeping.

I know at the beginning of the meeting, you shared that uh for council members that our audio and video should remain on for the entire council meeting.

Correct.

Uh while the speakers are speaking, um there may be some some ambient or other noises in our homes.

Should we turn our speakers our microphones off while they're speaking so as not to interrupt?

Um, I would defer to the city attorney for that.

Personally, I'm gonna leave mine open.

I've tried to make sure there's no ambient sounds in my home, but you know, I don't know.

Uh Ms.

City Attorney, what what would be your suggestion?

Um, Madam Mayor, thank you for the question.

It would be my suggestion that the um council members do turn their audio off.

Okay, so as not to catch any sidebar conversations that may come up in them and win and if you want to speak to the speaker, got questions or want to answer a question, then just unmute yourself.

All right, thank you.

I would say the same thing, madam mayor, for the entire meeting.

That if you want to mute yourselves, that's perfectly fine until and unless you're speaking.

Right, and and as um presiding officer, I will not mute myself in order to keep the flow going.

So I do believe I may be in a quiet room.

If anyone hears any noise, please clue me in and I'll I'll mute very quickly.

Um so let's see.

I would first like to call on Isaac Kane and Jason Carter.

Uh Isaac first and then Jason.

Hello, everybody.

Isaac, if you want to start or I can.

Can you hear me?

We can hear you.

We can hear you.

Thank you.

Is Isaac here?

You want to go ahead.

Sure.

I will just do a quick share and try to use my three minutes, and uh we'll let Isaac jump in.

Uh so I'm Jason Carter, CEO of the Mod Squad.

Um, we build and design factories uh all around the world and in the U.S.

This is who we are, our core approach, kind of our team entering.

Um we're multidisciplinary team with decades of experiences across wood steel sip.

Umpartment projects that we built, factories you've designed at the bottom, our core services, strategy, feasibility, factory and production system designs, equipment automation and tooling, labor SOPs and operations, financial implementation and planning and market launch and growth support.

I don't have I don't know if we'll have time today, but three minutes to show you all the different factories we've built around the country, but I'll name a few as I go through here.

But we are a D FMA DFMA mindset when we when we work with groups.

Um when we're designing the factories.

We we've built RISE modular, we built fading west modular, we did uh ADA modular, these are all factories in Minnesota and Colorado.

We are currently uh under contract with Cal Poly and Wadi Turner in Suffolk, building 4,500 student housing dorms in San Luis Obispo.

These are 12-story and nine-story light gauge and heavy steel buildings.

We're also involved with the 32-story building of Force Ratner, it's 322 feet tall in Queens, uh at the Barclay Arena.

Um this is about what we've produced.

Our factory is about 1,464,000 square feet of projects.

We've enabled about 1,550 jobs nationwide, and a production capacity of about 9 million square feet.

We've been involved with around 22 different factories, startups, and implementations around the country.

We've done projects in South America, uh, brought companies to the United States.

Um this is uh top-left facilities fading west out of Colorado to the right here where my mouse is is a factory in Atlanta that we built.

It is the world's fastest bathroom pod factory.

Uh we have eight FANUC robots.

We built 636 second cycles.

We build a kitchen pod and a bathroom pod that's 30 seconds automated line.

Um, so that's really what we do.

Uh we're consistent all all cross-off platforms.

Uh the project that we uh plan on doing with um Isaac in the Greensboro market will be built volumetrically using an HSS steel project, uh product itself cages.

Uh, we've already built, like I said, a 32-story B platinum building.

Um, I'll stop there.

Sorry, it was so quick.

That's okay.

Is your partner on or not?

Isaac uh was on that that I know of.

Uh um.

Okay, Mr.

Kane, are you on?

Yes, I am here.

Okay.

You hear me?

Yes, go ahead.

Okay.

All right.

My name is Isaac Kane of Greensboro, North Carolina.

I um wanted to say thank you for this meeting.

Um, greetings to all you.

Um Mayor Um Abuzieda and the council.

I really appreciate this opportunity.

Uh, like Jason said, Jason is also an equity partner in uh in the company of Exempt Incorporated.

He is the um product manager expert.

Uh we will be introducing the Ardent Square International, which is a mixed use of residential, hotel, um, uh civic and convention, and also an entertainment pavilion.

Um we are actually making this presentation to you because we are seeking to do a public-private partnership, and of course, that'll be a conversation that we will have.

Um, we actually have the ability to raise all of our capital.

Um, we you know that that puts us in a position where we don't have to um seek um, you know, can I say super financial resources from the city because we have that ability to do it to do that ourselves.

Uh along with this collaboration uh with um with Jason and manufacturing, all of this will kind of work together in sync.

So it's you know, it's a it's a pretty big project.

Um and so anyway, I have a um one-minute video presentation.

So I wanted to make sure we get that in so we can get a visual uh presentation of what we're trying to do in the city of Greensboro.

We think it's the best location.

We thinks we think Greensboro is the I I like I look at Greensboro as a top 10 city in this in the nation and not just in the not the third in the state.

So anyway, this is why we you you'll see this presentation.

So if you can um Miss Stanberry, um Destiny, if you can put or who whoever's doing that can put the video in, that would be great.

And then uh, I guess you guys can't ask questions, so I forgot.

Okay, start my video.

Okay, so good.

Let me see.

The host has spotlighted your video for everyone.

Okay, and while he's doing that, if you look in the background of my picture here, this is the inside of the entertainment pavilion.

Thank you.

Can the video play?

Um do I don't know if do I do it?

I'm not sure if I'm the one disposed of it.

Play it, play it in your normal process, it should show.

If you if we can see the Isaac Kane Fuller, you should be able to click it and play it.

Oh, gotcha.

Okay.

Okay.

I clicked it.

Yeah, but we're you need to share the screen that you're playing it on.

Right now, we just see you.

Okay.

Share.

Okay, so you guys have to let me in.

All right, and let's see if I can see the video.

Oh no, I don't see the video.

Can I T help at all?

So we don't I'm sorry, you guys.

I'm just uh my first time doing this with you with the city.

Uh oh, there it is.

It was disabled by the host.

So do you guys see it?

I don't see it.

No.

Um I just see Isaac Kane and video.

Let me try it again.

Okay, the the IT person is trying.

Well, if we could get that going.

Yeah, it looked like the host has to get approval to share.

But I was able to share my video.

So okay, host, if you could share, that'd be great.

Madam Mayor, I hate to break in, but no, the host should not give any sharing credentials.

IT should be playing these videos.

That's what I thought.

I can so is IT having issues playing it.

Because we see it's highlighted on the screen, but there's no video.

Mayor Abuzawa, um, this is uh Tori Howe.

I can see the video streaming right now through GTN through the website.

Okay, but I don't know where you can see it.

We can, but that's that's okay if everybody can see it on the website.

Can council any of the council see it?

Mayor, if I could recommend I know we have a number of speakers.

Uh if Mr.

Kane and this and Mr.

Carter could provide us with the video, and then we'll make sure the council.

Yeah, I'll make sure the council receives it.

There was exactly, I'm sorry, there was exactly one minute left.

So that would be the video time, Mr.

Kane.

Yes, that's it's a one-minute video.

They will share it with us because otherwise we're gonna get really backed up on our speakers.

Okay.

So can you guys do that?

Or do I have to do it?

It can be shared from IT is what I'm understanding, correct?

Yes.

Just it is being streamed for the public to view right now.

They are they are watching it.

But the council needs to see it, so it will be sent to us.

So thank you.

Yes.

Okay.

We'll make sure we see it.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you both very much.

Okay.

So did you get the whole minute in?

The whole minute will be, we will get it.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

Thank you guys.

All right.

Thank you all so very much.

Sorry for the confusion there.

Okay.

All right.

Mustafa Sultan.

Uh, are you on Zoom?

Who did you say?

Um his last name is Sultan.

Yes, I'm here.

I'm just trying to open my camera.

Can you hear me?

Can you see me?

Yes.

Okay.

Um, let me start by saying good evening, um, honorable uh mayor and city council.

Thank you for your time today.

I'm here to ask you to eliminate the two dollar fishing fee at our uh local waters.

Here's why it matters.

We're paying it twice.

Every person with a fishing license already paid for everything 100% of the fishing license fee goes directly to conservation, fish stocking, habitat restoration, law enforcement, public access, and programs that protect the waters for the future uh generations.

Our fish uh swimming in the waters already paid for, the boat ramp already paid for the conservation officers already paid for.

So when a veteran comes home and wants to take his father fishing or spend time in the morning with his kids or reconnect with his brother, they already funded everything they needed.

Then we uh go ahead and charge them another two dollars each and every time.

That's eight dollars for a family of four every single trip.

So it pretty much adds up.

Uh and then families start asking, can we afford this uh this weekend?

Meanwhile, nearby counties have no fishing fee at all.

Their residents pay the same state license we do, and that's it.

Uh they fish for free, and uh we make it harder for our families.

So what I'm asking, um the fee may bring maybe a thousand to two thousand dollars a year.

That's less than one city vehicle repair, but it's driving away our residents to fish in neighboring counties instead of their own community.

We're losing families to waters that welcome them without extra charge.

Um fishing is really a therapy for veterans dealing with PTSD, so it's like a veteran has to pay for his medicine pretty much.

It's pretty much how grandfathers and grandkids um learned patience.

It's how families spend quality time together outdoors, and angler's already invested in conservation.

30 seconds they already paid to stock the fish in our uh and protect the habitat.

Our counties don't uh other counties don't double charge.

So why are we?

I'm asking you to work with the council to eliminate this fee and let the residents enjoy the waters.

They already paid to protect, just like uh we're uh neighboring counties do.

Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you so much.

All right, um, moving on, and I know Mr.

Sultan, I think we've had some email correspondence go back and forth, so we'll we'll look at that, and they're they've got your information.

Um is Miss Dorley here.

I am, I am a little a little camera problem, but I am here.

Good evening, everyone.

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

Uh just wanted to thank uh city manager Davis and council persons Black Crawford and Parker for acknowledging the prime problems that I brought up.

It was great to have an update on housing opportunities that are coming for our elder in the community.

Um meetings that have been happening in the city.

I would like to partner with code enforcement to suggest and educate and encourage um code enforcement to also come up with a um solution list.

There are a lot of elders that are uh still suffering, believe it or not, from the um tornado of 2018, not being able to submit their repairs or pay for their repairs.

Um, and they have been duped by a lot of companies that have come out.

So I know code enforcement is about to start really bringing it to the neighborhoods to enforce all of these um infractions.

Um, but I really want to be solution focused with them also.

I do plan to attend the meeting next week uh at the Smith Center and uh want to share my list.

Um I also want to work with council to see what it would take to encourage or uh require code enforcement to continue to meet um at the Smith Center so um I can point more people there.

Um let's spread more about the neighborhood toolboxes that we have uh partnered with uh Lowe's, I believe, and I think it's starting back in the spring.

And that's what I want to say about that.

Now, switching channels, I wanted to give some kudos.

Commonly, people in the background don't get their rightful appreciation because people on the outside looking in do not know or understand what it takes to make things happen and be impactful.

So kudos to all the city staff that played a part in organizing or approving permanent ordinance and uh for to allow our brothers to continue their peaceful march and safely through our gate city.

It should it showed solid solidarity through unpopular federal opinions that the city of Greensboro is not focused on making friends, sound bites um or photo ops.

We are focused on making a difference.

So thank you all for that.

That's my time, and thank you for yours.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate those comments.

Umika Truesdale.

Ms.

Truesdale.

I'm here.

Great.

Sorry I didn't start my video.

Can you hear me?

We can't, we can't see you yet, though.

There we go.

Hello.

Okay.

Hello, everybody.

Um, mayor, city council members, um, and community team um leaders.

Um, we want to just thank you for this opportunity to speak.

Um, I think we've spoken before, but um, there was just some issues that I wanted to talk about, um, kind of just put out in the air.

Don't expect a resolution today, but just the conversations to continue.

Um, one of the issues is about housing and housing stability um and uh affordable housing to talk about tenant protection and collaboration with um housing and um nonprofit organizations.

Um and I also want to talk about or know, I know the the city had a um uh a budget of and and I could be a few off on this of 830 million.

We want to kind of know if we can if there's a way that we can see how those funds were allocated and how we can or how they were used um to put towards um housing.

Um I know that in times past I've spoke with individuals on the city council member and um you know the the thumbs the finger was pointed pointed towards Raleigh.

Um but I've been a resident in Greenswor for three years and I felt this uh the the housing issue personally and I see it happening um on a daily basis.

People living in their cars and hotels, extended stays um in woods, and some of these people are working um trying to maintain a job and they are contributing to the the to the economy, um, the economic engine that that um runs Greensboro.

So it is we you know, I'm speaking on behalf of people um and for myself wanting to know what we can do to um prevent so many evictions um and make housing affordable for the tenants of Greensboro and and just maybe if we can't change the process and how it happens, what we can do to um financially support um these these individuals so that um you know that we I know that one of the main issues is creating jobs um and making jobs sustainable, cost of housing is rising, um, but there's not enough jobs.

Um I'm in the workforce sector, so I know this first hand, and they're not they're not paying enough to sustain a rising housing cost.

Um so I guess I would just want to address um the count the city council members and the mayor and say how can we really without jargon flop um and in a generic way um you know approach this issue and change these outcomes and that's that that's that's it for me.

I try to stay within that three minute realm you did, you did very well, and and I do you have um uh Ms.

McRae or any of the other assistant city managers reach out to Miss Truesdale.

I know we've done a lot of things in the areas that she mentioned, but um I I think perhaps if we could sit down and uh show her some of those things and see I I get the feeling she wants to be involved as well.

So um if we could do that, I I sure would appreciate it.

Yes, mayor.

We'll we'll follow up with Ms.

True to have the discussion.

Thank you.

All right, Mr.

Greg Williams.

Mr.

Williams.

Is Mr.

Williams on I'm sorry, yes, I am.

Can you hear me?

I can hear you, can't see you yet.

Okay.

Um I'm in my car across from the uh I'm in my car across from the uh normal meeting place.

I didn't get information that uh that their meeting was only by Zoom.

Oh no, I'm sorry, I know they sent out uh I hope we have got your correct information.

Okay, um thank you.

Uh good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Um this is my first city council meeting.

I am a constituent of Mr.

Marshall's, and what I would like to discuss is uh is speeding on my street.

And um I live on Elam Avenue and um my wife has lived here for over 40 years, and I'm I'm in the block on South Elam between uh Spring Garden and Walker Street.

And my wife tells me that over the last uh 40 years, particularly over the last five or six years, traffic on the street has gotten faster and faster and faster.

Um people fly down the street.

Um there have been requests made, maybe even petitions signed to have speed bumps put on the street, but because it's a it's a pass-through for emergency vehicles um to Wesley Long Hospital, uh those requests for three bumps have been denied.

However, um looking at the situation, I feel as if if we could put a uh a four-way stop um at the the crossover uh between Spring Garden and Walker, um trying to remember the name of the street.

Um it's a two-way stop there now.

But if a four-way stop were to be put in place, the emergency vehicles wouldn't be jostled the way they would be with speed bumps, but it would force people to the stop at that stop sign, uh meaning they wouldn't be able to attain and retain the speeds um that they currently uh uh speed up and down the road with.

Uh there are several residents on the street that have small children.

Uh there's a lot of foot traffic on the street by UNCG students, and um particularly at night uh with people leaving the uh the restaurants and bars uh at the uh corner of Walker and Elam.

Um people are people are going way too fast, and the cars are very loud, and uh nobody seems to care that it is our neighborhood.

And we've tried the speed uh the speed sign that's available from the city, and um putting up please slow down signs, and nothing seems to help.

So my request is that we change that into a four-way stop.

I guess my time is now up.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Williams, and so sorry you didn't get the message.

Um, but we heard you loud and clear.

Thank you.

All right, moving on to Dr.

Elma Harrison.

Dr.

Harrison.

Yes, I'm here.

Great.

Go ahead.

Um can we continue?

We need to try to get the video.

Okay.

Uh let's see.

All right, I think we are.

Um yes.

Madam Mayor.

Yes, Madam City Manager, City Manager and Council.

Good evening.

Um, we are in a moment, and this moment will define our economic well-being now and in the future.

Who we choose to represent us matters, and real change always comes from the grassroots from neighborhoods organizing, listening to one another, and demanding better.

Good evening.

I am Dr.

Elma Harrison, Elma Harrison on the ballot, and I am the principled and highly driven candidate for North Carolina House of Representatives, House District 59, where I will bring a results-driven, people-centered vision to Raleigh.

My decisions will be driven by results, resolve, and resilience.

Results grounded in purpose, progress, and perseverance, resilience based on strong relationships and strategic partners, and the courage to make tough decisions.

Resolve defined by the drive, determination, and tenacity that it will take to show up for the people.

I was educated right here in Guilford County Schools.

I have a bachelor's degree in business management, a master's degree in integrated marketing, and a doctorate uh honorary doctorate in public service.

I am a trusted community leader, champion for justice and voting rights.

I've been recognized as Black Business Inc.

magazine Power 100 on nominee, and the YWCA Woman of Excellence.

I led organizations, including the NAACP, building unity and delivering results.

A longtime community leader and advocate.

I am committed to expanding affordable health care, accessible health care, guided by evidence-based medicine with a focus on prevention and reducing wait times for procedures and uh appointments.

I support strong public schools, preparing our students for college, apprenticeship programs, careers in advanced manufacturing and skilled trades.

I also bring a practical approach to fiscal policy supporting strategy-based budgeting that balances reasonable uh revenue thresholds while fully meeting the needs of the people of North Carolina.

The people of HD 59 and North Carolina, North Carolina are demanding better.

And in this moment, I am a leader poised and ready to redefine what better looks like.

Accessible health care, strong public education, increased pay for teachers and uh support staff, fiscal leadership and budgeting, environmental justice, voting rights, strengthening the small business ecosystem, stronger landlord tenant guidelines, affordable housing, reduced private equity company involvement in how in the housing market and in the farming market.

Early voting is February 12th, and the primary is March 3rd.

And I thank you for your time.

All right, thank you, Dr.

Harrison.

All right, moving on.

Uh Beth McGee Hooger.

Beth.

Are you there, Miss Picky Huger?

Is she in or is she on mute?

I think she asked for some forewarning for when she was about to be called to speak.

Oh, yeah, there's actually no way to do that.

But um, I will come back and pick her up if you want to, or someone wants to text her and let her know that we will call her in just a moment.

Um to Sherelle Davis.

Um, there she is.

Hold on, Mama.

Okay, yes.

I am so sorry.

Yeah, I'm I'm on my phone and I'm unable to do video.

But uh, can you hear me on the audio?

Yes.

Thank you so much.

Um, I really appreciate what the city council and and staff are working on about code enforcement.

Uh uh policies and practices to protect uh public safely, uh, preserve housing stock and to hold noncompliant property owners uh accountable.

Um please coordinate these efforts across all the departments of the city and keep the public informed.

Uh, it would be great to have on the website uh how many housing units have have come into compliance.

Uh the names, addresses and um of the uh ones that have not complied with uh repair orders.

Um so that we can track the uh the progress in uh preserving the housing stock.

Um requested to speak about code enforcement.

I saw the news about the the potential sighting of the ice detention facility in Greensboro, and I'm so proud of you as city council.

Um making it clear that any use of any facility in Greensboro would need to comply with zoning and any other permitting um requirements.

Um please keep us all informed of whatever you hear of the um about this proposal.

Um thank you very much.

Thank you, Miss McGee Huger.

Appreciate it.

All right, Sherelle Davis.

Hello.

I wanted to stay Cheryl Davis.

Uh she was uh she was kicked out of the chat.

And she wanted me to let you all know that she needs another request for a check.

Okay, so she she didn't get into the Zoom link.

Okay, could we please send her another um zoom link and I will move on?

I'll come back and pick her up then.

Appreciate it.

Sure.

Malik Malik Hoff.

Malik, are you there?

Malik.

Madam Mayor, I believe he had a video.

Okay, did he just want the video played?

Thank you.

If so, could we see that please?

Should I come back and pick that up?

Yes, so I think you can grab that.

Okay, they got it.

Okay.

There it is.

Madam Mayor, is it just me or can I not hear anything?

No, no, but but it's got the um closed captioning right there.

I I think his audio isn't working.

All right, thank you.

Um, yes, that that is Malik Hoffman.

He has been unhoused and is uh working on his nonprofit uh beauty in the streets.

So thank you.

All right, moving on, um Jason Hicks.

Mr.

Hicks.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Jason Hicks, and I'm here tonight as a member of this community.

Speaking in the response to the city's statement released today regarding possible detention facilities in Greensboro.

The statement clarifies that the city has received no communication about the use of former American Hebrew Academy or any other facility for detention purposes.

And I appreciate that clarification.

But my concern goes beyond one property.

What I'm seeing more and more in Greensboro is that too many people are acting are not acting in community, rather they are choosing a chasing a narrative.

Right now, a great deal of energy is being spent on potential future crises while long-standing harm continues unaddressed.

Often immigration is treated as a future problem or a policy debate rather than a lived crisis.

And too often concerns only surface when it can be framed as exceptional or new rather than when black and immigrant communities have been naming harm for years.

The work is already happening.

Community is already here.

This council is a part of that community.

Let's stop chasing narratives and build together.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, Mr.

Hicks.

Mr.

Lewis Medina.

Mr.

Medina, are you there?

Hello?

Yes.

Hello, this is Lewis Medina.

I've come here today to address your statement recently about the concentration camps, Ice concentration camps.

I, unlike some of the speakers, did not find it adequate.

I do not think that people reached out to you over a code violation.

I think they want you to make a stand and so that you won't allow ICE to enter Greensboro.

In my opinion, this kind of runs um in a similar pattern to the rest of the Democratic Party, which has been filled with, you know, uh strong letters, strong words, and no real action.

And I think it is important to understand that what we are seeing today is a complete fascist takeover.

I don't think, and based off the actions of this administration, I don't think that they're planning to have a election.

They these actions do not strike me as someone who plans to submit themselves to the results of a democratic election.

And I see our oppositional party, the Democratic Party, the party that you all seem to be part of, um, seeking peace with something that we can all see as fascist.

I don't know what you call pulling people out of their cars in their houses, locking children in camps, and shooting uh U.S.

citizens in the street.

To me, that's what fascism is.

And I'm going to warn you that in general, um, the results of seeking peace with fascism lead to the Holocaust.

Um, the continued genocide in Gaza is a result with seeking fascism or peace with fascism.

Um, every cross that has been burned in every yard in this country is a result of seeking peace with fascism.

The dig degenerate things that are being released in those Epstein files, which some of you I'm sure had read, is the result of seeking peace with fascism.

So today I would like to give you a choice and y'all actually answer.

Will you allow concentration camps to be built in Greensboro?

And further, right?

To extend the question, you all ended up getting elected, and I think that um that question in which you said, no, I would not allow uh Trump to bring in the National Guard.

I want to extend that.

Will you allow Trump to invade and occupy Greensboro with a Gestapo?

Will you support the people here if they seek to defend themselves?

Or will you seek peace with fascism?

No, I don't need any more time.

I'm done.

Thank you, Mr.

Medina.

Uh Dell Stone.

Good evening, Del Stone.

So there are obviously a plethora of horrors right now that weren't addressed, and what I'm going to talk about is inevitably incommensurate with the words, and more importantly, the actions that are needed.

But I hope it's going to gesture at a piece of the broader problem.

So I want to talk about surveillance, specifically to private corporation flock safety.

This refers to Flock Group Incorporated, a manufacturer, a manufacturer and operator of surveillance hardware and software, including automated license plate recognition and video and audio surveillance systems.

There is little evidence that these devices reduce crime, and Greensboro's own police department has admitted that the systems themselves were not designed to capture the outcomes of their use.

But in 2021, Greensboro became one of thousands of cities to implement these devices.

While they do not seem to prevent crime, these surveillance systems do collect data, a lot of data.

Data that is not under the control of the local agencies using the devices, much less the residents whose data is collected, but is managed on Flock's behalf.

Data that has been shown to be easily hackable, data that has been misused by police, data that is analyzed by AI software, which often makes mistakes and has in multiple instances led to wrongful arrests, data that is integrated into predictive policing platforms such as Palantir.

Data that is shared with immigration enforcement agencies, border patrol, and ICE.

With all these concerned, I was reassured to find statements from GPD in response to public records requests stating that the department ended their contract with Flock as of either September 30th or October 1st of last year, apparently following other cities around the country.

But it's disconcerting that this decision was not widely communicated to residents.

And even more concerning, the Greensboro Police Department maintains a website at transparency.flock safety.com slash Greensboro NCPD, which says it was last I updated today, February 3rd, 2026.

And the Greensboro Police Departmental Directives, revised January 23rd, 2026, includes a section on automated license plate readers, which states information will be submitted to Flock Safety.

A city news item from December 8th reference public safety initiatives like Flock Safety and the Greensboro Police Department website, still list Fox Safety as part of their analytics program.

Council's about to vote on this evening's consent agenda, which includes an item regarding 400,000 for police equipment and services.

And these purchases would include equipment for the traffic safety units.

Does this include cameras and our license plate readers?

Last December, GPD received a $500,000 grant for the real-time intelligence center.

What surveillance does that center involve?

I know you do not like to answer the questions publicly or during this period, but I would really like the inconsistencies to be addressed, the vagueness clarified, and the following questions answered.

What is the status of GPD's collaboration with Flock Safety?

If GPD did cancel or decide not to renew the flaw contract, why?

What other contracts are in place or in process with third party vendors for automated license weight reading, video camera surveillance and audio surveillance?

What surveillance is used in the city's real-time intelligence center?

Can GPD reassure residents that their personal data is not accessible to immigration enforcement?

Council's answers to residents who have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to fee systems who are subjected to their surveillance and errors and increasingly find themselves exposed to government overreach that we know can have lethal consequences.

Thank you, Miss Stone.

Uh did Sherrell Davis get on?

Dr.

Stone, thank you.

I'm so sorry, I did not know.

Did Sherell Davis get on?

Madam Mayor, uh, we resent the link to what was uh put on the um speakers form.

Uh-huh.

But I don't think we've seen anything pop up.

Okay, thank you.

Just clue me in if you do, perhaps.

Uh Chair.

I'm sorry.

Sorry, I was gonna ask if Del Stone could email me uh those questions, please.

I'd be happy to.

Was that Destiny?

Cecily Crawford.

Oh, thank you, Cece.

I would love to.

Thank you.

All right.

Uh Trayvon Worth.

Yeah, hello, I'm here.

Great.

Go ahead.

Hi, um, I'm Shravon Worth, and I'm coming to you um again through several series of my meetings.

And today I come to ask um what will be the master plan of um 2026 when it comes to our houses and homeless community, and what will be our new rescue plan for the interactive resource center, which they have lost funding for um several reasons.

And I was hoping that maybe they could um seek more funding based upon the security of not only their employees, but the people they that are coming to the building as well, seeking help.

And I was asking if you can also release funds based upon the high altitude of work needed outside of the state of emergency that we have going on once we come out of this cold weather.

You know, the city will still be facing the same problem with this house's situation.

So once again, um I come to you with my business, which is active snacks and things, which is not allowed me to be a set asset in society, despite the negativity on the news, and I'm still looking forward to sitting down with different businesses in the city, and I want to seek information on what's going on with downtown Greensboro Incorporated and the investigation that they have going on with several other people that were on the council.

Um I just want to know like what is going to be our next step forward in the situation for someone that has had a major voice and impact in Greensboro in the situation going on.

I feel like I'm not being rightfully protected in the situation where if as if I was committing a crime, like I would have some type of protection.

So I've been pushed out with the first Presbyterian church, as well as uh several scenarios of incidents that has happened at that church.

Well, which I believe that the um 407 East Washington Street is a great address for the new team that we have at the Interactive Resource Center to really, you know, get a good step forward and what's going on and shouldn't have to take backlash because of the last team that was running an interactive resource center or their fields.

So, you know, I'm just coming as a solution on Ranger this time, you know, not 30 seconds problematic, and um, I'm still seeking emails from you all to see um when we can actually sit down and figure out a solution instead of you know continue to keep coming with the problem because it's no coordination with um people that should help each other, this helping each other help each other.

So I appreciate y'all time and all the times y'all dealt with me, and I look forward to better things happening in things world.

Thank you so much.

Um Toad of the Mountain, are you here, Toad?

Is he here?

There he is.

Hello, Toad.

You're on mute, you're on mute.

Can you get off mute?

Hey Mary.

There we go.

Go ahead.

Um, one thing I want to say is like what Dell had those four questions that Dell asked at the end, perfect.

But seriously, the only reason we've never solved homelessness in this country is because we're capitalist, it's not profitable.

Um but what we can do in this city, uh, Mary Mary, Mary Kay, um you need to convene an actual commission.

You know, kind of like Skip tried to do a few years ago, but this one actually accomplishes something.

You know, grab people like Hugh in April since it's her district.

Grab Hugh grab uh skip and at least one more uh you know or uh yeah, what one of those people grab Zach Matheny because honestly, he's done more for the homeless community as an individual than any of you know.

And then start talking to people that have uh done the things in the years for city for the city, like talk to Sara Sally Randall, talk to Mike Murray, talk to um Dana Daltri, talk to Liz Winstead.

Like we can literally solve this very effing easily.

And we can actually profit off of it, which is still stick because you shouldn't profit off of helping other people.

Well, we can actually do the right thing in the city.

We have the wheels, we have the money.

Let's just do it.

Y'all be safe.

Thank you, Toad.

All right, Ben Holder.

I have a video.

Sure.

My name is Ben Holder.

I would like to play a video tonight.

Come on, man.

This is speakers from the floor.

I would like to.

This is my motherfucker.

You can play videos, but not any that are personal.

Clips were edited to bring a different viewpoint.

My clips were edited to tell the truth.

I'm asking y'all to override this and let me play my video.

I'm telling you, it is a bad decision.

A group home is in the Eastern Division.

In the past three years, that group home, that one group home, just the one he owns, has called the police department over 40 times.

I can say that all questions have been investigated and any issues raised for N Pompic.

Determined that on May 20th, client number two, the victim told licensee number one and number two.

He was quote touched inappropriately and sexually assaulted by former staff number 11 on two separate occasions, along with the client's mother.

They questioned him extensively, stated they did not believe him, and did not report the allegations to law enforcement or child protective services.

Thank you.

Yeah, I will say I find it kind of amusing that um Mr.

Holder comes up month after month to talk about a memo that I wrote 10 years ago, which I stand behind, and I was right.

Unfortunately, the rest of counsel at the time didn't agree with me.

Nope, you've used your time.

What what I said could happen, did happen.

What I said could not be Mr.

Holder, I'll have to ask you to stop.

Okay.

What I said in the memo could happen, did happen.

And so I'm not really sure why the beef is with me.

It should be for people who didn't support what I said.

I can say that all questions have been investigated and any issues raised for NCONC.

All right, thank you.

Ums uh Kim Grimsley Richie.

Miss Richie.

Are you there?

Yeah.

Okay.

So I'm a much better looking Kim Grimsley Richie.

She's okay.

John go ahead, go ahead.

She signed me up.

She signed me up.

So she's on here twice.

So I'm Alex Richie.

I'm Kim's wife, uh wife, husband.

She's my wife.

Um, and welcome to everybody, all the new council members.

Uh I hope you have a lot of success in your uh near future.

Um, you know, we come together here to talk a lot about the downtown community and and a lot of issues that that have arisen over the years and continue to um become a problem.

Um I have been asked to talk a little bit about safety.

I know she's going to talk a little bit about some of the other issues, along with probably several other people.

Um, but you know, safety is a concern downtown.

Um it's been a concern, it's been a growing concern.

Um with um in the past, we've had meetings over at Natty Greens, uh, across the street about the um the uh unhoused the homeless situation, the the uh uh people who have mental illness that need help.

Um, and we keep getting directed towards you know, it's a Guilford County issue.

Um, we would hope that you guys uh come together with Gilbert County and figure out a way to uh reopen that what I understand is not open anymore, is the mental health facilities for um some of these people that need this help.

Um they're on the streets, the police can't do anything about it because they don't have anywhere to take them, they don't have anywhere for them to go.

Um, and and you know, there's nowhere um their their hands are tied, um, and everybody's hands are tied.

So we need to uh uh address that situation to get the mental health these people need.

Um, number one, number two, um, police presence downtown.

Uh, we we do see that a lot, and uh our family's been down here since the 80s, uh actually since the the 60s, but um you know, really more so during the 80s, and what we saw a lot of down during that time was we had uh B cops, cops that walked up and down the street police officers that would would introduce themselves and and be a part of the community um downtown.

We knew all of them, they would come up to our restaurant, we'd feed them um for free, you know, they would come and check on us.

Um just like they did all the other um small businesses downtown.

Um we don't see that anymore.

We see them sitting in the cars kind of off in the distance, and and I think it's uh um important for them to be part of the community as well.

It would help them understand what issues are going on with a lot of the small business um the folks downtown and all the issues that they're having with the houseless with the with the um people running up and down the streets driving down the streets with their music playing loud.

We have ordinances that that aren't being enforced um that we need to have in force because the small businesses are struggling down here.

Obviously, we've had so many clothes in the last several months.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you so much.

I know that Kim is trying to get into the meeting.

If we can we let her in, please, and let's she just texted that she's trying to get in.

Um I will move on to Philip Ritchie first and then we'll go back and pick her up.

Yes.

Mr.

Ritchie.

Oh, there's Kim.

So I was Philip Richie was first and then you're then you're next, Kim.

You there we go.

Go ahead, Mr.

Ritchie.

So I first of all like to I'd like to welcome the new mayor and the city council.

Um to uh the Greensboro board.

And uh I'm a small business owner of downtown Greensboro.

Uh we don't struggle with one specific specific issue.

We have many problems.

Yeah, I call it death by a thousand cuts.

Uh then you throw in a snowstorm or two, especially the last two weekends.

Uh that can ruin a business, especially a restaurant or bar where 80% of our business is uh on the weekends.

Needless to say.

January has been devastating.

And as a small business America, we don't get bailouts like the banks or the or the uh car industry.

We just die.

Um that said, you can't control the weather, but there's certain things we can control, and that's one is security, two, the vacant buildings, and three more people living downtown.

Um security, we have an overwhelming presence of the homeless or the houseless.

Uh we also have uh people cruising with obnoxious music.

We also have people shooting up and down the sidewalks on scooters.

Um it's just really running people off uh downtown Greensboro.

But it doesn't make it a very pleasant experience.

So they may come down here once and then disappear.

Um the vacate the uh the vacant buildings have been around for decades, not just months or years, but decades.

So if you have vacant buildings, uh it's kind of like having an art gallery with uh no R on the wall.

Um I've been late recently, I've been to Wilmington, uh Durham, Nashville, and it hurts my heart to see how well they're doing and a wonderful job that they're doing.

And because Greensboro is so far behind at what they've done.

What they've done is they've given their uh their small businesses security.

They have uh addressed the vacant building problem, and they've had many people living downtown.

So they are really uh doing a little jobs, and I hope we can catch up with that.

Um when I make a business decision, I ask my managers and ask my staff because they're that they're in the uh in the trenches.

They're the ones who are doing the work.

So when I make a decision, I s I respectfully uh ask them.

So I would hope that the council would take that part of the uh you know that they're the way they handle things is come talk to us because we're in the trenches.

Ask us what we need.

Um in closing, um if you want some advice from an old guy who's been downtown since the 60s, uh you want downtown, you want to be the best uh city council, the best mayor at Greensville that ever had, you bring that coliseum downtown.

You want to see downtown uh resurge, you want to see property tax go up, you want to see sales tech up, you bring that coliseum downtown and let the small businesses take care of the rest.

I appreciate your time and looking forward to working with you guys.

And I think the uh walk next week downtown with the city council lenders is a wonderful idea.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, um, let's see.

Kim Ritchie.

Hello.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council members.

Uh my name is Kim Grimsley Richie.

I've been in Greensboro for uh 35 years-ish, and I'm a small business owner, and I also am a member of the Ritchie family, and we own properties downtown in several locations, and family members have businesses.

Um wanted to read um something that I just sent to the city council uh a couple days ago, I figured to be the most effective thing to do with the the timing situation.

Um, and before I read this, I apologize to city council for the tremendous amount of emails I have been loading you guys up with.

Um I know you're trying to get your bearings straight, but I feel like the time is is is important to address these things now.

But recent closures of multiple downtown businesses uh occurring in with uh within a short time frame have prompted significant and widespread community response.

Uh this feedback is not emotional or reactionary, it's consistent, detailed, and actionable.

On Friday, January 28, 2026, downtown Greensboro Inc.

posted a response on social social media following several restaurant closures.

DGI has over 50,000 followers on Facebook alone.

The post generated more than 500 comments and was shared nearly 60 times, sparking sit citywide discussions.

In between shoveling the drive and um on Saturday, I I reviewed all the comments and I kind of broke things down in a spreadsheet.

I took away uh the 300 dittoes or people saying things they probably shouldn't say or being smart alex with things and and just narrowed it down to the 200 things that that really had some substance.

Uh the conclusion was clear.

The challenges facing downtown in Greensboro are structural in nature.

Community feedback consistently identifies the following barriers.

Number one, parking.

That is expensive, confusing, punitive, and unavailable, and this is the most um city most cited issue, just as an FYI.

Safety concerns, particularly for women, families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

And that is expanded into all different areas that I don't want to kind of get into.

Prolonged construction with little uh mitigation.

We've got the Washington Bridge situation going on right now, something you guys need to think about, and then rising costs that outpaces um disposable income, which is hurting the small businesses.

I'm gonna have to read really quickly.

Marketing is not the problem, and it never has been.

People know where downtown is.

They are choosing not to go because of the experience no longer works for them.

Marketing may bring people once conditions to serve determine whether they return.

Businesses, closures and lagging indicators reflecting conditions that existed months and years earlier, treating them as unexpected highlight failures and early intervention support, parking policy, safety perception.

So if I could just say that what downtown does need is fewer barriers, clean, clear accountability and visible change, community-driven decisions, making that making um the people involved, the owners, the property owners, the residents, and also the patrons.

Um, they should be making these decisions, um, not reports, and doing things in a timely, measurable uh manner.

And I know I'm over, so thank you very much.

I appreciate you very much, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to uh talk to me individually.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um we have Bonnie Case and then John Hill.

Ms.

Case.

Yes, I'm here.

Let me see if I can get my video up.

If I can't, that's okay.

We really um need to try.

Um okay.

Um, I'm the owner of Centsi's.

Um, we're celebrating our 40th year this year.

Um serving Greensboro, and I'm not new to any of these problems about uh parking and prolonged construction and um safety and of course rising costs.

Um it's been very very difficult for me to operate um since 2017 when they closed the road, it is open now.

Um I was hoping it would be you know um much better, but it's not.

Um, my as Kim was mentioning uh a bunch of things, parking has always been a big issue, and still it seems to be um for some people now, even though there's a parking deck behind us.

Um I know that um I thought always that after they got this new parking deck opened that they were going to tear down the Davy Street parking deck, and I thought they were gonna rebuild it, but then I've been told that they're not, which I don't I don't understand that um for the growth growth and and all that downtown's trying to do.

But long story short, with the parking, as a business owner, I struggle practically every day just to try to get in and out of my business.

But every day, early on in the morning, the street fills up with parking from all the way down, even onto the sidewalk, and it makes it very difficult for me to uh operate my business as I need to, loading in and out, um, and and catering.

Um, I went down and shoveled the parking space yesterday, and I came down today, and there's a car with cones.

Uh, the parking deck gave me a few cones, but they were moved and they were parking in front of the restaurant.

So it just is still uh uh issue for me, not making it easy to operate and off.

So for my neighbor next door, the UNCG art um venue that they have, they have the same problem I do.

Um, but the uh even after eight years, the construction's not completed with the hotel, still don't know what's going on with that, and I just I don't get it because there should be some kind of grant or some kind of help for businesses that are in construction areas that are that extended.

It's it's just a lot.

Um, but I I struggle with all these things that Kim brought up, and um it is a problem, it's just by God's mercy and grace that he blessed us with some very good um uh customers that are um very reliable with us and blessed us with some catering so that we can get through.

But my thing is I want to get back to the business of operating my restaurant without having any cater, like it was before in 2017, and we were we were really thriving.

Um, but I'm I'm still not seeing that yet.

And I thank you so much for your time, and I really appreciate you listening and hope you all can help do something.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, John Hill.

I hope you can hear me.

It looks like my video was disabled.

I hopefully can cut it back on.

Madam Mayor, City Council members, and city manager, thank you for a moment this evening, and I really look forward to what you as a group can do and are hopefully are willing to do.

I'd like to bring up a growing problem as a downtown business that uh we face with the apartments.

We're often finding the free parking occupied by the tenants of the apartments for sometimes weeks on end, the same car will sit in a place unmoved, sometimes flat tires and dead batteries, and the car just sits and sits and sits.

What that creates as a business is the few parking places that remain after all the development, tree wills and all the great things that have happened, it eliminates any parking near businesses.

So the people in the apartment should have designated places, but instead they choose the free parking on the street, and it creates a real challenge for our customers.

They don't know about the decks, they don't know about the little side streets and the nooks and crannies of where to park.

But quite often they keep riding, they call and want to know can we meet them and help them find somewhere to park?

And it's sad to see the same car there for weeks on end, not moved at all.

Someone just taking advantage of free parking rather than using some of the allocated spaces, the apartments hopefully have to have with their construction.

And and the decks again are just the distance away where people coming into town for the first time aren't familiar with the decks, how they operate, where they're located.

So it is great as the decks are, people are still looking for more convenient options to get their local businesses downtown.

And any help you could suggest, I'm I I've heard two-hour parking is an option, but anything you will and consider.

I'm I'm willing to precipitate anything that can help.

But it's a growing problem.

Is more apartments are built, more and more people are sitting in the spaces, and you can ride by and you can see the spaces or especially around the baseball stadium.

Cars will sit there unmoved weeks on end.

So thank you for your time.

Hopefully, you can address the concerns.

Thank you so much, Mr.

Hill.

Uh let's see, a little hard for me to read right now.

Uh Nishant Dixit, and then Alex Alexis Chandler.

Sean.

Uh, can you hear me now?

Yes.

Hello, how are you guys?

Turn on your video.

Okay.

There we go.

Oh, great.

Uh good evening, uh, Miss Mayor.

Uh and thought of members.

I'm gonna read it and uh I'll leave it slowly because of my accent.

Yes.

Okay.

So thank you for letting me speak.

I'm Nishan Dixit.

I'm a general manager at a hotel in downtown Greensboro.

So to start with, I want to be uh very clear that this is not a speech about people experiencing homelessness.

This is a speech about public safety, sanitation, and employee protection.

These are the issues which me and my team are facing on a daily basis.

So I've seen an or uh I was the one who opened that hotel uh four years back, but in the last five, six months, we have had sharp increase in unauthorized individual coming into my hotel.

Uh we find them regularly, uh sleeping in the staircases, occupying emergency exits.

Um secured areas, which is only for staff, and and in addition to this, uh we are encountering drug use, drug peripheral in these spaces.

Uh, more concerning us, we have found human feces in staircases.

We find them urinating around the corner of our building.

Um, this is not a real incident, it's happening repeatedly.

Uh so this is creating an extremely unsafe situation, an unsanitary environment for our guests and for my staff.

Uh we have had employers who have been chased, threatened, and uh they're they're put into a very confrontation uh situation just because they want to clean up the area or to want to protect that area because of these ongoing issues, we have been forced to take measures which impact our guests.

We have to actually restrict access to our main entrance.

You have to press a buzzer to get into into uh into our building.

Uh and this is not hospitality.

So uh another very alarming thing which you are facing is uh anytime we have a situation which escalates and we call 911, uh their response time is around 30 to 40 minutes, and during this time, my staff is expected to manage aggressive behavior, drug activity, sanitation hazard, and mental health crisis.

And this is not safe and this is not sustainable.

Hotels are not shelters, uh employees are not social workers, uh, they are not crisis responders without timely emergency response.

Thank you, Mr.

Dexit.

Your time is is up this time.

So sorry.

We I think we I think we certainly understand what you're saying there though.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, um, Mr.

Michael Roberto.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Alexis Chandler first and then Mr.

Michael Roberto.

Alexis.

Is Alexis Chandler there?

Staff.

Yes, ma'am.

There we go.

All right, you're muted.

Go ahead.

You're on mute.

You can unmute.

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

I do apologize.

I was uh we had a I I was doing this in between gymnastics and uh you there, and um I own Chandler's in downtown Greensboro, and I just want to touch base on the parking downtown, um, and kind of give my two cents and and just talk about everything a little bit.

Um so I think from our customers' perspective, everything is a little bit confusing right now.

There's bags over signs.

Um, you know, it was a limited three hour, however, no one ever got a ticket really when they would park downtown um and are a lot across the street.

And you know, now everyone nearly every customer we have that comes in, it's like, hey, is is it paid parking?

Is it not paid parking?

You know, what's the deal?

Where do we pay?

How do we pay?

There seems to be a lot of confusion.

Um, I'll be completely honest.

I've missed a good little bit of the the portion of this due to being a mom.

But um, I just want to get on here and you know, chat a little bit about that and say I I really do feel at least if we can get some sort of baseline as to what's happening, you know, and consistent signage and maybe some of these bags off the signs, and you know, I know a lot of the complaint is parking downtown.

And I speak as a business who has a parking lot across the street that's been unpaid, and so it really hasn't been a huge issue for us.

However, I do think that the new idea of we're paying for parking maybe has had some sort of impact on our business.

You know, it's hard to say as we've had the snow and the ice and all those sorts of things.

Um, I was a little nervous about what it would do, and I I think now it comes down to the confusion of what is it.

Um yeah, I gotta I I just I do think you know it's been free across the street for the year and a half that I've owned my business, and I think businesses are still struggling, and we're struggling getting people downtown, so I'm not sure that I feel like paying for parking is gonna be the best option for us.

But if it is paid parking, I'd just like there to be some clarity and a clear understanding of what the paid parking looks like and clear signage, just so that we can communicate with our customers and our regulars.

And I apologize, I feel like I just jumped on.

It's been uh I I'm a mom and business owner and playing a lot of roles right now, so I do apologize.

That's okay, you did fine.

Thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Um, I do have one more speaker on downtown before I go to Dr.

Roberto.

Uh Nicole Halkins, and I'm sorry, I I'm thinking that's how to pronounce your last name.

And then we will go to Dr.

Roberto.

Is Nicole Hulgans on staff is uh no, no, we uh we don't there.

Okay, I'll I'll I'll move on in.

Dr.

Roberto.

Hello?

Yes, go ahead.

Okay, I'm trying to get my video going here.

Okay.

Uh start my video.

Okay.

See what we come up with.

Oh, great.

Um good evening, council.

Um this council faces many challenges uh from the speakers tonight.

Here's another events in Minneapolis have brought home lessons for all who call Greensboro home.

In just days, citizens and residents along with municipal and state government became the most formidable obstacle to the onslaught by Trump and company.

What we have seen in Minneapolis is an American version of state-sponsored terrorism against its own people, resulting in the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pready.

In my view, the historic subjugation of black people and other people of color is now subsumed by a militarized, poorly trained group of federal agents of questionable character who are openly brutalizing citizens, legal residents, and victims of a failed immigration system wrong in the making.

It is George Floyd's murder to the second magnitude, and a clear signal of what is yet to come against all deemed un-American.

This is fascism.

To council, I want to underline the critical role of municipal government in the defense of civil society, especially here where city council is nonpartisan.

In Minneapolis, municipal government acted immediately to protect everyone in the city in face of its overwhelming and frightening militarization by those who seek absolute power to quash democracy.

That said, our current arrangement with the federal authorities does not appear threatening, though I am not privy to what city council knows and should.

But we recognize that this can change quickly given the ideological trajectories of federal and state government.

While it's my understanding the city of Greensboro has not joined a voluntary 287G partnership with immigration and customs enforcement, it is bound by state law, House Bill 318, requiring all local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration detainer requests and check the status of certain offenders.

In closing, I urge council to question the constitutionality and moral integrity of this bill if imposed on our city.

District and federal courts have shown us that the legal challenges to the Trump and companies' abuse of power remain vital to the functioning of civil society.

Without the latter, there is no purpose to laws we know it.

Thank you for your attention, and I hope that my words resonate.

Thank you, Dr.

Roberto.

We will go back and pick up Nicole Holgins.

I'm sorry, I don't know how if I'm saying your last name correctly.

She was unable to get on earlier.

She still isn't on, Madam Mayor.

Okay, thank you.

We will move on to CJ Brinson.

Mr.

Brinson.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, good evening, City Council.

Um CJ Brinson pronouncing him is happy to be here with all of you.

Uh prior to the election of our new council, members of the community had a clear perspective for at least four black council members on their positions surrounding regulatory stops and implementing written consent.

And although many of them lacked the courage to move on these issues, we at least knew where they stood.

Currently, with one of the most progressive councils in the country, the community seems to be less certain now than with previous leaders on the functioning of our police department.

This is a little unsettling with a nation that is unraveling being thrown in the thorrows of fascism.

Langsa Hughes says fascism is a new name for the terror the Negro has always faced in America.

I find this statement very much poignant today, as it was when Dear Langston wrote it years ago, especially during Black History Month, with revisionists just now being able to believe that America has become bad for American citizens, and that immigrants built nation.

Public officials are going to begin to move heaven and earth to protect our immigrant kindred as they should.

But when do the issues of the black community here in Greensboro become progressive issues?

You don't have an America without black enslaved people, and America doesn't have a future without remembering the names of Eugene Harrison, Emmett Thiel, Fred Hampton, Michael Donald, Sandra Bland, Brianna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Devin Scales, Rufus Scales, DeWan Yorse, Jose Charles, and Marcus Dion Smith.

I submit to you, had our nation had the courage to address these atrocities.

There would be no Keith Porter Jr., Renee Good or Alex Paretti.

So as we begin with Black History Month, I want to ask could the council or individual council members publicly inform the community on your positions surrounding regulatory stops and written consent.

And what does the community need to do to move this issue forward?

Thank you for allowing me to share with you.

Thank you, Mr.

Brinson.

I'm gonna try to see if we've got Sherelle Davis at all or Nicole Hulgens at all.

If not, I will move on to Carmen Calhoun.

Hello, good evening, everyone.

Evening.

It says I'm unable to start video.

There we go.

Hi, everyone.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council, and community members.

I would like to open my comments today by expressing my gratitude to the city of Greensboro for acknowledging public concerns regarding the potential leasing of the grounds of the former American Hebrew Academy, or known locally as AHA, for ICE detainment operations earlier today in a post on Facebook.

So thank you.

As recently reported by the ACLU as a result of a Freedom of Information Act requests to the DHS.

ICE is currently considering AHA as a detention facility site for adult migrants.

As a lifetime resident of Greensboro, I'm very proud of my city's role on the front lines of the fight for justice and the civil rights movement.

And it is because of this legacy that I regard any use of AHA grounds for ICE attainment as tarnishing what is best about our city's collective memory.

I firmly oppose the build-up in our community of a rogue, unaccountable federal agency that is today implicated in gross violations of basic human and constitutional rights throughout this country and the oppressive atmosphere that such a buildup would create for everybody that calls Greensboro home.

I'm further offended that the Baptiste group informed DHS of its capacity to operate on the grounds of AHA as a migrant detention facility as an ICE contractor and blatant disregard for our city zoning laws and the will of the public, owing to the Baptiste group having previously lost its license to operate facilities for unaccompanied migrant children in Tennessee due to instances of child sexual abuse that occurred under its watch, which led to criminal charges.

We shall we should be under no illusion regarding the horrors that would take place in our community should this arrangement materialize.

So I urge the city of Greensboro to publicly oppose any effort to establish an ICE facility in Greensboro or Guildford County, including the AHA site reportedly under consideration, and to also be transparent and proactively communicate with Guildford County residents regarding any federal efforts to develop such facilities.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Yes.

Turn your video on, please.

Okay.

All right.

Can you see is my video on?

Um there you are.

Yes.

Yes, I'm on.

I'm sorry.

I'm so I'm new to this, and this is my first time addressing y'all, but I appreciate you giving me a second.

Um my name is Nicole.

I've lived in Greensboro since I was 16.

Uh when I moved here, downtown was a little bit stagnant.

Uh, over the last 10 years, I was overjoyed to see downtown grow and prosper.

I'm sure you guys can understand how disheartening it is to see three businesses close in such a short amount of time.

Reading through people's comments on social media, they all have the same common denominators: parking, lack of safety, and interactions with the unhoused population.

And you guys have heard a lot of that from other speakers tonight.

Um, my family and I have tried to incorporate a visit downtown more often.

We enjoy shopping in the stores, seeing a show, playing at boxcar, grabbing a treat at Cheesecakes by Alex, or just enjoying a nice evening on the patio of Natty Greens.

One evening we had chose Popo as a dinner spot, and the food in the service was wonderful.

However, as we were waiting to order, a woman entered and began racially insulting everyone.

The clerk behind the counter mentioned that this happens all the time.

And could you guys imagine trying to keep customers coming to your business with someone verbally accosting your patrons daily?

It doesn't take much for a customer to not venture to a business, to not return to a business, as I myself did not go back to Pokebow.

I'm not sure where what happened to lead Greensboro in this concerning direction.

I visit our surrounding cities like High Point and Winston, and they have had the same tremendous growth and prosper as we have.

I hope Greensboro remains on the right course to keep up with the surrounding cities.

It would break my heart to see Greensboro get off track on their own progress and development.

We learn about patterns so we can recognize when a change is needed.

Given this pattern and in such a short amount of time, perhaps it's time to recognize that this is a pattern that needs some attention and some change.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Next up is Marilyn Lacunza.

I'm hope I say that right.

After her will be Reverend Drumright.

After Reverend Drumwright will be Mark Botchis.

Ms.

Lacunza.

Hi, good evening.

Thank you so much, Madam Mayor, and members of the city council.

I would like to start off by thanking everyone for your time and for your opportunity to speak.

I'd also like to give a quick shout out back to James Daniel for that beautiful message earlier on and congratulate him in his award and to inspire him to continue writing and creating beautiful things.

And I'm here on behalf of the concerned residents across Greensboro and the Triad overall who are alarmed by the potential use of the American Hebrew Academy campus as an adult ICE detention center.

So there is no confusion that they were going to be a children's detention center.

The intention was always to be for adults.

We're here tonight because this possibility surfaced from the findings of the ACLU FOIA report that was recently shared and brought to our attention.

Speaking firsthand as an immigrant and a DACA recipient, it represents a direct threat to the safety, trust, stability of our community.

And I'm aware that the statements made publicly by the city of Greensboro, and I honestly just want to thank you guys for um leading that and getting ahead of any of the um confusion.

The American Hebrew Academy is not a vacant, it's not just any vacant property.

It's located in a residential area with families that have children running in the um their yards and schools, neighborhoods that were never consulted about the possibility of a federal immigration detention facility being placed there.

Across the country, ICE detention centers have been associated with prolonged detentions without due process.

So documented human violation, human right violations and inadequate medical care.

Um and deaths in custody as well.

Um these really are not things that we're just coming up with, they are documented facts.

Through our community-led research, we've identified several concerning indicators suggesting that proposals may be actively developed developing one of those, including job listings directed, directly connecting to the DHS and ICE-related tip line support operations nearby in Winston Salem, which is not Greensboro, but it is a neighboring city.

While job postings alone may not confirm a detention center, it is um it is highly concerning.

Um aligning that with the AHA campus and the lack of knowledge of this contract.

It raised serious red flags, and as uh well as a large presence of unmarked cars and local enforcement.

I also want to highlight the constant checkpoints that are um putting our immigrant community in fear.

Um I know I have 10 seconds less uh left.

I wanted to say so much, but um, for our community that doesn't feel like public safety, and we're directly threatened by Virginia Fox's statements.

Thank you so much.

Perfect timing.

Uh, let's see.

Now I have Reverend Drumright.

Yes, good evening, Madam Mayor, Mayor Portam and Council.

Thank you all for being so patient for the last uh hour and 58 minutes.

I want to firstly start out by saying thank you to the members of council that activated their leadership to find temp housing for the 48 individuals who were displaced uh upon the closure of the district at West Market.

I want to personally thank Council Crawford and Black, who I spoke with and manager Davis and his staff for acting so swiftly.

I am a concerned member of the public working to advocate for adequate affordable accessible uh housing for some of our most vulnerable residents.

So I'm really grateful for your leadership on that.

On the subject of ICE and the American Hebrew Academy becoming a holding facility, I want to join the chorus in saying thank you for clarifying that there's been no word of any such proposal, but moving forward.

Concerned citizens and community stakeholders, social advocates such as myself are also come before you as the president of the Greensboro Pulp Pit Forum.

We wish to remain proactive and ask for your continued transparency.

And we want to ask that you would clarify if any discussion, not just the proposal, but if any discussion has ensued, we request that the city oppose efforts if that ever comes onto the table.

We want you to uh oppose those efforts, and we ask that you would continue to communicate with residents regarding any federal efforts, efforts to develop any such facilities.

You all know that if so, that would fall under the oversight of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, which is the source of major political tension, division, derision, and death.

And so I would not trust their presence in our city for any purpose.

As a member of the county planning board, I want to uplift, as you all already know, but for the record, that the American Hebrew Academy is not zoned for any such usage.

And so that detention center would uh be heavily proposed.

And so I want to stand with residents, uh concerned citizens, that neighborhood, and any potential neighborhood uh voicing my concern.

And so I just want to ask that the council would please address the public tonight if there is any conversation about any potential presence of ice or resettlements in our city, ice facility or resettlement facilities in our city again.

ICE presence as well as any resettlement efforts in our city.

Thank you so much for your patience and listening to all of us tonight.

Thank you so much.

Uh is Mr.

Mark Botchkis on and Steph, is there anyone I've missed?

I want to make sure that my list is appropriate.

Uh I believe Jody.

Jody Morpheus.

Okay, that one's not on my list.

Uh okay, Jody.

Are you there?

Yeah, I'm here.

Great.

Go ahead.

We need to see your video, your video.

Okay.

There you are.

There you go.

All right.

Hey, I'm Jedi Morpheus.

Um, the owner with my wife.

Uh Blue Denham restaurant downtown for the last 10 years.

Uh lived in Fisher Park downtown for 18 years.

Um, as we all know, parking's always been an ongoing problem in Greensboro, but you know, I believe that with uh correct marketing, we can uh hopefully inform the people of Greensboro that you know when you go downtown, you can't just, you know, you're not always going to park in front of the place you want to go, just like any other city.

Um, but my main deal is that the safety downtown is just it's it's unreal.

We've had uh had guests sitting outside the shed or purse stolen from our patio while they're eating dinner.

Uh we've had people defecate and you know on the sidewalk in front of our restaurant, and it actually sat there for a couple of hours before I had to go out with a power washer and clean it up.

Um I just you know, I wish we could have like we did maybe back in 2005, there were uh the bicycle cops that you would see a lot.

Uh I think we need more of that so they can be present and uh be a part of the community, and I think it helps people feel more safe.

Um, you know, when they're coming downtown.

Um, you know, as uh restaurant owners we're facing rising costs and everything from you know, of course, labor, food, rent, and all that stuff.

Um we want to see downtown thrive.

We want people to feel safe, and I think that the city could do a better job of marketing downtown and also well to market it as a safe place, but also make it safe.

Um, you know, we it's just having people come in all the time, uh either they're unhoused people or mentally ill or whatever, causing problems, cursing on our staff, cursing at our guests, and things like that.

It it it sometimes, I mean that's so much when you're especially when you're a small business and we are wearing a lot of hats, whereas you know, I'm the chef, the owner, and the manager, and it's just you know, it's it's just too much.

So let's, you know, and uh trying to um figure this all this out, you know, especially the unhouse situation, that's above my pay grade.

And we have got to figure out something, you know, that's being empathetic, uh, but also addressing this crisis because it is affecting our business, our livelihood, and you know, and I think that you know, and it's taken a lot of you know, it's taken a big toll on a lot of other owners around.

And also, I would like to say since this congratulations on 40 years.

That's a huge thing, you know.

And I hope that we can make it that long.

So uh thank you for your time.

Um, and welcome to all the new city council members, and hope you will all do well and can make some positive changes here in our city of Greensboro.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, and I just want to thank all the of the speakers.

I understand that you are my last speaker, so um just wanted to uh thank all the speakers that came out tonight on this Zoom call.

Uh now we will move on to our consent agenda.

Uh do I hear a motion or are does anyone re wish to remove any item from the consent agenda?

Hearing none, I would entertain a motion to adopt the consent agenda.

So moved.

Moved by Mr.

Marshall.

Do I hear a second?

Seconded by Miss Parker.

Uh I will do a roll call.

I am a yes, Mr.

Marshall.

Yes, Ms.

Thurm.

Yes.

Ms.

Parker.

Yes.

Mr.

Holston?

Yes.

Ms.

Roth?

Yes.

Mr.

Allen?

Yes.

Ms.

Black.

Yes.

Miss Crawford.

Yes.

And that passes unanimously.

Thank you all so very much.

Um, there are no items for a public hearing this evening, so we will move on to our general business agenda.

So we have item I1 resolution supporting the nomination of the Magnolia Hotel to the National Register of Historic Places.

Um, I believe we will call on Natalie Miller for a moment to speak about this.

Ms.

Miller.

Hi, everybody, can you hear me and see me?

Yes.

Wonderful.

Go ahead.

All right.

So good evening, and thank you guys so much for sharing this moment with me.

Um, I do want to take some time and just um I'm Natalie Pass Miller.

I am the owner of the historic Magnolia House.

Um, and so we are here today asking for your support and nomination for the Magnolia House to be registered on the National Register as its historically significant Black presence being a fully restored 1949 green book listing.

Um we have been working with our um state partners and community partners for a little over a year now on two different um two different parts to this.

So the first part, of course, is um the historic Magnolia House nomination um in terms of it being registered as it being a historically a historic green book site.

The second part to that um is also um we are looking for support um to be able to have a multiple property designated form um that's going to be submitted before the state of Raleigh and hopefully passed to go to DC.

Um and what that form will do will allow us to be able to amplify and empower all Green Book sites in the state of North Carolina.

Um the way that we operate and function, um, it really historically hits on one data point, um, and that is how we intentionally move with all the programs and the surfaces that we offer.

Um, and that is when we think about the National Register of Historic Places and that listing that we're going to be nominated for.

Um a couple of years ago, there was a little over 90,000 listings on that registry.

Um, maybe four percent of those over 90,000 listings are honored for their contribution to Black history.

And so our work and what we do in the community is really around increasing that four percent.

So these two nominations that we are seeking support and approval for is going to be improving that four percent.

And it also um, so when we think about this moment in particular, um, it's it's pretty timely um in terms of alignment.

Um, and of course, you know, we're celebrating the centennial of Black History Month, um, founded by Carter G.

Woodson, who was a historic guest at Magnolia House.

Um, and we're also celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Negro Traveler's Guide and Victor Green, the Green Book.

Um, and so this is really significant in terms of celebration.

Um, and when we also think about the history making and the change making that is happening here, um, and that we're seeking support in.

North Carolina will be one of the first in the country to have this multiple property designation.

And then Magnolia House will be the first in the state of North Carolina to be honored as its Black History significance.

And I just want to be really clear that we are existing on the National Register today.

But this particular change is changing us and correcting our current listing where we're honored as being a part of a historic district to being honored and as a part of Black History and its contribution.

Thank you.

All right, wonderful.

Okay.

I would accept a moment, uh, a motion to support the resolution.

Yes.

Do you mind if we make a few comments before we go to vote?

I I think it uh we can make a motion now, but I think it would be awesome if we waited till after the vote.

Great.

So do I hear a motion?

So moved.

Seconded.

I I could get the motioned it.

Two motions.

Who did the motion?

Councilmember Black.

Okay.

Council Member Crawford is seconding.

Crawford is seconding.

All right.

Uh, I am a yes, of course.

Councilmember Parker.

Yes.

Councilmember Holston.

Yes.

Councilmember Marshall.

Yes.

Councilmember Thurm.

Yes.

Councilmember Black.

Yes.

Councilmember Allen.

Yes.

Councilmember Crawford.

Yes.

And Mayor Pro Temroth.

Yes.

That passes unanimously.

Now, Council comments, just raise your hand.

Yes, that deserves applause.

Councilmember Parker.

Um, firstly, I want to give great thanks um for how folks showed up uh when we went to the um preservation meeting the other day uh before this has come before council.

Uh so thank you to um uh uh council member black and crawford for joining us.

I also want to um say that even though it wasn't broadcasted, former Mayor Nancy Vaughn showed up uh and also our community leaver leader IVG also showed up uh to give great thanks.

So this is our echo.

Um but I wasn't able to go ahead and speak on record because I'm the liaison to the commission, but I do want to say um I give great thanks for the work of Natalie uh my uh the historic magnolia house creates culture while enacting culture while honoring culture for the culture.

It's just um my personal history.

Um I began working with Natalie and honoring the historic Magnolia House in 2020 as a part of Black August.

We hosted an outdoor social distant um artist outdoor um concert, and it was during a time it was so creative, it was so magical, y'all.

Um people didn't, you know, weren't really returning to each other because of COVID, and so I'll never forget that time that we were able to create that.

I actually pulled up some of the media from that, Natalie, and it was so incredible.

Um, we premiered the shoebox meal, and that still continues.

Um Triad City Beats quoted me and says um that in that in that uh reimagining uh of the black institution of Magnolia House.

I said that I had the desire, like I wanted it to be a part of our routines and our rituals.

Like after church, I wanted people to be like, are you guys getting going to Magnolia for a drink?

I wanted to be a part of the ritual to be a meeting place.

I wanted to to feel like home.

It was such a prime location.

It's in with it's within the neighborhood, and I would love for it to be a staple in our community for years to come.

Well, Natalie, you did that and so much more.

Your efforts will educate and connect our communities for generations.

Thank you so much for returning home to tend to our collective history.

Uh, and we deeply appreciate your sacrifices, your hard work and your care and investment.

Congratulations.

Yes, congratulations.

Anyone else?

Okay, Miss Crawford or Councilmember Crawford.

I let I'll let Crystal go first because she had her hand up before me.

Okay, I yeah, that I can't tell.

Okay, Councilmember Black.

I uh just want to extend the same kudos and um uh that April extended and just um to just thank Natalie for her endurance.

Um, you have stuck by this and you have um been unwavering.

And uh we want you to know that you have the support of of many uh within the city, and we hope that you continue to prosper.

And I'm just very proud of uh this accomplishment for you.

Uh Magnolia has been my home in several different instant instances, and I can take we'll continue to call it home.

So thank you, Natalie, for uh just standing up for what is right and uh creating a space for us in this city that we can call our space.

So thank you.

All right, Miss Crawford.

Yes, so I'm I'm so proud of uh everything that Natalie has done to bring the Magnolia House back to life.

Uh growing up, this is in District 2, this is in my district.

Um, and growing up in this neighborhood, walking past it as a kid, hearing the stories um from my elders about you know what it was like in its heyday and seeing Natalie and her dad like do get out to bring this back to life has been um an honor and a pleasure.

Uh, you know, with the Sunday brunch and the Wednesday jazz, um, she's just brought to life the fact that this is a treasure in our community and in district two.

Uh it's bringing back the life of our culture, it's bringing back the life of our music, it's bringing back the life of our community.

Uh, and it also brings people into our community uh because it is a historical site, and so it was really nice to be able um to vote on this tonight.

And Natalie, this is so deserved.

Everything, every honor coming your way, every kudo coming your way, every congratulation coming your way.

It is so well deserved, and we we just thank you so much for what you've done.

All right, Mayor Pro Tem.

Actually, I want to give Cece the last word.

Thank you.

All right, wonderful comments, can't add to it.

Madam Mayor.

Wonderful.

I didn't see I was sorry, I didn't see your hand.

Yes, uh Councilmember Holston, go ahead.

Yeah, the contrast is isn't as uh like the others.

Uh Natalie, congratulations to you.

This is really awesome.

I'm not from Greensboro originally, but I recall back in the day when I would drive down Goral and I see your dad out in the front yard or around the house, and we stop and chat, and he would tell me about the history.

It's just very nice to see that uh one that the Magnolia House is a part of history.

Uh now your historical, the historical register, and that's even more special.

Keep up the good work.

Uh it is a I can't call it a diamond in the rough.

Uh the Magnolia House is a diamond.

And we really, really appreciate what you're doing with it and what you will be doing with it in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you all very, very much.

It's uh it's certainly uh an amazing place, an amazing resolution that council passed unanimously, Natalie.

So um congratulations.

All right.

Moving on to item number I two, resolution repealing and replacing the code of ethics from Aaron and City Council.

I would accept a motion or is there any discussion?

I'm happy to move the item, but um for the public's sake, could the city attorney give a very brief synopsis of the changes?

Sure.

City attorney.

Um sure, thank you, Councilwoman Thurm.

Um, the significant changes in this um ethics policy is one, it kind of clears up and clears out any ambiguity around what you guys can do or can't do.

Uh uh the amount, if any amount of gift that you can accept, I think it actually changes that dollar amount due to things that are happening in just with the increase of prices, it clears up any um, it should clear up issues about um the gift policy that was in question.

It should clear up voting um and what you can and cannot vote on as a council member when it concerns you and some of your other outside obligations that you may have.

It also should clear up for the public what is considered an ethics complaint and what is not, and then it gives the city attorney's office an opportunity to review any complaint that comes in and determine if it should go out for independent investigation or if it should be handled in-house.

It's just simply to be physically responsible when we get these complaints in.

Right now, under the old complaint system or ethics system, anytime something comes in, even if it's not a true ethics complaint, it has to go out.

It's mandated that it goes out to an outside council independent investigator, which has cost the city thousands of dollars.

It says some things in there that I know some folks of the public are concerned about whether the city attorney has an overreaching amount of discretion.

But being that the city attorney is one of the only two employees of city council, it does not give the city attorney any wide range of discretion at all.

Everything that goes through on the ethics complaint system must be brought before the city council before anything is dispositive of it.

So I hope that clears it up.

Thank you so much for that summary.

I think that was a really comprehensive look, and I'm sure the public appreciates being caught up on that.

Sure.

So that has been moved by Councilmember Thurm.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Second by Mr.

Marshall.

Um I am a yes.

Uh Councilmember Thurm.

Yes.

Councilmember Allen.

Yes.

Councilmember Marshall.

Yes.

Councilmember Holston?

Yes.

Councilmember Parker.

Yes.

Councilmember Crawford.

Yes.

Councilmember Black.

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tamroth.

Yes.

And that passes unanimously.

Thank you all so very much.

And now I would like to see item I three, boards and commissions appointments for Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026.

I will start the way I see people on the screen.

It kind of jumbles around sometimes.

Councilmember Thurm, do you have any appointments?

Not tonight.

Councilmember Allen.

Not tonight.

Councilmember Marshall.

Yes, I'd like to appoint uh Emily Schwenninger to the Greensboro Transit Advisory Commission.

Do I hear a second by Mrs.

Thurm?

All in favor, you can just say aye, raise your hand, maybe.

Aye.

That passes unanimously.

All right.

Let's see.

Councilmember Marshall.

You gave yours, Councilmember Holston.

None tonight, Madam Mayor.

Councilmember Parker.

I'd like to maybe take this time to make an announcement and not an appointment around vacancies.

So residents of City Council District 3, I am encouraging you to apply to our current vacancies on the boards and commissions.

So I have some openings.

Everybody who has interest, willing to serve some relevant expertise is always a bonus.

Committed to this leadership in the I have Commission on the Status of Women, Greensboro Housing Authority, GSO Transit Advisory, and the Library Board of Trustees.

If you are interested in any of those vacancies for District Three, visit the City of Greensboro website and submit an application or contact the assistant city clerk.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor Pra Tem Roth.

No, thank you, Mayor.

Councilmember Crawford.

Not tonight.

And Councilmember Black.

None for tonight.

Thank you.

Okay, now we will go to Council Comments.

So we'll start on the other end, Councilmember Black.

It's becoming a tradition now.

I uh just want to lift up that we are now in the middle of celebrating some wonderful history within our city, starting out well yesterday, uh remembering our February one interaction with the Woolworths and our uh ANT 4.

So I want to lift them up.

I also want to lift up today is the day that uh we honor our um uh Henry Fry for becoming our first uh Supreme Court uh judge, and and I think that that's very important to lift up.

Um I have uh I've been snowed in.

Who else has been snowed in?

I think that uh it has caused us to think differently on how we operate.

So I just appreciate um all of you all and staff for jumping in and ensuring that we still kept our city running.

I also want to give a shout out to our snow crews who have been out um tirelessly uh scraping streets and and trying to keep our roadways safe and um also to our public safety uh folks who have also been getting people out of some ruts that they have been in, but also uh keeping us safe on the roads.

Uh this has been an extreme experience, weather experience for us, and uh looks like we might have one more bout uh this week.

I'm hoping it's just a little sprinkle.

Um, but I uh think that we handled it well as a city, and I thank everyone involved.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, uh Councilmember Crawford.

Uh so I second what Crystal just said about our staff working really hard to clear our streets.

Um my daughter mentioned as we were driving today, like it was so much faster this go around.

Uh so really thankful for all of the hours that our folks have been putting uh putting in, and thank you uh to their families um for supporting them as they do that for the city.

Also, I want to mention that um I went to a virtual sit-in uh or a virtual celebration uh for Bennett College.

It is their centennial.

Um it's been around uh for a hundred years.

Uh Bennett College uh has a number of very proud Bennett Bells uh everywhere from uh creatives to elected officials.

Uh so I couldn't let tonight go without uplifting that.

Um also uh I want to make sure um and ask staff if they can find out what we can do about installing um porta potties or uh mobile bathroom units downtown.

Uh it has been a steady request and hearing some of uh the things that the business community uplifted this evening, I think we need to take that seriously uh while we are also looking at how we can get folks permanently housed.

Um, and then also uh I heard a lot about uh AHA or American Hebrew Academy.

Uh, I know that we organized to keep that closed when it was um slated to be, and at that point we did know that there was a contract in which money had exchanged hands between our um homeland security uh and uh third party vendors uh to make that a child detention center.

We never saw one child go there.

Um I want to reiterate that we have not seen or heard anything about this being opened again, and it has to be relegated to an educational facility.

We do know that things don't exactly work out uh the way that we want them to legally, um, but I want to make sure that uh the communities that are impacted that you know that we are looking at ways to communicate with you better um to find out how you can feel supported and know that um that that we at the city and we and the at the city council um want all of our uh residents and constituents to be safe.

Uh so I hope you will never doubt that that is that is the case.

Uh and so that's it for me this evening.

Thank you so much, Mayor Pratem Roth.

Uh thank you, Mayor I just want to I do want to thank uh the city staff for the work that they've done.

Uh, thank you for bringing that point forward, Crystal, and thank you, CC for um going back to some of the comments.

We heard some really important comments this evening.

I do hope and imagine that the city manager and city attorney are going to address different points um and follow up as appropriate with staff.

Just want to make sure that we articulate that it feels um, I know that you know our effort to stay efficient on the front end is important, uh, but I do um want to make sure what to ensure that we don't lose the thread of some of those items that were brought up.

Thank you.

All right, uh Councilmember Parker.

Um I do want to maybe talk about our overall experience or even to speak for myself, my overall experience, and then some of my responses to some of the um information that we've recently got.

So uh being newly elected, y'all over the past two months.

Um, I'm so thankful for the ways in which the communities are welcoming us into their lives.

Um, I've been a part um even with constituents' uh services and just follow-up and support.

Um, I've been a part of some folks' best and worst days.

Um, everybody's been very gracious during these teachable moments to that as I learn how to be responsive to our communities' needs, um, because everything feels like a first, whether it's like my first housing crisis in district three over the holidays, um, or a ribbon cutting that I got to be a part of with council member Crawford.

Uh, I've learned so much.

Um, and so I'm always thankful for folks um and their the opportunity to learn because I do want to let you know, letting us know what's happening in your lives.

You are having different experiences that I don't, and so when you share them with me, um, that then informs policy practices and procedures of the city.

So um and helps us further take care.

Um, so thank you so much for sharing those with me.

So also I wanted to report um we are almost we are completed with our onboarding in the sense of I believe other than a few counsellations, we have visited almost every city department, and that after two months is coming to a near end.

Um, and so again, I'm happy to report.

We have some incredible people working on our behalf in the city of Greensboro.

So, y'all, um, it was like the most energetic show and tell uh across every department, and um people are really uh devoted and committed in their days' work.

So I wanted to report back to you.

So onboarding is done two months into being newly elected, and uh just to also let you know where we are.

Uh recently we've been assigned and started to attend the meetings of our boards and commissions um to further support uh those who are doing work on the city's behalf and then representing our districts.

Uh so by by the end of next week, uh I will have attended my first meeting for all that I am a liaison to.

So I wanted to publicly announce um should you uh want to connect or do the work or have any interest.

Um I like to announce that I am the liaison for the library board of trustees, uh, community sustainability council, historic preservation commission, the international advisory committee, and the trans task force currently.

And so uh, and so that's kind of a new council update.

Um, but I also just uh wanted to tell you some of the responses from um uh things that we have heard from our community.

Uh number one, um, I'm proud to be a part of a united uh unified Greensboro.

Uh it almost seems like we're all on the same page about a lot of things, and like you said, that there's a lot of patterns and trends, and we don't have to address just instances we can't address these patterns.

So I'm so glad um that we are we meet each other now.

Um, I'm proud to be a part of such a community of care uh in the time of any type of urgency and crisis.

Uh, I do want to just really give thanks um that people are coming together.

Thank you all for your emails and for your input.

I appreciate all the speakers for tonight.

Um, and I also things have already changed um and I welcome increased change.

Um, downtown is bigger than district three, and now has a citywide attention to it.

So um I want to name that district three.

Um I'm sorry, downtown is a composite of multiple districts, and we are leader full in the attention of downtown.

So district two is being represented by um council member Crawford, District Four, Council Member Adam Marshall, and all of our at-large council members, um, and obviously as a collective whole, uh, council will start uh supporting and curating a shared vision for downtown.

Uh because we as a whole collider consider downtown uh to be a city issue and not a district issue.

And so um this newly form and elected council, we are welcoming input and give first of all, I want to give great thanks for the legacy uh businesses, the legacy families, developers, uh residents, people that have curated downtown for the course of decades, uh, but also thank you for the people who are on the way, uh doors that are going to be opening pretty soon, um, folks that are uh surviving their first year of business, uh the students that are coming downtown um and making it look fly.

Um so thank you all for the ways in which you are being responsive in the way in which you're curating downtown.

So I want to tell you about this council and our uh responsiveness.

Um, because it couldn't, it's just not our leadership.

What I saw um both online um and uh from the feedback that we have gotten from folks um in our emails, uh you all are part of the leadership as far as the community, um, and we're bringing you with us, we're including everybody.

You are part of the inclusion.

Um, and so that's what we've learned.

The thread is is yes, there's issues, economic development, housing, public safety, parking.

Um, but what I have noticed is that Greensboro communities want to be a part of the improvement in growth.

They're we uh you all have shown uh commitment and that you all want to invest in your neighbors.

So I um that's information, and so that's the information of council that I'm responding to.

And so I want as we move forward, um, you will uh be receiving increased opportunities to work with council.

Um, even and we're information gathering.

We're we're working to be informed.

So we have started over the next few weeks.

Um, our council, particularly the new council will be getting uh debriefed and level set, and we'll have some public work sessions as a response.

Um, but I I'm almost done around the responsiveness.

I just want to tell people what's on the way um and how we have heard you.

So business owners, developers, creatives, residents, and people who work downtown.

Um, I do want to let you know that we are launching um uh organizing uh values that we we involve and do targeted outreach for those who are most directly impacted.

Um, and we have to, I'm also a learner that has to go to where the people are so I can hear from you directly.

So we'll be doing a series of downtown business walks uh with staff and council.

Um and everybody's joining me with boots on on February 10th, um, February 23rd, both at noon and February 13th at 9 a.m.

And so this is going to be made public for all of you all to kind of sign up.

And if you're not available, um please feel free to email me um for alternative times.

But I also want to let you know that I'm relaunching Coffee with the Council Women as I described, and it is going to be supporting a local district three business.

Um, it is downtown, it's intergenerationally in black owned.

Um, the Pines at 2 30 North Elm Street.

I'll be there on um second Tuesdays of each month having community um office hours.

So that's something that you don't have to schedule uh time to come and visit with me.

I'm making all of this public tomorrow, 8 30 um to 10 a.m.

And then I will rotate with another district three business.

Um every three months.

And so again, if you want to schedule a meeting, please do so.

One more thing, one more thing.

Um we are responsive to the those who are the um who need the support that might not even um that are working downtown to be most responsive, and so um, as a city, we are going to prioritize the service employee parking program, which is generated, which we anticipate to be finalized um over June 2026.

So come on out, get engaged with city council, and we can tell you about the employees um uh parking program that we hope to curate by June.

Thank you.

Thanks, y'all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Halston, Councilmember Holston.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh, when I tell folks uh that uh green rose in good hands, you can listen to the one example of the passion and energy of council member Parker.

Uh thank you, Councilmember Parker, for for those uh energized words and actions.

And uh I'm gonna have to steal leader full from you if you don't mind.

Thank you.

Uh Madam Mayor, uh I want to say a bit uh I want to thank our residents for sharing this evening, amongst other things.

We heard about the housing issues, we heard about uh the downtown concerns.

We heard about uh the the academy.

Uh that one is especially uh I want our residents to continue to know from the notices that that we provided that we do have our heads built, and uh that we will continue to keep you apprised, and that uh we will govern ourselves accordingly.

Um the Magnolia House again, an awesome and awesome designation, the National Register of the Historical Register.

Congratulations to them.

Also happy uh Black History Month, and uh I want everyone to stay safe, but especially thank our city staff for helping us to stay safe.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Uh Councilmember Marshall.

Thank you.

Um, it's been a lot going on this week.

Uh, first, I want to uh thank and commend our city staff.

I know others have talked about that as well uh in the response to these two winter storms, uh, especially those workers that have been out on the roads and in the cold and on the ice, um, trying to make sure that our roads are safe.

So thank you to the staff and to everybody that has been out front on trying to keep us safe.

Um you know, and we've talked about this tonight, or we've heard from folks tonight.

Many folks are aware.

Other businesses and other locations have closed in as well.

I just want everybody to know the council's been discussing these issues with staff, with stakeholders, with business owners, and we're going to continue to do that.

Many factors go into a business closing.

But but my ask is this if you're able, go support one of our local small businesses.

Go downtown, spend the day, have a meal, have a drink, go into a shop.

And if you're able to do that, my ask would be to you know support our local small businesses or downtown our local economy.

On the American Hebrew Academy front, you know, thank you to everybody who has come to us to speak on that issue, who's emailed us on this issue.

Um we we've all heard about this by now, um, particularly at the American Hebrew Academy campus.

Um but the city has not heard from anyone on this.

Nobody's asked about this, and I want to make that clear.

Um this property is in District 4.

I can assure you it has my attention, and it has the attention of the rest of our council members.

Uh, and we'll be monitoring that this very closely.

Uh, I appreciate all the emails and all the passion on this issue.

Um, and everyone who's expressed their concerns.

We're a welcoming community, and we're gonna continue to stay on top of this issue.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

You are welcome.

All right.

Uh, Councilmember Allen.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh, just want to say how grateful I am to city staff, especially our workers who have been uh going 12 hour shifts for uh clearing the roads for us for these snowstorms.

Want to encourage everybody to continue to be patient and uh stay home uh if if possible.

I know a lot of us are making our ways back to work.

Uh, want to reiterate uh what I've heard a lot of my colleagues uh speak about, uh, which is really just uh the gratitude that we have for uh being a city that gets involved.

Uh has been so many issues that have come across from uh national, local, and uh state level that have impacted us.

Uh but we've also seen the community's response.

Uh we've seen uh folks get active from emails to getting out on the ground uh to making phone calls.

Uh and so we we do want to just uh stress that we do hear you uh and that we are appreciative of your input and uh and really uh grateful for the guidance that uh your experience is gonna give to us uh to be able to move this city forward.

Uh so really just want to emphasize how grateful we we are uh to live in such an involved city uh that really cares about one another.

And we've seen that uh through the responses that folks uh have had uh no matter what situation, uh folks in Greensboro are gonna uh get up and take action uh for one another and for their neighbors.

And so I'm I'm grateful to live in that type of community.

Uh just want to wish uh happy Black History Month to uh everyone.

This is uh one of those uh months that uh my mother encouraged me to make sure that I uh put my nose in a book and learn something new.

Uh so I'm gonna do the same to each and every one of you uh and challenge you to uh read something new, learn something uh particularly about uh someone from uh our African American community and uh make sure that you pass that knowledge along.

Um with that I'll hand it back to Madam Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember Allen, Councilmember Thurm.

Um, just a couple things, and like others, I want to thank those folks that have been working nonstop.

I also want to thank a group that kind of um we don't think about until Lord knows we need them, and that is the folks from our water department that have been standing in ice cold water, knee deep, waist deep, however deep, um, and fixing water mains as they break.

Um, we knew that this was um a problem, it's always a problem in the winter that we try to address as we are redoing the pipes of our city, but um certainly those folks in the water department as well deserve a huge thank you.

Um as they're out there in the elements with nothing other than you know, some boots and coats to protect them, and so thank them as well.

Um, you know, we've heard so many issues this evening that are big issues and that are not quick fixes.

I do want to lift up just one issue that we've heard two months in a row now, um, that should be a pretty quick fix issue that quite frankly I need more information on.

Um so, Mr.

City Manager, if you could have parks and recs just kind of give us the the lowdown on this whole fish fishing license issue.

Um it's something that's affecting some in our our community.

It seems like a little thing, but it's a big enough thing that people are coming in and talking about it, and for them it's a big issue.

Um, it should be something that we could we we need to at least understand that situation.

I know that we stock, I don't know what the stock lakes, I don't know.

Do we get any money towards from license fees for restocking the lakes, that kind of thing.

If we could just get a summary of that issue and what the issues are, that would be helpful.

Um, in addition, I wanted to cycle back to an issue that Mayor Vaughn brought up quite some time ago, and that I ran into again today, and that is the traffic rerouting on David Caldwell.

Um it was an attempt at improving the neighborhood traffic problem.

Um, and I know going through that neighborhood today and speaking with some folks that happen to be out on the street, that we have made the problem much worse on other streets now.

Um, not to mention the fact that it really is kind of a mess with all those temporary barrels in the middle of the road.

Um, we've got residents that now have barrels in their yard because people are now are trying to cut through people's yards.

We just need to solve that problem, and we've had a long time to to work on that now, at least a couple months.

Um, sure would like to see what we're gonna do about it.

Um, so if we could get an update on that for those residents, that would be really helpful as well.

Thank you.

If I could uh piggyback off of uh Council Member Thurm's comment, um I'd like to to address the program in itself.

I know Cece and I met with some Bimbo residents who also have some concerns around uh some information that came from that um program.

So if we could just get maybe a follow-up around, you know, what is the process, how long is it supposed to take, um, what data is being pulled and how they're doing the research, that would be helpful.

And also what the community's involvement is.

Are we, you know, just going in and making changes, or are we involving the community members that live in those neighborhoods in making those decisions?

Um the unintended consequences of David Caldwell are taking a toll on the neighbors, and we owe them a response.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Um I'll be brief on mine.

I know the hour is getting late.

Um, we did do pretty well on Zoom this evening.

Um sorry I had to run and get my charger, my iPad's about to go out.

But um, I do want to commend everyone on the ice and snow removal, all of the teams that have worked, public safety that worked, water department that's worked, and and I do want to say that most everyone, um most all of our residents have been very, very gracious and complimentary.

I do want to say this is an unprecedented storm.

We haven't had anything like this in decades where there's uh an inch or so of ice underneath 10 inches of snow.

So um I do commend staff.

I do know that they work day and night.

And um, you know, it's it's just I I I love seeing when so many people on social media are complimenting them.

I know there's some frustrated people as well, but you know, they've done uh uh a yeoman's job of clearing these streets as best they can in such dangerous um, you know, dangerous weather.

Oops, there it goes.

So um I I did want to lift that up.

Um also um I did want to say that you know, I wanted to thank um city manager, city attorney, Mayor Pro Tim.

You know, the the week the storm was coming, we were all scheduled to be at the Mayor's U.S.

Mayor's conference in Washington, and we all kind of got on a text thread and all pretty much all at once we said we're canceling.

So we did not go.

We felt we all felt that this was the place we should be, and this is the place we needed to be.

So I wanted to thank everyone for that.

Um, and there may have been someone else I've missed, but anyway.

I also uh went to the Bennett College online um uh celebration of their hundredth year.

That was very well done and very nice.

Um I did want to address very quickly, having been a restaurant owner, small business restaurant owner for 22 years.

It is uh distressing when you hear of any restaurant going out of business, whether it is perceived as a comp competitor or not, because any small business leaving it is not good.

But I do want to commend the restaurants that have closed, they have put some explanations on social media that you know they are not trying to really blame anyone.

It's partly the economy.

We just came out of COVID.

There's a myriad of reasons, and they've all been very gracious about that.

And I can only wish them all good luck.

Um, beyond that, I think that's we've heard a lot of things from um you know our residents this evening, and I had already asked the city manager if we could get uh uh like a an update on the things that got solved.

I know Mr.

Canapino works really hard on doing that in the same kind of format where uh we can know okay, we had all of these questions about this item, and and you know what was what happened after that.

I think that's a lot of things that would be helpful to all of us.

So that's all I have.

And uh, Mr.

City Manager, do you have anything?

Thank you, Mayor and Council.

Just a few, and yes, we will ensure that we follow up on the items that were highlighted.

Uh, there are a couple things there, there are a few uh work sessions that are coming up uh that will highlight some of the efforts as it relates to housing.

Uh, that was a question, a very good question tonight from one of our speakers, and then also some of our challenges challenges around how we're managing uh our houseless population uh and in some of the things that we're doing to advance and provide better service.

Um I thank you, Councilwoman Thurham.

The fishing item uh was something on on my list.

Um ACM McRae is going to provide uh a summary of of the work that I think Director Fleischmann has done on that.

Uh you're gonna provide the email, or you want to give an update tonight, ACM McCray.

Thank you, Mr.

Manager.

I can just provide a brief summary, but I can follow up with a more detailed explanation to council in writing.

Um, we have had some conversations uh through our parks and recreation leadership with the speaker from the floor um that was present tonight.

Um we have had some separate uh free structures specifically for our veterans for certain uh fishing opportunities.

Um that structure was scheduled uh and established several years ago at the request of veterans that already do fish at our lakes.

Overall, we intentionally keep those specific fishing fees intentionally low to make sure that we do foster excess, but we also have to balance that with operating costs and wanting to make sure that we keep um some of those basic costs affordable.

So I will provide more of a detailed context to council um at process conversation uh tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you, ACM Craig.

Uh another and probably the most pressing thing, and I think this conversation has been going around.

We've I sent you all an email last week.

We heard a lot of speakers tonight uh talk about some of the challenges downtown, one being parking.

Um, and I wanted to highlight one we hear and see the concerns from the business community.

It's always encouraging to hear this type of feedback.

Uh I'll say there are some some easy things that we can try and do to make sure that the customers have clarity and we can distinguish between what past practices and what our new practices are.

So, you know, I'm gonna work with our staff to make sure whether it's updating signage or just making sure we inform.

I think the downtown walk that's coming up will be a good opportunity that some of the staff can participate in as well.

Um, but most importantly, I do want to say something that you know we hear the concerns and we want to make sure that we don't conflate parking with some of the recent challenges because a couple folks talked about tonight that one of the best ways to ensure parking is so that we can ensure turnover uh and that there's limited limit because we have limited spaces that we have to make sure that we address some of those concerns that businesses have to ensure they have parking for their customers.

So you know, we'll continue to work on that.

We'll continue to work on messaging.

I think there's some other things around safety that you hear uh ACM Harold talk about uh in the next couple weeks as we talk about some of the additions to uh that police have made to our downtown.

parking is so that we can ensure turnover uh and that there's limited our limit as we have limited spaces that we have to make sure that we address some of those concerns that businesses have to ensure they have parking for their customers so you know we'll continue to work on that we'll continue to work on messaging I think there's some other things around safety that you'll hear um ACM Harold talk about uh in in the next couple weeks as we talk about some of the additions to uh that police have made to our downtown uh I think there were some comments made and one of the media platforms I heard that someone uh indicated we had a really low number of officers but I wanted to say we have actually two shifts or two squads of 13 officers that are patrolling and that's an increase of six additional to what we already have and their mission really is to make sure that downtown is safe and those folks uh are trained uh to ensure that they uh can accommodate businesses but then also help the folks that may be experiencing challenges navigate uh and as I close out my comments um probably the the the biggest and most important shout out to that can give is to echo what council members have said you know all of our folks that are no matter if you're in public safety our stormwater folks who've been addressing uh some of the water main breaks uh or folks that have just you know come to the rescue or aid of people uh that have been in this significantly challenging weather um but the all stars uh this this last 10 days have been our snow crews who've been out working tirelessly and our solid waste folks who have made sure that the trash was picked up I know there were some some challenges uh but I want my hat goes off to Griffin Hatchwell our our director uh who wanted to make sure uh that there were gaps in services that he did everything he could to to make that happen so uh I want to thank uh all the staff for everything that they do thank you thank you Mr.

City Manager Miss City Attorney Nothing for me madam mayor thank you all right thank you and thank you everyone it's uh a little interesting being back on Zoom after we were so many years ago so I will accept a motion to adjourn.

So move so moved moved by Mr.

Holston seconded by Mrs.

All in favor say aye.

And thank you all so very much I appreciate it.

And we don't want to go back to online Zoom meetings forward.

This is only an emergency bye bye bye