If everybody could find a seat, please.

Good evening and welcome to the July 21st, 2026 meeting of the Greensboro City Council.

We are in the Katie Dorset, Council Chambers, and let the record reflect that all members are in tenants.

However, Mr.

Hugh Holston is on Zoom.

Mr.

Holston, are you on the Zoom?

I am here, thank you, Madam Mayor.

Great, thank you.

We will begin the meeting with a moment of silence, and would like to remember Mr.

Holston's brother who passed just about a week ago.

So we will be thinking of him and his family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And let's all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr.

Marshall, would you lead us, please?

Thank you.

And welcome back, Councilmember Black, after she's had a little bit of an incident with uh her foot, so she is back.

Glad to be back.

Thank you.

All right, please silence any and all electronic devices.

The City of Greensboro strongly encourages input from all residents, and 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 under the city clerk tab, 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 speaker sign-up by 5 30 p.m.

pursuant to the rules prior to the council meeting.

Those who registered online should confirm their attendance with Mr.

Canapena.

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

Each speaker signed up to speak will get three minutes each.

If there are more than 25 speakers, the time may be reduced to two minutes per speaker at the discretion of the presiding officer.

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

A second violation results in a six-month suspension.

And a third violation or any instance involving physical altercations will result in a 12-month suspension.

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

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.

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 that time allotted to each individual, and approaching the dais is not permitted.

Speakers may not address the audience 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 F1 through F39 consists of routine and non-controversial matters that have been previously reviewed by a council committee.

The consent agenda items are approved with a single vote, and 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.

Closed captioning is provided for this meeting.

Depending on the duration of proceedings, a brief recess is anticipated around 7 30 p.m.

We will first have our ceremonial and or presentation items.

And this is item E1, the Morning Side Award recognition, and I will call on Dr.

Love Jones.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council.

As the Director of the Human Rights Department, I am proud to share the winners of the 2026 Morningside Awards.

These five students represent social justice and human rights minded members of the James B.

Dudley High School 2026 graduating class.

This annual council sanctioned award is given in honor of Cecar Chouse, Dr.

Michael Nathan, William Evans Samson, Sandra Neely Smith, and Dr.

James Waller, who tragically lost their lives in the Greensboro Massacre of 1979.

The award commemorates the lives lost, honoring their legacy of standing for justice for all Greensboro residents.

The recipients received $2,979 in support of their future education, entrepreneurial, or employment plans.

They were honored earlier today at the Morningside Awards reception in the plaza level of the Melvin Municipal Office building.

When I call your name as an honoree, please stand.

We have Maurice Cameron, who will attend UNC Charlotte, majoring in electromechanical engineering with a concentrated concentration in robotic engineering, and his goal is tech for change in society.

We have Laria Gainey, who will be attending UNC Charlotte, majoring in architecture with a goal of creating affordable and sustainable housing.

We have Madison Jones who will be attending North Carolina AT State University, majoring in social work with a goal of addressing systemic impact on resource access.

With a representative in her absence, we have Zakaria Kari Taylor, who will be attending North Carolina ANT State University, majoring in nursing with a goal of examining the impact of health disparities.

Finally, in her absence, we have Belair Talton, who will be attending East Carolina University as a pre-med major with the goal of more closely examining equitable and compassionate patient care.

We uplift these students on behalf of the massacre survivors and families, the city council, Office of the City Manager, and the Human Rights Department, and the residents of Greensboro.

We wish them the best as they step out into the world, ready to create change and work for social justice.

This group reigns.

So again, let's give them a hand as they come forth to take a picture in front of the diet.

Thank you again.

All right, that was great.

Now moving on to item E two, recognition of the twenty twenty-five employee innovations awards.

Budget and evaluation team.

Come forward.

Good evening, community members, Madam Mayor, members of council, Mr.

City Manager.

I'm David Cashwell.

I'm a strategy and performance analyst with the budget office.

And I am here to recognize the winners of the Employee Innovation Award.

It celebrates employees who bring fresh creative ideas to the way we serve our community.

Each year, awards are presented in two categories, one for impact, one for innovation.

This year we received twelve applications from nine departments.

And a scoring committee led by the budget office, reviewed applications, conducted interviews, and determined the finalists.

And with approval from the city manager's office, two outstanding projects were selected as this year's recipients.

On behalf of the scoring committee, the budget office and the city manager's office, I am honored to present the winners of the ninth annual employee innovation awards.

First, for the impact category, the award goes to Jerry Phillips, Mark Shepard, Robert Catana, and Jessica Hutchins with GM nine one for their training console integration project.

This project repurposed decommissioned 911 consults to create an immersive training experience for the new recruits.

So previously, the twelve-week rookie academy relied on basic desktop computers, far cry from the complex technology used by 911 dispatchers.

And this training gap caused disruptions during the recruits transition to the live environment.

The issue even triggered early resignations from some of our most mission critical positions.

So through this innovation innovative solution, new recruits gained that hands-on experience with the hardware and software systems that they will be using, even impacting the ergonomics from proper postures to lighting adjustments, keyboarding, headset techniques to prepare for those long shifts.

With an estimated value of over a hundred thousand dollars for six of those repurposed consoles, this solution bridges that gap between the classroom and the realities of emergency dispatching.

Next, our innovation award goes to Captain Matthew Smith of the Greensboro Fire Department for his creating an in-house CDL training program.

So this was in response to a new federal requirement for commercial driver's licenses, where Captain Smith developed an in-house entry-level driver training program.

So by researching standards across more than 30 topics, Captain Smith developed a multiple choice test, a skills course, an over-the-road driving test that meets all state and federal CDL requirements.

And with collaboration through our IT department and OED, the project leverages our internal learning management system, LMS, to ensure that the program is accessible to staff and supervisors, including course documents and training logs so we can track progress.

Without this program, the city would need to contract with an outside provider, incurring around $2,500 per test plus classroom and administrative costs.

Over the past two years, the program has saved about 160,000 from testing costs alone.

That includes 26 tests two years ago and 39 tests this past year.

Now what makes both these projects especially meaningful is how closely they reflect the principles that guide our Vision 36 decision making process.

They both probe this fiscal sustainability by leveraging existing resources and reducing long-term costs.

Both projects also embody talent impact by addressing staff training.

So as we implement Vision 36 internally, celebrating these innovations ensures that the organization is mobilized for what comes next.

And we would like to conclude by sharing a short video highlighting the success of our teammates.

Mark took all of these apart by Humphell, loaded them up in a van and drove them over here.

We you know helped them pick some of the pieces out and bring them in here, but he ultimately put them all back together.

It's really great to have a boss who, when you have an idea, just like yes, and what can I do to help?

Such a team effort.

The team pulled together, of course.

Somebody has to do my work and do all the administrative things that I would normally do.

So that didn't follow the crack.

We evaluate the project by observing trainee performance and confidence during their transition from the academy to the operations floor.

The training environment now closely mirrors what the experience on the floor, creating a smoother transition.

Since implementing this, the state 911 board came for a visit to talk about the training innovations that we're doing at Guilford Metro 911.

They said, Hey, did you know that you guys are eligible into making these official training spaces?

And what that allowed us was access to funding from State 911 funds to actually equip each position with live phones and live radios.

We're honored.

You can be part of the team by helping do foundational work that might flip through the cracks or step in and help bring that vision to life.

This year's Innovation Award winner is Captain Matthew Smith with the Greensboro Fire Department's special operations division for its entry-level driver training program.

My innovation is that I developed an entry-level driver training CDL program for the city of Greensboro.

I developed an online training program that met all of the federal requirements that would allow personnel who work for the city of Greensboro to obtain a CDL license.

They could do the training online and it would be of no cost to the student or the city of Greensboro.

What's on LMS now is the second version of the class.

We've been using it for three years now successfully.

I started with a PowerPoint and Word document for a test.

I had to reach out to the IT department.

They were able to take the program and make it interactive on the learning management system on City.

I'm very proud of.

I've worked with the city of Monroe, the city of Burlington.

I've worked extensively with the city of Raleigh.

They're doing their own program, but I helped them develop there to do this same training in the private sector.

Or if the city wanted to pay a company to provide this training, it's estimated that it's four to six thousand dollars per student.

We're averaging somewhere from two to four Washington's a month in the city of Greensville.

Over time, it's an extensive cost savings.

I appreciate the city.

I couldn't imagine working anywhere else, and it's just nice to know that you get recognized for going a little above and beyond.

So to our award winners.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.

Your work is making a lasting difference for your colleagues, for our organization, and for the residents that we proudly serve.

Please join me in congratulating our 2026 Employee Innovation Award winners.

And I believe Captain Smith used to work for 911, correct?

Yeah.

So it kind of, you know, all of this and all the innovations.

I remember when they started this program several years ago, and it's just been amazing every single year.

So thank you all so much.

Okay, let's move on to item E3 resolution recognizing the Alpha 1 12 and Under Girls Flag Football Team for qualifying for the 2026 AAU Junior Olympics Games.

Yay!

We're all excited about this.

You girls plaque football team, comprised of eight talented young athletes from Greensboro and Guilford County, recently won the Crown of Carolina Tournament and earned a qualifying bid to compete in the 2026 AAU Junior Olympics game in Des Moines, Iowa.

Oh sorry.

Whereas the accomplishment represents a historic milestone as Alpha One is believed to be the first all-girls flag football team from the Greensboro area to qualify for the AAU Junior Olympics Games.

Whereas the team's success reflects the dedication, perseverance, discipline, teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship demonstrated by each athlete through her journey.

Whereas all athlete, all eight athletes, Tanai Bradley Cochran, Morgan Floyd, Mariah Floyd, Aurora Robertson, Amani O'Donnell, Lyric Jones, Macy McCray, and Zoe Underwood are current who are current or former students of Guilford County Schools and serve as positive examples for young people throughout our community.

Whereas their achievement comes at significant moments as girls' flag football continues to grow across North Carolina, creating new opportunities for young women to participate, compete, and excel in athletics.

Whereas Alpha One is competitive travel team in Grid Iron Girls, a girls' flag football platform created under the Solidarity Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening individuals, families, and communities through youth development, mentorship, wellness, leadership, and expanded opportunities through this program.

Alpha One empowers young female athletes to develop athletic skills, confidence, discipline, teamwork, resilience, character, leadership, and exposure to future athletic opportunities.

Okay, hold on just a moment.

Whereas the success of Alpha One has been guided by the exceptional leadership and mentorship of Shirika Bradley, founder of the Solidarity Foundation.

Jerry Coach Jay Alexander, a community leader, and Evan Coach E.

McDowell, co-founder of Grid Iron Girls, whose collective commitment to developing young athletes extends beyond the playing field and includes fostering confidence, accountability, resilience, character, and leadership.

Whereas Sharika Bradley has played an instrumental role in creating organizing and sustaining opportunities for young girls to access access competitive flag football, leadership development, mentorship, and exposure through the Solidarity Foundation, Grid Iron Girls, and Alpha One.

Her leadership has helped establish a pathway for young girls to be seen, supported, challenged, and celebrated while developing confidence, discipline, character, and belief in their ability to succeed both on and off the field.

Whereas Jerry, Coach Jay Alexander, a teacher from Guilford County Schools at Rankin Elementary, has been a catalyst in bringing these young girls, young athletes together, introducing many of them to the game of flag football and cultivating an environment where girls can learn, compete, grow, and discover their potential through several years of developing youth throughout the community.

Coach Jay has used athletics as a vehicle to teach discipline, confidence, accountability, teamwork, resilience, and character, serving not only as a coach, but also as a trusted mentor and role model to many young people, both on and off the field.

Whereas Evan Coach E.

McDowell, co-founder of Grid Iron Girls, has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the athletes of Alpha One, the mission of Grid Iron Girls, and the broader work of the Solidarity Foundation by investing his time, leadership, mentorship, and passion into developing young girls as athletes and confident future leaders, while helping strengthening the culture of Alpha One through discipline, accountability, competitive excellence, teamwork, and the belief in each athlete's ability to grow, lead, and succeed.

Whereas together, Shirika, Coach Jay and Coach E has invested countless hours in mentoring, organizing, coaching, supporting, and advocating for these athletes, helping them achieve success through hard work, dedication, discipline, and teamwork.

Whereas the Alpha One 12U Girls Flag Football Team would proudly represent the city of Greensboro, Guilford County, and the state of North Carolina on a national stage.

And 2026, AAU, Junior Olympic Games.

From July 30th through August 2nd in Iowa, whereas the accomplishments of these athletes, coach, mentors, and organizational leaders exemplify the positive impacts of youth sports, nonprofit leadership, mentorship, and community support in shaping future leaders and now.

Therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Greensboro that the mayor and city council of the city of Greensboro hereby congratulate and commend the Alpha One 12U Girls Flag Football Team for qualifying for the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games and recognize the players, coaches, mentors, gridiron girls, and the Solidarity Foundation for the historic achievement, dedication, and outstanding representation of the Greensboro community on this day as adopted.

All right, young ladies.

So we first need to take a vote.

Councilwoman Parker, I assume you would like to make that motion.

I'd love to make that motion.

And who would like to second?

That motion Council member black.

All right, Council.

Um, please vote.

And the vote is unanimous nine to zero.

Go right ahead.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, the members of the city, Greensboro, City Council, City Leaders, families, coaches, and members of my community.

My name is Sharika, and I am the founder of the Solidarity Foundation.

On behalf of the Solidarity Foundation, Gridon Girls and Alpha One, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the city of Greensboro for recognizing our young ladies.

This is an incredible honor.

While we are here tonight to celebrate our 12U Alpha One team and their accomplishment, this moment represents something much bigger than one team, one tournament, or a single season.

It represents every girl who has stepped out into the field and had the courage to compete.

Every girl who showed up to practice, learned something new, push through the difficult moments, supported teammates, or discovered that she was capable of more than what she realized.

And it represents every family who made the commitment alongside them, the parents and guardians who rearranged their schedules, drove to practices and games, cheered from the sidelines, volunteered, and continue to believe in what we were building.

To our families, thank you.

None of this happens without you.

To our coaches, thank you for giving our girls something that goes far beyond football.

Thank you for your time, your patience, your leadership, and your countless hours you pour into developing these young ladies and helping them fix their attitudes.

And to our 12 you girls, lock in.

This is your moment.

You've worked, you've competed and won.

You trusted one another, and now you've earned the opportunities to represent the city of Greensboro on the biggest national stage, the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games.

I hope you understand what that means.

You're not just simply going to play football.

You are showing other girls what is possible.

You are helping to create pathways that may have extended, existed before you.

Tonight, I would like to take a moment to recognize someone who created the path that allowed you to do this, whose impact deserves a special acknowledgement.

Mr.

Jerry Alexander, as we know him, Coach Jay.

Coach Jay, what you have helped build did not begin with rings and national tournaments.

It began with something much simpler and much more powerful.

You created a space for girls to play.

But in creating that space, you did something more.

You created a space where girls could belong and find their community, a space where you could be challenged, encouraged, and believed in, a space where confidence could grow.

And what started there has continued to grow.

Teaching more girls the game, impacting families, and changing more lives along the way.

At the Solidarity Foundation, we believe that some of the most important people in our community are those who create spaces where others can gather, grow, and become stronger.

That is why tonight it is my honor to present Jerry, Coach Jay Alexander, with the Hearth Award.

The Hearth Award has always represented the heart of the home, a place of warmth, connection, belonging, and strength.

It is where people gather, where they are nurtured, and where something lasting is built.

Coach Jay, you created that kind of space for these girls and so many more within the Greensboro community.

And because you did, what has begun as an opportunity to play football has become a community, a sisterhood, and a pathway for young women to see how far they can go.

On behalf of the Solidarity Foundation, Grid Iron Girls, and Alpha One, our athletes, our family, thank you for being the spark, fuel, and fire that has helped unite something that will continue long beyond any one season.

So it is our honor to present you with the Hearth Award.

This was not expected.

Super surprised.

I should have known something when my parents were here from Charlotte and best friends here from Hot Point and Methon.

This is not it's not about me.

You know, nothing that I do is about me, you know, coaching for the past 20 years and you know, giving these girls the opportunity for for more.

Um that is just that's the goal.

You know, um, it's a chance, it's an opportunity.

Um I want them to be great.

Um, I want them to reach every height that they're capable of reaching.

Um they were cheerleaders.

Um they were cheerleaders, really.

And um come on, y'all not cheer anymore.

We're gonna go play flag football.

Um I had no clue it would stick.

Uh they went to middle school and I'm getting calls like, hey, we're still playing flag.

I'm like, y'all still like it's y'all still want to do it, like and here we are.

Um here we are getting ready to go, you know, represent uh Greensboro national stage.

This is not what I set out for.

Um, but here we are.

You know, here we are, and um, you know, I just want them to make the most of it and I will do everything possible to get them to, you know, where it is that um I feel like they can go.

Um, and if that means fixing some attitudes along the way, um that you know that's what I'll do.

Um, you know, every pick up every phone call, every meal, every ounce of whatever I have to give is has been worth the journey.

And um, I I just thank everybody and for believing in this.

You know, thank you for believing in this.

So um, and I do actually want to give another uh special thanks.

Um I teach at Rankin Elementary, um, and we've had our sports program there for about 20 years or so.

Um it's hard.

You know, I won't, you know, we're Title One school, it's it's difficult, you know.

It's funding is difficult.

Resources are difficult, transportation, like it's it's difficult.

Um, but um Crystal Black.

Crystal Black was a co-worker at Rankin.

Um, and she made it possible for for it to be easy, easier.

You you do the kids and let me take care of you know what it is you need to get it done.

And um, and those are trying years.

Those were years where I was like, Yeah, I'm tired.

You know, I'm I'm I'm tired, I don't know if I can keep going.

And she took so much off of me and allowed me to just focus on you know the kids.

Um, and I thank you.

I thank you for that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes.

And I I believe uh councilwoman black wants to say a few words.

Um I did one, I do it this for the same reasons that uh Mr.

Alexander um does it, but uh the words that were described of the work that he's done is just not enough.

I've watched him put kids in the back of his car.

I've watched him take kids home, I've watched him bless them out in the hallways.

Um but it's all for you all.

And I want you to know that we believed in you, and you have shown us that the work that we put in was all worth it.

It was all worth it.

So Jay, it's you.

It is you, it's not me.

It's easy work, getting money and finding, you know, resources, that's easy.

But after school, every day, in the heat, in the dirt, the the girls smelt like the boys.

Yes.

And you know, he would haul them in his car and he would take them home and he would pick them up, and it was weekends, and his wife is in the back, and you know, it's family time sacrificed and dragging the kids along and his wife coming along.

It was Saturdays.

Uh, when you give Monday through Friday, and Jay works with some of our most vulnerable students.

So he's done that all day, and then at the end of that day, he adds on another task.

So there are people in this community that really give and give back, and I think the more that we can support them, we gotta get these kids to the tournament.

Uh the more that we support them, and the more that we put love and support behind them.

I think that we will continue to get these kind of results.

So when I'm preaching about everything they do at Rankin and sports at Rankin, I know people are tired of hearing me talk about it.

But this is what we get and what we see at that school, and it's possible in other places, but here's your example of a coach that takes heart to kids and really puts the investment in, doesn't ask for anything back.

Anything that I've given or anything that I've contributed was never asked for.

I just wanted to make it easier because I could see what he was doing and what we he was about.

This is rare.

A coach like this is rare, and we need to make sure we're pouring into him so that he can pour back into kids in our community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It is our if I could just plug one more thing in.

Um this weekend, we were in Hendersonville.

We had a tournament in Hendersonville, and the 12 you girls have now officially qualified to play in the Nationals in Tampa, Florida.

Oh wow.

In January, we want another ring as well.

Awesome.

If you don't mind, they're coming up here because Council member Black can't come down.

Um a few of the girls have requested to say some things.

Is that okay?

Okay.

Sure, sure.

Well, let's take a picture first.

Take the picture first.

Okay.

I got you.

Okay.

Continue to be great, girls.

I think of there we go.

Thank you.

And I think a few of the girls are going to make some brief comments, correct?

Yes, very briefly.

Great.

Thank you.

Very brief, ladies.

Um I just want to say, thank you, Coach Jay, for being there and taking me home.

And I'm gonna cry.

I'm sorry.

But like thank you for being there for us and like doing this program for us, because before this, we really had nothing to do, like just in our home and work.

And I just want to say thank you, and I appreciate you so much.

Great.

Um, I just want to say thank you to Coach Jay because I really that's what didn't work out for me, and I didn't know what else to do.

So I was in the house every day.

So I'm glad that I was able to find a team with my teammates like them and a coach like him.

Aww.

Um, I just ran towards to say I'm very thankful for you.

Like, I really don't know what this team would be regarded to you.

Like, you're like a huge part of all of our lives.

Like you take care of us, you feed us, you take us places if you don't have lives.

I'm just very grateful for you.

Okay.

Before we all start breaking into tears, I just want to say thank you one last time, and we appreciate it.

So thank you.

You know, seeing seeing young people in youth sports that was one of our missions for our councils and this council to see young people in youth sports because it teaches so much.

So thank you all so very much.

And we have a couple of council members who'd like to say something.

Oh, yes.

You wait.

Um, Coach Alexander, I will say that we will get a copy of the resolution for each girl to have because it's important that they carry that through with them through life.

So we'll make sure that each girl gets a copy.

If you can get me a number.

And uh very briefly in 2029, we will be hosting the Junior Olympics in Greensboro.

So that's exciting.

So this is awesome.

Awesome.

So thank you.

Everybody good.

Okay, so uh who the yeah, well let we'll wait just a moment for everyone to follow out.

Great young ladies.

All right, moving along.

Uh item E4 resolution honoring the achievements and legacy of the Blueford Blues baseball team.

Councilmember Crawford.

Whereas during the 1965-1968 years, the Blueford Blues youth baseball team competed within the Eastern Little League program within Greensboro Parks and Recreation until the Eastern Little League and City Leagues merged.

Whereas between 1965 and 1967, the Blueford Blues compiled an extraordinary undefeated record of 48-0, a remarkable achievement that established the team as one of the most successful youth baseball programs in Greensboro history.

Whereas known for their desired uh disciplined play, strong work ethic, sportsmanship, and exceptional defense, the players of the Blueford Blues earned a reputation as one of the premier youth baseball teams in the city.

Whereas in 1967, the Blueford Blues posted a perfect 16-0 regular season record and earned a third place finish in the Greensboro JC's Little League Tournament, the first year the tournament was integrated and open to teams from across the city.

Whereas the following year, 1968, the Blueford Blues made history by becoming the first team composed of African American players to win the citywide Greensboro JC's Little League Tournament Championship, a milestone uh achievement that helped break barriers in local youth athletics and brought pride and hope to the many families and supporters involved with Greensboro's Eastern Little League program.

Where the success of the Blueford Blues was reflective of the talent, determination, and character of those young athletes who represented their community, and the team became a source of pride and inspiration for East Greensboro during a period of significant civil rights and social change.

Whereas the actions and perseverance of the Blueford Blues helped to create new opportunities for future generations of players throughout Greensboro.

Whereas former players, coaches, and supporters of the Blueford Blues went on to make meaningful contributions to their respective communities over decades as professionals, mentors, civic leaders, and role models, extending the team's legacy far beyond the baseball field.

Whereas in recognition of their historic accomplishments and enduring impacts on Greensboro sports history, Blueford Blues head coach John Wesley Wright Sr.

was recognized through field naming at Penn Wright Stadium at Barber Park and was inducted posthumously into the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Whereas the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission and Athletics Program both recognize the Blueford Blues for their extraordinary achievements in 2024.

Whereas in 2025, former Bluefoot Blues players participated in an educational program featured at the Greensboro History Museum.

Whereas during National Parks and Recreation Month, it is fitting for this recognition of one of Greensboro Parks and Recreation's most significant teams to occur.

And now therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Greensboro that the mayor and city council hereby honor the historic achievements and enduring legacy of the Blueford Blues youth baseball team, its former players and coaches for their groundbreaking contributions to youth athletics, community pride, and the advancement of opportunity in Greensboro.

Be it further resolved that the City of Greensboro recognizes and thanks the players of the Blueford Blues youth baseball team, Kenneth Stimson, Luther Montague Jr., Wade Horton, Ralse Milliken, Mark Perry, Ricky Webster, Danny Garner, Warren Tarpley, Dr.

Thurman Guy, Terry Hood, William Aaron, Robert Johnson, Seggy Bennett, Perry Bennett, Bryant Colson, Jerry Williams, Rodney Westmer, and Lamont Day, along with their coaches, families, and supporters, whose dedication and perseverance helped establish the Blueford Blues as one of the most accomplished and influential youth baseball teams in Greensboro history.

Adopted this the twenty-first day of July twenty twenty-six.

Thank you.

I'm sure you would like to make that motion.

Move by Councilmember Crawford.

Do I hear a second?

Seconded by Councilwoman Tammy Thurm.

I will do a voice vote.

Councilmember Black.

Oh, we do have it up on the screen.

Okay, let's do a vote on the screen.

And that carries unanimously nine to zero.

Thank you so much.

Yes, sir.

Go ahead.

Wow.

I am we are greatly honored.

We're humbled.

Uh special story that was, you know, to happen over fifty years ago.

And I just want to say thank you, Councilwoman, and especially to Mr.

Phil Fleischmann, Monique, Floyd, and I don't know Kobe's last name, but those three made sure when they heard our story that it was told and is still being told, even down to the Greensboro Historical Museum.

I don't remember their names, but to all we want to say.

Thank you.

We're greatly humbled by it and the other thing.

Congratulations.

Okay.

Hey y'all, me and Councilmember Marshall would love to know how we can grab a hat.

Both arms are both.

Are we allowed?

We were already down here.

Don't you dare make sure, make sure we're allowed.

Thank you, Sorghia.

We'll follow up.

Thank you all so much.

This is this is just awesome.

That's all I can say.

It's great.

It's great.

All right, we will move on in just a moment.

Let's give them a moment to recess out of the room.

All right, we will move on to our consent agenda.

And if council wishes to remove any items from the consent agenda, either due to a conflict of interest or for the purpose to vote no.

All right, Mrs.

Thurm.

Yes, I need to ask for to be recused from item Firty Two.

I serve on the convention visitors bureau board, which is strongly related to this item.

Yes, and I would also like to recuse myself for serving on the board of the sports Greensboro Sports Foundation.

So we will be recusing on those, so we should probably pull those.

Does anybody have anything else to pull?

So let me pull item thirty-two, and I will read it.

Item F thirty-two is the twenty twenty-six-five eight nine, master local organizing committee agreement.

We can do a voice vote.

Councilmember Black.

Councilmember Allen.

Councilmember Thurm and I are recused.

Mayor Pro Tem.

Aye.

Councilmember Crawford.

Aye.

Councilmember Marshall.

Councilmember Parker.

And Councilmember Holston.

Thank you so much.

And that carries eight uh seven to two recusals.

Thank you so much.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Thank you, Madam City Attorney.

All right.

So I will now accept a motion on the consent agenda.

I'll move the item as amended.

All right.

Moved by Council Marshall.

Yes, Councilmember Holston.

He was a second.

Okay.

Councilmember Marshall motioned.

Councilmember Holston second, and all in favor.

We can go ahead and do a regular vote for this, please.

Thank you all so very much.

Moving on to our public comment period.

Because we did not have our first meeting in July.

This will be our public comment period.

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

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

And generally, this is a time for listening for the council.

The subject you speak about will be noted, and if it requires action or request, the city clerk or city manager will note as such and provide steps for any required response or after action.

Please make sure your contact details are with the city clerk to facilitate communication.

Campus Greensboro Day is every year on National Intern Day and celebrates the incredible impact that Guilford County based paved interns make through the Campus Greensboro Fellows Program.

The Fellows Program wraps up its 11th cohort on campus Greensboro Day.

Since its inception in 2016, the Fellows program has had over 1,000 local interns participate.

The 118 fellows currently enrolled in the 2026 cohort represent 37 unique employer sites and come from in colleges and universities across the United States, including our own outstanding local institutions, Elon University, Greensboro College, Guilford Technical Community College, High Point University, North Carolina AT State University, and UNC Greensboro.

And these fellows come from diverse backgrounds, with 22% being first generation and 52% being Pell Grant or Financial Aid recipients.

Our 2026 fellows have had a busy summer so far.

In addition to their internships, they've had hands-on leadership training, skill-based workshops to make them competitive for today's workforce needs, and have explored what makes Gilford County such a great place for young professionals to thrive through social meetups and outdoor adventures.

Our 2026 Campus Greensboro Day will occur on Thursday, July 30th from 12 to 2 p.m.

at Piedmont Hall to celebrate the incredible hard work of these fellows and their employers in our community.

I know we have several already who will be joining us on that day, but we'd love to invite our city council to join and share in this moment with us as we recognize our local emerging talent and employers.

And as you can see, we've brought a small gift for you guys to help you get ready for the day.

All of you have your very own 2026 campus Greensboro Day t shirt to wear at the event.

And I would just like to thank you guys for your time and your partnership in helping the fellows program succeed over the years.

And I look forward to hopefully celebrating with all of you on July 30th.

Thank you so much.

And I'll make a few comments during our council comments section because it's a wonderful program.

All right, next is Alexandra Arpajan and then Ivy G.

Well, good evening.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Hello, esteemed council members and city manager.

Just giving a quick update on the Carolina Theater.

We just wrapped up our year this past year, and we welcomed over 100,000 patrons through the Carolina Theater doors.

And we were able to generate about well over 10,500 jobs for artists on the stage behind the scenes and all those wonderful things.

And we employ over 70 folks here in Greensboro for all of the wonderful events, the 300 plus events that we do a year.

And we generate slightly under 3 million in economic development for our great city of Greensboro.

So I wanted to let you know that we've started off our new year very strong.

This past week, we've welcomed uh 1,400 folks through our doors just for our summer film and our Carolina Kids Club.

In fact, as we speak, we have a fencing demonstration going on over there as part of Princess Bride happening in just a few minutes.

And we'll have 500 kids coming for Shrek tomorrow when we're working with the with the library as well to do some fairy tales and mad science will create a swamp for us, so we're very excited.

And we announced our new series lineup for our Carolina Theater Presents, which is the series that we invest in.

And we are working with the Folk Festival to present Ethno USA during Folk Festival.

We have an Aussie Osborne tribute.

We if you're a Bridgerton fan, we've got the group Vitamin String Quartet from Bridgerton that plays all the music, along with a girl named Tom from MBC's The Voice, Taylor Swift Dance Party, Seals and Croft 2, Cochrane and Co.

doing a Christmas concert, DePew Brothers doing magical grassical Christmas, Antonio Lanzana, that's a flamenco artist coming directly from Spain with Flamingo Dancers, and Branford Mercalis and Diane Reese, which is our very big splurge this year.

And they are celebrating a hundred years of John Coltrane, so they'll be celebrating the music of Coltrane.

And then we finish with a wonderful Tyco Act that has won one many awards in Japan.

So I do invite you all to come and join us.

I hope you can make it out this year for one of our wonderful shows.

And 2027 is our centennial year, so we are turning a hundred.

Our birthday is Halloween night.

Um, and I'd love to figure out how we could be an excellent partner for you all, especially as you think about your state of the city in 2027.

We'd love to host it.

And also, if there's anything we can do with Vision 36, we'd love to be a cultural partner for that too.

So thank you all for your time and all the wonderful work you do for our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, Ivy G, and then that will be followed by Tanika Warren if she's on Zoom.

All right.

Good evening, Mayor, Council Members, City staff, community partners, and residents.

My name is Ivy G, and I have the privilege of standing before you on behalf of the Greensboro Collaborative Action Network, also known as GSOK.

Seven months ago, we came together with a simple but ambitious belief that no one organization, neighborhood, or agency can create community safety alone.

If we truly want to reduce violence and improve the quality of life in Greensboro, then we must work together.

This belief has come into action in just seven months.

GSO can has brought together community organizations, public safety, city departments, educators, faith leaders, businesses, and residents around one shared table.

We've created new partnerships, strengthened communication, begun using data to better understand where resources are needed most, and most importantly, we've created spaces where people who may not have always trusted one another, are having meaningful conversations.

We know that there is still work to do.

We recognize that trust isn't built overnight.

We know some members of our community carry painful experiences and unanswered questions.

We also know that lasting change doesn't happen because one group has all the answers.

It happens because we can choose to listen, learn, and lead together.

That's exactly what GSOCAN is committed to doing.

As we move into our next phase, we're looking to expand opportunities for collaboration and involvement with community and community leaders.

Let's focus on crime reduction, community outreach and advocacy, and supporting our unhoused neighborhoods.

Let's build to transform ideas into action and ensure that solutions are informed by both data and lived experience.

Now, tonight, my invitation is simple, and it's for everybody.

Whether you're a residence, a business owner, a nonprofit leader, an educator, a person of faith, a youth advocate, or a public servant.

There is a place for you in this work.

Community safety is not something that we can deliver to the people.

It is something that we must build with people.

Greensboro has always been a city that rises to meet challenges through collaboration.

I believe our greatest strength is not found in our differences, but in our willingness to unite around common purpose.

So I invite everyone, each of you in this room, all of you online, to join the movement.

Share your voice, bring your expertise, build relationships, help us create a Greensboro where every neighborhood feels safe, connected, and full of opportunity because Greensboro can reduce violence.

Greensboro can rebuild trust.

Greensboro can create a stronger future.

And together we will.

For more information, please visit www.gso can.com.

You're able to find our six-month impact report and our upcoming meetings, which I'm inviting you.

It's Thursday afternoon from 4 30 to 5 30 over at the Kellen Foundation at 4010 Walker Avenue.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

All right, uh Miss Warren is not on Zoom.

If she comes on, staff will let me know.

I have a first Tanya Hayes, followed by Donna Harrelson, followed by Rodney Jenkins.

Are they in the room?

Good evening, um, City Council members.

Um, my name is Tania Hayes, and I'm speaking on behalf of my aunt Phyllis Gaddy.

Uh we both belong to the uh Seventh day Adventist Church.

Uh she's the head clerk, and I am a health care professional for 16 years now.

Um we are experiencing a lot of criminal activity in her house and my apartment that is located in High Point.

There have been a number of police reports.

Um we've spoken to a lot of police officers.

Um we were both to be assigned an investigator last year, and we have not received the call.

No one has reached out to us to be attentive to these pro the problems that are continuously going on every day.

Um I just really would like to have some police reinforcement.

They've been they have been going on for five to six years.

Um, so that's it.

And where are the apartments located?

I'm sorry.

Where where what is the address?

I mean, at the address, just which city Greensboro is high point.

And high point?

Both, yes, ma'am.

Okay, okay.

So um make sure your information is at the front desk and someone will reach out.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

All right, uh, Donna Harrelson, followed by Rodney Jenkins.

Are they here?

Okay, we will go back and see if they are in a little bit.

Okay.

Is this okay?

Mr.

Jenkins.

All right, uh, my name is Rodney Jenkins, and uh you'll have to forgive my speech that I wrote because I've never been here before.

So it uh but I'm representing unofficially the homeless community.

And so you guys know there's a there's a lot that's happened over the couple of years with the homeless community.

Uh last year's snow, uh the IRC closed its doors, we have the warming centers, but we have nothing at night.

So this is a I'll redo this quickly as I can, and then I'll try to get to to you know what what I'm thinking we really should do.

So the homeless community needs somewhere safe and sanitary to rest at night to combat the growth of homeless to combat the growth of homelessness to provide a safety for those who um cannot access affordable housing, uh, to ensure the city is at a certain standard, and uh just to elaborate on that is because you know, in homelessness and in poverty comes a lot of substandard things.

So um with that also um to protect us from legal ramifications because the homeless is always always trespassing anywhere we go, we don't own anything, and uh I'm seeing people get arrested for that sort of thing.

And since I'm in homelessness, um, and shelter from the world and from weather is the most fundamental piece of our survival because food is available, but without shelter, this community will continue to grow in issues intrinsic to people in despair.

So uh you see us, uh it's beyond possible that people might see it discouraging to go to the IRC, the urban ministry, and certain shopping areas, Greensboro because the city is not giving any shelters back after we lost it from the IRC.

And whilst the downtown, whilst downtown has really good things happening, I was just in downtown, they were having like a big wrestling match, and I thought that was really cool.

But at the same time, I feel like the city is seeing, hearing, and doing no evil, and that is to say that you have forgotten about the homeless in the way of we are out here every Tuesday, every Sunday, Monday, and Thursday.

We're right there, and we don't know anything about what to do as far as what I'm about to get to.

Um I think the city is also ignoring all the people that are on the sidewalks and just sitting in front of buildings and they're sending in awnings.

We're in laundromats, and I'll just kind of just get right here.

Too many are sleeping or wandering the streets under awnings, the sidewalks, under bridges, in the woods, in parking lots, in bus stops, in camping tents, in the libraries, in on the buses, in their vehicle, in the depot, at the train station, in the hospital, waiting at the library, in doorways, corridors, abandoned houses, and abandoned buildings.

And what I think can you wrap up and then yeah, send me on okay.

That's that's your time.

Yes, if you wanted to wrap up your last sentence, that's fine.

Sure, no problem.

Um basically uh at some when next time I'm here I'm gonna propose that the building that the city find a building that we can that you can staff that you can staff and put bunk beds in.

That's open beds, somewhere for us to go at night, just at night, 12 hours a day, somewhere so we're out of the streets.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Um, make sure your information is with the front desk right there, please.

With someone up there, please.

And we can get the either the rest of your speech or make copies of it or something at some point.

Thank you.

All right, uh, going back to make sure Donna Harrelson.

Okay, Noreen Carter, Fanta Dorley, Nicole Lindall.

Nicole.

Maybe she's outside.

All right.

Noreen Carter.

Fanta Dorley.

I see Nicole Lindall.

She'll go ahead.

Go ahead, Nicole.

Well, good evening, everybody.

Good evening.

My name is Nicole Lindall, and I'm the project's director with Bicycling in Greensboro, which is our local bicycling advocacy group.

And I'm here tonight to show support for the proposed pilot pedestrian zone on the 200 block of South Elm Street downtown.

Wow, like way to go, Greensboro.

I mean, this is a big step.

And I think it'll create a design destination for bringing people together.

And not simply a place for moving cars.

It will bring life to downtown.

And I honestly believe our downtown is perfect for this.

I mean, we have one main street.

It's not a complicated grid.

I I feel like people will visit the pedestrian mall.

I mean, our our downtown, our destinations are very simple.

And we have parking decks on either side of the block of South Elm.

There's ample parking to make up for the spots that are no longer going to be available.

Streets that are mostly moving cars, exhaust and narrow sidewalks are just not pleasant.

People don't hang out.

They don't window shop.

They don't impulsively purchase.

When you remove cars, streets become places where people want to be.

Okay, we will move on.

Latanya Jenkins.

Is she in the room?

Preston Warren.

Is this Preston coming up?

No.

Jonathan Sleezak.

Thank you.

And after Jonathan, uh Sam Bridges, Scott Jones.

Good evening, Councilmember, Madam Mayor, City Manager.

I come to you tonight, not representing a business or organization, but a neighborhood.

Excuse me.

It's my first time coming here tonight, so I apologize.

A new business has opened up in Urban Park area, right down the street from Urban Park Elementary, called Dutch Brothers Coffee.

It has done nothing but cause a congestion of traffic blocking the Laundale Plaza right there, as well as the dry cleaners.

Now, right now it's not too much of an issue.

It's just a little bit of traffic.

The biggest problem is going to be when Urban Park Elementary comes back into session.

You know, on average, there's usually about six to seven school buses that are riding through that neighborhood.

The problem is is yes, they do the company does have flaggers that help with you know moving the traffic along, but there's no parking in that area at all.

Even if you even if you try to park in the Lawndale Plaza, it's not enough for that area.

Um so the biggest concern is public safety.

I'm all for new businesses coming to the city and bringing jobs, but not at the cost of public safety.

Um so I just request that somebody look into it and see if uh there's anything we can do, maybe provide parking in that area, although it's right off directly Battleground Lawndale, so it's not the easiest place to put parking, or maybe it's it's kind of hard to just ask a company to just pick up and move.

Um so I just request that somebody look into it.

That's all.

Sure, and I I see people taking notes, so just make sure your information is at the front desk.

We'll do thank you very much.

That's in our district as well, uh, district three.

So I'll drive by there tomorrow as well.

During the it's usually it could be first thing in the morning, it could be mid-afternoon, it could be early evening.

It is non-stop traffic.

I'll be glad to support the business and check it out.

Thank you very much.

Of course.

Thank you.

All right, uh, we have Sam Bridges, Scott Jones, and Robert Martin.

You can go ahead, Mr.

Bridges, if you'd like.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council.

My name is Sam Bridges.

I preside 510 Prescott Street.

My statement tonight or my um scripture is Proverbs 1114.

He that seek counsel is wise.

Uh I'm very disappointed to learn about a project 409 Scott Avenue.

Uh the owner made numerous attempts to reach out to council district member Adam Marshall about a large city tree located at that location.

I'm not sure if they've had any conversation back.

Uh I noticed several weeks back that the city was cited for a water treatment plant and fines up to 47,000 for taxpayers, uh dollars where they were cited for out of compliance.

Now I don't want that to happen in this matter.

I reached out to Judson Clinton, who is your city arborist, and Mr.

Clinton in a phone call conversation explained he had no say so or jurisdiction over trees or canopies in the city of Greensboro and did not in any means offer any information about the $825,000 grant for tree canopies in the city of Greensboro.

So I'm concerned about paying a uh city orbers.

Also, this was what uh came out in a news release in 311, 2024.

How can we help you today?

City of Greensboro, and this was the City of Greensboro was awarded $825,000 from U.S.

Department of Agricultural Forest Service and a five-year project that will conduct a canopy study, engaging and disadvantaged residents in urban forestry, and that the city would support and other departments would follow along.

I've not found any department yet that's open.

Uh I have reached out to the city of Greensboro to the workmanship or the uh the city performing these type of um projects.

Uh the city is not responsible for forming pruning or removing debris generated by private work.

Uh the city forming the tree work because it met it does not meet the criteria for the city maintenance.

City crews would remove and dispose of debris associated with the work if it met the criteria.

This tree is not on private property.

This tree is on the city of Greensboro's property.

The owner nor neighbor uh doesn't want the tree removed.

The homeowner and I, in joint efforts, we're paying for the performing of the reduction to the tree and a class A pruning procedure leaving cosmetic curb appeal.

With those photos that I provided you, uh, what does meet the city's criteria if this doesn't?

Uh I am also concerned if we haven't done any tree canopy work that I have not seen in the city of Greensboro around, and I look for that kind of stuff.

Where did $825,000 go?

Uh what does meet the city's criteria if this doesn't?

I do believe it's now required to give you, I don't believe that it's now required to give you notification by certified mail.

Uh this notice serves as that.

And I believe this project would be a perfect candidate for criteria and the participation.

And I do think that this meeting and making you aware of this would give you some responsibility for liability.

Thank you, and we are going to look into this, yes.

Thank you.

All right, Mr.

Scott Jones and then Mr.

Robert Martin and then Ken Sykes.

Good evening, City Council members, residents of Greensboro.

I'm here again tonight to discuss the day labor program that we had in place for Tiny House Community Development and the Hope Center.

I hope that you'll consider restoring that funding because last Thursday, one of the staff members or the day labor program members actually gave birth to a new baby boy.

Mr.

Cohen was born at 537 Thursday and was able to go to a brand new home in High Point, one of our supportive houses, because of your day labor program that you funded for Greensboro.

I hope that you will please consider listen to these folks that are about to come up here with me as they see what we experience on a daily basis and on Saturdays.

If it's all right, Mayor, I would like to allow two people to speak real quick.

Um they didn't get to sign up because they were working and leaving.

No, we can't, I'm sorry.

So I'll continue on.

Um, so what we've got a situation is we've got about 30 that come to the Hope Center on a daily basis right now that are seeking day labor opportunities.

They come there, they're looking for work.

We have the recycling program that's been in Greensboro with 11 drop sites with thousands of pounds of cardboard, plastic, foam that Greensboro doesn't recycle, that's recycled at the Hope Center, and these folks that come there for breakfast and resources get an opportunity through the city's funding to be able to have a job.

But five individuals, five people are housed right now because of that program.

That was only six months.

It was a year contract.

The contract wasn't even implemented to the week before Christmas.

Six months went by with no contract, and then we had six months, and in that six months, we provided dozens of individuals with an opportunity to work to clean the streets of Greensboro.

If you go right down here right now, you'll see the trash that's laying around that we were picking up on a daily basis.

We were we were prepared to actually do graffiti removal with all the stuff that was going on in the city.

Literally, we've got the equipment and we were ordering the chemicals to do the graffiti removal to help the city of Greensboro with individuals experiencing homelessness to give them an opportunity to seek housing and resources.

This program wasn't just about $74,000, it's about changing lives, changing lives in Greensboro.

You just heard gentlemen speak about homelessness.

This was their hope to come to the Hope Center to get valuable resources to have an opportunity to make a small wage, not only make a wage, but make a difference in downtown Greensboro around the streets, the greenway.

That's what they were doing, picking up trash.

They were handling recycling, tons of recycling from the city.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Martin.

And I have Ken Sykes.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council.

Name's Robert Martin.

Uh here to speak on behalf to work for uh the program they have.

My history is of a probation officer for 30 years retired.

I worked here in Greensboro, worked in High Point and finished my career in Thomasville.

And during my 30-year career, I supervised that population or the unhoused population.

It's a difficult population to work with.

A lot of times I used to call it unemployable.

They want to play by their own rules.

They don't want to listen to the any employer, and a lot of them is just very difficult to find somebody to hire that population.

And Scott and Tiny House community development has a program of those to be employed.

I think it's great.

I mean, it's a great thing.

I work with several in the high point right now, and the mental health issue with that population is about 50%.

30% of it is severe.

Having schizophrenia, bipolar, and they have episodes all the time.

That's what makes it so hard for them to find a job.

And not only that, but they also have chemical dependency problems.

Almost every single one of them are addicted to drugs or have been addicted to drugs or alcoholism.

So it's a very difficult population to work with, a very difficult one to hire.

And if something's going on good here in Greensboro, please keep it going.

It gets them off the streets, gives them something to do.

Actually, it gives them something to do constructive with their hands instead of something that was destructive.

So thank you for letting me speak real quick.

I appreciate it, but anything, if you can bring that back for them, I would really appreciate it because it really helps them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, Mr.

Martin.

Oh, that wasn't Mr.

Martin.

I'm so sorry.

Ken, I meant Ken Sykes.

Yes.

Here we go.

Good evening, uh, members of the city council and city manager.

Uh my name's Ken Sykes, and I'm here also to speak on half of Scott in the Tiny House organization.

Um I've got a prepared speech I read a lot of these things Scott has mentioned.

Uh I am uh on the board of directors and I volunteer at the organization here in Greensboro.

I'm here tonight because our cities subsidized housing networks are completely overwhelmed, leaving long waiting lines and forcing our most vulnerable residents onto the streets.

Tiny House community development fills this critical gap.

We don't just build affordable tiny houses for individuals who wouldn't otherwise qualify for traditional housing.

We wrap them in continuous, compassionate care through a multi-division network, as Scott was just mentioning.

At the heart of our daily operations is the Hope Center, which is on Westgate City.

Operating six days a week, the center serves as a vital sanctuary where neighbors access basic human dignity, hot food, clean water, restrooms, and computers.

Beyond emergency relief, our team provides hands-on career counseling, shelter placement navigation, and mental health support to everyone who makes it to our doors.

Additionally, run an innovative recycling program, as Scott mentioned, that protects Greensboro's environment while generating low barrier income opportunities for our participants.

We also provide a specialized construction certification program, offered at low or completely no cost to teach tangible high-demand trade skills that demand career pipelines.

But tonight, I must entirely be entirely candid.

Our organization is critically short on the funds required to staff these vital divisions.

We have the vision, we have the programs, and a proven track record.

What we lack is stable, predictable operational capital.

We are asking the city of Greensboro, the city council for formal recognition and consistent recurring financial help that our organization can actually count on.

When we receive capital ejection, we hire staff, we expand service hours.

If those resources are suddenly clawed back or not renewed, the recoup recover the repercussions can completely bankrupt us.

Okay?

And disrupting lives and breaking trust with the community.

Tiny House Community Development is doing the heavy lifting on the front lines of Greensboro's housing crisis.

We are saving lives, cleaning our environment, and training our workforce.

But we cannot do it alone on a fluctuating budget.

We need sustainable partnership that treats us as the permanent civic infrastructure we have become.

Please help us keep the doors of the Hope Center open and our programs funded.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Then Jacques Pierre.

Hello, this is my second time here.

The first time I came here, I'm going to tell you the same story.

I've I retired as a firefighter.

I've watched countless people lives being lost, useless.

Well, I work at the Hope Center.

I have I retired when I retired from the fire department.

I said, Well, I'm done with uh the community.

I I can live my life now.

That didn't happen.

I've been working with the Tiny House Community, the Hope Center for about six or seven years.

Every year, every day, faithful to the homeless population.

These people are stuck in a mode.

It's called fight or flight.

They're living on the street.

They're wondering where they're going to take their last meal, where they're going to put their heads.

Well, every week we see things that y'all don't see.

We see the results of what homelessness can do.

The reason why I joined the Hope Center was because I wanted to fight a fight.

In this war together.

Y'all can't do it alone, and we can't do it without you.

We need y'all.

And y'all need us.

I'm become, I've known these people by name.

They know me.

When they see me on the street, hey, that's Brother Jeff.

And I treat them the way I would treat anyone else.

I used to give, risk my life to save others.

Now I give my life to help save them.

So that's why I'm here today.

I don't want to beg.

I just want to let y'all know that, hey, we need y'all as much as y'all need us.

In this fight, y'all can't do it alone.

I appreciate every single one of y'all.

I cannot imagine what y'all have to do in this city.

Because this city has grown, grown since I took on the position of working in this community.

I appreciate y'all.

I appreciate what y'all do.

Take in consideration just one thing, and I'm done.

If you hear one person tell a lie, and you believe it, then you're stuck.

But now you have to ask the people who really are on the front lines.

Because when you ask us, we're going to tell you what it's really, really like.

And if y'all don't believe that it's getting worse, homelessness is getting worse.

Every Saturday morning, we are seeing people come in, families with children, babies.

They come in just to get breakfast.

And they want to know where they're going to get their next one.

That's why we're here.

We're not going anywhere.

So the only thing I'm asking y'all to do is help.

Because that's what we need, y'all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jacques Pierre.

Good evening, Mayor, Councilmembers, everyone else here.

I want to say thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak.

Number one.

Number two, I've been fortunate enough to be associated with Tiny House Community Development since 2020-ish.

And I've during that time I've seen us move from the David Street parking lots on Saturday mornings, you know, starting at 7 o'clock up to current day where we're housed at the Hope Center on the Westgate City Boulevard.

And also during that time, I've seen, you know, um house veterans just coming in to get a warm meal.

Uh anyone who needs who needs help, they've been able to come in and they were they've been treated with respect.

I've seen families come in with young children.

Uh I'm a father myself, and there are times that it's been really hard because I would see my daughter and some of the children that would come in with their parents.

And that's that's uh a population that we serve that we help.

Um couple years back, the city decided to make a real effort towards sustainability.

Um there's there's a sustainability sustainability council that was formed.

You uh the OSR, where there's a sustainability director that's been hired to advance sustainability practices.

Also, there's a push to make sustainable decisions in city operations in terms of energy reduction, green greenhouse gas, and all that fun stuff.

Well, I'd like to remind you all that as far as sustainability, there's the human condition.

Uh it's yes, in sustainability, you look at how can you be more efficient and conserve the planet and do all these things, but you know, we're living in this planet, we also have to take care of each other.

And what I've seen myself is that uh the Hope Center, Tiny House Community Development, pretty much every day we're committed to helping the residents of Greensboro.

And it doesn't matter who you are, what you work, what your walk of life is, you come in, we'll help you the best that we can.

Thank you, and thank you everyone for for coming today.

Um let's back up.

We have Jason Hicks, then Aidan Lawrence, and then Sanders Cockman.

Sorry.

Good evening.

My name is Jason Hicks.

I'm a formerly incarcerated person living with the consequences of a felony conviction.

And I've spent several years now making sure people like me still have a root voice in rooms like this one.

I'm here tonight to lay out the facts and ask this council to answer for them.

Twelve days ago, city attorney Laura Cubage told me directly on the phone that her counsel had already given her permission to take the legal action that's necessary against me, and that she had free reign to come after me.

In that same call, she named two other Greensboro residents, George Hartzman and Eric Robert as additional targets.

Mr.

Hartman is currently in litigation with the city.

Based on that conversation, it is my opinion that what she described is retaliation.

I want to I want you all to understand who said this to me as I perceived it.

A former assistant district attorney or former judge, someone who spent her career deciding who gets prosecuted and who gets sentenced.

I took this as a threat coming from someone who has professionally taken other people's freedom away.

Nine days ago, I wrote this counsel, every single one of you, and asked a simple question.

Is this true?

Nine days of silence is the only answer I've gotten.

Not a yes, not a no, nothing.

And let me remind you who is asking.

I woke up at 4 a.m.

in the morning to put out yard signs for some of you.

I spent Saturdays standing up to polls.

I made phone calls to get out the vote.

I worked to make sure other candidates in this city didn't stand a chance.

That's the resident your attorney says she has free reign against.

A president telling his attorney general to go after his political enemies by name isn't any different at all from a city council authorizing the city attorney to retaliate with legal action against its residents.

And quite frankly, silence doesn't make that disappear.

So I'm asking this council tonight.

Did you authorize this action against me, George Hartzman, or Eric Robert?

If the answer is no, that doesn't end this.

Because the city attorney is one of only two employees who answers directly to this council.

If the city attorney felt bold enough to make this threat without your authorization, correcting it isn't optional.

So which is it?

Did you authorize this action or will you correct it?

Very good.

Thank you.

Mr.

Lawrence and I Mr.

Cochman, I believe you're speaking on our business agenda item, our public hearing item, so we'll hold off on you.

Aidan Lawrence, and I do need to make sure that people I have not come into the room.

Take me just a moment.

Is she?

No?

Okay.

Donna Harrelson.

Noreen Carter.

Fanta Dorley.

Latanya Jenkins.

Preston Warren.

And that's all I have for who have not been in the room.

Go ahead, Aiden.

Awesome.

Thank you, Mayor.

And just a quick correction.

It is just Aidan or Mrs.

Loretz would be preferred.

Okay, thank you.

I wanted to start off by saying thank you to all of you who have engaged with the issue of large-scale data centers in our city.

Especially Crystal Black and Cece Crawford.

Thank you so much for your public stances.

And thank you to the two of you and Tammy Therm and Denise Roth for having a working group together.

We're looking forward to hearing specifics of what your working group is doing and making that public.

We are a group that is becoming a coalition called Protect Gopher County, and we are asking Greensboro City Council and Guilford County to pass 32-month moratoriums on data center development.

Now, data centers, a moratorium is not a ban, it's a pause.

I understand that we have some things in place that effectively may let that be a pause at our city, but we want to have that true and in writing and strong.

Tammy, the GA is not going to do anything until January.

We have that on good record.

And I know that you have a work session tomorrow with a data center lobbyist.

I want to make sure that folks know that that is going to be biased information.

And I look forward to seeing when you all will announce a public participation for this issue where folks can ask questions and get answers and engage with y'all on this issue.

Mayor Potemarov, you said communities have every right to demand accountability.

We should insist on responsible development, environmental safeguards, transparency, and meaningful community engagement.

Our group 100% agrees with you, and we do not see it as a choice that we have to make between no progress and progress.

We agree that we want strong community benefit agreements for any project that's coming going to come in.

A moratorium would allow and codify that time for that to happen, and also signal to folks across the state that Greensboro, who is one of the largest cities in our state, is part of this fight.

Over 30 different counties, cities, and towns have passed moratorium, ranging from six months to 32 months on data center development.

Over 50 candidates across our state have answered a survey where there's broad, a wide spectrum of support from conservatives, liberals, green party, libertarians, socialists who all say that they do not want large data centers in their community.

Seven out of ten Americans oppose large data centers in their community.

On Sunday, I attended an event with NC Black Alliance at NCAT, and they uh shared strong information on community benefits agreements.

There's also a document called Data Center Development and Local Governance Guidelines for Community Centered Outcomes by AJ Meyer from Duke.

I shared that with Tammy, CC and Crystal, and I would love to if everyone could read it.

I would also love to come and speak to y'all in the same way that this lobbyist is coming tomorrow to speak.

Great, thank you.

I just want to clarify as a consultant, not a not a lobbyist, okay.

Okay.

Yeah.

Yes.

So all right, that is all of our speakers.

Unless someone did come into the room who I called earlier.

Seeing none, we will move on to our public hearing agenda.

And this is the time for our public hearing items.

Item I 1, ordinance designating the Alice Fairchild and John K.

Voringer Junior House, which is located at 803 Hood Place, tax parcel 9831, as a Guilford County Local Historic Landmark.

So we do have uh one person to speak.

Go ahead with the presentation, and then we will have them come up, Mr.

Cottman.

Madam Mayor?

Yes.

At this point, um, you requested to do matters.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Let's do our council comments first.

I got sidetracked.

I was worried about the people that signed up and weren't here, so yes, let's do that first.

I apologize.

Um let's start with Mr.

Marshall, Council Comments.

Sure.

Um, we recently had the privilege of traveling to Washington, DC to advocate on behalf of the city of Greensboro with our uh legislative delegation.

We met with uh both officers for both our senators, and we met with multiple uh representatives and their staff for our local uh House members.

We advocated for things like uh funding for world university games, uh, infrastructure funding, uh, public safety for those events.

Uh it was a really great opportunity, and you know, for the for the folks that are watching, you know, knowing that your your council is out there advocating at different levels.

It doesn't just mean we're advocating on your behalf in Greensboro.

We're at the state level, we're at the federal level trying to make Greensboro a better place.

It was a really great opportunity, and I'm glad I was able to be a part of it.

Thank you so much.

All right, uh, Councilmember Crawford.

If I could bounce it over to Crystal and let her uh before me.

Sure.

Councilmember Black.

Um I guess I want to um start out by um saying that uh Ceci and I attended a uh national conference in Alabama that was very lucrative, so I echo the words that Adam is saying that we are um trying to learn, but also advocate in different ways that may look differently than prior councils have done.

That was very lucrative, so I echo the words that Adam is saying that we are trying to learn, but also advocated different ways that may look differently than prior councils have done.

We are engaging in other cities and other leaders to guide us.

With that said, I am setting forth the motion and I would like to have it to be considered that we move forward with the process of the moratorium.

And I am wanting to get a council support a vote on that tonight.

I believe that we do have a pause.

We did say that we had a pause.

However, a moratorium is an actual ordinance.

It has a process to it which has community input.

And with the numerous amount of emails that we've received over the past three weeks, our community is concerned, and I think that we owe them this process.

If we support a pause, then I think that a moratorium solidifies that and I want to bring that up for council vote to move with forward with that process.

And we can start with me.

I am an I.

Are you making a motion?

I'll send the motion.

Thank you.

All right.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

All right, we have council discussion.

We don't normally vote on items that come up from the dais without some prior discussions in a room that we are going to move forward or not.

But I will go ahead because a motion has been made.

And are there council comments pertaining to this motion?

Mrs.

Thurm.

First of all, I've heard reference to lots of different moratorium requirements.

And so I would like to ask what exactly are you asking for?

So what I am asking for is for this council to move forward with the process.

So I I've heard several things from several different sources about what specifically members of council are asking for in terms of length in terms of size in terms of a lot of things.

Supporting all sorts of services that we use every day, whether it be health care, banking, emergency communications, our cell phones, our computer GPS, whatever.

So data centers are important.

They're important for our community.

At the same time, I believe that our community deserves protections and legally sound standards that address this infrastructure, the capacity that we have, etc.

Things like noise and setbacks and landscaping buffers, tree conservation, water and energy usage.

That's just a few things that could or could not be in an ordinance.

Tomorrow we've got more that we're trying to schedule for views on the opposing side.

But we have no pending project.

And I think the key part of that for me is making informed decisions.

And allowing responsible development where appropriate.

I think we've been working on this.

I think we can continue to work on it.

We've got the hold.

For me, a moratorium is kicking a can down the road.

We just heard the request for a moratorium for 30 some months, quite frankly.

You know, the from all the emails I've received, it's not the people want more information.

They want to say basically, hell no, we don't want any data centers.

And I continually get emails from people that say we don't want any here.

We don't it we don't care what the conditions are, whatever, we don't want any.

And that's not something we can legally say.

And I feel like we can continue to invest time and energy in the policies that we're currently working on, that we're currently getting educated about from all sides.

Um and I cannot support and won't be supporting this vote.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well, no, I didn't know people raised their hands or anything.

I I would want to say so.

So Mr.

Allen, you have a few words.

Sure.

I think uh Yeah, I've this has been uh uh issue that has come up a lot in the in the community.

We've heard from a lot of folks in the community, but we've also heard from uh experts individually in a lot of different uh situations, and so I think uh this is something that I'd be willing to support.

Um I think that it would give us time uh to gather information uh properly uh and officially um and so I think that you know it's it's it's not uh yeah.

I mean I just feel like it's it's something that that we can follow through.

Uh I feel like uh is something that we can listen to the community about as far as what folks want to see.

It isn't uh uh end all be all of saying uh what can or can't be developed, is uh having the community involved and listening to uh what the community wants and bringing them closer to the process, and I think that that's what we're looking to do.

Uh I think that the community is ready to add uh the information that they have, and I think that this is something that we can uh do collectively together, uh find out more information, and I think that uh you know, if there's information that does oppose uh views that folks have, then I think that folks are willing uh to listen to receive that information.

But uh if we're uh not willing to bring uh folks to the table together holistically, I think, and listen to one side or another without uh having all of that information put on the table uh in an official way, then I think that uh we may come up with something that's not uh completely serving us.

So this is something that I'd be willing to support uh and I appreciate all of the energy that folks have been putting towards uh studying the issue, making sure that we have that information, um, but I do think that you know there's a lot of information, folks are still learning about it, and I think that we have uh a lot of information already to know uh what the community wants to see, and I think that we should uh start to follow that lead and listen to some of those things and uh develop our policy in that manner.

All right, and Mrs.

Thurmont, we weren't quite finished.

Yeah, I just wanted to add one more thing.

Uh you know, um councilman Allen, you you mentioned the importance of getting community feedback, and I absolutely agree with you on that topic.

Um, I think everybody that has served on this committee, both staff and the four council people that have been working on this have stated very plainly to staff that we wanted a lot of community involvement, we wanted meetings and input and conversations throughout the entire city, and I don't want anybody to think that by us working on this policy, we're we are shortchanging the community.

We have been very committed and very vocal about the fact that we plan to involve the community in this, and I just don't want that to go unrecognized.

I'm sorry, Mayor.

That's okay, quite all right.

Quite all right.

All right, Mr.

Marshall, and then who else would like to speak?

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Before I get into some comments, I wanted to ask the city attorney just a couple of questions.

I apologize if it sounds like cross-examination, but it's the only way I know how to ask questions in front of a judge.

Um it's my understanding that our our staff has been working diligently on coming up with different uh options for ordinances based on various uh levels of legal risk.

I think Miss Oliva just sent some to us recently.

Um those are several different frameworks for potential land development ordinance changes, correct?

Correct.

Um and so hypothetically, if we as a council wanted to, we could move forward fairly quickly on evaluating those different options in the in the form of an ordinance.

It depends on what you mean by very quickly, but the answer to that is yes.

Um as council member Thurm said, you all have asked also for community engagement.

So I know that the first process was to schedule these community meetings and then get the feedback along with the framework that you're talking about, and then get together to come up with the language, the exact language that you wanted, and then we would have a public hearing.

By quickly, I certainly mean less than 32 months.

Yeah, oh yes, yeah, absolutely.

Uh and with the moratorium specifically, and I know these have been drafted throughout the state, probably throughout the country.

Do you have any kind of update on what the legal status of those moratoriums uh are as of today, what kind of risk we bring on to the city uh by imposing such a moratorium?

I am going to kick that back to attorney Brent DeSharm as well as planning and zoning to answer that question because that's in his portfolio because he works with that daily.

Thank you.

Good evening, members of council.

Um Brent Susharm with the attorney's office.

Um the question of the the legality of the moratoriums, um councilman Marshall Dean.

There has been at least one court case that is uh in which a developer is advancing the theory that a moratorium in itself constitutes downzoning, but there's been no sort of ruling on that at this stage.

So uh can't give much of an update, can just give that bit of concept.

So we don't we don't know as of right.

No, sir, exactly.

Thank you.

Um so I'll get into my comments a little bit.

Um first of all, I am all for putting in place reasonable rules and regulations uh around this type of industry that can protect our resources and most importantly our people.

Uh moratoriums may sound good, they are certainly getting a lot of attention across our state, uh, but they're taking the focus away from doing the actual work or putting these ordinances in place.

Um I've seen this council work at great speed to put in place a commercial code, a residential code, other items that we have worked uh hard on uh and certainly faster than I would have wanted to.

So I'm confident that we can do this type of ordinance with community input, with stakeholder input uh relatively quickly.

Um I'm confident that we could get an ordinance in place as Ms.

Thurm pointed out without the need for moratorium.

The work on the ordinances is being done right now.

So why aren't we focusing on that?

We've been talking about moratoriums for months, and we should be talking about the ordinance language and what does that look like and what are the different options uh for our community.

Um from the emails that I've been receiving, I think they're the same that Ms.

Thurm and everybody else have been receiving.

Um folks just want us to say no.

We don't have that kind of legal authority, we just don't, whether we want to or we we just can't do it.

Um Greensboro is really a great place to do business, and it's quite apparent that outside companies are finally seeing that.

Um, and I'm not just talking about data centers, I'm talking about business in general.

We have two universities that are about to hit our one research status.

We tout our advanced manufacturing, we're going to be the home of a state-of-the-art airplane manufacturing and with manufacture with Jet Zero with advanced innovation and technology, there's going to be a need for data processing.

We all have little computers in our hands.

Um we probably used AI to research how bad data centers are.

Um, and they're certainly pretty good at making memes of the council.

I certainly of me.

But this isn't going away.

So the question of how we protect our people while acknowledging this new reality and while still can conveying that Greensboro is open for business.

So I'm confident that we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

So I'm not in favor of a moratorium.

Councilmember Holston, are you uh wanting to speak?

You're thanking Madam Mayor.

And this is a topic that we've all heard quite a bit about.

Uh back in 23 and when council voted for the data center over at AT.

And there was a lot of attention to that.

Uh there wasn't the amount of uh community engagement as we have current.

And I think that's a partly in cause or because of uh additional information that is available.

And some of the information that is available that I read on my own or that I hear from constituents or or others is concerning if true is applicable is all those good things.

I also know that I have more fellow council members who are working on the ordinance, Councilman Quack and Crawford and Mayorville Timor Roth and I believe that that there's a benefit in continuing that conversation.

Um as somebody say measuring twice cutting once.

It doesn't have to be a long drawn-out process, but I think it can be a process that we can all benefit from and get a whole information and move uh in the same direction.

Um maybe not everybody agreeing on that direction because it it may come down to information that comes up that says that a moratorium is what we need.

What I'm saying this evening is less educate ourselves and educate uh our community, engage our community and engage our stakeholders to the point that when it comes down to making that decision, whether or not we do a moratorium or if the ordin is in place, that we do it then.

I just don't think that the time right now.

I appreciate the work that everybody's doing, and that is incredible.

It's the same passion that started back in November of 25, and it continues today, and I just feel that we have the ability, you know, we have the work session tomorrow, and we've all spoken with folks in our community, and that we still can gather information and still and analyze what current situation, the current mask of the current environment, and apply the best that again it's not to say that that I will eventually vote for a moratorium.

I just think that uh we we measure twice the current once, and we continue to do the good work that we've been doing with this council and the way we've been doing.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Holston.

Uh, Councilwoman Parker.

Um I would support the moratorium going into place.

I understand um that if anything, we are in a in a we are a collaborative council, and it is this and this council that will ultimately get some really good um policy in place, but there is a hypersensitivity that I can um that I'm holding right now.

There's actually not one, I haven't received one email um in in favor of uh of that kind of support, and so it is as a representatives of 60,000 people in District 3 that I have to take into consideration the community's desire to be hypersensitive right now.

Um we do have historic environmental injustice, there is that concern.

And so I do think we can be protective and proactive and responsive.

But with the moratorium, I think there's multiple truths.

And so I am speaking on behalf of the folks that I represent, asking for the moratorium.

But I also just want to say this with Greensboro, we have to have complex and nuanced conversations.

And we will be going into these work sessions, and the community's sustainability council is going to be hosting some environmental justice groups, and they will also come as a liaison to that commission.

They'll be coming out with their position very shortly around data centers and some recommendations because that work will also be done in committee.

And so I've hosted council coffees, and I'm very thankful for our at-large members who are participating in that this summer.

And every single time I have hosted a coffee meeting, uh, dozens have shown up, and they're all concerned about data centers.

And so I'm not an expert, but I do know that we have the ability to alongside of staff and experts uh get the best product to be protective and preventative and forward thinking.

Um but as of right now, I would support a moratorium because I just don't think that there's a political appetite for it at all.

Thank you.

All right, Councilwoman Crawford.

Um so I've seen um a number of comments uh from previous council that when they voted on the data center that is coming, um, that they didn't realize the impacts of that of what could come with that data center.

I don't want to make the same mistake.

Um like April said, like Crystal said, like Irving said, when we go out, our community is talking to us in a way that tells us they don't trust how we will legislate around these data centers.

Now that to me means that we have to build trust.

We we have continuously had conversations about how we are transparent and build trust with the community, and the community is asking us for a moratorium rather it be three months, six months, or 32 months, we can figure that out.

But when we are talking about transparency and and uh listening to the community and being better at doing this, we have to we have to seriously think about how we implement a moratorium, and I think Brent said there's one city, town that's in court.

There are currently 11 cities and towns that have passed the moratorium, seven counties and five counties are currently working on one.

To even start a moratorium process, you had to have already been working on the legislation, um which we have.

Two out of the four people who are working on that legislation are asking for a moratorium.

That should say something, and it is not um that we don't trust staff or that we don't trust our colleagues.

We understand that there are too many things that we don't know, impacts that we can't judge currently that we need to slow down and take time to research and understand.

We cannot continue to consistently hit District 1 and District 2 with environmental impacts, and then later on say, oops, we made a mistake.

We can't do it, I won't do it.

And a moratorium is just a legal pause.

So if we're okay with a hold or a pause, we should be okay with a legal pause.

And we heard chewing gum, walking and chewing gum.

We can work on this legislation and pass a moratorium.

Now we've got a data expert that's coming tomorrow, and I don't know what he'll say, I have questions, but we have talked to other data center experts who have seen the actual impacts across our US, especially in black and brown communities and working class rural white communities, and they are all being hit with the same thing: noise, air pollution.

We we finally have a state bill that I think passed that holds due power to making sure that these data centers pay for their own electricity.

But while we are in a drought, we're worried about water, we're looking at places who have actually run out of water.

I don't want that to happen to us.

So I don't know what the time I I originally asked for a six-month moratorium, and you know, I I don't think that's too long.

I I think that's reasonable.

It provides transparency, it provides us a reasonable timetable to really understand what in the world we're doing, and then it's not permanent.

We still have to legislate around how these data centers will come.

So I'm still I'm still I've never stopped asking for a moratorium, and I'm sticking with asking for a moratorium.

Thank you.

Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, you know, I obviously have seen the emails and um some of the social media posts and discussions, and I've really have struggled with what's happening right now, and as been acknowledged, uh there is uh recognition that we have been working on a policy, so I I've really had just tried to answer the question, what is it that people think is missing that is not here?

So council uh extended its authority by giving a directive to the city manager.

That does count for something.

It's not an ordinance, but it is still a extension of our authority, it's us putting a directive in place, and I just worry that we are um we're talking about step that is is not as much about substance as this form, and I worry about that.

You know, as been pointed out tonight, there are some very real questions that need to be answered about what are the impacts of the data centers.

What is a data center in Greensboro looks like versus Stokes County?

Those are different things.

What is the impact that it would have to communities?

What is the right buffer?

What is sound impact going to look like?

Those are all the things that we should be spending time that we are spending time questioning and trying to understand, and so why would we pause that process to stop and go through an extended process of a moratorium while we were working on that?

And it's just I I'm not sure.

So I went back to the timeline to just sort of refresh myself as I'll share this with everyone.

So May 4th, council gave the directive following concerns that were raised by residents and council and city manager to notify council of any proposed data center inquiries before it move forward, and that would allow for us to fully evaluate the project, it will allow for us to weigh in as evaluation of a project was put forward, but it will allow for us to ensure that we have had a chance to answer these questions that can make our communities vulnerable, as we have all talked about, we all hear about.

So I'm just not sure what different is happening or that we're asking for.

May 19th, council confirmed the directive and announced the working group, and that's when we announced that we are that the manager confirmed that he would flag any data center inquiries that came in.

He informed his staff, we formed the working group, we are actively evaluating water and power and noise and environmental impacts, but also are learning and studying other communities.

One of the things that you see when a lawsuit happens, not everybody jumps in on the lawsuit, we wait to see what is going to happen there.

We're getting information in this time that we're working.

June 16th, the city attorney confirmed the directive already accomplishes the legal purposes people are asking for.

Because I asked specifically, and I did it on intentionally at council on the record, is there something that we would get differently or that we're missing by not having a moratorium?

I was told without hesitation that there isn't from a legal perspective, a moratorium would not provide anything council had not already directed staff to do, and that's a quote from that meeting on June 16th.

So my question is with all of that's already happening.

Why are we creating a impression that nothing is done is being done?

And why are we creating an impression that our communities are not protected?

And even more so, why are we creating the impression that some of us want to leave our communities vulnerable?

I am not sure why that's happening, and I know that the table I've been sitting at, we've all been talking about what the impacts are, wanting to understand the implications, questioning what is size mean, what is like megawatts means.

So I'm not sure, and it sort of feels like form over substance.

And that has been frustrating.

And we should be asking these other questions.

You know, we saw some young people tonight, um, and they're all going to study on very important things going forward.

And I worry that actually what is happening is there are people who are just anti-data centers and they're using this platform to try to shut data centers down in AI.

And the reality is is we're all sitting here dependent on data centers, dependent on AI, informing how we're researching.

The young man talks of that he was going to study tech uh advancements in technology at Carolina, health disparities, is another young lady, social justice, all of that research and and that forward momentum that our generations will make will be dependent on the use of AI.

That would allow for us to crunch data faster, to actually do comparisons and to find solutions that are beyond our human abilities at this stage.

So you know, if this is really an issue about wanting to just shut down data centers, then let's have that discussion, but let's not try to couch it and um give the sense that nothing is happening, or more importantly, that our communities aren't being protected, because in fact, that's the work that we're doing.

And I have said it before, and I will say it again, Greensboro is at a unique moment.

We are uniquely positioned with the research that is being done here, both um innovations in industry as well as on our campuses with two R1 campuses coming on board.

There are both in only the only HBCU in the United States that is has a research uh institution on campus.

We should be looking to leverage, we should be looking to learn from those groups.

We should be looking to talk to them about how to ensure that Greensboro has a unique policy that actually can truly protect and allow for advancement to happen, and and that's the thing that I really think I would just really hope that we can look forward.

You know, I've heard people say, well, everybody else has one, why why wouldn't we have one?

Greensboro's not everybody else.

My son says that to me, everyone else is doing it.

We're in a different place.

We've received a 400 million dollar investment in this city, the largest in the state of North Carolina for economic development incentive.

We have been the history of our microchip and research in this country.

There is a reason for us to be positioned to actually be able to do this well and support others.

I'm sorry, I know I'm taking too long.

I will stop.

But let me just say that I don't want us to argue about labels, I don't want us to argue about process, I do want us to focus on what are the things that are going to protect our communities.

I want us to learn, I want us to get smarter, I want us to use the moment to bring in community to have a discussion.

We took the moment to put together the framework and the pro and policy itself so that we can have a good space to have that discussion.

Let's get to that discussion.

Let's have that dialogue.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I think I've got two uh more comments from council, and then I would like to say a few words before we get to our vote.

Uh, Ms.

Crossberg was first.

Okay.

Councilwoman Crawford.

So I just want to make sure to say that you cannot start a moratorium from my understanding without having already started on the legislation itself, or starting to have the conversation about the legislation itself.

So I think that that has been projected many times.

People know that we're working on the legislation.

I think the thing that worries me is, as Sammy said, there are inquiries, which means that people are probing us to see if we are willing to take data centers.

What worries me is how legal is a pause or asking staff to hold when we have no idea really about how long it's going to take to get to these answers, right?

Because I I'll tell you tomorrow we have a data expert or data center expert coming.

Um but when I read his resume, I didn't see his competency on environmental racism about uh how it how these impact in adverse ways communities.

What it read like is we'll get a better understanding of how data centers work and how they're beneficial, but not some of the questions that I I want to know.

And I don't think he's qualified to tell me, and maybe he is, to tell me how black communities are faring under data centers.

I don't I don't have an idea of what our time goal is or timeline currently under a hold.

What's a bit what are we what are we doing?

How long do we have to create this legislation?

We don't have uh, and we've been working on them, but we don't currently have definitions for very important items that we need to nail down for building out our legislation, and and I'm just worried about what that timeline looks like.

Saying that we are gonna take a three or six or however long moratorium gives us a solid deadline.

We have we have Duke University with North Carolina State creating a one to three megawatt data center for their AI program, and we've gone from nine to twenty to thirty megawatts for something that is supposed to fuel ANT UNCG's AI data program.

This vast idea of what we need to power this AI is what worries me, and knowing that our industrial, both light and heavy, are in one, two, and five, is also a worry, and so it is not just my worry, it's the community's worry.

And let's be honest.

I I don't know how many people up here are going to live under two miles from the current data center, but I'll be glad to come up here and sit at this dais and let you know what we're going through day to day once it's built.

But we don't know, and that's what I want to make sure is that we know what the heck we're doing going forward.

I don't think that is uh some kind of dramatic performative ask.

It is a solid ask in the wonder of what we are doing and making sure that we are legislating for the long term responsibly in taking care of our communities.

That's it.

That's all I'm asking.

All right, uh Ms.

Black, and then I I will Councilmember Black, you had a follow-up.

Uh echo council member Crawford's sentiments and want to refer to our city attorney's office and um describing what a moratorium is and how the legal process of that can be implemented around data centers.

If it if you can help me and the rest of our community to understand the legal binding part of the moratorium, um I do understand that we put a pause on it.

So I guess my first question is can we still accept applications for data centers during a pause?

Yes, we can.

Um the the quote unquote pause was to make sure the council knew when there was inquiries, and so that if there was an application made, you all could be able to ask your questions and to get them answered.

Now let's go back to your other question.

What is a moratorium?

A moratorium on data centers would mean that no data center, regardless of what the size, what the megawatts, what anything was, could develop that would stop them completely from developing, no matter what questions you ask and got answered.

Um, and now the process, the process was starting for putting a moratorium in place is if this vote carries, we will then draft an ordinance, and it will be really up to council to get with planning and zoning to figure out how long you all want that moratorium to be.

Of course, I would give a legal recommendation based on everything that I know about the law, but in this ordinance, we also would have to put a plan.

We would have, and the law says that the ordinance, the moratorium could not last any longer than what is needed for this plan to get from A to Z.

And so we would have to put the steps in that we would take, and we would try to estimate from that how long it would take to implement that plan and get legislation in place, and then the the language in the moratorium would be that when legislation at the end of this date or when legislation is put in place that the moratorium would end.

And so with that, I just wanted to make the comment that we have been meeting in a group with uh planning and zoning.

Um and it has not been that productive, if we're honest.

Uh there was initially a map that was presented which showed that data centers would be concentrated in districts one, two, and five, and some of that has to do with systemic practices of concentrating industrial areas in one, two, and five.

So there are layers of things that need to be addressed in order for us to ensure that we're not carrying the load of this decision.

Um there have been council members that have not been engaged in that conversation and have allowed us to do that work.

Um, and it and it has been tedious.

So I know that you all are that have not been in that session, and um if if the council members that have been are truthful, then we know that it has not produced what we thought it would, and so why not put a moratorium in where we can be thoughtful, where we can be careful, where we don't have to rush staff to come up with answers for us because we are trying to make something happen so the community can see that we're working on something.

We are working on something, but we're being rushed to do this.

We're not being thoughtful, we're not being intentional.

We have a data center expert who is pro-data center coming tomorrow.

When our main concern has been about environmental impact, and so no matter how loud council member crawford and I have been about the concern for environmental impact, we still ended up with an expert that is pro-data centers, and so I don't think that the community has been heard because we haven't shown an expert that can help us uh come to our decisions that we need to be made, and based on the last meetings that we've had, and I don't blame staff because they were tossed this project to come up with something without any guidance, without any parameters, without any thought.

So, yes, we've had meetings, but what have we gotten out of those meetings?

We have a draft that was sent to us that has zero community input, zero community input, and we're we're pushing this along so that we can look like we're doing a job that we're really not doing effectively, and so I um still standing by wanting to see that moratorium.

We don't really have the vote, but what we do is we have you vocalizing your vote on this dais.

Mayor Pro Tem, and then I will wrap up, then we will vote.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, I do think it's important to recognize that we do have the space to have more than one speaker.

I I just I have to say again, we already have the authorities that we're talking about.

We already have the space to continue to do the work that we're doing.

I'm sorry to hear.

Um I actually think that the staff has really done a good job at being iterative and sort of asking questions, we ask questions, come back and explore and learn at the same time.

This process itself looks just like every other process that we've had with developing ordinances in which we have had an initial draft and then we've gone to the community and stakeholders to get input and to get feedback.

I that's what's happening right now.

Um I think that the uh setup that we are currently engaging in is aligned for that back and forth.

I do encourage my colleagues to make other recommendations for speakers.

This was just one of one of the speakers we talked, we've always talked about having more than one speaker.

This is a speaker that tomorrow will give us a sense of what the that works with communities that um have been evaluating data centers and what that looks like for us to have a moratorium that um stops all data data centers given the level of work and activity we have in the industries in this community in particular that use data centers at different forms and and formats, at least in the process we have the yes, the application or whatever you actually would call it, the inquiry can still come in, and then we can sort through is this a data center that is um where where is the thinking in terms of locations, what is the impact, we can actually have those real-time conversations and continue to work on policy and actually maybe even have more informed policy because we actually see what's actually coming to Greensboro versus some other place.

So I I just um I think we should move forward with the process that we have in place.

We already have the authorities of council.

I um and I think that the way for people to um trust us in exercising our power is for us to exercise our power and authority.

Thank you.

I'll be brief.

Uh it's been uh long discussion.

Um appreciate that.

Uh as I said, normally we don't vote on something that is brought up at the dais in a council meeting.

However, the motion was made, and we are considering it.

Um I I do want to say there is no reason to bring anyone in tomorrow except to learn more.

This is what we are about.

We need to learn more.

We need to be more educated.

Uh we need to know exactly what is going on in the data center world, because I guarantee you, the phone you buy today, the technology is ancient by tomorrow.

All of the medical advances, all of the research, everything.

Do I want to harm anyone in our city?

No.

I actually was able to help start the sustainability council in Greensboro.

We fought against the White Street landfill being open for municipal solid waste.

We have done so many things all along to make sure our our water is safe, to make sure we have CMAC awards grants for making sure that our air quality is good.

Would I want to destroy any of that?

For those on social media who are saying I do, you are wrong.

I want to be educated.

I want to make an educated decision.

All I have heard is social media, all of the letters, and yes, I appreciate all of that.

However, there's a ground swell saying that we must or else vote to have a moratorium.

I want to learn everything about both sides before I make a decision because if I don't, that is not an educated decision.

And yes, we need people from both sides.

We need experts from both sides.

We have always had experts from both sides.

What will we hear tomorrow?

I'm not sure yet.

But I'm going to sit there and listen to the whole presentation, and I don't have to say a word about it.

I can take that back, study it, and research it even more.

Are we going to have people who are against?

Yes.

Are we going to have community meetings?

Yes.

We have done none of that yet.

Yet we are trying to take a vote tonight.

I want to hear everything before we take a vote.

And I don't think anyone uh several council members said we don't know.

We don't know what they will bring.

That's what we need to learn.

And we need to learn it in the next little bit.

I cannot vote for a moratorium until I until I learn everything about data centers.

There are very small ones that won't affect anything.

Maybe there are large ones.

I don't know if they recycled the water.

I don't know what they do with their energy source.

I don't know if they are able to create their own energy.

I want to make sure.

So I am going to call for the vote, and I will go down the line.

We will do a voice vote since it was one from the dais.

All right, and I will just go from my left to the right.

Councilwoman Parker.

Council Member Marshall.

Councilmember Crawford.

Mayor Pro Tan.

I am a no.

Thurm.

No.

Alan.

Aye.

And I'm an aye.

And that is an I and Mr.

Holston.

No.

All right, that fails five to four.

Is that the correct tally?

City City Clerk.

Yes.

That motion fails five to four.

And thank you all so much.

Now, what would be council's pleasure?

Would you like to take a short break or would you like to power on with the last two?

It's just two, but I think Mr.

Holston had one council comment.

We didn't get to finish our council comments, but that's okay.

Do the clerks do you need to take a break?

Are we going to go for a short break?

Short break?

Okay, Mr.

Holston.

Five minutes.

And I'm sorry, y'all have no idea.

We don't know what they have comments.

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So in 2025, the city unveiled a plan to address that need.

It's called The Road to 10,000.

10,000 New Homes by 2030.

Joining us today, Ted Oliver and Chair McQuery, part of the task force that is leading this initiative.

Hello and welcome.

Thank you.

So glad to hear about it.

Just happy with us.

So first, how did you two hear about this initiative?

I got an email from the city manager saying this is what he wanted to start and would I'd be interested in serving.

And we had just built a new house, and I thought I might have some experience that I could contribute.

So my experience was I had been uh a part of uh the Interfaith Affordable Housing Initiative and also was on the uh Board of Adjustment for the City of Greensboro and had been involved in two other highly successful programs, the Greensboro Aquatic Center and the uh Tanger Center for the Performing Arts.

So I w I volunteered to be a part of this with uh uh city manager Trey Davis, and uh he uh accepted and uh offered me the place on the task force.

Yeah, and so uh you both have of course experience that you're bringing from a background to bring from it.

What was it about this initiative though that you felt like, yeah, this is something I need to be a part of?

I mean this is something we need to make happen.

Well, first of all, it's Greensboro, it's home.

And like you said in your intro, there are so many companies coming in for economic development that Greensboro's always been welcoming, and if this is a need, then we need to find a way to help address it so more people will come and be part of the Greensboro community.

Yeah, what I found I a couple years ago I was I was getting ready to retire from my full-time job, and I I was looking for a place to volunteer.

I already was volunteering in some, but I asked I saw um uh former Mayor Vaughn and also um at a at one of our rotary meetings.

I asked her what's the biggest need in Greensboro now, and she said housing.

And then I I saw uh Brian Hahn, who leads uh urban ministry, and I asked him the same question, and he said housing.

So I said, Well, I look like housing is where the most needed help is needed, so that's why I volunteered.

Yeah, okay.

So let's talk about um you've been at this not quite a year, really, this task force.

And I know um uh you initially started really with trying to get a mission and a vision, and that was a lot of work.

You want to tell us about that?

Yeah.

Go ahead.

You can start that one.

Yeah, we did spend a lot of time on it.

Um, you know, the planning department, the city already has planning staff that are that have been doing this, and they have uh a couple of uh I think documents, uh the 2040 plan, uh they have a housing initiative, they have uh, you know, things that they've already thought this through pretty well, and it's we discovered that there's a lot of work that's gone into this already.

But what I think this really did was, and Trey Davis recognized this is it put a focus on the need for the housing.

Everybody started talking about that the road to 10,000 became a common thing that people said as they talked about housing.

So I think it really put a a focus on uh the need for additional housing because of the the economic things that are happening in Greensboro.

Yeah, and it's important to note not just one kind of house, different people looking for different things, right?

That's right.

And that was a good goodly part of our discussion, in that is people came in and said, Oh, we're gonna do affordable housing.

Well, of the definition of affordable housing started out very positive, but unfortunately it's evolved into inexpensive cheap housing.

And that I don't think the group was looking for that for Greensboro.

And so we spent a good meeting amount of one or two meetings.

Um just for the public's information.

We don't normally have speakers from the floor at our second meeting, but because we did not have our first meeting this month, that's why everything was in on one evening.

Um so we are going to move to our public hearing agenda.

And we have first ordinance designating the Al Alice Fairchild and John K.

Voringer Jr.

House at 803 Hood Place, tax parcel 9831 as the Guilford County Local Historic Landmark.

Yes, go ahead, Mr.

Clay.

Good evening.

Uh Mayor Abbas Vader and Council.

Uh just to give you a very brief overview of this process.

This is a Guilford County program that allows for uh tax benefits for people that maintain sort of properties.

Um and this was voted on by the Historic Preservation Commission of the Office of the County.

Um since this is in Greensboro, you all get to cast the final vote and make that decision.

Um the property owner is here just to give you a brief overview of the house and answer any questions that you all might have.

So thank you.

Yes, go ahead, Mr.

Kaufman.

Good evening.

I am Sanders Hockman, 803 Hood Place here in Greensboro.

Um my wife and I, although she's not here, are willing to uh designate our home as a historically significant preservation home in the city of Greensboro, built in 1936 by Alice and so far Voyager.

Um they were at the time uh running a textile mail.

He was the president of um the lower name that consolidated down to call Mo Judd, but they were one of the largest um textile mills in Greensboro and in the uh actually in the country.

Um we would like to have the house preserved so that uh it doesn't get torn down sometime in the future.

Um I'm not really sure what else to say, to be honest.

I've never done this before.

Well, that's quite all right.

I think you kind of stated what the it was all about.

So any questions from council?

If not, I would accept a motion.

Moved by Councilwoman Parker.

Do I hear a second?

Seconded by Councilwoman Crawford.

Council, please vote.

And that carries nine to zero.

That is unanimous, and thank you for your patience.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Great.

All right.

Our next item is I 2, public hearing for an ordinance annexing territory into the corporate limits for the property located at 4500 Trailwood Drive, 0.79 acres.

Cheryl Ann Davis as trustee for the Cheryl and Dusiness Trust.

And item I three, public hearing for an ordinance for original zoning for property at 4500 Trailwood Drive.

Amanda Hodieron for Cheryl Ann Davis.

All right.

Yes.

I don't believe we have any speakers.

Okay, yeah, we took that.

We got that one.

Um so with no speakers, go ahead.

Yes.

All right.

I'll keep this very brief.

Uh again, this request is to an access property into the city and establish original zoning.

It's currently zone county RS40, which is residential single family, and it will be city R3 residential single family if approved tonight.

So the zoning to the north and to the east as well as south is also counting RS40 residential single family, and then to the west is PUB plan view of development.

This is an existing residential uh structure, and they are seeking to access city services.

That's what's triggering the annexation request, assuming uh north excuse me, north and south request for single family dwellings, east requests currently undeveloped and west of quest for common elements.

That's a wet attention pond.

So this is designated as residential and the future land use map of the conference of planning and as urban general on the future built form map.

This is a straight zoning application, so there are no conditions associated with this recommended approval for this.

Staff notes that this does support the conference of plans, creating great places goal to extend Greensboro citywide network of unique neighborhoods, offering residents of all walks of life a variety of quality housing choices and the building in our framework big idea to arrange our main use to where we live, work, and school, shop and joy or free time to create a more vibrant and local greensboro.

Staff knows that this proposed R3 district is intended to accommodate lower density single family detached residential development, 113 units per acre.

That is consistent with uses on the JC tracks.

I can answer any questions.

Any questions?

Hearing none from council, uh any discussion.

Moved by council member Thurm.

Do I hear a second?

Seconded by Mayor Pro Tim.

Council, please vote.

And that carries nine to zero.

Thank you, everyone.

Now I need a motion for item I 3, and that will require the statement of consistency.

Moved by Councilmember Thurm.

The Greensboro City Council believes that it's action to approve the original zoning request for the property at 4500 Trailwood Drive from County RS40 to City R3 to be consistent with the adopted GSO 2040 comprehensive plan and considers the action taken to be reasonable and in the public interest for the following reasons.

The request is consistent with the comprehensive plan's feature belt form map and future land use map.

The proposed city R3 zoning district permits uses that fit the context of the surrounding area and limits negative impacts on adjacent properties.

The request is reasonable due to the size, physical conditions, and other attributes of the area.

It'll benefit the property and owner and surrounding community and approvals in the public interest.

I have the motion.

Do I hear a second?

Second by Mayor Twitch in that is correct.

Council, please vote.

And that carries nine to zero.

Thank you so much.

Alright, we will move on to our general business agenda.

I do want to say after we finish our agenda that Mr.

Holston had a comment about something coming up, and so did I.

So just want to make sure about that.

So item J1, introduction of bond orders for parks and recreation bonds, fire fighting facility bonds, transportation bonds, municipal buildings bonds, and housing bonds, and designating the finance director to file a sworn statement of debt and statement of total estimated interest with the city clerk and calling a public hearing on the bond order.

Are there any questions or discussion?

If hearing none, I would make a motion.

Councilmember Black made the motion.

Do I hear a second?

Second by uh Councilmember Thurm.

Council, please vote.

And that carries nine to zero.

And Mayor, excuse me, I'm sorry because if I had to have a minute before you move on.

You may have noticed on the agenda memo a new contact person.

The name Donald Warren will start showing up a lot on these these type of agenda items.

He is our new finance director, and he's with us tonight.

Oh, great.

Ms.

Warren has previously worked as finance director for Buncombe County and for Guilford County.

Oh, we welcome him and we're very glad to have him.

Super, thank you.

Welcome.

Okay, we will go to item J2, Board and Commission's appointments for July 21st.

I will start down at the end, Ms.

Parker.

Councilwoman Parker, do you have any?

I just wanted to let everybody know.

Um I'm deeply grateful again for folks who are coming out on these last Mondays of the month.

So uh to for everybody just to mark your calendar August 31st at 6 p.m.

Uh myself and at large member Hugh Holson will be at Deep Roots Market at 6 p.m.

on August 31st.

So mark your calendars.

It's been really great.

It's kind of been like a town hall of sorts.

Um really great conversations, and we've already engaged about 50 people.

Great.

Thank you.

Um boards and commissions, and we'll come back and see if anyone has any other comments.

Uh Mr.

Marshall.

Oh sorry.

That's okay.

On uh boards and commissions, I'm appointing.

Umler to the Library Board of Trustees, and Emily Thompson to the Human Rights Commission.

Okay, we needed to take them one at a time.

One at a time, I need a mo a second on Mr.

Cutler.

Second.

Second by Councilmember Therm.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

None opposed.

That passes unanimously.

And your second person.

Emily Thompson for the Human Rights Commission.

Do I hear a second?

Seconded by Mr.

Allen.

Uh Councilmember Allen.

Council uh everyone in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Anyone opposed?

That passes unanimously.

Thank you so much.

All right, Councilmember Crawford.

Yes, I'd like to be appointed abortion down for planning sending.

All right, do I hear a second?

Second.

I heard two.

Uh Councilmember Black, second.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

That passes unanimously.

All right.

Anything else?

Councilmember Crawford, did you have any more?

No.

Okay.

May I approach him?

No appointments.

All right.

Councilmember Thurm.

Yes, I'd like to reappoint Wayne Durham for the Transportation Commission.

For sec his second term.

All right.

Seconded by Councilmember Black.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

All right.

Anyone else?

Yes.

Oleg.

I hope I don't butcher this.

Goryansky.

To the Parks and Rec Commission to take Susan Henshaw's place.

She has completed her second term.

He is a new graduate of the City Academy.

Oh, wonderful.

Seconded by Mr.

Marshall.

All in favor, please say aye.

That passes unanimously.

That's all right.

Mr.

Holston, do you have anyone?

Mr.

Holston.

He may have stepped away.

We'll come back to him.

I'm still here.

There he is.

Do you have anyone for boards and commissions?

And then we'll come back for comments in a moment.

None tonight, Madam Mayor.

Thank you.

Councilmember Allen.

None tonight.

Councilmember Black.

Okay.

I would like to appoint Veronica Griffin to the Sustainability Commission.

Satisfying Council Members.

Parker's goal to fill that commission seat.

So you are now field, young lady.

Do you have a second?

Seconded down here.

I couldn't tell.

We'll go on the tape.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

That passes unanimously.

Do you have another one?

I have another one.

I'd like to nominate April Hughes, who was a City Academy graduate.

To the Parks and Rec Commission.

Seconded by Councilmember Thurham.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

I heard Mr.

Holston as well.

All right, that passes unanimously.

Anyone else?

Yes, I'd like to nominate Keith Peterson.

Oh, you've got to do that, so never mind with that.

I think that's it.

I um happy to say that D1 has placed all of their city academy graduates on boards and commissions, and I think that uh they will serve us well as they've had the background in training with uh from our city academy.

So I look forward to seeing how great they are.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

All right, um, yeah.

Which are uh I think she's got one for me.

All right, I have a couple of reappointments.

Uh I have a reappointment, and I will have some more in August.

Wendy Cutler to the GC Jack.

Second, and then second by Mrs.

Thurm.

All in favor, please say aye.

Right.

I have Doreen Lumpkin to the GC Jack.

Second, seconded by Councilmember Thurham.

All in favor, please say aye.

Hi.

I also have Keith Peterson to the GC Jack.

Go here a second.

Second seconded by Councilmember Allen.

Uh all in favor, please say aye.

Hi.

And uh let's see.

I think that's it for me.

Oh I have Wendy Cutler.

You did her, so we're good.

Trying to mark them all out, y'all.

Okay, super.

That's all I have.

Anyone else?

Make sure.

I'm gonna have some more on our first meeting in August.

Um we are at the end of our agenda.

There are a few council comments that didn't get made earlier.

Mr.

Holston.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I'll be very brief.

Just want to say thank you to each and every one of my fellow council members and also members of uh the city manager's office for the outpouring of support and prayers and and some calls on the passing of my brother, my family, and I truly appreciate it.

And uh if I can say, and I've said it before.

Oops, you your audio went out, Mr.

Holston.

Okay, good, especially to the men that are listening to this conversation.

It's serious and real.

And just to make sure that you get it.

Go on to your doctor.

Thank you, Mr.

Holston.

Our love and prayers go to you, and uh, we'll reiterate what he was saying to the public is please if you know men, make sure that they go and get screened for prostate cancer.

Um he's wanted me to be vocal about that, so yes.

Um, I just had one more comment.

Um just along we've had uh sports tonight, and I'd like just like to say that the Eastern Festival of Music, the Eastern No, you know it they had to change the name, Eastern Festival of Music, and we all knew it for many many years as the other name.

Yes, um, has been having a July full of concerts, and I want to encourage you to go on their website and see the concerts that are coming up.

So many of them are free.

I was able to go to one where there was uh a international pianist, and it was absolutely amazing with the full orchestra.

And I just want to say that you know this is something that brings in musicians from all over the world, and young artists come in to learn from those musicians, and it is an amazing experience.

So please look up on their website and do try to go to at least one.

It you you will be blown away by the talent that you hear.

So please check that out.

All right, Mr.

City Manager.

No comments tonight, Mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam City Attorney, no comments.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

We did pretty good.

It was a double meeting this evening, so we did okay.

All right, thank you so much.

Thank you.