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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Joint Greenville City Council and GUC Board Meeting - April 14, 2025

City Council — Monday, April 14, 2025

BodyGreenville, North Carolina

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, April 14, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 46:19

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

map and there's information about the program.

0:02

Okay, what if they have questions?

0:04

They can call 252-551-1551 and uh ask the question or they can go to the GC website as well.

1:14

Hello everyone, I am Mayor Pro Tim.

1:17

Go here.

1:18

Um Monica Daniels, I would like to call the April 14th, 2025 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order.

1:26

I'd like to call GUC Chair Lindsay Griffin to call the GUC board.

1:30

And and I'm Lindsay Griffin and I would like to call the the GUC board to order.

1:38

Okay.

1:38

I would like for the city clerk to call call the oh I was looking for you.

1:44

Call the roll please.

1:46

Yes ma'am Mayor Connolly has let us know that he will not be here tonight.

1:49

Mayor Pro Tim Daniels present.

1:51

Councilmember Foreman here.

1:53

Councilmember Blackburn present council member Scully here.

1:58

Council member Robinson here.

2:00

Councilmember Willis here.

2:01

Mayor Pro Tim you have a quorum thank you.

2:04

And we'll have a roll call for the GUC board members.

2:09

Okay Chair Griffin here.

2:13

Okay Chair Let Gardner.

2:15

Here.

2:16

Secretary Blunt?

2:17

Here.

2:17

Commissioner Geiger.

2:19

Here.

2:19

Commissioner Carr.

2:20

Here.

2:21

Commissioner Fuller.

2:22

Here.

2:23

Commissioner Cowan is absent.

2:25

Uh Commissioner Godley.

2:28

We have a quorum.

2:29

We will now move for the approval of the agenda Mr.

2:32

Manager.

2:33

Any recommendations?

2:34

No changes.

2:35

Okay.

2:37

And G you see we'll call uh any uh amendments or let's see where are we here on this minute okay I guess I'll call call for a vote to approve the agenda second we can get through Mr.

2:55

I guess sir.

2:56

Okay public comment period need a vote on that oh did they oh I'm sorry uh greenville members we get a vote in a sec we need to vote we need to vote with green green utilities I made a motion second okay all in favor okay okay can we done and the council needs to say we voted first the agenda second already okay all those in favor I hear no um objections so motion passes thank you okay now the public comment period is a period reserved for comments by the public items that were our scheduled to be subject to public of public hearings conducted at this meeting or another meeting during the same week shall not be discussed a total of 30 minutes is allocated with each individual being allowed no more than three minutes individuals who registered with the city clerk to speak will speak in the order registered until the allocated 30 minutes expires if time remains after all persons who registered have spoken individuals who did not register will have an opportunity to speak until the allocated 30 minutes expire.

4:15

Madam Clerk our first speaker yes ma'am mr Don Cavallini is our first registered speaker Mr.

4:21

Cavallini you have three minutes to address the council members and commissioners thank you good evening good evening my name is Don Cavallini I'm the co-chair of the county coalition against racism and I thought because this is unique I think in our several times every year two or three when both the city council and we will commission uh meet uh I know it's pretty ordinary um but I thought it's gave us an opportunity to bring once again to your attention this necessity of transparency and the accessibility of information to the public my understanding is Greenville utilities is a public service we as consumers know full well how important that service is especially when there's a natural disaster and we

5:00

I know it's pretty ordinary, but I thought it gave us an opportunity to bring once again to your attention this necessity of transparency and the accessibility of information to the public.

5:15

My understanding is Greenville Utilities is a public service.

5:21

We as consumers know full well how important that service is.

5:36

So in the fall of 2021 and the winter of 2022, we in Pitt County dealt with Compute North, a Minnesota-based crypto mining company, which at first planned to site their noise polluting facility very close to Belvore Elementary School.

5:59

I have distributed copies of a article written by Lisa Sorg.

6:06

I hope you all have that in front of you.

6:10

And I give it to you because I direct your attention to the latter two paragraphs.

6:25

Since it is a public utility.

7:10

However, this particular occasion of secrecy was not in the public interest.

7:18

And I hope that it is not repeated.

7:29

We were optimistic about this project and the potential investment in our community.

7:34

Of course, what happened was Compute North paused their plans.

7:39

The community opposition was so great that it was dispensed and they went bankrupt.

7:45

I just asked the city council to keep in touch with what Greenville Utilities is doing to monitor them.

7:53

You have representatives on that board.

8:00

Thank you.

8:01

Thank you, Mr.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural████████████████████████████28%

Public Engagement██████████████████████████26%

Budget Equity Analysis████████████████16%

Personnel Matters███████████11%

Water And Wastewater Management████████8%

Cryptocurrency Regulation█████5%

Utilities Commission███3%

Workforce Development███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Joint Greenville City Council and Greenville Utilities Commission Board Meeting - April 14, 2025

The Greenville City Council and Greenville Utilities Commission Board held a joint meeting on April 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting addressed personnel and compensation items including market adjustments, salary structure, 401(k) contributions, and a comprehensive pay study. Public comments raised concerns about transparency and accountability of GUC.

Public Comments & Testimony

Don Cavallini, co-chair of the Pitt County Coalition Against Racism, urged the council to ensure transparency and accessibility of information from Greenville Utilities, referencing the 2021-2022 Compute North crypto mining controversy where equipment was stored at a GUC facility before public approval. He distributed an article and asked the council to monitor GUC activities.
Greg Rubel, a citizen, cited difficulties in communication with city and GUC staff, including lack of contact information for the Board of Commissioners and GUC management on the website. He called for stronger subcontractor oversight and clear communication lines.
Yoshi Newman, vice chair of the Greenville Environmental Advisory Commission, commended GUC's water infrastructure efforts but reiterated concerns about transparency, specifically citing the Compute North situation as an example of presumptuous and arrogant behavior. She suggested more regular reporting to City Council and public awareness of GUC operations.

Discussion Items

Approval of Minutes - Minutes from the September 23, 2024 joint meeting were approved unanimously (6-0 by council, voice vote by GUC board).
Market Adjustment/Merit Allocation for FY 2025-2026 - Staff presented a 4% pay adjustment recommendation based on an average of seven published surveys showing 3.8% projected wage increases. Public sector benchmarks showed 4.6% actual increases for FY 2024-25 and 4% projected for FY 2025-26. Councilwoman Foreman asked about the lag in FY 2023-24; staff explained it was due to budget constraints from implementing a compensation study true-up. Motion approved unanimously by council (6-0) and GUC board.
Salary Structure Adjustment for FY 2025-2026 - Staff recommended a 2.5% adjustment to pay ranges based on World at Work projections to maintain market competitiveness and prevent wage compression. Councilwoman Blackburn asked about the difference between 2.5% range adjustment and 4% pay adjustment; staff clarified the range adjustment only shifts the minima/maxima. Approved unanimously.
401(k) Employer Contribution - Staff proposed increasing the employer contribution from 3% to 4% effective FY 2025-26, with a plan to reach 5% the following year to match sworn law enforcement (who already receive 5%). Data showed the current 3% is below the average of 3.86% among the 20 largest NC municipalities. The increase aims to improve recruitment and retention. Councilman Scully confirmed the budget workshop numbers include this cost. Approved unanimously by both bodies.
2025-2026 Pay Study - Staff requested approval to conduct a comprehensive classification and compensation study for implementation by July 1, 2026. The last full study was due in 2020 but delayed due to COVID; a limited true-up was done in 2022. The study would involve an RFP process, with estimated cost around $100,000-$200,000. Approved unanimously.

Additional Discussion on Transparency

After new business, Councilwoman Willis moved to request that GUC develop a strategic plan to increase public transparency and accountability, referencing the public comments. Councilwoman Blackburn seconded. GUC Chair Gardner noted that GUC already has a strategic plan and stated that all meetings are public and minutes are available. City Attorney advised that the motion was not on the approved agenda and could not be acted upon at the joint meeting; it could be brought up at a future city council meeting. Councilwoman Willis expressed disappointment, but Councilman Foreman emphasized the need for proper procedure. The motion was not voted on; instead, the meeting adjourned.

Key Outcomes

All four agenda items (minutes, market adjustment, salary structure, 401(k) contribution, and pay study) were approved unanimously by both the Greenville City Council and the Greenville Utilities Commission Board.
The 4% market/merit adjustment and 2.5% salary structure adjustment will apply for FY 2025-2026.
The 401(k) employer contribution will increase to 4% in FY 2025-2026, with a planned increase to 5% the following year.
A comprehensive classification and compensation study will be initiated, targeting implementation by July 1, 2026.
The issue of GUC transparency raised in public comments was not resolved at this meeting; the council agreed to discuss it at a future city council meeting (likely May 2025).

Meeting Transcript

map and there's information about the program. Okay, what if they have questions? They can call 252-551-1551 and uh ask the question or they can go to the GC website as well. Hello everyone, I am Mayor Pro Tim. Go here. Um Monica Daniels, I would like to call the April 14th, 2025 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order. I'd like to call GUC Chair Lindsay Griffin to call the GUC board. And and I'm Lindsay Griffin and I would like to call the the GUC board to order. Okay. I would like for the city clerk to call call the oh I was looking for you. Call the roll please. Yes ma'am Mayor Connolly has let us know that he will not be here tonight. Mayor Pro Tim Daniels present. Councilmember Foreman here. Councilmember Blackburn present council member Scully here. Council member Robinson here. Councilmember Willis here. Mayor Pro Tim you have a quorum thank you. And we'll have a roll call for the GUC board members. Okay Chair Griffin here. Okay Chair Let Gardner. Here. Secretary Blunt? Here. Commissioner Geiger. Here. Commissioner Carr. Here. Commissioner Fuller. Here. Commissioner Cowan is absent. Uh Commissioner Godley. We have a quorum. We will now move for the approval of the agenda Mr. Manager. Any recommendations? No changes. Okay. And G you see we'll call uh any uh amendments or let's see where are we here on this minute okay I guess I'll call call for a vote to approve the agenda second we can get through Mr. I guess sir. Okay public comment period need a vote on that oh did they oh I'm sorry uh greenville members we get a vote in a sec we need to vote we need to vote with green green utilities I made a motion second okay all in favor okay okay can we done and the council needs to say we voted first the agenda second already okay all those in favor I hear no um objections so motion passes thank you okay now the public comment period is a period reserved for comments by the public items that were our scheduled to be subject to public of public hearings conducted at this meeting or another meeting during the same week shall not be discussed a total of 30 minutes is allocated with each individual being allowed no more than three minutes individuals who registered with the city clerk to speak will speak in the order registered until the allocated 30 minutes expires if time remains after all persons who registered have spoken individuals who did not register will have an opportunity to speak until the allocated 30 minutes expire. Madam Clerk our first speaker yes ma'am mr Don Cavallini is our first registered speaker Mr. Cavallini you have three minutes to address the council members and commissioners thank you good evening good evening my name is Don Cavallini I'm the co-chair of the county coalition against racism and I thought because this is unique I think in our several times every year two or three when both the city council and we will commission uh meet uh I know it's pretty ordinary um but I thought it's gave us an opportunity to bring once again to your attention this necessity of transparency and the accessibility of information to the public my understanding is Greenville utilities is a public service we as consumers know full well how important that service is especially when there's a natural disaster and we I know it's pretty ordinary, but I thought it gave us an opportunity to bring once again to your attention this necessity of transparency and the accessibility of information to the public. My understanding is Greenville Utilities is a public service. We as consumers know full well how important that service is. So in the fall of 2021 and the winter of 2022, we in Pitt County dealt with Compute North, a Minnesota-based crypto mining company, which at first planned to site their noise polluting facility very close to Belvore Elementary School. I have distributed copies of a article written by Lisa Sorg. I hope you all have that in front of you. And I give it to you because I direct your attention to the latter two paragraphs.

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