Greenville City Council Workshop - March 9, 2026

The Greenville City Council held a workshop on March 9, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Conference Room 337. Mayor P.J. Connolly presided. Roll call showed Mayor Connolly, Mayor Pro Tem Foreman, Council Members Jones, Scully, Robinson, and Willis present; Council Member Hardy was absent. The agenda included two new business items: a presentation on the 2024 Pavement Condition Survey and Asset Inventory Project, and a presentation on recommendations for city boards and commissions.

Discussion Items

1. Greenville MPO 2024 Pavement Condition Survey and Asset Inventory Project Final Report

• Asset Manager Kevin Lee introduced the presentation by Alan Foster of KCI Technologies. The survey used laser sensors and LIDAR to collect pavement condition index (PCI) data citywide.
• The current weighted average PCI is 70.6 (on a 0-100 scale). 31% of the network is in poor to serious condition. Major thoroughfares are in good shape, while industrial roads and residential neighborhoods show significant deterioration (38% of industrial roads are very poor).
• The report modeled budget scenarios: the current annual budget of $2.85 million leads to gradual decline to approximately PCI 63 within five years. A $5 million annual budget would stabilize conditions, while $10 million would yield steady improvement.
• Council members discussed the impact of inflation on purchasing power, the need to increase funding to close the $2 million gap, and concerns about developer-built roads failing prematurely due to heavy construction traffic. Staff proposed district-level briefings to discuss specific neighborhood conditions.
• Council expressed support for preservation strategies (crack sealing, microsurfacing, rejuvenator) as cost-effective alternatives to full resurfacing. The presentation concluded with recommendations to emphasize preservation, update the pavement management system regularly, and conduct condition surveys every 3-5 years.

2. Presentation of Recommendations for Boards and Commissions

• The city clerk presented findings from a year-long evaluation of the city’s 17 advisory boards and commissions. The evaluation focused on advisory boards (9 boards) and proposed structural changes for consistency.
• General structural recommendations: Standardize membership to 7 members, set term lengths to 3 years, assign each council member a nomination seat on each board, require majority vote for appointments, and implement a cooling-off period (1 year after first term, 3 years after subsequent terms).
• Individual commission recommendations:
  • Dissolve the Affordable Housing Loan Committee (work can be staff-driven using rubrics).
  • Soften membership requirements for the Environmental Advisory Commission.
  • No changes to Historic Preservation and Planning & Zoning Commissions at this time.
  • Reduce Human Relations Council from 18 to 7 members with council-assigned seats.
  • Maintain Multimodal Transportation Commission; encourage subcommittees.
  • Dissolve the Neighborhood Advisory Board (not meeting for 3+ years).
  • Reduce Police Community Relations Committee to 7 members, change appointments to majority vote.
  • Refocus Youth Council as a leadership training opportunity with 7 members.
  • Implement a rotating schedule for ENC Alliance (Invest NC) appointments with 3-year terms and mayor-assigned liaison.
• Council discussion centered on the Affordable Housing Loan Committee. Council Member Foreman and others expressed concerns about losing community oversight of grant allocations and transparency. Council Member Jones supported dissolution, noting staff capability and ongoing community input sessions. After debate, council agreed to move forward with all recommendations except the Affordable Housing Loan Committee, which will undergo further staff review.

Key Outcomes

• Council directed staff to proceed with all recommended structural and individual commission changes (consent to dissolve Neighborhood Advisory Board, adjust Youth Council focus, etc.) except for the dissolution of the Affordable Housing Loan Committee.
• The Affordable Housing Loan Committee will be studied further, with staff to bring back revised recommendations addressing council concerns about grant oversight and community trust.
• Staff will prepare an ordinance for formal adoption at the next council meeting (April 2026) incorporating the approved changes.
• For the pavement condition report, council discussed the need to increase the annual road maintenance budget from $2.85 million to at least $5 million and requested district-level meetings to prioritize specific streets.