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Record of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting - April 9, 2026

City Council — Thursday, April 9, 2026
BodyGreenville, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, April 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:31:41

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:37

All right, good evening.

0:38

I'd like to call the April 9th, 2026 meeting of the Greenville City Council Order.

0:43

I'm Mayor P.

0:43

J.

0:43

Connolly for presiding over tonight's meeting.

0:45

First, I'd like to call on our city attorney, Mr.

0:49

McGert, for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:52

Thank you, Mayor.

0:53

Let us pray.

0:54

Eternal God.

0:55

This is the day that you have made, and we rejoice and are glad.

0:59

Help us to set our affections on things above.

1:01

That we actually have blessings upon this, the mayor of the council as they deliberate on the decisions they have to make on tonight.

1:06

The city staff, all the participants in the audience, and the entire city.

1:10

We actually have blessings on the city of Greenville.

1:12

For Christ's sake in his name, I offer this invocation.

1:14

Amen.

1:15

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:38

Wonderful job, Mr.

1:39

McGurk.

1:42

All right.

1:43

Next, I'd like Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

1:45

Yes, sir.

1:46

Mayor Connolly.

1:46

Here.

1:49

Councilmember Jones.

1:50

Here.

1:50

Councilmember Hardy.

1:52

Here.

1:52

Councilmember Stully.

1:53

Here.

1:54

Councilmember Robinson.

1:55

Here.

1:55

Councilmember Willis.

1:56

Here.

1:57

Mayor Connolly with warm.

1:58

Thank you very much.

1:59

We'll now move on to the approval of tonight's agenda.

2:01

Mr.

2:01

Manager, any recommended changes?

2:03

Mr.

2:03

Attorney.

2:04

Thank you, Mayor.

2:05

Mayor and Council, I request two items to be added to schedule a special meeting regarding the city's legislative agenda regarding the Pitt County City of Greenville Airport Authority to be third to be heard after other items of business immediately after item 25.

2:20

And the second item is a closed session item to be heard following section 12 comments about from the mayor and the council.

2:29

Motion to approve the agenda.

2:31

All right, motions been made by Councilmember Scolly, second by Councilmember Robinson.

2:34

All those in favor say aye.

2:36

Those opposed say nay.

2:38

Motion passes five zero.

2:39

We will now move on to special recognition.

3:12

So tonight it is our honor of the city to recognize the graduates of the 2026 at the City Citizen Academy.

3:21

Over the last five or six weeks, we've had individuals within our city who have come to learn and work with our employees to basically get an idea of how this city runs and what we do as city employees to impact their lives every single day.

3:38

A major part of this is been two special employees of the City of Greenville, Margot Clark and Anna Edwards, who from our special events department, who has basically spearheaded this program over the last several weeks.

4:07

But before we start, um, on behalf of Anna and I, we really truly just want to thank all the city staff who made each week absolutely amazing.

4:15

Um they were involved in the success of this, and we could not have done it without them.

4:20

Um Good Company is a seven-week hands-on interactive opportunity to take take a glance at local government.

4:26

Um has three main goals to increase communication and build a relationship between the city and its citizens to provide education and insight to citizens of Greenville concerning the day-to-day functions, as Michael mentioned, and then foster overtime pool of well-informed citizens, graduate.

4:42

Um that will share newly acquired knowledge and insight with others that they make islands health in good company.

4:48

And so I'm so thankful that y'all signed up because of course we couldn't have a burger without you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing███████████████████19%
Immigration Policy████████████████16%
Procedural██████████████14%
Public Engagement██████████████14%
Public Safety████████8%
Zoning And Land Use█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Code Enforcement███3%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting - April 9, 2026

The Greenville City Council met on April 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included special recognitions, extended public comments on immigration enforcement, several zoning and annexation public hearings, and approval of multiple funding agreements and policy items. All votes were unanimous (6-0) unless noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 3–12 approved, with Item 4 (2025-2026 State Legislative Agenda) pulled for separate discussion. The agenda listed eight city priorities (e.g., affordable housing, infrastructure, economic development) and four top legislative goals (NC DOT funding, affordable housing funding, airport funding, and funding for Fire Station #8 renovations). Approved unanimously.
  • Items approved include: adoption of boards/commissions policy; acceptance of right-of-way for Parkside Bluffs; grant compliance policies; GUC gas fund ordinance; $45M bond resolution; lease agreements for Roses parking lot and office space; contract amendment for Arts District Streetscape; and tax refunds over $100.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jennifer Self, Patty Crew, Rev. Ann Harrington, Kyla McLean, Hunter Reynolds, Kayla Burroughs, Rod Debs, Mike Clendon, Laurie Clendon, Carlos Alfonso, and Melissa Gray all urged the council to adopt policies modeled after Philadelphia’s to limit cooperation with ICE, citing concerns about unlawful detentions, due process, and public safety. Specific requests included banning masked/ unmarked ICE vehicles, requiring judicial warrants, and prohibiting city data sharing.
  • Nancy Pittman alleged wrongful termination from the transit center after reporting sexual harassment; Marvin McCussin (contractor) echoed the complaint and called for a broader investigation.
  • Adrian Times requested a feasibility study for a 12-story high-rise complex in northern Greenville to accommodate industrial workers.
  • Jesse Little and Christopher Godley complained about disruptive tenants in rental properties and asked for stronger enforcement against substandard housing.

Discussion Items

  • Appointments: Tiana Berryman (primary) and Brian Jones (alternate) appointed to the Mid-East Commission.
  • Public Hearing – Park Ridge Trace Annexation (Item 13): 6.7719 acres, 72 multifamily units, estimated $16.2M tax value. Approved.
  • Public Hearing – Douglas Gomes Annexation (Item 14): 1.048 acres, 2,000 sq ft office, $500K tax value. Approved.
  • Public Hearing – Covengton Group Annexation (Item 15): 0.645 acres, 1,000 sq ft fast food (Dutch Bros), $1M tax value. Councilmember Scully praised side-street access to reduce traffic on Fire Tower Road. Approved.
  • Public Hearing – Hickory Street Closure (Item 16): Portion of street dedicated to United Methodist Retirement Homes for Cypress Glen expansion. Approved.
  • Public Hearing – 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan (Item 17): CDBG allocation of $824,510 (down ~$33K) and HOME allocation of $491,000 (up ~$15K) for housing rehabilitation, down payment assistance, and rental development. Staff noted a 15% cap on public services. Approved.
  • Public Hearing – Trust Agreement up to $22M (Item 18): For bulkhead replacement at Town Commons and Phase 1 of sports complex (rectangle fields). Approved.
  • Public Hearing – JAG Grant (Item 19): $27,760 from Edward Byrne Memorial JAG for less-lethal equipment for police. Approved.
  • HOME Investment Partnership Fund (Item 20): $20.2M for Farrington Trace Phase 2 (84 units; mixed 1/2/3BR; rents $525–$1,100; 30-year deed restriction at 60% AMI). Developer Taft Mills Group noted traffic concerns on Fire Tower Road but said DOT improvements are years away. Councilmember Foreman raised sidewalk connectivity issues. Approved.
  • MOU with NC Coastal Land Trust (Item 21): 65 acres along River Wall Drive for outdoor recreation; no current fiscal impact. Approved.
  • Mutual Aid Agreement with New Bern (Item 22): Interagency fire/rescue agreement for urban search and rescue (USAR) team. Team has 68 personnel, 7 units, can deploy up to 14 days. Approved.
  • Keep America Beautiful Grant (Item 23): $15,000 for native tree planting and community gardens on 25 acres in MLK corridor; projected to save $170/acre/year in mowing costs. Approved.
  • Audit Contract (Item 24): Third year of five-year contract with Cherry Bekaert LLP for $130,000 (increase of $1,000). Approved.
  • Budget Ordinance #9 (Item 25): Amended General Fund (+$40K for elections), Donations Fund (+$10K), Opioid Settlement Fund (+$114K for final distribution to Pitt County Health Dept), and Special Revenue Grants Fund (+$94K for USAR team). Approved.
  • Special Called Meeting (Item 26): Scheduled for April 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM to consider a resolution supporting a legislative amendment to the Pitt-Greenville Airport Authority charter. Approved.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions passed 6-0.
  • Councilmember Willis requested a workshop on the Philadelphia ICE model; Councilmember Foreman seconded.
  • Councilmembers Willis and Foreman requested a workshop on regulating short-term rentals (VRBO/Airbnb) to address neighborhood quality-of-life concerns.
  • Councilmember Hardy noted proactive code enforcement reforms to address substandard housing.
  • The meeting adjourned into closed session to discuss personnel and legal matters.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening. I'd like to call the April 9th, 2026 meeting of the Greenville City Council Order. I'm Mayor P. J. Connolly for presiding over tonight's meeting. First, I'd like to call on our city attorney, Mr. McGert, for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mayor. Let us pray. Eternal God. This is the day that you have made, and we rejoice and are glad. Help us to set our affections on things above. That we actually have blessings upon this, the mayor of the council as they deliberate on the decisions they have to make on tonight. The city staff, all the participants in the audience, and the entire city. We actually have blessings on the city of Greenville. For Christ's sake in his name, I offer this invocation. Amen. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Wonderful job, Mr. McGurk. All right. Next, I'd like Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes, sir. Mayor Connolly. Here. Councilmember Jones. Here. Councilmember Hardy. Here. Councilmember Stully. Here. Councilmember Robinson. Here. Councilmember Willis. Here. Mayor Connolly with warm. Thank you very much. We'll now move on to the approval of tonight's agenda. Mr. Manager, any recommended changes? Mr. Attorney. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor and Council, I request two items to be added to schedule a special meeting regarding the city's legislative agenda regarding the Pitt County City of Greenville Airport Authority to be third to be heard after other items of business immediately after item 25. And the second item is a closed session item to be heard following section 12 comments about from the mayor and the council. Motion to approve the agenda. All right, motions been made by Councilmember Scolly, second by Councilmember Robinson. All those in favor say aye. Those opposed say nay. Motion passes five zero.

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