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Record of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting - May 14, 2026

City Council — Thursday, May 14, 2026
BodyGreenville, North Carolina
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, May 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:14:17

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
1:32

All right, good evening.

1:33

I'd like to call the May 14, 2026 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order.

1:37

I'm Mayor P.

1:38

J.

1:38

Connolly for presiding over tonight's meeting.

1:40

First, I'd like to call on Councilmember Matt Scully for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:44

Thank you, Mayor.

1:45

Let us pray.

1:52

Gracious God, we thank you for another beautiful spring day in Eastern North Carolina.

1:57

Pray that we will that you will bless us tonight as we make decisions that impact our neighbors.

2:03

Give us wisdom, grace, empathy, and courage to do what is right for the benefit of our whole community.

2:09

We pray especially for the friend for the family of our friend and colleague Danae Alexander, who lost her mother this past week after a battle with dementia.

2:19

Pray that you will surround her and her family with love and support during this difficult time.

2:25

And we thank you, God for Miss Gloria J.

2:27

Alexander and the love and legacy that she's left, especially our friend Danae.

2:34

Amen.

2:36

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:41

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

2:57

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

2:59

Yes, sir.

2:59

Mayor Connolly.

3:00

Here.

3:01

Mayor Pertem Foreman.

3:02

Here.

3:02

Councilmember Jones.

3:04

Here.

3:04

Councilmember Hardy.

3:05

Here.

3:06

Councilmember Scully.

3:07

Here.

3:07

Councilmember Robinson?

3:08

Here.

3:09

Councilmember Willis.

3:10

Here.

3:10

All right.

3:10

Mayor Connolly have a corn.

3:12

Thank you very much.

3:13

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

3:15

Manager.

3:15

Any recommended changes?

3:17

All right.

3:17

Do I have a motion to approve the agenda?

3:19

Commissioner approved.

3:20

Second.

3:20

All right.

3:21

Most have been made by Councilmember Hardy, second by Council Mr.

3:23

Scully.

3:26

Which one would you like?

3:28

Uh number eight.

3:30

Well, that's that'll be we'll we'll go over that.

3:32

That's the public hearing.

3:35

Oh, yeah, you're good.

3:36

So I got a motion by Councilmember Hardy, second by Councilmember Scully.

3:39

All those in favor say aye.

3:40

Aye.

3:41

Motion passes six zero.

3:43

All right, we'll move on to special recognitions.

3:46

I know where you're going with that.

3:50

I'd like to ask Mr.

3:52

Billy Levy and his family to come forward.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use██████████████████████████26%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████████████22%
Economic Development████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Public Safety██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Energy Conservation████4%
Community Engagement██2%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Meeting - May 14, 2026

The Greenville City Council met on May 14, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included special recognitions, public comment, appointments, multiple public hearings, and budget presentations. All votes were 6-0.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of the agenda (6-0).
  • Appointments to boards and commissions: Debra Goldberg (Environmental Advisory Commission), Jackson Holder and Wiley Haycock (Historic Preservation Commission), Shemeka Banks (Greenville Housing Authority), Zach Nichols (Multimodal Transportation Commission), Teena Barnes (Police Community Relations Committee), Grant Humphreys (Recreation and Parks Commission) – all approved 6-0.
  • Appointments to the Invest Greenville Board were continued by Mayor Connelly.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Angeline Mitchell spoke in support of ICE presence in Greenville, citing concerns about illegal immigration and crime. She questioned the council's discussion on the Philadelphia model. Councilmember Willis responded that the discussion was a staff presentation in response to citizen requests and clarified that the public was not excluded. (One speaker only.)

Discussion Items

  • Oxford Ridge Phase 1 Annexation (Item 8): Councilmember Foreman raised community concerns about a shared retention pond and construction traffic through the existing Mill Creek neighborhood. She requested staff explore alternative access routes and a cost-share for the pond. The annexation was approved 6-0.
  • Boviet USA Rezoning (Item 9): Staff explained the rezoning from PIU to IU to reduce setbacks for a second building, with no change in use. The applicant praised staff responsiveness. Approved 6-0.
  • Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendment (Item 10): Staff presented housekeeping changes including security personnel requirements for alcohol establishments after 11 PM with amplified entertainment. Councilmember Scully expressed concern about small businesses with open mic nights. The council voted to approve the amendment but requested staff bring back more information on the security personnel requirement, with public outreach to business owners. Approved 6-0 with that caveat.
  • Budget Presentations (Items 11-12):
    • Pitt-Greenville Convention & Visitors Authority (CVB): Proposed FY 2026-2027 budget of $2,265,623, a 3% increase in occupancy tax revenue. CVB President Andrew Schmidt announced his retirement. Record tourism expenditures of $320 million in 2024.
    • Sheppard Memorial Library: Requested $1,574,404 from the city (4% increase) plus $133,333 for capital improvements as part of a 10-year plan. The library served 248,255 visitors last year.
    • Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC): Proposed $330 million budget. GUC General Manager Tony Cannon discussed rate increases due to rising wholesale power costs (4.5-5.5% from Duke), with a total average monthly increase of $10.19 for customers with all four utilities. The rate increase is effective July 1, 2026. GUC outlined assistance programs and rate stabilization.
    • Pitt-Greenville Airport Authority: Proposed budget with $0 local match for capital projects. Vice Chair Michael Overton discussed efforts to recruit additional airlines and improve customer service. New Executive Director Brandon Kraft introduced.

Key Outcomes

  • All seven public hearings were approved unanimously (6-0): Annexations for Hungate's Commercial Park, Davenport Farms Phase 1, Tucker Farms Rentals, Helen Adams Division, Oxford Ridge Phase 1; Rezoning for Boviet USA Property; and UDO text amendment (with directive to revisit security personnel).
  • All appointments to boards and commissions were approved 6-0.
  • The Invest Greenville Board appointments were continued.
  • The council received budget presentations; no votes were taken on the budgets at this meeting.
  • Councilmember Willis commented on ICE, emphasizing the need for policies that respect all residents while maintaining public safety.

Additional Notes

  • Special recognition given to Billy Leavy, retiree from Public Works with 29 years and 9 months of service.
  • Council offered condolences to Assistant City Manager Danae Alexander for the loss of her mother.
  • Councilmember Robinson highlighted National Police Week and the swearing-in of Officer Jason Campbell's daughter as a Greenville police officer.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening. I'd like to call the May 14, 2026 meeting of the Greenville City Council to order. I'm Mayor P. J. Connolly for presiding over tonight's meeting. First, I'd like to call on Councilmember Matt Scully for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, Mayor. Let us pray. Gracious God, we thank you for another beautiful spring day in Eastern North Carolina. Pray that we will that you will bless us tonight as we make decisions that impact our neighbors. Give us wisdom, grace, empathy, and courage to do what is right for the benefit of our whole community. We pray especially for the friend for the family of our friend and colleague Danae Alexander, who lost her mother this past week after a battle with dementia. Pray that you will surround her and her family with love and support during this difficult time. And we thank you, God for Miss Gloria J. Alexander and the love and legacy that she's left, especially our friend Danae. Amen. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Yes, sir. Mayor Connolly. Here. Mayor Pertem Foreman. Here. Councilmember Jones. Here. Councilmember Hardy. Here. Councilmember Scully. Here. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Councilmember Willis. Here. All right. Mayor Connolly have a corn. Thank you very much. We'll now move on to the approval of tonight's agenda, Mr. Manager. Any recommended changes? All right. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? Commissioner approved. Second. All right. Most have been made by Councilmember Hardy, second by Council Mr. Scully. Which one would you like? Uh number eight. Well, that's that'll be we'll we'll go over that.

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