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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Workshop - August 10, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 10, 2026

BodyGreenville, North Carolina

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, August 10, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:54:43

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0:00

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2:53

Brock, we good.

2:55

All right.

2:56

All right, good afternoon.

2:58

I'd like to welcome everyone to the August 10th, 2026 workshop.

3:03

I'm Mayor PJ Connicker presiding over today's workshop.

3:06

First I call on our city clerk for the roll call.

3:08

Yes, sir.

3:09

Here.

3:10

Mayor Time Foreman.

3:11

Here.

3:11

Council Mr.

3:12

Jones.

3:12

Here.

3:12

Council Murray.

3:13

Here.

3:14

All right, Council Member Stellies let us know if we'll not be attending this evening.

3:17

Councilmember Robinson?

3:18

Here.

3:18

Council Member Willis.

3:19

Here.

3:20

All right, Mayor Conley informed.

3:21

Thank you very much.

3:21

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

3:24

Anyway.

3:25

No changes?

3:26

All right.

3:26

Do I have a motion to approve the agenda?

3:28

So move.

3:29

All right.

3:35

Aye.

3:40

Item number one is an overview of the relationship between the city of Greenball and the Housing Authority for the City of Greenville.

3:47

And so the city manager today.

4:08

As a city manager said, I am standing before you today to provide an overview of our relationship with the Housing Housing Authority of the City of Grimville.

4:18

And so we just want to kind of set the stage in terms of why we're here.

4:53

And we were able to get confirmation from Hood in July of this year that the housing authority is now in compliance with all of those outstanding violations.

5:03

Based on that background, in June, City Council requested that we provide some information about our relationship with the housing authority and how there might be some overlap or how we collide.

5:16

They wanted to learn about elevated concerns regarding substandard housing conditions, and also wanted to talk about tools where we could mitigate maybe some of the issues we were seeing and how we might be able to get more involved to get our arms around that.

5:30

So just want to kind of set some foundation in terms of the purpose of the housing authority, it is to promote safe and sanitary public housing here in the city.

5:38

The housing authority is a creature of statute and local resolution.

5:42

So chapter 157 of the North Carolina General Statutes really lays the authority in terms of this particular allowance.

5:52

And so within that law, either the city can run the housing authority, the redevelopment commission can run the housing authority, or we can have an actual housing authority.

6:12

And they there have been some subsequent resolutions that have come out from council solely increasing the membership on the board of up to now we're up to seven members.

6:24

Another layer in terms of the housing authority is the oversight from the U.S.

6:28

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

6:30

They provide the majority of the housing authority's funding to be able to function.

6:34

They do have some regulation over the housing authority.

6:37

I mentioned the Inspire inspections at the beginning.

6:40

And then they've got some regulation over their programming that they're implementing for the residents.

6:47

Some additional information about the structure, they do have a seven-member abort.

6:51

As I mentioned, that board was created by the city council.

6:55

City Council is selecting or appointing membership based on a rotation.

7:01

Their board members are eligible for a single five-year term.

7:05

This was a recent update in our rules of procedure, the council's rules of procedure in February of 2024, up until that point, they were allowed an unlimited number of terms, and we were seeing people sit on the board for multiple stents, many decades in some instances.

7:22

So, like I said, that rule did change in February of 2024.

7:26

There is one exception to the rule in terms of the authority for the city council to appoint, and that is the resident commissioner.

7:32

They are first elected by the resident council, which is solely run by the housing authority.

7:38

And once they are selected, then the city council moves forward with appointment of that particular individual.

7:46

Commissioner cannot be a city official, and that is by state statute.

7:51

They are once they are seated, they're then responsible for hiring a qualified executive director to really be able to handle those day-to-day operations.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████████24%

Affordable Housing█████████████████████21%

Transportation Safety███████████████████19%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%

Code Enforcement██████6%

Procedural█████5%

Youth Programs█████5%

Energy Conservation█████5%

Technology and Innovation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Workshop - August 10, 2026

On August 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM, the Greenville City Council held a workshop in City Hall Conference Room 337, presided by Mayor PJ Connicker. The council discussed four main topics: the relationship with the Housing Authority, code enforcement updates, a proposed downtown juvenile curfew, and traffic calming guidelines. No formal votes were taken, but several directives were issued.

Discussion Items

1. Housing Authority Overview

The city manager provided an overview of the Housing Authority of the City of Greenville, a statutory entity with a seven-member board appointed by city council. The portfolio includes 714 public housing units, 156 non-public units, 920 Section 8 contracts, and 110 project-based rental assistance units. HUD confirmed compliance in July 2026 after outstanding violations.
Council members expressed concerns about substandard conditions, lack of financial transparency, a paper-based work order system, and ineffective complaint protocols. Councilmember Foreman detailed his two and a half years of advocacy, describing inhumane conditions and a fear factor among tenants.
Council directed the city manager and CFO Jacob Joyner to research the feasibility of converting the Housing Authority into a city enterprise fund, which would provide greater oversight of finances, work orders, and rent application. A financial audit and review of operational procedures will be part of this research.

2. Code Enforcement Updates

Staff reported progress on a three-pronged action plan: proactive compliance, outreach/education, and case management. Technology upgrades include tablet deployment and improved Intergov system workflows, though integration with the public-facing City Compass system is not possible due to a moratorium. Monthly reports to council are being established.
Proposed ordinance changes include: chronic violator designation after three notices within 12 months, updated abatement timelines (reducing maximum from 90 to 60 days), a flat fee civil penalty structure, tiered unfit-for-habitation determinations, and internal mold protocol (documenting violations, requiring property owner testing/remediation).
Council discussed mold remediation: councilmember Hardy suggested providing a list of approved vendors but without requiring their use. Councilmember Foreman raised concerns about 70–80 vacant/abandoned structures, warning against property loss and gentrification in West South Greenville and ETJ areas, and asked for data on heir property percentages before proceeding.
Staff will bring ordinance adoption proposals to the September meeting.

3. Juvenile Curfew Presentation

Deputy Chief KZ Thomas reported an uptick in juvenile disturbances downtown starting May 2026, culminating in a "teen takeover" on June 22 with multiple fights and 9–10 firearms recovered. The mayor issued an emergency curfew on June 26, which proved successful with no repeat incidents. Raleigh and Charlotte experienced similar events with shootings.
Police recommend a permanent downtown juvenile curfew from 11 PM to 6 AM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (including July 4th), covering the downtown and Town Commons area. Exceptions include accompaniment by a parent/guardian, direct travel from work, emergencies, or First Amendment activities.
Council expressed support, noting the curfew is one tool among many, and highlighted the need for safe spaces for youth (citing SummerWay program with 2,735 participants). Council requested quarterly benchmark reports for one year. Staff will bring a draft ordinance for consideration in September.

4. Traffic Calming Guidelines Review

Staff reviewed the current point system used to evaluate requests for speed cushions and other devices. Qualifying streets must be city-maintained, residential, two-lane, with speed limit 25 mph and width ≤40 feet. Points are awarded for speed (85th percentile), pedestrian activity (schools, parks, etc.), traffic volume, and other factors; minimum 30 of 100 points required. 583 speed cushions are installed on about 90 streets.
Discussion revealed disparities: councilmembers noted that streets like Fourth Street lack points due to no nearby pedestrian generators, despite high speed and volume. Some argued the system is objective and data-driven, while others felt it fails neighborhoods with genuine safety needs. Council considered adjusting the point system but did not reach consensus. Staff may bring suggestions for modifications if council provides further direction.

Key Outcomes

Directed staff to research converting the Housing Authority to a city enterprise fund and to conduct a financial and operational review.
Code enforcement ordinance changes will be proposed for adoption at the September meeting.
Staff will prepare a permanent downtown juvenile curfew ordinance for council consideration in September, with quarterly reporting.
No decision on traffic calming guidelines; council will consider potential adjustments at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

More ways to save. Brock, we good. All right. All right, good afternoon. I'd like to welcome everyone to the August 10th, 2026 workshop. I'm Mayor PJ Connicker presiding over today's workshop. First I call on our city clerk for the roll call. Yes, sir. Here. Mayor Time Foreman. Here. Council Mr. Jones. Here. Council Murray. Here. All right, Council Member Stellies let us know if we'll not be attending this evening. Councilmember Robinson? Here. Council Member Willis. Here. All right, Mayor Conley informed. Thank you very much. We'll now move on to approval of the agenda. Anyway. No changes? All right. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? So move. All right. Aye. Item number one is an overview of the relationship between the city of Greenball and the Housing Authority for the City of Greenville. And so the city manager today. As a city manager said, I am standing before you today to provide an overview of our relationship with the Housing Housing Authority of the City of Grimville. And so we just want to kind of set the stage in terms of why we're here. And we were able to get confirmation from Hood in July of this year that the housing authority is now in compliance with all of those outstanding violations. Based on that background, in June, City Council requested that we provide some information about our relationship with the housing authority and how there might be some overlap or how we collide. They wanted to learn about elevated concerns regarding substandard housing conditions, and also wanted to talk about tools where we could mitigate maybe some of the issues we were seeing and how we might be able to get more involved to get our arms around that. So just want to kind of set some foundation in terms of the purpose of the housing authority, it is to promote safe and sanitary public housing here in the city. The housing authority is a creature of statute and local resolution. So chapter 157 of the North Carolina General Statutes really lays the authority in terms of this particular allowance. And so within that law, either the city can run the housing authority, the redevelopment commission can run the housing authority, or we can have an actual housing authority. And they there have been some subsequent resolutions that have come out from council solely increasing the membership on the board of up to now we're up to seven members. Another layer in terms of the housing authority is the oversight from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They provide the majority of the housing authority's funding to be able to function. They do have some regulation over the housing authority. I mentioned the Inspire inspections at the beginning. And then they've got some regulation over their programming that they're implementing for the residents. Some additional information about the structure, they do have a seven-member abort.

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