Nobody can accuse the Greensboro City Council of being slow when it comes to spending money.
At the Tuesday, Sept. 20 meeting, after plowing through five annexation and original zoning and two rezoning cases, the City Council got to the general business portion of the agenda where the City Council allocates money.
The City Council must have set some kind of record, if anybody kept such records, because in less than 17 minutes the City Council spent $20.3 million dollars and agreed to sell $153 million in bonds.
It would have been quicker but, as one might expect, Councilmember Sharon Hightower slowed things down. Hightower wanted to vote no on part of item I.10 allocating American Rescue Plan (ARP) money to the Interactive Resource Center (IRC), which is a daytime center for the homeless.
Hightower didn’t explain why she wanted to vote no and Mayor Nancy Vaughan quickly figured out a way for her to do so, but it took a friendly amendment and an additional motion and vote.
Not only did the council get all that done in less than 17 minutes, every motion was passed by a roll call vote, which takes a lot more time than voting electronically. However, other than the sleight hiccup caused by Hightower, there was no discussion of the motions other than Councilmember Yvonne Johnson asking about the energy efficiency of the proposed Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex.
From 10:22 to 10:39 p.m. the City Council:
- Passed two motions changing the developer for the Union Square redevelopment project, which will cost the city $4 million.
- Passed a motion to spend $6.5 million on designing the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex on East Gate City Boulevard
- Passed a motion to spend $6.3 million for an elevated water tank for the Greensboro-Randolph Megasite
- Passed a motion to spend $350,000 on sewer rehabilitation
- Passed a motion to spend $822,000 for stream level and rainfall gauging services with the US Geological Survey
- Passed a motion authorizing spending $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds on community requests
- Passed a motion to allocate $100,000 of ARP funds to the IRC
- Passed a resolution to issue $26 million in a combination of 2016 and 2022 bonds
- Passed a resolution to issue $57 million in a combination of 2016 and 2022 bonds
- Passed a resolution to issue $30 million in 2022 housing bonds
- Passed a resolution to issue $14 million in 2022 firefighting facility bonds
- Passed a resolution to issue $6 million in law enforcement facility bonds
- Passed a resolution to issue $20 million in Parks and Recreation bonds for the Greensboro Science Center
Just add a few zeros and you have the Biden Administration!
Yep, they are good spending your tax money.
It would be nice if they could find some money to fix the streets. They are in a terrible state. It seems that nothing in the way of maintaining the, like tarring cracks in the pavement, patching potholes or leveling manhole covers… It’s almost like Pete Bootygig is in charge of GDOT!
With the lottery win from the reassessment last year, our dedicated elected officials are like drunken sailors in port. Yet, data shows Guilford real estate values are falling almost as fast as those in hyper-inflated jurisdictions like Florida and Arizona.
Will we get a reduction in next year’s property taxes, and a corresponding reining in of public spending, as a result of the epic asset deflation that is necessary to support the suppression of inflationary pressures?
One thinks….NOT!!!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…
They spend tax payer money like a drunk train robber!
Democrats DO know how to spend OUR money! Disgusting.
Anything in there for the GPD police force? Higher pay? More officers? Hmmm?
Pork barrels are now available for left leaning nonprofits, political supporters of Mandate Mayor, and projects outside of the city like the “megasite” .
Hey big spender, spend a little time with me.