As expected, the Greensboro City Council passed the $751.3 million fiscal year 2023-2024 budget with a 4-cent tax increase at the Tuesday, June 20 meeting.
The tax increase raises the property tax rate in Greensboro to 67.25 cents, and the budget also increased water and sewer rates by 8.5 percent as well as increasing some fees, including parking fees.
The changes made to the manager’s recommended budget raised police starting salaries from $52,400 in the original recommended budget to $55,000, and raised the minimum salary for hourly employees to $18 an hour. The total city budget was increased from $749 million to $751.3 million.
The vote on the 2023-2024 budget was 7-2, with Mayor Nancy Vaughan and District 3 City Councilmember Zack Matheny voting no.
Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter had indicated at the June 15 work session that she was not in favor of the proposed tax increase or that police starting salaries were not raised to $57,000, as the majority of the City Council had requested. However, at the June 20 meeting, Abuzuaiter said, “I am opposed to the tax increase, but I will vote for community safety.”
Abuzuiater noted that in the past two years, nearly 60 police officers had resigned, many to take higher paying jobs at other law enforcement agencies. She said that the city spent about $100,000 training each officer, so losing 60 cost the city about $6 million.
Matheny said that at the work session on June 15 that he had eight questions about the budget that he had submitted to staff that remained unanswered.
He said, “When you email staff, you hope to get a response.”
He noted that last year the city had a “monumental tax increase,” and in the past two years the city budget had increased by $109 million.
He said, “I can’t for the life of me see how an increase of $109 million is justified in two years.”
Matheny said that the $109 million increase added to the $78 million in American Rescue Plan funds was almost $200 million additional dollars. He said, “With that almost $200 million, have we really, really moved the needle for our community? And I would submit to you that I don’t think we have.”
Vaughan said, “I staked myself out early that I did not want a property tax increase. I wanted a hold-the-line budget and that is not what we have, a hold-the-line budget.”
She said, “I think just about anybody could find some fat in this budget.”
Vaughan added, “I can’t support the budget, though I do support the salary increases. My vote against the budget is certainly not a vote against them.”
People who don’t have to earn the money they vote to spend find it really easy to increase spending! I think we need a new group of people to be elected to the city council. Responsibility should be the criteria for being on the council.I think it is time to get back to all members being elected by all citizens. The people who pay the taxes no longer have a voice.
Why does the Greensboro City Manager, and much of City Council, hate the Police Department? The thin blue line keeps getting thinner. The Greensboro violent crime rates should be scaring new businesses away.
With this city council, we the honest tax paying citizens do not stand a chance. It is really sick and smells like a word I cannot use!!!!
Once again Council has made fools of the citizens of Greensboro, upon whom this burden once again falls. Those at the short end of the budget simply get more assistance. Those at the top end simply move out of the reach of the Council. Those in the middle are squeezed to fork over more of a smaller portion thanks to inflation and increased fees. How is that representing the people?
Election time will come again and it is incumbent upon the voters to remember who put them in this financial bind. We’ll be asking Council about the reduction in crime, the increased measures in education, the higher standard of living, the increased level of employment, all promised by spending over $200,000,000 of additional tax dollars.
BS and more BS. Waste will now run rampant! You voted for this council so enjoy.
More political theater from Zack and Nancy. They knew the budget would pass so who cares that they voted no? And Zack-you have a lot of “tough” speeches that apparently none of your employees care about when they won’t answer your emails. It’s obvious who is running the show and it’s not the elected council.
Also, loved you all voting no for zoning for a church because it backs up to Sedgefield. But could you have slobbered more over John Lima’s tearing up the corner of Friendly and Muir’s Chapel more? You see who has the political pull. Those with a country club membership. I read the room Zack. Country club opposition and a church vote no. Neighborhood opposition and good old boy developer vote yes. I don’t think Hoffman has said more the whole year than she did about biting no to a church that faces Gate City Boulevard. Guess that’s not the kind of infill you want.
*Lomax.
And just like that City residents dtopped to their knees giving thanks to their Lord Democrats for MORE TAXES!
When are the residents of Greensboro going to wake up and vote this group out of office along with the city manager it’s democratic work political nonsense. At its best
Thank you Madam Mayor and Councilman Matheny. If your boss emails you questions about your assignment and you ignore it? In my world you are fired. This manager is way too self confident and has thumbed his nose at his bosses many times. What a great role model. And to those who posted yesterday that they are going to move, they aren’t. They will stay and put up with the shenanigans of the City Manager and continue to pay more and more. With only a 16% turnout for votes, that’s what we get and deserve. I voted. But my candidate didn’t win. But at least I took the time to have a voice. So, for the many that will post and bitch, make sure you participated in choosing this council before you say too much. And then get your butt up and vote next time.
Want to thank the city council for increasing our taxes once again. Senior are already being hit hard with a fixed income. The council doesn’t care how bad they hurt the citizens of the city, as long as they fund their pet projects. I say cut taxes and live within your means. Let the big industries pay the extra money needed.
Way to play both sides Nancy. A token “no” vote after not even bothering to look at the budget, all while saying that you really do support the cops. We remember when you didn’t support the cops right after George Floyd. Most of that sentiment seems to remain, although you keep it much better hidden than your openly anti-police days. Keep on keeping the GPD irrelevant while pretending to do the opposite. A raise, while I’m sure the cops appreciate it, only impacts hiring and attrition if it is large enough to make the agency competitive. This falls short of that and dumps in a tax hike on top. You care as much about the cops as you do about the average taxpayer. Keep pumping the budget without looking at the budget. Keep being anti-police while pretending you’re not. We see all of you for what you are.
Before a meeting in which there will be a vote on an important issue, a headcount is conducted to assure cover for the Council members. Before a vote is conducted, the outcome is already known to the members. There are no persuasive arguments allowed to change the prearranged outcome. Members’ votes might change but not the prearranged outcome. The voting practices of Greensboro residents will not change due to the changed demographics and the manner in which elections are conducted. This assures that the most qualified candidates are not elected because the most qualified may change the status quo.
The voters elect you and pay your salaries but have no say. Tax increases are necessary sometimes but where are the improvement in city services. This latest tax increase should be unacceptable to us all. Once you are elected the citizens are ignored. I`ve had enough of this mayor and this council not doing the job they were elected to do.
Greensboro is the home of Robin Hood. He robs from the rich and gives to the poor. We ALL will suffer now because this way of helping the poor will not help. Crime will increase to a very dangerous level that will become a major problem for ALL the citizens of Greensboro!!!
The city manager needs to be fired now, administration needs to be reduced 20% at a minimum, term limits on all council members (1 term and done), programs with no proven ROI need to end and get the homeless off the streets. It is not hard
The responsibility lies with the small number of people who voted for these clowns; but more directly to the apathetic & uniformed electorate who didn’t bother to show up at the polls.
So we are governed by the lowest common denominator.
This next election may be the last chance. I am not glee with anticipation.
An increase in sewer and water taxes and one cannot even get to their meter. Idiots.