The Greensboro City Council will hold its monthly public forum at the Tuesday, July 19 meeting at 5:30 in the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber.
The public forum, also called speakers from the floor on non-agenda items, is usually held during the meeting on the first Tuesday of the month, but in July that meeting was canceled due to the July 4 holiday.
Because this is “hybrid” meeting, speakers have the option of speaking from the podium in the council chamber or speaking remotely via Zoom. Those who plan to speak via Zoom must sign-up by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 18. Those speaking in person have until 6 p.m. the day of the meeting to sign-up to speak.
With only one City Council meeting in July, it’s a full agenda with 31 items on the consent agenda, 17 items on the public hearing agenda and 13 items on the general business agenda.
Speakers are allowed to speak on any item on the public hearing or general business agenda.
Items H.2 and H.3 on the public hearing agenda may attract some speakers. Those items are to allocate $142,600 to Downtown Greensboro Inc. “to provide funding to business owners in order to bring outdoor extensions up to accessibility standards, and to beautify those areas and bring them into a uniform aesthetic in order to promote economic development in the City of Greensboro.”
The agenda information about these items states that during the COVID-19 pandemic, “many downtown businesses created outdoor areas for use by their patrons, and the community has come to rely on these outdoor areas as the community continues to manage the after-effects of the pandemic. Due to significant financial constraints placed on these businesses at the time these outdoor areas were created, many of them lack basic design elements and fail to comply with accessibility requirements.”
It also notes that some of the businesses don’t have the financial resources to bring these areas into compliance and beautify them, so the city needs to step in with grants.
I need a grant to pay my property taxes. Can I get a hand-out?
Again, Council is not reading the room (as usual). If they are trying to beautify downtown start with supporting the homeless and providing safe places for them to go; shelter, hygiene, food and other services that most people take for granted. I don’t visit downtown any longer because it feels unsafe; panhandlers, loud music from cars, litter from used needles, empty drug packets on the ground, etc.
It doesn’t matter how nice outdoor places are, they usually get vandalized or occupied by those who don’t appreciate the money, time and positive contribution those areas give. I am a strong proponent of supporting local business and restaurants; I’ve never seen any members of council sitting in outdoor dining areas so they never see panhandlers begging from diners or mockers criticizing “white diners” in those areas. The last night we were downtown was when we were across the street on Elm enjoying an after dinner stroll we saw a man urinating in the small alleyway where the sculpture was vandalized last year.
Get back to enforcing basic laws such as littering, loud music, loitering and collect monies from those already in place rather then addressing residential trash cans left on the curb. Two birds with one stone; clean up downtown and make more money in one swell swoop. That will encourage more downtown foot traffic from local residents; when we feel safe is when we will venture back downtown.
Enforce traffic violations like speeding. Stopping speeders is not racist. If you speed, you should be stopped. The law is the law and if you break it, you pay the price regardless of skin color. And take a lesson from Texas, if there is no insurance on the car, tow the vehicle and store until proof of insurance is provided. Society is breaking down from lack of laws being enforced. People who cry racism against the police have no right to affect society by making peaceful living unavailable to others who are peaceful and want to live that way.
Why can’t they spend money to fix the streets? Greensboro used to have some of the nicest
streets around.
Giveaway grants from Mandate Mayor right before election? Sure. Taking public right of ways and giving them to private business. ….then giving them money to “help emerge from post pandemic” . What a transfer of public resources to private hands. For shame.
” . . .to provide funding to business owners in order to bring outdoor extensions up to accessibility standards, and to beautify those areas and bring them into a uniform aesthetic in order to promote economic development in the City of Greensboro.”
Whatever happened to business owners making their “own” improvements? ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!
Just don’t do business with these companies, boycott them, and shut them down. Then WE, the taxpayers, will not have to support them any longer. Who wants to go up town with all the crime everywhere these days. Drinking in the streets to keep these businesses open is a crime itself.
Now you can get shot on a pretty sidewalk. Enjoy your meal!
Good one.