The Tuesday, April 5 Greensboro City Council meeting, being the first meeting of the month, is primarily devoted to the public comment period, but the consent agenda includes a controversial allocation.
According to the script read at the beginning of every meeting by Mayor Nancy Vaughan, the consent agenda is a grouping of “routine and noncontroversial items,” all voted on with one vote. In order for a councilmember to vote no on a consent agenda item, the item first has to be removed from the consent agenda.
Evidence that there is a large disconnect between the City Council and many of their constituents is the fact that a $1 million allocation to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum (ICRCM) is on the consent agenda.
It means that the councilmembers are not supposed to discuss this item and that the City Council considers handing over $1 million to the Civil Rights Museum as a “routine and noncontroversial” item.
In an unusual move, at the City Council retreat on Wednesday, March 23, the council by a 7-1 vote approved an allocation of a total of $2 million to the Civil Rights Museum.
Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann cast the lone no vote, after stating that she wanted time to go over the financial documents provided by the Civil Rights Museum that showed a loss of $9 million.
Hoffmann said, “I need to look at those financials and look at those losses.”
She added, “We got the financials today. I personally need to go through them.”
The financial documents provided on Wednesday were not all the financial documents requested by the City Council and Councilmember Justin Outling stated that to allocate the money and then request the documents be provided was backwards. However, despite those statements, Outling voted to allocate the $2 million.
Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter was absent from the meeting.
The item on the agenda for the April 5 meeting is to allocate $1 million of the promised $2 million with the second million coming in the form of $250,000 a year for the next four years. Future City Councils will have to vote to allocate the $250,000 a year. City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba said that it was not clear how the $250,000 a year would be spent.
Still stinks after all these millions. Will it ever stop?
Outling as a mayoral candidate is freely giving away money with review of documents. What is one of the first things you learn in law school? Facts before determination.
Another reason I will not and will spread the word to NOT vote for Outling as Mayor. Freely giving away millions of dollars instead of using that money to help the less fortunate in Greensboro is a disgrace. Eastside voters note- Hightower, Johnson, Wells, Houston and Outling are not serving your area as effectively as they could. Look at all the money that could have been used to protect and upgrade your community that has been freely without accountability been given to other council members and friends.
Time you started speaking out or keep living the way you are
A $9 Million loss and they want $10 Million in additional property and additional monies for handouts yet to be seen. I never really considered Skip to be the Gordon Ramsay type, but it appears he can cook books to perfection. It never ceases to amaze me what people with money can and will do to edify themselves. What a farce! If this whole song & dance isn’t malfeasance, what is? Chef Skip strikes again.
I have only lived in the area for a few years!! But it seems that every few years the Museum is asking for a big handout from City Council or The Commissioners.When either group asked for an accountability it seems that there is always a thousand reasons not to produce any records ,…. Would you think something or someone is hiding something that needs to be aired…Has any year since the museum was formed that it has been self sufficient??? Is there any stipulations that the Museum has to show now or ever that it is or will be able to stand alone and not be hanging on to our local Government Agency’s for a continual handout.If this museum is that important to Greensboro why isn’t it self sufficient?? There must be other ways the Museum can get by without depending our tax money to get by.
Do any local people go to this Museum?I guess Ski and Me.Jones thought they had a cash cow when they started this proposition way back when ..But it has been a failure in every way .
9 million failure for now