Judging from the public hearing at the Tuesday, June 6 City Council meeting on the $749 million recommended 2023-2024 City of Greensboro budget, not many people care one way or the other about the city budget.
Or to be more precise, not many people care enough about the city budget to go down to city hall and talk about it.
There were a total of five speakers during the public hearing on the 2023-2024 budget. During the public comment period where people can speak about non-agenda items, several speakers said that the minimum salary for city employees should be raised to $20 an hour and one speaker called for an across the board 10 percent raise for city employees, but they also made other points that were not budget related.
During the public hearing on the budget, Bill McNeil said he was delighted at the strategic energy plan passed by the City Council but dismayed at the lack of action to achieve the goals set in that plan.
Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter said that city departments were taking action to meet those goals but that it might not be reflected in the budget.
Drew Dix asked that the city find a way to fund Triad Stage, which recently “paused” its productions. He noted that unlike the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, which the city did support, Triad Stage mainly used local talent.
Jason Hicks said that the minimum salary for city employees needed to be raised to $20 an hour.
The city manager’s recommended budget includes a 4-cent property tax increase and an 8.5 percent increase in water and sewer rates as well as increases in other city fees.
Linda Lea said that she was representing retired people and those on fixed incomes and said with the recent Guilford County tax hike, this was not a good time for the City of Greensboro to raise taxes.
She said that if taxes were raised, “Some citizens may have to give up their homes because they can’t afford it.”
Shekita Hayes said that as a working single parent and a homeowner it would be very hard for her to survive with another tax increase.
She said, “Let me keep food on my table, because I can’t get government assistance, I have to do it myself.”
We care but you never listen to the “paying” taxpayers so why should we waste our time? You have so many rules we need to observe before we can speak for “2 minutes” and we never get any concrete answers….You take it upon your selves to do what you want and seem to forget whom is paying your salary!
What a shame. It is going to be just like the election. If the people do not speak up about how this city has gone crazy with fees, taxes and giveaways it will send the signal to the city that the general population is fine with just tell us how far to bend over!!
Another way to look at the small turnout may translate to “citizens feel they have no voice in City and County government “. Why should we waste our time speaking to people who never consider the average citizen when passing laws and raising taxes?
Council keeps on wasting tax dollars and screwing all citizens. When will you wake up and vote out the current socialists?
Those of us who pay these outrageous taxes and fees and do not give a s&*$ about downtown trolleys or the GPAC have Stockholm syndrome. We know it is useless to express our opinions. I have watched the two budget work sessions. What a joke. Hey Ms. Thurm-ask for a budget that you can tell what the hell is going on. Quit walking around it like yall are scared of your one of two employees.
I am happy that rents are going to astronomical figures. The city is only developing luxury apartments. No regular ranches seem to be built as they “infill” the city. So now maybe the takers will get to partially pay their fare share. So when Hightower and the rest bitch about rent prices they can look in the mirror because the property owners are going to pass all this on to their tenants. None of you see the big picture. The wealth in this town is going to slowly secede to Oak Ridge or out of the county completely.
BTW-Skip Alston-I pay city and county taxes. My children never stepped foot in a Guilford County school. I have paid more than my fair share considering. So have your bloated school system figure out how to pay their bills without having your hand out to the municipalities.
Nancy you kit the nail on the head, Very Well said!
Thanks, I keep asking all these young adults, “woke” people, or the “uninformed” what they are going to do when
my generation (the baby boomers) are dead?? They will be screwed…they think the “government” will take care of them!!! Who do they think bank rolls the government??? I’m glad I am on my way “out” instead of just starting “in” this world.
I wouldn’t waste my time to make a two minute speech that no one on the council would listen to or actively consider. The hearings are all for show. Then they just do what they always do. Nothing will change until enough citizens vote for different candidates, which doesn’t appear likely to happen anytime soon. You have two choices: suck it up or move out of the city (and county).
The demographics of Greensboro have changed and with that consideration of the proper function of government, and what is accepted by the public. When the same old losers are voted into office, look to the uninformed and malleable electorate for cause.
People are given a minute period of time to speak. This is to control the speaker and the subject. If the Council were truly interested in what the speaker had to say, there would be follow-up questions to show understanding and engagement. That does not happen and will not happen because GCC does not care about the people of Greensboro. A gesture that would help speakers is to allocate five minutes to each speaker. Don’t hold your breath that this will happen.
Your headline reads “People Don’t Have Much To Say About Budget”, that’s not quite accurate. Lots of people have a lot to say about the new budget. However, these same people know, unfortunately, it’s a complete waste of time to attend a council meeting and speak. The elected representatives do not listen, much less care, about the views of the majority of Greensboro citizens. One might say “Well the citizens elected them.” That is true, but in my opinion, the majority of the VOTING citizens are either ignorant or apathetic to the important issues concerning Greensboro. What else could explain the results of the last election?
It is up to the uninformed and apathetic electorate to decide. We are in deep doo-doo.
An overdue repeal of sales tax on groceries would help Ms Hayes – and everyone else – to keep food on the table.
It’s time to repeal the Food Tax and bury “Food Tax Terry” Sanford (D) who imposed it in 1961, as a temporary measure!