Greenville holds public hearing on FY 2025–26 proposed budget; utilities assistance and town commons flooding raised

A public hearing on the City of Greenville’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget opened June 9 after a presentation by Chief Financial Officer Jacob Joyner, who said the overall budget — including Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC), the Convention and Visitor Authority and Shepherd Memorial Library — totals $504,456,000 and that the city’s operating budget is about $185,300,000.

The hearing matters because the council is scheduled to adopt the budget on June 12, and the proposal includes rate and fee changes that city and utility officials said could affect lower-income residents.

Joyner, the city’s chief financial officer, described the general fund as a $118,800,000 budget and said four revenue streams — property taxes, sales tax, a transfer from the Greenville Development Corporation (GDC), and the utilities franchise tax — supply most general-fund revenue. He identified proposed revenue and expense highlights: projected property tax revenue of $46,600,000; a sales-tax projection of $30,500,000; and a proposed property tax rate that “remains stable at 39.54¢.” Joyner said personnel costs are estimated at $76,400,000 and cited budgeted items including a 4% average wage increase, an increase in the employer 401(k) match from 3% to 4%, eight new police positions, six new fire/EMS positions, $200,000 for an affordable housing program and $200,000 additional ADA and sidewalk funding.

Councilmember Foreman raised concerns about the distributional impacts of utility rate increases on lower-income and historically underserved neighborhoods. In response, a Greenville Utilities representative explained how rates are set and described assistance programs. The representative said state law requires utilities to set rates based on consumption and described several support options: a city Community Development Block Grant program that GUC contributes $150,000 to annually; federal assistance administered through the Pitt County Department of Social Services (referred to in the hearing as IHEAP); a GUC staff member who coordinates with other agencies; and a local “neighbor to neighbor” program in which GUC will match community contributions up to a dollar limit.

The utilities representative cautioned that federal funding is uncertain and said the city and agencies are “in a wait-and-see mode” about programs such as IHEAP. Councilmember Foreman asked about program continuity if federal funds are reduced.

During the public-comment portion of the hearing, resident Tim Langley raised concerns about planned work at the Town Common and the amphitheater, citing the site’s history of flooding in major storms and asking the city to confirm how bulkhead and flood-mitigation work will protect any new or renovated facilities. Mayor P.J. Conley and staff clarified that current plans call for improvements to the amphitheater rather than a new civic center.

The council did not vote on the budget at the June 9 hearing; Joyner told the council the formal budget adoption is scheduled for June 12. The city also noted the public hearing was conducted in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 159-12 and that a concurrent public hearing on economic development appropriations was held per North Carolina General Statute 158-7.1.

Documents and figures presented by the CFO during the hearing included sanitation and stormwater fund projections and a proposed sanitation monthly rate increase from $16.00 to $19.25, with a multi-year plan that would bring the rate to $21.25 in future years. Stormwater fees were noted as unchanged for the coming year.

Councilmembers took no final action on the budget at the June 9 hearing; the council is scheduled to vote on budget adoption on June 12.