High Point City Council adopts FY2025-26 budget, approves nonprofit allocations and several agency budgets

High Point City Council on Monday approved its FY2025-26 annual budget and a set of outside agency funding allocations, including a $50,000 general-fund allocation to the Southwestern Newell (Southwest) Renewal Foundation. Council also approved budget ordinances for Downtown High Point, the High Point International Home Furnishings Market Authority and Visit High Point, with several council members recusing themselves from specific votes.

The budget passed after a substitute motion to include a $50,000 allocation for the Southwest Renewal Foundation was made and seconded; council members voted “aye” and the motion carried. Council also finalized outside nonprofit allocations in a sequence of votes that excluded organizations where council members declared conflicts of interest and recorded recusals in the minutes.

Why it matters: The budget is the city’s primary spending plan for the coming year. Council members and public speakers used the adoption discussion to request follow-up work and to press for further attention to public-safety staffing and housing-related assistance that were not fully resolved during the budget process.

Council action and process details: Mayor Cyril Jefferson opened the meeting and the council approved the agenda at the start of the session (motion by Council Member Holmes; second by Mayor Pro Tem Tim Moore). The consent agenda passed without recorded opposition.

The council heard a staff presentation and voted to provide a favorable recommendation to the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee to list Roberts Hall at High Point University on the National Register of Historic Places; the Historic Preservation Commission had previously voted unanimously to recommend approval.

Recusals and outside-agency votes: Several council members recused themselves where they serve as governing-board members of nonprofit agencies. The clerk recorded recusals before votes. The council took separate votes on (a) the general set of outside nonprofit allocations (excluding organizations with recusals) and (b) the specific allocations for organizations where a recusal applied. The council approved the allocations in each recorded vote. The council explicitly accepted recusals for Friends of John Coltrane, Greater High Point Food Alliance, Macedonia Family Resource Center, High Point Schools Partnership and for the Downtown High Point and Visit High Point votes where board service required abstention.

Southwest Renewal Foundation allocation: Council Member Peters moved to restore $50,000 to the budget for the Southwestern Newell Renewal Foundation (often described in meeting materials as Southwest Renewal Foundation); a substitute motion to approve the budget including that $50,000 allocation passed. The manager and several council members described the foundation’s recent role in securing grant awards that support infrastructure and sewer projects.

Budget conversation and follow-up commitments: During debate, several council members — including Council Member Cook and Council Member Andrew — pressed for staff follow-up. Council Member Cook asked that staff continue to pursue ARPA-eligible uses to assist organizations that applied for funding after the nonprofit allocation window closed. Council Member Andrew and others asked staff to compile comparative data about fire-department staffing and training so council could evaluate whether changes to staffing practice or additional resources are needed. The city manager said staff would analyze staffing issues and report back to council.

Votes at a glance: - FY2025-26 annual budget (substitute motion to include $50,000 for Southwest Renewal Foundation): motion made by Council Member Peters; second received; outcome: approved. - Outside nonprofit allocations (initial group): motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Moore; second by Council Member Andrew; outcome: approved (excluded organizations with recusals). - Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance: motion by Council Member Holmes; second by Council Member Johnson; outcome: approved (Council Member Harmon recused). - Macedonia Family Resource Center allocation: motion by Mayor Pro Tem Moore; second by Council Member Peters; outcome: approved (Council Member Johnson recused). - High Point Schools Partnership allocation: motion by Mayor Pro Tem Moore (carried by others while mayor recused); outcome: approved (Mayor Cyril Jefferson recused). - Downtown High Point FY25-26 budget ordinance: motion to approve; outcome: approved (Council Member Harmon recused). - High Point International Home Furnishings Market Authority budget: motion to approve; outcome: approved (Mayor recused and other recusals recorded as noted). - Visit High Point (Convention & Visitors Bureau) budget: motion to approve; outcome: approved (Council Member Peters recused). - Recommendation to list Roberts Hall on the National Register of Historic Places: motion made by Mayor Pro Tem Moore; second by Council Member Johnson; outcome: approved (staff and Historic Preservation Commission had recommended approval).

What council did not decide tonight: No formal, immediate funding commitments beyond the adopted budget were made for the eviction-mediation program discussed by Council Member Cook; council members asked staff to pursue follow-up and to return with any feasible options. Council also did not enact a change to fire-department staffing practices during the meeting; members requested comparative staffing and training data before taking further action.

Next steps: Staff will prepare follow-up analyses that council requested — notably comparative data on fire-department staffing and training, and further consideration of ARPA and grant-funded options for nonprofit program support. Council will consider those analyses in future meetings and through budget amendments if warranted.