High Point holds public hearing on FY2025–26 budget; residents press for Southside water testing, debate civilian traffic investigators

High Point City Council opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget on May 20, giving residents three minutes each to comment and city staff a chance to respond.

The hearing drew multiple public comments focused on household finances, staffing priorities and water quality in the Southside neighborhood. Dr. Elma Hairston urged the council to prioritize Southside water concerns, asking the council to "form an action committee to focus on strategic solutions to include sewer lines and pipeline refitting evaluations" and to authorize regular independent testing of neighborhood tap water. The city manager and other staff later said crews have been engaging with Southside residents and will investigate reported water issues to determine whether they stem from city infrastructure or private plumbing.

Why it matters: Council is preparing the operating budget and will make final decisions after additional work sessions; items raised in public comment could shape allocations or follow-up staff work.

Residents and commenters pressed council on several budget details. Ken Ormes criticized multiple proposed staffing additions, citing figures in the proposed budget: four civilian traffic investigators budgeted at about $385,000 total, a proposed budget-department hire at about $95,000, and a proposed standalone water resources manager at about $345,000. Ormes said the city should prioritize sworn police and firefighter hires instead of higher-paid civilian positions. Louis Thibodeaux and other residents urged the council to remember its oath to serve all residents and suggested using unspent funds for employee incentives.

City manager Tasha Logan Ford responded to staffing and compensation questions. She said the budget includes an average 3% merit pool for employees and described an ongoing three‑year market-competitiveness study now in phase one; she also said the city is absorbing "a little over a million dollars" this year to meet a state retirement funding requirement. Ford noted that attrition and turnover are factored into budget planning.

The civilian traffic investigator positions were discussed in detail. Council members and staff said the positions respond to recent North Carolina legislation and are intended not to supplant sworn positions. Police Chief Curtis Cheeks said the civilian jobs are meant to "maximize where we have guns and badges," freeing sworn officers for proactive policing and community engagement. Chief Cheeks said the department currently has 35 vacancies and that the civilian positions would handle lower‑injury or property‑damage traffic incidents to reduce workload on sworn officers.

Council member Cook said the city must consider workforce retention as infrastructure, noting competition with private sector employers and stressing the importance of compensation and benefits for maintaining services.

Council and staff also noted ongoing proposals to use remaining ARPA dollars for the High Point Schools Partnership and a UNCG eviction-mediation program; Council Member Cook said she plans to propose funding for those programs in an upcoming finance committee meeting.

The hearing was informational only; council did not vote on the budget at the May 20 meeting. Council scheduled a budget work session for Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Fishbowl, where staff will provide detailed line‑item information and comparative analyses. The public hearing record remains open for further emails or calls to staff.

Provenance: Public hearing opened at the start of the budget item and the council continued budget discussion and staff answers through the transition to the next item.