Greenville council approves grant filings, fee changes and budget amendments; closes meeting for personnel and legal discussion

The Greenville City Council on Feb. 10 approved multiple routine and substantive items, including authorization to apply for federal disaster-resilience grants, updates to EMS and parking fees and a multi-fund budget amendment that reallocates capital and operating funds.

Councilmembers voted unanimously, 6-0, on the measures described below.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (items 1–5 and 7): The council approved a series of consent items that included amending the 2025 council meeting schedule; approval of public art for the West Elm Police Station mural; a resolution declaring Therapy K-9 Chase surplus and authorizing disposition to Kristen Hunter; acceptance of rights of way and easements for The Preserve at Langston; an encroachment agreement with CSX Transportation for pipeline crossings under Howe Street and upgrades to a corrugated metal pipe to a reinforced concrete box culvert as part of the Pellet Works stormwater pipe improvement phase 3; and various tax refunds greater than $100. Motion to approve the listed consent items was made by Councilmember Casper Robinson and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Monica Daniels; the motion passed 6-0.

- Item 6 — Authorization to file FEMA resilience grant applications (consent pull and separate approval): The council pulled item 6 from the consent agenda for explanation and later approved a motion to authorize staff to file applications with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for fiscal-year 2024 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant funding. Councilmember Blackburn moved to approve the authorization; Councilmember Casper Robinson seconded; the motion passed 6-0.

Daryl Norris, the city’s stormwater engineer, described the two BRIC grant applications as follows: one would fund projects identified in watershed master plans to address recurring flooding in the Trafalgar neighborhood — including culvert improvements and “benching” to reduce standing water — and the other is a scoping grant for Lake Ellsworth Dam to develop an emergency action plan and inundation mapping ahead of potential repairs. Norris cautioned the work would not eliminate all flooding but said it should “minimize it, and lessen the impact to those property owners.”

- Item 9 — Ordinance to amend the manual of fees (EMS and parking fee updates): Jacob Joyner, chief financial officer, presented adjustments to EMS ambulance fees to align with new state rates and parking fee changes to reflect the recently adopted downtown parking plan. Joyner said the basic life-support nonemergency charge drops $25 while other EMS fees change by approximately $5–$10. Parking changes include two-hour free parking, then $0.75 per hour in the parking deck after two hours, and removal of language referring to pay stations. Councilmember Blackburn moved to approve the ordinance change and Councilmember Tanya Forman seconded; the motion passed 6-0.

- Item 10 — Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 7: Jacob Joyner presented Budget Ordinance Amendment No. 7, which recognizes new revenues and reallocates appropriations across multiple funds. Key items the presentation identified: $135,000 in revenues for a downtown beautification project and a disparity study payment from the Greenville Utilities Commission; reallocation of $12,000 from planning to a community development capital project for UDO contract costs; recognition of about $12,000 from the Greenville Utilities Company for an energy improvement fund; reallocation of $307,000 to the engineering capital project fund for street improvements; appropriation of $1.4 million of fund balance in the sanitation fund for an assembly room renovation project; and addition of 2.5 full-time-equivalent positions to recreation/parks with no immediate budgetary impact. Joyner said the overall operating budget for the city stands at about $196,000,000 after the amendment. Councilmember Blackburn moved to adopt the ordinance; Councilmember Portia Willis seconded; the motion passed 6-0.

- Closed session motion: The council voted 6-0 to enter a closed session under North Carolina General Statute § 143-318.11(a)(6) to consider the appointment or conditions of initial employment of public officers or employees and to consult with the city attorney to preserve attorney-client privilege, including instructions concerning the handling or settlement of a claim or judicial or administrative action. The motion to hold the closed session was made on the recommendation of the city attorney and was approved unanimously.

What council discussed, not decided

Councilmembers asked staff for more detail about the BRIC applications and praised the engineering department’s success in securing grant funding to leverage millions of dollars for infrastructure work. Jacob Joyner said the EMS fee changes reflect state-set rates and the parking changes implement the downtown parking plan adopted the previous month.

Documents and next steps

Staff were authorized to proceed with the FEMA BRIC grant filings and to implement the fee and budget ordinance changes as adopted. The closed-session discussion was held under statutory authority; no closed-session outcomes were disclosed in open session during the meeting.