Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge housing investment, donations for homeless services and raise tax and records complaints
Summary
During public comment, business owner Nicholas Bouboulis pitched affordable housing and training partnerships, Tanyu Marshall promoted community events and asked for help collecting sewer‑grant surveys and toiletries for a recovery center, Gwendolyn Woods criticized rising property taxes for seniors, and Quarla Blackwell alleged an unlawful removal from a prior meeting and outstanding public records.
Several residents addressed the council during the citizen comment period on June 16, raising community and procedural concerns.
Nicholas Bouboulis, speaking for Nico’s Enterprises, said he hoped to pursue urban renewal and affordable housing development in Kinston and described plans for rehabilitating homes and providing workforce and life‑skills training, saying his goal was "giving them a hand up, not a handout. Education is very important." Tanyu Marshall thanked volunteers for a Carolina Hurricanes watch party at Grainger Stadium, announced Growing Generations’ June 27 donation to the homeless shelter, and asked council members and familiar community members to help complete surveys tied to a $3,000,000 sewer grant because residents were wary of strangers coming to their doors.
Gwendolyn Woods spoke about sharply higher property taxes affecting seniors and said a 90‑year‑old client faced about $1,800 per year in taxes, expressing frustration that county reserves appeared robust while seniors felt forced to return to work. Quarla Blackwell alleged she had been unlawfully removed from the June 2 meeting "without warning, without cause, without any lawful basis," citing N.C. Gen. Stat. 143‑318.17’s removal standard; she also said public records requests to the Planning Director had gone unanswered for two months and warned she would add that failure to a pending lawsuit. Mayor Moore invited Ms. Woods to continue the conversation privately and City Clerk Debra Thompson confirmed there were no further citizen speakers.
Why it matters: public comment highlighted local interest in housing investment and humanitarian assistance, raised concerns about the impact of tax increases on seniors, and included a procedural allegation about removal from a prior meeting and alleged delays in public records production.
