City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. This is Mayor Cyril Jefferson convening a regular meeting of the High Point City Council. Here with me on the dash, we've got every member of council present, including all of our staff. Would you all please join me for a moment of silence and Pledge of Allegiance? Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The first order of business is to adopt our agenda. I'll ask council to take a little time for review. And then when ready, I'll entertain a motion for approval.

So moved.

Second. Motion for approval has been made by Councilman Harmon, second by Councilman Andrew. Any discussion on that motion to adopt our agenda? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and our agenda is adopted. First order of business is our public comment period. We'll ask that those who have registered on our list to sign up to speak, you'll be able to come forward and speak at the podium. We'll ask that during your remarks that you address council, so that way we can hear you and receive your comments and note them. You'll have three minutes to speak. We'll have the timer right there on the wall. I just ask that you note that timer and when it concludes that you finish up your statements. If you are here as a part of a group, we always encourage groups to send a representative so that way we can make sure to get through our list well and be able to hear from everyone who would like to speak during this evening's public comment period. If you did not get a chance to sign up, that's okay. Once we've gone through everyone who's on the list who did sign up, we'll ask if anyone from the crowd would like to speak during public comment period as well. All right, first on our list is Ken Orms.

Good evening. My name is Ken Williams. A May 30th article in the Enterprise states the proposed Senate Bill 889 would block proposed 37.5% increase in the city's overall budget and could force them to cancel funding for 24 firefighter positions. The city manager is quoted saying all of the expansion items, meaning the extra fire positions, the shift training of officers, the pay raises, all of those things would have to come out of the budget if we have to stick with our current tax rate and our current evaluation. That's just plain BS. Eliminating nonexisting firefighting positions is another pathetic attempt to frighten taxpayers and voters. Page 89 of the proposed budget shows fire department staffing and includes only one new administrative position and three part-time fire suppression positions, but absolutely no mention of 24 new firefighters. Pages 48, 49, and 50 show the city clerk's office with a 12% increase, city council 4% increase, city manager's office 7% increase, city attorney 5% increase, administrative expenses for the communications and public engagement a 15% increase, administrative expenses up 6%, Marketing expenses up 4%, economic development up 5%, engineering services up 5%, facility maintenance up 7%, IT services up 6%, communications center up 12%, HR administrative staff 11% higher, financial services up 26%. Police chief's office up 33%. Community engagement expenses up 40%. Fire department administration up 6%. Fire suppression up 24%. Maybe this could be the 24 phantom firefighters the city manager wants to hire. Transportation administration up 11%, planning department $94,000 higher, building inspections up 7%, library expenses up 10%, and the theater. The theater has never made a single penny of profit, yet the administration expenses are up 14%. Ticket sales, concessions, and rentals don't even cover payroll, but they're increasing payroll by 15%. The council requires taxpayers to subsidize the theater $2 million in the new budget. That's 11% of the increase in property tax revenue. And if you go to the theater, all you can hear at the theater is the sound of taxpayer money being flushed down this government toilet. You lie when you say you can't find a way to reduce the number of paper clips or other non-critical expenses. More BS. In closing, the council technically is non-partisan, but state records show six Democrats, two unaffiliated, and one Republican. Tax and spend Democrats control the council, raise their own salaries by 88%, have no idea how to cut expenses, and don't care about taxpayers. 250 years ago, citizens had a tea party because of high taxes. It's time for another tea party where taxpayers vote every one of you out of office. Everyone will be watching you.

Thank you. Next on our list, the first name is Samuel. And I can't make out the last name. Maybe it starts with a U or a W. Yes sir.

Good afternoon. My name is Samuel Whitley, Jr. The address I'm going to use is 809 East Commerce, right down the street. Lord, don't let my mouth say nothing dumb or stupid. Guide my tongue in Jesus' name. Amen. I would like to address this council and murder. We voted in and we stood behind y'all. Now I need y'all to stand behind me. The city is involved in a piece of property that I own that They said it was surveyed to them in 2002. I've been asked by my attorney's chief, and I speak with city manager, but they keep giving me the third one in line. They say speak to city manager so that they can see all this evidence. My dad is staking everything. Everything's been done illegally. I'm still living. They got dead folks in here. 2024 being dead. 30 years. Elizabeth Calvin, they dead. My brother W.D., dead. They cannot sign. They sharing my daddy's estate to the city of High Point. This is not a clear deed. The bank or whoever the finance company lying to y'all got the city in trouble. I would like to clear this up without going to court with it. My time running out. We need to talk. I would like to ask y'all to ask the city manager to speak with me and the attorney. that we can work with this and deal. Now, they done stole a lot of land. I'm not the African American that stayed on Southside and let them do what they did, transfer the legal deed. They ain't getting the 811. Y'all pray for me. Will y'all make a deal that the city managers speak with me and the attorney? And we can handle this without going to court with it. We vote you in, and we'll put you back in there again. We made history when we put y'all in them seats, and we asking y'all to stand behind it. This is wrong.

Thank you. Next on our list is Colleen Allen.

Good evening. My name is Colleen Allen and I'm with the Guilford County Democratic Party. I'm the Regional Vice Chair for the High Point Democratic Precincts in High Point. I'm a voter, I'm a constituent, and I'm a resident of High Point. Moved here from Texas and never looked back. We love it here. But I spoke here last on May 18th, and perhaps you remember my face, and I'm here again to implore consideration for the separation allowance. Today I stand here again asking the same. You're going to hear more extensively from some of my colleagues on this subject, and we ask you to consider how vital the 24 firefighters are. The ones, some of them here today that saved my husband's life a couple of years ago. And how critical the separation allowance is for our high point firefighters. Look at them sitting out here with their families and the immense struggle that they go through not being able to fill that gap pay. We want you, our city council, to know that we as residents and voters know how important this is for our firefighters to be taken care of as they, the firefighters, take care of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Next on our list, Sandra Davis.

Good evening, Council. My name is Sondra Davis, and I am in Precinct H18, and I'm a Super Voter. We're here tonight as Democrats standing with the men and women of the High Point Fire Department, not as a partisan matter, but as a community safety matter. Tonight, this very night, this Council was prepared to adopt a budget. a budget built on lawful county certified re-evaluation a budget that reflected the fiscal reality of high point in twenty twenty six and now because of legislation moving through raleigh that budget is in jeopardy before the ink even dries the state legislature wants to pull the rug out mid process and force high point to govern on the valuation that no longer reflects reality Rolling back to the old tax base costs, this city over 30 million in expected revenue. The city council did its job. The city did its job. High Point firefighters should not pay the price for a political decision made in Raleigh. We urge the council to protect every position in this budget and to send a clear message to Raleigh that High Point will not balance its books on the backs of the people who protect this community. Thank you.

Thank you. Next on the list, Becky Providenzi.

Good evening, my name is Becky Providenti, and I'm a precinct chair for H27B, and I never miss a vote. good evening my colleague just described the fiscal crisis raleigh is threatening to impose on this city tonight i want to tell you what is actually at stake inside that crisis twelve years ago in twenty fourteen the international association of firefighters conducted a formal staffing analysis and provided it to council it identified a clear and documented need eighty firefighters on duty every single day in the city of high point that finding was not acted on It was not the fire chief who finally brought this crisis back to light. It was not the city manager. It was the firefighters themselves, men and women riding understaffed trucks, watching fire companies go out of service. nearly losing their lives on calls where there simply weren't enough hands. They spoke to the media, they spoke to the public, they did it because they love their city, they love the citizens, and they love the job they're hired to do. This council deserves credit for responding. These 24 positions are a meaningful step, and we acknowledge that. But 24 new firefighters still does not guarantee that every fire company leaves the station with four personnel on board. The national standard of four on a truck exists because lives depend on it. There is still work to be done. There are still more positions this department needs to fill. Thank you.

Thank you. Next on our list, Jonathan Perlin. Forgive me if I said your last name incorrectly. Perlin. Okay. Thank you, Mayor.

My name's Jonathan Parlberg. I'm from Michael Holmes Ward. And I'm also here to speak in behalf and in favor of firefighters. You've heard about the $30 million threat from Raleigh. You've heard about 12 years of deferred action on firefighter staffing. I just want to leave you with a path forward. If full implementation of the Firefighter Special Separation Allowance isn't possible this year, and we hope that it is somehow, but given the fiscal uncertainty from Raleigh, it may not be, we would ask the Council to consider a transitional retirement stipend, a targeted bridge benefit for firefighters who are retiring. now this is why this makes fiscal sense when a senior firefighter earning seventy thousand to ninety thousand dollars transitions out A new hire comes in at around $48,000 per year. That salary difference per departure is real budget savings that can partially be reinvested to reward the firefighters who built this department and keep experienced personnel in place longer. So tonight, I just want to ask for three things. Before I do, I just also want to mention thank you to all these firefighters who are out there in the Arendelle community just on Saturday as we had a very nice block party, and they helped to educate children about fire safety. And of course, the children love their fire truck. And I just want to say that we need to understand that these firefighters were children once too. And if we want children to continue to want to be firefighters, we have to show that we respect our firefighters, that we respect the people who are serving this community and love our community. But to continue, we ask three things, protect these 24 positions, advance the SSA or the retirement stipend alternative until it can be established. and commit to continuing this work because 24 positions is not the finish line. The firefighters of High Point did not wait for someone else to fix this. They stood up because they love this city. The least we can do is make sure that love is not met with another 12 years of delay. Thank you very much.

Next on our list is Robert Templeton.

Greetings, Mayor, distinguished council members, Madam Manager. My name is Robert Templeton. I am president of Eye Point Firefighters Association, IFF Local 673. Tonight, I was just made aware prior to my comments that the council is in favor of keeping the 24 safer positions. As you have heard tonight, we've had several people comment on that. This is a very good sign. I know that in times past, we've come in a little maybe aggressive and asking for a lot, but seeing that the council is willing to save those 24 jobs that we've already hired, to see that the council is willing to work with us, I know that we've been pressing very hard for special separation. In my remaining time that I have, I'd like to address that special separation and explain to you guys one last time why this is so crucial. I know you've heard that we had several members that have had cancer. But what I want you guys to remember is Raleigh forces you to take care of your police officers. And when they retire, albeit that they deserve it, when they retire, there's no more bullets, there's no more danger. Their life of service, they earned that benefit. But with a firefighter, that benefit is not extended, and our service is over, but our risk is not. Firefighters have anywhere from 50 to 1,600 times greater risk of cancer. Cancer has now become the highest killer of firefighters. That's beyond fires, collapses, and even heart attacks now. With that being said, you all have passed a 25% increase last year on to firefighters, any city employee who stays on your insurance. We've also seen that it's a 15% increase this year as well. We realize that special separation is something new to each of you. Our neighbors are getting it. And we want you guys to be leaders. We want you guys to extend that to us. When we retire, we need something to bridge that gap. Just like where you guys are having problems with our current budget and what's going on in Raleigh, we have those same issues at home. And unfortunately, we don't have large sums of cash to fix that. So please consider special separation. Please consider doing what's right for our firefighters and keeping us healthy and safe in retirement. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Next on our list is Brian Tolley.

Good evening, council members, mayor, city manager. My name is Brian Tolley. I live at 226 Central Oaks Road in Clemens. However, for 10 days every month, I reside in one of 14 fire stations throughout the city. I've been an employee for the city of High Point Fire Department for 28 years. My career choices afforded me the chance to live out my dream and do the greatest job in the world. During my career, I've been exposed to all manner of chemicals, either during calls or trainings. And unfortunately, every member of our department is exposed every time we put on the personal protective equipment or PPE that we wear to protect ourselves from those situations. Studies have proven that it's laden with carcinogens. This is on top of the continuous abuse our bodies take in mounting, dismounting fire apparatus, working through interrupted sleep schedules, and dealing with constant strains and stresses placed on us during our time on the job. I'm not naive to the fact that my career choice will probably eventually take its toll on me. We do things to our bodies that they're not designed to do. It's already precipitated the complete replacement of my hip this past year. We are asking with the separation allowance that when we leave the department we're able to maintain health care in order to live a full and productive life after retirement. This would give us parity with our counterparts in the police department. It's recognized that they face extremes on their jobs and they've been given this allowance to permit them to retire out while they are still able to enjoy their retirement. We're simply asking for the same opportunity. The firefighters of this city respond whenever the alarm sounds to provide the best possible protection and care for our citizens in their times of need. It's my hope that when our time comes to step away from our careers, we're afforded the same best possible protection and care by the city. Thank you.

Thank you. Next on our list is Louis Thibodeau.

My name is Louis Thibodeau.

I reside at 1242 Kensington Drive, High Point, North Carolina.

Good evening, council, city manager, and those that are here for this meeting. Thank you for coming out. We still live in a free country, and we should come and speak. I'd like to pray for you now, and that prayer is found in Jeremiah 29, 13. which says, you shall seek me and find me when you shall search for me with all your heart. All of us, all of us need a savior. His name is Jesus. And I lift this whole council up, city manager, and everyone else, that we look to God for wisdom. He knows our being. He knows who we are. And I pray that you'll seek him with wisdom. I know it's been said, Raleigh, but, you know, Raleigh might have a part in this, but citizens and our city council also has a part. So I thank you for that. We all need God as our Savior and Lord. My prayer for each one of you is that you hear the sound of my voice, that you may know that God's son Jesus came to save us. To our city council, I hope you all gave it much thought of what I spoke on the last time I was here. The firemen were here, and we have police here. When is the last time you took a ride? to know what they actually face each and every day. You know, I read the weekend article about the firemen, and I said, won't that hurt our insurance rates? So it's more than one view. There's many views that this can affect, and if that is true that we're going to hold off on that, that's great. I think we should. One thing a neighbor asked me to ask when I saw him yesterday, he said, Lewis, I can't go to the meeting, but can you ask, can we do something about the people standing in the middle of traffic? So I asked that question. Maybe do what Greensboro does. They put up signs, do not stand here. I'm not a policeman. And I'm not on city council, but please try to get something happen before the city is sued because somebody is hurt and killed. Thank you.

Next on our list, Rebecca Dobbins.

Thank you. Good afternoon and evening, Mayor and City Council. So I'm here representing the Greater High Point Food Alliance. My residence is 325 Deerfield Drive, High Point. So I'm here today to bring attention to the growing food insecurity crisis impacting families across High Point and Guilford County. I want to thank you for your continued leadership, support, and commitment to our residents of High Point. But I also want to let you know our community is reaching a critical breaking point, and local food assistance organizations are struggling to keep up with rapidly increasing demand. So since 2022, partner agencies with Second Harvest Food Bank have experienced a 146% increase in neighbors seeking assistance. So that translates to, in 2022, 8 835 individuals to now in 2025 21 749 so you multiply that repeatedly month over month and year over year for what our pantries are seeing they just can't keep up recent snap regulation and eligible eligibility changes implemented in 2025 continuing this year have created additional hardship for many north carolina families Across the state, there's been a 19% decrease in residents receiving SNAP benefits. No, that decline does not represent reduced need. It just represents hardworking families falling through the cracks despite continued financial hardship. So as grocery costs, as we all know, housing expenses, transportation, utilities, and medical costs continue to rise, families are forced to make impossible choices between food and putting food on their table or paying bills. And data from Second Harvest Food Bank also in 2025 found that more than 56% of households seeking food assistance identified their primary source of income as full-time employment part-time employment, or social security benefits. Many of our neighbors seeking assistance are working families, seniors, and individuals living on fixed incomes who simply can't keep up with the cost of living. At the center of this crisis are local nonprofit organizations and community leaders who continue stepping forward every day to fill critical gaps in services and support. Many nonprofits are being asked to do more than ever before while facing their own significant challenges, including operational costs, volunteer shortages, funding uncertainty, donor fatigue, and increased demand for services. Despite these obstacle lows, they show up every single day. and they are serving our community every single day with compassion and innovation and unwavering commitment. So we're thankful to y'all, our community partners, our faith communities, volunteers, and donors, but especially the nonprofit organizations that continue working tirelessly to uplift the families and strengthen our community. Their leadership and service are crucial to the health, resilience, and well-being of High Point. So food insecurity is not an isolated issue. It's impacting working families, children, seniors, veterans, and neighbors across every area of High Point. So we ask that you continue prioritizing collaboration, advocacy, and solutions at Strength in Food Access. We at the Food Alliance will promise to continue to advocate for our partners and our neighbors in need. Thank you. Thank you.

Is there anyone else who wishes to speak during public comment period? Please state your name and address for the record. You have three minutes to address council.

Yes, Mayor. My name is Michael Goldman. I live at 1283 Westminster Drive, High Point, North Carolina. Good evening, City Council. I'm here to respectfully request a reconsideration of the current position on e-foil use at Ocala Lake. An e-foil is an electrically powered surf foil that operates quietly, produces no waste, and has minimal environmental impact. In many ways, it aligns closely with existing permitted activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, windsurfing, and other forms of foiling, including pump foiling, wing foiling. and wake foiling. I would also like to point out that wake surfing, wake boarding, and water skiing are also permitted at Ocala Lake. Over the past several months, I've made multiple efforts to better understand the policy and to present information about this activity, including offering to provide a demonstration to address any safety or operational concerns. I was told that e-foiling is not explicitly banned, but also not permitted. and later informed that my request would not be considered. This has been discouraging, particularly given the openness to comparable activities already allowed on the lake. Many municipalities throughout the United States have begun allowing e-foils and similar electric watercraft under reasonable guidelines, recognizing their low environmental impact and compatibility with other recreational users. In these cases, local agencies have implemented common sense measures such as designated areas, safety requirements, or pilot programs to evaluate usage before broader adoption. These examples demonstrate that it is possible to responsibly integrate new recreational technologies while maintaining safety and preserving shared spaces. As a High Point resident and taxpayer, I value our community's growth and reputation as an inclusive and forward-thinking place, welcoming safe, environmentally friendly recreational options like e-foiling could support that vision while maintaining the integrity of lake management. I respectfully ask that the City Council work with Parks and Recreation to reconsider this position or establish a clear consistent policy regarding e-foil use. I would welcome the opportunity to meet, share additional information, or provide a live demonstration to help inform your evaluation. Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate your service to the community and hope we can work together toward a more constructive solution.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Does anyone else wish to speak during public comment period? Now I'll go ahead and close public comment period and say thank you to everyone who did take time to come out and share with us your comments are all noted. Thank you so much. Next order of business is our consent agenda. I ask council to take a few minutes to review what's in our consent agenda and then when ready we'll entertain a motion for approval. Motion to approve. Second. Motion has been made by Councilman Holmes to approve our consent agenda. Second made by Mayor Proctor and Peters. Any discussion on the motion to approve our consent agenda? Any none. All those in favor, please certify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it and our consent agenda is approved. Under general business, item 2026-184, consideration of appointments to the Citizens Advisory Council. Council has requested to confirm appointments of Kelly Jenkins and Bobby Williams to Citizens Advisory Council with terms effective immediately and expiring May 31, 2028. Is Ms. Jenkins or Mr. Williams here this evening?

I don't see them. No.

They're not. They're not here. All right. I'll go ahead and make a motion for approval. Is there a second?

Second.

Second is recognized to Councilman Johnson. Any discussion on the motion to approve these appointments?

Quick discussion, Mr. Mayor. As a CAC liaison, may I have clarification on which wards these individuals are representing, please?

That is a good question. Do we know right off the bat, Madam Clerk? Kelly Jenkins is Ward 4.

And Bobby Williams is Ward 2.

Very good. Thank you. If they're coming from your ward, I thought you would have said that with a little more excitement. I had multiple applications. That was very exciting, right, to have to choose. Councilman Andrew, any further discussion on that? Thank you. All right. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and those appointments are approved. Welcome, and thank you for your service. Next is item 2026-185. Council has requested to confirm the reappointment of Carl Verling and Courtney Mickens to Citizens Advisory Council. Terms effective immediately and expiring May 31, 2028. Is Mr. Verling or Ms. Mickens here this evening?

Go ahead.

In light of the question that Councilman Andrew asked- I'm familiar with those individuals. Familiar, okay, all right. I'll go ahead and make a motion to approve. Is there a second? I'll second. Thank you. I recognize Council Member McKeever on that second. Any discussion on this motion? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes. Prior to adjournment, are there any announcements from the dais?

Well, this Saturday, we have Social Saturday in downtown High Point. Downtown High Point Inc. puts it on as a free trolley rod throughout the downtown and up through the uptown. And it's a lot of fun and a lot of children's activities, just activities for everyone. So please try to enjoy.

Thank you, Monica. Or Mayor Fortin, Peter, sorry. Any other announcements? I'll say congrats to all the graduates who will be graduating from our school systems over the next couple of weeks. A lot of high school graduates who are going on. I probably also didn't say congrats to all the college graduates as well and all the parents who are paying extra tuition bills come this fall. If there's no other order of business, I'll go ahead and entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved.

Second. Thank you.

Motion's been made by Councilmember Holmes, seconded by Councilmember Andrew. Any discussion on the motion to adjourn? All right. Our next meeting, y'all, will be in two weeks, June 15th. That's when we'll actually discuss the budget again and vote for approval. All those in favor of adjournment of our meeting, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes.