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 at the dais, we have every member of council present for this meeting, save Council Member McKeever. We also have our Madam Manager, Madam Attorney, and Madam Clerk with us as well. Prior to beginning our meeting, we actually ask that you all join us for a moment of silence and pledge of allegiance.

Amen. 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.

Prior to beginning this evening's meeting, I'll ask if there is a motion to adopt our agenda. In fact, I'll go ahead and note that there is a minor addition to our agenda. It is agenda item.

C11. C11.

Agenda item C11 under consent agenda will be pulled into our general business agenda. Save that. Are there any other changes that need to be made to our agenda? So go ahead and let us know. a motion to adopt our agenda with those stated changes. So moved.

Second.

Motion to adopt our agenda has been made by Councilmember Holmes, seconded by Councilmember Johnson. Any discussion on the motion to adopt our agenda? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it. And that motion passes.

Yeah.

We've got one special recognition for this evening.

And I'm going to ask that Ms. Madeline Richardson, if you'll come up and join me.

Telephone, my name is Madeline Richardson, I'm 12 years old, and I'm super grateful to be here today, and I have a platform called Your Big Day, and I help kids that struggle with childhood anxiety. I've been doing it since I was six years old, all because of my friend Elias. He had really, really bad anxiety, so I told him that tomorrow would be your big day, Now he's self confident and he's just a very good, he's a very good person to be around and he's very inspiring.

Madeline, this city is very proud of you. And we want to take a moment to present you with this certificate to let you know that we are so proud.

And also I'm gonna read something, is that okay? All right, so tonight it is my privilege to recognize an outstanding young woman from our community, Madeline Maddie Richardson. Maddie is a proud High Point native whose dedication to serving others has made a meaningful impact, both here at home and across our state. Through her platform, Your Big Day, Maddie has devoted thousands of hours to community service, championing youth mental wellness, donating thousands of books to children, and representing the City of High Point with pride throughout North Carolina and across the nation. Her passion for literacy, service, and encouraging young people demonstrates the kind of leadership that strengthens our community

and our great city of Hockney. We thank you for your service.

We thank you for your leadership and for being such an outstanding ambassador for our city. We wish you continued success as you inspire others to make a positive impact wherever you're going to take you.

Congratulations. I want to ask all of us to know that Maddie's working very, very hard, but this is Mrs. Richardson. And from what I understand, I met Mrs. Richardson last week, and as I was talking with him and wanting to understand and want to learn more about the great work that Maddie's doing, he said, well, really, we should talk some more about Mrs. Richardson. None of this is possible. So we want to celebrate you as well. I know you've got another comment, too, so if you want, I'll ask. When did you win your competition?

I won in June.

June. So we went to Texas.

And she competed against so many girls. And for the first time, brought the title back to work.

And remind everyone of the title. It is Miss Universe Free. Miss Universe Free. Thank you.

Next order of business is our public comment period. Persons who have signed our register are given this opportunity to speak, taking an order in which they are listed. Others who wish to speak who maybe didn't get a chance to register can still speak during this period. Comments are limited to three minutes. We ask that when you come to the podium that you state your name, state your address, and let us know the subject. on which you plan to speak. If a large number of folks are present, feel free to send a person of your choosing as a representative to speak on behalf of your group. We'll also ask that you make your comments directly to counsel during this period. I do want to note that we have a public hearing later on in the agenda for text amendment 26-2 flood insurance rate maps. You're here for that public hearing. We will have that later on in the meeting. So this period is purely public comment as we do once a month, every month. So with that said, first listed here is John Hayes. right here, right? Yes, sir.

John Hayes, 4214 Ocala Drive. I would like to ask the council to make an amendment to the city statutes, or whatever the correct name is, to allow the regulated deer hunting by bow on private property. I've been in the same house for 45 years in this city. And each year the deer have gotten more and more of a nuisance. And the problem is there's nothing to control them. And they're more and more tame. They eat my stuff. They eat all my neighbor's stuff. They mess all in my yard. The people walking the dogs pick up the mess, but my backyard is full of deer mess. And so to me, they carry disease and they're getting more and more plentiful. And so there needs to be some mechanism to control them. So the city needs something to allow that. My understanding from talking to a police officer today is that the city of High Point prohibits the discharge of a firearm in the city. And they call a bow a firearm. They call a BB gun a firearm. It's what I was told, which was a big surprise. But to me, bow hunting, it can be controlled and safe. And a lot of cities allow it just for this problem. And the state even has a program. But the high point law I guess overrides that or something. Anyway, it's called the state's urban archery program. So some cities already do this. But the number of deer just keeps getting bigger. They get more tame, and they're just a nuisance, and they tear up things. And it's not just me, it's many, many people. If you own a little piece of, I don't have 100 acres, I have a half acre, which is more than enough to try to maintain. They've cost me many, many, many hours of extra work. They've destroyed stuff and they just keep coming and they get more in number. So what's the mechanism? I stated that, now what happens when I walk out? I have no clue. Anybody, can somebody tell me?

Our team takes down those comments. And I can tell you that this has actually been shared as a concern once before. And so it's something that we're taking down. And ultimately, when we know where the public falls on things like this, we ask our team to move on it and bring recommendations back to Congress.

Is there some way I can kind of keep up whether or not you've taken any action without having to come here every meeting? Or what's the mechanism for me to kind of know whether you're able to do anything? I hope you are.

Yeah, you said Oakview or Ocala. Would you say you are? Where are you located again?

4214 Ocala Drive. Ocala State's the other side of Ocala. Oh, Ward 5.

So I tell you what, Councilman Andrew might be the most responsive council member on this dais.

My hearing is terrible, so I'm not going to catch you.

What I was saying is Councilman Andrew, who represents your ward, might be the most responsive council member on this dais. So what he'll do is he'll get you a card, and we'll make sure that you all stay connected.

Yep, thank you.

All right, next on our list, Keith Furr.

Hello, my name is Keith Furr. I live at 116 Marywood Drive, what is currently 116 Marywood Drive, here to talk about a proposed address change for Marywood. Now, this happened five years ago when they built a new house. They had six of the different units had to change their addresses, and they were told that would never happen again. Now, we were not affected by that. We didn't live there. But 12 of us had got a notice in the mail on June 30th that we are going to have to change our address, essentially effective September 1st. We were told we're moving. We have two months to figure it out. It wasn't kind. I don't think any people I've talked to at the planning committee or with the city council have... meant to make it an issue, but we propose that there be a change to the way that the notices are sent, and even propose that there not be a notice sent until there's an inspection of occupancy, until that certificate's done. Because right now, they were given a permit for resident construction, And once that was done, that's what triggered us getting a notice that we were moving. Right now it is just a lot. There is no house being built there. There is no progress of a house being built. So we're asked to change for something that doesn't look like it will be taking effect in any amount of... In the last two months, there's not even been any progress in that amount of time. So if we get that wording change, it could give us time to potentially work with the city council to come up with a solution that maybe even prevent us from having to change at all, would be our proposal.

Okay.

Thank you for sharing that with us.

Thank you so much. We'll make note of that. Thank you.

That's my word, yes. Talk to Mr. Furr a couple times.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. Next on our list, Heidi Majors.

Good evening, Mayor and members of City Council and Manager Logan Ford. My name is Heidi Majors and tonight I'm actually here on behalf of One Sector, One Voice Triad, which is a group that focuses on nonprofits and raising awareness about the important work of nonprofits. I do serve as the Executive Director of the YWCA High Point located at 155 West Westwood. As we approach National Nonprofit Day on August the 17th, I'd like to just recognize the nonprofit organizations that strengthen our organization every day. Each year, nonprofit organizations contribute to more than $19.4 billion in goods and services to our Piedmont Tribe's economy. That impact is possible because nonprofits work alongside local government, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, faith communities, and residents to solve problems that no one sector can solve alone. Many of you were recently at the United Way annual meeting last week where you heard Lizbeth talk about her nonprofit experience and how nonprofits helped her along her journey. From Boys and Girls Clubs supporting her while she was in elementary school to communities in schools, providing her mentorship and providing the path towards reaching her college desires, to then moving into, while she was a Bonner, being a Bonner from High Point University at the community clinic, and later coming to work for the YWCA and mentoring our youth that we do. She now today is a media representative for ABC45 and is through the community nonprofits to collectively meeting individuals at different stages of their lives to support and provide further assistance. This story reminds us that collaboration isn't simply a good idea. It's how communities come together to lift up our residents and solve the most complex challenges. The partnerships that I've described is one example happening every day across our region. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations are working alongside local government and community partners to improve the lives of the people we serve. As we together in High Point, North Carolina and Guilford County recognize National Nonprofit Day, thank you for your partnership with the nonprofit sector. and for recognizing that nonprofits simply are not just providers, but essential partners in building stronger communities. As you all tonight look to vote on the community-based organizations, I thank you for your support of the many different organizations in this community. And on behalf of that, let's join together and make us even stronger here in High Point. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next on our list is Louis Thibodeau.

Good evening. My name is Louis Thibodeau. I reside at 1242 Kensington Drive, High Point. Good evening, Mayor, City Council, and those that are here. Let me pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this day. And dear God, I thank you for this city. And I thank you for the leaders that are here to help things done for us as citizens. Dear God, the many decisions they have to make, I pray that you will guide them, give them your wisdom, and dear God, that they will seek you. In your son's name I pray, amen. Amen. The title is Where He Leads, I Will Follow. Luke 5, chapter 5, verse 5 says, I will do as you say. I've come here several months, every month, not to bring issues, but to pray for each one of you. I believe there are some here that maybe don't feel that way of following Jesus, but know it's real. And we just did the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation under God. In the Bible, the first words are, in the beginning, God created. And that's why I'm here, and that's why I've been here. I just wanted you to know that I feel God calling me to something else, and I just wanted you to know that I've really, really, really been thankful to be able to come before you and pray for you. God is real, and my prayer for you today is that you will see God. You will see he's real, and then you make that decision. It's not for me to persuade you of anything, but to give you God's word, and he is real, and he loves each one of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, we have Patricia King.

Good evening. My name is Patricia King, 112 Marywood Drive. I'm here to speak about the issue of the address changes on Marywood. I'm going to speak about some of the issues that we're facing. We're going to have to change the addresses in our bank accounts, order new checks to go with our bank accounts. Some households have multiple bank accounts. Change the address on our credit cards. Change the address on loans, mortgages, deeds of trust. Change the address on our driver's license at a cost of $16.75 per person. Change the address on vehicle registrations, $25.50 plus $10 notary fee per vehicle. Change the address for such things as NC Quick Pass. Change the address on our voter registration. This is really important because If we want to be able to vote on the November 3rd election, we have to have our voter registration changed by October the 8th. Change the address for all of our acquaintances, family members, and friends who send us mail. Change addresses for all deliveries, subscriptions, packages. People are already struggling finding the houses on our street because the numbers are not, they don't make any sense. And we're all the time getting other people's mail and other people's packages. Change the address at our pharmacies, change the address for medical providers, change the address at our schools, change the address for EMS and 911. And there's precedent of using half numbers, so calling it 110 and a half or 110B. so that the rest of us don't have to go through all this hassle of making all these changes at our own expense. We're not being offered any kind of compensation by the city or by the developer to compensate us for the time and trouble that this is going to cause. There's also an issue, and this may be addressing something not necessarily for you all, more for the zoning, but the creek that runs through our backyard. I live right next door to this vacant lot. The creek that runs back through our backyard is not in a flood plain. However, it floods just about every year. We have a retaining wall that's six feet high on our property down to the creek. And then we have another retaining wall which they've used a tremendous amount of fill dirt to get our lot to be buildable. Another retaining wall that's about five feet tall. And the water has come all the way up over both retaining walls up to our back door. So when I look at that lot next door that doesn't have the retaining walls that we have, I'm looking at that and I'm thinking the water is just going to, you know, just completely destroy whatever thing they might try to build there unless they do a lot of work to try to build things up. And I feel like that it would be best to offer us time, more time to get the number changed or come up with another alternative for how to handle this new property if the house ever gets built there. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Let me just clarify. Council Member Harmon, we shared details about restrictions from the Postmaster General with the residents at Marywood.

Yeah, with Mr. Furr, yes.

Mr. Furr, did you pass that along to your neighbors?

not being in support of the current statute. Now, there's nothing in the city ordinance that I was able to find that says that. It seems like the Postmaster General has some other ordinance that he has fallen and says it's not allowed. But I do think there is a way that we could come up with some kind of wording or lettering that would allow the e-mails. Or we, again, delay while we continue to think about this. We don't have to have a September 1st address change for a building that is currently not in construction. It is delayed. So it's an occupancy where someone needs to have e-mail there and is able to have it.

Yeah, let our staff consider what a timeline looks like. The Postmaster General's restrictions are not only on half numbers, there's also on letters and some other pieces. And we don't control the Postmaster General. Just to be clear, Postmaster General is a federal position. And so while we could set addresses all day long, you may not get mail regardless if we go against the restrictions. So thank you for that.

Yeah, okay.

I tell you what, thank y'all. We're going to check on those. Thank y'all. Sorry. We normally don't do that. I was trying to be really courteous because I care about your issue. So let me, we'll check on it. Thank y'all.

All right. Next we have Kerry Thompson.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Carrie Thompson. I reside at 5318 Montemistro Drive in Greensboro. I'm here to represent Family Room Foster Care Resource Center that is at 204 Southwest Gate Drive. But eventually we hope to be annexed into High Point when we are able to own our own building. Thank you. So tonight I just wanted to give you guys an update on where Family Room has been. Did you all receive this?

Yes.

Yes. Okay. Yes. So this is our impact report from last year, 2025. Those of you that have been to our resource center and got the tour and the explanation in great detail about what we do have probably received this before. 2026 has been even busier. So family room is here to support families that foster and children in foster care. We fill the gap between when a child comes into foster care and when the financial support from the state, the county, and the federal government, the financial support is given to the foster parents. Tonight I want to share with you guys an update on Guilford County. A couple of months ago, one of our staff members came and shared with you that Guilford County, a few months ago, rose into the position of the county with the most children in foster care. It was around 720. This past week, we had a Guilford County social worker that came to visit us and brought two children. He brought those kids in to get items for them because they couldn't find a home for the kids in Guilford County. So they had to be taken to a group home in another county. And he shared with me that Guilford County is now over 800 kids in foster care. I asked him to explain the situation to us. Our staff are always wondering, is that kids that live in Guilford County or kids that came into foster care in Guilford County? That's it. So we have a lot of kids that will come into foster care in Guilford County, and then they have to be sent to another county because we don't have enough homes. We also have kids that come into foster care from another county and they end up getting placed here in Guilford County. That 800 doesn't count those kids. So family room fills a huge gap for kids if they come in and most of the time they don't have clothes, they don't have shoes, they don't have toys, they don't have beds, they don't have car seats. Think all the things, if your child or your grandchild came into foster care today and was placed in a home with nothing but the clothes on their back, what those kids would need. That's what family room does. So I just encourage you all to look over this, recognize that this year's numbers are much higher. We have had record numbers this year. As of year to date right now, we have served 464 kids as they entered a new foster home. regardless of where they live, whether they land in Guilford County or they're from Guilford County and they end up in another county. We're here to serve them. 53 counties so far. Thank you. Thank you.

Next, we have Michelle Shahidian. I don't know if I said it correctly. Yeah.

Good evening, Michelle Shahidian, 2427 Addison Boulevard. I'm here to talk to you tonight about a common endeavor, and this message is from the Baha'is of the United States. It's an invitation for thoughtful conversation, especially all of us in the public sector or nonprofits. So the founding of our country was based on ideals like freedom, equality, and justice that reflect deep, shared human aspirations. Generations have labored to realize these ideas and to build a more perfect union where all can flourish. In this common endeavor, we have experienced progress and accomplishments, but also setbacks and crises. People across the country are reflecting on this history during a critical juncture in the life of our society. Many Americans, exhausted and disillusioned by polarization and conflict, are feeling anger, despair, and apathy. Discourse in the public sphere largely feeds us anxiety, and such narratives often obscure a widespread desire to transcend division. In this time of challenge, we need spaces where we can pause, reflect, and listen to others with openness and goodwill. And we invite you to one of our public discourses on Wednesday, September 9th, 12 p.m., with one of our strategic partners, DUP. We have monthly inspirational gatherings where we will kind of discuss this message and also have that open discourse. So we thank you for your consideration.

Thank you.

We do have copies. We'd like to leave with the city clerk.

Thank you. Great.

Thank you.

Next on our list, is it Lindsey Bean? Forgive me if I say your last name incorrectly. Okay.

My name is Lindsay Bean. I live at 121 Green Valley Road in Greensboro. I'm here to talk about family room as well. I'm one of the board members. And in your annual impact report, there is a letter from a foster parent. And please forgive me. I am that cheesy person who always cries. But this letter is pretty heartfelt. So the foster parent wrote, We weren't ready for the new placements. In fact, we previously told our social worker we needed a break. But when a referral came for five siblings who were all likely to be separated, we immediately knew we couldn't let the oldest two boys be split up. The boys showed up at our door just a few hours later. I said yes because I knew family room would make sure we had what we needed, especially beds. If I'd known the beds were available, I probably would have said no. If I hadn't known they were available, I probably would have said no. These brothers would have been separated. I'm so glad that I was able to keep them together. They walked into our home for the first time to see me putting together their brand new beds and were immediately appreciative. The bunk beds represented the first time these kids had ever had their own beds to sleep in. They were so excited to have their own space. They were given an immediate sense of belonging. They were also covered in scars from bed bugs and were grateful that they had clean beds to sleep in without bugs or roaches. They thanked me for beds, not making the Mitchie every day for the first week they were here. They've been here for four months now, and they still thank me for the beds occasionally. I'm not going to, you guys can read it. I'm not going to read it anymore. I was a teacher, special education for eight years. What we do to allow these kids to be, people to say yes, to get these kids into a safe space is so important. And so just, sorry, I feel very cheesy, but it is a really big deal. And it's a really great cause. And thank you for your time and for listening.

Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak during public comment period? If so, come forward, state your name and address for the record. And you have three minutes to address counsel.

Hi, my name is Mike Crenn. I'm with Benchmade Ventures. We're a small development firm. We recently developed the Spring Hill Suites just a few blocks from here. It came to my attention a few days ago that the city is entertaining a proposal to sell a strategic publicly owned parcel to another hotel developer about 800 feet away from our site. And as you guys are considering that, I just wanted to call attention to a few things. One is My question would be, you know, the council's question should be, is that the highest and best use of that limited strategic parcel? If you've done your due diligence on that and your feasibility, and the answer to that is yes, my next question would be, is there an opportunity to support the existing developers in this market, the people who have invested heavily in High Point already? I think this is an opportunity to support existing developers, not just us, but anybody who's put money into the city and I think that bodes well for the future when new developers come in that they feel like they're gonna be supported by the city and by the council, I think that's productive. And then lastly, also just call attention to the fact that we also, if a hotel is the highest and best use, the things to consider are execution risk, making sure that hotel gets built, making sure that it's successful once it is built. I think we have a proven track record on both of those fronts. We built the High Point Hotel at a time when hotel supply after COVID was down 70% nationwide. We successfully got it done. Since it's opened, it is the highest rated guest satisfaction score in the Marriott system in the state of North Carolina. We've performed on both of those fronts, and we have also submitted a proposal to also purchase that same property at a 20% premium to the existing proposal that was publicly shared and start the construction on that one year sooner. So thank you for considering those factors in our proposal. That's all. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak during public comment period? All right, then I'll go ahead and close the public comment period and say thank you to everyone who took time to come and share with council. All comments are noted, and we work diligently with our staff to make sure that we can review, research, and respond to all the requests I brought forward. So thank you all so much. Next is our consent agenda. And just as a reminder, we do have one item, item C11, that was pulled out of that consent agenda. And so our consent agenda includes all items aside from that. Is there a motion to approve our consent agenda? Second. Motion is recognized. Mayor Pro Tem Peters, second to Councilman Andrew. Any discussion on our consent agenda? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes. Next is general business. We have item 2026-273. This is a public hearing regarding text amendment 26-02, flood insurance rate maps. Council's request is to conduct a public hearing and consider approval of text amendment 26-02, amending section 6.4.1 of the development ordinance to update flood insurance rate maps referenced in the ordinance in accordance with FEMA requirements. At this time, I'll go ahead and open the public hearing, and I'll recognize Mr. Samuel Hennett, senior planner, to present. Thank you.

All right, thank you very much, Mayor and Council. My name is Sam Hennett, Senior Planner with the Planning and Development Department. I wanted to take just a brief minute just to go through kind of a synopsis of where we are in a time frame. So FEMA regularly updates the firm maps roughly every 15 years or so. We're just a bit behind schedule due to Helene. FEMA is assisted in that by working directly with the state of North Carolina. That is a local delegated authority, so they actually do floodplain administration as far as inspecting local jurisdictions such as our own. This process is not a new one. It did initiate back in 2022. And with that 2022 date, the preliminary flood maps were leased by the state to the communities in Guilford County. In 2023, local government community officials met with the state to discuss the preliminary flood map adoption process and Guilford County held a public open house on July the 25th of 2023 to provide information and obtain feedback on the preliminary maps. The 90-day The appeal and comment period began in December 2024 and ended in March of 2025. FEMA issued a letter of final determination after reviewing all appeals and comments in December 2025. This now marks the start of the six-month compliance period for each local government in Guilford County to adopt the new flood maps and update their local flood damage prevention ordinances. We were provided notification that we have an extended period through August. So Guilford County, they did go ahead and adopt the flood maps on May the 7th of this year, and the effective date is technically June the 10th of 2026. One of the questions that we get asked is why are the flood maps being updated? And so one of the general responses that we get is that flood modeling does change. New built upon area is provided within our community and other communities across the US that will affect the impervious surface area. And so that means that water cannot get through to the ground. So there's more runoff. There's less infiltration into the ground. And so that also impacts the physical conditions of streams as they also change over time. LIDAR technology used to gather topographic contour data also has improved, and so better data means newer maps. We also are very well aware of more intense storm events that have been occurring more frequently, and so this too adds to it. So these are just some of the reasons the map floodplain and the base flood elevations can change over time. So Planning and Zoning Commission heard this item at its July 25th meeting and recommended approval of text amendment 2602 by a vote of 620. Staff recommends approval of this text amendment and the consistency and reasonableness statement that was adopted by the P&Z Commission is available in the staff report.

Thank you so much for that. At this time, as I review our sign-in sheet, we don't have anyone present to speak during this public hearing, but is there anyone from the public who wishes to speak specifically on this item? Okay. To be clear, anyone from the dais have any questions for staff?

I just have a comment that you can, if you Google FEMA and flood maps, you can look at your property and see if anything's changed. It might be important, particularly on Murraywood, apparently. I want to see if that creek has changed. Just Google it and look it up. It's important to do.

Thank you.

Anyone else from DICE? Comments or questions?

Seeing that there's no one here to speak during this public hearing, apologies, and that there are no questions, I'll go ahead and close the public hearing. I'll make a motion to approve this item. Does it need a reasonableness and consistency statement? Okay. Then I make a motion to approve this with our standard reasonableness and consistency statement. That is in the staff report. Is there a second? No second. Councilman Johnson's got my back. Councilman Johnson is our second. Any discussion on this item? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes. Thank you so much. Our next item, we'll go a little out of order here. If you'll just give me a moment. We'll go a little out of order. We're actually going to pull forward for general business the item that was pulled out of consent, item C11. If you're following along, this is an item to consider. Make sure I get it correctly. Consideration of a resolution authorizing the conveyance of city-owned property and approving the agreement of purchase and sell. So we'll go ahead and have that item and ask if there is any discussion. We'll actually ask if there's a motion and then we'll take discussion.

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to adopt the resolution to approve the agreement of purchase and sale of Terra Investments for 305 and 315 North Elm Street with the following two amendments. One, to amend the purchase price to $1.2 million, and two, to amend the resale provision in Section 9.2B to begin construction within four years.

Okay. There's a motion made by Councilmember Andrews. Is there a second? Second. Second made by council member Williams. Uh, any discussion on this motion?

The second, second, uh, clarification that you made the wording of read the wording of that again, the time to amend the resale provision in section 9.2 B to begin construction within four years.

Are we also amending the timeline for completion to 48 months? You don't mind, Madam Attorney, clarifying for us?

When we looked at the purchase and sale agreement, the reference was to commencing construction within four years is what the change will be. Okay.

But for clarification, that is the outer limit? That's right. The goal is to have it done much faster?

That is the outside limit that if that is not met, if construction is not commenced, then it would be the resale back to the city at that point. So certainly development milestones would be met hopefully ahead of that time frame.

To be clear, the completion timeline that would stay in the agreement, is there any indication about a completion timeline based on that? Okay.

So this is the letter of intent, correct? So if when the actual contract is set for purchase, multiple things could change and be reset within that, just not this letter of intent?

What you have before you is the agreement of purchase and sale. Okay, so this is the contract.

This is the contract.

And the one that is in your agenda packet, right now the two amendments are to the purchase price for 1.2 million and then to the section related to beginning construction changing. Originally they were to begin within five years and now they're to begin within four years. Okay.

Any questions from council or any discussion on this item? Any additional questions or discussion?

Would there be language to Councilman Andrews' point on this time window? I know the intent is to begin within, but is there worrying that could be more tying to an earlier start date?

Councilmember Moore, in the original letter of intent, the five-year period is what was originally agreed to and proposed. We have shortened that by a year to the four years. Good. There is no language specifically that ties the developer to start sooner, but in the conversations that we have had with our investments to date, their goal is to start as soon as possible. And that's what they communicated. But in terms of the actual language and the terms that are in the purchase and sale agreement, it would be going from the original five years down to four years. Twenty percent?

Yes. All right. Thank you for the clarification. Yes, sir.

Any further discussion or questions? I'll make a brief comment that this government, roughly a little less than a decade ago, made the very bold decision to move forward with core city revitalization. And along that way, this government has quite frankly benefited from a lot of good partners who are invested in that same mission, in that same aim. And working with our partners, we've been able to, I think, make real strides that we're proud of in terms of moving our downtown forward. This decision is in that same vein. It is a decision to keep moving our downtown forward. with confidence to the comments made earlier about doing due diligence and research and studying. I want the public to know that there has been quite a bit of deliberation on this, quite a bit of research done on this, to the vetting of who we're going into agreement with. If you look up and check out some of the work, I think you'd find that proof of concept has been established and that this is a well-vetted partner that we look forward to working with. I don't want it lost on us, said more plainly a decade ago that had you said someone who's done high-end hotel development in other places around this country would seek out this government and say that we're interested in coming to work with you, had you mentioned that a decade ago, folks would have surely said, yes, that's one of our objectives. We want to see that. Because speaking plainly, a decade ago, we did not have that. A decade ago, the core of our city saw property values declining, and we knew that we had to do something to continue to move forward. And so that is a commendation and commending to the folks who did the very hard work to start that catalyst project. And this is us continuing in that same trajectory. We appreciate the very hard work of our staff, who have spent countless hours on this trying to make sure that it makes a lot of sense. And if I could speak plainly, we wish this developer and all developers and partners in this city well. So that way we continue to see that doing business in High Point is a good bet, simply said. So all those in favor of this motion in second, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes. Next item. It's item 2026-250, Consideration of Funding for Outside Nonprofit Organizations. At this time, I'll go ahead and recognize Mr. Stephen Highroolook, our Budget and Performance Director.

Thank you, Mayor, and good evening to you and members of the City Council. This item is the consideration of funding for outside nonprofit organizations through our annual application process. The Budget and Evaluation Office coordinates the application process. Then we collect all the materials and we hand them over to the City Council Finance Committee, who reviews the applications and make recommendations to the full council for funding. the last Thursday's finance committee, the finance committee made those recommendations. They are included, I will read for the record the organizations that are recommended for funding and before I hand it back over to council for action. A simple gesture, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Piedmont, Building Broken Blocks, Community Collaboration for Children or C3, Carl Chavis YMCA, CCFC Academy, Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina, CODA Connections, Commander Peace Academy, Communities and Schools in High Point, DUP, Family Room Foster Care Resource Center, Family Service of the Piedmont, Friends of John Coltrane, Greater High Point Food Alliance, Growing High Point, Helping Hands High Point, the High Point Arts Council, High Point Community Against Violence, High Point Community Theater, High Point Discovered, High Point Schools Partnership, Lydia House, Macedonia Family Resource Center, Open Door Ministries, Operation Excel, Senior Resources of Guilford, the Success Hope Center, Theater Art Galleries, Triad Food Pantry, the UNCG Center for Housing and Community Studies, West End Ministries, Wheels for Hope, Youth Focus, and the YWCA of High Point. Thank you for that.

At this time, we'll go ahead and acknowledge that I know a number of our council members serve on boards throughout our community, and so we want to ask if there are any recusals needed at this time.

Mr. Mayor, I need to be recused. I have two conflicts, Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance.

Okay.

I'll make a motion, too.

We've got Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance. Give me one second. I just want to see, are there any other recusals?

Mr. Mayor, Macedonia.

Okay. For Councilmember Johnson, we've got Macedonia.

And just to confirm, I'm pretty sure I don't need to recuse myself, but I serve as the advisory council for YW, but I'm not a voting board member, so I don't have to recuse myself to that.

Tell me the board again. You're not a governing board member? Advisory. Just an advisory board? Yeah. Under the statute, the definition with which you're associated is if the public official is a director, officer, or governing board member. So as long as that does not constitute, then I don't think so. Thank you.

I'm also going to recuse myself from the vote for High Point Schools Partnership. Any other recusals needed? Okay, so we're going to take this and we are going to extract the ones that need recusals. I'm going to make a motion to recuse Council Member Harmon on the vote for Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance. Is there a second?

Second.

Second. Recognize the council member Moore. Any discussion on that recusal? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it. And that motion passes. While he is recused, we'll go ahead and vote to approve the funding noted here for Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance. I'll make that motion. Is there a second?

Second.

Second. Recognize the council member Andrew. Any discussion on the motion to approve funding for Friends of John Coltrane and Greater High Point Food Alliance? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it. And that Funding is approved. We welcome Council Member Harmon back into the discussion. And I make a motion to recuse Council Member Johnson from the vote on the Macedonian Family Resource Center. Is there a second? Second. Second. Recognize the Council Member Williams. Any discussion on that motion for recusal? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it. At this time, I make a motion to approve funding for Macedonian Family Resource Center. Is there a second?

Second.

Second. Noted to Mayor Pro Tem Peters. Any discussion? Second. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that funding is approved. We welcome Council Member Johnson back to the discussion. At this time, I need someone to make a motion to recuse.

I make a motion to recuse Mayor Jefferson from the High Point Schools Partnership.

Second.

There's a motion and a second. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that motion passes. Our mayor is recused from this vote, so... A motion to approve funding for High Point Schools Partnership.

Second.

There's a motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that motion passes.

Thank you so much. Now we will make a motion here. I'll go ahead and make it to approve all the rest of the funding that's listed. Is there a second on that?

Second.

Second recognized to Council Member Andrew. Any discussion on that motion to approve outside agency for the remaining organizations listed? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and that motion passes. Thank you, Mr. Howard Luke. Are there any announcements from the dais?

Well, there's the Coltrane Festival, Labor Day weekend. It's the 100th anniversary of Coltrane's birth, and his son, Robbie, who's a saxophonist, is going to be performing. I'll come out. Thank you for that.

Coming up tomorrow, we have National Night Out. National Night Out is a great time in our city. A lot of community organizations, neighborhood groups come together to celebrate and collaborate together. If you've not had the chance to go enjoy National Night Out program, we encourage you to do it. The list of National Night Out events taking place tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken, can be found on our city's website. If you can't find it, you can always email Council Member Harmon. I'm kidding. You can email us. I do actually have the list. Sorry, I say that in jest. You can email any one of us. We'll be glad to help you find that information for National Night Out. Most programs will start probably around 5 o'clock or shortly before or shortly thereafter. Go enjoy it if you can. Any other announcements from the dais?

Mr. Mayor, I'd like to recognize and congratulate the Korean American Presbyterian Church for their 50th anniversary coming up this Sunday. That's right. Thank you for that.

Mr. Mayor, a couple of things come to mind. HPU students will be coming back not too long from now. They're such an integral part of our city and have become. Please make sure you welcome their parents. Let them know you're glad they're here. um invite them downtown or to a new restaurant or something but the other thing we just saw something like we don't usually see and the mayor did a great job of talking about the last decade or so of this council and staff and others that have worked on revitalizing downtown which is very very important to every corner of our city He talked about appreciating all the investors that are taking the risk as we revitalize. And we had one speak tonight at the new Spring Hill Suites. But we certainly want to recognize their contribution and support their endeavors for the excellent job they've done. And we look forward to all that can come in the future. But this opportunity did come before us. And so we look forward to growing together and supporting everybody as we can. Thanks.

That's awesome. Thank you so much, Council Member Moore. Any other announcements from the dais? Are we still accepting applications for High Point 101?

That's closed. That's closed? Okay.

All right. Well, good luck to those who will come to the next cohort. We look forward to that. I think that's going to be really special. I do believe, if I'm not mistaken, we've got maybe a couple more days of a survey that's out there right now for the Special Populations Task Force. So if you've not had a chance to complete that survey, we encourage you to take some time to do it. You can find that on our city website. It is helping us as we make very informed decisions about supporting special populations in this community. All right, with no further ado, is there a motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. Motion made by Council Member Holmes, seconded by Council Member Andrew. Any discussion on the motion to adjourn? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any against? The ayes have it, and we are adjourned.