A new finance specialist hire, complaints about city aesthetics and concerns for the courthouse moving were among the agenda items and discussions at Monday evening’s Greensboro City Council meeting.
Kierra Cunningham was brought on as a finance specialist effective Aug. 7 for the city, which some council members claimed they had just heard that evening. She will report to City Manager Jarvis Simms.
Cunningham holds an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia College & State University and a master’s degree in business management with a concentration in finance from North Central University. She is the sister to the city’s director of wastewater operations, Marcus Cunningham.
According to the city clerk, Cunningham will be responsible for administering the financial operations of the city. She was previously with Bank South, downtown Greensboro, as a universal banker.
Prior to that, she was employed with Publix. A theft last year resulting in an arrest of a city employee and allegations of financial mismanagement have been of concern for some time, leading to a lengthy search for a finance director as advertised both online and in the city’s legal organ.
Two city residents took the podium to voice continued opposition to a rumored courthouse move. Full-page advertisements have appeared from a small group of concerned citizens who have formed to address a strategy to stymie such a move by the county.
According to Katherine Strickland, the historic structure should remain as the judicial center for the county, claiming that such a move would be detrimental to downtown businesses that have profited from courthouse visitors. Other discussions centered on the recent trees that were removed. Mayor Corey Williams stated that he was never made aware of a proposed courthouse move or the trees that had been cut down and would not support either move.
Morris Miller, a longtime council member, made an appeal to the mayor that the city needs to address its failing looks, accountability for trash and debris pickup, and street maintenance.
“As a council member, I receive calls of concern from the citizens on many issues,” Miller said. “As an elected official for this city, I return calls and talk with citizens. It is important we look at how the city is perceived by residents and take action on addressing concerns. There should be no reason city personnel are not responding to complaints and requests. It is, frankly, embarrassing how the city looks.”
Weeds and overgrown grass grace the welcoming monuments to the city, and sidewalks are in disrepair. Concern as a potential litigation issue for the city was expressed by council member Johntavious Smith.
The sidewalks continue to be in need of critical repair, yet grant plans continue to be presented and approved that partly address sidewalks along the downtown sector. It is unknown how much the city has received and/ or what has been bid and work performed. Calls to Economic Development Director Cail Hammons have gone unanswered.
The city manager said that the city does not have an ample budget to support all the concerns addressed and that he came on with a city needing a lot of attention. He commented that the city is looking to better engage both its contractors and city personnel to be more accountable for work completion.
Simms also discussed a plan aimed at helping area residents who are in danger of water cutoff due to lengthy non-payment of their water bills. It was recently reported that the city had in excess of $300,000 in unpaid bills.
Simms proposed a plan that would draw from existing American Rescue Act funds to those residents who had experienced financial difficulty in paying their bills. A cap of $1,000 in financial aid could be rendered through substantiation working with a local non-profit. It was tabled for further review as council members had not seen nor reviewed the full plan.