Another quick meeting for the Greensboro City Council Tuesday night with the best stuff apparently being saved for the closed executive session at the end of the meeting.
Behind closed doors, council members discussed three personnel items, two real estate issues and one litigation matter.
When they opened the doors, the council acted on three of the items. They approved an Animal Control interdepartmental agreement with Greene County to handle the city’s stray dogs, cats, and other animals.
The council also agreed to pay $15,551 to compensate two businesses along Broad Street for right-of-way acquisition. The land is part of the right of way needed to complete the latest phase of the city’s Streetscape project. Pedestrian walkways will be added and updated along a four-tenths-of-amile stretch from Siloam Road down Broad Street to N. West Street, then north on N. West Street to Greene Street.
During the open session, council members approved alcohol licenses for Bonnie’s Coffee Shop downtown. Owner Beronica Martinez says she plans to primarily add to her menu coffee cocktails, mimosas, and wine. City attorney Adam Nelson said that the city needed to follow up at some point to ensure that 60 percent of all the sales are for food items, according to the city ordinance.
Another alcohol license was approved for the new owners of what used to be the Cotton Corner store.
By unanimous vote, the council also approved the continuation as fiscal agent with Greene County Family Connection which currently has a grant to help needy residents with water and electric bills.
The mayor was approved to sign a proclamation declaring Historic Springfield Baptist Church as a historical church.
City Development Director Cail Hammond got the green light to spend $544 to pave the walking trail and parking lot at Robinson Park. The actual cost of the contract with Double-A paving is expected to be $66,544 and a state grant will cover $66,000 of that.
Mayor Corey Williams told the council that the hours that residents can pay their bills at city hall will be shortened by 30 minutes to 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. so clerks have time to balance their drawers before leaving work.
There was no mention of any progress in the search for a new city manager. After serving only nine months as city manager, Jarvis Sims resigned under fire last month, effective the end of January. He is being paid $65,000 as part of a severance agreement, which is half of his $130,000 salary.