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Council Members:
As a City team, we are continuing to take
progressive strides toward developing and
maintaining a fiscal budget that is sustainable. We
can no longer afford to react to increasing costs
and stagnant revenues, instead, we are working to
become a more efficient and proactive organization
to ensure the City is prepared to thrive and achieve
its goals despite slowly recovering economic
conditions.
The fiscal year 14-15 budget is built using a new
development model. City leaders began taking a
hard look at this budget at the outset of the fiscal
year. We readily identified that we were going to be
facing another budget deficit and immediately
began brainstorming solutions with a goal of
making reductions that could be sustained for the
long term. As a second step, our Result Area teams
and departments met to identify specific programs
and services that could be reduced while still
preserving the basic services required by our
residents.
The budget outlined below is one that is balanced
through sustainable service reductions and fee
enhancements that better align the costs for City
functions with comparable costs in peer cities
across the state. The primary goals used by the
City team in developing this year’s budget include:
an organizational focus on meeting Council and
Community priorities and expectations, the
provision of adequate resources to meet our core
service requirements and needs, continuing to
ensure the City’s triple A bond rating is maintained,
and continuing to provide a highly competitive
compensation and benefits package to our
employees to adequately recognize their many and
valued contributions to our City.
Budgeting is no longer a process that we complete
in two months, present to City Council, and go
about the rest of our business. Budgeting is now
something that we live, breath and speak as part of
the daily language in the City of Greensboro. We
cannot be a sustainable government in the future
unless and until we become sustainable in the
present. Our ongoing efforts are designed to move
us in that direction.
As you’ll read below, I’m confident that our
resources are aligned to reach our core MAP
(Management Accountability and Performance)
goals while maintaining emphasis on the priorities
outlined by City Council.
Strategic Goals
“Create an environment that promotes economic
development opportunities and job creation.”
The City of Greensboro’s approach to economic
development is strategically focused on advancing
these key principles: promoting job creation,
facilitating private business and expansion in our
city, utilizing bond resources to advance economic
development and infrastructure development
(including promotion of shovel-ready sites,
advancement of downtown projects and
investments in East Greensboro and the Airport
Area), providing enhanced access to City
contracting opportunities through the continued
implementation of our enhanced MWBE policy and
program and making it easier to do business in and
with the City.
City
Council
established
the
Economic
Development Fund in FY 12-13. The one-half cent
property tax set aside generates approximately
$1.25 million per year.
A variety of ED Fund projects and program support
are recommended in the FY 14-15 budget. This
fund will serve as the City’s primary financing
source to support the Renaissance Center project,
which will bring economic revitalization to the
Phillips Avenue area. The recommended budget
includes $150,000 for the second loan payment for
the International Civil Rights Museum (an additional
$350,000 will be provided from the General Fund).
The fund will also provide support for the 17 Days
Arts and Cultural Festival ($25,000) and the
National Folk Festival ($75,000).
The City of Greensboro was awarded a $1 million
grant from the US Department of Commerce and
the Economic Development Administration in 2013
to conduct an economic development challenge.
The Strong Cities Strong Communities program
solicits proposals from multi-disciplinary teams from
across the country to develop transformative
economic development plans for Greensboro.
$250,000 from the Economic Development Fund is
serving as matching funds for the grant. Proposals
are due in September 2014.
The High Point Road/West Lee Street Gateway
Corridor remains an area of key emphasis within
the City’s overall economic development strategic
goals. A corridor plan was adopted for this area in
2008. In FY 13-14, several major
recommendations were implemented including
changing the corridor name to Gate City Boulevard
(effective July 2015) and the adoption of new
zoning districts to help facilitate development
envisioned for the corridor. In the recommended
FY 14-15 budget, $50,000 is allocated to assist
property owners with sign changes to help comply
with the new zoning requirements.
CITY MANAGER’S BUDGET MESSAGE
Mayor and City Council, City of Greensboro
May 20, 2014
