Live from Greensboro City Council chambers

10:42 p.m.
Some small but important items of discussion:

Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat questions whether the council should request a consultant review of the fire department, along the lines of the probe of the police department.

Councilman Robbie Perkins comes to the defense of the department, calling it "nothing but outstanding."

"If we got issues, then the manager's going to deal with it, and we're going to hold the manager accountable and move on," he says.

Mayor Yvonne Johnson asks City Manager Mitchell Johnson "to look into the morale and nepotism and things we've heard about tonight and get back to us next week."

And Councilwoman Trudy Wade asks if city staff holds in its possession additional information about the so-called "black book" that lawyer Seth Cohen, who represents indicted Greensboro police officer Scott Sanders, asked to present to council in closed session.

"It seems ridiculous to me to bring in outside counsel to show us something we already have," she says.

10:25 p.m.
Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small objects to making a police consultant review available to the public at the same time it is presented to the city council, city manager and the chief of police.

“The general public also includes criminals and people with criminal minds,” he says. “I think in all fairness to him since we’ve said this is not about him so much as making sure that this is about having best practices in the department I really think we ought to let him see it first.”

Councilman Robbie Perkins responds: “I just hear so many people making so many remarks about our police department that I don’t think are true, and I don’t want us to be back-doored by some rumor that this manager set this up. If we all hear it at the same time, the facts will stand up for themselves…. I believe the police department will come out looking positive.”

City Manager Mitchell Johnson says he has no problem seeing the report for the first time with the rest of the public.

A motion to allow the manager, council and police department to receive the report at the same time, with the understanding that the document becomes public as soon as it is released passes 7-2, with Bellamy-Small and Councilwoman Goldie Wells voting against it.

The city will spend $250,000 in federal forfeiture funds on the review.

9:32 p.m.
The incentives request passes 7-2, with Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw and Councilwoman Trudy Wade – both former county commissioners and both Republicans – voting in opposition.

Councilman Mike Barber says a couple weeks ago he did not think he would support this request. Recent economic forecasts have changed his mind. “In the last couple weeks the United States’ workforce just shrank by seventeen thousand jobs,” he says. “We better grab as many jobs as possible and hold on to them.”

Councilman Robbie Perkins trumpets the project too. “This is the type of thing you can get a domino effect on,” he says. “If we want to talk about getting living wage, this is the type of thing you need to bring in.”

Perkins also notes that Ozark Mountain Automotive’s wholesale warehouse will be located in east Greensboro.

9:09 p.m.
There doesn't seem to be much doubt about the outcome of a request for $187,696 in tax incentives to Ozark Mountain Automotive. Council is listening to a presentation by a company representative. They've just heard from Dan Lynch, president of the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance, and Ben Brown, formerly an assistant city manager and now employed by Guilford County.

Councilman Robbie Perkins quips, "That report just wasn't straight-forward enough, Mr. Brown. We're going to miss you."

The facts of the request -- laid out in my previous post -- are not really in dispute.

8:54 p.m.
YES! Weekly columnist Ogi Overman urges "let's blow this popsickle stand" and go see Molly McGinn's performance at M'Coul's. He was here for the Garden Lake Drive rezoning; that's his neighborhood. I'd forgotten about my commitment. So many scheduling conflicts.

8:50 p.m.
Council approves rezoning of property at the intersection of Garden Lake Drive and New Garden Road from low residential to mixed-use commercial by a 7-2 vote. Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw and Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small cast the loan dissenting votes

Planning Director Dick Hails says, “That has certainly been a tough call… a classic debate about major thoroughfares and mixed-use development.” Staff recommends approval.

Councilman Mike Barber notes that the buffer has increased significantly, and throws in a couple additional arguments in favor of rezoning: “Most developers’ business plans have changed. They’ve gone to rental because of the softening of the housing market.” Further: “These millions upon millions of dollars developments that we get asked to approve every few weeks that’s what keeps your taxes low, and I will support this request.”

Councilman Robbie Perkins also expresses support, comparing it to the kind of development that might be seen in Cary.

“We need to put the word out to the development community that if you’re going to come to us with a request for mixed-use in a residential community, this is the kind of development you need to do,” he says.

Yvonne Johnson adds: “It is a village type plan. It is a great infill plan.”

8:10 p.m.
Two council members challenge a claim by an opponent of the Garden Lake Drive rezoning. Mark Wilson has said that Greensboro has one of the highest vacancy rates in the country -- whether residential or commercial is not clear. Councilman Mike Barber says over the past three years things have gotten much better, adding, "I don't think we are one of the highest in the country." Councilman Robbie Perkins, president of real estate company NAI Piedmont Triad, tag-teams: "We're not. Greensboro is a healthy economy, and it's going to get a lot healthier as we see growth in the coming years."

7:57 p.m.
The guy who helped me figure out how to connect to the city's wireless signal is standing in line waiting to speak in opposition to the Garden Lake Drive rezoning. I had approached him thinking he was part of the city's communications staff. Lest anyone consider this a conflict of interest, there will be no special favors from me.

7:20 p.m.
Greensboro Planning Department Director Dick Hails is introducing three related requests to rezone property on either side of Garden Lake Drive at New Garden Road to allow multifamily, business and retail development. Requests to rezone this property have been brought up three separate times and were voted down by the previous council in May 2007. See previous post for more history.

The Greensboro City Council is reconvening after a short break. I'm getting a late start because of some problems connecting to the Melvin Municipal Building's wireless signal.

Catching up...

6:58 p.m.
Council voted unanimously to approve a rezoning request by SRJ Properties to increase the density of the Brandonshire Condominiums project on West Wendover Avenue. Lawyer Marc Isaacson had requested a continuance from the Jan. 15 meeting. He came back with several new conditions. Most significantly, the developer agreed to put in a double row of Leland Cypress trees to buffer the condos from a neighborhood with single-family homes, and to add another story to only one of the buildings (the rezoning change from CD-RM 18 to CD-RM 26 allows the developer to increase the number of units on the property).

Isaacson said Building D, the one that would be raised to four stories, sits on a downhill slope, and its height would be about the same as the surrounding three-story buildings. Building D, he added, lies near the county animal shelter rather than the neighboring single-family homes.

Planning Director Dick Hails said the buffer addresses the concerns of staff, which had previously recommended denial of the rezoning.

About 6:45 p.m.
By a vote of 5 to 3 council approved rezoning of property on the south side of West Friendly Avenue between Forsythia Drive and Nora Drive from residential single family to residential multifamily. The outcome was not unexpected. Councilman Robbie Perkins, who was absent for the first vote on Jan. 15, joined Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Anderson Groat, Councilwoman Goldie Wells, Councilman Zack Matheny and Councilwoman Trudy Wade to carry the measure over. Mayor Yvonne Johnson, Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw and Councilwoman Dianne Bellamy-Small voted against it, as they did on Jan. 15. Councilman Mike Barber was excused from voting because of a conflict of interest.

The decision allows Mega Builders, partially owned by Guilford County Commissioner Mike Winstead, to build three-story apartments on the property. Since this was the second reading, there was no public hearing.

Perkins, who was the subject of an inquiry about whether he should abstain from voting because of a possible conflict of interest, described his reasons for supporting the rezoning: "Having been out there and looked at the area, key to me is Painter Boulevard and Friendly Avenue. If there is an appropriate place for RM-18, it is a five-lane road that dumps out on a major interchange."

About 6:20 p.m.
Richard O'Brien, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Greensboro, the local union for the Greensboro Fire Department, alleged wasteful spending, nepotism and morale problems in the department related to reorganization and the impending retirement of Chief Johnny Teeters.

O'Brien asked, "Is the council aware of wasteful spending of tax dollars, the morale problems and the nepotism associated with the new reorganization of the fire department?"

He closed by saying, "We sincerely hope that you will address these issues in a timely manner before the situation within the fire department deteriorates to a point of irreparable harm, risking the welfare and safety of both the citizens of Greensboro and the firefighters sworn to protect them."

I had not been aware of these allegations, and will look into them.

About 5:45 p.m.
Several supporters of a citizen initiative to raise the minimum wage for all Greensboro businesses to $9.36 an hour addressed city council, expressing disappointment about a decision by the council last month to short-circuit the process and kill the initiative.

One of them was NC Rep. Alma Adams (D-Guilford), who played a key role in passing legislation to raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 an hour in 2006.

“People are working two and three jobs to make ends meet,” she says. “Check your Bible: There are three thousand references that speak to how you treat the least of these.”

An overflow audience watching deliberations from a closed-circuit monitor outside council chambers, applauded Adams, as they would several other speakers.

Others such as Jim Boyett, co-chair of the Greensboro Minimum Wage Committee raised issues of parliamentary procedure and legalities.

“I think this whole idea of stopping this process because it might possibly be something that the state doesn’t want is just avoiding the issue,” he said. “What we have is a democratic process, and there’s plenty of time to challenge it, and I have no doubt that it will be challenged.” Later, he added: “I think what you’ve done is wrong and in essence a subversion of the democratic process in Greensboro.”

Malcolm Kenton, another member of the committee, asked the council to reinstate the process, direct the clerk to certify the signatures, put the measure to a vote, and should council defeat it, allow it to be placed on the ballot for referendum in November.

Assistant City Attorney TaNola Brown-Bland said the city’s legal department plans to meet with representatives of the committee on Friday to discuss clarifying the petition process.

Both Councilman Robbie Perkins and Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw, who previously voted against the minimum wage raise, expressed concerns about whether the petition process could be improved.

Councilwoman Goldie Wells, a vocal proponent of the increase, protests, “What we’re dealing with is the signatures we have right now.”

She has pleaded with those council members who voted to deny the increase to introduce a motion to overturn the decision. There will be no takers.