Final Adopted Budget FY23-24

substance use disorder, education, housing, and employment needs. The Office also continues cooperative efforts with the Police Department to provide the innovative Behavioral Health Response Team that strives to help individuals in crisis access appropriate treatment options. In 2022, this team provided over 1,200 contacts and almost 1,000 hours of follow-up services. GPD working with the Office of Community Safety, GCSTOP county-wide opioid initiative, Guilford County EMS, and the Guilford County Health Department managing the City’s response regarding the use of the State’s Opioid Settlement program funding, totaling $3.4 million. They have created a strategy, “Hope for Recovery”, with multiple programs to help address opioid issues in Greensboro. Greensboro Fire Department With the number of annexed areas the Council has approved and the pace of growth and development we are experiencing, adequate Fire Department services continue to be a top priority. During the FY2022-23 budget year, Council approved 15 additional fire positions. To be able to service the annexed areas while providing inspections and permitting for residential and commercial inspections this budget includes 9 FTEs including 5 fire inspectors and 4 development services review staff. Further, through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, Council approved $9 million to build a new fire facility in an annexed area in East Greensboro. To support our fire fighters, in FY 2022-23 budget, we developed a two-year plan to increase their salaries. The FY 2023-24 budget implements the Manager’s commitment. GFD employees will receive a 4% salary increase in addition to the 9-21% increase received in FY 2022-23. Starting salaries will increase over 6% to $47,812. Additionally, the budget includes funding to support a complete replacement of self-contained breathing apparatus totaling $400,000, equipment essential for the safe and effective response to structure fires. Guilford Metro 911 Our 911 services are one of the best in the nation. The Department has won numerous awards, and continues to perform exceptional service for our residents, especially those in need. The FY 2022-23 Budget provided a nighttime shift differential pay of $3,600 for additional compensation to strengthen recruitment and retention. Despite this, 911 continues to find it challenging to fill its vacancies. This Budget provides a 4% increase in average merits and steps to GM911 employees, bringing starting salaries to $42,984. Improvements to the Public Safety Information Technology team, managed under Guilford Metro 911, include a mid-year reorganization with the addition of two PSIT Fire positions. The addition of the two positions and associated M&O increased 911’s PSIT budget by $193,562. This portion of PSIT’s budget is fully supported by the City. Affordable Housing Nationally, housing continues to be unaffordable for many residents, especially in urban metro areas. In Housing GSO , Greensboro’s 10-year plan for affordable housing, adopted in 2020, the unmet need for affordable housing units to meet the demand of our lower income renters was identified as over 17,000 units, and was projected to expand to over 29,000 units by 2030. This loss of affordable units is due primarily to rapidly rising rent increases. In FY 2022-23, the City through the American Rescue Plan enabled funds and other funding sources, was able to commit funding to support almost 500 units. This is still far below the number our community needs. A crucial Council priority is the provision of an “abundance of attainable housing” for Greensboro residents, especially those between 0% and 80% of the area median income. The successful 2022 bond referendum included $30 million to support implementation of the City’s Housing GSO plan. Of this bond amount, $20 million is being directed towards the preservation and construction of affordable rental housing, $5 million towards access to homeownership and $5 million towards neighborhood reinvestment. At its November 15, 2022 Council meeting, $5 million was allocated to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro to support the development of the Greensboro Housing Loan Fund, a $32 million pool of public-private lending capital for affordable housing development and preservation. While $30 million is not enough to meet the housing needs of our residents, it will leverage federal, state, and other funding opportunities to implement the goals of Housing GSO . The $30 million bond dollars also builds on the successful 2016 bond referendum, which provided $25 million in Housing Bonds to support the development and repair to date of more than 1,800 housing units and has leveraged approximately $119 million from other funds.

Adopted 2023-24 Budget

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