Greensboro Mayor's Budget Plan Delivers Road Repairs, Extended Library Hours by 2028

Greensboro’s new fiscal plan will take 18 to 24 months before most households notice changes in road conditions, library access or police patrols, according to the timeline released Thursday by the city manager’s office. The $342 million budget, approved by the city council on June 30, includes a $12 million increase for street resurfacing and $2.8 million to restore Sunday hours at three branch libraries that have been closed on weekends since 2023.

What the money buys and when

City engineers say the first batch of repaving-roughly 18 lane-miles in the southeast quadrant between Gate City Boulevard and Summit Avenue-is scheduled to begin in April 2027 and wrap up by September. In a report filed with the budget, the engineering department stated that 63 percent of city-maintained roads are rated “fair” or below, a condition that the additional $12 million is expected to address by raising that share to 68 percent over two years.

The three affected libraries-the Benjamin Branch on Benjamin Parkway, the Glenn McNairy Branch on Lake Jeanette Road, and the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch on White Street-will reopen on Sundays starting January 2028, under the staffing schedule approved by the library board last week. Sunday hours had been cut in 2023 after a 9 percent reduction in property-tax revenue collections. The new budget restores 26 staff positions, four of which are dedicated to Sunday coverage, the city’s human resources department confirmed.

Police response times and water rates

Police Chief John Murphy told the council on June 16 that the budget allocates $1.5 million to hire 12 additional patrol officers, with nine of those positions expected to be filled by October 2027. The department aims to reduce average response time for priority-one calls from the current 8.4 minutes to 7.0 minutes by the end of 2028, according to the chief’s presentation. For residents in the western precinct, where response times averaged 9.1 minutes last year, the improvement may take longer because those new hires are slated for the central and eastern precincts first.

Water and sewer rates will rise 4.2 percent starting July 1, 2027, under a separate ordinance passed alongside the main budget. The increase adds roughly $3.80 per month to the average residential bill of $90, according to the water resources department. The revenue is earmarked for replacing 2.3 miles of aging cast-iron water mains in the Lindley Park and Westerwood neighborhoods, a project the department said is scheduled for 2028.

Policy analysts at the nonprofit Greensboro Forum noted that the 18-month delay between budget passage and visible improvements is typical for capital projects, but they added that residents in areas without resurfacing or new officers on the schedule may not see any change until the next budget cycle. A separate $6.7 million set aside for affordable housing grants will not begin disbursing until late 2027, after the city finalizes contracts with developers, according to housing and neighborhood development director Michelle Kennedy.

Council members will receive a quarterly progress report starting October 15, with the first check-in focused on hiring timelines for police and library staff. The budget includes a contingency clause that allows the city manager to reallocate up to $500,000 without council approval if any project misses its deadline by more than 90 days.