Greensboro’s Budget Band-Aid: Why a Temporary Hiring Freeze Isn’t Enough

By Nicky Smith
May 5, 2025

In a recent News & Record article, Greensboro’s City Manager Trey Davis laid out early details of the city’s upcoming budget, pledging that his goal is to avoid a tax increase despite growing financial challenges. At face value, that sounds like good news for residents already feeling the pinch of inflation and rising living costs. But as always, the devil is in the details—and those details should concern every taxpayer in Greensboro.

According to Davis, the city faces a projected $5 million to $7 million shortfall. Assistant City Manager Larry Davis acknowledged this gap is “survivable” in the short term but warned it’s “not sustainable” over multiple years. The city imposed a hiring freeze about a month ago to address the current squeeze, aimed at “tightening things up” through June 30. After that? The freeze will lift with the new fiscal year on July 1.

That’s where the questions begin.

Why Stop Now?

If Greensboro’s leadership recognizes that we’re spending more than we bring in, why are we only committing to a temporary hiring freeze? Why not extend that freeze until we can confidently balance the budget and ensure we hire only for essential roles?

Davis claims flexibility is needed to fill “critical positions.” But what’s the criterion for “critical”? Without transparency on which roles are being filled and why, taxpayers are left wondering whether this is a genuine cost-control effort or simply business as usual with a temporary pause for optics.

Digging Into the Budget Numbers

While Davis hasn’t finalized the budget—expected to be presented on May 20—we’ve already seen troubling trends. Fuel costs are up 10%, and support for the city’s parking fund has skyrocketed by over 400%. On top of that, the city faces the potential loss of more than $9 million in Powell Bill funding, which supports municipal street projects. If the N.C. Greensboro’s infrastructure plans could be chaotic if the General Assembly moves forward with those cuts.

The city rightly points out that these are serious concerns. But the bigger issue is how we prepare for them. Simply hoping that state funding remains intact is not a strategy. We must be proactive—tightening the purse strings, not waiting until July 1.

The Need for Real Accountability

Let’s be clear: a well-run city must invest in its people, infrastructure, and services. However, it must also be accountable and disciplined with taxpayer dollars. Greensboro is at a financial crossroads, and residents deserve answers:

• What concrete steps—beyond a short-term hiring freeze—are being taken to reduce waste and inefficiencies?

• Will the city consider deeper audits of departmental spending?

• What is the plan if Powell Bill funding disappears? Is there a contingency in place?

Leadership Matters

With a city budget adoption expected by mid-June, Greensboro residents should pay close attention and ask hard questions. It’s time for leadership that’s not afraid to make tough decisions in the face of economic pressure. We must extend the hiring freeze, cut non-essential spending, and review every dollar to ensure it’s used wisely.

Greensboro’s future depends on intelligent, transparent fiscal management. A balanced budget without tax hikes is a worthy goal—but it must be built on more than temporary fixes and good intentions.

The upcoming City Council election this fall is a critical opportunity for voters to demand leadership that doesn’t just talk about fiscal responsibility but actually delivers it. Let’s keep our city growing—and make sure we do it with financial discipline and a long-term vision.

The article in reference can be found at:
May 2, 2025 – News & Record – Greensboro manager says goal is no tax increase for new budget