GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – The Greenville City Council met Monday for the first time in 2024 and tried to review some important agenda items.
The agenda consisted of construction contract awards, readings, and a major topic on crypto farms and mining in Greenville and Pitt County. The possibility of modifying an ordinance that allows cryptocurrency mining in the city was discussed. The council wanted to make sure the decision they made Monday was in the best interest of the people of Greenville.
The city council awarded construction contracts for the Greenville Gateway sign and also discussed the second phase of installing a sports complex in the city.
"We have great facilities here, we just didn't have enough last year," said Andrew Schmidt, president and CEO of Visit Greenville, North Carolina. “We booked 49 tournaments in Greenville in Pitt County, which is about $13 million in economic impact, but we turned down a lot of tournaments and didn't even pursue a lot of tournaments that we knew we couldn't have. “Simply not having those types of facilities.”
The big issue that generated debates in the council was Ordinance number 22-0-14. That ordinance sets guidelines for cryptocurrency farms and data processing in Greenville and was ordered in 2022.
"So what we're doing is taking another look at this ordinance," Commissioner Marion Blackburn said. “We're going to say: 'Do we want it, do we want to modify it, do we want to keep it the way it is?' What does the community want and what do we want? “I wanted to break this down for our community and get cryptocurrency mining out of here.”
"If it was something very attractive to bring in millions and millions of dollars like I think this company promised, they could do it," Greenville resident Bob Hudak said during the meeting. “What good does it do for a person to gain the world and lose his soul in the process? What good does it do for our city of Greenville to make a lot of money through a new business venture and lose the soul we have because we have a wonderful city?
Public comments from the community pushed to amend this ordinance to keep crypto mining out of Greenville.
“This is a very complicated issue, it is a matter of nuances, I think, I have been very clear and our community has been very clear that what we do not want is cryptocurrency mining with the noise, environmental damage and negative effects for the community. that comes with it,” Blackburn said.
The final decision was a motion for staff to compile a report that would educate council members and the public to consider making a text amendment to amend this ordinance. The city council wants to find a way to eliminate cryptocurrency farming and the negative effects it has on the community, such as noise and electricity use, without eliminating the entire ordinance that establishes guidelines for data processing of all types in the community. .
Consent Agenda (From the city of Greenville)
- Article 1: Sublease agreement with the state of North Carolina for equipment at the VIPER tower located at 2805 East Second Street (unanimously approved)
- Article 2: Resolution Accepting the Dedication of Rights-of-Way and Easements for the Arbor Hills South Group Subdivision, Section 2, Phases 10 and 11 (Approved Unanimously)
- Article 3: Resolution and Deed of Release for Abandonment of a 10′ Wide Electrical Easement across Tax Parcel No. 73527 (Unanimously Approved)
- Article 4: Ordinance Adopting the Greenville Public Utilities Commission's Capital Project Budget for the Whitehurst Station Water Main Extension Project (Approved Unanimously)
- Article 5: Amending Ordinance and Reimbursement Resolution for the Greenville Public Utilities Commission's Capital Project Budget for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Clarifier Project (unanimously approved)
- Article 6: Resolution declaring canine police officer Suny as surplus and authorizing his disposition to officer Nathan Lather (approved unanimously)
- Article 7: Amendment #2 to existing on-call engineering services agreement with The East Group (unanimously approved)
- Article 8: Award of contract for the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2050 (Approved unanimously)
- Article 9: Application for Public Art on Public Property - DownEast Sculpture Exhibition (Unanimously Approved)
New business
- Article 10: Contract awarded for construction of new Greenville Gateway sign (unanimously approved)
- Article 11: Contract Award for the 2024 Rehabilitation and Preservation Project and Approval of Task Order No. 5 for the Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) and Construction Materials Testing (CMT) On-call Contract (Unanimously approved )
- Article 12: Award of Contract for Investment Advisory Services (Unanimously approved)
- Article 13: Amendment to Budget Ordinance #6 to the Capital Projects Funds (Ordinance #17-024), Endowment Fund (Ordinance #18-062), and Special Revenue Grant Fund (Ordinance #11-003) (Approved unanimously )
- Article 14: Discussion of Ordinance No. 22-014 (Modular Data Processing) (Ordered staff to draft a report on possible amendment of the ordinance)
*You can find supporting documentation and additional information on the agenda items listed above. here.
