City Council - Regular Meeting

to our meeting tonight, March 17, 2026, to our city council meeting. And I would like I would ask that you please silence all electronic devices and make sure that those will be quiet during our meeting. Um, council member Ian Baltudis is absent due to attending a conference with the National League of Cities in Washington DC and therefore he is excused from the meeting tonight. All other members are present and a quorum is established to hold the meeting. We have some special guests this evening. Um, the scouts attending from troop 19. This troop meets at Shallow Presbyterian Church and we'd like to welcome them to tonight's meeting. And I'm gonna invite you to just stand and look around at who else is in in the room tonight. So, if you would please stand and um and if we can just thank you all for being here. At this time, I recognize Council Member Jeffrey Smite for our invocation.

Good evening, everyone. uh in deference to everybody's ability to worship in their own way, I'll just ask you to take a moment of silence and do that.

Amen. Thank you. Thank you. And tonight we begin our meeting with a presentation to the council on the 2027 revaluation update from the Alamance County Tax Office. And I'd like to recognize um Alamance County Tax Administrator Brad Fowler. All right. Good evening. Good evening.

Thank you all for having me. Council members, mayor, um I was asked to come here by the city manager uh and his team. Uh they they graciously allowed me to come and talk to you all about the 2027 revaluation. This is an important event that's going to occur this coming January that everyone needs to be keenly aware of. So, I'm here tonight to kind of kick that off with you all. Certainly anticipate coming on back later in the year to do another one of these to kind of give you a more a better idea of where things stand with values and that sort of thing. So tonight, just a little bit about the revaluation. It is occurring. As I said, January 1 of 2027 will be the effective date. Tonight, we're just going to go through an overview, some important project dates, as well as talk a little bit about the exemption programs that we offer. Anytime that I go speak to a group I spoke to, um, the Rotary Club earlier today, and and even in that meeting, I want to make sure that we talk about our exemption programs that we offer through the county's tax office. So folks that qualify, we can let them know about that. So the first thing, the most important is why do we do a revaluation? North Carolina statute 105286 says that all counties in North Carolina must conduct a revaluation at least once every eight years. Alamance County uh and the county commission elected to advance that cycle one cycle ago. So now we are on a four-year cycle. um that the reason that they did that was it allows us to keep values or our assessments closer to market value. Uh the public would stay more educated obviously on the process and it reduces the likelihood that you see a large swing like you do over an 8-year period when you do a revaluation. The purpose is quite simple. It's to redistribute the property tax base. Um it is also to update our values to market levels. It says down here at the bottom that a revaluation is not a means to increase property tax revenue. Uh

anytime you use the term revaluation, I know we hear a lot about this now in Guilford County since it's our neighbor. We hear a lot about that in the news and that sort of thing. When folks get their values, of course, typically real estate values go up. And so you absolutely will see an increase in your value. That doesn't necessarily mean your tax bill will go up. It will be up to this uh council as well as our county board of county commissioners to set a rate commission with what they feel like meet the budgetary needs of their respective jurisdictions. So I was brought on in one year ago almost to the day uh I've got a couple days left uh but brought on a year ago into the tax office and at that time the county had already contracted with a firm Vincent Valuations. They are conducting the 2027 revaluation for Alamance County. Uh staff is there kind of in a u customer service if you will capacity but the by and large the work is being done by them. The process is as follows. They go out and they will site visit or field review every parcel in the county. Uh there's around 80,000 parcels that they're visiting. They measure, list, make sure that all the attributes are correct and then subsequent to that review, they will go back then and value that. That's kind of the phase that they're in now. They're almost to finish that cycle of field review throughout the county and now they're going into actually starting to value the properties. As of January the 1st when this was compiled, they had done about 60,000 parcels and I won't go through all those, but you can see that they were making pretty good progress uh towards getting everything site visited. Key dates leading up to 2027. We started our community engagement in 2025. Uh we started we reached out to our municipal partners. Uh we also I've set up several meetings with libraries and things where we're doing some uh nighttime activities there, weekends, that sort of thing to try and get the word out as much as we can as well as answer any questions that

folks have uh because we understand that this process is impactful and there's a lot of uh uncertainty and clarity needed around the the process. Uh community engagement will continue all the way through this year and on into 2027. Uh as I said, Vincent Valuations has continued their review of the data. Uh they're finalizing that review currently as we speak. We will they will be finalizing those values more or less by the end of the year this year. Uh we will present to our board of county commissioners the schedule of values sometime in the fall of this coming year. So that will be presented so and and be approved by that board at that time. And then finally once again once that is approved they'll make one more pass doing a final value review at the end of the year and that's when they will be set in 2027 final valuations will be rendered uh the first quarter and that will open up the informal appeal process. So anyone who everyone will receive a notification of value uh they have the right at that point to appeal the property's value to the tax office. There is an informal process in which my team, my staff will look through that uh to see if there's any way that we can solve someone's issues. If they have two bedrooms versus three bedrooms, that sort of thing, we need to fix that or the square footage is wrong. We certainly want to get that that right. Um I will say too, because I would be remiss if I didn't, there will be and there is a need for that appeals process. is because there are 80,000 parcels and there is no way that any tax office or any vendor would get them all correct. That's why that process exists. So if it's wrong, certainly let our office know. We want to get it right. Once the informal appeal process wraps up, we will have our board of equalization and review process. Those that is an independent panel appointed by our board of county commissioners. They will hear cases on appeal uh and

render a value decision based on the information presented by the taxpayer. Next in July, that will be the first time that the property tax bills will reflect the new assessed value will be in July of 2027. So that will have our new assessed value coupled with any rate changes that you all put in place as well as the county. And then it says here that the appeals will be worked throughout the remainder of the year. So, that's everything in a really condensed nutshell about the revaluation. Uh, a couple property tax relief programs that we have. Uh, and we're limited by what only the state offers. Uh, but I will go through those. As I said, the first is our homestead or elderly exemption program. Uh if you are 65 years of age or older and you have lived in your you're the owner of the property as of January the 1st of the year in which you are applying um as well as meet a certain income threshold. In this case is $38,800 for this year. You can receive up to or you will receive 50% of your tax bill off. So it's a very good program as far as if you qualify. The problem right now is a lot of fe people do not meet that threshold. So, we're doing all that we can to actually get that changed at the legislature. There's a lot of talk right now about some property tax reform. Uh, so as the chair of the legislative committee for the assessors association, I'm very much involved in that process right now. So, hopefully that will change a bit. And then the final one is our disabled veterans exclusion. If you are a disabled veteran, 100% disabled, honorably discharged, there is no age or income requirement to this one. you would receive up to $45,000 off of the assessed value of your property. And then it says here at the bottom, you can find applications online. You certainly can call our office. Uh we will actually go to your home if you do

not have the ability to come in or to fill out that application. We will help you fill that out because once again, if you qualify for any of these programs, we want you in. So with that, I will be glad to take any questions at the council. Thank you. Thank you so much. Any questions? Do you have a target for what the homestead value is going to be? It's said what 35800 or whatever do

it's 388 right now. And so next year will go typically if the program stays as it is right now it will go up commisure with what social security goes up. So every year whatever that percentage is is how much it goes up. Um once again they're looking now to in increase that amount because that is actually for a married couple as well. they can only make 388 together as household income. And so what they're looking to do is is make some reform in that way uh to try to help more folks out and bring them bring more folks into that fold. Thank you. Other questions? Thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you all for having me. Y have a good evening.

You as well. At this time, I recognize city clerk Beverly Smith for our conflict of interest code of ethics. Council, it is my responsibility to remind you of your duty to avoid conflicts of interest. I ask if there are any potential conflicts concerning tonight's agenda items. Thank you. Next on our agenda is approval of minutes from February 16th work se session and February 17th city council meeting. I need a motion and a second to approve the minutes. Motion approved. Second. I'll second. Thank you. All in favor?

I And no opposition. Um now we need to adopt our agenda as um as we have in front of us and as people in the audience have in front of them. I need a motion and a second to adopt the agenda. Second. Thank you. All in favor? I I

Okay, on our consent agenda tonight, we have just one item, but the consent agenda are typically non-controversial and um so we will present this and if anyone has questions um just invite you to raise those. So item A is to approve a request for the use of Lake Kamak for St. Mark's Church to hold an immersion baptism service at the at the marina on August the 9th, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. contingent upon meeting all requirements of the special event permitting application process and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality notice of approval. Um, I'll entertain a motion and second to approve or deny the foregoing consent agenda.

Motion approved. Second. Second. Thank you. All in favor? I I

thank you. And so the consent agenda passes. Uh public hearings. Um we have item one. A public hearing has been scheduled to consider an amendment to the city of Burlington Unified Development Ordinance Text Amendment UDO TA1-26. And we recognize Jamie Lawson to share with us. Good evening, mayor, members of council. I have a short presentation. Um, but you all have um been vetted with these text amendments which are very short and mainly clerical in nature um at your uh work session earlier this month. So um I am here in lie of uh Chad Meadows. So be um be nice.

We will be

This is the uh 17th round of amendments. Um these focus, like I said, mainly on uh clerical uh there are three within the business district. Um one dealing with pocket neighborhoods, uh setback encroachments and density uh calculations. So, um, the planning and zoning commission heard these requests and unanimously approved them, um, back in February at their meeting and then, like I said, these were presented to you at the, um, uh, March meeting earlier this month. Okay. Um, so the first slide illustrates just a a clarification on uh, building setbacks all within the CBD, GB, and NB zoning. district. Um just addressing footnote number four. And then the second amendment deals with the pocket neighborhoods um reorganizing the language, making it a little bit easier to follow. And then adding requirements for street trees um along streets, alleys, and shared driveways. And then we also then had to change the street street standards to reflect the same modification. There's a lot of cross reference in the UDO. So sometimes when you make one change, you've got to then change it in a different place. Uh third is the setback encroachment section. And there was some uh confusing language again about um where um allowable accessory structures could be located. And this dealt with uh detached garage and carports and then tool sheds. And you can see the the strike through um as an example in this in this example on the on the slide.

Um, fourth change deals with the density calculation and this is related to when a property is splitzoned, meaning it's one lot but has two different zoning designations on the property. Um, and so this just outlines how the density for residential development would be calculated when that occurs. and there was a typo in the multif family development definition. And that's it. I do want to just add that this has been properly notified um and is presented tonight as a public hearing for your consideration.

Thank you. So, at this time, I'll open the floor for public comments on this item only. And I'll ask you to please state your name and address for the record. Each speaker is asked to limit comments to five minutes. Um, do we have anyone that wants to speak to to this particular issue? Okay. Um, if if no one is speaking, then I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. And a second. All in favor? I. Thank you. Um, so now we need to move to we need it to entertain a motion to approve or deny the text amendment. Um, and and I'll just invite you to refer to your blue sheet. Do I have a motion?

I'll take it. Thank you.

I make a motion to approve the request to amend the city of Burlington Unified Development Ordinance with the proposed text amendment. Motion is based upon the consistency of the proposed text amendment with the comprehensive plan in that section four land use goal one recommendation five of the comprehensive plan calls for an update of unified development ordinance. Section four, land use goal one recommendation five of the comprehensive plan calls for ensuring south land planning decisions that are consistent with the vision of plan. This action is reasonable and in the public interest in that section 4 land use goal 2 recommendation four of the comprehensive plan confusion conflicts and and obsolescence of the zoning code through a new unified development ordinance. Section four, land use goal two, recommendation four, the comprehensive plan. A new UDO will be modern, graphically intensive, and userfriendly from both public petitioner and administrative perspective.

And do we have a second on that motion? Second. All in favor? I. Thank you. So that um passes.

Thank you. And then item two is a public hearing um scheduled to consider a request to amend the existing conditional residential zoning district located at 11:01 Cedar Crest Drive. Um and I assume that the rest of that is well let me say it for those who are listening in. um at Cedar Crest Drive to include Alamance County tax ID numbers 132534 132795 132799 132800 and 13280 which are properties located at the northwest corner of the Hanford Road and Cedar Crest Drive intersection and again I recognize our executive director of planning and development services Jamie Wilson.

Thank you so much again. Um and the last page should be 132801. Um okay. Thank you.

Again, this item um has been properly advertised and is in front of you as a public hearing. Um it has been presented also to the planning and zoning commission with that same unanimous um recommendation and also to you at your work session earlier this month. So, this um request involves a previous conditional resoning. Um that was CR956. Um the original land that was included in that resoning, I'm kind of circling around. It's kind of got a looks maybe yellow with a with a color over it um on your map. Uh but the request is now to expand the um zoning designation to the properties that are all outlined in teal. Um these are all properties that are owned by the world of Pentecost. Um and the reason for the amendment is to allow for uh no property lines to exist um essentially and the zoning designation be um uh expanded. so that all development, future development, and any standards uh can apply to all of the properties and allows for for that to occur. Um I should also note that there's an existing um billboard or or sign um right where it says around where it says C1870A. Um there are no changes that are requested um as part of this application. uh as part of the conditional resoning request um the technical review committee reviews the site plan that's

associated with this and so um they approved that uh back in February. So that accompanies the conditional resoning amendment and this just shows that site plan along with all of the different development conditions and use conditions. Um, I should also note that there's an existing house on lot five that is currently in the medium density residential zoning district. So, we've reflected that under use condition number four so that in the event something happens with that property um it is allowed to expand or alter in that in compliance with that same zoning district. None of the other standards really have changed from the previous conditional resoning. Um, and any any modifications, new buildings, alterations would have to go back through the technical review committee from for uh review and approval. So staff found this um request uh inconsistent with the future land use designation which basically you can see splits the property in between this this business park light industrial and the traditional residential future land use designations. So even the existing zoning does not comply with the future land use designation of the of the property. uh and we just reflect that um and provide other recommendations included in your packet for uh staff's recommendation. Happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Okay. Thank you. Um any questions from council? Okay. Um then at this time I'll open the floor for public comments on this item and um just ask that you state your name and address for the record and then each speaker is asked to limit comments to five minutes. Are there any speakers who would like to address this particular issue? Please come and share with us. Again, state your name and address um and keep comments. We we'll have a timer where you can see it.

Mayor, nice to meet you. Uh, council members, good to see you again. My name is Chad Huffine, civil engineer for the project at 505 East Davis Street in Burlington. Uh, I'm here with some of the pastors from the church. if you'd like to ask us any questions to uh complement what Jaime's already presented to you. Uh the church is interested in increasing the uh Spanish community is um enlarging and and part of the ministry there will be a a new uh Spanish sanctuary. Uh in addition to that, a a future gymnasium. We plan on an access to Cedar Crest to alleviate some of the traffic. And so as part of our expected growth, the reasoning was necessary to comply with the current ordinances and uh staff has been very helpful in making that accomplished for us. Thank you very much.

Thank you. And I do know that you have worked closely with our staff to come to the place where we are today. That's correct. So are there other comments at this time? If there are no other comments, then I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. Motion approved. Second. All in favor? I I Thank you. Um and also entertain a motion to approve or deny the text amendment um that is in front of you.

Mayor, I make a motion to um recommend approval of the request to amend the existing conditional residential CR 956 zoning district located at 11:01 Cedar Crest Drive. Parcel ID number 132796 to include Alamance County tax identification numbers 132534 132795 132799 132800 and 132 80 one and 01 801

132801. These properties are located at the northwest corner of the Hanford Road and Cedar Crest Drive intersection. While the use is inconsistent with the future land use map section map in section 4 land use of the comprehensive plan in that it calls for this area to have regional, commercial, and general industrial uses. The religious in um institution was approved under the conditional residential CR956 zoning designation. The current zoning for the area permits religious institutions, schools, child daycare centers, and single family detached residential dwellings. The action is reasonable in and in the public interest in that the request the requested reszoning allows for the church to expand on properties under their common ownership. Future development can occur in a consistent and cohesive manner. P132795 located at the terminus of Lndale Drive is currently zoned light industrial, but its awkward lot shape, access issue, and proximity to residential uses and zoning does not make it well suited for industrial uses.

Thank you for that motion. Do we have a second? Second. All in favor? I thank you. Um, this resoning also passes or Yes. Um, that is not typical, but I I will invite you to come to public comments at the end. I was just going to say thank you very much. We We appreciate Thank you.

We've been here 42 years and uh we're trying to do things right, reaching everybody we can. We believe the ground is level and so we have several nationalities in our church very multiculture and God been good to us and we're anticipating growth. So just thank you for all your kindness through the years all of you. Thank you. Thank you.

Continuing on the agenda with new business. Um this is item three on your agenda. New business. Uh, city council will consider a temporary street closing for the following streets for Alamance Regional Antique Automobile Club of America special event annual car show in downtown Burlington on Saturday, May 16th, 2026 from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. And this is spelled out in your agenda, the street closures that we are looking at. Um, and at this time I will recognize our supervisor of special events, Shawn Echavaria or um Tony Loss.

Thank you very much, mayor and members of the council. This is a annual event going on a long time. It's been several different places besides downtown, but downtown is really a good place for it. It's a great show. lots of beautiful cars well restored and taken care of and uh attracts a lot of people too. It's uh no admission any it's free for anybody and so uh uh they get a lot of attendance and uh it's been in downtown now for a good number of years. Hadn't had any problems and uh we're working around the construction so hopefully it'll be good this year. I'll be glad to answer any questions. Any questions? Okay. Thank you very much.

Thank you. So, we need a motion and a second to approve or deny this request for temporary street closures. Move. Second. All in favor? Thank you. And item number four, city council will consider adopting a resolution requesting the restoration of eliminated Pedmont passenger rail stops in Burlington. And I recognize assistant city manager Rachel Kelly.

Hey, good evening. Um, at your last council meeting, March 3rd, council requested staff prepare a resolution requesting restoration of the eliminated stops in Burlington on the Pedmont Rail Service. Um, that resolution's been prepared for you and was in your packet. Um, if approved, we'll certainly get that to the folks at NC DOT. Um, and also share that with the other communities that lost stops, High Point, Salisbury, and Canopoulos. Happy to answer any questions you have. Thank you. Any questions? I don't believe that's in our packet, but um it has been prepared and you are welcome to

I got I got a copy of it. Um Council Member Ward was um prepared with that. Thank you.

And I actually had it in my hand and stuck it in my bag in the back. I'm I'm happy to read that to you um if if you'd like to hear it. It's not very long. Um so this is a resolution by the city council of city of Burlington requesting restoration of Burlington passenger rail stops. Whereas beginning on July 10, 2023, North Carolina Department of Transportation rail division adjusted the schedule for the Piedmont passenger rail service in North Carolina. And whereas stops in the cities of Burlington High Point in Salsbury were removed from the Piedmont service. And whereas the morning southbound train from Raleigh and the afternoon train from Charlotte no longer stop at the Burlington station. And whereas this modification decreased commute times from times between Raleigh and Charlotte by approximately 12 minutes. It also removed convenient access to this valuable transportation service for Burlington residents and regional riders. And whereas other stops in Burlington, other trains stop in Burlington to provide access to and from Raleigh and Charlotte, but these stops arrive at times that are not as convenient for passengers. And whereas the NC DOT rail division presented on September 18th, 2023 and September 16th, 2024 at work sessions in response to Burlington City Council's request for an update while actively advocating for the return of eliminated stops. And whereas NC DOT conducted public engagement in 2025 regarding future Piedmont service expansion, their findings included a public desire for the increase in train frequency, schedule improvement, on-time performance, connectivity with local transit systems, and stopping at all stations. And whereas according to NC DOT, Burlington's train station experienced record ridership in 2025 with a 13% increase. This was the second highest increase in writership along the

route. And whereas Burlington residents have voiced concerns to the Burlington City Council about the removal of the Burlington stop from the Pedmont service. Whereas the Burlington City Council believes in the importance of a robust passenger rail system as part of the transportation network in Burlington. And whereas this reduction in stops also affects Burlington's economic development and the vitality of the downtown, its local businesses and shops. And now therefore, be it resolved, the city council of the city of Burlington, North Carolina does hereby request the NC DOT rail division consider full restoration of the stops eliminated from the Piedmont passenger rail service as soon as practical to provide convenient accessible access to commuter rail for Burlington area riders. And we need a motion for um to approve this um statement.

With my strongest uh support, I move we adopt this resolution and send it post haste to the rail division at DOT. Second. Second. Second. All in favor? I. And that passes. Um okay. Thank you. So yes, that was in our packet but not in the papers for tonight. So sorry. Um involved.

Okay. Um at this time we will move to public comments. Um this these are comments on anything that we've not discussed this evening in our meeting. And um we do have two people who are signed up for public comments. Um and so the first person is Leslie Scoffield. And I invite you to come forward. Um, we ask that you state your name. You can you can come forward. State your name uh as you approach the podium and also you have five minutes to speak and um you can see the timer over if you over that way it

timer. Thank you. Um I'm here to speak on something totally different. Thank you mayor and council people. We so appreciate your service to our city. Um I'm here with my husband this evening and some of our neighbors. Um we're very concerned about the speeding in our neighborhood which is kind of nestled between I 8540 on Longpine Road which is off of Huffman Mill out where the IHOP um uh Citygate Church um Hilton I believe or one of those uh and between uh Grand Oaks Boulevard we've had quite a bit of excessive speeding and loud exhaust despite all of us calling the police who have been tremendously responsive and we so appreciate what they've been able to do. But unfortunately, even though these people are being cited for um these occurrences, they have not done anything about um the speeding and the loud exhaust. And we are woken up at all times of the night and day. We have elderly people living in our neighborhood. We've got a res renaissance of of sorts in our neighborhood. Lots of young children biking, uh, skateboarding, walking, jogging, and it is very dangerous. And Long Pine between the sharp curve, which is right at I 8540, and down to where it feeds into the new Huffman um, Mill States, I believe. Um uh it it feeds into Gran Oaks Boulevard. Um our traffic has really increased. Um we even

had a recycling truck go by at about 55 miles an hour. Now we've been told that it is 35 miles an hour there, but at the curve it's 15 miles hour, but it's not posted anywhere other than at that curve. We don't have any posted signs. And what we'd like to have done is to have that speed reduced. That's not a real wide stretch of road. There are no sidewalks. Um we have people who have to cross the street on Longpine um to get to their mailboxes. We've had one neighbor whose mailbox has been taken out, I thought 12 times. I think he said close to 20. and it's really dangerous. Um, so we just would like the consideration to possibly I I don't know what the speed needs to be reduced to, but we also have had a real pickup in um construction traffic trucks. There's a lot of building going on and there's nothing to see uh flatfed with trusses go by. Very heavy. Um and it's just it's just really become a nuisance and it's also become a quality of life problem because this is a daily occurrence that this is happening. Um so one our objective really is to have the have have the speed posted there um and hopefully to reduce it.

Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your concerns and I'm certain that our city staff will check into what what you have shared with us this evening.

I just thought of something very quickly. Um somehow between where that sharp bend is, if you've ever come down it, it's truly sharp and that's where the 15 mile per hour posting is. It's it's like a service road that parallels the highway going east. Um, somehow between our house, which is the last house on the right, if you're going towards the highway, there's a little bit of forest that has just been taken down in the last three weeks. Heartbreaking, but it was our only buffer to the highway. Four town homes are going to be going up on that property. I'm not sure how it was reszoned. None of us knew it. We didn't see any postings at all. But um four town homes are going up and that is four more driveways that will be pouring right onto Longpine right at that curve. And we have kids who are in their teens who are riding their bikes and skateboarding along there or walking up to the convenience stores and it's super dangerous. So folks, we would appreciate anything you can do. Thank you so much.

Thank you for sharing your concerns.

Yes, ma'am. Thank you. And um also signed up this evening is Stephanie Braxton. And if you'll just state your name and you can see the timer. I'm Stephanie Braxton. 341 South Main Street in downtown Burlington. Good evening, Mayor Kennet and members of the city council. As I've already stated, my name is Stephanie Braxton and I am a business owner in downtown Burlington. Our business is less than a year old and like many small businesses, we rely heavily on accessibility, visibility, and consistent foot traffic to survive. For the past three weeks, the street in front of our business has been closed due to a planned plumbing project. While we understand that infrastructure improvements are necessary, the way this project has been managed has created serious challenges not just for us but for the broader downtown community. Currently, we are facing several critical issues. There appears to be no clearly identified project manager or point of contact for business owners. We have received little to no communication about the project timeline or expected completion. Emergency vehicle access is unclear or potentially compromised. There are no visible detour signs directing customers or visitors to B downtown businesses. There has been little public communication reassuring the community that downtown is still open. There has been no consistent on-site presence from project leadership or downtown representatives. These gaps have real consequences. Reduced access and visibility directly

impact revenue, including sales tax revenue. For our newer businesses like ours, prolonged disruptions can threaten our ability to remain open. Looking ahead, we understand that a streetscape project is scheduled to begin in May and continue through December. Given our current experience, we are deeply concerned about how future work will be managed. We respectfully ask the council to address the following. Will a dedicated project manager be assigned to a consistent point as a consistent point of contact for business and property owners? Will there be a proactive regular communication about timelines, progress, and disruptions? Will businesses and property owners be consulted before and during project planning? And most importantly, can work schedules be adjusted, such as overnight work, to minimize this impact? Will proper signage and marketing efforts be implement implemented to ensure the public knows downtown is open? Will steps be taken to guarantee emergency access at all times? And importantly, how will the city ensure that the issues we are experiencing now are not repeated during future projects? Downtown Burlington is already facing challenges. In 1991, our downtown district consisted of a 16 block radius. Today, I believe it has dwindled to eight. Therefore, resulting in a reduction in participating taxpaying blocks. In just the last month, our community has lost at least three businesses. I can confidently say that at least one of those left to join Meban's downtown community. A vibrant, accessible downtown is critical to the

economic health of our community. We are not opposed to progress. We want to be part of it, but we need partnership, communication, and thoughtful execution to ensure that progress does not come at the cost of the very businesses it is meant to support. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you so much for sharing your concerns. Um, and as I shared with our last speaker, I think um, someone from city staff will follow up with you and um, and be able to help with some communication. Thank you. We have no one else signed up for public comments this evening. Um, so I'll uh, at this time have a few announcements. Um, and First of all, I'd like to share um that the city of Burlington is proud to announce that Chief Financial Officer Peggy Reese has been selected as a recipient of the Cardinal Award by the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor, led by State Auditor Dave Bully, who personally presented Peggy with the honor on Thursday, March 5th. and I got to be a part of that and it was just a beautiful and delightful celebration. The Cardinal Award award is a special distinction presented to individuals across North Carolina who demonstrate excellence in advancing transparency and accountability in government finance. The award recognizes public servants who improve efficiency, promote responsible stewardship of public resources, and safeguard taxpayer dollars. recipients exemplify the highest standard of integrity, accountability, and public service. And tonight, we just want to celebrate with you, Peggy, and um and congratulate you on this beautiful honor.

Thank you all for your kind words and for this recognition. But um I accepted this uh on behalf of the city of Burlington because it takes a team from the council leadership, the city management uh city manager, assistant city manager leadership, the department heads um and the individuals who are in the finance department. It's not something that you do alone. So, thank you. Thank you. And also this evening, I'd like to acknowledge um I'd like to recognize city manager Bob Patterson regarding a request for rescheduling of the next work session.

Um thank you, mayor and councel. Um the April work session is scheduled for April 6th u Monday which falls on the Monday following Easter Sunday and the holiday weekend and uh staff is off on on the Friday before for Good Friday. Um that week is also um Alman Bington school system spring week spring break week. Um so some people may have out of town trip schedule. Um, with that in mind, I would like to ask if council may want to consider rescheduling the the Monday, April 6th work session to uh two weeks following on Monday, April 20th. Um, staff can make the appropriate notifications to inform the public of the rescheduled meeting date and council would hold both of your other city council meetings on their schedule dates of Tuesday, April 7th and Tuesday, April 21st.

Thank you. Um, can we um do this by consensus? Um, anyway. So, does that change the proposed change work for council? Yeah, I'll just make a motion to approve that. Okay. Second. All in favor? Thank you.

Okay. So, that meeting that um work session will be moved from the 6th to the 20th. Um, just a couple of announcements. As you heard, the um administrative offices, city of Burlington administrative offices will be closed on Friday, April 3rd in observance of Good Friday. Um and our next city council meeting will be on April 7th, but the work session will be on April 20th and then another meeting on the 21st. Um, Burlington Recreation and Parks is hosting a same day hiring event for seasonal positions on Thursday, March 19th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Kernodal Senior Center. Applicants can apply, interview, and complete your drug screening on site. Applicants must be at least 16 years old. For those under 18, a parent or guardian must accompany them during the drug screening process. Um, so that is something that you all should be aware of and also share out in the community. Are there other um comments or announcements from city council?

Well, I have one. I just want to say publicly that I am sorry for the inconvenience of what's happening with your business and how your business is being impacted and I want you to know that I heard you and I I understand that and you are heard. And with that, maybe we can encourage people to go downtown and visit the businesses that are downtown because downtown is still open. It is not closed even if the street is closed. Um, so and I will come visit your business. What is it? Cersei. Cury. Cersei. Yes, you are. Oh, I need to see you. I have one of your plants

from the elder care. You were the one that supplied the plants and it was Yes, I have a plant. We got to talk tonight. Thank you.

Yes. So, um yes, be aware that downtown is still open. Um other comments. I just will acknowledge that today is St. Patrick's Day. Um the the days for celebration for the feast of St. Patrick. Um and I'm going to tell you just and I'll keep this brief just a brief comments about St. Patrick at um St. Patrick was born, well, we'll just call him Patrick to start out with, was born in Britain in the fifth century and he was kidnapped by Irish pirates um when he was 16 years old, taken into captivity. He was made to work as a slave in Ireland. Um he escaped six years later and was able to make it back to his home in Britain. Um later he became a priest and um he was sent to Ireland as a missionary. Um and I just have to say that um I I think to be sent back to the place where you were enslaved would take a lot. Um and what he did in Ireland um as a priest was to build community and practice forgiveness. So, um, as you celebrate St. Patrick's Day today, I encourage you to work on building community. And of course, it's always a good thing to practice forgiveness. So, um, as you as you go about your, um, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, just remember, community is always important. Um, that's that's all I have for this evening. Um, if if there's nothing else, then I would entertain a motion.

Thank you for the story. Most people don't know about St. very interesting and very kind of you to share it. Thank you very much. Certainly. I'll make a motion to approve um to close the meeting. Okay. Second. Second. All in favor? I thank you all.