Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Good evening and welcome to the Board of Commissioners regular meeting for August 17th, 2026. I will call this meeting to order. If you all will please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And I would like to welcome up Dan Marshall who will give us our invocation for the evening. Good evening.

Would you bow with me in prayer? Our gracious Heavenly Father, We come before you this evening in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. We come to thank you for those you have called into public service and their willingness to invest their time and talent in service to you and to this community. We humbly ask that you grant them the wisdom that they need to provide prudent decisions for this county. We ask that you keep them aware of their accountability to you for their actions and attitudes. We also ask that you remind the citizens of this community of their responsibility to uphold these public servants in prayer, interceding for them with sincere hearts and informed minds. Lord, we are privileged to live in a remarkable nation that have served its people well for 250 years. You have blessed this country with abundant resources, not just in a material way, but also in those you've called to serve. No nation can long endure without godly leaders. As King Solomon was preparing his son to take the throne, he instructed him in Proverbs 29, verse 2. When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan. King Solomon instructed his son further in Proverbs 29, verse 4. A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. And again, in Proverbs 29, 14, he told his son, if a king judges the poor fairly, his throne will last forever. Lord, if you tarry, we want this nation to last another 250 years. Therefore, we ask that you grant these leaders a desire to govern with a godly spirit and a selfless heart. May they hear and heed the wisdom of King Solomon, Proverbs 14, 34. Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. May they serve you with a pure heart, a humble spirit, and a discerning mind. We make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you all.

All right. I do need a motion to approve the minutes as presented. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That carries 5-0. And then I need a motion to approve the agenda, including the changes on page 42. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, that carries as well, 5-0. So we will move on to item number two, which is the geobond video. And this is going to be presented by our new county manager, John Eller. Welcome him to the dais. We're so glad to have you up here.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, everyone. It's great to be before you today, and I'm so excited about the work that we're doing in Cabarrus County and so many great people that I've been able to meet here and spend time with. Before we show you a quick video on the upcoming Go Bonds referendum that will be occurring, just so everyone knows what it really means, we want to make sure that our residents are fully educated. on this topic so we'll be doing some media outreach over the next several months to make sure that everyone who votes understands what they're voting for we think that's our responsibility for sure before I do that I just want to take a quick opportunity as we're talking about schools in general to give a shout out to my high school principal, Sam Shoemate, who has been struggling the past few months with some health-related issues. I spent most of my life working on the farm, getting my feet and my hands dirty, and going to school and trying to figure out how I was to make it through the educational system in particular. He saw something in many of us, me included. He mentored so many of us. And I don't think I'd be sitting here today and doing the things I do in life without someone like him in my life. So as we go back to school this month, I want to give a shout out to all of our teachers and all of our staff at our schools and the community and everyone who supports our partners in education for sure. It's not the easiest week. all of you know if you have family members who are working in our school systems but with that we do have an important decision coming up in November and we want to make sure we start our kickoff tonight to let our residents know exactly what this means for us so tonight is the beginning of many things if you have questions we hope all of you will reach out to us so with that we'll tee this up madam chair

This November, you'll be asked whether Cabarrus County should borrow money to fund public school building projects. That's called a general obligation, or G.O. Bond Referendum, and you'll see it later this year on your ballot. What does all that mean? Let's get into it. In North Carolina, county governments are required by law to fund the building and maintenance of public schools. And locally, that need is estimated to be $1 billion over the next decade. Which brings us back to that GO bond. When you get your ballot, you'll have two school bond questions. One totals $340 million and would be used for Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools. The other is $60 million for Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. And one note, that money can only pay for building projects. It can't be used for day-to-day operations. The bonds would fund projects like new school construction, along with renovations and upgrades to existing facilities, things like roof and HVAC replacement, parking lot repair, and security upgrades. and campus additions and updates. Now that's just an overview. Leading up to the election, our goal is simple. We want you to have all the facts you need to make an informed decision. Here are some additional resources. Go to www.cabarruscounty.us slash geobondfaq to get full details about the bond, including all the identified projects. Cabarrus County Schools information can be found at engagewithccs.com slash bond 26. And you can check your tax impact at gobondcalculator.cabarruscounty.us. That total amount will be phased in over the duration of the project, usually a few years at minimum. Get information about the upcoming general election, like scheduling, voter status, and more, by visiting www.cabarruscounty.us slash election. And of course, if you have general questions, you can always send them to getinfo at cabarruscounty.us. Get informed, determine your priorities, then make your decision.

Thank you for doing that video.

And I just want to say thanks to Dominique and Jonathan Weaver for doing that as well. You know, our job here is to educate you on what a bond is and what that means for you. And so for the next several weeks coming up until November, we will be putting out videos and educational material for everybody to understand what this bond means for them personally in their own households. OK, so we will move on to recognitions and presentations. Item number one, Consolidated Human Services Agency Economic Services Appreciation Proclamation. And that is with Stacy Daniels. Good evening. Welcome.

Thank you for having us. My name is Heather Altman. I'm the program administrator for Medicaid. We are here tonight to celebrate economic services appreciation month for the month of August for eligibility staff representing Medicaid food nutrition services, our training staff, quality assurance, program integrity, and our customer service staff that support those efforts. We have a video that we would like to thank communications for putting together for us and Miss Stacey Daniels will read our proclamation after the video. Thank you.

Years ago, when I was not able to work any longer, I had to go on to food stamps because I didn't have that much social security at that time. And I hate to have to do that because I'd never done anything like that before in my life. And almost, to be honest with you, at first I was ashamed of it because I thought, I don't want people to know I'm having to live like this. But you know what? If it helps you, don't be ashamed. Go ahead and be glad that you receive help.

We have two dedicated farmers that can do WIC. WIC people can get fresh produce here. And then we have four that do the senior vouchers. That includes the honey and the microgreens. They're approved for that. And now we are starting a program where people can bring their EBT cards and get tokens where they can shop at any eligible food. And I cannot tell you the smiles that break out when they realize they can actually use whatever their services is here. And they just grin and they're so excited about that. And it's very rewarding to see that.

We just felt that it was very important that, you know, people have access to those things. And it's really doing the right thing. My husband and I both taught at Title I schools, which take assistants. And we just felt that it was very, very important that we bring that here, especially when, you know, you can buy local healthy foods. And, you know, we just wanted to make sure that that was something that was available to anybody.

Well, to me, that's a wonderful thing to hear and learn because I did not know about it. So I appreciate you sharing that with me too. That's fresh food. That's local food. And I have a sign on the back of my car that says without farms, there's no food. So I like to support farms and the farmers and people in the area. So that makes me feel good that I can go there and get fresh stuff, fresh eggs and whatever they have. I'm definitely going to take advantage of it and go check it out. It has been a real blessing to me that they've been able to provide and help me get food and help me have different things in my life that I needed. And it's helped me to stay in my home too because I don't know if I could have stayed here or where I would have ended up being. And that's what most of us want to do is stay in our homes as long as we can and not be dependent on somebody and taking care of us and being able to get help. I've been able to stay here and love my home and not be so upset wondering what I was going to do. They've relieved me in a lot of ways and I appreciate it and it is a joy. Thank you.

Good evening. Economic Services Appreciation Month in Cabarrus County, a proclamation. Whereas individuals, families, and children are entitled to public assistance services and support that they may be eligible for, and whereas Food and Nutrition Services is a USDA federal food assistance program that provides low-income families the food they need for a nutritional adequate diet and whereas Cabarrus County FNS eligibility staff have assisted in providing food and nutrition benefit allotments to address food insecurity for physical year 26 in the amount of $46,804,021 and whereas Medicaid is dedicated to providing access to physical and behavioral health care and services to improve the health and well-being of over 3.1 million North Carolinians and whereas Cabarrus County Department of Human Services Medicaid eligibility have assisted in providing medical and behavioral health care to the citizens of Cabarrus County for physical year 26 in the amount of $155,350,213.04. And whereas in physical year 26, Cabarrus County Department of Social Services, Economic Services eligibility staff processed over 16,044 Medicaid applications and 7,217 food and nutrition service applications. Meeting federal and state timeliness requirements in both programs and whereas are currently 57,307 active Medicaid recipients and 22,319 active food and nutrition services recipients in Cabarrus County. And whereas during fiscal year 26, Department of Social Services staff demonstrated exceptional dedication to program integrity by establishing $347,686 in intentional program violation claims and recovering $688,078 in overpayments, reinforcing responsible stewardship public funds and safeguarding vital resources for individuals and families who rely on these essential services and whereas economic services staff in Cabarrus County work tirelessly to ensure individuals families and children receive access to medical medical care and financial support for food and nutrition services and now therefore be it resolved that the cabarrus county board of commissioners does hereby proclaim the month of august as economic services appreciation month in cabarrus county adopted the seventeenth day of august twenty twenty six all right commissioners i do need a motion and a second to approve the proclamation as presented

All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? And that carries 5-0. Thank you, ladies, for coming up to present that, and we certainly value the work that you do. All right, we will move on to item number two, recognition of Chief Deputy Burchett on her retirement from Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office with Sheriff Banshaw.

good evening good evening Thank You commissioners madam chair thank you for having us tonight truly it's an honor to be able to recognize chief deputy Burchette after serving the citizens of Cabarrus County for 29 years her career has included patrol duties investigative duties community advocacy and supervision She's a natural leader, a team player, dependable, professional, and has outstanding character. All of these words are constantly mentioned in reference to her name. We're very proud of her. She has carried out her duties exceptionally well on a daily basis. To give you a little history, she began a law enforcement career with the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office in 1999 and was assigned to the patrol division. after that she other assignments included being a dare officer being a school resource officer a community policing deputy as well as a community policing sergeant and as well as a community policing lieutenant so you know where her heart is oriented and that's service to the community and she did an outstanding job there she also served in our detective division as an investigator As I said later, she became promoted to Sergeant, then Lieutenant. And then in 2019, I had the privilege of promoting Chief Deputy Burchette to Captain of Field Operations Division. She came well qualified to run the Criminal Investigations Division, as well as various specialty teams and a number of administrative programs. And again, excelled there. It became my great honor in 2023 to promote Chief Deputy Burchette to her current position to become the first female Chief Deputy in the history of the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office. Truly great accomplishment, truly well deserved based on her experience and performance. there she oversees all the operations of the sheriff's office to include personnel finance and budget development frankly doing a lot of stuff each and every day also during her career she became a certified law enforcement instructor through the state of north carolina as well as a specialized physical fitness instructor she also served as a crisis negotiator and became the lead negotiator of that team as well She was also instrumental in the development of the Sheriff's Office DARE summer camps for children that still continue to this day and are done on a yearly basis. She served on the State of North Carolina DARE Executive Committee, the National Safe Kids Coalition, and the Cabarrus County Safe Schools Task Force. Chief Burchette has made a lasting impact on the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office. She has been at the forefront of advancing new programs, technology, and being an advocate for employee health and wellness. Her leadership and guidance has impacted all of us in so many ways, as well as her fellow employees, and is only surpassed by her compassion and her kindness to everyone she works with. It has truly been an honor to work side by side with my Chief Deputy, Tessa Burchette, I'm extremely proud of her. I hate to see her go, but I know she's going to be able to enjoy retirement, have a good time. Her husband is here with her tonight, David Burchette. I think he's back in the back of the room, smiling, because now he's got a full-time boss coming home. So I'm excited for him, too. But I could be here all night talking about Tessa. and just what a great person she is. I know she's worked with virtually all of y'all, as well as many people in the audience, and always putting the citizens first. And I can't think of a more higher accolade than say that you've served selfishly, devoted your life to public service, and she's done it extremely well. So I present to you Chief Deputy Tessa Burchett.

It's harder being the center of attention. I don't do as well with this. But no, it's been a true honor. I've loved every phase of my career. I've been able to raise my family here, alongside my husband, serving this community, building relationships with so many different people. And I feel like we've truly gained the trust of our community, and that means so much. Being able to do it with Sheriff Shaw, It's been such an honor. I feel truly blessed. It's bittersweet to leave, but it's time. And it's good to know that there's so many wonderful people that are going to continue doing the work that we've done. And this agency's in fantastic hands, so couldn't be more thankful and grateful for that. So thank you for all the times that I've been able to spend with y'all and of course previous boards, previous management. It's been an honor and I've truly enjoyed every minute of it.

you go we do have to give you your your clock because you can't leave without your clock um i just want to say tessa i have enjoyed being able to work with you i appreciate so much that you know how important the animals are And you have always been there to answer any questions that I've had. And you've just been a great resource for so many people. And I'm truly grateful for your leadership in the Sheriff's Department. And we really are going to miss you. Now, do you want to tell what you're going to be, your next endeavor is going to be? Because I love that you're doing this.

Sure. Believe it or not, I'm, along with my family and some friends, some other business partners we're venturing into the event and wedding planning so tie the knot event company in Kannapolis come come check us out it's kind of an exciting thing to delve into something totally different I'm never gonna need your services I will recommend everyone to you Commissioner Patrick if you would like to present her her clock

Again, we are very grateful for you, and thank you very much, Sheriff Shaw. All right, and we will move on to informal public comments. Arie, how many do we have this evening, ma'am?

We have 10. We will start with Price Crutchfield.

It's a terrible evening for me. Well, I was enduring elder abuse at the emergency room. I'm elderly. And my doctor told me to go over there in an emergency situation. I was in horrible pain, life-threatening, the records will show. And security personnel over there interrupted my conversation with the receptionist, a medical conversation, protected by hipaa he violated that he came over and gave me an illegal order to sit down there are no rules at the hospital it says you have to sit down when you come to the emergency room i wasn't there to drink a beer or fight mike tyson or anything like that i was there for an emergency there was no empathy no caring just mandates and directives and threats to call the police on me and my crime was that I wouldn't sit down he never asked me are you okay are you in pain you know I figured there'd be some people skills in there but I was wrong so I went to the customer care line and got absolutely nowhere I was even told that I was making harassing phone calls And then I educated them, and I said, well, gosh, what you need to do is call the police, not me. If I'm making harassing phone calls, just call the police. They would be more than happy to arrest me. I've been arrested 17 times for lesser standards of arrest. When I complained about the police resource officers molesting children at our schools, I got arrested. And I couldn't make a plea bargain. No. I had to do a community service, get on a year's probation for complaining about the police molesting people's children. Okay? I mean, I'm struggling with that. So, in essence, I called down to the security manager, as I was instructed to do, at Harrisburg. And only to be told that I was making harassing phone calls. I made no harassing phone calls. And it was just persistent complaints that I will continue to do. And they sent me a certified letter that says cease and desist. Well, I haven't ceased and I haven't desisted. I've simply existed. Okay? But I want to do more than that. I want to be able to feel safe in the emergency room when I go in in a life-threatening situation that's clearly documented. I had to get morphine, incidentally, and this guy with his nefarious actions didn't help me none at all. So in spite of his horrible actions, I got through it. But I have all the praise for the medical staff and the doctors. I'm all about education and professionalism. But these guys, they're just Gestapo agents. You know, just horrible. And I just want to make sure my fellow citizens are aware of this. Silence, please.

Paul Wienish.

Good afternoon. I think this year you've done an excellent job in coming up with an idea of a general obligation bond. It's the right thing to do and But beyond that, let me take up John on his questions about what's going on. I don't think that the commissioners actually did a very good job researching the bond idea, and so chose to only put this year's CCS capital budget on the whole amount of the bond. what you failed to look at was that the public bond will be funded over 20 years. While the CCS request was for this year, very similar to what's been out there for the last five years and never funded, much of this was the same stuff you've seen for years, and failed to adequately fund. Compounding this, CCS split the budget into medium and large expenses. Things like new schools are only part of the larger budget, 50 year depreciation, and your bond includes medium things like roughing vehicles and other building maintenance, which will seem to occur annually, and we're 28 million this year. This is not adequately addressed in the bond. I think it also included Cabarrus, Kannapolis, and CCS, and it was the same 340 million bond that CCS put forward, so it's less than actually both of them. You also failed to do a sanity check on the proposing. Mecklenburg had done several GO bonds in the past 10 years. Both were passed resoundingly. 2017, they got 900 million, and then in 2023, they got two and a half billion. This is approximately $3.4 billion for the current population of 140. So they're much bigger than us, right? Yeah, except that CCS has 35,000 and the ratio is four times in the students. Mecklenburg has 10 times the amount of bond money available. If you look at the last few budget cycles, you failed to factor in the past funding for the district. Our educational experience is behind any of the surrounding counties. All CCS school zones are now at 100% capacity, far exceeding the actual design point for each school. While the class sizes are not illegal, you'll find most schools have four to five lunch hours, meaning that elementary schools eat their lunch at 10.30 in the morning. High schools, they get 20 minutes for lunch. I don't know anybody that goes for 20 minutes of lunch at 10.30 in the morning. The gymnasiums are overcrowded as well, especially when there's events involving families. Can you imagine having to schedule your parents attending a lunch with their children but limiting it to four times a year because there's not room in the cafeterias? Some of the lunches are actually held in the classrooms because of the room in the cafeteria. Even worse, the district now has two capped schools, preventing students attending the schools closest to their home. This fall, elementary students will be bussed 30 minutes to get to a school, elementary school, right? Kindergarten, first grade through fifth grade. This is partially caused by Boger, Cox Mill, and Weddington, all about 20% above the design point of the building. I'd suggest a larger gold bond. Thank you.

Keisha Sandage.

Hi, how are you doing? So two things. The first one I'll start with is I sent you all an email in regards to the potential for youth internships. I got a response back from three of you. I appreciate that response. I've talked to other municipalities in relation to this and suggested to Concord this past week that it be introduced during the Cabarrus Summit so that you all are able to talk collaboratively about it and how you could put things in place to make sure that it is across the board in our county. I also suggested that there be collaboration with the private sector in trying to implement this as well as the DA who currently also has an internship. i did tell concord that uh once i get all the information back kenny thank you for connecting me to kelly to get that information i will put a report together of what i found and then offer some suggestions as i'm able to second thing um there will be two possibly three constitutional amendments on our ballot in November. I do know that several counties have come out against these bonds and I know a candidate for Cabarrus County Commission a few months ago came and talked with you about those bonds as well as Senate Bill 1080 and House Bill 1089. I will be as a citizen voting no on those amendments. I would love to know where our county sees these amendments helping us out or not. What I'm asking is look to your counterparts in Union County who have since come out against these two amendments and talked about how it would severely damage their ability to take care of their county. And talk with them and gather what you all feel this will do or not do for our county. As elected officials, we truly should know where you sit on things that are going to be coming to the public to vote on. Just like you talked about the GO bonds, I believe you should equally do the same thing about these amendments so that our community knows how they may or may not affect us. I believe that it will really and truly constrain your ability to take care of Cabarrus County. We are talking about, you know, privatizing. I think this is a bait and switch, to be honest with you. We are trying to make our county or make our state a private sector. and i'm wondering if that is the case where do we pay what do we pay taxes for what are our taxes going to i'm okay with paying taxes to make sure that the fire department can get to me in the good times that they've been able to get to our our community i'm also okay with paying taxes to ensure that the sheriff department can investigate and can get to crime as fast as it's been able to do that however if we cut and make sure that um Our taxes are cut, are specific to a one number. How do we pay for services? And what will we cut? I think our community should know that, and you all have the information.

Ezra Y. Shea. Ezra Y. Shea.

Thank you for having the opportunity to come up here again. I was here, I think, two sessions ago, then followed up with a couple of weeks of vacation out of town, but my question was to the board, what does the county offer or have to help and assist and support small businesses? You may or may not remember that conversation, but as I left out of the building, 10 minutes later, I got to the elevator, and the elevator door was about to close, and the gentleman stuck his hand in and stopped the elevator from closing and asked me about my business. He asked me, what do I do? And he asked me if I had a business card. So I told him what I did, had him a business card, and he told me that someone would be in touch with me from the Chamber of Commerce soon. Before I went on vacation, someone from the Chamber of Commerce did reach out to me, and I am happy to report that I've had an opportunity to meet all of the members of the Chamber of Commerce, from Allison and her crew, and I have attended a few of the networking events with other business leaders, business owners from Cabarrus County, and basically I'm here today just to tell you thank you. Thank you for helping me. I've made a lot of good connections. Some of them have already become fruitful for helping my business. And that's all because, and I failed to remember who it was that stuck his hand in the door. I think it was you. Was it you? Okay. I apologize for not recognizing you off the phone. But yeah, thank you very much. I appreciate it. And that's it.

Ingrid Nurse.

Good evening, commissioners. The title of my topic is Voters to Decide When It's Time. Yes, we did honor the $4 million bond that we placed on our ballots, allowing voters to decide the outcome. The same effort should be taken into consideration when the proposed animal shelter that would cost taxpayers $23 million to $50 million. That same effort needs to be proposed when it's time. Voters should decide that instead of a five-member board. We have multiple facilities that house homeless animals, such as Cabarrus, County Animal Shelter, Exotic Pets Rescue, Humane Society. An investment of any size or this size deserves transparency and public discussions. Before the county moves forward, like standing with a five member commission, a board, three to two usually, vote. Residents should have the opportunity to understand the total cost have the bond with effects, taxpayers, what alternatives were considered, and what the long-term financial obligations will be. Government works better when people have a voice. Cabarrus County residents first. I am by the people, for the people, because I am the people, thank you.

Rick how far. How far. Thank you.

Good evening commissioners Rick offers with down home North Carolina want to speak to you for just a few minutes about the proposed constitutional amendment on placing limits on the ability for counties and municipalities to generate income through property tax. The scheduled elimination of the corporate tax by the year 2030, along with capping the ability for municipalities and counties to generate revenue with property tax. These would restrict, severely, local revenue. And these two together, these policies would significantly limit North Carolina's ability to invest in schools, infrastructure, public safety, and the workforce that powers the state's economy. And so this is not just about taxes in isolation. It's about whether North Carolina maintains the tools needed to support growing communities and a strong economy. The property tax amendment does these things. It caps how much total property tax revenue local governments can collect each year. It forces local governments to lower tax rates as property values rise. it ties future budgets to past revenue levels regardless of current needs and it limits the ability of communities to respond to growth inflation and service demands in practice this means local governments would have less flexibility to fund essential services even as costs and population increase And property taxes matter. They're the backbone of local public services in North Carolina. Public school buildings, fire and emergency response, libraries, parks, and infrastructure, social services, all of these things. Property taxes are the largest single source of local revenue. Local governments in North Carolina can't levy their own taxes or increase sales tax. Property taxes are stable and predictable, making them well-suited for funding ongoing services. Strong schools, safe communities and well-maintained infrastructure help protect property values. When local services decline, property values often decline too. local leaders use this revenue to meet real-time community needs, a statewide cap would override that local decision-making. And so we encourage the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners to go on record that they do not support the property tax amendment that will be on the ballot November 3rd. Thank you.

Nancy Hufforth?

Good evening, commissioners, county manager, and fellow Cabarrus County residents. My name is Nancy Hofforth, and I've been paying Cabarrus County taxes for at least 30 years. Most of us don't look forward to paying our taxes. After all, that's our money we worked hard for. But we understand that tax revenue is what our communities run on, as Rick just explained. I'd like to address some of the common but false claims about property tax bills. Property tax bills are driven by overspending. When homeowners see a big jump in their individual bill, it's because of infrequent valuations and growth in real estate values driven by low supply, or when big corporations and real estate investors shelter property from taxes. This is a housing market issue, not a local overspending issue. Claim number two, property tax revenue is growing too fast. Actually, revenue growth reflects real-world conditions like population growth, increased demand for services, and higher construction and labor costs. This is not excess. It is a response to increased need. Claim number three, local governments are over-collecting. In reality, local governments are managing growing responsibilities with limited tools, especially in the context of state tax cuts. They are trying to maintain essential services, not accumulating unnecessary revenue. And finally, property tax caps protect taxpayers. Caps are a blunt instrument. Instead of targeting relief to those who need it most, caps often create long-term funding constraints, especially when they are in the form of a constitutional amendment, that lead to service reductions or increased fees elsewhere. Fortunately, North Carolina already has safeguards in place like reappraisal processes and existing relief programs that help prevent sudden, unchecked increases in property tax bills. If affordability is the goal, more effective options would include expanding existing property tax relief, increasing income eligibility thresholds for tax relief programs, supporting seniors and low-income homeowners, creating a circuit breaker that ties property taxes to income, or providing state funding to offset local relief efforts. The bottom line is that North Carolina can provide meaningful property tax relief without weakening the public systems that support communities, families, and economic growth. I hope the commissioners will take that stand. Thank you.

robert mcdonnell hello robert mcdonnell of concord first uh i'd like to say i'm hoping that the website that was promised two months ago for transparency and accountability is coming along nicely we're going to be able to see that sometime soon secondly totally back up the people have just been speaking up against the amendments that are coming out in November and I already think it's going to be a death spiral ten years from now for the middle class and lower class citizens of North Carolina with this corporate zero tax a good way of putting that is corporate welfare or corporate socialism and it's it's the wrong way to have any type of socialism and thirdly i'm just wondering what you all are going to have as plans for january and they're on for us cabarrus county residents when we start losing parts of our medicaid and and snap what's going to happen to us because like feds are flaking out on us

that's all I have to say thank you Stephen Bryant good evening commissioners County manager County attorney thank you for your time this evening I'd like to first say thank you all for our resolution that got passed. And we're looking forward to sitting down with the county manager and putting the teeth back in the document. And as for what I'm speaking to tonight, the constitutional amendment, a strong economy does not happen by accident. It requires sustained investment in people, communities, and the public systems that make growth possible. It requires leaders who serve North Carolinians. This amendment would make that harder to do, it could damage and make everything just more difficult to correct if it's correctable. This amendment will not make North Carolina more affordable. It will make it harder to fund public investments that lower costs for families from childcare, healthcare, schools, housing, infrastructure, and disaster recovery. And there will be more disasters to come. In short, you can't cut revenue at the state level and cap it at the local level. and still expect strong schools and services, that math doesn't work. Property taxes fund services people rely on every day. Schools, fire department, and infrastructure. Capping them means our ability to meet real needs. Rising property values don't mean people can afford higher taxes. But the solution is targeted relief, not across the board limits that weaken communities. This amendment prioritizes an arbitrary formula over what communities actually need to function, grow, and keep up with rising costs. If the goal is affordability, We should focus on helping people who need it most, not restricting resources every community depends on. Strong schools, safe communities, aren't separate from property values. They're what protect them. When property tax revenue is capped, it doesn't stop costs. It just means fewer services or higher costs somewhere else. Thank you all for your time.

Sabrina Barry.

Good evening, commissioners. How are you guys doing tonight? I came here for one reason and one reason only, and that's to thank you for your leadership, for your transparency. I go all across the western region of North Carolina. You see a lot of commissioners, but in Cadiz County, our citizens are not uninformed. We have the most transparent county commissioners that anybody could ever ask for. We know exactly what's happening in our county. You guys gotta take a lot of slack, even for things you're not responsible for. We hear a bunch of people talking about a constitutional amendment that you didn't put on the ballot. It seems that they're in the wrong place and talking to the wrong people because you guys have no control over what hits the ballot at a state level. I want to thank Commissioner Pittman, especially. You and I don't always see eye to eye. We can go back and forth. But one thing about it, we always can have critical, challenging conversations and leave that space and have respect for each other, love for each other. And I thank you for that level of leadership because you guys have taken a beat down, even after my Juneteenth proclamation, week after week after week. But no one person came in here and said, Kenny, Laura, And Jeff, thank you for approving that Juneteenth proclamation. That was a huge step in our county. And tonight, I just thank you guys for your leadership and just being you. Don't change that for nobody. We are proud to live in Cabarrus, and I think everybody here is too. There are other options. If they don't like it, they can move. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless Cabarrus County.

That is all.

All right, commissioners, I do need a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented.

So move.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? That carries 5-0. Thank you. And we will move on to new business. Item number one is the proposed animal shelter replacement discussion with Kyle Billifer.

you're gonna be up here for a minute you got three so three in a row yeah so I'm sure you all recall the conversation we had and I was kind of looking for some guidance on which way so we did add a motion to this so what's different in this presentation is the motion and the motion is to approve County staff to advertise a request for qualifications for limited design services and for the proposed new animal shelter and to request staff to study alternative funding models that other counties have used to build and operate their animal shelter so in that effort we've already identified some county animal shelters that have been built over the last five years and we kind of have a list of those and contacts and if the board so approves tonight we'll start reaching out to those groups to kind of start our our net throw our net out there to see different types of funding opportunities and of course we've already written the request for qualifications for that limited scope of design and again just to reiterate what was at the meeting for folks that weren't didn't watch that we're going to focus on schematic design specifically traffic impact analysis understanding what our neighboring adjacent parcels are going to be doing which isn't always easy but we'll be reaching out to them and then obviously doing everything from a geotech and environmental aspect

Commissioners, do you have any questions? Commissioner Pittman?

I was going to say, I don't want Ingrid Nurse to faint, but I actually sympathize with some of what she said about this. I don't say no, let's don't do it necessarily. I did understand her point about consulting the citizens about it. One thing I do think between the two positions is maybe. We ought to have, like, a public hearing on it or, you know, take those kind of concerns into account before settling on something. I'm not against it, but I think, you know, we do want a lot of transparency up here, and I think that would be one way of making sure that we have that. So I'd appreciate it if we could do it that way and not just...

I don't necessarily disagree I think what we talked about in the work session was that if for instance we find a funding model that is community-based right we go ask for donations it's important that we go through step one and get someone on board who can do a site plan and a rendering that you can use to market the project if we go for that funding model so I'm certainly in favor of doing step one here even though I do agree with you on some of those items commissioner Pittman so I will certainly be voting for

Any other questions or comment? OK, I do need a motion to approve the county staff to advertise a request for qualifications for limited design services for the proposed new animal shelter and request staff to study alternative funding models that other counties have used to build and operate their animal shelter. Okay, all those in favor, please say aye. Any opposed? All right, that carries 5-0. Thank you. We will move on to item number two, which is discussion of potential permanent stage construction at Rob Wallace Park with Kyle.

uh thank you yes again from our work session where um coming to the board try to get some guidance again this was was brought to me and i've worked with the town of midland specifically town manager doug paris on this and added a motion to this agenda item for the motion to approve the county to partner with the town of midland in a feasibility and design only for a proposed permanent entertainment stage at rob wallace park Construction approval would come at a later date and be associated with several agreements And that has been discussed with a town of Midland even when we met the first time So this is not moving forward with any type of full-blown design. It's almost like what we just talked about in the the last situation and again, no construction until everything comes back in front of this board with the agreements of who would handle maintenance, who handles the cost, the upkeep, and all of those type of things. Similar to what we have in place with the town of Midland for the memorial that they have on phase one of the park.

Commissioners, do you have any questions? I do need a motion to approve the county to partner with the town of Midland and feasibility and design only for the proposed permanent entertainment stage at Rob Wallace Park. Construction approval would come at a later date and be associated with several agreements. All those in favor, please say aye. Any opposed? That carries 5-0.

all right and we will move on to the third which is donate law enforcement vehicles to the town of midland the county has a long-standing agreement with the town of midland to provide law enforcement services as we do with also harrisburg and mount pleasant two new vehicles were recently purchased by the county for the provision of those services the town will fully reimburse the county for the cost of those vehicles This action will donate the two vehicles to the town so they can insure them through the North Carolina League of Municipalities at their desired level. The county is unable to obtain comparable insurance in the private marketplace. For full transparency, this agenda item is the exact agenda item from July 5th, 2022, where this motion had to be made at a time also to do the same type of activity so that the town of Midland has to have the titles to be able to go get the insurance. And I legally cannot give them those titles or should not give them those titles unless they are donated. I will say that County Attorney Doug Hall and myself have written together a resolution that will come in front of the board next month so that this won't have to be done every time.

commissioners any comments or questions all right I do need a motion to approve the donation of County assets four zero seven two and four zero seven three to the town of Midland all those in favor please say aye any opposed thank you so much for your time all right we will move on to item number four boards and committees they have partners governing board appointment Aerie, would you like to address this, ma'am?

Yes, ma'am. The Viya Partners Governing Board has selected a representative for the seat being reserved for Cabarrus County. John Eller, County Manager, is being recommended for appointment to the vacant seat as the Cabarrus County Representative on the Governing Board. Permission is therefore being requested to advance John Eller's name for consideration as the Cabarrus County Representative for a three-year term expiring September 30th, 2029.

Commissioners, do you have any questions or comments? All right, I do need a motion to approve John Eller to serve the Cabarrus County representative on the VEA Partners Governing Board for a three-year term expiring September 30th, 2029, and to include any necessary exemptions to the appointment policy.

So moved.

All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That carries 5-0. Thank you. And we will move on to reports. Just so you all know, the reports have been included in your packet for review. Do you all have any questions regarding those? Okay, just remember that we do have vacancies still on our boards and committees, so please, if you are interested, please fill out an application online for any of those boards and committees. And I will start with Commissioner Pittman.

On August 5th, the first... Thank you. 4,420 trips for a year to date, over 7,000 for Medicare patients. The on-time rate was 98%. They've been going through a period of driver shortages. At that moment, they had 11 drivers out of the need for 21 total. And they were at that time about to interview four potential new drivers, and they had two others interested. Some dispatchers and supervisors are having to fill in the gaps for that lack of drivers and are doing some of the driving. Unused funding from fiscal year 25 through 26 has been reappropriated for fiscal year 26 through 27. Annual trainings held on August 1st. They stressed clocking in on time, having no conversations on the vehicle radio, reviewed the operations manual and matters such as properly securing wheelchairs in the buses and other proper usage of equipment. They discussed RIDECO communication system. It said it's very helpful and more efficient than the previous system being automated, but with human supervision. It sends text to riders when the transportation vehicle is on the way and has allowed a reduction in calls and call staff and provides stronger customer service. After the meeting indoors, we went outside and the process of securing wheelchairs and on buses was demonstrated to us and we were also told that the transportation vehicles had been vandalized in the fenced-in area at that location where they were parked at the DHS facility, having the catalytic converters cut out of all or most of them. In the near future, this committee, in fact, I think it's going to happen this coming week or maybe next, this committee will begin meeting at the Milestone Building and those vehicles will be moved to that location over on Kannapolis Highway. Parking spaces have already been prepared for the buses over there for when the transportation operations will be located there. I had a question about OK, how you gonna secure them there and they felt like they'd already be more secure in that location. We'll see how that goes. I'm sure that costs us a bunch of money replacing those catalytic converters, but I didn't get that figure. On August 5th also met with the local emergency planning committee. We got reports from participating organizations, but there were very few and fairly routine. I spoke in the termination of Squad 410 and stated that I was reluctant to take that action, but became convinced by what I saw as we proceeded that it was a matter of efficiency and efficient use of resources. And I also pointed out that they were given five months notice and the county has been seeking to help those employees find other employment within Concord or committee. I mean, the county, if possible, Concord Fire Department hazardous materials team showed us one of their vehicles and detailed the equipment and how they function on it. And that was very revealing, very eye opening. One thing I did notice For going to hazardous material sites, they had a couple of different instruments that they use. One I'd say is about that size. That can tell him exactly what kind of gas they're dealing with, so they know how to deal with that. That cost, I believe they said $70 million. But they think it will pay for it in the long term. Pay for itself. Another piece of equipment a little smaller was for determining liquid hazardous materials. And I'm trying to remember, I think they said that was about $20,000 or $25,000 for that one.

So I hope those work out well.

It does save them some trouble trying to deal with that otherwise. Midland Town Council met on August 11th. The sheriff report, I didn't get all of it, but it did say 265 calls during the month, 104 dispatch calls, seven animal calls, two assault calls, two breaking and entering calls at storage buildings, and 261 traffic stops in the Midland area. Midland Fire Department reported 118 calls, 60 of those being medical calls. NCDOT representatives came and they reported on consideration of the proposed 2427 bypass for Midland. There are three plans under consideration. They're leaning toward what they call a shallow bypass plan with either two or four lanes with an overpass bridge expecting 70% or 76% of traffic will take the bypass for 2427. The shallow option would avoid the likelihood of flooding in the area. The anticipated cost is $15 to $20 million per mile and $40 to $50 million per interchange. So a rough estimate for the total package is $95 to $120 million. The need to have a public comment opportunity was discussed. And like a lot of other road projects these days, it's going to be down the road a bit before they get that done. Then today I met with the home care community block grant advisory commission or committee rather. They're waiting to learn the amount of reduction of state funds. As different from the prior prior expectation, they've been told that there was 28 million. I believe that they were going to get from like last year's leftover and now there's been some change and they're not going to get that much. They're waiting to find out how much they are going to get. They said that they should know in September. So they're waiting on that before setting contracts. Centralina has requested an expedited communication on these things. They spent all allocations that they had by the end of the fiscal year last year, or this just ended in June. They were able to cover transportation needs. The meals on wheels overspent, but some of that was taken care of by funding that wasn't needed for some other aspects of the work that they do. The lunch plus waiting list at present time is about 25 people waiting to be served. There are five sites among the several municipalities in the county. Mount Pleasant, the Mount Pleasant site contract is nearing its end after 20 years, so they're looking at what to do about that. Housing and home improvement are waiting on two reimbursements. Two crew members got about 52 jobs completed, and I think that was in a month's time. And on the homemade wait list, there are about 450 waiting for that kind of service. There's one vacancy and one expired term, which James Polk is serving that term at the present time. And so they need applications, people, to serve on these committees and agencies. But they're not getting them presently. And they put forward a request for James Polk to continue. The next meeting is November 16th.

i asked james after meeting with any kind of james k polk and he said yeah he was a distant cousin thank you commissioner pitman commissioner wortman do you have anything all right commissioner jones wait are we in for some we're in for a little dissertation here all right uh talking about the human service advisory board update again we deal with a lot of different things and Usually, with the human services, this is typical. All you hear is the negative, and there's a lot of good that comes. There's a lot of progress we're making. And so, at this point, we need to start getting that out there and let people know how great our workers are that we do have, and what they do do is very important, and they are having success. So, with that, I'm going to go with our child welfare program update. Staffing. Staffing has always been an issue. Recruiting and retaining qualified social workers remains a priority as staffing levels directly impact the caseload, the timeliness, and service delivery. While child welfare continues to be an area of focus for the department, the department turnover has dropped or improved by 11% between the calendar years 2023 and 2025. Now, I think with Mr. Eller coming on board, his experience in human services as well, And the work that Dr. Pugh has been doing with the advisory board, we are changing the culture, we're getting better people in, we're getting people who are really committed to doing this tough job, real tough job. But we think we're gonna get some very qualified people from neighboring counties with a lot of experience that can step right in and do a lot of work for us. Foster care. Foster care, they require us to do monthly visits with 95 percent of the children each month. Cabarrus County has met that standard in 12 of 12 months during the 2026 fiscal year for all cases. This reflects the Department's continued commitment to maintaining regular contact with children and care and monitoring their safety and well-being. An average of 184 children were in foster care each month. North Carolina Department of Human Health Services has consistently indicated that the number of children in foster care in Cabarrus County aligns with the county's population, meaning there's not too many, not too less. We're about where we should be, unfortunately. The agency will be looking at processes and best practices to help improve prevention and supports for families involved with child welfare to help their service plans and needed supports for foster families as part of our continuous improvement and strategy. During fiscal year 2026, the Department received an average of 126 child welfare reports each month. Approximately 58% of the reports met state criteria for assessment and investigation, which again aligns with the statewide averages for counties. Foster care. Our foster care permanency outcomes. The goal is always to find the kids and get them as quick as possible into a permanent stable living situation. Need them to be safe, get them on so that they can excel in life. What's interesting here is state average for reunification for parents is 24 percent. Cabarrus County is 16 percent. Placement with guardianship, state average is 22 percent. Cabarrus County is 33 percent. In adoption, state average is 23 percent. Cabarrus County is 20 percent. You look at the numbers in total, we're right at the state average. State average is 69 percent overall in permanency placement. Cabarrus County is 69% permissible placing. The key observation is Cabarrus County relies more heavily on guardianship, which could be with relatives as a permanent outcome that both the state average and the neighboring comparison counties. This plays a significant role in helping Cabarrus County children achieve that permanent homes when reunification is not possible. In other words, children are still receiving the permanent homes, just through a different path. So we're doing what's best for the children at the time and getting them their permanency as quick as possible. Hopefully we can increase the other numbers as well, and we'll be above state average hopefully within the next year or two, which would be good. As previously stated, the agency will be looking at processes and best practices to help improve prevention and support for families involved in child welfare. to help with their services plans, needed supports, foster families as part of our continued progress and strategy. Permanency within 12 months. Typically in these cases when a child comes into the custody, basically we go through a court process. And the goal is to reunify or find permanent place within a year. You get case plans that the people work on. The parents come in, they work through their case plan, get whatever help they need to do that. And we work with the foster parents as well, and the children, and try and reunify. That's the number one goal. In every case that walks in the door, the very first goal is reunification. We try and accomplish that within 12 months. If we can't, we try and find guardianship or placement within that 12 months because these kids need something permanent in their life. The state benchmarks requires that 40.5% of children entering foster care achieve permanency within 12 months. This remains a significant challenge, not only for Cabarrus County, but for the counties across the region, highlighting broader challenges counties face in achieving timely permanency. Cabarrus County's progress. Fiscal year, it was 7.6, 2025 was 7.16% was all that we achieved. For fiscal year 2026, we have bumped it up to 12.87%. So we have increased with 80 percent over the year. That just shows that we are making progress. Progress is slow, but we're making it. We've made some changes. We're focusing more on our processes and our ability to help the parents and help the children. So, 80 percent increase over year to year. If we can keep that up, we'll be way above the state average before too long. While performance remains below the state benchmark county, Kibera showed the greatest improvement among neighbors in comparison counties during 2026. The department continues to focus on reducing barriers to permanency and improving outcomes for children and families. State reviews. We continue to partner with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for oversight and child welfare reviews. These reviews provide opportunity to evaluate our compliance, identify our strength, identify our weaknesses, and support ongoing quality improvement for us. So we're always looking to learn, always looking to improve. Our immediate priorities, we continue reducing vacancies and turnover with staffing. We want to review wait times for services that families who are involved with child welfare need to get treatment like substance abuse, behavioral health services, housing, parenting services. We have to coordinate that with every parent, every child that comes into the system. There's a lot of services that we offer and that we give to the parents, especially the parents, to try and get them where they can reunify with their children, because that's the number one goal. Research consistently shows that reunification is strongly influenced by parents' access to and engagement in these services, particularly substance abuse treatment and supportive services. Strengthen collaboration with the courts and attorneys to support permanency for children in care. Work with our court partners, child welfare law firm, and community partners to strengthen supportive services to families involved in child welfare services. It's a team effort. We don't do it by ourselves. You know, when we do get a call and we do have to intervene, the court mandates what we have to do as well. And we have to work through that process as well. And then we need all these services of all these other departments and outside agencies With their caseload and stuff, we've got to work through all that. So this is a community-wide effort from everybody in Cabarrus County. So despite the ongoing staffing challenges and the increased service demands, Cabarrus County is working diligently on strengthening child safety, supporting families, and achieving timely permanency for children in care. DSS leadership recently met with our DHS regional director who noted that there is a lot of evidence that our child welfare division is a well-run agency based on outcomes and various state monitor indicators. In fact, in fiscal year 26, DSS met or exceeded expectations for all state mandated memorandum of understanding outcomes required by state statute. The work of the child welfare social worker is not easy, and we know there are always ways to improve. As the representative from the board, I am proud of the efforts of the staff and the leadership for working to implement needed changes that strengthen our system. We have made a lot of changes since I came on board, and it's not through me. It's through them. I just happen to see what they're doing and see the work by going to the meetings. And these people are working hard to really improve this department and all of our services, whether it's veteran services, you know, Medicaid, any of those services. They are a dedicated team, and I really appreciate what they have done. I'm just in awe watching how hard they work to improve this department. So this type of thing we're working to does take time, though, and the work staff continue each and every day to make the most of the situation and do the best practices and ways to improve is always the number one goal, is to find ways to improve. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Jones. Commissioner Patterson?

um pretty light month for me actually this will be quick harrisburg town council um a couple of just kind of regular contractual items they did have three public hearings on new developments two of them were small single-family homes those were approved the other one on the agenda was 149 lot residential neighborhood and it was on 175 acres That applicant pulled that last minute, so while it remained on the agenda, they did not discuss it, so there will be a public hearing on that project at some point. WSAC, we meet on Thursday, so nothing to report there. Cabera's planning and zoning was canceled for a lack of agenda items, so nothing to report. I did finally get my board training at Convention and Visitors Bureau, but I think the meeting is next week, so I'll report back on that one at the next meeting. And then Active Living Advisory Council was this morning. A lot going on at the Active Living in Parks, especially in the month of September because it's Senior Center Month celebration. I think I counted 11 active events that are going to be happening, including an ice cream social, a 35th anniversary open house, some bingo, indoor baseball. There's a lot going on. So check out the website for that one. I did just want to plug one thing that is occurring tomorrow morning. The Council on Aging is doing their first ever book sale to raise funds. That'll happen from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Concord Active Living Center. and they have told me that they have books for all ages, so down from your littlest ones up to adult books. So if you're interested in the books, it supports them 100% on putting on their programs and events, and they're well-priced as well. So I hope you'll join them for that, because if they don't sell them all, they've got to haul them back home. That's all I had, madam.

All right, thank you. All right, just a couple of things. At the Kannapolis City Council meeting this past month, I was able to watch four new police officers sworn into the KPD. So congratulations to them. I'm also very thankful that none of the Kannapolis police officers were hurt in a recent situation that happened. I think we have heard of to this point. I did get the opportunity to attend the Locust City Council meeting last week. I just got to give a shout out to them. They are a phenomenal group of city council members. The mayor is hysterical and their city manager, Cesar, is wonderful. So I just want to thank them for their hospitality and I look forward to seeing them in more city council meetings. They actually had the NCDOT come and present there too, just like they did at the town of Midland, because they are right off of 2427. And so they are doing some studies right now too, to see how traffic is gonna be impacted over the next 10 to 15 years. Um, we also had the, uh, Kibera soil and water meeting. We have Creek week coming up at the end of September. Um, they just did a video about that as well for, um, from on the government page for Facebook. So I would encourage you all to check that out. They do a lot of great work with our kids in the community, uh, during Creek week as well. Commissioners, do you have any other general comments you'd like to make commissioner Pittman?

um someone's mentioned about where we stand on the go bonds i have not stated my personal position on that because i didn't think it was appropriate as a county commissioner to do that i will repeat though the only reason i put voted to put it on the ballot was because the people need to decide that and so that's why i wanted it on the ballot is let the people decide if we're going to do that now I want to say thank you to the sheriff's office. I've been getting a lot of death threats. Got one recently where the guy said somebody should beat me to death. It's been tried, you know, and it was not successful. Of course, I am getting older. They might have better luck now. um well a deputy was assigned to look into that he found it was somebody in california uh because it was anonymous had no idea how to get hold of them let me explain something to you i don't have a county phone so if you call try to get me here on the phone It records it as an email. So that's how I get those messages. Anyway, they found this guy in California. The police went and talked to him. And, oh, he was very apologetic. I didn't mean it that way. Yeah, right. A more recent one, and they're looking into that one now. The guy claimed to be a Christian, accused me of a whole bunch of stuff, and said he wanted to see a bullet in my head. And then he threatened my family. So they're looking into that one, and I hope they get up with that one too. Moving on, and this will not make some of you happy, but I would remind you that what I'm about to say was part of what I campaigned on when I ran for this office. I won, okay? So some of you may not like it, but here's the facts where I stand on this matter of property taxes. I want to thank Brian Echevarria for his work and our other local representatives for the work they've tried to do to deal with this issue. I think property tax legislation they've come up with is good, but it doesn't go far enough. What I have said from during the campaign and what I told the committee that was looking at that in Raleigh, you know, I was hoping to go speak to them in person. It never worked out that way because they kept not taking public comment. But I sent them a statement which was shared with the members of the committee. that no valuation of property should be done by any government entities. None of our business what your property's worth. No one should have to pay taxes based on more than they actually paid for their home. You know, when they sell it, if it's more than that person who paid taxes on that amount. No taxpayer funding should go to anything that is not a government entity or a government responsibility. That means no money to EDC, no money to any kind of business incentives. You know, we have to do regulations to make sure governments treat each other fairly, treat the people fairly, do things legally, that sort of thing. But beyond that, bringing business in is not a government responsibility. As far as EDC and Chamber of Commerce, you know, nothing wrong with them existing and doing the things that they do, but they shouldn't get any taxpayer money for doing it. So I've always been against those things. I still am. That's why I've not voted for the budget the last two years, because they didn't take those things out like I asked them to do. Giving to charitable institutions also should be totally voluntary. If individuals want to give, let them give. One thing, if you don't overtax them, they might be able to afford to give a little better. It should be totally voluntary, not by taxation. Cutting out such inappropriate spending, I believe, will make paying for actual government entities and government responsibilities more efficient. So that's what I told them. I hope we'll get there someday. But at least, you know, I do support the amendment that we're asked to vote on. And I hope they'll go further than that going forward. Thank you.

Commissioner Wartman.

I just wanted to point out that our very own Arie has officially completed clerk school, so she is officially, officially the clerk. Officially, officially the clerk. Congratulations on completing it.

Thank you, Commissioner Wortman. And I just want to say that you are doing a fantastic job, even though you had not been officially official until now. We are grateful to have you. You're welcome. Commissioner Jones.

I'm opposite of Larry. I'm against the tax amendment. Just want to let you all know that. All right.

And Commissioner Patrick.

um yeah i want to thank commissioner pittman and also mr jones for being very careful about the way they said that because there are two things about referenda that are on the ballot that i think everybody should know we are not allowed as a board by state law to use any taxpayer funds to support or oppose the referenda that goes for the geo bonds and that goes for the constitutional amendment now if you'd like to see me afterwards and know exactly where i stand on both of those i will tell you as a voter which is my right but this body has to be very careful about what we say we cannot support or oppose we may only educate which is why if you watch the GEO bonds video, you'll see that we were very careful not to say yes, support it, or no, don't. All we can give you is the information, and it's up to the people to decide whether it passes or not, frankly, as it should be. I can give you a little bit of education on the constitutional amendment. All it basically says is that the voters would approve or deny the ability of the legislature to make laws regarding tax limits. There is no law proposed, nor is there any information about what that would mean for services or anything like that. It is simply a question, do you want to give the legislature that right and enshrine it in the Constitution? That is it. So I just thought it was important so people don't keep coming up here and saying, what are the Board of Commissioners going to say about this? We cannot. It is going to be on the ballot. Our hands are tied by state law, and I don't want the sheriffs in the back to say something to me afterwards. So, madam, I just wanted to clear that up.

Thank you, Patrick. So first, I want to highlight our animal shelter video for this month. So this month I was able to meet Button, Hunter and Fisher. Hey folks, I'm Laura. This is Button. This is Hunter. This is Fisher. And this is your August shelter update. Let's go meet those friendly faces now. Button is approximately six years old, and according to a volunteer donated DNA test, Button is 33% American Pit Bull Terrier, 29% American Staffordshire Terrier, 18% Boxer, 8% Boston Terrier, and 5% American Akita. She is cute as a button and looking for a family of her own. Hunter and Fisher were brought in as strays at approximately three years old and both boys are looking for a family to call their own. Button, Hunter, and Fisher are just a few examples of animals that could be your next play partner, couch companion, or snooze sidekick. Whatever you're looking for, you can find it right here at the Cabarrus County Animal Shelter. and i just want to say thank you to julie who is here she's never here when i get to do these videos at the end of the at the end of the meeting but she is so welcoming and helps me with all of these videos and i just want to thank you so much for your support of allowing us to do this because i know it's a lot of work for you too And then, so the last thing I have is five things that you need to know. So number one, the ADA survey. First, a reminder about our ADA survey. Please take a few minutes to complete it and help us create a more accessible facilities, programs, and services. Responses are confidential. You can find the survey on our website under the featured tab at the bottom of the homepage. Second, the Veterans Benefits event. Cabarrus County Veterans Services is partnering with Mecklenburg Union, Rowan, and Gaston Counties for a Veterans Benefits Live VA in My Town on August 20th through the 21st at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte. Veterans can connect directly with local veteran services officers, VA representatives, and community partners to learn about benefits, programs, and services. Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. You can register using the link on our Cabarrus County Facebook page. Number three, core event. Our Collaborative Opioid Recovery and Education, or CORE, team is hosting a free public event Wednesday, August the 19th at Afton Ridge Library and Active Living Center. It starts at 5 p.m. You'll learn more about what CORE team does and how Cabarrus County is using opioid settlement funds to support residents. There will be complimentary food, resources, entertainment, and opportunities to connect with partner organizations. number four powerful tools for caregivers we know caring for a loved one can be challenging so we have a virtual class to help powerful tools for caregivers is a free six-week virtual series designed to help family caregivers reduce stress build confidence communicate effectively and find helpful resources Classes are held virtually Wednesdays from 2 to 4, beginning August 26. Participants will receive a caregiver handbook and supporting materials. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. Call Cabarrus County Adult and Aging Services at 704-920-1400. and choose option seven to register. Participants will need a computer with internet access and a webcam. And number five, county inspectors earn statewide honors. Last but certainly not least, congratulations to two of our county inspectors. Gary Martin was recently named District Three Building Inspector of the Year by the North Carolina Building Inspectors Association, representing Cabarrus and 11 surrounding counties. Mike Cox was named Mechanical Inspector of the Year by the North Carolina Mechanical Inspectors Association. These are both well-deserved honors, and we are proud to having them serve Cabarrus County. All right, that is all for me. Commissioners, do you have any other comments you'd like to make this evening? Okay, with that, I'll take a motion to adjourn. All those in favor, please say aye. Any opposed? All right, we are adjourned. Thank you all for joining us this evening.