Board of Aldermen - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. Good evening, and welcome to the Tuesday, 05/19/2026 meeting of the Carrboro Town Council. This is a regular business meeting, and we almost got a full house here. Am I excited? Might not be at this over with, but I hope I am. And I hope I stay excited. But it's good to see everyone. And we'll start the meeting, as we usually do, with a poetry reading from our Carver poet laureate, Doctor. Amanda Bennett. And as she comes to the podium, we do have a full council. Mayor Pro Tem Posada Orozco is joining us by Zoom. And council member Catherine Frey is also joining us by Zoom. Doctor. Bennett, whenever you're

ready. Sure. Hi. Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming out tonight. I wanted to share a poem I wrote called We All Need Clean Clothes. And it's about the often unrecognized care labor that makes our communities sustainable. We have organized language around the in insecurities of men rather than the care it takes to preserve the peace of a sleeping child. To kill, to maim, to harm, to hate. Each sentence lives as a knife wielded by a body too afraid to face itself.

In dreams, we are eternal as the past, elastic as the future. A dream is a hero with no laurels, unthanked as a woman washing up dishes while her husband dazzles the stage. We are in search of what we want is, the future will hold. I leave these questions unending as laundry left to dry in sunlight. May you find salvation in the bottom basket of visions left dirty, yet returned invisibly clean. I promise you, a woman already has. Thank you.

Okay, Doctor. Bennett. Fill us up. Fill us up before we get started with this council meeting. Thank you so much. Now I would like to ask Councilmember Palmer. He'll kick us off. We have a very important resolution that will be presented by him.

All right. This is a town budget power resolution. Whereas members of municipal bodies such as the Carrboro Town Council and members of the North Carolina General Assembly all swore or affirmed we would, quote, faithfully discharge the duties of my office, unquote, per Article six, Section seven of our North Carolina constitution. And whereas a key duty of such bodies is the passing of a timely and balanced budget and whereas Article V, Section seven(two) of the North Carolina Constitution reads in part, quote, no money shall be drawn from the treasury of any county, city, or town, or other unit of local government except by authority of law and whereas approximately 60% of general revenue in the town of Carrboro in fiscal year twenty twenty five, twenty twenty six is from ad valorem taxes, also known as property taxes, and whereas the town uses these revenues to provide essential services that residents expect and enjoy, such as public safety, solid waste collection, parks and recreation, public works, and economic development. And whereas town enterprise funds, such as the storm water utility enterprise, are funded through fees specific to that enterprise and may not be used to fill budget gaps.

And whereas the North Carolina General Assembly has not passed a budget since 2023, a budget which cut funding leading counties and municipalities to fill gaps with local funds, and whereas proposed legislation would impose limits on the growth of local property tax revenues, including levy limits and requirements for voter approval to exceed those limits. Whereas proposals to modify, limit, cap, freeze, or otherwise restrict municipal property tax authority through constitutional amendment or another mechanism will reduce local flexibility, undermine fiscal stability, and shift costs to less stable and predictable revenue sources. And whereas the primary tool available to respond to an artificial revenue cap will be to cut municipal services, diminishing the quality of life and opportunity for prosperity locally and whereas alternative tools to raise revenues, such as increased fees, are less equitable than property taxes, running counter to values fundamental to the people of Carrboro, and whereas the North Carolina General Assembly and Carrboro Town Council share the values of equality, community, and prosperity and whereas the town urges the North Carolina General Assembly to reject any and all legislation undermining the power of municipalities to fund essential services, now therefore be it resolved that the Carrboro Town Council supports maintaining the current municipal tax authority of the state of North Carolina, which allows the town to manage property tax rates within established statutory limits, and be it further resolved that the Carrboro Town Council formally opposes any constitutional amendment, statutory change, or administrative action that would restrict, cap, reduce, or otherwise limit municipal tax authority, and be it further resolved that the town of Carrboro clerk is directed to forward this resolution to all members of the North Carolina General Assembly and the North Carolina League of Municipalities.

Adopted this May 2026, if my colleagues are in agreement. Can I have a motion to adopt this resolution, please?

So moved.

Second.

Well, it's been moved and properly seconded that we pass this very important resolution as this constitutional amendment could show up in the fall. The language is very vague. And we have no idea what the impact will be. I mean, we have some idea what the impact could be, let me just say that. And so we felt like we wanted to weigh in along with other municipalities from across the state. And so I appreciate Councilmember Palmer and my colleagues for getting this important resolution almost across the finish line. Did you have a comment, Councilmember Palmer?

I think I said it all, but I just want to make sure that we actually do vote before we move on.

Yeah, I was getting to that. So with that comment being said, we have a motion and a second on the table. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Yes. Any opposed? Motion carries. Seven-zero, the resolution has passed. I don't know if there are any more comments from council members, but feeling like the resolution said it all and everyone just be aware that this is coming and stay educated because I will say that, you know, it's shiny on the outside.

But when you play the tape all the way out, it really could have some very negative impacts on the community as it relates to service levels. And I don't think any of us want to see our service levels change. We like our parks clean. We like our trash picked up. And so this would be the trickle down effect, potentially, if this constitutional amendment is voted in.

So I just think we need to be educated about what that means. While it, on the surface, appears that it's a money saver. And it could be. But at the same time, the trickle down effect would be here on the ground within the community. And so let's just be educated about that as that moves forward.

And with that being said and I talked too much about it but I have three proclamations as well. And so I'm going to get those now. The first one is for our hard working public works team here at the town of Carrboro in honor of National Public Works Week. And I am joined by our Public Works Director, Kevin Bellinger, who will accept this proclamation. And whereas the sixth Annual Observance of National Public Works Week celebrates the essential role public works plays in shaping strong, connected communities.

And this year's theme, Rooted in Service, Powered by Community, highlights how deeply the spirit of service runs within the profession, driving innovation, supporting growth, and ensuring that every visible and invisible project strengthens the bond between public works and the people it serves. And whereas, public works professionals are entrusted with the stewardship of the infrastructure, facilities, and essential services that sustain resilient, healthy, and sustainable communities safeguarding the well-being of all who live, work, and visit the town of Carrboro. And whereas, the Carrboro Public Works Department contributes daily to the quality of life in our community through dependable, solid waste collection, maintenance of streets, greenways and rights of way, snow and ice response that was earlier this year, wasn't it storm water facility upkeep mowing and landscaping of town properties tree care ball field preparation facility maintenance vehicle and equipment services cemetery maintenance and plot sales, and numerous other responsibilities that keep Carrboro functioning smoothly. And whereas, these vital services are made possible only through the commitment and expertise of public works professionals individuals across all levels of government who rebuild, maintain, and protect our transportation networks, public buildings, solid waste systems, and countless other community assets that residents rely upon each day.

And now, therefore, I, Barbara M. Fouche, mayor of the town of Carrboro, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17 through the twenty three, twenty twenty six, to be Public Works Week in Carrboro, I encourage all residents to thank and thank again and celebrate the town's public works employees and to recognize the importance of public works professionals and public works programs for protecting our health, our safety, and advancing quality of life for all, and making Carrboro a great place to live this, the May 2026. And all they're doing all of this while still feeling the effects as we continue to recover from Tropical Storm Chantal. And so I am just really grateful and appreciate Mr. Bellinger's leadership, as well as the rest of our public works staff.

Madam mayor and council, happy to accept this on behalf of the entire public works team. As the mayor mentioned, it's been a very challenging ten months since the flood. Later this evening, you're gonna see a presentation on the community survey results. I am extremely proud and thankful for the entire public works team. I don't think they're going get this deep into it during the presentation later this evening, but the level of service that they've been able to provide as a team with limited resources and the loss of our facility and equipment and vehicles has just been astounding.

Know, two years ago, they did a survey. And this time, I was concerned with all the flooding and all the issues that we were going to be much lower. And my team just did an amazing job. Level of service, community survey results are basically the same as two years ago. Some things are actually higher.

And that just goes to show what an amazing team we have here in public works. We look forward to moving forward, purchasing new equipment, new vehicles, and designing a new public works facility at a location yet to be determined. That's been a challenge to find the best spot to do it. But thank you all for the recognition. And certainly, thank you to the public works team for what they do day in and day out because most times people don't even know they're there when we're still providing top notch level of service. Thank you all.

And this is appropriate for this week, a proclamation about heat awareness, heat awareness week. And I believe I have accepting Alyssa Paul, or is it Alicia Paul Siak from the UC? Alyssa Paul. Alyssa Paul, come on up. Welcome.

Whereas extreme heat is the number one weather related killer in The US and significantly impacts public health contributing to heat related illnesses and the worsening of cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. And whereas climate change is driving more frequent and severe heat waves with Orange County projected to see days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit, an increase from an average of eight days per year to as many as 28 to 41 days by the twenty sixties. And whereas rising overnight temperatures and the urban heat island effect, which can make parts of Carrboro up to 11 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding areas disproportionately impacting low income communities, outdoor workers, children, and seniors. And whereas, the National Weather Service issued multiple heat advisories and excessive heat warnings for Orange County in 2025, emphasizing the need for early season acclamation and awareness. And whereas heat related illnesses are preventable through shared responsibility, and Carrboro has partnered with Orange County and neighboring towns to adopt the Orange County HEAT Action Plan to build local climate resilience.

Now, therefore, I, Barbara M. Fouche, mayor of the town of Carrboro, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May 18 through 05/22/2026 as heat awareness week in Carrboro and commend its observance to all residents. Be it further resolved that the Carrboro Town Council encourages community members to sign up for Orange County Alerts to receive heat advisories and excessive heat warnings. Be it further resolved that the town urges all residents to stay safe by remembering water, rest, shade, stay hydrated, limit limit outdoor activity during peak heat, seek air conditioning or local cooling centers, and check-in on your neighbors to ensure the health and safety of our entire community as temperatures warm this, the May 2026. Would you like to say a few words?

All right. There you go. Uh-huh, you're welcome.

My name is Alyssa Paul. I'm going to move this down. And I am an environmental professional and an environmentally educated person. But it doesn't take an environmental education to experience the forecasts we've been experiencing and to understand the impact that extreme heat has on our community. These events are becoming more frequent and more severe.

These conditions are threatening our public health, squeezing our natural resources, and pressuring the environment that we fight so hard here to conserve. This week, we recognize the importance of raising awareness about heat safety and resilience. To protect our community, we must continue our work in promoting and investing in sustainable practices, expanding tree cover, improving our energy efficiency, safeguarding air quality. Encouraging these climate conscious actions is necessary to reduce heat impacts. I'm honored to accept this proclamation this week, and I'm proud to say that Carrboro is making these actions a priority.

This week, we're encouraging all residents to stay informed, check on their vulnerable neighbors, practice heat safety, and work together to create a healthier, safer, and more environmentally resilient community for future generations. Thank you so much.

Sorry about that. The last proclamation I have I don't have anyone to accept it, but I will go ahead and read it. Proclamation recognizing Memorial Day twenty twenty six. And whereas, we observe Memorial Day each year to honor those who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. And whereas, on this day, it is important to acknowledge the profound horror of war and acknowledgment that is necessary for us to fully appreciate the sacrifices of those we honor.

And whereas the scars of war persist long past the end of overt hostilities in the families and friends of those who have died, in the unattained promise of the lives that were lost, in the divisions that live on for generations, and in the economic, political, and social upheaval that arise in the aftermath of violent conflict. And whereas Memorial Day raises a solemn promise solemn hope, I'm sorry that the deaths of the people we honor will lead to lasting peace, to a world in which the destruction of others is no longer an acceptable means of conflict resolution, and to a time when persistent conflict and continual war is looked upon with grief, sorrow, and a shared conviction that it can no longer be tolerated. And whereas Memorial Day is an occasion to express our deepest appreciation for the rights and liberties available to us and our profound respect and gratitude for those who lost their lives in service to our country. Now, therefore, I, Barbara M. Fouche, mayor of the town of Carrboro, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim 05/25/2026, to be Memorial Day in Carrboro as a day and as a day to remember those who lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces and to the victims of war around the world.

Moreover, I encourage our residents to affirm and celebrate our community's commitment to nonviolent and peaceful solutions to conflict always. This, the May 2026. And I will take this with me. That is the end of my proclamations. Thank you.

We're now down to the town manager's update. Town Manager Toni.

Good evening, mayor and council members. First, I wanted to just acknowledge that we have our commitment to language access. So, we are grateful to have translators here in our audience today. Secondly, I would like to acknowledge our finance team. So, Chaz and Daryl and anyone else in our finance department that's here.

I think that's the only two standing in front of us, maybe with the mayor. I just wanted to acknowledge that the government finance officer may I if you can you want to take a picture with them? Okay. Okay. The government finance officers association is pleased to announce that the town of Carrboro received the GFOA's distinguished budget presentation award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity, which is the town of Carrboro. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity has to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to access how well an entity's budget serves one, a policy document two, a financial plan three, an operations guide and four, a communications device. And so, I'm just proud that our finance team met all four categories and the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award.

And so, they stand here representing excellence. And I'm really grateful for this amazing team. And Chaz is doing a great job building out that team with Darryl Biasat. So, thank you. Are you all going to say something?

Okay.

Yeah, just say thank you to the team and thank you, Manager Tony. Thank you, Mayor and Council. Yeah, it was a lot of work and for collectively. And so we hope to bring it home again next year.

Yes. We will bring it home next year. Okay. Secondly, I wanted to recognize Carrboro Rise. Carrboro Rise, y'all can come forward because they have on purple shirts and they think they're cute.

It's a program that started last year. This was an effort to expose young people, teenagers, about local government and local government in Carrboro. And, hopefully, they'll come work for us one day soon after they graduate from college and come back home. And so, they took the time out and carved out time. They volunteered to be a part of the program, which is really impressive It was part of their flex time and occasionally their lunch period to participate.

So, Riley has been running the program in its second year now, organizing it on behalf of the town, and we're really grateful. So, looks like Riley's going to say something, and then they want to say something as well.

Oh, Riley. Good to see you.

Yeah. Good evening, Madam Mayor and town council members. I'm just super excited to have these students here in front of you. We had 12 in our group this year, as manager Tony said that volunteered to spend part of their school days with me and a bunch of our department heads. We invited each of our directors in. They got to hear from all of them. We get to hear about different careers in local government Really get to hear about what their local government is doing for them right now and how they can be a part of it even as students. So I'm very hopeful we had an amazing group this year that were super engaged and I am hopeful that we do have a next generation of future public service leaders in our midst. So yes, some of them are going to say a few words, and it would be great if we could get a picture as well.

Hi, everyone. My name is Summer.

You can come to the microphone. Yeah.

That would make sense. Hi, everyone. I'm Summer Lee. I'm a senior at Carver High School, and I'll be attending Brown University next fall. Oh, okay. Hey, I'm Hannah. I'm a junior at Carver High

School, so I don't know where I'm going to

college yet.

And I'm Gray. I'm a senior at Carver High School, and I'll be attending Occidental College next fall.

Hi.

My name is Melissa, and I'm a sophomore at Carver High School. Hello. My name is Michelle, and I'm also a sophomore at Carborough High School.

Carborough Rise was really fun this year. I learned a lot about the interconnection between the different departments in the local government at Carborough and I really like seeing how all the different departments work together. My biggest takeaway was the reminder that collaboration is key, and it builds the foundation for a community. And I'm really going to enjoy taking that to Brown with me, especially being a part of the basketball team and making sure we're all working together. I also really enjoyed Carver Rise this year. I really liked making a practice budget and practicing problem solving with real world situations. I thought that was really cool. And I'm definitely going to take away a greater appreciation for local government and understanding of the impact they have in our community.

Yeah, same thing for me. I really liked it was amazing to meet all of the heads of the departments. And I'm coming I'm taking away a much greater appreciation for the role of local government in our everyday life. And also, it's definitely inspired me to want to pursue a career in municipal government. They

also participated in a budget exercise. And I was interested in what they wanted to get rid of. And then they cut a lot of break programs, but they really did thoughtful thinking around budgeting. And they included equity in their decision making, unprompted. And I really appreciate the thoughtfulness in that. If you want to give any feedback on that, I think they're going to speak at public comment for the budget as well.

Well, we don't have any comments on the budget right now, but we do want to We

don't either.

Them. We do wanna thank all of you guys, and we'd love to thank Riley for organizing and working with all of this, and our academic advisor, Mr. Murchison, for helping us with all of this.

Very good.

Thank you very much, Riley, on your way out. Good to see you. Town manager, was that I was he. That was your update. Okay. We are now down to public comment. I do not have anyone signed up for regular public comment. I have two people signed up for public hearing, public comment. Is there anyone that wants to give a public comment about any item not on the agenda? The budget?

Okay, we'll get you. We'll get you when we get down to that. Uh-huh. So there is no one. So we'll move on past public comment. We're going to move to the consent agenda. Council members, we have four items on the consent agenda. We have minutes, a couple of permit extension requests, for us to approve for fiscal year twenty six-twenty seven home annual action plan. So if no one wants to pull an item or has any issue with any of these items, I will certainly entertain a motion second so that we can pass the consent agenda.

So moved. Seconded.

All right. It's been moved and properly seconded that we pass the entire consent agenda in one single motion. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries seven-zero. The consent agenda is passed. Town And manager Tony for the public hearing item.

Yes, thank you mayor. The public hearing is on the manager's recommended budget for fiscal year twenty twenty seven in the capital improvement plan. Just to serve as a reminder, our Deputy Finance Director, Darryl Keyes, will give a brief overview about the budget, then we'll turn it back over to you, Mayor.

Yes. I'm going to go ahead and open public hearing and let Deputy Finance Director Mr. Keyes do his presentation.

All right. Thank you, Madam Mayor. All right. Good evening, Madam Mayor and Town Council. Our total FY twenty seven recommended budget is $44,600,000 across all funds.

The general fund accounts for about 81% of the total budget. The recommended budget is balanced across all funds, meaning that total revenue plus available fund balance equals total expenditures. This slide shows us a breakdown of our revenue sources by type in the general fund. Property taxes accounts for over half of our total budget and it serves as our main source of revenue. Our total recurring revenue is $33,400,000 The recommended budget does include an appropriation of fund balance which represents 8% of the total budget which is $36,200,000 Here are some major revenue budget drivers.

The first one is the Blue Ridge tax loophole and that will have a negative impact on our property tax revenue. We are projecting a decrease of $82,000,000 in our property tax base and also a potential loss of $463,000 in revenue. However, we are projecting modest growth in other revenue categories such as local sales taxes, fees and permits. As I said in the previous slide, this recommended budget does include fund balance appropriation of $2,700,000 and this is to support one time expenses for tropical storm Shantel recovery and recurring expenses in order to close the revenue and expense gap. The recommended budget does not include a tax rate increase.

The rate will remain the same at 56.53¢ per $100 of assessed value. This slide shows a breakdown of our expenditures by function in the general fund. Our top areas are public safety, general government and public works. This slide shows a few of our expenditure budget drivers by category. The first category is personnel.

The recommended budget does include livable wage implementation which will require us to make adjustments to our current pay plan. The recommended budget addresses the rising cost of our health insurance and the recommended budget includes a 2.5% adjustment for cost of living. From an operational perspective, the recommended budget allows us to continue maintaining current service levels along with providing free, fair services to the community, as well as funding one time expenses for tropical storm Chantal recovery. The last category is transfers. And, that means we're transferring funding from the general fund to other funds that typically don't generate revenue.

And, one of those funds is the parking fund and we'll continue to provide funding so that we can provide free parking services to the community. The transfer schedule does include a transfer for one time expenses for capital projects related to tropical storm Chantal. Now, move on to our capital improvement plan. The recommended CIP includes 43 proposed projects. The FY '27 recommended budget in the CIP is $5,600,000 and the impact to the general fund in FY '26 is $1,700,000 Overall, our five year estimate for the CIP is $71,600,000 Our investment priorities include infrastructure and mobility, sustainability initiatives, ADA improvements, storm water storm recovery and resilience.

So, what's happening next? On June 2, we will have a second public hearing along with a motion to adopt FY '27 budget and CIP. For more information on our recommended budget, a digital copy is available on the town's website and a hard copy is available here at town hall, the town clerk's office, the Draper Complex Building and Fire Station 1. That concludes my overview. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr. Keyes. Council members, we'll go ahead and hear from members of the public at this time about the budget. As Mr. Keyes said, this is the town manager's recommended budget, which includes, as you may have seen on the slide, no property tax increase for this year. This is town manager Tony's. This is her budget. And council members are just kind of going through it right now to see if, potentially, we may want to do something a little bit different. But we do have a balanced budget with no property tax increase currently. And so I have two people signed up.

I will start with Julie McClintock from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And she is going to talk about the budget. Ms. McClintock, welcome. Good to see you again.

Thank you.

If you don't mind, can you give me one second? I need to pull

up your slides

Sure. If you don't you.

We're holding at three minutes for public comment, as we normally do. So please adhere to that three minute time frame.

All right. Mayor Fuxi and council members and town staff, I'm Julie McClintock, co president of Friends of Bowling Creek. We have been a five zero one(three) since 2003 and are proud to be the nonprofit partner in the acquisition of the ADAMS Tract and are receiving numerous three nineteen grants from the state to improve the health of Bowling Creek. One of our current activities is working with ReWild North Carolina to remove invasive species from Bowland Forest and replant with natives. The budget issue that first concerned us was the CIP proposal to use local funds to hire Sungate Engineering to provide services for a creekside paved path along the creek.

We knew this to be a tough budget year, and we understand that this item has been deferred with 500 ks allocated in the 2027 budget, a project which we will still oppose. While the Carrboro Town Council chose the Creekside route for a future greenway some time ago, there have been significant changes since then. Number one, Hurricane Chantel seriously damaged Owasse's sewer mains along Bowen Creek, causing costly repairs. The good news is that the repairs were carefully done, and the resulting stone and crush and run surface is a joy for walkers and bikers. Kudos to Owasa for making repairs that create a beautiful path for all to use.

And we could go to the next slide there to show the after. North Carolina Jordan Lake rules allow greenways and water critical areas only if no alternative is available. We believe that the state would find two potential alternatives that exist the Sewell School side path and the Rails To Trails route that has planning underway. And I understand there are some members of your board on that committee. Staff says that the town's contractor, Sun Gate Engineers, would likely perform the work you have in mind for the next budget year.

This engineering firm has already performed work on this task, as evidenced by this report that I'm going to share with you. And it describes impediments to building along Bowling Creek. A quick side route never was a good idea from an environmental perspective, and our next speaker will address that. You've just seen the before and after pictures taken by Owassa following the repairs. So finally, why would the Carbottown Council choose to spend taxpayer money on additional engineering work next year when they have already received the expert opinion that this will be, at best, a difficult and impossible project. And I'll give those copies out to you now, which I believe to be the correct version. Thank

you so much, Ms. McClintock, for your comments and also for the information. The next person I have up that's signed up is Amani Williams, who will be speaking on the Health and Human Services Advisory Commission budget. Welcome, Amani and Lori and Josie. Josie. Hi, Josie. So it looks like the whole crew. So welcome. Three minutes each, please. Thank you.

Hello, Mayor Fushi, town council, and staff. Hope you're well tonight. I'm going to keep this brief. My name is Imani Williams, and I currently serve as the chair of the Housing and Human Services Commission for the town. Last night, our commission met to review the budget recommendations for housing and human services funding.

During that process, we learned that we had approximately $217,000 to distribute among organizations whose requests totaled close to $1,000,000 That amount is about a 45 percent cut to our funding compared to last year. These organizations are not asking for luxuries. They are the very agencies responsible for carrying out housing support, crisis response, stabilization services, and care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. We were forced to make difficult decisions and reduce funding recommendations for organizations already operating with limited resources and overwhelming demand. The conversation was tough, exhausting, and honestly disappointing.

As a commission, we did our best to strategize responsibly and to prioritize urgent needs, but the reality is that the current allocation does not reflect the scale of crisis our community is facing. We want to highlight that this current cut will result in future funding setbacks. Organizations, if not already, will resort to wait lists, leading to an overwhelming demand with even fewer supply. Tonight, we want to challenge the town council to reconsider the funding amount dedicated to housing and human services. We are committed to doing our due diligence to thoughtfully reallocate and steward these funds, but we need a stronger investment to adequately support the people and organizations doing the critical work every single day.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Amani. Laurie, did you want to come And then, Josie, if

she could come

right next. I just wanted to underscore Amani's point. It was interesting. On the way into our meeting last night, I picked up the one sheet that somebody so beautifully created. But I do want to point something out. I asked the question because I'm new on the commission. So where does housing and human services fall in the budget? And the answer is It's

in the

It's in the general fund? Okay, interesting. Good to know. Because what we understood was that we were in operations. And the note said, maintaining current service levels. I'm like, that's not going to be possible at the 45% reduction. So I implore you, this past week, the housing encampment by the post office was swept. Our problems, no matter how often we sweep them, are not going anywhere. So I implore you to help us help our community partners to care for our community, for folks that are the most hardest hit during this time.

Thank you so much, Lori. I appreciate that. Josie, come on up. Do you have comments? Oh, that's good. Well, I appreciate all three of you. Thank you Those for your are the two people three that I have signed up. I'm going to go to I know Jackie Jenks. And you in the front come on up. Just say your name and if you want to speak as well. Just give your name and where you're from.

Okay. Hi. Good evening. I'm Mary Faith Mount Coors, a Carrboro resident since 2004, a small business owner and a researcher at UNC. I am here to oppose moving forward with design and engineering funds for the phase three and four conceptual plan. While this budget item has been deferred to next year, I have four points for you to consider in your future decisions as stewards of our money. First, Bowland Creek's forest is Carrboro's last intact riparian forest. It's our great Smoky Mountains. Do we want to lose it? Second, water quality.

Bowland Creek is already classified as an impaired waterway. It doesn't meet state standards for drinkable or fishable water. Scientifically, installing pavement next to a creek harms water quality. Do we want to destroy water quality? Third, flood risk.

Bolen Creek is flood prone. On 07/06/2025, tropical storm Chantal devastated it with flooding higher and more violent than ever before. Repairs took many months and required Owasa to spend millions to restore the trail which is now wonderfully rehabilitated for walking, running and biking. Using white surges stone primarily, the repair created a permeable trail surface that offers a silver lining to storm damage. This restoration stabilized the area and protected the sewer pipes as well.

Spending millions on pavement and a floodplain is not responsible stewardship. It's a fool's errand to ignore the increasingly intense storms and flooding that we are experiencing. Do we want to deny the intensity of storms that are happening? Fourth, alternatives. Jordan Lake rules assert that you cannot put a runway

a a greenway

in a riparian zone unless alternatives do not exist. But we have excellent alternatives. This town council has already recognized a Sewell School off road alignment is less expensive, less environmentally damaging, and less controversial. UNC's planned rails to trails greenway along the rail line is another positive alternative. In addition, don't forget that Carbrough's own Transportation Advisory Board has said a paved route along Bowland Creek is inappropriate for a transportation corridor.

In closing, Bowland Creek shelters birds, hawks, owls, herons, otters, foxes, and the rare four toed salamander, and feeds into Jordan Lake, the drinking water source for over half a million people. This forest cannot be unblasted once we blast it. Please, in your future decisions, protect it. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments, Mary. Faith. Mary Faith, I'm sorry. Mary Faith Mount Coors. Yeah, got it. I got it. Welcome, Jackie. Jackie Jinx from IFC. Welcome. Mary Faith Mount Corus.

Good evening, Manager Tony, Mayor Fucci, Town Council members, and Human Services Commission. I'm Jackie Jenks, the CEO of IFC. I also come to you this evening representing the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition. So first, we want to express appreciation that the manager's recommended budget maintains essentially level funding for the affordable housing special revenue fund at a time when housing costs continue to rise and housing instability remains one of the most significant challenges facing Carrboro residents that continued commitment matters and is greatly appreciated While the severity of the housing crisis facing our community requires increasing this funding, we also recommend that this is a difficult budget year and that the town is trying to balance real concerns around affordability and property taxes while also maintaining critical programs and services. We understand these are difficult trade offs, particularly amid continued uncertainty around federal funding and the broader economic landscape.

With that said, we are extremely concerned about the proposed 45% reduction to the Human Services budget and the impact it would have on Carrboro residents. Many households in our community are already struggling to afford basic needs and housing costs that far exceed what they can reasonably sustain. Programs providing meals, groceries, support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and other very essential services are critical safety net resources. The trusted local organizations providing these services are already navigating reduced federal funding, declining donations in some cases, and broader economic uncertainty this year's human services cycle received a record number of funding requests we understand reflecting the growing demand for these services within our community While we understand the difficult balancing act before the town, we respectfully urge counsel to restore funding to the human services budget and avoid reductions that would disproportionately impact Carrboro residents with the fewest resources and the greatest need. Thank you so much for your leadership.

Thank you so much, Jackie. Are there others who want to speak? Okay. I guess this would no one else is speaking. I'm gonna close the public hearing and we can talk amongst ourselves, council members, ask questions, or just chew a little bit.

We've had about a week with the budget. I understand about human services funding. I served on the Human Services Advisory Commission before I joined the council. And you know, we evaluate this funding annually and we fund it accordingly. And, you know, this year it just seems like, you know, we have a shortfall.

We can't see into the future from one physical year to the next because oftentimes, you know, things happen that will impact the budget. For example, this year we could not have foreseen the skyrocketing costs of health insurance. But we had to make room in the budget for that for our employees. And we always have to keep ourselves in a position to maintain the government. That is a priority.

And so it's tough. And I think that it is not that we cannot make human services funding whole. I think it really comes down to how we can do it. And just understanding that from year to year, you know, we'll come back to this again. Because like I said, we cannot project about budgets from one fiscal year to the next.

And so this is what the council has been wrestling with. And we've been talking to each other. Town manager Tony has been very involved. He's been doing a great job providing us options about ways that we can hopefully make human services funding whole. And so with that, colleagues, I'm going to go online real quick. You have your hand up. I'm going to go online real quick and check on Mayor Pro Tem Pesado Orozco and Councilmember Frey before I get to us here in the room, if you don't mind. And then we'll just kind of go back and forth here to make sure everyone's heard. Mayor Pro Tempestado Orovsko, do you have anything yet? Or Council Member Frey? Any comments or questions?

None for me at the moment, Madam Mayor. But thank you for asking.

Councilmember Frey?

Madam Mayor, thank you for looping me in. I think as you've pointed out and as we've heard from commenters, the cut to the human services part of the budget is strongly felt. I would love to hear from my colleagues what you think we've been doing some of the math and trying to work out if a very, very small increase, so a less than 2%, less than inflation increase, could allow us to restore that funding. That's something that, while still doing the numbers and crunching the math, I think would be a good idea. And I'd love to hear what you think, colleagues. Thanks. That's all from me.

Thank you so much. Anyone, colleagues, any comments? Oh, Council Member Palmer.

Folks are hanging back, and I'm talking way too much tonight. I've already said a mouthful on the resolution. But if you will indulge me, I think tonight is a great night to pick on public works because we love them. We're celebrating them tonight. And they are a great illustration of why cuts are a bad idea. So I do want to

talk about service cuts, not because I think they're a

good idea. They are not. I'll say it again. Service cuts are a terrible idea. But if you go to page 120 in the manager's recommended budget, which I see some of you have a physical copy of, you'll find the summary for public works. And you can look at the solid waste line. Again, I love you all. I've met folks in the solid waste division. I attended a presentation from solid waste, specifically

on the

pilot that we're currently doing. It's great. But sorry. I wrote some notes to make sure I would get the numbers right. This budget has us increasing the solid waste line expenditure by $358,790 year over year.

That's nearly $00 on the tax rate. And if you remember from the last work session, the approximate number is $370 that's generated by adding $01 to the tax rate. So folks may not be aware. The resolution part has specific meaning under North Carolina law, what powers we have, what duties we have as a municipality. But there are precious few actual duties of a municipality, and solid waste is not one of them.

We love our solid waste. Again, I'm not genuinely recommending a cut. And I'm no lawyer, but I am supremely confident that this or future counsel are smart folks and could set priorities in a way that would allow us to fully eliminate solid waste collection, not just change in expenditure year over year entirely. We could do that as a town. That's not who we are.

We're not going to do that. Let's just play with those numbers. That's $173 to $178 depending on how you slice what parts annually of your tax dollars, or $15 per household per month of your taxpayer money. Now that's someone else's problem. Now I'm just going to completely ignore the problems, the cost that adds to the town, who we have to pay to collect the town's trash at, for example, parks.

Again, this is not a good idea. But if you're doing excellent work. This isn't a math exercise. Please humor me. If we think about it for two seconds, who do those residents at home have to now pay to remove their trash? They could haul it themselves, so they're paying gas. They could pay a service to come pick it up. And I went and I looked at prices, and it's like between $28 and $33 per household per month for a private hauler south of us to pick up your trash. So more than double. You can do this exercise over and over in our budget.

But there are two choices when our costs go up. Either we raise revenue or we cut services. That's it. We can pull from fund balance for structural things, but that is kicking the can down the road. And I would ask my colleagues why next year is going to be easier to ask for any increase.

So another cost that would probably hit us besides paying someone else hit us as a town is that some HOA board might decide it's a good idea to sue the town. Oh, our property value has gone down, they might claim. They would lose this lawsuit, but it would take us two years or more to win. And we would sit here on the dice, or maybe I'll get voted out. Some future counsel would sit here on the dice and listen to updates in closed session about that lawsuit and listen to in open session from residents who have the time and money to show up.

Now, again, I do not want to cut this. It's an easy example for me to use tonight because no one wants us to cut this. But again, everywhere you look in our budget, it is, in fact, in line with our values everywhere that we're spending. No, I want to increase our budget for solid waste. I would actually love to put a banner.

Shout out to my fellow morning edition listeners who might have heard a story yesterday in the morning of a mayor who, in response to Victor Orban, put something roughly along the lines of, who in Raleigh wants to leave your trash bin full? Carbros' big solid waste trucks, they're ours. I'm proud of them. That's one of the most visible things that we have in town that we actually do. They're doing great.

So we've had some back and forth. As Council Member Frey said, the exact number might be different under different scenarios. Maybe we do feel it's actually easier next year. Do some on fund balance. We're already let's see which page in the agenda packet.

It's page 68 on the slide deck that we had. Just here. It's the one with the heading major revenue budget drivers at the bottom of that. The fund balance appropriation of $2,760,000 of that 49,490 ks is structural. So we're already setting ourselves up for next year, just over a cent. Right? So do we do a half cent now? Do we do a threefour of a cent now? Do we do $02 next year? Why is it easier next year?

Speaking to folks here or at home, you should want even small increases when they are necessary because when we don't get that, when we spend a decade not doing it, we get what we got last year, which is $09 above revenue neutral. So again, to my colleagues, I feel strongly that we should close this hole. I am currently the liaison to the committee that did that work last night. That was a difficult meeting to attend. I am very grateful that they showed up and spoke tonight.

I look forward to more discussion on this. And I respect that we're coming at this from different places, different expertise. I think you're all coming at this from a sincere and thoughtful place. Please consider whether it's $0.05 cent, threefour cent, the math that makes sense to close this now because I do not think it gets easier next year. Thank you.

And before I recognize town manager Tony, I'm going to go ahead and answer your question about why not this year. And I would say because of last year. Residents were extremely burdened by the property tax increase last year, along with the re eval from Orange County. So that is definitely a reason why I would find it very hard to support any type of property tax increase this year. You think about inflation, folks that have to put gas in their cars, they have to buy food, and all these other things that are just through the roof.

And so these are my initial thoughts. And I'm just letting you know upfront that I would not want to burden our residents so soon after last year. But I'm certainly interested in the conversation about incremental property tax increases, like small ones, as Councilmember Palmer talked about. Now, want to allow town manager Tony to comment.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I've just mentioned, since it was brought up, about the solid waste increase, the $300,000 That is actually a lease agreement because Public Works lost their large solid waste vehicle cars. And they are extremely expensive. They chose a lease option to get through the fiscal year. And so hopefully in FY '27, we can actively begin trying to repurchase some of the vehicles. But right now, they're on lease. I would expect that number to drop back down once we can acquire the vehicles.

Thank you for that, town manager. Tony, council members. Councilmember Nell.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I think really smart points have been raised on both sides or all possible sides of how we will address closing this gap. As I think about it, was looking a neighbor of mine recorded their tax bill every year, 2012 to 2026. And I'll spread the details. But essentially, 2012 to 2021 for this particular neighbor saw an increase of about, I believe, a sound in the rate in real terms.

Property values are very, very nominal is my point. Over the course of a decade from 2012 to 2021, almost no change functionally and certainly well lagging inflation, which is how we found ourselves in the position that we were in last year to have to undergo such stark pain. I am prompted to look a little bit ahead into our agenda packet at the community survey results where Carrboro residents' sentiment about their return on their tax dollars is included. And it is about 21% more than the national average. Carrboro residents feel that they are getting a satisfactory return on their tax value.

Between 2024 and 2026, we gained about 5% self identified positive or satisfied or very satisfied residents with their tax return. We also lost about 5% from neutral, which is to say that counter intuitively, with a steep rate hike, Carrboro residents polarized about equally. About 5% felt better on balance and about 5% felt worse. In total, from 2024 to 2020 positive to neutral sentiment in Carrboro changed about five total percent. And so I say all of this to, I think, try to take the pressure down for us a little bit.

I have spent this budget cycle largely really strongly disposed against the tax increase. I have heard a lot of pain from neighbors on fixed incomes, from parents in the PTA that I take really seriously. And we talked about this at our last budget meeting. In those same conversations over the course of the past week, anecdotally, framed this way, And considering the sentiment that we see even in some very strong headwinds, I'm hearing that Carrboro residents can probably tolerate a less than inflationary $0.05 cent tax increase for human services by and large. I think it's reasonable to consider fund balance or affordable housing special revenue reserve expenditures.

I am disposed against those because drawing one time revenue sources against recurring expenses is going to put us in the position of increasing the pressure on future budget cycles. Inflation, I think, if I'm not mistaken, was about 3.8% in the recent Fed report, which is to say that a half cent increase would be a dramatic trail of inflation, wouldn't even rise to the level of half of the inflationary rate. And so for me, this is not a settled issue. I'm putting this out to try and have an earnest and transparent conversation that I hope I'll offer all of this context and sort of these meandering thoughts in the hope of trying to take down the pressure for us a little bit. We are living at the end of a fifty year project to starve our government by billionaires and jackals and crypto Ponzi schemers.

And they have rigged our government so that we can't do anything but zone and pay for really excellent performing services. And so trying to close this gap from the municipal level in a way that meets our town's values is an impossible strain. We face long the employee health care cost driver is not going away. We will see an increase next year that we've only partially been able to offset by switching providers this year. Every year we don't raise taxes to keep up with inflation.

We will be losing net revenue. And so I think for me, it's all on the table. And I think that we have two weeks where I'm going to keep I'm trying to have coffee with as many of the people who told me they're hurting over the past year as I can. And I'm going to try and keep you all apprised of what I hear, which I think I've done my best to faithfully report tonight.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Nall. And another thing that's real obvious to me is we don't talk to the same people. And so we're in touch with different folks. And different folks have different stories from various corners of the community. And so none of us have our arms completely around the entire community as far as how folks are feeling and how folks are hurting. So we can just keep reaching out and also keep listening. But I'm pretty steadfast. I'm not likely to vote for a property tax increase. Anyone else? Hold off. Can you help? No, no,

go ahead. You want to thumb rest? Hold on

for a second, Merle. Hold on. Councilmember Joyner and then Councilmember Merrill.

I'm not going to say a whole lot. I just want to thank my colleagues for the sensitivity with which they've approached this. In my own kind of like starting to look at the budget and think about human services and the humanity of the services that we provide, Obviously, I see the value in those things. And for it not for some really very fortunate things that happened for me and my family, I might have been one of those people who may have needed some of those services. So I really identify with that.

Fortunately for me, I sit with a certain kind of privilege that allows me to say, oh, half cent, three fourth like, whatever. Like, my family can do that. I just want to I just want us to sit with the increase that we've had over the past year. And even though for most of us on this panel, the increase might not be it wouldn't be a show stopper. We might not think about it the same way when we go into the grocery store as some of our neighbors would.

That's what I'm sitting with. And I'm totally aware of not kicking the expense down the road. I mean, I personally experienced that when I lived in Washington, DC. I was served on my condo board, we didn't increase condo fees for ten years and then had the 20% increase in one shot. And that was also in a hard economic turn.

So I'm just saying all this to say that I'm sensitive to these things. And these are all the things that are going into my calculus as I think about this issue, I want to try to reach a place where we can continue to provide the services that, obviously, that we need, but also tend to our humanity and think about some of the privilege that some of us if you look at the not going to insult your intelligence. But if you look at the proposed budget here and some of the demographic information, there's a lot of privilege in our community. There's quite a bit. And so I think that we need to think about that as we talk about how we attend to the humanity of not to be all biblical and whatnot, but to the least of So I'm going to stop now.

Thank you.

All right. So I'm not going to be nearly as eloquent as everyone else,

but I'm going to

throw my $02 in. Bad pun, dollars 0 Anyways, I came into this much like the mayor pretty well opposed to any more property tax rate hikes after last year's pretty painful one. But then when we kind of saw what we were putting on the chopping block, that kind of put it in stark relief. And kind of made the decision a little clearer in terms of what I'm willing to consider because by not raising taxes, we are benefiting the people that actually have the privilege to own homes here. And we are making the folks that don't have those opportunities suffer.

And as somebody who grew up the only child of a single mom who relied on these services heavily, not in Carrboro but in other towns where I grew up, it's hard for me to consider cutting those services, like if it's A or B. So I guess where I'm at now is more open to the consideration of an incremental hike this year. Certainly going forward, that seems to be the responsible move. Think as council member Nao pointed out, what got us in the bind last year was ten years of effectively no tax hikes, which just isn't responsible with inflation continuing to rise. So I guess where I'm at now is kind of open to the various possibilities.

I've been kind of taking the magnifying glass to the budget this go around more than I have in years past because this is my third time through this. So I'm a little more aware of what's where. And so I do have some kind of hanging questions, but I will leave those for staff to respond to later. And yeah, so I guess that's kind of where I'm landing. It's like I want to continue to look hard at where can we save. I'm open to an incremental hike, and I am not open to cutting human services.

Yeah. And again, I don't think anyone is open to cutting human services funding. It's just a matter of how we're going to close the gap that currently exists. And that's up to us you know, as council members to kind of nash out. And I believe that we will. But I don't think, at this point, it's really about whether we're going to fund or not fully, but pretty much how we get there. And this is what you're hearing right now. I see Mayor Pro Tem Pesadoresca.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and thank you, colleagues, all of the comments. I wanted to come off come off mute and and let folks know where I stand on this issue. I'm very much on the the on the side of not raising taxes this year. I think after everything I've heard in community, everything that we've already had to do, I am not in in this moment inclined to vote for any budget that would increase taxes. And one of the things I'm thinking about as as this human services recommendations is a couple of things.

The first, I've been a nonprofit executive for most of my career. I've had to do look at grants. I've had to look at programs. I've had to look at budgets. And I also recognize that government is there to help, but also it's not my only resource.

And I recognize that that's a difficult position for all nonprofits. I'm running one right now. And I recognize how difficult it is to apply for grants, how difficult it is to get funding. I recognize the number of donors is continuing to decrease at you know, at an alarming rate for certain communities, more less for others. But with that in mind, I'm thinking of my role as an elected official for the town of Carrboro and my one of my major duties is ensuring that we're using the town resources to the best of our ability and to to follow our pillars.

I think this is a difficult year. I think we've gone through a lot. The general assembly is doing what they're gonna do. We don't know what the future comes. So while I am not in any way, shape, or form wanting to cut what's currently on the table, I am also not inclined right now to extend our own town budget above what we already have.

We've had experts on this on budget in the town that know what they're doing, and they recommended this amount for a reason. We have again, we do have the the discretion as a community or, sorry, as a council to increase taxes, but that's something that I'm not willing to do. Also folks know that, at least folks on this diocese know that I'm not willing to also use long term expenses for our general fund or fund balance. It's just also nothing that that's not fiscally responsible. So all that to say that I fully understand what these organizations are going through.

Heck, some of these organizations on this list I've worked for in some way, shape, or form, in my career, before joining the town council. So I recognize the importance and the need there, but I also recognize that my at least the way I see my role as a as as an elected official at ton of Carrboro is looking at that fiduciary responsibility. And after all the increase from last year, I'm not in a in a in a in a place I would want to increase that. I'm happy to look at other ways of increasing funding if that's something that that that that is of of support, but I'm also not looking at removing some of the funds from our affordable our fund fund balance or affordable housing resources sorry, reserves to to to be able to do that, which I know is a pretty big challenge because that's what has has come to us. So my thing is, my fiduciary responsibility to the to the voters and to the community of Carrboro tell me that this is a difficult year.

This is a difficult budget for all of us, and I'll leave it there.

Thank you so much, mayor pro temposado roscoe. I don't see anyone else's hand in the council chamber. Councilmember Frey, do you have anything? No one else has their hand up right now. I see Councilmember Nell.

So we, two weeks from now, have a $250,000 gap to close. We do not have consensus on whether we will use recurring or whether we will use one time expenses. I'm so sorry. We do not have consensus on whether we will draw down one time revenue sources for these recurring expenses or whether we will I mean, choices are to do that, to cut services, or to raise the rate. We have three choices.

To the extent that we would make other cuts, I think we are not disposed as a counsel toward that for reasons we've all talked about. This is a very lean budget submitted by a really extraordinarily competent staff that is higher performing with lower resources than I think we would have been able to achieve in any previous budget cycle. If we wanted to nickel and dime small line items, it wouldn't get us there. And we can't all that to say is I have tried to be clear that this is not a doctrinaire issue for me. I think it's absolutely appropriate to really heavily vet the table of organizations that are receiving this funding what the outcomes will be if we cut the services.

I can live with cutting human services funding, I think. We are not being put in a position where we have an enviable outcome. But I would love to know what you all think the next steps are toward building consensus along these options.

Is it Council Member Palmer?

Two things very quick. One, I did not say in my earlier comments how I would I did say that I believe it's a bad idea to draw from fund balance for recurring expenses. But when it comes specifically to the human services funding, I will hold my nose and I will vote for that budget if we decide to close it in that way to some extent or another. But I want to emphasize to you all that after the midterms, 01/01/2027, law that was already passed at the federal level takes effect that cuts Medicare, that cuts SNAP. These entities that we fund through this funding, regardless of what we do, even if we kept it flat, they would be down because of the increased demand that is coming.

And that is demand driven by the least of these. It is demand that is the people who cannot afford child care to come to this. They would have to bring their children. And I was one of those children. My mom is an amazing woman.

I did not realize that we were financially constrained growing up until I was much older and processing it. But it wasn't until I had a girlfriend who was just writhing with discomfort when we were together in the grocery store. And it was because I was doing the math. I had a 50 budget going in the door. And I could do that math in my head.

And I was standing there, and I was choosing the cheaper items. And this was not a person who had grown up with that approach, that mindset, with a parent who had taught them how to be poor. The poor work harder to make decisions. And they can't be here to make this decision with us. This is very deeply felt for me. I'm sorry I'm going on longer than I meant to. But I also wanted to say, because I got a text about it, I didn't say it enough. I'll say it again. I love our public works. You all are knocking it out of the park.

You're doing great. That was a thought exercise that maybe I should have not engaged in. But it was a number that lined up close enough to make the point that wealthy homeowners can complain. They have the bandwidth to come complain to us.

Okay. I don't think I see anyone else's hand up. And again, this is not about if, but how with the human services grantees. And currently on the table is we've heard about a property tax increase, a small one, incremental. We have also a few other options that some of us can do if they hold their nose, as Councilmember Palmer said.

But the point really is to close this gap so we can fully fund human services. We know that the need is great. We know it'll get even greater. This is what we do know because we watched it happen this year and actually a couple of years now coming. And so there is no decision point for us tonight. We are here to hear from the public. Council members, I believe, have got out what they wanted to say tonight, asked questions. We've talked among ourselves. We've been very clear, or as clear as we can be at this point. We've had the budget for a week.

And so I have closed the public hearing. And if council members have no other comments or questions, we're going to go ahead and move the next to the last item. I don't see any hands raised. Town Manager Tony, the next item, please.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. There's one information item under the general agenda. This is a Carrboro Community Survey for 2026. Our Communications and Engagement Director, Ms. Cat Lizorko, is going to introduce our speaker who has traveled very far to give great information.

Good evening, mayor and council. Tonight

Laurie, we'll let her go ahead and get out. Then yes. Go ahead, Ms. Lazorca.

Thank you. Tonight, we are pleased to present the results of the 2026 community survey, which evaluates the perceptions of our residents as they pertain to town services, quality of life, safety, and community priorities. Here to provide an overview and key insights is Jason Murado, who is with ETC Institute, our consulting agency partner. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Jason.

All right. Thank you. Good evening, mayor and council. My name is Jason Murado. I'm the director of community research at ETC Institute. And our firm specializes in conducting community surveys for local governments. And this past spring, for the third time, we conducted a community survey for the town of Carrboro. So, today, I'm going to walk through the key findings from the survey. I have just a little background about ETC Institute. We're a national leader in providing market research for local governments.

We've been doing this type of work for over forty years. And in the last ten years alone, we've conducted surveys in more than 1,000 communities across the country. And that includes a lot of work throughout the state of North Carolina, especially here in the Raleigh Durham area. So, this is the type of work that we specialize in. This is just an overview of what I'll go through today.

I'll go over the purpose and methodology of the survey. I'll walk through the key findings, summarize our main conclusions from the survey, and then I'll be happy to answer any questions, if there are any. So, are several reasons to conduct a survey like this. One is to get an objective assessment of how satisfied residents are with major city services and to determine what residents feel are the top priorities for the community. We're also able to measure trends from your previous surveys.

This is the third time we've conducted this survey. The first time was in 2021 and then again in 2024. And a lot of the questions were the same this year so that we could measure trends over time. And then we're also able to compare your results with other communities across the country. So, I mentioned this is the third time we've conducted a community survey for the town of Carrboro. The survey was administered by a combination of mail and online to randomly selected households throughout Carrboro. Our goal was to receive 400 surveys. We had a very good response. We ended up with four forty surveys. And the results of the four forty surveys at the 95% level of confidence has a margin of error plus or minus 4.6.

Essentially, means that if we conducted this survey the same way a 100 times, 95 times the results would be plus or minus 4.6% from what we're reporting. So, even for a statistically valid survey, the results are not perfect, but the margin of error is very small. And as you were administering this survey, we made sure that the demographics of survey respondents reflects the actual population of Carrboro. So, here's what we learned from the survey. We found that residents have a very positive perception of the town of Carrboro.

96% of respondents read Carrboro as an excellent or a good place to live. And 92% read Carrboro as an excellent or a good place to raise children. You'll see in a little bit when we get to the, benchmarking comparisons. Those numbers are much, much higher than most other communities. We also found that Carrboro is moving in the right direction.

To me, this is one of the areas that probably sit out the most on the survey. Satisfaction ratings have increased in 70 out of 96 areas since the last survey in 2024. And the results were very, very good in 2024, which makes it especially impressive that there have been so many increases in satisfaction. And this includes 15 areas that have had a significant increase in satisfaction. In other words, five percentage points or more higher now than they were in 2024.

We also found that satisfaction with town services is much higher in Carburrow than other communities. Carrboro rate significantly higher than The US average in all 33 areas that we compared. We'll look at some of those areas in more detail in a little bit, but there are a couple of areas I want to make sure to point out. One is that satisfaction with the overall quality of town services reached 43 percentage points above The US average. And that's one of the most important questions on the survey because here we're asking residents really to give an overall satisfaction rating for how well the town is doing delivering services.

And then, another one of the areas that rates among the farthest above The US average is customer service provided by town employees, which rated 40 percentage points above The US average. And then the top overall priorities, transportation, infrastructure, housing and community services, and economic development, these were also the top three priorities on the survey a couple of years ago. So, I mentioned residents have a very positive perception of Carrboro. On this question, we asked respondents to rate the perceptions of Carrboro in a number of different ways. You can see the dark blue are ratings of excellent, light blue is good, the gray is neutral.

We interpret neutral as average or meeting expectations. So, it's not a bad rating. It's a three on a five point scale. And the pink are those ratings of below average or poor. So, obviously, the positive ratings far away the negative.

If you look at the top of the chart, there are four areas where over 90% of respondents gave a rating of excellent or good and 3% or less gave a rating of below average or poor. That includes the overall quality of life in Carrboro, as well as Carrboro as a place to live, as a place to raise children, and as a place that's welcoming and inclusive to all. On this question, we asked respondents to rate major categories of town services. So, here, we're asking residents to rate these areas at the big picture departmental level. And then, later on in the survey, we asked about some more specific areas within some of these categories.

So, you can see the dark blue is very satisfied, light blue is satisfied, gray is neutral, and the pink are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. So, once again, there's a lot more blue than pink, so the positive rate is far away than negative. If you look at the top of this chart, there are five areas where well over 80 of respondents are either very satisfied or satisfied and 5% or less dissatisfied. That includes fire services, public works, recreation and cultural programs, police services, and parks and recreation facilities. And then, we also asked respondents to rate the overall quality of services provided by the town, the overall quality of customer service from town employees, and then the value received for, town tax dollars and fees.

Once again, can see the positive ratings far away the negative. If you look at the top, you see 86% of respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with the overall quality of town services. That's compared to only 4% who are dissatisfied. It's also very high ratings for customer service. You can see the satisfaction is a bit lower for value received for town tax dollars and fees, but you'll see it a little bit when we compare your results to other communities.

For that question, that's a very, very high rating. We also broke the results out by census block group for every question on the survey asked on a five point scale. So here's, the map, map of the town of Carrboro. This question is for the overall quality of town services. And you can see the entire map is blue. So, this tells us that residents in all parts of Carrboro are satisfied with the overall quality of town services. The areas in dark blue are the highest possible rating. The areas in a lighter blue are positive, but just not quite as high. But this tells us that you're doing a great job providing services equally all throughout Carrboro. And this map is for the overall quality of life in Carrboro.

Again, the entire map is blue. Most of it is actually dark blue, which tells us that residents, again, all throughout Carrboro are satisfied with the overall quality of life. I mentioned earlier that Carbara is moving in the right direction. Since the last survey in 2024, satisfaction ratings have increased in 70 out of 96 areas. One area stayed exactly the same and only 25 areas have had a decrease.

Now, this includes 15 areas with a significant increase in satisfaction, so five percentage points or more higher than last time. Only four areas had a significant decrease. These are the areas with the biggest increases in satisfaction since 2024. So, these six areas had a satisfaction increase of 10 percentage points or more. It includes the availability of parking downtown, just overall public parking, the availability of information services in languages other than English, respectfulness of police personnel towards people, the current state of race relations, and then the responsiveness to community concerns.

And then these nine areas had a satisfaction increase between five and nine percentage points compared to 2024. So these were also significant increases in satisfaction. So this includes the town being responsive to the needs of residents, Carrboro as a community that's advancing climate action, the availability of meeting and gathering spaces, level of public involvement in local decision making, the availability of diverse cultural events, residents' understanding of services that are provided by the town, the maintenance of town parks, recreation and cultural programs, and then the availability of information about town programs and services. So, a lot of areas with significant increases in satisfaction. Only four areas had a decrease in satisfaction of five percentage points or more compared to the last survey.

That includes job growth, new company growth, Carrboro as a place to start a business, and then quality of new commercial development. And we've seen these type of decreases in a lot of other communities across the country the past couple of years. So, unlike what we're seeing across in other places. We also found that satisfaction with town services is much higher in Carrboro than other communities. I mentioned earlier, Carrboro rates significantly above The US average in all 33 areas that we compared and significantly higher than the regional average in 32 out of 33 areas.

So for these next few charts, the dark blue line are Carrboro residents who are either very satisfied or satisfied. The light blue are the satisfaction ratings for residents in the Atlantic Region. So that includes North Carolina as well as nearby states. And the gray bar are the satisfaction ratings for residents from all across the country. And this is based on a national survey that ETC Institute conducts every one to two years with randomly selected residents all across the country.

So this chart's for perceptions of the town. You can see rates far higher than other communities in all these areas. If you look at the top, you see that Carrboro as a place to live rates 41 percentage points above The US average. And right below that is a place to raise children rates 35 percentage points above The US average. And obviously, Carrboro rates are much higher than these other areas as well.

Here you can see that Carrboro overall 86% of respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with the overall quality of town services. And that's exactly double the national average, which is only 43%. If you look at the row below that, 78% of Carrboro residents are satisfied with customer service provided by town employees, which is more than double the national average. And if you look at that bottom row, 57% of respondents are satisfied with the value they received for town tax dollars and fees. And you can see the national average is only 33%.

So, 57% might seem lower compared to some of your other ratings, but it's still 24 percentage points above the national average. Here are comparisons for major categories of town services. You can see car borrower rates much higher than other communities when it comes to fire services, public works, police services, communication and engagement, transportation infrastructure. Stormwater management doesn't rate quite as far above the national average and regional average as these others, but it still rates higher. And then we ask respondents how safe they feel in various situations.

You can see carpool rates much higher than other communities when it comes to the overall feeling of safety, as well as how safe residents feel in shopping and dining areas, and how safe they feel in town parks and facilities. So now we'll look at top priorities. We saw earlier how satisfied residents are with major categories of town services. As a follow-up question, we ask, which of these services are the most important to your household? So you can see the most important are transportation infrastructure, parks and recreation facilities, housing and community services.

Those are the top three. And then followed by economic development and then public works. This is something that we call the important satisfaction rating. This analysis is based on two different types of data. First, we ask residents how satisfied they are with services. Then we ask which services are the most important. And the idea behind this is those areas that have a combination of low satisfaction rating but at the same time are rated as the most important are the ones we identify as a top priority. And then we prioritize the list based on that. So this first table is for major categories of town services. You can see the top priorities are transportation infrastructure, housing and community services, and economic development.

They have that combination of highest importance and then lower satisfaction, at least compared to the rest of the list. This is the important satisfaction rating that focuses on transportation. You can see the top priorities are the availability of parking downtown. We saw there's a big increase in satisfaction in that compared to a couple years ago, but still a priority. Other top priorities are availability of sidewalks and availability of greenways and multi use paths.

This section focuses on housing. There are only three items on this question. You can see the top priority is availability of housing options based on price, followed by efforts to expand and preserve affordable housing. And then, this table focuses on the economy and development. You can see the top priorities are the quality of new commercial development, access to information about current and proposed private development projects, and then job growth.

So, a quick recap. We saw that residents have a very positive perception of Carrboro. There's a lot of examples of that in the report. But a couple of the areas that really stood out were the extremely high ratings for Carrboro as a place to live and as a place to raise children. We saw that Carrboro was moving in the right direction.

There's been satisfaction increases in 70 out of 96 areas, including a number of very significant increases in satisfaction. Just like in previous years, satisfaction of town services is much higher in Carrboro than other communities, with the overall quality of town services and customer service being a couple of the areas that really stood out. But, obviously, there are many, many positive areas. And then the top overall priorities, transportation infrastructure, housing and community services, and economic development. So, that is everything that I had.

Of course, there's always room for improvement, but obviously very, very positive results. There's always been very high satisfaction ratings each time we've done the survey, but this is the highest of the three years that we've conducted the survey. So, with that, if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Thank you so much for the presentation. Certainly good results. And this is the overall survey results, correct?

Yes, that's correct.

Now, the Qualified Census tract, how does that information come into the community survey overall?

The results for those overall, the satisfaction ratings are a little bit lower. They're still very positive, but, in general, they're a bit lower than this random sample, which random sample did include some households from the qualified census tract. But then, we oversampled those areas as well. And the priorities are very similar among the two groups, the qualified census specific sample and then this just overall town random sample.

I was asking because it says responses are analyzed separately as a comparison to the overall survey results. And so, is there a separate survey results for the Qualified Census Tract? I guess is my question.

There is. Yes. Yes. This full report is based on the random sample for the overall population. But then separately, we provided results just for households within the qualified census tract.

Did you share that information from a qualified census tract?

I think so. I believe so.

Was it in here? Yes. It seemed like it was when it said analyzed separately, I was looking for it I guess, potentially apart from the overall survey results that you presented, sir.

Yeah. Results from the qualified census tract are part of this packet of information. And so they are conducted separately, although each area is asked the same questions.

Okay. Well, of course that would be the case. So since it was analyzed separately, think that kind of threw me off as to how the information was presented, because I thought that might be just like separate from the overall results. I think that's what had me tripped up. But that's not the case. It actually was integrated into the overall survey results, Qualified Census tract. Is that correct?

It's integrated in terms of the report to the report out is all the survey results are provided together collectively, yes.

Okay. So what we've seen includes QCT, I guess is what I'm asking. What we heard from you includes results from the Qualified Census Tract.

That's right. So the results we looked at today, this was four forty surveys. 98 of those were within Qualified Census Tract.

Right.

And that's the random sample. But in addition to that, we sent extra surveys to households in the Qualified Census Tract. And we got an additional 61 surveys that were not part of the random sample, but sent specifically to the qualified census tract. So that means 159 surveys in total from the qualified census tract. And those results we provided separately than just this pure random sample. Know there's a lot of numbers throwing around. Does make sense?

Yeah, I think so. But, you know, at the same time, it's still, just a little bit, confusing. So the 159 is a part of the four forty?

Ninety eight of them are.

98 are?

Because they are part of the random sample.

Okay. 98 are.

Right. Yes. Yes. Yeah.

I think that's all I have for now. Council members? Is Mayor Pro Tem Pesar Orozco there? And Council Member Frey, did they have any questions before I move to the room? Are they there? They're there. Any questions from either one of you before we move into the room? Looks like Councilmember Frey may have something.

Yes, Madam Mayor, quick question, because I had a similar question to you. Can anyone tell me what page in our packet the qualified census tract responses are on?

I believe they're attachment D. Thank you

very much. That was my only question.

Thank you, Councilmember Nell. And that was it for Councilmember Frey. Any questions for the presenter?

I wasn't so much a question as a comment.

Go right ahead.

It was actually kind of the inverse of what Councilmember Nell said earlier. This is great to hear. And I think it actually kind of builds my confidence in the great work that town staff is doing and builds my confidence in the budget as it's been presented as we work through this. Yeah, kind of Thank you. Work, everybody.

Thank you, Councilmember Merrill. Any other comments or questions? Looks like all have been satisfied by the presentation, and we receive it. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Great. Thanks, everyone.

Town manager 20 oh.

There's one item. Yes. Left is the board appointments, and our town clerk will review this item.

Good evening, mayor and council members. I sent the information by email with the packet. We have some potential consideration for appointments to the planning board and the Norge and Transition Area Advisory Committee. Just to rehash this, this was originally presented, I think, March 10. It has come back.

These are Orange County appointees reappointments that they are considering, and they wanted to have this attended to before summer break. So I presented this information. If there are any questions, please let me know. I did request the staff liaison, Tina Moon, to be here. I don't know if she's available. Haven't seen her in the audience, so I don't know if she's in the other room. But I think we have people, experts, that may be able to provide some information if we need it. But I will turn it over to the mayor.

Thank you so much, Mr. Joyner. And I do believe it was maybe a couple of months ago that this first came before us. I know that there were questions. Maybe it was Councilmember Frey. And we didn't make a decision. And I think Councilmember Palmer may have a comment tonight,

or was that

just I got it. The got it. I we Thank you.

Have no diversity in this particular pool of applicants, two for planning board, and two for the Northern Transition Area Advisory Committee. Council members, what is your pleasure? It was your pleasure on names before us. And take your time. Same names.

And I'd also like to add, in speaking to the staff liaison, the planning board specifically, they were given 15 applicants originally. At that time, on March 10, they have not been able to consider or invite those applicants. This is separate.

Separate from this.

This is separate from this. But I do want to make this clear. Because of the UDO process, I think they have been immersed in some of that details. And that was explained to me by staff liaison Tina Moon. Just wanted to add that. I don't know if there are any other concerns or questions as far as that's concerned, but this is specifically Orange County request for reappointment. So, if we need to do something other than reappoint these, we can do so. It's at the pleasure of the council.

And I think my question I don't know if I saw the answer to your question, Councilmember Palmer.

I'm sorry. I can forward it, or I can pull it up if you want.

I think the question was that Orange County advertised for was that the question?

Yeah. Councilmember Frey, do you want to speak to that? Because what I got was a forward from a conversation you

Yeah, either one is fine.

Councilmember Thank Frank? You. I actually have the same question that Councilmember Palmer repeated via email. And I also did not see the reply. JULIE

That information was emailed to I forward the same information that was sent to Councilmember Frey. If I need to resend it, I can.

No, no, no. That's Okay. I understand. If it's the same response we received previously, that's fine.

And what was

I'm going to answer but also expand beyond what Mr. Joyner was able to provide. I also spoke to a commissioner or two about this. And the answer is no, they did not advertise it. Okay. That's fine. And the commissioners were not aware of any process for seeking diversity in their applications or seeking new applicants at all. That doesn't mean that there is no such process, but they were not aware of one.

Okay. Thank you so much, Councilmember Frey.

And if I can, there was advertisement. There was no additional advertisement on their page, far as their boards and commission page, there is advertisement that the position was vacant. I don't think there was any additional advertisement.

You mean to try to get more applicants?

I think because it was a request for reappointment is why it wasn't advertised. They were hoping they were recommended these reappointments.

They who?

The clerk's office sent these in.

Orange County.

Correct, Orange County.

Okay. All right. So I think we have all that settled in. Council members, what is your pleasure on these said names for reappointment? We have two for the planning board and two for Intac.

I'd like to move the applicants. So

there's a motion from council member now.

And I will second it.

It's been moved and properly seconded that we move forth we're going do them all in one swoop. We move forth with the names, the two reappointments for the planning board, as well as the two reappointments for Intacct. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries seven-zero. These four individuals are reappointed to the respective boards. Thank you, colleagues.

Madam Mayor?

Yes, Councilmember Frank.

One quick note, colleagues, which is that I think that we should perhaps follow-up with our counterparts on the county commissioners board about this process, because it doesn't align with what we're looking to do for our advisory boards. And since this is a county appointed one, just need to coordinate with them.

Yeah, I appreciate Councilmember Frey bringing that up. We certainly are not evenly yoked, as they would say, as far as processes. So I think we should do some follow-up. Thank you for that, Councilmember Frey. Council members, that is the last item on our agenda.

Motion to adjourn.

Second.

All right. It's been moved and properly seconded in the council chamber that we adjourn this meeting. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries seven-zero. We are adjourned.