City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay. I would like to call to order the Thursday, June 11th Concord City Council meeting. Welcome everybody. It's good to have you all with us tonight. If you would please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

Thank you.

Okay, we wanna start off our meeting tonight with what I consider to be a very unusual situation. We have a young lady in the audience who requested for her 16th birthday to attend a city council meeting, which I'm not sure if she knew what she was getting into. But happy birthday to Olivia Bayer. Olivia, would you please stand? Congratulations, and we're very happy to have you here with us. And so first we have a retirement recognition, so I'm going to step down front for that very quickly. Okay, would Keisha Samuels please come up? Good evening. Okay, and so we are presenting a retirement plaque to Keisha tonight for 25 years of service with the City of Concord. Keisha Samuels joined the housing department in 2001 as a customer service representative. She quickly became the first point of contact for many residents. You need to turn around because they're making pictures of you. seeking information and assistance related to housing services. Staff described Keisha as quiet, calm, consistent, and always willing to help. And of course, a lover of pumpkin gooey cake. I've not had the pleasure to try that. I'm going to put it on my list. Residents often shared that they felt comfortable speaking with her. Over the years, Keisha came to know many residents not only by name, but also their children, their grandchildren, and building lasting relationships throughout the community. Throughout her career, Keisha demonstrated dedication and commitment to the Housing Department residents. She supported numerous community events, including National Night Out and the Back to School Bash, contributing to efforts that brought residents and staff together. Both staff and residents will miss Keisha's reserved yet distinctive personality and all she brought to the department each day. We thank Keisha for her 25 years of service and wish her all the best in her retirement. Congratulations. I'll hold that.

I'll hold that for you if you want to say a few words.

I was blessed to have an opportunity to work for a great organization. I learned a lot. There has been, I'm sorry, the thought I've been here so long and I can't believe I'm here now. Retirement was something I thought it would be. I would be 60, 70 years old, if that. But now I was given the opportunity to go out gracefully. I would like to thank Marcella Bean. I would like to thank Mary Carr. And I would like to thank Hunter for giving me this opportunity to give back to my family. And I would like to thank the city, Lord, Betty, Lori, and Alicia, everybody, or the council for giving me this opportunity. And I would like to say thank you so much.

Congratulations. If you would shake hands with our council members. I don't think we have too many retirees that get a crown and a sash. She's also got flowers down here as well. Congratulations. And if I could ask Betty Stocks to join me down front, and also Reverend Donald Anthony, I think is out in the audience. Yes. Yes, if you would join me as well. How are you, sir? Good, good. Okay, and we have a proclamation for Juneteenth, which I will read now. Whereas Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Black Independence Day, represents the day that all enslaved people, particularly those in Texas, were notified of their freedom, and whereas Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, and whereas Juneteenth became the 12th federal holiday in June 2021, and whereas Juneteenth reminds us to acknowledge and condemn the history of slavery and recognize its ongoing impact on our country, Now, therefore, I, Stephen M. Morris, Mayor and the City Council of the City of Concord, do hereby offer this proclamation in honor of the day of June 19th, 2026, being recognized as Juneteenth. Thank you.

Thank you all as well. Thank you. So I'd just like to again thank the city and thank you for the partnership and just acknowledge that in 2019 we had the first Juneteenth celebration in Cabarrus County and Councilwoman Stocks and her husband Mr. Chairman Stocks co-chaired that and made that dream a reality. And since then, Juneteenth celebrations have sprung up all over Cabarrus County, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, this year in Midland as well. So again, thank you, and we appreciate the proclamation. Excellent. You're welcome. Thank you.

You all have had copy of the minutes for May 12th and May 14th. Do I hear any corrections or a motion to approve? I'll second that, Mayor. Okay, we have a motion and a second to approve the minutes as presented. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. All right, we move, let's see, I'm gonna make sure I don't skip anything else. So I think the next thing on our agenda is Parks and Recreation Bond Update. We're happy to have Sheila Lowery with us for that.

Good evening, Mayor, members of council, Mr. Payne, Ms. Kolchinski, Ms. Jenkins. Tonight, I'll provide you the bond update for June. First is the update to the financial information. We had a slight increase in investment earnings, which also increased the current cost projections versus the available funds. The reminder, we have a total of two parks. Dorton phase one and phase two has been completed, and the Academy Gibson McGinnis Aquatic Center has been completed. Projects that are currently under construction. Marvin Caldwell Park, we are nearing completion for this project. This week, we conducted a walkthrough with the contractor and the design firm Binnish for this project. The top right corner, you can see the installation of the playground and the surfacing for the playground with the information sign we have for inclusive for this playground. The last thing to be installed on the playground will be a shade structure over the turf area to allow kids to be out of the sun and have features that are over there and additional communication boards. The bottom right, you will see the installation of all the splash pad equipment. We are currently working through CHA for permitting for this project. The left bottom, you can see the span building that covers two full-size basketball courts. We also have two additional courts that are not covered near the tennis courts. And the top left, you can see one of the shelters that we have installed new for this park. Next is the J.E. Jim Ramsor Park. Curb installation continues. Stone is being added to the underground storm drainage system. Next will be the installation of the parking lot that will cover that underground detention center. And we're also continuing with the boardwalk and bridges for the trail and greenway within the park. This will also connect to the future Clark Creek Greenway. Next is the Academy-Gibson Athletic Fields. Hall's construction is nearing completion for this project. The concession stand and the paths and sidewalk to the concession stand has been completed at the top of the web field. You can see that picture to the top left and the new concession stand to the top right. Work still continues on the storage building that is adjacent to Webb Field. Next is the Dave Phillips Park. The contract, council approved last month to move forward with Hall's construction for this project. The contract has been completed and approved. The ceremony for the groundbreaking is scheduled for June 9th at 2 p.m. for this project. Next projects. First up we have the Academy Gibson Skate Park Pump Track Sculpture Garden. One day I'll come up with a great acronym for it. This project, staff is currently reviewing cost estimates and final design for this project. Once that's completed, we will bring this project to council for approval of final design. Once that's approved by council, we can move forward with bidding for this project. Next is Hartzell Park. Our consultants Bolton and Mink has submitted the project into Acela, which is the permitting phase for this project. Once that's completed, staff will review the cost estimates and the final design for any updates that need to happen based on the master plan. And then the next step for this, we believe we'll bring it back to you in the fall for final design approval to move to bidding. Projects that are currently in design or will be moving to design, first up is the Poplar Tent Trailhead Park. Today, we received approval from Duke Energy that we can build the parking lot within their right of way. So the next step for us is moving to permitting for the erosion control. This project is being designed in-house by engineering. Next is the Wilson Street Park. No major updates here. Again, this park is also being designed internally. Next, WWFLOW staff continues to review the scope that has been presented by McAdams to move this project to design. Our last bond project is the Academy Recreation Center. We're looking to potentially begin design for this project in late FY27. Here is the bond current timeline. There are no updates currently for this timeline. And I'll be glad to answer any questions or review anything else.

Great. Any questions for Sheila? All right. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, next item on the agenda are persons requesting to be heard. I will read our guidelines on that to start us off. This portion of our meeting is our time to recognize persons requesting to be heard and provides an opportunity for anyone wishing to address the city council to do so. Each person will receive three minutes to address the council. This is a time of listening for the council. The subject will be noted and if it requires action or a request, the city manager will note as such and provide steps for any required response or after action. I think everybody has left their contact information with the clerk to facilitate that communication. And so the first on our list tonight is Nancy Faggert.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor and council. This year is America's 250th year. Our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, marks the beginning of the American experiment in liberty. Hear these words. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. From farmers to founders, Americans have always turned that belief into action. As America celebrates her birthday, I invite you to consider some key questions. How vast is our Creator's pasture? What are the ones who belong, who are the ones that belong within its borders and who benefits from this declaration and who does not? Further, how does this legacy impact people living within the borders of this nation today? Are not all part of the community? Shouldn't everyone get to dwell in the Creator's nourishing pasture? In Kansas, Joseph Ballas, the former mayor of Coldwater, has been taken into ICE custody. He's the green card holder charged for voting repeatedly and illegally. Having lived in the United States for 50 years, he did not realize he had broken the law. He entered a plea deal but has been caught up in the darkness of mass deportation, to the dismay of his constituents. His attorney has made a nationwide appeal for support of the former mayor. However, silence. Who is going to stand up against this darkness? If we do not reject encroaching darkness such as this, then we are accepting and encouraging it. By not standing up for the right thing, we are welcoming the wrong thing. What can we do? Many of us would welcome counsel speaking to the ICE Detention Center issue. This is the work of counsel that counsel is chosen to do. From the standpoint of patriotism, our community reflects many backgrounds, cultures, and traditions that contribute to the American story. The strength of the United States has always rested upon the ability of the people to unite around common democratic values. City Council's affirmation of their commitment to the American ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness would honor Concord as an all-American city. I quote Desmond Tutu, if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressors. This is not a transient cause, and we should not be deaf to the voice of justice.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Margaret Puckett.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Council. My name is Margaret Puckett. I'm the builder representative from Toll Brothers. I'm here this evening, like a lot of other builders are, as we begin to request sewer allocation for future projects. The project that I am referring to for Toll Brothers tonight is located at 4460 Weddington Road. The proposed community that Toll Brothers is proposing consists of 142 home sites on 75 acres. Relatively low density at less than two homes per acre. I wanted to reiterate that Toll Brothers is America's luxury home builder, and we build homes across the country. We actually operate in 60 markets across the country, but here specifically in Charlotte, We operate all over the area, up north in Mooresville, all the way down to Rock Hill. Our communities across this area serve second move up and luxury buyers. In the packet that I provided this evening in front of you has some photos, images of our product. I'd love for you to take some time to take a look at our proposed community, again, showing those elevations in the homes that we would propose. Would like to just make sure that council knows and recognizes that Toll Brothers, again, is committed to high quality product, serving the buyers that are, again, second move up in luxury home buyers in this market. Appreciate the time, thank you very much.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Zach Ducey.

I'm tall, sorry. Good evening, Mr. Mayor and Council. Good to see you all again. My name is Zach Ducey. I'm the Vice President of Land Acquisition for Shea Homes Carolinas. I'm here this evening as we would like to request your consideration in granting sewer allocation later this month for our future residential community, currently referred to as Bootsmead. This map shows the project properties located directly across from the grounds at Concord. on George Lyles Parkway. We submitted our site plan earlier this year. It is submitted under existing RM2 zoning, which aligns with the George Lyles Parkway small area plan. Candidly, our goal is to really be a residential continuation of the grounds at Concord and deliver a best-in-class community, which is consistent with the Shea Homes brand and consistent with the city's vision for the area. Here's our site plan. This is our latest site plan. Our request for sewer allocation earlier in March was obviously unsuccessful, so we have revised the plan for the June consideration. Since March, we've actually reduced the lot count. We're down from 53 lots in March to now 49. As a result, obviously with math, reduction in lots, we're requesting less in terms of sewer capacity flow. And candidly, it gave the opportunity to make the lots wider, larger, which is a better fit for our product and provides better livability for the future resident of the home in our experience. So the proposed densities now, since we've dropped it, at 1.35 units per acre compared to the original density of 1.47 units per acre. You can see the community will be heavily buffered from the parkway itself. It will feature multiple walking trails, expansive tree safe areas, and segments of future greenway connections integrated throughout the site. We've added a connection adjoining to the property to the north. Generally, we're pleased with this layout and we think it's a better fit. We consider it to be an approved plan as to what we presented in March at our allocation request. Here are some elevation examples of the home types currently contemplated for the community. Think an average home size be approximately 3,300 square feet ranging from 2,800 up to 4,200 Here are some more pretty pictures and That basically wraps it up and we just would like to thank you all for your consideration and allocating sewer for our boots me project and Later this month, we're excited to work with you all, city staff, and provide, deliver a quality community for the future residents of Concord.

Thank you. Thank you all. Have a great evening. Okay, our next speaker is Anne-Marie Shuler.

Good evening. How are you all doing this evening? Y'all is something you pick up living here 30 years when you moved down from the North, and you love living here so much. I'm here to talk to you about ICE. Are you not sick and tired of talking about this? Because I know I am, and I'm tired of reading about it, and I'm tired of hearing about it. There's gonna be a lot of folks that are gonna talk to you tonight about important stuff, like the morality or the lack thereof. and how it's going to impact our water table when we have droughts so much. I don't want to talk about any of that. I heard a vicious rumor that you all have determined that since you haven't gotten a phone call yet, it's not important enough for us to continue talking about how an ICE detention center might impact us in Concord. Now frankly, I was gobsmacked. I really was. Have you all ever been gobsmacked? Let me give you a couple other examples of why thinking the government hasn't called yet is something that really shouldn't change how important this is. On your bingo card, you can raise your hands if you want to, you don't have to. How many of you, the night before you woke up and saw the East Wing demolished, had that on your bingo card as happening that week? Nobody? How many had it on your bingo card that we were going to kidnap the president of a sovereign nation and bring him back to the United States? Anybody? Because I'm looking at the business end of 70 years of age. Caught me completely off guard. I say all these things because not getting a call yet doesn't change a darn thing. And I hope you're taking this seriously. You've got a room full of people that have been here for months because they're worried about it. I'm worried about it. That means you all should be worried about it. We appreciate everything you do for Concord. Truly, I'm not kidding. I've lived here for 30 years, not by chance. I could live anywhere in the world and I picked here. And I want to continue loving living here and the values that this community represents to me. and I hope you'll take it seriously, and I hope you'll take action to make sure it stays the welcoming, classy, diverse, loving community that it is, and put a stop, protect the future. I'm not gonna be here that much longer, so this isn't for me. I mean, there's more in the rear view mirror than the road up ahead. but protect it for the future, protect it for yourselves, protect it for everybody in the room. We got a 16 year old in the room tonight, protect it for her. This community is important. What we stand for is important. And I hope that y'all do the right thing and take action to keep it as terrific as it is. Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Justin Luter.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council. Thank you for the opportunity.

Just as the previous speaker said, we should not be here. We should not have to still convince our city's leadership that an ICE detention center is a bad idea. And since doing the right thing is difficult, let's approach this from a selfish perspective. I'm a firearms instructor in my concealed carry classes. I teach people. I encourage them to teach their children. to yell fire when they're in harm's way rather than help. Our country, America today, has a great ability to ignore the harm that comes to others. But everybody has a selfish interest when it comes to hearing fire. And whether that's good or bad, that's what it is. People will turn their head, they will crane their neck when they hear fire, but they may ignore you when they hear help. So what I'm asking, I'm screaming fire today. You don't build detention centers all over the country just as they did in Nazi Germany for one purpose. That purpose will eventually change and expand just like it did in Germany. Did you know a Tennessee state legislator today just passed a bill allowing for foster children to be housed in juvenile correctional facilities starting July 1st? If they can't find foster care homes, they get to place them in correctional facilities. Now, that's probably because the private owners of those correctional facilities demand that those beds be filled. But it's more seditious than that. They are preparing those children for what is to come. And so I'm asking, and my point is that the narrative will change. It'll start out as just a detention center for those undocumented. but it will change. And you will rue the day that the detention facilities are built. In 20 years, we will be paying reparations to those undocumented folks and all those housing those detention centers the same way we did with the Japanese and the same day we did with the Jewish people. And many of you will sit in church or kneel in prayer as if your heart didn't know what we already know today. Again, I am screaming fire, and I hope you are listening. P.S., I am being selfish. I am gladly publicly stating I oppose these detention centers. I know I will be on the right side of history. I look forward to having my name in the record books knowing that I oppose something so devious, terrible, and horrible to our particular community and to our country. So I hope you will be on the right side of history, too.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Leonard Jarvis.

Good evening, council. I stand here to state that I'm adamantly opposed to these ICE detention centers. And again, we shouldn't be here having this conversation. It should be obvious that it's something that is not needed in this community. It's not gonna be helpful. It's not gonna be beneficial for any of us. These detention centers are human graveyards. It's reported just in the year 2026, there have been over 18 homicides. We should be more about saving humanity instead of destroying humanity. Also, what I've discovered in my research is that there was a teenager, and we understand there's a teenager here tonight, that was beaten so badly he had to go to the hospital. It said one of the guards grabbed his privates and crushed them. That's inhumane. Then there's talk about the physical and the sexual abuse being meted out against the residents of the ICE detention centers. And this is what really breaks my heart and should break all of our hearts. There is a shortage of food, and some of the food that's there is so rotten they can't even be eaten. And then there are maggots. in the food. This is inhumane. Do you want that on your conscience? I ask you that. Do you want that on your conscience? And as someone has already forestated, we go to our churches every Sunday. And what are we hearing in our churches? Are we hearing the second commandment, love thy neighbor as thyself? Are we hearing do your thing? As old songs say, it's your thing. Do what you want to do. But we should be listening and trying to help people today. It's also stated that the bathrooms are flooded with water. And the water in the bathrooms is filled with urine and feces. Nobody wants to live like that. You would never live like that. So why do you want to push this on our fellow man? So I say to you tonight, guy 22, if Concord needs some money, this is what I want you to do. Stand with me to oppose this war. Two, stand with me to oppose that ballroom. Three, stand with me that we would stop our president from spending over $800,000 to go on his golf islands. Stand with me. Let's do something for the people. Help the people. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Rebecca Hannah Patton.

good evening mr mayor and members of the city council my name is rebecca patton and i'm a lifelong resident of concord for two months we've come before you warning that concord is a target for a private ice detention center each time we've heard two main responses that the threat isn't real and that the that passing a resolution will draw unwanted attention making ice more likely to come respectfully we need to look at how federal detention selection actually works. We are not the ones drawing attention to Concord. The Department of Homeland Security and national media reports already did this. Our city was explicitly cited as a potential location. Real estate brokers, private prison contractors, and federal analysts already have Concord on their maps. Pretending they cannot see us will not make us invisible. Hiding our heads in the sand is not a strategy. In fact, our silence is doing the exact opposite of what you intend. It makes us a target. Federal contractors actively look for the past of least resistance. When a local government remains completely silent after being publicly named, it signals to those contractors that Concord will offer zero resistance. By refusing to pass a resolution, you are accidentally sending a message that Concord is a soft target. A resolution isn't a magnet. It's a no trespassing sign. History shows that federal agencies and private prison groups back down when local governments make A fuss. When municipalities across the country stand up and pass loud, clear resolutions, the feds take their business elsewhere because they do not want to deal with the public relations headache or the local bureaucratic roadblocks. Passing a resolution costs this city absolutely nothing. It carries zero political risk, but it acts as a risk-free insurance policy for our community. Doing nothing carries a great deal more risk. If you are worried about the political language of an anti-ICE resolution, then let's change the language. We will gladly work with you to pass an economic resolution, but to stay quiet is to surrender. This council regularly passes resolutions and proclamations for symbolic causes to signal Concord's values. Why is the symbolic statement supporting our local economy and our Hispanic neighbors, one you refuse to sign. We love this city and we urge you to take a stand, pass a resolution, protect our infrastructure, and defend the reputation of Concord. Thank you.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Carrie O'Brien.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS. COUNCIL MEMBERS. MY NAME IS CARRIE O'BRIEN AND MY NAME IS CARRIE O'BRIEN AND I'M A PARTNER AT ARKIN I'M A PARTNER AT ARKIN CAPITOL. CAPITOL. WE OWN AND OPERATE AN APARTMENT And we have owned the adjacent 11 acres for the last decade that we've owned and operated Longview and are seeking tonight to be heard regarding our sewer allocation request to develop this as a multifamily apartment community. As an owner and operator and neighbor and partner in the city of Concord for over a decade, we have seen a disparity in the housing that's available. And we bought a community that was not well loved and well taken care of more than a decade ago. And we have invested tremendously in it to provide quality, affordable housing for the neighborhood. And we have thoughtfully and strategically watched the community develop and gleaned real time operating data about our neighbors and our residents and our community here in the city of Concord to understand what product would be most appropriate to construct on the 11 acres. And so in your packet, you'll see a site plan that shows an apartment community development that's proposed not at max density, embracing quite a bit of amenities, outdoor space, green space, and quality options for the neighborhood. Because we believe something that's underserved off Weinkauf is quality, affordable housing. So we intend to offer Longview as the product that we've offered the last decade, and I think we've really enhanced the neighborhood by owning and operating and investing in. And there's a bridge that I think struggles to be crossed in that immediate neighborhood, and I saw it with one of my very own employees when she, mother of two, gets divorced, wants to stay in the neighborhood, but she can't afford it. She moves into an apartment at Longview, And when she finds someone new to expand her family and they get married, they can't afford home ownership at that point in time, but they need larger housing. And Longview has one and two bedroom apartments, but nothing larger than that. And so we think the opportunity is to offer ones and two and three bedroom apartments with high levels of finish and quality amenities. We're not seeking rezoning because it's already zoned RC. We don't need to be annexed into the city because we're already a part of this great city. And we don't have a risk of not lining up our debt or our equity because both are fully secured. So we appreciate you reviewing what's in your packet, and we look forward to hopefully receiving sewer allocation so we can continue to be a great partner and neighbor and operator in investing in Concord. We've owned Longview, like I said, for the last 10 years, and we seek to own Longview and the new development, Harmony, at 1405 Weinkauf for the next 10 or 20 years. We appreciate being your neighbor, being your partner. We look forward to continuing our investment in the community. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Andrew Allison.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council. My name is Andrew Allison. I'm the civil engineer representing the developer CRIP Acquisitions, or Canyon Ridge Industrial Partners, on a project that's requested sewer allocation off of Moorhead Road near the Speedway and the Mecklenburg County border. To touch a little bit about Canyon Ridge Industrial Partners, they're a group made up of Denton Shamburger, Turner Fortin, and TPA Group. with a combined number of years of 30 for that group and their development experience. They've currently developed around five million square feet of commercial and industrial properties with the likes of Chick-fil-A, Tractor Supply, Pitney, Bose, and Stored. TODAY, THEY'VE TOTALED ABOUT $5 BILLION IN COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS AND DEVELOPMENT AND STRIVE TO PROVIDE CLASS A INSTITUTIONAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTS. SINCE JANUARY, THE DEVELOPER AND I HAVE WORKED COLLABORATELY WITH CITY STAFF TO ADVANCE A PROJECT THAT COMPLIES WITH THE CITY'S ZONING REGULATIONS WHILE PROVIDING MEANINGFUL BENEFITS TO THE CITY OF CONCORD. WE'VE COMPLETED THE DRC REVIEW PROCESS AND CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS WITH STAFF REGARDING UTILITY SERVICES FOR THE SITE, WHICH BRING ME TO THE PURPOSE OF THIS EVENING. We would like to acknowledge that our current preliminary wastewater flow allocation application does not comply with the city's allocation policy, primarily due to the absence of a tenant and the building sizes we have proposed. However, in the months since our initial submission, discussions have progressed with city staff that would allow us to utilize Charlotte Water to serve this development, given the proximity to their existing infrastructure. Charlotte Water has identified a viable path to provide services to the site contingent upon both water and sewer being provided by their system. Additionally, Concord staff has recently indicated support for Charlotte Water providing sewer services. It is our understanding that council and staff will have further discussions on the potential for Charlotte Water to provide water services as part of the next June 23rd hearing. With that, we respectfully request that council strongly consider allowing this project to obtain water service from the city of Charlotte. Approval of this approach would allow Concord to preserve its sewer allocation capacity for other projects, perhaps for a number of these residential developments coming on board, and reduce the demand on the city's utility infrastructure while still benefiting from job creating development in this area. There's estimates of around 100 plus construction jobs and another 125 to 200 permanent jobs associated with this development. Our estimations show about 250,000 to 350,000 annual tax benefits from this project. The developer is excited about the opportunity to contribute positively to the City of Concord and looks forward to the outcome of the June 23rd meeting. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Bob Anderson.

Mr. Mayor and council members, my name is Bob Anderson. And before I start, first let me say a sincere thank you to all of you for the good work that you continue to do for our community. I'm speaking tonight to ask you to consider the real possibility, and I know it hasn't happened yet, that Concord will be asked to house an ICE detention center sometime in the future. I know that the City Council has received numerous requests from concerned citizens asking that a resolution be passed that would send a clear message that the citizens of Concord are adamantly opposed to this taking place in our community. I want to add my voice to this petition. You have already heard many good reasons for moving forward with this request, and I am not going to repeat them. I want you to consider a different perspective. I want to remind you of this evening the importance of speaking out against evil, whenever and wherever it is presented. Let me be clear, I'm not against putting dangerous criminals in jail, whether they be white, black, Hispanic, or anyone else. But that's not what is being done in these detention centers. We need to speak up before it's too late. Men and women before me have spoken much more eloquently about this than I. And I want you to hear a few of their words. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor. He said, we must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Martin Luther King Jr. says, in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Ella Willer Wilcox, a writer, poet, and social commentator said, sin, to sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men. From the Holy Bible, in the book of Revelation, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other. So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor executed for resisting the Nazis. Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act. God will not hold us guiltless. Council members, tonight I am asking you to act. Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Daniel Harris.

GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, COUNCIL, STAFF RESIDENTS. COUNCIL, STAFF RESIDENTS. MY NAME IS DAN HARRIS. MY NAME IS DAN HARRIS. I'M A DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT I'M A DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AT 814 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE. 814 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE. FIRST OFF, I WANT TO FIRST OFF, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE NUMBER OF ACKNOWLEDGE THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS HERE TONIGHT. RESIDENTS HERE TONIGHT. I ATTEND MANY CITY COUNCIL I ATTEND MANY CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY MEETINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND YOU HAVE EXCELLENT AND YOU HAVE EXCELLENT PARTICIPATION HERE THAT YOU PARTICIPATION HERE THAT YOU Spanish for Fun is an infill development of the Villas at Rocky River mixed-use development. The site is located at the northeast corner of Holden Ave and Rocky River Road. It was originally granted 2,800 gallons per day for 112 students and employees as part of the Villas at Rocky River sewer allocation. We are proposing to increase licensing capacity to 230 students and employees, which would require an additional 2,950 gallons per day of sewer allocation. A little bit about 814. We partner with small to mid-sized businesses such as Spanish for Fun to help them grow their physical presence. We focus on the education, health, and wellness sectors as they are a core part of every community and help to fill residents' critical needs. We have partnered with Daylight Engineering, a local civil engineering consultant here in Concord, who I'm sure you're familiar with. Spanish for Fun is a North Carolina-based Spanish immersion childcare and preschool. They were founded in 2000 and operate seven locations in the Raleigh and Charlotte metro areas. They provide childcare AND EARLY EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF SIX WEEKS AND FIVE YEARS OLD. UNIQUELY, THEY PROVIDE A HOLISTIC ORIGINAL CURRICULUM DESIGNED TO TEACH CHILDREN SPANISH IN A NATURAL AND ACTIVE ENVIRONMENT. BEGINNING AT A YOUNG AGE, CHILDREN ARE ESPECIALLY ADEPT AT LEARNING NEW LANGUAGES. STUDIES SHOW THAT LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE EARLY ON HELPS WITH LEARNING ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES AND GENERAL CRITICAL THINKING IN THE FUTURE. The project location has been diligently selected in a growing area of the city of Concord in Cabarrus County. There's a need for childcare in this area. There are wait lists for children up to a year old, up to a year long before someone can actually send their children to a childcare. This puts parents in quite the predicament oftentimes. With a proposed capacity of 209 children, Spansion Fund wants to help alleviate this need and provide this unique learning style for children at the ages of between six weeks old and five years old. Personally, as a father of a nine-month-old baby boy, I wish that I had a Spanish immersion school where I live. I see the benefits. I wish that I knew Spanish like they could. So really want to advocate this new daycare center here in Concord. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Jeremy Smith.

Mayor, members of council, thank you for allowing me time tonight. My name is Jeremy Smith. I'm the director of land acquisition for MI Homes here in the MSA. To date, we have done at least five projects here in the city of Concord that we've been fortunate enough to partner with you all on. Here to talk about hopefully a sixth, which we are calling Poplar Mills. Poplar Mills is located off of Cox Mill Road. right across the street from Coxmoe High School and north of Coxmoe Elementary. Previously, I wanna say about four or five years ago, the project was approved for up to 160 residential units and commercial. Since then, within the last year and a half, we have partnered with the owner and 2B commercial developer to reduce that number down to a total of 138 residential units, as well as work with them on the commercial. The commercial is to be comprised of two buildings, one of which has been cemented for a daycare. The other building, the commercial developer is actually looking forward to partnering with the city on the best use for that building, that corridor, as well as the best accent to the project as a whole. The project, again, as a whole will feature sidewalks, bike paths, trails, and we're working on connectivity to Jim Ramseur Park. It is consistent with the 2030 land use plan, as well as the PED zoning district that it currently falls under. It is currently on the agenda for the June 23rd vote. Between now and then, myself and my team would welcome the opportunity to answer any questions or provide additional detail on the project prior to the allocation vote.

Thank you. Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Keisha Sandage.

How y'all doing? I love y'all too. Great work. One of the things that I learned, I wasn't elected for a long time, but one of the things I learned in that seat is if you are not breaking a law, you're not breaking a policy ordinance or anything to that nature, give the people what they want, because it makes your job easier, and it also probably gets you reelected at the same time. Give the people what they want. All right, so thank you for continuing to review Personnel Policy 510, and for the time you've spent examining how other municipalities address this issue, Throughout this process, my request has remained simple. Apply the policy equitably and consistently across all employees. When I think about city employees, I think about the sanitation worker who picks up our trash, the customer service representative who helps residents every day, the maintenance worker who keeps our facilities operating, or the administrative employee who serves our community behind the scenes. And those are the people who I think about when I think Do we want them to really and truly be able to access their community and participate in civic activities? I struggle to understand why those employees should automatically lose the opportunity to serve their communities in elected office outside of Concord when no direct conflict exists. The question before the council was not whether conflicts of interest should be prevented. We all agree they should. The question is whether those conflicts should be evaluated based on actual circumstances rather than board restrictions or office-specific exceptions. Most of the policies reviewed by council appear to focus on employee conduct, use of public resources, and direct conflicts of interest. Those are legitimate concerns and should remain protected. I encourage council to adopt a standard that is neutral, equitable, and consistently applied across all employees. One thing I want to leave you with, a fair policy should not depend on who you are, what department you work in, or whether a specific or particular exception has been created. A fair policy should apply equally to everyone. And for those of you that are on the fence about this, let me leave you with this. If I come to the city of Concord and I work here as someone who dumps the trash, what conflict of interest is it for me to serve in a partisan or a nonpartisan seat? What conflict of interest is there? If I work behind a desk and I answer the phone for customer service, which I appreciate our customer service folks, if we have anybody in here, I call y'all pretty regularly. Y'all all nice to me, so thank you. What conflict of interest do I have sitting on a partisan or nonpartisan body? Where's the conflict of interest? And when you think about this policy and your opposition to changing the policy to make it more broadly, think about those things. Would you want your kids to be able to serve in office if they worked for the city? I think you would. Thank y'all.

Thank you. Okay. Our next speaker is Katara Green.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, CITY, MANAGER, AND COUNCIL. MY NAME IS KATARA, AND I'M HERE TONIGHT NOT ONLY AS A RESIDENT OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT AS A MOTHER WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT AN EXPERIENCE MY SON HAD WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. ON THE WEEKEND OF MAY 30TH, SATURDAY AROUND 2 30, MY SON, NEPHEW, AND TWO OF THEIR FRIENDS WERE DRIVING HOME AFTER A LATE-NIGHT MOVIE. They were leaving Concord Mills. These are all new graduates headed to college and new drivers. They were stopped by an officer who told them the reason for the stop was the vehicle's window tint was too dark. During the stop, the officer stated that he smelled marijuana and began questioning the boys about drugs. They repeatedly explained that they do not smoke and that there were no drugs in the vehicle. My son was specifically asked why he smelled like marijuana. He again told the officer that he does not smoke. The boys were nervous, unsure of their rights, agreed to a search of the vehicle. The officers searched the car and then searched the boys themselves. Nothing was found, no marijuana, no drugs, no paraphernalia or nothing. As a parent, I understand that the police officers have a difficult job and they must investigate situations that they believe may involve criminal activities. I appreciate the work officers do to keep our community safe. What troubled me is the impact this encounter had on the four young men who had done nothing wrong. They cooperated, they answered questions, they complied with every request. Yet they were left the interaction feeling frightened, embarrassed, and treated as though they were guilty of something despite there being no evidence to support it. When my son came home and told me what happened, my heart broke a little. Every parent wants their child to feel safe in their community. Every parent wants their child to believe that if they are respectful and cooperative, that they will be treated fairly in return. Tonight, I am asking for reflection and conversation. How do we ensure that our young people feel protected rather than targeted? How do we build trust between law enforcement and the next generation of residents? How do we balance public safety with dignity and respect that every member of our community deserves? These are not questions of politics. These are questions of trust. I believe we all want the same thing, a safe community where resident law enforcement work together with mutual respect. Sharing this experience is my way of contributing to the conversation and asking that the concerns of families like mine be heard. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Jamin Bryant Heron.

LOVE AND PEACE, MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND THE GREATER CONCORD COMMUNITY. MY NAME IS JAMON BRIAN HERRIN, CONCORD NATIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER AND ACTIVIST. TONIGHT WE CELEBRATE JUNETEENTH BECAUSE OF THE FIGHT AND SACRIFICES OF OUR ANCESTORS. FORMERLY ENSLAVED PEOPLE DIED TO GIVE US FREEDOM AND THE RIGHT TO LIVE JUSTLY AND FREELY. IN THAT SPIRIT, I SPEAK TO YOU TONIGHT. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS CITY COUNCIL HAS CHOSEN NOT TO PASS A RESOLUTION supporting and protecting our migrant communities, and has yet to even bring a proposal forward to public discussion. Words are simple, yet your silence speaks volumes. Over the past few months, we have raised concerns about ICE, and after what we've just heard tonight, this all only adds to years of overall fear in black and brown communities of being targeted, harassed, and criminalized. Two issues that may seem separate but are deeply historically connected to racial disparities still experienced today. Both Hispanic and black communities undergo the fear of being swept by an unknown man in a badge and a uniform and thrown into a cage. This is years of systemic trauma. Both of these issues beg the same question. What does real community safety look and feel like? With these growing concerns, we need City of Concord to prioritize a broader vision of community safety. Community safety is more than policing or getting people off the street. It's whether every person feels safe enough to live, work, worship, learn, and seek help without fear. It's whether families have access to affordable housing, healthy food, transportation, economic opportunity without being forced into situations that harm themselves or others. Our communities cannot truly be safe when migrant families are afraid to participate in everyday life, attend school, events, or even call anyone for help because they fear detention or deportation. Our community cannot be safe while black communities suffer unaddressed injustice as we continue being disproportionately stopped, searched, and questioned. We cannot feel safe WHILE TRUST BETWEEN FEDERAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, POLICE AND THE PEOPLE YOU ALL SERVE CONTINUE TO DECREASE. IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT PUBLIC TRUST, BUILDING SAFER COMMUNITIES, WE MUST HONESTLY ADDRESS THE HISTORIC HARMS THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONDITIONS WE SEE TODAY. PUBLIC SAFETY SHOULD BE MEASURED NOT ONLY BY CRIME STATISTICS BUT ALSO BY TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ALL IN THE CITY. BECAUSE OF OUR Because of our request and many of these issues being ignored, in addition to resolution, we would like to ask and propose that the city work with community organizations to prioritize and update transparency regarding ICE federal related activities or partnerships that impact our community, create community oversight and advisory boards to review police practices, programs, complaints, and traffic stop data, and deepen investment and decriminalization through crime violence intervention programs, youth development, housing stability, mental health services, and crisis response programs. I am trusting that you will be dedicated to these issues brought to you tonight because we all want to ensure our communities become stronger, healthier, and safer for everyone. Thank you and God bless.

Our next speaker is Alexa Holly.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Alexa Holly. I'm a resident here. And I have a local business at the recently opened District Exchange. and we would like to express our admiration for the city that we live in and the community that we choose to be in. It makes our town so incredibly special in its unique character and the character shaped entirely by our independent businesses. From our main street shops to our hidden second floor gems and local creators who call this place home, small businesses are the heartbeat for our economy. But as a business owner, I am now firsthand, I know firsthand that reaching our neighbors isn't always easy. Right now, everyday algorithms push people towards massive online retailers and big box corporations. Neighbors want to shop small and support local, but they don't always know who is there or where to find them. To bridge the gap, I am advocating for a creation of dedicated local business directory That wouldn't just be a static list, it will be curated, Accessible Community Roadmap, designed to bring massive awareness to our local shops, services, and independent makers. This initiative is a win-win for everyone, for residents and newcomers. It's an easy way to discover and support their backyard economy. From the town, it strengths our local tax base, drives foot traffic to our historic business districts and fosters a deep sense of community pride. To make this truly impactful, we need to be a collaborative effort. I'm asking the council tonight for the opportunity to, excuse me, opportunity to connect with our local economic development team and those businesses on Main Street and Union. I want to look at how we can align this directory with the town's existing community outreach and support systems. I appreciate you for your time and listening to your local businesses. Thank you.

Thank you. Okay, our next speaker is Larry Shaheen.

Not quite. Not quite? Darn. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Manager, Madam Attorney, and members of council, it's a pleasure to be before you again today. Larry Shaheen from the McIntosh Law Firm representing Stanley Martin on the Royce Croft subdivision. As you all who've been here before, Mr. Mayor, you were not, and Madam Council Member Santana, you were not. This council did approve phase one sewer capacity for that project two years ago. We could not have been more grateful for that in the partnership that you have shown Stanley Martin and the community of Concord has done to embrace that organization and this partnership. With a project of over 264 acres and well over 350 home sites, we believe that that is going to be a model community for the city of Concord. And again, we're here before you tonight, as we discussed previously, to discuss phase two. Phase two is a request for 100 homes. As you all are aware, that project did bring both fire station and we'll be doing a library, as well as doing significant transportation improvements that are gonna be taking place throughout the rest of that area inside that development. strong amenities, very big diversity of housing, and nonprofit involvement. Y'all have heard a lot tonight about this community, how important community is. Y'all are aware of our firm's commitment to community, and I'm proud to be here before you tonight with Bob Bennett and Stanley Martin to continue to a partnership that we've been able to achieve over these last few years and would ask for when you do your sewer rankings this week, next week, that you please support that development and allow the partnership that we've built to continue. Thank you all very much. I appreciate you.

Okay, our next speaker is Claire Connolly.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor and council. Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to, um, introduce myself. I am the owner of base burgers along with my husband, and we are looking forward to being here in downtown Concord. We're going to be over at the district exchange on 22 union street north. And we're very excited to have our smash burgers here and be a part of the community. And, um, I'm here just to address a situation that we have with, uh, the accordance is with signages. So what the district exchange has is multiple businesses in the building. So with the accordance is as of now, you're only allowed two signs. So I know this has been addressed and I really appreciate all of you understanding that this is something that needs to be updated. And for businesses, it's very vital for us to have a sign so that everyone knows where we are. We are also getting ready to have our opening with these burgers and the district exchange. And we're hoping to have that sometime by the end of July. And we would love to have everyone. And also that's why it's so important for us to have signage. We're gonna have a lot of press and influencers. And I just want to thank you for voting on that, and thank you for your time tonight, and we're very excited.

Great, thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, that completes the list of names of folks that we had signed up to speak. Thank you all, and so we move now to public hearings. Our first item is to conduct a public hearing and consider adopting a resolution in the matter of closing the right-of-way comprising .242 acres, generally located between Travis Lane Northwest and Chadbury Drive Northwest. This proposal includes the abandonment of the unopened and unimproved right-of-way, generally located between Travis Lane and Chadbury Drive. Luke and Megan Roffers file the application and on a portion of the land adjacent to the closure, property owners will receive a portion of the right of way being abandoned. Fred had spoken with us about this on Tuesday night. Does anybody have any questions before we open the public hearing? If not, we will open the public hearing. and invite anyone to the podium that wants to speak on this matter. We do not have anyone that has signed up. So seeing no one, we'll close the public hearing. Okay, and council, what would be your pleasure on this item? Do we need to take action on this tonight?

Yes. Make a motion to adopt the resolution.

I'll second that.

Okay, we have a motion and a second to adopt a resolution closing as stated before. Any discussion? Okay, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. Next item is conduct a public hearing and consider adopting an ordinance annexing plus or minus 14.10 acres at 3030 Zion Church Road and 534 Good Hope Road owned by Washburn 3100 Incorporated. Once again, Fred had spoken with us about this on Tuesday. Anybody have any questions before we open the public hearing? Okay, hearing no questions, we will open the public hearing. And we do have one person that has signed up to speak, Kate Underwood.

Kate Underwood, Daylight Engineering. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Payne, City Council, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this. I understand that annexation at this point and where we are as a city is a big ask. I know that there are a lot of people in the city looking for sewer allocation, and so we're asking to bring a piece of property that's in the county, into the city. And I understand that I'm asking for a lot here. This is a piece of property that is in the county that is surrounded by city properties. It is an awkward shape and is not developable in its current configuration in the county. And so we have a choice. We can either annex it and bring it into the city and make it a developable piece of property that we can make something with it together. or it can stay in the county and it can just stay vacant, unfortunately. It does have a single family house on it in the county. That is not its highest and best use. What we are proposing is to work with the configuration of the property and use the portion of it that is in between two pieces of currently zoned city industrial property, make that industrial and make an industrial development out of it that can then GENERATE TAXES, YOU KNOW, EMPLOY RESIDENTS. THERE'S ALSO A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY THAT IS VERY AWKWARDLY SHAPED UP NEXT TO THE AMHERST SUBDIVISION THAT HAS VERY LITTLE USE FOR MUCH BECAUSE OF THIS ODD SQUISH NATURE OF IT BETWEEN THE STREAM BUFFER AND THE EXISTING SUBDIVISION. WE'RE PROPOSING TO MAKE SOME TEXT AMENDMENTS AND MAKE THAT INTO A TINY HOME COMMUNITY. TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE HAVE NOT SUCCESSFULLY BROUGHT TINY HOMES TO THE CITY YET. PERHAPS THERE'S SOME IN THE I know a lot of people have been interested in it, but this is a property that we are looking at as it's not big enough and flat enough to develop regular homes, but maybe we can put tiny homes there. Maybe we can use this new ordinance in order to develop it that way. So I know that this is a hard ask, but we truly have thought through it. Staff recommended that we do a conditional ordinance. RE-ZONING TO IT. I KNOW WE'RE ANNEXATION NOW I KNOW WE'RE ANNEXATION NOW BUT OF COURSE AFTER ANNEXATION BUT OF COURSE AFTER ANNEXATION THEN COMES THE RE-ZONING PIECE THEN COMES THE RE-ZONING PIECE TO THIS. TO THIS. THE REASON WHY WE DID NOT FOLLOW THE REASON WHY WE DID NOT FOLLOW STAFF'S ADVICE ON THAT PIECE WAS STAFF'S ADVICE ON THAT PIECE WAS BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING SPEC INDUSTRIAL THERE. SPEC INDUSTRIAL THERE. AND WITH A SPEC INDUSTRIAL IF WE the entitlements to the property that you gain through the rezoning, you then lose because then you're tying it to that site plan. And so because we are looking at spec industrial development on the backside of this, that's why we do not proposing a conditional rezoning. So that's why you don't see that with the annexation. We'd be looking at annexation, then straight rezoning. That is everything that I have. We're happy to answer any questions if that's permissible in this format. I think Mr. Frank is good. He is here. Awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, we do not have anybody else that has signed up to speak on this matter, so we'll close the public hearing. Council, let's see. If you'd like to speak, you can come forward. We'll reopen the hearing.

I apologize. I didn't know the process. First time here, I received this mail. This letter on the mail. I'm a resident of the Autumn Park community, and I have three small children, so we moved there two years ago. So when I learned from this about an industrial subdivision, I am concerned my property adjacent to this rezoning, what type of business I was gonna operate and be there. So yeah, I wanted to learn more about it. And if it was more for a residential purpose, then yeah, I wouldn't have concerns. But if it's industrial, Yeah, I probably wouldn't think about leaving there when I chose to move there. So yeah, that's what I wanted to say. Thank you for your consideration.

Okay, is there anybody else that wishes to speak on this matter before we close the public hearing? All right, we'll close it again. And counsel, what would be your pleasure on this item?

No, I'll go ahead. I have questions for our attorney first. So just to make sure for today, we are going is to focus on the annexation and not anything dealing with zoning. So can you?

Yes, that's correct. The first step is annexation. You don't have any power to zone something that doesn't belong, that isn't already in the city limits.

So I will, I'll say two things, Kate, thank you, because I know you do a lot of good work in this city, and I really appreciate you understanding. It is hard, and this is, I'm not speaking on behalf of this council, but I'm speaking on behalf of Jennifer that with a limited resource like we have, and I know we've talked about that, right, like this is difficult, and I did not catch your name in the back, sir, and I apologize for that, but I agree with you. Fred, when you presented on I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. is right up next to industrial and Lloyd and I get to talk to them a whole lot. So I do think there are challenges to that and so I'm expressing my opinion and would certainly not like to make a motion until the rest of the council has the ability to speak, but I'm also happy to make a motion too, so.

Okay, other comments?

I'm with Jennifer. I'm just going to say I don't want to make a motion today, and it feels like we have to.

I'll make the motion, but I just, I didn't want to make the motion.

And I guess let me ask this question, because I feel like maybe this was missed, and I don't see Fred, unless I'm all the way in the back. Okay, so how many, there is one home there.

We can reopen the hearing. Yeah, so would you like Fred to come to the podium and answer your question? Yes, please. Okay, we will reopen the public hearing and ask Fred Womble to come to the podium.

And you did a beautiful job on Tuesday, but maybe this is just something that I missed. So I do have a question when it comes to the homes that are there. So there's one home only on the parcel.

That's correct.

Okay. And then the rest is just open.

That's correct.

Okay. So the location that the, and I did not catch his name well, that the man spoke about back there, which area is that at?

I'm not really sure, but if he was notified, he was a part of the adjacent property owner's notification list that was sent out that we usually come up with in order to be compliant with the North Carolina General Statutes regarding notifications. So we could ask him. I'm not sure. I see it already.

I'm sorry. Yep.

Right, so the area in red is the, I guess the general area that was contacted in terms of homeowners associations, in terms of the larger community groups, as well as the adjacent property owners.

One thing, if I may, we're talking about, looking at the map, the far upper right left-hand portion of that red is where the tiny homes would be placed, am I correct? Is that what was told to us? That's correct. The bottom part, I guess you'd call it the second red line, is really going to be the I-1, is that correct?

That's correct. There's another map, I think we can get to it, that we actually delineated.

Yeah, where the white line is, is I-1.

Right, as you see the orange line, the hash line there, to the left of it is the proposed NRD section, and to the right of that is the proposed I-1. Thank you.

You're welcome. Does that give you what you need? Okay, very good. Yes, ma'am, come ahead. Public hearing's still open.

Thank you, I appreciate that. Just to clarify, the existing county zoning is an IO zoning district, so we are zoning in kind, industrial to industrial.

Okay, are there, is there anyone else that wishes to speak before I close the public hearing again? All right, the public hearing is closed, and so you see steps in front of you, council. Next is our decision.

I'll go ahead and make the motion. We obviously are considering the request, so we're down to point two here. I'll make the motion to deny the annexation of this particular property into the city of Concord.

I'll second that motion, please, sir.

We understand this still has to go before the P&Z. Is that correct? If you're denying the annexation, there will be no reason for them to go to P&Z. I'm sorry, I see that now. Never mind.

Thank you. Okay, so we have a motion and a second on the floor. Is there additional discussion? Okay, hearing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, please say no. Okay, that motion to deny annexation passes. All right, next up, item three is to conduct a public hearing pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes section 159-12 to receive public comments relative to the proposed fiscal year 2026-2027. 2027 budget for the City of Concord following public comments, then we would consider adopting the proposed 2627 budget. City Manager, do you have any comments you wanted to make before we open that hearing?

I do have comments, Mr. Mayor, but I don't know if you want to open the public hearing and allow me to make those or before.

We'll go ahead and open the public hearing and allow you to make those comments.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of City Council. Tonight, I am honored to present to you the fiscal year 2026-2027 annual budget for your consideration and adoption. This proposal is a direct reflection of the goals and priorities that we established together during our annual planning session earlier this year. At the forefront of every decision made in this budget are two guiding principles, fiscal stewardship and strategic plan alignment. Before we dive into the details, I want to take a quick second to thank our assistant city managers, finance director, our budget and strategy manager, senior budget analysts, department directors, and staff. Their tireless work has resulted in a balanced budget that ensures every tax dollar is used effectively and efficiently for our community. The financial health of our city remains strong. Thanks to our continued growth, our assessed property values have increased by 2.6%. now totaling over $25.2 billion. For fiscal year 2027, the citywide budget totals $402.4 million across all funds. This represents a 5.2% increase over last year or the current year that we're in now. More importantly, I am proud to announce that the recommended general fund budget of $169.3 million contains or maintains our current tax rate of $0.42 per $100 evaluation. No changes to the tax rate are proposed. While the tax rate remains steady, we are recommending strategic rate adjustments for electric, water, and wastewater customers as previously discussed with Council. These adjustments are driven by careful rate analysis to ensure the long-term sustainability of our utility infrastructure, allowing us to keep up with the operational needs of our growing community. We developed this budget with a conscious effort to meet community needs while navigating challenging national economic conditions. The good news is that businesses want to be in Concord. Last year we were named the fourth best city in the state for small business. However, growth places pressure on our existing resources. We are operating in an environment of higher interest rates, increased cost, and uncertain fuel prices. Despite these hurdles, our commitment is unwavering. We will provide the excellent service our residents deserve. To achieve this, I instructed our departments this year to prioritize essential operations, find efficiencies, and recommend wise capital investment that strengthens our infrastructure. Since 2021, City Council has wisely set aside portions of property tax revenue for three crucial areas, transportation, parks and recreation, and affordable housing. This year, I'm recommending that we continue that commitment. I'm recommending we dedicate $4.4 million to the Transportation Improvement Fund. Combined with local vehicle license fees, this will fund essential street maintenance, $3.7 million in street resurfacing, and major projects like the White Street Bridge and Cabarrus Avenue roundabout rehabilitation. Additionally, I'm recommending we set aside $1.8 million to continue our progress toward 30 miles of Greenway by 2030, with work continuing on the McEachern Greenway. Also, I recommend appropriating the $1.8 million to partner with organizations like We Build Concord to expand affordable housing options within our community. Our funding decisions are directly tied to the six goals outlined in council's strategic plan. To deliver effective and efficient city government, we are streamlining operations. One example of this is the creation of our new community housing department. which brings all of our housing and community development programs together under one umbrella to better support our residents. To create economic opportunities, we are leveraging programs to fund the Wilkeson Repositioning Project, which will ultimately replace aging public housing units with modern, safe, and sanitary alternatives. To promote a safe and connected city, we are making vital investments in public safety. In a few months, Fire Station Six and the Police David District will open at the airport. We're also funding the design of new fire station number 13, replacing critical fire and police vehicles and beginning construction on a brand new 911 and emergency operations facility. To invest in innovative and sustainable infrastructure, we are addressing everything from major stormwater or culvert replacements to critical upgrades at the Cottle Creek Water Treatment Plant. Concord Electric System, which recently earned a National Safety Award, will also replace aging infrastructure and build two new substations. To develop unique places and destinations, we will begin phase two of our $60 million parks and recreation general obligation bond projects. This will fund major improvements at Hartsville Park, Wilson Street Park, and the Academy Recreation Center and others. Finally, to leverage communications and partnerships, we are adding a reservations and engagement coordinator to our parks department. We're also continuing to proudly support our local nonprofit partners through community development block grants and general fund grants, recognizing the vital safety net they provide for our residents. None of these goals can be achieved without our dedicated city staff on Team Concord. This budget invests in the people who deliver our essential services each day. In February, council approved the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina, a citizen incivility policy to protect our employees and foster a safer work environment. To remain competitive and retain our talented workforce, I'm recommending a 3% cost of living adjustment effective in July this year alongside merit-based increases ranging from one to 3%. We're also continuing our 1.5% career development increase while also promoting our robust health and wellness programs. As our city grows, so must our capacity to serve it. This budget includes funding for 33 new full-time positions, six part-time positions, and position reclassifications across various departments to ensure we maintain our high standards of service. 18 of those 33 new full-time positions will staff the addition of ladder 12 to enhance our fire protection services in our community. In closing, The proposed FY2026-2027 budget balances strict fiscal responsibility with investments needed to maintain Concord's exceptional quality of life. We have the resources to manage our growth in a sustainable way. And most importantly, we have equipped Team Concord with the tools that they need to make this vision a reality each and every single day. This evening I ask for your consideration and adoption of the proposed FY2026-2027 budget. I'd be happy to answer any questions, Mr. Mayor, that you or council may have.

Thank you, sir. Council, any questions for the manager? Yes, sir.

I just want to say that we are, as a council and a city, blessed. Lloyd, the assistant city managers, the department heads, that have listened to our strategic plan. They have worked hard to bring us a budget that does what we ask them to do. This is an exceptionally good budget, and we are very blessed to be able to receive it, and I hope we support it.

Great, thank you.

I don't have any questions, just comments. Again, thank you, Lord, to you and your staff for putting together you know, a solid budget and a lot of work goes into it. And it's one that will sustain us, you know, keep our quality of life going better, probably attract more people to Concord. But thank you, thank you so much.

Yes, ma'am.

So just as a, I guess as the newer member of the council, you usually enter into mess in places when you start new roles or new things. But just being part of the process, and I will say a small part of the process, by the time that council gets to see a budget, the team has already revised it, I don't know, hundreds of times, if any. So to know that you are committed working every single day because the small day-to-day actions is what adds up to the annual budget. So thank you to the staff. Thank you to everyone that has participated in it. But I would just say I'm very thankful that we have Lloyd. I don't know anyone else that's gonna show up to work probably 5.30 in the morning. But to know that that we have that level of leadership and dedication, that means a lot. But also for the staff, I come from corporate, and in corporate environments, you're being asked to do more with less. Leadership has recognized here that the people are its greatest asset and we've seen that probably at every single meeting we've had because we see people retiring with 20, 30, 35 years. People that don't like a place where they work, they leave. As Gen Zers, they can't last more than a week, but the reality is that people like working here. So to have a budget that's also prioritizing professional development in an era when you're being asked to almost sacrifice everything else, I think that that's very meaningful and people should know how great it is to have that level of leadership, but also just the livelihood and being part of this great organization. So thank you to all.

Any other comments? Yes, sir.

Everything's been said. I couldn't possibly add to it, but I'm gonna try. I agree with everything that's been said. Tough economy, wise use of assets. The assistant city managers and Lloyd, somebody's gotta guide the ship, and y'all do a great job of that. The department heads, you come forward, you take care of it every year. You come forward and go, hey, we're gonna squeeze just a little more out of that towel, and we're gonna push that penny to a nickel. And I appreciate that so much. The team makes a wise choice of assets and how to use them. And we're sitting up here, and we'll have citizens call us and say, good job on the budget. We just sat here and approved the great work you did. And I'll speak for John. It's nothing I've done. It's what y'all have done. So, Lloyd, you've got a good team. And you've built a good team. Very impressive. So keep that up. And everyone else? You get to support your people. Us keeping public safety in the forefront and also taking care of our employees to keep the good, good employees we have and all the great ones. So that's important. Chief, you still want to name that 13? Okay. I just want to check one more time. Just a superstitious part of me. But anyway, thank you, Mayor. Lloyd, great budget. Feel very proud of it. Thank you.

And very quickly, Lloyd Ditto, great budget. To the team, though, I'm always, always impressed with the talent that we have. I came from corporate as well, and multi-million dollar budgets that are mind-bending and mind-blowing most of the time, and it's a hard, hard process, particularly at the departmental level, because you get feedback, you get kickback, you get pushback.

always having to come back to lloyd with here's what i want here's what i get here's how i have to make it work and you guys do a fantastic job so great great job again thank you i'm going to add people are all that matters you guys know that's how i feel so thank you for what you do every day and lloyd thank you for assembling some pretty amazing people to back us up every day

Thank you. Any other comments?

Well, it looks like I'm last, but not least. Of course, what y'all have said, I just reiterate as well. But the part that always resonates with me and pops the fireworks off in my head is that no tax rate increase. So I'm very proud of all the work we do to not have that. So thank you so much for that. And my budget appreciates it.

Okay, I do not have any members of the public that have signed up to speak while we have the public hearing open, but I will give anybody an opportunity if they'd like to come forward at this time. I will just close out the comments by saying kind of the new guy on the block. I certainly appreciate the work that staff has done to go into this budget. And most importantly to me, making me feel comfortable about asking any question without fear of acknowledging my lack of understanding of anything. And the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. So I appreciate the welcoming environment and the ability to truly try to understand what we're shooting for. And so seeing no one else asking to speak, I will close the public hearing. Council, you now have an opportunity.

Mayor, I move that council adopt the FY26-27 budget as presented and move forward.

I'll second that motion, please.

Okay, we have a motion and a second. Does anybody have comments or discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. Congratulations and thank you again. Okay, next up is presentation of positions and requests. We heard from, that would be item E1, consider authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Pennix Incorporated for the renovation of the former fleet building for the use of the communications department. We heard from Rick Blatt, on Tuesday that explain that project to us. Does anyone have any further questions? If not, I would entertain a motion to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Pennix Incorporated in the amount of $439,450 for the renovations to the former fleet building for the use of the communications department.

So moved, Mayor.

I'll second that. OK, we have a motion and a second. Is there a discussion? If not, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

All opposed, please say no. That motion passes. Next item, Rick also spoke with us about this one. Consider authorizing the city manager to negotiate and execute a contract with CGZ Engineering PLLC for on-call engineering and design services in an amount not to exceed $200,000. Any questions on that one? Okay, hearing none, I would entertain a motion to authorize the city manager to negotiate and execute a contract with CGZ Engineering PLLC for on-call engineering services in an amount not to exceed $200,000. Second that. OK, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? OK, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, please say no. That motion passes. And then we move to our group of eminent domain actions. I will note that we need to remove item number six. That has been successfully negotiated, and that condemnation or eminent domain action is no longer necessary. Ryan talked to us about all of these items. That would be items three through 11, excluding number six. Does anybody have any questions on that? If not, I would entertain a motion to adopt a resolution for items three through 11 with the exclusion of number six.

Mayor, I'll make that motion to the items three through 11, eliminating six to authorize the eminent domain action.

Great. I second that. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Is there discussion? Hearing none. Yes, ma'am.

It's not really discussion. I just want to say thanks to Ryan for that map. That was super helpful. and hopefully this process will get the responses that we need to be able to move this project forward. So just, I know the words eminent domain are two that typically people don't like, but payment for this, it's a sidewalk project, all the stuff that you presented very well, and I really appreciate that.

Thank you. Any other discussion? OK, hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

All opposed, please say no. That motion passes. And so we move to item 12. Jackie talked with us about considering a preliminary application from Tony and Wendy McDonald for water. Now, this is an application to receive sewer service outside of the city limits. Does anybody have any additional questions on that one? Okay, then I would entertain a motion to accept the preliminary application and have the owner proceed to the final application phase, excluding annexation.

I'll make that motion, please.

I'll second that as well, Mayor. All right, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All right, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. We move to item 13, which Jackie also talked to us about. Consider accepting a preliminary application from Capricia S. Reed. This is for to receive water and sewer service outside the city limits. Any questions on that one? Okay, hearing none, I would entertain a motion to accept the preliminary application and have the owner proceed to the final application phase, excluding annexation.

I'll make that motion.

All right, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

Can I ask a question?

Yes, ma'am.

I'm sorry. I'm reading this first sentence. So she submitted an application to receive water and sewer outside the city limits. But then it says this parcel is considered served by water only. This applicant understands that sewer is not available. So we are just, I feel like that motion was, I don't know. I'm reading and listening at the same time. Jackie can explain it. I have the same question. Yes.

In your packet, you'll see the applicant asked for both.

And I noticed it was written on there.

Yep, only water is available. And the applicant is aware that sewer is not available. So if you approve the motion, it's only for water service.

So she knows that sewer is not available. Correct. And that, I guess, the septic tank, you know, would be her alternative. So was that just wording? Did I hear that wrong, or am I reading?

No, that's just what she put on her application.

I got you.

So what we put in here is what the applicant is asking for. I got it. In this case, she asked for both, but only one is available. I see, and she understands.

Okay, I apologize. I just wanted to make sure we weren't doing anything wrong, Valerie, and bringing somebody in and giving them both and letting them stay outside the city. Okay. Okay. I apologize for that. We have a motion and a second.

Okay, any further discussion? All right, all in favor please say aye. Aye. All opposed please say no. That motion passes. Next is number 14, consider accepting a preliminary application. from Juan Garcia Ramirez and Oliveras Cervantes Madel Carmen. Once again, this is an application to receive water service outside of the city limits. We talked about this on Tuesday as well. Are there questions on that one? If not, I would entertain a motion to accept the preliminary application. and have the owner proceed to the final application phase excluding annexation. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Is there discussion? Okay, hearing none, all in favor please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. Number 15, consider accepting a preliminary application from David Carter. Same situation, preliminary application to receive water service outside of the city limits. Anybody have questions on that one? Okay, then I would entertain a motion to accept the preliminary application. and have the owner proceed to the final application phase, excluding annexation.

I'll make that motion, please.

OK, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, please say no. That motion passes. And number 16. Consider a preliminary application from Webill Concord. We also talked about that one on Tuesday, most specifically the Huntersville address, but it is, we explained that. Any other questions on that one? All right, then I would entertain a motion to accept the preliminary application and have the owner proceed to the final application phase, excluding annexation. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. And we move to item 17, which is consider making appointments, reappointments to various City of Concord boards and commissions. We went over that entire list. We also discussed taking steps to merge the Board of Adjustment. with the Planning Board. I think everybody was in agreement on that. We had two alternates on the Historic District Commission that were not filled, as well as one vacancy on the Public Art Commission. And we talked, said that we would advertise that. Hopefully this discussion here will help begin that process to identify some interested individuals. Does anybody have any questions? If not, I would entertain a motion to make appointments to various boards and commissions as recommended. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. We move now to our consent agenda. No one has contacted me with any concerns of pulling anything off. We have 58 items on the consent agenda, which the majority of which consist of end-of-the-year budget adjustments and things that we needed to clean up. Is there any discussion on that? If not, I would entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented.

I'll second it for you.

All right, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. That motion passes. And so we move now to advisory boards and partner reports. First up is WeBuild. Welcome.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council, Mr. Payne, Ms. Kulczynski, and Ms. Dinkins. We build Concord, our Lincoln Street development. We have four new contracts this month, which brings us up to 17 units currently at the site. This fiscal year, the average homeowner is 32 years old, which is down from 46 years old last year. Our Corbin Avenue cottages, it appears that the site plan for the cottages is moving forward, and we'll be able to provide an update by the end of the summer. We are very, very excited to be completing construction on our new development, the sanctuary on Kerr Street. We'll have the official ribbon cutting ceremony and tour of the sanctuary, which was the former Kerr Street Baptist Church. That ribbon cutting will be held on Tuesday, July 14th. from 11 a.m. to noon. We're excited to see everyone there. As far as new developments go, we do have plans for several single-family homes this year. Please be on the lookout for an update on WeBuild's strategic plan. We're finalizing a business plan to accelerate housing developments. Thank you all for your support.

Great. Any questions?

No, but Jennifer, can you remind the council of the date, because I don't remember what it is, of the breakfast, please?

Oh, our annual breakfast is going to be Thursday, October 8th.

Okay, thank you. Okay, next up, Public Art Commission.

Good evening everybody. I'm here to give you all an update. And so we've been working diligently on our bus wrap and traffic signal box projects. The first up for the bus wrap project A vinyl wrap vendor has been selected and has a PO. PO amounts allows three buses to be wrapped within our project budget. And winning selections have been made by the art selection panel. And got a picture, here's the winning designs for the three buses. Artists have been notified, contracts, licensing, the use of their art have been generated and signed. And the selected designs have been presented via email to the CK Rider Transit Commission. And right now the artists are currently writing their final digital files and the vendor's ready to move forward as an in-house graphic designer who has an in-house graphic designer and will collaborate with Sarah and the artists to move the final files to print. And as far as the schedule, the first bus is projected to be wrapped starting within the next few weeks. The next project is a signal box project and a vinyl wrap vendor has been selected for this project also and has a PO. The PO amount allows 10 signal boxes to be wrapped within our project budget. And the 10 locations have been selected and here's a quick picture of the 10 and just note there's one or two within each city district. Three of these boxes are located near schools, and we've invited these school art programs to select art for those three boxes. For the other seven locations, a call to artist submission. Excuse me. A call for artist submissions will be released in the next two weeks. So an art selection panel is being assembled for this project. And once the designs have all been selected, NCDOT must also approve the selections. So we've got that extra step for this project. As far as other general things, just to raise general awareness of the commission and its ongoing projects, we're developing some informational publicity materials for distribution. And these materials will also detail how various entities can contribute to specific projects in the future. And also as far as external fundraising, we formed a subcommittee to investigate possible grant opportunities of which the city could apply for in the future. And a few grants have already been identified and timelines for applications are in work. And then finally in July, a new chair and vice chair will be elected for the commission. And new commissioners, if appointed, will come on board to fill the open positions, which we hope will happen. And that's all I have, unless there's any questions.

Yeah. Doyle, just a quick question. Once the traffic box art has been completed, I assume that will be added to the public art map as well and be identified on that map. Is that accurate?

The short answer is yes.

That's good enough.

Yeah, I don't have any questions.

I don't know how we'll put the buses on the map exactly, but we'll figure something out.

It may have to be a live map at that point in time, right? Good job, thank you.

Yeah, but again, thank you for the work that you all are doing, so thanks.

Thank you. Okay, any other questions, comments? Thank you. Okay, we move now to general comments by counsel of a non-business nature. Does anybody have any? Yes, ma'am.

Well, I do. After lots of months of sitting in this chair, my mom and sister are in the audience tonight. And I am so happy to have them here so they see what we do every month. So thank you all for coming and staying the entire time.

Okay, any others?

I will say one more thing. Yes, sir. We should never take for granted how easy our budget process has gone in a culture and in a political environment where this stuff is so problematic and troublesome. As I said to some of the members before this, we are an island of stability in a raging sea. And I am very thankful for that. And staff get most of that credit.

Right, thank you. Other comments? Yes, ma'am.

Yeah, just general comments, because I know today there was the proclamation for Juneteenth. I know that Concord specifically does not have any festivities, but Harrisburg has one on the 18th, Kannapolis on the 19th, and Midland on the 20th. If anyone does want more information, please feel free to ask me, and I'm sure Ms. Stocks also would have information for you. But that's it.

Great, thank you. Any other comments? Yeah, I'll just mention a couple activities that I've been involved in this week. Spent some time yesterday at the Concord Paget Regional Airport and took former Mayor Paget, the namesake of the airport, with me for him to meet the new airport director. which we have seen at our meeting before. But it was an extremely impressive visit. I'm impressed with him, the facility, the plans, and that's certainly something that we can be proud of. Earlier today, I attended the ribbon cutting for custom flavors. which is a new industry that you're all familiar with. We've talked about sewer allocations for them. They have a very impressive operation out there at West Winds Business Park off Derrida Road, which is across the street from the airport. But one of the things, we've talked about staff quite a bit tonight, and I just wanted to mention that The president of the company came up to me and talked about what a positive experience that it had been for them developing here in the city of Concord. And then separately, I had the director of the construction project come up to me and say the exact same thing. And I told both of them, be sure that I'm gonna quote what you said. But it has been a really positive experience for them. Left there and went to the public input session for the CK Rider transportation system. Was happy to see that Andy was there prior to my arrival. But there were quite a few citizens that came out to express their opinions and talk about what the impact of any changes might be there. So I'm sure we'll have some additional conversation on that. So if there's nothing else, we do have need of a closed session tonight. So at this time, I would entertain a motion that we go into closed session. pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143-318.11a3 in order to consult with an attorney to protect the attorney-client privilege. I'll second. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. All opposed, no. We are now in closed session. Thank you.