Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

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I would like to recognize United States Army Veteran Terrence Ward, who served this country from July 2004 to August of 2008. Mr. Ward has worked for the last seven years as a furnace operator in the parlor's industry and has, in his spare time, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family. Mr. Ward, first of all, after the invocation, we ask that you come forward and leave us in our pledge of allegiance after the invocation. Please stand for the invocation.

Let us pray. Father, we come with a devoted heart and soul to seek your face and to call upon your name. It is when we call that heaven hears and answers come for difficult decisions in our lives and yes, even in government. We have been charged by heaven to pray for men and women like these who sit in a place of authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life. They're here because of you. You've established, ordained, and appointed them. Guide them through this agenda and every decision made tonight. Grant them your peace and knowing They have done the very best with the resources given to them. Bless our commissioners down sitting and uprising. They're going out and they're coming in. Give them the fruit of their labor that our county may experience your hand of blessing and provision. Now may the peace, mercy, and grace of God abound in this government and among this year people. In your mighty, marvelous, and miraculous name we pray. Amen.

Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Lord. Appreciate your service to our community and our country. Next item on our agenda is our speakers from the floor. And I will refer to you by the number which you signed up with. And I call forth now speaker number one.

Chairman Austin, Vice Chairwoman Foster and Commissioners, my name is Kathy Wheeler. I live in District 5 and I've been a resident of Guilford County for 30 years. Thank you for letting me speak tonight. I'm here tonight to show my support for Guilford County setting a goal to transition to 100% clean energy in county operations by the year 2050. And I ask anyone in the audience who is also in support of this goal to please stand up. I have seen the draft resolution that the Guilford Clean Power Now organization has submitted to you and I encourage you to pass it as soon as possible. We do not have time to waste. We all know that environmental damage and damage to our health is happening now. I hope that the many citizens who've been attending your meeting since last September to encourage you to pass the resolution show what a serious concern this is to many residents of the county. Personally, I'm a cancer survivor and as part of that community, I've learned more about different kinds of cancer including those caused by air pollution. I've become friends with fellow travelers going through treatments for these cancers that we all knew could have been prevented. All of us are looking to you, our county commissioners, to be leaders in this area and to prioritize the health of the residents of Guilford County. We want you to make a big statement in support of what citizens in the county value. We value clean energy, and we value all the benefits that come with it. So please pass the resolution for 100% clean energy and county operations by the year 2050. Thank you.

Thank you. Speaker number two.

Good evening, Commissioners.

Chairman Austin, thank you for your time this evening. My name is Elizabeth Shortrand. I've lived in Guilford County for 44 years in District 5. I'm an active member of Third Act North Carolina Triad. Third Act is a national group of people over 60 focused on protecting our climate and democracy. Tonight, I'm here representing the leadership team of Guilford Clean Power Now. Since September 4th of last year, supporters of Guilford Clean Power Now have spoken to you during the public comments at every one of your meetings. So far, 41 different people have advocated before you in support of clean energy. In those comments, the speakers have asked you to adopt the draft resolution committing Guilford County to transition to 100% clean energy in county operations by 2050. We have revised it since September 4th in response to discussions with some of you, and already county staff are doing the groundwork. Thank you. Tonight, we are presenting the newly revised version, which we have submitted to the clerk to hand out to you. We have two changes to the draft resolution that we want to highlight. First, to clarify the change we are seeking to the county's fleet of vehicles. We are not asking that all of the cars, trucks, ambulances, et cetera, be fully transitioned to electric vehicles by 2050. Rather, we want to see all vehicles be as fuel efficient as is possible. This includes the option of hybrid electric vehicles. Second, we have added more information regarding the important public health benefits that we will see as we switch from fossil fuels to clean energy. Our society's use of fossil fuels causes air pollution which in turn causes many lung diseases, including asthma, and links to adverse birth outcomes. Let me read from two whereas sections. Whereas Guilford County's infant mortality rate remains among the highest in North Carolina, with black infants experiencing mortality rates significantly higher than their white counterparts, and whereas Exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels has been linked to adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, respiratory complications, and increased risk of infant mortality. And in short, air pollution makes people sick. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Speaker number three.

Good evening. My name is Beth Christ, and I serve as the president and executive director of Out of the Garden Project. I would like to begin by thanking the Guilford County Board of Commissioners for your service to our community and for your past investment in organizations just like ours. Last year, the county funding allowed Out of the Garden Project to strengthen our fleet and enable us to transport and distribute more food throughout Guilford County. That investment continues to make a difference every single day as we work to ensure families have access to healthy food close to home. At Out of the Garden Project, we have the privilege of seeing both the challenges and the resilience of our community up close. Every week, we meet working families, seniors living on fixed incomes, veterans, and parents doing everything right but still struggling to make ends meet. Not long ago, I spoke with a mother at one of our fresh mobile markets. She was working full time and raising her children all on her own. Raising house costs, utilities, transportation expenses, and grocery prices has stretched her budget beyond what she could manage. As we loaded food into her car, she shared that receiving groceries that day meant that she could pay her electric bill without worrying about how she would feed her family that week. This story is not unique. Food insecurity is rarely just about food. It is connected to housing, transportation, healthcare, education, childcare, and economic stability. Families rarely face one challenge at a time, which means the solutions cannot exist in silos either. This is where nonprofit organizations play a critical role. We are often the bridge between community investments and community outcomes. We have trusted relationships within our communities, the ability to respond quickly to changing needs, and the firsthand knowledge of what families are experiencing every day. Last year, Out of the Garden Project distributed more than 2.1 million pounds of food throughout our community, and more than 1.9 million pounds was edible surplus food recovered from local businesses and redirected to families instead of landfills. That's an example of how nonprofits help turn existing community resources into measurable outcomes for our residents. The challenges facing our community are complex, but so are the opportunities. We are grateful for the county's partnership and the investments that have already been made to strengthen Guilford County. As you continue the work ahead, I encourage all of our beautiful, wonderful county commissioners to remain engaged alongside nonprofit and community partners. Together, we can build practical solutions, maximize existing resources, and strengthen a more resilient community for the families that we all serve. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your service. And thank you so much for your commitment to Guilford County.

Thank you. Speaker number four.

Good evening. I am Rebecca Dobbins, Executive Director of the Greater High Point Food Alliance. As a backbone organization that hosts initiatives throughout our county, I'm here today to bring attention to the growing food insecurity crisis impacting our neighbors. I want to thank you first for your continued leadership support and just everything you do here. Our community is reaching a critical breaking point and local food assistance programs are struggling to keep up with the rapidly increasing demand. Since 2022, partner agencies with Second Harvest Food Bank have experienced a 146% increase in neighbors seeking food assistance. Recent SNAP regulation and eligibility changes implemented in 2025 continuing into this year have created additional hardship for many North Carolina families. Across the state, there has been a 19% decrease in residents receiving SNAP benefits. Please note that decline does not reflect reduced need. It reflects hardworking families falling through the cracks despite continuing financial hardship. As grocery costs, housing expenses, transportation, utilities, and medical costs continue to rise, families are forced to make impossible choices between paying bills and putting food on the table. Data from Second Harvest in 2025 found that more than half of all households seeking food assistance identified their primary income source as full-time employment, part-time, or social security benefits. Many of our neighbors seeking assistance are working families, seniors, and individuals living on fixed incomes who simply cannot keep up with the rising cost of living. Assisting with this ongoing crisis are local nonprofit organizations. community leaders who continue stepping forward every day to fill critical gaps. Many nonprofits are being asked to do more than ever before while facing their own significant challenges, including rising operational costs, volunteer shortages, funding uncertainty, and increased needs within our community. Despite these obstacles, they continue to lead with compassion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to our community. We are deeply grateful for our community partners, faith communities, volunteers, donors, and especially the nonprofit organizations that continue working tirelessly to uplift families and strengthen our community. We are already seeing examples of what can happen when nonprofits and local government work together to solve problems. Efforts to recover surplus food for families facing hunger demonstrate the kind of community-driven solutions that are possible through collaboration. These partnerships and services are crucial to the health, resilience, and well-being of our community. Food insecurity is not an isolated issue. It is impacting working families, children, seniors, veterans, and neighbors across every area of our community. We ask that you continue prioritizing collaboration, advocacy, and solutions that strengthen food access. Supporting local nonprofits and helping families before needs escalate further the food alliance remains committed to advocating for both our community partner Organizations and the community members in need. Thank you.

Thank you speaker number five

Good evening, Mr. Chairman, Vice Chairwoman, Commissioners, and residents of Guilford County. My name is Brian Cockman, and I serve as the lead for One Sector, One Voice Triad. We are a regional nonprofit advocacy initiative led by the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, Hands On Northwest North Carolina, and Resilience High Point. We work to strengthen collaboration among nonprofits, government, philanthropy, businesses, and residents across our community. Over the past several months, food security organizations, community partners, and county representatives have been engaged in important conversations about food emergencies, preparedness, and community resilience. Those conversations are taking place at a critical time. Food pantry visits across Guilford County increased 40% last year and are tracking another 25% this year. One thing has become rather increasingly clear. My colleagues alluded to this, but food insecurity is not simply a nonprofit issue or a government issue. It is a systems issue. Some challenges are ongoing, such as rising food costs, housing costs, and transportation barriers. Others can be anticipated and require preparation. Changes in SNAP benefits, economic pressures, and other policy decisions may not qualify as traditional emergencies, but they can have an immediate impact on families and place significant strain on the food assistance network. What we have learned is that no single organization can solve these challenges alone. Strong communities are built when governments, nonprofits, philanthropies, and communities work together toward shared solutions. That is why I want to acknowledge the leadership already being provided by Guilford County, including the work of the food security coordinator, the county's recent food study, and the ongoing efforts to bring community partners together. These are important steps forward. As we continue building on that foundation, we encourage the county to remain engaged as leaders and conveners and in strengthening the food system across Guilford County. One example of this leadership is the opportunity for you all to adopt a policy that allows surplus food from Guilford County's school cafeterias to be recovered and redirected to local pantries instead of landfills. Federal liability protections are already in place, and local nonprofit partners, like A Simple Gesture, stand ready to handle the safe recovery, storage, transportation, and distribution of surplus food. The infrastructure exists. The need exists. The partners exist. We encourage the county to take the steps to authorize this partnership so surplus food can reach families instead of landfills. Many of the nonprofit leaders engaged in this work look forward to continuing the conversation with the commissioners in the months ahead. We welcome the opportunity to share what we're learning across the community, learn about your priorities, and serve as a resource to Guilford County. Thank you for your leadership, your time, and your love of Guilford County.

Thank you. Speaker number six.

Mr. Chairman, Madam Vice Chair, esteemed commissioners, my name is John Evans. I am the Housing Supervisor for Legal Aid in North Carolina's Greensboro office. I'm here as you consider the budget for next year to speak again in favor of continuing support for Legal Aid and UNCG's TEAMS project. We're thankful for your support to help us in our mission to keep our neighbors housed and to hold landlords accountable to providing safe housing. Thanks to your funding in the last year, we have doubled our presence in the Greensboro courthouse and achieved successful outcomes for 850 households here in Guilford County. Those tables and courtrooms are staffed with 10 talented and dedicated attorneys, three incredible paralegals, and a small army of local volunteers. Our clients are not folks who wake up one day and decide not to pay their rent. They are almost all going through some of the hardest times in their lives, whether they've gotten sick, they've lost a job, they've lost a loved one. Most of these folks just need grace and time to get back on their feet. 43% of Americans don't have the savings to pay for a $1,000 emergency. Those are our clients. The funding from Guilford County helps us to keep those folks from falling through the cracks into homelessness. The team project gives these folks access to professionals who can help them navigate this time of crisis, plug them into resources, negotiate with their landlords, and vindicate their rights in court by providing free, high-quality, aggressive litigation services. This is a tough time to be in the bleeding heart business. Legal Aid is facing a number of challenges in trying to maintain our level of service to Guilford County, including by the freezing of our IOLTA funding by the state legislature. The funding you provide for the TEAMS project allows us to put other funds towards the other aspects of our mission, including helping victims of domestic violence, protecting seniors and other vulnerable groups from fraud and scams, and assisting veterans and others to access the government benefits to which they are entitled. I thank you again for your support so that we could serve 850 households this last year. And I hope as you consider the budget that you will again fund us and help our mission so that we can help even more folks this year and for many more years to come. Thank you so much. Speaking number seven.

Greetings members of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. My name is Charles Jim McLeod III, and I've come before you today to gain your support of legal services. They're a necessity for most vulnerable among us, As an eviction court watch participant, the speed and inconveniencing nature of the eviction court could put anyone dealing with eviction proceedings in a precarious position. And without legal aid, those same vulnerabilities will increase tenfold. During an eviction court proceeding, I had the chance to observe and watch a fellow disabled veteran service member and his entire family lose their home in a five-minute span. The legal services team being inside the court for this family and others protects us all from falling into the even harder times as we see the cost of living become harder to manage. Paying for a lawyer is the last thing on anyone's mind. And as a proud student of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, many of my classmates and students throughout Guilford County live on the renter's economy here in Guilford. Poor conditions and apartments are already a dubious task for any Guilford resident to manage. However, many students are being greatly impacted by the unsavory practices and bad landlords here in Guilford County. I urge you to put yourselves in the shoes of an undergraduate student taking 15 hours worth of classes along with a 40-hour work week, dealing with an eviction court proceeding during the 10 a.m. class that you signed up for. alone and with no legal support. That is a Guilford County that has failed its most vulnerable residents. Without legal aid, the busy students looking to achieve a degree will become unhoused and forced to abandon their goals. I implore you all to vote yes in extending legal aid funding for fiscal year 2026. This crucial service is dependent on your support. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Speaking of my eight.

Good evening, Commissioners.

My name is Marilyn Mandela LaCunza de la Cruz, and I want to speak directly to the budget decisions you're making tonight and whether the systems we are funding are actually functioning as intended. Guilford County continues to invest in eviction prevention, mediation services, domestic violence support through Family Justice Center. These are strong line items. They reflect an understanding that prevention is more cost effective than crisis response, but the budget alone does not determine impact. True implementation does. So the question I want to raise is this, who is still being left out in the system after we fund these items? Guilford County shows demographics that more than 10% of the residents speak Spanish at home and thousands more are limited English proficient. Yet most housing instability systems still rely heavily on English only intake points. informal interpretation through family members, or inconsistent access to certified interpreters depending on department. That creates a structural gap, not just policy intent, but in execution. And housing and domestic violence context, that gap is not administrative. In the real world, problems is consequential. It's life and death. Jessica Osegueda and Julissa Duarte of High Point both died of domestic violence in the past two months. A misunderstood court notice becomes a default judgment. A safety plan that is not fully understood becomes continued exposure to harm. So when we evaluate costs, we should also consider and also evaluate inefficiency created by access failure. Because every person who cannot properly access prevention services often ends up in a higher cost system downstream. Shelters, emergency rooms, court, child welfare involvement. This is preventable expenditure, so I'm asking for three accountable shifts in this budget cycle. Not just funding eviction prevention, but requiring consistent department-wide access to certified interpretation and translation standards, not discretionary or inconsistent use. And require public reporting on utilization by language access needs so we can see whether Latino immigrant refugee families are actually accessing housing and domestic violence services that proportionately at a proportional level and expand partnerships with community-based organizations like the ones that are present today. True access is not just language. It's detrimental for trust and navigation. I'm not asking to create a new program. I'm asking to support and ensure that the existing investments are actually reachable for all. A system that cannot be accessed equitably is not fully functioning no matter how well it's funded. And I would ask this board to treat language access and housing stability not as a service enhancement, but as a baseline requirement for all and any programs funded under this budget. Thank you.

Speaking number nine.

Good evening, Chairman Alston and county commissioners. I am Iris Sunshine, Executive Director of the Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina, 201 South Green Street, and I am a High Point resident. I am here on behalf of the many children and families Children's Law Center serves in Guilford County because your funding helps us promote and prioritize child safety, family stability, and opportunities for children to have better, brighter futures. We are a founding partner agency of the Guilford County Family Justice Center, and our team of Guilford-based attorneys works out of the offices in the Greensboro Family Justice Center and in the space at the High Point Family Justice Center. We have a strong commitment to the Family Justice Center staff and collaborate with our partner agencies such as Child Protective Services and law enforcement. Our custody advocacy program is appointed by district court judges to advocate for children in complex cases involving domestic violence and or high conflict custody. These complex cases often take a long time to resolve. Time for Children's Law Center lawyers to listen to the children. parents, guardians, and many collateral witnesses. Our work involves reviewing hundreds of pages of records. We visit children at their homes and at their schools to learn about their lives and to let them know that we are there for them. Your funding helps to create efficiencies in the courthouse. We are the court's eyes and ears, and through Children's Law Center's comprehensive investigations, Reports and testimony we inform judges about the witnesses perspectives what is contained in all those records We describe the world in which the children live tell their stories and convey their hopes for their future Through our recommendations. We provide guidance about solutions and possibilities for the children to thrive our reports and testimony can help parties find resolution and before a trial starts or reduce the time a hearing takes if there is a trial. Saving time in court allows for more cases to be heard, and we are actively working with judges to appoint us to more cases each year, just as they have done in this current fiscal year. We expect to see more cases added to our caseload throughout the end of this month. Children's Law Center thanks you for funding our work these past two years. And we respectfully ask for your continued support, providing us the opportunity to assist judges while focusing on advocating for and protecting children. Thank you.

Thank you. Speaker number 10.

Hello again. Good to see y'all earlier in the work session. It's great to hear some of the updates. I applaud y'all for keeping your brains straight. I'm trying not to glaze over while I'm up here. But I want to also applaud our county manager office for the work they were doing trying to navigate the changes that would be impacted on our community by SB 889. Our county is forced to do less with less, as I got to hear one of the fire chiefs say in the meeting. We are seeing from that meeting 83.7 million loss in this budget if we are allowing this moratorium to go through. Sorry, I am a little glazed over. This is going to impact our public schools and our families. Access to valuable community resources and puts public safety at risk. And I appreciate the county managers still finding in that budget space to keep the team funding going for another year as we're still sorting this through. However, there's still time to prevent the passing of SB 889. We shouldn't have to settle for less. I think there's a severe loss to our community if we're allowing this bill to go through. Skip, you once said we need more support for lobby at the state. For me, I voted for y'all to be my lobbyist. I want to see that. from this body more on how do we not just comply in advance when we hear things like veto proof and things of the like. I know a majority of our elected officials in the state and house in our county were against this bill. And there's only two, one in the house, one in the Senate that were not. What would it look like for this body to share what we heard from the fire chief and other people over these last few months of why this budget is so essential and push for them to not allow this if we get a veto override from the governor? But even better yet, y'all still sit in seats close to folks like the governor. who you could make that advocacy for, as we only have about two days left for that. So that's really kind of what I'm up here for, is trying to see how we can go beyond just having a plan B, which is a strong plan B, but trying to really leave it all on the field so our communities don't have to do less with less. Thank you.

Thank you. Speaker number 11.

Gail Donner from Summerfield, thank you very much to everyone tonight. These are genuine, honest, cost-effective needs, and I support all of them. Yeah, I'm always here because you're wasting $6.6 million on a project that people do not want. One of my handouts, the town of Summerfield has approved a budget. And I gave you a handout so you can see the five steps you can go through to find where it's hidden on the town website. And I'd like you to take a look, because it doesn't balance. bankrolling and you're like a blank check to the town for a project that isn't going, that has not been legal the whole time and now you're going to pay for it and maybe it'll get finished sometime next year and you don't know what they're spending. For years they just said $6.6 million. No, it's a whole lot more. With public information, I did get a county document. This county document for the town of Summerfield, when they applied in increments for the $6.6 million, it requires that the easements, the acquisition of easements, be completed by May 2025. They're not done. When they weren't done now, they're not going to be done by the end of the year. And the town is spending a fortune on lawyers to do eminent domain. Is that what you think the county money should be doing? Spending money to Summerfield for lawyers using eminent domain to take their property? I think there's legal liability on this project. And take a look, though, at the budget. Because it isn't balanced. And they all, Linda Vaney always said, oh, we're only 6.6 million, not a penny more. The county will have to pay. And the way it's set up, you're going to be paying a whole lot more. And to do this, to give them credit, doesn't make sense. It's not balanced. The money for attorneys is outrageous. Now, this week, they just hired the attorney for the eminent domain. They've already put a bunch of money into that. On the last month's budget, they had four law firms, four, and they just hired another law firm this week. And it doesn't end. And they had the debate on the budget because the manager said, well, we're just going to budget $280,000 for lawyers. And some of the town council members said, well, that's not right. You know we're spending a whole lot more. Yeah, it's probably a million dollars in liability. And I think he wants to do it that way because he doesn't want the legal liability to show up on the town audit. The budget is a terrible fiasco. It's just not legal. And why are you bankrolling a project that's not going to be done on time? Please wake up. It's not going to be done. And there's other avenues we can go for you to have liability. That's legal consequences for wasting that money. You can do better things.

Thank you. Speaking of material.

I'm sorry. You wonder what town of Summerfield for one year their line item budget changes are? Here you go, one year. And you're going to invest in that.

Good evening, commissioners. My name is Cindy Gerald. And I'm a resident of High Point, where I've lived for the last 34 years. I am also an attorney, and I practice in Guilford County. I'm an active member of the High Point Bar Association. But more importantly, tonight, I have the honor and pleasure of serving as the chairman of the board for Children's Law Center. And I already told you previously what we do, and I think most of you are familiar with our organization. I want to start by thanking you for your past financial support. With cuts in some of our other funding, especially the North Carolina IOLTA, interest on lawyers' trust accounts, funding that we've historically received, CLC has had to look to other sources of funding. In my position as a member of the board of directors, I know firsthand that CLC is fiscally responsible. Our staff, in conjunction with our finance committee, has cut every bit of excess out of the budget that is possible. There is no fluff. I've also had the opportunity to be in court with some of our staff attorneys. I've seen them testify and I've read their extensive reports. So I know that they work very hard to ensure that the children of our county are well represented and that they feel heard in these very difficult matters in court. Children's Law Center is well respected and well run. respected in the community. We're supported by both the High Point and Greensboro Bar Associations. And I think one of the reasons we're well respected is due to not only our executive director, Iris Sunshine, but her staff as well. They are totally invested in doing the best possible job with the resources available to our organization. We have a very active and diverse board of directors, many of whom were inspired to join the board because of Iris, as I was. And she and her staff are totally invested in the mission. And they have a vision for the future of CLC, whereby we can be a model to other counties. We also partner with other community agencies to ensure that the work we do correlates, supports, and strengthens what they do. One of these organizations is the Family Justice Center, and we do have offices in both the High Point Family Justice Center and the Greensburg Justice Center. During this fiscal year, we're asking for a $35,000 grant. And we thank you again for your past support. Please know that any funding at all that you give CLC will be used to greatly improve the lives of the children in Guilford County. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. That concludes our speakers from the floor. Next item on our agenda is our presentations. Adopt proclamation commemorating Joseph Hughes, William Hooper, and John Penn as North Carolina delegates to the first Centennial Congress on July 4th, 1776. Mr. Pittman, Mr. Patil.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and what a great honor and privilege it is to share this resolution in a moment. As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we pause to honor the individuals whose courage and vision helped shake our democracy, and I was thinking about this over the weekend in our bicentennial, 1976. And at that time, I was certainly too young to remember any of that. But our country then was deeply divided. We were just coming out of the Vietnam War, Watergate, and many other, there was a lot of tumult at the time. And a lot of the foundations were shaken in how that bicentennial, as I grew older, how important that moment was to heal wounds and to really unite. And I think today we have... very similar and even more so deep divisions in our country and many of our foundations we question. And so I hope that this celebration of our 250th will do the same. So thank you for being here. North Carolina played a pivotal role in our fight for independence, including the adoption of the Halifax Resolves, the first official call for independence among the American colonies. Tonight, we specifically honor North Carolina patriots Joseph Hughes, William Hooper, and John Penn, who signed the Declaration of Independence on behalf of the people of North Carolina. Their commitment to self-governance and independence helped lay the foundation for the freedoms that we enjoy today. And we are so proud with you and with everyone watching to recognize these distinguished North Carolinians and their lasting contributions to our nation's history. And I was going to invite all of you, but you're already here. So thank you, Betty Franken, Rachel Caldwell, and other members and supporters with the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. We're so glad you're with us. Thank you for the important work that your organization does in preserving and promoting our nation's history and honoring the patriots of the revolutionary era. And now I'll read our proclamation. And this is the proclamation to recognize the North Carolina delegates to the First Continental Congress. Whereas on July 4th, 2026, our nation will commemorate the semi-quincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And whereas the journey toward this historic milestone is an opportunity to reflect on our nation's past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead to the future generations who will carry forward the ideals of democracy and individual liberty that make the United States a unique nation in the world community. And whereas the great state of North Carolina was founded by the Revolutionary War generation and their children in the territory once claimed by King Charles I of England, and where the Halifax Resolves Resolution was adopted by North Carolina on April 12, 1776, which was the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American colonies, and whereas the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a nonpolitical women's service organization established in 1890 whose members are literally descended from patriots of the American Revolution, And whereas through the President General's leadership, all Daughters are spending the next three years illuminating our legacy by celebrating our nation's rich history and diversity, promoting belonging through membership and dedicated service to God, home, and country, and by completing projects in unique, local, and very impactful ways. And whereas from the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, Until the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Daughters are celebrating our nation's rich history and diversity of experience by honoring all the noble cause of liberty fought valiantly to establish a new nation. And whereas Joseph Hughes, William Hooper, and John Penn, delegates to the First Continental Congress from the colony of North Carolina, signed the Declaration of Independence for all the people of North Carolina. and whereas the North Carolina Daughters are commemorating these three North Carolina patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners do hereby recognize Joseph Hughes, William Hooper, and John Penn as delegates to the First Continental congress from north carolina adopted this 18th day of june 2026 and witness whereof i herein to set my hand and cause of corporate seal the county of guilford to be affixed this 18th day of june 2026 melvin skip austin chairman guilford county board of commissioners give yourselves a hand give america

Thank you, Chairman and Commissioners. My name is Betty Franken, and I'm here with members of the Rachel Caldwell Daughters of the American Revolution, and we represent the committee that is hosting the July 4th commemoration and celebration of the three signers of the Declaration from North Carolina. It's appropriate that the proclamation we're receiving from Guilford County today is very similar to the proclamation that we are celebrating on July 4th. I have copies of the Declaration of Independence for each of you. We are now celebrating across our state and nation 250 years of independence. This July, five Guilford County chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, along with Sons of the American Revolution, will again commemorate the three men who represented North Carolina at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and signed this incredibly important document. They signed along with 54 others at risk to both their lives and their fortunes. William Hooper was a lawyer and politician who represented North Carolina at the Continental Congress. He was recognized by John Adams as a Maine orator of the Congress. Joseph Hughes was a merchant and influential figure in colonial politics. He served on various committees. John Penn was a landowner and politician who played a significant role in the state's early governance. The remains of William Hooper, kind of taken from Hillsboro, and those of John Penn are actually interned within the statue that stands at the Guilford Courthouse battlefield. John Hughes, who died in 1790 in Philadelphia, his remains are unknown. The DAR and SAR have honored these three founding fathers from North Carolina for upwards of 40 years. Each July at the monument erected to them here in Guilford County. This is the only monument in North Carolina that recognizes these three individuals. There's a plaque on the old State House, but this is the only statue. The Signers Monument was actually erected in 1894 on the grounds of the Guilford Courthouse battlefield. Outside of the Declaration of Independence, these men went on to serve their country and the state now of North Carolina in many ways. Hughes represented North Carolina in the Continental Congress until his death in 1790. William Hooper served in the North Carolina General Assembly until 1783 and helped establish our state government. And John Penn later went on to sign the Articles of Confederation, the first Constitution of the United States. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Let's give them another round of applause. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. Do we have representatives from Providence Baptist Church in the audience?

Mr. Chair, I'd like to continue the matter to our next meeting. We'll try to put that on the next agenda.

Next item is proclamation celebrating June 19th, 2026. That's June 10th in Guilford County. Vice Chair Foster.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. we join communities across the nation celebrating Juneteenth, a day that commemorates freedom, resilience, and the enduring pursuit of equality. I'd like to welcome members of our small business and entrepreneurship team, Sean Thomas, Maria Miles, Khalees Tucker Reeves. Recognized as the oldest national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth serves as an important reminder of our nation's journey toward freedom and justice. It is important that we reflect on our shared history as we approach our nation's 250th anniversary, that we reaffirm our commitment to the ideas of liberty, equality, and opportunity for all people. May this Juneteenth be a time of reflection, celebration, and renewed commitment to one another. As we honor the meaning of this day, let us continue moving forward together across backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to build a stronger community for future generations. Our shared strength is found in the people who call this community home and in the unity, respect, and hope we carry forward together. The proclamation celebrating Juneteenth. Whereas over two months after the Civil War's end on April 9th, 1865, United States Army General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and issued general order number three on June 19th, 1865, declaring all slaves are free. And whereas the ensuing celebration of the end of slavery, which became known as Juneteenth, is the oldest national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. And whereas Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and remembers the courage of all who sacrificed and suffered injustices in the fight against slavery, And whereas Juneteenth honors the historic heritage and contributions that Americans of African descent have made to help shape the cultural, academic, social, economic, and moral attributes of this nation. And whereas on this day, we celebrate our belief in the fundamental ideologies of liberty and equality for all, and recognize that our shared history continues to unite us in the struggle for justice and equality. Now, therefore, it be resolved that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim June 19th, 2026 as a day to celebrate Juneteenth in Guilford County and encourages all citizens to participate in commemorative and educational events while remembering that all Americans, regardless of race, should be equal parties to the immeasurable opportunities our nation has to offer. Adopted this the 18th day of June, 2026. In witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and cause the corporate seal of the county of Guilford to be affixed. This the 18th day of June, 2026. Melvin Skipp, also chairman, Guilford County Board of Commissioners.

Good evening, Chair Alston, Vice Chair Foster, and members of the Board of Commission and County Manager Isler and County Attorney Thompson. I'm honored to accept this Juneteenth proclamation. This Juneteenth holiday is a powerful reminder of resilience, freedom, and the continued pursuit of opportunity. As we celebrate this important day, I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to each of you commissioners for your support of our small business and entrepreneurship department. Your commitment to economic development, small business success, and entrepreneurial development allows us to create meaningful opportunities that strengthen our county and improve the lives of citizens. I want to also thank the Extension Department and Courtney, Parks and Recreation and Dwight, EMS and Jim, and Sheriff Danny Rogers and the Sheriff Department for their partnership and collaboration as we celebrate Juneteenth in 2026. And a very special thank you to the Triad Black Faith Leaders and Black Farmers Network, a nonprofit, for their partnership with Guilford County as we both tackle food security and access to healthy foods in our communities. It is through partnerships such as these that we honor the spirit of Juneteenth. We invite the public to join us at the following events to celebrate culture, community, and entrepreneurship. Friday, tomorrow, June 19th, from 12 noon to 6 pm at Hage Taylor Memorial YMCA in Greensboro. As the Triad Black Faith Leaders and Black Farmers Network presents their Juneteenth Triad Farmers Market, this is their third year leading that effort. On Sunday, June 21st, 12 noon to six, join us in High Point for the High Point Juneteenth celebration at the Mendenhall Transportation Center. Together, these two celebrations will bring residents, entrepreneurs, farmers, artisans, and community organizations together to honor the significance of Juneteenth. We encourage everyone to come out, shop local, celebrate our history, and invest in our farmers and talented small businesses that help our communities thrive. And together, as one Guilford, we can continue to build a stronger and brighter future for our county. Thank you, and happy Juneteenth.

Let's give him a round of applause. Thank you, Charles.

Sean and team, can we get a photo up? Thank you for the incredible work that you're doing, your whole department.

Thank you, Ms. Foster. All right, next item on our agenda is Proclamation Recognized in June 2026 is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. That's gonna be presented by Commissioner Kay Cashin. Ms. Cashin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This evening, we recognize June 26 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month and reaffirm our commitment to protecting the dignity, safety, and well-being of older adults throughout Guilford County. And we are delighted to have members of, well, starting with Sonia Desai, the director of our Family Justice Center, other members from Family Justice Center, as well as other groups who are members of the team who really do this works for us. So we have Sonia Desai, director, Heather McGill from Family Justice Center, Beth McCollin, Family Justice Center, Jackie Smith, Family Justice Center, and Ron Tucker, Family Justice Center, and Flo Lourekos, Family Justice Center. Sergeant Miller from the Greensboro Police Department, Detective Hutraku, my apologies if I mispronounced that, from the Greensboro Police Department, Sergeant Gilchrist, Guilford County Sheriff's Office, Kami Sabong, Guidance Carolina, Sharon Barlow, DSS, Laura Jones, DSS, Robert Lee, DSS, Melanie Stimson, DSS, Allison Clark, DSS, Madison Stinson, DSS, and Kami Sanders, DSS. I want to personally commend the Guilford County Family Justice Center's Elder Justice Committee and its many community partners for their collaborative work to educate the public, support the victims, and hold offenders accountable. Through partnerships, our exceptional nonprofit network And as a united community, Guelph County continues to lead efforts to prevent elder abuse and promote justice for older and disabled adults. I'd also like to announce that on June 5th, The Family Justice Center's Elder Justice Committee received the Dorothy R. Crawford Award for developing innovative strategies relating to or having a significant impact on the lives of older adults. And for those of you who might not know, the North Carolina Dorothy Crawford Award is an award given by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services. It recognizes an individual or an organization that has developed innovative strategies or made a significant impact on the lives of older adults. Guilford County led the way in enacting new legislation authorizing case review multidisciplinary team model to be able to better coordinate responses to adult protective services cases. So let's give them a round of applause for that. I also want to note quickly that the Family Justice Center and social services team is hosting an upcoming Elder Abuse Awareness Resource Fair on Thursday, June 25th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Department of Social Services located at 1203 Maple Street in Greensboro. So now the proclamation. And it reads, Whereas older adults in Guilford County deserve to be treated with respect and dignity to enable them to serve as leaders, mentors, volunteers, and vital members of their community. And whereas elder abuse takes many forms, including financial, emotional, physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence in later life, it also comes in the form of neglect, abandonment, or exploitation. And whereas nationally, it's estimated that 1 in 10 elderly Americans are abused. Many suffer in silence as cases are underreported and resources scarce. And whereas nearly 16% of Guelph County's population is age 65 and older. And in the United States, it is projected that In 2035, there will be more adults 65 and older than children under 18. And whereas in 2025, DHHS Adult Protective Services received over 1,900 reports of elder abuse and financial exploitation. And the Family Justice Center reached more than 4,600 people through outreach and education on elder abuse prevention and response in our community. And whereas through collaborative partnership, the Guelph County Family Justice Center's Elder Justice Committee successfully advocated for legislative change that resulted in the passage of North Carolina Senate Bill 400 establishing a statute that authorizes adult multidisciplinary teams to share information related to the abuse neglect and financial exploitation of older and disabled adults in order to promote swifter victim safety and greater offender accountability and whereas the guelph county family justice center's elder justice committee has partnered with guidance carolina and DHHS Adult Protective Services to pilot an innovative program that expands community-based elder justice services and seeks to reduce recidivism among individuals involved with Adult Protective Services. And whereas the Guilford County Family Justice Center's Elder Justice Committee brings together a multitude of agencies who work collaboratively to provide education, resources, and response to elder abuse, which includes professionals from the Department of Health and Human Services, Greensboro Police Department, the High Point Police Department, Guilford County Sheriff's Office, Family Service of the Piedmont, Emergency Management Services, Senior Resources of Guilford, Wellspring Solutions, Guidance Carolina, Piedmont Triad Regional Council, the District Attorney's Office, Elon Law, and Legal Aid. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners supports elder justice initiatives that prevent and respond to elder abuse. We hereby proclaim June 2026 as Elder Abuse Awareness Month in Guilford County. and encourage all residents to recognize and celebrate older adults and their ongoing contributions to the success and vitality of our county adopted this the 18th day of june 2026 and witness whereof melvin skip austin chairman guilford county board of commissioners let's applaud them for

Thank you, Chairman Austin, Vice Chair Foster, Board of Commissioners, and thank you, Commissioner Cashin. Thank you for always recognizing us, and thank you for paying us a visit this week at the Family Justice Center. It was fun, or at least I thought it was fun. As communities across North Carolina and the nation recognize June as World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, Guilford County is emerging as a leader in protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens. We have found ourselves as leaders in this work as the Family Justice Center and the Elder Justice Committee implemented our adult multidisciplinary team to review and coordinate high risk cases involving older adults. The last time that we came in front of you, we talked about Senate Bill 400 and how we were going to be the first county in the state to hold an official MDT. Rest assured, we did complete that goal. We held our first multidisciplinary team meeting under Senate Bill 400 about two weeks ago. So be proud of that. Being the first is always good, but it's more important that we're gonna save lives. I cannot stand up here without recognizing Heather McGill, our Elder Justice Coordinator, who works tirelessly in order to lead our Elder Justice Committee and help citizens across this county. So please give her a round of applause.

Elder abuse is often overlooked, but with the aging population increasing across the country and state, we will see more cases. We want people to know that there is help out there. The U.S. Department of Justice has identified elder fraud and financial exploitation as one of its fastest growing threats facing older adults, with losses to fraud estimated in the billions of dollars annually. We are continuing to see an increase in our adult protective services cases, In 2025, we screened more than 1,900 reports, and through May of 2026, we've screened more than 800 reports already. We currently have 364 wards. That's almost a 10% increase from last year at this time. We are supporting 61 young adults in our 18 to 21 program. That's a 27% increase from last year. I'm extremely excited to share with you that we had 19 of those young adults graduate from high school this year. And I'm very proud that one of our youths received a four-year full-ride scholarship to Columbia University. We're incredibly proud of our staff for the work they do every day to combat elder abuse and to provide supports to the adults in our community. We're also extremely grateful for the continued support of this board. Thank you for recognizing June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Thank you.

Thank you, let's give them another round of applause. Next item on our agenda is our consent agenda. Let me call your attention to the addendum also to be considered in our consent agenda. Do I hear any commissioner that want to have any item for separate consideration? Hearing none, let me have a motion. Second. Moved and properly seconded. Discussion on the motion. Hearing none, please cast your vote. That passes on the unanimous vote. Next item is on the new business. Set a special meeting date for the purpose of considering fiscal year 26-27 budget adoption and to conduct any other necessary business. Ms. Foster, I recognize you for a motion.

Mr. Chairman, I move that we set next Thursday, June 25th at 4 o'clock as the designated time for the budget and budget ordinance meeting. Your second? Your second?

All right, move to prop the second discussion on the motion. Hearing none, please cast your vote. That passes unanimously. Next item is to call your attention to the addendum, also to offer and enable Allocation for an interactive resource center. Is Ms. Craver here?

Yeah.

MS. Good evening, Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the Board. The item before you tonight is a request to allocate ARPA-enabled funds for the purchase of a fence to support the interactive resource center, also known as the IRC. The IRC provides day center services to individuals experiencing homelessness in and around downtown Greensboro. The IRC has identified a need to put a perimeter fence around the property to strengthen safety and reinforce their responsibility as a community partner. The fence project has been designed to help reduce concerns with trespassing and improve safety by reducing access to the railroad track that runs behind the building. The fence also includes an automatic gate with access controls specifically to enhance emergency responder access after hours. The total cost of the project is $94,639. The IRC has requested support from both the City of Greensboro and the county, each in the amount of $30,000. The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro will provide the balance of costs. This request is to approve the reallocation of ARPA-enabled funds within the Homelessness Task Force budget to allocate $30,000 to the Interactive Resource Center for this purpose and authorize Guilford County to take all necessary action to enter into an agreement with the IRC for these funds. I'm glad to answer any questions.

Any questions for Ms. Graves? Mr. Stillman?

Yeah, in terms of the city's portion of this, can you give us a status update on that? Greensboro has already contributed their portion to the IRC. Okay, and the community foundation has already committed theirs as well?

They have committed to cover the rest of the costs. All right, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, and I brought up some of these questions, observations on our pre-meeting call. You know, I really, when I think about our Homelessness Task Force and where the dollars go, I mean, I understand the need for the fence. I mean, you've enumerated here what's the positives, but I feel like $34,693 could feed some people. We could use it in another way. And I do wonder about... when there's a fence, folks that really need somewhere to put a tent up, where are they gonna be now? You know, they're gonna be outside one of the few places that is a welcoming place for those folks. I mean, I just have some concerns about it. I understand there are some safety elements to it, but I'm just not gonna support it because I just feel like we can use dollars in a better way. PUTTING UP A BIG FENCE TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT JUST DOESN'T, I JUST CAN'T GET BEHIND THAT. THANK YOU.

I THINK IT IS ABOUT SAFETY ON THE ISSUE OF PEOPLE FEELING SAFE WHEN THEY ATTEND THE FACILITY AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ISSUES OUT THERE THEY HAD TO ADDRESS WITH THAT SITUATION. SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO PUT A FENCE UP FOR SAFETY IN ORDER TO PROTECT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN KIND OF TARGETED FOR situations involving stealing and things of that nature and harm and a lot of danger also. So I think this is the purpose for that fence, to protect those that are attending their force services.

And that is the main purpose is to support the prevention of trespassing after hours and to a number of individuals have been congregating within the perimeter of So the fence helps to ensure that those who are residing at the IRC have those safety parameters in place. And also, again, the train tracks that run behind the building has been a safety concern as well.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was going to offer some of what Ms. Craver already said, but I will add to that that there are multiple business owners around the IRC who are very supportive of the organization and the services that they provide. but also have been requesting for some time now assistance with security and safety around the organization and around the site to ensure that those who need to use services and gain entrance to the IRC have safe passage to do so, while eliminating risks with those who do not have any business at the IRC and are loitering, as Ms. Craver mentioned. The way I understand this, based on community conversations with local business owners and our staff after having done research, is that this is in no way trying to eliminate access for folks to get to the IRC, but more to make it a safer environment for those visiting the organization and those who live and work around it.

Thank you.

Ms. Foster.

Thank you, I would echo the sentiments that Commissioner Cook just said as well, but to say that this request was vetted through the Homeless Task Force and it is a collaboration again with the City of Greensboro and the additional dollars as we see are coming from Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro and these dollars, these ARPA dollars are already allocated to the Homeless Task Force so there are not any additional dollars that are coming from the county's budget.

That's correct.

Thank you.

for a discussion on the motion. Hearing none, please cast your vote.

Do you need a motion? Yeah. Move approval? Second. Sorry.

Moving too fast. Moving to properly second, discussion on the motion? Hearing none, please cast your vote.

That passes on eight to one vote.

Next item is also an addendum, HHS DSS update on subsidy child care assistance. Ms. Muller?

Good evening. The need for child care in North Carolina, especially in Guilford County, is an economic necessity for many families. This need is especially significant among low-income households where access to high-quality, affordable child care services is often limited due to financial constraints. Many families face risk factors that can negatively affect healthy child development, making early childhood education and developmental programs critical. Over the years, the child care subsidy program in Guilford County has evolved to address increasing service costs and the growing number of families requiring assistance. Recent state policy changes have also altered the eligibility determination process for childcare subsidies. In response to these challenges, Guilford County has developed collaborative partnerships with several community organizations. Together, these agencies work to identify and serve the county's most vulnerable and at-risk children and families, ensuring greater access to childcare. The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education has issued several administrative directives encouraging counties to provide childcare subsidy services to eligible families without regard to spending limitations. As a result of these directives, we have successfully cleared our childcare waiting list as of May 2026. We are currently serving walk-ins for childcare which is huge for us. This achievement has significantly improved access to childcare assistance and allowing families to get services more quickly without delays. The clearing of the waiting list represents a major step towards increasing access to affordable childcare. Strong partnerships and community involvement continue to play a vital role in the source of childcare services within the county. We collaborate with key community stakeholders, including the Partnership for Children, Guilford County Schools, the county's Work First and Children's Services Division has been essential in supporting families. Local policies include the childcare wait list are reviewed and updated at least every two years or whenever program changes require amendments to local policy. Recent updates to policy have established priority criteria to determine the order in which children are served should we need to go back to a waiting list. In addition, procedural improvements such as courtesy reminder calls to families approaching their eligibility redetermination dates continue to support ongoing participation in the program. These efforts help reduce unnecessary case closures, maintain services for currently enrolled families, and create opportunities to serve additional families. All subsidized child care cases and provider payments have continued to be processed through our NC-FAST system since August of 2017. I am asking that you receive this update on our Substantive Child Care Assistance Program and to approve the Guilford County Local Waiting List Prioritization Policy. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Any questions for Ms. Paula?

Thank you. No questions necessarily. I just want to offer gratitude for some of these changes that have been implemented and the work that your team is doing to make sure that any assistance available is in the hands of families so that their children can have quality childcare. I really appreciate it. I think having families on a wait list is not something any of us want to see, so I really appreciate these implemented policy changes and the work y'all have done to clear the wait list. It's a big deal. Congratulations on that. And if you need a motion, I'm happy to make a motion. Do we need?

Yes, information.

We need a motion to approve the policy. Yes.

Motion.

So moved.

Second. Moved and proper, second discussion. Hearing none, please cast your vote.

Need the motion to reflect the receipt.

One thing, Mr. Chair. I think we may have a recusal for the vice chair.

i would do it just do it sorry so for a point of clarity um the requested action is to receive um the report and also the policy so no vote is needed no no no vote is needed to you are receiving a report and a policy no action all right thank you miss marlon

Next item is on the appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions. The first one is Fire District Commission in Alamance. Appoint Ronald E. Harris to first term. I give the County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council reappoint Francina D. Parrish to second term in LME MCEO designee position. Do I hear a motion? So moved.

Second.

Move to prop the second discussion on the motion. Hearing none, please cast your vote.

Thank you. There we go. Passes on the unanimous vote. Chair, for a point of order as it relates to the agenda, I stand corrected. You should receive the update as it relates to the child care subsidy assistance, and also you do need to approve the child care wait list policy as presented by DSS Director Sharon Barlow. And you also have a recusal.

So do we need to recuse her language, or does she just recuse without vote?

I think in the past we've made motions. I'm happy to make a motion to approve the recusal of Vice Chair Foster from the vote due to a conflict.

Second.

The property is seconded. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed is nay. Ayes have it so ordered. Fourth vote is okay. Right Madam Attorney?

signature tonight.

All right, do we have a motion to approve the site?

Yes, I move that we receive the HHSDSS departmental update on the subsidy child care assistance program and approve the Guelph County Local Waiting List prioritization policy. Second.

Move the property, second. Discussion on the motion? Hearing none, all please cast your vote.

Passing unanimous vote.

Was there another part there, or did that take care of everything? Thank you, Ms. Cook.

All right, liaison reports, any liaison reports?

All right, comments from our manager. Yes, first want you to receive the report as it relates to budget performance for the month of April. Also, please note that on July the 23rd, we do want your participation as we're going to celebrate our employees for the star program, which is employee appreciation event July 23rd we have our Board of County Commissioner meeting at 530 we do ask that you join us on the plaza here around 3 o'clock to acknowledge all of our departmental awardees but then also we will come in the chambers at the beginning of the meeting to acknowledge our employee of the year our team builder of the year Trailblazer of the Year, Above and Beyond, Award for Remarkable Commitment, and then also our Outstanding Volunteer or Humanitarian of the Year. Really appreciative of Human Resources for leading this initiative and look forward to you participating in this engagement activity with us for our employees. No other comments.

Madam Taney?

Yes, Mr. Chair and Commissioners, I just want to take a personal note Gratitude to Matt Mason, who you've approved to continue serving our county and coming out of retirement to help our office. And despite what has been reported in social media and otherwise, we only have 15 attorneys, not 32, but they are hardworking and they serve this county well. Of the 15, 10 are for Department of Social Services, and we only have two for Generalist. And so I just want to give a shout out to my team for working diligently for this county.

Great work, appreciate you. All right, Commissioner's comments? Mr. Grayhill? Ms. Murphy?

Yes, thank you. I probably should have spoken up during liaison reports, but I do have a few things from Parks Board We are in the process of updating our bylaws and so look forward to engaging with them in that process to get some structural things in place for improved operation. But I also want to share, most importantly, some exciting events sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department across the county this July. First and foremost, coming up really quickly, is our fireworks extravaganza celebration out at Northeast Park. There is a $10 fee per vehicle to enter. It begins at 4 o'clock. There are all kinds of vendors, bounce houses, rides, food trucks, bands, incredible live music, and of course culminating that evening with the best fireworks display in Guilford County. Usually it sells out before the fireworks begin. We reach capacity. We invite people to bring a blanket and some chairs or a cooler of snacks to enjoy that evening and come out and participate in this celebration. In addition, things coming up prior to our next meeting include, excuse me, a walk with friends out at the county farm on Howerton Road. and Highway 61 in far eastern Guilford County. That will be held on July 9th from 6 to 8 p.m. And then on July 11th out at Southwest Park, we have an incredible marina. And if you have never participated in kayaking, you're invited to join us for an event to get introduced to a really fun way to enjoy the water. So we hope that the community will participate in these activities and in support of all of the incredible amenities that our county parks and recreation offers across the county. Thank you.

Thank you, I wanted to share with you all about County Advocacy Days. NCACC hosted county commissioners from across the state and we had quite a team from Guilford County, county manager and our county attorney. Several of our other team members joined. The afternoon we spent in the capitol building participating in committee meetings and advocating for Guilford County as they were determining tax policy in real time, and then we went over to steering committee meetings. I co-hosted a steering committee meeting with the general government, and we highlighted a public-private partnership project in Wake County that was very inspiring. The schools and YMCA and the county came together to provide a space that could be used basically 24 hours a day 12 months out of the year. So really creative ways to use public space and public-private partnerships. And then the next day we went around and met with almost every single one of our Guilford County delegation members. I wish our resident was still here so he could hear that we are trying to do that work and advocating for Guilford County in person with those making policy in Raleigh. We had some good conversations and some tough ones too. Thankful that we had a team there to tackle that together. I think it's important that we continue to communicate with our delegation in Raleigh. And then congrats to all the grads. It was fun participating in a few of the Guilford County Schools graduations. And super fun to see the families celebrating the accomplishments of these young people.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to reach back to May 28th because I didn't get a chance to talk about this at the last meeting, but the Behavioral Health Center, we celebrated the fifth anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been open five years, but Deborah and Debra Mack and her team did a wonderful job of setting up display to tell the history and the services that are being provided at the center over on 3rd Street. I spoke to the group and gave a little history about how we got there. Tried to be as inclusive as possible with that. Also, we had a representative from State DHHS and also the, I think it's the CFO from Cone Health spoke. So it was well attended, lots of comments, good press there, the media was there. Two television stations, I think, so that was very good. We had a COC board meeting on the first of June covering so much that group of partners. It's just unbelievable the work that they're doing in this community on behalf of our unhoused communities. So I applaud them time and again for the work because they all have their own jobs to do and yet they devote extra time to this COC. I also met with a Vietnam vet's family. I had actually met this gentleman a year ago at the grocery store. I saw him, he was in a wheelchair with his hat on, and I went over to speak to him. We had a conversation, and I said, well, if you need any help, let me give you my card. I always have cards, because if I don't have them, people ask for them. So I gave him a card. Well, the gentleman was suffering from Agent Orange, and he did pass away the first of this year. But in their going through his things, they found my card. And so they called me, and they wanted to meet with me to discuss their situation, and they're trying to get business settled with the Veterans Administration. So, you know, of course I referred them to Robert Shelley and they have called a couple of times since. So it was just unusual. She called and she said, I found this note in my husband's things where it gave you a name and said, call you if we needed anything. So you never know. You never know just an encounter saying thank you for your service, how it might lead. So Monday, jet zero. Goodness gracious. Well, jet zeroed in. Huge event. You know, as we were driving up, there were two cars in front of us jockeying to line up to get into the lane. One was from Tennessee and one was from New Jersey. So there was representation, wide representation and interest. I did attend the event that evening at Greensboro Country Club, which was well attended. Lots of people there, talked to lots of the, people that we saw that morning who were employees and associates in one kind or another with Jet Zero, seemed very happy to be here, lots of excitement going on. That was very interesting, and I do have a teacher, Full disclosure, I have a t-shirt and a cap and I also have buttons. If you see me wearing the airplane, you will know what it's all about. So bear with me and we look forward to having them with us. And then yesterday, I attended the Sternberger School topping off ceremony. Commissioner Austin and I attended. It was hot, but a great event. Lots of people there. Students were all excited about watching the last, signing the beam and watching the last beam go up. My younger son attended Sternberger, and this Sternberger is, It's just not gonna even resemble the original Sternberger, but it was a small school, a very personal school, but he still speaks of Dr. Denmark, the principal, and Miss Pitts in the library, and Miss Strolls and his teacher. So attending that school, I think I made a comment about this is a place where a lot of youngsters make their first adult friends. And, you know, they remember. I remember mine from, you know, elementary school. So it was just a great event yesterday. A comment made earlier, Sonia decided that I went over to the Family Justice Center. Actually, a group from the Dolly Madison Woman's Club went over Tuesday, and we presented checks for scholarships to Camp Hope. That was why I was there then, but I'm always impressed going in to see the work and hear about the work that's being done there. Thank you.

thank you mr chairman i just want to uh congratulate my daughter who had my grandson ace this morning at 5 24 a.m so uh it's a long night if i appear to be yawning it's uh it's a long long wait last night and end of the morning but a special blessing that uh is joining our families so just congratulations to her and my son-in-law calvin thank you mr jones

Yeah, just congratulations again to all the graduates. Tender number of graduations last week and all of them were done incredibly well. Want to also remind everyone that the Juneteenth Farmers Market will be tomorrow at Hayes Taylor YMCA beginning at 12 noon and hope to see everyone out there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, I do want to congratulate all of the graduates from Guilford County Schools and I attended all of the High Point Schools graduation But I especially want to congratulate my niece and nephew, Autumn and AJ, who are twins, who graduated from Ragsdale High School. I attended the 120-year celebration of Marsh Cabinets in High Point last week. It was kind of a big deal because Marsh has been in that community for 120 years from Marsh Furniture to Marsh Cabinets, and we did a tour of that facility there. I attended the Jet Zero groundbreaking on Monday along with other commissioners. And on Tuesday, I attended and participated in the groundbreaking in High Point for downtown High Point, so Showplace West. That spot has been renamed Elwood on Main. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is being transformed into 143 market rate

apartment units in downtown High Point, so that's a big day for us in High Point on Tuesday.

Want to remind everybody and invite everybody out to the Juneteenth celebration this Sunday in High Point from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and it's at Mendenhall Transportation Center, which is covered. It's outside, but it is covered right in front of the High Point Theater on Commerce Street. The Black Farmers Market will be a part of that, and we will have entertainment and food trucks and all that goes with a big celebration. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'd also want to thank Jet Zero for choosing Gifford County to locate their headquarters here. It was a great event out there, probably 700 people or plus or more that was out there to celebrate. So it was great for Gifford County, not only statewide but nationwide, to be able to get an organization and a corporation like that to relocate here. Let's say Sternberger. Okay, Ms. Cashin, you did a great job of giving the greetings there. And I too want to say a happy birthday, belated birthday to my granddaughter, Arielle Austin. She turned six years old on June the 11th, and she also graduated from to the first grade at our Jones Elementary School. So I just wanted to give her a shout out. With that being said, that's all I have. We do have a closed session. Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143, that's 318, that point 11, for the purpose of consulting with our county attorney and to consider potential economic incentive for the purpose of a business expansion or relocation. Do I hear a motion?

I move. Move it in property second.

All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Closes in May. Ayes have it. We stand in closed session.

Nobody's interested Thank you