City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the meeting of the Kanapa City Council for June 22nd, 26. If we all can please rise, we're going to do the Pledge of Allegiance. Let me have Ms. Berry.

Join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

It's time, Council, I believe, to make an adoption of the agenda. Is there a motion?

Motion to adopt.

Ms. Dixon?

Second.

Ms. Berry? All in favor, if you will please raise your hand. Thank you. Mr. Melton, did you want to say something here?

Yes, Mayor, members of City Council. If I can just have a few moments here, I'd like to read a statement for someone that asked me to share this, that they weren't able to be here this evening. Mayor, members of City Council, I've been asked to clarify some miscommunication from our last meeting on behalf of Peter Float's managing partner, LMG, and developer of the Marriott Hotel project. He regrets that he can't be present this evening to share this information in person. I won't read the entire letter. this evening, but copies have been placed at your seats as well as with the clerk for the official record. The letter is reassurance that the downtown Kannapolis Hotel project remains active and continues to move forward. The project has not been shelved and the current efforts have been focused on finalizing a financing structure that allows the project to move forward on an efficient and sustainable basis. Further, LMG wants to be very clear that their continued diligence on finances should not be interpreted as a lack of confidence in the city as a whole, the city council, or city management. Quite the opposite. Kannapolis has been foundational to the company, and their commitment remains strong. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, sir. We have some proclamations. Chief, are you up now, sir?

Mayor, members of council, it's my pleasure to come before you tonight. I'm going to ask the Deputy Chief Chris Hill to come up and give you a little bit of background on our Police Citizens Academy and also introduce our graduates.

Mayor, members of council, it's my pleasure to come before you tonight to recognize an outstanding group of individuals who recently attended and completed the department's Citizens Police Academy. Citizens Police Academy is designed to foster closer and meaningful relationships between the police department and the citizens we serve. We want these graduates to be ambassadors not only for our department, but for the entire law enforcement profession. The Academy gives students insights into all aspects of our operations that people outside law enforcement usually don't get the opportunity to see or experience. It's also a great way to promote the department's commitment to transparency to the community. This is our 11th Citizens Academy class, and it started on March 5th and ended on May 14th. I want to commend the class for their enthusiasm, interest, and patience during each session. We covered a lot of topic areas and tried to do so in a way to provide them with a real-life perspective of the profession and our department, while at the same time making it fun and interesting. I'm proud to present to you the 2026 graduating class of the Kannapolis Police Department Citizens Police Academy. And as I read your name, if you're here, if you'll please come up so we can recognize you. Donnell Akins, Adam Dedman, Molly Eberly, Nick Eberly, Stephanie Foreman, Demetra Grigley, Ronald Flanders, Jackson Hare, Justin Noll, Jaylene Lopez, Pam Pfeiffer, Susan Price, Christopher R., LaKayla R., Jamie Simons, and Gloria Talbert.

Congratulations. Good luck, buddy. Congratulations, man. You got tied on that clock.

Congratulations. Did you all have fun? Good.

Oh, yeah? Yes. Okay. Okay.

I think this Ms. Hatchell has her proclamation now.

Let me get them out right there.

It's quite an honor to be able to read this tonight. So proud to live in this country. I've traveled the world and there's nowhere else I'd rather live than Kannapolis, North Carolina.

So I'm so thankful we have this constitutional republic where we can come and gather together with diversity of thought and speak our mind and then go forth and do our best to govern here in Kannapolis. So from the Office of Mayor, Kannapolis, North Carolina, we proclaim 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Whereas on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, affirming the fundamental principles of liberty, equality, self-government, and the inherent rights of all people, And whereas the year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, a historic milestone commemorating two and a half centuries of our nation's democratic institutions, civic engagement, and the pursuit of a more perfect union. And whereas throughout its history, the United States has been shaped by the courage, sacrifice, innovation, and determination of generations of Americans who have contributed to the nation's growth and progress. And whereas this anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect our shared history, honor those who have served and strengthened our communities, renewed our commitment to the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, and whereas the semi-quincentennial celebration encourages citizens of all ages to learn about our nation's history, participate in civic life, and work together to build a brighter future for generations to come, And whereas the City of Kannapolis joins communities across North Carolina and the nation in commemorating this significant anniversary and recognizing the enduring ideals that unite us as Americans. Now, therefore, the City Council of the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina does hereby proclaim 2026 as the 250th anniversary of the United States of America and encourage all residents to participate in educational, cultural, historical, civic activities that honor our nation's past, celebrate its achievements, and inspire continued service to our community, state, and country. And witness whereof, Mayor Wilson, on behalf of the City of Kannapolis, has caused the Great Seal of the City of Kannapolis to be affixed this 22nd day of June 2026.

Thank you, Ms. Hatchell. Ms. Dixon now has another proclamation for us.

I'd like to ask Mr. Gary Mills or any other members of the Parks Department to come join me. So when I was asked to... read the proclamation. It was truly my honor. Recently, I've worked very closely with the Parks and Recreation during their reaccreditation process. They had a very, very active role as being members of the Juneteenth Celebration Committee, and there was a stellar celebration this past Friday. And on Saturday evening, more than 11,000 Residents, friends, family members came together in Village Park under weather that Gary had ordered for us. But we're so proud of our Parks and Rec Department. And so from the office of the mayor, Kannapolis, North Carolina, the proclamation for Parks and Recreation Month reads, whereas parks, trails, greenways, recreation facilities, and open spaces contribute significantly to the health, well-being and quality of life of residents of the city of Kannapolis, and whereas parks and recreation programs provide opportunities for physical activity, environmental stewardship, lifelong learning, social connection, cultural enrichment, and community engagement for people of all ages and abilities, And whereas parks and recreation services enhance the attractiveness and vitality of our community, support economic development, promote tourism, and create a strong sense of place, and whereas the dedicated professionals, volunteers, and community partners who plan, maintain, and operate parks and recreation facilities work year-round to provide safe, accessible, and welcoming spaces for residents and visitors, and whereas parks and recreation resources help protect natural areas, preserve community character, promote sustainability, and improve the physical and mental health of individuals and families, And whereas July is recognized nationwide as Parks and Recreation Month, providing an opportunity to celebrate the vital role that parks and recreation play in building healthy, vibrant, and resilient communities. Now, therefore, the City Council of the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina does hereby proclaim as Parks and Recreation Month and encourage all residents to visit local parks, participate in recreation programs, enjoy outdoor activities, and recognize the many contributions of parks and recreation professionals, volunteers, and advocates who enrich our community, and witness wherefore Mayor George Douglas Wilson, on behalf of the City Council, has caused the great seal of the state of Kannapolis to be affixed this 22nd day of June 2026. Thank you.

All right, before we go to speakers from the floor, I'd like to make a comment just in advance. I don't know who signed up to speak tonight, and we're glad you're here. Many of you probably already know that we were able to come to a better solution, we think, for our city as it relates to the transit in many ways. And so we're able to keep it going for another year in its entirety, no routes cut out, everything's the way it was. And I want to thank Mr. Melton for helping me as we worked through that process and we were able to get it done. So if you're going to speak on that, that's fine. I get it. But if you were going to remind us we needed to do it, we've done it. I'm just trying to save her about a little time here. I think Mr. Melton has something he'd like to share, so I'm going to turn it over to him.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening. I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who attended the Juneteenth Festival. in Veterans Park. It was a wonderful celebration and your participation made it a success. I also want to address some confusion regarding a separate event that took place nearby. The area known as the Horseshoe was rented for a private event organized by Southern Bites and Nights, a food and entertainment event that ran from Friday through Sunday. This event was entirely separate from the Juneteenth Festival and had no affiliation. Unfortunately, the city was not aware that one of the vendors at the event would be selling and demonstrating the use of whips. The private organizer has confirmed that there was no intent to offend or make any connection to Juneteenth. Nevertheless, I sincerely apologize that this situation created a negative association with what was otherwise a joyful and meaningful celebration. The city remains committed to providing quality, family-friendly events for our entire community. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Mellon. Ms. Gags, it's now time for the speakers on the floor.

I would just like to remind everyone, if you would like to address City Council, I do need you to fill out one of these cards that can be found at the sign-in table outside these doors. You will have four minutes to make your comments. There are lights at the podium as well as on that table up front there. You'll see it turn yellow when you're nearing the end of your time. I believe it's right at a minute. Red, and then eventually you'll hear a buzzer if you do run out of time. I'd also like to remind you to please state your name and your address when you approach the podium. At that time after you're done doing that, I will then start the timer for you to speak. There are three other public hearings tonight. Two of them are regarding voluntary annexation. Another one is regarding a text amendment to the Kannapolis Development Ordinance. If you have comments regarding any of those, you can hold those to the public hearing. That's what the public hearing for those are for. If you are here representing a group and you think you're going to be conveying the same message, we would ask that you just designate a speaker to represent the group. And so with that, the first card I have is for Beth Goodman.

Good evening. My name is Beth Goodman. My address is 2503 Westminster Drive. Um, I'm actually going to be speaking on behalf of Keisha Sandage, who could not be here this evening. I have a statement from her and it will also be emailed to each of you. Good evening. I attended the Juneteenth celebration in Cabarrus County this weekend, Kannapolis, a day intended to commemorate the end of slavery, celebrate black freedom and bring our community together in joy and remembrance. However, directly across the street was another festival where whips were being sold and whip cracking demonstrations were taking place. There was no clear distinction between the two events and attendees from the Juneteenth celebration, including children and families, were crossing freely between them. Several community members expressed concern about the sale of whips. What was especially alarming to me was the experience of my 13-year-old nephew. He thought it was strange and unsettling that whips were being sold next to a Juneteenth celebration. At one point, another adult felt compelled to ask him if he was okay and whether the man with the whip was trying to whip him. No child should have to process that question while attending an event meant to celebrate freedom and community. Whips are not harmless novelties. They can cause serious injury. So I have questions. One, were WIPs allowed at this event? Two, if they were not permitted at city sponsored events or on city property, why were they allowed here? Three, who authorized this activity? Four, was the city aware that WIPs would be sold and demonstrated? I lost track of what number I'm on, sorry y'all. Five, if officials were unaware, what does that say about the processes in place to ensure the health and safety of our community? I also ask that we consider the historical context. Whips were instruments of violence and oppression during slavery. They hold painful symbolism for many members of our community. While people may have different views about their use in other settings, I cannot understand how they could be considered appropriate immediately adjacent to a Juneteenth celebration commemorating emancipation. This is not about censorship. This is about exercising good judgment, ensuring community safety, and being culturally aware and responsive. We can celebrate our diverse interests while also recognizing when something is insensitive, potentially dangerous and harmful to the spirit of an event that honors freedom and resilience. I asked this council to review what occurred, determine how it was approved and establish safeguards so that our community never has to ask these questions again. Thank you.

Justin Luter.

Mayor, council, thank you for the opportunity.

My name is Justin Luter.

I live in Mary Wynne Court.

Hang on one moment. Yeah. Well, I can talk now.

So first and foremost, I wanted to thank you guys for finding a resolution for our transportation system. I greatly appreciate when our elected officials actually listen to the public and make wise decisions.

I definitely want to give a shout out to our city manager.

for your comments regarding the Juneteenth celebration, particularly as it pertains to this incident with the whip. And I also want to state that while other people might not see that as something to be concerned about, people in the community sincerely do. And it's not something to be made light of or be dismissed. It's not something to be considered rabble-rousing. There's a genuine sense of hurt regarding that issue and forward? How can we prevent such slights of happening in the future? And I'm hoping that you guys will work with the committee to find resolutions so we don't have those kinds of incidents going forward. I am a descendant of enslaved Africans. My family comes my mother's side. My family comes from the Stagville Plantation, which is the largest plantation in North Carolina. It's now a historic site. If you are familiar with the plantation, there's a gentleman named Doc Edwards. He was an enslaved person on that plantation. He is my grandmother's grandfather. When these kinds of incidents come up, we don't all take that lightly. We don't all brush that aside. And not just people that come here on a routine basis, but a number of people in the community have spoken out and are concerned. It's now going viral. It's on social media. One, we did not want that associated with the Juneteenth celebration, and we certainly don't want these kinds of slights to happen in the future. So if you were not aware, I hope you are aware going forward that that is not a light slight. It was a serious matter and needs to be addressed. And I thank you for your time.

Kim Luder.

Good evening. Kim Luder, 1832 Mary Wynne Court. I stand before you all tonight just thanking you members of the Kannapolis City Council and residents who have decided to be here with us today. I am a member of this community that I have now called home for 20 years. I stand before you concerned, as a concerned neighbor, as a mother, as a wife, as an educator, and as a community organizer. It's cool that you wanted to get ahead of it and open up this meeting by talking about the incident at Juneteenth and sharing your experiences disapprovement of it as well. But I still think it's important that you hear from the people who were most impacted by that situation. I think that it's concerning that a decision to allow this celebration to take place during Kannapolis Juneteenth celebration is concerning. It is very concerning that something including whips and demonstrating to people how to crack a whip. Children being asked, do you want to know how to crack a whip? This is what was going on on Friday, just across the way, as we were directing people to take part in all of the activities that were happening during our Juneteenth celebration, because we want to be supportive of community event and we need to trust it. So this is not about opposing community celebrations or American history. It's about the responsibility we have as leaders and as community partners to understand the history, the symbolism, and the impact that having these events placed side by side created. Juneteenth is a sacred commemoration of freedom, marking the day that enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they were free more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. It honors the generations of black people who endured unimaginable suffering, including the use of whips, which were used as tools of punishment, control, and terror under slavery. It's hard for me to imagine that any grown person in their sane mind that had good intentions would not see that, you know what, I didn't realize Juneteenth was going to be across the way, but now that I do, I probably don't need to do this. So that part I'm not willing to forgive or to let go of. For a city-supported or city-permitted event, celebrating this with lessons on how to use a whip directly across from a Juneteenth celebration showed a lack of historical awareness, cultural sensitivity, and a lack of sound judgment. The timing and proximity were especially troubling because families and children were present at both events. A whip is not just an object for many black Americans. As you have heard, it represents violence, dehumanization, and the things that our ancestors endured. And our children deserve to be in spaces where history is taught with care and where they are not asked to navigate conflicting messages about painful parts of our nation's history. This moment calls for some reflection and not to be defensive, but to prompt us to examine our processes. And I ask you, now that we've acknowledged it and we're all sorry that it happened, what will we do to make sure that something like this never happens again in Kannapolis?

Daryl Hennett.

Darrell Hennett, 1106 Sunset Drive, Kannapolis, North Carolina. I'm here, first of all, to thank you. To thank you for making a great decision. And that is to reinvigorate and recreate the bus system, the transit system, back the way it was. Yes, transit needs some improvement, and all of us should be working together to make those improvements. So I'm saying thank you for giving our community a year to be able to move forward and to figure out what those alternatives should be. So thank you very much. I'm also here asking you to make another good decision regarding Eastside Park. The land has been purchased several years ago. A park was promised to the community. There is no other park on the east side of town. Within one mile of that park location, there are 10,000 citizens, Kannapolis citizens, who live there. Within two miles of the park, there is 25,000 Kannapolis citizens who live there. You received a big grant and congratulations for receiving that big grant to do the mid-lake sidewalk. It is ready to be in progress and that's a wonderful thing. It will help protect those kids who are going to ride to the park and to enjoy the park. You received another $500,000 to help construct the park. Your proposed budget has $8.211 million of new revenue projected, mostly from growth. We all expect and acknowledge that growth is going to occur in Kannapolis and will continue to occur. If you borrow $5 million to build that park now and create a 5% interest rate, for a 10-year term on that mortgage, your annual payment would be $647,522.68, just for detail. But let's just round it off and say $650,000. It's easy to find $650,000 in this budget to pay to start building that park immediately. And that is without a tax increase. You could start the park in 26 and be operating late in 27 or early 28. Your alternative to open a referendum to get permission to borrow $40 million is interesting. Because you're telling the citizens that in order to have that park and the other parks that is in that bundle, that they need to vote themselves a 4.5 cent increase in their taxes. You want them to vote for a tax increase when they could get it for free? How is that possible? Do you really want to build this park? There's been all kinds of conversations with me and people on the council who've said, you don't want to build this park. Here is an easy way to build this park. All of these projects of the $40 million group could be done without a tax increase over a five-year plan. Don't hide behind a referendum. Let's get busy and build this park. Thank you.

Dan Redding.

Good evening. My name is Dan Redding.

I live in Harrisburg, and I'm a candidate for Cabarrus County Commissioner.

I had initially planned on speaking this evening to advocate for a reversal of your decision to cut or amend certain routes for Rider Transit starting July 1st. Instead, I want to commend you for choosing to maintain the current transit routes for the next fiscal year. Thank you. I especially appreciate Councilmember Berry and City Manager Melton for their attendance at the Transit Summit a couple of weeks ago. That meeting made a big impact on me, and I think it made them more aware of the impact that those cuts could have on the community that is so reliant on those routes for their livelihood. And that is what I hope that everyone up here understands now, that these buses and routes are not optional for so many in our community. They take them because how else will they get to work, school, doctor's appointments, or grocery shopping? and continue to be an involved and contributing member of the local economy. When 93% of CKR riders have a household income under $40,000 a year, I'm gonna repeat that, household income under $40,000 a year, they cannot afford another option. The cost of owning a car for many are top of mind, because I think you can make a very legitimate argument that it has never been more expensive to own a car than right now. And I don't know about anybody else in this room, but do we think those costs are going down anytime soon? No. As our area continues to grow, it is essential that our municipalities and county governments work together to look at ways to improve, expand, and diversify our public transit. With growth can come more cars, and I don't like the idea of more cars on the roads any more than anyone else. That's more traffic, more strain on an infrastructure that is already stressed. Plus, we should not want to turn every patch of grass into a highway. So how do we move people across our county and region in a cost-effective and efficient way? I'm not going to pretend to know the exact right answer right now. And I'm sure that tough decisions will have to be made to ensure that we can keep up with the inevitable growth and rising costs. It makes it that much more important that our local governments have open and consistent dialogue. Collaboration is a must if you're going to serve our community with the best interests of all who live here. Thank you.

Willie Rash.

Good evening. My name is Willie Rash. I live at 404 Iris Circle, Kannapolis. Anytime you receive something asked for, you ought to say thank you. So I'm here to say thank you. Myself and numbers of other people at the last meeting addressed the transit system. Some have already said thank you as well. Appreciate you taking the time to look at that a lot harder. And I know the information you have on that side of the desk is not always the same information we have on this side of the desk. And so it makes it challenging to be able to do the things that need to be done. And so to postpone that decision for another year to make a better decision is a great idea. And to be able to keep the transit going at the same cost it is now is a wonderful blessing to be able to have. It's already been addressed numerous times. folks need to be able to have some sort of transportation that they can afford. And so thank you for working hard to do that. I know that was not an easy task, but I appreciate your listening and working hard to be able to do that. So may the Lord's favor be upon you and upon our city because of that. So just thank you very much.

Thank you, sir. Tim Jung.

Thank you.

My name is Gary Walter. I live at 2301 Pentagon Road in Concord. Mr. Mayor, Council, thank you for this opportunity. I was going to take you back in time a little bit and opted not to do that, but I am going to take you back to when the city bought downtown area from Mr. Murdoch in 2015. It wasn't long after that that you had a consulting group in and He started talking about all the plans to what downtown was going to look like. They even built a model, brought that big model and said, here it is. And of course, everybody knew that that was just a projection at the time. But one common thing that was voiced over and over again during all the discussions was that downtown had to have the anchors, which is important in any downtown area. And one good example for those that may not know what I'm talking about when I say anchor, the baseball stadium is one such anchor. But they also back then talked about maybe someday a performing arts center. But they talked very often about either a community center, visitor center, museum, or something of that nature. And it was very important because the mayor at the time and perhaps many council members said that downtown needed to become a destination. Multiple cities all around the world have faced the same problems for years, morsel problems. was one of them. Hendersonville, if you've been up there, was another major one that went through the same thing. Even Concord, who followed the lead of Kannapolis, trying to achieve some of the same results, even though they're the county seat, they saw the need to make it more attractive and a way to make it become more of a destination. And that's why I want to reiterate or talk again, I'm not going to repeat them all, the things I talked about at the last meeting. As I stated then, visitor centers and museums are much more than just cultural attractions. They are strategic assets for community engagement, tourism, development, and urban vitality. Museums in particular can function as community hubs, places for social gatherings, idea exchange, and civic discourse. They attract diverse audiences including younger generations and help sustain cultural institutions by building trust and engagement. Visitor centers are critical for destination management and sustainable tourism. They provide accurate, up-to-date information, map services helping to monitor visitor flows and plan infrastructure. And one thing I added to that particular statement, visitor centers can also do a lot to promote your downtown businesses as well as in the surrounding area. And also, can you imagine having your little brochures at the borders? Visit Kannapolis while you're going through our lovely state. So visitor centers are very important. And I will say, when the museums are located in the center city, they become anchors for urban revitalization, boosting foot traffic, supporting local businesses, and enhancing a city's cultural appeal. They also create jobs and stimulate economic activity through tourism and cultural events. A well-placed visitor center or museum ensures easy access for both residents and tourists, allowing for flexible itineraries, spontaneous discovery. This accessibility is a key to making cultural experiences inclusive and welcoming. Thank you.

Tracy Caldwell.

Tracy Caldwell, 801 West A Street, Kannapolis, North Carolina. First of all, I want to thank Kannapolis city as a whole for being a city that allows its citizens to be able to express themselves in a conducive way. I've been in the city 42 years, been pastoring New Piney Grove Baptist Church 42 years. I've had major interactions with just about everyone on this board, except these present two. We've always worked hand in hand We didn't wait. Over the years, we haven't waited for the problem to happen. We tried to address different issues before they happened. And I want you all to know that we appreciate that. I thank God that this city allows people to pray. Thank you, sister, for praying. Let me make this. I'm going to read just one portion of scripture. Micah 6 and 8. He hath shown thee, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. God requires that of us. We talk about Christianity and how much we love the Lord, but when it comes down to us dealing with, especially those that don't have, I find many times that we throw God's word to the side. As I said, I've been in the city many years. I noticed, I've seen the growth that's in the city, very good growth. I'm happy to see the growth that we have. I might be off a couple dollars or so. You can see they've spent some $250 million, $150 on research campus, and I'm talking about on infrastructure, maybe 100 downtown areas. And I want you to know that money that you spend, you're spending on people that have money. Amen. Tax incentives, for instance. Thank God for these major companies that have come in. I thank God, amen, for Amazon. other companies that we have in the area that you give three and a half years tax breaks for them coming. I know they add jobs to the area. I understand that. That's what I consider corporate welfare. We talk about welfare for the poor. Amen. That's welfare for the rich. That's, amen, here and there. I also like to mention, amen, that the community block grant money, the CDBG money that comes in from the government, that money shouldn't be used, amen, for sidewalks for the area. It should be used for the poor. The city have a $135 million budget, an $8 million tax increase, a little more here and there. Amen. That money, amen, that's coming in extra from the city, amen, the city should lay some of that money aside, amen, to distribute it to those that in need, the least of these in our city. I hear the city talking about stopping, amen, Not so much the growth, but the investment, amen, in spending in the area. There's no time to stop, amen, spending. We want you to jump over, amen, the loop road over there where other areas is, amen. We want you to spend money there also. Such as, amen, in the old district. building, commercial building, in the city. Amen. We want you to spend money all over the city, not just in the downtown area. Thank you.

Okay, just a reminder, I'm down to my last two cards. So if there's anything you'd like to talk about addressed to city council, I need you to fill out one of these cards. The next one is, and I apologize if I mispronounce your name, Marathi Howey?

Greetings to the council, to the mayor. My name is Marathi Howie, 312 Melrose, Concord, North Carolina. I'm the CEO and face of Vegan Vibe Music Series, an event that we've been doing for the community, Charlotte, Concord, surrounding areas for now eight years. What we do is we bring vegan food, community, family-friendly music all in one, and we do seven of them for the year each time. So in eight years, we've done over 50 of them. Stacy and Steve are very familiar because we're in Cabarrus Brewery. That's what we did in 2020. Now we're back there with them. I was out for a Juneteenth, a great event that Demetria and them, that they put together. I mean, a great job. I was going around passing my flyers, so I ended up going onto that side. So I was one of the ones that seen the whip and experienced that and seen what that was about. And it was very, very, very alarming. And as a single father of two boys, the protective side of me wanted to go and say something, right? Because I felt that it needed to be addressed. But then on the other side of me, being the face of an event and understanding what that is about, I just went ahead about my business. But I also thought about the fact that when I came home to speak on it, my son was one of the ones that was asked to go and whip the whip. And so he's a kid that doesn't meet strangers. So he's my youngest one. So I was infuriated that he went over there and actually did it. And I was like, son. But then I slowed down. I was like, you don't really know what racism is about yet. You don't know what that is. So I have to excuse you, but you'll learn that in time. But I want to say this. Being over in an event that's family friendly and something that I take pride in is my passion, and having to think out every single detail of the event to make sure that it's family friendly and welcoming for everybody, because it's all walks of life that come out there. I said, as much as I put thought into that, What event coordinator would not put thought into whips being sold out there and doing whips like that as black people are walking through? What type of mind would they have that they wouldn't make it family friendly during the time period of Juneteenth? And so, from an event coordinator side, I want y'all to understand that I seen it from both sides, right? Being able to do a successful event for now eight years, and now also going and seeing someone do something as offensive as bringing whips, right? I thought it was very alarming. Thank you very much for addressing it. And I think it should be a step further if you could get the coordinator to probably come back and make a public apology to the people. I think that would be even better. Thank you.

Lachissa Bailey.

Good evening. My name is Lachisa Bailey, 2639 Lookout Point Road in Kannapolis, also a local business owner as well. One of my concerns is that the situation has created unintended consequences, not only for attendees, but for local businesses and event partners. After researching more about the James Whipper show, I now understand the business primarily services the equestrian industry and sells products to horse owners and stables. However, because of the timing, location, and lack of separation between the events, many people associated that business with the Juneteenth celebration. As a result, the business has now become the subject of public criticism, negative social media discussions, regardless of the origin's intent. Similarly, the Juneteenth Festival itself risked having the brand and reputation overshadowed by controversy rather than the celebration of history, culture, and community that organizers worked hard to create. My question to the Council is what processes are now in place to protect both the community events and participating businesses from unforeseeable, reputationable damage when multiple events are hosted simultaneously? and what safeguards will be implemented going forward to ensure that vendors, event organizers, and cultural celebrations are not unintentionally placed in situations that create conflict, confusion, or damage to their public reputation. Also in closing, I'd like to add, as being a small business owner myself, I know how difficult it is to build a positive reputation. A business can spend years earning trust and goodwill with their community, and a single Incident whether intentional or not can impact public perceptions. I believe the city has a responsibility to consider not only Logistics and attendance but also the reputational risks that arise when events are planned without adequate context communication and cultural awareness Thank you Thank you Last car to have is for Phil Goodman

Good evening, Council. My name is Phil Goodman, 1005 Central Drive in Kannapolis. First, I'd like to say I genuinely appreciate and thank people that come to this podium that are prepared. They've done their homework, as this young lady just said. It's appreciated, and I'm sure if I were sitting on that side, I would appreciate it as well. It's the ones that come unprepared or without accurate information and make accusations that just create havoc. I'd like to ask the question, what do the following towns and cities have in common? That would be Mount Pleasant, Concord, Mount Airy, Black Mountain, Salisbury, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Statesville, and many, many others. They have museums, they have visitor centers, and the majority of them are sponsored or supported by the city. A much-needed home for new visitors or welcome center and a history museum for our city of Kannapolis is very practical, affordable, reasonable, and an expected project for our city. Our city has survived transformations from farmland to textiles, to research, and they did so with determination, resilience, and success over more than 100 years. Newcomers, new businesses, current residents, and many others will never know the history of our city without a welcome center and a history museum. Individual and group visions are what Kannapolis was founded on, and those are still the motivating factors for our future. A museum located downtown will support the vision of Kannapolis becoming the destination city as previously mentioned. Our city operated a visitor's center and historical display from 1974 to 2005, so this is nothing new. We as a city have a responsibility to provide our history to anyone who lives, works, visits, or moves here. I'd like to once again clarify that, to the best of my knowledge, the funds were set aside a few years ago for the purpose of establishing a museum, earnest money, whatever you want to call it. So let's make sure everyone understands no funds are planned to be taken from any other project, whether it be a sidewalk, a park, or a bus. None of those funds are going to a museum. I find it interesting that most of the people who are against a museum and opposed to the city supporting such an endeavor are not natives of Kannapolis. Lifetime and longtime residents should make your voices heard in support of this project. Our former mayor stated at the last council meeting that he is a supporter of history. It is true he has often spoken of a history museum. However, he has also publicly opposed any forward movement to establish such a facility other than tell and give incorrect and false information. It is time to give our community what it deserves. On another note, I am so proud of the people I'm looking at here. from Isaiah down to the attorney. You guys are doing an incredible job. I don't know, had I been elected, if I could sit up there and take what you've taken in the last four or five months and not lose my cool. You've done it professionally. You've stayed together. You've demonstrated camaraderie. You've demonstrated tolerance. You've reacted to just about every question that's come up and problem. The bus is a good example of that. And there's been many more. So for those of us that love this city and care about it, I want you to know, we appreciate what you're doing. It's the best functioning, coordinated and determined council I've seen in many, many years. Um, As far as the Eastside Park, I think I'm correct in saying this. That Eastside Park was not canceled. It was postponed.

Thank you, Mr. Goodman.

Mayor, that is the last card I have.

Thank you, Ms. Skaggs. Council, we have a consent agenda in front of us. What is your pleasure on this? Motion to approve consent agenda, Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Duvall.

I'll second it.

Ms. Hatchell with a second. All in favor, if you please indicate. Thank you. We're now moving on into our business agenda item a Mr. Melton.

Thank you, mayor. So the first item on your business agenda is, uh, the, uh, adoption of the budget. There are several steps that are associated with that. And I'd like to walk you through those. In addition to that, provide you, uh, the modifications and edits that we've talked about over the past few meetings. and that way the public, as well as you, will be able to see those changes and edits. DJ, can you go to the next slide for me? I don't have the clicker, so I'm gonna give DJ instruction to go to the next slide. So the first, there are three steps, as I mentioned, that is a part of the budget process that we'll be adopting. First, the first action that we'll take is adoption of the fee schedule. As you might remember at past meetings, and I'll go over this, We've talked about what those mean, the water sewer modifications and changes, but this really sets up and supports everything that you have as a part of the budget. The next item is the FY27 budget adoption itself, so approving the budget ordinance. Again, we've gone through and all the edits and modifications that council's requested. throughout our various meetings are inclusive in this document. You'll be able to see that as we move forward. The last item that is also inclusive as a part of the budget and is required by your own ordinance is the FY27 position classification schedule adoption. So with that, D.J., if you can go to the next slide, please. Okay. The budget ordinance, excuse me, I'm getting out of order myself here. The fee schedule establishes as incorporated as a part of the budget. Again, we've had meetings and conversations about All the contents of the fee schedule, this is supportive and important that be adopted first because this is the first item and sets up all of the things that we have incorporated as a part of the budget at council's request. As a reminder, I will say that there's no changes to the property tax rate or environmental fee that are incorporated as part of your budget. And with that... Mayor, I'll pause. I'm going to do that at each one of these items because, again, there are three individual items. But I'll pause. We'll answer any questions. Kristen, the finance team, and others, management teams here, we can certainly address and answer any questions. And if not, if there are no questions, the first action item for you is adoption of the fee schedule.

Are there any questions for Mr. Melvin?

Mayor, I'd like to make a motion that we approve the FY 2026 and 2027 fee schedule.

Is there a second? Mr. Payne? Okay. All in favor? Okay, good. Thank you.

Next slide, D.J. All right, the next item on your agenda is, excuse me, not on the agenda, but as a part of the budget adoption process, is the general fund and transit fund changes and modifications that were requested. The general fund budget was originally proposed at $89.8 million. The new general fund budget is $90 million. This is because of a strong, strong budget. sales tax that we were able to receive, increasing that amount approximately $200,000 in that fund. The transit fund was also proposed at $733,000, and as we talked about reinstating, giving us an opportunity to work with our partners and reinstating the bus service for the upcoming year, we were able to renegotiate a favorable rate in the amount of $1.2 million. That increase was paid for by the sales tax increase that we were able to recognize, significant sales tax increase, as well as taking fund balance from the transit fund. The next item for your consideration is adoption of the FY27 budget ordinance. This budget ordinance establishes the appropriations and funding authority for all seven funds the city's annual adopted funds. So the budget ordinance included the changes to the general fund as well as the transit fund that we have previously discussed. And, Mayor, I'll pause again and give council the opportunity to ask any questions, deliberate. If not.

Okay. Any questions here? No. Is there a motion?

Mr. Mayor, I offer a motion to adopt the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Thank you, Ms. Dixon. Is there a second? Mr. Davout with a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. That's unanimous. Okay. Thank you.

The last action item that's before you on the budget is the adoption of the FY27 position classification plan. In accordance with the city's personnel policy, the city council must approve salary ranges for all position classifications. That action item is inclusive as a part of your FY27 budget and included. for council's consideration. So with that mayor, I'll turn it back to council and address and answer any questions relative to this. This has been discussed at your retreats as well as prior meetings.

Any, any questions on this item? All right. Well, we'll need a motion for this one. I'll take that motion. Okay. Is there a second Mr. Payne with a second all in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you very much. We're moving on to item B, which is a, uh, interlocal agreement. Mr. Melton.

Yes, Mayor. This is the interlocal agreement that Attorney Kelly and I and you and others have worked on with the City of Concord. This is the interlocal agreement for maintaining our transit system for the next 12 months. The agreement starts, obviously, upon Council's approval and adoption of this amendment, and it will extend until June 30th of 2027 in the amount of $1.2 million that you just approved in your budget. I'm happy to answer any additional questions. This also restores, again, all of the routes that we were talking about, weekend services as well, so this addresses and gives us a year to look and improve our system.

All right. Are there any questions on this? I know we've talked about this a lot, so are there any questions? If not, then we do need a motion here.

I'll make a comment.

I'll make a comment.

It was said earlier, but I just wanted to thank you both because you all led this effort on behalf of to renegotiate the terms with Concord, and I know that was a lot of work, a lot of back and forth, so I appreciate that. With that, I will make the motion to approve the resolution to enter into the amended interlocal agreement with Concord.

Is there a second? I second. Ms. Dixon with a second. All in favor, please raise your hand. Thank you very much. All right, now we have a public hearing, and I believe it's time for our good friend Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith.

We do have a couple annexation requests for you tonight. The first one is located on Chapel Street, South Chapel Street's unaddressed parcel. It is a voluntary annexation request. Eric Troyer of Fortunate Development is actually a requester of that. It involves just one parcel. It is a 0.28 acre track there. It is contiguous annexation. It is in our future growth area, and the proposed use of this property will be residential. The most houses they could get there would be two houses, probably not even that because they only have city water but not city sewer on that location. Sorry. Uh, and that's just the, um, vicinity maps, uh, for like it's North cannon Boulevard, of course, chapel street in that area. And 31st street, it's on the corner of 31st and South chapel there. And that gives you a better idea from the survey there. So with that, you'll need to hold the hearing tonight. I'll be glad to answer any questions before or after the hearing.

Any, any questions? Okay. We're going to open the public here and then your comments, please restrict them to this item and this item only. Does anyone have anything to add or mention about this particular issue? Having seen no one, I'm going to close it. Public hearing is closed. Now, we need a motion on this now to extend the corporate limits. Mr. Payne. Ms. Berry, the second. All in favor, please vote, please, with your hands. Thank you very much. Another public hearing coming up here.

Second annexation item we have for you is on Highway 73. It does involve 20.05 acres. It's located adjacent to and abutting the Amazon facility. This is actually two parcels right near Lake Howell, but it's actually not in the watershed because it's on the downstream side of the lake as opposed to the upstream side of that so the request is being made as a voluntary annexation request the address is 6758 Davidson Highway and Trackhouse Racing is actually the facility that's open to go there that gives you a better idea as far as surveying location on Highway 73 or Davidson Highway and with that we'll hold the hearing as well Mayor you can I can ask answer any questions you have before or after the hearing as well so

Any questions on this one? No questions. We're going to open the public hearing. Please restrict your comments to this topic only. Anyone want to speak on this matter? Please don't rush up here. All right. I'm going to close this public hearing. Council, we need a motion on this one.

So moved.

Mr. Payne?

Second.

Second. Mr. Dave, all in favor? Thank you. Moving forward again, Mr. Smith.

Last item I have for you, Mayor, this is actually a text amendment request. This is actually city-initiated based on the elimination of the ETJ area in Rowan County. So there's nine text amendments that are necessary in the KDO to fix that. And these, as I have on the slide, I'm not going to hit on each one of those because you have a general idea on what I put in the staff report there as well as in essence, we're just taking out the ETJ references in the KDO since we have eliminated that, uh, in the rowing County of, uh, our, our peripheral, if you will, our future growth area, if you will. So, uh, Rowan County is prepared to take over it. This is an effective date of June 30th, but we actually by statute for the next 60 days after that still have to enforce that area until Rowan County rezones the area to their underlying zoning district there. So with that, we need to have a hearing on those text changes. Again, be glad to answer questions before or after that.

I do have one. I think this ends our time with having an ETJ. Is that correct?

It actually makes the ordinance change as a result of that. The effective date you put on it was June 30th, but by statute we have to give a 60-day period after that effective date. So, yes, sir.

But after the conclusion of that time, we're done with ETJ. Yes, sir. That's correct. All right. Any other questions?

Mr. Nabok. I'll just make a comment. This has been a Long time coming. Some of us have wanted to do this for many years, and this has been an unfair burden to many people in Rowan County that are not represented by any person on this board. They're truly just Rowan County citizens. There was no need for this board and this city to dictate how and when and what they put on their property. And I am very pleased to see that this board has moved forward with eliminating this unnecessary burden and putting the ability back to Rowan County. And I appreciate Richard working with us and everybody to make this happen.

I would certainly second that thought. Another public hearing. Are we done with it? No, we've got a public hearing. Open a public hearing. Anyone want to speak on this one? Well, we ain't got a whole lot of activity in public hearing going on here tonight. That's okay. We're going to close it. Okay, so this situation requires two motions. We need a motion now to approve the statement of consistency for TA-202602. So moved, Mayor. Mr. Jackson? Second. Ms. Dixon with the second. Please show of hands here. Thank you. Now we need a motion to approve the ordinance for TA-2026-02. So moved. Mr. Payne, Ms. Perry with the second. All in favor? Thank you. All right. Now we're down to the last item here, which is the GO bond introduction resolution, and Ms. Klein is going to help us with that.

Good evening. I think Gary... Okay, I was like, where did you go? So this evening we have two more actions that need attention by City Council before we can proceed with the general obligation bond process. But before we move to those actions, I wanted to give you an opportunity to discuss the option... to reduce the total bond amount from $40 million to $38 million. If we want to make any adjustment down on the projected amount, now is the time to do it before we set the public hearing. So I've invited Gary to come and talk about that because I know he's had some questions from some members of council and let him address what that looks like related to the projects.

Yes, when Tina did the memorandum, it was just kind of that I heard from some folks that maybe that $40 million was too high. Certainly, we have far greater needs than that, but this would hit some of the many projects that we have. But it is still possible to reduce that bond request amount down if you so choose. It just can't go up.

Are you asking for questions regarding this? Yes. Is there any questions? Do we have an appetite to lower this request? What do we think?

I guess my question is if we do lower it, what would you be cutting then?

I think the one project that we were potentially eliminating was the Glen Avenue site, which I think we had two or two and a half million there for. It's not a It's currently not a designated project in our comprehensive master plan that was approved. Not to say that you couldn't, I mean, because we didn't have that land or we were still pursuing that land when the master plan was done. But if there was... a sentiment to lower it, that would probably be the one project. Obviously the way that the bond referendum is listed, there really is no specific project. The money that can be used for any parks and rec facility project. And so, but obviously the ones we were focusing on was Eastside Park, Westside Park, Rocky River Greenway, Irish Buffalo Creek Greenway 1 and 2, the Gem Theater, and the Glen Avenue project. So those are kind of the priority projects, but You know, they can be in any order across the next 10 years if the bond is approved.

You good, Ms. Hatcher? Yeah. Mr. Jackson?

Yeah, Gary, what's the amount for the east side part is required?

See, I didn't read my sheet. We've got the PowerPoint, and I can look. I think we changed it to right around seven. I think we put it at seven just to give us a little bit of a cushion. Still question whether it would come in that high or not.

Gary, I think the last time you had it was 6.5, so it's another half.

Yeah, we're at roughly, yeah, the current estimated is 6.5, and that is not inclusive of the $500,000 part of the grant. I think the project, let me see if our, to make it even simpler, because I think the last, there it is, the very last one, so we have it at roughly 6.6 for the Eastside Park. That would probably be one of the priority projects coming out if the bond referendum is passed in November. But I think the timeline is somewhere that you couldn't issue the bonds until... March or April of next year before the project could start after the bonds are allocated. And I think it is important, as part of the education process goes, is that the tax rate is only affected by the amount of the bonds that you're issuing. So where it might be 4.5 cents or 4.3, depending on if you go for 38 million, the tax rate is only affected by the amount of the bonds issued. So if you said that the Eastside Park was the priority project at $6.5 or $7 million and you issued the bonds for $7 million, the tax rate is only affected by that $7 million that you're going after. It's not a full hit of 4.6 cents immediately after the bond passes. And I think that's what's important for everybody to know is that over across 10 years, That's what that estimated tax increase would be if there was no growth in the city for 10 years. And obviously I don't think anybody believes that this city is not going to experience any growth over the next 10 years.

Right. So we're back. Do we want to make a motion to reduce this to $38,000 or leave it at $40,000? A million. A million. I mean a million. I was trying to get a good deal.

A little different.

Yeah. No one wants to change it? Okay. We'll just go on past that. Great. So now I guess we're at a point.

Yes. So we're going to look at the first action, and I have a segment that I'll read, and then I'll ask you to make a motion to adopt it. Okay? Okay. So it says, we're introducing the resolution of the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina, regarding bond order authorizing the issuance of $40 million general obligation parks and recreation bonds, setting a public hearing thereon and directing publication of a notice of said public hearing. And the City Council is being asked to adopt the introduction of the bond order as presented.

I'll make a motion to approve that.

OK. Mr. Payne with a second. All in favor, if you will. All right. Thank you.

Okay. The third and final action is a motion to adopt the resolution calling a public hearing on the bond order, directing publication of the notice of public hearing, and filing a statement of debt and statement of disclosures.

So you're asking us to have a public hearing tonight?

Not tonight. It'll set up for July 13th.

Okay. That's what I thought. Okay. Is there a motion for this?

So moved.

Ms. Hatchell?

Second.

Mr. Dave, we've got all kinds of seconds going on down here, yes. All right, all in favor? Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, Mr. Melton, you've had a lot to say tonight. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?

Nothing more to add tonight, Mayor.

All right. I think I've said enough. Okay, thank you. City Council, any comments here? Ms. Dixon has one.

Actually, Ms. Diskin has two.

Ms. Dixon has two, okay. No limit. Go right ahead.

Thank you. First of all, I do want to thank City Manager Melton, our Mayor, and staff for working to ensure that the services of C.K. Rider are intact for the next year. I know that that took a lot of negotiating, and I'm grateful on behalf of the residents who ride the bus to work, to doctor's offices, to Walmart, et cetera. Thank you so much for that. Second, because Ms. Demetra Grigley is here, I want to commend her for her leadership in chairing the Kannapolis Juneteenth celebration, the third annual Juneteenth celebration. I know that we've had a lot of rhetoric here tonight, but I want to commend Demetra for bringing together, and I've listed the organizations that I'm aware of that came together to make the celebration a stellar event. Cabarrus Health Alliance, Rowan Cabarrus Community College, Bethel Baptist Church, Kannapolis Parks and Rec, Kannapolis Police Department, Kannapolis EMS, Kannapolis Fire Department, volunteers, vendors, entertainers, volunteers, and sponsors. I know that our mayor brought greetings at the event, and I had comments from just different people that they were grateful for his comments. Councilwoman Hatcher, Councilman Payne, and Councilman Jackson. attended and they all enjoyed the events the total tenure of the event and so Demetra please don't become discouraged you did an awesome job of coordinating and I'd ask this council to please salute her for all her efforts Can I think of his name? Thank you.

You got a lot of notes there. Is that it? I don't know why I didn't put that.

Okay. Mr. Davao. Thank you, Mayor. You know, in light of all the conversation that's been had about the two events going on at the same time, you know, I was, for one, upset about the event happening on the campus recently. property, I had no idea about those issues that happened, but from the standpoint of being on the campus, being a part of the campus for 18 years, I had no idea that event was even going to happen until I got blessed out about it happening about a week before it was planned to happen. So I think that... We need to do a better job, as it has been pointed out, of getting the word out about things that are happening, not only to the community, but even people. If something's going to happen in the middle of that campus, the people on the campus need to know about it, number one, because it's right in our front yard. When somebody comes to my building and is trying to hook up water, to get water off my building because they don't understand what's what. I mean, that's a problem. So we need to figure out if events like that are happening at the same time as other events, that there's clear signage. The only signage that I saw that that group put up was At the north end of, almost near the parking deck, it had the southern bites and nights or whatever it was called. It was a big banner, but I didn't see any other signage. So that needs to be addressed. I think it's a good time to review the processes that are in place with our special events committee. That is a staff coordinated committee. There's been numerous things that have happened over the past several years that I think that it would behoove all of us to ask for that committee to be either reviewed or redesigned or repurposed or reinvigorated. I don't know what the word is or the right word is, but we do need to review those processes and how things are communicated and who's communicating what. And it needs to be very clear if these events that are hosted on that campus, if it's a – or anywhere, quite frankly – If it's a non-city produced event, it needs to be very clear on everything that goes out that who the organizer is because, I mean, people could have thought the campus was putting that event on for, you know, if we didn't know. So anyway, I just reiterate what's been said here tonight from a kind of different perspective. So thank you for listening to this.

Sure.

Ms. Hatchell?

I just wanted to take a minute and just pause and thank this council, and I especially want to thank the mayor. We have been working very hard on this budget since, I know we had two Saturdays in February, but I think we were working on even before then in the special meetings, and it has been a pleasure to work with each one of you. And again, thank you to the mayor who's always allowing us to work in having that diverse talk and that we can share our ideas. I appreciate that fact. I was reminded of this quote from Benjamin Franklin. It says, we have to make mutual sacrifices for the general good. And I think that's what we did with this budget. I think we all kind of got a little bit of what we wanted. We were making sure, and it's more not what we want, it's what the citizens wanted. And it's hard to do that when you have 60,000 citizens because they all kind of want a different thing. But I think in it, everybody was able to kind of get that thing. I look forward to this next year working together with this council again as we try to find more effective ways for a couple of different issues that have been important topics here, because I think if we can right-size those things, it will be even better for the citizens that live in Kannapolis. And I also want to thank Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. You're always there to answer questions with your experience that you have. Being on the council the longest, I do appreciate it, and that if we have questions about procedures and that, you're always available. And I want to thank Mr. Jackson. Even though I think sometimes we're diverse in thought with the different points of view, we've always respected each other, and I appreciate that. Ms. Berry, I want to thank you and the hard work that you've done. And Ms. Dixon, I always love sitting by you. It's always a good time when we're over here. And, of course, Mr. Payne, I just want to say thank you to you guys. It was a lot of hard work, and I appreciate all of you. Thank you.

Anyone else?

One last thing. I want to also add that City Manager Melton attended the Juneteenth Festival and supported it as well with a smile. I don't want to leave anybody out.

And we want to thank him for all his hard work. Incredible job. He's always available. Thank you.

I'll have to say that I didn't do it alone. As I look back in the back, I had a complete staff back there that helped me put this together on behalf of the citizens of Kannapolis. So I thank all of them as well.

Let me say this before I call to adjourn. I'm older than most of y'all, whether I like it or not. So as you go through life, you get better from learning. Would you agree with that? So hopefully we can learn from what's happened. here, and we can grow from it. I think that's the best answer I can give you. Believe me, if something goes wrong, guess who gets the first phone call? So I don't know if I can keep growing, but I mean, as old as I am, I'm not sure this whole lot left, but I'm trying. So I will say this, too. We have, based on what Ms. Hatchell said, As we went through formulating this budget, there were times when we thought we had something the way we wanted it, and then we realized there was a better way to do it. And that always fell on Ms. Jones back there. She was the one having to push the buttons and change it and go back and making sure all the numbers fell where they should. So I would ask you to give that young lady a round of applause. And the other person who always bears the brunt of a lot of my temper tantrums or whatever you want to call them is Ms. Skaggs. So I would ask you to give her a hand. And I want to thank you for being a great audience here tonight. You have been great, and I appreciate you. You're Kannapolis citizens, and that's what means the most to me, right? So give yourself a hand, and then we're going to ask for an applause. Okay, so now after all those hands, is there a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. We've got about ten motions. Is there a second? Nobody wants a second. Okay, we've got a motion and a second. All in favor, raise your hand. God bless all of you. God bless Kannapolis, North Carolina. All right.

you