Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being patient. We apologize for taking care of some important business in the back. We're going to start with introductions, and we will start with our clerks.

Good evening. I am Christine Smith, clerk to the board. Welcome. Good evening. I am Arlissa Easton, deputy clerk to the board. Hi. Sorry about that.

My name is Commissioner Yvette Townsend Ingram, also known as Commissioner YTI, and I serve you at large on the county commission.

Good evening. I am Mecklenburg County Commissioner Elaine Powell. I represent District 1, which is Huntersville, Davidson, and Cornelius, and North Charlotte. Welcome.

Good evening. My name is Leigh Altman, County Commissioner serving at large, and I also have the privilege of serving as Vice Chair. Welcome.

Good evening and welcome. My name is Mark Jarrell. I've been elected by the people of District 4. I also have the privilege of serving as Chairman of the Board.

Good evening and welcome. My name is Arthur Griffin, and I have the pleasure of serving as County Commissioner at large.

Good afternoon. My name is Vilma DeLeake, and I represent the most poverty in the county. That's District 2. Will all my seniors stand up? Yes, I said it. No seniors. Will all my young people stand up?

There you go. All right. All right.

Thank you. Yes, I said it. I'll say it again. Okay?

I said nothing.

Good evening. I'm Laura Meyer. I represent District 5.

Good evening. My name is Susan Rodriguez McDowell, and I'm elected by the people of District 6. Welcome.

Good evening. Welcome, everyone. My name is Mike Bryan, Mecklenburg County Manager. Good evening, Tyrone Wade, County Attorney.

All right, everyone, tonight our invocation and Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Commissioner Leak.

I certainly need to do this tonight. Thank you for the opportunity to share, accept your gift. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on those or these things. Give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be not envied but rejoiced by all. Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to use his gift of teaching. Of what profit is it to simply possess gifts if you forego using them? Invest. Because you are unique. Your traits in you to reflect himself and to play an intimate part in your plan. God will teach you how to use your gifts and offer you opportunities to put them to use if you trust his leading and guiding ship. It is important that you refrain from becoming jealous of someone else's gift. And praise the Lord for the gifts he has given to you, learning to use them for his glory. These and other blessings we ask him for. In his name we say, amen. May we stand and pledge allegiance to the flag.

Thank you, everyone. We're going to give Commissioner Dunlap an opportunity to bring greetings.

Well, good afternoon, everyone. I'm George Dunlap, elected by the people of District 3.

Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Commissioner Leak. So every meeting, we start with our mission, our vision, and our board budget priorities. Our mission is to serve Mecklenburg County residents by helping improve their lives and community. Our vision is Mecklenburg County will be a community of pride and choice for people to live, learn, work, and recreate. Our FY26-27 board budget priorities are as follows. Economic development, education, environmental stewardship, health equity and wellness, services for seniors, workforce development, and reducing racial disparities. And we like to make sure that we start out level setting so that everyone is aware of the principles that guide our discussions our actions and our decisions and with that we'll move to awards and recognition i'll turn the gavel over to our vice chair commissioner altman thank you so much mr chairman uh tonight we'll be taking up the gun violence awareness month proclamation and i turn to commissioner elaine powell good evening whereas gun violence is a major public health issue in the united states

encompassing suicides, homicides, domestic violence, mass shootings, and unintentional injuries, many of which are preventable through safe firearm storage and responsible ownership. And whereas the financial impact of gun violence in Mecklenburg County is significant, with each fatal shooting costing approximately $1.83 million and each non-fatal shooting $425,386. According to the 2025 office of violence prevention and national Institute for criminal justice reform report. And whereas the centers for disease control report that in 2024 black and African-American residents in Mecklenburg county are disproportionately affected by gun violence. representing 71% of homicide victims, while comprising only 29% of the US census reported population. And whereas firearms are involved in 81% of homicides in the county in 2024, per the Centers of Disease Control, highlighting the central role that guns play in local violence. And whereas in 2025, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police reported 96 homicides, a 13% decrease from 2024 and seized 4,155 firearms, marking a 23% increase in illegal gun seizures and noted a 20% decrease in shootings involving juvenile suspects. And whereas June is recognized as National Gun Violence Awareness Month, during which residents are encouraged to wear orange, which I see, in honor of the victims and survivors and to raise awareness about the urgent need for prevention. Whereas the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners reaffirms its commitment to reducing gun violence and supporting efforts that promote safety, health, and justice for all county residents. And whereas progress is being made through coordinated efforts resulting in a 21% decrease and violent crime in 2025 compared to in 2024, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, demonstrating the positive impact of prevention and intervention programs. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, in observance of National Gun Violence Awareness Month, hereby proclaims June 2026 as Gun Violence Awareness Month in Mecklenburg County and commend its observance to all citizens this second day of June 2026. Mark D. Jarrell, Chair, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.

So moved. Second.

All right. The motion having been made and properly seconded, Commissioner Powell, were there people here you wanted to introduce to receive it and speak?

Is Ebony? I see Ebony. Hey, Ebony. Ebony, would you come down with your team, please, to accept this? Ebony is one of my favorite people in Mecklenburg County, as you know. Ebony is the Senior Health Manager for the Office of Violence Prevention. She will accept the proclamation with her team.

Did you want to give any remarks? You don't have to.

Yes. Let's see if that works. Y'all can crowd around her and be a part of the pictures as she's speaking.

Yeah, there you go.

I got excited. Good evening everyone. County commissioners, county leaders, community members and partners. Thank you. My name is Dr. Ebony Rao. I'm the senior health program manager for the office of violence prevention with Mecklenburg County public health. Each year, Thousands of individuals lose their lives to gun violence, including those lost to suicide, homicide, intimate partner violence, mass shootings, and unintentional injuries. Yet many thousands more are left to heal from physical and emotional wounds and from grief. This is true nationally and this is true here in Mecklenburg County. We are thankfully seeing a decrease in gun-related deaths in our community But each life lost or forever changed due to injuries highlights that the cost of gun violence is too high. June is considered National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time in which we honor victims and survivors of gun violence, and we raise awareness for the urgent need for prevention. We wear orange as a sign and a signal, just as hunters wear orange to make sure that they are safe. and that they look out for others with them. We thank you for recognizing this important month. The Mecklenburg County Office of Violence Prevention is proud to announce our new community violence prevention campaign called Safer MEC. We have launched a new website, which can be found at go.mecnc.gov slash safermec. where community members can find valuable information, can reserve a free gun lockbox to secure their firearms, and pick it up at partnering agencies throughout the county. They can find mental health information and resources. They can register for workshops and classes such as QPR suicide prevention and mental health first aid, and learn about violence prevention efforts across our community. Additionally, parents can get critical information on how to talk to their children about guns and how to engage their teens around this important message. A safer Mecklenburg County starts with each of us and together we can create a safer community, a more supportive community. Thank you.

Thank you so much. So wait before before let's carry the motion and we'd love for you to come down and take a picture. Uh, can I say something? Yes, absolutely. Commissioner.

So thank you for every single one of you for the work that you do, because it is so important. And as I was reading it, it's hard for my voice not to tremble when, you know, we were talking about how much it costs and I'm really glad you talk about the cost to the family, because in some, you know, strange circumstance in the past two houses that I've lived in, one neighbor was murdered by a gun. And the other one was killed with a gun by an accidental bullet shot. And so the work is so important. The work to prevent it, the education, all of it. And I don't know if it gets enough attention. And then sometimes with all the whereases, things get lost in all the whereases. But it's just so important. So thank you for all of the things that you highlighted and all the work that you do. And you know, Ebony, you're just a special person. You are working in your giftedness, and we are lucky to have you. So thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Powell. All right, the motion having been made and properly seconded, all those in favor say aye. Aye. The motion passes. Please come down for getting the proclamation and a picture.

You know I'm a super fan. Thank you so much.

Orange is a gorgeous color. Thank you. Congratulations and thank you.

Congratulations. Thank you for your work. Congratulations. Thank you for your work. Get ready. Congratulations. Thank you for your work. I'm jealous that you get to work with her. Do you have different colors, or did you do orange and orange? I appreciate you.

around and center on us and who's got the proclamation

Tighten up tighten up

Let's do the tighten up.

He didn't win that. He went way back. They don't know nothing about that. Tighten up and fly right.

Can you see me over there?

Good evening, everybody. Look right here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody.

All right. And I turn it back to you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Thank you, Commissioner Powell. We are going to move to public appearance. If you all will indulge me, it's a pretty lengthy statement. Public appearance is the period during the board's regular meeting that members of the public are provided the opportunity to speak on matters not appearing on the agenda. Members of the public who appear during the public appearance portion of a regular meeting may discuss any matter within the jurisdiction of the Board of Commissioners except for the following types of matters. A matter which appears on the agenda of that meeting of the Board. A matter which concerns the candidacy of any person for public office, including the candidacy of the person appearing before the Board. A request that the Board considers funding a certain program or activity either from the current budget or by inclusion in a future budget, such requests would be made at the board's annual budget public hearing. The time limit for speaking is three minutes, unless there are four more speakers who wish to speak concerning the same matter, in which case all persons wishing to speak on the same matter will be considered a group and given a total of 10 minutes. The board reserves the right to alter these rules on a case-by-case basis as necessary for the efficient and effective conduct of business. Members of the board will not engage in dialogue with public appearance speakers. Comments will be received and followed up on as applicable by county staff and or members of the board. Handouts and or tokens shall be given to the clerk for distribution to the board at the conclusion of the meeting. Members of the public can access and view the meeting on the government channel at watch.mecnc.gov. Tonight we have one speaker, and that's Roxanne Myrie. Roxanna, excuse me, I apologize. Ms. Myrie, you will have three minutes whenever you're ready to go.

Okay, thank you. Good evening, commissioners and board members. I'm here tonight to speak for the thousands of children with autism in Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools who are being set up to fail because our budget completely ignores that they exist. The classroom is not a doctor's office. It is a loud, crowded, unpredictable environment, the very same place where these children face their challenges, triggers, as well as meltdowns. Expecting general education, teachers, or even traditional special education staff to manage these acute medical issues or crisis without dedicated behavioral experts is unrealistic. ABA is not a luxury. It is a necessary life-changing medical service. When a child has a meltdown, they are not misbehaving. They are communicating distress. Without a board certified behavior analyst or behavioral technician, there is to co-regulate or de-escalate. and teach functional communication. The school's default is becoming punitive. Children are suspended, classrooms are evacuated, learning stops, everyone loses. When you pass a budget that fails to fund school-based ABA therapy, you aren't actually saving money. You are moving that child over a period from the classroom to the courtroom. Parents will sue, not out of spite, but out of frustration and desperation for their child. CMS will find themselves trapped in a cycle of endless expensive special education litigation that will drain millions of local taxpayer dollars in these legal fees and private tuition payouts. In our urban centers where families cannot afford to privately pay for behavioral aids out of their pocket, This funding gap is a crisis. I urge the board to stop funding defensive litigation and start funding proactive classroom basis.

Excuse me. Your time's not up. Stop the clock. Your time's not up, but you cannot speak about funding. I apologize.

I provide my research on the site.

Thank you, ma'am. So, colleagues, I just want to, in the public, I just want to make sure that everyone is clear on what just transpired, we certainly respect the right of everyone to come and we want to hear from everyone. The rules that we set up specifically say, you know, we cannot speak to or make any specific funding requests. So just want to put that in the atmosphere. With that, we're going to have to move to, but Ms. Myrie, you do have handouts for everyone, right? You'll provide your comments to everyone. Okay, thank you. So colleagues, you'll get her remarks. separately. All right, next we're going to move to appointments. Park and Rec, there are quite a few appointments, and I would just ask colleagues to keep in mind that the chair of the Park and Rec Commission has made some recommendations.

Mr. Chair?

Yes.

May I make a motion to approve all of Chair Kaiser's... No.

Okay.

Well, you can make a motion, but I mean... You can make a motion, but it may fail.

Then I make a motion that we approve of all the appointments Chair Kaiser has recommended.

Okay, so there is a motion and a second to follow Chairman Kaiser's recommendation. I know we have discussion. Let me go with Commissioner Dunlap first.

We're about to make six appointments to the Park and Recreation Commission, and this board has worked tirelessly to try to diversify all of our boards. And I couldn't believe that out of all of these appointments that there wasn't one African American that was qualified to be appointed. And so I have some alternative recommendations, people that I'd like to advocate for. In District, let me see.

So you're making a substitute?

Substitute motion.

Okay.

In North District 1, I'm recommending James Smith.

Hold on one second. You said North District 1. Yes.

Yes. north one slot.

You said James Smith?

James Smith. And I hope you've had the time to look at his resume. And in this and in south region three slot, I'm recommending Edward Lawson.

Okay. Hold on one second. Commissioner Powell is next and then I'm coming to you.

I'm a little confused, Tyrone. So that was not voted down.

This is just a substitute motion.

It was a substitute motion with everybody's nominations. That's okay. Right.

Yeah.

Okay. He said he thought it was qualified.

Okay. So let me come to Commissioner Powell, then I'm going to come to Commissioner Leak.

So I'm not going to support that for my district, for North 1. Okay. I've done the due diligence, and I think that Lynn is the best candidate for that slot, and we don't want to fill the Northern Town slot yet, so it's just for North Mecklenburg. And so I just need, I think we need the attorney's guidance on, we're just voting on George's motion, or Commissioner Dunlap's motion, or if we're just going to.

So we have a substitute, what Commissioner Dunlap, and correct me if I'm wrong here, Commissioner, Basically, what you're saying is you could take the other recommendations except those two.

That's what I'm saying.

That's what you're saying. So that's the motion that's on the floor. We can vote this motion up or down. Then it reverts to the main motion that Commissioner Meyer lifted up. If this fails, it goes back to Commissioner Meyer's motion.

Okay. Question.

Okay, let me come to Commissioner Leak.

The question, your statement was that you were only nominating those people whom you perceive to be qualified that was African-American. And I would hope that we would still recognize the fact that African-Americans are nominated like anybody else right now on this list. So I'm voting for the motion to accept the recommendation motion that was made by my seat partner here.

Okay. So, okay. Is there any other, any, let me come to, let me come to commissioner Altman and I'm coming back to you, commissioner Meyer.

Mr. Chair, I just want to ask if it's possible when you take the vote, can we not vote as a slate? Because I might want to, I might want to go with commissioner Powell's recommendation for her district, but I may choose to go with Commissioner Dunlap's recommendation. And you might want to go with Bishop Leach. So can you just go with...

So here's... Can you, like, do it one by one so I can... No, no, because here's how... You would have to, she would have to... So what we would have to do is we have to deal with the substitute motion first, number one. Right, right. Then it reverts to the main motion. Now, she can rescind and someone... And then we can just do a bifurcation. Right. but the most, and we would have done it that way, but the motion was to accept everything at once, right? So we can do what you're saying, but it would, it really hinges on how this vote goes, what happens when it comes back, if it comes back to Commissioner Meyer, which it looks like it's probably gonna, that's probably gonna happen. So let me come to Commissioner Meyer and then we'll take the vote on the substitute.

I just want to, I don't know if you all know this, but Kip Kaiser interviewed the candidates. Thank you. And he's very qualified to make the recommendations.

We don't question that, but the board makes the determination.

I understand. I hear you.

So there's a couple things, guys. So we do have to vote on Commissioner Dunlap's substitute motion. And I do think you raise a really good point. Cause we have, um, worked really hard to make sure that there was a diversity on these boards. Madam clerk, can you give us the, the overall, but I just don't have that breakdown. What's the breakdown of the diversity of the board right now?

30 something percent. I tell you, I just don't have, yeah. Ethnicity is 36% minority, 64% majority. We live in a minority majority community just in case, uh, gender wise is 27% female, 73% male. All right.

Thank you. What'd you say? Commissioner Powell, what do you need more women? That's that's, that's true. When we talk about, and that's a great point. So when we're talking about this idea of diversity, what the board has done, we cannot exclude gender, right? So we talk about race, we definitely need to look at gender as well. And so I think from what I see, we would be moving toward that gender equation with the slate that was voted up. So with that being said, everybody's been heard. All those in favor of the substitute motion, let's see by show of hands. Okay, that's two. All opposed to substitute motion. right and how did you vote madam i'm abstaining okay all right and i'm staying is uh in favor okay all right so let's revert back to commissioner meyer's uh main motion right and that was to accept the entire slate um as is so you need discussion

Oh, no.

Okay, so all those in favor of Commissioner Meyer's motion, let's see by show of hands. One, two, three, four. All opposed? That's five. So your motion fails, Commissioner Meyer. So what we'll do is... It's a, yeah, it, it, we don't even need to take a motion on that. So first up, uh, reappointments are needed for park and rec commission for two, three year terms expiring June 30th, 20 29. Linda Ashendorf and William Collier are eligible for reappointment.

So moved.

Second. All right. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. No pose. Madam clerk. Nomination appointment is needed on park and rec commission to fill one unexpired term expiring June 30th, 2028 Northern town slot PRC chair, Kip Kaiser asked that the clerk's office continue advertising for this slot, but we do have, um, one person and it is Sarah Greg. So what is your pleasure?

So I w I would like to, yeah, I would like to, um, request, uh, waiting until we receive more applications. We are looking for candidates who have time to have robust engagement. It is a commission. It is a serious job. And so we need people that have time, who are willing to commit the time, and we need a pool of applicants. Thank you.

All right. Any other questions? Go ahead, Josh.

So just by virtue of the fact that this one person has been nominated herself,

Who's this, Sarah Gregg?

That's right.

Okay. Nothing, nothing. Never mind. We would like to have more applicants.

All right, so the motion is to follow the chairman of the PRC's recommendation to continue advertising the slot. All those in favor? I'm sorry, I didn't get the second.

Second. Second. All right.

Now it's moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? All right. Let's move on to the next one. Nominations or appointments are needed on the Park and Rec Commission to fill one three-year term expiring June 30th, 2029, effective July 1st, 2026, North 1 slot. PRC Chair Kip Kaiser recommends Lynn Dulles

Dottie.

Second. Do we need a second?

Yeah, please. I need a second.

Second.

All right. What's the problem?

Are we just voting on his or are we doing nominations?

Because it's nomination.

I want to nominate. Well, you can nominate all three.

I'm just saying he recommends Lynn Dottie. And so they were, they were recommended. The motion in the second was for his recommendation.

Thank you. Recommendation.

for Kaiser's recommendation. Right.

But if it's a nomination process, you have to wait until everybody who wants to be nominated and nominated. And I want to nominate someone.

Okay. Well then let's, let's see, who are you nominated, sir?

James Smith.

All right. James Smith and Lynn Dottier or any other nominations?

Um, nomination, Anthony, Anthony Timmons from district two.

All right. So all three candidates have been nominated, madam clerk. So that one's coming back, right? Okay. Thank you. Next, we'll move on to nominations appointment needed on the Park and Rec Commission to fill one three-year term expiring June 30th, 2029, Central Region 2 slot. PRC Chair Kip Kaiser recommends Horace Holmes.

Move to nominate and appoint. Second.

It's been moved and seconded to nominate and appoint. Discussion.

That's Toby. in case you didn't know.

I was getting ready to nominate.

Well, we already have a motion and a second to nominate and appoint, so we can carry this motion. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Any opposed? No opposed, Madam Clerk. All right.

My guy didn't get nominated because he wasn't going to get voted on.

All right, nominations or appointment is needed on the Park and Rec Commission to fill one three-year term expiring June 30th, 2029, effective July 1st, 2026. This is the South Region three slot. The chair recommends Sarah Callagher.

I move to nominate and appoint. Second.

All right, it's been moved and seconded to nominate and appoint. Yes.

This is a nomination process. I wish to nominate Ed Lawson.

Mr. Attorney, if she's been first and seconded to nominate and appoint.

Absolutely.

She can do that, right?

She can. So now you've either got to carry that motion or not.

You have to carry it. It fills a female slot.

I'm sorry?

It fills a female slot.

Well, I think Commissioner Dunlap's point was that it's a nomination process, so we should only be taking nominations. But the motion was to nominate and appoint.

I know the game. I know the game. So this will come back. Okay.

All right. So the motion on the floor and the second is to nominate and appoint Sarah Callagher. With that, is there any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, let's see by show of hands. One, two, three, four, five, six. All right, all those opposed. All right. You get that, Madam Clerk? All right, Sarah's appointed there. All right, made it through park and rec. Let's move to Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee.

That's the one I'm always fighting for.

All right, reappointment is needed on the Nursing Home Advisory. Mr.

Chair.

I'm sorry? I can't do that.

Can she?

What happened?

Someone's asking.

I'm sorry, I'm Lynn Dodelia, and I was just curious what happened with District 1.

Okay, well, right now I can't, we can't take that. Can you come down to the clerk and then she'll be able to explain it to you. Just give us a second to finish this out. All right, we're gonna move to the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee. A reappointment is needed on Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee for one three-year term expiring May 31st, 2029. Sharon Robinson is eligible for reappointment.

So moved. Close the nomination.

It's moved and seconded. Any unreadiness or discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? All right, Sharon is appointed. Let's move to the Lake Norman Marine Commission. We need to confirm the appointment and adopt a resolution of Billy Wilson serving in the at-large slot of the Lake Norman Marine Commission for a five-year term expiring June 30th, 2031. Billy Wilson received a recommendation from the Lake Norman Marine Commissioners. Commissioner Leak.

Do we have any blacks that serve on that board? I ask it.

None nominated.

This is for asking.

But I don't know who, I don't know the makeup of the entire commission.

The commission is when we put two, each of the counties have two representatives.

We have our two. And so our, our two representatives are white and he is white, Billy Wilson, but he, this is for a ninth member. He's not from Mecklenburg county. He's from another county.

Wherever he's from, he's been nominated and elected by this board. Correct. No, not quite.

No, he's not being appointed by the board. You are confirming his appointment. was already made and they recommended he served as the ninth member in an at-large capacity, which the statute requires this board to pass a resolution embracing or adopting.

So moved. Second. Second.

All right, it's been moved and seconded. Any other discussion?

He is one of the most outstanding citizen volunteers I have ever met. He's from Iredell County. He's always shows up reliable out of a pool of people. All four counties chose him to be the ninth member. And so I had just a strong recommendation for him. Thank you. All right.

Thank you. I think you already answered that one.

Well, ours are Caucasian.

All right. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? All right. None opposed. Madam Clerk. All right. We will move to the manager's report at this time. I'll turn it over to you, Mr.

Manager. Thank you, Mr. Chair. There are two items under my manager's report this evening. For the first item, I am asking that the board approve the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget ordinance. There is no presentation. I'm just asking that you take that action.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Manager. All right. At this time, a motion is needed to adopt the budget ordinance for FY 2026 to 2027.

So moved, Mr. Chairman. Bill Malik.

Mr. Chair, I move to defy the question on adoption of the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget ordinance to exclude the following nonprofits to be voted on separately. University City Partners, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, North Carolina association of black County officials, central line art, regional council, Alliance health, North Carolina association of counties, smart start of Mecklenburg County center city partners and Charlotte symphony.

Second. All right. It's been moved and seconded. Uh, commissioner Dunlap.

Mr. Chair. Um, I would respect the motion.

Let's vote on the bifurcation first. So what we're gonna do is vote on the bifurcation, we'll take comments, and then we'll go into the separate votes, okay? So it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, let's see by show of hands.

And what list is that? Do I see the list?

You're dividing the question. Yeah, we're just dividing the questions right now. All right, that is unanimous, Madam Clerk. All right, so at this time, what I want us to do, before we go into the bifurcated votes, if you have comments about the overall budget, this is the time that we'll provide for you to give comments, and then we'll go into the bifurcated votes after this.

So you want to take a motion to adopt and authorize it with the exclusion of those listed entities and then take the conversation because the vote will be for the budget minus those.

So take it again. Okay. Cause on my script is different. So I apologize.

So give me, give me the motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund the contract, including the dues. Oh, I don't have that.

No, it's not here.

Did you not include that portion?

I don't have that. That's what I was missing.

It's just that the people who...

Excluding the identified... No, that's there.

I didn't have that.

It told me to go a different direction.

Just do it now. Okay. So what we can do...

The way it's put is to approve the FY26-27 budget ordinance as divided.

As divided.

So we took that vote.

No, the first motion was to divide it. Now you have to approve to adopt it as divided.

So just go ahead and just read it.

So I move to approve the fiscal year 2026-2027 budget ordinance as divided.

Second. All right. Now we got it. Thank you. All right. So it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? Let's see by show of hands.

I don't know what it is. Do we get reports from these parties?

Yeah. Hold on one second. Let's just do that. All those in favor, let's see by show of hands.

Yes.

All right. That's unanimous, Madam Clerk. All right. So now that we set that up, Mr. Attorney, do we just go through the bifurcated ones at this point? All right. So, George, I think you're up first, right? All right. There we go.

Mr. Chair.

What are we doing now?

Due to my affiliation with University City Partners, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, National Association of Black County Officials, and North Carolina Association of Counties, I would ask that I be recused from voting on the funding of these countries.

You skipped. If you look at A, the very top, the chair will entertain the motion and then you have to recuse yourself.

So at this time, the chair will entertain a motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund the contract, including dues with University City Partners, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, National Association of Black County Officials, and North Carolina Association of Counties, consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved.

Are you giving opportunities for comments? Because that was one of the things I thought you wanted to do.

And maybe not. We're going to do it at the end. Because we're just going to go through this and go through it at the end. So you don't have to move because he needs to be recused first.

Right.

So I'm requesting to be.

Now you're requesting.

Don't we need a second first?

Hold on, Commissioner Lee. Give us one second.

Second. Got it.

Go ahead.

Go. Is it my turn? It's your turn. Your turn now. Your turn now. All right, Mr.

Chair. Due to my affiliation with these, the ones you just listed, I would ask that I be recused from voting on the funding of these contracts.

All right. You're going to list them all? You're not going to list them?

My affiliation with the University City Partners, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, National Association of Black County Officials, and North Carolina Association of Counties.

All right. It's been moved. Was it moved? I moved. Moved and seconded. Anybody second?

Second. Second. All right. All right.

So it's been moved and seconded for Commissioner Dunlap to be recused. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? All right. Ayes have it. So with that, now we're going to go back to the main motion. Okay. And so.

I'm a member of the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials. Amen.

then you need to recuse yourself.

That's what I'm doing.

Okay, does she need to recuse too? If she's a member, I did not get a response on the list of those that I was aware of. I'll second her motion to recuse herself.

All of us are, but she's not on the board. She's not on the board. This is a board member.

You have to be a board member. All right. All right, so we're going to go back to... All right. We're going to go back to the main motion on approval of funding for University City Partners, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, National Association of Black County Officials, and North Carolina Association of Counties consistent with the adopted budget ordinance. So moved. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. All right. One nay, Madam Clerk. One nay. All right.

Next, I'll entertain a motion to authorize the county.

All right. I'm going to entertain a motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund the contract with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

Mr. Chair, due to my affiliation with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, I would ask to be recused from my duty to vote on funding this contract.

So moved. Second.

All right, moved and seconded for Commissioner Meyer to be recused. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All right, ayes have it. So with that, I'll go back to the original motion and I'll entertain a motion on funding the contract for Smart Start of Mecklenburg County consistent with the adopted budget ordinance. So moved. Moved and seconded. All those, hold on one second. Yes, yes, Madam Clerk.

I just want to get clarification. Do they not have to put the motion on the floor before they ask for recusal? Well, he did put it on the floor.

He put it on the, he put it. I will entertain a motion.

So, so before he actually asked for a motion, she's asking for recusal. So we're not getting a. No, I asked for the motion.

He asked for the motion.

I asked for the motion. It didn't get voted on. Is that, or is it supposed to be voted on?

He's not. It's.

Well, she does a recusal before the vote is taken.

That's what I'm trying to say. He is asking to negotiate and fund a contract for a smart start of Mecklenburg County. Nobody is entertaining the motion and seconding it before we're getting the recusal for it. So is that proper?

It says before vote taken. Yeah.

But the motion is not on the floor.

It was moved and seconded. It was. It was moved and seconded. The refusal was. No. All right. Let's go from the top. It was moved and seconded. So we'll do it just to make sure the minutes are right. All right. Listen. The chair will entertain a motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund a contract with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved. Second.

All right. It's been moved and seconded. All right. Now, before the vote's taken. There you go.

Mr. Chair, due to my affiliation with Smart Start in Mecklenburg County, I would ask to be recused from my duty to vote on funding this contract. So moved.

Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All right. The ayes have it. You're recused. Now, we're going to return to the main motion on funding the contract for Smart Start in Mecklenburg County consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved.

Second. Moved. Excuse me?

Two of us made the motion.

All right, moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? All right, moving on. Ayes have it, Madam Clerk. At this time, the chair will entertain a motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund a contract with Alliance Health consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded.

What was that?

Mr. Chair, due to my affiliation with the Alliance Health, I would ask to be recused from voting on funding this contract.

So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded for Commissioner Griffin to be recused. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. Ayes have it. So now we will go to the original motion. And so we'll entertain a motion on funding the Alliance Health contract consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

Second.

All right, it's moved and seconded. And Commissioner Leake has a question.

Does this mean just the chairperson or the members of the committee?

This is on the board. Anybody who's on the board.

It doesn't say the board of directors.

But this, all of these recusals are for people that sit on the boards. All right, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, ayes have it. Next, the chair will entertain a motion to authorize the county manager to negotiate and fund a contract with Central Line of Regional Council consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved.

Second. All right, moved and seconded.

Commissioner Powell.

Oh, I can't do a second, can I? Well, you can just do the... Mr. Chair, due to my affiliation with Central Light and Regional Council, I would like to ask to be recused from voting on funding this contract. So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded for Commissioner Powell to be recused. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right. All right, Commissioner Powell, you were recused, and so we'll return to the main motion. I'll entertain a motion for funding for the Central Line of Regional Council contract consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

Second.

All right, moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, ayes have it, Madam Clerk. All right, I've got to turn, at this point, I need to turn things over to the Vice Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will entertain a motion to allow the county manager to negotiate and fund contracts with Center City Partners and Charlotte Symphony consistent with the adopted budget ordinance.

So moved.

Second.

Madam Vice Chair, due to my affiliation with these two nonprofits, I'm requesting to be recused from voting on funding these organizations. So moved. Second.

Motion having been made and properly seconded, all those in favor of recusing Chair Jarrell from these two organizations say aye. Aye. And you are recused. Mr. Chair, at this time, I'll return to the main motion on funding contracts. for Center City Partners and Charlotte Symphony consistent with the adopted budget ordinance. All those in favor, may I have a motion? So moved. And a second? Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion passes and I'll return it back to Chairman Jarrell.

All right, thank you. Well, I believe we took care, give us one second. Go ahead, Commissioner Leak.

Can we get a statement of how much dues we pay to these organizations? Budget-wise?

I'll turn to the manager. I think the information is in the budget, but I'll turn to the manager on whatever the financial pieces you need. All right. Okay.

Thank you. I don't have to have it tonight. Thank you.

All right, team, we made it through that. Thank God. All right. All right. Well, Mr. Manager, it looks like the budget is adopted. And so at this time, we will take comments at this time after the adoption. And let me start to we'll go left to right this time and then we'll start the opposite way the next time. But we'll start with you, Commissioner Rodriguez-McDowell, if you have comments.

Okay, thank you Mr. Chairman. I want to start by saying thank you to the county manager and to the executive team and the budget staff. You guys did a fantastic job on this, your first complete budget under the new manager. And I could tell it was your baby. Your true first born budget. Your values and the values of this board are well represented and I see that and appreciate it. Of course, no budget can please everyone. We are dealing with many challenges and many obstacles that we have no control over. We have federal and state partners that do not share our values. We have to work within these roadblocks and limitations. I am truly concerned about the politics of today and how certain bodies are trying to power grab with an urgency that feels unprecedented. But I want to highlight a couple of things in this budget that I'm particularly excited about. Number one, a substantial number, 22 new positions in child, family and adult services. This has been sorely needed for a long time and I am so, so pleased that we have finally have these positions funded. And now we have to fill them. And so I trust there is an urgency around this. Number two, the minimum wage for full-time employees being raised to a living wage is another important way for us to put our money where our mouth is. It is important to me that the county is a leader in this space. Public servants are the backbone of this organization. The nature of public service is that it is often thankless, and it can be hard to attract workers with a heart for service. This minimum wage helps. County workers deserve nothing less. Having said that, it is extremely important to me that we get MEDIC up to that same minimum. I did not support the restricted contingency plan, but instead supported getting it funded with the manager's recommended compromise. But that ship has sailed and I accept the will of my colleagues on this. I believe it will still come about in the short term, so I will remain hopeful. I have said it in the past and I will say it again, this funding model needs to be updated. I understand that MEDIC is a separate agency, but it does fall under the responsibility of the county. How this funding model came about, I'm not exactly sure, but in my view, the other stakeholders who sit on the MEDIC board should also be contributing. It should not be falling on the taxpayer to fund and fill in the gaps while the hospital systems are raking in extreme profits. The CEO of our most profitable nonprofit could self-fund this item with a tiny portion of his compensation. In my view, our entire healthcare system is upside down and backwards, but that is a rant for another day. First responders should not be struggling to live in our community, period. Neither should county workers, school staff, and teachers, and our other public servants. In my view, it should be our goal to get all of them to a living wage. We may not be able to achieve that all at once, but I believe it should be our North Star. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Meyer?

Thank you. I don't have... A written response, and I love that. But first of all, I do want to thank the manager. Congratulations on your first budget. Job well done. I can't say enough. It's been such a pleasure working with you this year. And to the team who put this budget together, Adrian, you're awesome. Your whole team is awesome. Thank you. I know it was teamwork, and the whole staff, honestly, who has to go through and, you know, the charges you gave them, I know it was tough. And, you know, you dug deep, and you went through it with a fine-tooth comb, and I know that was hard and time-consuming, so thank you. I want to thank this board for being open, and our discussion on Thursday I thought was phenomenal. We... We showed the community that we are concerned about our citizens, our residents, and we want to invest in them. And I'm so glad that we invested more in crisis assistance and, in particular, the mobile mental health response team, which is called Sante, because, honestly, we had a great discussion today about it in our IGR meeting. And the fact is we just didn't know about them at all. No one on this board knew about them. We just kind of take it for granted that they're there. And I'm just so excited this board saw the value in that. I also want to speak to medic and how much support this board has for increasing medic pay. And this board did vote majority for to wait for the study and to look at that. But there is support on this board to bring your pay up to where the county minimum wage is. And so, you know, hold tight, stay, you know, we got you. I hope you hear us, but we are very, very supportive of MEDIC and we want to see you pay more because that's what you deserve. And that's it. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Commissioner Lee.

Let me first say thank you to our manager who's been with us 27 years. And for us to come up with a budget that meets the needs of all people of Mecklenburg County, I'm grateful. As I look and talk with my seniors this weekend, we had a meeting on Saturday at Weepinwillow where those who take care of those who cannot take care of themselves and the support that this organization gives to the community. Without that, our people cannot make it. And when we talk about taxing, we can't afford to pay and raise any more taxes in Mecklenburg County. I say this for the sentiment of all of us. And when you talk about the firemen, when you talk about the others who protect us, the policemen, and others who take care of us. The county's job is to take care of human services, not the streets, not the light bulbs, but making sure that those of us who reside within the confines of the community have a fruitful living experience and that the education is qualified for all children to be taught and to learn. I didn't prepare a statement, but over the years, having looked at the budget, studied the budget, this is the best budget. If I had a crown to put on your head, son, tonight, I would put it there to say thank you. And when I look around, I do see the ancestors up there clapping and saying thank you for you, for what you've done for us, and to your family who sacrificed for you to be aware, to take care of business. I want to say thank you to the staff who's always in this corner. I don't know why you all sit on the left-hand side and not in the middle or on the right-hand side, but we know you're with us because you make it happen. And your family's sacrifice for you to be here, to be with us in the morning, late at night, on weekends, we can't say it enough. So again, to the managers, and especially to our chairperson who've led us through this deal. A budget, you're talking about money. We're talking about a Trump who doesn't want us to even buy gas now. So many of us have to walk to work. So if you do, you might lose some weight and that would be good. So I say to you and to all of us, power to the county commissioners and to the manager and to the staff.

Mr. Griffin.

What are you laughing about?

My former colleague on the school board. Anyway, first of all, as you know, last budget cycle, I did not vote for the budget.

Say that again?

I said the last budget cycle, I did not vote for the budget. However, this budget cycle, Mr. Manager, I wholeheartedly support the budget. And that's for a couple of reasons. One, there's no tax increase, of course. But the second piece was my concern about having some additional accountability. And you've certainly stepped up to the plate with announcing your support for the balance scorecard and for smart goals. I think the citizens of Mecklenburg County will be better off and the residents that we serve because of this new approach for doing business here in Mecklenburg County. The other piece, I think my second budget, 2024, I wanted us to look at trying to provide a living wage for our employees. I was told some astronomical number couldn't be done. Somehow or another, you've done some magic and you're able to bring our employees closer to the living wage, which we ought to be a leader in. And I really appreciate that. I mean, that is really a significant commitment from my perspective because investigating county employees, these folks are on the front line of people and families who oftentimes find themselves in a crisis. They are really the backbone of Mecklenburg County, and I think we need to do all we can do to provide a minimum wage, a living wage, for all of our employees. The balanced scorecard, of course, certainly provides clear objectives. It lets the public know what to expect in terms of outcomes and appropriate measures. That is absolutely fundamental from where I sit. I remain concerned, as you and others on this board, about persistent racial disparities. One of our goals the chair often reads at all of our meetings, not just the public meetings, but the committee meetings that we have, that says we want to work to close the racial and ethnic disparities in everything that we do. I often repeat some of the data. African Americans die prematurely in Mecklenburg County more so than any other race or ethnicity in Mecklenburg County. I asked a question during our last workshop with Charlotte Mecklenburg school partners, how many kindergartners can count to 10? Didn't get an answer. So they're ringing the bell, but let me just say I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue the work that we have done so far in terms of the balanced scorecard and SMART goals, but also all nine of us have expressed a continuing interest and improving the quality of life for all the residents of Mecklenburg County. And I'm with you there. So thank you, sir. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Alderman.

Mr. Manager, Adrian, your entire team, thank you very much. I'm proud to vote for this. I'm thrilled we were able to get to fully fund with CMS again. I thank our partners and the superintendent of schools and the school board chair and the entire school board. It's very important to me. Thank you for keeping the tax rate the same this year. Very important. And, yes, the balance score card will help us to ensure that our residents are getting value for the programs that we're investing in so that we continue to be as nimble in the delivery of services for the best value for money. So thank you for honoring our values and the values of the community. Very proud to support.

Commissioner Dunlap.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I want to start with the manager and your team. Thank you so much for the budget that you presented to us. I was trying to get our chair to pass it in 15 minutes. We weren't able to do that, but I want the community to know that I've been around for quite a few budget adoptions maybe 16, at least three managers. Before you, Mr. Manager, not one of them had the challenge with their budget that you had with this one. And what was interesting about the whole process is that you appeared that it looked easy. I know it wasn't. But the way you presented it to us was in a way that we could not refuse it. It was clear, it was concise. You made it clear that you looked at everything you has heard from each one of us, not favoring one or the other, but you looked at all of our concerns and you looked at the needs of this county. And in this budget, even with all the maneuvering you had to do, I think you were able to achieve all of that. You know, when people look at our budget, they're gonna begin to realize that this board, this board did what most people don't expect us to do. And I don't typically get political when I talk on this board, but it's a democratic board. And they don't expect us to show fiscal restraint. And so I'm extremely proud of the fact that we did not decide to raise taxes. And it was because it was a part of our manager's recommendation. And he said that we would not put ourselves in the hole that we've done in the past. And I appreciated that. I am proud of the fact that we are beginning to look at livable wages, look at smart goals, look at the balance scorecard. There are a number of things that I could point to that are different in this budget that we hadn't done before. And so I'm extremely proud. I'm proud of the way that each one of us handled the discussion about the board, even The budget, even when we didn't agree with our colleagues, the way we discussed it was in such a way that it was civil. And so that makes me proud. And so I am indeed happy to support the manager's recommended board, of course, with our little addendum. Thank you.

Thank you. Commissioner Powell.

Thank you. So I support this budget. And I want to talk about why. And the first thing I want to say is our chairman reads our Mecklenburg County priorities before every meeting. They guide the work of staff. I have such a deep respect and value for the employees who do the work to support these priorities. And if we value them, we have to show we value them. My favorite thing about when Michael Bryant got sworn in was the Charlotte Poet Laureate. And if you go back and watch it, I think his name was Jay. If you go back and watch it, there was a theme about don't just talk about it, be about it. So don't just talk about doing good things, do it. And it is reflected in this budget by giving our Mecklenburg County employees a living wage. I have struggled with this. Not that part. Not that part. I don't struggle with it. I totally support it. But I believe that medic employees are part of us. And I have struggled since May 20th when I found out that the medic employees did not have that. But through our conversation last week, and your recommendation of how to adjust things so that we could accommodate that, it is in the budget. It's there. My colleagues had questions and at first I struggled because I didn't have any questions and then I thought about it for the past five days in depth about how much I respect my colleagues and why they had questions. I've had 40 years of experience with MEDIC. So I started to ask myself, like, is this personal or is this me as a county commissioner? And it's both. It's personal because for 40 years I have noticed the life-saving work that you do. I have seen people that survived and had a better outcome because of you. And I've seen that and my colleagues haven't, I feel like you're part of us. And the whole funding of medic is, is just so broken. Um, you know, I really respect what commissioner Rodriguez McDowell said because the public hospital authority should be part of the funding, but this is where we are and it is in our budget and it's in restricted contingency. And so there was confusion from the media about, you know, when we voted, We weren't voting against anything. We were voting against putting it in restricted contingency because we wanted it to happen now, but it's there. And so I think of commissioner remember, you know, I think of, uh, how she used to talk about how we are all so committed to making the community better. And so what I thought, what I saw as a whole was filled when we put that money in restricted contingency, it's there. Um, we're not going to let it go. And when I look at my colleagues, I know every single person here cares and I know our County staff cares. And so I feel comfortable voting yes for this, knowing that medic is included. Uh, and I want to make sure everybody knows that there will be 721 employees who are directly impacted by the increase in living wage. And I think eventually when medic it's like 270 some will be impacted eventually for medic. You, to me, you are part of us and thank you for your work. Um, I'm not going to quit. So since I was elected to represent Cornelius Huntersville, Davidson and North Charlotte, I was elected in 2018 and it didn't take two weeks for me to hear from the Huntersville town commission. that they wanted me to work with MEDIC. And so it was my first big project, which I embraced. They wanted me to work with MEDIC because they were worried about response times coming up to North Mecklenburg. So while it's personal, it's also I represent District 1. And I want to make sure we get the same response times. And I want to make sure that MEDIC is adequately staffed. And I want to thank all the commissioners that voted for the pilot program that Commissioner Chairman Jarrell and I worked on together to come up with a pilot program to get the EMTs trained. So really what I'm trying to tell you is we all care about it, and you're not lost in there. And so I just want to give you that reassurance that we're not going to let it go. I know who our chairman is. I know his heart. I know our accounting manager. We're not going to let it go. I fully support this budget knowing that's in there. Thank you.

Thank you. Commissioner, commissioner towns in England.

Um, I'll be more brief because, um, this time I was less involved, um, in the discussion, um, in the budget, but you guys have done an excellent job so far without me. So this time around, I felt confident. I have great confidence in. and all of my colleagues in the discussion. I was able to watch the discussion regarding the budget and being able to have a balanced budget where with the realization that you're not going to raise taxes to impugn and to hurt those that we're trying to help the most, that's significant. And I realize the talent of the staff of Mecklenburg County to be able to do that. So I say thank you and congratulations and well done and let's move forward because we've got so much more work to do, thank you.

Thank you. And thank you all for your really thoughtful comments. And I think that's indicative of the way the process has gone. I first have to say, I have to double down on everything our colleagues said. Mr. Manager, your leadership, what you delivered with respect to a recommendation for us was phenomenal. I think most of us sitting here feel like it probably was a really great piece of work, if not the best piece of work that I've been able to see since I've been here. When you take in totality the total economic conditions that we're dealing with and the pressures that we're dealing with as a community, as a country, and really economic global factors. And so I echo everyone's sentiment there. I do want to take this time to also Thank your executive team members who are here. Thank each and every one of you for your leadership and for your contributions to this. I think all of us know that all this work that we do is certainly not one individual, but, you know, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and so you have a really strong team, Mr. Manager, and you being that leader You have a really strong team. I do also always like to recognize our county, our other county team members that are outside the executive team and OMB. You guys are phenomenal. Adrian, thank you for your leadership. We've seen your steady hand since, you know, since I've been here. certainly seeing your steady hand and your leadership and what you bring. And David, our CFO, and the whole team. And I'm just going to ask everybody to please stand and be recognized, because we really want to acknowledge everyone from the E-Team, everyone at OMB and everybody. And so with that, when we think about, um, one thing that I've said, and we all know this is that the manager makes a recommendation, but the board has to make the ultimate and final decisions tonight. Uh, we went through that process. It was clunky. I was trying to figure out a life lesson for my kids. Right. And so I was thinking like, I was thinking, I said, look, things aren't always easy. They don't always look good, but if you come out, with a positive outcome, we'll take that. Right. And so it got a little clunky, got a little messy, but, uh, I think we delivered a, a great outcome. And so I'm proud of that. George.

Mr. Chair. Yes. After that great speech, uh, I have been, uh, conversing with my seatmate over here and, and we'd like to ask the board to reconsider. an issue that we addressed earlier as it relates to the appointment to the Park and Recreation Board in that she has come up with a recommendation that I think will work. If we will move Lynn from North One to the Northern Towns and then we can appoint Ed Lawson.

Before you do that, team from Medic, can you wait one second, please? Thank you. Give me one second. We're going to come right back to that. As I was doing my acknowledgments, you guys were definitely on the list. I hope you could see, you know, we had some tough conversations around compensation. Every one of us believes that even what we were talking about, you deserve double, triple that. You've earned it. You deserve it. I don't want you to leave out of here without knowing how much the community appreciates what you do. It will be reflected in the future. There is a process that we're going to go through to make that happen. But we are going to continue to support you. I can tell you there hasn't been a time where it's been presented to us for you all to receive raises or bonus that's come before this board where it's been denied or declined. I don't want you to leave here tonight without knowing that that situation will be taken care of and that we do appreciate what you're doing. We appreciate the time that you took out to come down here tonight to represent. And again, we will take care of that for you. So thank you very much. God bless you. I hope you have a good night, okay? Stay safe. Let me, let me go back to commissioner Dunlap.

It's a motion. Wait a minute. Let me, let me make, make, make sure I got it right.

Tyrone is on it. He's like Tyrone, Tyrone is right there, man. Use the right words.

Let's get it. There are a couple of ways to do this.

What about a motion to reconsider? That's it. All right. All right. So a motion to reconsider that vote.

All right.

Second.

Moved and seconded. Any discussion?

Aye.

Will you go into the why, please?

Well, the reason why is voted on to reconsider.

I heard the second. It was a second. I heard the second was voted on to reconsider.

Commissioner Lee asked why. It was just a discussion on why.

Why don't you explain it? You have to take the vote. I'm pulling it up. I can ask why.

I heard the second. I didn't hear the vote to reconsider.

Oh, I was taking discussion first before I carry the motion. Do you ask why? Commissioner Powell is going to speak to that.

Oh, Lord. It's my district. I would like to reconsider... um, putting Lynn dot let into the Northern towns because she has the time and, uh, adding the recommendation from commissioner Dunlap to fill the North once the, I'm moving Lynn to the Northern town slot and then commissioner Dunlap's, um, nomination to Ed Lawson to the North one slot.

Okay. So they're just moving. Yeah, move up. Just changing.

Okay.

And then that adds to the diversity. That leaves my man. You're central.

That was motion. Okay.

Second. So it's been moved. Is there any other discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, let's see by show of hands. All those opposed. I held up my hand too long.

One opposed it.

All right. So one opposed, Madam Clerk.

All right.

So that motion passes. So we've got that. All right. All right. With that being said, we've got another item on the manager's report.

We do. But listen, before I introduce that second item, I'd be remiss. One, I want to say thank you. Each one of you, all nine of you. your kind words not just to me but more importantly to the entire team i can't thank you enough how much i appreciate how you recognize our team i you're right i don't do this alone i am surrounded by brilliance and excellence and a subset of them are here and you know OMB, they have a tradition. After adoption night, they go out and have a few spirits. They deserve it. We'll be there shortly. That's my point. Number one, I am blessed. I do have an outstanding executive team. It starts with them. They certainly support all that I do. We have shared values and shared goals that are aligned to your vision for this community. And then also, as I mentioned, there's other players in addition to budget, finance, HR, communications. I don't want to admit anybody, but I don't do this work alone. And then the other subset, you hear me say time and time again, the most talented workforce in the nation. That is all of our employees as well. So thank you for approving this budget that consists of so many investments that demonstrate not just my support for them, but your commitment as well. So I want to certainly say thank you for that.

Thank you.

Now I'm going to the second item.

And speaking of before you go forward, Mr. Chairman, that was cause we didn't vote on the reconsideration. You voted on the replacement, but not the reconsideration. All right.

So I'll entertain a motion for the reconsideration.

You did a second. You just needed to actually vote.

I raised my hand.

I thought she raised her hand. Remember when I raised it, you said you were going to take conversation first? Because I heard the second, but you never voted.

Now we're voting. Now we need to make a motion to make the switch.

We voted on the reconsideration.

Now we have to vote on the actual motion. All right, on the action. So it's been moved.

Seconded. Thirded.

It was moved and seconded.

For the reconsideration, we just need a vote. Okay.

All those in favor, let's see by show of hands. All those opposed. One opposed.

Yeah, one opposed.

It was in favor. Oh, she was in favor. I'm sorry. Then it's unanimous. Thank you. All right. So that's unanimous. All right. Now, Mr. Manager, we can move on.

No more reconsiderations, amendments, recusals, nothing, okay? Speaking of my brilliant executive team, the second item will be presented by one of the members of that group. It is pertaining to you all receiving an update on the Youth and Family Service Division's strength and opportunities as it relates to enhancing child welfare service delivery and accountability. That presentation will be made by Dr. Kim Campbell, who is the Deputy County Manager over the Health and Human Services. I'm going to ask that she come forward and present this item to you. Mr. Chair, please recognize Dr. Kim Campbell.

Dr. Campbell, you are recognized. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. And good evening, Chair Durrell and commissioners. Again, I'm Dr. Kim Campbell, and tonight I'm coming before you to discuss our youth and family services child welfare improvement strategy. In September of 2024, YFS began a transformation effort covering work across the division, and an update on that work was provided to the Health and Human Services Committee in the fall of 2025. In January of this year, YFS ramped up their practice improvement efforts within child protective services specifically. which is the front door to the child welfare system. This work is being done with support and coordination by the county manager's office, child family and adult services leadership, external experts, and even our state Department of Health and Human Services. So tonight I'm gonna walk you through our 2026 efforts, followed by a high level overview of key events that have taken place since January. This will be followed by an overview of our strengths and opportunities, and I'll conclude with solutions and action steps. So we knew at the top of the year that we would lean in on enhanced stability focused on child safety and on our workforce. and we recognized the need to look at our standing operation procedures more globally. So furthermore, we knew we needed to look at a range of cases to determine systemic opportunities, and so in addition to our own internal CQI team sampling cases for review, we partnered with Allies for Outcomes to do that important work. It is of note that Allies for Outcomes is an organization of child welfare subject matter experts respected by the state and working in multiple counties in North Carolina. We began this process even prior to being notified by the state that they would be doing their own practice assessment and case reviews. We also engaged RSM, an internationally recognized firm of independent auditors, to conduct an audit of child, family, and adult services, as well as additional areas across our consolidated agency. Now, we know that child welfare work is very complex and the stakes are high. And so, in addition to increased access to executive leadership, we've provided YFS and CFAS with executive coaches with deep expertise in child welfare in North Carolina as well as nationally. We have also convened weekly executive team meetings with Manager Bryant and Attorney Wade to review critical cases, including those that come to the attention of the board members. And what this means is that at the highest levels in this organization, cases are being discussed. Finally, we adjusted our budget enhancement request to include additional resources for YFS, which the county manager and now you, the board, have graciously supported. So thank you for that. So now to the timeline of events. Some of this is gonna be a little bit duplicative of the previous slide, but I wanted to sort of lay this out for you guys in a timeline format so that you can see what has occurred leading up to where we are today at a high level. So in January, we began case review meetings with staff and leadership in partnership with Allies for Outcomes. We initiated HR investigations and we participated in the first of monthly meetings with our assigned state regional consultant. The state also notified us that they would be doing their own case review. In February, we continued our monthly meetings with the state and also participated in their case review entrance meetings. In March, we had our monthly state meeting, completed our own internal assessment, and also met with Representative Chesser. So we realized that Allies for Outcomes would be a critical partner in our transformation work, not just our case review work, and so we expanded their scope of work, and I'm gonna cover what they'll be doing for us when I get to the action steps later, but in May, We completed, the state completed its review and held two debrief meetings with us to review the findings prior to notifying us that they would be putting us on a corrective action plan. We also received notification from the House Joint Oversight Committee that our presence was being requested at a hearing and that hearing is going to occur on this Thursday. So next I'm going to walk you through the results of the practice assessment and case reviews. And here I want to note that The reviews, both of them, revealed strengths and opportunities for improvement. And so I'm going to start with the strengths and then move to the opportunities. And I want to point out for you all that the benchmark from a compliance perspective that the state set was 60%. So what we understand that to mean is that in areas that they reviewed, if we scored more than 60%, that's generally considered a strength and those that fall beneath it are not. So we're gonna start with strengths in the intake unit. So you can see that 96% of our intake decisions were made appropriately. You can also see that 91% of intakes that were screened in were assigned to the appropriate track for investigation, that 82% that were screened in were assigned to the appropriate response times for the investigation, and that notification letters were sent within five days of intake in 63% of the cases. with 64% containing allegations that may rise to the level of criminal abuse being referred to the district attorney or law enforcement agencies. On this slide, you can see the strengths identified in the assessments and investigations unit. So 84% of the safety assessments reviewed had appropriate outcomes listed. The information on safety assessments correlated with information obtained through interviews and observations 77% of the time. 77% of cases had ongoing face-to-face contact for all the children in the home at least monthly after case initiation. And 100% of contacts with temporary safety providers were made at least weekly. And just for your information, a temporary safety provider is usually a friend or a relative that's identified by the family to keep the children while the investigation is being conducted. So more strengths in our assessments and investigation unit. Collateral contacts identified in the intake were made 73% of the time, and 93% of the time, collateral contacts were made among those that were identified by the caregivers. Collateral contacts with those having knowledge of the family that are outside the family were made 77% of the time, and 94% of the time, at least two of the contacts were made during the investigation phase. So the reviews also identified additional case-related strengths that I want to present for you now. So for instance, 64% of the time cases had a supervisory consult, a minimum of every other week, and if changes occurred that impacted safety of the children. 80% had an assessment of well-being needs identified for the alleged children, and 70% of cases had documentation that showed that referrals were made for the identified needs. Additional case-related strengths include that 72% of cases had a complete and accurate family risk assessment of abuse or neglect prior to or at the time of case decision, 77% of the cases reflected appropriate case decisions that were supported by documentation, and 86% of cases had a complete and thorough assessment of family strengths and needs. Additional case-related strengths include 90% of cases where the family was moved to either in-home services or permanency planning with a temporary service provider, the child had identified characteristics that were identified as a need, and that in 92% of the cases there was a clear documentation path as to why there was a need for ongoing services because of imminent risk of foster care. So now we'll shift into a review of the opportunities for improvement and this is in the intake area. So the reviews found that in 52% of the cases the intake workers did not ask sufficient questions to fully explore all of the allegations. In 37% of cases the reporter letters were not sent within five days. And in 36% of the cases, the files did not include documentation of verbal or written notifications to the DA or law enforcement to explore criminality. It's important to note on this slide that the last two areas that are identified as needing improvement by the state are above the 60% threshold and so they were covered on the strength slide at 64 and 63% respectively. All right, so for the opportunities identified in the assessment and investigations unit, in 48% of the cases, we had documented face-to-face contact with the alleged child victim. And additionally, we had face-to-face contact with 52% of moms, 34% of dads, and 53% of non-resident parents. So the standard here, just for y'all's information, is that a face-to-face contact is required twice a month, and you have to have seven days between your contacts. So our attempts to see families don't count. They don't count the number of attempts. And if we see them once and not twice, then that also doesn't count. So you just want to caution you that these metrics don't necessarily mean that they weren't seen at all. You know, there could have been a myriad reasons why we weren't able to either catch up with them both times that were required or the like. All right, the state identified additional opportunities in the area of supervisory oversight in that they said 64% were supposed to be seen every or reviewed every week. The cases were supposed to be reviewed every week. And again, that's 64% in the Threshold is 60, so we counted this as a strength. That said, 58% of cases did not contain all required components of quality oversight, 45% did not document efforts to conduct separate interviews with children regarding safety, and 43% of the safety assessments reviewed had safety plans deemed adequate enough to ensure safety. All right, so based on the opportunities, we engaged in planning and took action steps to be responsive to the needs for improved practice. We conducted random reviews and monthly audits in intake. We updated SOPs regarding the expectations to include a full history, all reported allegations, and screening decisions, including the screen outs for each case. We updated SOPs regarding when to contact police and we created a dashboard in Path NC to monitor compliance. We updated SOPs such that safety assessments are now to be reviewed and signed by supervisors in second level reviews within 24 hours and 12 of the 20 positions will be dedicated to the child protection section of this work in YFS. To balance caseloads, we realigned staff and supervisors to redistribute the workload. And we implemented third level reviews at intake for serious cases that include the assistant division directors and division director participation. We updated SOPs to require that all staff contact relevant professionals directly for information when the system liaisons or records are inaccessible. We instituted third-level reviews that include the worker, the supervisor, and the senior social services manager, and fourth-level reviews have been standardized to include the assistant directors. As far as the regional abuse and medical specialist consults that we get with the state, A fourth level review by the assistant division directors will now be done for all these cases prior to case closure. Supervisory accountability expectations have been included in the SOPs and cover their role in ensuring practice compliance and documentation requirements are met. All staff received electronic copies of the updated SOPs and our self-imposed performance improvement plan. Because 90% of our intakes were appropriately screened for case decisions, we need more clarity on the finding that our questions weren't enough to explore all allegations, and so we've asked for additional training in this area. And we've committed to a joint YFS and state team that will randomly sample cases for ongoing assessment of our progress on a quarterly basis. Additionally, because the state indicated that best practice would be to provide verbal notification to the DA or law enforcement about potential criminality, we're in explorations with both those entities in order to figure out a different strategy to get them the information. So we've also asked for additional training from the state on effective safety assessments and the SOPs have been updated to require they be reviewed with supervisors before implementation and at completion. We implemented a documentation template in Path NC, which is our automated system for tracking these cases to ensure completeness of records and we have requested that the state update reporting in the system. So finally, beginning this month, our collaboration with Allies for Outcomes deepens. They are providing 10 social workers and two supervisors to work alongside our staff to reduce caseloads. They are also assisting with supervisory oversight of cases and providing coaching and technical assistance which will result in practice improvements and capacity building at all levels of staff in YFS. They will conduct supervisory case conferences, documentation reviews, field observations, and provide assistance with decision-making and action planning. They will be providing workforce resiliency sessions to attend to staff well-being, and they will assist with the identification of every possible revenue stream that is out there for us to support the work. So that pretty much concludes my presentation, and I know that that was a lot of information. I flew through those data points, but before I hand it back to Chair Jarrell, I'd like to make a few closing remarks. So as I stated previously, child welfare is extraordinarily complex work. It is highly regulated as an industry, and it is governed by federal and state statutes with guidelines that are always in flux. There are calls to abolish the system and there are calls to transform the system, but there are no calls to keep it the same because everybody understands that it's not perfect. And yet we are here dedicated to making improvements and know that we cannot make those improvements in a vacuum. We need our system partners and we need our community stakeholders to help us keep children safe. We believe that doing deep dives like this provide valuable information that will help us succeed. And we are committed to doing our best work on behalf of children and families in Mecklenburg County. And with that, I will turn it back to you, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

Thank you. I'm going to start with Commissioner Griffin.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I want to thank you, Mr. Manager, thank the staff. Part of the balanced scorecard is called continuous improvement, and absolutely this fits right in that squarely in terms of what we're trying to do. Know that we are your partner from a policy perspective, and we operate under something called a consolidated human service agency. And as I recognized in your presentation, Allies for Outcomes is kind of looking operationally, but so that we can work more effectively as a team, if there are any opportunities for suggestions about policies, et cetera, so that we can work with the manager and come up if there are other budget, the next budget year or something. I would like to find out if Allies for Outcomes have any policy governance suggestions, uh, going forward. So, but really want to thank you for, uh, just, just your presentation, uh, and, and your focus on making sure that we are doing the very best for all of our, all of our children, but especially our, our staff. Uh, I used to be a guardian at Lightham, Mr. Chair. And I certainly understand the pressures. So appreciate that.

Thank you.

There was one observation on the slides that really stood out. Uh, and it said, um, 60% D H H S benchmark for successful compliance. Is that the standard for the state of North Carolina?

I can't speak to whether or not it's the standard for the state, but when we asked them what they were measuring us against relative to a benchmark because they were going to generate percentages on each of the indicators, what they said to us was 60% compliance is our benchmark. So I don't know if that was for this particular review or if it's a statewide standard generally. I'm not sure.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All right. Thank you, Commissioner. And Dr. Kim, I want to just say thank you to you and your team. Thank you for the presentation. It was a lot of information, like you said, and really reflects a lot of what's happening with those that are in your charge and in our care. So we appreciate you and the team. Thank you for the presentation. And we'll be looking forward to making sure we implement whatever policy recommendations come out of this. So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Campbell. Mr. Chair, I'd like to recognize Dr. Campbell as well as our interim Uh, CFAS director Latisha Lodehut and also Denise Steele Campbell just want to recognize their work and efforts to put in the action plan that Dr. Campbell walked you through in response to the findings from both the DHHHS as well as the internal investigation that we launched as well. I think they should be commended. And I want to underscore when we shared this with the state of North Carolina on May 20th, they were very impressed and very confident with the plan that we put in place. And we look forward to continuing to partner with the state of North Carolina as well to address these concerns. With that, thank you. This concludes my report.

Thank you. Thank you to the entire team. And with that, what we'll do is move to consent. Is there a motion to approve consent items? Items not pulled. Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those ayes have it. First item is 26-0272, Home and Community Care Block Grants, Board Appointments, Commissioner Leak.

Yes, could the manager address that? I'll get an answer to this this week sometimes. Thank you. So moved, Mr. Chairman. Second.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

Next item, 26-0273, budget amendment fund transfers for Russell S. Rozell office building project, Commissioner Leak.

Yes, with that information as to what it's going to do and improve the working site for the people with that facility. So moved, Mr. Chairman.

Second. Moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Ayes have it. 26-0275, capital project ordinance, Commissioner Leak.

Yes, I'm going to ask the manager if he would clarify that for us and get it to us sometimes this week if it's possible. Thank you. So move, Mr. Chairman. Second.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it. Next item, 26-0283, construction contract, Reedy Creek at Hood Road Stream Restoration Project. Commissioner Leak.

Clarification on who the contractor is and When was that contract awarded and how much?

Yeah, it's with Hood Road Stream Restoration. That's what the project entails and it's worth $750,000 in grant money.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This gives the public the information that they ask about when it comes to contract and money. Did you move? So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Ayes have it.

I don't even know how to say this. No, no, no. We need to clarify because when we did the vote on the Park Commission, I think you said one of your friend's names. So your person is James Smith and you said Ed Lawson.

No, that was a different spot.

You did say the other person.

Well, there was two different spots, and I said both names.

Well, this is the guy you nominated, and so how do we clarify that, Tyron?

What is the question?

Let's go back to the minutes and see who is the person that's nominated.

What happened was when they revisited reconsideration, they were switching people for the northern towns. So Ed not in the northern? He is not, he's in southern. Okay, well then that's the case then.

But James is, like I mentioned, and he's excellent. Okay. So what do we have to do, Tyrone?

Do you want to do James instead of Ed? Is that what you said?

That's correct. Who is the minister? Say James.

Can we do that?

No.

So you want to change the name?

There needs to be a motion because this is an appointment. You want to make sure it's accurate if you're switching it out. So you want to reconsider and then correct the right name, whichever one it was. Madam Clerk, which name was it?

This is going to be fun.

Can I make a motion to reconsider so that we can clarify the name? So moved. Second.

All right. It's been moved and seconded to reconsider to clarify the name. All right. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All right. Aye.

Now the action. Make a motion to appoint James Smith as the North one representative on the park commission. So moved. Do you have to say instead of, instead of Ed Lawson, who didn't qualify for this slot. Okay.

All right, it's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?

Yeah.

All right, one opposed. All right, so now it's the park and rec piece is corrected.

Totally.

All right, we're good to go. Thank you.

Yeah, it's time.

Second.

I'm scared to go to commissioner reports right now. But we're gonna try it. Let's go to commissioner report. Who has a report? No report. No report. Mrs. Leakey, you have a report?

Praise you, the Lord.

All right. Griffin, you got a report? I have one. No, it's real quick. Often I ran into a county employee that should be a poster child for Mecklenburg County employees. His name is Larry McClendon. He's a senior park ranger. And I was dressed in the shabbiest clothes in the walk that we talked to him. He was talking about how wonderful his job was as a park ranger and was talking about his whole family and his history and what it meant to him in terms of his professionalism of the job that he was doing. And I'll tell you, in fact, it was at Auto Bell. And he was out there cleaning a county truck rather than the Auto Bell people doing it. And that's what got my attention. And Mr. Manager, his name is Larry McClendon. And he really impressed the H out of me. He was really good.

You used the H word? He was impressive.

Impressive and phenomenal for not a young man. That's thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Commissioner Altman.

No, no report.

Commissioner Dunlap.

Sorry, Elaine.

Yes. Commissioner Powell.

So the first thing is, you know, I only have 27 weeks left in this job. I counted yesterday because I was like, everyone keeps asking me. So I have 27 weeks left. And I just want to take this moment, you know, like we said, a lot of thank yous. I noticed Adrian before I was ever elected. He would always sit up higher, and he was always paying attention and so serious about his work. I would think to myself, who is that guy? He's so serious. He's learning everything. And I am so impressed by how professional you are, Adrian. I know that this is a lot. This is a lot of work. There's never been a time, like my office is next to his, that you weren't like the epitome of like everything that my mother thought that taught me that was important. Like just so professional, so responsible, always communicating. Like when I asked you how many employees will get more, you know, how many employees are going to go up and you so quickly got me the answer. It's just, I appreciate you every day. And I want you to know that especially today. So thank you for that. Thank you for recognizing the park Rangers. They work really hard. Um, I think they might've just gotten a pay increase. Um, and medic, thank you for listening to how much I care, but also, you know, it's really important for them to know how much we value them. And so when you see them in the community, Look, you know, look for them, talk to them, watch what they're, you know, you don't want to get in the middle of an emergency response, but if you see them somewhere, you know, just tell them because that part, feeling valued matters. And I feel like a lot of times, you know, everybody's talking about the, and a yay for that, like we need to talk about CMPD, we need to talk about our firefighters, but they're included as part of that. And so I just encourage everyone to look for MEDIC and thank them for their work because it is critical. And I am going to become an expert In 27 weeks on how I told commissioner Griffin, he, you know, he says it's a first order priority and it is, I'm gonna become an expert on the EMS and I will be when I'm done this job, I'm gonna have a really fancy garden and I'm going camping and I, but I'm also gonna be an advocate for medic. They need an advocate, you know, all these other people show up, they know how to do it. Medic they're too busy. And so I'm gonna, I'm gonna be an advocate for them. until I draw my last breath. They are so important. They're just so important. Thank you.

Thank you. Let me give a quick shout-out to our clerks. So we've had a ton of meetings over the last few months, a lot of information going back and forth, and you guys have done an amazing job keeping us straight and capturing those minutes. Just thank you so much. We could not do this work without you, so thank you. And of course, I saw a guy lean into this mic tonight like nobody's business, and that was attorney Wade. He was Johnny on the spot. Tyrone, Tyrone, thank you, Tyrone, for everything. Your guidance is invaluable to all of us, so just wanted to shout you out as well. And with that, I will entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved, Mr. Chair. Seconded. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Meeting adjourned. Thank you.