Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

This evening on Tuesday, May 26, I will begin the meeting with our public charge. The Board of Commissioners asks its members and residents to conduct themselves in a respectful and courteous manner, both with the board and fellow residents. At any time, should any member of the board or any resident fail to observe the public charge, the chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that individual regains personal control. Should decorum fail to be restored, the chair will recess the meeting until such time that a genuine commitment to the public charge is observed. Commissioner Jacobs, would you like to read the land acknowledgement?

Thank you. As we convene for the Durham County Commissioners' Meeting, it's crucial to acknowledge the painful truth of history. We stand on the stolen ancestral lands of the Catawba, Eno, Oconeeche, Shakora, and Tuscarora peoples, whose deep connection to this land predates our arrival. We acknowledge with humility the unjust displacement and violence that occurred, leading to the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their homelands. Their resilience in the face of such adversity is a testament to their strength and spirit. May we humbly honor the ancestors and elders of these nations, both past and present, by committing ourselves to fostering understanding, healing, and justice for all who inhabit this land. Let us walk forward together with open hearts, acknowledging the past and embracing a future guided by compassion, respect, and unity.

Thank you, Commissioner Jacobs. Commissioner Valentine, would you like to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Thank you, Commissioner Valentine. I will now ask, is there any adjustments to the agenda? Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So moved.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Burton, seconded by Commissioner Valentine. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Agenda is approved. I'll pass it to Clerk Wallace for announcements.

Good evening, everyone. I will read the announcements published in tonight's agenda. The Durham Pre-K 26-27 school year application is now open. Learn more about Durham Pre-K application and enrollment process at a virtual information session on Thursday, May 28th at 530. There is a link for registration. The Solid Waste Division will host a disposal event on Saturday, June 6, from 8 a.m. to noon, offering residents of unincorporated Durham County a safe opportunity to drop off hazardous household products at the Northern Durham Convenience Site, located at 11894 North Roxborough Road. This event is open only to residents who have a current 2526 solid waste decal issued by Durham County government. Residents are invited to come together for Durham Hunger Day, a community celebration focused on nurturing, nourishing our neighbors on Sunday, June 7th, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Durham Central Park, located at 501 Foster Street. This year's theme is Nourishing Neighbors, which highlights the many ways food brings people together through culture, community, and care. The event is free and open to all. The Aging and Adult Services Division of the Durham County Social Services Department wants you to have the tools and information to age gracefully in our community. Attend the event to learn from professionals in the areas of long-term care, Medicare, legal guardianship, dementia, Alzheimer's, financial... assistant living, social security, nutrition, and more. The event will take place on Saturday, June 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Durham County Human Services Building located at 414 East Main Street. This event is free. Durham County is developing a bus rapid transit vision plan to examine corridor improvements and service investments for a comprehensive network of high capacity transit services across Durham County. The vision plan will seek to enhance mobility and connectivity for residents and visitors across Durham County over the next 30 years. Staff is seeking community input throughout the process to ensure BRT vision plan reflects local priorities you can take a quick two-minute survey and there is a link available and then lastly durham county is hosting the north carolina i'm sorry durham is hosting the north carolina official uh juneteenth flag raising ceremony on june 1st the official kickoff to north carolina's 2026 juneteenth observance will take place on monday june 1st during the flag raising ceremony at the durham county courthouse the event will be held from 11 38 a.m to 11 38 a.m to 12 30 p.m at 5 10 south dillard street in downtown durham and it officially launches the 21st annual nc juneteenth celebration one of the state's largest and longest-running Juneteenth observances. It's hosted by Spectacular Magazine and the Triangle Culture Awareness Foundation in partnership with Durham County Sheriff's Office. The event will bring together elected officials, clergy, veterans, community leaders, and residents to commemorate the history and significance of Juneteenth. That concludes the announcements for tonight.

Thank you, Clerk Wallace. Are there additional announcements? Commissioner Burton?

Thank you, Vice Chair Alam. I just want to talk about what happened on this past Friday at Murray-Massenburg Elementary with the City of Durham. It was a really great experience. Mayor Leonardo Williams, Chair Lee, myself was there, and many people across Durham. to talk about the 530a accounts and these accounts um are for every child that has been born between the year of 2025 january 1st 2025 to december 31st 2028 they are eligible for one thousand dollars in an account um that is theirs and when they turn 18 they could use that money for whatever they wish they can college secondary any secondary education and so that was the kickoff about it also any child that was born between the year of 2016 and 2024 qualifies for 250 so it was really great to be there because we're trying to make sure that all of our kids here in durham county get access to those funds and so make that known to all the families and parents and somehow with you know, trying to get the word out here through Durham County channels because we want to make sure everybody, every child gets the money. It's there for them. So I just wanted to put that out there and it was really great to at murray-massenburg on friday thank you so much thank you commissioner burton and i think also adding on the one of the partner organizations is also matching the 250 that to make sure that all 700 murray-massenburg students actually receive the full amount yes i believe it's 500 yeah so yeah it was really really great to be there so we want to make sure the word gets out because we want all durham county young people to get that money particularly those children born from January 1st, 2025 to December 31st, 2028 to receive their $1,000. So thank you.

Thank you. Commissioner Jacobs.

I just have a follow-up to what Commissioner Burton just shared. I'm wondering how, do you know if our early childhood director is involved with that? Because there are ways that we could partner, like with our Durham Pre-K program and things like that, to our partnership with Head Start, just making sure that we are supporting getting that out. Was there any conversation about that?

There was no conversation there. It was just a press conference, but I think that's something that we can do as Durham County government. County Manager Hager, we can figure out how we can get that information out because we want to make sure every child gets that money.

And over the past several months, there has been a working group led by Council Member Carl Risp that has had community partners as well as myself and Chair Lee have attended several meetings and have brought together Book Harvest, Equity Before Birth, Duke University, several local partners to talk about how each of us can bring in more families into this program and make sure it's accessible and easy to understand and enroll as possible.

Thank you. And I just wanted to really give a shout out to our veteran services staff. Many of us were able to attend the ceremony for Memorial Day yesterday morning and something that happened this year which was really different, Jonathan Croom's He's one of our staff for Veterans Services. There are over 300 Durham residents who died in different wars, and he researched every single person. And so normally we do a name-reading ceremony where we read the names of every person who has passed away serving in armed conflict. But this year, there was an actual picture when it was available and information about that person, and it just made it really powerful to have that this year. So I want to acknowledge Jonathan and the staff for going above and beyond this year for our gathering for Memorial Day. Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner Jacobs. I would just like to share as a point of personal privilege. Today is the day of Arafah, which is right now some Muslims from all across the globe are participating in Hajj pilgrimage. And today is the last day of that. And tomorrow is Eid, our holiday. So happy Eid. Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating. Hopefully your day is full of festive love, amazing food, and family, and hopefully a blessed new Lunar New Year for everyone. We now have our minutes for May 4th and May 11th. Are there any edits or comments?

I just wanted to, first of all, thank our staff for very detailed minutes from the May 4th work session. And when I was reviewing them, I noted that on pages 5 and 6, There was extensive board conversation related to the county providing assistance of $8.2 million to the city council or city government to assist with capital funding to help with transportation. And I just was going to ask, I know our chair is not here tonight, and I think we need to do an excused absence. He's online. he's online okay I was going to ask because there was detailed discussion around that if we could ask our chair to please follow up on the discussion around that item to if we could do the board could authorize him to do a letter on behalf of our board related to that um so i don't know if the chair is on if he wants to he's not on right now okay are you requesting for the chair to write a letter to the city or for an adjustment to the minutes uh no just as a follow-up item related to that but we could we could discuss it since he's not here at another meeting but i would move for approval of both the um may 4th work session and the regular may 11th work uh work Regular meeting minutes.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Valentine. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The minutes are approved. We now have our ceremonial items with first our proclamation for Maternal Mental Health Month and Black Maternal Health Day of Action. We have Joy Spencer, the Executive Director of Equity Before Birth.

Thank you.

Just make sure to click the button so the light turns green.

Thank you, good evening. Hey y'all, just wanna extend a huge thanks to Durham County Board of Commissioners for highlighting these two very important issues, especially want to thank and show gratitude to Commissioner Valentine for taking our conversation a step further and making sure Durham County recognize May as Maternal Mental Health Month and June 10th as Black Maternal Health Day of Action. We join millions across the nation as we recognize May as Maternal Mental Health Month, and we give a special nod to all mental health challenges, but especially those experienced during postpartum, pregnancy, labor, and delivery. One in five new or expected parents will experience a mood disorder. Unfortunately, mental health challenges are a leading cause of maternal health-related deaths. What people don't always realize is that pregnancy and postpartum-related mood disorders can be experienced not only by just the birthing parent, but by the non-birthing parent or caregivers as well. So yes, dads experience postpartum depression too. Adoptive parents, grandparents, other parents Caregivers are not exempt from perinatal mood disorders, and there are so many stress factors that impact every single individual regardless of who you are, where you are. We know rent is going up, groceries are high, gas is high, bills are piling up, utilities are going up. We know that unfortunately everyone is going through these things and then when you add parenting onto it, it could add a layer of circumstances that are even harder to navigate through. And so it's important that we intentionally invest in and work to boost and maintain positive mental health. But this starts at the root. So yeah, that means making sure everyone has access to things like housing, food, safety, ensuring that families have the respect and resources to stay together and be together the good news is that we can all do things to make the world a better place mental health challenges are very real but they are very treatable and in most cases curable so I just encourage everyone to please make sure you're doing your part be kind to one another Show compassion. Be kind to yourself. Be empathetic. Treat all humans as human beings. Love and love radically. Show the strength of community, the strength of people's family, both chosen and unchosen. There's something that we can all do. So please commit to doing what is in your sphere of influence to boost mental health and wellness. You may never know what the person sitting next to you is going through, but you can sure make sure that you're not making it any worse. Although everyone is going through unique things these days, we also need to factor in racial disparities and how they come into play. Let me be clear, it is not a race that limits a person's maternal health outcomes, but it is racism. It has exacerbated poor maternal health outcomes for black women and infants. Despite the US having the most funded and well-resourced healthcare system in the world, we are seeing how racism has caused the worst outcomes, although deaths are 84% preventable. So again, I thank you all for allowing us to recognize and proclaim Wednesday, June 10th as Black Maternal Health Day of Action. We're going to gather in Raleigh, joining advocates from across the state to advocate for the passing of six pieces of legislation filed by Senator Murdoch, co-sponsored by her colleagues that directly address the issue and to help eliminate racial disparities in black maternal health. So I would love to see you all join us. Please consider coming down to Raleigh on Wednesday, June 10th. Registration is now open. You could find that in the link in our bio at Equity Before Birth's Instagram page, or you could go to our website and fill out a form and ask us for the link. But we'd love to see everyone join us so that we can advocate for the legislative bills and policies that will help us as we continue to work to do within our own selves what we need to do in our community. And so looking forward to seeing you all there. Huge thanks to all the community organizations, social groups, advocates, community leaders, churches and individuals that work daily to meet the physical and mental health needs of families. Thank you.

Thank you, Joy. Is there any comments from the board? Commissioner Valentine?

So yes, Vice Chair, thank you very much. So Ms. Spencer, thank you for helping to break down the stigma that exists around help-seeking behaviors, particularly in the black community and also other communities of color, and also for shining a light on black maternal health. My wife and I have three children, and two of those births actually were very difficult ones for our family. We were fortunate enough to bring additional lives into this world but i can tell you firsthand that black women have some talent some challenges and so every opportunity that we get to shine a light on ensuring that they get the same and equitable care that's required around birthing it's a necessary advocacy that we need in our community so thank you for those words

Thank you. That concludes our ceremonial items. Moving to our consent agenda. We have several items on the consent agenda. Are there any items that folks have questions about? Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. So moved.

Second.

All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Consent is approved. That moves us now to our public hearings. The first public hearing we have is Public Hearing and Consideration of Resolution Authorizing County Participation in North Carolina Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure Program. And we have Tovin Freed, our sustainability manager.

Good evening, commissioners, managers, staff, and the public. My name is Tobin Freed. I'm the sustainability manager for Durham County. And I'm here tonight to give brief remarks before the public hearing and vote regarding Durham County's authorizing participation in the North Carolina Commercial Property Tax Assessed Capital Expenditure Program, known as CPACE. And that's how I'll refer to it because the name is long otherwise. CPACE is a type of financing that allows commercial and nonprofit entities to access financing for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resilience projects on their properties. These types of projects often have longer payback periods that are difficult to justify on a building that might be sold before the return on investment is achieved. Because C-PACE financing is tied to a lien on the property, it can be passed along to the next owner, thus reducing the risk to the original owner who is making the investment. This financing can be an incentive for commercial, agricultural, industrial, and multifamily property owners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, install renewable energy systems, and improve their property to increase resilience to disasters. CPACE is an economic development tool that makes it more affordable for building owners to make sustainable and resilient upgrades to their buildings. It adds value to the building stock, drives job creation and investment, and can help protect property from climate change and other disasters. These upgrades can attract new businesses by lowering utility costs while generating higher tax revenue for the county. These investments also help Durham County make progress towards our community greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Joining the statewide CPACE program does not expose the county to any financial or legal liability. Private capital providers and the statewide administrator, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, will assist interested commercial property owners to apply for CPACE financing and handle all of the administrative issues other than recording the lien. Local governments that join the CPACE program will be reimbursed for actual and reasonable costs associated with executing documents related to CPACE assessments up to $500 per project. Except for executing the documents, there is no other administrative involvement by the local government. Over a dozen North Carolina jurisdictions have opted into the statewide program, including Chatham County, Orange County, Mecklenburg County, Buncombe County, and New Hanover County. A public hearing is required by law before a local government elects to participate in CPACE. After the public hearing tonight, staff recommends that the board consider and vote on the resolution for Durham County to participate in the NC CPACE program to make it available to commercial property owners in the county. Thank you.

Thank you, Tobin. Before I open the public hearing, are there any questions from the commissioners? Seeing none, I'll entertain, I will. Do we have a motion to open? We open the public hearing. There were no individuals signed up for public comment on this public hearing. So once again, bring it to the commissioners. Any additional? Commissioner Jacobs?

Thank you Tobin for bringing this to us. I didn't know anything about this program. So obviously this is pretty new and it sounds pretty great. Can you give us, do we have any examples at this time of anyone who's used this in other counties or like is this modeled on what has happened in other states?

Yes, so it is modeled on what's happened in other states, however, built better. There were definitely different issues with how it was handled in other states, including a lot more responsibility on the local governments. And so the people who crafted this for North Carolina learned a lot from those lessons. and really created a program that would not be burdensome to us or for the people who are participating it is a very new program as you mentioned the only project i know so far that's applied for the financing is a parking deck in raleigh that's going to be all electric vehicle parking so every spot there will have charging station i would also add that i had been contacted months and months and months ago by two different developers for affordable housing here in Durham who were asking about when is the county going to get on with this so we can participate. So it is fairly new. I don't know any more, but there could be others out there.

Yeah, I think this is really important because well first of all obviously it says it's no obligation for us but also because you know we know that with housing and you just mentioned affordable housing that people living in housing that is energy efficient people are going to save money on their utilities and also hopefully when things are built to be more environmentally sustainable that hopefully they're going to be also healthier places for people to live as well so i think this is a real win-win for our community and thank you again for bringing this to us

so do we take action so Tobin it's my understanding that Mecklenburg County also took this took this up is that correct

Seeing no other questions from commissioners, I will close the public hearing and now bring it back to the board for consideration. I'll entertain a motion for adoption of the resolution authorizing the county to participate in the NC PACE program. So moved. Second. Moved by Commissioner Burton, second by Commissioner Jacobs. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion passes four to zero. Thank you. Thank you, Tobin. We now move to our public hearing on the FY 26-27 County Manager's Recommended Budget, which I'm sure nobody here is here to sign up to talk for. We will begin first with County Manager Hager and our Budget Director Keith or Deputy Budget Director David Ades.

Good evening. It is a pleasure to get to this point in the budget process. started in the fall talking about this budget. We knew it would be a challenging year. Little did we know it would progress in a way that our revenue picture seemed to get trickier as we got closer to the adopted or recommended budget. With that being said, Durham is fortunate to have a community that supports many priorities and many areas that are important to our community and we have the opportunity tonight to hear from our residents we had a resident survey on the budget that started back in March and we received over 240 comments on how we should invest dollars we also have received comments to our commissioners that have written to the board to share how they desired to invest. So tonight, we look forward to hearing from our residents and others, and I'm not sure if any of our budget team members have additional comments to make.

thank you manager and commissioners and everyone in the public that's here and or listening i can't say much more than what manager hager said other than we look forward to hearing your comments and doing our best to work with the group of commissioners and management to try to fund things with the always caution that in the budget office there's a finite amount of revenue available for an infinite amount of resources so we look forward to hearing and thank you all for coming tonight

Before I open the public hearing, any questions, comments from the commissioners? Seeing none, I will open up the public hearing. And we have a long list of individuals here to speak, so we're going to have two minutes per speaker. I'm going to call up folks five at a time. If you can come line up as five on this side to this podium. And make sure, just don't touch the mic. It's on now, so it'll be on for the next person. and you'll see the green light to make sure that it's on. And there'll be a timer there as well to help you with your pacing. Vanessa Barnett-Loro, Paige McCullough, Rob Fields, Hunter Morgan, Carolyn Eubanks. And Carolyn, before you start, I will call the next five. But no, you can... Yeah, you can... So all five would line up. Before the fifth person, I will call the next five to line up.

good evening my name is Vanessa Barnett Laura bring closer I can't touch the mic okay my name is Vanessa Barnett Laura and I'm here to represent the People's Alliance education action team we have been focused the past couple years on restorative practices and implementation of that and advocating for those for those processes we recognize the deeply problematic decisions that all elected officials are being forced to make in this uncertain economic environment We doubt anyone feels as optimistic today as we did the same time last year, unfortunately. But we very strongly support the admittedly stripped down essential ask of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education. 10.9 million in continuation funds, 14.8 million in expansion funds, 7.8 million in capital outlay. And we want to draw particular attention to the expansion fund request, which would bring DPS classified staff to the county's current minimum wage of $19.22. Honestly, it's insufficient for any working person in our community, but this is what happens painfully when the General Assembly of North Carolina is allowed by the courts to remain in gross violation of the constitutional rights of our children to a sound basic education. No one who works for our schools in K-12 public education is being treated with respect that they earn and deserve. Please do the best that you can for our classified folks in particular. They are the backbone of our schools. Thank you.

My name is Paige McCullough. I live at 110 West Lavender Avenue, and I'm a member of the PA Education Action Team. For me and the PA Ed team, the most important item for funding is to start DPS classified staff on a path to a living wage by increasing their pay to what the county pays their similarly situated staff currently at $19.22 an hour. As public school advocates, we are speaking out of straight self-interest because we know firsthand how important the work of classified staff are for our kids, but we also know many classified staff are parents of children in DPS. Those children cannot do their best if they know their parents are worried about how to pay bills, how to stay in safe housing, how to get gas money, how not to get evicted. As a Durham resident, I want to live in a community that makes extra efforts to stand as best we can in the breach as our state siphons off our tax money into private school vouchers and the federal government shuts down the Department of Education and shoves billions of dollars into wars of choice. We all know that funding this ask will require raising our taxes even more than proposed and nobody likes that, including me. I can complain about it with the best of them, but I don't see a way out of this right now except to do that and we urge you to do so. Thank you.

My name is Rob Fields. I live on Maryland Avenue. I'm a DPS grandparent. I'm asking you tonight to increase the property tax rate by four cents, dedicating one half cent to core county operations and three and a half cents to raise wages for the lowest paid county and school employees to a true living wage of $25 an hour. To put this request in context, a four cent rate increase on a home that rose in value from $250,000 to $400,000 after reassessment would amount to roughly $3 a week. For lower value homes and low income renters, the impact would be even less. 80% or more of the impact will fall on wealthier households above the county median. I make this request because it is sound economic poverty policy. We suffer from profound wealth inequality. Many of the workers who keep this county functioning struggle to afford living here, and wealth inequality starves local governments. Local government is one of the last institutions with the ability to redirect accumulated wealth into wages that support essential public services and strengthen the local economy. I believe the county manager's budget recommendations are physically responsible, but I take issue with funding the public schools continuation budget instead of requiring the school board to find savings like the county did. More important, the county manager does not address wage deficiencies at the bottom of the workforce. We should correct that imbalance by putting wage increases for the lowest paid workers first in both budgets. Raising wages for low-income workers produces strong local economic benefits. Washington and Raleigh have chosen to abandon the lowest-paid workers. The question tonight is whether you will stand with those politicians or whether you will stand with Durham workers. Thank you.

Hunter Morgan, resident of Durham County and classified employee of Durham Public Schools. When classified raises were announced in October of 2023, I was told that my new salary would be $3,630, an increase of almost $600 a month. I had been living with family for a while to save money, so I was excited to go find my own place. I was on the road bringing over the last few boxes when I got the news about the pay cuts. I felt completely blindsided. Breaking my lease that day would have cost thousands of dollars I simply didn't have. Worse than losing almost half of my promised raise was losing five steps. The five years of my life that I poured into serving students in Greensboro and Winston-Salem's public schools just gone. That was where I learned how much I enjoy connecting with EC students and seeing the world through their eyes, how exciting it is to share that I accept them as they are and I believe they can do amazing things. For a while, I made ends meet by delaying medical care and using up my hard-earned savings. I have not been able to show up for my students and coworkers the way I want because I feel so much physical pain and exhaustion at all times, and I know that I'm not alone in that. Even now, I believe that I've been underpaid at least $1,400 since October of 2024 under my current contract. Despite all of that, I am looking into easy classroom roles for next year. That's where my heart is. I have chosen to renew my good faith effort to do the best that I can for our young people. I also choose to trust that the district and the county will make a good faith effort to meet us halfway and pay us a living wage. Members of the board, we classified workers are your partners in setting the course for Durham's future. That is why I am asking you to fully fund the budget proposed by DPS today. Thank you.

And as Ms. Carolyn comes up, Ryan Birch, Reetha Daniel-Ruth, Maggie Raddick, Sophia Dawkins, and Micah Tweetmeyer, if you can come line up.

good evening my name is Carolyn Eubanks and I stand here today not just for myself but for so many classified staff members who are struggling to survive while serving our students every single day I'm just barely making it on my salary I'm contemplating bankruptcy because I can barely pay my bills The stress and the uncertainty have left me feeling depressed. I wish that I could pay my bills on time and still have enough money left over to actually live off of. This is a single request. I am currently seeking a second job just to cover basic expenses. After years of service, I should be able to retire in two years But honestly, I'm no longer sure if retirement will even be possible for me right now. That is why I am choosing to join with the Durham community to fight to save public education. The people who support our schools every day deserves dignity, respect, and a living wage. We are asking for a living wage for classified staff, we're asking for a 12% raise and for the minimum wage for Durham Public Schools classified staff to be raised to $19.22 an hour. Our students deserve stable schools staffed by people who can afford to stay in the profession. And the people who dedicate their lives to serving children deserves the ability to live and not just survive, thank you.

Sorry, I'm a little taller. Two years ago, I started working for DPS as an instructional assistant with an elementary EC, and I have fallen in love. I absolutely feel blessed to work with these children every day. Over the past year, I've had to move, and since my pay was so low as an employee of DPS, I qualified for and am now living in low-income housing. Over the past year, because of my health and dental insurance and all bills have gone up, and since we've received no raises, I'm now making less than I did when I started working there. It is very difficult to provide even basic essentials for my son and myself. A few weeks ago, my son came over to visit me and he wanted me to make him his favorite meal. And I couldn't because I was broke, I had no money. We had to eat something that wasn't very good for us, frozen, instead of being able to make his favorite meal because I couldn't afford it. I'm currently in school to become a K through 12 EC teacher. But as an IA, I get paid so little that I'm struggling and it's just gonna make things so much more difficult to follow my dream to become a teacher. The low pay makes life extremely difficult for all of us at DPS. A coworker recently told me how she has to work a second job to be able to pay her bills. Our DPS check only covers four bills, and she has a daughter that she can't see because she has to work a second job. I've always loved living in Durham. I've been here since 2000. I've always loved our town and what we stand for, diversity, equity, and inclusion. But unless it's put into practice, it's just words. It's important for the county to step up and show that you care as much as you say you do with your words. I would like to note that while the DPS employees received nothing last year, the county received a 3 to 4% raise last year, which is what your salary increases are tied to. At the Living Wage Town Hall, one of the commissioners spoke about how there is a scheduled purchase of new cars for the sheriff's department. It seems like there is less effort to secure a scheduled raise for us than for yourselves or for the sheriff's cars. I hope that we are able to find a solution with you to fund the 12% raises for myself and my colleagues so that we can live and take care of our families just like you would want to do with yours.

Thank you. And before you, can you just state your name for the record?

Ryan Burch.

Thank you. And for everyone, state your name for the record as you come up.

Good evening. My name is Rita Daniel-Ruth, and I have been a DPS employee. In June, we'll be starting my 40th year as a DPS employee. Thank you. And I started as an IA first for seven years, and then I switched over to driving the bus, and I've been doing that now for over 32 years. And I still have to work extra jobs to make my ends meet. Because I always plan for my future, one day I was looking at what I was making, and I realized I did not have enough to have a basic savings account. So starting this semester, I picked up an extra job, which puts me up at three now, to even start saving any money. I have to use the money for my extra job. My car and my house still need repairs. I get up at 4 a.m. before the sun comes up. I go to the bus lot between 5.30 and 6. I drive from 6 to 10 a.m. every morning nonstop. Then I leave the bus and go to work in the cafeteria from 10.30 to 1.30. Then I come back to the bus by 1.45 and drive until 7 daily, Monday through Friday. If I was not lucky enough to have a short extra route today, I would not have been at this meeting. That's driving my route and extra routes because we don't have enough people because they're leaving for other jobs. By the time I get home, it's usually 7.30 to 7.45. Then my wonderful husband cooks me dinner. I eat. I get to talk to him for about 30 minutes and then I go to bed. And I start all over again at 4 a.m. the next morning. I miss my Saturdays because I'm asleep most of the day trying to make up for my lack of sleep.

I'm Maggie Radek. I'm an eighth-year science teacher at Northern High School, and I'm a proud DIA member. And I'm here to ask you to fund the 12% raise for my classified coworkers, even if that means raising property taxes an additional two cents. I own a home in Durham, and it is absolutely worth it to me to pay less than $6 more per month than what y'all are already proposing to raise my taxes, so that the custodians, bus drivers, IAs, cafeteria workers, and front office staff who I work with can afford to go to the doctor, or afford a babysitter, or can quit their second or third job so that they can be here to tell you this themselves tonight. They have not seen any raise from y'all or from the state in two years, and it is unacceptable that y'all are okay continuing to pay DPS workers a minimum wage of $2 an hour less than what y'all called a living wage in Durham three years ago. The true living wage in Durham, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, is $24 an hour. It is shameful that y'all are okay leaving DPS workers at $17.15 an hour. Show us that you're not okay with this by funding the proposed 12% raise for classified staff in the DPS budget request. Our two cents is that DPS workers cannot wait for this step towards a living wage. Thank you.

Hello, I am Sophia Dawkins. I've been a school bus driver for 21 years, 20 years in Virginia and my last year here in Durham. I decided to move to Durham to be closer to my daughter. When I moved here, I knew I was taking at least a $25,000 pay cut. I just didn't realize how bad it was actually going to be when I came here. When I started, they said they would pay me for my experience, which was a whopping $3.99 for 20 years. And then I speak to my good friend who just spoke, and she told me she only earns $2 more than I do. And she's worked for the county, like she said, 40 years this year. It is not acceptable. Not acceptable at all. I just wanted to say a lack of raises is a lack of appreciation for all of us. Thank you.

Micah, before you start, I'm going to call the next five. Anna Benfield, Nikwana Daniels-Johnson, Pete Eisenman. Teresa Williams.

And Asia Pope. My name is Micah Tweetmeyer and I'm the president of the Durham Association of Educators and a Durham County resident. As you have heard from my fellow coworkers, everything is getting more expensive, but pay for DPS classified workers has been stagnant. You may have heard in the news that the state is finally talking about passing a budget. Their budget includes an average 8% raise for certified staff, which isn't even enough, but there is almost no raise for classified staff. It's been two years since classified workers in DPS have gotten a raise at all. And it's time for DPS and Durham County to step up and do right by classified workers. And we believe this is possible with a combination of a few things. The first is to work on long-term solutions so that the wealthy institutions in Durham pay their fair share in taxes fund our schools. Durham lost revenue from property taxes this year despite our county growing and working families paying more in property taxes. Corporations evaded paying their taxes in record numbers by appealing their assessment values or claiming nonprofit status using a state loophole. We have submitted a number of public information requests to better understand the scope of this problem, and we have not yet received answers. We are ready and eager to develop these long-term solutions so that the wealthiest institutions in Durham, including Duke, are paying their fair share. But our coworkers, my coworkers, cannot wait. Number two, we urge commissioners and county staff to explore areas of the budget that can wait to be funded and prioritize funding living wages for frontline DPS staff. We encourage the county to delay purchasing 39 new sheriff vehicles and reallocate this funding to DPS living wages. And number three, we understand that the county is facing tough choices and raising property taxes may be necessary. Thank you.

My name is Peter Eisenman. I listen with great interest about the family treatment court proposal from the May 21st, 2026 work session and the relationship with reunification. There is an incredible gap of understanding of the actual reason that the average separation for families in Durham for the family policing system in foster care is 677 days. That is not a family treatment court issue. It is a housing issue that came out of the mouth of the county attorney or the DSS attorney that sat here months ago and said that. Family treatment court will do absolutely nothing to resolve the housing issue. It does create more surveillance, more containment, or simply put, one more way to make children and families a unit of revenue. With all due respect, Commissioner Allen, the notion that this would be a model to the state for savings is short sighted based on this housing piece. If we don't get actual money into the hands of the families for housing that are separated, they will not be unified any quicker and the harm continues. Commissioner Allen, I quote you as saying with regard to the state, the state, the human level, may not be their priority. BOCC, I'm telling you right now, Durham County DSS, their priority is not human level. Children are being taken away. Children are being separated. Families are being harmed. Every day a black children was kidnapped today. You may call it whatever you want, but when people can come into a home without a warrant based on poverty being called neglect and take children and the average separation is almost two years, that's unconscionable. Myself and others have met with Commissioner Valentine to try to get some of the most basic questions answered. Who's watching our children after hours and on the weekends when a removal takes place? We were told a contractor. No answers. It's unconscionable. I encourage you not to fund the family treatment court and to give the money to the people that need the help to keep their families together.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. My name is not Quanah Daniel Johnson. I am here at San Derm County to put 1% of the budget into families. A lot of families are struggling right now. Parents are working long hours, sometimes two to three jobs, and still cannot afford everything their children need. Rent is high, food is high, childcare is expensive, and many families are stressed and overwhelmed. Some parents are not bad parents. They are just struggling financially and mentally from trying to survive every day. Families should not fall apart just because they do not have enough support. If Durham County invests just 1% into helping families, that money could help with things like housing, transportation, counseling, childcare, parenting classes, programs that help families stay together safely. Keeping families together when possible can help children feel more safe, loved, supported, and we can also prevent more trauma and stress from kids. We need more support, not just punishment. After families already hit a crisis, sometimes people do not need to be judged. They need help, support, and resources to get back on their feet. I believe investing in families and investing in the future of our community, even a small change in the budget can make a big difference for many parents and children in Durham County. Thank you for listening.

Good evening, everyone, on tonight. I've heard a lot, a lot. My name is Theresa Williams. I serve as the treasurer at the School for Creative Studies, and I'm a proud union member. Tonight, I stand before you because school treasurers are carrying the weight of our schools while too often being overlooked, unheard, and undervalued. Being a school treasurer It is not a one-person job. In other districts, schools have two treasurers sharing their responsibilities. Here in Durham, many of us are expected to do it all alone, while being underpaid, overworked, and emotionally exhausted. Our work extends far beyond numbers and spreadsheets. I order supplies, troubleshoot, copy machines, cover the front desk, support, substitute, assist students, answer phones, respond to daily emergencies before I can even begin my financial work as hired to do so. When the front office of staff is absent, I stay at the front desk all day long, neglecting my work. I stay at the desk while the audits and reports of financial responsibility pile up behind me. The person before me regularly work weekends just to stay afloat. No employee should have to sacrifice their personal life simply to keep a school functioning. The truth is this, school treasures are the heartbeat of a school building. We keep operations moving, bills paid, records accurate, and schools functioning every single day. Yet the workload continues to grow while support and compensation fall behind. Before becoming a school treasurer, I spent 25 years working in banking in New Jersey while raising five children. My children often told me, even today as being grown, I miss too much because I'm always working. I made a promise to keep myself from not doing that in this time. Thank you for allowing me to say.

Hi, commissioners. My name is Anna Benfield. I live at 837 Berwyn Avenue. I'm a dorm homeowner, a DPS parent, and a DPS school occupational therapist. I love my OT job because of the students that I work with and the amazing coworkers who pour so much of themselves into the kids. But even though I love my OT job, I've spent the last year organizing full time with my union. This means that I've had a front row seat to hundreds of stories, just like the ones that you're hearing tonight. These dozen or so stories are just the tip of the iceberg. One of my first days on the job, I met a safety assistant who was 83 years old. I had to speak up so he could hear me. He had spent over 50 years driving for DPS, driving a school bus, and he still couldn't afford to retire. I just found out that he passed away this year without ever having had the chance to retire. Bus monitors are among the lowest paid workers in the district, along with after school workers who spend all afternoon with my kids for $17 an hour so that I can work. Those of us who can act must act. Please raise my taxes and fund the DPS budget expansion requests so that my coworkers, the people who feed and care for my children, can feed and care for theirs.

Thank you.

Ms. Asia, before you begin, I'll call the next five. Elizabeth Clifford, Susan Benfield, Rafiq Zaidi-Mohamed, Sharoka Pettyford, Amanda Wallace.

My name is Asia Pope, and I'm a classified employee with Durham Public Schools. This is year 19. I've worked several positions, before and after school group leader, to an assistant manager at the cafeteria, IA, until now data manager. Two years ago, I started working with the union, and I remember having a conversation with Ms. Burton and Ms. Jacobs at a coffee house explaining that I worked two full-time jobs and it has not changed in two years. In fact, it has gotten worse. I love my job and I love what I do. but it's hard when you seem to have people against you when you're just trying to do the best that you can do. We need a 12% increase even though that probably won't touch the surface of what we truly need, but it's getting harder around what we need. Gas prices are rising, utilities are rising. Everything around us is rising except for our pay. but yet we still come to work every day with a smile on our face knowing that we have to make it through for these kids because as classified workers, we are the backbone of these schools. We make sure they get to school okay, we make sure that they leave throughout the day. Like she said, we're doing the numbers, we're doing the attendance, we're making sure these kids are outside eating lunch daily. And yet we are overlooked and underpaid and it is getting to the point where it is unbearable. So we ask you politely to help fund the 12% increase for classifies that, thank you.

Hi everyone, my name is Beth Clifford. I am a teacher with Durham Public Schools. I started my job with DPS in the fall of 2023. Happy as can be new teacher energy and in just a few months later I watched with complete horror the classified budget debacle devolve and ruin both mine and my coworkers morale across the district. The thing is, we know that DPS is a mess, and we have still loved our students throughout every day of that mess. On my students' hardest days, sometimes the only adult who can console my middle school student is my front office manager, my custodial lead, or one of my IA colleagues who my student wasn't even assigned to, but still, these coworkers somehow, someway have developed the deepest relationships with those students. So I send my students to them knowing that despite all the disrespect and the deep stress that they've had at the hands of our former district leaders, they will still show up for our kids and be the loving adult who they need. I can't say that that will be true anymore, however, next year because people are leaving DPS in unbearable numbers, like Asia said, causing stress for all of us throughout the building. Tonight, my custodial coworkers who wanted to be here can't because they are covering extra hallways to make up for long-term vacancies as they have all year for no extra pay. So many people who are staple leaders in my building, classified staff, will be making this decision as gas prices only go up and yet pay stays the same and stagnant. but still even in the survival mode staff across the district have kept up the fight and continually organized for financial transparency and a living wage and dps next year i'm sure you've heard we will have a new era we have strong financial budget transparency policy a fresh school board elected on a financial transparency agenda finally and a strong meet and confer policy all safeguards that we did not have in 2024 when y'all gave those that budget increase And workers inside this room and outside of this room have organized four in between second or third jobs for all of these safeguards. So by withholding the funds necessary to move us closer, you are only harming those very same workers who are organizing for DPS to be a better place.

Good evening. My name is Rafiq Zaidi. I reside at 807 South Dew Street. I watch Christine Walker and Dave Bulek, both who is with the state auditors, define and grapple in situation that you're under with the shortfall of funds. But what comes to my mind is that as I watched my sister Gwendolyn White go to court after pleading for help from a system where there was no justice and end up shooting two lawyers, I'm listening tonight to people who's really crying out for help. What will you do with the budget? Will you help them or will you cease? playing games with us. I'm here tonight on behalf of Stop Operation CPS. This is a call to action. We're asking for one percent. Like did you know that less than half percent of the Durham County current budget provides direct support and resources for families, preservation, and reunification. More than 80% of the child welfare cases are for neglect, condition tied to poverty, not abuse. I watch as Maggie Clamps, the director of DSS, stand before you on January 5th, in a minute, almost a minute until the county attorney busted her, busted her. She tried to fabricate records and freight the budget. Man, we got to stop this. Help these people. People are crying. We don't want another winning and white in Durham. And I'm seeing it coming to France. Y'all can play games if you want to. Thank you, Mr. Rafiq. You can play games with these people if you want to.

Thank you, Mr. Rafiq.

Hello, commissioners. My name is Susan Benfield. I live at 123 East Lynch Street in Durham. I'm a retired educator. I've moved to Durham. I love Durham. I love my house here, my neighborhood, and I think I'm speaking for many of my neighbors and friends in asking you to increase our taxes so that the schools in Durham can get closer to what Durham deserves to have. So please, nobody wants to make that ask, but I'm saying increase my taxes. It couldn't be more worth it to me to see the schools get at least some fraction of what they need. Thank you.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Sharaka. I am a resident of Durham, North Carolina. I was born and raised here. I started raising seven children here in Durham. I am an impacted mother of the family policing system. On April 8th of 2019, my children were stolen by CPS. Since that day, my family has not been whole under one roof, wrapped in love or safety. that every child deserves. For seven years, I fought for reunification. During those years, I have felt unheard, dismissed and failed by the family policing system right here in Durham. At the May 21st work session, I heard about the discussions of the family court treatment program, reunification, and funding to support families. While I appreciate all these things, these conversations, because it's not nothing y'all doing, y'all just having a conversation, I'm glad it's finally happening. and i still have to ask what took so long for y'all to even put some action behind this still no action but i'll i'll let y'all figure that out so tonight i want real accountability and real transparency um i know y'all Everybody should be good at numbers, but apparently y'all are not because you still don't even know how many kids y'all have in custody or where these children are housed or how these children are doing. Do y'all know their names? How many parents have truly received meaningful support? navigating this system, because from where many of us stand, families are being pushed through systems that too often punish instead of help. I am a mother of seven children. Throughout this process, I have put every requirement placed before me, parenting classes, substance abuse programs, mental health evaluations, and repeated assessments, despite allegations against me never being proven. I sat through courtroom after courtroom listening to people discuss my life, my parenting, and my children. It felt like support. It felt like surveillance, intimidation, and endless.

We have before our next speaker, Ms. Wallace.

I'm going to call up the next five individuals. I own a catering business. I previously owned a tax office. I have spent my life working, providing, and building communities. Thank you, Ms. Pettiford. You are over time.

Before this system entered my life, I was known as a mother, a neighbor, a friend, and someone who opened our home and spoke to me that were in need. I am calling for a recess of the meeting.

And usually I don't even come to the meetings. I usually watch them.

are walida burns pablo friedman samantha boyd linda clark james webb i apologize i apologize mr webb the page said okay thank you

Do we go? Is my time start? Okay. So my name is Amanda Wallace, and I'm the founder of Operation Stop CPS, which is a Durham-based campaign, and our mission is to abolish the family policing system, which some people call Child Protective Services. But I also reside in Durham, so I'm not just speaking as a founder of Operation Stop CPS, but I'm speaking from my experience of someone who has felt the impact of the decisions on this dais. And every time I come in here, I have to play into this facade that you people up here have the power to decide where over a billion dollars of taxpayer dollars come from. But I don't believe that you have that power, but you have your little goons back here with the guns, and so here we are. I am here to demand that the county invest at least 1% into family preservation and reunification and not more surveillance. It should shock us all that 1% is not already going to families, but again, this is the ask. At the last budget work session, the Department of Social Services, in collaboration with the Justice Services Department and the Office of the Public Defender, tried to sell the Family Treatment Court as a solution to the harm caused by the Durham Family Policing System. This is not a solution. In Durham, like Mr. Rafiq said, over 80% of cases come in for neglect, which means poverty, not having housing, lack of food, lack of childcare. This proposal does not fix these issues, and it is frustrating for you guys at the work session to sit up here and say that you heard what the community is asking for, and that this is gonna be the solution. Who said that, Valentine? Because we've been meeting with you every month. Who the hell told you that? No one. Families are not asking for no treatment court. People are asking for the resources that they need to survive in this county. Stop separating families. You might as well go ahead and take a recess, because I'm not done. So at the presentation, I didn't see any data that shows that this treatment court is actually gonna be beneficial. Where's the numbers that show that when treatment court came before, that there was a reduction in numbers?

Ms. Wallace, we have several speakers after you. We have several speakers lined up and we need to continue. Yes. It is at the discretion of the chair, Ms. Wallace. I will ask you a final time to reclaim.

Family preservation and reunification.

I'm giving you a final reminder about the public charge. Ms. Wallace, I'm giving you an opportunity to please sit down. Ms. Wallace. Stop stealing cake. Now we will continue with Walida Burns. And the last two speakers after the folks who have lined up, I'm going to go ahead and call up. Antoinette Hawes and Paulette Denise Webb.

All right, I'm just going to go ahead and start. Hey, my name is Walidah. I'm Jiara's mother, a young black boy in the system. Baby G is two years old. We're going through all of this stuff, and what I mean by this stuff is hurdles. It seems like the judges or the attorneys don't understand the commitment that you actually take when you're being placed in such an event or such a time matter. that they're asking for you to do. I've been basically turned through hurdles and while still looking at my son, he still gives me a time to smile and laugh. I love my big ball of light. I have attended court six times and nothing has changed. This budget plan will work for families who are homeless or experiencing loss of financial hardship. So this is what I ask for. This budget sees that we're demanding Durham County invest at least 1% of the department's budget directly into family preservation. and reunification if this was already taking place i would not have missed two years of my son's life hopefully i can make a change and stop just wasting breath is it even night time yet yes night time so good night to to

Mr. Valentine, Mrs. Jacobs, Mrs. Williams, Hager, Alarm, and Burton.

I don't know if you're some kin to them Burtons up there in Bahama, but I'm just saying good night to you tonight because it's a night for celebration up here for us. Because I'm standing up for all the teachers in here tonight. My name is Elder James Webb. I come from 6113 Guest Road. I'm an Instructional Aid at Eno Valley School. I just got out of the hospital from one of my students. I got double pneumonia in both of my lungs. I came up through the public school. My sister over there started out at Sarah Barker. She came up through, I don't know what program they got on going over at Jordan, but they pay well over there to instructions.

How can I be making $17 an hour and they make it $20?

You tell me what's going on. What y'all doing? Tell me what's going on. How is an instructional person that got the same job title I got making $20 over there and not making less money?

I don't even know.

There's plenty more. Let me tell you about my family who come up through the system. Ms. Frances Harris was a school teacher out at Mango. Ms. Julia Whitted, bus driver. Ms. Kathy Whitted, call back into the system right here on Club Boulevard. My cousin Linda Whitted worked in the kitchen. Ms. Carolyn Tysinger. Ms. Woods worked at Northern High School. Ms. Ernestine Long-Harris was a A library, a sister library teacher at Parkwood. Mr. Johnson is either 80 or 90 years old, still driving buses out here at the bus depot. All my uncles come up through DPS system. All of them, even my mother come up. They come up from Mangum, Little River, Northern, all of them. They even played the Durham Bulls when they were Durham Bs, all black baseball teams. My grandfather was the organizer. That's what they come up through. And I'm telling you, I come up through. I come up under Mr. Poe. I come up under Mr. Poe. Y'all don't want me to tell you about him. Y'all don't.

Y'all don't, because if my friends, Norman James, Herbert Crabtree, Tony Moore, if they were all living,

I don't care about your time, Mr. Long. I appreciate you. And I voted for you. I canvassed for you. We all canvassed for you. You're in your position because of me. Listen, all the DPS folks, D-A-D folks, raise your hand. Y'all raise your hand. Y'all scared. Y'all scared to raise your hand. Y'all will not see me no more. Y'all will not see me no more.

Elder Webb, I was simply going to say that we cannot hear you if you step away from the microphone. We will continue with the next speakers.

Hi y'all, my name is Linda Clark and I'm a custodian at Shepherd Middle School. I have served Durham Public School for a total of 12 years, including nine years as DPS and before they outsourced their custodian part. Classified employee has not received a pay rate increase in several years despite the rising cost of housing, food, utility and transportation. a three percent annual raise increase is generally considered the standard cost of living adjustment yet many classified employees have gone without one as some of the lowest paid employees in the district we believe a 12 percent pay increase is warrant this increase will help bring classified staff closer to a living raise of $19.22 per hour and provide much needed financial relief. I am dedicated to my work. I take pride in serving Durham Public Schools every day. However, it has become increasingly difficult to meet everyday financial obligations while wages remain unchanged. I respectfully ask the Durham County Commission to recognize and value classified staff as individual with families, responsibility, and real life financial obligation. Our contributions are vital to the daily operation and success of the school system. We ask that the Durham County Commission include funding for the classified staff in the budget so that we may receive a 12% raise. I respectfully ask going forward that Durham County continue to create a budget that includes funding the Durham DPS.

All right. Good evening vice chair alum members of the Commission county manager hager and the millions of viewers in person and online watching democracy at work here tonight. i'm not here tonight to talk about how you want to allocate the budget, I want to talk here tonight we use it at the very beginning county manager hager around the revenue side and the. the difficulties that the county is facing on the revenue side. And I also want to extend something that President Tweetmeyer talked about earlier in her remarks. I'm really concerned on the revenue side, we're operating very far removed from our progressive values. And I want to highlight a couple of examples. We have a billion dollar entity that was one of the last health providers to come to a reimbursement rate with the state. For those that are on the state health care plan, they should be paying about $50 million a year in property taxes, and they don't. And we have left that completely off to the side. You talked earlier around the commercial property owners appealing their tax valuations, and I think you estimated it sort of ate out the natural revenue that was gonna come from that. Well, some of these commercial owners use analysis that, according to people I talked to, residents don't have access to and would lose on their appeals yet they were granted and so quickly you lost you know 10 plus million dollars in tax revenue there's also thanks to reporting from the news and observer the blue ridge tax loophole where we're losing millions of dollars of property taxes and revenue and then on top of that the occupancy taxes are now going to a non-profit which according to the budget report is around 10 million dollars So if you start adding these numbers up, it's about $100 million of lost tax revenue very quickly, and instead it's being mortgaged on the backs of residents. I don't think that's very progressive. Those with the most should pay the most, and those with the least should pay the least. That's the basic concept of progressive governance. Thank you.

Good evening. I agree with him. Why should a burden fall on those who get paid the less, who do more of the work? It's not fair. I didn't know this was about this. This is bad. It's bad. Our schools are paid, the teachers, everybody. The students are not served. I remember when I went to school, for those who weren't going to college, they had other careers that they could pursue, mechanics and all that. My grandchild has to wolf down her food because y'all can't stay late. Just lunch, it ain't enough. I have no solution. I have nothing I can say. The only thing I can say is I'm gonna call on the one who has the last say so. I'm gonna call on him. This is bad. This is bad. I wouldn't want to be in your position. Because you can only do so much. You can only do so much. I'm speechless.

I did not know.

My name is Antoinette Haas and I am not speechless. I want you to remember that you are here to serve us. You are serving to the pleasure of the public. The public is right there. And here everybody is begging and pleading the blood of Jesus on the circumstance. when you need to just do what you're supposed to do. Take the money from us to support us, not to cotton up to special interests and make Durham looks good for another billion dollar project person to come in to not pay taxes. What you thinking about? I tell you what we thinking about. We're going to replace all y'all. Say bye-bye-bye. Because if you are not serving the public, we don't need you. At the end of the day, it's us for us. You are here for us. I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm telling you. that Durham County needs the support of the funds that come in through the taxes. The 1% needs to go to reunification and family maintenance and child protective services. 1%, 1%. This is ridiculous. Y'all got people living in poverty serving your most, the most gentle people in Durham. the children and they in poverty. How can y'all do that? What is your justification for that? No justification. You expand the golf course, buy some new cars. Yeah, go ahead, do that. And don't let Duke pay taxes. We don't need Duke's taxes doing that. I'm just saying y'all need to get your priorities straight. Priorities straight right now.

We have one additional speaker. She may have left up Miss Paulette Denise Webb. Okay, that concludes the individual signed up for public comment. I'll bring it back to the board for any additional comments. I will close the public hearing. And our next budget work session, so we have a budget work session on Thursday where we will continue our deliberations. And remind me, Manager Hager, we have our work session on June 1st.

We have our work session on June 1st, and we have another budget work session on the 4th.

And then the budget will be adopted on June 7th. June 7th? It's June 8th. June 8th? Yes. June 8th? Oh, yes.

I gave a wrong hand signal to Manager Hager. I apologize. The next budget work session is May 28th, this Thursday, starting at 9 a.m. Then there's a regular... um board meeting on june 1st and then june 2nd is the next budget work session and june 4th is if needed and then june 8th is the proposed date to approve the budget thank you mr ades okay like that now we are moving to our boards and commission appointments actually to pass

We'd like to thank everyone for coming to speak and providing public comment and participating in our budget process and helping us to develop a budget for Durham County government.

okay good evening we have a number of boards here starting with the animal welfare advisory board the board has chosen alex i'm sorry ashley hillard for the dangerous dog appeal board the board has chosen georgina moreno For the Durham County Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees, we have six vacant positions, three community representatives, two Duke Regional Hospital physician representatives, and one Lincoln Community Health Center representative position. And for the community representative, the board voted for Charles Cooperberg, MD, Dr. Charles Cooperberg, Gracie Johnson Lopez, and Ellen Rakow. For the Duke Regional Hospital physician representative, we had two positions. And the board voted for Dr. Mark Neely and Dr. Mark Branch. And for the Lincoln Community Health Center representative, the board has voted for Ronald Williams. For the barriers to employment position, The board has voted for Antoinette Day for the business sector. The board has voted Glendola, Massenburg-Beasley, and Dan Levine. For the Community-Based Organization for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, the board has voted for Crystal Waters. For the Labor Organization, the board has voted for Antonio Luster. For the Farmland Protection Advisory Board, we had one vacant position, and the board has voted for John Cohen. Congratulations to all who were appointed.

Thank you, Attorney Williamson, and congratulations to everyone who's been appointed to a board, and thank you to everyone who applied and put your name in. We have many, many boards across the county of Durham, the city of Durham, as well as even at the state level that our board continues to urge everyone to apply and serve our communities in this way. With that, we don't have any items pulled from consent agenda, so that brings us to adjournment. I will entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved.

Second.

Moved by Commissioner Burton, seconded by Commissioner Valentine. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you.