Remarks by Nida Allam
60 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 3 of 3
- Play at 1:11:54
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:15:33
“Thank you, Commissioner Jacobs. I had a comment related to this one around food and nutritional support. I'm wondering if staff could bring back at a future meeting an update to us about, we have the double bucks program that we provided funding for through ARPA funding. It was 480,000 over three years that that funding is coming up to an end. and now with all the SNAP and WIC benefit cuts that we're seeing at the federal level, that money is needed even more. So what our plan is moving forward to hopefully sustain the Double Bucks program or engage in, you know, public-private partnerships…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:20:49
“So it's very time-sensitive Absolutely, and I know former mayor Steve shul is here for another item But maybe in the future the public benefits access working group could maybe if they come to our work session in October to kind of present on the work that has been happening in the community between all the government entities, private entities, healthcare, everyone of how we address, you know, it was already a gap, but now with all these cuts, we need that infrastructure and that working group even more. Thank you, okay. That brings us now to our first discussion item of the, of course I'm…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:50:09
“Do we have and maybe we've gotten it but I haven't seen in a while a map of Durham County with like food desert heat maps to show us like Where our families are facing the most food insecurity and ways like looking at it that way of how can we help close those gaps working in partnership with our farmers and um because i know there's a lot of communities especially around our public housing neighborhoods that don't have access to a grocery store downtown still doesn't have a grocery store we have so much housing uh here and seeing how do we get more food into neighborhoods healthy food yeah…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:38:58
“Yes, thank you all so much for this presentation and also just all your work that you're doing. I had a couple of questions and comments wondering, all this information is super, super helpful. I'm wondering how we can make it more accessible and readily available for residents and especially around our county economic development and the incentives we provide um oftentimes like we get a lot of questions from residents they're like oh you guys are just giving handouts to companies and how we can help assuage those concerns and also explaining like what those incentives actually mean of what…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:42:21
“I completely agree. The other thing I had, I'm really glad, Narakta, that you brought up around the maintenance-type roles in HVAC, because that's something I know Manager Hager and I had brought together, President Buxton, and also... Adam Klein from Duke University because I've been talking to Adam about how Duke University has aging HVAC systems and theirs are like you their technicians are Experienced on their specific systems. That's not like traditional and how we can establish and then also Durham County. We have a lot of vacancies related to HVAC maintenance services also our EMS…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:45:13
“And whatever partnerships you all are able to build also, I think I've shared with JB some connections with the local unions because they also have apprenticeships where they are able to provide funding support for a student going through. So I know IBEW and what is it? The International Iron Workers, I forget all the acronyms, but they also have apprenticeships and are building here in the triangle for more of these trades. That's a partnership that we've been looking to. had two more questions other wondering back to the housing piece also now that the city has an economic development…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:46:53
“And I mean more so from the home developer, the people actually building the homes. If there's a way to tie that into the economic development incentives of, if they're building homes, like how to incentivize those developers that you set aside like five or 10 of these new homes or apartments or whatever percentage specifically to students or workers of like trade skill workers, that type of thing.”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:47:34
“And then the last piece I had related to child care. And I actually have to slip out right after I say this because I'm going to RTP Foundation and Chamber has a child care roundtable that I'll be participating in that talking about, and I know all of y'all are very focused on this, but that is becoming a greater and greater barrier. And in the triangle, we're seeing a lot of centers that have received funding from during the infrastructure funding time that is now lapsed and these centers are closing down. So we already had a shortage of child care seats. And now with centers shutting down,…”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 2:50:01
“one follow-up question on that do you have any that i don't know if you collected but maybe in the interview process of how many students who apply that may actually end up not going through with the program because child care was the barrier that's a good question let me get back with our staff we do we collect a lot a lot a lot a lot of data along the way i'm just unsure whether or not they do i do know that we we”
Board of County Commissioners · Sep 8, 2026