Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

All right, good evening, good evening, everyone. Thank you very much for coming this evening. Welcome to the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners this June 9th, 2026. Please rise for our opening ceremonies. We will give Pledge of Allegiance and have a moment of silence to give thanks and praise.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands,

and justice for all.

All righty, thank you very much. Any amendments or adjustments to tonight's agenda? Hearing none then, can I get a motion to adopt tonight's agenda? So moved. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, the agenda is so adopted. Next up, first on the agenda, general public comments. We have two folks that signed up for public comments, and we have a couple emails that we will read into the rector So we will go ahead and start with those that are present in the room. Mr. Joe Lapos, come on down.

Good evening. Thanks for having me here. I appreciate it. I'm Joe Lapos. I live on 1401 Old Providence Road. And today I'm gonna talk about the moment of silence that we just had. On June 23rd, 1787, Benjamin Franklin made a monumental speech that set in place a tradition that has stood for 237 years. If the BOC meetings had not switched formats, I would have saved this for two weeks from today as the next meeting, ironically, is exactly on the same day as June 23rd. But since you guys are now doing sessions a little bit differently, we had to do it today. But what are the odds of that, that it would have been June 23rd exactly on the same thing? But two years after Ben Franklin's speech, both the United States Congress and U.S. Senate adopted the proposal to, and since then opens, every legislative session with a prayer to the Almighty God of the Bible. In the state of North Carolina, every session is opened with prayer. In Union County, North Carolina, every session is opened with a prayer. In approximately 85% of the 652 counties and local municipalities, every session is opened with prayer. Since May of 2019, though, the town of Waxhaw has a moment of silence. It is time for the town of Waxhaw, North Carolina, to go back to what Ben Franklin and our other founding leaders established by opening our sessions with prayer. Our times are not much different than they were 250 years ago. I'm going to recite Ben Franklin's speech. I didn't wear the outfit, but I thought about it. I thought this is too important to do that. So he said, the small progress we have made after four or five weeks of close attendance and continual reasonings with each other, having different sentiments on almost every question, several producing as many no's as I's, methinks it is melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government and examined the different forms of those republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution that they no longer even exist. In the situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, how has it happened that we have not hitherto, even once, thought of humbly appealing to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room on our hands and knees in Philadelphia asking for his divine protection. Our prayers were heard. and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in this struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor, otherwise we would not be here today. To that kind of providence, we owe this happy opportunity to consult in peace the means of establishing our future national felicity. Have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? No way. We have been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this and also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local interests. Our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future age. And what is worse? Mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, and conquest. I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business and that no one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service. Sincerely yours, Benjamin Franklin.

Thank you, Mr. Libos. Next up, we have Carolyn Hall.

Hi. Thanks for letting me be here today. Do I need to do anything or is this okay?

We can turn it, just rotate it a little bit towards you down. That's good. Perfect.

Now I can see. Thank you for allowing me to come and speak tonight. I don't speak publicly unless there's a reason. And to stand up for prayer is a reason. You see, a year ago, June 3rd, I had a stroke. They gave me no hope to even live, let alone walk, think, be able to do the things that I can do today. I'm 82 years old. My dad served in the military. He fought for our freedoms, and one of my freedoms is freedom of religion. And I'm here to say it is only because of God's mercy in him hearing my prayers and the prayers of the people who love me and the people that didn't even know me am I here today. And I'm not through. I'm going to continue on, and I'm going to stand up for the rights that God gave me. And I thank you that you give me the opportunity to speak and request that let's use every opportunity to call on God's mercy and God's wisdom. Thank you.

Thank you. We have two additional comments that were emailed in ahead of today's meeting. We will go ahead and get those right into the record at this time. Below is an email with the request to read for public comment. The email reads, my name is Bob Leacy, and I am in support of opening prayer before the Waxhaw public meetings. Opening prayer before public meetings dates back to the first Continental Congress session in 1774 and is just as important today. James 1.5 tells us, quote, but if only But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives it to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. I ask this board to vote in support of opening prayer before all meetings. Bob Lisi. Additional comment came from Juan Lisa Lisi. Good evening, Mayor and Board. I would like to say thank you for all you do and for doing the community of Waxhaw service as residents. I'm thankful for this opportunity to add public comment through email. It was unfortunate not to be president this evening. My name is Lisa Lisi. My family and I live within the city limits of our beautiful town of Waxhaw. In 2019, the previous board voted out and replaced our opening prayer time with a moment of silence. I'm writing this to share my heart's desire and the importance of prayer. Since the beginning, man has always blessed things up. Since the beginning, man has always messed things up. Funny. Thinking he knows best. A pastor once stated, Bible stands for basic instruction before leaving earth. The importance of prayer in our everyday life gives us hope in knowing we can't do life alone or make decisions without seeking God's best. I'm very passionate about prayer and seeking. It is written in Proverbs 16, 9, the mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. We are called to take action and pray about all things. I ask tonight that this board omits the moment of silence and reinstates voting unanimously for the open prayer time before meetings. Thank you. God's grace. Lisa Lisi. And that concludes this evening's public comments. Are there any comments or responses from the Board of Commissioners?

Yeah, thank you to everybody who commented on that issue of prayer. It is something that we have wanted to address and probably should have been on the list at the beginning of the year, but I guess I'm going to just respectfully ask that we add this to the agenda for the next work session that we have in two weeks, and we can discuss adding that.

very well any other comments from the board i think this is certainly a topic that's definitely worth taking up and definitely worth discussing further and we'll figure out exactly how to get it into the agenda thank you this concludes this evening's public comments consent agenda can i get a motion to adopt tonight's consent agenda so moved All in favor? Aye. Seeing none opposed, the consent agenda now carries. Next up, we have recognition. We have a few very special recognitions tonight. First up is a Kristen Birmingham of our planning department.

Okay, so I am Janet Pirano. I'm your assistant planning director. And tonight I am pleased to introduce you to the newest addition to our planning team. This is Kristen Birmingham. She is our newest planning tech. She comes to us with a undergrad degree in environmental design from the University of Oklahoma and a master's degree in urban design from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. So she went back home to Kansas for a little while and realized that she liked the Charlotte area better. So she's with us now and has already become a great collaborator on our planning team.

So I want to say hello. Hello. I just want to say that I'm very excited to be working here with the town and I want to thank everyone for being so welcoming and I think that that speaks to the town's values and what a great community we have here. Thank you.

Well, thank you, and welcome aboard. Sorry, Bradley. All righty. Next up, we also have a very distinguished and honored recognition of several of our retiring elementary school teachers. So the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners tonight will recognize four outstanding staff members from Waxhaw Elementary School who are retiring together in this 2026 year. After decades of dedicated service to the Waxhaw community, collectively, these women have devoted more than a century of service to the students and the families of Waxhaw. through their work in the school cafeteria, where they played an important role in the daily lives of countless children. Their commitment, consistency, kindness, and care have left a lasting impact on generations of students and families within the community. So with that, I would like to read this declaration into our record. So proclamation honoring several of our retiring Waxhaw Elementary School professionals. Whereas the town of Waxhaw is proud to recognize individuals whose dedication, compassion, and service positively impact the lives of our residents and strengthen the fabric of our community. Whereas Waxhaw Elementary School has long served as an important cornerstone of our community, providing education, encouragement, and support to generations of students and families. Whereas these professionals as exceptional members of the Waxhaw Elementary School cafeteria staff and will retire in 2026 after decades of faithful and dedicated service to the students and families of Waxhaw. They have provided many years, whereas they have provided many years of dedicated service, ensuring that students were cared for each school day with kindness, consistency, hard work, and a welcoming presence. Whereas these professionals, through their commitment and daily interactions with students, faculty, and families, they have made a lasting, meaningful impact on generations of children within the Waxhaw community. and whereas the town of Waxhaw wishes to recognize and honor these professionals for their many, many years of service. Now therefore, be it proclaimed that I, Robert J. Murray III, the Mayor of Waxhaw, and the Board of Commissioners for the town of Waxhaw, North Carolina, that we do hereby recognize and honor Ms. Janet Woolford, hired in 1993, 33 years of service, Miss Julie Starling, hired in 1995, 31 years of service. Miss Susie Barnitsky, hired in 1999, 27 years of service. And Ann Rangel, hired in 2005, offering 21 years of service. Be it further proclaimed that the town of Waxhaw expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation for the many years of service and extends best wishes and happiness and health and a fruitful retirement. Duly adopted effective January or June 9th, 2026.

Okay. All right. Yeah.

I hope Waxhull Elementary does a dry run on lunch duties before the first day of school. That's a lot of experience walking out the door.

The chaos will be insurmountable. Alrighty, next up, we have the recognition of one officer, Vic Montalvo, voted Union County Public Schools School Resource Officer of the Year.

Good evening. I'm Mike Mulligan, Admin Lieutenant, and I have the honor of recognizing Officer Victor Montalvo, better known throughout our community as Officer Vic. Officer Vick was awarded the Union County Public Schools Resource Officer of the Year for 2025-2026 school year. The impact Officer Vick has had on countless students over the past 13 years is truly immeasurable. He has built lasting relationships and made positive differences in the lives of so many children and families. We are incredibly proud of Officer Vick and the positive influence he has had not only within the school but throughout our entire community. Congratulations.

I need that three-minute timer back up there, if you had. No, I just want to say thank you to so many people that made this happen. If anybody knows, this award has not gone to Waxhaw or Stallings. This is the first year that our departments were included in the SRO contest in Union County. So to be recognized and then to win this is a huge honor. I definitely have to thank my wife and my son who are sitting right here who have sacrificed my time to do what I love, which is being with our kids. As I see some of you guys up here who have had your children as students in my school, in my D.A.R.E. program. and then currently in my school right now. It's something I love doing. It makes me super proud to be a part of something so special. And again, our department is very encouraging. They let me do so many things, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for so many people. Also, my principal, Ms. Hunt, she's fantastic. We have such a great admin staff, and because of all those things is why we have this today. So thank you, everybody, and thank you, everyone out here, to come here to say thank you.

Go, Matt. All right, our next recognition is for Officer Weinstein and his five years of service award. During his five years of the Waxhaw Police Department, Officer Weinstein has demonstrated a strong commitment to professional growth in law enforcement. During this time, he's earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice, his intermediate law enforcement certificate, and became a field training officer. We are proud of his accomplishments and look forward to working with Officer Weinstein for many more years to come. Congratulations. Thank you all.

Thank you. Thank you for your many years of service. Vic, congratulations. It's definitely an honor. It's nice to know that our law enforcement department is being recognized for such an award. So thank you. All righty. Melissa, we have another service award.

Good evening, Mayor and Commissioners. I'm Melissa Johnson, Deputy of Recreation with our Parks and Recreation Department. And I have the privilege this evening to give the Five Years of Service Award to our Programs Manager, Justine Haynes. Justine has been a part of the department since the earlier years when it was a small team and has seen a lot of growth and development over these past five years. She was a big part of the acquisition and opening of the recreation barn, of the downtown park opening, the development of the smile trailer, the town campus, and now the renovation of the learning center which will soon be open to everyone and full of programs. Justine oversees the programming staff and all of the programs that you see in the program guide, which just dropped recently. So check it out. There's a lot of programs that her team does and that Justine helps with. Just today, she was at a cooking camp at the Learning Center. So she's hands-on, she's a great team player, and we're lucky to have her.

You want to say anything? Speech.

I just want to say thank you and a big shout out to not just my supervisor, but our director, Dina. Without her guidance, I would not have been able to be a part of any of those projects. And she's always so welcoming and allowing everybody a seat at the table. So I'm excited to be here and to continue to stay and to see where our department goes next.

Thank you.

And thank you, Justine, for all your service and hard work. We know Parks Rec is a fun and exciting team to be a part of, but we also know it's not easy all the time. So thank you. Thank you to the entire Parks and Rec team. All righty. We have no presentations. We have no public hearings. So it's off to old business. Consider the adoption of the proposed annual budget for fiscal year 26-27. Mr. Scott Dadson, you have a presentation for us.

It's always good to know I can clear a room. You want to stay, and we'll talk about budget. That's Justine's little bundle of joy, and then her older one is here as well, right? She's running around.

Nice. Love it.

Nice when the family grows, right?

Always.

Always a good thing.

All right, good evening mayor and commissioners. Just a brief reminder of where we're at. This will just be a couple slides just to remind you where you're at and then it's off to you folks if we can answer any questions and go from there. So we are at that moment where the board can start making some decisions about how to adopt fiscal year 26-27 budget. So what the board adopts tonight is the operating budget based upon managers recommended or the operating budget alternate, which came from work session, presentation as part of the public hearing, and was also found in your packet and that has cost reductions in that keep both keep the same tax rate now the third alternate that the choice for the board is obviously to ask us to refine further you have till June 30th in order to adopt the budget by state statute so that's the third option want to be clear with that the second product that you have tonight in front of you is the Capital Improvement Ordinance. So that is where you actually appropriate the monies for a series of projects. And that's $5,972,749, all funded from capital reserves that have been saved over the last six, seven, probably 10 years to get to this point. So operating budget option number one is what was recommended, what we held the public hearing on. That was a $26.99 million total budget with a tax rate of 0.29, approximately a 1.75% over prior year increase in the budget. the three big drivers mostly out of our control just to remind councils actually had this conversation over the last several work sessions uh... was the rise in uh... residential waste cost both driven by additional people in town uh... you pay for that with your tax rate uh... as well as rate increases that were built into the contract for that uh... increases in fuel gas and oil and street lights so you took on more streets and and and brought them into the system as well as some increases in the cost of electricity. Staffing and compensation in the budget is 110 full-time positions, 15 part-time, and in that total of full-time are four new patrol officers. The compensation approach this year is a 2.5% cost of living adjustment and a 2% merit pool per department. this uh... during that same public hearing uh... and uh... according to a work session a week before that the uh... border commissioners discussed other options and instructed staff to uh... look for savings in the uh... uh... proposed budget we did that and we presented those as well during the public hearing so the second option is alternate to with reductions so it brings it to a twenty six point four seven million dollar budget with the same rate That's about $511,000 less than the proposed budget, and it also allows us to draw down less, about $511,000 less in fund balance for a total of only $488,000 on an unassigned fund balance to balance the budget. Those operational reductions where we were directed to take a look at and we presented back to the board both during the public hearing and in additional materials was about 154,000 administration contingency and legal, about 107,000 less in parks and recreation, and 95, almost 96,000 in information technology with deferred hardware. So those reductions totaled 511, they're listed here. I won't go through all of them, but all departments participated in that process, and I appreciate the team participating in that. Of those total savings of that 511, 26,000 are in travel and training adjustments, as well as another 91,000, almost 92,000 in IT reductions. so there's a couple options for the board this evening you can uh... elect to uh... approve uh... my original manager uh... budget or the alternate uh... both are allowed under north carolina general statutes in the way they have been presented to you with the reduction so you have both of those alts in front of you uh... you can also uh... instruct staff to uh... go back to the drawing board if you so choose so or the board can take that but regardless the board has choices in front of it my recommendation as the manager is all to we found those reductions and I recommend that to you keeping the tax rate the same at 29 cent per hundred the second action is the capital improvement ordinance this is actually the appropriation of those monies from reserves uh... it's five point nine seven two million uh... the cip plan it's based out of the c i plan which is your five-year planning document for uh... uh... capital improvements the ordinance reflects about five point nine million in actual spending for projects uh... in that list you have things like pine oak signal sixteen seventy five room intersection Kensington, it's both a road project as well as signals farther down towards Millbridge. A Helms Road extension right-of-way process design is still going on. That's that second notice on Helms Road. And then Kensington also received grant funding for that connectivity to improve that project of $374,000. So my recommendation recommendation to the board is to adopt the proposed uh... fiscal year twenty six twenty seven capital improvement budget and ordinance so those are the decisions from the board i'm gonna step away from mike i'm here to answer any questions you may have uh... as directed any comments or questions from the board at this time

I KNOW THAT EVERYONE AT THIS TABLE HAS WORKED REALLY HARD PUTTING THIS BUDGET TOGETHER, AND IT HAS NOT BEEN A SMALL LIFT BY ANY MEANS. I THINK WE'VE WORKED HARD BOTH IN WORK SESSIONS AND IN SPECIAL MEETINGS TRYING TO GET THIS DONE. I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR KIND OF HOLDING OUR TOWN TO TASK A LITTLE BIT ON PUSHING FOR SOME REDUCTIONS, AND I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF AND MR. DADSON AND HIS TEAM FOR COMING UP WITH SOME REDUCTIONS. I think this highlights just how diligent and deliberate we are with the taxpayers' dollars and how careful we're trying to be with every single one of them we get. It's unfortunate a lot of our CIP money is going towards roads. I CONTINUE TO LOBBY THE STATE AS MUCH AS I CAN AND I RECOMMEND EVERY VOTER DO THE SAME. AS YOU CAN SEE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PLAN BUDGET IS ALL ROAD. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN SAY AND DO TO YOUR LOCAL STATE AND BASICALLY ALL OF YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVES TO HELP FUND THESE ROAD PROJECTS A LITTLE BETTER THAN WE ARE. THAT WAY WE DON'T HAVE TO FUND THEM SO MUCH AND WE CAN SPEND MORE MONEY ON PARKS AND TRAILS. So any other comments or questions regarding the budget at this point, or do we feel like we're ready for a vote?

I mean, I think we're ready. for a vote. Staff worked really hard. They knew that we were looking to save some money where we could, and they dug deep and made some decisions that they know what works and what doesn't work, and I appreciate that. It's been a few months that we've been working on it, so I do appreciate everybody's hard work and that we've come together to come up with something that Runs the town, saves some money, and funds important projects. So I think the alternate operating budget with the cost reduction is the direction I would like to see.

I agree, I'm comfortable with the ultimate with cost reduction and I appreciate all the work that our manager and staff has put into that and especially commissioners Jimignani and Diulio, they spent a lot of time with our manager and I think over time there's probably more streamlining that could be done but it takes time and we're running out of time. This is the month we have to pass the budget. Thank you.

Yeah. Excuse me. I agree with comments from the mayor, Commissioner Ledger, and Commissioner Daunt. The one thing I want to... I'm sorry, Mayor Murray's comments about state dollars and helping us, some of that's political, why we're not seeing so much here in Union County, I think. But, well, on that note, We we need to continue to be very good stewards of the taxpayer dollars because we need to have the spirit of Not only lobbying them but controlling our own destiny when it comes to improving our roads and the other infrastructure here in Waxhaw, so I appreciate the managers efforts in going back a third time to get those cuts and also staff to be willing to really knuckle down and find more ways to be stewards of the taxpayer dollars. Just encourage them to keep up that work and we do have a efficiencies program that's available to them and all those things and having our residents tax dollars top of mind when we're doing things it's going to serve us best in the long run and the folks that move in afterwards and you know we just want to leave wax on better shape than we all found it. And so the continued work on improving the taxpayer dollars or stretching it, let's just put it that way, is extremely important for all of us.

Yep.

All righty.

Yes. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to echo the sentiment. I'm grateful for this board and our staff. We partner together and we team together. A lot of the committed capital improvement projects were set in motion prior to this board. But at the same time, it was our obligation to continue to move certain, and especially key road and infrastructure projects that we've all identified and wanted to champion. But with that said, I'd also like to go ahead and make a motion to adopt the proposed fiscal year 2026, 2026 operating budget ordinance with the alternate budget as recommended by the manager being the alternate ORD2026009. And I'd like to propose a motion to approve.

Any comments or questions before we vote? Hearing none, could I get a all in favor for the motion that's been presented? Or I'm looking for an all in favor.

All in favor?

Aye.

Barbie, are we good?

You have three motions that you'll need to.

Do we need to correct?

You'll need to adopt the budget as a whole. As a whole? And then you'll need to adopt the operating ordinance.

Separately?

Yes, separately. And adopt the capital budget separately. Yes, ma'am. So those need to be put to the record. Thank you.

And there's two operating ordinances you have listed here, 2026-009.

Alternate.

And the alternate, 26010.

And then the motion for my follow-up motion, Mr. Mayor, will be for the capital improvement budget.

Let's make sure we're taking one motion at a time. Yes.

So the first motion was to adopt the budget with the reductions as presented, sort of with the reductions.

First, I would suggest that you adopt the budget as a whole. Take each motion separately and entertain a motion for the budget as a whole. And then go to your operating ordinance and your capital ordinance.

Correct. so the motion was presented by commissioner ferris to adopt the alternate with reductions budget of 26.47 million all in favor aye any opposed hearing none that motion carries and then next up would be the adoption of the proposed fiscal year operating budget ordinance 2026.009 is that correct barbie

No. The alternate operating budget is the one that you've made a motion. The other operating budget ordinance is the managers recommended without the reduction. So if you don't want to use that one, then don't make that motion.

So I have on this sheet we have listed here is proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget ordinance 2026-009.

Yes, I had to put all those motions on there in the event that you all decided to do one or the other. So if you're going to do the operating one, then don't do the first one.

Yeah. OK, so we've done.

So we have a motion and a vote for the alternate one.

And that was ordinance 2026-009.

Correct.

OK, so now I'd like to get a motion to adopt the fiscal year 2026-2027 capital improvements budget, ordinance ORD 2026-010.

So moved.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, this motion carries. Thank you.

You'll also need to adopt the budget as a whole, the fiscal year budget, the annual budget.

Motion to adopt the annual budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 as presented.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that motion carries. All righty. So next up we have the Merit Strategy and Performance Alignment. Ms. Emily.

Good evening. This is something we spoke about at our May 26th work session, this strategy. So this strategy outlines a structured, defensible, and fiscally responsible approach to employee merit increases. By transitioning to this data-driven performance model, the organization ensures that merit pay is linked both to performance and the achievement of board-established strategic priorities in the long run. Just to kind of go over the merit pool strategy, so Mr. Dodson went over the part of that budget is the 2% merit pool. So 2% of each department's budgeted salaries makes up that merit pool. And then if you're totaling the merits across the organization, that only makes up about a little over 1% of the total personnel cost in the budget. So first, we will provide staff with guidance on how to assign the merits so that we have consistency across the organization. Department heads will have a spreadsheet for their department staff that they'll work through assigning those merits and working with their supervisors along the way. And then a big piece of this, and this is something we haven't done before, is a calibration meeting. And I know some of you are familiar with this in your own job worlds, where we're looking at the merit distributions for each department and then making sure that we're not exceeding that department's merit pool. And so really that's the strategy we're gonna approach. And those calibration meetings will be the department director, the town manager, myself, and our finance director. just to make sure we have consistency across the organization and we can work through any hiccups that may come up. And then in the future, once we have the board establish priorities, goals and priorities for the organization, we can start incorporating some of those into our performance criteria as well. So I would love to take questions, and then tonight we're just looking for an approval of this merit strategy.

Any questions or comments from the board?

No, I think it's a good way forward, so I like it.

Yeah, it's a really good amendment to what you had, and it's kind of like what I'm used to in the private sector, so I think it's an excellent program. Okay.

Yeah, I was reviewing this thoroughly and it all looks very familiar. So, it's very typical of what the private sector does in terms of weighting and scaling and the grading and all that. So, it's very typical. So, thank you. So, a lot of big companies are doing the same type of stuff basically. That's right. Yeah, thank you.

I guess I'll make a motion to approve the merit strategy and performance alignment as presented.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. Next up, we have a decision on the proposed tax text amendment, petition TA-002-2026. Mr. Kevin, come on down.

We have a side-by-side version that I was trying to prepare for y'all based on kind of what you asked for last time. I'm not sure we're gonna be able to pull that up though, unfortunately. But we're not proposing any changes this time. Okay. That's not it. All right. Staff's not proposing any changes to it this time. I was trying to have something to show you there, but it's the same thing as before. We have prepared what you had asked for though. Next time we do these, we will have the side-by-side pages with the original and then the changes next to them as well. So I apologize for that.

So at this point in time, we're not comfortable voting on anything. Is that what I'm getting? Or are we ready to vote on this motion?

These are the three that we talked about in work session.

That's correct, yes. About the private streets, minor subdivisions, and then the lot coverage and the conservation subdivisions. That's correct, yeah.

I think we've worked that all out.

Yeah, I mean, I feel pretty solid about what we're talking about here with this text amendment. So if nobody has any objections, then could I get a motion to adopt text Amendment 002-2026?

So moved.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Kevin? Next up, we have the consideration for the repealing of ordinance 2018-009, the existing section 9019A and section 1029, animal licensing for the Waxhaw Code of Ordinances.

Thank you board. Staff is requesting that to repeal the ordinance ORD 2018-009, which is section 90.19a of the town's code of ordinance. This is to remove the administrative burden for collecting the registration fee for animal licensing.

Any comments or questions from the board?

No, we've talked about this. All our protectionisms remain in place, and this is more just cleaning up, essentially, our ordinance here for us.

And one of the primary protections I was going to add was really the rabies, and that's something controlled by the county at this point?

Correct. That's controlled by the county, yes. So this is the ordinance that also is codified in your town of ordinance as section 10-29 as animal licensing.

Okay.

So in order to remove this administrative burden, we'll need to repeal these two sections.

Understood. Mr. Mayor, motion to repeal Ordinance 201-8009, existing Section 90.19a and Sections 10-29, Animal Licensing from the Waxhaw Code and Ordinance.

All in favor?

Aye.

Any opposed? Hearing none, this motion carries. Thank you very much, Barbie.

You're welcome. I have the next one.

Don't go far. We have the proposed amendment, Board of Commissioner rules and procedure.

At your last work session, you all talked about, had a discussion about public hearings. And one of your practices that you have historically been conducting during these public hearings is that you don't take an action at the night on any item that comes before you, you may or you may not, but historically you have not taken an action after the public hearing item has been heard. So in order to codify that practice into your rules of procedure, we need to amend the uh... rule thirty-two under public hearings to add a subsection e that codifies your practice your current practice for conducted public hearings this is uh... a review uh... by the attorney as well so if uh... you're good with the language then we'll move on and uh... make that amendment and codify that into your rules, or you have an opportunity to revise it if you choose.

Any comments or questions from the board?

I think it looks good. It just spells out what we've been doing, so we're good to go.

Yep. I'll make a motion to adopt the proposed amendment to rule 32, public hearings adding subsection E and amend appendix C to the board of commissioners rules of procedure to supersede all prior rules of procedure as presented.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right, motion carries. Next up, we have the consideration of the adoption of Resolution 2020-6012, supporting local authority over planning, zoning, developing, and stormwater management. Mr. Datson.

Good evening again. This is a resolution, which means it's a policy of the board that essentially continues your continued support of local authority to control things uh... this list here as well as others that you have identified we've made this rather generic so that our lobbyist or any of you folks can present this to any of your reps uh... and or if you're in raleigh uh... you know you can say that uh... we're very supportive of this to up to and including how we regulate parking how we regulate all things in our ldc so this resolutions giving that broad authority to say we're we would like to retain as much local control as we possibly can in those matters. So that's the purpose of the resolution. Can I answer any questions?

Any questions from the board? I just want to say it feels like Groundhog Day with asking for local control. Because of we're constantly facing new bills popping up here and there from the General Assembly that erode local control. So I'm guessing we're going to be passing one of these every meeting.

Potentially. Keep one on the ditto machine.

I mean, the current one that we're watching right now is SB 445.

I think that's correct.

And that it proposes everything we're fighting against. So putting by right residential in commercial corridors and EC, that is something this board at least absolutely is not going to want to do. And so it's taking away our ability to negotiate that with developers and, you know, one annoyance for me is the limitation of parking when all the biggest complaint we have here is there's no parking so when we do that if we want to negotiate that that's one thing but we shouldn't be handcuffed by the state so I think this is right what we need to do and again continue pushing for local control and If they can't do a statewide bill, I'm happy with a local bill. So we'll keep pushing for that.

Okay. Gives lots of latitude to both your lobbyist, Deborah Conrad, as well as to staff and to yourselves to advocate for. Yes.

Yeah, thank you to staff and our lobbyists for being mindful, essentially, on the current movements of going on in state government and what's taking place in Raleigh. I AGREE THAT, AND I SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, KEEPING LOCAL IN CONTROL. THEY ARE THREATENING. looking at different ways to enhance the buildability and vertical building in different manners. One of the things that I think that we should look at exercising and using a muscle that we have is finding a pathway possibly for an overlay district and making sure that we do preserve those road right of ways and maybe even make sure that call outs for stacking is required especially in those EC districts that are currently already called out on. I think that we should maybe take a look at that in a future work session together as a team.

And I think that would probably, we would need our attorney to help us out with that. With 382, I don't really know how much of that we could even do. Because every inch we decide to use, they may consider down zoning. And that's why I've been speaking to our local representatives and asking for at least a local bill. If they can't convince their colleagues to do it statewide, then they should be pushing for a local bill a population requirement that we're around the corner to hit because that would that be another thing that they'll say well you know we'll do a bill but you know you're maxed at 50 000. well 25 000 will probably be at 50 000 in a few years so we have to keep an eye on that too i 100 agree waxhaw is currently facing a lot of pressures multi-directional pressures from lancaster county

our own county, and Mecklenburg County. So, understanding the scope and the direction of those pressures will help us guide the, and lay guide stones for the future.

Alrighty, so I'll read the resolution. Resolution supporting local authority over planning, zoning, developing, and stormwater management. Whereas municipalities in North Carolina are granted planning, zoning, development, and regulatory authority pursuant to Chapter 160D, and related provisions of the North Carolina General Statutes for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of their communities, whereas local government are uniquely positioned to evaluate and address the specific land use, transportation, environmental, infrastructure, stormwater, housing, and economic development needs within their jurisdiction. whereas municipalities must retain sufficient authority and flexibility to adopt regulations and development standards that reflect local conditions, infrastructure capacities, environmental concerns, watershed protections, and community priorities, Whereas local planning and development regulations play a critical role in ensuring orderly growth, protecting public infrastructure investments, mitigating flooding and drainage impacts, preserving environmental resources, promoting public safety, and supporting long-term economic vitality. Whereas local governments rely upon their planning and regulatory authority to implement, adopt, comprehensive plans, transportation plans, watershed protection measures, stormwater programs, and other community-driven policies, whereas statewide limitations or preemptions of municipal authority may restrict the ability of local governments to effectively address community-specific challenges and respond to challenging growth and development pressures, whereas local elected officials and appointed boards are directly accountable to the residents they serve and are best positioned to balance property rights, economic development, environmental stewardship, infrastructure needs, and community character through locally adopted regulations. And whereas preserving local authority over planning, zoning, development standards, environmental protections, and stormwater management is essential to maintaining the ability of municipalities to govern effectively and to protect the interests of their residents, now therefore be it resolved by the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Waxhaw, North Carolina, that the Town of Waxhaw supports the preservation of municipal authority over planning, zoning, development regulations, environmental protections, and stormwater management as authorized by North Carolina state law. The town of Waxhaw opposes legislation that unnecessarily preempts, restricts, or limits the ability of municipalities to adopt and enforce regulations to address local land use, infrastructure, transportation, environmental, and stormwater management needs. The Board of Commissioners encourage the state of North Carolina, the General Assembly, to preserve local decision-making authority and provide municipalities with the flexibility necessary to address community-specific conditions and priorities. The town clerk is directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the town's legislative delegation and the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, and other interested governmental organizations as appropriate. Duly adopted this ninth day of June 2026. It will be an honor to sign this. Can I get a motion to adopt this resolution as read? So moved. All in favor? Aye. Hearing none opposed, this motion carries. Thank you. Do what we can to hold on to what little authority we seem to have these days. All righty. Next up, for new business. Consider the approval of the Town of Waxhaw Union County Library Book Drop-Off Unit Agreement.

Good evening. I'm Dena Sabinski. I'm your Park and Rec Director for Town of Waxhaw. I am here tonight to go over our wonderful collaboration with the Union County Library. It's a great opportunity for us to partner up on the book drop-off at the Learning Center that's going to open soon. So we're super excited to have this opportunity to have one of those great benefits of having a book drop off and pick up for our area in the southern part of Waxhaw, where the library used to be at. We are, we had a great partnership with the library association. They donated the entire amount for the book drop off and the for its upkeep for the first year. So that's super exciting about that. Our responsibilities as a town is the installation, also doing the maintenance and insurance of it, and just keep an eye on it on site. The library's responsibility is to stock it, restock it, and then have library staff to help out with any questions. timeline. After we get the agreement signed, we are ordering it and will be installed this fall. So they're super excited. It just has a little, we have a little leg time in there, but we're excited about having this partnership and having this for the community. Is there any questions?

Questions from the board. When you say stock it, is it that... citizens are ordering books online, and then they'll, say, drop it off.

So it's kind of like a locker, almost. So yes, they'll order it online. And then also, the individual units, you can kind of see it. I'm not sure what it is.

Yeah, it looks like one of those Amazon drop-off pickups.

Similar, similar. So they can, just like they order books to go to the library itself, they can now do it here and drop it off and get it picked up. So this is, especially for all of our walkers that used to be able to walk to the library, now they have super access to get books. And that was the whole point, is to make sure access for all.

And do they also still have the mobile library bus? I know they had that.

So we have, they actually come, the bookmobile comes to the park every other month. They travel around Union County. We just had them in the park last week. Okay, great. Thanks. Any other questions? Commissioner Farris?

Yes, sir. I was going to ask a little more on the bookmobile. Yes. I moved out into the park. Do we have any plans of incorporating it near our learning center also?

They prefer going to the park because the kids are all gathered there. But we can look into going to the rec center.

Okay. Park makes a lot of sense and it's actually very convenient with plenty of ample parking available.

Yes.

But at the same time, I just didn't know if there was certain days, sometimes, you know, as weather changes, the learning center might shift to a better location instead of just the park during inclement moments.

So because they're out of the unit itself, we usually just do a rain date to a different date.

Okay. That makes sense.

Yeah. Thank you. Good question. Any other questions?

I think this is a really neat approach because I know when we talked about the renovation of this, there were community concerns about whether or not there would still be library access at that facility. Yes, sir. So seeing it continue since the library has kind of now moved a little ways away, it's kind of nice to see this as an option.

Yes, sir. Any other questions? All right. You have a motion in your packet?

Could I get a motion to approve the unit agreement between the town of Waxhaw and the Union County Library for the book drop-off pickup and authorize the town manager to execute said agreement? So moved. All in favor?

Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

Hearing none, this motion carries. Awesome. Thank you. Thank you. Alrighty, next up we have, what else? Discussion on personnel policy.

Good evening again. Tonight, no motion with this one. It's really just kind of a first look, kind of highlighting the personnel policy update and where it is currently. So first I'll take you through the project timeline. So in phase one was the research and drafting part. There was, you know, we identified the need for this personnel policy updates or particular sections of the personnel policy that had not been updated in quite some time. So we figured we'd want to prioritize this to make sure that We're following best practice and in compliance. So in October of 2025, we selected Central Carolina Regional Council as the lead consultant firm. for the policy modernization updates. And we actually kicked off the project in December of 2025 with them. HR, we gathered initial feedback from staff on our existing personnel policies, wanted to get their feedback on those. What are the pain points? What are some missing pieces in their eyes that they see? And then we took all those insights back to Centralina. And then from there, they started drafting the comprehensive updates to modernize the personnel policy manual. And that's the bulk of the project. So from January to March is when that drafting stage was happening. And then we kind of entered phase two, the review and adoption process. So took it back to once we had kind of a really good draft, we took it back to staff leadership and they provided additional feedback on where we were at that current time. And then we made some more tweaks to it with Centralina. And then ultimately, it was sent to our town attorney for his legal review on that. And that is where we currently are. He actually got those kind of final comments back to me at the end of last week. So we're still working through those and making updates. I did, in your agenda packets, provide the draft personnel policy of where we are currently. It is a pretty meaty document. It's almost 200 pages. So I just want to go ahead and get that in front of you to start reviewing it. So that's what we're doing tonight is we're just kind of first look high-level highlights of the personnel policy, and then we'll do more in-depth discussion at the June 23rd work session. And we'll be working, you know, trying to get those updates per attorney feedback and for our leadership feedback. And then July 14th meeting is when we'll target to adopt that personnel policy. That just gives you a glance at the timeline we've had. All right, so I'm going to kind of just go through some overall comments. Overall, this really was not a major overhaul of our existing personnel policies. It was mostly, sorry that keeps skipping, mostly minor language updates and tweaks and really just reorganization of the document so it flows a little bit better. And then the bulk of the work was actually getting everything formatted the same and combined into one document. We had a personnel policy, but then we also had all these offshoot policies too. So we're getting it all into one place so people don't have to go and search for multiple places. It's going to be all in one spot. And then where there were updates of notes, I'll go through the highlights of those tonight when I talk about each section of the policy. And then just a reminder, this document is still in draft mode and under Town Attorney Review, so there may be further edits. All right, so section one of the personnel policy is going to be our general policies and provisions section. So that's going over the purpose of the policy, at-will employment, the equal employment opportunity policy, the Americans with Disability Act, anti-harassment and bullying prevention, drug and alcohol-free workplace, whistleblower policy, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. We had most of this already existing in our policy document. However, we did add in, as you'll see the updates of note, we added in the ADA policy and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. And that's something that just needs to be incorporated into personnel policies per best practice. And then we updated the drug and alcohol policy map. In that, we really focused on updating the language on the post-accident drug and alcohol screen protocols per best practice. We looked at that, and those have been updated probably since we originally had our personnel document, so that just needed a little bit harder look on that. And then we added specific procedures on violations of the policy and the disciplinary actions associated with that. Section two, that's where we're going to find recruitment and selection. So that's going through applications, recruitment, selection, pre-employment background checks and drug screening procedure, and probationary period. So this, most of these were already in there. We did add in language on the fingerprinting statute. That's something that came about back in October per state statute. And this is centered around positions that are working with children. So for us, that would be our Parks and Rec Department. So added in this statute so that since this is something we follow, we wanted to have that statute in there for people to refer to. Section three, pay and compensation. So this is the purpose, composition, and use of our position classification plan. Our position classification, I don't know why that keeps skipping. Position classification plan consists of all of our positions and the salary ranges associated. So that's what that refers to. It talks about the administration of the pay plan, the Fair Labor Standards Act, compensation time policy, merit increases and merit bonuses, and our training and certification incentives. And things of note for this section that we kind of did a little bit more of an update to, specifically promotions. So we added language to say that those promoting would go to the minimum of their new pay grade or up to a 7.5% increase, whichever is greater. And then reclassifications, we added in language to say an employee whose position is reclassified to a higher salary range will receive a pay increase of 5% or an increase to the minimum of new range, whichever is greater. We kind of pulled from other policies from surrounding areas to see kind of what's being done in that regard and kind of what's best practice. And so we wanted to have kind of a more set increase in there so that there's guidelines in there for us to go by. And then incentives, we added in, since now we have communication on staff, we added in some communication certification incentives and actually a drone operator incentive. Section four. So these are our leave policies. We have holidays, vacation and sick leave, bereavement leave, shared leave, volunteer time off, family medical leave act, Paid parental leave, leave without pay, military leave, and civil leave. So of note in this section is there a sick leave. We updated it to say that that accrual, we will have to have the 30-day waiting period to start accruing that sick time. It would start accruing immediately just like our vacation time does. And then shared leave. An employee, we got some feedback per staff and kind of looked at other policies, too, from surrounding areas and in the state overall. And an employee can now, per the language that we updated it to, can be updated up to a pay periods amount for the year. So that's 80 hours for the general employee and 84 for police so that someone can be donated at least a pay periods worth should they need it. Benefits and eligibility, that's section five. So that's going through our insurance programs, retirement benefits, specifically the local government employee retirement system. Retired employee insurance benefits. So that's that retiree HRA that we actually brought in front of you through our last budgeting cycle where we talked about that option is something you all gave feedback that you would like to see incorporated. We haven't had anybody that would be eligible yet to meet the eligibility criteria for it, but we would like to bring this policy so it's something set in set. So as part of this personnel policy, we wanted to go ahead and have that drafted in here. And then workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, longevity pay, and education and tuition reimbursement. So again, really the only thing updated in this section was adding in that retiree HRA policy. Section six, workplace guidelines. That's where you'll find our code of conduct, attendance and punctuality policy, remote work policy, dress and appearance policy, uniform policy, and clothing allowance policy, use of town equipment, and use of town vehicles policy. We have our enhancing efficiency and maximizing resources policy in here in that section, and then our referral bonus program policy. So updates, there's a few more compared to other sections. There's a few more updates in this one. We condense the code of conduct to include the code of ethics. acceptance of gifts and favors, outside employment, political activity, employment of relatives. Those are pieces we've had, but we just pulled it all under the Code of Conduct. And then we added in an attendance policy to include language on absence notification procedures, frequent absenteeism, and disciplinary procedures associated with that. And then the dress code, we actually updated a little bit to make it a little bit more modernized. So we provided general guidelines for workplace attire that supports the professional public image while allowing employees reasonable comfort and personal expression. And then, of course, each department will be able to – have their set of dress code policies per their department. It says every staff has kind of different requirements and dress that'll be needed for their job, especially if it's related to a safety, um, concern. Uh, and then we added more language in the use of town vehicle section to mitigate some risk and liability, um, as well as expectations for care after use. Um, so that kind of lays those out. And then we updated, we've talked about in our, um, last work session we talked about that enhancing efficiency and maximizing resources policy and that is included in this section we added in the criteria to look at incorporated in that policy as well as the procedure once somebody submits an idea for a cost cutting or efficiency idea it has a process to it on how that gets reviewed under review committee so we've have that drafted and that's will be included in this section as well Communications and IT, so we have our cell phone policy, technology appropriate use policy, electronic messaging policy, social media policy, and an AI policy in here. We added in, we got some feedback from our communications manager PIO in this as well. We added in a communication with media policy, social media user agreement for town accounts, added in social media training form, added in social media community guidelines, as well as that AI policy. And AI policy is something we didn't have before either. So as that's becoming more and more prevalent, we thought it was important to add in a policy for that. And workplace safety, that's section eight. So that's going to include the workplace violence policy, some language on safety, and then adverse weather, emergency closing, and inclement weather policy. So the only thing we added in this section is really on the process for how pay is handled during office closure. That wasn't really laid out in there before. So we just have it laid out so everybody kind of understands it. And then employee separations, this is just going through the employee separation types. There's voluntary separation, there's involuntary separation. So it's really just, this is a new section. This is something we didn't have before, but thought it's important to kind of define all those types. And then section 10 is disciplinary and grievances. So this goes through the disciplinary process and grievance. So we added in, in this section, we added in communication and warning procedures. Why that does that? And disciplinary process. And then section 11 is records and reports. So this is public information, access to confidential records, records of former employees, penalties for allowing access to confidential records. and regulations on destruction of records. So this section actually did not exist in our prior policy and so we wanted to add this in as we think it's important to lay that out on confidential records as it relates to personnel. And then section 12 is our procedures guide. And this is where all the procedures, reporting forms, and request forms will be housed. And that goes through each section at a very high level. We'll get into the specifics at our June 23rd work session. There's a lot of information. You have the draft policy in your agenda packet. I just wanted to give you a first glance, high-level overview tonight. before we start deep diving into it. So are there any questions?

Sounds like an exciting read.

Just a little light reading.

Looking forward to it.

No. Just out of curiosity, top of mind, is there a formalized remote worker policy part? There is. Yes, yes.

We already had a remote work policy, and it's incorporated in here, too. That's something we didn't really have any changes to per the feedback, but that's something you can take a look at. And if you have any feedback during our work session, we're happy to look at that.

Anything else? Thank you, Ms. Emily. You're welcome. I look forward to all that. All righty. Next up, we have leadership reports. Open floor, Scott Datson.

You put up finance first, Nick. Nick, can you put up finance first? All right, good evening. Just as a brief report, we continue on a monthly basis to try to bring you up to speed on the current budget year, and we'll continue into our next fiscal year as well. Here's your financial report in the current fiscal year as of May 31st, 2026. uh... here's an executive step snapshot about where we are total budget is twenty six million revenues to date are twenty four point seven expenditures to date are twenty point eight cash in investments are at thirty eight point three million So of highlight in revenues received, ad valorem taxes are at 102% of collection. Projected surplus this year could happen, may not happen, but again, it's our best understanding of how we will get through our year based upon encumbrances, invoices, and outstanding things like the outstanding revenues as well. We still project a surplus. about 1.2% of projected revenues at 299. Monthly interest income is around 110,000. We've been fortunate with that, but rates are going to start to play different games as we move forward. I think we'll see how that goes, but we've been fortunate because that replaces uh... income that you normally wouldn't have and it's also good management by the finance staff about where those investments are we have a CIP reserve of about 5.1 million that's just fund 403 so I just want to be specific there are other funds as well but that's about 5.1 million in the fund 403 balance we will be we began moving monies after that date so in the June report again unaudited you'll start to see more movements of dollars especially into the reserves. We'll move probably around 2.5 million into reserves this year, and we have another 1.5 million that we need to move that the board instructed us to do in April. Our revenue performance, I think I just want to really highlight something. You know, folks do a great job of paying their ad valorem taxes. Where we are behind for two reasons. One, our state shared revenues that come in in sales and use, franchise. Law enforcement, ABC, and some of those things are delayed. We'll encumber them all the way through when we close out the books somewhere around September. Those funds will then move back into our current status. But of note, and I do want to make sure that I'm clear about this, sales and use tax is still projected to be less than budgeted for. We're on that path as well as building inspection dollars. let's see beer and wine tax we did receive more in beer and wine I guess folks are drinking more although national averages say they're not it's a good thing I dropped by the ABC store before I go home there you go So that's our revenue performance as of May 31st. Revenue highlights. In motor vehicle tax, our April receipts are posted. May and June receipts are still outstanding. Sales and use, like I said, April, May, and June receipts are still pending. We should get things by June 30th, but we really don't really close our books out until September. And move them back. Beer and wine are above budget. And then we did do at least 1.5 million in budget transfer in those dollars that you see right now. We'll move the other $1 million balance here in this month. Expenditures by departments, folks have done a good job of keeping their spending below projected or budgeted numbers. Our total budget, and those large numbers, like the 1.5 million are transfers out. We'll transfer another million out of current REV, and those go into your reserve funds. So it doesn't go away. Those are one times they'll go into reserve positions. Our special revenue expenditures have also been rather stable. The Powell bill, you'll notice, has a low number of about 78,000. We will expand through June on that. We've had a few projects. Anybody going downtown and seeing some of the work downtown, as the county has opened up, The roads, we have found other issues and we have had to deal with some of those things. So we'll have some issues of stormwater and some other things that will come out of that as well. And then we will go in July for our bids for resurfacing and other road maintenance issues into one budget where we combine dollars from this year that are already in the bank and then dollars from next year's PAL bill to go ahead and do one big $1 million project. And that'll happen in next fiscal year. And the board will probably have to do some amendments because we'll pull dollars down. We like to make sure that you folks are in charge of those actions so that you see them and you know how the money moves. Um, again, we're projecting a year in surplus, but again, folks, I caution anything can happen and anything often does happen. So, uh, like I said, they're opening up those roads downtown and we're finding all kinds of delightful, uh, surprises dating back to probably the beginning of the town. So, uh, we're finding those things and trying to make sure that we're doing our job of working those things before those holes are closed back up. Um, That's the year-end financial. Your cash position is healthy right now. The general fund 120 on that investment side is sitting at around 26 million. You can see the other classifications here as well. That's both in cash and investment positions. Our reserve status, again, we still have some shortfalls, but however, some of these movements this year and in our first report in July, and especially when we close the books and we have that final number that the auditor then audits from that point on, we will correct some of these shortfalls. You've done work to do that this year, and then we'll come back with new numbers. But they still stay on our books, and we'd still like to make sure you folks are aware that we're tracking those funds. These are the capital projects in the pipeline. We've gone through that and you're curing some of those things in next year's CIP. So we do have some priorities, just wanted to make sure you folks knew that, is we're trying to continue to monitor those vehicle, motor vehicle remittances here to maintain that projected surplus, collect outstanding sales and use tax, we'll stay on top of that, complete those transfers on CIP, adjust those outstanding shortfalls issues, and advance all those projects at the same time. Can I answer any questions? This is all unaudited, just so you know.

Questions from the board? Alrighty.

Okay. Hearing none. And I've got one more for you. Can you bring up the next one? As you noticed in the financial report, we're paying particular attention to building permits and inspections. Uh, and we wanted to make sure that we're doing an executive summary so that the board's aware of that as well as the public. Um, and this is an executive summary through in this current fiscal year through may. We've issued about a thousand permits. Uh, we've conducted about 4,500 inspections. Um, but in this fiscal year, 22 new homes were permitted. That's your number right now, about 12.1 million in construction value. Uh, last year's tax base, we added 75 million. And as we looked at some of this, just so the board is aware and others in the room, um, The majority of our permits over the last couple of years have been in the commercial area. So those have been stronger than usual. You would know that. The Lowe's is open. Whataburger. You know, some of these things, especially along 16, as well as improvements in our downtown, you've noticed those things. You've seen those things. Those were well above and beyond housing permits over the last couple of years. So I just want to kind of make that note. That's a chance to get ahead, I guess, a bit in some of those areas. Permanent inspection volume. Again, that's a repeat of what we saw. Things have begun to pick up. I just want to let the board know through May and into June, things are beginning to pick up a bit. And that's a good sign for inspections. It's a good sign for growth in your tax base. But again, our permits are down. uh... right now and the board is aware of that and want to make sure everyone else is aware of that as well so here's our twenty five twenty six construction value split between residential and commercial about six point four two million or fifty three percent has been in commercial about forty seven percent or five point seven three million in residential investment so far this fiscal year half of 25 and half of 26. Of that 22 new homes, 81,000, almost 82,000 in commercial square foot permitted, 11 pool permits. That's disappointing. You know, folks, get out there, build a pool, have some fun, enjoy yourself. Sorry. I don't have a pool, so the thought of a pool is just wonderful. Anyways, surprise, there's only 11. 130 certificants of occupancy. That's a bright spot I want you to kind of pay attention to, especially in commercial. That means people are moving in. So businesses are moving in. Folks are getting into the product and becoming citizens of town or businesses in our community. These are just some of the things that have come in over the last bit. So I'm going to Lebo's Western Wear to see what I can wear in the pool next. So we'll look for that. Any questions on that?

Questions from the board? All righty. Thank you. Very detailed report. Thank you, Scott. Any comments from the board at this point?

Actually, I do.

Go for it.

So as many of you may know, veterans and first responders hold a special place in my heart. And I just want to take a moment to wish a Mr. Raymond Kasner a very happy 101st birthday. that he will be celebrating June 30th. Raymond proudly served our nation in the US Army's 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded while fighting German forces during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands in 1944. Today, Rabin lives with his family in Monroe, and I hope to have the opportunity to meet with him soon and personally thank him for his service and sacrifice. Happy birthday, Mr. Kasner, and thank you for your remarkable legacy of courage and dedication.

Thank you, Mr. Kasner. Anything else?

blue mayor yeah this weekend there was the battle of the waxaws at the museum of the waxaws and it was a lot of fun went down there for the reenactment and just a big thank you for all the people that put it on all the reenactors you know The Friday night, they had the march into town. It was wonderful. It kind of showcased the town. And a lot of people showed up to show their appreciation to those folks that, well, number one, our founding fathers and the folks that fought in the revolution, but also to the people who came in to celebrate that, the reenactors. That was really cool to see. And then we had a lot of scouts that helped out there. And of course, the museum staff was excellent. They put on a real nice event. So I just want to make sure everybody's aware of that. They're going to have it every year. I think this year was the third year. So you get people out and be part of that history.

It's been getting bigger every year. And it's fun to meet the Iranian actors and just kind of hear some of their stories and how and why they got into what they do. It's an interesting group of people doing, I think, just fabulous work in keeping history alive and in the forefronts of people's mind. The creation of this nation was not an accident, and it is not, I've said it before, it's not the natural state of man. And to bring it together and to have these people come and bring that alive, I think, is really exciting. So it's fun to see every year. Can't wait to see it next year. All righty. Hearing no other comments, looking ahead, we have a Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for June 23rd. That will be a work session here in the town hall at 6.30 p.m. And then I decided on July 4th we're going to have a parade. You know, I think we should do that. Dina, make it happen. So we have a wonderful parade coming on July 4th. I think a few people in this room will be there celebrating with the rest of the town and the rest of the community in the region. So look forward to that. Happy birthday, America. It's a long time coming.

250 years.

250. Go figure. That's great. It's a republic if you can keep it. Alrighty. Well, thank you very much. Could I get a motion to adjourn? I make a motion to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. Hearing no opposition, we are now adjourned.