Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

All right. Welcome, welcome, everybody. Welcome to the Waxhaw Board of Commissioners meeting this July 14th, 2026. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and 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, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,

All righty, so after conferring with some of the members of the board and our town clerk, we have a couple adjustments to the agenda.

Yes, I'd like to make a motion to amend the agenda to add a closed session. General Statute 143-318.11 to consult the attorney to preserve attorney-client privilege.

Easy enough. And then I got an update that we will be removing item L2 from the leadership reports. That's Kevin Robinson's report, so we will do that at a later date. Any other adjustments or amendments to the agenda?

I just wanted to read the proclamation for National Parks and Recreation Month. It's on the consent agenda.

Okay. We can read that at the beginning of the consent agenda approval then?

Mm-hmm.

Perfect. We will go ahead and read that.

Any other adjustments or amendments to the agenda?

Hearing none then, can I get a motion to adopt tonight's agenda as amended?

So moved.

All in favor? Aye. Hearing none opposed, this motion carries. Next up we have general public comments. We had a total of Zero. We have zero people signed up. I was once told that, as an adult, the two greatest fears are tax audits and public speaking. So I can see that that is still ringing true. This is your time, people. Come let us know your thoughts. But I'm sure you're out enjoying the summer like most normal people. Anyway, we will move on to board response for all those comments. Alrighty, I see the board is just as talkative. Next up is the consent agenda. It sounds like we have a resolution to read into the record.

It's National Parks and Recreation Month. We have a proclamation. Whereas parks and recreation is an integral part of communities throughout this country, including the town of Waxhaw, whereas parks and recreation promotes health and wellness, improving the physical and mental health of people who live near parks, whereas parks and recreation promotes time spent in nature, which positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being and alleviating illness such as depression, attention-deficit disorder, and Alzheimer's, whereas parks and recreation encourages physical activities by providing space for popular sports, hiking trails, swimming, pools, and many other activities designed to promote active lifestyles, whereas parks and recreation is a leading provider of healthy meals, nutrition services, and education, whereas parks and recreation programming and education activities such as out-of-school time programming, youth sports, and environmental education are critical to childhood development, whereas parks and recreation increases a community's economic prosperity through increased property values expansion of the local tax base, increased tourism and the attraction and retention of business and crime reduction. Whereas parks and recreation is fundamental to the environmental well-being of our community. Whereas parks and recreation is essential and adaptable infrastructure that makes our communities resilient in the face of natural disasters and climate change. Whereas our parks and natural recreation areas ensure the ecological beauty of our community, and provide a place for children and adults to connect with nature and create outdoors. Whereas the United States House of Representatives has designated July as Parks and Recreation Month, and whereas the town of Waxhaw recognizes the benefits derived from parks and recreation resources. Now therefore be it proclaimed that Robert J. Murray, Mayor of the town of Waxhaw in the state of North Carolina, by the virtue of his authority, does hereby proclaim July as National Parks and Recreation Month in the town of Waxhaw. And I, along with the board, urge all citizens to support this observance. And it will be duly adopted and effective on this 14th day of July, 2026.

Thank you very much. Can I get a motion to adopt this consent agenda? So moved. All in favor?

Aye.

Seeing none opposed, this motion carries. Next up, we have a recognition. First up, we have Karen Dewey as presented by Barbie. He's coming. All right, we'll find one that works.

Oh, that one works now. Thank you, mayor and board. Good evening. I have the privilege of introducing our, my and your new deputy clerk, Karen Dewey. Karen brings more than 11 years of municipal government experience to her role as deputy town clerk for the town of Waxhaw. Prior to joining the town of Waxhaw, Karen served the neighboring community of Weddington, where she developed a strong foundation in local government, administration and public service, She is committed to providing exceptional service to residents while supporting the town's governing boards and organizational operations. Karen is a proud mother of three adult daughters and lives in Waxhaw with her husband, Jim, and their beloved dog, Louie. When she's not at the town hall, Karen enjoys spending time with family and friends and cheering on her beloved North Carolina State Wolf Pack as a loyal friend. Go Pack. You want to say a few words?

I'm very excited to be here. I'm happy, and I look forward to serving you all and the residents of Waxhaw. Thank you.

Well, thank you, thank you, and welcome, welcome. Definitely happy to have you. Alrighty, next up we have the proclamation to award the badge and service weapon to the retiring Sergeant Alex Ng. Lieutenant Michael Mulligan to present.

Good evening. We're here tonight to honor Sergeant Alex Ng. His law enforcement career spans more than 30 years of dedicated service. After retiring with NYPD as a Special Victims Investigator, he started Waxhaw PD September 14, 2015, as a patrol officer. Sergeant Ng was promoted to the Detective Division in 2018. During his time, he also served as Special Response Team Negotiator, HSI Task Force Officer, and Off-Duty Coordinator. His unwavering dedication, integrity, and commitment to excellence have left a lasting impact on everyone privileged to serve alongside him. Sergeant Eames' professionalism, leadership, selfless service have been an inspiration to us all. His legacy will continue to influence those who follow in his footsteps. Tonight, we respectfully request to award him with his service badge and issued Glock 45 sidearm serial number CHGC520 in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 20-187.2A to show the town of Waxhaw and the Waxhaw Police Department's appreciation. Thank you, sir.

Thank you for your years of service and dedication. We certainly appreciate it. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. All righty, next up we have, let's see here, there's a proclamation. Can I get a motion to adopt Proclamation 2026017, awarding badge and service weapon upon the retirement of Waxhaw Police Sergeant Alex Eng? Yes. So moved. All in favor? Aye. Seeing none opposed, this motion carries. Alrighty, next up, no presentations. We are opening tonight a public hearing. We have a public hearing for the Economic Development Authority related to town-owned properties. These are the two properties that were vacated when the town hall was finished, the property on North Broom as well as one on North Church Street. Mr. Alara and Matt. That's over there.

You'll need a motion to open the public hearing.

Roger that. So without further ado, can I get a motion to open this public hearing?

So moved.

All in favor?

Aye.

Motion carries. This public hearing is now open. Go ahead and kick us off, Alara.

Good evening, thank you. As the mayor mentioned, this public hearing relates to the town-owned properties located at 321 North Broom Street and 316 North Church Street, which we've been discussing over the past several months. At the last work session, we reviewed the process staff is recommending to market these properties for redevelopment in a way that helps achieve the long-term economic goals the board has identified for this area. And in working through the legal review for this project, it was determined that while the town intends to use the economic development authority provided under NCGS 158-7.1, the historical records didn't clearly establish whether these properties were originally acquired under that statute. Because of that, the town attorney recommended taking a few procedural steps to formally establish that the properties are now being held for economic development purposes before moving forward with their disposition under that authority. So tonight's public hearing is one of those required steps. Following this public hearing, the board may consider adopting a resolution declaring that these properties will be held for economic development purposes under NCGS 158-7.1. If that resolution is adopted, staff will be able to finalize and release the request for proposals we've been preparing and soliciting redevelopment proposals. As we've discussed previously, the goal is to identify a high-quality redevelopment project that strengthens the gateway into downtown, expands commercial investment, creates jobs, and provides a long-term economic benefit for the town. And so with that, I'm happy to answer any questions following the public hearing.

Any questions from the board? All righty. And this is the point where we would open the floor for public comment, but since we had no public comment, Any comments at all? So we have no public comments. Nobody signed up. So at this point, then, can I get a motion to close this public hearing?

Motion to close public hearing.

So moved. All in favor? Sorry. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing no opposition, this public hearing is now closed. That concludes that item. I certainly look forward to seeing some of the proposals. I know there's been a little bit of a buzz from a few of the investors around town about these properties. So I look forward to seeing some of the details and considering what we can do next with those properties. Next up, we have old business, the adoption of Resolution 2026, Guidelines to Allow Prayer, Invocations, and Public Hearings in Board Meetings. Matt, Ms. Barbie, is there anything to present on this, or should we just kick it into discussion?

Thank you, Mayor. I don't know that I have a whole lot that we've not previously discussed. I know maybe there were some additional comments and thoughts that may go into the discussion tonight. So I don't have anything else to add, but I'm happy to be here and field questions and respond as you guys see fit.

Were there any questions or comments from the board?

Yeah, just reading through the policy, I think it's really good. I just thought that we might want to simplify the third section. The first sentence in it reads, any person wishing to provide an invocation shall contact the town clerk to be placed on the invocation calendar. I just felt we could modify that to read, any person wishing to provide an invocation shall contact the town clerk to be placed on the invocation calendar for the next regular meeting. And perhaps just suggest to the clerk as a method that it's first come, first serve, first to request after the conclusion of each regular meeting that we would just happen and we're planning I think only to have an invocation at regular meetings not necessarily at a work session So I just wanted to float that idea to the board see what everyone thinks Yeah, I think that's a good idea So then I will.

The idea being that we don't anticipate a large volume. So the reality is we may not have to. The thinking is we won't have to sift through large volumes of people that have signed up. So hopefully we won't have to sift through who goes first or whatever. But first come, first serve is the fairest way of doing it.

Yeah, my thought is just to keep it simple to begin with, rather than try to anticipate every possible thing that could happen. So with that, I'll make a motion to adopt Resolution RES2020163 as modified and guidelines to allow prayer invocations at public meetings of the Board of Commissioners.

Is that sufficient, Matt, as modified?

Yeah, basically you're just striking the last portion of the number three, correct?

Yeah, modifying section three to read, any person wishing to provide an invocation shall contact the town clerk to be placed on the invocation calendar for the next regular meeting. That's it. That's it.

All right, so the motion has been made. We are clear on that motion, so all in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that motion carries as modified. Thank you very much. Next up, we have the personnel policy. Ms. Emily, what do we got?

Good evening. Emily Learned, Human Resources Director. Tonight's item is to bring this before you to consider adoption of our personnel policy update that we've been working on really heavily since December. Again, just to give a quick snapshot, again, of the timeline of the project, we identified the firm, Centralina Regional Council, as the firm to help us with this policy update. And then we've done several rounds of feedback with staff throughout a lot of meetings with Centralina throughout the process, and they spent the bulk of the time actually drafting those updates together. And then it also went through our town attorney review as well. And this came before you at the June 9th regular meeting as a high-level kind of overview at that time and then more in-depth discussion at that June 23rd work session. So tonight, really, we've included that finalized draft in your agenda packets. Since that agenda went out, we did have one small edit to the retiree HRA policy, and we had just one specific portion had an age requirement in there of age 55 for LEOs, 55 with the 20 years, and age 60 for regular employees. And we are... management is recommending to strike that age part out of there and just keep the years of service, mainly being the retirement system handles the age eligibility requirements for retirement. So really we're just focusing on how many years they've served with Waxhaw. So that would just as is stay the 20 years. So just taking the age requirement out. Other than that, the rest of the policy is as you've seen. And just happy to answer any questions before you consider adoption.

Any further questions from the board?

I think it looks great. It's good updates and hadn't been done in a while. So I think it's good.

So it sounds like the age requirement would have been redundant in our policies then?

Yeah, really, I mean, the retirement system kind of handles that age part, and there's several different factors that go into the age, specifically for LEO versus non-LEO, so we don't want to conflict with that. So we're keeping that with the retirement system. The retirement system is going to make sure they're eligible, and then really it's just us kind of focusing on how many years with Waxall they've served, and that would be that 20.

Correct. Okay. Any further questions or comments? Hearing none then, can I get a motion to adopt personnel policy updates as presented with the amendment to remove the age requirement from the retiree health reimbursement account policy?

So moved.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Seeing none, the motion carries. Thank you, Ms. Lerner. Next up, we have new business. This is for the award, consider the awarding of the contract to Volker for the project EB5950. This is the Kensington Drive project. A lot of folks around that Harris Teeter may have noticed some digging and utility work. So this is the final phase coming.

That's correct.

Mr. James, what do you got?

Good evening. Um, so this is the final phase leading up to construction on the Kensington drive improvements project or EB 59 50. Um, just to give you guys some context on this, this is a locally administered project. So this is a state and federal project, which has stricter requirements than most other projects. Um, but to kind of familiarize the board again, where this is as the mayor explained, this is a long Kensington drive. right there between NC 16 and Connells Point Avenue. And as you've seen, there's been some digging in the area already. That's the last little bit of utility relocation as we move toward construction. So the scope of this project is corridor widening and pedestrian facility enhancements along those limits. As you can see, we're moving towards construction. The last part of this before we move to construction is to actually bid out the construction portion of this. So this is just for construction engineering and inspection. Also, I would like to highlight because a lot of folks may have the questions of, well, how is this going to impact traffic? One of the key elements within the design process of this project was to make sure that we minimize the impact on folks when it comes to the traffic control plans. And what we did specifically is since there's so much area that we have out there existing today, we were able to design a two-way traffic flow system, meaning that we're able to maintain two-way traffic flow for the majority of the project. So basically we're going to work on one side of the road at a time, kind of flip the traffic control, work on the other side. So that way you maintain two-way traffic for most of the project. So it's not going to be ideal for folks, but it will be less of an impact than what it could have been. So this is one of the key things that we brought as a part of the design process. Moving into the ask tonight, and the ask is really to award the contract to a professional engineering firm for the construction, engineering, and inspection part of this project. So to give some background to the board, the town of Waxhaw released a request for letters of interest, or an RFLOI, for construction, engineering, and inspection, or CEI. I'll refer to it as CEI moving forward, services associated with this project. So we solicited those responses through the Duncan Parnell Bidroom website, the Town of Waxhaw website, and the official Town of Waxhaw social media platforms. We did receive a total of five responses, and the selection process was performed in accordance with the selection criterion outlined in the RFLOI, which NCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration folks approve as a part of this project. So with that, I'll dive into the recommended selected firm to move forward with, give some background on the firm, as well as give some outlines in each of the criterion outlined within the RFLOI. So starting with team organization, that was ranked at 20%. 30% was individual qualifications, 30% being similar project experience, particularly with NCDOT CEI work, technical approach, and of course capacity and availability. So some notes from, and this is in your agenda packet as well, some notes from the selection committee was that of the responding firms, Volkert demonstrated a superior and well-balanced understanding of the project and scored highly across the town's established selection criteria. The firm clearly recognized the importance of diligent construction oversight with an active and growing corridor, including maintaining thorough documentation and compliance with the Federal Highway Administration and NCDOT requirements to ensure full reimbursement while balancing safety, mobility, and quality of life for both residents and businesses. So particularly when it comes to the team organization and project management category, the selection committee noted that Volkert presented a clear and effective organizational structure, supported by defined roles, experienced leadership, and strong communication protocols. Their approach positions the CEI team as an extension of town staff emphasizing regular coordination, transparent reporting, and accessible project records. The firm's QAQC, or Quality Assurance Quality Control Program, is particularly robust, and that was highlighted within their submittal, incorporating senior-level oversight, proactive internal audits prior to NCDOT reviews, and continuous engagement between field staff and management. This structure provides confidence in consistent quality, accountability, and compliance throughout the project lifecycle. When it came towards their individual qualifications, the selection committee noted that Volkert's proposed team includes highly qualified personnel with extensive experience in CEI services, particularly on NCDOT and federally funded projects. Key staff bring decades of relevant experience, including former NCDOT leadership, and construction professionals with deep familiarity in locally administered project requirements, contract administration, and federal highway compliance. Their certifications, licensure, and technical expertise in inspection materials testing and documentation reflect a high level of competency and readiness to deliver the project. When it came to the third category, as far as similar product experience, selection committee noted that Volkert demonstrated significant experience delivering these CEI services on similar municipal and NCDOT funded products across North Carolina, including prior work with the town of Waxhaw. Their portfolio of locally administered projects, multimodal improvements, and roadway construction efforts highlights a strong understanding of regulatory requirements, contractor oversight, and documentation processes necessary for federally funded projects. This experience positions Volcker to effectively manage project risks, maintain compliance, and ensure successful delivery. On their technical approach, it reflected a thorough and practical understanding of the project scope, and construction challenges. Their proposal emphasized a proactive and collaborative CEI strategy focused on anticipating issues, minimizing delays, and maintaining schedule and budget. Key elements include detailed attention to daily inspection, material verification, contract administration, traffic control in a high volume corridor, utility coordination, phase construction, and maintaining access to adjacent properties. Their emphasis on documentation and adherence to NCDOT standards demonstrates a comprehensive and well-informed methodology. And then for the last little bit, capacity and availability, Volkert demonstrated adequate staffing capacity and flexibility to support the project from notice to proceed, through completion. The firm identified dedicated personnel, including experienced technicians and leadership staff, with the ability to scale resources as needed. Their availability and commitment to maintaining consistent coverage provide assurance that the project will be properly supported without interruption. And just some final last little considerations as it pertains to the discipline codes required for the project. Volkart further demonstrated added value through his commitment to communication, stakeholder coordination, and use of accessible project management tools to keep the town informed throughout construction Their emphasis on safety, environmental stewardship, and quality control reflects a comprehensive and well-coordinated approach aligned with town goals. Overall, Volkert presented a focused experience and highly qualified team. with a clear understanding of the project requirements and proven ability to deliver CEI services effectively for similar municipal and NCDOT funded projects. And of course, therefore, the selection committee recommends to you all this evening, Volkert for CEI services for the project. There aren't any sub consultants identified as Volkert will be performing all the CEI work with the following breakdown within those roadway structures and signal systems inspection. So that full report is within your agenda packet, and that is why the selection committee chose Volcker out of the five firms. So here are the actual scores for the five different firms that applied to the project, and as you can see, Volcker ranked the highest of those five firms that submitted. As far as what Volquart will provide to the town throughout this contract, obviously this will be about a one-year contract to complete construction. We're estimating about 390 days total when you include vegetation, about 300 when you actually look at actual construction. So give or take a year to complete construction on this. But as far as the inspection goes, they're offering all the services that you would want for this type of federal project. The key thing being that as you fill out these material certifications, material inspections, and that sort of thing, You really want to make sure that we're maximizing the amount of reimbursement that we receive back from the federal folks. So one little missed dot on the I, missed cross on the T gets you nicked on the reimbursement folks from the federal side. So Volkert has a strong... Capability to assist us with with those with that processing of which includes on-site inspections testing and general oversight of the construction process on a full-time basis That's one of the other key things is that we'll have someone out there to be our eyes and ears full-time When maybe we not maybe staff is not able to do that full-time they will be out there full-time for us and of course we will monitor and manage as well Their contract also includes clearing and grubbing, grading, drainage construction, utility construction, asphalt overlays and wedging, signal installation, signing, retaining wall construction, landscaping, pavement markings, etc. So the whole nine yards there. They'll also be monitoring our traffic control operations and erosion control best management practices. And all work will be inspected for conformance with the Town of Waxhaw and NCDOT standard specifications. and performed by a qualified inspector with those DOT certifications. Inspector will complete daily reports, including work completed, quantities installed, and any deficiencies observed. Furthermore, there will be material sampling and testing for trench backfill, concrete, and asphalt. When it comes to your contract administration, Volcrat will assist with pre-construction and subsequent progress meetings as we move along throughout this construction process. They'll monitor project schedule, oversight of construction progress, review reports, pay requests, and change order documentation. They'll also further help to ensure that we're meeting that federal compliance with design plans and contract documents. And, of course, they're going to attend final inspection and assist with project closeout. As far as third-party services, they will also solicit service of a NCDOT-approved vendor or utilize the services of the NCDOT materials and test unit to provide that laboratory testing, which includes concrete cylinders, comprehensive strength, standard proctor, Atterberg limits, asphalt density testing, etc. As far as the overall contract model, we decided to move forward with a cost plus. And we got the approval from the NCDOT to move forward with this type of model. This type of cost plus model basically shows the allowable costs. So it strictly outlines which expenses qualify, including base salaries and cost of capital. The plus element is an added fee typically based on an audited percentage approved by DOT. So DOT has already approved that cost spreadsheet, that audited percentage. And that audited rate does really help to promote better transparency and provides those detailed invoices to provide an added layer there when we go back to request reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration folks where they can see that, yes, our I's were dotted and our T's were crossed. Total compensation for this portion of the project is estimated to be about $551,000. Of course, your share, the town's share, is only 28% of that. The state and federal folks are covering the remainder 72%. This did come in within budget. So when we looked at this, this cost is within budget. And I'll just note there is one downside to the cost plus model, which is good that we accounted for it. Basically, while final costs fluctuate on actual expenditures with the cost plus model, we've included a contingency buffer to absorb unexpected variations and keep the CEI costs within budget. So basically what I'm saying there is there's a buffer built in where we've actually come in under budget and there's room in case the contract goes over time or we can account for those additional hours. And just a little sneak peek, I think some of you have already seen this. When we start these projects, as we're moving forward, we're going to put up a little banner to present, to let folks know that, hey, this is one of Waxhaw's projects, and we're bringing this to you guys. So I think some of you all have already seen this, but for the rest of you, this is a little sneak peek into the banner that we're proposing. So with that, I'll stop for questions and ask for action requested this evening.

Any questions or comments from the board? I had a quick question. I noticed that the construction is starting in the fall. Yes. Do they ever do any night construction?

It depends. Short answer is not on this particular project. Some projects, they can do it. And it's really up to the contractor to decide what they want to do. So when we go out to bid, we'll specify the hours of operation, especially with some of the businesses there. In church, for example, that's across the street, some hours may not be ideal for some of those folks. So we're going to add that within the, we actually already have, we've got the approval for the contract proposal that includes time restrictions. So you can't work during this particular day, like Sunday, for example, during these hours because that's church hours. Or you can't work this late at night because of X, Y, and Z reasons. If the contractor does work during those periods, they'll be subject to what's called liquidated damages. which is basically where the contractor has to pay whatever the rate is. So it could be $1,000 per hour. It could be more. It could be $1,000 per day for working outside of those time restrictions.

Yeah, I was just curious because it's right in line with the school buses. And that's a pretty heavy area of traffic between 3, I would say 2, 15 or so, and probably 6 o'clock.

You're exactly right, and that was actually one of our concerns when we did the traffic control plans was we wanted to be very mindful of the fact that we still want to allow for two-way traffic flow. We don't want to, you know, worst case scenarios, we have to operate under a lane closure and you only have one way going and one way the other. So what we did within the design is we've incorporated those elements to account for that. Again, I don't think you're always going to have some impact when it comes to construction. But I think when we look at the schools in particular, we'll still be able to maintain that two-way traffic flow throughout the project, which is a huge plus.

Thank you.

Any other questions? One of the questions I had was, I know we do road inspections oftentimes for developments. I know we're contracting with them to do inspections as well as the engineering and construction, but are we also doing kind of our own sort of third-party double-check as their before and after asphalt and such?

We are doing that as a part of our public services team. Our public services team is very knowledgeable when it comes to that, especially when they do road inspections. road profiling and uh... you know those types of things and then but we also do is we require in most cases the contractor of the developer who's working on that particular uh... development will contract a third party so when it comes to like asphalt density testing we can always request those reports and say okay are you actually meeting your density requirements if we're if we're concerned about an area if like for example public services as a proof roll and they proof roll an area, it's like, hey, this is not the density that we think. We see a lot of pumping in this area where you actually see the soil kind of do this type of pumping maneuver. They'll say, OK, number one, you have to take that out and retry. And sometimes the contractors like to argue that. But what we do is we say, OK, well, if you want to argue it, go ahead. run a density test on it, and let's see what the numbers are. Nine times out of 10, they're not where they need to be. So yes, so as far as third party, the contractors usually handle that on the developments. It's a little bit different from a state and federal project, but our public services folks are really great when it comes to catching those things out in the field, which saves us a lot of less future maintenance dollars.

Maintenance down the road, exactly.

one other question. This is Kensington up to... Where does it end?

It ends at Connell's Point, which is just before that curve there. It ends at Connell's Point. I think we have a future conversation talking about a future potential project. That'll be at a later board meeting. I think it's at your next workshop meeting as far as continuation, if that's what you're looking for. Well...

Yeah, because I know that there's always a question on why that speed limit is 25. Oh, yes. And so would any construction change that?

Short answer is in this section, yes, because we are changing the profile of the road. The reason why that roadway is posted 25 is because when the road was originally constructed, it had an inverse superelevation, which is not the right way. But you didn't know at the time when they built that. So what we're doing as a part of an incremental approach, for example, as part of this first part of the project, is we're also going to redo the profile of the road. So that way, as we move along the road, we're correcting that profile, which could bring a change in speed limit at a later point in date. All right. Thank you.

And will this project contain a certain amount of sidewalk addition kind of down to that road then? Yes, it will. As you were mentioning, continuing, that leaves us then to...

Yep, you're exactly right. So the sidewalk will continue on the north side of the roadway from Connell's Point all the way down. So those folks who had to walk through the neighborhood before can simply just walk along that new path that will be provided for them.

So you mentioned this is a 300-day project, and are we thinking that's 300 days of road interference?

Not necessarily, because a good part of your first few months of project is mobilization. So mobilization, lane closures, that takes a little while to get started. Like I said, when it comes to the traffic control plans, we've designed it in a way where we can operate on one side of the roadway, really under a shoulder closure, which means you'll still have vehicles flowing in both directions. So it'll help to minimize those impacts.

Okay. Thank you. Any other questions? Already hearing none, then can I get a motion to approve? Let's see here. Can I get a motion to award contract to Volcker for construction, engineering, and inspection services for the Kensington Drive Roadway Improvements Project EB5950 in the amount of $551,356.04 contingent upon the NCDOT final concurrence and approvals and authorize the town manager to execute said contract. So moved. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, the motion carries.

All right. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, leadership reports. Town manager, Mr. Dotson, what do you got?

I have two reports for you this evening. The first is the building permit inspection. This is a cumulative for the year, fiscal year 25-26. We issued 1,143 permits. We conducted 4,816 inspections through the year. Of that, 26 new homes were permitted to be built, and total value of construction during the fiscal year is $13.7 million. In this report, that number of permits is down by 35%, but the total number of inspections were up. We think that's a bit of back accounting how we did for the kinds of inspections we did before. We may not have always picked up on them, even though we may have done them. I feel like our reports are sufficient now. So I think that 12% is relative to the types of inspections that we were doing, especially on commercial projects. The value split between the two residential, about $7 million worth of value, and commercial, about $6.5 million in value. But during the year, it should be noted that we issued 132 certificates of occupancy. throughout the year. That number is bigger than the 26, and it just needs to be noted as that. About 84,960 square feet of commercial was added. Fun fact, 13 pool permits. I wish those folks would call me. It's hot. Be happy to come over and test out your pool for you. That's a free service the manager offers. Happy to be there. So this gives some more notable areas where permits, new homes at Preserve at Forest Creek, Pacific Dental Upfit, a new custom home on Waxhaw Marvin, two pool permits and some kitchen and bathroom modelings. Those are just to give you some highlights of the types of permits that are generally requested also in this past year obviously you folks saw Lowe's open so that was that was one of the bigger commercial things that we had done any questions questions from the board just again let me note that 106 new homes were CO'd this year. So that was 106 more families in the Waxhaw region. All right, so now we're going to go to financial reports. Now, just want to caution everyone, just so you understand. You're going to get a June 30th closing three times. That's staff prepared and unaudited. We keep our books open until mid-August, so we will come back and report a second and a third before we have an official closing as we see it so that that is then turned over to the auditor for the final audit, and then that audit work will commence in the fall. But again, our commitment to you is to make sure you know where we're going and what we're doing. So during the month of July, our finance staff has the wonderful opportunity to deal in two sets of books. which any of you folks who have done that, that's a trick. And they do a great, great job of managing the two books. But thankfully, they do a really good job with their experience and their expertise, as well as some good IT. So we're always appreciative of that. So this is a preliminary close on June 30th. Um, so, uh, that's just what I said right there. Understanding the report that, that sits on, on, uh, and folks can go to our website and get these. I always print my manager's reports. So folks can go online at, uh, the town of Waxhaw and get these reports if they'd like to review them further. So where are we at a glance? Month 12 of 12, about $24.5 million in total operating revenues, which represents about 94% of the budget at that point in time. Total operating expenditures at about 21.9, which is about 83.9%, 84% of total. And then total cash and investments at $37.6 million. So where our local revenues are in, they've been collected. It's the state-collected revenues that are generally behind in sales, motor vehicle, franchise, and PAL bill, which really creates the remittance lag there. that we have a sales tax is about 80.7% of budget. We still have June and July receipts. So that's important to note. They are pretty big chunky dollars that come in in July and August that are reported back into last fiscal year. So general fund revenues as noted are ahead. In ad valorem, sales tax, they're behind franchise, motor vehicle, they're slightly ahead. Building inspections, the board is aware that we're slightly behind in those numbers that I talked about in the previous report. Talk about that. Interest earned is exceeding expectations, and that's reflective of that 37.6 million that we have in the bank. Our expenditures, our folks, again, have held their costs fairly well. Matter of fact, I would say extremely well. There are those outstanding things that just carry over into July and August that we still have to deal with those encumbrances, and we'll continue to do that. But as an overall, for the entire fiscal year, our department heads have done a very good job of containing their costs. our cash-in investments uh... we keep track of those uh... the general fund uh... we do them both by fund and by uh... where we invest them uh... we're only allowed to do conservative investing of public dollars and so we do that but here uh... your fund balance uh... in cash-in investments mostly is out of your general fund or what's called one twenty your reserve funds would be next pal bill rec barn we just a note on rec barn and the learning center the learning center is almost closed out there will be a few more invoices to deal with on that those monies as well as the rec barn came from appropriated dollars from the state legislature several years ago and they have extended our reporting period out another year so we will not close those books out in june we'll close those books out in the next fiscal year So that preserves some cash for a while, but we'll eventually have to close those out. And that was part of the process. Kensington Drive, as James was just talking about with that project, you can see your total dollars and your contribution in there is sitting in that bank account. And so those are just some things to highlight. into the preliminary year-end position. The revenue gap's about 1.5 million. The expense variance is about 4.2. Those things will close up. We have an estimate that will be tight at par, but slightly less on expenditures. We hope that that'll still be there. However, the end of the year is a fun time in any organization. I think most of you can understand that. The emergencies seem to happen at the end. So we just hold that open and the unexpected to happen. But so far, so good. On the revenue gap, it should be noted grant revenue is budgeted. We just have not posted that. That'll close that gap. That's an actual cash on hand. Then we'll close the gap on that. Sales and use tax is the real large state remittance lag that we're concerned about. I do still project that sales tax will be less this last fiscal year than it was the year before, and certainly short of budget. The franchise tax, that lag is different, but hopefully that will close at par as well. So what happens next and at the end of July, I'll post more remittances and year-end encumbrances. I'll issue that second to the board and in August, I'll do a final adjustments unaudited that will serve as management's representation of your dollars and then in the fall, of course, the independent audit will start and those figures will supersede these preliminary reports. These are always preliminary based upon the audit and what we find. Can I answer any questions on the finance report?

Any questions from the board? All right. OK. None from us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Board of Commissioners, any comments or questions from the board?

Just a quick thank you to all the staff for making the Independence Day parade go off without a hitch. Well, that's what it looked like from everyone else's end. So we appreciate that. It was hot, and we got nothing but positive feedback. It was very well attended, considering the heat, and it was lots of fun. So I want to thank everyone for showing up. I want to thank staff for making it go great. There were a lot of you out there. in the heat, and it probably took you a couple days to recoup. So thank you again, and God bless America, and God bless Waxhaw.

And a special thank you to the JARS folks for doing the flyover. Yeah, that was a special edition. That was kind of fun to see.

Yeah, that was a fantastic parade. Thank you to everybody involved. I also just wanted to mention about the Waxhaw Skate Park community input sessions. This is a really good opportunity on Friday, this coming Friday, July 17, from 9 to 11 AM and from 5.30 to 7.30 PM at the Waxhaw Skate Park. I'm going to try to be there the whole time.

Are those drop-in events, Commissioner Dawn?

They are.

They sure are.

You know, maybe not a lot of the SCADA kids are watching this meeting. But if their parents are watching, encourage your kids to go and put their input in. It's a time to be creative about the future of Waxhaw. So thank you.

And that's definitely a drop in. You don't have to stay for the full two hours. Just come, give some input. You can go home any time you want. Anything else? All righty. So at this time, I'd like to make a motion to adjourn or to go into closed session. So can I get a motion to go into closed session pursuant to General Statute 143-318.11 to consult with our attorney and maintain and preserve attorney-client privilege? So moved. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, we are now in closed session.

Thank you. Thank you.

Can I get a motion to reconvene open session?

So moved.

All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? We are now back in open session. Can I get a motion to adjourn? Motion to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. We are now adjourned. Thank you.