[0:00] Heat.

[0:12] Heat.

[0:33] All right. Good evening and welcome to the board of commissioners regular

[0:36] meeting for August 17th, 2026. I will call this meeting to order. If you all

[0:41] will please stand with me for the pledge of allegiance and remain standing for

[0:45] invocation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[0:49] United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation

[0:56] under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And I would like to

[1:01] welcome up Dan Marshall who will give us our invocation for the evening. Good

[1:06] evening.

[1:10] » Would you bow with me in prayer? Our gracious heavenly father, we come before

[1:16] you this evening in the name of your son Jesus Christ. We come to thank you for

[1:21] those you have called into public service and their willingness to invest

[1:25] their time and talent in service to you and to this community. We humbly ask

[1:29] that you grant them the wisdom that they need to provide prudent decisions for

[1:34] this county. We ask that you keep them aware of their accountability to you for

[1:38] their actions and attitudes. We also ask that you remind the citizens of this

[1:43] community of their responsibility to uphold these public servants in prayer,

[1:48] interceding for them with sincere hearts and informed minds. Lord, we are

[1:52] privileged to live in a remarkable nation that have served its people well

[1:56] for 250 years. You have blessed this country with abundant resources, not

[2:01] just in a material way, but also in those you've called to serve.

[2:06] No nation can long endure without godly leaders. As King Solomon was preparing

[2:11] his son to take the throne, he instructed him in Proverbs 29:2,

[2:16] "When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked are

[2:21] in power, they groan." King Solomon instructed his son further in Proverbs

[2:25] 29:4, "A just king gives stability to his

[2:29] nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it."

[2:33] And again in Proverbs 29:14, he told his son, "If a king judges the poor fairly,

[2:39] his throne will last forever." Lord, if you terry, we want this nation to last

[2:44] another 250 years. Therefore, we ask that you grant these leaders a desire to

[2:49] govern with a godly spirit and a selfless heart. May they hear and heed

[2:54] the wisdom of King Solomon. Proverbs 14:34, "Godliness makes a nation great,

[3:00] but sin is a disgrace to any people. May they serve you with a pure heart, a

[3:05] humble spirit, and a discerning mind." We make these requests in the name of

[3:11] your son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you all.

[3:18] » All right. I do need a motion to approve the

[3:22] minutes as presented. All in favor, please say I.

[3:28] » Any opposed? That carries. 5-0. And then I need a a motion to approve the agenda,

[3:33] including the pages, the changes on page 42. So move.

[3:38] » All in favor, please say I. I. >> Any opposed? All right, that carries as

[3:43] well. 5. So we will move on to item number two, which is the geo bond video.

[3:49] Um, and this is going to be presented by our new county manager, John Eller.

[3:54] welcome him to the dis. We're so glad to have you up here. [applause]

[4:03] » Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, everyone. Uh it's great to be before you

[4:07] today. Uh and I'm so excited about the work that we're doing in Cabaris County

[4:11] and uh so many great people that I've been able to meet here and spend time

[4:15] with. Uh before we uh show you a quick video on the upcoming GO bonds uh

[4:21] referendum that will be occurring, just so everyone knows what it really means,

[4:24] we want to make sure that our residents are fully educated um on this topic. So

[4:30] we'll be doing some media outreach over the next several months to make sure

[4:34] that everyone who votes understands what they're voting for. We think that's our

[4:39] responsibility for sure. Uh before I do that, um I just want to take a quick

[4:44] opportunity as we're talking about schools in general to uh give a shout

[4:48] out to um my high school principal, Sam Shoemate, who u has has been struggling

[4:55] the past few months with some health related issues. I spent most of my life

[4:59] um working on the farm, getting my feet and my hands dirty and going to school

[5:04] and uh trying to figure out how I was to make it through the educational system

[5:09] in particular. Uh he saw something in many of us uh me included. Uh he he

[5:16] mentored so many of us and I don't think I'd be sitting here today um and and

[5:21] doing the things I do in life without someone like him in my life. So, uh, as

[5:26] we go back to school this month, I want to give a shout out to all of our

[5:30] teachers, uh, and all of our, uh, staff at our schools and and, uh, the

[5:34] community and and everyone who supports our partners in education. For sure,

[5:39] it's not the easiest week as all of you know, if you have family members who are

[5:43] are working in our school systems. But with that, we do have an important

[5:46] decision coming up uh in November, and we want to make sure uh we start our

[5:51] kickoff tonight uh to let our residents know exactly what this means for us. So,

[5:56] tonight is the beginning of many things. If you have questions, we hope all of

[5:59] you will reach out to us. So, with that, we'll tee this up, Madam Chair.

[6:05] [music] >> This November, you'll be asked whether

[6:08] Cabaris County should borrow money to fund public school building projects.

[6:11] That's called a general obligation or go bond referendum and you'll see it later

[6:17] this year on your ballot. [music] What does all that mean? Let's get into it.

[6:27] [music] In North Carolina, county governments are required by law to fund

[6:31] the building and maintenance of public schools. And locally, that need is

[6:35] estimated to be $1 billion over the next decade. Which brings us back to that GO

[6:41] bond. When you get your ballot, you'll have two school bond questions. One

[6:45] totals $340 million [music] and would be used for Cabaris County Schools and

[6:50] Canapapolis City Schools. The other is $60 million for Rowan Cabaris Community

[6:55] College. And one [music] note, that money can only pay for building

[6:59] projects. It can't be used for day-to-day operations. The bonds would

[7:03] fund projects like new school construction along with renovations and

[7:07] upgrades to existing facilities, things like roof and HVAC replacement, parking

[7:12] lot repair and security upgrades, and campus additions and updates. Now,

[7:17] that's just an overview. Leading up to the election, our goal is simple. We

[7:21] want you to have all the facts you need to make an informed decision. Here are

[7:26] some additional resources. Go to www.cabariscount. [music]

[7:30] us/go bond FAQ to get full details about the bond including [music]

[7:36] all the identified projects. Cabaris County Schools information can [music]

[7:40] be found at engage with ccs.com/bond26

[7:45] and you can check your [music] tax impact at gobond calculator.cabariscount

[7:50] us. That total amount [music] will be phased in over the duration of the

[7:54] project, usually a few years at minimum. Get information about the upcoming

[7:59] general election like scheduling, voter status, and more by visiting

[8:04] www.cabariscount. us/elections.

[8:08] And of course, if you have general questions, [music] you can always send

[8:12] them to get info@cabariscount. us. Get informed, determine your

[8:18] priorities, then make your decision. [music]

[8:23] » Thank you for doing that video. And I just want to say thanks to Dominique and

[8:27] and Jonathan Weaver for doing that as well. You know, our job here is to

[8:31] educate you on what a bond is and what that means for you. And so for the next

[8:35] several weeks coming up until November, we will be putting out videos and

[8:39] educational material for everybody to understand what this bond means for them

[8:43] personally in their own households. Okay. So we will move on to recognitions

[8:48] and presentations. Item number one, consolidated human services agency

[8:53] economic services appreciation proclamation.

[8:57] And that is with Stacy Daniels.

[9:10] » Good evening. >> Good evening.

[9:12] » Welcome.

[9:16] » Thank you for having us. My name is Heather Alman. I'm the program

[9:18] administrator for Medicaid. We are here tonight to celebrate economic services

[9:22] appreciation month for the month of August. Uh for eligibility staff

[9:28] representing Medicaid, food nutrition services, our training staff, quality

[9:32] assurance, program integrity, and our customer service staff that support

[9:36] those efforts. Um we have a video that we would like to thank communications

[9:41] for putting together for us. And Miss Stacy Daniels will read our proclamation

[9:45] after the video. Thank you.

[9:53] » Years ago when I was not able to work any longer, I had to go on to food

[9:57] stamps [music] because I didn't have that much social security at that time.

[10:01] And uh I hate to have to do that cuz I'd never done anything like that before

[10:05] [music] in my life. And almost to be honest with you, at first I was ashamed

[10:09] of it [music] because I thought I don't want people to know I'm having to live

[10:12] like this. But you know what? If it helps you, don't be ashamed. [music]

[10:17] Go ahead and be glad that you receive help.

[10:20] [music]

[10:27] We have [music] two dedicated farmers that can do wick. Uh wick people can get

[10:33] fresh produce here. And then we have four that do the senior vouchers.

[10:38] [music] That includes the honey and the micro greens. They're approved for that.

[10:42] And now we are starting a [music] program where people can bring their EBT

[10:46] cards and get tokens where they can shop at any [music] eligible food. And I

[10:52] cannot tell you the smiles that break out when they realize they [music] can

[10:55] actually use their whatever their services is here and they just grin and

[11:01] they're so [music] excited about that. And it's very rewarding to see that. and

[11:05] we just felt that it was very important that you [music] know people have access

[11:09] to those things and and it's it's really doing the right thing. My husband and I

[11:14] both taught at Title One schools which [music] take assistance um and and we

[11:19] just felt that it was very very important that we bring that [music]

[11:23] here especially when you know you can buy local healthy foods and you know we

[11:30] just wanted to make sure that that [music] was something that was available

[11:32] to anybody. Well, to me, that's a wonderful thing to hear and learn

[11:37] because I did not know about it. [music] So, I appreciate you sharing that with

[11:41] me, too. That's fresh food. That's local food. And I have a sign on the back of

[11:46] my car that [music] says, "Without farms, there's no food." So, I like to

[11:50] support farms and the farmers and people in the area. So, that makes me feel good

[11:54] that I can [music] go there and get fresh stuff, fresh eggs, and whatever

[11:58] they have. I'm definitely going to take advantage of it and go check it out.

[12:10] » [music] >> It has been a real blessing to me that

[12:13] they've been able to provide and help me get food and help me have uh different

[12:17] things in my life that I needed. And it's helped [music] me to stay in my

[12:21] home, too, cuz I don't know if I could have stayed here or where I would have

[12:23] ended up being. And that's what most of us want to do is stay in our homes as

[12:28] long as we can [music] and not be dependent on somebody and taking care of

[12:32] us and and been able to get help. I've been able to stay here and love my home

[12:37] and not be so upset [music] wondering what I was going to do. They've relieved

[12:41] me in a lot of ways and I appreciate it and it is a joy. Thank you.

[12:47] [music]

[12:57] » [music]

[13:05] » Good evening. Economic Services Appreciation Month in Cabaris County. A

[13:11] proclamation. Whereas individuals, families and children are entitled to

[13:16] public assistance services and support that they may support they may be

[13:22] eligible for. And whereas food and nutrition services is a USDA federal

[13:28] food assistance program that provides lowincome families the food that the

[13:33] food they need for a nutritional adequate diet. And whereas Cabaris

[13:40] County FNS eligibility staff have assisted in providing food nutri food

[13:45] and nutrition benefit allotments to address address food insecurity for

[13:52] fiscal year 26 in the amount of 46,84,21.

[14:00] And whereas Medicaid is dedicated to providing access to physical and

[14:06] behavioral health care and services to improve the health and well-being of

[14:12] over 3.1 million North Carolinians. And whereas

[14:17] Cabaris County Department of Human Services Medicaid eligibility have

[14:22] assisted in providing medical and behavioral health care to the citizens

[14:27] of Cabaris County for fiscal year 26 in the amount of $155,350,2134.

[14:38] And whereas in fiscal year 26, Cabaris County Department of Social Services

[14:44] Economic Services eligibility staff processed over 16,044

[14:50] Medicaid applications and 7,217 food and nutrition service applications

[14:59] meeting federal and state time timeliness

[15:03] requirements in both programs and whereas

[15:07] are currently 57,37

[15:12] active Medicaid recipients and 22,319 active food and nutrition services

[15:19] recipients in Cabaris County. And whereas during fiscal year 26,

[15:24] Department of Social Services staff demonstrated exceptional dedication to

[15:30] program integrity by establishing $347,686

[15:37] in intentional program violation claims and recovering $688,078

[15:46] in overpayments. reinforcing responsible stewardship and public funds and

[15:52] safeguarding vital resources for individuals and families who rely on

[15:57] these essential services. And whereas economic services staff in Cabaris

[16:03] County work tirelessly to ensure individuals, families, and children

[16:09] receive access to medical medical care and financial support for food and

[16:14] nutrition services. And now therefore, be it resolved that the Cabaris County

[16:21] Board of Commissioners does hereby proclaim the month of August as Economic

[16:26] Services Appreciation Month in Cabaris County, adopted this 17th day of August,

[16:33] 2026. Thank you. >> Thank you, sir.

[16:36] » Thank you. >> All right, commissioners.

[16:38] [clears throat] I do need a motion and a second to approve the proclamation as

[16:42] presented. All in favor, please say I.

[16:46] » Any opposed? That carries 5-0. Thank you ladies for coming up to present that and

[16:51] we certainly value the work that you do. All right, we will move on to item

[16:56] number two, recognition of Chief Deputy Burchett on her retirement from Cabaris

[17:02] County Sheriff's Office with Sheriff Banshaw.

[17:09] » Good evening. >> Good evening. Thank you, commissioners.

[17:12] Madam Chair, thank you for having us tonight. Um [clears throat] truly it's

[17:17] an honor to be able to recognize Chief Deputy Bert Chad after serving the

[17:22] citizens of Cabaris County for 29 years. Uh her career has included patrol

[17:28] duties, investigative duties, community advocacy and supervision. She's a

[17:33] natural leader, a team player, dependable professional, and has

[17:39] outstanding character. All of these words are constantly mentioned in

[17:43] reference to her name. We're very proud of her. Um, [clears throat] she has

[17:47] carried out her duties exceptionally well on a daily basis. To give you a

[17:52] little history, uh, she began her law enforcement career uh with the Cabaris

[17:56] County Sheriff's Office in 1999 and uh was assigned to the patrol

[18:01] division. After that, she other assign assignments included being a DARE

[18:06] officer, uh being a school resource officer, a community policing deputy as

[18:11] well as a community policing sergeant and as well as a community policing

[18:15] lieutenant. Uh so you you know where her heart is oriented and that service to

[18:20] the community and she did an outstanding job there. Um she also served in our

[18:25] detective division as an investigator. Uh as I said later she became promoted

[18:30] to sergeant then lieutenant uh and then in 20 uh 2019 I had the privilege of

[18:37] promoting uh chief deputy bett to captain of field operations division.

[18:41] She came qu well qualified to run the criminal investigations division as well

[18:47] as various specialty teams and a number of administrative programs uh and and

[18:52] again excelled there. Uh, it became my great honor in 2023

[18:58] to promote Chief Deputy Burjad to her current position to become the first

[19:04] female Chief Deputy in the history of the Cabaris County Sheriff's Office.

[19:08] Truly great accomplishment, truly welldeserved based on her experience and

[19:13] performance. Uh, [snorts] there she uh oversees all the operations

[19:18] of the sheriff's office to include personnel, finance, and budget

[19:22] development. uh [clears throat] frankly doing a lot of stuff each and every day.

[19:28] Um also during her career she became a certified law enforcement instructor

[19:33] through the state of North Carolina as well as a specialized physical fitness

[19:37] instructor. She also served as a crisis negotiator and became the lead

[19:41] negotiator of that team as well. Uh she was also instrumental in the development

[19:46] of the sheriff's office DARE summer camps for children that still continue

[19:51] to this day. and uh are done on a yearly basis. She served on the state of North

[19:56] Carolina DARE Executive Committee, the National Safe Kids Coalition, and the

[20:01] Cabaris County Safe Schools Task Force. Chief Burchette has made a lasting

[20:07] impact on the Cabaris County Sheriff's Office. She has been at the forefront of

[20:11] advancing new programs, technology, and being an advocate for employee health

[20:15] and wellness. Her leadership and guidance has impacted all of us in so

[20:20] many ways as well of her as well as her fellow employees and is only surpassed

[20:25] by her compassion and her kindness to everyone she works with. It has truly

[20:30] been an honor to work side by side with my chief deputy, Tessa Burchett. I'm

[20:35] extremely proud of her. Um I hate to see her go, but I know she's going to be

[20:41] able to enjoy retirement, have a good time. her husband is here uh with her

[20:46] tonight. David Burchett, I think he's back in the back of the room smiling

[20:50] because now he's got a full-time boss coming home. So, I'm excited for him,

[20:54] too. Uh but I I there's I could be here all night talking about Tessa and just

[20:59] what a great person she is. I know she's worked with virtually all of y'all as

[21:03] well as many people in the audience and always putting the citizens first. And I

[21:08] can't think of a more um higher uh you know accolade than say that you've

[21:13] you've served selfishly uh devoted your life to to public service and she's done

[21:19] it extremely well. So I present to you Chief Deputy Tessa Burchette.

[21:25] [applause]

[21:30] [applause]

[21:39] It's harder being the center of attention. I don't I don't do as well

[21:42] with this. Um but no, it's it's been a true honor. Um I've loved every phase of

[21:49] my career. I've been able to raise my family here

[21:52] alongside my husband. Um serving this community, building relationships with

[21:57] so many different people, and I and I feel like we've truly gained the trust

[22:02] of our community and that means so much. Um, being able to do it with Sheriff

[22:06] Shaw has been such an honor. Um, I feel truly blessed. It's bittersweet

[22:14] to leave, but it's time. And it's good to know that there's so many wonderful

[22:19] people that are going to continue doing the work that we've done, and this

[22:23] agency's in fantastic hands. So, couldn't be more thankful and grateful

[22:28] for that. So, thank you for um all the times that I've been able to spend with

[22:32] y'all and of course previous boards, previous management. Um it's been an

[22:37] honor and I I've truly enjoyed every minute of it.

[22:41] BEFORE YOU [applause]

[22:47] before you go, we do have to give you your your clock because you can't leave

[22:51] without your clock. Um I just want to say Tessa, I have enjoyed being able to

[22:57] work with you. I appreciate so much um that you know how important the animals

[23:02] are and you have always been there to answer any questions um that I've had

[23:08] and um you've just been a great resource for so many people and I'm I'm truly

[23:13] grateful for your leadership in the in the sheriff's department and we really

[23:17] are going to miss you. Now, do you want to tell what you're going to be your

[23:21] next endeavor [laughter] is is going to be because I I love that you're doing

[23:25] this. >> Sure. Believe it or not, I'm along with

[23:27] my family and uh some some other business partners, we're venturing into

[23:31] the event and wedding planning. Uh so, Tie the Knot event company um in

[23:36] Canapapolis. Come come check us out. It's kind of an exciting thing to delve

[23:40] into something totally different. >> I'm never going to need your services.

[23:43] » I understand. I understand. >> I will recommend everyone to you. So, um

[23:48] Commissioner Patrick, if you would like to present her her clock

[23:52] » there for you grab it on your way out. Congratulations. THANK YOU

[23:57] [applause]

[24:02] AGAIN. We are very grateful for you and thank you very much, Sheriff Shaw.

[24:09] » All right. And we will move on to informal public comments.

[24:14] Ary, how many do we have this feed, ma'am?

[24:16] » We have 10. >> 10. Okay. We will start with Price

[24:20] Crutchfield.

[24:26] Good evening. >> It's a terrible evening for me.

[24:31] Well, I was enduring elder abuse at the

[24:35] emergency room. I'm elderly. And my doctor told me to go over there in an

[24:40] emergency situation. I was in horrible pain, life-threatening. The records will

[24:45] show. and uh security personnel over there interrupted my conversation with

[24:52] the receptionist, a medical conversation protected by HIPPA. He violated that. He

[24:59] came over and gave me an illegal order to sit down. There are no rules at the

[25:05] hospital that says you have to sit down when you come to the emergency room. I

[25:09] wasn't there to drink a beer or fight Mike Tyson or anything like that. I was

[25:13] there for an emergency and there was no empathy, no caring,

[25:18] just mandates and directives and threats to call the police on me and my crime

[25:24] was that I wouldn't sit down. He never asked me, "Are you okay? Are you in

[25:29] pain?" You know, I figured there'd be some people skills in there, but I was

[25:34] wrong. So, I went to the customer care line and got absolutely nowhere. I was

[25:40] even told that I was making harassing phone calls. And then I educated him and

[25:45] I said, "Well, gosh, what you need to do is call the police. Not me. If I'm

[25:49] making harassing phone calls, just call the police. They would be more than

[25:53] happy to arrest me. I've been arrested 17 times for lesser standards of

[25:58] arrest." I might. When I complained about the police resource officers

[26:04] molesting children at our schools, I got arrested. And I couldn't make a plea bar

[26:09] organ. No, I had to do a community service, get on a year's probation for

[26:15] complaining about the police molesting people's children.

[26:20] Okay? I mean, I'm struggling with that. So, in essence, I called down to the

[26:28] security manager was as I was instructed to do at Harrisburg

[26:33] and uh only to be told I was making harassing phone calls. I made no

[26:37] arresting phone calls and it was just persistent complaints that I will

[26:43] continue to do and they sent me a certified letter that cease and desist.

[26:47] Well, I haven't ceased and I haven't desisted. I've simply existed. Okay. But

[26:53] I want to do more than that. I want to be able to feel safe in the emergency

[26:57] room when I go in in a life-threatening situation that's clearly documented. I

[27:03] had to get morphine incidentally. And this guy with his nefarious actions

[27:08] didn't help me none at all. So in spite of his uh horrible actions, I got

[27:14] through it. And uh but I have all the praise for the medical staff and the

[27:19] doctors. I'm all about education but and professionalism, but these guys, they're

[27:24] Gustapo just Gustapo agents, you know. I just horrible. And I would I just want

[27:31] to make sure my fellow citizens are aware of this.

[27:40] Paul Wish.

[27:49] Good afternoon. Um, I think this year you've done an excellent job in coming

[27:53] up with an idea of a a general obligation bond. It's the right thing to

[27:58] do. And but beyond that, let me take up John on

[28:03] his questions about what's going on. I don't think that uh the commissioners

[28:08] actually did a very good job researching the bond idea and so chose to only put

[28:14] this year's CCS capital budget on the whole amount of the bond. What you

[28:19] failed to look at was that the public bond will be funded over 20 years. While

[28:24] the CCS request was for this year, very similar to what's been out there for the

[28:28] last 5 years and never funded. [snorts] Um, much of this uh was the same stuff

[28:33] you've seen for years, and failed to adequately fund. Compounding the CCS

[28:37] split the budget into medium and large expenses. things like uh new schools are

[28:42] only part of the larger budget, 50-year depreciation, and your bond includes

[28:46] medium things like roofing, vehicles, and other building maintenance, which

[28:50] will seem to occur annually, and we're 28 million this year. This is not an

[28:54] adequate this is not adequately addressed in the bond. Um I think it

[29:00] also included Cabaris um Canapapolis and uh CCS and it was the same 340 uh

[29:07] million bond for uh that CCS put forward. So it's less than actually both

[29:11] of them. U you also failed to do a sanity check on the on the proposing. Uh

[29:16] Meckllinburgg had done several GO bonds in the past 10 years. Both were passed

[29:21] resoundingly. 2017 they got 900 million and uh then in 2023 they got 2.5

[29:28] billion. Uh this is approximately 3.4 billion for the current population of

[29:34] 140. So they're much bigger than us, right? Yeah. Except that CCS has 35,000

[29:39] and the ratio is four times in the students.

[29:42] Uh Meckllinmberg has 10 times the amount of bond money available. If you look at

[29:47] the last few budget cycles, you failed to factor in the past um funding for the

[29:51] district. Our educational experience uh is behind any of uh any of the

[29:56] surrounding counties. All CCS school zones are now at 100% capacity, far

[30:01] exceeding the annual design the actual design point for each school. While the

[30:04] class sizes are not illegal, you find most schools have four to five lunch

[30:08] hours, meaning that elementary schools eat their lunch at 10:30 in the morning.

[30:12] Um high schools, they got 20 minutes for lunch. I don't know anybody that goes

[30:16] for 20 minutes of lunch at 10:30 in the morning. Um, [snorts] the gymnasiums are

[30:20] overcrowded as well, especially when there's events involving families. Uh,

[30:24] can you imagine having to schedule your parents attending a lunch with their

[30:27] children, but limiting it to four times a year because there's not room in the

[30:30] cafeterias. [snorts] Some of the lunches are actually held in the classrooms

[30:34] because of the room in the cafeteria. Even worse, the district now has two

[30:39] capped schools, preventing students attending the schools closest to their

[30:42] home. This fall, elementary students will be bus 30 minutes to get to a

[30:46] school, elementary school, right? Kindergarten, first grade through fifth

[30:50] grade. This is partially caused by um Vulgar, Coxmill, and Weddington all

[30:57] about 20% above the design point of the building. I'd suggest a larger goal

[31:01] bond. Thank you,

[31:06] » Kesha Sandage.

[31:19] How y'all doing? So, two things. Uh the first one I'll start with is I sent you

[31:24] all an email in regards to the potential for youth uh internships. I got a

[31:30] response back from three of you. I appreciate that response. I've talked to

[31:34] uh other municipalities in relation to this and suggested uh to Concord this uh

[31:40] past week that it be introduced during the Cabaris summit so that you all are

[31:45] able to talk collaboratively about it and how um you could put things in place

[31:50] to make sure that it is across the board in our county. I also suggested that

[31:56] there be collaboration uh with the private sector in trying to implement

[32:00] this as well as the uh DA who currently also has an internship. I did tell

[32:06] Concord that uh once I get all the information back, Kenny, thank you for

[32:09] connecting me to Kelly to get that information. Um I will put a report

[32:14] together of what I found and then offer some suggestions as I'm able to. Second

[32:19] thing, um there will be two possibly three uh constitutional amendments on

[32:25] our ballot in November. I do know that several counties have come out against

[32:30] these bonds and I know uh a candidate for Cabaris County Commission a few

[32:36] months ago came in and talked with you about uh those bonds as well as Senate

[32:40] Bill 1080 and House Bill 1089. Um I will be as a citizen voting no on those

[32:47] amendments. I would love to know where our county um sees these amendments

[32:51] helping us out or not. Um what I'm asking is look to your counterparts in

[32:56] Union County who have uh since come out against these two amendments and talked

[33:01] about how it would uh severely damage their ability to take care of their

[33:06] county. Um and and talk with them and gather what you all feel this will do or

[33:11] not do for our county. Um, as elected officials, we truly should know where

[33:15] you sit on things that are going to be coming to the public uh to to vote on.

[33:20] Just like you talked about the go bonds, I believe you should equally do the same

[33:24] thing about these amendments so that our community knows how they may or may not

[33:28] affect us. I believe that it will really and truly constrain your ability to take

[33:34] care of Cabaris County. We are talking about, you know, privatizing. I think

[33:39] this is a bait and switch to be honest with you. We are trying to make our

[33:44] county or make our state a private sector. And I'm wondering if that is the

[33:49] case, where do we pay t what do we pay taxes for? What are our taxes going to?

[33:54] I'm okay with paying taxes to make sure that the fire department can get to me

[33:58] in the good times that they've been a able to get to our our community. I'm

[34:02] also okay with paying taxes to ensure that the sheriff department can

[34:06] investigate and can get to crime as fast as it's be been able to do that.

[34:10] However, if we cut [clears throat] and make sure that um our taxes are cut are

[34:17] specific to a one number, how do we pay for services and what will we cut? I

[34:23] think our community should know that and you all have the information.

[34:32] Ezra

[34:39] Ezra.

[34:45] » You're fine. >> Um, thank you for having the opportunity

[34:49] to come up here again. Um, I was here I think two sessions ago. Um, then

[34:54] followed up with a couple weeks of vacation out of town. Um but my question

[35:00] was to the board, you know, what does the county offer or have to help and

[35:06] assist and support uh small businesses? um may or may not remember that

[35:11] conversation, but as I left out of the building, um about 10 minutes later, I

[35:18] got to the elevator, an elevator door was about to close and the gentleman

[35:22] stuck his hand in and stopped the elevator from closing and asked me um

[35:28] about my business. He asked me, "What did I what do I do?" And

[35:33] he asked me if I had a business card. So, I told him what I did. had him a

[35:38] business card and he told me that someone would be in touch with me from

[35:41] the Chamber of Commerce um soon. Well, before I went on vacation, someone from

[35:48] the Chamber of Commerce did reach out to me and I am happy to report that I've

[35:54] had an opportunity to meet all of the members of the Chamber of Commerce from

[35:57] Allison and her crew. Um, and I have attended se a few of the uh networking

[36:05] events with other business leaders, business owners from Cabaris County. Um,

[36:11] and basically I'm here today just to tell

[36:14] you thank you. Um, thank you for helping me. Um, I've made a lot of good

[36:19] connections. Um, some of them have already become fruitful uh for helping

[36:23] my business and uh and that's all because and I failed to remember who it

[36:30] was that stuck his hand in the door. Um I think it was [laughter] you. Was it

[36:34] you? Okay. I apologize for not recognizing you off the um but yeah,

[36:38] thank you very much. I appreciate it. So, and that's it.

[36:48] Ingred nurse.

[36:56] » Good evening, commissioners. Vote. The title of my topic is voters to

[37:01] decide when it's time. Yes, we did honor the $4 million bun that we placed on our

[37:07] ballots allowing voters to decide the outcome.

[37:11] The same effort should be taken into consideration when the proposed animal

[37:17] shelter that would cost taxpayers 23 million to $50 million. That same

[37:23] efforts needs to be proposed when it's time. voters should decide that

[37:29] instead of a five member board. We have multiple facilities that house homeless

[37:35] animals such as Cabaris County Animal Shelter, Exotic Pets Rescue, Humane

[37:42] Society. An investment of any size or this size deserves transparency

[37:48] and public discussions before the county moves forward. Like

[37:53] stating with a five minimum commissioner board three to two usually vote.

[37:58] Residents should have the opportunity to understand the total cost

[38:03] have the bond with effects taxpayers

[38:08] what alternatives were considered and what the long-term financial

[38:13] obligations will be. Government works better when people have

[38:18] a voice. Cabaris County residents first. I am by the people for the people

[38:25] because I am the people. Thank you.

[38:33] » Rick Hoforth Hofffor. >> Thank you.

[38:40] » Good evening, commissioners. Rick Hoff with Downome North Carolina. Uh want to

[38:45] speak to you for just a few minutes about the proposed uh constitutional

[38:50] amendment on placing limits on uh the ability to for counties and

[38:57] municipalities to generate income through property tax.

[39:02] um the scheduled uh elimination of the

[39:07] corporate uh tax uh by the year 2030 along with capping the ability for uh

[39:16] municipalities and counties um to generate revenue with uh property tax.

[39:22] uh these would restrict severely uh local revenue and these two together

[39:29] these policies would significantly limit North Carolina's ability to invest in

[39:35] schools, infrastructure, public safety, and the workforce that powers the

[39:40] state's economy. And so this is not just about taxes in

[39:46] isolation. It's about whether North Carolina maintains the tools needed to

[39:51] support growing communities and a strong economy.

[39:56] [gasps] The property tax amendment does these

[39:59] things. It caps how much total property tax revenue local governments can

[40:04] collect each year. It forces local governments to lower tax rates as

[40:10] property values rise. It ties future budgets to past revenue

[40:16] levels regardless of current needs and it limits the ability of communities to

[40:21] respond to growth, inflation, and service demands. In practice, this means

[40:26] local governments would have less flexibility to fund essential services

[40:32] even as costs and population increase.

[40:38] And property taxes matter. They're the backbone of local public services in

[40:43] North Carolina. Public school buildings, fire and emergency response, libraries,

[40:48] parks, and infrastructure, social services, all these things.

[40:54] Property taxes are the largest single source of local revenue. Local

[40:59] governments in North Carolina can't levy uh their own taxes or uh increase sales

[41:06] tax. Um, property taxes are stable and predictable, making them well suited for

[41:13] funding ongoing services. Strong schools, safe communities, and

[41:19] well-maintained infrastructure help protect property values. When local

[41:24] services decline, property values often decline, too.

[41:29] Local leaders use this revenue to meet realtime community needs. a statewide

[41:36] cap would override that local decisionmaking.

[41:41] And so we encourage the Cabaris County Board of

[41:46] Commissioners to go on record that they do not support the property tax

[41:51] amendment that will be on the ballot November 3rd. Thank you,

[41:59] » Nancy Hofforth.

[42:08] Good evening, commissioners, county manager, and fellow Cabaris County

[42:12] residents. My name is Nancy Hoff, and I've been paying Cabaris County taxes

[42:16] for at least 30 years. Most of us don't look forward to paying our taxes. After

[42:22] all, that's our money we worked hard for. But we understand that tax revenue

[42:28] is what our communities run on. As Rick just explained, I'd like to address some

[42:33] of the common but false claims about property tax bills.

[42:38] Property tax bills are driven by overspending.

[42:41] When homeowners see a big jump in their individual bill, it's because of

[42:45] infrequent valuations and growth in real estate values driven by low supply or

[42:52] when big corporations and real estate investors shelter property from taxes.

[42:58] This is a housing market issue, not a local overspending issue.

[43:03] Claim number two, property tax revenue is growing too fast. Actually, revenue

[43:09] growth reflects realworld conditions like population growth, increased demand

[43:14] for services, and higher construction and labor costs. This is not excess. It

[43:20] is a response to increased need. Claim number three, local governments are

[43:26] overcolcting. In reality, local governments are

[43:29] managing growing responsibilities with limited tools, especially in the context

[43:34] of state tax cuts. They are trying to maintain essential services, not

[43:40] accumulating unnecessary revenue. And finally, property tax caps protect

[43:47] taxpayers. Caps are a blunt instrument. Instead of

[43:52] targeting relief to those who need it most, caps often create long-term

[43:57] funding constraints, especially when when they are in the form of a

[44:01] constitutional amendment that lead to service reductions or increased fees

[44:07] elsewhere. Fortunately, North Carolina already has

[44:11] safeguards in place like reappraisal processes and existing relief programs

[44:16] that help prevent sudden unchecked increases in property tax bills. If

[44:22] affordability is the goal, more effective options would include

[44:27] expanding existing property tax relief, increasing income eligibility thresholds

[44:33] for tax relief programs, supporting seniors and lowincome homeowners,

[44:39] creating a circuit breaker that ties property taxes to income, or providing

[44:45] state funding to offset local relief efforts. The bottom line is that North

[44:51] Carolina can provide meaningful property tax relief without weakening the public

[44:56] systems that that support communities, families, and economic growth. I hope

[45:03] the commissioners will take that stand. Thank you,

[45:10] Robert Matton.

[45:23] Hello, Robert Maton of of Concord. First, uh I'd like to say I'm hoping

[45:30] that the uh website that was promised two months ago for transparency and

[45:34] accountability is coming along nicely. We're going to be able to see that

[45:37] sometime soon. Secondly, um, totally back up, the

[45:43] people have just been speaking up against the amendments that are coming

[45:46] out in November, and I already think it's going to be a death spiral 10 years

[45:51] from now for the middle class and lowerass citizens of North Carolina with

[45:56] this corporate zero tax. Um, a good way of putting that is corporate welfare or

[46:03] corporate socialism. And uh it's it's the wrong way to have any type of

[46:09] socialism. And thirdly, I'm just wondering what you

[46:14] all are going to have as plans for January and there on for us uh Cabaris

[46:20] County residents when we start losing parts of our Medicaid and and SNAP,

[46:27] what's going to happen to us? because like uh the feds are flaking out on us.

[46:35] And that's all [snorts] I have to say. Thank you,

[46:41] » Steven Bryant.

[46:49] Good evening, commissioners, county manager, county attorney. Thank

[46:55] you for your time this evening. I'd like to first say thank you all for

[47:01] the um our resolution that got passed and uh we're looking forward to sitting

[47:07] down with the county manager and putting the teeth back in the document. And um

[47:13] as for what I'm speaking to tonight, the constitutional amendment,

[47:18] a strong economy does not happen by accident. It requires sustained

[47:22] investment in people, communities, and the public systems that make growth

[47:28] possible. It requires leaders who serve North

[47:32] Carolinians. This amendment would make that harder to

[47:37] do damage. It could damage and make everything just more difficult to

[47:43] correct if it's correctable. This amendment will not make North

[47:48] Carolina more affordable. It will make it harder to fund public

[47:54] investments that lower costs for families from child care, health care,

[48:00] schools, housing, infrastructure, and disaster recovery. And there will be

[48:06] more disasters to come. In short,

[48:12] you can't cut revenue at the state level and cap it at the local level

[48:19] and still expect strong schools and services. That math doesn't work.

[48:25] Property taxes fund services people rely on every day. Schools, fire department,

[48:32] and infrastructure. Capping them means our ability to meet real needs.

[48:38] Rising property values don't mean people can afford higher taxes,

[48:44] but the solution is targeted relief, not across the board limits that weaken

[48:50] communities.

[48:54] This amendment prioritizes an arbitrary formula

[48:58] over what communities actually need to function, grow, and keep up with rising

[49:05] costs.

[49:08] If the goal is affordability, we should focus on help on helping

[49:14] people who need it most, not restricting resources every community depends on.

[49:21] Strong schools, safe communities aren't separate from

[49:27] property values. They're what protect them.

[49:31] When property when property tax revenue is capped,

[49:35] it doesn't stop costs. It just means fewer services or higher costs somewhere

[49:43] else. Thank you all for your time.

[49:49] » Sabrina Barry.

[49:56] » Good evening, commissioners. How are you guys doing tonight? I came here for one

[50:00] reason and one reason only and that's to thank you for your leadership, for your

[50:06] transparency. I go all across the western region of North Carolina. You

[50:10] see a lot of commissioners, but in Cabaris County, our our citizens are not

[50:14] uninformed. We have the most transparent county commissioners that anybody could

[50:19] ever ask for. We know exactly what's happening in our county. You guys got to

[50:23] take a lot of slack, even for things you're not responsible for. We hear a

[50:27] bunch of people talking about a constitutional amendment that you didn't

[50:30] put on the ballot. It seems that they're in the wrong place and talking to the

[50:34] wrong people because you guys have no control over what hits the ballot at a

[50:38] state level. I want to thank Commissioner Pitman especially. You and

[50:43] I don't always see eye to eye. We can go back and forth, but one thing about it,

[50:48] we always can have critical, challenging conversations and leave that space and

[50:53] have respect for each other, love for each other. And I thank you for that

[50:58] level of leadership cuz you guys have taken a beatd down even after my Junth

[51:03] proclamation, week after week after week, but no one person came in here and

[51:08] said, "Kenny, Laura, Ian, Jeff, thank you for approving that Junth

[51:14] proclamation." And that was a huge step in our county. And tonight, I just thank

[51:18] you guys for your leadership and just being you. Don't change that for nobody.

[51:23] We are proud to live in Cabaris and I think everybody here is too. There are

[51:28] other options and if they don't like it, they can move. Thank you. God bless you

[51:32] and God bless Cabaris County.

[51:38] » That is all. >> Thank you all. All right, commissioners.

[51:43] I do need a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented.

[51:48] » So move. >> All those in favor, please say I. I.

[51:52] » Any opposed? That carries. 5 Z. Thank you. And we will move on to new

[51:58] business. Item number one is the proposed animal shelter replacement

[52:03] discussion with Kyle Bilifer.

[52:09] » You're going to be up here for a minute. You got three. So,

[52:12] » three in a row. Yeah. >> Um, so I'm sure you all recall the

[52:16] conversation we had and I was kind of looking for some guidance on which way.

[52:19] So, we did add a motion to this. So, um, what's different in this presentation is

[52:24] the motion. Um, the motion is to approve county staff to advertise a request for

[52:29] qualifications for limited design services for the proposed new animal

[52:34] shelter and to request staff to study alternative funding models that other

[52:38] counties have used to build and operate their animal shelter. So, in that

[52:43] effort, we've already identified um some county animal shelters that have been

[52:47] built over the last 5 years, and we kind of have a list of those and contacts. Um

[52:51] and if the board so approves tonight, we'll start reaching out to those groups

[52:55] to kind of start our our net throw our net out there to see different types of

[53:00] funding opportunities. And of course, we've already written the request for

[53:03] qualifications for that limited scope of design. Um, and again, just to reiterate

[53:08] what was at the meeting for folks that weren't didn't watch that, um, we're

[53:12] going to focus on schematic design, specifically traffic impact analysis,

[53:17] understanding what our neighboring, uh, uh, adjacent parcels are going to be

[53:20] doing, um, which isn't always easy, but we'll be reaching out to them, and then

[53:24] obviously doing everything from a geotech and environmental aspect.

[53:30] » Commissioners, do you have any questions?

[53:33] Commissioner Pitman?

[53:37] » [clears throat] >> I was going to say I don't want angry

[53:40] nurse to faint, but I actually uh sympathize with some what she said about

[53:46] this. Um I I don't say no, let's don't do it

[53:50] necessarily. Uh I did understand her point about um consulting the citizens

[53:56] about it. Um, one thing I do think between the two positions is maybe um,

[54:05] we ought to have like a public hearing on it or, you know, take those kind of

[54:10] concerns into account before settling on something. I'm not against it, but I I

[54:17] think um, you know, we do want a lot of transparency up here, and I think that

[54:23] would be a one way of making sure that we have that. So, I'd appreciate if we

[54:28] could do it that way, not just decide without

[54:34] » I I don't necessarily disagree. I I think what we talked about in the work

[54:38] session was that if, for instance, we find a funding model that is community-

[54:43] based, right? We go ask for donations. It's important that we go through step

[54:48] one and get someone on board who can do a site plan and a rendering that you can

[54:54] use to market the project. if we go for that funding model. So, I'm certainly in

[54:58] favor of um doing step one here. Um even though I do agree with you on some of

[55:04] those items um Commissioner Pitman. So, um I will certainly be voting for it.

[55:11] » Any other questions or comment? Okay. I do need a motion uh to approve

[55:17] the county staff to advertise a request for qualifications for limited design

[55:22] services for the proposed new animal shelter and request staff to study

[55:26] alternative funding models that other counties have used to build and operate

[55:30] their animal shelter. >> Okay. All those in favor please say I.

[55:36] » Any opposed? All right. That carries 5-0. Thank you. We will move on to item

[55:41] number two which is discussion of potential permanent stage construction

[55:45] at Rob Wallace Park with Kyle. >> Uh thank you. Yes. Again from our work

[55:49] session where um coming to the board try to get some guidance. Um, again, this

[55:54] was was brought to me and I've worked with the town of Midland, specifically

[55:58] town manager Doug Paris on this and added a motion to this agenda item um

[56:03] for the motion to approve the county to partner with the town of Midland in a

[56:08] feasibility and design only for a proposed permanent entertainment stage

[56:12] at Rob Wallace Park. Construction approval would come at a later date and

[56:17] be associated with several agreements. Um, and that has been discussed with the

[56:21] town of Midland even when we met the first time. So, this is not moving

[56:25] forward with any type of full-blown design. It's almost like what we just

[56:30] talked about in the the last situation. Um, and again, no construction until

[56:36] everything comes back in front of this board with the agreements of who would

[56:39] handle maintenance, who handles the cost, the upkeep, and all of those type

[56:43] of things. similar to what we have in place with the town of Midland for the

[56:47] memorial that they have on phase one of the park.

[56:51] » Commissioners, do you have any questions?

[56:55] Okay, I do need a motion to approve the county to partner with the town of

[56:58] Midland and feasibility and design only for the proposed

[57:04] permanent entertainment stage at Rob Wallace Park. Construction approval

[57:08] would come at a later date and be associated with several agreements. So,

[57:13] » all those in favor, please say I. >> I.

[57:15] » Any opposed? That carries 5-0. >> All right. And we will move on to the

[57:21] third, which is donate law enforcement vehicles to the town of Midland.

[57:26] » Yeah. The county has a longstanding agreement with the town of Midland to

[57:30] provide law enforcement services, as we do with also Harrisburg and Mount

[57:34] Pleasant. Um, two new vehicles were recently purchased by the county for the

[57:39] provision of those services. The town will fully reimburse the county for the

[57:43] cost of those vehicles. This action will donate the two vehicles to the town so

[57:48] they can insure them through the North Carolina League of Municipalities at

[57:52] their desired level. The county is unable to obtain comparable insurance in

[57:57] the private marketplace. Um, for full transparency, this agenda item is the

[58:01] exact agenda item from July 5th, 2022, where this motion had to be made at a at

[58:08] a time also to do the same type of activity so that um the town of Midland

[58:13] has to have the titles to be able to go get the insurance. And I legally cannot

[58:18] give them those titles or should not give them those titles unless they are

[58:22] donated. I will say that um County Attorney Doug Hall and myself have

[58:27] written together a resolution that will come in front of the board next month so

[58:32] that this won't have to be done every time.

[58:36] » Commissioners, any comments or questions? All right. I do need a motion

[58:40] to approve the donation of county assets 4072 and 4073 to the town of Midland.

[58:47] » All those in favor, please say I. I. >> Any opposed? All right, that carries. 5

[58:51] Z. >> Thank you so much for your time.

[58:54] » All right, we will move on to item number four, boards and committees. Vea

[58:59] partners governing board appointment. Ary, would you like to address this,

[59:04] ma'am? >> Yes, ma'am. The Vaia partners governing

[59:07] board has selected a representative for the seat being reserved for Cabaris

[59:11] County. John Eller, county manager, is being recommended for appointment to the

[59:15] vacant seat as the Cabaris County representative on the governing board.

[59:19] Permission is therefore being requested to advance John Eller's name for

[59:23] consideration as the Cabaris County Representative for a three-year term

[59:27] expiring September 30th, 2029. Commissioners, do you have any questions

[59:31] or comments? All right. I do need a motion to approve John Eller to serve

[59:35] the Cabaris County Representative on the Vea Partners Governing Board for a

[59:39] three-year term expiring September 30th, 2029 and to include any necessary

[59:45] exemptions to the appointment policy. >> So move. All those in favor, please say

[59:50] I. Any opposed? That carries 5 Z. Thank you. And we will move on to reports. Um,

[59:58] just so you all know, the reports have been included in your packet for review.

[1:00:02] Do you all have any questions regarding those? Okay. Just remember that we do

[1:00:07] have vacancies still on our boards and committees. So, please, if you are

[1:00:10] interested, please fill out an application online for any of those

[1:00:13] boards and committees. And I will start with Commissioner

[1:00:17] Pitman.

[1:00:20] » [clears throat] >> On August 5th, the Paris

[1:00:26] transported

[1:00:30] 6,420 trips for a year to date, over 7,000 for

[1:00:36] Medicare patients. The on-time rate was 98%.

[1:00:42] going they've been going through a period of driver shortages

[1:00:46] right at that moment they had 11 drivers out of the need for 21 total. Um and

[1:00:54] they were at that time about to interview four potential new drivers and

[1:00:58] they had two others interested. Some dispatchers and supervisors are

[1:01:03] having to fill in the gaps for that lack of drivers uh and are doing some of the

[1:01:09] driving. Um unused funding from fiscal year uh 25

[1:01:14] through 26 has been reappropriated for fiscal year 26 through 27. Annual

[1:01:20] trainings held on August 1st. They stressed clocking in on time, having no

[1:01:25] conversations on the vehicle radio, reviewed the uh operations manual and

[1:01:30] matters such as uh properly securing wheelchairs in the buses and other

[1:01:35] proper usage of equipment. They discussed uh Rideco community uh or

[1:01:41] communication system rather. They said it's very helpful and more efficient

[1:01:45] than the previous system uh being automated but with human superi

[1:01:49] supervision. It sends texts to riders when the transportation vehicle is on

[1:01:54] the way and has allowed a reduction in calls uh in call staff and provides

[1:02:00] stronger customer service. After the meeting indoors, we went

[1:02:04] outside and the process of securing wheelchairs and on buses was

[1:02:09] demonstrated to us and we were also told that the transportation vehicles had

[1:02:14] been vandalized in the fenced in area at that location uh where they were parked

[1:02:19] at the DHS facility having the catalytic converters cut out of all or most of

[1:02:25] them. Um, in the near future, this committee, in fact, I think it's going

[1:02:29] to happen this coming week or maybe next, uh, this committee will begin

[1:02:34] meeting at the Milestone building and those vehicles will be moved to that

[1:02:39] location over on uh, Canapapolis Highway. Um, parking spaces have already

[1:02:45] been prepared for the buses over there for when the transportation operations

[1:02:48] will be located there. I had a question about um, okay, how you

[1:02:54] going to secure them there? and they felt like they'd already be more secure

[1:02:57] in that location. We'll see how that goes. Um I'm sure that cost us a bunch

[1:03:01] of money replacing those catalytic converters, but I didn't get that

[1:03:05] figure. Um on August 5th, also met with the local emergency planning committee.

[1:03:11] We got reports from participating organizations, but they were very few

[1:03:16] and uh fairly routine. I spoke on the termination of squad 410

[1:03:21] and stated that I was reluctant to take that action but became convinced by what

[1:03:25] I saw uh as we proceeded that it was a matter of efficiency and efficient use

[1:03:32] of resources and I also pointed out that they were

[1:03:37] given five months notice and the county has been seeking to help those uh

[1:03:41] employees find other employment within Concord or uh committee I mean the

[1:03:46] county if possible. Concord Fire Department hazardous

[1:03:50] materials team showed us one of their vehicles and detailed the equipment and

[1:03:54] how they functioned on it. And that was very revealing, very eye openening. One

[1:03:58] thing I did notice um for going to hazardous material sites, they had a

[1:04:03] couple of different instruments that they use. One I'd say is about that size

[1:04:09] that can tell them exactly what kind of u gas they're dealing with so they know

[1:04:14] how to deal with that. that cost I believe they said $70 million but um

[1:04:21] they think it'll pay for it um in the long term pay for itself. Another piece

[1:04:26] of equipment a little smaller was um for uh determining liquid hazardous

[1:04:34] materials and um I'm trying to remember I think they said that was about 20 or

[1:04:40] $25,000 for that one. So I hope those work out well. So, it it does save them

[1:04:45] some trouble trying to deal with that. Otherwise,

[1:04:49] Midland Town Council met on August 11th. Um the sheriff's report, uh I didn't get

[1:04:56] all of it, but it did say 265 calls during the month, 104 dispatch calls,

[1:05:04] seven animal calls, two assault calls, two breaking and entering calls at a

[1:05:08] storage at storage buildings, and uh 261 traffic stops in the Midland area.

[1:05:15] Midland Fire Department reported 118 calls, 60 of those being medical calls.

[1:05:21] NC DOT representatives came and they reported on consideration of the

[1:05:26] proposed 2427 bypass for Midland. There are three plans under consideration.

[1:05:32] They're leaning toward what they call a shallow bypass plan with either two or

[1:05:37] four lanes with an overpass bridge. Uh expecting 70% or 76% of traffic will

[1:05:44] take the bypass for 2427. The shallow option would avoid the likelihood of

[1:05:49] flooding in the area. The anticipated cost is 15 to $20

[1:05:54] million per mile and uh4 to 50 million per interchange. So a rough estimate for

[1:06:01] the total package is 95 to $120 million. The need to have a public comment

[1:06:07] opportunity was discussed and like a lot of other road projects these days, it's

[1:06:12] going to be down the road a bit before they get that done.

[1:06:16] Then today I met with the home care community block grant uh advisory

[1:06:20] commission or committee rather. Um they're waiting to learn uh the amount

[1:06:25] of reduction of state funds as different from the pri prior expectation. They've

[1:06:31] been told that there was 28 million I believe that they were going to get from

[1:06:37] like last year's leftover and now there's been some change and they're not

[1:06:41] going to get that much. They're waiting to find out how much they are going to

[1:06:44] get. Um they said that they should know in

[1:06:48] September. So they're waiting on that before uh setting contracts.

[1:06:54] Central has requested an expedited communication on these things. They

[1:06:59] spent all allocations uh that they had by the end of the fiscal year last year

[1:07:04] or this you know just ended in uh June. They were able to cover transportation

[1:07:10] needs. uh the meals on wheels over spent, but some of that was taken care

[1:07:15] of by funding that wasn't needed for some other aspects of the work that they

[1:07:21] do. Um the lunch plus waiting list at present

[1:07:28] time is about 25 people waiting to be served.

[1:07:32] There are five sites among the the several m municipalities in the county.

[1:07:37] Um, Mount Pleasant, the Mount Pleasant site,

[1:07:42] uh, contract is nearing its end after 20 years. So, they're looking at what to do

[1:07:47] about that. Housing and home improvement are waiting

[1:07:51] on two reimbursements. Two C crew members got about 52 jobs completed and

[1:07:58] uh, I think that was in a month's time. uh in on the homemade weight list there

[1:08:04] are about 450 uh waiting for that kind of service.

[1:08:10] There's one vacancy and one expired term which James Poke is serving that term at

[1:08:16] the present time. And so they need applications people to serve on uh these

[1:08:22] uh committees and agencies but not they're not getting them presently and

[1:08:29] uh they put forward a request for James Pulk to continue. The next meeting is

[1:08:34] November 16th. I asked James after meeting was he any cand to James K. Pulk

[1:08:39] and he said yeah he was a distant cousin. [laughter]

[1:08:45] » Thank you Commissioner Pitman. Commissioner Wartman, you have anything?

[1:08:48] All right, Commissioner Jones.

[1:08:52] We are we in for some >> We're in for a little dissertation

[1:08:55] » dissertation here. >> All right. Uh talking about the human

[1:09:00] service advisory board update. Again, we deal with a lot of different things and

[1:09:06] usually with the human services, this is typical. All you hear is a

[1:09:11] negative and there's a lot of good that comes. there's a lot of progress we're

[1:09:15] making. Um, and so at this point, we need to start getting that out there and

[1:09:20] let people know how great our workers are that we do have and what they do do

[1:09:23] is very important and they are having success. So, with that, I'm going to go

[1:09:28] with our child welfare program update. Uh, staffing, staffing's always been an

[1:09:34] issue. Uh recruiting and retaining qualified social workers remains a

[1:09:38] priority as staffing levels directly impact the case load, the timeliness and

[1:09:45] service delivery. While child welfare continues to be an

[1:09:49] area of focus for the department, the department turnover has dropped or

[1:09:53] improved by 11% between the calendar years 2023 and 2025.

[1:09:59] Now I think with uh Mr. Eller coming on board uh his experience in uh human

[1:10:06] services as well. Um and the work that uh Dr. Pew has been

[1:10:12] doing with the advisory board, we are changing the culture. We're getting

[1:10:16] better people in. Uh we're getting people who are really committed to doing

[1:10:21] this. It's a tough job. Real tough job. But, uh, we think we're going to get

[1:10:26] some very qualified people from neighboring counties, uh, with a lot of

[1:10:30] experience that can step right in and and do a lot of work for us. Um, foster

[1:10:36] care, foster care, they require us to do monthly visit with 95% of the children

[1:10:42] each each uh, month. Um, Cabaris County has met that standard in 12 or 12 months

[1:10:50] during 2026 fiscal year uh for all cases. This

[1:10:57] reflects the department continued commitment to maintaining regular

[1:11:00] contact with children and care and monitoring their safety and well-being.

[1:11:05] An average of 184 children were in foster care each month. North Carolina

[1:11:12] Department of Human Health Services has consistently indicated that the number

[1:11:15] of children in foster care in Cabaris County aligns with the county's

[1:11:19] population, meaning there's not too many, not too less. We're about where we

[1:11:25] should be, unfortunately. Um, the agency will be looking at processes

[1:11:30] and best practices to help improve prevention and supports for families

[1:11:35] involved with child welfare to help their service plans. the need of

[1:11:39] supports for foster families as part of our continuous improvement and strategy.

[1:11:45] During fiscal year 2026, the department received an average of 126 child welfare

[1:11:52] reports each month. Approximately 58% of the reports met state criteria for

[1:11:58] assessment and investigation, which again aligns with the statewide averages

[1:12:03] for counties. um foster care or foster care permanency

[1:12:09] outcomes. The goal is always to find the kids and get them as quick as possible

[1:12:14] into a permanent stable living situation. Um need them be safe, get

[1:12:20] them on so that they can excel in life. Um

[1:12:25] what's interesting here is state average for un reunification for parents is 24%.

[1:12:31] Cabaris County is 16%. Placement with guardianship

[1:12:37] state average is 22%. Cabaris County is 33%.

[1:12:42] And adoption state average is 23%. Cabaris County is 20%. You look at the

[1:12:48] numbers in total, we're right at the state average. State average is 69%

[1:12:53] overall in permanency placing. Cabaris County is 69% permanency placing. The

[1:12:58] key observation is Cabaris County relies more heavily on guardianship which could

[1:13:03] be with relatives as a permanent outcome that both the state average and

[1:13:08] neighboring comparison counties. This plays significant role in helping

[1:13:12] Cabaris County children achieve that permanent homes when you reunification

[1:13:17] is not possible. In other words, children are still receiving the

[1:13:21] permanent homes just through a different path. Um, so we're doing what's best for

[1:13:26] the children at the time and getting them their permanency as quick as

[1:13:30] possible. Um, hopefully we can increase the other numbers as well and we'll be

[1:13:36] above state average hopefully within the next year or two. Uh, which would be

[1:13:42] good. As previously stated, the agency will be

[1:13:47] looking at processes and best practices to help improve prevention and support

[1:13:51] for families involved in child welfare to help with their services, plans,

[1:13:57] needed supports, foster families as part of our continued progress and strategy

[1:14:04] permanency within 12 months. Uh typically in these cases when uh a child

[1:14:10] comes into DA comes into the custody um basically we go through a court process

[1:14:18] and the goal is to reunify or find permanent place within a year. Um you

[1:14:24] get case plans that the people work on. The parents come in, they work through

[1:14:29] their case plan, get whatever help they need uh to do that. They work and we

[1:14:34] work with the foster parents as well and the children and try and reunify. That's

[1:14:38] the number one goal. And every case that walks in the door, the very first goal

[1:14:43] is reunification. Um we try and accomplish that within 12

[1:14:47] months. If we can't, we try and find guardianship or placement within that 12

[1:14:50] months because we got to I mean these kids need something permanent in their

[1:14:56] life. Um the state benchmarks requires that 40.5% of children entering foster

[1:15:03] care achieve permanency within 12 months.

[1:15:07] This remains a significant challenge not only for Cabaris County but for the

[1:15:10] counties across the region highlighting broader challenges

[1:15:15] counties face in achieving time of permanency. Cabaris County's progress

[1:15:20] fiscal year it was 7.6 six 2025 was 7.16%

[1:15:27] was all that we achieved for fiscal year 2026 we have bumped it

[1:15:33] up to 12.87%. So we have increased with 80% over the

[1:15:40] year. That just shows that we are making progress. Progress is slow but we're

[1:15:45] making it. We've made some changes. we're focusing more um on our processes

[1:15:51] and our ability to help the parents and help the children. Um so 80% increase

[1:15:56] over yeartoear if we can keep that up we'll be way above the state average

[1:16:00] before too long. Um as represented I mean while performance remains below the

[1:16:07] state benchmark county cabar showed the greatest improvement among neighborson

[1:16:11] comparison counties during 2026. The department continues to focus on

[1:16:17] reducing barriers to permanency and improving outcomes for children and

[1:16:20] families. State reviews. We continue to partner with North Carolina Department

[1:16:25] of Health and Human Services for oversight and child child welfare

[1:16:29] reviews. These reviews provide opportunity to evaluate our compliance,

[1:16:33] identify our strength, identify our weaknesses, and support ongoing quality

[1:16:38] improvement for us. So, we're always looking to learn, always looking to

[1:16:42] improve. Our immediate priorities,

[1:16:47] uh, we continue reducing vacancies and turnover with staffing.

[1:16:52] We want to review wait times for services that families who are involved

[1:16:55] with child welfare need. That's for to get treatment like substance abuse,

[1:17:00] behavior, health services, housing, parenting services. We have to

[1:17:04] coordinate that with every parent, every child, every that comes into the system.

[1:17:10] Um there's a lot of services that we offer and that we give to the parent,

[1:17:14] especially the parents to try and get them where they can reunify with their

[1:17:19] children because that's the number one goal. Um

[1:17:24] research consistently shows that reunification is strongly influenced by

[1:17:28] parents access to and engagement in these services particularly substance

[1:17:32] abuse treatment and supportive services. Strengthen collaboration with the courts

[1:17:38] and attorneys to support premany for children and care. Work with our court

[1:17:43] partners, child welfare law firm and community partners to strengthen

[1:17:47] supportive services to families involved in child welfare. It's a team effort. We

[1:17:52] don't do it by ourselves. You know that we when we do get a call

[1:17:58] and we do have to intervene, the court mandates what we have to do as well. Um

[1:18:04] and we have to work through that process as well. And then we need all these

[1:18:08] services of all these other departments and outside agencies um with their case

[1:18:14] load and stuff. We've got to work through all that. So, this is a

[1:18:18] communitywide effort from everybody in Cabaris County. Um, so despite the

[1:18:25] ongoing staffing challenges and the increased service demands, Cabaris

[1:18:29] County is working diligently on strengthening child safety, supporting

[1:18:33] families, and achieving timely permanency for children in care. DSS

[1:18:38] leadership recently met with our DHS regional director who noted that there

[1:18:45] is a lot of evidence that our child welfare division is a well-run agency

[1:18:49] based on outcomes and various state monitor indicators. In fact, in fiscal

[1:18:54] year 26, DSS met with met or exceeded expectations for all statemandated

[1:19:01] memorandum of understanding outcomes required by state statute. The work of

[1:19:06] the child welfare social worker is not easy and we know there are always ways

[1:19:11] to improve. As the representative of from the board, I am proud of the

[1:19:17] efforts of the staff and their leadership for working to implement

[1:19:22] needed changes that strengthen our system. We have made a lot of changes uh

[1:19:27] since I came on board and it's not through me, it's through them. I I just

[1:19:32] happen to see what they're doing and see the work by by going to the meetings.

[1:19:36] Um, and these people are working hard to really improve this department and all

[1:19:42] of our services, whether it's veteran services, uh, you know, Medicaid, any of

[1:19:48] those services. They are a dedicated team and uh, and I I really appreciate

[1:19:53] what they have done. Uh, I'm just in awe watching how hard they work to improve

[1:19:58] this department. Um, so this type of thing we're working to does take time

[1:20:04] though and the work staff continues each and every day to make the most of the

[1:20:09] situation and do the best practices and ways to improve is always the number one

[1:20:15] goal is find ways to improve. Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Jones.

[1:20:21] Commissioner, [clears throat]

[1:20:24] » um, pretty light month for me actually. This will be quick. Harrisburg Town

[1:20:28] Council. Um, couple of just kind of regular contractual items. They did have

[1:20:33] three public hearings on new developments. Two of them were small

[1:20:37] single family homes. Those were approved. The other one on the agenda

[1:20:40] was 149 lot residential neighborhood and it was on 175 acres. Um, that applicant

[1:20:47] pulled that last minute. Um, so while it remained on the agenda, they did not

[1:20:51] discuss it. So there will be a public hearing on that project at some point.

[1:20:56] Excuse [clears throat] me. Uh, WASAC, we meet on Thursday, so nothing to report

[1:21:01] there. Cabar's planning and zoning was cancelled for a lack of agenda items, so

[1:21:06] nothing to report. Um, I did finally get my board training at convention and

[1:21:12] visitors bureau, but I think that they're I think the meeting is next

[1:21:16] week, so I'll report back on that one um at the next meeting. Um, and then active

[1:21:22] living advisory council was this morning. Um, lot going on at the active

[1:21:28] living and parks, uh, especially in the month of September because it's senior

[1:21:33] center month celebration. I think I counted 11 active um, project or, uh,

[1:21:38] events that are going to be happening including an ice cream social, a 35th

[1:21:43] anniversary open house, some bingo, indoor baseball. There's a lot going on.

[1:21:48] Um, so check out the website for that one. I did just want to plug one thing

[1:21:53] um that uh is occurring tomorrow morning. The Council on Aging is doing

[1:21:59] uh their first ever book sale to raise funds. That'll happen from 9:00 a.m. to

[1:22:04] 400 p.m. at the Concord Active Living Center. Uh and they have told me uh that

[1:22:10] they have books from all age for all ages. So down from your littlest ones um

[1:22:15] up to adult books. So, um, if if you're interested in the books, it it supports

[1:22:21] them 100% on putting on their programs and events, and they're well priced as

[1:22:25] well. So, uh, I hope you'll join them for that because if they don't sell them

[1:22:29] all, they've got to haul them back home. Um, that's all I had, madam.

[1:22:34] » All right. Thank you. All right. Just a couple of things. Um, at the Canapapolis

[1:22:38] City Council meeting, uh, this past month, I was able to watch four new

[1:22:43] police officers sworn into the KPD. So, congratulations to them. Um, also very

[1:22:48] thankful that um, none of the Canapapolis police officers were hurt in

[1:22:53] a recent uh, situation that happened that I think we have heard of to this

[1:22:58] point. Um, I did get the opportunity to uh, attend the Locust City Council

[1:23:03] meeting last week. Um, I just got to give a shout out to them. They are a

[1:23:08] phenomenal group of city council members. Um, the mayor is hysterical. um

[1:23:14] and and their their city manager uh Caesar is wonderful. So, I just want to

[1:23:19] thank them for their hospitality and I look forward to seeing them in more city

[1:23:24] council meetings. They actually had the NC DOT come and present there too, just

[1:23:30] like they did at the town of Midland because they are right off of 2427 and

[1:23:34] so they are doing some studies right now too to see how traffic is going to be

[1:23:38] impacted over the next 10 to 15 years. Um, we also had the uh Cabara soil and

[1:23:44] water meeting. We have creek week coming up at the end of September. Um, they

[1:23:48] just did a video about that as well for um from on the government page for

[1:23:54] Facebook. So, I would encourage you all to check that out. They do a lot of

[1:23:58] great work with our kids in the community uh during Creek Week as well.

[1:24:02] Commissioners, do you have any other general comments you'd like to make?

[1:24:06] Commissioner Pitman?

[1:24:11] Um, someone's mentioned about where we stand

[1:24:15] on the GO GO bonds. I have not stated my personal position on that because I

[1:24:21] didn't think it was appropriate as a county commissioner to do that. Um, I

[1:24:26] will repeat though, the only reason I put voted to put it on the ballot was

[1:24:29] because the people need to decide that. And so that's why I wanted it on the

[1:24:34] ballot is let the people decide if we're going to do that.

[1:24:38] Now, I want to say thank you to the sheriff's office. I've been getting a

[1:24:42] lot of death threats. Uh got one recently where the guy said somebody

[1:24:47] should beat me to death. It's been tried, you know, and was not successful.

[1:24:52] Of course, I am getting older. They might have better luck now. Um

[1:24:57] well, a deputy was assigned to look into that. He found it was somebody in

[1:25:02] California. Uh because it was anonymous, had no idea how to get hold of them.

[1:25:08] Let me explain something to you. I don't have a county phone. So if you call try

[1:25:11] to get me here on the phone, it records it as um an email. So that's how I get

[1:25:19] those messages. Anyway, they found this guy in California. The police went and

[1:25:24] talked to him and um Oh, he was very apologetic. I didn't mean it that way.

[1:25:30] Yeah, right. Um had more recent one and they're looking into that one now. guy

[1:25:37] claimed to be a Christian, accused me of a whole bunch of stuff, and said he

[1:25:41] wanted to see a bullet in my head, and then he threatened my family. So,

[1:25:46] they're looking into that one. I hope they get up with that one, too.

[1:25:50] Moving on. And this will not make some of you happy. Um, but I would remind you

[1:25:56] that what I'm about to say was part of what I campaigned on when I ran for this

[1:26:00] office. and uh

[1:26:05] I won. Okay, so some of you may not like it, but here's the facts where I stand

[1:26:11] on this matter of property taxes. I want to thank Brian Chavaria for his work and

[1:26:17] our other local representatives for the work they've tried to do to deal with

[1:26:21] this issue. Um

[1:26:25] I think property tax legislation they come up with is good, but it doesn't go

[1:26:30] far enough. what I have said from during the

[1:26:34] campaign and what I told the committee that was looking at that in Raleigh. You

[1:26:38] know, I was hoping to go speak to them in person. It never worked out that way

[1:26:41] because they kept not taking public comment, but uh I sent them a statement

[1:26:47] which was shared with the members of the committee

[1:26:50] that no valuation of property should be done by any government entities. It's

[1:26:56] none of our business what your property is worth. Um, no one should have to pay

[1:27:02] taxes based on more than they actually paid for their home. You know, when they

[1:27:07] sell it, if it's more than that person taxes on that amount,

[1:27:11] no taxpayer funding should go to anything that is not a government entity

[1:27:15] or a government responsibility. That means no money to EDC, no money to any

[1:27:21] kind of business incentives. Um, you know, we're we have to do

[1:27:25] regulations to make sure governments treat each other fairly, treat the

[1:27:29] people fairly, do things legally, that sort of thing. But beyond that, bringing

[1:27:33] business in is not a government responsibility.

[1:27:37] As far as the EDC and Chamber of Commerce, you know, nothing wrong with

[1:27:41] them existing and doing the things that they do, but he shouldn't get any

[1:27:44] taxpayer money for doing it. Um, so I've always been against those things. I

[1:27:51] still am. That's why I've not voted for the budget the last two years because

[1:27:54] they didn't take those things out like I asked them to do. Um, giving to

[1:28:00] charitable institutions also should be totally voluntary. If individuals want

[1:28:04] to give, let them give. One thing, if you don't overt tax them, they might be

[1:28:08] able to afford to give a little better. Uh, it should be totally voluntary, not

[1:28:13] by taxation. Cutting out such inappropriate spending,

[1:28:18] I believe, will make paying for actual government entities and government

[1:28:22] responsibilities more efficient. So, that's what I told them. I hope we'll

[1:28:27] get there someday, but at least um you know, I do support the amendment that

[1:28:32] we're asked to vote on and uh I hope they'll go further than that going

[1:28:36] forward. Thank you, >> Commissioner Wartman.

[1:28:42] Just wanted to point out that our very own Ary has completed officially

[1:28:48] completed uh clerk school. So she is officially officially the clerk.

[1:28:53] [laughter] >> Officially officially

[1:28:54] » congratulations on completing [applause]

[1:29:00] » Thank you, Commissioner Wartman. And I just want to say that you are doing a

[1:29:04] fantastic job even though you had not been officially official until now. Um,

[1:29:11] we are grateful to have you. You're welcome. Commissioner Jones.

[1:29:21] » I'm opposite of Larry. I'm I'm against the tax amendment. Just want to let

[1:29:25] y'all know that. >> All right. And, uh, Commissioner

[1:29:30] Patrick. Um yeah, I want to thank uh Commissioner

[1:29:35] Pitman and also um Commissioner Jones for being very careful about the way

[1:29:39] they said that because there are two things about referenda that are on the

[1:29:45] ballot that I think everybody should know. We are not allowed as a board by

[1:29:51] state law to use any taxpayer funds to support or oppose the referenda. That

[1:29:59] goes for the geo bonds and that goes for the constitutional amendment. Now, if

[1:30:06] you'd like to see me afterwards and know exactly where I stand on both of those,

[1:30:10] I will tell you as a voter, uh, which is my right, but this body has to be very

[1:30:16] careful about what we say. We cannot support or oppose. We may only educate,

[1:30:21] which is why if you watch the the geo bonds video, you'll see that we were

[1:30:26] very careful not to say yes, support it or no, don't. All we can give you is the

[1:30:32] information and it's up to the people to decide whether it passes or not. Um,

[1:30:38] frankly, as it should be. Uh, I can give you a little bit of education on the

[1:30:43] constitutional amendment. Um, all it basically says is that the voters

[1:30:50] would approve or deny the ability of the legislature to make laws regarding tax

[1:30:59] limits. Um, there is no law proposed uh nor is there any information about what

[1:31:07] that would mean for services or anything like that. It is simply a question. Do

[1:31:12] you want to give the legislature that right and enshrine it in the

[1:31:16] constitution? That is it. Um, so I just thought it was important so people don't

[1:31:21] keep coming up here and saying what are the board of commissioners going to say

[1:31:25] about this. We cannot. It is going to be on the ballot.

[1:31:30] Our hands are tied by state law and I don't want the uh sheriffs in the back

[1:31:34] to say something to me afterwards. So madam, I just wanted to clear that up.

[1:31:38] » Thank you Patrick. So, um, first I want to highlight, um, our animal shelter

[1:31:45] video for this month. So, this month I was able to meet Button, Hunter, and

[1:31:50] Fisher.

[1:31:53] Hey folks, I'm Laura. This is Button. This is Hunter. This is Fisher. And this

[1:31:59] is your August shelter update. Let's go meet those friendly faces. Now,

[1:32:04] Button is approximately 6 [music] years old. And according to a volunteer

[1:32:09] donated DNA test, Button is 33% American Pitbull Terrier, 29% [music] American

[1:32:16] Staffordshire Terrier, 18% boxer, 8% Boston Terrier, and 5% American Akita.

[1:32:22] [music] She is cute as a button, and looking for a family of her own.

[1:32:27] Hunter. Hunter and Fisher were brought in as strays at [music] approximately 3

[1:32:32] years old, and both boys are looking for a family to call their own.

[1:32:38] Button, Hunter, and Fisher are just a few examples of animals that could be

[1:32:42] your next play partner, couch companion, or snooze sidekick. Whatever you're

[1:32:47] looking for, you can find it right here at the Cabaris County Animal Shelter.

[1:32:53] And I just want to say thank you to Julie who is here. She's never here when

[1:32:56] I get to do these videos at the end of the at the end of the meeting, but she

[1:33:00] is so welcoming and helps me with all of these videos. And um I just want to

[1:33:05] thank you. so much for your support of allowing us to do this because I know

[1:33:09] it's a lot of work for you too. Um, and then so the last thing I have is five

[1:33:15] things that you need to know. So number one, the ADA survey. First, a reminder

[1:33:20] about our ADA survey. Please take a few minutes to complete it and help us

[1:33:25] create a more accessible facilities, programs, and services. Responses are

[1:33:30] confidential. You can find the survey on our website under the featured tab at

[1:33:35] the bottom of the homepage. Second, the veterans benefits event. Cabaris County

[1:33:41] Veterans Services is partnering with Meckllinburgg Union Rowan and Gaston

[1:33:45] counties for a veterans benefits live VA in my town on August 20th through the

[1:33:52] 21st at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte. Veterans can

[1:33:57] connect directly with local veteran services officers, VA representatives,

[1:34:02] and community partners to learn about benefits, programs, and services.

[1:34:06] Pre-registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome. You can register

[1:34:11] using the link on our Cabaris County Facebook page. Number three, core event.

[1:34:16] Our collaborative opioid recovery and education or core team is hosting a free

[1:34:22] public event Wednesday, August the 19th at Afton Ridge Library and Active Living

[1:34:27] Center. It starts at 5:00 p.m. You'll learn more about what core team does and

[1:34:33] how Cabaris County is using opioid settlement funds to support residents.

[1:34:37] There will be complimentary food resources, entertainment, and

[1:34:41] opportunities con to connect with partner organizations. Number four,

[1:34:46] powerful tools for caregivers. We know caring for a loved one can be

[1:34:50] challenging, so we have a virtual class to help. Powerful tools for caregivers

[1:34:55] is a free six-w weekek virtual series designed to help family caregivers

[1:34:59] reduce stress, build confidence, communicate effectively, and find

[1:35:04] helpful resources. Classes are held virtually Wednesdays from 2 to 4

[1:35:09] beginning August 26th. Participants will receive a caregiver handbook and

[1:35:14] supporting materials. Class size is limited and pre-registration is

[1:35:19] required. Call Cabaris County Adult and Aging Services at 704-9201400

[1:35:27] and choose option seven to register. Participants will need a computer with

[1:35:32] internet access and a webcam. And number five, county inspectors earn statewide

[1:35:38] honors. Last, but certainly not least, congratulations to two of our county

[1:35:43] inspectors. Gary Martin was recently named district D district 3 building

[1:35:47] inspector of the year by the North Carolina Building Inspectors Association

[1:35:52] representing Cabaris and 11 surrounding counties. Mike Cox was named mechanical

[1:35:57] inspector of the year by the North Carolina Mechanical Inspectors

[1:36:01] Association. These are both well-deserved honors and we are proud to

[1:36:05] having them serve Cabaris County. All right, that is all for me.

[1:36:10] Commissioners, do you have any other comments you'd like to make this

[1:36:13] evening? Okay, with that, I'll take a motion to adjurnn.

[1:36:16] » So move. >> All those in favor, please say I. Any

[1:36:20] opposed? All right, we are adjourned. Thank you all for joining us this

[1:36:24] evening.

Cabarrus County BOC Regular Meeting 08.17.2026

Transcript