[2:19] [snorts]

[2:26] Yeah.

[2:43] I can curious.

[3:51] I'm glad.

[4:11] Good evening everyone. Good evening. Welcome to this board of commissioners

[4:15] meeting this August 11th for the town of Waxaw. Uh let's take a moment, catch our

[4:21] breath. Uh we'll go ahead and start our evening with an invocation. We

[4:28] have Joe Lapos who's Joe Leos is going to give us an invocation to kick off our

[4:33] evening's activities. Thank you.

[4:37] » Let's please bow our heads for the first invocation since 2019.

[4:43] Heavenly Father and Lord of the universe, we honor and worship you for

[4:46] amaz for your amazing love and grace that has been bestowed upon us.

[4:50] » Thank you, Jesus. >> On behalf of many in Waxaw, we're sorry

[4:53] for removing your presence from these proceedings. Thank you for being patient

[4:56] and please accept our repentance and forgive us. Please honor and bless this

[5:01] board and town staff for granting you permission to be present with us again

[5:06] starting today. This is the hard part. Lord, help us to do as you taught and

[5:10] forgive those who trespassed against us and forge ahead to make this a better

[5:14] place to live for all. Thank you, >> God. We know elected officials swear

[5:18] upon the Bible where it says in the beginning in Genesis that you mandated a

[5:22] call to carefully steward all that you created. Help us all to do so. Remind us

[5:28] that at the end of the Bible, it says in Revelation 11 that you would one day

[5:32] return to judge both those who feared you and those who raged against you. For

[5:37] some reason, of all things people do wrong, it stated that you would destroy

[5:40] the destroyers of the earth and land. You knew long ago that greed would tempt

[5:45] all men, especially those in power. So help us, dear God, to heed the warnings

[5:50] to care for all the people and your land, too. So dear God, on this first

[5:54] invocation in seven years, help these strong leaders to seek your wisdom and

[5:59] your will in every decision that they make. And Lord, give Jim Black a fist

[6:04] bump from all of us, too. I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.

[6:08] » Amen. >> Amen.

[6:10] Thank you very much, Joe. Congratulations on being the first

[6:14] in some time. All righty. So, we will start our official opening ceremonies as

[6:20] well with a pledge of allegiance. Please rise.

[6:27] I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[6:33] republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[6:40] justice for all.

[6:45] » Thank you one and all. Are there any adjustments or amendments

[6:49] to tonight's agenda? hearing none. Then can I get a motion to

[6:54] approve tonight's agenda? >> So moved.

[6:56] » All in favor? >> I

[6:58] » I motion carries. Next up we have general public comments.

[7:03] Uh we had some confusions with the signup sheets. So we have the public

[7:07] comments a little mixed with the data center comments. So we will focus I will

[7:11] call out those that signed up for the general public comments. Uh to kick us

[7:16] off uh first on that list would be again Mr. Joe Leapos.

[7:26] Hopefully you're not all tired of me yet. So, hey, first I want to thank

[7:30] Mayor Murray and all five members of this board for being people who keep

[7:34] your word. Shortly after the first election two and a half years ago, some

[7:38] of us felt the need to challenge the moment of silence. I first recited Ben

[7:43] Franklin's famous speech that resulted in Congress calling upon God before

[7:47] every meeting. Why not ours? We asked. All three of you on the split board

[7:52] attempted to bring it back. But shockingly, the former members who

[7:55] touted their religion and quoted Bible verses were against it. It is no wonder

[8:00] after the rejection of God that polarization reigned in these halls. It

[8:04] is a perfect example of why it is important. We stood against the

[8:08] destruction of land by developers who adopted a leave no trees behind

[8:12] philosophy and how it all gentrified senior citizens and lower income

[8:17] families. Some have argued saying the purpose of invocation is to promote a

[8:21] specific religion or even procilitize. No, it is to create a purposeful

[8:27] reminder of the vows sworn upon a Bible which holds the highest standard of

[8:32] ethics and fairness. Over 7 billion copies of the Bible have been sold and

[8:38] in this digital age, billions read it online. It is not a minority view to

[8:43] include God in all things. Some ask what is the angst about developments

[8:49] as if they are evil. In the first chapters of scripture, it says humans

[8:53] were put here to steward the beautiful world God created. Building is not evil.

[8:59] It is normal but need but it not need not be in a total destructive pattern

[9:04] that takes no account for wildlife, trees and how it affects residents. I

[9:09] mentioned Revelation 11 in the invocation. I don't know how that came

[9:13] up, but God gave me some things to say and so I'm going to go with what he told

[9:17] me to do. In Revelation 11, it because it's an important prophetic dialogue

[9:23] that lays out how we will be graded for our mandate. The full text in Revelation

[9:28] 11 says, "The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in

[9:32] heaven, saying, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of the Lord and

[9:37] of his Christ. He shall reign forever and ever." and the 24 elders who sit on

[9:43] their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped him. Next, it tells

[9:48] of the final grade. The nations raged, but your wrath came with the time for

[9:53] the dead to be judged. First for rewarding your servants and those who

[9:57] fear your name, both small and great, and finally for destroying the

[10:01] destroyers of the earth. We all have moments of rage for both

[10:06] good and bad reasons. Without God's forgiveness and grace, we're all nothing

[10:10] at all. But judgment is not ours. It is only God's. But why did he pinpoint

[10:17] destroyers of the earth? What a sobering cry to the ultimate consequences of

[10:22] humanity's downfall and the importance of stewardship. Oh, what a mandate this

[10:29] board and the town engineers have on your shoulders. It is a big task, but

[10:35] you all have writed our future by putting God in first place at these

[10:39] proceedings to ensure his words and his guidance are followed. Now, may God and

[10:45] his wisdom be with you all. Thank you. >> Thank you, Joe.

[10:52] Next up, we have Father Benjamin Roberts.

[11:04] I do hope those timers don't appear while I'm preaching.

[11:08] I'm Father Benjamin Roberts. I'm a priest of the Dasis of Charlotte. I was

[11:12] for the last 14 years the pastor of Our Lady of Lords in Monroe and on July 1st

[11:16] assumed my new responsibility as the priest in charge of the Catholic

[11:20] community of Waxaw. Uh I have been appointed to oversee the transition of

[11:25] St. Matthew South Campus into its own parish over the next over the coming

[11:30] probably year until we're officially declared a parish by the bishop of

[11:34] Charlotte. And then I'm tasked with being the founding pastor. So uniting in

[11:39] one way the already 3500 Catholic families that live in Waxaw

[11:46] Weddington, Marvin and um Wesley Chapel along with some people who come over

[11:51] from South Carolina. Uh so our intention of course will be to build a church and

[11:56] many other things and since we are your neighbor literally right there I wanted

[12:01] to come and introduce myself. Um I am a I was born in Charlotte. I grew up 20

[12:08] minutes from here in Lancaster where my parents still live. I watched Waxaw grow

[12:12] up. I fulfilled a childhood dream on July 4th. any kid in Lancaster wants to

[12:19] uh as a part of their life goal to be part of the Fourth of July parade in

[12:24] Waxaw. So I had the great privilege to do that. Again, I'm very happy to be

[12:29] here. I look forward to working with you uh for us to be a presence of of

[12:34] goodness, of hope, and of unity in this community.

[12:38] » Thank you very much.

[12:47] Uh let's see here. General, it says data in. Okay, the rest are data center

[12:52] comments. Uh we will go ahead and leave those for our public hearing. Uh seeing

[12:57] no other signups for general public comments, this concludes our general

[13:00] public comments. Um any other commission response regarding public comments at

[13:05] this point?

[13:09] » All right, hearing none, I will add mine. Um,

[13:13] one thing people don't generally remember is our pledge of allegiance.

[13:19] Our pledge of allegiance states one nation under God. And the under God

[13:24] wasn't there in the original draft of the pledge of allegiance. It was added

[13:28] at an interesting time in our history. For those [snorts] that aren't aware, it

[13:32] was added during the Cold War when Soviet communist when the communist

[13:38] Soviet Union was basically growing and expanding both in power and in region.

[13:45] And it was one of those things that the country at that time felt it was

[13:49] necessary to add to our pledge to help distinguish the United States from our

[13:55] communist adversaries. Under communism, i.e. socialism. God

[14:01] must be removed from the psyche of man because without God that leaves man

[14:09] searching to fill the void and man will then quickly latch on to a system or an

[14:17] individual other than God. There's a very specific reason our

[14:22] Declaration of Independence says endowed by our creator,

[14:27] we have inalienable rights. Our creator was put there to remind us

[14:33] that our rights for liberty and life and happiness come from God. They don't come

[14:38] from an individual. They don't come from a system. They don't come from a from a

[14:43] king. They don't come from an emperor. They don't come from a ruling party and

[14:49] its party members. They come from God. And that's why I'm happy today to have

[14:54] this invocation as part of our starting ceremony. I think it's a good addition

[14:58] to remind us all that it is our creator that gave us life, gives us liberty, and

[15:04] gives us our right to pursue happiness. And that's where those rights come from.

[15:09] And we need to remember that they're not coming from people. They came from God.

[15:13] and we get to exercise those here in this country. So, thank you. Well said.

[15:26] All righty. Next up, we have the consent agenda. Can

[15:29] I get a motion to approve tonight's consent agenda?

[15:32] » So moved. >> All in favor?

[15:35] » I. >> Motion carries. Uh we have one

[15:39] particular item within the consent agenda that we will be reading this

[15:42] evening. Our mayor promed will be reading our honor to the legacy of Mr.

[15:47] Jim Black.

[15:51] » I'd like to welcome his family tonight. Whereas the town of Waxon, North

[15:55] Carolina pauses to look back and remember the remarkable life, vibrant

[15:59] spirit, and lasting impact of longtime resident and community icon Jim Black.

[16:06] And whereas Jim Black was a constant welcoming presence at every town

[16:11] gathering and celebration, showing an unmatched dedication to his neighbors

[16:16] and a deep love for Waxaw's community. And whereas with the rise of social

[16:21] media, Jim stepped forward generously using his time and talent to capture the

[16:27] smiles of M and milestones shared history of our citizens. And whereas his

[16:33] photographs and posts did more than just document events. They connected

[16:38] neighbors. They preserved memories, boosted local pride, and built a digital

[16:44] scrapbook of our own town's growth. Whereas Jim was instantly recognizable

[16:51] and beloved for his trademark optimism, warm personality pres and his signature

[16:58] thumbs up pose that brought joy and reassurance to everyone he met. And

[17:04] whereas while Jim Black has passed away, his legacy, cheerful spirit, and love

[17:09] for Waxel will live on in the hearts of our community and the memories he left

[17:13] behind. Now there therefore be it resolved that I, mayor of the town of

[17:18] Waxaw, along with the town board of commissioners, and on behalf of all our

[17:23] citizens, do hereby honor the life and legacy of Jim Black and express our

[17:28] deepest gratitude for his years of service as Waxaw storyteller,

[17:33] photographer, and friend. We call upon all residents to carry forward his

[17:38] spirit of positivity and community pride.

[17:42] In witness whereof, I hear I have here unto set my hand and cause the seal of

[17:48] the town of Waxaw to be affixed this 11th day of August, 2026.

[17:55] » Thank you very much to the black family. We mourn your loss. Thank you.

[18:03] All righty. Next up, we have recognitions. Uh we have Miss Dena Parks

[18:08] and Recck. We have a couple recognitions.

[18:19] Good evening. I'm here tonight to recognize Miss

[18:24] Robin. Um, Miss Robin started her journey here with the town in July 21 in

[18:29] the finance department as the um, accounting technician. she quickly um

[18:36] earned more responsibilities um and did a great job there but we kind

[18:40] of stole her. So in August of 22 she became a part of the park and recck

[18:46] department as the administrative assistant and then again did a great

[18:50] role and now is the deputy administration. Over the last couple

[18:54] years, Miss Robin has done a key role in our department um helping us with many

[19:00] grants such as the Great Trail State grant, the Carolina Thread Trail grant,

[19:06] and um and then also helped us with securing funds for the small trailer as

[19:12] well. Um she's been a co-leader on that one. She's also been at the creation of

[19:18] the Friends of Waxaw Parks and Trails from the beginning to now its nonprofit

[19:23] status. So, she's all around helped in so many different ways in that form.

[19:29] Also, Miss Robin helps out with our financial because that's always a

[19:34] challenge with budget. Uh she's helps with our um year end um also with other

[19:40] projects with the downtown project uh park project, the learning center

[19:44] project, the rec pro uh rec farm project and the PCR um PSPR

[19:51] building. So all these things logistically getting those finances

[19:55] together which is totally appreciative. She handles our accounting um on

[20:02] payables um receivables, the keeping up with the grants also with

[20:08] purchasing. She coordinates with special event rentals which is a challenge at

[20:14] sometimes and also does a percentage of rentals with the parks and facilities.

[20:20] Also sponsor space. So, if you would like to sponsor one of our lovely spaces

[20:24] in the parks or trails, she's um your person. And scout projects, you'll we

[20:30] have presentation for two scouts coming up in just a few minutes. Again, a

[20:35] wonderful um person to help us prolong our finances and also help us um to move

[20:41] that that next spot. her dedication, organization, professionalism,

[20:47] commitment um to ensuring the parks and wreck continues to serve our community

[20:52] to its highest level. I want to say thank you, Miss Robin, um for serving

[20:57] the last five years with the town of Waxaw. And please help me congratulate

[21:02] her on this wonderful milestone.

[21:06] [applause]

[21:08] Here

[21:13] you go. You want to say anything? >> I guess I could. Um, no. I just want to

[21:19] thank my team, the town staff, my family. Honestly, like I love Waxaw, so

[21:24] I want to give everything I can to it, but my team is what makes me smile and

[21:27] happy every day. So, I really appreciate them, too. So, thank you very much.

[21:46] You have one more, Miss Dina. Oh, Andrew's doing this one. Gotcha. Mr.

[21:50] Andrew, how are you?

[21:57] » Thank you for having us. Uh, we're here today to celebrate a major milestone for

[22:02] our department and for our town. Chris Blanchard is officially making five

[22:06] years with the town of Waxaw. Over the past five years, Chris has been an

[22:10] absolute pillar for our team. Watching his growth has been incredible, stepping

[22:14] up to become our park lead and taking on a full scope as the crew lead

[22:19] responsibilities without missing a beat. Three years ago, Chris made history by

[22:24] becoming the first recipient of the Sunny Splan Employee of the Year Award.

[22:28] That award honors someone who uh who leads with integrity, exceeds

[22:33] expectations, and brings a true attitude of gratitude to work. Qualities Chris

[22:38] continues to model every single day. Beyond keeping our parks in top shape,

[22:44] what really sets Chris apart is how he connects with people. He currently

[22:48] mentors several of our team members, passing on his knowledge, work ethic,

[22:52] and standards every single day. but his warmth exceeds well beyond our immediate

[22:57] crew. Chris is easily one of the most welcoming people you'll ever meet.

[23:02] Whether he's out in the parks or around town, he's always waving, smiling, and

[23:06] saying hello to everyone, even people he's never met before. He makes our

[23:10] entire department approachable and sets a fantastic standard for community

[23:14] interaction. On a personal note, I couldn't ask for a

[23:18] better partner in managing this team. Having Chris by my side to handle the

[23:22] day-to-day operations, lead the crew, and keep everything running smoothly

[23:27] makes a world of difference. He leads by example, earns the respect of everyone

[23:32] around him, and truly makes Waxall a better, friendlier place. Chris, thank

[23:37] you for five years of hard work, leadership, and dedication. We're

[23:41] incredibly lucky to have you on the team, and I'm looking forward to many

[23:44] more years of working with you together. Please join me in giving Chris a round

[23:48] of applause.

[23:58] Thank you guys. >> Thank you Chris.

[24:18] All righty. Next up, we have Mr. Orion with our engineering department.

[24:30] » Good evening. I have uh Linda, our administrative assistant. Let me see

[24:32] what she had prepared for me today. Oh, very good. Um Linda and our

[24:39] engineering administrative assistant. Congratulations um for being with the

[24:42] town for five years. Uh Linda is much more than administrative assistant. Um

[24:47] she's the true heartbeat of our engineering team. Uh she kept keeps us

[24:50] organized with her friendly spirit and she keeps things running smoothly.

[24:54] Linda, we are lucky to have you on our team and celebrate with us today.

[24:58] » Thank you.

[25:07] » Good evening. [clears throat] Tonight we're here to recognize Sergeant Wall-E.

[25:11] Uh he began his career in New York. Um retired from there, started his second

[25:16] career here in Waxaw in 2019. Over the while the time he's been here, he's got

[25:22] a thousand hours of law enforcement training. And we're recognizing him

[25:25] tonight for earning his um North Carolina law enforcement advance

[25:29] certificate. Wall-E. [clears throat]

[25:34] » Yep. That's it. That's yours. Congratulations.

[25:51] All right,

[25:55] we have another one this evening. Um, Detective Howard, he began his law

[25:58] enforcement career in 2012. Um over the years he's completed a thousand hours

[26:02] over a thousand hours of training and North Carolina has recognized him with

[26:06] his law enforcement advanced certificate also. Cory, thank you for your time

[26:10] here. Thank you for your training.

[26:21] » Thank you. >> Thank you, Lieutenant. Always good to

[26:24] recognize the high standards of the Waxaw Police Department. Thanks again.

[26:28] Uh, next up we have a couple very special presentations uh this evening or

[26:33] recognitions this evening. Uh, Miss Robin, we have a couple Eagle Scouts in

[26:37] the house.

[26:43] Hello again. I'll introduce myself again even though I'm Robin Ver, deputy of

[26:47] admin for parks and wreck and I'm here with Jeremy and Max and Laura. Um they

[26:53] um Max has actually done our Eagle Scout project for the Town Creek Park

[26:57] Pollinator Garden. So I always mess this up.

[27:01] Next one. Or did I turn it off?

[27:07] I always mess this up. Which one?

[27:13] » Right button. All right. See, I told you I messed this up. That's fine. Um

[27:17] anyway, so Max was actually a big part of wanting to do our revitalization of

[27:22] the Town Creek Park Pollinator Garden, which actually was an Eagle Scout

[27:25] project a couple years ago. Um you'll see top left, that's where we basically

[27:31] started. So he pretty much started from scratch. He basically did the soil,

[27:37] added some compost, did some new plants, and did a whole new walkway. You'll also

[27:42] see that he added a bee habitat. He added a bench. That bench was actually

[27:48] made from wood salvaged from the Serross cabin that unfortunately burned down at

[27:54] our museum of the Waxaw. So that commemorative plaque is there. You'll

[27:57] see that. It's a beautiful bench. You definitely should go check it out. And

[28:00] he actually, you can see his group. They actually did a give a rock, take a rock

[28:05] garden as well, um, and added the little library back. So that might actually be

[28:09] a future Eagle Scout project soon, too. So he did a great job. his group did an

[28:14] awesome job and we really appreciate all his hard work. Do you guys want to say

[28:18] do you want to say anything? Okay. But thank you guys so much for all the hard

[28:22] work. [applause]

[28:30] » It's great to see a piece of that cabin live on for many many years as a bench.

[28:49] » [applause]

[28:53] » Miss Amy, we have another one. >> Good evening. I'm Amy Merrill, the

[28:58] downtown park manager, and I've been working closely with Ben. Come on up.

[29:04] And his mom, Sarah, and his dad, Todd.

[29:09] Robin is the Boy Scout uh Eagle Scout project, but she let me take the reigns

[29:15] with this after it was just a little bit of a process. So, that's why I'm taking

[29:19] this on. I've worked with Ben actually. He did some cleanup at the park for us.

[29:25] Um Oh, I guess I got this

[29:32] about three years ago. he um contacted us and was interested in doing some

[29:36] clean up around the park. So, I got to meet Ma Ben and his mom and he did a

[29:41] great job then and we talked about his project which is the wind phone.

[29:46] Um there's a QR code up there if you're interested in learning about the wind

[29:51] phone, but we now have one at the downtown park. I mentioned it to Ben at

[29:55] the time of the cleanup of the park and he ran with it. Three years later, here

[30:00] we are. We now have the wind phone in the downtown park. It's basically a

[30:06] place where you can send a message to a loved one or just talk to anybody who

[30:12] will listen and then the wind will carry your message away.

[30:17] Ben and his team did a great job. They worked great together. Um he was always

[30:22] a go-getter and his parents and other Eagle Scouts were amazing. Here's some

[30:28] more pictures. And actually tonight he put on the final

[30:32] touches. Uh we don't have those pictures, but um I'm proud of Ben and he

[30:38] did a great job and congratulations, Ben.

[30:45] [applause]

[30:47] I'd like to thank the town of Waxoff for allowing me to build the windphone in

[30:52] their new or downtown park. I'd especially like to thank the Department

[30:56] of Parks and Recreation with Mrs. Amy, Mrs. Robin and Mr. Jim for helping me to

[31:01] see the process through and eventually complete the project. It wouldn't have

[31:05] been possible without them. So, thank you.

[31:10] [applause]

[31:27] » [applause]

[31:30] » And we have one more recognition this evening, Miss Brandy.

[31:39] » Yes. Uh we just wanted to take a moment to recognize Michael who has spent the

[31:43] past year serving as an intern for the town of Waxaw. Michael has been a

[31:47] tremendous asset to our team, not just in the business development department.

[31:51] He has jumped in wherever he is. he was needed, worked hard, learned a lot, and

[31:56] became a valued part of our town family. It has been a pleasure working with him

[32:01] and watching him grow over the past year. We are incredibly proud of him as

[32:05] he takes this next step and heads off to college. Michael, we are going to miss

[32:10] you having you around, but we are excited to see where life takes you.

[32:15] Thank you for everything you have contributed to the town of Waxaw, and

[32:19] please know that we will always consider you part of the family. Congratulations,

[32:23] Michael, and best of luck in college.

[32:33] [applause]

[32:44] And for those of you who don't know Michael, uh,

[32:48] which it's probably very few people, I almost forgot he wasn't an intern. and I

[32:52] thought he worked here. He's been here so long, but uh we wish you the best of

[32:56] luck and uh he's doing great things with his nonprofit, Action for Good. Look it

[33:01] up. Um he's really giving back to the community along with the Eagle St. I

[33:06] wanted to thank them as well. It's a great use of uh contributing to the town

[33:10] park and that's really what community all is all about and when people think

[33:14] of Waxaw, that's what they think of. So, thank you all.

[33:23] » [applause]

[33:26] » I've always been impressed with how Michael just seemed to pop up

[33:29] everywhere. I don't know how many events I saw him, not just town events, but

[33:33] just all around the county. So, he's been a real fixture. And I I just can't

[33:38] imagine how much he's learned. And to know that he's taken that with him is is

[33:41] going to be really cool. So, keep in touch, Mike.

[33:45] All righty. Uh next up we would like to kick off our public hearing about the

[33:50] imposing of a proposed moratorum on the construction and development of data

[33:54] centers. Can I get a motion to open this public hearing?

[33:59] » So moved. >> All in favor?

[34:01] » I. >> This public hearing is now open. I'll

[34:04] just kick it off by making one thing as clear as I could possibly make it. There

[34:09] is not and has not been any discussions of or intentions to build a data center

[34:19] within Waxaw or as far as I know on this side of the county. Um this is something

[34:25] we're doing preemptively. uh you're seeing it in Charlotte at the state

[34:30] level and many many other municipalities have discussed and taken on this topic

[34:35] of imposing some kind of restrictions around data centers and a lot of those

[34:42] restrictions have sort of started with a moratorum. The purpose of this moratorum

[34:47] is to give us time to develop the law, time to write the LDC the way it needs

[34:53] to be written to ensure our community is protected in the future. So this is not

[34:58] something that's happening tomorrow. We don't have a a file filled with

[35:04] applications looking for people desperate to build data centers. That's

[35:08] not what has happened. This is us being proactive and preemptive with our

[35:13] activities. So, anything else to add, Kevin, before we kick this off? All

[35:18] righty. So, there's no formal presentation. Again, this is just a

[35:22] moratorum to put a halt on things. So, we don't really have anything to present

[35:26] in terms of what we think the law would be, what we think the law should look

[35:30] like. And a part of this public hearing is going to be us getting the opinions

[35:34] of the people. We're going to listen to y'all tonight, hear what you have to

[35:38] say, and it will be part of our consideration as we draft and rewrite

[35:43] some of the laws within the LDC, our land development code. So, we're going

[35:48] to optimize the code a little bit and we're going to take to heart some of the

[35:51] stuff you have to say. So, we'll get started by just calling off some of the

[35:55] folks that have signed up for our public comments uh in this public hearing

[35:59] regarding data centers. Not sure which one to start with. I'll start with this

[36:03] one. Go ahead.

[36:07] » Yes. >> Do do the

[36:10] do the public comments after the summary of um what

[36:15] » do you have a summary? >> Yes, we do.

[36:16] » Yeah, we do. There is one. >> Who has the summary?

[36:24] » Mr. Kevin, you have the summary.

[36:28] » It was just There you go. >> I think you summarized it pretty well.

[36:33] Mayor, there's not a whole lot else to it. Um, so this is for public hearing

[36:38] for ordinance 202614, data centers and similar land uses. Um,

[36:45] this is intended to address large data center related complexes that are

[36:48] rapidly growing in North Carolina. Um, there are uh they do require large

[36:53] amounts of land and there are significant concerns with their impacts.

[36:56] Um, be it noise, heat, light, uh, lighting, utilities, etc.

[37:01] Um the town's current LDC definitions for server farms are not really up to

[37:06] date. They're not really designed um to locate these and mitigate their

[37:11] potential impacts. The state is looking right now uh at a

[37:16] couple different bills, few different bills to uh to find a good way to

[37:20] address these, but we don't know what the outcome of that's going to be. And

[37:24] really Waxaw is just kind of following along with about 30 other different

[37:28] local jurisdictions in the state that is growing on a monthly basis um that have

[37:32] passed either text amendments or local zoning uh local moratoriums uh to give

[37:37] time to do that. And that kind of shows where we're at.

[37:42] These are moratoriums. You can see the vast majority of them are for a 365day

[37:46] moratorium. So that is the most common type that's done.

[37:51] This will not ban data centers. What this would do would pause approvals of

[37:55] new data centers, data processing facilities, cryptocurrency mining, and

[37:59] other similar primary uses on properties within Waxaw's incorporated town limits

[38:04] for 12 months. And as you mentioned, this will allow staff um and uh the

[38:09] board uh to comply with any changes in state law that arise, to research actual

[38:14] impacts of these land uses, to propose some changes, um and then to provide

[38:19] time for public feedback and for the elected officials for y'all to hear

[38:23] proposed changes and decide on the best course of action to take. Um so if

[38:28] adopted tonight following this public hearing uh the moratorum would be in

[38:32] effect until August 10th of next year or until the adoption of an amended land

[38:37] use ordinance to address these uses or until further action ending or

[38:42] continuing the moratorium by the board. Whichever one of those comes first.

[38:48] » Any questions or comments from the board at this time? Please,

[38:56] » mayor, members of the board, and residents, I want to offer a perspective

[38:59] on this issue that begins with some personal responsibility. Before serving

[39:04] on this board, I spent several years as a citizen volunteer on the Waxaw

[39:08] Planning Board. In 2020, we undertook an extensive review that led to the Waxaw

[39:13] Land L land development code as we know it today.

[39:17] At that time, we understood server farms was a very different than what we are

[39:23] discussing the campus-like data centers that are being built today. I did not

[39:29] anticipate how rapidly the industry would change in 2021 when we reviewed

[39:34] it. The scale at which data centers have amassed are completely different.

[39:41] I own that responsible government. Government isn't about pretending old

[39:46] decisions, anticipate every change that would follow. It is about recognizing

[39:51] when circumstances have changed and beginning and being willing to

[39:57] respond. Today's large-scale data centers can bring significant demands on

[40:01] electricity, cooling, and other utility resources along with real questions

[40:06] about infrastructure, noise, land use, and the compatibility with the

[40:11] surrounding developments that we know and love as Waxaw today.

[40:16] I also recognize that many of our residents are concerned. You've seen

[40:19] what happens in other communities and are wondering what that would mean

[40:24] for Waxaw as we consider this moratorum today.

[40:28] Whether I was still serving on the planning board, sitting in the audience

[40:33] as a resident or sitting here as a commissioner, my recommendation would be

[40:38] the same. Place the temporary moratorum on this issue. The mortorium is a

[40:44] commitment to do the work before we make a decision with any lasting consequences

[40:49] for this community to clearly understand the infrastructure utility environmental

[40:54] noise and land use implementations considered

[41:00] and how it matches with our Waxaw long-term vision and determining what

[41:05] standards and limitations fit our community.

[41:09] There are also larger principles at stake here I want to be direct about

[41:15] because I think it's important for the people in this room that haven't

[41:19] followed as of lately what has been taking place with our greater state

[41:26] government because local control matters. Last year, the state

[41:31] legislator, our state legislation and

[41:35] representatives passed Senate Bill 382. Buried inside it was a change that

[41:40] stripped municipalities, including this very town like Waxaw, of its ability to

[41:46] downzone property without its owner's consent. In plain terms, if a piece of

[41:52] land is zoned for a use like a data center, which currently none are at this

[41:59] time, and there are no applications before us, as the mayor has said, but

[42:05] our residents deserve clear understanding to think about what it

[42:09] means and what implementations would take

[42:14] place. I encourage everyone in this room to

[42:18] look up how your own representatives voted. And that's why I also support the

[42:23] current legislation, House Bill 24, to restore that authority and downzoning

[42:28] ability with your local municipal services. I believe we need to keep

[42:33] pushing our state legislators to give that authority back. This is not being

[42:38] anti-development or disregarding property owner rights. It's about a

[42:43] balance. It's about making sure that people who live in the community and the

[42:47] representatives they elect keep real voices in shaping the community's

[42:53] future. When circumstances change, good government should have the humility to

[42:58] acknowledge it, the responsibility to understand it and the courage to act

[43:03] upon it. That is why this moratorum is reasonable and gives us the

[43:09] opportunity to do just that work. And that's why I also encourage each of one

[43:13] of you to go and understand the implementations that have taken place

[43:17] with our state legislators and how we have been handcuffed by making actual

[43:22] decisions that impact us to date. Thank you.

[43:33] » Thank you, Commissioner Harris. Anyone else?

[43:37] » Yeah, I just wanted to mention another bill that passed recently. um HB 162 um

[43:43] it's unfortunately more top- down governance from our state government. It

[43:50] handcuffs again local governments from uh regulating parking spaces for new

[43:58] developments. So now statewide we can't regulate parking spaces

[44:04] whatsoever on any new projects that come in. So the market will decide, but

[44:11] potentially inadequate parking could be supplied and the burden to fall on

[44:18] surrounding streets. So I certainly support your sentiments there,

[44:23] Commissioner Ferris.

[44:28] » I'm just going to say one last thing and very quickly because we want to get this

[44:32] going. There's a lot of people here that want to talk, but um I would like to say

[44:37] there is hope. So to thank Representative David Willis and Danarp.

[44:42] They have proposed a bill uh H House Bill 170 that would bring that back. So

[44:49] uh let's give credit where credit is due and we thank uh Deanarp and David Willis

[44:54] for that and uh hopefully we get it done. So call on that. Ask him that ask

[45:00] him that you want that passed. It's it's there. It's up there, but just got to

[45:04] get it through. So, there is hope out there.

[45:08] » Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? All righty. Well, let's go ahead and kick

[45:12] off the public comments portion of this uh meeting. We'll start with EB withraw.

[45:23] » Yes. >> No worries.

[45:28] » Okay. Uh Ben Levenson. Levenson.

[45:38] Do I have a time limit? Three minutes. Honorable members of the board, my name

[45:43] is Benjamin Levenson and I'm speaking on behalf of Levvenia, a charitable group

[45:47] across the Carolas and the United States focusing on environmental causes,

[45:52] humanitarian actions, and striving to protect the people of the areas that we

[45:56] are in. The time of action is now because when a data center comes, it

[46:00] will already be too late. Today, you decide what kind of Waxaw you want. On

[46:06] one hand, you can give us a Waxaw where you can go outside and breathe in the

[46:11] fresh air, lay down on the well-watered grass, and look up at the stars with

[46:15] your family and friends as wildlife roam through the trees and forests that tower

[46:19] overhead. On the other, you have a waxaw filled with smog, where you cough every

[46:25] time you step outside, where the stars are no longer visible at night, and

[46:29] where water shortages run rampant as the trees are plowed and birds no longer

[46:33] chirp. For one data center, Harvard School of Health estimates anywhere from

[46:38] 53 million to 93 million in health damages to the local population and 3.4

[46:45] to 6.5 additional premature deaths every year. Currently, Waxaw has around 20,000

[46:52] citizens. One data center can take up as much water as 50,000 citizens. Training

[46:59] a single AI model can emit more than 626,000

[47:03] lbs of carbon dioxide, equivalent to nearly five times the lifetime emissions

[47:09] of the average American car, which includes the manufacturer of the car

[47:13] itself. In 2024, the electricity generation for global data centers

[47:18] produced approximately 182 million tons of CO2 emissions and was responsible for

[47:25] 560 billion lers of water consumption. In the wise words of act of Cass

[47:33] Chufoon, British youth activist, when the last tree is cut down, the last fish

[47:38] eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.

[47:44] I'm not only thinking about the waxaw of today, but I am thinking about the waxaw

[47:48] of tomorrow and waxaw in 20 years. If you want to protect these people, serve

[47:54] these people as you are supposed to as public servants, then you will pass this

[47:58] moratorum and you will not allow companies to destroy what our ancestors

[48:02] have spent the last h 100red years building. The people say no to data

[48:07] centers. Thank you.

[48:16] Next up, Courtney Moneymaker.

[48:22] Okay, good evening everybody. And I'm really nervous to be here. I I'm here

[48:29] because I have a three-year-old and 11-year-old and it's important to me

[48:34] that they have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. I'm here also as a

[48:40] care provider of adults with developmental and physical disabilities

[48:45] for the last 15 years. more currently. Um, now I just work with scheduling care

[48:50] providers and them. I'll bring that up because I just had to defend my job

[48:55] against a proposal of an AI bot coming in and and doing the work for me. So

[49:01] glad my company is sticking strong with us and was like, "No, we're not going to

[49:04] do that." Thank you, Abound Health. Um, all right, back to why I'm here. Uh,

[49:10] data centers are no good. I excuse the poor posters. They're made really fast.

[49:16] But you can see people, clean air, and water are greater than data centers.

[49:22] Just say no to data centers. We all remember that

[49:27] uh slogan, just say no. It's all we have to do. We know that um

[49:32] data centers take up our electricity. They are going to put a strain on our

[49:38] grid. I don't know about most of you, um, but me [clears throat] and my

[49:43] husband, we also are business owners here in town of Waxaw. We have a little

[49:46] vintage store downtown going on almost five years. Um, but I just want to see

[49:52] the future of Waxaw be greater. And I'm losing my train of thought.

[49:57] Sorry, I'm not prepared. But, um, yes, back to the resources. We know that data

[50:01] centers consume up to two million gallons of water per day. And um that's

[50:09] too much. And it's because it evaporates. We're not It's not a return

[50:13] cycle. It's nothing they're reusing. This is gone. This is gone. And um I

[50:19] just drove back today from Chimney Rock, North Carolina. I don't know if any of

[50:23] you have had a chance to go there since Helen back in 2024. This was my first

[50:28] time. And to see the devastation and destruction

[50:32] that water can cause was eye opening. Um, and I just don't

[50:38] want to see the devastation and destruction that the lack of water is

[50:43] going to cause. Um, so again, thank you for your time. Thank you all for your

[50:48] consideration and voting for the band. Um, I say band 12 months would be great.

[50:55] I ask of you to push for a band entirely forever. We [clears throat] never need

[51:01] data centers. People are greater than data centers. Thank you so much for your

[51:07] time and have a good night. [applause]

[51:14] Thank you, Courtney. Uh Mr. Alan Previtt,

[51:22] thank you for the opportunity to speak. I worked with Duke Energy, retired

[51:28] engineer for 45 years. Had the opportunity to do a lot of the advanced

[51:32] work and stuff that goes on that has gone on and it was a very good job.

[51:36] That's why I stayed for 45 years. There are 97 data centers already in

[51:43] North Carolina. You have to realize that's a lot of data

[51:48] centers. Now, these are not necessarily what you would call massive data centers

[51:52] like some of the ones that's being proposed. These are corporate data

[51:55] centers more than anything else. Having to work with Duke, we had our own data

[52:00] center. We had a redundant data center at Lake Norman up in Meuire and we al

[52:06] saw had a separate another data center that was remote that was in Houston.

[52:12] When you're running a utility, you have a franchise to serve and you have to get

[52:16] system back up very quick. So you have an outage, it's very important that you

[52:21] have the data to do it. Also, I have children that are physicians and also

[52:26] have done research on various things and I will say this is that data centers

[52:31] with a lot of data at the universities at various corporations, they provide a

[52:36] lot of wealth of information to be able to do diagnostic techniques that are

[52:41] there. So there's good things with data centers and there's bad things. You'll

[52:46] see a lot of them on TV and in advertisements and stuff much more than

[52:50] you're going to see in realistic everyday business. Now is Waxaw a good

[52:56] fit for a data center? No, I don't think so.

[53:01] First thing is we're talking about energy and electricity. I worked in the

[53:05] high voltage section and the thing is is that you'll notice that most of the big

[53:09] data centers are along transmission lines are very close to them. The data

[53:14] center that's going up above Morris Chapel Road or right off Morris Chapel

[53:19] Road, they're paying for the distrib the the system substation to be able to tap

[53:25] a 230 line. We only have one delivery off of 230 line. They're basically what

[53:30] we call transmission network. So all the distribution around here, none of that's

[53:36] going to carry a uh data center of any size, especially the ones you read

[53:42] about. The ones that are going in various other places, they are along

[53:48] transmission lines. The one that was in Matthews, it's along a transmission

[53:52] facility. What you see is a situation that those data centers are consuming a

[53:58] trend a tremendous amount of power. And the thing is is that most people don't

[54:03] realize what those numbers mean. But just to give you an idea, the data

[54:08] center over at Matthews that was proposed was 600 megawws. That's half of

[54:14] the output of one of the units at Meuire or Kataba. That's a lot of power. Okay.

[54:21] the new ones that are being proposed and there's a energy tariff that Microsoft

[54:26] has proposed to the not only the Duke but the North Carolina to be able to

[54:32] increase the charge for energy. So that way there's a lot of proactive stuff

[54:39] there and lot of companies more than willing to pay for the infrastructure to

[54:43] be able to supply the energy for these things. The other problem is lack of

[54:48] water right now. Everybody that's in here

[54:52] probably gets your water might not know it from Lancaster County.

[54:57] » Western part of Union County has very little surface water and very little

[55:01] water to be able to use for water distribution systems.

[55:05] » Thank you. >> It now comes from Lancaster County right

[55:07] off of Rebound Road right off of Highway 5.

[55:10] » Thank you. We're going to try to get everybody tonight. And they're currently

[55:13] under a drought mandate, >> at least they were earlier in the week

[55:17] or last week, >> which restricted use of water.

[55:21] » Not enough of water that's going to be able to cool these things.

[55:24] » Yep. We're going to try to hold everybody to three minutes so we can

[55:27] give everybody a chance to see. >> So, thank you for

[55:28] » those are two big things. You're not going to be able to supply it because we

[55:32] don't have the infrastructure here to do it.

[55:34] » Thank you.

[55:41] » [applause] >> Uh, all righty. Next up, we have Sophia

[55:45] Wang.

[55:57] » Greetings to Mayor Robert Murray the third and the council members of the

[56:00] Waxaw Town Hall. My name is Sophia Wong. I am a high school student and I have

[56:04] lived in the Waxaw area for most of my life. To me, the case at hand today

[56:08] isn't regarding the potential benefits of artificial intelligence. While the

[56:11] argument of uh about the place of AI in our society is a useful one, it is not

[56:15] relevant to the discussion at hand. Individuals living in Waxaw can use AI

[56:19] regardless of the presence of a data center in our town. Instead, today's

[56:23] town hall should spoke focus specifically on the effects of data

[56:26] centers and the consequences of building one in the town of Waxaw. You might ask,

[56:30] how might data centers affect me? Well, let's put it this way. The average Waxaw

[56:34] household pays about $250 per month in electricity and water bills. And yet,

[56:40] data centers affect all of us through the devastation they wreck on our power

[56:43] grids and water supplies. By examining a report from the US Energy Information

[56:48] Administration, we see that residential energy prices rose by 11.5%

[56:52] in 2025 when compared to past years with the report noting data centers

[56:56] specifically as a major contributor to this increase. Looking to the future,

[57:01] researchers predict that they will skyrocket even further, increasing by up

[57:04] to 40% by 2030. This means that what could have been a $250 monthly bill in

[57:09] 2025 might become a $350 bill in 2030, if not more, as a direct result of data

[57:16] centers. Another Environmental Protection Agency estimate finds that a

[57:20] data center could use up to 5 million gallons of water daily, the equivalent

[57:23] of up to 16,000 American households. Now, while we might not have the exact

[57:27] equivalent to the increase in bills this number may signal, we ask you council

[57:31] members to think about the droughts we've had in the Carolinas. Earlier this

[57:35] year, Union County Water enacted stage 2 water restrictions, requiring residents

[57:39] reduce spray irrigation systems to twice a week and requested residents reduce

[57:43] and reuse water for daily household tasks. In fact, data from this spring

[57:48] breaks some records in North Carolinian history. According to meteorologist Amy

[57:52] Wilmoff, 2026 is the dest year on record so far for the Raleigh Durham area. But

[57:57] that's not all. Reports from Mansfield, Georgia site water literally turning

[58:00] brown from data center sediment. Council members, this moratorium protects

[58:05] residents of the town of Waxaw from encountering further unnecessary

[58:08] droughts. It protects us from having to continue to ration our water. It

[58:11] protects us from future environmental devastation in our own town. Council

[58:16] members, you may hear arguments during this hearing claiming that a data center

[58:20] will create new jobs in the Waxaw area. This argument is entirely untrue. Let me

[58:25] repeat this claim now. While the construction of a data center might

[58:27] require some temporary staffing, once built, this number decreases

[58:31] dramatically. According to the official data cent's mapping website, an

[58:34] averagesiz data center employs just about 15 to 35 people. Simply put, there

[58:39] is no benefit a data center may provide to the town of Waxaw. As I close my

[58:44] speech, I urge you, the elected officials of Waxaw, to instate this

[58:47] moratorium on data centers. I am a student. I care about the issues around

[58:51] me, and it scares me most when forces beyond my control threaten my

[58:54] livelihood. I do not want to live in a world where rationing water becomes the

[58:58] norm. I do not want to live in a world where my parents are overwhelmed by

[59:01] utility bills. I do not want to raise my children in a world where all water is

[59:05] tinted with sediments. I do not want my friends, family, neighbors, and

[59:09] strangers who live in a world that was brought upon them against their wills.

[59:11] Council members, you can protect us, our parents, and those who will come after

[59:15] us by preventing this ecological calamity. I thank everyone here for your

[59:19] time.

[59:27] [applause]

[59:30] » Thank you, Sophia. Well stated. Uh, we have Alinda Bowen.

[59:40] » Hello. I don't have as much detailed notes as the others, but I thank you

[59:46] that you all do. I just want to bring out Well, first I want to thank you that

[59:52] you're taking advanced work to keep a data center from here. Want to remind

[59:58] everybody we love little Waxaw, the clean air, the quiet,

[1:00:05] the adequate water. But may I remind you, we've been in a drought now for

[1:00:10] years. As a utility customer, my water bill keeps going up and up and up. Data

[1:00:20] centers take massive amounts of water. But I think something that's been only

[1:00:25] me, it has been mentioned, but not quite as often is the noise.

[1:00:30] in these other small communities where they've moved in. They say it's

[1:00:35] destroyed the community, the noise. Now, I don't want to live in Charlotte

[1:00:42] because it's a noisy city. I live in Wagshaw, as someone mentioned. I can

[1:00:47] hear the birds and, you know, it's it's pleasant, but the noise level, I don't

[1:00:53] know how far out it goes from the data center, but everything I hear is it's

[1:00:58] pretty bad. So, thank you for taking advance work and for doing the diligence

[1:01:04] that we'll need to keep these sorts of things from our little community. Thank

[1:01:10] you each.

[1:01:15] [applause]

[1:01:17] Thank you, Linda. Next up, James Withro.

[1:01:24] » Hi, everyone. My name is James Wro. I'm here representing my parents Bruce and

[1:01:28] Libby Wiro. I'm a cyber security expert. Yes, I said expert for the past four

[1:01:33] years. I have audited data centers, Google, Oracle, Amazon, you name it.

[1:01:39] Insight global. And there are two things that we really need to focus on. I do

[1:01:43] agree with a moratorum. I would propose an entire ban and that's because there

[1:01:48] are two types of data centers uh closed loop and open loop. Our friend here was

[1:01:52] referring to closed loop. What that is is on premises data centers that do not

[1:01:57] use the resources of a public community. Open open loop is what takes away from

[1:02:02] our community resources and with no no financial restitution or uh really any

[1:02:09] opposition when it comes down to it. It bleeds the community dry and then to

[1:02:14] simply file bankruptcy and leave with destruction in the wake. And that's

[1:02:18] really part of the problem here. the and we've gone from a society of uh people

[1:02:24] over profit to profit over people. And I encourage a complete ban. I know that's

[1:02:28] probably not realistic. Um but a lot of people here with the the data and and

[1:02:33] the statistics, they've really taken uh taken the the wind out of my sales

[1:02:37] without with my complete argument, but I would encourage the community to um

[1:02:41] preserve the historical nature of this community. Uh and by having a data

[1:02:46] center in in the area, it's not going to do that. You know, um it'll destroy the

[1:02:51] community, it would completely um deplete the natural resources and uh the

[1:02:55] the water seepage is also a big issue. My parents live on a farm pond. The

[1:02:59] water table will have, you know, materials in it that have never been

[1:03:02] seen before. And in addition to that, they're talking about new bacteria from

[1:03:06] uh open openloop um data centers that have not been seen before that are

[1:03:11] affecting communities uh far and wide. So, uh, you know, the problem that I see

[1:03:17] in the whole profit over people is that these corporations that come in, uh,

[1:03:22] they have the moral backbone of a jellyfish. Um, so they do not care. They

[1:03:26] may come in and say that they want to propose a closed loop system. That is

[1:03:30] not true. All of these Fortune 500 companies that I've gone and audited and

[1:03:34] assessed for their cyber security programs, they have on premises data

[1:03:38] centers because they don't deplete the natural resources around them. They are

[1:03:41] closed loop. when you have open loop and it's colllocated in not an area around

[1:03:45] their headquarter, they do not care about the land around it. They do not

[1:03:49] care about the people around it as we have seen a lot of people uh bring those

[1:03:54] statistics to the to the floor. Um so all I all I'm here to encourage is you

[1:03:59] know a moratorum if not a complete ban uh preserving the you know preserving

[1:04:04] the uh historical nature of this community and in addition um let's let's

[1:04:09] swing the pendulum back to people over profit. I mean

[1:04:13] why can't we get back to that? That's why we're in this situation in the first

[1:04:16] place. Thank you.

[1:04:21] » [applause]

[1:04:25] » Thank you, James. Miss Carol Bulam.

[1:04:31] » Good evening. I just want to preface this by saying the following points

[1:04:35] touched upon are based on research pulled from scholarly studies and

[1:04:38] government and public data sources. No AI was utilized. One of my primary

[1:04:43] concerns involves the carrying out of proper sound studies. Will these

[1:04:47] developers conduct a low frequency and infrasound assessment, not just a

[1:04:51] standard A-weighted decibel reading? We don't want just the standard decibel

[1:04:55] study that developers usually submit. Regular sound meters aren't built to

[1:04:59] capture infrasound, the frequencies below 20 hertz, which are below the

[1:05:03] normal limit of human hearing. I want to stress that high intensity and prolonged

[1:05:08] exposure to these low frequencies can cause increased cortisol levels,

[1:05:12] vertigo, nausea, ear pain, hypertension, and insomnia among other things.

[1:05:18] Infrasound exposure influences multiple physiological systems including

[1:05:22] cardiovascular, vestibular, and neural pathways. And when we have neighbors

[1:05:26] with chronic pain, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, this becomes a

[1:05:30] public health concern. I also worry about the health of our community's

[1:05:33] children and how prolonged exposure to this and the cent's pollutants would

[1:05:37] affect their development. Another point for us to look into is what setback

[1:05:41] distance from residential property would proposals require. Would they be based

[1:05:44] on any acoustic modeling? Additionally, although studies on this are still in

[1:05:49] their infancy, data centers are being found to raise the temperature in

[1:05:52] surrounding areas by a few degrees. Data centers reject massive amounts of heat

[1:05:57] associated with the energy they consume. A single relatively modest 36 megawatt

[1:06:01] data center rejects heat equivalent to the electricity consumption of roughly

[1:06:05] 40,000 homes. Heat pollution from data centers can boost air temperatures in

[1:06:10] downwind neighborhoods by as much as 4 degrees Fahrenheit. We can't deny that

[1:06:14] there's an environmental impact here. As we have been experiencing longer heat

[1:06:18] and dry spells if we allow these centers to infiltrate our areas, expect the

[1:06:22] possibility of even hotter summers and higher Duke energy bills. And a side

[1:06:26] note, most jobs created around data centers are rooted in the construction

[1:06:30] of them, not their ongoing operations. So, no, the creation of these facilities

[1:06:34] will not create any long-term local job booms. I strongly oppose the addition of

[1:06:39] these data centers in our community. The negative environmental impacts far

[1:06:43] outweigh any slight positives, if any, such facilities would bring. Thank you.

[1:06:51] » [applause]

[1:06:55] » Thank you, Carolyn. Uh, next up, I think this is Silip Wright.

[1:07:05] Anyone? Mr. Miss Wright. >> Mr. Wright.

[1:07:09] » Yes. Right. Sorry.

[1:07:14] » I was going to politely back out tonight. Three or four of my major

[1:07:20] concerns have already been addressed. That's fine. Some of you might recognize

[1:07:25] me, some of you may not. Most of you probably don't. I used to work with town

[1:07:28] of Waxaw quite a bit. Um, we still have a lot of projects that have never been

[1:07:33] finished. We don't need anymore. Uh, or we're going to save the town we have

[1:07:39] while we can. So, uh, data, no.

[1:07:45] getting wax all finished, keeping the town going. Yes. Thank you very much.

[1:07:51] » Thank you.

[1:07:57] » Lastly, we have Patricia Jones.

[1:08:06] » Everybody said most of um the same thoughts that I've had. copious amounts

[1:08:11] of water, copious amounts of power, and they usually want some type of

[1:08:16] subsidies, electrical bill hikes. Taxpayers pay for

[1:08:21] that. So, it's basically corporate welfare is what it is. So, anyone

[1:08:26] opposed to data centers, I would suggest you divest yourself from the people

[1:08:32] behind this. That's Microsoft. That's Facebook. That's this small group

[1:08:39] that's pushing AI powered economy. And that's all I

[1:08:44] have to say. [applause]

[1:08:51] Thank you very much. I appreciate the voice of the public and all of this is

[1:08:54] definitely something we will be considering as we move forward in the

[1:08:57] next year. Um figuring out what to put in our LDC regarding data centers. Um,

[1:09:03] as far as looking for an allout ban, that's what we will be looking at as

[1:09:07] well. I I guarantee you that.

[1:09:17] » Madam Prom, what do you have? >> I I was just going to say I know a lot

[1:09:20] of you mentioned a ban and um that would mean removing it from our LDC and right

[1:09:28] now the state is not allowing us to do that. But like I said, HB1 170 and HB24

[1:09:35] would reverse that at least for Union County. And we do have representatives

[1:09:39] trying to push that through. So if that's what you want, it's we have to

[1:09:44] leave it up to you. We can't we we're working with them. They're listening.

[1:09:49] So you need to help us out there. If that's what you truly want, that's the

[1:09:56] only thing we can ask you to do. Uh 170, HB 170. I just wrote them down.

[1:10:03] I'm sorry. Um HP 170 and HB24. >> Can you guys make a social media post?

[1:10:08] » Yeah, I'll post about it. Yeah, >> that sounds good.

[1:10:12] » Mayor. >> All righty. Any other comments?

[1:10:14] » Mayor, there is one comment that came in late. She would like to make it.

[1:10:19] » Sure.

[1:10:23] I was going to pass too because everybody's addressed it, but I first

[1:10:26] want to just thank you all so much for taking the step forward to consider um

[1:10:32] the potential of a ban and at least putting in place a moratorum. Like

[1:10:37] everyone else has said here, as a resident of Waxaw,

[1:10:41] I don't think it's hyperbole to say I'm terrified of what it may do to our

[1:10:46] environment here, our quality of life of our neighbors. um whether it's in my

[1:10:51] backyard or across town, the health impacts that we're starting

[1:10:58] to see in other communities and of course the water. Union County has had

[1:11:02] historically for a very long time with growth a difficulty with enough water,

[1:11:08] right? We've been in bands forever. So, thank you so much for considering it and

[1:11:12] I am one of the voices of I hope you can find a way to complete the

[1:11:15] [clears throat] ban. Thank you, >> ma'am.

[1:11:22] Hi, I just want to say one thing. Um, I asked back there if I could like also

[1:11:26] say something. Um, so and they said you would ask if there are any other

[1:11:30] speakers, but no one asked that yet. So, I thought I'd just come up here. Can I

[1:11:33] No, >> that's fine.

[1:11:33] » Can I say something? Okay. So, this is again like related to the the moratorum.

[1:11:39] Um, I just wanted to voice what I thought about this. So,

[1:11:44] » excuse me, ma'am. Would you state your name for the record, please, so we can

[1:11:47] get it on record? Yes. Thanks. >> I'm Edva Ayah. I'm a student here in at

[1:11:53] Marvin Ridge High School in Waxaw, North Carolina. And I'm speaking on the

[1:11:58] moratorium because in the 16 17 years I've lived in Waxaw, I've like ever

[1:12:05] since I was younger, I've seen this town change. Um

[1:12:09] my father's actually a real estate agent, so he's been to a few of these.

[1:12:12] I've been to a few of these and I've always like liked seeing how um the

[1:12:16] board works and how people represent their opinions. So, I thought when I saw

[1:12:20] this come up that I had to speak on it. Um with the rise of data centers, I

[1:12:25] think this is an important topic. So, I wanted to say that Waxaw is a

[1:12:28] historically nuanced city. The roots of our values of keeping from dramatic

[1:12:32] change is deeply engraved in our community. Waxaw is known for our

[1:12:36] sprawling neighborhoods, our growing number of businesses, and our focusing

[1:12:39] on cultivating the spirit of a small town.

[1:12:42] » [snorts] >> Um, for this I believe no height limit

[1:12:45] on buildings or distance from residential property will capture

[1:12:48] Waxaw's need for distance from the rising number of data centers. However,

[1:12:52] in the 800 data centers constructed in the last year, over 60% were constructed

[1:12:57] in smaller towns. Even as a town um even as a town passing this moratorum, we

[1:13:03] cannot escape from the growing number of data centers.

[1:13:07] will likely face data centers being constructed in nearby towns or nearby

[1:13:11] cities. Charlotte recently passed a moratorum at the at the beginning of the

[1:13:16] summer and as it approaches its end they have instructed a about 15 member

[1:13:22] council to advise on decision-m for after the mortar's over and I really

[1:13:27] hope that Waxo seeks to do the same. I believe that even if we keep data

[1:13:32] centers from our homes from our businesses there will be data centers

[1:13:36] surrounding us. So for the people for the businesses in here we try to make we

[1:13:43] try to place these limits on here so even if it's around us we close to us we

[1:13:48] do not see the effects as much. So thank you. Um I'm glad that this moratorum is

[1:13:55] brought up. I'm glad to hear that there are people speaking on it. Thank you.

[1:14:01] Thank you.

[1:14:05] All righty. Uh, anything else from the board at this time?

[1:14:09] » Please. >> Yeah, like the earlier speaker, I've

[1:14:12] worked in IT for many years and one thing that has been consistent is that

[1:14:18] uh, computers keep getting smaller and smaller. And so I think these large

[1:14:24] footprint data centers are going to be obsolete one day. and we're going to be

[1:14:28] left with a bunch of junk uh and a bunch of uh unusable land perhaps.

[1:14:36] And I think part of the support that people some people have for these data

[1:14:42] centers is the awe that they have for what AI can do. But

[1:14:48] compute power is just a tool and that should always be subordinate to human

[1:14:53] welfare and it needs to proceed in a way that is in balance with human welfare.

[1:14:59] So thank you everybody who spoke up

[1:15:08] Mr. Mayor please. Um simply put this is your town. It's also your home and I

[1:15:15] really appreciate seeing everybody coming out here and using the process to

[1:15:19] let your voice be heard. So, thank you very much. [applause]

[1:15:27] All righty. Everybody's looking at me to speak. I

[1:15:32] haven't spoken to >> No, you don't have to if you don't want

[1:15:33] to. I I want to echo the sentiments of uh

[1:15:38] Commissioner Don Dio that having everyone show up for occasions like

[1:15:44] this. Uh I wish we could get together on more auspicious occasions, but for

[1:15:49] something like this, it's really important that y'all show up and have

[1:15:53] your voices heard. It's not cliche. Uh the just exactly what Dh Commissioner

[1:16:00] Dulio said. It's uh really great to hear everybody um use the process, speak

[1:16:06] their mind. Uh all of that is well said. Everybody was very articulate and very

[1:16:12] uh well-versed in data center um

[1:16:19] what what the pros and cons are and mostly the cons. Um,

[1:16:25] we we take all your comments to heart and um I I think that if we do this with

[1:16:35] a lot of thought and some help from uh the general general assembly,

[1:16:43] we'll be able to protect what we have in Waxaw, what we all uh cherish. So, um,

[1:16:50] thanks again for coming out and and really, uh, admire everybody's ability

[1:16:56] to speak articulate on the subject matter.

[1:17:05] » Well, thank you, commissioners. I appreciate the words uh to the people

[1:17:09] and to each other. Uh, it's good collaboration. It's good input. Um,

[1:17:14] one thing I'll add, I I hit a I I stumbled on a factoid several years ago

[1:17:20] and as it relates to data centers, one of the things that we all need to be

[1:17:25] mindful of is our own behavior and how they may or may not be contributing to

[1:17:28] data centers. Uh, the factoid I picked up several years ago was that global

[1:17:33] cloud services, oh, my music's on the cloud, my

[1:17:38] picture's on the cloud. global cloud services consume as much

[1:17:43] electricity as the nation of Japan. So just having these things

[1:17:49] in our pockets at ready demand, it creates the demand for this type of

[1:17:54] stuff. So think about how your behavior, your consumer choices impact some of

[1:18:00] this stuff because it it does have an impact. I'll just throw that out there.

[1:18:04] Um anyway um go ahead. Thank you. So without further ado, can I

[1:18:13] get a motion to close this public hearing?

[1:18:16] » So moved. >> All in favor?

[1:18:18] » I >> I this public hearing is now closed.

[1:18:21] Thank you again for all your input. Invaluable. Thank you.

[1:18:26] All righty. Next up, we will go ahead and make a

[1:18:30] decision regarding the adoption of ordinance 202614

[1:18:35] imposing a proposed moratorium for data centers. Did we need to speak on this

[1:18:39] from Kevin or are we ready to vote on this? You're good.

[1:18:43] » You're good to go ahead. And >> the one question I had was uh since

[1:18:49] we're doing the vote on the same night as the public hearing, do we need to

[1:18:55] have any kind of action to suspend our rules?

[1:18:58] » That was done in the work session. >> Yeah, we voted on that work session.

[1:19:02] » Right. Okay. >> Yeah. And the main reason for doing it

[1:19:05] is because we want to make sure we don't get caught

[1:19:09] unprepared. So implementing this immediately I think is a key aspect of

[1:19:14] making sure we don't get unprepared, >> right?

[1:19:16] » We're not caught unprepared. So >> all righty. Can I get a motion to adopt

[1:19:21] ordinance 202614 imposing a proposed moratorium on data

[1:19:25] centers? >> So moved.

[1:19:27] » All in favor? >> I.

[1:19:29] » Any opposed? >> Hearing none. This motion carries.

[1:19:37] » [applause] >> So stay tuned. There'll be some new

[1:19:41] rules in the LDC. Um or a continuation. We'll we'll see what we can do. We'll be

[1:19:47] work session this. We have a whole year to work on it. We'll be working with our

[1:19:50] legal team. We'll be working with our state partners as well trying to come up

[1:19:54] with something that really does protect the town and charm of Waxaw. Thank you.

[1:19:59] All righty. Next up, you're very welcome. Uh, next up we have the CARPO

[1:20:05] 2026 fall project applications. Mr. James Kelly, come on down.

[1:20:15] » Good evening. James Kelly, assistant town engineer with the town of Waxaw.

[1:20:19] Um, tonight we are bringing this item back to the board for further

[1:20:23] discussion. The ask this evening is to provide staff with direction on how the

[1:20:28] board would like to proceed or not proceed uh with uh available funding uh

[1:20:32] options and grant applications for the CRTPO.

[1:20:36] So for those that are that may be unaware or may have missed the last uh

[1:20:40] board workshop meeting, the CRTPO stands for the Charlotte Regional

[1:20:44] Transportation Planning Organization and Waxall is a member of that organization.

[1:20:50] The CRTPO receives direct attributable or DA funds to be allocated to member

[1:20:55] jurisdictions uh projects based on a competitive basis and that annual fall

[1:21:01] call is happening right around the corner here actually next week. So the

[1:21:05] annual fall call consists of three primary items either new discretionary

[1:21:09] transportation capital projects or supplemental fund requests for existing

[1:21:14] CRTPO projects and new planning study projects such as feasibility studies.

[1:21:19] Um, this fall call supports projects that improve the community's

[1:21:23] transportation system across different project categories. Those including

[1:21:27] highway, bicycle, and pedestrian, transit, air quality improvements, and

[1:21:31] transportation planning. Um, we talked about this last time

[1:21:36] during the board work session. Projects must meet these eligibility criterion.

[1:21:41] uh those being federal aid eligibility being on the federal aid system map or

[1:21:46] communicating or being deemed by NC DOT and the federal highway administration

[1:21:50] that the project can be added to the federal aid system map. Furthermore, the

[1:21:56] you must have an adopted plan uh that shows whatever improvements you want to

[1:22:00] make. And of course, the eligible activities as a part of these grants are

[1:22:06] uh projects such as planning projects which include feasibility studies,

[1:22:09] corridor study projects, design projects, uh anything involving rideway

[1:22:14] acquisition and construction. And furthermore, which is likely the easiest

[1:22:19] one to meet is a it must have a simple problem and solution. projects must

[1:22:22] address an identified need and provide a highly effective solution to the

[1:22:27] transportation problem. Um, also municipalities and member jurisdictions

[1:22:33] uh must have a minimum match committed to projects. That minimum match being

[1:22:36] 20%. Um, and as we'll go throughout this presentation, the board will learn that

[1:22:41] that match is becoming more competitive and an increased local match is really

[1:22:45] required to be competitive at the CRTPO level because you're competing with

[1:22:51] other member jurisdictions including Charlotte, uh, Meckllinmberg counties

[1:22:54] and Union County and Ayardell counties. So, as far as timeline, the reason why

[1:23:00] we're asking this is because next week on August 17th, the fall call the fall

[1:23:04] call opens for new projects and shortfalls on existing projects. So,

[1:23:08] we're seeking your direction this evening on what path uh you would like

[1:23:12] to take. And then our goal to staff is to bring this back to you uh by the end

[1:23:18] of October before those applications are due for a final resolution um and

[1:23:22] support for the projects that you submit or or or don't submit. Um, moving

[1:23:27] forward from there, the process goes to the TCC, which stands for technical U

[1:23:33] committee, the technical committee of CRTPO, which includes your CRTPO staff.

[1:23:38] Um, and basically the staff helps to score these projects based upon the

[1:23:43] adopted CRTPO discretionary grants program policy guide. The TCC then works

[1:23:49] to develop a recommended project list based upon this criterion scoring

[1:23:53] metrics and present that to the board at January u meeting for information and

[1:24:00] then ultimately to request action come February of next year. Assuming that you

[1:24:05] are awarded a grant application, we then must go through a STIP amendment process

[1:24:10] or the state transportation improvement program amendment process in February

[1:24:14] that is sent to DOT uh to complete in March and April. So that's the general

[1:24:19] timing of the overall program. So as far as total active projects, uh the CRTPO

[1:24:26] has over 121 active projects, three of those being with uh within Waxall. As

[1:24:32] far as the CRTPO projects, those including the Kensington Drive

[1:24:34] improvements, which is in the construction phase right now, um the

[1:24:39] Broom Street improvements and Helms Road extension, which are both in design as

[1:24:44] of right now. So, as far as funding availability for

[1:24:48] this fiscal year, there's approximately 52 million in funds available spread

[1:24:53] over various fiscal years. Um majority of those funds being of course in FY31.

[1:24:58] So the further you get out from now, the more funding there is available.

[1:25:03] There is a catch and um you have to abide by these award caps for the

[1:25:08] various funding categories. So for planning projects um the maximum really

[1:25:14] award is 500,000. Uh for highway projects is 25% of the available funds

[1:25:20] of that 80% total. So 10.37 million and for non-highway projects 2.59 million

[1:25:27] are those award caps per project funding category.

[1:25:31] As I said before the local the typical 20% match is really no longer cutting it

[1:25:36] when it comes to being competitive um except for planning projects. So

[1:25:40] planning projects are are capped at that 20% so you get the most bang for your

[1:25:44] buck with those planning projects. On highway projects, we're finding over the

[1:25:49] past uh few years that those are ranging to over a 40% local match is required to

[1:25:55] be competitive. Um and non-highway projects are averaging over 30% local

[1:26:00] match to be competitive.

[1:26:04] So the board discussed two primary projects during this workshop. So, we're

[1:26:09] providing some more details and also incorporating the board's feedback and

[1:26:12] really just doing a gut check to make sure that we're capturing uh what you

[1:26:16] all are seeking or not seeking. Um for so, for example, in this category, the

[1:26:22] planning category, it would be a corridor study for the Waxall Parkway

[1:26:25] East. The estimated total cost of that study would be about 300,000. With that

[1:26:31] said, um the match breakdown is an 8020 split. So, the town would only really be

[1:26:35] responsible for 60,000. And I'll just note that's really funded over two

[1:26:39] years. So about 30,000 per year. The remaining share, the remaining 240,000

[1:26:44] will be funded by the state and federal folks.

[1:26:48] Rationale for conducting an additional corridor study. You know, we have a we

[1:26:51] have several critics out there. It's like why do we why do we study this

[1:26:54] again? What's what's causing the the change? Well, there was a significant

[1:26:57] change. Um there was a significant federal change um considering the

[1:27:01] adjusted urban area boundary. So evaluating this project, considering

[1:27:05] that updated boundary, uh it now allows for a new design speed instead of the

[1:27:10] previously uh required 50 m per hour design speed. What this means is it

[1:27:15] provides an opportunity to optimize the roadways horizontal and vertical

[1:27:19] alignments with the potential to reduce or eliminate impacts to existing homes.

[1:27:24] So this basically means that some of the alternatives that we could not consider

[1:27:28] before due to restrictions, we could now consider because they're mathematically

[1:27:32] possible. Um in addition, it would uh examine

[1:27:38] multiple alignment alternatives while incorporating additional public and

[1:27:42] stakeholder input to identify the most optimized corridor. So this includes

[1:27:46] stakeholders uh regionally, locally, state level, and the federal level as

[1:27:51] well. And from your discussion on the July 28th workshop, um some notable

[1:27:57] points are that what we heard is that you're looking for about three to five

[1:28:02] key corridor alternatives and you want to prioritize alignments that remain

[1:28:07] solely within the town of Waxall's jurisdictional limits. Uh furthermore,

[1:28:11] you want to minimize impacts to existing and established neighborhoods and avoid

[1:28:16] alternatives that adversely affect historical downtown buildings as these

[1:28:20] are non-starter uh options. In addition, uh the board noted to emphasize the

[1:28:26] segment solely between uh Providence Road or NC16 and Waxall Indian Trail

[1:28:31] Road uh while considering this as a future standalone project to improve

[1:28:36] future funding uh competitiveness. Did we capture that accurately?

[1:28:41] » Uh yes. >> Yeah. And just to for clarification too

[1:28:47] that we want to ensure that that um Providence to Wax on Indian Trail isn't

[1:28:53] really a part of this study. We kind of know that exists. We know where some of

[1:28:57] the hiccups are. Um so we want something a little different.

[1:29:02] » Great. Thank you. The other uh project that was brought

[1:29:07] forth just because it is likely to score very well is the Kensington Drive

[1:29:11] multi-use path project. Um there is a larger price tag on this one. The total

[1:29:17] estimated project cost is estimated to be approximately $4.2 million. Um and

[1:29:22] that's projected over the course of the project. So that is including

[1:29:26] contingencies, that's including inflation factors, escalation factors,

[1:29:30] that sort of thing. So it is an all-inclusive number. Um the downside is

[1:29:36] the town of Waxaw local match would have to be $1.7 million. Um because we would

[1:29:43] have to be at that 40% because the the state and federal cap on this is $2.59

[1:29:48] million. So to make the numbers work there from a financial perspective, you

[1:29:52] would you would have to be at that 40% local match. Um, I will note though that

[1:29:57] if you choose to go forward with this project, majority of that funding,

[1:30:00] approximately 1.3 million of the 1.7 is really not scheduled to be uh performed

[1:30:06] until the construction phase which is estimated in fiscal year 2031. So this

[1:30:12] I'll note that that 1.7 million will be funded over five years with the majority

[1:30:16] of that being funded at the very end uh as a part of construction. So that's

[1:30:21] something to consider. Overall project benefits. This extends

[1:30:25] the already programmed Kensington Drive improvements or EB5950 that uh are

[1:30:31] currently underway from Connells Point Avenue to Waxaw Marvin Road completing a

[1:30:36] continuous uh pedestrian connection. In addition, this connects the Millbridge,

[1:30:40] Quellin, Kuritan, and surrounding areas with a safer and more accessible

[1:30:45] multi-use path and pedestrian bridge. Furthermore, it reconstructs the roadway

[1:30:50] to address existing super elevation deficiencies while improving multimodal

[1:30:55] connectivity. So what I mean by there is we get the question a lot of times is

[1:30:59] why is that road segment posted 35 miles per hour or posted 25 excuse me and not

[1:31:05] of 35 miles hour. Um it's because the when the roadway was built several years

[1:31:10] ago um it has an inverse super elevation from what it should be or a bank in the

[1:31:15] roadway. Uh so this project would address that ultimately allowing the

[1:31:19] road to be adjusted to a posted 35 miles per hour condition. Furthermore, it

[1:31:25] builds on a previous CRTPO application that scored competitively but fell just

[1:31:30] below the funding threshold. And this next bit of information is just

[1:31:34] information on what caused um that funding just below the threshold. So,

[1:31:40] uh, we did submit, staff did submit, um, I think it was the 2023 fall call year,

[1:31:46] a previous application for this project which fell just five points, uh, below

[1:31:51] the funding threshold requirement. Um, the project did not have support

[1:31:56] unfortunately, from the uh, former Quellen HOA leadership regarding

[1:32:01] potential right-of-way needs uh, resulting in a loss of uh, about 10

[1:32:06] application points from the project. So, we fel we fell just under the funding

[1:32:10] threshold on that. I from what I'm hearing, it sounds like there may be a

[1:32:14] change. Uh there there may be a desire for this project. Um from what I'm

[1:32:18] hearing, which is for your discussion. So, with those points, the project would

[1:32:23] have actually been competitive for funding during that cycle and it would

[1:32:28] have been awarded uh during that cycle. Since the previous application,

[1:32:32] obviously project costs have increased, underscoring the importance of strong

[1:32:36] stakeholder support in order to have a competitive application.

[1:32:41] And then of course, uh just some notes from the board discussion from July

[1:32:44] 28th, 2026. Um there were concerns regarding the overall project cost and

[1:32:50] the required 40% uh local match, that $1.7 million. And um the board also

[1:32:56] talked about considering the town's existing commitments that we already

[1:32:59] have to several active capital projects and the potential award of an additional

[1:33:05] safe streets and roads for all grant that's a potential later this year

[1:33:09] November December timeline. Uh making funding capacity a key consideration.

[1:33:14] The board also noted a need to weigh the project's transportation and

[1:33:18] connectivity benefits against the town's current and anticipated financial

[1:33:23] commitments. So, did we did we capture that information correctly?

[1:33:29] Okay. So, that really leads to board

[1:33:33] discussion on this. Staff is seeking feedback because we need to get moving

[1:33:36] forward on an application or perhaps not an application. Um, but we've outlined a

[1:33:40] few options for the board to discuss this evening. Option A being to proceed

[1:33:45] with the Waxel port or Parkway East corridor study only. Option B proceeding

[1:33:50] with the Kennington multi-use path only, C proceeding with both applications. D

[1:33:55] proceeding with no applications or E proceeding with another eligible or

[1:33:59] combination of eligible project applications. And um again, I'll just

[1:34:03] note like I've noted before, a future resolution will come back to the board

[1:34:07] at your October 13, 2026 BOC meeting if the board does decide to proceed with a

[1:34:13] grant submission. So with that, happy to take any questions and turn it back over

[1:34:17] to you all. >> And those resolutions, those would be

[1:34:20] two individual resolutions, correct? Assuming we approve the pursuit of both

[1:34:23] of these. >> Correct.

[1:34:25] » Understood. So each project has its own resolution.

[1:34:28] » Any questions or comments from the board? Sir,

[1:34:32] » Mr. Ferris, >> James, uh, can you help me? Um, you said

[1:34:37] the timing would be 2031 >> and how does that sequence with our

[1:34:43] Helms Road extension west connecting into uh down over into Waxel Marvin?

[1:34:48] What's the timing look like? >> That's a that's a great question. So,

[1:34:52] um, it would the 2031 element would only really apply to the Kensington project

[1:34:56] because the other project would only take about two years. Um, as to answer

[1:35:00] your question though, um, the 20 the project for Helms Road extension is

[1:35:05] programmed to be completed FY 2030. So it' be the year prior to when

[1:35:10] construction funds for this project would be due.

[1:35:13] » Got it. So if we were to consider this, the the Helms Road Extension West tie-in

[1:35:19] uh, would be a relief valve [snorts] and function as a throughput while we

[1:35:25] worked on the Kensington Road. it and I know that the sequencing of possible

[1:35:31] closures or limitations of how that road would be reconstructed,

[1:35:36] but we would have an ability to manage through that closure because of our

[1:35:41] Helms Road extension west. >> Correct.

[1:35:46] » For me, I think we need to work on Parkway East. It's been a discussion for

[1:35:51] what I hear is like 30 or 40 years, a long time. And uh with the Helms Road

[1:35:57] extension, uh my dream would to be to make that a

[1:36:01] truck route if we could. I mean, it's being built for fire trucks and that

[1:36:06] sort, so heavy or trucks if if they're diverted to 75 that way. It's not

[1:36:12] eliminating all the traffic down 16, but it would help. And then if we can get um

[1:36:18] Parkway East or not Parkway East, I would say 16 extension east. [laughter]

[1:36:27] » I think that would make some sense and it would relieve in the short term some

[1:36:32] of that traffic to get to Wesley Chapel and that sort of thing. So, um I think

[1:36:37] I've been kind of saying this since I've been on the board. I'm sure you're tired

[1:36:41] of hearing it, James. [laughter] >> No, you're you're absolutely correct.

[1:36:44] One of the main things that we hear, especially from folks downtown, is the

[1:36:47] the trucks, the noise from the trucks that come through and pass through,

[1:36:50] which is why with the Helms Road extension, we are designing to

[1:36:53] accommodate those truck movements. >> And so I guess um so you know, my vote

[1:36:59] would be for the the Parkway East. Um it's less money. It's something that we

[1:37:05] need and with all the SS4A mitigations, I think other traffic will

[1:37:13] be alleviated with those improvements and we're we are going to be spending

[1:37:19] money. Our match there is 20%. >> Correct. So, you're right. Assuming the

[1:37:25] uh SS4A grant is awarded to the town, which knock on wood, let's hope it is,

[1:37:30] um your match would only be 20%, which is a huge cost savings and projects that

[1:37:35] would be more cost effective with that funding model versus versus something

[1:37:39] like this, >> right? And and so I feel like Kensington

[1:37:42] is getting addressed in in part. Uh we do hear complaints about the eastern

[1:37:49] side and traffic diverting traffic that way. I think it just makes more sense to

[1:37:54] do that and >> correct and

[1:37:56] » try to put this to bed if we can. >> Yes. And I will note that also um

[1:38:00] especially when you get further east like towards Cuthson or further west

[1:38:03] towards the uh elementary school there along Kensington, the board always has

[1:38:08] the option to explore uh options to uh adjust the speed limit for those

[1:38:13] segments of Kensington Road because there is no uh super elevation effects

[1:38:17] there. There are no super elevation effects there.

[1:38:22] Is there a Kensington Drive alternative that doesn't include any road

[1:38:27] improvements or alterations? >> There could be. So you could you could

[1:38:32] limit the scope of the project. So you could

[1:38:34] » and would that be just as eligible from a carpo standpoint or does that kind of

[1:38:38] move it into a different category? Because I know SS4A we we focused a lot

[1:38:42] on pedestrian and whatnot. What we found in the last application is that a

[1:38:47] combination of both pedestrian and roadway to provide for that multimodal

[1:38:52] element proved to be the most um the best option as far as scoring.

[1:38:59] » You can limit the scope which will affect other elements which will improve

[1:39:03] your cost effectiveness score for example, but it may hinder your

[1:39:06] multimodal overall. Yeah, >> understood. Thank you,

[1:39:12] » Commissioner Ferris.

[1:39:16] I agree with your sentiment on where our prioritization needs to be. SS4A is very

[1:39:22] important. It brings vital connectivity um and keeping that project prioritized.

[1:39:28] But I disagree with any form of abandonment of the Kensington Drive. And

[1:39:33] this is my reasoning. When NC16 widening may or may not come, it will force large

[1:39:40] portions of the population to then seek alternative navigation which will then

[1:39:45] push them either up towards Wax on Marvin and or further out towards 521

[1:39:52] and to give our citizens the best logistical operations and and flow to

[1:39:59] get to work from here, a suburb of South Charlotte, to get to work likely into

[1:40:06] Charlotte or navigate to 485. We need to continue to find ways to openly discuss

[1:40:13] that. Um I think that I understand the timing uh is not optimal uh at this

[1:40:19] grant at this moment. It doesn't mean it might not be next year. Um but at the

[1:40:23] same time, there are reasonablenesses to continue looking at how we can improve

[1:40:28] Kensington for traffic flow and internal circulation within Waxaw. And I'm not

[1:40:33] ready to give up on that. Yeah. Um I don't think that that right

[1:40:38] it would stay on the list. Correct. >> Correct. So it is

[1:40:42] » of our thing to things to do list. >> Right. It's always on your adopted

[1:40:46] transportation plan. So that's that's always on your plan to submit and

[1:40:50] something that the board may consider is um you know when it comes to scoring

[1:40:55] maybe you only want to submit for design only or maybe you want to only submit

[1:41:00] for right away and construction or construction only. That also improves

[1:41:03] your score if you're able to progress the project to a point readiness for

[1:41:07] construction. Um, in fact, it increases your score quite substantially if you

[1:41:12] already have design and rightway complete before you approach CRTPO.

[1:41:17] » Would would that be um an optionality before the end of this

[1:41:22] deadline for submittal to rescope to maybe just say design and rightway?

[1:41:28] » We could ask CRTPO that question. Uh, I don't know the question off the top of

[1:41:33] my head, but I I think we that's something that we could ask if the board

[1:41:37] wants to consider that option. >> I think it's reasonable to consider it

[1:41:40] at a minimum.

[1:41:45] » And the primary concern, it sounds like that we have a convergence of a lot of

[1:41:49] project coming up in the next three to five years. Helms Road being obviously

[1:41:53] the most substantial with over $4 million that will be owed. Um, is that

[1:42:00] it sounds like that's the primary hesitation with jumping into the

[1:42:03] Kensington Drive multi-use path and and redesign?

[1:42:07] » Yeah, I just think that we are are right now for me, I feel like we're focused

[1:42:12] like this, right? And I think that we have two options here. Kensington is

[1:42:17] being addressed, so it's not really being ignored. And I think that next

[1:42:21] year maybe we could look at it, see where we are financially, see if we get

[1:42:25] the SS4A grant and move slowly rather than hesitating on a vote tonight to get

[1:42:34] an answer because then we have to wait and and that prevents you guys from

[1:42:37] starting the process of writing the grant and doing what you need to do.

[1:42:42] [snorts] >> I mean, that's just my feeling. I feel

[1:42:44] like Kensington is getting addressed. It's not happening till 2031 anyway.

[1:42:50] » The easy part's getting addressed, the straightaway,

[1:42:52] » right? >> Just to Commissioner Ferris's point,

[1:42:58] » you you drive Kensington Road uh west of Providence. And you notice

[1:43:06] that it's almost it's almost necessary to fix that road because the banking is

[1:43:13] inverted. It's kind of a joke. It's an embarrassment to the town that we

[1:43:18] actually have to drive on a road that has inverted banking. It's crazy.

[1:43:24] And it's 25. People are, you know, scratching and clawing at their face to

[1:43:30] just drive faster down that road. We all get it.

[1:43:33] » Just want to get home. >> But it it's almost necessary to fix that

[1:43:37] road. But how necessary? I And to Commissioner Wedger's point, there's a

[1:43:42] lot of stuff going on. There's a lot of stuff that's more necessary. I I do know

[1:43:47] that to James point, we are going to incur a large

[1:43:54] cost increase if we decide to do that project later. However, you know, but

[1:44:01] back to the whole we've got a lot of projects going on right now and we have

[1:44:04] to somehow fund these things. We can still drive on Kensington Road. We all

[1:44:11] got to be safe about it. it that road will hold up if we keep the uh speed

[1:44:17] limit low. Um my my [clears throat] we keep this on the list.

[1:44:25] Let's do the Waxaw Parkway East corridor study and then I think sometime in the

[1:44:32] very near future we give more thought to actually and it gives people in the

[1:44:37] community some some time to think about it, give their input. How badly do we

[1:44:43] want that road fix? To me, I'd love to have it fixed because, of course, I

[1:44:49] drive it a lot and it's kind of embarrassing to be driving on a road

[1:44:53] where you're like, who built this thing? It is just not right. So, um, anyway, I

[1:45:01] I I agree with Commissioner Wedra's final assessment on on our priorities.

[1:45:08] um really do agree with the commissioner Ferris's assessment as well as that it's

[1:45:15] a necessary project, but um in in the in the interest of being fiscally

[1:45:23] responsible, we probably should hold off on that Kensington uh road multi-use

[1:45:29] path. Would it make sense then to request that we go ahead and proceed

[1:45:34] with the corridor study in the application

[1:45:38] and then maybe we rescope item B the Kensington Drive multi-use rescope that

[1:45:43] to be just a design grant >> I think not so much the full boore

[1:45:50] » could try to keep as many things on the boil as possible you know as you said

[1:45:53] you know don't bring a complete halt to it but you know just keep the ball

[1:45:57] rolling Yes, definitely keep it keep it percolating to use the mayor's word. If

[1:46:03] if it can be evaluated to be more bite-size essentially at this moment um

[1:46:09] to where it is design and right away I think it's reasonable to consider

[1:46:13] » um even and I I'll go back to this. I do agree that there is a lot on our plate.

[1:46:18] We are we are essentially using the pepro bosmol uh and to evaluate how we

[1:46:24] can best deploy our resources in a meaningful way.

[1:46:27] » Yeah. Um and it and but yet at the same time too I I would hate to um incur unne

[1:46:36] unnecessary costs by maybe a two-year delay if the if the or even a a one-year

[1:46:42] delay as we've seen uh inflation can creep and all of a sudden that project

[1:46:47] now may be uh 10% more than necessary because we've delayed it a year. Um, so

[1:46:53] that's why I wanted to bring up not, let me correct my words. I don't think

[1:46:58] anybody here is abandoning that project. It's more of just how are we sequencing

[1:47:01] it to use my earlier word. And if it could be evaluated to be rescoped, uh, I

[1:47:08] think it's worth it. >> Yeah. When I moved here, nobody used

[1:47:11] that road. Not often. >> And now it's getting used.

[1:47:16] » Yeah. It gets used and it gets used by pedestrians as well. I mean, always

[1:47:20] seeing people walk there. So, >> Right. which isn't safe in that area.

[1:47:23] » I think for a large bite project like this, we need a little more time cuz our

[1:47:29] town manager is being very helpful with helping us to wrap our heads around

[1:47:34] long-term financial picture. And so maybe we need just a little more time

[1:47:39] before we >> take this huge bite of the apple, you

[1:47:42] know, >> another huge bite.

[1:47:46] Um, so it it sounds like the board's then in agreement that we would proceed

[1:47:50] with A as discussed at our work session. And then for item B, we will rescope

[1:47:56] that to be a design only and not a full construction.

[1:48:03] » Correct. We will we will ask that question. And I'll note that from a time

[1:48:06] perspective, if you were to still if we still were able to grant the award from

[1:48:11] CRTBO for design costs only, in this case, you don't lose any time.

[1:48:16] » So, um that that's one thing to note. And it further gets you to the ultimate

[1:48:20] goal, which is construction. So, the following year, um not only would you

[1:48:24] not lose any time, but it also may give you a year to gut check everyone to make

[1:48:28] sure that they do support the project and we don't have a repeat of the past

[1:48:33] here. Um and then ultimately apply for uh really those construction dollars

[1:48:38] because your rideway dollars, majority of the land Waxaw already owns.

[1:48:41] » Yeah. >> Um so that's something else to consider

[1:48:44] is really maybe you only want to apply for construction dollars the following

[1:48:48] year which increases your scoring metric which can ultimately reduce your may

[1:48:53] maybe your local match required as well. >> That sounds like a great approach.

[1:48:59] » Thank you for the support on that James. I think that definitely breaks it down

[1:49:02] into something bite-size that we're we can see progress continue but yet

[1:49:07] » Exactly. Keep it moving >> and I'm glad we found a way to keep it

[1:49:11] moving. I think that's most important and the fact that we've got kind of a a

[1:49:15] smaller piece to chew makes it a lot easier to swallow as well. So

[1:49:19] » great. >> Thank you.

[1:49:21] » Thank you, Mr. Kelly. All righty. Next up, we have Allara. a consider the

[1:49:26] approval for the interlocal agreement between the town of Waxaw and the Union

[1:49:31] County. >> That's James.

[1:49:32] » Actually, we got one, but anyway. Um, so yeah, this is for the

[1:49:37] road replacement um to repair the roads as a result of all the water mane work.

[1:49:45] » Take it away. >> Exciting news on this one. Folks may

[1:49:49] have seen our message boards start going up uh this afternoon. Um but this this

[1:49:55] is the proposed intersection improvements project at Waxaw Marvin

[1:49:59] Road and uh Pine Oak Road and this is the final step before we start uh

[1:50:05] construction. The action requested this evening from the board is to approve a

[1:50:11] uh contract with the recommended contractor for this project and

[1:50:16] authorize uh the town manager to execute said contract so that way we can we can

[1:50:20] begin construction. So, for folks uh that don't know, here's some background

[1:50:25] information. So, on July 22nd of this year, a formal bid opening was held for

[1:50:30] the Waxaw Marvin and Pine Oak Road intersection improvements contract. The

[1:50:34] town received a total of three bids with Widewaters Construction being identified

[1:50:38] as the lowest responsible bidder from a total bid amount as well as from a lead

[1:50:43] time on the traffic signal polls. And I'll get into that here momentarily. Um

[1:50:48] the other two submitters were Litman Excavating and Construction and True

[1:50:52] Rock Construction LLC with those bid amounts broken out there and lead times

[1:50:56] for the metal poles there provided as well.

[1:51:00] So project overview. Uh the project will realign this intersection to a 90°

[1:51:06] angle. It will signalize the intersection at a traffic light there

[1:51:10] which is important because of the existing sight distance issues that are

[1:51:14] there today. Um, so that traffic signal will bring folks to a stop condition

[1:51:20] where folks can then exit from Pine Oak Road, turn left, turn right without

[1:51:25] having to worry about being t-boned at that intersection. Um, which we have

[1:51:30] seen those types of crash histories along with a recorded fatality

[1:51:33] unfortunately at this intersection as well. Um, in addition, DOT has required

[1:51:39] us to add turn lanes at the intersection. This is just standard

[1:51:42] procedure to uh help uh in th in those types of cases. Um so the existing site

[1:51:48] distance issues will be or are to be addressed with a no turnon red condition

[1:51:52] and the projected schedule of this project is assuming BOC approval this

[1:51:57] evening uh will begin next Monday and then the project will take approximately

[1:52:02] six to seven months from there uh for construction. I'll note that three to

[1:52:07] four of those months, so really to up to December, uh, majority of the project

[1:52:11] will be complete. The only remaining thing that we will be waiting on are

[1:52:15] those lead time on the metal poles. And the reasoning for those metal poles is

[1:52:20] rideway constraints at the intersection. So, we had to go with metal poles

[1:52:24] because of rideway constraints. Um, I'll also note that those metal poles are

[1:52:29] manufactured specifically and fabricated specifically for the design. So they are

[1:52:34] that's why it takes so long to receive them is because they're manufactured

[1:52:37] specifically for the design approved by DOT.

[1:52:42] Folks may a big question for folks may be well what does the traffic control

[1:52:45] plans look like? Uh I'll note that as a part of the planning process with this

[1:52:50] staff worked to design a minimized impact to local traffic. So what does

[1:52:56] that mean? We're going to first start by building a parallel roadway to the

[1:53:02] existing roadway. So there will be construction barriers in place. The

[1:53:05] roadway will operate normally and we'll build that parallel roadway. The second

[1:53:10] phase of the traffic uh plan is to basically flip that and open up the new

[1:53:16] roadway for folks to use while we correct the existing roadway and then

[1:53:21] utilize lane closure. So there are no detours in this particular case, uh

[1:53:25] which is good for folks. Um, with that said, drivers can still expect lane

[1:53:30] closures during various times throughout the project, predominantly during

[1:53:34] daytime hours. Um, I'll note that changeable message boards like you see

[1:53:38] there to the right will be used to provide advanced warning ahead of the

[1:53:42] worked zone. Um, and notices have already been provided to adjacent land

[1:53:46] owners. Uh, we were required to provide them a 10-day advanced notice. So, that

[1:53:51] has those notices have been sent out in anticipation uh for this evening. And

[1:53:56] I'll just note this project serves as a vital infrastructure improvement ahead

[1:54:00] of the upcoming Waxel Marvin bridge replacement project. So that bridge

[1:54:05] replacement project is not a project done by the town. That is a project

[1:54:09] that's currently scheduled for November of 2027 with the NC DOT. And that

[1:54:15] project ent uh involves closing the Waxel Marvin Bridge. And in the interim,

[1:54:20] if we don't have any solutions to where folks are going to go, uh they may have

[1:54:25] some dangerous conditions uh if we don't mitigate ahead of time of that project.

[1:54:29] So this really this project serves as a primary mitigation and infrastructure

[1:54:33] improvement ahead of that upcoming project.

[1:54:38] Here's what that final condition will look like. So as you can see, um you'll

[1:54:43] have those turn lanes involved. You'll have that signalization. you'll have

[1:54:46] that realignment uh of the intersection and we're working with DOT to finalize a

[1:54:52] few things when it comes down to the traffic signal timing, the emphasis on

[1:54:56] the no right turn there on red um as well to make sure that we're accounting

[1:55:01] for that existing site distance issue that's that's there today.

[1:55:05] So with that, I'll take any questions and then ask for uh direction for this

[1:55:10] evening. >> Any questions from the board

[1:55:14] hearing? None. Then could I get a motion to award the contract to Widewaters

[1:55:18] Construction Incorporated for the Waxaw Marvin Road and Pine Oak Road

[1:55:23] Intersection Improvements in the amount of $1,613,000

[1:55:28] $511.64 and authorize the town manager to

[1:55:32] execute said contract. >> So moved.

[1:55:34] » All in favor? >> I.

[1:55:36] » Any opposed? Hearing none, this motion carries. All right. Thank you.

[1:55:40] » All righty. Now we have Miss Allora. Sorry,

[1:55:46] I got that out of order.

[1:55:59] All right. Good evening. Laura Balt Miscus, downtown and business

[1:56:03] development director. Um, tonight I'm bringing forward the interlocal

[1:56:07] agreement between the town of Waxaw and Union County related to the final

[1:56:10] payment restoration associated with the downtown Castiron water main replacement

[1:56:15] project. Uh, so I'll just give you a quick uh overview of why the agreement

[1:56:19] is needed, how responsibilities and funding will work, and then the action

[1:56:22] we're requesting from the board tonight. As you know, uh, Uni County has been

[1:56:28] completing the cast iron water main replacement project throughout downtown.

[1:56:32] Uh once that utility work is complete, the affected roadways will need final

[1:56:36] milling and resurfacing. Uh through our coordination on the project, the town

[1:56:41] and county determined that the town is best positioned to administer the final

[1:56:44] paving work rather than having it included with the county's current

[1:56:48] construction contract. So this agreement formalizes that arrangement. Uh the town

[1:56:52] will manage the pavement restoration so that the work is completed to town

[1:56:56] standards and while Union County will fund the eligible costs. It also gives

[1:57:00] both organizations a clear framework for coordination as we move from utility

[1:57:04] construction into final roadway res restoration.

[1:57:09] Under the agreement, the town will competitively bid, award, and administer

[1:57:13] the paving contract. Union County will reimburse the town for eligible paving

[1:57:17] costs up to the not to exceed amount of $47,400.

[1:57:21] The completed work will be inspected and approved by both the town and county.

[1:57:26] The town will oversee construction and retain ownership of the completed

[1:57:29] payment improvements, including administration of any applicable

[1:57:32] warranties. The agreement also includes a contingency if bids come in above the

[1:57:36] reimbursement reimbursement, excuse me, limit. In that case, the county may

[1:57:40] terminate the agreement and complete the paving as part of its few future s uh

[1:57:43] sewer project. Uh from a financial standpoint,

[1:57:49] engineering's current estimated construction cost is approximately 300

[1:57:52] and $300,000. The agreement establishes a not to exceed count county

[1:57:57] reimbursement amount of $47,400. The important distinction is that the

[1:58:02] town will administer the contract and payment process, but the el eligible

[1:58:05] paving cost will be reimbured by Union County. The contractor will invoice the

[1:58:10] town. The town will then submit reimbursement requests to the county and

[1:58:13] that payment is tied to work that has been inspected and approved by both

[1:58:16] agencies. With that, staff recommends approval of

[1:58:20] the interlocal agreement between the town of Waxon Union County for

[1:58:23] administration of the pavement restoration associated with the downtown

[1:58:26] water main replacement project and authorization for the town manager to

[1:58:30] execute the agreement and happy to answer any questions that you may have.

[1:58:35] » Any questions from the board? >> All righty. Yes, Mr. Ferris.

[1:58:42] » I do have a question and concern. Or Scott, maybe you might be able to

[1:58:46] assist. Is there any reservation with the amount

[1:58:51] of time that the uh trenching was open with the substrate? Um because I know

[1:58:58] that the road was open for an extended period and it was heavily traversed on a

[1:59:03] on a regular basis on where they were doing a large portion of their work.

[1:59:08] » Yes. >> And has that been

[1:59:11] um evaluated? >> Yes. And was the impetus for this

[1:59:16] interlocal agreement? so that the town can administer the restoration of the

[1:59:20] roadway to our standards and repair as those trenches and the open cuts unless

[1:59:25] engineering has anything additional they would like to add. But

[1:59:28] » so so basically we've recognized that there is the potential that damage has

[1:59:31] occurred. >> Yes.

[1:59:32] » And that the engineering team will be on site making sure that correct anything

[1:59:37] gets repaired. >> Yes.

[1:59:38] » Okay. >> Yeah. And in addition, uh, we did work

[1:59:42] with the county to try to mitigate a lot of the issues. So, leading up to this

[1:59:46] and the agreement really came out, >> why don't you guys manage making sure

[1:59:50] that the final product meets your standards here in the town. So, I think

[1:59:54] the staff has done a good job working with the the county staff who's been at

[1:59:58] the table with us. So, we appreciate that.

[2:00:01] » Thank you. Thank you both. >> Yeah, at the end of the day, I think

[2:00:03] it's helpful that the county is just kind of letting us drive this so we know

[2:00:07] the roads will be done to our standards. We trust our engineering team and our

[2:00:12] inspectors and we know it'll be a good road when it's done.

[2:00:16] All righty then, without further ado, let's go ahead and get a motion to

[2:00:20] approve the interlocal agreement between the town of Waxaw and Union County for

[2:00:23] administering the pavement restoration of the downtown cast iron waterm

[2:00:27] replacement project and authorize the town manager to execute said agreement.

[2:00:33] » So moved. >> All in favor?

[2:00:35] » I. >> Any opposed? hearing. None. This motion

[2:00:39] carries. >> Thank you.

[2:00:39] » Thank you, Aar. >> All righty. That concludes the

[2:00:43] action-packed sequence of our meeting this evening. Uh, next up is leadership

[2:00:48] reports. We'll go ahead and kick it off to our town manager, Scott Datson. What

[2:00:52] do you got for us tonight?

[2:00:57] » He snuck out on you.

[2:01:02] [laughter] >> Qing the crew.

[2:01:10] Mike, >> Commissioner Dio,

[2:01:14] » he's gonna torture him. >> Commissioner Mike, I'm I'm holding the

[2:01:18] ball out. >> Just look away there.

[2:01:22] » Sorry about that delay. Um I need someone to be at my seat up there to uh

[2:01:27] help with notes. Michael, if you please go up there.

[2:01:35] back by popular. Can >> you handle the notes? Take some notes on

[2:01:39] this, please. Thank you. [laughter] >> Just when you thought Just when you

[2:01:44] thought you were out, they pull you back in.

[2:01:46] » M Mike Michael's really uh to his credit done a really good job for us here. Um

[2:01:51] he's had a level of enthusiasm that's been unmatched. He's been willing to do

[2:01:56] whatever except to get his hands dirty. So, uh, when he comes back next summer,

[2:02:02] he'll be working with public services in the ditches and cutting grass. So, um, I

[2:02:08] told him if he's going to be in this business, he needs to know what every

[2:02:11] single part does. So, next year, hands dirty. Got it. All

[2:02:17] right. Take notes. Thank you. So, let's see. Um, this is the July closing

[2:02:23] update. Um, number two, we'll have a third one when we officially close the

[2:02:29] books books out. The purpose of the financial reports for the public to

[2:02:33] understand is that these are unawited. These are management's view of the

[2:02:38] inflows and outflows of dollars for the organization.

[2:02:42] um year end for us though while it ended on June 30th we have uh remittances and

[2:02:49] incumbrances that go on beyond that and then count back against books uh for

[2:02:55] last fiscal year. So um as I promised the board uh we want to make sure that

[2:03:00] we're keeping you up to date about where we are um in the closing of the books

[2:03:04] and then everything gets turned over to the auditors once the staff uh takes the

[2:03:08] final book closing. So, um again, this is the fiscal uh year

[2:03:15] 26, the last fiscal year. Um I've just gone through uh that we'll do this is

[2:03:22] the second of three and we'll do another third one at at your September meeting

[2:03:27] actually. Um

[2:03:33] the financial dashboard update um the total operating revenues as of this time

[2:03:39] are at about 97.4% of the total u adopted budget for that

[2:03:45] year as amended. Um the revenues have come in at 97.4. The expenditures are at

[2:03:53] 93.7. So we get to the end of the year and it starts to tighten up. Uh total

[2:03:59] cash and investments on hand is about 35 36 million.

[2:04:05] Um most of our local revenues collection that's our property taxes have come in

[2:04:10] from Union County and the state colle uh state collected revenues such as sales

[2:04:16] tax, motor vehicle franchise, POW bill uh continue they're at about 89.1%

[2:04:23] but they continue to lag. We still haven't received uh uh June yet on those

[2:04:29] numbers. So uh on the next slide uh this just

[2:04:34] gives you a bar graph version of where general revenues are. Um advalorum

[2:04:40] exceeded our expectations. Sales tax continues to lag and we can uh we re we

[2:04:46] believe that it will uh be below our expectations uh at the close of the year

[2:04:51] as will franchise. Uh motor vehicle came in slightly ahead. Uh the other note is

[2:04:57] building inspection has been down. Uh we talk about those when we talk about the

[2:05:00] buildings report

[2:05:06] on the general fund expenditures. Um our department heads have done a uh a very

[2:05:11] good job of uh keeping those expenses at or below um those expenses. Um we're

[2:05:18] going to note uh some of the monies that we moved on the next page. But one thing

[2:05:22] I wanted to note, sanitation is above that note. And one of the reasons it is

[2:05:28] um again it's a remittance uh issue when we get those invoices those kinds of

[2:05:32] things but they adjust their contract in March. That's just the way our contract

[2:05:38] works. So it doesn't coincide with our fiscal year. It's midyear

[2:05:43] when those happen. So I think the board um when it adopted the current fiscal

[2:05:48] year did a good job of getting ahead of that. So hopefully we won't hit that

[2:05:52] lag. cash and investments. Um as we said we

[2:05:57] have around uh um 37.6 million. Uh these are by fund balances. So general fund

[2:06:07] has the largest amount. Um that is uh and 120 that is your undesated fund

[2:06:14] balance. The rest are designated balances that are for those projects

[2:06:18] andor categories only. The board uh actually did some work on that this past

[2:06:23] year. But your general fund, that's your fund uh that uh stores your retained

[2:06:28] earnings. Uh for those of you in use that term in business life, that's our

[2:06:34] undesated fund bounds andor retained earnings.

[2:06:40] So um we're still betting um that at the end of the year we'll be in positive u

[2:06:46] numbers. Uh but it will be tight. So uh the board needs to understand that. We

[2:06:51] did, I wanted to note on this, we did in this round of financials that uh is

[2:06:58] actually part of your packet. Um we did start to make larger money moves over to

[2:07:03] the CIP funds. Um but we waited to the end of the year to do that to make sure

[2:07:08] operating and other obligations that we might have uh were met first. So um the

[2:07:14] board actually directed 1.5 million out of retained earnings into reserve

[2:07:19] positions and then uh in this current fiscal year um staff will have moved

[2:07:24] about 2.5 million into those reserve positions as well.

[2:07:30] There you can see the 1.5 it it says resolved because uh uh my computer and I

[2:07:35] are having an argument about when I resolve it and when I don't resolve it

[2:07:39] and the computer seems to win in the language department. Um but our cash

[2:07:44] reporting format um uh we do have uh dollars in the bank. We are still

[2:07:50] resolving issues. Now one of the things I think it's important for the board to

[2:07:54] see as we go through our financials is that as we close out a year we have to

[2:08:00] reconcile through journal entries and through other movements around the

[2:08:04] financials to satisfy where the dollars need to be. That's management's

[2:08:08] representation. The auditor then audits management's representation of those

[2:08:13] numbers. So we'll continue to make journal entries even when the auditor

[2:08:17] comes in. Then we work it out with the auditor where we could have moved it

[2:08:20] here or done that or or moved it uh from one fund to another or from one account

[2:08:25] to another. So we continue to reconcile that. We're giving you a a clearer

[2:08:30] picture though uh how we make the sausage uh going through the end of the

[2:08:34] fiscal year. So um what happens next is we'll do final adjustments on closing

[2:08:40] entries and we'll say all incumbrances all remittances to the best of our

[2:08:44] knowledge have been completed. Uh those financials will then be finally prepared

[2:08:48] and turned over to the auditor and then we go through that process. Any

[2:08:52] questions? >> Any questions from the board?

[2:08:58] » I'm just so glad so many people stuck around to listen to the financials. This

[2:09:02] is the exciting part of it. Um best part

[2:09:06] » we do put so the public knows we do put our financials online. You can go to our

[2:09:11] p web pages in administration and finance and we do put these reports on

[2:09:16] in their full detail. So if you want more detail and you're a math geek and

[2:09:20] you like it have at it have some fun with that. So there you

[2:09:25] go. Um let's see. I think we have to go to the next one now.

[2:09:43] Okay. So, this is the first actual uh official fiscal report for the new

[2:09:48] fiscal year. So, that's the 2627 year. Um, and we'll go through that uh rather

[2:09:54] quickly because not a a lot of exciting things have happened so far this year.

[2:09:59] Um, there are two things to note. Number one, in the first part of our fiscal

[2:10:04] year from an operations perspective, it's very little spending.

[2:10:10] However, also at the beginning of the year, and you all may face this, the

[2:10:14] larger bills come in. So, the one-time bills like uh paying debt or uh mortgage

[2:10:20] for for the building. Um your insurance, we pay it all up front. Th those kinds

[2:10:25] of things. So, we get a lot of that stuff up front. So cash flow starts to

[2:10:29] become more important and for the next six months you'll hear me talk a lot

[2:10:33] about cash flow dips where we are as a uh basic understanding the town does not

[2:10:40] really receive its uh cash flow for the year until around December. We'll get

[2:10:46] quarteries from the state on state uh dollars and some other things but we

[2:10:52] don't have a real cash flow. That's why we keep more cash on hand than you might

[2:10:56] normally keep. So, the other thing that I want you to

[2:11:01] note in these reports um is that we're going to emphasize capital spending and

[2:11:07] cash flow because those are big things in front of us. Um we'll have at least

[2:11:13] three million going out the door in addition to what you would normally have

[2:11:17] in capital in the first six months. So that's a larger number than we're

[2:11:21] normally used to for cash flow. So we're going to talk a lot about that. Uh and

[2:11:26] it's all on capital spending side. The second thing we've tried to do with your

[2:11:30] financials is tie them to the board's uh goals and senior leadership has been

[2:11:36] working on a strategy and tactics to achieve those goals. And so you're going

[2:11:41] to see the drafts of those into the financials that we're trying to work

[2:11:44] towards working towards your goals uh that you set back in February. Um this

[2:11:50] is not a process you do once a year. Now we're going to make it every month and

[2:11:54] we're going to try to tie back to those goals so the board has a better

[2:11:57] performance idea about where we're at. Are we making the right decisions as we

[2:12:02] move along? So these financials will start to reflect that. Again, they're

[2:12:06] unodudited. So several goals that we have here I want to note. I want to be

[2:12:11] very clear about this first one when it talks about the fiscal years of 27 to 31

[2:12:17] CIP and it says a geo bond recommendation. It is staff's position

[2:12:22] that we are recommending that the board consider a series of financing options.

[2:12:28] We talked about it at our last meeting. We'll continue to talk about it. There's

[2:12:32] not a decision in front of you yet on these things yet as the board works

[2:12:36] through that. However, when it comes out here, what it's telling you is that $14

[2:12:41] million over five years uh has a uh an effect on your cash position. That's

[2:12:47] your savings account. That's how much you have um in your bank accounts. And

[2:12:51] then it also has an effect on tax rates. It has an effect on operation cost and

[2:12:56] your cash position. So, we want to keep that in front of you. But that is about

[2:13:00] infrastructure. The majority of those costs are for infrastructure um for the

[2:13:06] town. So uh for the public's uh edification, one of your first goals was

[2:13:10] to make sure that we had sound infrastructure.

[2:13:13] So that's why that sits there. Capital spending and cash flow focus. That's

[2:13:17] part of your economic sustainability, making sure we have keep our financial

[2:13:22] house in order. Costtoserve analysis. If you'll recall, we did a cost to serve

[2:13:27] analysis that was internal. The board then directed to do more. So, two things

[2:13:32] to report out on that. The county in my discussions with the county manager is

[2:13:37] going to work towards a countywide uh cost to service. It's been part of a

[2:13:43] request by several board members to include that kind of information in it.

[2:13:47] It really requires the county to do that. They've actually been discussing

[2:13:51] that and want to work that into theirs. That will be helpful. That means we

[2:13:55] don't study it. They study it. then we can plug numbers and play. So, uh, but

[2:14:00] we're continuing to do cost to serve analysis on things like um the the

[2:14:06] future five years. We talked to you a lot about what the last five years were

[2:14:09] like. Now, we want to start talking about the next five years and keep that

[2:14:12] as a rolling conversation and making sure we understand how much it cost us

[2:14:17] to serve in the operating lines. And then, uh, one of the things that you

[2:14:21] folks worked on last time is moving forward with the police fleet financing.

[2:14:25] I just want to report out that we told you 4.9, we got 4.65.

[2:14:30] So, we're we're excited about that um that rate. That's uh saves you money.

[2:14:35] So, we're we're looking forward to that. Um so, in our spending to cash flow,

[2:14:41] this is just helping folks understand that the board for the next six months

[2:14:46] or so, then you get right into budget, your goals, and then to budget again.

[2:14:50] See, it never goes away, Daniel. It's it's just it's just part of that ongoing

[2:14:54] conversation. I see the look on your face. You're excited about this. That's

[2:14:57] great. But it's it's part of that. So, we are going to constantly talk about

[2:15:03] where your financials are and that's always going to be in front of you. So,

[2:15:07] I'm using uh I have two issues that we've tried to highlight in this report.

[2:15:12] One is short-term. We're in a lull. So starting around August till about

[2:15:18] December is our lowest cash point. We burn the most cash. We use the most

[2:15:24] cash. We have ongoing outflows of of monies that happen on a monthly basis

[2:15:29] just to maintain and keep the lights on and pay people and make sure policemen

[2:15:33] are there to uh patrol and cars work and folks are out there cutting grass and

[2:15:39] fixing sidewalks, all the things that we do, providing services throughout the

[2:15:42] town. Uh but this is our lull. This is our low point. We collect the majority

[2:15:48] of our taxes and the majority of our finances in December, January, and

[2:15:52] February of any fiscal year. So we have a cash timing issue that we're paying

[2:15:58] very close attention to right now. We're working with uh engineering and public

[2:16:02] services on some outflow issues of that nature uh as they're coming to to you

[2:16:07] now. And then we need and want to talk about more of that long-term uh uh CIP

[2:16:14] financing um that the board will deal with. Remember the board has a plan.

[2:16:18] We're going against the plan. We know actuals because you've adopted contracts

[2:16:24] mostly on transportation issues. So um we'll talk about that more and talk

[2:16:29] about what that means on your cash position. So that is in your report as

[2:16:33] well. uh general fund revenues as you can see you know we've earned about

[2:16:39] 143,000 144,000 uh so far that's that's the lull

[2:16:46] the outflow is 2.2 2 million. Now, that's a little higher than usual. We

[2:16:52] did move money uh into CIP positions uh for um um certain things this year. So,

[2:17:00] that reflects is reflected in that norm. Our normal outflow of cash is about 1.5

[2:17:05] million a month, give or take.

[2:17:10] So, your cash and investments again are still solid. Um, and we've earned about

[2:17:15] $100,000 in income uh in in investment income. Now, that's going to become a

[2:17:21] very important thing as you guys consider cash flow moving forward. The

[2:17:24] money that you have in the bank creates around 1.2 million a year in incoming

[2:17:31] income, which is about two cents on your tax

[2:17:34] rate. So, the money you have, the money you have in the bank actually offsets

[2:17:38] your cost structure. So, again, it's unuded. We're moving

[2:17:44] forward with this. Uh the council at uh the board of commissioners, I'm sorry,

[2:17:48] I've worked for councils, boards, several things over my career. Sorry to

[2:17:52] call you a council member. I'll call you a commissioner from now on out. Um but

[2:17:57] we'll continue the conversation at your work session and we it's going to carry

[2:18:02] on for a while uh while the board digest it. And again, I'm always available a

[2:18:07] phone call away or a visit away. I'm always happy to go through any of this

[2:18:11] information with you oneon one if you if you need any additional uh have any

[2:18:16] additional questions. So, those are the financial reports. Can

[2:18:20] I answer any questions? >> Any questions from the board?

[2:18:25] » Yeah, I certainly applaud the county board for doing a cost to serve study

[2:18:31] countywide. That's excellent. As far as how our existing Waxaw cost to

[2:18:40] serve study plugs in, uh, do we necessarily have to wait for

[2:18:47] them to complete their study or can we just plug into some numbers for the

[2:18:53] major costs at the county level such as per student and, you know, wastewater

[2:19:00] costs, things like that. We can put some of those bigger headline numbers in and

[2:19:04] that's about all we could do, but we'll be happy to do that. You'll hear a

[2:19:08] development report from uh Kevin tonight. We've been honing in on a cost

[2:19:13] to serve uh five-year scenario model uh that we'll be able to educate the board

[2:19:18] with hopefully by September. So, uh we've been doing that analysis. We can

[2:19:23] do headline numbers right now. We know the cost per student, for example,

[2:19:27] that's published. uh we know what those water and sewer costs are uh headline

[2:19:33] but uh until they finish finish we won't be able to plug anything from them other

[2:19:38] than the headline numbers >> but we'll continue to do that you can do

[2:19:41] that multiplied by a household that kind of thing

[2:19:45] » u but we'll do the best we can with what we have um uh that we do know about

[2:19:49] right now >> right yeah obviously it would be

[2:19:53] perfected once the county is finished yeah

[2:19:56] » but Um, in the meantime, if we could at least

[2:20:01] have some kind of a um formula that, you know, and you could even uh look at

[2:20:09] some previously approved developments and see how they shake out, you know,

[2:20:13] but for the future if a development request comes up that staff would have a

[2:20:19] formula to just plug everything into and get a, you know, pretty good idea of

[2:20:26] what that cost to serve would be. >> Yeah, we've actually been playing with a

[2:20:30] model inhouse uh to figure out the best model we can use and how it might work.

[2:20:35] So, uh that's still in production right now, but we can certainly consider that

[2:20:40] and and how that might affect something. So,

[2:20:42] » sounds good. Thanks. >> Any other questions

[2:20:47] as well? >> Oh, yeah. Thank you. Um always good to

[2:20:51] have a tap on the shoulder when you're up here. I thought it was the chief

[2:20:55] coming after me for something, but it's nice to know I haven't done anything

[2:20:58] wrong yet. Um, Kevin uh brought up a good point. Central, we had asked

[2:21:04] Central Council of Governments if uh they would consider uh some cost to uh

[2:21:11] service and data modeling from a more regional perspective that might be of a

[2:21:16] help to all of us. and we were one of four towns that got selected across the

[2:21:20] region to be part of that study. They also know how far we are with some of

[2:21:25] our modeling and things like that. So, we're really looking forward to

[2:21:28] participating in that uh with them and that'll be probably about a year-long

[2:21:32] process. >> Yeah, it's about a year-long process to

[2:21:35] get that together. Um the COG used to be a data center. Everybody then all of a

[2:21:39] sudden thought they were a data center. Not the same kind of data center.

[2:21:44] um but uh a centralized hub for data on the regional basis. Uh traffic movement

[2:21:52] uh cost cost to serve, cost of roads, cost of schools, cost of water and

[2:21:57] sewer, all those things that uh really have a regional uh regional

[2:22:01] interconnection to them and they uh picked us to be part of that. So we're

[2:22:06] excited to be part of that, too. So I think the board's going to start getting

[2:22:09] a lot more uh robust information uh as we move through the year. Uh, but that

[2:22:14] doesn't excuse you from reading everything I give you, all 500 pages,

[2:22:18] Richard. So, um, and we're g we'll get those to you, but it's a process going

[2:22:23] through this and I think, um, you all need to be part of that and and get that

[2:22:28] language and how it moves together. You're part of a larger region and uh,

[2:22:32] you play a role in that. So, and it affects you and you affect it. So, we'll

[2:22:36] try to keep that together. >> Thank you. Thank you.

[2:22:41] » Thank you. Next up, Miss Dina Sinszki,

[2:22:45] parks and wreck. >> Sinsky.

[2:22:51] » Good evening again. I'm your park and rec director, Miss Dina. I have Oopsie.

[2:23:00] » I didn't do anything. Um, here tonight just give you an update

[2:23:04] of all things park and wreck. One, look at these smiles. Isn't that awesome?

[2:23:10] We've got some new public art at Kensington and um at Nesbet Park. If you

[2:23:15] haven't seen it, please come by and um and look, drive, walk, all that good

[2:23:21] jazz. But I want to give a special thank you to Miss Emily um the Kensington uh

[2:23:27] principal Bernardo and his family came out and took some pictures with us and

[2:23:31] Miss Melissa um and team. Uh we were out there really early in the morning um

[2:23:39] painting this. Uh it was kind of spooky, but it was fun too. Got to do something

[2:23:43] creative. So I just want to give a shout out to the team and more public art to

[2:23:49] come. Give you an update on the action plan for the skate park. So we had a

[2:23:54] great turnout. I wanted to um give you some updates on those numbers. Uh 17

[2:24:00] participants online. um 214 on Flash Vote. So, if you haven't signed up for

[2:24:06] Flash Vote, sign up so you can participate in these surveys because

[2:24:10] they're awesome. Um also, we had over 50 participants in person at the many

[2:24:16] feedback areas that we had in person to go to. Um, the consultant has all this

[2:24:22] data now and they're swishing it up and going to bring it back to us in about a

[2:24:27] month and then give us some renderings and the data that was collected for us

[2:24:32] to get some eyes on some renderings and then after we give some more f public

[2:24:38] feedback and then they'll come back um for us to finish out the plan.

[2:24:44] Okay. I got a request to give you all a heads

[2:24:47] up on what our partnerships um with Girls on the Run. So, if you're not

[2:24:52] aware, we've been partnering with Girls on the Run for over 10 years. Um they

[2:24:58] basically do a takeover of downtown. Um but the key components is the U Ginger

[2:25:05] Snap Race. They go over all the um registration,

[2:25:11] the participant management, the volunteers, um and then like the race

[2:25:16] company and all that good jazz. The town does an incon sponsorship where we take

[2:25:21] care of all the event setup, break up um breakdown, traffic control, signage,

[2:25:28] detours, electrical signs, cones, barricades, and the public safety part

[2:25:33] of it. Um the main uh departments involved is uh park and wreck, police,

[2:25:40] fire, EMS, and the emergency management team. The heavy hitters um is mainly

[2:25:47] park and wreck and police just because it's very hands-on to make sure that we

[2:25:52] keep the citizens safe um during this time during the race. I just want to

[2:25:57] give you all a heads up on what our participations is. And then it is event

[2:26:03] season. We're in it. We're in it to win it. So, we got coming up um Bugs Life

[2:26:10] that is August the 21st. And then we roll into Skate um night on September

[2:26:17] the 4th. And then 911 Patriots Day is the 11th. And then the 18th is Jamat

[2:26:25] Tracks. another one. We just had one last weekend. It was a great success.

[2:26:29] Thanks for everybody coming out. But again, this is almost every weekend

[2:26:34] until the end of December. So, we are in it. Mark your calendars. If you don't

[2:26:39] have one of those handy dandy cards, we have them at town hall and all of our uh

[2:26:43] parks and recck facilities. Please come and join us and be a part of the

[2:26:47] community. Any questions?

[2:26:52] » Questions from the board? >> No.

[2:26:54] » Thank you. Thank you, Miss Dena. Another fun event season this year. It's

[2:26:59] going to be good, Mr. Kevin. What do you got?

[2:27:09] Okay. Um, I'm gonna keep this one pretty short. Um, this is the, uh, executive

[2:27:15] summary. I believe you guys should have, um, the full version in your, you should

[2:27:20] have received that as well. Um, goes into a little bit more detail. Um, as

[2:27:25] Scott mentioned, not a lot going on right now. Um, however, we are trying to

[2:27:29] kind of play around with this data and and and get something that's going to be

[2:27:32] useful for us moving forward in several different ways. Um, I'll run through

[2:27:38] this real quick. Um, we had 11 uh residential units that were permitted.

[2:27:42] We're going to start putting that data in here for you as well. And for the

[2:27:45] public, anybody watching, um, a unit can be permitted and can take several months

[2:27:50] to a year more or sometimes never before it gets built. So, um, we try to

[2:27:54] differentiate between that. We had 11 units that were permitted so far in 2026

[2:27:59] through the first two quarters, the first six months. We had 29 total that

[2:28:03] were built um that residential CO's units built. Um, so some of those are

[2:28:08] going to have permits from the year before that are just now being

[2:28:11] completed. Uh, we also had two non-residential structures completed.

[2:28:16] Those are the first two that were COed. Um, new construction um for this year.

[2:28:21] Um, 17.8 8 million. We're up to up to that so far in 26 and uh 1466

[2:28:28] residential units that are in the pipeline and projected not yet permitted

[2:28:33] or built. Most of that you'll see here is

[2:28:37] relatively the same. Um our our pace right now on the residential side is

[2:28:42] below the uh our 10-year quarterly average. Um significantly below that. Um

[2:28:47] so we are in a a slump uh in terms of residential construction even though we

[2:28:53] have a record number of units that have been approved. Um on the commercial side

[2:28:58] uh we also have a vested pipeline that's several times this year's built total.

[2:29:02] Um overall our our valuations of upfits and repairs which are all other permits

[2:29:06] that we have that are not new construction. Um we're we're still um

[2:29:10] kind of holding steady on that. Uh the one thing I wanted to do on here

[2:29:16] for you um as we kind of continue to drill down on this a little bit um it's

[2:29:22] it's one thing to look at uh what we've got that's been built. It's another

[2:29:27] thing to kind of try to project out where we're going in the future. Um the

[2:29:31] gray that you see on that chart right now, that's those are developer

[2:29:35] projections from us talking with the developers, asking them what they expect

[2:29:38] their built up their buildouts are going to be for the various projects. Um

[2:29:42] there's a more detailed graph uh in your um in the the total packet uh the the

[2:29:48] full document that you got. Um we took that we pulled it into this. Um it's a

[2:29:54] little bit scary to look at. U but keep in mind things rarely ever built out

[2:29:58] exactly like the um developers tell you they're going to or like people afraid

[2:30:03] they're going to. Um we did a regression analysis

[2:30:07] um for absorption rates of development. um going back really to the our some of

[2:30:12] our earliest subdivisions in the 60s and 70s. So the line that you see there kind

[2:30:16] of refle reflects that rate which is based on size which is based on um um

[2:30:23] how long the average time on the different size um developments it took

[2:30:27] to get to build out. And so we think it's probably a little bit more

[2:30:30] reasonable that you would see around 289 to 300 um units um over kind of a max of

[2:30:37] those over the next uh 3 to four years. Um we do have some other developments

[2:30:43] that have been approved that will be coming into this that are not uh shown

[2:30:46] here. So that could go up or down up or down a little bit, but we don't think

[2:30:50] it's going to be that peak of 600 700 units there at the top.

[2:30:56] Um

[2:31:00] that's kind of reiterated here. The developer pipeline projects projects a

[2:31:04] sharp rebound peaking around 684 units in 2028. That's nearly 100 units higher

[2:31:10] than what we've ever hit. Um which was in 2018. Um but when the historically

[2:31:14] calibrated model um we see that being uh substantially lower. Um the three

[2:31:21] largest projects that we have right now, Emerson Park, Yarborough Farms, and

[2:31:24] Adelina are size such a comparable developments historically took 12 to 17

[2:31:27] years to build out. Uh I believe Milbridge

[2:31:32] uh it's roughly 2100 units and I think it took around 19 years in total to

[2:31:37] build out. Um more likely uh to be finishing in the late uh 2030s than by

[2:31:43] 2032. Um, smaller projects tend to have a little faster turnaround on those. Uh,

[2:31:50] non-residentidential and upits and repairs. The, uh, vested pipeline, we've

[2:31:54] got 991u, uh, square th,000 square feet. Um, so a substantial amount of, uh, new,

[2:32:00] uh, non-residential construction that's in the pipeline.

[2:32:04] Um, if it delivers similar pace to 2025, we would expect commercial and retail

[2:32:09] and service are going to keep leading um, on construction. industrial uh is

[2:32:14] still really underperforming. Um we haven't really had any of that built to

[2:32:17] date um in the last uh eight or nine years there. Upfits and repairs, we

[2:32:24] think those are going to stay steady at around 8.3 million a year uh in terms of

[2:32:27] project valuations. And then again, we try to provide the

[2:32:32] map with these as well, just to kind of see where some of the activity is. Um

[2:32:35] your red are your two commercial buildings that were uh completed

[2:32:39] totaling around 34,000 square feet. Um, your orange your town homes and your

[2:32:44] yellow are single family detached. There was only six of those in total for this

[2:32:48] quarter. We do expect that will be a little bit higher next quarter.

[2:32:55] » All righty. Any questions from the board?

[2:33:01] » Mr. Ferris, what do you have? >> Uh, a polite request. Um, with the map

[2:33:06] that we're displayed here, the grade share areas, that is our our Waxaw town

[2:33:10] limits. Yes, >> there are donut holes.

[2:33:13] » There are donut holes. Yes. Yeah. >> And within those donut holes, uh,

[2:33:17] residential and commercial development has occurred.

[2:33:22] » Uh, yeah, I would believe so. Yeah. In some of them, yeah. Is there a

[2:33:26] possibility that we could also look at the

[2:33:30] that data uh possibly plugged in where available and how we look at also the

[2:33:36] absorption rate >> u when thinking about that because that

[2:33:40] will have a cost of serve an impact >> as commissioner Dant has point pointed

[2:33:45] out those will have uh an impact on us as we travel and work on our roads

[2:33:50] » and so just would love to be able to maybe as a supplemental possibly have

[2:33:55] that included. >> Yeah. So, I I Yeah, I see what you're

[2:33:59] saying there. Um I think um in terms of the um the development reports simply

[2:34:03] because they're going to the county um and a lot of that data is going to the

[2:34:06] county um we may not be able to get the same uh the same exact data that we

[2:34:11] produce in some of these. I think long term and and looking at the impacts and

[2:34:16] everything, especially when it comes to cost of service, uh we could do more of

[2:34:20] a uh depending on what data we need for

[2:34:24] that, we could do more of a u a service area, not a ETJ, but a kind of a little

[2:34:28] bit larger area around that would include some areas outside as well, like

[2:34:32] a you know, with something within a quarter mile and then all of those uh

[2:34:36] doughnut holes as well, because those are going to have they're going to

[2:34:39] impact the town. Um, so we could try to pull data from that as well. Sure.

[2:34:43] » Would appreciate it. I know focusing focusing within our core and our limits,

[2:34:47] but then a supplemental so we can understand how how those

[2:34:51] » not ETJs that and those neighboring uh essentially donut holes or or impacts

[2:34:59] and how we can we need to possibly evaluate adjustments.

[2:35:04] » Yeah. Yeah. Kind of a like a sphere of influence kind of thing.

[2:35:07] » Yes, sir. >> Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. We can do

[2:35:09] that. >> Thank you.

[2:35:11] » Cool. Thank you very much, Kevin. Uh coming up um on Octo August 25th uh at

[2:35:19] 6:30 p.m. in the town chambers, we will have our next work session. Not sure

[2:35:24] what's on that agenda at this point, but it should be interesting nonetheless.

[2:35:28] And then with that, can I get a motion to adjurnn?

[2:35:32] » Can can comments?

[2:35:35] » Oh, yeah. I just want to say one thing about the folks that showed up tonight.

[2:35:39] Uh I want to thank everybody that showed up like we did before, but also um if

[2:35:44] anybody was here or noticed the crowd, there was a lot of young people in the

[2:35:48] crowd and I just want to uh pass along my thanks. I'm sure the rest of the

[2:35:53] board is uh thankful for the community involvement, especially from our young

[2:35:58] people. and uh some of them spoke very eloquently this evening and stuck around

[2:36:05] for a really long time and it was really encouraging to see. And along with that

[2:36:11] just want to give a special thanks to Michael

[2:36:15] uh Kenna that he uh good luck to you on your endeavors at UNC Charlotte. Um I

[2:36:23] know uh they're they're getting a great student and a great leader there. So,

[2:36:29] um, uh, you've already raised the GPA there at that, uh, at that school. So,

[2:36:35] um, and thank you for everything you did for the city. Uh, I'm not sure uh

[2:36:43] how much uh, you know, being an intern, you don't get paid much or maybe not at

[2:36:48] all. you were at everything and uh you know it was just you're

[2:36:55] a great inspiration for the young people here and for even us old folks that you

[2:37:01] know we think we do a lot but we can always do more. Um and good luck with

[2:37:06] your uh your 501c3 your nonprofit that you manage. So

[2:37:14] » I feel bad for your uh municipal government professor. That's all I'm

[2:37:17] going to say. >> [laughter]

[2:37:18] » to be a fly on that wall.

[2:37:23] » Any other comments from the board? >> Yeah, for those who follow the board of

[2:37:29] education, um, Commissioner Jim and Yani and I attended

[2:37:33] a meeting last week because of concern and trying to understand why traffic

[2:37:40] directors were removed from the Waxaw Elementary School. And uh at the board

[2:37:47] meeting we saw that they turned down $3.8 million uh from the county and they

[2:37:56] are saying that they need to save $200,000

[2:38:00] by getting rid of these traffic directors. Um I just want to say for

[2:38:05] everyone who's concerned about this that I'm hopeful that they might reverse that

[2:38:11] decision for that particular school at least. Thank you.

[2:38:16] Yeah, just to add to that, [clears throat] we did have a chance to

[2:38:19] meet with them earlier this week, all parties involved, and they took the time

[2:38:24] to listen. The school board took the time to listen uh to both the town

[2:38:28] leadership, uh Mayor Promwedra and I were there along with our chief of

[2:38:33] police as well as some of our traffic engineers as well as DOT. They were

[2:38:37] there to basically recommend we reinstate these traffic um

[2:38:43] traffic managers. um traffic directors. So hopefully

[2:38:48] they'll change their mind. Um but at this point, all we can do is hope. We'll

[2:38:51] see what decision they make in the future.

[2:38:56] Any other comments? All righty then. Let's go ahead and get

[2:39:00] a motion to adjurnn. >> Motion to adjourn.

[2:39:02] » All in favor? >> I.

[2:39:04] » We are now adjourned. Thank you everybody. Have a good night.

Board of Commissioners - Regular - 11 Aug 2026

Transcript