Agenda 06-17-2025; 8-a - Minutes

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Attachment 3 1 1 DRAFT MINUTES 2 ORANGE COUNTY 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4 BUSINESS MEETING 5 May 6, 2025 6 7:00 p.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, May 6, 9 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. 10 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Jean Hamilton 12 and Commissioners Marilyn Carter, Amy Fowler, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, and Phyllis Portie- 13 Ascott 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. 15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Travis Myren, Deputy County Manager Caitlin 17 Fenhagen, and Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified 18 appropriately below) 19 20 Chair Bedford called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commissioners were present. 21 22 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 23 There were no changes to the agenda. 24 25 Chair Bedford read the public charge and explained the process for making public 26 comments. 27 28 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) 29 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 30 Beverly Scarlett read a short passage on the history of discriminatory taxation in North 31 Carolina. She said that residents are still experiencing discriminatory taxation with revaluation. 32 She described the impacts of discriminatory taxation on families. She said it was important to 33 remember land owners who are legacy land owners in the county. She asked what residents like 34 her, as legacy land owners, are supposed to do. She said it is less about race now and more 35 about socio-economic status. She said that the poorer people are getting taxed more and the 36 wealthy people are taxed less. She said she has participated in 20 appeals and shared 37 information about her research with the Board of Commissioners. 38 Soteria Shepperson thanked the JCPC committee members who have recommended 39 funding for Grow Your World, the non-profit she is co-executive director of. She said they have 40 had significant community impacts. She thanked those in the community who support Grow Your 41 World. She said they are hoping to partner with AL Stanback to provide mentoring. She described 42 some of the successes the organization had in the past year through their programs. 43 Sophie Suberman, also a co-executive director of Grow Your World, said it's easier to 44 access a vape than free afterschool mentoring. She said that opioid funding requests for county 45 and community-based programs are considered separately. She expressed concern that equity 46 is not achieved by separating funding. She said community-based programs serve those most 47 impacted by addiction. She read some of the positive comments students made about 48 participating in the mentorship program at Grow Your World. 49 Mary Leonhardi said the Styrofoam recycling program she participates in has grown and 50 needs the support of a larger organization to continue its success. She encouraged the county to 51 look into Styrofoam recycling.