Minutes 06-03-2025-Business Meeting

Browse Search

4 systems fail, it is county government that provides the safety net to provide for people. She said as someone who proudly supports public schools and has been involved in public schools when her children attended, she knows what is at stake. She said the state is failing children and has for over a decade now. She said families of students must also be supported, and risk making their homes unaffordable by increasing taxes. She said housing, mental health services, and crisis response, are essentials. She said every voice of residents who have spoken out stay with her, and she hopes they understand that this budget is a balancing act for the Board, and they will continue to work for the residents of Orange County. Commissioner Carter said she is also grateful there have been so many engaged residents who advocate for their community and for staff who provide services that impact so many areas of our lives. She said she also understands many residents may not know how to engage in this process. She said she was grateful to hear that long time homeowners on fixed incomes who are concerned about being able to pay their tax bills and repair their homes. She said she is also grateful to hear from those who say they would be willing to pay higher taxes towards schools. She said as someone who deeply supports public schools, it is vexing to know that federal cuts that support children in school are likely to come, like for nutrition support. She said local governments are going to be severely strained and will only be able to respond if there is some capacity to buttress the social safety net. She said she has also been grateful to see so many staff that support emergency response. She said their work reduces overall costs. She said Orange County Elections staff ensure that residents are able to cast their vote in free and fair elections. She said 153,000 Orange County residents are depending on the Board to balance all needs across the county. She said she commits to faithfully consider all as budget season ends. 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations a. Juneteenth Freedom Day Proclamation The Board approved a proclamation designating June 19, 2025 as Juneteenth Freedom Day in Orange County. BACKGROUND: On June 19, 1865 — more than two (2) years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation — U.S. Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the last enslaved African Americans that they were free. This day, now known as Juneteenth, marked a powerful moment of delayed liberation and became a defining milestone in the struggle for Black freedom. The first Juneteenth celebration was held in Texas in 1866, where communities gathered for prayer, food, music, and dance. As Black families migrated from Texas to other parts of the country, they carried Juneteenth's cultural and historical traditions with them. In 2007, North Carolina approved legislation that allowed Juneteenth National Freedom Day to become an official state holiday once federally recognized. In 2020, Orange County and the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough affirmed Juneteenth as a local holiday. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated as a federal holiday across all 50 states, recognized as a time of both jubilation and reflection. Juneteenth not only honors freedom — it invites us to reckon with the ongoing legacy of slavery and the long, unfinished journey toward justice. Historian Ira Berlin, in The Long Emancipation: The Demise of Slavery in the United States, argues that emancipation was not a singular event, but "a near century process" driven by the resistance, resilience, and determination of Black Americans. Freedom was not granted — it was fought for. Through centuries of struggle, Black Americans have expanded the meaning of citizenship and reshaped the promise of American democracy, redefining who is included in the phrase "We the People." This year, Orange County will host a Juneteenth celebration on June 13, 2025.