Agenda 12-09-2025; 8-a - Minutes for November 6, 2025 Business Meeting and November 11, 2025 Work Session

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3 1 on government buildings to honor veterans. She also thanked all candidates and voters who 2 participated in Tuesday's election. 3 Commissioner Fowler attended the Board of Health meeting on October 22nd, where 4 members heard about social isolation and loneliness in Orange County, with the highest rates 5 among 18-24-year-olds and African Americans. At the Triangle West TPO meeting on October 6 28th, she heard opposition to the Roxboro Rail Trail from a property owner near the proposed 7 trail. Action items included the 2055 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, functional classification 8 request and Urban area boundary update, and a public hearing on the 2027 UPWB and a 9 presentation of the strategic rail infrastructure study. She attended the Central Pines Regional 10 Council meeting on October 31 st that focused on regionalism and creating a public policy agenda 11 related to regionalism. She announced the Tax Assessment Work Group had its inaugural meeting 12 on October 31St, and the next meeting will be on November 14th at Solid Waste at 1:00 PM. She 13 shared that the Orange CARE Coalition/Family Success Alliance meeting this morning included 14 a presentation from Alexa Hartenstein from Orange Partnership for Young Children, which 15 provides a toolkit that teaches parents of young children who are not yet in childcare how to 16 provide five important principles that are beneficial for their education and future success. She 17 also highlighted the upcoming Toys for Tots campaign through the Department of Social Services, 18 as well as a comprehensive food pantry resource list compiled by Jonathon Smith with 19 Cooperative Extension. The list is available through the NC Cooperative Extension website. 20 Commissioner Carter said she joined Commissioner Portie-Ascott today in a meeting with 21 Congresswoman Foushee and former Congresswoman Eva Clayton at the Seymour Center. She 22 said she is looking forward to Saturday's emergency food distribution at McDougle Middle School, 23 where she will help pack food. She praised those who volunteered at election polls and shared 24 her positive impressions from visiting Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, particularly their career 25 and technical education programs. She was impressed seeing high school students in auto shops, 26 culinary kitchens, and studying CRISPR and DNA manipulation in biology class. She said she 27 also joined Commissioner Fowler and Commissioner Portie-Ascott at the Tax Assessment Work 28 Group meeting and visited Councilville with a resident to understand neighborhood challenges. 29 She said she looks forward to participating in the Veterans Memorial event as the daughter of a 30 veteran. 31 Commissioner Portie-Ascott detailed her visit to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, 32 focusing on the pre-K and CTE programs. She noted all pre-K slots were filled with 90 children 33 on the waitlist due to limited space rather than staffing issues. She shared that transportation 34 remains challenging since pre-K students cannot ride buses with older siblings. She was 35 impressed with the firefighter and auto mechanics programs that are offered during her tour at 36 Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. At Mo Green's regional forum, she appreciated the focus on 37 preparing every student for life after graduation, not just four-year universities. The Shelton 38 Leadership Forum's presentation on the dignity approach to leadership resonated with her work 39 on property tax revaluations and conversations had with the Orange County Tax Justice Coalition. 40 She said at the heart of those discussions are people's sense of fairness, and a desire to be 41 treated with respect, and it reminded her how Important it is to approach those moments with 42 empathy, to listen, to make space for people to be heard, and to recognize how our decisions can 43 affect someone's sense of dignity. It was a good reminder for her that leadership isn't just about 44 policy; it is about people and how we make them feel through the process. At today's Seymour 45 Center event with Congresswoman Foushee, a senior tearfully shared about valuing fellowship 46 at the center while depending on the meal program despite working daily, reinforcing that dignity 47 is about having access to the basics that allow people to live with stability and self-respect. She