Agenda 02-17-2026; 8-a - Minutes for January 16, 2026 Retreat and January 20, 2026 Business Meeting

Browse Search

2 1 outstanding balances have been paid and before the eviction has happened. She said if it is 2 taken off their record, it is easier for them to move somewhere new in the future. She said the 3 second strategy was evaluating local barriers to constructing affordable housing. She said that 4 government regulations can account for, on average, 25% of the cost of a new home. She said 5 Chatham County said they were only 10%. She would like to know what percentage of the cost 6 of a home in Orange County is due to government regulations. 7 Vice-Chair Fowler congratulated Betty Curry for receiving the 2026 Martin Luther King, Jr. 8 Award from the Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP. She highlighted the inclusion of the Holocaust 9 proclamation on the agenda and said it is important to remember history and to not repeat it. She 10 said she attended the county quarterly transportation meeting where they heard updates from 11 municipalities and NCDOT local projects. She said she will attend the Triangle West TPO meeting 12 and later in the week, the GoTriangle Special Tax Board meeting. 13 Commissioner Bedford said that Commissioner Portie-Ascott gave the keynote address 14 at the Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP event and did a wonderful job. She said she enjoyed several 15 events over the weekend including a banquet with retired Judge Fox. She said she attended the 16 DSS Board meeting earlier in the day where they went over the budget and adopted the workplan 17 for the coming year. 18 Commissioner Greene said she attended the Northern Orange NAACP Martin Luther 19 King, Jr. event. She said there will be a panel presentation on January 26 at the Chapel Hill 20 Library about Congressman George White and the politics of the early 201h century. She said the 21 panelists include Tim Tyson, former Congressman GK Butterfield, Hillary Harris Klein of the 22 Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Commissioner Greene. 23 Commissioner Carter thanked all the employees who retired in 2025 and for all those who 24 continue to serve. She said she attended the Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP event. She said she 25 attended the NCACC General Government Steering Committee, and they stated that water and 26 sewer capacity is critical to housing. She said in the North Carolina Select Committee on Property 27 Taxation, they discussed various property tax exemptions. She said she'd reflected on the 28 challenges of 2025 and that she was committed to working with fellow commissioners and staff 29 to find solutions and new approaches to solving problems. 30 Chair Hamilton said the county is facing challenges and encouraged the community to pay 31 attention as they go through the budget season. She expressed admiration for Commissioner 32 Portie-Ascott's address at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration. She said she attended the 33 quarterly Advisory Council on Aging, where they had a presentation on Medicare and the Senior 34 Health Information Insurance Program (SHIIP), which is one of the best programs the state has 35 for seniors to get unbiased information about Medicare. She said there is a program to help 36 catch Medicare fraud and abuse by talking to beneficiaries and helping them understand what to 37 look for. She hopes that the Department on Aging Director will consider ways to help people fight 38 Medicare fraud and abuse. She said there's a NC Partnership to Address Adult Abuse with a 39 website people can visit: NC3pa.org. 40 41 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 42 a. International Holocaust Remembrance Day Proclamation 43 The Board approved a proclamation acknowledging January 27, 2026 as International Holocaust 44 Remembrance Day. 45 46 BACKGROUND: The United Nations has declared January 27th as International Holocaust 47 Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion to honor the memory of six million Jews murdered in the 48 Holocaust, and millions of other innocent victims who perished for failing to conform to Nazi 49 ideology. 50 51 Chair Hamilton introduced the following proclamation and the Board read it in turn: