Minutes 01-20-2026-Business Meeting

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