Agenda 04-07-2026; 8-a - Minutes for March 5, 2026, March 10, 2026, and March 17, 2026

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2 1 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda 2 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 3 4 3. Announcements, Petitions, and Comments by Board Members 5 Commissioner McKee strongly endorsed the Cedar Grove veterans' memorial request, 6 noting he and Commissioner Bedford had met with David Terrell and GI Allison recently. He asked 7 staff to check available funding, indicating approximately$4,500 may already be available for the 8 wall panel. Commissioner McKee made two additional petitions: first, asking the board to instruct 9 staff to work on a 2% reduction across the board for the upcoming budget, and second, 10 announcing he would bring a motion for the board to endorse an additional 5% cut to 11 commissioner salaries, believing the budget pain should be equally shared. He concluded his 12 remarks by acknowledging his recent loss in the primary and shared a poem about counting 13 blessings instead of crosses. 14 Commissioner Bedford supported Commissioner McKee's petition for the veterans' 15 memorial, noting she had also met with the veterans and that staff indicated the project could 16 move forward with phased funding, starting with available funds and working toward the full 17 $30,000 needed over time. 18 Commissioner Carter reported on her visit to Washington, DC with Commissioner Portie- 19 Ascott for the National Association of Counties (NACO) legislative conference from February 21- 20 24. They met with North Carolina's congressional delegation, and she shared that North Carolina 21 had the largest state contingent at the conference. Key topics included nutrition, healthcare, 22 disaster recovery, mental health, farmland preservation, transportation, cybersecurity, tax policy, 23 and election security. They also met with Japan's ambassador to thank him for Morinaga's 24 investment in Orange County. Commissioner Carter noted remarkable bipartisan alignment on 25 housing affordability and concerns about federal cost-shifting to counties. She then addressed 26 the recent military conflict in the Middle East, acknowledging the impact on community members 27 with family and friends in affected regions and those with deployed family members, while 28 describing the conflict as occurring in a country with systematic citizen oppression and controlled 29 media and elections. 30 Commissioner Portie-Ascott thanked Commissioner McKee for his comments and 31 supported his petition for the Cedar Grove Community Center. She acknowledged a resident's 32 concern about a recent Sons of Confederate Veterans gathering in the Research Triangle Park 33 area, emphasizing that conversations attempting to reinterpret or minimize racism and 34 Confederate history can be troubling for community members. She stressed the importance of 35 acknowledging history honestly to build an inclusive community. Commissioner Portie-Ascott also 36 acknowledged community heartbreak over the conflict in the Middle East, noting that while foreign 37 policy is federal, global events carry emotional weight for local families and faith communities. 38 She elaborated on the NACO conference, highlighting the value of multiple commissioners 39 attending to bring back broader perspectives. She said a major conference theme was housing 40 supply challenges, noting that 84% of Orange County's land is under restrictions limiting water 41 and sewer access, reflecting environmental and farmland preservation commitments but requiring 42 strategic housing planning. She discussed federal resources like Community Development Block 43 grants and Section 108 loan guarantee programs, and was particularly struck by conversations 44 about partnering with faith-based organizations that have land and community service 45 commitments to create affordable housing opportunities. 46 Commissioner Greene congratulated Commissioner Bedford on her victory in the primary 47 and provided updates on transit initiatives. She reported on a GoTriangle meeting where the 48 agency received a $17.7 million federal grant for modernizing bus operations facilities, thanks to 49 Congresswoman Deborah Ross's office. She highlighted the Triangle Mobility Hub development 50 as part of the Research Triangle Park's reinvention from a bedroom community to a workplace 51 with housing options. Commissioner Greene provided statistics on the low-income Transit