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