Agenda 04-21-2026; 8-a - Minutes for March 19, 2026, March 21, 2026, and March 23, 2026

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2 1 JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) 2 3 - GOAL—Seek legislation expanding state funding for essential medical, mental health, substance 4 use, and social services for people incarcerated in local detention facilities. 5 6 Commissioner Carter said this legislation is important because the county bears the full cost of 7 providing these services for medical and behavioral care, and needs continue to rise. 8 9 PUBLIC EDUCATION (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) 10 11 - GOAL—Support legislation that invests in school operational and capital needs. 12 13 Commissioner Carter said the lack of adequate funding is putting a major burden on budgets and 14 county tax bills. She said Orange County is committed to covering as much of the gap as possible, but they 15 are trying to be cognizant of property tax bills. She said 55%of resident tax bills are directly attributed to 16 K-12 operational spending. She said due to the special district tax, it is 63% in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City 17 Schools. She said one way to alleviate property tax burdens is for the state to increase funding. 18 19 TAX AND FINANCE (NCACC Legislative Advocacy Goal Category) 20 21 - GOAL—Support legislation that preserves County funding and taxing authority and instead funds 22 potential expanded exemptions through the state budget. 23 24 Commissioner Carter said the Board will discuss this goal further due to the special select 25 committee on property tax reform and recent developments. 26 Chair Hamilton opened the floor for discussion. 27 Representative Buansi said there are some representatives coalescing around the idea of a 28 constitutional amendment to put on the ballot. He said it sounds like it would be a mandate for the general 29 assembly limit property taxes. He said there hasn't been discussion of what that might mean. He asked 30 if the commissioners had heard from other counties on the topic. He said there is a lack of funding for 31 crisis diversion programs and there hasn't been a lot of movement on the other side of the aisle, but it is 32 something that Democrats care about and are still pushing for. He said for farmland preservation,there is 33 some agreement on both sides of the aisle to put in more funding. He said Representative Ray Jeffers 34 signed on to a bill to appropriate more money for the Department of Agriculture to create a grant program 35 for farmland preservation trust fund. He said he hoped it would be part of a state budget. He said not 36 having a state budget creates a lack of predictability and uncertainty for residents, schools, and Medicaid 37 recipients. He said the Medicaid bill imposes more frequent recertifications and creates a huge 38 administrative burden for counties that is not reimbursed due to a lack of a state budget. He also discussed 39 the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund,and that he and other Democrats are pushing for more investments 40 for the repair and construction of affordable housing units. He noted the expiring funding for the 41 workforce loan program, which would require $80 million to continue supporting housing construction 42 and repair, especially in rural counties. 43 Representative Price said everything listed in the priority list relies on funding from a state budget. 44 She expressed appreciation for the development of the legislative goals packet. Regarding the agriculture 45 goal, she said one thing to consider is first time farmers and getting them involved. Regarding affordable 46 housing,she asked if the county is working with Central Pines, because they used to have a weatherization 47 program. 48 Chair Hamilton said it might be something to look into.