Top Stories for April 2, 2025

After a nationwide search, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners has hired Mike Bryant as the next County manager. Bryant has more than 30 years of public service experience and currently serves as deputy County manager for Mecklenburg County.

Mecklenburg County provides this weekly rundown of top stories from the Board of County Commissioners meetings and the Public Information Department’s newsroom. The Board met on Tuesday, April 1. The agenda is available online and the meeting can be viewed on MeckTV. The Board’s next budget and public policy meeting is scheduled for April 8 at 2:30 p.m.

1. New County Manager: After a nationwide search, the Board of County Commissioners appointed Deputy County Manager Mike Bryant as the next Mecklenburg County manager. Bryant has more than 30 years of public service experience, the past 22 years with Mecklenburg County. In his current role, Bryant is responsible for financial services and internal support and has been integral in the management and distribution of American Rescue Plan Act funding. Current County Manager Dena R. Diorio announced last year that she will retire effective July 1, 2025, after more than 11 years as county manager.

2. Investing in Jobs: The Board approved a three-year Business Investment Program grant to DetraPel, Inc., for up to $34,536. DetraPel, a clean-tech advanced materials company, chose to relocate its headquarters and advanced manufacturing operations to Mecklenburg County. The company will invest $3.5 million and bring more than 30 new jobs, including engineers, research and development, technicians and back-office operations. The new 40,000-square-foot manufacturing headquarters, located in southwest Charlotte, will significantly expand the company’s production capacity. DetraPel CEO David Zamarin founded the company in 2013 at the age of 15 and became known through his success on TV’s “Shark Tank.”

3. Forest Point Place: A project in the making since the early days of the pandemic and which addresses the Board’s prioritization of senior services is up and running. Forest Point Place serves as permanent, affordable housing for adults who are 55 or older, are experiencing homelessness, and have other health conditions.  

The project began with Mecklenburg County’s purchase of a hotel in 2022. Renovations and expansion have doubled the original capacity of the facility to 90+ residents. Forest Point Place is a partnership between Mecklenburg County and Roof Above. Roof Above serves as the property manager and provides supportive services to tenants. 

4. Unpaid Taxes to Be Published: About 41,000 Mecklenburg County property owners who have not paid their 2024 real and personal property tax bills will have their names and the principal amount they owe published this weekend. The publication, as required by North Carolina law, will be in The Charlotte Observer, on April 6, 2025. Bills paid after Feb. 28, 2025, may be included in the advertisement. Delinquent taxpayers are subject to additional actions outlined in the North Carolina General Statutes. The Tax Collector is also empowered to seize tax refunds and/or lottery winnings, garnish funds, levy (seize and sell) personal property, and foreclose on real property to satisfy unpaid County property taxes.  

5. Recovery and Reclamation: More than 100 people gathered last week to discuss the opioid crisis and how dollars from the National Opioid Settlement can produce solutions. Mecklenburg County will receive $73 million over 18 years to fight opioids. The first wave of funding for Mecklenburg County is $10.9 million. The annual meeting allowed residents to help inform local planning and leaders to share strategies and data for utilizing the funds so far. 

6. Liz Hair Trail: The portion of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway known as Liz Hair Trail is back open for residents to enjoy. Improvements to the greenway along Kings Drive near Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center feature a widened path, enhanced access points, improved bridges across the creek, and more. The trail honors Elisabeth "Liz" Hair, the first woman to chair the Board of County Commissioners. She advocated for the idea of a "green necklace" around Charlotte, which evolved into today’s greenway system. Park and Recreation partnered with Atrium Health to enhance and improve the one-mile section of trail as part of an overall renovation of the Atrium campus.