Top Stories for April 23, 2025
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 22. The agenda is available online and the meeting can be viewed on MeckTV. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for May 6 at 6 p.m.
1. Building a Budget: The Board of County Commissioners received several updates as part of their preparation of next year’s Mecklenburg County budget. They included:
- Potential tax rates and options to fund volunteer fire departments that serve residents in areas of the county not served by the City of Charlotte or municipal fire departments.
- New capital project requests and spending projections over the next five years for County facilities, Park and Recreation, libraries, CPCC, environmental leadership, and land acquisition.
- Proposed fee adjustments from Park and Recreation, Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA), and Public Health.
The County Manager will present her budget recommendation on May 14 and the Board will adopt the FY2026 budget on June 3. Learn more at Budget.MeckNC.gov.
2. Schemes, Scams, and Frauds: Mecklenburg County is hosting “Scam Jam” to educate seniors on spotting the red flags of a scam and how to report fraud. Join us on May 1, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte. Scam Jam will feature speakers from the U.S. Department of Justice, N.C. Department of Justice, N.C. Department of Insurance, the N.C. Secretary of State’s Office, and more. May is “Older Americans Month,” where Mecklenburg County residents are urged to celebrate older citizens, create an inclusive society, and accept the challenge of flexible thinking around aging.
3. Scammy Letter: Mecklenburg County is warning property owners about a possible fraudulent letter that has surfaced, claiming the recipient is behind on their local property tax payments and demanding payment. The letter urges the recipient to call a phone number to prevent action. The organization demanding payment is NOT affiliated with Mecklenburg County. The County views the outreach as suspicious and recommends that residents exercise extreme caution when sharing personal or financial information with any organization.
4. Grow Your Business in 2025: Entrepreneurs looking to grow their business to the next level can find expertise and resources during a series of seminars throughout May. Mecklenburg County’s Office of Economic Development is offering the What’s Next Seminar Series. Beginning May 6, the six-part series of virtual lectures will help business owners reach the next stage of business growth. Johnson C. Smith University will facilitate each lecture, bringing in business experts to discuss several key topics, such as sales and marketing, planning for growth, scaling operations, hiring, and more. Registration is now open for individual seminars or the complete series.
5. Nurturing the Nurturers: Mecklenburg County is hosting a day-long forum dedicated to celebrating, educating, and inspiring foster parents and the foster care provider community. “Nurturing the Nurturers” will be held Friday, April 25 beginning at 8 a.m. at CPCC’s Harris Campus in Charlotte. The goal of the event is to build the knowledge and skills of the foster care community, while celebrating and showing appreciation to those who choose to serve. Several local organizations will be on hand to showcase the resources and support available to the foster community, offering practical tools and guidance.
6. Stop the Spark: Mecklenburg County Solid Waste is urging residents and businesses to properly dispose of rechargeable batteries to help prevent fires in collection trucks, landfills and recycling centers. Typically, these rechargeable batteries are labeled as lithium-ion (Li-Ion) or nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad). Standard batteries such as AA, AAA, 9 volt and D cells can be thrown in the household garbage. But lithium-ion batteries found in items like vapes, laptops, cell phones, watches, etc. must be disposed of properly. Residents and commercial businesses are strongly encouraged to drop these items off at a full-service recycling center. If you can’t remove the rechargeable battery, please bring in the entire device.
7. Earth Day: Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day around the world and Mecklenburg County is hosting several events this month where residents can learn more about the environment and how to protect it. Upcoming events include a celebration of local food and sustainability, nature walks, senior gardening, a kids’ night out, and a recycling event. Earth Day serves as a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and encourages individuals to learn about and understand the issues facing the planet.