Top Stories for April 24, 2024
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 23. The agenda is available online and the meeting can be viewed on MeckTV. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for May 7 at 6 p.m.
1. Your Money. Your Community. Your Voice. County Commissioners heard a report about the work to engage the public on the FY2024-2025 budget. Through surveys, in-person outreach, public hearings, a budget simulator, and other avenues, the goal was to allow residents to speak out about their priorities, funding, and the community’s greatest needs. The highest resident priorities revealed by the process are:
- Affordable housing
- Behavioral health resources
- Healthy food programs and services
- Services for adults 60+
- Workforce development
The County Manager will present her budget recommendation on May 16. A public hearing is scheduled for May 23 with the Board adopting the budget on June 4. More information about the FY2024-2025 budget process is available at Budget.MeckNC.gov.
2. Volunteer Fire Protection: Volunteer fire departments protect lives and homes in neighborhoods not served by the City of Charlotte or the Towns. The Board heard a presentation on funding for fire service in the unincorporated areas nearest to the City (aka Charlotte ETJ or extraterritorial jurisdiction). Based on requests from the eight departments in the ETJ, the proposal recommends the current fire service tax rate of 8.76 cents for those areas, which would fund the new Steele Creek Station 3, maintain staffing of four personnel per station, sustain pay rates for firefighters and chiefs, MEDIC-related supply expenses, and more. The proposal will be considered as part of the FY2025 budget process.
3. The ‘Act’ in Action: The Board has proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The joint proclamation with the City of Charlotte commemorates 56 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act, which outlaws discrimination against home renters and buyers by landlords, sellers, and lenders on account of their race, color, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, or family status. The proclamation advocates for this year’s national theme “The Act in Action.”
4. Award-winning Strategy: Mecklenburg County was recognized nationally for its commitment to strategic planning and performance management. The County received the 2024 Organizational Leadership Award from the American Society for Public Administration’s (ASPA) Center for Accountability and Performance (CAP). The award recognizes outstanding applications of performance measurement that produces culture change, sustained improvements, and positive effects on government performance and accountability. It showcases the County’s investments in the Office of Strategy and Innovation and the Business Process Management division—both housed in the County Manager’s Office—and upholds them as leaders in those areas of government.
5. Blueprint for Growth: Mecklenburg County is always building and wants to be sure contractors, architects, designers, and engineers have information about working with County government. The Blueprint for Growth conference and expo is a sold-out event designed to help vendors and prospective vendors understand construction contracting with the County. The day-long event will help attendees learn about conducting business with the County, plus a construction expo, Minority Business Enterprise and Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) certification support, and networking opportunities. The event will be Friday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208.