Top Stories for Jan. 18, 2024

Photo of person sitting in from of computer screen displaying bar charts.

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 Wednesday, Jan. 17. The agenda is available online. View the meeting at Watch.MeckNC.gov. The Board will next meet for its annual budget retreat Jan. 24 – 26.

1. Your Money. Your Community. Your Voice. Mecklenburg County wants to know what’s important to residents when it comes to services and programs, as the Board of County Commissioners develops the FY2024-2025 budget. More than two dozen residents spoke at the Wednesday’s public hearing. Residents are also invited to take a few minutes to complete the annual resident budget survey. Next week from Jan. 24 – 26, the Board will discuss policies and priorities during its annual budget retreat at CPCC’s Harris Conference Center. Learn more about the FY2025 budget process at Budget.MeckNC.gov.

2. ARPA Investments for the Community: The Board heard an update on the $215 million received by Mecklenburg County in COVID-19 recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). To date, most of the dollars have been invested in capital and internal projects, and in contracts with partners that address County priorities such as workforce development, parks, affordable housing, behavioral health, early childhood development, and more. About $8 million remain available for the County to invest in projects—dollars which include earned interest and funding clawed back from providers who have not met expectations. Watch the presentation or view the slideshow.

3. Preserving NOAH: The Board approved nearly $5.6 million to preserve naturally occurring affordable rental units (NOAH) at Ascent Pineville. Ascent Housing works in partnership with the Housing Impact Fund to buy, rehab, and operate NOAH properties, which supports the Board’s priority to address housing insecurity and upward mobility. Ascent Housing will implement a 20-year affordability deed restriction for 240 apartment units at the property, with the County subsidy allowing 36 units to be set aside for households earning 30% AMI or lower. The Board also approved a $3 million loan in the form of a mortgage on the property. Watch the full presentation.

4. A Life Lived with Dedication: To honor a pillar of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg educational community on her 107th birthday, the Board proclaimed Jan. 17 as Julia Ann McKnight Teamer Day. Born Jan. 16, 1917, Mrs. Teamer was educated in Charlotte’s public schools, graduating from Second Ward High School in the city’s former Brooklyn neighborhood. After attending college and obtaining her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Mrs. Teamer served as an elementary school teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public school system for 38 years. She taught at Fairview, Double Oaks, Oaklawn, and Allenbrook elementary schools before retiring. Watch the proclamation.

5. Stay Safe, Stay Vigilant: Public Health warns residents that respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 and influenza are circulating at high levels in our community, resulting in spikes in emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Public Health asks residents who feel sick to stay home and isolate. Higher risk residents should take additional steps to protect themselves, which includes wearing masks and avoiding crowded indoor spaces. The latest Mecklenburg County data shows that between Dec. 27, 2023 - Jan. 9, 2024, there were 1,009 visits to the emergency room. Approximately 12% of those patients were hospitalized. In addition, all wastewater monitoring sites in Mecklenburg County show the peak level of samples testing positive.