Top Stories for July 31, 2024

A red open mailbox with letters in front of a large house

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’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. The agenda will be available online and the meeting can be viewed on MeckTV.  

1. Bill Is in the Mail: Mecklenburg County will mail 2024 bills for real property, individual personal property, and business personal property taxes by July 31. Bills are due Sept. 1 and payable through Jan. 6, 2025, without interest. This year, approximately 435,000 tax bills will be mailed to taxpayers throughout the County. For those with mortgage escrow accounts, their real property tax bills are sent directly to the mortgage holder for payment, with the owner receiving a property tax notification from the Office of the Tax Collector. For properties whose tax records or values are under appeal, the tax bills will be subsequently mailed. Taxpayers seeking financial assistance are encouraged to apply for an economic assistance grant through the HOMES program. 

2. Veterans Benefits Live: Veterans and their families have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers about their benefits, plus learn about other valuable services. Veterans Benefits Live: VA in My Town: Mecklenburg County is a three-day, single-stop open house to be held Aug. 22 – 24 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte. Representatives from Mecklenburg County Veterans Services, the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs, and other partners will help attendees one-on-one with their benefits, claims, appeals and other concerns. More than 1,000 veterans are expected to attend over the three days. Learn more at Veterans.MeckNC.gov.

3. Keep Cool to Keep Healthy: With high heat indexes forecast during the next few days, Public Health reminds residents to take extra precautions as heat-related illness can be more severe as the body temperature rises. Limit physical activity outside, drink plenty of water, limit alcohol use, stay cool in shaded areas outside or with fans and A/C inside, and wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes outside. Residents without shelter can cool off and get other services at day services centers hosted by Roof Above and Block Love Charlotte. Mecklenburg County’s pools, spraygrounds, recreation and senior centers, and library branches are also open to the public. 

4. Skeeter Season: All the rain in recent weeks could produce more mosquitoes across the region. Mosquitoes are a public health concern since they carry diseases such as Zika, West Nile Virus, and others. So remember: “tip and toss” any containers with standing water and talk to your neighbors about eliminating water-holding containers. That's all it takes to eliminate breeding grounds and control mosquitoes in your yard this summer. Learn more about Mecklenburg County’s mosquito control efforts from Public Health’s Environmental Health Services. 

5. Do the Write Thing in DC: Two middle school students represented Mecklenburg County as national ambassadors at the Do the Write Thing (DtWT) Recognition Summit July 20 - 24. Justice Fields from Whitewater Middle School and Qui’Arie Randall from Northeast Middle School had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. after writing about their experience with youth violence. The summit included workshops, a visit to the U.S. Supreme Court, a bus tour of landmarks, and dinner at the residence of the Ambassador of Kuwait.