Top Stories for June 4, 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’s met on Tuesday, June 3. The agenda is available online and the meeting can be viewed on MeckTV. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17 at 6 p.m.
1. FY2026 County Budget: The Board of County Commissioners has adopted Mecklenburg County’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026. The operating budget totals $2.5 billion, an increase of $39.5 million or 1.6% over this year’s budget. The budget sets a property tax rate of 49.27 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. That represents a 0.96-cent increase in the tax rate. The budget maintains current services, fully funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ request for $28 million in additional dollars, and continues more than $53 million in funding to critical nonprofit partners. To learn more about the budget process, visit Budget.MeckNC.gov.
2. Addressing Gun Violence through Art: The Board proclaimed June as Gun Violence Awareness Month to honor victims and mobilize prevention efforts. It also received a presentation on the Gun Violence Prevention Art Installation, a pilot visual awareness campaign aligned to the COVID-19 recovery. Public Health and Park and Recreation unveiled the project in March—a collaboration with artists, students, schools, universities, and other organizations to create educational content via neighborhood art. The artworks focus on gun violence prevention and community safety and can be viewed in five locations:
- West Charlotte Recreation Center
- Arbor Glen Recreation Center
- Sugaw Creek Recreation Center
- Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center
- Revolution Sports Academy and Park
3. Woman of the Year: County Manager Dena R. Diorio has been named the 2024 Charlotte Woman of the Year. The annual honor recognizes and celebrates a woman who has demonstrated exemplary civic leadership and service. Diorio receives the honor as Charlotte Woman of the Year celebrates its 70th anniversary. She is wrapping up the last few weeks of her 11-year tenure as county manager, retiring after June 30. She will be honored publicly in October at the annual Civic Leadership Forum hosted by the Charlotte Woman of the Year organization.
4. Making Mental Health a Priority: Mecklenburg County is taking a big step in addressing mental and behavioral health by recruiting one to two partners to provide outpatient services. The vendor partner or partners will provide clinically qualified staff at Community Resource Centers to deliver short-term care for clients and arrange for longer-term and enhanced care when needed. Prospective vendors can join a virtual information session on June 9. The deadline for submitting a proposal is July 7. The services are part of the implementation of the County’s Behavioral Health Strategic Plan, which was published last year after input from providers, stakeholders, partners, and community members dedicated to improving mental health care.
5. Supporting Our Elders: Residents are invited to join their neighbors and wear purple to support our elders during the third annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Walk. The walk will be held June 11 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Freedom Park. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day serves as a call to action for our community to raise awareness about abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elders. Joining the walk will be Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of N.C., and other community leaders. The walk is hosted by Age-Friendly Mecklenburg, AARP Charlotte, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
6. Marking Mecklenburg County History: Residents are invited to step back in time with Mecklenburg County and its partners at the unveiling of a historic marker for the Franks House in Third Ward. The Franks House, located at 305 Dunbar Street, is a rare surviving artifact of the thriving Black community that once existed in the neighborhood. The marker will be unveiled at its permanent home at the United House of Prayer, 1019 Mint Street, on Saturday, June 7 at 1:30 p.m. The ceremony will feature remarks by County Commission Chair Mark Jerrell and performances by the United House of Prayer’s brass band, Horns of Glory.
7. 50 Edible Landscapes: Public Health is celebrating the planting of its 50th edible landscape. It’s located at the Habitat for Humanity community Meadows at Plato Price. The edible landscapes program helps establish community gardens and orchards to provide fresh fruits and vegetables in food insecure neighborhoods. Public Health and its partners will celebrate the milestone with a program on Thursday, June 5, beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte—site of the very first edible landscape.