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e e evening everyone thank you all so much for joining us for our Monday January 27th 2025 regular session I will get us started with the public charge the Board of Commissioners ask its members and citizens to conduct themselves in a respectful courteous manner both with the board and fellow citizens at any time should any member of the board or any citizen fail to observe this public charge the chair will ask the offending person to leave the meeting until that
individual regains personal control should the Quorum fail to be restored the chair will recess the meeting until such time that a genuine commitment to the public charge is observed Vice chair Dr Lee would you like to read the land acknowledgement I do not mind all right as we convene for the Durham County Commissioners meeting it is crucial to recognize the painful truth of History we stand on the stolen land the stolen ancestral lands of the Kataba Eno and okichi shakori and tus tusar peoples um whose deep connection to this land predates our arrival we acknowledge with humility and unjust displacement and uh
and violence that occurred leading to the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their homelands their resilience their uh resilience in the face of such adversity is a testament to their strength and spirit may we may we humbly honor the ancestors and Elders of these nations both past and present by committing ourselves to fostering understanding healing and justice for all who inhabit this land let us walk forward together with Open Hearts acknowledging the past and embracing a future Guided by compassion and respect compassion respect and Unity thank you I sherle and now commissioner buron would you like to lead us in the PGE Allegiance yes I would iedge Al to the flag of the United
org bs- Academy to gain access to the
m. m. m. gov reappraisal is the process of is in the process of taking a January 1st 2025 market value snap shot of all real property it resets
m. it's Guided by vocal clinicians artists and choreographers over 500 elementary middle and high school students will display their vocal dance and visual
99 m i c you can check it out use the E TC assistant um there is a website to see if you qualify and get an estimate on your
m. m. you can call their office at 919 2861 1822 and lastly your input is needed to guide the durm to rockboro rail trail plan this plan is a community-driven initiative to access the transformation of the existing 18m inactive rail Corridor within Durham County into a multi-use trail the proposed Trail I'm sorry proposed rail trail would ultimately establish a 26 Mile Trail Network linking downtown Durham to Roxboro for more information and to complete the 10-minute survey you can
com and that concludes the announcements published in tonight's agenda thank you clerk Wallace are there any announcements from the board commissioner Wendy Jacobs I just wanted to share with everyone something positive that I'm very excited about um I have been invited to participate in a um Na National Association of County officials intergovernmental Roundtable on local Behavioral Health crisis response that is um taking place on uh Wednesday and Thursday this week in Washington DC and um I feel very honored and privileged to be invited to be a part of a conversation with elected officials from across the country and also um people who are staff people uh who
were who were doing the work um and the focus of the round table is going to be on surveying the state of local crisis response challenges and intergovernmental Solutions discussing State policies and practices that offer support or create barriers toward effective local crisis response and exploring Innovative County solutions to local crisis response challenges so this is um certainly um something that is important to our community um conversations about how we can expand har countywide also I leading something called the dur familiar faces initiative with the city and the county on how we address the needs of people who revolve in and out of our um homeless shelters and jails and emergency departments in our community and also looking at just
how we're dealing with our Mental Health crisis not just I mean in Durham we see it um on the streets uh but also across our country so I'm excited to bring back what I learn and share it with everyone here thank you commissioner Wendy Jacobs for stepping up and representing Durham County at the national level any other announcements commissioner Michelle Burton yeah I just wanted to make a um take a point of privilege um chair Nida Allam I just wanted to say how grateful I am for the topnotch Durham County staff the Administration staff um I've been on the job now for almost two months and your professionalism your courteousness just going out of your way to help me and the new Commissioners um as we learn our new roles as County Commissioners I just wanted to take this time to say thank you so much it's really really
appreciated thank you commissioner Michelle Burton and I Echo your sentiments as I'm sure all of you do commissioner Stephen Valentine commissioner Michelle Burton uh I'd like to associate myself with uh those comments I think they were spot on and uh also would like to say thank you to the staff uh in my transition it's been a very easy one as a result of your hard work and uh also to my colleague who will be representing Us in Washington DC I couldn't think of a final person thank you if that concludes our announcements then we will now move on to our minutes for the January 6th work session and the January 13th regular session are there any adjustments or discussion I'll entertain a motion for approval so moved second moved by commissioner Stephen Valentine second by commissioner burton all in favor say I I any opposed minutes are approved unanimously now for ceremonial items uh commissioner Michelle Burton
I will pass the first one to you thank you chair Nida Allam um I'm going to read um Duram Board of County Commissioners Proclamation durm Soil and Water Conservation District 60th anniversary 2025 whereas in 1937 Dr Hugh Hammond Bennett a North Carolina native urged President Franklin D Roosevelt to create local Soil and Water Conservation districts across the United States to develop locally Le conservation programs and whereas from March 22nd 1937 to February 2nd 1965 the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District was part of the multicounty upper noose River Soil Conservation District that was instrumental in improving the County's natural resources and whereas The durman Soil and Water Conservation District was officially established as a single
County Conservation District on February 2nd 1965 and whereas The durm Soil and Water Conservation District is one of 96 conservation districts which cover all of of North Carolina and is led by three elected and two appointed Durham residents known as Conservation District supervisors who provide leadership for local voluntary stewardship of natural resources and whereas the Durham County's natural resources are renewable and more valuable than the Golden Leaf for which the county is famous and whereas the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District's mission is to conserve enhance and promote the natural res sources of Durham County by providing technical assistance Environmental Education in information and economic incentives to County residents and by exhibiting a diversified program to meet its changing needs and whereas the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District is a state
and nationally recognized leader in natural resource conservation for its diverse and Innovative programs and whereas February 2nd 20 25 will Mark the 60th anniversary of durm Soil and Water Conservation District and this year represents a significant milestone in the stewardship of Natural Resources now therefore I knit alarm and on behalf of the Durham Board of County Commissioners do hereby Proclaim February 2nd 2025 as the 60th anniversary of the Duram Soil and Water Conservation District and commend its celebration to all citizens this the 27th day of January 2025 n alarm chair Durham Board of County Commissioners thank you commissioner Michelle Burton I believe we have our Soil and Water team why don't you all come up and join so we can see everyone no the whole team
doesn't want to join oh can you press the button it'll turn green thank you yes all right here we are yes good evening Commissioners and we do thank you for the opportunity to come before you tonight um while 60 years seems like a long time uh I batted my eyes I've been here for 40 of those 60 so uh I don't date back to the 20s and 30s when we had started out in the upper noose River Watershed Basin uh District but uh uh that went by pretty quick and and we were proud to become an inde independent Soil and Water District uh one thing we have done at our local level you know used to uh historic uh tells us that Soil and Water districts worked mainly with farmers in the past now we have the opportunity here in Durham to address
many of our natural resource concerns uh and I think the staff has done an outstanding job bringing a lot of of those new programs that a lot of the other 96 districts don't have in the state so uh again we're proud and uh we appreciate the time tonight I have brought with me Vice chairman of the so and Water District board uh that's the five member board that that we just heard about three are elected two is appointed by The Soil and Water Commission out of Raleigh and uh they pretty much set priorities for our uh locally lead program here in the county so if you have a uh a oil and water natural resource concern just see one of those guys and they'll make sure the staff we get it on our work plan next year so I'm gonna let Mr Mark Waller say a few words and again we appreciate your time tonight thank you Ed thank you very much and I'd like to join Eddie and thanking you guys for taking this opportunity to recognize us uh I am Mark Waller I'm
owner and operator of Waller Family Farms here in Durham and uh Vice chair of the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor board sounds really impressive when I say that that's big old long title there but sometimes I feel like the rider on the back of the horse CU these guys do all the work and and uh we just kind of sit and ride along and uh I challenge you and those anybody here today next time you're out there and you drank some water out of the fountain I want you to think about these guys right here and the next time you go down the road and maybe you're at Falls Lake or Jordan Lake you think about these people over here or you're crossing a river stream or creek I guarantee you one or more of these have had their feet probably in that Creek or on the side and uh as a farmer uh if you've ever go across a farm in Durham County include my own especially my own I'll show you Terraces waterways underground drainage systems uh that have been implemented for 30
years or so and they're still active today because of these people here and the I'm not going to say they're all 60 years old but the the predecessors to these people that have worked so hard um sists uh Water Gardens that you go by schools and stuff comes to these people right here um they'll humbly won't tell you this but they were number one in the state was it last year year before 96 number one out of 96 and uh that's something you guys ought to be uh you know proud of that we've got a team in Durham that uh wins the championship every once in a while and uh so I'm proud to work with them I call them my friends just as much as I do uh my teammates and workmates um and I'll tell you this too I know you guys get requests all the time for monies and funds and all that when these people ask you for something it's not something they want it's
something they need and if you want them to to stay at the top and if you want your water quality to stay at the Top If you want your education of your children to understand where their food comes from and how important it is to keep clean water give them a little extra a little extra attention a little extra love because they deserve it because they're working for you working for everybody in here and they do a heck of a good job and I'm proud to be associated with them thank you for your time [Applause] thank you all so much for all of your hard work um and I believe some of our new commissioners before they were sworn in were able to participate in the educational events that the soil and water uh District supervisor team does um I know I participated and I was very competitive in getting all of my stamps visiting all the tables but I think it's really important also for the Partnerships that they have within our schools and the education programs that
we have have connecting Durham County um as soil and water to the community so that we know all of the different ways that y'all are impacting us every single day um are there any other comments yeah I just wanted to say um I did come to that event before I was officially sworn in and I was just really impressed by all the things that the um durm Soil and Water and Conservation District does to keep our water and um clean and how much it's needed and also I knew about them before because they do come into the schools um and so thank you for all the work that you do and I'm looking forward to working with you even more while I'm in this position commissioner Wendy Jacobs and Stephen Valentine uh I just want to say thank you to all of you um Eddie 40 years that's an incredible Legacy and commitment to Durham County thank you
and uh Mark also to you too you've been a pillar in our community and I'm thankful for you and your leadership and to all of your staff a small But Mighty staff um all of the work that you do in our community to help people and um the way you are very accessible to people um the way you all are out um meeting with people in the community helping people and supporting our teachers getting into the schools um it's it's really amazing um as you said Mark um the the diversity of all the things that that you do in your department uh that really make a difference in our community in ways that is not often noticed or celebrated I hope that this event will be rescheduled I know it was because of the storm um it was cancelled but I I do I think it's
really important um 60 years of having an impact in Durham so thank you Eddie said it'll be rescheduled to April pleas okay April do you have a date okay so you can get it get it on our calendars yes okay thank you commissioner Stephen Valentine yes I just would like to say thank you to the dorm Soil and Water Conservation District for 60 years of service to our community uh you are one of our unsung heroes uh in the community um a lot of people don't know exactly what it is that that you do um but I can speak for those who don't know what it is that you do and how important the work is um to to the sustainment of our community and so I couldn't thank you enough so probably a thousand thank yous probably wouldn't be enough but thank you of on this 60 year
anniversary um I'm not going to say anything different from what's already been said but again thank you my interaction with you all kind of was on the school when I was on the school board and having you all in the schools and and um a lot of that information there but also um I'm really excited about getting to learn more about uh what you all all do and how you all support us I know um your job is one of those jobs that you know people don't really know about until something's wrong right until something's going really bad and I I um not quite as important as you all but some parts of my career I was in roles like that and so I'm going to do everything I can to lift you all up uh I really appreciate you saying when when they ask for something they're not asking because they want it ask because
they need it and I absolutely believe that so thank you all I look forward to interfacing with interfacing with you all a lot more I'm on the uh Jordan Lake uh board and um I've even said I want to you know sit down to understand what I'm hearing you know and what I need to be advocating for and I will doing that so thank you all for being here congratulations on the 60 years and I look forward to being there in April when it gets confirmed to celebrate with you all thank you I now pass it to commissioner Stephen Valentine for our next resolution Madame chair I would ask for a moment of personal privilege before reading the resolution for Dr E Leonia Allison so as a board of County Commissioners we pause tonight to celebrate the life of
one of our political Titans a political Titan in the black community and I dare say the entire Community Dr E Leonia Allison was a fearless and tireless advocate for social justice for voting rights and for democracy she walked with Kings and also with Queens but Leonia kept the common touch in her passing I reflected on the many sacrifices that uh were made by her family over the span of her 94 years of life and personally I want to just say thank you I want to say thank you for fighting the good fight Thank You For Fighting For Those were not able to fight for themselves thank you to her children who
I hope are watching this evening attorney Michelle Allison Davis and her brother Dr Vincent Allison for sharing your mother with all of us dorm County the state of North Carolina our nation we are all better because she passed this way Dr E Leonia Allison rest in power in resolution Dr E Leonia Allison was born in dorm North Carolina raised by loving parents and completed Elementary and secondary public schools of dorham graduating with honors from Hillside High School as a class salarian or salarian excuse me and whereas she attended Hampton Institute now Hampton University graduating Kum lai with a BS degree in science earning an MA degree in health education graduating Magnum Kum Lai also from Hampton University and
whereas she additionally earned a doctorate in higher education Administration from New York University graduating Suma Kum Lai and whereas Dr Allison embarked on a noteworthy career teaching health and physical education at Whited Junior High School in dorham and at North Carolina Central University and whereas in 1974 she became director of North Carina Manpower development program now known as North Carolina health careers Access program where she worked tirelessly to significantly increase the number of African-Americans and Native Americans entering Health Professions and whereas she became an effective Advocate working for Meaningful change equality and Equity striving to eliminate racial economic and educational barriers locally nationally and Beyond and where as Dr Allison was thoroughly involved in the political landscape of our community our state and Nation with membership in various organizations including the dorm committee on the Affairs of black people where she served as chair for 14 years and the only woman to ever serve in that
capacity she served as a delegate of the Democratic National Convention the Durham County district and state democratic conventions the Congressional Black Caucus the national black women's political Congress and she was a proud member of the dorm alumni chapter of Delta Sig data sorority and more and whereas she received numerous Awards over her legendary career including the order of long leaf pine award who's who among women in politics Dorman committee citizen of the Year award lifetime membership of the NAACP and National Council of negro women the longest Congressional Black cus ATT attendee award and many more and whereas we pause to honor The Life and Legacy of Dr E Leonia Allison who contributed to so much to our dorm Community the state of North Carolina and the nation as an activist educator Mentor Visionary leader and effective Advocate who is not
afraid to speak truth to power to help improve the quality of life for all of us now therefore be it res resolved that we the members of the doram County Board of Commissioners do hereby resolve to pay tribute to one Dr E Leonia Allison an amazing life force who shared her tenacity determination sense of fairness and work ethic over her lifetime we call upon all citizens of Durham County to remember how she fought tirelessly to improve the quality of life for generations to come her Legacy will continue to provide enduring inspiration to all who believe in Justice fairness and equality for all this 25th day of January 2025 signed chair n Nida Allam Dr Mike Lee Vice chair Michelle Michelle Burton commissioner Wendy Wendy Jacobs commissioner Steve Stephen Valentine commissioner thank you commissioner
Stephen Valentine the comments on the board okay thank you we will now move on to the next Proclamation for National mentoring month that I believe we'll start with Vice chair Lee all righty during Board of Commissioners Proclamation whereas created in 2002 by the Harvard School of Public Health and Mentor uh and Mentor the national mentoring partnership uh January is National mentoring month an annual campaign to to focus attention on the need for Quality consistent and competent mentors and whereas a mentor is caring dependable and authentic p and an authentic person that provides support guidance advice assistance and devotes time to a to a young person to help youth discover
uh personal strength and persevere and to persevere and achieve their potential through a structured and trusting relationship on a regular basis and whereas quality mentoring encourages and empowers youth to make Positive Choices promote self-esteem and character development support academic achievement social emotional learning leadership and professional development college readiness and career exploration and whereas the goals of the national of national mentoring month are to raise awareness of mentoring recruit individuals to Mentor equip mentors with the skills well recruit indivi individuals to Mentor equip mentors with the skills needed to support youth encourage organizations to engage in and integrate
quality mentoring into the into their efforts with a focus on academic support life skills training and career Readiness Workforce preparation to to promote youth to Excel and whereas during the covid-19 pandemic mentoring programs have stepped up to fill gaps for Youth and families connecting them with resources and ensuring mentoring relationships continue to prevent social discon uh disconnection and mitigate learning loss and Wendy where's research has demonstrated that mentoring programs have a significant positive impact on a variety of academic achievement measures
including truancy and absenteeism Scholastic efficacy and engagement School related misconduct and peer support and whereas mentor tour serve a critical role in helping youth successfully complete high school and gain admission to college or training programs earn a postsecondary credential or certification build new in demand skills prepare for the future of work and succeed in an everchanging Workforce and whereas mentoring programs must incorporate work-based learning to prepare and connect youth with real life work experiences where they can apply academic Technical and soft skills and develop their employability while exploring career Pathways and whereas one Durham County strategic plan goal is to provide access to educational vocational economic and cultural opportunities while empowering
citizens to choose Pathways for their own success and whereas the Durham Board of County Commissioners supports community-based mentoring programs as Key Community Partners to support our mission for a safe healthy and Vibrant Community and where's National mentoring month is the time of year to celebrate Elevate and encourage mentoring and recruit caring adult mentors in Durham County now therefore I N the Nida Allam on behalf of the Durham County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim the month of January 2025 as National mentoring month and call upon public officials Educators business and Community leaders and citizens to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies activities and programs to recognize the valuable contributions of staff and Volunteers in quality mentoring programs that Empower youth enabling them to discover inner strength and realize their full potential
acknowledge the manifold benefits of uh mentoring including fostering healthy identity development promoting educational achievement aent reducing juvenile delinquency enhancing career Readiness improving life skills and outcomes and fortifying communities advocate for establishment expansion sustainability and funding of quality mentoring programs throughout Durham aiming to provide youth with the necessary tools for leading healthy productive and meaningful lives support initiatives aimed at bridging academic achievement opportunity and mentoring gaps emphasizing critical mentoring to assist boys of color this involves pairing them with mentors who grasp and comprehend social political and economic racism and oppression and are committed to acting against these elements in society this the 27th day of January 2025 sign nalam chair we have danan Langley here to join
us good evening thank you Commissioners chair Al Vice chair Dr Lee and Commissioners County Manager Hagar on behalf of the Charles Hamilton Houston Foundation we would like to thank you for the proclamation declaring January as National mentoring month each year we invite mentoring and Community Based organizations to serve as partners for the proclamation and briefly share about their program which I will email you all um this later this evening during this presentation but I did want to mention the organizations by name the Thomas Mentor Leadership Academy Sidekicks Academy the Durham Boards of color Coalition DL Forbes Youth Foundation Durham PR program Bull City bull doogs youth football Emily K Center Durham children's initiative graced Incorporated we are Kings boys of color program we are Kings girls of color program rotor generation Mentor Wall Street Juniors My Brother's Keeper
Durham Jubilee home Research Triangle professional National Society of black Engineers brotherto brother mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters of the triangle Boys and Girls Club of Durham and orange counties long ball program of Durham North Carolina IM girls El Centro Hispano inspiring Minds dur Raley Durham we are Aman leadership and mentoring program young male Achievers the triangle Literacy Center fatherhood of Durham project Bill the West End Community Foundation poof team Center strong her together the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club the forgiven Sons Bull City youth uh Bull City wood shop and hey Tye borne also wanted to share just briefly about the Charles Hamilton Houston Foundation at our core our initiatives are strategy centered methodology we believe in the power of carefully devised plans of
actions to achieve specific goals our programs involve a meticulous analysis of the current educational and professional landscape and then working with the boards and young men we serve to develop the skills understand the application in the workforce and support them on their Continuum to their success whatever that defined success may be so I know you all are getting ready for your budget conversations and there were a lot of organizations that I mentioned and every year I come before you pleading for resources for for young people in this community and as a native derite and I'm going to say something is often hard for me to say I am now 40 years old I have been in this community my entire life I am a young person that has benefited from mentorship from investment from support it works and if you want to see I'm not saying we're out to create a lot of little de warns but the model works when young people have
the support they need they become responsible engaged and successful adults and I must say in our community we are not doing enough for our young people there are Community there are individuals in this community that are stretching every nickel and dime they can in order to support young people and it is difficult it it it is difficult so when you all begin that conversation I want you to remember this Proclamation that was read here this evening I want you to think about the young children in this community and what they need and what organizations are providing and then I also want you to assess whether those organizations are being impactful in the work they're doing because you all have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the money that it is invested in our community is yielding results and there'll be further comments I'll be saying throughout the year but thank you all so very much for this Proclamation have a wonderful evening thank you dear and thank you for being
such a Champion for mentorship in Durham um and thank you Tammy reminded me that you were actually recently recognized with an award for your mentoring advocacy at this year's 45th annual triangle MLK Interfaith prayer breakfast uh so congratulations on that recognition for your hard work and we appreciate everything you do for Durham commissioner Bron yes I just want to Echo that um thank you um Mr Langley for the work that you do um I saw him receive the award um this past last week um at the triangle MLK breakfast and I just want to reiterate the importance of mentoring our young people um coming you know just retiring from education over a 30-year career and how much it's needed and um the longlasting effects of positive mentoring in children's lives um we know DPS did the we are Queens we
are Kings program and it's very successful and it's much needed and that's something that I really want to focus on during my tenure on the County Commission to make sure children young people have positive role models and mentoring um so thank you for all the work that you do thank you sh Dr Le 40 years old D war no I'm I'm I'm I'm not I'm not saying that the P but man I've known you a really long time haven't I man you're really little when I met you I guess um and and almost every bit of that time you've been advocating for for this and for Youth and so I commend you for everything that you've done I remember when uh you found it that Charles uh H Houston um organization and I remember you growing it I remember you talking about it and
it's um now I remember you starting to get the proclamations being done and that's been a long time and so I just commend you on everything that you've done all of the volunteering and all of the Committees that you sit on everything that you do points in the same direction and that is very commendable uh for all of this time and um and I I I absolutely support this Proclamation like I did when I was on the school board um I support it now and I'll support it in the future and I really appreciate what you said about evaluations making sure that we are yielding results um with the money that we are helping to fund these different organizations I know you're organization yields results I see it all the time I see the jobs that they get I see the
interviews that they get I see the schools that they get into uh because of your work those are results and I would hope that we as a board uh think about measurement in a different way and U that's one thing that I that was on my platform when I ran and that's one thing I uh I hope to continue to do accy Commissioners do just that evaluate and help where we can for these programs to grow so thank you so much congratulations again on the proclamation I look forward to continue to work with you commissioner Stephen Valentine yes Mr Langley congratulations and uh I commend you on your work at the Hamilton Houston Foundation along with the work that you do with your Community Partners and I would be remiss if I didn't uh mention that aside from you receiving the award at the MLK uh
breakfast I was present at uh peace Community Baptist Church where uh sever your mentees um received scholarships from organizations in the community and uh I want you to know that I'm I'm always watching you and you make me proud and you are Eagle Pride Amplified and so you are one of of our our ambassadors and so keep up the good work and I heard everything he said and I agree that uh young people need to be supported in a different way uh and hopefully uh moving forward we can uh as a board come together and uh sort of feel that that Gap so thank you again for for all your hard work in our community commissioner Wendy Jacobs I'll just say ditto to everything that everyone said and if a year came and Dew you weren't here with this Proclamation I would be really worried it would be cut
it close this time so um yes you are a pillar in in our community and a resounding voice uh for this issue um in every way and thank you for being a tireless Advocate um and for everything that you do and I'm so glad that you received welld deserved recognition ni and also you're usually one of the people organizing all of the MLK events as well um so um I did miss you for that Proclamation this year usually you're here for that Proclamation so I was worried about you uh so again congratulations and thank you thank you commissioner Wendy Jacobs and on that note we are going to go to the Dr Martin Luther King Junior Day Community poem this is a Community poem that was gathered by the Durham Cooperative Extension kids voting Durham program with nearly a 100 Durham
Community dreamers ranging in the age ages from 5 to 88 years old contributed to this poem so I will get us started 2025 MLK Day Community poem I dream of a Durham I dream of a Durham where doors are always open where everyone has something someone or some way to be happy each day where we nurture talent and allow Fair opportunities making a community that upholds a way of life of empathy and true understanding I dream a Duram free of racism a good Community where everyone can be happy where hate doesn't exist and there is no line where there is no fighting and people don't have to be scared where people will be judged for their character and not the color of their
skin a Durham that works for Working Families where care is common central and sacred where opportunity is Equitable and prosperity abounds where we work together and lift each other up where we Embrace each other in community look out for each other and make sure everyone around us is safe and their needs are met I dream of a world where there's enough food for everyone and housing for everyone no homeless people living on the streets where everyone has a roof over their heads and food on the table where everyone has comfortable safe safe and affordable housing healthy food and clean water housing is more affordable and services and opportunities are equal to
everybody regardless of their legal status together we dream a dorm community that grows stronger and solves the homeless crisis where no one lives on the streets I dream of durm with lower cost of Medicine where food is cheaper and we lower the price of groceries where all people have nutritious and desirable food and Community Gardens are everywhere where the climate for climate action is sunny and cool I dream a durm with parks and sidewalks with green space where breathing is easy and laughter is abundant a Derm where all families can afford to live and Thrive and we create better conditions for all young children and their families to thrive and youth and families are thriving a durm where
resources are plentiful and all have access where families have access to resources and can take advantage of resources offered a Durham where there is no fighting and we have faith where people keep deep breaths to take deep breaths say kind words and helpful to others and are care are careful with their hands and feet where people believe in their own selves and trust their hearts un Lugar Li Valencia discrimination missos noten MI are solos which translates to a safe place to live free from violence and discrimination um where um where my
children are not afraid to walk alone we dream a Durham where every young person has at least one adult who truly believes in them where our young people feel valued and seen and heard where we see and value our young people for who they are not who they could or should become where we hope to see our children Thrive a durm that will invest in our youth with this way of life so they know they are able to be whatever they want in their Bright Futures to come that will build systems for every student After High School to own a business go to college or have a job or career that pays a life sustaining wage where our education system is Equitable for all students of all abilities all children Thrive and no one
is Left Behind we dream a world where everyone can be who they are and be celebrated for their individuality a Derm resilient and tender where the most secret desires of belonging are answered with open arms warm smiles and a reverberating you matter echoing through every soul encircled where impactful leadership with a positive outlook understands the needs of the people we dream a Durham where everyone has access to the better things happening for Durham Durham can be a place of acceptance where equality stands the test of time a Durham that honors Dr King's dreams of love and Justice with body and soul a Durham where together we live up to our beautiful bold Brave
ideals thank you all for joining in reading that and I want to thank kids voting Durham for coordinating and putting together such a beautiful poem for our community that encompasses so many views and we have Miss Carolyn Krueger here with us would you like to make any comments uh first of all thank you all for reading that dream it was really wonderful hearing it um proclaimed from the front of the county commissioner's chamber um not just for me but for the young people who took part in it um throughout the year kids voting does a lot to build youth Civic engagement from teaching them how to develop their
identity as informed and engaged voters to just everyday civic participation to learning about their local government um but it is a foundational belief of ours that all of that has to be rooted Ed in dreams and hopes for our community um or it doesn't mean anything so this is one of my favorite activities of the year is bringing together not just youth but adults from our community to share their dreams and to weave them together um and for young people it's really emboldening and empowering to see their dreams alongside your dreams alongside some of our state legislators and our city councilors dreams um and to know that we are all in this together to know that there's ways that they can work together to make those dreams come true that there's things that they can ask you to do to help make those dreams come true um and most importantly to know that there are ways that like this poem brings everything together we can bring our community together to make these dreams come true um so I thank you
again thank you Carolyn [Applause] okay any any com commissioner Stephen Valentine I want you to uh go back and tell those young people how proud We Are of them and uh I am a fan of the kids voting dorm program um and more importantly I think that the work that's being done in that program is uh needed now more than ever with Civics being lost to the curriculum in our schools and so the work that you do is valuable it's appreciated and uh those kids are our future so thank you for what you do thank you that that brings us let me double check that's all our proclamations yes that brings us to the end of our ceremonial items and we're now at consent agenda are there any
items anyone would like to pull um I don't have any I don't want to P it but I just had a question about it um which item it was item I just wrote it down it was the 25-25 so the approval of capital project Amendment creating 400,000 of Lottery funds yes I just wanted to know does that go that just goes straight to Duran public schools and it goes into their general fund or how does that work so the way it is um budgeted it they have a operating budget for their day-to-day activity and then they have a capital budget so these funds will go into their capital budget to support activities any of the projects that are funded um have to come through the county commissioner and then we appropriate them that's all
the questions I had thanks thank you commissioner Wendy Jacobs there are some items that we have to remove from the agenda they already been removed they've been removed the number okay my agenda still has 24- 0782 that one can move forward that's the that one is okay oh solar program yeah okay that one can move forward okay okay I will anymore I'll entertain a motion for approval oh commissioner Valentin you have something yes so actually I'd like to piggyback somewhat on the question that uh commissioner Michelle Burton asked this suggest that this this is three new DPS capital projects and so prior to me arriving uh it was my understanding there was some existing repairs that needed to be done have those already been addressed in addition
to these three new projects that are um being offered here this evening I will follow up um but I I'm pretty sure they have a long list of projects that um are in their sort of docket and um what typically happens the state will authorize Lottery funds and as those projects are ready um to move forward they will go to their list of of impending projects and then uh allocate the dollars for them so I am sure they still have quite a few that are still on the list so although it may say new it's new for this type of funding but it's still um in their sequencing of funding and correct me if I'm wrong Anda this is not County funding this is State Lottery fund so this is just the process that the Commissioners have to approve it for the state to move it yeah okay I'll entertain a motion for approval of the
consent agenda so moved so okay move by commissioner Stephen Valentine second by commissioner Wendy Jacobs all in favor say I I any opposed consent is passed unanimously I'll now pass it to attorney Williamson for boards and commission appointments um I just wanted to say something um about the board and um commission appointments um just so I know one of my roles is we have to be transparent so um the person who is um being being I guess nominated for the um Durham County um Hospital board um so that's my cousin and so um I consulted um attorney Williamson and because I have a duty to vote um yeah I just wanted to make sure that was clear that I voted and in that yeah I just want to be transparent we
appreciate that transparency and also recognizing that that there was only one applicant for the position that that doesn't create much conflict but thank you for being so transparent and I will also note he is the chair of the Lincoln Community Health Board and it is customary for the chair of that board to then serve as the Lincoln Board of tre trustees representative to the Duke Regional Hospital board okay so we have a number number of appointments here the first one is to the Animal Welfare advisory committee and these are we have two vacant positions and the board has selected mateline Jones and Melody Moore for that we have the Board of Health two vacant positions there and the board has chosen Joshua Brown and Pam Silberman for the boxing and wrestling commission we have
one vacant position and and the board has chosen Harold hubard for the Durham County Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees one vacant position and that the board has chosen Ronald Williams for the Durham Workforce Development board one vacant position the board has selected Adrien Sears and for the historic preservation commission we have one vacant position and the board has chosen Jonathan bicks congratulations to all thank you so much attorney Williamson once again congratulations to everyone who's serving on our boards and please continue to look at the different boards and commission appointments that are posted on the website we have a lot of boards that need our community members to step up and serve um with that that's the end of our agenda I'll entertain a motion to adjourn so moved second moved by commissioner buron second by Comm Stephen Valentine all in favor say I I any oppos he we are adjourned thank you for