Durham County commissioners approved $1.875 million for sewer infrastructure while grappling over how to allocate $4.5 million in remaining federal COVID relief funds toward violence prevention and other urgent community needs.
Commissioners approved $1.875 million for sewer infrastructure at Chin Page Road Lift Station, part of a $19.3 million wastewater project addressing North Durham capacity needs.
Eleven youth have been shot and killed in Durham since January 2024, prompting resident Dearen Langley to urge commissioners to allocate federal and regular budget resources to violence prevention programs.
Commissioners must decide how to spend $4.5 million in remaining federal ARPA funds as community requests for child care, homeless services, and re-entry housing exceed available resources.