Good evening everyone and welcome to our regular session of the board of county commissioners here in Durham. We appreciate everyone being here and I'm going to call this to order by starting reading re start I'm going to start by reading 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 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 the genuine commitment to the public charge is observed. Commissioner, Vice Chair Allam, would you mind reading the uh land acknowledgement?
>> Yes. Thank you, Chair Lee. As we convene for the Durham County Commissioners meeting, it's crucial to recognize the painful truth of history. We stand on the stolen ancestral lands of the Kataba, Eno, Okanichi, Shakori, and Tuscorura peoples whose deep connection to this land predates our arrival.
We acknowledge the humility with humility the unjust displacement and violence that occurred leading to the dispossession of indigenous peoples from their homelands. Their resilience in the face of such adversity is a testament to their strength and spirit. 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, respect, and unity. Thank you, Vice Chair. Uh, Commissioner Valentine, would you lead us in the pledge of allegiance?
>> Absolutely. States of America to the standy for all. >> Thank you. The next item on our agenda is agenda adjustments.
Are there any changes to the agenda? >> Hearing none, I accept a motion to approve the agenda as presented. >> So moved. >> Second.
It's been moved and properly seconded that we approve the agenda as presented. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. >> I.
>> All oppose, please use the same sign. Passes unanimously. >> Next item on our agenda are the announcements. Clerk Wallace um outside of technical um
challenges. All right. One second here. Then we'll read the announcements.
Good evening everyone. I will read the announcements published in tonight's agenda. The board uh of elections will continue to host the free North Carolina voter photo identification card outreach events um for registered Durham County voters throughout 2026. Each month, staff will be at one of the Durham County libraries to distribute free IDs, assist with voter registration, and answer any questions.
m. m. This annual spring event, um, the Creek Week 2026, uh, it's coming March 14th through the
21st. During this event, we are inviting everyone to learn about and explore and help protect local waterways. Durham County Stormwater will host several activities including the connected currents panel, trivia night, the creek critter crawl, and more. gov for additional information.
The Durham County Open Space Program will host a guided nature walk at the New Hope Creek Bottomlands Trail on Friday, March 20th. Participants are asked to RSVP for this event and you can contact David Bradley. His email is listed. You can also call 919-9433997.
org. Public safety career exploration camp applications are now being accepted. Um, don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to join a free 5-day public
safety career exploration camp for young women in grades 9 through 12. You can apply by midnight on March the 23rd and there is a link for additional information. You can contact Durham County Emergency Management Planner Jay Johnson and their contact number is 919-56061. The Durham County Soil and Water Conservation District wants to celebrate an outstanding conservation educator.
You can nominate a teacher for the conservation education teacher of the year award open to all elementary, middle, and high school conservation education teachers. Winners will be honored at the annual DSWC awards banquet and advance to the state level competition. The deadline for nominations is March the 27th and there is a website for you to um receive additional information. We want to hear from you. Tell us about your top community priorities for fiscal year 2627 budget by taking the annual
resident budget survey. Your feedback plays a key role in shaping Durham County's future. You can take the survey to add your voice to the budget discussion. Share your input by May the 26.
There is a QR code to scan and there is also a link available to fill out the survey. Durham County Department of Public Health will offer extended hours for family planning, STI and immunization clinics on the second Tuesday of each month beginning Tuesday, March 10th. m. providing an opportunity for guests to schedule appointments for sexual health testing, COVID vaccinations, measel vaccinations, and more.
You can contact 919-560-76004 uh to schedule an appointment. And lastly, uh get in touch with Durham County. On the March 2026 episode of InTouch with Durham County show, public health's Wilma Robinson Allen discusses
mental health being one of the county's community health assessment top health priorities. On the second segment, soil and water conservation district, Alicia Sniff uh shares how her department teaches youth about the environment, agriculture, and farming. You can view the show on our county YouTube page. commaster.
That concludes the announcements published in tonight's agenda. >> Thank you, Clerk Wallace. Are there any other announcements? Um Commissioner Jacobs.
Thank you, chair. Um, one is I just wanted to share with the community, uh, it was in our opioid newsletter that, uh, we have a third, um, actually it's our fourth, I should say, um, uh, free Narcan vending machine that is up and running in the community. Uh
it is over uh behind St. Joseph's AM church and um it there is free um Narcan there. Nlloxxone for for the community which uh prevents people from um overdosing on opioids. And I just want to make sure people know that that is there.
It's um on Fagetville Street. You probably know the address exactly. Do you want to say the address? >> 2821 Fateville Street.
>> Thank you. Um, as a member of the church. Um, but we really want to thank St. Joseph's for partnering with Durham County on on that placement in the community.
Uh, there's also a vending machine um at the main library and at um is it a I should confirm that actually. Rod, I'm giving the wrong information. It's not at the main library. It's at uh
Health and Human Services building and in the lobby of the uh detention center. Um so I just want to share that also. Um it was great to hear in our announcements about the camp for um emergency medicine experiences and I see Donna Rewald here. our uh so our uh cooperative extension director there's also a uh 4 camps enrollments are open now and if you go to the website uh for cooperative extension there are all kinds of camps and there are scholarships available.
So, now is the time for us to start thinking about getting our kids engaged and active in uh lots of great activities for the summer. So, thank you, >> Commissioner Burton. >> Thank you, Chair Lee. Um, I just want to
talk about there was a really good program with the Durham Women's Commission partnering with the Durham County Library. As you all know, March is Women's History Month, and we had um the um author, Abigail Leonard, came um author of Four Mothers about four women around the world and how they experience motherhood. And I had the privilege of facilitating that. It was a really good turnout.
Um it happened this past Saturday on March the 8th, no, March the 7th, right? And it was also a resource fair where we had Durham County staff out from public health and we also had welcome baby um offering resources to the community on how they can take care of their young ones. It was a really great event and I just wanted to make sure I shout out the good work that the Durham Women's Commission is doing as well as Durham County Library. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Burton. Um I don't think that there's any other
announcements. So we'll move forward with our agenda. Next item on our agenda are the approval of the minutes for our regular session meeting dated February 9th 9th 2026. >> So moved.
>> Second. >> It's been moved and properly seconded. We approve the men the regular session minutes dated for February February 9th, 2026. Any further discussion?
All right. Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I.
>> All oppose, please use the same sign. Passes unanimously. Next item on our generous ceremonial items. We do have a proclamation and that is for the 52nd annual Durham Crop Hunger Walk.
We do have a speaker. We uh for these um proclamations, we we don't read them out anymore. However, we do invite you to come speak and kind of talk about the um
u Durham crop hunger walk. >> Thank you, Chair Lee. My name is Alice Sharp and I am very fortunate to be the coordinator of the walk and I'm here with one of our wonderful committee members who can introduce herself. >> Sure.
Colleen Herbert um um on staff at North Carolina Central University. >> I just want to thank all of the residents of Durham County for making the Durham Crop Hunger Walk pianually one of the largest in the country. and we have some stiff competition, but it's to those great residents of Durham who support it. They come out to walk. They raise monies and we support 12 local agencies along hunger fighting agencies along with um uh urban ministries, meals
on wheels, $220,000 a year and it's added up over the years to over $5 million for Durham County. So, thank you Durham County residents. The event is March 29th in front of Duke Chapel. come out at 1:30.
Enjoy the best mix of Durham you'll ever see. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you.
>> Any comments from our commissioners about the proclamation? Uh do uh I was about to say Dr. Burton. Uh Commissioner Burton.
>> Yes. Thank you, Chair Lee. And it's just so exciting to see Miss Sharp here. We go to the same church, Covenant Presbyterian Church.
thank you for doing this important work with Durham Cropw Walk and I plan on being there. So, I just wanted to give you a shout out and all the great things that she does for the Durham community. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you, um, Commissioner Jacobs.
>> Well, I just want to thank you both for being here, for your leadership of this really important effort in our community. Thank you for the wonderful shirts. 4 million has gone directly to hunger fighting agencies in Durham. And this is more important than ever as we find that food security is a rising challenge in our community.
So I hope everybody will come out. I plan to be there as well um to help come together and help people in our community and across the country. Thank you. >> You're going to have to be on the mic if you're gonna if you're going to speak.
I forgot to but >> get to the mic. Get to the mic. >> Since you mentioned the the graphic design, it's not a logo because it changes every year. That is designed by an NCCU art student and uh she did a wonderful job and they've been designing our logos for about the past 10 years.
So, they do a great job. >> All right. >> Thank you. Okay.
All right. Congratulations again. and look forward to that. >> Chair Lee, if if I could be recognized.
>> Sure. Okay. Thank you. >> Absolutely.
>> M. Sharp, thank you for standing in this space on behalf of our community and quite frankly bringing our community along in our efforts to cure a problem with hunger, not only in our community, in our state, but across the nation. Um, and also thank you for reminding me that my my good friend the chair is a close relative.
>> Yes, chair Mike Lee. Yes, >> she called him Mike Lee. That's what he's talking about. Just It happens all the time in the community.
So, he's honored. All right. All right. All right.
Uh hearing no other comments. Congratulations again. Um the next item on our agenda is the consent agenda. Um we have 28 items on it.
Did I miss something? >> Yes, sir. >> What did I miss? >> Oh.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Yep. I sure did miss something.
All right. The next item agenda in our on our agenda is to recognize the board of equalization and review members. They have been been hard at work. So, >> uh, good evening, commissioners. Uh, Kardo, tax administration.
I am here to recognize the board of equalization and review. A board of equalization and review is a local citizen-led committee appointed by county commissioners to hear property tax appeals, review tax listings, and adjust property valuations. They ensure fair legal assessment of real and personal property, including handling exemptions. Our particular board is a collective of professionals from the real estate market.
I think we're very lucky to have their expertise during this time. Um, experiencing a very very very different reappraisal in 2025. I believe having a collective such as ours is very important. So, I want I thank you all for actually wanting to recognize them.
They are here today. The entire board came. Thank you board members. And um
I'm going to turn it over for you all to make sure that you all have an opportunity to speak. Could you please stand? >> Please stand. >> Be recognized.
Before you all speak, I want to just run through the names so everybody knows who we're looking at. All right. We have David Smith, actual chair. David Williams, please raise your hand, Mr.
Williams. Thank you, sir. Mr. Wendell Bulard, Janette Hussie, Yan Hasbrook, and Mr.
My Peacock. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you all for your work.
I'm sure everyone I'm sure we're going to have a lot of comments. So, I'll start with Commissioner Valentine. >> Uh, thank you, Chair. So, I am grateful for the opportunity to have each of you in the chamber here tonight uh to say
thank you. So, I won't go through saying here ye, here ye and announcing all of your names, which I had anticipated doing, but thank you again for your work on the equalization review board during this property reeval re-evaluation cycle where we witnessed an unprecedented number of appeals. And so many people don't know, but the number of appeals this cycle required your board to meet daily all day in many instances in order to complete the task in a timely manner. And so I had the opportunity to see you at work, hard at work on numerous occasions. And I don't take it lightly um that uh the level of expertise that you have, you could have been somewhere else making a few bucks, but you decided to put some extra time in on behalf of the residents here in Dorm County. And so we're extremely appreciative and grateful for your service to the county and I'm equally grateful that many of you have agreed to continue on the board for a
second or even a third term. And so from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you. Thank you. And thank you again for your service to Dorm County.
Thank you. >> Uh, Commissioner Jacobs. >> Oh, I just want to echo Commissioner Valentine's comments. We are so grateful to you, all of you, for all of the service and time that you have dedicated to something that I can only imagine is extremely challenging, especially during the Reval and just very difficult decisions that you have to make and with the expertise that you have in your professional life that has really equipped you to be able to to do this really important work. Um, so you're really unsung heroes. Again, thank you so much for doing a very difficult task.
I know that Kiar during our budget retreat spoke really glowingly about all the work that you've had to we had this is the most um uh appeals that we've ever had in the history of Durham and the fact that you I don't know are have we actually gotten through them at this point or >> almost there. So the fact that you have actually and what was the total number ki just so the public knows how much work you've put in >> 2025 received 10,300 appeals >> 10,300 appeals that you all have had to work your way through one way or another. So again, thank you so much. Um, this is part of the foundation of everything that we do in the county because it's that that the taxes are what pay for all
of the services and programs that we provide to residents every day. So again, thank you, >> Vice Teritto, to what my colleagues have said, but also echoing the fact that, you know, our tax administration office, it is one of our hardest parts of the role because obviously nobody likes taxes, but it's the most vital part of our county government because every single one of our services and programs is funded by our property taxes and sales tax. So, you guys are literally helping us get through this process to make sure that we're being equitable and fair to all of our neighbors, but also keeping all of our programs and services running. And so, thank you so much that even though it may not be the most attractive role that people think about when it comes to county government, it is one of the most vital.
And so, thank you so much for that service and work. And I'm glad that we have the opportunity. Thank you uh Ki for
bringing uh the board here so that we can recognize and acknowledge them for this historic amount of work and hopefully we can recogni we don't hopefully we don't have as many the next time but to continue to recognize the amazing work that you guys do in the future. Thank you >> Burton. No. Okay.
Well, I want to say that um your work is um how Durham survives, right? How we continue as a as a county. You know, we you you think about, you know, when you when you make a place your home, you think about how you can help your community. Some people mentor, some people coach basketball, soccer, some people run for elected office, you know, some people do many things and those contribute. But the way Durham survives and continues to grow and becomes the place
that we all wanted to be is through um the way we grow is through property taxes. And part of the property tax process is the appeals. It happens every time. So you all are the reason we can be Durham can be what it can be is because of the work that you all are doing.
They've mentioned it a few times tonight that has record numbers of appeals because it was just a it was a kind of a a longer period between evaluations and lots of jumps. Mine jumped up as well. Everyone here here did. But it is community members like you all that sacrifice that people don't know about, right? You just you just don't hear about this all the time. You hear about the tax administrator and the staff, but you don't hear about the citizens, the the
residents who actually sit on this board day in day out to hear these appeals. And for that, it's a thankless job. It's one of those things that nobody hears. And I'm sure most people who come before you are upset.
They're not happy to be there. So it is not a um it is not one of the someone said one of the be beautiful jobs or uh glorious jobs but is one of the most important that we have as a resident and for that we the dur in Durham County every resident owes you a debt of gratitude for the sacrifices and the work that you all have done. So, like Commissioner Valentine said, from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you and I thank you for everything that you have done. Thank you for being here and thank you for the
recognition. So, uh, we want a picture. We're going to do a picture. All right, let's do it. So, let's do a picture.
Come together.
All right. Another thank you for uh the board of equalization and review members. Thank you all so much for your work. All right, the next item on our chair, before we proceed, >> Sure.
>> I would be remiss if I didn't mention as I walked in the chamber tonight, I noticed something for the very first time. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, >> but if you look to the rear of our chamber, >> you'll see that Chair Mike Lee, >> my pet, >> has appeared for the very first time in our chamber. >> So, congratulations. >> Thank you.
Thank you very much. >> Join your peers. >> I saw that picture the other day and it was uh had to do a double take. I said, I know that dude.
I know that guy. Thank you for that. I appreciate that. I appreciate it.
All right. Next item on our agenda is consent agenda. We have 28 items and a lot of those were discussed
at our five and a half hour meeting on last Monday. I'm still recovering, but um we'll need approval for the consent agenda. They've been discussed thoroughly and reviewed by the board. >> Yeah.
Yes, Commissioner B. >> Yeah. I just have a question. And I know I wasn't here on last Monday and um I was listening to the video on YouTube about the Wellpath contract and I was wondering are we going to have the sheriff talk to us about conditions at the jail and things like that because of the cost and >> right right now.
Well, I um Commissioner Burton, the Wellpath contract, what we there were a couple of issues surrounding um the cost for medical is increasing everywhere. We have the same challenge at the county. As a matter of fact, we just rebid our contract for um
medical benefits and um pharmacy C benefits as well. We did talk about coming back to the board for additional conversations about um the the detention health. And I also noted in that meeting that the North Carolina Association of Counties is doing a a survey right now and an evaluation of detention health care cost because it is a challenge that's um confronting all um jurisdictions. And so we will come back to the board with more details that the sheriff just went through a RFP so that we can see what pricing can happen for health care for our detainees. Um, so that's a quick recap and so we will be coming back to the board when the sheriff um presents the um recommendation to award the contract for
healthc care services going forward and I'll defer to the sheriff just in case I've missed some things. Yeah, I was just I know about Arena's law. that's having an impact on like people more people are at the jail and it was a discussion about cost. So I was just wondering how that was in fact um impacting the jail with that new law and things like that.
>> Good evening commissioners. Um we are at the sheriff's office prepared to give you information. Over the past few years well path has given lots of data to us in public health. Well, if and when you want a more lengthy presentation, we can come and give you information over the past five years.
Specifically to your question about Arena's law, based on our data and looking at our average daily population, probably in May of 2024, no. Yeah. 2024, our population, average daily population was hovering around 400. Um, last year around the same time
in May was 450. Last week we hit 471. Today we're at 460. Um it's Arena's law just took effect in December, but I think a large portion of the ADP increase in 24 and 25 was due to the pre-trial integrity act.
And then we also have Arena's law. And then there are some things with the new immigration laws that the state has put in place that does cause some slight increases there. sheriff and our chief of detention services believe we will probably exceed 500 at some point this year. Um, and like I said, we have the data.
We can answer questions or if you want a more lengthy presentation, we can get with the manager, get on a work session, a budget session, but we have um lots and lots of data that we can answer either tonight or at some other time if you have any additional questions. >> And yeah, that's fine. I just noted I just when I was watching the video that came up about Arena's Law and having the impact with more people being at the jail. So I was just curious. So thank
you so much. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you.
We'll get that scheduled. All right. Any other comments about u the consent agenda items? Commissioner Jacobs?
>> Yes. Thank you. Um, I just wanted to highlight um for the community the letter, the sign on letter uh regarding the Duke Energy Carbon Plan, integrated resource plan. Um, I really appreciate uh I don't know if Tobin is here, but I really appreciate our staff's work on this letter in collaboration with many different governments. And I think it's really important that the community knows that um what we are providing input to the utilities commission because there are some things that are being proposed by Duke Energy that we
are really concerned about having a negative impact on Durham County government and also on people in our community because um just to highlight highlight a few things that are raised in the letter. One is some of the projected um increase in uh energy rates for what Duke Energy is saying are going to be their future needs. uh we have a lot of concerns about that because that's going to mean higher uh energy bills for residents and a lot of this is linked to uh data centers. Um and so there's a concern about residents paying for uh energy needs of data centers rather than the data centers paying for those needs um and the companies. Um and the other I think big concern that people should understand is that um our own energy
conservation goals that Durham County is trying to implement um could be negatively impacted by changes uh things like increasing the use of uh natural gas which those costs really go up and down a lot more reliance on coal and moving away from things like wind power and renewable energy and some of the flexibility in certain programs that really have helped us cut our energy costs here in Durham County. So, uh, this is really an important letter and I guess one of my questions was going to be, um, whether I know this is going to go to the utilities commission, but whether we also want to share this with, um, our Duke community representative as well directly to make sure she's aware of it. >> Yes, we can share it with um, her officially. She's already seen it because we had a conversation. So, Okay.
But we can officially send it to you. Okay. Uh, and then also I was going to request that it be shared with the environmental affairs board uh because they may also want to um send their own letter to the utilities commission. And then the last question I had was I noticed on the schedule that there actually will be uh public inperson um hearings I think in May.
And I guess whether Durham County feels, you know, I we'll see what Tobin says, but whether she also recommends that we have a representative also speak directly um to the utilities commission at that public hearing. So that's just a followup. >> We'll follow >> whether it's a whether it's a member of our board or a member of our staff. I think that that would be important.
>> We'll definitely follow up. >> Thank you so much. Okay. Any other comments on
consent agenda? >> Okay. >> Move for approval of the consent. >> Okay.
>> Second. >> It's been moved and properly seconded. We approve the items listed on the consent agenda. Uh any further discussion?
>> All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose, please use the same sign. Consent agenda passes unanimously.
Thank you. Next item on our agenda is a public hearing. This public hearing is uh for the creation of the Mangum Fire Protection Service District in Durham County. Um I will open the public hearing.
Thank you, Chairman Lee. Good evening, commissioners, madam manager, madam attorney. Mark Lockheart, director of the Office of Emergency Services. We want to thank you for your continued support of our emergency services team and our efforts to serve Durham County. We're before you tonight for a public
hearing on the creation of the Mangum Fire Protection Service District in the northeast corner of the county. This hearing is being conducted in accordance with North Carolina General Statute Section 153A-320 subsection C. We have a brief slide presentation regarding the process and background information. Durham County is currently covered by seven fire departments.
Bahama, Eno, Lebanon, Mariah, New Hope, Redwood, and the city of Durham Fire. The city of Durham Fire is funded through the city's budget. Uh the Mariah Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department uh also services as part or part of the county, but receives no direct funding from Durham County. Bahama, Eno, Lebanon, New Hope, and Redwood all receive county funding and have their own tax rate. North Carolina General Statute section 153302 establishes requirements for a new service district to be created.
A report is to be prepared for the board of county commissioners. A notice mailed to property owners in the uh proposed district. A public hearing held and then the district, if approved, can be effective or is effective at the start of the new excuse me new fiscal year. A report for the board of county commissioners was prepared by the office of emergency services in collaboration with the tax administration office, the county attorney's office, and city and county GIS.
That report was submitted to the clerk of the board on Friday, February 6, 2026. In that report, the findings are as follows. 55 square miles consisting of 268 taxable parcels with a total appraised value of 64,119,329. The year- round population in the proposed district is estimated at approximately 500 people with no significant change on a seasonal basis. Fire protection is currently provided by the Mariah Volunteer Fire and Rescue
Department and they do not receive any funding from the county and they have indicated to us that they cannot continue to do so due to increased operating cost. They are assisted on calls in this area by the Bahamas Fire Department and they do respond into uh the proposed district. The county does not have the capital, equipment, or personnel to provide fire protection service in this area to meet established standards. 5542 cents per $100 valuation.
The FY26 tax rate for fire protection within the county ranges from 0484 to 0919 per $100 valuation. The proposed Mangum Fire Protection Service District meets the standards set forth in North Carolina General Statute. The average property tax value in the proposed district is $239,000. And for comparison purposes, applying
30 30 cents monthly. This will preserve the uh proposed district's ISO rating and prompt fire response for residents. As far as the process goes, uh we have prepared a report for the board of county commissioners, as I mentioned earlier, and that was filed with the clerk to the board's office on February 6th. A notice of this public hearing and a frequently asked questions document were mailed to property owners on February 6th as well. The notice of public hearing was published in the news and observer on February 23rd and the public hearing was set for tonight and is being conducted as required by North Carolina general statute uh 152302C.
Uh the next steps are for tonight's public hearing to be conducted and then to prepare a recommended tax rate for the new district through the annual budget process. If the board uh finds it favorable to approve the district, then a resolution has been prepared uh for your approval following the conclusion of the hearing. Mr. Chairman, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
>> Okay. I will open it up to questions from the um commissioners for the public hearing. So I guess we had talked about this extensively during our work session and uh I guess it came as a surprise to me that the Mariah Fire Department had been providing uh these services for several decades without compensation as as you mentioned. Uh and so hopefully um as we move towards um putting this in place, this resolves that that issue uh one
once and for all. Um, and I don't have any any questions per se, but I just wanted to put that on the record that they've been providing this service to our community for free uh for many decades. And uh, also chair, we do have members from Mariah with us here uh, this evening. And so, >> yeah, >> I want everyone to to know that >> we have have Mariah here.
The >> Yes, sir. Uh, Chief Roger Wit is here with members of of his department. >> Well, thank you very much for what you all have been doing for years um supporting Durham um without compensation. Thank you.
Thank you. And we have other comments, Commissioner Jacobs. >> Yes. So, I just want to also recognize you all and thank you for your service and um that I think this is very
important that we move forward to make sure that the Mariah Fire Department has the resources that you need. Thank you. >> Okay. All right.
Well, there's no other questions. There's Is there public comment? There's no public comment. So I will close the uh public hearing and now comments ask for comments from the commissioners.
>> Okay. Any comments? I guess my only comment is in line with what I had see said previously, right? that uh I'm glad that we're moving toward a situation where the Mariah Fire Department can receive some funding for the services that they've been providing quite frankly for free for uh many decades.
So, I look forward to uh to that getting that resolved. >> Okay. Well, if there's no other comments about this uh about the public hearing from
the commissioners, uh we will I will accept a motion that the board adopts a resolution creating the Mangum Fire Protection Service District, establishing the district boundaries as described in the staff report and map presented to the board, and authorizing the provision of fire protection services within the district. >> So moved. >> Second. We have a motion on the floor that's been moved and properly seconded.
Any further discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> I.
>> All oppose, please use the same sign. Passes unanimously. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
And that concludes our public hearings section. And now we'll move on to other business. And this is our ERP or enterprise resource planning update from it.
Thank you. Yeah. Uh before um Greg gets started, I just want to um thank this team as well as many others who have helped us go through a very detailed process in evaluating our enterprise resource planning platform and um I also served a part of that process and I won't steal the thunder. under Greg. Um, but it is
one of the most important uh things that an organization has to do that runs on an enterprise resource planning platform. And I'll turn it over to Greg, but I again just wanted to thank them and others. And I'll let Greg get started. Okay, I'm joined this evening by members of our ERP Core team representing finance and human resources. I'm also pleased to have our chief financial officer Crystal Lee Wright and our chief human resource officer Kathy Everick Perry at the table and some team members from the various departments in the audience reflecting the cross department commitment that has defined this initiative from the very beginning. I also want to acknowledge county manager
Hager whose leadership and partnership have been instrumental in bringing us to this point. This evening, we are requesting board authorization to approve Oracle as the county's ERP platform and to authorize staff to proceed with implementation partner procurement and readiness planning. This recommendation is the product of a thorough evidence-based and cross departmental process structured to be fair, transparent, and fully defensible. And I look forward to walking you through it.
The scope of uh what we are modernizing is uh significant and let me just back up. This chart here talks about our uh the unified county initiative. Uh this was the uh when we you hear that term core team. Uh this is the core team representative of u all of the major uh departments in the county budget and management services human resources finance and IS&T. and I am
presenting tonight on behalf of the ERP uh core team. When we look at the scope of what we are modernizing, it is significant. The this ERP transformation will touch virtually every major county business function from finance and budgeting to human resources and talent management to asset management and procurement. The platform we select must must demonstrate excellence across every one of these domains simultaneously.
And this is not a point solution for a single department. It is the foundational operating system for how the county conducts its its business and decisions of this magnitude are also generational in nature. ERP platforms are long-term investments. Our expectation is that the system we select today will s will serve the county for a
minimum of 8 to 10 years and our own history bears that out. We have been on our current SAP platform for over 20 years. That means robustness, vendor stability, long-term support, and the ability to grow with the county's needs are not simply desirable qualities in a platform. They are requirements.
The selected partner must be capable of supporting this entire landscape today and well into the future. Commissioners, the urgency of this decision is real and datadriven. The county has operated as as I've said before on its current SAP uh environment for over 20 years. This is not a criticism. It is a testament to the stability of our operations. However, SAP has communicated clearly that extended maintenance fees will apply
after 2027. They're beginning to take the current platform now to end of life. And this is the critical driver behind our timeline. Continuing on the current platform is not a neutral choice.
It is an increasingly costly and operational risky one. The business goal before us is straightforward. Ensure continu continuity of core government operations and avoid the increased costs and risk that comes with inaction. The time to act is now while we have the runway to do do this properly.
So our recommendation is clear. Oracle is the county's ERP platform. Oracle earned this recommendation by ranking first in maintenance and support. The most heavily weighted category in our evaluation framework. This is a decisive lead in the criterion that most directly determines long-term platform
reliability and vendor accountability for the county. And this recommendation is supported by finance, budget, man, budget and management services, human resources, and IS&T leadership collectively. And in the slides that follow, I will walk you through exactly how we arrived at this conclusion and the evidence that supports it. So our evaluation was structured around five sequential stages designed to ensure objectivity and consistency.
We began by aligning on ERP strategy and mega process requirements across finance, HR and budget. We then defined county specific functional requirements and issued a competitive RFP. We evaluated responses using a consistent documented rubric. Finalists were invited to complete structured multi-day on-site demonstrations. And finally, we scored and compared all
options across multiple dimensions, including functionality, long-term viability, and cost. Every step of this process was county-led, cross departmental, and supported by an external advisor. The timeline before you reflects the the deliberate and competitive nature of this process. In 2025, the county issued a competitive RFP.
We received nine total responses, including multiple leading cloud ERP solutions. Six vendors advanced through initial evaluation. Three finalists were invited to complete structured on-site demonstrations lasting three to four days per vendor. The final evaluation combined RFP scoring, demo validation, and reference checks from peer jurisdictions. This was not a fast process and it was not meant to be. We invested the time
necessary to make a sound, defensible recommendation on behalf of the county. The evaluation framework was designed from the onset to be fair, trans, transparent, and defensible. All vendors responded to the same requirements and the same demo scripts tied directly to county mega processes. and a standard rubric was applied consistently which you see using defined response categories rather than subjective scoring.
The evaluation was county-led and cross departmental with budget, finance, HR and IS&T all participating in scoring. Results were consolidated using county approved waiting across evaluation categories. The process was also supported by an external advisor to ensure independence and rigor. Transparency in how we scored is important. So I want to briefly walk the
board through how our evaluation framework was structured. Vendors were evaluated across four weighted categories. Maintenance and support which carried the greatest weight, functional fit, technical fit, and vendor viability. Each category was scored using a defined rubric.
As mentioned, results were consolidated and weighted to produce composite scores. This approach eliminates subjectivity and ensures the recommendations before you this evening is grounded in documented comparable evidence here. I want to acknowledge that first all three finalists brought genuine capabilities to this evaluation. Workday, SAP and Oracle are each worldclass platforms with strong track
records in both the public and private sectors. This was a competitive field and the evaluation was designed to let the evidence speak, not to predetermine an outcome. This chart tells the story clearly and simply. Oracle's decisive advantage is concentrated precisely where it matters most, and that's in the maintenance and support category.
That result is directly relevant to the generational nature of this decision. When we talk about a platform that must serve Durham County reliably for 8 to 10 years or more, maintenance and support is not a peripheral criterion. It is the criterion. It speaks to vendor commitment, long-term service capability, and accountability to the county over the lifetime of this investment. Oracle decisive lead in that category is precisely why this recommendation is before you this evening.
Now, beyond the selection decision, I want the board to understand what this investment delivers for the county and our residents. We see three core value pillars from this transformation. First, operational continuity. Oracle provides a supportable modern platform for core county operations for the next decade, eliminating the risk and cost of remaining on an agent system.
Second, financial stewardship. The platform strengthens internal controls, auditability, and transparent reporting, which directly supports the board's fidiciary responsibilities. And third, a future ready foundation. Oracle's analytics and AI capabilities provide a scalable foundation for improved decision making across county operations as those capabilities mature.
Commissioners, approving this investment this evening is one decision. Governing it well over the next 24 to 36 months is another. Research consistently tells us that effective governance is the single most important non-technical determinant of ERP migration success. This is not a technology statement.
It is a management statement and it is one we have taken seriously. Our three tier model ensures strategic decisions stay at the executive level. Operational decisions are resolved quickly at the working level and nothing falls through the cracks between the two. And as you can see on this slide, each tier has clearly defined members responsibilities and a meeting cadence because no tier should hold a decision longer than its defined cadence allows.
And I would note for the board that the executive steering committee for this program includes the county manager, the chief financial officer, the chief human resource officer, and senior leadership across finance, HR, and budget. The full weight of county executive leadership is behind this governance structure and behind this recommendation. Commissioners, a responsible recommendation includes being candid about risk. We have we have identified two primary risks and have mitigation strategies in place for both.
The first is dedicated resources and talent capacity. ERP implementations require sustained effort from county staff while day-to-day operations continue. We will address this through an immediate readiness and skill assessment, a comprehensive staffing backfield and
hiring plan, an engagement of an expert implementation partners to supplement our team. The second is data readiness and migration quality. Poor data quality is the leading cause of ERP go live delays. We are treating data readiness as a program critical work stream from day one with a dedicated data migration lead and a non-negotiable go live gate.
All migrated data must fully reconcile to SAP before go live approval is granted. No exceptions. We are not entering this implementation unaware of these challenges. We are entering it with a plan.
We are not entering this implementation unaware. We are entering it with a plan. So if the board approves this recommendation this evening, here's what happens next. Within the next 60 days, staff will issue a competitive RFP for
an Oracle implementation partner targeting contract award by summer of 2026 and program launch in the August 2026 time frame. Our implementation horizon is 24 to 36 months. We are committed to driving toward the shorter end of that range while managing the program responsibly. The board will receive regular updates on milestones, budget, and risk throughout.
This is not a decision the board makes tonight and loses visibility into. Commissioners, the board action before you this evening is clear. approve Oracle as the county's ERP platform and authorize staff to proceed. We are ready to move forward upon your authorization. To be precise about what tonight's approval sets in motion again within the next 60 days, staff will issue a competitive RFP for an Oracle
implementation partner targeting selection and contract by summer. Program launch follows in August of 2026 with phase implementation over the next 24 to 36 months. And as I mentioned before, the board will receive regular updates on milestones, budget, and risks throughout. You have our commitment to full transparency from authorization through completion.
Commissioners, before I close, I want to take a moment to recognize the ERP core team. The work represented in this presentation did not happen overnight. It reflects months of dedicated effort from colleagues across finance, budget, and management services, human resources, and is many who have given significantly of their time above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities to get us to this moment. and I am grateful for their commitment, their rigor, and their partnership throughout
this process. And on behalf of the entire core team, I want to thank the board for your time, your attention, and your thoughtful consideration of this recommendation. We are confident in Oracle. We are confident in our plan, and we are ready to move forward upon your authorization, and I'm happy to take any questions the board may have.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for the the presentation. really good information there.
Um, all right. So, we'll go with questions. I do have some, but I'll go with you, uh, Vice Chair alone. >> Thank you, Chair Lee.
Well, thank you so much, uh, Director, uh, Dr. Crystal, and Director Harris Perry and Manager Hager, the entire team. This is a very thorough presentation and I'm glad that we're finally at this point because I feel like we've been talking about this since forever about how outdated our system is. So, I'm sure that this is a huge relief to y'all and your teams uh to be
able to get moving to this next step. Um just wondering so once we now that we are in this process wondering what is it going to be like moving forward of continuing to keep up with the latest software so that we're not in a situation where we're like 25 years into it and we're like shoot we need to upgrade. >> Yes. So the you heard me say we've been on our current platform for over 20 years.
the the whole industry has changed since 20 years ago. And so now uh the vendors uh they do updates automatically. Uh they give you the option to um you know they'll give you notice but uh they now keep their platforms up to date. You know they take advantage of the latest technologies in the marketplace. uh it's an ongoing process and one of the one of the things you have to be ready to do is manage those new releases as they come as they are released. So
the vendors have taken on that responsibility to keep their platforms now sort of taking advantage of the latest and greatest technology in the marketplace. Yes. >> House may Yeah. Thank you.
Um, Commissioner Jacobs, >> I have a few questions. Thank you so much. Um, all of the information that was provided to us was very detailed. Um, and I said to our county manager that sometimes I felt like I was reading another language. I had to reread paragraphs because I frankly this is not something that I'm very knowledgeable about. Um, so my question related to that is could you explain to could you explain like what do you see can you give examples of how we might see things working differently
daytoday for Durham County government? like how what will this investment like what will actually look like for departments or for staff if you can just kind of give like a common place example. Well um and certainly uh my colleagues can can comment as well. Um but one example is um again you know 20 years ago uh if you wanted a dashboard as an example of you know analytics to know how your business is doing like how many employees in the county, how many are getting ready to retire, how many are da da da da you you know you'd have to generate those dashboards outside of the platform once you got a hold of the data. today you can just push a button and um and really generate that kind of information in front of your face and with the incorporation of AI capabilities um you
know that's becoming I mean it's becoming very simple now to get at um the data the analytics that you need to to make decisions so you can make decisions in a much faster manner because that information is readily available to you today that's just one example of some of the new capabilities that we are seeing in these platforms. And if I can add, you could also remove some of the manual um labor that's required to produce the reports that we are able to report now. And the reports, although I would say we're very accurate, is likely to be consistently accurate with us having a better system and not relying on individuals to go through and then have someone go through behind them and behind them to make sure that we are accurate. So we'll be saving manpower and be more productive otherwise. >> That's very helpful crystally. >> And I would like to say too is that you'll see that there will be like a lot
of automation. Um less spreadsheets um Excel more more in the system. Um people will be able to talk within the system. information is transferred from the department transferred to the finance or HR or IS&T area and so that's going to be absolutely great for us and I'll give mine I would say better integration um improved efficiencies and increased internal controls.
>> Okay, that's all really helpful. It sounds like it will help us make better decisions about things, have more information, and also maybe help save time >> that people are working on things and free free up time for other things. Um, and when you said that it's going to take between 24 and 36 months, is that
from now or from July of 2026? Yeah, that's from uh after an implementation partner has been selected. >> Okay. >> Once that implementation partner comes on board, >> develops a plan.
>> Yeah. >> Then the clock starts. >> That's amazing. So, so basically July 2028 or beyond, >> right? and and >> wow I'm sorry >> in the um supplemental document we we even give us even more buffer be uh to 36 to 48 months just sort of based on what we're seeing and so ideally we're pushing hard for the 36 but we recognize as we go through the process um we have to be very coordinated in one of the slides talent management is so critical having the right uh number of staff dedicated for implementation but also staff dedicated to support existing
operations. So, we're at a very tricky spot where we need the talent who are SAP experts to support us, but also as we migrate, making sure we bring on the right team members to help us with that. And and so, as Greg mentioned, we are doing an operational assessment that's external. We approved that contract back in February.
And uh we're I feel confident that we will outline a good strategy. I'm hopeful that we will be able to execute it with the board's support. So we will come back with approaches on how do we retain talent during the stage um because that's often where entities get off um schedule because of the whole talent management. But but we we will come back with some strategies that we feel that would help us to um keep our talent and attract new.
>> So my last question was going to be uh I know this is just an initial cost just what are there any projections about how much of an investment this will be with the staffing and over time. >> Correct. This is just uh what we're addressing tonight is just software costs. And you're right, there's the implementation cost, the staffing costs.
Um um I don't know if in the I don't remember in the detailed document if we did a TCO, a total cost of ownership to >> We did not. Um we in our CIP we budgeted an amount and that's upwards of 20 million. Yes. And so, um, we're hopeful it can be lower than that, but that is not unusual.
Um, and so, but we'll come back with more information on that as we get to the next page. >> Yeah, this is a huge investment. Yes.
>> And for that, for that 20 million, it's essentially like it's split up over it's the cost of the overall >> it's the cost of over over four years. Yes, that is correct. So it's not like the one time like implementation cost to that. >> Yes ma'am.
>> And also there's like costs risks of not doing this with the >> security and I've seen those too. Unfortunately that's why we we've tried to think of all the factors >> but the benefit of a ERP system like this in an enterprise this size far outweighs the cost over time. Absolutely. There's no question.
Um that was that were those all your questions. Um Commissioner Valentine. >> Yes. Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Merrell, thank you to you and your team. >> Um first, let me say thank you for noting that you're going to come back periodically. >> Yes. >> And provide the board with updates. Um my two questions are one, you had
mentioned that the maintenance and support packages were essential um to the platform and Oracle being selected. um how how was the maintenance and support package relative to other uh vendors who were competing like how what makes the Oracle like stand out in that regard? So um uh we scored using the rubric. Uh there were a number of questions regarding maintenance and support that the vendor had to had to answer.
Uh things like um you know it may have been um you know how are problems handled? you know, if there's a if there's an issue with the software, how is that handled? You know, uh from a support standpoint, uh what does the maintenance schedule look like uh over the course of a year? You know, is it, you know, how how often does the vendor upgrade the platform? Those kind of questions. Uh those are just examples of some kind of some of the maintenance and support
questions that the vendor had to answer. Um you know, 247 support Um those you know those are the kind of example questions that the v all three vendors had to answer. >> Yes. Yeah, I mean I'm support staff, you know, and another one, right?
What kind of support staff do you have uh post launch? You know, once we go live, what does the support look like post launch, right? Do you walk away from us or do you hold our hands for, you know, 12 to 18 months, right, as we get going on this new platform? >> Yeah. >> So those kind of questions. I mean I I asked that having you know some background with procurement sure and uh the maintenance packages being essential and so without that particularly with you know depending who your partner is how essential >> that is to the long-term stability >> with respect to the platform now the
last question is about the platform itself and please forgive me if I'm in artful in how I ask this question but with respect ect to interoperability and cross government. What what does that look like? And that's some might that might be odd because you would assume that it will be but I've been environments where yes >> things have been sort of out of sorts and so that's why I asked the question. >> Yeah. So great question and um um interoperability is is something that uh was part of the evaluation as well uh because we do have to you know we do have to interoperate with multiple systems here in the county you know it's not a standalone ERP system so we have a number of other external systems that we have to interoperate with and and um you know what we heard in terms of the support the maintenance and support in terms of Oracle working with us, teaming on helping us uh make those connections
with the other systems we we have in have here in the county again was sort of a driving factor for why they scored so high in that particular category. >> Yes. >> Uh thank you and I look forward to hearing from you again. >> Thank you.
And again I just want to emphasize uh you you thank me uh it but this was a core team core team effort. >> Yes. Absolutely. >> Yes.
>> Your your entire team. >> Thank you. Um thank you all for this. Um these are the kind of things I really like with my background. Um our current uh ERP um when does support end for it? uh uh according to SAP support ends 2027 and then after 2027 you go into what they call extended life uh cost goes up um and I believe uh it goes end of life 2030
>> okay >> that's it it's like >> we're not supporting this 20 year old >> that's right we have to get that done um and you said that we've had this ERP for 20 years. Um the estimate of the 24 to 36 months um where does that come from? Have we done the mapping and everything like that yet between Oracle and >> so uh as we mentioned uh we talked to a number of jurisdictions um uh here in the state and out of state as well. Uh we talked to a couple of counties uh who did uh Oracle implementations and got some sort of projections of kind of what it takes to do an implementation of this size. Uh we also have our I guess in hired I would say my sister institution across the street but uh across the street going through an Oracle implementation of as well the
city of Durm and so we have some idea of you know what they're going through. >> Yeah. Um will uh will train staff train and be involved absolutely this contract? I mean with is that included?
I'm not I don't remember seeing. >> Yes. as part of the remember this is just the software. >> Yeah, I I get that by >> this is just the software but as part of the implementation partner RFP >> that will be a requirement.
>> Okay. >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Very good.
>> Okay. Um Commissioner Burton, anything? >> All right. So, um, not hearing any other comments, I will accept a motion that the board approve the county manager to move forward with a contract with contract negotiations with DT Solutions to implement Oracle for the county's ERP.
>> So moved. >> Second. >> We have a motion on the floor that's been moved and properly seconded. Any further discussion? All in favor say I.
>> I. All oppose, please shoot the same sign. It passes unanimously. Thank you very much.
Next item on our agenda is close session. So I'll accept a motion to go into close session for the reasons stated on the agenda. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> It's been moved and properly seconded. We go into close session for the reasons stated on the agenda. Any further questions? No.
No. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor say I.
>> I. All oppose, please use the same sign. We are now in close session. Thank you.
Open session. Um, no action was taken. Direction was given to staff in close session. And I'll accept a motion to adjurnn.
>> So moved. Second. >> It's been moved and properly seconded. We adjourn.
Any further discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose, please use the same sign. We are now adjourned. Thank you all.