County commissioners heard from 23 people who wanted to discuss the county manager’s proposed budget – most defending various spending proposals – when they convened their hearing on the county’s next budget Monday night at the Historic Court House.
The meeting is traditionally moved to the second floor courtroom of the main courthouse in order to accommodate larger potential crowds than can fit in the commissioners’ usual meeting chambers.
Thirteen of the 23 spoke on behalf of the school system. Many of the school system’s boosters wore matching t-shirts from the advocacy group Down Home North Carolina, and they punctuated their comments by telling the commissioners to keep their “hands off” of funds that they feel rightly belong to the schools.
The commissioners also heard from sheriff Terry Johnson and two of his captains, as well as three other residents who were concerned about recruitment and staffing at the local sheriff’s office.
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Meanwhile, three speakers, including current Republican county commissioner candidate Ed Priola and past candidate Henry Vines, who also serves as a member of the county’s Equalization and Review Board that hears appeals of the revaluations given to local property owners, spoke up in favor of a “revenue neutral” tax rate.
Meanwhile Angela Thompson, the executive director of Alamance Elder Care, asked the commissioners to beef up their commitment to her group in light of the loss of in-kind support from Cone Health.
The commissioners will resume their deliberations on the budget during a special work session scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in the commissioners’ usual meeting room in the County Office Building on West Elm Street in Graham.
[Editor’s Note: Check back for more details on speakers’ comments during Monday night’s budget hearing.]
