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Good morning neighbors,
Welcome to June! Between big municipal fiscal decisions and summer transitions, this is a busy time of year for our community.
Last night, the Alamance County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing for residents to weigh in on the county’s proposed $278.6 million spending plan.
Between the usual opening public comment section and the special public hearing on the budget, more than 40 people signed up to speak to the commissioners. Comments mostly centered around the proposed property tax hike and opinions about funding for the library and social services, EMS and the Alamance-Burlington School System.
Roughly half of those who spoke said they were against raising taxes, while others pleaded with local leaders to allocate more funding toward ABSS, libraries and other services – even if that meant higher property taxes or seeking a sales tax referendum for voters to decide.
After adjourning the public hearing and some comments from county staff, commissioners unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting without sharing their comments.
“We’ve decided we’re not going to comment on this because we’re all still working on the budget,” chair Kelly Allen said.
Before the meeting on the steps of the courthouse, I interviewed Medora Burke-Scoll, a science teacher at Eastern Alamance High School. She’s also president of the Alamance Burlington Association of Educators. More than a dozen other members were there, too.
Burke-Scoll said that if commissioners were to propose school funding cuts to avoid a property tax increase, we could see a repeat of last year.
“If they do not fund out schools an appropriate amount – the appropriate amount that the county manager is well aware of and made sure was in her budget – they’re gonna find themselves back at a court-mandated mediation,” she said.
School’s (almost) out for ABSS, with the last day of school for students being this Friday. The Class of 2026 is celebrating graduation this weekend, and the Board of Education is planning for the next school year. At the last school board meeting, Superintendent Aaron Fleming said ABSS leaders have asked for close to $3.2 million more than is currently included in the county’s draft budget for operating expenses.
For families with little ones: Registration for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library has officially returned to Alamance County! Our bilingual family loves to get books that include both English and Spanish text, so we can read to our daughter.
Last year, the Alamance Partnership for Children, which administers the program in Alamance County, announced it wouldn’t accept new enrollments due to a lack of state funding. Now, local children can once again sign up to receive a free book in the mail each month until they turn five years old. In an emailed statement, the Alamance Partnership for Children’s executive director Rushonda Thomas said that new enrollments reopened “as part of a statewide phased reopening coordinated by the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) and The Dollywood Foundation.”
Speaking of books, local library branches are currently on a program break, particularly for children and youth programs. But don’t worry, they’re all still open for regular daily operations. Programming returns next week, and the Alamance County Public Library’s summer reading program kicks off this Saturday, June 6. Learn more about it here.
In this week’s feature, we talk to the founders of the First Saturday Vendor Market at Holly Hill Mall and give you a snapshot of why small businesses matter in Alamance County.
Below you’ll find a link to the full story, our local news roundup, new community spotlight feature and weekly community events calendar.
As always, thanks so much for reading The Alamance Fabric! |
