Board of Commissioners

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS June 16, 2025 MINUTES PRE-MEETING – 5:00PM Mayor Washam called the Pre-meeting to order at 5:08PM. All commissioners were present at the Pre- meeting.  Land Use Plan Imagery Asst. Planning Director David Cole introduced a draft Supplemental Visual Guidebook for the Town’s Land Use Plan. The Board thanked Mr. Cole. Commissioner Johnson suggested building heights along Jetton Road Extension be discussed further due to the topography that exists along the corridor. Commissioner Osborne suggested changing the hotel level illustration in Corporate Mixed Use to 6-stories.  Agenda Review Manager Grant gave an overview of the 6PM agenda items. He also updated the Board on the MEDIC discussions that continue with Mecklenburg County, MEDIC, and the Town Managers within the County. Commissioner Osborne made a motion to adjourn the Pre-meeting at 6:00PM. Commissioner Carney seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. REGULAR MEETING - 6:00PM 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Washam called the meeting to order at 6:10PM. 2. DETERMINATION OF QUORUM All commissioners were present at the meeting. 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Osborne made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. Commissioner Carney seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. 4. MOMENT OF SILENCE AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Washam led the pledge after a moment of silence was observed. 5. CITIZEN CONCERNS/COMMENTS Mayor Washam invited the public to speak, and the following speakers were heard: Cynthia Team – 9550 Glenashley Drive, expressed her growing concerns with the safety of young children operating motorized bikes, long boards, dirt bikes, etc. on the streets and sidewalks of Cornelius and the dangers of getting hit by vehicles or hurting pedestrians walking. 06/16/25 Regular Meeting Page 1  Brian Murphy – 11410 Heritage Green Drive, expressed his concerns with young children operating motorized bikes and long boards in the streets of Cornelius and submitted details of a dangerous situation that occurred in Heritage Green subdivision (Attachment 1). Jack Higgins – 12219 Meetinghouse Drive, thanked staff and the Board for not approving rezoning case REZ 01-25 as it was not the right fit for the Bailey Road corridor and believes the vehicle stacking along Bailey Road for pick up/drop off at the middle and high schools need resolution. Dave Coppa – 18117 Ebenezer Drive, expressed his thanks to the Board for not approving rezoning case REZ 01-25. He suggested that the Town host a Civics 101 course to help educate the citizens on how local government works and to consider changing the Land Use Plan to better fit the Bailey Road corridor. 6. REPORTS Asst. Parks Director Adam Abernathy reported on the following: • Memorial Day program held on May 26th has approximately 300 attendees. • Symphony in the Park with Fireworks will be held on June 21st (6PM-10PM) at Bailey Road Park. • North Meck Farmer’s Market is being held on Wednesdays (9AM-12PM) behind Town Hall now through Sept. 24th. • Sundown Sounds featuring The Catalinas will be held on June 20th at Ramsey Creek Park (7:30PM-9:30PM). • Bailey Road Park – the water fountains have been replaced at the soccer field shelter and the Court Complex is under construction with an estimated completion date of Sept. 2025. 7. PRESENTATION A. CMS Update CMS, District 1 Rep. Melissa Easley provided the Board with a CMS update on the new middle school that will relieve Bailey, Bradley and JM Alexander middle schools (estimated opening Aug. 2028) and the new Cornelius Elementary (estimated opening Aug. 2030). She shared that Hough High School seniors earned over $11M in scholarships and the 2025 graduation rate was at 95%. She gave a breakdown for the 2025-2026 budget, as well as the legislative items that are being followed like teachers’ compensation, calendar flexibility, and CMS support of Senate Bill 729 for student health screenings. CMS is ranked 20 out of 115 school districts across the state for meeting or exceeding growth. Mayor Washam asked if one assigned SRO (School Resource Officer) for the size of Hough High is adequate. Ms. Easley stated that she is not aware of a quota/ratio that determines how many SROs should be assigned per school, but she will look into that further. Commissioner Johnson asked for more insight on the CMS dedicated police department, its location and role. Ms. Easley explained that the officers are CMPD officers that are stationed at the Education Center. Manager Grant explained that CMS has their own law enforcement agency; however, the SRO officers that are assigned to the high school and middle school in Cornelius receive funding from CMS and the Town funds the SROs assigned to the elementary schools. 06/16/25 Regular Meeting Page 2  Commissioner Osborne asked how many students will be enrolling in Bailey Middle School from Davidson while the new school is being built. Ms. Easley stated that approximately 376 students will be moving from Davidson K-8 to Bailey Middle. Commissioner Osborne asked what the bus ridership was for Cornelius students. Ms. Easley stated that Bailey Middle has 69.2% bus riders and Hough High has 36% of the student body that rides the bus. Commissioner Higgins asked about the coordination between CMPD and CPD. Ms. Easley stated that she did not realize that the SROs assigned to Cornelius schools were CPD officers and not CMPD so she will need to check into how the coordination is handled. Commissioner Carney questioned CMS posturing relative on student technology. Ms. Easley stated that every student in CMS is assigned a laptop or an iPad for learning; however, there are conversations around banning phones from school campuses, but how to enforce the ban has not been defined. 8. PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC COMMENT A. REZ 04-25 Aftonshire Homes Senior Planner Aaron Tucker presented a rezoning request made by Fund 26-Dogwood, LLC to rezone a .349-acre parcel located near the entrance of Mill Creek from Neighborhood Residential to Conditional Zoning to allow three single-family lots to be developed. The lots may contain accessory dwellings, the homes will have a three-story height limit and will have driveway access to Aftonshire Drive. The developer will not be the builder, and a perimeter fence will be provided. The community meeting was held on June 5th with 5 attendees that had questions on stormwater drainage, proposed separation of homes, and where visitors will park. Commissioner Higgins asked about visitor parking and sidewalks. Mr. Tucker explained that the Town does allow on-street parking and there is existing sidewalk that will remain with the project. Commissioner Osborne asked for clarification on the definition of accessory dwelling. Mr. Tucker explained that accessory dwellings are typically allowed on single-family lots, they must be in the rear yard and be half the size of the home. Commissioner Sansbury asked what would prevent a developer from coming in and doing townhomes. Mr. Tucker explained that the project would be conditioned so that only detached single-family dwellings would be permitted. Mayor Washam invited the applicant to speak. Martin Kerr spoke for the applicant and thanked staff and the Board as they worked throughout the rezoning process. Mayor Washam invited the public to speak, and the following comments were heard. Kim Sherrill – 19722 Feriba Place, stated that she supports the single-family lots vs. any multi-family dwelling units. 06/16/25 Regular Meeting Page 3 9. CONSIDERATION OF APPROVAL A. FY26 Fee Schedule Asst. Finance Director Cindy Johnston explained that the fee schedule is amended independent of the budget document, so that mid-year budget amendments do not require the 5-page schedule of fees. Parks & Recreation changes include an increase in resident and non-resident field rental, tournament fees, outdoor court rental, and shelter rental. ElectriCities has a 5% electric rate increase to Residential, Small Commercial, Medium Commercial, and Medium Industrial tiers, as well as increases to the REPS Rider fees for Residential from $0.82 to $0.87, the Commercial fee is increasing from $4.47 to $4.72, and the Industrial fee is increasing from $46.08 to $48.67. Commissioner Osborne made a motion to approve the FY26 Fee Schedule as presented. Commissioner Carney seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. B. Reimbursement Resolution Asst. Finance Director Cindy Johnston explained that due to the timing for the FY25 police and fire vehicle financing, the reimbursement resolution allows for the purchase of the vehicles and equipment before closing on the loan and then the ability to be reimbursed with the proceeds once the loan has closed. The FY25 budgeted amount for police and fire vehicles is $700,000. Commissioner Higgins made a motion to approve reimbursement Resolution #2025-01171 as presented. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. Resolution #2025-01171 is hereby made part of the minutes by reference. C. Amend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grant Project Ordinance and Close Out the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Special Revenue Fund Asst. Finance Director Cindy Johnston explained that the ordinance amendment recognizes the interest accrued in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Special Revenue Fund in the amount of $1,237,086 and authorizes a transfer of $1,237,086 to the Infrastructure Capital Project Fund. Commissioner Carney made a motion to approve Ordinance #2025-00878 amending the American Rescue Plan Act Grant Project Ordinance and close out the American Rescue Plan Act Special Revenue Fund as presented. Commissioner Sansbury seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. Ordinance #2025-00878 is hereby made part of the minutes by reference. D. FY25 Infrastructure Capital Project Amendment Asst. Finance Director Cindy Johnston explained that the amendment recognizes a transfer of $1,237,086 (interest earnings) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Special Revenue Fund to the Infrastructure Capital Project Fund for the Town's match towards NCDOT partnership road projects. 06/16/25 Regular Meeting Page 4  Commissioner Higgins made a motion to approve Ordinance #2025-00879 amending the Infrastructure Capital Project as presented. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. Ordinance #2025-00879 is hereby made part of the minutes by reference. 10. PRESENTATION A. Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) Update Senior Planner Aaron Tucker presented the update on behalf of chairman Lou Raymond who arrived later. Mr. Tucker provided a look back on the 84 projects that were defined under planning, capital items, education and policy/safety. The future initiatives include roadshow events, the continuation of populating the project list and prioritizing/ranking them, as well as evaluating future transportation plans and studies. 11. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve Regular Meeting Minutes - June 2nd B. Approve Closed Session Minutes - June 2nd C. Amend the 2025 Board of Commissioner Calendar – Resolution #2025-01172 is hereby made part of the minutes by reference D. Operating Budget Support Grant Agreement with Lake Norman Community Development Corporation E. Operating Budget Support Grant Agreement with Cain Center for the Arts F. Support Grant Agreement with Ada Jenkins Center G. Support Grant Agreement with Bags of Hope H. Support Grant Agreement with NC Youth Orchestra I. Support Grant Agreement with Senior Community Connections J. Support Grant Agreement with Smithville Community Coalition K. Support Grant Agreement with YMCA Commissioner Carney made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. 12. COMMISSIONER CONCERNS No concerns were expressed. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, Commissioner Johnson made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:46PM. Commissioner Carney seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously, 5-0. Approved this 21st day of July 2025. ATTEST: Woody Washam, Jr., Mayor Lori A Harrell, Town Clerk 06/16/25 Regular Meeting Page 5 Attachment 1