2026-09-10 - Town Council Meeting

01:15Alright, good evening. I would like to call the meeting to order for a regular Town Council

11:55meeting Thursday, September 10, 2026. Tonight, we're blessed to have members of the Apex

12:01Police Department, Apex Fire Department Color Guard to present the colors. If you would please

12:05stand to the colors. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United

12:54States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with

13:01liberty and justice for all. For we continue tonight's meeting, I would like to take a moment

14:17to recognize the significance of September 11th and to honor all those whose lives were forever

14:23changed by the events of September 11th, 2001. We remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost,

14:29the survivors and their families, and the first responders, service members, and countless

14:35individuals who demonstrated extraordinary courage, compassion, and selflessness in the face of an

14:41imaginable tragedy. At the front of the room this evening, we have placed a rose and a candle as a

14:47simple expression of remembrance. The rose represents the lives we continue to honor and

14:55the candle serves as a symbol of remembrance, hope, and enduring light of those whose memories

15:02remain with us. As we reflect on that day, may we also remember the unity, kindness,

15:09and shared humanity that brought people together in the days and weeks that followed. We honored

15:16those we lost. We remain grateful to those who served and responded, and we continue to stand

15:23with the survivors, families, and communities who carry the memory of September 11th with them

15:31every day. May we never forget. I would like now to call upon Pastor Summit Church, APAT's campus,

15:43Pastor Trevor Forvis, if you would come up and deliver an invocation. Good evening. Thank you

15:51for allowing me to be here, counsel and people of Apex. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to

15:59be able to open us up this evening in the most fitting way through prayer, and I'm reminded just

16:06through tomorrow being 9/11, it often makes you take a step back and realize what is important,

16:15and it creates an opportunity for us this evening to remember among all of the things that will be

16:21discussed tonight, what is most important, and that is truly the gift that we are able to breathe

16:27and have life. So I'd love to be able to open us up in a word of prayer, and as I do,

16:34would also cause you to consider as well the fact a few months I'll be headed across the world into

16:40an area where a meeting like this would never be allowed to take place. And so as we consider the

16:46own things that are on our own heart within our own city, may we just approach it with a sense

16:53of gratefulness that we're in a place in a country in which we can do that. So if you would, join me

16:58as we pray together. God, thank you so much for the opportunity for all of us to be here this

17:04evening. What a gift it is that you give us a demonstration and a representation of you as a

17:11good God through local government. Lord, we thank you for our government. We thank you for our law

17:17enforcement. And, Lord, your word in First Timothy calls us to pray for those that are in

17:24positions of authority. And we do just that, God. We ask that you would go before our local city

17:30government and also our law enforcement and first responders throughout our city. Lord,

17:37that you would protect them. God, that you would guide them. That you would give them discernment

17:41and clarity. We pray, God, that you would give the council and the mayor of Apex wisdom. God,

17:49would you give them discernment? And would you give them ears to hear the people of this town

17:56and just judgment and being able to continue to lead in a manner that reflects you.

18:03Lord, we thank you for the cross. We're grateful that we have the privilege and the opportunity

18:07to know you. And, Lord, we just ask that you would go before us in this meeting. We pray in Jesus

18:13name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor Forvis. All right. And thank you again to Apex police

18:19department, Apex fire department. All right. We move now to announcements and petitions by

18:25the government body. We'll start with Mayor Pro Tem. Welcome everyone. Thank you for coming

18:30on this special Thursday edition of the effect town council meeting. I want to, you know,

18:36thankful for all the great weather we've having, all the stuff I've been seeing getting done around

18:40Apex. It's exciting. I just want to remind you, I had my office hours this morning, uh, every second

18:45Thursday, 9 a.m. at the senior center. I'm there. Then you all want to chat about any Apex. I'd love

18:51to see it. Thanks. All right. Thank you, council member. Great. Thank you, mayor. I want to say

18:56thank you again to my colleagues for, uh, once again, uh, participating in our, uh,

19:019/11 remembrance tomorrow. Um, it means a lot to be able to take the time to reflect

19:09as a community on those days. I say days because on one day we lost 3000 over the course of the

19:18wars afterwards, we lost over 4,500 service men and women. And even after that we lost countless

19:27when they came back home. I'd like you all to just take a moment to, when you are taking a

19:33moment to remember tomorrow, think about those who didn't just perish on that day, but perished on

19:40the days after and perished as a result of the effects after and the impact on their families.

19:47Unfortunately, when I said that we lost 4,500 service members, many, many more have passed away

19:54after their service due to injuries, internal and external. Take a moment to reflect on those folks

20:02who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and take a moment to check in on those folks in

20:08your neighborhood and your neighbors and just check to see if they're doing okay. It pains me

20:14to say that unfortunately, one of the things that we've learned is that suicide is something that

20:19is very prevalent in the veteran community and it's something that we deal with a lot,

20:23something I had unfortunately the opportunity to get a reminder of last week. It's important to

20:31check in on each other. It's important to ask each other how they're doing and it's okay to

20:35tell people it's okay to not be okay. As you all remember, we had a suicide awareness prevention

20:42proclamation last month, but it's important to remember that these proclamations aren't just

20:48for the day. There's something that we need to continue to remember and I'm proud of a town

20:54that continues to do that. So to my colleagues, thank you for all that you do to keep these

20:59memories intact. Thank you Council Member Gray. Council Member Zegerman. I think most of us are

21:08old in this room are old enough to remember where we were on the day of September 11th,

21:132001. I think enough has been said on that, but I do want to invite everybody to the Memorial

21:20Service tomorrow morning in downtown Apex. But do we remember where we were last night,

21:27what we had for dinner last night? I was at the Multimodal Transportation Advisory Board

21:33committee meeting last night. This was the first or second meeting that we had invited

21:40the public or as a public forum to the committee meeting. Very excited to see somebody actually

21:45showed up and spoke to us. Some other highlights from the meeting last night was we got an update

21:51from staff on the 2035 Wake County bus plan, which includes some additional services that

21:57will serve as the Apex area. Also very excited to see that the advisory board has brought itself

22:04into the subcommittees, each with a specific focus and that they've been busy over the summer,

22:09focusing on things like the safety on the Apex Go1 bus, some infrastructure improvements and

22:16capital investments that they would like to recommend to the Council and focusing on public

22:22outreach to promote public transit as well as altered ways of transit like bicycle and

22:29pedestrian, you know, as we continue to grow out our pedestrian facilities and bike facilities

22:34in and around town. So very productive meeting last night. Again, these are open to the public.

22:41So the next one is scheduled in November and love to get more public comments at that session as

22:47well. Thank you very much. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman moved. Yes. First, I would like to

22:58echo my colleagues' words from 9/11. We show respect and remember all the lives we lost.

23:10And to remind us that our first responders are at the front lines protecting our residents

23:25every day. So they risk their own lives. So I want to show my respect to our first responders,

23:33our public safety personnel. The second thing I want to mention is that our peak resilience

23:44and well-being task force. There are lots of work behind the scenes. We are having our second

23:52workshop focused on suicide prevention, both for adults and for the young generation. So like my

24:01colleague, Ed Gray said, many, you know, adults, many veterans, they are suffering from either PTSD

24:13or some other situations. So this workshop, we have one important portion specifically for adults,

24:24suicide prevention. We have another portion for youth suicide prevention. I talked

24:33to our public school system, the director in charge of mental health. She gave me some really

24:45alarming numbers about the suicide, the lives we lost, both with students and staff. So I think

24:57it's important job for Town of Apex to help our residents, help the young generation.

25:07We are expanding our crew member team. We are also building a youth team. So our application

25:16form is live online now, thanks to Ellen. So please, if any of you are interested in learning

25:24about the knowledge, learn how to recognize early warning signs and would like to become

25:33ambassadors and volunteers to help reduce stigma, to provide the knowledge, how to fight

25:43mental struggle. So please go to our website, fill in the form and join us. Thank you so much.

25:53Thank you so much. Councilman Reese. Thank you, Mayor. Speaking of our first responders,

26:00I wanted on behalf of this board and all 86,000 residents of this town. Plus,

26:08we thank you so much for your quick action this morning at Apex High School when there was a

26:16lockdown. And it was so assuring, especially as someone who has a sophomore on that campus

26:26to know that our first responders were there and had handled the situation appropriately.

26:33And so we just extend our deepest appreciation to APD and AFD and any other first responders

26:40who were there. Speaking of, I want to say that our Chamber of Commerce is recognizing first

26:46responders at an appreciation event next Thursday morning, September 17th, 830 in the morning at

26:53the depot. And then lastly, I just want to say in remembrance, echoing my colleagues on

27:02encouraging folks to join us at the ceremony tomorrow morning downtown. If you were looking

27:08to do something with that energy, we have Think Apex Day on Saturday that you will see.

27:16There's a QR code that's going to show up here in a moment. If you've got time at 830 in the

27:20morning, we've got an event. If you got time at two o'clock in the afternoon, we've got an event.

27:24If you've got time at four o'clock, we've got something going. So please consider participating

27:30in acts of service during Think Apex Day. Thank you. Thank you. I got three quick things. The

27:37first thing I will say is reiterate what Councilmember Reese just talked about, the response to

27:41Apex High School this morning when I heard the incident. I had full confidence in that it will

27:47be handled professionally and with utmost care because I know who's over there at Apex Police

27:51Department and Apex Fire and all first responders. So thank you so much for what you do every day.

27:56Keeping this town safe. So thank you for that. One thing I do want to bring up just an update.

28:03A couple of updates I would like to see. The yard waste grass clippings. I'm getting a lot of

28:09questions. Where are we with the grass clippings as far as I know we're trying to work with a,

28:14I don't know, private company. I don't know what's going on with that.

28:17So yes, sir. On that, we will, we talked about it today. We had an item or we will have an

28:22item scheduled for the 22nd, but we've also added it to the agenda for the 15th.

28:27Okay, which is our work session so that we can talk through some of those items before it comes

28:32on the 22nd. Great, great. All right. And then my final thing is maybe this can come back as well.

28:37Maybe more, Mayor Pro Tem, you may can speak to this, the data center subcommittee. It's my

28:43understanding that we have some subcommittee members that may be rolling off or designed

28:50or something. So I'd like to have an update on that maybe by the next meeting because we're like

28:56seven months in now, five months in. All right. We have an EAB meeting, a full meeting coming up.

29:02Okay. All right. Great. Okay. All right. Thanks. All right. And that's all of the

29:06updates and announcements I have. We'll move now to the adoption of the meeting agenda.

29:14Are there any recommended changes or add-ons? Hearing none, is there a motion to approve the

29:22meeting agenda? Let's approve. Mayor Pro Tem motion. Second. Second. Zegerman. All in favor say aye.

29:27Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Consent agenda. Mr. Clerk, propose changes.

29:31No changes. No changes. All right. With that, any other? Motion to approve. All right.

29:39Whose motion is it? Zegerman? All right. Motion to Zegerman. Second. Move. Any discussion? All

29:46right. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? All right. Motion carries unanimously. We move now to

29:53town manager report, Mr. Vossberg. All right. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, council members.

29:59I have a brief report to give. I will start with our utility billing update.

30:04As you know, we are heading into our first round of potential disconnects that has been

30:12suspended for quite some time, but those will occur the week of September 21st for cycle one

30:18customers and the week of October 5th for cycle two customers. We've already been sending out

30:25letter notices and have set up the automated phone calls, so people should start to receive those.

30:31The first round for each cycle has gone out in each of those methods. We've got additional

30:36written and phone notices that are also scheduled to go out in addition to those initial notices.

30:41Billing and collection staff, they've set up additional support staff. They're receiving

30:45assistance from other departments. We also have some part-time staff that we've used to

30:49to bolster our resources there. We have an operations plan. Sean and his team and portfolio

30:55have been working a lot to get a plan ready as we head into this to see how we can avoid as many

31:00as possible and then kind of work through it as it happens and how we can hopefully get people

31:05reconnected but also to ensure that payments can be made and payment plans put in place.

31:10The plan includes regular meetings that will identify patterns and concerns as we get into it

31:16and we can make adjustments and try to pivot. We've had multiple meetings with billing customer

31:20service field staff to discuss our process, our communications plan. Comms has been great at

31:25working with us on that and trying to get the word out. We have additional workstations set up to

31:31assist customers during peak times to minimize wait times at town hall. We are looking at extended

31:36hours and more information will come out on this but right now, September 23rd and 24th,

31:42we will have some extended hours so that people can come in and work with us on their account,

31:47either make a payment, set up a payment plan ahead of any disconnects with round one or cycle one

31:52and cycle two. We're looking at October 7th and 8th to have extended hours here at town hall

31:59so we can do the same for for cycle two. We're currently still encouraging everyone if you have

32:04a balance that you cannot pay please come in and work with us. Please work to set up a payment

32:09plan so that we can minimize disconnects as we head into this period. We also kind of dovetail

32:17with that have started as the notices have started to go out. Our call volume has picked up with Ask

32:22Apex and as usually is the case, it's Murphy's Law. We had an employee that resigned from that

32:28department and we've got an employee that's out on extended leave so we have hired some additional

32:33temporary employees to bring in and we've got offers out to a couple positions on that. They've

32:39accepted that so we're working through that process to bring them on board so we're getting

32:43those resources but I would let the the residents know that we are experiencing some extended call

32:50times. You heard me report meeting after meeting we were around a minute with our wait that is not

32:54the case right now. The last report I saw I think our average was 13 minutes on a wait so we are

33:00having people call in they're waiting five six seven minutes hanging up calling back doing the

33:04same thing getting in the queue. We've all been there on customer service items so please have

33:10patience with us as the call volume has picked up significantly. We are working through a couple

33:15of other ideas that are close to implementation. One I'll mention it it's not implemented yet but

33:21it's the where it can hold your place in line and we'll call you back. So we are working to

33:25implement that with our new technology that we have in place so hopefully we can get that up

33:29and running. But please also remember that when you do reach the Ask Apex staff they're here to

33:35help and they want to help you work through this as well. So please kind of take it easy on them

33:41and I know that a lot of frustrations are around that but they are really trying to to help and

33:45bridge that gap and see what we can do. So we'll continue to monitor that report. I do feel good

33:50that we have a plan in place and we're but we are going to experience high call volume

33:55and we're not using a call center that's outside of Apex where we've got 50 people that it's

33:58rolling to. It's our Ask Apex staff that works for the town so please have some patience with

34:04us because we're not a robust call center but it's a lot better than a lot of jurisdictions

34:08have who don't have a call center. So they are doing their best with the staff that we have on

34:12that. Okay any questions on that before I roll? Just a quick question. Forgive me the only time

34:19or two I ever had to call Ask Apex I got through pretty quickly. That's not a sales pitch. My

34:24question is when you call and you have perhaps a 13 minute is there any indication when you go on

34:30hold your approximate wait time is? I know that's a advanced feature. I'm gonna ask Sean if we have

34:36that in play. I know we've talked about that. Demetri is out right now but I don't we have our

34:45staff here from Ask Apex. We have community engagement. I don't know that it has the your

34:49wait time is five minutes or that estimate. I believe we also have an option where you can

34:54opt to leave a message. We may have that reinstituted. We had that for a time but I don't think it gives

35:01you an active wait. But right now I can put it out there that it's been about 13 to 15 minutes

35:07on average. Whereas before like when you called it was probably 51 seconds 54 seconds. So they are

35:13significantly higher. That's what I can report. Thank you. Yes sir. Any other questions on that

35:20before I move to the next? Okay. Heading into Apex answers which I mentioned at our last meeting

35:27that is now live on the town's website. So again mentioning it's your source for clear timely

35:33explanations. It'll have rolling topics. We're loading additional information on there. As other

35:38hot topics come we'll put those on. You may have some that get archived but that is the best place

35:43for some of the hot topics that are out there. And we have I think about six or seven topics on

35:49that list right now. So make sure you check that out on our town website. It's been mentioned

35:54Patriot Day celebration or ceremony sorry on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. That'll be tomorrow at

36:01930 at station one and that's our American Legion post 124 that was heavily involved in the

36:08planning for that event. Also we if you recall I came before you and asked for an additional

36:14allocation for our downtown. So I'm pleased to announce that we have started under our Love Local

36:20brand fall into downtown series. So it'll be the third Friday and we're talking September October

36:28and November. So that leaves dates of September 18th October 16th and November 20th and those

36:36are all from 5 to 8 p.m. So the first event will be next Friday and we are pleased to announce and

36:43it's on our website that it's going to be Kane's hockey night. I'll put it out there because we've

36:48got a lot of questions. This will not be where the cup comes. We are still though we're still

36:53working through that. That'll be somewhere hopefully between the 18th and when the season

36:58starts on the 29th because they have to give the cup back when season starts is what I've been

37:02told. So they're trying to get it to the towns before the season starts. So we are very close.

37:08I got another email today actually this afternoon that we should have some finalized details by

37:13tomorrow. That way we will have a couple weeks notice to put out. So the cup I'm hesitant will

37:19be coming to Apex but I can I can say that tentatively but the night on the 18th from 5

37:26to 8 it'll be in the depot parking lot in downtown Apex and it's a kickoff to like I said our our

37:32new fall into downtown series. It'll be a night with the Carolina Hurricanes and as you know we

37:37have an ongoing relationship with them related to street hockey and they were great sponsors of our

37:42street hockey rinks at our community park and so continuing that relationship with the Carolina

37:47Hurricanes. They are bringing an entire event to us and it'll be downtown. We want you to support

37:55our shops. They're going to have the mascot there Stormy. They'll have street hockey games. It's a

37:59kickoff to the registration for street hockey which starts on Monday. So they're here to celebrate

38:04that partnership with us and to get people excited about signing up for street hockey.

38:09I'm told you'll be able to do street hockey there. Don't bring your gear. They're going to bring all

38:13the gear. They're bringing a truck full of gear for people to use. For safety purposes you have

38:18to use their gear and not bring your own or they're going to be inflatables. They're going

38:22to have a DJ with music playing. So it's going to be a great time and hopefully people will take

38:26the opportunity of being downtown to then support our downtown businesses. We've been working with

38:31the small group of the task force and they are excited. They've been communicating with the

38:36businesses as well as through our economic development staff and everyone is doing different

38:41promotions. They're going to get excited about hurricanes. You'll see jerseys maybe hanging up

38:44in different store windows. So there's a lot of synergy around this event and it's going to be a

38:49great time. So please come out to the event, support our downtown restaurants and retail as

38:55well. So that'll be the first. We've got exciting things planned for the subsequent dates in October

39:00and November but I'll have more to come on that soon. So that's a big event for us next Friday.

39:07The Pequay Connector, again exciting news. They've given me all the activity that's happening

39:12there. I won't go into the retaining walls and everything that's being done. We are still on

39:16track for October/November. I don't have a firm date on that yet but as you can imagine they are

39:23going through that punch list of getting things done but we are still looking for a fall opening

39:27of the Pequay Connector. So that is exciting news as well. The Salem streetscape project

39:35continues on. There was some people have asked about there was a brief stop of work.

39:40That happens in the course of a project. There was a little initial when they opened up the

39:46road. It's like all right let's assess what do we have. We've got some older pipes in here. We've

39:50got some surprises in here. Let's work through that. We had some special lines from one of our

39:54utility providers that were there and it wasn't where it was supposed to be. So anyway we're

39:58been working through a lot of those things but work does continue. They did also some side work

40:03of putting in a line on Chatham and so there's been a lot of stuff that's happening related to

40:09the project but they are back on and as far as I'm aware there are no additional delays to that

40:14project but they continue to work so don't get scared when you don't see people out there every

40:18day. They also are a company working on multiple projects so they may prioritize another project

40:23that day or have to get something done. It doesn't mean that we are significantly delayed on our

40:27project so that continues. I believe they've put in the foundations for the light poles now on the

40:34phase two side. We are very close to getting some of the benches and outdoor furniture on

40:39the phase one side so you'll start to see that very soon and so that is rocking along and

40:45continuing. All right and I'll say it again. Remember downtown is open for business. You don't

40:52have to wait for our event on the 18th. You can come down and come as often as you'd like to the

40:57downtown to support our businesses and I believe that is all that I have. Thank you so much for

41:02that. Yes sir. Any questions for Mr. Busberg? Here or no? Thank you. All right, town clerk's report.

41:09Yes, good evening mayor. I have three items. One is just a reminder to the council that the North

41:14Carolina League of Municipalities has begun its legislative goal-setting process. Mayor Pro Tem

41:19spoke about that at the last meeting. We will have an item for discussion at the work session

41:23next week to discuss some of the goal setting. This is an early prioritization exercise and this

41:30is more for the town to contribute to the larger statewide process so just wanted to put that on

41:36everyone's radar. We also have two council committees that have been scheduled and I think

41:40there's been some confusion with the dates so I want to make sure that that's put into clarification.

41:45The responsible development council committee is scheduled for September 18th which is a Friday

41:50at 8 30 here at Town Hall and the public safety council committee is scheduled for October 1st

41:56at 3 p.m. here at Town Hall as well and then we're also getting a lot of questions and comments

42:01about the columbarium and if individuals would like to reserve a spot there they can reach out

42:07to me and we've got a waiting list. We're hoping to open that later this year to other updates.

42:12That's it? That's it. All right, good stuff. All right, thank you for those reports. We'll

42:17move now to proclamations and special presentations. We have five proclamations tonight. This is

42:24great. All right, we'll be doing a lot of reading. It's all good. We'll start out front as we normally

42:30do. You would please join me out. All right, the first proclamation tonight is Hispanic Heritage

43:05Month September 15th through October 15th. We're excited about that Pastor Jose. Good to see you

43:11here sir and Reverend Charles Tyner the man. Good to see you also. We'll kick this off. It'll be

43:18council member Zegerman. I think that's what I have. Okay, thank you sir. All right, this

43:25proclamation for Hispanic Heritage Month 2026. Whereas National Hispanic Heritage Month is

43:32celebrated each year from September 15th to October 15th to recognize the histories,

43:37cultures, and contributions of Americans with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean,

43:43and Central and South America. And whereas September 15th marks the beginning of the

43:54observance as it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries,

43:59Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition,

44:09Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and September 18th

44:15respectively. And whereas more than six percent of Apex's population is Hispanic and those

44:26individuals strengthen the town as successful business owners, artists, scientists, teachers,

44:33civic, and faith leaders and so much more. And whereas Hispanic culture is beautiful

44:45and vibrant and we are fortunate at the town to have incredible residents that are willing

44:54to share that culture and with everyone. And whereas the town of Apex is proud to host a

45:03bilingual story event, Spider Stories, Storas de Arenas on September 16th at Hunter Street Park

45:11as well as Latino Arts Festival on September 26th here at Town Hall to further share and celebrate

45:17Hispanic heritage and culture. Now therefore Ajak K. Gilbert, mayor of Apex, North Carolina,

45:27do hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month

45:34in the town of Apex. Come on. Y'all act like you're excited. All right, there you go. We're

45:41not done yet. We're not done. I just had to get a hand clap. This is exciting. And I extend my

45:46gratitude to the Hispanic community in Apex for their passion for the success and growth

45:52of our town and its residents signed on this 10th day of September by yours truly. Come on up and

45:57get the proclamation. There you go, right here. It is an honor for me to represent

47:05Fiesta Cristiana in our community. It is an honor for me to represent Fiesta Cristiana in

47:11our community. As we received this proclamation from the Town of Apex recognizing Hispanic

47:24Heritage Month, this month gives us an opportunity to celebrate our history.

47:38Our culture, our faith, our traditions, as well as many other contributions of the Hispanic

47:48Latino community. It also reminds us that our community is stronger when we recognize value

48:05and celebrate the gifts and stories of all our neighbors. We thank the Town of Apex for

48:18this recognition and for celebrating the Hispanic and Latino community, which is an important part

48:29of the life and diversity of Apex. We invite you to join us for the Apex Latino Festival,

48:46taking place on Saturday, September 26th from 3 to 7 p.m.

48:59It will be a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate our culture, music,

49:03food and community. I hope to see you there. Thank you.

49:16All right, next proclamation is National Senior Center Month, 2026. Councilmember Mu.

49:27Whereas National Senior Center Month observed each September is a time to recognize and celebrate

49:39the vital role senior centers play in strengthening our communities by providing

49:47opportunities for older adults to remain active, engaged, connected and independent. And whereas

49:59the Apex Senior Center, serving adults age 55 and older, provides a vibrant and inclusive community

50:05where residents can participate in a diverse array of fitness, wellness, arts, educational,

50:12social, recreational and travel opportunities designed to support active and fulfilling lives.

50:19And whereas the Apex Senior Center exemplifies the evolving role of senior centers as vibrant

50:30community hubs where older adults are not defined by age or stereotypes, but are empowered to remain

50:35active, pursue new experiences, force friendships, share their knowledge and talents and continue to

50:42thrive. And whereas in recent years, the Apex Senior Center has experienced tremendous growth

50:53with a 229 percent increase in monthly visits and a 92 percent increase in the annual program

51:01registrations from 2022 to 2025. And whereas the town of Apex is proud to have a state-of-the-art

51:16senior center for our seniors to utilize and is grateful to all of our staff members whose

51:23dedicated work ensures it can be used to the fullest extent possible. Now therefore I,

51:32Jock K. Gilbert, Mayor of Apex, North Carolina do hereby proclaim the month of September 2026,

51:39National Senior Center Month in the town of Apex and encourage all Apex adults age 55 and over

51:46to visit our senior center to see all of the things it can offer to you. And this is also from

51:53the only senior on the town council. It is my honor to present this proclamation. So

52:06so I would like to call up the following people. Please join me for the presentation.

52:10Megan Rush and recorations program supervisor Ali Pulaski, senior center manager Jamila Godfrey,

52:15assistant parts recreation and cultural resources director Chris Lindsay, Janine Chavis,

52:22Terry Edwards, Mary Lee Blatchford, Mark Blatchford, Lorraine Gogowski, Jim Gogowski,

52:28Lanyon Phan and Donald Hasenger. Please come up.

53:01It feels good.

53:14Craig Sesser, parts and rec director. Yeah, come on up, buddy.

53:33Yeah, I know. Two rows. Two rows? No. No.

54:22Next proclamation is Patriots Day 2026. Patriot Day 2026. Whereas 2026 marks the 25th anniversary

54:50of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which brings difficult and painful emotions,

54:59memories and reflections for millions of people across the country. And whereas Patriot Day

55:13serves as an annual reminder of one of our nation's greatest tragedies and an opportunity

55:19to remember and honor the over 3000 lives that were lost on that day in this horrific attack,

55:25including nearly 500 first responders. And whereas since then the FDNY World Trade Center

55:40program reports that over 9,000 people have died from illness linked to the attacks and their

55:50aftermath, including one of the largest rescue, recovery and cleanup operations in human history.

55:59And whereas even a quarter century later, the toll exacted by these horrendous attacks

56:11of wanton violence remain heavy with health impacts from ground zero conditions,

56:16extending to thousands and emotional burdens from loss extending to millions. And whereas the town

56:27of Apex honors the lives lost 25 years ago and the life still impacted today and invite all

56:33residents to join us in remembrance for the annual Patriot Day ceremony on Friday, September 11,

56:382026 at 930 a.m. at the Downtown Service Memorial. Now, therefore, I, John K. Gilbert,

56:50mayor of Apex, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim Friday, September 11,

56:562026 Patriot Day in the town of Apex and urge all residents to join me in our responsibility

57:03to keep the memory of those who perished, those who survived, and those who bravely responded

57:09alive. I would like to ask members of the Apex Police Department, Apex Fire Department to join us

57:15up here to receive the proclamation. Thank you. Also, I'd like to call up members of the Apex

57:28American Legion Post 124. Please come up.

58:38[inaudible]

59:05[inaudible]

59:38Our next proclamation is Think Apex Day, 2026. Think Apex Day, 2026. Whereas Think Apex Day was

1:00:30established in 2017 through the vision of former council member, mayor, pro tem, Nicole Dozier,

1:00:39as a community-wide day dedicated to bringing people together through volunteer service and

1:00:45projects that strengthen and enhance the town of Apex. And whereas this year, Think Apex Day

1:00:57will host projects across the community, including Think Clean, Think Golden Games,

1:01:06Think Green, Think Create, Think Refresh, and Think Reuse. And whereas through these projects,

1:01:20volunteers across Apex will come together to beautify public spaces, support local nonprofits,

1:01:26engage with seniors, care for the environment, strengthen neighborhoods, and demonstrate the

1:01:32compassion and generosity that define our community. And whereas Think Apex Day serves as a reminder

1:01:46that when neighbors come together with a shared purpose, they can create a stronger, more vibrant,

1:01:51and more connected community for current and future generations. And whereas every act of

1:02:00service, whether large or small, has the power to make a lasting difference, inspire others to

1:02:05get involved, and strengthen the connections that make Apex speak of good living. Now therefore,

1:02:14I, Jacques Gilbert, mayor of Apex, North Carolina, do hereby proclaim Saturday, September 12th,

1:02:202026, Think Apex Day in the town of Apex, and encourage residents to participate in one of the

1:02:26many service opportunities. And always remember, there is nothing we can't accomplish when we work

1:02:32together. And I would like to call up to receive the proclamation, Brienne Gill, Community Engagement

1:02:36Manager for the town of Apex, Jimmy Torres, Community Engagement Specialist, Donald Hughes,

1:02:41Community Engagement Specialist, Megan Stevenson, Pleasant Park Operations Supervisor, Jason Jones,

1:02:48Park Operations Supervisor, Emily Bissette, Habitat for Humanity Restore, Elizabeth Workman,

1:02:54Spring Arbor of Apex, Terrence Burney Senior, Apex First Baptist, Brienne Asbill, Cambridge

1:03:01Village of Apex, and Regina Sanders, White Oak Foundation, please come up. And the man himself,

1:03:13Reverend Dr. Charles Tyner Senior.

1:03:31[inaudible]

1:03:58[inaudible]

1:04:08[inaudible]

1:04:18[inaudible]

1:04:29[inaudible]

1:04:42[inaudible]

1:05:16Final proclamation for tonight is United States Air Force 79th birthday and our very own

1:05:54Council Member Gray, United States Air Force. I promised I wasn't going to sing the Air Force

1:06:01song, but you know, it might strike me, might strike me, just might. Whereas the Department

1:06:09of the Air Force was created when President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947.

1:06:15And the Air Force was officially established on September 18th, 1947, with the swearing in of

1:06:21its first secretary, Secretary W. Stuart Symington. And whereas prior to this change,

1:06:29the roles now fulfilled by the Air Force were performed by the United States Army

1:06:33with military use of aircraft beginning in the early 1900s and being critical

1:06:37throughout both world wars. And whereas after World War II, it was obvious the air power would

1:06:47need to be a significant part of military strategy to aid in the nation's defense and deter war,

1:06:54giving rise to the Air Force as a separate entity. And whereas through its entire history,

1:07:06the United States Air Force has played a significant role in protecting our country

1:07:13and its people, as well as pioneering significant, scientific and technological breakthroughs

1:07:22which have had applications far beyond the military and whereas the Town of Apex is grateful

1:07:33for our country's armed forces and its members across all branches and wish a very happy birthday

1:07:39to United States Air Force. Now therefore, I, Jacques K. Gilbert, Mayor of Apex, North Carolina,

1:07:47do hereby proclaim September 18th, 2026, the 79th birthday of the United States Air Force

1:07:55and extend my gratitude to all individuals who have served our country in the United States Air

1:08:00Force, including Councilmember Ed Gray. All right. So tonight, I would like to present a proclamation

1:08:16to Councilmember Ed Gray and also a surprise. I would like to invite up Air Force veteran

1:08:23Karen Devendall to receive the proclamation. Please come up.

1:10:13Congratulations to all the recipients. Thank you, colleagues, for joining

1:10:30together to read the proclamations. We'll move now to public forum and looks like we have

1:10:39eight signed up. Mr. Clerk, can you read the Town Clerk Announce process? Thank you.

1:10:48The current public participation policy states individual comments are limited to three minutes.

1:10:54The public forum comment period shall not exceed 36 minutes or 12 individual speakers, whichever

1:10:59comes first. If the sign up list exceeds 12 individual speakers or 36 minutes per the

1:11:05adopted policy, the Town Clerk will prioritize the list of speakers by those who have not spoken in

1:11:12the last 30 days. After those individuals have spoken, the list will continue in the order an

1:11:18individual signed up until the 12 individual speakers or 36 minutes is reached. Individuals

1:11:25who wish to speak will still be given an opportunity to do so at the conclusion of

1:11:30the business portion of the meeting immediately before closed session. Okay. Thank you, Mr.

1:11:37Clerk. All right. I would like to call up Robert Wareham and it looks like he's in the cade. He

1:11:44has a group. You have four more people here with you tonight? Okay, great. All right.

1:11:51Nine minutes, please. Thank you. I'll take it. All right. I appreciate the opportunity to speak

1:12:12with you folks today. I'm not really that much as far as public speaking, but I'll try to get

1:12:16through with the best of what I can. My name is Robert Wareham. I'm the president of the HOA of

1:12:21Amherst and our subdivision is back behind the post office and the Apex Peakway, which we're

1:12:34excited to have that open and ready to roll, actually splits our subdivision in half. Okay,

1:12:40and it's been like that for a number of years, but we've had one side of the subdivision going

1:12:44to the other side via crosswalk. Our pull is, our amenities is on the Bryan Drive side.

1:12:54So, the ones that are on the other side have to go across the crosswalk to access the pool and

1:13:02vice versa for the other folks. What we are concerned about is, as far as the Peakway goes,

1:13:13is not the traffic count. So, I'm sure there's been traffic count studies, will be traffic

1:13:19count studies on the Apex Peakway. For us, the concern is not the number of cars that come

1:13:25through, but the safety of our residents to go from one side of the subdivision to the other

1:13:29side of the subdivision to access the amenities or whichever. The sign which we'll have posted

1:13:39for our residents doesn't depict traffic. It depicts safety. Currently, even with that current

1:13:49crosswalk that we do have, we still have incidents of people not paying attention to the crosswalks,

1:13:54but I'm sure everybody has seen, just in driving, there's drivers that will go and not pay

1:14:00attention to the crosswalks and go right through it or turn right in front of people, pedestrians,

1:14:04trying to cross over the crosswalk. Safety is our concern. The remedy that best fits is to put

1:14:16a traffic light at that intersection. The alternatives that have been suggested when

1:14:24we talk to folks, I guess down at the DOT or whatever, was, okay, well, we can have our

1:14:30residents walk down to the, which is a quarter mile down, and cross over Chapel Hill and then

1:14:35come back and then walk this way back over, which is an impossibility because once they do that,

1:14:42there is no sidewalk that comes back down. The other alternative is to leave the crosswalk as is,

1:14:52which is with the increased traffic that we're expecting. I'm not a traffic person,

1:14:57but I'm expecting at least 30 percent increase in traffic, which is going to make that much

1:15:02more dangerous to go through there. The other alternative is to eliminate the crosswalk

1:15:07completely, which is going to make that even more dangerous because we will still have residents

1:15:11trying to cross from one side of the subdivision to the other side of the subdivision, regardless

1:15:15of if there's a crosswalk or not, and that's going to make that even much, much more dangerous.

1:15:20What we're proposing, what we're asking, is not so much what would relate to, again, like traffic

1:15:28studies as far as traffic, but the subjective side of things is that we need to secure the safety

1:15:36of our residents as they negotiate that particular crosswalk. We have 115 homes.

1:15:45We've got over 626 residents that are split by the Apex Peakway there, and what we need your help

1:15:53is that this decision cannot be dependent on traffic studies. It needs to be more subjective

1:15:59to the safety of our residents there, and that's why I'm here today, why I'm representing our HOA

1:16:07and, you know, and addressing you folks today. So thank you very much. Thank you for speaking.

1:16:12I do want to help you out a little bit. I think that [email protected],

1:16:16I don't know if that's active. Oh, okay. Thank you. Okay. I appreciate it, and I can address it.

1:16:25Thank you. Thanks for speaking. Thank you. Next speaker is Phil Welch. Three minutes. Yeah.

1:16:35Good evening, Mayor, Council members, town staff, and members of the public. My name is Phil Welch.

1:16:58I live at 1471 Bigley Floop in Apex. An objective of the 2021 affordable housing plan and last year's

1:17:10update to that plan is to encourage an increase in the inventory of homes which are affordable

1:17:17to low and moderate income households. What I've realized recently that in addition to encouraging

1:17:23the building of new affordable housing choices, we also need ways to find ways to preserve

1:17:31Apex's naturally occurring affordable homes, also known as NOAA's. Earlier this week,

1:17:38I spent a couple of hours on Google Maps and the county's property tax system, iMaps. I was

1:17:45identifying streets in our traditional neighborhoods around the downtown where NOAA's have gradually

1:17:52are gradually being replaced by lovely large homes which are not as affordable. In some cases,

1:18:00these replacements were due to the existing homes being unsafe and or unhealthy. Our goal should be

1:18:08to make sure that the owners of existing naturally occurring affordable homes know about the Apex

1:18:13Cares housing rehabilitation programs. These four programs provide loans and grants for income

1:18:22qualified homeowners and some small landlords to make critical repairs on their homes. From my

1:18:30very brief look at the traditional neighborhoods, I estimate that we may have several hundred

1:18:36naturally occurring affordable homes with homeowners that would qualify for the Apex

1:18:41Cares program. This would allow the homeowners to make accessibility upgrades such as wheelchair

1:18:47ramps and grab bars, weatherization improvements to make homes warmer and more energy efficient,

1:18:54emergency repairs such as roof or HVAC replacements and other major repairs up to $40,000. The problem

1:19:04is that many of our neighbors don't know about the Apex Cares programs and similar programs from

1:19:11the county state and local faith communities. I have flyers explaining the Apex Cares programs.

1:19:18I've attached these to the copies of my talk for everyone in the dais. I asked the mayor, council

1:19:25members, town staff and members of the public to help get out the word on this excellent program

1:19:31so our neighbors can continue to live here in safe healthy homes. I have extra copies here

1:19:38for members of the public and I'd be glad to distribute them. Thank you very much. Thank you

1:19:44Mr. Welsh. Melinda Salter. Three minutes Mr. Clerk. Hey everybody. Hi Mayor Gilbert. Hi

1:19:59town council members. I just want to use this time to introduce myself again. I'm Melinda Salter. I

1:20:05live in the Groves. In fact, I live on the south side of the Groves on the east side right in the

1:20:12middle. So there is something coming up the application that's come through that's 26

1:20:17CZ 13. These guys as you know the first time this came up you denied it then there was a switch

1:20:26and it was then approved which was fine. It was for 30 townhouses just like everybody else has

1:20:32on that street. It was formerly a donut. There's a small portion of it as I recall is commercial

1:20:38and the rest of it is residential. So they were planning on putting in 30 units for sale.

1:20:44They've sat on that for a while. The zoning passed and then they've come in with their

1:20:50neighborhood meeting and they filed their application on August 3rd I think. I think I've

1:20:58jumped the gun on some stuff and communicating for this. So this is part of the reason I want

1:21:02to reach out. So where they stand now in this application is that on that property behind my

1:21:10house which I don't have a buffer by the way. They want to put in four large apartment buildings

1:21:17for affordable housing which is fine. I've got no problem with that. I support it. I want more of

1:21:21that. So that's not part of the conversation but I do want I'm aware of that. But there are four

1:21:27big buildings on that spot. They're going to have 132 apartments, four walk-up buildings, no

1:21:34elevators. So we're talking about center street traffic, utilities. There's a whole lot of aspects

1:21:41that I will come back over time and try to build awareness around this case. Application I should

1:21:47say. So yeah, so I've helped catalyze some people. Quite a few people actually in the group grows. I

1:21:55don't represent all of their points about their reasons they don't like it but I think that

1:22:01generally as a neighborhood and those around there were pretty like-minded. I like the environmental

1:22:07stuff a little bit more but I think we all know that it's going to boil down to traffic and the

1:22:11egress and ingress with Myrtle Grove Lane right across the street. We've got 122 units to

1:22:18get there. As you guys talked about last week there are no parking rules. These guys are talking

1:22:22about 132 apartments, one parking spot per unit. But there's no public transportation so if they

1:22:31have to park off-site somewhere they can't get there. So there's a lot of things going around

1:22:36this. I just wanted to introduce myself, say thank you to everybody who's helping me on this

1:22:42learning curve because it's just a crash course and I really appreciate that. So that's it. I'll

1:22:47reach out to you all independently so we can talk more about this project but thank you very much.

1:22:52Thank you for speaking. Thank you. Jennifer, good evening. Hello again. Mr. Mayor, council members

1:23:11and neighbors, thank you for the opportunity to speak here again about ALPRs and warrantless

1:23:16surveillance. We've spoken at length about how troubling floc is but swapping floc for axon

1:23:23isn't a fix. No ALPR is the fix. At its inception, axon built an ethics board of 12 outside AI

1:23:33experts. In 2022, when axon pushed taser-arm drones in schools despite the ethics board's

1:23:40vote against them, nine of 12 experts resigned. The people axon hired to police its own ethics

1:23:49quit over their prospective tactics. Right now, agenda item CN4 asks this council to extend

1:23:57axon's contract to 2030 including drone software. The software axon ethics board resigned over.

1:24:04You'd be signing a surveillance contract with a vendor whose own advisors walked out.

1:24:10Axon built an AI that writes police reports from body cam audio then deletes its own draft so no

1:24:17one can tell the officer's words from AIs. Investigators have called it designed to defeat

1:24:24an audit. One Washington state's prosecutor's office refuses to accept a single report that

1:24:31it's touched but that's who you'd put in charge of surveilling us. Remember the ring lost dog

1:24:38Super Bowl commercial? After public backlash, ring canceled its contract with floc but kept

1:24:45one with axon. So a neighbor's doorbell is another camera in a network and people have no idea their

1:24:51private footage feeds warrantless surveillance. Axon sells the whole mass surveillance package.

1:24:59Their platform pulls ALPRs, body cams, drone cams, fixed cameras, interview rooms, ring doorbells,

1:25:07and AI analytics into one screen. One company, one database watching from everywhere. So one breach,

1:25:16one abused login, one bad actor, and it's everything on everyone exposed in one place.

1:25:25Every foreign adversary is hoping where there's this careless. The gravest danger in data is

1:25:32aggregation. When ALPR, body cam, drone, and doorbell footage all flow into one AI system,

1:25:39you've crossed the line into a full surveillance state, not the foundation of one. The ACLU put

1:25:47out a newsletter warning cities axon is not safe and the Supreme Court ruled in Carpenter versus

1:25:53the United States that tracking your movements over time requires a warrant. Axon is not less

1:25:59surveillance. It's more, it's consolidated, and it's with a company whose entire business model

1:26:04is becoming the for-profit operating system of warrantless surveillance. Swapping vendors just

1:26:10changes the logo on the camera and who you're making richer. Thanks for speaking. Thank you.

1:26:16Don Casalino. Don Casalino. Bless you. Kenneth Mazzillo. Hi, good evening. My name is Kenneth

1:26:33Mazzillo. I live at 602, Longton Hall Court in Apex, and I am the vice president of the

1:26:39Amherst Homeowners Association, and I'm speaking behind Bob. The point of the matter that we are

1:26:49really looking at here is that we have a real safety concern. Now, you all have plenty of

1:26:56decisions you've got to make, and you've got upsides and downsides of each decision. We need

1:27:02to get a traffic signal at that corner, and the reason is my wife was taking a run today,

1:27:09and she almost got hit. I hear it time and again from many of our residents just trying to pull

1:27:16out to go to work or take your kids to school or go to town. It's extremely dangerous, and this

1:27:22is with the lower flow of traffic that we now have. This is really, this is kind of a no-brainer.

1:27:30You guys can make a decision, and we're going to continue to lobby you and bring this to the

1:27:36forefront, but you can make a decision that has no downside and will just help protect a whole

1:27:44bunch of people from serious harm. In my day job, for the past 40 years, I've provided customized

1:27:54wheelchairs for people, and I have put way too many people in chairs from vehicular accidents,

1:28:02and especially when it's a car against a human, the results are horrific, and I don't want to

1:28:09see that. I don't want any more customers. I'm busy enough, and I believe that we have a real

1:28:17solution here, and it's simple. A traffic signal will slow the people down. It will create safe

1:28:26passageways for the people across the streets, and there really is no downside. When I have a

1:28:34problem that I bring to my boss, I usually like to bring a solution, and really, I've lived there

1:28:39for 20 years, and I cannot remember a time that I've seen a police officer out on the street

1:28:45giving tickets. Now, I'll tell you, you put some cops out there at between five and seven at night

1:28:50and eight and ten in the morning. You're going to garner a whole lot of money in traffic fines,

1:28:57because people speed down that road. There's a lot of lack of attention. There are pedestrians.

1:29:03There are people turning onto and off of the roads. This is a real serious situation right now,

1:29:10which will only increase, and I know that nobody wants to go home at night and say,

1:29:15"You know what? I could have saved that little kid if I had voted to put a traffic signal there."

1:29:22You have a real opportunity to do something really good here, and we will continue to

1:29:29lobby you, and we will continue to push, because this is that important. Thank you.

1:29:36Thank you all for letting me, and thank you for all you do.

1:29:39Thank you. Good evening, everybody. Hisham Osman, 3181 Mantle Ridge Drive and Apex,

1:29:54and today, I just want to come up and acknowledge the great job that Peak Academy has been doing.

1:30:00We have one more class until we graduate in a couple weeks, and I just want to talk about

1:30:05the great job that the entire town staff has done, you know, starting with Kendall and Sandy

1:30:09and organizing everything, and then meeting with every department. Yesterday, we were at

1:30:13Parks and Rec in Pleasant Park, and it was packed. It was a great time, and we've gone

1:30:17through every department, and I just want to thank the council for the dedication to this project.

1:30:22I want to thank Randy and the entire town staff, because it's a lot of time. It's long hours,

1:30:27and this year, we have two cohorts, so it's not just twice a month. It's four times. You can tell

1:30:33the amount of dedication that the town staff puts in, and I know I'll get up here and complain

1:30:37about things, and so today, I wanted to get up here and shout out the great job that Peak

1:30:41Academy does, and everybody's associated with it, so it's any of the residents who haven't

1:30:45taken it, you should. I know Karen has been there, and she's a tough one to break sometimes,

1:30:50but I think, I think, Randy, you may have won or over. I'm not sure. You may have. Some smiles

1:30:58every now and then, but a little bit, a little bit, but joking aside, it's a great program.

1:31:05I've learned so much about this town, but the best thing that I've learned is the dedication

1:31:10the staff have brought to the town. They really, really love working for the town of Apex.

1:31:16They're really open to resident feedback, and so I just wanted to, again, thank the entire

1:31:20leadership for keeping this program and investing in it, and then I recommend it to everybody, so

1:31:26my family makes fun of me. They call it night school, that I got to go to school,

1:31:30and they wait for me to come home and tell all about it, so it's been a great experience,

1:31:34so thank you very much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. All right, John Layer. Good evening,

1:31:45good evening, Mayor, Councilman. Sorry, I have a speech error problem, so I'm sorry.

1:31:54I did modify my speech a little bit, but my name is John Layer. I live over at 2024,

1:32:01Eva Pearl Drive in Apex. I had a stroke recently, and I'm here to talk about the children that are

1:32:14over at North Park. My son plays football over there, and your guys are planning on taking away

1:32:26the 13 acres away from there for their practicing. Sorry, but I want to ask you to take away what,

1:32:43why do we need to take away the kids' field when already, when they have plenty of empty

1:32:50apartments around here, like over by C.J. Maxx, the Henley, they've had their brand new,

1:33:03the bright type on it is 2540 a month, right? You got the ballast, which is right there on US 1,

1:33:11right? They're up to $2650 a month, and they're given two free months,

1:33:22because they can't get any in there. Same thing goes for Depot 499, which is right there at Apex

1:33:28Barbecue, same thing. They're at 2,000 a month for two bedrooms, but they're also offering

1:33:38two free months. They can't get anybody to get there. And then you got the new one that's coming

1:33:43up over by Crossroad Ford, the one for 400 plus apartments and condos. Why do we need more of

1:33:54these places? It just seems like we just keep building and building, and we're taking all our

1:34:00spaces while it's smaller. I know I'm deviating my area here, but I've never really done public

1:34:10talking. But it just seems like we cannot afford to get these places. A lot of the people that,

1:34:19you know, it's great if you live in a triangle, and you work in a triangle, that'd be great.

1:34:24You're making that, but what about the people that live here in Apex? You know, the people that

1:34:30are restaurant people and that take care of our people here, that we work in our grocery stairs.

1:34:37They can't live $2,000 a month, and that's not ruining food, water, electric. How can we

1:34:48afford it? And then you guys want to add more and take away the fields for our kids. I just

1:34:55don't understand how we just lose that. And I'm sorry, I just kind of went off on a little bit.

1:35:03But I hope you guys didn't get a list of what I did send. Thank you, though.

1:35:07Yes, thank you, Mr. Laird. All right, Mr. Laird was our last speaker. We'll go ahead and close

1:35:15public forum. Thank you to all who came out tonight to speak. All right, we're gonna roll

1:35:21on. Everybody good? Okay, all right. Let's move now with the public hearings. We have one public

1:35:27hearing tonight. Annexation number 831-2412, out of Chapel Road. Miss Diane Ken, planning director.

1:35:33All right, good evening. So this annexation is out on all Chapel Road, kind of in our western

1:35:43portion of our area. It is a single-family home. They are requesting annexation to gain access

1:35:50to town water and sewer and services. So staff recommends approval. Happy to answer any questions.

1:35:58Questions for Miss Ken. Hearing none, I'll go ahead and open up public

1:36:04hearing for comment. No one's signed up to speak. Public hearing is closed. Is there a motion?

1:36:09Motion to approve. Second. Motion's taken and second. Mayor Pro Tem, discussion. All in favor,

1:36:15say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

1:36:23Okay, we move now to two closed session items. Is there a motion to go to closed session?

1:36:29Motion. All right, Mayor Pro Tem. Second. Second gray. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion

1:36:35carries. We're moving into closed session. Thank you all. Thank you for being here.

3:55:50All in favor, say aye. Opposed? Aye. Opposed? Aye. Motion is motion to adjourn. Second.