(A summary of decisions made by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners:)
PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS. The Board recognized Stephen Elliott of LUESA as the 2007 Composter of the Year as awarded by the U. S. Composting Council. The Board recognized Robert Furr as recipient of the 2006 Individual National Winner for Excellence in 4-H Club Support. The Board proclaimed the month of March 2007 as "Social Worker Appreciation Month" in Mecklenburg County. The Board proclaimed March 11-17, 2007 as Youth Homeless Awareness Week in Mecklenburg County.
PUBLIC APPEARANCES. The following people addressed the Board on items not on the agenda:
- Patrice Ognodo informed the Board of an upcoming symposium open to the public on illegal immigration and its effects on Americans to be held March 17 at Eastway Church of God from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
- Larry Baumgardner asked the Board to support efforts to have March 22, 2007 proclaimed John Rhodes Day.
APPOINTMENTS. The Board made the following appointments to boards and committees:
- Dave Clarke was appointed to the Information Services & Technology Committee;
- Jeffery Tarte was appointed to the Park and Recreation Commission;
- Tim Bishop was appointed to the Mountain Island Lake Marine Commission.
CMS LEASE/PURCHASE AGREEMENT. The Board approved a pre-development agreement for lease/purchase arrangement between CMS and a private developer to build and renovate schools. This concept would allow the developer to build or renovate schools using its funds, then have CMS lease the property toward ultimate purchase.
SPIRIT SQUARE UPDATE. County Manager Harry Jones recommended that the Board place the Spirit Square discussion on the agenda for the March 13 Public Policy Meeting, which the Board decided will be televised on the Government Channel (Time Warner cable channel 16) from 3 p.m.-5 pm. The meeting has been moved from room 267 to the meeting chamber. The Board is considering the best and highest use of the Spirit Square property owned by the County and City of Charlotte. The County’s agreement to provide facility maintenance funding is expiring this year which prompted this consideration. Several dozen interested citizens spoke about the issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP. The Board received a report on the proposed Environmental Leadership action plan for the next fiscal year. In 2004, the Board adopted an Environmental Leadership Policy that identifies the principles and action steps to exhibit leadership as a steward of the environment. The Board directed the Manager to proceed with implementation throughout all County Departments and Outside Agencies that receive County capital funding.
IMMIGRATION STUDY. The Board received a report on the Mayor’s Immigration Study and referred the issue to the Board’s Community Building Committee for review and actions. The report estimates that there are 58,000 illegal immigrants in Mecklenburg County and offers recommendations to address illegal immigration in the areas of public safety, economic development, education and healthcare.
