Manage One-On-One
Monday afternoon I spoke with the town manager at our weekly one-on-one. Our topics included the budget, his upcoming book, and council actions.
Wake County Mayors Association
Monday night I joined the Mayors of Wake County in Holly Springs for our monthly meeting. In attendance were mayors from Apex, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Rolesville, and Wake Forest. Our topics included protocols of running meetings, the Wake County budget, our budgets, and activities in our municipalities.
Diwali Dance Original Meeting
Tuesday, a group of elected officials and staff meet with teachers, sponsors, and choreographers for the October 2025 Cary Diwali Celebrity Dance. It appears the Cary team will have 16 members including six of the seven council members. Apex and Garner will also have a team. Morrisville Mayor Cawley may join the Cary team since their team may be small. Our practices will begin in July.
Caregiving Event
Tuesday night I provided welcoming remarks at the Cary Theater for a special early screening of “Caregiving” a powerful new PBS documentary produced by Bradley Cooper. It was a capacity crowd, and the screening was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Councilmember Kohn-Johnson. The panel included NC Senator Gale Adcock, Dr. Ben Thompson, Neal Shah and Dr. Erin Kent.
CAMPO Executive Board
Wednesday afternoon I attended a meeting of the CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s) Executive Board.
A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is a federally mandated regional transportation planning body in urban areas with populations over 50,000. Its primary function is to develop and maintain a comprehensive, coordinated, and continuing transportation planning process for its designated area, ensuring efficient and safe movement of people and goods. This includes developing long-range transportation plans, transportation improvement programs, and public participation plans, all while considering the unique needs and issues of the region.
Our agenda for this month included one public hearing and eight discussion items.
The public hearing was for the 2025 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and
Individuals with Disabilities Program Project Selection. There were no speakers, and the projects were approved unanimously.
The first discussion item was for the CAMPO Blueprint for safety which was adopted unanimously.
The second discussion item was an update on the last section of I540 which is 14% complete. The project is expected to be completed in 2028. There are two construction teams with contracts costing $287.3 million and $449.9 million. The update included new technology being used to save millions of dollars and the relocation of a graveyard which was unanticipated.
The board unanimously approved a matrix of responsibilities for Wake Transit, the 2026 Wake Transit Work Plan, project agreement groupings and deliverables, and authorization for the Executive Director to execute work plan projects.
The 2055 Metropolitan Transportation Plan was presented, and the board chose the “All Together Scenario”.
Information on the LAPP (Locally Administered Projects Program) mix was presented with 65% of funding going towards roadways, 27% for bicycle and pedestrian, and 8% for transit.
An update was also presented on the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan Amendment #2 & Air Quality Conformity Determination Report & FY2026-2035 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
The last discussion item was on the presentation of the multi-modal projects for the 2028-2037 TIP/STIP Development. The staff asked members to submit bicycles and pedestrian, public transit, and aviation projects to CAMPO for consideration.
The executive board will not meet in July.
Cary Matters Taping
Thursday afternoon I joined council member Bansal in a taping of an episode of Cary Matters which will begin showing in July. The episode will be about Cary’s three sports venues, their recreational advantages, and the economic benefits they create for our community.
NC Metro Mayors
Friday I participated in a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors to hear a legislative summary. The following is a summary of what we discussed from Checkmate Government Relations:
General Update
The House and Senate are not likely to find a compromise before the end of the state’s fiscal year (June 30). The state will continue to be funded at the same levels provided by the previously passed budget bill from 2023. Speaker Destin Hall and Senator Berger made several attempts to find common ground but were unable to do so. The Senate continues to prioritize a stand-alone children’s hospital and income tax cuts, while the House wants to increase teacher pay and focus on Recovery spending. Following a flurry of activity next week, the legislature is expected to take a break until the end of August.
At this point in session, Governor Stein has only signed eight bills into law. including House Bill 47 which provides $524 million for Hurricane Helene recovery and a budget technical corrections bill from last year.
The Shrimp Trawling Ban
On Thursday the Senate passed the third reading of House Bill 442, Flounder/Red Snapper Seasons & Shrimp Trawl. This legislation originally was drafted to solely restore the flounder and red snapper seasons by expanding the season and establishing a daily limit. Earlier this week an amendment was introduced to H442 to prohibit shrimp trawling in any coastal fishing waters other than areas of the Atlantic Ocean located more than one-half mile from shore. This bill will now be sent to the House chamber for a concurrence vote.
Simultaneously, the Senate introduced a new version of House Bill 441, Shrimp Trawling Transition Program/Fees. This bill would provide temporary transition payments to holders of commercial fishing licenses that have been active between 2023 and 2025. The bill received a favorable report in Senate Agriculture and will be heard in Senate Rules next week.
Power Bill Reduction Act
Senate Bill 266, “The Power Bill Reduction Act,” would roll back North Carolina’s interim climate target requiring a 70% reduction in carbon emissions from certain electric utilities by 2030, which was originally set in 2021. The bill also enables utilities to raise base rates outside of general rate cases to recover financing costs for new “base load” generating facilities, if the Utilities Commission determines that doing so would save consumers money over the facility’s lifespan. Additionally, the bill revises procedures around fuel cost recovery and sets performance-based rates, while formally authorizing utilities to securitize the costs of retiring older coal-fired plants.
Juneteenth Celebration
Saturday afternoon I was joined by council members Bansal, Bush, and Craig at the Juneteenth Celebration in the Downtown Cary Park. The following are the remarks from which I spoke:
Good afternoon, and what a beautiful day this is for our incredible Juneteenth celebration here at Downtown Cary Park!
Look around you – this is what joy looks like! This is what community looks like! And this is exactly how we should celebrate one of America’s greatest stories of triumph and freedom.
June 19th, 1865, wasn’t just a date on the calendar – it was the day when the promise of freedom finally reached every corner of our nation. It was a day of pure celebration – That same spirit of joy and liberation fills this park today.
Juneteenth is fundamentally <PAUSE> a celebration of hope realized. It’s about the unstoppable power of the human spirit and the beautiful truth that freedom will always find a way. Today we celebrate not just what was overcome, but the incredible culture, strength, and contributions that flourished because of that freedom.
In Cary, all the different backgrounds, traditions, and stories make us who we are. And this celebration represents everything we love about our community – neighbors coming together, sharing stories, learning from each other, and creating new memories. This is how we build bridges, and this is how we honor the past while creating an even brighter future.
So let’s embrace every moment of today’s festivities. Let’s sing along, let’s learn something new, let’s make new friends, and let’s celebrate the beautiful journey of freedom that connects us all.
Thank you for making this day special just by being here.
Town Manager’s Report
There was no manager’s report this week since it was a holiday week.
Cary Mayor Rumors for 2027
Rumors that these next two years on the Cary Council will be my last are simply not true. I fully intend to seek re-election and am grateful to have the unwavering support of my family, friends, and constituents.
As the only living Mayor who has led Cary through a recession and some of the most challenging financial times, I see it as both my responsibility and my calling to continue my service on the Cary Council. I am committed to working alongside my colleagues to help guide our community through today’s uncertainties.
In the coming months, I encourage all citizens to focus on the important Cary Council election ahead, where three seats are up for decision. Once those choices are made by our community, we can then look ahead to November 2027.
Until then, I remain dedicated to my oath and to serving as Cary’s Mayor. I’m excited for what lies ahead—tomorrow and beyond.
Mayor’s Mailbox
- Complaints about a development plan review for the Franklin at East Park Street and Walker Street. The proposal is for a mixed-use building, primarily multi-family with 40 units, and a small amount of retail. This use has been permitted at this location since 2003 and is not a council decision.
Unfortunately, that does stop a few people from making comments like “that’s poor planning at its worst”, “what the town is doing is absurd and out of hand”, “the look and feel of the town is already destroyed”, “my whole neighborhood has been ruined by the building of oversized expensive homes”, “…been ruined by corporate greed, expensive developers, and the town council that has approved all of the heinous new buildings”, “Ya’ll are only thinking about money and high density population because it’s a popular thing to do”, “how about supporting the citizens rather than a developer”, “it is irresponsible to even consider such a proposal”, and “This town is forever ruined and it could have been stopped”.
- Complaints about the proposed budget. Comments include “You have betrayed the residents. Nothing more than a pimp for the developers. Resign before you get voted out.”, “all you look like are a bunch of greedy politicians”, “very disappointing that as Cary’s mayor you can’t see…”
- A complaint about Cary’s growth: “The values that we shared as a community have been eroded in pursuit of constant growth” (Not true. Cary has grown at around 2% since I became mayor 17 ½ years ago. This past year we grew at less than 1% which, btw, has an impact on our revenue stream and our tax rate).
Fortunately, insulting comments are not typical behavior of most Cary citizens. In Cary, we should be able to agree, disagree, and agree to disagree all while respecting each other’s point of view. While this is not what we witness on the state and national levels it is what we expect here in Cary. I continue to be disappointed that people believe it is OK to insult others with comments.
- A complaint about NC Representative Von Haefen.
- A complaint about Senate Bill 205
- A complaint about an issue with a backyard fence.
- A complaint about a drainage issue along Airport Boulevard and Twin Lakes.
- Support for the Piney Plains rezoning project which includes Habitat homes.
- A thank you email for all we are doing to make Cary better.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a ribbon cutting at Fenton, a photo shoot with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a budget work session, a speaking engagement in Spartanburg SC, the last regularly scheduled council meeting of the month and the fiscal year, and a meeting of the North Carolina Metro Mayors.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, June 29th, 2025. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts, those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@carync.gov and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.
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