Cary #1 Best Place to Live Again, Wake County Mayors Association, CAMPO, Business Excellence Awards, and Cary 101 Graduation

Purpose of this Blog

It is my hope that this blog will provide insight not only into who I am meeting with on behalf of the Town, but also the topics we discuss. I believe strongly in open and transparent government. This blog is one of several initiatives I implemented when I became mayor in 2007 to make the governmental process more accessible to our citizens.

This blog is written with sincerity, honesty, and a commitment to accuracy so our constituents can better understand the work we do. After all, we work for them!

Cary #1 Best Place to Live in NC Again!

For the second time in three weeks Cary has been ranked as the best place to live in North Carolina, this time by U.S. News and World Report. They also ranked us as the #11 best place to live in the U.S. Here is the press release with the details:

Cary has been named the Best Place to Live in North Carolina for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The publication also ranked Cary fifth among medium-sized cities and No. 11 overall on its Best Places to Live in the United States list for 2026–2027.

“Cary’s continued recognition as one of the nation’s top communities is especially meaningful because it reflects what people experience here every day,” said Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht. “People come here and stay here because Cary offers a rare combination of safety, opportunity, beauty, connection, and service. On behalf of Council, I’m grateful for our residents, community partners, and outstanding staff, whose shared commitment and thoughtful work continue to make Cary one of the best places to live in America.”

According to U.S. News, Cary scored well on value compared with similarly sized cities, while also benefiting from shorter-than-average commute times, a strong job market, lower unemployment, and higher median household income.

U.S. News also named Cary the No. 51 Best Place to Retire in the country after analyzing how well communities meet Americans’ retirement needs and expectations, including local resident happiness, housing affordability, tax rates, and health care quality.

This year, U.S. News noted that affordability and quality of life were especially important to Americans choosing where to live. “As prices of everyday goods continue to rise, consumers are considering affordability as a top priority when choosing a place to live,” said Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report. “While U.S. News’ consumer survey indicated that quality of life and affordability were close in importance, cost-of-living concerns resulted in many Americans putting what they can afford above their aspirations.”

The annual rankings are designed to help people compare communities based on affordability, desirability, job market, and quality of life. According to U.S. News, the 2026–2027 rankings were weighted through a public survey of thousands of U.S. residents and also drew from U.S. News Best States data, Applied Geographic Solutions, and federal agencies including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The U.S. News recognition follows Niche.com’s again ranking Cary in 2026 the Best Place to Live in North Carolina and USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards again recognizing The Nest at Downtown Cary Park among the best public playgrounds in America.

While the Cary-bashing continues in the local media, it is nice to know that the rest of the country sees the true value of the blessed place we call home.

Wake County Mayors Association

On Monday night, I attended a meeting of the Wake County Mayors Association, where ten of the county’s twelve mayors were present. The mayors of Wake Forest and Raleigh were unable to attend. Our discussion focused on budgets, tax rates, and the growing impact of data centers. I especially enjoyed spending time with the new mayors from Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, and Zebulon.

CAMPO

Wednesday afternoon I participated in a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (CAMPO) Executive Board. CAMPO leads a continuous, collaborative, and comprehensive multimodal transportation planning process for the region. As a federally mandated organization, it coordinates transportation planning and investment among local governments, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and federal agencies to secure federal funding. CAMPO’s work is centered on developing a transportation system that accommodates regional growth, strengthens community connections, and improves quality of life.

This month’s agenda included four consent items, two public hearings, and three discussion items.

The consent agenda was approved unanimously and included the Executive Board Meeting Minutes from April 15, 2026. Also approved was the Raleigh UZA Federal Transit Formula Funding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a federal transit program that distributes funding to urbanized areas (UZAs) through legislative formulas to support transit capital projects, operating assistance, and planning efforts. Funding allocations are determined using data from the U.S. Census and the National Transit Database.

The Board also approved the Bonus Allocation projects for inclusion in TIP Amendment #3 of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Under the Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law, local governments are incentivized to participate in roadway funding and highway tolling through “bonus allocation” funding. These funds are awarded to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) when local funding contributions are made to highway projects or when tolling is implemented. Through this provision, CAMPO received an allocation of $100 million tied to the tolling of NC 540 in eastern Wake County.

In addition, the FY2026 Fourth Quarter Wake Transit Work Plan amendment was approved.

The first public hearing focused on the FY2026 4th Quarter Wake Transit Work Plan Amendment Requests, which include approximately $170.7 million in transit investments for FY27 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027). The proposed investments consist of $78.5 million in operating expenditures and $92.2 million in capital expenditures. Key components of the annual Work Plan include continued expansion of the bus network through new and enhanced routes, approximately $6.2 million for Community Funding Area Program projects, $23.8 million dedicated to regional rail initiatives, and $36.4 million in bus infrastructure investments.

The second public hearing addressed Amendment #3 to the FY 2026–2035 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which was unanimously approved following the hearing.

The discussion portion of the meeting included three informational items. First, staff presented an overview of the NCDOT Confident Scope and Cost Estimate (CSCE) process. Since 2019, NCDOT has implemented several new procedures aimed at improving the accuracy and reliability of project cost estimates. The CSCE milestone was established as part of these efforts and represents the point at which the project team determines that the project scope is sufficiently defined and unlikely to undergo significant changes, resulting in a more dependable cost estimate.

The second discussion item focused on progress updates for the Triangle Mobility Hub project. The project team continues to advance planning and design activities for GoTriangle’s new regional transit center, known as the Triangle Mobility Hub. The project is partially funded through Wake Transit.

The third informational item provided an update on the Triangle Bikeway East Design Project and the Winter 2026 public engagement efforts. In Spring 2022, the Triangle West TPO and Capital Area MPO Boards jointly adopted the Triangle Bikeway Feasibility Study, which identified a preferred route for a major bikeway connection between Chapel Hill and Raleigh. Preliminary design work is currently underway for the eastern segment of the project, which spans approximately 14 miles from Research Triangle Park at TW Alexander Drive to the NC Museum of Art greenway bridge at I-440/Wade Avenue.

Business Excellence Awards

Later Wednesday afternoon, I attended the Cary Chamber’s Business Excellence Awards, an annual event recognizing local companies and organizations for their impact, innovation, creativity, and leadership within the business community. This year’s ceremony was held at Chatham Station and highlighted businesses and nonprofits that contribute to regional growth and economic development. I was joined by Council Member Richards and State Senator Adcock. Senator Adcock and I both offered remarks expressing our appreciation for the many contributions these businesses make to the Cary community.

Cary 101 Graduation

Wednesday evening, I was joined by four council members for the Cary 101 graduation ceremony. Cary 101 is an annual, multi-week citizen engagement program designed to give residents an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how the Town of Cary operates and delivers services to the community. Prior to the graduation ceremony, the council members and I spoke about the Town’s advisory boards and encouraged participants to consider applying for future service opportunities. The evening concluded with the official graduation ceremony, during which each graduate received a certificate and a small commemorative gift.

Manager’s Report

Council,

Cary was again named the Best Place to Live in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report, which also ranked Cary No. 5 among medium-sized cities and No. 11 overall on its 2026–2027 Best Places to Live list. Earlier this week, I attended a half-day Growth & Development Summit, hosted by the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, that brought together business, community, and civic leaders to discuss housing, infrastructure, and service delivery in our region. It was a good reminder of how important the work we do at the local level is in shaping what makes Cary a great place to live and do business.

As a reminder, Town Hall and most staffed facilities will be closed Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Memorial Day is an important opportunity to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. I also want to thank the public safety and other staff who will be working throughout the holiday weekend to keep essential services running for the community.

I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy some time with family and friends. I am looking forward to continuing our work next week at both of our Work Sessions and the Council Meeting.

Scot Berry

Assistant Town Manager

Quarterly Cary Economic Development Report

Cary Chamber of Commerce President Mark Lawson submitted a summary of economic development activity between Feb. 1 and Apr. 30.

May 14 Council Quarterly Meeting – Employee Survey Response Rate

The 2026 employee survey included both full-time and part-time employees, with response rates of 68% and 32%, respectively. For comparison, the overall response rate for the previous survey conducted in 2016 was 85%.

May 14 Council Quarterly Meeting – Biennial Survey
Housing Type & Ownership

According to the Biennial Survey Report (p.2), most respondents (60.2%) live in single-family homes, followed by apartments (18.5%), townhouses/condominiums (17.0%), and other housing types (4.3%). Regarding homeownership, 64.2% own their home or carry a mortgage, 30.5% rent, 4.3% live in a home owned by someone else without paying rent, and 1.0% fall into other categories.

311 Usage and Customer Service

The Biennial Survey Report (p. 24) includes data about residents’ primary information sources and finds that 311 is among the least used. The survey also measured customer service quality across all staff interactions, not specifically 311 interactions. Overall, staff earned an A- for customer service quality.

311 Snapshot

311 processed 2,429 new cases this week.

Volume by Contact Method

• Phone: 1,522
• Email: 355
• Web: 270
• Internal: 181
• Walk-In: 31
• Text: 55
• Social Media: 15

53.18% of cases fell into these top five categories:

• Utility Billing & Services: 505
• Inspection Scheduling & Status: 329
• Permitting Inquiries & Payments: 179
• Water Meter Service & Requests: 175
• Garbage Inquiries & Pickup: 104

Old Apex Water Main Construction Complete

Construction of the new water main along Old Apex Road is complete. This project constructed roughly 8,400 feet of 24-inch water main along Old Apex Road from NW Maynard Road to SW Cary Parkway. This new main increases the capacity and resiliency of the water system between the Cary-Apex Water Treatment Facility (CAWTF), the ground storage tank on Old Apex Road, and the downtown area. In addition to the water main, several bus stops were added, and approximately 900 feet of new sidewalk was installed on the south side of Old Apex Road, improving pedestrian connectivity along the corridor. This project was coordinated with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and finished 4 months ahead of schedule, clearing the way for NCDOT to resurface a portion of Old Apex Road later this summer.

Crabtree Crossing Water Main Construction Complete

Installation of a new 8-inch water main on Crabtree Crossing Parkway and Hampton Pines Drive is complete. The pipeline was installed to close a minor gap in the water system, improving water quality by eliminating dead ends and providing redundancy in the unlikely event of an outage. The road has been resurfaced, and the speed humps have been restored.

Cary 101 Graduation

On Wednesday evening, Cary 101 participants celebrated their completion of the eight-week program. Staff across departments supported the experience through more than 25 hours of instruction, tours, and hands-on engagement designed to provide participants with a deeper understanding of Cary’s operations and services. At graduation, Town Clerk Ginny Johnson moderated a panel discussion with Council focused on Cary’s boards and commissions, including opportunities for residents to apply and serve. Participants also took part in the quadratic voting budget exercise, gaining insight into the trade-offs and prioritization involved in developing a balanced budget. The results of this exercise were shared with Council at the May 14 Council Quarterly Meeting.

Regional Explosive Detection K9 Training

Last week, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) partnered with the Police Department to host a regional explosive detection K9 training at WakeMed Soccer Park. K9 teams from agencies across North Carolina participated in scenario-based exercises designed to expose canines to a variety of explosive odors in controlled, real-world environments. Participating agencies included Cary, Apex, Raleigh, and Military Police; the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority (PTAA); and university police departments from NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. The training strengthened regional coordination and provided valuable hands-on experience for participating teams.

Ritmo Latino Festival

The Ritmo Latino Festival, presented by Diamante Arts and Cultural Center in partnership with Cary, drew approximately 5,000 attendees to Town Hall Campus on May 9. The festival celebrated Latin American cultures through live music and dance performances, regional food vendors, and an artisan market, highlighting diversity and creativity.

Wheels On Academy

Wheels on Academy returned to Town Hall Campus on May 16, drawing more than 120 cars and 3,000 attendees. In addition to the car show, staff from Public Works, Police, Fleet, Fire, and Environmental Outreach hosted Touch-a-Truck and Explore-an-EV. It was a great opportunity for our community to connect with staff, learn about the work they do, and the vehicles they use to do it.

Kids Food Fest at Downtown Cary Park

Kids Food Fest at Downtown Cary Park welcomed approximately 4,200 attendees May 9–10 for a weekend of food education, entertainment, and hands-on activities promoting healthy eating habits for children. The event featured live performances and James Beard Foundation “Future Foodies” cooking classes. Cary Teen Council volunteers hosted Art Cart activities, while Cary It Green shared information about food scrap composting. The festival was presented in partnership with The Creative Kitchen and event creator Cricket Azima.

25-REZ-04 Ferrell Road Rezoning Withdrawn

On May 15, Rezoning Case 25-REZ-04, the Ferrell Road Rezoning, along with the associated annexation petition (25-A-02), located in Chatham County outside of Cary’s Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), was withdrawn at the request of the applicant. As a result, the property will retain its existing Chatham County Residential-1 (R-1) zoning designation and remain under Chatham County’s jurisdiction.

26-REZ-08 106 Sherwood Forest Place

A virtual neighborhood meeting for 26-REZ-08 will take place on June 3^rd. This is a request to rezone 1.37 acres from Residential 8 Conditional Use (R-8-CU) to Office and Institutional Conditional Use (OI-CU). The applicant wishes to rezone to allow for a 9,000 square foot day care center, a 10,000 square foot veterinary hospital/office with indoor kennel, or a 10,000 square foot office. The Watershed Protection Overlay District (Jordan Lake subdistrict) will remain.

Important Dates

Town Council Work Session
Tuesday, May 26, 5:30 p.m.

Cultural Arts Committee
Wednesday, May 27, 6:00 p.m.

Town Council Work Session
Thursday, May 28, 5:00 p.m.

Town Council Meeting
Thursday, May 28, 6:30 p.m.

Council Out and About

Last week, we held a very thorough quarterly session in which we received survey results from both our residents and Town employees. We also took an in-depth look at the interim Town Manager’s proposed FY 2027 budget, with a significant focus on our community’s Police and Fire needs.

We had additional topics to cover and ran out of time during that session, so Council has scheduled an additional work session for May 26. As a reminder, it is open to the public, or you can watch live or later on our social media channels.

Carissa Khon-Johnson

Davis Drive PTA Picnic with Policymakers

Councilmember Brittany Richards joined Davis Drive Elementary families at a PTA Picnic with Policymakers, alongside Wake County School Board Chair Tyler Swanson and Wake County Commissioner Cheryl Stallings.

Chamber of Commerce Honor a Teacher

Councilmember Michelle Craig gave remarks at the Chamber of Commerce Honor A Teacher event. Also attending were Mayor Weinbrecht and Bella Huang, Brittany Richards, and Sarika Bansal. The event honored Cary and area teachers for their dedication and service.

C-SPAN Awards

Councilmember Bella Huang attended the C-SPAN Awards, where local Cary students were recognized for their documentary videos. She also presented the students with a proclamation.

Langley Federal Credit Union Ribbon Cutting

Councilmember Sarika Bansal gave remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Langley Federal Credit Union. Also attending was Councilmember Brittany Richards. The event celebrated a new business in the community and highlighted the Town’s strong business partnerships.

Telangana Mother’s Day

Councilmember Sarika Bansal attended a Mother’s Day celebration hosted by Triangle Telangana Association.

Move NC Career Fair

Councilmember Sarika Bansal participated in a career fair organized by Move NC.

Apex-Cary Choir Spring Concert

Councilmember Sarika Bansal gave remarks at the Cary-Apex Choir Spring Concert.

Council Initiated Items

The council has a process that allows members to introduce items for discussion at meetings, often leading to further action. Given the recent increase in these requests, I will begin sharing them here along with my perspective on their pros and cons.

Temporary moratorium on Data Centers

This proposal was submitted by Mayor Pro-Tem Bush, and I provided the second. It has been scheduled for the May 28^th Council meeting.

Data centers are centralized facilities that house IT equipment for storing, processing, and distributing massive amounts of data. While they are the vital backbone of the modern internet and AI, they also pose notable environmental and community challenges by requiring massive amounts of electricity and millions of gallons of water. This proposal would direct staff to put a moratorium on data center approvals.

PROS:

• They generate significant long-term property and sales tax revenue for local municipalities, often offsetting the need to raise taxes on residents.
• They provide the essential computing power required to run the cloud, stream media, and train heavy AI models.
• Modern facilities offer unparalleled uptime, physical security, and disaster recovery protections for critical business information.
• Unlike large manufacturing plants or warehouses, operational data centers generate minimal daily traffic and produce very little localized air pollution.

CONS:

• We may not have authority to permanently prohibit them.
• They demand immense amounts of electricity and millions of gallons of water for cooling, which can strain local utility grids and drive-up energy costs for surrounding communities.
• Unless heavily offset by renewable energy sources, heavy reliance on power can prolong the use of fossil fuel plants and contribute to electronic waste.
• The constant operation of high-powered cooling fans and backup generators can create significant, round-the-clock noise disturbances for nearby residents.
• While construction creates many temporary jobs, fully operational data centers typically require very few on-site staff, delivering fewer permanent local jobs than other large-scale developments.

Partnering with the school board to pilot school zone safety improvements

This proposal was submitted by Council Member Bansal, and I provided the second. It has been scheduled for the May 28^th Council meeting

Several schools in Cary, particularly middle schools and high schools, are experiencing transportation safety concerns on and around school property. While the schools are responsible for transportation operations on campus and NCDOT oversees roadway infrastructure decisions, progress on improvements has been slow and resident complaints have continued to increase. This proposal would direct staff to work collaboratively with the schools on programs and strategies to help address these concerns.

PROS:

• Allows the Town to take a more proactive role, even when we are not the primary decision-maker.
• Responds to growing community concerns regarding school transportation safety.

CONS:

• The Town is currently understaffed, so this effort could require shifting staff resources away from other projects.
• Potential solutions could result in additional costs to taxpayers if Cary contributes funding toward implementation.

E-Bike Safety

This proposal was submitted by Council Members Bansal and Richards and presented at the April 16^th meeting. It will come back to council with recommendations for a future meeting.

The council initially launched a pilot program in June 2022 to allow e-bikes. After a one-year trial period, the program was made permanent, with a posted speed limit of 15 mph on greenways. Recently, however, there have been complaints that e-bikes, scooters, and similar devices are traveling at excessive speeds and creating potentially hazardous conditions.

PROS:

• We are listening to our citizens’ complaints.
• Preventing e-bikes and scooters will possibly make greenways safer.

CONS:

• There is basically no way to enforce an ordinance that has e-bikes or not.
• Any enforcement effort would require additional officers and officers’ time. We are currently underfunding officers and require overtime to maintain existing levels of service.
• We are revisiting a decision that was made after a one-year trial and review of data.

Smoke Free Ordinance

This proposal was submitted by Mayor Pro-Tem Bush and Council Member Craig and presented at the April 16^th meeting. It will come back at a future council meeting with recommendations.

PROS:

• Eliminates toxic secondhand smoke.
• Current ordinance does not match state law and Raleigh/Wake ordinance.

CONS:

• Any enforcement effort would require additional officers and officers’ time. We are currently underfunding officers and require overtime to maintain existing levels of service.

Affordable Housing on Old Library Site

This proposal, submitted by Mayor Pro Tem Bush and Council Member Bansal, would place a podium-style parking deck with affordable housing on the former library site. This has yet to be scheduled for a meeting agenda.

PROS:

• Adds parking across from Downtown Cary Park.
• Create affordable housing units in the downtown area.

CONS:

• May underutilize one of the municipality’s most valuable properties. Downtown Cary Park generates approximately $16 million annually in economic impact, and this site could represent an opportunity for a more transformative use.
• The town has already invested millions in renovating the Ivey-Ellington House, positioning this area as a premier destination.

How Cary Government Works

Cary’s government, like most cities in North Carolina and most mid-sized cities in the U.S., uses a council–manager form of government. This system works a lot like a company, but for local government. Residents elect a council and a mayor, who set policy by passing laws, approving the budget, and guiding the town’s overall priorities. The council then hires a professional manager to run the town’s day-to-day operations.

Think of it like a company: the council acts like a board of directors, making policy and representing the public, while the city manager acts like a CEO, overseeing all departments, such as finance, public works, police, and fire, and managing town staff. The mayor leads council meetings, represents the town publicly, and has limited executive authority. While the council and mayor make policy decisions and receive regular reports, they usually see only high-level summaries rather than the detailed inner workings of each department.

In short, just as a board hires a CEO to run a company, Cary’s council hires a manager to run the town, ensuring professional management while elected officials focus on big-picture decisions and community priorities.

You can find additional information about how Cary’s government works on the town’s website here.

Mayor’s Mailbox

• Complaints about a proposed tax increase.
• Complaints about the Dancing Queen video and other videos.
• Invitations to several events.
• Concerns about the proposed 25-REZ-12 Trenton Road Rezoning.
• An encouragement email: “I think you are on the right path by focusing on police and firefighters. I am personally ok with tax and service increases to help pay for those. … Don’t give up the good fight!”
• Complaint about stop signs and our police.
• A question about future Fire Station Number 10.
• A complaint about an HOA action demanding the town stop them (HOA bylaws are usually more restrictive than town ordinances and we can’t override them).
• Complaints about rezoning 21-REZ-16 that was passed last year: “It’s time for the Town Council to start listening to the Town Citizens and quit kowtowing to developers who have no regard for existing residents of the Town or the Town’s character and who are only motivated by greed.”

Next Week

Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a Memorial Day Remembrance at Hillcrest Cemetery, a Memorial Day Remembrance at Veterans Freedom Park, a budget work session, the Meridian Cary ribbon cutting, a TST (The Soccer Tournament) event, a potential budget work session, a council meeting, and a NC Metro Mayors meeting.

Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Saturday, May 30^th, 2026. 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.