Budget

Asked the council to pause the building spree, focus on essentials like utility billing accuracy, and questioned water demand from the children's hospital against Jordan Lake limits.

Representing the Raleigh Area Land Trust, thanked the council for the housing penny, which helped bring 12 affordable homes to Apex in under four months, with most buyers below 80% AMI and 75% already Apex residents.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Raleigh's advocacy director urged the council to keep the housing penny, citing 72,000 cost-burdened county households and Apex's new Tingen Road development.

Spoke on behalf of friends on fixed incomes, saying spending on items outside the town should be cut and the people need more say in the budget.

A longtime resident recalled when Apex held the line on taxes, warned tax and fee hikes are pricing natives out, and asked the council to focus on essential services and seek private sponsorships instead.

Said the public has only had weeks to weigh in on the budget, submitted specific cuts by email, and criticized the poor optics of approving a $1 million town hall renovation by consent while debating a tax increase.

Rejected social media claims that public safety was at risk in the budget, called the suggestion repulsive, and suggested cuts elsewhere — downtown improvements, public art, splash pad, solar panels.

Suggested delaying the ~$3.6 million in employee pay raises for a year instead of raising taxes on fixed-income residents he serves through meal delivery volunteering.

Signed up for public forum on the budget but deferred his remarks to the budget hearing later in the meeting.

Asked the council to keep and raise the one-cent affordable housing tax to 1.5 cents, stop charging $542,000 in housing staff salaries to the housing fund, protect manufactured home communities, and publish a specific action plan for the fund.

Questioned budgeting without audited financials, suggested streamlining the delayed Salem Streetscape project to save money, and asked for more public detail on operating costs such as the Pleasant Park splash pad.

Asked the council to use actual-year estimates, set KPIs before staffing decisions, benchmark raises at 3%, and questioned why salaries grew 47% over five years while population grew 18%.

Said town actions harm his New Hill community through eminent domain and fee-in-lieu instead of affordable housing, questioned staffing levels and salaries, and criticized mass-density growth.

Criticized tax increases, youth sports fee hikes, and reduced yard waste service, asking where the budget cuts are.

Urged the town to leverage volunteers to cut costs — adopt-a-road programs, sponsored park benches, volunteer help with public records backlogs.

Asked the council to prioritize affordable housing funding in the budget, restore the penny-and-a-half housing tax, and pursue plan strategies aggressively.

A retiree on a fixed income said she's already cut to the bone, slammed downtown streetscape overruns, and vowed to campaign against any bond.

Urged the council to adopt a truly tax-neutral rate and rein in discretionary spending, noting average tax bills rose over 50% in five years.

Asked what the $2 million Salem Streetscape overrun will displace, urged a no-tax-increase budget, and proposed district or ward-based council representation.