Charles is running in the Democratic primary for Mecklenburg County Commission, District 5. Check your voter registration and see if you’re in district here.

WHAT IS THE COUNTY COMMISSION?

Most people don’t think much about the County Commission—but it plays a big role in shaping our community.

Mecklenburg County is governed by a nine-member Board of County Commissioners, with six members elected by districts and three elected at-large to represent the entire county. The Commission sets policies, approves the budget, and oversees how county government operates.

I’m running for District 5, which you can see a map of below. It extends as far north as Colonial Heights and south down to around Pineville Matthews Rd. The western border of the district mostly runs along South Blvd and it extends eastward to Sardis Woods. The district includes Freedom Park, Queens University, South Park Mall, Shalom Park, Tuckaway Park, along with over two dozen public schools.

WHAT DOES THE COUNTY COMMISSION DO?

The County Commission is responsible for health and human services, to parks and libraries, rental assistance, subsidized pre-k, food assistance, and so much more. Many people living in Mecklenburg County are eligible for the programs that are paid for with their tax dollars. If you’d like to check whether you qualify for any of the many programs provided by the county, click here and fill out the survey to get a breakdown of the programs you qualify for. 

Below is an overview of the work done by Mecklenburg County government:

• Providing supplemental funding for Mecklenburg County schools and working with the CMS school board
  • It’s important to note that North Carolina’s state legislature is primarily responsible for funding our schools, but it has systematically underfunded schools across the state. What’s worse, is it provides even less funding to Mecklenburg than it does to virtually every other county across the state, leaving a gap for the Commission to fill with property taxes. Click here for additional details. (See section on the State supplement).
• Overseeing Health and Human Services in the county. This responsibility is split between four key departments:
  • Community Support Services – serving military veterans, preventing and intervening in domestic violence, and working to help people out of of homelessness.
  • Community Resource Centers – these centers are one stop shops to help residents take advantage of community resources like free pre-k, food and nutrition services, family planning services, vaccine, Medicaid, housing security, child support services, job training, and more!
  • Child, Family, and Adult Services – serving seniors, children, and disabled adults with programs such as in-home care, senior centers, protective services, social workers, foster care/adoption, and more.
  • Public Health – this department protects the health of County residents by providing clinical services, managing ground and wastewater, providing reduced cost dentistry, assisting with family planning, investigating potential cases of infectious diseases, conducting restaurant, lodging, and nursing home inspections, staffing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools with nurses, and much more.
• Maintaining and expanding parks, greenways, and libraries
• Supporting public safety, including the Sheriff’s Office and emergency medical services
• Setting the County property tax rate and approving the county’s $2.5+ billion budget, including property tax rates and spending priorities

Many of the programs you may be familiar with from the federal level are implemented at the county level. For example:

• Medicaid Enrollment and Services
• Food Assistance through SNAP
• Early Childhood Support through Head Start

Our residents account for up to 414,000 of the state’s total Medicaid recipients, more than 143,000 of the state’s total SNAP recipients. 78,600 residents, or a little over 6% of our population receiving Medicaid, are at risk of losing vital coverage if Medicaid expansion is terminated. If it’s preserved but the proposed new work requirements are put in place, the number of county residents losing coverage would be up to 33,000, and 19,000 Mecklenburg County residents currently receiving SNAP benefits are at risk of losing vital coverage due to expanded work requirements and the associated documentation burden.