A lot of this week’s work was the kind of local government stuff that happens before a final vote.
We talked about future strategic priorities, what to do about the Christmas parade while downtown construction is in the way, made some important budget decisions, and discussed whether Apex should consider helping fund additional District Attorney staffing.
New Initiative Discussion
Tuesday’s work session included time for Council and staff to dig into possible future initiatives tied to Apex’s strategic plan.
This was not a final vote or a decision to add new spending to this year’s budget. It was an early planning conversation: what should Apex be thinking about next, what tradeoffs do we need to understand, and what ideas need more staff review before they come back in a more developed form?
The boards covered major goals like responsible development, environmental leadership, economic vitality, a welcoming community, and high-performing government. In plain English: growth, infrastructure, services, transparency, quality of life, costs, timing, and how we keep Apex working well as we keep changing.
This is the less flashy part of local government, but it matters. Good decisions usually start before something shows up on an agenda for a final vote.
And for what it’s worth, here are the final boards:
This now goes to staff for deduplication, “refinement”, etc then back to Council at a strategic retreat in the fall.
Christmas Parade Logistics
Key Takeaway: The downtown construction delay will likely impact the Christmas parade, so we are looking at 2 new routes and a “reverse parade” as options this year
The Apex Christmas Parade is one of those traditions people care about for good reason. It belongs downtown. It brings families, schools, churches, local businesses, nonprofits, Rotary, and half the town out together.
That is why Tuesday’s work session conversation was not a fun one.
Because of the downtown streetscape project, staff has been advised that the traditional downtown parade route will not be safe or workable this year. That does not mean the parade is leaving downtown permanently. It means we need a safe one-year plan while construction is in the way.
Staff and public safety walked Council through three possible paths:
a shorter moving parade route from the Thales area toward Hunter Street;
a moving parade route from Apex High School toward Hunter Street;
or a stationary parade / festival-style option, where entries, bands, floats, food trucks, and community groups are set up in one area and residents walk through the experience. This is sometimes called a “reverse parade”.
None of the options is perfect. The moving routes still have staging, sidewalk, parking, accessibility, viewing-area, private-property, and emergency-access challenges. The stationary option would be a bigger change, but it may solve some safety issues and could give families more time to interact with participants.
My biggest concern is keeping the downtown connection. Parade night matters for downtown businesses, and the tradition matters because it feels like Apex. If we have to pivot for one year, I want us to do it in a way that still supports downtown, respects Rotary’s role, and keeps the spirit of the event intact.
Staff will continue conversations with Rotary and other stakeholders before a final direction is set. My priorities are simple: safety first, clear communication, support for downtown businesses, respect for the people who make the parade happen, and getting the parade back downtown as soon as it is safe and workable.
Budget Town Hall Meeting
Join us next Tuesday, May 26, at 6:00 p.m. at the Apex Senior Center for a Budget Town Hall.
This is a chance to learn more about the proposed Town budget, ask questions, and share your thoughts before final decisions are made.
Budget Decisions
Key Takeaway: Council directed staff to use the 1.75 cent budget as the new draft, down from the initial 3.5 cent proposal.
At Thursday’s budget work session, Council gave staff direction to prepare the FY27 budget around a 1.75-cent property tax increase as the new baseline, with the public hearing scheduled for June 9. That approach closely matches what I had been pushing for: significant cuts to allow us to be lower than the original 3.5 cent proposal, but still responsible about funding new public safety investments, fleet replacement, and long-term infrastructure. I made the motion to move forward with the 1.75-cent baseline while also asking staff to keep looking for ways to protect the Community Investment Fund before final adoption (the 1.75 cent plan as presented included a .18 cent reduction in the CIF investment which I was uncomfortable with).
The zero-cent option was presented, but there was broad understanding in the room that it was not a viable way to maintain our commitment to public safety and core services this year. Our current plan allows most planned vehicle replacements remain funded, increased public safety staffing remains largely intact, and only a few items were deferred. I don’t like tax increases either, but my goal has been the lowest responsible increase to fund the needed service expansions — not the lowest number on paper if it creates bigger problems next year.
DA Funding Request
Key Takeaway: A majority of Council did not seem opposed to helping fund a DA position, but wanted to study the issue more and revisit it as part of a regional approach
One budget item we discussed was whether Apex should help fund additional staffing for the Wake County District Attorney’s office. I’m not opposed to using town funds if that is what it takes to improve public safety outcomes for Apex residents, but I do think we need more information before adding it to this year’s budget. The request was about $84,000 for a half year, with a full-year cost roughly double that, and residents deserve to know what specific problem we are solving, how success would be measured, and whether it would actually reduce wasted officer time or improve outcomes for Apex cases.
My preference is for this to be part of a broader regional approach involving the state, Wake County, and municipalities across the county, rather than Apex acting alone. The DA’s office is an important part of the public safety system, but any funding structure needs to be fair, accountable, and sustainable. Council’s direction was not to include the funding in this budget given how late in the process it is, but I’m open to revisiting it with better data as a budget amendment.
That’s all for now. Next week we have a Budget Town Hall (as mentioned above) and a Town Council meeting which will not include any budget discussion or decisions.
-terry
Anything that can keep foot traffic through downtown to help the local business that have been highly impacted by the construction.
Why are we increasins PD funding while also continuing to embrace Flock cameras? I would rather have no Flock cameras, but isn't the big selling point of Flock that it should decrease costs?