The Board of Commissioners heard three public comments during the Nov. 3 meeting.

Stuart Smith said he lives at 811 South Third Street and urged commissioners to support Alamance-Burlington Schools (ABSS). Smith cited district figures that more than 22,000 students attend ABSS, nearly 4,000 are English learners (about 92% Spanish-speaking), and ABSS has over 3,200 students in the exceptional-children program. Smith noted the original federal goal for funding special-education services was 40% but said the federal government provided about 13% of those costs in 2024, shifting the remainder to state and local government. He urged commissioners to consider ways to help ABSS raise student achievement and support classroom needs; he also cited concerns about low-performing charter schools and said when charters close children usually return to public schools.

Sonia Blackwell of Snowcamp told the board she is seeking mental-health and substance-abuse treatment for her teenage son and described a series of obstacles to accessing care. Blackwell cited national statistics during her remarks — for example, that one in five adults experience mental illness annually and that suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people ages 10–34 — and said many adolescents and adults who need treatment do not receive it. She asked the county to look at state-funded programs and barriers to care that limit access for families in crisis.

Henry Vimes, who identified himself as chair of the Board of Equalization and Review, asked for a presentation from the tax department so that the public and the board would better understand the tax office’s duties. Vimes said he had received calls questioning tax-department staffing and welcomed tax office efforts to educate Board of Equalization members about appeals and valuation processes.

No formal board action resulted from the public-comments period, but commissioners listened and asked that staff follow up where appropriate.