Alamance County commissioners completed their annual organizational tasks and heard public comment on several county issues.

Commissioner Kelly Allen was nominated and accepted as chair and Steve Carter was nominated and seconded as vice chair during the session that opened with an invocation and the pledge of allegiance. The board approved the meeting calendar for 2026, adopting a two-meeting-per-month structure (a work session and a business meeting) and agreed to cancel the Jan. 5 regular meeting. Commissioners also approved a revised budget calendar that moves the public hearing closer to the budget presentation and schedules a June budget work session and adoption timeline.

During public comment, Lee Kimrey — an applicant for the planning board and local builder — urged commissioners to designate industrial and commercial areas, coordinate planning with municipalities, and protect agricultural land. "I think land use rights is something that's very important to all the citizens in Alamance County as well, as well as our farmers," Kimrey said.

Carol Davis, a nearby property owner, strongly opposed a proposed landfill the record shows may come before the board in 2026 near Clap Mill Road. "A landfill is fundamentally an industrial site. It brings heavy truck traffic, engine noise, diesel exhaust, and dust throughout the day," Davis said, and warned that a 300-foot buffer would not shield nearby families from disruption. She asked commissioners to oppose the proposal when it appears on a future agenda.

In commissioners' comments, one commissioner requested a detailed accounting of the county's contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including annual contract amounts, any profits retained by the sheriff's office and how those funds were spent. The commissioner said they had sought briefings from the sheriff and requested documentation from the contract's inception through termination.

The board recognized tax administrator Brad Fowler for receiving a distinguished award from the North Carolina Association of Assessing Officers, and the meeting concluded with routine broadcast and contact information for the county.