Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the State Of County topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wake County chair outlines growth, housing, transit and public-safety investments in State of the County address
Summary
Chair Susan Evans told residents Wake County exceeds 1.2 million people and described county initiatives including a $5 million seed for a housing opportunity fund, the county’s first BRT line, library and school capital projects funded by the 2024 bond, EMS staffing increases and calls for more foster families.
Chair Susan Evans delivered Wake County’s annual State of the County address, saying the county now has more than 1.2 million residents and that recent growth is reshaping priorities from housing to public safety.
Evans opened by framing the county’s work as “connecting dots” across services and data. She highlighted demographic shifts, saying more than half of recent population growth has come from senior residents and projecting that by 2040 there could be more residents 65 and older than children under 18 in the county. That change, she said, influences planning across health, transit and housing services.
On housing, Evans said demand outpaces supply, noting nearly 9,300 residential building permits were issued last year (combined county and municipal permits) and that the county’s housing team committed nearly $18 million in gap funding this year to create or preserve more than 600 affordable units. She announced a new housing opportunity fund, with Wake County providing a $5 million seed investment to help developers acquire land close to jobs, groceries, health care and transit; the county is seeking a private partner to manage the fund.
Evans also described transit expansions under Wake Transit since 2017 — local service added in 10 communities, more frequent routes, extended hours — and said construction on the county’s first bus rapid transit line on New Bern Avenue will begin this year. She framed transit as a tool to give residents more travel options and reduce congestion.
Turning to public amenities and safety, Evans cited Wake County Public Libraries’ 2025 usage — about 3 million visits and roughly 11 million items circulated — and reminded viewers that the county’s 2024 bond ($142 million) will fund two new libraries, three replacements, one expansion and seven renovations. On emergency services, she said the county opened a main EMS station in Apex, approved plans for an additional Cary EMS hub, partnered with municipalities to co-locate EMS and fire stations in several towns, will break ground on a Zebulon station, and added 15 EMS positions in this year’s budget.
On child welfare, Evans said Wake County has just over 500 children in foster care and only 88 licensed foster families. She urged the community to consider fostering, provide respite care, or support children through donations and sponsorships while they await placement. Evans said some youth are temporarily housed in the Swinburne Social Services Building while awaiting foster placements.
Economically, Evans listed recent private investments (for example, a $10 million lab announced in Morrisville and a reported $2 billion investment by Biogen in RTP) and said new and expanding businesses created nearly 2,000 jobs. A large capital-investment figure quoted in the address appears inconsistent with other details and is flagged for verification.
Evans closed by recognizing fellow commissioners, thanking staff and partners, and directing viewers to county online resources for project dashboards and updates. The recorded program ended with a Wake County TV sign-off directing viewers to wake.gov/news.
