Chair says citizens academy funds already available; High Point among participants

The chair of the tech committee said the group’s Citizens Academy work can proceed without a new budget allocation because "the funds are already available and they already existing so there's no need to budget that in the budget a separate item." The committee also noted High Point among regional participants and named Cynthia Barnes to carry out a minority/women survey of participants.

The remarks came as the committee reviewed materials compiled from examples across North Carolina and discussed the program’s history, which the presenter placed around 2010–2011. The chair said the team has been collecting resources but has not yet conducted outreach to the public.

Committee members were told the program "jumped off" last year and that the current approach uses funds the staff believes are already in place, avoiding a separate budget line. The chair also highlighted participant demographics, saying, "it's really great to see High Point up there with everybody else in the region," as an example of local engagement.

Cynthia Barnes was identified by the presenter as responsible for an MW survey to capture the demographic breakdown of those who participated; the committee did not specify a timeline or the funding source categories beyond saying existing funds would be used. A committee member asked whether corporate or current members include participants from neighboring states such as Virginia or South Carolina; the transcript records the question but no response or detail on cross-border membership was provided.

No formal motions or votes on the Citizens Academy were recorded in the transcript. With no further business, the chair closed the meeting and adjourned the tech committee.