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Durham commissioners deliver first annual State of the County, decry 'intimidation' by ICE/CBP and tout investments
Summary
At a Nov. 24 State of the County address, Durham County leaders highlighted community response to a recent ICE/CBP enforcement action, new county awards and programs, and capital and education funding in a $1.4 billion budget, while recognizing staff and community groups.
Chair opened the Board’s first annual State of the County address, thanked staff and residents, and framed the presentation around recent community challenges and achievements. Speaking about last week’s immigration enforcement presence, the Chair said the county "saw ICE and CBP, Customs and Border Patrol, show up in our community, masked, heavily armed, unannounced, and with the clear intention of terrorizing people," and praised residents who "checked in on each other" and provided mutual aid.
The address included several recognitions: County Manager Claudia Hager was singled out as completing her first official year and honored; staff across departments were named for awards; and the Board thanked community partners that organized a food drive in response to a SNAP interruption. The Chair reported that county partners bagged 688 food bags and Durham County Department of Social Services provided more than $6,000 in food cards to 49 seniors.
Vice Chair Dr. Mike Lee reviewed employee awards and named multiple staff honored for public service. Commissioner Michelle Burton outlined recent economic-development wins and transportation planning efforts and said two private expansions would bring nearly $570 million in investment and roughly 1,300 jobs to the county over several years.
Commissioner Wendy Jacobs summarized details from the recently adopted county budget, describing it as a $1,400,000,000 document that adds $15,930,000 in new funding for Durham Public Schools (bringing total county funding to $224,500,000), nearly $9,000,000 for pre-K, and $12,600,000 for Durham Technical Community College. Jacobs also described targeted staff additions—12 emergency medical services positions, five sheriff’s office positions and 8.5 positions for a new county youth home—while flagging fiscal risks, including expiring ARPA funds and uncertain state and federal budgets.
Commissioner Steven Valentine highlighted bond-funded capital projects from the 2022 referendum ($550,200,000), including a $112,000,000 award to Durham Tech for a new health sciences building and $423,000,000 in bond funds to Durham Public Schools. The commissioners framed the year’s work as collaborative and focused on sustaining services amid uncertainty.
The Chair closed by encouraging public engagement with county communications and by noting ongoing intergovernmental collaboration to plan for state and federal policy shifts.
