Missed Monday’s Wake County Board of Commissioners meeting? Here are the highlights from their first meeting of 2022:
Chair Sig Hutchinson gave an update on COVID-19. Our positivity rate is nearly 16%, and, in response, our staff stepped up over the holidays to expand testing significantly, he said. We now offer 13,000 appointments for testing per day across our five drive-thru testing locations. Hutchinson thanked staff for making it possible to provide 90,000 tests in less than two weeks at our sites alone.
Wake County's turning yesterday’s trash into tomorrow’s natural gas! The board approved changes to its agreement with Ingenco, the county’s landfill-gas-to-energy contractor, allowing the company to convert its operations at the South Wake Landfill to produce renewable natural gas instead of electricity. Ingenco will invest about $30 million in a new plant set to come online in 2023. Learn more at bit.ly/34cXOQt.
Next, the board heard our Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2021, which ended June 30. It shows we're in a solid financial position due to better-than-anticipated sales tax revenues and federal funding. Our fund balance has increased by $80.8 million.
Greenway connections linking Apex to the American Tobacco Trail and Holly Springs are coming soon, thanks to another item approved by the board of commissioners. Wake County will provide $1.69 million to help fund portions of the Apex West Greenway and Middle Creek Greenway. Construction of both projects will begin this year. Learn more at ow.ly/GzRf50Hmqzx.
Finally, the commissioners voted to provide up to $500,000 in additional funding for Broadstone Walk, a 164-unit affordable housing development in Apex. We've already provided DHIC a $3 million loan. The additional money will help fill a gap caused by increasing costs.
Want to dig deeper? You can watch a full recording of the meeting at bit.ly/3HD727c.
