Durham County Board of County Commissioners - April 27, 2026: Durham County's $240M Bonds and Audit Review
The Durham County Board of Commissioners approved $240 million in refunding bonds, heard an external audit that flagged material weaknesses and water and sewer infrastructure concerns, and welcomed a new internal audit director focused on accountability. Commissioners also highlighted school funding advocacy at the General Assembly, support for classified school staff, and community events from free gardening classes to a local 5K for global relief. 18mins
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Original Meeting
Monday, April 27th, 2026
2677.979002
Board of County Commissioners on 2026-04-27 7:00 PM - Regular Session
In This Video
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Commissioner Wendy Jacobs highlighted a May Day ‘kids over corporations’ gathering at the General Assembly in Raleigh, noted free lunch sites for Durham Public Schools students and families that day, and emphasized concerns about North Carolina’s low teacher pay rankings and ongoing state budget delays.
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Commissioner Michelle Burton criticized inadequate state funding for public schools while emphasizing the importance of classified school staff, encouraged participation in a Raleigh advocacy event for better funding, and recounted attending a well‑attended Library Fest talk on the Green Book and African American travel during segregation.
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Deputy Manager Maurice Jones introduced Shirley McFadden as Durham County’s new Internal Audit Director, who described a career focused on stewardship of public resources, and Commissioner Jacobs welcomed the appointment while emphasizing the importance of internal audit for accountability and strong county departments.
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External auditor LeAnn Bagasala reported that while the county received unmodified opinions on all audits, several material weaknesses were identified and corrected, including issues with federal program reporting, preparation of the schedule of federal expenditures, and eligibility determinations for the TANF program, with corrective action plans put in place.
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External auditor LeAnn Bagasala reported that the county’s water and sewer asset condition ratio had fallen below 50%, noted that modernization of the water treatment plant and other projects were underway to address it, explained that the audit was submitted after the extended state deadline due to federal delays and internal issues, and emphasized that management had largely corrected related material weaknesses and put corrective action plans in place for state reporting.
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