Cary joins Wake County’s NDO to expand protections for LGBTQ people
Cary is now part of the growing list of municipalities in Wake County to join a non-discrimination ordinance extending more protections for marginalized people.
The Cary Town Council unanimously voted Thursday to join the ordinance. In addition to sexual orientation and gender identity, the ordinance protects people against discrimination based on ethnicity, race, natural hair and hairstyles, pregnancy, veteran status and disability.
“I want folks to know that in Cary, we’re going to do things because we believe in the right thing to do,” said Councilman Don Frantz.
By joining the NDO, the ordinance will apply to Cary’s corporate limits, but only those parts that are in Wake County. Some parts of Cary are located in Durham and Chatham counties.
“The NDO will apply to Cary as an employer, a place of accommodation and in contracting,” said Rashonda Harris, Cary’s diversity, equity and inclusion manager, during a presentation at the meeting. “We will continue our current practice of including non-discrimination requirements in our request for proposals, bid documents and contracts.”
Cary will also adopt a non-discrimination policy for town operations that applies to all residents in the town, and those who interact with government officials.
“The policy establishes Cary’s intent that no member of a protected class should be subject to discrimination under any program or activity administered by Cary,” Harris said. This includes programs funded with federal or state funds, like those for COVID-19 relief.
Wake County’s NDO was approved by the Board of Commissioners last year but only only applied to the unincorporated parts of the county.
Cary joins Morrisville, Apex, Raleigh and Knightdale in adopting the NDO. Garner is expected to discuss it at a work session on June 28, The N&O reported. But Holly Springs has recently faced criticism for not joining the NDO, despite regular protests at recent town meetings.
“Cary is not a place where we do things because it looks good on paper,” said Councilwoman Lori Bush, who made the motion to approve the ordinance. “This is an action-oriented council and this showcases our commitment to do things that really matter.”
Big budget approval
Directly after the NDO vote, the Town Council unanimously voted to approve the town’s $443.6 million budget.
The 2023 fiscal year budget, proposed last month, is 10.9%, or about $44 million, more than the budget for the current year, as reported by the N&O.
The town will maintain its property tax rate of 34.5 cents per $100 of the house’s assessed valued. Cary has the lowest property tax in the county by 5 cents. A homeowner with a residence valued at $375,000 would pay $1,293.75 in city property taxes.
The revenue will also add more funds for town employee raises and to hire six new police officers. The budget includes $2.6 million for 36 new police vehicles in the town, ensuring one vehicle per officer.
The new budget also raises the town’s solid waste fee by $1.50 a month to a total of $22 a month. The rate for water, sewer and irrigation will increase by 3%, costing about $2.30 more per month.
Additionally, the new Downtown Cary Park will get $2.5 million in funding, with the addition of new employees for the park. This is expected to be completed by next spring or summer.
Other items in the budget include:
- $7.5 million to maintain and replace water lines
$9 million dollars for housing
$3.3 million for storm water projects
$10.8 million in transit fund expenses
$7.3 million for street improvement projects
$2.5 million on maintenance on the WakeMed SoccerPark
$5.0 million for town facility improvements
The budget goes into effect on July 1.