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The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners will focus on two main things on Monday: the swearing-in of recently elected commissioners and the election of the Board’s chair and vice chair.
Former County Commissioner Marshall Faircloth, newly elected Veronica Jones, and current Commissioners Jeannette Council and Glenn Adams will take oaths for their new terms.
Each commissioner on the seven-member board serves a four-year term upon election. The three other commissioners — Jimmy Keefe, Toni Stewart and Micheal Boose — were not up for election this year.
Faircloth, Jones, Council and Adams will take their oaths for their new county commissioner terms on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum Ballroom at 1960 Coliseum Drive in Fayetteville. Residents will be allowed to attend.
Immediately afterward, the new board will elect its chair and vice chair. The board holds these officer elections annually. Adams and Stewart have served as chairman and vice chairwoman, respectively, for the past year.
ShotSpotter public forums
The Fayetteville City Council is holding three public forums next week on ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter uses artificial intelligence and acoustic sensors to operate a system that can pinpoint the location of gunfire in a neighborhood. ShotSpotter deploys the technology in other cities across North Carolina and the rest of the country.
The City Council approved a one-year contract worth over $197,000 with ShotSpotter in mid-November after council members went back and forth on the issue for weeks.
The council’s approval, however, is contingent on the city holding these three forums to gather community input. Regardless of how the forums play out, the council has directed City Manager Doug Hewett to execute the contract with ShotSpotter afterward.
At the forums, ShotSpotter representatives will give a presentation on their gunshot detection system. Afterward, residents can ask questions regarding the technology and how the city will use it.
Here are the details regarding the forums:
- The first forum is on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. at the Smith Recreation Center, 1520 Slater Ave.
- The second is on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Kiwanis Recreation Center, t 352 Devers St.
- The third will be a virtual forum hosted via Zoom on Friday, Dec. 9, at noon. Residents can join the Zoom call at this link.
Useful links/resources
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners agenda for Monday’s meeting
CPP’s interview on ShotSpotter with a police technology expert
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