Correction: A previous version of this article reported that Commissioner Haseeb Fatmi had already resigned his seat on the Board of Commissioners and that his chair would be empty Tuesday night. That is not yet the case. Fatmi was selected last week by local Democratic Party officials to fill the state senate vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Terence Everitt, but he has not yet been sworn in to that role and remains a sitting Wake Forest commissioner. He is expected to be at the dais Tuesday night. Wake Forest Matters regrets the error. The article below has been updated throughout.
The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners holds its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:00 PM at Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks Street. The printed agenda looks routine. What isn’t routine is the question hanging over every seat at that dais — including the one that is about to come open.
Walk into the Board Room Tuesday night and all five seats will be filled. But one of them — Commissioner Haseeb Fatmi’s — is about to come open, and how this Board handles what comes next is the question hanging over the room.
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Last week, local Democratic Party officials selected Fatmi to fill the North Carolina State Senate vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Terence Everitt. He will appear on the November ballot seeking a full term in what analysts consider one of the most competitive state senate races in North Carolina this cycle. Remarkably, that is a significant chapter for this town.
Fatmi has not yet been sworn in as a state senator and has not resigned his Wake Forest commissioner seat. He is expected to be at the dais Tuesday night. But once he takes the senate oath, his commissioner seat becomes vacant — and someone will have to fill it.
Here is the part that deserves your full attention Tuesday: that pending vacancy is not on the agenda.
No item. No announced process. No timeline. Nothing.
Which means the most urgent question facing this Board — how they intend to fill Fatmi’s seat once it opens, and whether they will do it transparently — will either surface Tuesday night through public comment, through a commissioner raising it from the dais, or it simply won’t come up at all. The community will be watching either way.
Wake Forest Matters has already staked out a clear position on this: this will be a new vacancy and it requires a new, open process. Open applications. Public interviews. A transparent vote. Not a quiet conversation between colleagues. Not a recycled shortlist from the previous round. A fresh process, open to every resident of Wake Forest who wants to serve.
The Vacancy Process: What the BOC Must Address
That position is grounded in something this Board itself built. When Commissioner Fatmi — in his very first act as a sworn member of this Board — introduced a detailed, legally precise, fully public process for filling the previous vacancy, he set a standard. The community received it with relief. It worked. It is now the established method — proven, transparent, and ready to be used again.
Tuesday night, even if the subject goes unspoken from the dais, the question is already in the room: will this Board — Fatmi included, in what may be among his final meetings as a member — honor that standard, or find a quieter path?
So watch for it. Listen at public comment. Pay attention to what is said — and what isn’t.
Wake Forest Matters will cover Tuesday’s meeting in full. Our post-meeting report will be published here.
What’s on the Wake Forest BOC Meeting Agenda
Public Hearing on the FY 2026–2027 Budget: Your Three Minutes
Tuesday’s most substantive scheduled item is a public hearing on the proposed FY 2026–2027 Annual Operating Budget. This is the formal opportunity — three minutes at the podium — for residents to weigh in on how the town plans to spend public dollars in the coming fiscal year before those numbers are finalized.
Tuesday’s hearing is not a vote. The Board and staff will work through the full budget at the June 2 work session. Adoption is scheduled for the June 16 meeting. But public comment made Tuesday is part of the official record and shapes that conversation. If you have thoughts on spending priorities — infrastructure, parks, staffing, public safety, growth — this is the moment.
For context on the scale of what’s being decided: the current general fund sits at approximately $89 million after mid-year amendments. The town has 472 authorized positions, with 15 currently vacant. In April alone, Wake Forest issued 66 new single-family residential permits and 100 townhome permits — a reminder of how fast this community is growing and how directly that pressure lands on every department budget.
To speak at the budget public hearing, sign up here — the same form used for general public comment — before the meeting begins. Comments during this portion of the agenda must be directed to the budget specifically.
Budget Ordinance Amendment #5: The SchoolDev Settlement
On the consent agenda is Budget Ordinance Amendment #5 for the current fiscal year. One line item worth noting: $725,000 in appropriated fund balance covers the Board’s previously approved settlement in the Schooldev v. Wake Forest litigation. The town records the full expense this fiscal year, though payments will occur through 2028. This is a significant legal cost now formally on the books — important context as the new budget season opens.
Worth noting: Commissioner Adam Wright is the only current sitting member of the Board of Commissioners who was present and voted when the town took the action that led to the Schooldev lawsuit and, ultimately, this settlement — a settlement that will cost Wake Forest taxpayers through 2028.
Annexation at 1313 N. White Street: Continued to June
A public hearing on a proposed contiguous annexation of approximately 7.76 acres at 1313 N. White Street — submitted by Ritchie Family Properties — appears on Tuesday’s agenda. However, the applicant’s representative, High House Capital, has formally requested the Board delay consideration until the June 16 meeting, citing the need for additional time to evaluate project feasibility. Staff recommends holding the hearing and continuing it to June.
The parcel sits in the town’s extraterritorial jurisdiction along North White Street. Wake Forest Matters will follow this application as it moves forward.
Recognitions and Proclamations
Before the evening’s main business, the Board takes up several recognitions.
Katherine “Kathy” Tharrington is retiring after more than five years as a Public Works Administrative Assistant. The Board’s resolution describes her as instrumental in holding the Solid Waste Program together while supporting Streets, Urban Forestry, and Fleet — doing it all, the resolution notes, with exceptional care and professionalism. These are the people a town runs on. Congratulations, Kathy.
The Board will also proclaim National Senior Health and Fitness Day (May 27), Chronic Illness and Medical Advocacy Awareness Month, and Tourette Syndrome Awareness Day (June 4).
What Happened in April: Context for Tuesday
The draft minutes from the April 7 work session and April 21 regular meeting are on Tuesday’s consent agenda for approval. Several items from those meetings provide important context for understanding where this Board stands ahead of Tuesday’s Wake Forest BOC meeting.
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Ligon Mill Road Extension — $95 Million and Counting
The Board unanimously approved a corridor alignment for a proposed road extension connecting Ligon Mill Road north of NC 98 through Durham Road to Stadium Drive. The project is estimated at roughly $95 million across three segments — Segment A alone, requiring a major bridge crossing, comes in at approximately $22 million. This is one of the most consequential infrastructure commitments this Board has made, driven by the town’s rapid growth and long-term uncertainty around Capital Boulevard. Staff will return with next-phase design and funding recommendations.
Downtown Traffic Study Approved
The Board approved a contract with Kittelson and Associates for an 18-month study of roughly 20 downtown intersections. The primary driver is the coming S-Line rail corridor, which will eliminate several key east-west crossings through downtown. The town is planning ahead rather than reacting. That is the right call.
Statues and Monuments Policy — 4-1
The Board voted to adopt a more restrictive policy limiting new monuments on town property to requests processed through existing Historic Preservation and Public Art Commission channels, rather than opening a broader public petition process. Commissioner Fatmi cast the lone dissenting vote — arguing, consistent with his approach throughout his tenure on this Board, for a process more open to public participation. His colleagues sided with caution.
Taylor Street Park Renamed for Officer Joey Wiggins
The Board voted unanimously to rename Taylor Street Park in honor of Officer Joey Wiggins, a lifelong Wake Forest resident and Police Department officer who passed away in 2006 at age 39. His family supported the recognition. It is a fitting tribute to someone who grew up in the Northeast community and came back to serve it.
One Voice at the April 21 BOC Meeting
One name to note from April 21 public comment: Abby Black, of 520 S. Main Street, was the sole speaker at last month’s regular meeting. Readers of this site may recognize her — she was among the applicants in the previous Board of Commissioners vacancy process. Her presence at the podium is noted.
How to Attend the Wake Forest BOC Meeting Tuesday
The Wake Forest BOC meeting begins at 6:00 PM at Wake Forest Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587.
The meeting streams live on WFTV Channel 10 and online through the Town of Wake Forest Public Meetings Portal, where the town archives past meetings for one year.
To speak during Public Comment on any topic not listed as a public hearing item — including the coming commissioner vacancy — complete and submit the Public Comment Sign-Up Form before the meeting starts. Each speaker gets three minutes.
To speak during the budget public hearing, sign up here. Comments during that portion must be directed to the proposed budget.
Finally, if you cannot attend in person, watch live and send us what you observe. Wake Forest Matters is here to make sure Tuesday’s decisions reach every resident who needs to know about them.
Have a tip, saw something at the meeting, or want to share your public comment? Reach us through our tip line. Want to get coverage like this delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to Wake Forest Matters.
Related Coverage:
A New Vacancy. The Same Standard Must Apply. — Our full analysis of the Fatmi vacancy, why this will be a new vacancy requiring a new process, and what the Board of Commissioners owes the residents of Wake Forest.
The Morning After: How Wake Forest’s New Board Just Reset the Agenda — The original report on the Fatmi Method — how a first-time commissioner’s very first act established the transparent, public process this town now relies on as its standard.
Wake Forest Matters is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom covering Wake Forest, NC. We report on local government, schools, business, and community life — free to read and reader-supported. Fearless. Local. Loud.
