The Wake Forest Board of Commissioners meets Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 6 p.m. in the Board Chambers at Town Hall, 301 S. Brooks St. This is one of the most consequential meetings of the year — the budget gets adopted, a BOC seat gets filled, and an annexation hearing resumes.
FY 2026-27 budget adoption vote. No change to the $0.42 property tax rate, a one-cent reduction in the Downtown Municipal Service District rate (from $0.14 to $0.13), and a $1/month bump in the residential solid waste fee (from $24 to $25). See our May 19 BOC recap for the public hearing context.
BOC vacancy update. Applications to fill the seat vacated by Haseeb Fatmi opened June 3 and run through 4 p.m. June 17 — so the vacancy will NOT be filled at this meeting. Interviews and the appointment vote happen at a Special Called Session on Tuesday, June 23. Expect commissioners to discuss the process at tonight’s meeting.
Ritchie Family Properties annexation hearing returns. 7.76 acres at 1313 N. White St. The applicant requested a 30-day continuance from May 19 to finish site planning before the annexation vote.
FY 2026-27 Budget Adoption
Per Town Manager Kip Padgett’s May 5 budget presentation, the proposed FY 2026-27 budget keeps the property tax rate flat at $0.42 per $100 of assessed value, drops the Downtown MSD rate one cent to $0.13, raises the residential solid waste fee $1 to $25/month, and leaves Wake Forest Power rates and the stormwater fee unchanged. The full Budget in Brief is published on the Town budget page; residents can submit feedback at Engage Wake Forest.
The public hearing closed at the May 19 meeting. Three speakers came to the mic during the hearing — see the May 19 recap for the substance of what they said. The board’s June 2 work session was the last opportunity for changes before tonight’s adoption vote.
Haseeb Fatmi resigned from the BOC on May 22, 2026, before being sworn in to fill the unexpired term of former State Sen. Terence Everitt in NC Senate District 18. The town is now running an open application process to fill his seat.
The timeline
Applications open: Wednesday, June 3, 8 a.m.
Applications close: Wednesday, June 17, 4 p.m. — the day after this meeting
BOC reviews applications: Beginning at the close of the application period
Interviews + appointment vote: Special Called Session, Tuesday, June 23 (time TBD)
Term: Runs through December 2029 — the unexpired remainder of Fatmi’s four-year term
To apply, you must be at least 21 years old and a resident inside Wake Forest town limits. Only applications submitted and signed by the applicant themselves are considered (no referrals, no recommendations, and additional contact with board members can disqualify a candidate). See the official BOC Vacancy page for the full process and the application link.
What to watch for at tonight’s meeting: any commissioner reporting on the application volume so far, any discussion of how the board will score and rank applicants (the Clapsaddle-vacancy process used commissioner rankings to select a slate of five finalists), and any signal about timing for the June 23 session.
Continued Public Hearing — Ritchie Family Properties Annexation
The board opened the public hearing on the Ritchie Family Properties contiguous annexation at the May 19 meeting, then continued it 30 days at the applicant’s request. Benjamin Ho, managing partner at High House Capital, appeared briefly to ask for the continuance — the developer needed more time to finalize the site plan before the annexation vote. The hearing resumes tonight.
The parcel: 7.76 acres at 1313 N. White St.
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Department Reports & Consent Agenda
Expect routine items including monthly tax reports, finance updates, Town Manager updates, and any budget ordinance amendments closing out FY 2025-26 (which ends June 30). The full agenda will be posted on the Town’s Public Meetings Portal in the days before the meeting.
Commissioner Reports
The wild card. After Fatmi’s surprise NC Senate announcement at the May 19 meeting, commissioner reports are getting more attention than usual. Watch for any update on the seat appointment process, ribbon cutting announcements, and the standard committee report cycle (Sliwinski on the Northeast Community Coalition, Cross on Coffee with the Commissioner, Wright emceeing Friday Night on White, etc.).
How to Watch or Attend
In person: Town Hall Board Chambers, 301 S. Brooks St., 6 p.m.
To speak at public comment or a public hearing: Sign up by 3 p.m. the day of the meeting at Addressing the Board
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Wake Forest Matters is an independent, nonpartisan local newsroom covering Wake Forest, NC — town government, schools, development, business, and community life. Founded by Wake Forest native Tom Baker IV, it is free to read, reader-supported, and committed to transparent ethics, standards, and corrections. Fearless. Local. Loud.
