I am delighted to share that I have completed (almost) six months representing you on the Cary Town Council. The time has flown by, filled with learning and growth. I appreciate your patience as I am getting settled in my role. I will be sending periodic newsletters to stay in touch!
Community Initiatives and Partnerships
Support for Families Affected by Chatham Estates Sale
There is a land in Cary that will be sold, and 600 families will get displaced due to this sale. Cary Town has partnered with a non-profit organization, Dorcas, to support the impacted families. As part of the Council, I had an opportunity to vote on this important initiative. With 6-0 vote, the project was approved to spend $1.2 million over the period of 3 years in seed money to assist these families in transitioning to safe and sustainable housing.
Insights from Nashville Trip
The Cary Chamber of Commerce organized a trip to Nashville, the “Music City”, where we had the opportunity to meet with local elected officials, chamber members, and the business community. We discussed important topics such as growth, sustainability, and affordable housing, gaining valuable insights that can benefit our town. Creating affordability through corporate partnerships and ownership is important, an important lesson that I learnt on this trip!
Meeting with Cary Police Chief
I met with Cary Police Chief Terry Sult and the head of the School Resource Officer (SRO) department to discuss SRO coverage in Cary schools. Currently, we have coverage for High and middle schools. We have an important task at hand to work with our local officials as well as the School Superintendent’s office to discuss continued collaboration to strengthen our security protocol. It requires strong partnerships.
District D Highlights
Pilot Meeting with District D HOAs
We successfully held a pilot meeting with five Homeowners Associations (HOAs) in District D. This meeting allowed us to understand community challenges and provide updates on district initiatives. Given the success of this event, we plan to expand it to include all HOAs in the future.
Meeting with District D residents
I was able to meet district D residents from various subdivisions to understand their concerns and needs!! I am looking forward to meeting all of you soon!
Parks & Recycling facility
District D has 3 new parks opening soon, training center in USA Baseball stadium opened in April and recycling facility. Although these parks are open for use, we await the official ribbon cutting. These parks will provide a great opportunity for the citizens to enjoy the outdoors with family & friends. It brings the community together!
Meetings and Announcements
Quarterly Meeting in May 2024:
- Cary Budget FY 2025: Town of Cary is during budgeting for next year. It has been an interesting process to prioritize what is important to you. Town of Cary recommends increasing the tax by 8.1 for every $100 after making it revenue neutral. Town council has been very active in asking questions and finding opportunities. We also encourage everyone to provide feedback to the council or town directly through 311 or social media
Council went on a work retreat to Wilmington and covered important topics:
- Capital Projects for the Referendum: a suite of projects that will be important for Cary to develop, such as 2 Community centers, tennis park upgrade with new pickle ball courts, additional tennis courts and upgrade of existing sitting space for additional seating, Asian garden in district d, 200 acres property to be developed into park/ recreation space (nature inspired) and 3-mile green way.
- Runoff Elections: With a vote of 4-0, we requested changing Cary elections to a plurality system, where the candidate with the most votes wins. Once the motion is adopted, the elections take place in November of odd years, aligning with Morrisville and Apex. This change will save taxpayer money and reduce confusion.
Appointments by the Mayor Harold Weinbrecht:
– Parks Recreation Cultural Resources (PRCR) advisory board
– Board of adjustments
– Central Pines – delegate
– Wake County transit board
On a personal front,
I am enjoying my time with my family, especially my daughter who will turn 16 soon!! and will start driving. I am trying to soak every ounce of love and sunshine. I am also going to the gym regularly and focusing on my passion for cooking, spending time with the dogs and helping my husband in the store … all good stuff! My family lives in NJ and I am looking forward to spending more time with them this summer!
Wishing the very best to the graduating class of 2024! Mom and dads, enjoy every moment and give your young one’s lot of love and blessings.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me in case if you have any questions or concerns.
My email for Cary related business is sarika.bansal@carync.gov. and info@sarika4cary.com for non-Cary related matters.
With gratitude,
Sarika Bansal
Cary Town Council, District D
Paid for by Friends of Sarika Bansal