Down Home Alamance Demands Budget Cut Transparency at Commissioners Meeting

Army veteran Richard Ojeda, the Democratic nominee for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, stepped into the Alamance County Commissioners meeting room and delivered a pointed public comment in support of Down Home Alamance's demand that county leaders come clean about how federal and state funding cuts are hitting the local budget.

"People deserve the truth," Ojeda wrote in a post to his campaign Facebook page after the appearance. "Down Home Alamance is pushing for transparency on how these federal and state cuts are hitting our county's budget, and that shouldn't be controversial."

For weeks, working members of the community, along with the Alamance County Down Home chapter, have been busy planning, contacting local elected officials, sharing stories, and showing up at public meetings to demand a clearer accounting of the fiscal pressures the county faces. The group's renewed push arrives as a five-year general-fund model prepared by county staff projects a structural shortfall of about $12.9 million beginning in FY 26-27, the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2026, leaving commissioners to determine exactly which services and funding streams are on the table.

Ojeda, who defeated Nigel Bristow, Loren Bibler, and Lent Carr II in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9 on March 3, 2026, said the opacity itself is the problem. "When politicians start hiding the numbers, it's everyday people who pay the price," he wrote. "Not on my watch."

Down Home Alamance has a track record of showing up when the county's budget is under pressure. More than 300 residents rallied at a 2025 commissioners meeting to support the Alamance-Burlington Public Schools, Alamance County Libraries, and Emergency Management Services, all of which faced major cuts under a prior budget proposal. Commissioners ultimately backed down from that initial budget proposal and passed a budget that included funding for Emergency Medical Services, Public Libraries, the Family Justice Center, and ABSS.

The current transparency demand focuses specifically on federal and state funding reductions flowing down to the county, and what the commissioners plan to do about them. For residents, the $12.9 million structural gap could create a choice between a property tax hike or elimination of what some county leaders call "non-essential services," with prior discussions centering on potentially closing library branches in Graham, Mebane, and North Park, and cutting funding for nonprofit rescue and family services.

The Alamance County Board of Commissioners meets on the first Monday at 9:30 a.m. and third Monday at 6:30 p.m. of each month at the County Office Building at 124 W. Elm St. in Graham. A 30-minute public comment section is held at these meetings, and residents do not need to wait for a budget hearing to advocate for services while the county manager is still writing the draft.

A commenter identified as Ebony Pinnix responded to Ojeda's post: "It was an absolute pleasure hearing you speak! The people of Alamance deserve proper representation. We appreciate you!" The thread closed with a note from the group itself: "Down Home Alamance is forever grateful."

The Alamance County Commissioners have not issued a public response to the transparency demand. North Carolina's 9th District spans south-central North Carolina, covering all of Alamance, Hoke, Moore, and Randolph counties, as well as parts of Chatham, Cumberland, and Guilford counties, making the budget conditions inside Alamance County a direct campaign issue for Ojeda heading into the November general election against incumbent Republican Richard Hudson.