FY26-27 Budget & Me At the Zoo

👋 Good Morning, Apex! Today is Thursday, April 23, 2026 and this is the 68th consecutive weekly issue of The Peak Weekly.

The first ever YouTube video gets to have its first beer today.

21 years ago today, “Me at the Zoo” was uploaded to YouTube and became the first ever video uploaded to the platform. You can watch it here. (spoiler alert: elephants have long trunks).

To celebrate, here are some cool animal encounters nearby where you can make your very own “Me at the Zoo” video:

Hidwell Family Farms
Apex | ~15min

Historic Oak View County Park
Raleigh | ~20min

Carolina Tiger Rescue
Pittsboro | ~25min

Duke Lemur Center
Durham | ~35min

The Feathered Farm
Zebulon | ~40min

Brajboro Cow Sanctuary (you can cuddle with the cows! 😭)
Chapel Hill | ~45min

Aloha Safari Park
Cameron | ~45min

Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm
Roxboro | ~1hr

🤔 OR… bring the zoo to you and adopt a dog, cat and/or little critter here.

Miscellaneous Info:

🥪 Learning Lunch - National Poetry Month
Bring your lunch today to the Apex Senior Center from 12pm - 1pm for a learning lunch around the topic of National Poetry Month.

♻️ Spring into Sustainability
Tonight, at the Senior Center from 6-8pm, attend this month’s CommUniversity workshop. Join local experts from different environmentally focused programs for an engaging workshop focused on practical strategies for building a more sustainable home and community.

🧑‍🎨 Open Call for Artists
The Town of Apex has two mural projects planned; one on retaining walls in the Saunders Street parking lot in downtown Apex and the other on the amphitheater in the Apex Nature Park. Artists are invited to submit proposals for one or both projects.

🚻 Restroom Renovations
Apex Community Park restroom renovations are scheduled to begin on Monday and are likely to last through May 8.

🥞 Annual Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast
On Saturday May 2nd (morning of Peakfest!) from 7am-11am at the Salem Street Fire Station. Proceeds will benefit the charities listed below along with other local non profits. 

💰️ Apex’s FY26-27 Draft Budget
Town Manager Randy Vosburg laid the draft FY26-27 budget on the council's table last week, and it came with a number that deserves everyone's attention: a roughly $6 million gap between what Apex expects to bring in and what staff say the town needs to spend.

That gap exists after staff already cut about $14 million from the original requests before the budget ever reached the council.

Here's what it means for your wallet and our town:

Property Taxes Going Up
The proposed rate jumps from $0.356 to $0.3914 per $100 of assessed value. For the median Apex home ($600,000), that's an extra $212/year. The increase funds new police and fire positions, a fleet replacement program (30 vehicles), long-term infrastructure, expanded Parks/Rec programming.

Utility Bills Going Up Too
Electric, water, sewer, and yard waste fees are all increasing. Vosburg estimates the average homeowner will see about $16/month more across all utilities. The electric base charge jumps $1.75/month with a 6.25% energy rate increase on top. Water and sewer go up 4%. Yard waste collection spikes 39%. The town's Electric Fund has only 61.5 days of cash on hand (target is 90), so they're on a 5-year plan to rebuild reserves.

Where that money would go
Those tax and fee increases aren't abstract. Here's where the capital dollars are pointed:

• $7 million to extend the town's electric system, including to the Veridea development - the future site of the NC Children's Hospital

• $2.4 million to upgrade one electric substation and build another

• $1.5 million to replace the UV water disinfection system

• $175,000 to stabilize Capitata Crossing stream against erosion and flooding

• A new fire truck for $2.3 million - originally scheduled to be replaced in 2021, since when the town has spent $1 million keeping the old one alive

• A new outdoor stage near Town Hall, around $700,000 total, with Wake County covering about $348,000. Plans call for 1,700 seats, roughly 1,100 of them on a lawn

Inflation Is Squeezing Everything
The Salem Streetscape project now costs 57% more than initial estimates. The LED streetlight conversion has more than doubled. Chemical costs for utilities are up 12%, and construction materials have surged 30% over the past few years. Employee compensation and benefits alone account for over $5 million in new costs, which eats up all the natural revenue growth before anything else gets funded.

Departments Asked for 57 New Hires. They Got 18.
The budget includes 6 new patrol officers, a fire inspector, 3 Parks/Rec staff, an IT analyst, and a few other positions. The other 39 requested positions didn't make the cut. "Our focus is balancing service expectations with responsible staffing levels," said assistant town manager Demetria John. "There are budget realities and trade-offs."

What's Next
The finance committee meets April 23 and 30 to continue discussions. A council workshop is set for May 8, with a public hearing tentatively scheduled for May 28.

(more insight on the April 23/30 meetings below in the civil news section)

Things to Do This Weekend in Apex:

Friday, April 24

🥳 Annual Summer Kickoff Party
3pm - 2am | JD’s Tavern

💿️ Vinyl Night with MotelShot Records
5pm - 8pm | Southern Peak Brewery

🎸 The 919 Band
6pm | South Line Brewing Apex

Saturday, April 25

🏍️ Bikes & Coffee
8am - 11am | Fratelli’s Deli

🧑‍🌾 Apex Farmers Market
8am - 12pm | The Depot

🏃‍♀️ Run Club Apex
Meet at 9am | Foxtail Coffee

🩸 Apex UMC Blood Drive
9am - 2pm | Apex UMC

🐍 Backyard Snakes
10am - 3pm | Apex Community Park

🦋 The Eras Market: A Day for Taylor Swift Fans
10:30am - 3:30pm | The Studio

🌎️ Apex EarthFest
12pm - 4pm | Town Hall Campus

🧩 Puzzle Exchange
12pm - 4pm | Senior Center during EarthFest

🐶 Canines & Fashion
1pm - 3pm | Market Square at Sweetwater

🛼 Bootleggers vs. Regulators (roller derby)
5pm | XL Sports World Apex

🎸 Jim Morgan Music
7pm - 10pm | Oaklyn Springs Brewery

Sunday, April 26

❤️ Love Local Showcase
11am - 4pm | Downtown Apex

A Few Things to Do Nearby

If you feel like venturing over to visit our neighbors, here are a few things going on around us this weekend:

Friday, 5pm-1pm
Raleigh Earth Day
Harvey Hill | Raleigh

Friday & Saturday, 12pm-8pm
Brewgaloo NC Craft Beer Festival
Downtown | Raleigh

Saturday & Sunday, 10am-4pm
Touch A Truck!
Phillips Farms | Cary

Saturday, 9am-5pm
33rd Annual Spring Daze Arts + Crafts Festival
Bond Park | Cary

Saturday, 10am-4pm
SpringsFest 2026
Downtown | Holly Springs

Sunday, 12pm-5pm
5th Annual Kids Fest
Fortnight Brewing | Cary

Anniversary, Volunteering & an Upcoming Announcement

🎂 Apex Peak Preschool Montessori
Congratulations to Apex Peak Preschool Montessori. They are celebrating 15 years in Apex as Apex Peak Preschool Montessori (and 17 years of offering services as Apex Montessori). Their mission, in part, is to strengthen communities and to support all families by investing in the only real future: Our Children. Learn more about them here.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽 Meaningful Service Opportunities
JustServe provides a free space for volunteer organizations and small groups to post volunteer needs and for individuals to find ways to serve.

In honor of National Volunteer Month, proclaimed by Mayor Gilbert for the Town of Apex, this is a wonderful time to highlight service opportunities in our community. Additionally, as we approach America’s 250th anniversary this July - with a national goal to make 2026 a record year of service - there is growing momentum to encourage volunteerism nationwide

JustServe helps connect residents who want to serve with organizations that have volunteer needs to help make a meaningful difference in strengthening our community. Visit the website here.

🏗️ Veridea Crossing
The next phase of the massive mixed-use Veridea project is a $100 million retail village called Veridea Crossing. Site work has begun on the retail district, expected to deliver in late 2027, but it is already attracting lots of interest from grocers to food-and-beverage to soft goods and fitness centers.

RXR’s VP of Development says they’ll start making some announcements within the next 2 months!

🚜 The Peak Weekly Farm Series (Part 4)

🍓 Neighbor Boy Farm

This article was written by The Peak Weekly’s amazing content contributor, Susan McGrath

Neighbor Boy Farm, located at 1008 Davis Drive in Apex, is a year-round farm and certified plant nursery offering far more than its well-known Christmas tree experience (though that alone is worth a visit).

From spring through fall, the farm operates as a pick your own and pre-picked chemical-free destination carrying a huge variety of fresh vegetables and fruits. Some of the produce they offer includes collard greens, cabbage, broccoli, squash, zucchini, carrots, turnips, radishes, onions, potatoes, peaches, figs, apples, pears, herbs, tomatoes—slicing, Roma, grape, cherry, and heirloom—and so much more.

They also offer pick your own blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries when in season. And they have pumpkins in the fall.

They offer a Produce Membership (similar to a CSA) that provides savings over purchasing items separately. Members get eight produce boxes and can choose from pick your own and pre-picked from a large variety of fresh, chemical-free produce. It’s a perfect way to support your local farm and get the freshest produce all season. For more information and to sign up, click here.

On-site you’ll also find an ice cream counter serving fresh ice cream, freshly squeezed lemonade, and snacks, as well as a florist. The Rusty Bucket, formerly located in downtown Apex, is now at the farm as well.

And we’re still not done! The farm hosts Educational Group Farm Adventures and Parties (minimum six people), described as “a sensory-filled farm experience designed for curious minds of all ages.” Learn more about the farm adventures here.

And of course the Christmas trees. They are a full-service Christmas tree farm offering fresh cut North Carolina Frasier fir trees, as well as wreaths, garlands, and bows. They offer both a full-service experience here and a no-frills in-and-out one here.

Farm hours vary by season, so the best way to keep up to date is to check their website, Facebook (neighbor.boy.farm), or Instagram (@neighborboycountrystore). You can also call or text Dave at 919-422-0216 or email Val at [email protected].

So get out there and buy some farm-fresh produce and support your hardworking farmer neighbors!

Civic News:

🚩 $61M Promised. Who Authorized it?
The Town Council Finance Committee has two special meetings on the calendar for next week: Monday, April 27 at 3:30 PM to discuss the Stormwater, Water and Sewer, and Electric Funds along with proposed rate changes, and Thursday, April 30 at 10:00 AM to discuss the General Fund, Affordable Housing Fund, Debt Service / Community Investment Fund, and Capital Reserves. Both meetings build on the FY26-27 budget that Town Manager Randy Vosburg presented on April 16.

These are worth watching because of the backdrop: the Town appears to have made a commitment to North Carolina Children's Hospital that the Finance Committee meetings next week will implicitly be funding - through the very utility and capital funds on their agenda.

The Peak Weekly has obtained letters where Manager Vosburg committed $61M of taxpayer money to the children's hospital, signed June 25, 2025. On July 10 - 15 days later - UNC Health publicly announced Apex as the site. This past Tuesday, a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing the huge monetary commitment was placed on the Town Council's Consent Agenda (intended for routine, non-controversial items) before being pulled. To date, we have yet to find where the commitment was voted on and approved in open session as required by law. And nowhere in the budget does it state where or how the $61M is going to be paid.

How the Town plans to fund the commitments - particularly through utility rates and capital planning - and whether Town Council has ever authorized them in open session, are questions I've been looking into. Under North Carolina open meetings law (NCGS 143-318.11(a)(4)), any action approving an economic development commitment must be taken in open session. We have not been able to identify an open-session vote authorizing these commitments.

Still working through the details for a fuller story in the next week or two. But with these special finance committee meetings coming up next week, I wanted to go ahead and get it on your radar.

Finance Committee meetings are open to the public. April 27 begins at 3:30 PM and April 30 at 10:00 AM, both at Town Hall, Training Room B, 3rd Floor.

📜 Updating Policies
Apex Town Council spent Monday afternoon in a work session working through a major governance review covering committee structure, advisory board appointments, financial policies for elected officials, social media guidelines, and public forum rules.

The session covered a lot of ground. Here are the highlights:

Committee Structure Stays, With Tweaks
Council will keep its five standing committees (Environmental Leadership, Public Safety, Responsible Development, Governance & Fiscal Stewardship, and Vibrant Community & Economic Vitality). Mayor Gilbert presented revised assignments that addressed concerns about how the original appointments were made.

Advisory Board Appointments
Four appointment models exist across the state. Apex uses a hybrid where the mayor recommends and council approves. Council discussed adding formal interviews but landed on reserving them for tie-breaking situations or statutory boards. Each member will nominate one candidate per open seat going forward.

New Financial Guardrails for Elected Officials
Staff proposed a financial framework based on UNC School of Government best practices.

Social Media Gets Best Practice Guidelines
All six members agreed to add disclaimers on social media accounts distinguishing personal views from official positions. A majority supported allowing comments on official posts and including professional conduct standards. Press releases proved more divisive, with opinions split between issuing freely (with disclaimer) versus notifying the full group first. The majority said no to elected officials using town logos and seals on their personal accounts. It was clarified that these will be "best practice guidelines" rather than enforceable policy.

Public Forum: Same Format, Better Overflow Plan
Current rules stay mostly intact: in-person participation, public comment at every regular meeting (twice monthly), and a 12-speaker or 36-minute cap. The new wrinkle: when more than 12 people sign up, several members prefer reducing each speaker's time at the start (say, two minutes instead of three for 16 speakers) so everyone gets a turn, rather than cutting people off after the limit.

Naming Practices Deferred
This item was pushed to the Thursday work session due to time.

Timeline
Draft policies go to the town attorney and then back to council by June 1. Adoption is targeted for the June 23 regular meeting.

🗓️ Upcoming Town Meetings

Friday, April 24
Special Meeting: Environmental Advisory Board
3:30pm | Town Hall

Monday, April 27
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
3:30pm | Town Hall

Tuesday, April 28
Regular Town Council Meeting
6pm | Town Hall

Thursday, April 30
Special Ad-Hoc Town Council Finance Committee Meeting
10a | Town Hall

Thursday, April 30
Regular Town Council Work Session
3:30pm | Town Hall

A Look Ahead:

Friday, May 1
Apex Pride Art Exhibit (free opening reception) | The Halle

Friday, May 1
Apex United Methodist Church Annual Barbecue | Apex UMC

Friday, May 1
Apex Community Dance | The Halle

Saturday, May 2
Peakfest | Town Hall Campus + Hunter Street

Saturday, May 2
Apex Rotary Pancake Breakfast | Salem Street Fire Station

May 3rd - May 9th
Small Business Week | Apex

Thursday, May 7
AAPI Heritage Month: Sushi & Sumo | Apex Community Park

May 8, 9 & 10
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

Thursday, May 14
Learning Lunch: National Police Week | Senior Center

Thursday, May 14
Apex Amplified Concert | Town Hall Campus

May 15, 16 & 17
“Suite Surrender” Spring Play | The Halle

In Case You Missed it

🚧 30-40% Sales Decline
In an interview with Triangle Business Journal, the owners of North Left in downtown Apex shared that they have seen a 30-40% decline in sales during the streetscape construction project. This is just your friendly reminder to keep supporting those businesses as much as you can!

👩‍🚒 Camp Ignite Applications
The Apex Fire Department, in partnership with the Cary Fire Department and Morrisville Fire & Rescue Department, hosts a FREE interactive 5 day summer camp for girls ages 14-18 each year. For 2026, camp will be held from July 27th through July 31st. Those interested in a career in fire service are encouraged to apply, which you can do so right here.

🫐 A Health Conscious Eatery
Taking the place of Tandoori Trail, which is now closed, this summer Grain & Berry, a health-focused cafe, will open at 2017 Creekside Landing in Beaver Creek. Grain & Berry’s menu includes flatbreads, toasts, salads, acai bowls and smoothies with a focus on high protein, lean meat and other nutritious supplements like turmeric and ginger shots.

♻️ Recycle Bin Upgrades
Recycling bins are being upgraded from 65-gallon to 95-gallon. You’ll receive notice when your neighborhood is on the schedule. It will happen on the same day as your trash collection.

☀️ Farmer’s Market Summer Hours
The Apex Farmer’s Market is now in its summer hours, starting up an hour earlier: every Saturday 8am-Noon downtown at the Depot.

A Final Note:

Thank you for taking time out of your day today to read this week’s edition of The Peak Weekly.

As always, if you have any ideas of how to make this newsletter better, want to nominate a local business or organization to be featured, or anything else, please respond to this email or email me directly at [email protected]

See you next Thursday... 😘