Remember this turns off.

We are one minute away from air.

The live stream has started.

I would like to remind all council members to please remember to turn on your microphones before you speak.

One minute to air.

Good evening.

It's seven o'clock, and I want to call this meeting of the Durham City Council to order, and certainly want to welcome everyone here tonight.

I'm having a little uh connectivity problem here, but in a second I will get it and we will move on.

It's my Wi-Fi is not quite coming in, but it will in a minute, so please bear with me for one second.

There we go.

While we're waiting for my computer to come up, uh my friends here on the podium have been helping me.

I'm really glad to see everyone tonight, and we are gathered to get together to do very important work on behalf of the residents of Durham.

And so as we get ready to do that work together, please join me in a moment of silent meditation.

Councilmember Reese, would you please lead us in the pledge to the flag?

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Good evening, colleagues, city staff, and all the residents here in the chamber again and uh at home.

If I can remember the words, uh I will now say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Councilmember Freelon?

Here.

Councilmember Freeman.

Present.

Councilmember Middleton.

I'm here.

Councilmember Reese.

Here.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk.

Colleagues, uh, we usually do announcements at this time.

Um, but uh I think that we may have Representative Price with us virtually.

Uh do we know if Representative Price is already with us?

Great.

I'm seeing some thumbs up from Ms.

Wallace and Ms.

Wade, thank you.

Uh tonight, Madam Clerk, can we uh uh or whoever is running this operation on this part of it, uh please uh make uh Mr.

Representative Price available to be seen and heard we have a proclamation in his honor tonight recording in progress there's there's representative price.

Representative price, can you hear us and see us all right?

I certainly can glad to be with you.

Great.

Uh I am so honored to be reading this proclamation, and once I do so, we are anxious to hear some words from you.

But let me just start by saying personally what a fabulous representative you have been for us in Washington all these many years, and we're just so grateful to uh have you as our representative all of this time all right.

Have we lost our representative price or is he still with us?

There he is.

Okay, great.

I'm gonna read this proclamation.

Whereas Representative David Price was first elected to represent the fourth district of North Carolina in the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1987, and whereas before he began serving in Congress, he was a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University.

And whereas his constituents know him as a strong supporter of education, accessible health care, affordable housing, clean air and water, and improved transportation alternatives.

And whereas he has served on the House Appropriation Committee and is the chairman of the Transportation Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, he has also served on the House Budget Committee and is a member of the appropriation subcommittees on Homeland Security, State Department, and Foreign Operations.

And whereas he secured federal appropriations for the build-out of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency complex and research triangle park and construction of the new North Carolina National Guard and Emergency Management Headquarters.

And whereas in Durham, his appropriations leadership funded community projects such as the Durham Farmers Market, Trocer Ridential Facilities, and renovation of historic Parish Street.

And whereas David Price has been one of the nation's leading champions of both affordable housing and public transit and has won billions of dollars in spending for these crucial needs.

And whereas Representative Price has been a wise, true, and constant advocate for Durham for more than three decades, always just a phone call away.

And whereas North Carolina's fourth district has benefited greatly from Representative David Price's contributions in Congress.

His leadership and vision vision will be sorely missed.

Yet his legacy will continue through the many accomplishments achieved through his years of service.