Amendments, awards and Charters of Freedom discussed at commissioners' meeting

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

County Commissioners in session, June 16, 2026.

Cleveland County – A swift breeze through the consent agenda filled with budget amendments and other items, along with a recognition for service, a grant for upper Cleveland and an educational historic gift were the focus of Tuesday night’s Cleveland County Board of Commissioner’s meeting.

May 2026 collection report, May 2026 abatements and supplements, late applications for exemption / exclusion / deferral, pending refunds and releases for Tax Administration. Budget amendment for the Finance Department, along with the Health Department and Kings Mountain Touchdown Club, as well as the removal of Lt. B Pearson’s service weapon from inventory upon his retirement. Pearson will formally retire after 22 years of service with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office on June 30, 2026.       

The approval of the County Manager's Office for the ALWS Performance Contract was also part of the greater consent agenda, which states certain guidelines and description of the events. This happens every year.

The contract states that Cleveland County will make payments to CCALWS in the amount of $200,000 each year pursuant to the following schedule of draws, as well as entertain assisting with improvements and expansion projects:

a. October 1 $75,000

b. January 10 $50,000

c. April 1 $75,000

(County awards and grants below...)

The County will make payment to the American Legion National Office in the amount of $150,000 to guarantee hosting the World Series by the end of September each year. This figure was part of the bid requirement by the National Office within the original bid package.

Cleveland County Government will be listed on printed materials as a primary sponsor of the World Series and the contract is effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, and renews automatically each year unless terminated by either party by giving notice to the other party at least 90 days prior to the July 1 renewal date.

The final item on the consent agenda included the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council’s annual report.

All of these items can be viewed here.

In special recognition, Linda Szymanski was presented The Governor’s Volunteer Service Award for her unwavering dedication to the Cleveland County Animal Shelter.

According to NC.gov this award, “honors the true spirit of volunteerism by recognizing individuals and groups that make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.”

Next, Fire Inspector Josh Queen spoke to the commissioners regarding Bobby Horton’s hard work to help the Upper Cleveland areas of Fallston, Belwood and Toluca receive a Duke Foundation grant for a weather warning siren for the town of Belwood.

“It’s an under served area that everyone in our office seen as a spot that needed a weather warning system,” explained Queen. “We felt like that was a good place to put it.” He noted that area of the county doesn’t have a warning despite past weather events. The $25,000 grant will help make this siren possible and decrease possible injuries or deaths.

The $25,000 grant by the Duke Foundation will help create a weather warning siren for the Belwood area to save lives and increase response time.

Jeff Morse, Foundation Forward Representative, spoke to the board at the end of the meeting. Morse said he represented a non-profit educational foundation called Charters of Freedom even though he was listed on the agenda as a representative for Foundation Forward.

According to the National Archives Museum, the term Charters of Freedom refers to the three foundational documents that shaped American democracy and philosophy; the sacred texts or perhaps some might refer to as the nucleus of the existence of the United states of America: the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These three instruments secure the fundamental rights of the American people and define the framework of the federal government.

Morse’s group wants to bring a replica of the Charters of Freedom to every county in North Carolina that wishes to have one displayed in a constructed setting. Morse said over 60 counties have already participated.

“This is a gift that we provide to every citizen of every county,” Morse said.

And the process is simple – find a location to display the replicas of The Charters of Freedoms to build the display, then move forward from there at no cost to the county outright. Maintaining the display and any additional features will be handled by the county. The size of the display area will depend on the design plans created by the county.

The commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the gift. It will be potentially several years before this project is completed; possibly somewhere outside the Justice Center currently under construction, but that is not definite.  

The next regular scheduled meeting for the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners will be held on July 14, 2026, in chambers.

Follow The Shelby Independent on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. To contact Chuck about a story idea, send an email or visit the contact page.

Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent. 

The Shelby Independent.