’25 Engineering Positive Change Manifesto

Preamble

Our town stands at a decisive moment. The direction we choose in this election will determine whether Morrisville remains an affordable, well-planned community or continues down a path of unsustainable spending, relentless tax increases, and neglected infrastructure. The current leadership has overseen an era of fiscal excess, leaving residents to bear the burden while critical projects stall.

The stakes for Morrisville families and businesses are enormously high.

Under the current Town Council, the budget has exploded by a staggering 74 percent in just five years, a rate that dwarfs our 10 percent population growth. This has led to year-after-year tax increases, making our town increasingly unaffordable for the very residents who built this community. The council has asked taxpayers to fund an $8 million "Airport Blvd Extension" with bonds, yet four years later, there has been no progress and no answers. They have failed to secure vital state and regional funding for our roads, choosing instead to place the financial weight directly on the shoulders of Morrisville citizens.

This is a failure of leadership and a failure of vision.

Patty Cheng has a very different vision for Morrisville—one built on fiscal responsibility, engineering expertise, and a deep commitment to the town's families, taxpayers, and long-term residents. Her platform is focused not on wasteful spending, but on strategic investment; not on endless tax hikes, but on smart collaboration; not on closed-door decisions, but on open, transparent government that is accountable to the people. She will ask the hard questions and demand detailed, documented plans before a single tax dollar is spent.

Patty Cheng is running to be a new voice for Morrisville. To restore fiscal discipline. To develop our infrastructure intelligently. To foster strong partnerships that benefit our community. To ensure that as Morrisville grows, it grows better and more affordable for everyone.

It is time to engineer positive change.

Chapter One: Developing Our Infrastructure & Easing Traffic Congestion

A community’s prosperity is directly tied to the quality of its infrastructure. For too long, Morrisville residents have faced worsening traffic congestion while the Town Council has failed to deliver on promised projects and has not pursued a coherent strategy for improving our roads. Patty Cheng believes we can no longer afford inaction and vague plans. As an engineer, she will bring the focus and expertise needed to tackle our town's most pressing infrastructure challenges.

Delivering on the Airport Boulevard Extension

In 2021, Morrisville taxpayers were asked to approve bonds that included $8 million for the "Airport Blvd Extension," a project touted as essential for our town's future. Yet, four years later, no meaningful progress has been made. Residents have been left in the dark, with no answers to basic engineering questions: How will this state road cross the railroad tracks? What is the estimated total cost? This project is a critical capital improvement needed for the proper development of "Morrisville Center," and its delay is unacceptable.

Patty Cheng will make the Airport Boulevard Extension a top priority. She will demand a clear, actionable timeline and a transparent budget from town staff and will work relentlessly to move this vital project forward.

A Strategic Plan for Our Busiest Roads

The daily frustration of traffic on roads like Church Street and NC-54 (Chapel Hill Rd) is a direct result of a lack of strategic planning. Patty Cheng will push for a detailed, public study to improve these critical corridors. This study will answer key questions that the current council has ignored:

• Where can Church Street be widened to alleviate traffic congestion?

• Are the traffic lights at intersections like McCrimmon Parkway, which are controlled by the Town of Cary, properly timed to serve Morrisville residents during rush hour?

• What specific obstacles are preventing NC-54 from being widened to four lanes through Morrisville, even as it has been widened in neighboring Cary and Durham County?

Patty Cheng will fight to make the findings of these studies public and to integrate them into a comprehensive, long-term transportation plan. She believes that transparency is the first step toward real solutions.

Chapter Two: Keeping Taxes Low & Ensuring Morrisville Remains Affordable

The most fundamental responsibility of a town council is to be a wise steward of the people's money. Under the current leadership, Morrisville’s spending has become disconnected from the reality that our residents face. While families and small businesses work to balance their own budgets, Town Hall has embarked on a path of unsustainable spending, making Morrisville an increasingly expensive place to live.

A Record of Fiscal Irresponsibility

The numbers tell a clear story of mismanagement. While Morrisville’s population grew by 10 percent between 2020 and 2025 (from 29,900 to 32,900), the town's budget exploded by a staggering 74 percent during the same period (from $36 million to nearly $63 million). This has driven per-citizen town spending up from $1,204 in 2020 to $1,903 in 2025. This is unsustainable, and it is forcing residents and businesses to move to more affordable towns.

Patty Cheng’s Commitment to Fiscal Discipline

Patty Cheng believes that responsible government lives within its means. She will be a fierce advocate for taxpayers and will fight to end the cycle of annual tax increases. Her plan includes:

• Holding the Line on Taxes: Patty will oppose tax increases and push the council to manage the robust revenue growth we already receive without further burdening our citizens.

• Re-evaluating Parks & Recreation Funding: Our parks are a treasure, but their funding model is flawed. Patty Cheng will push to re-evaluate the policy for enterprise facilities so that the financial burden on Morrisville residents is not used to freely subsidize amenities for non-residents.

• Ensuring Taxpayer Value: She will demand accountability to ensure residents are getting value for their money, ending the era where the town budget grows disproportionately to the services and population it supports.

Chapter Three: Building Stronger Partnerships for a Smarter Future

A smart government does not try to solve every problem on its own by simply raising local taxes. It builds strong, collaborative partnerships with state, regional, and federal agencies to bring back resources and funding to the community. For eight years, Morrisville has failed to do this, leaving millions of dollars in potential state and regional funding on the table.

Ending Our Isolation and Seeking State Funding

Between 2014 and 2017, Morrisville benefited from $250 million in NC DOT road projects. In sharp contrast, the town has failed to be awarded any new funding from NC DOT and CAMPO in the last eight years. Instead of fighting for our fair share of state transportation funds, the current leadership has chosen to burden Morrisville taxpayers with increasing taxes for projects that should be funded in partnership with the state. The Airport Blvd Extension, a state road project, is a prime example of this failed approach.

Patty Cheng will restore and strengthen these critical partnerships. She will leverage her technical background to work effectively with engineers and planners at NC DOT and CAMPO to once again secure the funding Morrisville deserves for our infrastructure.

A Proactive Partnership with Our Schools

Our families deserve stability and predictability in our education system. The constant threat of school reassignments and the switching of schools from traditional to year-round plans is unsettling for families and disruptive to our children's education.

Patty Cheng believes the Town Council must be a more proactive partner with the Wake County School Board. She will push for regular collaboration, using our town's own growth and population data to help the school system plan effectively for the future. This will ensure that as our community grows, our school capacity grows with it, providing stability for our families.