Dec. 6. The first meeting of the new Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners will be this evening starting at 6 pm. The county board, which sets the tax rate for the bulk of property taxes throughout the county, consists of nine members:

Leigh Altman – At Large: Commissioner Altman is serving her second term on the BOCC. She is a former public-interest attorney of 17 years.

Pat Cotham – At Large: Commissioner Cotham is serving her sixth term on the BOCC. She is a former human resources recruiter.

Arthur Griffin – At Large: Commissioner Griffin is serving his first term on the BOCC. He served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education for 17 years.

Elaine Powell – District 1: Vice Chair Powell is serving her third term on the BOCC. She previously served three terms on the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Commission. District 1 includes Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville

Vilma D. Leake – District 2: Commissioner Leake is a retired educator. She served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education for 11 years and is currently serving her eighth term on the BOCC.

George Dunlap – District 3: Chair Dunlap is a retired Charlotte Mecklenburg police officer. He served on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education for 13 years and is currently serving his eighth term on the BOCC.

Mark Jerrell - District 4: Commissioner Jerrell is serving his third term on the BOCC. He is the VP of Operations for a rehabilitative services company.

Laura J. Meier - District 5: Commissioner Meier is serving her second term on the BOCC. Commissioner Meier is a former educator.

Susan Rodriguez-McDowell - District 6: Commissioner Rodriguez-McDowell is serving her third term on the BOCC. She is a former Operations Manager of a graphic arts supply firm.

What you should know

—The Board’s major responsibilities include adopting the annual County budget, setting the County property tax rate, and assessing and establishing priorities among community needs, especially those related to health, education, welfare, mental health and the environment. The county tax rate is 0.6169 is in addition to Cornelius’ rate of 0.2220. For a house assessed at $400,000, the property owner would pay $2,467.60 per year to the county and $928 a year to the Town of Cornelius.

Click here to watch the meeting online. It begins at 6 pm.