CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Mecklenburg County Commissioners got an earful from the public Tuesday evening during their weekly meeting in Uptown Charlotte.

The meetings comes on the heels of a tense few weeks, originally prompted by the public firing of former county manager Harry Jones.

Jones, who was fired on May 7^th, asked to speak and thank his staff and supporters, but Chairwoman Pat Cotham denied Jones' request, asking him to leave immediately.

Tuesday night was the first time, residents could publicly address the board over Jones' firing. Many came to the aid of Jones, threatening board members they would lose votes.

"You better get on board and understand that Charlotteans do not work that way," said Sandy Copeland.

"They weren't my decisions on how to do things but I did follow all the laws of the State of North Carolina, so if anyone has problems, they should probably talk to the legislators because that's where the statutes are," Cotham said.

While some called for Commissioner Cotham to step down, others, including residents came to her defense.

"Your determination and your courage have not gone unnoticed amongst those you represent. Thank you for doing your job and for doing it well," said Amanda Davis of Charlotte.

Following the public section of the meeting, Interim County Manager Bobbie Shields announced his recommendation to increase the county property tax rate by 2.5 cents.