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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20020606APPROVED 10!15/02 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS AND ORANGE COUNTY PLANNING BOARD June 6, 2002 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in joint session with the Orange County Planning Board at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2002 at the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice M. Gordon and Stephen Halkiotis PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Jay Bryan, Craufurd Goodwin, Barry Katz, Sam Lasris, Howard McAdams, Rachel Preston, Renee Price, Hunter Schofield, Maria Tadd and Theodore W. Triebel PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Nicole Goading-Ray and Lynne Haltkamp COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill and S. Sean Borhanian COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE 1N THE CLERK'S OFFICE. 1. OPENING REMARKS Chair Jacobs welcomed everyone to the meeting. He asked that everyone introduce him or herself and tell something about their background. Hunter Schofield mentioned that the Planning Board has two new members -Jay Bryan and Sam Lasris 2. SELF INTRODUCTIONS Howard McAdams from Cheeks Township said that he learned the rules and regulations of development over the years with various projects and he wants to be sure all the interest of those in the County are fairly heard. John Link from Ena Township said that he has a great deal of interest in what is happening in the County including updating of the Comprehensive Plan. He works with the County Attorney and Planning Department staff on many planning issues. Craufurd Goodwin from Hillsborough Township said that he has done many things with Hillsborough and the environment and is interested in preservation and open space. He feels we have an enormous challenge to protect the quality of Orange County. Jay Bryan from Chapel Hill Township said that he gat interested in preservation issues in Carrbaro and then got involved with protection of the watershed and was involved in planning issues for several years as a member of the Carrbaro Board of Aldermen. He learned that there is no straight answer for planning and growth issues. Commissioner Brown said that it is easy to say that she is interested in planning. She first tried to protect Smith Level Road from becoming four lanes. She served on the Chapel Hill Planning Board and the Orange County Planning Board and is interested in historic preservation. When you care about an area -agricultural area you quickly learn that the economic issues depend on good planning. Commissioner Halkiotis noted that he was one of the original signers on the Rural Buffer agreement. He said that blood has been spilled over watershed protection. He feels there are natural limits to growth and development the same as limits for our earth's resources like water. We are living in dangerous times with people who feel we can cruise through the next 200 years without worrying about anything. Chair Jacobs said that he has been a caretaker at Moorefields Plantation for 24 years and as a caretaker has tried to take care of the entire 84 acres. He was the only person who spoke in favor of zoning Cheeks Township. He served on the Planning Board for six years and quit for a year and then served on the OWASA board for 5 years and then ran for County Commissioner and has served for nearly 4 years. He is pleased with what is happening in Orange County -from joint planning to watershed protection, traffic impact analysis, environmental impact ordinance, water and sewer policy, etc. and he hopes we can continue to fight for what we want in this community and do the best possible jab to direct the growth coming our way so we can cherish the Orange County we have now. Hunter Schofield from Cedar Grave Township said that he has a degree in Planning and served four years on the Boone Town Council and feels fortunate to be part of the Orange County Planning Board. He is proud of the Orange County Board of Commissioners who are interested in finding solutions. He feels that although we want open space, people need to be assured of a house and a safe place in which to live. Commissioner Carey said that he has been on the Board of County Commissioners for 18 years and has seen a lot of changes over those years. Orange County has been on the forefront of many planning initiatives. People in Orange County care deeply about many things -one of which is haw land is used and how land affects them and their lives. He is interested in planning because he is interested in people and how planning affects them. He thinks that if we are not careful in doing our next comprehensive plan that we are moving toward a County that none would want to live in. Regarding sustainability, we need to include sustainability in everything that we do. We care about people but at the same time we try to direct the growth to make it accommodating to the citizens. Commissioner Gordon said that she lives in the Joint Planning Area south of Chapel Hill and Carrboro in the Rural Buffer. One of the reasons she wanted to be a County Commissioner was land use protection and environmental protection. She served on the Orange County Planning Board for six years. One of the things she is interested in is long term comprehensive planning so that the environment is protected including groundwater, land, air, etc. In the rural areas, the farmers are important because they have been good stewards of the land. The Lands Legacy Program has preserved over 800 acres in less than two years. The Planning Board helps to decide how the County will look. She relies on them to sift through things for the County Commissioners. Barry Katz said that he lives in the Rural Buffer north of Chapel Hill. He is interested in where the County is going and is concerned how it is developed. He would like to participate in shaping the future of Orange County. He feels that the Planning Board is limited because they do not get their material for their meetings early enough. He feels they function more as an extension of the Planning Department than individually as a Planning Board. Rachel Preston is a landscape contractor. Over the years she has been struck by how many trees we have lost in Orange County. She is worried about environmental issues. She feels we are heading basically in the right direction. A lot of the landscape plans come in with the final plat. If they were required earlier in the process, it would help her to be more effective in saving a few trees and planting a few trees. Maria Tadd said that she lives in Bingham Township and has a passion for the environment. She gat involved because of a development called The Woodlands. One of her main concerns is protecting our aquifers. She feels we need trees in terms of cleaning the air and the more trees that come down and the more cars that come in, affect the quality of air we breathe. Sam Lasris said that he is from Cedar Grove and has seen the County change over the last twenty years. He sees the traffic, noise, pollution, less trees and destruction of our habitat. He feels it is important to have development that is quality and neighborhoods that people want to live in -not just roads but nice houses. Theodore Triebel said that 30 years ago he determined that life is not fair but that we have the ability to change things to make them better. He feels we have the opportunity to make some choices and if we take advantage of that - to do what is right and what is best by planning ahead - it will increase the quality of life here in Orange County. He is interested in sustainability and quality of life. People have to live somewhere. He is not opposed to growth because he understands that people must have a place to live. He said that there are a lot of issues, especially water issues, and if we work on them and make the right choices we can da goad things. Renee Price said that she is interested in land use and the environment. She has been working in this field for the last 25 years. She has an interest in people living in harmony with their environment. OPEN DISCUSSION Rachael Preston said that her primary concern is impact fees. She is worried that if some really big development camel our way that we will have a whole bunch of houses being built which will not pay their way. Commissioner Gordon asked if Barry Katz would clarify his statement about not getting their Planning Board information in a timely manner and asked if they are still having long range planning meetings. Barry Katz said that they sometime would get packets of information delivered but now they are mailed which sometimes delays the information from reaching them in time to read before the meeting. The long-range planning meetings consisted of a presentation and not very much discussion. Once the ideas are out there, the Planning Staff can work with them. Having dinner before the meeting and talking about issues has been good. This is really a critical time in this County and the Planning Board can have a good impact on the County in the next two or three decades. Commissioner Brawn made reference to the moratorium on large-scale developments. She feels this is a good idea during the time we are working on the Land Use Plan and Comprehensive Plan regulations. She feels that once we have these regulations in place, the County Commissioners will have the tools to be sure that large-scale developments are sustainable for the community. Barry Katz said that the Planning Board serves as the representatives of the County and they need to hear not only what the Planning Department thinks but they need to have other suggestions so that they can put the Planning Board perspectives in place. Chair Jacobs made reference to future education and coordination and said that the Institute of Government (IOG) has the experts who can assist the Planning Board. Craufurd Goodwin said that the Planning Board seems to be 9S°fo reactive or reacting to a document from the staff. There is no cumulative momentum for what they do - no opportunity to be creative. Commissioner Carey said that he hears a lot of expertise an the Planning Board and someone with this kind of knowledge base can make really good decisions. They are on this board to bring the knowledge they have about the area in which they live. The Planning Board should step back and focus on some issues that aren't in the process. He said that they could disagree with the County Commissioners. Maria Tadd said that there is not a lot of dialog in their meetings. She said that she understands that if a developer meets all the criteria that they cannot vote against it. Renee Price said that she noticed a drastic difference from when she was on the Planning Board before. In the past, they studied the proposal, questioned the applicant, the developer and the staff. They were critical and analytical. Recently, tt has been more okay instead of disagreeing. The Board needs to be more assertive because they are members of the community representing the community. Chair Jacobs said that part of the reason for this meeting was to challenge the members of the Planning Board. If affordable housing is wanted in each development, change the ordinance. If they have questions, ask for additional information. He feels that the Planning Board can be involved with a lot of things. He does not think that there are limits. They can be more creative in their questions and challenges. No development meets all the standards. If they have questions, they should pursue them until they have a satisfactory answer. He does not see a lot of discussion in the minutes. He asked if they do long-range meetings. Craig Benedict said that they usually meet twice a year. He said that it is a daunting task. It is a challenge to find out what we have to move forward with and sometimes it is a challenge. Jay Bryan said that what he heard was that the moratorium would allow the Board time to catch up with what is happening in the County. He asked if there is language, which allows a project to be rejected if it does not meet the health, safety and welfare issues. Geoffrey Gledhill said that the subdivision regulations are not conditional use zoning. The health, safety and welfare requirement is not a specific fact finding process. In those projects that require a special use, the health, safety and welfare issue is one of the requirements. Commissioner Gordon said that she would encourage the Planning Board to have meetings for long range planning mare often. Another thing that would help is if the County Commissioners could see where the Planning Board looks at pros and cans and alternatives. This would help the County Commissioners in their deliberations. Hunter Schofield said that there are some structural issues that the Planning Board confronts. They do not have time to digest all the information before they must vote. The staff does not have the resources to give the packets out earlier. The Planning Staff does not have the resources for the Planning Board to be fully realized. The Planning Board is making some headway on some issues. He does not feel the mission is clear and the division between the Planning Board and the Board of County Commissioners is clear. He said that he does not feel that the Planning Board can turn a project down if the project meets all the rules. They need to know that they have the County Commissioners' support an what they want to do. Chair Jacobs asked if the Planning Board operates under timelines for consideration of projects and Craig Benedict said that they do, but they can ask for athirty-day delay. Chair Jacobs said that ordinances could be changed. Renee Price said that she has never had a problem with asking planning staff for information. She said that it is usually not that they don't like the rules but they don't like the plan. When she sees all the large-scale development coming in, she feels they need to look at all the options for the landowners. Maybe we need to look at some mechanisms for keeping green areas green or forestland in forestland. We cannot tell someone they can't sell their land but maybe there are some other options that we can come up with to maintain some balance. Chair Jacobs said that we are doing a lot in the County about agricultural preservation and doing what Renee Price is talking about. He is not saying to be creative to be arbitrary. He feels that maybe the way to do large development is to have all of them special use developments. Craig Benedict said that he would work with the Planning Board to build upon a structure for creativity and bring back to the Board of County Commissioners a strategy for how to develop this structure to make changes to fit all purposes. One thing that is important is that they come up with some ideas. He wants the Board of County Commissioners and County Manager to say to do this. He needs some direction. They will come up with a structure and send it to the Board of County Commissioners for further discussion and input. ADJOURNMENT With no further items to discuss, a motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to adjourn this 6:00 p.m. meeting at 7:20 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS The next meeting will be held this same evening beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Barry Jacobs, Chair Beverly A. Blythe, CMC APPROVED 9/3/2002 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERSBUDGET PUBLIC HEARING JUNE 6, 2002 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met on Thursday, June 6, 2002 at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The purpose of this meeting was to hold a public hearing an the County Manager's recommended 2002-2003 budget. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice M. Gordon, and Stephen Halkiotis COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. There were three items of business before the budget presentation: a. Chan a in BOCC Regular Meeting Schedule The Board considered changing the beginning time for the June 18th regular meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A motion was made by Commissioner Brawn, seconded by Commissioner Carey to make the change as noted above. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Notice of Public Hearing for Article 44 The Board considered a notice of a public hearing setting the date, time, and place far a public hearing on an additional one half cent Local Government Sales and Use Tax. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to hold a public hearing on June 20, 2002 on an additional one half cent Local Government Sales and Use Tax. VOTE: UNANIMOUS c. Notice of Public Hearing on Orange County's 2002 Legislative Agenda A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Brown to hold a public hearing on June 20, 2002 on potential items for inclusion in Orange County's legislative agenda package for the 2002 North Carolina General Assembly Session. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 1. BUDGET PRESENTATION County Manager John Link made a PowerPaint presentation. He thanked Budget Director Donna Dean and all of the staff that have worked so hard to pull this budget together. He also thanked the two school superintendents and their staff far their cooperation. The proposed General Fund Budget totals $122,850,400. This is a 4.9% increase from last year, which is an increase of $5.7 million. The proposed general fund tax rate increase is 4.5 cents, which will be 85 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Nearly two cents of the proposed increase is attributable to funds needed to pay debt service on the sale of the 1997 voter-approved bonds. Past Year Successes In terms of the past year, it is mast notable that Orange County remains #1 in the State for education funding. The per-pupil allocation in Orange County is $1,000 more than the second ranking County. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School system opened Smith Middle School on the campus of Chapel Hill High School and Seawell Elementary School. Construction has begun an Elementary School #9 located in the Meadowmont subdivision. The Orange County School system will open Cedar Ridge High School in August. The voters approved a $75 million bond referendum in November. This will offer residents across the County progressive opportunities for affordable housing, senior centers, parks, recreation, and educational facilities. Since April 2000, almost 800 acres in Orange County have been protected through the Lands Legacy Program. The Central Orange Senior Center opened in January. It is located in the Meadowlands Business Park in Hillsborough. This is the temporary building for the center. The two new senior centers are scheduled to be constructed by 2006. The County Commissioners appointed an Innavatian and Efficiency Committee, which recommended Segal and Associates, an independent CPA firm to review the County's purchasing practices which they found to be sound. The firm did discover additional sales tax reimbursements of $563,000. One school system has also participated in this review and the County hopes the other school system will as well. General Fund Revenue Highliqhts John Link reported that the County's financial picture remains solid. The fund balance remains strong. We are appropriating $2.4 million from the fund balance for this year's budget. This is $1.2 million less than last year's appropriation. The real property tax base increased 4-4.5%. This increased the real property tax base of $300 million from the original 2001-02 estimates. Property taxes remain the largest single source of revenue. Regarding the anticipated State withholdings for fiscal year 2001-02, the total anticipated loss far Orange County is $712,200. The tax rate equivalent is .78 cents. This includes inventory tax reimbursements of $454,700; beer and wine taxes of $195,000; and homestead reimbursements of $62,500. The budget includes $3.1 million in State reimbursements for intangible and inventory taxes that are due the County. This is intended to send a clear message to Raleigh that it is wrong and unacceptable for the State to seize funds that rightfully should come to the citizens of Orange County. During June work sessions, the Board should consider whether it wishes to reduce the proposed budget by $3.1 million. There is a passibility of an additional 1l2-cent sales tax effective July 1, 2003. This is referred to as Article 44 and is intended to replace the local government reimbursements from the State. There are other discussions about addressing the sales tax earlier than July 1, 2003. The public hearing is established for June 20, 2002. The interest earnings have decreased significantly this year due to the recession of the economy. General Fund Expenditure Highliqhts The total general fund appropriation for education increased by 4.9°~ and totals $60.6 million or 49.3% of the total County budget. He explained the State mandated funding formulas. The Chapel Hill- Carrboro City School system is projected to gain 234 students and the Orange County School system is projected to lose 160 students. The recommended increase based on the formula for CHCCS is $1,392,964 and for Orange County is $115,364. Since the funding formula has given the CHCCS more money than they requested in the budget, Jahn Link is recommending that the district tax be reduced by one cent to 19.2 cents, still leaving $230,000 beyond what was requested by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school board. He is also recommending that another $500,000 of interest earnings on the Certificates of Participation that were used in building Cedar Ridge High School be allocated for one time capital items for this new school. This money could be used to address initiatives identified by the District as important budget priorities such as minority student achievement efforts. There is another major increase in Medicaid expenditures for this year. The proposed budget allows for an increase of $600,000 for next year. The two-year cumulative increase in this mandated expenditure is $1.37 million. The County has created a reserve of existing funds of $110,000 which could be used to offset State related human service budget cuts that occur after the Board approves the County budget at the end of June. This fund was created by reallocating funds from the Department of Social Services and the Child Care Challenge Grant. The proposed budget provides the same funding allocations for non-profit agencies as the current year, including funding for the Towns for Recreation and Libraries. Last summer, the County issued $17.4 million of the 1997 voter approved bands. This represents two cents of the proposed tax rate increase. This budget does not include increases in cost-of-living, in-range salary increases, or meritorious service awards for County employees. It also postpones the implementation of the Countywide Classification and Pay Study until fiscal conditions improve. The County has funded a projected 18°I° increase in employee health insurance. The proposed budget includes $250,000 to fund the increases for salaries for Deputies, Telecommunicators, and Paramedics. This is a result of the Public Safety Study, which implemented a 5°~ retention salary increase. The proposed budget provides $12,000 a month for three months to continue the transportation contract with the Orange EMS and Rescue Squad. The staff will examine options and develop recommendations regarding EMS transportation beyond October 1, 2002. Solid Waste Enterprise Fund The Rogers Road neighborhood waterline has been installed. The recycling drop-ofF center at Carrboro Plaza is complete. The proposed budget includes four additional staff positions to bring the multi- family recycling service in-house. There are two new positions associated with the County's recent adoption of the Regulated Recyclable Materials Ordinance. There will be no increase in the per ton tipping fee for mixed solid waste. The top priority for the upcoming year is to evaluate alternative financing mechanisms to supplement the fund's traditional revenue structure. On the Horizon There will be increased debt service for the first installment of the Board's approved debt-financing plan. It is important to implement the County Classification and Pay Study. There are also start-up and construction costs associated with Elementary School #9. A continued high profile item for the County will be development and implementation of the OPC Mental Health business and financial plans associated with State mandated mental health reform. There will also be a major reworking of the County's comprehensive land use plan, and joint park and recreation facilities will be developed. The budget document is available in the office of the Clerk to the County Commissioners, the County Budget office, the Orange County Library, the Chapel Hill Public Library, the Carrboro Library, and some portions are available on the County's Internet site, which is http:/lwww.co.orange.nc.us Chair Jacobs said that, for the schools, the County Commissioners give a lump sum for the operating budget and the schools make the determination for programming. 2. PUBLIC COMMENT Robert Schreiner, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chapel Hill Public Library, thanked the County Commissioners for their continuing support. The funds this year bought additional books, equipment, and Internet access. He asked for continued and expanded support for all public libraries in Orange County, in particular, the Chapel Hill Library. He made reference to three studies of library services in the County in the past three years. Each of the studies concluded that libraries in Orange County have inadequate resources to provide services to their patrons and resources overall do not meet the level of national State norms. The Chapel Hill Library Board has already endorsed the two Chapel Hill studies and they are here to support the recommendations of the Orange County report. Specifically, they recommend increased operational funding for all public libraries in Orange County to the State average level over the next three years, initiation of library projects both north and south in the County without competition and exploration of ways of cooperating between the two library systems. Andrea Rohrbacher, Vice-Chair of the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Commission, said that they understand the financial circumstances of these times, but they wanted to point out some statistics about level of use of facilities and services versus the volume of funding of the services. County funding per capita for Chapel Hill residents is $1.72 and the County funding per capita for residents outside of Chapel Hill is $10.35. Chapel Hill includes 41 °lo of the County population and Chapel Hill receives approximately 12% of the total County parks and recreation operational funding. The per capita funding for residents of Chapel Hill is 17°~ per capita for residents of the rest of Orange County. Last year they received $83,760 from the County for parks and recreation, which is 12°~ compared to the rest of the County, which was $719,000. She shared same statistics about day camp enrollment and after-school enrollment. She said that they do not have statistics for Chapel Hill residents versus County residents for the use of parks and recreation facilities during open times for free play, the use of tennis courts and the use of greenways. She said that Chapel Hill residents are providing a large proportion of the funding for parks and recreation services, and they recommend solutions for helping to narrow this gap to provide equivalent parks and recreation services far all citizens in Orange County. Martha Stucker, nurse representative on the Board of Health, thanked the County Commissioners for their support for last year's budget. The addition of an Environmental Health Specialist plus an interpreter was critical for the department in order to meet mandated services to citizens in Orange County. This year they are concerned with the proposed budget cuts from the State. If the legislature goes through with all the cuts, the Health Department stands to lase as much as $165,000 for core services and another $141,000 is at risk for cuts to Smart Start. The department already absorbed $56,379 in cuts this year from the State and Smart Start by increasing productivity, by billing for services, and by cutting expenses. There is nothing left to give. Last year 80°~ of the clinical services provided by the Health Department were to residents making less than 200°~ of the federal poverty level. She asked the County Commissioners to make budget choices that support basic services for residents who have nowhere else to receive basic services. Unless they have the funds to buy educational materials, antibiotics, syringes, and Band-Aids, there is not much point in providing the services. The cost of medical supplies continues to rise. The Board of Health also requests support for two resolutions, which were passed at their meeting at the end of April. These resolutions support increased taxes an alcohol and tobacco products, both areas that directly affect the health and well being of our residents. She asked the County Commissioners to support these resolutions and forward them to the legislature. Pam Anderson, from the Chapel Hill Day Care Center, spoke about education far children birth to kindergarten. In Orange County there are 2,024 children who are in licensed child care facilities. Some of these are poor quality facilities that can be detrimental to the well being of our children. They are very thankful for the County Commissioners' matching funds of $40,000 this past year and hope that this will be continued or increased. The cost of childcare is tremendous. Parents pay over $12,000 a year for infant care. Her center used to provide care to 20% of the children from low-income homes that received subsidies. This year, they have only budgeted for six children who will have subsidies. They want to serve the population, but they cannot afford to. She asked for continued support of childcare programs. Charlene Wade, Director of Wade's Family Child Care Home and Center, thanked Orange County for the matching program because it helped them to maintain enrollment. Kay Swann, owner and operator of Country Kid's Daycare, thanked the County Commissioners far their support of the matching funding program. This helped her to increase her enrollment by two children. She would like to continue in this field, but she is afraid that, without the matching funding, she will not be able to continue. The matching funds program also benefited the parents. Mark David, a graduate student of anthropology at UNC-CH, a representative of the Graduate Employee Union UE-150A on child care issues, and a member of the Chancellor's Child Care Advisory Committee thanked the County Commissioners for the child care subsidy. Every year several dozen students get childcare funding for child care services. He said that this funding is crucial for them because the majority of public voucher funds far Orange Caunty are off limits to students of the University. He gave a report of developments at the University this past year. He asked the County Commissioners to please maintain the current rate of $40,000 for matching funds for childcare services and increase this amount if at all possible. Jack Chestnut, a representative of the Orange County Advisory Board on Aging, said that they were trying to be creative in trying to keep the senior center programs open in the evenings. The area where they are having most difficulty is the Elder Care Program and the Friend to Friend service. He made reference to the Adult Day Care Center and said that they have gotten a contribution from Carol Woods and the hospital. To delay this program would mean that the 18 people on the waiting list may be forced into a nursing home. Charles Paddock, Chair of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program Advisory Council, said that RSVP appreciates the County's support of its work. He distributed a handout. He requested that the County Commissioners please consider maintaining the funds for temporary staff and to be aware of RSVP's federal funds and guidelines and the consequences of not meeting them. The proposed budget cut affects one temporary position. The position holds a permanent function, but is a temporary position. This position is required by the funding sources. The County has proposed cutting the hours by 50°~, which would be five hours total per week. The federal sponsors have required additional accountability and administrative effort. RSUP's effort to submit accurate and timely reports would be handicapped if this temporary position is reduced to five hours per week. Mollie Langston, an exceptional children's teacher at New Hope Elementary, thanked the County Manager far the proposed increase in the per pupil appropriation. She said that she is proud to teach in Orange County schools. Because of the current budget situation, Orange County has been forced to ask its schools to do more with less. They can only cut back so far before the quality of education in Orange County begins to suffer. With the current cuts in teacher assistants and the loss of teachers, she believes we have already sacrificed the success of our students. She asked the County Commissioners to find the means to secure adequate funding far our schools and prevent further cuts in staff and programming. Dianne Russell said that she admires and respects the County Commissioners for what they are doing. She is concerned about some smaller things. She said that last week Tarheel Mobile Wash came to the Whiffed Human Services Center in order to pressure wash the exterior brick sidewalks and retaining walks. She found this perplexing given the budget crunch. Also, she does not understand why we need to spend money to pave perfectly good parking lots at the same building. She believes there are ways to cut back and save that will not harm the schools, seniors, and the poor. She said that it starts with the little things that add up. She urged the County Commissioners to find a way to trim the waste. Stacy Lee, a first grade teacher at New Hope Elementary and a parent of two children in the Orange County school system, thanked the County Manager for recommending to raise the per pupil funding in Orange County. She said that this still leaves them about $700,000 short, which will require internal squeezing. She said that quality will decline. She is concerned about the funding of Cedar Ridge. She said that New Hope is slated to lose 10 positions. She asked the County Commissioners to help them maintain the good work they have done in whatever way necessary, including a district tax. She said that there would be no finger pointing and they are ready to work as a team. Randy Bridges, Superintendent of Orange County Schools, said that he thinks that the Manager has done some things to ensure that they are served as best as possible both for capital and operating expenditures. He said that they have had to squeeze internally to create positions for Cedar Ridge High School because they cannot share an art teacher, a band teacher, and a chorus teacher between the two high schools. This will affect the quality of services provided to our parents and kids. He spoke about the State proposals of increasing class sizes, which would cost them between two and thirteen teaching positions. The State is also changing the formula for teaching assistants, which could cost the system between $200,000-500,000. He does not know what will happen if the State proposals come into play. Peter Morcambe said that he has been building charter schools. He said that this was helping County government. He asked the Chair to talk to Ed Regan at the Association of County Commissioners in Raleigh and persuade him to change his policy position, which is very antagonistic to charter schools. Two of the charter schools that he is associated with are in Orange County. The building for a charter school going up next to the SportsPlex is a public school being built with private money. He thinks there should be more of this and that the County Commissioners could encourage this. He thanked the Manager for the per pupil increase. He spoke to the Budget Director and said that he noticed the County was paying 10°~ on one of the loans. He suggested refinancing and taking advantage of low interest rates. John Link clarified that of the $17 million that was issued in bonds, the debt service was $1.7 million and the interest rate on the debt is less than 5°~. He said that the overhead may have been misleading. Matthew Freytag thanked the Manager for recommending a per pupil increase. Libbie Hough said that she is a parent of two children at Grady Brown Elementary. She also thanked the Manager for addressing the funding disparity in the two school systems. She supports increasing the total funding for the schools, but the funding disparity between the two systems still exists. She said that they have opened two new schools in the past two years, which has drastically reduced the fund balance and they are $500,000 short for the start-up casts for Cedar Ridge High School. They will have to consider completely exhausting the fund balance to meet these needs. For the second year in a row, they will have trouble meeting the mandated portions of their budget, let alone address any items in their expansion budget. They are aver $700,000 short in the mandated portion of the budget. They will be forced to cut services, programs, and personnel. Regarding moving funds from the capital budget to the operating budget, she said that she cannot support this move since the capital budget for the upcoming school year will be cut as well. She asked what they should do if they want to at the very least maintain the integrity of their program and maintain services to their children. She does not want the education of the children in Orange County to suffer and she does not want to lose valuable staff and programs. She asked for the County Commissioners' leadership in taking along-term approach in addressing this issue. Susan Houck spoke on behalf of the Orange County schools. She also thanked the Manager for recommending an increase in per pupil funding. She reiterated the fact that this increase is more than what was requested by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools but inadequate for the Orange County schools to meet State mandated items and to open Cedar Ridge High School. She said that this underscores the disparity in resources between the two school systems and she thinks this should be addressed as a priority, including a discussion about a district school tax. Liz Brawn also thanked the Manager for recommending a per pupil increase. She spoke about the disparity between the two school systems and the fact that there is only one school in the County system that provides Spanish classes. She spoke about how people in other countries are trained in many other languages. She said that we should not stick our English-speaking heads in the sand while the rest of the world strives to communicate with the whole world. She asked the County Commissioners what they saw as the solution to the separate but unequal school systems. Betty Eidenier, a teacher in Orange County schools, said that Orange County is one of the best places in the world to live. She said that times are tough and that people in Orange County are ready to chip in. She asked the County Commissioners to go ahead and raise the taxes because it just has to be done. Anne Lutes also thanked the Manager for recommending an increase in per pupil funding. She has a child at Grady Brown Elementary. She said that they have been so happy with the job done at Grady Brown with such tight funding. She encouraged the County Commissioners to continue to support this kind of hard work and dedication with the increased funding that the County Manager has recommended. Sheila Whitt, a parent of a special needs child at New Hope Elementary, said that New Hope has provided an outstanding environment and program for her son. She is concerned about the number of positions that have been cut at New Hope. She said that the parents of special needs children already have extra concerns and burdens and not having adequate supervision far educational needs puts more burden on these families. She asked the County Commissioners to please make sure that our students are safe and that all of our students needs are met and continue to be met. Jeff Whitt said that some children in this County cannot talk or communicate. He asked for help for these children. Jamie Daniels, a candidate for County Commissioner, said that a lot of citizens were asking not to just increase taxes but to show that there is reallocation of the tax money. He issued a challenge. He would like to see 20°10 of waste cut out of the County's budget before he can lose 20 pounds. He would also like to see mare of the work sessions done at the elementary schools in the County that need renovation. He said that the citizens want to see a constant effort to reallocate the tax money sa that they do not feel like it is being wasted. Keith Coleman, a parent of a child in the Orange County school system, encouraged the County Commissioners to find ways to fund as many needs as possible. He encouraged the County Commissioners to keep both school systems moving forward. The Orange County Schools needs the $500,000 far the opening of Cedar Ridge High School. Randy Copeland, a candidate for the Orange County School Board, said that he was concerned about what he has heard tonight. He said that a lot of people are lasing their jobs and cannot afford a district tax. He said that we do not need a district tax, but we need to work efficiently and do same better budgeting. He challenged the County Commissioners to hold the taxes as low as passible. He said that Orange County did not want to be like Chapel Hill. Delores Simpson, a member of the Orange County School Board, said that we continue to say that our children are our most precious resources. However, we need more money and we need to continue the progress that we have made. Marlene Hoover works at Orange County Schools, and she will be working at Cedar Ridge High School. She is concerned about the budget. She asked why this school was ever built if the money was not there to get it built and running. She is wondering if it will even be able to be opened in August. She is wondering if there is going to be a computer available, etc. She asked the County Commissioners to seriously look at it some more and do what they can. Christina Hilliard has a special needs daughter that attends New Hope Elementary. She urged the County Commissioners to find a way to give more because there are 10 positions that are going to be cut and they will directly affect her daughter and her care and her education at New Hope. She urged the County Commissioners to try to find a way in the budget to scoot the money over from other places into the schools. Mary Copeland said that one of the main things that is taking up so much time in the schools is the paperwork. She asked if there was any way to cut out some of this paperwork and put time with the children. She said that she and her husband could not stand another tax increase. Commissioner Halkiotis assured Ms. Hoover that Cedar Ridge will open and that everything would be in place. Commissioner Brown made reference to the mention of the disparity in the funding between the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school systems. She asked for the Manager to explain the dilemma that the County Commissioners are in and that the State funding mandates a certain way of funding. John Link said that the State requires that counties appropriate funding for the operation of schools on a per pupil basis. In most counties, there is only one school system. The disparity of funding between the two school systems is based on two factors -the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system has about 4,000 more students than the Orange County system and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system has a district tax. The district tax generates about $11 million. He is not recommending a district tax for Orange County, but it is an option to overcome the disparity. Commissioner Gordon said that the County Commissioners have heard the public and that they will do their very best. Commissioner Carey made reference to the comments about layoffs elsewhere and said that the County was concerned about these people because many of them turn to the County when they cannot turn to anyone else for assistance. Chair Jacobs said that we are proud of being a progressive County. He thinks it means that we try and support education in a way that leads the State and we are dedicated to providing a social safety net for those in need. He said that the overriding message is that the policies that are being made at the State leve are forcing us into positions that we do not believe are in the best interests of the citizens of Orange County or the citizens of North Carolina. We have politicians who, in the name of trying to avoid doing what is necessary to serve the people, tend to be passing it on to local government to deal with. We now have leadership that thinks it is more important to seem than it is to be. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there are 14 brand new 2002 Crown Victoria police cars parked behind the Government Services building awaiting to be decaled with the Orange County Sheriffs Department decals. He said that we were auctioning off 10 ar 12 Sheriffs cars at the end of the month. He encouraged citizens to bid on those cars. All of them are listed as "burning oil" and have 180,000 miles on them because they have run their course. He said that this is the kind of deliberate and planned government spending that the County embarked on 10 years ago with the single vehicle fleet. He said that the State has taken money from Orange County and it is a theft. So next year there will not be new Sheriff's cars and it will cost the taxpayers more money. He said that if anybody would challenge Orange County to cut 20°lo fat out of the budget, he would love to see this list. He challenged anyone to come and show the County Commissioners where the 20°~6 fat is in County government. He said that he will not leave one child behind, one senior citizen behind, one sick person behind, one mentally ill person behind, or one handicapped person behind. He said that he would leave this office before he sacrifices a human being far any "no tax" philosophy in North Carolina. He will care about people regardless of where they come from. 3. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Cammissianer Halkiotis, seconded by Cammissianer Gordan to adjourn the meeting at 10:05 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS The next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. an June 11, 2002 at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Barry Jacobs, Chair Beverly A. Blythe, CMC