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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 12-04-1995 - X-G 1 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No �(--V ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: DECEMBER 4 , 1995 SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARINGS - SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION STUDY COMMISSION -------------------------------- ------------------------------- DEPARTMENT County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING YES NO x -------------------------------- ------------------------------- ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT Moses Carey YES - PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE TELEPHONE NUMBER Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Mebane 227-2031 Durham 688-7331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PURPOSE : To provide information on a series of nine meetings and public hearings across the State to gather input on school construction needs and ways of paying for these needs . BACKGROUND: This year, the General Assembly established the School Capital Construction Study Commission to examine statewide school facilities needs and to recommend a long range plan for financing these needs to the legislature in 1996. The commission also will consider the issue of the appropriate state and county roles in funding our public schools. The commission requested that all county commissioners and managers be invited to attend these sessions. The session for Orange County schools will be held on December 12 as follows: 1 : 00 - 3: 00 p.m. , Local school visits 3 : 00 - 5: 00 p.m. Commission meeting 5: 30 - 7 : 30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner 7 : 30 p.m. Public Hearing County officials are invited to attend the commission meeting, dinner, and public hearing. If you plan to speak at the public hearing, the commission staff requests that you also submit your comments in writing. The location of the meeting will be in Chapel Hill and will be announced approximately December 5. RECOWENDATION: Receive the report as information. NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF 2 A N FCOUNTY COMMISSIONERS O,p OOUNTl 09 MEMORANDUM TO: County Commissioners = - FROM: Ed Regan, Deputy Director DATE: October 5, 1995 SUBJECT: Public Hearings - School Capital Construction Study Commission This year, the General Assembly established the School Capital Construction Study Commission to examine statewide school facilities needs and to recommend a long-range plan for financing these needs to the legislature in 1996. The commission also will consider the issue of the appropriate state and county roles in funding our public schools. The study commission held its first meeting on September 26 and announced a series of nine meetings and public hearings across the State to gather input on school construction needs and ways of paying for these needs. The commission requested that we invite all county commissioners and managers to attend these sessions. The co-chairmen of the Commission, Senator Fred Hobbs and Representative Leo Daughtry, hope that each county will be represented by at least one county commissioner at these meetings. You will find attached a general schedule for each hearing and a map showing the counties invited to each of the sites. The general schedule for each session is summarized below. 3:00-5:00 p.m. Commission members visit local school sites 5:30-7:30 p.m. "Dutch Treat" dinner for commission members, legislative delegation, county commissioners, and school board members 7:30-9:30 p.m. Public Hearing The study commission will hold a regular meeting at three of the sites (Charlotte, Raeford, and Chapel Hill). You will note that, in these cases, the schedule differs. Local school site visits will be conducted from 1:00-3:00 p.m. The Commission will meet from 3:00-5:00 p.m. County officials are invited to attend the commission meetings, dinners, and public hearings. If you plan to speak at the public hearings, the commission staff requests that you also submit your comments in writing. ALBERT COATES LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER - 215 NORTH OAWSON STREET P.O.BOX 1488, RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA 27602-1488 - TELEPHONE(919) 715-2893 - FAX(919) 733-1065 J 3 We will send to county managers information on specific locations for each of the meetings and hearings approximately one week before the sessions. Please let me know if your county will not be able to send a representative to the meeting designated for your area. You are welcome to attend one of the other meetings if the session designated for your area does not conform to your schedule. As you know, the School Capital Construction Study Commission was created in response to legislation introduced during the 1995 Session to provide additional funding sources for school facilities construction (local option sales tax, state bond issue, state lottery). Although none of these bills were approved, the public discussion of the issue raised the awareness of the General Assembly regarding the need for a thorough study of school facilities financing. Our Association supports the efforts of the School Capital Construction Study Commission. Our President, Robert Hibbitts, is serving as a member of the study commission. I have attached a copy of the study commission's responsibilities. I hope that this information will be of assistance to county commissioners who intend to offer comments at the public hearings. You should note that the study commission will be sending out a survey of school facility needs in the next two weeks. President Hibbitts will contact each county chairman urging close cooperation between county commissioners and local school boards in developing accurate and defensible estimates of school construction needs. We urge you to participate in the work of the study commission. Please call me if you have any questions. enclosures PC: County Managers gAs hared\ed\sccscmem.com 4 i SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION STUDY CONVVIISSION PUBLIC HEARINGS SCH3✓DULE October 10, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Smithfield 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner Johnston 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing County October 17, 1995 1:00-3:00 p.m. Local school visits Charlotte 3:00-5:00 p.m. Commission meeting Mecklenburg 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner County 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing October 25, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Morganton 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner Burke County 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing October 26, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Sylva 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner Jackson County 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing November 9, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Winston-Salem 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner Forsyth County 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing November 20, 1995 1:00-3:00 p.m. Local school visits Raeford 3:00-5:00 p.m- Commission meeting Hoke County 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing November 29, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Edenton 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner Chowan County 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing November 30, 1995 3:00-5:00 p.m. Local school visits Wilmington 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner New Hanover 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing County V December 12, 1995 1:00-3:00 p.m. Local school visits Chapel Hill 3:00-5:00 p.m. Commission meeting Orange County 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dutch Treat dinner 7:30 p.m. Public Hearing 5 o J-7 2N 5�`'`.� 00 QO � • ' O HO H N-. — rl o Ito a a H s` (� E+ H W c ! O z U s y u' E-4 N cn U O _-I = �' a e 4 z E-4 uca z \ - a H � ;; _ W E- 4G y a I - ' L = 1 F H O .T-1 O a U V4 all U "/- Y � E z11 W !n \ s (7 N 'J N c a \ >4 a � � s f PART K,/.----SCHOOL CAPITAL CONSTRL C T?Oti S i SLY CO�1tiiiSSiO� " (Win�^er; H.B. 1041 - Owens) Sec. 14.1. (a) T-ne School Capital Co:s:ructor: Study Comnissio s established. T-ne Corn mission consists of the following 20 meu.bers: (1) Six =embers, four of whom shall be me:r;bers of the House of Representatives, appointed by - the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (2) Six members, four of whom shall be members of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 3) Three members appointed by the Cover nor. ?) Tae Chair of the State Board of Education, or one member appointed by the Chair. (5) The President of the School Board Association, or one member appointed by the President. (6) The President of the Association of County Commissioners, or one member appointed by the President. (7) The Superintendent of Public Instruction, or one member appointed by the Superintendent. (8) The State Treasurer, or one member appointed by the Treasurer. All appointments shall be made no later than September 1, 1995. Vacancies shall be filled by the person who made the initial appointment. (b) The Commission shall conduct a comprehensive study of public school facilities in the State. The study shall: (1) Identity the public school facility needs of the State based upon a consideration of factors such as local growth rates and the age of existing facilities. (2) Develop criteria for ranking the identified public school facility needs in priority order that take into consideration factors that will ensure the ranking is equitable. (3) Identify the federal, State, and local funds that are currently available to meet the identified public school facility needs, and analyze how they are being utilized. (4) Examine the roles the State and the counties should play in providing funds to meet public school facility needs. In particular, the Commission shall evaluate the extent to which public school facility needs should be met by counties. As part of this examination, the Commission shall consider the impact of mandates to provide social services on counties' ability to generate local revenue. (5) Explore various methods of governmental financing to meet identified public school facility needs, and recommend ways to obtain any additional funding needed to meet these needs. (6) Evaluate how current formulas for providing additional funds for schools in low-wealth counties and small school systems and the factors considered in these formulas affect the counties' ability to meet their public school facility needs. As part of this evaluation, the Commission shall consider whether the size of the school system or wealth of the county affects the extent of the county's public school facility needs and of the county's ability to meet those needs. Based on its evaluation, the Commission shall recommend whether any category of schools should receive special funding, and shall determine the source for this funding and the formula for distributing this funding. Page 12 House Bill 898 7 h (7) Consider the utility, effectiveness, and efficiency of developing model designs for public school facilities that are energy-efficient and technologically adequate. The Commission also shall consider ways to use appropriately 'the State's schools of architecture and design in the development of these designs. (8) Develop a long-term plan for funding the identified public school facility needs in an equitable and adequate manner. Consider any other issue the Commission considers relevant. M Each local school administrative unit shall assist the Commission by submitting to the Commission a list of the public school facility needs of the unit. The list shall include a written justification of the reason for including each item on the list and a statement that the county commissioners of the county in which the unit is located has approved or disapproved the list. If the county commissioners of the county in which the unit is located fail to approve the list, they shall submit their list of the public school facility needs that includes a written justification of the reasons for submitting a separate list and for including each item on the list. (d) The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall each designate a cochair of the Commission. The Commission shall meet upon the call of the cochairs. A quorum of the Commission is 11 members. While in the discharge of its official duties, the Commission has the powers of a joint committee under G.S. 120-19 and G.S. 120-19.1. Members of the Commission shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel allowances in accordance with G.S. 120-3.1, 138-5, or 138-6, as appropriate. The Legislative Administrative Officer shall assign as staff to the Commission professional employees of the General Assembly. Clerical staff shall be assigned to the Commission through the Offices of the Supervisor of Clerks of the Senate and Supervisor of Clerks of the House of Representatives. (e) The Commission shall submit a progress report to the General Assembly by January 15, 1996, and shall submit a final report, including recommendations, to the General Assembly by April 15; 1996. A report to the General Assembly shall be submitted to the Legislative Library and to the Fiscal Research Division. The Commission shall terminate upon filing its final report. (f) From funds appropriated to the General Assembly, the Legislative Services Commission may allocate funds for the expenses of the Commission under this Part_ _..._