Orange County NC Website
Director of Emergency Medical Services. She wanted to bring them forward to recognize them <br /> for keeping the department moving forward. She presented certificates of appreciation and <br /> said that their dedication was superb. <br /> 2. Public Comments <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Jim Dooley said that June 20-21 is the 26th annual Hog Day. He gave gifts of <br /> appreciation for the County Commissioners. Hog Day will be going "zero waste" this year. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that the County Commissioners appreciate all that he does for the <br /> Chamber of Commerce. <br /> Mayor Kevin Foy read a prepared statement: <br /> Chairman Jacobs and members of the Board of Commissioners; Madam Manager; Mr. <br /> Attorney. I appreciate your giving me an opportunity to speak before you this evening. I am <br /> here on behalf of the Chapel Hill Town Council. <br /> Like you, we are in the midst of our budget considerations; and like you, we find <br /> ourselves confronted with difficult choices in a year of increasing health care costs, increasing <br /> energy costs, and other pressures. But I want to speak with you tonight only tangentially about <br /> the budget. <br /> My real focus this evening is on growth —the cost of growth as it relates to one part of <br /> our community. And in that regard, I want to speak with you about providing library services in <br /> Orange County. <br /> As you know, the Chapel Hill library, whose operations have long been funded in part <br /> by a contribution from the Board of Commissioners, is growing. <br /> You know that the demand for libraries throughout Orange County is growing — in fact <br /> Orange County is building a new library in Hillsborough and considering building a new library <br /> in the southern part of the county. <br /> The continuing growth in demand at the Chapel Hill library has prompted the Town <br /> Council to begin construction this year on a $16 million expansion, which will significantly <br /> increase the physical size of the library and its ability to serve Orange County citizens. <br /> The Chapel Hill library is one of the most heavily used in the state, and it consistently <br /> gets high marks for quality of service. <br /> But one thing I draw to your attention is this fact: the Chapel Hill library currently serves <br /> a significant number of patrons who live in Orange County but not in Chapel Hill. In fact, our <br /> data indicates that almost 40% of the library's patrons are Orange County residents who live <br /> outside Chapel Hill. These patrons borrowed almost 350,000 items last year. <br /> The reason that I bring this up is because the county's contribution to library operations <br /> (which is the contribution on behalf of these patrons) is approximately 11%; this discrepancy <br /> between patron usage at 40% and patron funding at 11% is not sustainable for the town. <br /> That's why we are seeking an increase in county support. <br />