Orange County NC Website
-5~4 <br />Commissioner Richard Whi.tted stated he hoped the Board could resolve this issue <br />before the 14th as that was the date of the Area Mental Health Board meeting. ~ <br />The meeting then adjourned. <br />~-l~aC~ ~i~t <br />Flora R. Garrett, Chairman <br />Sam Gattis, Acting Clerk <br />THE MINUTES OF THE ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COM:1255TONER5 <br />May 13, 1975 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in special session on Tuesday, <br />May 13, 1975, at 7:00 p.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Courthouse in <br />Hillsborough, N. C. <br />Members present: Chairman Flora Garrett, Commissioners Norm Gustaveson, Jan <br />Pinney, Norman Walker and Richard E. Whitted. <br />Members absent: None. <br />Also present were S. M. Gattis, County Administrator; and Betty June Hayes, <br />Clerk to the Board. A. B. Coleman, Jr., County Attorney was absent due to an <br />emergency. <br />Chairman Garrett referred to Item #1 on the Agenda: (Acquisition of Northside <br />School Property from Chapel Hill Board of Education) <br />Commissioner walker read the following comments: <br />"l. As you all know I was appointed by the Board along with the County Manager, <br />Sam Gattis, to negotiate with the Chapel Hill School Board the purchase or <br />acquisition of the Northside School property. <br />2. The Chapel Hill School Board wanted $100,000. for the property. T tried <br />to reason with them that they had nothing to sell but a liatility. <br />My proposition was the County would accept the property for the development <br />of a Mental Health Center and other County related office spaces. Negotiation <br />at this time broke down. <br />3. About this time we were getting a lot of pressure from Mental Health tv pur- <br />chase the property as they would lose the State grant of $350,000. if we did not <br />move fast. This prompted me to take a look into the Grant application as I had <br />never heard of a grant being approved so quickly especially since it had not <br />came before the County Board for formal approval. (Sept. 15th - Dec. 2nd) <br />4. Pat t4alton stated the County Board did not have to approve the Grant that <br />the Area Mental Bealth Hoard had the authority to dv so and she quoted a Statute <br />giving them the authority to approve $50,000. in County money far matching funds. <br />This was proven not to be true. Mr. Whitted and Pat Walton further stated that <br />the area Mental Health voted unanimously for its approval.. After careful study of <br />the Mental Health Area Board Minutes and talking to members of that Board, they <br />assured me they had never voted on the issue. <br />S. (A) 'The application states that Orange County has approved $50,000. in its <br />1974-75 budget period. This was known to be false information as the money has <br />not yet been appropriated. <br />(B) The application further states that Person and Chatham Counties approved <br />$11;765. for their share of the matching funds. After talking with members of <br />the Person and Chatham County Board:':s of Commissioners they had not approved any <br />money for a:'Toint venture into an Orange County project. It is my understanding <br />that by law this cannot be done except by a three County agreement w)isch no <br />attempt has been made thus far (by County Boards of Commissioners) Person and <br />Chatham Counties were not aware that the application had committed them to the <br />money just mentioned. <br />I have the letter from nr. N. P. zarzar (Director) congratulating the <br />County Commissioners for their cooperation in approving this money. (That has <br />not been approved).. <br />6. The application falsely states that the Area Mental Health Board has lease- <br />hold interest for 25 years at $1.00 per year. (on the Northside School property). <br />7. In bringing this to the attention of the Board they agreed after much dis- <br />cussion to bring in the persons from the State Grant Office and others involved <br />to ask if they"were aware of the false and irregular procedure in which the <br />