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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: Mazch 3, 1999 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item # A- C <br />1 <br />SUBJECT: County Response to OWASA request for comments relative to its utility extension and <br />assessment policy discussion paper <br />DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: Yes No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): BUDGET AMENDMENT: Yes No <br />(under separate cover) INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />County Draft Letter County Engineer Extension 2303 <br />OWASA Letters & discussion paper <br />University of North Cazolina letter TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Chapel Hill Letter & attachments Hillsborough - 732-8181 <br />Durham - 688-7331 <br />Mebane - 227-2031 <br />Chapel Hill - 967-9251/968-4501 <br />PURPOSE: To present for BOCC review, revision and approval a draft letter to OWASA replying to <br />OWASA's request for a County response or reaction to its position paper on utility <br />extension and assessment policy. <br />BACKGROUND: At its May 6, 1998 meeting, the BOCC heazd a presentation by OWASA on utility <br />extension and assessment issues as encapsulated within an official OWASA <br />discussion paper entitled "Assessment Policy Applicable to Water and Sewer <br />Service Extensions into Existing Unserved Neighborhoods". By letter of June 16, <br />1998, OWASA requested that the BOCC provide OWASA with suggestions and <br />comments relative to that discussion paper. <br />Staff and County Commissioners have been working intermittently to develop a <br />response to OWASA since September 1998. Providing an adequate response to <br />OWASA has been complicated by a number of factors. Primary among these is <br />the fact that Orange County has relatively little direct responsibility in the area of <br />utility extension and assessment policy. However, the BOCC has historically <br />been awaze of and concerned with: 1) utility extension issues as they relate to <br />potential public health impacts in unsewered urbanized azeas; and 2) utility <br />assessment related cost concerns as they apply to affordable housing opportunities <br />in Orange County. In general, the BOCC has considered utility extension and <br />