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<br />sJ' `~ ~ <br />V^~- ~~ <br />~~ <br />S~ `til ~` s~ ~6 `~~ ~ 3 ~" <br />JQ Mazch 3, 1999 a~~ a~~o`'~ ~ i <br />~~ <br />Mr. Darnel C. VanderMeer Chair ~ G yip <br />oazd of Directors ~ ~~,C-( ~., alt' <br />Orange Water and Sewer Authority ~~' ~J ~ ~, - ~, <br />PO Box 366 <br />Cazrboro, NC 27510-0366 l%j~'~~~i~~ <br />Dear Mr. VanderMeer: 7 ~ <br />~',! , <br />This letter is written in response to Joal Broun's letter of June 16, 1998, soliciting Boazd ~ ~~ <br />of County Commissioner continents on OWASA's discussion paper entitled "Assessment ~ <br />Policy Applicable to Water and Sewer Service Extension to Existing Unserved <br />Neighborhoods". <br />The Boazd of County Commissioners appreciates the opportunity to provide input on <br />OWASA policy initiatives. The Boazd is familiar with the issues outlined in your <br />position paper and with the responses it elicited from the Town of Chapel Hill and the ~ ~, <br />University of North Cazolina. Accordingly, the Board encourages OWASA to search out <br />and evaluate high priority azeas for utility extension within the portion of the OWASA <br />service area. deemed appropriate for such extensions under the provisions of local land <br />use, planning and zoning ordinances. The Boazd also believes that OWASA should seek ~ ~ <br />to increase its flexibility in assigning cost of service as this would be beneficial_for the ` <br />entu~e community. To achieve this enhanced flexibility, the Boazd advi to: <br />a) re-negotiate its purchase and sales agreement with the university; )use its general <br />fund balance to pay the legal and engineering costs associated with utility extension <br />projects; and c) acquire the remainder of utility extension project costs from the <br />benefiting pazties. 1 <br />In general, the Board of County Commissioners views utility assessment and extension <br />policy as one component of a lazger and more comprehensive utility policy involving not <br />only cost and cost allocation considerations but also efforts to: 1) protect the ground- <br />water and water supply watersheds within the County; 2) deal with land use and growth <br />concerns/impacts attributable to utility extension; 3) address ability to pay, affordable <br />housing and equity concerns attendant to various utility extension fmancing strategies; <br />and 4) protect the public and public health by melding utility extension strategies with <br />