Orange County NC Website
3 <br />will donate some land and then the developers may want a decrease <br />in the impact fee. He said that at $1,500, a developer building <br />1,000 homes would contribute 1.5 million and from these 1,000 <br />homes generate enough children for an elementary school. It is <br />unfortunate that the average home uses more services than the tax <br />on that home pays. It is only the economic tax base increase that <br />helps the County keep up with the schools. He would favor a <br />different fee structure for the two school districts. <br />JOYCE PRESLAR, resident of Orange County for twelve years who <br />works in a local daycare said she learned about the impact fee <br />when she bought a mobile home for $3,000. She is in a lower <br />income bracket and cannot afford the impact fee. She thinks that <br />a sliding scale should be considered. She is willing to pay taxes <br />but does not think an impact fee is equitable. There are a lot of <br />rental units with children. She asked that the Board keep their <br />perspective and consider those who are in the low income bracket. <br />THOMAS PHILLIPS, resident of Chapel Hill for a short period <br />of time said he moved from Batavia which is one hour west of <br />Chicago. In eight years Batavia went from a small community to a <br />suburb of Chicago. They built thousands of new homes in that area <br />and the schools became overcrowded. They passed a bond issue <br />every other year to build new schools. The taxes became so high <br />that the people who originally lived in Batavia were forced to <br />move. The result of losing a bond referendum was to impose an <br />impact fee - one for operating expenses and one for <br />infrastructure. The same arguments were heard there. The real <br />test of fairness is to ask if the impact fee taxes original <br />residents out of their homes. He does not believe that the impact <br />fee is going to affect the affordability of new homes. He feels <br />that the developer will reduce the price of land. He is in favor <br />of this increase in the impact fee because he will know that in <br />the future additional construction of new schools will not raise <br />his property tax. <br />STEPHEN B. MORIARTY said that the only reason he is against <br />the impact fee is because he cannot afford it. He may have to <br />default on a piece of property he purchased because he does not <br />have the money to pay the impact fee to move his trailer onto the <br />property. He feels that the fact that he only makes $17,000 a <br />year should not keep him from buying a house or moving a trailer <br />onto a piece of property. He would like to see a sliding scale. <br />KEITH COOK spoke in favor of increasing the impact fee. He <br />feels that something needs to be done for those individuals who <br />don't make a lot of money - 60~ of the median income which would <br />probably be no more than 10$ of the population. The impact fee <br />should be for those individuals coming into the County who have <br />not previously helped pay for schools. He favors a sliding scale <br />and asked that the Board of County Commissioners help people who <br />are not making a lot of money -- people who live in small houses <br />or trailers. <br />