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7 them a home. She asked that the impact fee be made fair to all residents in Orange County. DEBBIE WAHLEN supports the proposed increase and asked that the Board of County Commissioners approve $1,500. She presented a petition with 57 signatures which reads as follows: We, the undersigned, although unable to attend the public hearing on May 25, 1995, urge the Orange County Commissioners to: 1. increase the impact fee on new residential construction to $1,500 immediately; 2. carry out a survey this summer to establish representative student-generation rates for new residences; and 3. establish an appropriate sliding scale for impact fees as soon as possible thereafter, to incorporate local school construction standards and newly established student-generation rates. She feels it is not unfair to ask new residential growth to share the cost of the impact on the schools. She asked that the fee be increased to $1,500 for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro District. She presented an article which explained how Atlanta handles impact fees. The article says that the fees have been a major way for them to do things (like building infrastructure) that they couldn't have done otherwise. LEON MEYERS spoke against financing public education with an impact fee. He feels that public education is part of government and benefits the entire community and should be funded by the entire community. He urged the Board of County Commissioners to be honest and rational in their decision on impact fees. He asked that the Board take advantage of all the hard work done by the Planning Department and make the right decision. PATRICK MULKEY spoke against the impact fee as it is currently designed. He will remain against the impact fee until County spending is brought under control, including both school systems. He feels that increasing the impact fee is the easy way out, cutting the budget and setting the money aside for future capital needs takes some action by the Board of County Commissioners. He questioned which road the Board of County Commissioners will take. LISA WARREN is more against the way that the fee is a flat fee. She and her husband are looking into building a house and must reduce the size of the house because of the impact fee. She feels that a lot of children are in apartments. She asked that the Board of County Commissioners make the fee more fair and look at incomes and other children in the system who are not included in the fee.