Orange County NC Website
4 <br />Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the Innovation and Efficiency Committee and said that <br />purchasing on an economy of scale is something the committee is discussing. He feels that the two <br />School Boards should be invited to the County's Assembly of Government meetings. Chair Carey <br />said that the schools boards were invited. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis emphasized that, because of the turf protection issue, especially at the school <br />levels, an agreement needs to be developed so that everyone understands who will use the <br />recreational fields. He feels that all areas of the County are interested in soccer fields and that <br />support will come from all. <br />Jackie Gist suggested that there be a bond group made up of representatives from each board to look <br />at how a bond would work and the equity issues. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that there would be a Capital Needs Advisory Group put together for the <br />bond with representatives from the different jurisdictions. She said that the reason for the tight <br />timeframe for the bond has to do with the schools. <br />Chair Carey pointed out that the bond issue does not have to include everything that everyone wants <br />for parks and recreation. All of the park needs cannot be addressed within the next five years. <br />John Link said that by the end of January or first of February there needs to be some specific <br />functions outlined for inclusion in a bond referendum for November 2001. Also, having a separate <br />work group for a recreation bond issue is an idea that could be pursued. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the adoption of the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance will <br />commit everyone to some kind of regular and ongoing appropriations that are sufficient to meet school <br />needs. He made reference to an organization called the Conservation Trust for Public Land, which is <br />located in North Carolina and which specializes in helping local and state governments formulate <br />bond packages for these kinds of things. He is worried about not being ambitious enough and asking <br />for too little from the voters. He hopes that we try to bring in citizens that are concerned about things <br />like soccer. <br />Jim Ward asked that the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group look at other funding sources such as <br />the impact fee. <br />Mayor Waldorf asked if there was permission in the State of North Carolina to have a district parks <br />and recreation fee. She suggested looking into this -- maybe putting a very modest district tax to the <br />voters. <br />Allan Spalt said that another funding source that has fallen behind is the payment-in-lieu where the <br />developers can choose to pay a fee instead of providing for recreation. <br />There was consensus on each board proceeding with their discussions concerning the <br />recommendations of the Potential Joint Funding for Parks as stated in the report and exploring the <br />possibility of a specific bond committee to come back with a recommendation by the end of January <br />Mayor Waldorf said that each Board needs to talk about this among themselves and then as soon as <br />practical have the Managers schedule a meeting. <br />Allen Spalt said that there are some other co-location of facilities to think about besides schools and <br />parks. He urged that as land banking is considered that we look beyond the schools and parks. <br />