ORD-2008-020 Approval of County and School Capital Project Ordinances

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BACKGROUND: 2008-18 CIP Activity to Date The Board of County Commissioners received the proposed 2008-18 County and School Capital Investment Plan (CIP) in fall 2007. Since that time, Board members and staff have engaged in a number of CIP related discussions, and the Board has conducted two public hearings related directly to the proposed long-range capital plan. During each work session, Commissioners highlighted specific capital projects and items of interest that they felt needed additional consideration and discussion. Attachment 1, Summary of 2008-78 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) items for Further Discussion, summarizes Commissioners' questions, ideas and suggestions for different funding allocations for particular projects. Attachment 1 also provides the Board with target dates for further discussion of the flagged items. Staff plans to use Attachment 1 as a planning tool in preparing the 2009-19 Capital Investment Plan this fall. Fiscal Year 2008-09 Funded Projects One of the major purposes for pursuing Board approval of the 2008-09 capital budget this spring was in answer to both school districts' request to have their capital budgets in place in early spring. Each year, both school districts have particular capital projects where work needs to occur during the summer months when students are not in class. For the work to begin immediately as school adjourns for summer break, school districts must have Commissioner approved capital project ordinances in place to award the bids for the planned projects. Attachment 2, Summary -Funded Capital Needs, outlines how the County and both school districts plan to allocate their respective 2008-18 pay-as-you-go capital revenues. The CIP is considered. a "living plan", meaning that each year, staff and the Board can reassess needs identified in the previous year's plan to determine if future needs remain the same as those outlined in previously approved plans. If needs and priorities change from year-to-year, the Board can make appropriate revisions to previously adopted/approved plans to accommodate new priorities and projects. Tonight, staff requests the Board approve each entity's proposed allocation of pay-as-you-go funding for fiscal year 2008-09 by approving the attached capital project ordinances for the County, Chapel Hill Carrboro City and Orange County Schools as presented in Attachment 4 of this agenda abstract and postponing approval of the 2008-18 Capital Investment Plan until fall 2008. This timing would allow schools and County staff to begin soliciting bids for 2008-09 funded projects now and allow more time for all parties to discuss more thoroughly the unfunded capital needs and develop funding plans for them. Items for Consideration in Fall 2008 Including Unfunded Future Projects There are a number of capital items for future consideration by the Board. Staff has identified many of those items on Attachment 1 of this agenda abstract. In addition, there are many unanswered questions about the unfunded County and School capital needs. Examples include exact timing of identified projects, amount of project funding required to complete the projects, results of the upcoming student generation rate report, and the outcome of the May 6 Land Transfer Tax referendum.