Agenda - 05-19-1998 - 9h - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 Ms. Margaret Brown Apri124, 1998 Page Two Attachment #2, and unanimously agreed that Directors should request their respective member governments to consider providing financial support to the Association in the amounts shown in that table. For Orange County, the requested funding amount is $7,609. The Association also decided to pursue (a) an appropriation from the General Assembly during the 1998 Short Session, and (b) grant funding support from state and federal agencies and the private sector. I am very pleased to report that to date, 12 of the 141oca1 governments with planning and zoning jurisdiction in the Upper Neuse River Basin have already committed $66,350 to fund the Association's efforts during Fiscal Year 1999. Eleven of those 12 jurisdictions agreed to provide the full amount requested. Additionally, it is expected that Franklin County will act on this request in the near future. These local governments have concluded that participation in the Association's efforts can result in important benefits, including but not limited to: (a) promoting sustainable management of our water resources to protect public health, environmental quality, and economic vitality; (b) increasing cost-effectiveness in developing and implementing solutions for addressing water resoures objectives; (c) developing a true local-state partnership to resource protection, as an alternative to the traditional top-down approach driven by federal or state mandates; (d) improving the information base for decision-making; (e) building stronger working partnerships at the local level; (f) gaining stronger public support for water resource protection efforts; and (g) obtaining supplemental resources to accomplish local goals and objectives. The Upper Neuse River Basin Association Board of Directors hopes that the Orange County Board of Commissioners will join other local governments in recognizing and supporting the potential benefits of the Association's efforts. It is requested that the Board of Commissioners consider and approve local funding support in the amount of $7,609 for the ongoing efforts of the Association. It is understood that if the Association does not demonstrate continuing benefits for member governments, then Orange County and other participating local governments may decide to discontinue funding support for the Association in future years. The Board of Directors of the Upper Neuse River Basin Association sincerely appreciates the Orange County Board of Commissioners' consideration of this request. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 890-3050 if I can answer any questions you or your fellow Board members, or the County staff, may have about the Association's efforts and this request for Orange County's funding support. Sincerely, ~) Tom Fetzer, Chair Upper Neuse River Basin Association cc: John Link, Orange County Manager