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APPROVED MARCH 4. 1998 <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />BUDGET WORKSESSION <br />JUNE 9, 1997 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for the purpose of holding a work session <br />on the budget on June 9, 1997 at 7:30 p.m. at Homestead Community Center, Homestead Road, <br />Chapel Hill, North Carolina. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair William L. Crowther, and Commissioners Alice <br />M. Gordon, Moses Carey, Jr., Stephen Halkiotis and Margaret Brown. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. <br />COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., and Assistant County <br />Manager Rod Visser, and Budget Officer Sally Kost, Finance Director Ken Chavious, Deputy Clerk to <br />the Board Kathy Baker. Other staff present will be identified as necessary. <br />BUDGET PRESENTATION: County Manager John Link presented the highlights of the <br />$85,574,588 proposed budget. He indicated that Sally Kost would present the Manager's <br />Recommendation for each school system. Then each of the school systems would make a <br />presentation. The schools have requested that the Board of Commissioners use the May 15th <br />enrollment figures rather than their original membership numbers. The Manager pointed out that NC <br />G.S. 115C-430 states in part that "...the total membership of the local school administrative unit is <br />the unit's average daily membership for the budget year to be determined by and certified to the unit <br />and the board of county commissions by the State Board of Education." He urged the Board of <br />Commissioners not to set a precedent until the issue is resolved at the state level. His <br />recommendation, should the Board of Commissioners choose to increase funding to the Chapel <br />Hill-Carrboro Schools, would be to increase the district tax. He also recommended that the Board of <br />Commissioners and the school boards have a joint meeting in the fall of 1997 to discuss the <br />process and "rules of the game" as the Commissioners address how to fund 50%+ of the County's <br />total budget for education. Finally, he stated that he had not taken charter schools into his <br />recommendation on funding. He felt that it would set a negative precedent for the future. <br />ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM: Budget Director Sally Kost reviewed the Orange County <br />School System's current expense appropriation and the Manager's recommendation. The <br />Superintendent and Budget Director for the school system presented their comments on this <br />proposed budget. The following questions, comments and suggestions were made. <br />• The "Level 1 - Growth" section of the blue form represents expense resulting from additional <br />students in the system. <br />• The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System could establish a policy of spending only 96% of their <br />budget in order to rebuild their fund balance. <br />• The Orange County system's "teacher vouchers" are used for dues in professional <br />organizations as well as other types of professional needs. <br />• The "Level 1" items include $45,000 for 15 new classrooms with instructional supplies. <br />Furniture for these classrooms was budgeted for in the Capital Budget. <br />• The Orange County system needs anew school in the near future. They have exceeded the <br />State's projections by 75 students for the last three years. New home construction is not slowing <br />down and they will need to have a new school in which to educate these students.