Minutes - 05-30-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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the fact that students who have parents involved with their child's school are mare successful than thane parents who are not involved with the schools. He asked that the County Commissioners consider the total request that Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board has submitted. Robert Dowling, with Orange Community Housing, spoke in support of one cent of the tax rate for affordable housing. He supports there being a plan but feels that money should be allocated while a plan is being developed. He emphasized that the affordable housing need exists and whatever the affordable housing organizations are doing, it is something that is useful to someone out there. He said that the private sector is not providing affordable housing. He said that the federal money was disappearing and affordable housing needs local money. He said that the intention was not to put a tax burden on those with a fixed income or on seniors, but to help shape Orange County. Lenor Arab said that she has been a Habitat for Humanity volunteer for many years and is now a part of the selection committee. She spoke in support of one cent of the tax rate for affordable hausing. She gave examples of some of the families who are in desperate need of affordable housing. Etta Pisano, Chair of the Parent Advocacy Committee at Mary Scroggs Elementary School, spoke on behalf of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School budget. She asked that the County Commissioners consider funding the full budget and not the reduced budget. She said that there is a lot of prosperity and it would not always be that way. She is more than willing to pay higher taxes to sustain the schools. She said that some of the best teachers that her children have ever had are leaving the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District because they are getting better offers at other districts. She said that there should be an impact fee for the new housing that is going up. She said that the developers needed to pay substantially more for impact fees. She spoke in support of a school band in 2001 because the schools were too crowded. Ray Reitz, Chief Technology Officer for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, spoke in support of full funding far the schools. He spoke about the technology support needs in the schools. Robert Campbell spoke about affordable housing and the need for more affordable housing. He spoke in support of the schools and asked for full funding of the two school budgets. He said that the majority of the people in his community were seniors and that they are having a hard time maintaining their own homes. He is in favor of whatever it would take to support affordable housing and full funding far the schools. Jahn Jordan, who represents the soccer players of Orange County, said that he has played and coached soccer for some thirty years. He spoke in support of additional soccer fields in Chapel Hill. The available soccer fields are overcrowded and dangerous. He said that Chapel Hill was a soccer "Mecca" and they need more multi-field soccer complexes so that people can play in Orange County instead of in Durham. He asked the Commissioners to support funding far additional soccer fields. Patrick Sullivan said that he has been a volunteer in Orange County for sixteen years coaching kids and adults in soccer. He is now a member of the Orange County Recreation and Parks Board. He hears a lot of complaints about the lack of soccer fields. He realizes that this may not be something that can be considered in this year's budget but he hopes it will be considered in future budgets. He said that soccer is a game for all children and adults. There is not enough space for this popular sport that is gaining popularity. He said that the County has never had to spend any money to meet the demands of the residents for soccer. He said that private organizations like Rainbow have met these needs until now, but the demand is too high now. He asked that the County Commissioners consider finding a way to use the fields that the school athletic programs use. The Reverend Stephen Stanley spoke in support of one cent on the tax rate for affordable housing. His church, Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church, was a founding partner of the InterFaith Council, Project Homestart, Habitat for Humanity, and is committed to the work of EmPOWERment, Inc. and the other agencies that are seeking to address the causes of homelessness. He feels that the citizens should stand on the principles of the historic and civic values that helped to build this community in the first place. He said that many of the downtown clergy were seeing an increase in numbers of people seeking hausing and rent assistance, and a dramatic increase recently of people who have been evicted from their homes. Stephanie Willis is a 22-year resident of Chapel Hill with three children in the schools. She spoke in support of full funding far the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. She is a school nurse. She made