Minutes - 06-07-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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e. Board of County CommissionerslOranae County School Dialoaue Chair Carey said that the County Commissioners not only have passion for children but also far all of the needs of all the citizens in Orange County. Commissioner Halkiotis thanked both school boards for coming and for the job that they da. He said that no one truly understands what goes on inside the schools except for the people who work in the schools. He said that education has to be the foremost and primary consideration. Commissioner Jacobs asked if projections have been done on what the change in the impact fee might be depending on different amounts. He also asked when the student generation study would be finished. Jahn Link said that the student generation study would probably be completed in the next month to six weeks. He said that at the Schools and Land Use Council meeting next week, there would be a report on the development of accurate projections and determining what the capacity should be at each school. The report will also address how the County tells the citizens that in order to be able to build the schools and have funding for operating the schools that only so many units of development will be allowed each year. Parents da not want children to be in mobile units or to go without supplies. He said that the allocation to the schools was simply a mathematical equation. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the non-appropriated fund balance and how that was determined. It was answered that the non-appropriated fund balance was not available. He stated that he does not feel any member of the Board of County Commissioners was trying to hold back any students in either system. He noted that no one was criticizing the schools for not having a district tax. Also, he said that the comments about the trees that were cut on the new high school property were not a criticism. He feels that the schools and County Commissioners need to take a different approach an funding schools. Commissioner Brown made reference to the issues brought forth on opening the new Elementary School. She asked if the school board has ever talked about a district tax. Susan Halkiotis said that it has certainly come up in discussion, but it has never been on the agenda to discuss formally. She said that there was strong division on the issue of a district tax. Commissioner Gordon said that she would look at the budget very carefully before deciding on the final budget. The figure that struck her in the first public hearing was the increase in student population. A lot of the big issues in the County's budget have to do with growth and that is why she thinks it is important to work on things like the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. She encouraged the representatives of the Joint Schools and Land Use Council to attend the June 14tH meeting. f. Fox Hill Farm Deannexation Geoffrey Gledhill said that he spoke with Representative Hackney and Senator Kinnaird today and he determined that there has not been a bill introduced that would deannex all of Fox Hill Farms. He further determined that, at the urging of the legislators, a committee substitute has been prepared by bill drafting and it is the intention of our delegation to introduce the committee substitute to the existing bill that would deannex all of the property. He feels that all of the Fox Hill Farm property will get through the process and be deannexed unless it becomes controversial. He will communicate the Board's support for the committee substitute for the bill and let the legislators know that if it becomes controversial the Board does not have an objection to the other bill. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to a letter from an attorney and said that he did not like the tone and the demands of the letter. Commissioner Gordon thinks that the Board should support the committee substitute. Commissioner Brown also would like to deannex the entire property. Geoffrey Gledhill said that he thinks the County needs to get rid of this annexation however it can. ADJOURNMENT With no further items for the County Commissioners to consider, Chair Carey adjourned the meeting. The next regular meeting will be held on June 13, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. in the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Moses Carey, Jr., Chair