Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
A motion was made by Commissioner Brawn, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adopt <br />the Bond Orders, which are incorporated herein by reference thereby establishing the final amount for <br />the referendum, and to adopt the resolution formally setting the bond questions and the referendum date. <br />The amounts are $47,000,000 for schools; $20,000,000 for parks, recreation, and open space; <br />$4,000,000 for senior centers, and $4,000,000 for affordable housing. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />Commissioner Gordon distributed a handout with some of her reflections on the school bond <br />referendum. <br />Commissioner Jacobs pointed out that 62.7°I° of the bond money was devoted to school <br />capital projects - $19.4 million to the Orange County system and $27.6 million to Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br />City system. He thinks that people should be assured that the commitment of the Orange County Board <br />of Commissioners to public education remains unmatched and constant. <br />d. Proposed Policy Statement -Use of County Band Funds for Town parks and Open <br />Space Protects <br />Environment and Resource Conservation Director David Stancil said that this policy <br />statement notes the tremendous amount of work over the last four years to move toward collaborative <br />planning. He pointed out the policy objectives for County funding for Town parks and open space <br />projects in the future. <br />Commissioner Jacobs feels that this is a great improvement in clarifying the County's role in <br />the formulation of park projects and collaboration with other jurisdictions. He asked if all projects would <br />be referred to the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group and David Stancil said that only joint projects <br />would be referred to the work group. He made several other corrections, which were so noted by David <br />Stancil. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Construction Management Consultant and David <br />Stancil said that his understanding was that it was an attempt to cut costs. <br />Commissioner Brown said that the purpose of including a Construction Management <br />Consultant was to have a person understand the cost differential between the different parts of the <br />County. <br />Chair Halkiotis feels that there should be some kind of oversight opportunity. He said that we <br />might be able to achieve some economies of construction by bundling up several projects at one time. <br />Jahn Link suggested that the statement of intent include a provision for a Construction <br />Management Consultant as secured by the County to oversee the bidding process. <br />Commissioner Jacobs made reference to item #6 and said that the provision that guarantees <br />that the facility be opened to all Orange County residents is an attempt to essentially limit private groups <br />from monopolizing a public facility. He said that he has some concerns with the wording. He asked if <br />the organizations were for-profit private organizations or non-profit organizations. He would make a <br />distinction and say that it would not be leased out for exclusive operation by anybody, but there is a <br />differentiation between private organizations and non-profit organizations. He asked for clarity on this. <br />Commissioner Carey agrees on the concept of access to public facilities and the ward <br />"monopolize" which means you exclude certain public the opportunity to use the facility. <br />Commissioner Jacobs suggested the following language: "The facility or any part thereof will <br />not be leased out for exclusive operation by any organization and the use of facilities will remain open for <br />citizens and non-profit organizations and will not be monopolized by private use or association." <br />Commissioner Jacobs will work with Commissioner Brown in revising the resolution <br />incorporating all the comments and suggestions stated above. <br />Commissioner Gordan made reference to item #1 and suggested a revision as noted by <br />David Stancil. She is wandering if the County Commissioners should adopt something so specific <br />without asking for comments from the municipalities. She suggested being courteous to the towns and <br />sending the resolution to the towns for comments. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the statement about utilizing County funds should be the <br />policy for all projects. He will work with Commissioner Brown to try and take the comments and rework <br />the policy and circulate to the County Commissioners and then circulate it to the municipalities. <br />