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Chair Jacobs said that it has been suggested to him by several elected officials that the <br />Governor's proposal be presented at a meeting of the Assembly of Governments in April. It would <br />be helpful if the municipalities could find a common cause. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that the mayors have met with the Governor and the League of <br />Municipalities is developing a strategy. There are groups meeting to see if there are other ways to <br />raise revenues and she thinks we should do whatever necessary to be supportive of this effort. <br />Chair Halkiotis suggested inviting the school boards to the Assembly of Governments <br />meeting. <br />2. Assessment of Proposed Carol Woods Payment-in-Lieu of Taxes <br />John Link made reference to the information in the agenda. Pat Sprigg, Executive Director <br />of Carol Woods, wrote a letter December 3, 2001 to the County Commissioners outlining their plan <br />and the rationale for pursuing the property tax exemption far Carol Woods. He said that Carol <br />Woods has been an excellent corporate citizen of Orange County and the individual citizens who <br />live there have been excellent citizens. <br />Rod Visser said that the letter outlined the intention of Carol Woods to apply for property tax <br />exemption for 2002. This was based on Carol Woods' view that the lion's share of their facilities is <br />financed by medical commission bands. Their view is that it is part of their fiduciary responsibilities <br />to apply for property tax exemption because the statutes provide for this. This exemption would <br />have a revenue reduction impact of $525,000, with $280,000 for the County's. Coral Woods' intent <br />is to contribute back to the community and make this a revenue neutral situation for the County this <br />year. <br />Commissioner Brown asked for an explanation of the medical care bonds. Pat Sprigg said <br />that a commission was appointed to distribute statewide funding for not-for-profit organizations that <br />are health care related and serve all segments of the population. It is a tax exempt bond issue that <br />must be paid back. This is for capital, equipment, and startup cost. She reiterated to the County <br />that Carol Woods would pay their taxes for this year and work with the County to be sure that the <br />services do not suffer under this exemption. It is very important for them to go on record and say <br />that Carol Woods has some wealthy people and people of lesser means. This is not just a <br />community of wealthy people. However, they are also well aware that this County has many <br />people that would never be able to afford Carol Woods. Their mission is to reach out to these <br />people and help this County meet the gerontological boom that is going to hit over the next several <br />years. They would like to be a proactive leader in helping the County address these needs. <br />Commissioner Carey asked how Carol Woods plans to address the issue of wealthy people <br />and also how they plan to address the not-so-wealthy people. Pat Sprigg said that she could <br />understand why the County Commissioners would want to know the future of Carol Woods when <br />things change. She will came back with a plan. It is very important that this not be called a <br />payment-in-lieu. In terms of how they are going to address people of lesser means, they are <br />already subsidizing rent for some individuals. They feel that community outreach or partnering with <br />others is very important. She made reference to the mobile dental unit that serves the elderly who <br />are not welcomed or able to go to a traditional dental office because of confusion or incontinence. <br />They are trying to move forward with a dental mobile unit to serve the house bound or institutional <br />bound elderly. The priorities will change from year to year. She does know that the County will <br />face a huge challenge with meeting the needs of the elderly. She painted out that Carol Woods <br />does not deal with Medicaid. She said that if residents spend down their assets, Carol Woods <br />clicks in the Mission Development Fund. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that this is something that Carol Woods does not have to do - <br />returning the tax exemption money to the County. He feels that Carol Woods is entitled to this <br />exemption and he thanked them for committing to returning it. <br />Commissioner Gordon thanked Carol Woods for what they do in the community. She <br />asked about the bonds or notes and noted that there would be an exemption only until the medical <br />