Orange County NC Website
they do not want a de facto moratorium because the impact fee revenue would be cut <br /> off. Chapel Hill-Carrboro is very concerned that the levels of service not be changed. <br /> Craig Benedict made reference to a de facto moratorium and said that the intent <br /> with the SAPFO is that development would be deferred to another year until the schools <br /> can accommodate it. <br /> Craig Benedict then summarized the comments of the local governments in <br /> passing the ordinance. Chapel Hill passed the MOU with the model ordinance without <br /> comments. Carrboro passed the MOU with two provisions. One is that they would like <br /> to dissolve themselves from this agreement if the Board of County Commissioners does <br /> not create a financially feasible capital improvement program. The other provision is that <br /> they are concerned about the levels of service standards and a short-term moratorium. <br /> Hillsborough conceptually approved the MOU as is but they do not know if they need to <br /> put an ordinance into effect or if they could do it informally. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br /> City Schools approved the MOU as it is written. The Orange County Schools passed the <br /> MOU in December of 2000, but there have been changes since then, so they have <br /> concerns about the projection methodology. Orange County has had two or three public <br /> hearings and the process is to take the MOU and model ordinance as an agenda item <br /> and pass the ordinance with any conditions and set a public hearing and to add this to <br /> the land development code. <br /> Commissioner Gordon asked Craig Benedict to go over the draft projections to <br /> show where the problems are. Craig Benedict described each projection method. <br /> Chair Jacobs asked about capacity and if people in Raleigh want to reduce class <br /> size and if this would throw us off. Craig Benedict said that this would throw off the <br /> projections. <br /> Chair Jacobs asked if it would be more prudent to have a higher level of service if <br /> reducing class size is going to be the political trend. <br /> Craig Benedict said that you can look at the impacts of new legislation and see <br /> where it affects your over capacity situation. He said that SAPFOs that have run into <br /> legislative changes have not moved their levels of service, but they have taken a <br /> breather to catch up to the new standards. <br /> Chair Jacobs asked Craig Benedict if he said that these were some of the lowest <br /> levels of service that he had seen anywhere in the country. Craig Benedict said yes. <br /> Commissioner Halkiotis said that there was an outcry from the County <br /> Commissioners' Association about 10 years ago against a mandate for construction <br /> standards statewide that would include offices for each teacher. He said that you do not <br /> have anything to fear and this has been dealt with in many ways. He said that he has a <br /> problem with people in Raleigh telling us what to do with capacities of schools. <br /> County Attorney Geoff Gledhill said that they have thought about that and the <br /> building capacity cannot be mandated by anyone other than the County Commissioners <br /> and the school boards. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that if the school system has 22 students per class and the <br /> legislature said that it should be 20, would the County Commissioners have to agree to <br /> that. Geoff Gledhill said that we did not have to agree to that for the purposes of the <br /> SAPFO. It would require an increase in the levels of services. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that this is one of the places where it impacts the two <br /> districts differently. The Orange County schools have smaller class sizes. Chapel HiII- <br /> Carrboro schools would need to reduce class size if the legislature reduces the class <br /> size. <br /> Geoff Gledhill said that the Board of County Commissioners has to agree to that <br /> change before it affects the way the SAPFO operates. <br />