Minutes - 20021210 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioners Halkiotis, Jacobs and Gordon volunteered to be an this committee. Upon further discussion, Commissioner Gordon said that she would defer to the other two commissioners, so they will be serving on the committee. Commissioner Carey asked if the same two Commissioners would serve on each of the committees and Chair Brawn said no, that it could be spread out. Chair Brown said that she would like to discuss the storage issue after the first of the year. John Link said that the staff could incorporate this and perhaps put money in the CIP to pursue it in a short- term aggressive way. Commissioner Gordon would like to reactivate the Space Needs Task Force. Commissioner Barry Jacobs said that on page five of the abstract there were other space issues that needed to be addressed and that some of those things can be discussed at a work session. Chair Brown said that she would like to have updates on all of the issues listed an page four including updates, financing, and timetables. At this time, the Board proceeded with the regular agenda. 1. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA None PUBLIC CHARGE The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Janet Monsley said that she and her husband purchased their home at 1922 Clearwater Lake Road in Chapel Hill in 1992. At that time, the house was in Orange County, and they paid a price that reflected the fact that it was in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School district. One year later, they received a copy of an Orange-Chatham County joint resolution regarding the property taxes and governmental services adjacent to the Chatham and Orange County boundary. A year later, the County line was redrawn so that their entire property was now in Chatham Caunty. Their attorney said that they should record the joint resolution in Orange and Chatham Counties and the status quo would be maintained. They recorded the resolution in June 1993. In August 2001, they received a tax bill from Chatham County. They immediately wrote to the Orange and Chatham County Board of Commissioners expressing their desire to remain in Orange County for ad valorum property taxes and governmental services, per the joint resolution. The Chatham County Commissioners responded that they were a new board and not bound by the resolution dated June 1989. After 16 months of letter writing and board presentations, they received a letter from the Chatham County Manager, affirming the intent to tax their property. She said that they could not lawfully tax the property until the new boundary is officially recorded. They have been in contact with Orange County Assistant Manager Rod Visser, who has copies of all of the correspondence. The reason they are fighting this is because their property is more valuable and saleable in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District. The disparity in the tax valuation is $72,000. They believe the market value would decrease $20-25,000 if their property was considered to be in Chatham County. They responded to the letter from the Chatham County Manager by asking the Chatham County tax office to provide them with a tax bill for 2002 and a "discovered tax bill for 2001." They are asking the Orange County Commissioners to write a letter to the Chatham Caunty Commissioners, affirming the original intent of the joint resolutions to protect property owners and ask that they also abide by it. They would like to resolve this issue as soon as possible. If Chatham County refuses the request, they will pay Chatham County taxes under protest. John Link said that the staff could write a letter to the Chatham County Commissioners reminding them that 13 years ago they agreed on the markers by which the boundaries would be established. Chatham County has determined that they will go strictly by what the boundary is between the two counties. Rod Visser said that Chatham County has a legal right to tax these people, but 13 years ago the two counties agreed an this resolution to protect specifically property owners who are in this