Orange County NC Website
jurisdictions one more time. The SAPFO could be implemented by May or June of this year. <br />Hillsborough also had questions about the impacts of Mebane and Durham on the Orange <br />County School district and the staff is drafting a letter to answer their questions. <br />Valerie Foushee asked about the funding for the CAPS administrator. Craig <br />Benedict said that part of this CAPS implementation process is put together in the workbook. <br />They have tried to put as much information upfront as possible. The majority of the work will be <br />at the local government level. When they send out the last letter they will try to elaborate on this <br />issue. <br />e. School Siting Initiative <br />John Link deferred to Commissioner Jacobs. Commissioner Jacobs said that he, <br />the Chair, and the Manager met today to talk further about this item. He deferred to the <br />Manager to go into the details of what was discussed. The attachment is 1-e. <br />John Link made reference to the last page and said that they want to identify by the <br />Assembly of Governments meeting the advantages of this type of collaboration. The idea is to <br />agree on identifying school sites proactively. The incentive would be that the County would <br />commit to funding the acquisition of school sites in the same way that it is proactively funding <br />the acquisition of conservation easements and land for the Lands Legacy program. The <br />acquisition of a school site would not be part of the whole school project as it is now. This was <br />what was discussed in the meeting today. <br />Commissioner Jacobs added that the municipalities have planning expertise and <br />familiarity with their awn land use planning. This would be a way to get ahead of the curve and <br />to develop a comprehensive plan. The next bond funding could also be the acquisition of <br />identified sites for future school use and get it out of the way. This would be a smoother, more <br />assured process. This would get the towns involved more and tap into expertise that exists in <br />the municipalities. <br />Chair Brown invited the school boards to the AOG meeting on the 29t" of April. <br />Commissioner Gordon made reference to the school/park reserve fund that was <br />one cent put aside on the tax rate every year to be used far the purchase of future school sites. <br />She said that the County has gradually gone away from this and now there is na money going to <br />this fund. Also, in the Schools and Land Use Council, they have discussed some of these <br />issues. Chapel Hill has a comprehensive plan that has identified school sites. Many of them <br />have been developed or are no longer suitable. There are not many sites left. Carrboro also <br />had school sites an their land use plan but the County purchased those Eubanks Road sites. <br />Hillsborough did not express interest because there is not a lot of area in their jurisdiction. <br />Orange County did discuss putting sites in the comprehensive plan. There were a number of <br />identified sites in Orange County and they generated an unfavorable reaction so it has not been <br />pursued further. She hopes that any new initiative would take into account these historical <br />paints and what kind of collaboration we have done in the past. <br />Keith Cook said that what the document covers is what the school boards have <br />done all along. He does not like that the document refers to them not being trained and having <br />a lack of understanding. He said that this is not fair. One of the authorities of school boards by <br />law is to site schools. He said that both school boards have put about ten schools an the <br />ground compared to one or two buildings that the County has built. The document is not <br />respectful and he asked that we be careful with the language. <br />Chair Brown said that we could move toward positive ways to look at collaboration <br />and refer it back to the school boards and to the Board of County Commissioners. <br />f. Need far Dialogue with Chapel Hill and Carrboro on Public Transportation for <br />Schools <br />