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25°~, the Town of Carrboro receives 9°I°, the Town of Hillsborough receives 3%, the City of Durham <br />receives about 0.2%, and the City of Mebane receives 0.5°~. <br />Commissioner Carey congratulated Commissioner Brown for her award from NC-WARN and her <br />work as Chair last year. <br />Chair Jacobs thanked Commissioner Brown for her work as Chair and thanked the Board for <br />making him the ninth consecutive different person to serve as Chair. <br />Chair Jacobs said that he saw information about the Churton Grove subdivision and if the <br />developer was adhering to the conditions of approval and whether there were changes being made in the <br />way in which it was developed. He asked for a report at the next meeting. <br />Chair Jacobs made reference to the issue of the number of teachers in each school system and he <br />encouraged the Board that on December 9th, one of the possibilities is the Educational Excellence Task <br />Force. He encouraged the County Commissioners to think about what information they would like this <br />group to supply. He asked the County Commissioners to come prepared to discuss this at the last meeting <br />on December Stn <br />Chair Jacobs said that for those interested in a boycott, he said that Time Warner is now going to <br />provide phone service. He said that if there is ever an organization that deserves a boycott, it is Time <br />Warner in our community, which continues to be unresponsive to the concerns of citizens, rate payers, local <br />governments, and is putting forth another rate increase. <br />4. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT <br />John Link said that the County receives $19 million in sales tax revenues each year, which is the <br />second largest source of revenue next to the property tax. He said that if the money was not here then they <br />could not spend money on education in Orange County. <br />5. RESOLUTIONS OR PROCLAMATIONS <br />a. Resolution of Approval and Acceptance of Grant -Agricultural Conservation Easement <br />with Carl and Elizabeth Walters <br />The Board considered a resolution to approve the acceptance by Orange County of a farmland <br />preservation conservation easement from Carl and Elizabeth Walters, and acceptance of a grant from the <br />federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and authorizing the Chair and the Clerk to sign, subject to <br />final review by staff and county attorney, with a closing and recordation of the document expected to occur <br />by December 15, 2003; and authorizing the County to accept the $338,150 grant award for the Walters <br />easement; and approve the attached Conservation Easements Capital Project Ordinance. <br />Environment and Resource Conservation Director Dave Stancil said that in September 2002 <br />they received a grant from the USDA in the amount of $784,000 for the purchase of conservation <br />easements on three farms, totaling 424 acres in Orange County. This is the first of the three easements. <br />He said that this is owned by Carl and Elizabeth Walters and is located in the northwestern corner of the <br />County in a watershed area. The total acreage is 223 acres. The Walters have a beef cattle operation and <br />it is located in the Back Creek Watershed. It is adjacent to the 70-acre easement that the County <br />purchased in 2000-2001. <br />The most significant aspect of this is that this adjoining acreage creates a 300-acre block of <br />conservation easement lands in Orange County in a protected watershed area. There are provisions made <br />far farmstead buildings and the operation of the farm to be able to continue. <br />The cost of the easement purchase is $705,000. The Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection <br />Program will reimburse the County for $338,000 within 30 days of the closing. The remainder of the funding <br />would come from the alternative financing that the Board approved to match the bond funding. He <br />recognized Carl and Elizabeth Walters. <br />Chair Jacobs thanked the Walters and said that they were helpful in getting voluntary agricultural <br />districts started in North Carolina. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to adopt <br />the resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to approve the acceptance by Orange County of a <br />farmland preservation conservation easement from Carl and Elizabeth Walters, accept a grant from the <br />