Minutes - 20040316 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Metadata

Thumbnails

Annotations

The other new items included are to ask for support for counties to collect an additional 5% on court costs to help fund capital, operational, and other needs associated with judicial activities. Also, the Register of Deeds is requesting help with transferring mortgages, which has been increasing. There are presently no fees associated with this. This legislation would propose a fee for this. He hopes this fee would be paid by the lenders rather than the homeowners. Other issues include eldercare and inclusion of a definition of adequate shelter for animals. Geof Gledhill said that no other county does as much as Orange County does for their legislators in this respect. Geof Gledhill said that in the abstract it makes reference to the State's Public Health Task Force and it would be better for the County to review the task farce recommendations and then provide comments. Also, there may be some child welfare issues that arise, but it is too early to discuss at this time. Finally, there was a packet of information (purple) for funding requests from the federal government: the Northern Human Services Center wastewater treatment and disposal system, water and sewer infrastructure needs in the Efland area, public safety and communications upgrade, section 8 housing, EFNEP/Breastfeeding program, federal tobacco quota buy-out, and bio-solids disposal. Chair Jacobs said that they lumped together the cigarette and alcohol taxes and the monies from the tobacco tax are recommended to go towards farmland preservation. Commissioner Brown made reference to the section 8 housing and said that at the HUD meetings she went to, they were saying that the County should be the participator with for-profit groups. She would like to add this piece to the legislation to increase section 8 housing because it is an easy way to increase accessibility of affordable housing for those that need it. PUBLIC COMMENT: Nancy Halt thanked the County Commissioners for serving Orange County. She distributed a handout. She said that her section of Orange County has reported illnesses from Class B land applied sludge from the City of Burlington. She said that they have been dealing with the EPA and other agencies and the bottom line is it is a federal program with state regulations and no local control. She said that the people in the County need to be able to control the land applied sewage sludge in Orange County. She was surprised to learn that Orange County was one of the top five in the state. She said that there need to be regulations in place instead of adhering to the EPA standards. She referred to her handout, which listed six things that they (Orange County Concerned Citizens) request from the Board of County Commissioners. Brooke Johnson said that he would like to give his and his wife's support far the resolution on the Orange County/Chatham County boundary line and he thanks them for sending the letter to Chatham County. He spoke with the Chatham County Manager, Charlie Horn, today who said that their staff included this in their discussion with their Board of County Commissioners and they agreed to leave things the way the two counties agreed in April 2003, or "leave things as they are for ten years." He said that he did not think that Orange County agreed to this new resolution. The Manager told him that it was his understanding that the two counties did agree and that it was a new resolution. He asked the Manager to send a copy of the resolution to him, John Link, and Geof Gledhill. So far, the Manager has not sent this resolution. He said that this plan is unacceptable to the property owners and penalizes them for choosing to stay in Orange County by causing them to pay higher taxes while not benefiting from the increased market value of owning an Orange County property, and denies them the right to seek a refund for the previous five years of incorrectly billed taxes. They also have a legal problem with selling the properly. He said that it is unfair and unjust and totally contrary to the intent of the original resolution. He gave some history of the original resolution in 1989. He said that they think the best solution now is for the Managers, the County Attorneys, the County Board Chairs, Rod Visser, and perhaps a good investigative reporter to meet as soon as possible to resolve this issue. Ben Neimitz said that he is the other property owner and he wants to reiterate what Brooke Johnson said. They want to support the bubble for their properties and they believe that this would be an equitable solution. He is confounded by the resistance on the part of Chatham County. He leaves this to the Board of County Commissioners to work this out with Chatham County.