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Commissioner Brown said that this has been coming since last fall. They have had two <br />meetings with University officials and representatives from both school systems. The past Dean <br />of the School of Education put together this proposal, which was presented at the May 1$t" <br />meeting. <br />Rad Visser said that this is a proposal from Dean Grumet and the cost is $25,000. The <br />staff is recommending using the balance of the contingency fund, which is $14,600 and <br />appropriating some additional fund balance to the general fund. The work is expected to take <br />about six months. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that the next item also says that money will be taken out of <br />the contingency fund. Rod Visser said that he will check on this, and if contingency is <br />exhausted then they will use the fund balance. John Link said that the next item is a matching <br />grant. <br />Cammissioner Brown said that Dean Grumet was able to have the University waive the <br />25°~ administrative fee. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Cammissioner Brown to <br />approve a proposal from the UNC School of Education that would provide research and analysis <br />about the resources available to the two school systems in Orange County and authorize the <br />Chair to sign. <br />UOTE: Ayes, 4; No, 1(Commissioner Carey} <br />Chair Jacobs said that, at the agenda review yesterday, a couple of things came up to <br />put before the Educational Excellence Work Group. One was to track the expansion of federal <br />and state mandates and also cuts in federal, state, and local funding for functions which the <br />school systems have undertaken to continue anyway and that the County is being asked to <br />fund. Also, the work group could provide a comparison between the percentage increases in <br />school funding in Orange County and in other areas where school boards have taxing authority. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she did not think the work group would get into <br />budgetary issues. <br />John Link said that his staff would volunteer to take the lead in responding to these <br />issues and what a county can sustain as a reasonable increase each year. It would be <br />interesting to look at other states. <br />Commissioner Gordan said that she wants this group to be technical and not dragged <br />into finances or politics. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that the staff could do this. <br />Commissioner Brown would like to look ahead instead of taking the cuts one by one and <br />haw to have a sustainable budget for the County. <br />The Board agreed to have the staff address these issues. <br />b. Authorization to Submit Alternative Fuel Uehicle (AFU) Incentive Grant <br />The Board considered authorizing staff to submit a grant application in the amount of <br />$25,000 to the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Incentives. <br />Environment and Resource Conservation Director Dave Stancil distributed fact sheets <br />on natural gas diesel and bio-diesel. This item is to see if the Board would like to apply for an <br />alternative fueled vehicle incentive grant from Triangle J Council of Governments. The <br />maximum grant amount is $25,000. They are recommending a modified version of alternative <br />#1 on page six, which is pursuing a grant asking for $25,000 to construct infrastructure, which <br />could be located at Orange County Schools or Orange County Public Works to begin <br />conversion of the diesel fleet toward bio-diesel, and considering the possibility of installing a <br />compressed natural gas fueling station similar to what the Town of Chapel Hill has. <br />