Orange County NC Website
Options 5A, 5B, and 5C are the options requested by the County Commissioners. The <br />major difference is, instead of including half of Cedar Ridge debt with OCS, this would remove <br />half of the responsibility. The difference between 5A, 5B, and 5C is that 5A allows for all of the <br />peak debt service to stay with the OCS, while the County would remove one half of the <br />responsibility of their share of Cedar Ridge debt. Option 5B is a 50/50 split - OCS is <br />responsible for one half of their share of Cedar Ridge debt and would receive one half of the <br />peak debt service. In option 5C, OCS would be responsible for one half of their share of Cedar <br />Ridge debt and would receive no peak debt service. There is no impact to CHCCS or the <br />County on these three options. <br />Lisa Stuckey arrived at ?: SS. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked for an explanation of peak debt service and Rod Visser <br />said that this was a concept that was raised in 1996, when the County staff was developing <br />options related to how to pursue a $40 million band referendum, primarily for new schools and <br />renovations as well as for County projects. As the staff presented the options, the first batch <br />raised concerns, because in providing funding far a $40 million bond referendum with no tax <br />increase required that the pay-as-you-go monies had to be used to retire the debt service. The <br />concern among both school systems at the time was that they would lose substantial amounts <br />of money under pay-as-you-ga money over the next ten years compared to what they would <br />have gotten in pay-as-you-go money under the then existing capital investment plan. The <br />County Commissioners asked the staff to come up with other options. The revisions of the <br />options put the CHCCS in a "hold harmless" situation, but still left the OCS somewhat short <br />because they were paying about half of the debt service far Cedar Ridge High School. This is <br />where the issue of peak debt service came up. This means that, in the years fallowing the <br />issuance of the last batch of bonds, instead of reducing the amount that would go to capital <br />projects, the amount would stay the same, and then the difference between that and the amount <br />that was needed to retire the debt would be earmarked to the OCS to help make up some of the <br />shortfall. <br />Dennis Whitling said that he was told that the peak debt service does not come into play <br />as fast as the County thought it would. Rad Visser said yes, and that the last batch of bonds <br />was just sold for the Efland sewer. <br />Dennis Whitling said that under each proposal he sees about $29.5 million being applied <br />to total capital. He asked if each proposal would be the same total, but a different way of <br />allocating. Donna Dean said no. There are different amounts because options 1, 3, and parts <br />of 5 include the peak debt service. Other options do not include the peak debt service. Dennis <br />Whitling asked where the peak debt service money comes from. <br />Libbie Hough arrived at 8:15 p.m. <br />Rad Visser said that the staff would recommend that the peak debt service notion ga <br />away, because it is part of the problem with the current policy. There are a lot of different facets <br />and it is very complicated. The concept is about nine years old and the estimated revenues <br />associated with it have not been tracked. <br />Donna Dean said that in 1996-97, no one knew that interest rates would be as low as <br />they have been over the past several years. The County has had the opportunity to refinance <br />mast of the band indebtedness. This was never factored into the equation. <br />Chair Carey said that the County Commissioners asked the staff to simplify so that they <br />da not have to keep track of all of the different facets of the policy. <br />