Orange County NC Website
Commissioner Halkiotis asked about the final report an two coal burning plants in Person <br />County having a significant impact on air quality in Orange County. John Link said that this <br />report is not finished. Commissioner Halkiatis said that there is a big battle looming and he <br />wants to be ready. He said that every time someone suggests something positive, another <br />group wants to take it away from local control. He thinks that asking taxpayers to use their <br />money to clean up the air that is being polluted by private industry is morally wrong. <br />Chair Carey said that he and Commissioner Jacobs participated in another County <br />listening session last night at the Northern Human Services Center. Only two people showed <br />up, but the weather was perfect that night. <br />Chair Carey said that County Assembly Day will be held in Raleigh on May 25th. He <br />would like to try to arrange a meeting with the legislative delegation in order to be brought up on <br />the things in process on the County's behalf. <br />Chair Carey acknowledged the emails that the County Commissioners have received <br />about the OWASA mitigation tract. He has been responding back that Orange County has done <br />all that it can to support OWASA's position. The County shares OWASA's view that there be no <br />hunting on OWASA's lands. He thinks the approval of bow hunting by permit was a <br />compromise by OWASA because of the commitment that was made when approval was given <br />by the Corps of Engineers. <br />Chair Carey made reference to the request for the workgroup that is working on the ten- <br />year plan to end homelessness in Orange County. This is amulti-jurisdictional effort, and the <br />County is being requested to submit financial resources to help implement the plan. <br />Chair Carey acknowledged receipt of a letter from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School <br />Board Chair Lisa Stuckey. One of the items in the letter brings to the County Commissioners' <br />attention the fact that the school's CIP will not be submitted by May 31St. The Manager has <br />already adjusted the schedule to accommodate this. The other request that was made in the <br />letter is for the County to provide some funding for High School #3 that is outside of the policy <br />that was just adapted. The Board needs to discuss this. Unless he hears something from any <br />of the County Commissioners, he will plan to write a letter back to Lisa Stuckey indicating that <br />they just adapted a policy two weeks ago and he would not recommend opening it back up to <br />provide funding outside the policy. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she did not realize that he was inviting comments. She <br />said that the situation is that when the County Commissioners adopted the policy to use impact <br />fees to pay debt service, there was already an existing interlocal agreement with the CHCCS <br />that impact fees between now and when the school opens in August 2007 were to be used <br />($6.4 million) to fund the high school. She did not realize that the County would not fulfill the <br />terms of this agreement. If the policy is applied and the terms of the agreement are changed, <br />then the school system has to look for another $6.4 million in pay-as-you-go revenues. She <br />thought the CHCCS would be held harmless. For the agreement to be amended, both parties <br />have to sign. It seems to her that the fair thing would be to apply option 2 on the new policy to <br />impact fees in the future and that the policy apply to all impact fees that have not already been <br />encumbered by the pre-existing agreement. <br />Commissioner Jacobs asked the County Attorney to give the County Commissioners a <br />memo regarding the policy on impact fees and his understanding of the interlocal agreement <br />and if it has been deviated from by the County Commissioners. <br />Commissioner Foushee said that she would also like to hear from the County Attorney <br />and how the funding policy is affecting the original agreement. She was not aware that the <br />policy would preclude the impact fee funds. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis would also like to see the County Attorney's opinion in writing. <br />4. County Manager's Report <br />