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• Page 12 and 13 -activities during program year Mare than 15,000 people went through the Job Link center in Chapel Hill. Beginning on page 14, there are success stories specific to Orange County. The Orange County Job Link center, during this programmed year, received the highest level of credentials afforded by the State of North Carolina and was awarded a $50,000 grant during the statewide partnership conference last fall. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Foushee to accept the Regional Partnership Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2003-2004. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Initial Report on Orange County Schools District TaxlCountywide Schools Tax Referendum The Board received a report on issues related to passible referenda on an Orange County Schools (OCS) supplemental district tax or a countywide supplemental schools tax. John Link said that Geof Gledhill would describe the details of what the Board needs to consider to proceed with a schedule for an item on the November election - for an Orange County School System supplemental tax, ar an Orange Countywide supplemental tax. Should the Board want to pursue either issue, they are sure that there are questions about the many elements of this election, and they have provided two pages of questions on pages 18 and 19 from Liz Brown of the OCS Board. The staff recommends that the Board determine the process by which questions can be submitted to the County Commissioners prior to August 15t so that answers can be provided by August 16tH Geof Gledhill said that there are two ways for the supplemental tax to happen - by initiation from the school board ar by the initiation from the Board of County Commissioners. The limit on the tax would have to be 50 cents for OCS and 60 cents far a countywide tax. The tax would be effective the next fiscal year if it passes. There are other options with a special local act of the General Assembly. He made reference to page 17 and said that the Board calls the election and fixes the date. The Board must act on August 16th in order for it to be on the November ballot. The ballot also establishes what the money is to be used for. One aspect of a countywide supplemental tax is that each Board of Education would make a recommendation as to what it wanted the district tax to be, and the Board would not be able to exceed the lower of the two requests. He made reference to the 2001 task force report that suggested that the tax be time limited. He recommends that they not put a time limit on the ballot because they can always put another referendum out there to abolish the tax if it were no longer needed. Also, if it were a countywide supplemental tax, the portion of the tax collected would be on a per pupil basis. The money would belong to the two school systems. A County Commissioner initiated countywide supplemental tax would not affect the CHCCS district tax, but a Board of Education initiated referendum would abolish the CHCCS district tax. He said that if you put to the voters a choice of having a supplemental tax countywide or an OCS district tax, then you would have the voters in Chapel Hill voting on what Orange County's tax would be and that would not be appropriate. Commissioner Foushee made reference to page 8, the second paragraph, and asked for elaboration on the question about the referendum passing in one area and not another. Geof Gledhill said that this relates to the Board of Education petitioning the Board to conduct the election and would not play out in a Board of County Commissioners initiated election. This issue would not arise since it is the County Commissioners initiating it. Commissioner Halkiatis asked John Link what he planned to do with the questions submitted by Liz Brown of the OCS Board. John Link said that the County Commissioners