Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Questions and Answers and other data related to both supplemental taxes <br />Donna Dean explained the graphs for financial alternatives. <br />Financial Alternatives <br />Countywide District Tax <br />- Three Year Scenario <br />Ten and Five Year Scenarios included in agenda package <br />County General Fund Ad Valorem Tax <br />- Three Year Scenario <br />• Orange County Special District Tax <br />Tax Rate Impact on Residents <br />To Achieve Funding Equity With Supplemental Countywide District Tax or County's <br />General Fund Ad Valorem Tax Over Three Year Period <br />Orange County Schools District Tax Financial Alternative <br />In the three-year scenario the countywide tax would increase 6.3 cents, 12.6 cents, and <br />18.8 cents, and there would be a corresponding decrease in the CHCCS district tax. <br />John Link said that in any scenario where they talk about a supplemental cauntywide <br />district tax or a county general fund ad valorem tax, funding would be distributed on a per pupil <br />basis for each school system. Also, if the Board pursues a countywide district tax ballot, the <br />question is what is the message sent to Chapel Hill and Carrboro voters to encourage passage <br />of it. Alsa, the present district tax has offered flexibility to address startup costs for new schools. <br />Donna Dean pointed out that this countywide district tax only addresses school funding <br />equity and not any increases in County project funding. <br />John Link said that he would not ever recommend this three-year approach to address <br />funding equity, because he does not think the County budget could withstand it. <br />The last alternative is a district tax on the OCS. The CHCCS district tax raises about <br />$1,286 per student. If the funding were to be equalized, the OCS district tax would have to be <br />21.2 cents. In order to address the difference between what the OCS requested and what the <br />Board of County Commissioners actually approved this year, the district tax would have to be <br />raised an additional 3.8 cents. <br />John Link said that if the Board had approved all of the schools' requests over the last <br />ten years, it would have added at least 50 cents to the tax rate. <br />Commissioner Gordon asked Geof Gledhill about the ballot language and the uses of <br />this money. She asked if there were limitations concerning how it can be used. Geof Gledhill <br />said that only by limiting it in the ballot language would the uses be limited, otherwise it can be <br />used for capital and operating expenses. <br />