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APPROVED 3/18/2008 <br /> MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> REGULAR MEETING <br /> February 5, 2008 <br /> 7:30 p.m. <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, <br /> February 5, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North <br /> Carolina. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Moses <br /> Carey, Jr., Valerie P. Foushee, Alice M. Gordon, and Mike Nelson <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Laura Blackmon, Assistant County <br /> Managers Willie Best and Gwen Harvey, and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff <br /> members will be identified appropriately below) <br /> 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda <br /> Chair Jacobs went through the additional handouts for the agenda: <br /> - Green-colored sheets - CIP summaries <br /> - Aqua sheet - water supply reservoir water level report <br /> - Adjusted BOCC Calendar— 4-n <br /> - Light blue sheet - list of Arts Commission Grant recipients. <br /> A couple of agenda items were emailed to the Board of County Commissioners last night <br /> and there were some concerns raised about having materials sent so late. There is an email <br /> from the Manager about these concerns. If the County Commissioners are not comfortable with <br /> these two items, then they could be added to the begging of the work session on February 11th. <br /> Regarding the Farmer's Market item, he suggested breaking it into two parts. <br /> PUBLIC CHARGE <br /> The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge. <br /> 2. Public Comments <br /> a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br /> Lee Pavao, Chair of the Orange County/Chapel Hill Visitor's Bureau, said that on behalf <br /> of his board, he would like to ask the Board of Commissioners to consider increasing the hotel <br /> occupancy tax by 1%. The board would like the tax raised to the full 3%, and the additional <br /> funds will be used for tourism. He said that this will bring the total budget to $900,000. <br /> Durham's total budget is $3.1 million; Raleigh's is $4 million; Greensboro's is $3.9 million; and <br /> Pinehurst's is at $1.5 million. The Orange County Visitor's Bureau is meeting the demands of <br /> the area's hospitality industry all over the County and the increased marketing dollars will help <br /> them grow results. He referred to a packet that the Board of County Commissioners had been <br /> given. He said that this request will not negatively impact property taxes. <br /> Yonni Chapman works with the NAACP and the Coalition to End Environmental Racism. <br /> He read from a prepared statement: <br />