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right. Secondly, there are people who might be willing to jump in and fight for this. In other states where this has been on the ballot, there have been other business interests who have put in a lot of money to get it passed. He said that this help has been almost cut off because of the quick timeframe. He really wants to beat the ones who are fighting this and be as assertive as possible. He said that the only way to pursue the timing is to delay this until November. Commissioner Foushee said that, over the last couple of weeks when she considers what needs to be done to educate the public, she realizes that the time between now and May 6th may not be adequate. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like to concentrate on what will be done with the money and explain the County Commissioners' intent for the proceeds. As far as the timing, she would rather go forward on May 6th. She thinks that whether it passes or not is going to depend on how it is explained why the money is needed and what will happen if the County does not get the money—either with the sales tax or the land transfer tax. Commissioner Carey asked if the committee sufficiently understands the unfunded capital needs of the County and the fact that there is no revenue to cover those needs. Rod Visser said that the committee understands this at a macro level and that there is a need for additional revenue. Commissioner Carey said that people have been paying attention to this matter of needing more funds since last year, and everybody objects to the continued increase in property tax. He would like to go forward in May and make a clear statement about how the money is going to be used, which is to provide some relief from continued increases in property taxes. Commissioner Nelson said that he agreed with a lot of what Commissioner Carey just said. He also agreed that the County Commissioners should be very clear with the voters on what the money will be used for. From his perspective, he thinks that the money should be spent on the schools. Commissioner Foushee agreed and said that if this is going to be successful it should be clear that this money would be dedicated to meeting school construction needs. Chair Jacobs suggested asking the Manager to put in the agenda packet a clear message related to schools that can be voted on by the Board. He also thinks that it should be clear that this will be approached in an equitable manner between the two school systems and that this is not money to do new projects that have not previously been contemplated. This is for required projects that are already projected. Commissioner Carey said that he agrees with clarity and simplicity and he thinks that schools should be at the top of the priority list, but he does not want to give the schools all of the money. He said that there are other pent up demands and important needs that will have to come into play. Chair Jacobs said that the Manager had a proposal about retiring debt and not specifically school debt, so there could be two proposed focuses. Commissioner Gordon suggested crafting the language as specifically as possible, including capital and projects that will be funded in the next few years, no more than four. There will definitely be pent up school and park needs. She does not think that people will vote to reduce the County's debt. Laura Blackmon agreed that the focus has to be capital needs. She said that it is important for the public to see a 10-year capital plan. She said that the statement could be that if the County does not have the alternative revenue source, the projects that are required will require an increase in property taxes, and other projects will be delayed. The Board agreed to have the Manager come back with one statement, with the flexibility to edit it and vote on it. 4. Proposed 2008-18 Capital Investment Plan