Orange County NC Website
(via mutual aid agreement) we could consider the service district arrangement to recoup revenue <br />and offset our costs rather than the revenue otherwise go elsewhere. <br />From an urban policy perspective, however, the intent of an urban services boundary area is to <br />provide those services as part of the normal progression to annexation into the municipal <br />jurisdiction. Parsing out services on a menu selection or pay as you go basis dilutes the benefits <br />of full annexation and places the burden of supporting necessary infrastructure and <br />organizational function systems on the Town residents alone while others receive the services, <br />particularly when the service fees or district taxes pay only for the specific and direct service <br />rendered. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />I recommend that the Council consider these perspectives and provide direction. Resolution A <br />asks Orange County to facilitate a discussion with the residents of these affected neighborhoods <br />that explores and educates the benefits of annexation for their properties not only from a fire <br />protection standpoint but from a standpoint of full Town services. Resolution B authorizes the <br />Town Manager to work with the County to implement the fire district changes. <br />This situation points to how our ability to plan for orderly and sustainable growth is affected by <br />changes in the state and federal levels of government. I recommend that Council begin to <br />consider the recent changes by the General Assembly in annexation and other laws that affect the <br />Town's ability to manage its growth and remain a sustainable community and how these changes <br />affect our current system of joint planning, urban services districts and extraterritorial <br />jurisdiction. <br />