Minutes 06-06-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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She said the partnership states that the money will bring greater economic development opportunities, but the direct benefit to Orange County is uncertain. The department is working with the partnership to gain a better understanding of this, and for now the recommended figure remains the same. Frank Clifton said this will be brought back once all of the state changes shake out. Steve Brantley said the background on the probable fee increase in membership with the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) relates to the formula for calculating the fee for membership. He said the county pays the same as Durham and Wake County-15 cents per capita, or roughly $20,000. He said the other eleven counties pay 10 cents per capita. He said the Partnership has asked Orange County to go from 15 cents to 30 cents and has asked the other counties to triple and go from 10 cents to 30 cents. He said the entire region will have to make a decision about this and about whether to stay in the partnership or not. Commissioner Pelissier noted that staff expressed a desire to leverage tourism assets to create more business. She is curious about this objective towards business recruitment. Steve Brantley said the combination of agriculture economic development and tourism strengths can create an agri-tourism endeavor. Chair Jacobs requested periodic reports about economic development activity through either a semi-annual or annual report. Steve Brantley said he will see what can be gathered in a report, and will start providing the Board with this requested information. Chair Jacobs said his experience with RTRP has been that it is equally offensive and insensitive as it is effective. He said he would reserve judgment until he sees the proposal. Steve Brantley said there is a possibility that the State will sub out regional marketing through regional partnerships. He said this would be interesting, but nothing may be known about this for six months. Commissioner Price said she thought that Orange County paid less than Durham and Wake, and Wake has actually been subsidizing other counties. Steve Brantley said the 30 cents per capita may be currently correct for Wake and Durham. He said this is not divulged. He said that Wake County is capable of significant fund raising through companies like Red Hat, as well as banks and power companies. Frank Clifton clarified that these assessments don't necessary come from the government and often come from the Chamber of Commerce or another non- governmental agency. He said that Orange County does not have a large corporate base to pull from. Commissioner Gordon asked if the County will get any more information about the benefits from the increases in this fee. Frank Clifton said this question has been asked in the face of increasing fees, but there has been no answer yet. Commissioner Gordon asked if this answer will come in time to impact the budget. Frank Clifton said the money is not a significant dollar amount. He said this can be allocated later in the fiscal year out of the quarter cent sales tax fund Tonya Walton referred to the Article 46 sales cent on page 53. She said this was enacted in April of last year, and funds are allocated 50/50 between County economic development projects and the two school systems. She said the County anticipates generating $2.6 million in revenue for the upcoming year. Commissioner McKee asked if the amount listed on the second page works out well in terms of allocation. Steve Brantley said the categories are appropriate for now. He said some categories may show themselves to be as active in terms of demand in the future. He said that water and sewer lines are the single area with needs right now.