RES-1995-059 Resolution Supporting the State's Effort to Address Local School Facility Needs

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�ountP ate, 9y `q Yfs B 4 SST IT f� ° 52 e Orange County Board of Commissioners A Resolution Supporting the State's Effort to Address Local School Facility Needs WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly established the School Capital Construction Study Commission to examine school construction needs and a broad range of related issues; and WHEREAS,the Board of County Commissioners in Orange County has issued nearly $84 million in debt over the past six years to build and renovate school facilities in Orange County; and, WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners has appropriated over $12.6 million in pay-as-you-go funds from the County General Fund since 1990-91 to pay for school capital improvements; and, WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners adopted in June 1993 a $750 impact fee on each new residential dwelling constructed in the County to help pay for school space for an increasing student population and the Board increased this fee effective July 1, 1995, for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District to $1,500 per each new residential unit constructed; and, WHEREAS, student population in Orange County continues to escalate with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools being one of the fastest growing school systems in the State with a total 25 percent increase in the number of students over the past five years. A total of over 2,200 new students have enrolled in both school systems between 1991 and 1995; and, WHEREAS,the Board of County Commissioners adopted in March 1995 a 10 point plan to address school facility concerns including reviewing the structure for setting impact fees, requesting that the municipalities located in Orange County incorporate future school sites into their land use plans, and that the schools consider implementing a multi-track year round school program; and, WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners has shown its commitment to education in the County,by appropriating a total of just over$35 million for school current expense, capital projects and debt service. If this appropriation were funded all by property taxes, it would be equivalent to 73.6 cents per$100 of assessed valuation on the General Fund Property Tax Rate; and, WHEREAS,the Schools have identified $61.1 million in additional capital needs for which funds are not available to address the increase in student population.