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19 <br /> 1 I have two children, ages five and nine. Their future, and the future of all our children in Orange <br /> 2 County, depends on getting a good education. The rainy day fund is gone. There is no more to <br /> 3 trim from the budget. If you do not fully fund the schools' budgets, my children will be in <br /> 4 overcrowded, poorly maintained schools, with fewer teachers. Those teachers will have more <br /> 5 responsibilities with less support from TAs, gifted specialists, and other staff. <br /> 6 <br /> 7 3. Our property values, and thus our tax revenue, depend on it. <br /> 8 <br /> 9 As I said before, we moved here for the schools; and we were willing to pay the higher cost of <br /> 10 housing to live here. Most of our neighbors did the same. Strong schools keep our property <br /> 11 values high; thus we support funding the county's budget and services. <br /> 12 <br /> 13 We are counting on you to fully fund the Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools <br /> 14 budget. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 Sincerely, <br /> 17 <br /> 18 Sara Skinner, MPH <br /> 19 2407 Pathway Dr. <br /> 20 Chapel Hill, NC 27516 <br /> 21 919 929-2565 <br /> 22 <br /> 23 <br /> 24 Hello Commissioner Jacobs! <br /> 25 <br /> 26 How are you? <br /> 27 <br /> 28 Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend either of the Public Hearings on the county budgets so <br /> 29 am writing to submit questions and give input. <br /> 30 <br /> 31 Overall, I am not in favor of a tax increase this year for many reasons, including the impact on <br /> 32 affordability for low income/workforce residents and county/town ability to retain and attract <br /> 33 businesses. <br /> 34 <br /> 35 In general, I do not mind paying more in taxes than other areas of the state but believe that the <br /> 36 quality and level of service should reflect the extra monies spent. At this point, data suggests <br /> 37 that we pay some of the highest costs in the state for many of our services - school, solid waste <br /> 38 and emergency response services to name a few. This information, suggests the need for re- <br /> 39 assessment and revised planning instead of an increase in taxes to continue on. <br /> 40 <br /> 41 Below are my initial questions and comments: <br /> 42 School Funding: <br /> 43 <br /> 44 Question: What projects or repairs make up the $40,000,000 in the capital budget for schools <br /> 45 over the next five years? Does that cover repairs that are needed immediately? <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Request 1: Establish a policy which mandates on-going repair and maintenance of school <br /> 48 facilities as a top-priority each year, making sure that monies are earmarked for those costs. <br /> 49 Request 2: Fund necessary school repairs immediately either by postponing non-essential <br /> 50 capital items or using existing debt capacity (or both). <br /> 51 Request 3: Ensure, each year, that our teachers are being well-paid, as a priority, by <br /> 52 earmarking monies for those costs. <br />