Agenda - 02-02-1987 - Special Mtg.

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2. Our attempt to meet major capital needs completely on a pay-as-we-go basis has been a large contributor to our decreasing fund balance. No help the legislature might give can make it possible for us to provide the capital needs identified by the schools. A well-thought-out capital program funded where appropriate by bonds is the immediate initial step needed to provide available annual appropriation monies. 3. The 8% of budget fund balance in actual dollars needed for a continued good bond rating and thus low interest rate grows with increases in the annual budgets. [The 13.2% increase proposed for the 1987/88 budget adds $240,000 to the sum needed to provide 8%. ] 4. The primary obligation of the Commissioners is to fund capital needs; while we understand the schools not wanting to stand still on programs, agreement on and funding for current and long-range capital needs must be in place before we can address other requests: -- we must not only agree, for instance, on the need for a $750,000 annual capital current appropriation, but we must also agree on what needs are covered in that appropriation; roofs, for example, were included in the capital needs task force recommendation of that figure; -- once capital funding is in place, it should be possible to agree on a reasonable annual expansion program increment from which School Boards and County Management would work in preparing their budgets. MOVING TOWARDS EQUITY FUNDING. The Commissioners are concerned seriously about and determined to reverse the increasing disparity in funding for the two systems and to move, as quickly as reasonably possible, towards parity; parity in no way limits the decision-making function of School Board members once the allocation is made. Approving the Chapel Hill-Carrboro employee supplement expansion request would move us in the direct opposite direction from equity. Because citizens throughout the county are more concerned about teacher's salaries than any other school or county issue and often express their willingness to pay more taxes for this purpose, exploring employee salaries, bonuses, supplements and other perks very well may be the place to start in moving towards equity. Again, it is disappointing that the current county budget did not seize the opportunity presented by the city schools request and make a specific proposal instead of remaining silent on this top priority request. We discussed favorably the merit of a short term limited task force to include administrators, elected officials, and school employees being convened to brainstorm and provide guidance that could lead to a specific county budget proposal in 1988/89. Thank you. cc: Sue Baker Lindsey Efland Manager Press in 12 June packets