Agenda - 04-12-2007-4 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: April 12, 2007 Action Agen~ Item No. SUBJECT: Establishing an Assessment for County Water and Sewer Projects: Decision Points and Policy Options DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING.: (Y/N) N ~~ ATTACHMENT(S): 1. White Paper: Water/Sewer Assessment Policy (Decision INFORMATION CONTACT: Points) Kevin Lindley, Engineering Specialist 2. White Paper: Water/Sewer 245-2313 Assessment Relief Assistance Tara Fikes, Housing and Community Program (Policy Options) Director, 245 - 2492 3. Sample Utility Extension Policies Paul Thames, Engineer, 245- 2303 4. Fact Sheet on Assessment Projects Gwen Harvey, Asst County Manager, 5. Summary of Steps in an 245-2307 Assessment Process 6. Sample Timeline for an Assessment Process PURPOSE: To provide the BOCC an outline of decision points and policy options allowable under State law for establishing utility assessments, including an assessment relief assistance program for low-wealth households. BACKGROUND: The BOCC has through the years discussed tools and techniques for recovering all or some portion of County funds expended in utility extension projects. One tool defined under NC General Statutes and commonly exercised by governing bodies is the utility assessment process, which involves calculating the pro rata share of project costs for each property benefiting from a utility project. Staff provided the BOCC with a background report on the utility assessment process at its work session on August 28, 2006. At that time, the BOCC expressed an interest in evaluating the particulars in terms of potential impacts to owners of property within a probable assessment area, such as the Buckhorn EDD/Gravelly Hill Middle School water and sewer utility extension project. The BOCC also expressed an interest in evaluating strategies for lessening the financial impact of an assessment on affected low-wealth households. While State statutes are highly prescriptive of many elements of the assessment process - maximumten year payback period and exclusion of publicly owned properties, for example - there are several critical decision points that offer flexibility and represent major policy choice for the local governing board. Therefore, staff finds it appropriate and advisable for the BOCC to take the opportunity to carefully examine and evaluate its policy choices.