Orange County NC Website
APPROVED: 6-28-89 MINUTES <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> PUBLIC HEARING <br /> MAY 25, 1989 <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met on May 25, 1989 at 7:30 p.m. in <br /> Superior Courtroom, Orange County Courthouse, Hillsborough, North Carolina for the <br /> purpose of hearing citizen comments on matters concerning economic development in the <br /> County. <br /> BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT,: Chair Moses Carey, Jr. , and Commissioners Shirley E. Marshall, <br /> Stephen Halkiotis, Don Willhoit, John Hartwell. <br /> ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill <br /> STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John Link, Purchasing Director Pam Jones, Economic <br /> Development Director Sylvia Price, Planner Gene Bell, Clerk to the Board Beverly <br /> Blythe and Deputy Clerk to the Board Kathy Baker. <br /> CONSULTANT PRESENT: Thomas McDowell of McDevco Associates, Raleigh, NC. <br /> Chairman Carey opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. He indicated that this meeting <br /> was the second of two Public Hearings which were originally scheduled to hear public <br /> comment on the remaining site for the proposed Regional Airport. On Monday night, May <br /> 22nd, the Board of Commissioners decided that site 11 was not suitable and that other <br /> alternatives could be pursued to contribute to the achievement of the County's goal of <br /> economic development and diversification of the tax base. The Board also voted on <br /> Monday night to continue with these Public Hearings to hear citizen comment on the <br /> subject of alternative methods for reaching those goals mentioned above. Members of <br /> the public who wish to comment on the need for an airport in Orange County are invited <br /> to speak on that also. <br /> THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPEN FOR CITIZEN COMMENTS. <br /> MR. JAMES LA TORRE, an Orange County resident, presented the Board of <br /> Commissioners with additional petitions opposing the proposed airport. He stated that <br /> he has recently learned that over 90% of the tax base is residential and that tax <br /> base needs to be expanded by attracting industry to our County. He suggested setting <br /> aside an area for industrialization and providing an adequate infrastructure in that <br /> area. He also suggested using the communication network that has been established to <br /> fight the airport• as.a tool for organizing the current labor force, so that potential <br /> employers will know the kind of workforce available to them. Finally, he suggested <br /> the County's attendance at trade shows where industries are seeking new locations for <br /> their business. <br /> MS. LEIGH PEEK, an Orange County resident, spoke in opposition to Orange County <br /> ever having a regional airport. She suggested that a commitment be made to have the <br /> County stay the way the people in the County want it to be, rather than doing whatever <br /> to attract economic development. She also asked that in the future Orange County <br /> residents be used as consultants. She suggested that the County learn to better <br /> budget county funds so that the goal of economic development could be reached without <br /> having to raise taxes. She mentioned that the utilities, particularly the telephone <br /> systems, need to be improved in order to attract new industry. She stated that her <br /> understanding is that the area in the County which is zoned Industrial/Commercial does <br /> not have water/sewer service. A commitment needs to be made to actually making the <br />