Agenda - 11-25-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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indicated that the elderly Orange County residents need this extended area service and they would be willing to pay the small increase. She asked that all phone calls be toll free. Mr. John Hartwell spoke in support of this proposal. This is something that the County needs in order to encourage a modern center of employment in this county. He mentioned several documented cases of how the telephone system influenced potential businesses to locate in another area. An improved telephone system will help to attract modern business to this county to replace some of the jobs lost in the last decade. He also indicated that there is a lot of difficulty for Mebane residents because directory information does not list all local numbers. Mr. Hartwell pointed out that as new technology is discovered the price decreases. It should be the same with utilities. All calls should be toll free. Ms. Helen Nowak stated that she supports this proposal. The present situation is hindering the efforts of volunteers. Schools are experiencing a greater need for volunteers. The need to pay for local calls places an additional hardship on those who volunteer with the schools. County, church and civic groups attract volunteers countywide and toll calls limit the amount of communication these individuals are able to afford. Many times a volunteer is not kept informed because of the expense of long distance calls. Ms. Mary Fox spoke in support of this proposal. She indicated that she has business and personal phones in her home and that the expense is exorbitant. She also stated that this area with its many universities and hospitals should not be burdened with such an antiquated phone system. Ms. Gloria Williams, Executive Director of the Joint Orange Chatham Community Action Agency and Co -Chair of the Extended Area Telephone Service Task Force, strongly supports this proposal. Poverty is escalating in our nation and the Utilities Commission needs to be aware of the hardship the toll charges are placing on low income citizens. She stated that JOCCA has a mandate to serve the impoverished and they desperately need to be connected to their community through the telephone system. Hillsborough Town Commissioner Bob Rose stated that this proposal is not a toll free proposal. He indicated that the Town of Hillsborough twice rejected supporting the expanded telephone service proposal. However, he does not believe that they are opposed to a unified telephone service for Orange County. The Town Board rejected the proposal because of the cost and the manner in which the proposal was presented. He stated that the cost of this proposal to Chapel Hill /Carrboro would be approximately $43,920. The 732 and 644 exchanges would incur expenses in the amount of $277,115.00 for private citizens and $108,519 for business. Mebane Home would incur approximately $107,081 in increased fees. The citizens need to remember that they are going to pay for these calls through higher monthly rates.