Browse
Search
Agenda - 04-21-20; 8-a - Minutes
OrangeCountyNC
>
BOCC Archives
>
Agendas
>
Agendas
>
2020
>
Agenda - 04-21-20 Virtual Business Meeting
>
Agenda - 04-21-20; 8-a - Minutes
Metadata
Thumbnails
Annotations
Entry Properties
Last modified
4/17/2020 2:54:01 PM
Creation date
4/17/2020 2:33:39 PM
Metadata
Fields
Template:
BOCC
Date
4/21/2020
Meeting Type
Business
Document Type
Agenda
Agenda Item
8-a
Document Relationships
Agenda 04-21-20 Virtual Business Meeting
(Message)
Path:
\BOCC Archives\Agendas\Agendas\2020\Agenda - 04-21-20 Virtual Business Meeting
There are no annotations on this page.
Document management portal powered by Laserfiche WebLink 9 © 1998-2015
Laserfiche.
All rights reserved.
/
17
PDF
Print
Pages to print
Enter page numbers and/or page ranges separated by commas. For example, 1,3,5-12.
After downloading, print the document using a PDF reader (e.g. Adobe Reader).
View images
View plain text
5 <br /> 1 Commissioner Price asked if the BOCC can send a letter asking the school boards to <br /> 2 submit ideas. <br /> 3 Chair Rich said if the Board chooses to vote that way, it would be fine. She said there <br /> 4 were other projects that the CFE considered, which may move to the top of the list. <br /> 5 Commissioner Marcoplos said due to the scheduling issue that has arisen due to health <br /> 6 crisis, he proposed to allow a brief time to re-visit the solar arrays on the schools <br /> 7 <br /> 8 PUBLIC COMMENT: <br /> 9 Bill Ward, CFE, joined the meeting via Zoom, and said it is a disappointment that the <br /> 10 schools declined the funds to do the solar arrays. He said the CFE would welcome further <br /> 11 interchange with the schools about how the schools may be able to mitigate climate change in <br /> 12 other ways. He gave statistics on the carbon emissions in Orange County, and said the County <br /> 13 needs to curtail emissions by three ways: decarbonization of electricity, improved efficiency, <br /> 14 and beneficial electrification. He said this is true throughout the country, and there are many <br /> 15 ideas that could be reviewed and replicated in the County. He said the CFE is open to all <br /> 16 submissions, and would like to get the best bang for the buck. He said he hoped to have a <br /> 17 forum where the CFE could have some give and take with the BOCC in order to understand in <br /> 18 greater detail the CFE's thinking and prioritization process. <br /> 19 Commissioner Marcoplos said he was trying to figure out why this went off the rails, and <br /> 20 it seems CHCCS wanted to decide on its own how to spend these funds. He said the OCS, and <br /> 21 Sarah Pitts point person on this project, had been scheduled to meet with Orange County staff <br /> 22 on this issue and OCS was open to the idea. He said the current health crisis has led to <br /> 23 confusion. <br /> 24 Commissioner Marcoplos proposed allowing two weeks to answer any question that <br /> 25 OCS may have about the solar arrays. He said the process has come this far, and it would be a <br /> 26 waste to throw it away, as it is crucial to reduce the carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions. <br /> 27 He said it is a unique opportunity. <br /> 28 Commissioner Price talked to members on both school boards, and all agreed that solar <br /> 29 arrays are good, but there were other issues that they were looking at for their buildings. She <br /> 30 said both districts had not been brought up to speed on these projects, and the COVID-19 crisis <br /> 31 has only caused greater interruption. She said there is no guarantee that the Board would vote <br /> 32 in favor of the solar arrays, and she feels it is important to consider the best use of funds at this <br /> 33 time and the greatest priorities. <br /> 34 Chair Rich said this was voted in as a climate tax and needs to be used for climate <br /> 35 mitigation. She said the Board must not go outside the parameters of the uses. <br /> 36 John Roberts said it was a tax increase that was part of the Board's general taxing <br /> 37 power, and this exact amount was directed to this climate purpose. He said a deviation from <br /> 38 this purpose should not happen outside a vote of the full Board. <br /> 39 Commissioner McKee said he is going to speak to the question as to whether the Board <br /> 40 can move the money. He said it is his understanding that only through County referendum can <br /> 41 tax funds be dedicated for a specific use. He said this was not decided through a referendum, <br /> 42 thus a BOCC vote is sufficient to change the use of this money. He said this board cannot bind <br /> 43 future boards, and they are not legally bound to spend the money on climate change. <br /> 44 John Roberts said the Board is not restricted with this tax more than any other tax <br /> 45 revenue. He said it is called a climate tax, but it is no different than the standard taxation that <br /> 46 exists. He said the only difference is that the BOCC pledged by a vote to spend the funds on <br /> 47 environmental purposes, and a Board vote would be appropriate to change that pledge. He <br /> 48 said this Board is not bound by the prior vote. <br /> 49 Commissioner McKee said if the Board were to spend this money for weatherization, <br /> 50 LED, etc. in schools that provided reductions in greenhouse emissions, the Board would still be <br /> 51 spending money on those items it pledged to spend it on. <br />
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.