Agenda - 09-02-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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22 1 hears from the most passionate voices, who all made good points, just as Commissioner 2 Dorosin did. He said this amendment is not about moving something back, but rather this 3 project was moved forward last year. He said the K-12 schools needs are over$300 million, 4 and the $120 million bond did not come close to covering them. He said the amendment calls 5 for Durham Tech to be put back where it was in the plan a year ago, and is not about taking the 6 project away. He said there is rental space that can be pursued if Durham Tech wants to start 7 programming now. He said if the K-12 program does not work 100% well for all students, there 8 will be little chance of success later in life. He said the BOCC must make sure all children are 9 getting a strong start. He said he is not concerned about having wasted money in the past year 10 on initial planning, and this information can still be useful. He said he would like to think 11 creatively about how to make it work for Durham Tech students, including increased 12 transportation to help them get to the Durham location. 13 Chair Price said she said she sees this Durham Tech building as an investment, and it 14 has been a topic of discussion for many years. She said the County needs the jobs, and needs 15 to train people. She said not everyone is able to afford a Duke or a Cornell. She said in some 16 cases the K-12 schools have failed, and the County needs to provide options for students to 17 continue their education. She said as the Board looks towards economic development, people 18 are unprepared for the available jobs, and the County needs to be able to provide a means for 19 people to get skills and education. She said there will be jobs that come from building a second 20 building, and many more thereafter as students receive skills through the education. She said if 21 people have a job, they can afford a home. She said the poverty programs of the 1960s failed, 22 due to too many handouts. She said the County needs to provide opportunities so people can 23 rise. She said if the Board fails to invest in Orange County, people will move to Durham. She 24 said the location in Hillsborough seems very appropriate to her. She said she supports the 25 building expansion 110%. 26 Commissioner Hamilton said this is a hard decision. She said the County talks about 27 investment in education, and has failed the K-12 education system by allowing older buildings to 28 fall into disrepair, which is a health and safety issue. She said her children attended local 29 schools, and there were problems then, but when she walked into a school building more 30 recently, as a CHCCS BOE member, she almost fainted. She realized the physical buildings 31 are at a point that she cannot support investing in anything else prior to improving the schools. 32 She said if the County cannot get kids through K-12, the students will not be able to access a 33 community college. She said the County does need programs to educate the workforce of the 34 future. She said she encourages innovation and flexibility to be able to do so. She said it 35 easier to move older children and adults, than it is to shuffle young children. She said when 36 ARPA money runs out, tax money will have to be used. She said the Board has to invest 37 smartly, and where there will be the greatest return. She said this is in the County's children 38 and K-12 education. She said she has petitioned to create a plan for that. 39 Commissioner Bedford referred to the idea of having $3 million available for potential 40 matching funds for the State. She said Gary Donaldson said the LGC will not like that. She 41 also asked if ARPA funds could be used, but they cannot. 42 43 A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to 44 approve to move the Orange County Campus Building at Durham Technical Community college 45 to Years 6 and 7 of the CIP. 46 47 Commissioner Dorosin said if this amendment gets approved, it does not lower the tax 48 rate in the FY22 budget year. He said he wants to make sure people understand that. He 49 expressed concern about pitting K-12 students against Durham Tech students. He said the 50 only way to improve K-12 schools is to spend the money, and the Board could have picked any 51 project from the CIP to delay. He said choosing this project should have been the last option.