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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: August 16, 2005 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 9-p <br />SUBJECT: Possible Referendum on Orange County Schools District or Countywide <br />Supplemental School Tax <br />DEPARTMENT: Manager/Attorney/Budget PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />^ Questions and Answers (O&A) <br />Regarding Possible Orange County INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Schools or Countywide Supplemental John Link or Rod Visser, ext 2300 <br />School Tax (Attachment 1) Geof Gledhill, 732-2196 <br />Statistical Data and Charts Donna Dean, ext 2151 <br />(Attachments 2-6) TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />^ Information from County Attorney Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Regarding Legal Questions and Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Referendum Process (Attachment 7) Durham 688-7331 <br />^ 6/23/05 Supplemental School Tax Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />Agenda Materials (Attachment 8) <br />(Under Separate Cover) <br />PURPOSE: To determine whether or not to conduct a November 8, 2005 referendum <br />implementing either an Orange County Schools (OCS) supplemental district tax or a countywide <br />supplemental schools tax. <br />BACKGROUND: During regular meetings on June 7, 2005 and June 23, 2005, County <br />Commissioners discussed the possibility of calling a referendum during the scheduled <br />November 8, 2005 election regarding the implementation of either a supplemental school tax <br />applicable within the Orange County Schools district, or a countywide supplemental schools tax. <br />The Board reviewed and discussed the content of a letter prepared by the County Attorney <br />outlining the major considerations associated with supplemental school tax referenda. The <br />Board also was informed that in light of the BOCC meeting schedule, if one referendum or the <br />other were to be scheduled for November 8, the BOCC would have to make that determination <br />at this August 16 meeting. That timing would ensure that all legal and practical deadlines far <br />arranging and conducting the voting could be met. Background materials from the June 23 <br />BOCC meeting are provided under separate cover as reference materials. <br />During the June 23 deliberations, the Board determined that it wanted the Attorney and staff to <br />bring back proposed ballot language for both an OCS only district tax and for a countywide <br />supplemental school tax. There was discussion that an OCS district tax might be capped at 10 <br />cents per $100 valuation, and that a countywide supplemental tax might be capped at 35 cents <br />(the current cap on the existing Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district tax), but the Board <br />ultimately determined that the draft ballot language should not include a specific figure, with the <br />BOCC presumably to determine on August 16 what figure would be inserted for inclusion on <br />