Orange County NC Website
35 <br /> 1 Chair Bedford clarified that she would not like to include charter students in the ADM <br /> 2 funding split scenario. <br /> 3 Commissioner McKee said he thinks as long as the percentage split between school <br /> 4 districts is reasonable, he is less concerned about perception. <br /> 5 Commissioner Richards said the point of the bond is to improve school facilities and so <br /> 6 the money should go where there is the biggest need, which was identified in the Woolpert study. <br /> 7 She said she thinks residents will understand that. She added that right now, there is money that <br /> 8 was given to OCS that has not yet been spent. <br /> 9 Commissioner McKee said that money has now been allocated. <br /> 10 Commissioner Richards said it took a long time and there were other projects that didn't <br /> 11 get done because that money was sitting there. She said she thinks the bond education efforts <br /> 12 needs to focus on the fact that the money needs to address capital needs that have been long <br /> 13 ignored in a prioritized way. <br /> 14 Commissioner McKee said if the bond is passed, the Board has no say in how, when, and <br /> 15 where the money is spent, and those decisions will be totally up to the elected school boards. <br /> 16 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she agrees with Commissioner McKee that the bond will <br /> 17 be a hard sell if the allocation is not at least close to 60% for CHCCS and 40% for OCS, to be <br /> 18 consistent with the way funds have been distributed in the past. <br /> 19 Commissioner Richards said that regardless of whether the funds are distributed on a <br /> 20 project basis or based on ADM, the numbers are coming out around the desired 60-40 split, <br /> 21 according to Slide #9. <br /> 22 Commissioner McKee said that there is no legal requirement for a future Board to agree <br /> 23 or follow this percentage for allocation. <br /> 24 Travis Myren clarified that if the Board chooses to distribute funds by project, a budget <br /> 25 amendment would be required for the school boards to use the funds for something else. <br /> 26 To Commissioner McKee's point, Vice-Chair Greene said this Board can set an example <br /> 27 and a strategy for a future Board and doesn't want perceptions to be the deciding factor in making <br /> 28 this choice. <br /> 29 Commissioner McKee said he agrees with Vice-Chair Greene and is not saying that the <br /> 30 perception of things is accurate. <br /> 31 Commissioner Hamilton said this Board can create policies and practices, so the money <br /> 32 is used efficiently and effectively and none of it is wasted. She said a project-based allocation <br /> 33 following the Woolpert study is the best way to go. <br /> 34 Chair Bedford said she is fine with going project-based this time but every other capital <br /> 35 decision in the past has been by ADM and that's why the percentages are so close across <br /> 36 scenarios. She said it's scary to think that it will always do it one way or another. She said in this <br /> 37 case it works to do it project-based for the bond to still pass, but if there was a bigger differential <br /> 38 it probably wouldn't. <br /> 39 Travis Myren said just to be clear, staff is looking for clarity on direction today. He said the <br /> 40 Board doesn't have to make a decision on the final not to exceed amount until April, but if the <br /> 41 Board wants alignment with the school boards' resolutions, a decision needs to be made sooner. <br /> 42 Chair Bedford asked if resolutions from the school board are required. <br /> 43 Gary Donaldson, Chief Financial Officer, said yes. <br /> 44 Commissioner Richards asked what the one-time tax impact of the last bond was. <br /> 45 Travis Myren said he thinks it was 5 cents split over several years. <br /> 46 Commissioner McKee said it may have been 6 cents, but that it was applied over several <br /> 47 years. He said the Board could choose to do that again this time, but if the increase is carried <br /> 48 over several years the cumulative tax impact is higher. <br /> 49 Commissioner Richards said the rationale for spreading out the tax increase would be that <br /> 50 there is less impact on taxpayers at one time, even if the cumulative increase is higher. <br />