Agenda 09-04-2025; 8-a - Minutes for the July 8, 2025 Business Meeting

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25 1 accountable to the commissioners, and that the commissioners can question what the staff is 2 doing. She said the commissioners can't let them justify what's been done by some consulting 3 company saying some mathematical regression something is ok by national standards because 4 that does not take into account what the properties are really worth. She asked the 5 commissioners to do the right thing and do something for the people in Orange County. 6 Larry Reid said he serves in many roles, and is in construction and represents the 7 Rogers Road community. He said the Board of Commissioners can set the tax rate, so they do 8 have some control. He is concerned about the injustice of how properties are valued by the Tax 9 Office. He said that as a landlord, there is no way he can raise the rent on his properties that 10 will allow him to cover the taxes and maintenance and profit margin he receives. He said he was 11 helped and if they want to give others an opportunity, they must do better than what they are 12 doing now. He said he heard that staff was trying, and he appreciated them for listening. He 13 said that predominantly black neighborhoods do not have paved roads and the same 14 stormwater control systems as other neighborhoods and you can't compare the values. 15 Dolores Bailey asked the Board to consider if the methodology used by the Tax 16 department is really working towards families. She asked that the Board require staff to go back 17 and look at things that aren't quite right before July 30tH 18 Gregory Crapps described the changes in Orange County over the last 54 years. He 19 said that he owns 18 acres, but that he is only allowed to put one house on his property. He 20 said he saw stuff like this in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and that this stuff is by design. He said 21 there is a game that has been played on people for generations and it's time for people to wake 22 up and use their clout to make things happen. He said that there has been poor development in 23 Orange County. 24 Clementine Self said Chapel Hill natives cannot make enough money in retirement or 25 jobs to afford property taxes. She said that UNC is controlling what goes in on in Chapel Hill 26 and it's out of control. She said they don't need an outside agency to tell them when something 27 is wrong, and that common sense should kick in. 28 29 Chair Bedford asked the commissioners if they should postpone item 7-c to a future 30 date. 31 32 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Vice-Chair Hamilton, to 33 postpone item 7-c to a future date. 34 35 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 36 37 b. Condominium Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of 38 Carrboro for the Operation of the Drakeford Library Complex 39 The Board: 40 1) Reviewed the Condominium Agreement, Deeds, and Plat for the Drakeford Library 41 Complex with the Attorney Wayne Hadler who drafted the Agreement; 42 2) Reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding between Orange County and the Town of 43 Carrboro for the operation of the Drakeford Library Complex; and 44 3) Determined when the Condominium Agreement, Deeds, Plat, and Memorandum of 45 Understanding should be brought back to the Board for final approval. 46 47 Alan Dorman, Asset Management Services Director, introduced the item and introduced 48 attorney Wayne Hadler. 49 Wayne Hadler referred to an email sent earlier in the day by Chair Bedford asking 50 several questions about the agreement. He began answering the questions and making 51 suggestions.