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28 <br /> 1 Travis Myren indicated that the more meaningful options lie in deferring projects currently <br /> 2 programmed in year two — namely, Estes Hills Elementary School (design in year one,construction in year <br /> 3 two),the Emergency Services Headquarters($48.4 million in year two),the Viper system first phase($11.3 <br /> 4 million), and the Historic Courthouse renovations ($4.5 million) — from year two to year three. Planning <br /> 5 funds currently in year one associated with those deferred projects would similarly shift to year two. <br /> 6 Commissioner Bedford expressed interest in modeling what a two-year delay of Estes Hills <br /> 7 Elementary in particular would do to the tax rate,noting that such a delay remains within the bond window <br /> 8 and the LGC parameters, and that the school districts may benefit from additional time to better <br /> 9 understand enrollment trends — for example, whether a middle school deconstruction might affect <br /> 10 planning for Estes Hills. She also noted the need to evaluate pay-go competition with Orange Middle <br /> 11 School's pre-design scoping if projects overlap. <br /> 12 Chair Hamilton stated she would like to see what other projects could also be pushed out, not just <br /> 13 the school projects. <br /> 14 Travis Myren said this proposal captures everything over$1 million but can look again. <br /> 15 Commissioner McKee supported the idea of pushing projects out. He said the potential 4.58-cent <br /> 16 increase is an extreme imposition on lower-wealth residents, especially given that this figure represents <br /> 17 only the CIP-related portion of any potential tax increase, with cumulative increases potentially <br /> 18 approaching six or seven cents when operating budget pressures are included. He recalled measures taken <br /> 19 after 2008 recession. <br /> 20 Commissioner Bedford raised the RENA Community Center as a project that she believed should <br /> 21 be removed from the plan entirely, rather than merely deferred. She noted that even after reducing the <br /> 22 scope from two stories to one, costs remained at approximately $2.5 to 2.7 million due to requirements <br /> 23 for a commercial kitchen and other features. <br /> 24 Commissioner Carter disagreed with acting too quickly on that project, citing significant <br /> 25 community feedback over the years, and suggested it could be moved further in the plan. <br /> 26 Chair Hamilton agreed that conversations with the community about the realities and necessary <br /> 27 trade-offs would need to take place. <br /> 28 <br /> 29 <br />