Minutes 04-30-2026 Joint Meeting With School Boards

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60 Vice-Chair Fowler asked Kirk Vaughn to clarify whether the current Pay-Go plan would be sufficient as presented in the recommended CIP. Kirk Vaughn said yes. Commissioner McKee asked how closing schools would impact the need for the bond funds. Kirk Vaughn said the bond money is being used for new schools and renovations. Commissioner McKee said that total county borrowing over the next 10 years is approximately $900 million, with schools representing about $300 million of that, and that debt service costs are projected to reach 19% of expenditures. He asked how the county and school systems planned to contain costs given that the $300 million bond and $100 million in Pay-Go may not be sufficient to complete all the originally planned projects. He also asked what would happen if the capital plan began to fold up. Chair Hamilton responded by noting that it was always understood when the bond was placed before voters that inflation could mean not all projects would be completed within the $300 million. She noted that OCS had already determined they could only complete two of their originally planned three projects due to cost increases. She acknowledged Commissioner McKee's broader point about the county's total capital obligations, and said it is an issue for the commissioners to address collectively. Commissioner McKee expressed concern about the burden of tax increases on lower-income residents, referencing six pages of tax delinquency listings in local papers during previous high-tax- increase periods of the 1980s and 1990s. He acknowledged that the bond was passed with full transparency about tax implications but said it does not help those people who are wondering how they are going to pay their tax bill. Chair Hamilton acknowledged that the information the Board has received indicates there needs to be a tax increase, and that that will be a burden on residents. She agreed the Board has work to do to address those two realities. Commissioner McKee said the school systems' decisions will impact the Board's ability to keep tax increases low. Rani Dasi noted concern and wanted to add proper context to the conversation. She said that the schools are being looked at as the primary driver, but there are $600 million in other county costs in the CIP. She said that the voters came to the ballot understanding that the schools had significant unmet needs that had existed for decades, and they agreed to absorb a tax increase to make sure the schools are in proper condition. She emphasized that school facilities contribute to economic development,that many families receive healthcare services in schools, and that children eat in schools. She said schools are hugely valuable community facilities and didn't want that to get lost in the conversation. Chair Hamilton raised the possibility of delaying a second project, in the context of smoothing the tax rate, and asked whether the school boards would be open to that conversation. Riza Jenkins said that the districts have been planning with the 10-year timeline in mind and that any shifts in the schedule would mean more money. Commissioner Bedford shared that when looking at CIP increases, moving projects out one or two years helped smooth the tax increase. She said the bigger concern long term is whether the Board will stick with the plan for the Pay-Go. Will Atherton, OCS School Board member, stated clearly that OCS has had no discussions about closing schools at this point, and did not want to cause panic in the community over that point. He emphasized that while OCS would be willing to engage in that conversation, they do not want the cost pressures to be placed solely on the school systems. He reiterated that OCS would work together with the county but wanted to do with clear understanding regarding the financial impacts. He also noted that the CIP is a 10-year plan, but the commissioners adopt it one year at a time, meaning the Board would revisit all of this annually.