Minutes 04-30-2026 Joint Meeting With School Boards

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61 Riza Jenkins said she wanted the county to balance fiscal reality while considering the need to get students and staff into adequate school buildings as quickly as possible. She acknowledged the point about constituents'financial hardship, saying that both things are true at the same time. Commissioner McKee said he will be analyzing county projects just as much. Commissioner Greene said, to Riza Jenkin's point, the Woolpert Report identified about $1 billion worth of capital needs for the schools. After a lot of discussion, the Board settled on $300 million hoping that the voters would approve that, which they did by a wide margin. She said she doesn't think they can be thinking about some of that $300 million not being spent because of school closures, because the need is much larger than $300 million. Sarah Smylie said these projects are almost all new schools and that pushing projects out decreases the value of the projects and value the community gets for their money. Bonnie Hauser asked how much flexibility there really is with Pay-Go. She asked if all Pay-Go must go towards capital expenses. Travis Myren confirmed that there is no legal restriction between a Pay-Go dollar and an operating dollar. Bonnie Hauser noted that when Pay-Go was reduced the prior year, it did not benefit the schools' operating budgets but rather prevented a larger tax increase. Rani Dasi asked how this decision about pushing out projects will be made. Chair Hamilton described the budget adoption process for the benefit of all participants. She noted that the County Manager would present the recommended operating budget on May 5th; public hearings are scheduled for May 12th and May 28th; budget work sessions are scheduled for May 14th, 21st, and 26th, and June 4th; and the budget adoption is expected at the June 16th meeting, with the prior meeting serving to lock down the intent to adopt. She also noted that the public cannot speak at work sessions, but that email is always available, and public hearings are the designated forum for public comment. George Griffin expressed concern about the pattern of revisiting the Pay-Go component. He recalled that when the Pay-Go amount was reduced in the prior year, it was a bait-and-switch situation. He said the school boards were selling a $300 million bond issue to build new schools to the community, and they voted 65% in favor of it, and then out of the gate, the amount was reduced. He said he had been assured at that time that the money would simply be pushed to year 10. He said it caught him and likely some others by surprise that less than 12 months later, the school boards were again being asked if they could back off on timing. Chair Hamilton acknowledged his concern directly, saying she understood how it can feel like the situation keeps changing. She said it is not intentional but reflects the fiscal realities and how the Board is trying to manage the many needs. She said the intent of raising the subject at the joint meeting was to be transparent early in the process, noting that there is only about a month for the Board to figure out how to fund the whole county. She noted the pressures that all parties face. Commissioner Bedford shared her own view, saying she believes Pay-Go is at risk, and that based on increasing construction costs and the current financial environment, she does not anticipate three major school construction projects ultimately being completed. She acknowledged this could change in three or four years but pointed to the costs of new federal and state mandates, including SNAP administration and Medicaid re-enrollment, as additional pressures on the county budget. Bonnie Hauser acknowledged the Board is in a difficult spot, but said that OCS certified supplements have not increased in 10 years. She said the capital discussion, while important, felt a little limited and called on commissioners to hear the operating budget requests with equal compassion. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked staff to review the dates for budget information sessions. Wil Glenn, Orange County Community Relations Director, announced the dates for the budget information sessions on May 14th, May 20th, and May 21'