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32 <br /> 1 Chair Hamilton said most of the funds had been advanced, and this is borrowing to recoup that <br /> 2 cost. <br /> 3 Gary Donaldson said the only exceptions are the Durham Tech building and the fire alarm. <br /> 4 <br /> 5 A motion was made by Vice-Chair Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Greene,to open the public <br /> 6 hearing. <br /> 7 <br /> 8 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 9 <br /> 10 PUBLIC COMMENTS: <br /> 11 Adam Beeman expressed concerns about unwise budgetary decisions that result in a redundancy <br /> 12 of services. He gave an example of recycling trucks to collect recycling along with upgrades to solid waste <br /> 13 convenience centers. He felt that recycling pick up is a subsidy for people who already pay for private <br /> 14 trash services. He said it's one in a line of small items that add up. He requested that the Board invest <br /> 15 in the schools rather than in Durham Tech and gave an example of the personal support he's given to the <br /> 16 Orange High School FFA program. He shared his opinions of Durham Tech's training programs. Regarding <br /> 17 affordable housing, he noted that the only way to provide it is by densifying around existing services. He <br /> 18 suggested that the Board invest in the Town of Hillsborough water system and increase capacity. <br /> 19 <br /> 20 A motion was made by Vice-Chair Fowler, seconded by Commissioner McKee, to close the public <br /> 21 hearing. <br /> 22 <br /> 23 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 24 <br /> 25 A motion was made by Vice-Chair Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Bedford, to approve the <br /> 26 resolution supporting the application to the Local Government Commission for approval of the financings. <br /> 27 <br /> 28 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 29 <br /> 30 6. Regular Agenda <br /> 31 a. Approval of a Contract with GAR Associates, LLC to Evaluate the Reappraisal and Tax Assessment <br /> 32 Process in Orange County <br /> 33 The Board approved a contract with GAR Associates, LLC to evaluate the reappraisal and tax assessment <br /> 34 process in Orange County and make recommendations for improvement. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 BACKGROUND: The Orange County Tax Administration Office completed a revaluation of real property in <br /> 37 2025. Following community feedback and Board concerns about potential deficiencies in the County's <br /> 38 reappraisal process, the Board of County Commissioners created a Tax Assessment Work Group and <br /> 39 charged it to evaluate the policies, processes, and procedures used by Tax Administration to determine <br /> 40 property values. Work Group representatives include three (3) County Commissioners, the County <br /> 41 Manager,the Director from the Community Justice Collaborative of the North Carolina Housing Coalition, <br /> 42 the Tax Administrator,a representative from the Orange County Property Tax Justice Coalition,the Budget <br /> 43 Director,the Director of Civil Rights and Civic Life, a non-profit housing provider,the Community Relations <br /> 44 Director, and four(4) community members representing different geographic areas in the County. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 One of the specific tasks of the Work Group is to provide feedback and input to a consultant retained by <br /> 47 the County to conduct a detailed evaluation of reappraisal processes and make recommendations for <br /> 48 improvement. In December 2025,the County issued a Request for Proposals(RFP)to conduct this analysis. <br />