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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 4, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 9 -~ <br />SUBJECT: Proposed Agreement for Student Generation Rate and Impact Fee Studies <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning 8~ Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Tischler and Associates Proposal <br />Form of Proposal <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Craig Benedict, ext 2592 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-81$1 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider awarding a proposal to Tischler and Associates, Inc. for professional <br />services associated with the Student Generation Rates and Impact Fee Studies; and to <br />authorize the Manager to sign an agreement reflecting substantially the terms of the attached <br />proposal. <br />BACKGROUND: The Board of County Commissioners adopted three goals (Public Schools <br />Impact Fees, Adequate Public Facilities, and Analysis of Impacts of Growth) in June 1999 that <br />address the need to conduct studies on student generation rates and impact fees. <br />Existing analysis on both issues was originally conducted in 1994 and 1995 and in recent years, <br />the need to verify and/or update the previous findings has become clear. OR/Ed Laboratories <br />conducted student enrollment studies approximately five years ago using data from existing <br />school databases. Their findings paralleled the Department of Public Instruction's projections. <br />In view of the actual increases in enrollment that have occurred versus the OR/Ed projections <br />showing waning growth, it is reasonable to conclude that the OR/Ed work may not have <br />resulted in the most accurate information being applied at that time for future school planning. <br />OR/Ed projections need to be updated, and while the new studies may also employ current data <br />used by the school districts, the use of complementary sources of student information and <br />Planning staff s monitoring of the process will lead to more credible results. <br />Another element in favor of these new studies is the need to empirically test various <br />assumptions that have been informally applied for student generation rates in the two school <br />districts. Another reason is to examine the need for, and cost of providing, new school space <br />for the growing student population that would support a request from the Orange County Board <br />of Education to increase the impact fee in the Orange County School District. Furthermore, the <br />Triangle Apartment Association has expressed interest in an examination of any differences <br />