Orange County NC Website
6 <br />School #10. The Board has already appropriated $3.5 million for the OCS Middle School #3 <br />and $4.3 million for the CHCCS High School #3. The staff recommendation was for the Board <br />to consider the remaining appropriations for the projects as listed in the abstract. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the only change he would make is to try and find more <br />money for conservation easements. He said that Environment and Resource Conservation <br />Director Dave Stancil sent him an email that someone from the federal government wants to <br />come and do an event with Orange County because it has reached $10 million that they have <br />given North Carolina in conservation easements since the early 80's. He believes that Orange <br />County has received $2 million just in the last few years. Orange County has the model <br />program, and he is concerned that they will run out of money in the next two-year period. <br />Budget Director Donna Dean said that they have talked about moving some of the Lands <br />Legacy money into conservation easements. Commissioner Jacobs said that he is comfortable <br />with not changing this as long as there is some general agreement that there will be sufficient <br />money to keep this program viable. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she is not ready to decide this yet because she does not <br />know the other options. She thought that when the Board approved the conservation <br />easements, it agreed to look over and evaluate the criteria. <br />Commissioner Halkiotis said that Commissioner Jacobs' suggestion is very valuable. He <br />thinks that the rural community has benefited immensely from the conservation easements. He <br />agrees with Commissioner Jacobs in principle. He challenged the Manager and staff to figure <br />out where to find funding for this. He asked the Manager to give the Board an update at the <br />next meeting on the issue with Mebane and the water lines and possible reimbursement for <br />future tap-ons, and the issue with Duke Power and the cost for the OCS to get power to the <br />middle school site and future tap-ons there also. <br />Chair Carey agreed with Commissioner Jacobs in principle also. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Foushee, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to <br />appropriate the remaining $5 million as follows: <br />OCS Middle School #3/West Ten Soccer Complex (water lines) - $500,000 <br />New Senior Centers - $2,000,000 <br />New Animal Services Building (land and design) - $700,000 <br />New County Campus (land and master site plan) - $1,800,000 <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she voted yes because the Board has already allocated <br />money to the high school, but she thinks that it is outrageously unfair that CHCCS is allocated <br />only $4.3 million for High School #3. <br />3. Sanitation Division Organizational Assessment <br />Rod Visser said that the staff was asked to look at the organizational assessment for <br />sanitation. The County has solid waste functions taking place in two different departments - <br />Solid Waste and Public Works. The staff looked at whether there were any efficiencies that <br />could be achieved by considering whether some or all of the functions could be combined into <br />one department instead of two departments. The recommendation is that the functions and <br />responsibilities of the sanitation division of the Public Works department be transferred to the <br />Solid Waste department. <br />Solid Waste Director Gayle Wilson said that Public Works, Solid Waste, Personnel, and <br />the Budget departments have been assessing the possibility of consolidating the solid waste <br />services. They have not looked at policies and work schedules, but the focus has been on <br />personnel, equipment, and the impacts on the different departments. There are some budget <br />issues. There are some positive impacts of such a reorganization, which are listed in the <br />