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Approved 5/16/2000 <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />REGULAR MEETING <br />February 14, 2000 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, February 14, <br />2000 at 7:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the Southern Human Services Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr. and Commissioners Margaret W. <br />Brawn, Alice M. Gordon, Stephen H. Halkiotis and Barry Jacobs <br />COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT; Geoffrey Gledhill <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. <br />Blythe (all other staff members will be identified appropriately below} <br />NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE <br />PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. ALL RECORDINGS OF <br />THE MEETING WILL BE KEPT FOR 5 YEARS. <br />1. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA -NONE <br />2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS <br />a. Matters on the Printed Agenda <br />Audience comments will be heard when the item is presented on the agenda below. <br />b. Matters not on the Printed Aaenda <br />Bab Clapp, a resident of Chapel Hill, said that he has a concern about the upcoming budget <br />process for the two school systems. His concerns are based on the discussion between the Board of <br />County Commissioners and the two school boards at their December 13, 1999 meeting. There is a <br />concern that there may be a wedge driven between the County Commissioners and the two school <br />boards in budget matters in particular, and this will cause education to suffer. He said that the concept of <br />capping the budgetary categories based on percentages is a poor precedent far budget setting. He said <br />that the implied direction of capping is contrary to national and state priorities. He pointed out that <br />Representative David Price is in Washington, D. C. actively seeking federal funds to support the local <br />school systems goal to reduce class size. He pointed out a number of implications to the taxpayers in <br />Orange County as a result of the proposed capping. He included a petition in his package signed by 75 <br />members of the public. The petition indicates that the undersigned are critical of the concept of capping <br />or formula-based budgeting in contrast to needs-based budgeting. It also said that the undersigned are <br />critical of the appearance that the County Commissioners have made up their minds on this issue, and <br />the negative tone and message given to the respective school system leaders and the school boards. <br />Chair Carey assured the public and Mr. Clapp that the concept of capping is not something <br />that the County Commissioners have been considering. He said that the County Commissioners are <br />considering same parameters for long term planning by the school systems and the County. <br />Sherri Toler Murrell, a board member of ABODE and Vice President of the Board of Directors <br />of the InterFaith Council, spoke about the idea of a housing trust fund for Orange County. She reiterated <br />that there is a lot of public support for this idea in Orange County. She listed some organizations and <br />individuals that support affordable housing and a housing trust fund in the County. <br />PUBLIC CHARGE <br />Chair Carey dispensed with the reading of the public charge. <br />3. BOARD COMMENTS <br />Commissioner Halkiotis asked that a meeting not be scheduled on Valentine's Day again. He <br />asked that a meeting be scheduled with a DOT official to explain DOT's snow and ice removal priority list. <br />He said that a lot of people assumed that snow and ice removal was a County function. <br />Commissioner Jacobs agreed with having DOT explain their priority list for snow and ice removal. <br />He made reference to the County's facility on Homestead Road and asked why there is not potable <br />water. He asked County Attorney Geoffrey Gledhill to contact the Mebane Attorney to see if Orange <br />County could help with the litter problem around the entrance to Lake Michael. He made reference to an <br />Emerging Issues Forum indicating that he could only attend the second day, and he asked if another <br />