Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
APPROVED 4/1/2003 <br />MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />WORK SESSION <br />February 24, 2003 <br />5:30 p.m. <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Monday at 5:30 <br />p.m. in the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret W. Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice <br />M. Gordon, Stephen Halkiotis and Barry Jacobs <br />COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill and S. Sean Borhanian <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager <br />Rod Visser and Gwen Harvey, and Acting Deputy Clerk Evelyn Cecil {All other staff members will <br />be identified appropriately below) <br />NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT <br />AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. <br />Chair Brown called the meeting to order. She reported that Commissioners Gordon and <br />Halkiotis would be a little late in coming to the meeting. <br />John Link introduced Todd Jones, the new Chief Informational Officer, and welcomed him to <br />Orange County. <br />1. Fiscal Outlook Update <br />Budget Director Donna Dean said that she told the Board at the retreat in January that she <br />would bring back an update an where we stood after the second quarter sales tax in the middle of <br />February. The first two quarters were very promising and the County received about $7 million in <br />the first six months. She read the figures from the chart. The total projection for the additional'/ <br />cent sales tax for the year is $1.8 million. <br />Regarding other updates, the Budget staff has looked at other county revenues and <br />expenditures and Orange County is very much on track with what was budgeted for this year. <br />There are three major areas that the Board can focus on that were postponed last year - <br />payand benefits initiatives, County and school capital funding projects, and replenishing the <br />County's fund balance. <br />Chair Brown asked about reinstating same of the capital projects and if all of them could be <br />reinstated. John Link said that it was entirely up to the County Commissioners. He said that he <br />could provide the Board with a revisited chart of original items. Donna Dean said that it amounted <br />to about $925,000. <br />Jahn Link said that they are meeting with the two school superintendents tomorrow, so they <br />could ask them about their priority recurring capital projects that would have to be finished between <br />now and the end of the year. <br />Commissioners Gordon and Halkiotis arrived at 6:49 p.m. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that his first reaction to this is to follow course with as few <br />commitments as possible before we get into the budget process. This is especially important if <br />merger of the two school systems is a possibility because there will be major tax implications. He <br />would like to have as much money in the fund balance as possible. <br />Donna Dean summarized the presentation for Commissioners Gordon and Halkiotis. <br />