Orange County NC Website
APRROVED 0 811 912 0 0 3 MINUTES <br />ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING <br />May 29, 2003 <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners met on Thursday, May 29, 2003 at <br />the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The purpose of this <br />meeting was to hold a public hearing on the County Manager's recommended 2003- <br />2004 budget. <br />COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret Brown and <br />Commissioners, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice M. Gordon, Stephen Halkiotis and Barry <br />Jacobs. <br />COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County <br />Managers Rod Visser and Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker {All <br />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. <br />The Board of County Commissioners considered changing the starting time of <br />the June 5, 2003 meeting to begin at 7:00 p.m. and the budget public hearing to begin at <br />7:30 p.m. to be held at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner <br />Halkiotis to change the Board of County Commissioners' regular meeting schedule to <br />begin the June 5, 2003 meeting at 7:00 p.m. and the budget public hearing at 7:30 p.m. <br />to be held at the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. <br />VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br />1. Presentation of Manager's Recommended FY 2003-04 Budget <br />Jahn Link expressed his appreciation to Budget Director Donna Dean, Budget <br />Analysts Paul Laughton and Rooney Mestas, Personnel Director Elaine Holmes, <br />Finance Director Ken Chavious, Assistant County Managers Gwen Harvey and Rod <br />Visser, Director of Purchasing and Central Services Pam Jones, Clerical Assistant in <br />the Budget office Devon Isaacs, and the department heads and the school <br />superintendents for their cooperation. He said that the proposed budget tries to strike a <br />balance between meeting the existing service needs of the County citizens and also <br />pursuing important service initiatives that have been discussed far same years - <br />improved response in technology, emergency medical services, and providing <br />appropriate support for recreation and parks. He made reference to the chart and said <br />that 48.3°~ of the County budget goes towards education. The next highest area is in <br />Human Services at 21.8°~. <br />The recommended budget calls for an increase in the tax rate of three cents, <br />going from 83 cents to 86 cents per hundred dollars of valuation. Over one cent goes <br />toward addressing the debt service far the sold bands from 2001. <br />General Revenue Highlights: <br />