The Orange County Board of Commissioners will convene this evening to vote on spending nearly $220 million over the course of the next fiscal year.

That figure represents the estimated expenditures in a proposed budget recommended by Orange County Manager Bonnie Hammersley for board member approval.

Those expenditures were briefed to board members last week by Assistant County Manager Paul Laughton, who offered an itemized look at educational spending.

“Current expense appropriation for local school districts total $80,745,847, and equates to a per-pupil allocation of $3,991,” he cited.

“The current expense appropriation for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools is $48,530,521; the current expense appropriation for Orange County [Schools] is $32,215,326.”

Laughton also expounded on budgetary provisions that would allow for law enforcement officers and professional nurses to be present in schools throughout the county.

“Additional net county funding for local school districts totals $5,454,000; number one of that is school resource officers and school health nurses contracts,” he relayed.

“Total appropriation of $3,354,000 to cover the cost of school resource officers in every middle and high school and a school health nurse in every elementary, middle and high school in both school systems.”

A special district tax that supports Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools would also be lowered under the recommended budget to 20.08 cents per $100 in property value.

Board Chair Mark Dorosin endorsed that adjustment as a way to lower taxes in the county while reducing funding disparities between its school districts.

“I think it’s imperative that we work to reduce the funding disparities between Orange County Schools and [Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools],” he stated.

“The way to to that is to — and I’ve said this before in other contexts that I am not in favor of raising that tax; if we have to raise taxes, I’m always in favor of the ad valorem — this is an opportunity to reduce that disparity by cutting that one.”

Additional proposed adjustments include a reduction in the property tax rate by four cents, which translates to 83 cents being collected by the county per $100 in property value.

With these adjustments having already been approved by board members during work sessions, the proposed budget stands to be adopted tonight without debate.

Related Stories
‹
Orange County Commissioners Approve Funding for Five Affordable Housing Projects
The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to split over $2.7 million between five local affordable housing projects. Portions of that sum are being granted to Habitat for Humanity, CASA, and EmPOWERment Inc. for the construction of low-income domiciles. Habitat for Humanity will receive over $915,000 to build 24 owner-occupied townhouses for […]
County Officials to Discuss Federal Pushback on Light Rail Project
Approval prospects for the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit Project have become tenuous as a result of recent communication between GoTriangle and the US Federal Transit Administration. According to an agenda item intended for the Orange County Board of Commissioners, GoTriangle representatives will elaborate on the status of the project during a regular meeting scheduled for later […]
Residents of Chapel Hill's Elliott Woods Apartments Share Concerns of Displacement, Conditions as A Sale Looms
The Elliott Woods Apartments and Chase Park Apartments complexes in Chapel Hill are set to be sold. Tenants are worried about their futures amid poor current conditions.
Housing Affordability Is a Key Concern for Orange County Voters This Fall
Affordable housing is a vital issue for voters in the upcoming election, according to some Orange County residents who say the high cost of living pushes them to consider living elsewhere. 
Chapel Hill Nonprofit Aims to Set New Affordable Housing Blueprint with PEACH Apartments
After redeveloping and renting houses for years, Chapel Hill's EMPOWERment Inc. is set to go a step further: by building its own apartments.
NC 'School Choice' Proclamation First by Democrat Cooper
Gov. Roy Cooper has proclaimed “North Carolina School Choice Week” for the first time since the Democrat took over the job more than five years ago. The proclamation for “choice week,” which began Sunday, is interesting given Cooper has raised issues over expanding the number of charter schools. And he’s opposed relentlessly efforts by Republican legislators to […]
Orange County Asking Barn of Chapel Hill Complaints be Consolidated
The Orange County Board of Commissioners has issued a statement on court cases involving the Barn of Chapel Hill. There are currently four similar appeals pending before the Orange County Superior Court regarding the barn operating as an event space brought on by neighbors of the property, according to the county. The board has requested […]
Orange County Piloting Rural Broadband Project
The Orange County Board of Commissioners has approved a contract to develop broadband infrastructure for unserved or underserved residents in rural areas. Open Broadband, LLC will be servicing the 36-month pilot project, which will serve almost 5,000 resident address points in the county. Many residents of rural Orange County still rely on DSL for internet, […]
No Alteration for Orange County Commissioner Elections on the Horizon
Editor’s Note: The headline of this article has been changed from “Orange County Commissioners Looking Into Changing How District Vote” to the current headline. The reason for the change was to correct any implication that the matter was set to come before the board in the near future. While it has been discussed during a […]
Orange County Commissioners to Adopt Recommended Budget for New Fiscal Year
The Orange County Board of Commissioners will convene this evening to vote on spending nearly $220 million over the course of the next fiscal year. That figure represents the estimated expenditures in a proposed budget recommended by Orange County Manager Bonnie Hammersley for board member approval. Those expenditures were briefed to board members last week […]
›