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Carrboro readies for vote on budget

Posted on May 29, 2008May 29, 2008 by Staff

by Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

After a short public hearing at Town Hall Tuesday night on the proposed 2009-2009 budget, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen asked for a small rewrite and indicated they are likely to approve the proposal at the next meeting on June 3.

The main change as a result of the hearing was an addition of $4,000 to the amount the town will send to the Orange County Land Trust.

Robert Dowling, the Land Trust’s executive director, said his budget is increasing because of a considerable rise in the number of homes the organization handles.

The Land Trust wants to hire a marketing manager and improve its ability to move homes. The organization has requested an additional $8,000 from Carrboro this year, bringing the town’s total contribution to the Land Trust to $34,000.

Dowling reminded board members that the Land Trust is enacting public policy and must grow to keep up with what local governments are asking of it. “There’s no real choice,” he said. The trust expects to sell about 27 homes this year, he said. “Next year, potentially 70 homes; in 2010, potentially 100 homes.”

The organization’s original request was trimmed in half in Town Manager Steve Stewart’s proposed budget. Stewart said other local governments had made similar changes in their budgets.

But several board members said they’d like to see the original $8,000 request approved. In a vote on the question, Dan Coleman, Jacquie Gist and John Herrera approved the change. Mayor Mark Chilton and aldermen Joal Hall Broun and Lydia Lavelle voted against it. Randee Haven O’Donnell did not vote. The tie vote meant that the measure passed and Stewart was asked to adjust the budget accordingly.

At the hearing, the board heard from Zach Ward of DSI Comedy Theater and Michael Maher of Wootini Gallery on behalf of the town’s arts committee. They encouraged the town to find a more unified approach to promoting the arts. Ward suggested the town advertise more and consider taking out a full-page ad in the Independent Weekly to promote local arts events.

Also offering her comments at the hearing was Marty Mandell, who told the board she did not want to see taxes raised, because the slowing economy has already placed a burden on many residents.

“I think these are very somber times,” she said, “and people are hurting.” Raising taxes under such circumstances, she said, was unconscionable.

Stewart is recommending that the town raise property taxes 3.23 cents, putting the total tax rate at 68.60 cents per $100 of assessed value. For the owner of a $200,000 home, the increase would be about $65. The additional $4,000 would raise the rate by about an additional .03 cents.

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