By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
The Carrboro Board of Aldermen identified priorities for action throughout the recession on Monday at the board’s annual retreat at the Seymour Senior Center.
The board also heard from town staff and several local groups regarding the recession’s impact on the town budget, the local population and various organizations. Due to a communications glitch at Carrboro Town Hall, the media did not receive notice of the retreat and no members of the press were present.
To maintain growth and support residents during the economic downturn, board members brainstormed potential action items, including increasing aid to nonprofit agencies, controlling the tax rate, involving board members in a combined giving campaign and exploring options for local preferential purchasing.
Nancy Coston, director of the Orange County Department of Social Services, outlined the increase in demand for services since the economic downturn.
According to DSS, the number of Food and Nutrition Program recipients increased from 6,554 to 7,274 over a six-month period ending December 2008. Medicaid recipients in the county increased from 7,679 to 7,903 over the same period.
“Requests for emergency assistance are definitely up,†Mayor Mark Chilton said. “At the same time, county government departments are being asked to make a 10 percent cut…. With an increased caseload, they need to not have major cuts in staffing.â€
The board asked town staff to try to find a way to provide funding to organizations in the community that are providing assistance to those in need.
“It’s a bit of a conundrum, given that we want to keep the budget low and keep taxes as low as we can,†board member Dan Coleman said. “At the same time, there are nonprofits in the community that are providing critical services.â€
However, Coleman was optimistic about the board’s progress at the retreat.
“There were a lot of good ideas put out there by board members,†he said. “There seemed to be a lot of initial agreement on how to proceed.â€
Coleman said the board focused on understanding the impact of the recession on both the people of Carrboro and the town budget.
Board members heard from Assistant Town Manager Bing Roenigk regarding the recession’s implications for the Carrboro budget.
“The sales-tax picture was actually pretty good,†Chilton said. “Sales were basically only about flat, which, given the current situation, is good.
“Basically, the picture was not terribly bleak, at least not so far on that front.â€
Roenigk also reviewed projected revenues from property tax, given the recent property tax revaluations. The average increase in Carrboro property value was 25 percent.
According to Chilton, the town will adjust the tax rate downward in the coming budget in order to balance out the tax increase for property owners.
“Some people will still have effectively a tax increase, or an increase in the size of their bill, because [their property value] may have gone up more than 25 percent,†Chilton said.
The board plans to review identified priorities and action items at a work session on March 10.