By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
In creating the 2012-13 budget for Orange County, finance and administrative services director Clarence Grier told
the Orange County Board of Commissioners that his department strived to balance the budget without recommending a property-tax increase.
And although that goal was met, and there are no property-tax increases in the proposed budget, some Orange County residents want their taxes raised to provide additional money for the county’s school districts.
“We, the citizens, need to give you the resources necessary to provide the resources needed, even if that means a property-tax increase,†Krysia Lynes told the board Tuesday at their second public hearing on the proposed 2012-13 budget.
Lynes said she felt that both the Orange County Schools Board of Education and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education had asked the county for an increase that reflected the bare minimum of what was actually needed.
Both school boards asked the county commissioners to increase the per-pupil allocation as the state continues to cut education funding. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro board asked the county for an additional $67 per pupil and the Orange County board requested an additional $220 per pupil.
In the proposed budget, the county allocates $3,102 per pupil, which does not reflect the increase requested by the school boards.
Although the budget does not accommodate the school boards’ full requests, Grier told the commissioners the county is allocating more money to both districts to reflect their increased enrollment projections.
Grier said in order to fully fund the two districts’ requests, property taxes would need to be raised.
Six people chose to speak at the public hearing regarding funding for the school districts, and all six were in favor of a property-tax increase if it meant the schools would get the money they requested.
In addition to proponents of fully funding the school boards’ requests, the board of commissioners heard from representatives of the Dispute Settlement Center.
The Dispute Settlement Center lost state funding when the legislature eliminated funding for all mediation centers across the state, and came before the board to request $60,000 to continue to operate.
“I know the value of the services that the Dispute Settlement Center provides,†said former county Commissioner Moses Carey. “I urge you to find it within yourselves … find it within the budget to support the request the Dispute Settlement Center has made.â€
The board of commissioners will hold a budget work session today (Thursday) and will adopt the 2012-13 budget on June 19.