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County approves FY 2012-13 budget, no tax hike

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Staff

By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer

By a unanimous vote, the Orange County Board of Commissioners officially approved the 2012-13 county budget at their Tuesday meeting, the last meeting before summer break.

At a work session on June 12 the commissioners approved a resolution of intent to adopt the FY 2012-13 Orange County Annual Operating Budget after finding and allocating an additional $1.5 million to fund schools and nonprofit services, which both saw significant budget cuts.

The Orange County budget totals $180 million and maintains the current special-district tax rate while also, as Commissioner Barry Jacobs pointed out, avoiding a property-tax increase for the fourth year in a row.

The county was able to find an additional $65-per-pupil allotment for both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Orange County Schools, which added a total increase of $1,280,500 to the schools budget.

The remaining $219,500 of the $1.5 million that was added to the budget was split between initiatives the commissioners petitioned to fund.

The Dispute Settlement Center received $51,000 to help keep the program from closing after the legislature eliminated funding for all mediation centers across North Carolina. The commissioners also allocated $51,460 to the Central Library in Hillsborough to increase hours of operation by four per week, $1,000 to the Freedom House, $10,716 for a Fire Marshal position, $10,000 to a scholarship fund through the Department of Social Services and $120,000 to be set aside for the Rogers Road Community Center.

“We were able to maintain funding for outside agencies and give a pay increase to our staff for the first time in four years,” Jacobs said. “I want to thank the staff for all the good work they did.”

In finding extra money to allocate, the commissioners were still able to maintain the high level of their fund balance, which according to the commissioners is high due to extremely careful spending.

“Obviously, Clarence has done a good job with the county budget,” County Manager Frank Clifton said, referring to the county’s financial-services director, Clarence Grier, as the board thanked both Grier and his staff for their hard work on the budget.

The commissioners also unanimously passed a resolution approving a plan to implement voluntary roadside-management practices for ensuring the conservation of wildflowers along Orange County roadways.

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