At last week’s Town Council meeting, a council member likened Chapel Hill giving Wegmans an incentive to locate here as “being the first girl to put out.” Many in the community seem to agree. I see it as a risk-free way to show companies that Chapel Hill is serious about being open for business. One […]
All posts in category County business
Putting out
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 24, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/10/24/putting-out/
Playing it safe
It was a dark and stormy night for affordable housing last Monday. At the Oct. 10 Town Council meeting, we had two opportunities to take meaningful steps to increase the supply of affordable housing, and a majority on council squandered them both. Early on in the meeting, a council member put forth a resolution urging […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 17, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/10/17/playing-it-safe/
A bond without a plan
When it comes to taking on the challenge of increasing the amount of affordable housing, Orange County commissioners would do well to heed the wise counsel of Yogi Berra: “When you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” County commissioners proposed two bond referenda for the November election: $120 million to repair […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on October 10, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/10/10/a-bond-without-a-plan/
Ask the experts
Lead, follow, or get out of the way. When it comes to working on the problem of not enough affordable housing, town and county elected officials would do well to choose Door #3. At the joint board meeting of county commissioners and Town Council members on June 2, county commissioner Bernadette Pelissier suggested forming a […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on June 20, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/06/20/ask-the-experts/
Making the most of Ephesus-Fordham
Last week, someone using the name Jon Miller wrote to Town Council, concerned that proposed changes to the Ephesus-Fordham form-based code would weaken it. I responded that the modifications would strengthen it — taxpayers have a $10 million loan to repay from increased net tax revenue, and the four projects planned or underway won’t generate […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 14, 2016
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2016/03/14/making-the-most-of-ephesus-fordham/
Wasteful spending
No one wants their legacy to be trash, Maria Palmer told her colleagues at the April 8 Town Council meeting. Yet the time, effort and budget commitment for upgrading the solid waste convenience centers in Orange County and mandated curbside recycling lead voters to think otherwise. At the Assembly of Governments meeting on March 26, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on April 20, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/04/20/wasteful-spending/
Skip this ad
With the UNC men’s basketball playing the Sweet 16 game of the NCAA tournament at the same time as the Assembly of Governments meeting on March 26, ours may not have been the only household fighting over who would get the TV. If you were disappointed in the outcome of the game, boost your spirits […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on April 6, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/04/06/skip-this-ad/
Own up to tax hike
Get ready for a tax hike, a one-two punch of county and town both wanting more from taxpayers. Talk of money hung heavy in the air last week, with the county commissioners continuing discussion (kudos to board chair Earl McKee for dissuading his colleagues from rubberstamping approval) of a $125 million bond in 2016, and […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on March 9, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/03/09/not-in-my-checkbook/
Fix schools now, or later?
I stopped by the Orange County Commissioners retreat Friday afternoon to hear how commissioners planned to prioritize and pay for expenses on their wish list. As the discussion about whether to put a $125 million bond referendum on the ballot versus what’s called “pay-as-you-go” unfolded, I realized some commissioners took the “retreat” literally. The county […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on February 2, 2015
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2015/02/02/fix-schools-now-or-later/
Burned by Burns?
Such generosity we Orange County taxpayers show. Why, just look at the salary and benefits package we are paying County School Superintendent Del Burns — an annual rate of nearly $300,000. Add up his base pay, health coverage, a monthly car allowance of $250 and another $50 a month toward his cell phone, and we […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on December 22, 2014
https://chapelhillwatch.com/2014/12/22/burned-by-burns/