Voters Pass Largest Bond in County History

The bond was divided into four sections and will fund the county's two school systems, parks and recreation, senior centers and affordable housing.

"I had been optimistic that the bond would pass, based on general comments and also editorials," Orange County Commissioner Alice Gordon said.

The majority of the $75 million will go toward education, with $47 million slated to construct and improve Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools.

The school bond will finance the building of two new elementary schools in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and one middle school in Orange County Schools in an attempt to ease overcrowding.

Gordon added that $2.9 million has been allotted for school maintenance and improvement.

She said the commissioners plan to have one of the two elementary schools completed by 2003 and expect construction to begin soon.

Along with the schools' funding, another $20 million is earmarked for the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities in the county. This will be the largest parks bond in Orange County's history.

"The parks bond was something that had extensive input and complexity because it included so many issues," Gordon said.

"People voted to preserve land that is getting more and more scarce, and I think it's a great thing that voters are addressing the issue."

The senior citizens portion of bond package includes $4 million that will fund construction of two new senior centers, the location of which already has been determined.

"One of them will be built in the central part of the county and the other will be at the southern part," Gordon said. "The senior centers bond did not pass in the previous referendum of 1997, so there is history being made," she added.

Voters decided that the remaining $4 million will be used to provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. "It was the second housing bond passed in the county," Gordon said. "The first was in 1997, and that one was $1.8 million."

Orange County's last countywide bond referendum -- passed in 1997 -- totaled $56 million and resulted in a 3-cent property tax hike.

Officials said that for every 1-cent increase in property taxes, the county receives about $889,000 in total revenue.

The recently approved bond package will result in a 7.1 cent to 7.5 cent increase in property taxes that will be fully in effect within three years.

"This decision by the voters gives us lots of opportunity for the future," Gordon said.

"That's what the citizens decided to do, and that's very gratifying."

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