April 2014

Solid Waste Tax District

Solid Waste Tax District Public Hearing tonight 4/1/14 in Hillsborough.

I attended the public hearing on 3/18. Here are my observations based upon what others have said.

1.       The main problem is that the county had a good funding system which has been called into question. Many speakers supported the fee system and feared that a tax district would cost them more.

2.       People with open land, forest or agricultural land should be using the Present Use Value Program ( and other conservation incentives) so their tax valuation should not be high. The majority of people should pay less in tax than in the old fee since only a relative few have higher assessed properties.

What We Should Do About Solid Waste

This recycling issue has been under consideration by the commissioners for a full year now. We are no closer to a clear resolution than we were last April.


Students Should Use On-Campus Voting Site

This piece originally ran in the Daily Tar Heel as a guest editorial on April 1st.  

I believe everyone should vote, and I believe voting should be easy and convenient. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the recent direction that we are going in North Carolina. Last year, the N.C. General Assembly severely restricted the ability of residents to vote. It cut the number of days of early voting, limited the ability of out-of-state students to cast ballots and did away with one-stop registration during early voting. 

Forum Open Thread: Carrboro Board of Aldermen Special Election

Welcome to the open thread for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen Special Election candidate forum happening on April 6, 2014. Comments on this post will open at that time.

There are three candidates for one seat: 

  • Bethany Chaney
  • Talal Asad
  • Theresa Watson

You can observe the forum at http://orangepolitics.org/elections-2014/forums/cboa.

We hope you'll use this open thread to post your thoughts and reactions. Also, if you want to propose additional discussion topics, you can reach the editors during the forum via Twitter, Facebook, or the contact page. The forum moderator will have final say in question selection.

Sample Ballots May Primary

Sample Ballots for the May Primary can be viewed at NCSBE.gov . Gary Kahn  

This Week in Orange Politics: April 7-13

Budgets and facilities planning will top the agendas of many of Orange County's public bodies this week. The Chapel Hill Town Council will receive an update from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools on facilities planning, while both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education and the County Commission will work on priorities for upcoming budget years. The County Commission will also hear an update on the County Manager's proposed capital investment plan.

 

Some of the other events around the county will include a Rosemary Imagined Review Committee meeting, a Justice United forum on the influence of ALEC and an input session on the Southern Branch Library siting. 

 

Here are the highlights: 

 

Forum Open Thread: Orange County School Board

Welcome to the open thread for the Orange County School Board candidate forum happening on April 13, 2014. Comments on this post will open at that time.

There are six candidates for four seats: 

  • Greg Andrews - did not respond to our invitations to participate
  • Tom Carr - declined to participate in our forum
  • Donna Coffey
  • Michael Hood
  • Brenda Stephens - declined to participate in our forum
  • Rosa Williams

You can observe the forum at http://orangepolitics.org/elections-2014/forums/ocboe.

We hope you'll use this open thread to post your thoughts and reactions. Also, if you want to propose additional discussion topics, you can reach the editors during the forum via Twitter, Facebook, or the contact page. The forum moderator will have final say in question selection.

This Week in Orange Politics: April 14-20

Though it's a short week at many government offices across Orange County, the county's public bodies are staying busy. Both the Chapel Hill Town County and the county school board will consider their budgets for the next fiscal year, while the Carrboro Board of Alderpersons will tackle parking. The Hillsborough Town Board will consider two specific projects, while the County Commission will consider its 2014 legislative agenda and discuss rural curbside recycling again.

 

Here's the summary: 

 

CARRBORO BOARD OF ALDERPERSONS

Regular Meeting: Tuesday, April 15th, 7:30pm, Carrboro Town Hall

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