Commissioners voted 6-1 last night to tentatively approve the county's $177.6 million budget, a reduction of more than $5 million from last year's $183 million. The ad valorem tax rate would be 85.8 cents per $100 valuation, a revenue-neutral rate that is 14 cents lower than last year.
The big discussion last night centered on the balance of library and solid waste convenience center hours. Faced with four main options, commissioners voted to keep all library branches open, to limit the main library branch to 54 hours per week, and to close all solid waste convenience centers on Sundays. Beginning in late September, convenience centers will be open 42 hours per week — Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Other line items were deleted to make the math work and prevent the county from spending any more than it did when it proposed to close the Carrboro McDougle and Cedar Grove library branches. There's more, but I'm still trying to confirm numbers.
A motion to keep the main branch open for 62 hours failed to receive a majority vote.
Oh, and they hired Frank Clifton as the interim county manager. His last manager job was in Onslow County.
As always, we'll be putting the pieces together from this week's meeting for 2.5 or 3 stories in next week's issue. It is going to be full of developing news stories; who said the summer was going to be dull?
Family Fun Day takes place all over Hillsborough tomorrow. For more weekend events, read this.
See what ended up on The News of Orange County's cutting room floor.
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