[Durham INC] County Manager's Proposed Budget Actions

[Reyn Bowman]

I'm not certain but I believe the Museum does all it can to offset expenses with earned income like it generates from the gift shop.  So those who have all the facts are probably making cuts in expenses where they know it won't also result in cuts in revenue...

Last information I had the Museum has a very high degree of popularity and support from residents and especially important, more than 60% of the visitors to the Museum are visitors who are bringing tax dollars into the community that help fund other services.

The meals tax certainly wasn't a referendum on the Museum...

From: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org] On Behalf Of Melissa Rooney
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 7:14 PM
To: inc-list at DurhamINC.org
Subject: Re: [Durham INC] County Manager's Proposed Budget Actions

Our schools cannot afford any more cuts. In fact, they need significantly more money to accommodate the supposed increase in people moving here (one of the arguments for all the new development we're seeing in the suburban and rural areas). Many of our schools are still overcrowded, particularly those in the rural and suburban areas, and their trailers are now considered permanent fixtures.

Don't mean to be barking up the same tree, but our local gov't needs to kick and scream and demand the ability to vote on NEW DEVELOPMENT impact fees specifically for public school funding. We citizens have been begging our state reps and senators for this ability for years, to no avail. Meanwhile Orange County is still benefiting from these fees which Durham County is prohibited from imposing. In the meantime a referendum to impose land transfer impact fees toward this end should be included on any ballot from here on out... even if it is unfair to our long-term and senior residents, it's the only thing we've got...there must be some way we can offset this unfair effect somehow. Colin, didn't you have some ideas in this regard?

I love the Museum of Life and Science, and all the improvements they've made. I am in full support of the new outdoor section and the Dinosaur trail, which are supposedly already funded via bonds. But I do not think this museum needs any additional improvements at this time, particularly a new and larger gift shop...and many Durham citizens did not vote for the prepared food tax because they didn't want the money used toward this end.

Just my ten cents...
Melissa


--- On Mon, 1/5/09, RW Pickle <randy at 27beverly.com> wrote:
From: RW Pickle <randy at 27beverly.com>
Subject: [Durham INC] County Manager's Proposed Budget Actions
To: fhna-list at fhnanews.com
Cc: inc-list at durhaminc.org
Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 6:27 PM

Press release from Durham County.



Today, the Durham County Board of Commissioners met for their first

Worksession meeting of the New Year.  County Manager Mike Ruffin presented

a plan of recommended actions to accommodate the declines in the economy

and its impact on County operations. The report used a decline in key

revenues as the basis for an overall FY 2009-09 Revenue Shortfall of

$14.25 million dollars. To make up that difference, the County Manager

recommends substantive cuts to county departments’ budgets to capture

$8,951,100 and proposes 3% cuts to other county funded agencies including

Durham Public Schools, Durham Technical Community College, Museum of Life

and Science, various non profits and more to

 make up the remaining

$5,291.587.



Dawn D. Dudley



Public Information Specialist



Durham County Manager's Office



919-560-0008  desk



919-475-4411  cell



ddudley at co.durham.nc.us











_______________________________________________

INC-list mailing list

INC-list at rtpnet.org

http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/private/inc-list/attachments/20090106/710a9c48/attachment-0001.htm>