A guide to Orange County's bond referendums

In the 2024 election, Orange County voters will have the opportunity to vote on a bond referendum for Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Voters in Chapel Hill will have five additional bond referendums on their ballots.

Bond referendums give voters the ability to decide if a town or city should be authorized to raise funds for its projects by issuing general obligation bonds — a long-term borrowing method where a local government borrows money and promises to repay the debt with interest over time.

Orange County 

All Orange County ballots will include a referendum to fund school replacements, upgrades and repairs with a $300 million bond that would be split between OCS and CHCCS. 

In 2023, Orange County commissioned Woolpert Strategic Consulting to conduct a facility condition assessment of both districts' school buildings to determine which needed structural improvements, CHCCS Chief Communications Officer Andy Jenks said. 

Based on the consultant's recommendation and conversations with elected officials in town, community members and the OCS and CHCCS educational boards, $175 million was allocated to CHCCS to rebuild three of its elementary schools, Carrboro, Estes Hills and Frank Porter Graham elementary schools, Jenks said.

“The bond is on the ballot because a lot of our schools are more than 70 years old, with aging systems and structures that make it difficult to provide a safe and comfortable learning environment,” Jenks said.

OCS would receive $125 million, which would be used to rebuild Orange Middle School, a currently undecided elementary school and an additional major renovation to another school, OCS Chief Public Information Officer Kevin Smith said. 

“There are long-term capital needs Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have,” he said. “And the bond is a way to get funding for long term construction projects with lower risk to the public.”

According to current projections by OCS, CHCCS and Orange County, the bond is projected to cost a property taxpayer roughly $34 for every $100,000 of assessed property value through an increase in taxes for Orange County taxpayers.

Jenks said if the bond does not pass, both districts can still use their operating budgets to perform day-to-day maintenance items and repairs, but it would not be enough funding to rebuild or construct new schools.

“Even if you don't have school-age kids, we think the bond impacts the entire county, because good schools improve property values, attract businesses and create a stronger community for everyone,” he said. “So we're working on spreading the word that this matters to everyone, not just parents of kids who are in school.”

The referendum will be the last item on the second page of ballots in Orange County. 

Town of Chapel Hill

On May 15, the Chapel Hill Town Council adopted a resolution stating their intent to proceed with five referendums on affordable housing, public facilities, streets and sidewalks, parks and recreation facilities and open space and greenways for a total of a $44 million bond.

Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson said  the bond orders were made to align with the Town's Complete Communities Strategy, meant to promote sustainability and inclusion within Chapel Hill.

The affordable housing and public facilities bond would both be allocated $15 million, she said.

According to the Town website, the affordable housing bond would be used to construct new affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing and/or acquire property to be used for affordable housing. Meanwhile, the public facilities bond would be used to replace the town's ailing fire stations, Anderson said. 

The other three bonds include a $7.5 million streets and sidewalks bond to improve sidewalk connectivity, a $4.5 million parks and recreation facilities bond to expand and improve existing facilities with community input and a $2 million open space and greenways bond to construct the Bolin Creek Greenway extension from Umstead Park to Estes Drive Extension. 

“Not only our housing, but our greenway initiatives are all about affordability,” Anderson said. “So making sure that people who work here can live here, that the people who make our community run can be here and not have to commute.” 

The Chapel Hill bonds will have no impact on current taxes, she said.  

Anderson said these bonds go on the ballot as referendums as opposed other types of bonds because the Town wants to affirm that its priorities are going in the direction that people want to see, which is why it is important for people to vote on them.

“Educated voters — not just on candidates, but also on these big decisions that are being made for our communities — are really important as part of healthy communities,” she said.

@sarahhclements

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com