Early results: Chapel Hill, Orange County ask voters to OK bonds for schools, town needs
Six bonds on the ballot in Orange County — $300 million for schools and $44 million for five different Chapel Hill town needs — were headed toward approval as results started coming in Tuesday.
Over 68% of the county's voters supported the schools bond in early results. Twenty of 40 Orange County precincts were reporting results as of 8:50 p.m.
In Chapel Hill, five of 18 precincts were reporting results, with five separate bonds heading to approval.
Local governments had spent the last few weeks of the election season urging voters to "flip, don't skip" at the polls, out of fear the bonds would be overlooked on the second page of the two-page ballot.
County voters also elected four commissioners Tuesday, and an unopposed candidate — Gail McKee Hughes — for Orange Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. In Carrboro, voters also elected a Town Council member to fill a vacant seat.
Over 60.4% of registered voters in Orange County showed up to the polls for Early Voting, according to the Orange County Board of Elections.
$300 million for Orange County schools
The $300 million schools bond could cover some of the $1 billion in building and repair needs identified by a consultant who studied Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools facilities in 2023.
The study found that at least 23 of the county's 39 schools and administrative facilities are over 40 years old and need significant repairs or should be replaced.
The money — $480.36 million with interest — would be split between the districts based on enrollment. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools could get $175 million; Orange County Schools could get $125 million.
County officials have said tax increases of up to 8.42 cents per $100 in assessed property value over the next 10 years are possible to repay the debt, adding a total of $336.80 in county property taxes to a house valued at $400,000.
The districts could use the money to:
County schools: Build a new, 600-student elementary school, replace Orange Middle School, and complete major renovations and an addition at another unidentified school.
City schools: Replace three elementary schools — Carrboro, Estes Hills and Frank Porter Graham — and complete major renovations at Culbreth and Phillips Middle schools, including the relocation of the Phillips athletic fields.
$44 million Chapel Hill bond
The $44 million Chapel Hill bond — $68.69 million with interest — also would pay for a range of needs and could be issued over the next six years. The bonds are not expected to require an increase the property tax rate, Mayor Jess Anderson has said.
The money would be spent on:
Affordable housing: $15 million to leverage in partnership with nonprofit housing developers and state and federal funding to build new housing, preserve existing homes, and buy property that could be used for affordable housing.
Fire stations: $15 million to replace Fire Station 3 at East Franklin Street and Elliott Road, and replace Fire Station 4 on Weaver Dairy Road Extension. Both are over 40 years old and have extensive plumbing, heating and cooling, roof and foundation problems.
Streets and sidewalks: $7.5 million to improve and expand sidewalks, making them accessible to people with disabilities. Potential projects include a Fordham Boulevard sidepath from Willow to Cleland drives, and Ephesus Church Road sidewalks from Pinehurst to Colony Woods drives.
Parks and recreation: $4.5 million to replace artificial turf at Homestead Park and also build a Community Center climbing wall, a splash pad or more pickleball courts. The final projects will be identified in a new Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Open space and greenways: $2 million to extend the Bolin Creek Greenway from Umstead Park to Estes Drive Extension.
Your guide to NC Election Night 2024: How to see results, when to expect a winner and more
