Tonight, Chapel Hill's mayor will ask the Orange County Commission to return to 1986 Chapel Hill library funding levels and represent at least 20% of the Town's operational costs in this year's budget.

Mayor Kevin Foy will also ask the County to take immediate steps to establish a long term agreement that uses revenue formula in order to make commensurate the levels of funding and usage by residents of Orange County (outside of Chapel Hill) within three years.

During the May 7, 2008 Budget Work Session the Mayor presented to Members of the Council data concerning current Chapel Hill Library usage. That data reported that forty percent of users are made up of Orange County residents outside the Town of Chapel Hill while County funding levels represent 11% of the total operating budget.

The Council agreed that current county operational funding levels (11%) is unfair to both Chapel Hill tax payers (who are also Orange County taxpayers) and Orange County tax payers based on usage and the level of services provided.

The County currently contributes $250,000 to a $2.6 million operating budget (includes debt service) and this is clearly inequitable. The Council agreed that the Mayor should formally ask the County Commissioners to come back to funding levels of 20 years passed (20%) during this upcoming year's budget. They also agreed that immediate steps should be taken to establish a long term agreement that uses a revenue formula in order to commensurate levels of usage by residents of Orange County (outside of Chapel Hill).

The Orange County Commission meets tonight at 7:30 p.m.