Based on their comments and continued spending, Orange County’s liberal elite who dominate the county commission appear to have little concern for how expensive it is to live in the county.
Orange County Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier said though she is worried about making an already expensive area even more out of reach, the commissioners might have no better options.
“We do have a huge problem already with affordability,” Pelissier said. “Chapel Hill itself is already very much a commuter town — if you look at UNC or county government, many employees come in from Durham or Alamance counties.”
Pam Durban, a writer and creative writing professor in the UNC Department of English and Comparative Literature, said she plans to leave Chapel Hill as soon as she retires.
“I’ve lived here since 2001, and in those 11 years my property taxes have doubled,” Durban said. “I can afford it now, but when I retire I won’t be able to.”
The commissioners are now considering hiking the property tax rate to 86.9 cents per $100 — among the highest in the state.
No better options than to take more money away from families?
