NC govwatch

← All meetings

Business Meeting

Orange County · Board of County Commissioners
Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Regular meeting Public facilitiesBudget and appropriationsEnvironment and sustainabilityFees and utility ratesHealth and human servicesHousing and affordabilitySolid waste and recyclingTax rate and revaluationTransitWater and sewer

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

OWASA gives its annual update to the county commissioners on the utility's recent activities and finances, presented by its board chair, secretary and executive director.

The board also takes a report on the 2025 results of the Longtime Homeowner Assistance program, a history of Animal Services and its new Community Animal Clinic, and second-quarter amendments to the transit work program.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

OWASA has decoupled its two big capital projects. It is proceeding with the Clearwell, which would run to 2031 if started now, and deferring PFAS treatment, citing progress toward proposed regulatory limits, deferred regulations, site constraints and the need to handle PFAS more broadly, including residuals and landfill leachate. Asked directly, OWASA's board chair said raw water from Cane Creek Reservoir carries PFAS at 110 parts per trillion and treated water reaches residents at about seven. Rate increases ran 5 percent in FY 2022, 16 in 2023, 9 in 2024, 15 in 2025 and 7 in 2026, building fund balance ahead of the spending rather than servicing debt; nothing has been borrowed yet, and bonds would run 20 to 25 years.

OWASA has also organized a working group on PFAS in private wells near Orange Grove Road and Highway 54, traced to legacy biosolids applications by other utilities, and secured $1.5 million to study PFAS across Orange and Chatham counties. On the homeowner assistance program, staff described a five-month campaign to raise applications, including a flyer with the August tax bills and application sessions at the Rogers Road and Cedar Grove community centers. Commissioners voted unanimously to reject the FY26 second-quarter transit work program amendments as a slate, following a recommendation from Interim Transportation Director Sarah Williamson, who cited a $4.2 million shortfall found in January in the tax district's financial model for FY27. They asked the Staff Working Group to hold the associated funds in reserve until the model is clearer.

How the votes went

Commissioners voted 7-0 to reject the FY26 Q2 transit work program amendments as a slate and to hold the associated funds in undesignated fund balance.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

2 members of the public spoke.

  1. A delegate to the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature thanked the board for the county's senior centers and described the group's monthly information tables there.
  2. A delegate to the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature said the group plans to send state lawmakers 14 letters from senior center participants asking for continued funding.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (4)

Presentation · 2Budget action · 1Staff or committee report · 1
  1. 4.a OWASA Annual Update Presentation
    Presentation Environment and sustainabilityFees and utility ratesPublic facilitiesSolid waste and recyclingWater and sewer
    OWASA's annual update to the county commissioners on the utility's recent activities and finances, presented by its board chair, secretary and executive director.
  2. 6.a FY26 Q2 Annual Work Program Amendments for Transit
    Budget action Budget and appropriationsTransit
    Second-quarter amendments to the FY 2026 transit annual work program.
  3. 7.a Longtime Homeowner Assistance Program Report for 2025
    Staff or committee report Housing and affordabilityPublic facilitiesTax rate and revaluation
    Results of the 2025 Longtime Homeowner Assistance programme, which gives low-income county homeowners a discount or rebate on their property tax bill. Staff ran a five-month campaign to raise applications above 2024: a programme flyer with the August tax bills, work with the Jackson Center, Homeowners United and Justice United, and application sessions at local churches and the Rogers Road and Cedar Grove community centers.
  4. 7.b Animal Services History and Community Animal Clinic
    Presentation Health and human services
    A history of Orange County Animal Services, which began in 1953 with one dog warden and a rabies control mission, no adoption programme and no volunteers, and shifted toward animal welfare and placement as canine rabies was eradicated. Staff also presented the new Orange County Community Animal Clinic, which lets them treat owned animals and keep pets with their families.

Other recent meetings of this board