Yesterday, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved a seven-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The CIP also includes the addition of a library branch in the northeastern part of the county as a future project with no specified timeline. Although a location for the new library has not been announced, it is possible that the land Newland has set aside in Briar Chapel for a civic building could be used for this purpose.
"We felt that the overall CIP presented by the County Manager's Office was on target, but we did make some changes that are primarily focused on looking for additional cost savings," said Commissioner Chairman Brian Bock. "We also want to keep a library branch in the northeastern part of the county on the radar given the population in this area. Hopefully we can add this to the schedule when we identify funding sources."
The County Manager's Office noted that the current CIP will require a one-cent increase in the property tax rate or an equivalent amount of funding from other sources, such as budget cuts or revisions to the CIP projects. The commissioners said they will discuss how to fund all of the projects at their upcoming retreat in January.
To learn more about the county's capital budget, visit the Chatham County website.
