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Orange County asks state for money to repair housing, expand behavioral-health crisis care and preserve farmland
Summary
At a March legislative breakfast, Orange County commissioners presented state representatives with a packet of priorities seeking state funding for affordable housing repairs, a crisis diversion facility, farmland preservation and relief from property-tax pressures tied to school funding.
Orange County commissioners on March 23, 2026, met with Representatives Renee Price and Allen Buansi to press for state funding for affordable housing repairs, expanded behavioral-health capacity and farmland-preservation programs, and to raise concerns about proposals to limit local property-tax authority.
The commissioners presented a legislative priorities packet developed by county staff and discussed several concrete needs. Commissioner Marilyn Carter told the delegation the county is seeking state support to preserve farmland and to increase funding for repairing and preserving existing affordable housing stock. She said the county estimates about $2 million in unmet home-repair needs for low-income residents and that just under $500,000 in HOME funds had been committed to repairs but that individual projects often cost more than anticipated.
Carter also framed behavioral health as a top need. She said Orange County lacks sufficient community-based treatment capacity and is building a crisis diversion facility with no committed state funding; county staff said the facility is expected to break ground in 2026 and aim to open in 2027. Carter noted short-term grant supports for local teams (PORT and CARE Teams) expire on June 30, 2026, increasing near-term funding pressure.
Representatives Buansi and Price acknowledged the county’s priorities and described the limits of state budgeting this year. Buansi warned that the absence of a completed state budget creates unpredictability for counties, schools and Medicaid recipients; he said some legislators are pursuing funding for farmland-preservation grants and that a workforce loan program would require about $80 million to continue. Price recommended working with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) and other statewide advocates to press the case in Raleigh.
The delegation and commissioners discussed broader tax and finance concerns, including talk among some lawmakers about a potential constitutional amendment to limit property taxes. Commissioners said school operational spending is a major driver of local property-tax bills — roughly 55% of a typical resident’s tax bill and about 63% inside the Chapel Hill–Carrboro special district — and they urged the state to consider funding adjustments that would reduce pressure on local levies.
Other topics raised included requests for a Medicaid reimbursement code to sustain behavioral-health urgent-care services and full funding for public Pre-K to support child development and labor-force participation. Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford warned that changes to SNAP eligibility and error rates could hit county DSS administrative budgets hard; she estimated an administrative impact of roughly $680,000–$900,000, a figure County Manager Travis Myren said referred to administrative costs and that benefit contributions would be affected in a subsequent fiscal year.
The meeting closed with thanks from Chair Jean Hamilton to staff and the delegation. The Board adjourned at 9:54 a.m. without a formal motion; the minutes record a unanimous vote to adjourn.
What happens next: county leaders said they will continue refining the priorities packet, pursue coalition advocacy through NCACC and follow up with the delegation as state budget negotiations and related bills progress.
