At its last meeting, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted a new budget that reduces the tax increase by 35 percent, with the approved tax rate for 2008-2009 being 65.3 cents per $100 of property appraisal.

Most actions taken by the commissioners were to reduce the budget, like the decreased funding for a new Community Development Department by $186,207. The new department would coordinate planning, central permitting (including building inspections and fire marshal), sedimentation and erosion control and environmental resources; it would also manage new tasks related to transportation, affordable housing and green building initiatives.

Another source of major savings comes from an agreement to get water at a more favorable rate from the City of Durham, yielding a savings of $722,266 that would have been transferred to a water capital reserve.

Accompanying the decreased spending, though, were a few increased expenditures. The commissioners increased the teachers supplement by $300, a boost from the initial $150 increase, and increased the supplement for teaching assistants, bus drivers and other designated personnel by $100, up from the proposed $50 increase. Because Chatham is required to have the same rate for the West Sanford Fire District as Lee County, that district tax will also increase from 8.6 cents to 10.9 cents.