Sign up now for winter basketball

November means that winter is right around the corner, and for many of our young athletes that means the start of Orange County Recreation Basketball winter season. Registration is ongoing through Nov. 12 for Youth Winter Basketball for boys and girls ages 5-12.

The season runs Dec. 5 through Feb. 25. Teams will meet twice per week on weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons. In the preseason, teams will practice twice per week. Once games begin, regular season teams will have one practice and one game per week. For divisions 9-10 and up, the season will conclude with a single-elimination tournament. Please note this is subject to change due to the cancellation of games or practices due to weather or any other reason.

All team meetings will be held at the Central Recreation Center, 302 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough.

In-Person Registration is available at the Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center, Suite 140, 1020 US 70 West, Hillsborough during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

Online registration is available at www.orangecountync.gov/activityregistration. If you or your family has participated with us before and you do not know your account information, call 919.245.2660 during regular office hours for further assistance.

Orange County Recreation relies on volunteer coaches to grow a love of sport in our community. Coaches must exhibit the ability to teach good sportsmanship and sport fundamentals, as well as organize practices, prepare for games, and communicate effectively with players, parents and Recreation Division staff. All coaches must complete an application and pass a background check. Anyone interested in coaching may contact Kevin Bradsher at kbradsher@orangecountync.gov or 919.245.2672 for more information.

Notice of Public Hearing for 2022 Orange County Transit Plan Update

In 2012, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) along with the Durham-Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and GoTriangle adopted the first Orange County Transit Plan. This Plan was funded by a newly adopted Article 43 Half-Cent Sales Tax. It included investments in new and expanded bus service and new capital infrastructure projects like the Chapel Hill North-South Bus Rapid Transit Project, the Hillsborough Train Station, and the Durham-Orange Light Rail Transit (DOLRT) Project. The Plan was updated in 2017 to meet federal requirements associated with the DOLRT Project.

In March 2019, the DOLRT Project was discontinued. This project was the Transit Plan's primary investment, representing a critical partnership between Durham and Orange counties and serving as the transit infrastructure around which other transit services and growth strategies were planned. In response to the discontinuation of the DOLRT, the Orange County BOCC initiated the process to update the Transit Plan in November 2019.

Over the past two years, a staff and consultant project team have developed a draft Transit Plan Update with input from the public and steering through a Policy Steering Committee (PSC). Additional information about the planning process and outreach phases used to develop the draft 2022 Orange County Transit Plan Update can be found at: www.octransit2020.com.

Orange County BOCC Public Hearing

For any resident who would like to provide comments directly to the BOCC, Orange County staff has scheduled a public hearing on Nov. 1, 2022, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room at the Whitted Building, 300 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough. The agenda for this meeting will be available online by 5 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2022, on the following webpage: https://www.orangecountync.gov/1707/BOCC-Agendas.

Public comments may also be submitted to Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor, via email at (taltieri@orangecountync.gov). Comments submitted to this address before midnight on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, will be forwarded to the BOCC in advance of the Nov 1 public hearing.

Applications open for Longtime Homeowners Assistance property tax relief program

Applications are now being taken for the Longtime Homeowners Assistance (LHA) program for 2022. In 2021, the LHA was a pilot program created by the Board of Commissioners that provided grants to homeowners for assistance in paying property taxes. The goal of the LHA is to provide property tax bill assistance to help people stay in their homes.

The board approved several changes for 2022 to boost participation, including reducing the requirement to have owned and lived in the home from 10 years to five years. The changes formalized policies for heir’s properties and those owned by Family Trusts to provide assistance based on the income of the persons who live in the household and not all the heirs or members of the trust.

To learn more, click here.

Tax administrator reminds resident it's time to pay property taxes

Orange County Tax Administrator Nancy Freeman reminds Orange County property owners that it is time to pay property taxes. Tax bills were mailed in early August and were due Sept. 1, 2022.

The grace period to pay before interest is added ends on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Interest in the amount of 2% will be added immediately, and 0.75% interest will be added on the first of each month thereafter until the taxes are paid. Unpaid bills are considered delinquent after Jan. 5, 2023, and subject to collection methods.

Not receiving a property tax statement does not relieve the property owner from paying property tax and/or interest applied for late payments. Anyone who has not received a tax statement may contact the Tax office to request one at 919-245-2100.

Please bring the bill when paying in person. The Tax Office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is located on the second floor of the Gateway Center at 228 S. Churton Street in Hillsborough. Enter the building through the west doors facing the parking deck. Checks should be made payable to Orange County Tax Collector.

When paying by mail, include the bottom portion of the statement and retain the top portion of your statement. If a receipt is needed, please include a written request with your payment. If you do not have your coupon, please mail your payment to the Orange County Tax Office, PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278.

All mailed payments must be USPS postmarked on or before Jan. 5, 2023, to be considered timely received. You may view your tax information and your payment history at www.orangecountync.gov/PayTaxes. You may make secure credit card payments online here https://pay.orangecountync.gov/. Note that credit or debit card payments are assessed a service fee by the credit card servicing company. Orange County does not receive any portion of this fee, and you are notified of the amount prior to completing your transaction.

www.orangecountync.gov