Governor Beverly Perdue spoke to 200 people Friday at Fearrington Village as the Chatham County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced the kickoff to a major jobs creation campaign and new private sector funding of $525,000.

The annual Opportunity Chatham breakfast marked the launch of a previously announced five-year, $3-million initiative to create 2,000 new jobs in the county; create $72 million in new payroll; and facilitate over $211 in capital investment.

Also announced during the breakfast, the Opportunity Chatham Campaign has secured $525,000 of its $1 million private-sector fund raising goal.

Carol Straight, president of Chatham Hospital, said in her remarks that, "in recent years, attracting quality jobs has become a very sophisticated and highly competitive endeavor," and "we need to enlist the help of the public sector for funding, but we also need Chatham County businesses to step up with support."

Ricardo Hillman, site manager for Uniboard, a major employer in Moncure, stated the county needs "an aggressive and targeted business strategy that enables us to successfully pursue and secure new business opportunities for our community."

The breakfast also featured remarks by Gov. Perdue, and the keynote speaker, Ted Abernathy, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board. Another high-level state official attended the meeting—Keith Crisco, the NC Secretary of Commerce.

Perdue arrived at 8:30 a.m. and spent the first few minutes walking from table to table, greeting and chatting with local officials.

She then walked to the podium for a short address.

"Our goal in Chatham is to come out of this recession to be poised to be the best place in this country to live, to work and to retire in," she said.

She said the state was emerging from an unprecedented recession with the highest budget deficit ever, including the Great Depression, but the clouds were lifting.

The proposed 2010/11 Chatham County budget calls for a 2.5-cent tax rate increase, a proposed increase of 6 percent in school operating funds and a 4 percent reduction in non-school expenses.

Chatham County manager Charlie Horne presented his recommended budget of $84, 558,932 to the Board of Commissioners during a Monday night board meeting.

"The school funding increase is intended to help the school system avoid personnel cuts due to state funding shortfalls and to open the Margaret B. Pollard Middle School," Horne said.

Horne noted that this is his proposed budget.

"It is important to point out that the Board of Commissioners will review the proposed budget and revise it based on county priorities and public input," Horne said.

Commissioners must adopt a final budget before the fiscal year begins in July.

Horne said that in developing the budget he was mindful of the current economic conditions and he made every effort to minimize the impact on residents.

"Even with the 4 percent reduction in non-school expenses," Horne said, "we were compelled to propose the increase because of the operating costs associated with the new facilities."

Horne stated that the "funding needed to open the middle school and to cover other increases in school funding is almost 2 cents of the proposed 2.5-cent tax increase."

Besides the new middle school, other facilities opening in 2010-11 include: Chatham Community Library at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in Pittsboro, a CCCC classroom building in Siler City, a CCCC classroom building in Pittsboro as well as Northeast Park, Northwest Park and the park at Briar Chapel.

more- See Thursday, May 20, 2010 edition

The system will allow Jordan-Matthews students to get the opportunity to view the inner workings of renewable energy up close.

The solar panels system is connected to the school’s electrical system as well as to internet-based equipment that will allow students to monitor the panels’ electrical production.

Jordan-Matthews was one of five schools chosen out of nearly 30 that applied to be a part of the SunSense schools program.