The Chapel Hill Town Council, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Orange County Board of Commissioners will hold a joint meeting at 7 p.m. to receive a draft report from the consultants working to determine the fiscal impact of UNC's future satellite campus.

Officials stress that the results are only preliminary.

Last January, university leaders and local officials agreed that the campus would "have a net neutral or positive fiscal impact on the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County local governments."

But there was considerable disagreement on what would count on each side of the ledger.

University representatives said private development and amenities on the campus would provide both tax money and direct public benefit.

Community leaders wanted a promise that the university would offset the full cost of any taxpayer-funded services such as fire protection or schools.

"You don't pay for providing firemen's salaries with providing walks in the park," Chapel Hill Town Council member Bill Strom said at the time.

The two sides agreed that the fiscal impact study would guide "reimbursements with regard to the cost of services."

The consultants, TischlerBise and The Chesapeake Group, will present preliminary findings at the meeting, which will take place at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road.

Unveiling the draft report while still in progress will help the consultants to "double-check the underlying premises and assumptions of their work," according to Linda Convissor, director of local relations at UNC.

Carolina North executive director Jack Evans said the fiscal-impact study won't be finished until later this summer.

"These folks are going to look at the services and direct benefit and direct flow of dollars," he said. "They're also going to conduct an evaluation of the indirect benefits."

Evans said the university trustees and municipal leaders will still need to interpret the economic analysis and negotiate a fiscal equity agreement.

"They're probably going to have to have some conversations about what they agree belongs in the discussion," Evans said.

Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil reiterated the town's position that direct costs and benefits ought to carry substantially more weight than the indirect -- things like access to performing arts venues and recreation facilities.

"For every indirect benefit, there's probably an indirect cost," Stancil said. "I think that's why you try to deal with what can be quantified."