HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20091105 APPROVED 12/7/2009
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
November 5, 2009
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Thursday,
November 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Central Orange Senior Center in Hillsborough, North
Carolina.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Valerie P. Foushee, and Commissioners
Alice M. Gordon, Pam Hemminger, Barry Jacobs, Mike Nelson, Bernadette Pelissier, and
Steve Yuhasz
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Managers
Willie Best and Gwen Harvey, and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff members
will be identified appropriately below)
NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT
AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
- PowerPoint presentation for item 6-a — Orange County Agricultural Development and
Farmland Protection Plan
- Water level sheet (aqua)
- Memo from Larry Tucker from Town of Chapel Hill Public Works in reference to item
7-a — Update on 911 Addressing Project (blue)
PUBLIC CHARGE
The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge.
2. Public Comments
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda - NONE
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
(These matters were considered when the Board addressed that item on the agenda
below.)
3. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
a. OWASA's Draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update
The Board received a presentation from representatives of the Orange Water and
Sewer Authority on a Draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan.
Ed Holland, OWASA Planning Director, made a PowerPoint presentation. The
Executive Summary is as follows:
Draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update
Executive Summary
July 17, 2009
OWASA's draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update report identifies key recommendations
for meeting the expected water needs of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) through 2060. The draft report includes two principal findings:
1. Expansion of OWASA's Quarry Reservoir west of Carrboro continues to offer the
most cost-effective increment of additional supply and will provide full control of a
substantial amount of high quality water with minimal capital investment. An
expanded Quarry Reservoir is expected to meet most anticipated water supply
needs for the 50-year planning period.
2. OWASA should develop agreements with neighboring utilities to secure the
permanent ability to purchase or sell water under appropriate conditions of supply
and demand. Except for the expanded Quarry Reservoir, temporary purchases
offer the most cost-effective option evaluated, especially for the infrequent times
and limited amounts of water that may be needed during the next 25 years or more.
Purchase agreements also provide important mutual support when critical facilities
are out of service due to maintenance, equipment failure, severe weather, or other
emergency conditions. Continued participation in the recently established Jordan
Lake Partnership will provide important opportunities to develop such arrangements
and to gain cost-effective access to OWASA's Jordan Lake water supply storage
allocation.
In developing this report, OWASA conducted a thorough review of the underlying assumptions,
including demand projections, supply/demand-side alternatives that were evaluated in its last
comprehensive water supply report, Water Supply: A 50-Year Vision for Carrboro, Chapel Hill,
and Southern Orange County(March 2000), and other alternatives that have been identified
since that time. Highlights of the update include:
- All customer groups — residential, commercial, and UNC — have significantly
reduced their drinking water consumption in recent years. During the same time,
OWASA implemented permanent process water recycling at its Jones Ferry Road
Water Treatment Plant, began operating a new reclaimed wastewater system
serving UNC, and aggressively promoted conservation through seasonal and tiered
rates and an ongoing customer education program. New residential, commercial,
and UNC development projects are increasingly relying on non-potable and
advanced water use efficiency technologies to reduce their drinking water needs.
- OWASA's existing Cane Cree/University Lake/Quarry Reservoir supply system can
meet the community's water supply needs substantially further into the future than
previously thought, even when reservoir levels are significantly lower than "normal."
- Investing in an expansion of OWASA's reclaimed water system or establishing
financial incentive programs, such as plumbing fixture rebates, to promote
additional water conservation is substantially less cost-effective than other options
evaluated. OWASA-funded support for such programs is not recommended at this
time.
The Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update report presents a very positive future for OWASA
and the communities it serves. Through aggressive, proactive conservation-focused actions,
future generations living and working in OWASA's service area will be able to enjoy a reliable
supply of high quality drinking water with far less capital investment than predicted nine years
ago.
The complete Draft Long-Range Water Supply Plan Update report and Appendices, which
include the technical memoranda on which the report is based, is posted on the OWASA
website at www.owasa.org.
Commissioner Gordon arrived at 7:13 p.m.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about the agreement with the quarry and American Stone
and Ed Holland said that they have not heard anything at OWASA and if there were
complaints, they would go to the Health Department or American Stone.
Commissioner Jacobs asked for a report regarding the agreement for amenities offered
to the neighborhood next to the quarry. He would like an update on how the agreement is
working.
Frank Clifton said that the Health Department is monitoring this area and some wells
have been replaced. Staff will provide an update to the Board of County Commissioners.
Commissioner Jacobs said that the stone quarry on NC 57 was supposed to come up
for a permit renewal in 2008-2009 and there was also talk about an asphalt plant. He heard on
the radio two days ago that DOT was going to start repaving 1-85 in Orange County. He wants
an update on this area.
Commissioner Yuhasz asked if there are other providers that would have water
available in water shortages and Ed Holland said that would be the Town of Cary. He said that
OWASA would have the capacity to buy up to 7 million gallons per day from Cary through
Durham.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if OWASA had a legislative agenda and have they
brought up the idea of a rebate or subsidy for replacing high-flow plumbing fixtures with low
flow ones. Ed Holland said that OWASA does not have anything in the works as of now. He
said that they have realized over the past two years that these changes are taking place
without legislative involvement.
4. Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner Hemminger
to approve those items on the consent agenda as stated below:
a. Minutes
The Board approved the minutes from October 6, 2009 as submitted by the Clerk to the Board.
b. Appointments
(1) Affordable Housing Advisory Board — Reappointment
The Board reappointed Vivian Herndon-Latta to a second term ending June 30, 2012 to the
Affordable Housing Advisory Board.
c. Property Tax Releases
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release property values
related to five (5) requests for property tax release requests in accordance with N.C. General
Statute 105-381.
d. Applications for Property Tax Exemption/Exclusion
The Board approved a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, related to ten (10)
untimely applications for exemption/exclusion from ad valorem taxation for the 2009 tax year.
e. 2009-2010 Small Business and Contract Renewal
The Board approved the renewal of a contract to continue support of small business
development services for Orange County as stated in the Economic Development Strategic
Plan adopted May 14, 1996 and reaffirmed by the Economic Development commission in its
new strategic plan, Investing in Innovation:2005-2010; and authorized the Manager and the
Clerk to execute the contract.
f. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding for Senior Lunch Program
The Board approved the receipt of $17,893 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
funding to purchase additional Senior Lunch meals that will be served at the two Orange
county senior centers; and authorized the Chair to sign the agreement with the Triangle J
Council of Governments for Provision of County-Based Nutrition Services for the Elderly
Through the American Recovery and Reimbursement Act of 2009; Award Provision for ARRA
Funds, County Nutrition Program Providers; and ARRA County Funding Plan.
Approval of the Senior Food Service Caterer Contract with Nantucket Café, Inc.
The Board approved and authorized the Chair to sign the food service contract with Nantucket
Café, Inc. at a reimbursement rate of $3.75 per meal, serving approximately 155 meals per
day of operation. The Board also amended the Department on Aging's community based
services budget to include the ARRA funds in the amount of $17,893 in the operations account
for the purchase of senior meals; and approved a charge of $5.00 per meal served to guests
effective December 1st.
h. Change in BOCC Regular Meeting Schedule for 2009
The Board amended its regular meeting calendar for 2009 by adding an Assembly of
Governments meeting for Monday, November 30, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human
Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill. The Town of Chapel Hill will be hosting
the meeting.
i. Service Coordination Renewal Agreement with Manley Estates and the Department on
Aging
The Board approved the renewal of the Agreement for the Department on Aging to provide on-
site service coordination for the residents of the HUD 202 First Baptist and Manley Estates
senior housing complex in Chapel Hill; and amended the Aging-Eldercare budget to include
the $7,200 in contract revenues and personnel expenditures; and authorized the Chair to sign.
L Approval of an Agreement with Dr. Claudia Sheppard for Veterinary Services
The Board approved an agreement between Orange County and Dr. Claudia Sheppard in an
amount not to exceed $37,500 that would be expended in FY 2009-10 for the provision of in-
house spay and neuter services for adoptable pets, as well as existing consultative veterinary
services and authorized the Chair to sign.
k. NC Department of Correction Grant Award and CJPP Continuation Contract
The Board received FY 2009-2010 Criminal Justice Partnership Program implementation grant
funds totaling $173,467 from the NC Department of Correction and approved the contracts
with the NC Department of Correction and Freedom House Recovery Center and authorized
the Chair to sign the contracts.
I. Transfer of Affordable Rentals, Inc. Properties
The Board approved the transfer of 13 properties currently owned by the Affordable Rentals,
Inc. to EmPOWERment, Incorporated; and authorized the County Attorney's Office to prepare
the necessary documents to complete the transfer and authorized the Chair and Manager to
execute the documentation.
m. Legal Advertisement for Quarterly Public Hearing — November 23, 2009
This item was removed and placed at the end of the consent agenda for separate
consideration.
n. Community Use of Schools Facilities for Recreation
The Board approved a set of guiding principles and recommendations from the
Intergovernmental Parks Work Group regarding the potential for use of school facilities for
community recreation purposes, authorizing Parks and Recreation and ERCD staff to
participate in the planned review of existing policies.
o. Propose to Accept Offers to Purchase for Four County Properties
This item was removed and placed at the end of the consent agenda for separate
consideration.
County Provision of Recycling Service for County School Facilities
The Board approved the Memorandum of Understanding with the Orange County Public
School System to provide recycling collection services to Orange County public schools and
other school system facilities and authorized the Chair to sign pending final review by staff and
the County Attorney.
VOTE ON CONSENT AGENDA: UNANIMOUS
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
m. Legal Advertisement for Quarterly Public Hearing — November 23, 2009
The Board considered the legal advertisement for items to be presented at the joint
Board of County commissioners/Planning Board Quarterly Public Hearing scheduled for
November 23, 2009.
Chair Foushee proposed that the meeting time be changed to 7:30 p.m. at the Central
Orange Senior Center and that a dinner meeting be added at 5:30 p.m. at the Link
Government Services Center.
A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner
Pelissier to approve the November 23, 2009 Quarterly Public Hearing legal advertisement; to
change the time to 7:30 p.m. for the Quarterly Public Hearing at the Central Orange Senior
Center; and add a dinner meeting at the Link Government Services Center at 5:30 p.m.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
o. Propose to Accept Offers to Purchase for Four County Properties
The Board considered offers to purchase four County properties offered for sale and
approving a resolution initiating an upset bid process and authorizing the Chair to sign.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the historic nature of the N. Churton St.
properties that the County is seeking to divest. He said that he contacted someone that is
involved in historic preservation and there are no protections for these properties. He said that
when the County did renovations at the courthouse, some of the public accused the County of
not taking care of historic buildings. He said that the County Commissioners adopted a policy
that any time there is any work on a property that it has purchased, that it will first do an
archaeological, cultural, and historic assessment.
Pam Jones said that staff did not do any archeological studies on these properties they
are selling.
Commissioner Jacobs said that this is a mistake. He said that it should be the policy
that if the County conveys a historic property that it should be protected when transferring
hands. He said that he had sent a model agreement between Preservation North Carolina and
a property owner to the County Attorney just so he could see it. He suggested asking the
people who have offered on these two properties to voluntarily enter into this type of
agreement as part of the sale and have staff report back at the November 17th meeting.
Frank Clifton said that they need to now advertise for upset bids and he said they could
add this provision in the advertisement. He said that if there are no higher bids then they can
talk to the existing bidders.
Commissioner Gordon suggested deleting #9 on the agenda abstract, which stated that
"if no qualifying upset bid is received after the initial public notice, the offer set forth above is
hereby accepted; and the appropriate county officials are authorized to execute the
instruments necessary to convey the property to the group(s) listed above."
Pam Jones said that they are amenable to bringing this back to the Board and they can
remove item #9.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that if all of the bids were rejected, then the intentions could
be clear from the beginning about the historic preservation.
John Roberts said that he is not comfortable with the changes in the terms and he
would want to make sure they were legal first.
Commissioner Jacobs suggested that staff see if the bidders were amenable in the
meantime.
Commissioner Hemminger said that she would not be comfortable springing a seven-
page document on someone.
John Roberts said that the County could reject all bids and add the historic preservation
document on the advertisement.
A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to
reject the current bids, add the preservation easement language, delete #9 from the process,
and re-advertise the properties for sale.
Commissioner Gordon asked if this could just be referred to staff for a recommendation
and delete #9 from the process.
Frank Clifton said that it is not his recommendation to reject the bids because it delays
the process.
VOTE: Ayes, 5; Nays, 2 (Commissioner Gordon, Commissioner Hemminger)
5. Public Hearings-NONE
6. Regular Agenda
a. Orange County Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan
The Board considered adopting an Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection
Plan for Orange County and authorizing the staff to submit the plan to the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Cultural Resources Specialist Tina Moon made a PowerPoint presentation.
Farmland Protection Plans must include the following sections:
1) A statement of the need for action
2) A summary of the County's authority to adopt a plan
3) An overview of agricultural activity, past and present
4) An outline of challenges for local agricultural efforts
5) A list of opportunities for enhancing local agriculture, including existing programs and
potential new programs
6) A set of action steps to ensure a more viable agricultural community for the future, and
7) A schedule to implement the action steps.
*Counties must adopt new Farmland Protection Plans to lower match requirements for ADFP
Grants.
Table of Contents — ORANGE COUNTY FPP
Executive Summary
Introduction
Guiding Principles
Overview of Agricultural Activity
Challenges to Agriculture in Orange County
Opportunities for Enhancing Agriculture in Orange County
A New Vision for the Future of Agriculture
Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community
Implementation Schedule
Authority of County Action
Project Milestones
January 2008: APB meets with Ag Advisory Boards to discuss Farmland Protection Plan and
Comprehensive Plan
November 2008: APB meets with Ag Advisory Boards to discuss draft Farmland Protection
Plan.
March 2009: ERCD staff meets with Karen McAdams and Gail Hughes to make sure all
comments are addressed
April 2009: ERCD staff submits draft FPP to ADFP staff, Ag Advisory Boards and EDC for
final review
May 2009: ERCXD staff makes final revisions
June 2009: County staff shares working draft with BOCC as informational item
Executive Summary— Successes
1) More than 2,700 acres enrolled in the Voluntary Agricultural District Program
2) More than 1,275 acres of prime and threatened farmland permanently protected with
14 conservation easements
3) Vital component of local economy; more than $46,000,000 in gross agricultural sales in
2005
4) Great direct marking opportunities; strong interest in locally grown products; five active
farmers markets
5) Regional value-added food processing center underway
6) People Learning Agriculture Now for Tomorrow (PLANT) farm enterprise incubator at
Breeze Farm
Executive Summary—Areas for Improvement
1) We can no longer consider working lands (agricultural or forestlands) as undeveloped
2) We must recognize and address the challenges of large-acreage framers, the stewards
of our"rural experience"
3) We must adopt a more proactive approach toward attracting new farmers and new farm
operations
4) We must continue to educate residents on the indirect benefits of agriculture to the
community
5) We must begin a dialogue with the municipalities in and adjacent to Orange County
regarding agricultural issues
Dave Stancil said that the next round of grants for this comes up in December.
The recommendation is for the Board to adopt the plan in accordance with the
resolution, and authorize staff to submit the adopted FPP to the North Carolina Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Commissioner Gordon made reference to the resolution, and the third "Whereas" where
it says, "permanent protection of more than 2,500 acres of farmland." She noted that 2500
acres was the total amount of land protected and not just farmland. She suggested saying
"2,500 acres of land," and then finding out how much farmland this was specifically protected.
If the specific amount is not known, then she suggested the following language: "more than
2,500 acres of land, including significant amounts of farmland obtained through agricultural
conservation easements."
Commissioner Pelissier said that she likes the way this involves different stakeholders.
She said that a farm survey is going to be distributed in January. She said that this is about
farming and not just about farmland preservation. She asked how much money was in the
Agricultural Development Farmland Preservation Trust Fund and how much has been used.
Dave Stancil said that for this cycle there is approximately $3 million. Orange County
was one of the first entities to receive money from this, but there has not been much money to
give in recent years.
Commissioner Pelissier asked if the Economic Development Commission would also be
involved, and to what extent.
Dave Stancil said that there has been discussion of a joint meeting with the EDC early
next year.
Commissioner Jacobs made several grammatical corrections to the document and staff
indicated that they would make the suggested changes.
On page 43, under Piedmont Value-Added Shared-Use Food &Agricultural Processing
Center, he thinks that this should be very up front and have that it was Orange County and its
public/private partners. He does not want to portray that Orange County did this alone.
Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Agricultural Support Enterprises program (pp.
48 and 51) and said that it was supposed to come back to the Board a long time ago.
Planning Director Craig Benedict said that originally this was an exercise of ERCD and
EDC. As it moved through the process, there was a delay and now the Planning Department
is working with EDC to work this into the Unified Development Ordinance program. Staff can
give a status report.
On page 48, regarding the Value-Added Processing Center, instead of "the County
hired a broker," it should say, "the four-county entity hired a broker," to reiterate the
partnership.
On page 49, the Cedar Grove United Methodist Church should be specific and
"Granges" should be capitalized.
On page 51, item 6-e, "Require buffers between residences and farm fields and
buildings as part of new residential subdivisions," he said that this should be done already.
Commissioner Jacobs made reference to page 52, and the tax relief incentives, and he
suggested that an item `e' be added: "Support a revision to the revenue and acreage
requirements of the use Value Program. Many operations can easily meet the revenue
requirements but do not meet the minimum ten acres threshold for agricultural operations." He
said that there are more and more small acreages that are generating revenue, but are
penalized in North Carolina and not considered eligible for Use Value. It has been in the
legislative goals for years, and this would be an appropriate place to add this intent.
On page 54, he would like to mention the requirement of some County functions to use
locally grown produce, etc.
On page 56, item `i', he does not know what this is referring to. Dave Stancil said that
there have been some discussions about impacts of farm animals getting loose and
interactions with Animal Services. There has been some interest in having further discussions
about this and having some policies.
On page 57 and page 58, item 2-a on both pages, he said that again, the County
cannot expand existing programs in the schools.
On page 60, it refers to Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts, and he has not seen
a definition of this.
On page 61, it should say, "encourage new farmers," instead of "produce new farmers."
Commissioner Jacobs said that there was discussion with El Centro Latino about
involving members of the Latino community and he would like to mention this.
On page 61, item 4-a, he questioned the wording of "honorable occupation," and said
that no one was saying that farming was a dishonorable occupation.
On page 62, lower-case item `c' at the top, he said that he would hope that the Board
would adopt this policy before the five years are up.
Commissioner Yuhasz made reference to page 16 and the population and said that this
number is wrong.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the Board could adopt this plan in principle and ask
Commissioner Jacobs and any others to write out all of the corrections and bring it back on the
consent agenda.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
change the wording of the resolution as discussed and adopt the Orange County Agricultural
Development and Farmland Preservation Plan in principle with a list of revisions submitted by
Commissioner Jacobs and others, and authorize the staff to submit the plan to the North
Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Reconsideration of item 4-0:
Chair Foushee said that staff needs clarification on item 4-o because there are two
properties that are not in the historic district of Hillsborough. The understanding is that those
bids could move forward.
A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner Hemminger
to reconsider item 4-0.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Commissioner Yuhasz asked if the Homestead property had any historical significance
and Pam Jones said that it was built in the 1950's and she does not know of any historical
origins. It used to be a community center.
Commissioner Jacobs said that the County should have a policy that when it divests of
any property that they need to see if there is any historical significance.
Commissioner Gordon said that, since this issue was first presented at tonight's
meeting, she did not have time to think about the best way to proceed. She would prefer to
have research from the staff first so they could make a recommendation to the Board.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Nelson to
proceed as staff recommended with the Homestead property, with the deletion of#9 as stated
previously, and to ask staff to report back with a recommendation for the other properties.
VOTE: Ayes, 3 (Commissioner Nelson, Chair Foushee, Commissioner Gordon); Nays, 4
MOTION FAILED
A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
move forward with the Homestead property, delete # 9 from the process, reject the bids for the
historic Hillsborough properties, and ask staff to bring back these properties, and if appropriate,
re-advertise those with a preservation provision in place.
VOTE: Ayes, 5; Nays, 2 (Commissioner Gordon and Commissioner Nelson)
Frank Clifton said that before any more properties are put on surplus property, staff will
do property searches for historical significance.
Commissioner Nelson asked to bring back the New Hope Old 911 station property also.
Commissioner Jacobs said that the Historic Preservation Commission has an Inventory
of Historic Properties that it gave to the Board and it has been waiting for ten years to be
published.
b. School Capital Project Ordinance Amendments
The Board considered approving the School Capital Project Ordinances and approving
the appropriation of $724,000 from fund balance in the General Fund for transfer to the School
Capital Project fund.
Financial Services Director Gary Humphreys said that staff has spent a lot of time
reviewing these projects and in some cases there was more money budgeted in the county
records than CHCCS was showing overall for their projects.
BACKGROUND: As part of the process of reviewing School Capital Projects, County
staff shared the County's recorded amounts for School Capital Projects with the staff of the
two school systems. County staff and the staff of both the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
systems and the Orange County Schools system had several meetings to compare respective
project records and determine how to bring records into alignment. It has been a number of
years since there has been an effort to reconcile the School project records and County project
records. Differences have accumulated over this time.
County staff met first with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system staff. After initially
reviewing the budget and expenditure differences, staff jointly agreed to compare the
remaining unspent budget balances for all of the projects per the County records with the
remaining unspent project balances according to the school system's records. The
comparison showed that the County's records have a total remaining unspent project balance
for all of the projects that is greater than that shown on the school system's records. School
staff and County staff agreed that a win-win approach would be to come to agreement on the
remaining project budget balances and adjust records accordingly. The amount of additional
funds needed to correct the under-funding for the CHCCS projects has been reduced
significantly.
County staff then met with Orange County Schools' staff and went through a similar
process. The number of items for which there were differences was not as great but the
overall remaining budget needed was approximately the same. In meeting with both of the
school systems, a number of projects were identified that were no longer active but that were
still on the records of the County or the school systems or both that could be taken off the
books.
The plan to correct the under-funding of the County and School Capital Project funds
required an additional $2.4 million appropriation from the General Fund in FY 2009-10. Of that
amount, the amount to be appropriated for transfer to the School Capital Project fund is
$724,000.
The two schedules, which are incorporated by reference, summarize the project
ordinance amendments being presented to adjust the currently active project ordinances as
agreed upon with the staffs of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools system and Orange
County Schools system.
In addition to addressing the immediate problem of bringing records into alignment, the
staffs of each of the school systems and County staff agreed that there needed to be steps to
ensure that project records are kept in alignment in the future. County staff and school staff
have been working more closely for some time which has served to keep more recent project
activity in better alignment. Communication on an ongoing basis is the key element in keeping
records in agreement. A joint meeting with both school systems was held to discuss how to
accomplish this. The staff of the school systems and County staff agreed to meet twice a year
to compare records and resolve any differences. The County Financial Services staff would
set the meetings which would occur in the September and March-April timeframe. Additionally,
the staffs agreed to maintain good ongoing communication whenever there was a question
related to capital project activities. The staffs also agreed that actions would be taken on a
timely basis to close out project budgets when a project was complete.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: An appropriation of $724,000 of fund balance in the General
Fund for transfer to the School Capital project fund is necessary to complete the funding
needed to bring project funding into alignment.
RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends that the Board:
1) Approve the attached School Capital Project Ordinances; and
2) Approve the appropriation of $724,000 from fund balance in the General Fund for
transfer to the School Capital Project fund.
Commissioner Yuhasz asked about the accounting of the original budget and what was
actually spent in these projects, particularly on the construction projects. He would like to see
this information as the Board goes forward.
Commissioner Pelissier said that she does not know where the $724,000 came from.
Gary Humphreys said that in order to fund these ordinances, this money was needed and it is
part of the $2.4 million that is part of the plan.
Frank Clifton said that in the past the Board of County Commissioners would approve
projects and then not take the budgetary action to do the project.
Chair Foushee said that the projects were initiated and completed, but the
reconciliations were not completed. She said that it would be helpful to see the numbers
aggregately.
The County Commissioners agreed that they would like to see information that shows
where the $724,000 comes from with an explanation of the numbers.
Discussion ensued on how the Board would like these specific figures with an
explanation.
Frank Clifton said that he would bring this information back to the Board.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Nelson to
refer this back to staff to get the information about the $724,000, with an explanation of
procedures to be put in place so that this will not happen again.
Discussion ensued on the CHCCS project, Mechanical Systems.
Frank Clifton said that the Orange County staff and the school systems' staffs are
working together to make sure that this does not happen again.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
c. Register of Deeds Reorganization Plans
The Board received information on the reorganization plans in the Register of Deeds
Office.
Register of Deeds Joyce Pearson made this report. There are two supervisors that are
taking advantage of the retirement incentive program, so the department is reorganizing. The
revised reorganization will:
- Reduce the number of supervisory positions from four to two, which will flatten the
department's organizational structure
- Reclassify the two vacant supervisor positions to Register of Deeds — Leadworker
- Change the reporting structure for one Deputy Register of Deeds II in the Imaging
section
- Change the reporting structure for the Imaging Supervisor to the General
Operations section
- Change the title of the Imaging Supervisor to Imaging Coordinator
- Create a second Assistant Register of Deeds which will supervise the Vitals,
Indexing, Imaging Deputy Register of Deeds staff
The County will realize an estimated $70,954 savings through the retirement incentive
program. The reorganization will utilize the same number of positions (16). One position will
be reclassified to a higher grade, for an estimated cost of $5,222; two vacant positions to be
reclassified to a lower grade, for an estimated savings of $5,625. The long term financial
impact to the County is neutral.
A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner Nelson
to acknowledge the reorganization of the Register of Deeds office and approve the title
change of the Imaging Supervisor to Imaging Coordinator.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
d. Agreement for Orange County Main Library Public Art Project— Revisited
The Board considered authorizing the County Manager to sign the Orange County Main
Library Public Art agreement with artist Wayne Trapp contingent upon final review by the
County Attorney and the Historic Hillsborough District Commission.
Martha Shannon made this presentation.
BACKGROUND: On June 16, 2009 the BOCC approved the public artwork for the new
library ("You are Here" by Hillsborough artist team of Michael Waller and Leah Foushee)
contingent upon approval by the Hillsborough Historic District Commission. On October 7,
2009 the Hillsborough Historic District Commission voted 4-2 to reject this public art proposal
as submitted for the new library due to scale. The Orange County Library Public Art Selection
Committee met again on October 14, 2009 and decided to move forward with its second
choice —the public art proposal by Wayne Trapp of Vilas, NC.
For over four decades Wayne Trapp has been creating and making "site-specific"
sculpture for a wide range of clients including school districts, hospitals, transit stations, banks
and public parks. Mr. Trapp has many years of experience in working with engineers, building
inspectors and design firms and has been commissioned for site specific sculptures all over
the world. Wayne Trapp's sculpture was previously commissioned for the Seymour Center in
Chapel Hill. For images of previous work and more information, please visit Mr. Trapp's
website at www.waynetrapp.com.
Wayne Trapp's site specific public art commission for the Orange County Main Public
Library in Hillsborough will be constructed using materials of lasting quality such as weathering
steel (cor-ten). The addition of several rocks from local quarries can be used for seating
purposes.
Mr. Trapp's thoughts about this sculpture for our new library are as follows: "The ebb
and flow of nature is a primary impulse for this classic contemporary sculpture. The open
gesture of this piece of art is one that will integrate this historic building into a 21st century
environment, allowing the energy of the past to become a part of the energy of today's world.
The spirit of this sculpture is expansive yet gentle, a symbolic honoring of the past while
inviting it to become a part of the present....allowing both to proceed in a meaningful way for
many future generations to enjoy."
If authorized by the Board and the Hillsborough Historic District Commission, the public
artwork by artist Wayne Trapp will be located in a 13 ft. x 40 ft. space located on the northeast
side of the main entrance to the library facing Margaret Lane.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The total project budget of $10,000 comes from $5,000
allocated by the Board in the CIP and $5,000 in matching funds from the Friends of the
Orange County Public Library.
A motion was made by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Commissioner Hemminger
to approve authorizing the County Manager to sign the Orange County Main Library Public Art
agreement with artist Wayne Trapp contingent upon final review by the County Attorney and
the Historic Hillsborough District Commission.
Commissioner Jacobs said that he mentioned something about finding a place for the
other sculpture. He would like to have Martha Shannon work with the Historic Hillsborough
District Commission before commissioning artwork for downtown Hillsborough. He would like
to tie this in with the justice facility.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
7. Reports
a. Update on 911 Addressing Project
The Board received an update on the 911 Addressing Project.
Orange County GIS Director Steve Averett made this PowerPoint presentation.
911 Addressing Project
History
- MOAD (Master Orange Address Database)
- Effective 1999-2007
- Microsoft Access database
- Not suitable for spatial or visual analysis using GIS tools
- 911 CAD (computer Aided Dispatch_wasn't capable of using GIS address points
- Updates often took months
GTG Address Verification Project
- 2003-2007
- GTG was to create a GIS based address point layer for Orange County and
reconcile that with the 911 MSAG (Master Street Address Guide) provided by the
phone companies and MOAD
- GTG sent crews in the field to verify existing addresses and streets, GPS missing
addresses and streets, and document ambiguities and inconsistencies
- Results: 65,745 addressable structures; 10,000+ unverified addresses; 2625 that
needed readdressing
- GTG recommended that Orange County adopt an address ordinance giving staff
the authority to correct addressing discrepancies and outlining a methodology to
assign addresses in the future
Database Design and Municipal Integration
- 2007-2009
- Prior to GTG contract, a final database design and maintenance plan was not
agreed upon between the addressing jurisdictions
- GIS Director began an initiative to involve all primary addressing jurisdictions and
County departments in the development of a comprehensive data model
- In May of 2008, ES contracted with its CAD vendor, Logisys, to upgrade its 911
CAD with the capabilities to validate calls using the County's new address points
- CAD requirements provided a baseline for the data model, then all customers
provided input and feedback for the final database design
- GIS staff worked with staff from Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro to
implement a methodology for maintaining addresses and streets
- GIS enterprise technology allows editors in Chapel Hill and Carrboro to maintain
replicas of the data on their servers and immediately synchronize all finalized
changes to the County's servers
- Logisys went live using the new address database model in January 2009
- Now 911 dispatchers can view addresses immediately after they are assigned
- First example in North Carolina of this type of intergovernmental, cross-jurisdictional
address maintenance
- Our data model and maintenance methodology have garnered positive feedback
and interest from several local, state, and private agencies
BENEFITS
- Improved emergency response time that can and will save lives
- Quick assignment and notification of new addresses
- Improved routing of county and municipal services (bus routing, solid waste pickup,
building inspections, social services, tax appraisal, and et. al.)
- Improved analysis by staff for more accurate environmental and urban studies
- Higher level of integration with state and federal agencies, making us more viable
for
NOW WHAT?
- ES and GIS staff have organized a follow-up address verification project in which
the volunteer and municipal fire departments have agreed to gather information to
further validate and enhance our addressing data
- New data will allow for more complex analysis regarding structure type and land use
- Project to be completed in Fall 2010
- Revision of Orange County Address Ordinance
- Ordinance will define addressable structures and put legal parameters and
enforcement measures in place for addressing procedures
Commissioner Gordon said that it seems to be taking too long to complete this project.
It has been going on since 2004. For public safety reasons, she is quite concerned about the
numbers for the street addresses being out of sequence because it is difficult for emergency
vehicles to locate a residence. She said the previous county manager told her a house had
burned down because the response vehicle could not locate the residence. She said she is
familiar with the concerns in the sequencing of street numbers because she lives on a road,
and has traveled on other roads, with this problem.
The Board supported moving forward with this project.
8. Board Comments
Commissioner Jacobs said that the groundbreaking for Fairview Park was yesterday
and it was a long time coming. He said that there is a sign that points to this park, but it is so
small. He asked that staff put a larger and nicer sign on US 70.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Yuhasz to
ask staff to erect a sign on US 70 that is commensurate of the pride of the establishment of
Fairview Park.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner
Jacobs to put the County Manager's report before the Board Comments on the agenda.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Commissioner Hemminger asked about the status of the hunting ordinance and
hunting with dogs and when this item will come forward.
Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said that there is an information item in the
packet tonight and on the 171h
Commissioner Hemminger said that she would forward the complaints that she has
received to the staff.
Commissioner Pelissier— none.
Commissioner Yuhasz said that when multiple departments are associated in an
abstract, such as 6-a, then the contact names should be associated with the departments.
Commissioner Gordon said that the County Commissioners wanted the OUT Board to
talk about the issues related to drive-thrus, and the OUTBoard had done that. She briefly
summarized the discussion.
Commissioner Gordon reported on the Durham- Orange Friends of Transit kickoff
organizational meeting. The group, also known as "DO Transit", will be promoting transit in this
region and she invited the Commissioners and others to join in this effort.
Chair Foushee said that she has been appointed to the Hillsborough Historic
Commission by Governor Perdue.
9. County Manager's Report
Frank Clifton said that December 71h is the date that the transfer station item comes
back to Board of County Commissioners.
He said that he has withheld authorizations on filing vacant positions because of the
budget. He encouraged the County Commissioners that if they need additional work done, to
know that there are limits and time restraints because of reduced staff.
10. Appointments
a. Animal Services Advisory Board — New Appointment
The Board considered making a new appointment to the Animal Services Advisory
Board.
A motion was made by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
appoint Katherine Brooks to a first term ending June 30, 2012 to the ASAB.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
b. Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau — New Appointment
The Board considered making a new appointment to the Chapel Hill/Orange County
Visitors Bureau.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Nelson to
appoint Anthony Carey to a first full term ending December 31, 2012 to the Chapel Hill/Orange
County Visitors Bureau.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
c. Hillsborough Planning Board — New Appointment
The Board considered making a new appointment to the Hillsborough Planning Board.
Commissioner Gordon said that she does not recall the Board appointing someone that
has not applied or at least has not submitted an application.
The Clerk said that the Town of Hillsborough had made the recommendation and
usually follows the same procedure but that she would check to see why an application had
not been filed for Mr. Bemis since he is recommended by the Town of Hillsborough.
Donna Baker said that she would pull this and make sure it goes through the proper
procedures.
This item was deferred.
d. Historic Preservation Commission — New Appointment
The Board considered making a new appointment to the Historic Preservation
Commission.
Commissioner Hemminger said that this commission has no racial diversity. She would
like to encourage more people to apply.
Commissioner Jacobs said that part of the problem is that there are state requirements
to qualify and members have to have some level of expertise in historic preservation.
A motion was made by Commissioner Hemminger, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs
to appoint Steve Rankin to a partial term ending March 31, 2010 to the Historic Preservation
Commission.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
11. Information Items
• Proposed Parking Plan for West County Campus Buildings
Commissioner Jacobs said that the way the new library was designed, it encourages
people to spend time in the library, and he does not know why there is a two-hour parking limit
in the parking deck.
Frank Clifton said that this is during the day only. In the evening, there will be more
parking due to offices closing. He said that the library staff was involved in the discussion.
Commissioner Jacobs wants to be very communicative to the patrons of the library so
that they understand that this is a work in progress.
12. Closed Session-NONE
13. Adjournment
A motion was made by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Commissioner
Hemminger to adjourn the meeting at 10:07 PM
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Valerie Foushee, Chair
Donna S. Baker, CMC
Clerk to the Board