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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-28-2010 APPROVEDN 2/16/2010 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION January 28, 2010 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a work session on Tuesday, January 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Valerie P. Foushee, and Commissioners Alice 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 and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) 1. Strategic Plan for Managing Pet Overpopulation Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said that this represents several years of work by Animal Services and the Animal Services Advisory Board. The purpose of this discussion is to provide an overview of the proactive response that we have for the pet overpopulation. The opportunity tonight is to hear the progress of this strategic plan. Animal Services Director Bob Marotto said that they are here to share the product of their work and he recognized the members of the ASAB —Jean Austin, current Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) Chair; Dr. Susan Elmore; Dr. Anderson, Dr. Daniel Textoris, and Sarah Fallon (staff member). He gave a general overview of the proposed plan. He stressed that this program is humane but fiscally responsible in that it can control and contain the costs of animal services over the next few years. He said that he is being very careful about not over-committing the staff and they will be working in concert with other organizations with similar outcomes. Commissioner Gordon arrived at 7:08 PM. Bob Marotto said that the targeted spay and neuter program brings people in communities together to become part of the solution to the problem of pet overpopulation He pointed out the goals of the plan, which were on page 7 of the plan. - Lower annual animal intake measured as a per capita rate at Orange County's Animal Services Center - Control the costs of managing the County's pet population by lowering annual animal in take measured on a per capita basis. - Generate funding for strong, proactive community spay/neuter via an effective licensing program based upon differential. - Increase the annual rate of targeted sterilization of dogs and cats to 5 per thousand county residents (or approximately 600 per year based on the County's current population) over a period of 5 years. - Lower the euthanasia rate at the County's Animal Services Center to 35 percent or less in five years. - Raise community awareness about spaying and neutering as a critical element of responsible pet ownership. He stressed the problem of overpopulation by pointing out that in 2009, a total of 4,089 animals were "dispositioned" by the County's Animal Services Department and that 43% of the animals were euthanized and another 50% were returned to their owners or transferred to approved rescue organizations for their final placements in a new home. He said that Orange County's rate of placement is a good placement rate compared to comparable facilities throughout the country. He said that the proposed plan is based on the experiences of other communities that have used the orientation and based on experiences in the last few years. He made reference to the memorandum from him to Frank Clifton dated January 19, 2010 that identifies some of the accomplishments made through the Community Spay/Neuter Fund. One of the elements of collaboration with Animal Kind is the inclusion of DSS clients' pets. There is a no-pay clause now as well as a $20 co-pay for spay/neuter. He said that, with the County Commissioners' support, Animal Services was able to take $20,000 from the spay/neuter fund to outfit the spay/neuter suite in the new facility. Animal Services has made a complete cutover from outsourcing these services to in-house services as of January 2010. Jean Austin thanked the Board on behalf of the ASAB. She said that the first part of the plan to control the pet overpopulation is adoption. She praised the staff for their ambassadorship and said that the facility presents the consumer with a positive atmosphere and is very service-oriented. She said that the ASAB is very concerned about human values and the humane treatment of animals. The targeted spay/neuter plan is the second part of the control portion for the pet overpopulation. She said that this program assists those who may not have their pet spayed/neutered because of lack of resources. She said that the adoption plan is good but they cannot adopt their way out of the pet overpopulation. The licensing fees go to support this targeted spay/neuter program. Another part of the plan is to be proactive and to work with possible legislation and partnering with organizations such as Animal Kind and placement agencies. Bob Marotto said that, in terms of the funding for this program, he is proud of this initiative, and he is not asking for funding. He said that the goal is to see the decline of pet overpopulation over the next five years. He thinks that this is a program that people would want to donate to and he is exploring opportunities in the community to do this. He listed the donations that have been received in the community. Gwen Harvey said that this is a report to the Board and this program represents best practices and is self-sustaining. She said that one area that could be improved is the animal registration area. Commissioner Hemminger commended staff and the ASAB on this program and said that citizens need to know how many animals are put down each year. She suggested offering the opportunity to send donations during registration. Commissioner Pelissier asked about the percentage of registered pets that are neutered and Bob Marotto said approximately 80%. There is an effort to educate the public about the spay/neuter program. Commissioner Nelson said that he is impressed with this program and this is the type of creative and cost-effective program he would like to see more of in Orange County government. Commissioner Jacobs agreed. Commissioner Jacobs asked what has been done to engage the two school systems and the university in the process and Jean Austin said that there has been an effort with the School of Government, as part of the master's program, to have students come work with the registration program. Also, there are volunteers that are great educators and many are university students. She stressed that the County Commissioners need to come and visit the new shelter on a working day. Bob Marotto said that he can look at more targeted partnerships in the near future with the school systems. Commissioner Jacobs said that the Board of County Commissioners could contact the school boards and engage them. He suggested having some school classes to visit the new facility to see if they want to be involved. Regarding compliance, Commissioner Jacobs asked if amnesty has ever been tried and Bob Marotto said not during his time in Orange County. This was considered with the ASAB in years past, but there was concern about increasing compliance and equity. Commissioner Jacobs said that the federal government offered amnesty to people who had illegally stored money overseas and paid hundreds of billions of dollars. The State of North Carolina offered amnesty for tax evaders for hundreds of millions of dollars. He said that if Orange County were to start telling people that they are violating the tethering ordinance, then there will probably be people without licenses. He said that it strikes him that if it is legal, then Orange County should try. He thinks that this could be a cost that is incidental to a greater good. Frank Clifton suggested reaching newcomers with postcards and partnering with utilities, etc. 2. Staff Review of Universal Pre-Kindergarten Proposal Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said that Social Services Director Nancy Coston would be joining her. This is a proposal from the Child Care Coalition. The information includes the Child Care Coalition's proposal, staff review of this proposal, and the 2006 Child Care Task Force Report. Nancy Coston said that one of the overriding discussions now is that, with the economic climate, it would be very hard to take on another task force that cannot be funded. Another issue is that she has a waiting list for child care. She wants to keep supporting this because the waiting list includes people that cannot afford child care. It is hard for her clients to keep their jobs if they do not have child care. Frank Clifton said that there are 3-4 issues that are floating around at the State level. One of the issues is that the County cannot get out of the administration of child care subsidies and it is an obligation. He said that he has concerns about how the Smart Start program is handled and especially the administrative support costs. If the costs are collaterally equal, then he is fine with that. There is a limited amount of funding and he does not have a problem with the task force, but when it is finished, the issue is how to fund the recommendations and how much the County can afford at the county level. Regarding the scope of this proposal, there would be a huge long-term financial commitment by the County. He praises this concept, but he does not know how the County can afford it. Commissioner Nelson said that it would be great to discuss the Manager's concerns in a task force. He said that the economic outlook is not great, but it should not preclude the concept of at least investigating this issue. He said that Sue Russell is a national treasure for the issues of Smart Start. He said that the time to do this is not now, but he would like to have the conversation. He also asked about the duality of service issue. Frank Clifton said that the real issue is from the service delivery point. He said that it would not bother him to do this if the County was not already in the business, or if it could contain the administrative costs. The County cannot disband its administrative responsibilities. Nancy Coston said that the County has received $4.9 million child care subsidies this year. She thinks that Orange County DSS is very efficient in getting that money into the hands of providers. All of the money goes to non-profit or other private providers in the community. There is a dual system in Orange County. The Smart Start funds are more constant, but the County has not been able to keep pace. She said that Orange County has a good system and has the highest quality of child care providers. Commissioner Nelson said that, with the duality issue, it is more complex than is indicated in this report. He said that it would be a shame to pursue this without knowing all of the parameters, and unless they truly understand the nuances of how child care is delivered in Orange County. Commissioner Pelissier said that she sits as the County Commissioner representative to the Orange County Partnership for Young Children, which does the More at Four program. She said that she receives phone calls about the duplication and this group is looking at how this can be addressed. She said that there should not be a task force right now, but she does not think that this means that the conversation is stopped. She said that this proposal does not answer her questions. She asked if the goal was to expand More at Four to at-risk children or if it was something for everyone. Commissioner Gordon said that she is very supportive of the Pre-K concept and she understands the benefits of this type of program. She would like the conversation to continue. She said that, since the County is evaluating its boards and commissions, then this may be why there should not be a task force until that issue is resolved. She supports the general concept of a Pre-K program. Commissioner Yuhasz said that everybody is generally supportive and wants the conversation to continue, but if there is a County-sponsored conversation, then there will be an expectation that it will be followed by County action. He encouraged the people who have been talking about this to continue talking about it and to bring it back for additional review when it is appropriate. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the waiting list and Nancy Coston said that there are about 250 children, and to clear the list, it would take about $6,000 a year per child. Commissioner Jacobs said that it is important to make clear that these meetings should continue to talk about this issue. He wants to make it clear that the County is not singling out this area to save money since they are looking at all areas to save money throughout the County. He said that he would not be uncomfortable for this item to come back next fall. He shares the concern about setting expectations. Commissioner Pelissier said that it would be good for the Child Care Coalition to work more closely with the school systems and with the More at Four Committee of the Orange County Partnership for Young Children because there is talk of expanding More at Four. Commissioner Foushee said that if this were to occur, the Board would be open to hear a status report in a year or so, since they all support early childhood education. Commissioner Nelson asked about the key issues with the dual system. Nancy Coston said that when you have dual systems, you have to work hard to make sure everyone is treated fairly (DSS and Smart Start). Their two programs may have different priorities depending on where their funds come from, such as federal, state, and/or county. She said that the income eligibility for Smart Start and DSS is another area of concern. They want to be more transparent about this process. The fee structure is different for both departments as well. She said that they have been trying to educate parents on the duality issue. Commissioner Nelson said that he is now interested in spinning off some services that he may not have been interested in before and this may be a good opportunity to look at this for this system. He does not care who delivers the service as long as the County gets quality services. He said that he has some concern about tossing this to the school systems but he does trust people in the community to review this issue and to bring it back to them at a later time. A motion was made by Commissioner Pelissier, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 PM. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Valerie Foushee, Chair Donna S. Baker Clerk to the Board