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MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
3 BI-MONTHLY WORK SESSION
4 SEPTEMBER 8, 1994
5
6
7 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in special session on
8 Thursday, September 8, 1994 in the meeting room of the Government Services
9 Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
10
11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr., and Commissioners
12 Alice M. Gordon, Stephen H. Halkiotis, Verla C. Insko and Don Willhoit
13 COIINTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County
14 Managers Albert Kittrell and Rod Visser and Clerk to the Board Beverly A.
15 Blythe (All other staff members are identified appropriately below)
16
17 REVIEW AND CONFIRMATION OF THE 1994-95 BOCC GOALS
18 Chair Carey asked the County Commissioners to look at the time schedule
19 for each goal and make modifications or suggestions.
20
21 Commissioner Gordon suggested approving the goals in January or February
22 after the December Goal-Setting Retreat and in six months review and confirm
23 those goals.
24 Commissioner Willhoit said, from a planning standpoint and budget
25 standpoint, adoption of the goals should be at the time the budget which will
fund the goals/workplan is adopted. He feels periodic updates should be
provided so the Board can continually evaluate the goals. He suggested taking
a look at one goal a month. If something comes up that needs attention, it
29 can be brought up at any time.
30 Chair Carey mentioned that the Board did not approve these in February
31 because they asked for implementation costs which took some time to develop.
32 Commissioner Willhoit noted that there is never a critical debate on the
33 goals. They never ask what setting a specific goal will displace. The Board
34 does not vote on each item but votes on the goals as a package.
35 Commissioner Gordon suggested that the Board do a critical review of the
36 goals in February and March and finalize them before the Manager presents his
37 budget.
38 Commissioner Willhoit asked that the following four items be added to the
39 goals:
40 1. Volunteer Satisfaction Survey
41 2. County Government Computer Future
42 3. Efland Sewer
43 4. School Board Work Sessions
44
45 He asked if these goals would displace anything, but the staff did not
46 have that information immediately available. The Board agreed to add
47 Commissioner Willhoit's goals 2 and 4 above, but deferred discussion on the
48 other two goals concerning the survey and the sewer until a later meeting.
49
50 Commissioner Gordon asked about the templates for residential development
and Planning Director Marvin Collins explained that they can compute how much
of everything is needed including the capital needed for residential
development. The payment-in-lieu is dependent upon the last evaluation.
n
The Board agreed to pursue work on a small area plan which will include
2 the I-40/Old 86 area. John Link said that he will look at a timeframe for
3 doing small area planning for the entire County. He feels it is important
4 that the citizens be informed of the process.
5 Commissioner Insko suggested doing the small area planning for the areas
6 experiencing the highest growth pressure and work downward.
7
8 With regard to the Town of Hillsborough, John Link suggested
9 communicating with them that the County plans to do small area planning and
10 invite them to participate in planning for growth in the County.
11
12 Commissioner Halkiotis expressed a concern about the I85/NC86 area. He
13 feels that planning for this node needs to move on.
14
15 Commissioner Insko noted that this would need to be a cooperative effort
16 because Hillsborough has planning jurisdiction in this area.
17
18 In answer to a question from Commissioner Insko, Marvin Collins indicated
19 that Ted Abernathy could do the Economic Development District and he could
20 pursue with the small area plan. They could do one small area plan a year.
21
22 Commissioner Gordon made reference to the goal for open space
23 developments and suggested not doing it at this time.
24
Commissioner Gordon noted that the program name for the county's
monitoring of alternative systems was actually "Wastewater Treatment
Monitoring Program," and asked that the text be changed accordingly.
28
29 John Link talked about the purpose of milestones and stated that they
30 change because of unpredictability.
31
32 Commissioner Gordon suggested doing news releases on items that are
33 controversial. She suggested that a goal be added to address this need.
34
35 John Link made reference to a Township Advisory Committee meeting he
36 attended in Little River. The TAC members asked to receive a copy of the
37 Commissioners' goals. He feels this information needs to be distributed to
38 interested groups.
39
40 Commissioner Willhoit does not object to news releases but feels that
41 flyers through the country stores, churches, fire departments, etc. could help
42 in getting the word out. He asked about the Report to the People. He feels
43 that a statement of the goals in terms of issue papers should be distributed.
44
45 Commissioner Gordon feels that information needs to get out in a timely
46 way. When something heats up, get a flyer out. A decision needs to be made
47 on how the Board wants to distribute this information. It needs to be built
48 into a process.
49
It was decided that the County Manager and Clerk would develop a public
information strategy.
•
With reference to the Rural Character Study, Marvin Collins stated that
2 they have put a proposal forward that could be adopted in principle and which
3 could be used to go ahead and develop the ordinance and guidelines.
4
5 Commissioner Gordon feels the Board never gave the Rural Character
6 Strategies a chance. She asked why the staff is now talking about "flexible
7 development" and John Link replied that he had asked the staff to prepare a
8 statement of their recommendations. Commissioner Gordon stated that she
9 preferred using the Rural Character strategies as the basis of our planning,
10 building upon the strategies for which there is consensus.
11
12 Commissioner Willhoit noted that they found themselves with three
13 different sets of proposals. One was the one acre minimum, one was the two
14 acre minimum and the third was cluster and open space development. They need
15 to clarify both .the lot size and those parts of the proposal that maintain
16 rural character. Marvin Collins noted that the proposal will go to public
17 hearing in February, 1995. They plan to have community meetings to explain
18 the proposal.
19
20 With reference to Farmland Preservation, Commissioner Willhoit does not
21 feel it is practical for the landowners to buy back development rights in 25
22 years. He asked for clarification on the intent of this idea. Marvin Collins
23 noted that the County Commissioners will be asked to make several decisions
24 about the Farmland Preservation program at an upcoming Board meeting. They
will need this clarification in order to talk with citizens about the program.
There were no comments or changes to the goals for Historic Preservation,
28 Transportation Planning, Water Resources or Economic Development.
29
30 John Link asked that the Board add to objective 2 of the Education goals
31 a discussion and agreement on the definitions of start up costs for new
32 schools and the appropriate mix of funding resources to pay these costs.
33
34 The Board agreed to discontinue the School Issues Group and have several
35 work sessions with the schools to clarify the issues listed.
36
37 ADJOQRNMENT
38 With no further time allowed for this meeting, the meeting was adjourned
39 at 9:30 p.m. The next regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 20
40 at 7:30 in the OWASA Community Meeting Room, 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro,
41 North Carolina.
42
43 Moses Carey, Jr., Chair
44 Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk
45
46
47
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