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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-25-2010 APPROVED 8/17/2010 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING May 25, 2010 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday May 25, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The purpose of this meeting was to hold a public hearing on the County Manager's Recommended 2010-2011 Budget. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Valerie Foushee and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon, Pam Hemminger, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, and Steve Yuhasz COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Mike Nelson COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Managers Willie Best and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately below) 1. Openinq Remarks-Chair Foushee Chair Foushee asked that all speakers not go over three minutes so that everyone can have the chance to speak. PUBLIC CHARGE The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 2. Presentation of County Manaqer' Recommended FY 2010-11 Budqet (PowerPoint Presentation) Financial Services Director Clarence Grier made the PowerPoint presentation. A copy of the County Manager' Recommended FY 2010-11 Budget can be found at the following website: http://www.co.oranqe.nc.us/finance/budqet docs.asp County Manager's Recommended 2010-11 Annual Operating Budget Presentation Department of Social Services Hillsborough Commons Orange County, NC May 20, 2010 Recommended General Fund Budget ❑Totals $174.9 million ■Decrease of $2.7 million from original current year budget of $177.6 million. Represents an $8.9 million decrease from the current year amended budget. ■Represents 1.5 percent decrease from previous year original budget. ❑Budget decreases means everyone — schools, non-profit agencies, and county departments - receive less money next year than they received this year Guiding Principles ■Meets Board directives ❑Balances County's operating budget without a property tax rate increase ❑Fund local school districts at 48.1% of the County's General Fund Proposed Ad Valorem Tax Rate Effective July 1, 2010 ❑Recommended tax rate of 85.8 cents per$100 of assessed valuation ■This is the rate that produces $132 million in property tax revenues for FY2010-11 ■Overall Property valuation increased 1.1% ❑One cent on property tax estimated to generate $1,521,612 FY 2010-11 General Fund Revenues Total Property Taxes.............................. $ 132,047,738 Sales Taxes................................. 14,463,000 Intergovernmental Revenues.............. 16,250,267 Charges for Services....................... 9,650,631 Licenses and Permits...................... 313,000 Investment Earnings........................ 140,000 Miscellaneous............................... 726,384 Transfers..................................... 1,321,227 TOTAL....................................... $ 175,912,247 Revenues by Source (chart) Property Taxes as a Percentage of General Fund Revenues (2006-2010 table) Sales Tax Revenues ❑Recommended Sales Tax Revenues of $14.4 million is 14.3% less than the $16.8 million budgeted in 2009-10 ■Actual sales tax revenues are down over 30% since the peak of $22.5 million in fiscal 2007-08 ■The Medicaid - Sales Tax swap will limit future growth of Sales Tax Revenues Proposed Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools District Tax Rate Effective July 1, 2010 ❑Recommended tax rate of 18.84 cents per$100 of assessed valuation ■Represents no increase in the District tax rate ❑Recommended tax rate will generate $18.6 million ■In addition to funds district will receive from Countywide property taxes ❑One cent on district tax estimated to generate $987,247 Recommended Funding for Chapel Hill Carrboro City and Orange County Schools ❑Total General Fund appropriation totals $84.1 million ■These funds will fund day-to-day operations, repayment of school related debt, and capital ■Appropriation equals 48.1 percent of total General Fund ■Reflects $1.3 million decrease from current year General Fund appropriation ■Funds the projected additional 279 students for both districts ■Equates to $3,096 per student for each of the 19,177 students in both districts for day- to-day operating funds ■Maintains Recurring Capital at$3 million ■Maintains Fair Funding at$988,000 ■Decreases the combined long range capital (pay-as-you go) by $1.7 million dollars for the school districts Additional Funding for Local Schools ❑In addition to the $84.1 million for operations, debt and capital, recommended budget allocates $1.8 million to fund non-mandated safety net initiatives for both school districts. Some of these initiatives are: ■School Health Nurses - $610,729, a decrease of 7,003 ■School Resource Officers - $531,255, an increase of$31,000. ■School Social Workers - $642,374, the same funding as the current year Funded County Initiatives ❑Major Changes in Services .General Government .Realignment and reassignment of employees with the County Manager Office .Elimination of County switchboard operation (relocation of staff) .Ending the custodial contract with Orange Enterprises .Cuts in utilities .Reduced resources for in-house spay and neutering services provided by Animal Services .Reduction in use of temporary personnel across departments .General Services .Reduced information technology purchases .Sanitation moved to Solid Waste .Reduction of temporary personnel across departments .Reduction in the number of available early voting sites from four to two. .Community and Environment .Art Commission has been moved to the Visitors Bureau for funding purposes. .Reduction of temporary personnel across departments .Human Services .Discontinuing the Cooperative Extension Breastfeeding Program ( Relocation of staf� .Reduction of temporary personnel across departments .Public Safety .Increased personnel and reassignment of existing personnel. .Add one new Emergency Medical Service (EMS) vehicle to decrease emergency response time. .Reduction of temporary personnel in the ES department Examples of Recommended Changes in County Services ■Culture and Recreation ■Merged services for recreation and parks ■Reduced and merged library hours for the McDougle and Cybrary branches in Carrboro. ■Reduction of temporary personnel ■Close Cedar Grove Branch Library ■Non Profit Organizations ■Reduce funding provided to non-profit organizations from $1,043,742 for FY2009-10 to $848,600. ■Long Range/Pay-as-you Go County Capital ■Long range/pay-as-you go county capital will be reduced to $300,000 from $2.6 million in FY2009-10. This represents a decrease of$2.3 million. FY2010-11 Budget Impacts (table) Percentage of General Fund Budget Education —48.1% Human Services— 18.36% Public Safety— 10.40% General Services —9.98% Governing and Management—7.53% Community and Environment—2.23% Culture and Recreation — 0.89% Additional Funding Options ❑Article 46 '/4 Sales Tax ❑Appropriated Fund Balance, if necessary Public Hearings and Work Sessions (All Meetings Begin at 7:00 p.m.) Public Hearings — May 20th at Department of Social Services in Hillsborough and May 25th at Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill Work Sessions — May 27th at Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill and June 3�d at SHSC Work Session/Adoption —June 8th at SHSC Final Adoption —June 15th at SHSC Document Availability ❑Clerk to Board of Commissioners ❑County Financial Services Office ❑Orange County Library ❑Chapel Hill Public Library ❑Carrboro/McDougle Branch Library ❑Cybrary, Carrboro ❑Cedar Grove Branch Library ❑Orange County Website ■www.co.orange.nc.us Frank Clifton gave an overview of the 2009-10 budget compared to the 2010-11 budget. There have been reduced revenues, especially in sales tax revenue. There have also been increases and unavoidable expenses such as increase in debt for new facilities, increased assessment for retirement of existing employees, etc. The balance of the budget required significant staff reductions. There are 37.5 less full-time positions in this year's budget, a six- month delay in filling vacancies, reorganizations within County government, consolidating services, and 13 new retirees that took advantage of early retirement incentives. He said that in prior years, the County has been funding payroll and employee benefits at 96% of true value, assuming that there would be a 4% turnover in employees throughout the year. This year, the County will be funding the payroll for employees at 100%. There has also been a deferral of capital projects, deferral of technology improvements, deferral of any new needed staffing with the exception of four additional paramedics in EMS, reduced operation hours and services, phased-out programs, stricter and tighter priorities on existing staffing actions and opportunities, and a reduction of governmental services in Orange County as a whole. 3. Public Comment Hollie Taylor Novak distributed a handout. She teaches at Chapel Hill High School and serves as Chair of the Orange County Artists Guild. She said that they would like to thank Orange County government for 25 years of unwavering support of the arts. She said that they have difficulty understanding that after 25 years of solid support of the arts in Orange County, this commitment is waning. She read her handout: "The Orange County Artists Guild opposes the move of the Orange County Arts Commission to the Visitor's Bureau for the following reasons: - it eliminates arts funding from the County's General Fund. Our perception is that this move is the first step toward completely eliminating support of the arts from county government. - There are no commonalities in the stated missions of the Visitor's Bureau and the Arts Commission. The mere fact that the Visitor's Bureau uses the existence of a lively arts community to promote tourism is insufficient justification to make this move. The Visitor's Bureau already does an outstanding job in promoting the arts to tourists and does not need to absorb the Arts Commission to continue to do so. - The arts function of county government is more than tourism. It is a tool for economic development, a tool that has been underutilized in Orange County. Helping artists to find retail space in which to market their work would help the County increase sales tax revenues. This is less likely to happen if the arts function is embedded in tourism. We ask that you consider the following issues as you make your decision whether or not to move the Arts Commission to the Visitor's Bureau: - How and by whom will decisions be made on how the 2010-11 OCAC funds will be spent? How much will go to locally supported grants? How much to overhead? - What percentage of the NC Grassroots Grants funds will actually go to artists and arts organizations? In the past, 85-90% of these funds were distributed as grants. Will that percentage continue or will a greater percentage be withheld for administrative expenses? Will this withheld amount remain with OCAC, with the VB, or will it be placed in the General Fund of Orange County and used without restrictions? - What group will review the applications for OCAC grants and recommend awards to the BOCC—the current OCAC Advisory Board, the VB's Advisory Board, or some new entity? Will the reviewing group be representative of the artists and arts organizations of Orange County? - What assurances are there that the OCAC will continue as a function of the VB after 2010-11? In later years when personnel changes, will the arts function remain? - Is the VB a multi-government agency because it is funded by Hotel Occupancy Tax receipts from the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County? Will the VB have to change its bylaws to become the Local Distributing Agency for the State Grassroots funds? Will the NC Arts Council have to approve the VB as the Local Distributing Agency?" Mary Harley Kruter read from a handout. "My name is Mary Harley Kruter. Although I'm a member of the Orange County Artists Guild and the Orange County Arts Commission Advisory Board, I am not speaking officially for either organization this evening. Thank you for supporting the arts for the past 25 years. I urge you to continue this long- term commitment to the arts as you consider moving the Arts Commission to the Visitor's Bureau. I have concerns for the continued existence and integrity of the arts function of Orange County government if you decide to make this move. If OCAC is placed within the Visitor's Bureau, I ask that you consider issuing a written directive to structure the Arts Commission within the VB that includes the following: - Revise the mission statement of the Visitor's Bureau to include the arts function, and revise its by-laws to reflect the added responsibility. - Specify the percentage of the revenues going to the Visitor's Bureau that are to be expended by the Arts Commission for the arts community. - Specify the proportion of these funds that are to be used for county-funded grants. - For the flow-through grant funds from the State Arts Council, o Specify that funds withheld for administrative expenses are retained by the Arts Commission for its operations*, and o Certify with the State Arts Council that it will continue the designation of the Arts Commission as local distributing agent in this multi-governmental agency. - Specify the entity that will be charged with reviewing the grant applications and making recommendations to the BOCC for approval. Assure that persons comprising this entity are broadly representative of the entire arts community – arts organizations as well as artists. - Add at least two positions on the Visitor's Bureau Advisory Board who represent the arts community. - Add at least one position on the Economic Development's Advisory Board who represents the arts community. (Please remember that there is a thriving arts industry in the county that could generate even more sales tax revenues if guided by the Department of Economic Development.) Such a directive would assure all of us that the arts function could continue beyond the initial year of this reorganization. Thank you. *State requires distribution of at least 50%. OCAC has distributed 85-90% annually." Heather Miranda read a prepared statement. "My name is Heather Miranda, Director of Health Support Services, for Piedmont Health Services in Carrboro, North Carolina. Recently, the Breastfeeding Coalition of Orange and Chatham County met and learned that the breastfeeding support specialist position in the Cooperative Extension department was to be eliminated and I came to speak in support of retaining that position. What is the purpose of the breastfeeding support specialist position? - Help pregnant women make informed choices about breastfeeding, provide breastfeeding support and encouragement for new mothers during those critical first days and weeks and educate the community about breastfeeding support. Sadly, many of these mothers often lack support in their homes and families and this position and program has helped them to continue breastfeeding and providing the very best for their infant. These visits occur in various forms — home, hospital, clinic visits, and follow-up phone calls. Why is this program unique? This program is unique due to several factors. Breastfeeding support programs exist across the county but the total collaboration that has happened to make this program work is truly inspiring. The center of this is the breastfeeding coalition of Orange and Chatham County. This is a roundtable of community leaders and breastfeeding support staff who work together to make this program a success. - UNC Hospital lactation staff support this program through additional training as well as referral/consultations for mothers outside the scope of practice. Our lactation staff is just a phone call away. Earlier today, I spoke with Diane Asbil, one of the lactation consultants who have worked closely with this program. "As we become 2nd in the state to become a baby-friendly, breastfeeding support in the community is a major factor in our ongoing care of our families we serve. For our Orange County residents who lack resources to seek out and procure support and assistance in learning these new skills once they leave the hospital, this breastfeeding support program has met the need like no other." She went on to add, "while we all feel the impact of our current economic environment, the loss of this program will have further negative impact in our community with increased medic al care costs, lost wages for parents staying home with sick infants, and increasing the portions of family income being allocated to pay for infant formulas, all consequences of decreased support and assistance for breastfeeding provided to our mothers in our community." Additionally, the hospital provides access to new moms to promote breastfeeding and for the breastfeeding support staff to make those early connects. Additionally, hospital lactation staff audits the records of the breastfeeding support specialist, to ensure continuity of care as well as for accuracy. - The second collaborating partner is Piedmont Health Services. They provide breastfeeding support staffing for part of Orange County as well as Chatham County. Additionally, they provide space for breastfeeding support within their facilities in additional to educational materials and supplies. They also chair the Breastfeeding Coalition of Orange and Chatham County. By sharing these costs, this has allowed for greater expansion of this program and more services to more of those in need. - The Orange County Health Department has been an active collaborator in this program as well. They are not only part of the coalition, but regularly refer patients to the program for the breastfeeding support through their prenatal clinics and their nurse home visiting program. Advantages for retaining the position? First, having this position part of the Cooperative Extension has allowed for reaching a broader range of families. Families come from UNC, Piedmont Health Services, and the Orange County Health Department and referrals from the EFNEP program. This position has multiagency relationships that have yielded higher outcomes and more results. Additionally, many people don't realize that extension has been doing community health, nutrition, and food safety outreach education since 1936 in Orange County and breastfeeding is the earliest form of nutrition. The numbers: Orange County boosts an impressive rate of 76.4% of new moms breastfeed, and additional 33.2% at 6 months and 27.9% at one year. In comparison, NC rate is 60.3% of new moms breastfeed, and 21.3% at 6 months, and 15.5% at 12 months. Why is this position so important? Strong evidence has shown that a peer counseling breastfeeding interaction positively impact breastfeeding success for new moms. Many don't understand that breastfeeding is not something that comes naturally. As a breastfeeding educator and registered dietitian, I have seen many mothers who stop in desperation with little support, when programs such as breastfeeding support do not exist. This program is far more than a required pamphlet or brochure, this program is real hands-on help to mothers in need. Women receive assistance on positioning, latching their babies, as well as support for engorgement and common problems. Additionally, this position often makes referrals to other community programs due to things seen in the home or during contacts that provide greater assistance to the family. Please don't cut this position: Cutting this position may be viewed as saving dollars in the short-term, but the costs will be much greater. Recently a study came out in the Journal of Pediatrics (April 2010) that found that 900 babies per year, and 13 billion dollars could be saved if 90% of women breastfed their babies to 6 months of age. A quote from the article said, "Breastfeeding has been vastly underappreciated by health experts, government officials and the public." It went on to say that there are hundreds of deaths and more costly illnesses each year from health problems that breastfeeding could prevent. Additionally, it highlighted the benefits of breastfeeding which includes the antibodies that help babies fight infections and that it can also affect insulin levels in the blood which may make breastfed babies less likely to develop diabetes and obesity. Finally, moms who return to work and continue to breastfeed exclusively (supported by a breastfeeding support specialist) and by pumping have the work advantage that their babies have fewer illnesses in general which translate to fewer missed workdays, which is also an advantage for their employers with less missed time due to sick babies. In closing, by retaining this position of breastfeeding support specialist, many lives and dollars would be saved since breastfeeding support can make all the difference on whether a new mom can succeed. Ultimately, it provides the needed support to our youngest Orange County residents for them to grow and flourish. I want to thank you for your past support and continued support of this program and the important work that it does." Chris Harlan read a prepared statement. "My name is Chris Harlan. I am a Public Health Nurse and I currently serve as Vice-Chair of the Board of Health. You've already heard testimony at these hearings from other members of the Board and as a Board we've met with you previously to discuss budgetary issues. I want to speak from a different perspective...social justice and health for all. Our nation has been through a difficult debate this year about our values regarding access to quality care for all in our society. Unfortunately, even with the hoped-for reforms in our health insurance system, there is acknowledgement that a significant proportion of folks will still be denied access to care. Our health department's primary role is to assure the health of the public....everyone in our community....whether in making sure we eat healthy food in local restaurants, sewer systems are intact, children receive their vaccines, everyone gets a flu shot, the community responds quickly and competently to emergencies and folks have access to primary care, dental care and health promotion programs such as our home visiting programs for at-risk families. We partner with many entities in the community to assure access to these services. As a board member....tasked with providing guidance to health department staff...it has been very difficult to accept the enormous cuts made in our programs over the past couple of years. I recognize....that in a time of economic downturn...everyone has to tighten our belts. However, we also need to consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs....with food, shelter, and health care being the most basic. It is demoralizing to see budget cuts that affect the health of vulnerable people in our community when other county departments see no cuts or even receive increases. Unfortunately Orange County is one of the most divisive in NC in terms of socio-economic disparities. None of us can enjoy a healthy and productive life unless all in our community do. Please uphold the values of a just society with health for all when making the hard decisions about budget cuts." Vivian Eto is the Director of Family Support at Child Care Services Association (CCSA). She distributed a handout. She said that the Manager has recommended eliminating funding to CCSA through the non-profit grant process. She said that last year they received a large cut and this year funding has been eliminated. She said that each year CCSA has been successful in meeting the required outcomes. She said that this program informs families about high- quality child care and facilitates selection of high-quality programs that meet the family's needs. She said that these services are available to all families, regardless of income level or type of need, are free of charge, and available in English and Spanish. She said that the cut in funding severely restricts the ability to provide this service to all families in Orange County. Erin Reiter is an advocate of the Early Care and Education Bill. She is also a working mother of toddlers. She spoke about the recommendations to eliminate funding for Child Care Services Association. She said that the life experiences of most young children are taking place in the context of child care. In Orange County, an estimated 61% of children under the age of six live in homes where all parents are employed. This translates to over 4,000 children that are in need of some type of child care arrangement. She said that parents continually report that finding child care is a struggle. She asked the County Commissioners to fund CCSA. Linda Chappel was representing CCSA and she said that they were told that the denial of funding for them was because this was a duplication of services provided by the Orange County Department of Social Services. She read from budget document: "DSS provides child care information and referral services to parents on availability, quality, and subsidy for child care; and provides supportive casework services to 575 families." She said that they do not duplicate services of DSS because CCSA is a nationally accredited regional lead child care resource and referral agency. She said that CCSA is an expert on early childhood education and their work is to assure that every child has the benefit of a high quality early education. She said that their services are used by many families that would not feel comfortable receiving support from a government agency. She said that last year 111 families served by CCSA said that they were referred to CCSA by the Department of Social Services. This demonstrates the power of collaboration to serve the families. She said that CCSA contacted the Manager's Office and Gwen Harvey stated that CCSA receives local Smart Start administrative funding that should cover most of the actions previously funded through the County's appropriation. She said that they wish they had other funding options for this service. Kris Bergstrand and Jean Austin spoke together. They are members of the Animal Services Board of Orange County. Kris Bergstrand said that they are committed to be cost effective and they have coordinated with staff on budget constraints. They appreciated the support of the Board of County Commissioners and have reduced their meetings to every other month in order to reduce operating costs. She said that they are working constantly to reduce operating costs. Ron Strom, Chairman of Triangle Land Conservancy, said that they are a six-county land trust that began in Orange County, and most of their funds come from Orange County. He said that they have played a leadership role in the creation and facilitation of New Hope Creek Park. He said that their mission is connecting Orange County citizens with public benefits of land conservation, including connection with nature, clean water, and air; production of local food and agricultural land uses; preservation of open space; and preserving of green infrastructure. He thanked them for their past contributions and he hopes the County Commissioners will fund their grant request this year. Bo Howes was with Triangle Land Conservancy and he said that they have a history of collaboration with Orange County. This year, the TLC will close on four projects totaling 800 acres in Orange County. Matt Zemun is the father of a first-grader in the dual language program. His son will be a kindergartener there next year. He spoke about the proposed cuts on the middle school side of this program. He said that dual language is one of the reasons why they moved to Chapel Hill. He said that this program has a small class size and the program remains strong. He said that if this is cut in middle school, then the students will lose their fluency and what they have worked for six years to achieve. He asked that this middle school program be kept in place. Catharine Cummer is a mother of school children and a regular volunteer. She said that they moved to Chapel Hill ten years ago for the school district. She asked the County Commissioners to accept the Manager's recommendation for the per-pupil and to fully fund the capital projects. She said that she would support a tax increase to ensure that schools are funded appropriately. She said that volunteers cannot necessarily step in to fill the void of budget cuts. Bill Melega is a father of three children in the county school system. He said that he has worked with other countries lately and he said that they try to keep funding at the best, even in the bad economic times. He said that education is the one area that needs support. He said that it is demoralizing year after year when funds are reduced and he implored the County Commissioners to solidly fund education. Kim Crooks Bassatt is a parent of school children. She asked the County Commissioners to fully fund the schools at the levels requested by the school board. She said that her family came here because of the schools from Los Angeles. She brought her business and her family to Chapel Hill only because of the schools. Krystal Lynes is the CHCCS PTA President. She said that the achievement gap in the schools should make them sick and many county services that serve this same population are being cut. She said that education research is clear that the achievement gap is closed by providing more direct instruction. She said that Durham and Chatham Counties are raising taxes to support education. Faith Nagar is a resident of Chapel Hill and has a son at East Chapel Hill High. She asked the County Commissioners to please keep the same budget numbers for both school systems as the past fiscal year. She said that if there are continued cuts to schools, the property values will decline, resulting in a lower tax base, which would hurt all current services. She asked the County Commissioners to please fund the schools. Bert Warski teaches at Chapel Hill High School. He said that strong communities are based on strong schools and he asked the County Commissioners to please increase funding for the schools. Neil Alderman is a native of Chapel Hill and was educated here. He spoke about the dual language program. His daughter is in one of those classes and he said that with the global economy, this is so important. He introduced his daughter, who spoke several phrases in Chinese. She said that if she did not continue the dual language program in middle school, she would have forgotten all that she had learned. Miriam Thompson is a grandmother of two elementary school kids and a member of the school improvement team and other committees. She said to offset the per pupil allocation, the County Manager proposes reducing the school's district capital expenditures for essential school maintenance. She said that they need to find ways to avoid this choice. One way is for the Board of County Commissioners to give the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School System authorization to float low-interest bonds and the flexibility in accessing lottery funds. She spoke about the State budget, which causes an unfair burden on the local budgets. She said that the Senate budget proposal slashes education, health and human services, housing assistance, and more. She asked everyone to raise their voices for a just State budget, especially in an election year, where it is unacceptable for the State elected officials to ignore proposals that will ease the burden of service cuts for children and families, working people, the elderly, and voters. Marjory Moe is a Co-Chair of the Rashkis School Improvement Team. She said that they came here to ask for full funding for the CHCCS budget request. She said that the Durham County Manager has just submitted a budget that calls for a tax increase to support public education. However, the Orange County Manager recommended the same per-pupil as last year with no tax increase. Kim Spaulding-Collins is also a Co-Chair of the Rashkis School Improvement Team and said that they ask for the future of the children. She said that the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system has exhibited a stellar record of addressing ever-changing academic demands by emphasizing problem solving and critical thinking skills among students. She said that they need the staff and resources to teach the children. She asked the County Commissioners to fully fund the County Manager's budget recommendations for the school system. Bonnie Hauser was representing Orange County Voice and she distributed an outline. She made reference to page 33-8 in the budget book, which says that, "the County will dedicate a portion of the 3R Fee Revenue Sanitation Services. This revenue will subsidize recyclable, materials collection, and disposal services at the Solid Waste Convenience Centers." The amount will vary each year; in FY 2010-11, the revenue will total $324,893." She said that this looks like a shift in the allocation from the General Fund to the 3R fund. If not, she asked that the language be clarified because it is ambiguous. She said that the 3R fee is only supposed to fund recycling. She also made reference to page 33-10, which says that the $1.4 million will be transferred to the Enterprise Fund from the General Fund in monthly installments. This is concerning to Orange County Voice. She said that the budget is silent on landfill tipping fees and 3R fees. She said that budget recommends a reduction in consultants, but does not say anything about the consultants that are being funded. She asked the County Commissioners to please fund the convenience centers only from the General Fund, have the 3R fees only fund recycling, expand rural recycling only if it is optional, terminate the use of consultants in the Solid Waste Department, and have all fees revealed before the budget is approved. Kate Sanford read a prepared statement: "Good evening, my name is Kate Sanford and I have worked in the field of child care for 36 years; 27 years in administration. I am here on behalf of the provider community and the countless families calling looking for child care. On an average, I receive between 5 and 10 calls a week by families looking for child care. Families looking for child care call asking about available space at the center and I can hear strain in their voice as they begin to make their inquiry. I also hear the relief in their voice when I refer them to Child Care Services, our local information and referral agency. All of a sudden these families know there is a place to go for support. Leaving your child in the care of others is scary for families of young children. Child Care Services has been the local information and referral agency for Orange County for over 15 years. Child Care Services helps identify and educate parents to child care that best matches family's needs. This agency understands the importance of parent choice. As a child care provider, Child Care Services maintains a log of open slots at child care centers in Orange County. My center calls to update or we receive calls from a Child Care services staff inember to update the log of open slots. This occurs monthly and is a service to centers and families. In hard economic times finding jobs is tough; finding child care can be more challenging. A job is offered and you are to start next week; who is going to take care of your child. Losing Information and Referral means a loss of jobs in Orange County. Small business use Information and Referral as a benefit to new employees. Child Care Services Information and Referral agency supports economic development by assisting families finding child care. The agency depends on county dollars and the county depends on the agency to help parents to work. Cutting funds will cut this program. Orange County must move forward to achieve economic viability." Heidi Harkins is a parent of CHCCS students. She thanked the County Commissioners for the creative ways to fund the schools in the past, but she is asking the County Commissioners to fully fund the capital needs for the schools. She is concerned about Culbreth Middle School and the state of the building. There are significant limitations on science, especially. Emily Martine has been a resident of Chapel Hill for 22 years and has children in CHCCS. She said that she appreciated the commitment to the schools so far, but the current funding will not provide for capital needs of the schools. She said that people move here because of the quality of schools and this affects property values. She said that raising taxes is an option and she would be happy to pay more for the quality of the schools to be maintained. She said that one cent on the CHCCS district tax gets almost $1 million. She would be happy to pay $5 more per month for this. Gerry Christmas was speaking for Alexandra Browne, who was sick. He read a prepared statement. Alexandra Browne lives in White Cross and has worked at the Carrboro Branch Library, Cedar Grove Library, and the main library in Hillsborough. He spoke about library funding in these economic times. The libraries need at least the same funding for libraries because there are many who cannot afford a computer or internet access and the library is the only place these people can go to look for and apply for work, the only place that children that research and type their papers, and one of the few places a family can go for free entertainment and culture. Regarding proposed cuts, she agrees that the Cedar Grove branch is small and has not grown much, but for the families who use this library, it is essential. Many of the patrons come to this library on foot. She asked that this valuable and necessary resource not be taken away from these citizens. If there were a library in southwest Orange County, the burden would be off Chapel Hill and should the Town of Chapel Hill reject the $250,000 the County Manager has proposed, she would hope that the Board would promise to use those funds for libraries in the Orange County system. She asked the County Commissioners honor the promise made to designate $166,000 in proceeds for the sale of county buildings to libraries and education. Kathleen Ferguson is Chair of the Economic Development Commission, but she spoke as a taxpayer. She said that the revenue pie is getting smaller while expenses rise. Orange County needs more resources to increase the pie. Even though Orange County has the highest residential taxes in the region, it only covers 75% of the cost of services in Orange County and the average citizen cannot afford what it takes to reach a dollar for dollar balance. Only by improving economic development can more profit be made available to the County. There has been an extreme amount of business growth in the area, but not in Orange County. She said that Orange County must begin to offer what the businesses need to choose Orange County over other places. It has to start with shovel-ready land. She wants the money to stay in Orange County and be used to benefit Orange County schools, health, and programs. Victoria Templeton is a mother of two elementary school children and she is a volunteer. She said that they moved from a family community across the country to come only for the school system because where they came from, the schools had become so bad. They came for the public school offerings and the quality of life. She said that this area is a beacon for families to come. She said that CHCCS has a nationally recognized school system and for parents this is a really great school system attached to a great community. She suggested using the school system to market the economy and increase funding for the schools. Sharon Barrett is a parent of school kids and they chose to live here rather than in Wake County. She said that the current level of per pupil funding is down from five years ago and Durham County is making Orange County look bad, since Durham County is raising taxes to fund their schools. She said that they are willing to pay more taxes to support education. Liz Buchman is President of McDougle Elementary School and she thanked the County Commissioners for making education a priority and she implored them to approve the budget. Jean Earnhart spoke about economic development and said that it seems that they have been having this conversation for at least 20 years. She said that the County Commissioners have a good strategic plan and she hopes that they will unanimously approve this. She hopes that they are not having the same conversation 20 years from now. She believes that if the County Commissioners adopt the economic development plan, then it will help everyone. Amy Martin Jewell said that her family moved here from Chicago solely for the school system. She is a parent of a child who has a mental health issue and is also academically gifted. She said that their community has lost mental health services, and thus they turn to the school systems. She said that the public school systems outside the core services may be cut due to reduced funding. She would support a tax increase to support the school system. Jane Kerwin thanked the County Commissioners for their support. She is a parent of children in the school system. She asked the County Commissioners to continue to support education. Christina Burden represented the Frank Porter Graham School Improvement Team and she said that they want to encourage the County Commissioners to support and fund the school boards' budgets. Elizabeth Welsby is the Parent Co-Chair of the Estes Hills School Improvement Team, and she has three children in the school district. She asked the County Commissioners to support the Manager's recommendation and also to fully fund the capital needs budget. Ashley Thomas thanked the County Commissioners for providing the human services grants to outside agencies. She was representing Bridge to Sports, which creates opportunities for sporting programs for children and adults with disabilities. She asked the County Commissioners to fund the grant for this year to help to serve this vulnerable population. Delores Bailey is the Executive Director of Empowerment, Inc., and she asked the Board to fund them through the Human Services grant process. She said that they are working hard to increase affordable housing and affordable rentals in Orange County. Gary Wallach has a child in CHCCS system. He said that it is possible to make this job easier. He said that one of the reasons it is so hard is that the idea starts with taxes and raising money. The idea should really start with the vision for the community. He said that he was in support of a tax increase of a '/4-cent sales tax to support education. Joe Kennedy has three children in the Chinese dual language program and he urged the County Commissioners to avoid levels of funding that resembles Humpty Dumpty cuts, where things are being taken apart that cannot be easily put back together. He said that the level of funding contemplated by the school budget is going to result in these sorts of cuts because programs will be hurt and the negative effects will continue years later. He said that if the dual language program does not continue past elementary school, the hard work will largely be lost. Lindley Minn is PTSA president at Chapel Hill High. She made reference to the people wearing red who are representing their schools and committees. She said that each one is charged with representing hundreds of people and they have encouraged people to email the County Commissioners. Erin Furr has two children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system and she said that they moved here 15 years ago for the school system. She said that she is so proud that her children go to a public school. She said that property values are dependent on the public schools and the quality of education. 4. Adjournment The public hearing was adjourned at 9:00 PM Valerie Foushee, Chair Donna S. Baker, CMC Clerk to the Board