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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 06-10-2010 APPROVED 8/17/2010 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION June 10, 2010 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a budget work session on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Link Government Services Center in Hillsborough, 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: 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. Link Center Phase 2- Commissioners Meeting Room: Final Plan Phase Architects Ken Redfoot and David Taylor from Corley Redfoot Zack, Inc. presented this item with pictures of three different schematics for the proposed Link Center meeting room for the Commissioners. One scheme has a divider wall and another scheme has a curtain to divide the space. Ken Redfoot said that they heard from the County Commissioners that it was important to have a center aisle, and this has been included. He continued showing the pictures of different views. He asked for approval to get this moved forward to the next level of detail. Commissioner Gordon said that she is concerned about presentations from the point of view of the Board of County Commissioners, the presenters, and the public. Ken Redfoot said that there would be a podium for staff presenters and a podium for the public that will be speaking. There will be monitors on the columns and there could be laptop access on the desktops with the presentations. There is a sound consultant working on these kinds of issues. Commissioner Gordon asked about the possibility of a large projection screen. Ken Redfoot said that the large screens were not on this plan at this time. He said that the plan to use laptops and monitors would handle this issue. If large screens were needed, then they could be dropped down from the ceiling. Commissioner Gordon said that she would rather have a large screen for presentations. She wants to make sure that the County Commissioners and others can see all of the items She is concerned about the size of the monitors. Commissioner Hemminger thanked the architects for taking the County Commissioners' concerns under consideration. She likes the center aisle. Commissioner Jacobs asked if one aisle could be like lecture hall seats with a tablet arm and Ken Redfoot said that he would note this. Discussion ensued about the height of the desks. In answer to a question about cameras, David Taylor said that all of the cameras will be remote control. Frank Clifton said that the folding wall is an expensive aspect of the room but does add intimacy to the meeting room. He does not think the curtain works at all. He suggested using rolling screens if not the folding wall. Ken Redfoot said that the folding wall would need to have a structural frame, which could be more expensive. Commissioner Gordon asked for the architects to work on the monitors both from the Board of County Commissioners' and the audience views. She also asked for cost differentials between the schemes and if there was any difference in the work session and regular meeting views. Ken Redfoot said that the open option costs less than the others. He said that they were waiting on the County Commissioners to direct them as to what to do next before providing costs. He said that they could do the folding wall as an alternate if necessary. Regarding the work session layout, he needs to meet with staff more to make sure that all infrastructure is in the right place. Commissioner Gordon said that her opinion is that they would not need a wall, curtain, or a work session set up. She suggested going with the lower cost option and having the 6-8" height on the dais. Commissioner Yuhasz said that they need to think of having a wall since it will change the feel of the place. Commissioner Hemminger said that she liked the work session environment set up. Commissioner Jacobs said that the wall gives the potential of an extra meeting place and if the space is shared, then the other entities could be asked to share in the expenses of the wall. Chair Foushee said that she does like the work session design and she would like to design for flexibility. She asked for cost estimates when they are available. 2. Boards and Commissions — BOCC Discussion Advisory Board on Aging Frank Clifton said that Jerry Passmore did a structural review of the Advisory Board on Aging and the two senior centers' friends' boards. Jerry Passmore said that this was a good practice for his boards in which the Advisory Board on Aging was to try to identify the functional elements of the Aging Board versus the senior centers. The Advisory Board on Aging is responsible for all of the aging population — home setting, facility setting, or senior centers. The Friends are focused on people that are active enough to access the senior centers. There are some similar duties. He said that the Advisory Board on Aging is a liaison to the County Commissioners and is also responsible to get a recommendation to the Department on Aging in the areas of budgets, services, functions, etc. He said that one of the critical roles of the board is the review of various grants. The board is also working on the development of a Master Aging Plan. The focus of the Friends of the senior centers is to better utilize the centers, recruit volunteers, etc. Commissioner Pelissier said that the Advisory Board on Aging recommends enlarging the board to be more efficient and effective and she asked why this would be more efficient and effective. Jerry Passmore said that there are issues between meetings that need attention and there could be committees to focus on these issues. The intent was to break up into two committees and there is a need for additional members to do this. Adult Care Home Advisory Committee versus Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee Jerry Passmore said that both of these were created by State statute. The options are to merge or expand and not dissolve these committees. There are similar responsibilities, but they serve two different types of facilities. He summarized the similarities between the two committees. The Department on Aging provides clerical support for these committee meetings. The Regional Ombudsman is responsible for the training and support. County Commissioners do not have to attend these committee meetings. He said that he did talk with the Chair of the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee and her committee did not want to merge with the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee, and vice versa. Chair Foushee said that she agreed with the recommendations of these two groups and what they do is different enough and it would be difficult to staff if the committees were merged. Commissioner Hemminger agreed with Chair Foushee. She said that she would like to group together these committees instead of listing them alphabetically. She also suggested grouping according to how often committees meet instead of alphabetically. Commissioner Pelissier said that her concern was that it would be too hard to recruit for these committees if they merged. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if these committees could do anything that would reduce the need for as much staff support. Jerry Passmore said that there is an ebb and flow of committee members with these two groups and sometimes members take minutes versus Aging staff. He said that it is critical to have a staff member with knowledge of County government and processes. Transportation Services/OUT Board Craig Benedict said that this function is being transitioned to the Planning Department. Staff has met with the two boards to explain how there are a lot of similarities between these two boards. The three options are (page 31): 1. A board of staff members from agencies representing the populations North Carolina requires to be represented on transit advisory boards and a separate citizens' transportation advisory board (the OUT Board). The staff board would report directly to the BOCC, and keep the OUT Board apprised of Orange Public Transit business. 2. A board of staff members from agencies (Department of Social Services, Department of Health, Mental Health, and the Department on Aging) that represent populations North Carolina requires to be represented on transit advisory boards and a separate citizens' transportation advisory board (the OUT Board). The staff board would recommend business of Orange Public Transportation to the OUT Board, which would then make a recommendation to the BOCC. 3. Some hybrid of the two boards, with the Transportation Services Board as a subgroup of the OUT Board. Craig Benedict said that the TSB said that they would have no problem having a staff board or reporting to the OUT Board. The OUT Board would prefer option 1 or 2. Jerry Passmore said that the TSB has been in existence since 1992 and the OUT Board since 2005. Commissioner Gordon said that the Commissioners have not been given the requirements of NCDOT regarding the TSB. She thinks that option 2 would work best, but she wants to know the requirements of NCDOT. Commissioner Pelissier said that the TSB does not have a problem with merging with the OUT Board but they did not think of the concerns as Commissioner Gordon brought up. She said that this is a staff work group and the idea of option 2 was that things should be reviewed by a board comprised of citizens. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he liked Option 2. The Board agreed by consensus on Option 2. Regarding the Advisory Board on Aging, the Board agreed to let this one stay as it is, but list it together with the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee and the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee. Community Home Trust Chair Foushee said to not include Community Home Trust because it is not an Orange County board. Commissioner Gordon said to put it in under multi-jurisdictional. HOME Program Review Committee and Housing Bond Program/Project Review and Selection Committee Commissioner Gordon said that the HOME Program Review Committee and the Housing Bond Program/Project Review and Selection Committee should be staff working boards with no County Commissioner. The Board agreed to take the County Commissioner listing off of these two committees. Orange County Housing Authority The Board agreed to leave this board as it is, with a County Commissioner member. Affordable Housing Advisory Board The Board agreed to leave this board as it is. Animal Services Board The Board agreed to leave this board as it is. Arts Commission The Board agreed to keep this as it is, retain it, and have an Arts Commission member on the Orange County Visitor's Bureau (OCVB) Commissioner Yuhasz suggested having one common member between the OCVB and the Arts Commission. Frank Clifton said that the tourism board is made up of a member from the Chapel Hill- Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, the Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Commission, the Board of County Commissioners, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Orange County Lodging Association, the Chapel Hill Town Council, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, and the Alliance for Hillsborough. He will check about adding an Arts Commission member. The bylaws could be changed and come to the Board of County Commissioners for final approval. Commissioner Gordon said that there should be some kind of plan for the integration of the groups, and then this suggestion about having an Arts Commission member on the OCVB could work. The Board agreed to not change the Orange County Visitor's Bureau other than to include the Arts Commission within that department and the Arts Commission will still function as it has, with the possibility that the OCVB will include an Arts Commission member on its board. Commission for the Environment In answer to a question about the Air Quality Advisory Committee, Dave Stancil said that this became the Climate Change Committee. It was created by interlocal agreement with Chapel Hill and Carrboro and it has not met for quite some time. He will check with the other jurisdictions to see if this group can be sunset. The Board agreed to check with the other entities to sunset the Air Quality Advisory Committee. Commissioner Pelissier suggested that a Parks and Recreation representative be on this board also. Dave Stancil said that they are all trying to do cross pollination with the new department — Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR). Commissioner Pelissier suggested making this a formal structure to make sure that there is cross pollination. Commissioner Yuhasz suggested that the OUT Board may want to have some cross pollination with the Commission for the Environment. Commissioner Gordon suggested having the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council and the Commission for the Environment meet together once in a while. Recreation and Parks Advisory Council Commissioner Hemminger asked Lori Taft how she sees the RPAC fitting into the Triangle Sportsplex Committee. Lori Taft said they have not talked about it yet, though the RPAC has a representative on the Sportsplex Committee and this person prepares a regular report. Commissioner Hemminger asked if the Sportsplex Committee was really needed. Commissioner Jacobs said that all the committee does is talk about whether the water is too cold, what people are complaining about, how to get fishing in the pond, etc. It is a mechanism for the users to address the management. The committee does look at the budget and ask questions, but it is not the committee's job. Commissioner Hemminger suggested having an open house twice a year for citizens as opposed to having meetings all the time. Commissioner Jacobs said that the committee tried to be proactive and say that the County should not support them, and if the Board of County Commissioners wants to do something different, then it would not be a problem. He said that this committee was for people to work with the staff of the Sportsplex. Commissioner Pelissier said that she does not want there to be a perception that the Sportsplex Committee is running the show. She thinks that there needs to be some accountability to the County. She suggested that this committee make recommendations to the RPAC. Lori Taft said that the RPAC and the division do not have any role with the Sportsplex. She does not know how her group or staff could work through the Sportsplex since they do not have a relationship. Frank Clifton said that the man who runs the Sportsplex is an independent contractor and he has an open-ended operating agreement for the County to pay his expenses. There is limited staff involvement in this group and there is not even an Orange County sign on the door. He said that Orange County has almost no oversight over what the management does until it is done. Dave Stancil said that he met with John Stock recently and he thinks that Mr. Stock is interested in reaching out and seeing more communication and dialogue with the County. Commissioner Jacobs said that this group was never perceived as doing any oversight. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he would welcome suggestions to tighten this up and the committee is not the correct way. Frank Clifton said that he and the Attorney would look at the Sportsplex contract and have the Parks and Recreation Director involved in this process directly. He thinks that John Stock does a great job running the facility. Commissioner Gordon asked for a recommendation from the Manager on how to have County oversight. The Board agreed to defer this until a recommendation comes back from the Manager. Commission for Women Commissioner Pelissier said that this should be merged with the Human Relations Commission. Commissioner Gordon said that she would hate to see this group go away. She wants to know who would work with the Women's Center. She would like to see a merger plan for this if the Human Relations Commission and the Commission for Women agree. Commissioner Nelson said that he does not have a problem merging the two boards. He said that the Commission for Women played an important role a long time ago, but it is fine now to merge the two. He would like to see the contract with the Women's Center. Also, the Human Relations Commission and the Commission for Women should work out a merger plan. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like there to be a women's issues subcommittee and suggested that membership be about half men and half women if the groups are merged. Commissioner Jacobs said that before these two groups are merged he would like to get their responses to the merger because the groups were vastly offended that the County moved them without asking. Commissioner Hemminger said that she liked the idea of merger, but not the idea of a quota of members or a subcommittee. She thinks that the two boards need to come together and tell the County Commissioners what works. Commissioner Yuhasz suggested making a statement to the boards on the merger and what they can expect. Commissioner Gordon said that the County Commissioners should send a letter to both boards and be collegial. Economic Development Commission This item is being delayed until the work session with the EDC on August 19th Human Services Advisory Commission This commission has been sunset. Information Technology Advisory Committee Commissioner Yuhasz said that this group is interested in continuing. The Board agreed to sunset this committee. Commissioner Jacobs suggested having the IT discussion within the Economic Development Commission. Personnel Hearing Board Chair Foushee said that she had reservations about the sunset of this board because for her it was always about due process. She hopes that employees will be treated fairly. Frank Clifton said that the goal of the County is to run a system as parallel to the state as possible, like the Social Services Board and the Board of Health. If the personnel policies are substantially equivalent, then there would be a role for a board like this in that provision. The Board agreed to leave this alone until the Manager comes back. Commissioner Pelissier asked about having a model policy for the different boards and commissions. She suggested asking staff to come up with a model policy. Donna Baker said that this came up at the May 13th meeting and the Board deferred this decision point indefinitely. She said that she is going to try and tweak the policy over the summer. Commissioner Gordon suggested coming up with certain things that are needed in all of the bylaws and make sure all of the bylaws include those things. Commissioner Pelissier said that there should be standardized bylaws. Commissioner Gordon said that the RPAC should be the Parks and Recreation Advisory Council. She asked that the name of this group be changed to track with the department name which was changed to Parks and Recreation. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Hemminger to adjourn the meeting at 9:40 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Valerie Foushee, Chair Donna S. Baker, CMC Clerk to the Board