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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 03-17-2011 APPROVED 5/3/2011 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES March 17, 2011 5:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint meeting with the Social Services Board on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. at the Link Government Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Bernadette Pelissier and Commissioners Valerie P. Foushee, Pam Hemminger, Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, and Steve Yuhasz COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Alice Gordon COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey, and Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately below) BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES PRESENT: Chair Pat Garavaglia and DSS members Claire Millar and Commissioner Valerie Foushee BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES ABSENT: DSS members Arthrell Sanders and Albert Williams DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES STAFF PRESENT: Director Nancy Coston, Denise Shaffer, Joyce Lee, Sharron Hinton, and Lindsey Shewmaker Chair Pelissier called the meeting to order at 5:43 PM. 1. Introductions Introductions were made. 2. Messaqe from the DSS Board Chair Social Services Board Chair Pat Garavaglia thanked the Board of County Commissioners for inviting them to this meeting. She said that this is a hard time for the staff at DSS because the number of people coming for services has grown steadily and it is stressful to deal with this because of the reduced staffing. She thanked the County Commissioners for paying attention to the safety net issues. Social Services Director Nancy Coston and Lindsey Shewmaker made a PowerPoint presentation, which covers the remaining items, with discussion at the end. 3. Proqram Information ■ Current Recipient and Workload Statistics ■ Proqram Impacts 4. Topics of Interest 5. Planninq for FY 2011-12 OVERVIEW - Introduction - Message from DSS Board Chair - Program Information - Program impact - Topics of Interest - Planning for FY 2011-12 - Discussion - Closing Remarks Social Services Programs: - Adoption - Work First - Food and Nutrition - Medicaid Programs - Emergency Assistance - Child Care Subsidy - Homelessness Prevention - Guardianship - In-home Programs - Child Protective Services - Adult Protective Services - Foster Care - Adolescent Parenting - School Social Workers - Crisis Intervention Program - Criminal Justice - Placement Services Food and Nutrition Services - Current caseload = 5,467 cases - Average number of cases for FY 2010-11 increased 16% over average for FY 2009-10 Medicaid Programs - Current caseload = 7,070 cases - Average number of cases for FY 2010-11 increased 3% over average for FY 2009-10 Emergency Assistance Programs Emergency General Crisis Total Assistance (EA) Assistance Intervention (GA) Program (CIP) Description TANF crisis County crisis Federal funds funds used to funds used to used to assist in assist families assist individuals heating and with a child and families cooling crises. under 18 with without children utilities, rent, with utilities, rent, medicine, and medicine, and other emergent other emergent needs. needs. 2007-08 1,104 1,122 1,743 3,969 2008-09 1,183 1,308 2,472 4,963 2009-10 1,124 1,650 2,152 4,926 Child Care Subsidy - Current caseload = 636 children Outcome 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Meausres Projected Estimate Average 771 724 715 675 number of children served per month Annual number 1295 1325 1175 1300 of information and referral contacts for placements Total number of 1132 1114 975 900 children served annually Child Welfare Outcome 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Measures Projected Estimate Children in 933 1029 1050 1075 households reported for abuse or neglect Number of 196 232 220 225 children in DSS legal custody Number of 85 81 75 80 children who achieved permanence Number of 11 24 23 25 children adopted Adult Services - Total number of adults currently served = 177 Outcome 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Measures Projected Estimate Annual number 44 44 45 50 of Adult Protective services investigations Annual number 129 116 118 120 of adults receiving CAP/In-Home Services Annual number 18 17 18 20 of guardianship cases Economic Impact of DSS Programs Food and Nutrition Services - $1.9 million to local grocers Medicaid - $240 million to medical providers in Orange County Child Care Subsidy - $3.7 million to private child care providers Crisis Intervention Program —4200,000 to private energy providers Emergency Assistance - $280,000 to local landlords, utility companies, and pharmacies Special Assistance - $1.5 million to adult care homes Human Impact of DSS Programs - Building Stronger Families - Finding Children Forever Homes - Protecting Vulnerable Adults - Preventing homelessness for Orange County Families - Helping Parenting Teens Stay in School - Work First Employment Collaboration with EMS Child Care Subsidy - Services reduction due to revenue cut of approximately $1,000,000 o $650,000 cut in current fiscal year o $350,000 cut in FY 2011-12 - Smart Start subsidy application for FY2011-12 - Administrative revenue reduction from 5% to 3% - SEEK (Electronic Benefit Payment System) Aging and Adult Services - Social Services collaboration with Department on Aging - Changes in adult services o Enhanced care o Community Alternatives Program (CAP) - Guardianship Enhanced Employment and Training - Enhanced collaboration with Orange County training and employment agencies o Durham Technical Community College o Employment Security Commission o Orange County Literacy Council o NC Division of vocational rehabilitation o Good Works o Joint Orange Chatham Community Action - Food and Nutrition Services Employment and Training NC FAST - North Carolina Families Accessing Services through Technology (NC FAST) introduces technological tools that help staff more effectively serve clients - Implementation begins in September 2012 - 10-month readiness period begins December 2011 - EPASS Members of the DSS Board gave some examples of clients and success stories of programs. Nancy Coston said that there is a fatigue factor in the system right now because there are so many clients and needs and no extra resources. 6. Discussion Chair Pelissier asked if there were priorities for Smart Start subsidies. Nancy Coston said that one of the issues that may become more noticeable is that the Partnership Board has not tackled this issue in a public meeting and it came through the bidding process. Frank Clifton said that Gwen Harvey sits on the board and one of the concerns was if the funds were being spent on those most in need. The board is becoming more involved in those decisions. Nancy Coston said that her goal is to try and get the Skills Development Center at the forefront again and trying to get clients more ready for the workforce. With EPASS, clients can see if they are eligible for services. There is a link to this from the DSS website. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if there was one category that had more need than another. Nancy Coston said that the staff is at risk for burnout. Another great need is childcare. Commissioner Jacobs said that the poverty rate in Orange County is going up. He asked if one of the most effective ways to deal with the poverty was to increase funding in childcare. Nancy Coston said that this would help as would engaging other businesses and groups to take on the costs of childcare. Commissioner Hemminger asked if any other counties run their own childcare. Nancy Coston said yes and that it was a model that could occur. Discussion ensued about the possibility of providing childcare in the County. Commissioner Jacobs asked who monitors elder abuse. Nancy Coston said that DSS does the Adult Protective Services, which means that if an elder is abused, it is reported to DSS. If it is pending against a regulated facility, it becomes a dual opportunity because the State monitors nursing homes. Commissioner Jacobs asked that, as funds are continually cut for seniors to stay at home and receive care, who would monitor this and what is the fallback position. Nancy Coston said that the Adult Protective Services is the next crisis. Chair Pelissier asked what was on the horizon for federal funding for the various services provided by DSS. Nancy Coston said that the energy program will probably be the first one to get hit. She thinks the next issue is health reform and what will happen with this. She also heard that there would be federal funding for childcare, but with everything going on with the federal government, she does not see that happening. 7. Closinq Remarks Chair Pelissier thanked the Social Services Board for coming. With no further items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 6:55 PM. Bernadette Pelissier, Chair David Hunt, Deputy Clerk to the Board APPROVED 4/19/2011 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION March 17, 2011 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Link Government Services Center in Hillsborough, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Bernadette Pelissier and Commissioners Valerie Foushee, Barry Jacobs, Pam Hemminger, Earl McKee and Steve Yuhasz COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Alice Gordon COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton and Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately below) Chair Pelissier called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Financial Services Director Clarence Grier said that in October the County changed the plan from a ten-year to a five-year plan. Deputy Financial Services Director Michael Talbert made reference to the notebook with the five-year Capital Investment Plan. He said that the County is in a period of slow economic growth and has been through a bad recession. He said that the County is recovering, but not quickly. He said that the staff has included all of the items that the County Commissioners asked for. The Board wanted a comprehensive plan that included County capital and all proprietary funds (water and sewer utilities, solid waste, Sportsplex, and the school systems). This has all been combined into one summary document. He went through the document. He made reference to page 63 and pointed out the schedule for County debt service and debt capacity. The annual debt service is existing debt service starting at $28.6 million and gradually going down to $21.9 million in the fifth year. The inflation rate is 1% for 2012-13 and 1.5% for 2013-14 and 2014-15, and 2% in 2015-16. The annual debt service as a percent of general fund is calculated currently at 16.33%. There is not an anticipation of any additional debt for 2011-12. The percentage would then drop to 15.34%. He made reference to water and sewer utilities and said that everything will be funded from the General Fund. Solid waste is not on here because it pays its own debt service. Michael Talbert went back to page two and covered the main items of interest. Northern Human Services Center: - Northern Human Services detail on page 15. Available funds of $344,000 and the recommendation is to demolish this building. There would be a one year's notice to the existing tenant. Frank Clifton said that the big issue for this building is the septic system. It costs the County $100,000 a year to maintain the building with the daycare in there. Commissioner McKee asked if any thought had been given to declaring this excess property and divesting it. Frank Clifton said that some of this could be done, but there are issues with the park being next to it. Commissioner Hemminger said that she liked the idea of building a pavilion and having something there to use with the park, but she does not want to give up the thought of a future community center or something with a small library or meeting room. The existing building could never be used for that. She would like to consider this at some point. Commissioner Jacobs said that he has some problems with discussing the removal of this building. He has problems because the public has not even been engaged. He would like to engage the public and look at the full gamut of the options. The County spent a lot of money buying land across the street in order to expand the septic system. This was a key facility in that community almost 60 years ago and he would like to get some community engagement. Frank Clifton said that the assumption is to have a lot of public activity. The maintenance of this building has been hidden in the general fund for many years. Commissioner Foushee said that she does not want to remove the ability to provide services to that community. Commissioner Yuhasz agreed with everyone and said that it is important to start this conversation because the County is spending a lot of money to maintain a building that it is not using. He thinks that this is a necessary first step. Southern Human Services Center Expansion: - Southern Human Services Center Expansion — details on page 17 Michal Talbert said that the first year funds are $280,000. The first $180,000 is for renovations of the existing facility. The Medicaid maximization money can be used for these renovatons. The remaining $100,000 would come from the general fund for the entire site. The possibility of expanding the building will be part of that plan and this is estimated to be $6.6 million in year five. Frank Clifton said that the issue of that site is the lack of a plan for future services (i.e., dental services). Commissioner Jacobs said that he is confused because the Board of County Commissioners does have a master plan for that site from years ago. Pam Jones said that the plan did not have engineering work included. Commissioner Jacobs said that the lack of a reference to any plan makes it sound like there is no plan. Frank Clifton said that the plan does not speak to specific sizes. Commissioner Jacobs said that it was always his understanding that the Southern Human Services Center was built for expansion. He wants to acknowledge in the CIP that dental services might go here. He just wants to be clear that this is not starting from scratch and that the Board of County Commissioners had a vision for this site and it was developed based on this vision. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he wants to see the concept plan and then decide where to go from there. Southwest Branch Library: - Southwest Branch Library— details on page 18. Year one has $650,000 in funds to get the project started. This would be a significant planning process in terms of size, site, the building, parking, etc. The actual cost of the building has been pushed out to year five. The building estimates are being inflated 5% a year. Commissioner McKee asked if for some reason the County Commissioners decided not to move forward with this, if the $465,000 and $185,000 be transferred to another project such as the water and sewer in Buckhorn. Michael Talbert said that it would be the sole discretion of the Board. Frank Clifton said that the $185,000 came from sales of property and the County Commissioners set this aside for a library at some point in time. The issue on this one is recognizing that the process will probably take a couple of years. Commissioner Yuhasz asked if there would be any idea about any road improvements from Carrboro. Frank Clifton said that the staff is meeting tonight with the Carrboro Planning Board about this issue. The issue is that if the property is rezoned, it will probably end up being a conditional rezoning. Commissioner Jacobs said that 20,000 square feet is too much space and he does not think that he is alone in this thought. He said that Carrboro will assume that this is what Orange County is planning to provide, and he has no intention of providing a library the same size as the Central Library as a branch library, especially in a County where there is a University library and a Town of Chapel Hill Library. He does not want to set up this type of expectation. Geothermal Project: - Geothermal project— details on page 20. This idea was introduced when talking about the meeting room downstairs about a possibility of a community-wide geothermal that would serve all or most of the buildings within a 100-yard walk o the site. The first year of the funding is $618,000, which would take care of the Link Building. The bulk of the project would occur in the second year with $2.4 million and in the third year with an additional $600,000. This changeover has saved the Justice Facility about 30% in energy bills so far. There is also a $177,000 grant that can be used in the first phase. The money has to be spent before December 31St Commissioner McKee commended the staff for looking at geothermal systems. He asked if the existing HVAC systems were at the end of their working life. Pam Jones said that most of the buildings have the original HVAC and need to be replaced. Chair Pelissier asked about stimulus money and what this could be used for. Michael Talbert said that in the discussion of the Link Center, there were three or four projects that the funding was going to come from. He is proposing to go ahead and use those funds from the multiple small projects at this time. This would be $419,000 coming from those other projects combined with the $177,000 (grant funding), and then there would be $20,606 needed from the general fund. Michael Talbert said that the second phase of this project is the expansion of the lower level of the building for a meeting space for the Board of County Commissioners. This is pushed out to year five and the estimate is a little over$1 million. Frank Clifton said that a fire suppression system has been installed but it is not yet connected. The big issue is that the restroom facilities have to be modified to accommodate the public. Commissioner McKee asked about the projected life expectancy of the geothermal system and if the buildings would use the same well. Pam Jones said that there will be different wells for different buildings. Jeff Thompson said that there is a 50-year life expectancy. Commissioner Jacobs asked about an archeological survey for the wells and Pam Jones said that there would be one. Commissioner Yuhasz asked about the cost of the meeting room if it was in year two. Michael Talbert said around $800,000. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he would prefer to see this project earlier than the fifth year. He said that the citizens of this County deserve to have a home for the Board of County Commissioners. Chair Pelissier said that even though it is in year five, next year it can be revised and put for the following year. Commissioner Jacobs agreed with bringing this closer to the present. Commissioner McKee said that he would be reluctant to move this closer because the County is going to need as much funds as possible for the infrastructure project in Buckhorn for economic development. Commissioner Foushee agreed with Commissioner McKee. She said that the County is under a lot of uncertainty and she does not think that it should move up on the priority list. Chair Pelissier agreed because there are so many pressing priorities. Affordable Housing: - Affordable Housing — details on page 22. The Board has had recent discussions about the possibility of paying significant reimbursements to non-profits for houses that have been built for the impact fees. There has been $200,000 put forward for this purpose for future years. Frank Clifton said that the goal would be to support more affordable housing. Commissioner Jacobs said that about nine years ago there was a big push in the community to put money into affordable housing. There was $250,000 reserved for this. Commissioner McKee said that there are several roofing projects and as these projects go forward, he asked that things be done as frugally as possible. He said that the perception is that the County does not choose based on the lowest bid. Commissioner Foushee agreed and said that sometimes the priority has to be whether the County can afford it. Information Technologies: - Information Technologies — details on page 23. This project keeps up with the hardware and software needs. There is currently $1.1 million in this project. Michael Talbert thanked the Board for allowing staff to clean out the prior history on this. The recommendation is to go forward with $500,000 per year for the next five years. Commissioner Yuhasz made reference to going paperless with the agenda system. He would like to look at this. Frank Clifton Chief Information Officer Todd Jones is looking at this right now. It would be about $50-60,000 because of the hardware/software needs. The staff should have a demonstration to the Board in the next 60-90 days. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would like to see the Information Technology Strategic Plan. He would also like to look at tele-conferencing for staff and County Commissioners. Chair Pelissier said that video conferencing sometimes does not seem to be as effective as a face-to-face meeting. Parks: - Parks — details start on page 25 and go through page 37. There are very few projects in the first few years. The first project is the park at Blackwood Farm. This park is proposed to be open limited hours and the County's share of the upfront cost is $12,500. There will be some subsequent operating costs. The second project is New Hope Preserve/Hollow Rock (p. 34). There is some archaeological work that still needs to be done before proceeding. The third project in the first four years is Twin Creeks Park roadway entrance where there is $600,000 budgeted for the roadwork for the entranceway. This will be done in coordination with MI Homes. Commissioner Hemminger said that she would be hopeful to come in under$600,000 since there is a partnership. Frank Clifton said that there have been meetings with the developer. The Town of Carrboro is requiring the developer to build a bridge and sidewalks on both sides of the road. Commissioner McKee said that he was surprised to see no cost associated with the Mountains to Sea Trail. Michael Talbert said that in theory, this is all the way across the State. The work is being done by volunteers, so there is no expense. Regarding conservation easements, Michael Talbert said that out of the bond money that has been sold over the past 8-9 years, there is $392,000 remaining. With Lands Legacy, there is $1.7 million remaining. Both of these projects have nothing in the first three years and general fund contributions start for conservation easements in year four. Also in year four, $2.4 million is suggested to replenish the Lands Legacy funds. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Bingham Park and said that this is the only park from the 1988 Master Plan where the property has not been acquired. He would like to separate out acquisition. Dave Stancil said that there are preexisting funds. Commissioner Hemminger thanked the staff for the layout of this plan because it is easy to read. Commissioner Yuhasz made reference to the Lands Legacy appropriation of $2.4 million in year three and asked what this is to be used for. Michael Talbert said future Lands Legacy purchases. Commissioner Yuhasz said that he is not comfortable with debt financing of something that they are not sure they are going to buy. He is not sure more parkland in year three is what is really needed. Commissioner Foushee said that if this is about dedicating funds, she would like to see this number reduced. She does not want to talk about borrowing money for a project that is not necessary. Michael Talbert said that he would list the projects that are anticipated to be funded with the existing funds and then what might be planned for the future. Dave Stancil said that the $2.4 million is the remainder of the $7 million from the 2001 bond that has not yet been issued. Michael Talbert made reference to page 3 and the revenue services. He said that there are discussions about Article 46, and the preliminary numbers are 50% for schools and 50% for economic development. He said that all of the water and sewer project on the table would require about $8.4 million in debt and the debt service would be $672,000 at today's rate. Regarding Elementary 11, this would be about $2 million in debt. The '/4-cent sales tax would pay about 60% of the debt service, as an example. Chair Pelissier made reference to page 65 and the first line that says "Jail Expansion." She asked about the status of this potential expansion. Frank Clifton said that this is an issue that needs more analysis, depending on what the State does. At this time, there are about 70 slots allocated to Federal prisoners. He hopes to do some future planning sometime soon. The County gets money from the Federal government for holding Federal prisoners on a daily basis. Michael Talbert made reference to page 4 and the related operating costs for the general fund. This is applicable if everything in the plan is done as it is currently laid out. The bulk of the amount is debt service. Michael Talbert made reference to page 5 and proprietary projects. The $10 million is for water and sewer utilities. Funding sources is primarily debt financing of about $8.4 million. There is about $1.3 million in EPA grants. Commissioner McKee asked clarifying questions about the phases of the Efland sewer fund, which were answered by Craig Benedict. Chair Pelissier asked clarifying questions about the Buckhorn/Efland Phase 2, which were answered by Frank Clifton and Craig Benedict. Michael Talbert referred to page 6 and the Solid Waste Capital Projects and said that these were listed by their different divisions of sanitation, recycling, and landfill. The projects include information shared regarding a possible 4R fee and the hours at the convenience centers, including upgrades. All of the projects that are debt-financed will be paid from this fund. Commissioner McKee said that this is another project that he wonders about and the impact it would have if the convenience centers were not upgraded. He made reference to page 47. He asked if there has been any discussion about how critical it is to move forward with this now. Frank Clifton said that the key to this is the more that is recycled, the less that goes into the landfill. The centers are heavily used and there are a lot of man hours spent there now. It is ultimately a Board decision. Commissioner Yuhasz said that the analysis shows that the improvements are needed so that when the landfill closes, the waste can be transported from the convenience centers to the transfer station. If the waste is not compacted, it will cost a lot more to transport the waste. The improvements will improve the look and feel, but it will primarily allow the County to save the cost of many hauling trips in the long run. Commissioner Foushee said that in the interim what is not provided for her is information on what the County plans to do in terms of how to treat solid waste. This seems to her as business as usual in terms of dealing with waste. Frank Clifton said that the alternative would be to franchise door to door pickup. This is more costly. Commissioner Jacobs pointed out the cost efficiencies of the 4R fee as opposed to paying someone to pick up trash door to door. Chair Pelissier said that if more trash is diverted from the landfill, this gives the County more time to explore other options than a transfer station. She really wants to look at other options. Commissioner Yuhasz said that regardless of the philosophy, the trash has to be collected and taken to a central location. Michael Talbert made reference to page 7 and the Sportsplex. This funding includes what is needed to keep this facility in good working order. It is thriving and doing well. It makes sense to reinvest in this facility without general fund contribution. Page 8 was the Schools Capital summary. Both school systems are listed separately with the long-range capital. There are several uncertainties as far as schools with the General Assembly. There is a $760 million hole that they are looking to plug and there are lots of ideas, including reducing teachers and increasing class size, having only one administrative unit per County, and others. Regarding Elementary School #11, the recommendation is that in year one to deconstruct the existing facility and clean up the site. In year two, the facility will be built. The other large project is for OCS in year four, which is an auxiliary gym for Cedar Ridge High School. This has been requested for a number of years. Commissioner Hemminger asked about the auxiliary gym and if this number would be less and Michael Talbert said yes, this number is inflated because it was from a few years ago. Michael Talbert made reference to the auxiliary schedule at the back on page 63. There was a list of active County capital projects. He said that this shows the status of each project and the terms of expected completed dates. If the project has financial activity within the fiscal year, it has to be open for the entire year. Commissioner Hemminger asked about the money spent for at the Northern Human Services Center and Michael Talbert said that it was originally for the sewer system. Commissioner Jacobs said that it should be at the forefront that all buildings should be handicapped accessible. A motion was made by Commissioner Yuhasz, seconded by Commissioner McKee to adjourn the meeting at 9:08 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Clarence Grier said that having these policies adopted will keep the bond ratings and the payments low. This is why he brought this forward for approval. He asked that they be approved by the April 5th meeting. Bernadette Pelissier, Chair David Hunt Deputy Clerk to the Board