Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19990406I APPROVED 10119199 2 3 MINUTES 4 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 5 REGULAR MEETING 6 April 6, 1999 7 8 9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, April 6, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. at 10 the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom, Hillsborough, N.C. 11 12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Alice M. Gordon and Commissioners Margaret W. 13 Brown, Moses Carey, Jr., and Barry Jacobs 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Stephen H. Halkiotis 15 COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Managers Rod Visser and Albert Kittrell and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. ALL RECORDINGS OF THE MEETING WILL BE KEPT FOR 5 YEARS. 1. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Chair Gordon added to the agenda, by consensus, to item 9a, an appointment to the Orange County Board of Adjustment. 2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS a. Matters on the Printed Agenda Chair Gordon asked that citizens who want to speak to items on the printed agenda to sign the clipboard at the back of the room. b. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Maria Palmer spoke in support of the English as a Second Language program. She is the Pastor of Iglesia nida de Christo, mother of three, and was member of the Limited English Proficiency task force that made recommendations to the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools to address the needs of limited English proficiency children. She told about a situation in which, because of inadequate resources, kids in high school cannot attend school because they don't understand the language. She spoke on behalf of both Orange County and Chapel Hill/Carrboro City school systems. Myles Presler thanked the Board of County Commissioners for supporting EmPowerment, Inc. and their efforts in renovating properties. He left some brochures on their next venture, "Midway Business Center." He spoke on behalf of ABODE, a new Affordable Housing Coalition working together to solve the crisis of affordable housing. He stressed that there is a demand for affordable housing. Mr. Presler noted that at the present time, the County Commissioners do not have the authority to use general funds for affordable housing. They rely on the federal government 100% for those funds. He stated that since the early 1980's, those funds have been cut by over 77%. This year they have approximately one million dollars coming through Orange County that can be spent on affordable housing in home and community development funds. The current request for funding exceeds that by about two and a half times. He asked the County Commissioners to consider supporting the creation of a housing trust fund with funding from one cent of the property tax rate. Mecklenburg County is asking for local legislation to allow them to use local tax revenues for affordable housing. He referred to Senate bill 708, which amends the current statutes to allow counties to, "engage in, and appropriate, and expend funds for residential housing construction." Members of the legislative delegation have expressed interest in doing a committee substitute to allow Orange County to be included with Mecklenburg and Wake Counties. The draft now only includes counties with populations of over 500,000. He asked that the County Commissioners consider asking for local legislation which would give them the authority to use property tax moneys for affordable housing efforts. He left some copies of written comments and Senate Bill 708. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 Commissioner Jacobs asked for an analysis as to whether or not we should pursue local legislation. Additional information will be available at the next meeting. At that time staff will bring back a resolution for the Board's consideration. PUBLIC CHARGE The Chair dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 3. BOARD COMMENTS Commissioner Jacobs asked about the tracking format. John Link indicated that they have improved the tracking format and will soon present it to the Board for review. He asked if the Board had any feedback on the form they plan to use. He proposes that they experiment and try to capture the items the County Commissioners ask staff to address, where they are in the process, when they are to come back, and when they are completed. Commissioner Jacobs said that this is what he was looking for. He suggested changing the word "status" to "comments." He would like for this list to eventually be on the intranet, to avoid passing the lists back and forth. He also suggested that if and when they agree that this is the format, have the County Commissioners give to the staff things they feel are pending matters. John Link said that, assuming the format was satisfactory, they would go back to the first quarter of 1999 and by take the notes and follow up sheet that is now used, list the pending matters from the last three months. Commissioner Brown asked for clarification and an update on the Hebron issue. She asked about the hearing that took place two weeks ago, and what is the position of the Commissioners on this issue, if there is something they should do now, and what the expectation of our legislators is at this time. John Link said that the Hebron group understands that the County Commissioners have no legal role in the decision. The legislators were receptive to a bill calling for a moratorium on annexations on the part of an external town or city into Orange County, until such time as we could work on joint planning. He spoke to the County Attorney about that, who had contacted representative Joe Hackney. He does not know the outcome of that discussion. He was not at the hearing two weeks ago, but Planning Director, Craig Benedict did attend that hearing. Craig Benedict said that the purpose of the meeting was to hear public input about the incorporation of Hebron. It was very well organized. Four people spoke for Hebron Corporation and four against, three for and three against. and a total of 14 people spoke. There were four legislators in attendance. They said that the input they received, the criteria they met, and the criteria they did not meet for incorporation does not mean that the General Assembly can approve or deny it. It is still undecided, but they did receive public input on it. The bottom line is that there is joint planning in that general area. The legislative actions suggested by the County Manager would give them the opportunity for joint planning in those extra-jurisdictional areas, or even outside of that area. Commissioner Jacobs said that at the hearing held on March 24, Senator Wilbur Gulley from Durham, and Representative Cary Allred from Alamance were the two representatives who spoke in support of this effort. Senator Eleanor Kinnaird and Representative Verla Insko came to listen. The committee did vote to deny the incorporation, which may or may not mean anything. He also got a call from a reporter from Alamance County who said that he had just spoken with the Mayor of Mebane, who was very distressed to hear of the possibility of a bill being introduced to prohibit Mebane from annexing into Orange County. He recommends that they speak with Mebane as soon as possible about the benefits of joint planning. He also recommends that they include the economic development district in the discussion. This may make it more attractive to them, and might enable the Board to talk more about transferring development rights. Commissioner Brown said that she has received calls asking where the County Commissioners stand on this issue. She feels it important to let our delegation know where we stand or what our interests are. John Link suggested that the County Commissioners authorize a resolution considering a moratorium in concert with Mebane which would clear up the situation. Commissioner Brown made a motion that the County Manager and Chair pursue whatever is necessary to send a clear signal to our delegation. Commissioner Carey feels the Board should expound their interest in joint planning. However, he feels that the legislative moratorium issue is very touchy, and it should be dealt with carefully. He thinks the Chair and the Manager should work to communicate that to the delegation and the officials in Mebane, in such a way that does not make planning more difficult. Commissioner Jacobs suggested making the Board's interest known in a positive way, requesting that joint planning discussions begin with Mebane at the earliest opportunity, and that the legislative delegation is not asked to advance this bill, but the Board recognizes that it may be a viable option if joint planning can not be established. That gives Mebane the opportunity to respond positively or negatively without having endorsed something that they might find very offensive. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey that the Board expresses to the town of Mebane that the County Commissioners would like to engage as quickly as possible in discussions on joint planning. At the same time, the Board of Commissioners acknowledge that while they have not taken any action, in terms of a resolution related to a moratorium, this is an option. Copies will be given to the legislative delegation. 1 2 3 4 _5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 VOTE: UNANIMOUS Commissioner Carey said that he feels the tracking process for follow-up items will work very well. He feels that if items get on that list, they should have at least three votes, and that requests for information from one County Commissioner should not go on the list. If a County Commissioner has a request, they should communicate directly with the Manager or the appropriate person. He also informed the Board that Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved the joint development of the Juvenile Justice Councils, which is going to be merged with our Criminal Justice Partnership Board. He announced that the Water and Sewer Boundary Task Force has completed its work and will bring forth a recommendation in the near future. Commissioner Brown asked for a report on the new middle school being built by Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools. John Link said that he would ask that this information be furnished. She also asked about the joint development that the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools are doing with the University of North Carolina, and how funding will be handled for this joint construction. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that before the County Commissioners make a statement about individual requests, that he hopes a decision is made on how the Board works with staff. Chair Gordon said that she has suggested to the County Manager that there be a process for adding items when requests are received. She asked John Link to develop some procedures. John Link suggested starting out with using this method of tracking requests and then develop a procedure. Chair Gordon mentioned a community walk and distributed information. She also gave a copy of the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) budget to the County Manager and Finance Director. She asked for feedback about the budget in its soundness and for a report on whether or not Orange County is getting its fair share. The hearing will be held at the next TTA meeting, and the budget will be voted on the meeting after that. Lastly, she mentioned the public information forum which will be held tomorrow. Part one is going to be a special meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, to hear the report and have the Commissioners listen to the consultants and ask questions. Part two will be a meeting of the citizens and a panel, conducted by a moderator. 29 4. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT 30 31 John Link asked the Board to welcome Diane Reid who is the new Economic Development Director. He made 32 reference to a memo from Scott Gardner, District Manager of Duke Power and their Y21K update. Duke Power will have 33 all of their systems ready by June, 1999, as indicated in their flow chart. 34 35 5. RESOLUTIONS/PROCLAMATIONS 36 a. Orange County Senior Games 37 The Board considered proclaiming the week of April 12-18, 1999, as Orange County Senior Games 38 Events Days, and encouraged citizens over age 55 to participate. 39 Barbara Feldman made comments and read the proclamation. 40 A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Carey to approve and 41 authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 42 43 ORANGE COUNTY SENIOR GAMES 44 45 WHEREAS, According to recent population figures, there are more than 15,000 persons over 55 46 years of age in Orange County; and, 47 48 WHEREAS, Orange County is concerned about the health, fitness, and social Well-being of its 49 mature adult population; and, 50 51 WHEREAS, Orange County Senior Games provides a special opportunity for mature adults 52 to grow positively in the areas of health, fitness, and social well-being, and, 53 54 WHEREAS, Orange County would like to encourage local businesses and resident support and 55 participation from county residents age 55 and older; 56 57 NOW BE IT THEREFORE PROCLAIMED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners declare April 12-18,1999 58 as ORANGE COUNTY SENIOR GAMES EVENTS DAYS AND ENCOURAGES CITIZENS AGE 55 ANDOVER TO 59 PARTICIPATE. 60 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 61 I b. County Government Week 2 The Board considered proclaiming the week of April 18-24 as Orange County Government Week and 3 endorsing activities planned for the week. 4 Sharron Siler made comments and read the proclamation. 5 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey, to approve and 6 authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 7 ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT WEEK 10 WHEREAS, Orange County Government is committed to improving the communities in which residents live, work, play, 11 and raise families; and, 12 13 WHEREAS, Orange County Government is flexible and adaptive in providing services, and is able to 14 provide countywide and regional solutions to the most pressing of challenges; and, 15 16 WHEREAS, The quality of life for residents is dependent upon choices that accommodate all citizens 17 while preserving the community; and, 18 19 WHEREAS, By providing citizens with a safe and healthy community, Orange County officials demonstrate their 20 commitment to addressing citizen concerns and needs; and, 21 22 WHEREAS, As we approach the 21 st century, Orange County Government will continue to serve the citizens with an 23 emphasis on maintaining a high quality of life for all. 24 25 NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaim the week of 26 April 18-24,1999 as ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT WEEK. 27 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 28 29 c. Public Health Month 30 The Board considered proclaiming April 1999 as Public Health Month and endorsing activities planned 31 for the month. 32 Health Director Rosie Summers made comments and read the resolution. 33 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Brown to approve and 34 authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 35 36 PUBLIC HEALTH MONTH 37 38 WHEREAS, Governor Hunt has proclaimed April as Public Health Month in North Carolina; and, 39 40 WHEREAS, Promoting the health and well-being of all residents of Orange County is paramount; and, 41 42 WHEREAS, Controlling and eliminating communicable diseases are necessary to ensure that our 43 communities are healthy places in which to live; and, 44 45 WHEREAS, Protecting residents by safeguarding water and food supplies and monitoring waste 46 discharge systems is critical for environmental and personal health; and, 47 48 WHEREAS, Encouraging healthy lifestyle behaviors assures optimal quality of life and improved 49 health status; and, 50 51 WHEREAS, Ensuring the optimal growth and development for all Orange County children is vital 52 for the future of our communities; and, 53 54 WHEREAS, Public Health contributes to the prosperity of Orange County residents by promoting 55 health, preventing disease, and protecting the environment, everyday, every where, and for 56 everybody regardless of religious, ethnic, or socioeconomic background; 57 58 THEREFORE, We hereby proclaim April, 1999 as PUBLIC HEALTH MONTH IN ORANGE COUNTY. 59 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 60 d. Fair Housin Month The Board considered proclaiming April 1999 as Fair Housing Month. Human Rights Director Annette Moore made comments and read the proclamation. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 7 FAIR HOUSING MONTH 8 9 WHEREAS, April, 1999 marks the thirty-first anniversary of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, 10 the Federal Fair Housing Act, which provides for equal opportunity for all people in the sale, rental, 11 and financing of housing, and prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, 12 sex, age, or national origin; and, 13 14 WHEREAS, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1998 added familial status and handicap to those 15 classes protected by Title VIII and added strong new rights, remedies, monetary penalties, and 16 judicial and administrative enforcement procedures; and, 17 18 WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners enacted the Orange County Civil Rights 19 Ordinance on June 6, 1994, which affords to the residents of Orange County the protections 20 guaranteed by Title VIII and additionally encompasses the protected classes of veteran status 21 and age; and, 22 23 WHEREAS, in spite of the protections afforded by the Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance and 24 Title VIII as amended, illegal housing discrimination still occurs in our nation and in our country; 25 26 27 NOW, THEREFORE, do we, the Commissioners of Orange County, proclaim the month of April, 28 1999 as FAIR HOUSING MONTH, and commend this observance to all Orange County citizens. 29 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 30 31 e. Armenian Martyrs Day 32 The Board considered proclaiming April 24, 1999 as Armenian Martyrs Day. 33 Human Rights Director Annette Moore presented this proclamation on behalf of the Human Rights 34 Commission. 35 A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Carey to approve and 36 authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 37 38 ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY 39 40 WHEREAS, between 1915-1923, the extermination of more than one and one-half million 41 Armenians and the deportation of countless other Armenians took place by the Ottoman Turks; and, 42 43 WHEREAS, during this atrocity, Armenians were forced to witness the slaughter of their relatives and the loss of their 44 ancestral homelands; and, 45 46 WHEREAS, Armenians assert that the government of modern-day Turkey refuses to recognize the facts of the 47 genocide; and, 48 49 WHEREAS, the denial of the Armenian genocide by the present-day Turkish government 50 serves to taint history and disavows Armenians of the right to their homeland and heritage; and, 51 52 WHEREAS, ancestral Armenian lands taken by the Ottoman Turks have not been returned to the 53 Armenian people, nor have the Armenians received compensation for their losses; and, 54 55 WHEREAS, Armenians have traditionally designated April 24th as ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY, 56 in recognition and remembrance of those who died during the Armenian genocide; and, 57 58 WHEREAS, it is important to remember history so that mistakes of the past are not repeated 59 in future generations; 60 I NOW THEREFORE, do we, the Commissioners of Orange County, proclaim April 24, 1999 as 2 ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY and commend this observance to all Orange County citizens. 3 VOTE UNANIMOUS 5 f. Telecommunicator's Week 6 The Board considered proclaiming the week of April 11-17, 1999, as National Public Safety 7 Telecommunicator's Week. 8 Diana Jefferies made comments and read the proclamation. 9 A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve and 10 authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 TELECOMMUNICATOR'S WEEK WHEREAS, thousands of dedicated telecommunicators daily serve the citizens of the United States and Canada, by answering their telephone calls for law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services by dispatching the appropriate assistance as quickly as possible; and, WHEREAS, the critical functions performed by professional telecommunicators also include those related to forestry and conservation operations, highway safety and maintenance activities, and many other operations performed by federal, state, and local government agencies; and, WHEREAS, professional telecommunicators work to improve the emergency response capabilities of these communication systems through their leadership and participation in training programs and other activities provided by the Association of Public Safety communications officials, and the National Emergency Number Association; and, WHEREAS, these associations or organizations of more than 10,000 people engaged in the design, installation, and operation of emergency response communications has set aside the week beginning April 11, 1999 to recognize telecommunicators and their crucial role in the protection of life and property; and, WHEREAS, James B. Hunt, Governor of North Carolina, has proclaimed the week of April 11-17,1999 as Public Safety Telecommunicator's Week in North Carolina, NOW, THEREFORE, we the Orange County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaim the week of April 11-17, 1999 as NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR'S WEEK in Orange County, North Carolina, in honor and recognition of our county's telecommunicators, and the vital contributions they make to the safety and well being of our citizens. Rod Visser announced that there is now a certification and standard program for telecommunicators through the North Carolina Sheriff's Commission. While it applies specifically to telecommunicators who work in county sheriff's departments, there is also a process where other telecommunicators can be certified as well. He wanted to recognize the professionalism of our 911 staff, and thank them for doing such a wonderful job. The certification takes place at the North Carolina Justice Academy and also at the different community colleges across the state. VOTE UNANIMOUS 6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS -NONE 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS - NONE 8. ITEMS FOR DECISION - CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve those items on the Consent Agenda as stated below: a. Appointments This item was removed and placed at the end of the Consent Agenda. b. Minutes The Board approved minutes from its January 19 meeting. C. Petition for Addition and Abandonment of Maintenance of Portions of 13 Roads by I NC DOT 2 The Board approved petitions submitted by NC DOT for addition of new sections and abandonment of 3 maintenance of old sections of 13 state-maintained secondary roads. 4 d. CJPP Continuation Grant Application 5 This item was removed and placed at the end of the Consent Agenda. 6 e. Establishment of Public Hearing Date for 1999-2009 CIP 7 The Board approved establishing April 20, 1999, as the public hearing date to receive citizen comments 8 on the County Manager's proposed 1999-2009 Capital Investment Plan (CIP). 9 f. 1999-2000 Contract between N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and 10 Orange County Health Department 11 The Board approved and authorized the Chair to sign a contract with the N.C. Department of Health and 12 Human Services in the amount of $552,629 to help support mandated services delivered by the Orange County Health 13 Department. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 _q. 1999 County Auction This item was removed and placed at the end of the Consent Agenda. h. Petition for Addition - Iva Ada Drive in Eno Township The Board approved a petition from NC DOT to add Ida Ada Drive in En o Township to the state- maintained secondary road system. i. Property Tax Refunds The Board approved a refun d resolution for 23 requests for property tax refu nds as stated below: NAME ACCOUNT # AMOUNT AI-zabit, Faysal Ghazi F55126 $ 23.74 Crook, Brian Lee E47848 $ 54.55 Crook, Brian Lee D55188 $ 63.88 Crook, Brian Lee F49219 $ 103.93 Dercole, Augustine Joseph E97172 $ 117.06 Crook, Judith Williams F40954 $ 75.15 Crook, Judith Williams D55189 $ 82.68 Crook, Judith Williams E47849 $ 69.85 Crook, Judith Williams F40955 $ 59.90 Long, Roberta E50437 $ 45.39 Partin, Karen Lamb F6343 $ 25.00 Pralle, Susanne M. F45038 $ 28.09 Crook, Robert Murphy D47597 $ 32.69 Crook, Robert Murphy E39574 $ 30.25 Crook, Robert Murphy F32425 $ 29.45 Crook, Robert Murphy D47598 $ 32.25 Crook, Robert Murphy E39575 $ 28.58 Crook, Robert Murphy D47599 $ 18.54 Crook, Robert Murphy F32426 $ 100.00 Ralcar Corporation 163689 $6770.30 Weaver Dairy Associates Partnership 217203 Flint Ridge Ltd. 143419 Coachwood Associates 1 54992 $ 3740.47 $24146.95 $13234.71 L. Proposed Bicycle Plan Component to the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan This item was removed and placed at the end of the Consent Agenda. k. Skills Development Center Advisory Committee -Change in Composition The Board approved increasing the number of members on the Skills Development Center Advisory Committee by two members, with one member representing business and the other designated for the EDC director. VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA: UNANIMOUS ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA a. Appointments A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve Jill Cheek for one of the at-large seats for the Commission for Women, and to approve all the other recommendations as listed below. Chair Gordon clarified that the term for Jill Cheek would expire 6/30/2000. Adult Care Home Community Adviso Committee I Tracy Diefenderfer for an unexpired term ending 4/6/2000 2 3 Commission for Women 4 Geriel Thornburg May for an unexpired term ending 6/30/2000 5 6 Historic Preservation Commission 7 Carolyn L. Connor for an unexpired term ending 3/30/20001 8 9 10 Human Relations Commission 11 Karen M. Archia for an unexpired term ending 6/30/2001 12 13 Commissioner Jacobs asked for the Chair of the Commission for Women to explain how they make 14 recommendations. He also asked about the Historic Preservation Commission, the list does not indicate what relation 15 the members have to any of the interests. He also mentioned that there are three board members whose terms expired 16 last week and we are only considering one of the applicants. Chair Gordon recommended that these 17 questions be referred to the Clerk to get the information together on the Historic Preservation Commission. 18 Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Human Relations Commission. Mr. Ginsburg's application 19 keeps coming up in places which he has not applied. 20 Jacky Phillips said that she did not ever receive the application for Jill Cheek. 21 22 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 23 24 d. CJPP Continuation Grant Application 25 The Board considered approving a grant application to the N.C. Department of Correction in the amount 26 of $181,941, to continue funding of Criminal Justice Partnership Program (CJPP) activities for fiscal year 1999-2000. 27 In answer to a question from Commissioner Jacobs on how this is working, Commissioner Carey said 28 that a lot of hard work has gone into this program and its activities. Sharron Siler will provide a status report and 29 statistics. She said the program was working very well. 30 A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve and 31 authorize the Chair to sign a grant application to the N. C. Department of Correction in the amount of $181,941, to 32 continue funding of Criminal Justice Partnership Program (CJPP) activities for fiscal year 1999-2000. 33 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 34 35 ,g` 1999 County Auction 36 The Board considered authorizing the Director of Purchasing and Central Services to conduct an 37 auction of surplus items on Saturday, May 15. 38 Commissioner Jacobs asked about the request from Commissioner Carey to make computers available 39 for literacy programs offered by nonprofit organizations working with the Literacy Council. Pam Jones said that there 40 were 20 computers transferred to the Literacy Council and that program is going well. 41 Commissioner Jacobs asked for a phase out plan for vehicles. 42 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey to authorize the 43 Director of Purchasing and Central Services to conduct an auction of surplus items Saturday, May 15. 44 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 45 46 L Proposed Bicycle Plan Component to the Transportation Element of the 47 Comprehensive Plan 48 The Board considered approving a proposed bicycle plan amendment to the transportation element of 49 the comprehensive plan. 50 Commissioner Jacobs commented that the Parks and Recreation Board has indicated a desire to work 51 with the Bicycle committee. 52 Commissioner Jacobs made reference to developing a survey of recreational biking in Orange County. 53 Slade McCalip said that there was a recommendation that a recreational bicycle element be developed 54 for the comprehensive County Parks and Recreation plan. The bicycle plan that is being considered tonight is a 55 transportation plan, it is not for children. It is to consider bicycles as vehicles, for transportation purposes. 56 Commissioner Jacobs asked Commissioner Brown how this element fits into the master Parks and 57 Recreation planning. 58 Commissioner Brown said that it should be included as part of what we are doing. 59 A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve a proposed 60 bicycle plan amendment to the transportation element of the comprehensive plan. 61 VOTE UNANIMOUS 2 9. ITEMS FOR DECISION - REGULAR AGENDA 3 a. Appointments 4 The Board considered appointments to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Carrboro Board of 5 Adjustment, Commission for the Environment and Hillsborough Planning Board. They added to the agenda for 6 consideration appointments to the Orange County Board of Adjustment. 7 A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to reappoint David 8 Caldwell to the Board of Alcoholic Beverages Control Board for a term ending 6130/2001. 9 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 10 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Brown to reappoint Frank 11 Hammill to the Carrboro Board of Adjustment for a term ending 3/31/2002. 12 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 13 Chair Gordon has made some recommendations for the Commission for the Environment. She 14 mentioned that she has received some feedback that the County Commissioners should hold off on some of these 15 appointments until we receive applications from outside of Chapel Hill township. 16 Commissioner Carey said he would like to see these appointments delayed until other applications are 17 received from outside of Chapel Hill Township. 18 Chair Gordon pointed out that there are three people outside of Chapel Hill Township. She suggested 19 that the Board appoint Earle Fowler, Mark Smith, and Julie Tucker tonight. 20 A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Chair Gordon that Earle Fowler, Mark 21 Smith, and Julie Tucker be appointed to the Commission for the Environment Board. 22 Commissioner Brown recommended that we appoint Mary Jane Baker. 23 Commissioner Jacobs said he agreed with Commissioner Carey in that this is a very good group of 24 applicants, and that he would like to leave a few spots open for applicants outside of Chapel Hill Township. He asked 25 whether or not the Commission for the Environment is going to be the primary board with which David Stancil consults 26 and if so, he wants to see more people on it who have a land use planning orientation than strictly some of the other 27 orientations. That would affect how he would consider the applicants. He also said it would be useful to find out what 28 special areas of expertise the current members have in terms of the environment. 29 Chair Gordon pointed out that Lorain Kohorn and Annette Jergelski are the two people on the board 30 who have a background in land resources. She also elaborated on the backgrounds of the current members and the 31 applicants. She pointed out that a lot of applications are received from Chapel Hill Township because they are coming 32 from the university. The ones she recommended have tremendous technical backgrounds. 33 Commissioner Carey withdrew his motion to appoint Earle Fowler, Mark Smith, and Julie Tucker to the 34 Commission for the Environment, and recommended that the Board vote on them separately. 35 Chair Gordon pointed out that if the Board appointed two people from Chapel Hill Township and one 36 from Bingham Township, then there would be nine from Chapel Hill Township and four from other townships. She 37 suggested that they nominate and vote, appointing those with three votes. 38 Commissioner Carey nominated Mark Smith from Bingham Township. Chair Gordon nominated Earle 39 Fowler and Julie Tucker. Commissioner Brown nominated Mary Jane Baker, mentioning that Mary Jane has been 40 involved in all the environmental issues in the County for the last 20 years. Commissioner Jacobs nominated Cara 41 Crisler, noting her extensive planning background. Chair Gordon withdrew her nomination for Julie Tucker. 42 There were three votes for Mary Jane Baker, three votes for Cara Crisler, three votes for Mark Smith, 43 and one vote for Earle Fowler. The Board appointed Mary Jane Baker, Cara Crisler and Mark Smith to the 44 Commission for the Environment Board. 45 46 John Taylor has been recommended by the town to remain on the Hillsborough Planning Board. 47 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey to accept 48 Hillsborough's recommendation to reappoint John Taylor to the Hillsborough Planning Board for a term ending 49 3/31/2002. 50 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 51 Chair Gordon said that Sharlene Pilkey has put in an application for the Orange County Board of 52 Adjustment. Lynn Cox is resigning after the next meeting, so that position needs to be filled. 53 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Carey to appoint Sharlene 54 Pilkey to the Orange County Board of Adjustment for an unexpired term ending 6/30/2000. 55 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 56 A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Brown to appoint Dan 57 Ferguson to the Orange County Board of Adjustment for a term ending 6/30/2002. 58 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 59 60 b. Classification Plan Amendment - Social Services Business Officer 10 1 2 3 4 _5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 The Board considered amending the Orange County classification and pay plan to add a new classification of business officer, salary grade 72, ($36,506-$44,372) in the Department of Social Services. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs, to amend the Orange County classification and pay plan to add a new class of business officer, salary grade 72, ($35,506-$44,372) in the Department of Social Services. VOTE: UNANIMOUS C. Contract Approval: Y2K Proiect Coordinator Services from McGladrey and Pullen LLP The Board considered approving a contract with McGladrey and Pullen LLP, in the amount of $40,000, to assist the County with Y2K issues. Rod Visser introduced Jim McGimsey, who is the coordinator being recommended for approval. His main function will be to keep the Y2K preparations on track. Rod Visser pointed out that there are sufficient funds that are unobligated in the CIP this year. He recommends that the Board consider using that as the source of funding for this contract. Chair Gordon requested that there be testing for the Y2K compliance, and that the systems be in placE before the Commissioners break for the summer. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the contract with McGladrey and Pullen LLP, in the amount of $40,000, to assist the County with Y21K issues. VOTE: UNANIMOUS d. Report on Chatham Count Vs Request to Access its Jordan Lake Water Allocation through OWASA's Jordan Lake Property and Approved Intake Location The Board heard a report on Chatham County's request to access its Jordan Lake water supply through OWASA's Jordan Lake property and responses to the plan from the towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and consider approval of a draft letter to OWASA outlining the County's response. County Engineer Paul Thames made reference to the letter in the agenda which has been revised to reflect the Board's comments, and incorporates what has been discussed among the various users of water from Jordan Lake. Commissioner Jacobs has some concerns about how the letter is structured. In the big paragraph at the bottom, he would like to make it a more declarative statement. He suggested adding the following three sentences to the paragraph: "If an intake on the western side of Lake Jordan is a preferred option, then Orange County encourages Chatham County to work with OWASA to develop a plan to provide access to Jordan Lake water supplies for Chatham County. Any such plan should, of course, ensure that OWASA's potential access, and Orange County's potential access to the Jordan Lake's allocations be preserved. Subsequent to development of the plan, Orange County would be interested in reviewing the plan with Chatham County, OWASA, OWASA's constituent governments, and state and federal authorities controlling access to and allocation of Jordan Lake water supplies." Commissioner Jacobs gave his rationale for adding these three lines. It was decided to bring this item back on the April 13th work session agenda as item #1. 10. REPORTS a. Orange County Red Cross Community Chapter House The Board heard a report by the Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross on its request for $75,000 for its capital campaign to purchase a building on Ephesus Church Road. John Link asked Bob Lockwood to come forward and give a report on the American Red Cross capital campaign to purchase a building. Bob Lockwood said that for the past two years they have been leasing the building on Ephesus Church Road, with an option to purchase it. He said that the building would also be used for other community- based programs. The building is being sold for $630,000. The Red Cross is required by national headquarters to have commitments of 40% of that $630,000, which would be $252,000, for them to get permission to purchase the building. They have made arrangements with local banks, and the worst case scenario with the down payment they have at the current prime rate would be approximately $3,160 a month. They have commitments for all except $88,000. Chair Gordon asked about the reasoning for asking for $75,000 from Orange County. Bob Lockwood explained that in their discussions with their Finance Department, it was decided that they would ask the municipalities for 25% of that total goal. That equates to $75,000 from Orange County, $75,000 from the Town of Chapel Hill, $15,000 from the Town of Carrboro, and $15,000 from the Town of Hillsborough. They have one year remaining on the option to buy. They have made presentations to the other municipalities, but have no commitments yet. II 1 2 3 4 _5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Commissioner Jacobs asked about Orange County lending the money to the Red Cross instead of giving the money. Bob Lockwood said that they were hoping that this would be a community effort to provide this facility. John Link suggested that staff work with Bob Lockwood and come back with a proposal at budget time. Commissioner Brown asked about the price on the building and if this was the tax evaluation. She also asked if all the square footage was being used by the Red Cross at this time. Bob Lockwood said that there are other agencies in the building like Orange County Disability Awareness Council, EMS Paramedic, and Volunteer Orange. One of the important things is that the space gives them the opportunity to expand. Commissioner Brown asked if the County has contributed money like this before. John Link said that he will provide a total list of the agencies to which contributions have been made. Commissioner Brown also asked how the County would recoup its investment if the property is sold. She wants to know more specifics about the Red Cross programs for the citizens of Orange County. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the amount of funding the Red Cross gets from Orange County. Bob Lockwood said they get no funding from federal, state, or local government. All of their funding is through donations. Chair Gordon said that when we look at funding requests we look at how it contributes to county services, and if the money will leverage other funds. The Board will consider this request at the time of the budget approval. b. GIS Presentation The Board viewed a demonstration of newly acquired data and future capabilities of the Geographic Information System (GIS). Rod Visser introduced Chris Dwinell, GIS Applications Developer, and Land Records Manager Roscoe Reeve. They presented examples of what they have already developed, as well as future developments based on the funding in the CIP in future years. 11. APPOINTMENTS - NONE 12. MINUTES - NONE 13. CLOSED SESSION - NONE 14. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adjourn the meeting. The next meeting will be held on April 7, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel Hill Town Chambers, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk Alice M. Gordon, Chair