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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19991116APPROVED 2/14/2000 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Regular Meeting November 16, 1999 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, November 16, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Alice M. Gordon and Commissioners Moses Carey, Jr., Stephen H. Halkiotis, and Barry Jacobs COUNTY COMMISSIONER ABSENT: Margaret W. Brown COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill 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 -NONE 2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS a. Matters on the Printed Agenda Chair Gordon stated that the matters on the printed agenda would be considered as the Board addresses the items. b. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Perry Miller who lives at Billabong Lane in Chapel Hill said that he is one of the neighbors of the landfill and is concerned about the Greene Tract. He said that the neighbors of the landfill wish to petition the Board of County Commissioners. He read the petition as follows: "We request an assessment by the Orange County Department of Environment and Resource Conservation on the role of the Greene Tract and green space and wildlife planning in Orange County." PUBLIC CHARGE Chair Alice M. Gordon dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 3. BOARD COMMENTS Commissioner Halkiotis said that he is really dismayed that the Board was not informed about the groundbreaking for Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill earlier because he would have liked to attend. He would like the Manager to take his concern to the meeting with the Superintendent about this late notification. Commissioner Halkiotis commented about the lavender sheet on tracking the various followup items and said that this is what he wants for tracking. He thanked the Manager and his staff for providing this information to the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Commissioner Halkiotis about the groundbreaking tomorrow and not knowing about it earlier. He has a previous commitment and will not be able to attend. Commissioner Jacobs said, in reference to the comments about the Greene Tract by Perry Miller, that the Board plans to do an environmental assessment and an archeological assessment of the Greene Tract. Commissioner Jacobs said that last Thursday evening there was a joint meeting of the Agricultural Board and the Economic Development Commission and they agreed on working together to try and explore the possibility of identifying and creating local markets for Orange County agricultural products. He went to a conference in High Point on sustainable agriculture and it seems that in a large part of the country the notion of trying to make the agrarian economy locally oriented is fairly new. He said that it was nice to see that Orange County is at the forefront of something new and creative. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that County employees should be identified by names outside their doors instead of by position. He would like this to be in many of the County buildings. Chair Gordon announced that Orange County received $143,000 that will help purchase the Duke Forest property. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that the Environment and Resource Conservation Department should keep a visual scorecard of all money received since it is the newest County department. 4. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT - NONE 5. RESOLUTIONS/PROCLAMATIONS a. Sale of 1997 Bonds and Two-thirds Net Debt Reduction Bond Issuance The Board considered the initial sale of bonds approved by the voters in 1997 and a resolution authorizing staff to pursue the issuance of two-thirds net debt reduction bonds. John Link said that the sale of these bonds is the source of funding that was projected in the CIP for the major renovations and repairs needed for the Whiffed Human Services Center and the Northern Human Services Center. Finance Director Ken Chavious summarized the information in the agenda. The major portion of these bonds are school bonds. He said that $24 million represents all of the 1997 bonds for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro school district and Orange County has an additional $12.5 million that will be sold at a later date. The remainder of the bonds that will be sold is $2.8 million in parks bonds. The total 1997 bond sales that are being proposed total $37,328,000. Commissioner Carey asked about the interest rate. Ken Chavious said that right now the bond buyer's index is 5.5%. He said that the County normally gets 50-80 basis points below that with the AA plus rating, which would make the interest rate in the high fours or low fives. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the impact on the property tax. Ken Chavious said that $40 million was identified initially that could be paid for without a tax increase. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to authorize the staff to carry out all administrative steps associated with the sale of the 1997 bonds in the amount of $37,328,000; and adopt the resolution related to the issuance of two-thirds bonds in the amount of $2,846,000 as stated below: ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS RESOLUTION Whereas growth in Orange County has been, and is predicted to continue to be significant; and Whereas with the growth there has been and continues to be an ever-increasing demand for County services; and Whereas County facilities are inadequate to provide the space necessary to deliver the demanded County services or to provide certain opportunities to County citizens; and Whereas the Orange County Commissioners have initiated, reviewed, and received public comment on a ten-year Capital Improvement Plan (hereinafter referred to as CI P) in order to address the facilities needs of the County; and Whereas it is impractical to fund the facilities construction and improvements necessary to implement the CIP and County policies with "pay as you go" revenues generated wholly from the current property taxes, current sales taxes, and other current revenue; and Whereas the Board of Commissioners proposes funding for certain major projects in the implementation of the CIP and County policies with the proceeds of two-thirds net debt reduction general obligation bonds, voter-approved bonds, and with the proceeds of current property taxes, current sales taxes, impact fees, and other current revenue; and Whereas projects are proposed in the CIP to be implemented with proceeds of two-thirds net debt reduction general obligation bonds totaling $2,846,000 for renovations and improvements to the Whitted Human Services Center and the Northern Human Services Center and, Whereas project cost estimates based upon assessments and evaluations made by staff including the County Engineer, Public Works Director, and others as well as review of financing options and repayment ability evaluated by the Finance Director supports the conclusion that, in combination with other designated County capital funds, the amount of bonds proposed are adequate and not excessive for the intended purposes, and Whereas it is the intent of the Orange County Board of Commissioners to seek approval of the Local Government Commission for the County to issue two-thirds net debt reduction bonds; IT IS RESOLVED THAT: 1. Orange County intends to seek approval of the Local Government Commission for Orange County to issue two-thirds net debt reduction bonds in a total amount not to exceed $2,846,000 as detailed above in order to implement the CIP and County policies. 2. Orange County has made all debt service payments on existing debt on a timely basis as evidenced by its audit report for the year ended June 30,1999, and for the period since June 30, 1999 as confirmed by the County Finance Director. 3. According to Orange County's audit report for the year ended June 30, 1999, its budgetary and fiscal management policies have been carried out in compliance with all applicable laws, requirements and other guidelines. 4. In order to meet the increase in debt service occasioned by the repayment of the proposed bonds no tax increase is necessary. Debt service will be funded principally from sales tax and other revenues committed by the Orange County Board of Commissioners for that purpose. 5. The Orange County Finance Director shall prepare and submit an application to the North Carolina Government Commission for approval of the proposed bonds. 6. The Board of Commissioners shall hold a public hearing to receive comment on the proposed bond issuance and the Clerk shall publish a notice of such hearing within the required time frames. 7. The County Manager is hereby authorized to employ Robert M. Jessup, Jr., of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Nexsen Pruet Jacobs & Pollard, LLP, of Columbia, South Carolina, to represent Orange County as bond counsel in the authorization and issuance of the proposed bonds. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. World AIDS Day Proclamation The Board considered proclaiming December 1, 1999 as World AIDS Day in Orange County. Brenda Crowder-Gaines, Vice-Chair of the Board of Health, made comments. She said that in 1998 North Carolina was first in syphilis cases, and in 1999 50% of the syphilis cases were in 28 counties across the nation, and of those 28 counties, five of them are located in North Carolina. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the proclamation as stated below: WORLD AIDS DAY - DECEMBER 1, 1999 Whereas the global spread of HIV infection and AIDS necessitates a worldwide effort to increase communication, education and action to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS; and Whereas the joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) observes December 1 of each year as World AIDS Day; and Whereas UNAIDS estimates that 33.4 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with young people under the age of 25 accounting for more than half of all new infections; and Whereas the American Association for World Health is encouraging a better understanding of the challenge of HIV/AIDS nationally as it recognizes that the number of people diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in the United States continues to increase, with 688,200 AIDS cases reported as of December, 1998; and Whereas World AIDS day provides an opportunity to focus on HIV infection and AIDS, caring for people with HIV infection and AIDS, and learning about HIV and AIDS; and Whereas the 1999 World AIDS Day theme, AIDS - End the Silence, Listen, Live! Encourages us to (a) listen to young people, hear their views and concerns, and engage them in conversation about issues concerning sex, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS; (b) learn from one another about respect, participating, support, and ways to prevent HIV infection; and (c) live in a world where fewer people are infected with HIV, where the rights of young people are protected, and where those living with HIV/AIDS are cared for and are free from discrimination; and, Whereas 136 Orange County residents are currently living with HIV/AIDS and another 62 have died. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners do hereby declare that Orange County will observe World AIDS Day on December 1, 1999; we urge all citizens to take part in activities and observances designed to increase awareness and understanding of HIV/AIDS as a global challenge, to take part in HIV/AIDS prevention activities and programs, and to join the global effort to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS - NONE 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS - NONE 8. ITEMS FOR DECISION - CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the consent items as listed on the agenda below: a. Minutes The Board approved the minutes from the following meetings: March 1, 1999 and September 7, 1999. b. Change in Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting Schedule The Board amended the regular meeting calendar to change the purpose and location of the meeting scheduled for November 22, 1999 to a BOCC work session at Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, and canceled the meeting scheduled for Saturday, December 111n C. Property Value Changes This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. d. Acceptance of Smart Start Grant for County Library The Board accepted a $10,226 Smart Start grant for Traveling Treasures from the Orange County Partnership for Young Children. e. Relocation of High Rock Road Solid Waste Convenience Center This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. f. Board of Commissioners Meeting Calendar for Year 2000 The Board approved its regular meeting schedule for the 2000 calendar year. g, Classification Plan Amendment - Dental Hygienist The Board amended the Orange County classification and pay plan to change the salary grade of the existing classification of dental hygienist from grade 64 to grade 65. h. Classification Plan Amendment - Family Nurse Practitioner The Board amended the Orange County classification and pay plan to change the salary grade of the existing classification of Family Nurse Practitioner I from grade 72 to grade 74 and Family Nurse Practitioner II from grade 73 to grade 75. L 1999 Orange County Affirmative Action Plan This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. L Completion of Documentation of Orange/Chatham County Line The Board approved administrative steps necessary to complete documentation of the location of the Orange/Chatham County boundary line. k. One-stop Career Center Implementation Funds Contract Amendment The Board approved a contract amendment to extend the period of time to expend the remaining $19,383 in grant funds for the One-stop Career Center. 1. Contract for Development Support with DBBasics, Inc. This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA: UNANIMOUS ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA C. Property Value Changes The Board considered approval of property value changes, included herein by attachment to these minutes, which would result in a net reduction in revenue of $28,964.49 to the County, municipalities and special districts. Commissioner Carey asked John Smith about a property value change for Mr. Tillman and said that he thought the Board decided to reduce the property value because of the perk ability. Mr. Smith said that Mr. Tillman had already been approved by the Board of Equalization and Review and this is another wave of property value changes for approval. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the property value changes as presented in the agenda and attached to these minutes. VOTE: UNANIMOUS e. Relocation of High Rock Road Solid Waste Convenience Center The Board considered the relocation of the High Rock Road solid waste convenience center 1,000 feet northwest of its present location and the termination of the Saddle Club Road lease effective December 1, 1999. Commissioner Jacobs thanked Carl Walters for his civic contribution in providing space for convenience centers in rural Orange County. He wants to make it clear that signage at the convenience centers will be multilingual. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the proposed relocation of the existing High Rock Solid Waste Convenience Center and to authorize the Chair to execute the new lease agreement upon preparation by the County Attorney and to accept the request of the property owner, Carl Waters, to terminate the Saddle Club Road lease effective December 1, 1999. VOTE: UNANIMOUS i. 1999 Orange County Affirmative Action Plan The Board received the updated 1999 Orange County affirmative action plan and heard a report on the completed affirmative action period. Commissioner Jacobs asked for some information about employment of disabled people and asked that this be tracked. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to accept the Orange County Affirmative Action Plan and authorize the Chair to sign the memorandum to recipients of the Plan. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 5 I. Contract for Development Support with DBBasics, Inc. The Board approved a contract with DBBasics, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $26,880 for database and imaging consulting. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he does not understand why the state of North Carolina has not taken a leadership role to help the Register of Deeds offices in North Carolina in putting a software package together that encompasses the many responsibilities that the Register of Deeds maintains. He commended the Register of Deeds Joyce Pearson for the job she is doing. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the contract with DBBasics, subject to final review by staff and the County Attorney, and to authorize the Chair to sign the contract. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 9. ITEMS FOR DECISION - REGULAR AGENDA a. Appointments The Board considered appointments to the Commission for the Environment, Triangle J Council of Governments "Future Search", and Water Resources Committee. Commissioner Jacobs had an open question to the Board. He feels that all the appointments to the Commission for the Environment should be done at one time. Also, on the Water Resources Committee, he suggested contacting all the people who applied for the Commission for the Environment who were not selected to see if they are interested in serving on the Water Resources Committee. The Board decided by consensus to contact the applicants for the Commission for the Environment to see if they are interested in the Water Resources Committee. These appointments will come back at a later meeting. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to reappoint Lee Rafalow, Loraine Kohorn, Annette Jurgelski, Richard Pratt, and Kris Price to the Commission for the Environment for terms ending December 31, 2002. VOTE: UNANIMOUS A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to appoint Commissioner Carey as a participant in the Triangle J Council of Governments "Future Search" process. VOTE: UNANIMOUS A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to confirm that a member of the Solid Waste Advisory Board will be a participant in the Triangle J Council of Governments "Future Search" process as soon as the appointments are made. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Proposed Widening of 1-40 in Orange County The Board considered a position statement for presentation at a November 17th NCDOT information workshop on the proposed widening of 1-40 in Orange County. Planner Gene Bell did this presentation. He said that a workshop is being held by NCDOT tomorrow at Chapel Hill High School from 4:00-7:00 p.m. This is a walk-in one-on-one workshop and there will be no formal presentation. Chair Gordon mentioned that when the request for the widening of 1-40 was submitted, Orange County asked that this be broken into two projects. She asked Gene Bell to explain the significance of this workshop. Gene Bell said that the entire project is the widening of 1-40 from where it interchanges with 1-85 west of Hillsborough to NC 147 in Durham County where it is approximately a 20-mile segment of road. The Durham County portion is scheduled for widening starting in 2002, and the Orange County section is scheduled after 2006. NCDOT is required by the Federal Highway Administration to consider the environmental impacts for the entire corridor at the same time. He said that this workshop is being held to let the public know of this information. He said that the widening of 1-40 has been an identified future need in the TIP for several years, and Orange County's response was to consider HOV lanes as an alternative or factored into the overall improvements of 1-40. He referred to his memo to the Manager that lists some possible recommendations as part of the workshop on behalf of Orange County. The recommendations are 6 as follows: 1) impacts of noise; 2) traffic signals are needed at the 1-40/Old NC 86 interchange; 3) consideration of impacts from additional exhaust emissions; 4) construction impacts; 5) HOV lanes are needed. Commissioner Halkiotis requested that the Orange County School Superintendent be contacted to apprise him of this situation since the school system has purchased land to build a new high school which comes right up on 1-40. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the width of the project in Durham County. Gene Bell said that there would be six lanes in Durham County, which would result in an additional lane for each direction constructed on the inside to reduce the size of the median. Chair Gordon explained that the 1-40 widening was suggested by NCDOT, and when the TAC reacted to that, the TAC felt that the portion in Durham County was much more necessary than the portion in Orange County. The request by Orange County was to break it up into two projects, but NCDOT broke it up into phases. She said that this has impacts because the NCDOT is doing the Environmental Impact Statement for Durham County and Orange County at the same time, but the Orange County section is going to be done a long time from now. For example, noise walls would not be built for some of the schools that are going up next to the interstate. The Board said that they want to be notified when the design public hearing is held. The Board requests assurance that the information workshop is not the design public hearing and the Board would like to address issues at this public hearing. The Board would also like to notify NCDOT that a high school is going to be built next to 1-40 and noise walls should be constructed. Commissioner Jacobs said that he is not a big advocate for widening roads. He said that this proposal is really stupid. He said that there are eight lanes coming out of RTP and eight lanes to the west, and a bottleneck will be built because there is going to be a huge mall in Durham County right on the interstate. This is going to cause people to reconsider whether six lanes are going to be adequate. He said that if eight lanes are considered, there may be greater impacts, especially if lights are added. He asked that NCDOT take into consideration the Orange County Land Use Plan when planning the barriers. Also, even though the widening is just taking place in the median, he would like to encourage NCDOT not to do any burning if any clearing is done, because he is convinced that eight lanes will be needed. He would like to at least go on record as questioning if this is a very forward looking plan or if this is a plan that is already overtaken by reality. Chair Gordon said that most of the money for transportation is going to interstates. The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) is not getting sufficient funding. She said that this project is going to cost $70 million and adding another two lanes would probably cost another $70 million. Commissioner Jacobs trusts that if NCDOT recommends a potentially obsolescent six-lane interstate, that it would not automatically preclude the inclusion of HOV lanes. Chair Gordon suggested informing NCDOT that if the project changes that the Board of County Commissioners would like to be informed and included in the process. The following points will be mentioned to NCDOT: 1) Orange County continues to request that this project be split into two separate projects. 2) The Board wants assurance that the information workshop is not the design public hearing, and the Board wants to be included in the design public hearing. 3) There is a high school that is going to be built next to 1-40. 4) Noise walls should be constructed for the 1-40/Old NC Highway 86 Economic Development District. 5) The Orange County Land Use Plan should be taken into account. 6) There is concern about light pollution. Chair Gordon suggested putting the HOV lanes recommendation high on the list. Gene Bell said that he would write up these recommendations and present them at the meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Commissioner Jacobs suggested asking NCDOT if six lanes would be sufficient long-term and if six lanes would tend to predispose them against using HOV lanes. Chair Gordon suggested that the Board not ask NCDOT to construct additional lanes. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would specifically like to say that the Board wants to ask questions about the efficacy of having a six-lane section between two eight-lane sections. He said that he 7 does not want to preclude HOV lanes. He thinks that these two issues are worth bringing to NCDOT's attention at the information workshop. John Link suggested that the NCDOT be asked from an engineering perspective how pursuing a six-lane cross-section between two eight-lane cross-sections works out over time and how that still provides for the potential of HOV lanes. Chair Gordon counseled against saying anything that would suggest that Orange County would like eight lanes. Air quality is also an issue if there is a bottleneck with the six-lane cross-section. The Board of County Commissioners would like to have responses in writing. By consensus the Board of County Commissioners agreed that Planner Gene Bell would write up these comments to present at the NCDOT information workshop. C. OWASA Request for Sewer Easement on County Property The Board considered a request by OWASA that the County provide an easement across a tract of County-owned property in Chapel Hill to install a sewer line. County Engineer Paul Thames made reference to the information in the agenda and said that OWASA is replacing the existing Booker Creek sewer line because of periodic problems with overflow of sewage. The Town of Chapel Hill has endorsed this project. The property is adjacent to Chapel Hill greenways. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this sewer line would render the property unsuitable for development. Paul Thames said that it would not be any more unsuitable for development than it was before. He explained that the property was in a very low-lying area. Commissioner Jacobs asked if it would be rude to give the property to the Town of Chapel Hill and subtract the value of the property from the bond monies that Orange County is going to give the Town of Chapel Hill for the two parks. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Carey to direct staff to prepare the documents necessary to assign the requested easement to OWASA under the signature of the Chair. VOTE: UNANIMOUS The Board decided by consensus to ask the staff to think about the disposition of the property and track it on the BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions sheet. John Link asked the County Commissioners if they want to convey this property to the Town of Chapel Hill for green space. The Board said no. Chair Gordon said that the suggestion is for the staff to come back to the Board of County Commissioners with suggestions before contacting the Town of Chapel Hill. d. Innovation and Efficiency Committee - Charge. Composition and Time Line The Board considered a charge, the composition, and timeline of the Innovation and Efficiency Committee. John Link said that at the BOCC meeting on November 3rd, the Board discussed the issues that they wanted to be pursued by the Innovation and Efficiency Committee. The staff tried to capture the Board's direction and the charge is on the second page of the abstract. The staff will come back to the Board with an interim report in mid-April of 2000. Commissioner Jacobs recognized Jim Goldstein who served on the Innovation and Efficiency Committee. He asked that the charge reflect exploring opportunities for electronic government. Assistant Manager Rod Visser said that he could make the charge more specific to electronic government. John Link made reference to space issues and the issue of electronic government and the ramifications on the use of present space and future space. This includes parking, entrances, exits, etc. 8 Chair Gordon suggested adding a bullet in the charge to say, "Explore opportunities for electronic government and examine its impacts on County facilities." Commissioner Jacobs wants to add another bullet about the environmental review of County government that is mentioned in the County Commissioners' goals and objectives. He said that the Innovation and Efficiency Committee would be a good group to initiate this issue and provide direction for the future. For example, there are aspects of more energy efficient vehicles, looking at the entire fleet, the cleaning products that are used, how the buildings are retrofitted in terms of energy efficiency, whether or not hazardous materials are generated, and using only biodegradable materials. He said that this is a good opportunity to look at ways in which the County government can set examples that others can follow. This bullet will be, "Review of environmentally sensitive measures in County government." A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the charge, composition, and timeline of the Innovation and Efficiency Committee with the two additions as stated above, and direct the Clerk to recruit applicants for subsequent appointments to the Committee. VOTE: UNANIMOUS e. Community College Task Force - Charge, Composition and Time Line The Board considered a charge, the composition, and timeline of the Community College Task Force. John Link said that on October 5, 1999 the Board approved the creation of the task force to study the feasibility of developing a satellite campus of Durham Technical Community College in Orange County. The charge and timeline was done with the input of representatives from DTCC. Commissioner Carey urged the Board to support this because a lot of the work has already been done and a lot of information is already available to allow this group to move along quickly. Commissioner Halkiotis and Commissioner Carey will serve on this group. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the charge, composition, and timeline for the Community College Task Force with Commissioner Halkiotis and Commissioner Carey as the two County Commissioners serving on this Task Force. VOTE: UNANIMOUS f. Telecastina Countv Commissioners Meetinas and Cable Franchise Neaotiations Uodate The Board considered broadcasting Board meetings on a tape-delay basis, and received an update on franchise negotiations with Time Warner Cable. Assistant County Manager Albert Kittrell said that for several months the County Cable Committee has discussed telecasting County Commissioners' meetings. He introduced Michael Patrick, Chair of the Cable TV Advisory Committee, to present the discussions that have been held with the Peoples Channel. He also introduced Chick Kraulter, Director of Triangle J Council of Governments, who will give an update on franchise negotiations with Time Warner. Michael Patrick said that the Committee recommends that the Peoples Channel be contracted to tape the Board of County Commissioners' meetings on a tape-delayed basis. This would involve bringing in portable equipment and lights. The contemplated start date is sometime in February 2000. Commissioner Carey said that he endorses this plan for the short-term. This will give the Board the time needed to look at what should be done in Hillsborough to televise County Commissioner meetings. Commissioner Jacobs asked what kind of tape delay is involved. He was told it would be the next day. He said that he hopes that staff will work out the visual presentations so that people viewing the telecast will know what the County Commissioners are talking about. Also, he said that there is talk about having a public access phone number where people could call with questions, comments, or concerns and he suggested putting that number on TV. Chair Gordon questioned the lighting and was told that monitors would be provided so that people could see what is going on. Michael Patrick said that there would be the ability to zoom in on a map that is displayed on the screen. Chair Gordon expressed her concern about the first row of public seating being so far away from the Commissioners. She suggested making this a future project. John Link suggested that the Board request the Peoples Channel to do another trial run on January 18, 2000. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve a performance agreement between The Peoples Channel and the County to be reviewed by the Board for tape delay of regular Commissioners meetings beginning in February 2000. There will be another trial run by The Peoples Channel on January 18, 2000. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Chick Krautler, Director of Triangle J Council of Governments said that the franchise renegotiations continue to be a long, drawn out, and frustrating process. The one area of agreement from Time Warner is that they do recognize their responsibility to broadcast all town and county board meetings live throughout the region, and have agreed that they will provide the capability to do that if and when new franchises are resolved. He said that TJCOG has not made very much progress on what they consider the major issues. TJCOG has notified Time Warner Cable that they do not intend to spend any more time negotiating with them until they begin to respond in a more positive fashion. Commissioner Halkiotis thanked Chick Krautler for his frankness. Chair Gordon mentioned the satellite companies allowing local programming and asked about how many satellite subscribers there are in Orange County versus cable subscribers. Chick Krautler said that satellite subscribers have picked up over the past couple of years and he thinks it is directly related to the cost of cable. He thinks that a lot of cable customers will switch to satellites once local programming is allowed. 10. REPORTS a. 1998-99 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report The Board received the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and Single Audit Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1999. John Link commended Ken Chavious and his staff for an excellent financial report. Finance Director Ken Chavious made a powerpoint presentation. He said that this report is an end result of an audit that has taken place over the past several months performed by DeLoitte and Touche. 1. The undesignated fund balance at year end was 15% of operating expenses. As a result of the sound financial policies in Orange County there were no audit findings for this year. 2. There were no questions caused by any of the County's grants. 3. The assessed value of Orange County was 6.7 billion dollars, which is a 5% increase over the previous year. 4. For the third year in a row tax collections have exceeded what was in the budget. 5. The top three expenditures for the County were education, human services, and public safety. 6. There were cash and investments of nearly 20 million dollars at year end, which is an increase of almost 4 million dollars over last year. 7. The fund balance was almost 14.4. million dollars at year end, which is an increase of almost 3 million dollars. 8. Last year during the budget process 2.2 million dollars was appropriated, and this is equivalent to a 3.2 cents tax rate. Ken Chavious then summarized the County's debt position. 1. The outstanding debt at year end was 83 million dollars. Of that 83 million dollars, obligation bonds were almost 60 million, private placements were almost 24 million dollars, and unissued bonds were 56 million dollars. 2. Refinancing the private placement on McDougal Elementary School realized $72,000 in savings this year, and $720,000 over the remaining term. 3. All of the County's debt is below 5%. One of the County's financial policies is that the debt would not exceed 3% of the assessed value. The actual debt at year end was 1.25% of the assessed value. 4. Another policy is that the debt service payments would not exceed 15% of operating expenditures. Actual debt payments were 11.5% of operating expenditures. 10 Ken Chavious then summarized the audit results. He said that DeLoitte and Touche were very professional and did an excellent job. He suggested contracting a financial advisor when the County pursues AAA bond rating. A representative from DeLoitte and Touche, George Doner, offered his thanks for allowing him to perform the audit and for making the process as easy as it was. He reiterated that it was a great year for Orange County financially. Ken Chavious acknowledged the hard work of his staff. Commissioner Jacobs said that he has some suggestions on how to make the forms easier to read. On the bar graphs, he recommends that they read horizontally. On pages 127-129 he suggested having the percentage of increase over the 10-year period as a column at the bottom. He made reference to page xxi and the charge to pay for the enhanced 911 system and asked if there are plans for this charge to last forever and keep applying to things as they come along. Rod Visser said yes. He said that there are day-to-day costs paid from that fund and running $16,000 to $17,000 a month. Most of the money goes toward the annual operation of the system with some reserves to replace equipment. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Visitors Bureau Fund that had a balance of $400,000 at the end of the fiscal year. Ken Chavious said that this is based on the occupancy taxes that are collected. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to pages 51-53 and the variances. Ken Chavious said that these are federal and state funds. Commissioner Jacobs noted that the Sheriff and court costs went up $480,000. Ken Chavious said that the Sheriff requested reimbursement for keeping state inmates and medical bills for state inmates three years retroactively. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to page 52 and asked about the $250,000 for central services and was told that this includes all centralized charges including telephones, postage, duplicating, insurance, etc. John Link made reference to the separate single audit and said how extraordinary it is to have no audit findings. He said that the professionals in Social Services, Health, and Housing should be commended as well as the Finance Department. The County Commissioners accepted this report as information. 11. APPOINTMENTS -NONE 12. MINUTES- NONE 13. CLOSED SESSION - NONE 14. ADJOURNMENT With no further items for the Board to consider, Chair Gordon adjourned the meeting at 10:00 p.m. The next meeting on the regular meeting calendar will be held on November 22, 1999 at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk Alice M. Gordon, Chair 11