Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 01-20-2000APPROVED Mav 16. 2000 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ANNUAL PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING RETREAT SOUTHERN HUMAN SERVICES CENTER January 20, 2008 3:30 - 10:OOpm The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Thursday, January 20, 2000 at 3:30 p.m. in the Boardroom of the Southern Human Services Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr., and Commissioners Margaret W. Brown, Alice M. Gordon, Stephen H. Halkiatis, and Barry Jacobs. COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser, Assistant to the Manager Greg Wilder, and Clerk to the Board Beverly A. Blythe. (All other County staff will be identified at the appropriate time.) Chair Carey announced that the meeting for January 18, 2000 was canceled due to the weather and the first hour and a half of tonight's meeting would be devoted to the items from that meeting. 1. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Chair Carey asked that the Board accept additional resumes that have been received for the appointments for agenda item #11. The Board agreed by consensus to add an additional resolution as item "C" under Resolutions, to delay item 9b until after the Closed Session and to move the appointments for the C&D up to item 8b. 2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS a. Matters on the Printed Agenda Chair Carey said that any matter that is on the printed agenda would be considered when the Board addresses the items on the agenda. b. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Jim Warren from NC Warn gave a brief update on the legal challenge against the CP&L proposal to increase the number and storage capacity of the spent fuel pools at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. He is a resident of Orange County. He said that CP&L has no argument and has avoided any kind of debate. He said that there has been an effort by NC Warn to try to get some financial help for this legal challenge. He made reference to the environmental impact statement and said that it was very shallow. He said that there was no technical rationale, no calculations, or supporting documents to back up the environmental impact statement. He feels that the NC Warn side of the public campaign is a perfect corollary to the County's challenge. He said that Senator Edwards' and David Price's office has been helping on this issue. He left a press release that was released a few days ago that tells why the cooling capacity documents that CP&L claims to have had are in great question. It is quite clear that the NRC Licensing Board did not review those documents before they signed off on the cooling capacity. He thanked the Board for their efforts on this issue. PUBLIC CHARGE Chair Carey dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 3. BOARD COMMENTS Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the Adopt A Highway program. He said that he has been receiving emails from citizens regarding Highway 70E from Hillsborough to the Durham County line. Trash has been dumped on the side of the road bundled up in plastic bags. He asked that the County Commissioners write a letter to the Sheriff to see if this stretch of road could be monitored for illegal dumping. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he would not be joining the Board at the meeting with the Mebane Town Board next Monday evening because the meeting is in a private hams. He feels it is wrong to meet in a private residence and he wishes the County Commissioners the very best. Chair Carey said that he respects Commissioner Halkiotis' comments about the meeting next Monday. The Mebane Town Council invited the Board of County Commissioners, so there was no choice in determining the location of the meeting. Commissioner Brawn said that the meeting with Senator Edwards has been rescheduled for February 7t" at 1:30 p.m. The NRC evidentiary hearing under its subpart "K" rules is tomorrow and she will fly up to Washington to attend that meeting. She will report back at the next meeting. Commissioner Brown made reference to Little River Church Road and the 130 acres of hardwoods that are being clear-cut. She asked that the County staff investigate this to see if those doing this logging are at least following the minimum standards. Commissioner Jacobs congratulated EMS for the First Responder Award. Also, the Sheriff's department deserves thanks for the successful search for the little girl who was missing in Orange County. Commissioner Jacobs said that he saw someone tonight who was trying to recruit census takers for $13.OOlhour. The effort is still 200 people short. He encouraged the Commissioners to recommend anyone for this effort, especially those who could speak Spanish. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a meeting he and Commissioner Halkiotis had last week with two of the Durham County Commissioners and feels there was a productive discussion. He said that Durham County is very willing to work with Orange County in exploring areas of mutual interest and cooperation. Commissioner Gordon made reference to transportation and said that there is some question about whether or not the Metropolitan Planning Organization should be consolidated and include the Capital Area MPO and the Durham/Chapel Hill/Raleigh MPO. Senator Clodfelter of the NC Senate has been one of the leaders in this and he has called a meeting for January 21St from 1-3 p.m. in the Triangle J Council of Governments conference roam. This meeting will include TAC members from Durham, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro; CAMPO staff and policymakers; and potentially the legislators. Chair Carey announced that the District 9 meeting would take place on February 10t" and would be sponsored by Orange County. He said that the focus of the meeting would be on Smart Growth. He said that Senator Howard N. Lee and Representative Joe Hackney would both be available to discuss the Smart Growth commission with Commissioners from the District 9 counties. He encouraged all the County Commissioners to attend. 4. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT John Link introduced Greg Wilder as the new Assistant to the Manager. He said that Greg is from Marshville where he has been the Town Administrator since 1996. He has a degree in Public Policy Analysis and Political Science from UNC-CH. Mr. Wilder has also served in the planning field, as Chief Planner in Harnett County and then Planning Director in both Person and Granville Counties. 5. RESOLUTIONSIPROCLAMATIONS a. Appointment of Task Force on School Funding Options The Board adapted a resolution appointing a task force of limited duration to provide recommendations on future school funding. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution as stated below: ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS RESOLUTION APPOINTING A TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PARAMETERS FOR FUTURE SCHOOL FUNDING WHEREAS, in their 1999-2000 goals the Orange County Board of Commissioners indicated their intention to establish parameters that would guide the development of future County budgets with regard to school funding, and WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners views as important the establishment of these parameters for consideration in the FY 2000-2001 budget, in that the portion of the County's annual General Fund budget devoted to schools has increased to more than 48°lo in recent years, and WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners believes that it would be beneficial to receive direct input from school elected officials as to the nature of these parameters prior to their formal adoption by the Board of Commissioners; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Orange County Board of Commissioners does hereby appoint the School Funding Options Task Force, to be comprised of two members each from the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Orange County Board of Education, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education, with those governing boards to designate their own representatives, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT this task force will begin its work no later than February 1, 2000, and deliver its report to the Orange County Commissioners na later than March 1, 2000. This, the 20th day of January 2000. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Moses Carey and Commissioners Halkiotis and Jacobs will serve as alternates on the task force, and Commissioner Brown will be the substitute. b. Resolution Indicating Southern Human Services Center Site is not an Option for Interfaith Council Facility Development The Board considered a resolution indicating that the Southern Human Services Center is not an option for future development of Interfaith Council facilities. Chair Carey said that he drafted this resolution for the Board's consideration and to help the InterFaith Council to move ahead on their facility development. This resolution does not reflect a lack of support of the Board for the InterFaith Council or what the IFC provides to the citizens of Orange County. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to a report in the newspaper today and said that the resolution unfortunately does denote a tone of being negative. He suggested adding to the resolution a piece that provides a more positive tone. Commissioner Gordon suggested adding to the resolution an indication that the County Commissioners have shown support far the InterFaith Council in the past by providing one tenth of the property in question to be used for Project Homestart. She supports the resolution. Commissioner Brown supports the resolution which clarifies the County's position. She said that the site that was proposed was not considered thoroughly and it showed itself not to be a feasible site for the shelter. If the language could be changed to make the resolution sound better, she thinks it would be helpful. Chair Carey said that he could assure the County Commissioners that the Chair and Executive Director of the IFC does not feel that the County does not support their services. He feels that the Board's support for the IFC is on record. He suggested changing the title of the resolution to say something like, "Resolution Supporting the IFC's Relocation of the Shelter Closer to the Services that the Beneficiaries Need." Commissioner Gordan suggested adding a third paragraph to say something like, "Whereas, the County has already provided three of these acres to the IFC for Project Homestart." Also, before the last "Whereas," say something like, "Whereas, the County continues to remain supportive," etc. Commissioner Gordan maned the resolution with the two additional paragraphs. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would vote against it because he feels it is premature since the process of finding a site has not been finished. Commissioner Halkiotis agrees with Commissioner Jacobs. He feels the resolution is harsh. He asked what would happen in the long run if no suitable site was found according to the criteria that has been set. Commissioner Gordon feels that it would help the IFC if the Board passed this resolution tonight. Commissioner Halkiotis feels that what the resolution is stating is that it is not the most appropriate site for the facility. He would like for the IFC to came to the next meeting and make a request according to their needs. John Link suggested that the staff take the comments that have been received and invite an official from the IFC to attend the February 1, 2Q00 meeting. There was a consensus by the Board to table this item and bring it back to the next meeting. c. Resolution Supportina Carrboro Government and Citizens in Uraina Duke Power to Adopt Environmentally Sensitive Tree Removal Policies The Board considered a resolution supporting Carrboro Government and citizens urging Duke Power to adopt environmentally sensitive tree removal policies. Commissioner Jacobs said that he and Commissioner Halkiotis wanted to bring this item forward to the Board. He suggested one small change in the fifth "Whereas", to end it after "proximate to its right-of-way;" and also add in the "Now, Therefore," ".....ta achieve a more environmentally sensitive resolution of tree removal issues, to insulate the landowners from the expensive tree removal, ....." Commissioner Gordon said that there should be some kind of differentiation between rural and urban. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if the Manager was looking into any savings that might be achieved by utilizing anything with the electric deregulation in pooling with other counties or institutions. John Link said that this has not been pursued other than to try to keep up with the information that the County Commissioners' Association has provided. Commissioner Jacobs said that he is on an Association of County Commissioners committee that has been discussing this issue and they are talking about pooling governments to get the best cost and to have more clout. The subcommittee that he is working on went on record as opposing electric deregulation. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve, authorize the Chair to sign, and send to the Public Utilities Commission, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, legislators, and all elected officials in Orange County, the resolution as stated below: ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS RESOLUTION SUPPORTING CARRBORO GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS IN URGING DUKE POWER TO ADOPT ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE TREE REMOVAL POLICIES Whereas, the citizens of Orange County rely an utility corporations to provide electric power; and Whereas, electricity is a necessity of modern life, essential to a community's health, safety and welfare; and Whereas, electric utilities and their employees doing business in Orange County pride themselves on being part of the community; and Whereas, responsiveness to the concerns of the public is a key component to community involvement and an increasingly important trait to cultivate as the state moves toward electric deregulation; and Whereas, citizens and the government of Carrboro implore Duke Power to reconsider its policies with regard to removal of trees within and proximate to its right-of-way; and Whereas, individuals whose property is crossed by Duke Power lines should not be forced to bear an undue burden in maintaining the lines; Now, Therefore, Be it Resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners calls upon Duke Power to work with Carrboro elected representatives and citizens to achieve a more environmentally sensitive resolution of tree removal issues, to insulate the landowners from the expensive tree removal, and expresses its intention to work with all electric utilities operating within the County to improve communication and coordination regarding environmental concerns. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS -NONE 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS a. Public Hearing and Adoption of Bond Orders for Twa-thirds Bands The Board was to hold a public hearing required for the issuance of two-thirds bonds and consider final adoption of the bond order and publication resolution. This item was postponed. 8. ITEMS FOR DECISION -CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve those items on the Consent Agenda as stated below: a. Appointments This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. b. Minutes The Board was to consider approval andlor correction of minutes from the following meetings: March 22, 1999 work session; April 14, 1999 JPA public hearing; May 11, 1999 budget work session; June 8, 1999 budget work session; June 15, 1999 budget work session; June 21, 1999 budget work session; June 22, 1999 special meeting; Sept. 21, 1999 C&D public hearing; Oct. 5, 1999 regular meeting; Oct. 12, 1999 work session; and, Oct. 12, 1999 work session. This item was postponed to the next meeting. c. Property Tax Refunds The Board approved a refund resolution that is incorporated herein by reference for one property tax refund request. d. Property Value Chances The Board approved value changes in property values for 1999 made after the Board of Equalization and Review had adjourned in accordance with the resolution that is incorporated herein by reference. e. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Refunds The Board adopted a refund resolution that is incorporated herein by reference for 16 motor vehicle tax refund requests. f. Budget Amendment #6 The Board approved budget amendments, grant project ordinances, and capital project ordinances that are incorporated herein by reference. g, ABC Board Retiree Health Insurance This item was removed from the Consent Agenda far separate consideration. h. Revisions to the Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program fVFPP} Ordinance The Board was to consider revisions to the VFPP ordinance to address the name change of the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board to Agricultural Preservation Board, and board scope. This item was postponed to another meeting. i. Bid Award -Replace Roof at Jail and Government Services Center Annex f GSCA) The Board awarded a bid to Owens Roofing Company for roof replacement at the Orange County Jail and Government Services Center annex in the amount of $146,430 and authorizes the Chair to sign the contract. L Northern Human Services Center Plan Task Force -Charge, Composition and Timeline This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. k. Chance in Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting Schedule The Board approved amending the County Commissioners' regular meeting schedule to add a joint meeting with the Mebane Town Council January 24 and change the regular meeting scheduled for April 18 to April 17. I. Establishment of Time-limited Tax Clerk Position Funded with Revaluation Funds The Board established a new permanent full-time, time-limited tax clerk position with an ending date of Dec. 31, 2001. m. New Criminal Justice Partnership Position and Classification Plan Amendment This item was removed from the Consent Agenda far separate consideration. n. Bid Award -Network Imaging System for Health Department The Board awarded a bid to Ikon Office Solutions in the amount of $39,689 for a network imaging system for the Health Department. o. Impact Fee Reimbursement The Board approved a reimbursement request by Habitat for Humanity in the amount of $33,000 in impact fees for 11 new homes in New Homestead Place. ~ North Carolina TANF Housing Program This item was removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration. g: Tax Collector's Settlement Due to Resignation The Board received the tax collector's settlement on current and delinquent taxes and approved the accounting thereof due to the resignation of Ginger B. Rolfe. r. Resolution authorizing an agreement between Norfolk Southern Railway Company and Orange County for installation and maintenance of a sanitary sewer pipeline for Barber and Ross facility in the Buckhorn Road Economic Development District The Board approved a resolution authorizing an agreement between Norfolk Southern Railway Company and Orange County for installation and maintenance of a sanitary sewer pipeline for Barber and Ross facility in the Buckhorn Road Economic Development District and authorize the Chair to sign. s. Realignment of two Deputy Sheriff Positions for Courthouse Security The Board approved the reassignment of two Deputy Sheriff I positions to provide courthouse security. t. Examination of Bonds The Board examined and approved bands for County officials pursuant to G.S. 109-5. VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA: UNANIMOUS ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA a. Appointments Advisory Board on Aginq A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to appoint Hilliard Caldwell to the Advisory Board on Aging for the term ending June 30, 2003. VOTE: UNANIMOUS A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Brown to appoint Mark Ginsberg as position #6 on the Advisory Board on Aging for the term ending June 30, 2001. VOTE: UNANIMOUS C&D Task Force Commissioner Gordon suggested leaving the slots open for the large-scale generator and the two environmentalists and appoint the other five. Commissioner Jacobs said that since there are six vacancies and five applicants, that while it would be nice to have a large scale C&D generator, there is an opportunity to take people who are interested and if twa more needed to be added that would be fine. He asked the Board to appoint the whole group with the option that mare could be added. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to appoint Joyce Moore Beasley, John Bethea, Jack Imperiale, Richard Leber and James F. Walker to the C&D Recycling Task Farce. VOTE: UNANIMOUS g_ ABC Board Retiree Health Insurance The Board approved a resolution of support for the Orange County ABC Board's decision to provide retiree health insurance benefits to all eligible employees. Commissioner Halkiatis asked that a letter be sent to the ABC Board and indicate that the Board fully understands that the impact on the ABC Board employees far outweighs any profits the County does not receive. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve a resolution of support for the Orange County ABC Board's decision to provide retiree health insurance benefits to all eligible employees. VOTE: UNANIMOUS L Northern Human Services Center Plan Task Force -Charge. Composition and Timeline The Board approved the charge, composition and timeline for the Northern Human Services Center Plan Task Force. Commissioner Gordan said that she feels the number of people from Cedar Grove should be specified. She suggested having three citizens from Cedar Grove on the Task Force. Commissioner Brown suggested appointing five members from Cedar Grove on the Task Farce. Commissioner Jacobs added Department on Aging Director Jerry Passmore to the Task Force. The Board decided to add stakeholders who are located at the Northern Human Services Center. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Brown to approve the charge, composition and timeline for the Northern Human Services Center Plan Task Force. VOTE: UNANIMOUS The Board decided by consensus that Commissioner Brown and Commissioner Halkiotis will serve on this task force with Commissioner Jacobs as an alternate. m. New Criminal Justice Partnership Position and Classification Plan Amendment The Board established a new permanent full-time position to support the criminal justice partnership initiative and amending the classification and pay plan to include a new class of Criminal Justice Program Coordinator at salary grade 65. Commissioner Gordon questioned if this position is time limited and Chair Carey said that since the two boards have merged, the funding will be ongoing and the function will be ongoing. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to establish a new permanent full-time position to support the Criminal Justice Partnership initiative and amending the classification and pay plan to include a new class of Criminal Justice Program Coordinator at salary grade 65. VOTE: UNANIMOUS ~ North Carolina TANF Housing Program The Board considered submitting a letter to the N.C. Department of Commerce indicating the County's interest in applying for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG} Funds. Commissioner Brawn asked how this fits into the TANF hauling grant that was received for $312,000. Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes said that all of the recipients of the TANF housing money in the state are being given an opportunity to apply for CDBG funding to augment the TANF housing grant. She said that the regulations from the TANF housing grant would not allow money to be used for construction related activities. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to submit a letter to the N. C. Department of Commerce indicating the County's interest in applying for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 9. ITEMS FOR DECISION -REGULAR AGENDA a. Award of Professional Services Contract for GeotechnicaUEnviranmental Investigation at Fairview Park The Board considered awarding a contract to Trigan Engineering Consultants, Inc., in the amount of $30,000; $18,600 of which will be paid by the County and $11,400 by the town of Hillsborough. Jahn Link said that all County Commissioners' comments have been taken and the staff has pulled together a proposal that addresses the full outcome of this analysis. The recommendation is to contract with Trigon Engineering Consultants. He said that the funding is available for this contract. Commissioner Gordon thanked Paul Thames for all the work he did on this proposal. She said that she does support this proposal. She questions whether or not the recreational piece should be located on land that was used as a landfill. She would like to put the recreational piece closer to the community center. She said that the Board should give some assurance to the community that one or two ball fields are going to be built. She asked that the Board think about proceeding on land that has not been a landfill. Commissioner Brawn asked that staff came back with same alternatives for a ballpark far the children in the Fairview area since it is going to take a long time. This ball field needs to be relocated, maybe just on a temporary basis. Chair Carey suggested approaching Hillsborough to find an alternative. He suggested adding this to the agenda far January 31St Commissioner Jacobs said that one aspect is that the County is looking at Hillsborough property far this ball field and it is possible that the recreational facility could be moved to property currently under Hillsborough's ownership that has not been used for a landfill. Commissioner Halkiatis feels the County needs to move ahead with relocation of the ball field and not wait until the report is received. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Brown to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the contract for Trigon Engineering Consultants, Inc., in the amount of $30,000; $18,600 of which will be paid by the County and $11,400 by the Town of Hillsborough. She also asked that the County Manager and staff investigate sites that are not an a landfill site with the intention of having one field in operation before the season begins. The Board agreed to work with Hillsborough so that there is continuity of service. John Link asked about the continuity of service and if the Board is talking about the location of a site. He said that there are two options; to create a public ball field, not just for the community but for anyone who may want to access it; or to identify the site and offer that either to Hillsborough or the community for a lease arrangement sa Hillsborough may use it far its own purpose. The continuity of service does change. He asked that the County Commissioners speak to the site first. Commissioner Jacobs suggested adding a friendly amendment to the motion to add the wording that the County will provide one ball field temporarily until a park plan is developed. Commissioner Gordon said that the idea was far County staff to start looking for a safe place for a ball field until an official park plan is developed. Chair Carey feels that if the County's resources are going to be used it should be a public field. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested working with the school systems. He said that Central Elementary has a ball field that is across the street from the area in question. Hillsborough Elementary has fields that are no longer being used by the Orange High School soccer team. Commissioner Brawn said that it is a separate issue as to whether or not this property is ever used. The children and adults who took on the responsibility of building this ball field need to be incorporated into an athletic activity. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Application Options The Board considered three options for N.C. Parks and Recreation trust fund applications. This item was tabled until after the closed session later tonight. c. Solid Waste Employee Transfer Plan - Employee Pay and Benefits The Board considered approving in concept the plan for managing employee pay and benefits for the transfer of Town of Chapel Hill solid waste employees to Orange County effective March 20, 2000. John Link summarized the information in the agenda. He said that there are a number of meetings that still need to be held with the employees to make sure each one understands the impacts of the transfer. Commissioner Brown said that she would like the Board to meet with the new department. John Link said that there has been a suggestion to have a brief reception before the meeting an February 14tH. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page three, under Supplemental Retirement 401 (k} Plan. She commended Elaine Holmes and the staff for handling this complex transfer so well. She also made reference to page four, under Benefit Makeup and Salary Range Maximum, and said that she was glad that the employees would not receive fewer benefits than they have at this time. However, she prefers that any extra 401 (k) that the Chapel Hill employees have after the transfer would not be left hanging. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve in concept the plan for managing employee pay and benefits with the transfer of Town of Chapel Hill Solid Waste employees to Orange County effective March 20, 2000. VOTE: UNANIMOUS d. Contract for IS Support Center Staffing with Alternative Resources Corporation The Board considered a contract in an amount not to exceed $38,976 with Alternative Resources Corporation for support phone center staffing. This item was moved forward to the February 1, 2000 meeting. e. Housing Bond Program Award Commitments The Board considered approval of a capital project ordinance authorizing expenditure of $550,000 in housing bond funds with $90,000 to go to Empowerment, Inc. and $460,000 to Habitat for Humanity. Jahn Link said that the staff is also asking that the Board authorize the Manager, upon the Attorney's review and approval, to execute a Development Agreement with EmPOWERment, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. Commissioner Gordon asked that "the area" be spelled out to say that it is the RaleighlDurham/Chapel Hill MSA. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page three, number two, and asked if the period of affordability would still be secure after the Deed of Trust and Promissory Note are forgiven and Tara Fikes said yes. In answer to a question from Commissioner Gordan, County Attorney Geoffrey Gledhill said that if there is a sale of the property within the first forty years and it is to anon-eligible homeowner, then the money has to be repaid. Also, during the period of affordability, which is 99 years, the County and the contracting agency will get a right of first refusal whenever the property is going to be put an the market. He said that this would only work if there is funding far that kind of buyback. In the event that the properties cannot be bought back and kept in the affordable housing stock, then the equity on the sale is split 50150 between the homeowner and the County. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the capital project ordinance authorizing the expenditure of $550,000 in housing bond funding - $90,000 to EmPOWERment, Incorporated and $460,000 to Habitat far Humanity of Orange County, N. C., Incorporated; and to authorize the County Manager, upon the County Attorney's review and approval, to execute a Development Agreement with EmPOWERment, Inc. and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, N. C., Incorporated on behalf of the County. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Sam Brooks, a local realtor, thanked the County Commissioners for passing this proposal. She appreciates Orange County moving ahead in providing affordable housing. However, she said that the proposal that requires a payback of the second mortgage plus 50% of any equity earned puts the Commissioners and the citizens that are represented in the role of being loan sharks, profiting from those who are least likely to have other financing options. She asked about the justice in a 50% return for only a 21 % contribution on the part of the County. Miles Presley, Director of EmPOWERment, Inc., said that they do appreciate the County Commissioners passing this tonight. He is concerned about the details in this Housing Bond program. He said that on the Pine Hill Drive project, the County would be contributing 21.6°~ of the cost for each unit. The proposal in the bond application was that if the family sells, they would pay back the entire $22,500 of the second mortgage, and 21.6°~ of the appreciation. He hopes that there will be a way that those in the affordable housing community have a way to hash this proposal out. He asked that the Board include EmPOWERment, Inc. in future discussions about the work plan. f. Scarlette Drive Townhome Proiect The Board considered: 1} approving the allocation of $131,000 in HOME Investment Partnership funds to Orange Community Housing Corporation in the form of a grant and authorizing the County Manager in consultation with the County Attorney to execute a Grant Agreement on behalf of the County. 2} approving the allocation of $140,000 in Housing Bond funds to the Scarlette Drive Townhome Development; the Capital Project Ordinance authorizing the expenditure of $140,000 in housing bond funding; and authorizing the County Manager upon the County Attorney's review and approval, to execute a Development Agreement with Orange Community Housing Corporation on behalf of the County. Commissioner Gordon noted an error under the Housing Bond Project Summary. The wrong project and amount was listed and Tara Fikes said that she would correct it. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the property standards on page eight and said that there were not any on the other grants. Tara Fikes said that local building codes were referenced in the other agreements because HOME requires that property standards must be met. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the allocation of $131,000 in HOME Investment Partnership funds to the Orange Community Housing Corporation in the form of a grant and authorize the County Manager in consultation with the County Attorney to execute a Grant Agreement on behalf of the County. Also, to approve the allocation of $140,000 in Housing Bond funds to the Scarlette Drive Townhome Development; the Capital Project Ordinance authorizing the expenditure of $140,000 in housing bond funding; and authorize the County Manager upon the County Attorney's review and approval, to execute a Development Agreement with Orange Community Housing Corporation on behalf of the County. VOTE: UNANIMOUS g_ Community Revitalization Program The Board was to consider approving revised operational guidelines far the Community Revitalization Loan Program. This item was postponed to the February 1, 2000 meeting. h. Orange County Fair Housing Plan The Board was to consider approval of the Fair Housing Plan. This item was postponed to the February 1, 2000 meeting. i. Procedures for Boards and Commissions -Ethics Guidelines The Board was to consider ethics guidelines for volunteer boards and commissions. This item was postponed to the February 1, 2000 meeting. 10. REPORTS -NONE 11. APPOINTMENTS The Board was to consider appointments to the Community College Task Force, Innovation and Efficiency Committee, Northern Transition Area Advisory Committee, Soccer Symposium Task Force and Water Resources Committee. This item was postponed to the February 1, 2000 meeting. 12. MINUTES- NONE ANNUAL PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING I. Fiscal ReviewlOutlook for 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 Budget Director Donna Dean said that the County's financial condition remains strong as it has for the past few years. The fund balance continues to grow and currently the undesignated fund balance exceeds 14 million dollars. The current year estimates are on target with the budget, and the real property tax base could end up about one percent higher than what was thought during the budget planning process last year. The financial condition of the County should remain solid into the next fiscal year. She said that the property tax remains the largest source of revenue for the County, providing about 64% of the 100 million-dollar budget this year. At this point, the County has received only one-quarter of the reimbursement from the state from sales tax revenues. She said that one thing that remains unclear at this point is the impact that Hurricane Floyd will have an the sales tax reimbursements for this fiscal year and the next two fiscal years. Donna Dean explained some of the issues in the upcoming fiscal year. There will be some significant increases in debt service with the 40million-dollar bond sales. There is also increased student enrollment for both school systems, and some new school start-up costs for Pathways Elementary School and Smith Middle School. There will also be some increased County costs for the Community Policing program because the federal grant is going to expire and there are 12 positions that are associated with this program. Looking into next year and future years, there will be some financial structuring for the solid waste operations and future facilities. Commissioner Brown asked about the process for getting AAA bond rating and haw much this would save the County. Rod Visser said that he thinks there would be significant savings with the AAA bond rating, but he will check it out. He said that a financial analyst from BB&T would be assisting the County in the pursuit of AAA bond rating. Commissioner Gordon said that she noticed in the sales tax revenues that the two half-cent revenue is increasing faster than the one-cent and asked why this was happening. Donna Dean said that the one-cent is collected on the statewide basis and reimbursed back to the County based on local sales. The two half-cents are collected and reimbursed to the County based on a per capita basis. II. Review Agenda and Agree on Process for Conducting Retreat A suggestion was made to table the Brainstorming and Identification of Topics for Future BOCC MeetingsMlork Sessions to a subsequent meeting. This item will be put on either the January 31 St or February 1St meeting agenda. Commissioner Jacobs suggested having a working dinner and just talking. Commissioner Gordon asked to add three goals: adequate public facilities, analysis of impacts of growth and development, and sustainability. She said that she would be willing to stay until 9:00 or 10:00 to get through all of the items. Chair Carey said that they would stay as long as it takes, but no later than 10:00. He asked about the process for conducting the meeting. The closed session will begin no later than 9:00. Commissioner Brown suggested that the Advisory Boards and Commissions give their reports now instead of after the goals. Chair Carey said that the comments from the boards and commissions could be taken as there are breaking points in the meeting and as members show up. III. Discussion of BOCC structure and procedures for working as a Board {e.g. sub- committeeltask force approach, legislative initiatives, rotation of officers, and agenda Chan es Sub-CommitteelTask Force Approach Commissioner Jacobs distributed a Hypothetical Committee Structure. This structure is an attempt to try and bring some order to some of the ad hoc efforts, as well as to give opportunities to make better progress in smaller groups. Commissioner Gordon said that she would be hesitant to put in a whale system of standing committees as opposed to doing the same kind of thing in responding to a specific situation. She would favor task forces. She suggested that if anyone wants to be on the task force that there be a regular procedure for making the appointments. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to comments made during the meeting to the effect that the County Commissioners are not known for brevity and that they are loan sharks. He said that if that is a quality assurance issue from the public about how the County Commissioners are perceived, he thinks the Board has failed miserably. He suggested adding a committee for affordable housing. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the meeting he and Commissioner Jacobs had with the two Commissioners from Durham County and said that to facilitate a smaller group going out is practical because everyone's calendar is full and it is difficult to set up meetings. He said that the Board needs to get same ownership with the elected officials in counties adjacent to Orange County. Chair Carey agrees that the County Commissioners cannot conduct all of their business as a Board as a whole. He feels the Board should give the committee structure a try as recommended by Commissioner Jacobs. Commissioner Jacobs said that he is not only wanting to save time but give guidance to the Caunty Manager with two Caunty Commissioners working on committees. Commissioner Gordon asked if this means that standing committees would be set up. Chair Carey said that there would still be ad hoc task forces but there would be standing committees with two Commissioners and an alternate serving on the standing committees. Commissioner Gordon suggested a different configuration of committees. She thinks that the group of committees on Education could be deleted because there are groups that already deal with this issue. She said that Land Use/Open Space should be broken down into two groups. The Land Use group could have "Coordinate Comprehensive Plan Update", "Cane Creek clustering", and "TDR". The Open Space group could have "Land Use Legacy Program", "Recreation", and "Environmental Concerns". Commissioner Brown said that she feels it important to communicate with the other Commissioners when one or two members meet with committees or other jurisdictions. Commissioner Jacobs said that work sessions would be the perfect place for communication between Commissioners about the committees on which each County Commissioners serves. Chair Carey suggested that the Board try this committee structure, develop some ground rules that will help to improve communication, and think about the categories some more with input from the County Manager. John Link offered three comments: 1) make sure that whenever two Commissioners agree to be on a task force that they are commissioned to go forth; 2) there should only be two Commissioners and a way to communicate back to the entire board; 3) be sure all the County Commissioners' interests are covered. He feels that the value in having categories is that the project is more systemic. Commissioner Jacobs said that if there are standing committees, they are public meetings. He would be glad to have the Manager and the Chair work together to develop something to bring back to the Board of County Commissioners. Chair Carey will work with the Manager to develop a structure to bring back to the Board of County Commissioners. Rotation of officers Chair Carey said that there has been a history of establishing officers each year without an established rotation. He said that he was originally opposed to a rotation schedule but realizes that a rotation schedule is now needed. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that all of the energy that is expended in choosing Chair, Vice-chair and heads of committees should be channeled to other more important issues. He asked that staff get some statistics from the NCACC on whether or not other counties use a rotation schedule. Commissioner Brown said that she has no problem with rotation of the Chair. She said that as long as there is a group of people who respect and support each other, it would be fair. She would like to bring it up at the next meeting after more information is collected. Commissioner Jacobs said that he is generally favorable to rotating the Chair and Vice- Chair. He is very open to the structure of the rotation. Commissioner Gordon is favorable to rotating both officers each year. This item will be brought back to the meeting on February Stn Legislative Initiatives Commissioner Gordon suggested involving Triangle J Council of Governments with the County's legislative initiatives. John Link suggested that the County Commissioners write Ron Aycock at the North Carolina Assaciatian of County Commissioners to let him knave that the County Commissioners are placing a greater emphasis an legislative items that are important to Orange County. Chair Carey said that when the legislation is finished, he gets the list of issues from the association, but the Board does not talk about the issues that relate to Orange County. He suggested devoting some time at the end of a work session to go aver some of the decisions that are made in the legislature. Agenda Chancres Commissioner Jacobs suggested that the Board of County Commissioners be provided a notebook of face sheets for agendas. Also, the staff could provide a disk with all the face sheets, organized by topic. Commissioner Gordon asked that the Manager and Clerk come up with a way to accomplish this and an easy way to research things without having so much paper. IV. Review of Selected 1999-2000 Goals review by exception those Goals which need discussion or fundamental chances in preparation for adoption of BOCC Goals for 2000- 2001 later this spring) Affordable Housing WaterlSewer Service Boundary Chair Carey summarized the procedure that the Water/Sewer Service Boundary Task Force followed. He said that the Task Force developed a document that had components that everyone agreed with and some components in which there was a majority agreement. This has resulted in the Town of Hillsborough reviewing the document and deciding that it could not sign the document. The Town of Carrboro reviewed the document and criticized some aspects of it tremendously. The Town of Chapel Hill reviewed it and adopted some parts of it in concept. Orange County referred the document to the Planning Board for a recommendation. He said that all jurisdictions need to be in agreement with most of the document for it to be successful. Commissioner Gordon suggested bringing this document back to the Board at the February 8t" work session, reach a consensus, and send it forward. Commissioner Jacobs suggested asking Hillsborough to look at this document again and tell the Board what they like and what they do not like about the agreement. Chair Carey said that he met with the Mayors a couple of weeks ago and he raised the issue about how the Mayors felt about trying to revive the document, and the Mayors felt that there were some parts of it that were worth reviving. He agreed to bring something back to the Mayors in early March. John Link asked Rod Visser to follow up on this and sort out the major issues of the document that are not in agreement, similar to the Interlocal Agreement. Commissioner Brown suggested going through the agreement and identifying the issues. This will be on the February $t" Board of County Commissioners' work session agenda. IT Plan Strategic Communications Plan Solid Waste Comprehensive Plan Update Planning Director Craig Benedict listed the major areas of the Comprehensive Plan: purpose and intent, land use decisions, subdivision decisions, design standards, housing, transportation, mass transit, infrastructure, water/sewer drainage, aquifer recharge, solid waste, conservation, recreation, open space, intergovernmental cooperation, and capital improvement program. He said that right now there are a lot of development manuals. The staff intends to rewrite these manuals so there will be a unified development manual. The new Comprehensive Plan will provide a better way to see how watershed protection is utilized. He said that the watershed protection issues would be discussed at the next public hearing in late February. Commissioner Gordon asked when this issue would be on a Board of County Commissioners' meeting agenda besides the public hearing. Craig Benedict said that he has a calendar for what would be discussed throughout the year. Transportation goals will be the first thing that comes fonrvard. He will provide a timeline to the Board. Commissioner Jacobs emphasized the importance of informing the public of what the Board is doing with the Comprehensive Plan. Lands Legacy/Parks TDR Intergovernmental Efforts with Hillsborough Sustainability Adequate Public Facilities Commissioner Gordon said that the Board wanted a timeline showing that the ordinance wauld be finished in June. Craig Benedict said that a schedule was put together through the Schools and Land Use Council to address what would be the most appropriate time to pass an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. He said that the best time to pass the ordinance would be to link it with the Capital Improvement Program planning which is occurring this spring. He said that one ingredient of an Adequate Public Facilities plan is a good analysis of the student enrollment projections. He thinks the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance could be put in effect by the summer or fall. Commissioner Jacobs asked if there was a stated argument in the document about the importance of having all of the jurisdictions participating. Craig Benedict said that it was an absolute necessity to have all of the jurisdictions participating. He said that there was a statement in the memorandum of understanding. There is an emphasis in the presentation to the jurisdictions, but not in the document itself. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that the cover of the document have the County Commissioners' viewpoint. Craig Benedict said that the people involved in the Schools and Land Use Council are very enthusiastic about the Adequate Public Facilities issue and should have had discussions with their respective jurisdictions before the presentation is made later in February. Chair Carey said that even though the presentations are made and there is a crystal clear understanding by all of the jurisdictions, nothing is going to get passed until everyone meets together. Discussion ensued about the timing of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, and the Board decided to proceed with the ordinance, bringing the issue to the Assembly of Governments meeting. Analysis of Impacts of Growth and Development V. Review of Input from Advisory BoardslCommissions Adult Care Home Advisory Committee Cherie Rosemond, Chair of the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee, introduced members of the Advisory Committee that were in attendance. She said that the Committee's charge is to protect the rights of residents in the facility, to advocate far improved care, and to do community outreach and education. She explained that an adult care home is different today than five years ago. Today, because of changes in the health care reimbursement system and because of the growing number of older adults with chronic conditions, the residents in these facilities resemble the residents of the nursing homes five years ago. There are three natural categories of adult care homes. The first category is family care homes, which are homes with six or less residents. The County has lost 50% of the family care homes during the last five years. There is a moratorium at the state level for any additional adult care home beds. She asked the County Commissioners to support efforts to increase the number of family care homes in the County. The second category is small rest homes. The County has two smaller rest homes that are full with a waiting list, and are struggling with minimal resources. She asked that the County Commissioners find ways to support these smaller homes. The third category is the larger homes in the County. County funds support residents who are on Medicaid. The Committee's concerns are the most grave in the category of these larger homes. She explained some of the issues that the committee has seen over the last year. She reviewed what the Committee was asking the Board to help with: a waiver of the certificate of need for family care home beds, help with the smaller homes, and sponsor the Committee to put together a round table group to get these issues out on the table. Chair Carey asked the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee to make recommendations on how the County Commissioners could support smaller family care homes. Commissioner Brown serves as the liaison member on this committee. She asked about the statewide moratorium and Cherie Rosemond distributed information about this moratorium. She suggested giving a list of concerns for the smaller rest homes to the Manager. She asked about the committee that was formed in the legislature to address these issues. Cherie Rosemond said that an act to reform long-term care was passed last session. These pieces of legislation went into affect in January 2000. Commissioner Halkiotis said that this issue would fit in well with the subcommittees that Commissioner Jacobs presented. He asked Commissioner Brown to pull together a subcommittee to deal with some of these issues and move quickly. Commissioner Brown mentioned three things that the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee is implementing: 1) put the ratings of the homes on the Orange County web page; 2} have meetings with the Board of Health to bring them up to speed on these issues and coordinate inspections of these facilities; and 3) have meetings with the Social Services Board. John Link volunteered to work with the Adult Care Home Advisory Committee. He feels that maybe the County needs to take back some responsibility in this area. Cherie Rosemond said that the Committee is in need of administrative help in getting information on the web and taking meeting minutes. Commissioner Brown suggested making the adult care homes a goal under human services to monitor this item. Becky Bradley, Co-chair of the Nursing Hame Advisory Committee, said that they would like to form a roundtable including the Ombudsmen, a representative from the Department on Aging, and all of the nursing home administrators. The Nursing Home Advisory Committee would also like to involve one or two County Commissioners in the discussions. Commissioner Gordon said that there is a certain amount of denial from everyone that these horrible things are happening in adult care homes. She feels that it is important to overcome this denial. Advisory Board on Aginq Florence Soltys, Chair of the Advisory Board on Aging, thanked the County Commissioners for helping to put together the Master Aging Task Force. The goal for the Advisory Board on Aging from the County Commissioners was to develop and implement a Master Aging Plan for the next five years. She said that by May there should be some recommendations on the Master Aging Plan. She explained the goals for next year: 1} hold a 20-year anniversary celebration; 2) continue to update the senior center development plans; 3} study and address the need for day health care; and 4) distribute the Elder Care Guide so that people will know what facilities are available in Orange County. 13. CLOSED SESSION A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adjourn into closed session "Pursuant to G.S. ~ 143-318.11(a)(3) to consult with an attorney retained by the Board in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the Board." AND "To discuss the County's position and to instruct the County Manager and County Attorney on the negotiating position regarding the terms of a contract to purchase real property," NCGS § 143-318.11(a}(5}. VOTE: UNANIMOUS ACTION TAKEN IN OPEN SESSION Parks and Recreation Trust Fund Application Options In summary, three options have been identified for a potential application to the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund as stated below: Option #1 would involve a $250,000 request for facilities development for phase I I of the Efland-Cheeks Park. Option #2 would seek $250,000 to lower the County's cost for the potential Little River Regional Park venture with Durham County. Option #3 would seek $125,000 for the Eno RiverWalk project, which could be a joint action with the Town of Hillsborough. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve the submission of the grant application described above as Option #2 to the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 14. ADJOURNMENT With no further items to come before the Board, a motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Gordan to adjourn the meeting. The next scheduled meeting will be held on Monday, January 31, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. at the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Moses Carey, Jr., Chair Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk