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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 04-11-2000APPROVED 11!112000 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Work Session April 11, 2000 The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a work session on Tuesday, April 11, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room of the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr. and Commissioners Margaret W. Brawn, Alice M. Gordon, Stephen H. Halkiotis, and Barry Jacobs COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Rod Visser, 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. BUDGET AMENDMENT #9 -CREATION OF SOLID WASTEILANDFILL OPERATIONS FUND County Manager John Link said that this was a proposal to amend the budget to transition the revenues and expenditure operation from Chapel Hill to Orange County. This is the major transfer and there will be some further amendments to follow as Chapel Hill closes its books. This action will establish the solid waste/landfill operations fund. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordan, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the budget amendment establishing the Solid WastelLandfill Operations Fund and associated appropriations. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Commissioner Brown asked when the County Commissioners would be seeing the solid waste budget and Jahn Link said that he would send the preliminary budget as soon as it is finished, which may be as part of the budget document delivered to the County Commissioners on May 24cn Commissioner Halkiotis feels that it is important that the County Commissioners review the solid waste budget item by item this first year. John Link said that the major issue facing the County Commissioners as the governing body for solid waste would be to determine the financing for the running of the extension line for the Rogers Road project. 2. CHAPEL HILLIORANGE COUNTY VISITORS GUIDE Commissioner Jacobs thanked Joe Blake, Executive Director of the Visitor's Bureau, for a copy of this visitors guide. He suggested adding Mebane to the visitors guide. Joe Blake said that he would try to come up with something that would appeal to a visitor that is accurate for Mebane concerning Orange County. Commissioner Brown made reference to page one and the fact that 17°l0 of the landmass was used for farming. She has never seen it expressed this way. Joe Blake said that this was confirmed with Tax Assessor John Smith. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the cover and said that Orange County is not very prominent on this cover. She suggested making Orange County larger on the cover so it is more prominent. Joe Blake agreed to make this change. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there used to be two Commissioner delegates on the board of the Visitors Center Bureau. However, the Visitors Bureau Board has proven to be very functional with good leadership. He commended the Visitors Bureau on their hard work. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to award the bid to Hickory Printing, Raleigh, NC, in the amount of $28,386; and authorize the Purchasing Director to execute the appropriate paperwork. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 3. N.C. HEALTH CHOICE COORDINATOR POSITION -CONVERSION FROM TIME-LIMITED TO PERMANENT STATUS Social Services Director Marti Pryor-Cook said that this project has surpassed her expectation as it relates to the number of children in Orange County who would be eligible for the Medicaid Health Check or the Health Choice program. Social Services has enrolled over 1200 children and continues to get applications an a daily basis. One thing that the Health Choice program has done is to bring in more children who are eligible for the Medicaid Health Check insurance. This has made the application process much easier. Commissioner Halkiotis said that many kids were going to the school nurse for health care. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Brawn to approve the conversion of the Health Choice position from atime-limited status to afull-time permanent status. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 4. PROPOSED CONTRACT FOR STUDENT GENERATION RATE AND IMPACT FEE STUDY Planning Director Craig Benedict said that 22 requests for bids were sent out and only two were returned. He said that the information from the student generation rate and impact fee studies would help the County move along with three goals that were determined last year -fiscal impact analysis, school impact fees, and adequate public facilities ordinance. He said that this proposal was unique to the existing system in that there is now a flat rate far all types of housing. He said that Tischler and Associates have done over 300 fiscal impact fee studies and over 400 direct impact fee analyses around the United States. They have done work in Cary and Holly Springs and are very familiar with the state's funding options for schools. He said that the original fee for the contract has been negotiated to make it more consistent with the budget. The cost of the studies will not exceed $53,400. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that the Manager ask the two school superintendents to facilitate this study. Commissioner Brown made reference to the Apartment Association's offer to pay for some of the impact fee study. She feels that the perception may not be good if the County accepts a contribution. Commissioner Gordon said that she feels that it is really important to get these projections and she hopes that the Board can approve the Manager's recommendation and move ahead. Commissioner Jacobs said that hopefully this study would help with justifying any increases in the impact fee. He feels that it is better that the County pays for this study. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to award the proposal to Tischler and Associates in an amount not to exceed $53,400; appropriate $30,400 from the Contingency account; and authorize the Manager to sign an agreement incorporating substantially the same terms as the attached proposal, subject to final review by staff and the County Attorney. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 5. HOUSING Commissioner Gordon made reference to the applications and asked if the point information was included and Tara Fikes said that it was provided previously. a. Community Revitalization Program The bold print in the document represents the changes made as requested by the County Commissioners on April 4tn Commissioner Brown asked Tara Fikes if she planned to come back with what this particular program would accomplish and Tara Fikes said that she would do this as part of all the HOME improvements for the year. Commissioner Jacobs asked why the County has not funded Mental Health requests for funding. Tara Fikes said that Mental Health needs more than the $40,000 than is allocated each year. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a chart of the different types of housing and asked if any of this was for special populations. Also, he would like to know which is rental and which is owner occupied on this chart. Tara Fikes said that this information would be provided. Commissioner Brown asked about property standards for the handicapped and Tara Fikes said that if there is a need for a handicapped person, it is addressed in the property standards. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page three, the fourth paragraph under the recapture/resale provisions. She thought there was some mention in the document about how to find a buyer, etc. Tara Fikes said that the statement was in the Long Term Housing Affordability Policy. Commissioner Gordon feels that there needs to be something in here about the right of first refusal. Geof Gledhill will provide the verbiage to include in this section. Tara Fikes said that when someone wants to apply for this money, they would present a proposal. She would review the proposal, based on the guidelines, before submitting to the County Commissioners for approval. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to approve the Revised Operational Guidelines far the Community Revitalization Program as amended. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Tara Fikes will provide a clean copy and revise the chart as requested by Commissioner Jacobs. b. Affordable Housing Task Forces Tara Fikes said that the purpose of this item was to discuss how the County Commissioners wanted the task forces developed and also the charges for these groups. Commissioner Gordon said that she feels there would be value in having one task force with subcommittees working on the different aspects of affordable housing. Chair Carey made reference to the housing summit and said that he was surprised at the impact the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has on the price of housing. Also, there are some misconceptions about affordable housing. At the housing summit, people were unclear on the role the County should play in providing affordable housing. He thought one of the committees would include all the stakeholders including the towns, the non-profits, citizens, and university. There would be another group to advise the County Commissioners on affordable housing issues. Commissioner Jacobs distributed a list of how a Housing Task Force would advise the Board of County Commissioners. He wants to know how every organization fits into this effort. He talked about the different focus of the two groups. Commissioner Brown said that at the housing summit she came away with the need for an education component with anything that is done. One of the big issues was working with the university because of the enormous impact they have on the housing market. She said that she feels the Board needs an overall understanding of how much housing is needed for the elderly, mental health patients, and all the other groups. She said that there should be a limit on haw long these housing groups would meet. She said that the way the committees were formed it did not matter as long as it works. Commissioner Gordon said that the University is such a huge force in how they drive the housing market. She feels the University should be included in the big group. Chair Carey made reference to the CCC that the Chancellor serves on and said that this was one way to get to discuss the issue of affordable housing at a level to influence those who make the policy. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he feels it is an opportunity of which the County can take advantage. He would not like for the University to miss being involved with the County an this issue of affordable housing. Commissioner Brown suggested setting up one group with very specific people that are representatives from the government and officials from the University. Commissioner Halkiotis asked that Commissioners Brown and Jacobs bring this item back with a composition for this task force with representatives from the University and the government. They will also work on the composition of the second group to advise the Board of County Commissioners. John Link suggested articulating back to the University what the major issues are countywide that the local governments are addressing to indicate to them that the County is very much involved and what some of the challenges are that they can help address. With reference to the CCC, when the Chancellor and others from the University come to the meeting, this would be a good core group to begin with. The Vice Chancellor of Business needs to be there as well as the person in charge of University construction. Commissioners Brawn and Jacobs will come back with the composition for the task force. c. Affordable Housing Bond Program Tara Fikes said that this information is being provided to help the County Commissioners with the next steps towards full implementation of the Affordable Housing Bond Program. She went over the status report on page two in the agenda abstract. She pointed out the projects that were delayed in November and December 1999. These pending projects total $830,000. She asked for direction from the Board on how to continue with the allocations since there are some projects waiting to be funded. Commissioner Brown is interested in using this band money to set up a revolving loan fund to support the long-term affordable housing policy. She would like to see some other possibilities and models. She said that rather than having proposals come to the Board that the Board should say what they want and then ask far bids to be submitted. Commissioner Jacobs said that before the County Commissioners commit money, he wants to know what will be accomplished with the money. He feels there may be a need to work on the criteria for the application process to try to get higher scores from the projects. He is not sure these criteria are identifying deficiencies or opportunities for improvement in the projects. Chair Carey asked Geoffrey Gledhill about the use of the bond money and if the County Commissioners could use it to establish a loan pool. Geoffrey Gledhill said that it was not clear to him and he feels the Board needs bond counsel on this issue. He will contact the bond counsel. Chair Carey said that even if the County Commissioners know precisely what they want, they would still need to da a request for proposals. Commissioner Brown said that what is left out of the criteria is the need and how it addresses affordable housing. Commissioner Gordon agrees with what the other commissioners have just said about this issue. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the legislative conference he attended in March. At one affordable housing session, the governing body decided what they wanted to see done and then sent out proposals. He likes the idea of looking at existing housing instead of new construction in an effort to stretch the County's dollars. Commissioner Brawn feels it is important to keep the programs strong; both Section VIII and the lending practices. She feels that there is a problem with people not being able to obtain loans in Orange County. Chair Carey reiterated that the Board would get information back from Geoffrey Gledhill on the loan fund. The County Commissioners will be reexamining the criteria and will work to target groups identified by the task farce. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested using ourselves, (i.e., County employees} as a standard in assisting all citizens to live in this County before looking to the University to take some responsibility for affordable housing. Commissioner Gordon suggested getting a report together on what the County has done in Orange County for affordable housing. It was agreed that staff would prepare this report. Commissioner Halkiotis asked that the Board think globally of how the County can make affordability a reality. He said that the County does a lot to make the County livable and affordable, and not just in housing. d. Local Housing Trust Fund Creation - "Penny for Housing" Jahn Link made reference to the responsibilities of County government and those that the County Commissioners are mandated to provide such as school systems, courts, social services, public health, register of deeds, and the sheriff. There are other responsibilities that are elective such as housing, libraries, recreation, etc. He said that in the County's budget there is a small amount of revenue for new initiatives. He presented three options for the Board's consideration as stated below: 1. The County appropriates the equivalent of %4 cent on the Countywide tax rate each year for three years as a contribution to a Housing Trust Fund. 2. The County appropriates up to the equivalent of %4 cent on the Countywide tax rate each year for three years as a contribution to a Housing Trust Fund, to the extent those funds are matched by other local entities. 3. The County appropriates the equivalent of %4 cent on the Countywide tax rate each year for three years as a contribution to a Housing Trust Fund, and, up to the equivalent of an additional %4 cent, to the extent those funds are matched by other local entities. John Link suggested that whatever option the Board decides on, that they leverage some of that with remaining bond funds to achieve a particular housing goal. As an example, one quarter of a cent at the present tax rate would generate $175,000 a year. Commissioner Halkiotis asked what one third of a cent would be and John Link said $230,000 and one half of a cent would be $460,000. Commissioner Halkiotis feels that whatever is appropriated should be matched by Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Mebane. He feels the appropriation should be more than one quarter of a cent. Commissioner Gordon said that she would like to see the budget and how the Housing Trust Fund fits in before making a commitment. Chair Carey said that no final decision would be made until after the budget is received and discussed. He feels that, at this point, the reason for this item is so directions could be made to the Manager on how to proceed. He feels that the County has made a lot of progress in affordable housing and how to provide for additional affordable housing. He believes that the Board should start now to provide some additional funds for affordable housing activities. He does not want to wait another year before accumulating money far these efforts. He supports starting out with the quarter of a cent for the first three years and then considering a higher appropriation. Commissioner Halkiotis said that for a worthwhile project like affordable housing, $175,000 is not enough compared to what has been spent in studying solid waste in Orange County. Commissioner Brown said that it is important to continue what has begun with bond money. She agrees that the Board needs to look at the County budget before making a final decision. She feels it needs to be an effort, not only by Orange County, but also with Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Mebane. She likes the three options as presented by John Link. Commissioner Jacobs pointed out that the amount of money the County Commissioners decide to put toward affordable housing could be a specific amount and not tied to one quarter of a cent or another amount. The appropriation should be within the budget context and also the demand context -how affordable housing competes with other demands, visions, initiatives, etc. He also would like for the County to seek partners in this effort. He agrees that the appropriation should be matching funds. Chair Carey clarified that Commissioner Jacobs was saying that the Board should see the Manager's recommendation on the entire budget before a decision is made on the Housing Trust Fund. Commissioner Jacobs said that he feels everyone is interested in a revolving fund to ensure housing affordability. John Link mentioned the possibility of using the sales tax as part of the appropriation. Discussion ensued on using a specific amount rather than a percentage of a cent as the appropriation for affordable housing. Commissioner Gordon said that regardless of the amount of money being appropriated, she feels it should be matching and that it should be an amount and not a percentage of the tax rate. Chair Carey said that there should be incentives in the affordable housing policy that include the matching requirements to put pressure on other people to provide matching money, from the private sector or otherwise. Commissioner Jacobs said that he would feel comfortable if the Manager gave some scenarios about how much would be needed in a revolving fund. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to a document from Triangle J which is setting up a task force to study how to reduce the cost of public buildings, i.e. schools. He feels the schools should be asked to tighten their belts. The County has other needs besides the schools. The County Commissioners need to get a copy of the letter from Triangle J and send a representative to that task force. At the work session on May 24tH, the Manager will bring scenarios on the budget for the Housing Trust Fund. Commissioner Gordon asked about what was going to be discussed at the upcoming work sessions and John Link clarified the items for discussion as listed below: April 24tH 1. A written instrument will be discussed for planning for schools, i.e., construction criteria, siting schools, etc. 2. The Board is scheduled to decide what parameters the Manager will pursue on school current expense. 3. The Board will give instructions to the Manager on the various scenarios the Commissioners want to include in the budget, i.e., housing trust fund, amount of appropriation toward lands legacy, and new positions. May Stn 1. Complete the discussion on new positions and other positions. 2. Spend some mare time on the CIP. 3. The Board will give the Manager direction on multiple requests for library funding. 4. The Board also needs to talk about school parks and the criteria for school sites. VI. Leciislative Initiative Process Commissioner Gordon feels that the Board should be polled on legislative items to be submitted. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if the Board was going to generate a list of what the Commissioners want the legislators to pursue. He said that the Board needs to send the legislators a clear message that we need to push this as hard as we can. There are some issues that go across County lines and it may be beneficial if more than one of the elected bodies would meet with the legislators. Commissioner Jacobs said that Greg Wilder would be keeping the County Commissioners updated on issues. He feels the Board needs to know when specific items are being discussed so that County Commissioners can attend and speak to those issues. The legislative initiative process will be revised and brought back to the County Commissioners. Chair Carey mentioned that the County Commissioners have a legislative session on June 7t" Commissioner Jacobs suggested contacting the mayors to see if there is commonality with them and see if we want to pursue those items in tandem. He would like to meet with them before the deadline for the local bills, which is May 17t" There is a public hearing on May 3rd. Also, May 15t" is an option for a meeting. Commissioner Brown would like to know what legislation would affect the various County departments after the fact. 6. ADJOURNMENT With no further items for the Board to consider a motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adjourn the meeting. The next meeting on the regular meeting schedule will be held on April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Moses Carey, Jr., Chair Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk