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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 05-03-2000APPROVED 4/3/2001 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING May 3, 2000 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Wednesday, May 3, 20Q0 at 7:30 p.m. in the F. Gordon Battle Courtroom in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Mases 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. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Chair Carey asked to delete the Upper Eno item from the public hearing notice in item 9e. He would like to provide an opportunity far the staff to conduct more outreach before this item is scheduled for public hearing. Cammissianer Brawn would like to leave this item on the agenda tonight to discuss how the education will be done and when it will be brought back to public hearing. It was decided to leave the Upper Ena item an the agenda for discussion purposes. 2. CITIZEN & AUDIENCE COMMENTS a. Matters not on the Printed Aaenda (1) WaterlSewer -Buckhorn area community leaders Rev. Shelton Miles, acting chair for People For Progress and pastor of Hunter's Chapel AME Church, addressed the concerns and needs of the Cheek-Buckhorn Road community. He said that some of the people in this community are experiencing major water and septic problems. Some have iron in the water, making the water muddy, unfit for drinking, and unfit for domestic use. For some years, the city of Mebane has had 2 sewer lines within walking distance of the community. With the new development of the PetraMart site, there is now another additional resource line for sewer and water but again this line has not been extended into this community. This new site has caused additional traffic and noise. Many of the citizens in this community are senior citizens. He asked that the Board of County Commissioners look into and assist the community in correcting their water and sewer problems. Also, he asked that the Board of County Commissioners include Mebane in the planning. Ms. Naola Fearrington, representing a group of people living on the south side of Buckhorn Road, said that there are water lines on the north side of Buckhorn, but not on the south side. She has lived in this area far 30+ years. She is using her second well at this time and sa are four or five other families in the community. There is iron in the water and the kitchen and bathroom fixtures are ruined. When the PetroMart moved into the area, the citizens in this area felt sure they would get water, but they did not. She went to Mebane Town Council and they referred her to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. She is asking far help from the County Commissioners. She presented a written statement and a petition signed by 15 citizens. Commissioner Brawn suggested that the County Commissioners investigate and determine how the Town of Mebane can be included in the process of extending water to this area. She asked far a report from County Engineer Paul Thames. She would like to understand the costs to the citizens for running water and sewer lines. Chair Carey said that he would like to have a comprehensive report. County Engineer Paul Thames indicated on a map the areas that had water and sewer on Buckhorn Road. Commissioner Halkiotis asked for any and all communications about when Mebane did a satellite annexation of the PetroMart to be included in the comprehensive report. Rev. Miles said that the emphasis was not on the iron in the water, but that the water was muddy. Commissioner Brown made reference to a report from Ron Holdway about two years ago. She asked that this report be brought back to the Commissioners. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the County's Environmental Health staff had been out to this community and the citizens said no. Commissioner Jacobs asked that Environmental Health go out and do sample tests and include that information in the comprehensive report. John Link asked that the citizens give County Engineer Paul Thames their names and addresses so that they could be contacted when Environmental Health can come out for testing. {2) Martha Oxenfeldt Martha Oxenfeldt, from the Orange County Commission for Women, spoke regarding people with a low income or the working poor. She said that they have found that people can get help with rental and food but no help with transportation. Welfare Reform is revealing that transportation to work is a major obstacle. She said that in a 1999 survey that the Department of Social Services conducted under day care services, 43°~ of the people leaving welfare during that two-year period cited cars and transportation as a major obstacle to employment. She noted that based on information they have obtained from a variety of sources, the Commission for Women has developed a plan to provide transportation to the working poor in Orange County. This program is called the Transportation Crisis Assistance Program. In order to implement this program, seven members of the Commission for Women are willing to approach automobile dealers about working out ways to donate cars. Also, the Commission for Women is going to ask the County for same surplus vehicles. They are also planning to recruit some mechanics that would offer low cost or pro Bono service. She said that an administrator would be needed for this program. She asked that the 20-hour DSS Mobility Specialist be funded this fiscal year. She said that this job also would need to be improved to attract qualified people. A job description is included in the document. She said that if they are successful in this initial effort, they would be coming back to the Commissioners and requesting that this position be made full time so that the person can fully serve this population. Commissioner Brown said that she would like to see the report sent to the Manager and have him comment on any of the legal issues. Also, she asked that the Commission far Women attend the DSS Board meeting and present their report. John Link said that an extension of this position for one year is being proposed in the budget. He said that he thought that this program could work. Martha Oxenfeldt said that the Commission for Women also feels that there needs to be a revolving loan fund. This is part of the report. One of the barriers when someone is given a car is the cost of the licensing and insurance. This fund would be used far that purpose. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he would like to see included in this report the efforts from around the state. He asked about the opportunities that are available statewide. Claudia Haskins, afull-time English as a Second Language {ESL) teacher at Culbreth Middle School, said that there were 1.3 ESL teaching positions at Culbreth Middle School this year. She said that the population of limited English proficient students has increased at an extraordinary rate. She said that Culbreth Middle School has the largest ESL middle school population of students who have the opportunity to return home quite easily. But in the past two years, not one student who has gone home to visit has stayed. She said that these students need help to catch up and keep up in school to become literate in English. She said that this would require more teaching positions. Because of the limited teachers, there will be no summer school for almost a third of the ESL students in the district. She asked the Commissioners to support the total budget request of both the school systems. Jennifer Ventura is a UNC-Chapel Hill student teacher at Culbreth Middle School. She said that she just finished her ESL internship in February and already has job openings available. She is scared to teach ESL in North Carolina because of the stories she has heard of the situations that ESL teachers could be put in. She does not want to be required to teach in five schools in one week and have limited materials. She asked the Commissioners to allocate the money to make ESL an option far future teachers. Commissioner Brown asked about the difference between the reading programs and the ESL programs at Culbreth Middle School. Claudia Haskins said that the students who are in the regular reading program are students who have not passed end of grade tests far reading or are in jeopardy of failing. These students can also be non-English proficient. With so many limited English proficient students coming into the district, they very quickly overload the reading classes. She said that for the students who do not speak English at all or read anything, it is not an appropriate placement because the reading teacher has not been trained in ESL. She said that at Culbreth, they are able to have both whole language classes at different levels and ESL reading classes. Commissioner Brown clarified that the Commissioners do not pick out items to cut from the education budgets and that the Board of Education decides what will be funded and what will not be funded. b. Matters on the Printed Agenda (These matters were considered as the Board addressed the items on the agenda below.} PUBLIC CHARGE Chair Carey read the public charge. 3. BOARD COMMENTS Commissioner Halkiotis said that the Orange County Board of Commissioners allocates more than 48% of the County's budget to the two school boards. He said that there are two public hearings for the budget process -one in Chapel Hill and one in Hillsborough. That is the proper forum for people to make comments. He said that the County could not fully fund everything because County government has many needs and services to provide besides education. Chair Carey does agree that it would be nice to hear comments at the appropriate time - during the public hearings set aside for the budget. Commissioner Gordon said that there would be a Department of Transportation {DOT) Secondary Road Improvements Hearing tonight. Also, atone of the previous meetings the Board discussed their desire far the Triangle Transit Authority {TTA) to have an additional planner to plan for phase two and beyond in Orange County. A letter was written to ask for an additional Planner, and the Manager and the Chair met with Jim Ritchey, who is the TTA General Manager. Mr. Ritchey seemed receptive and said that there was some money that could be used for planning. The TTA board was also receptive to this proposal. The managers are going to meet with TTA in June. Commissioner Gordon said, with regard to the transportation assistance program mentioned above, TTA does have a mobility manager who can provide limited assistance. The Transportation Advisory Committee will meet an Wednesday, May 10t" in Durham. It would be appropriate to have the letter regarding I-40 ready to submit at that time. Commissioner Gordon said that the Schools and Land Use Council is meeting on May 10t" at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center to discuss Adequate public facilities. Commissioner Gordon said that at the last meeting she made comments about improving the presentations in the Southern Human Services Center. She said that she met with Pam Jones and Beverly Blythe and they thought of suggestions far improvements to the presentations. Pam Jones will write up these suggestions for the Board's consideration and input. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the schools and said that the public hearings were scheduled for May 30th at the Southern Human Services Center and June 1St in the Gordon Battle courtroom in Hillsborough. Commissioner Jacobs reported that the C&D Recycling Task Force had its last formal meeting and will have a report back to the Board before the summer break. Commissioner Jacobs and Commissioner Halkiotis met yesterday and have scheduled an Innovation & Efficiency Committee meeting on May 30th Commissioner Jacobs also asked the staff for some information on the County's use of prison labor. He has heard unfavorable references made to this and would like to know the procedures and policies for using prison labor. Commissioner Brown said that there would be 14 people going to Greensboro tomorrow to look at an affordable housing complex that was developed by Habitat for Humanity and other organizations. Commissioner Halkiotis would like someone to take some video footage of this housing complex. Greg Wilder will find out about getting video footage. Commissioner Brown said that Durham, Wake and Orange Counties sponsored a Commission for Women forum. She said that there were about 40 women who shared experiences and issues. She said that the forum showed that Orange County supports its Commission far Women very well. Commissioner Brown mentioned an issue going on in congress right now about the storage of low active nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. She said that this is directly related to high level storage at Shearon Harris. The issue was to go to Yucca Mountain with backed up materials but to reduce the standards, and it was defeated in the Senate. She feels Senator Edwards should be contacted. She would like to send another memo asking for a response to the Board's original letter. 4. COUNTY MANAGER'S REPORT John Link asked that the Board join with him in congratulating Director of Economic Development Dianne Reid for her completion of the County Administration course at the Institute of Government. John Link informed the Board of County Commissioners that in their office in Hillsborough there is a complete set of plans for the new Orange County High School. 5. RESOLUTIONSIPROCLAMATIONS a. National Drinking Water Week The Board considered proclaiming May 7-13 as Drinking Water Week. Greg Feller, Public Affairs Administrator far OWASA, made the presentation. He presented a low flow showerhead and some material on zeroscaping to the Commissioners. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: PROCLAMATION DRINKING WATER WEEK IN ORANGE COUNTY MAY 7-13, 2000 WHEREAS, water is one of the few basic and essential needs of human-kind; and WHEREAS, our health, comfort and standard of living depend upon an abundant supply of safe water; and WHEREAS, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Town of Hillsborough, Orange-Alamance Water System, Graham-Mebane Water System and Orange County have insured that facilities and systems provide Orange County citizens with a safe, dependable quality and quantity of water both now and in the future; and WHEREAS, dedicated men and women have made significant contributions developing, operating and maintaining these systems; NOW, THEREFORE, the Orange County Board of Commissioners do hereby proclaim the seventh through the thirteenth of May, two thousand as DRINKING WATER WEEK in Orange County and urge all citizens to recognize the contributions and service of Orange Water and Sewer Authority Board members and staff to our community. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Commissioner Brown pointed out the importance of suitable drinking water and how people take it for granted. She said that Orange County does a very good job in trying to protect the drinking water supplies. b. Oranae County Disability Awareness Week The Board considered proclaiming May 1-5 as Orange County Disability Awareness Week. Chair Carey said that this County appoints the Disability Awareness Council and has worked with that group to ensure that the entire community is aware of the needs of people with disabilities and tries to accommodate those needs as much as possible. This proclamation seeks to increase that awareness. Commissioner Brown said that the County has found this organization some space at the Skills Development Center. They are able to work with potential employers to hire disabled people and help employers to establish workspace and equipment that will help disabled people maintain jobs. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation as stated below: ORANGE COUNTY DISABILITY AWARENESS WEEK May 1-5, 2000 PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, persons with disabilities have abilities, talents and dreams, and with respect and acceptance, individuals with disabilities -mental or physical -can participate in our society and the work force to their fullest capacity, and WHEREAS, although Orange County offers many opportunities for people with disabilities, some of our citizens remain unaware of the capabilities and aspirations of people with disabilities, and WHEREAS, Orange County recognizes that persons with disabilities are a resource we cannot afford to overlook or not use to their highest potential, and WHEREAS, Orange County is committed to taking all steps necessary for the full integration of people with disabilities into our community, and WHEREAS, The Orange County Disability Awareness Council works to promote opportunities for disabled citizens to work and live in an environment free of barriers imposed by architecture, attitude, andlor lack of opportunity, and WHEREAS, Orange County is proud to be a participant in the American Disability Act {ADA} which will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS do hereby proclaim May 1-5, 2000 as DISABILITY AWARENESS WEEK in Orange County and urge our citizens to became more aware of the needs, capabilities and hopes of people with disabilities. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS -NONE 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS a. Proposed NCDOT 2000-2001 Secondary Road Improvements Program The Board will receive citizen comments on the proposed N.C. Department of Transportation 2000-2001 Secondary Road Improvement Program. John Link made reference to a letter received from Mr. Mills addressing three items that the Commissioners requested -the study conducted by Professor Hartgen of UNC-Charlotte that related that Orange County's roads were in poor condition compared to other counties, the maintenance andlor improvements to US 70, and the process in determining how to remove snow in inclement weather. Mike Mills, NCDOT Division Engineer, presented the Secondary Road Improvement Program as included in the agenda. He said that this year's program would not use any bond funds because those funds are finished. He read the list of roads that are planned to be in the Secondary Road Improvements Program for 2000-2001. The total rural road miles for 2000-2001 is 8.95 miles. The total miles for subdivision residential roads is .87 miles. He said that if there is a right-of-way problem, the roads move dawn on the priority list. Mike Mills made reference to a report done by David Hartgen, a Charlotte UNC professor, an the road conditions in North Carolina. He said that the report does show some of the weaknesses in the road system. He questioned the way the professor did the ranking of the pavement conditions. He said that the professor only compared the poor roads in Orange County, and he did not compare the entire road system. He said that the professor only used a rating of 50 and below, and NCDOT considers resurfacing a road when the rating goes below 70. The professor also compared Orange County's roads to an 11-foot lane width and an 11-foot shoulder. Mr. Mills said that this width of road is almost the width of one lane of I-85. Mast of the secondary roads in Orange County have 10-foot lanes and 6-8 foot shoulders, which is more than adequate. He said that this report did not present a clear picture of the road conditions in North Carolina. Mike Mills explained how the roads are rated every two years by NCDOT. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about the determination of the shoulder and if grass constitutes a shoulder and Mr. Mills said yes. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there were a lot of ditches that were two feet off the pavement. Mike Mills said that NCDOT tries to accommodate the property owners on the road in regards to the shoulder width. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the condition of US 70 from the Durham County line to Hillsborough. He said that there was a tremendous increase in truck traffic in this area since Hillsborough has diverted the trucks from Churton Street to US 70 and NC 86 North. He said that the road has suffered from the trucks being an the road. He mentioned the citizen that was killed in an auto accident on US 70. He said that citizens have asked him about lowering the speed limit in this area of US 70. Mike Mills said that he would check on the speed limit reduction in this area of US 70. Mike Mills explained the procedure NCDOT uses in removing snow and distribution of salt on County roads. He said that NCDOT uses a lot of contractor help. The goal is to be able to work NCDOT employees in 12-hour shifts. At this time, the NCDOT employees sometimes work 24 and 30 hours straight during snow and ice removal. Commissioner Gordon asked for the criteria NCDOT uses in prioritizing the roads for paving. Also, she asked for information an participation in paving a road. Mike Mills explained that there were two participating programs. The first program is where NCDOT pays half and the property owners pay half. Another program is where the developer pays two thirds of the cost and NCDOT pays one third of the cost. Commissioner Brown made reference to a follow up to a meeting she and Commissioner Gordon had with NCDOT almost two years ago. She said that they discussed Smith Level Road and Mount Carmel Church Road. She said that two weeks ago in Carrboro there was a presentation by NCDOT on the road widening for Smith Level Road. She said that every consideration that was requested at the meeting was incorporated into the plan by NCDOT and she thanked them for doing that. Chair Carey opened the public hearing for comments. Margaret Russell said that she is concerned about the bridge coming into Hillsborough from the south. It is rough and needs to be resurfaced. Chuck Edwards, NCDOT County Engineer, said that repairs would be made to this bridge. Commissioner Jacobs spoke about the mobile homes that are carried on NC 86. Mr. Mills suggested writing to Mr. Galyon about this issue. The NCDOT board is looking at making 16- foot wide mobile homes legal in North Carolina. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested restricting the hours of operation for carrying the 16- footwide mobile homes. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested sending a letter of opposition to the NCDOT board as soon as possible. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to Jones Ferry Road and the curve that needs a guardrail. There were also some complaints about Lawrence Road in that some of the paving materials were dumped on the side of the road. The people who called DOT felt they did not get a satisfactory answer from DOT. He asked about the feasibility study on the widening of South Churton Street. Mike Mills will report back on this issue. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to close the public hearing and approve the N. C. Department of Transportation 2000-2001 Secondary Raad Improvement Program. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8. ITEMS FOR DECISION -CONSENT AGENDA A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to approve those items on the Consent Agenda as stated below: a. Minutes The Board approved the minutes for the Feb. 1, 2000 work session and regular meeting, Feb. 8, 2000 work session, and Feb. 28, 2000 quarterly public hearing. b. Health Department Memorandum of Agreement with UNC School of Dentistry The Board approved and authorized the Chair to sign an agreement with the UNC School of Dentistry for a children's dental care coordinator at a cost of $15,000 to be paid from grant funds provided by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children. c. Budaet Amendment #10 The Board approved the budget ordinance amendments and a grant project ordinance for Fiscal year 1999-2000 incorporated herein by reference. d. Child Support Attorney Contract The Board approved and authorized the Chair to sign a contract with Coleman, Gledhill and Hargrave for legal services to the Child Support Enforcement office at an hourly rate of $85. e. Motor Vehicle Tax Refunds The Board approved six requests for motor vehicle property tax refunds in accordance with the resolution incorporated herein by reference. f. Technical Assistance -Space Study 2000 The Board approved a proposal from Freeman-White Architects for technical assistance with the County space study at a cost of $8,000 and authorized the Purchasing Director to execute the contract. VOTE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA: UNANIMOUS 9. ITEMS FOR DECISION -REGULAR AGENDA a. Joint Master Recreation and Parks Work Group Report The Board considered two resolutions associated with the Joint Master Recreation and Parks Work Group report and a report by the BOCC Open Space Task Force. These resolutions are in the Permanent Agenda File in the Clerk's office. Environment and Resource Conservation Director David Stancil said that the Joint Master Recreation and Parks Work Group worked far 18 months with representatives from all of the jurisdictions in the County, the school boards, the advisory boards, and parks and recreation to develop the report. There are nine recommendations in the report, which are listed in the abstract on pages one and two. Since the report was referred last summer, it has gone to the towns and there is a summary of all of the comments from the advisory boards and the elected boards. He said that all of the jurisdictions to date have adopted the open facilities policy resolution. He made reference to the open space report from the Open Space Task Force and said that it proposed a change to the Parks Council idea to create an intergovernmental parks work group. There is a resolution to reconfigure the Parks Council to be a group that would meet and exchange information among the jurisdictions about parks planning and development. In the last few months, the Board has taken several actions related to the Joint Master Recreation and Parks Work Group Report. The Lands Legacy Program has been adopted, the Board adopted parkland criteria far evaluation of parklands, and the Schools and Land Use Council has developed a memorandum of agreement for co-location of school facilities. The recommendation tonight is that the Board adapt the resolution for farming the intergovernmental parks work group, the revised Joint Master Recreation and Parks Report recommendations and the Open Space Task Force, and the Open Facilities Policy Resolution. The Manager will be asked to convene a meeting with the other mangers to discuss the capital funding issues for park developments in the future. Staff will also be asked to explore modifications to the current payment-in-lieu system that is in need of revision. The unresolved issues, the funding issues, and the report on payment-in-lieu is recommended to be brought back at an October 30, 2000 Assembly of Governments meeting. Commissioner Brown made comments on the recommendations. She supports the resolution far forming the intergovernmental parks work group and thinks it is one of the mast important recommendations coming out of the task farce. The two previous park reports constantly talked about getting together with the municipalities in the County and creating a way to communicate. She suggested communicating to the other municipalities and asking them to join with the County in forming this group and coming up with a date to start this process. She made reference to the payment-in-lieu system and the impact fee and suggested that the Board ask staff to base this on the student generation report. She made reference to the memorandum of agreement for co-location of school facilities and said that the Board still has not adopted it. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the resolution an page 49 and indicated that there would be a two-step process in how the schools would be addressed. She said that this item would be an the agenda of the Schools and Land Use Council next week. As soon as the Board signs this resolution, it will be sent to the school boards. Commissioner Jacobs asked far clarification on the payment-in-lieu issue. Commissioner Gordan made reference to page 12 and read, "In Orange County's case, the County should explore modification to the system to provide far a more appropriate calculation of payment based on the developed property evaluation." She said that this is saying that Orange County's staff should look at Orange County's system. David Stancil said that the intent was to move the payment-in-lieu issue along by asking the staff to look at it. Commissioner Jacobs mentioned that there have been unfilled vacancies on the Recreation Board far representatives from the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Recreation boards for some time. Commissioner Brown said that this intergovernmental group could solve this problem of the lack of representatives. Chair Carey made reference to page 4 and the indication that parameters for park standards would be developed. He asked what this meant and where the parameters and standards would go when they were developed. David Stancil said that the development of common standards was not fully addressed by the task farce. He said that Chapel Hill expressed same concern with one size fits all standards. This resolution was written sa that there are parameters within which the different communities could have tailored standards along with the common standards. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the intergovernmental parks work group and if it was charged to make any fiscal recommendations, and Commissioner Brawn said no. Chair Carey said that there were different standards in the rural and urban areas that are important to recognize. He does not want the standards to be one size fits all. Chair Carey asked about some of the equity issues that the intergovernmental work group would address that were unresolved. David Stancil said that the intent of the items to come back in October was haw to synchronize the capital funding among the different jurisdictions. The standards issue would be addressed by the work group. The Town of Chapel Hill has raised same equity questions concerning County contribution to their operational costs as well as contributions to their future parks needs. Commissioner Gordon said that there would need to be a lot of work before the CIPs could be coordinated. She feels that the coordinated capital planning would occur no sooner than the fall, but the communication could start right away. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adopt the Open Facilities Policy resolution and the report of the Board of County Commissioners Open Space Task Force including: 1) the resolution for forming an intergovernmental Parks Work Group, 2) the revised Master Recreation and Parks report recommendations consistent with this resolution, and 3} also consistent with the Open Space Task Force report, staff would be instructed to explore modifications to the current payment-in-lieu system, or alternative systems (including parks impact fees), already authorized through existing legislation. The Board will write the participants a letter asking them to join this intergovernmental parks work group and set a date sometime in the fall. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Interim Action Plan -Lands Legacy Program The Board considered adapting an interim action plan for the Lands Legacy Program for the period May 2000 -June 2001. David Stancil said that this interim action plan would be the mechanism to implement the lands legacy report that the Board adopted on April 4t". The focus is on beginning the process of land banking far parkland. He summarized the goals of the interim action plan as stated in the pink attachment. There are seven goals. He made reference to a priority list of the specific acquisition objectives. This list is a table that is also in the pink attachment. These priorities are based on the comments that have been received to date and the work of the Open Space Task Force. He summarized the performance report for the previous year, including the Duke Forest land purchase. The staff is suggesting naming this piece of property the McGowen Creek Preserve. There was a grant of $143,000 from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund to purchase this property. The second grant was for the proposed Little River Regional Park and Natural Area in conjunction with Durham Triangle Land Conservancy and the Eno River Association. Also, 60 acres of the Greene Tract was preserved. Depending on the amount of acreage required and the amount of grant funds received, the location of property, and other factors, the priority list could range from two million to five million dollars. This is without grant funds. The staff will continue to pursue grants to fund these projects. Commissioner Gordon made reference to page 10 of the packet, "Report on the Parks Bond and other Parks Related Projects," and said that the facilities that have been developed from the bond coupled with the proposed projects provides far good geographic coverage around the County. David Stancil said that at this point there is 1.9 million dollars remaining that has not been appropriated from the bond. In terms of the three million dollars for parkland acquisition, the County has acquired land at the Northern Human Services Center. Commissioner Jacobs said that Carrboro proposed that the cost of the small acreage that was purchased for $500,000 be divided This park is a neighborhood level park. He commended David Stancil on the plan and what has been done. He would like to know what signage is planned for the property that the County acquires and David Stancil said that that information would be ready soon. Commissioner Brawn noted that a lot has been accomplished with the 1997 parks band. She said that the money has been spent efficiently and the citizens should understand this. This Lands Legacy Program sets the foundation far the future. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the soccer symposium held last week and said that it was pointed out that new fields were now available. He made reference to the bond referendum in New Hanover County (the purple sheet) that did not pass. He read a quote from one of the members of the committee that says, "People really wanted tangible projects, and we couldn't do that. I think people just generally wanted mare details." He said that the Lands Legacy Program is a great foundation to continue to address the taxpayers of Orange County and the voters who are committed to these kinds of concerns {i.e., the environment, open space, natural area protection, and recreation). Commissioner Halkiotis said that there were people who think this whole plan is a waste of time and money. He said that these people were very short sighted with their vision and were not looking to the future. He said that this was a plan that could ensure something far Orange County 25, 50, and 100 years from now. Commissioner Gordon commended the staff who worked on this project: David Stancil, Rich Shaw, Craig Benedict, and Bob Jones. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Brown to adopt the Interim Action Plan, and instruct staff to begin inquiries for the acquisition priorities, as outlined in the Plan. Staff will bring information on potential acquisition of priority areas back for BOCC consideration at a future meeting. The Interim Action Plan as written would allow for land banking efforts in conjunction with municipalities and other partners, with the County taking the lead in identifying and acquiring sites. VOTE: UNANIMOUS c. Establishment of School Funding Parameters The Board considered providing direction to the County Manager regarding school funding parameters based on a report by the Schaal Funding Options Task Force. Commissioner Jacobs distributed a recommendation dated May 3, 2000 written by him and Chair Carey. Commissioner Jacobs said that he and Chair Carey were recommending adopting a series of benchmarks to guide spending decisions. These are listed in the draft report that is dated March 23, 2000. It is also recommended that the Board endorse 48.1 % as a target rate of the overall County budget for annual spending for both school systems, which is the most recent five- year average. He listed some of the issues that still need to be resolved. These unresolved issues are listed below: • Co-mingling of capital expenses and operational needs in creating a target percentage • Demands of technology improvement • Examination of a Countywide approach to older school facilities • More clearly defining federal and state mandates as compared to Board initiatives and imperatives • More equitable and flexible means for funding actual versus projected student enrollments John Link made reference to the process by which capital projects are going to be approved by the County Commissioners. He said that this was addressed in a separate document and the staff is trying to incorporate the recommendations from the last work session. This item is mare urgent and will be resolved by the end of June. Commissioner Halkiotis spoke about two concerns. He feels that mandates should be clear. It is either a mandate or it is not a mandate. It needs to come from the Manager's office as to whether or not it is a state or federal required mandate. The continuation of a lack of clarity should be stopped. He feels that targets are fine but situations may arise that may require flexibility. He feels that the group needs to continue working on the remaining issues. He feels that funding actual versus projected student enrollments should be done out of fairness. Commissioner Gordon asked what was meant by benchmarks and said that she would like to see standards like the ones for new school construction. Chair Carey said that the benchmarks were listed on page three of the draft report. Commissioner Gordan suggested setting standards for funding. She asked for additional information on funding actual versus projected student enrollments. John Link said that County staff is looking at legal requirements for pursuing actual versus projected student enrollments. He said that the staff would propose that this issue not be addressed this budget season. Chair Carey made reference to the suggestions from Commissioner Gordon and said that the benchmarks that the task force is recommending to be used for now are those that are included in the School Funding Options Task Force report. Commissioner Halkiatis would like to have a legal review an funding actual versus projected student enrollments. He said that the state shows a complete lack of flexibility in this area. Commissioner Brown said that the County needs to make the definitions clear on mandates. She feels this process needs to be adopted and started in the fall. Commissioner Gordon asked what would happen with the 48.1 %. John Link said that he would use the 48.1 % as a target, and the staff would look at the benchmarks, the indicators of effort, and the issues of mandates and functional requirements compared to new initiatives. Discussion ensued on determining the dollar amount of the County budget. Commissioner Brown made reference to the technology improvements and the technology budgets in the schools, which are huge, and asked about getting information about technology spending for both school systems. John Link said that a good portion of the technology funding would be in the capital budget. A motion was made by Chair Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adopt the recommendations as presented by Chair Carey and Commissioner Jacobs regarding the establishment of school funding parameters. VOTE: UNANIMOUS d. Orange County Consolidated Housing PIanIFY 2000 Action Plan The Board was to consider a resolution approving the Consolidated Housing Plan for fiscal years 2000-2005 and a resolution approving HOME Program activities for fiscal year 2000- 2001. This was postponed to the work session next week. e. Quarterly Public Hearing Legal Advertisement The Board considered approving a legal advertisement far the quarterly public hearing scheduled for May 22, 2000. Planning Director Craig Benedict summarized the items in the advertisement. Commissioner Brown asked that the Upper Eno item that has been deleted from the May 22nd public hearing be brought back at the August 23`d public hearing if at all possible. Craig Benedict said that he was going to try to notify the public of this issue in a delicate way rather than a formal ad in the paper that scares everybody. A motion was made by Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adopt items 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the Legal Advertisement far the quarterly public hearing on May 22, 2000. These items are as follows: - Revise the Public Hearing Notification Process in the Zoning Ordinance - Amend the application criteria for establishment of the Existing Commercial-V {EC- 5} zoning district - Adapt new ordinance far Neuse River Basin Stormwater Protection Program - Amend the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Ordinance VOTE: UNANIMOUS f. Board of Commissioners Legislative Agenda for 2000 The Board was to consider potential items to be included in the Board of Commissioners legislative agenda package for the 2000 N.C. General Assembly session. Because of a lack of time, the County Commissioners decided that they would review the items as presented and provide comments to the County Manager. 10. REPORTS a. Efland Sewer Fund -Demand-related Revisions to Fee Schedule The Board was to receive a report on sewer demand in the Efland Area and consider revising the fee schedule for sewer connections. However, this item was postponed to the May 16, 2000 meeting. Commissioner Brown requested that this item come back with same information on capacity of the sewer system. b. Preview of Shaping Orange County's Future Provisional Report The Board was to preview the Shaping Orange County's Future Provisional Report However, this item was postponed to the May 16, 2000 meeting. 11. APPOINTMENTS- NONE 12. MINUTES- NONE 13. CLOSED SESSION "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}. A motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs "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 13. ADJOURNMENT With no further items far the Board to consider, a matian was made by Cammissianer Halkiotis seconded by Chair Carey to adjourn the meeting. The next regular meeting will be held an Tuesday, May 9, 200Q at 7:3Q p.m. in the Boardroom of the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Maser Carey, Jr., Chair Beverly A. Blythe, CMC