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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20030125APPROVED 4/15/2003 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ANNUAL PLANNING AND GOAL-SETTING RETREAT SOUTHERN HUMAN SERVICES CENTER January 25, 2003 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for their annual Board retreat on Saturday, January 25, 2003 at 9:00 a.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret Brown and Commissioners Barry Jacobs, Moses Carey, Jr., Alice M. Gordon, and Stephen H. Halkiotis COUNTY ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill and S. Sean Barhanian COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Managers Rod Visser and Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker {all other staff members will be identified appropriately below) Staff in Attendance: Pam Jones, Ken Chavious, Elaine Holmes, Greg Wilder, Paul Thames, Gayle Wilson, Donna Dean, Nick Waters, Craig Benedict, Lori Taft, Nancy Coston, Annette Moore, Wilbur McAdoo, Rosemary Summers, Jerry Passmore, Tara Fikes, AI Terry, Dianne Reid, David Stancil NOTE: KEPT FOR 5 YEARS. OPENING COMMENTS: Chair Brown opened the meeting by asking about a process for the agenda. She suggested that if there is going to be an item that everyone would like to speak to and discuss, then there should be a time limit on it. UPDATE ON NCACC LEGISLATIVE GOALS Chair Brown said that Medicaid relief was the primary objective of Human Services in the legislature for the County Commissioners' Association. The goal for mental health services was to allow the County Commissioners to mix public and private providers for the new mental health groups. This is significant. Another goal was Homeland Security and Regional Emergency Preparedness. Under Public Education, the top priority was to oppose legislation to authorize local boards of education to exercise independent taxing authority. Also, charter schools should have more accountability and better State oversight. Another goal was to reinstitute State funding for utility casts far schools. FISCAL REVIEWIOUTLOOK FOR FY 2002-2003 AND FY 2003-2004 Budget Director Donna Dean gave a PowerPoint presentation. The current budget totals $119 million. The largest revenue source is property taxes at about 66%. Other revenues and expenditures are on target with what was budgeted for the current year. She pointed out Medicaid expenditures and said that they appear to be on target for what was budgeted, which was $3.1 million. It was thought that Medicaid expenditures might skyrocket, but it seems that they have not. Another big topic last year was sales tax. The original budget included $15.7 million, which was no increase over the prior year. The first quarter receipts were comparable to what they had budgeted. Since the original budget, the general assembly authorized the additional ~/ cent sales tax for local governments. This was effective December 1, 2002. The Association of County Commissioners anticipates that Orange County will collect about $1.8 million in unbudgeted revenue in the current fiscal year as a result of the additional '/ cent sales tax. There will be an update on February 26th as to the first quarter receipts. Some of the items that may be addressed in February with the additional sales tax revenue are as follows: restore some portion of the County's fund balance, restore some portion of the Public School Building Funds that were "frozen" in the State's adopted budget, reinstate some portion of SChOOIs' recurring capital, and begin phased-in implementation of the County's classification and pay study. Commissioner Jacobs asked that this list include the County capital costs that were frozen ar cut and the monies for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Lands Legacy. Commissioner Carey verified that the $1.8 million was from December 2002 through June 2003. Donna Dean continued by talking about the Undesignated Fund Balance, which is about 10% or $11.6 million. Revenue Update: The additional'/ cents sales tax for a full year will provide $3.1 million for next year, which will replace what was withheld by the State. The property valuations continue to be strong. The estimated revenue from one cent is about $950,000. The other County revenues will remain the same. Regarding expenditures, when Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools opens elementary school #9, there will be additional students in both school systems, and there may be a loss of the Public School Building Capital Funds again this year ($800,000). The County's budget initiatives include increased debt service for 2001 bonds and alternative financing, employee classification and pay initiative, state initiatives to restructure mental health, County capital items postponed last spring, solid waste alternative financing, public safety initiatives, and initiatives identified in organizational assessment. The challenges beyond fiscal year 2003-2004 include the equity of funding between the two school systems, opening of three new schools over the next five years, and operational costs associated with County related capital projects. Commissioner Jacobs said that during the budget process, he would like to see historical tracking of the CHCCS district tax and how it has gone up and what it was spent for. He would also like to know how Chatham County has a shortfall in funding but has a huge fund balance. He would like to know, for the five adjoining counties, what kind of fund balance they maintain and what kind of tax rate they have and what services they are providing in relation to Orange County. Commissioner Gordon would like to see a 10-year CIP that goes through the entire 10 years. That would involve including more detail in the last five years of the plan. SETTING BOCC PRIORITIES FOR 20031BRAWSTORMING John Link made reference to Looming Issues and Fiscal Operation Capital and said that selection of the mechanism and process far creating a new financing plan for solid waste is one of the most critical items that the Board needs to address in this coming budget. Also, it is important to decide how to address any additional'h cent sales tax revenue for the current year and next year. In his perspective, the countywide classification and pay study needs to be addressed. Under County and Facility Development, there are no higher priorities, but all are important. Under Human Services, the Humane Society of the United States study of the animal shelter and mental health reform is top priority. Under Community Planning, the Comprehensive Plan is the top priority. Commissioner Goals: Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the HSUS study and said that one thing that was not mentioned that the Board had discussed previously was that we had read in proposals for both humane societies that doing an assessment did not necessarily solve the problems unless there was also some other mediation. He wanted to make sure that there would be a mediation process. John Link said that they have not forgotten this aspect and have talked with Andy Saks from the Dispute Settlement Center. This will be incorporated with the Humane Society's approach. They still anticipate that everyone will not accept the report from the Humane Society. This is where the mediation would come in. The Board agreed with this process. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about the Board's involvement in the study since the County Commissioners are getting all of the correspondence from the concerned citizens. John Link said that the intent was to have HSUS interview the stakeholders, including the County Commissioners, members of the APS Board, staff, and the citizens. Health Director Rosemary Summers said that HSUS would be developing an itinerary when they do the site visit for the interviews. The HSUS would like to present the recommendations and the report directly to the Board of County Commissioners as well as to the APS Board and the Board of Health. They are not planning to make the presentation to the staff before the report to the boards. Chair Brown said that it would be important to see the full scope of all the legal possibilities of how animal control could be set up. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to Human Rights and Relations and the Resolution of County Position on English as a Second Language Program. He does not know anything about this. He knows that there is going to be some impetus to challenge the County to be a model employer, and this is not mentioned in the resolution. He thinks this needs to be mentioned. Gwen Harvey said that there is a vacant position that was designed to be the coordinator for this function. Chair Brown made reference to the last bullet under Human Services, the Management Team, and said that this is so important. Chair Brown made reference to the Carrboro Library and said that she would like to try and do something far the Carrboro Library. This library has struggled and does not get much support from the Town of Carrboro. John Link said that this is on the budget agenda. Commissioner Halkiatis would like to see the numbers on this perceived issue with the Carrboro Library. Commissioner Jacobs said that Carrboro's highest priority for a library is the "cybrary." He would like to review the recommendations when this comes back in the budget. Commissioner Gordon made reference to the second page for Organization Assessment and the third bullet. AI Terry said that he just got off the phone with Assistant Director for North Carolina Public Transportation Division Charles Glover and he has agreed that the County can go out and obtain its own consulting firm. The State will still pay 90% and we do have 10% in the budget. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to tab 5, board #21 and the Human Services Transportation Advisory Board and asked about reconstituting this. AI Terry said that this would be part of the process. Commissioner Gordon asked about cable issues and if this was just the continuation of these issues. Gwen Harvey said that this is a continuation of the ongoing negotiations with Time Warner Cable to get a new franchise agreement. There was also a successful public affairs show that was provided by Orange County and this may be reinstituted. John Link said that the studio that we were using for the show went away. Sharron Hinton said that in order to use the People's Channel studio, we would have to bring our own staff or volunteers. Another option would be to tape the show at the Durham office. Commissioner Jacobs said that maybe some of the high school students would volunteer. COMMISSIONER IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL DISCUSSION TOPICS Homeland Security: Commissioner Jacobs brought forward the issue of Homeland Security (page 2). The federal and state governments are setting aside large sums of monies without clear vision. He said that Orange County could have a clear vision about trying to be less energy dependent as an institution so that in times of crisis there are not departments without electricity. This would also be consistent with the goal of permanent water conservation. It might also bring forward some funding sources that were not available before. Orange Grave Road Access Management: This will be brought back at a work session. Northern Human Services Center: Chair Brown and Commissioner Carey asked for an update on the purchase of property. Geoff Gledhill said that the special proceeding on the estate that owns the property has been filed. It has to work its way through the court process before the County's offer can be accepted. He thinks it is likely to happen in this quarter. He said that agreement has been reached by the community group that is interested in having more involvement in this community center. The offer that they made on the property has been withdrawn. The County is the only participant at this time. This will be brought back as a work session item -specifically the solar possibility and an outdoor swimming pool. Low Income Elderly: Chair Brown made reference to the low income elderly and said that the request is to collect all of the services that the County provides for low income elderly residents and combine them in a brochure so that the public can understand all of the services that are provided (Department on Aging and tax issues). The Board agreed to do this. Rural Buffer: Chair Brown said that this came up in the inter-local agreement to be renewed. Randall Arendt will be invited to lead a discussion. Environment and Resource Conservation Director David Stancil said that Mr. Arendt would be in the area February 12th and they will speak with him then. Chair Brown said that she sees this as something that Chapel Hill and Carrboro would be involved with also so that we would all have understanding of the future of the rural buffer. Commissioner Gordon asked about the inter-local agreement and it being up for renewal. Craig Benedict said that the joint planning agreement does not have a renewal date. The annexation provisions of the joint planning agreement were changed to extend to another time period. Chapel Hill has concluded their comprehensive plan and has made inferences about rural buffer densities. It is timely to readdress the agreement. He said that Randall Arendt has some knowledge about achieving rural character in urbanizing environments. Commissioner Jacobs said that we might want to bring in someone who has experience with TDR (transfer of development rights) programs. Rod Visser clarified that the request is to consider bringing Randall Arendt in for a rural buffer session including Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Intergovernmental Parks Work Group Update {Coordination with Healthy Carolinians}: Chair Brown said that this is the only intergovernmental standing group that meets four times a year. One of the charges to complete this year for the entire County is a map showing all of the recreational facilities. Healthy Carolinians also needed to da something like this, so they have joined forces to put it out together. Developing Strategies for Opening Parks: Chair Margaret Brown said that staff was on top of this. John Link said that on the work session agenda for Monday night, there is an update on haw to proceed on a timetable for each park. The staffing and operational issues need to be addressed as part of the CIP this year. Dave Stancil made reference to the joint memo from Lori Taft and him. They have developed a strategy of actions that could be pursued in regards to opening parks. Lori Taft said that it is difficult to plan out ten years ahead when the timetable is not known. She said that there would have to be additional staff if there is to be a pool at Cedar Grove. Chair Brown said that the pool at Cedar Grove was brought up to her by a lot of children in Efland Groundwater Issues: Chair Brown said that so many times the Board hears from the public about development having an impact on wells. There is also the groundwater study that the County supported for so many years. John Link said that he is on a well and he has heard Paul Thames say that the water we drink today came in months or years ago. He thinks this is a timely topic and it needs to be imbued with science because there are many opinions. Commissioner Gordon said that it would be important for the County Commissioners to say that this is a priority and to get the appropriate staff and boards to work on it. It may require additional resources. The County Commissioners need to make a statement to give it some priority. Commissioner Jacobs said that he supports Commissioner Gordon but there is another component that he would like to discuss later in the agenda. Geoff Gledhill said that in the last couple of years he has attended a dramatic engineering description of the water conditions in the coastal plain, which talked about how the draw down of water by everybody was affecting the ability of everybody else to draw down water. He thinks that the USGS work the County has does have a similar level of science in it and may be useful. His view is that the response of the County Commissioners should be legislative rather than using a development-by-development response because of the County's fractured rock system. Commissioner Halkiotis is worried that everyone is going to forget about what happened this summer because of all the recent rain. This issue needs to be kept on the front burner. Chair Brown asked what staff would come back with. John Link said that the staff would come back with a renewed proposal and operational steps in pursuing groundwater issues. Commissioner Jacobs said that there needs to be a permanent water conservation ethic. OINASA is looking at mandating a permanent water conservation element. He would like some of the advisory boards to discuss the goal and institutionalizing some of the consciousness that arose during the drought. He does not think we should ever be pursuing building another reservoir in Orange County. In order to not do that and to accommodate growth, we are going to have to look at things differently. Commissioner Gordon asked to flag this as a work session topic. Youth Services: Commissioner Carey asked for an update on youth services and would like to flag it for a work session topic. This used to be high on the priority list. He is unsure what the County and the community are doing to benefit youth. Commissioner Gordan supported Commissioner Corey's concerns. Commissioner Halkiotis also agreed with Commissioner Carey. He read in the paper about the problem with skateboarders in Hillsborough. This needs to be part of the Recreation and Parks program. He said that Chapel Hill was smart to put in the skateboard park. Chair Brown pointed out that the County paid for that. Commissioner Halkiotis said that the government has a responsibility to figure out how to help the kids get from Hillsborough to Chapel Hill to be in a safe environment. John Link agreed with Commissioner Halkiotis and said that they had a meeting with Hillsborough Town Commissioner Mark Sheridan. Mark Sheridan has younger children and made the paint that part of the reason they skateboard is because they can walk out the back door and into the street and do it. They do not have to get in the car. Mark Sheridan found it difficult to imagine kids clamoring to get on a bus to come to Chapel Hill and skateboard. School Membership Projections: Commissioner Gordon asked if this was proceeding along because it is a transition year with the SAPFO. She wants to make sure that the membership projections were being gathered. She said that Chapel Hill-Carrboro was no longer thinking that the third high school could be opened in 2005, but in 2006. John Link said that we are close to having the new numbers, but they need to be certified meaning that everyone understands that these are the numbers and no one is creating numbers. Craig Benedict said that a committee has been put together known as the Planning DirectorslSchool Representative Technical Advisory Committee that would look at the variables that need updating annually {growth rates, membership projections, student generation rates). This group met in December and January. The report was all encompassing and the numbers have come together. They are going to work on language to make the SAPFO go into effect at the same time for all parties. Commissioner Gordon said that if the 2006 high school does something to put the system aver 110°l0, then this must be addressed without putting in a moratorium. John Link agreed and said that CHCCS is expecting to open the new high school in 2006. If they plan to pursue mobile units, then those units will have to come out of the $27.8 million that is set aside for the high school. The units do nothing to address permanent capacity based on the SAPFO. Commissioner Halkiotis said that when the data is finally agreed upon by the groups, he would like to see as part of a future agenda, the Chairs and superintendents of both school boards publicly acknowledge that everyone agrees and assures that it becomes a permanent part of the public record. There should be a public proclamation. Commissioner Gordon asked about what John Link said about the mobile units. She thinks that the intention is that the budget for the high school is for a certain amount and all of it can be used far a high school. She did not understand that monies far mobile units would have to come out of the budget far the new school. John Link said that it would be pay as you go funds out of the schools' own capital funding. He said that this was a valid correction. Commissioner Halkiotis said that we need to look at recurring capital information Ten Year CIP: Chair Brown said that she would like to wait until this is addressed in the spring. Commissioner Gordon would like to take up school capital issues that were not addressed on January 21St. There is a lot of school capital funding issues that were not addressed. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he would rather defer this until later work sessions. This will be addressed in Capital Issues later in the agenda. Customer Service Commissioner Jacobs said that we can always improve and he tries to ga into departments anonymously so he can see how he is treated. He sees areas where we can do a better job. He would like to have a number far citizens to call to report problems ar ask for assistance. He said that it is not good customer service far the phone to ring 11 times before it is picked up. He also mentioned the solid waste fee for a building permit and that there is no explanation. Some citizens are upset about this because they do not know what it is for. He would like to improve customer service somehow. There needs to be a creative effort to monitor ourselves. John Link said that he shares these concerns. He said that they are beginning some short-term training in certain departments for customer service. Some areas are more regulatory and may be mare difficult because you have to say na. He suggested letting the management team at the Department Head retreat come up with some creative ways using a tier approach to address this issue. Commissioner Halkiotis said that there needs to be a way in-house to test ourselves before people are brought in from the outside. Commissioner Gordon suggested a customer satisfaction survey and a way to systematically handle complaints. Chair Brown said that she has always felt strongly about this. A question came up the other night when someone complained about anon-profit that the County funds. She does not know how to work with a complaint like this. She asked for a list of how the County handles complaints and customer services. Commissioner Jacobs would like to have some way to track what we are doing and see where the complaints are coming from. Commissioner Carey said that in governmental agencies you use a lot of forms, but he would like to see a reduction of paper work. Departments' Work Programs: Chair Brown said that she found two housing surveys -one from the Women's Housing Commission and the Senior Housing is being done now. She asked if there was any coordination to pull the surveys together. Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes said that there was some coordination with the Senior Housing survey with the advisory board, but the survey done by the Commission for Women was a little ahead of the creation of the advisory board. Chair Brown asked Tara Fikes to go back and look at what the advisory board had to say. NEW GOAL -To adopt a goal of completing a decision to consolidate the two school systems no later than December 30, 2003: Commissioner Carey apologized for not having this information ahead of time. He said that there is always such a huge difference in funding between the two school systems. We have tried to equalize the funding, but gave up because of the growth differentials in the students in the two school systems. He realizes that this topic is wrought with emotion and no one wants to talk about it, but it is time to talk about this again. He said that if we try and put a long drawn out process on it, it would never get done. He gave eight reasons in his document why this was a timely decision. He said that people in the County system would like to close the gap in funding. He listed the questions that must be asked as follows: "Would we plan for two separate school districts in Orange County today if we had the choice of starting again?" "Would the gap in funding that currently exists grow wider if we continued our current policies?" "Is the current funding disparity hindering or contributing to the equal educational opportunity of County school system students?" Commissioner Carey said that he likes the idea of the County Commissioners taking the leadership and having a more efficient expenditure of County tax dollars. Commissioner Halkiotis asked Geoff Gledhill about any other ways than listed by Commissioner Carey to accomplish the merger. Geoff Gledhill said that one way is by voluntary dissolution of the CHCCS system, which is possible but not practical. This means that the school system can elect to dissolve itself. Another possibility is by local act of the General Assembly, which is also not likely. The final way is that the General Assembly may mandate that all dual school systems in counties be merged. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about a public referendum and if it is required. GeofF Gledhill said that if the boards of education get together and decide to merge, a public referendum could be elected as part of that process. If a public referendum is elected, it is a mandatory referendum. If the Board of County Commissioners mandates merger, there is no requirement for a referendum, and any referendum would be advisory only. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he respects what Commissioner Carey has done but he is surprised. He asked haw we would normally communicate the possibility of sending this to the two school boards. This is an ambitious goal. Commissioner Carey said that this is one of the items that we have talked about for 20 years and have even commissioned a study about 15 years ago but did nothing about it. He realizes that communicating this to the school boards will come as a shock. He thinks that if the County Commissioners ask for permission from both school boards, they would not get it. The intent is to take leadership on this position. He did not put this forward because he thinks it is going to save money in the short term. He thinks it has potential far saving money in the long run. Commissioner Jacobs said that he respects Commissioner Carey for bringing this up and it is an intriguing thing to contemplate. He said that we need to sort out the ramifications of making it a goal. He thinks there would also be some educational advantages in the CHCCS system and not just for the OCS system. He would want some analysis from staff about accomplishing this kind of timetable and what would be involved. He said that in some ways it runs counter to haw we do business in Orange County because we always try to be very collaborative. Commissioner Gordon echoed Commissioner Halkiatis' surprise. It is a topic to be discussed and she would not unilaterally vote to adopt this as a goal. One of the reasons that the Commissioners backed away from this before is because of the financial impact on the County system. She would not be in favor of adapting a goal of merger in the near future. She would like to see it put to a vote with the public also. She does not think it would improve the education. She would like to see an analysis of the educational impact. She thinks that collaboration is important. Commissioner Carey said that he fully understands why the Board of County Commissioners may not want to adopt this as a Baal today. He said that this is a radical departure from the normal process. He wants to do the best and right thing for all children. He said that the funding gap is going to continue to get worse if we do not do something about it. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he personally thinks based on what former Senator Howard Lee said last July that there was some study group looking at this issue, it would be good to contact Senator Kinnaird to see what the status of this group is. He suggested having Commissioner Carey and the Chair to meet with the Manager and appropriate staff to get the information database developed and bring it back and maybe adopt it as a goal later on. Just in case the State decides to do it beforehand, then we will have the information and analyze the current situation. Chair Brown said that she has heard so many comments on this subject and some appall her. Other citizens ask why the two systems are not merged. Her interpretation is that for people who are very much opposed to it, many of their issues are based on fear and misunderstandings. She thinks there are real issues and the financial ones are clear. Her understanding was that last year she thought the Commissioners asked staff to come up with how the tax differential would be worked out over a period of time. John Link said that it was discussed, but they were not asked to do it. The staff would be happy to do this. When two school systems are merged, the law requires that you take the highest per pupil from both systems. It would create a significant countywide tax increase, but it would eliminate the Chapel Hill district tax. Chair Brown would like to see a picture of what this would be like and variations. People are going to want answers to questions. She would like to know how we would go about doing this as well as the financial issues. She is astonished by the unequal funding of the two school systems. She is concerned about the northlsouth split perception in the County and people feeling disadvantaged and not getting their fair share. She thinks this issue of merging the two systems could be beneficial to the County in the long run. Commissioner Carey said that the thing people fear most is who is governing it and who is going to charge them and how much it is going to cost. He said that most of the fears are hallucinations and are not likely to come true. Chair Brown said that she is glad Commissioner Carey brought this forward and she would like to move forward and see what needs to come first. It will take a lot of public education. Cammissianer Jacobs said that this issue came up during the last election and all but one candidate said that they were flat opposed to merger. A lot of people have misconceptions and he would like to follow a process and for staff to look at the tax implications and the district tax for the Orange County schools. The fundamental disparity between the two systems is based on financial considerations. One option would be to look at trying to equalize funding. He thinks that Cammissianer Carey is being kind about using the word "hallucinations." He was thinking about writing something about social bigotry. He made reference to a parent in the CHCCS system that said that if parents cared about education they would live in Chapel Hill and that they did not want their children associated with people from the Orange County system. He thinks it is his role as an elected official to confront bigotry where he sees it. He also thinks there is a lot of thoughtful opposition and a lot of thoughtful questions. The County Commissioners' jab is to sort through the issues. Chair Brown read the goal again, "Adopt a Goal of Completing the Decision to Consolidate the Schools." She does not mind spending this year gathering the information to make this decision. Commissioner Carey retracted his statement about not asking permission from the school boards because we would never get it. He does not know that we would not get permission from the school boards. His recommended process is gathering information for the next few months and discussing this with the school boards and asking them both to make a decision. He made reference to an article that encouraged people to move into the CHCCS system because of the educational benefits. He did not agree with this article. Commissioner Halkiotis said that we need to be very careful in how this is worded. He asked Commissioner Jacobs to work with the staff in coming up with the language sa that there are no misinterpretations. Commissioner Gordon asked Geoff Gledhill about voting far this and how to decide about the Board of Education. Geoff Gledhill said that the County Commissioners would develop a plan and the one-person/one vote principle would be part of the plan. The specific methodology for electing the new board of education would be part of the plan that would be adopted as part of the merger process. Chair Brown said that she hears from everyone that there is a general interest in learning more. John Link said that he hears the Board saying that it would like to have staff work on the answers to the factual questions (financial issues, impacts, steps, the governing body, etc.}. Discussion ensued on the language of the goal. Commissioner Carey said that his language includes the decision to merge, but he can understand that the collective decision of the Board is to decide "whether" to do it. The staff will bring back answers to the factual questions. The Board broke for lunch at 12:15 p.m. and reconvened at 12:50 p.m. POTENTIAL WORK SESSION TOPICS Chair Brown mentioned adding identifying the phases of school system consolidation to the list of work session topics. There is also groundwater issues and rural buffer to add to the list. This is in addition to the list behind tab 4. Commissioner Jacobs asked about the Little River Park Inter-Local Agreement with Durham County and asked if there was a time element to have the park open by the fall. David Stancil said that the timetable is to have the memorandum worked out by the spring. Commissioner Jacobs suggested an indication for the topics if there is a time constraint. REVIEW OF INPUT FROM ADVISORY BOARDSICOMMISSIONS -ADVISORY BOARD PRESENTATIONS Advisory Board on Aging Advisory Board on Aging Chair Florence Soltys announced that Vice-Chair Jack Chestnut would be the Chair as of July 15t. She said that they remain very concerned about the quality of long-term care and they are moving to establish the roundtable. They will have this committee put together as of February 5t". One of the areas they would like to see return is Friend to Friend. The part- time employee for this program was cut out of the budget last year. This program matches seniors with individuals who are not leaving their home. They would like to see this program re- implemented. Advisory Board on Aging Vice-Chair Jack Chestnut gave an update of the Needs Assessment for the Elderly Housing. This is going out next week and they are going to start making phone calls. They hope to open the adult day care center at Meadowlands this month. Regarding this center, there is a draft of the bylaws where they are hoping to set up a new not-for-profit that this could fall under. He asked for feedback from the County Commissioners. He reported that they have set up a meeting between the Advisory Board on Aging and The United Way where they can work on issues with seniors. Florence Soltys stated the priority list for 2003-2004 as follows: Ta establish and carry out the Senior Center planning for both senior centers, establish the non-profit (might ask County for funds at first), develop the Long Term Care Roundtable this year and have it very functional, and the report on the survey on senior housing. Commissioner Jacobs asked how much was involved in the County's portion of the Friend to Friend program and Florence Soltys answered $13,000. He recalled that the Board decided to defer the appropriation until it was determined what the Social Safety Net money was to be spent on. The Board just got a report on the Social Safety Net, and it was not included. He would like to bring it up again since it is only $13,000. John Link said that they could enfold this into the options. Commissioner Carey thanked them for sending the draft survey to the Board. He asked about the phone survey that required calculations and how to deal with Spanish-speaking people. Jack Chestnut said that the Latino population would not be surveyed at this time. The surveyors are going to have to help some of the people with the calculations. Arts Commission: Vice Chair of the Orange County Arts Commission Leah Rade thanked the Board for allowing them to hire the new director, Martha Shannon. The commission has been much more motivated and excited and has accomplished a lot more with heron board. They just completed their 5t" artists' salon and they have just completed the fall grant cycle. They are very excited about the 250tH Orange County Anniversary and they would like to place a piece of art (quilt) using many artists in the community and have this artwork be placed in the Government Services building as part of the celebration. They would like to see many artists contribute to this quilt pattern. They would like support from the Board of County Commissioners and the community for this project. They do have some money available to start this project. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if this artwork could be enjoyed outside. Leah Rade said that they are looking for this to be inside and are looking at a place to hang it. Commissioner Jacobs said that there has been talk about displaying art in the Southern Human Services Center but then there were objections, and he asked if the Arts Commission has talked about that. Leah Rade said that she is aware of the objections but the subcommittee will look at possible sites. Commissioner Halkiotis asked who objected to artwork being placed at the Southern Human Services Center. Chair Brawn said that the installation and the maintenance of any of the art was not something that either Social Services or the Health Department felt was part of their responsibilities. There was another concern about how some pieces of art could affect some of the more unstable people that come to use the facility. Leah Rade said that this would not be a permanent piece of art; it would only be installed for a length of time. The artwork would be a patchwork, including visual art, sculpture, and pottery. Planning Board: Chair of the Planning Board Nicole Gooding-Ray went over the goals of the Planning Board. These were not in priority order because the Planning Board could not agree upon the order. The goal that was discussed the most was the issue of water resource quantity and quality. The Planning Board has also talked about the U. S. Geological Survey and getting that updated. Chair Brown said that addressing groundwater issues is also a goal of the Board of County Commissioners. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that other issues discussed by the Planning Board are rural character and agricultural preservation and how to do this within the context of planning. Chair Brown stated that the Board has a goal for this too, particularly within the rural buffer. The Planning Board is also interested in participating in the unified development ordinance. Other priorities include transfer of development rights, affordable housing, economic development, natural resource and natural area protection. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that the Planning Board would like to take a more active role in planning in the County. The Planning Board desperately needs some training because there are new members on a regular basis and many of them have no idea about the comprehensive plan for the County now. They also need regular updates and training on what they are and are not allowed to do. They also need training on potential smart growth and development tools. She would also like to have more meetings with other advisory boards, such as the environmental and economic development boards. The Planning Board is also interested in having more discretion to ask for things from developers when they came forward with proposals. They have formed a subcommittee to look at some different tools because they just voted down the special use permit process. Finally, they would like to schedule a meeting with the County Commissioners and the Planning Board to talk about potential growth, development, and planning tools for the County. Commissioner Jacobs said that there is a scheduled dinner meeting with the Planning Board for September 15, 2003. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that it would be helpful to have it earlier in the year. Commissioner Jacobs requested a list of areas where the Planning Board would like more discretion. Regarding rural character and agricultural preservation, he asked if they have ever seen the Rural Character Study and Nicole Gooding-Ray said na. Commissioner Jacobs suggested getting the copies from Dave Stancil and Gene Bell and asking them to give a presentation to the Planning Board. He said that the Board of County Commissioners is fully supportive of getting more training for the Planning Board. He suggested that they contact Richard Whisnant from the Commission for the Environment for Smart Growth training. Nicole Goading-Ray said that it has became increasingly evident that the Planning staff is very overwhelmed. It is very difficult for the staff to comply with the Planning Board's requests with all of the other requests. She suggested an additional staff person or a liaison to the Planning Board so that they would know whom to go through at the Planning Department. She usually speaks with Craig Benedict ar Robert Davis, but they are overwhelmed. Chair Brown made reference to the training issue and said that she has suggested before that all Planning Boards in the County come together and have the Institute of Government do the training. She thinks that the Institute of Government has not responded to this request. Affordable Housing Advisory Board: Chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board Brian Crawford referred to his letter. They would like to have a special RFP for affordable housing in northern Orange County since there is a lack of affordable housing in the northern part of the county. They would also like to be involved with the process of planning for the Greene Tract. The third issue is the accessibility, adaptation, and long- term housing process. They would like the County to adopt some sort of resolution that affordable housing should focus on long term livability. They want to look at their 99-year affordability housing policy and they are going to do some research across the State. Some counties have a much shorter affordability policy. Regarding the bond policy, they want to do an annual review and submit a report to the Board of County Commissioners. They are also doing education and outreach. They would like to set up a series of town meetings across the County to talk with citizens and to see what their needs are for affordable housing. Commissioner Carey asked about the lack of response of affordable housing in the northern part of the County. He said that it might have something to do with the non-profits being located in the southern end of the County. He suggested that rather than having a separate RFP process for the northern end, perhaps there can be same tinkering with the scoring. Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Commissioner Carey. He made reference to Richmond Hills and said that something is being done in the northern end of the County. There is also a lack of water and sewer in the northern end. He said that the Mayor of Hillsborough is interested in affordable housing issues in the Fairview community. He also heard from the non-profits that the universal design is cost prohibitive, so it was not included as a requirement in all of the affordable housing units. He would be interested in some analysis of the additional costs versus the lifetime use of the property. Chair Margaret Brown asked about reinvestigating the long-term affordability policy since the Board of County Commissioners has not asked the advisory board to reopen this. Brian Crawford said that he is the general counsel for the statewide funding intermediary. They fund EmPOWERment and they also develop housing. Regarding the long-term affordability policy, they have found that when you are trying to match funding sources with the long-term affordability policy, some of the funding sources are not consistent. He said that they are not questioning the policy; they just want to make sure that it is consistent with some of the other resources. Chair Brown would like to hear some examples of projects that would not be funded because of the long-term affordability policy. Brian Crawford gave some examples of funding sources that would be inconsistent with the long-term affordability policy. Chair Brown said that the Board of County Commissioners is trying to protect the citizens' tax money. She mentioned that Chapel Hill has a process to accomplish more affordable housing through their special use process. She urged the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to understand how Chapel Hill accomplished 8b units last year and try to spread this information throughout the County. Commissioner Gordon reinforced what Chair Brown said about supporting the county's long-term affordability policy. The Board worked hard for this. Commissioner Halkiotis said that the affordable housing issue needs to be brought forward to the Town of Hillsborough and the Mayor. Commissioner Jacobs said that there is a 340-acre development that Hillsborough is considering between the two interstates on NC 86 and they are not talking about providing any affordable units to be guaranteed. Regarding the long-term affordability issue, he suggested looking at the places where it is inconsistent and exploring haw it could be made consistent. Brian Crawford said that the goal is not to change, but to make sure that the policy works for all sources of funding. Chair Brown said that the Board requested last year that the Affordable Housing Advisory Board bring an accounting of all the affordable units in the County so that there is a benchmark far the bond money. CAPITAL ISSUES Senior Center Development: This was under tab 6. John Link said that one of the requests of the County Commissioners was an update for timetables for various bond projects for the next couple of years. This was provided by Budget Director Donna Dean as an attachment. A timeframe is needed for addressing senior center projects. Purchasing and Central Services Director Pam Jones has developed athree-page description of haw the process may work. The County only has six months to develop a plan far the new senior center. He asked far the Board to provide input on this. Pam Janes, Florence Soltys, and Jack Chestnut came up to answer questions. Commissioner Carey verified that both centers were on the same timeline. Commissioner Jacobs said that it is important to keep the centers on the same track far equality issues. Commissioner Carey asked about the programming needs of both centers. Florence Soltys said that sharing between the two committees will be important, but there needs to be two separate planning groups. Commissioner Jacobs said that we still need to ask UNC about this property. Commissioner Halkiotis and Commissioner Jacobs talked with the Chancellor in the fall and followed it up with a letter. There is not really a site far either senior center. There will have to be an institutional process for the UNC property. Chair Brown said that she had a meeting with Ned Brooks last week and he made her an appointment with the provost. Jahn Link said that there are two phases of engaging the University. One is having a University facility that would be an adjunct to the senior center. The second level is having a University Institute on Aging connected to the senior center. This may not be resolved in the timeframe we need to move on with this senior center because we only have six months. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the other senior center and said that we need to pursue the possibilities that have been identified in order to make a decision within the timeframe. Florence Soltys said that there are 15 acres adjacent to the Southern Human Services Center on the Harare Williams property that are slated to remain as open space. She thinks we should try and do something with the University in using more space than just parking space. She made reference to the Institute on Aging and said that it is probably not a viable thing to think about putting here. It is a research and educational institute and should not be part of the senior center planning. It does not provide any kind of clinical services. She talked with Eric Munson, Director of UNC Hospitals, and he is very interested in having the hospital be part of the planning for the senior center. She said that he would be willing to discuss some partnership where the geriatric clinic might become a part of the senior center. She said that as of July 1St there would be a Division of Geriatrics at the hospital. Also, the new inpatient unit for frail elders is now very functional. Chair Brown said that she and Commissioner Jacobs are on the committee with the University for the Horace Williams Tract. She also would like to make sure that representation was there from the other two senior centers in the southern part of the County and in the northern part. She wants to make sure that they are invited to be a part of this planning process. Florence Soltys said that they would involve all people and they need good input. They hope to involve all citizens and not just seniors in this process. Jack Chestnut said that the footprints of the buildings would not really change, so he does not want to get caught up in the selection of the site and delay the process. Commissioner Gordon asked to talk about the potential senior center development process. She suggested that instead of the Department on Aging picking members of this work group that the Board of County Commissioners appoint them. John Link said that they would came back with an appointment process at a later date and make sure that there is good representation. He said that the Board of County Commissioners must give affirmation that this is the timetable that they are going to pursue. Commissioner Carey asked about any sites on the northern end and John Link said that there is potential at Meadowlands. Jack Chestnut said that he knows of a couple of developers that are hoping to build some senior housing in the area and one of them may be interested in putting a senior center on it, but it is too preliminary. Commissioner Jacobs said that we might want to consider the place where the developer is considering offering 20 acres far the community college and see if there is additional land. Bond Projects Rod Visser said that this is an informational item and that they would be available to answer any questions. Commissioner Jacobs asked what happened to the Adams Tract. John Link said that David Stancil has a commentary on the history of the Adams Tract for Monday night's work session Commissioner Jacobs said that he would wait. Commissioner Gordon would like to talk more about the school capital issues. Chair Brown would like to put the school capital issues on a work session and everyone agreed. John Link pointed out that the third item on the agenda for Monday night is "Fallow Upon Board Retreat." The school capital issues can be addressed at this time. Chair Brown asked about flipping the greenway money over to the purchase of the Adams Tract David Stancil said that Carrboro wants the County to defer the discussion of the funding of the Adams Tract until they can talk with the Board of County Commissioners. Comprehensive Plan & Unified Development Ordinance: This item was under tab 7. Craig Benedict made this presentation. The Comprehensive Plan Land Use Committee has been meeting since May 2002 and they have had six meetings. He made reference to the booklet, page 11, Growth/Challenges/Benefits of Tools, and he described each. He made reference to page three and read Growth Management Tools for Consideration. The CPLUC is ready to bring this information to the public for an open meeting by February 24tH and discuss some of the growth management tools with the general public. The decision the staff would like today or on February 4th is approval to put a public hearing ad in the paper, with the addition of this open public meeting. Commissioner Gordon said that she needs time to review this. She suggested a work session to help the Board understand this and not bring it out to the public too soon. Commissioner Jacobs said that there was an additional concern expressed by some of the members of CPLUC, that they wanted to be the ones to go out into the community instead of the staff because it would be an easier way to get the community to buy into it. He thinks this is something for the Board to decide. He does not oppose it, but he would like to hear the reasoning. The CPLUC could be invited to the work session. Commissioner Halkiotis gave a cautionary note and said that many well-intentioned efforts have gone up in flames because of the need to be rushed. He would like to hear both sides of the argument if there is a difference of opinion in who should make the presentation to the public. Chair Brown said that she feels that she has seen this plan a lot and it has not changed much since last year. She thought this Board agreed to the general principles. It is clear that this is going to take some rezoning. John Link agreed that the content has not changed much in the last few months. He made reference to page three and the first bullet, Reduced Residential Densities in Rural Areas. He asked if there has been any discussion on how to work with citizens in northern Orange on this subject when there is no requirement to do it. The last time the County downzoned was because of watershed protection. Chair Brown would like to have a meeting with the CPLUC and have them to be ambassadors in the communities. Chair Brown made reference to transfer of development rights and said that it is a very interesting concept. She would like to know if it is applicable or realistic far this county. She would like to have a subcommittee to work on this. Craig Benedict said that the Triangle J Council of Governments has been looking at this and they have recorded tapes from Montgomery County, who has transfer of development rights. Chair Brown made reference to down zoning of the two small watersheds an the edge of the County and asked why we have not moved ahead with doing this. Craig Benedict said the recommendations they are bringing forward for discussion include reduced densities in these areas. Chair Brawn would like to see a mare concrete set of objectives and how we would achieve them. Commissioner Gordon asked far more detail on all of the items on page three. Craig Benedict said that the CPLUC will put meetings in a CPLUC book for the Board of County Commissioners. Geoff Gledhill made reference to the growth management tools and affordable housing. He said that Chapel Hill's ability to get developers to provide more affordable housing in the development process is not a function of the special use permit process, but it is a function of a rezoning process. If someone wants a bigger house, they have to rezone. This gives Chapel Hill more affordable housing. The notion of providing for affordable housing in rural areas is going to be tricky when the goal is to reduce densities. John Link clarified that there needs to be further definition of tasks and as the tasks are defined, the strategies to carry out the tasks should be outlined. This will be discussed at the work session. Commissioner Jacobs reiterated that the CPLUC would be invited to the work session. Commissioner Carey suggested also inviting someone from the towns to this work session. Unified Development Ordinance: Craig Benedict said that a unified development ordinance is one of the best mechanisms to use. He highlighted some of the other counties that have one and that it takes up to 18 months to get one together. Chapel Hill just finished the process and it took about 15-18 months. He said that the policies have to be implemented through regulations or they will not be effective. A unified development ordinance will help us achieve this. In this year's budget proposal from Planning, there is a request for a consultant to help with the unified development ordinance. Chapel Hill paid aver $100,Q00 for their UDO. Craig Benedict satisfactorily answered several clarifying questions of the Board. Chair of the Planning Board Nicole Gooding-Ray said that the Planning Board would like to be a part of this process. She would like the Planning Board to be invited to the work session. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a presentation in 1999 from someone who had come up with an environmental formula to use to apply to land use development ordinances. The Board talked about folding this into the regulations when they were redone. He said that it seems like now is the time. He suggested that Craig Benedict get in touch with this person to make a presentation to the Planning Board. Nicole Gooding-Ray said that the schedule for voting on the comprehensive plan in April for the Planning Board is unrealistic. Chair Brown asked John Link when this could come up in a work session and John Link said that it would be in March or April. This could not be discussed at the February quarterly public hearing. BOARD MATTERS Board Procedures: Commissioner Jacobs would like to work on having a more comprehensive disclosure and conflict of interest statement for the Board and also see what other governments do. Geoff Gledhill will come back with a recommendation. Commissioner Gordon mentioned that TTA has recently revised their disclosure statement. This could be requested as an example. Commissioner Halkiotis asked Geoff Gledhill to review what we have been doing over the years to provide this required disclosure statement. Commissioner Jacobs said that this could be an ethics statement. Chair Brown said that she would like to see what other local governments are doing on campaign contribution policies. Work Group Updates: This was attachment B on the red sheet in the notebook. Commissioner Gordon asked that the groups be reviewed to see if they are correct and then brought back. Chair Brown reviewed each board. Communications -John Link reported that they are close to finding a new Chief Information Officer for Communications. County Space Needs Inventory- Pam Jones said that they have looked at the components and the idea is to do it in work sessions for each component. Economic Development Districts -Commissioner Halkiotis said that neither he nor Commissioner Jacobs were invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hampton Pointe. He said that he feels that because of the presence of the two County Commissioners and the Planning staff from Orange County that it is going to end up to be a better project than what it would have been. John Link made reference to the chipping of the debris at Hampton Pointe and said that they followed up on it and it is within the Town's jurisdiction. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to the current location of the Wal-Mart and if there was any success in contacting the owners about the possible use of this facility. Rod Visser said that the staff has met with the Manager of Wal-Mart in the last ten days and they are very amenable to working with the County. The problem is with the absentee owner of the property. He said that they found out that Wal-Mart has a leasehold on the property and it is Wal-Mart that receives the tax bill and pays the property taxes every year. He received a phone call from the owner this week that he has not returned yet. He was speaking about the recycling center, but Commissioner Jacobs was speaking about the building itself and the possibility for the community college. Commissioner Jacobs suggested going to Charlotte to speak with the absentee owners about having the community college at this site. Pam Janes said that they are including this in the list far the satellite campus. John Link said that it seems that the next step would be to draft a letter signed by the Chair directly to the owner and Wal-Mart saying that we specifically want to talk about acquiring this building for public purposes. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about the projected opening date of the new Wal-Mart. EDD Director Dianne Reid said that when she met with the Manager of Wal-Mart, she was told that it would be open by September 2003. Efland Sewer Expansion Project- Commissioner Jacobs said that County Engineer Paul Thames was going to write a letter to Representative Price's office to find out about the money in an appropriations bill. There is also the issue of the bond. This work group needs to meet. Hispanic CenterlHispaniclLatino Relations -Chair Brawn said that she has asked that we set up a lunch meeting with all the non-profits in the County that the County Commissioners give money to that say they deal with Hispanic projects of any sort. The groups could tell the County Commissioners what they are doing. She would like to have this done in the next couple of months. Legislative Issues -Commissioner Halkiotis asked why the ABC could not get bargaining power with health care providers, retirement plans, etc. He suggested a meeting with the ABC to bring a proposed legislative piece by bringing them under the State or County umbrella to help them out. Commissioner Jacobs said that we are talking about being anon-attainment area in 2004, and yet we have unlimited open burning and it is regarded in relation to forestry practices. This might need to be a legislative initiative to study if this has an affect an air quality. School Facilities -Rod Visser said that this is a carryover from the original School Facilities Task Force in 2000. It was reengaged to deal with the SAPFO and school construction standards. Chair Brown and Commissioner Gordon are on this task force. Master Plan for the Homestead Raad Campus -This group will be disbanded. Transportation Planning -Commissioner Gordon remembers meeting with this group, so the statement from Karen Lincoln was deleted. Commissioner Gordon asked about the group for the justice facilities. Commissioners Jacobs and Halkiotis were appointed to this. Pam Jones said that this would be clarified in February. BC3CC Appointment Procedures: Commissioner Jacobs made reference to a citizen who was married to a resident who is not a U. S. citizen. The way this is written, he cannot serve on any advisory board. Another advisory board wants to appoint people who are under 18. There was also a complaint from a citizen who thinks it is improper far us to ask the race and age of applicants for advisory boards. Commissioner Halkiotis asked for Geoff Gledhill's opinion on citizenship. Geoff Gledhill said that citizenship would include minors. There are some boards where minors would be appropriate and some where they would not, such as boards that make policy recommendations. Regarding the other issue of citizenship, he said that the marriage to a citizen is meaningless. Whether the Board wants to extend advisory board eligibility to include residents is up to the Board. Commissioner Jacobs said that this has also been a concern in the Latino community that there are a lot of people who live here who are not U. S. citizens and have difficulty participating. Commissioner Carey agreed with Commissioner Jacobs in that we should include any resident whether a citizen or not and the same with the youth. Regarding the issue of asking age and race, he said that the applicant would not have to respond to that question. Chair Brown asked Geoff Gledhill to look at all boards and see which ones are appropriate for only citizens and the ones that would be appropriate for minors. Discussion ensued about the issue of resident versus citizen in advisory boards. Geoff Gledhill will work with the Clerk on this. Specific Appointments of BOCC Members to Advisory Boards: Chair Brown made reference to the multi-colored sheet with each type of board that the County Commissioners serve on. She described each type of board. Chair Brawn then went back to item `c' and two ways of looking at Board of Commissioner appointment procedures, which is how the Board appoints its own members to boards. Commissioner Gordon said that right now there is a seniority system and she thinks this should be kept. She asked if the Board should reorganize every year and see if anyone is dissatisfied with his or her committee assignments. Commissioner Carey said that he is not dissatisfied, but he is flexible. Commissioner Jacobs said that as junior members come on there is insufficient flexibility in the system for them to learn new things and broaden their understandings and to bring a different voice to the boards. He has proposed a more fair way of doing it on a handout (blue sheet}. Commissioner Halkiotis thinks that there is some merit in both arguments. He said that there is a dynamic with different boards and he blends with some boards and he does not blend with other boards. Chair Brawn said that she would really like to came off of three ar four of her boards. She suggested that each Commissioner make a list of boards that they do not want to be on anymore. This list should be completed by the end of February. John Link made reference to the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce where Dianne Reid's name is struck through. Her name was added back onto this. John Link suggested appointing a Commissioner to the Research Triangle Regional Partnership so that there is a strong presence from Orange County. Chair Brown suggested that the County Commissioners also list which boards that they are interested in as well as which boards they do not want to serve an anymore. Commissioner Carey volunteered to serve on the RTRP. The lists will be turned into the Clerk and it will be put on as an agenda item. ADJOURNMENT With no further items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 3:55 p.m. Margaret Brown, Chair Donna S. Baker Clerk to the Board