Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20060622APPROVED 911 212 0 0 6 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION June 22, 2006 7:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs, and Commissioners Moses Carey, Jr., Valerie P. Foushee, Alice Gordon, and Stephen Halkiotis COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Managers Rod Visser and Gwen Harvey, and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (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. 1. Chair Review of Schedule and Topics Chair Jacobs reviewed the agenda. He said that in the process of discussing budget proposals, the Board might want more information for clarity. 2. Proposed 2006-07 Fee Schedule Chair Jacobs referred to Appendix H-19. Donna Dean-Coffey made reference to page 6 and the Planning and Inspection fees and said that 2006-07 will be the final year of athree-year plan that the Board approved to increase the inspection fees incrementally. The commercial fees are increasing at 10°~ and residential fees are increasing at 5%, and the increases will provide additional inspection revenue of about $47,900 for fiscal year 2006-07. The next fee entries are in the Health Department an pages 13-19. They are recommending fee adjustments in the Environmental Health Division based on the costs of providing services. This is in accordance with the regular fee review process. For personal health, they are recommending fee adjustments in accordance with the annual update of the Medicaid fee schedule. The last fee increase is in the Solid Waste fund, which is appendix H-9. The 3-R fee is recommended to increase. The basic fee is proposed to be increased from $27 to $34 per year. The multi-family rates would be the basic rate plus an additional $16. The rural rates would be the basic rate plus $22. Chair Jacobs said that the OPT vehicle lease is based on a 1999 figure per mile. Donna Dean-Coffey said that part of their plan for 2006-07 is to look at OPT, Animal Services fees, and the motor pool. Chair Jacobs suggested looking at the room rental at Senior Centers. He said that the rooms are there far seniors but he is not comfortable with Department on Aging staff scheduling these rooms because it is an Orange County facility. It should be done by either Purchasing or the Clerk's office. Chair Jacobs asked about looking into having an amnesty on fees for animal licenses. He suggested a $100 fine for not vaccinating and doing an insert in tax bills to promote this. 2 Chair Jacobs made reference to adoption fees and suggested thinking about how to help those that cannot afford to adopt a dog and to make it a little mare accessible. Commissioner Gordon arrived at 7:44 p.m. John Link said that they have not had a chance to look at the animal services fees since the department came under the County. Commissioner Carey suggested that the Animal Services Board look at objectives for the fees. Chair Jacobs made reference to page 12 and asked about the out-of-state officer fee and Sheriff Pendergrass said that it is a $75 fee for a civil process. They may come back in the fall to ask for a resolution to raise this fee to $100. Commissioner Halkiotis asked the Sheriff how long the State had been reimbursing the County for an inmate at the rate of $14.50 a day. The Sheriff said that this rate has been in effect far three years. The County gets $5$ a day far federal prisoners. Chair Jacobs asked how much it cost per day to house an inmate and the Sheriff said about $30-351day for state prisoners. 3. Senior Center/Adult Day Health CenterlSportsplex Purchasing and Central Services Director Pam Jones said that this project is near design completion. There are three components up for consideration. • Senior Center -Initially, the center was going to be 10,000 square feet of new construction and shared space of 5,000 square feet in the Sportsplex. After the first meeting, they realized that the senior programming was going to require all of that space and did not want to share with the Sportsplex. • Adult Day Health Care Program -This program is currently in leased space at the existing senior center. This program needs to be in close proximity to the senior center. • Space displaced far the Sportsplex and the mezzanine area. This will be constructed over the ice rink. Pam Janes said that they would not have cast information tonight because the space is not completely designed yet. The preliminary cost estimates are double the initial proposals. She made reference to a letter from Florence Soltys that pledges the commitment to help defray the capital costs by private charitable organizations fundraising. Ken Redfoot from Corley Redfoot Zack made a pictorial presentation. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he was at a meeting of the Friends of the Central grange Senior Center last week and they discussed these plans. He got a call today from a member that was concerned about having enough natural lighting for the common area and Commissioner Halkiotis assured him that the location of the commons area was decided after a lot of discussion and debate and the designer has assured them that there would be enough natural light. He asked Ken Redfoot to assure them that there would be enough natural light. He said that they visited three senior centers several months ago and one was dark and gloomy in its common area. The common area also needs to be well-defined. Commissioner Gordon asked about square feet and it was answered 4,166 square feet far the green area and the mezzanine area is 6,277 square feet. Commissioner Carey asked about the seating and Ken Redfoot said that they would leave some adequate seating for viewing and use the other area for the locker room areas that were displaced. They will not have the same amount of seating, but it appears that it will be enough. Commissioner Carey asked about the multi-purpose room and the segmented wall and Ken Redfoot said that it would be an electronic wall. Chair Jacobs asked about the ballroom -the size, the stage, and the acoustics. Ken Redfoot said that they are designing a ballroom for the Central Orange Senior Center in that the name "ballroom" had an appeal to it and the seniors wanted it. There will be a stage 18" high that would have complete access with steps and an elevator lift. It can be used for speakers, programming, and other small theatrical events. Also, in the case of a wedding, a band could set up on the stage. This roam seats about 204 people and is subdivided by a movable wall. It has a nice view of the pond to the south and easy access to the porch area. The ceiling will be acoustical the and would have the proper acoustics. Commissioner Halkiotis said that the committee asked about a wheelchair lift ramp and possibly avoiding a mechanical lift to save some money. Commissioner Gordon asked if they had considered adding more senior space without deleting Sportsplex space and also about the casts. Ken Redfoat said that John Stack would be addressing some of these issues in his presentation. John Stock made a PawerPoint presentation. Triangle SportsPlex Current Status Special Events Projected Growth Financial Results To May 31, 2006 Orange County SportsPlex Results December 16, 2005 -May 31, 2006 {table) Accomplishments to Date ^ New Management Structure - Hired Mark Hamlett as new Director of Ice Rink Operation and Hockey ^ Ice Rink Compressors - Rebuilt and Auto Sensor Installed New Cardio Equipment Added healthy food in the SnackPlex Commencement of Locker Room renovation - New Locker Banks - New Flooring - New Paint Scheme Special Events December 16, 2005 Through June 1, 2006 Nutcracker on Ice ^ December 17, 2005 ^ 600 Participants and Spectators ^ Revenues $2400 4 Membership Drive ^ January 7, 2006 ^ 148 Participants ^ $65,000 Eastern Regional Adult Skate Competition ^ First Time Event in North Carolina ^ February 17-19, 2006 ^ 100 Participants ^ 200 Spectators ^ $5000 in Revenues Super Sprint Triathlon ^ First Triathlon for the SportsPlex ^ March 19, 2006 ^ 425 Participants ^ 400 Spectators ^ $23,000 Underwater Easter Egg Hunt ^ 2nd Annual ^ April 8, 2006 ^ 200 Participants ^ $650 in Revenues Family Fun and Fitness Day ^ Co-Sponsored with Orange Coalition on the Move ^ April 28, 2006 ^ 270 Participants (all from Orange County) ^ Free Central Carolina Skate Classic ^ 10t" Annual Event ^ April 7-9, 2006 ^ 500 participants and Spectators ^ $9660.00 in Revenues Smart Start Family Fest ^ First Time Event for the SportsPlex ^ June 4, 2006 ^ 1200 Participants ^ Free Event to Orange County Residents Membership Growth (charts) KidsPlex Summer Camp Participants ^ Summer Camp 2004 - 11 Weeks of Operations . Average of 88 campers per week ^ Summer Camp 2005 - 12 Weeks of Operations . Extra week due to length of school year regulations . Average of 106 campers per week . K-1 Waiting list 8-10 per week . Waiting list is LOW. We close registrations when a group is full ^ Summer Camp 2006 - 10 Weeks of Operations . Currently Average 115 Campers per week . K-1, 2-3 and CIT's are on a waiting list currently . Anticipated waiting list for additional age groups KidsPlex Camp and After School (charts) Triangle SportsPlex Future SportsPlex Growth Our Staff and Programs are poised for growth, but will be limited by our lack of usable space, readily evident in all our programs but especially in our KidsPlex programs. Revenue Adjustments With Lost Space {chart) -loss of $400,000 over three years Revenue Adjustments Without Replacement Space {chart} Revenue Adjustments With Reclaimed Space (chart) Revenue Adjustments With Additional Space (chart} Membership Growth with Additional Space (chart} After School Growth with Additional Space (chart} Summer Camp Growth with Additional Space (chart) Projected Households in Orange County (chart} Projected Growth Membership ^ Membership offerings to all Orange County employees - 750 potential new members - Membership could expand significantly with new offering - Would impact current space available SportsPlex Growth Additional services and classes ^ Additional Space -Improved Member Service ^ Additional classes ^ Better diversity of class offerings ^ Multiple class offerings in the same time slot ^ Leads to Membership Growth ^ Additional Space - Departments won't be vying for our single limited space 6 ^ KidsPlex, Figure Skating, Fitness will have adequate available space to run and develop effective programs ^ Leads to additional Participants SportsPlex Growth If equipped with adequate space, the SportsPlex and staff are ready to become aself-sufficient class "A" facility for Orange County, its staff and its residents. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about mezzanine space and Jeff Thompson said that they have had a preliminary estimate on drawings and the estimate is developmental and it is coming in at $900,000 for both floors of 7,900 square feet. Commissioner Carey asked about the additional mezzanine space and Ken Redfoot pointed out the one at the ice rink and the one that they are proposing in the pool area. Chair Jacobs asked about rates for seniors at the Sportsplex and John Stock said that they have been looking at this and he thinks that they could do something similar to what they are doing for County staff. Rad Visser said staff met with John Stock today and they would like to knave if the Board has specific areas to target and the staffs could look at some ideas and bring back in the fall. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he has given the Clerk names of seniors that are willing to serve on this Sportsplex committee. He commended John Stack for the work he has done and for developing a plan that is easy to understand. He said that the County's original involvement in the Sportsplex over ten years ago was because of public purpose. Commissioner Gordon said that the synergies are to have the senior center and the seniors would use the fitness area. She asked if the adult day care center would also interact with the Sportsplex. Jerry Passmore said that people at the adult day care center would be using the Sportsplex on a selected basis. Commissioner Gordan asked what the staff was asking the Board to do and Chair Jacobs said that they are asking for approval to cost out the proposal including the adult day care center and the addition inside the ice rink. Pam Jones said that this is a new pricing method and they will come back with a real cast after the break and that will be a bid award time. They will go forward now and they will put it to the contracting firm for pricing and they have the ability to have an open book. When they come back with pricing, it will be a bid award time. She said that they started out with a $1.9 million project, but the preliminary estimates with the additions are now $4.5 million. She said that the longer they wait the more expensive it will be. The quicker they get it priced the better. Commissioner Gordon said that the Board needs some options and Pam Jones said that is the best estimate she can give them. There would be some offsetting revenue. Commissioner Halkiotis asked for clarity on the $4.5 million and Pam Janes said that this is an estimate on the entire project -the Sportsplex improvements (mezzanine), the adult day health center, and the senior center. Commissioner Foushee said that they need to know aggregately what they will lose in revenue if they do not do the additional space for the mezzanine. Commissioner Gordon asked if they thought about a phasing plan for the new proposals. Pam Jones said that they did talk about adding that but it would be a longer and more expensive process. The mezzanine is a desirable addition. Commissioner Gordan asked about moving the adult day health center later and Pam Jones said that when they talked about moving it, they decided that it would be difficult to retrofit it later. Commissioner Gordan said to provide her with the cost figures. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he and Chief Superior Court Judge Carl Fox were testifying in support of Mr. Redfoot's drawing far the new judicial facilities in front of the Historic Hillsborough Commission and Judge Fax said that in his travels in 15 counties, he saw a new courthouse addition and they built out half of it and left half of it unfilled for future expansion. He said that they built the future now without the finishing touches. He said to keep this in mind because there may be an opportunity here. Commissioner Carey said that he is ready to move on now and said that they had appointed an advisory committee with two Commissioners and they have worked for months an this. He does not agree with any phases on this one since they did not do it for the senior center in Chapel Hill. He said that this increased price is not outrageous. Commissioner Gordan said that she is trying to do due diligence and get the information. The addition of the Adult Day Care Center and the additional construction for the mezzanine are new proposals, which apparently more than double the cost of the original project {$1.9 million to $4.5 million}, so she would like complete information on the proposals and the costs. She said that she is not trying to short change the northern part of the county, but rather she just wants complete data on the expanded project. Chair Jacobs suggested making this a decision item far the June 27tH meeting with additional infarmatian as requested by the County Commissioners. 4. Discussion of Follow-Up Items From June 19, 2006 Donna Dean-Coffey reviewed infarmatian that was given out to the Board of County Commissioners for this meeting. Commissioner Halkiotis made reference to the revenues for wireless and asked how much they get back from the companies for 911 fees. He wants to know, if the County is collecting $537,Q00, how much the County is getting back from the companies. Rad Visser said that they have Hat looked at how much is being paid to telephone companies. The last time they looked at it, the amount they were paying out for telephone lines represented close to 2l3 of what they were bringing in. Chair Jacobs said that they are Hat talking about the CIP tonight and after the follow-up items, they will talk about the timing and funding of Elementary School #1 Q. Commissioner Gordan said that, as far as the CIP, they have to adopt it on June 27tH Chair Jacobs asked about the imaging document and said that he would like staff to work over the break. He understands that the Clerk has invited a vendor to come in August to make a presentation. He would like to have the departments with critical space needs caused by document storing to get with the Information Technology Director and come up with a proposed plan for imaging. Commissioner Foushee would like to see the information more flushed out than what they have here. Commissioner Carey said that this information did not help him much and it needs more oversight and Jahn Link said that they would came back with quantitative costs and Chair Jacobs said to also have a plan. Chair Jacobs made reference to County Engineer Paul Thames' memo about the Efland Sewer System and said that they should pursue having the Health Director, the Social Services Director, and the Housing and Community Development Director help with determining who would be eligible to have subsidized service. Commissioner Carey thanked Housing and Community Development Director Tara Fikes for the information on the red sheet, which is the Orange County Non-Profit Housing Organization chart.. He said that he talked with citizens in the housing industry and that Chrysalis has provided them with some information and he will agree to put some money in for Chrysalis, which he had previously apposed. He would be in favor of $20,000 far this organization. Chair Jacobs said that they could ask for the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to look at this red chart and to look at who is providing what in the housing community. Commissioner Halkiotis said that he is pleased to hear Commissioner Carey say this, but his bottom line is that he has been carrying around 28 pounds of budget documents and he has been wondering about how the Chrysalis foundation could afford offices at the Europa Center. He did not know that they were an offshoot of OPC. He said that there should be same kind of tracking device for outside agencies like this. Commissioner Carey made reference to the Project Turnaround group and said that they serve some vulnerable teens. He would like more information on this group. Chair Jacobs said that this is on page 5-80 in their budget book. Sharon Hinton said that in May they found out that Orange County was eligible to receive money associated with the Majors Program, which is a statewide program providing services to teenagers with substance abuse issues. This pot of money allows for agencies to draw down Medicaid dollars. The JCPC decided that they would fund Project Turnaround for one position to serve both counties, which was about 80% for Orange and 20% for Chatham. According to Project Turnaround, these dollars will not sufficiently serve Orange County. The Majors Program serves the children that Project Turnaround had been serving. Right now Project Turnaround will serve children that are at very high risk of becoming court involved. Last year the project served 56 children - $2% from Orange County and 18% from Chatham County. They are asking Orange County for some additional dollars to offset the loss they encountered through JCPC to serve the broader population. The standard caseload is 15 cases per staff person and right now they have 41 cases for two staff members. Jahn Link said that they are reciting a standard caseload and one person may be able to handle more than the other. He wants to wait because he does not buy into the standards for caseloads. Commissioner Carey said that his concern is based on human resources at Project Turnaround and they need to wait until the dust settles to see what the impact will be with the Majors Program. 5. Commissioner Budget Proposals Chair Jacobs asked Lisa Stuckey, CHCCS Board Chair, to be prepared to answer some basic questions about Elementary School #10 and Steve Scroggs was in attendance also. Lisa Stuckey said that Chair Jacobs has asked about how many children there were over LOS {Level of Service) capacities and when. In 2007-08, according to the SAPFO, they will be ten students over the LOS {105°~ capacity}; and in 2008-09 they will be 129 students over capacity {107.6%}. Regarding where they are in the process of Elementary #10, she said that earlier this year, they were directed to proceed as if it would open in 2008. In February 2006, the staff submitted preliminary plans to the Town of Carrboro. The staffs have been working on the plan since then. She said that they are prepared to submit a full set of formal plans and a formal application to Carrboro on July 1St. She said that is it feasible to open the school in 2008 and the CHCCS Board believes it is and they are using the Rashkis model, but they will need an expedited process from Carrboro. There are some site issues to resolve. 9 They would need a building permit from Carrboro by December 31St Commissioner Foushee asked about the site issues. Steve Scroggs said that they have two stream beds to address. The topography is positive but they have to respect the school board policy not to increase storm water run-off. Commissioner Halkiotis asked about the meeting this morning and Lisa Stuckey said that she and Commissioner Carey were at the Community Leadership Council meeting and the issue of SAPFO came up. During that discussion, she said that Commissioner Carey asked about this school opening in 2008. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if the number driving this is ten students. Steve Scroggs said that, based on SAPFO projections, they will go over 105°~ in 2007-08 if projections are consistent. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if there were any other remedies to give an extra year if needed. Steve Scroggs said that the greater concern is the delaying issuance of CAPS. Geof Gledhill said that SAPFO envisions that when you are in the position of not issuing CAPS, there have to be budget plans far new construction. If there is school overcapacity, there are no remedies to the process that the school system must stop issuing CAPS (Certificate of Adequate School Capacity). He said that the one other remedy is to put a moratorium on the implementation of SAPFO, but the other parties would have to agree. Commissioner Halkiotis said that they did this before with the high school overcrowding in CHCCS and the middle school overcrowding in OCS. John Link said that they would have to go to participating parties and tell them there is overcapacity and that there will be a moratorium on the implementation of SAPFO, otherwise, there will be chaos in the County's CIP. He said that they do not have the $10 million+ for this school, but they will have it in 2009. They have been clear with the school staff for the last year about this. He does not understand why this is unclear. Commissioner Carey said that even if they authorize the school system to go ahead, they would still have to deal with the issue of the moratorium sometime in the not too distant future. He thinks they need to move along on this school as sawn as possible. Commissioner Gordon said that her point is that on April 10th they received this information and that Elementary #10 was programmed for 2008-09. The problem is that 10 students could trigger the non-issuance of CAPS in 2007 and in 2008, the overcapacity situation is likely to occur. If they program an extra $9 million so that the school could open in 2008, she thinks that they could get around these various problems. She said that they have not even done the exercise to see the consequences of funding this a year earlier. She is asking that they figure out how to build this school in 2008. She read her recommendations as stated in her memo to the BOCC and the Manager: MOTION RELATED TO CHCCS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #10: 1. The Board of County Commissioners will send a letter to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools stating the BOCC's commitment to providing funds for Elementary School #10 so that the school can open at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. The amounts and schedule far the necessary funding are shown in the attached material provided by CHCCS via Steve Scroggs. This letter will be approved by the BOCC not later than June 27, 2006 and sent to the CHCCS School Board. 2. The BOCC will change the County CIP and the CHCCS CIP to show the funding of Elementary School #10 on a schedule to open at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, and incorporate those changes when adopting these Capital Investment Plans on June 27, 2006. 3. The BOCC will instruct county staff to prepare a county debt issuance schedule and also 10 a schoal-funding plan and schedule which will provide the funding for CHCCS Elementary School #10 to open in school year 2008-2009. These materials will be completed by staff and approved by the BOCC in a timely manner during the fall of 2006. MOTION RELATED TO OTHER NEW CHCCS SCHOOLS IN THE SAPFO TAC REPORT: The BOCC will instruct County staff to prepare a County debt issuance schedule and a school funding plan and schedule which will provide timely funding for CHCCS Elementary School #11, Middle School #5, and the expansion of Carrboro High School according to the schedule shown in the most recent SAPFO TAC Report which was received by the BOCC on April 10, 2006 and approved at a subsequent BOCC meeting. She would like to have the BOCC approve these two motions. Chair Jacobs said that it is staff's intention to revisit the CIP in August or September. Donna Dean-Coffey said that she tried to outline the current debt schedule and that the County is coming very close to the 15°~ debt capacity. For the upcoming year, they plan to issue $38.5 million for school and County projects. She thinks that they have came a long way in planning Carrboro High School, the justice facilities expansion, and the satellite campus of Durham Technical Community College. John Link said that if they try to incorporate this and if this makes them go over debt capacity, then bond rating firms and the Local Government Commission would not look favorably on this. Commissioner Gordon said that she was not recommending making a decision tonight, but na later than June 27t" far telling the school system whether to go ahead with constructing elementary school # 10 by 2008. Commissioner Carey asked what CHCCS needs from the County Commissioners and Lisa Stuckey said that they are asking Carrboro to move this quickly and without knowing whether the funding is in place, they could still do it, but it would be hard on staff. It would help if the Commissioners would fund the school so it could open by 2008. Commissioner Halkiatis said that the year of opening is his only question. He is committed to the three top projects -Carrboro High School, justice facilities expansion, and the Durham Tech satellite campus. He thinks that there are same other opportunities. Commissioner Gordon said that she has looked at the debt issuance schedule and it is not fair to say that these are all of the projects to be examined. She said that they need to do due diligence for this schoal. She said that if the schoal system thinks that they can get Carrboro to expedite this absent the County Commissioners' commitment, then that is fine. According to the schedule, the school board wants the Board's design approval in August and the funding in December 2006. Chair Jacobs said that they are all committed to build this school and he is more inclined to have this discussion in August rather than tonight. A motion was made by Commissioner Carey, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to ask staff to bring information back on Elementary School #10 in August and to look at this and other options for a fall 2008 opening. John Link said that they would be glad to work with CHCCS to look at cash flow; it is a question of how much money the school system needs and when. Lisa Stuckey asked Steve Scroggs if they begin working with Carrboro if they would 11 need to pay along the way and he said that they would need a capital ordinance to move forward with the planning. Steve Scroggs said that if they are going to move forward at full speed pending funding issues, they need a capital ordinance now to fund the work of moving forward because right now they have none of the $12.8 million to proceed. Commissioner Carey asked if they could authorize enough of the $12.8 million to move the process forward and Commissioner Faushee said to amend the motion to include this part by Tuesday evening. Commissioner Carey and Commissioner Halkiotis agreed with the amendment to the motion. Commissioner Gordon suggested sending an official letter and Chair Jacobs said that they have not committed yet. It is pending staff analysis. Commissioner Carey said not to send a letter until there is more discussion. VOTE: UNANIMOUS (abstain -Commissioner Gordon -but counts as a yes vote) Commissioner Gordon said she believed the Commissioners should commit to ensuring that elementary school #10 would open in 2008, but that it would be a step forward to assure enough funding so the planning of the school could proceed. John Link said with regard to Tuesday night, if they adjourn now, they would have to set aside enough time on Tuesday night to address the resolution of intent so that the staff can create enough material to adopt. Commissioner Carey recommended starting the June 27t" meeting early such as 6:30 p.m. to cover this issue. A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Halkiotis to adjourn the meeting to 6:30 p.m. on June 27, 2006 at the Southern Human Services Center with dinner at 6:00 p.m. VOTE UNANIMOUS 6. Budget Decisions and Adoption of Resolution of Intent to Adopt the FY 2006-07 Budget Deferred to June 27t" Barry Jacobs, Chair Donna S. Baker Clerk to the Board