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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 20030505 APPROVED 08/19/2003 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION May 5, 2003 6:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret W. Brown, Stephen Halkiotis and Barry Jacobs COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr., and Alice Gordon COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill and S. Sean Borhanian COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., and Assistant Manager Gwen Harvey and Clerk Donna S. 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. Presentation on Smart Start Funding Impacts — Michelle Rivest Michelle Rivest gave an overview of the purpose of the partnership between Orange County Partnership for Young Children and Smart Start, which is to insure that all children arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed. The Partnership has a diverse board with all agencies that serve children and families and they are trying to make sure all segments of the society are represented. The staff of the Partnership consists of five full-time and four part-time employees. Regarding Smart Start, they bring about $3.5 million a year to the County. This amount has declined. They are funding 20 different programs (blue pamphlet). Ninety- two percent of the funding goes to direct services for young children and families and 8% goes to administration and organizational development. The main programs include childcare quality, family support and parenting information, and child health and early intervention. They are engaged with many different partners to carry out these programs. The Partnership does collaborative programs such as working with the Chambers of Commerce with family—friendly business partners. They did a survey of all businesses in Orange County that have 20 or more employees and they produced a report to promote family-friendly businesses. They want to be out in the community with this program and working more with chambers of commerce. The Partnership also had a children's dental screening project this year with the help of many dentists throughout the County. They hope to do other types of health screening with the help of pediatricians, etc. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that the County recognize the people that helped with the dental screening at one of the County Commissioners' meetings. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested framing a certificate for these dentists. Michele Rivest thanked the County Commissioners for their support of the Childcare Scholarship Fund. Two years ago in January, the County gave the Partnership $40,000 to kick off the community campaign as a challenge grant. The Partnership set a target of$100,000 and they reached $70,000, which almost matched the money given from the County. Michele Rivest reported that at any given time there are 200-300 children on a waiting list for childcare. These are usually low-income families and mostly single parents. The only way to serve these families is through a larger community effort such as the Childcare Scholarship Fund. Commissioner Jacobs asked for a breakdown of who uses childcare and the areas of the County and Michele Rivest said that she would forward this information to the Board. Michele Rivest continued by talking about the legislative issues regarding the Partnership. She said that each year Smart Start has become more restrictive with where they can make their investments. There are now specific standards to adhere to. They have experienced five years of cuts in Smart Start and they are down $1.1 million and they have eliminated 16 programs since this time. They are already planning for a 10% cut this year. They are meeting with the staffs of the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and the County to share some of the cuts and the priorities in order to work collaboratively. Commissioner Halkiotis pointed out that the Child Health Awareness Program was honored at one of the County Commissioners' meetings and now it is being cut. This program was nominated for a NaCo award. Chair Brown asked how it was determined what was to be cut. Michele Rivest said that an allocations committee, which is six board members and six people from the community, look at a variety of criteria (i.e., performance standards, effectiveness last year, priorities of the community, consumer-driven programs, and whether it meets state mandates). It is a very thorough and excruciating process. Commissioner Jacobs said that it would be interesting to add on the bar graph how much a program costs and if any of the programs are being picked up by someone else. Michele Rivest continued by reviewing the key issues in the community. The Partnership's mission is to ensure that children arrive in kindergarten ready for success. They think children are more ready than ever. Their partnership serves about 4,000 children each year throughout the County— mostly at-risk children. Despite the cutting in funds, they have initiated 14 new programs. They have the More at Four Program now. Some of the concerns include: • Childcare scholarships — need more • Child health and intervention — mental health reform will affect the 0-3 year population • Dental care — only 2 dentists that take care of low income families • Health insurance • Family support and education, especially with the Latino population • Child abuse and neglect • Intensive home visiting program Michele Rivest said that Smart Start is a collaborative effort and she thanked the County Commissioners for all of their help and assistance. Commissioner Halkiotis said that they have come a long way since 1987 when there were children with their parents in the superior courtroom and the parents were looking for help. This is a great testimony for the Partnership. This is one group he enjoys serving with. He asked about the worst-case scenario for cuts this year in a dollar amount. Michele Rivest said that in the year 2003-04, they have included a 10% cut for Smart Start, which is about $320,000. The best news is in the Governor's budget, which is only a 4% cut for Smart Start. Commissioner Halkiotis said that it almost looks like a deliberate plan from people in Raleigh to do away with Smart Start. Chair Brown made reference to a program with legislators and John Locke said that the More at Four efforts did not have any proven statistical analysis. Michele Rivest said that there is research in science that shows that this is a successful effort. High quality childcare always leads to success in school. Chair Brown asked Michele Rivest to talk about mental health reform. Michele Rivest said that they are looking into it and meeting with some of the community agencies. The impact from the mental health reform will be on ages 0-3 and it will be hard to keep the programs going for this age. All services are going to be funneled through the Developmental Evaluation Center in Durham. Chair Brown asked her to keep them up to date on this issue. With no further items to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Margaret Brown, Chair Donna S. Baker Clerk to the Board APPROVED 06/26/2003 JOINT MEETING ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS May 5, 2003 7:30 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Joint Meeting with the Town of Hillsborough Commissioners on Monday, May 05, 2003 at 7:30p.m. at the Government Services Center in Hillsborough, North Carolina. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Margaret Brown and Commissioners Stephen Halkiotis, and Barry Jacobs COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Moses Carey, Jr. and Alice Gordon TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Mayor Joe Phelps, Commissioners Mark Sheridan, Michael Gering, Frances Dancy, Kenneth Chavious, and Evelyn Lloyd TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH STAFF PRESENT: Town Manager Eric Petersen COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Geof Gledhill and Sean Borhanian COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr., Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff will be identified below). NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE. Mayor Joe Phelps thanked the Board of County Commissioners for help with the asphalt plant application ordeal. He also reported that their Board of Adjustment Chair passed away this past weekend, James G. King, and he asked for a moment of silence. Chair Brown added an item to the agenda - the money received from the federal government allocated for the Hillsborough Farmer's Market. Commissioner Jacobs said that the Hillsborough Farmer's Market received $90,000 with the help of Congressman Price toward building a shelter. The shelter will be located downtown on the river park property, which would not be intruded upon by any expansion of the justice facilities. 1. Joint Orange County/Town of Hillsborough Orange Grove Road Access Management Study— Next Steps (Orange County & Hillsborough Planning) Planning Director Craig Benedict said that at one of the last joint meetings, both boards assigned a task force to look at the activity in this corridor with the knowledge that growth can be accommodated by good transportation planning. A recommendation was developed by the committee in December of last year, and there were four recommendations: pursue funding to implement recommendations in the study; provide pedestrian and bicycle facilities along Orange Grove Road; incorporate recommendations into local land development codes and regulations (i.e., sidewalks with developments, right and left turn lanes with developments, etc.); and work with the business community through the Economic Development Commission and the Orange County/Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce to implement the recommendations in the Feasibility Study for South Church Street concerning Daniel Boone Village and to develop access management for other businesses in the South Churton Street corridor. The Board of County Commissioners has seen this report once and the next step is for formal adoption by the Board of County Commissioners and the Town of Hillsborough. Chair Brown asked Craig Benedict what the staff needs to do. Craig Benedict that they could put a transportation policy document together. In the interim, they could bring back the Orange Grove study report with recommendations for adoption and proceed with grant proposals. Commissioner Jacobs said that he commends to Hillsborough's board that part of the proposals include looking ahead to some of the development possibilities in the area and how to address some of the traffic issues. Also, there has been a lot of discussions about pedestrian access and a citizen, Nancy Baker, brought forth to the Commissioners some information about pedestrian bridges. Chair Brown mentioned that Commissioner Carey is in Washington, DC and that Commissioner Gordon is sick. 2. Orange County Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element— Evaluation of Urban/Rural Transitions (Orange County Planning) Craig Benedict said that Orange County is undergoing an update to the 1981 Land Use Plan for the entire County. A Comprehensive Plan Land Use Committee was created to look at the complete County area to see what needed to be done for the land use plan. After nine months of meetings, the committee determined that for areas outside the water and sewer boundaries, the decisions are clearer. He pointed out some areas on a map. The issues for the County and Hillsborough to work together on are the transition areas and if they are appropriate now. Chair Brown asked Craig Benedict how to deal with this. Craig Benedict said that staff can meet to find the feasibility of growth in this area and make a report to the boards or an assigned task force on the parameters of our land. Michael Gering said that Hillsborough does have some policies about boundaries that are less than their water sewer boundary but outside their current ETJ. This may be a good start with the staff. Mark Sheridan said that they are overcome with applications and have to decide where to go with growth. He said that there is a challenge of finding a place to go because when you leave Hillsborough, you are in the country until you get to Chapel Hill and that is one of the appealing characteristics of Orange County. Craig Benedict said that there is a blurred line between urban and rural growth and the lines need to be more finite. Commissioner Jacobs asked the Hillsborough board members about the visioning process and what the status is on this issue. Michael Gering said that they took it as far as they could as a town board. They tried to get help from some professionals at NCSU and have not had any success in locating anyone to help them. Commissioner Jacobs said that maybe the County could work with Hillsborough and that there is a rural buffer south of Hillsborough. He said that there is a de facto rural buffer near the Eno. There is an opportunity for a collaborative vision. 3. Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) — Next Steps (Orange County Planning) Craig Benedict said that the SAPFO has come quite far with refinement and buy—in by all parties. Over the last few months they have been focusing on projections and where schools are over capacity based on the projections. The Orange County middle school will be over capacity in the near future and the adequacy test has been suspended for this level. Another issue is the certificate of capacity, which would be administered by the schools, but the information in the CAPS program is put together as part of a package from various boards and committees (Schools and Land Use Council, etc.). The local governments will still have permitting authority. The SAPFO could be implemented by June by all parties. Regarding the impact of the SAPFO on Mebane and Durham, these two parties are not in the agreement at this time. A response to this issue is in the agenda packet. The County is working on a courtesy review agreement with Durham and is cooperating with Mebane on development plans. Joe Phelps asked about the numbers in the Churton Grove area and if these numbers were added in. Craig Benedict said that the project is included and projected into the future. The growth in the Orange County system has been moderate. They see a lot of development growth but not an increase in children. Joe Phelps asked County Attorney Geof Gledhill about the MOU versus the actual agreement and if you sign the final agreement, can you get out of it at some future ppoint. Geof Gledhill said that the MOU would be signed and the signers of all agreements would draw up resolutions of adoption. The agreement is politically enforceable as opposed to legally enforceable. It has a provision for getting out of it. 4. Orange County/Hillsborough Courtesy Review (Orange County & Hillsborough Planning) Craig Benedict said that both boards have seen this review and the only change proposed is in attachment 4-a, which explains a reservation of utility capacity for review purposes and where the proposal goes first. It plots out a formal process. The next steps would be to bring it back to both boards and adopt the courtesy review agreement. Frances Dancy asked about the process and where Hillsborough makes a decision first before the County has seen it. She said that it would be ideal for the boards to meet together first before they have to decide. She said that she is concerned that the town would be continually held up by the Board of County Commissioners. Craig Benedict said the courtesy review agreement has a provision that says that the two boards can meet to discuss any issues. He said that there could be a placeholder in the utility capacity reserve that a joint meeting is necessary. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to attachment 4-a, and suggested changing the order that number 4 should become number 3 and that is where there could be a joint meeting. Or, there could be a meeting after number 6, "Orange County Staff and Planning Board review and recommend preferred Concept Plan subdivision design." Ken Chavious asked where the applicant would go first. He said that the preference would be to have Orange County's zoning first, and then get water and sewer. Geof Gledhill said that in Orange County's zoning ordinance, the developer is required to submit two plans —a flexible and a conventional plan. In most cases, the County will select the flexible development plan because there is open space included. Part of the process of the flexible development plan is that the developer has to present the capacity of the land if it is developed with septic systems. He said that just because the developer proposes to use public sewer for the project does not mean that the development changes or becomes denser. Mayor Phelps suggested that each board have the agreement brought back for changes. Chair Brown said that the County Commissioners want early intervention. Mark Sheridan said that this needs to be implemented and the two boards need to meet on large projects and it requires the willingness of the boards to meet more often - maybe four times a year. Commissioner Jacobs suggested to Craig Benedict that he bring back a proposal for the County Commissioners' May 20th meeting. 5. Eno River Capacity Use Agreement (Orange County & Hillsborough Planning and Orange County & Hillsborough Engineer) John Link made reference to attachment 5-a and said that the idea was to pursue common ground in the County's and the Town's water restriction stages. County Engineer Paul Thames distributed an update to the attachment from Kenny Keel. Eric Peterson said that the staff needs to set general parameters that are needed to work and then address the issues and then come back to the board. The staffs still need to get together in the next few weeks. The Town staff will get direction from their board on Monday night. Craig Benedict said that the second part of the agenda item is the master use plan for Orange County and the upper Eno basin (map). He said that the County is considering lowering residential density in areas around this area in land use recommendations. Water quality is one of the biggest reasons for lower density provisions. Mark Sheridan asked about other concerns such as turf farming as stated in the abstract. Paul Thames said that since the capacity use agreement was done, there have been three turf farms that take water out of the river to irrigate the turf farms. It is not known how much water is used, but it is at least a couple of thousand gallons a day and this changes the flow model for the Eno. If water is taken out in such quantities then a drought could come sooner. Commissioner Halkiotis noted that a couple of the turf farmers had transitioned from tobacco farming. There must be a balanced view. Paul Thames said that we went through the driest year in recorded history (80 years) last year and the stream flow was one third what it was the next driest year. The thing to remember is that Hillsborough's water usage was half a million gallons less than it was when the capacity use agreement was adopted. Also, Hillsborough had the reservoir online for the first time last year. 6. Building and Erosion Control/Stormwater Service Agreement (Orange County and Hillsborough Planning) Craig Benedict said that presently Orange County provides services for Hillsborough relatively informally. There is a lot more activity now since the informal agreement and there needs to be more formality. The draft agreement gives an identification of what type of service needs may be anticipated in the coming year. The next steps would be to look at the interlocal agreements fashioned about a year ago and send them to the attorneys, managers, etc. to get a clearer identification of services provided by the County to Hillsborough. Mayor Phelps asked about the building permits and the changing of codes and if this was a smoother process now. Craig Benedict said that they are in the process now and it has caused some delays. 7. Private Projects Updates (a, c, and d were done first by Margaret Hauth) a) Waterstone — Next Steps (Hillsborough Planning) Margaret Hauth, Hillsborough Planning Director, said that they would be receiving information at the next Town Board meeting in terms of annexation and the special use permit request. b) The Preserve— Next Steps (Orange County Planning) Craig Benedict said that the property owner is now interested in finding out what type of development is feasible from the County and the Town. Commissioner Jacobs asked about plugging the development into the amended courtesy review process. Craig Benedict said that this project would fit into that process. Commissioner Halkiotis asked Ron Holdway about the spray irrigation wastewater system and whether or not it would take a full time operator. He is torn because he wonders if we are doing greater damage to the environment by forcing developers to go into a self-contained wastewater package treatment system. He asked if there was an environmental impact statement on this. Ron Holdway said that they did not know enough about this yet. He made reference to the handout. Regarding the overall impact, he said that they would have to see a more comprehensive plan that includes buffers. The developers have designated a new area that was not originally on the plan as a potential spray area, but there is not a designation of a buffer. There is not enough information for a precise review. Commissioner Halkiotis asked if the staff was capable of making a decision on water and sewer versus a self-contained package treatment plant. Craig Benedict said that they could look from a design standpoint. c) Corbinton Commons — Next Steps (Hillsborough Planning) Margaret Hauth said that this development is on US 70 bypass and is just over 40 acres. The land is currently zoned R20 and the developer is requesting rezoning and a special use permit to the mixed residential/special use district that was created specifically for retirement centers. The revised plan shows 40 assisted living beds with a possibility for a small addition in the future. There will also be 120 apartments and 75 single-family and duplex units. There are a few conditions that need to be inserted before it moves forward. Chair Brown asked if this project would be exempt from paying taxes. Margaret Hauth said no and that they are a for—profit enterprise. d) Meadowview— Next Steps (Hillsborough Planning) Margaret Hauth said that this is a retirement center across from Heritage Apartments on Orange Grove Road. This is just less than 35 acres and the hearing was April 22nd on the revised plan. The plan is for 60 assisted living beds, 192 apartments, 30 patio homes, and 40 condominium units. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this was an area where the courtesy review agreement kicks in. Margaret Hauth said that they have received comment from County staff before the public hearings. Craig Benedict said that they have sent memos to the Board of County Commissioners as well as emails with comments. It was a fast turnaround and they need to work on a process for this. Mark Sheridan said that they have been learning a lot about retirement centers and there is a pronounced need for this in northern Orange County. However, he struggles with the density issue. Margaret Hauth explained the certificate of need. Certain types of senior housing, particularly the assisted living and the skilled nursing facilities, must receive a certificate of need from the State or be exempted from the process. The exemptions and certificates expire and have to be reapplied for. Commissioner Jacobs asked Craig Benedict to work with Margaret Hauth on this so that the County Commissioners have the opportunity to make comments. Michael Gering said that they have received good advice from the Department on Aging's Advisory Board. 8. Public Projects a) Fairview Park— Next Steps (Orange County Recreation & Parks and ERCD) Rich Shaw from the Environment and Resource Conservation Department gave an update on the master plan for Fairview Park and reported that the Town of Hillsborough and the County have had two joint meetings this spring thus far. One of the outcomes of the meetings was a staff evaluation (hand out). Another product of the meetings was a draft memorandum of understanding between the Town and the County. The next steps are to determine the short term opportunities for the use of this property while at the same time continuing to determine what would be necessary to make the portions that were formally used as a landfill available for use and what is needed to remediate the areas. Mark Sheridan said that where they ended up was getting letters of interest from people who would be interested in working on this project. They would like to get part of it underway, but they do not know what has been out there in the landfill, and there needs to be some remediation. Commissioner Jacobs said that the boards could adopt an MOU and start working on co-locating there and then start building on parts that are definitely safe. b) Potential Cates Creek Corridor(Orange County ERCD) Rich Shaw said that the ERCD has been asked about possible conservation and recreational trail opportunities for this area through the Lands Legacy program. He showed the property on a map. Mark Sheridan said that we will need more space like this as Hillsborough gets busier- (and if you go to the end of Millstone Road off of Old 86 and walk behind OCIM- it is beautiful) and it would make for a nice joint planning project. Chair Brown asked the staff how to proceed on this and to share information with the Town of Hillsborough. c) Justice Facilities — Next Steps (Orange County Purchasing) Purchasing Director Pam Jones reviewed the committees that are to be appointed but the County has had to put plans on hold because of funding constraints and now with the new financial MUNIS system being installed and implemented. But she said that she hopes to have committees to the Board by the end of June. The architect should be on board by the end of the calendar year. d) Durham Tech Satellite Campus — Next Steps (Orange County Purchasing) Pam Jones said that there are two County Commissioners on this selection committee (Commissioner Halkiotis and Commissioner Carey) and that the timeline is to select a site by fall, 2004. Staff has chosen some sites to show to the Board of County Commissioners by the end of the calendar year. e) NCDOT Work— Churton Street New Signalization System (Orange County Planning) Craig Benedict said that this is a NCDOT Project, which involves re-installing traffic lights on the Churton Road corridor. These lights are also tied into an electronic system to monitor traffic flow. This will allow DOT to be able to adjust the lights seasonally, or as traffic patterns dictate. But there are limitations on this road. He suggested that we all give the system time to be fine tuned as DOT gathers information from the system in order to help the traffic in this area flow more smoothly. f) Hazard Mitigation Program (Orange County Planning) Craig Benedict said that Orange County has worked with Hillsborough and Carrboro on a cooperative Hazard Mitigation plan that was submitted to the State. However, the State has extended the submittal process until 2004. The County still needs to make some revisions to their process and after receiving some comments back from the State; the County will be resubmitting its plan with revisions. With no further items to consider, a motion was made by Commissioner Halkiotis, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to adjourn the meeting at 9:35 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Margaret Brown, Chair Donna S. Baker Clerk to the Board