HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-17-2013 - 5a 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 17, 2013
Action Agenda
Item No. 5-a
SUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, 245-2130
Draft Minutes
PURPOSE: To correct and/or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below:
May 14, 2013 BOCC Work Session
May 30, 2013 BOCC Budget Public Hearing
June 6, 2013 BOCC Budget Work Session
June 11, 2013 BOCC Budget Work Session
BACKGROUND: In accordance with 153A-42 of the General Statutes, the Governing Board
has the legal duty to approve all minutes that are entered into the official journal of the Board's
proceedings.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
1
I Attachment 1
2
3
4 DRAFT MINUTES
5 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
6 BUDGET WORK SESSION
7 May 14, 2013
8 7:00 p.m.
9
10 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Thursday, May
11 14, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
12
13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon,
14 Barry Jacobs, Earl, McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
15 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
16 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
17 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Managers
18 Michael Talbert, Clarence Grier and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members
19 will be identified appropriately below)
20
21
22 1. Review of Draft Orange County Public Library Strategic Plan 2013-2016
23
24 Lucinda Munger said the purpose tonight is for the Board to receive a presentation on
25 the Library's strategic plan by Dr. Anthony Chow, who is with UNC-Greensboro and is also the
26 state library consultant. She said that, following the presentation, the Board's suggestions will
27 be incorporated into the plan that is due to the State Library.
28
29 Executive Summary
30 Funded by the North Carolina State Library, Dr. Anthony Chow, a state library
31 consultant, helped conduct a community needs analysis (CNA) for the Orange County Public
32 Library (OCPL) over a three month period from September to November 2012. This was
33 followed up by a comprehensive four month strategic planning process that took place from
34 January to April 2013. Approximately 500 community members participated in the initial
35 community needs analysis (involving interviews of community leaders (n=11), community
36 forums (n=4), two staff focus groups, and online and hard copy survey responses (gathered
37 both inside the library and outside in the community). Another 300 members participated in
38 nine community focus groups, and hard copy and online surveys focused on community input
39 into the strategic plan.
40
41 A video presentation was shown.
42
43 Dr. Anthony Chow said Phase I was the Community Needs Assessment. He said the
44 group took samplings, both random and community-wide. He said the methods included:
45 interviews, focus groups, hard copies of survey and on-line surveys.
46
47 Presentation- questions asked:
48 How do you use the library?
49 • What is a 21St Century library?
50 • Why are libraries important?
2
1
2 Dr. Anthony Chow said Phase II began after the first of the year, and this phase
3 responded to needs that were identified, and worked on aligning community goals with
4 organizational goals. The process included: internal organizational workgroups, community
5 interviews, focus groups and surveys. The sampling size was about 800 (500 for the
6 community assessment and 300 for the strategic plan).
7
8 Community Needs:
9 • Books and other printed and non-print materials
10 • Children's programming
11 • Information Technology access
12 • A place to meet and to be
13 • Education and self-enlightenment
14
15 Strategic goals:
16 • Organizational excellence
17 • Technology literacy and access
18 • Resources and Programming
19 • Seamless Library Services
20 • Building Community Connections
21
22 Data Analytics:
23 • Goals
24 • Performance Metrics
25 • Continuous Improvements
26 • Orange County Public Library Dashboard
27
28 The library's primary strengths are its staff and existing high quality resources and
29 services, as well as strong county and community support. Its main opportunities for
30 improvement involve: continuing to work towards seamless library services with municipalities
31 such as Chapel Hill, increasing outreach and partnership activities with fellow city and county
32 agencies and other community organizations; continuing to offer relevant programming and
33 services; and seeking to reach out to underserved populations.
34 Based on the results of this study, the following six priority areas were recommended for
35 consideration as strategic goals and objectives for the Orange County Library system:
36 1) Develop a countywide seamless library services integration plan.
37 2) Identify a list of prioritized and aligned library and information services by library
38 demographic profile.
39 3) Develop a technology integration plan.
40 4) Develop a comprehensive marketing and outreach plan, emphasizing partnerships
41 and community collaboration.
42 5) Prioritize funding to strengthen its core suite of services.
43 6) Prioritize high quality organizational communication, training and culture.
44
45 Dr. Anthony Chow said the last part of the process will be data analytics. This will be a
46 metric to measure success. He said that this involves identifying goals and performance
47 measures. He said that this will allow an establishment of the current situation and will allow for
48 continuous improvement. He showed an example of the Orange County Public Library
3
1 dashboard. He noted that the eight libraries involved in this pilot study have dashboards
2 created for them.
3 Lucinda Munger said more work will be done this summer to develop more tactics to
4 support this plan.
5 Chair Jacobs noted that tonight's meeting site was switched in order for Carrboro
6 Aldermen to attend, but the Aldermen have their own meeting tonight.
7 Lucinda Munger said she did send the plan to the Board of Alderman, as well as the
8 Hillsborough Town Council, and she asked for comments from both.
9 Commissioner Price referred to page 30 regarding the community needs assessment.
10 She questioned how Orange County is described, and she said that there are African and
11 Native American residents in the county. She would like to see this diversity reflected in the
12 plan. She referred to the demographics regarding location and access and said she did not
13 notice anything about family income being taken into consideration.
14 Dr. Anthony Chow said there is a family income demographic sort further on in the
15 report, but this was not collected regionally during the process.
16 Commissioner McKee asked if any of the information gathered in the focus groups was
17 surprising or unique to Orange County.
18 Dr. Anthony Chow answered no. He said that the five broad categories listed came up
19 repeatedly, especially the request for books. He said the rural community always has issues
20 with access across the state.
21 Commissioner McKee said he still likes books, and he is glad to hear others feel that
22 way too. He said that access is a key for everyone, whether urban or rural.
23 Dr. Anthony Chow said there is a lot of feedback on internet access and transportation.
24 Commissioner Rich said, with two different library systems in the county (municipal and
25 county), she thought that there was supposed to be some sort of inter-local agreement in place
26 by 2016.
27 Lucinda Munger said the interoperability agreement is moving forward in small steps.
28 She said this is part of the 21 st century library concept.
29 Commissioner Rich asked Dr. Anthony Chow if he had dealt with this before.
30 Dr. Anthony Chow said the state is more interested in the county-wide perspective. He
31 said he thinks that libraries are a source of community pride and county and municipal conflict
32 is common across communities. He said that he feels that integration is the way of the future.
33 Commissioner Gordon asked what will be included in the final report.
34 Dr. Anthony Chow said it will be a more thorough version of what was presented tonight
35 in the draft plan. He said that the community needs analysis was very comprehensive and will
36 be the appendix of the final report. He said that there needs to be a deeper analysis of the
37 trends in the focus groups, as well as an overall summary of the project and a final chapter on
38 data analytics.
39 Commissioner Gordon asked why he didn't know what the metrics would be by now.
40 Dr. Anthony Chow said 2/3 of the metrics were identified already by the state, and the
41 last 1/3 was left to develop as part of the process. He said the community needs assessment is
42 going to help with this last part. Once the goals were identified, then the metrics could be
43 developed to measure the progress toward those goals.
44 Commissioner Gordon asked if the grant was for the community needs assessment.
45 Dr. Anthony Chow said the grant is for the strategic plan.
46 Commissioner Gordon said, speaking from a research perspective, this is not what she
47 expected.
48 Commissioner Dorosin asked when there will be specific action items to implement
49 these objectives, rather than just a "zoomed out" view of information.
4
1 Lucinda Munger said staff is working on this, and the goal was to get the Board of
2 County Commissioners feedback tonight. She said that the next step will be to refine the
3 actions and procedures to support the goals. She said the staff will be working with the
4 Manager's office, HR, IT and finance to define in concrete terms what can be done. She said
5 this will be part of the final plan that will be brought back in the fall.
6 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the plan is for the Board of County Commissioners to
7 sign off on this draft, and then in 6-8 months staff will come back with the final plan.
8 Luncinda Munger answered yes.
9 Commissioner Pelissier asked if this had been reviewed by the Town of Chapel Hill.
10 Lucinda Munger said no. She said that there is no Orange County library location in
11 Chapel Hill. She said that Chapel Hill is a separate municipal library. She said that Chapel Hill
12 may have interest in this, but it is not for them to approve or comment on at this time. She said
13 that Carrboro and Hillsborough did get a copy, because there are County libraries in these
14 towns.
15 Commissioner Pelissier questioned why this is the choice if the County wants to build
16 toward collaboration and seamless service. She said it is not so much about approval, but it is
17 a responsibility to plan for all libraries in the county. She asked if this should not at least be
18 shared with Chapel Hill.
19 Dr. Anthony Chow said he agreed, and he said it would be a wise thing to do.
20 Commissioner Pelissier if there are resources to help in gaining information on best
21 practices so that the County does not have to re-invent the wheel.
22 Lucinda Munger said yes, this has been looked at with other libraries in other counties.
23 She said these can findings can and must be tailored to meet the needs of Orange County.
24 Dr. Anthony Chow said there are now companies that are creating demographics
25 information that can allow a macro perspective.
26 Commissioner Price said she uses the library a lot. She asked if children in the
27 interviews felt that the library was an extension of school, or if the children are just coming for
28 fun.
29 Lucinda Munger said both are true. She said the library is an extension of school and a
30 place to do homework. However, she said it is also a place for Lego club and other fun
31 activities.
32 Commissioner Price and Chair Jacobs asked about the letter from Carrboro regarding
33 additional library sites.
34 Lucinda Munger said the last time staff met with the Board of Aldermen, the board
35 mentioned that they would like to submit more library sites for consideration by Orange County.
36 The letter mentioned a preference for a particular site. She said staff will review this over the
37 summer and do analysis on these 4 additional sites. She said these results will be brought
38 back next fall and the decision will be transmitted back to Carrboro.
39 Chair Jacobs said he was not clear in listening to responses to the Commissioners'
40 questions as to what the timeframe is for the final report. He said this is a foundation, but the
41 Board has to make decisions during the budget process for the following fiscal year. He asked
42 when the staff will need further direction.
43 Lucinda Munger said the hope is for this to be brought back in late September or early
44 October 2013 to begin the implementation.
45 Chair Jacobs agreed with Commissioner Pelissier about sharing this draft with the Town
46 of Chapel Hill. He said that Chapel Hill residents do fund the Orange County Libraries and
47 therefore have a stake in this. He said the Board will be meeting with Chapel Hill in November.
48 He said that it would be ideal for the town to be able to see and digest this report, as library
49 services will be part of that discussion.
5
1 Chair Jacobs asked what happened to the library services task force and if the Board
2 should strike this from the books if there is no place for it in the planning process.
3
4 Lucinda Munger said the members of the 2007 task force were part of the leadership
5 survey on the plan through individual conversations. She said that, because the plan is due in
6 this form to the state library by June 28th, 2013, feedback is needed from the Board of County
7 Commissioners tonight. She said staff will continue to reach out to the community, though it
8 may not be a formal work group. She said that this plan needs to be reviewed annually in order
9 to be viable. She said she hopes to involve citizens on a broader scale, while seeking out some
10 of the leaders of that task force.
11 Chair Jacobs asked that this information be included when the final recommendation is
12 brought back.
13 Commissioner McKee said that when this comes back in the fall, staff needs to address
14 the parking issue, including the availability of free parking.
15 Lucinda Munger said this was brought up at a prior work session, and the Board of
16 Alderman is aware that this is an issue for the library and downtown in general. She said that
17 there is a town owned property that may be converted into a parking area.
18 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to see a more formal detailed statement of
19 how the needs assessment relates to the goals and objectives, as well as the metrics.
20 Dr. Anthony Chow described what a 21St century library will look like. He said that core
21 services that have been identified show little change, but the means by which these are met are
22 changing. He said there is more choice, and technology is value-added, but not a replacement.
23 He noted that patrons still express a desire for both books and e-books. He said the trend
24 shows that urban libraries are becoming a mixed use space and a social place. He said there
25 is more versatility and diversity of services.
26
27 2. Assessment of Jail Alternative Programs
28
29 Michael Talbert reviewed the following background information from the abstract:
30 In October 2012, the NC Council of State authorized issuance of a 50 year land lease to
31 Orange County for approximately 6.8 acres for construction of a Jail facility. The proposed new
32 Jail is included in the County's FY 2013-18 CIP, with an estimated total project cost of
33 $30,250,000. A consultant has been retained to evaluate the site and determine the best
34 configuration of the potential site, along with any constraints (environmental/regulatory for
35 example) that might impact the development. Site related planning costs have been included in
36 the CIP at $250,000 for FY 2013-14. Construction cost estimates from firms in the business of
37 building detention facilities range from $80,000 to $120,000 per bed. The new jail is intended to
38 house a minimum of 250 prisoners and provide support spaces needed for such a facility. Site
39 design costs are planned for FY 2015-16, and Architectural/Engineering costs are included in
40 FY 2016-17, with construction costs in FY 2017-18.
41 The proposed new Jail project involves the review of jail alternative programs, individual
42 program effectiveness and impact on the inmate population of the Orange County Jail. At the
43 Board's August 30, 2012 work session, District Court Judge Joseph M. Buckner presented an
44 overview of Court Programs to the Board. Attachment A is the PowerPoint presented by Judge
45 Buckner that outlines Court Programs.
46 The County requested and has received a proposal from Solutions for Local
47 Government, Inc., to assess Jail Alternative Programs in Orange County. Before planning for a
48 new jail begins, a comprehensive assessment of jail alternative programs needs to be
49 completed. Solutions for Local Government, Inc. has experience evaluating alternatives to
50 incarceration related programs and assessing the impact on jail population. Attachment B
6
1 outlines a proposed scope of services to evaluate current alternatives to incarceration
2 programs.
3 Michael Talbert said that Steve Allan, consultant from Solutions for Local Government,
4 intends to track and retrieve data and program information for three years. He will interview key
5 players, including district court judges, senior superior court judges, district attorneys, public
6 defenders and others. Michael Talbert hopes the end result will be a comprehensive report that
7 outlines the services provided, as well as the impact in the community and in the jail population.
8 Michael Talbert said that the purpose for tonight is discussion and feedback. He said
9 that if the Board chooses to proceed in this direction, Steve Allan can begin during the summer
10 and will have results back by October.
11 Frank Clifton said this is an important step in maximizing alternatives to jail space, and
12 to begin the process of jail planning and design. He said Steve Allan has been involved in jail
13 planning and other studies of this nature; so his input will be valuable in adjusting plans prior to
14 bringing on an architectural design team.
15 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there will be any consideration of other programs that
16 currently do not exist but are allowable under current legislation.
17 Steve Allan said this will typically come up as he goes through the process. He said that
18 different terminology is used by different areas. He gave examples, such as house arrest and
19 anklet use, as well as work release. He said this will be looked at, and he offered to add a
20 bullet of additional programs to be suggested. He feels that the current programs are likely
21 sufficient for the current jail population. .
22 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there are places, such as School of Government, that
23 might have ideas for program enhancement. She would like to fully explore all possibilities to
24 reduce incarceration.
25 Steve Allan said the jail population will dictate what can be done in any given place. He
26 said there is a point where only a certain number of people can be released. He said he will
27 include a section in his report to identify any new ideas that might be given.
28 Commissioner Dorosin said he is looking at the scope of services and he questions the
29 need for an outside consultant. He believes the assessment phase would be collecting data
30 that is routinely collected now by staff. He asked why this data cannot be used and said this is
31 a concern for him. He said another concern is how this report is going to affect the County
32 building a new jail. He said these program alternatives are good, but he does not see the
33 connection.
34 Frank Clifton said the issues are that many people involved in this proposal are state
35 elected employees with individual perspectives on how things should be done; however in
36 almost every case the county has to assume responsibility for the expense. He said that when
37 you tie that with the County's responsibility of providing jail space, and the consideration of a
38 changing environment, it is problematic. He said there are elements of information from the
39 court staff that are not in agreement with the County staff perspective, and there is need for an
40 outside opinion. He said that there are 100 counties in the state and many different
41 approaches.
42 Frank Clifton said the numbers for the jail are based on a general total population
43 estimate that allows for growth. He said one element could be a phase development for the jail
44 that involves the addition of pods over time to increase size as needed. He said that there must
45 be some space, other than the pods, incorporated in the initial phase for programming and
46 activities.
47 Frank Clifton said there are a large number of different elements, and the County staff
48 members are not experts on the criminal justice system. He said it is best to have a broader
49 view and to have someone like Steve Allan with experience in this area.
7
1 Commissioner Dorosin said that part of this description will have Steve Allan talking to
2 the same people Frank Clifton refers to as not being experts.
3
4 Commissioner Dorosin said he does not want another study like the library study plan
5 that was just seen. He wants to see some direct correlation in the results of the report and how
6 the jail will be designed. He said if this is the case he would like this to be laid out more clearly
7 in the prospectus.
8 Frank Clifton said the issue is that jails aren't built that often and $30m is a substantial
9 investment. He said that he can't tell the Board that the study will save them a dollar in the
10 future; but he can say that this report will give a basis for the design of the jail to incorporate
11 savings over the life of the facility.
12 Michael Talbert said a lot of court information is kept, but this does not tell how
13 effectively the programs are working. He said that this is part of what the consultant will look at.
14 He said that this is a starting point; and moving forward the plan will be refined, and numbers
15 may change. He said the reality is that there is overcrowding on a daily basis in the current jail
16 and this cannot continue. He said that expanding or making renovations to the existing jail is
17 not an option. He said this is a good site and a good starting point.
18 Chair Jacobs said when this topic first came up, he suggested a group modeled after
19 the Emergency Services work group. He said this group had both stakeholders and County
20 Commissioners involved. He feels that the explicit purpose should be to address whether the
21 County needs the proposed jail capacity. He said the sheriff takes as many federal prisoners
22 as possible to help defray the cost of his budget. He said that if there are not as many federal
23 prisoners being taken, or if the federal policies change and fewer prisoners come, then the
24 facility will have been vastly overbuilt.
25 Chair Jacobs would like a more interactive discussion among professionals, rather than
26 one consultant talking to everyone, similar to the Emergency Services work group.
27 Chair Jacobs discussed a meeting that included a speaker who was a sheriff from
28 Colorado. The speaker reduced his jail population using alternative sentencing and diversion
29 programs with community support.
30 Steve Allan said that the interactive work group is listed as item 6 on the scope of
31 services.
32 Chair Jacobs said this does not specify who will be the participating stakeholders; this
33 only lists who will be interviewed.
34 Michael Talbert said if the Board would like to follow the model of Emergency Services
35 then a work group will need to be appointed now. Then the process will begin now, and the
36 consultant will be used only after the group decides what should be looked at. He said this is
37 strictly a Commissioner call.
38 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to reinforce what Commissioner Dorosin said.
39 She said that the specific deliverables don't seem to match up with the overall purpose of the
40 study. She said that the overall purpose of the study is to look at how this will affect the new jail
41 discussion. She reviewed the deliverables and said that what is missing are the performance
42 measures. She said that there should be a specific assessment or measure of the models and
43 how they relate. She said there needs to be a re-working of the prospectus to show how it
44 meets the questions set out, and it needs to show the performance measures.
45 Commissioner Pelissier said the primary goal is to look at how each programs can
46 minimize the number of jail beds. She said this is the primary outcome measure.
47 Commissioner Pelissier said she attended a conference in Buncombe County, where
48 the jail has in-house drug case management. She said this saves money by preventing future
49 arrests. She said this proves it is not just about jail diversion programs but also what can be
50 done during incarceration to prevent future arrests. She said that mental health services are
8
1 also key in keeping inmates from multiple incarcerations. She said that she realizes the state is
2 the primary party responsible for funding of mental health services, and there have been
3 several cutbacks. She questioned if there are other things that can be done to address this.
4 Steve Allan said this is now an added to-do list. He said of the three major jail systems,
5 federal has the lowest population with mental illness, followed by state. Local county jails have
6 the highest population of mental illness. He said that there are many dictates from the federal
7 level, yet the local level is dealing with the results of the state mental health cutbacks.
8 Steve Allen said that the professionals working in these programs know what works and
9 what doesn't. He said that he is happy to partner with a work group and facilitate the discussion
10 of what works, what doesn't, and why. He said there is a difference in what sounds good
11 and what works, and you don't know until you dig in and find out the facts. He said there are a
12 lot of pre-release mental health programs and the results do tend to be better.
13 Steve Allen said this is a comprehensive process and there will be a lot of discussion.
14 He said he will be happy to discuss with staff where bullet points are to be added. He said the
15 Board of County Commissioners has brought up more than what he had discussed with staff,
16 but he is happy to help.
17 Chair Jacobs said this is a Board of County Commissioners decision on the shape of the
18 study.
19 Commissioner McKee said that with the stakeholders and staff upholding and defending
20 their perceptions of the County needs as part of the Emergency Services work group, it would
21 have been a circular discussion without the direction of Steve Allan. He said that the discussion
22 would not have progressed to the point that it did. He feels this issue will have positions that
23 people hold strongly due to individual viewpoints and perceptions based on differing jobs in the
24 justice system. He said the Emergency Services work group was a board driven decision. He
25 said that as the scope of services expands, the cost will also expand.
26 Commissioner Rich said she is interested in how the Board of County Commissioners
27 views this work group and who is involved. She is unclear on who is involved and who the
28 stakeholders would be.
29 Commissioner Price asked, if the Board decides to proceed with more alternative
30 programs, how will these will be funded.
31 Chair Jacobs said you need to look at what the alternatives are and then you look at the
32 costs, both socially and financially.
33 Commissioner Price said she feels that the measurement of the social cost, and what is
34 done for society, is very important.
35 Frank Clifton said his thoughts would be that a couple of Board of County
36 Commissioners would be involved in these proposed meetings as part of the process. He said
37 that the included list only has the outsiders who will be involved. He said within their resources
38 available to fund these programs, the County needs to look at which programs will get the most
39 impact or "bang for their buck".
40 Chair Jacobs said there are three things to add: 1. Clarity on what the deliverables are;
41 2. Clearer articulation on how to minimize the number of jail beds; and 3. Clear articulation
42 regarding who the stakeholders are.
43 He suggested this be brought back to the board for final approval; then the stakeholders
44 can assess whether the scope is sufficient or if there is need to analyze more programs. He
45 said stakeholders can then check in with the Board before doing the work group process with
46 Steve Allan. He said the group could also propose, along with Steve Allan, a clear timeframe,
47 and a clear set of goals to present to the public. He suggested a clear timeline should be
48 established so this process does not go on too long. He noted that providing clarity in the
49 process will help with buy-in from the community.
9
1 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to see a revised proposal that makes the
2 scope clear.
3 Frank Clifton suggested that the Board may want to think about which Commissioners
4 would like to be a part of the work group.
5
6 3. Agricultural Support Enterprises
7
8 Perdita Holtz presented the following PowerPoint slides:
9
10 Agricultural Support Enterprises (ASE)
11 BOCC work session
12 May 14, 2013
13
14 History
15 • A work-in-progress since 2001
16 • On several BOCC agendas through the years
17 • Two Components:
18 — New conditional zoning district
19 — ASE Manual
20 • Changes in State Statutes in 2011
21 — Further defined a "bona fide farm"
22 — Some enterprises that may have formerly required zoning permits may now be exempt
23 from zoning regulations
24
25 Bona Fide Farms — Regulations Other than Zoning May Still Apply
26 • Environmental Health
27 — Well permits and septic permits
28 — Food service permits
29 • Building Permits
30 — Buildings open to the general public
31 ■ Equine exemption
32 Some provisions of UDO that are not adopted as "zoning"
33 — Stormwater and erosion control
34 — Impervious surface limits
35
36 Agriculture Defined
37 • § 106-581.1
38 1. The cultivation of soil for production and harvesting of crops, including but not limited to
39 fruits, vegetables, sod, flowers and ornamental plants.
40 2. The planting and production of trees and timber.
41 3. Dairying and the raising, management, care, and training of livestock, including horses,
42 bees, poultry, and other animals for individual and public use, consumption, and
43 marketing.
44 4. Aquaculture as defined in G.S. 106-758.
45 5. The operation, management, conservation, improvement, and maintenance of a farm
46 and the structures and buildings on the farm, including building and structure repair,
47 replacement, expansion, and construction incident to the farming operation.
48 6. When performed on the farm, "agriculture", "agricultural", and "farming" also include the
49 marketing and selling of agricultural products, agri-tourism, the storage and use of
50 materials for agricultural purposes, packing, treating, processing, sorting, storage, and
10
1 other activities performed to add value to crops, livestock, and agricultural items
2 produced on the farm, and similar activities incident to the operation of a farm.
3
4 Previous ASE Effort
5 • Previous ASE effort had 3 tiers of use intensity
6 • Due to changes in statutes most of the "Tier 1" and some of the "Tier 2" uses are now
7 considered exempt from zoning regulations (if being done on a bona fide farm)
8 • Conditional zoning districts were necessary in order to implement the proposed program
9 — `New' UDO has conditional zoning districts and more can be added
10 • Previous effort proposed to change the County's normal public hearing process for re-
11 zonings to the new conditional zoning district
12 — Public hearing could be held on any BOCC regular agenda, not just at the quarterly
13 public hearings
14 — Recommendation from APB (Agricultural Preservation Board) and EDC (now Economic
15 Development Advisory Board) in addition to Planning Board recommendation.
16 • Unclear on how a public hearing would function since current process is a joint
17 BOCC/Planning Board hearing
18 • Rural Buffer was removed from consideration until joint planning partners could be more
19 involved
20 — Memo sent in 2007 by former County Manager
21
22 Zoning Methods
23 • Existing AS District (general use district)
24 — 36.57 acres in 8 distinct areas containing approximately 20 parcels.
25 • Existing Conditional Use method
26 • New Conditional Zoning District
27 • New Overlay District
28
29 BOCC Direction/Input
30 1. Verification the BOCC wants staff to work on a comprehensive ASE project
31 — Some of the previous work is still valid but will need to be re-worked into the new UDO
32 — Draft ASE Manual will also need to be largely rewritten
33 2. Should staff pursue coordinating with joint planning partners to potentially have ASE
34 program apply in the Rural Buffer?
35 3. Any Land Use categories where ASE uses should not be encouraged?
36 4. Direction on zoning method(s) to be brought forward. Also, should the normal rezoning
37 process be changed for ASE projects?
38 5. Direction on whether staff should begin working on revising home occupation regulations or
39 methods to reinvigorate rural activity nodes.
40 6. Other issues BOCC may wish to address as part of ASE
41
42 Commissioner Rich asked for clarification on the General Use Districts.
43 Perdita Holtz said that there is a list of uses in the permitted use table, allowed in each
44 zoning use district and if a property is zoned to a General Use Districts, any of those uses can
45 occur. There is no limit on the number.
46 Commissioner Rich asked how one changes to a General Use District.
47 Perdita Holtz said this is done through a re-zoning application.
48 Perdita Holtz reviewed the re-zoning process of the new conditional zoning district and
49 the new overlay district. She said ASE hopes to have this manual at the February 2014
50 Quarterly Public Hearing.
11
1 Chair Jacobs said this process has been going on since 2001, and the Board would like
2 to finally move forward; however it is alot for the new Commissioners to take in. He said the
3 Board members should not feel compelled to give direction on all items tonight, and perhaps
4 some items will need to be re-visited if further discussion is needed.
5 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification regarding the existing conditional use
6 method.
7 Perdita Holtz said that "conditional use" and "conditional zoning" districts are distinct
8 from each other.
9 Commissioner Gordon asked about the previous wording of"existing" and "new"
10 conditional use districts.
11 Perdita Holtz said it would be a new conditional use district to address agricultural
12 support enterprises. She said that none of the existing conditional zoning districts relate to
13 agriculture.
14 Commissioner Gordon pointed out some slight differences on the "BOCC Direction and
15 Input" in the packet and the PowerPoint.
16 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification on a list in the material from the
17 agricultural board in their packet. She asked if the agricultural board wanted clarification on
18 these items or if these were simply focus points.
19 Perdita Holtz said she was not clear about the purpose of the list, other than a desire for
20 input from staff. She said the matrix was put together to show that many of the concerns are
21 not from a zoning standpoint, but that permits are still needed from environmental health or
22 other county departments.
23 Commissioner Gordon noted that it sounds as if this was just a request for clarification
24 on these specific items.
25 Craig Benedict said he attended the Agricultural Preservation Board meeting. He thinks
26 this list is for clarification and differentiation between economic development issues,
27 environmental health issues, building issues, and trade issues. He said this wasn't a complete
28 list, but it was a list of unknowns.
29 Commissioner Gordon said this is complex, and the Board should not assume there is
30 surety about all of the directions and issues. She noted that the proposed uses go from lower
31 to higher impact. She said there are uses that can go on large farms or lots such as Maple
32 View Farms. She said the controversy comes in when these more commercial uses are placed
33 near residential areas. She feels this has not been captured in the past. She said that in those
34 places that are suburban, like the rural buffer, the best idea is to start small, as these areas can
35 be fairly residential.
36 Commissioner Price said the intent of this was to help the farmers and respect the rural
37 heritage. She said few farmers can make a living solely through farming. She said the purpose
38 was to make it easier for farmers to sell their products and to create co-ops. She said she has
39 concerns about the 180 day limit; restroom requirements for road side stands; and trying to limit
40 activities in a rural areas. She said there is a need to differentiate on some of the terms, and
41 some of these things need to be allowed without going through conditional and special use
42 processes.
43 Chair Jacobs said her concerns are more about the onerous nature of the ways in which
44 the proposals are being outlined. He asked which of the six questions in the PowerPoint does
45 this fit into.
46 Commissioner Dorosin referred to Commissioner Gordon's point regarding restriction of
47 uses based on size and asked if these aren't already decided by statutes that exempt a bona
48 fide farm from zoning.
49 Perdita Holtz said Commissioner Gordon was referring to previous concerns, like a meat
50 packing facility. She said these could serve a wide community and would not be a bona fide
12
1 farm, as it is not just one farm using animals it has raised. She said it is under the purview of
2 zoning to say that there are minimum acreage requirements or standards for a use like that.
3 She said that, in the case of a conditional zoning district, the BOCC can always deny an
4 application based on incompatibility with the area.
5 Commissioner Dorosin asked for a clear explanation of how a conditional zoning district
6 works.
7 Perdita Holtz said ASE would have to set up the permitted uses in a table in the new
8 conditional zoning district. This would be adopted in a text amendment and standards could
9 also be adopted if needed for certain uses.
10 Commissioner Dorosin discussed an example situation regarding district x with
11 permitted and conditional uses.
12 Perdita Holtz said this would be called a conditional zoning district, with a re-zoning
13 application to the conditional zoning district- specifying the specific desired uses. If approved,
14 only those uses would be permitted.
15 Commissioner Dorosin said to assume he has set up the district and it has 10 uses. He
16 asked what now has to be done if he wants to do enact of those uses.
17 Perdita Holtz said he has to re-zone his property as the conditional zoning district is set
18 up in the UDO as a potential district that can be asked for. She said property cannot be re-
19 zoned unilaterally in a conditional zoning or use district.
20 Commissioner Dorosin asked why this is better than a zoning plan where the same use
21 is a conditional use.
22 Perdita Holtz said she assumes he is talking about Chapel Hill or Carrboro's conditional
23 use process, which requires a special use permit. She said that the County has that process as
24 well; it is called a conditional use process, but there are also conditional zoning districts that do
25 not require a special use permit. These just have a re-zoning that the County, with agreement
26 from the applicant, can attach conditions to. She said this means there is not an extra permit
27 involved.
28 Commissioner Dorosin said is there a re-zoning involved.
29 Craig Benedict said the conditional use has a quasi-judicial, SUP process, which is a
30 more extended process. He said you can have all the same conditions; however with
31 conditional use method, you will go through 15 pages of material. He said with conditional
32 zoning the end is the same but without the quasi judicial process.
33 Craig Benedict said staff is looking for some direction tonight, and then an amendment
34 outline text will be brought back. He said no decisions are to be made tonight
35 Commissioner Dorosin said he feels there are three interested parties — landowners,
36 surrounding landowners, and the county. He is not sure how that the pros and cons are the
37 same for these three parties. He said he would like a better sense of the staff opinions on the
38 pros and cons for each of these parties.
39 Chair Jacobs suggested that, before the Board of County Commissioners is asked to
40 make a choice, a presentation could be given regarding the SAP for the Orange County
41 Speedway.
42 Commissioner McKee said the whole purpose for the ASE is to increase the bottom line
43 for farms. He is not impressed by the complexity of this proposal, and he is not supportive of
44 this because of the complexity. He said the intent is to get the farmer closer to his customer.
45 He said that by taking the rural buffer out, a huge section of Orange County has been
46 eliminated. He said that the term "appropriate areas" is a code word for "not in my backyard."
47 He said a lot of these facilities can be designed not to be obtrusive to the neighbors.
48 Commissioner Pelissier said the Board cannot give direction tonight on the zoning
49 methods. She would like to take the special use permit off the table. She said this should not
50 be made so expensive if the goal is to support agricultural enterprise. She clarified that the
13
1 zoning will only apply for enterprises that are not on a bona fide farm. She said the goal is to
2 assist farmers with their land but also to promote small businesses that support these farmers.
3 She would like comments to come back to the Board on what can be done to address some of
4 the issues on the grid.
5 Commissioner Pelissier referred to the questions about revising home occupations. She
6 said there also needs to be a discussion about the arts and culture communities. She said she
7 has heard from a number of people regarding the restrictions, and many counties are less
8 restrictive in their zoning regulations. She said there should be a focus on promoting
9 appropriate scalable businesses in the entire rural area.
10 Commissioner Rich said it would be helpful to see an example of a zoning project. It is
11 more complicated than confusing. She is not convinced that the County needs to have certain
12 businesses in the rural buffer. She would like to know what their partners think about the rural
13 buffer, since there has been no conversation since the 2007 discussion.
14 Commissioner Rich said she agrees with Commissioner Pelissier that there needs to be
15 some consideration of the arts and cultural communities.
16 Commissioner Gordon said she is not talking about bona fide farms. She said it would
17 make sense that if farmers are given a chance to do things that people generally have a
18 consensus about, things will probably move further. She feels that trying for more intensive
19 uses will only make things more complicated. She said she would start with lower impact uses;
20 and if there is a desire to do something in the rural buffer then it is important to talk with their
21 partners. She feels that the conversation should stick with Agricultural Support Enterprises
22 only, rather than opening up everything related to the rural buffer.
23 Commissioner Price said she feels strongly about#1, to ask staff to work on a
24 comprehensive project and get it done. She said the focus should be to make things as easy
25 as possible for people trying to farm. She said there needs to be some conversation with
26 partners on the rural buffer. She said that thresholds, scales and intensities should be looked
27 at. She said she remembers that there was a desire not to have meat slaughtering plants. She
28 said the zoning method choices are too overwhelming.
29 Commissioner Price said this discussion should stick with just farming for now, rather
30 than enlarge the issue to include arts. She said that that issue won't sit within the ASE.
31 Chair Jacobs said he agreed that more work should be done on #1 to make it more of
32 an enabling process. He said it would be best to take out the most intensive uses. He said
33 that the origin of this conversation was Maple View Farms, which technically was not allowed to
34 be where it was built. He gave the history of the store and the process of building and permits
35 in that case. He said it was a struggle to get it off the ground, and now it is a landmark
36 operation.
37 Chair Jacobs said that, for#2, he feels there should be a look at rural buffer; but a
38 conversation should be had with the partners at AOG before moving forward.
39 Chair Jacobs said he is not ready to address #4 until more information is gained.
40 Chair Jacobs said, regarding which categories should not be encouraged, his only
41 thought is the water quality critical areas. He said he has no problem with including the arts.
42 He said, regarding other issues, there have been discussions about differentiating impacts in
43 and to rural areas and urban areas. He gave the example of a proposed Montessori school.
44 Chair Jacobs said it would be a good idea to find a place to engage the Agricultural
45 Preservation Board in this discussion.
46 Commissioner Price said her only concern is that the home occupation is under a
47 different category and she said she doesn't want it to go away.
48 Commissioner Gordon said it is important to let their partners know that that the rural
49 buffer is being worked on.
14
1 Chair Jacobs suggested a letter be sent to each mayor to let them know this is an effort
2 the Board is attempting to bring to fruition. The idea would be to try and bring it to the AOG
3 meeting to get their responses.
4 Chair Jacobs said it is a good idea to engage the Agricultural preservation board and to
5 run by them the matrix of the most intensive uses
6 Commissioner Prices suggested another look at the tiers.
7 Chair Jacobs suggested staff work on this and then send notification to Hillsborough.
8 Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification on the tiers.
9 Perdita Holtz said this is embedded in the matrix and tier 3 is the most intensive.
10 Chair Jacobs said the Board will get back the ASE draft manual in the longer term, and
11 in the shorter term will define the proposals for the rural buffer to be presented to AOG.
12 Chair Jacobs said this could come back in September. He asked for a more detailed
13 explanation of the conditional zoning, including examples.
14 Commissioner McKee said that the Board needs to think about the fact that any of these
15 enterprises that are successful will be fairly intrusive and expansive, by nature. He said he
16 does not disagree but he feels that the Board needs to be prepared for how to deal with
17 opposition to this.
18
19 4. Follow Up Discussion from January 29, 2013 Work Session on Board
20 Protocols/Advisory Board Procedures
21
22 Decision Points for BOCC:
23
24 1. Follow up to Petition by BOCC Member: Review and consider a request that the
25 Board moves forward with establishing a new and thorough application/process for
26 prospective appointees for boards with fiduciary or specific statutory responsibilities
27 (OWASA, Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, E&R Board, ABC Board).
28
29 Background: The response to this petition from the Chair/Vice Chair at agenda review was:
30 Response: A) The Board will move forward with establishing a new, specific, and thorough
31 application process for prospective appointees to four boards: O WASH, Planning Board, Board
32 of Adjustment, E&R Board. Chair Jacobs suggested including ABC Board, as we had previously
33 discussed vetting applicants for boards with fiduciary responsibilities. Consult County Attorney
34 on proposed verbiage for applications for the aforementioned advisory boards; B) Consider
35 whether to return to matter of interviewing, reviewing, and promoting specific board applicants
36 at a future work session, to be scheduled.
37
38 The Attorney had asked for feedback from Board members as to questions and concerns they
39 would like addressed in a revised application but as of yet, he has not received any feedback.
40
41 Discussion:
42 Donna Baker said the Attorney did not get feedback on what the Board would want to
43 see in a revised application.
44 Chair Jacobs said that if anyone would like to volunteer to help with the process and the
45 form, to please step forward.
46 Commissioner McKee and Donna Baker noted that the Board of Adjustments has been
47 deferred, and the Planning Board also has openings. He suggested that these appointments
48 be made with the idea that changes are to be made to the application process.
49 Commissioner Rich asked if the idea was to change the form or to include an interview
50 of the candidates.
15
1 Donna Baker said the form was revised in the past couple of years. She said, for these
2 five boards, the suggestion was to have a separate application or add a section to the existing
3 application.
4 Commissioner Rich said that an interview process would allow for specific questions that
5 could change as years go on, to address current issues. She said she is not as interested in
6 changing the application as she is in getting Board members involved in an interview process.
7 Commissioner Pelissier said she had made the petition. She does not have an idea of
8 specific questions, but she is happy to work with the clerk on this. She feels that the current
9 applications don't give enough information to make a decision for these particular boards.
10 Commissioner Gordon said that the basic application could be kept and a supplemental
11 section could be added that is tailored to each specific board. She is also willing to work to get
12 this going. She feels this could be a quick process and could potentially be worked into the
13 appointment process for the Planning Board. She feels the Board should not adjourn and leave
14 those boards hanging over the break.
15 Commissioner Price asked if these positions are currently interviewed for, and Chair
16 Jacobs said no.
17 Commissioner Dorosin said he feels that the Board should re-visit the purpose of this
18 item. He is hesitant to do anything to make it harder to get on these boards. He does not feel
19 that residents should have to have experience. He feels that if the process is made more
20 complicated, people will be turned off, and there will be a more homogeneous group of
21 volunteers. He said there are already applications that have been waiting for a year; and if
22 there are vacancies, and there are applicants, then the spots should be filled.
23 He clarified with Donna Baker that the only current requirements are that applicants live
24 in the County and pay taxes.
25 Commissioner Dorosin reviewed the current appointment process and said he feels
26 there is some tension with the boards as to how this works. He said there should be a
27 spreadsheet of information on all the applicants along with the number of vacancies that need
28 to be filled.
29 Commissioner Pelissier said it sounds like Commissioner Dorosin is talking about
30 advisory boards in-general, and she is talking about a few very specific boards. Each of these
31 boards has a level of responsibility that advisory boards do not have. She said the vetting
32 process is to ensure that the people can carry forth the responsibility.
33 Commissioner Dorosin said he is talking about all of the boards. He asked what kind of
34 additional information is needed, and what makes a candidate qualified to be on the OWASA
35 Board.
36 Commissioner Pelissier said there have been people who, according to other OWASA
37 Board members, have not been able to carry out their duties, and this has been a problem.
38 Commissioner Price asked for clarification on the responsibilities of the OWASA Board.
39 Commissioner Pelissier said that OWASA sets policies and budgets and has a lot of the
40 same responsibilities as the BOCC but only as it regards water and sewer.
41 Commissioner McKee said he thinks there should be more information on the
42 application, though he is not sure he supports an interview process. He thinks that it is
43 important that applicants and appointees not be picked to align with a certain ideology.
44 Commissioner Rich said that both Carrboro and Chapel Hill interview candidates for
45 OWASA. She does not know why Orange County would not do the same.
46 Commissioner McKee said he is not opposed to an interview process as long as
47 personal ideology is not involved in the decision making process.
48 Commissioner Price said she can see a slightly different process for these particular
49 boards. She said that perhaps this can simply be an extra set of specific questions, along with
16
1 a commitment that applicants will attend the meetings. She questioned whether the BOCC
2 should be the only one to interview and bring forward the candidates.
3 Chair Jacobs said that there has been discussion on broadening the memberships of
4 the advisory boards. He said there are not enough young people or students. He said he feels
5 that the idea of lowering barriers is an important one. He said there are cases, such as the
6 Nursing Home Advisory Board, where there is specific expertise required to do a focused job.
7 He said that for some of these boards, vetting is important. He said he has always been of the
8 opinion that if there are openings and there are applicants, the position should be filled;
9 however this has backfired on several occasions.
10 Donna Baker said that if the process is lengthy, it will often happen that the candidate is
11 no longer interested or available by the time the Board gets back to them. She said that efforts
12 are made to contact the candidates prior to a decision to check availability. She said that all of
13 the information on the forms comes straight from a database.
14 Chair Jacobs gave an example of a conflict of interest case with an advisory board
15 candidate. He said he sees the value in bringing in candidates to interview. He said that his
16 only concern with vetting is that personal agendas will be pushed. He said that if all of the
17 questions can be agreed on, then he is ok with it.
18 Chair Jacobs does think the issue of cliques is a problem, but his is unsure how to
19 address them.
20 Commissioner Price said she agreed with Commissioner Dorosin. She feels that if a
21 candidate is willing to serve and is willing to attend the meetings there should not be an
22 interview process requirement.
23 Commissioner Dorosin re-iterated his opposition to interviews.
24 Commissioner Pelissier said she is not sold on having to do interviews.
25 Commissioner Price suggested a phone interview.
26 Commissioner Gordon recommended a specific supplemental set of questions for each
27 board.
28 Commissioner Rich said she feels it is important for some of these boards to get to
29 know the candidates better.
30 Commissioner Dorosin said he is opposed to the idea of phone calls, unless phone calls
31 are made to every single person with the same set of questions.
32
33 Decision Point:
34• Does the Board want to move forward with a revised application for these particular
35 boards mentioned above, and if so, can the board provide feedback/questions to the County
36 Attorney in order to move the process forward?
37 Does the Board want to stay with the current process?
38
39 After discussion, the Board proposed adding supplemental questions to the existing volunteer
40 application, for these 5 Boards:ABC Board, OWASA, E&R Board, Planning and Board of
41 Adjustment.
42 The Clerk will work with Commissioner Pelissier and Commissioner Gordon over the summer
43 break to compile this supplemental information and to distribute to all BOCC members for
44 review.
45
46 The Board gave direction to the Clerk to put up relevant board appointments for any of these 5
47 boards that were being held in abeyance until this meeting.
48
49 2. Process for Commissioners to "vet" Board Appointments-for certain boards with
50 fiduciary or statutory responsibilities, such as the ABC Board, OWASA, E&R Board,
17
1 Planning and Board of Adjustment.
2
3 Decision Point:
4• Does the Board want to develop a process for Commissioners to vet board
5 appointments to these particular boards (and others as applicable)?
6• Are there criteria to be applied or a process for vetting appointments (such as
7 interviews, questions on a revised application, committee review, etc.)? Or will the application
8 process suggested in Item #1 cover this item?
9
10 The Board decided that Item #1 was sufficient (no vetting necessary)
11
12 3. How should Commissioners participate, if at all, in the nominating and selection
13 process of prospective applicants to their advisory boards?
14
15 Background: Currently, most boards with the exception of the Planning Board, Board of
16 Adjustment, OWASA, E&R Board and ABC Board usually make recommendations for new
17 members since many boards go through a process of engaging prospective members before
18 making recommendations: inviting applicants to meetings, sessions to let individuals ask
19 questions, and letting staff orient potential new members to time commitments of a particular
20 board, by-laws, goals, etc.
21
22 Decision Point:
23• Does the Board want to proceed with a process for allowing Commissioners to
24 participate in the nominating process and selection process of prospective applicants to its
25 advisory boards?
26• If so, what criteria are to be applied?
27• Does the board want to retain its current process for appointing members to its advisory
28 boards?
29 Tabled
30
31 4. Does the Board want to establish a procedure whereby Orange County
32 appointees/representatives to outside boards (such as the Chapel Hill Planning
33 Board, etc.) communicate back to the Board on a regular basis?
34
35 Background: Currently there is not a process in place for Orange County representatives to
36 such bodies as town advisory boards to report back to the Board.
37
38 Decision Points:
39• Does the Board want to formalize a process for this type of communication to occur?
40 Are there any criteria to be applied? (Report in writing annually, attend BOCC retreat to
41 report verbally, etc.)
42
43 Tabled
44
45 5. Letters from the Chair of the BOCC representing the position of the entire board.
46
47 Decision Points:
48• The Board agreed that, unless extraordinary circumstances arise, any letter from the
49 Board Chair representing the position of the entire board will be circulated a day prior to
18
1 transmittal to allow for comment from interested Commissioners, within a timeframe. Concerns
2 and comments may be shared with the Chair for possible incorporation into the letter.
3
4
5 The meeting was adjourned at 11:01 pm.
6
7 Barry Jacobs, Chair
8
9
10 Donna Baker
11 Clerk to the Board
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
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24
1
I Attachment 2
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING
6 May 30, 2013
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a Budget Public Hearing on
10 Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill,
11 N.C.
12
13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners mark
14 Dorosin, Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
15 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
16 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
17 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Managers
18 Clarence Grier, Michael Talbert and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members
19 will be identified appropriately below)
20
21 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm.
22
23 1. Opening Remarks from the Chair
24
25 Chair Jacobs reviewed the following items at the Commissioner's places:
26 - Copy of a Statement from Miriam Thompson
27 - Copy of a letter from CHCCS
28 - Letter from Chapel Hill Outreach Training Center
29
30 Chair Jacobs said this is a recommended budget only. He noted that the Board of
31 County Commissioners is not proposing a cut in school funding; but the state legislature is
32 making cuts to school funding. He said the Board of County Commissioners does not approve
33 individual programs to the schools. The Board gives a per-pupil amount per school system, and
34 the school system makes the decisions on how the funding is dispersed to various programs.
35
36 2. Presentation of County Manager's Recommended FY 2013-14 Budget
37
38 Frank Clifton said if the Board of County Commissioners were to decide to increase
39 funding to the schools or any other county services, there is always the option of raising the
40 countywide tax rate. He said that each one cent on the tax rate generates $1.6 million. He said
41 that if this is done, and the money goes to schools, it is split based on the number of schools in
42 the school systems. He said that the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School District (CHCCS) has a
43 separate district tax. He noted that the proposed budget has about$650,000 in discretionary
44 funds. He said that schools may also use a portion of existing school system fund balances.
45 Frank Clifton noted that there are some debt issuances that lie ahead for the county. He
46 said the county maintains a funding reserve of 17%. This roughly equates to 3 months of
47 operating activity within the county. He said this is important, since the state lags 2-3 months
48 behind, and the county is spending in advance of that. He said the County is near or at debt
49 capacity. He said the Local Government Commission (LGC) is beginning a process to
50 standardize the policies and procedures. He said that this will mean a little less discretion on
51 how the County handles debt.
52
2
1 Commissioner Dorosin arrived at 7:13 pm.
2
3 Clarence Grier presented the following Power Point slides:
4
5 County Manager's Recommended FY 2013-14 Annual Operating Budget and Capital
6 Investment Plan
7
8 Guiding Principles
9 Balances County's operating budget without a property tax rate increase — 5th
10 Consecutive Year
11 Provides funding for County services at current levels
12 Funds local school districts enrollment growth, operational funding and debt
13 service.
14
15 Recommended General Fund Budget
16 Totals $185.9 million
17 Represents an increase of$5.9 million from original current year budget of
18 $180.0 million, which is a 3.29 percent increase from previous year original
19 budget
20 Represents a $6.2 million decrease in the current year's amended budget
21 Components of General Fund Budget
22
23 Orange County Budget
24 Past 6 Fiscal Years
25 Proposed Ad Valorem Tax Rate Effective July 1, 2013
26 Proposed tax rate of 85.8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation
27 This rate produces $137.8 million in property tax revenues for FY 2013-2014
28 Overall Real Property Valuation increased 2.7%
29 One cent on property tax estimated to generate $1,606,869
30
31 Orange County Property Tax Revenues
32 Past 6 Fiscal Years
33 Sales Tax Revenues
34 Recommended Sales Tax Revenues of$17.2 million is $1.5 million higher than the
35 $15.7 million budgeted in FY 2012-2013 due to an expected 2 to 3 increase in consumer
36 spending , and current year projections
37 Actual sales tax revenues are down over 31% since the peak of$22.5 million in fiscal
38 year 2007-2008
39
40 Orange County General Fund
41 FY 2013-14 Revenues
42 Proposed Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District Tax Rate Effective July 1, 2013
43 Recommended tax rate of 18.84 cents per $100 of assessed valuation
44 Represents no increase in the property tax rate for the District
45 Recommended tax rate will generate $19.4 million for the Chapel Hill —Carrboro
46 School District
47 This represents an additional $1,584 per pupil above the County's allocation
48 One cent on district tax is estimated to generate $1,029,085
49
50 Recommended Funding for Chapel Hill - Carrboro City and Orange County Schools
51 Total General Fund appropriation totals $87.8 million
52 Funds day-to-day operations, repayment of school related debt, and capital
3
1 Equals an appropriation of 48.1 percent of total General Fund Revenues
2 Reflects $2.4 million increase from current year General Fund appropriation
3 Equates to a current expense allocation of$3,188 per student for each of the
4 19,908 students in both districts for day-to-day operating funds and projected
5 enrollment growth.
6
7 County Education Funding
8
9 Additional Funding for Local Schools
10 In addition to the $87.8 million for operations, debt and capital, recommended budget
11 allocates $1.9 million to fund non-mandated safety net initiatives for both school districts
12 Some of these initiatives are:
13 School Health Nurses - $683,706
14 School Resource Officers - $545,514
15 School Social Workers - $692,283
16 With these additional non-mandated funding initiatives, the total funding for the local
17 school districts total 49.2% of the General Fund Revenues
18
19 Major Funded County Initiatives
20 Maintains all County services at current levels
21 Funds the increase in medical insurance and fully funds the 401(k)/457 plans for non-
22 sworn employees
23 A cost of living and in-range increase equating up to 3% in compensation for employees
24 Provides for and increases in positions for EMS Communicators, a Quality Assurance
25 Training Officer, EMS Assistant Supervisors staggered over the year to address the
26 recommendations of the Emergency Services Study and Work Group
27 Provides for six new positions in Information Technologies to address the
28 recommendations included in the Information Technology Strategic Plan
29 Provides funding to the Town of Chapel Hill Library totaling $483,426
30 Allocations provided to non-profit organizations total $1,030,100 for FY 13-14.
31 Long range/pay-as-you go County capital is $620,000.
32 Debt service for the General Fund will be $25.6 million
33
34 Orange County General Fund
35 FY 2013-14 Expenditures
36 Solid Waste Initiatives
37 The closure of the landfill with public education and other related planning efforts of the
38 landfill in FY2013-14. We expect to incur $3.2 million in closure cost in FY 2013-14.
39 The planning and design for the Eubanks Solid Waste Convenience Center
40 improvements
41 New Landfill Mattress Fee of$10.00 per mattress
42 Recycling Fees - No additional 3-R Fee billings for the upcoming year, which results in a
43 projected revenue loss of$1.1 million, and propose an increase in the Basic 3-R Fee
44 from $37.00 of$47.00 per household
45 We propose increases in the sanitation household fee to be charged per household as
46 follows:
47 Rural Residential Increase from $20.00 to $40.00
48 Urban Household Increase from $10.00 to $20.00
49 Multi — Family Increase from $2.00 to $4.00
50
51 Additional Funding Options
4
1 Appropriate Fund Balance, if necessary; The Board may use up to $650,000 without a
2 negative impact on fund balance
3 Property tax increase
4 Increase in CHCCS Special District Tax
5
6 Revenues Generated By Property Tax Increase (graphic)
7
8 Revenues Generated By Increase in CHCCS Special District Tax (graphic)
9
10 County Capital Investment Plan
11 Concerns and Issues for FY 2014-2015
12 Federal Sequestration and State Budget Issues
13 Debt Service
14 County Capital Projects
15 School Capital Projects
16 Health Insurance
17 Post-employment Insurance benefit for retirees
18 Economic Development
19 Economy
20 Public Hearings and Work Sessions
21 (All Meetings Begin at 7:00 p.m.)
22 Document Availability
23 Clerk to Board of Commissioners
24 County Finance &Administrative Services Office
25 Orange County Library
26 Chapel Hill Public Library
27 Carrboro/McDougle Branch Library
28 Cybrary, Carrboro
29 Orange County Website
30 www.orangecountync.gov
31
32 Clarence Grier said that information on the school districts' available fund balances is
33 not included in this presentation; this will be available at the June 6 work session.
34 Frank Clifton noted that some of the unincorporated areas of the County will see a tax
35 rate increase as a result of increases in almost all of the rural fire districts.
36 Clarence Grier noted that there will be work sessions on June 6 and June 11, with a
37 work session and adoption of intent on June 13; and the final adoption will happen on June 181H
38
39 3. Public Comment
40
41 Yasmine White is the CEO and founder of a non-profit called Voices Together— a music
42 based educational program, serving students in six school districts with intellectual and
43 developmental disabilities. She said there are 1,036 students in the Orange County Schools
44 (OCS) with identified disabilities, and her group comes in with a layered educational program
45 that creates an amazing impact. She said the program has been in OCS for 5 years and has
46 only been able to reach 30 students during this difficult budgetary time. She said that the group
47 has applied in the non-profit category to the outside agency process. She is asking the Board to
48 consider her funding request.
49
50 Jeff Hall spoke as President of CHCCS PTA Council, and he said Chapel Hill is a special
51 place to live. He said there is a commitment to education in Orange County, and this budget is
52 out of step with their community values and the importance of education. He said this budget
5
1 does not reflect reality, which is that capital improvement projects in schools have been
2 delayed, and there are many unmet needs. He said everyone knew Northside Elementary
3 school was going to open this year, and fixed costs are on the rise as federal grants end, and
4 the sequester sets in. He said the budget should meet these challenges. He said the Board of
5 County Commissioners is being asked to solve problems caused by other entities. He said this
6 Board has always supported their schools he asks that they fully fund the schools' request.
7
8 Brian Curran is a member of the Orange County Habitat for Humanity Board, and he is
9 here to pitch their new program called Brush with Kindness. This program provides much
10 needed exterior repairs to existing homes of low income residents. He said efforts are currently
11 focused in the Fairview, Rogers Road and Northside communities, as well as some rural areas
12 of the county. He said the group has requested $20,000 from Orange County through the
13 outside agency process. He said this is the first time this program has asked for funding from
14 the county, and this money would be used to expand the program and complete 15 new
15 projects. He said County funding would be used to leverage other sources of financing. He
16 previously worked for the Chapel Hill Police department for about 25 years and spent much of
17 that time in Northside, where he has watched many changes in this neighborhood. He said he
18 recently participated in a memorable project in that area in which the workers came upon a civil
19 war wall. He said support from the County is critical to the success of the program.
20
21 Keith Edwards lives in the Northside Community, and he showed a newsletter that
22 neighborhood residents receive each month with news and events. This newspaper has a
23 section called "Ask Keith", in which she tries to find out information and shares it with her
24 community. One question from the April newsletter asked her to share her experience working
25 with the Brush with Kindness program. She said her experience was unbelievable, and she was
26 amazed by the human kindness she received. She said her house and her deck now remind her
27 of the people that helped restore them. She said these people gave her a lifetime gift, and she
28 asked the Board of County Commissioners to support the Brush of Kindness program. She also
29 asked the Board to fully fund the schools.
30
31 Willie Mae Patterson said she appreciates Habitat and the work the group did around
32 her house and yard through the Brush of Kindness program. She said she hopes the Board will
33 fund this program.
34
35 Glenda Wade lives in Cedar Grove, and she knew about Habitat through her work with
36 Stanback Middle School. She said Brush for Kindness came out and beautified her home. She
37 asked, on behalf of single parents like herself, that the Board help fund the Brush with Kindness
38 program. She also asked for full funding for the school system.
39
40 James Stroud spoke on behalf of his mom, who took advantage of the Brush with
41 Kindness program for her home and yard. He said that the work done by this program helped
42 his mother to avoid having to sell her home. He asked that the Board please fund this program.
43
44 Adward Assure is community development manager for Habitat for Humanity. She
45 thanked all the residents who have spoken on behalf of the Brush with Kindness program. She
46 said this program serves all of Orange County. She said collaboration is a big aspect of Habitat,
47 and the group has worked with many local programs to complete these exterior upgrades. She
48 said that the program continues to grow and thrive. There have been 27 new applications since
49 February of this year. She said the need is high and all resources are put to good use. She
50 said the program gives a way for students and local volunteers to help and to give back. She
51 hopes to double the work done last year and requests that the Board fund this program.
52
6
1 Alexis Ross has two children in the CHCCS. She said that school officials have asked
2 parents to be patient as the schools work through cuts made on a national level. She said she
3 feels dismayed that, as the national economy is slowly recovering, the local government wants
4 residents to accept less than the full funding being requested by schools. She represents the
5 Sewall Elementary PTA and said this group of residents is willing to pay higher taxes to
6 accomplish that funding.
7
8 Jen Bishop is a representative of the Sewall Elementary School Improvement Team and
9 has two children at the school. She asked the Board to fully fund their school's request, even in
10 the face of the state political climate. She said people choose to live in Orange County because
11 of the school systems. She said it is vital that these schools be fully funded.
12
13 Myles Faith said he represents local residents, and he would like to ask the Board of
14 County Commissioners to expedite the Twin Creeks Recreation Park plan. He said these are
15 beautiful plans for a park that has been called a crown jewel by the Parks Department. He said
16 residents are concerned by the lack of any progress in this area. He said last year there were
17 $1.5 million in designated funds in the CIP, but it is not there this year. He said the bulk of the
18 funding was about $8 million in the later years, and now it has been pushed back to 2018. This
19 was a commitment by Orange County and the Parks Department that would serve the
20 community. He read the goals listed by the Parks Department, and he asked for help from the
21 Board to move forward.
22
23 Mary Parry lives in Chapel Hill and has three kids in CHCCS. She said she is
24 embarrassed to see our state moving backwards. She realizes this is not the fault of the Board,
25 however the residents are here to ask the Commissioners to step up. She said the County will
26 need to fill in the gaps that the legislature is making, and she said that residents should be
27 willing to pay higher taxes. She encouraged residents to write letters and attend rallies in order
28 to stand up for all of the residents of this state.
29
30 Emma Parry is a rising 6th grader at Phillips Middle School, and she said her school is
31 known to be in the best school system in N.C. She said that core classes need to stay at
32 reasonable sizes to avoid stretching teachers too thin and losing the quality of education that
33 Orange County is known for. She said spending money on education is important, and she
34 asked the Board to invest in schools in Orange County.
35
36 Andrea Knight said her family has lived in Orange County for 17 years. She said she
37 and her husband located their small business in Orange County mostly because of the schools.
38 She said that quality education is essential. She thanked the Board for their fiscal stewardship,
39 but said that now the schools need more funding. She asked the Commissioners to please fully
40 fund the schools' requested budget. Her daughter also spoke and said, "if you take care of me
41 now I will take care of you later."
42
43 Stephen Redman spoke on behalf of Cedar Ridge and the school's request to have an
44 auxiliary gym and classrooms. He stressed that both of these things are needed. He said that
45 teachers are not in this for the money but for the spark in the kids' eyes. He asked for the Board
46 to fund these requests in order for students to have the facilities to move forward with athletics
47 that open gateways to success.
48
49 Lisa Kaylie is a parent of children in CHCCS, one of whom is special needs. She asked
50 for full funding for their school district. She said that special needs children require more
51 attention in the classroom, and her son needs a teacher assistant in his classroom. She said
52 that a lack of full funding will result in a loss of jobs that will hit special needs kids hardest. She
7
1 said that her son is high functioning autistic and has an Individualized Education Plan that
2 requires him to have specific support in the classroom. She said this support will not be
3 available in the face of some of the proposed cuts. She said this support is critical in allowing
4 special needs kids to access their education. She asked the Board tom to raise the special
5 district tax in order to pay for full school funding.
6
7 Lixia Yao lives in Chapel Hill and he said that research done by the National Education
8 Association shows the national average per capita tax revenue of state and local government in
9 2010 was $4,112; however, this same number was $3,403 in North Carolina, which ranks the
10 state as 35th. He said the average per-student revenue was $12,000 nationwide and only
11 $9,020 in N.C., which ranks the state as 50th. He hopes that Orange County can do its part to
12 mitigate the seeming disproportionate numbers. He said that the county is already paying less
13 personal income taxes while having higher income. He asked for full funding for the schools.
14
15 Jay Miller said he is on the Arts Center Board, and he has been involved for over 30
16 years with the center. He said that the center is asking for $10,000 through the outside agency
17 process. He said this will be used for arts and education, and this program is being expanded
18 into three Title 1 schools. He said this money will fund scholarships for underprivileged children.
19 He also has a daughter who is a special education teacher, and he would like to ask for full
20 funding of schools as well.
21
22 Monica Palmera spoke on behalf of the Jackson Center. She said the center asked for
23 $9000 through the outside agency process for the Jackson Center but funding was denied. She
24 said that the small amount requested funds 5 crucial programs. She explained what the
25 program does, and said that one of the initiatives is the publication of 600 monthly copies of the
26 Northside news, which was mentioned earlier by Keith Edwards. She said that she hopes that
27 her words resonate and that the Board can work with the center in the future. She said that the
28 center is a hub of activity, communication and education, focused on helping area residents that
29 are otherwise not reached and engaged. She said the goal is to contribute to community spirit
30 within the County and be a voice for social change.
31
32 Cindy Henshaw expressed her support for the school systems and asked the Board to
33 fully fund them. She said she is also here to ask for support for the Arts Center and its
34 afterschool programs, especially for those children with special needs. She said this program
35 develops creativity and problem solving skills, along with encouraging exploration of different art
36 forms and cultures. She said that the Arts Center is a treasure, and she hopes the Board will
37 approve the modest funding request.
38
39 Margaret Samuels is a parent of a child in the CHCCS. She thanked the Board of
40 County Commissioners for their support of the schools and asked them to continue to support
41 the schools through full funding. She said she would support property tax increases or district
42 tax increases in order to accomplish this. She said this is especially important with the opening
43 of Northside Elementary. She said that creative learning requires teachers and staff who aren't
44 worried about how things will be paid for. She said that the County cannot always control what
45 happens statewide, but it can have an impact for its residents.
46
47 Heather Moore is a resident of Chapel Hill and is speaking tonight on behalf of the Arts
48 Center. She echoed previous comments and said this program has been extremely beneficial
49 for her son, through exposure to different art forms and the family share night. She asked the
50 Board to fund this program.
51
8
1 Gary Wallach has a child in the CHCCS. He asked the Board to fully fund the CHCCS
2 by increasing the special district tax by 2 cents this year. He said this request is due to deep
3 cuts by the state. He said the district is moving forward by supporting professional development
4 in their teachers, and the learning trajectory for students is upward. He noted a request for
5 increases in financing for professional development and said this is partially a result of the of the
6 new common core requirements. He said that the manager's report does not note that there will
7 be an increase in revenue and continued cuts to public education. He urged the Board to allow
8 citizens to help the County move forward by increasing the district tax to fund the schools.
9
10 Nick Parker is a 6th grader at Smith Middle School. He said the school had a great
11 teacher; but, due to standardized testing, he was laid off. He said many classes have been cut,
12 and opportunities for learning are less. He feels this is because of the increase in testing. He
13 asked the Board to fully fund the schools.
14
15 Hunter Pendleton is a tech specialist at a local school and an Orange County tax payer.
16 He said he is anxious to pay more taxes for their schools. He urged business leaders to be
17 leaders in supporting public education.
18
19 Beven Ramsey serves on the Board of Directors of the Arts Center. He said there are
20 plans to bring about some important changes to the art programs for underprivileged children.
21 He said the Arts Center has an annual budget of$1.5 million, of which $89,000 comes from the
22 state and local government. He said that the center accounts for $3 million in economic impact
23 in Orange County, which is more than 3%. He said this investment is consistent with the
24 County's commitment to tourism, and he asked the Board to approve their outside agency
25 funding request.
26
27 Sue Keith said education is a priority for her family, which includes seven children. She
28 and her husband serve and give back to the community because they have received so much.
29 She is alarmed by what the legislature is doing to education. She feels that the entire county is
30 at risk of losing quality teachers, education programs, and art programs. Though not high
31 income earners, her family supports higher taxes to support education and to fully fund the
32 schools.
33
34 Mary Faith Mount-Cors is a member of the Carrboro Elementary School Improvement
35 Team. She said her family moved here 9 years ago, and one attraction was the schools. The
36 team represents 630 students and their families, as well as 85 staff members and has
37 requested full funding for both school districts' budgets. She noted that this school is over 50
38 years old. Recently the school asked Commissioner Dorosin to speak to them in order to learn
39 more about the budget process. She asked the Board to step up and honor the community
40 commitment to quality education. She said that the manager's recommended budget is too
41 little and will not maintain existing programs and teachers. She said it does not cover the cost
42 to open Northside Elementary, despite larger class sizes and cuts to teachers and programs.
43 She said that the requested budget strives to simply maintain the status quo. She is in favor of
44 a tax increase and said this has historically happened every time a new school opens.
45
46 Jill Simon is a parent of a child in the CHCCS, a former teacher and is involved in the
47 PTA. She asked the Board to fully fund their schools' budget request and she urged the
48 consideration of any tax increases necessary to do this.
49
50 Calvin Hinkle is a 3rd grade student at Morris Grove Elementary. He said that if the
51 Board doesn't give the schools money, Spanish classes, computers and teacher assistants will
9
1 be cut. He said that the community has a choice to give the schools what they asked for and he
2 said his parents are willing to pay more taxes to fully fund the schools.
3
4 Brian Russell said he is within the walk zone of the new elementary school. He has a
5 four year old who will be attending in the future. He is interested in the communities taking care
6 of one another in both school districts. He asked the Board to increase the funding to schools,
7 rather than just keeping the status quo.
8
9 Lauren Williams thanked the Board of County Commissioners for their hard work. She is
10 a single parent, and her daughter is a rising senior who has had a wonderful education in the
11 Orange County school system. She is worried that others will not have the same education as
12 her daughter was fortunate to have had. She said she can think of no better way to spend her
13 money than to fully fund both school districts.
14
15 Laura Dougherty is a public school teacher and has two children in CHCCS. She feels it
16 is critical to fully fund the schools, and she is willing to pay more taxes to do this. She noted
17 that N.C. ranks 48th in the nation for teacher pay and per pupil spending. She said that these
18 schools need financial support.
19
20 Jamezetta Bedford is the Vice Chair of CHCCS Board of Education (BOE). She said
21 she was surprised at some of the items on the CIP at the joint board meeting, including the gym
22 at Cedar Ridge. She said she does support the auxiliary gym. She feels that both school
23 districts have robust sports offering and the extra-curricular involvement leads to better
24 academic performance. Speaking for the BOE, she said the board does not expect to be fully
25 funded when the request is submitted. The request is based on state funding and it is much
26 less than last year. She said the BOE needs the funding to open up Northside Elementary and
27 meet other needs. She said that, whatever amount the Board of County Commissioners' needs
28 to fund both school systems should be attained. She suggested a special district tax.
29
30 Bonnie Hauser said she feels that the county is too focused on new buildings, campuses
31 and facilities and is not giving enough focus to quality and effectiveness of services. She asked
32 who benefits from the stand alone library in Carrboro and the $11 million expansion to this
33 building. She said that there is much being heard from architects and designers and not
34 enough from major stakeholders and experts on the ground, including agencies, schools and
35 everyday users of County services. She asked that service, and not buildings, be made a
36 priority with stakeholders actively involved in the process. She encouraged more attention to
37 resource sharing and community based services with an explicit intention to support community
38 services. She thanked the Board for pushing back on the project at the Blackwood Farm. She
39 said there is a high amount of concern about the growing interest in a bond referendum and tax
40 increase to fund a list of capital projects that have not had serious discussion about justification
41 or urgency. She asked the Board to look into how services can be modernized, and this might
42 lead to more money being found for the schools.
43
44 Marilyn McTigue is a long time resident of Bingham Township. She expressed
45 appreciation for the Emergency Services work group that engaged the public, and she said she
46 would like the same process for library services. She said that, despite $25 million invested in
47 new libraries in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, she has to utilize two library cards and two web
48 based applications to access the full collection. She said that the Chapel Hill Public Library is
49 central to Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and she questioned the plans for the Carrboro library. She
50 noted that many rural residents travel 15 miles or more to access a library. She would like to
51 see the establishment of a library services workgroup with stakeholders from the town and
52 County to devise a seamless library services plan for the entire County. She would like to see
10
1 Commissioner Rich chair this group; and, as a dedicated library user, she would like be a
2 member.
3
4 Myra Dotson, representing the Orange County Voice, questioned the rush for a new
5 Board of County Commissioners meeting room in Hillsborough. She asked if this is a good use
6 of space and finances. She said that the Board has many meeting spaces and she asked if
7 there is an overall plan and vision for community operation that is guiding these decisions. She
8 said that the preference is for more emphasis on new styles of meetings, especially with the
9 public. She suggested meetings in the communities at locations near to the issues being
10 discussed. She said this shows respect to the public and engages them in the discussions.
11 She noted the Board's ability to broadcast every meeting and asked that work sessions, retreats
12 and public hearings be broadcast, regardless of location. She said that in this time of
13 budgetary constraint, a new Commissioner meeting room should be delayed until there is a
14 comprehensive plan for all community and county office space.
15
16 Sam Gharbo asked the Board to support the previously mentioned suggestions about
17 library services. He stressed the need for rural access to library services and suggested access
18 to the under-used Efland Community Center. He said he will apply to a library services work
19 group.
20
21 Paul Rockwell speaks for Orange County Voice. He said the group supports excellent
22 libraries, schools and social services. He expressed a willingness to pay a premium for good
23 services but not for excess buildings, campuses and facilities. He asked the Board to redirect
24 the focus away from building and more on planning better services. He asked for more
25 partnerships to build better service models and save money. He said that more should be done
26 to engage stakeholders.
27
28 Kristen Commons has three children in the CHCCS and her family is a longtime
29 proponent of education in Orange County. This is the third time she has come back to Chapel
30 Hill, and she and her husband chose to live here because of the school system. She is
31 concerned about the programming at Northside Elementary school and whether there will be
32 funding to provide programs to reach all of the children, especially those with special needs.
33 She expressed concern with dipping into the fund balance as this is not a sustainable action.
34 She asked the Board to fully fund the school's budget request to maintain the high quality of
35 education.
36
37 Markus Hoerler said he has children in CHCCS and his family came to Chapel Hill
38 because of the educational system. He asked the Board of County Commissioners to do
39 whatever can be done to fund the schools. He said that the County owes this to the children.
40
41 Rita Lui is a mother of two students in the CHCCS. She said that this County's schools
42 are among the best in the state. She asked to Board to please honor their commitment to
43 quality education. She said that the manager's recommended budget does not cover the cost
44 of opening Northside Elementary and is $4 million less than what the schools have requested.
45 She said that she is in favor of raising taxes if this is needed to provide the full funding.
46
47 Miriam Thompson has grandsons in dual language programs in the CHCCS. She said
48 she knows that the Commissioners face awesome decisions and challenges in the struggle to
49 create a budget that is inclusive of all in Orange County. She feels that residents and the Board
50 need to speak out against state cuts to public education and diminishing local power. She
51 appealed to the Board of County Commissioners for their help.
52
11
1 Rani Desi spoke on behalf of the Smith Middle School PTSA. She asked the Board to
2 fully fund both school systems, even if it requires an increase in taxes.
3
4 Victoria Templeton has children in the CHCCS. She said she has been struck by the
5 number of people saying that there is no request for "more" funding. She said everyone needs
6 to stop and look at what has been lost in the last 5 years- 4th and 5th grade caps, teacher
7 assistants, school science lab, foreign language classroom, decreased capital budgets, reduced
8 office staff, and outdated buildings and equipment. She said that, despite these conditions,
9 schools have continued to operate and perform at high levels. She said that these cuts have
10 had a damaging impact already, and now there are higher expectations with new curriculum.
11 She said that teachers are supplementing with their own money, while making less; and parents
12 are supplementing schools with supplies in larger and larger amounts. She said that the cuts
13 were initially used to improve efficiency and now it has progressed to cutting essential
14 programs. She read the district education vision statement and asked which of these visions
15 are to be cut. She said that 1 out of 4 students in the district are at risk and she strongly
16 encouraged the Board to do what is necessary to fully fund the schools.
17
18 Matthew Chamberlain has been living in Chapel Hill for 8 months and has children in
19 CHCCS. His family moved here because of the educational systems. He feels that the biggest
20 infrastructure investment the county can make is to the people in our schools, not the physical
21 buildings.
22
23 Jane Kerwin said she moved here for the education, and she re-located her family here
24 because of this. She has four children in the CHCCS and she asked the Board to keep funding
25 education.
26
27 Scott Windham has two children in the CHCCS. He said that residents know that the
28 Board of County Commissioners is not the bad guy. The state is the bad guy. He said the
29 Board needs to fully fund the schools' budget requests. He said that the schools are only
30 asking for the basics, not luxuries. He said appropriately funded schools are an investment, as
31 they turn out citizens with higher incomes who contribute more to their communities. Though he
32 is a fiscal conservative, he is asking the Commissioners to raise taxes to fund the schools.
33
34 James Easthom has two children in the school system. He asked the Board to fully fund
35 both school systems and suggested a 5 cent tax raise to do this.
36
37 James Barrett is on the CHCCS Board of Education. He said he is here speaking on his
38 own behalf tonight. He said that it has been 5 years since there has been a tax increase or a
39 per pupil funding increase. He asked the Board to please fully fund their school systems this
40 year.
41
42 Neal Haze said he took French in both high school and college. He said that there was
43 a student in his senior year college French class who was more advanced in French due to his
44 Chapel Hill school experience in foreign language. He said he supports fully funding the school
45 systems. He said the victory here is not to keep taxes from being raised, but to do whatever is
46 necessary to keep that quality education.
47
48 Chair Jacobs requested that Clarence Grier distribute the current per pupil amounts to
49 the Board members at the budget work session on June 6th
50
51 4. Adjournment of Public Hearing
52
12
1 With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 9:24 PM.
2
3
4 Barry Jacobs, Chair
5
6
7 Donna Baker
8 Clerk to the Board
1
I Attachment 3
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 BUDGET WORK SESSION
6 June 6, 2013
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on
10 Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill,
11 N.C.
12
13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon,
14 Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
15 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Mark Dorosin
16 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
17 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County Manager
18 Michael Talbert and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified
19 appropriately below)
20
21 Chair Jacobs said he wanted to have a discussion beforehand to give the Board an
22 opportunity to express their concerns and questions about the schools' budgets.
23 Commissioner Rich said she has heard a lot of passion during the public hearings, and
24 she hopes the Board can be responsive to that. She said one request that has stayed with her
25 was the request from the Jackson Center. She said this center has not requested funding
26 before, and this is a small request for an organization that does a lot of good.
27 Commissioner Gordon said she hopes something can be done about teacher assistants
28 in both school systems. She said that she has looked at information from CHCCS regarding
29 the opening of Northside. She said that the Board has historically used the district funding to
30 fund the opening of new schools, so this needs to be looked at. She said it is a very
31 challenging year, and there is no way to know all that the state legislature will do. She said the
32 Board just needs to do the best possible job with this budget.
33 Commissioner Price said she has heard a lot about the schools, and she would like to
34 provide as much funding as possible for both teachers and facilities. She is concerned about
35 some of the non-profit support services that are supplementing the work for the county, such as
36 Brush with Kindness (Habitat), after school programs, the Arts Center, and the Jackson Center.
37 She would like to see how some of these things can be supported.
38 Commissioner Pelissier said everyone is concerned with the state budget cuts, but the
39 county can't fill in all of the gaps from the state and federal governments. She feels that the
40 whole spectrum of education needs to be considered, including pre-k. She is not happy with
41 what is happening at the state level.
42 Chair Jacobs said it seems clear that the board wants to do more to support public
43 education, within certain means. He said the Board used to have a social safety net fund to
44 supplement state cuts to essential programs. He said this is what the state is doing, yet again.
45 He hopes that the Board can look at setting aside some funds to target places where people will
46 be hit hardest by changes taking place, such as the poverty levels for child care subsidies.
47 Chair Jacobs noted that Commissioner McKee will arrive late. He also noted a change
48 to the order of the agenda to accommodate commissioners who need to leave early.
49 He referred to page 122 in the Budget book as the start to the schools budget
50 discussion.
2
1
2 1. Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools
3 Ruby Pittman, CHCCS Finance Director, and James Barrett, CHCCS Board of
4 Education member, said there is no official presentation, but this is more of a question and
5 answer time.
6 Commissioner Price said the manager's recommended budget is $4 million, which is $4
7 million less than what the schools asked for. She asked for an explanation from the manager of
8 why it was cut this much. She would also like to hear from the school officials about what that
9 cut would mean.
10
11 Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:15pm.
12
13 Frank Clifton said there are several aspects with school funding. He said there is an
14 established policy that the county will try to maintain 48.1% of general fund revenues dedicated
15 to schools. He said this number goes straight to schools and includes operations, capital and
16 debt service, and the dollar distribution changes year to year.
17 He said there are also several programs in addition to this that are funded with $3
18 million in school related funds. He said that any additional allocations to schools are split based
19 on the number of students, as governed by state guidelines. He said that if the additional $3
20 million is included the percentage is closer to 49%.
21 He said there has been a 3.2% growth in revenue based on existing revenue streams
22 and the existing tax rate, which equates to just over $3 million. He said that $2.4 million of this
23 was allocated to schools, based on accommodating the growth in student numbers. He said
24 CHCCS has the district tax, which can be increased to make up for what the county does not
25 fund.
26 Frank Clifton said the key element for the Board is that there is almost no growth in the
27 tax base. This creates a choice of priorities and what to fund. He said staff did what could be
28 done within current revenue streams, and it is the Board's decision whether to do more and how
29 to address that.
30 James Barrett said the school board has not had a discussion of what programs will be
31 cut based on the current funding recommendations. He said the CHCCS budget also does not
32 include other cuts from the state; and some of these items in the budget are state mandated
33 programs, such as health and pension programs. He said the district would need to take other
34 cuts if there is no additional funding. He said there are reductions in this package that the
35 Board of Education (BOE) has already voted to take, and many of these were difficult
36 decisions. He said there has been very negative feedback regarding some of these cuts, such
37 as foreign language classes. He said the biggest mandatory expense is the Northside
38 Elementary School opening. He said that this is a critical need, and if funding for this opening
39 is insufficient, money will have to be pulled from other areas.
40 Commissioner Rich questioned why the county would build a school without being
41 prepared to fund the opening. She said she was with a group of people that did not come to
42 the public hearing and these residents were not in favor of raising taxes. She said this is
43 because these residents cannot afford it. She said the Board needs to look at what can be
44 done without hurting residents. She feels it is important to look at what can be done to support
45 the opening of the school.
46 Commissioner McKee said he is hearing the same thing about holding the line on the
47 general property tax. He believes there is room to accommodate the basic needs without a tax
48 increase.
49 Commissioner Rich said she is not necessarily saying that the Board shouldn't raise
50 taxes, but it needs to be balanced out and not just a reaction to passions.
3
1 Commissioner Pelissier said one of the things that concerns her is that the CHCCS's
2 request is so much higher than the OCS request, even considering the difference in student
3 numbers. She said that if more is given to CHCCS, it may result is OCS being given more than
4 was requested. She said this has to be weighed out, especially in the face of Northside
5 opening.
6 Commissioner Gordon said there is a precedent for opening CHCCS schools using the
7 district tax, and this should not be discounted as a possibility. She said the voters support that.
8 She noted that voters in the CHCCS district voted for a district tax, whereas OCS voted against
9 one in 2005. She said it may be possible to move money around, and this can be looked at, but
10 there is no way to know and the needs are large.
11 Commissioner Price said, as much as she believes in a strong school system, she does
12 not want to raise taxes. She said that the poverty level is growing in Orange County, and the
13 cost of living is so high that residents are moving to Durham and Alamance County. She said
14 raising taxes should not be the first choice, and the option of moving money around should be
15 examined. She said that the people who showed up at the public hearing in favor of a tax
16 increase are the people who have cars and the time to attend the meeting. She noted that
17 there are many residents without the time or transportation, and these same people feel their
18 opinion does not hold weight.
19 Chair Jacobs said he does not feel there is a need to raise the county wide property tax
20 in order to fund the schools; that is why the district tax is there. He said a lot of what goes on
21 during this time of year is like a dance. People aim high and ask high. The manager aims low,
22 so the Board looks good when the funding is higher. He asked how much would be necessary
23 to restore teacher assistant positions.
24 Ruby Pittman said the budget cut is $1.3 million in teacher assistants, or 35-37
25 positions.
26 Chair Jacobs said there are different interpretations of fund balances for school systems.
27 He referenced an amendment on page 17 in the agenda tonight, in which the school system
28 explains why there is no excess fund balance that can be applied.
29 Frank Clifton said staff uses the reported numbers from the schools. He said each year
30 the number that is applied is the number that the schools report to the state. He said this is all
31 the staff has until adjustments are made.
32 Chair Jacobs said this means that the school's letter reflects different numbers,
33 subsequent to the numbers submitted to the state.
34 James Barrett said the allocation of$3.2 million for next fiscal year is included in the
35 budget that is already passed.
36 Paul Laughton said the letter shows the appropriation from this year, and the county takes
37 the audited number. He said the county looks at the policy of the percent of minimum needed,
38 which is 5.5% for CHCCS and 3% for OCS. He said this is where the Board saw the estimated
39 excess above the established minimum.
40 Frank Clifton said the Board of County Commissioners has no control over how money is
41 allocated from the schools to their services. He said the Board tries to make sure the County
42 fund balance is at an appropriate level, so that the debt can be sold and stability can be
43 established. He said that there is also a small amount of excess flexible money included in the
44 budget.
45 Paul Laughton referred to the 48.1% target mentioned by the manager. He said there are
46 5 components that control that. These components are: current expense, recurring capital,
47 long range capital, debt service, and fair funding. He said the debt service is about $1.3m more
48 than last year and that falls into the component of the 48.1%. He reviewed an excel sheet and
49 clarified some of the distributions.
4
1 Chair Jacobs clarified that $1.6 million is approximately 1 cent on the county property tax.
2 He referred to an excel sheet that tracks funding for the past 25 years and shows that per pupil
3 funding over this time has either stayed the same or gone up.
4 Commissioner Gordon questioned how the capital will be handled. She said that what
5 was presented in the budget document was not complete. She asked if all of the things in the
6 CIP will be in the budget somehow.
7 Paul Laughton said all of the revisions to the CIP are adjusted in their packet agenda,
8 including a summary.
9
10 Orange County Schools
11 Vice Chair Steve Halkiotis said some things never change, and education is still one of
12 the most important functions of democratic government. He said that these schools are
13 important to the community, and they have high cost. He said much of this cost must be met
14 from County revenue. He understands this is a difficult process, and there are many services
15 and agencies that need to be funded. He is here to advocate for students and teachers in the
16 Orange County School (OCS) district who will suffer when the state legislature chops up the
17 school funding. He listed the many proposals that may impact revenue and he referenced the
18 possibility of re-segregation, lack of pay increase, increased class size, and fewer teacher
19 assistants. He said that the OCS request for additional County appropriation is quite modest.
20 He noted that the free and reduced lunch number has now crossed over the 40% threshold,
21 which is a first for Orange County. He said the school systems continue to receive punishing
22 blows, as legislators fail to recognize that it costs far less to educate a child than to house an
23 inmate in prison or on death row. He said he cares for all of the students in Orange County and
24 he hopes the Board will better the modest manager recommendation.
25
26 Patrick Rhodes reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
27
28 Orange County Board of Education Budget Request Highlights 2013-2014
29
30 Return on Investment
31 ✓ Successful 1 to 1 laptop initiative (6-12)
32 ✓ Narrowed Achievement Gaps
33 ✓ Ranked 4th in the state on the combined A.C.T. scores for the 2011-12 junior class
34 ✓ Engineering is Elementary STEM program at Central Elementary School
35 ✓ Strong community support and partnerships
36
37 OCS Per-Pupil Funding Rankings*
38 ✓ Local Funding 4th
39 ✓ State Funding 79th
40 ✓ Federal Funding 107th
41 ✓ Total Funding 39th
42 North Carolina ranks 47th in the nation
43
44 Revenue Sources for 2012-13 (Pie Chart)
45
46 2013-14 Budget Drivers
47 Unknowns
48 ✓ Virtual Charters
49 ✓ School Vouchers
50 ✓ Changes in the allotment system
5
1 ✓ Level of state funding
2
3 County Student Enrollment Projection 2013-14
4 NC DPI Certified Students 7,501
5 Less Out-of-District Students 89
6 Plus Charter School Students 254
7 Total Projected by the BOCC 7,666
8 Projected Enrollment Increase: 81
9
10 Student Eligibility for Free and Reduced lunch (Bar graph)
11
12 Impact of Federal Sequestration on OCS Programs
13 ✓ Title 1 $46,559
14 ✓ Title 11 $11,200
15 ✓ Title 111 $2,829
16 ✓ IDEA $95,420
17 ✓ Career/Tech $3,705
18 ✓ 21 st Century $10,600
19 Total Reduction: $170,313
20
21 State per Pupil Funding (Bar Graph)
22
23 Comparison of State Funding* (Bar Graph)
24
25 Funding Reductions from the Proposed Budgets
26 ✓ Governor's budget reduces funding for 27 $879,213
27 Teacher Assistants
28 ✓ Senate's budget reduces funding for 33 $1,074,594
29 Teaching Assistants
30
31 Request for Additional County Appropriation
32 ✓ Reduction of 27 Teaching Assistants $879,213
33 ✓ Local school safety appropriation $220,000
34 ✓ Reading teacher at Central E.S. $55,000
35 ✓ Pre-K itinerant E.C. teacher $55,000
36 Total Request $1,209,213
37
38 Priority Uses for Fund Balance
39 ✓ Orange High School $1-1.25 million
40 steam line replacement
41 ✓ Initial implementation of $1-1.8 million
42 Security study Recommendations
43 ✓ Activity Bus Replacement $500,000
44 Total: $2.5-3.6 million
45
46
47 Commissioner McKee asked for clarification on the County's fund balance.
48 Paul Laughton said the projected number for June 30th keeps the balance right at the
49 17% goal and policy.
6
1 Commissioner McKee asked at what point this number would adversely affect their
2 credit rating.
3 Paul Laughton said the policy is reviewed by the LGC very carefully. He said that if the
4 percentage falls just a little it may not have an effect in the short term, but it may affect the long
5 term. He said the main concern is not to jeopardize their AAA rating. He said the desire is to
6 stay at the 17%.
7 Commissioner McKee asked what 1% on fund balance will equal in dollars.
8 Paul Laughton said 17% puts the number at $32 million in fund balance. He said the
9 Board needs to be mindful that revenues don't come in until later in the year, and that fund
10 balance is used to pay monthly capital to the schools and to pay bills.
11 Commissioner McKee said that the 17% represents 3 months of revenue, and Paul
12 Laughton agreed.
13 Commissioner Price said that part of the reason the budget is decreased is the nutrition
14 services number. She noted that the school board is requesting $37,800 and the county
15 recommendation is $8000. She asked what will happen with this.
16 Paul Laughton said this is the school system's budget, not the County's.
17 Patrick Rhodes said no cuts are being made to school nutrition services. He said there
18 were some changes made in Federal appropriation to reflect that, and this means less local
19 funding has to be appropriated.
20 Steve Halkiotis said their child nutrition is self sustaining and has been showing a profit
21 for the past several years.
22 Chair Jacobs referred to the $900,000 to replace teacher assistants and compared this
23 to Steve Halkiotis' mention of a certain number of teacher assistants that could be replaced.
24 He asked for clarification on whether this is included in the $900,000.
25 Vice Chair Halkiotis said the board is simply looking at scenarios in order to hold on to
26 their teacher assistants, even if it means cutting hours. He said efforts are being made to keep
27 these assistants employed.
28 Commissioner Rich left at 7:59.
29
30 Durham Technical Community College (DTCC)
31 Penny Gluck said there is no formal presentation, but she and Robert Keeney are here
32 to answer questions. She said there is a lot of excitement about the higher enrollment at their
33 Orange County Durham Tech campus. She said enrollment is up by over 74% this year, and
34 there has been an 83% increase in curriculum course offerings. She said DTCC is here this
35 evening to ask for a modest increase
36 Robert Keeny brings greetings from Durham Tech's President Ingram, who was unable
37 to attend.
38 Commissioner Price said she had attended the graduation ceremonies at DTCC and the
39 excitement was remarkable. She said it is evident that a lot of good work is happening.
40 Chair Jacobs said the Board is very pleased to have a DTCC campus in Orange County.
41
42 Chair Jacobs asked about the page number order and why this is not in alphabetical
43 order and with page numbers. He noted page numbers for the remaining discussion items.
44 Paul Laughton said elected officials are usually listed first, and then it should go in
45 alphabetical order after that, with a few exceptions.
46
47 2. Sportsplex
48
49 Budget Highlights
50 • Budgeted program revenues for FY 2013-14 are projected at a 9.2% increase over
7
1 budgeted FY 2012-13 revenues, and program expenditures are budgeted at a 4.2%
2 increase when compared with the FY 2012-13 budget.
3 • Capital improvements to the building will be required in FY 2013-14 due to the age of the
4 facility; a detailed list of these improvements is included in the FY 2013-18 Capital
5 Investment Plan.
6 • The $360,000 reflected Capital Outlay in the FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget
7 represents anticipated surplus revenue that will be held in a reserve account for future
8 repairs/replacement.
9 • Offsetting revenues include the Transfer from the General Fund to cover the annual debt
10 service on the building. The Transfer from the General Fund for FY 2013-14 is $376,450.
11
12 Paul Laughton referred to page 268 of the abstract, as well as attachment E. He
13 reviewed the additional information listed in the abstract line item breakdown, major programs
14 and revenues/expenses. He noted the Sportsplex is looking at about a 9.2% increase in overall
15 revenues next year and a 4.2% increase in expenses. He said the ice rink has been a major
16 source of revenue increase, as well as the Kidsplex afterschool programs and the fitness
17 programs.
18 John Stock said that a recent forecast showed year-to-date operations line up remarkably
19 well with the budget. He said the facility is beginning to get into some capacity concerns that
20 may affect increasing revenues. He said the 4% increase in expenses is partly due to some
21 unplanned expenditures that included $60,000 for a new compressor, the purchase of a new
22 server and design for a new website. He said that these would normally be CIP items, but
23 because they were unbudgeted, these were paid for out of operating expenses.
24 He said that, after years of 10% annual growth, there has been a slowdown. He said the
25 lobby expansion will allow more flexibility for exercise classes and for Kidsplex. He said there
26 are some aggressive numbers in the CIP. He said the facility is doing its job well and the
27 community is responding to this and driving this growth.
28 John Stock said that some of the key areas of need are for the afterschool, senior and
29 young family programs. He said the facility is open 360 days a year from 5:30 AM until just
30 past midnight, regardless of weather. He said the lobby expansion will pay for itself in terms of
31 more membership. He said that the proposed new turf is to be used, not only for sports, but as
32 a walking area for seniors as well. He said there are child development programs that also use
33 the turf and cater to children as young as 18 months.
34 He reviewed some of the growing programs, including soccer training. He said the center
35 provides a unique perspective on the business of sports. He reviewed several consulting
36 partnerships with other companies.
37 Chair Jacobs said the Board appreciates the Sportsplex and said it is popular with the
38 staff.
39
40 3. County Departments
41
42 Paul Laughton said that the budget and management heads for each department will
43 handle introductions as well as a brief highlight of budget drivers for the next year. He said this
44 will be followed by elaboration from the department heads.
45
46 Register of Deeds
47 page 237
48
49 Budget Highlights
8
1 The increase in Revenues, both in the 12 Month Estimate and in the FY 2013-14
2 Manager Recommended Budget, is due to an increase in recordings from re-financing
3 as well as increased building activity.
4
5 Darryl Butts reviewed the increase in revenues. He said this is primarily due to an
6 increase in excise stamp fees and register of deeds fees, as well as increase in marriage
7 license fees. He said much of the increase is also due to increases in re-financing or building
8 activity. He said there was no requested capital outlay in this budget.
9 Register of Deeds Deborah Brooks thanked the Commissioners and the manager for
10 their efforts.
11 Commissioner McKee noted the lack of request for any capital outlay. He asked about
12 the department's dependence on technology and asked if there was a good comfort level with
13 this.
14 Paul Laughton said there is an automation enhancement fund in the Capital Project fund and
15 this puts 10 percent of revenues into a technology fund for enhancements.
16 Chair Jacobs referred to the last item on the second page and asked if the increase in
17 stamps is a result of re-financing and increased building activity.
18 Frank Clifton said this is mostly due to re-financing.
19 Chair Jacobs noted that there was a period where there were no projected increases in
20 revenue.
21
22 Sheriff
23 page 240
24
25 Budget Highlights
26 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase of$184,469 in
27 Temporary Personnel due to budgeting for seven (7) Reserve Deputies in Orange
28 County Schools (OCS), which is completely offset by reimbursement revenues from
29 OCS.
30 • The increase in Operations is due to a $.05/mile surcharge in Motor Pool for future
31 vehicle replacement within a separate Internal Service Fund; all other Operational
32 accounts remain budgeted the same as in FY 2012-13.
33
34 Paul Laughton thanked the Sheriff for holding the line on operations. He noted that the
35 increase is due to the surcharge for departments, and this will be done on a three year phase-in
36 that will increase to $.10. He said the $.05/mile brings in about $150,000.
37 Sheriff Pendergrass said he feels good about the budget, and if the reserve deputies
38 can be placed at the schools, that would be good for safety.
39 Commissioner McKee said that vehicles are the department's main expense and he
40 asked if the sheriff is good on his vehicles.
41 Sheriff Pendergrass said there are 6 vehicles on order and there will be 6 more next
42 year.
43 Paul Laughton said the vehicle replacement program will be discussed on June 11.
44 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to know more about the School Resource
45 Officers.
46 Sheriff Pendergrass said, back in December, after the Sandy Hook incident, he put
47 SROs in every school. He said the County has a plan for 7 reserves who will be working in the
48 schools, not as security officers. These officers will be teaching a child abuse reduction
49 education program in every one of the elementary school classrooms. He said all of these
50 officers are certified, sworn, law enforcement officers.
9
1 Commissioner Gordon asked if this is different from School Resource Officers (SROs),
2 which were discussed in at the budget session in May. She said the information at that meeting
3 said the Sheriff's office would provide SRO's for the middle and high schools. She reviewed the
4 numbers from this proposal.
5 Sheriff Pendergrass said these officers are on an hourly rate and benefits are not being
6 put forth because these are retired officers.
7 Commissioner Gordon asked if this provides SRO coverage for all of the schools in
8 OCS.
9 Sheriff Pendergrass said yes. He said all of the County schools will have coverage, but
10 not the Chapel Hill or Carrboro schools. He said Orange High school has two deputies, so
11 there is a backup for Cedar Ridge.
12 Commissioner Price asked if there are any obstacles with the jail facility improvements
13 or the new jail. She also asked for an update on the shutdown of the Orange County
14 Correctional facility.
15 Sheriff Pendergrass said he is not sure if this new facility is ready to happen, and he is
16 holding his breath on this. He said there is a brand new unit that is capable of holding 800
17 people.
18 Commissioner Price complimented the Sheriff and his department for their efforts in the
19 County.
20 Commissioner Gordon also expressed her thanks.
21 Chair Jacobs referenced Hillsborough Police Department's desire to start a program in
22 elementary schools for security, and he asked how this affects the deputies.
23 Sheriff Pendergrass said, if Hillsborough is able to get a grant for this program, there
24 would be two officers working three schools- Cameron Park, Central and Hillsborough
25 Elementary. He said that this would be the choice of the Police Department and the school
26 board. He said the Sheriff's department would still have one person in each school. He said
27 the safety and welfare of these children is very important to him and the rest of the department.
28 Chair Jacobs said the Board appreciates the Sheriff's cost conscious efforts. He also
29 complimented the sheriff and his staff for being non- threatening and approachable. He said
30 this is a strength of the sheriff's leadership.
31 Sheriff Pendergrass said the philosophy of his department is to treat everyone how you
32 would like to be treated.
33 Frank Clifton said one of the ways the staff balances the budget is evident if you look at
34 the department request of$10 million and the budget amount of$9 million. He said the $10
35 million represents the full funding of operations for the entire year, including adding staff
36 positions. He said that these people are phased in. He said that the $9.2 million will be the
37 operating budget for the coming year, but by July of next year the operating budget will be
38 $10.2 million when all staff positions are filled.
39
40 Emergency Services
41 page 125
42
43 Administrative Services:
44 Budget Highlights
45 • The Capital Outlay for FY 2013-14 includes $16,000 for the third year of a three year
46 program to purchase and install AED's in County facilities, and $1,975 for a door card
47 access system.
48 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes full year funding for a Radio
49 Systems Technician position (1.0 FTE) approved in November 2012.
10
1 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes $27,300 in Contract
2 Services for the installation of HVAC systems currently in stock to provide back up to
3 9 1-1 Center and Emergency Operations Center (EOC,) in the event of equipment or
4 power failure. Additional system will be installed in the warehouse to regulate
5 temperature.
6 The "sitdown" forklift that was purchased with the 510 Meadowlands building no longer
7 functions and is not serviceable, given its age. Without a replacement, Emergency
8 Services is not able to unload delivery trucks, which is a critical function during Strategic
9 National Stockpile distributions and disaster operations. The current forklift is not rated
10 at an appropriate weight capacity to serve the needs of the Emergency Services/the
11 county; the new forklift offers additional weight capacity to ensure that ES can fulfill
12 loading/unloading needs during normal and disaster operations. A lease option of
13 $4,167 is included in the FY
14 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget.
15 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes additional funds of$22, 125
16 for uniforms for additional staff and re-branding the entire department.
17
18 Life Safety Division:
19 Budget Highlights
20 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes Capital Outlay funds of
21 $26,835 for a Fire Extinguisher Training System, which will make fire extinguisher
22 training safer for trainees and more cost effective, as well as the replacement of a
23 current fit testing machine and fit testing cards, and includes a computer and printer to
24 allow more portable fit testing for all emergency responders.
25 Includes full year funding of the Fire Marshal position that was budgeted in FY 2012-13
26 for six (6) months (starting January 1, 2013)
27
28 Communications Division:
29 Budget Highlights:
30 • Consistent with the Comprehensive Assessment of EMS and 9-1-1/Communications
31 Center Operations Study, the FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes
32 four new (4.0 FTEs) Telecom municator positions and one new (1.0 FTE) Quality
33 Assurance/Training Officer position, effective January 1, 2014
34 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget also includes full year funding of two
35 (2.0 FTE) Telecom municator which started January 1, 2013, and full year funding of a
36 Quality Assurance/Training Officer position (1.0 FTE) approved in November 2012.
37 • Includes increases in Overtime funding of$92,986 to meet Fair Labor Standards Act
38 (FLSA) and for new positions.
39 • The decrease in Operations for FY 2013-14 is due to moving the Motorola maintenance
40 to the 9-1-1 Fund ($37,000), and not budgeting for the Narrowbanding project ($14,800)
41 which was completed in FY 2012-13.
42 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes Capital Outlay funding of
43 $14,797 for a paging encoder to use as a backup in the event of a 9-1-1 Center failure,
44 the purchase 4 desktop computers for the 9-1-1 Center, as well as an interactive
45 situational awareness monitor.
46
47 Emergency Medical Services Division
48 Budget Highlights
11
1 • Consistent with the Comprehensive Assessment Study of EMS, the FY 2013-14
2 Manager Recommended Budget includes four (4.0 FTEs) EMS Assistant Supervisor
3 positions, effective January 1, 2014.
4 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget also includes full year funding of 6.0
5 FTE Paramedic positions that were budgeted for nine (9) months in FY 2012-13.
6 • An increase in Overtime of$143,559 is budgeted in FY 2013-14 to comply with the Fair
7 Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the change in the work schedule from 24 hour shifts to
8 12 hour shifts.
9 Emergency Services requested the replacement of 14 LIFEPAK®15's in FY 2013-14
10 $528,458 to accommodate nine active EMS units, two EMS Supervisors, leaving seven
11 units for use at special events, equipment service and to ensure sufficient equipment
12 availability should failures occur. These LIFEPAKs are scheduled to be debt financed
13 during FY 2013-14.
14 Emergency Services is recommending the continued utilization of Target Solutions, on
15 line EMS continuing education software to allow EMS providers to train while on duty
16 and to reduce the number of face to face training hours. In addition this allows for
17 greater performance tracking that is needed to maintain records for state compliance.
18
19 Darryl Butts said there are nine new full time employees in the above recommended
20 budget and all of them are recommended to start on January 1St. He said there is also full year
21 funding coming on for staff members not previously fully funded. He said there are some
22 overtime increases being implemented. He reviewed the other budget highlights.
23 Jim Groves said the re-branding is because the staff currently wears bright orange t-
24 shirts, and this causes a lot of heckling. He said the re-branding is to get the dress in line with
25 core values. He said the goal is to have staff in polo shirts by the first part of the year, as well
26 as switching to a "hard shirt" with a badge and patch to designate position. He said the goal is
27 to make sure the public knows that this is a professional organization.
28 Darryl Butts said there are areas of decrease in the communications division.
29 Commissioner Price asked about the new shirt color.
30 Jim Groves said the EMTs and paramedics will wear gray.
31 Commissioner Price referred to the capital outlay information on page 125 and said the
32 manager recommended less. She asked if this is regarding the change to the ambulance.
33 Darryl Butts said this change is due to the request of 14 Iifepaks, which are actually
34 debt financed.
35 Paul Laughton said this will be brought back to the Board in the late fall.
36 Commissioner Price clarified that this budget is satisfactory from standpoint of being
37 equipped for safety.
38 Jim Groves said the department has these Iifepaks, though they will need to be replaced
39 in the coming year. The current 14 will continue to have capability.
40 Paul Laughton said this will be part of the fall financing package, along with the vehicle
41 financing.
42 Chair Jacobs asked if EMS had finished deploying all of the defibrillators in the facilities.
43 Jim Groves said this was still happening, and he would check on it and get back to the
44 Board.
45 Chair Jacobs said he was confused by the addition of 6 telecommunicators and how this
46 relates to the increase in overtime.
47 Jim Groves said since the these employees do shift work that is over 40 hours per
48 week, and overtime is built in. He said the more staff involved, the bigger the increase in
49 overtime.
12
1 Frank Clifton said these people work 12 hour shifts and then have built in overtime per
2 week. He said the pay is done according to federal law.
3 Chair Jacobs asked if the earlier overtime for Emergency Services was to fill in for
4 vacant positions.
5 Frank Clifton said everyone works the staggered shift and everyone has some overtime
6 built in. He said that if someone is out, then another employee has to be paid overtime to fill in.
7 He said that more staff helps balance the overtime. He said that if everyone worked a 40 hour
8 work week, there would be more employees and more benefits; so overtime keeps overall
9 operating cost lower.
10 Chair Jacobs said this just seems counterintuitive.
11 Frank Clifton said the number of overtime hours for substitutes is analyzed, and at some
12 point it makes more sense to hire a position.
13 Commissioner Gordon said it is helpful to have a chart that includes all of the new
14 positions.
15 Paul Laughton said this chart is available on page 31 and 32.
16 Chair Jacobs said, in the past, the County adopted a policy about overtime, and it was
17 tracked through temp and overtime hours. He hopes the County is not going backwards and
18 hiring temporary workers to avoid paying benefits.
19
20 Solid Waste (including Fee Schedule change requests and Non-Departmental items)
21 257 ( p. 186-87 and pages 358-59)
22
23 Budget Highlights
24 The difference in the FY 2013-14 Department Request and the Manager Recommended
25 budgeted amounts within the Environmental Support division relates to the Charges by
26 the General Fund to Solid Waste for the cost of a position within Tax Administration
27 dedicated to 3R fee collections and the 50% cost of a position in the Planning
28 Department for work on the Regulated Recycling Materials Ordinance. The department
29 had eliminated these costs of$74,401 from their request, but they were added back in
30 the Manager Recommended Budget.
31 The Capital Outlay of$11,661 in FY 2013-14 is for the replacement of an air
32 compressor.
33 Continue to fund the planning, education and preparation for ongoing improvements at
34 convenience centers and other programmatic changes per BOCC.
35 Continue to conduct enforcement of littering, illegal dumping, licensing and other county
36 solid waste ordinance.
37 Implement closure procedures of MSW Landfill consistent with BOCC's closure
38 decision and applicable State regulations. Dispose of surplus MSW equipment and
39 vehicles once closure is completed.
40 Complete organizational restructuring per an approved reduction in force.
41 Landfill hours of operation proposed to be reduced six hours per week due to staff
42 reductions. The MSW Landfill closes on June 30, 2013.
43 With the MSW Landfill closing, the FY 2013-14 Budget includes the elimination of 2
44 vacant positions (Landfill Equipment Operator and Landfill Inspector); elimination of 1
45 position upon the June 30, 2013 retirement of incumbent (Weighmaster), as well as
46 moving 2.0 FTE Landfill Equipment Operator positions from the Landfill division to the
47 Recycling division. Also, there are an additional 2.0 FTE Landfill Equipment Operator
48 positions that are only budgeted for partial year, one through 8/31/13 and one through
49 9/30/13.
13
1 • Non-Permanent Personnel is reduced by $56,262 due to the closing of the MSW
2 Landfill.
3 • Capital Outlay of$3,292,149 for FY 2013-14 includes the costs for the Landfill closure
4 • Transfer recycling programs previously funded through the MSW landfill to Recycling
5 Division.
6 0 Initiate a mattress recycling program on current landfill property, funded through a
7 special waste tipping fee of$10.00 per piece. Anticipated revenue from this new fee is
8 $25,500 in FY 2013-14.
9
10 Landfill:
11 Budget Highlights:
12 • The increase in Personnel Services in FY 2013-14 includes the transfer of 2.0 FTE
13 Landfill Equipment Operator positions from the Landfill division to Recycling, and an
14 increase of$20,245 in Non-Permanent Personnel that was previously funded in the
15 Landfill division.
16 • The increase in Operations in FY 2013-14 within this division includes increases in
17 Equipment and Vehicle Supplies and Repairs due to equipment transferred from Landfill
18 to Recycling.
19 • Capital Outlay funds of$76,246 include the replacement of a trailer of hauling
20 recyclables.
21 • The decrease in Revenues in FY 2013-14 is mostly attributed to the elimination of the
22 3R Fee tiers (Urban, Rural, and Multi-family)
23 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in the 3R Basic
24 Fee from $37.00 to $47.00, effective July 1, 2013. This is anticipated to generate
25 $591,757 in additional revenue in FY 2013-14.
26 • Saved an estimated $112,000 in urban curbside recycling contract costs by transitioning
27 the program to single stream collection in FY 12-13.
28 • Worked with UNC to have them take over the funding of their food waste programs on
29 campus saving the County an estimated $44,000 in food waste/compost contract costs
30 in FY 12-13.
31 • Started to sell used oil to market with estimated revenue of$18,000 in FY 12-13.
32 • Entered a new Household Hazardous Waste disposal and recycling contract in FY 12-13
33 saving an estimated $20,000 in contract expenditures.
34
35 Sanitation Division:
36 Budget Highlights:
37 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes two new .625 FTE
38 Convenience Center Operator positions to cover additional hours for two district Solid
39 Waste Convenience Centers (Eubanks Road and Walnut Grove Church Road SWCCs.
40 It also includes the increase of a total of .750 FTEs for four current Convenience Center
41 Operators to handle these increased hours of operation.
42 The increase in Operations in FY 2013-14 in Sanitation is mostly attributed to an
43 increase in debt service payments for the SWCC improvement projects, and due to
44 additional vehicle maintenance and supplies costs associated with hauling solid waste to
45 the Durham Transfer Station.
46 Continuation of the SWCC Improvements Project by implementing Phase II of the Solid
47 Waste Convenience Center Improvements at the Eubanks Road Center.
48 The Capital Outlay in FY 2013-14 includes the replacement of one Skid Steer of
49 $36,363 and Design work costs of$150,000 related to the Eubanks Road Solid Waste
14
1 Convenience Center (SWCC). The department requested $197,282 for the replacement
2 of a hook lift collection vehicle, but this is not included in the Manager Recommended
3 Budget for FY 2013-14.
4 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an Increase in the Sanitation
5 household fee (Multi-family from $2 to $4, Urban from $10 to $20 and Rural from $20 to
6 $40) to partially fund SWCC improvements, hauling to the Durham Transfer Station and
7 the expanded hours on Thursdays at the Walnut Grove and Eubanks Road SWCCs.
8 These fee increases are consistent with the phased in process to transition the
9 Sanitation division from being fully funded by the General Fund to being funded
10 eventually by the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund.
11 Expand operational hours at the Walnut Grove and Eubanks Road SWCCs by opening
12 on Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. effective Thursday, September 5, 2013.
13 The General Fund contribution to Sanitation for FY 2013-14 is $1,869,496; this
14 represents an increase of$275,270 from FY 2012-13.
15
16 Frank Clifton said, with the closure of landfill, the department decided to add another
17 day to the solid waste convenience centers. He said the current proposal has convenience
18 centers closed on Wednesdays only and re-opens the centers on Thursday.
19 Darryl Butts reviewed the budget highlights listed above.
20 Frank Clifton said the landfill reserve fund is being used for one year of operating cost.
21 Darryl Butts said the general fund contribution for FY14 is $1.8 million, which is
22 $275,000 over FY13.
23 Gayle Wilson said the budget preparation process has become more efficient over the
24 past 8-10 years. He said the solid waste department is going through multiple transitions at this
25 time, with 3R fees and the landfill closing. He said staff hopes to re-stabilize operations and
26 finances in the next couple of years and come out better than before. He said it has been 6
27 years since the basic 3r fee has been increased. He said the budget proposed for next year is
28 10% less than this present year. He said efforts are being made to minimize the impact of this
29 current financial storm.
30 Commissioner Pelissier asked about the increase in the household fee. She said it is
31 important to make it clear that the Board of County Commissioners has voted on this before,
32 and it is a planned increase. She asked if this is the last planned increase.
33 Gayle Wilson said the increase started out low and the Board's goal was to gradually
34 increase it with a corresponding decrease in general fund contributions.
35 Commissioner Price said the Board had asked for a meeting with the small haulers, and
36 she would like to know the results of this. She questioned, if small haulers are allowed, how
37 this will affect their revenues.
38 Gayle Wilson said he met with the private hauler from Efland, and he understood her
39 questions and concerns. He has not heard back from her or any of the other haulers. He said
40 staff did an evaluation in-house of what that impact would be, and a report has not been
41 produced yet.
42 Commissioner Price said she does not want to see these small haulers go out of
43 business.
44 Chair Jacobs said the Board could contact the private haulers for a meeting and give
45 them a draft report to look over, and then report back to the Board of County Commissioners
46 Gayle Wilson said this could be done over time. He said he thinks most haulers have
47 probably found a resolution, and this is why none have contacted him.
48 Frank Clifton said many are likely using other landfills or convenience centers. He said
49 even if these small haulers are worked with, it will likely not factor into the bottom line of the
50 budget.
15
1 Commissioner Price said her concern is that it is deleted in the fee schedule.
2 Frank Clifton said a fee was not created. He said it would likely end up being an
3 agreement with the individual hauler, and the established fee would come before the Board for
4 approval.
5 Commissioner Price asked where the haulers would go if this budget is passed as is.
6 Gayle Wilson said the current policy does not allow small haulers to use convenience
7 centers. He said the new site and concept are not designed for commercial loads. He said he
8 spoke with DENR, and he was told that if commercial loads are accepted at convenience
9 centers, these centers will likely have to be permitted as transfer stations. He said there are
10 significant regulatory issues with this.
11 Commissioner Price said she has also spoken with the Efland Trash Service owner, and
12 she does not feel that these haulers have commercial size loads. She said these are not much
13 larger than a normal load. She asked for staff follow up on this issue.
14 Chair Jacobs asked Gayle Wilson to contact known haulers to see where their waste is
15 being taken and how many people are being served; and then talk with them about state
16 regulations. He asked for the results of this to be brought back to Board of County
17 Commissioners.
18 Commissioner McKee said, with the closing of landfill and the transfer of two employees
19 to recycling, he assumes it is taking more employees to operate that site.
20 Gayle Wilson said due to size of the site, there have been three instead of two
21 employees. He hopes that once residents are trained in use, the staff can be cut down to two.
22 Commissioner McKee said the biggest problem he has with this proposal is the increase
23 of the sanitation household fee. He asked why urban had a $10 increase and rural had a $20
24 increase.
25 Gayle Wilson said the rural residents use the convenience centers more than urban
26 residents, so this was reflected in the fee difference.
27 He said he is willing to look at this again, but he feels this is a fair spread based on past
28 studies regarding use.
29 Commissioner McKee said all residents do not get the same amount of services for their
30 tax dollars. He said a fee is a tax by a different means. He said there seems to be a
31 disproportionate slant against the rural population.
32 Gayle Wilson said staff feels it is proportionate.
33 Chair Jacobs referred to the 2013-14 objectives and the captured percentage numbers
34 for household waste, plastic, and food waste. He asked if there is an objective of capturing a
35 certain percentage of food waste.
36 Gayle Wilson said this is so new and unique that it would have been a guess. He said
37 staff would like to have a year of experience before making projections.
38 Chair Jacobs said there was an objective regarding regional composting. He hopes the
39 county can get to a place of doing its own local food composting in a closed loop system.
40 Gayle Wilson said staff has given this a lot of thought and there are plans to include
41 food waste at the Eubanks site. He said the problem with composting is the need for a proper
42 place to do it. He said siting issues have brought down many good ideas.
43 Chair Jacobs said he hopes the department has learned from the Walnut Grove
44 experience and can apply this at the Eubanks Convenience Center. He asked for examples of
45 this.
46 Gayle Wilson said one lesson learned is with regard to the the concrete pad. He said
47 these were not made long enough and had to be lengthened; so the pads will be made longer
48 at Eubanks. He said there were some water issues with the canopies that cover sheds, and
49 staff now knows that gutters need to be added to these. He said there will also be a need to
50 address some issues with attendants and how things are grouped together in the new center.
16
1 Commissioner McKee said a citizen had approached him with complimentary words
2 about the new convenience centers.
3
4 Asset Management Services (AMS)
5 page 55
6
7 Budget Highlights
8 • Decreases in Personnel Services for FY 2013-14 is related to the transfer of an Asset
9 Management Coordinator position to Finance and Administrative Services and the
10 transfer of a Facilities Maintenance Coordinator position to the Department on Aging
11 during FY 2012-13.
12 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in Training and
13 Professional Development costs of$35,545—AMS plans to aggressively incorporate
14 skills development training in all functional areas to include technical "currency" training,
15 leadership training, advanced certifications in support of the department mission and
16 efficiency. The program also seeks to establish a foundation, culture and identifiable
17 career progression system for more confident, professional, entrepreneurial, and loyal
18 employees dedicated to supporting Orange County government.
19 Mandated energy costs —Asset Management Services has budgeted for Duke Energy's
20 requested 10% rate increase for electricity and the natural gas industry-projected
21 increase of 10% from current low rates, for FY 13-14. Despite these rate increases, the
22 overall utility budget request includes an increase of less than 1% in utilities due to the
23 divestiture of, and lowering of utility intensity within, certain buildings as well as
24 continued implementation of efficiency measures.
25 Vehicle replacement funds are being accumulated through the new Internal Services
26 Fund ("ISF") established in FY 2012-13. Effective July 1, 2013, an additional $.05 per
27 mile driven will inure to this fund. An estimated 3,027,000 miles will be driven County-
28 wide during FY 2013-14, equating to an estimated $151,350 in budgeted contribution to
29 the ISF.
30 For FY 2013-14, the Motor Pool division includes a cost of Personnel, Operations, and
31 Capital Outlay of$1,723,696, less the chargebacks to departments of$1,502,934 for a
32 net Motor Pool cost of$220,762. (Motor Pool division budget highlight).
33 Capital Outlay of$1,723,696, less the chargebacks to departments of$1,502,934 for a
34 net Motor Pool cost of$220,762. (Motor Pool division budget highlight).
35 For FY 2013-14, the Motor Pool division projects a decrease in unit costs for gas and
36 diesel. However, overall fuel cost will increase due to the Solid Waste Department
37 beginning to acquire diesel fuel from the County's fuel station located at the Asset
38 Management North campus. The Solid Waste Department is charged back for diesel
39 fuel acquired at this facility.
40 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes Capital Outlay funds of
41 $78,994 for the purchase of diagnostic equipment for building and system
42 troubleshooting/repair; the purchase and installation of a camera system for the Eno
43 River parking deck; the purchase of an additional heavy duty lift for servicing
44 ambulances and buses; and purchase of additional floor care machines to service high-
45 demand health care areas at Southern Human Services Center and Whitted Human
46 Services Center.
47 Reclassified an Automotive Mechanic Helper position to a Facilities Maintenance
48 Technician I during FY 2012-13, and moved the position from the Motor Pool division to
49 Custodial Services division.
50
17
1 Darryl Butts reviewed the budget highlights listed above.
2 AMS Director Jeff Thompson said the department is holding the line on personnel and
3 maintaining high quality of service through increased productivity. He said this is achieved
4 through increased training.
5 Jeff Thompson recognized the staff members responsible for keeping costs down and
6 the budget on track. He pointed out information on page 59 regarding the efficiency of
7 maintenance staff management. He said there are forecast increases in energy, and much of
8 this is related to heating and cooling, so the geothermal systems will help to offset this.
9 Chair Jacobs asked about the video recording in the parking deck and questioned if this
10 is live.
11 Jeff Thompson said this will tie into an existing system, which has a 2 week running loop
12 on a digital recorder. This will allow any suspicious events to be recorded and placed on a disk.
13
14
15 Child Support Enforcement
16 Page 84
17
18 Budget Highlights
19 2013-14 Revenues: Revenues will decrease by $195,000 due to reduced expenditure
20 reimbursements (cost allocation plan) and State incentive payments. Unemployment,
21 underemployment and an expected reduction in unemployment benefits will continue to
22 effect collections, next year.
23
24 Tonya Walton said the expenditure budget for this year totals $905,000, which is a
25 $1300 decrease. She said the $195,000 revenue loss equates to a 13% decrease. She said
26 $150,000 of that is due to a change in the cost allocation plan. This means there are reduced
27 reimbursements for incurred costs. She said there are losses in incentive payments. She said
28 that operations remain relatively flat.
29 Child Support Director Janet Sparks said that what this department does is more
30 important than ever in this tough economic environment. She appreciates the support of the
31 Board.
32 Commissioner McKee expressed his appreciation for staff efforts to take care of the
33 children in Orange County.
34 Commissioner Price asked about the $2500 in capital outlay.
35 Janet Sparks said this was for additional furnishings for the west campus; however this
36 has been removed from the budget, as it was already purchased using this year's budget.
37 Chair Jacobs asked about the rent amount in the Sawyer building.
38 Tonya Walton said this was about $50,000/year.
39 Chair Jacobs said that by moving out the department saved money on rent and freed up
40 space for another business to move in downtown.
41 Tonya Walton said she was reluctant to make the move, but that the parking deck has
42 made it much easier.
43
44 Cooperative Extension
45 Page 87
46
47 Budget Highlights
48 The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes $5,500 in Capital Outlay for
49 the replacement of a refrigerator ($1,000) and the replacement of a color work group
50 printer ($4,500).
18
1 • All employees within the Cooperative Extension Service are State employees and are
2 budgeted as contracted personnel, as per the Memorandum of Agreement with the
3 State.
4 • The $5,000 in revenue includes class fee revenue at the W.C. Breeze Family Farm; the
5 County continues to contribute $10,000 for the programs at the Breeze Farm and is
6 included within the department's operating budget.
7
8 Darryl Butts said there are relatively few changes to this budget. He reviewed the above
9 items.
10 Commissioner McKee commended them on their efforts to assist with the Breeze Farm
11 program.
12 Chair Jacobs asked if Carl Maytec had gotten a copy of the Blackwood Farm master
13 plan and he replied not yet. Chair Jacobs asked that a copy be provided to him.
14 Carl Matyec said his old position is still being held on the county side, and he is trying to
15 address that. He has tried to secure funding from other counties. He said that agriculture is a
16 very prominent business in Orange County, and it is a pleasure to work here. However, he
17 recognizes that this position is still vacant and needs to be filled. He said that many of the
18 traditional farmers are not getting as much attention as the new farmers just entering the
19 business.
20
21 Economic Development (including Non-Departmental items)
22
23 Economic Development:
24 Budget Highlights
25 Note: The Article 46 Quarter-Center Sales Tax has its own section within the budget
26 document, which outlines tax-funded economic development initiatives.
27
28 Tonya Walton said the Economic Development expenditure budget totals $392,000,
29 which is an increase of$19,000 due to some reclassification. She said there is a non-
30 departmental item on page 188 in the community and environment section. She said this is the
31 Research Triangle Regional Partnership, and there is a recommendation of$20,367, which is a
32 $207 increase. She noted that counties are now being asked to increase contributions in
33 anticipation of state reductions. In Orange County, this will amount to an additional $20,000.
34 She said the partnership states that the money will bring greater economic development
35 opportunities, but the direct benefit to Orange County is uncertain. The department is working
36 with the partnership to gain a better understanding of this, and for now the recommended figure
37 remains the same.
38 Frank Clifton said this will be brought back once all of the state changes shake out.
39 Steve Brantley said the background on the probable fee increase in membership with
40 the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) relates to the formula for calculating the
41 fee for membership. He said the county pays the same as Durham and Wake County-15 cents
42 per capita, or roughly $20,000. He said the other eleven counties pay 10 cents per capita. He
43 said the Partnership has asked Orange County to go from 15 cents to 30 cents and has asked
44 the other counties to triple and go from 10 cents to 30 cents. He said the entire region will have
45 to make a decision about this and about whether to stay in the partnership or not.
46 Commissioner Pelissier noted that staff expressed a desire to leverage tourism assets
47 to create more business. She is curious about this objective towards business recruitment.
48 Steve Brantley said the combination of agriculture economic development and tourism
49 strengths can create an agri-tourism endeavor.
19
1 Chair Jacobs requested periodic reports about economic development activity through
2 either a semi-annual or annual report.
3 Steve Brantley said he will see what can be gathered in a report, and will start providing
4 the Board with this requested information.
5 Chair Jacobs said his experience with RTRP has been that it is equally offensive and
6 insensitive as it is effective. He said he would reserve judgment until he sees the proposal.
7 Steve Brantley said there is a possibility that the State will sub out regional marketing
8 through regional partnerships. He said this would be interesting, but nothing may be known
9 about this for six months.
10 Commissioner Price said she thought that Orange County paid less than Durham and
11 Wake, and Wake has actually been subsidizing other counties.
12 Steve Brantley said the 30 cents per capita may be currently correct for Wake and
13 Durham. He said this is not divulged. He said that Wake County is capable of significant fund
14 raising through companies like Red Hat, as well as banks and power companies.
15 Frank Clifton clarified that these assessments don't necessary come from the
16 government and often come from the Chamber of Commerce or another non- governmental
17 agency. He said that Orange County does not have a large corporate base to pull from.
18 Commissioner Gordon asked if the County will get any more information about the
19 benefits from the increases in this fee.
20 Frank Clifton said this question has been asked in the face of increasing fees, but there has
21 been no answer yet.
22 Commissioner Gordon asked if this answer will come in time to impact the budget.
23 Frank Clifton said the money is not a significant dollar amount. He said this can be
24 allocated later in the fiscal year out of the quarter cent sales tax fund
25 Tonya Walton referred to the Article 46 sales cent on page 53. She said this was
26 enacted in April of last year, and funds are allocated 50/50 between County economic
27 development projects and the two school systems. She said the County anticipates generating
28 $2.6 million in revenue for the upcoming year.
29 Commissioner McKee asked if the amount listed on the second page works out well in
30 terms of allocation.
31 Steve Brantley said the categories are appropriate for now. He said some categories
32 may show themselves to be as active in terms of demand in the future. He said that water and
33 sewer lines are the single area with needs right now.
34 Commissioner McKee said wondered whether adjustments need to be made moving
35 forward. He just wants to clarify that slight shifts may be needed as things move along.
36 Frank Clifton said that the funding now is to create a base. He said the County has
37 been fortunate to have low interest rates that allow for expansive projects.
38
39 Visitors Bureau and Arts Commission
40 Page 275
41
42 Visitor's Bureau
43 Budget Highlights
44 Occupancy Rates and Revenue: In FY 2013-14, the Visitors Bureau will target a 68%
45 occupancy rate. Orange County's 3% occupancy tax projection is $1.2 million.
46 Carrboro's new 140-room Hampton Hotel will generate an additional $68,482, in
47 occupancy taxes. Additionally, the area'sl,600 hotel rooms will see a slight increase in
48 room rates, back to the industry's 2007 peak rates, and contribute to tax growth.
49 Travel Revenue and Impacts: Next fiscal year, domestic travelers will spend an
50 estimated $160 million in Orange County, a 5% increase from current year estimates.
20
1 State and local tax revenues projections from Orange County travel total $12 million.
2 About 1,800 Orange County jobs will be directly attributable to travel and tourism, which
3 will generate $29 million in income, for workers.
4 Appropriated Fund Balance: In FY 2013-14, the Visitors Bureau will appropriate $20,000
5 from fund balance, a decrease of$130,000 from the current year. The FY 2012-13 fund
6 balance appropriation funded an advertising initiative, the "Orange County Pride" series
7 and agri-tourism efforts. The Bureau will conduct a research study to assess the effects
8 of the recent advertising campaign, in FY 2013-14.
9 Town Contributions: In FY 2012-13, Chapel Hill increased its Visitors Bureau
10 contribution by $25,000 to $175,000. The Bureau will request another $25,000 increase,
11 in the upcoming year. Additionally, Carrboro and Hillsborough will have implemented
12 their 3% occupancy tax, which will generate an additional $65,000 and $52,000,
13 respectively. Currently, neither jurisdiction provides a contribution to the Visitor's
14 Bureau.
15
16 Arts Commission
17 Budget Highlights
18 ❑ No significant changes, in FY 2013-14.
19
20 Tonya Walton said the Visitors Bureau fund is outside of the general fund and includes
21 the Visitors Bureau and the Arts Commission. She said the expenditures budget totals just over
22 $1.25 million. This is a decrease of$37,000 with a corresponding revenue decrease. She said
23 the decrease is due to a $150,000 fund balance appropriation done this year that will not be
24 necessary next year. She said bureau revenues have increased by about $93,000. She
25 reviewed the above budget highlights.
26 Commissioner McKee said the department needs to "toot their horn" more about their
27 accomplishments through these services. He said it is bringing in not only visitors, but also
28 business.
29
30 Elections
31 Page 67
32
33 Budget Highlights
34 • The increase in revenues of$45,900 in FY 2013-14 is due to Municipal Elections to be
35 held in 2013.
36 • The increase in Personnel Services and Operations in FY 2013-14 is due to budgeting
37 for three (3) elections in FY 2013-14; only one (1) election was budgeted in FY 2012-13.
38 • Contract Services — Recommending a five-year contract with Printelect for voting
39 machine hardware and software maintenance decreasing maintenance cost by $9,653
40 next FY. Savings in excess of$50,000 over five-year plan or 15% each year versus the
41 one-year plan. Rates are locked in with no additional cost increases on an annual basis
42 during the contracted period.
43
44 Darryl Butts reviewed the budget highlights above.
45 Chair Jacobs asked, if the voter id system is implemented, how the county can help
46 residents get identification, if necessary.
47 Elections Director Tracy Reams said there are state funds available and every effort will
48 be made. She said there will be a poll to find out how many people do not have identification.
49 Chair Jacobs asked if anyone has any idea how many people in Orange County will be
50 affected.
21
1 Tracy Reams said no.
2 Chair Jacobs asked if there was a way to make manifests of the voting public to create
3 a program to help with any difficulties.
4 Tracy Reams said staff members are still waiting to see what the state will do and she
5 feels that there will be efforts made to communicate the need for ID. She said she knows that
6 work is being done with the DMV to provide identification cards to those who need it.
7 Chair Jacobs noted that there are no DMV offices in Orange County. He stressed that
8 the Board wants to work with the Elections staff to ensure that all residents who want to vote
9 can do so.
10
11 Tax administration
12 Page 269
13
14 Budget Highlights
15 • The increase in Personnel Services and Operations in FY 2013-14 within the Land
16 Records division is due to the transfer of four (4.0 FTEs) GIS staff positions from
17 Information Technologies Department to the Lands Records division of Tax
18 Administration, which occurred during the current fiscal year.
19 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes the reassignment of the
20 Motor Vehicle billing and assessment staff(2.0 FTEs) from the Revenue division to the
21 Assessor division in order to comply with State Statutes regarding assessment work.
22 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an additional $4,900 to assist
23 with forced collections on delinquent registered motor vehicle bills due to the new Tax &
24 Tag State program.
25 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an additional $94,000 to
26 begin a comprehensive business auditing program. This initiative will educate taxpayers
27 on proper listing methods and ensure equity among taxpayers. While the cost of the
28 effort will be offset by discovery revenues, the priority is to ensure that there is equity
29 among all taxpayers. A conservative estimate of return for this investment is 2:1.
30 • The General Fund transfer to the Revaluation Fund is budgeted at the same amount
31 ($125,000) as in FY 2012-13, and assumes the next Revaluation effective January 1,
32 2017.
33 • The decrease in Revenues for FY 2013-14 is more in line with projected FY 2012-13
34 collection charges.
35 Darryl Butts reviewed the above budget highlights.
36 Tax Administration Director Dwane Brinson said that a comprehensive tax auditing
37 program is being expanded to help businesses list correctly. He said that 12-15 audits are
38 done on businesses each year, and he would estimate that more than 75% of businesses have
39 never been listed. He listed the classifications that are audited and said that businesses have
40 not been audited consistently for years. He said it is that this is proposed from an equity
41 standpoint.
42 Commissioner Pelissier said that there is a hotel/motel room occupancy tax listed on the
43 objectives on page 271. She asked for clarification on the issue of consistent and verifiable
44 revenue streams for hotels. She asked if revenue is being lost.
45 Frank Clifton said revenue has been lost in the past. He said audits have not been done
46 on a regular basis, and there have been issues with particular hotel operators who were
47 collecting taxes but not paying them as required. He said the goal is not to get people into
48 trouble, but to keep them out of trouble by informing them of what needs to be listed.
49 Darryl Butts said the same vendors who audit the businesses would audit the hotels.
22
1 Commissioner McKee said he has referred several residents to the Tax Administration
2 office over the past couple of years, and he appreciates their quick response.
3 Commissioner Price asked if taxes can be paid online, and Dwane Brinson said yes.
4 Dwane Brinson said debit and credit cards cannot be used in person, only online.
5 Frank Clifton clarified that statutes don't allow for absorption of the fee, so this fee has
6 to be added to the bill. He said work is being done to make card payments possible in person
7 as well.
8 Chair Jacobs asked about hotel/motel occupancy tax and asked if staff will offer the
9 same audit services to the Towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough, with their new hotel tax.
10 Frank Clifton said yes, this will be offered to them through an agreement. He said there
11 will be a transaction fee of 4.5% that helps offset the County administrative costs.
12 Commissioner Price asked for clarification on the due date and past due date listed for
13 vehicle taxes.
14 Dwane Brinson said he would check on this.
15
16 The following departments were deferred until the June 11 t" Budget Work Session:
17 • Information Technologies
18 • Planning and OPT, including Efland Sewer (including Fee Schedule change requests
19 and Non-Departmental items)
20 • Public Affairs
21 • Board of County Commissioners
22 • County Manager
23
24 A motion was made by Commissioner Price Commissioner McKee to adjourn the
25 meeting at 10:16 pm.
26
27 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
28
29 Barry Jacobs, Chair
30
31
32 Donna Baker
33 Clerk to the Board
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
1
I Attachment 4
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 BUDGET WORK SESSION
6 June 11, 2013
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on
10 Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel
11 Hill, N.C.
12
13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners mark
14 Dorosin, Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny
15 Rich
16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
17 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
18 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Frank Clifton, Assistant County
19 Managers Michael Talbert, Clarence Grier and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All
20 other staff members will be identified appropriately below)
21
22 NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE
23 PERMANENT AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
24
25 Chair Jacobs said the Board will discuss recommendations and complete the
26 budget mark up at the Thursday meeting. He said the idea is to be done and have
27 something that staff can work on and bring back for the June 18th meeting.
28 Commissioner Rich asked for clarification on the meaning of a budget mark up.
29 Chair Jacobs said the Board will merge their recommendations and adjustments,
30 and then direct staff regarding the changes. He said staff will then add these changes
31 up and tell the Board where things stand financially.
32 Commissioner Rich clarified that while the Board is moving money around, the
33 finance staff will be keeping track of everything.
34 Chair Jacobs said number crunching will happen on June 13th
35 Frank Clifton said staff has already tracked some suggestions during the past
36 discussions and will do more on June 13th
37
38 Chair Jacobs noted the following items at the Commissioner's places:
39 - Memo regarding outside agenda funding
40 - Goldenrod sheet about internal service fund for vehicle replacements
41 - Request for funding from PFAF.
42 - PowerPoint regarding pay and benefits for employees and retirees
43 - Envelope with materials for the June 13th meeting
44 - Purple and yellow information sheets from the public affairs director
45
46 1. FY2013-14 Fire District Tax Rates (Pg. 139)
47 Paul Laughton said ten fire districts are asking for tax increases, and there are
48 three new fire service districts this year. He said each of the districts have either a chief
49 and/or Board member present tonight. He noted that Attachment A lists the current
50 recommended tax rate, as well as the amount that one cent equals per district.
51 He reviewed the historical data for each of these districts, as outlined in
52 Attachment B.
53 Paul Laughton said representatives are here to answer questions or explain
54 requests for tax increases.
2
1 Commissioner Gordon asked if North Chatham had approved the fire service
2 district agreement.
3 John Strowd said the Board has approved two contracts as of last night, the
4 Southern Triangle, and the Damascus draft agreement.
5 Commissioner Gordon thanked them for their cooperation.
6 Chair Jacobs noted that Commissioner Price will be late due to a conflict.
7 Commissioner Dorosin said, in considering the variety of potential tax changes, it
8 would be helpful for him to see what the total tax impacts will be to each person in these
9 districts.
10 Frank Clifton said staff can probably give a list by area, but the key will be the
11 county tax rates overall. He said the school districts will be more complicated.
12 Commissioner Dorosin said he does not want to make things overcomplicated,
13 but he would like a sense of the overall impact.
14 Frank Clifton noted that none of the fire districts are within the towns. He said a
15 chart could be compiled to total out the increases based on what the Board decides to
16 do.
17 Commissioner McKee said some of these increases for the departments outside
18 of Chapel Hill were driven by efforts to reduce ISO ratings.
19 Commissioner Dorosin asked to what extent these terms have been agreed to as
20 part of the process of creating those districts. He asked if the Board is bound by
21 contract, or is in the process of negotiation.
22 Commissioner McKee said he feels that, regardless of the letter of the law, the
23 Board is honor bound to adhere to the negotiations with Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and North
24 Chatham, for the change in the Southern Triangle area. He noted that he had
25 reservations about the 15 cents.
26 Commissioner Dorosin said this was his sense of the issue.
27 Michael Talbert said both White Cross and Orange Grove are moving forward
28 with stations. He said the contracts approved for the three new districts set a tax rate,
29 not to exceed 15 cents. He said the wording in the contract allows the Board to re-set
30 this amount each year.
31 Chair Jacobs said the Board has asked for several years about reducing ISO
32 ratings, and it is encouraging that the fire departments are working on this by adding
33 extra stations.
34 Commissioner Gordon said she wanted to thank the departments for their
35 service as public safety officers.
36
37 Cedar Grove Fire District$204,527
38 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to remain at 7.36 cents for FY 2013-14.
39 In FY 2012-13, the department is in the process of working with the contractor and
40 Orange County Planning Department on the addition to Station #2 to include a training
41 room, kitchen and new office. The department has also installed additional dry hydrants,
42 purchased equipment that is needed on their trucks for ISO, and plans to lower their
43 insurance rating in the near future.
44 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to complete the addition to Station #2; the
45 department has been saving for the last few years for this addition with the hopes to
46 have a large portion of the building paid for, continue to work on lowering the district's
47 insurance rating, and continue to train firefighters for level I & II certifications.
48 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes working on replacing a 1986 model brush truck and a
49 1985 squad truck, work towards setting aside funds to replace the engine at Station #2;
50 their goal is to keep engines and tankers on a rotation that will not allow them to be
51 more than 20 years old before replacing them, and add two part-time staff during peak
52 daytime hours.
53
54 Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service District$281,144
3
1 ❑This is one of three new Fire Service Districts that replaces existing Fire Protection
2 Districts.
3 ❑The Town of Chapel Hill will provide fire protection for the new Greater Chapel Hill
4 Fire Service District. See map of the new Greater Chapel Hill Fire Service District within
5 this section of the document.
6 ❑On February 27, 2013, the Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously to enter into
7 a service agreement to extend the Town's current fire district into the affected
8 neighborhoods for a period of 5 years with a 15.00 cent tax levy per one-hundred dollar
9 valuation of real and personal property.
10 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended at 15.00 cents for FY 2013-14.
11
12 Damascus Fire District$82,329
13
14 Southern Triangle Fire Service District$164,905
15 ❑The North Chatham Fire Department will continue to contract with Orange County to
16 provide fire services to the citizens in both the Damascus Fire Protection District and the
17 new Southern Triangle Fire Service District within Orange County. There will be a
18 separate agreement for the Damascus Fire Protection District since a different NC
19 General Statute provides the County authority to contract for Fire Protection.
20 ❑See map of the new Southern Triangle Fire Service District within this section of the
21 document; there are no changes to the Damascus Fire Protection District.
22 ❑The tax rate for both the Damascus Fire Protection District and the new Southern
23 Triangle Fire Service District is recommended at 8.80 cents for FY 2013-14.
24
25 Efland Fire District$473,961
26 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from 4.66 cents to 7.00 cents
27 (an increase of 2.34 cents) for FY 2013-14. The increase will be used to provide two (2)
28 paid firefighters in the district during weekdays (this should improve their response times
29 and improve the quality of service), and purchase apparatus to keep the equipment up
30 to date. The increase will be balanced by the savings homeowners in the district will
31 receive by their ISO rating improving from a 7 to a 6.
32 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department put into service a new Rescue Pumper, updated
33 radios as per the new FCC regulations. The department had their ISO inspection in
34 2012 and improved the ISO rating from a 7 to a 6, and hired a third party bookkeeper to
35 handle their financial records.
36 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department has requested to add two (2) firefighters during the
37 day to keep their response time where it should be (with the increases in call volume,
38 the department needs to supplement their volunteers to ensure a proper number of
39 responders are available when needed. The department is also updating their building
40 pre-planning information and moving it to an electronic form accessible from the
41 apparatus, will continue working with Orange County Emergency Services to make the
42 transition to the new OSSI CAD system, continue to maintain
43 vehicles, equipment, and station, continue with annual mandatory training and monthly
44 fire, medical, and rescue training, as well as continue the fire prevention, firefighter
45 assistance, and junior firefighter programs.
46 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes continuing to fund their capital assets account to help
47 make future down payments on replacement apparatus and provide for the replacement
48 of assets such as radios, airpacks, and other equipment, continue to look for a Station
49 #3 site, replace a 1990 tanker truck in the FY2015 timeframe.
50
51
52 Eno Fire District$572,361
53 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from 5.99 cents to 7.99 (an
54 increase of 2.0 cents) for FY 2013-14. The increase is due to the requirements of the
55 new Orange County Fire Contract related to the department's responsibility of provided
4
1 water rescue services, replacement of their current Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
2 (SCBAs), upgrade the SCBA fill station to meet new pressure requirements, increase
3 daytime paid staff coverage from 5 days/week to 7 days/week, and to provide funds to
4 purchase a new tanker. The increase is also needed to meet the needs of the district's 5
5 year purchasing plan.
6 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department purchased a new Fire Chief vehicle, purchase radios
7 and pagers to comply with new FCC regulations, and purchased needed equipment for
8 ISO re-grade.
9 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to replace all SCBA and bottles, increase
10 daytime paid staff from 5 days/week to 7 days/week, begin the purchasing process to
11 replace an old Tanker, and upgrade the SCBA fill station to be in compliance.
12 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes replacement of a 1983 Tanker, have a self-sufficient
13 water rescue team, replace a 1994 Tanker, replace an old SUV, begin the purchasing
14 process to replace two pumpers, move from daytime to 24 hour paid staff, acquire land
15 for a new Station #1 or renovate current facilities, and staff Station #2.
16
17 Little River Fire District$172,989
18 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to remain at 4.06 cents for FY 2013-14.
19 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department purchased five SCBA units, six additional pagers, five
20 sets of turnout gear, 2 new desktop computers and printers; lowered their ISO Rating
21 from a 9 to a 7, reprogrammed VHF pagers and radios, and made repairs to the fire
22 station..
23 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to purchase a new Rescue/Mini-Pumper and
24 applicable equipment, reprogram 800 Mhz radios and purchase additional 800 Mhz
25 radios, purchase additional pagers, install additional dry hydrants, recruit new
26 volunteers, and maintain their current ISO rating.
27 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes maintain/lowering their ISO rating, paving of parking lot,
28 installation of additional dry hydrants, purchase additional Turnout Gear to meet
29 updated standards, researching the feasibility of adding part-time staff and feasibility of
30 buying land for Station #2, purchase additional pagers, and continue recruitment efforts.
31
32 New Hope Fire District$537,516
33 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from 8.95 cents to 9.45 cents
34 (an increase of .50 cents) for FY 2013-14. The increase is due to operational cost
35 increases for professional services, computer and server replacement, upgrades to
36 Firehouse software and the CAD link to the new OSSI software in the 9-1-1 Center, as
37 well as an increase in funding for apparatus replacement.
38 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department lowered their ISO rating from a 9 to a 6 providing
39 substantial savings form homeowners insurance premiums, continued firefighter level 1
40 & 11 level certification classes, three new firefighters completed the Fire Academy at
41 Alamance Community College, conducted fire prevention and fire safety programs in the
42 district, provided ICS 300 Class for members of the department, as well as members of
43 3 other departments, coordinated Community
44 Watch program with the Sheriff's Office and residents of the district, and provided 16
45 public fire safety programs to 318 adults and 517 children.
46 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to continue to train firefighters to level I and 11
47 levels, provide Emergency Vehicle Driving and Medical Responder classes, provide fire
48 prevention and home safety programs for community outreach, provide ICS 400 Class
49 for department members and
50 Board of Directors, continue to meet NFPA 1720 Standards for volunteer fire
51 departments as budgets allow, replace utility pickup truck used for support functions and
52 medical responder calls, replace elliptical tanker with a new tanker that meets current
53 NFPA 1901 Standards, continue recruitment and retention program for volunteer
54 members, host mutual aid training with the mutual aid departments for ISO
55 requirements and enhance service to the residents of the district.
5
1 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes continued strategic planning to provide enhanced and
2 efficient services to the residents of the district, apply for grants for offsetting revenues
3 for personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus that meets
4 NFPA Standards, continue standards based training for quality assurance, maintain
5 administrative and training requirements to maintain their improved ISO rating, replace
6 one engine due to age of vehicle, and work with other departments to implement the
7 Orange County Chief's Association Strategic Plan.
8
9 Orange Grove Fire District$454,823
10 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from 5.00 cents to 6.00 cents
11 (an increase of 1.00 cents) for FY 2013-14. The increase of 1.00 cents is the second
12 year of a two year plan; in FY 2012-13, the tax rate increased by .92 cents (from 4.08
13 cents to 5.00 cents), for a total tax rate increase of 1.92 cents over the two year period.
14 The increase is needed to help cover the costs of land and construction of Station #3 in
15 the western portion of the district, and purchases of equipment and two additional fire
16 trucks for the new station over the two fiscal years.
17 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department will begin construction of Station #3 on Nicks Road,
18 their Station #2 was approved in February 2013 by the N.C. Department of Insurance,
19 purchased a used truck for Station #3, purchased 4 sets of turnout gear continuing their
20 practice of rotating equipment, developed three more water sources as they work to
21 improve their ISO rating, updated all 800 MHz and VHF radios, and gained several new
22 members replacing those who retired.
23 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to finish construction of Station #3 in the
24 western portion of their district, lower ISO rating from a 9E to an anticipated 7, expand
25 water point availability, increase the number of radios, purchase equipment, truck, gear
26 for Station #3, and continue and expand efforts to improve the ISO rating for more
27 residents of the district.
28 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes ISO improvement plan with goal of reducing
29 homeowner insurance costs, continue collaboration with other county fire departments,
30 work to improve working relationships with the County, continue and expand member
31 training program to reach 1503 Standards, and acquire equipment to comply with NFPA,
32 and update aging equipment.
33
34 Orange Rural Fire District$937,032
35 ❑The tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from 5.61 cents to 7.36 cents
36 (an increase of 1.75 cents) for FY 2013-14. The increase is needed to replace outdated
37 and/or non-compliant equipment. With the upcoming mandated radio system upgrades,
38 the district's 10 year old radios will be inoperable. To remain on the Viper system, the
39 department will need 36 portable radios at a cost of$201,123. Other areas of need are
40 compliant safety changes needed to their SCBAs, and the purchase of specialized
41 rescue equipment to meet new rescue service needs.
42 ❑In FY 2012-13, the department certified four additional members to Child Passenger
43 Safety, replaced a thirteen year old pick-up truck for first responder calls, certified four
44 members to advanced rescue training, assisted three mutual aid departments with their
45 ISO grading, thus improving all grades, purchased additional mobile data devices,
46 coordinated with Orange County to house EMS crews at their Station #2, certified
47 Station #3 with the State— lowered insurance premiums for affected houses, sold a 20
48 plus year old tanker, entered into an agreement with Cedar Grove to extend fire
49 protection into their class 10 area, certified three CPR instructors, moved routine truck
50 maintenance in-house to reduce costs, and purchased pre-owned VHF radios for back-
51 up communications during disasters.
52 ❑In FY 2013-14, the department plans to replace ten year old non-compliant 800 Mhz
53 radios, replace a 20 plus year old tanker with more versatile pumper/tanker, train all
54 members to water rescue, train all members to structural collapse rescue, train four
55 additional members in advanced rescue training, certify all members in rapid
6
1 intervention training (firefighter rescue), train 4 additional members to advanced rescue
2 training, make improvements inside Station#3, pay-off truck loan, and work with other
3 departments to fill rescue service voids throughout the County.
4 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes hiring a full-time Fire Chief, coordinate with the Town of
5 Hillsborough to design and construct Station#4, hire six additional personnel, seek re-
6 grade of district's ISO classification, coordinate with the Town of Hillsborough to
7 purchase a pumper once it reaches twenty years old, equip trucks with mobile
8 computers and AVL, upgrade air packs to meet new standards on face piece integrity
9 and low air alarms, and.relocate Station#2 to cover class 10 area.
10
11 South-Orange Fire Service District$509,684
12 ❑The Town of Carrboro will continue to provide fire protection for the South Orange
13 Fire Insurance District. Fire protection for residents in this district is provided under
14 contract between the County and the Town of Carrboro Fire Department.
15 ❑On December 4, 2012, the Town of Carrboro Board of Alderman voted to approve a
16 resolution to modify the existing South Orange Fire Insurance District. See map showing
17 the new South Orange Fire Service District within this section of the document.
18 ❑The tax rate forthis new Service District is recommended at 10.00 cents for FY 2013-
19 14.
20
21 Southern Triangle Fire Service District(See Damascus Fire-District)
22 [-]Refer to the section regarding Damascus Fire District for this department's
23 achievements.
24 _❑North Chatham Volunteer Fire Department serves people in this district as well as
25 those in the Damascus Protection District.
26
27 White Cross Fire District$321,144
28 ❑The-tax rate for this district is recommended to increase from-7.00 cents to 8.80 cents
29 (an increase of 1.80 cents)for FY 2013-14. The increase is consistent with the March
30 19; 2013 agenda abstract to the Board of County Commissioners requesting a tax rate
31 increase of 1.80 cents to-cover the costs of a new substation, additional paid staff,
32 purchase of a new Tanker for the new substation, and to cover the increased
33 operational costs.
34 ❑ln FY 2012-13, the department held 13 State of North Carolina firefighter certification
35 classes, installed dry hydrants at all water points, found and certified one new hydrant at
36 a new pond, began the process of replacing old 1 Y2"attack line with 1 3/" attack line on
37 the first out engines, and no firefighter sustained any injuries during the year while
38 operating at emergency scenes or while training.
39 ❑ln FY 2013-14, the department plans to find and purchase land for a substation,
40 construct the substation, purchase an additional tanker to certify the substation, and add
41 additional part-time staff.
42 ❑Their Five-Year plan includes the replacement of their 1987 tanker, provide additional
43 rescue services, lower the ISO Grade to a class 6, change over to LDH supply line,
44 complete the transition to 1 %" attach line, and purchase a used service
45 company/rescue truck to put into service.
46
47
48 2. Pay and Benefits Presentation(Pg. 281)
49
50 Nicole Clark reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
51
52 Pay and Benefits for Employees and Retirees
53 BOCC Budget Work Session
54 June 11, 2013
55
7
1 Work Session Purpose
2 To consider and provide direction on pay and benefits for employees and retirees for FY
3 2013-14
4
5 Key Pay and Benefits Plan Recommendations
6 0 A COLA of 2% for permanent employees
7 0 An Employee Performance Award of$500 or $1,000
8 0 Funding for a health insurance increase of up to 8%
9 0 Maintain the living wage at $10.97 per hour
10 0 Extend the six-month hiring freeze and the voluntary furlough program
11 0 Continue the annual $715 County contribution to non-law enforcement
12 employees' supplemental retirement accounts, the mandated Law
13 Enforcement Officer 401(k) contribution of 5% of salary
14 0 Implement a County supplemental retirement contribution match of up to
15 $1,200 annually for all employees
16 0 Address increased costs for retiree health benefits
17
18 Past Actions: FY 2012-13 Pay and Benefits Plan
19 0 A COLA of 2.0% for permanent employees
20 0 An Employee Performance Award of$500 or $1,000
21 0 Funding for a health insurance increase of up to 23.0%
22 0 Increasing the living wage to $10.97 per hour
23 0 Implementing recommendations of the FY 2011-12 internal Classification
24 and Pay Study
25 0 Extending the six-month hiring freeze and the voluntary furlough program
26 0 Continuing the $27.50 per pay period County contribution to non-law
27 enforcement employees' supplemental retirement accounts and the
28 mandated Law Enforcement Officer 401(k) contribution of 5.0% of salary
29 0 Addressing increased costs for retiree health benefits
30
31 Position Classification and Pay Plans
32 The Manager recommends:
33 • A Cost of Living Increase (COLA) of 2.0% for all permanent employees hired
34 on or before June 30, 2013, effective July 1, 2013
35 • An increase to the salary range maximums by 2.5% to allow those
36 employees at or exceeding the range to receive the 2.0% COLA
37 • An employee performance award of$500 for proficient performance and
38 $1,000 for exceptional performance, effective with permanent employees'
39 annual performance review dates from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014
40 • Individual positions and classifications are reviewed as needed
41 • County salary schedule is competitive with the market
42 • Salary compression is a concern
43
44 County Contribution to Retirement Benefits
45 The Manager recommends:
46 • Continuing the 5.0% contribution employer contribution to the Local
47 Government Employees' Retirement System 401(k) program for sworn law
48 enforcement officers
49 • Maintaining the $715 annual County minimum contribution and matching
50 employees' contributions up to an additional $1,200 annually for all
51 employees
52 . Fifty-four of the 100 counties contribute to the NC Supplemental Retirement
53 Plans through Prudential
54 • McDowell and Orange contribute a flat dollar amount
8
1 • Average contribution is 3.6%
2 • Cities: Chapel Hill 5.0%, Carrboro 3.0%, Durham 4.5%, Mebane 5.0%
3 • Counties: Alamance 2.0%, Chatham 4.5%, Durham 5.0%, Wake 5.0%
4
5 Employee and Retiree Health Insurance
6 0 Potential 8.0% premium increase, based on early claims data, effective
7 January 1, 2014 with the same level of coverage
8 0 RFP responses are not firm due to limited plan year performance data
9 0 Fully insured and self-funded responses provided
10 0 Actual plan designs, premium structure and total cost will be presented at
11 the September 5, 2013 Regular Meeting with a decision needed by the
12 Commissioners
13 0 Decision is needed on September 5 in order to comply with federal
14 notification requirements
15
16 Orange County Living Wage
17 . Recommend maintaining the Living Wage of$10.97 an hour
18 - Most recent calculation would result in a decrease to $10.89
19 • Calculation based on the region including Orange, Durham, Alamance, and
20 Wake Counties
21
22 Six-Month Hiring Delay
23 . Recommend extending the six-month hiring delay that was implemented in
24 FY 2010-11.
25 . Total savings from the hiring freeze is projected to be more than $2.0 million.
26
27 Voluntary Furlough
28 . Recommend extending the voluntary furlough program that was initially
29 implemented in FY 2009-10.
30 . Anticipate cost savings of$50,000 in FY 2013-14.
31 - Fewer participants with longer furlough periods
32
33 Retiree Health Benefits
34 . The County Manager recommends restricting 50.0% of the increase in the
35 FY 2012-13 fund balance for the long-term liability of funding retiree health
36 benefits
37 • As retiree health care costs increase due to the increase in retirees and the
38 increase in health care costs, the County must plan for its future liability
39
40 Summary
41 0 Focus is on retaining a talented workforce that is committed to serving
42 the residents of Orange County.
43 Employees are very concerned about pay and health insurance.
44 Preserving employee pay and benefits continues to be a priority.
45 The County's financial condition continues to improve.
46
47 Commissioner Price arrived at 7.30pm.
48
49 Referring to the retiree health benefits, Nicole Clark said the average age of the
50 297 retirees is 65.9 years, compared with the average age of the 820 active employees,
51 which is 45.6. She said the County provides coverage based on the retiree's age.
52 She said those who have not reached 65 remain on the group health insurance
53 plan and are eligible for the dependent subsidy. Retirees then enroll in Medicare Part A
54 at age 65, which is of no cost to the retiree or the County, and part B, which deducts a
9
1 premium from Social Security benefits. She said the County pays for both a Medicare
2 supplement to cover gaps left by Medicare, and part B, which covers prescription
3 medication. She said changes were made last year to address the increasing liability for
4 retiree health insurance. She said these changes increase eligibility requirements,
5 require retirees eligible for Medicare due to disability to enroll in Medicare, and cap the
6 individual County payout for Medicare supplements in part D.
7 Commissioner Dorosin asked how many of the County employees earn the living
8 wage.
9 Nicole Clark said there are no employees making that amount. She said this is
10 for permanent employees and most of the positions have a minimum salary or hourly
11 rate that is higher.
12 Commissioner Dorosin asked about retiree benefits. He noted that the
13 recommendation is to increase the flat amount.
14 Nicole Clark said the County currently offers $715 per employee per year for the
15 401 K. She said the recommendation is, for those employees that do contribute to their
16 401 K, that the county matches up to an additional $1200.
17 Commissioner Dorosin asked how he should compare that with these
18 percentages. He asked what percentage range this puts the County in.
19 Frank Clifton said Orange County is very low and the 401 k has never grown,
20 even as salaries or contributions grew.
21 Commissioner Dorosin questioned the usefulness of this information. He would
22 like to see Orange County's percentage for the 401 k contribution compared to the other
23 counties. He would like to see what 3% or 4% cost would look like.
24 Chair Jacobs suggested staff omit the department heads and look at the
25 remaining mean salary.
26 Nicole Clark said the average annual salary for an Orange County employee is
27 approximately $45,000; so $715 is 1.57%, including department heads. She said the
28 true number is likely closer to 3%.
29 Frank Clifton said 3% is the new recommendation only if the employee
30 contributes, and that is not true in a lot of other governmental entities.
31 Commissioner Gordon said there was a time when staff looked at Orange
32 County benefits compared to others, and at that time the County looked good. She said
33 a comprehensive comparison of all benefits would need to be done in order to get the
34 overall picture.
35 Chair Jacobs agreed with Commissioner Gordon, and said that Orange County
36 usually does better than the state and other counties. He said it is difficult to compare
37 when only one area is considered, versus looking at the overall picture.
38 Commissioner Rich asked where the $1200 figure comes from.
39 Frank Clifton said the staff looked at other entities, both governmental and
40 private/public entities, and considered what benefits are being offered.
41 Commissioner Pelissier referred to the hiring delays and asked why there were
42 longer delays for Emergency Services personnel.
43 Frank Clifton said Emergency Services positions are very strenuous jobs, and
44 hourly shifts have been changed from 24 hours to 12 hours. He said these are difficult
45 positions to fill and maintain.
46 Commissioner Price said there may be some cases where it does not make
47 sense to wait 6 months to hire someone, especially if it means services have to be cut.
48 She hopes the Board will not make this a fast and hard rule.
49 Clarence Grier said a department can request a waiver, and these are usually
50 approved and positions are hired.
51 Mark Browder reviewed the following PowerPoint excel spreadsheets regarding
52 health insurance:
53
54 Health insurance update (slide 1)
55 June 11, 2013 Work Session
10
1
2 2012 Plan Experience (slide 2)
3 2013 Renewal (slide 3)
4 Option 1 Rates (slide 4)
5 2014 Renewal Estimate (slide 5)
6 2013 Plan Experience (slide 6)
7 Health Care Reform Timeline (slide 7)
8 PPACA (slide 8)
9
10 Mark Browder said the first few slides are a review from his previous
11 presentation to the Board. He reviewed the 2012 Plan and said the HSA plan ran well,
12 however the PPO plan did not. He said that, all in all, 2012 was a decent year.
13 He referred to slide 3 and said there were a few benefit changes that resulted in
14 an 8.5% increase, which was a competitive renewal for the 2013 plan year.
15 He said slide 4 is a reminder of the current rates and contribution strategies for
16 the County.
17 He referred to slide 5 and directed the Board to note the red highlighted lines in
18 the middle of the page, labeled PPACA. He said these are three fees or taxes being
19 applied to the plan for 2014.
20 He noted that the health insurance reinsurance fee is eliminated from the cost to
21 the plan if you are self-funded program. This gives an incentive to being self-funded.
22 He reviewed the claims experience data on slide 6.
23 He reviewed each row of data on slide 7 and said that the top, light blue row is
24 the $1 per member research fee that will be paid by United Healthcare this year.
25 He said the next row down, labeled "Notification of Changes", will go into effect
26 on October 1, 2013.
27 He noted that the auto enroll program is a new requirement for employers with
28 over 200 employees, and employees will be automatically be enrolled into a health plan.
29 He said the County needs to decide which plan to use for auto enrollment if employees
30 fail to choose one on their own.
31 Referring to the yellow row, he noted that 30 hour employees will be considered
32 eligible for health insurance and will be enrolled in a plan. He said that there will be
33 significant effort on the part of staff to determine eligibility for this.
34 He said the transitional reinsurance fee will apply to the health plan for the
35 upcoming year to help pay for catastrophic claims in the marketplace.
36 He reviewed the final overview slide and said the re-insurance fee is expected to
37 drop off over the next two years.
38 Chair Jacobs confirmed that Mark Browder will be back again in September to
39 answer questions.
40
41 3. Outside Agencies: Recommended Allocations FY2013-14 Pg. 209
42
43 Clarence Grier reviewed the following:
44
45 Synopsis
46 - In FY 2012-13, Orange County appropriated $1,038,700 to 36 Outside Agencies.
47 - The County received 56 Outside Agency funding requests, for FY 2013-14. One
48 agency, approved for funding in FY 2012-13, did not submit an application.
49 Requests totaled $1,549,923, an increase of$511,223 over FY 2012-13
50 appropriations. The 21 requests from new agencies total $337,423.
51 - County departments, advisory boards, and members of the County management
52 team evaluated each application.
53 - The County Manager recommends funding for 38 agencies, in FY 2013-14. The
54 recommendation totals $1,030,100, a decrease of$8,600 from the FY 2012-13
55 Approved Budget. Nine (9) agencies would receive an increase; one (1) agency
11
1 would receive a decrease (Pre-Trial Services - $15,000); and one (1) agency's
2 funding (JOCCA-$20,000) would be eliminated. Three (3) new agencies are
3 recommended for funding.
4 - If funds are approved, one agency's funding would be administered through a
5 departmental service contract ($95,000). Two other organizations received funds
6 through this format, in FY 2012-13 ($10,000 each).
7
8 Clarence Grier referenced a handout at the Commissioner's places, outlining the
9 decision process for the outside agencies that did not receive funding.
10 He noted that a request was received today from Piedmont Food & Agricultural
11 Processing Center (PFAP) for a funding increase. He said Tonya Walton handled most
12 of this process and she is here to answer questions.
13 Frank Clifton outlined this process for the benefit of the new Commissioners. He
14 noted that the Board of County Commissioners does make changes to these outside
15 agencies each year, and this is their prerogative.
16 Commissioner Dorosin asked where he can find a full listing.
17 Clarence Grier said this is available on pages 209-11 in the budget book.
18 Commissioner Gordon referred to attachment B, pages 6-7. She said, a few
19 years back, the Board tried to create a more systematic approach to funding outside
20 agencies, and these guidelines were developed. She said the advisory boards also
21 provided feedback. She feels that this is a systematic and objective process, and she is
22 inclined to follow what comes out of it.
23 Commissioner Price asked when she should address it if there is a particular
24 agency she would like to see funded.
25 Chair Jacobs said this should be done now. He said nothing has to be decided
26 tonight, but this is a good time to inform the Commissioners of thoughts and opinions.
27 Commissioner Price said she would like for the Board to consider funding the
28 Jackson Center and Voices Together, even if it is not for the full requested amount.
29 Commissioner McKee seconded Commissioner Price's opinion on the Voices
30 Together program. He said he has observed this program and feels it should receive
31 some funding. He said the participant number is low but the impact is big.
32 Commissioner Pelissier said Voices Together is a good program; however she
33 feels there is a counterpoint to be made. She said the criteria for funding states that if
34 non-profit is fully funded by the county government then it should be part of government,
35 rather than a non—profit. She said that even if full funding is not given, most of this
36 program's funding still comes from the County, and she thinks that the schools should
37 help fund this program.
38 Commissioner Dorosin referred to page 211 and said the information seems
39 misleading. He thinks many of these organizations have applied before and didn't get
40 funding. This is information he would be interested in knowing.
41 Commissioner Price noted the recommendation is to give Habitat for Humanity
42 half of what was requested. She asked if their application is available for review.
43 Chair Jacobs said this is available on the disk provided.
44 Chair Jacobs said Habitat for Humanity is addressing 10 or 15 houses for that
45 amount of money. He referred to pages 164 and 167, and said he has been a big
46 supporter of the Urgent Home Repair Fund. He said this program is spending $65,000
47 on administration and $68,000 for the repairs and is only doing 20 homes. He
48 questioned, if Habitat is doing the same program, why the County is doing it too; and he
49 questioned the amount being spent on administration. He noted that both are designed
50 to assist homes in getting up to code. He suggested a comparison of both programs to
51 see if a partnership would be cost effective.
52 Frank Clifton said he believes the Urgent Home Repair Fund is a federally
53 funded program and most of the administration costs are incurred in complying with the
54 grant requirements. He said this is a brand new program for Habitat and the
55 effectiveness is still being evaluated.
12
1 Chair Jacobs said the county took on this program about 10 years ago. He said
2 that if someone else can do it more cost effectively, that needs to be considered. He
3 would like more information and some comparisons.
4 Commissioner McKee said he believes that Habitat has lost some funding.
5 Commissioner Rich asked about the Boys and Girls Club. She said the club is
6 trying to open in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. She would like to see some funding for
7 them.
8 Commissioner Price said some non-profits just need a jump start.
9 Commissioner Pelissier said she would like some more information on the
10 request from PFAP on Thursday.
11 Chair Jacobs said he would like more information on Senior Care of Orange
12 County.
13 Chair Jacobs said, when mental health reform was devastating the community,
14 the County adopted Club Nova. He said this is a unique and valuable program, along
15 with the Community Housing Trust. He said these programs serve a purpose that the
16 Board of County Commissioners have considered very important, and so support is
17 given to them each year.
18 Commissioner Rich said she would like to insure that the programs that are
19 given money by the County are adhering to County policies, such as LGBT rights. She
20 is concerned about the YMCA.
21 Chair Jacobs asked if the Board can get more information and links to all of the
22 applications. He asked for more information on the summaries for the increases,
23 decreases and denials of funding.
24 Frank Clifton said the County sustained with what funding was available, but
25 there was not enough to fund them all.
26
27 4. Discussion of County Department's FY2013-14 Budget Requests
28
29 Information Technologies (Pg. 172)
30 Darryl Butts reviewed the following highlights:
31
32 Budget Highlights
33 • Consistent with the recommendations of the IT Strategic Plan, the FY 2013-14
34 Manager Recommended Budget includes the following six (6) new positions with
35 staggered starting dates during the fiscal year (total Salary & Benefits of$147,915
36 and one-time start-up costs of$20,400)
37 • Network Engineer (1.0 FTE) —effective January 1, 2014
38 • Applications Division Head (1.0 FTE)— effective January 1, 2014
39 • Applications Systems Analyst (2.0 FTEs) — effective April 1, 2014
40 • Applications Systems Analyst (2.0 FTEs) — effective May 1, 2014
41 • An offsetting decrease in Personnel Services in FY 2013-14 is due to the
42 transfer of four(4.0 FTEs) GIS staff from Information Technologies to Tax
43 Administration, which occurred during the current fiscal year.
44 • Increase in software licensing fees of$116,000 is due to new applications
45 implemented and the corresponding new maintenance agreements, as well as
46 expansion of the computer fleet.
47 • Increase in consulting services of$5,000 is due to implementation of additional
48 technologies.
49 • Increase in network lease of$10,000 is due to increasing the internet bandwidth
50 from 25Mbps to 50Mbps.
51 • Of the $2.2 million departmental budget, $881,500 is for Software Maintenance
52 and Licenses and Network Leases.
13
1 • Revenues reflect the Towns' % share of the operating costs for the annual
2 support and maintenance of the Property Information Management System
3 (PIMS).
4
5 Jim Northup, Information Technologies Director, said he is excited about the new
6 services that will be offered to the County as part of the strategic plan.
7 Commissioner Gordon said she is glad to see an IT strategic plan. She said this
8 allows the County to see where the department is going and how to phase things in.
9 Jim Northup agreed.
10 Commissioner Pelissier agreed with Commissioner Gordon's comments.
11 Commissioner Pelissier asked what the cost will be for a full fiscal year of these
12 6 positions.
13 Paul Laughton said the net County costs for all new positions is $560,000. He
14 said the cost for next year will be about $1.6 million, for a full year impact.
15 Clarence Grier said the cost will be about $400,000 more next year.
16 Chair Jacobs questioned why the County would hire someone just before the
17 end of the fiscal year.
18 Frank Clifton said this is an attempt to stagger out the process, as the
19 employees have to be worked through the system and the training process.
20 Jim Northup said it will change the dynamic of the team, and staggering them is
21 good.
22 Jim Northup said part of the Information Technology Plan was to put together a
23 governance team, and this is being done.
24 Commissioner Dorosin said staggering makes sense, but he questioned why
25 positions are started in May and not July when the new fiscal year begins.
26 Frank Clifton said it is just part of the phasing of the hiring process, and it gets
27 you through calculations of the fiscal year.
28 Commissioner Dorosin asked if this decision is driven by the needs of the
29 department
30 Jim Northup said the needs of the department are great, as outlined in the
31 strategic plan. He said the department is only half staffed.
32 Chair Jacobs asked Commissioner Dorosin if he would like staff to provide a
33 dollar amount for the savings, if these employees started on July 1 versus May 1.
34 Commissioner Dorosin said yes.
35 Paul Laughton said the amount saved by hiring in July would be approximately
36 $32,000 total.
37
38 Planning and OPT, including Efland Sewer, Pg.221 (including Fee Schedule
39 change requests, Pg. 346 and Non-Departmental items, Pg. 188)
40
41 Darryl Butts reviewed the following budget highlights:
42
43 Administrative Services Budget Highlights:
44 • Continued work on BOCC identified 2009-12 priorities and updated in 2013,
45 including further implementation of adopted small area plans, a joint land use plan
46 with the Town of Hillsborough, and work on economic development districts and
47 processes.
48
49 Current Planning Division Budget Highlights
50 • Imposition of additional State regulations, most notably storm water, will continue
51 to complicate the permit review and approval process and compliance
52 implementation.
53 • Staff resources are being evaluated.
54
55 Comprehensive Planning Division Budget Highlights
14
1 • Complete Safe Routes to Schools Action Plan, Comprehensive Transportation
2 • Plan, and assist in monitoring and implementation of the OC Transit Plan.
3 • Lead Joint Planning Process with the Town of Hillsborough.
4
5 Building and Inspections Budget Highlights:
6 • The increase in Operations for FY 2013-14 includes a $.05/mile surcharge in
7 Motor Pool to help with future vehicle replacement.
8
9 Special Projects/GIS Division Budget Highlights:
10 One of the two Planner positions in this division has been vacant since June 29,
11 2012. This position was hired in April 2013 and the second position is in the hiring
12 process. This division has not been able to complete as many work items because
13 of these short-term lapses, and understanding that institutional training regarding
14 the Orange County process is metered.
15
16 Engineering Division Budget Highlights:
17 • Efland Sewer Budget-- page 346- The Efland Sewer System rate is proposed to
18 rise 1.4%, from $13.20 per 1000 gallons to $13.39 per 1000 gallons. This is a
19 continuation of the policy established in fiscal year 2011-12 to bring the Efland
20 Sewer rate in line with the City of Mebane's out of town sewer rate. The cost to run
21 the system continues to increase, however, at a greater rate than the revenue from
22 sewer charges. As a result, the shortfall in the operating budget is projected to be
23 slightly higher than last year.
24 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes a General Fund
25 subsidy (Transfer from General Fund) of$103,050, compared to $99,050 in FY
26 2012-13.
27
28 Orange Public Transportation Division Budget Highlights:
29 • The increase in Revenues in the FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget
30 includes anticipated revenues ($88,000) associated with the '/2 Cents Sales Tax for
31 Transit and the associated $7.00 tag fee. The allocation of these revenues for
32 support of existing services or new services is under review and will be discussed
33 by the Board of County Commissioners.
34 • The department has received notification from the State of decreased Section
35 18G and General Transportation funds in FY 2013-14.
36
37 Darryl Butts directed the Commissioners to page 346 and noted the fee schedule
38 change for Efland Sewer fund, as outlined in the budget highlights above. He said this
39 will mean the fee matches the city fee structure.
40 Frank Clifton said Efland will soon be taking ownership and operation of the
41 expanded sewer system, and the County will be out of the sewer business.
42 Craig Benedict reviewed the remaining budget highlights. He said he has been
43 closely monitoring state legislative action and changes proposed to impervious areas,
44 Jordan Lake Rules, storm water regulations, building inspections, and transit.
45 Commissioner Pelissier referred to the performance measures for OPT and
46 noted the increase in cost per hour and asked if this was due to the indirect cost.
47 Craig Benedict said this is correct.
48 Commissioner Pelissier said she wants to make sure the Board is comparing
49 apples to apples when allocating percentages of sales tax revenue for transit to OPT
50 and Chapel Hill.
51 Craig Benedict said this is being done, and the low$43 per hour rate may allow
52 for the addition of service hours as things move forward.
53 Commissioner Gordon noted that the cost per hour is less for OPT than any
54 other entity in this region, and it is very low.
15
1 Frank Clifton said one of the distinguishing differences, when considering cost of
2 TTA and Chapel Hill Transit, is that both have a dedicated maintenance operation. He
3 said OPT maintains its own units out of the garages, and this cuts down on overhead.
4 He said that if services were expanded to require a specific maintenance facility, the
5 cost would go up. He said this maintenance facility cost is a big factor.
6 Craig Benedict said there will be some re-organization within, as there has been
7 some turnover with Storm Water Erosion Control Officers.
8 Commissioner Rich asked how many buses are in the fleet.
9 Craig Benedict said there are 19 small buses that hold 27 passengers. He said
10 there are also 5 or 6 vans.
11 Chair Jacobs referred to the non-departmental section on page 188. He noted
12 the Piedmont Council funding of$2000, while it is also listed as an outside agency
13 asking for $3000 and receiving no money. He questioned how much was requested by
14 this program.
15 Tonya Walton said these requests are for the same agency but not the same
16 function.
17 Chair Jacobs asked for information on the work with park and school site
18 planning with Mebane.
19 Craig Benedict said conversations have been had with Mebane, and this is on
20 the docket and will come to the Board in the future.
21 Chair Jacobs asked if this will come to the Board it in time for their meeting with
22 Mebane in September, and Craig Benedict said yes.
23 Commissioner Gordon asked how the transit consolidation plan is going.
24 Craig Benedict said this is not going as well as he would like. He said the DOT
25 funded this at 100%, but gave all of the money to the consultant before the project was
26 done. He said it was meant to be a two part program. He said the project has stalled
27 until the DOT can find out how to pursue additional money to complete the two phase
28 program.
29
30 Public Affairs, Pg. 234
31
32 Tonya Walton said this is the department's first separate budget. She said the
33 expenditures budget totals $312,052. She reviewed the following highlights:
34
35 Budget Highlights:
36 • Approximately $108,000 in existing funds will be transferred from the County
37 Manager's budget with the creation of the Department of Public Affairs, on July 1,
38 2013. In FY 2012-13, the funds provided for the Department Director's personnel
39 costs and limited operational needs.
40 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes a new Graphic
41 Design Specialist position (1.0 FTE), effective January 1, 2014. The position will
42 create marketing and public relations materials, for the County and its
43 departments. Personnel, operating and start-up capital costs total $38,582, for the
44 first six month of the position; on-going, annual operating expenses total $69,266.
45
46 Carla Banks thanked the finance department, as well as the county manager and
47 Tonya Walton, for their assistance in this budget process.
48 Commissioner McKee asked if the department has figures of how much savings
49 would be accrued with this new position to offset the cost currently being paid for
50 graphic design.
51 Tonya Walton said this information is not known yet. She said staff knows of
52 some non-general funds/departments that are outsourcing graphic design needs. She
53 said that most departments are handling it on their own.
54 Carla Banks said she has provided a sheet that outlines what the cost would be,
55 based on coming into the position and flying solo. She is accustomed to having this
16
1 position, and she said it would save money to do these in-house rather than
2 outsourcing.
3 Commissioner Gordon referred to page 234, which mentions vision statements
4 and communication plans. She asked if these have been developed.
5 Carla Banks said these are being put together, and the estimated timeline is
6 about 6 months out.
7 Commissioner Gordon said she was disappointed that the department had not
8 started out with a strategic communications plan to guide the investment. She would
9 like to see a plan sooner rather than later.
10 Carla Banks said that has been one of her key objectives, and it is on the list.
11 Commissioner Dorosin said there was a purple sheet at their places with a
12 description of a public relations coordinator position.
13 Carla Banks said she is changing the title from a graphics designer to a public
14 relations coordinator in order to be more inclusive of the responsibilities of the job.
15 Chair Dorosin asked if there was enough graphic design work for full time.
16 Carla Banks said graphic design is a large part of the job.
17 Chair Jacobs said he cannot support this position without a strategic
18 communications plan. He said the Board has learned from the Information Technology
19 strategic plan and how much easier it was to make staffing decisions.
20 Carla Banks said she is flying solo now, and she sees it as a detriment to not
21 hire this position.
22 She said she feels that her interpretation of a strategic plan is different from the
23 Board's concept. She cannot see the link to hiring or not hiring.
24 Chair Jacobs said he cannot speak for Commissioner Gordon, but he would like
25 to see a vision for the department before he funds it. He said he would like to
26 participate in a conversation about a plan before he signs off on the direction of the
27 department.
28 Commissioner Rich asked if the outsourcing of a brochure comes out of the
29 departmental budget. She said if so, the departments should know what is being spent
30 on graphic design, and this information should be available.
31 Tonya Walton said there is a lot of time being put into this. She said she could
32 get data on printing cost, but this does not consider layout and other responsibilities.
33 Commissioner Rich said that is important to track, in order to justify a new
34 position.
35 Carla Banks said there are many employees in departments that devote
36 significant time to developing materials. She said the outcome is not professional, as
37 the departments do not have the proper design software or printing tools. She said this
38 is not the image she wants for Orange County, and it puts a different light on how the
39 County presents information.
40 Commissioner Pelissier said she has been on the Partnership for Homelessness
41 for several years, and she remembers the struggle the coordinator had in coming up
42 with a professional looking annual report. She said that this should not be the case in
43 the County.
44 Carla Banks said she is trying to create consistency. She is accustomed to
45 having staff, and this is a component of public affairs that is an essential service.
46 Commissioner Price asked what the $11,000 in capital outlay will cover.
47 Carla Banks said this would cover the start up equipment for a new employee.
48 She said her budget was designed so that everything that comes out of Public Affairs is
49 for the benefit of all the departments.
50 Commissioner Price asked if the costs are itemized, and she referred to the
51 objectives on 234.
52 Carla Banks said there is some itemized detail included, starting on page 106,
53 and additional information can be provided if this is not enough.
54 Frank Clifton said the attempt is to do as much of this in-house as possible to
55 avoid fees. He said Carla Banks works closely with the Visitor's Bureau and Economic
17
1 Development with a combination approach that saves dollars. He said there are many
2 other departments with outreach, and some of this is trial and error. He said this is a
3 new position and a new department.
4 Frank Clifton said staff could go back and talk with the School of Government
5 about consulting. He said Carla Banks is using interns when she can, and one is bi-
b lingual and is translating many of the County outreach efforts.
7 Chair Jacobs said there is a scheduled conversation about this in the fall.
8 Commissioner Price asked what type of advertising the $60,000 will go towards.
9 Frank Clifton said this will be for any operational costs, such as advertising,
10 programming, creating brochures.
11 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to see a rationale for creating a new
12 department.
13 Frank Clifton said it is a specific function that supports county departments and
14 the Board of County Commissioners and consolidates cost into one area for advertising.
15 Carla Banks referred to the orange packets that the Board received recently, and
16 said this is an example of her work.
17
18 Human Resources, Pg. 169 (including Non-Departmental items, Pg. 182)
19 • Employee benefit information can be found in the Governing and Management
20 Non-Departmental section and in Appendix A.
21
22 Tonya Walton said the expenditure budget is about $725,000 and this is an
23 increase of$24,000, related to COLA adjustments.
24 Director Nicole Clark thanked the Board for their support.
25 Chair Jacobs asked for the definition of an automated performance management
26 system.
27 Nicole Clark said the department went live with an automated application
28 process in January of last year. She said there is another module that allows
29 performance evaluations to be completed online, which eliminates paper and allows for
30 the establishment of common core competencies and automated ratings.
31 Commissioner Dorosin asked about the dollar amount for the cost of living
32 increase.
33 Nicole Clark said it is approximately $950,000.
34
35 Aging, Pg. 33
36 Tonya Walton reviewed the following budget highlights:
37
38 Administrative Services Budget Highlights:
39 • Revenue Increase: Transfer of$175,000 contribution for Aging's Community
40 Based Services Division, from Carol Woods Retirement Community, for Master
41 Aging Plan 2012-2017 implementation costs. (Note: These funds have been
42 available and tracked in the General Fund operating budget for several years, but
43 were recorded differently, prior to a recent change in accounting practices.)
44
45
46 Community Based Services Budget Highlights:
47 • Personnel Increase: The department received a Facilities Maintenance
48 Supervisor (1.0 FTE), from Asset Management Services, in FY 2012-13. The
49 position will be responsible for the on-going maintenance of both the Seymour and
50 Central Orange Senior Centers, including daily operations, weekly, monthly and
51 annual maintenance inspections and coordination of services through Asset
52 Management Services. Personnel costs total $78,703.
53 • Revenue Decreases: Loss of$12,990 from the Friends of Senior Centers
54 organizations, which funded nonpermanent personnel to work two evening shifts,
18
1 at both senior centers, and Saturday hours at the Seymour Center. The FY 2013-
2 14 budget includes funds to cover the lost revenue.
3 • Transfer of$175,000 contribution to Aging's Administration Division, from Carol
4 Woods Retirement Community, for Master Aging Plan 2012-2017 implementation
5 costs. (Note: These funds have been available and tracked in the General Fund
6 operating budget for several years, but were recorded differently, prior to a recent
7 change in accounting practices.)
8
9 Eldercare/Aging Transitions Budget Highlights:
10 No significant budget changes, in FY 2013-14.
11
12 RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program
13 Budget Highlights
14 0 Revenue Reductions — Programs Impacts: Corporation of National and
15 Community Service CNCS), RSVP federal sponsor, is changing the focus of
16 RSVP nationwide. Due to current year budget cuts, RSVP programs have been
17 directed to downsize which includes limiting the number of service agencies to
18 those that make a measurable community impact and fall within the new federal
19 focus areas: Education, Environmental, Healthy Futures, Veterans and Military
20 Families, Disaster Services, Economic Opportunity. We anticipate that volunteer
21 numbers will also decline due to station (work site) reductions. Limited volunteer
22 referral services will be offered to terminated agencies, but they will not be
23 official work sites.
24
25 Senior Health Coordination/Wellness Program (Grant Fund)
26 Budget Highlights
27 0 United Way of the Greater Triangle Revenue: The United Way of the
28 Greater Triangle did not renew support of the Wellness Project. The $8,000 loss
29 represents a 13% reduction in the grant project's revenues. To offset a portion
30 of the loss, the department has budgeted additional Fit Feet Clinic revenue
31 ($10,000), based on actuals from prior years' performance
32
33 Chair Jacobs asked about the Farmers' Market Outreach program.
34 Janice Tyler said any farmers that want to come are welcome.
35 Chair Jacobs said people in Efland have missed having programming at their
36 community center.
37 Janice Tyler said programming is not provided anymore, because the programs
38 were consolidated a couple of years ago when the Central Orange Senior Center was
39 opened. She said outreach was done in Efland and Cedar Grove before this decision
40 was made, and the participant numbers were very low. She said these people are now
41 being bused to the Senior Center.
42
43 Animal Services, Pg. 44 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg.
44 347)
45 Darryl Butts reviewed the following budget highlights:
46
47 Administration and Programs
48 Budget Highlights
49 • The increase in Operations in FY 2013-14 is due to a countywide $.05/mile
50 surcharge in Motor Pool to help offset future vehicle replacement costs, an
51 increase of$3,000 in Contract Services for animal disposal fees, and operating
52 costs associated with the new recommended Administrative Assistant I and Animal
53 Control positions.
54 • Animal Services:Animal Shelter Division
19
1 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes a new Administrative
2 Assistant I position budgeted to start January 1, 2014 (Salary & Benefits and
3 Capital Outlay of$23,381) with offsetting revenues of$6,300 from Spay/Neuter
4 Fund. This position will provide daily management of the volunteer program
5 (currently over 125 volunteers donating over 800 hours of volunteer time), and
6 assisting with additional programs related to the County's Community Spay/Neuter
7 program, as well as the co-location program for pets in disaster sheltering.
8 • Creation of new differential impoundment fees for owner recoveries to offer
9 reduced fees for sterilized pets resulting in increased reclaim revenues ($5,000).
10 • Increase micro chipping of pets by offering microchips at four rabies clinics and
11 requiring that all pets recovered are micro chipped resulting in increased microchip
12 revenues ($10,125).
13
14 Animal Control & Protection Division
15 Budget Highlights
16 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes a new Animal Control
17 Officer position (1.0 FTE) dedicated to the Town of Carrboro. The direct personnel,
18 operating, and capital outlay costs for the position ($58,222) will be paid by the
19 Town.
20 • The increase in revenues for FY 2013-14 includes an Agreement with the Town
21 of Carrboro to provide animal control services ($58,222), and an increase of
22 $11,089 in the amount of the Hillsborough animal control agreement, based on a
23 correction to the indirect costs calculation.
24
25 Bob Marotto said the Assistant Program Coordinator position is warranted by the
26 large increase in volunteers and volunteer hours. He said the range has gone from 400-
27 600 to 800-1100 hours, and there are over 1500 people in the program over the course
28 of the year. He said there is only one person in charge of that program. He has serious
29 concerns about the sustainability of the program without the coordinator addition.
30 He said Hillsborough has been added to the agreement since 2009 and Carrboro
31 will soon be added.
32 He said, with staff's intention to bring back the unified ordinance in September,
33 he would suggest the Board consider removing the fees from the new fee schedule and
34 delaying this addition until later.
35 Commissioner McKee said he appreciated the suggestion to delay the fees.
36 Commissioner Price asked about the spay/neuter fund and the differing request
37 amounts.
38 Paul Laughton said there is $12,600 available from the spay/neuter fund to help
39 underwrite a position. He said that, for the first half of the year, this will directly
40 underwrite a part time or temporary position. He said a permanent position would then
41 be created in January, and the other half of the money would be re-directed into the
42 operating budget to underwrite part of the cost of that permanent position.
43 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to see the budget without the
44 revenues associated with the Ordinance changes.
45 Darryl Butts said the budget would be $14,000, and he can provide details on
46 this.
47 Bob Marotto said there would be additional deductions made to the expenditure
48 line item to obtain the chips to microchip stray animals.
49 Commissioner Gordon said the information needs to be systematically
50 presented.
51 Darryl Butts said this will be done.
52 Commissioner Gordon asked for an explanation of how the animal recovery fits
53 into the budget.
20
1 Bob Marotto said there was a set of differential rates folded in to the ordinance
2 for the recovery of sterilized and reproductive animals. He said this is part of the
3 $14,000.
4
5 County Attorney, Pg. 92
6 Tonya Walton said the County Attorney's budget totals $526,000 with an
7 increase of$37,000.
8
9 Budget Highlights
10 • Personnel cost increase reflects a mid-year, position reclassification
11 • Flat operation budget
12 Attorney John Roberts said the General Assembly is putting out a lot of
13 legislation that will affect Orange County, and this will be looked at over the summer.
14 He commended the Information Technology department, and he said the new
15 leadership has said that contract review can now be digitized.
16 Commissioner Dorosin said there is a mention of costs recovered through
17 delinquent collections. He said other departments have a revenue line, and he wonders
18 why these revenues aren't credited to this department. .
19 Clarence Grier said this goes back to the department that generated the fees.
20 Commissioner Dorosin asked about the difference between a legal specialist and
21 a staff attorney.
22 John Roberts said the current legal specialist is a licensed attorney, and she was
23 originally in the Human Relations department. He said her position was terminated, and
24 she was moved into his department. He said she does quite a bit of legal work and
25 some paralegal work.
26 Chair Jacobs suggested the Board do two more departments.
27
28 DEAPR-Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, Pg.
29 99 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg.331 and Non-Departmental
30 items, Pgs. 188 and 201)
31
32 Tonya Walton reviewed the following budget highlights:
33
34 Administrative Services Budget Highlights:
35 • Motor Pool: Increase ($9,580) reflects needed repairs, increased fuel costs
36 and a $0.05 mileage rate increase, in FY 2013-14.
37 • Fee Schedule Request: Proposed changes, effective July 1, 2013, include
38 eliminating the cost ranges for tournament vending permits ($100 per day,
39 formerly $100 4300), setting a firm rate for recreation equipment rentals ($25
40 per use, formerly staff determined) and creating a drop-in pass program at
41 Central Recreation Center ($3 per day, $15 semi-annually, $15 annually).
42
43 Natural and Cultural Resources Division Budget Highlights
44 • Manager Recommended Budget includes $20,000 to construct 1-2 secure
45 well-net monitoring sites.
46
47 Parks Division Budget Highlights
48 • The Parks Division continues to experience increasing deferred equipment
49 costs (replacement, repair and maintenance), and an increase in motor pool
50 costs due to fuel prices. Some of the most-pressing of these needs are included
51 in the budget.
52 • Increases in seasonal staff reflect the limited opening of Blackwood Farm Park
53 and FY 2012-13's living wage increase. In the last four years, the County has
54 opened three parks without additional full-time staff. Historically, seasonal staff
21
1 has been hired to address the dramatic increase in park usage during April-
2 October.
3
4 Recreation Division Budget Highlights:
5 • Participant Insurance: The department will fund participant insurance ($9,000)
6 for all youths, in FY 2013-14. The funds will provide each participant with
7 adequate recreation insurance and a proposed fee increase will offset the cost.
8 • Efland Cheeks: Increased seasonal staff ($3,850) will provide building
9 supervision and program assistance at the Efland Cheeks Community Center for
10 the United Voices of Efland and the Efland Community.
11
12 Soil and Water Conservation Budget Highlights:
13 • No significant budget changes, in FY 2013-14.
14
15 Dave Stancil said the department has accomplished a lot of goals, including
16 resolution of the 10 year dilemma for youth baseball and softball. He said the Eurosport
17 Soccer center continues to see revenue increase. He said there are also talks about
18 making the Efland Cheeks Community Center more accessible.
19 Commissioner Gordon asked where Twin Creeks Park fits into their plans.
20 Dave Stancil said, in the CIP, Twin Creeks Park is beyond the 5 year horizon.
21 He said it is a fairly significant park, and at this time there is funding for road
22 construction; but no funds exist to build any practical segment of the park, other than the
23 greenway. He said this will be looked at again next year; however this is a multi-million
24 dollar project, and a number of things will have to happen to make it work.
25 Commissioner Gordon asked Dave Stancil about the abbreviation of DEAPR and
26 said that it would be a good idea to include the whole department name the first time the
27 department is referenced, before using the abbreviation.
28 Commissioner Dorosin said there was mention of doing more outreach with a
29 survey. He asked what is going to be done to get more diversity.
30 Dave Stancil said the Hispanic, African-American and Asian populations are all
31 under- represented. He said there were a number of surveys sent out to target these
32 groups, and at the end of the day he hopes to have a good, true base of resident
33 opinion.
34
35 Health Department, Pg. 148 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg.
36 348 and Non-Departmental items, Pg. 193)
37 Darryl Butts reviewed the following budget highlights:
38
39 Finance and Administrative Services Division Budget Highlights
40 • Facilitated quality improvement projects for different divisions in health
41 department.
42 • Expanded credit card payment acceptance for Personal Health and Dental
43 Clinic clients.
44 • During FY 2012-13, the department hired a Health Informatics Manager and
45 created a Health Informatics section within this division.
46 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes increases in
47 Operations for Training($6,433) —to provide additional workforce development
48 opportunities for staff; Contract Services($11,800) — consultation work to
49 support health informatics and data integration in the transition to coding
50 changes in billing and notification to patients, as well as Board of Health
51 strategic planning data analysis; Innovation and Accreditation Projects ($23,700)
52 —these are a continuation of projects started in FY 2012-13 and are paid with
53 Medicaid Maximization funds.
22
1 • The increase in Revenues in FY 2013-14 reflects the increase in Medicaid
2 Maximization funds to cover the costs of the Innovations and Accreditation
3 Projects.
4
5 Dental Health Division Budget Highlights:
6 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in
7 hours of a Dental Hygienist position by .30 FTE (from a .50 FTE to a .80 FTE);
8 Salary and Benefits increase of$18,701, which is completely offset by User
9 Fees and Medicaid funds.
10 • Discontinued Smart Smiles program due to the loss of Smart Start funds; this
11 used to go toward dental screening in schools. Now the focus will be more on
12 health education and dental health in schools.
13
14 Health Promotion and Education Services Division Budget Highlights:
15 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes the transfer of a
16 Nutrition Program Manager position and a Registered Dietician position to the
17 Personal Health division.
18 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes a new Senior
19 Public Health Educator position (1.0 FTE), effective July 1, 2013, to work on
20 Board of Health Strategic Plan priorities such as Access to Care; Child and
21 Family Obesity; and Substance Abuse/Mental Health. (Salary & Benefits of
22 $58,360)
23 • The increase in Operations in FY 2013-14 includes increases in Training —to
24 provide additional workforce development opportunities for staff; and in Contract
25 Services —for consultative services related to the smoke free law (offset by
26 State/Federal funds), as well as other Board of Health strategic plan goals.
27 • The decrease in Revenues in FY 2013-14 is due to transferring the Nutrition
28 Services program to the Personal Health division to promote continuity of care
29 for clients receiving clinic services, and funds from Piedmont Health Services
30 related to the transfer of the of the Nutrition Program Manager position to
31 Personal Health.
32
33
34 Environmental Health Division Budget Highlights
35 • The increase in Revenues in FY 2013-14 is due to a projected increase in the
36 State allocation based on 100% compliance in food and lodging inspections.
37 • The hiring of the Permit Development Specialist (.50 FTE) in FY 2012-13 is
38 allowing enhancements to Environmental Health Services. As of January 2013,
39 the Environmental Health reception desk now remains open during the lunch
40 hour for walk-in and phone customers, increasing accessibility to
41 the public by 11%.
42 • Environmental Health professional staff is no longer required to regularly
43 provide reception desk coverage and have returned to normal duties consistent
44 with their position, which will enhance productivity and accessibility by 15%.
45
46 Personal Health Division Budget Highlights
47 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget reflects the transfer of a
48 Nutrition Program Manager position and a Registered Dietician from the Health
49 Promotion and Education division to Personal Health.
50 • The FY 2013-14 Manager Recommended Budget includes the conversion of a
51 vacant Public Health Nurse II position to a Medical Office Supervisor position,
52 and the surplus of$20,657 from this conversion has been transferred to the
53 division's temporary personnel line item. This increase, along with an increase of
54 $14,000, to establish a temporary nursing/provider pool to mitigate reduced
23
1 clinic schedules and delays in services due to unforeseen medical leave of
2 permanent staff. These changes reflect some of the increases in Personnel
3 Services for FY 2013-14.
4 • The increase in Operations for FY 2014-13 includes an additional $100,395 in
5 Pharmacy Supplies; increased by an additional $50,395 to continue giving
6 vaccines to school system staff, as well as county employees (revenue received
7 from insurance reimbursements will cover the additional costs); also includes the
8 continuation of the Nicotine Replacement Therapy program at $50,000.
9 • The Capital Outlay for FY 2013-14 of$18,000 includes the purchase of sic (6)
10 kiosks for patients to check for Medicaid eligibility. The patient kiosk systems are
11 interactive computer stations used to help improve efficiency and the patient's
12 experience by giving them the option to sign up for Medicaid and insurance
13 benefits all in real-time.
14 • The additional revenue in FY 2013-14 is due to efficiencies in the new patient
15 management and billing system created through ongoing training and
16 development in billing, and moving the Nutrition Services Program and its
17 associated revenue to this division from Health Promotion and Education.
18 • The Department's multi-year Reducing Health Disparities Grant includes a
19 Manager Recommended two year time-limited Registered Dietician position (1.0
20 FTE). (Salary & Benefits of$62,647). The position costs are totally offset by
21 grant funds and revenue from third party billing charges, and are budgeted
22 outside of the General Fund.
23 0 There are two (2) new fees recommended in FY 2013-14: Birthing
24 Classes at $8.69/ hour and Adult TD vaccine at $35.00❑T
25 0 The Board of County Commissioners approved the reclassification of a
26 Public Health Nurse II position to 1.5 FTE Medical Office Assistants in FY 2012-
27 13, at no additional County cost, to add support for increased clinic efficiency.
28 0 Increased inventory of purchased vaccines due to decrease in state-
29 supplied vaccine available.
30 Nutrition Services Section moved to Personal Health Services Division
31 Awarded contract in FY 2012-13 with UNC Family Medicine through
32 Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Grant Funding to offer Diabetes
33 Self-Management Education Program and Medical Nutrition Therapy to referred
34 clients (Year 1 Funding, $67,767). This project was established in a multi-year
35 grant fund outside of the General Fund.
36
37 Colleen Bridger said County dollars cover County controlled funding increases,
38 and all other increases have been covered by non-county dollars.
39 She said the department saw about 9000 patients this year, and had 6000 visits
40 at the dental clinic in Hillsborough. She said two-thirds of patients seen in the dental
41 clinic are uninsured. She said the hope is to expand dental services in the future, but
42 without having to come to the Board for money.
43 She said the department is working to increase efficiency, and she said access
44 to service is exceptional.
45 Commissioner McKee said he has a concern about the soft implementation for
46 the smoking ordinance enforcement, which ends in July. He has heard that pressure
47 has been applied to law enforcement to enforce this ordinance.
48 Colleen Bridger said that is a rumor that is not true, and she would encourage
49 Commissioner McKee to speak with the chief of police.
50 Chair Jacobs said it is not clear whether the sliding scale applies to dental fees
51 or not.
52 Colleen Bridger said the sliding scale does apply to the dental patient, and 50%
53 of patients slide to the zero pay.
24
1 Chair Jacobs asked how the department is doing in attracting southern Orange
2 County residents to the dental clinic.
3 Colleen Bridger said transportation needs can be tracked, and thus far the needs
4 is zero in that area. She said vouchers for free transportation were set aside for this and
5 none have been used. She said there has been a decrease in the patients seen from
6 Chapel Hill and Carrboro, though not as steep as she expected. She said many have
7 also come back after leaving to explore other options.
8 Commissioner McKee asked if Piedmont Health Services is providing dental
9 service and Chapel Hill.
10 Colleen Bridger said yes, and a partnership is being worked on.
11 Commissioner Gordon said she is glad to hear that there is interest in dental
12 service for people in the southern end of the County.
13 Chair Jacob reviewed the follow up items needed for the next meeting, which
14 included:
15 - Percentage of the 401 K in terms of the overall package
16 - Animal Services Budget, without the ordinance fee
17
18 Housing, Human Rights and Community Development, Pg.161
19 DEFERRED
20
21 Library, Pg. 176 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg. 332 and
22 Non-Departmental Items, Pg. 201)
23 DEFERRED
24
25 Social Services, Pg. 244
26 DEFERRED
27
28 Board of County Commissioners, Pg. 63
29 DEFERRED
30
31 County Manager, Pg. 95
32 DEFERRED
33
34 Finance and Administrative Services, Pg. 135
35 DEFERRED
36
37 Internal Service Fund —Vehicle Replacements
38 DEFERRED
39
40 5. CIP Follow-up
41 DEFERRED
42
43 6. Closed Session-deferred
44
45
46
47
48 ADJOURNMENT
49
50 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to
51 adjourn the meeting to 6:00pm on June 13, 2013
52
53 VOTE UNANIMOUS
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2 Barry Jacobs, Chair
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5 Donna Baker
6 Clerk to the Board
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