HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-16-2014 - 6aSUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT:
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 16, 2014
Action Agenda
Item No. 6 -a
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, 245 -2130
I
PURPOSE: To correct and /or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below:
April 10, 2014 BOCC Budget Work Session
April 29, 2014 BOCC Joint Meeting w/ Board of Social
Services (5:30pm)
May 13, 2014 BOCC Joint Meeting with Board of Health
(5:30pm)
May 13, 2014 BOCC Work Session (7:OOpm)
June 10, 2014 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.
Attachment 1
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 WORK SESSION
6 April 10, 2014
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on
10 Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill,
11 N.C.
12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Mark Dorosin,
13 Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier and Renee Price
14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Penny Rich
15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert, Assistant County
17 Managers Clarence Grier and Cheryl Young and Deputy Clerk to the Board David Hunt (All
18 other staff members will be identified appropriately below)
19
20 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m.
21
22 1. Board of County Commissioners External Advisory Board Appointees
23 Chair Jacobs said this first item involves trying something different. He referenced a
24 blue sheet that listed the external appointees. He said there has been discussion over the
25 years about connecting with those individuals who represent the County, in order to tie in better
26 with what these people are working on. He said several of these people are here tonight.
27 Susanne Haff is an Orange County representative on the Chapel Hill Planning Board.
28 She said she is ending her first three years in July, and she is interested in having each of the
29 Board members find their very best person in the Joint Planning Area. She said she represents
30 the northern part of where Chapel Hill and the County come together, and this is next to
31 Carrboro and the landfill. She said the area she serves includes a portion of Rogers Road.
32 She is hopeful that the Commissioners have someone they would like to appoint to this
33 position. She is ready to take a break. She said the conversation with the Board of
34 Commissioners has always perplexed her, and she questions their perspective of what she is
35 doing. She does not want to send an email to the Board every week, but she thinks there are
36 things that the County would want to know, such as development projects and school reports.
37 She would like to find a way to communicate these things. She said it has been an honor to
38 serve.
39 Chair Jacobs asked if Susanne Haff has any suggestions on how best to communicate.
40 Susanne Haff said it would be helpful if the Board made a list of the things going on in
41 Chapel Hill that would be of interest to them. She asked specifically about the Board's interest
42 in the property at the intersection of 1 -40, Eubanks Road, and Hwy 86, or the addition of exits
43 off of 1 -40. She referenced the land between Old and New 86 and the need for another access
44 point. She asked about the Board's position on development versus open space. She said it is
45 hard to represent the Board without knowing their position on these things. She said a
46 philosophy statement every few years would be good.
47 Commissioner Price said she had also served on the Planning Board. She asked if
48 Susanne Haff felt that her recommendations to the Planning Board have been heard. She said
49 each of the Board members has a different point of view, and she would respect Susanne
50 Haff s point of view equally.
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Susanne Haff said if she is representing the Board of Commissioners, she would not
want to say the wrong thing, though she does not think the Board would know she said it. She
thinks her voice has been heard and honored, but her advice has not necessarily been
followed. She appreciates the honor of having been heard and of being able to work on difficult
problems.
Commissioner Gordon asked whether there is an orientation for boards and
commissions in other jurisdictions.
Staff answered no.
Commissioner Gordon said there are parts of the comprehensive plan that relate to land
use and transportation. She said this would be helpful to know. She said the Board of County
Commissioners has a list of goals and objectives, some of which relate to land use. She thinks
an orientation on general issues would be good, and there is some homework that could be
done.
Susanne Haff said she does a huge amount of homework on Chapel Hill.
Commissioner Gordon asked if she was given an orientation by the Chapel Hill planning
board.
Susanne Haff said yes.
Commissioner Gordon said perhaps it would help if the Board of Commissioners was
more explicit regarding their expectations. She said she is interested in any item where Chapel
Hill's land use will affect the schools. She is also interested in items of regional significance or
anything that would spread beyond the borders of Chapel Hill.
Susanne Haff said there is currently a big debate on rapid transit and the train from
Duke to UNC. She said there would then be dense development along that train route. She
knows that part of Orange County doesn't want buses. She has learned much about these
issues from a friend who used to be in politics. She referenced issues of water availability and
a working relationship between OWASA and the town of Hillsborough
Commissioner Gordon said there is a rural buffer in between.
Susanne Haff said she has heard the comments and discussions about this.
Commissioner Pelissier said she thinks it would be good to have some sort of
orientation with planning staff regarding planning and transportation issues. She thinks it might
also be a good idea for new people to meet with one or two Commissioners. She thinks it is
good to have contextual information on fundamental issues like water and sewer.
Susanne Haff said she does think that there are ideas that go back and forth, and she is
not sure what and when to send to the Board.
Chair Jacobs said she should not be shy to share information. He said too much
information is better than not enough. He said there has never been a connection, so a
communication plan will need to be invented, and a relationship can be evolved.
Commissioner McKee thanked Susanne Haff for taking the time to serve. He said each
of the Commissioners might give different answers on specific issues. He said what is
important is that the appointees are able to think of what is best for Orange County. He said
the Commissioners may not always agree on how to get there, but they all generally agree on
the direction.
Susanne Haff said she knows several of the Commissioners represent northern Orange
County, and she has tried to work on the concept that people in the County have a variety of
income and abilities. She has advocated that there needs to be more responsibility for each
other. She has also worked on advocating for cable and other services in northern Orange
County.
Chair Jacobs thanked her for her service, and he noted that all of the Commissioners
represent the interests of northern Orange County.
I Deborah Fulghieri is a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Board. She said she was
2 appointed to the board in 2011 after initially being told that she could not serve because she
3 was not a town resident. She said many things pass through the planning board, and she has
4 caught up slowly and gotten more involved in Chapel Hill issues as well as those of the
5 extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). She lives in the southern part of the County, close to the
6 Chatham County line.
7 Deborah Fulghieri said one item of relevance is the interplay between Chapel Hill and
8 the County at the level of taxation. She said people make improvements in property within the
9 town limits, and those improvements are inspected by the town of Chapel Hill staff. She said
10 the news of those improvements somehow has to get to the County assessor, and sometimes
11 this happens, and sometimes it doesn't. She discussed an article about this issue and the fact
12 that the town had opted not to purchase software that would allow better computer
13 communication with the County. She said when final inspection is made on the improvements it
14 may take three years for the news to reach Orange County so the property can be reassessed.
15 She said she has found some cases where the news never reached the County. She feels that
16 this is important since a great deal of the development in Chapel Hill is justified as a way to
17 build the tax base, and it does no good if the tax assessor is not notified.
18 Deborah Fulghieri said there is the light rail train that may come to Orange County and a
19 half cent tax is remitted by every retail outlet or service provider for this project. She said the
20 light rail project as it currently stands only has three stops in Orange County and four stops in
21 Chapel Hill. She said at least two of the County stops are on UNC owned land that cannot be
22 built on. She said Orange County gets quite a lot of sales tax, and she believes that the town
23 hasn't lobbied for light rail to serve its commercial areas. She said that when this project has
24 been presented to the Planning Board, it has been with the idea that there will be natural growth
25 of retail, mixed use and residential near each stop. She said this is not possible for the stops
26 planned within Orange County. She feels that it would be better for this light rail system to go
27 down 15 -501 and serve those residential and commercial districts. She said this is also shorter
28 and avoids the wetland area of Jordan Lake.
29 She said there is a huge new project coming up in the ETJ called Obey Creek, which will
30 have hundreds of dwellings, retail space, and office space. She said this is being built on a
31 piece of land that was set aside in 1992 to offset density in Southern Village, which is across
32 from it. She said the County needs to know about this, since service demands will be made on
33 them. She said she does not know what level, but it will involve water, sewer, and transit. She
34 said this is being worked different than other projects in Chapel Hill, and some people think this
35 is to shut out public input.
36 Deborah Fulghieri said there are other small issues, but these are the large projects that
37 the County needs to be made aware of. She said it is not too late for an orientation, and she
38 likes the idea of having a point person for communication.
39 Chair Jacobs suggested that these planning board appointees could be connected with
40 Craig Benedict for an orientation.
41 Commissioner Gordon said she would like to note that the Commissioners would be
42 interested in the large projects in Chapel Hill. She said the Board has even asked to meet with
43 the town about these.
44 Chair Jacobs agreed. He suggested that the Board could give direction after the
45 presenters are done speaking as far as the connection with appointees for communicating
46 County interests.
47
48 Thomas Fenske is a Mebane Planning Board appointee, and he said he represents the
49 small sliver of ETJ in Mebane that is in Orange County. He said Mebane has a very
50 comprehensive Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and very attentive staff. He said he
E
1 reads the minutes every month for the regular Orange County Planning Board, but he has very
2 little business there. He said he has gotten involved in the public hearings about the Buckhorn
3 jockey lot. He said the Mebane Planning Board deals primarily with Alamance County issues,
4 and Orange County issues are only 5 percent or less of the agenda. He said he is an active
5 member on the board, and it is quite a contrast to the issues of the previous speakers. He said
6 he has enjoyed his time on the Mebane Planning Board and he has learned a lot.
7 Commissioner McKee said Thomas Fenske would be welcomed at an Orange County
8 Planning Board meeting.
9 Thomas Fenske said he would be happy to do this. He said he always asks if there are
10 any Orange County issues, but most of the issues involve Mebane specific planning, and the
11 UDO is very comprehensive.
12 Chair Jacobs said one idea is to have the planning board representatives attend the
13 annual joint meetings with the municipalities. He said this would help get them acquainted with
14 the issues that the County is interested in.
15
16 Commissioner Price asked Deboroah Fulghieri if she feels her voice is being heard on
17 the Chapel Hill Planning Board.
18 Deboroah Fulghieri said if she says something it goes in the minutes.
19 Commissioner Price asked if her point of view seems to be heard, and if she feels as if
20 her work was a good use of time.
21 Deboroah Fulghieri said a lot of development issues can be fraught, and people can
22 jump down your throat if you disagree. She said she has realized that the Planning Board is a
23 sort of lightening conductor meant to take some of the fire rather than have it all directed at the
24 Town Council.
25 Chair Jacobs said this does happen. He said he was on the Orange County Planning
26 Board during the discussion of mobile home park standards, and the Planning Board took fire
27 for this.
28 Deboroah Fulghieri said she feels as much a part of the board as anyone.
29 Chair Jacobs noted that there are nine external boards with County representatives. He
30 said what he has heard from the two here is that there is a need to for some type of orientation
31 with Orange County Planning. He said these appointees need to be invited when there is a
32 joint meeting of the government with which they are affiliated. He said there also needs to be a
33 protocol for communicating, but in the absence of this protocol, the Board is interested in
34 whatever the appointees feel like sharing. He said the larger projects are more likely to be of
35 interest.
36 Susanne Haff asked the Board if they felt informed by their outside appointees to
37 external boards.
38 Chair Jacobs said with some of them yes. He said there will be a work session about
39 this in the future, but he does not know the details.
40 Commissioner Gordon asked the attendees to let the Board know about any big projects
41 that have regional impacts, or any projects that affect County services or capital.
42 Commissioner Price made reference to the list of concerns expressed in the hand out at
43 their places from Amy Jeroloman from the Northern Transition Advisory board.
44 Chair Jacobs said the Board should read them, and she can be contacted to discuss the
45 conversation from this meeting. He said he would also try and put her in touch with Craig
46 Benedict.
47 Commissioner Price suggested both of the Carrboro groups could be invited the joint
48 meeting with Carrboro government.
I Chair Jacobs said the lack of specific connection has been a gap in the advisory board
2 structure. He appreciates the appointees who came tonight, and he thanked them for their
3 service.
4
5 2. To continue review and discussion of the Manager's Recommended FY 2014 -19
6 Capital Investment Plan (CIP)
7 Chair Jacobs noted that Commissioner Rich has a work conflict tonight and would be
8 unable to attend.
9
10 The FY 2014 -19 CIP includes County Projects, School Projects, Proprietary Projects,
11 and Special Revenue Projects. The Proprietary Projects include Water and Sewer, Solid Waste
12 Enterprise Fund, and Sportsplex projects. The Special Revenue Projects include Economic
13 Development and School related projects funded from the Article 46 (1/4 cent) Sales Tax
14 proceeds. The Article 46 Sales Tax was approved by the voters in the November 2011 election,
15 and became effective April 1, 2012. Attachment B reflects a comparison by Function of the
16 Manager's Recommended FY 2014 -19 CIP with the FY 2013 -18 and FY 2012 -17 Capital
17 Investment Plans.
18 The CIP has been prepared anticipating continued slow economic growth of between 1 -2%
19 annually over the next five years. Many of the projects in the CIP will rely on debt financing to
20 fund the projects.
21
22 Michael Talbert noted that there is a chart at the Commissioner's places regarding the
23 decline in lottery and ADM funds. He said this is relevant given the school needs in front of
24 them. He said this shows how the funding from the state in regards to available capital funds
25 has gone down over the past 7 years. He said the ADM funds have gone away completely, and
26 the lottery proceeds have been substantially reduced to $1.3 million, but the County's capital
27 needs have not gone down.
28
29 Schools:
30 Paul Laughton said this is a continued review and discussion of the CIP. He said
31 schools are being discussed first because of the reduction in lottery and ADM funds, and both
32 school systems have representatives here tonight. He said this is in the last tab of the CIP
33 binder, and he reviewed the summary chart on page 91.
34 He said pay as you go funds remain the same as 2013 -14, and the lottery proceeds are
35 the estimated numbers provided by the state. He said pay as you go funds are estimated to
36 increase 1.5 percent per year, and lottery funds will stay flat. He said there are no new debt
37 projects until 2017 -18.
38 Paul Laughton said School Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance ( SAPFO) capacity
39 numbers are used in determining new schools construction and additions. He said there is
40 some funding starting for middle school 5 in year 4, but no schools are scheduled to open until
41 years 6 -10. He said middle school 5 is actually moved back 3 years from the current CIP to
42 open in 2021, and this is due to the addition of the Culbreth science wing. He said elementary
43 12 moves up one year to 2012, and the Carrboro High School additions move back 3 years to
44 open in 2023 -24.
45 Paul Laughton said for Orange County Schools (OCS), Cedar Ridge High School
46 classroom additions move to 2022 -23. He said OCS has expressed concern about growth in
47 the Mebane area, as Mebane is not a partner in the SAPFO numbers. He said this was left as
48 a discussion point for the past years, but this year the SAPFO numbers have been considered,
49 and that moves this to 2023.
50 He said Elementary number 8 for OCS will open in 23 -24.
I Commissioner McKee asked how the move back of Cedar Ridge is valid if Mebane is
2 not providing SAPFO numbers.
3 Paul Laughton said this has been on the table for discussion for 2 or 3 years, but this
4 movement is based on the SAPFO numbers.
5 Craig Benedict said even though Mebane is not part of the formal SAPFO, when
6 children do show up from the Mebane communities, they are counted. He said projections are
7 historical and actual, so if there is an uptick in enrollment from development on the Orange
8 County side of Mebane, those projections will be modified. He said there is a "ghost" count of
9 the development to see if children are showing up as a result of this growth. He said these
10 projections are very sensitive, and they are closely monitored.
11 Commissioner McKee said his question was based on the amount of the jump.
12 Commissioner Price said she is still not clear on the monitoring of Mebane. She asked
13 where this shows up in the CIP and whether it is possible to include a footnote.
14 Craig Benedict said projections are based on the children who show up at the schools;
15 so Mebane is being counted from that standpoint. He said projections are taken based off of
16 what has happening over the last 5 or 10 years, so Mebane's growth is counted.
17 Commissioner Price said parents and teachers were saying that classes at Cedar Ridge
18 were being held in hallways. She questioned if this indicates the need for classroom additions
19 sooner rather than later.
20 Commissioner Gordon said people talk about how certain schools are overcrowded.
21 She said the trigger for building more capacity comes when the level goes up for all of the
22 schools in that category. She said Chapel Hill has a lot of Elementary schools and some are
23 overcrowded while others are not. She said it is the responsibility of the school system to
24 redistrict. She said the same is true for OCS, and in this case Orange High School is not being
25 used to capacity, while Cedar Ridge is at capacity. She said when the capacity of both high
26 schools reaches 110 percent, SAPFO kicks in. She said the rationale is to have the space
27 ready by the time you reach 110 percent.
28 Commissioner Price suggested that the Board bring this to the attention of the schools,
29 and hope it will be corrected.
30 Chair Jacobs said yes. He noted that it is challenging to redistrict.
31 Commissioner Price asked about the schools in Orange County where the students are
32 in trailers, and she questioned the safety of this.
33 Chair Jacobs said it is part of the school comprehensive plan.
34 Commissioner Dorosin referred to page 91. He questioned, given what staff said about
35 the timetable for new schools, what the money listed as new school allotments for years 1
36 through 5 would be used for.
37 Paul Laughton said that is strictly pay as you go funds and lottery proceeds.
38 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Board has any control over how this is spent.
39 Paul Laughton said this is part of the request in the CIP document. He said the schools
40 have shown how they would like to spend this on repairs and replacements. He said there are
41 budget amendments every year regarding the lottery funds. He said staff receives quarterly
42 notification of the money available in the system, and then the schools can request the money.
43 He said this is then brought to the Board as a budget amendment each time.
44 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the only thing that would show up on their itemized
45 list would be new school construction items, and the rest shows up in the CIPs submitted by the
46 schools.
47 Paul Laughton said yes.
48 Chair Jacobs said when schools have a leak in the roof, the decision of when to fix it is
49 up to them.
50 Paul Laughton said yes.
7
1 Chair Jacobs said he had heard that there was a discussion at the Chapel Hill Town
2 Council meeting that there was a school system wanting to revisit the formula for SAPFO.
3 Craig Benedict said this was regarding the numbers for student generation rates,
4 primarily for multi - family. He said staff is contacting a consultant to look at this. He said these
5 student generation rates were a pre- cursor to impact fees. He said staff is getting close to a
6 contract update with the consultant for these student generation rates.
7 Paul Laughton said information has been received from both schools systems about
8 improvements needed for older schools. He said the CIP does not include any of that. He said
9 this amount is in excess of $330 million.
10 Chair Jacobs said the Board is thinking about bonds to pay for this.
11 Commissioner Dorosin said the Board should be conscious about not letting the
12 discussions of renovations, repairs, and facility assessments be separated from conversations
13 about capacity and building new schools. He said there is an opportunity for synergy here. He
14 said Carrboro Elementary is an example of this, when you consider the potential cost of
15 everything to repair it versus doubling its capacity so that it becomes Elementary #12.
16 Chair Jacobs said that is part of the study, which is looking at safety, technology, and
17 capacity. He said there is a push and pull on capacity as it related to how big school systems
18 want their schools to be. He said there are different school capacities for different levels of
19 schools. He said this may need to be part of the conversation, but the decision on what is too
20 big is very subjective. He said Carrboro High is built with a core that can serve more wings, so
21 that it could have higher capacity; but the addition has not been built yet. He said everyone
22 would prefer to have capacity in the existing schools before this happens, but all of this is being
23 considered in a holistic way in the study. He said there are some schools that are very old and
24 need to be brought up to speed with the newer schools. He noted that the Board will receive
25 this presentation at the end of the month.
26 Commissioner Dorosin said that he is concerned with the order of priority, and he feels
27 that older schools should be equal.
28 Chair Jacobs said safety comes first.
29 Commissioner Price said Cameron Park is an old school that had to be gutted and
30 needs a total re -vamp. She asked when this shows up and where it shows up.
31 Michael Talbert said these details will be shown at the presentation on April 29th. He
32 said the School Board will be reviewing their plan and setting priorities prior to that presentation.
33 He said the Board will receive a plan for all of the schools, not just one.
34 Commissioner Price asked if the funding for a significant re -vamp like this would show
35 up in the CIP.
36 Paul Laughton said it would likely have to be financed, as it is beyond the scope of
37 lottery funds and pay as you go funds. He said the Board would have to make a decision on
38 this.
39 Michael Talbert said none of those projects are in this CIP, as those are still outside of
40 scope.
41 Chair Jacobs said part of the discussion is a consideration of whether schools are
42 beyond their life span. He said the schools will be coming forward with a series of proposals,
43 and the Board will have to decide on whether to support those items being funded.
44 Commissioner Gordon said this is entering a new era when the Board actually considers
45 funding substantial renovations of older schools. She is glad to see this time has finally come.
46 She said some of this is due to the rapidly growing school districts and the fact that there was
47 an emphasis on building new schools, while older schools were just making do with pay as you
48 go funds. She said the Board is fortunate to work well with both School Boards. She said no
49 judgment can be made prior to the presentation, other than the decision that something must
50 be done about this at some point.
I Paul Laughton referred to Attachment B, which is a budget comparison by function that
2 looks at percentages in the large function areas. He said this fluctuates year to year and can
3 fluctuate drastically. He said the capital funding policy has a target of 60 percent of projects for
4 schools and 40 percent for County projects over a 10 year period. He said schools are currently
5 59.6 percent and County projects are at 40.4 percent.
6
7 County Capital Projects:
8 Paul Laughton directed the Board to the first tab, beginning on page 16 of the CIP
9 binder. He said there are several department heads here to answer questions.
10 He also referred to page 5 of the abstract, which lists the following five new projects in
11 years 1 through 5 of the CIP:
12
13 Cedar Grove Community Center Library Kiosk — includes $180,000 in Year 2 (FY
14 2015 -16) to provide patrons an automated material kiosk at the Cedar Grove Community
15 Center providing 24 hour electronic access for checking in and out materials.
16
17 Parking Lot Improvements — includes repair, resurfacing, and /or replacement of
18 asphalt and concrete parking areas, including necessary curb and gutter systems at the
19 following locations: $120,000 in Year 2 (FY 2016 -15) at 501/503 W. Franklin Street; $510,000
20 in Year 4 (FY 2017 -18) at Link Government Services Center /Annex and the District Attorney
21 building; and 3 additional properties ($2,750,000 in Years 6 -10).
22
23 Life Safety— ADA — provides $25,000 in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15) for the installation of
24 automated access doors at West Campus and the Seymour Senior Center; $25,000 in Year 2
25 (FY 2015 -16) for fire alarm system improvements /replacement at the Historic Courthouse;
26 $60,000 in Year 5 (FY 2018 -19) for elevator improvements at the Historic Courthouse; and
27 additional fire alarm system design and installation at 4 locations ($65,000 in Years 6 -10)
28
29 Rogers Road
30 Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood Community Center— During FY 2012 -13, the Board of
31 Commissioners approved the establishment of a capital project for the construction of a Historic
32 Rogers Road Neighborhood Community Center with funds of $650,000. For Year 2 (FY 2015-
33 16), $3,025,000 is recommended, which represents the County's 43% share of the Sewer
34 Concept Plan costs to serve 86 parcels.
35 Year two added 3 million
(«'!
37 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR)
38 Park and Recreation Facility Renovations and Repairs — provides funding each of
39 Years 1 -5 for the scheduling of planned renovations and repairs to facilities; a total of $900,000
40 is included over these five years.
41
42 Paul Laughton noted that Rogers Road is obviously not a new project, but the specific
43 addition of the $3,025,000 in year 2 is new, and this represents the County's share of the sewer
44 concept plan. He said the same is true for DEAPR, which includes a new planned project to get
45 renovations on schedule.
46 He said there are also two projects in the outlier years, as outlined in the abstract, and
47 these are the Main Branch Library Remodel for $1,200,000 and the Court Street Annex, which
48 includes $100,000 in Years 6 -10 for the replacement of the main distribution panel and
49 electrical circuits throughout the building to meet modern standards.
50
I
1 Chair Jacobs pointed out that the library kiosk illustration is at the Commissioners'
2 places.
3 Commissioner Price asked about Life Safety /ADA project. She asked if the designation
4 of a fire alarm system means that this is when it is due to be fixed or if it is in need now.
5 Paul Laughton said the replacement would happen during that year, and this is just the
6 program based on need and life expectancy.
7 Chair Jacobs suggested walking through the CIP and allowing the Commissioners to
8 ask questions about specific projects.
9 Paul Laughton said he can go through the major projects or entertain specific questions.
10 Michael Talbert said there is an attachment of current year projects and these are the
11 most important.
12 Chair Jacobs suggested starting with current year projects.
13
14 County Capital Projects 2014 -15
15 Paul Laughton said this is included in attachment A of the abstract. He said the Year 1
16 CIP is the only funding that is being approved by the Board. He said the other years are only a
17 concept plan or guide.
18 Paul Laughton referred to attachment 1 on County Capital Projects for 2014 -15,
19 which totals $5.3 million. He reviewed the following projects:
20
21 Cedar Grove Community Center — includes $2,000,000 in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15) for
22 construction and adaptive reuse of the former Northern Human Services Center. Final Board
23 decisions regarding use or disposition of the classroom wings will determine the finalized
24 design and cost estimates for the project.
25
26 Southern Orange Campus (Future Planning) — Design services of $400,000 are
27 included in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15), with site development infrastructure work of $3,600,000 in
28 Year 2 (FY 2015 -16) for campus buildings not associated with the existing Southern Human
29 Services Center (SHSC). Expansion of the existing SHSC is included in a separate CIP project.
30
31 Paul Laughton said the Southern Orange Future Planning is outlined on page 22 in the
32 CIP document.
33 Chair Jacobs said there has been some discussion about the Seymour Center and the
34 parking area being at capacity. He asked if there is any proposed plan in relation to this.
35 Michael Talbert said the Seymour Center is at capacity, and there are people parking on
36 the grass and in the street. He said there is very little that can be done to improve that site until
37 the SUP has been approved by the Town of Chapel Hill.
38 Jeff Thompson said Chapel Hill is planning on reviewing the SUP modification plan in
39 June, subject to approval by the advisory boards and Planning Board in May. He said if this
40 goes according to schedule, staff will go into utilization planning for the site. He said this is part
41 of that $400,000
42 Chair Jacobs asked how staff would propose funding a potential expansion of the
43 Seymour Center.
44 Michael Talbert said the logical place to expand the Seymour Center is toward the road.
45 He said it will be hard to design this until it goes through this next process. He said part of the
46 infrastructure in year 2 is to redesign the roadway.
47 Chair Jacobs said presumably staff is going to make a cost estimate of what will be
48 needed for whatever expansion is recommended. He asked if staff is working on this estimate
49 yet.
10
1 Michael Talbert said staff is not that far along with this yet. He said this has been
2 defined as a need, and hopefully the project needs can be prioritized next year.
3 Commissioner McKee asked for a 30- second overview of the current planning process.
4 Jeff Thompson said staff submitted the special use permit modification that will bring the
5 three existing special use permits on the parcel together into one. He said the intent is to
6 achieve a 25 year vested right on an overall site plan that includes approximately 400,000
7 square feet of buildable area. He said this includes the ability to expand the existing facilities
8 on the site.
9 Commissioner McKee asked where things are in the process.
10 Jeff Thompson said the Chapel Hill planning staff has done their full reviews and
11 referred the matter to their advisory boards. He said this will graduate into a planning board
12 review and then a decision in June of this year by the town council.
13 Commissioner Gordon noted that the proposed infrastructure is already known, though it
14 is not known whether it will be approved. She suggested that preliminarily it makes sense to
15 think about what is wanted.
16 Chair Jacobs said he is thinking that when a bond committee is created and the different
17 interests are presented, including senior centers, it makes sense to already have some idea of
18 a number. He said the bond will likely be two years from now, and he would like to get moving
19 within the available framework to make a decision.
20 Michael Talbert said that is a logical way to look at it. He said if a bond referendum is
21 done in 2 years, there would be a 7 year window to spend the fund. He said this could be a 2 -4
22 year project. He said prior to getting to the bond, staff can identify the size, scope and
23 complexity of this project, with an estimated dollar amount. He said they are just not there yet.
24 Commissioner Gordon agreed that it is important to have some ideas of what is going to
25 be done, prior to coming to the bond discussions.
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27 HVAC Projects — Geothermal
28 Paul Laughton said these projects total $205,500 and include three areas — Hillsborough
29 Commons, Skills Development and the larger project at the Whitted Building. He said the
30 chiller replacement at the Whitted Building is a need that must be addressed in 2014 -15. He
31 said the total for this replacement is $250,000 but he believes $100,000 of this can be drawn
32 from contingency funds for the Whitted project.
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34 Roofing Projects
35 Paul Laughton said these total $179,000 and the schedule on page 28 of the CIP has
36 been updated to show the current needs.
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38 Information Technology (IT)
39 Paul Laughton said the CIP lists $500,000 for the entire years and out years. He said
40 $50,000 is set aside every year for Board initiatives, which leaves $450,000 for infrastructure,
41 including replacement of laptops, desktops and other things that need to be replaced. He said
42 this number is a little less than previous years when there were special projects.
43 Michael Talbert said last year, this line was $750,000, and there have been significant
44 updates to infrastructure. He asked Jim Northup to present an update on this.
45 Jim Northup said this past year IT had improved its disk storage system. He said the
46 rapid growth of County data has necessitated the purchase of servers every year. He said staff
47 is now looking at a two -fold method of PC replacements, including physical replacements and
48 virtual desktops. He said the Board will probably be seeing a contract for the virtual desktops in
49 the coming weeks. He said this will mean saving the machines and repurposing them. He said
50 this is not a cost savings, but is about a one for one. He said the oldest computers are about 6
11
1 and a half years old, and this process will make the oldest computers 4 and a half years old.
2 He said the staggering of this process, replacing about 20% of computers each year, has been
3 very beneficial.
4 Chair Jacobs said the County had a more aggressive PC replacement schedule in the
5 past and could not afford to keep doing it. He said it is good to see this is coming back.
6 Jim Northup said he was surprised to see the County edging up in age, but he said the
7 timing was around the time of a major upgrade to almost half of the fleet. He said there are
8 currently about 1300 computers, including laptops, and it is easier to manage doing a few of
9 them every year.
10 Michael Talbert said disk space becomes more and more important as the County
11 continues to move away from paper storage.
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13 Register of Deeds
14 Paul Laughton said this is a preservation fund from a mandate that 10 percent of
15 register of deeds fees go into a separate project. He said this is $80,000 in 2014 -15.
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17 Life Safety — ADA
18 He said $25,000 is designated for the access doors at West Campus and the Seymour
19 Center.
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21 Viper Radio system / Communication Systems Improvement
22 Paul Laughton said both of these items are related to Emergency Services
23 communications. He said the Viper Radio includes $1 million in costs for communication
24 towers, and this has been spread out over a 2 year period, with $500,000 in 2013 -14 and
25 $500,000 in 2014 -15.
26 He said the $122,000 in Communication Systems Improvements is to continue
27 scheduled replacement of the 800 MHz radios. He noted that there is a $920,000 amount in
28 year 4 for the replacement of the sheriffs' radios.
29 Commissioner Gordon said there had been discussion at one point about changing the
30 way the agendas are accessed on the website to allow people to access one item without
31 downloading everything. She said she is not sure if this involves buying a new software system
32 or if it would go in the CIP, but she does not see anything in the budget.
33 Michael Talbert said this item was not included in the CIP, because it did not receive any
34 votes after the discussion at the retreat. He said if this needs to be re- visited and moved up,
35 this can be done, but it will require some software and potentially some hardware.
36 Clarence Grier said $50,000 was earmarked the past two years in the IT budget for
37 Board initiatives. He said this is could be paid for out of that $100,000.
38 Commissioner Gordon said she wants to flag this item so it is not forgotten.
39 Michael Talbert said it can be done, and he will find out what it would cost and bring that
40 back to the Board.
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42 Blackwood Farm Park
43 Paul Laughton said the last six items are related to parks. He referred to page 45 of the
44 CIP and reviewed the following information from the agenda package, as discussed at the
45 March 11 th work session:
46 Blackwood Farm Park— includes $147,400 in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15) for amenities such
47 as trail construction, parking, restrooms, dock, signage, disc golf, and security cameras. Park
48 construction is included in Year 4 (FY 2017 -18), with $5.6 million for the construction of an
49 Agricultural, Environment, and Parks Center, including a permanent parks operations base,
50 included in Years 6 -10, pending final decisions from the Board regarding the Space Needs
12
1 Analysis Study. (NOTE: As per direction from the BOCC at their March 11, 2014 work
2 session related to the Space Needs Study, staff will remove funding for a new
3 Agricultural, Environment, and Parks Center at Blackwood Farm Park, currently in Years
4 6 -10 of the Recommended CIP, and will continue the use of the Environment and
5 Agricultural Center (EAC) on Revere Road, either in its current state, an adaptive re -use
6 of the facility, or deconstruction /new facility construction. Staff will provide additional
7 information, including cost estimates, related to these potential options at the April 10th
8 meeting. Funding of $1,432,508 for replacement of the roof, HVAC equipment, and
9 parking lot improvements to the EAC is currently included in FY 2017 -18).
10 Revised CIP project pages for these two projects, as well as any other project changes
11 directed by the BOCC at this meeting, will be provided in preparation for the May 15,
12 2014 CIP work session.
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14 Conservation Easements
15 Paul Laughton said there is a total of $250,000 for easements, which is consistent with
16 past years. He said staff also tries to leverage grant funding for this to cover half of this
17 amount, with the County covering the other $125,000.
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19 Eurosport Soccer Center (Phase 11)
20 He said $141,000 is allocated for Eurosport in year one; this is for renovation projects
21 including: restrooms, scoreboards, bleachers, and an irrigation system pump. He said this also
22 includes the purchase of some equipment.
23
24 Lands Legacy
25 Paul Laughton said $400,000 is allocated for Lands Legacy. He said the CIP splits the
26 $2.4 million that lapsed in 2010 with the original bond authorization. He said there would be
27 additional financing that would be needed. He said the total has been split into $400,000 in
28 year one and $2 million in year two. He said split is mainly due to the availability of funds. He
29 said there was $1.5 million available in carryover funds.
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31 New Hope Preserve /Hollow Rock Public Access
32 Paul Laughton said $125,000 is budgeted for phase 2 of the 3 phase project. He said
33 phase 3 will occur in 2015 -16, and there will be some offsetting grant money affiliated with that.
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35 Chair Jacobs asked if Chapel Hill was still a financial participant in this.
36 Paul Laughton said it is just Durham and Orange County now.
37 Dave Stancil said Chapel Hill owns a 2 acre portion of this and participated in property
38 acquisition, but they have not indicated an interest in being part of the construction of facilities.
39 He said staff is proceeding as if it is just the two counties.
40 Chair Jacobs asked how Chapel Hill spent the money outside of their jurisdiction.
41 Dave Stancil said there is legislation that allows them to do this. He thinks this is for
42 parks and open spaces.
43 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there is a pending interlocal agreement with Durham for
44 the sharing of cost.
45 Dave Stancil said yes. He said there are actually two interlocal agreements that will
46 need to come to the Board before the summer break. He said one of these is the renewal of
47 Little River, and the other is the agreement with Durham County regarding Hollow Rock. He
48 said most of this is ironed out, and it will be modeled on the Little River agreement. He said the
49 target for this will be the second meeting in May.
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Facility Renovations and Repairs
Paul Laughton said this is a new project, and is budgeted at $256,500 for year one. He
said this includes several needed repairs and renovations as well as some equipment and
furnishings. He said this is one area that could potentially be reduced, and it will come back if it
changes.
Paul Laughton asked if there any other specific County projects the Board would like to
discuss.
Chair Jacobs asked about the automatic doors mentioned earlier.
Paul Laughton said these automated access doors are included in the Life safety /ADA
allocation of $25,000 for year one.
Chair Jacobs asked about the HVAC for the Whitted Building. He noted that the
neighborhood hated the noise of the current system, and he feels it would be a good idea to let
the neighbors know that this system is being replaced.
Michael Talbert asked Wayne Fenton if the new system would provide a substantial
improvement in the noise level.
Wayne Fenton said the unit being looked at is a different design, and the compressor
uses a different technology that will improve the sound levels.
Chair Jacobs asked if it is possible to give preference to a system with less noise.
Wayne Fenton said the unit already being looked at would definitely reduce the levels.
He said the current system was designed more for industrial use, and the new system is more
of a commercial unit. He said staff can get back to the Board with the details on the frequency
levels and the reduction that will be realized.
Commissioner Price asked about Fairview Park.
Dave Stancil said there are needed replacements and a proposed parking lot, and this is
included in year two of the CIP.
Commissioner Price asked if it is possible to get a report to show the community the
proposed plan. She feels some accountability regarding this project.
Dave Stancil said it shows up in the master plan, so it is possible to blow up that
segment and post a laminated map.
Dave Stancil said the improvements for the most part will complete the master plan.
Commissioner McKee asked if the parking lot could be a separate project.
Dave Stancil said it could be.
Commissioner McKee said there is a considerable amount of concern about the amount
of people parking in the community due to the lack of parking. He has been asked repeatedly if
people can park on the landfill. He said it might alleviate concern in the community if the
parking could be listed as a separate item.
Paul Laughton reviewed the changes to the following items:
Southern Branch Library — funding of $600,000 was approved in FY 2013 -14 for
possible land purchase; Design and engineering work of $525,000 is included in Year 2 (FY
2015 -16), and construction costs of $7,000,000 and $755,000 in equipment and furnishings are
included in Year 3 (FY 2016 -17). Note: this project moves up one year from the current CIP.
Proposed Jail - total project costs of $30,000,000, with site related planning costs of
$500,000 recommended in Year 2 (FY 2015 -16), architectural /engineering costs of $500,000 in
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Year 3 (FY 2016 -17), with the construction of a new 250 bed jail recommended in Year 4 (FY
2017 -18) at an estimated cost of $29,000,000.
Emergency Services Substations - funding for this project will enable the construction
of 4 new co -built EMS stations and 2 stand -alone substations in geographical areas across the
County that will help reduce response times, which averaged 9:45 at the end of 2013. Year 2
(FY 2015 -16) includes $1.2 million for 2 co- builds, one with the Town of Chapel Hill in the Glen
Lennox area, and one with the Town of Hillsborough in the Waterstone development area. Year
3 (FY 2016 -17) includes $1.2 million for 2 additional co- builds, one with the Town of Chapel Hill
in the Weaver Dairy /MLK area or Franklin Street/Elliott Road area, and one with the Town of
Hillsborough in a northern location yet to be identified. Also, includes $1.5 million in Year 5 (FY
2018 -19) and in Years 6 -10 for stand -alone substations.
Paul Laughton said this is a change in the approach, to eventually include 4 co- builds
and 2 stand - alones, for an increase to 6 substations. He said this is on page 6 of the abstract.
Commissioner McKee said he was familiar with the discussions ongoing with Chapel Hill
and Hillsborough regarding proposed stations, but he would like to know how far along and how
firm the plans are for the proposed station in northern Hillsborough.
Jim Groves said there is a lot of interest in Station One in downtown Churton Street, and
there are agreements to build the new Waterston station. He feels much more certain about
Waterstone than Northside, but something will eventually have to be done about Station One
due to traffic and growth issues.
Commissioner McKee said he understands the rationale for the station at Waterstone,
but he has not heard any comments about the Northern site and he questions the validity of
this.
Jim Groves said this came from discussions with the Chief about potential build options.
He said the intent is there to do this, and the goal is to be able to do it if the opportunity arises.
Commissioner McKee asked for an update on the successes that have been seen with
co- location and where the proposed co- locations are.
Jim Groves said there are currently co- locations with the town of Carrboro, Orange
Rural Fire Department at Phelps Road, and the Orange Grove Fire Company. He said there is
also an agreement to move into the New Hope station, though there is a little work to be done
to make this livable. He said there are conversations with Eno and Efland, who are both
amenable to co- locate if it makes sense operationally.
Commissioner McKee said the community feedback he is hearing is overwhelmingly
positive. He said the residents in Orange Grove were thrilled. He asked for information on how
it is working from a departmental standpoint.
Jim Groves said it had been an overwhelming success to co- locate with the fire
departments. He said this helps with the geographical disbursements throughout the County,
and the development of relationships. He said it also allows for joint training of fire and
emergency services.
Commissioner McKee asked if there are any numbers on run time reductions.
Jim Groves said yes, but he does not have those numbers in front of him. He said the
run times have gone up over the past three months due to the weather. He said there is data to
show why this happened, and there is still a constant reduction in response times.
Commissioner McKee said he does not see any problem leaving in the placeholder, but
he hopes it will not be used.
Paul Laughton referred to the earlier discussion of the Blackwood Farm Project as it
relates to the discussion of Revere Road at the March 11, 2014 work session. He said staff
15
1 took away the direction not to pursue funding for a new Agricultural, Environment, and Parks
2 Center at Blackwood Farm Park. He said staff instead will look at using Revere Road in its
3 current state, with plans for HVAC replacement, new roofing, and parking improvements. He
4 said staff has also looked at adaptive re -use or deconstruction /new construction of the Revere
5 Road building. He said Blackwood Farm Park would keep its intended park operations base.
6 He said staff would prepare updated CIP pages for the Board for the May 15 work session. He
7 said this applies to any changes the Board would like to see.
8 Jeff Thompson referred to the Revere Road building and said there have been meetings
9 with asset management services staff to go through a deliberate space planning exercise to
10 bring this to an adaptive re -use or a re- construction scenario. He said the purpose of the space
11 planning meetings was to make sure the spaces were covered and there was efficiency of the
12 spaces. He said the output was about a 17,000 square foot adaptive re -use or new
13 construction. He said 15,000 feet would be conditioned space, and 2,000 feet would be an
14 outside multi - purpose covered porch space that could be used for classes and various outdoor
15 activities. He said there is adequate use on the site to do this as an adaptive re -use or a de-
16 construction /rebuild.
17 He said the cost is in the range of $225 - $235 per square foot for either option. He said
18 the reason for the comparison is because there are different challenges on either side. He said
19 the cost increase and labor are more intensive on an adaptive re -use, and there are more
20 contingencies, so the pricing on either option is comparison. He said the pricing for this is
21 about $3.9 million.
22 Jeff Thompson said staff also studied a 2500 square foot internal space for a parks
23 operation base at Blackwood Farm, as opposed to the full agricultural base. He said there was
24 an additional 2000 square feet of porch space. He said this is about $210 per square foot,
25 which would equal $935,000. He said the repair cost of the agricultural center at Revere Road,
26 which is $1.43 million, would be absorbed into the adaptive re -use or the new construction. He
27 said this, added to the $5.6 million for the full agricultural center in the current CIP, would total
28 $7.32 million
29 Jeff Thompson said the total for the adaptive re -use or new construction at Revere Road
30 and the parks operations base would be $4.9 million. He said this is a savings of $2.6 million.
31 He said the details of how this lays out can be brought to the May 15th work session. He said
32 the stake holders at the agricultural center were pleased with the outcome.
33 Dave Stancil said staff did involve the farm services agency director and the cooperative
34 extension director in the meetings. He said he also met with the chair and vice chair of the soil
35 and water board, and they were very positive about the idea of a new or retrofitted facility. He
36 thinks there was greater interest in a new facility. He said staff sees this as a great opportunity
37 and a good net reduction.
38 Chair Jacobs asked if this would include removal of the stored documents.
39 Jeff Thompson said the document storage would have to be relocated, and staff is
40 looking at other options.
41 Michael Talbert said the rebuild would require staff to move out for a year to 18 months.
42 Jeff Thompson said staff feels like there is enough of a site there that if there was a new
43 build, the deconstruction would not have to happen right away. He said adaptive re -use would
44 require relocation.
45 Chair Jacobs asked if staff envisions doing this adjacent to the current facility.
46 Jeff Thompson said it would be either perpendicular to or parallel to a north south axis.
47 He said the challenge is making sure there is adequate parking and circulation access.
48 Commissioner Gordon said there is a little building that used to be used by animal
49 services and is now being used by emergency services. She asked if this would stay.
50 Jeff Thompson said it could stay or be removed from the site.
16
1 Commissioner Gordon asked about the location of the carwash.
2 Jeff Thompson said this is on the eastern border of the site. He said it is currently used
3 for storage, but it is unorganized and this is being worked on. He said there is adequate ceiling
4 height for significant storage.
5 Commissioner Gordon said the storage items might be able to be moved to this building.
6 She suggested that if the cost is the same, the grocery store can give way to a new building.
7 Commissioner McKee said he is not sure they are saving anything. He finds it
8 interesting that this is being presented as a savings over a very tenuous proposal at Blackwood
9 Farm, instead of a doubling of the cost of repair. He said he has only heard one comment
10 associated with the repair and upgrade.
11 Michael Talbert asked Jeff Thompson to speak about the format of a $1.4 million
12 renovation and what this would buy them.
13 Jeff Thompson said the roof would be a 20 -25 year buy; the HVAC would be a 12 to 15
14 year buy; the park would be a 12 -15 year buy; and the minor fagade changes could be kept up
15 with the maintenance budget. He said there is certainly an alternative to maintain what we
16 have.
17 Chair Jacobs asked that staff bring back multiple alternatives.
18 Commissioner Gordon suggested that staff should bring back the details of the basis for
19 their estimates.
20 Chair Jacobs referred to the Southern Branch Library, as listed on page 24 of the CIP.
21 He said this is listed at $8.25 million, and he does not think this is a realistic number. He said
22 maybe this is because of past discussions of a 20,000 square foot library, but if a 20,000
23 square foot library is not being built, it should not be funded as such. He said if this issue
24 needs to be voted on, it should be added to an agenda for vote.
25 Commissioner Dorosin asked Chair Jacobs if he was saying the number is
26 unrealistically high.
27 Chair Jacobs replied yes. He does not think the Board ever envisioned a 20,000 square
28 foot library with associated parking, but that was what kept being proposed, although it was not
29 the Commissioner's recommendation. He said the same was true of the idea of demolishing
30 the building at Cedar Grove.
31 Michael Talbert said this is the best number staff has at this point. He said the Board
32 has not re- visited this issue since it was introduced three years ago. He said staff may be in a
33 position to improve on this in June if the potential Carrboro location works out. He said staff
34 can then come back and adjust these numbers. He said it would be premature to adjust this
35 now.
36 Chair Jacobs said there should be a vote this fiscal year so that more direction can be
37 given. He said this is operating on an assumption that the Board has never embraced or voted
38 on.
39 Commissioner Pelissier said she was operating under the assumption that the goal was
40 to have a 10,000 square foot library with the potential to expand to 20,000 square feet as
41 population grows. She would like to have some idea of when the additional square footage
42 might be needed. She said it sounds like the current proposed site would not even allow this
43 expansion.
44 Chair Jacobs said the point is whether $7 million is really needed in year three
45 Michael Talbert agreed, but said this is a fair number until other sites are ruled out.
46 Chair Jacobs said this will then affect all of the other fiscal projections.
47 Commissioner Gordon asked when the Board will know this information.
48 Jeff Thompson said the Board will have a work session on June 13th to hear the results
49 of the public process and the physical due diligence. He said there will also be a closed
50 session regarding the state of the negotiations for the transaction structure.
17
1 Commissioner Gordon said she does not believe there is 20,000 square feet available at
2 that site, but it is more than 10,000.
3 Jeff Thompson said the 20,000 is the upside, but the understanding with the developer
4 is 18,000.
5 Commissioner McKee said his concern on all of these potential building projects is that
6 we are as efficient and effective as possible. He asked about the $400 per square foot price
7 and why this cost was so high.
8 Jeff Thompson said this figure is a project budget, and it includes not only the building
9 but the cost of outfitting the building, including books, as well as a parking deck to accompany
10 the building.
11 Chair Jacobs referred to page 32 about the proposed jail, and asked about the fact that
12 it states that a consultant has been retained.
13 Jeff Thompson said Steve Allen is the consultant who is working on the jail alternatives
14 and the capacity study. He said these are being done separately, but they are complimentary
15 to each other. He said there should be something to report in the next few weeks.
16 Chair Jacobs asked about the professional services budget of $250,000 and whether it
17 would be expended in the next three months or carried forward.
18 Jeff Thompson said this will carry forward.
19 Commissioner McKee asked if this will be brought back to the Board for consideration
20 with all of the concept options.
21 Jeff Thompson said yes.
22 Commissioner McKee said the build out scenario could radically change the amount.
23 He said he is comfortable leaving the amount as placeholder, though he is not sure it will be
24 necessary.
25 Commissioner Gordon thinks it is a good idea to come back with what is realistic
26 regarding building this in stages. She said it can cost more depending on how it is planned.
27 She would like to see what the reasonable break points would be. She asked if staff thinks this
28 can be figured this out this fiscal year.
29 Jeff Thompson said yes, that is the plan. He said he believes this will be done in the
30 next several weeks.
31 Commissioner Price asked what the debt service number is based on.
32 Clarence Grier said this would be based on the County issuing a debt of $250,000 this
33 year for the professional services.
34 Jeff Thompson said the County has spent about $30,000 this year.
35 Michael Talbert said this is part of a long range plan and is laying the groundwork for
36 what comes next. He said it is important to get this in the plan as soon as possible.
37 Chair Jacobs urged staff to investigate the Efland Community Center and whether it is
38 sufficient. He said there were concerns being raised about this issue ten years ago. He would
39 like to get more information about the community perceived needs and how easy it would be to
40 expand on the existing building.
41 Dave Stancil said staff has had community meetings in the last few months and the
42 availability of the facility has been ratcheted up. He said activities at the center have increased
43 in the last six months.
44 Commissioner Dorosin said $200,000 is listed in the article 46 section on page 12 for
45 the small business loan pool. He asked when the Board would receive a report on this.
46 Michael Talbert said this would be available at the next meeting.
47 Commissioner Dorosin said if this loan pool is not being used effectively, he would
48 potentially support moving that money to something else.
49 Commissioner McKee said there is currently an application before the Small Business
50 Loan committee that is being reviewed and this pool is being used.
IN
I Commissioner Dorosin said historically the County has used its small business loan fund
2 too conservatively, and he hopes this is being perfected.
3 Commissioner Price said she had highlighted this issue as well. She asked if this will be
4 a report or a presentation.
5 Michael Talbert said this will be a presentation.
6
7 Special Revenue Projects (Article 46 Sales Tax Proceeds)
8 Paul Laughton directed the Board to the Special Revenues section of the CIP binder on
9 page 61.
10 Special Revenue Projects (Article 46 Sales Tax Proceeds) — Highlights
11 The Special Revenue section includes anticipated revenue from the Article 46 (1/4 cent) Sales
12 Tax, with 50% of the proceeds for Economic Development initiatives and 50% for Education
13 (allocated by the ADM count of the two school districts). In FY 2013 -14, proceeds are estimated
14 at $2,732,000, with 1.5% growth assumed in subsequent years. A summary is provided within
15 the Special Revenue Projects section of the document listing the recommended uses of these
16 proceeds.
17
18 Economic development
19 Paul Laughton referred to attachment A, page 11 and said there are 8 initiatives listed in
20 the Economic Development category, with the first being debt service. He said these projects
21 total $1.38 million.
22
23 He said the other 50 percent goes to schools.
24 Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools
25 He said Chapel Hill Carrboro has been using 50 percent of their funds for technology
26 and next year they will use 50 percent of the proceeds for facility improvements at older
27 schools. He said this will total $852,000
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29 Orange County Schools
30 Paul Laughton said Orange County schools have always used this for technology in
31 their 1:1 Initiative, and the amount is $533,000
32
33 He said the estimated total for Special Revenue Projects in 2014 -15 is $2.77 million.
34
35 Chair Jacobs asked how much this has grown since last year.
36 Paul Laughton said he does not have a breakdown by year, but as of today, $4.7 million
37 has been collected in total for the Article 46 Sales Tax. He said this has been split to allocate
38 $2.36 million to Economic Development and $2.36 million to schools.
39 Commissioner Pelissier asked when the current debt service for infrastructure will be
40 paid off.
41 Paul Laughton said for utilities this goes out for 20 years, and this information is on page
42 110.
43 Clarence Grier said the financing structure for the Buckhorn EDD is only for 15 years.
44 He said this debt was issued on July 1.
45 Paul Laughton said 60 percent of what Economic Development gets is earmarked for
46 debt service.
47 Chair Jacobs asked how much of the 60 percent is encumbered.
48 Paul Laughton said to date $340,000 has been spent for this years' program for debt
49 service. He said right now $290,000 has been spent for the 25 percent.
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19
2 Proprietary Projects
3 Water and Sewer Utilities
4 Paul Laughton referred to the tab for Proprietary projects, beginning on page 65 of the
5 CIP binder. He said there are a couple of new projects and initiatives in year one, as outlined
6 below:
7 - Economic Development Infrastructure — this project reflects the FY 2013 -14
8 funding of infrastructure for the Morinaga Company, which consists of design for the
9 extension of water, sewer and roadway infrastructure to the site from surrounding existing
10 utility system and construction of the water and sewer extension. This project is funded by
11 $250,000 from Article 46 Sales Tax proceeds, and $750,000 in CDBG funds. This new
12 project also includes $50,000 in Year 1 for EDD zones right -of- way- accesses, and $50,000
13 in Year 1 for public - private participation in EDD zones and rural broadband related access.
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15 - Economic Development Utility Extension Project(s) — provides funds of
16 $250,000 in Years 1 and 2 for future economic development projects that are currently
17 being considered, but have not been finalized. If no project develops in the coming year,
18 which requires utility extension, the funds would be available for future years as needed.
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20 He said the $100,000 for the EDD infrastructure includes $50,000 for EDD zones, right
21 of way access, and $50,000 for public private participation in EDD zones and rural broadband
22 related access.
23 Craig Benedict said this $100,000 is a placeholder. He said the first $50,000 is set
24 aside to partner with an entity such as Piedmont Electric Cooperative, which can access rural
25 dollars. He said this creates the possibility of getting some broadband monies from the state.
26 He said this allocation is for seed money to entice private entities to put fiber into rural areas
27 prior to their business plan. He said there are needs for this broadband access in the rural
28 sections of the county.
29 He said the other $50,000 is there for the possibility of having opportunities to improve
30 economic development zones. He said the area north of I -85, south of the railroad tracks and
31 east of Buckhorn Road has only one access point. He said there are meetings happening with
32 community members about a possible extension of Industrial Drive from the west side to the
33 east side. He said this area is a prime railroad economic development zone with a lot of
34 industrial potential.
35 Chair Jacobs noted that there was an article stating that ATT was bringing high speed
36 wireless to the area. He asked if Orange County is in the loop with these discussions.
37 Craig Benedict said we are in the loop for wireless, but not wired. He said ATT is
38 adding additional towers or making connections on existing towers. He said ATT's plan is to
39 provide better wireless and data coverage in rural areas using towers. He said they are also
40 considering using fiber between towers to make better connectivity. He said there is no plan for
41 a network in the primarily urban area. He said some of the seed money is available for anyone
42 who would like to partner with the County to get into the rural areas.
43 Chair Jacobs said he is thinking of the economic development districts.
44 Michael Talbert said this is an initiative that Chapel Hill has taken on. He said the town
45 is part of consortium of 6 or 7 towns and cities that went out and requested proposals. He said
46 this could potentially be in competition with potential Google infrastructure that will come later.
47 He said ATT wants to get into this area. He said this is primarily targeting high density areas,
48 but there may be some benefit and the possibility of connecting to it if it comes right up 1 -40.
49 Chair Jacobs said even if it was the Hillsborough EDD it would still be in an economic
50 development district, and it would join up the UNC Hospitals and Carolina North to Hillsborough.
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Michael Talbert said the County was not part of the original discussions, but they may
be able to piggy back this.
Craig Benedict said a side benefit of a rural grant would be to pull redundant
connections from near those economic development zones. He said one of these is being
considered in the Efland area, because there is something available near 1 -85.
Chair Jacobs said this was a big part of the discussion of the Efland Mebane small area
planning group. He said he wants to make sure the County can get to the table for these
opportunities that are opening up.
Michael Talbert said this is possible, but only in the areas where it works and not in the
rural areas.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if all County owned buildings could provide free Wi -Fi like
the towns do.
Jim Northup said this can be done; it is just a matter of money. He said the
infrastructure will still have to be paid for in the rural areas where there is no internet service.
He said all of the County buildings served by the County network proper have public Wi -Fi
service. He said the penetration for this is only a couple of houses away. He said staff can
come up with the numbers to put broadcast equipment on this.
Commissioner McKee said he would like to see those numbers.
Jim Northup asked what kind of wireless the Board is talking about. He said he is
talking about wireless access in public areas like this meeting room that does extend into the
parking lot. He said penetration in neighborhoods is different.
Craig Benedict said it would be good to have a hot spot in the Cedar Grove parking lot.
Jim Northup said staff is already working with elections on wireless for curbside voting,
so this would be easy enough.
Commissioner Dorosin said he would like to figure out how to get the biggest boost. He
said students in the County I -pad program cannot use the I -pads at home. He said if there is a
place near the students' house to provide free Wi -Fi, this would be the goal. He wants to think
about ways to bridge the digital- divide. He said this availability could be advertised.
Jim Northup said there are already people using the County wireless, but this could be
advertised better.
Commissioner Dorosin suggested use of the DSS building, which has a large parking
lot.
Michael Talbert said staff can investigate this for several of the major facilities to see
what the cost is.
Clarence Grier said there are appliances and antennas that can be placed outside the
building to enhance the wireless. He said staff will bring back information on this.
Commissioner Price said at one point the wireless companies had worked it out with
state legislature so that Counties could not provide free Wi -Fi to the whole community. She
asked if the outside antennas would be a problem.
Jim Northup said his understanding is that this would be allowed under the contract with
Time Warner.
Commissioner Price asked if it would be feasible to work with the Town of Hillsborough
to reach more people.
Jim Northup said the town of Hillsborough does not have an IT department, and this is
subcontracted. He said he would be happy to work with the contact on this. He said he can
explore this possibility. He said there are network connections that permeate through that area
and there is still an ability to deliver network service.
Commissioner Price said she would like to create a clear network signal from the
County.
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1 Chair Jacobs suggested this issue could be flagged for future discussion. He said if
2 there is a fund for Economic Development, this could be included as part of infrastructure.
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4 Paul Laughton reviewed the following item changes:
5 - Eno EDD - includes $1,750,000 in Year 5 (FY 2018 -19) for the construction work in
6 this EDD. Note: based on recent feasibility studies to provide sewer service to this area. Note:
7 This project has been pushed back several years from the current CIP.
8 He said Orange County, jointly with the City of Durham, hired a consultant to look at the
9 feasibility of extending the sewer for the Eno EDD. He said the results were alarming, and
10 these estimates ranged from $5.8 to $6.8 million. He said this is because the sewer must go
11 3.5 miles into Durham to be dumped into a centralized station. He said this is because all of the
12 gravity sewer within 3 miles of the Orange County border is over capacity. He said the 3
13 potential outfall directions in Durham are also over capacity. He said this is now on pause, as
14 there is not enough money. He said the work has been pushed out, and he will have to bring
15 back the joint water and sewer agreement with Durham since something had to be done within
16 3 years according to that agreement.
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18 He said staff is moving up the Hillsborough economic development district:
19 - Hillsborough EDD - reflects funds of $150,000 in Year 1 for design and easement
20 purchase, and $1,000,000 in year 2 (FY 2015 -16) for construction of water and sewer
21 infrastructure in this EDD. Note: this project has moved up several years due to projected
22 growth and economic activity in the Hillsborough EDD area.
23 Paul Laughton said the program here would be to bring the new sewer line for the
24 hospital south of the interstate and into the EDD.
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26 - Efland Sewer Flow to Mebane
27 Regarding the Efland to Mebane switched flow, Paul Laughton said staff has found a
28 way to improve this exchange and open more economic development zones south of the
29 railroad tracks. He said the lift station has tentatively been moved south of the interstate to be
30 able to draw more economic development zones. He said this is more money, but it is more
31 efficient. He said this is being done in conjunction with the City of Mebane, and Mebane would
32 prefer one larger lift station. He said this bears fruit from an operational and a capital
33 standpoint in both the short and the long term.
34 Commissioner Gordon asked if the numbers in the CIP reflect the cost increase.
35 Paul Laughton said yes, the figure has gone up from $3.4 million to $4.3 million on the
36 new CIP, for year one.
37 Chair Jacobs asked if this will service more of the EDD in Efland, south of 1- 40/1 -85.
38 Paul Laughton said no. He said this will primarily service south of the railroad tracks
39 and north of 1 -85.
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41 Before moving on, Chair Jacobs noted that the Board has requested that IT staff come
42 back to a meeting within this budget cycle to provide information on how the County might
43 amplify signals to provide more free Wi -Fi.
44 Commissioner Dorosin said he would like to also suggest reaching out to schools, EMS
45 facilities, and fire departments to get as broad a dispersal as possible.
46 Commissioner Gordon asked if this would include the whole County.
47 Michael Talbert said yes.
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49 Paul Laughton referred to the Sportsplex which is detailed on page 84 of the CIP binder.
50 He said there have been some changes from the current CIP, as outlined below:
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2 Sportsplex — includes funding in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15) for a Mezzanine addition at the
3 pool area to include dedicated member change areas and lockers, workout rooms, and a
4 senior /adult cardio strength center. Year 2 (FY 2015 -16) includes funding of $1,900,000 for a
5 new building addition that would house an indoor turfed field for soccer, lacrosse, senior
6 walking, running, Kidsplex functions, and youth /adult flag football leagues. A second new
7 building addition includes funding of $900,000 also in Year 2 for a second new building addition
8 that would house a regulation sized high school /college basketball court, including bleacher
9 seating, for youth and adult basketball leagues, court based fitness programs, volleyball, and
10 Kidsplex activities. Projected revenue from these new projects would generate enough funds to
11 cover the additional annual debt service needed for these projects.
12 Paul Laughton said phase two of an indoor field have been combined in year 2 with
13 phase three to include an indoor court.
14 Commissioner Gordon asked what the amount was last year for these two phases.
15 Paul Laughton said it would have been $1.9 million for the indoor turf, and then
16 $900,000 for the court one year later. He said this will be one large building, and there will be a
17 division between the court and the indoor turf.
18 Commissioner Gordon said there was past discussion that the debt capacity could be
19 paid off with the proceeds if this is moved up.
20 Paul Laughton said the growth potential in membership and revenue stream outlined in
21 the documents supports the business case of paying for the debt.
22 Commissioner Gordon noted that the County paid for the original building, and she
23 asked how much is being paid for debt.
24 Clarence Grier said the County is paying $302,000 per year, and there are 12 years left
25 on the debt.
26 Commissioner Gordon asked how this factors into the budget.
27 Clarence Grier said this is in the Sportsplex budget in the debt service. He said it is not
28 shown in this outline, but it could be included
29 Commissioner Gordon said it would be helpful to see this. She asked what page this is
30 on right now.
31 Clarence Grier said this is on page 84, but the debt service for the building purchase
32 would have to be added.
33 Commissioner Gordon said this should be included as part of the reason for moving
34 forward with this. She questioned whether this $302,000 would be paid for by the revenue
35 streams.
36 Clarence Grier said it should. He said the current revenue streams have been paying
37 for it every year.
38 Commissioner Gordon said this should be shown to give the big picture.
39 John Stockton said the Sportsplex has generated $487,000 in net income as of the end
40 of March. He said this will be the first year that the Sportsplex will go above $500,000 in
41 contributions to the fund balance. He said they are $200,000 ahead of budget year to date. He
42 said there are close to 5,000 members and 85 percent of these are residents and County
43 employees. He said the fitness mezzanine in the pool area is going to handle the fact that
44 there are a lot of lines in peak hours. He said the addition of turf and court is to handle the
45 focus on obesity issues in two key populations — children and people over the age of 60. He
46 said their programs are designed to tackle this obesity problem, and this is a core mission of
47 the Sportsplex.
48 Chair Jacobs said the Board appreciates the good job he and his staff were doing
49 John Stockton said this facility is really multi - generational and the addition of these new
50 areas will make it one of the more spectacular facilities in the southeast.
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Michael Talbert said John Stockton has done a great job over the past 4 years in
making the Sportsplex more profitable, and adding more members and services.
He addressed Commissioner Gordon's questions and said historically the debt service
was paid from the general fund and there is still a small transfer to cover it, but this is being
evaluated again as the Sportsplex becomes more profitable.
Commissioner Gordon asked how much is currently being transferred.
Clarence Grier said this amount was about $500,000 this past year.
Chair Jacobs said the County should do a press release when the Sportsplex
membership reaches 5,000.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the general funds transfer will be $500,000 this year as
well.
Clarence Grier said if things keep going the way they are, there will likely not be a need
to transfer more than $100,000 4200,000.
Commissioner Gordon said it would still be good to include this.
Solid Waste
Paul Laughton referred to page 78 of the CIP. He referred to the highlights on the
abstract on page 12 and reviewed the following:
- Sanitation - includes funds of $2,428,283 in Year 1 (FY 2014 -15) for Solid Waste
Convenience Center (SWCC) improvements at the Eubanks Road site (the cost has increased
by approximately $1.1 million from the current FY 2013 -18 CIP due to the movement of the
scale house operations and associated site improvements, extending water and sewer to the
site, additional stormwater structures, purchase of two additional stationary compactors, and a
larger household hazardous waste building). Year 1 also includes $206,944 for the replacement
of a Hook Lift truck; Year 2 includes $495,000 for SWCC improvements at the High Rock Road
site; and Year 3 includes $340,000 for SWCC improvements at the Ferguson Road site. Years
6 -10 includes $212,028 for SWCC improvements at the Bradshaw Quarry site.
Commissioner Gordon asked for some elaboration on the cost increase for Eubanks
Road.
Gail Wilson said staff moved the scales and the entrance structure to the north side of
the road. He said this allowed more efficient traffic flow and better safety by eliminating the
need for a road crossing.
Commissioner Gordon asked how much it costs to move the scales.
Gayle Wilson said a new scale costs about $150,000, but the road infrastructure has to
be taken farther back and this is also a cost. He said this also moves a significant operation
further away from Rogers Road, which will improve community impact to the south. He said the
other component is the extension of water and sewer to the north side. He said there will be two
additional compacters and two additional z -wall slots. He said there are many components, but
most of the cost has to do with the movement of the scales and the entranceway.
Commissioner Price asked about the maintenance of the land fill and why it does not
show up in the CIP. She said this has to be maintained for 30 years.
Gayle Wilson said it must be maintained for a minimum of 30 years or perhaps longer.
He said the County intends to do this, and hopefully the reserves will pay for a significant
portion of this for several years into the future. He said there is continued ground water
monitoring, and gas monitoring for a minimum of 30 years. He said the University's landfill gas
recovery system will be operating there for at least 25 years.
Commissioner Price asked where this item shows up.
Clarence Grier said the landfill is part of the operating budget, not the CIP.
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Commissioner McKee said he has received many compliments on the Walnut Grove
Solid Waste Convenience Center (SWCC). He said one of the residents who complained about
the plans to improve the site has said he was wrong and that this site works. He thinks if these
same changes are made at Eubanks, it will be a vast improvement.
Commissioner Gordon asked when this will start.
Gayle Wilson said this depends on the other workload. He said the project could be bid
out this fall and constructed by late spring or early summer of next year.
Commissioner Pelissier suggested designing a Solid Waste Convenience Center that
could be used as a "pay as you throw" facility. She asked if this was in the design.
Gayle Wilson said this was incorporated into Walnut Grove and all subsequent
convenience center improvements.
Chair Jacobs said Carrboro had a discussion about "pay as you throw." He said it might
be good to find out about this discussion.
- Recycling Operation
Paul Laughton referred to page 81 of the CIP and noted the purchase of two rural
curbside trucks and the purchase of 19,500 urban recycling carts. He said the plan in year one
also provides for the purchase of 7,000 rural carts, as well as the replacement of two trucks.
He said year two has a projected additional purchase of 2,000 additional carts.
Commissioner Price asked about the timing of the purchase of carts.
Paul Laughton said 7,000 will be purchased in year one and then another 2,000 in year
two.
Commissioner Price asked about a reference to the carts in the abstract.
Gayle Wilson said the Board has already approved the 19,500 urban rollcarts, and staff
will begin to distribute those next month to start service on July 1.
Commissioner Gordon asked if agreements are in place with Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Gayle Wilson said the interim agreement is in place and the inter -local agreement will be
brought forward in May.
Commissioner Gordon asked how the Board decisions on recycling will impact the
purchase of roll carts.
Gayle Wilson said adjustments will be made as necessary depending on the Board's
decisions.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if there has been any discussion on reducing the
frequency of collection, given the size of the new roll carts.
Gayle Wilson said those conversations have been had with the municipalities and the
most recent bids were done to be awarded either way. He said the towns would like to stay
with weekly for now, with the option to change to bi- weekly in the future.
Paul Laughton said there are some changes in the CIP from last year for large pieces of
equipment. He said a re -build program has been instituted, and this is a cost savings of 30 -35
percent. He said the CIP reflects these reduced equipment costs.
Gail Wilson said, with the closing of the landfill and the reduced hours, staff decided to
approach things differently and rebuild once before equipment is replaced. He said this has
eliminated $2.2 million from the equipment reserve account to be moved to the landfill post
closure reserves.
Paul Laughton said the next scheduled work session to discuss the CIP will be on May
15.
Commissioner Price asked about the infrastructure in Efland and whether staff could
look at the at -grade railroad crossings. She would like this to be put into the scope of work
because she is concerned about these.
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3. Budget Goals for Fiscal 2014/2015
DEFERRED
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier
to adjourn the meeting at 10:26 p.m.
David Hunt, Deputy Clerk
Barry Jacobs, Chair
I Attachment 2
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 Orange County Board of County Commissioners
5 Social Services Board
6 Joint Meeting
7 April 29, 2014
8 5:30 PM
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10 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Joint Work Session with the
11 Department of Social Services on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human
12 Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
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14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon,
15 Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, and Penny Rich
16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Mark Dorosin and Renee Price
17 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
18 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager, Michael Talbert, Assistant County
19 Managers Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff
20 members will be identified appropriately below)
21 COUNTY STAFF ABSENT:
22 SOCIAL SERVICES BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Garavaglia, Chair, Claire Millar,
23 Arthrell Sanders and Tamara Dempsey- Tanner
24 SOCIALSERVICES BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT:
25 SOCIAL SERVICES STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Dustan Lowell, Lindsey Shewmaker,
26 Sharron Hinton, Tina Clark, and Joyce Lee
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1. Introductions -Chair Jacobs
Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 5:38. He said Commissioner Dorosin would
be unable to attend tonight.
Pat Garavaglia thanked the Board for their support and for the opportunity to meet.
2. Overview and Year -in- Review
Pat Garavaglia reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
Joint BOCC -DSS board Meeting
Orange County Department of Social Services
April 29, 2014
Agenda
Introductions
• Overview and Year -in- Review
• Anti - Poverty Programs
Hot Topics
Agency Programs and Services
- Food and Nutrition Services - Medicaid Programs
- Child Care Subsidy Program - Adult Services
- Foster Care - Crisis Assistance
- Energy Assistance - Work First Employment Services
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- Child Protective Services - Adoption
- Adolescent Parenting Program - Community Outreach and Other Programs
FY2013 -14 Year -in- Review (timeline)
Pat Garavaglia discussed the 2013 -2014 Year in Review slide. She said the flood in
June of 2013 impacted many poor people. She said DSS staffed a shelter and began recovery
operations in July. She said the Building Futures program was also started in July.
She said the Food Nutrition Services Training program was implemented in October and
applications for the Affordable Care Act also began that month.
She said DSS launched NC FAST for Medicaid /Work First in December, and served
more than 3,000 children through the Holiday Program toy chest.
She noted that in March of this year DSS managed the ice storm shelter, extended three
time limited positions, and added one more position.
Nancy Coston said many families who experience poverty will need services
intermittently through the cycle of trying to find employment and become more self- sufficient.
She said DSS continues to see all time highs in use. She showed a video of some families who
have used the Work First program.
Nancy Coston reviewed the following slides:
Anti - Poverty Programs
• Prevention and Early Intervention
• Employment
• Intensive Services
• Recommendations
Economic Support Programs
• The agency provides state and federally mandated programs to support families
in need
• As of March 31, 2014 there are:
12,005 residents receiving FNS
10,360 Medicaid cases in Orange County
265 Work First cases in Orange County
845 children receive child care subsidy
Over 22,000 (17% of population) Orange County residents live in poverty
Prevention and Early Intervention
• Some programs target at -risk individuals
• Many families only need one -time or intermittent assistance
Sharron Hinton reviewed the following slides:
Prevention: Adolescent Parenting Program
• The Adolescent Parenting Program is a program for pregnant and parenting
teens who are under 18 years of age. Teens who are interested in participating
meet with program staff at school and receive periodic home visits. Participants
also come to a monthly peer group meeting with their babies to have dinner,
socialize, learn more about parenting and participate in educational activities.
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Prevention: Youth Enhancement Program
• In 2012 the Board of County Commissioners designated $10,000 to support low -
income youth seeking to participate in athletic activities
•
In 2013 -14:
BOCC designated $20,000
164 children benefited
20 different providers participated
34 children played in HYAA leagues
Average cost per child was $122
Prevention: Food Distribution
• The agency distributes food to families facing crisis situations throughout the
month.
• Food is provided by PORCH and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North
Carolina
• DSS receives 90 bags of food monthly from PORCH
Prevention: Free Phone Service
• Government - funded program
• Access Wireless provides a free cell phone with 250 free minutes per month to
qualified applicants
• Approved applicants receive their free phone on the spot
• Service and certification is good for 12 months
• Recipients recertify after 12 months to continue to receive free service
• Representatives are on -site at DSS
• 306 phones distributed since March 4, 2014
Nancy Coston reviewed the following slides:
Prevention: Crisis Assistance
• Families who are experiencing a financial emergency may be eligible for financial
help to pay for housing, utilities, food, gas, and /or medicine.
• There has been a high demand this year
• Current FY 2,899 payments made on behalf of clients
• BOCC provided $100,000 in additional funds in February
Employment and Training
• Programs for all job seekers
• Special programs for at -risk individuals
• More intensive services for families with multiple barriers
Sharron Hinton reviewed the following slides:
Employment: Skills Development Center
• The Skills Development Center, located on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill,
provides a one -stop location for job seekers and employers to recruit
• Ten partner agencies co- located
• July 2013 -March 2014, the SDC served approximately 2,339 customers, with
5,533 visits
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Employment: Job Fairs
• Job fairs help unemployed and underemployed residents of Orange County
locate employment
• Many employers hire on the spot
• Last year more than 40 employers were available to accept applications and
recruit new employees
• Over 600 individuals attended job fairs in 2013 seeking employment
Employment: Building Futures Program (WIA)
• It is a youth development program that offers comprehensive year -round services
to help at -risk youth ages 16 -21 become successful at school and in employment
• Activities include:
Summer employment activities
Leadership development
Dropout prevention
Work experience
Tuition /educational assistance
Employment: FNS Employment and Training
• A voluntary program for recipients of FNS
• Helps unemployed and underemployed individuals to enhance job seeking skills
and obtain employment
• Implemented in October, 2013
• Includes job fairs and weekly job clubs
• 26 people have been hired since the program began in October
Sharon Hinton said the Skills Development Center has also been called the Joplin
Center and is in the midst of recertification with the Department of Commerce to remain at a
level 1 status. She said this will be determined by the end of June.
Sharon Hinton said the Building Futures Program inherited about 70 participants, and
has received another 115 new referrals since January.
Robert Gilmore presented the following slide:
Employment: Work First
• Work First is North Carolina's TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
plan to help families move off of welfare and into jobs. To help families, Work
First provides employment services; supportive services and time limited cash
assistance to families with children under age 18 who meet income and
resources guidelines.
Robert Gilmore said he has been the Human Services Supervisor for the Work First
program for over 14 years. He said the program provides for families in a holistic manner. A
video was shown of a participant in the Work First program.
Nancy Coston said there is another face to the impact of poverty, and these situations
often involve the social work staff with adult and child protective services. She said some of the
County emergency funds are used to help these programs.
Dustan Lowell presented the following slides: ( *this was a change in the order of slides
included in the abstract)
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Intensive Services: Social Work Case Management
• Funds utilized by a social worker when financial barriers prevent stabilization of a
family
Intensive Services: Social Work Case Management
• The homelessness prevention /rapid rehousing /emergency solutions grant
program helps families who are at risk to become homeless remain housed
Intensive Services: Social Work Case Management
• Funds utilized by a social worker when financial barriers prevent stabilization of a
family
Dustan Lowell discussed a case with a family of three in which the mother was non -
ambulatory and the child was developmentally delayed. He said the home was infested with
cockroaches, and there were safety and sanitation concerns for the child and family. DSS
worked with the family for a year to provide pest control, as well as education from staff on
budgeting and other decisions to make the home clean and safe for the child. He said funds
were used to pay for the services.
He said adult services had a case where an older gentleman with medical issues was
living in a cluttered, dirty and unsafe environment. He said caseworkers were able to work with
him and provide services to bring the gentleman home from the hospital, after cancer
treatments, to a clean safe environment.
Sharron Hinton presented the following slides:
Intensive Services3
• For families who have complex barriers, intensive services can assist with
attaining self sufficiency or enable them to live more independently
Intensive Services: Homelessness Programs
• The homelessness prevention /rapid rehousing /emergency solutions grant
program helps families who are at risk to become homeless remain housed
Sharron Hinton said a $1 million grant was received in 2009 to provide homeless
services. She said these monies have transitioned to a much smaller Emergency Solutions
Grant of $116,000. She said $60,000 of that money is contracted with IFC to provide shelter
operations.
A video was shown of clients who have utilized these services.
Sharron Hinton said the first grant that was received had much more flexibility, but the
second grant has more stipulations, and County dollars sometimes have to be combined with it
in order to successfully help clients.
Nancy Coston presented the following slides:
Additional Programs for Consideration
• Financial Counseling
• Dress for Success
• Subsidized Employment
• Wheels to Work
• Car Incentives
• Job Coaching
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• Fatherhood Initiative
• Landlord Guarantee Fund
• Provides incentives to landlords who rent to low income or Section 8 tenants
• Protects landlords from excessive damage by tenants who move out within two
years
• Helps to increase the stock of affordable rental units
• Has been tried in other locales
Hot Topics
DSS Recommendations
• Provide financial counseling to low income families, particularly those with
recurring requests for crisis funds
• Explore Landlord Guarantee Fund to increase rental availability
• Pay short term rental assistance to prevent homelessness
• Reinstate Wheels to Work and car repair program
• Use any available Work First funds and pursue any grant possibilities to support
subsidized employment
• Provide child care for all target groups and reduce wait time for child care to less
than six months
Nancy Coston said many of the additional programs listed are past programs that the
department is no longer able to do or programs that are being considered. She highlighted the
Landlord Guarantee fund. She said this is a program to help people gain interest in renting
through voucher programs, whether County voucher or section 8. She said this would give
some guarantee to landlords that if someone moves out, leaving serious damage, there are
some funds to help compensate. She said this might be worth considering.
She said DSS used to provide financial counseling to every family that received
emergency assistance. She said people who needed crisis funds more than once in a year
were required to participate in the counseling program. She said when DSS got overrun and
lost staff this was stopped due to lack of resources. She said this counseling was valuable in
helping families understand credit issues and bill payment, and it is a good program to have.
She recommends looking into the Landlord Guarantee program, because even with
homeless grants, finding enough rental properties has been difficult. She said the short term
rental funds are helpful, and this is included in the budget for this year.
She said the County does not currently have the Wheels to Work or the Car Repair
program. She said the Work First funds allows for some car repairs, but a program is needed to
help people who are already working and need a car repair to keep them going to work. She
said some money for this has been put into the budget for next year, but it also requires
resources and time to manage the program.
Nancy Coston said there were special monies in the past to subsidize employment, and
these are no longer available. She said some of the Work First money has been moved in next
year's budget into a temporary line item to allow help with subsidized employment.
She said child care is a critical issue, and a concerted effort has been made to clear the
waiting list.
Tina Clark and Nancy Coston presented the following slide:
Hot Topics
• Child Care
• School -based Social Workers
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1 • NC FAST
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3 Tina Clark said the Child Care program provides services for working parents, parents
4 who are participating in the Work First program, families in child protective services, shelter
5 families, and teens. She said the waiting list has been cleared since February, and the program
6 is serving about 845 children per month. She said this is good; however there is uncertainty
7 about the allocation for next year and the ability to maintain this.
8 Nancy Coston said the proposal being presented in May is to spend County funds in
9 June. She said the state funding year runs June 1St through the end of May, so by spending
10 some County funds in June and requesting some Social Justice funds, it will get them ahead.
11 She hopes to continue serving all of the target groups and delay a waiting list for the working
12 families.
13 Nancy Coston said a contract with Orange County schools was started about 10 years
14 ago in an effort to help the schools have a better funding source for social workers in all of the
15 schools. She said the funding source was called At Risk Case Management. She said there
16 have been some changes in the interpretation of this, and it will no longer be available for this
17 purpose. She said the schools will now hire whatever staff they can, and this means a reduction
18 in force with DSS staff. She said there are 8 social worker positions in the department, and 7 of
19 these are filled. She said 2 positions have been frozen and 2 positions had been proposed for
20 next year's budget; but even if all of that occurred, there would still be a shortage of 3. She said
21 she is not sure if the school is going to hire any of these people. She said the proposal is to find
22 a way to have these people paid while a plan is worked out. She said notices will have to be
23 given or a plan worked out soon.
24 Nancy Coston referred to NC FAST. She said health reform applications added an
25 incredible amount of work to the DSS plate. She said they are part of the Medicaid pilot, and
26 this will continue until July 1St
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28 Pat Garavaglia said this will be her last meeting with the Board since she is cycling off of
29 the DSS board. She said she is proud to be associated with the people at the Department of
30 Social Services.
31 Commissioner Rich asked about the reference to a target group for the childcare
32 program.
33 Tina Clark said these are groups that are not subject to a waiting list, such as the Work
34 First participants and Child Protective Services clients. She said these people are automatically
35 served.
36 Commissioner Rich asked how adults and children are reached when they need help but
37 don't come to DSS.
38 Nancy Coston said staff is involved in the community, and there are a lot of other groups
39 that refer individuals to them. She said people have misconceptions about what is required in
40 order to receive services. She said more community outreach is still needed.
41 Sharron Hinton noted that there are also 8 social workers in the Orange County Schools,
42 though that is in jeopardy, and there are also 2 social workers at the senior centers.
43 Commissioner Pelissier said in the past, DSS has provided information about how many
44 families need the various types of assistance. She would still find this information useful to
45 gauge what is happening in the community. She requested that this information be provided to
46 the Board of County Commissioners.
47 Nancy Coston said this information is available, and she will forward it to the Board.
48 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there is a way to know when people get their needs met
49 by local non - profits instead of coming to DSS.
I Nancy Coston said OCIM has a relationship with DSS to screen emergency clients. She
2 said DSS staff verifies the client's low income status and makes the referrals to OCIM. She said
3 1 F does not require that clients have a DSS referral.
4 Commissioner McKee asked if any feedback has been received from tenants involved in
5 the landlord repair guarantee.
6 Nancy Coston said this I something that has been done elsewhere, but not in Orange
7 County. She said this is an item that Orange County may be interested in looking into. She
8 said there has been some feedback that this requires very little money, but the guarantee had
9 gotten more people to step up.
10 Commissioner McKee said he would like to see how this works. He said if it would
11 increase rental availability, it would really help people.
12 Commissioner Pelissier said she believes that Durham County has done some of this.
13 She said the Partnership for Homelessness is looking into a program that asks landlords to offer
14 a lower rent for individuals. She said this has not been done in Orange County, but the
15 Chamber of Commerce is interested in assisting with the effort of engaging the community in
16 this.
17 Commissioner Rich asked if DSS works with Durham Tech.
18 Sharron Hinton said yes. She said there is a new partnership with Durham Tech with
19 the Building Futures Program.
20 Chair Jacobs noted that he spoke with an elected official from Chapel Hill who did not
21 think the Skills Development Center was doing anything anymore. He said there needs to be a
22 way to communicate with the two municipality governments. He asked that tonight's
23 PowerPoint presentation be shared with the towns, even if it is just by email.
24 Nancy Coston said this can be done, and some of the new employment efforts can also
25 be shared.
26 Chair Jacobs asked about the impact of peoples' unemployment insurance running out.
27 Nancy Coston said this is not tracked, although these residents are coming in to apply
28 for Medicaid. She said an unemployment change does cause an increase in clients. She said
29 there are more jobs for some people, but there is another group that just lost what they were
30 living on. She said until you see food and nutrition services stabilizing, unemployment problems
31 still exist.
32 Commissioner Gordon asked Nancy Coston to highlight where the state changes have
33 impacted DSS the most.
34 Nancy Coston said the unemployment obviously affected them indirectly. She said more
35 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding used to allow more adolescent
36 parenting programs and subsidized employment. She said shrinking these funds has caused
37 the County to pick those costs up, and not everything can be covered. She said budget cuts
38 caused financial counseling to be eliminated. She said when state money diminishes, the
39 County budget has to be re- prioritized.
40 Commissioner Rich noted that Commissioner Dorosin had spoken about the need for
41 out of the box ideas that the County is not already doing. She asked if there had been any
42 discussions about this.
43 Nancy Coston said Robert Gilmore is always pushing staff to do more creative things,
44 such as a job fair at their offices. She said the subsidized employment is already something
45 that the County is doing in a different way than other counties. She said one of the challenges
46 occurs when you already have programs that you feel are effective, and you don't have enough
47 resources to put into them. She said this makes it hard to want to come up with new ideas.
48 She said there are discussions about veterans and unemployment and the different
49 ways to integrate all of the employment programs.
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Robert Gilmore said one idea he would like to see happen in Orange County is a Men's
Dressed for Success Program to provide outfits for professional interviews, and job searches.
He said they have a difficult time getting clothes for men.
Sharron Hinton said she would hope there would be a non - profit agency or a community
group that would want to take this on as a project. She said this is a big need for the men in the
community.
Nancy Coston said foster children are another group that DSS is concerned about. She
said these children need to be self- sufficient before they turn 18 and have to leave the DSS
services. She said there is a local non- profit that is doing work with a small group of kids. She
said the group provides help all the way through college if the children commit to working with
the foundation. She said the children are taken on amazing outings and given an education to
give them hope for a different situation.
Chair Jacobs asked if staff ever does job fairs with the local non - profits in the County.
He thinks there are connections and supportive relationships that could be fostered.
Nancy Coston acknowledges that more outreach is needed. She said it has been hard
to keep things on track this year with all of the needs.
Chair Jacobs thanked DSS staff for re- instating the Wheels to Work Program.
Commissioner McKee thanked the DSS Board and staff for the work they are doing for
the residents of Orange County.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:51 p.m.
Donna S. Baker
Clerk to the Board
Barry Jacobs, Chair
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Attachment 3
DRAFT MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF HEALTH
May 13, 2014
5:30 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint meeting with the Board of
Health on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in
Chapel Hill, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M. Gordon,
Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, and Renee Price
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Mark Dorosin and Penny Rich
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert, Assistant County
Manager Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff
members will be identified appropriately below)
BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Corey Davis, Vice Chair, Susan Elmore,
Tony Whitaker, Paul Chelminski, Liska Lackey, Michael Wood and Nick Galvez
BOARD OF HEALTH MEMBERS ABSENT: Sam Lasris
BOARD OF HEALTH STAFF PRESENT: Health Director Colleen Bridger, Tersee Flores
Donna King, Pam McCall, Dr. Michael Day, Stacy Shelp, Meredith Stewart, Coby Austin, Alan
Clapp, Zach Lampron and Anna Spier
The meeting was called to order at 5:45.
1. Welcome from the Chairs
Chair Jacobs welcomed everyone and said the Commissioners are pleased to meet with
the Board of Health (BOH). He noted that Commissioner Pelissier currently serves on the
Board of Health.
BOH Chair Corey Davis expressed appreciation for the invitation to come and meet with
the Board of County Commissioners.
2. Board of Health's Strategic Plan Progress
Tony Whittaker, Engineer representative to the Board of Health, presented the following
PowerPoint.
Orange County Board of Health
2012-2014
Strategic Plan Update
Highlights
- Innovative, Prevention Focused Plan
- Establishing the BOH as a leader in NC
- Laying the groundwork for HIAP (Health in all policies)
Priority Areas (Venn diagram)
- Access to Care
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1 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health > Community Health Assessment + Evidence Base
2 - Childhood and Family Obesity
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4 Access to Care
5 • Catalyze and facilitate health access partnerships
6 • Advocate for policies to improve access to care
7 • Foster a culture of innovation
8 • Communicate about effective interventions and advocate for their funding
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10 Evidence -Based Interventions (chart illustration)
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12 Health Literacy
13 • OCHD Health Literacy policy passed
14 • Healthy Carolinians planning community trainings
15 • Toolkit implementation
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17 Innovation (bar graph illustration)
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19 Tony Whitaker said Orange County's Health Department is recognized as a leader in
20 North Carolina in public health because of its policies, systems, and methods of
21 communicating.
22 He defined health literacy as a person's ability or lack of ability to obtain, process, and
23 understand health information in order to make good health decisions. He said this includes
24 literacy, reading skills, and cultural competencies. He said health literacy is a better predictor of
25 health outcomes than age, race or socio economic status.
26 Referring to the bar graph slide titled Innovation, Tony Whitaker said the public health
27 arena is changing and the department is trying to change with it. He noted that the innovations
28 grant program is part of the BOH budget, and said this has yielded tangible results.
29
30 Susan Elmore said she is the veterinarian liaison to the Board of Health. She presented
31 the following PowerPoint slides:
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33 Communication
34 - Using communications to advocate for health needs and effective interventions
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36 Childhood & Family Obesity
37 • Catalyze and facilitate obesity prevention partnerships
38 • Identify evidence -based interventions to implement county -wide
39 • Advocate for policies to reduce obesity through environmental and regulatory changes
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41 Ongoing Projects
42 - Lactation Rooms
43 - After School Physical Activity
44 - NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self Assessment for Child Care) / Let's Move
45
46 Susan Elmore said the BOH has worked with the Sportsplex on a pilot program to
47 improve food policies at child centered facilities. She said this collaboration led to a plan for
48 improvements, removal of fried food from lunches, and by the end of this month the fryer will be
49 removed and replaced with a convection oven.
1 Susan Elmore said NAPSACC helps facilities do a self assessment of strengths and
2 weaknesses to identify ways that they can improve.
3 Corey Davis is the at -large representative and serves on the substance abuse and
4 mental health subcommittee. He is a public health attorney in Carrboro. He reviewed the
5 following PowerPoint slides:
7 Substance Abuse /Mental Health
8 • Review current smoking ban policies for expansion
9 • Advocate for improved substance abuse and mental health services
10 • Explore challenges and solutions of integrating care
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12 OC — Proud to be Smoke Free (illustration)
13 Orange County is leading naloxone programs in NC (illustration)
14 Take `em to THE BOX (illustration)
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16 OCHD is working to increase access to integrated behavioral and primary care services
17 - Convening experts: Spotlight series
18 - Identifying Need: Mobile services in high -need areas
19 - Exploring Integration: Challenges and Successes
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21 2014 -2016 Strategic Plan
22 • In process of creating the 2014 — 2016 Strategic Plan with subcommittees
23 - 3 priority areas will remain
24 - Focus areas and action steps will change
25 • Plan will be approved at June Board of Health meeting
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27 Corey Davis said Orange County is now smoke free and health officials are working to
28 make people aware. He said there are smoking response teams made up of members of the
29 health department, volunteers from the community, and occasionally, officers from the Police
30 Department. He said these teams go out into the community, talk to people, and give out
31 pamphlets.
32 Commissioner McKee arrived at 6:00 PM .
33 Corey Davis said a grant has been submitted to research the efficacy of the no smoking
34 rule to see if it actually results in fewer people smoking. He said staff will find out in the fall if
35 they have received this grant.
36 He said Orange County is leading the state in responding to opioid overdose. He said
37 this is now the leading cause of accidental injury and death. He said a law was passed last
38 year by the state legislature, making it easier to prescribe and distribute naloxone, which is an
39 antidote that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.
40 Corey Davis said staff is also working on an educational campaign regarding disposal of
41 expired prescription medication.
42 Chair Jacobs said Commissioner Rich will not be able to attend tonight.
43 Commissioner Price asked about the numbers on the slide regarding evidence based
44 interventions.
45 Colleen Bridger said there were four different evidence based policies in a larger
46 database that are being referred to here. She said there is evidence to support to four different
47 types of policies that are specific to supporting health literacy.
48 Chair Jacobs asked for an update on the smoking ban in Chapel Hill.
49 Colleen Bridger said this is going really well, and staff is excited about the progress
50 there. She said there has been great participation from town staff and businesses in Chapel
1 Hill. She said staff got a later start in Chapel Hill, so the awareness numbers are a little lower,
2 but this will change.
3 Chair Jacobs said there will be a National Mayors' conference in Chapel Hill in August,
4 and he encouraged the BOH to have literature available for that conference.
5 Commissioner Price asked how staff would rate Orange County's work in substance
6 abuse and mental health.
7 Corey Davis said it is a serious and complicated problem, and there is only so much that
8 the health department can do with their limited resources. He said for the County, this is less
9 about providing primary mental health services and more about ensuring that linkages are in
10 place, and residents are aware of what is out there and are able to access it.
11 Colleen Bridger said right now staff is trying to make sure there are as many available
12 access points to services. She said the goal is to have a dynamic system that makes services
13 available wherever you are located.
14 Commissioner Price asked if there has been an increase in substance abuse in Orange
15 County, or any increases in use at certain ages.
16 Colleen Bridger said data on substance abuse is hard, but staff has asked questions of
17 high school and middle students. She said there has been an increase in students who report
18 having used illegal substances. She said this has to be used as a proxy for the County,
19 because there is not a comprehensive database about this in Orange County. She said if more
20 services were available there would be no shortage of people to serve.
21 Paul Chelminski said he is the doctor on the BOH. He said the most ominous
22 development nationally is an epidemic on heroin overdoses. He said this occurred at the same
23 time as decrease in prescription drugs. He said if this begins to happen in Orange County, it
24 would need to be addressed quickly. He does not want the community to be caught by
25 surprise.
26 Tony Whittaker said physical health and mental health are very integrated, but the care
27 systems are not integrated, which creates a disparity in response. He said the BOH is trying to
28 deal with this.
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30 3. Addressing Child Poverty in Orange County
31 Colleen Bridger presented the following PowerPoint slides:
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33 Child Poverty in Orange County
34 A Public Health Approach to Building a Pipeline to Success
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36 Orange County — A Snapshot (graph)
37 Child Poverty Related Indicators (chart)
38 Poverty Matters (chart)
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40 ACEs: Why childhood intervention matters
41 • The Adverse Childhood Experiences Score is an aggregate measure of 10 early
42 traumatic experiences.
43 • These events are far more common than expected and many of these experiences are
44 disproportionately experience by those in poverty.
45 ABUSE
46 NEGLECT
47 HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION
48 (charts)
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50 ACEs: Why childhood intervention matters
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1 A large and growing body of literature strongly ties high ACE's to a range of high risk public
2 health relevant behaviors and outcomes.
3 (illustration)
4 Takeaway?
5 Intervene Early and Comprehensively
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7 Harlem Children's Zone
8 - Promise Academy elementary students eliminated racial disparity in math and English test
9 scores.
10 - 99.5% of Harlem Gems Students were school ready
11 - HCZ Asthma initiative reduced ER visits for asthma from 47.2% to 16.1 %
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13 Harlem Children's Zone Pipeline to Success (illustration)
14 "The objective is to create a safety net so tightly woven that children just can't slip through."
15•
16 Key Pipeline Components
17 Harlem Children's Zone
18 Community Centers
19 - Middle School Enrichment
20 - High School Enrichment
21 - Youth Development
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23 Education
24 - Promise Academy School
25 - 0 -5 Education programs
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27 Health
28 - Fitness and Nutrition
29 - Primary Care
30 - Mental Health
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32 Adapting the Model
33 President Obama's "Promise Zones"
34 East Durham Children's Initiative
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36 Building a Neighborhood Poverty Index (graphic)
37 Four "Layers" Build the Index (map)
38 Four "Layers" Build the Index (map)
39 Concrete Example: Zone Six (map)
40 Full Map
41 Data on Zones, Schools, Neighborhoods (chart)
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43 Adapting the Model to Orange County
44 Use a collective impact model to identify shared goals and fill gaps
45 • A "backbone organization" coordinates the work of partners and specific work groups
46 Advisory board to direct prioritization and activities
47 Draft charter included in packet
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49 Adapting the Model to Orange County
50 New position to plan for implementation in FY `14 -'15 OCHD budget request
1 Identify focus areas, coordinate partners, locate funding, and recommend
2 implementation plans
3 Prepare for future private, state and federal funding opportunities
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5 Next Steps
6 1. Finalize Budget — June
7 2. BOCC Approval of Advisory Board — June
8 3. Hire Program Coordinator — July
9 4. Finalize Community Snapshots - August
10 5. Convene first Advisory Board meeting — August
11 6. Select neighborhoods — October
12 7. Begin Project - October
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14 Colleen Bridger said the percentage of poverty is increasing in Orange County. She
15 said the majority of indicators related to child wellbeing are going in the wrong direction. She
16 said we do have a problem with children living in poverty, and parent's income affects the
17 factors related to children's health and well- being.
18 She referenced the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study and said when
19 children experience these they are more likely to experience mental health issues and
20 substance abuse. She said research is showing that child neglect is worse than child abuse.
21 Colleen Bridger said there is compelling research that shows that these childhood
22 experiences actually affect adult health. She said the Health Department is all about prevention
23 and decreasing these issues in the community, and research shows that intervention needs to
24 start early.
25 She said the department has been looking at programs that address these issues. She
26 said the Harlem Children's zone is an effective model program that creates a pipeline to carry
27 children from birth to college and career. She reviewed the achievements of this program, as
28 outlined on the slide. She said the pipeline for children is undergirded by family and health
29 support programs, as well as community building programs.
30 Colleen Bridger said staff has identified six high poverty zones in the County. She said
31 the four points used to identify these were: types of housing, housing vouchers, children on
32 Medicaid, and health department patients. She reviewed the maps outlining these index point
33 areas, and she noted that this is a very data driven exercise.
34 She said the health department is requesting a new position to plan for the
35 implementation and modification of the Harlem Children's Zone model here in Orange County.
36 She said the United Way has concurrently been discussing this same thing. She said there
37 would be an advisory board to oversee this project in two of the six poverty zone
38 neighborhoods. She said the advisory board would identify community partners and determine
39 which services already exist and where there are gaps. She said the United Way could
40 potentially provide non - profit partners to help fill in the gaps.
41 Colleen Bridger reviewed the timeline slide of next steps and invited questions from the
42 Commissioners.
43 Commissioner Gordon asked if zone 6 is downtown Chapel Hill. She noted that the
44 zone lists Carrboro Elementary.
45 Colleen Bridger said zone 6 spans both Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but it is the same
46 school system. She said Northside is in zone 5, and this is in Chapel Hill.
47 Commissioner Gordon said it would be helpful if the slides could be sent electronically to
48 the Board.
49 Colleen Bridger said the point was just for the Board to know that that staff has a
50 statistical method to identify the zones. She said she is happy to share the details.
1 Commissioner Gordon asked if the process for implementing this child success model
2 will be to adapt it as a research strategy.
3 Colleen Bridger said the goal is to figure out how to adapt it in a rural environment. She
4 said this has always been done in high density, urban areas. She said staff will start with two
5 zones, with the goal of expanding to all six zones.
6 Commissioner Gordon said this is a good integrated approach for success. She said it
7 is important to take one zone from the Chapel Hill /Carrboro area and one zone from the rural
8 area.
9 Commissioner McKee said the draft charter includes a list of potential partner
10 organizations and representatives. He asked if there had been any formal conversations with
11 these.
12
13 The draft charter reads as follows:
14
15 DRAFT Proposal for Advisory Group (CHARTER)
16 Orange County Poverty Council (OCPC)
17 May 8, 2014
18 Orange County Poverty Council
19 The Orange County Poverty Council will advise and make non - binding advisory
20 recommendations on resource allocations, program planning, and policy changes to ensure a
21 pipeline of high - quality services to reduce the detrimental effects of poverty for children and
22 families living in the County, including:
23 ❑ Identify geographically defined priority areas of high -need to pilot a focused collective impact
24 approach to provide a pipeline of success from birth to college /career for children and families
25 in the County;
26 ❑ Serve as a convening body, known as a baclbone organization, to catalyze and coordinate
27 partnerships among government agencies, non - profits, and individuals around the pipeline to
28 success in the County;
29 ❑ Assist in the development of a shared set of goals and standard set of quantitative and
30 qualitative indicators to target activities and measure progress;
31 ❑ Recommend specific, evidenco-based programs and policies to fill gaps in the pipeline
32 through coordination of existing services or development of new initiatives; and
33 ❑ Pursue funding and development opportunities to meet identified needs that cannot be
34 addressed by coordination of existing policies, programs, or services.
35
36 The Importance of Addressing Poverty
37 Orange County is a leader in the state and nation in innovative programs and policies to
38 address the needs of the County's residents. Recent local indicators point to increasing
39 numbers of children living in poverty in the County. This is important because we know that the
40 experiences of children in socio - economically disadvantaged communities have long -term
41 negative effects. Mitigating the effects of poverty on children in Orange County will promote a
42 thriving economy, healthy people, and a strong community for all residents.
43 Charge of the Council
44 The Council is not charged with creating or administering new programs or services to the
45 Orange County community. Instead, the Council is charged with building on and leveraging the
46 existing networks of service providers, policy makers, and community advocates to coordinate a
47 substantial infrastructure of resources around the common goal of a high - quality pipeline of
48 services from early childhood to college or career for children in areas of high -need in Orange
49 County.
1 The OCPC is charged with sharing information, identifying gaps and need, prioritizing evidence -
2 based and promising strategies, and making policy and program recommendations that
3 encourage the accomplishment of shared goals identified by the Council.
4 The OCPC will serve to bridge sometimes disparate committees, commissions, boards,
5 departments and communities whose work can be better coordinated to achieve a greater
6 collective impact by identifying and acting on a set of specific, shared goals.
7 Membership
8 The OCPC will include 15 -20 members that represent perspectives from a cross - section of the
9 community, local government agencies, and non - profits. Organizations on the membership list
10 developed by the Board of County Commissioners will appoint a representative to attend
11 meetings and whenever possible, make commitments and decisions for their organization.
12 Members shall live and /or work in Orange County and shall serve without compensation.
13
14 Potential Advisory Board Members for the Child Poverty Project (soon to be renamed
15 and addition of Towns)
16 Board of County Commissioners (2 appointees)
17 Board of Health
18 Orange County Departments:
19 ❑ Health
20 ❑ DSS
21 ❑ Housing and Human Rights
22 ❑ Sheriff
23
24 Triangle United Way
25 Orange County School Board
26 Chapel Hill /Carrboro City School Board
27 Orange County Partnership for Children
28 Head Start/Early Head Start
29 Compass Center
30 El Futuro
31 Interfaith Council
32 Literacy Council
33 UNC Health Care (preferably hospital)
34 OPC /Cardinal Innovations
35
36 Maybe ( ?)
37 YMCA
38 Dispute Settlement Center
39 Volunteers for Youth
40 Libraries (Orange County and Chapel Hill)
41 Other law enforcement
42
43 Colleen Bridger said she has had some informal conversations, but she did not want to
44 discuss this too much prior to the adoption of the budget. She said there has been a lot of
45 interest from organizations wanting to be part of this project.
46 Commissioner Price asked where the Harlem project got its funding, and where Orange
47 County would get its funding.
48 Colleen Bridger said the Harlem project founder raised funds from private businesses,
49 and he built his own schools. She said there are already high quality schools in Orange County
50 that are interested in working with staff on this, and the education spending per student is not
1 that far off. She thinks the biggest problem will be coordination of services, not the funding.
2 She said there is only about a $700 gap per student between the Harlem project and the school
3 systems in Orange County. She is hopeful that the United Way might bring some private
4 dollars to the funding, and perhaps there will be some money available in the social justice fund
5 to fill in the gaps.
6 Commissioner Price asked if the program will take place in the schools.
7 Colleen Bridger said staff envisions this program having one main hub in the schools,
8 with smaller services rotating around this hub. She said this will be up to the neighborhoods.
9 Commissioner Pelissier said she feels there is a lot of support from community
10 members that want to be involved. She said she sees somewhat of an analogy between this
11 proposed advisory group and the Partnership to End Homelessness. She said there would be a
12 coordinator who leverages the community, governmental and non - profit resources.
13 Commissioner Pelissier said she is personally very excited about this, since this was an
14 issue the Board of County Commissioners discussed at their retreat. She hopes that the Board
15 will vote in June to form an advisory board with a coordinator, and to fund this position.
16 Chair Jacobs said this would most likely be formally proposed as a part of the budget
17 process.
18 Chair Jacobs noted that the Towns are not listed as potential representatives on this
19 advisory group. He asked if they will be asked to participate.
20 Colleen Bridger said the towns will be invited once staff decides which two zones are
21 selected.
22 Chair Jacobs suggested that the towns be listed as potential partners now. He asked
23 Colleen Bridger to talk more about the composition of these boards.
24 Colleen Bridger said there will be one overarching advisory board of 15 to 20 people;
25 then there will be two neighborhoods chosen that would have working groups meeting on a
26 regular basis and reporting their progress to the advisory board.
27 Chair Jacobs said not all neighborhoods are self conscious, and he asked how this will
28 be dealt with.
29 Colleen Bridger said staff has tried to limit it to a three mile zone. She said some
30 neighborhoods have a lot of structure, and some will need some technical assistance from the
31 coordinator. She said this will be some of the first work done by the coordinator.
32 Commissioner Price asked about the high level board and said she has found it best to
33 have some secondary members from the neighborhood serving on this oversight board.
34 Commissioner Price said this is a great project, but she would like further explanation of
35 how a child will be followed for 15 years and how this will all work.
36 Colleen Bridger said staff is identifying neighborhoods, not individuals, and anyone in
37 that neighborhood can participate as needed. She said some children will go all the way
38 through the project with few touch points, while others will need more assistance.
39 Commissioner Price asked if this will run through the schools or through a neighborhood
40 organization.
41 Colleen Bridger said she is not sure how this will work at this point. She said the
42 neighborhoods will determine what will work best in their given area.
43 Commissioner McKee said he feels the towns need to be included, and staff should
44 reach out to them with this proposed project and to treat them as full partners.
45 Colleen Bridger proposed that a smaller advisory board could be created until the
46 neighborhoods are selected, and then the municipalities and neighborhood members could
47 come on board as soon as the selection is made.
48 Commissioner McKee said he just wants to make sure they are not running on separate
49 tracks from the towns.
10
1 Chair Jacobs said the mayors and town managers could be looped into the initial
2 process and told where they will be engaged. He said this will allow them to be part of the
3 communication.
4 Colleen Bridger said she wants to get this right. She said if this is passed as part of the
5 budget, then the next step is the advisory board, so that work can be done over the summer.
6 Commissioner Gordon asked if this overall board is going to select the zones.
7 Colleen Bridger said yes. She said the advisory board will hear presentations from each
8 of the neighborhoods as to why they should be picked, along with statistical information. She
9 said two will then be chosen, with the expectation that there will be one in the north and one in
10 the south.
11 Commissioner Gordon noted that zone six includes the Frank Porter Graham Child
12 Development Center. She said this might be a valuable resource.
13 Commissioner Price asked if there are plans to add other neighborhoods once the first
14 two are started.
15 Colleen Bridger said yes, but it will be at least a year or two after the first two
16 neighborhoods are started.
17 Chair Jacobs said this is an area that Commissioner Dorosin had a great interest in. He
18 said the Board looks forward to working with staff on this.
19
20 4. Questions and Answers
21 Board member and staff introductions were made.
22 The meeting was adjourned at 6:57 p.m.
23
24 Barry Jacobs, Chair
25
26
27 Donna Baker
28 Clerk to the Board
29
30
2
3 DRAFT
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Attachment 4
MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WORK SESSION
May 13, 2014
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Tuesday, May
13, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Mark Dorosin,
Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, and Renee Price
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Penny Rich
15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert, Assistant County
17 Managers Cheryl Young and Clarence Grier and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other
18 staff members will be identified appropriately below)
19
20 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m.
21
22 1. Southern Branch Library Siting Criteria Update
23 Michael Talbert said this is a follow up to the contract with Freelon. He noted that Jeff
24 Thompson was present, as well as the work group members, Lucinda Munger and Michael
25 Harvey, and representatives from Freelon.
26 Lucinda Munger said the purpose of tonight is to update to the Board of County
27 Commissioners on the public input process, as facilitated by the Freelon group. She said staff
28 has been doing due diligence on the proposed site, and this information is included in
29 attachment B.
30 She introduced Derek Jones, Katherine Taylor, and Chris Garis, architects from Freelon.
31 Lucinda Munger said in November 2013 the Board authorized staff to do due diligence
32 on the site at 120 Brewer Lane site, and to begin the primary public input phase. She said the
33 Board also authorized the selection of Freelon Associates to facilitate the process in January of
34 this year.
35 Jeff Thompson outlined the three legs of the due diligence process. He said the public
36 engagement process is ongoing; the physical analysis of the site has been completed, and
37 there have been no changes since the last report to the Board; and the third leg is the
38 development structure, which will be discussed in closed session.
39 He reviewed a slide map of the site, and introduced Derek Jones.
40 Derek Jones gave information on the Freelon group and said the group has a staff of
41 45, including 30 licensed architects. He said libraries are a particular focus for the company.
42 He said community libraries are very unique and are tailored to the community's needs. He
43 said there are a variety of methods to gather community input. He introduced Katherine Taylor.
44 Katherine Taylor said the goal was to gather input and come up with a conceptual
45 program based on this input, as well as demographic information and statistics. She said there
46 were several public engagement workshops, online surveys, and public comment cards. She
47 said the questions centered on how the community wanted their library to look, as well as the
48 specific programs and activities desired. She said there was also a focus on how the
49 community feels about the Brewer Lane site.
I She reviewed several graphic illustration slides. She said the community showed
2 overwhelming support for a centrally located library with easy public access. She said
3 respondents wanted to be able to walk, bike, or bus, and the location was considered unique
4 because it allows for connection to other activities and businesses. She said there were
5 questions raised about whether there would be enough parking and how the traffic would be
6 handled. She said there were also questions about the visibility of the library, given where it sits
7 on the property.
8 Katherine Taylor said the desired activities and services included the following:
9 children's space, meeting /gathering spaces, books, technology, and technology training,
10 creative spaces, display /exhibit space, and music space. She said there was a heavy focus on
11 the desire for creative gathering spaces and children's spaces that encourage interaction and
12 learning. She said the need for teen activities also came up repeatedly, as well as outdoor
13 spaces and musical spaces. She said the middle school respondents wanted space for
14 hanging out, gaming, and interacting with technology.
15 She talked about the difference between a community library, branch library, and main
16 library. She said the trend is to go away from the term "branch library," and to use the term
17 community or neighborhood library, which puts the focus on the community it is serving. She
18 said there are standard services that are offered, but there is other programming that is unique
19 to the area. She said this community is different due to the diverse areas, such as Carrboro
20 and Bingham Township.
21 Katherine Taylor said the information was used to develop a conceptual program. She
22 said this will give a square footage amount, chunks of space, and program allocations for each
23 of those spaces. She said this starts with community size and population demographics, along
24 with the public comments and feedback.
25 She said the current recommendation, based on the feedback received, is a range of
26 15,600 to 18,500 useable square footage, which equates to 19,500 to 23,000 gross square
27 footage.
28 She said the majority of this space is allocated to traditional program space; gathering
29 spaces come in at 15 percent; "marketplace" comes in at 12 percent; creation spaces are 10
30 percent; and 10 percent are non - public spaces.
31 Katherine Taylor said the "marketplace" space is the main entry or hub where everything
32 happens, and this can include a check in area, cafes, and gallery space. She said this is
33 typically a very flexible space.
34 She said the traditional space includes the adult, teen and children's space, including
35 collections, seating, computers, study space, group space, interactive learning space, and
36 gathering spaces. She said the creation spaces include training classes, and multipurpose
37 labs.
38 She said this library is unique due to its ability to house a "floating" collection, as well as
39 its ability to house a teen collection, and children's learning and discovery space. She said this
40 differs from a main library, as the main library should house the majority of the collections and
41 be focused on administration. She said the Orange County and Chapel Hill libraries provide
42 this traditional focus.
43 Katherine Taylor said this library is also very unique due to its site location and its close
44 proximity to the Chapel Hill Main Library. She said this allows for the ability to share physical
45 resources, as well as e- content. She said this also allows the smaller community library to offer
46 unique services.
47 She said neighborhood libraries average 18,000 and 26,000 square feet. She noted
48 that the existing Cybrary and Carrboro branch total 9,000 square feet, and this does not include
49 restrooms, meeting space, teen collections, or staff space.
I Chris Garis reviewed several Brewer Lane site photos and drawings and discussed site
2 scenarios for utilization.
3 He said the drawing of site scenario A shows a proposed building footprint of 20,600
4 gross square feet and a parking deck with 250 parking space additions. He said 80 parking
5 spots are required for the library, and the additional spaces are for future development as
6 needed. He noted the green space, which serves as a buffer between the bikeway and a
7 development. He reviewed more photos of site scenarios and surrounding development.
8 Chris Garis said there is an important opportunity and challenge to get visibility for the
9 library from the main street.
10 He said both site scenarios have the parking deck and the library connected to allow for
11 weather safe access. He said option B has a 21,300 gross square footage footprint, as well as
12 an open space on the garden level. He said the challenge is to bring the signage out into the
13 development to provide visibility. He said this second scenario puts the library closer to
14 greenway.
15 Chris Garis said some of the challenges include: the parking deck; access and traffic;
16 reinforced structure to provide for vertical expansion; and visibility. He said many of these can
17 be mitigated throughout development. He said the benefits include: the central downtown
18 location; the synergy of surrounding development; the ability to draw patrons; adjacency to the
19 greenway and public transit routes; and the benefit of the neighboring parking deck.
20 He said the construction costs are averages, based on the square footage numbers. He
21 said regional libraries average a $250 per square foot of building -only cost. He said furniture,
22 fixtures, and equipment are an additional $35 per square foot, and audiovisual costs could be
23 $25 to $45 per square foot, depending on programming. He said the reinforced structure to
24 allow for vertical expansion is about $30 per square foot; parking comes in at $1.6 million;
25 professional fees are $25 per square foot; and land acquisition is budgeted for $600,000.
26 Jeff Thompson discussed next steps. He said the intent is to get feedback tonight along
27 with possible direction to move forward with this site. He said, if asked to move forward, staff
28 would return with a development agreement in October, and RFQ selection for the
29 designer /architect would happen at the first of the year. He said after that staff would
30 simultaneously work on program verification, construction documents, and town permits. He
31 said bid opening would be in May of 2016, as well as a financing event, and the opening would
32 occur 15 months later.
33 Commissioner Price asked for an explanation of the design process. She said it seems
34 lengthy, and she asked if there was any way to shorten it.
35 Jeff Thompson said staff would need the summer to work on a letter of intent with the
36 developer. He said no designer has been selected, and that process will take 60 -90 days. He
37 said once this is finished there will be a design process, a permitting process, and a program
38 verification process that will happen. He said the permitting process with the Town of Carrboro
39 will take about 6 months. He said it may be possible to expedite this part of the process. .
40 Commissioner Price asked about the square footage of the main library.
41 Katherine Taylor said it is about 23,000 square feet.
42 Commissioner Dorosin said the site picture slide shows a much larger building that will
43 encompass more than just a library. He asked how much control or input the County will have
44 over the design elements as a tenant. He asked how that collaboration will work.
45 Brian Ferrell, Counsel for the transaction, said there will be some options for the Board
46 of County Commissioners to consider regarding ownership interest. He said the principals for
47 301 Developers have been welcoming in providing options for how the ownership and
48 relationship would work. He said he would leave the specifics of this for a later conversation.
49 Brian Ferrell said there is always a straight lease option, where the County is a tenant
50 and the developer can continue doing what it has been doing on this site, developing different
il
1 sections for different users. He said this would provide the County with some control of the
2 space, but much less than that of ownership interest.
3 He said ownership interest would mean moving to condominium interest, which is similar
4 to the County's ownership in the Gateway Center.
5 Brian Ferrell said parking would be a challenge, and it is important for the County to
6 ensure that it has adequate rights in parking. He said ownership interest and tenancy will
7 impact the rights with regard to parking. He said cost and control are also factors in these
8 options.
9 Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are more options beyond those two.
10 Brian Ferrell said there is a fee option, where the County takes a fee and develops the
11 property on its own. He does not believe this is a viable option because the developer wanted
12 to develop more of this site.
13 Commissioner Dorosin noted the developers' interest in the synergistic development of
14 the whole area, and he asked if the County will be able to choose the builder if this site is
15 chosen.
16 Brian Ferrell said the County would retain control of that decision.
17 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the County will be responsible for building the whole
18 building as it is sketched out.
19 Brian Ferrell said the County's interest is in the library and they would have the ability to
20 control and build out their "pancake" and not the floors above it. He said the parking is a
21 challenge, and the construction of this will have to be developed as the project moves forward.
22 Commissioner Dorosin questioned whether it would be best to do all of the construction
23 at once.
24 Brian Ferrell said there is not a lot of room, and access restrictions dictate the
25 construction schedule, so ideally it will all be built at once.
26 Commissioner McKee asked what amount is included in the CIP for this project.
27 Jeff Thompson said $8.8 million is in the current CIP.
28 Chair Jacobs asked if there are any solutions for the visibility issue. He asked if anyone
29 has talked to the Town regarding its sign standards.
30 Jeff Thompson said the County is exempt from the sign sizing constraints from the
31 Town, so signage can be large. He said the visibility is a weakness of the site, but there are
32 opportunities with the building being iconic in design, and with the options of large oversized
33 signs and way- finding features.
34 Chris Garis presented slides with examples of potential solutions. He said there is
35 iconic signage like that used at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham with the water tower.
36 He said there are graphics from a very large scale and from a pedestrian scale that can provide
37 a visual clue. He said there are many options, and these will be part of future discussions.
38 Jeff Thompson said there have been preliminary conversations with the 300 East Main
39 Street group regarding iconic signage and way- finding effects for the entire development. He
40 said there was discussion about the apartment name being something related to the library.
41 Chair Jacobs said he does not want to do anything that is energy intensive or light
42 polluting. He asked who is going to provide the green space.
43 Jeff Thompson said this will be a joint conversation with the developer, as the
44 apartments have as much right to that ground as the library.
45 Chair Jacobs asked if this was something contemplated by the developer before the
46 County became involved, or if this is something the County is adding.
47 Chris Garis said this is something that was heard from the public input process. He said
48 there was an opportunity to have outdoor space, amphitheater and performance space. He
49 said this would be a joint amenity for anyone to on the bikeway to take advantage of.
I Jeff Thompson said the concept of urban versus rural green space needs to be taken
2 into account. He said this is high intensive use real estate and that definition must be used in
3 planning for the green space.
4 Chair Jacobs said it seems like one of the best possibilities for green space on the site,
5 but that goes for the developer as well as the library.
6 Chair Jacobs said the word "marketplace" is not a good word. He said this is not a
7 capitalist enterprise, and that word implies that we are selling things, which is misleading. He
8 would prefer that it not be used in presentations.
9 Katherine Taylor said that is a current library term for the entry experience.
10 Commissioner Price said there were earlier discussions about the size of the library.
11 She asked what the current proposed size is based on.
12 Katherine Taylor said this was determined by national averages for library sizes of the
13 same demographic and population range (20,000- 40,000).
14 Commissioner Price asked if individuals from the Arts Center attended the public input
15 sessions. She wonders if some of the proposed activities would be a conflict.
16 Lucinda Munger said members of the Arts Center did attend the meetings, and they and
17 viewed the space as complimentary. She said there is discussion of expanding the Arts Center
18 to create a "mini DPAC ", and the spaces in the library are seen as free public space for classes.
19 She said the "maker space" is fairly common in libraries, and it is a creative space for artists as
20 well as entrepreneurs. She said this space is used on a constant basis for a variety of
21 programming, and this is not a conflict with the Arts Center.
22 Commissioner Price asked for clarification on the County's right to design the space.
23 Brian Ferrell said this is an opportunity to look at a deal structure that is unique and
24 provides a close relationship with the developer of the site. He said the developer has
25 committed to work with the County on the design of this space, and he would expect that the
26 look of the build -out will be similar to what is there now, with opportunities for customization.
27 Commissioner Price asked how many stories this will be.
28 Brian Ferrell said this has not been finalized, but it will likely be 3 or 4 floors.
29 Michael Talbert said this is still in the due diligence phase, and if the Board moves
30 forward, these points can be negotiated at a later date. He said the site selection, as well as
31 the size, are the key issues being considered tonight. He said the green space will be
32 important no matter where the library is located. He said the schedule laid out by Jeff
33 Thompson is very close to what is outlined in the CIP for this item. He said there are planning
34 funds for an architect firm in 2015/16 and a construction plan for 2016/17, and the total project
35 budget is $8.2 million.
36 Commissioner Pelissier asked if the $250 per square foot estimated cost includes the
37 flexible space to allow for future changes.
38 Jeff Thompson said on this site the $250 per square foot cost accounts for just the raw
39 construction cost, which would be the podium structure. He said some of the interior spaces
40 would be the flexible, multipurpose spaces.
41 Lucinda Munger said one of the things frequently discussed in group meetings was that
42 the beauty of the flexible space is that it deletes obsolescence. She said these spaces allow for
43 movement and change as the demographic and services change, since the space is not tied
44 down by load bearing walls or desks that are fixed or bolted.
45 Commissioner Pelissier asked if the estimated cost includes designing a library that has
46 this type of flexibility.
47 Lucinda Munger said yes.
48 Carrboro Alderman Randee Haven O'Donnell thanked staff for all of the work that has
49 been done. She said the Commissioners are closer than anyone has been in years, and she
50 applauded their efforts to engage the community. She said when the Board of County
I Commissioners met with the Carrboro Board of Aldermen in 2011, there was a criteria set by
2 the library standard for calculating square footage based on population. She said, based on the
3 2010 census, this meant an 18,000 square foot library, but the projected 2012 census came out
4 to a square footage of 21,468. She feels it is important to consider the difference for Carrboro's
5 community use when looking at usable space versus gross square footage, and she would like
6 to aim for the 20,000 square feet instead of the 18,000.
7 Commissioner Dorosin asked what due diligence is remaining.
8 Jeff Thompson said the only major item remaining is the transaction structure. He said
9 all of the ground issues have been largely resolved.
10 Chair Jacobs noted that the Board has not formally picked a site yet.
11 Commissioner McKee said he wants to make sure the issue of visibility is addressed.
12
13
14 2. Employee Benefits Updates, Preliminary Renewal Estimates Regarding Calendar
15 Year 2015 Health Insurance, and Anticipated Health Care Reform Components
16 Cheryl Young introduced the new Human Resources Director, Brenda Bartholomew.
17 Brenda Bartholomew said she is excited to take this role, and it is very similar to her
18 previous role in New York, where she served for 15 years.
19 Cheryl Young reviewed the following background information from the abstract:
20
21 Effective January 1, 2014, the County changed the employee health insurance funding from
22 premium -based (fully- insured) to self- insured. The County pays United Healthcare an
23 administrative fee, including stop -loss coverage, and pays the claims costs. The County does
24 not pay a per member premium. The County will save approximately_$667,000 for the 2014
25 Plan Year, because some fees related to health care reform are not-imposed on self- insured
26 plans.
27
28 Based on early claims data, consultant Mark III has projected up to a 14.35% increase in
29 premiums for a renewal of the same benefits beginning January 1, 2015. The projected general
30 fund budgetary increase for FY 2014 -15 is $423,446 (January through June 2015).
31
32 Cheryl Young noted that in April, the original projection was a 13 percent increase, and
33 that number increased in early May, based on additional claims information. She said the
34 projection is now 14.3 percent, and it will adjust as the claims experience changes. She said
35 the final and best projections will be presented in September 2014.
36 Mark Browder from Mark II I reviewed historical data from 2013. He said the plan in the
37 end ran at about a break even position for United Healthcare. He noted that the HSA plan had
38 lower claims activity than the PPO plan. He said the plan trended up about 13 to 14 percent
39 over the prior year, but it worked out to be break even by the end.
40 He said the County transitioned to a self funded plan in 2014, and the funding level
41 remained the same as it was in 2013. He said the County saved about $600,000 by making the
42 transition, and the plans remained stable.
43 Mark Browder reviewed the slide outlining 2014 plan rates, and noted that the
44 dependent cost for the employee is less in the PPO plan than in the HSA plan.
45 Looking at the 2014 plan experience data, he noted that claims were higher in March of
46 this year.
47 He reviewed the final slide outlining 2015 claim expectation. He said they are expecting
48 about a 14% for the 2015 claim year, and this will change as the claims continue to move
49 forward in 2014.
7
1 Commissioner Gordon asked how to figure out if something breaks even for United
2 Healthcare.
3 Mark Browder said this goes back to the second slide on the 2013 plan experience. He
4 noted the bottom right hand side, which shows a 79 percent loss ratio. He said based on where
5 the targets are, this is a break even or slight positive position for United Healthcare.
6 Commissioner Gordon asked about the 79% loss ratio.
7 Mark Browder said with healthcare reform, the target loss ratio is 85 percent. He said
8 this shows that United Healthcare did not make significant amounts of money while insuring the
9 plan.
10 Commissioner Gordon asked how the stop loss ratio figures in.
11 Mark Browder referred to slide 5 and said the County pays for stop loss insurance, and
12 the pooling point is $105,000. He noted that in March the County received reimbursement from
13 a claimant that from $181,000. He said reimbursement was received for that month for that
14 high claimant.
15 Commissioner Gordon asked about slide 6 and questioned what numbers go into
16 determining what the contribution has to be.
17 Mark Browder said everything above the contribution lines falls into the green line on
18 slide 6. He said there is a claims expectation for 2015, which takes the current 12 months of
19 claims and trends it forward. He said the administration and stop lost insurance costs are
20 estimated, the health care reform fees are considered, as well as the HSA costs, and this totals
21 about $11,739,828.
22 Commissioner Gordon said the 14.3 percent increase is higher than other numbers,
23 such as the inflation rate and cost of living increases.
24 Mark Browder said health care claims are increasing at a rate greater than inflation, and
25 health care reform adds additional costs.
26 Chair Jacobs said March 2013 and July 2013 had higher claims, and there is logic to
27 this since people are more active in March, and in July school is out. He asked why this jump in
28 March was not projected.
29 Mark Browder said historically claims activity is around $600,000, so $900,000 is a
30 significantly different month. He said July was up, but not as significantly as March and
31 November. He said the March increase was due to abnormal claim activities.
32 Commissioner Pelissier asked how the County can assess whether it is still an
33 advantage to remain self insured moving forward.
34 Mark Browder said a projection could be done to show what a fully insured renewal
35 would look like; however, the County is not paying 2 percent in premium taxes to the state, and
36 in 2015, 3 percent in health insurance tax to the federal government. He said this equates to
37 $500,000 in avoided costs automatically from self funding. He said he works with 30 counties
38 across the state, and there is a wide disparity in what renewals look like. He said when a client
39 asks for a fully insured quote compared to a self funded quote, it is often an increase in the mid
40 teens. He said there has only been one situation where the fully insured plan was competitive
41 to a self funded plan, and this was a small company with high expenses.
42 Chair Jacobs said there has been discussion about offering in -house medical care for
43 employees and whether it was advisable to do this through the County health department or
44 not. He asked if there have been any further discussions about this issue.
45 Michael Talbert said no. He said this project was put on hold when the County lost their
46 HR Director. He said it is not advisable to do this through the County health department. He
47 said many entities do this through UNC Healthcare, and this will be investigated.
48 Chair Jacobs asked if this is something that the new HR Director will be asked to look
49 into.
I Cheryl Young said there is an allocation of $25,000 in the budget to study the possibility
2 of putting in -house medical care in place.
3 Chair Jacobs noted that there are 4 employees that have worked more than 30 hours
4 per week in the past 12 months, but these are not full time employees.
5 Michael Talbert said there are a number of part time permanent employees that work 30
6 hours or a little more.
7 Diane Shepherd said these 4 employees are considered temporary employees. She
8 said all permanent employees that work 20 hours or more get health insurance.
9 Chair Jacobs asked what constitutes a temporary employee.
10 Diane Shepherd said the employee would have to be here a full year.
11 Chair Jacobs asked if this means that employees who work 52 weeks will become
12 permanent employee.
13 Diane Shepherd said there is not an automatic process for this to happen.
14 Chair Jacobs said this is what the state was doing, which was to hire people for 50
15 weeks and then fire them to avoid paying benefits.
16 Diane Shepherd said the County tends not to do this, and the number has been worked
17 down, but there are still these 4 individuals. She said there are a variety of reasons for this,
18 including short staffed departments.
19 Chair Jacobs said he is going to petition the Board to eliminate these types of positions,
20 or that there be a policy about how to eliminate them.
21 Cheryl Young said under the health care reform act, even temporary employees can get
22 benefits.
23 Chair Jacobs said the County does not want to exploit people.
24
25 3. Interlocal Agreement for Solid Waste and Recycling
26 Gayle Wilson gave the historical background regarding the original interlocal agreement
27 for solid waste management and the proposed development of a new agreement.
28 He said there was staff consensus on a detailed outline for a new agreement, which was
29 used to draft the detailed agreement before the Board tonight. He read the draft interlocal
30 agreement as included in the abstract.
31 He said there were a few issues that remain in question from staff's perspective. He
32 outlined those issues as follows:
33
34 The level of detail of existing recycling programs and services that needs to be incorporated
35 into the agreement. For example, is it necessary to detail each individual recycling service,
36 delineating what materials are collected, frequency of collection, number and type of containers
37 used, etc. within the agreement?
38 • Should the County or a Town (or Towns) plan, site and develop a waste transfer station would
39 consideration be given to allowing the other parties to the agreement access to the facility?
40 • The degree of involvement and advance notice given to the parties to the agreement to
41 regarding proposed fee increases (which fees and what flexibility /limitations would be granted)
42 and the level of authority to approve or authorize fee changes.
43 • The composition, mission and authority (if any) of a new advisory
44 committee /board /commission /waste partners group. Staff considered that elected officials may
45 wish to initiate a separate process to discuss and address this matter. It is possible that among
46 the first topics of such an advisory body could be coordinating the investigation into pay- as -you-
47 throw and /or organics management options.
48 • Provisions for withdrawing from the agreement including a more clear definition of
49 "outstanding debt ".
I
1 • Inclusion of the University as a party to the agreement (could be a secondary priority to be
2 pursued at a later date)
3 The more fundamental issues of an agreement could be incorporated and adopted in the short
4 term (by July 1), with other issues to be resolved through a mutually agreeable process among
5 the parties (or by a new advisory group) over the next several months. Alternatively, a final and
6 comprehensive agreement could be pursued regardless of the time necessary and the parties
7 could continue in an informal manner until a final agreement is executed. There may also be
8 other options for proceeding.
9 Michael Talbert said there are issues to be resolved with the towns. He said, at this
10 point the towns have received this agreement, but neither board has discussed it yet.
11 Chair Jacobs said it would be helpful to just highlight the points of contention instead of
12 the entire agreement the next time this is presented. He said this would allow for better focus
13 on these issues. He said the Mayor of Chapel Hill assured him that the transfer station is not a
14 problem, but staff seems to think it is.
15 John Roberts said he wanted the full agreement read, rather than the outline. He said
16 staff was not able to agree on issues that he feels would be more appropriately discussed and
17 decided by elected officials.
18 Commissioner McKee asked for elaboration on the issue with the transfer stations.
19 Gayle Wilson said town staffs of Chapel Hill and Carrboro seemed to have received
20 instruction to downplay or not include any provisions in the agreement that would provide for
21 serious consideration of County utilization of a town transfer station. He said he has not talked
22 with the town managers or elected officials about this, but that was the impression he was given
23 by staff.
24 Commissioner McKee asked if there were reasons given.
25 Gayle Wilson said no, but it seemed their staff had been given that guidance.
26 Commissioner Dorosin said it seems to him that this, as written, is very limited. He said
27 if there is going to be an agreement on solid waste there should be discussion about the
28 possibility of future landfills and transfer stations, in addition to recycling. He thinks that there
29 may be a flaw in the idea of having staff put this together without more direction. He feels that,
30 as a body, the officials need to decide whether to move forward collectively. He said this
31 document seems to be ignoring issues that need to be addressed. He finds some of the
32 language troubling, such as the section regarding County use of the transfer station. He said
33 this seems like an afterthought.
34 Commissioner Gordon said this draft is a start, but it is not complete. She said this was
35 brought back to the Board because that was what was planned for this time. She said the 1999
36 agreement took a lot of negotiations and discussions, and it was very comprehensive. She said
37 it is structurally not possible to do a comprehensive interlocal agreement by July 1, 2014, but it
38 is still important to put in motion some type of agreement to allow services to start by July 1St
39 She does not know if it is wise to negotiate part of an agreement and not the whole agreement,
40 but she is interested in knowing what their professionals say about how this might be done for a
41 limited section.
42 John Roberts said this is a very basic and broad document that is presented as the only
43 thing that could possibly get approved by July 1St. He said there are key portions of this, such
44 as recycling, where major decisions still have to be made. He said whatever is done with this
45 document or another document, key aspects will need to be amended in the future. He said
46 this is not something that can be done comprehensively between now and July 1St
47 Commissioner Pelissier asked what needs to be done to be sure recycling can be in
48 place by next year.
49 Chair Jacobs said this could be considered a preliminary interlocal agreement, which
50 means it is a starting point.
10
1 Commissioner Pelissier asked if a preliminary agreement means having something to
2 get them through next year, and maybe even simplifying it more. She said a group would then
3 be formed to flesh it out.
4 Chair Jacobs said yes.
5 Michael Talbert said this is an outline that could be something much broader at a later
6 date. He said an advisory group could be asked to work out the details with elected officials
7 from each unit of local government. He said the document could then be brought back to the
8 Board in a year for a major amendment.
9 Commissioner Price said this document does not seem comprehensive. She said there
10 are a lot of elements all over the place, and she feels that if towns are going to be involved this
11 needs to be a comprehensive solid waste project. She said if this document has to be used,
12 she would ask that Labor Day be included as a holiday.
13 Commissioner McKee asked what happens if this is not done by July 1St
14 John Roberts said there is no current agreement, so you would still be maintaining the
15 status quo. He said the towns still need to approve the recommended fees for recycling in their
16 jurisdictions, but he does not see any legal change if this is not approved.
17 Commissioner McKee said he is not interested in doing a piecemeal agreement
18 because he thinks it reduces the County's negotiating ability. He feels the current solid waste
19 program is piecemeal and confusing. He is not concerned with a July deadline, and he would
20 rather go on with the status quo and then try and get this document right. He is not okay with
21 the towns building a transfer station and not allowing the County to use it and vice versa. He
22 said if Orange County is going to be responsible for its own trash, the County will need to build
23 a transfer station. He would be fine to let this ride out until an agreement can be reached. He
24 said an advisory board should be done before putting in a piecemeal agreement.
25 Michael Talbert said if that is the Board's pleasure then staff can be directed, along with
26 the towns, to refine this agreement over the summer and come back with a revised agreement
27 by the first meeting in the fall. He said it could then be taken to the Assembly of Governments
28 (AOG) meeting for discussion of the political issues that staff is not able to negotiate.
29 Chair Jacobs said he feels that this document is very County centric. He would like to
30 indicate that the County is amenable to an agreement that is more mutually satisfactory. He
31 suggested an advisory group could contain two elected officials from each of the four
32 governments, one representative from UNC, three citizens, and whatever staff the group deems
33 appropriate. He said this would be a workable group, and he suggests that there be a specific
34 timeframe to have an outline in time for the AOG meeting in November. He said everyone will
35 want to make decisions in time for the 2015 -16 budget year. He said the direction would be to
36 create a comprehensive solid waste strategy that includes solid waste, bio- solids, food waste,
37 and short and long term plans. He said if a plan of action can be created and the AOG can
38 agree to go forward, then they would at least have a framework of a comprehensive plan with
39 stages that allow them to address something next budget year.
40 Commissioner Price said she is looking for this to be an all- inclusive project, because
41 the use of certain technologies depends on how large your waste stream is.
42 Commissioner McKee asked if the direction is to let this document ride. He said he
43 seems to be hearing two different directions.
44 Chair Jacobs said both could be done. He said staff could be directed to work on this as
45 a preliminary agreement; and the Board can come up with a framework for conceptualizing all
46 of the issues and creating a timeline for action. He said no one wants to continue going in
47 circles and not knowing if the County has any partners. He said there is a very good
48 opportunity for partnerships. He said the two directions are not mutually exclusive.
49 Commissioner McKee said it sounds like staff is at an impasse on certain items.
11
1 Michael Talbert said staff is at an impasse on certain items, but the managers can be
2 involved and meet with the Boards individually to come back with a stronger draft in the fall. He
3 said not every issue will be resolved, but certain items such as a transfer station, can be
4 resolved to make the next level of discussion easier. He said they need to have commitments
5 from the local governments on this issue.
6 Commissioner Dorosin asked if Michael Talbert thinks that this agreement establishes
7 that commitment.
8 Michael Talbert said it is a step in the right direction, but there are some details left out.
9 He said there needs to be commitment at all levels, and there is detail missing. He said the
10 details need to be spelled out on issues such as landfill logistics, and waste energy projects.
11 Commissioner Dorosin said if the consensus is to move forward with some agreement
12 as a first step, then the group should be formed now before the summer break. He said there
13 should be a charge and outline so the group can get started with a goal of creating some real
14 critical questions for the governing bodies to vote on within the given timeline and budgets.
15 Chair Jacobs said he would envision this group coming to the AOG in November with a
16 specific work plan and a range of considerations.
17 Michael Talbert said that would assume that all representatives can be appointed before
18 summer breaks.
19 Chair Jacobs said the 5 year agreement was part of the why the County was moving
20 forward with the purchase of the roll carts, which was a huge commitment on their part. He
21 said it does matter that there is an agreement in place, and staff can be instructed to strip it
22 down to create something to build on. He said sticking points can be noted and decided by
23 elected officials.
24 Commissioner Gordon said she wants to hear what needs to be done between now and
25 June 17th: She said it sounds like the Board needs to know the following: specifics on recycling
26 fees, how many roll carts are needed, what the group charge will be, and who should be in the
27 advisory group.
28 She thinks it would be good to come to an informal consensus or to ask staff to come
29 back with the obvious issues to decide before June 17.
30 Chair Jacobs suggested that the manager come back to the June 3 meeting to articulate
31 what he has heard tonight regarding a preliminary agreement for staffs to work on in the fall,
32 and the structure and charge of a working group composed of representatives from the four
33 jurisdictions, the university, and representatives of the public, supported by appropriate staff.
34
35 4. Issues and Funding Options for Orange County's Recycling Proqrams
36 Michael Talbert said this item was brought to the Board at their May 8 n meeting to
37 introduce the idea that there are certain issues yet to be discussed. He said these items are on
38 the back side of page 2 in the abstract. He said there are a couple of decisions to be made by
39 July 1St for the 2014 -15 budget as related to rural curbside funding. He said the current budget
40 has the rural curbside program continuing as is, and being paid for with solid waste reserves.
41 Commissioner Gordon said that there has been past discussion regarding the fact that
42 only 25 percent of the budget for the solid waste convenience centers (SWCC) is actually
43 covered by the fees. She said that the general fund contribution going in to SWCC was
44 $1,856,543. She said the rural fee would have to be raised from $40 to $102; the urban fee
45 would have to be raised from $20 to $51; and the multi - family fee would have to be raised from
46 $4 to $10 in order to get rid of the general fund contribution. She asked if fees would need to
47 be raised even more to get from 25 percent to 100 percent funding of the convenience centers.
48 Michael Talbert said his understanding is that those fees would get them to 100 percent
49 and would replace the $1.8 million.
12
1 Gayle Wilson said that is correct. He said this is their calculation of what would
2 eliminate the general fund contribution for the SWCC.
3 Commissioner Gordon asked if this also funds the 24 hour sites.
4 Gayle Wilson said the SWCC fund only funds the staffed SWCC. He said the base 3 -R
5 fee funds the 24 hour centers.
6 Commissioner Gordon asked if the funding would have to be higher than the general
7 fund contribution in order to raise the funding from 25 percent to 100 percent and have the
8 SWCC pay for themselves without any other revenue.
9 Gayle Wilson said the general fund contribution makes up for the shortfall from the
10 existing rates and other miscellaneous revenues. He said the $1.8 million would complete 100
11 percent funding for the SWCC, including the Walnut Grove and Eubanks Road modernizations;
12 but it would not include any further modernizations.
13 Commissioner Gordon said the parts of the budget interact, and if you pull the SWCC
14 out of the solid waste fund as a whole, it would mean the fees would have to be even bigger
15 because there is other miscellaneous income.
16 Gayle Wilson said there are ways where the fees would have to be larger. He said the
17 facility operations and staffing are funded through the SWCC fee; however the trucks and the
18 drivers that come to serve the different components of recycling are paid for out of the recycling
19 budget.
20 Commissioner Gordon said it is possible to look only at the solid waste budget and say
21 that a general fund contribution should not be given. She said the numbers she gave would
22 accomplish this.
23 Gayle Wilson said that is the only general fund money that enters the enterprise fund.
24 Commissioner McKee said this brings up the question of why the SWCC were not fully
25 funded by the fees from the start.
26 Gayle Wilson said the history is that the sanitation division, which operates the
27 convenience centers, was part of the public works department until about 6 years ago. He said
28 when the solid waste department moved from Chapel Hill to the County it handled all solid
29 waste except for the convenience centers; and that separate division within public works that
30 was funded 100 percent from the general fund operated separately. He said there was a
31 reorganization 6 years ago to consolidate all activities into the solid waste department and there
32 was a larger general fund contribution that funded 100 percent for the first couple of years. He
33 said the Board of Commissioners then determined that they needed to begin to establish the
34 basics of a self funding mechanism for the sanitation division and wean it from the general fund.
35 He said the fees were initiated at a low level with the thought of increasing it over time, but no
36 schedule was established, and the fee has increased twice in that 6 year period.
37 Commissioner McKee said that answers his question. He said he feels the system is
38 confusing.
39 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Board is supposed to make decisions about what to
40 do for rural recycling for next year, such as whether to have it, what will be the scope, and how
41 to pay for it.
42 Michael Talbert said all of this is in the budget. He said if the Board makes no decisions
43 and continues with the current services, funding with the reserves that are already in the
44 manager's budget, then the budget will just need to be approved. He said if the Board would
45 like to do something different, this would be the time to let staff know.
46 Commissioner Dorosin asked if that budget would keep the fees the same as described.
47 Michael Talbert said yes. He said the towns have agreed to levy a $59 fee for the urban
48 curbside and $19 for the multi - family fee; and the rural service would cost the taxpayers nothing
49 and will be paid for out of reserves.
13
1 Chair Jacobs said the point of the earlier discussion was to make the commitment to
2 resolve this by this time next year, but there is still an equity question about using the reserves
3 generated by everyone to subsidize only the rural curbside. He said this should be discussed
4 or decided on now. He said if he was an urban taxpayer, he would want to know why he was
5 paying twice.
6 Commissioner Pelissier said she would actually argue that the towns would be paying
7 three times - from the reserves, the general fund for the SWCC, and the recycling fee. She
8 said there was a plan to gradually increase the SWCC fees for the rural population, and this
9 should be done this year to make it more equitable for the towns.
10 Chair Jacobs said the Board needs to come out of this discussion with a list of decision
11 points that staff can bring back as a decision item on what is being funded and how it is being
12 funded.
13 John Roberts said one of the funding items that was discussed would involve a recycling
14 ordinance requiring residents to separate designated materials and increasing the countywide
15 convenience center fee to a facility sustaining fee. He said this would free up $1.8 million of
16 general fund dollars that could then be used to provide curbside recycling countywide. He said
17 there are a lot of details that would need to be worked out, but there are no glaring legal issues.
18 Chair Jacobs asked if these fees are differentiated by rural, multi - family, and urban.
19 John Roberts said yes.
20 Chair Jacobs said when there was a past working group represented by elected officials
21 from all of the municipalities, the entire group recommended the current solid waste
22 convenience center and structure. He said the group agreed there was value in having a
23 SWCC system with two large centers and three smaller satellite centers. He said this was a
24 mutually agreed upon system.
25 Commissioner Price said her concern is that there are people that don't want to be
26 bothered with curbside recycling. She said those people living out in the County are acting as
27 their own pickup service, and they are paying for the gas. She wants to respect the view of
28 those who don't want to pay for a pickup service they will not receive. She hopes the Board
29 would be able to discuss this as part of the whole big picture that includes both the urban and
30 rural areas.
31 Chair Jacobs said a decision just needs to be made for this fiscal year.
32 Commissioner Gordon asked John Roberts if his reference to providing curbside service
33 countywide meant providing this to rural areas.
34 John Roberts said he meant countywide, but no one would be forced to utilize curbside.
35 He said the current routes would be kept, and the service would be expanded into the rural
36 areas to those residents that wanted it.
37 Commissioner Gordon said she thinks this should be financed with fees, and the
38 convenience center fees should be increased, as was the original plan. She said the Board has
39 something close to an agreement with the partners regarding a $59 fee for recycling pickup.
40 She said this means that the County residents have to be charged something. She said the
41 idea of having a SWCC /roadside fee for everyone including the towns might be more than can
42 be accomplished. She thinks this should to be financed by fees for services rendered, and
43 there needs to somehow be a fee that is equitable throughout the County.
44 Commissioner McKee said John Roberts said no one would be forced to do curbside,
45 but he did say they would be required to recycle. He asked what type of enforcement this
46 would involve.
47 John Roberts said the discussion hasn't gotten that far yet.
48 Commissioner McKee said when there is discussion of requirements, it involves
49 enforcement, and he starts to have red flags.
14
1 John Roberts said the County is specifically authorized to require residents to separate
2 materials prior to disposal and to participate in the recycling program. He said the ordinance
3 would only be enforceable in rural areas in the County's jurisdiction, but there has not been
4 discussion of how this would be enforced.
5 Commissioner McKee said John Roberts mentioned a fee on all properties, and he
6 asked if this includes all properties.
7 John Roberts said this would include developed or improved properties but not open
8 land or empty acreage.
9 Commissioner Dorosin asked for an explanation of why the fee is better from an equity
10 standpoint versus funding everything from general fund. He feels flat fees are the most
11 regressive forms of charging, and the most equitable way to fund all of it is through the tax rate
12 and eliminate fees altogether. He would be interested in seeing the numbers on that. He
13 understands the concerns about vacant land and churches, but this option seems the most fair
14 in terms of fiscal operations.
15 Chair Jacobs said he hears three options on table, and he goes back to the idea of
16 treating this year differently. He said for this year the three options are: 1) using reserve funds;
17 2) authorize the attorney to work on a fee structure to make the SWCC self sustaining; or 3) to
18 cut all fees and raise the property tax to pay for all urban and rural recycling operations.
19 Chair Jacobs said all three options can be considered at a subsequent meeting, but he
20 would argue that they will be delayed in making a decision, because the towns would have to
21 be involved if fees are raised, and there are only 6 weeks to do this. He said any changes that
22 are made now will have an adverse impact on relationships and on budgets.
23 Chair Jacobs referred to Commissioner McKee's concerns regarding enforcement and
24 noted that there are several ordinances in place that are not in place.
25 Commissioner McKee said he feels it does not make sense to have an ordinance that
26 you do not plan to enforce.
27 Commissioner Dorosin said at some point they need to look at the viability of continuing
28 the 13,700 person service area. He said there is broad consensus that this is not the actual
29 number of participants. He said there has been previous discussion of looking at denser areas
30 closer to the towns, and he thinks this option needs to be considered.
31 Chair Jacobs said this is a good question, and he agrees, but he is not sure this can be
32 addressed in the next two meetings. He said many issues have been identified, but the
33 question is what should be done this fiscal year.
34 Commissioner Dorosin asked Michael Talbert and Gayle Wilson whether it would be
35 feasible to come back with identification of the more densely populated areas that are
36 participating in the recycling service and are supportive of the curbside service.
37 John Roberts said there is no legal issue with this.
38 Chair Jacobs asked that this be put in the list of decision items for this fiscal year, and
39 he noted this may change the cost of the program.
40 Michael Talbert asked for clarification that the Board is asking staff to come back to the
41 June 3 meeting with a district map, as drawn, with the idea of serving as many high density
42 communities in area as possible, and continuing the basic program with funding from reserves
43 or another source to be determined.
44 Gayle Wilson said that is next to impossible at this point. He said his staff is fully
45 engaged in preparing to distribute over 18,000 roll carts in the three municipalities starting June
46 9th. He said there are all kinds of special situations, and every effort is being made to ensure
47 that no mistakes are made. He said the proposed action would also cut service to those folks
48 in the rural program that are not in a subdivision but who participate regularly in the curbside
49 program. He said this would be done with no time for outreach or explanation. He said there is
50 a lot more to this than just identifying the dense areas.
15
1 Michael Talbert suggested that the service continue for the current 13,700; and with the
2 efficiency of roll carts and single stream it may be possible to pick up another 1,500 to 2,000
3 customers that would like to participate. He said this expansion could be done with the
4 distribution of roll carts in the fall.
5 Chair Jacobs said part of the commitment to the urban program was to cement the
6 partnership.
7 Commissioner Pelissier said she does not want to cut any of the rural curbside
8 recycling. She said this does not need to be done piecemeal.
9 Commissioner Gordon agreed with Commissioner Pelissier. She said there is not much
10 time left, and she would like to see them build on something that has been discussed this year.
11 She said continuing the service to the 13, 700 residents would be consistent with this. She
12 does not know that roll carts have been authorized for all of these residents, and she does not
13 want to buy roll carts that will not be used. She said it is late to talk about anything that has not
14 been agreed to by the partners.
15 Commissioner Gordon said it seems to her that a fee needs to be created, and if a
16 property tax was what people wanted, they could have done the tax district. She feels that
17 additional revenue needs to be raised, and valid points have been made for future discussions.
18 Commissioner McKee said he thinks the manager's recommendation is the best option
19 at this time. He said they passed any other decision point in April. He said he will not agree to
20 any rollback in service, because there is no way to define it.
21 Commissioner Dorosin said this means the County is going to keep doing something
22 that they know is flawed. He noted that Commissioner McKee did not make a motion at the
23 meeting in April.
24 Commissioner McKee said he accepts his portion of blame for what was done at that
25 meeting, and he stated publicly that he was not going to make a motion that night. He said the
26 Board has to choose from a basket of bad options.
27 Chair Jacobs suggested that the Board would like to continue service to the current
28 customers. He said he heard the manager say that service might be provided to additional
29 customers without increasing the cost, and if this is true, it should be articulated in the proposal.
30 He said the other issue is how to pay for it, and the manager has a proposal to do this out of
31 reserve funds. He said the Board just needs to decide if there is a more equitable way to pay
32 for it, and whether just charging the rural recycling from the reserve fund is equitable or if all
33 curbside recycling should be paid for from this fund for this year. He said this is what should
34 come back to the Board for options. He said the idea of self supporting convenience centers or
35 property tax as an alternative could be brought back as a motion on June 3,d or 17th
36 He said ideas for improving the systems have been identified to look at on another day.
37 Michael Talbert said none of the options are equitable. He said he is hearing that the
38 Board would like to continue the existing program as is, and if efficiency allows, to add as many
39 customers as possible with existing resources.
40 Chair Jacobs said yes, and he clarified that customers would be allowed to continue
41 using bins if they wanted.
42 Michael Talbert said yes. He said secondly he is hearing that the Board wants to have
43 options to pay for the service through either reserves or a property tax increase that could
44 potentially pay for all recycling and convenience center fees. He said the tax proposal will come
45 with the number amount needed to make this happen. He does not know this amount right
46 now.
47 Commissioner Dorosin added that, though the majority opinion is to keep the service as-
48 is, he does not agree to that.
49 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there would be roll carts this fiscal year.
16
1 Michael Talbert said the purchase of roll carts has been scaled back to better match the
2 number of actual participants. He said 7,000 carts are included in the budget as a starting
3 point, and people in the rural area will have the option of keeping the smaller bins. He said this
4 will be voted on as part of the budget.
5 Commissioner Gordon said if items will be coming back that are not consensus, she
6 would like her option put on the table. She would like to have increased solid waste
7 convenience center fees for the rural and urban area. She would like to see options to pay for
8 one - third, half, and all of the $1.8 million in general funds being used.
9
10 5. Closed Session
11
12 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to go
13 into closed session at 10:05 p.m. for the purposes of:
14
15 To establish, or to instruct the public body's staff or negotiating agents concerning the position
16 to be taken by or on behalf of the public body in negotiating (i) the price and other material
17 terms of a contract or proposed contract for the acquisition of real property by purchase, option,
18 exchange, or lease; and
19
20 "To consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of
21 appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee or
22 prospective public officer or employee" NCGS § 143- 318.11(a) (6).
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VOTE: UNANIMOUS
RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION
A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to
reconvene into regular session at 11:35pm.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to
adjourn the meeting at 11:35pm.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Barry Jacobs
Chair
17
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3 DRAFT
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Attachment 5
MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
BUDGET WORK SESSION
June 10, 2014
7:00 p.m.
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9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Budget Work Session on
10 Thursday, June 10, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Link Government Services Center in Hillsborough,
11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Mark Dorosin,
12 Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
14 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
15 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert, Assistant County
16 Managers Cheryl Young and Clarence Grier and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other
17 staff members will be identified appropriately below)
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19 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. He reviewed the following items
20 at their places:
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22 - Memo - Summary from NCACC regarding the state house budget
23 - Yellow sheet — Memo from Steve Brantley regarding partnership with the Research Triangle
24 Regional Partnerships
25 - White sheet — Funding information from Clarence Grier
26 - Lavender sheet — Managers Miscellaneous Fund Appropriations
27 - Green sheet - Jail capacity information
28 - Peach Sheet — Information on Upgrades needed at the Southern Human Services Center
29 - White sheet — Memo from Orange County Board of Education
30 - White Sheet - Draft Agenda Abstract - Information Technology
31 - Goldenrod sheet — Response from Gayle Wilson to solid waste question
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33 1. Board of County Commissioners discussion: Additional budget Initiatives, items
34 and assertions
35 Commissioner McKee said he would like to increase funding for the Meals on Wheels
36 program, which is an outside agency. He considers this a critical program for providing meals,
37 as well as a contact for isolated residents.
38 Commissioner Rich said she feels it is too late in the game to discuss funding changes
39 for larger initiatives. She would like to have this discussion earlier next year.
40 Chair Jacobs said he is afraid that initiatives will be brought up on Thursday. He would
41 like to do this much earlier in the spring, next year, prior to the manager's recommended
42 budget.
43 Michael Talbert said staff did take the Board's message from the retreat and used it to
44 help form the proposed goals and funding.
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46 Commissioner Gordon arrived at 7:07 p.m.
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48 2. FY2014 -15 Fire District Tax Rates, Pg. 299
49 Paul Laughton said the Fire District section in their budget book goes from page 299 to
50 page 304 of the budget binder. He noted the attachments for this item ( #2) on the abstract, and
2
1 he said Attachment A includes the requests from fire districts, as well as the current and
2 requested tax rates. He noted that the fund balance amount is listed for each district, as of
3 June 30, 2013. Paul Laughton said two districts, New Hope Fire and White Cross, are
4 requesting tax increases. He said Attachment B provides a historical look at the fire district tax
5 rates.
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7 Commissioner Dorosin arrived at 7:10 p.m.
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9 Paul Laughton said New Hope Fire District, outlined on page 302, has requested an
10 increase of 50 cents, going from 9.45 cents to 9.95 cents per $100 assessed valuation. He
11 said this increase will generate an additional $28,297 in revenue for the district. He noted that
12 this additional money is needed to cover operational cost increases for professional services,
13 increased personnel related expenses, needed maintenance for both fire stations, increased
14 costs for vehicle maintenance, and the addition of money to capital reserves for future needs.
15 Paul Laughton introduced New Hope Fire Department President Howard Pratt and Fire
16 Chief Mike Tapp, to answer clarifying questions from the Board.
17 Paul Laughton said much of the personnel increase is needed to right size the salaries
18 for the fire captains. He said there are also equipment repairs that are past due.
19 Chief Mike Tapp agreed with the needs mentioned above, and he said there was also a
20 need to put money aside for benefit payout in the event of employee turnover. He said the
21 district has also applied for a federal government Firefighter's Assistance Grant for $490,000
22 for a new truck. He said this is still in the consideration phase, and there are two trucks that
23 need to be replaced. He said there are also facility repairs and renovations that need to be
24 addressed at the stations.
25 Commissioner Gordon asked if the needs at New Hope are just normal growth.
26 Mike Tapp said this has more to do with the age factor than growth. He said the
27 equipment is in good shape, but the cost of buying a fire truck is increasing, and it is time to
28 start holding money so that it is available when the time comes to buy a truck.
29 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the district is just asking for what is already in the
30 manager's recommended budget.
31 Mike Tapp said yes.
32 Paul Laughton said White Cross Fire Department, shown on page 303 of the binder, is
33 requesting an increase of 2.20 cents, going from 8.80 cents to 11.00 cents per $100 assessed
34 valuation. He said this increase will generate an additional $81,371 in revenue for the district.
35 He said this is necessary to add 2,080 hours of paid staff coverage; complete outfitting of a
36 service company truck; increase advanced technical rescue training opportunities; cover
37 increased costs of maintenance and replacement of equipment (radios, self- contained
38 breathing apparatus, turnout gear, and fire hoses); cover the increase in costs for the main
39 station renovation and expansion project; and to allow the rebuilding of their capital reserves.
40 Paul Laughton introduced White Cross Fire Department President Tony Blake, and
41 Chief Phillip Nassari, who answered clarifying questions from the Board.
42 Tony Blake said this increase is primarily needed to take on the additional duties of the
43 newly signed contract. He said there have also been problems with retention of volunteers, so
44 paid staff is being increased.
45 Phillip Nassari said the department is in a time of transition to modernize and increase
46 equipment and techniques, and they have also added a station to increase the service area.
47 He said this has depleted reserves, and the goal is to find a budget to sustain them forr the next
48 5 years without a requested increase.
49 Tony Blake said this increase will bring their budget more in line with the other
50 departments.
I There was a brief discussion of ISO ratings.
2 Commissioner McKee asked if the Neville Road Fire Station addresses all of the homes.
3 Tony Blake said yes, other than 32 in the western tip, which will be serviced by Orange
4 Grove.
5 Commissioner Gordon asked how they allocate paid staff versus volunteers.
6 Phillip Nassari said paid staff typically works the Monday through Friday schedule. He
7 said part time employees are used to fill full time positions. He said these employees also work
8 elsewhere. He said this has been successful in lessening the burden of fringe benefits. He
9 said if these two full time spots are approved, there are 5 or 6 part time people who will fill the
10 hours.
11 Commissioner Pelissier noted that there is a 5 year plan to add more staff, and she
12 asked if that means there will be a tax increase request for additional staff.
13 Phillip Nassari said he does not foresee them adding additional staff in the next 5 years
14 unless there is a huge influx of calls.
15 Commissioner Pelissier said in the future she would like to see all of the ISO ratings
16 included in the narrative or chart.
17 Paul Laughton said this was provided in the May 29th work session materials.
18 Michael Talbert said this can be included in the budget book next year.
19 Commissioner Dorosin asked if homeowners get a reduction in their homeowners
20 insurance if their rating goes down. .
21 Michael Talbert said yes, but it takes a while. He said the new station has to be in
22 service, certified by the state fire Marshall's office, and then the area and the station have to be
23 re- rated.
24 Phillip Nassari said they have done district wide mailings with these notifications.
25 Chair Jacobs asked if things are good with the payment in lieu with the UNC Animal
26 Research Station.
27 Phillip Nassari said they are being compensated the same.
28 Chair Jacobs asked for the gap amount between what the research station would pay if
29 they were a normal entity.
30 Phillip Nassari said they are paying about one -tenth or one - eighth of what would be paid
31 if they were a commercial property.
32 Chair Jacobs said he notices that in 5 years their budget is almost doubled.
33 Phillip Nassari said fleet size and staffing have been increased, and equipment has
34 been modernized. He said a lot of this has been funded through grants, which has reduced the
35 burden. He said this was all done to modernize techniques and standards.
36 Commissioner Rich asked if all of the districts are applying for the same grants.
37 Phillip Nassari said yes.
38 Tony Blake said there is a provision that would allow multiple departments to apply for
39 the same grant.
40 Chair Jacobs said the subject of grants may be a good topic of conversation for their
41 joint fire department meeting in the fall.
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43 3. Outside Aaencies: Recommended Allocations FY2014 -15. Pa. 369
44 Clarence Grier said the County received 52 applications, with requests totaling
45 $1,497,252 this year, which was an increase of $438,152. He said 41 agencies were funded,
46 totaling $1,074,100, a net increase of $15,000 above the current year's appropriation.
47 Tonya Walton said this is a joint application process with the towns of Chapel Hill and
48 Carrboro. She said the applications are available for two and half months and are due in
49 January. She said there are several advisory boards that review these applications for about 6
50 or 7 weeks. She said these advisory boards are listed in Attachment A of the agenda abstract.
I
1 She said these reviews are due at the end of March, at which time the manager's office looks at
2 them in depth and makes funding recommendations based on the County Commissioners'
3 viewpoint.
4 She said the requests totaled $1.5 million, but the manager's recommendation was to
5 fund $1,074,100, for 41 agencies. She referenced the spreadsheet on page 371 of the budget
6 binder, which groups agencies that are currently funded as well as new or previously unfunded
7 projects. She said the agenda abstract provides additional details about funding increases and
8 decreases. She said the funding increases total $21,000 for 8 currently funded agencies and 2
9 new agencies. She said one agency is recommended for a reduction, due to implementation
10 delays.
11 Commissioner Rich asked if the delay and funding reduction for the Boys and Girls Club
12 would hurt their chance to get back to their original budget amount in 2015 -16.
13 Michael Talbert said this should not impact the 2015 -16 budget.
14 Commissioner Price referred to page 370 and noted that there was no increase to
15 Empowerment. She feels that everybody is worthy to get some funding, but some got
16 increases and others did not.
17 Chair Jacobs said if Commissioner Price feels strongly then she can propose to raise
18 the amount.
19 Commissioner Price proposed an increase of $2500 to Empowerment.
20 Commissioner Gordon said the Board does not have to spend the entire $650,000. She
21 said if the entire amount is not used, it could go to the schools. She said this is about 4/10 of a
22 cent on the tax rate that is at the discretion of the Commissioners. She said she just wants to
23 note they don't have to spend it all.
24 Commissioner McKee said he would propose the Meals on Wheels program should
25 increase by $6000 to get to their original request of $10,000.
26 Chair Jacobs noted that the state has cut support for Meals on Wheels.
27 Michael Talbert said a number of agencies are receiving funding cuts by the state and
28 they can't replace all of the funding for all of these agencies.
29 Chair Jacobs said he had the same proposal for the Compass Center, to increase
30 funding by $5000.
31 Commissioner Pelissier referred to Ligo Dojo Of Budo Karate, and said this program is
32 geared toward youth who cannot be reached in other ways. She would like to support this
33 program for a total of $2000.
34 Commissioner Rich asked if it is possible to get an asterisk listing of those agencies that
35 are going to face state funding cuts.
36 Michael Talbert said a list can be compiled of what is known.
37 Commissioner Dorosin proposed an additional $4000 in funding for the Rogers Eubanks
38 Neighborhood Association. He said he understands wanting to fund the schools, but a lot of
39 these human service agencies would not exist without some County funding.
40 Commissioner Price agreed with Commissioner McKee on his request to increase
41 funding for the Meals and Wheels program.
42 Chair Jacobs asked Bob Marotto who takes care of injured wildlife in Orange County
43 since the County stopped funding Piedmont Wildlife Center.
44 Bob Marotto said two years ago $10,000 was shifted into the animal control operating
45 budget for the purpose of entering into a performance based agreement with an area
46 organization. He said this contract was continued with Piedmont Wildlife Center until it folded in
47 December 2012. He said at that time, the County entered into an agreement with CLAWS. He
48 said CLAWS provides rehabilitation of wildlife; allows for refer of clients for advice; and provides
49 training to Animal Services staff. He said this has worked out well, and the funding is part of
50 the Animal Services budget.
I Chair Jacobs said there was also a request from the Exchange Club, which is listed as
2 previously funded. He said Nancy Coston suggested that if any money is directed to this, it
3 could be given to Social Services, and then Social Services could contract with the Exchange
4 Club. He said this would allow DSS to get the program that is most advantageous. He
5 suggested $2000 be given to get this program started. He said if you count the HYAA contract,
6 that would make three outside agencies that are being subcontracted, and he would like to see
7 this listed.
8 Tonya Walton said these are usually listed.
9 Chair Jacobs noted that HYAA is not listed, and the County is supporting HYAA through
10 Social Services. He would like these subcontracts noted.
11 Commissioner Rich asked why the Alliance of Aids Service did not request money this
12 year.
13 Tonya Walton said she did contact them, but she has not gotten any response.
14 Commissioner Rich said she would like to increase the funding to the Jackson Center by
15 $1500, to bring it up to a total of $6000.
16 Commissioner McKee said Voices Together is a program in Orange County schools that
17 focuses on children with special needs and connects with them through music. He asked for
18 an additional $1000 for this program.
19 Commissioner Price said she would propose an increase of $2000 for Voices Together.,
20 Chair Jacobs said he would like to give OCIM another $1000.
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22 4. Employee Pay & Benefits, Pg. 443
23 Human Resources Director Brenda Bartholomew presented the following PowerPoint
24 presentation:
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26 Pay and Benefits for Employees and Retirees
27 Work Session Purpose
28 To consider and provide direction on pay and benefits for employees and retirees for FY
29 2014 -15
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31 Key Pay and Benefits Plan Recommendations
32 0 A COLA of 1.5% for permanent employees effective July 1, 2014
33 0 Maintain an Employee Performance Award of $500 or $1,000
34 0 Funding for a health insurance increase of 14.35%
35 0 Increase the living wage from a current rate of $10.97 per hour to $11.21 hour, effective
36 July 1, 2014
37 0 Continue the six -month hiring delay and the voluntary furlough program
38 0 Increase the 401(k) County matching contribution to $62.50 per pay period (previously
39 $50.00), for a maximum annual County contribution of $1,500 (previously $1,200
40 annually) for all non -sworn law enforcement employees and continue the $27.50
41 contribution
42 0 Continue the mandated Law Enforcement Officer 401(k) contribution of 5% of salary
43 0 Conduct a feasibility study of establishing a County health clinic for employees
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45 Past Actions: FY 2013 -14 Pay and Benefits Plan
46 0 A COLA of 2.0% for permanent employees
47 0 An Employee Performance Award of $500 or $1,000
48 0 Funding for a health insurance increase of up to 8.0%
49 0 Maintain the living wage at $10.97 per hour
50 0 Extending the six -month hiring freeze and the voluntary furlough program
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1 0 Continuing the $27.50 County contribution to non -law enforcement employees'
2 supplemental retirement accounts, the mandated Law Enforcement Officer 401(k)
3 contribution of 5.0% of salary
4 0 Implement a County supplemental retirement contribution match of up to $1,200
5 annually for all employees
6 Position Classification and Pay Plans
7 The County Manager recommends:
8 0 A Cost of Living Increase (COLA) of 1.5% for all permanent employees hired on
9 or before June 30, 2014, effective July 1, 2014
10 0 An increase to the salary ranges by 1.5%
11 0 Continue with employee performance awards, $500 for proficient performance
12 and $1,000 for exceptional performance, effective with permanent employees'
13 annual performance review dates from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015
14 Individual positions and classifications are reviewed as needed
15 County salary schedule is competitive with the market
16 Recruitment, retention and staff development and training
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18 County Contribution to Retirement Benefits
19 The County Manager recommends:
20 0 Continuing the 5.0% contribution employer contribution to the Local Government
21 Employees' Retirement System 401(k) program for sworn law enforcement officers
22 0 The 401(k) funds continue the County match of employees' contributions of up to
23 $50.00 per pay period (for a maximum annual County contribution of $1,200) for all
24 general (no -sworn law enforcement officer) employees, and provides an additional
25 $325,000 in FY 2014 -15 to increase the match to $62.50 per pay period (for a maximum
26 annual County contribution of $1,500) for all general employees
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28 Employee and Retiree Health Insurance
29 A 14.35% premium increase, based on the recommendation made by Mark III, effective
30 January 1, 2015 with the same level of coverage
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32 Orange County Living Wage
33 0 Increase the living wage from a current rate of $10.97 per hour to $11.21 hour, effective
34 July 1, 2014
35 0 Based on the Health and Human Services Poverty Guidelines for the region of Orange
36 County the cost of living (wage per hour)
37 0 The recommended budget increase of $10,140 covers the non - permanent wages and
38 FICA costs for affected general fund departments
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40 Six -Month Hiring Delay
41 0 Recommend extending the six -month hiring delay that was implemented in FY 2010 -11
42 0 Between July 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014, over $2.25 million was saved because of
43 hiring delays
44 0 Total savings from the hiring delay is projected to be more than $2.0 million.
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46 Voluntary Furlough
47 0 Recommend extending the voluntary furlough program that was initially implemented in
48 FY 2009 -10
49 0 Anticipate cost savings of $30,000 in FY 2014 -15
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Retiree Health Benefits
• The County Manager recommends funding $1.8 million for general fund retiree health
benefits
• Retiree health care costs increase is due to the aging of the retiree population and the
increase in health care costs
• Encourage all retirees, especially pre -65 retirees to participate in preventative care,
health assessments and health screenings to reduce claims and to realize better health
among retirees
Commissioner Dorosin asked if the increase in health premiums will be borne by the
employees or the County.
Brenda Bartholomew said individual County employees will be covered entirely by
County contribution, but the employees will pay 48 percent of the cost for dependents.
Commissioner Dorosin referred to the proposal to increase the living wage and asked
how this does not affect any County employees.
Brenda Bartholomew said it does not affect permanent employees because they
currently earn $12.76 per hour; however 75 temporary employees will be affected.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are any permanent positions that are paid less
than the $12.76.
Brenda Bartholomew said no.
Commissioner Dorosin would like to know how much it would cost to make a minimum
wage of $12.76 per hour for all employees.
Michael Talbert said he could get those numbers. He said many of the 75 temporary
employees are seasonal.
Commissioner Dorosin said it would be useful to know if it is feasible to do this.
Chair Jacobs said he would like to know who these 75 temporary employees are.
Brenda Bartholomew gave him the following list of employment departments and the
number of temporary employees: library (20), parks and recreation (30), Aging Department
(14), and Emergency Services (9).
Chair Jacobs said for future reference he would like to know why these are temporary
employees versus permanent employees. He would also like to see what the housing living
wage was for Orange County. He would like to see the County working toward the minimum
permanent wage, not just the housing and living wage. He said this was done in the past for
the Sheriff's Deputies, since they were required to live in Orange County. He would like to have
a conversation about this in the future.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the $1.8 million for general fund retiree health benefits is
for current retirees.
Michael Talbert said this is to fund current benefits for current retirees for next year.
Commissioner Gordon asked where the OPEB is within this budget.
Michael Talbert said it would be the unassigned fund balance as of June 20, 2014. .
Commissioner Gordon asked for the estimate of the unassigned fund balances.
Clarence Grier said this number was estimated to be $20.17 with the three years taken
out. He said if you add the three back in it would be close to $38 million.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the fund balance projections by different categories
could be written up for June 12
Clarence Grier said this would be available by Thursday.
Commissioner Price said when the discussion happens regarding the living wage, she
feels that $11.21 is a minimum wage, not a living wage. She would like to see how this really
works. She said in other places minimum and living wage is $15 per hour. She would like to
add this in for future discussion.
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Chair Jacobs thanked Human resources for the $25,000 in funding toward the possibility
of an in -house health clinic.
Chair Jacobs said they are getting close to have enough information on self- insurance
to move the health care decisions from the fall to the spring as part of the budget process
Commissioner Rich referred to the Health Savings Account (HSA), and asked if the
majority of people are taking advantage of that.
Diane Shepherd said there has been an increase in the use of this health savings
account option.
5. Discussion of County Department's FY2014 -15 Budget Requests
• Register of Deeds, Pg. 398
Darryl Butts and Deborah Brooks said the total net increase for this department is
$47,000, due to an expenditure increase of $9500 and a revenue decrease of $38,000.
He said the revenue decrease is primarily due to a decrease in register of deeds fees,
and marriage license fees.
Deborah Brooks expressed appreciation to the Board and staff.
Commissioner Gordon thanked Ms. Brooks for all of her years of service.
Commissioner McKee asked if the credit card program had been implemented.
Deborah Brooks said this has been up and running since April 2014.
Commissioner Rich asked about the progress with digitized files and back scanning.
Deborah Brooks said the back scanning is up and running, but staff is going back to
make sure everything is correct before merging it.
The Board thanked Deborah Brooks for her many years of service.
• Sheriff, Pg. 401
Darryl Butts reviewed the following Sheriff's Office budget highlights:
• The increase in Operations in FY 2014 -15 is due to a $.03 /mile increase in the Motor Pool
surcharge (from $.05 /mile to $.08 /mile), and increases in Contract Services to cover the costs
of in -car camera and server maintenance, and fingerprinting technology maintenance.
• The FY 2014 -15 Manager Recommended budget includes two (2) additional Deputy Sheriff I
positions for transport operations. The number of involuntary commitments has increased over
the past several years, and this requires two deputies for each transport, with most trips taking
approximately 5 -8 hours per patient. Transports are mandated by the State, which require
taking patients from the location of the incident to the hospital, and then to a facility for
treatment that is designated by the hospital. Note: During FY 2009 -10, the Sheriff's Office
voluntarily relinquished two vacant Deputy Sheriff positions to help cut costs during the
economic recession.
• The Capital Outlay of $101,858 in the 12 -month Estimate for FY 2013 -14 includes the
purchase of three (3) patrol vehicles, one paid from the receipt of ABC Board funds, and the
purchase of four (4) portable radios.
• The increase in Revenue projected for FY 2014 -15 includes additional revenue anticipated for
out of county transports.
Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said these two positions are needed because the road
deputies are being taken off of the road, and timed detention staff are having to be used for
transport. He said there has been a 30 percent increase in these transports this year.
Chair Jacobs thanked Sheriff Pendergrass for all he has done over the years for Orange
County.
E
1 Commissioner Gordon congratulated Sheriff Pendergrass on his many years of service
2 and thanked him for what he has done for Orange County. She noted that he has been in
3 office longer than she has.
4 Commissioner McKee asked if they are covering all of the costs of maintaining the jail.
5 Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said the capacity is 130, and last year's daily average was
6 130. He said they are working each day to keep the count down.
7 Chair Jacobs asked him how many misdemeanor prisoners are generated in County
8 that are 91 to 180 days.
9 John Selew said he does not have an exact answer, but it is a small number. He said
10 most misdemeanors fall under the 91 day time frame.
11 Chair Jacobs said since the state budgets make the County responsible for these, he
12 hopes the local criminal justice system will adjust.
13 Paul Laughton said staff just received notification that the vendor will no longer support
14 or service the in -car cameras, and parts will not be available. He said the cost quotes to
15 replace these 60 cameras is about $500,000. He said this will likely come to the Board in the
16 fall, and the timeline would be to have the equipment in by October for installation in December.
17 Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said this will be a 5 year lease plan, with maintenance fees
18 included.
19 Paul Laughton said it would be a 59 month lease plan for a little over $100,000 per
20 year. He said there are several different quotes to consider.
21
22 Aging, Pg. 43
23 Tonya Walton said the Department on Aging is comprised of the general fund and a
24 grant project of the Senior Wellness Grant. She said there is a net County increase of $1300 in
25 the grant project as a result of a COLA adjustment. She said there is a net increase of $55,000
26 in the general fund. She said half of this increase is due to COLA adjustments, and the
27 remainder is due to RSVP program changes and Senior Center program improvements.
28 She said the Senior Center program improvements total about $20,000. She noted that
29 detailed breakdowns of these items can be found within the Aging section of the budget binder,
30 beginning on page 43.
31 Commissioner McKee thanked the department for providing services to the seniors
32 throughout the County.
33 Commissioner Dorosin referred to page 43, and he noted the 2013 -14 estimate of
34 $565,000 and the fact that the actual estimate for this year was about $100,000 higher. He
35 said the request this year is back to the $565,000 and he asked for an explanation of this.
36 Paul Laughton said this document does not show the revised budget, and the original
37 budget does not show the amendments done throughout the year due to additional grants and
38 fees. He said the revised budget is available in the line item detail, and this is more in line with
39 the 12 month estimate.
40 Commissioner Dorosin asked if staff expects the same thing to happen where there will
41 be revisions that make the budget much higher. He said he uses the budget notebook, and he
42 would like all of this information in one place. He suggested an additional column that lists the
43 actual budget.
44 Michael Talbert said Aging, more than any other department, gets more additional funds
45 during the year through various sources.
46 Commissioner Dorosin suggested that these could be added up and included in an
47 additional line.
48 Michael Talbert asked if Commissioner Dorosin would like another column that shows a
49 summary of the amendments.
50 Commissioner Dorosin said yes.
10
1 Paul Laughton said the revised budget for the Department on Aging is $1.96 million.
2 Commissioner Gordon said that after the budget is completed, the Board could ask for
3 suggestions to improve the budget process the next year.
4
5 Animal Services, Pg. 53 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg. 498 and
6 Non Departmental Items, Pg. 359)
7 Darryl Butts said the Animal Services had a total County increase of $43,000 in 2014-
8 14, due to expenditure increase of $62,000 and a revenue increase of $19,000. He said there
9 is a separate spay neuter fund within the department, and it has an expenditure and revenue
10 decrease of $10,250. He referred to the 2013 -14 12 month spay neuter fund estimate as
11 $22,767 in County cost. He said this cost would be absorbed by the spay neuter fund balance,
12 not the general fund.
13 Darryl Butts reviewed the following highlights:
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15 Animal Services: Animal Shelter Division
16 Budget Highlights
17 • The FY2014 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a new Veterinary Health Care
18 Technician (total Personnel Services cost of $42,288) to address the chronic and challenging
19 shelter staffing gaps; approval of this position would allow for a decrease in Temporary
20 Personnel of $10,250 making the total County cost for the new position $32,038
21 • Inclusion of new fee (Sale of Cat Carriers) — cat carriers are an item that have been frequently
22 requested by the public and provides a safe means of transport for cats adopted from Orange
23 County Animal Services.
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25 There was some discussion of rabies cases and vaccination clinics.
26 Chair Jacobs asked what percentage of animals in the County are unlicensed.
27 Bob Marotto said this number is about 50 percent.
28 Chair Jacobs urged the ASAB to discuss amnesty for residents that don't pay the fee, in
29 order to encourage them to get the proper vaccinations.
30
31 DEAPR — Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation, Pg. 106
32 (including Fee Schedule change requests, Pg. 487 and Non - Departmental items,
33 Pg. 346)
34 Tonya Walton said the department has a net budget change of $126,000 and the key
35 budget drivers are an increased demand for parks and recreation facilities. She said the overall
36 positive is an increased revenue growth of about $30,000 this year in program, athletic and
37 facility fees.
38 She said new park openings make up $36,000 in expenses, and this includes the
39 opening of Blackwood Farm Park on a limited basis.
40 She reviewed some of the following budget highlights:
41
42 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation: Support and
43 Administrative Services
44 Budget Highlights
45 • Proposed Fee Schedule Changes, effective July 1, 2014:
46 ❑Athletic Fields (Tournaments): New fee category to help offset additional expenditures in field
47 lining and preparation, as well as on -site staff time during tournaments. Hourly rate.
48 Prior Rate: $25 resident, $37.50 non - resident
49 New Rate: $35 residents, $52.50 non - resident
11
1 ❑Special Event Vending: Technical amendment. This category was accidentally eliminated
2 when the Tournament Vending Permit fee was modified in the FY 2013 -14 Approved Budget.
3 Daily rate. Rate: $15 per booth
4
5 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation: Recreation
6 Budget Highlights
7 • The Division will be working with one of its vendors to provide program scholarships for
8 residents registering for classes in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics
9 ($3,500). This scholarship fund will support 80 low- income program participants, annually.
10 • Revenue Increases: Increased FY 2014 -15 revenues ($17,343) based on high program
11 enrollment and facility registrations in FY 2013 -14.
12 • Increased Supply Needs: Additional funding for program (e.g. shirts, class materials) and
13 concession supplies ($8,137).
14 • Recurring Capital: FY 2014 -15 Budget includes the replacement of the primary cooking unit,
15 for the Soccer Center concession stand.
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17 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation: Parks
18 Budget Highlights
19 • New Position Request: The FY 2014 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a Parks
20 Conservation Technician 11 (0.75 FTE), effective November 1, 2014 ($26,256). The FY 2013 -14
21 Budget included seasonal staff funds to open Blackwood Farm Park, for 20 hours per week.
22 However, demand for additional hours is expected and a permanent part -time position would
23 meet that need. Reduced seasonal staff funds would offset a small portion of position costs
24 ($1,207).
25 • Park Operating and Recurring Capital Needs: The FY 2014 -15 Budget includes increases in
26 operating expenses ($41,918) to maintain expected standards of quality and fund increasing
27 needs, and to replace older equipment (two lawnmowers totaling $49,735). In the past five
28 years, the County has opened four new parks and the department has expanded its oversight
29 of countywide grounds and landscape areas. This has been done without additional permanent
30 staff and small increases in operating expenses. Blackwood Farm Park will open later this year,
31
32 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR): Soil and Water
33 Budget Highlights
34 • The three -year project will cost $97,500. The County will contribute a total of $40,000; CLG
35 will contribute $27,500; and private grants, sponsorships and manuscript purchases will fund
36 the remainder ($30,000).
37 • The FY 2014 -15 budget totals $25,000; the County will contribute $10,000 and CLG will
38 contribute $15,000. The County's contribution is budgeted in the Transfers to Other Funds
39 section, of the Recommended Budget.
40
41 Tonya Walton reviewed the non - departmental items, beginning on 346. She noted that
42 the Blackwood Farm Operations amount has been zeroed out. She said this project has now
43 been incorporated into DEAPR. She said other parks projects have been included in a new
44 future parks line item in the department budget.
45 She noted the substantial $29,000 increase in the Upper Neuse River Basin Association
46 dues. She said the Board had approved $10,000 of this increase during the current fiscal years
47 for a best management practices nutrient credit development project. She said the remaining
48 $18,000 is requested to fund a four year water quality monitoring project.
49 Tonya Walton referred to the Culture and Recreation section beginning on page 362.
50 She said there have been issues at the Senate level, related to the Forest Service, including a
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proposal for a tiered structure that requires residents to write a forest management plan. She
said the fee ranges from $250 to $750, depending on the acreage of land. She said the County
did 62 of these plans in 2013 -14, so there could be substantial cost to residents if they are
required to write them.
Dave Stancil said Blackwood Farm Park is proposed for opening before the end of the
calendar year. He said the operational items include the increased purchase of volunteer
agricultural district signs, which is a new problem. He said operational costs, such as
electricity, are also higher.
Commissioner Price noted the tournament fee of $35 for residents, and asked how
tournaments are defined as opposed to other activities.
Dave Stancil said this would be determined by specific criteria, including the schedule of
the event and the number of fields used.
Commissioner Price said it needs to be communicated to local residents that parks are
open to the community, and fees are only charged for renting facilities.
Dave Stancil said signs and brochures can be created to communicate this.
Commissioner McKee asked for more explanation regarding the Upper Neuse River
basin and surface monitoring. He is concerned that the requirements are not achievable and
may create problems for agriculture in Orange County.
Dave Stancil said the Upper Neuse River Basin Association is aware that the
Environmental Management Committee (EMC) has a small window to make a case for
modification of the rules. He said 3 -5 years of monitoring are required to make that case, and
that is what the association is proposing with these funds.
Commissioner McKee asked if there is anything else the County should do.
Dave Stancil said the agricultural rules process is out of their purview, and it will run its
own course. He said staff had considered the option of doing self monitoring, but this would not
count, as the EMC will only consider regional data, which is why the association data is
important.
Commissioner McKee said he thinks it may be important for the County to collect its own
data in case this is needed down the road.
Commissioner Gordon asked about an earlier reference to partners who use facilities
and do not pay.
Dave Stancil said one example is that the YMCA runs a summer camp at the Efland
Cheeks Community Center, and the operational costs for this are covered by the County. He
said lighting expenses at ball fields are another example.
Commissioner Gordon asked if HYAA pays.
Dave Stancil said yes. He said there is usually a middle ground between actual cost
and the fee that is paid.
Commissioner Gordon suggested a future discussion about possible need for changes.
Dave Stancil said there has been a proposal for creating a template to evaluate
partnerships.
Michael Talbert said this is the model that will be followed with RENA. He said RENA
will levy fees for the services they provide, and the County will cover the operational costs for
the facility.
Chair Jacobs asked if the Sportsplex charges different rates for in- County and out of
County users.
Dave Stancil said he will check on this.
Chair Jacobs noted that there is an agreement to sell sponsorships at the Eurosport
Soccer Center. He asked if this is being marketed.
Dave Stancil said this is marketed on a limited basis, but there is no active advertising.
13
1 Economic Development, Chapel Hill /Orange County Visitors Bureau and the
2 Orange County Arts Commission, Pgs. 120 and 438 (including Non - Departmental
3 items, Pgs. 348 and 362)
4
5 Tonya Walton began on page 120, and said the Economic Development Division has a
6 $32,000 increase due to COLA adjustment and the mid -year FTE addition referenced in the
7 following highlights:
8 Budget Highlights
9 • 2014 -15 Personnel: Cost includes 0.50 FTE increase for Economic Development Coordinator
10 position ($23,468). The BOCC approved the position during its January 24, 2014 Regular
11 Meeting.
12 • Note: The Article 46 Quarter- Center Sales Tax has its own section within the budget
13 document, which outlines tax - funded economic development initiatives.
14
15 Tonya Walton said there are non - departmental changes as well. She referred to page
16 346, and said there is a recommended funding increase of $15,000 to the Friends of North
17 Carolina.
18 She referred to the Visitors Bureau, beginning on page 438, and said this division has a
19 $248,000 increase in the Visitor's Bureau fund budget. She said there are no significant
20 changes within the Arts Commission, and the increase in the Visitor's Bureau is due to the
21 addition of a new sales manager position, as well as new marketing initiatives.
22 She referred to a new revenue change listed on page 440. She said the Town of
23 Chapel Hill will not be providing the requested additional $25,000 for 2014 -15, so the bureau is
24 requesting an increase of $25,000 in the fund balance appropriation.
25 Tonya Walton said the capital request is for carpeting replacement and infrastructure
26 improvements to the Visitor's Bureau center.
27 Steve Brantley said the new Agricultural related position has been advertised by Human
28 Resources, and the best 25 applicants are being reviewed for interviews with a newly formed
29 team.
30 Commissioner McKee asked if there was any indication as to why Chapel Hill did not
31 fund the requested $25,000 increase.
32 Laurie Paolicelli said the town is up to $175,000 in funding, and every year staff asks for
33 more. She said the request was for $200,000, but the town now has them on a bonus system.
34 She is confident that the requested number will be reached, but it is not in the front end of the
35 contract.
36 Laurie Paolicelli thanked the Board for their support. She said this has been a great
37 year for Orange County, and all indications are that the tourism sector is strong.
38 Commissioner Rich said there have been discussions on the Visitors Bureau board
39 about the possibility of taking the $48,000 per year that is currently being used for rent, and
40 using this for marketing. She said the goal is to take this money and use it to double and triple
41 what is happening now.
42 Anthony Carey, Chair of CHOCVB, said as a hotelier, he has seen ad campaigns do
43 wonders. He said the Board sees this rent every month, and he wants to take that expense and
44 put it into the marketing fund and return it. He said a study has shown that local residents do
45 not know Chapel Hill and UNC. He urged the Board to allow the $48,000 to be put to use to
46 bring in returns.
47 Commissioner Rich said that a visitor spends an average of $35 for a day visit, but that
48 number goes up to $225 if they stay overnight. She said advertising is the key, and this is
49 money well spent.
50 Commissioner Price asked where the $48,000 goes.
14
1 Michael Talbert said the Board has had a policy over the years to recover indirect costs
2 or overhead for those departments that have other funding sources. He said this request would
3 be a policy decision for the Board to take. He said if the $48,000 was not charged, the Board
4 would also have to approve the money for advertising use.
5 Commissioner Price said this means the County charges the department rent that
6 comes back to the general fund. She would be in favor of giving this money to the ad
7 campaign.
8 Clarence Grier said this is an indirect cost, and the rent was charged just to cover the
9 cost of maintenance and upkeep of the building.
10 Commissioner Gordon said this is a policy change because the policy is in place for
11 other governments and departments. She said the Board would have to justify specifically why
12 the change was made for the Visitors Bureau. She said there may be a way the Visitors
13 Bureau is different.
14 Commissioner Rich said the Visitors Bureau is an economic driver that brings millions of
15 dollars of sales tax to the County. She said it is not right for a County department to be paying
16 rent to the County. She said none of the County's property taxes go to support the Visitors
17 Bureau.
18 Commissioner Gordon said that perhaps the rationale could be that the Visitors Bureau
19 is a County department, and that County departments should not have to pay rent.
20 Chair Jacobs said he would like to see a list of the County departments that are paying
21 direct and indirect costs.
22 Clarence Grier said the total is $438,000 for all departments.
23 Michael Talbert said it is only three departments, including: Emergency Services, Solid
24 Waste and the Visitors Bureau.
25 Chair Jacobs noted that the fund balance for the Visitors Bureau is not treated as
26 separate from the County fund balance.
27 Commissioner McKee said he agrees that an adjustment to the Visitors Bureau would
28 not automatically extend to the other two departments. He is in favor of doing this. He
29 encouraged the town partners to step up on this as well and give more.
30 Commissioner Price said the Visitors Bureau is under the division of economic
31 development, and they should not pay anyway.
32 Commissioner Rich said the next step was to talk to Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel
33 Hill to ask for more support.
34 Chair Jacobs asked what the County contributes to the Visitor's Bureau.
35 Laurie Paolicelli said Orange County levies 3 percent occupancy tax and has given all of
36 its occupancy tax to the Visitors Bureau.
37 Commissioner Pelissier asked what percentage of the occupancy tax Chapel Hill
38 contributes.
39 Laurie Paolicelli said Chapel Hill contributes 18 percent. She said Carrboro and
40 Hillsborough currently contribute zero, but they have recently established legislation to levy 3
41 percent, and she believes they will work with the Visitors Bureau in the future.
42 Chair Jacobs said if the majority of the Board wants to waive rent, then it can be
43 counted toward Orange County's contribution.
44 Michael Talbert said the County contribution would not change, it would just be spent
45 differently. He said there are two components to the indirect cost; one is an actual overhead
46 plus the rent. He asked if the Board wants to eliminate half of this and charge 50 percent of
47 what would be normal under the indirect cost plan.
48 Chair Jacobs said that is all the Board was being asked to consider.
49 Chair Jacobs said Economic Development has a small staff, and the Board sees all of
50 the things they are working on. He said there is no one whose primary focus is business
15
1 retention, and he would propose another position to address this issue. He said this would be
2 somewhere in the range of $45,000 to $65,000.
3 Steve Brantley agreed that the department has a small staff, and they continue to do the
4 same tasks. He said it is a full time job to do something new, like business retention.
5 Commissioner Rich asked if this proposal is for this budget season.
6 Chair Jacobs said yes.
7 Commissioner Rich and Commissioner Price expressed their support for this.
8 Chair Jacobs said this should be added to the list for Thursday's meeting.
9 Tonya Walton said this position with benefits would be about $78,000.
10 Commissioner Price said the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) is
11 changing its bylaws, and dues are being increased from $20,000 to a per capita amount of
12 $41,499 with no cap. She said there may be other options, and this may not provide enough
13 bang for the buck.
14 Steve Brantley said this is a calculated decision, based up review of what the
15 organization has done for the County in the past. He said there was originally no choice in
16 becoming a member; but in recent years the benefit has been marginal, and now dues are
17 doubling with no increase in services. He feels the County can put their money to better use
18 with a program at the Department of Commerce, and this can be done for a third of the price.
19 He said this can be done for one year, and if it does not work they can go back to the RTRP.
20 He referred to the yellow handout.
21 Michael Talbert said he fully supports this, and he noted that all of their leads come from
22 the Chamber of Commerce.
23 Commissioner Price said most of the businesses that come through RTRP are going to
24 Wake and Durham County. She said there are other counties that are contemplating this same
25 decision.
26 Chair Jacobs said he wholeheartedly supports this change.
27 Commissioner Gordon asked what is currently in the budget.
28 Steve Brantley said Friends of North Carolina is in the budget now for $15,000.
29
30 Emergency Services, Pg. 284
31 Darryl Butts said there are two funds at play with Emergency Services. He said the
32 County general fund has a total increase of $525,000, and the E -911 emergency telephone
33 fund has an increase of $301,000.
34 He reviewed some of the following budget highlights:
35
36 Administration Division (including Emergency Management)
37 Budget Highlights
38 • Consistent with the Emergency Services strategic plan, the FY14 -15 Manager Recommended
39 Budget includes full -year funding for a 1.0 FTE Emergency Management Planner. This position
40 has a total personnel cost of $53,914 with additional one -time start -up costs of $4,342.
41 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a 0.5 FTE Public Health
42 Preparedness Coordinator that was approved by the BOCC during FY13 -14. This position is a
43 1.0 FTE that is shared between the Health Department and Emergency Services (each is
44 responsible for 0.5 of personnel costs), this was previously a contract position that was shared
45 with Person County but was converted into an Orange County employee. The total cost of the
46 position within the Administration Division is $30,187; the other 50% of the position is allocated
47 in Health (Personal Health Division).
48 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase of $48,000 in the Motor
49 Pool account for Emergency Services; this increase is due to an increase in the motor vehicle
16
1 surcharge from $.05 /mile to $.08 /mile. The Administration Division budgets the Motor Pool
2 account for the entire Emergency Services Department.
3
4 Emergency Services: Emergency Medical Services Division
5 FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes full -year funding for 4.0 FTE EMS
6 Assistant Supervisors; these positions were budgeted for 6 months in FY13 -14.
7 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in the Overtime account
8 of $40,000; this is primarily to cover scheduled /planned OT.
9 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in the Educational
10 Supplies account of $13,045; this increase will allow EMS to purchase additional training
11 books /supplies and will allow the purchase of a "Mega Code Kelly Manikin" and a "Resusci
12 Anne skill reporter ", both of which will provide important training to EMS staff.
13 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $30,000 within the EMS Contract
14 Services account to cover the cost of co- location stipends to Fire Departments that house EMS
15 staff.
16 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $50,864 in Capital Outlay. These
17 items include replacement of ambulance equipment (including backboards, KEDS, suction
18 units, and Thomas packs), additional computer desktops for EMS stations, and furniture for
19 EMS stations.
20 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase in both Emergency
21 Medical Charges ($100,000 increase) and Special Events ($1,000) increase revenues; these
22 increases are consistent with FY13 -14 year -end projections that are expected to continue in
23 FY 14 -15.
24
25 Emergency Services: Fire Marshal Division
26 Budget Highlights
27 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $25,803 for the Rescue Services
28 account; this is a new account and will be allocated for awareness level water rescue services
29 and training through the fire departments.
30 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $6,600 in Capital Outlay for the Fire
31 Marshal Division; these funds will be used to purchase 3 portable scene light units to be used
32 during fire investigations.
33
34 Communications Division
35 Budget Highlights
36 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes full -year funding for 4.0 FTE
37 Telecom municators; these positions were budgeted for 6 months in FY13 -14.
38 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase of $12,030 in Educational
39 Supplies; these supplies will be used by the QA and Training Coordinator to increase retention
40 through having better trained, and more prepared, employees.
41 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes an increase of $21,740 in Contract
42 Services; these additional funds will be used to fund the cost of the Intrado /Motorola NG9 -1 -1
43 project, Emergency Services has contacted the NC 9 -1 -1 board about the possibility of grant
44 funds to help offset the costs of this project. Additionally, this increase will allow for the
45 Communications Division to perform psychological evaluations of potential employees pre -hire.
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47 Jim Groves said the significant budget increase is centered around increasing customer
48 satisfaction and reducing response time. He said there is also a focus on the ability to receive
49 texts and videos through the NG 911 technology. He said the A -911 this will also allow for
50 seamless sharing of information between counties.
17
1 Commissioner Pelissier asked how many more positions need to be added.
2 Jim Groves said there are still a few more positions on the telecommunications side,
3 and after this year they should all be fully staffed.
4 Chair Jacobs asked if the County is getting away from temporary staff and reducing
5 turnover.
6 Jim Groves said the department is working diligently to reduce turnover in
7 telecommunications. He said the nature of the job will always mean some overtime. He said
8 the turnover is usually just due to the stress of the job and the shifts required.
9 Commissioner McKee hopes that co- location of the fire departments is reducing stress
10 and increasing morale.
11 Jim Groves said co- location is making significant progress with reducing response
12 times.
13 Commissioner Rich asked about the significant differences in several of the budget
14 numbers.
15 Darryl Butts said there are annual fees associated with the network infrastructure to
16 make phone calls. He said this increase will always be there. He said some of the other costs
17 are associated with the initial infrastructure involved with equipment purchase, and there are
18 some grants being applied for to help with this. He said the department will need to spend
19 down the fund balance in order to receive future grants, and this will be brought to the Board for
20 approval in the future.
21 Clarence Grier said the fund balance increased because $900,000 had to be given back
22 when ambulances were mistakenly thought to be approved by the 911 Board.
23
24 Housing, Human Rights and Community Development, Pg. 317 (including Non -
25 Departmental items, Pg. 355)
26 Tonya Walton referred to page 325, and said the Department includes Human Rights
27 and Relations Division within the general fund, the Urgent Repair Program, HOME, and
28 Section 8 voucher homelessness partnership programs, which are located outside of the
29 general fund. She said there were two key budget drivers within the Community
30 Development fund. She outlined the highlights below.
31
32 Budget Highlights
33 • Federal Sequestration Impacts: On October 15, 2013, the BOCC restored federally
34 sequestered HUD funds, totaling $141,110, through a General Fund Balance appropriation
35 (Budget Amendment #2). The FY 2013 -14 Commissioner Approved budget only included
36 funding for federally- funded positions; no personnel changes occurred during that year's budget
37 process.
38
39 Tonya Walton said within the Human Rights and Relations division there was a grant
40 specialist position eliminated, and this reduced the personnel budget by $81,000.
41 She referred to a Human Services non departmental item on page 355, which outlines
42 the impact fee reimbursements to non - profits meeting the established housing criteria.
43 Michael Talbert said before Tara Fikes retired she presented a draft proposal for an
44 affordable housing clearinghouse. He said that initiative is moving forward. He said this will
45 come as an information item at the meeting on June 17th. He said future funding will likely be in
46 the range of $50,000 to $75,000.
47 Commissioner McKee asked about which year this future funding would occur.
48 Michael Talbert said this would likely be in 2014 -15. He said it needs to be presented to
49 the partners and the towns first. He said this could be handled as a budget amendment.
I Commissioner Dorosin said he is concerned about the dwindling number of fair housing
2 cases initiated. He said this is shown on page 322. He is suspicious that the County may not
3 be doing a good enough job of letting people know about the fair housing enforcement
4 capabilities available
5 James Davis said there had been some turnover during that time, and less outreach
6 was done. He said there are 7 or 8 cases being closed out this year, and the number has
7 actually been increasing over the past two years.
8 Chair Jacobs asked if James Davis felt like they were aggressively doing outreach to the
9 community.
10 James Davis said yes.
11 Commissioner Price said when people are rejected for housing, they often don't report
12 it.
13 Commissioner Dorosin said they need to do a better job of getting this information out to
14 the public.
15 Commissioner Dorosin asked about the status of the permanent position.
16 Michael Talbert said this was being left as is until the new manager is on board.
17
18 • Information Technologies, Pg. 329
19 Chair Jacobs noted a white copy of the agenda abstract at the Commissioner's places in
20 preparation for the June 17th meeting.
21 Darryl Butts said the operating budget has a net increase of $394,000 for 2014 -15. He
22 said the two driving factors including 5 new FTE's approved as part of the IT strategic plan. He
23 said the other increases were in contract services.
24 Jim Northup said IT is in the process of hiring two of the six positions, and interviews are
25 happening this week. He said service to Emergency Services has been increased, and IT is
26 reaching out to other departments. He said full funding for all six positions is included in this
27 year's budget.
28 Jim Northup noted the salmon colored sheet that outlines the AV upgrades to the
29 Southern Human Services Center, and he reviewed these upgrades. He said staff would like to
30 take the existing budget, as well as another $50,000 from the Board reserve, to total $130,000
31 for making necessary repairs and bringing the room up to the same specifications as the
32 Whitted Building.
33 Paul Laughton said the IT Capital Project has put $50,000 into Board reserves for the
34 past two years. He said only $18,000 of the $100,000 has been spent. He said this is where
35 the $82,000 balance comes from, and the additional $50,000 would come from the approval of
36 the CIP for next year's IT funding. He said the use of this would pretty much deplete the
37 reserve for IT Capital.
38 Jim Northup referred to the draft agenda item for June 17, regarding virtual desktop
39 computers. He said a virtual desktop environment is a framework in which older, less powerful
40 computers can connect to a more powerful server that can serve out more powerful desktops.
41 He said this is the way the industry is going, and it saves on labor and stretches the hardware
42 out longer. He said it also allows for home access.
43 Commissioner Price asked if there will be traffic jams on the shared network.
44 Jim Northup said extra bandwidth has been added and high traffic times have been
45 prepared for.
46 Commissioner McKee asked if information will be stored in house or in a cloud.
47 Jim Northup said all storage will be in house.
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49 Library Services, Pg. 332 (including Fee Schedule change request, Pg. 487 and
50 Non - Departmental items, Pg. 362)
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Tonya Walton said the libraries experienced a $122,000 net county increase in 2014 -15.
She said the main budget drivers are COLA adjustments and reclassifications. She reviewed
the following budget drivers related to the strategic plan:
Budget drivers:
• New Position Request: The FY 2014 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a
Communication Specialist (1.0 FTE), effective January 1, 2015 ($25,861). Existing
nonpermanent funds will partially offset position costs, which total $5,460. This position would
oversee dissemination of department specific information to the public, promote and enhance
the public image of the library within county government and work with local organizations and
community groups.
• Recurring Capital: The Main Library's budget includes funds for the replacement of 133
shelves ($15,295). The original shelves moved from the Library's old location, in the Whitted
Building; the current shelf height is prohibitive to effective library operations and security
measures.
Tonya Walton said there are $32,600 in new initiatives in operations, ranging from
electronic databases to volunteer programming. She said the current capital also includes
$17,000 to replace frames attached to shelving to address security needs.
She referred to the non - departmental item on page 362. She said this outlines
contributions to the Mebane and Chapel Hill Library. She said the contributions to the Chapel
Hill Public library totals $568,139 this year, which is 30 percent of the total Orange County
library operations.
Lucinda Munger said the Interlocal agreement with Chapel Hill listed a goal of reaching
this 30 percent goal by 2015, so the Board has now exceeded that goal by getting to this
number earlier.
Commissioner Rich asked if a new interlocal agreement will be negotiated between
Orange County and Chapel Hill.
Lucinda Munger said yes.
Michael Talbert said the original interlocal agreement was for 3 years.
Chair Jacobs noted that part of this agreement was interoperability, and no progress has
been made.
Lucinda Munger said the last time the elected officials work group met was in December
2013. She reviewed some of these meeting outcomes, and said she can send a summary of
that meeting to the Board of County Commissioners again.
Lucinda Munger said the state library is actively working toward and funding for libraries
to have one library card for the entire state. She said there is no downside to the sharing of
materials between libraries.
Commissioner McKee said if things don't move forward with regard to interoperability,
he would propose reducing the contribution to the Chapel Hill Library next budget season.
Commissioner Dorosin questioned why there is difficulty with this.
Chair Jacobs said it is a combination of things. He said the Friends of the Chapel Hill
Library put a lot of money into purchasing books that they do not want circulated outside of the
Chapel Hill Library system; some people think it is too difficult to differentiate what should be
circulated; and some of it is that one side is content with things the way they are, while the other
side is not. He said the County collection is considered inferior by some people involved.
He said there is another negotiation in November. He said the circulation issues seem
to be an IT issue.
Lucinda Munger said the technology is no longer the obstacle, as there is a product
available that will allow the two systems to communicate.
20
1 Chair Jacobs said the Carrboro library will potentially siphon off many of the County
2 users of the Chapel Hill library, and this may also reduce the amount of funding to Chapel Hill.
3 Commissioner Dorosin said if there is no progress, then the two should go their
4 separate ways.
5
6 Planning and Inspections, OPT and Efland Sewer, Pg. 380 (including Fee
7 Schedule change requests, Pg. 490 and Non - Departmental Items, Pg. 346)
8
9 Darryl Butts noted the change to Efland Sewer on page 490. He said the requested rate
10 change has been cancelled and the rate will stay at the current year amount. He said the fee
11 schedule needs to be adjusted.
12 Darryl Butts said there is a net County increase of $70,000 in the general fund for 2014-
13 15. He said the expenditure increase is $255,000 and there is a revenue increase of $186,000.
14 He said the Planning Division has a $21,000 item increase, primarily within salaries, but
15 Orange Public Transportation is the main budget driver.
16 He reviewed points from the following budget highlights:
17
18 Administrative Division
19 Budget Highlights
20 Budget Highlights
21 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $3,380 in Capital Outlay; the funds
22 are within the IT Equipment account and are for the purchase of a portable printer, a Trimble
23 GEO GPS system, and ARCPAD software.
24 • Continued work on BOCC identified 2009 -12 priorities and updated in 2013 and 2014,
25 including further implementation of adopted small area plans, a joint land use plan with the
26 Town of Hillsborough, and work on economic development districts and processes and
27 upcoming bond discussions.
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29 Current Planning Division
30 Budget Highlights
31 • Initiation of new and expanded OPT bus services.
32 • Assist in monitoring and implementation of the OC Transit Plan.
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34 Engineering Division
35 Budget Highlights
36 • Efland Sewer Budget — the Efland Sewer Fund rate is recommended to increase from $13.39
37 per 1,000 gallons to $14.33 per 1,000 gallons, this is consistent with what Mebane out -of -town
38 sewer rate will be in FY14 -15. The cost to run the system continues to increase; however, at a
39 greater rate than the revenue from sewer charges. As a result, the shortfall in the operating
40 budget is projected to be slightly higher than last year. (Change to this item noted in
41 comments above)
42 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes a General Fund subsidy (Transfer
43 from General Fund) of $143,750 compared to $103,050 in FY13 -14.
44 • Engineering Division will be combining with the Erosion Control /Stormwater Division beginning
45 with the FY14 -15 budget year. Because the new supervisor has not yet been named, the
46 individual divisions are preparing budget documents separately. Next year, it is likely the two
47 divisions will have a combined budget rather than two separate division budgets.
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49 Orange Public Transportation Division
50 Budget Highlights
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1 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes 2.0 additional FTE, a 1.0 FTE Office
2 Assistant II and a 1.0 FTE Public Transportation Driver, with a total County cost of $90,599
3 (Personnel costs of $84,576, Operating costs of $2,390, and one -time start -up costs of $3,633).
4 These positions are necessary to address service expansion related to the Orange County Bus
5 & Rail Investment Plan.
6 • The FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget includes $44,000 in Capital Outlay; these funds
7 are budgeted in the Vehicles account and represent the County's 10% match for buses that will
8 be purchased in FY14 -15.
9 • Ensure all NCDOT funds remain accessible for Orange County.
10 • Develop a bus program consistent with the OCBRIP financial plan for use of the' /2 cent sales
11 tax to serve rural and central Orange County with connections to intra- county and inter - county
12 cities.
13 • In the FY14 -15 Manager Recommended Budget, the Orange Public Transportation division
14 has total revenues of $708,147 which is an increase of $124,797 from FY13 -14.
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16 Darryl Butts said there are changes in the fee schedule for inspections, as listed on
17 page 490.
18 He referred to the non - departmental items, starting on page 396, and said the biggest
19 change is with the Jordan Lake Partnership dues. He said there is a fairly significant decrease
20 ($49,901), as this is a one -time project.
21 Craig Benedict said this was an engineering study project to do interconnection designs
22 between the different utility providers.
23 Craig Benedict said this year the department had $384,000 more dollars in revenue than
24 expected. He said this indicates that the economy is picking up. He said there was $259,000 in
25 increased expenditures in staffing and operations. He said he is missing some staff and he has
26 had a tough time replacing an erosion control supervisor /engineer position.
27 He is very optimistic about the OPT budget and the implementation of the bus and rail
28 investment plan. He hopes to have the buses running by January of 2015. He said the buses
29 have been leveraged well, and they will be getting $560,000 worth of buses for roughly
30 $40,000.
31 Commissioner Pelissier asked if the half cent sales tax is accounted for separately in the
32 line item details.
33 Craig Benedict said there are separate revenue accounts for tag revenue and half cent
34 sales tax.
35 Chair Jacobs referred to page 388, regarding the erosion control officer II reinstatement.
36 Craig Benedict said he wants to fill the supervisor role first and then have them work
37 toward hiring another erosion control technician. He said this is not in the budget now. He
38 noted that even with depleted staff, the County won a statewide erosion control award.
39 Chair Jacobs asked if the state has a Jordan Lake storm water management program.
40 Craig Benedict said no. He said this is in limbo. He said this legislation is being
41 monitored.
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43 Social Services, Pg. 405 (including Non - Departmental items, Pg. 364)
44 Tonya Walton said there is a net County cost increase of $381,000, and the main
45 budget drivers for the department are the revenue reductions from the state, which total
46 $270,000. She said the department has seen some state revenue increases, totaling a little
47 over $1 million, in the areas of Medicaid, food stamps, and case management support. She
48 highlighted some of the following personnel changes:
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Personnel Changes: Recommended Budget includes funding for the seven county social
workers ($439,669), who would have been displaced by the loss of Orange County Schools'
Revenue. The department has secured Supportive Case Management revenue ($123,600) and
eliminated two vacant positions ($101,049) to offset the increase in County Costs ($211,421).
Please refer to the Budget Highlights within the Economic Services division for more details.
Tonya Walton said the operational budget impact of revenue reductions are seen in
daycare and general assistance funding. She said these reductions are causing the County to
see increased expenses of about $289,000.
She said capital requests total $60,000, and include security and access improvements
at the Skills Development Center, automated systems implementation, and computer
improvements.
Tonya Walton referred to the non - departmental Public Safety items on page 364. She
said there was a small change to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Consult program.
Nancy Coston asked the Board to do what they can in reference to funding for childcare
because of the cuts in eligibility from the state. She said these cuts are breaking news, and she
would have numbers at the next meeting.
Commissioner Gordon asked for any information that can be provided on these cuts.
Commissioner McKee asked about the safety money that was set aside.
Nancy Coston said all of this will be used by the end of this month.
Commissioner McKee asked if this money met most of the needs.
Nancy Coston said the department was able to serve the people that met the eligibility
requirements.
Commissioner McKee asked if the seven positions approved by the Board are built into
the budget.
Nancy Coston said yes.
Chair Jacobs noted that these positions are not listed as new positions because they
were adopted earlier. He said this could be clearer, since the goal was just to keep these
people employed, and now they are permanent positions.
Nancy Coston said some of the positions at the agency were eliminated, and attempts
are being made to put the other three in grant funds.
Chair Jacobs asked where the social justice fund is listed.
Paul Laughton said this is listed on page 357, in non departmentals, as human services.
6 CIP Follow -up
Paul Laughton said there were a couple of projects identified at the May 29th meeting to
be brought back to the Board for further discussion. He reviewed the following, as outlined in
Attachment A.
County Project
• Efland- Cheeks Community Center Upfit (New Project) - reflected a new project to provide an
upfit/interior renovation to the current Efland- Cheeks Community Center in Year 6 (FY2019 -20),
including new equipment and furnishings, as well as area landscaping, at a total cost of
approximately $424,581. This project increases the debt service by approximately $37,464 per
year beginning in Year 7.
Paul Laughton said this is for interior renovation of the existing 2,755 square foot facility.
He said this construction cost is running about $90 per square foot, and it also includes
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landscaping and new furnishings and equipment. He said this will show in years 6 -10, and the
construction is scheduled to start in year 6, with debt service starting in year 7. He said the
impact of personnel and operations starts in year 7.
Commissioner Gordon asked what happened to the overall plan and how this would fit
into it.
Dave Stancil said staff did propose taking a look at the role of community centers, and
this is one of those centers. He is expecting that study would take place in the next year or so.
He said this is a placeholder for what could potentially be done on this footprint and what might
be needed in terms of operations, equipment and personnel.
Commissioner Gordon said a placeholder is very different from a commitment.
Dave Stancil said as each CIP season rolls around, this will be made clearer.
Commissioner Gordon said she has looked at the population of each township and she
wonders if there will be two centers, or a center for each township. She said there needs to be
an overall vision of what is going to be built.
Michael Talbert said this is just a plan at this time, and it is just a placeholder. He said
details will be worked out in the next couple of years.
Follow -Up Items:
• Jail Capacity Update
Staff and consultants have confirmed a recommended facility capacity range of between 144
and 216 beds. This recommendation is fluid around the variables of capacity expansion, the
acceptance and economics of housing Federal detainees, the operational consideration of the
next Sheriff, and the findings of the Jail Alternatives Work Group.
Additional information regarding the estimated costs of this capacity range will be provided
during the June 10, 2014 work session. The current CIP information is adequate for the most
intense initial build program should the Board choose this option. Staff will return in the fall with
an update once the Jail Alternatives Work Group finalizes its recommendations, the new Sheriff
provides input and operational direction, and the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process to
identify the project designer is underway. Staff estimates that the Board will be presented with
an award for the designer in January, 2015.
Paul Laughton referred to the jail capacity update information as provided in the green
sheet at the Commissioner's places. He said the plan would be for staff to return in the fall
after the workgroup has returned with recommendations and cost estimates.
Commissioner Gordon asked what is currently included in the budget for this.
Paul Laughton said there is a total of $30 million included right now.
Commissioner Gordon said there was talk about two modules.
Paul Laughton said this talks about building a core facility with initial construction for
capacity of 144 beds. He said there is a range of 144 to 216 beds.
Commissioner Gordon asked where this stands. She asked if something has to be
done to change from the $30 million to a lower dollar amount.
Jeff Thompson said the $30 million is a placeholder for the large facility. He said right
now staff has corroboration with consultants on a range of general beds between 144 and 216.
He said the efficacy of the jail alternatives programs, the impact of the new sheriff, and the
design process are all unknown at this point. He said the elegance of this is the ability to build
smaller for future expansion if needed.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the $30 million is in the out years.
Paul Laughton said this is in year 4.
Commissioner Gordon said this will affect their debt capacity. She said right now there
is sufficient debt capacity. She asked if more information will be known by fall.
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1 Jeff Thompson said yes. He said construction needs to happen by 2016, and the facility
2 needs to be operating by 2019.
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4 • Preliminary Renovation Planning Funds for Older Facility Needs
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6 Paul Laughton said the Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) submitted a request
7 on April 22, 2014 requesting $750,000 in preliminary renovation planning funds related to older
8 facility needs. County staff has contacted Orange County Schools related to their possible
9 planning fund needs, and this information will be presented to the Board of County
10 Commissioners when a response is received.
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12 Paul Laughton said there is also a letter from Orange County School (OCS) Board of
13 Education at their places. He said the second paragraph mentions that the Orange County
14 Board of Education will be wrestling with the hard question of how to address capital needs
15 while maximizing available funding over the next couple of weeks.
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17 Commissioner Gordon said her understanding was that if this request for $750,000 was
18 granted, it would delay the need for another school for a period of time. She asked for an
19 explanation of the tradeoff in terms of building capacity versus building new schools.
20 Todd Lofrese said their district continues to grow and they are trying to keep up with
21 capacity. He said the potential 2016 bond schedule would be too late for the Chapel Hill -
22 Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) to design a school or an addition to build the needed capacity.
23 He said the money has been requested to allow for planning and design work to create a shovel
24 ready project by the time a bond comes through. He said it might be necessary to start fund
25 raising prior to the bond.
26 He said the design and approval process can take 18 months or longer. He said the
27 goal is to be ready to hit the ground running as soon as funds become available.
28 Commissioner Gordon said the alternative would be to go ahead and build a new
29 school.
30 Todd Lofrese said a decision or non decision at some point will result in the district
31 missing the window to be able to address older school needs. He said there will be a point in
32 time where a new school is knocking on the door.
33 Commissioner Gordon asked if this is being requested for this fiscal cycle.
34 Todd Lofrese said they are requesting it now.
35 Chair Bedford said the Culbreth Science Labs pushes out the new middle school to
36 2020, but also the new elementary school to open in 2020. She said these openings in 2020
37 would mean funding of $1.4 million in 2017 -18, and then $14 million in 2018 -19, and then
38 another $54 million. She said it is all a matter of timing. She said they would like to extend one
39 of these out.
40 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the $750,000 is included as part of the general budget
41 request or if it is additional.
42 Todd Lofriese said yes, it was included.
43 Michael Talbert said this was not in their budget request, but it was in their unfunded
44 request.
45 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Price to
46 adjourn the meeting at 11:46 p.m.
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48 VOTE: UNANMOUS
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50 Barry Jacobs, Chair
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Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board