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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-13-2014 APPROVED 9/14/2014 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 Strateqic Plan Proqress 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 - Substance Abuse and Mental Health > Community Health Assessment + Evidence Base - Childhood and Family Obesity Access to Care • Catalyze and facilitate health access partnerships • Advocate for policies to improve access to care • Foster a culture of innovation • Communicate about effective interventions and advocate for their funding Evidence-Based Interventions (chart illustration) Health Literacy • OCHD Health Literacy policy passed • Healthy Carolinians planning community trainings • Toolkit implementation Innovation (bar graph illustration) Tony Whitaker said Orange County's Health Department is recognized as a leader in North Carolina in public health because of its policies, systems, and methods of communicating. He defined health literacy as a person's ability or lack of ability to obtain, process, and understand health information in order to make good health decisions. He said this includes literacy, reading skills, and cultural competencies. He said health literacy is a better predictor of health outcomes than age, race or socio economic status. Referring to the bar graph slide titled Innovation, Tony Whitaker said the public health arena is changing and the department is trying to change with it. He noted that the innovations grant program is part of the BOH budget, and said this has yielded tangible results. Susan Elmore said she is the veterinarian liaison to the Board of Health. She presented the following PowerPoint slides: Communication - Using communications to advocate for health needs and effective interventions Childhood & Family Obesity • Catalyze and facilitate obesity prevention partnerships • Identify evidence-based interventions to implement county-wide • Advocate for policies to reduce obesity through environmental and regulatory changes Ongoing Projects - Lactation Rooms -After School Physical Activity - NAPSACC (Nutrition and Physical Activity Self Assessment for Child Care) / Let's Move Susan Elmore said the BOH has worked with the Sportsplex on a pilot program to improve food policies at child centered facilities. She said this collaboration led to a plan for improvements, removal of fried food from lunches, and by the end of this month the fryer will be removed and replaced with a convection oven. Susan Elmore said NAPSACC helps facilities do a self assessment of strengths and weaknesses to identify ways that they can improve. Corey Davis is the at-large representative and serves on the substance abuse and mental health subcommittee. He is a public health attorney in Carrboro. He reviewed the following PowerPoint slides: Substance Abuse/Mental Health • Review current smoking ban policies for expansion • Advocate for improved substance abuse and mental health services • Explore challenges and solutions of integrating care OC — Proud to be Smoke Free (illustration) Orange County is leading naloxone programs in NC (illustration) Take `em to THE BOX (illustration) OCHD is working to increase access to integrated behavioral and primary care services - Convening experts: Spotlight series - Identifying Need: Mobile services in high-need areas - Exploring Integration: Challenges and Successes 2014-2016 Strategic Plan • In process of creating the 2014 —2016 Strategic Plan with subcommittees - 3 priority areas will remain - Focus areas and action steps will change • Plan will be approved at June Board of Health meeting Corey Davis said Orange County is now smoke free and health officials are working to make people aware. He said there are smoking response teams made up of inembers of the health department, volunteers from the community, and occasionally, officers from the Police Department. He said these teams go out into the community, talk to people, and give out pamphlets. Commissioner McKee arrived at 6:00 PM. Corey Davis said a grant has been submitted to research the efficacy of the no smoking rule to see if it actually results in fewer people smoking. He said staff will find out in the fall if they have received this grant. He said Orange County is leading the state in responding to opioid overdose. He said this is now the leading cause of accidental injury and death. He said a law was passed last year by the state legislature, making it easier to prescribe and distribute naloxone, which is an antidote that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Corey Davis said staff is also working on an educational campaign regarding disposal of expired prescription medication. Chair Jacobs said Commissioner Rich will not be able to attend tonight. Commissioner Price asked about the numbers on the slide regarding evidence based interventions. Colleen Bridger said there were four different evidence based policies in a larger database that are being referred to here. She said there is evidence to support to four different types of policies that are specific to supporting health literacy. Chair Jacobs asked for an update on the smoking ban in Chapel Hill. Colleen Bridger said this is going really well, and staff is excited about the progress there. She said there has been great participation from town staff and businesses in Chapel Hill. She said staff got a later start in Chapel Hill, so the awareness numbers are a little lower, but this will change. Chair Jacobs said there will be a National Mayors' conference in Chapel Hill in August, and he encouraged the BOH to have literature available for that conference. Commissioner Price asked how staff would rate Orange County's work in substance abuse and mental health. Corey Davis said it is a serious and complicated problem, and there is only so much that the health department can do with their limited resources. He said for the County, this is less about providing primary mental health services and more about ensuring that linkages are in place, and residents are aware of what is out there and are able to access it. Colleen Bridger said right now staff is trying to make sure there are as many available access points to services. She said the goal is to have a dynamic system that makes services available wherever you are located. Commissioner Price asked if there has been an increase in substance abuse in Orange County, or any increases in use at certain ages. Colleen Bridger said data on substance abuse is hard, but staff has asked questions of high school and middle students. She said there has been an increase in students who report having used illegal substances. She said this has to be used as a proxy for the County, because there is not a comprehensive database about this in Orange County. She said if more services were available there would be no shortage of people to serve. Paul Chelminski said he is the doctor on the BOH. He said the most ominous development nationally is an epidemic on heroin overdoses. He said this occurred at the same time as decrease in prescription drugs. He said if this begins to happen in Orange County, it would need to be addressed quickly. He does not want the community to be caught by surprise. Tony Whittaker said physical health and mental health are very integrated, but the care systems are not integrated, which creates a disparity in response. He said the BOH is trying to deal with this. 3. Addressinq Child Poverty in Oranqe County Colleen Bridger presented the following PowerPoint slides: Child Poverty in Orange County A Public Health Approach to Building a Pipeline to Success Orange County—A Snapshot (graph) Child Poverty Related Indicators (chart) Poverty Matters (chart) ACEs: Why childhood intervention matters • The Adverse Childhood Experiences Score is an aggregate measure of 10 early traumatic experiences. • These events are far more common than expected and many of these experiences are disproportionately experience by those in poverty. ABUSE NEGLECT HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION (charts) ACEs: Why childhood intervention matters A large and growing body of literature strongly ties high ACE's to a range of high risk public health relevant behaviors and outcomes. (illustration) Takeaway? Intervene Early and Comprehensively Harlem Children's Zone - Promise Academy elementary students eliminated racial disparity in math and English test scores. - 99.5% of Harlem Gems Students were school ready - HCZ Asthma initiative reduced ER visits for asthma from 47.2% to 16.1% Harlem Children's Zone Pipeline to Success (illustration) "The objective is to create a safety net so tightly woven that children just can't slip through." • Key Pipeline Components Harlem Children's Zone Community Centers - Middle School Enrichment - High School Enrichment -Youth Development Education - Promise Academy School - 0-5 Education programs Health - Fitness and Nutrition - Primary Care - Mental Health Adapting the Model President Obama's "Promise Zones" East Durham Children's Initiative Building a Neighborhood Poverty Index (graphic) Four "Layers" Build the Index (map) Four "Layers" Build the Index (map) Concrete Example: Zone Six (map) Full Map Data on Zones, Schools, Neighborhoods (chart) Adapting the Model to Orange County Use a collective impact model to identify shared goals and fill gaps • A "backbone organization" coordinates the work of partners and specific work groups Advisory board to direct prioritization and activities • Draft charter included in packet Adapting the Model to Orange County New position to plan for implementation in FY `14-'15 OCHD budget request • Identify focus areas, coordinate partners, locate funding, and recommend implementation plans Prepare for future private, state and federal funding opportunities Next Steps 1. Finalize Budget— June 2. BOCC Approval of Advisory Board — June 3. Hire Program Coordinator— July 4. Finalize Community Snapshots -August 5. Convene first Advisory Board meeting —August 6. Select neighborhoods — October 7. Begin Project - October Colleen Bridger said the percentage of poverty is increasing in Orange County. She said the majority of indicators related to child wellbeing are going in the wrong direction. She said we do have a problem with children living in poverty, and parent's income affects the factors related to children's health and well-being. She referenced the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study and said when children experience these they are more likely to experience mental health issues and substance abuse. She said research is showing that child neglect is worse than child abuse. Colleen Bridger said there is compelling research that shows that these childhood experiences actually affect adult health. She said the Health Department is all about prevention and decreasing these issues in the community, and research shows that intervention needs to start early. She said the department has been looking at programs that address these issues. She said the Harlem Children's zone is an effective model program that creates a pipeline to carry children from birth to college and career. She reviewed the achievements of this program, as outlined on the slide. She said the pipeline for children is undergirded by family and health support programs, as well as community building programs. Colleen Bridger said staff has identified six high poverty zones in the County. She said the four points used to identify these were: types of housing, housing vouchers, children on Medicaid, and health department patients. She reviewed the maps outlining these index point areas, and she noted that this is a very data driven exercise. She said the health department is requesting a new position to plan for the implementation and modification of the Harlem Children's Zone model here in Orange County. She said the United Way has concurrently been discussing this same thing. She said there would be an advisory board to oversee this project in two of the six poverty zone neighborhoods. She said the advisory board would identify community partners and determine which services already exist and where there are gaps. She said the United Way could potentially provide non-profit partners to help fill in the gaps. Colleen Bridger reviewed the timeline slide of next steps and invited questions from the Commissioners. Commissioner Gordon asked if zone 6 is downtown Chapel Hill. She noted that the zone lists Carrboro Elementary. Colleen Bridger said zone 6 spans both Chapel Hill and Carrboro, but it is the same school system. She said Northside is in zone 5, and this is in Chapel Hill. Commissioner Gordon said it would be helpful if the slides could be sent electronically to the Board. Colleen Bridger said the point was just for the Board to know that that staff has a statistical method to identify the zones. She said she is happy to share the details. Commissioner Gordon asked if the process for implementing this child success model will be to adapt it as a research strategy. Colleen Bridger said the goal is to figure out how to adapt it in a rural environment. She said this has always been done in high density, urban areas. She said staff will start with two zones, with the goal of expanding to all six zones. Commissioner Gordon said this is a good integrated approach for success. She said it is important to take one zone from the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area and one zone from the rural area. Commissioner McKee said the draft charter includes a list of potential partner organizations and representatives. He asked if there had been any formal conversations with these. The draft charter reads as follows: DRAFT Proposal for Advisory Group (CHARTER) Orange County Poverty Council (OCPC) May 8, 2014 Orange County Poverty Council The Orange County Poverty Council will advise and make non-binding advisory recommendations on resource allocations, program planning, and policy changes to ensure a pipeline of high-quality services to reduce the detrimental effects of poverty for children and families living in the County, including: ❑ Identify geographically defined priority areas of high-need to pilot a focused collective impact approach to provide a pipeline of success from birth to college/career for children and families in the County; ❑ Serve as a convening body, known as a backbone organization, to catalyze and coordinate partnerships among government agencies, non-profits, and individuals around the pipeline to success in the County; ❑ Assist in the development of a shared set of goals and standard set of quantitative and qualitative indicators to target activities and measure progress; ❑ Recommend specific, evidence-based programs and policies to fill gaps in the pipeline through coordination of existing services or development of new initiatives; and ❑ Pursue funding and development opportunities to meet identified needs that cannot be addressed by coordination of existing policies, programs, or services. The Importance of Addressing Poverty Orange County is a leader in the state and nation in innovative programs and policies to address the needs of the County's residents. Recent local indicators point to increasing numbers of children living in poverty in the County. This is important because we know that the experiences of children in socio-economically disadvantaged communities have long-term negative effects. Mitigating the effects of poverty on children in Orange County will promote a thriving economy, healthy people, and a strong community for all residents. Charge of the Council The Council is not charged with creating or administering new programs or services to the Orange County community. Instead, the Council is charged with building on and leveraging the existing networks of service providers, policy makers, and community advocates to coordinate a substantial infrastructure of resources around the common goal of a high-quality pipeline of services from early childhood to college or career for children in areas of high-need in Orange County. The OCPC is charged with sharing information, identifying gaps and need, prioritizing evidence-based and promising strategies, and making policy and program recommendations that encourage the accomplishment of shared goals identified by the Council. The OCPC will serve to bridge sometimes disparate committees, commissions, boards, departments and communities whose work can be better coordinated to achieve a greater collective impact by identifying and acting on a set of specific, shared goals. Membership The OCPC will include 15-20 members that represent perspectives from a cross-section of the community, local government agencies, and non-profits. Organizations on the membership list developed by the Board of County Commissioners will appoint a representative to attend meetings and whenever possible, make commitments and decisions for their organization. Members shall live and/or work in Orange County and shall serve without compensation. Potential Advisory Board Members for the Child Poverty Project (soon to be renamed and addition of Towns) Board of County Commissioners (2 appointees) Board of Health Orange County Departments: ❑ Health ❑ DSS ❑ Housing and Human Rights ❑ Sheriff Triangle United Way Orange County School Board Chapel Hill/Carrboro City School Board Orange County Partnership for Children Head Start/Early Head Start Compass Center EI Futuro Interfaith Council Literacy Council UNC Health Care (preferably hospital) OPC/Cardinal Innovations Maybe (?) YMCA Dispute Settlement Center Volunteers for Youth Libraries (Orange County and Chapel Hill) Other law enforcement Colleen Bridger said she has had some informal conversations, but she did not want to discuss this too much prior to the adoption of the budget. She said there has been a lot of interest from organizations wanting to be part of this project. Commissioner Price asked where the Harlem project got its funding, and where Orange County would get its funding. Colleen Bridger said the Harlem project founder raised funds from private businesses, and he built his own schools. She said there are already high quality schools in Orange County that are interested in working with staff on this, and the education spending per student is not that far off. She thinks the biggest problem will be coordination of services, not the funding. She said there is only about a $700 gap per student between the Harlem project and the school systems in Orange County. She is hopeful that the United Way might bring some private dollars to the funding, and perhaps there will be some money available in the social justice fund to fill in the gaps. Commissioner Price asked if the program will take place in the schools. Colleen Bridger said staff envisions this program having one main hub in the schools, with smaller services rotating around this hub. She said this will be up to the neighborhoods. Commissioner Pelissier said she feels there is a lot of support from community members that want to be involved. She said she sees somewhat of an analogy between this proposed advisory group and the Partnership to End Homelessness. She said there would be a coordinator who leverages the community, governmental and non-profit resources. Commissioner Pelissier said she is personally very excited about this, since this was an issue the Board of County Commissioners discussed at their retreat. She hopes that the Board will vote in June to form an advisory board with a coordinator, and to fund this position. Chair Jacobs said this would most likely be formally proposed as a part of the budget process. Chair Jacobs noted that the Towns are not listed as potential representatives on this advisory group. He asked if they will be asked to participate. Colleen Bridger said the towns will be invited once staff decides which two zones are selected. Chair Jacobs suggested that the towns be listed as potential partners now. He asked Colleen Bridger to talk more about the composition of these boards. Colleen Bridger said there will be one overarching advisory board of 15 to 20 people; then there will be two neighborhoods chosen that would have working groups meeting on a regular basis and reporting their progress to the advisory board. Chair Jacobs said not all neighborhoods are self conscious, and he asked how this will be dealt with. Colleen Bridger said staff has tried to limit it to a three mile zone. She said some neighborhoods have a lot of structure, and some will need some technical assistance from the coordinator. She said this will be some of the first work done by the coordinator. Commissioner Price asked about the high level board and said she has found it best to have some secondary members from the neighborhood serving on this oversight board. Commissioner Price said this is a great project, but she would like further explanation of how a child will be followed for 15 years and how this will all work. Colleen Bridger said staff is identifying neighborhoods, not individuals, and anyone in that neighborhood can participate as needed. She said some children will go all the way through the project with few touch points, while others will need more assistance. Commissioner Price asked if this will run through the schools or through a neighborhood organization. Colleen Bridger said she is not sure how this will work at this point. She said the neighborhoods will determine what will work best in their given area. Commissioner McKee said he feels the towns need to be included, and staff should reach out to them with this proposed project and to treat them as full partners. Colleen Bridger proposed that a smaller advisory board could be created until the neighborhoods are selected, and then the municipalities and neighborhood members could come on board as soon as the selection is made. Commissioner McKee said he just wants to make sure they are not running on separate tracks from the towns. Chair Jacobs said the mayors and town managers could be looped into the initial process and told where they will be engaged. He said this will allow them to be part of the communication. Colleen Bridger said she wants to get this right. She said if this is passed as part of the budget, then the next step is the advisory board, so that work can be done over the summer. Commissioner Gordon asked if this overall board is going to select the zones. Colleen Bridger said yes. She said the advisory board will hear presentations from each of the neighborhoods as to why they should be picked, along with statistical information. She said two will then be chosen, with the expectation that there will be one in the north and one in the south. Commissioner Gordon noted that zone six includes the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center. She said this might be a valuable resource. Commissioner Price asked if there are plans to add other neighborhoods once the first two are started. Colleen Bridger said yes, but it will be at least a year or two after the first two neighborhoods are started. Chair Jacobs said this is an area that Commissioner porosin had a great interest in. He said the Board looks forward to working with staff on this. 4. Questions and Answers Board member and staff introductions were made. The meeting was adjourned at 6:57 p.m. Barry Jacobs, Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board APPROVED 9/16/2014 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 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: Interim County Manager Michael Talbert, Assistant County Managers Cheryl Young and Clarence Grier and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff inembers will be identified appropriately below) Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. 1. Southern Branch Library Sitinq Criteria Update Michael Talbert said this is a follow up to the contract with Freelon. He noted that Jeff Thompson was present, as well as the work group members, Lucinda Munger and Michael Harvey, and representatives from Freelon. Lucinda Munger said the purpose of tonight is to update to the Board of County Commissioners on the public input process, as facilitated by the Freelon group. She said staff has been doing due diligence on the proposed site, and this information is included in attachment B. She introduced Derek Jones, Katherine Taylor, and Chris Garis, architects from Freelon. Lucinda Munger said in November 2013 the Board authorized staff to do due diligence on the site at 120 Brewer Lane site, and to begin the primary public input phase. She said the Board also authorized the selection of Freelon Associates to facilitate the process in January of this year. Jeff Thompson outlined the three legs of the due diligence process. He said the public engagement process is ongoing; the physical analysis of the site has been completed, and there have been no changes since the last report to the Board; and the third leg is the development structure, which will be discussed in closed session. He reviewed a slide map of the site, and introduced Derek Jones. Derek Jones gave information on the Freelon group and said the group has a staff of 45, including 30 licensed architects. He said libraries are a particular focus for the company. He said community libraries are very unique and are tailored to the community's needs. He said there are a variety of inethods to gather community input. He introduced Katherine Taylor. Katherine Taylor said the goal was to gather input and come up with a conceptual program based on this input, as well as demographic information and statistics. She said there were several public engagement workshops, online surveys, and public comment cards. She said the questions centered on how the community wanted their library to look, as well as the specific programs and activities desired. She said there was also a focus on how the community feels about the Brewer Lane site. She reviewed several graphic illustration slides. She said the community showed overwhelming support for a centrally located library with easy public access. She said respondents wanted to be able to walk, bike, or bus, and the location was considered unique because it allows for connection to other activities and businesses. She said there were questions raised about whether there would be enough parking and how the traffic would be handled. She said there were also questions about the visibility of the library, given where it sits on the property. Katherine Taylor said the desired activities and services included the following: children's space, meeting/gathering spaces, books, technology, and technology training, creative spaces, display/exhibit space, and music space. She said there was a heavy focus on the desire for creative gathering spaces and children's spaces that encourage interaction and learning. She said the need for teen activities also came up repeatedly, as well as outdoor spaces and musical spaces. She said the middle school respondents wanted space for hanging out, gaming, and interacting with technology. She talked about the difference between a community library, branch library, and main library. She said the trend is to go away from the term "branch library," and to use the term community or neighborhood library, which puts the focus on the community it is serving. She said there are standard services that are offered, but there is other programming that is unique to the area. She said this community is different due to the diverse areas, such as Carrboro and Bingham Township. Katherine Taylor said the information was used to develop a conceptual program. She said this will give a square footage amount, chunks of space, and program allocations for each of those spaces. She said this starts with community size and population demographics, along with the public comments and feedback. She said the current recommendation, based on the feedback received, is a range of 15,600 to 18,500 useable square footage, which equates to 19,500 to 23,000 gross square footage. She said the majority of this space is allocated to traditional program space; gathering spaces come in at 15 percent; "marketplace" comes in at 12 percent; creation spaces are 10 percent; and 10 percent are non-public spaces. Katherine Taylor said the "marketplace" space is the main entry or hub where everything happens, and this can include a check in area, cafes, and gallery space. She said this is typically a very flexible space. She said the traditional space includes the adult, teen and children's space, including collections, seating, computers, study space, group space, interactive learning space, and gathering spaces. She said the creation spaces include training classes, and multipurpose labs. She said this library is unique due to its ability to house a "floating" collection, as well as its ability to house a teen collection, and children's learning and discovery space. She said this differs from a main library, as the main library should house the majority of the collections and be focused on administration. She said the Orange County and Chapel Hill libraries provide this traditional focus. Katherine Taylor said this library is also very unique due to its site location and its close proximity to the Chapel Hill Main Library. She said this allows for the ability to share physical resources, as well as e-content. She said this also allows the smaller community library to offer unique services. She said neighborhood libraries average 18,000 and 26,000 square feet. She noted that the existing Cybrary and Carrboro branch total 9,000 square feet, and this does not include restrooms, meeting space, teen collections, or staff space. Chris Garis reviewed several Brewer Lane site photos and drawings and discussed site scenarios for utilization. He said the drawing of site scenario A shows a proposed building footprint of 20,600 gross square feet and a parking deck with 250 parking space additions. He said 80 parking spots are required for the library, and the additional spaces are for future development as needed. He noted the green space, which serves as a buffer between the bikeway and a development. He reviewed more photos of site scenarios and surrounding development. Chris Garis said there is an important opportunity and challenge to get visibility for the library from the main street. He said both site scenarios have the parking deck and the library connected to allow for weather safe access. He said option B has a 21,300 gross square footage footprint, as well as an open space on the garden level. He said the challenge is to bring the signage out into the development to provide visibility. He said this second scenario puts the library closer to greenway. Chris Garis said some of the challenges include: the parking deck; access and traffic; reinforced structure to provide for vertical expansion; and visibility. He said many of these can be mitigated throughout development. He said the benefits include: the central downtown location; the synergy of surrounding development; the ability to draw patrons; adjacency to the greenway and public transit routes; and the benefit of the neighboring parking deck. He said the construction costs are averages, based on the square footage numbers. He said regional libraries average a $250 per square foot of building-only cost. He said furniture, fixtures, and equipment are an additional $35 per square foot, and audiovisual costs could be $25 to $45 per square foot, depending on programming. He said the reinforced structure to allow for vertical expansion is about $30 per square foot; parking comes in at $1.6 million; professional fees are $25 per square foot; and land acquisition is budgeted for $600,000. Jeff Thompson discussed next steps. He said the intent is to get feedback tonight along with possible direction to move forward with this site. He said, if asked to move forward, staff would return with a development agreement in October, and RFQ selection for the designer/architect would happen at the first of the year. He said after that staff would simultaneously work on program verification, construction documents, and town permits. He said bid opening would be in May of 2016, as well as a financing event, and the opening would occur 15 months later. Commissioner Price asked for an explanation of the design process. She said it seems lengthy, and she asked if there was any way to shorten it. Jeff Thompson said staff would need the summer to work on a letter of intent with the developer. He said no designer has been selected, and that process will take 60-90 days. He said once this is finished there will be a design process, a permitting process, and a program verification process that will happen. He said the permitting process with the Town of Carrboro will take about 6 months. He said it may be possible to expedite this part of the process. . Commissioner Price asked about the square footage of the main library. Katherine Taylor said it is about 23,000 square feet. Commissioner porosin said the site picture slide shows a much larger building that will encompass more than just a library. He asked how much control or input the County will have over the design elements as a tenant. He asked how that collaboration will work. Brian Ferrell, Counsel for the transaction, said there will be some options for the Board of County Commissioners to consider regarding ownership interest. He said the principals for 301 Developers have been welcoming in providing options for how the ownership and relationship would work. He said he would leave the specifics of this for a later conversation. Brian Ferrell said there is always a straight lease option, where the County is a tenant and the developer can continue doing what it has been doing on this site, developing different sections for different users. He said this would provide the County with some control of the space, but much less than that of ownership interest. He said ownership interest would mean moving to condominium interest, which is similar to the County's ownership in the Gateway Center. Brian Ferrell said parking would be a challenge, and it is important for the County to ensure that it has adequate rights in parking. He said ownership interest and tenancy will impact the rights with regard to parking. He said cost and control are also factors in these options. Commissioner porosin asked if there are more options beyond those two. Brian Ferrell said there is a fee option, where the County takes a fee and develops the property on its own. He does not believe this is a viable option because the developer wanted to develop more of this site. Commissioner porosin noted the developers' interest in the synergistic development of the whole area, and he asked if the County will be able to choose the builder if this site is chosen. Brian Ferrell said the County would retain control of that decision. Commissioner porosin asked if the County will be responsible for building the whole building as it is sketched out. Brian Ferrell said the County's interest is in the library and they would have the ability to control and build out their "pancake" and not the floors above it. He said the parking is a challenge, and the construction of this will have to be developed as the project moves forward. Commissioner porosin questioned whether it would be best to do all of the construction at once. Brian Ferrell said there is not a lot of room, and access restrictions dictate the construction schedule, so ideally it will all be built at once. Commissioner McKee asked what amount is included in the CIP for this project. Jeff Thompson said $8.8 million is in the current CIP. Chair Jacobs asked if there are any solutions for the visibility issue. He asked if anyone has talked to the Town regarding its sign standards. Jeff Thompson said the County is exempt from the sign sizing constraints from the Town, so signage can be large. He said the visibility is a weakness of the site, but there are opportunities with the building being iconic in design, and with the options of large oversized signs and way-finding features. Chris Garis presented slides with examples of potential solutions. He said there is iconic signage like that used at the American Tobacco Campus in Durham with the water tower. He said there are graphics from a very large scale and from a pedestrian scale that can provide a visual clue. He said there are many options, and these will be part of future discussions. Jeff Thompson said there have been preliminary conversations with the 300 East Main Street group regarding iconic signage and way-finding effects for the entire development. He said there was discussion about the apartment name being something related to the library. Chair Jacobs said he does not want to do anything that is energy intensive or light polluting. He asked who is going to provide the green space. Jeff Thompson said this will be a joint conversation with the developer, as the apartments have as much right to that ground as the library. Chair Jacobs asked if this was something contemplated by the developer before the County became involved, or if this is something the County is adding. Chris Garis said this is something that was heard from the public input process. He said there was an opportunity to have outdoor space, amphitheater and performance space. He said this would be a joint amenity for anyone to on the bikeway to take advantage of. Jeff Thompson said the concept of urban versus rural green space needs to be taken into account. He said this is high intensive use real estate and that definition must be used in planning for the green space. Chair Jacobs said it seems like one of the best possibilities for green space on the site, but that goes for the developer as well as the library. Chair Jacobs said the word "marketplace" is not a good word. He said this is not a capitalist enterprise, and that word implies that we are selling things, which is misleading. He would prefer that it not be used in presentations. Katherine Taylor said that is a current library term for the entry experience. Commissioner Price said there were earlier discussions about the size of the library. She asked what the current proposed size is based on. Katherine Taylor said this was determined by national averages for library sizes of the same demographic and population range (20,000-40,000). Commissioner Price asked if individuals from the Arts Center attended the public input sessions. She wonders if some of the proposed activities would be a conflict. Lucinda Munger said members of the Arts Center did attend the meetings, and they and viewed the space as complimentary. She said there is discussion of expanding the Arts Center to create a "mini DPAC", and the spaces in the library are seen as free public space for classes. She said the "maker space" is fairly common in libraries, and it is a creative space for artists as well as entrepreneurs. She said this space is used on a constant basis for a variety of programming, and this is not a conflict with the Arts Center. Commissioner Price asked for clarification on the County's right to design the space. Brian Ferrell said this is an opportunity to look at a deal structure that is unique and provides a close relationship with the developer of the site. He said the developer has committed to work with the County on the design of this space, and he would expect that the look of the build-out will be similar to what is there now, with opportunities for customization. Commissioner Price asked how many stories this will be. Brian Ferrell said this has not been finalized, but it will likely be 3 or 4 floors. Michael Talbert said this is still in the due diligence phase, and if the Board moves forward, these points can be negotiated at a later date. He said the site selection, as well as the size, are the key issues being considered tonight. He said the green space will be important no matter where the library is located. He said the schedule laid out by Jeff Thompson is very close to what is outlined in the CIP for this item. He said there are planning funds for an architect firm in 2015/16 and a construction plan for 2016/17, and the total project budget is $8.2 million. Commissioner Pelissier asked if the $250 per square foot estimated cost includes the flexible space to allow for future changes. Jeff Thompson said on this site the $250 per square foot cost accounts for just the raw construction cost, which would be the podium structure. He said some of the interior spaces would be the flexible, multipurpose spaces. Lucinda Munger said one of the things frequently discussed in group meetings was that the beauty of the flexible space is that it deletes obsolescence. She said these spaces allow for movement and change as the demographic and services change, since the space is not tied down by load bearing walls or desks that are fixed or bolted. Commissioner Pelissier asked if the estimated cost includes designing a library that has this type of flexibility. Lucinda Munger said yes. Carrboro Alderman Randee Haven O'Donnell thanked staff for all of the work that has been done. She said the Commissioners are closer than anyone has been in years, and she applauded their efforts to engage the community. She said when the Board of County Commissioners met with the Carrboro Board of Aldermen in 2011, there was a criteria set by the library standard for calculating square footage based on population. She said, based on the 2010 census, this meant an 18,000 square foot library, but the projected 2012 census came out to a square footage of 21,468. She feels it is important to consider the difference for Carrboro's community use when looking at usable space versus gross square footage, and she would like to aim for the 20,000 square feet instead of the 18,000. Commissioner porosin asked what due diligence is remaining. Jeff Thompson said the only major item remaining is the transaction structure. He said all of the ground issues have been largely resolved. Chair Jacobs noted that the Board has not formally picked a site yet. Commissioner McKee said he wants to make sure the issue of visibility is addressed. 2. Employee Benefits Updates, Preliminary Renewal Estimates Reqardinq Calendar Year 2015 Health Insurance, and Anticipated Health Care Reform Components Cheryl Young introduced the new Human Resources Director, Brenda Bartholomew. Brenda Bartholomew said she is excited to take this role, and it is very similar to her previous role in New York, where she served for 15 years. Cheryl Young reviewed the following background information from the abstract: Effective January 1, 2014, the County changed the employee health insurance funding from premium-based (fully-insured) to self-insured. The County pays United Healthcare an administrative fee, including stop-loss coverage, and pays the claims costs. The County does not pay a per member premium. The County will save approximately_$667,000 for the 2014 Plan Year, because some fees related to health care reform are not_imposed on self-insured plans. Based on early claims data, consultant Mark III has projected up to a 14.35% increase in premiums for a renewal of the same benefits beginning January 1, 2015. The projected general fund budgetary increase for FY 2014-15 is $423,446 (January through June 2015). Cheryl Young noted that in April, the original projection was a 13 percent increase, and that number increased in early May, based on additional claims information. She said the projection is now 14.3 percent, and it will adjust as the claims experience changes. She said the final and best projections will be presented in September 2014. Mark Browder from Mark III reviewed historical data from 2013. He said the plan in the end ran at about a break even position for United Healthcare. He noted that the HSA plan had lower claims activity than the PPO plan. He said the plan trended up about 13 to 14 percent over the prior year, but it worked out to be break even by the end. He said the County transitioned to a self funded plan in 2014, and the funding level remained the same as it was in 2013. He said the County saved about $600,000 by making the transition, and the plans remained stable. Mark Browder reviewed the slide outlining 2014 plan rates, and noted that the dependent cost for the employee is less in the PPO plan than in the HSA plan. Looking at the 2014 plan experience data, he noted that claims were higher in March of this year. He reviewed the final slide outlining 2015 claim expectation. He said they are expecting about a 14% for the 2015 claim year, and this will change as the claims continue to move forward in 2014. Commissioner Gordon asked how to figure out if something breaks even for United Healthcare. Mark Browder said this goes back to the second slide on the 2013 plan experience. He noted the bottom right hand side, which shows a 79 percent loss ratio. He said based on where the targets are, this is a break even or slight positive position for United Healthcare. Commissioner Gordon asked about the 79% loss ratio. Mark Browder said with healthcare reform, the target loss ratio is 85 percent. He said this shows that United Healthcare did not make significant amounts of money while insuring the plan. Commissioner Gordon asked how the stop loss ratio figures in. Mark Browder referred to slide 5 and said the County pays for stop loss insurance, and the pooling point is $105,000. He noted that in March the County received reimbursement from a claimant that from $181,000. He said reimbursement was received for that month for that high claimant. Commissioner Gordon asked about slide 6 and questioned what numbers go into determining what the contribution has to be. Mark Browder said everything above the contribution lines falls into the green line on slide 6. He said there is a claims expectation for 2015, which takes the current 12 months of claims and trends it forward. He said the administration and stop lost insurance costs are estimated, the health care reform fees are considered, as well as the HSA costs, and this totals about $11,739,828. Commissioner Gordon said the 14.3 percent increase is higher than other numbers, such as the inflation rate and cost of living increases. Mark Browder said health care claims are increasing at a rate greater than inflation, and health care reform adds additional costs. Chair Jacobs said March 2013 and July 2013 had higher claims, and there is logic to this since people are more active in March, and in July school is out. He asked why this jump in March was not projected. Mark Browder said historically claims activity is around $600,000, so $900,000 is a significantly different month. He said July was up, but not as significantly as March and November. He said the March increase was due to abnormal claim activities. Commissioner Pelissier asked how the County can assess whether it is still an advantage to remain self insured moving forward. Mark Browder said a projection could be done to show what a fully insured renewal would look like; however, the County is not paying 2 percent in premium taxes to the state, and in 2015, 3 percent in health insurance tax to the federal government. He said this equates to $500,000 in avoided costs automatically from self funding. He said he works with 30 counties across the state, and there is a wide disparity in what renewals look like. He said when a client asks for a fully insured quote compared to a self funded quote, it is often an increase in the mid teens. He said there has only been one situation where the fully insured plan was competitive to a self funded plan, and this was a small company with high expenses. Chair Jacobs said there has been discussion about offering in-house medical care for employees and whether it was advisable to do this through the County health department or not. He asked if there have been any further discussions about this issue. Michael Talbert said no. He said this project was put on hold when the County lost their HR Director. He said it is not advisable to do this through the County health department. He said many entities do this through UNC Healthcare, and this will be investigated. Chair Jacobs asked if this is something that the new HR Director will be asked to look into. Cheryl Young said there is an allocation of$25,000 in the budget to study the possibility of putting in-house medical care in place. Chair Jacobs noted that there are 4 employees that have worked more than 30 hours per week in the past 12 months, but these are not full time employees. Michael Talbert said there are a number of part time permanent employees that work 30 hours or a little more. Diane Shepherd said these 4 employees are considered temporary employees. She said all permanent employees that work 20 hours or more get health insurance. Chair Jacobs asked what constitutes a temporary employee. Diane Shepherd said the employee would have to be here a full year. Chair Jacobs asked if this means that employees who work 52 weeks will become permanent employee. Diane Shepherd said there is not an automatic process for this to happen. Chair Jacobs said this is what the state was doing, which was to hire people for 50 weeks and then fire them to avoid paying benefits. Diane Shepherd said the County tends not to do this, and the number has been worked down, but there are still these 4 individuals. She said there are a variety of reasons for this, including short staffed departments. Chair Jacobs said he is going to petition the Board to eliminate these types of positions, or that there be a policy about how to eliminate them. Cheryl Young said under the health care reform act, even temporary employees can get benefits. Chair Jacobs said the County does not want to exploit people. 3. Interlocal Aqreement for Solid Waste and Recyclinq Gayle Wilson gave the historical background regarding the original interlocal agreement for solid waste management and the proposed development of a new agreement. He said there was staff consensus on a detailed outline for a new agreement, which was used to draft the detailed agreement before the Board tonight. He read the draft interlocal agreement as included in the abstract. He said there were a few issues that remain in question from staff's perspective. He outlined those issues as follows: The level of detail of existing recycling programs and services that needs to be incorporated into the agreement. For example, is it necessary to detail each individual recycling service, delineating what materials are collected, frequency of collection, number and type of containers used, etc. within the agreement? • Should the County or a Town (or Towns) plan, site and develop a waste transfer station would consideration be given to allowing the other parties to the agreement access to the facility? • The degree of involvement and advance notice given to the parties to the agreement to regarding proposed fee increases (which fees and what flexibility/limitations would be granted) and the level of authority to approve or authorize fee changes. • The composition, mission and authority (if any) of a new advisory committee/board/commission/waste partners group. Staff considered that elected officials may wish to initiate a separate process to discuss and address this matter. It is possible that among the first topics of such an advisory body could be coordinating the investigation into pay-as- you-throw and/or organics management options. • Provisions for withdrawing from the agreement including a more clear definition of "outstanding debt". • Inclusion of the University as a party to the agreement (could be a secondary priority to be pursued at a later date) The more fundamental issues of an agreement could be incorporated and adopted in the short term (by July 1), with other issues to be resolved through a mutually agreeable process among the parties (or by a new advisory group) over the next several months. Alternatively, a final and comprehensive agreement could be pursued regardless of the time necessary and the parties could continue in an informal manner until a final agreement is executed. There may also be other options for proceeding. Michael Talbert said there are issues to be resolved with the towns. He said, at this point the towns have received this agreement, but neither board has discussed it yet. Chair Jacobs said it would be helpful to just highlight the points of contention instead of the entire agreement the next time this is presented. He said this would allow for better focus on these issues. He said the Mayor of Chapel Hill assured him that the transfer station is not a problem, but staff seems to think it is. John Roberts said he wanted the full agreement read, rather than the outline. He said staff was not able to agree on issues that he feels would be more appropriately discussed and decided by elected officials. Commissioner McKee asked for elaboration on the issue with the transfer stations. Gayle Wilson said town staffs of Chapel Hill and Carrboro seemed to have received instruction to downplay or not include any provisions in the agreement that would provide for serious consideration of County utilization of a town transfer station. He said he has not talked with the town managers or elected officials about this, but that was the impression he was given by staff. Commissioner McKee asked if there were reasons given. Gayle Wilson said no, but it seemed their staff had been given that guidance. Commissioner porosin said it seems to him that this, as written, is very limited. He said if there is going to be an agreement on solid waste there should be discussion about the possibility of future landfills and transfer stations, in addition to recycling. He thinks that there may be a flaw in the idea of having staff put this together without more direction. He feels that, as a body, the officials need to decide whether to move forward collectively. He said this document seems to be ignoring issues that need to be addressed. He finds some of the language troubling, such as the section regarding County use of the transfer station. He said this seems like an afterthought. Commissioner Gordon said this draft is a start, but it is not complete. She said this was brought back to the Board because that was what was planned for this time. She said the 1999 agreement took a lot of negotiations and discussions, and it was very comprehensive. She said it is structurally not possible to do a comprehensive interlocal agreement by July 1, 2014, but it is still important to put in motion some type of agreement to allow services to start by July 1St. She does not know if it is wise to negotiate part of an agreement and not the whole agreement, but she is interested in knowing what their professionals say about how this might be done for a limited section. John Roberts said this is a very basic and broad document that is presented as the only thing that could possibly get approved by July 1St. He said there are key portions of this, such as recycling, where major decisions still have to be made. He said whatever is done with this document or another document, key aspects will need to be amended in the future. He said this is not something that can be done comprehensively between now and July 1St Commissioner Pelissier asked what needs to be done to be sure recycling can be in place by next year. Chair Jacobs said this could be considered a preliminary interlocal agreement, which means it is a starting point. Commissioner Pelissier asked if a preliminary agreement means having something to get them through next year, and maybe even simplifying it more. She said a group would then be formed to flesh it out. Chair Jacobs said yes. Michael Talbert said this is an outline that could be something much broader at a later date. He said an advisory group could be asked to work out the details with elected officials from each unit of local government. He said the document could then be brought back to the Board in a year for a major amendment. Commissioner Price said this document does not seem comprehensive. She said there are a lot of elements all over the place, and she feels that if towns are going to be involved this needs to be a comprehensive solid waste project. She said if this document has to be used, she would ask that Labor Day be included as a holiday. Commissioner McKee asked what happens if this is not done by July 1St John Roberts said there is no current agreement, so you would still be maintaining the status quo. He said the towns still need to approve the recommended fees for recycling in their jurisdictions, but he does not see any legal change if this is not approved. Commissioner McKee said he is not interested in doing a piecemeal agreement because he thinks it reduces the County's negotiating ability. He feels the current solid waste program is piecemeal and confusing. He is not concerned with a July deadline, and he would rather go on with the status quo and then try and get this document right. He is not okay with the towns building a transfer station and not allowing the County to use it and vice versa. He said if Orange County is going to be responsible for its own trash, the County will need to build a transfer station. He would be fine to let this ride out until an agreement can be reached. He said an advisory board should be done before putting in a piecemeal agreement. Michael Talbert said if that is the Board's pleasure then staff can be directed, along with the towns, to refine this agreement over the summer and come back with a revised agreement by the first meeting in the fall. He said it could then be taken to the Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting for discussion of the political issues that staff is not able to negotiate. Chair Jacobs said he feels that this document is very County centric. He would like to indicate that the County is amenable to an agreement that is more mutually satisfactory. He suggested an advisory group could contain two elected officials from each of the four governments, one representative from UNC, three citizens, and whatever staff the group deems appropriate. He said this would be a workable group, and he suggests that there be a specific timeframe to have an outline in time for the AOG meeting in November. He said everyone will want to make decisions in time for the 2015-16 budget year. He said the direction would be to create a comprehensive solid waste strategy that includes solid waste, bio-solids, food waste, and short and long term plans. He said if a plan of action can be created and the AOG can agree to go forward, then they would at least have a framework of a comprehensive plan with stages that allow them to address something next budget year. Commissioner Price said she is looking for this to be an all-inclusive project, because the use of certain technologies depends on how large your waste stream is. Commissioner McKee asked if the direction is to let this document ride. He said he seems to be hearing two different directions. Chair Jacobs said both could be done. He said staff could be directed to work on this as a preliminary agreement; and the Board can come up with a framework for conceptualizing all of the issues and creating a timeline for action. He said no one wants to continue going in circles and not knowing if the County has any partners. He said there is a very good opportunity for partnerships. He said the two directions are not mutually exclusive. Commissioner McKee said it sounds like staff is at an impasse on certain items. Michael Talbert said staff is at an impasse on certain items, but the managers can be involved and meet with the Boards individually to come back with a stronger draft in the fall. He said not every issue will be resolved, but certain items such as a transfer station, can be resolved to make the next level of discussion easier. He said they need to have commitments from the local governments on this issue. Commissioner porosin asked if Michael Talbert thinks that this agreement establishes that commitment. Michael Talbert said it is a step in the right direction, but there are some details left out. He said there needs to be commitment at all levels, and there is detail missing. He said the details need to be spelled out on issues such as landfill logistics, and waste energy projects. Commissioner porosin said if the consensus is to move forward with some agreement as a first step, then the group should be formed now before the summer break. He said there should be a charge and outline so the group can get started with a goal of creating some real critical questions for the governing bodies to vote on within the given timeline and budgets. Chair Jacobs said he would envision this group coming to the AOG in November with a specific work plan and a range of considerations. Michael Talbert said that would assume that all representatives can be appointed before summer breaks. Chair Jacobs said the 5 year agreement was part of the why the County was moving forward with the purchase of the roll carts, which was a huge commitment on their part. He said it does matter that there is an agreement in place, and staff can be instructed to strip it down to create something to build on. He said sticking points can be noted and decided by elected officials. Commissioner Gordon said she wants to hear what needs to be done between now and June 17th: She said it sounds like the Board needs to know the following: specifics on recycling fees, how many roll carts are needed, what the group charge will be, and who should be in the advisory group. She thinks it would be good to come to an informal consensus or to ask staff to come back with the obvious issues to decide before June 17. Chair Jacobs suggested that the manager come back to the June 3 meeting to articulate what he has heard tonight regarding a preliminary agreement for staffs to work on in the fall, and the structure and charge of a working group composed of representatives from the four jurisdictions, the university, and representatives of the public, supported by appropriate staff. 4. Issues and Fundinq Options for Oranqe County's Recyclinq Proqrams Michael Talbert said this item was brought to the Board at their May 8th meeting to introduce the idea that there are certain issues yet to be discussed. He said these items are on the back side of page 2 in the abstract. He said there are a couple of decisions to be made by July 1St for the 2014-15 budget as related to rural curbside funding. He said the current budget has the rural curbside program continuing as is, and being paid for with solid waste reserves. Commissioner Gordon said that there has been past discussion regarding the fact that only 25 percent of the budget for the solid waste convenience centers (SWCC) is actually covered by the fees. She said that the general fund contribution going in to SWCC was $1,856,543. She said the rural fee would have to be raised from $40 to $102; the urban fee would have to be raised from $20 to $51; and the multi-family fee would have to be raised from $4 to $10 in order to get rid of the general fund contribution. She asked if fees would need to be raised even more to get from 25 percent to 100 percent funding of the convenience centers. Michael Talbert said his understanding is that those fees would get them to 100 percent and would replace the $1.8 million. Gayle Wilson said that is correct. He said this is their calculation of what would eliminate the general fund contribution for the SWCC. Commissioner Gordon asked if this also funds the 24 hour sites. Gayle Wilson said the SWCC fund only funds the staffed SWCC. He said the base 3- R fee funds the 24 hour centers. Commissioner Gordon asked if the funding would have to be higher than the general fund contribution in order to raise the funding from 25 percent to 100 percent and have the SWCC pay for themselves without any other revenue. Gayle Wilson said the general fund contribution makes up for the shortfall from the existing rates and other miscellaneous revenues. He said the $1.8 million would complete 100 percent funding for the SWCC, including the Walnut Grove and Eubanks Road modernizations; but it would not include any further modernizations. Commissioner Gordon said the parts of the budget interact, and if you pull the SWCC out of the solid waste fund as a whole, it would mean the fees would have to be even bigger because there is other miscellaneous income. Gayle Wilson said there are ways where the fees would have to be larger. He said the facility operations and staffing are funded through the SWCC fee; however the trucks and the drivers that come to serve the different components of recycling are paid for out of the recycling budget. Commissioner Gordon said it is possible to look only at the solid waste budget and say that a general fund contribution should not be given. She said the numbers she gave would accomplish this. Gayle Wilson said that is the only general fund money that enters the enterprise fund. Commissioner McKee said this brings up the question of why the SWCC were not fully funded by the fees from the start. Gayle Wilson said the history is that the sanitation division, which operates the convenience centers, was part of the public works department until about 6 years ago. He said when the solid waste department moved from Chapel Hill to the County it handled all solid waste except for the convenience centers; and that separate division within public works that was funded 100 percent from the general fund operated separately. He said there was a reorganization 6 years ago to consolidate all activities into the solid waste department and there was a larger general fund contribution that funded 100 percent for the first couple of years. He said the Board of Commissioners then determined that they needed to begin to establish the basics of a self funding mechanism for the sanitation division and wean it from the general fund. He said the fees were initiated at a low level with the thought of increasing it over time, but no schedule was established, and the fee has increased twice in that 6 year period. Commissioner McKee said that answers his question. He said he feels the system is confusing. Commissioner porosin asked if the Board is supposed to make decisions about what to do for rural recycling for next year, such as whether to have it, what will be the scope, and how to pay for it. Michael Talbert said all of this is in the budget. He said if the Board makes no decisions and continues with the current services, funding with the reserves that are already in the manager's budget, then the budget will just need to be approved. He said if the Board would like to do something different, this would be the time to let staff know. Commissioner porosin asked if that budget would keep the fees the same as described. Michael Talbert said yes. He said the towns have agreed to levy a $59 fee for the urban curbside and $19 for the multi-family fee; and the rural service would cost the taxpayers nothing and will be paid for out of reserves. Chair Jacobs said the point of the earlier discussion was to make the commitment to resolve this by this time next year, but there is still an equity question about using the reserves generated by everyone to subsidize only the rural curbside. He said this should be discussed or decided on now. He said if he was an urban taxpayer, he would want to know why he was paying twice. Commissioner Pelissier said she would actually argue that the towns would be paying three times - from the reserves, the general fund for the SWCC, and the recycling fee. She said there was a plan to gradually increase the SWCC fees for the rural population, and this should be done this year to make it more equitable for the towns. Chair Jacobs said the Board needs to come out of this discussion with a list of decision points that staff can bring back as a decision item on what is being funded and how it is being funded. John Roberts said one of the funding items that was discussed would involve a recycling ordinance requiring residents to separate designated materials and increasing the countywide convenience center fee to a facility sustaining fee. He said this would free up $1.8 million of general fund dollars that could then be used to provide curbside recycling countywide. He said there are a lot of details that would need to be worked out, but there are no glaring legal issues. Chair Jacobs asked if these fees are differentiated by rural, multi-family, and urban. John Roberts said yes. Chair Jacobs said when there was a past working group represented by elected officials from all of the municipalities, the entire group recommended the current solid waste convenience center and structure. He said the group agreed there was value in having a SWCC system with two large centers and three smaller satellite centers. He said this was a mutually agreed upon system. Commissioner Price said her concern is that there are people that don't want to be bothered with curbside recycling. She said those people living out in the County are acting as their own pickup service, and they are paying for the gas. She wants to respect the view of those who don't want to pay for a pickup service they will not receive. She hopes the Board would be able to discuss this as part of the whole big picture that includes both the urban and rural areas. Chair Jacobs said a decision just needs to be made for this fiscal year. Commissioner Gordon asked John Roberts if his reference to providing curbside service countywide meant providing this to rural areas. John Roberts said he meant countywide, but no one would be forced to utilize curbside. He said the current routes would be kept, and the service would be expanded into the rural areas to those residents that wanted it. Commissioner Gordon said she thinks this should be financed with fees, and the convenience center fees should be increased, as was the original plan. She said the Board has something close to an agreement with the partners regarding a $59 fee for recycling pickup. She said this means that the County residents have to be charged something. She said the idea of having a SWCC/roadside fee for everyone including the towns might be more than can be accomplished. She thinks this should to be financed by fees for services rendered, and there needs to somehow be a fee that is equitable throughout the County. Commissioner McKee said John Roberts said no one would be forced to do curbside, but he did say they would be required to recycle. He asked what type of enforcement this would involve. John Roberts said the discussion hasn't gotten that far yet. Commissioner McKee said when there is discussion of requirements, it involves enforcement, and he starts to have red flags. John Roberts said the County is specifically authorized to require residents to separate materials prior to disposal and to participate in the recycling program. He said the ordinance would only be enforceable in rural areas in the County's jurisdiction, but there has not been discussion of how this would be enforced. Commissioner McKee said John Roberts mentioned a fee on all properties, and he asked if this includes all properties. John Roberts said this would include developed or improved properties but not open land or empty acreage. Commissioner porosin asked for an explanation of why the fee is better from an equity standpoint versus funding everything from general fund. He feels flat fees are the most regressive forms of charging, and the most equitable way to fund all of it is through the tax rate and eliminate fees altogether. He would be interested in seeing the numbers on that. He understands the concerns about vacant land and churches, but this option seems the most fair in terms of fiscal operations. Chair Jacobs said he hears three options on table, and he goes back to the idea of treating this year differently. He said for this year the three options are: 1) using reserve funds; 2) authorize the attorney to work on a fee structure to make the SWCC self sustaining; or 3) to cut all fees and raise the property tax to pay for all urban and rural recycling operations. Chair Jacobs said all three options can be considered at a subsequent meeting, but he would argue that they will be delayed in making a decision, because the towns would have to be involved if fees are raised, and there are only 6 weeks to do this. He said any changes that are made now will have an adverse impact on relationships and on budgets. Chair Jacobs referred to Commissioner McKee's concerns regarding enforcement and noted that there are several ordinances in place that are not in place. Commissioner McKee said he feels it does not make sense to have an ordinance that you do not plan to enforce. Commissioner porosin said at some point they need to look at the viability of continuing the 13,700 person service area. He said there is broad consensus that this is not the actual number of participants. He said there has been previous discussion of looking at denser areas closer to the towns, and he thinks this option needs to be considered. Chair Jacobs said this is a good question, and he agrees, but he is not sure this can be addressed in the next two meetings. He said many issues have been identified, but the question is what should be done this fiscal year. Commissioner porosin asked Michael Talbert and Gayle Wilson whether it would be feasible to come back with identification of the more densely populated areas that are participating in the recycling service and are supportive of the curbside service. John Roberts said there is no legal issue with this. Chair Jacobs asked that this be put in the list of decision items for this fiscal year, and he noted this may change the cost of the program. Michael Talbert asked for clarification that the Board is asking staff to come back to the June 3 meeting with a district map, as drawn, with the idea of serving as many high density communities in area as possible, and continuing the basic program with funding from reserves or another source to be determined. Gayle Wilson said that is next to impossible at this point. He said his staff is fully engaged in preparing to distribute over 18,000 roll carts in the three municipalities starting June 9th. He said there are all kinds of special situations, and every effort is being made to ensure that no mistakes are made. He said the proposed action would also cut service to those folks in the rural program that are not in a subdivision but who participate regularly in the curbside program. He said this would be done with no time for outreach or explanation. He said there is a lot more to this than just identifying the dense areas. Michael Talbert suggested that the service continue for the current 13,700; and with the efficiency of roll carts and single stream it may be possible to pick up another 1,500 to 2,000 customers that would like to participate. He said this expansion could be done with the distribution of roll carts in the fall. Chair Jacobs said part of the commitment to the urban program was to cement the partnership. Commissioner Pelissier said she does not want to cut any of the rural curbside recycling. She said this does not need to be done piecemeal. Commissioner Gordon agreed with Commissioner Pelissier. She said there is not much time left, and she would like to see them build on something that has been discussed this year. She said continuing the service to the 13, 700 residents would be consistent with this. She does not know that roll carts have been authorized for all of these residents, and she does not want to buy roll carts that will not be used. She said it is late to talk about anything that has not been agreed to by the partners. Commissioner Gordon said it seems to her that a fee needs to be created, and if a property tax was what people wanted, they could have done the tax district. She feels that additional revenue needs to be raised, and valid points have been made for future discussions. Commissioner McKee said he thinks the manager's recommendation is the best option at this time. He said they passed any other decision point in April. He said he will not agree to any rollback in service, because there is no way to define it. Commissioner porosin said this means the County is going to keep doing something that they know is flawed. He noted that Commissioner McKee did not make a motion at the meeting in April. Commissioner McKee said he accepts his portion of blame for what was done at that meeting, and he stated publicly that he was not going to make a motion that night. He said the Board has to choose from a basket of bad options. Chair Jacobs suggested that the Board would like to continue service to the current customers. He said he heard the manager say that service might be provided to additional customers without increasing the cost, and if this is true, it should be articulated in the proposal. He said the other issue is how to pay for it, and the manager has a proposal to do this out of reserve funds. He said the Board just needs to decide if there is a more equitable way to pay for it, and whether just charging the rural recycling from the reserve fund is equitable or if all curbside recycling should be paid for from this fund for this year. He said this is what should come back to the Board for options. He said the idea of self supporting convenience centers or property tax as an alternative could be brought back as a motion on June 3�d or 17tn. He said ideas for improving the systems have been identified to look at on another day. Michael Talbert said none of the options are equitable. He said he is hearing that the Board would like to continue the existing program as is, and if efficiency allows, to add as many customers as possible with existing resources. Chair Jacobs said yes, and he clarified that customers would be allowed to continue using bins if they wanted. Michael Talbert said yes. He said secondly he is hearing that the Board wants to have options to pay for the service through either reserves or a property tax increase that could potentially pay for all recycling and convenience center fees. He said the tax proposal will come with the number amount needed to make this happen. He does not know this amount right now. Commissioner porosin added that, though the majority opinion is to keep the service as-is, he does not agree to that. Commissioner Pelissier asked if there would be roll carts this fiscal year. Michael Talbert said the purchase of roll carts has been scaled back to better match the number of actual participants. He said 7,000 carts are included in the budget as a starting point, and people in the rural area will have the option of keeping the smaller bins. He said this will be voted on as part of the budget. Commissioner Gordon said if items will be coming back that are not consensus, she would like her option put on the table. She would like to have increased solid waste convenience center fees for the rural and urban area. She would like to see options to pay for one-third, half, and all of the $1.8 million in general funds being used. 5. Closed Session A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to go into closed session at 10:05 p.m. for the purposes of: To establish, or to instruct the public body's staff or negotiating agents concerning the position to be taken by or on behalf of the public body in negotiating (i) the price and other material terms of a contract or proposed contract for the acquisition of real property by purchase, option, exchange, or lease; and "To consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee" NCGS § 143-318.11(a) (6). VOTE: UNANIMOUS RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION A motion was made by Commissioner porosin, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to reconvene into regular session at 11:35pm. VOTE: UNANIMOUS ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner porosin, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to adjourn the meeting at 11:35pm. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Barry Jacobs Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board