Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 09-11-2014 APPROVED 10/21/2014 MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION September 11, 2014 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Work Session on Thursday, September 11, 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, Renee Price and Penny Rich COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: Annette Moore COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, 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 7:01 p.m. He asked for a moment of silence to honor the victims of September 11 th, 2001. 1. Central and Rural Oranqe County Five-Year Bus Service Expansion Concepts — Oranqe Public Transportation (OPT) Craig Benedict introduced this item. He said the research being presented tonight is part of a three year program to get ideas for bus service that can be incorporated into the Bus and Rail Investment Plan. He introduced Bret Martin, Transportation Planner, and Peter Murphy, OPT Administrator. Bret Martin presented the following PowerPoint slides: BOCC WORK SESSION ITEM #1 Central and Rural Orange County Five-Year Bus Service Expansion Concepts Structure of Presentation • Summary of Outreach and Themes • OPT Existing Services • OPT Proposed Services ■ Option #1 ■ Option #2 ■ Option #1 Vs. Option #2 Differences ■ Mix and Match from Options #1 and #2 ■ Unfunded Priorities • Program Assumptions and Overarching Policies ■ Program Budget and Costs ■ Service Standards ■ Fares Outreach • Public Outreach Meetings Summer 2013 and Spring/Summer 2014 • Participation and Resolutions from Orange County Human Service Agencies ■ Department of Social Services ■ Department of Health ■ Department on Aging ■ Northern Orange Project Engage ■ Libraries ■ Department of Housing and Community Development • Common Themes ■ Access to employment ■ Rural and urban residents' access to social services ■ More emphasis on elderly/senior transportation ■ Focus on transit-dependent populations OPT Existinq Fixed-Route Services • Hillsborough Circulator ■ 20 stops throughout Hillsborough ■ Hourly Headways ■ 8am-12pm and 1 pm-5pm on weekdays ■ No fare • Hillsborough to Chapel Hill Shuttle (Route 420 OPT Midday) ■ 23 stops in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill ■ 1.5-hour total run time, 2 runs ■ 10:00-11:30am and 1:00-2:30pm on weekdays ■ Fares: - $2 general public - $1 disabled passengers - Free for persons 60+ Hillsborouqh Circulator (Map) Hillsborouqh to Chapel Hill Shuttle (Route 420 Midday) (Map) Demand-Response and Contracted Services Demand-Response • General Public ■ Any origin or destination within county ■ $12.75/one-way trip • Medical ■ Medical appointment trips to disabled and 60+; $3/one-way trip ■ Medical appointment trips to Medicaid enrollees; OPT bills DSS Contracted Services • Senior Center Shuttles ■ 3 for Central Orange and 1 for Seymour Center ■ Arrive at 10am and depart at 1 pm • Special Department on Aging Trips • Orange Enterprises ■ 3 deviated fixed routes for transporting persons with developmental disabilities ■ Technically open to general public • Orange County Sportsplex After School Programs Option #1 Service Concepts Attachment A Bret Martin reviewed the six, option #1 route maps, and said these correspond with the listings in the budget worksheet in Attachment A. 1A and 1B (Northern Zonal Routes): - 1 day/week - Deviated fixed route - 48 hour advance reservation for deviation - 10am — 3pm - Tuesday or Thursday - Higher deviation fare - Lower nominal fare for fixed route 2 (Senior Center Shuttles: - 5 days/week - 2:30pm and 4:00 pm - Transport Seniors back to residences - Focus on Central Orange Senior Center - Secured separate grant source to fund for at least one year - No fare 3 (Mebane-Efland-Hillsborouqh-Durham): - 5 days/week - 10am — 3:00 pm - Fixed-route general public - 2 hour directional headways - Connection to VA/Duke Hospitals in Durham - Nominal fare 4 (Efland-Hillsborouqh Commuter Service - 5 days/week - 6 - 9am and 4 - 7pm - Fixed route general public - 1 hour directional headways - Provides peak direction connection from Efland to ODX and Peak period commuter service in Hillsborough - Nominal Fare 5 (Cedar Grove-Hillsborouqh-Chapel Hill): - 5 days/week - 10am - 3:OOpm - Fixed route general public - 1 hour directional headways - Connection to UNC Campus and UNC Med - Nominal fare 6 (Hillsborouqh Circulator): - 5 days/week - 8am - 5:00 pm - Fixed route general public - 1 hour directional headways - No fare Option #2 Service Concepts Attachment B 1A, 1 B and 1� (Northern and 5outh�rn Zonal Routes: - 2 d�ys/w��k - Deviated fixed route - 48 hour advance reservation for deviation - 10am — 3pm - Mand�y �nd Thursd�y ar Tu�sd�y �nd Frid�y - Higher deviation fare - Lower nominal fare for fixed route 3 (Mebane-Efland-Hillsborouqh): - 5 days/week - 10am — 3:00 pm - Fixed-route general public - 1 haur dir��tian�l h��dw�ys - h�Ja fix�d-rc�ut� �c�nn��tian ta C�urh�rrr� - Nominal fare 4 (Efland-Hillsborouqh Commuter Service - h�Ja s�rvi�� Differences in Options #1 and #2 (chart) Mix-and-Match: Option #3 (chart) If Additional $$ is Made Available For Bus Service From: • Better sales tax/vehicle registration fee revenue projections than anticipated ■ OCBRIP amendments are making adjustments to revenues and will come before BOCC later this year AN D/O R • Federal and State Grants for Transit Operating Assistance THEN lJnfund�d ��rvi�� Can��pts C�n �� Irrr�pl�rrr��nt�d in �riarity (Jrd�r C��p�nding an Arr�aunt af Additian�l R�v�nu� Ranked Unfunded Concepts — Options #1 and #2 (chart) Other OPT Expansion Proqram Notes • Program Budget and Costs ■ Overhead vs. variable/marginal cost of providing service ■ Program uses OPT system direct and indirect operating cost per service hour for FY 2014 as base ■ Cost escalation of 3.1% per year • Service Standards for Existing and Expanded Services ■ Passengers per service hour ■ No less than '/2 below system's average for each type of service (i.e., fixed- route, demand response) ■ Evaluation after introductory period of 12 months ■ Evaluation by OUTBoard/Transportation Advisory Board with recommendations to BOCC • Fares ■ Fixed-route: Collect nominal fare if technology permits (compatibility with Triangle Transit farecards) on all services except Hillsborough Circulator ■ Deviated Fixed-Route: Collect nominal fare for fixed-route riders; collect higher fare for riders requesting deviation ■ Vouchers to those who qualify for other social services (Medicaid, Work First, etc.) Next Steps • Manager's Recommendation Tonight ■ Receive Presentation; and ■ Discuss Options #1 and #2, or combination thereof, and consider providing feedback indicating a preference for one of the options, if deemed appropriate. • Fall-Winter 2014-2015: ■ Staff develops more detailed service design characteristics for concepts ■ Staff begins marketing services in advance of initiation ■ Staff secures capital and personnel resources to initiate service ■ Service begins • Future: ■ Services consistently evaluated against performance standards ■ Refinements/Improvements to service evaluated Bret Martin referred to the slide on page 11 regarding the Northern Zonal Routes. He said there is demand in this area for more of a fixed route schedule, as opposed to purely demand response. He said the proposal is to offer the opportunity for people to call for demand response service, but there will still be specific service nodes within this zone at specific times. He said this will allow the opportunity to gather data on what method people are really using, in order to refine the service. Bret Martin said three service hours per day are being added to the Senior Center shuttles. Bret Martin referred to slide 15 regarding the Cedar Grove-Hillsborough-Chapel Hill route. He said this service is really just an extension of the Hillsborough to Chapel Hill shuttle up to Cedar Grove, which is just a 15 minute extension. He said the service hours would be extended. Bret Martin said the Hillsborough Circulator route is listed as part of the option 1 service routes because, beginning in 2016, it will begin to take advantage of the vehicle registration fee funding. He said to keep this consistent with other circulator routes it will continue not to have a fare. Bret Martin reviewed the maps for option #2 service concepts, and said these slides only highlight the things that are different from option #1. These differences are listed in red on the PowerPoint slides. He said option #2 for the US 70 mid-day service would not provide service to Durham. He said one reason for this proposal is the fact that the budget only allows for the inclusion of 2 hour directional headways. He said this option would allow for 1 hour directional headways and would be more user friendly, but it would not provide service to Durham. He said because more money is put into the budget for the northeastern, northwestern zonal routes, as well as the southern expansion, money is then taken away from the Efland- Hillsborough Commuter Service, and this service would not exist. Bret Martin reviewed the chart titled Mix and Match: Option #3 and he said all of the chart items highlighted in Orange are mix and match options. He said this plan has been put together very conservatively, only assuming revenue made available by Triangle Transit. He referenced the ranked chart of unfunded concepts that might be implemented in the event of additional funding. Craig Benedict said this proposal assumes 100 percent funding from the Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan, and it is not using other sources that will likely be available. He said this means that perhaps there will not be so many unfunded priorities. Bret Martin said that Commissioner Gordon had posed some questions regarding assumed costs built into the program. He said Orange County Bus and Rail Investment Plan, when it was developed, assumed an OPT operating cost of$58 per hour. He said he has gone back and looked at OPT's budget for the past two fiscal years, as well as the County's indirect cost allocation plan. He said the $58 per hour figure was developed based on everything, including overhead, and operating costs. He said when talking about adding new service, the concern is about isolating the marginal costs of providing that service, which came out to be $45 per hour. Craig Benedict said this item will come back on a regular meeting agenda to proceed toward finite marketing of a program that would likely start in February of 2015. Commissioner Rich asked for more explanation of the demand response versus the deviated route. She said the demand response is an expensive trip. She asked if a bus is actually held for demand response use. Peter Murphy said all demand response trips are booked two days in advance and no buses are held. He said the two day notice allows for scheduling of drivers one day in advance. He said the difference between the demand and deviated routes is that you can put fixed route stops out there for deviated route service, and if there are no calls the bus only runs to those fixed stops. He said you can deviate off of this based off of calls that do come in. Commissioner Rich asked how much the deviated route costs versus the demand route. Peter Murphy said a price has not been set, but right now the charge for demand response services is $3 for those who are eligible. He said this is a subsidized service, and the cost that Medicaid and the general public pay is $12.75. Bret Martin said there is no true deviated fixed route for the general public now, so no fare is being charged. He said the idea of the program is to charge a higher fare for those who request a deviation than for those who are picked up at fixed stops. Craig Benedict reviewed the routes on a map. Commissioner Gordon referred to the public comments and noted that option 2 was in response to option 1. Bret Martin said additional comments had been received on the difference between option 1 and option 2, as it relates to the zonal routes. He said comments were focused on the availability and user friendliness of the US Highway 70 mid day service. Commissioner Gordon asked when staff will get the full cost and revenue picture. Commissioner Gordon said the importance of the $58 versus $45 is that in the bus and rail plan Orange County received a certain number of hours over a certain amount of time. She said this amount was based on the cost of$58 per hour. She said the question is whether this number of hours changes based on cost effectiveness. She wants to know if they will get the hours they were promised. Bret Martin referred to her first question about revenue sources. He believes some 5307 funding will be available through the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) for capital to provide the service. He does not see there being much available here for operating assistance. Bret Martin said on the Burlington Graham MPO side, there is about $1.9 million available annually for use in that area. He said this area extends pretty far into Orange County and includes Mebane and Efland. He said services that involve this area can take advantage of still being part of the Burlington's MPO. He has sent a request for funding for three buses and for operating assistance in the amount of$90,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2016. He said staff has also requested that Orange County be a State Maintenance Assistance Program recipient, which would involve up to $130,000 annually. He said all of these funding sources are being sought, but there is no indication of what will be received. Craig Benedict said the money that is being apportioned through the Bus and Rail Investment Plan is not done by hours. He said this is apportioned according to the percentage of how much revenue comes in. He said 64 percent of the money goes to Chapel Hill, 24 percent to Triangle Transit, and 12 percent to OPT. He said the target is to turn 4,000 hours into about 7,000 hours, based on the lower cost per unit. Commissioner Pelissier referred to the grant that was just announced at the MPO and said that the County has to match $32,500. She asked where this money will come from. Bret Martin said staff was able to work with the Department on Aging to put together some creative financing. He said they will use a federal grant source that is not a US Department of Transportation grant as the match. Commissioner Pelissier said the grant also stated that there will be a volunteer driver program established. She asked how this will fit into the deviated zonal routes. Bret Martin said this program is only successful if there are willing participants to provide rides at specific times for people who need them. He said once this program is off the ground it could reduce the demand for these rural zonal routes, because there are other opportunities that are more one on one to provide that service. Craig Benedict said the volunteer drivers would pick up a rider in the rural area and take them directly to a fixed route. Bret Martin said the 5310 grant specifies that it the volunteer driver program still has to be a shared ride situation, so drivers still have make their vehicles available to provide more than one ride at a time. Commissioner Pelissier said funding comes every year from the Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP), and some of this goes to disabilities and some to the general public. She said it is important to see what people are being served from other funding sources as opposed to the half cent sales tax. Commissioner Pelissier said she does not have a sense of how the ROAP funding has been allocated. She asked if this is what is being used for the Sportsplex. Bret Martin said ROAP funds EdTAP, which provides transportation for the elderly and disabled to medical appointments. He said there is also funding for Rural General Public (RGP). Commissioner Pelissier said the Hillsborough circulator can take forever to get from point A to point B. She asked why there has not been consideration of starting a route in the opposite direction. Bret Martin said this has been considered, but it is not in the funded program. He said that is a very expensive, high ticket item. Craig Benedict said this would be another 2,500 hours per year, and the total amount of hours available is only 7,000 hours. He said this will be put on the list for funding in the event of additional funding. Bret Martin said this is listed in the unfunded priorities as "expand the Hillsborough circulator service to half hour headways." He said in FY 2013 OPT provided over 18,000 service hours, and in FY 13 they provided 16,336. He said this program involves 7,300 new hours, and about 2500 of the total hours are fixed routes, and everything else is demand response or contracted. Commissioner Pelissier asked if most of the demand response service is paid for by Medicaid or ROAP money. Craig Benedict said yes. Commissioner Price asked if any TARPO funds will be used in the expansion to the southern region. Bret Martin said no. He said TARPO does not control any transit funding. He said the state has made a policy decision not to give section 5311 funding for operating assistance to systems that are not regionally consolidated. Commissioner Price asked if there has been much discussion about going from Durham Tech campuses and/or providing free fares for students. Bret Martin said these services would service Durham Tech in Orange County only. He said there has not been discussion about free fares for students. Commissioner Rich said a request was made at the work group to make sure there was transparence as to how the half cent sales tax is being used. She said there was a request to put this on the transit websites. She would like for the County citizens to be aware of this as well. She would like to see this information on the County website. Commissioner Gordon said she recommends they do option 2. She said this would allow the loop service to be prioritized as the number one thing on the unfunded priority list. She said option 1 does not have much for the Southern part of the County, and option 2 does. She said it is really helpful to get a one hour headway, and this would be a benefit to Mebane, Efland, and Hillsborough. She said it is important to have some of this funding go to the southern part of the County. Commissioner McKee said he would also support option 2. He said this removes the Efland to Hillsborough commuter loop, but he hopes this can eventually be built back in as revenues increase. He said it does not seem quite fair, if service will be extended into rural areas, that it not be done Countywide, and option 2 accomplishes this. Commissioner Pelissier said she would like a modified version of option 2. She would like to make the three zonal routes only one day a week, and to put in the Efland/Hillsborough commuter loop. Commissioner Price said she is in favor of option 2. She said doing only one day a week just continues to isolate people. She said twice a week would be the better option. Commissioner Price said she hoped to find a way to do a demand response service for those who don't have the funds to pay the $12.75 fee. She said these are usually the people who need it. Commissioner Price said something needs to be done about service to Durham Tech in Durham. She said Durham will be offering the go-pass, which means that anyone there can get on the bus and go to Durham Tech at no cost. She suggested the same should be done here. Commissioner Rich said she likes option 2, but she is intrigued with what Commissioner Pelissier said about doing studies regarding the two day a week route. She said her concern is taking out the loop at the expense of putting extra days in for a northern route. She would like to see some review and flexibility of this, and she asked how long it would take to get this. Bret Martin said the service standards being adopted would be for 12 months notice of the routes to the public and then evaluation of data after 6 months of service. He said this means it would take 18 months total. Craig Benedict said if some of these grants come in it might be possible to implement the commuter loop within the next year. Chair Jacobs said he agrees with Commissioner Pelissier and Commissioner Rich. He likes option 2, but he does not want to give up the Efland/Hillsborough commuter loop. Commissioner Gordon asked if the discussion is to go only one day a week for the zonal routes. Chair Jacobs said the staff asked for feedback on options, and it seems that there is a preference for option 2 with some combination. Commissioner porosin said it sounds like the consensus is option 2, with yes on the Hillsborough Loop. Commissioner Pelissier asked if the new grant could be used for the Efland Hillsborough circulator route. Bret Martin said this grant is only for one year, but he is confident that additional sources of revenue will be made available. Commissioner Gordon said when staff comes back with this, the zonal routes need to start with two days a week, and it is important to be fair to the both ends of the County. 2. Employee Benefits Updates and Preliminary Recommendations Reqardinq Benefits Effective January 1, 2015 Brenda Bartholomew said Mark Browder presented the renewal options for 2015. Mark Browder said he would be reviewing Attachment B, and the renewal estimate for the health plan. He discussed several PowerPoint slide spreadsheets. He said slide 15 is a reminder that the County transitioned from being fully insured to self funded. He said the budgetary numbers were left the same as they were in 2013. He said slide 16 is an experience review since the plan has been self-funded, and he pointed out the 1 percent change in cost from 2013. He said the plan is currently running well and at budget. Mark Browder said slide 17 shows renewal calculations. He said when all of the costs are wrapped into one amount, they equal a 13 percent increase for 2015. He said 5 percent of that increase is due to healthcare reform changes, which means the plan itself would only call for an 8 percent increase. He said there are two renewal options for the 2015 plan year, as outlined in the abstract and on slide 8: Option 1: Renewal of the current two plans, the Point of Service Plan (POS) and the High Deductible Plan (HDP), without any change to plan design for six-months. Employees will continue to pay 2014 rates for dependent coverage. The County will bear the increased cost for dependent coverage for the six-month renewal period. Option 2: Renewal of the two current plans with plan design changes to the Point of Service Plan, with a 9% increase for both plans. The change in plan design for the POS plan increases co-pays for office visits and prescription coverage. Employees will continue to pay 2014 rates and for dependent coverage. The County will bear the increased cost for dependent coverage for the six-month renewal period. Mark Browder said option 1 has no benefit design changes and has a 13 percent increase in cost. He said option 2 reflects a benefit design change to offer some relief on the renewal. He said there is a 5 dollar increase on the primary physician co-pay, and a 10 dollar increase on the specialist co-pay. He read through several changes to the pharmacy benefits. He said this option reflects a 9 percent increase in funding, and the rates and details are included on slide 19. Mark Browder said the staff recommendation on slide 20 is to transition the plan from being a calendar year plan to a fiscal year plan. He said this would align with the budget process, and it would provide an additional 6 months of claims data to prepare for the new plan year. Commissioner Rich said the pharmacy increases seem to be a large jump. Mark Browder said this is purely to help with cost relief. He said the $4, $45, and $60 co-pays are common within the County government plans. Chair Jacobs asked for an explanation of the pharmacy tiers. Mark Browder said tier 1 is typically for the low cost and generic medications; the second tier is for the preferred medications from a cost and efficacy perspective, and these are typically brand names. He said the third tier includes the most expensive medications. Commissioner Rich asked which tier birth control falls under. Mark Browder said these fall under tier one. Diane Shepherd said due to health care reform birth control is in the first tier or free. Commissioner porosin asked about the differences in the listed change percentages. Mark Browder said there were discussions on how to insulate employees from an increase in their premium cost structure. He said staff looked at what it cost for the County to bear the entire increase, and these numbers are reflected. Commissioner Rich asked if staff has looked into other insurance companies. Mark Browder said this has not been done for this year. He said United Healthcare was the most competitive in the past. He said if you look at the renewal based on the fully insured for this year, it would probably be a 4 to 5 percent higher cost structure. He said it is typically more cost effective to be self-funded, especially for the size of the group. Chair Jacobs asked if there would there be a point where it would make sense to pursue other companies. Mark Browder said this would usually be done every three years. Chair Jacobs said he knows there is not enough experience with the self-funded option yet. Bonnie Hammersley said staff will continue to look all of this. She said staff is also looking into an in-house clinic. She said the next six months will give a better track record to consider. Chair Jacobs thanked the staff for listening. He said this will not be exactly aligned with the budget adoption but it will be closer than 8 or 9 months out. Bonne Hammersley said she has experience with this, and it does become very much a part of the budget process. 3. Analysis of Non-Permanent Employees (Temporary Employees) Brenda Bartholomew said at their June meeting the Board of County Commissioners asked her to look at how the County was employing its temporary employees. She reviewed the following information from the abstract: Section 1: Definition of a Temporary Employee Subject to the provisions of the County Code of Ordinances Section 28-15 (b) a new temporary appointment may be made for up to six months and may be extended for six additional months, not to exceed a total of one year, except as provided in Subsection 28- 15(b)(3). Subsection 28-15(b) (3) states that the County Manager may approve the extension of a temporary appointment beyond one year: • When the employee regularly works 15 hours or less each workweek (as averaged on a monthly basis). In urgent circumstances where additional hours are necessary to continue critical services, the County Manager may approve additional hours in writing. For this purpose, critical services include such services as public safety and top priority goals of the County. • When the employee is working under an established academic internship program or work study program. ATTACHMENT A provides the referenced Ordinance and the Non-Temporary categories. Section 2: Rights of Temporary Employees Under Section 28-36 of the Code of Ordinances, it is the policy of Orange County to provide permanent employees both full-time and part-time (regularly scheduled at least 20 hours each workweek) with group health insurance. Temporary employees are considered non-permanent and are not eligible for health insurance. Section 3: Current Work Assignments of Temporary Employees There are varying uses of temporary employees, summarized as follows: • Employees work a regular work schedule for periods longer than six months to a year • Employees work within the duration of a grant time period • Employees work a defined time period, considered seasonal, may return year after year • Employees work on as needed basis or per diem (called when needed) • Employees are filling a position vacated because an employee is on leave • Employees are filling a need during the time period to process the filling of vacancies • Employees in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) (DSS youth employment grant) • Employees in the Work First Program, which services parents of children with little or no income The Board of County Commissioners may want to consider implementing a policy that determines the full status of any non-permanent temp employee over a 12 month measurement period as suggested under the affordable care act. There are 22 employees of the 300 temporary employees that worked more than 1,040 hours in FY 2013 - 2014, which represents 7.33% of the temporary population. Five of these temporary employees are County retirees from the BOCC (1), Health (1), Solid Waste (1), and the Sheriff's Office (2). Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers with 50 or more fulltime employees (including full-time equivalents) must offer all employees working an average of 30 hours per week or more in a month a health insurance coverage or pay penalties, effective January 1, 2015. The ACA measures full time status month by month. A seasonal employee who works an average of 30 hours per week during any month must be offered health care coverage for the month worked unless the employer takes certain actions. Employers subject to the employer mandate may adopt a "measurement period" longer than a month to measure the full time status of employees. This provides an average of hours worked recognizing seasonal and temporary employees. Additionally, the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees' Retirement System defines an employee" as any person who is regularly employed in a regular position, the duties of which require not less than 1,000 hours or more in a twelve-month period. Such employees are subject to membership in the retirement system and would be required to contribute 6% of all earnings to the Retirement System, and the County would contribute the required employer amount (currently 7.41%). Brenda Bartholomew said she does not think that Orange County is employing their temporary employees over the recommended hours. Commissioner porosin said there was a reference to 22 employees that worked more than part time hours and the fact that this has been fixed. He asked how this was fixed. Brenda Bartholomew said some of the temporary employees did not continue on into this fiscal year and some were made permanent during the last budget process. She said another issue with the departments was just bringing this matter to their attention and looking at the hours to consider whether a full time position was needed. Commissioner porosin asked what conclusion should be drawn. Brenda Bartholomew said she brought the positions that were of concern to the directors, and there was direction to follow the ACA and the County's policy. She said anyone seasonal or part time is called a temporary employee. She said a part timer is some one that works 20 hours or less on a regular basis, while a seasonal worker is employed only for a certain season, and then they are terminated once that season over. She said staff can look at better classifying these employees by title. Commissioner porosin asked about the large variation of the wages listed in attachment B. He asked how the hourly wage is set, and whether the salaries are related to the duties and the equivalent full time position. Brenda Bartholomew said a lot of the lower wages are for the seasonal workers or interns. She said the job responsibilities do measure up to the rates, and some are very specialized and may be done under a grant. She said the salaries are driven by the job Commissioner porosin asked if someone working for the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR) would make an hourly wage that would be equivalent pay to the full time salary. Brenda Bartholomew said yes. She noted that these figures represent wages from 2013-14, and the living wage was implemented in 2014-15. She said part time workers are paid nearly as much per hour as a permanent worker. Commissioner Rich asked how to ensure that employees and seasonal workers know about approved wage increases. She cited a specific instance of poll employees being unaware of an increase that had occurred. Brenda Bartholomew said she did send a memo out to all employees on this issue. Commissioner Price asked if there are ever issues with overtime. Brenda Bartholomew said only employees who work over 40 hours would be eligible for overtime. She said even employees hired for 20 hours, who work more than that are not eligible for overtime. She said these employees should not be consistently working over part time hours, and she would address issues like that to make sure there is no violation of the Affordable Care Act. She thinks that overall, temporary employees are being used appropriately. Chair Jacobs said it may be good to revise the language. Brenda Bartholomew said she would be in favor of that recommendation. Chair Jacobs said another issue is the 12 month definition. He said a department might try to help their budget by telling someone not to come in for a month. Brenda Bartholomew said you still look at 12 months past that employment. Chair Jacobs said he just does not want to use the 12 month definition to disadvantage the part time employees. Brenda Bartholomew said that is not the intent. She said the point is to look at the seasonal employees, and to insure them. Chair Jacobs said there may be a philosophical way of looking at whether or not there is some advantage to having permanent part time employees. He said there is a lot of time spent chopping down on personnel costs in a recession, and this would be an option where you don't have to go back and fill those open positions. He said the permanent part time employees may be a good way to provide a more equitable workplace. Annette Moore said there used to be permanent part time employees with benefits, and most of those were converted to full time positions, so that level was taken away. She said the ordinance can be changed to put this back in. Commissioner porosin said the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a huge step forward for their community. He thinks it is necessary to re-think the categories; if there are current part- time people working 20 hours and it is a position that is needed all the time, then that should not be considered a temporary position, and it should be a category. Commissioner porosin said there is another category of temporary full time and 30 hour employees, as well as seasonal employees. He thinks the one month standard should be used, and if an employee works 30 hours a week for a month or two months, they should receive benefits. He said the County should be setting the moral high ground for employers. He likes the idea of a modified benefit for permanent part-time employees. He thinks that is a critical stand that should be taken on this issue. Commissioner Rich said the concept is interesting but it could be a logistical nightmare for the employer and employee. She said it could be a problem for an employee to receive benefits for 3 months and then have to go back on the affordable care plan. She wonders if there is a way to help them with their affordable care plan in a way that does not disrupt service and create logistical issues. Brenda Bartholomew said most of the seasonal employees have health insurance with their parents or another venue, although they could certainly waive out of it if there was another option. Commissioner Pelissier said she is heartened by the discussion. She noted that some counties are doing the opposite by reducing employee's hours in the face of the ACA, while Orange County is embracing it and not trying to save money on the backs of the employees. Brenda Bartholomew apologized if the Commissioners felt the ACA was portrayed in a negative light. Commissioner porosin said he just wants it to go on record that he and his colleagues embrace the ACA because of the good it does for the people in need in the community. Bonnie Hammersley said one of the things she has heard is the need to look at the titling of these positions. She said the positions will be monitored heading into the budget to see if they are all needed. 4. Update on Strateqic Communications Plan (SCP) Cheryl Young said this is an update of the Strategic Communications Plan (SCP). She said the Board moved forward in June with a contract with Rod Visser to facilitate a strategic communications workgroup, and he is here to give an update. Rod Visser said the team has met six times in the last six weeks, and the group has been a pleasure to work with. He said there is excellent commitment and good discussion. He expressed appreciation to Cheryl Young for her help. He noted the attachments developed by the team and included in the abstract, which includes: working outline, draft statement of purpose and goals, and a matrix of working information. Rod Visser said a memo from Commissioner Gordon is also included, which outlines the communication goals and the goals of the Board of County Commissioners. He said the team has worked on the Board of County Commissioners' priorities. He said the final attachment is a preliminary inventory of potential communication tools being envisioned as an appendix to the recommended plan. He said this report tonight does not reflect any final recommendations. Rod Visser said the group decided to draft the communications plan during the scheduled team meetings, versus using a subcommittee outside of the regular meetings. He said a matrix was chosen that had been used in another department's communication plan development. He said the team has been discussing various plan elements, while decisions are recorded on a worksheet and edited in a live setting. He said attachments A and B reflect these efforts. He said the team will continue to work on incorporating the Board's priorities as it decided how to flesh out the plan. Rod Visser said the team is also working with a set of elements suggested by the manager. He said the work will be crafted into a narrative form to be reviewed and edited and the recommended plan will be brought back for Board consideration. He said the goal, as articulated by Commissioner Rich, is to emerge with a plan to allow everyone to correctly message the Board of County Commissioners, which will allow the Board to correctly message its citizens. Commissioner Gordon said this started with the outline on page 3, and she would like to know if this is what the Board is interested in covering and if this is organized in the way they would like to see it. She said attachment B shows the approach, and there are worksheets to make them consider all aspects of the plan. She said the last attachment is something she was asked to put together. She wonders if the part that lists the overall goals and role of the Board of County Commissioners would fit into the top category on page 5. Commissioner Gordon said if anyone wants to comment on the roles of the Board of County Commissioners or the manager or the Public Information Officer (PIO) that would be helpful. She said overall she would like to know if the Board feels that this group is going in the right direction. Commissioner Rich said this was purposefully made to be not too detailed, in order to receive feedback from the Board on the direction. She feels that the 8 week timeframe is not sufficient, and she would request more time. Commissioner McKee said this seems is very inclusive in covering the different areas that need to be hit. He agreed that eight weeks is a tight schedule. He said he does not have a problem with the group defining the end point. Commissioner Rich asked Commissioner McKee if he finds the matrix helpful. Commissioner McKee said the committee should use what they are most comfortable with in order to get the result they need. Commissioner Pelissier said she likes the matrix, and it defines what is being accomplished. She said timelines sometimes don't work, and if this takes longer than 8 weeks it is fine by her. She just wants to see a really good product. Commissioner Price said she liked the matrix and the outline. She suggested a language edit to include a specific mention of hearing impaired challenged. She also suggested the addition of a County app for phones under the listing of potential tools. Chair Jacobs said he talked with Jeff Thompson about handicapped accommodations in the County buildings, and it got him thinking about how poorly equipped the buildings were for the visually impaired and handicapped. He said a phone app might work to help guide people to the proper offices, and he thinks this technology exists Chair Jacobs said he also agrees that it is important to get this done right, rather than to get it done fast. Commissioner Gordon said the question was whether the Board wants their communication plan to be in a matrix or to have text and then matrixes to flesh it out. Chair Jacobs referred to the outline and said you can follow this framework and then for each messenger you could have a table, or you could do it for the entire item. He said this is up to the group. Commissioner Gordon said it would be a good idea to come back to the Board of Commissioners with some kind of update on November 6th. She said an extension could then be given based on need. She asked if there are any suggestions regarding the role of the PIO. Chair Jacobs said the Board can send comments to Cheryl Young. Bonnie Hammersley said one of the decisions she made was that neither she nor the PIO would be involved in this process since this plan would guide their work. She said she did direct the PIO to assess the needs of individual departments related to communication as things move forward. Commissioner porosin asked if it is true that neither Bonnie Hammersley nor the PIO are participating in this work. Bonnie Hammersley said that is correct. Commissioner porosin said it seems counter intuitive not to have them on this committee. He said these two roles are the hub around which this is going to work, and the plan relies on hierarchal structure. Bonnie Hammersley said she is not participating in the meetings, but she is working closely with Rod Visser and Cheryl Young. She said she and the PIO see this as something that will be a working document and a guide for them. She said this is an opportunity to step back and let the people who need the services communicate what they need. Commissioner porosin said if there was a committee assessing how he would have to do his job, he feels they would need to know how he does it now and what works for him and what does not. Chair Jacobs asked if the group could invite the relevant people to attend a meeting to express their vision. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Bonnie Hammersley said she has participated in giving some guidance and expectation. Cheryl Young said the County Manager provided a list of what she would like to see in a communications plan. Commissioner Rich said the Manager was asked to fill in a portion of the matrix. She said there is back and forth communication. Commissioner Price referred to the timeline. She asked what procedure or protocol is in place now in terms the chain of command if a crisis should happen. Bonnie Hammersley said she would be the main contact for any kind of communications in a crisis and she would involve all that need to be involved. She said a plan would be put together to get information out as soon as possible. Commissioner Price asked who she should call in the event of a flood, fire or other emergency. Bonnie Hammersley said she should call the County Manager. She said there is a call tree that she will share with the Commissioners. Commissioner Gordon said there were questions during the flood about whether Chapel Hill or the County was the prime contact. Commissioner Gordon said they were not sure what Bonnie Hammersley asked the PIO to do with the assessment from the departments and how it relates to the work of the group. Bonnie Hammersley said this information will be shared with the group once it is complete. She said a call tree has been put together amongst the towns and the County by the SWAG group and this can be used by anyone. Chair Jacobs asked if it is reasonable to ask the Strategic Communications Group to handle the emergency information first. Bonnie Hammersley said they would be happy to do that. She said she and Jim Groves have been working on a virtual meeting plan that she would be happy to share. She did not realize the Board did not know what would happen in the event of an emergency. Chair Jacobs said he assumes this would include a plan for how to communicate when everyone can't be in one room. Commissioner Gordon said she filled out the Board of County Commissioners matrix in response to a request from the group. She read some specific questions and statements, and she asked if high level input is desired. Chair Jacobs said they had a retreat two years ago that was dedicated to communication. He suggested this might be interesting information to look back at, and it expresses the will of the Board. Commissioner Gordon said the group will review the background information and the interviews Rod Visser did with the Commissioners. 5. Potential Bond Issuance and Debt Capacity Clarence Grier reviewed some of the following background information from the abstract: Over the past fiscal year, the Board of County Commissioners has discussed the need for a future bond referendum to fund some County and school long-range capital needs. As recently discussed by the Board of County Commissioners and both school districts (Chapel Hill — Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools), part of the incentive for going forward with a potential general obligation bond referendum is the repair, renovation, and upgrading of existing and older school facilities. The County maintains excellent bond ratings. S&P -AAA Fitch -AAA Moody's —AAA The issuance of debt for two of the County's largest projects most recently discussed — New County Jail Facility and Middle School #5 for the Chapel Hill - Carrboro City School District— total a combined $73.2 million dollars, and both projects are included in the current County Capital Investment Plan for the fiscal years 2015 - 2020. It is not anticipated that the new jail project will be included in a potential general obligation bond referendum, but would be financed with alternative financing. Orange County Schools has indicated the need for a new Elementary #8. That project is not scheduled until FY 2021-2022, but could be a potential project for inclusion in a potential bond referendum. Additionally, as previously mentioned, both school districts have older facility needs totaling approximately $330 million that could potentially be addressed in part with a general obligation bond referendum. Additionally, in order to afford additional debt, the County would potentially have to increase the property tax rate 2.82 cents for the new debt service. This projected tax increase would not include 1) any future other operating expenditure increases or 2) any future operating expenditure increases related directly to the new facilities and schools being built. Based on current projects included in the County's Capital Investment Plan and future debt service, the County could afford additional debt of the following after FY2018 — 19: Fiscal Year Capacity 2016 $34,762,073 2017 21,359,811 2018 29,089,027 2019 11,405,556 2020 17,808,611 Total $114,425,078 The Board of County Commissioners will need to finalize its decisions regarding outstanding issues such as the need for a future jail and school, and any other potential projects that would be financed with alternative financing and an approved bond referendum. Furthermore, the decision to start an educational campaign and appoint a Capital Needs Advisory Task Force will need to be completed as soon as possible. Clarence Grier said there is not a financial impact with the information being provided. There will be a financial impact in future years as decisions are made to proceed with a bond referendum and issuing debt for future County and School projects. All projects that are being considered are currently in the County's Capital Investment Plan. It is currently expected that projects totaling $100 million will be financed with the issuance of general obligation or limited obligation bonds over a period not to exceed 20 years. At current municipal bond interest rates, the total combined debt service is estimated to be $6.1.million annually. This would represent 4.00 cents on the current property tax rate. Based the County current budget and budgeted revenues, the County could afford an additional $25,000,000 of additional general obligation debt capacity for a potential bond referendum if General Fund revenues remain consistent. At current municipal bond interest rates, the total combined debt service for $125 million is estimated to $7.6 million annually. This would represent 4.67 cents on the current property tax rate. Clarence Grier said as a result of the budget being $200 million staff wanted to look at debt capacity again to see how much additional could be afforded on a bond referendum. He said $10 million was appropriated, so the revenue was $100 million to pay for debt service on the bond. He said the revenues for the 2013/14 fiscal year were approximately $196 million. He said there was a property tax increase of 2 cents, which will add an additional $3.2 million, so the total expected revenue is approximately $197 to $199 million. Clarence Grier discussed the school needs, and said there has also been a request for an additional building on the Durham Tech Orange County campus, as well as needs for affordable housing. He referred to the listing of fiscal year debt capacity. He said, based on what we know now, he would estimate that the County can afford $125 million in debt capacity. He said he will work on whatever the Board would like to do. He said the additional $25 million would add about $1.6 million, based on current interest rates and property tax rates. Clarence Grier said he took the existing debt service in the current County budget and then added on debt service and the new County jail. He reviewed the numbers listed in the spreadsheet Attachment A. He said this basically says that the $10 million in appropriated fund balance may not need to be used. He said the policy for debt service is 15 percent of general fund expenditures and there will potentially be $29 million available. He said right now there is additional debt service capacity of$3.4 million. Clarence Grier said the assumption is that revenues grow at least 1 percent each year. He said the jail is listed at $2 million and the debt service on the jail would not be $2 million. He said there have been discussions that the jail may actually be only half of the amount listed in the CIP, which would free up an additional $15 million in debt capacity. He said this is in the early stages, so it is hard to estimate what can be afforded until all of the components are known. He said if revenue grows or projects are downsized, it frees up debt capacity. Clarence Grier said he would like to highlight that in 2025, their total debt capacity goes up $100 million, and this is based on revenues increasing 1 cent per year and no property tax increase. He said the biggest thing is to structure the bond package to meet the needs that everyone has. He said with the credit ratings and low rates, there should not be an issue with increasing the debt service. Chair Jacobs said if there is going to be a bond committee the timeline would partially dictate what could be put in a bond. He said establishing this will provide guidance to the group. Clarence Grier said he agrees that time is of the essence. He said he also forgot to note that Bob Jessup would bring back a detailed analysis of capital after the first of the year. Commissioner porosin said if staff goes back to the Local Government Commission (LGC) for approval of more than $150 million, and then they decide to go with less, it will not be necessary to go back to the LGC again. He said the amount can always be scaled back but not up. He said it might be the best plan to make a ceiling and then get a green light. Clarence Grier said even if there is a voter approved referendum there are 7 years after that to issue the debt. He said it may be better to have a series of bond referendums and split them up. Chair Jacobs said they have talked about doing that with the older school facility needs. Commissioner Gordon asked for clarification on what the general assembly has said about when they can have a referendum. Clarence Grier said he does not remember the general assembly passing that item, but the plan is to have this on a major election in May or November of 2016. Bob Jessup said the election law changes included a provision that said counties can only have a bond referendum in even years and only on primary or general election dates. Commissioner Gordon asked if staff has to inform the LGC of the specifics on what they are doing when asking for formal approval. Clarence Grier said they have to be specific as to what they are going to do with the debt issuance. Commissioner Gordon said as long as interest rates remain low, they can use alternative financing instead of a bond referendum. She said this process is a balancing act. Commissioner Rich asked for clarification on the sequence of the process. Clarence Grier said staff will ask the LGC first, in order to determine how much can be approved. Chair Jacobs said he feels that the committee should decide the needs not the amount. He said if interest rates are low, the committee structure can then be used to talk about things like affordable housing. He said at least everyone can be at the table to decide a common purpose. Chair Jacobs asked Clarence Grier to do a review of the 2001 bonds, including the percentage by which they were approved; the size of the budget then; and whether they did a 7 cent increase due to bonds. He said a lot of the tax increases are due to voter approved bonds. Chair Jacobs asked Bonnie Hammersley for an agenda or timeline for a May 2016 bond, as well as an identification of what the categories would be. He would like to see this before the break in December. Chair Jacobs said in his opinion Durham Tech is not ready for County to give them money until there is a strategic plan in place for their property. He would like to see them be more coordinated. Clarence Grier said over the past year, he has had more calls about bonds from competing interests. Commissioner Gordon said the committee needs to be told the total amount of money for the bond, and then they can decide the needs. She said this will be the cleanest way to do it. Chair Jacobs asked staff for an assimilation of what was said tonight to be presented at the September 30th meeting with the school boards. He thinks the school board needs to know what the process is, and he would like to hear their priorities. A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded Commissioner Rich to adjourn the meeting at 9:54 pm. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Barry Jacobs, Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board