HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-06-2014 - 6aSUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT:
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: November 6, 2014
Action Agenda
Item No. 6 -a
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, 245 -2130
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PURPOSE: To correct and /or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below:
September 30, 2014
October 2, 2014
BOCC Joint Meeting with School Boards
BOCC Joint Meeting with Fire Departments
BACKGROUND: In accordance with 153A -42 of the General Statutes, the Governing Board
has the legal duty to approve all minutes that are entered into the official journal of the Board's
proceedings.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
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Attachment 1
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3 DRAFT
MINUTES
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
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CHAPEL HILL - CARRBORO BOARD OF EDUCATION
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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
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JOINT MEETING
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September 30, 2014
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10 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint session with the Chapel
11 Hill — Carrboro Board of Education and the Orange County Board of Education on Tuesday,
12 September 30, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, N.C.
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14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Barry Jacobs and Commissioners Alice M.
15 Gordon, Mark Dorosin, Bernadette Pelissier, Earl McKee, Renee Price and Penny Rich
16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
17 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT:
18 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Assistant County
19 Managers Clarence Grier and Cheryl Young, and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other
20 staff members will be identified appropriately below)
21 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Steve Halkiotis,
22 and Board Members Tom Carr, Lawrence Sanders. Interim Superintendent Del Burns was also
23 present.
24 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ABSENT: Tony McKnight, Brenda
25 Stephens, Donna Coffey, Rosa Williams
26 CHAPEL HILL - CARRBORO CITY SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS
27 PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice Chair Mia Burroughs and Board Members James
28 Barrett, Mike Kelly, Andrew Davidson, Michelle Brownstein and Annetta Streater.
29 Superintendent Tom Forcella was also present.
30 CHAPEL HILL - CARRBORO CITY SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS ABSENT:
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32 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m.
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34 1. Welcome and Opening Remarks - Chair Bedford, Chair Halkiotis and Chair Jacobs
35 Chair Jacobs welcomed everyone and noted that this is the first joint school board
36 meeting that will be televised. He said this is a great step in making meetings accessible to the
37 public.
38 Chair Halkiotis thanked the Board of County Commissioners for what they do for
39 children in Orange County to fund their schools.
40 Chair Halkiotis said the schools will be facing challenges in the years to come. He
41 discussed upcoming cuts to the drivers' education program. He said the schools will continue
42 to need the support of the Commissioners in the future.
43 Chair Jacobs said the Commissioners are proud of both school systems. He said
44 support of the schools is the most essential thing the Board does.
45 Chair Halkiotis said he has had more communication with Chair Bedford than ever
46 before, and they discussed honoring the Board of County Commissioners for their efforts to
47 support the school systems. He said the two school systems have joined together to pull
48 together information and nominate the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for the
49 annual achievement award given by the School Board Association in November.
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Chair Bedford said Mike Kelly suggested that this be done collaboratively, and she
appreciates working with Orange County schools to make this nomination.
Introductions were made.
2. Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) — Overview of Approved FY 2014 -15
Budget
Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Superintendent Tom Forcella said he and
Todd Lofrese would be presenting the budget information. He reviewed a PowerPoint
presentation on the following information.
• Where We Were
Obstacles overcome
Tough decisions
Success stories
• Where We Are
Current challenges
Strategic plan update
Instructional excellence
• Where We Will Be
Compensation model
Tough decisions
Future focus
Tom Forcella said much of what the school systems do is dependent on people, and it is
important to make sure the organizational structure is as good as it can be. He said the
Greenhouse project was a project to gather information and input from students, parents,
administrators, teachers and community members.
He said the district has had a problem for many years with trying to eliminate the
achievement gap, as well as issues with curriculum work and how this related to the common
core and how to prepare for it.
Tom Forcella said the district has been spending more time on discipline in the schools,
and the latest figures have shown reductions in discipline referrals, especially in the minority
groups.
He said the next goal is a full court press on efforts for academic achievement for
minority students. He said the Equal Opportunity Schools program has really made a
difference. He said a dashboard has been created to identify minority students who have not
enrolled in honors and AP classes. He said there have been efforts to enroll more of these
students in the honors and AP classes and provide support and pre- teaching to allow a better
chance for success.
Tom Forcella said Chapel Hill High School was just recognized as the only
comprehensive high school in North Carolina on Newsweek's Top 500 High Schools.
Tom Forcella said the rhetoric and the lack of resources that have come out of Raleigh
have created a challenge. He said the most recent national study put N.C. teachers at the
bottom (51S) as far as how they feel and how they are paid. He said this is one more thing that
teachers hear about, and it sets them back. He said there have been recruiting difficulties, and
the district had a challenging time finding teachers at the first of the year, although the district is
fully staffed now.
I Michelle Brownstein arrived at 7:22:47 p.m.
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3 Tom Forcella said their entire instructional plan is based on instructional excellence. He
4 said this is rooted in the principle of a growth mindset, which believes that all students have the
5 ability to achieve at much higher levels, given proper instruction; classrooms that focus on
6 thinking and problem solving; teachers who plan effectively; a coordinated curriculum; and best
7 instructional practices. He said this is the charge of the long range plan.
8 Tom Forcella said there is a requirement that every school district in N.C. must create a
9 merit based pay plan for submission to the legislature by January 15th. He said this has been
10 altered so that districts can sign off and not submit a plan. He said there have been
11 conversations with staff about what can be done to make a difference, and why the current plan
12 is based on years of experience versus professional growth, collaboration and what is going on
13 in the classrooms. He said they are looking at a system that does not use merit based pay that
14 pits one teacher against another, but instead provides opportunities for staff for leadership and
15 career advancement. He said the goal is to create a system to sustain the good work that they
16 do.
17 Tom Forcella said the state's effort to create a merit based program is actually providing
18 an opportunity for the district to create a system that looks a lot better. He said the state has
19 said they will accept 7 -10 pilot programs, and the district hopes to submit and be one of those
20 professional growth plans.
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22 Todd Lofrese expressed appreciation for the additional local support from the
23 Commissioners and the Orange County tax payers. He presented the following PowerPoint
24 budget slides:
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26 Budget Highlights
27 Strong local support helped buffer continued state reductions
28 We no longer have positions on fund balance
29 Most teachers received a sizable raise (average -5.5 %)
30 All employees were provided the equivalent of a 3% increase
31 Funded signing bonuses for critical needs
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33 Budget Lowlights
34 Continued state reductions in the areas of central office, transportation, at -risk, and
35 teacher assistants
36 Signing bonuses: State raise announced too late
37 Teacher turnover at 15.8 %, highest since 1998
38 Reductions needed to balance:
39 - Central Office (salaries, 1 PT position, contracted services)
40 - Delayed Guidance Program Review
41 - Part -Time Gifted Specialists (11 PT positions)
42 - Teacher Assistants (22 FT positions)
43 - Part -Time Custodians (15 PT positions)
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45 State Funding Changes Since 2008 -09
46 Total appropriations up $60 Million
47 Salary and benefit costs up $1.3 Billion
48 Net impact: Classrooms reduced by over $1 Billion
49 Loss of teacher positions, teacher assistant positions, administrative positions, supplies,
50 and support
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2 Future Budget Development
3 Focused on our strategic plan
4 Better starting point
5 Expect more pressure from future state reductions
6 — Enrollment growth
7 — Teacher assistants
8 — Driver education
9 Potential for barriers with future revenues
10 Mindful of the older school facility needs
11 Continued collaboration and information sharing with County Commissioners and OCS
12
13 Todd Lofrese referred to a spreadsheet outlining the state allotment formulas. He noted
14 that the 2012 -13 allotment was 1 teacher for every 21.6 students, and budget reductions
15 changed this to 23.4 students in 2013 -14. He said the teacher assistant (TA) funding is
16 heading in the wrong direction, and he noted that funding for this has been reduced from
17 $1,182 per student to $939 in 2013 -14.
18 Commissioner Dorosin asked for more specific information about salary supplements
19 and how Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools ( CHCCS) compares with Orange County Schools
20 (OCS) and Durham County.
21 Todd Lofrese said CHCCS has a competitive salary supplement that ranges from 12
22 percent to 25 percent, based on years of experience. He said the district is looking to move
23 away from this longevity model. He believes CHCCS may be a bit higher than OCS in this
24 area. He said the district is competing with Wake County Schools and may still have a slight
25 edge over them.
26 He discussed the case of a teacher from Mississippi who moved here and took a
27 $10,000 pay cut, even after their supplement was given. He said this does not even factor in
28 the cost of living difference. He said she had masters pay as well. He said there are other
29 factors such as tenure that make recruitment difficult.
30 Commissioner Dorosin asked if Todd Lofriese would say that CHCCS is competitive
31 within the state.
32 Todd Lofrese said yes, CHCCS is competitive within the state, but North Carolina does
33 not produce enough teachers to meet the needs of the state, so it is necessary to recruit from
34 other states. He said Michigan used to be a recruiting source due to an excess of candidates,
35 but CHCCS is now unable to recruit there due to an inability to attract candidates because of
36 pay.
37 Commissioner Dorosin said he is trying to get a picture of the specific local challenges.
38 He said the state challenges affect everyone, but he would like a picture of particular local
39 strategies that are working well or need to be revisited.
40 Todd Lofrese said the signing bonuses were a stop gap measure, and these may be
41 done again next year. He said the idea of changing their model to allow teachers to move up
42 more quickly from a personal, professional and financial perspective is another strategy that
43 may help.
44 Tom Forcella said CHCCS is below both Durham and Wake County in terms of
45 supplement, so that is the rationale for looking at the system and the model.
46 Commissioner Price asked how the cuts in custodial services will affect quality in the
47 schools.
48 Todd Lofrese said this will not affect the quality of their schools, as more than half of the
49 schools had already operated with a contracted evening service and district employees during
50 the day. He said this change only adds three more schools to that process.
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Commissioner Price asked if people are losing jobs.
Todd Lofrese said the district originally anticipated 15 layoffs, but this was reduced to 9.
He said these were part time employees, and this was not their primary source of income. He
said staff has run out of places to cut, and the other options were no better. He said this was
the least bad decision that could be made.
Commissioner Price asked if these employees had been advised to go to the County
office.
Todd Lofrese said arrangements were made with the contracted evening cleaning
companies for these day employees to interview for jobs. He said the employee information
was also kept on file for possible future openings.
Commissioner Price asked about the reductions to the teachers for the gifted children.
Todd Lofrese said the district has a new gifted coordinator, and one of her priorities is to
work on strategies to make sure these children are getting what they need. He said all of the
district schools still have a full time gifted specialist.
Commissioner Pelissier said given the focus on closing the achievement gap, she would
like to understand more about the funding for at risk students.
Todd Lofrese said the state level cuts were not a huge dollar amount, so this has been
absorbed locally, and the same services and programs are being provided.
2. Orange County Schools (OCS) — Overview of FY 2014 -15 Budget
Interim Superintendent Del Burns said this is an update rather than an overview, since
the budget has not been adopted yet, and the impact of the state changes is still being
analyzed. He said OCS has not had to reduce personnel, services or programs, and he does
not anticipate that this will be needed. He said this is due in large to the Board of County
Commissioners and the hard work of the Board of Education. He said there have been slight
reductions to central office administration, transportation, teacher assistants, and at -risk funds.
He said these have been very nominal and have been absorbed.
He said due to the manner in which the teachers were allotted this year and the
projected growth, the district was able to preserve teacher assistants.
Interim Superintendent Del Burns said the at -risk funding saw a minimal cut, and there
was a substantial amount of carry forward for this fund in the district. He said this has been
used, and there was no reduction.
He said their concern is how much investment can be made in programs, services and
personnel. He said different scenarios are being considered. He said one area of focus is
student growth, and the projected growth for this year was 197 students. He said the opening
of the new charter school has impacted this growth, and there will be a financial impact.
Interim Superintendent Del Burns said the OCS budget will be presented at their next
board meeting.
Commissioner Dorosin asked for more information about the charter school.
Interim Superintendent Del Burns said the projected number to attend the charter school
was 135, and this was at the elementary level. He said this is the level where the OCS
numbers did not meet the state projection.
Chair Jacobs asked for an explanation of the way in which the legislature changed the
enrollment projection for next year and how this affects the budget process.
Interim Superintendent Del Burns said there may be a planning allotment for the next
fiscal year; however, the ADM growth funding has now been moved from continuation budget to
expansion budget, and it will have to fight among all of the other budget items. He said this
does not mean that it will not be funded, but it is not a continuation.
He said his understanding is that the Department of Public Instruction is trying to
determine how they might provide a projection. He said absent this it will be a challenge to
I decide what to base the budget for the subsequent year on. He said there is not a clear path at
2 this time.
3 Tom Forcella said the concern is the same for CHCCS, and this impacts their planning
4 for the future.
5 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said if growth is not funded, increased class sizes will
6 be a result; and the ratio for Teacher Assistants to students will change. He said the areas that
7 are funded by ADM will not lose money, but will not be provided additional appropriation to
8 maintain ratios.
9 Chair Jacobs thanked the superintendents for their input. He said the public needs to
10 know that there have been ramifications beyond the money for teacher raises.
11 Commissioner Price asked if there are any charter schools that go beyond 8th grade.
12 Staff said it is possible that Orange Charter does.
13 Commissioner Price said she is just considering the possible impact once these
14 students graduate and come into the school system. She asked if any impact is being seen at
15 the secondary level.
16 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said no impact has been seen at the secondary level
17 yet. He said the state looks at the higher of the first or second month in determining the
18 allotment that comes to the school system, and then there is no adjustment after that. He said
19 this means that if private or charter schools students choose to return to public schools, the
20 state will not reconcile that number.
21 He said in the Orange County School District, the funding for charter schools is
22 calculated monthly and provided. He said this means that if the number changes, at least the
23 district does not have to send as much money to the charter school.
24 Tom Forcella said CHCCS has one charter school (PACE) and the schools charter was
25 revoked, but the decision was appealed. He said the school has opened this year, but there
26 has not been a lot of change in student numbers.
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28 3. Update on Cross - District Courses — Challenges and Opportunities
29 Chair Jacobs said this is a ten year old issue that came during the discussion of a
30 merger, and it came up again in a recent Commissioners' meeting. He said there is
31 information included in attachment 2a.
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33 Tom Forcella reviewed the following information from the abstract:
34 Cross - district enrollment: This has been explored and attempted previously. Logistical factors,
35 different school schedules, travel distances and the desire to participate in after school activities
36 led to extremely low participation. Even our middle college program has available slots and we
37 believe that a child's inability to participate in athletics is a major factor in the program's
38 underutilization. We are currently reviewing policy requirements and exploring whether we may
39 be able to facilitate middle college students participating in athletics. We are also exploring
40 technology solutions to provide greater access to unique course offerings and schedules. Both
41 districts also have access to North Carolina Virtual Public Schools to provide unique course
42 opportunities. Opportunities with Durham Tech continued to be explored, especially due to the
43 state support of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. Many exciting programs,
44 such as Project Lead the Way, are drawing students to enroll in more CTE courses. These
45 include bio- medical and engineering pathways courses. We want to maximize the use of these
46 funds and leverage the resources of
47 both organizations.
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49 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said, in addition to the logistical concerns, he has
50 found that kids want to stay with their friends.
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1 Chair Bedford said there was talk that was killed in committee at the general assembly
2 regarding inter - district enrollments. She said the district opposed this because the dollars did
3 not follow the child. She said a child would be able to enroll in any school district in the state,
4 and this would make facility planning extremely difficult. She said it would make it difficult to
5 support a bond issue if you knew that other citizens of the state were not paying those taxes.
6 She said it will be interesting to see if this comes back up for discussion.
7 Commissioner Dorosin said his concern is that there are courses offered in one school
8 and not in another, whether inter or intra districts. He is concerned about the idea of equal
9 education opportunities and access. He said it would be interesting to put all available high
10 school courses on a list and ask the high school students which courses they would like to take.
11 He said he does not want to create a solution for a problem that does not exist, but he knows
12 there are a multitude of AP classes that are only offered at Chapel Hill High, and these could be
13 made accessible to other students. He said the physical idea of moving students around is a
14 step further than needs to be considered right now. He would just like to know now if there are
15 students wanting to take particular courses that are not available at their school.
16 Tom Forcella said CHCCS allows students to take online courses that are not offered in
17 the school, and there are a lot of kids that take advantage of this. He said the challenge is that
18 there are classes that cannot be offered because there are too few students that want to take it.
19 He said it might be possible to have an inter - district class with the three high schools using
20 technology and one teacher. He said schools that have done this, have had the students get
21 together three or four times a year for a seminar to actually connect the people they are seeing
22 on the screen. He said this is being investigated internally right now.
23 Commissioner Dorosin said the idea discussed earlier, of open enrollment, has troubling
24 implications for the County Commissioners who would have to fund students from out of district.
25 He said there are already real problems with how schools are funded generally. He said this
26 issue highlights a huge disparity across the state depending on whether you are lucky enough
27 to live in a county with a high amount of taxable property, or you live in a county with a fraction
28 of the taxable property.
29 Chair Jacobs said neighboring Caswell County is an example of one of the poorest
30 counties in the state, and they would certainly benefit from having access to Orange County
31 schools; however this would open up a whole other set of questions regarding planning and
32 funding.
33 Commissioner Dorosin said this could not be grafted onto the current system. He said
34 there would have to be new statewide funding model.
35 Commissioner McKee said the abstract mentioned that opportunities with Durham
36 Technical Community College continue to be explored.
37 Penny Gluck, Executive Dean at the Durham Tech Orange County Campus, said she
38 would like for Durham Tech to be an answer to collaborative efforts for both the Orange County
39 and Chapel Hill schools systems. She said there are certainly opportunities for students from
40 both districts to look at college level courses. She suggested a work session to look at the
41 courses at all five high schools and how Durham Tech's pathways might be an answer.
42 Chair Halkiotis said historically the districts have been locked in with traditional
43 schedules versus block schedules and the resulting transportation issues. He thinks that
44 creative opportunities may be out there, and is worth setting up a group to explore these
45 opportunities, especially with Orange County.
46 He said there are some award winning courses in Orange County Schools, such as the
47 agricultural program and the furniture making program that cannot be done online.
48 Chair Halkiotis said there are students in Orange County from the Alamance Burlington
49 schools system, and he has wished for a regional program to provide services. He said there
50 has been discussion of this with the pre -k and exceptional children programs.
I Chair Halkiotis said this is a great opportunity to set up a group to examine this issue,
2 and he thinks Durham Tech Orange County campus is an important piece to the solution. He
3 suggested an expanded Middle College program.
4 Chair Bedford said CHCCS currently sends 12 students to the Durham Middle College
5 Campus, but transportation is a big issue. She said if there were facilities at the Orange County
6 site, enrollment would increase in a positive way.
7 Chair Jacobs said he is hearing that both school districts are willing to work with Durham
8 Tech to come up with ideas.
9 Chair Halkiotis said he would bring this back to the board for discussion, and he does
10 not see why it would not be supported.
11 Chair Jacobs said if this goes forward, a group could be populated by school board
12 members, staff, Durham Tech representatives, and one or two Commissioners.
13 Commissioner Dorosin said he would volunteer for this.
14 Commissioner McKee said he is glad to see willingness to move forward with this.
15 Chair Jacobs suggested that neighboring school boards might also be asked to
16 participate in the future.
17 Commissioner Price echoed what Penny Gluck said. She said there have been
18 discussions about the success seen in Middle College and how this might be expanded to the
19 Orange County campus. She said the numbers are increasing for students that graduate from
20 Durham Tech and go on to a four year college.
21 Chair Jacobs said this might be a more fruitful place to look to bring in other school
22 districts.
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24 4. Update on Living Wage — Affirming the Shared Goal
25 Chair Jacobs said Orange County recently raised their living wage, and this was
26 discussed at the school collaboration meeting. He said this is outlined on the back of
27 attachment 2a, page 4.
28 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said included in their May budget request by OCS was
29 a business case addressing the rate of pay for identified employees to reach the living wage
30 identified by Orange County government. He said the amount to fund this is $75,000, and this
31 will be brought forward in the proposed budget.
32 Tom Forcella said CHCCS had a study done on salaries for classified employees.
33 Todd Lofrese said there have been several years with no increase for classified
34 employees. He said this issue has been monitored, and in the past 15 years classified
35 employees have averaged 1.8 percent annually from the state, which is not keeping up with
36 inflation. He said this year all classified employees were provided with at least a 3 percent
37 increase in pay.
38 Todd Lofrese said the new classified employee study has just been completed and
39 results are being analyzed. He said there is a placeholder in the salary budget to implement
40 phase 1 of the adjustments, and then the balance will be discussed as part of the budget
41 process for next year. He said it is clear that this is an issue that will have to be addressed
42 locally.
43 Chair Jacobs asked if the CHCCS goal will be to pay the County living wage.
44 Todd Lofrese said that is an aspiration they should all seek.
45 Chair Jacobs said Orange County just upped the living wage to $12.77. He asked if this
46 will be the target for OCS.
47 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said that will be the target.
48 Commissioner Dorosin asked Todd Lofrese which employees CHCCS are being paid
49 below this living wage.
50 Todd Lofrese said he will get that information.
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1 Commissioner Dorosin said he would like to see that information. He would also like to
2 see what the (CHCCS) contracted employees are being paid. He would like to see this
3 information for all of the governmental entities.
4 Commissioner McKee said he would like to see a break down between full time and
5 part -time employees.
6 Commissioner Rich asked if OCS has any contracted employees.
7 Interim Superintendent Del Burns said yes
8 Commissioner Rich said she would like to see that information as well. She said The
9 Board of County Commissioners has had many discussions about making sure all employees,
10 salaried and contracted, are being treated fairly.
11 Chair Jacobs said Orange County can report information on its contracted employees as
12 well, so that everyone is in the same boat.
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14 5. Possible Bond Issuance for May 2016 or November 2016 Referendum
15 Chair Jacobs said a large part of the impetus for discussing this was the older school
16 facilities needs. He said this will not be bitten off in one bond issue, but it is time to get started.
17 Clarence Grier reviewed the following background information:
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19 Background: In recent meetings over the past fiscal year, the Board of County Commissioners
20 has discussed the need for a future bond referendum to fund some County and School long -
21 range capital needs. This item was also discussed at the September 16 2014 County /School
22 Collaboration Meeting. Due to recent changes enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly
23 related to the dates in which a general obligation bond referendum can be held, a general
24 obligation bond referendum can only be held on even numbered years.
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26 He said therefore, there are only two possible dates for the Board of County Commissioners to
27 conduct a voter approved general obligation bond referendum — May 2016 and November
28 2016. If not held at one of these dates, a potential general obligation bond referendum can only
29 be held in May 2018 or November 2018. Bob Jessup, Orange County Bond Counsel, and
30 Orange County staff have provided a schedule with a brief timeline comparison related to both
31 dates (Attachment a).
32 The previous time that Orange County held a general obligation bond referendum was in
33 November of 2001. The bond referendum totaled $75 million and the items included on the
34 referendum were as follows:
35 • School related projects totaling $47 million.
36 • Parks and Recreation projects totaling $20 million
37 • Senior Center projects totaling $ 4 million
38 • Low and moderate income projects (Affordable Housing) totaling $4 million
39
40 All of the individual items on the bond referendum passed in the November 2001 bond
41 referendum. The total bond referendum passed with an average approval rate of approximately
42 55 percent. Additionally, some of the steps included in the process to prepare for the general
43 obligation bonds referendum were as follows:
44
45 1. The Board of County Commissioners decided to proceed with a general obligation
46 bond referendum.
47 2. The Board of County Commissioners formed and appointed members to a Capital
48 Needs Task Force to make a recommendation as to the needs and components of the
49 bond referendum (See Attachment b).
50 3. Once the components of the general obligation bond referendum were decided, the
10
1 Board of County Commissioners appointed a Bond Education Committee to inform the
2 public of the purpose of and the components of the general obligation bond referendum
3 (Attachment c). Currently, the County and both School Districts (Chapel Hill— Carrboro City
4 Schools and Orange County Schools) have capital projects that would be included as part of
5 the general obligation bond referendum. Moreover, both school districts have older facility
6 needs totaling approximately $330 million that could potentially be addressed in part with a
7 general obligation bond referendum.
8
9 At the September 11, 2014 Board of County Commissioners Work Session, the recommended
10 sizing of the potential general obligation bond referendum was discussed at a range between
11 $100 and $125 million over a period of 20 years. At current AAA municipal bond interest rates,
12 the total combined debt service for $100 million is estimated to be $6.1.million annually. This
13 would represent 4.00 cents on the current property tax rate. At current AAA municipal bond
14 interest rates, the total combined debt service for $125 million is estimated to be $7.6 million
15 annually. This would represent 4.67 cents on the current property tax rate. Future debt capacity
16 for a potential general obligation bond referendum can increase or decrease due to the
17 following circumstances:
18 • Future increases or decreases in interest rates
19 • Future changes or modifications to the capital investment plans of the County and or
20 both School Districts (individually or collectively)
21 • Future changes of a legislative or regulatory nature
22
23 Clarence Grier said for the May 2016 date the process would need to start by August of
24 2015. He said for November 2016 date it would need to start around November or December
25 of 2015. He noted that the dates and steps for this process are outlined in the attachments.
26 Chair Jacobs asked about the ultimate tax impact
27 Clarence Grier said the tax impact for $100 million would be 4 cents on the current tax
28 rate, and $125 million would be 4.67 cents on the current tax rate.
29 Andrew Davidson asked about the ability to use staggered borrowing if a bond is
30 approved for a certain amount.
31 Clarence Grier said this can be done. He said in previous meetings there was
32 discussion of a bond schedule to initially issue $40 million, then an additional $35 million,
33 followed by the final $35 million. He said this would be staggered over two year periods of time.
34 He said this makes the debt service more affordable, so it does not have such a large impact
35 on the budget each year.
36 Commissioner McKee said this also staggers the tax increases.
37 Clarence Grier said yes. He said the County has a Triple A bond rating, so rates are
38 low. He said this will impact debt capacity and the debt service. He said a lot of debt service
39 will be declining and being paid off as soon as the debt is issued and staggered. He said,
40 depending on factors involved in selling the debt and paying off future debt, they will probably
41 be able to issue another $100 million within 7 years after the first bond.
42 Commissioner McKee said any tax increase associated with the bond would be above
43 any normal tax increase driven by increase in budget.
44 Clarence Grier said the tax increase would relate to just the debt service amounts.
45 Commissioner Gordon asked if there is any thought about when the Board of County
46 Commissioners should discuss which schedule needs to be followed.
47 Bonnie Hammersley said based on the timelines, staff would come to the Board of
48 County Commissioners to request a work session to discuss this. She said she and Clarence
49 Grier are in contact with the schools as they move forward with this process. She said there is
11
1 no recommendation set in stone. She said the difference will be the preference of the Board of
2 Commissioners and the school boards.
3 Chair Jacobs said the Board has not created the bond group yet. He said this has been
4 discussed at their school collaboration meetings, and it will be a topic at the retreat.
5 Commissioner Gordon said she raised this question because the economic climate is
6 different now than from what it was in 2001, and more time may be needed to do the
7 educational campaign.
8 Commissioner Rich asked if the way the bond committee ran in 2001 was considered
9 successful, or if there were any lessons learned.
10 Chair Halkiotis said he was there in 2001, and he agrees with Commissioner Gordon.
11 He said the process should start early regardless of the bond date that is chosen.
12 Chair Jacobs said the 2001 process was successful, and the schools had a prominent
13 voice at the table. He said there is no reason not to be cautious, as it is a different time, but he
14 thinks people will get this. He said the Board would need a decision item in June 2015 to get
15 the group started prior to the Board of County Commissioners Meeting in August 2015.
16 Chair Jacobs noted that most of their bonds in the past have been driven by the
17 schools.
18 Chair Bedford said timing makes a big difference, but it is very difficult to plan until you
19 know how much money you have to work with. She hopes the following presentation will help
20 explain the dilemma.
21 Todd Lofrese the Board has already received their report and approved the overall
22 recommendations for the ten oldest facilities. He reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
23
24 CHCCS Older Facilities Summary
25 Older schools need significant investments
26 Recommendations
27 — Fix aging infrastructure issues
28 — Bring older schools to OC standard
29 — Address safety and security
30 — Increase capacity and delay new schools
31 — Delays operational increases
32 Timing is important
33 Continued collaboration
34
35 Facilities Assessment Recommendation and Differed Cost of New Schools
36 Recommendations increase student capacity as follows:
37 Carrboro Elementary + 52
38 Ephesus +137
39 Estes Hills + 58
40 Seawell +119
41 Lincoln Center Pre K +189
42 Total Elementary x-555
43 CHHS +105
44 Total +660
45
46 Facilities Assessment Recommendation and Differed Cost of New Schools
47 $160.8 mil Cost of Recommendation
48 ($34.5) Budgeted Cost of New Elementary School
49 (delayed beyond 10 years)
50 ($23.1) Budgeted Cost of High School Addition
12
1 (delayed beyond 10 years)
2 $103.2 mil Net Cost of Recommendation
3
4 Timing is Critical
5 Consider bond schedule, SAPFO, and construction timeline
6 — Discussing a May or November 2016 bond
7 — We expect to approach 105% LOS at elementary level in 2019
8 — Current CIP shows funding in 2018 -19 for Elementary School #12
9 — Planning, design, regulatory reviews, and construction take 2 -3 years (applies to
10 major renovations and new schools)
11 — If we must wait for bond approval to begin design and renovations:
12 Capacity relief may not be achieved until 2019
13 Phasing will be more complex and expensive as we become more
14 crowded
15 We may miss the window to delay new schools
16
17 Timing is Critical
18 Requested $750K in preliminary renovation planning funding
19 Completing one project will delay #12 by two years
20
21 Todd Lofrese noted that the expenses for Elementary 12 and the Carrboro High School
22 addition are included in the ten year CIP, but if the recommended projects were completed,
23 these expenses could be pushed off.
24 Chair Jacobs said it has been stated that if the legislature keeps doing what it is doing,
25 there may be more students per classroom. He asked how this affects the levels of service and
26 the calculations.
27 Todd Lofrese said the current funding formulas and requirements have class size caps
28 on grades K -3, but they still allow flexibility in grades 4 -12. He said if changes occur to these
29 numbers, it could impact the timing need of new schools. He said Morris Grove is an excellent
30 example of that.
31 Chair Jacobs asked if anyone is doing any worst case scenario planning.
32 Todd Lofrese said he has not been doing any facility planning around this scenario, but
33 he has been watching it from a funding perspective for teacher positions. He said the initial
34 blow would be to the staffing levels.
35 Commissioner Gordon said anything that either school district can do to facilitate this
36 planning for renovations at the older schools would be appreciated. She is very enthusiastic
37 about this and she applauds the progress.
38 Chair Halkiotis said Interim Superintendent Del Burns and staff are looking at planning
39 moneys that could be used in moving ahead.
40 Pam Jones said OCS is more focused on the secondary level for new facilities. She
41 said there is funding in 2016 -17 for the wing for Cedar Ridge High school, and this would also
42 benefit from early planning, as it will likely take 2 years. She said their needs may be on a
43 different level than CHCCS, but they are very similar.
44 Michelle Brownstein said she would request that the planning include discussion of how
45 to logistically manage moving children and doing so many different facilities. She said there is
46 an urgency to this, and the more proactive planning that can be done the better. They need to
47 get money to plan the renovations soon. Otherwise it will be too late to do renovations and
48 increase capacity at the older schools and they will need to go ahead and build new schools.
49 She said planning cannot be limited to retreats and the date of the next joint meeting. She said
13
1 this is way too late. She said they need to be very intentional about their planning. She said
2 the public relations needs to focus on how this is going to affect every child in Orange County.
3 Chair Jacobs said he already hears requests from both districts for next year's budget,
4 which will come a year before the bond. He said the Board will expect some proposals as part
5 of the budget process.
6 Michelle Brownstein questioned whether this timing will be sufficient. She said this may
7 be too late.
8 Chair Jacobs said the manager and superintendents can take these discussions
9 forward.
10 Commissioner McKee noted that this is Commissioner Gordon's last joint meeting with
11 the school boards after 24 years of service. He said this longevity deserves a round of
12 applause. Commissioner Gordon was given a standing ovation.
13
14 A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Price to
15 adjourn the meeting at 8:59 p.m.
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17 Barry Jacobs, Chair
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20 Donna S. Baker
21 Clerk to the Board
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Attachment 2
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
JOINT MEETING WITH THE
ORANGE COUNTY CHIEF'S ASSOCIATION
October 2, 2014
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting on Thursday, October
2, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Earl McKee, Mark Dorosin, Alice M.
Gordon, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chair Jacobs
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley and Assistant County
Managers Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker (All other staff
members will be identified appropriately below)
VOLUNTEER FIRE CHIEFS PRESENT:
Brad Allison, Fire Chief, Caldwell FD, Dan Jones, Fire Chief, Town of Chapel Hill
Jeff Borland, Fire Chief, Cedar Grove FD, Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross FD
Jeff Cabe, Fire Chief, Orange Rural FD, John Stroud, Fire Chief, North Chatham, FD
Pete Hallenbeck, Deputy Fire Chief, Efland FD, Matthew Mauzy, Chief, South Orange Rescue
Squad (SORS), Mike Tapp, Fire Chief, New Hope FD, Steve McCauley, Fire Chief, Orange
Grove FD, Jim Groves, Orange County Emergency Services Director
Phillip Nasseri, Fire Chief, White Cross FD
VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPTS. — CHAIRS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Buddy Hartley, Caldwell BOD President, Bill Waddell, Orange Grove, BOD President
Wayne Paschall, Eno BOD President, Shawn Garrard, Eno BOD Vice - President
Matt Heinz, Orange Rural BOD President, Fred Stipe, SORS BOD President
Howard Pratt, New Hope BOD President, Tony Blake, White Cross BOD President,
FIRE CHIEFS /BOD CHAIRS ABSENT: Ronnie McAdams, Efland BOD President,
Travis Crabtree, Fire Chief, Town of Carrboro, Matt Heinz, Orange Rural BOD,
Chad Woods Cedar Grove BOD, Brian Vaughn North Chatham BOD President
Welcome and Introductions — BOCC Vice Chair Earl McKee
Commissioner McKee called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. He welcomed everyone
and said that Chair Jacobs sends his regrets that he is unable to attend tonight.
Introductions were made.
Steve McCauley thanked the Board of County Commissioners for this meeting. He said
the departments are working on trying to get a few parcels into the 6 mile radius.
1. Status Updates
gl Emergency Medical Services /9 -1 -1 Update
Jim Groves said an assessment was done years ago and adopted by the Board. He
said the study came out with 19 recommendations to improve services. He said he is proud of
2
1 the progress that has been made, although there is more to be done. He presented the
2 following PowerPoint slides:
3
4 911 /EMS Assessment update
5 October 2, 2014
6
7 ACRONYMS
8 ALS — Advanced Life Support (Intermediate / Paramedic)
9 AVL — Automatic Vehicle Location
10 BLS — Basic Life Support (Medical Responder / EMT)
11 CAD — Computer Aided Dispatch
12 EMD — Emergency Medical Dispatch
13 EMS — Emergency Medical Service
14 OCES — Orange County Emergency Services
15 QA — Quality Audit and Improvement
16 QRV — Quick Response Vehicle
17 SORS — South Orange Rescue Squad
18 VHF —Very High Frequency
19 VIPER — Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders
20
21 EMS Operations
22 EMS Statistics
23 Call Volume Comparison By Year
24 ■ 2014 = 8,763 (year to date)
25 ■ Projecting 11,864 for 2014, w/o severe weather or significant event
26 ■ 2013 = 12,369
27 Reduction in call volume is because the number of move -ups is now
28 limited with the addition of M -9 (Orange Grove FD) as well as the
29 geographic dispersion of our co- located units.
30 ■ 2012 = 13,445
31
32 Average Response Time Comparison By Year (Chute + Travel)
rd
33 ■ 2014 = 8:50 (year to date). 3 Quarter was 8:19!
34 ■ 90th percentile is 14:55 (first time below 15 minutes!)
35 ■ 2013 = 9:00
36 ■ 2012 = 10:30
37 ■
38 EMS Recommendations
39 R -1 Adjust M -5 and M -8 Coverage Hours (complete)
40 Based on recent geographic call data (North /South)
41 ■ M -5 coverage remained 6am -6pm (unchanged)
42 ■ M -8 coverage changed to 6pm -6am
43 R -2 Add additional ambulance 9am -9pm (complete)
44 M -9 added 8am -8pm based on recent geographical call data
45 ■ Co- located at Orange Grove FD
46 ■
47 EMS Recommendations
48 R -3a &b Use SORS for BLS and bring on BLS ambulance (on- going)
49 ■ EMD data does not support implementation currently
I Discussions to utilize SORS from 6pm -6am for BLS calls with EMS supervisor
2 "chasing" calls.
3 If Alpha or Bravo turn into something more serious, the EMS supervisor
4 can be there to provide ALS patient care
5 ■
6 EMS Recommendations
7 R -4 Assess Fire Department capabilities for First Responder (on- going)
8 With the EMS co- location initiatives with the Fire Departments, this
9 recommendation may become null
10 R -5a Implement Fire Department First Responder Initiative (on- going)
11 ■ With the EMS co- location initiatives with the Fire Departments, this
12 recommendation may become null
13 ■ Working with the Orange County Medical Director to enable Fire Departments
14 that wish to provide ALS (EMT Intermediate) to do so. Implementation may begin
15 15/16
16 R -5b QRV Initiative (null)
17 Offered as an alternate recommendation to R -5a
18
19 EMS Recommendations
20 R -6 Staff & Equip six (6) ALS ambulances (on- going)
21 ■ OCES is requesting one new (1) ambulance each year to replace older units
22 ■ Monitoring effectiveness of program each year
23 ■ Intent is to not over - purchase or over -staff
24 ■ Call volume and response times drive units and staffing
25 ■ M -5 6:00am- 6:00pm (co- located at Orange Rural Phelps Road Station)
26 will become a 24 hour unit in 15/16 (if current data holds true)
27
28 EMS Recommendations
29 R -7 Hire Paramedic Level Shift Supervisor 2417 (Complete)
30 Four (4) Assistant Supervisors implemented 1/1/2014
31 ■ Asst. Supervisors will be reclassified to Supervisors on 1/1/2015
32 ■ This tiered approach enables the Asst. Supervisors to be mentored for
33 one year before being released
34 R -8 Prepare a space needs assessment (90% complete)
35 ■ Stewart Cooper Newell awarded contract on 10/1/2013
36 ■ Staff met with firm the week of 10/7/2013 to begin space needs assessment
37 ■ Draft space needs assessment presented to OCES on 3/5/2014
38 ■ Revised space needs assessment presented to OCES on 5/20/2014
39
40 EMS Recommendations
41 R -9 Identify nine (9) strategic locations for future EMS base (in- process)
42 ■ Integral part of the Stewart Cooper Newell discussions
43 ■ Co- location or co -build with Fire Departments may require modification of this
44 recommendation due to the success of the co- locations thus far
45 ■ Orange Rural
46 ■ Orange Grove
47 ■ Carrboro
48 ■ New Hope
49 ■ Hillsborough /Orange Rural (potential co -build in 15/16 and 16/17)
50 ■ In 14/15 CIP
Ild
1 Chapel Hill (co- location /co -build in 15/16 and 16/17)
2 ■ In 14/15 CIP
3 EMS Recommendations
4 R -10 Obtain sites for development (not started)
5 ■ Based on outcome of R -8 and R -11
6 R -11 Procure EMS planning and design services (not started)
7 ■ Co -build with Chapel Hill and Hillsborough /Orange Rural
8 ■ In 14/15 CIP for year two (2) and three (3)
9 ■ Stand -alone EMS station in 14/15 CIP for year five (5)
10 R -12 Advertise, bid, construct EMS facilities (not started)
11 Based on outcome of R -8, R -10 and R -11
12
13 Jim Groves said there are two primary move -up locations — Hampton Pointe, and Martin
14 Luther King.
15 He said a new technology will be implemented over the next year that will take a year's
16 worth of call data as well as current calls and use this to predict where the next call will likely
17 come from.
18 Commissioner Dorosin asked clarifying questions about the call volumes on slide 4.
19 Jim Groves said this number is not a reflection of the calls, but it is a reflection of when
20 units are actually responding to a call. He said this number also includes EMS move -ups,
21 which is when units are moved to a staging location in preparation for a potential call. He said
22 these move -ups have been reduced.
23 Commissioner Pelissier asked for an explanation of the effectiveness of having more
24 Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicles.
25 Jim Groves said the goal is to stay at 13 ambulances, so when a new vehicle is ordered
26 an older vehicle is sold to keep this number. He said there is little difference in the
27 effectiveness of adding more units or replacing older units. .
28 Commissioner Pelissier said this decision is based on the number of calls.
29 Jim Groves said yes. He said this is gauged by a "unit hour utilization" analysis.
30
31 Jim Groves reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
32 9 -1 -1 Operations
33
34 9 -1 -1 Communications Statistics
35 Call Comparison by Year
36 2014 (year to date)
37 ■ Incoming = 70,371 (year to date)
38 ■ Project over 93,000 calls by the end of year
39 ■ Average Dispatch Time = 1:33
40 ■ New NFPA 1221 Standard (July 2013) is 1:36
41 ■ 9 -1 -1 Call Answer Time = % answer time < 15 sec = 99.06%
42 ■ New NFPA 1221 Standard (July 2013) is < 15 sec 95%
43 2013 (Changed CAD from Logisys to SunGuard OneSolution in July 2013)
44 ■ Incoming = 87,007 & Average Dispatch Time = 1:25
45 2012 ( Logisys CAD)
46 Incoming = 83,476 & Average Dispatch Time = 1:52
47
48 9 -1 -1 Recommendations
49 R -13 Hire full time Data Systems Manager (complete)
50 ■ Craig Blackwood was promoted to Data Systems Manager
1 ■ Mr. Blackwood retired 9/27/2013
2 ■ Mr. Kevin Medlin was promoted to Data Systems Manager on 10/18/2013
3 R -14 Hire full time Training /Quality Assurance Officer (complete)
4 Josh Robinson promoted from Telecom municator to Training /QA Officer
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6 9 -1 -1 Recommendations
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R -15 Hire additional Training /QA Officer (complete)
■ Ms. Laurie Piche was hired and began employment on 4/21/2014
R -16 & 17 Hire Telecommunicator positions (in- process /on- going)
• Hired four (4) new Telecom municators in January, 2014
• Completed interviews 6/5/2014 and made offers to four (4) candidates
■ With these (4) candidates on- board, 9 -1 -1 still has 10 Telecom municator
vacancies due to attrition /retirem ent/performance
• Telecom municator advertisement open through November 2014 to fill vacancies
• Five (5) additional Telecom municator positions are proposed in the plan to be
added FY 16/17 and seven (7) more Telecom municator positions in FY 18/19
■ The proposed staffing need in FY 18/19 may be reduced based on
operational efficiencies realized by new technology implementation in the
9 -1 -1 Center
9 -1 -1 Recommendations
R -18 Purchase AVL hardware for new EMS vehicles (complete)
• All units outfitted with AVL
• All new units will be outfitted with AVL
R -19 Provide informational meetings with emergency responders to share new software
capabilities (complete %n - going)
■ 9 -1 -1 Users Group re- activated
■ Members of each response organization are represented
■ Information shared during Chiefs Association meeting
Jim Groves said the average job lifespan for telecommunicators is 18 months. He said
this hiring is a continual evolving process. He said the training is being revised to make it
easier to onboard employees.
Commissioner Price asked about the subject of the non - emergency 911 calls and where
these are referred.
Jim Groves said staff does not keep records of this. He said the after -hours phone at
the police station comes into 911. He said the calls are often just questions.
Commissioner Price said she wonders if these calls are coming in due to the fact that
there is no longer a live person available for 411 service, or just because it is after hours.
Jim Groves said it is a little bit of both. He said there are 311 systems that act as a one
stop shop for County services, but this is incredibly expensive, and it should not go in the 911
center.
Commissioner Price said if there is ever a way to track these non - emergency calls, it
would be helpful.
Jim Groves said Emergency Services has just gotten a new phone system, and it may
be able to flag these types of calls. He will look into this.
Commissioner Gordon asked if the response times for the southern part of County are
similar.
Jim Groves said the response times are better down in the southern part of the County
because of co- location.
on
1 Commissioner Gordon asked Jim Groves what he thought are the two most important
2 things that have been done this year, and what are the two most important things to see going
3 forward.
4 Jim Groves said last year the co- location with the fire departments was the most
5 important thing that happened. He said settling in on the new automated dispatch of the CAD
6 was the most important progress with the 911 system.
7 He said moving forward, the most important priority is the continued professionalism,
8 leadership and training of staff.
9 Tony Blake asked if staff is going to implement text to 911.
10 Jim Groves said yes. He said this is a topic at the next board meeting. He said the
11 implementation will be slow as staff makes sure to have a good outreach program that teaches
12 people how to properly use this.
13
14 Jeff Borland arrived at 7:41 pm.
15
16 Dan Jones asked how Orange County's salaries for telecommunicators compare to the
17 surrounding market.
18 Jim Groves said Orange County is slightly lower than the surrounding areas. He said
19 there has been discussion about addressing this.
20 Dan Jones asked if it is it time to do a market study on the salaries for
21 telecommunicators. He said it does not pay for Orange County to train these folks and then
22 have them leave for higher pay in surrounding areas.
23 Commissioner McKee said he was confused, like Commissioner Dorosin, on the volume
24 of calls listed on the PowerPoint slides. He said it would be helpful to differentiate the
25 terminology to clarify this.
26 Commissioner Dorosin said it would also be good if staff could disaggregate the calls to
27 designate the number and type of non - emergency calls, as well as the calls that require an
28 ambulance.
29
30 b) Update on Coverage for Insurance Issues (Remaining Areas Outside Six (6) Road
31 Miles
32 Jason Shepherd, Orange County Fire Marshall said there are still several districts that
33 contain class 10 homes that are outside of the 5 mile district. He said these departments will be
34 speaking tonight.
35 Pete Hallenbeck, Eno Fire Department Deputy Chief, said he has identified all of the
36 parcels that are class 10. He said it will be necessary to have three service districts or work
37 with three departments. He said real estate needs to be given to Cedar Grove, Orange Rural
38 and Orange Grove. He said contact needs to be made with the citizens on Shade Tree Lane,
39 as this road is impassable. He said that area needs to be covered by Orange Rural fire but the
40 road must first be made passable. He said last year there were 96 parcels that were class 10,
41 and by the end of this effort this will be reduced to 6 parcels. He said these 6 remaining parcels
42 are too far to be served by any department.
43 Bill Waddell, Board of Directors President of Orange Grove Fire Department, said the
44 district has two sets of properties that are beyond six miles. The first is 11 buildings off of New
45 Hope Road, and these are within 5 miles of Orange Rural, and they will be contacting Orange
46 Rural to contract with them to cover these areas. He said there are also three vacant lots at the
47 end of Jo Mac Road. He said these do not have residences on them, so they are not a focus.
48 He said there has been discussion about fire roads, which are two lane gravel connections
49 between paved roads that are recognized by the N.C. Department of Insurance. He said this
50 will allow some homes that are just beyond 5 miles to be put within 5 miles.
7
1 Commissioner Rich asked if this will bring the 10 class rating down.
2 Bill Waddell said anything beyond a 6 mile radius is a 10 rating. He said any properties
3 between a 5 and 6 mile radius have a 9E rating. He said this is what most areas have been
4 rated in the past.
5 Commissioner Rich asked if this rating still correlates to a high insurance rate.
6 Bill Waddell said yes. He said most of the fire departments in the County who have had
7 inspections have brought down their ratings to a 7, and even a 6 in some cases. He said this
8 cuts the insurance by at least 40 percent. He said the more homes within 5 miles, the less the
9 insurance will be for those homeowners.
10 Commissioner Rich asked what a normal rating would be.
11 Bill Waddell said 3. He said from an insurance standpoint, a 3 is the same as a 5 for
12 homeowners.
13 Jason Shepherd said the best a homeowner can receive on insurance is a class 6
14 rating. He said ratings below this only benefit industrial type businesses.
15 Jeff Cabe said insurance considers any property located more than 5 miles from a
16 certified fire station to be a high risk. He said companies will give a break in insurance to
17 properties that are within 5 miles of a station. He said fire departments go through a rigorous
18 test that assigns them a risk classification that also affects the rate.
19 Commissioner Rich asked about the difference in rate for a class 9 and a class 10.
20 Jeff Cabe said most agencies won't write a 10. He said his house went down 40
21 percent on homeowners insurance when it went from a 9 to a 6. He said the shifts taking place
22 do not affect the fire department rating, but they are intended to help reduce homeowner rates.
23 Commissioner Rich asked if the station switches cost the fire department anything.
24 Jeff Cabe said according to the County Attorney there has to be monetary
25 compensation. He said the stations are meeting the letter of the law in this area.
26 Phillip Nasseri, White Cross Fire Chief, said there are several homes that are outside of
27 6 miles and several hundred that are between 5 and 6 miles in the eastern district. He said the
28 second station will be complete on Neville Road by the end of the month, and it will give 237
29 homes up to a 40 percent reduction in rates. He said there are 32 addresses on the western
30 side that are rural farmland, and he is working with Orange Grove to cover these, which should
31 give them at least a 9E rating or better. He said everyone is already going to these parcels, but
32 the hope is that these shifts will give homeowners a better rate.
33 Bill Waddell said they are working with White Cross on these issues. He said there is
34 one road with a few homes that will be beyond 6 miles from either station.
35 Jeff Cabe said they have pockets like this as well, and the roadway infrastructure
36 contributes heavily to this issue.
37 Commissioner Rich asked if homeowners who sell these homes have to tell new buyers
38 about the rating or fire situation.
39 Jeff Cabe said the information is public record, but he doubts many people know to ask
40 about it.
41 Tony Blake said re- drawing the lines is part of the equation, but the other part is making
42 sure that EMS dispatches the primary department first. He asked if this information has been
43 updated.
44 Jeff Cabe said no lines are being moved, so nothing changes on the run cards.
45 Tony Blake said it seemed to him that the primary station had to be dispatched first in
46 order to receive the classifications.
47 Commissioner McKee said these are items that can be discussed in more detail at their
48 Fire Chief's Council meeting.
I Commissioner Gordon asked if the drawing of the lines has to do with the insurance
2 purpose or if it is more about the kind of unit that is dispatched. She asked what is involved in
3 mutual aid. She asked for an explanation of the differences in insurance costs.
4 Phillip Nasseri said the departments are still sending all trucks that are needed and
5 there is no change in mutual aid. He said the only change is the order on the piece of paper to
6 allow a better insurance rate.
7 Commissioner Gordon asked him to confirm that it was not true that only the primary
8 station sends all of the equipment and everyone else sends a truck.
9 Phillip Nasseri discussed a specific example scenario. He said the departments would
10 send everything that was needed to provide the best service.
11 Commissioner Gordon gave an example where the station for Chapel Hill was three
12 miles away and North Chatham was 5 miles away. Phillip Nasseri said all three departments
13 would be dispatched — Carrboro, Chapel Hill and North Chatham.
14 Commissioner Gordon said it appears that residents are getting the same service; and
15 this is just a discussion of the insurance rates.
16 Jason Shepherd said the insurance companies are there to make money, and for
17 residents outside of 5 miles, the charge is higher even though the service is the same.
18 Commissioner Gordon said this is important for people to know
19 Phillip Nasseri said their service delivery is always the same.
20 Jason Shepherd said that once the department of insurance certifies station 2 in White
21 Cross, it will take a maximum of 120 days to find out when the new rating will take effect. He
22 thanked the fire departments and the Board of Commissioners for their work and support.
23 Commissioner McKee said he has noted two items where Orange County can help. He
24 said one of these is the issue of trees overhanging the road on Shade Tree Lane. He wonders
25 if the County can prod the community to open this for better access. He said the other issue to
26 look into is the fire road connections.
27 Jason Shepherd said he is planning to talk to neighborhood associations about the
28 dangers of fire departments not being able to reach certain homes due to impassable roads.
29
30 2. Training
Ji a) Collaboration with Durham Technical Community College
33 Durham Tech Public Safety Department Dean and Department Head, Randall J.
34 Egsegian, introduced himself.
35 Commissioner McKee said this is an open discussion on training issues.
36 Phillip Nasseri said there have been some communication issues and a lack of funding
37 for training. He said departments have sometimes had difficulty getting classes, or there has
38 been a lack of instructors for much needed classes. He said the hope is that this will turn
around with Randall Egsegian stepping into this position.
39 Phillip Nasseri said more funding is needed for Fire /EMS training classes. He asked the
40 Board of County Commissioners and Commissioner Price (who is on the Durham Tech Board
41 of Directors) to help this move forward in this area. He would like to see more funding shifted to
42 the fire side and the continuing education. He said these are life and death decisions, and it
43 would be good to have the best possible training.
44 Commissioner Price said the board of trustees has discussed this, and there have been
45 assurances that this will be taken care of. She said she will bring this up again at an upcoming
46 meeting. She said part of the problem is that Durham Tech has a policy that requires a
47 minimum number of students for a class to be offered.
48 Phillip Nasseri said that has not been a problem in a very long time. He said the
49 department usually exceeds the required minimum number. He said every year fewer classes
50 are offered, which makes it difficult to receive money from the state to fund the program and
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build back up the classes. He said this is a snowball effect that has resulted in less and less
funding.
Commissioner Price said the funding cuts come from the state in an odd way.
Phillip Nasseri said he is aware of this.
Commissioner Price said the funding is based on the whole year.
Phillip Nasseri said he wants to figure out a way to stop the snowball effect of cuts
happening every year.
Commissioner Price asked who is coordinating with Durham Tech.
Phillip Nasseri said every department has their own training protocols, and each
department has a point of contact that works with Durham Tech.
Jeff Cabe asked about Commissioner Price's comment about the state's weird problem
with funding. He said other community colleges have many more classes and training facilities
than Durham Tech, and he asked if this funding formula penalizes Durham Tech. He said this
is one of the most affluent Counties in the state with the highest tax rates, and he asked if that
money is not coming back.
Commissioner Price said what she is hearing now goes beyond a funding issue. She
asked who she can put in contact with the powers that be at Durham Tech.
Commissioner McKee said since the Durham Tech representative will be meeting with
the Fire Council in the near future maybe those details can be fleshed out then.
Commissioner Price said she just wants to know if there is there someone for her to
contact.
Bonnie Hammersley said she and Jason Shepherd will contact Durham Tech and Jim
Groves to work with them in concert with the fire departments.
Commissioner Price said there is a history to be aware of.
Jim Groves said the Durham Tech representative will be at next fire chief's council, and
they look forward to having him there.
Phillip Nasseri said the point that Jeff Cabe was trying to make is that community
colleges in much more rural areas with smaller populations have built facilities to train first
responders. He said the question is what it will take to support Durham Tech to get training that
is currently available elsewhere.
Commissioner Dorosin said part of this is about classes being offered, and the other
part is the need for an actual training facility. He asked if that training facility would be part of
the community college or a separate entity by Orange County. He asked if it could be a source
of revenue generation if it was a separate entity.
Jeff Cabe said the state pays for FTE training. He said the community colleges usually
have these training facilities. He said the department of insurance does not allow others to
compete with the colleges. He said there are county and city training sites that are built to train
the residents in those cities, but these are big ticket items that take a lot of maintenance and
staff. He said most rural areas use the community college.
Jeff Cabe said this discussion is about two different things, and the first is getting state
approved instructors to come and teach classes to people who want to be firefighters and
EMTs. He said this is the Durham Tech discussion and the training center is a separate
discussion.
b) Opportunity for County Training Facility
Commissioner McKee said there has been talk about Orange County building a training
facility.
Dan Jones said they have a small tower for training as well as a two story burn building.
He said this is a small facility that is shared with mutual aid neighbors. He said there are
discussions ongoing about relocation of that facility and the fire station that adjoins it, as both
10
1 are in bad shape. He said what is really needed is a second small training facility with a burn
2 facility and a rescue tower on one or two acres, somewhere north of 1 -85.
3 He said a small training center would cost a half million to a million dollars, not counting
4 the cost of land. He said there has also been discussion of a regional training center for
5 specialized training.
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7 Commissioner Dorosin said the Board is considering a bond, and maybe this could fit
8 into that.
9 Commissioner McKee said there was discussion about property in the Schley area and
10 the possible use of part of that parcel as a training facility. He said this might be worth a re-
11 look.
12
13 3. Open Discussion
14
15 a) VIPER Radio System
16 Jim Groves said there was a recent meeting to talk about the Voice Interoperability Plan
17 for Emergency Responders (VIPER). He said it is the state 800 MHz system that is currently in
18 place, and it is falling short of meeting everyone's needs.
19 Pete Hallenbeck said when looking at radio coverage you want to know the coverage,
20 the capacity for communication, and the redundancy, or what happens when things fail.
21 Jim Groves said this current system was built as a NC Highway Patrol radio system,
22 used in the center of a roadway while sitting in a vehicle. He said the coverage is lacking in
23 situations where you are inside a building or chasing someone.
24 Jim Groves said years ago the system was stable, but now the state has added
25 additional counties, and it has reduced the capacity.
26 He said earlier this year there was an outage of VIPER that took the entire state down.
27 He said this caused the County to scramble, and it showed that there is no redundancy built
28 into the system.
29 Dan Jones said the state sold them a bill of goods with this system in an effort to get the
30 federal funds needed by creating the required interoperability. He said the state convinced the
31 counties that this would solve their radio problems. He said it is an excellent system for the
32 highway patrol because they do not go inside buildings or use portable radios very much. He
33 said the system follows the interstate and highways, and it has many limitations that were not
34 fully explained. He said it doesn't work for local agencies, fire departments and EMS. He said it
35 leaves firefighters, police officers and emergency workers in a structure with no radio contact
36 with the outside.
37 Dan Jones said the County, departments and cities have spent a lot of money buying
38 800 MHz radios for a system that does not work very well. He said it is now time to replace the
39 radios and this a good time to do something new. He said there are a lot of other options,
40 including 700 MHz systems, or going back to UHF or VHF.
41 He said a lot of money could be spent to build more towers on the 800 MHz system, but
42 he has come to the conclusion that pouring additional money into supporting the statewide
43 VIPER system does very little for the County. It only bolsters the state system, and if money is
44 going to be spent it should have local benefit.
45 Dan Jones said another limit of the VIPER system is that it will not allow any of the
46 public works departments on the radio system, which requires there to be two separate radio
47 systems. He said in an emergency, there is a need for communications with these public works
48 departments. He said the timing is now to look at what is the best option to meet these local
49 needs.
11
1 Matthew Mauzy (South Orange Rescue Squad -SORS) said his department has
2 experienced the same problems as everyone else. He said they have especially had issues at
3 large events such as UNC football games. He said troopers coming in for a large event are
4 tuned to their local stations, and this causes the tower utilization to skyrocket. He said this
5 presents a problem when trying to transmit calls from the event venue.
6 Matthew Mauzy said this is the time to evaluate what the most responsible way to go
7 with this.
8 Commissioner Price said she attended a meeting of the North Carolina Association of
9 County Commissioners (NCACC) and saw a presentation about First Net. She asked about
10 this.
11 Matthew Mauzy said First Net is the next coverage beyond a national radio system. He
12 said this brings in other types of communication, such as video. He said this is not very
13 applicable as a replacement for radio coverage. He said it is something to keep an eye on, but
14 it will not meet their communication needs in the next five years.
15 Commissioner Price asked about the use of 4G cell phones by first responders.
16 Jeff Cabe said using a cell phone would work well for EMS or law enforcement, but it is
17 not practical for firefighters in a full turnout gear and a heated room. He said his question is
18 what model can be followed and function in emergency situations when the power has been out
19 for two weeks. He said this is even an issue with VIPER when the power goes out at the center
20 in Raleigh.
21 He said it would be great to be able to communicate with other areas, but Orange
22 County is a lower tier. He said this means if an emergency occurs, the higher tiers will take
23 channels from them. He said the County needs a system that allows for the ability to talk with
24 the call center and each other in the event of an emergency.
25 Commissioner Pelissier said she and Commissioner Price were under the impression
26 that First Net would solve all of their problems with VIPER. She asked if the options being
27 considered will fit in with First Net in the long run. She said it was her understanding that
28 everyone would be using First Net in the future.
29 Dan Jones said the First Net presenters seem to be using the same marketing concept
30 that VIPER used. He said at this time this technology is still conceptual, and he has not heard
31 anything about how the hardware will work and who will build the infrastructure. He said until
32 there is more information about what First Net is and how it ties into the local systems he would
33 not want to plan their future around this.
34 Commissioner Gordon asked what would be needed to build a radio system to address
35 the problems. She asked about the method for interoperability. She said this is an urgent issue
36 because of the possibility of unforeseen disasters, and public health and safety communications
37 are critical.
38 Bonnie Hammersley said Jim Groves has already done some work on suggestions for
39 the replacement of the VI PER system. She said it will be important to have input from all of the
40 fire departments moving forward in the decision making process. She said at the next Board of
41 County Commissioners meeting there will be discussion about this process of moving away
42 from the VIPER system.
43 Jim Groves said First Net is just a public private relationship using existing infrastructure
44 and making it a little more resilient to give more coverage in certain areas. He said this is really
45 just a wireless broadband type network. He said only phones with a special chip can be used
46 on the system, and this will require a fee.
47 Jeff Cabe said he would not completely abandon the VIPER system, as it does have
48 some benefits across the state. He said the County needs something to merge with it or
49 piggyback onto it.
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Commissioner McKee said he is hearing that the County needs to look comprehensively
at what it has and what it needs in determining which direction to go. He said there is no
reason not to revive the Emergency Services work group to look at the options going forward.
Emergency Medical Services Co- location
Jim Groves said it has been over a year since the first co- location. He said in his
opinion it has been incredibly beneficial, and EMS is learning a lot more about what emergency
response is all about.
Bill Waddell said this has been a great contribution to the wellbeing of their residents,
and response times have improved.
Jim Groves said the relationship with Carrboro has been a great asset.
Commissioner McKee said he pushed this idea in the Emergency Services work group,
and he knew there would be challenges to overcome. He said the departments have gone out
of their way to make this work.
c. False Alarm Discussion
Jason Shepherd reviewed the following background information from the abstract:
Many times the Fire Departments are dispatched to false alarms, often occurring at the same
address. The Fire Departments and Orange County Emergency Services (OCES) Fire
Marshals Division has limited options to encourage a facility owner to correct an issue with a
faulty alarm system (or homeowner /employee error in activating /deactivating the system).
Jason Shepherd said the fee schedule is basically for fire inspection fees, and there is
no enforcement authority over the local business owner to repair fire alarm systems in a timely
manner. He said he has come up with a proposal that will be submitted with the next budget.
He said this will propose a fee schedule for false alarm activations. He said there are not a lot
of false alarms in Orange County, but the ones that do occur happen at two particular
institutions.
He said in 2011 it was suggested that the County enhance fire inspection fees to bring
in more revenue. He said at the time, the division elected not to charge any more for
inspections, but some of the optional permits were changed to mandatory permits. He said this
did not take into account the issues with the false alarms. He said his proposal will allow
enforcement of properly maintained fire alarm systems. He said three or more activations
within a month would result in a $100 fee, and anything over three would add an additional $25
charge. He recommends that the revenue for this should go to the Jaycee Burn Center.
Commissioner Dorosin asked Dan Jones if the program in Chapel Hill includes non-
profits or if there are exemptions.
Dan Jones said there are no exemptions in their program. He said the revenue goes
into their general fund.
Jim Groves said Jason Shepherd needs some leverage for residents to come into
compliance, but Orange County could also be the ones paying that fee since County Buildings
have had some false alarm issues.
Jason Shepherd said the County is currently being charged for multiple fire alarm
activations from the Town of Hillsborough. He said he is encouraging asset management to
keep up with the maintenance on these fire alarm systems.
Dan Jones said every time there is an alarm it ties up law enforcement and fire
equipment and prevents that resource from being available to other calls. He said there is also
wear and tear on equipment and the safety aspect of putting equipment on the road.
He said the schools often do not maintain their alarm systems, and this results in a lot of
calls.
13
1 Commissioner Price said when Emergency Services presents this item to the Board of
2 County Commissioners she would like to know how much it costs to respond to false alarms.
3 She asked if the suggestion would be for a fee or a fine.
4 Jason Shepherd said it could be called either one. He said he is just going to rearrange
5 the existing fee schedule to accommodate some of the recommendations. He said this will
6 include out of service sprinkler and fire alarm systems.
7 Commissioner Rich said it is not encouraging to hear that the schools are not
8 maintaining their alarm systems. She asked if this is true in the County, and if fining has made
9 them more aware.
10 Dan Jones said it has made the institutions more aware of the issue and the need to do
11 more maintenance work on their systems. He said this is also true for the University system.
12 He said when you touch someone's pocket book they realize it is better to maintain the system
13 than to pay a civil penalty.
14 Jeff Cabe said Orange Rural covers all of the County schools except for Gravelly Hill
15 and Efland Cheeks. He said the biggest offenders are Cedar Ridge, Orange High, Grady
16 Brown and Hillsborough Elementary. He questioned whether it would it be reasonable to adopt
17 Chapel Hill's policy County -wide, as this would mean everyone is treated the same.
18 Jason Shepherd said Chapel Hill's policy was based on a one year study, and he does
19 not feel comfortable waiting that long.
20 Dan Jones said there are so many false alarms allowed per year before you get to a
21 fine. He said power outages do not count against this.
22 Pete Hallenbeck said another cost to consider is the wear and tear on volunteers who
23 have to respond to calls at three in the morning.
24 Mike Tapp said he was instrumental in bringing this up to the Fire Chief's Council
25 because of repeat problems at the Emerson Waldorf complex. He agrees that there is an
26 impact on volunteers, and another consideration is the mutual aid that has to be sent from other
27 departments.
28 Phillip Nasseri said another consideration for use of those fees is to help fund a training
29 facility.
30 Commissioner McKee asked if there are any down sides to the fees, other than public
31 relations.
32 Dan Jones said it is not great for public relations, and it is another fee, which people
33 tend to resent. He said theoretically it should reduce their false alarms and the revenue should
34 dwindle away.
35 Commissioner McKee said that effect should be the focus, rather than revenue
36 generation.
37 Dan Jones said the reaction of different entities is interesting. He said the University
38 has gotten busy right away fixing some of their systems and becoming more code compliant.
39 He said they have even looked at ways to pass the fees along to construction contractors in the
40 event that they set off the alarms. He said the other approach taken by the hospital was to
41 estimate the fees and put a line item in the budget to pay it.
42 Jason Shepherd said the fee system used by Chapel Hill only benefits the fire
43 department, as it has no enforcement authority on state property. He said it basically provides
44 persuasion to do better maintenance on their fire alarm systems.
45 Jeff Cabe noted that there are penalties for responding to a call without the proper
46 number of people on the truck, which means you need to have 4 people at the station and be
47 ready to respond to calls even when you know they are historically false alarms.
48
49 d.) Other
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1 Jim Groves said the Ebola flyer is in front of them, and the public preparedness
2 coordinator would like to meet with the individual departments to talk about preparedness and
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prevention.
Commissioner McKee said he has noted the issues with Shade Tree Lane, the policy
around false alarms, as well the entire VIPER discussion. He wants to make sure these
concerns are addressed. He expressed appreciation to the chiefs for taking time to meet and for
the spirit of cooperation.
Dan Jones said there is noticeable difference in the interactions, and there have been
clear improvements in Emergency Services and the 911 center. He said the changes made
based on the study are bringing forth results.
Jeff Cabe brought the following items the Board's attention:
• Support is needed from the Board as the fire departments move forward with a training
facility. Land has been identified, and help may be needed with planning permits.
• These meetings are very beneficial.
• Training for Active assailants will be popping up in budget items. This is not a typical
fire department function, but it needs to be on the radar, and it may require special
equipment.
• He suggested some sort of Fire /EMS appreciation event on a County level.
• Departments are using cellular data and paying non - profit prices of $40 per month. He
asked if there is a way for fire departments to tap into the contract prices offered to the
County
Commissioner Rich asked if there are there any female firefighters on these
departments.
Several departments answered yes.
Mike Tapp said he would like to continue this dialogue each year. He appreciates the
opportunity to have this meeting on an annual basis.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Rich to
adjourn the meeting at 9:33 p.m.
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Earl McKee, Vice Chair