HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-18-2014 - 6aSUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT:
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: November 18, 2014
Action Agenda
Item No. 6 -a
PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, 245 -2130
I
PURPOSE: To correct and /or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below:
October 7, 2014 BOCC Regular Meeting
October 14, 2014 BOCC Joint Meeting with the Commission for
the Environment (5:30pm)
October 14, 2014 BOCC Work Session (7:OOpm)
BACKGROUND: In accordance with 153A -42 of the General Statutes, the Governing Board
has the legal duty to approve all minutes that are entered into the official journal of the Board's
proceedings.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
Attachment 1
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 REGULAR MEETING
6 October 7, 2014
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday,
10 October 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building, in Hillsborough, N.C.
11
12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Mark Dorosin,
13 Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich
14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
15 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
16 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Assistant County
17 Managers Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff
18 members will be identified appropriately below)
19
20 NOTE: ALL DOCUMENTS REFERRED TO IN THESE MINUTES ARE IN THE PERMANENT
21 AGENDA FILE IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
22
23 Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
24 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
25 NONE
26
27 PUBLIC CHARGE
28 Chair Jacobs dispensed with the reading of the public charge.
29
30 2. Public Comments
31 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
32 Don O'Leary questioned how society has gotten so deep that there is even discussion
33 about why we are putting industrial chemical waste into our water supply in the form of fluoride.
34 He said this is a result of government deception and evil influence. He read from the Bible. He
35 said it is the leaders' responsibility to take care of the people. He asked for this issue to be put
36 on a public hearing.
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38 Corey Stumer said he wanted to respond Colleen Bridger's response to their comments
39 about OWASA fluoridation in their water. He said Colleen Bridger's email to the Board of
40 County Commissioners and public recommending that OWASA continue drugging the
41 population through their water supply. He said he has informed her of where the propaganda of
42 safety and efficacy of fluoridation comes from, but she continues to repeat the mantra of safety
43 and effectiveness. He said the FDA has never approved the ingestion of fluoride as being safe
44 and effective in preventing tooth decay, and the truth about this policy is available to anyone on
45 the web. He said there is sufficient evidence to abandon this fluoridation policy, and Colleen
46 Bridger has made no effort to address with any specificity the questions and statements posed
47 last month. He said she has deferred this to the OWASA board, who has then deferred to other
48 state bureaucracies to avoid liability. He said this issue deserves a public referendum.
49
2
1 Chair Jacobs said petitions are referred to agenda review. He noted that the Board of
2 County Commissioners has no control of anyone's water supply, and he suggested that the
3 comments and requests for public hearing might be better directed to the Board of Health.
4
5 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
6 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda
7 below.)
8
9 3. Petitions by Board Members
10 Commissioner Price said one of Orange County's residents will be receiving an award
11 from the N.C. Literary Hall of Fame, Jaki Shelton Green, and she would like the Board to
12 recognize the recipient with a personally signed letter or resolution.
13 Commissioner Price said the there was a request that the Board of County
14 Commissioners recognize the County's volunteer firefighters, and she suggested something
15 similar to what Chapel Hill has done.
16 Commissioner Rich petitioned Chair Jacobs to write a letter to United Healthcare
17 demanding that it cease supporting the decisive polices of the American Legislative Exchange
18 Council (ALEC). She said several companies have recently divorced themselves from ALEC
19 due to their negative, regressive policies.
20 Commissioner Rich said she would like to see other options for healthcare providers.
21 Commissioner Rich said there were 90 people at the first Food Policy Council meeting.
22 She said the first thing that can be done is for the County to have ten percent of its catering
23 needs come from local growers.
24 Chair Jacobs said there is already a policy in place to insure that ten percent of catering
25 comes from local growers.
26 Donna Baker said this was referred to Dave Stancil, and a list was being compiled of
27 local caterers.
28 Chair Jacobs petitioned that the Attorney re- examine how contract vendors can be
29 requested to pay a living wage.
30 Chair Jacobs said there was a recent news story about how Chapel Hill has approved
31 funding for families who have lost section 8 vouchers. He would like to know why Orange
32 County is not working with these families. He said people have not gotten the message that the
33 County has a social justice fund that can be used to help these people. He would like to find a
34 way to plug into these conversations.
35
36 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
37 a. Arts & Humanities Month — 2014 Piedmont Laureate Carrie I Knowles
38 The Board heard a brief selection from Raleigh resident and author of short Fiction,
39 Carrie J. Knowles, the 2014 Piedmont Laureate, for National Arts & Humanities Month.
40 Martha Shannon said October is National Arts and Humanities month, and she
41 introduced Carrie J. Knowles.
42 Carrie Knowles read an excerpt from her blog.
43
44 5. Public Hearings
45 NONE
46
47 6. Consent Agenda
48 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee seconded by Commissioner Price to
49 approve the items on the consent agenda.
1
2 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
3
4 a. Minutes
5 The Board approved the minutes from May 15, September 4 and 8, 2014, as submitted by the
6 Clerk to the Board.
7 b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases /Refunds
8 The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference to release motor vehicle
9 property tax values for twenty -two (22) taxpayers with a total of twenty -two (22) bills that will
10 result in a reduction of revenue.
11 C. Property Tax Releases /Refunds
12 The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference to release property
13 tax values for fourteen (14) taxpayers with a total of sixteen (16) bills that will result in a
14 reduction of revenue in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 105 -381.
15 d. Applications for Property Tax Exemption /Exclusion
16 The Board will approved thirteen (13) untimely applications for exemption /exclusion from ad
17 valorem taxation for thirteen (13) bills for the 2014 tax year.
18 e. Impact Fee Reimbursement Request — The Arc Orange County Housing
19 Corporation #4
20 The Board will approved the reimbursement of impact fees as requested by The Arc Orange
21 County Housing Corporation #4 in the amount of $7,716 for an apartment building for low
22 income persons with disabilities recently constructed in the Meadowmont community.
23 f. Housing Rehabilitation Program — N.C. Housing Finance Agency
24 The Board adopted the amended Assistance Policy for the 2014 Single Family Housing
25 Rehabilitation Program funded by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA) and authorized
26 the Chair to sign.
27 g. Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Program Contract Renewal
28 The Board approved continued grant funding for operations of the Workforce Investment Act
29 (WIA) "Building Futures" Youth Employment and Training Program and authorized the Manager
30 to sign.
31 h. Buckhorn Mebane Phase 2 Utilities — Final Adjusting Change Order and Approval
32 of Budget Amendment #1 -C
33 The Board approved the final adjusting change order for the Buckhorn Mebane Phase 2 Utilities
34 Capital project and Budget Amendment #1 -C to pay for this final change order and authorized
35 the Manager to sign.
36 i. VIPER Radio System Capital Project Revision
37 The Board approved a revision to the existing Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency
38 Responders (VIPER) Radio System Capital Project, as included in the FY 2014 -19 Capital
39 Investment Plan (CIP), by changing the Project Name and Project Description.
40
41 7. Regular Agenda
42
43 a. Next Generation 9 -1 -1 Solution (8:15 -9:00)
44 The Board considered approving the purchase of the Next Generation 9 -1 -1 Solution to
45 provide a service that is integrated, operated and maintained to the public safety class
46 standards demanded of a life- critical application and authorizing the Manager to sign.
47 Jim Groves introduced Dinah Jeffries and Kevin Medlin. He reviewed the following
48 information from the abstract:
49
Ild
1 Since 1992, Orange County has utilized Enhanced 9 -1 -1 (E9 -1 -1) that represented a significant
2 improvement in 9 -1 -1 service by providing the telecommunicator with the name and address of
3 landline callers. Today, the technology has broadened its capabilities to provide a geographic
4 location that identifies the latitude and longitude coordinates for wireless callers. The County is
5 now poised to make another significant technology jump due to consumer expectations and
6 major world events by allowing residents, visitors, and responders to utilize texting, imaging and
7 video capture to 9 -1 -1 as well as providing a faster connection to 9 -1 -1 through digital
8 connections. NextGen 9 -1 -1 (NG911) will use Internet Protocol (I P) based hardware and
9 software to provide call identification, location determination, call routing, and call signaling for
10 emergency calls.
11
12 NG911 capable public safety answering points (PSAPs) can receive and process incoming calls
13 by means of IP -based networks called Emergency Services IP Networks (ESlnets). This
14 network architecture will support many more modes of emergency communication than the
15 voice - centric legacy system currently in use. ESlnets are designed not only to receive traditional
16 911 voice calls, but also to receive text, data, and video communications from any
17 communications device via IP -based networks. In addition, ESlnets can be configured to
18 receive machine - generated data from telematics applications (e.g., automatic collision
19 notification systems in vehicles provided by vendors like OnStar), medical alert systems, and
20 sensors and alarms of various types. In contrast to the device - specific connection protocols in
21 legacy 9 -1 -1 networks for wire -line, wireless, and interconnected VoIP phones, NG911 will
22 provide IP- enabled devices with multiple means of accessing the NG911 network depending on
23 whether they are operating in a stationary or mobile configuration.
24
25 In order to achieve this milestone identified in the Emergency Services Workgroup
26 recommendations for continuing to upgrade equipment to move towards the Next Generation
27 initiatives, staff is recommending the selection of Motorola to partner with Intrado to provide the
28 Next Generation Solution for Orange County. On May 8, 2014, the Board of County
29 Commissioners approved the Orange County Emergency Services Strategic Plan that included
30 the need to prepare, develop and implement a solution that goes beyond the current technology
31 to reinforce and integrate with a nationwide vision in providing public safety solutions to the
32 public and responders.
33
34 The County's current vendor, Qwest (formerly known as CenturyLink), has been unable to
35 provide a proposal and solution to move into this critical phase. For the past several years
36 Qwest (CenturyLink) has experienced a declining level of customer service and response to 9-
37 1 -1 service related issues, including service outages which many of the 9 -1 -1 Centers across
38 North Carolina have reported to the NC 9 -1 -1 Board.
39
40 Staff is recommending this switch in vendors to Intrado /Motorola because of Intrado's subject
41 matter expertise in providing 9 -1 -1 solutions as well as the County's long -term and successful
42 relationship with Motorola. UNC Public Safety has recently contracted with Motorola /Intrado as
43 well. Having the same vendor and network infrastructure will enable the County 9 -1 -1 Center to
44 transfer information to UNC seamlessly, and vice versa. Intrado and Motorola have both been
45 extremely responsive and proactive in identifying issues from other states and providing
46 solutions that will work in North Carolina, specifically in Orange County.
47
48 FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed NG911 Solution is an eligible expense from the North
49 Carolina 9 -1 -1 Board Emergency Telephone Fund (ETF). The ETF is derived from the monthly
50 911 service charge that is imposed on each active voice communications service connection
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(land and mobile) that is capable of accessing a 911 system. The North Carolina 9 -1 -1 Board
makes a monthly distribution to the primary PSAP (Orange County 9 -1 -1) from the pre -
designated amount allocated to the County each year. This expense is covered under the
annual ETF allocation and is not borrowed money or a loan.
Orange County One Time setup fee: $22,246.00
Orange County Recurring Payment: $25,789.92
Total Customer Sale Price over 60 months: $1,585,654.53
It is noted that the monthly expense for NG911 is substantially more than in previous years. The
increase is due to the network(s) required to support text and video to 9 -1 -1, as well as added
features and capabilities, such as transferring Automatic Number and Automatic Location
Identifiers (ANI /ALI) to another community or county, which increases efficiency and provides
better customer service for the 9 -1 -1 caller, and the County's stakeholders.
Chair Jacobs asked Jim Groves to clarify where the Emergency Telephone Funds (ETF)
are derived from.
Jim Groves said these phones will have an attached 911 service fee, and all of this goes
to the 911 board at the state level. He said the board then looks at the primary public safety
answering points and allocates money based on the previous year's spending. He said this fee
is already being paid by residents of N.C.
Commissioner Pelissier said she would like to hear some examples of how information
is received from medical alert systems.
Jim Groves said these medical alert systems now work off of a GPS location, and this
information can come directly into the 911 system.
Commissioner Rich asked for information on the advantage of having video.
Jim Groves said if telecommunicators can see what is going on, this information can be
shared with responders and law enforcement. He said this is seen as something for the future.
Commissioner Gordon asked how home alarm systems work now versus how they
would work with Next Generation.
Jim Groves said things would be very similar. He said these calls go to a central
monitoring agency who determines if there is truly a fire before calling the 911 center. He said
the preference is to keep this the same.
Commissioner Gordon asked if there is any difference in the data that is provided.
Dinah Jeffries said the difference is that alarm companies can transfer information to the
911 system by computer now. She said with Next Generation 911 videos can be sent from the
home, and the current system can't receive that.
Chair Jacobs said stickers are put on the windows of homes stating that animals are
inside the house. He asked if this information can be pre - loaded into the system.
Dinah Jeffries said this information can be pre - loaded now, but it would be helpful if
there is an actual video, so that responders can see the location of people or animals in the
house.
calling.
Commissioner Rich asked how will people know to send a text message rather than
Jim Groves said there would be a very robust public relations campaign to introduce
this.
Commissioner Rich said it is important to include the school boards in this educational
process. She said she can see this texting being abused if people don't understand what a 911
call is.
Chair Jacobs asked if every county fully funds their 911 centers.
on
1 Jim Groves said he does not know that answer, but he can research this.
2 Chair Jacobs questioned whether towns participate in the funding. He said he does not
3 think every County takes on the full funding responsibility, and he wonders if counties that
4 include a municipality share the funding responsibility.
5 Commissioner Dorosin asked if this is related to the radios and the communication
6 issues the Board heard about last week.
7 Jim Groves said these systems are separate.
8 Commissioner Dorosin asked for clarification on the costs to the County versus the cost
9 born by the 911 Emergency Telephone Fund.
10 Jim Groves said all of this funding comes out of the 911 Emergency Telephone Fund.
11 Clarence Grier said the emergency 911 fund currently contains approximately
12 $1,126,000, and this is part of the total budget, but it is not part of the general funds budget.
13 Commissioner Rich asked if this fund gets replenished every year.
14 Clarence Grier said yes, it is typically replenished about $500,000 per year.
15
16 A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier for
17 the Board to approve the purchase of the Next Generation 9 -1 -1 Solution to provide a service
18 that is integrated, operated and maintained to the public safety class standards demanded of a
19 life- critical application and authorize the Manager to sign all contracts, agreements, change
20 orders and renewals.
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22 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
23
24 b. Southern Orange County Government Services Campus Special Use Permit)
25 The Board considered authorizing the Chair to execute the Special Use Permit
26 governing the Southern Orange County Government Services Campus issued by the Town of
27 Chapel Hill.
28 Jeff Thompson said the master plan is included in the agenda packet. He reviewed the
29 following information from the abstract:
30
31 In June of this year Chapel Hill Town Council voted unanimously to approve Orange County's
32 SUP for a master plan for the Southern Orange County Government Services Campus.
33
34 Background: On October 16, 2012 the Board of County Commissioners approved a
35 Master Plan (Attachment 1, "Approved Master Plan ") regarding the Southern Orange County
36 Government Services Campus and authorized the Manager to submit a Special Use Permit
37 ( "SUP ") application to the Town of Chapel Hill to govern development on the County's property
38 over a 25 year period. This SUP allows future development to follow the Board's intent within
39 the approved Master Plan without multiple additional SUP approvals as future building projects
40 are contemplated and built. The master plan and SUP application process was facilitated by
41 Clarion Associates of Chapel Hill, NC.
42
43 On June 23, 2014 the Town Council of Chapel Hill voted unanimously to approve the Special
44 Use Permit (Attachment 2, "Chapel Hill Special Use Permit "). The SUP has been executed by
45 Chapel Hill and awaits signature by the Chair. Upon the Chair's signature, the SUP will be
46 recorded with the Orange County Register of Deeds.
47
48 Highlights of the SUP are as follows:
49 • Any contemplated construction on the site must begin by June 23, 2019. The approved
50 SUP has a 25 -year life, expiring on June 23, 2039;
7
1 • The SUP allows up to 300,000 square feet of floor area (61,750 square feet already exist),
2 and up to 600 new parking spaces (258 already exist) on the approximate 33.2 acre site;
3 • The SUP requires the clustering of buildings to achieve walkability, visibility, and connections
4 while maximizing the preservation of undisturbed areas;
5 • Recordation of the SUP document will consolidate all previously approved Special Use
6 Permits for this site, and replace those with this singular document;
7 • Town staff is authorized to approve plans and issue permits in accordance with this SUP
8 — no further approvals needed from Town Council;
9 • Prior to any construction, the Chapel Hill Community Design Commission needs to approve
10 building elevations, site lighting, and the location /screening of HVAC equipment;
11 • Orange County must provide a progress update to the Town Council every five years (the first
12 update will be scheduled during the fall of 2019); and
13 • The Traffic Impact Analysis will need to be updated in 2020 and 2030.
14
15 Jeff Thompson said this converges three existing SUP's — Southern Human Services
16 Center, Project Home Start, and the Seymour Center — into one set of development guidelines.
17 Commissioner Gordon said she is glad this has come to fruition. She said this is a key
18 part of the County's ability to provide services in the southern part of the County. She referred
19 to the map and asked about changes to the road in the development area of the Seymour
20 Center. She asked if it is understood that additions can be made to the roads around the
21 Seymour Center and the Southern Human Services Center.
22 Ken Redfoot said yes. He said the additions and modifications are included in the
23 number. He said this is addressed in the overall document.
24 Commissioner Gordon thanked staff for this. She said this process has taken a long
25 time, but this is a fabulous opportunity to put all County functions on one campus in the
26 southern part of the county.
27 Commissioner Pelissier echoed Commissioner Gordon's comments. She asked what
28 constitutes beginning construction, and what this really means.
29 Jeff Thompson said there will be a permitting process through the community design
30 committee to receive a building permit and begin clearing the land. He said the infrastructure
31 project in 2015 -16 would constitute the beginning of construction.
32 Commissioner Rich asked where the maximum height of 4 stories came from.
33 Ken Redfoot said this was determined while working with the Town staff. He said the
34 County gave them options, and elevations were done across the site. He said everyone
35 concluded that four stories was the best height.
36 Commissioner Price asked if this is also tied to the capabilities of fire trucks.
37 Ken Redfoot said that was not a consideration.
39 A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Rich for the
40 Board to authorize the Chair to execute the Special Use Permit governing the Southern Orange
41 County Government Services Campus issued by the Town of Chapel Hill.
42
43 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
44
45 Commissioner McKee noted that this approval allows this to be included in the space
46 study project.
47
48 8. Reports -NONE
49
50 9. County Manager's Report
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E'?
Bonnie Hammersley said her report includes a list of items for the next work session,
and she invited comments and questions.
Commissioner Dorosin asked if this is in an email. He questioned how he can comment
without having the information in the packet.
Bonnie Hammersley said purpose was just to show the titles of the item and not the
content for their information. She said this list of items is included on the agenda face sheet for
the Manager's report.
Commissioner McKee said future work session items are discussed in agenda review,
and sometimes items are moved around. He said the purpose of this is just to give everyone a
heads up about what is forthcoming at that work session.
Commissioner Gordon said there is a three month rolling calendar, although it might not
always be up to date. She said this list gives a little window on the most recent projection.
Bonnie Hammersley said that is correct.
Commissioner Gordon said she appreciates this list, as well as the rolling calendar.
Projected October 14, 2014 Regular Work Session Items
• Updates on Community Centers Construction
• Upper Neuse River Basin Association Update
• Orange Well Net Update
• Jordan Lake Allocation Application
• Update on Emergency Procedures
• Website Design Presentation
• 2015 BOCC Meeting Calendar
10. County Attorney's Report -NONE
11. Appointments
a. Advisory Board on Aging — Appointments
The Board considered making appointments to the Advisory Board on Aging.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
appoint:
• Dr. Donna Prather to a second full term (Position #1) At -Large expiring 06/30/2017.
• Dr. Anthony John Vogt to a first full term (Position #2) At -Large expiring 06/60/2017
• Mr. Keith Cook to a second full term (Position #12) At -Large expiring 06/30/2017.
POSITION
NO.
NAME
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
EXPIRATION
DATE
1
Dr. Donna Prather
At-Large
06/30/2017
2
Dr. Anthony John Vogt
At-Large
06/30/2017
12
Mr. Keith Cook
At-Large
06/30/2017
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
b. Human Relations Commission —Appointments
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The Board considered making appointments to the Human Relations Commission.
A motion was made by Commissioner Pelissier, seconded by Commissioner Price to
appoint:
• Mr. Marc Xavier to a first full term (Position #5) At -Large expiring 06/30/2017.
• Mr. Matthew Hughes to a second full term (Position #8) At -Large expiring 06/30/2017.
• Ms. Antonia Pedroza to partial term (Position #11) Town of Hillsborough expiring
06/30/2015.
• Mr. Gerald Ponder to a first full term (Position #13) Town of Hillsborough expiring
06/30/2017.
POSITION
NO.
NAME
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
EXPIRATION
DATE
5
Mr. Marc Xavier
At-Large
06/30/2017
8
Mr. Matthew Hughes
At-Large
06/30/2017
11
Ms. Antonia Pedroza
Town of Hillsborough
06/30/2015
13
Mr. Gerald Ponder
Town of Hillsborough
06/30/2017
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Commissioner Rich asked about the two open Chapel Hill positions.
Donna Baker said the County is working with Chapel Hill, and the town has not sent any
recommendations yet.
c. Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee — Appointments
The Board considered making appointments to the Nursing Home Community Advisory
Committee.
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to
appoint:
• Ms. Teri J. Driscoll to a first full term (Position #3) At -Large ending 09/30/2017. Ms.
Driscoll has completed her one year training term.
• Mr. Jerry Schreiber to a one year training term (Position #4) At -Large ending
10/07/2015.
POSITION
NO.
NAME
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
EXPIRATION
DATE
3
Ms. Terri J. Driscoll
At-Large
09/30/2017
4
Mr. Jerry Schreiber
At-Large Training
10/07/2015
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
d. Orange County Parks and Recreation Council —Appointments
The Board considered making appointments to the Orange County Parks and
Recreation Council.
A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner Rich to
appoint:
10
2 0 Mrs. Sandi Green to a partial term (Position #6) Cheeks Township expiring 03/31/2015.
3 0 Ms. Teri Driscoll to a first full term (Position #10) Hillsborough Town Limits expiring
4 09/30/2016.
5
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7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
8
9 12. Board Comments
10 Commissioner Rich thanked the team that put together the free mammogram program
11 for County employees.
12 Commissioner Pelissier said she and Commissioner Price attended the Justice and
13 Public Safety NCACC Committee meeting. She said a number of the goals from Orange
14 County were included and will be forwarded. She said two of these were referred for study.
15 She said, for future reference, she would like the clerk to remind the Commissioners to talk to
16 staff in order to be fully informed about the details. She said these items may not have been
17 referred if she and Commissioner Price had been briefed and been able to answer questions.
18 Commissioner Pelissier said there was tie vote on the issue of the right to regulate guns
19 in parks, and this failed. She said she tried to argue that this was not something all counties
20 would be asked to do, but this was to allow counties to right to decide for themselves, but it did
21 not move forward.
22 Commissioner Dorosin said last week the 4th circuit of appeals issued an injunction to
23 prevent two parts of the new voting law from going into effect. He said same day registration
24 during the early voting period has been restored, and out of precinct ballot counting has been
25 restored. He said this is a great victory for the people. He suggested checking with the Board
26 of Election to see what is being done in light of this change, in terms of getting information out
27 to the voters.
28 Chair Jacobs said the district court judge asked for the State Board of Elections to come
29 back to him with a plan for how these changes will be implemented.
30 Commissioner McKee recognized the Little Free Library at Cedar Grove, which was just
31 dedicated. He deferred to Commissioner Price for further comment.
32 Commissioner Gordon said the Strategic Communications Plan work group is continuing
33 to meet and the group will try to tie things together for the Commissioner's meeting in
34 November.
35 Commissioner Gordon said the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group will meet
36 tomorrow, and she is happy to say that all of the jurisdictions that needed to approve the
37 coordinated use of school facilities for recreation have done so.
38 Commissioner Price said one of the County goals regarding reimbursement for
39 misdemeanants will be looked at by staff and re- submitted to the NCACC staff. She said there
40 was some confusion regarding terminology.
41 Commissioner Price said two of the advisory board applications are out of date, and it
42 might be helpful to ask people for updated information when they are reapplying.
43 Commissioner Price said the Little Free Library was donated to Cedar Grove Park, and
44 the dedication was a nice event. She thanked staff for their efforts in making this happen.
45 Chair Jacobs said the State of the Environment event is being held on Saturday October
46 11 th. He said the dedication of Riverwalk is happening that same day.
POSITION
NO.
NAME
SPECIAL
REPRESENTATIVE
EXPIRATION
DATE
6
Mrs. Sandi Green
Cheeks Township
03/31/2015
10
Ms. Teri Driscoll
Hillsborough Town Limits
09/30/2016
6
7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
8
9 12. Board Comments
10 Commissioner Rich thanked the team that put together the free mammogram program
11 for County employees.
12 Commissioner Pelissier said she and Commissioner Price attended the Justice and
13 Public Safety NCACC Committee meeting. She said a number of the goals from Orange
14 County were included and will be forwarded. She said two of these were referred for study.
15 She said, for future reference, she would like the clerk to remind the Commissioners to talk to
16 staff in order to be fully informed about the details. She said these items may not have been
17 referred if she and Commissioner Price had been briefed and been able to answer questions.
18 Commissioner Pelissier said there was tie vote on the issue of the right to regulate guns
19 in parks, and this failed. She said she tried to argue that this was not something all counties
20 would be asked to do, but this was to allow counties to right to decide for themselves, but it did
21 not move forward.
22 Commissioner Dorosin said last week the 4th circuit of appeals issued an injunction to
23 prevent two parts of the new voting law from going into effect. He said same day registration
24 during the early voting period has been restored, and out of precinct ballot counting has been
25 restored. He said this is a great victory for the people. He suggested checking with the Board
26 of Election to see what is being done in light of this change, in terms of getting information out
27 to the voters.
28 Chair Jacobs said the district court judge asked for the State Board of Elections to come
29 back to him with a plan for how these changes will be implemented.
30 Commissioner McKee recognized the Little Free Library at Cedar Grove, which was just
31 dedicated. He deferred to Commissioner Price for further comment.
32 Commissioner Gordon said the Strategic Communications Plan work group is continuing
33 to meet and the group will try to tie things together for the Commissioner's meeting in
34 November.
35 Commissioner Gordon said the Intergovernmental Parks Work Group will meet
36 tomorrow, and she is happy to say that all of the jurisdictions that needed to approve the
37 coordinated use of school facilities for recreation have done so.
38 Commissioner Price said one of the County goals regarding reimbursement for
39 misdemeanants will be looked at by staff and re- submitted to the NCACC staff. She said there
40 was some confusion regarding terminology.
41 Commissioner Price said two of the advisory board applications are out of date, and it
42 might be helpful to ask people for updated information when they are reapplying.
43 Commissioner Price said the Little Free Library was donated to Cedar Grove Park, and
44 the dedication was a nice event. She thanked staff for their efforts in making this happen.
45 Chair Jacobs said the State of the Environment event is being held on Saturday October
46 11 th. He said the dedication of Riverwalk is happening that same day.
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1 Chair Jacobs said there has been one meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Group since
2 the Board last met. He said there is another meeting on Thursday and there will be two
3 attendees from the University and the hospital.
4 Chair Jacobs said it is his inclination to recommend that he, Commissioner Price, and
5 Commissioner Dorosin would serve on the retreat planning committee. He said the clerk needs
6 to know if this is the desire of the Board.
7 There was consensus from the Board on this.
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9 13. Information Items
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11 0 September 16, 2014 BOCC Regular Meeting Follow -up Actions List
12 e Tax Collector's Report- Numerical Analysis
13 Tax Collector's Report- Measure of Enforced Collections
14 Tax Assessor's Report- Releases and Refunds under $100
15 Memo Regarding Population Projections Used for Various Planning Initiatives
16 e Memo Regarding Regulation of Solar Facilities within North Carolina
17 e Popular Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2014
18 0 BOCC Chair Letter Regarding Petitions from September 16, 2014 Regular Board
19 Meeting
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21 14. Closed Session (10:30 -)
22 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price to go
23 into closed session at for the purpose below:
24 "To discuss the County's position and to instruct the County Manager and County Attorney on
25 the negotiating position regarding the terms of a contract to purchase real property," NCGS §
26 143- 318.11(a)(5).
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28 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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30 RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION
31 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Rich to go
32 into regular session at 9:55pm.
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34 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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36 15. Adjournment
37 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price to
38 adjourn the meeting at 9:55 p.m.
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40 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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42 Barry Jacobs, Chair
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Attachment 2
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
JOINT MEETING WITH COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
October 14, 2014
5:30 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a joint meeting with the
Commission for the Environment on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. at the Whitted
Building in Hillsborough, 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: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Assistant County Manager
Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will
be identified appropriately below)
COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Jan Sassaman, Vice
Chair Loren Hintz and members May Becker, Peter Cada, Steve Niezgoda, Jeanette O'Connor,
David Neal, Rebecca Ray and Donna Lee Jones
COMMISSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT MEMBERS ABSENT: William Newby, Lydia
Wegman, Clifford Leath, David Welch, Gary Saunders,
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, AGRICULTURE AND PARKS AND RECREATION
(DEAPR) STAFF PRESENT: Dave Stancil, Rich Shaw and Tom Davis
Welcome /Introductions and Opening Remarks
Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 5:43 p.m.
Jan Sassaman said this is an auspicious time to get together with the Board of County
Commissioners, as the Commission for the Environment (CfE) presented the 5th edition of the
State of the Environment report last weekend. He said he would like to get the Board of County
Commissioners' feedback on this.
Introductions were made.
Chair Jacobs said the fact that the Board has not previously met with the CfE does not
diminish their importance to the County.
38 1. Orange County State of the Environment 2014 Report (Attachment 1)
39 Jan Sassaman said this report was given on this past Saturday at their Summit. He said
40 this report has come a long way in its evolution, and he showed a comparison of the first report
41 to the current one. He noted that as of this weekend the report is online.
42 Jan Sassaman said this edition of the report is dedicated to Commissioner Gordon, who
43 has served Orange County for 24 years as a County Commissioner. He expressed
44 appreciation for Commissioner Gordon and said the CfE owes their existence to her, as she
45 played an integral part in its creation. He said she also played an integral part in creating the
46 Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR).
47 Commissioner Dorosin arrived at 5:50 p.m.
48 Jan Sassaman said the report is included in attachment 1, and it raises many critical
49 issues. He said the report is divided into sections that highlight different areas. He reviewed
50 the following issues as outlined in the abstract materials:
2
2 Critical Issues
3 • Invasive, non - native, plant and animal species threaten the biological diversity of
4 Orange County's aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Non - native species replace
5 natives, threatening critical ecosystem services such as plant pollination and posing
6 risks to livestock, land, and public health.
7 • Important data on the quality and quantity of Orange County's surface water and
8 groundwater will remain unknown as reductions are made in State -led data
9 collection efforts.
10 • If drilling for natural gas begins in the Deep River basin, nearby Orange County
11 residents could experience negative impacts to air quality, water quality and
12 supply, and infrastructure.
13 • We need to do more to improve our air quality, chiefly by making changes that
14 result in less reliance on cars. Locally, this can be achieved by: (1) increased
15 availability and use of transit alternatives, including bus, rail, bicycle, and
16 pedestrian pathways; and (2) town and county planning that fosters denser,
17 walkable communities, reduces sprawl, and allows the clustering of development
18 in urban buffers. The installation of ozone monitors could help track air quality
19 more accurately.
20 • Orange County should continue to support the responsible deployment of clean
21 and appropriately -sited renewable energy.
22 • Reducing energy use is the first step in fighting climate change. Orange County
23 has made great strides in improving the energy efficiency of the buildings under
24 its management. We can build on this progress by investing more in energy
25 efficiency programs for residential, commercial, and other government buildings.
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27 Jan Sassaman reviewed the following air and energy recommendations from the second
28 page of the report:
29
30 Highlighted Recommendations from the
31 Orange County State of the Environment 2014
32 Air and Energy Resources
33 .1. Orange County should work with Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough to update the
34 2005 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast for the county, and assess our
35 progress toward the emissions - reduction goals recommended in the 2005 Greenhouse
36 Gas Emissions report.
37 2. Orange County should collaborate with its citizens and with civic organizations that are
38 organizing for clean energy policy at the local, state, federal, or international level.
39 3. Orange County should incentivize green building techniques by offering reduced building
40 permit fees for commercial and residential buildings that achieve demonstrable energy
41 savings.
42 4. Orange County should continue to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills by
43 implementing a "pay -as -you- throw" system and stop trucking Orange County solid waste
44 to the Durham transfer station.
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46 Land Resources
47 1. Orange County should work with its partners to protect at least 12% of county land area by
48 2020, with focus on Natural Heritage Areas, and develop a comprehensive
49 conservation plan for a network of protected space throughout the county.
50 2. Orange County should continue educating and assisting the agricultural community with the
I Voluntary Agricultural District and Present Use Value Taxation programs.
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3 3. Orange County should increase efforts to encourage homeowners and businesses to
4 choose regionally native species for landscaping.
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6 Water Resources
7 1. Orange County should increase efforts to gather information related to water resources in
8 Orange County; including data about surface water and groundwater quality, as well as
9 concerning groundwater quantity. State -led efforts in these areas continue to decline due to
10 budget and staff reductions.
11 2. Orange County should undertake a campaign to inform the public about invasive aquatic
12 species, including their current extent in our waterways, the likely ramifications of the
13 occurrence of these species in Orange County, and what steps can be undertaken to slow
14 their spread or eliminate them locally.
15 3. Orange County should continue to increase public awareness and understanding of
16 water supply sources, related concerns, and what steps can be undertaken to improve
17 or maintain the quality and quantity of our water supply resources.
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19 Jan Sassaman said one thing that comes out of this report is the importance of thinking
20 globally and acting locally.
21 Rich Shaw said each of the above recommendations is spelled out throughout the
22 report. He staff tried to incorporate any references to the 2030 comprehensive plan, and there
23 was more emphasis on providing information regarding what citizens can do to address the
24 issues.
25 Commissioner Gordon said the CfE and staff did a great job presenting this report at the
26 summit. She said the quantity and quality of Orange County's surface water and ground water
27 is a critical issue, and she hopes the County will do what it can to monitor this. She said
28 surface water and groundwater are important for life.
29 She said one thing to do about the fracking issue is to educate the public about the pros
30 and cons and make them aware of the options.
31 Commissioner Gordon said climate change is a serious issue, and something needs to
32 be done soon. She said things can be done to think globally and act locally.
33 Commissioner Gordon said it is important to educate people about climate change. She
34 also said Orange County has done many things to be proactive in the area of energy efficiency
35 and conservation.
36 Commissioner Gordon referred to the recommendations page, and she noted that there
37 was a study about greenhouse gas emissions that should be completed.
38 Commissioner Gordon said it is important to protect the County's natural and cultural
39 resources, and the Lands Legacy Program has done a good job of this.
40 Commissioner Gordon said this is overall a wonderful report.
41 Commissioner Rich referred to the recommendations on air and energy, and she
42 said Chapel Hill has updated some of their data on this. She urged staff to get this information.
43 Commissioner Rich referred to recommendation #4 and questioned what the solution or
44 option would be to the trucking of solid waste to Durham.
45 Loren Hintz said the last item will go into that issue in more detail. He said the short
46 answer is for all entities that supported the solid waste group to come up with the ideas. He
47 said there is a lot of sentiment that the County has a responsibility to better figure out what to
48 do with its solid waste. He said the Durham transfer station should only be a short term
49 solution, but there is no long term answer.
rd
1 Commissioner Pelissier said it is great to see how these summits and reports evolve
2 with the times. She referred to recommendation #2 under air and energy and the collaboration
3 with civic organizations, and she asked for specific suggestions for undertaking this.
4 Commissioner Pelissier referred to recommendation #3 on the incentives for green
5 building techniques. She asked if staff is aware of other places that have done this successfully.
6 David Neal said there will be discussion of this later on the agenda.
7 Commissioner Pelissier asked if there are there any priorities of the CfE that the Board
8 of County Commissioners should prioritize to address first.
9 Jan Sassaman said with regard to priorities, he would like to the CfE and the Board to
10 jointly come up with priorities.
11 Commissioner McKee said he is impressed by this report, and he commended the CfE
12 for an excellent job. He referred to the first item regarding land resources and the 12 percent
13 protection goal. He asked if this includes farmers in the voluntary agricultural districts and the
14 conservation easements. He said 12 percent of the County is a huge portion of acreage, and
15 he would like an opportunity to discuss why this percentage was chosen.
16 Loren Hintz said the report 10 years ago set this number at 10 percent, and the County
17 is already at 9 percent protected at one level or another. He said this is why 12 percent was
18 chosen. He said there are a number of ways to protect these areas. He said you need to have
19 corridors from one protected area to another, and many of these corridors are waterways. He
20 said no one has the specifics for reaching this number, and it is just a dream now.
21 Commissioner McKee said it is good to dream. He said the efforts of soil conservation
22 personnel to educate the farming community have resulted in an exponential increase in farms
23 enrolling in the voluntary agricultural district.
24 Steve Niezgoda said the maps he is referring to are shown on pages 27 and 28.
25 Chair Jacobs said he would like to see renewed support for the Lands Legacy program
26 listed as a common goal. He said he would hope that this would be part of the bond package,
27 and if so, that the CfE would take the lead in educating the public about why protected space
28 and natural areas are important for Orange County. He said there have been no decisions yet
29 about what would be on the proposed bond, and a committee will be put together to determine
30 this.
31 Chair Jacobs said Clerk to the Board Donna Baker was able to provide information on
32 past bonds, which showed that schools received 59.2 percent of the vote; the bond for parks,
33 open space and recreational facilities got 54.8 percent of the vote; the bond for senior centers
34 got 54.2 percent; and affordable housing got 52.4 percent of the vote. He said parks and open
35 spaces are typically the most popular bonds in the United States, and in Orange County,
36 schools are the most popular bonds, and parks and open spaces are second.
37 Chair Jacobs said a lot of the things the CfE is referring to are being worked on or
38 discussed by the Board. He said interviews are ongoing for a sustainability coordinator for
39 Orange County government, and that position will systemically address a lot of the issues that
40 have been raised. He said someone has to take a leadership role, and he is pleased that the
41 CfE is so dedicated.
42 Commissioner Dorosin said the report is outstanding, but he would challenge everyone
43 to take a broader view of what environmentalism is as it relates to the impact on social justice
44 issues. He said these things are interrelated, and he would push for them to look at the
45 impacts of these issues on vulnerable low wealth communities. He said the flooding that
46 occurred last year had a clear disparate impact on the most vulnerable people in the
47 community. He said it would be interesting to take the groundwater contamination maps and
48 overlay basic census data on whether these contaminated areas are concentrated in low wealth
49 areas.
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Commissioner Dorosin said this is a strong committee, and they provide a real resource
to help the Board put together the different priorities of the County. He said he would like to
look at these issues through the lenses of equity and social justice. He said one of the
elements that is not on list is the fact that transportation hubs should be in and around
communities that have affordable housing. He said it is also important to look at whether
conservation land is distributed equitably throughout the County so that everyone has
reasonable access to enjoy these areas.
Jan Sassaman said these are good comments. He said one of the benefits of this
report is that it is electronic, and it can be updated as needed.
Commissioner Price said this is a great report, and she recognized Commissioner
Gordon for her contribution.
Commissioner Gordon said the CfE should be a part of the bond discussion and should
lend their support to the Lands Legacy program.
2. Orange County Environmental Summit - October 11 (Attachment 2)
This discussion was combined with item 1 above.
3. Incentives for Enerav Efficient Construction and Renovation (Attachment 3
David Neal said this was a proposal that came up in 2012 and was brought to the Board
of Commissioners and the Planning Board. He said this was dropped at the Planning Board
level. He said this is allowed by N.C. statute.
David Neal reviewed the following information from the abstract:
The Orange County Commission for the Environment ( "CFE ") invited the Orange County
Planning Board to consider a Low Energy Construction Permitting Incentive ordinance in 2012.
N. C. Gen. Stat.§ 153A -340 allows counties to charge "reduced building permit fees or provide
partial rebates of building permit fees for buildings" that meet or exceed recognized energy
efficient design and construction principals. Members of CFE are available to work with the
Planning Board and county staff to review similar ordinances enacted pursuant to this statute
(for example, from Catawba County) and from around the country, then to draft an ordinance
for consideration by the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Neither the current level of carbon in the atmosphere nor projected increases in greenhouse
gas emissions are sustainable. Costly and potentially irreversible adverse climate effects are
likely unless mitigation measures — such as increased energy efficiency investments and
decreased fossil fuel consumption — are taken in the near future. In Orange County, we cannot
wait for policy changes at the state and federal level to encourage increased energy efficiency.
Steps taken now to improve efficiency and decrease or eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels for
energy production will help lock -in reduced energy use for years to come.
Since 2003, Orange County has been a member of Local Governments for Sustainability, an
international membership association committed to a sustainable future. Creating incentives for
energy efficiency in construction is consistent with Orange County's commitment to a
sustainable future. The 2005 Greenhouse Gas Inventory revealed that nearly fifty percent of
greenhouse gas emissions in Orange County come from residential and commercial buildings
(consistent with national data1). Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro, in conjunction with
Hillsborough, are currently working on a revised inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and
attempting to identify reduction measures.
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Making use of the authority granted by the General Assembly to incentivize energy efficient
construction is a straightforward way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the county level
for the long term.
CFE would like to explore crafting an incentive program that would be attractive to lower -
income residents, for whom savings on utility bills would provide a particularly important benefit.
To give an example of how such an energy efficient construction incentive might function, below
is a summary of the Catawba County incentives enacted pursuant to N. C. Gen. Stat. §153A -
340:
Catawba County is providing incentives to encourage the construction of sustainably built
homes and commercial buildings. Rebates on permit fees and plan reviews are available
for certain qualifying structures and renewable energy projects. Buildings designed and
constructed in accordance with the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED), NC HealthyBuilt Homes, Energy Star, or the National
Association of Home Builders' Model Green Home Building Guidelines can receive a 25%
blanket permit fee rebate, not to exceed $500. Catawba County will also rebate 50% of fees
related to plan review or express plan review for commercial buildings seeking LEED
certification.
Additionally, existing one and two family homes and commercial buildings can receive a 50%
rebate on the permitting fees associated with the installation of geothermal heat pumps,
photovoltaic (PV) systems, solar water heating systems, and gray /rain water collection for
flushing fixtures.
Regular fees must be paid in full at time of plan review or permit issuance. Fee rebates will be
refunded upon project completion and certification by third party inspection agency.2
Rebates or reduced fees for efficient construction could be structured on a sliding scale, with
zero energy construction receiving the most robust incentives. Given the current level of
permitting fees, rebates or reductions in Orange County could be designed here that could
provide a substantial incentive for efficient construction.
The CFE looks forward to working with the Planning Board on crafting an efficiency incentive
program for consideration by the Orange County Board of Commissioners. We would
appreciate the opportunity to have this item included on an upcoming agenda and to work with
you on completing a draft proposal in the next few months.
David Neal said this program is also in Catawba County, and he is happy to contact
them to see if there is enough data to show if this has been effective. He does not know what
budgetary implications this would have had for the planning department. He said otherwise it
would not be hard to write a model ordinance for how a system like this would work.
He said another recommendation is the idea of partnering with Duke Energy and
Piedmont Electric to create affordable on -bill financing options for energy efficient upgrades.
He said this might be appealing for lower income individuals. He said the USDA rolled out a
program this year that allows rural electric coops to do on -bill financing programs. He said if
Piedmont Electric could be encouraged to take advantage of this, it would be a great way to
bring some money into the County to do energy efficiency work in a way that reaches low
income individuals. He said this information is listed in the bullet points on page 12 of the
report.
7
1 Commissioner Rich said the Wise program in Chapel Hill was offered to everyone, but it
2 was specifically targeted to older homes and lower income residents, as this is where the
3 program would make the most impact. She wonders if there is data there that could be shared.
4 She thinks this is a great idea, but it needs to be worked into the budgeting somehow.
5 Chair Jacobs suggested talking to Catawba County. He said there is interest among the
6 Board of County Commissioners in getting more information. He said he has raised the idea of
7 incentives in the past for business that want to become more energy efficient. He said it would
8 be good to have a comprehensive vision of where this could be taken and what is legal in N.C.
9 He said information should be brought back that includes the budget implications for including
10 this, starting it, seeding it, and funding it in a timely manner, which would be March.
11 Chair Jacobs said he thinks Piedmont Electric would be receptive to this, and it is just a
12 matter of getting their attention.
13 David Neal said if there was someone at the County level who could talk to someone in
14 management, it would be helpful.
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16 4. Promoting Energy Conservation and Greater Use of Renewable Energy Sources
17 (e.g., Solarize Orange, Geothermal, Biogas, Biodiesel, Wood) (Attachment 4)
18 Loren Hintz said attachment 4 refers to Solarize Orange. He said the biggest thing in
19 the news right now is solar energy. He said for private home owners who have enough income
20 to be able to use a tax deduction, solarizing can work.
21 He said there are other options that the County can help facilitate. He said geothermal
22 is a good investment for heating and cooling a home, but it is a large investment. He said one
23 question is whether the permitting process and fees should be the same for geothermal wells
24 as for regular wells.
25 Loren Hintz said a memo was sent several years ago regarding the rules and
26 regulations related to solar panels. He said those types of regulations are something that the
27 Commissioners might look at.
28 Chair Jacobs said the County has geothermal wells at the Justice Facility and the Link
29 Government Services Center. He said Asset Management Services is looking at solar
30 applications for County facilities. He said there has not been much talk about incentivizing
31 individuals, but there is no reason this can't be done.
32 Loren Hintz said Orange County government has been doing a lot and has policies in
33 place.
34 Commissioner McKee said it is going to be critical to build in an educational component
35 for all of these concepts.
36 Commissioner Rich said some of the federal incentives for solar homes are getting
37 ready to run out. She said something needs to be done quickly.
38 Loren Hintz said there are also state incentives for geothermal, although he believes
39 that these are running out in 2015 as well.
40 Jeanette O'Conner said it is frustrating to know that the lower income residents could
41 benefit the most from these energy alternatives. She said it would be beneficial if the County
42 could find ways to educate and from partnerships to help with this.
43 Chair Jacobs said Cooperative Extension will provide free energy efficient light bulbs,
44 but many people don't know about this. He said if this gets to a bond package it would be a
45 good opportunity to address the non - profit affordable housing entities in the County and lobby
46 for the next generation of energy efficiency.
47 Commissioner Price asked if Solarize Orange County is modeled after the program in
48 Durham.
49 David Neal said it is a little different, and the Durham program was a neighbor to
50 neighbor program for implementing energy efficiencies in the home.
I Commissioner Price said this was a good program where neighbors were helping each
2 other, and experts were doing audits of the homes.
3
4 5. Solid Waste Issues
5 CFE Interest in the Direction the County Will Go In Handling Solid Waste; Support
6 of the `New Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG)
7 Jan Sassaman said when the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) phased out a couple
8 of years ago, a lot of the solid waste issues came before the CfE, and the group began to make
9 some recommendations.
10 He said at this point, given the changes that have happened and the formation of the
11 Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG), the CfE has an interest in understanding what the Board
12 is thinking and how the CfE can assist them. He suggested that a couple of the Commissioners
13 could attend the next CfE meeting to discuss this.
14 Chair Jacobs suggested that Commissioner Rich could give an update on where the
15 SWAG stands.
16 Commissioner Rich said the group has met several times, and they are still working on
17 an interlocal agreement. She said other issues will be prioritized after the interlocal agreement
18 is completed. She said it has been a very detailed process, and there will be some discussion
19 of finances at the next meeting. She said UNC and UNC Hospitals are at the table and seem
20 interested in partnering with them.
21 Chair Jacobs noted that a report will be given at the Assembly of Governments meeting
22 on November 14tH
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24 CFE Interest in Diverting More Food Waste from the Solid Waste Stream Through
25 Composting (Attachment 5)
26 May Becker said the CfE Air and Energy Committee has put together a resolution
27 regarding diversion of solid waste food waste from the landfill, and they would like the Board of
28 County Commissioners to consider adopting this. She said the resolution specifically
29 addresses commercial food waste.
30 She asked the Board of County Commissioners to ask the solid waste department to
31 expand their commercial collection of organic food waste. She said a lot of the waste is being
32 trucked away, but a lot of the material is organic and can be re -used and treated so that it does
33 not occupy more space. She said this organic waste could be taken away from landfill and be
34 composted. She said there has not been a lot of controversy around this, and she asked the
35 Board to adopt this resolution.
36 Chair Jacobs said once the County gets past the recycling program discussion there is
37 an interest in discussing this in their work group. He said this is one of the low lying fruits in
38 solid waste, and he hopes the advisory group will tackle this. He said it is a breakthrough to
39 have the university partners at the table.
40 Commissioner Price said this gets back to the issue of education and awareness. She
41 said many commercial establishments are already using vendors to collect their food waste,
42 and this needs to be publicized more. She said this might make other farmers more interested
43 in moving this along.
44 Chair Jacobs said the chancellor is very interested in the idea of being a zero waste
45 university.
46 Commissioner Rich asked if anyone in this group attended the food council meeting.
47 She said if not, someone may want to contact them about participation on the proposed ad hoc
48 committee. .
49 Jan Sassaman expressed appreciation to the Board on behalf of the CfE for their
50 willingness to listen and provide input.
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1 Chair Jacobs said a lot of engaging things have been discussed, and he hopes the
2 Board can follow through on the things that have been brought forward.
3 The meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
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Attachment 3
MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Work Session
October 14, 2014
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a work session on Tuesday,
October 14, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jacobs and Commissioners Mark Dorosin,
Alice M. Gordon, Earl McKee, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Assistant County
Manager Clarence Grier, Cheryl Young and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff
members will be identified appropriately below)
Chair Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m.
1. RENA and Cedar Grove Community Centers Update
Jeff Thompson introduced Grace Wallace. He walked through descriptions of a series
of photos of the Rogers Road Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) Center and
reviewed the following points from the PowerPoint slides:
27 RENA Community Center
28 Final Paint, Carpentry Trim, Kitchen Installation remaining
29 Final Inspections Currently Underway
30 Occupancy Permit expected in October, 2014
31 Staff working with RENA leadership on move -in topics
32 Ribbon Cutting ceremony scheduled for November 15, 2014
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34 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a landscaping plan in place.
35 Jeff Thompson answered yes.
36 Jeff Thompson presented the following highlights regarding the Cedar Grove
37 Community Center:
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39 Update on the Cedar Grove Community Center
40 Construction Documents ( "CDs ") 90% complete
41 60% CD set stakeholder and regulatory review
42 Scheduled December bid advertisement
43 Scheduled BOCC bid award: January 2015
44 Estimated construction completion: Fall 2015
45 Highlights
46 Facility programming planning underway
47 PFAP storage
48 Park & Ride planning
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Jeff Thompson showed some site photos and said the major site plan difference is that
the parking is being flushed out on the south side, including a truck dock to feed the storage for
PFAP. He said there is a potential bus shelter being studied in the front and back on the north
side.
Jeff Thompson reviewed the floor plan and he noted that the blue area is the community
center; and the PFAP and county storage are shown on the wings.
Commissioner Gordon asked how the circulation would work for public transit.
Jeff Thompson said the two specified locations meet the geometry for the bus assets.
He said the southern lot is tight, and the topography is challenging. He said it is much easier to
circulate on the other side.
Commissioner Gordon asked if people would be able to leave their cars.
Jeff Thompson said there is parking in the back, and other parking sites are still being
considered.
Commissioner McKee noted that the Little Free Library is located in the upper right hand
corner of the bus shelter potential location.
Chair Jacobs asked if any of this information is posted at the site so that the Community
can be informed.
Jeff Thompson said this has not been posted, although it has been distributed to the
resident advisory group and the stakeholder group. He said it could be posted.
2. Upper Neuse River Basin Association Update
Dave Stancil said this is the 3rd year in a row that staff has had a "water night' to catch
up on water issues that affect Orange County.
Tom Davis said approximately half of Orange County is located in the Falls Lake
watershed, and Falls Lake is rated as impaired by the state division of water resources. He
referred to a slide showing that the upper end of the lake is more impaired than the lower end of
the lake. He said the Falls Lake Rules were enacted in 2011 to address this impairment. He
said Stage II of the rules require unprecedented reductions in nutrient runoff.
Tom Davis reviewed key portions of the following information from the abstract:
The Falls Lake Nutrient Management Strategy (Falls Lake Rules) require local governments,
the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the agricultural community, and
other regulated parties located in the Falls Lake watershed (Attachment A) to reduce nitrogen
and phosphorus nutrient loading to the lake by 40% and 77 %, respectively, by 2036. Regulated
parties anticipate significant financial and technical difficulties with meeting the mandated
nutrient reduction targets. The fiscal note prepared by the State at the time the Falls Lake Rules
were developed estimated the cost of compliance with the rules to be at least $1.5 billion. Many
affected parties believe the phosphorus reduction goal of 77% is not attainable at any cost.
As a result of the challenges with meeting the goals of the Falls Lake Rules, the Upper Neuse
River Basin Association ( UNRBA), of which Orange County is a member, is working to revise
Stage II of the Falls Lake Rules. The activities of the UNRBA are guided by the Consensus
Principles, which were adopted by nearly all of the jurisdictions in the Falls Lake watershed,
including the Orange County Board of Commissioners on March 16, 2010 (Attachment B). The
Consensus Principles emphasize the protection of Falls Lake as a water supply for the City of
Raleigh, while also stating the need for re- examination of Stage II of the Falls Lake Rules.
Consensus Principles
Consensus Principle #9 includes the following with regard to the development of the Falls Lake
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Rules:
"...relied on a limited database which will be substantially enhanced by a more rigorous
program of sampling, monitoring and analysis." Furthermore: "The EMC [Environmental
Management Commission] should therefore begin a re- examination of its nutrient management
strategy for Falls Lake by January 1, 2018. The re- examination should consider, among other
things, (i) the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the Lake with a focus on nutrient
loading impacts and the potential for achieving the Stage 1 goal by 2021 as well as the
feasibility of both achieving the Stage 2 reduction goals and meeting the water quality standard
for chlorophyll -a in the Upper Lake, (ii) the cost of achieving, or attempting to achieve, the
Stage 2 reduction goals and meeting the water quality standard for chlorophyll -a in the Upper
Lake, (iii) the existing uses in the Upper Lake and whether alternative water quality standards
would be sufficient to protect those existing uses... ".
Consensus Principle #10 states:
"The limited resources available to DWQ [Division of Water Quality, now Division of Water
Resources - DWR] and DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] for the
implementation of the nutrient management strategy and the need for a robust and active
sampling and monitoring program, as well as additional modeling, make it desirable for the
affected local governments to share resources and undertake these important activities, and
other activities associated with the re- examination of the Nutrient Management Strategy,
collectively. The affected local governments should share resources and assist with funding for
the examination of the Nutrient Management Strategy." UNRBA Projects
Given the challenges with meeting Stage II of the Falls Lake Rules, as well as the guidelines
outlined in the Consensus Principles document, the UNRBA is already either working on, or is
planning to begin, the following projects:
• Estimation of nutrient sources and jurisdictional loading of nutrients to Falls Lake
• Modeling the response of Falls Lake to nutrient input and internal lake processes
• Monitoring of changes in the lake as a result of compliance activities in the watershed
• The linkage of water quality conditions to the designated uses of Falls Lake
• Estimation of BMP credits for measures without DWR - established credits
• Support of various options under the existing regulatory framework in North Carolina
The UNRBA has retained a consultant to help examine options for meeting the requirements of
Stage 11 the Falls Lake Rules while incorporating the goals of the Consensus Principles.
According to the Framework for a Re- examination of Stage 11 of the Falls Nutrient Strategy
prepared by the consultant, CardnoEntrix:
"The re- examination should consider existing data, models, nutrient management
strategies, the Consensus Principles, water quality standards (including designated uses
and water quality criteria), implementation costs, and regulatory flexibility."
Reports
To date, CardnoEntrix has completed the following reports as part of the re- examination
process:
• Task 1: Framework for a Re- examination of Stage II of the Falls Nutrient Strategy
• Task 2: Review Existing Data and Reports for Falls Lake and the Watershed
• Task 3: Estimation of Nutrient Loading to Falls Lake
• Task 4: Review of Existing Models and Recommendations for Future Studies
In addition, CardnoEntrix has also completed two technical memoranda:
• TM1: Comparison of Flow Estimation Methods
• TM2: Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the Falls Lake Nutrient Response Model
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Water Quality Sampling
During July 2014, CardnoEntrix received approval from DWR for three required technical
memoranda that had been prepared and submitted for DWR review that describe in detail the
watershed sampling project that will form the foundation of the re- examination process:
• Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
• Falls Lake Watershed Monitoring Plan
• Modeling Framework
The QAPP and the Monitoring Plan describe the three -to five -year watershed sampling effort
that was initiated in August 2014. The water quality sampling program will provide information
for the following purposes:
• Determination of nutrient source allocation and jurisdictional nutrient loading to Falls
Lake;
• Falls Lake response modeling;
• Development of data for consideration of additional regulatory options; and
• Linkage of water quality conditions in Falls Lake to the designated
Attachment C illustrates the locations that will be sampled in the Falls Lake watershed for the
determination of jurisdictional loading, as well as the stations that are designed to provide
information about nutrient loading to the lake. Attachment D illustrates additional water quality
sampling locations that other organizations are monitoring within Falls Lake. Modeling Data
Gaps UNRBA re- modeling of Falls Lake is expected to start in approximately two years, and is
intended to update the lake response model that DWQ utilized in the development of the Falls
Lake Rules. The UNRBA contractor identified several gaps in the data used by DWQ in the
modeling completed during the development of the Falls Lake Rules, including:
• DWQ held constant the total organic carbon and chlorophyll -a input values assumed for
the tributaries feeding into Falls Lake. These concentrations were based on levels
measured within the lake, not in the tributaries. It is probable that these concentrations
were artificially high to begin with and were unable to decrease at all over the course of
the modeling study.
• There are no stream gages on any of the streams that flow into Falls Lake east of I -85,
thus no flow information was incorporated for any of these 12 streams.
• Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen in the lake or watershed was not accounted for by
DWQ.
• Streambank erosion, possibly a significant source of phosphorus in the watershed, was
not considered as a possible source by DWQ.
• Internal lake processes, such as sediment re- suspension, were also not accounted for by
DWQ.
BMP Credit Review and Nutrient Trapping Analysis
CardnoEntrix is also currently working on a nutrient reduction BMP credit literature review and
the analysis of nutrient trapping that occurs within the larger impoundments in the watershed.
While the nutrient trapping analysis will be important for the remodeling of the watershed, the
BMP credit determination project will be beneficial to entities, including UNRBA member
governments, which must use BMPs to meet required nutrient reduction goals. DWR approval
of additional BMP credits is expected to take nearly a year per each additional BMP as a result
of the stringent credit determination process currently proposed by DWR. With several
measures in need of credit determination, the process of developing a thorough BMP "tool kit"
for regulated entities to employ may take a decade or more.
Schedule
I A tentative schedule for upcoming UNRBA projects is included as Attachment E. As can be
2 seen from this schedule, the UNRBA anticipates conducting the studies discussed earlier in this
3 document through 2020. Stage 11 of the Falls Rules is defined as the period extending from
4 2021 to 2036, with the overall goal of meeting nutrient related water quality standards
5 throughout Falls Lake by 2041.
6
7 Upcoming Opportunity for Comments about the Rules
8 The Regulatory Reform Act of 2013 (HB74) mandated that all rules expire within ten years of
9 their effective dates, unless readopted. This rulemaking process allows for comments and
10 revisions on the full range of regulated activities, including the Falls Lake Rules (15A NCAC
11 028.0275 through .0282 and amended .0235 and .0315). The Rules Review Commission
12 (RRC) is scheduled to begin the review of subchapter 2B rules in October 2014. The review
13 process for all rules must be finished by June 2019. There is a three -step review process
14 (Attachment F).
15 The initial step is the agency's determination report and public comment period. In the
16 determination the agency identifies each rule as "unnecessary and no public comment ",
17 "necessary and with substantive public interest ", or "necessary and without substantive public
18 comment ". DWR has identified the Falls Lake Rules as "necessary and with substantive public
19 interest ". The second step in the review process is for the RRC to review the agency reports
20 and the final step is the issuance of the RRC's final determination report. DWR anticipates re-
21 adoption of all rules under review to begin in 2015.
22 There is no financial impact to the County at this time. Given the numerous studies planned for
23 the re- examination of Stage 11 and the timeframe established by the Falls Lake Rules, it is
24 expected that UNRBA dues will remain elevated for several years.
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26 Tom Davis reviewed the following PowerPoint slides:
27 UNRBA Update — The Path Forward Process
28 "The Path Forward" process will re- examine the Stage 11 nutrient reduction requirements of the
29 Falls Lake Rules while preserving use of Falls Lake as a water supply.
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31 Reports finished to date:
32 TM1:Framework for a Reexamination of Stage 11 of the Falls Nutrient Strategy
33 TM2: Review Existing Data and Reports for Falls Lake and the Watershed
34 TM3: Estimation of Nutrient Loading to Falls Lake
35 TM4: Review of Existing Models and Recommendations for Future Studies
36 and
37 Comparison of Flow Estimation Methods
38 Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the Falls Lake Nutrient Response Model
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40 Ongoing Path Forward Projects:
41 Water Quality Monitoring in Falls Lake Watershed
42 - Started in August 2014, emphasizing:
43 ■ Jurisdictional Loading
44 ■ Nutrient Loading to Falls Lake
45 BMP Credit Development Process
46 o Add to list of BMPs that have been assigned nutrient reduction credits by DWR
47 o UNRBA working with Falls Lake WOC concerning BMPs
48 Watershed Impoundment Nutrient Trapping Analysis
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on
1 Pam Hemminger said this discussion is very technical in nature. She said this is still
2 being graded as a group project, so that is why all of this centers on the information in the lake.
3 She said the jurisdictional loading was for staff benefit, and to help with modeling. She said
4 work is being done with the state agencies, which are all on board with the monitoring project.
5 She said the funding has been cut back so much that the state is only monitoring
6 quarterly. She said there is no way to reach the proposed reductions, and staff believes the
7 calculations were incorrect to begin with.
8 Pam Hemminger said the state agencies will only look at a group report, and this is why
9 it is important to work with the watershed group. She said there is still one spot open on the
10 Upper Neuse River Basin Association (UNRBA) board, and it would be good to have a third
11 name from this jurisdiction. She said there are representatives from the agricultural board, the
12 Environmental Protection Agency, and other state agencies, so there are conversations
13 happening.
14 Chair Jacobs asked if the positions filled by other entities are filled with staff or with
15 elected officials and public representatives.
16 Pam said this varies, and most have at least one elected official, though there is a lot of
17 staff presence.
18 Chair Jacobs said a few years ago the County sent a letter objecting to the way the
19 standards were formulated because of the way the County already protects watersheds, and
20 because of the impact on agricultural practices. He asked how this has been incorporated in
21 the group's formulations.
22 Pam said the Department of Water Resources did not accept any protective measures
23 that Counties had already put into place. She said this puts Orange County at a disadvantage
24 due to the large amount of forested land in the basin, which makes it hard to reduce nutrient
25 loading. She said the other problem with the formula is that there were flaws on the
26 calculations. She said she and Tom Davis have fought for jurisdictional measuring, but it is
27 hard to break out from the Hillsborough jurisdiction. She said as a group they need to know
28 where the nutrients are coming from.
29 Commissioner Price asked about the rationale for the noted jurisdictional sample
30 locations marked with white x's.
31 Tom Davis said the x's are at the jurisdictional boundaries of the creeks and streams in
32 the County.
33 Dave Stancil said this is because of the mandate to calculate each jurisdictional loading
34 rate.
35 Commissioner Rich asked about the future ramifications of Orange County not meeting
36 the nitrogen and phosphorous load. She asked about the financial responsibilities of Orange
37 County as it relates to the dues.
38 Pam Hemminger said the dues are to pay for the nutrient tool box of credits that the
39 consultants were hired to develop. She said the benefit is that these will be established for the
40 County. She said the largest part of the dues is the monitoring, which is a cost of several
41 million dollars over four or five years. She said this is calculated by a very strategic formula that
42 takes into account the land mass size and the population.
43 Pam Hemminger said monitoring is very expensive, and the County would pay a lot
44 more than the current charge to do its own monitoring. She said the County will be charged no
45 matter what if this group project fails. She said the hope is that the project does not fail, and
46 that there will be reduced numbers from the new modeling that the County might actually be
47 able to meet. She said everyone is learning from each other through this process. She said
48 the dues were bumped up, but this year was less because it was a partial year. She said the
49 dues will be higher next year.
7
1 Commissioner Pelissier asked if monitoring done by other organizations is recognized
2 by the state.
3 Tom Davis said the results of monitoring done by other organizations will be included in
4 the modeling that is being done.
5 Pam Hemminger said both of these will be taken into the monitoring project, and the
6 data will be recorded as group data from the sites.
7 Commissioner McKee said he realizes this is a drinking water source that needs to be
8 clean. He asked if he is correct that the best management practices that were put into place in
9 the 70's, 80's and 90's will not count.
10 Pam Hemminger said anything done before 2006 does not count. She said there will be
11 some credit for a few things that have been done, but there are only 5 or 6 things on the list
12 right now for credits.
13 Tom Davis said the other consideration is that the best management practices have
14 lowered the base line loading for the lake.
15 Pam Hemminger said it is frustrating because Orange County went out of their way to
16 put best practices in place. She said most of the land in the watershed in Orange County is
17 forested land, and staff is hopeful that the re- modeling will help them significantly.
18 Commissioner McKee said over the past 40 years the agricultural community has put in
19 thousands of miles of fill borders, waterways, and sediment control structures that should count
20 for something. He said the farmers want to keep the nutrients on their land.
21 Commissioner McKee asked if the first water quality test on these sites is considered a
22 base line.
23 Tom Davis said no. He said many of these locations will be sampled every month to get
24 results during different stages of stream flow, and this will be input into a model.
25 Pam Hemminger said this data will be compared against the 2006 numbers to possibly
26 come back with more reachable numbers.
27 Commissioner McKee said this means 2006 is the baseline.
28 Tom Davis said this is correct, and the best practices previously put in place will lower
29 that baseline.
30 Commissioner McKee said his other concern is that the financial impact of this will not
31 only affect the County; but it will also flow back to farmers and homeowners in the form of
32 additional rules and monitoring.
33 Commissioner Gordon expressed her appreciation for the work that has been done.
34 She asked if there has been any thought about the quality of what is being produced in these
35 areas. She said forested land should be lowest in putting out nutrients. She questioned
36 whether the County would fare better if this was measured on some absolute amount of
37 nutrients coming out.
38 Pam Hemminger said that is one of the reasons that the state decided to do this as a
39 group project. She said every jurisdiction wants to know if they have a problem that needs to
40 be fixed. She is hopeful that Orange County will find out that it is doing pretty well, but the
41 problem is that the lake is still dirty. She said maybe the Lake was just never intended to be a
42 water drinking source at the upper end. She said the lake is clean and drinkable at the lower
43 end where Raleigh pulls the water out. She said most of the land in Orange County is forested,
44 but there are also failing septic systems along the routes and some agriculture. She said
45 everything will be measured by what is in the lake, but the state has agreed to look at the data
46 from the jurisdictions.
47 Chair Jacobs asked if there are discussions about giving local governments more
48 authority to intervene. He asked if there has been discussion about recommendations to
49 change how jurisdictions do business and development in watershed areas.
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Pam Hemminger said new development rules have been dealt with in phase one. She
said existing development issues will be handled in phase two. She hopes the jurisdictions will
come out of this with a toolbox of things that can be done.
Chair Jacobs asked if there has been any discussion about storm water credits or
pollution credits.
Pam Hemminger said this is on the table as part of the nutrient credit program. She
said the level of the credits would have to be approved by multiple entities.
Chair Jacobs asked what happens to monitoring at the end of the 4 or 5 year period.
Pam Hemminger said the Division of Water Resources (DWR) thought 4 -5 years would
be sufficient for monitoring, and they are aware of how expensive the monitoring is. She said
she does not know what will happen in the future, and it will depend on the answers that are
given by the current monitoring.
Commissioner McKee referred to Pam Hemminger's earlier comment about the design
of the lake being the reason for the issues in the upper end. He said his property contains two
ponds, and one stays clear all of the time; but the second shallower pond is almost never clear
due to algae blooms.
Commissioner Price asked about the differentiation between farm and residential runoff.
Pam Hemminger said the information from the monitoring will show where problems
exist, and then the department will work out strategies depending on the lay of the land and
what is out there. She said best management practices will have to be put in place. She noted
that there are new development rules, and several areas are being moved off of septic
systems, which will build up credits.
Pam Hemminger said there are only two small natural lakes in the state of North
Carolina and all of the others are man -made. She said these are not made deep enough, and
this is a problem all over the state.
3. Orange Well Net Update
Tom Davis reviewed the following background information and PowerPoint slides:
The Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation's (DEAPR) groundwater
observation well network, Orange Well Net (OWN) uses a combination of bedrock and regolith
wells spread across the main types of bedrock geology present in Orange County. Regolith
wells, which measure groundwater levels in the unconsolidated material present above bedrock
in the subsurface, monitor natural stresses on the quantity of groundwater available in storage
which are caused by variations in climatic conditions. Bedrock wells monitor changes in
groundwater levels in the bedrock across the County.
WELL NET PowerPoint
• Orange Well Net Update
• Orange County
• Department of Environment, Agriculture,
• Parks and Recreation
• Orange Well Net Goals
A. Primary Goal:
• Monitor natural stresses on the quantity of groundwater available in storage caused by
variations in climatic conditions.
• Network should mainly utilize climatic effects (regolith) observation wells to monitor
groundwater storage.
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1 B. Secondary Goal:
2 Monitor variations in groundwater levels across the nine main bedrock lithologies.
3 Terrane effect (bedrock) observation wells should be completed in each of the nine main
4 bedrock lithologies.
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Latest Activities
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Added bedrock wells:
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Former 911 Center
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Duke Forest 4D
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Installed wells at:
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Northeast District Park Site
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Blackwood Farm
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Working on agreement with TLC for use of additional bedrock well.
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DWR Web Site
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All data is available on NCDENR Division of Water Resources web site:
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http://www.ncwater.org/Data and Modeling /Ground Water Databases /leveltable.php ti
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=1 &net = orange &inactive=
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Bedrock Well Data Example
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Statistics Example
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What's Next?
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Continue to collect data and update web site.
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Consider installing automated rain gage(s) to collect precipitation data.
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Replace transducers as needed.
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27 Tom Davis said groundwater level data is collected every hour from each of the 11
28 wells. He said he periodically downloads this data and makes it available to the public on the
29 DWR website.
30 He reviewed a graph showing groundwater levels from 2010 to 2014.
31 Chair Jacobs asked what this shows.
32 Tom Davis said 2010 and 2011 were wetter years, but there is no way to know whether
33 this is the norm or the drier years are the norm. He said this will be determined with more data
34 over time.
35 He reviewed the groundwater level graphs showing the re- charge months of winter and
36 early spring and the lower level months of summer. He noted that the 2014 lines of the graph
37 were higher than the mean. He said the groundwater level is the same term as the
38 groundwater table.
39 Commissioner Gordon asked what this data means in absolute terms of adequate
40 quantity.
41 Tom Davis said this cannot be looked at in absolute terms, only relative to previous
42 levels.
43 Commissioner Gordon said she is trying to figure out the big picture and what this
44 information means as a practical matter.
45 Dave Stancil said part of the big picture is that more time is needed to do a full analysis.
46 He said a system has been set up and in 5 or 10 years there will be a lot more analysis to draw
47 from.
48 Commissioner Gordon referred to page 3 of the report, and asked for clarification about
49 the casing depth numbers.
50 Commissioner McKee said the top of the casing is above sea level.
10
1 Commissioner Gordon asked about the two state groundwater wells and whether this
2 data is used.
3 Tom Davis said that data is not being used.
4 Chair Jacobs said one of the reasons this started in the first place was because of an
5 incident where residents on Arthur Minnis Road reported adverse impact to their wells as a
6 result of the development of a new subdivision. He hopes this data is being provided to the
7 planning department. He said one of the goals of the Commissioners was to use this data to
8 respond to citizen's concerns, and that is why he supported doing these measures, not to
9 gather abstract data.
10 Commissioner Rich said it would have been nice to have had the history of this to put
11 the discussion into context.
12 Chair Jacobs noted that this is also an initiative of the Commission for the Environment.
13 Commissioner Gordon shared some background history, and suggested an executive
14 summary be provided.
15 Commissioner McKee asked if any of these wells are close to commercial wells.
16 Tom Davis said no.
17 Commissioner McKee said unless you site a monitoring well near a commercial well,
18 you will not get the information you want. He said these other wells do not accommodate the
19 draw of a commercial well, which answers the questions about the impact of drilling a well for a
20 subdivision. He asked if there are any commercial wells around.
21 Chair Jacobs said Orange Alamance has a commercial well.
22 Commissioner McKee said a monitoring well needs to be sited in this location, and data
23 can then be gathered to determine what the commercial well is doing to the water table in that
24 area.
25 Dave Stancil said this might be an option. He said this is a long topic, and what people
26 want to know is how new wells affect the water on their own lot. He said the nature of the
27 underlying geology makes this very tricky, and it will take more years of data to really get
28 answers.
29 Commissioner McKee agreed that more years of data are needed, but he thinks a
30 monitoring well should be drilled next to a commercial well to look at the trend for that
31 groundwater level.
32 Dave Stancil said he will look at whether there is an opportunity to do this.
33 Chair Jacobs said Orange Alamance drilled these wells fairly recently and there was
34 concern over what this would do to area water levels.
35 Craig Benedict said Orange Alamance water systems chose not to use these wells as
36 prime wells but to buy water from the Mebane /Graham system. He said this subject has been
37 around since the 1990's. He said the underlying geography makes it very hard to predict the
38 impact from one lot to the next, but he goal is to see if there are trends over the long term as it
39 relates to the lowering of the ground water.
40 Commissioner McKee said his request is moot if these commercial wells are not being
41 regularly used. He asked if there are any operating commercial wells in Orange County.
42 Craig Benedict said there are two categories of commercial well. He said one of these
43 includes a subdivision with a centralized well. He said it may be possible to take a look at these
44 to do monitoring well in an adjacent private well.
45 Commissioner Price said she recalls the planning board asking for additional information
46 about the impact of new developments on water tables after the 1996 report. She remembers
47 being told that there was a way to look at this, but it would cost thousands of dollars, and it was
48 not possible to deny development based on water availability. She asked if the County is now
49 headed toward putting in development regulations based on water resources.
11
1 Chair Jacobs said this situation was what raised the issue to the County
2 Commissioners.
3 Commissioner Price said there are other locations with regulations based on water
4 availability.
5 Chair Jacobs said this is one of the reasons that public hearings are valuable to the
6 Board, as it allows them to hear public concerns, and it raises issues that might not have been
7 heard otherwise. He said this is not just a scientific investigation; but there was some hope or
8 intention that this would result in an impact on where things are sited.
9 Commissioner Price questioned whether they have a right to regulate this.
10 Commissioner Pelissier said when she was on the Commissioner for the Environment
11 she was told that there was another County that has its zoning areas designated based on re-
12 charge rates.
13 Dave Stancil said Guilford County is the only other county where this level of detail has
14 been done.
15 Chair Jacobs said there was some discussion of this when the rural buffer was formed.
16 He said it would be nice to have a narrative to go with this and to work toward making this a
17 utilitarian effort.
18 Dave Stancil said staff can provide some context and work with Craig Benedict to show
19 how the protocol relates to the questions that have been asked.
20 Tom Davis said data collection is on- going, and it would be good to install an automatic
21 rain gauge to get the precipitation information. He said he has prepared annual reports, and
22 these are available on -line.
23 Tom Davis said there has been a lot of media coverage about hydrilla in the Eno River.
24 He said a task force has been formed to work on this issue, and they are working toward
25 developing a two year management study to address this issue. He anticipates coming to the
26 Board in the future to request funding for this.
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28 4. Jordan Lake Allocation Application
29 Kevin Lindley said this process has been going on for several years in developing an
30 allocation request. He said there is an existing one million gallon per day allocation with Jordan
31 Lake and the County has been paying a maintenance amount of $2,200 per year for this
32 allocation. He said this is a level two allocation, which means it is not planned to be used in the
33 near future. He reviewed the following background information from the abstract:
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35 BACKGROUND: Orange County is in the process of applying for an increase in its existing
36 Jordan Lake Allocation. The County currently holds an allocation of 1.0 million gallons per day
37 (MGD) and is applying for an additional 0.5 MGD. This allocation is meant to provide a secure
38 water supply through the year 2045 for portions of the County designated for economic growth.
39 The County does not have a public water utility and there are no plans to develop a water utility
40 service. Rather, the County will rely upon municipalities located adjacent to the economic
41 development regions to provide the finished water. The Jordan Lake Allocation will be used to
42 supplement the water supply of these municipalities, as needed.
43 There are three areas of economic interest (see Attachment A) which staff used to develop
44 estimates of future demand, the Buckhorn- Mebane area (western Orange), Hillsborough area
45 (central Orange) and Eno area (eastern Orange). These areas already have or will have water
46 supplied by the City of Mebane, Town of Hillsborough, and City of Durham, respectively. The
47 water from Jordan Lake can be accessed via Durham's interconnect with the Town of Cary. The
48 water would then be used to augment the Durham supply or sent to Hillsborough via the
49 interconnect shared between Durham and Hillsborough.
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1 The Buckhorn- Mebane area is supplied by the City of Mebane as the area does not have a
2 viable method to access an allocation from Jordan Lake. The City of Mebane has access to a
3 robust supply of water from the reservoir it shares with the City of Graham. In addition, Mebane
4 has interconnections that allow access to the City of Burlington's water system, which has a
5 robust water supply in its own right. The water demand from the Buckhorn- Mebane area is
6 expected to be met from Mebane's water supplies, without the need to supplement with Jordan
7 Lake water.
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9 Orange County currently holds a Level II allocation. This means the water is not expected to be
10 needed within the first five years of the thirty year demand projection. Typically, Level II
11 allocations account for the projected need during the last 10 -15 years of the thirty year water
12 supply plan. The submitted allocation application requests an additional 0.5 MGD Level II
13 allocation. The draft application also provides validation and peer- reviewed justification for the
14 1.0 MGD, Level II allocation the County currently holds.
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16 The draft application was submitted to the State Division of Water Resources on May 1, 2014.
17 County staff had been working with the Jordan Lake Partnership (JLP), a group of
18 representatives from several municipalities located near Jordan Lake, and the Triangle J
19 Council of Governments to develop a cohesive plan which showed all projected water demands
20 for the various entities and how these would be met using current water supplies and
21 interconnections, Jordan Lake allocations, conservation and reuse, along with other future
22 water supplies. The work done to develop a regionally coherent water supply plan which
23 demonstrates how all JLP members will be able to meet water demands through the year 2060
24 developed into the Triangle Regional Water Supply Plan (Plan).
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26 The Plan is a clear demonstration that all of the individual partner requests for Jordan Lake
27 allocations in the current round were arrived at through careful consideration of all members. In
28 other words, the Plan gives regional context to each municipality's Jordan Lake request. The
29 County's application for a Jordan Lake allocation is one piece of a regional "preferred solution"
30 developed by the JLP to meet future water demands.
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32 County staff has received comments back from the Division of Water Resources regarding the
33 County's draft allocation application. These comments will need to be incorporated into the
34 application document and submitted as a final application by close of business on November
35 14, 2014. According to the Division of Water Resources project schedule, the applications will
36 be forwarded to the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and will be under review
37 for approximately one year. The EMC is expected to approve or disapprove the allocation
38 requests by November 2015.
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40 Craig Benedict said there are existing draws from Jordan Lake, but the state indicated
41 that there was a planned expansion, and partners were encouraged to ask for their share of the
42 expansion. He said the expansion will lead to another 95 million gallons per day, and the
43 County is only asking for 0.5 million gallons of this.
44 Chair Jacob asked if the lake itself is being expanded, or just the allocation of supply.
45 Craig Benedict said this is just an expansion of the supply, as there are different layers
46 of water that can be drawn from.
47 Kevin Lindley said this round of allocation requests is set up for demand through 2045.
48 He said through 2045, all of the projected partners requesting allocation would take 91 -92
49 percent of the available supply. He said 100 percent would be allocated through 2060, but all of
50 the demands could be met.
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1 Craig Benedict said presently this is in the application and study stage. He said staff
2 has decided it is important to be at the table as part of the partnership to make sure the growth
3 areas of Orange County and its municipalities are spoken for.
4 He said the next phase is to decide how to accomplish this if the applications go
5 through. He said the Board has developed inter -local utility agreements with Mebane and
6 Durham, and these will be looked at again. He said one of these needs to be established with
7 the Town of Hillsborough.
8 Commissioner Gordon asked if Hillsborough stopped paying for their allocation.
9 Kevin Lindley said he is not sure if Hillsborough had an allocation in the past, but they
10 are applying for a 1 million gallon per day allocation in this round.
11 Commissioner Gordon said it is her recollection that Hillsborough had an allocation in
12 the past and then stopped paying for it.
13 Chair Jacobs said this is his recollection. He said Orange County has been paying for
14 years for getting an allocation, and Hillsborough stopped and is now eligible for another
15 allotment. He said it seems to him that the money the County has paid should be applied by
16 the state toward the County's ability to get additional allocation.
17 Commissioner Gordon said it is not clear that you actually get an allocation at level two.
18 She asked for clarification on how this works. She said it does not look like the 1.5 million will
19 meet the needs out to 2060. She asked if there will be any consideration of the fact that the
20 County has paid in the past.
21 Craig Benedict said staff has looked at all of their available land and have come up with
22 ample projections for water needs in the economic development zones. He said they believe
23 that the 1.5m total will be enough for Hillsborough and the Eno. He said the city of Mebane
24 has millions of gallons of existing infrastructure and treatment capacity to serve that 2,000 acre
25 area that is part of the inter -local agreement.
26 He said there is a prioritization given those paying level one.
27 Kevin Lindley said if you convert a level two to a level one, you pay $90,000 in
28 capitalization cost, and then annual payments remain the same. He said you have to convert
29 from a level two to a level one.
30 Commissioner asked if you have to use the water within a certain time frame if you
31 convert to a level one.
32 Craig Benedict said yes. He said prioritization is given to level one, but there is a
33 reserve for level two applicants within the application program.
34 Kevin Lindley said everyone has projected all of their demand through 2045, and some
35 of this will be level two, and some will be level one. He said the regional plan shows that all of
36 these demands can be met if the plans stay the same.
37 Kevin Lindley said there will be future rounds to allocate the remainder of the lake. He
38 said this application justifies why the County is asking for addition allocation when they have not
39 used their current allocation for 20 years.
40 Commissioner Pelissier said during the drought years ago she recalled a discussion
41 about the state not allocating all of the water. She asked if there has been any further
42 discussion of this. She thought the allocations were based on good years.
43 Kevin Lindley said there have been recent models that show that the demands can be
44 met without exhausting Jordan Lakes supply in the 30 year time period.
45 Craig Benedict said the reason the study plan has gone on for 5 years is because there
46 was uncertainty about the water level in the lake based on droughts that have occurred. He
47 said additional analysis has been done over the last 10 years, which has delayed the
48 application process.
49 Commissioner Pelissier referred to attachment A and asked about a service area in the
50 northern part of the map.
14
1 Craig Benedict said the areas in blue are in the area of the new joint urban services
2 boundary between Orange County and Hillsborough. He said what is not shown is the joint
3 planning ETJ expansion area that was to be Hillsborough's jurisdiction. He said this will include
4 all of the areas surrounding the blue and extending to the ETJ and the Hillsborough corporate
5 limits.
6 Commissioner Rich said she thought water was just being done for the economic
7 development districts.
8 Craig Benedict said the majority of the economic development areas are in the south
9 side, but this is the County land use plan and it includes the urban growth areas.
10 Commissioner Rich wanted to know if there was an inter -local agreement with Durham.
11 Craig Benedict said there is an inter -local agreement with Mebane and Durham, but not
12 with Hillsborough.
13 Commissioner Rich asked how frequently staff updates these agreements.
14 Craig Benedict said Mebane's started in 2003 and was updated in July 2012. He said
15 the Durham agreement goes back to 2011 and will be updated soon due to land use issues and
16 infrastructure costs. He said now that the ETJ swaps have been determined he has it on his
17 work plan to move toward infrastructure agreement. He said there is money within the capital
18 improvement program to help Hillsborough in some of the economic development zones with
19 water and sewer.
20 Commissioner Rich said it sounds like the updates are not on any specific schedule.
21 Craig Benedict said there was a delay with Mebane, but he said there should be
22 dialogue on an annual basis.
23 Chair Jacobs said the Efland Mebane Small Area Plan recommended re- zoning the
24 Morinaga area to commercial. He said this study was not finished until 2009, and all of this had
25 to be changed and incorporated.
26 Craig Benedict said the small area planning process identifies growth potential for
27 certain areas and then comes up with a sequential plan, but this takes years to unfold. He said
28 in the case of the Mebane Efland small area plan, the recommendations have been unfolded
29 over the years. He said the economic development zones for the towns are being marketed
30 more regularly and he believes the dialogue will continue on an annual basis.
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32 5. Emergency Communications
33 Jim Groves said when this proposal was made to Bonnie Hammersley; he saw this as a
34 two part process. He reviewed the following information from the memo in Attachment A:
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36 In establishing a communications capability, he said that it would fall into two (2)
37 categories: 1) robust communications capability between each commissioner and their
38 constituents, the County Manager, the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC), and County
39 staff(as needed), and 2) the capability to conduct public meetings, including public access,
40 when the BOCC may not be able to gather in a single facility or under the same roof (due to
41 any reason).
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43 With Category 1, the group felt that improving the BOCC's capability to use their personal
44 devices (phones) and email would be the best option. By using their email addresses, OCES
45 could push out Situation Reports on the Emergency or Disaster to keep them informed and able
46 to answer questions by their constituents. OCES can also revise the elected official's disaster
47 guideline to provide more detail on how and whom to communicate with during emergencies
48 and disasters. To enable the BOCC to make calls, we propose that each Commissioner and
49 County Manager's staff be registered with the Government Emergency Telecommunications
50 Service (GETS), which provides a free priority mechanism to make Iandline calls. Basically this
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We also propose that each Commissioner and County Manager's staff be registered with the
Wireless Priority System (WPS), which is a fee based service (about $5 per device per month)
that gives wireless phones priority access to cell towers. In addition, WPS and GETS can be
used jointly if the need arises.
Jim Groves handed out GETS cards to the Commissioners. He said this card can be
used dialing a 710 area code before the number you are calling. He said you would then enter
a pin that will increase your opportunity to get through when lines are congested. He said it will
not help if infrastructure is damaged or down. He said the system will not knock off callers
already on the phone, but it will place the call in a que with priority status.
Jim Groves asked if the Commissioners want to pursue the Wireless Priority Service.
Commissioner Price asked if the GETS card is active now and if it can go from cell
phones to land lines.
Jim Groves answered yes. He said a cell phone or land line can be used to go through
the GETS line. He said if you use a mobile device, it has to hit the cell tower, and this may not
be possible without the WPS.
Commissioner Dorosin asked for clarification on scenarios where the Board would need
this. He said he is not the person that needs to get through to coordinate rescue efforts during
an emergency.
Jim Groves said this is for use in the case of a major malfunction that affects a lot of
residents in Orange County. He said in this case, he and the manager would be asking the
Commissioners to interface with constituents to find out areas of unmet needs. He said this
information will be useful in helping allocate resources.
Jim Groves said the next piece to consider is a scenario where you are unable to meet
in a public place to do County business. He said one option is to use a conference line that
would even allow the public to dial in and listen. He said it would be possible to have access to
about 50 lines, and this could be done using the existing County infrastructure or a third party
vendor. He asked for input on how many lines would be needed for public access.
Commissioner Rich asked if these lines would be needed so that it could still be
considered an open meeting. She asked how the public would know the Board is meeting.
Jim Groves said the Public Affairs Office would be responsible for pushing this
information out to the public.
Chair Jacobs said the bigger the crisis, the more people who will want to know what is
going on. He said this makes it hard to determine how many lines would be needed.
Jim Groves agreed. He said one option is to use some of the existing television and
community broadcasting stations. He said these are other ways to make it accessible to the
public.
Chair Jacobs said there was an instance several years ago of a fire in Cary, and
residents were told to shelter inside. He said people in this case have to rely on a television
station, but there is no 24 hour television station in rural Orange County. He said the Board
would be the 24 hours news entity for the residents.
Jim Groves said the most accessible way would be the conference call option. He said
most residents have a telephone, but not everyone has cable or internet access.
Chair Jacobs said part of this concerns what the Board has adopted as the rules of
procedure. He said this would need to be addressed with the attorney.
Chair Jacobs said there are scenarios that would require the Board to meet without
doing so in person.
16
1 Jim Groves said phone conference and web conference are the basic options. He said
2 the top tier would be to have a dedicated video conference, and this could be fully controllable.
3 He said this would require a dedicated line to each of the Commissioners, the attorney, and the
4 clerk. He said he did an estimate of 10 dedicated lines. He said these systems, called
5 polycoms or Cisco, range from $2,000 to $16,000. He priced a middle of the line $6,500
6 polycom for 10 lines, which came out to $65,000. He said the internet pipeway required for
7 each line would be and the lines would be $700 a month, which comes out to $89,000 per year.
8 He said this brings the total startup cost of $149,000 and then an annual cost of $84,000.
9 Commissioner McKee said he does not feel good about spending that type of money on
10 video conferencing that would only be used for rare occurrences.
11 Commissioner Price asked for clarification on the conference line. She asked what
12 would be discussed in a conference call. She wondered if the general public needs to listen in
13 if there is an emergency situation and the Board is trying to determine a course of action. She
14 questioned whether the Board can meet in closed session by telephone. She is concerned that
15 there may be mayhem.
16 Chair Jacobs said there is no need to have public comment in this case. He said these
17 calls may be updates from the Emergency Service Director, or the Health Director, and the line
18 would just allow the public access. He said once four or more of the Commissioners get on a
19 phone call, it is a public meeting, and the public would need to have access even if they do not
20 participate. He gave examples of situations where information may need to be shared to make
21 decisions about how the County should operate.
22 John Roberts said it is okay to have a conference call meeting, and the Board would
23 need to amend their procedures to address this.
24 Chair Jacobs said the call could also be recorded and made available to members of the
25 public who were not able to be on.
26 Donna Baker said she would work with the County Attorney's office to update the Board
27 of County Commissioners' procedures manual to reflect polices on meeting by conference call.
28 Commissioner Rich said she received this information in the strategic communications
29 meeting. She said the opinion was that the video call was overkill, but the communications
30 team did like the idea of the Commissioners being able to have a meeting in the event of an
31 emergency.
32 Commissioner Gordon asked how emergency communications fit into the overall
33 strategic plan. She said it would be good to contemplate the rules and situations for when
34 these conference calls need to occur.
35 Jim Groves handed out an elected officials guide to emergencies and disasters. He
36 said when there is a significant disaster the 911 folks will call him in addition to dispatching
37 responders. He said if it the situation is significant enough that the Commissioners might
38 receive inquiries, he will give the County Manager a phone call briefing. He said Bonnie
39 Hammersley will then reach out to interface with the Board.
40 Jim Groves said other than outreach activities, emergency communications does not do
41 day to day County communication business. He said Carla Banks does a great job of this with
42 the Public Affairs office.
43 Jim Groves said anytime the Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) is activated,
44 different aspects are activated to collect and disperse information. He said with the system is
45 an Emergency Support Function 15 (ESF -15) that is basically public affairs and public
46 information. He said his staff would use Carla Banks and David Hunt to interface with different
47 public information officers around the County.
48 He said a new system call Everbridge has just been implemented, and this is similar to
49 Code Red, but it is much more robust. He said this system can push information out and can
50 reach every phone number, including unlisted numbers to deliver messages. He said there is
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an option to opt in for weather and other alerts. He said staff is also working with Information
Technology to incorporate the County personnel database so that information can be pushed
out to every single employee.
Jim Groves said Everbridge will allow for certain geographic areas to be selected and
then only those phone numbers will be reached. He said it also integrates with the federal alert
system.
Jim Groves said Emergency Services has something called WebOc where situational
reports are published. He asked for input on how the Board would like this information to be
shared.
Commissioner Price said some counties that have an app available for cell phones. She
asked if this would be effective in Orange County for pushing out information.
Jim Groves said WebOC is not an app, but Everbridge does have an app. He said
Everbridge will also allow for impromptu conference calls to from a mobile device.
Commissioner Price said she is just wondering if it might be easier to just punch an icon
to get information.
Jim Groves said it is a great idea if people have online access.
Commissioner McKee said during the NC Association of County Commissioners
(NCACC) conference there was a session for working with the media using prepared
statements. He said it might be a good idea at some point to develop some set statements for
media releases. He said this would help control the message and avoid an escalation of events
due to poor statements by elected officials.
Chair Jacobs said he thinks about this in terms of how to get messages when there is
no electricity.
Jim Groves said if technology fails, the fallback is PA announcements or flyers for long
term events.
Chair Jacobs said his experience with lack of electricity is that land lines are the only
thing that keeps operating. He said this speaks to Commissioner Dorosin's question about the
advantages of having priority access on the phone lines.
Chair Jacobs said he hopes Emergency Services are using the incidents of the ice
storm as a base line.
Commissioner Gordon asked if this is the actual Emergency Strategic Communications
Plan.
Jim Groves said this is for Emergency Services use. He said the larger strategic plan
should just reference the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). He said information will be
pushed out through the ESF -15 or public affairs. He said the EOP resides within emergency
services and on their S drive.
Bonnie Hammersley said the Strategic Communications Plan should include a reference
to the EOP. She said this plan has been available for years but it has been updated and is
more readily available due to technology.
Commissioner Price asked about the interoperability with the towns.
Jim Groves said the towns have been pulled in from the beginning, before this system
was even proposed. He said Chapel Hill, Carrboro and OWASA have fully bought into the
Everbridge system.
Commissioner Price asked who pushes out information in an event where Chapel Hill
gets a hold of it first.
Jim Groves said it depends on the situation, and this would be up to the town. He said
the relationship and the communication have been very good.
Bonnie Hammersley said whenever the ECC is activated she will inform all of the Board
of County Commissioners. She said if there is a disaster only in Chapel Hill, the ECC will be
activated and everyone will know about it.
IN
I Bonnie Hammersley said the GETS cards are important so that the Commissioners can
2 contact her or Jim Groves in the event of an emergency to notify them of issues in their local
3 neighborhoods.
4
5 6. Website Design Presentation
6 Carla Banks reviewed the following PowerPoint slides.
7
8 WEB SITE REDESIGN
9 Presented By:
10 Public Affairs & Information Technologies
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12 Introduction
13 In May of 2014, the contract with Revize was approved and the first of three payments was
14 submitted to get the design process underway. Also, a Web site Design Committee was
15 assembled to guide the design efforts.
16 The committee is made up of representatives from the following County departments:
17 Library
18 • Aging
19 • Animal Services
20 Health Department
21 Clerk's Office
22 Economic Development
23 Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation
24 Information Technologies
25 Public Affairs
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27 Project Action Items
28 In August, the Design Committee received the second of three initial design concepts
29 In September, the Web Masters were consulted for input on the current design concept
30 (version 2 of 3) and their feedback was solicited in a survey.
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32 The Web Masters shared the design concept with their respective department heads for
33 additional feedback to aid in completing the survey
34 Two Public Focus Groups were held in mid - September to solicit input from residents
35 regarding the design
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37 Survey
38 The County's new Web site design concept was presented to two public facing focus groups.
39 It was also offered to all Orange County departments (Department Directors & Web Masters) in
40 the form of a survey.
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42 The focus groups and County departments were asked five questions specific to the design
43 concept. They were also given the opportunity to provide the design team with additional
44 feedback and suggestions.
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46 Design Concept (visual)
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48 Next Steps
49 Seek feedback from the Board regarding the design concept and whether staff is moving in the
50 right direction
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• Once the design is finalized, the next step is to focus on designing the departmental
pages
• Web Masters are working on "content" placement within the navigation
• The Board will receive additional updates leading up to the launch of the Web site,
which is anticipated to happen in early 2015
Carla Banks said the goal is to make the site more user - friendly. She said the photo
section will rotate to showcase the features of Orange County. She said this new website also
offers the option to translate the site to different languages.
Chair Jacobs asked for clarification on the feedback being requested.
Jim Northrup said staff is considering the Board of County Commissioners as one of
several groups looking at this design. He said they are looking for general feedback from
Board of County Commissioners.
Commissioner Price asked what languages are offered as translation.
Carla Banks said viewers can chose from a listing of languages.
Commissioner Price said she was concerned with which specific languages will be
available. She asked about Spanish and Mandarin translation.
Carla Banks said she will check with the vendor on this.
Commissioner Gordon asked what was presented to the focus groups. She said she
does not know how to react to the categories when they are static and you cannot see what is
under them.
Carla Banks said the goal was just to accomplish a design, and they have not gotten to
the usability aspect of the site yet.
Commissioner Gordon said she thinks the colors are very intense, and this may not be
as readable as some other sites.
Commissioner Dorosin said he liked the colors, and he thinks this is a vast improvement
on what the County has now. He suggested looking at the current website and considering the
five most commonly used items if you want to know about content. He said this proposal is an
improvement over the current text heavy site. He likes the search bar.
Commissioner Pelissier said she likes the general format. She said the search feature
is very important. She asked how many members of the public gave feedback.
Jim Northrup said there were two small focus groups of customers from the Library and
the Department on Aging.
Commissioner Pelissier said the Board has said in the past that they would like a way
for the public to leave comments. She questioned whether this warrants some space or a
special tab.
Commissioner Rich said the strategic communications group discussed the public
comments issue today, and this being discussed as part of that plan.
Commissioner Rich said she liked the new design, and it is nice that it is not so text
heavy. She agrees that the search on the present website does not work well and this is an
important feature to get right.
Commissioner Rich said it is important to make it easy to find phone numbers and
addresses.
20
1 Commissioner Dorosin said he would support having the main number at the bottom of
2 the first page. He would like to see a "contact us" tab on the front page in a big blue box that
3 links to a contact list of every department head.
4 Jim Northrup said the "contact us" will be on every page above the search tab. He said
5 each department will also have a "contact us" on their individual page.
6 Commissioner Dorosin said it should be as few clicks as possible to get to the contact
7 information for the department heads.
8 Commissioner Price echoed Commissioner Dorosin and Commissioner Rich's
9 comments about the contact information. She asked about the "stay connected" link.
10 Carla Banks said this will give a listing of all of the Facebook and Twitter social media
11 pages.
12 Commissioner Price said she just thinks the contact information should be easy to
13 access and should be a one click item.
14 Commissioner McKee also agreed with the previous comments. He said once they get
15 this up and running they need to visit the issue of the main phone line.
16 Chair Jacobs asked how staff reconciles the differing opinions of the County
17 departments and the opinions of the focus groups.
18 Jim Northrup said staff mainly looked at the average and above ratings. He said there
19 was not that much disparity when you looked at it this way. He said the meetings being held
20 are with the cross sections of the departments. He said staff is reconciling the opinions of the
21 public and the designs of the department.
22 Chair Jacobs noted some specific examples from the survey results.
23 Bonnie Hammersley said this website is being built for the public, and it is more
24 important to focus on the audience. She said content is important, but it is most important that
25 the public can get information from their government.
26 Chair Jacobs agreed with the comments from the other Commissioners. He said he
27 likes the colors, but he feels that some of the tabs are not clear.
28 Carla Banks said the tabs were categorized based on who would come to the site. She
29 said the resident tab is for people who live here; the business tab is for local businesses; and
30 there is also a visitor tab.
31 Chair Jacobs said he feels some of this is redundant. He likes that there is a tab that
32 gives access to other County governmental sites.
33 Chair Jacobs said the Board received an email recently about a situation where a
34 vendor was linked to the health department's page. He asked if the County allows links for "for
35 profit" businesses. He would like to see a weather button link on the site.
36 Jim Northrup said there is no policy for links on the County pages.
37 Chair Jacobs said he feels there should be a policy in place.
38 Carla Banks said government sites usually don't have links to for - profit groups.
39 Jim Northrup said a policy could be put in place.
40 Carla Banks said a weather visual could be added.
41 Commissioner Dorosin suggested staff look at the Wake County site. He said there is a
42 drop down menu under each tab.
43 Carla Banks said this is the idea for this page.
44 Commissioner Rich said the term "stay connected" is widely used.
45 Commissioner Rich said she loves the idea of adding the forecast to front page.
46 Commissioner Gordon asked about the "community giving" tab.
47 Carla Banks said that is for the Orange County Community Giving fund, and that tab will
48 take you to that website.
21
1 Commissioner Price said she is checking other county websites and she sees the visitor
2 and community member tabs. She would like to see what is going to go under these tabs on
3 the Orange County website.
4 Carla Banks said the goal was to pick categories that better organize the content.
5 Jim Northup said staff is looking at budgeting every 2 -3 years for refreshing and revising
6 the web site design.
7 Chair Jacobs expressed appreciation for the improvements and the update. He asked
8 about next steps.
9 Jim Northup said staff will report back to the Board on the usability and will plan to
10 launch the site in early 2015.
11
12 7. Board of Commissioners Meeting Calendar for Year 2015
13
14 DEFERRED
15
16 A motion was made by Commissioner Pelissier, seconded by Commissioner Price to
17 adjourn the meeting at 10:21 p.m.
18
19 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
20
21 Barry Jacobs, Chair
22
23
24 Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board
25
26
27 Orange County Board of Commissioners' regular meetings and work sessions are available via
28 live streaming video at orangecountync .gov /occlerks /granicus.asp and Orange County Gov -TV
29 on channels 1301 or 97.6 (Time Warner Cable).