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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-19-2015 APPROVED 9/1/2015 MINUTES BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGULAR MEETING May 19, 2015 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, in Chapel Hill, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair McKee and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, Mark Dorosin, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. He noted the following items at the Commissioners' places: • - Green sheet— Orange County Service Improvements for Item 4b- Presentation of Manager's Recommended Fiscal Year 2015-16 Annual Operating Budget and FY 2015-20 Capital Investment Plan (CIP) • - PowerPoint slides for item 4b- Presentation of Manager's Recommended Fiscal Year 2015- 16 Annual Operating Budget and FY 2015-20 Capital Investment Plan • - Lavender Sheet- additional information for Item 6c - Impact Fee Reimbursement Request from Habitat for Humanity • - PowerPoint slides for Item 7b- Land Management Central Permitting System (LMCPS) Software Purchase and Support Agreement PUBLIC CHARGE Chair McKee dispensed with the reading of the Public Charge 2. Public Comments a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda NONE b. Matters on the Printed Agenda NONE 3. Announcements and Petitions by Board Members Commissioner Burroughs had no petitions. Commissioner Price asked if there is a deadline for sign off by the Fire Departments, Sherriff and Emergency Services in regards to the discussion at the last meeting, about Emergency Services access on private roads. Bonnie Hammersley said she would provide this information to the Board. Commissioner Jacobs said he had a request for information. He said during the Board's meetings about the bond referendum, it was discussed that there was enough debt capacity and funding for other capital projects such as affordable housing, senior centers, parks and open space, etc. He asked if staff could please provide the Board with the precise debt capacity and exactly how much funding is available. Bonnie Hammersley said she would provide this information to the Board. Commissioner Pelissier had no petitions. Commissioner Dorosin said he was unable to attend the meeting where the Board discussed and voted for intent to move forward regarding the bond referendum. He said he had watched the meeting and would like to share his input on the bond referendum. He petitioned a further discussion to be added to an agenda item before the summer break. Chair McKee said the Board directed the Chair to send a letter to the State, requesting that North Carolina State Parks reconsider the scoring for Segment 11 of the Mountain to Sea Trail and perhaps divide this corridor into sub-segments with differing levels of planning priority, portions of which could be identified as near-term or mid-term. He said the State responded today via email saying the scoring on Segment 11 will be re-considered. He said it was just a brief email and he will follow up by asking staff to get more details and a timeline on this issue. Commissioner Rich expressed thanks to the Chair and staff for writing and sending the letter. 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations a. Distinguished Budget Presentation Award The Board recognized the Budget Staff of the Finance and Administrative Services Department for the receipt of the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Award and presented the GFOA plaque to them. Paul Laughton, Interim Finance Director, recognized the budget staff, saying this is the 23rs year that Orange County had received this award. b. Presentation of Manager's Recommended Fiscal Year 2015-16 Annual Operating Budget and FY 2015-20 Capital Investment Plan The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) received the presentation of the Manager's Recommended FY 2015-16 Annual Operating Budget, and FY 2015-20 Capital Investment Plan. Bonnie Hammersley presented the Power Point and said the theme of this budget is creative ways to improve services. She said in this budget there is slightly more promise for revenue growth but not enough to make major financial commitments. She said departments met and exceeded her expectations for creative budgeting. She said the budget will show a long list of services that have been improved, restored, or maintained through reallocations or efficiency gains. She said all of this was achieved without a property rate increase. Bonnie Hammersley said the County has worked collectively to find creative ways to improve services. Bonnie Hammersley presented the following PowerPoint slides: ORANGE COUNTY FY 2015-16 COUNTY MANAGER RECOMMENDED BUDGET Presentation Outline • FY2015-16 Budget Goals • County Manager Recommended Budget • Compensation Package • Personnel • Schools • Outside Agencies • Budget Initiatives • Capital Investment Plan (CIP) • Conclusion FY2015-16 Budget Goals • Structurally Balanced Budget • Implement Team Approach • Enhance Transparency and Communication • Maintain or Improve Service Levels ■ General Fund Expenditures • Budget expenditures — increased by 2.8% from 2015 General Fund Revenues • Increased about 3% GF Appropriated Fund Balance • $9.8 million Revenue Assumptions • Property Taxes — 1% increase • Sales Tax— 3% increase • FY2015-16 Tax Rate — No Increase Recommended Compensation Package • Wages and Merit • Wages —2% Increase • WPPR— Maintain current funding • Living Wage — Maintain current rate • Benefits • Health Insurance - No Increase • Dental Insurance — 15% Increase • Retirement— No Increase Recommended Positions • Reallocation/Revenue — 12.7 FTE (budget neutral funds) • Jail Alternatives — 3.0 FTE • Administrative Assistant— 1.0 FTE • Revenue Technicians —2.0 FTE • Dental Team —2.5 FTE • Management Analyst— 1.0 FTE • OPT Bus Drivers — 3.0 FTE • Social Worker (Chinese Speaking) — 0.20FTE • Enterprise Fund —4.75 FTE • Weighmaster — 1.0 FTE • Solid Waste Drivers —2.0 FTE • Convenience Center Operators — 1.75 FTE • General Fund — 6.87 FTE • Administrative Services Supervisor - 0.125 FTE • Community Center Coordinator— 1.0 FTE • Court Liaison — 1.0 FTE • Deputy EMS Manager - 0.50 FTE • Erosion Control Officer — 1.0 FTE • Housing Management Assistant— 1.0 FTE • Human Resources Assistant Director— 1.0 FTE • Parks Conservation Tech I — 0.25 FTE • Register of Deeds Deputy— 1.0 FTE Commissioner Price asked if, in the reorganization of the Manager's office, any positions were eliminated. Bonnie Hammersley said she changed the model within the office moving a position to Solid Waste, hiring a Deputy County Manager, and having no assistants within her office. Commissioner Price said she understood there would be an Administrative Assistant. Bonnie Hammersley said the Administrative Assistant is a support position and she reduced her budget in order to fund this position. Commissioner Price said there used to be a live voice on the switchboard, when residents called which was far preferable to the present automated system. Bonnie Hammersley continued with her PowerPoint presentation: Recommended School funding • Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) • Increase cost per student $81 — $448,122 • Fund Charter School Students (50) — $182,600 • CIP Planning Funds - $750,000 • Orange County School (OCS) • Increase cost per student $81 — $6,504 • Fund Charter School Students (110) — $401,720 • CIP Planning Funds — $478,000 Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is an obligation to fully fund the charter schools. Bonnie Hammersley said yes, but the County is not fully funding the charter schools and have not for a number of years, though the schools use their funding (per pupil amount) to use toward payment to the charter schools. She said now Orange County will account for those charter school students separately, going forward. Bonnie Hammersley said the goal is to recognize these charter students and she is recommending only funding half of the students this year and in two years funding all of them. Commissioner Dorosin clarified that the funds currently go to the schools and are passed onto the Charter Schools. Bonnie Hammersley said the funding goes with the student. Commissioner Dorosin said it seems counterintuitive to lay it out this way and asked if the County could not just fund all of these students going forward. Commissioner Price asked if the statement "fund charter school students" means it is an addition to the per pupil amount. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Paul Laughton said the County has not changed the cap of how many charter school students have been funded since 2000 or 2001. He said this part of the budget is a way of raising the cap and looking at funding the entire Charter School enrollment, over the next two years. Commissioner Price asked if the State required the County to fund all the students. Paul Laughton said the school systems are required to pay for the operational costs for the charter school students although capital costs do not have to be covered. Commissioner Burroughs said the money follows the students through the per-pupil amounts and the money in question makes whole the fixed costs. Bonnie Hammersley said the recommendation recognizes there is a cap and making the cap reflect the actual number of students over a two year period. She said the projected DPI for 2015-2016 is a reduction and the County funds based on projections. Commissioner Dorosin asked if there was a reason for the existence of the cap given that every student must still be paid for. Commissioner Jacobs said he does not remember the reasoning for the cap. Paul Laughton said he does not remember either. Bonnie Hammersley said her staff would do some research. Commissioner Jacobs said this money supplants what the schools systems would have to pay for these charter school students. Commissioner Rich said she would like to know the history and asked what is the current cap for Orange County Schools (OCS). Paul Laughton said the cap for OCS is 254 students. Commissioner Rich said she finds the cap to be ridiculous and it should be eliminated. Commissioner Pelissier said even when there is not a cap there may still be a shortfall due to not knowing in May how many students there may be in the fall. Commissioner Rich asked if all the students in Orange County are accounted for, whether in public or charter schools. Bonnie Hammersley said the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) does include charter school students. Commissioner Jacobs said this is a boon to both school systems because they are getting money from the County over and beyond the per pupil amount. He said Orange County is being more generous to the school systems to cover these students that would require funding anyway. Commissioner Burroughs said she is looking forward to hearing from the schools on this proposed funding as the process moves forward. Commissioner Dorosin said there was a request made previously by OCS to raise the school board salaries making them comparable to CHCCS. He asked if this request is in the budget. Bonnie Hammersley said no. Commissioner Dorosin said he is going to suggest this request going forward. Chair McKee asked John Roberts if the setting of the school board's salaries is a prerogative of the BOCC. John Roberts said the BOCC can set the salaries of school boards but does not have to. He said if the Board chooses not to, then the schools boards can set the salaries themselves. Commissioner Jacobs suggested getting a salary study of all elected officials across Orange County. Bonnie Hammersley continued with her PowerPoint presentation: Recommended School funding • Durham Technical College • Current Expense Increase — $53,778 • Recurring Capital Decrease — ($25,000) • Debt Service Increase — $0 Recommended Outside Agency Funding • Maintain FY2014-15 Funding • Community Home Trust (Increase) • Communities in Schools (Decrease by ADM numbers) • Fairview Community Watch (+) Recommended Fire District Rates • Maintain FY2014-15 Rates • Damascus & Southern Triangle Fire Districts — +1.5 cents • Orange Rural Fire District— +1.0 cents Recommended Budget Initiatives • Maintain the Social Justice Fund • Increase Child Care Funding • Fund the Family Success Alliance • Develop an Affordable Housing Plan • Support the Community Centers • Improve Voting Equipment • Eliminate the 6-month Vacant Position Hiring Delay • Implement Salary Savings Appropriation • Restructure the Employee Classification and Salary Plan • Create a Community Relations Department Recommended CIP FUNDING • County Capital Projects thern OF • Southern Branch Library Planning • Cedar Grove Library Kiosk • Jail — Conceptual Design Phase • Environmental and Agriculture Center— Design Phase • Historic Rogers Road Infrastructure — Design Phase • Upper Eno Nature Preserve — Public Access Area • Soccer Center Phase II • New Hope Preserve/Hollow Rock Public Access • River Park Phase II • Little River Park • 911 Back-up Center Conservation Easements (+$250,000) • Facility Infrastructure Upgrades • Information Technology Upgrades • Register of Deeds Automation Affordable Housing Land Acquisition/Banking and Development Program Chair McKee asked if the $250,000 for the conservation easements was the County's share. Bonnie Hammersley said previously the total for the County and the State combined was $250,000. She said this is an increase, which when combined with the State matching funds will total $500,000. Chair McKee said he spoke with several of the affordable housing providers. He encouraged the County staff to work with Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Carrboro and Mebane moving forward in order to create an overarching plan as opposed to working in silence. Bonnie Hammersley said she met with the Housing Director about a strategy and staff will go out to meet with all of the providers and comprise the information going forward. She said a report will be brought back to the Board, likely in September. Commissioner Jacobs said part of the impetus for doing this is to provide a fall back for those who live in mobile homes. He said there is little known about the mobile home developments and their needs. Bonnie Hammersley said doing a survey to gather such information is part of the plan. Commissioner Jacobs said despite all the good work of the affordable housing providers, most do not address mobile homes. He said the County needs to bring up the issue of mobile homes with all groups and providers. Chair McKee said that mobile homes were part of his discussion and there should be some creative, out of the box thinking, in regards to affordable housing. Commissioner Dorosin said to be realistic there will not be any new manufactured housing developed in Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Chair McKee said the concern is for the residents of mobile homes and should the owner of the land be offered a buyout, would this leave the residents without anywhere to go. Bonnie Hammersley continued her PowerPoint presentation: Recommended CIP FUNDING • Special Revenue Projects o Article 46 Sales Tax ■ Economic Development ■ Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) ■ Orange County Schools (OCS) Recommended CIP FUNDING • Proprietary Capital Projects • Water and Sewer Utilities ■ Efland Sewer flow to Mebane ■ Utility Extension Projects ■ Hillsborough EDD ■ Eno EDD • Solid Waste ■ Recycling Operation o Sportsplex ■ Major Expansion Phase 2&3 Recommended CIP FUNDING • School Capital Projects • Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools ■ Pay-As-You-Go Funds - $2,274,765 ■ Lottery Proceeds - $835,626 ■ Preliminary Planning Funds - $750,000 • Orange County Schools ■ Pay-As-You-Go Funds - $1,450,084 ■ Lottery Proceeds - $520,736 ■ Preliminary Planning Funds - $478,000 Chair McKee asked if there are any surprises with the lottery funds. John Roberts said he does not know of any, as yet. Commissioner Jacobs said it is worth noting that the preliminary planning funds for both School Districts are about $2 million and are new this year. Paul Laughton said the lottery proceeds are based on the State remaining at about $100 million for the entire State. He said this budget shows State estimates if the lottery proceeds stay at $1 million. Bonnie Hammersley continued her PowerPoint presentation: Public Hearings and Work Sessions • Public Hearings • May 21: Richard Whitted Meeting Facility, 300 W Tryon St., Hillsborough • May 28: Southern Human Services Center (SHSC), Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill • Work Sessions • June 4: SHSC, Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill • June 9: Richard Whitted Meeting Facility, 300 W Tryon St., Hillsborough • Work Session/Intent to Adopt: June 11, SHSC, Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill • Final Adoption: June 16, SHSC, Homestead Rd., Chapel Hill Document Availability • Clerk to Board of Commissioners • County Finance & Administrative Services Office • Orange County Library • Chapel Hill Public Library • Carrboro/McDougle Branch Library • Orange County Website — http://orangecountync.gov/ Conclusion Orange County exists to provide governmental services requested by our residents or mandated by the State of North Carolina. To provide these quality services efficiently, we must; • Serve the Residents of Orange County— Our Residents Come First; • Depend on the energy, skills, and dedication of all our employees and volunteers; • Treat all our Residents and Employees with fairness, respect, and understanding. Orange County Residents Come First Bonnie Hammersley said there is green sheet at the Commissioners' places which is a listing of service improvements that are in the proposed budget. c. Orange County Direct Care Worker Awards The Board recognized the winners of the Orange County Direct Care Worker Awards. Janice Tyler, Department on Aging Director, said they are here to recognize the first Orange County Direct Care Worker Awards Winners. Donna Prather, Advisory Board on Aging member, introduced both the nominees and winners, as the Board recognized the following individuals as winners of the 2015 Orange County Direct Care Worker Awards. 2015 Direct Care Worker Award Winners Client Impact: Frequently recognized or praised for their efforts that make an impact on the quality of their clients' lives. Winners: There was a tie for this award: Anita Aiken — Livewell Assisted Living John Ferris — Charles House Association Longevity: Has performed work as a caregiver each year for the last 10 or more years and plans to continue working in the field. Winner: Deborah Farrington — Carol Woods Retirement Community Leadership: Serves as a role model and demonstrates teamwork & willingness to help other direct care workers and staff. Winners: There was a tie for this award: Chartie Parrish — Right at Home Natalie Taylor—A Helping Hand Going the Extra Mile: Passionate about providing extraordinary care to their clients in ways that exceed expectations. Winner: Walter McMiller—A Helping Hand Rising Star: Has been a caregiver for less than two years and demonstrates enormous promise in the profession. Winner: Kathy Bonner—A Helping Hand Direct Care Worker of the Year Winner: Cassandra Graham —Acorn Home Care Services d. Emergency Medical Services Week Proclamation The Board considered approving and authorizing the Chair to sign the proclamation designating the week of May 17 through 23, 2015, as Emergency Medical Services Week in Orange County. Jim Groves, Director of Emergency Services, asked the medic members in attendance to please stand. Kim Woodard, EMS Supervisor, said they have just been awarded the 2015 American Heart Association Mission Lifeline Silver Status, for strong recognition of cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction. Kim Woodard read the proclamation: ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROCLAMATION EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WEEK MAY 17-23, 2015 WHEREAS, the Orange County Emergency Medical Services System is a vital public service; and WHEREAS, the members of Orange County Emergency Medical Services team are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and WHEREAS, access to quality pre-hospital emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury; and WHEREAS, the Orange County Emergency Medical Services system consists of emergency physicians, emergency nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, firefighters, telecommunicators, educators, administrators and others; and WHEREAS, the members of Emergency Medical Services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills; and WHEREAS, it is appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of the Emergency Medical Services providers by designating Emergency Medical Services Week; NOW THEREFORE we, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, in recognition of this event, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17-23, 2015, as EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES WEEK, with the theme of"EMS STRONG", by officially recognizing and appreciating the Emergency Medical Services Providers that serve our community. This, the 19th day of May, 2015. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier for the Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation designating the week of May 17 through 23, 2015, as Emergency Medical Services Week in Orange County. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 5. Public Hearings NONE 6. Consent Agenda • Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda Item 6c by Commissioner Jacobs • Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to approve the remaining items on the consent agenda. VOTE: UNANIMOUS • Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda • C. Impact Fee Reimbursement Request from Habitat for Humanity The Board considered the reimbursement of impact fees for Habitat for Humanity, in the amount of$97,007 for nine (9) homes recently constructed in the County for low income persons. Commissioner Jacobs said the lavender sheet at their places is information showing the County's General Fund Contributions to affordable housing initiatives. He said there had been some complaints that the Board does not do enough so he asked staff to put the Board's initiatives on paper, as they are sometimes invisible to the public. He said the amount is $811,300. He said these funds may well not be enough but they are a start. Commissioner Rich thanked for Commissioner Jacobs for making this request of staff. Chair McKee thanked the staff for their quick efforts to pull this information together. Commissioner Rich made a request for future meetings asking staff to put handouts on the projector screen for the public to see when watching via streaming video. Commissioner Dorosin suggested doing this with all handouts and to add them to the website as part of the agenda. Chair McKee said during a work session last week there was a proposal from a developer for exemption of the impact fee for high end senior housing. He said he does not mind exempting impact fees for affordable housing but not for high end units. He said the Board should not be picking and choosing properties. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to approve the reimbursement of impact fees for Habitat for Humanity in the amount of$97,007 for nine (9) homes recently constructed in the County for low income persons. VOTE: UNANIMOUS a. Minutes The Board approved the minutes for the April 7, 2015, BOCC Regular Meeting; and April 9, 2015, BOCC Work Session, as submitted by the Clerk to the Board. b. Morinaga America Foods Temporary Office Lease Extension — Link Government Services Center, Lower Level The Board approved Lease Amendment#2 providing a two-month lease extension with Morinaga America Foods for temporary office space in the Link Government Services Center at 200 West Cameron Street in Hillsborough, and authorized the Chair to sign all necessary documents upon final review of the County Attorney. d. Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance —Approval and Certification of 2015 Report The Board approved and certified the 2015 Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee (SAPFOTAC) Annual Report and certified those aspects of the Report detailed in the summary table. e. Authorization to Declare an Item Surplus The Board declared a Recycling Division Roll-off Truck/Asset Number 1681 as surplus and authorized the AMS Director to affect the sale of the item through GovDeals. f. Bid Award — Front-End Loader Truck for Solid Waste The Board awarded the bid to Carolina Environmental Services for the purchase of a Front End Loader Truck for the Sanitation Division of the Solid Waste Management Department at the delivered cost of$275,850.92. g. Contract Renewal for HDR Engineering, Incorporated of the Carolinas The Board approved a contract renewal between the Solid Waste Department and HDR Engineering, Inc. of the Carolinas for engineering and consulting services for Solid Waste through June 10, 2017 and authorized the Chair to sign the agreement on behalf of the Board. h. Storage Area Network Upgrade The Board approved the purchase of new equipment to increase the processing capacity and increase the storage capacity of the County's storage area network (SAN) while reducing the annual maintenance costs and authorized the Manager to sign the agreement and any future amendments. i. Interlocal Agreement with OWASA for Design of Wastewater Collection System Improvements in the Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood The Board approved the Interlocal Agreement with Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) for the design of the wastewater collection system improvements in the Historic Rogers Road Neighborhood and authorized the Chair to sign. 7. Regular Agenda a. Family Success Alliance Request for Social Justice Funding and Approval of Budget Amendment#8-A The Board considered approving Budget Amendment#8-A transferring funds from the Social Justice Fund to the Family Success Alliance to 1) pilot kindergarten readiness and literacy programs for at least one school in each of the pilot Family Success Alliance (FSA) zones; and 2) provide initial funds to a zone partner agency for a Family Success Alliance navigator in each zone. Colleen Bridger, Orange County Health Department Director, said the FSA was established to address a body of research that shows the consequences of children growing up in poverty and that educational success can buffer these results. Colleen Bridger said this Alliance was created to follow the Harlem Children's Zone and related Promises Zones Neighborhoods initiative as evidence-based, successful intervention. She said the FSA was established less than a year ago in Orange County and in this time an advisory council has been created, service zones established, grant applications submitted, two priority interventions of kindergarten readiness and literacy, as well as zone navigators to connect families to the pipeline portals have been determined, and a program coordinator hired. Colleen Bridger said a team just returned from the Harlem Kids Zone last week where three days were spent learning about the programs and services offered there as well as the philosophy that undergirds the Harlem Children's Zone. She said there were two takeaways from the trip to the Harlem Children's Zone: 1.) Building trust with the community which is as important as building the pipeline and will take time. 2.) The philosophy of doing whatever it takes to both build the pipeline as well as working with each child individually, where they are, in order to achieve success. Colleen Bridger said the FSA Advisory Council is requesting to spend the remaining $90,000 in the Social Justice fund on a kindergarten readiness program as well as a Zone Navigator position for each zone. She thanked the Board for their on-going support and commitment to insure that this project is successful. Chair McKee thanked Dr. Bridger for her leadership and commitment to this effort. Commissioner Burroughs said she emailed some questions to Colleen Bridger earlier today and asked Colleen Bridger if she would share the information she gave in her response (email below): Question: Kick start with literacy: is there evidence from prior research on that model? If not, will the pilot include a control group? Research that doesn't include a control group will not really provide adequate evidence I'd love for the Kick Start program to work but it is a brief intervention that starts long after the children have experienced years of deficits of exposure to spoken words. As such, I think it is really important to look for evidence. Colleen Bridger's response: • The curriculum we are proposing using is called Second Step, and is a classroom-based social skills program that focuses on teaching young children to identify and understand their own and others' emotions, reduce impulsiveness and choose positive goals, and manage their emotional reactions and decision making process. SAMHSA estimates that approximately 32,000 schools across the US have implemented Second Step since the program started in 1987. Selection of this type of kindergarten readiness intervention vs. an "academic model" is also consistent with emerging research showing that children enrolled in academic-based programs actually fare worse over the long-term than children who focus on social and emotional issues. So, we have research that supports the effectiveness of this specific curriculum and this approach. • There is nation-wide data to support the concept of intensive kindergarten-readiness as an effective intervention. Similar programs based on the model of a "kick-start" program are being implemented across the US. Locally, the Duke Office of Durham & Regional Affairs has implemented a kindergarten readiness program using the Second Step curriculum since 2008. They currently work with three sites in Durham, including EDCI's target elementary school (Y.E. Smith Elementary). Question: Coordinated support: any gold standard (control group) evidence on this piece? If not, will there be control group research on it? How does this intervention compare with the activities of whatever Smart Start/More at Four is now called? Colleen Bridger's response: • As far as evaluation of the Family Success Alliance's work: o Specific to the Kindergarten readiness, each site will conduct a pre and post kindergarten readiness assessment with children in the intervention. This will allow us to assess immediate changes. In addition, the school systems are implementing a phased-in universal kindergarten readiness assessment starting this fall. So, we will compare kindergarten readiness scores on this assessment tool between our participants and those who did not participate (controlling for things like income and parental education status). o In addition, our control group for the Family Success Alliance pipeline in general will be kids outside the two zones. So, for example after a literacy intervention, we'll be able to compare 3 d grade reading scores of children in the zone against children not in the zone. The challenge will be the fact that we'll be slowing filling the gaps in our pipeline so it will take some time to really see the outcomes most important to us. • We have asked the United Way to fund a full-time evaluation coordinator and some shared data-base development. Hopefully they will fund this request. If not, we'll figure something else out. We can't do this project if we can't evaluate it. It won't always be the absolute gold standard evaluation that I'd love, but I really think we can do a great job with some elbow grease and ingenuity. Commissioner Burroughs said she hoped the United Way would support this initiative; and if not, she believed Orange County should fund, and support this full-time evaluation coordinator. Commissioner Burroughs said some elements of this program sound like Smart Start, and More and Four. She asked if these programs compare to the Family Success Alliance. Colleen Bridger said there are existing programs and services in the community such as the two mentioned above and the role of the FSA pipeline is to bring all of these providers together allowing easier access for families. She said the Zone Navigators will also help in this regard. Commissioner Price asked if there is a timeline regarding the use of these funds since it is the end of both the fiscal and school years. Colleen said the Zone Navigator position would start as soon as approval is given which is about 4 weeks from now. She said the interventions would start over the summer and some of the funds would be able to be carried forward. Commissioner Price asked if there is a reason that existing funds are being requested as opposed to using new funds in next year's budget. Colleen Bridger said partly because next year's budget is not enough to cover the outlined goals and partly because the completion of the necessary analyses this past year took time and caused a bit of delay in the process. Commissioner Price asked if there is a clear purpose for the use of the Social Justice Funds and if there is an emergency between now and June 30th, and this fund is depleted, what would be done. Bonnie Hammersley said the Social Justice Funds in 2014-2015 was $450,000. She said $100,000 was designated towards the FSA and the Board allocated $350,000 to the Social Services Child Care Fund. She said the audited fund balance came forward in January and there were some funds available to replenish the Social Justice Fund, bringing it back to $450,000. She added that this total does not include the $90,000 that was designated for the FSA. She said the 2015 to 2016 includes her recommendation to maintain the Social Justice Fund at $450,000. Commissioner Price asked if there are any criteria for who is able to draw down on this money. Bonnie Hammersley said this fund and its uses are determined by the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Price said the BOCC has not designated criteria for the uses of this fund. Chair McKee said the Board did not identify specific uses for the funds other than childcare and the FSA. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Board were to approve the monies for the FSA, would there still be $350,000 in the Social Justice Fund. Bonnie Hammersley said no but there is $450,000 in the fund now. Commissioner Dorosin said at the April 7th Board of County Commissioners meeting, he petitioned to use some of these funds to support the Rogers Road Community Center. He also expressed some confusion about the purpose and uses of these funds. Chair McKee said this petition is in process. Bonnie Hammersley said the Social Justice Funding has been used on a case by case basis determined by the Board of County Commissioners. She said staff will bring issues forward and the Board has the authority to determine the approach and funding to address the needs. Commissioner Dorosin clarified that there is $450,000 currently in this fund. Bonnie Hammersley said there is $450,000 right now in this fund and it will be carried over to 2015-2016. Commissioner Dorosin asked if any of the money is spent will it be replenished to keep the total funds available at $450,000. Bonnie Hammersley said that is her recommendation. Commissioner Rich said when the Social Justice Fund was created; it was to be at the Board of County Commissioners' discretion as to how these funds were spent. She said there were no criteria; but rather as things came up, the money would be spent. Commissioner Rich said she is glad that there is a line item for the FSA going forward because it shows the County's commitment to this program. Commissioner Jacobs said this fund was created for Commissioner Initiatives within County government. He said the Rogers Road Community Center should be funded by outside agencies and not by this fund as these monies are available for projects that no one else would fund but are important to the welfare of the community. Commissioner Dorosin said he would respectfully disagree and that running a County owned Community Center is a County initiative. Commissioner Price clarified that the Social Justice Fund is an intra-departmental funding mechanism. Chair McKee said yes, without specifying exact categories. Chair McKee said two zones were chosen in the County for the pilot program only in order to get this program established, work out the "bugs", and then be able to spread this project throughout the County. Commissioner Price noted that the FSA hopes to hire staff with deep familiarity in the zones, ideally a community member, and commended the FSA for this effort. Commissioner Pelissier said she attended the FSA trip to visit the Harlem Children's Zone. She said that program started very small and then worked incrementally on the plan to grow. She said hiring a community member is vital which she heard from the Harlem project many times. Commissioner Pelissier said every single program that was attended in Harlem had a data manager, not only for the overall program but to look at each child and their progress, or lack thereof, in order to adjust planning. Commissioner Dorosin said the FSA is an example of how a project can come to fruition in warp speed with focus and insistence on results. He said he hoped the same effort can be put into affordable housing. A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs for the Board to approve Budget Amendment#8-A transferring funds from the Social Justice Fund to the Family Success Alliance to 1) pilot kindergarten readiness and literacy programs for at least one school in each of the pilot Family Success Alliance zones; and 2) provide initial funding to a zone partner agency for a Family Success Alliance navigator in each zone. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Land Management Central Permitting System (LMCPS) Software Purchase and Support Agreement The Board considered the purchase of a new Central Permitting software system that replaces a 14-year old software system and authorized the Manager to execute the contract with Tyler Technologies and any amendments thereto for a County-hosted, vendor implemented system subject final review by the County Attorney. Jim Northup, Chief Information Officer for Orange County Information Technologies, presented the following Power Point presentation: ORANGE COUNTY LAND MANAGEMENT CENTRAL PERMITTING SYSTEM WHY A LAND MANAGEMENT CENTRAL PERMITTING SYSTEM? • Long range strategic planning • Replace an aging existing permitting system • Better systems integration • GIS • Land Records • Environmental Health • Planning and Inspections • Service and process improvement WHAT'S A LAND MANAGEMENT CENTRAL PERMITTING SYSTEM? The Land Management Central Permitting System (LMCPS) is a system of processes and data to support county services for land management planning projects, permits, inspections, code enforcement and licensing/registrations to be seen by the customer as a one-source solution for direction and status. DEPARTMENTS SERVED • Health • Planning and Inspections • Tax Administration • Emergency Services/Fire Marshall • Solid Waste WHEN DID WE START? February 2013 What have we done? • An approved multi-department Support Model for pre- and post-implementation of the system. • An evaluation of the next generation of product offerings by the parent company of the current system (Permits Plus) as well as the implementations of similar systems in other North Carolina counties. • Contracted with an independent vendor for software selection consulting services in June 2014. • Meetings with partner jurisdictions regarding our objectives and process to gain feedback and additional insight, i.e., Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough • Project definition and requirements analysis detailed in RFP 5202 released August, 2014. What have we done? • Careful evaluation of proposals received in September, 2014, with the outcome of a short- list of two vendors for further evaluation. • Two 2-day vendor demonstrations in December, 2014 • attended by over 40 reviewers, • staff from 7 departments (Planning & Inspections, Health, IT, Tax Administration, Finance/Purchasing, Emergency Services, Solid Waste) • local home builders • Representatives from the Towns of Hillsborough and Carrboro. • Over 250 evaluation feedback forms were collected from the 12 demo sessions for each vendor. What have we done? • Contact with over 30 general and peer references in 13 jurisdictions between December, 2014 and April, 2015. • Technical and cost follow-up calls and on-line functionality demos with the vendors for further clarification. • A summary decision matrix quantifying the results of the evaluation. Chair McKee asked John Roberts if the Legal Department is involved in any portion of this process. John Roberts said his department has been involved but this project is currently in the preliminary stages and his department will have more involvement once implemented. Commissioner Jacobs said this process was started in 2000 but the costs, and the lack of departments wanting to work together were two hurdles. He said it is long overdue and it is much appreciated. Commissioner Pelissier asked if this system will help speed up the permitting process. Jim Northup said yes because it will hopefully create a seamless work flow and offer transparency to the customers. Commissioner Pelissier noted the estimated maintenance cost of$100,000, annually and asked if Jim Northrup could share the current maintenance cost. Jim Northrup said it is $36,000 to $40,000, annually. Commissioner Rich said this is the right direction in which to go. She said the hours of effort the staff have put in will be worth it. Jim Northrup said all of the departments have been in the same room hashing out this process which at times has been difficult. He said resolutions have been reached which can only insure the ultimate success of the project. Commissioner Jacobs said the ultimate goal is to improve customer service in the permitting process. He said it improves the accessibility of Orange County Government to the public. A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs for the Board of Commissioners to authorize the Manager to execute the contract with Tyler Technologies and any amendments thereto for a County-hosted, vendor implemented system subject to final review by the County Attorney. VOTE: UNANIMOUS c. Adoption of the Final Financing Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of $15,870,000 in Installment Financing for Various Capital Investment Plan Projects and Equipment, and the Refinancing of Approximately $10,200,000 from Two 2006 Installment Financing Issuances The Board considered approving the final financing resolution authorizing the issuance of approximately $15,870,000 in installment financing to finance capital investment projects and equipment for the year, and the refinancing of approximately $10,200,000 from two 2006 installment financing issuances. Paul Laughton reviewed the following background. Background: At its November 6, 2014 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners was given preliminary information of capital projects and equipment financing for the year. At that meeting, the Board made a preliminary determination to finance costs of these projects and equipment by the use of an installment financing, as authorized under Section 160A-20 of the North Carolina General Statutes. Also included is the refinancing of approximately $10,200,000 from a 2006 installment financing secured by Carrboro High School, and a 2006 Certificates of Participation installment financing secured by Gravelly Hill Middle School. The statutes require that the County conduct a public hearing on the proposed financing and refinancing contracts. The Board conducted a public hearing at its April 7, 2015 meeting, and adopted the resolution supporting the application to the Local Government Commission (LGC) for approval of the financing and refinancing arrangements (Attachment 1). County staff has been in contact with the LGC staff, and staff expects no obstacles to receiving LGC approval. If the Board adopts the final financial resolution (Attachment 2 — beginning on page 15 of this package) giving final approval to the financing and refinancing plans at tonight's meeting, staff expects the LGC to approve the financing and refinancing plans at the LGC's meeting on June 2, 2015. Under the current schedule, staff expects to set the final interest rates and other terms of the financing around June 15, and to close on the financing and refinancing by June 26th, 2015. It should be noted that the installment financing issuance package has been reduced by $400,000 with the removal of planning funds for the Southern Orange Campus project. Due to the timing of this current financing package, these planning funds can be combined with the financing of the Southern Human Services Center expansion project scheduled in FY 2016-17. The Board is requested to approve a financing amount not to exceed $28,000,000, and a maximum interest rate of 3.75%. The final financial resolution (Attachment 2) includes as Exhibit B a list of draft documents. These lengthy documents are available to the Board and the public for review upon request from the Orange County Finance and Administrative Services Department. There will be a financial impact associated with approval of the financing. At current rates, preliminary estimates of maximum debt service applicable to the capital investment projects and equipment financing would require the highest debt service payment of$1,732,695 falling in FY 2016-17. The tax rate equivalent for the estimated highest debt service payment is approximately 1.06 cents. However, a portion of this debt financing is related to projects where the debt service payments will be paid for from Sportsplex and Solid Waste Enterprise funds, as well as a Water and Sewer project to be paid from the Article 46 quarter-cent Sales Tax proceeds earmarked for economic development. The General Fund portion of this annual debt service is estimated at $1.1 million, or a tax rate equivalent of approximately 0.67 cents. Based on current resources and the retirement of some existing debt, no adjustment to the tax rate associated with this financing is anticipated to occur during the period noted. Regarding the refinancing, it is estimated that the County will realize savings of approximately $451,788 over the life of the refinancing term. Commissioner Rich said she would like further discussion about where the Article 46 quarter-cent Sales Tax proceeds are going, noting that all of it seems to be going to the water and sewer projects in the County. Paul Laughton said 60 percent ($800,000) is set aside for debt service, leaving 40 percent of the Economic Development funds available. Commissioner Rich asked the Chair if the discussion regarding the Article 46 quarter- cent Sales Tax proceeds and how they are used could be furthered at another meeting. Chair McKee said he thought this would be possible during the budget discussions and if not, certainly in the early meetings of September. Commissioner Dorosin said the numbers from November 2014 are different than those in this evening's abstract, specifically regarding the Eubanks SWCC. Paul Laughton said there have been on-going changes, looking at the re-design of the road entry and moving the scale house. He said this has increased the cost of the upfitting of the Eubanks SWCC. He said the current estimate for this project is $3.175 million. He said there was $3 million financed for Convenience Centers a few years ago. He said Walnut Grove SWCC was completed for approximately $1.3 million, leaving $1.7 million for the Eubanks Road SWCC. He said the other main differences in numbers relate to the Southern Human Services Center expansion and to IT and the central permitting project. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Board proceeds tonight is there any flexibility in the future. He said the challenge for him is there seemed to be a disconnect between items being discussed in the abstract and the time for their approval. He said there should be opportunities to discuss items again in case changes have occurred in the meantime. Bonnie Hammersley said a vertical look at the CIP would be helpful. She said she will do a better job of informing them of any changes as they occur in between meetings. Bob Jessup, Bond Counsel, said when the financing process is complete, the Board will have a list of projects in estimated amounts. He said the Board cannot use the funding for anything outside of this list. He added that the Board can move the funding between the projects on the list, or reallocate funds to other projects on the list. Commissioner Jacobs said Gayle Wilson sent the Board an email about the Eubanks SWCC. He added that the Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) had also sent an email stating that the construction at the Eubanks SWCC starts in July. He said he wanted to make sure the Board sees the design of the site before going forward. Commissioner Jacobs said another document is the Distribution of Funds document that the Board received after the passing of the '/4 cents sales tax. He said he would like to see this document reintroduced to the Board. He would also like to see a cost analysis of these funds. Commissioner Jacobs said he is not keen on giving money to other governments but he would like to help the Town of Hillsborough with the Colonial Inn. He asked if this may be an investment opportunity for Economic Development funds. He said he would like to hear input from the Local Government Commission (LGC). A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich for the Board to approve the Final Financing Resolution Authorizing the Issuance of$15,870,000 in Installment Financing for Various Capital Investment Plan Projects and Equipment, and the Refinancing of Approximately $10,200,000 from Two 2006 Installment Financing Issuances. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8. Reports-NONE 9. County Manager's Report NONE 10. County Attorney's Report John Roberts said the legislature does not have any damaging, or otherwise locally relevant, legislation scheduled this week, thus far. He said the recycling bill was sent to the Rules Committee last week, and he has heard it will not come out intact. He said the County's hope for specific authority to impose mandatory fees for recycling will likely not succeed. He added, however, that this will have no impact on the County for practical purposes. 11. Appointments a. Agricultural Preservation Board —Appointments The Board considered making appointments to the Agricultural Preservation Board. Commissioner Jacobs referred to email he had sent to the Clerk, seeking clarification on the Agricultural Preservation Board and the Voluntary Agricultural District Seats. His email question is below: The Ag Preservation Board used to be the Voluntary Ag District Board. While we clearly broadened its scope, what is the underlying premise regarding automatic memberships by VAD? What is guaranteed for VAD adoptees? Are they essentially zoned by area (as High Rock/Efland) in joining this board, or is the definition of that seat simply a function of a previous VAD application? If the latter is the case, why does past VAD interest define an ongoing seat? Dave Stancil's response: The state's general statutes (NCGS) on Voluntary Ag Districts (VAD) and VAD boards are part of the complicating factor on the Ag Board, but I'll try to provide a short version of the situation. State law requires that if a county engages in the Voluntary Agricultural District program, it must have an Agricultural Districts Advisory Board. It also provides that each Voluntary Agricultural District in a County must have a seat on the board. (Many years ago, we expanded our board into an Agricultural Preservation Board that has the charges laid out in the statutes, but also an expanded role to provide advice on agricultural matters to the BOCC, for example.) When we first started our VAD program in the early-90's, each farm was its own VAD district. But by the early part of last decade, we began to see that farms enrolling in VAD could get numerous, and if each farm had a seat on the board we could have a board of 40-50 people or more. We saw a few other ordinances that set up a "Voluntary Agricultural District" as a geographic sub-region of the county rather than an individual farm, and we changed our ordinance to that model. Now we have seven geographic area "agricultural districts," within which we have participating farms in the VAD program. Owners of the participating farms are eligible to apply for the VAD seats on the Ag Board. The NCGS "promised" seats on the board in this manner come from one of the farm owners in the larger district. (I can provide a map of the seven VAD geographic "districts" if desired — it was part of what was approved back 10 years ago or so). Initially, these VAD seats were semi-permanent, as there was no provision in the NCGS regarding terms, but with the advisory board changes a few years ago, these now conform to our two three-year term rules. So there are no automatic or permanent seats any more. Some of our geographic VAD districts are filled by farm owners who have an enrolled farm in that geographic VAD area, but we still have some of the seven that are not filled, because we have only a few farms participating in the program within that particular VAD boundary, and/or that particular VAD area has members who served on the Ag Board for many years in that capacity and no longer wish to serve (Bob Nutter and Bob Strayhorn would be examples of this) and no other qualifying farm owner has stepped up to apply. So the Ag Board now has seven at-large members, and seven more (one slot for each of the seven "Voluntary Agricultural District " geographic regions) to be filled only by owners of participating farms in the VAD program from within that district boundary. When a new VAD farm is approved, we make the owners aware of that possibility (and if the seat for that VAD is vacant) and if they apply, they can be considered for appointment using the standard process (APB recommendation/BOCC approval). I should note that the pending APB appointments requests for this time have an unusual proposal for one of these VAD seats, as Howard McAdams term as an at-large member has expired but with no current qualifying applicant for his VAD district, the Ag Board has asked if he can "roll" into that VAD seat. Commissioner Jacobs said he understood Dave Stancil's response, but felt the Board still needed more clarification. Commissioner Jacobs suggested that tonight the Board nominate for recommended positions only, and ask staff to come back with more clarification on this board. Chair McKee also suggested holding open the vacant positions. He asked the Clerk if there were applications specific to Sly/Eno or New Hope/Hillsborough. The Clerk said no. Chair McKee said he is reluctant to fill those positions until they are re-advertised and attempts to recruit are made. He suggested only nominating for the positions 8, 9, and 1. Commissioner Rich asked if this suggestion is only for the Agricultural Board. Commissioner Jacobs said the Ag Board is a different kind of board, with an incentive to having a voluntary Ag District. He said the BOCC redefined the Ag Board to give it a broader purpose and added additional seats. He said it is no longer just Voluntary Ag Districts, as they may not have much parochial interest. He asked if there are only twelve seats and there is an incentive to have a Voluntary Ag District, then how should the Board proceed. Commissioner Rich said there have been long discussions about board appointments and she does not want to start making exceptions; however, she better understands Commissioner Jacobs' point and finds it acceptable. A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to appoint the following to the Agricultural Preservation Board: • Mr. Howard McAdams, Jr. (Change in representative (Position #10) "At-Large" representative to (Position #1) "High Rock/Efland Vol. Ag. Dist." With no expiration date. (Mr. McAdams fitted the criteria for the vacant position) • Appointment of Mr. Richal Vanhook to a first full term (Position #8) "At-Large" with a term ending 06/30/2018. • Appointment of Ms. Amanda Scherle to a first full term (Position #9) "At-Large" with at term ending 06/30/2018. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. 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 Price, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to appoint the following to the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council: • Appointment of Ms. Betty Khan to a second full term (Position #3) "Cedar Grove Township" representative with an expiration date of 03/31/2018. • Appointment of Mrs. Rachel Massai to a first full term (Position #6) "Cheeks Township" representative with an expiration date of 03/31/2018. • Appointment of Mr. Robert Robinson to a first full term (Position #8) "Little River Township" representative with an expiration date of 03/31/2018. A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to appoint the following to the Orange County Parks and Recreation Council: • Evelyn Daniels to Position #5--- "At-Large" position-----expiring 03/31/2016. (position has been vacant since 03/03/2014) • Daniel Siler to Position #12--- "At-Large" position----- expiring 03/31/2016. (position has been vacant since 12/31/2014) VOTE: UNANIMOUS c. Orange Water and Sewer Authority—Appointment The Board considered making an appointment to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA). A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to appoint the following to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority: • Appointment of Mr. Michael Hughes to a second full term (Position #1) "BOCC Appointment" with an expiration of 06/30/2018. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 12. Board Comments Commissioner Dorosin had no comments. Commissioner Rich had no comments. Commissioner Pelissier had no comments. Commissioner Jacobs congratulated the Orange County Health Department on getting the Komen Grant for Breast Cancer screening. Commissioner Jacobs handed out information from the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) on Wake County's pursuit of public transit. He said Wake County has shown that bus rapid transit may actually be no cheaper than light rail, in the long run. Commissioner Jacobs handed out more information on Alamance County's Trail System. He said there is no dedicated funding source, but Alamance County is excited about it. He said he spoke with a Department of Transportation representative about the possibility of giving some funds to the project to extend Orange River Road to the railroad station, under the railroad track and to Route 70A. He said the representative indicated that she would not give funding to such a project, as Durham and Chapel Hill have more than sufficient resources. Commissioner Price said she attended the teacher recognition banquets at both School Districts. She said both ceremonies were lovely, and she recognized the hard work of all involved in the School systems. Commissioner Burroughs had no comments. Chair McKee said the next time he makes comments on legislative bills he will attempt to give better context. He said he was referring to his comments on Senate Bill 513, which had both good and bad components. He said one of the bad components was the burning of plastic, which would cause him to have a problem with this bill unless it is amended. Chair McKee said he would follow up with Rich Shaw and David Stancil about the Mountains to Sea Trail issue in order to ask them to find a timeline from the State and what the County needs to do going forward with the re-consideration of the scoring of segment 11 of the trail. 13. Information Items • May 5, 2015 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List • BOCC Chair Letter Regarding Petitions from May 5, 2015 Regular Meeting 14. Closed Session NONE 15. Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to adjourn the meeting at 9:49 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Earl McKee, Chair Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board