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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-28-2015 APPROVED 9/1/2015 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING May 28, 2015 The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a Budget Public Hearing on Thursday, May 28, 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: COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) 1. Opening Remarks Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. PUBLIC CHARGE Chair McKee dispensed with the reading of the Public Charge. 2. Presentation of County Manager's Recommended FY 2015-16 Budget/CIP (PowerPoint Presentation) Bonnie Hammersley presented the following PowerPoint slides: 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 • 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 Recommended positions • Enterprise Fund —4.75 FTE • Weighmaster — 1.0 FTE • Solid Waste Drivers —2.0 FTE • Convenience Center Operators— 1.75 FT Recommended positions • 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 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 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 • 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 Recommended CIP FUNDING • Special Revenue Projects o Article 46 Sales Tax ■ Economic Development ■ Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) ■ Orange County Schools (OCS) • Proprietary Capital Projects o Water and Sewer Utilities ■ Efland Sewer flow to Mebane ■ Utility Extension Projects ■ Hillsborough EDD ■ Eno EDD • Solid Waste ■ Recycling Operation • Sportsplex ■ Major Expansion Phase 2&3 • School Capital Projects o Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools ■ Pay-As-You-Go Funds - $2,274,765 ■ Lottery Proceeds - $835,626 ■ Preliminary Planning Funds - $750,000 o Orange County Schools ■ Pay-As-You-Go Funds - $1,450,084 ■ Lottery Proceeds - $520,736 ■ Preliminary Planning Funds - $478,000 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://orangecountVnc.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 3. Public Comment Natasha Adams said she is an Assistant Public Defender in Orange County, as well as a current Board member of Pre-Trial Services, a non-profit since 1994. She said it is her understanding that the pre-trial services will be moved to the Sheriff's office. She said she is asking the Board to consider allocating $45,000, to be able to provide services to existing clients before this program is moved July 1. Jon Wilner is a Senior Board Member with the Communities in Schools (CIS) and he thanked the Board for their consistent support. He said CIS are not going to be in the Orange County Schools (OCS) this year but will remain in the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS). He said more children will be served in CHCCS, reducing the waiting list, in an effort to keep them in school. He said CIS will be serving the same number of children this year as in previous years and he requested the Board of County Commissioners to give CIS the same amount received for the past 6 to 8 years. James Stroud said he is the Executive Director for the Center for Home Ownership and Economic Development in Hillsborough. He said he is here regarding the organization's Clearinghouse Network Pilot Program, which was brought to the Board last year. He said the program is not operational at this time as it was not funded. He said his organization is the only resource in the County regarding affordable housing opportunities. He said 180 people have been served so far this year and despite having excellent housing providers in the area, many people are still unsure where to look for housing. He said a centralized hub for affordable housing would be invaluable. Allan Rosen said he presently works at InterFaith Council for Social Services and has been participating with the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition. He said included in the recommended budget is a program about a land banking program for affordable housing. He applauds this effort and hoped that the Board of County Commissioners would adopt this as part of the Capital Investment Plan (CIP). He said he also supports the proposed position in the Housing Department. Stacey Allred said he is a Counselor with the Exchange Club Family Center of Alamance and Orange Counties. He expressed thanks for the BOCC's ongoing support. He reviewed statistics regarding local child sexual abuse rates and asked if the BOCC would consider funding the agency. Sarah Black said she is the Director of the Exchange Club Family Center and asked the Board to reconsider their application for outside agency funding for more funding. She said her agency provides in home services for neglected children. She emphasized the importance of early intervention for children who are abused and neglected to reach greater success. Art Menins said he is hereto ask for$1000 for the public radio station WCOM. He said this is a volunteer run radio station serving as the voice of the community. Yasmine White is the CEO of Voices Together, a non-profit which offers a specialized music therapy program in the school districts for autistic children. She thanked the Board for their interest and support. She asked if the Board would help bring the program up to two school rooms. Karen Kincaid Dunn, from Club Nova, thanked the Board for their continued support. She said Club Nova is a clubhouse for seriously mental ill adults. She said some funding has been lost over the past few years. She encouraged the Board to continue their support for Club Nova. Kristin Linton said she is the Executive Director of the Art Therapy Institute for therapy purposes for all ages. She said she is seeking additional funding for the Burma Art Therapy Project in the school systems. She said her program has served about 400 students and adults this past year. John Mitterling said he is on staff with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle. He said the program has served over 900 children regionally, with 200 from Orange County. He said the program pairs students with thoroughly vetted mentors. He expressed gratitude for the Board's support and requested $2000 for this year. He said the children served by the program are from single parent or low income homes. Robert Dowling said he is the Executive Director of the Community Home Trust and he thanked the Board for all they do for the residents in Orange County. He said there are currently 235 homes in the Home Trust program and their inclusionary program is a model throughout the State and the Country. He acknowledged the role that all of the elected officials play in Orange County. He supported the proposed position in the Housing Department. Bridget Mora said she is a parent of a first grader at Seawell Elementary School, and she asked the Board to fully fund the CHCCS request of$302 per pupil. Sherri Carmichael said she is speaking on behalf of the Smith Middle School, School Improvement Team, and is also here to ask the Board for full funding for the CHCCS. She reviewed the history of excellence within the CHCCS. Gary Wallach said he is here to speak about fully funding the CHCCS. He thanked the Board for their past and continued support of the schools. He hoped they would fully fund the request, and if not, an amount closer to the full request than $81 per pupil. Jean Bolduc said she is here tonight on behalf of the Housing Authority. She noted that the Board voted in April to restrict the bond referendum proceeds to schools only. She said the Housing Authority Board passed a resolution of support for the Board to re-consider the decision to include affordable housing investments. She said her Board has a deep appreciation for the recommended budget. James Barrett is a CHCCS Board member. He said there are State mandates providing a raise for teachers, retirement matches and health insurance costs. He said the proposed $81 raise per pupil will be $70 shy of the amount necessary to allow the Schools to maintain status quo; and does not account for the State mandates. He said meeting those requirements will leave an $800,000 deficit for the schools. He highlighted some other priorities including providing a living wage for all classified staff, funds to allow teachers to fully lesson plan and providing instructional time for middle school students during periods of detention. Matt Kauffman said he is representing the Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), and expressed sincere gratitude for the Board's support of$5000 in the past 2 years. He asked if the Board would consider increasing the funding to $7500 this year. He said the organization has just opened an integrated service center in downtown Chapel Hill. He said this center will co-locate a variety of services with partner organizations. He reviewed a variety of statistics showing gains within the homeless community including financial progress, housing progress and mentoring partnerships. Adam Zanation said he is here to ask for full funding for the CHCCS. He said there are excellent public schools in Chapel Hill. He recently moved into the District, taking his own children out of well regarded private schools, and sending them to his local CHCCS. He said he is a tenured faculty member at UNC School of Medicine. He said in the past year five new faculty members have been recruited. He said these new faculty members noted that the primary community driver that brought them here is the quality of the public schools. Michael Lee said millions of dollars have been taken from the public schools in the past 7 years by the State. He said the current County budget is stepping up, and he thanked them since no one else will do this. He said, however, that the proposed budget still puts the schools $800,000 behind where they need to be for the upcoming year. He said he is asking the Board to increase the per pupil funding up to $302. Bryan Giemza said he appreciated the Board's efforts to juggle all of the requested needs. He said to make education come first. He said the Board of County Commissioners is the only hope. He said the schools are trying to get back to where they once were prior to the cuts that have occurred in the past years. He said he hoped the Board would consider fully funding the CHCCS. Susan Levy said she is the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity and the Chair of the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition. She said she appreciated the recommended inclusion of CIP funding for affordable housing. She thanked the Board for supporting Habitat's impact fee reimbursement last week. She said the funding for affordable housing at the Federal level is not good, and she thanked the Board for filling in the gaps. She also expressed support for the proposed position in Housing Department. Elizabeth Welsby said she has been a resident of Chapel Hill for 28 years and is here to request that the Board fully fund the CHCCS budget request. Rebecca Poellot said she is the speaking on behalf of McDougle Elementary School and is asking the Board to fully fund the CHCCS budget request of$302 per pupil. She felt compelled to come here tonight because of a memo that circulated about the loss of$800,000 if the schools are not fully funded. Julie Siler said she and her husband were recruited by the UNC Health system and the CHCCS were the entire reason that Chapel Hill was their location of choice. She asked the Board to fully fund the CHCCS budget request. Laura Henderson said she wanted to thank the Board for their support and to ask them to fully fund the CHCCS, especially at-risk kids who will struggle with the loss of teacher assistants. PUBLIC COMMENT FROM EMAILS: • Dear Board of Orange County Commissioners: I am writing to thank you for your continued support of the schools in our community - and at the same time to ask you to consider meeting the budget request submitted by the CHCCS District Administration and CHCCS Board of Education, which asks for an additional $302 per child. I am a parent of an elementary school aged child in the District, and I am a parent member of the School Improvement Team at Glenwood Elementary. I see first hand the dedication of our teachers and administrators in the district. Thanks to your long term support for education in our community, we are fortunate to have excellent schools, and committed teachers - but there is still great need in the District. I hate that we need to ask you each year to provide additional funding to make up a shortfall that is driven by - engineered by - Raleigh, but the reality is that by giving teachers a much-needed raise, it will create a shortfall for other essential needs in the classroom - and our teachers and children will suffer the consequences. Please help your voters by preserving an educational system in which our children and our teachers can thrive. Please help us by allocating additional funding for the schools. Many thanks and warm regards, Katie Jamieson • Dear Board of Orange County Commissioners, Thank you for your continued support of our schools. As the officers of the PTA at Glenwood Elementary School, we have seen first-hand the impact that financial support of our schools has on the day-to-day educational experience of our students. Unfortunately, we believe that the proposed budget falls well below the current needs of our schools and our students. The current Chapel Hill/Carrboro City Schools request—an increase of$302 per student —takes into account the many cuts being proposed a the state level and the shortfalls for which we must account. The citizens of Orange County are proud of the educational experiences and outcomes of our students, and sufficient funding is essential to maintain these standards and continue to improve. Extremely concerning to us is the potential loss of 12 teachers or 25 teacher assistants, based on funding cuts. Such a loss could prove crippling for schools already struggling to retain outstanding teachers who are being recruited to other, better-funded areas of the country. The proposed funding also would allow us to continue initiatives already in place to help close the Achievement Gap. The results of these initiatives will not be immediate and the efforts need to carry on for several years in order for us to see the benefits. To cut funding now would be to undo valuable progress already made. Additionally, we would like to express our support for the entire 2016 bond going towards the schools. This money is necessary for the revitalization of many old buildings in the district. If this money is diverted to other areas, our schools will continue to exist in a state of disrepair. (Did you know that Glenwood's 62-year-old school building has no ADA accessible restroom facilities, for either children or adults?) Our schools are a sense of local pride and also a very real draw for those considering the area —we recently met with a family relocating from California that chose Orange County over Wake County based on our schools. Please help our schools to remain strong and our area to continue to attract new families by investing in the future with the entire 2016 Bond. Thank you for your service and your support of education in Orange County. Best, Shannon Eubanks, Dana Gelin, Katie Jamieson, Casey Saussy and Susan Swafford • I am writing to request that the Board of Commissioners fund the FULL budget request of both CHCCS and Orange County Schools. This is important to our schools and our children, and therefore to maintain quality of life in our community. Richard Goldberg 1075 Brace Lane Chapel Hill NC 27516 • Our teachers have been underpaid for too long. Please cover the state-mandated pay raise so that the school district won't have to cut teaching positions yet again. The school system has been cut to the bone. We know the problem is coming from the state legislature, so we must also demand they restore the necessary funding, and I promise to help in that. But in the meantime, we must cover their negligence. The education of our children is the most important role of government. We cannot make our children and their teachers suffer because of the poor support from the state. I support any necessary tax increase to cover this. We have to do it. Thank you, Dan Bernard Kingston Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27514 • Dear Commissioners, I want to thank you for your ongoing support of the CHCCS schools, and I want to share with you a brief glimpse of what our schools do each day that is so much more than academics. The other day, my kindergartener, Jacob, and I were reading a book in The Magic Tree House series. For those of you who haven't had the privilege of reading this series aloud to your children, let me enlighten you. Two children, Jack and Annie, travel back in time to various points in history to do magical good deeds. In this particular book they were visiting Charles Dickens. While Jack and Annie--who is disguised as a boy--are working as chimney sweeps, they are unable to catch a ride because of their dirty clothes. My six year old stopped after this event and said very clearly, "Mom, it seems like white skinned boys get everything they want." I was unsure how to continue, so I said, "What makes you say that?" Jacob proceeded to refer back to several other Magic Tree House books. "Well, when they visited Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, they had to ride on the back of the bus with him because he was dark skinned. And then when they went to Ireland in olden times, Annie wasn't allowed to do things because she was a girl, not a boy. And now even when Annie is dressed like a boy, but she looks poor because of her dirty clothes, no one will give them a ride. They only get what they need when they are clean white skinned boys. I stared for a minute with my mouth opened wide. "What do you think about that? "Well, Miss Barbie at school teaches us about tolerance and how things weren't always fair. And this isn't fair. What about if you had medium skin, or were different in another way? It's not OK that just being a white skinned boy means you get to do things easily and have what you want. You know Mom, it's like that in a lot of books...."And he began to tell me more about books he had read in school where the main characters were only boys. And how there should be more medium and dark skinned kids in books and how there are no dark skinned girls in books and how that's not fair, etc. It went on and on. I tell you this story, not to brag about my own child, but to share a snapshot of the immeasurable value of what our schools are doing. He did not get this from me. He got this from the brilliant work of guidance counselors, teachers, teaching assistants, and support staff. Sure, they are teaching the standards in science, math, social studies, and reading. This kindergartener used three separate texts to support the issue of white privilege, which he came up with on his own. What amazing reading instruction! (Thank you very much Common Core!) But when fully funded, schools are teaching kids how to be people who will lead us one day. They are teaching kindness, compassion, and empathy. They can spend the time to teach kids about getting along with others. They can give the kids vocabulary like tolerance, grit, and diversity, in a way that helps them to understand the world. This is the kind of community that will help to close the achievement gap. This is what a school should look like. This is what can continue when the CHCCS budget is fully funded. Without that funding, the choices are extremely difficult and more than anything, they cost time spent directly with kids. And it might have cost this child an amazing revelation that will hopefully mean one more member of our community will become a tolerant understanding citizen one day, thanks to our public schools Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Jill & Daniel Simon 203 Westbury Drive • My son is a student at Glenwood Elementary School this year, and I am very concerned about the budget cuts that Chapel Hill public schools are facing next year. The schools would likely have to let go of several teachers or assistants next year, which would make class sizes bigger and result in the students receiving even less help--help that is critical in the younger years especially when they are expected to learn so many things and need help adapting to the classroom setting. If our schools continue to decrease in quality it will impact our county and our state for decades. Please consider investing more in our schools so that they can continue to meet the educational needs of our children. Sincerely, Marcelaine Tanner • Dear Orange County Commissioners: I am writing to ask you to fully fund the 2015-16 budget requests of the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools. As you know, the budgets from Raleigh have forced our schools to trim away the "fat" from their budgets year after year; there is nothing unessential remaining to be cut away - the proposed budget shortfall for CHCCS will directly impact students in the classroom. This comes at a time when the pressure on public schools to "perform", feed hungry children, welcome first-generation Americans, and fully include students with disabilities (mine included) has never been greater. When the BoCC decided to fully fund our schools last year, it affirmed to the residents of Orange County that our local elected officials share our values. I think it is important to remember during difficult budget decisions that high quality public education has always been a core value of Orange County. It is one of the cornerstones of our identity as a community, locally, statewide, and nationally. It is no secret that the excellence of our two public school systems is a key factor in drawing and keeping the best and brightest to Orange County. With the fluidity between the different regions of the Triangle, our top quality public schools are often the deciding factor when people decide where to live and set down roots. Many Orange County residents are willing to pay higher housing costs, pay higher taxes, and commute further to work because they know that their children are getting the best public education in the Triangle - all of which are absolutely true for my family. If we do not maintain that standard of excellence, there will be little incentive for taxpayers to remain in Orange County when they could live less expensively just over the Durham County line. I thank you for your ongoing support of public education in Orange County, and ask you to continue to make full funding of our two public school systems your top budgetary priority once again this year. Thank you. Respectfully, Bridget Mora Parent of 1 st grade student at Seawell Elementary 500 Umstead Drive #F108 Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919-240-4684 • To whom it may concern, I have a 2nd grader and soon-to-be kindergartner at Ephesus Elementary. I urge you to increase funding for our schools as the teaching positions and teaching assistants are critical to the success of our schools. We moved to Chapel Hill based on the quality of public education. It is important to maintain the current level of excellence and continued budget cuts do not support that. As a taxpayer in Chapel Hill, I am willing to do my part to ensure success of our students. Please do your part as commissioners to support our schools. Sincerely, Lisa Huggins 800 Churchill Dr Chapel Hill NC 27517 • Dear Board of County Commissioners: We are parents of a 3rd grader and a rising Kindergartener at McDougle Elementary. Please do whatever it takes to make full funding happen for CHCCS schools, even if that means tax increases. We depend on the BoCC to fund the full budget request for our schools. Education is our top priority and it should be yours too. Thank you for your time and commitment to education in our community. Sincerely, Stephanie and Bob Palmer 305 Autumn Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27516 • PLEASE FUND THE COMPLETE BUDGET THE BOARD HAS PROPOSED. WE CANT AFFORD TO LOSE ANY TEACHERS OR ANY TEACHERS AIDES. As a grandparent of four children in the Chapel Hill school system, I have witnessed the supreme effort and enthusiasm teachers from two different elementary schools make to complete their academic calendar and evaluations of their students. How can a BUDGET CUT benefit our children in any way? Parents are providing snacks, many supplies, volunteering, fund raising all to make their children's schools a success and give their hard working dedicated teachers, administrators, staff , and all the cheerful supporting staff that watch, teach and care for our children in this very SPECIAL PART OF NORTH CAROLINA. Carrboro and Chapel Hill can only be considered some kind of wonderful!! Teachers salaries need BOOSTING NOT BURSTING!! Don't drive the teachers elsewhere - elevate and revere them because they are shaping our children's minds and at least for 7 + hours a day their attitudes!! Please support the budget the Board has proposed. Propose more tax dollars for education and teachers salaries - it's needed. Signed One Very Proud and Enthused Grandmother!!! Sent from my iPhone • Dear Orange County Commissioners and Ms. Hammersley: As you work on the budget for FY2015-16, could you take another look at the recommended allocation for Communities In Schools of Orange County? The 2014-15 allocation of$102K was cut by nearly $40K for FY2015-16. We would like to ask you to reconsider the allocation for CIS Orange and give back the $102K. Even with the pulling out of Orange County Schools, we plan to serve roughly the same number of students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. This past year we served 310-345 students from both districts and over 50% of the students were on free or reduced lunch. All of the students who are referred to us by their social workers and/or teachers will be given priority enrollment in the CIS afterschool program during the 2015-16 school year. Even though the $22K portion of the $102K was disbursed by us to Orange County Schools for its own afterschool programs, we could use this portion to help even more low-income students in CHCCS, who otherwise will be placed on a waiting list, which in turn means they will not get the services that they need to help them stay in school. With gratitude for your past support, my hands are folded for your continuing support, For the kids, Sarah Shapard • Dear Commissioners, My son is a first grade student in Chapel Hill. I am writing to encourage you to find a way to give full funding to the school systems in Orange County and Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Good teachers and teacher's assistants are what make a school a success and give our children the best chance to thrive. Without strong leadership and teaching support in the classrooms our children's opportunity to learn and grow is impacted. Please find a way to fund our schools. I can't think of anything more important than the way we educate our children. I know that you are in a difficult position and I appreciate that. But, I also believe that you are intelligent individuals with a capacity to think outside the box and to work together to find solutions. Good luck with your work in this matter. Please do your best to find a way to fully fund our schools. Best wishes, Emory Doubman • Dear Chair McKee, Vice Chair Pelissier and Commissioners, I am unable to attend either of the Public Hearings in May so please consider this email as my "3 minutes" at the podium. I strongly urge you to consider increased funding and continued financial support of the Exchange Club Family Center in Alamance. They are highly successful in the prevention of child abuse in at-risk families. I know, because I am one of their successes. In 2009, we had just adopted a baby girl from China when I started having panic attacks, flashbacks to my childhood and was sleep deprived. Due to the presence of several risk factors for child abuse I was almost a statistic and so was my daughter. I was misdiagnosed by a therapist and told to go back to work because I could not"cut it" as a stay at home mom. I was devastated and sick. After many calls and searching the internet I found the Exchange Club Family in Alamance via the Orange County Exchange Club website. I called and spoke with Sarah Black, County Director and it was the beginning of a new life for me and my family. I attended the free parenting classes and had a "nanny" make home visits to observe me and my daughter interact and offer support for my newfound parenting skills. I not only learned excellent parenting skills I also gained insight into what was happening to me emotionally and physically. A profound healing had begun. Today, my daughter is a happy, healthy 7 year old and I am a happy, healthy wife and mother. I now serve on the advisory board for the Exchange Club Family Center in Alamance because I felt compelled to give back to the organization who had given me my life back and protected my daughter from harm before it happened. I am deeply grateful and indebted to this organization. Thank you for your kind consideration. Funding this worthy cause will save lives. I promise. Sincerely, Heidi S. Hackney Orange County Resident. Registered Voter. • Dear Commissioners, Thank you for your continued support of public education. At a time when public education is under attack from the State, your support has been crucial. Please fully fund the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public Schools for 2015-16. Thank you for your consideration. Laura Henderson 105 Red Sunset Place Carrboro, NC 27510 4. Adjournment of Public Hearing A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Rich to adjourn the meeting at 8:26 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Earl McKee, Chair Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board