Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-29-2016 1 APPROVED 2/16/2016 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ANNUAL PLANNING RETREAT TOP OF THE HILL GREAT ROOM January 29. 2016 9:00 a.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for their annual Board retreat on Friday, January 29, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. at Top of the Hill Great Room 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 ATTORNEY PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna S. Baker. FACILITATOR: Andy Sachs, Dispute Settlement Center Department Heads: Gayle Wilson, Dwane Brinson, Janet Sparks, Janice Tyler, Tracy Reams, Dave Stancil, Steve Brantley, Craig Benedict, Jeff Thompson, Greg Wilder, Jim Northup, Audrey Spencer-Horsley, Brenda Bartholomew, Nancy Coston, Gary Donaldson 1. Welcome and Agenda Review A subcommittee of the Board composed of Commissioner Burroughs, Commissioner Pelissier, and Commissioner Rich developed the program for the retreat, supported by the County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis Myren, County Clerk Donna Baker, and facilitator Andy M. Sachs. Andrew Sachs reviewed the agenda and desired outcome, which is for the Board of County Commissioners to have goals and priorities to inform budget decisions for July 2016- June 30, 2017. Desired Outcomes: Goals and priorities to inform budget decisions for July 1, 2016— June 30, 2017 Retreat Discussion and Decision Making Guidelines Andy Sachs reviewed the guidelines for the day's retreat. • Begin and end on time • Listen attentively to each other • One speaker at a time • Stick to the tasks and topics that are on the agenda • Share the floor with each other • It is OK to disagree with each other...please do so respectfully • Decide together 2. Administration's Strategic Initiatives The first substantive discussion at the retreat addressed the County administration's strategic initiatives. Prior to the retreat, Board members reviewed internal and external needs, which had been identified by department directors through a process facilitated by the County 2 Manager's Office. Board members were asked to arrive at the retreat with any questions, insights, concerns, or other thoughts regarding these results. Commissioner Burroughs asked if the community colleges played a role in the administration's strategic priorities for employment. Travis Myren said a Durham Tech representative participated in the Human Services and Education team. The team talked through some of the challenges that exist to accessing Durham Tech, especially with regard to transportation (which is a huge barrier), and potential job readiness work with which Durham Tech could help the County. Durham Teach already operates classes on site with the County, and staff is hoping there will be more of that shortly. The team also discussed a community college tuition scholarship program provided by Durham County. Commissioner Burroughs said that she was glad to hear that the community college is being kept clearly in the administration's mind. Commissioner Dorosin said that he appreciated the list of internal priorities in the Manager's report. While the Commissioners are aware of internal issues, such as wage compression and technology, the Board tends to focus its attention on external matters. He said he is interested in thinking more about how internal priorities affect the external ones. He said he is also interested in hearing how adequate, clear, and helpful the direction from the Board is to the staff from the staff's perspective. He said he was pleased to see that quality of work life was rated highly in the administration's priorities, and he is excited to see the creation of cross-department teams. He said he is curious about where the Social Justice goals fit in. Bonnie Hammersley said that it is new and important for the County to address internal priorities in this strategic, cross-departmental manner, and that over time as the internal priorities are addressed they will become more routine and stronger foundations for the external priorities. She said she does quarterly information sessions with all employees. She said she is seeing that the internal issues —the morale and compression issues —are strong. These are the issues the Board has hired her to address. She said her goal for the organization is that over time the employees will be even more focused externally; we are public servants and we should be serving the public. Bonnie Hammersley said in her last position in Michigan they had been implementing across the board cuts since 2008, but when you do that over and over again you wind up hurting the essential services of government. She said she used this strategic priority setting process there to engage the department heads in the decision making process. She said as she went through that for five years, she realized that this was a sustainable model that also could be used in jurisdictions where cuts were not happening, because there never are enough resources to do all the things you want to do. Commissioner Dorosin said he hoped that in the same way the administration is asking the staff to cross-silos in setting priorities that the internal and external silos will get crossed. Bonnie Hammersley said that the model she is using is conducive to that. She Hammersley added that the Board's social justice goals apply to the work of all of the functional leadership teams. Travis Myren said that Goal 4 could be thought of as a broad category into which many of the internal concerns of the County government might be placed. Commissioner Jacobs said that there are County priorities that are assumed, for example, making government more accessible to the public, and raising and maintaining an environmental awareness—which might be better served if made explicit. He said staff's work has given us the integuments of what it is that we are, he said, and it is up to us now to flesh that out. Commissioner Pelissier asked if the department heads felt that the Board's current goals are not clear. 3 Travis Myren said that the goals are wide ranging and broad, and it would be helpful to the staff for the Board to identify prioritized policy initiatives through today's process. Bonnie Hammersley added that she shares responsibility with the Board to provide that sort of clear direction to the staff, and that this retreat process should help. 3. Brainstorm Board Priorities through June 30, 2016 • Prior to the retreat, at the request of the planning committee, Board members reviewed the then-current set of Board goals and priorities (six goals with accompanying priorities adopted September 2009 plus a set of five Social Justice goals adopted in September 2010,) and agreed to use those two sets of goals as the initial framework at the retreat for generating new priorities. • The Board worked in pairs and triads to flesh out ideas. The ideas were documented on post-it notes and stuck to walls for the next step in process. 4. Clarify the Ideas • The Board members approached wall(s) upon which post-its were affixed, read the ideas, generated additional ideas on post-its if stimulated to do so, ask and answer questions, cluster similar ideas together and/or under existing-goal headings. • The Board then reconvened in full group for discussion: o Make sure all Board members understand all the ideas in the same way. o Any questions about any of the ideas? o Anyone want to elaborate on any ideas? o Any revisions needed to conform ideas to a one-year implementation timeframe? • Discussion shifted to the analytical: identify relationships across the ideas and between ideas and the current goals: Any contradictions? Any clear time-sequences? Any redundancies? Any nesting/subsuming of ideas into others needed? Do all the ideas fit under at least one of the current goals or might new goal statements be needed? Are there ideas that do not need further prioritizing by the Board because Board already is committed to it (e.g., it's in progress)? 5. Choose from Among the Ideas • Each Commissioner lobbied for his/her top ideas (no numerical limit): "Why I think these should be our priorities." • A non-binding poll of group preferences was conducted (each person can choose up to n/3 priorities, where n = the number of ideas on the menu; no "passion-piling:" vote once per idea). Poll for priorities, within one goal at a time. Discussion points Commissioner Rich suggested putting information on goals/priorities on web. Commissioner Jacobs said there must be talk about land use with other governments. Chair McKee said his concern that the Board is relying too heavily on Morinaga. He said the Board should focus on a lot of issues. Commissioner Burroughs said it is critical to support the values of Orange County and that would be through economic development. Commissioner Jacobs said agriculture could be added into the economic development conversation. He said no one has mentioned affordability and how to pay for the social agenda, which will require fiscal discipline. 4 Chair McKee proposed, and there appeared to be general agreement, that the Board shall hold a work session in the future on economic development strategies. The following points were recorded during the Board's discussion about the work session: • Address land use with other governments • Address agriculture • Keep it at a high level of discussion; not too finely detailed • Economic development is how we pay for all the other priorities we've identified today. • Need for Board members to get on the same page regarding what we want with regard to economic development • Get a status update on the County's economic development districts • Use the work session to appreciate the wide interests and different perspectives we have with regard to economic development • Use the work session to identify opportunities we have to work with other jurisdictions to advance our economic development goal and priorities. Choosing from the ideas continued... • The Board revised the menu of options based on group discussion of first poll results, and conducted a "binding" poll on that new menu (vote for n/3 again). The Board defined its priorities under each Goal, according to the number of Commissioners in support of each candidate priority (from 7 to zero). • The Board developed the following policy priorities to inform the County Manager's formulation of budget recommendations, initiatives, and work plans for coming fiscal year. Commissioner Rich suggested that in the coming year Board agenda items be tied explicitly to one or more of the Board's goals and priorities in the agenda abstract, so that the goals and priorities are not forgotten. Goal 1: Ensure a community network of basic human services and infrastructure that maintains, protects, and promotes the well-being of all county residents. AFFORDABLE HOUSING (5 VOTES) • Decent, standard housing options for all residents regardless of household income level. • Funds to develop targeted number of units (set numerical goal). • Especially rentals • Develop explicit plan to inform bond expenditures and other BOCC affordable housing funding. FAMILY SUCCESS ALLIANCE (3 VOTES) • Additional support to expand FSA • All County departments coordinate with efforts of FSA COMMUNITY CENTERS (3 VOTES) • Decentralize community resources through community centers • Provide food, hot meals, and essential services to residents in need. • Complete Cedar Grove community center and look for ways to extend services into all community centers. NON-PROFIT FUNDING (1 VOTE) 5 • Review process and adequacy of dollar amount. AGING/MENTAL HEALTH (1 VOTE) • Convening including state legislators on serious gaps in quality and quantity of long- term senior care, especially low-income seniors. • Thorough review of services from Cardinal. TRANSPORTATION (1 VOTE) • Identify initiatives or ways to leverage current programs to help break cycle of poverty • Employment as articulated by staff(crossed with transportation as relevant). • Survey of unmet transportation needs for education and employment needs of low income residents, used to prioritize additional services. Goal 2: Promote an interactive and transparent Tt engaging system of governance that reflects community values. [The Board agreed to find a synonym for"transparent"because it is "buzzword." "Engaging" appeared to be an acceptable substitute word for"transparent.']. OUTREACH/INTERNET ACCESS (3 VOTES) • Continue upgrades to IT and explore new outreach methods, including old school methods, use of multiple language efforts. • Expand internet access through County hotspots or incentives to private parties. CLUSTER (2 VOTES) • Human answering phone • Rumor page— stop bad information flow • Make the website functional • Communicate what a County Commission does INTERGOVERNMENTAL FUNDING FORMULA (2 VOTES) Will save tons of staff time and political angst if accomplished. INCREASE DIVERSITY ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS (0 VOTES) Goal 3— Implement planning and economic development policies which create a balanced, dynamic local economy, and which promote diversity, sustainable growth, and enhanced revenue while embracing community values. PARTNERSHIPS (2 VOTES) • Reinvigorate joint planning with neighbors • Partnerships with other governments, staff, and residents. CLUSTER (2 VOTES) • Clarify what types of development are wanted and what infrastructure is needed • Increase in the number of living wage jobs or opportunities for gainful employment (salaried positions) and options. CLUSTER (2 VOTES) • Continue good work to fund priorities in other goals. 6 • Target small business loan/grant fund to identified needs (i.e., childcare). REVISIT COUNTY FAIR (0 VOTES) • also goes with Goal 6 Goal 4— Invest in quality County facilities, a diverse work force, and technology to achieve a high performing County government. HOUSING LIVING WAGE FOR ORANGE COUNTY STAFF (4 VOTES) SUPPORT THE MANAGER'S INTERNAL STRATEGIC INITIATIVES TO ENSURE QUALITY IMPLEMENTATIONN OF ALL KEY PRIORITIES (3 VOTES) IDENTIFY DEFINITE FACILITY NEEDS OR CONSOLIDATIONS (0 VOTES) HONOR HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN DECISIONS AND COMMUNICATION (0 VOTES) [During discussion of this item, prior to the group's voting, the Manager committed to implementing this idea when preparing agenda abstracts] • Institutional memory (internal) • County's cultural heritage Goal 5— Create, preserve, and protect a natural environment that includes clean water, clean air, wildlife, important natural lands, and sustainable energy for present and future generations. INCLUDE LOCAL AGRICULTURE AS KEY TO UNMENTIONED "OPEN SPACE." (6 VOTES) DEVELOP PLAN FOR RESIDENTS AND FARMERS AND BUSINESSES TO PREPARE FOR AND ADJUST TO EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE (1 VOTE) BEGIN PLANNING RE: WATER RESOURCES AS ORANGE COUNTY CONTINUES TO GROW AND DEVELOP (0 VOTES) Goal 6— Ensure a high quality of life and lifelong learning that champions diversity, education at all levels, libraries, parks, recreation, and animal welfare. EDUCATION: AT-RISK CHILDREN (5 votes) • Increase support to expand pre-kindergarten services • Continue to close the achievement gaps and end the school to prison pipeline. CONNECT STUDENTS TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES (4 VOTES) MOVE TOWARD A JOINT EFFORT WITH TOWNS ON PARKS AND TRAILS DEVELOPMENT (2 VOTES) INCREASE COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS (1 VOTE) BOND (1 VOTE) 7 • Smooth bond process for educational facilities (and for affordable housing per goal 1) • Identify criteria for bond referendum projects— schools and housing. FUND K-12 AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES AT LEAST AT 2015-16 LEVELS (1 VOTE) Social Justice Goals: • Foster a community culture that rejects oppression and inequity. • Ensure economic self-sufficiency. • Create a safe community. • Establish sustainable and equitable land use and environmental policies. • Enable full civic participation. CLUSTER (7 VOTES) • More aggressive social agenda • Bridge diverse cultural populations and values. Other Priorities: INTERNAL BOARD RELATIONS (4 votes) • Communication and conflict resolution among Board members generally, including how members' petitions are processed/move forward. MORE EFFICIENT (SHORTER) BOCC MEETINGS (2 VOTES) Connections Across the Goals The Board members noted that substantive connections could be made across different goals, and identified the following three crosscutting themes: 1. Aggressive Social Agenda— Board members said that Goals 1, 6, and the Social Justice Goals contain the following priorities, which fit under this theme: • Increase support to expand pre-kindergarten services. • Continue to close the achievement gaps and end the school to prison pipeline. • Additional support to expand FSA. • All County departments coordinate with efforts of FSA. • More aggressive social agenda. 2. Addressing Poverty— Board members said that Goals 1, 4, and 6 contain the following priorities, which fit under this theme. Some of these priorities address poverty prevention and some are intended to reduce the suffering that results from poverty. • Decent, standard housing options for all residents regardless of household income level. • Funds to develop targeted number of[affordable housing] units. • Especially [affordable housing] rentals • Develop explicit plan to inform bond expenditures and other BOCC affordable housing funding. • Review process and adequacy of dollar amount. • Convening including state legislators on serious gaps in quality and quantity of long term senior care, especially low-income seniors. • Thorough review of services from Cardinal. 8 • Identify initiatives or ways to leverage current programs to help break cycle of poverty • Employment as articulated by staff(crossed with transportation as relevant). • Survey of unmet transportation needs for education and employment needs of low income residents, used to prioritize additional services. • Housing living wage for orange county staff. • Connect students to community colleges. 3. Housing — Board members said that Goals 1 and 4 contain the following priorities that fit under this theme, as follows: • Decent, standard housing options for all residents regardless of household income level. • Funds to develop targeted number of[affordable housing] units (set numerical goal). • Especially [affordable housing] rentals • Develop explicit plan to inform bond expenditures and other BOCC affordable housing funding. • Housing living wage for orange county staff. 6. Wrap Up Board members were asked to evaluate the retreat in their final thoughts before adjourning: Commissioner Pelissier said the pace of the day was good, and the voting process was a very good method to clearly identify each Commissioner's thoughts, and allow for discussion. Chair McKee said he liked this process a lot, as it helped him to focus. He said seeing other Commissioners' ideas written down was informative. He added that the voting process gave him a chance to see other's priorities without having to argue back and forth, or feel like raising his hand would leave him as the outlier. Commissioner Burroughs said she liked that the meeting began by meshing this process with the staff process. She would recommend to next year's retreat committee that this be done again, even more effectively. She said she liked the way the tasks were set up in advance, as well as the on the spot facilitation; and she would like to see this again in the future. Commissioner Jacobs said he did not find the pre-meeting instructions at all clear, but thought that the meeting itself was fine. He thought the facilitator did a good job, and found meeting space was acceptable but he wished that separately packaged creamers were not used, which just increases the waste. He wished there had been a receptacle into which one could place paper for recycling. He said he would have liked for there to have been a free-for- all session, where the Board could bring up ideas that did not necessarily fit any of the goals, and where the facilitator did manage the discussion, allowing for more of a human interaction. Commissioner Rich said she like the meeting facility, as it allowed a change of scenery. She also liked that the goals were change on the "fly". She said word-smithing would happen later, and appreciated the updating of some of the goals. She said the Clerk did a great job ordering food, and making sure that they were all taken care of. She liked the voting process, but sometimes felt unsure as to which idea to put her sticker on. She agreed with Commissioner Dorosin that ultimately priorities are not being eliminated, but rather put in a list of those which received the most dots. There were some items with only one vote, but if these items are easily accomplished, staff me complete them as well. She said overall, she thought the retreat was good and she got a lot out of it. She thanked the facilitator. Commissioner Dorosin said he hoped, and liked the idea, that coming out of the retreat there will be specific, practical things. Goals are compelling but they are abstract. He thinks it 9 is critical that the Board prioritize. He understood that there will be things that will be easy to accomplish, but wants to avoid returning in a year to learn that the items with one dot were all accomplished, but the items with five dots were still being agonized over. He said it would be unsuccessful, to do the easiest things. He hopes the Board will push itself today to prioritize, and follow through in the upcoming year. He wants to be able to say to people, "This is what we did this year," and to point to specific things, whether it is affordable housing, a scholarship fund, or something else. Commissioner Dorosin said he does not think the Board is effectively integrating the staff into the retreat. It may be that the idea of this retreat is that it is just for the policy makers to talk, noting that staff goals and strategies were really helpful. He would like to hear candidly what the department heads think about what the Board is doing. He would like to know from staff if the Board is giving good, positive and helpful guidance, or if it is sending staff down rabbit holes that are unproductive. Maybe that is not something for the retreat: the Board will hear from department heads during the budget process, but that is kind of formal. He would be open to hearing from anybody, and said staff can email him with feedback. He would love to hear it. Commissioner Dorosin said Board members must be more candid with each other, if there are hurt feelings or grudges. Obviously, a lot of folks were unsatisfied with the way the bond discussion went, and there was never a conversation about that. He said he talked with Chair McKee separately, which was good. He said the Board should be candid with each other, in order to be able to work efficiently and effectively. All Board members are grown-ups, and can do this. Politically, Board members are all much closer in vision and ideology than is realized, but sometimes there are undertones; Board members need to be candid about it to resolve issues. He thought that kind of conversation is something that can be built into the retreat process, in the way that Commissioner Jacobs suggested, or it can be a separate conversation. All cards need to be on the table. Commissioner Price said the Board needs the opportunity to have a conversation and get its own ideas out, but it might be good for part of the retreat to include hearing from staff, as has occurred in other retreats. Otherwise it felt like a fishbowl, and she has no idea what is going on in the minds of staff, what may be realistic, and how it fits with the staff work plans. Commissioner Price said these goals have existed for a while. They are very good, but consider goal #6 for example, is it really effective now ten years after it was created? They honed in today on education, and to some degree on parks, but libraries and recreation and animal welfare are just not fitting there anymore. Maybe as Orange County is evolving our goals need to evolve. Maybe the goals should be shifted around to address other issues that get overlooked. Adjourn Chair McKee thanked the retreat committee, the Board, the staff and the facilitator for their efforts today. The meeting was adjourned at 3:12 p.m. Earl McKee, Chair Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board