HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-19-2007-Meeting Plan
Board of County Commissioners Retreat
Friday, January 19, 2007
Southern Human Services Center
Desired Outcomes
• Priority goals for fiscal year 2007-2008
• Shared expectations for how the Board and Manager will identify resources, monitor and
report on progress, and achieve the Board's priorities.
• Commitments from Board members and Manager to steps that would help improve the
Board's work processes.
• Clarification of the process to be used to appoint liaisons to citizen advisory boards and
commissions.
Retreat Discussion & Decision Making Guidelines
• Begin and adjourn on time • It's OK to disagree... please do so
• One speaker at a time respectfully
• Stick to task and topic • Strive for unanimity, if possible, but
• Listen attentively accept that some decisions will be
• Share the floor made by majority vote
Agenda
8:30 Breakfast available
9:00 Convene
• Welcome by the Chair
• Meeting overview by the facilitator
9:15 Board Process Issues
• Discussion to clarify the items identified during individual interviews with the
facilitator (see Part II of "Menu of Board Priorities").
• Selection of one or more of the items for resolution.
• Commitments from Board members and Manager to steps that would help
improve the Board's work processes.
10:15 Substantive Priorities for FY 2007-2008
• Review of Part I, "Menu.of Board Priorities for FY 2007-2008").
• Discussion to clarify items on the menu.
• Discussion of priorities.
12:00 Lunch Break
12:45 Continue with Substantive Priorities
• Discussion of priorities
• Straw poll exercise, if necessary, to select and rank-order goals
• Decision on priorities
2:15 How we'll identify resources, monitor progress, and achieve the Board's priorities
• Proposal by the Manager
• Discussion
• Decision
3:00 Clarification of the Process for Liaison Appointments
Discussion
3:15 Retreat Evaluation
3:30 Adjourn
MENU OF BOARD PRIORITIES FOR FY 2007-2008
1/16/07
This menu has two parts:
I. Substantive Issues
II. Board Process Issues
Note: The number in parenthesis next to an issue indicates how many Commissioners
proposed one or more of the goals listed under the issue to be a priority for FY 2007-2008.
1. Substantive Issues
Comprehensive Plan (4)
1. Continue the process for updating the County's comprehensive land use plan and related
elements.
Space/Facilities/Construction Project Improvements (4)
2. Adopt a County buildings/facilities long-range plan.
3. Identify and implement plans to remedy space needs.
4. Define a vision for the downtown Hillsborough and Homestead Road campuses,
including what services are to be provided at each site, how citizens are to be informed
about the services that will be available, and how citizens will be able to travel to and
between the campuses.
5. Figure out what we want to do with the Homestead Road campus so we can move on
with it and will have a context in which to address IFC's proposal to relocate the men's
shelter there.
6. Keep moving ahead on all of our capital projects: two senior centers, animal shelter,
justice facilities, County Campus, solid waste operations center, Durham Tech campus.
Taxes 4
7. Limit the increase in the tax rate to no more than is required to service the new debt.
8. No tax increase in the FY 07-08 budget.
9. Hold the line on taxes.
10. Develop a coherent set of strategies for economic development in Orange County that
will increase the commercial tax base, improve our revenue stream, and address 18
consecutive years of County tax increases.
Capital Budget (3)
11. Assess the desirability of establishing a timeline for the County's next general obligation
bond referenda, and (if appropriate) implement preliminary planning steps.
12. Define and implement a new capital funding policy this year so that a full and
comprehensive funding plan will be incorporated into next year's budget, including the
disposition of State lottery proceeds and planning for pay-as-you-go funding allocations
that will underwrite the County and schools' 2007-17 CIPs.
13. Clarify the capital budgeting process so that the Board, staff and public share an
understanding of what the key steps are and when those steps will take place, so that the
public can be involved meaningfully in Board decisions regarding capital planning.
Economic Development (3)
14. Bring infrastructure to the Economic Development Districts.
15. Complete the Hillsborough strategic plan
16. Complete the Efland-Mebane Work Group recommendations
17. Implementation of the next phase of the Efland-Buckhorn sewer utility expansion plan
and related objectives to be identified through the Efland-Mebane small area planning
process
18. Work with staff to publicize the Revolving Loan Fund, and to recruit the first applicants.
19. Assess whether the fund is sufficiently capitalized, and if it is not then address the
insufficiency.
20. Develop a coherent set of strategies for economic development in Orange County that
will increase the commercial tax base, improve our revenue stream, and address 18
consecutive years of County tax increases.
Loose Ends/Catching Up (3)
[Specific goals or issues identified as "needing completion " have been integrated into this
menu for consideration as priorities against each other and against any new initiatives].
21. Ask Manager to identify projects that have fallen behind, and to complete them.
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Parks 3
22. Move forward/Push ahead on the three parks:
• Fairview - approve an agreement with Hillsborough and advance through the master
planning process.
• Northern Park - Resolve septicibuilding issues; Make Northern Community Center
functional.
• Twin Creeks - Resolve land use issues with Carrboro, and ensure that the park opens
in a timely manner.
23. Provide recreation programs for youth ages 13-19 years.
24. Build soccer fields with the 2001 bonds.
County Government Efficiency (2)
25. Continue to develop strategies and promote more efficient County government operations
that will ultimately result in financial savings.
26. Streamline County government by aligning all 800 employees and 30 departments under
the Manager's leadership in a more unified way:
• Reconsider the current bifurcation of the Assistant Managers' portfolios
• Reorient staff attitudes about how County facilities are to be scheduled, managed, and
used, so that all departments will have reasonable access to all of our facilities.
• Use the new County office space in ways that will advance this unification goal.
Emergency Planning (2)
27. Complete the Fire and Rescue Study
28. Ensure that Orange County is prepared to handle all kinds of emergencies -- natural
disasters, public health emergencies such as pandemics, a Shearon Harris emergency --
including having a way for the County government to function during and after a very
serious disaster. '
Green Building (2)
29. Incorporate green building elements into the Planning Code, including preferential
treatment for developers who do what we want them to do.
30. Tailor a locally relevant program, after studying the Austin and Madison programs, by
which a development proposal is given "fast track" review in return for the developer
incorporating amenities or design elements (such as green building technologies) from a
County-generated menu.
Land Preservation (2)
31. Identify, investigate and coordinate the preservation of the County's most significant
natural areas.
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32. Establish boundaries around the Land Legacy program: what are our goals for acquiring
land, how much land are we to acquire, what factors should determine when and what
and how to make acquisitions (especially the role of forces from outside of the County,
such as State matching funds), what other methods can we use to protect land, and how to
balance our goals for land acquisition with other (especially social and economic) goals?
School Facilities (2)
33. Bring closure to the school capacity issue for SAFO.
34. Phase growth in order to achieve adequate school facilities.
35. Address concerns about older HVAC systems that are energy inefficient, require
expensive routine maintenance, and are leaking water onto walls. Set aside adequate
funds to replace older HVAC systems in both school districts. Start with the oldest
facilities and work toward the newest.
School Funding Equity (2)
36. Bring closure to school funding equity debate. Promote fairness, effectiveness, and
efficiency in the allocation to and use of resources by the two school systems.
37. Address school equity. At the very least, don't make it worse.
38. Evaluate alternative funding mechanisms such as real estate transfer tax.
Water Quality and Quantity (2)
39. Implement the Water Resources Initiative (adopted in principle by BOCC, May 3, 2005).
40. Develop a plan to identify and address the impacts of various land uses and waste
treatment options on the quantity and quality of the ground and surface water resources of
Orange County, so that these resources can be factored into long-term planning.
41. Develop a plan, for lower-income households not receiving water and sewer services, to
address water pollutants that are below official threshold levels but nevertheless are
problematic as ingredients of a household's water supply.
Affordable Housing (1)
42. Establish a land bank program for affordable housing, with the option of constituting the
BOCC as a Housing Authority that also might address displacements of mobile home
communities.
Aging (1)
43. Integrate and complete the ad hoc efforts we are making to help low-income senior
citizens pay their tax bills. .
Agriculture (1)
44. Move forward the Value-added Agriculture Center Study.
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45. Get off the ground with the Breeze Farm Sustainable Agriculture Center.
Air Quality(1)
46. Take proactive steps to improve and/or protect air quality within the county.
Energy (1)
47. Renovate older County buildings to make them more energy efficient.
48. Capture methane at the landfill for use as a local energy source, for example at a transfer
station or Carolina North.
49. Complete the energy audit (that's been incomplete for six years), and then move swiftly
into a plan for reducing greenhouse gases in Orange County.
Legal 1
50. Hire a staff attorney to supplement Mr. Gledhill
Libraries (1)
51. Resolve funding issues for the southwest branch library.
52. Implement the 2004 Library Task Force Report, particularly recommendations #1
("adopt a long range library facility plan that takes into consideration the needs of the
entire county and is based on 20 year population projections'') and #2 ("develop a
comprehensive 3-5 year strategic action plan that places priority on achieving a vision of
countywide equitable library services and resources for all citizens of Orange County").
Schools/County Collaboration (1)
53. Continue pursuing school district collaboration. Keep the structured, organized, ongoing
work group process that we have been using to ensure good quality dialogue across
liaisons from the three boards, as a supplement to the joint board meetings.
t
Solid Waste (1)
54. Make a decision before January 1, 2008 about a transfer station.
55. Review the current landfill bans, and add more as needed.
Sustainability (1)
56. Improve coordination of our many different sustainability efforts, including but not
limited to designating one person to be responsible for coordination.
Technology (1)
57. View Internet access as an infrastructure need (analogous to water, sewer, solid waste,
etc.). Every home, business and farm should have access to Internet via broadband or
some other effective technology.
58. Install wireless at County facilities in Hillsborough, and partner with the Town to foster
wireless coverage throughout the Hillsborough.
Transportation (1)
59. Continue to promote the provision of transit and other transportation options to the single
passenger vehicle.
60. Ensure access to County facilities through transit and other options to the single
passenger vehicle.
61. Promote a regional transportation planning process for Orange County.
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II. Board Process Issues
Help the Manager to Help Us (4)
1. Adopt a coherent and well-organized set of goals on which the Board will receive
quarterly status reports from the Manager.
2. Develop a shared expectation for how we are to give work assignments to the Manager
and get back reports after we make assignments.
3. Schedule BOCC work sessions during the day, to limit negative impacts of night
meetings upon the family lives of County staff and Board members.
Transparency (4)
4. Clarify the capital planning process so that everyone on the Board, our staff, and the
general public share an understanding of what the key steps are and when those steps will
take place.
5. Include complete information in the BOCC agenda packets and post it on the website in a
timely manner.
6. Improve our communications with the public by being aggressive in our outreach and
providing informing to the public deliberately, clearly, concisely, and in a timely manner,
especially information about what the Board is doing and what its decisions are, so that
the Board's business is transparent to the public.
7. Point audiovisual presentations to the public (not the Board), while we're looking at the
same material on handouts in our packets, if the public and we cannot see the
presentations simultaneously.
8. Develop shared expectations for how Board members will keep each other and the public
informed about what we are doing.
• Clarify the purpose of Board and Manager comment periods.
• Move the comment period to the end of the meeting.
• If the comment period is to be moved, then reconsider the 10:30 PM adjournment
rule, or consider beginning at 7:00 PM, instead of 7:30, so that we have sufficient
time for each of us to hear what the others are doing.
• Find an effective way for each of us to speak about our outside activities (written
reports is too much added work for us) and to hear what others are doing.
• What is our expectation about sharing relevant information equally (or not) with
each other?
9. Put public hearings earlier in our agenda so citizens do not have to wait.
10. Schedule BOCC work sessions during the day, to make work sessions more accessible to
older people who do not drive at night.
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Clear and Agreed Upon Roles (3)
11. Distinguish the Board's role in leadership/policy making from staffs role in
administration/operations.
12. What positive influences should a Board liaison have on a citizen advisory board's
processes and outcomes? What limits should we place on the liaison's influence? Does
the involvement of two Board liaisons chill or manipulate citizen participation?
13. Develop shared expectations for when a Commissioner may initiate or negotiate with
private parties or other officials without the knowledge of the full Board.
14. Under what circumstances may the Chair communicate to outside groups on behalf of the
Board, and when does s/he need the majority's support to do so?
Monitoring Pro egr ss (2)
15. Adopt a coherent and well-organized set of goals on which the Board will receive
quarterly status reports from the Manager.
16. Receive monthly reports from the Manager on all of our capital projects.
Effective advisory boards and commissions (2)
17. Orient citizen appointees better than we do now:
• Emphasize their advisory role relative to the Board of Commissioners.
• Familiarize citizen appointees with the County's budget process.
• Inform citizen boards and commission that if they want Board liaisons to attend their
meetings then they must coordinate their times and locations with their liaisons. They
should avoid scheduling meetings at the same time as meetings of the Board of
Commissioners, or in tandem but at opposite ends of the County from another
meeting that the liaison must attend.
18. Check to see how long we have left positions vacant on all of our citizen advisory boards
and commissions.
Operating Efficiently (2)
19. Ask the Manager (as our new and neutral professional) to recommend fresh and effective
ways to increase our efficiency, including:
• Ways to restructure and reorganize Board meetings
• An understandable and transparent process for making future Board/Commission
appointments that we can institutionalize so we don't have to invent a process every
time a liaison slot opens up
• A retreat process that works.
20. Find a more organized way to do citizen appointments than "as they come up." Consider
a predictable time of month (e.g., "first meeting of each month").
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Appointing Liaisons (2)
21. Ask the Manager (as our new and neutral professional) to recommend an understandable
and transparent process that we can institutionalize so we don't have to invent a process
every time a liaison slot opens up.
22. Make the appointment process more thoughtful by identifying different criteria for
appointments to different kinds of groups.
• Examples of criteria that might be valid under different situations: ex officio status,
seniority, reverse seniority, equal opportunity among Board members to learn about
different issues, providing opportunities for individual Board members to deepen
their understanding of issues, using existing expertise or previous experience,
satisfying an individual's personal interests, rewarding good performance (e.g.,
regular attendance, effective leadership).
• Examples of different kind of groups to which different criteria might apply: citizen
advisory boards and commissions, task forces subject to the open meetings law,
Board-staff work groups that are not subject to the open meetings law, and multi-
jurisdiction groups.
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