HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-08-2018 8-a - MinutesORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: March 8, 2018
SUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT: Board of County
Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes (Under Separate Cover)
Action Agenda
Item No. 8 -a
INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Baker, Clerk to the Board
(919) 245 -2130
PURPOSE: To correct and /or approve the minutes as submitted by the Clerk to the Board as
listed below.
BACKGROUND: In accordance with 153A -42 of the General Statutes, the Governing Board
has the legal duty to approve all minutes that are entered into the official journal of the Board's
proceedings.
February 6, 2018
February 15, 2018
February 20, 2018
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: NONE
BOCC Regular Meeting
BOCC Work Session
BOCC Regular Meeting
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
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Attachment 1
DRAFT MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
February 6, 2018
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 6,
2018 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building, in Hillsborough, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs,
Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, Renee Price and Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified
appropriately below)
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
The following items were noted at the Commissioners' places:
- PowerPoint for item 4 -b
- PowerPoint and script for item 5 -a: SUP public hearing
- PowerPoint for item 6 -b: NCHIP
- PowerPoint for item 6 -c
- PowerPoint for item 7 -a: 2045 MPO Plan
- Revised abstract for item 7 -b
- PowerPoint for item 7 -b: Broadband
- 11 -a- GoTriangle Applicants
PUBLIC CHARGE
Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the public charge.
Arts Moment- Pam Baqqett
Chair Dorosin read the introduction for Pam Baggett:
Pam Baggett's chapbook, Wild Horses, was a runner -up for the 2017 Cathy Smith Bowers
Chapbook Contest and will be published by Main Street Rag in 2018. Recent poems appear in
Atlanta Review, Cold Mountain Review, Crab Orchard Review, Greensboro Review, and Tar
River Poetry. Work also appears in anthologies, including Forgetting Home: Poems About
Alzheimers and The Southern Poetry Anthology Volume VII: North Carolina. Ms. Baggett is a
Pushcart Prize nominee, a recipient of the 2017 Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant, and
a 2017 recipient of an Artist Project Grant from the Orange County Arts Commission. She co-
hosts the Second Thursday Reading series at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, and teaches free
poetry workshops at the Orange County Main Library in Hillsborough.
Pam Baggett read two short poems.
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2. Public Comments
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
Billie Holloway said he lives on Highway 70, adjacent to the proposed site for a
County detention center and agricultural building. He said his property has a jut out, and
the proposed buildings would go all the way around his property. He suggested making
his property line straight, and installing a buffer, as opposed to going around the jut out of
his property. He said he would be happy to talk with staff about how to make this
happen.
Chair Dorosin said staff would be in touch with Mr. Holloway.
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
(These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda
below.)
3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members
Commissioner Price said she attended the "Connecting to Opportunities" summit in
Durham today. She said she appreciated comments from the new Durham Mayor, but there
was little mention of Orange County in the presentations. She said there was discussion about
zoning changes to make it easier for developers to build affordable housing. She said on a
recent National Association of Counties (NACo) telephone call, she learned of a town in El Paso
County, Colorado, which has passed an ordinance for tiny homes.
Commissioner Price said there is another kick off for Black History Month, and the
Burwell School is celebrating the bicentennial of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley with a program on
Sunday.
Commissioner Price said they have started doing stories on the radio about the
Veterans Memorial, to help with both public education and fundraising.
Commissioner Marcoplos said he would like the Board of County Commissioners
(BOCC) to consider a third filter on its abstracts, which look at environmental impact in addition
to the existing financial and social justice impact filters. He asked if this could be discussed at a
future work session.
Commissioner Burroughs had no comments.
Commissioner Rich congratulated all the groups that are doing Frederick Douglas
celebrations.
Commissioner McKee had no comments.
Commissioner Jacobs spoke in support of Commissioner Marcoplos' petition.
Commissioner Jacobs said he and Laurie Paolicelli, Visitors' Bureau (VB) Director,
spoke at NC A &T State today. Laurie Paolicelli spoke on culinary tourism, noting that Orange
County is in a good position to promote and partake. He said in 1999, Orange County had
$20,000 in direct sales from farm to consumers, which rose to $1.4 million in 2001. He said it
was an encouraging experience, as Orange County is seen as a leader in this form of economic
development.
Commissioner Jacobs petitioned the officers of the board to respond to the unfortunate
letter from the Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools ( CHCCS) about the Millhouse Road property.
He said he felt CHCCS overstepped its place in telling the BOCC how to do it business.
Chair Dorosin said a response is being drafted.
Commissioner Jacobs proposed that the BOCC withdraw the item about the Economic
Development District (EDD) expansion on Davis Road, and he said he had talked to Craig
Benedict about this. He said residents in this area are beleaguered, and this topic is not a high
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priority. He said if this item comes back, it would be wise to have an information session prior
to taking any action.
Chair Dorosin said in an effort to be more collaborative about meetings he has
attended, he will be sending out an email with updates. He said the schools facilities work
group, which is meeting around the issue of school construction bids, met last week. He said
there are some interesting new questions to consider regarding timing, when the bonds get
drawn down, and how construction is paid for. He said he will share his notes with the BOCC.
He said bids for Chapel Hill High School are expected at the end of March.
Chair Dorosin said the Food Council met last night, and it plans to follow up, from the
Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting, with smaller groups of elected officials. He said
there are some new ideas from the food economy work group about possible new ways that the
BOCC can be supportive.
Chair Dorosin said there are two housekeeping items:
Chair Dorosin asked if a Commissioner would volunteer for the North /South Bus Rapid
Transit (N /S BRT) Policy committee.
Commissioner Jacobs suggested adding this need to the list of boards that the Board
of County Commissioners will choose on February 15th
The BOCC agreed by consensus.
Chair Dorosin said there is a lavender sheet at the Commissioners' places with a list of
all the applicants for Go Triangle Community Advisory Committee. He asked if all BOCC
members would pick four people, and rank them as follows: 1st choice = 4 points, 2nd choice =
3 points, 3rd choice = 2 points, and 4th choice 1 point. He said staff will tally the points, and the
top four point getters will be put forth during the appointments portion of the meeting later this
evening.
Commissioner Rich said Orange County has 7 appointed individuals: 4 nominated by
the BOCC, and 3 that GoTriangle picks. She said to put forth the top 4 vote getters as the
BOCC recommendation, but also provide GoTriangle with the names of the next three vote
getters, as well.
4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
a. Resolution Acknowledaina February 27. 2018 as Spav Neuter Dav in Oranae
County
The Board considered voting to officially resolve that February 27, 2018 is "Spay Neuter
Day" in Orange County, authorize the Chair to sign the resolution and briefly review two new
initiatives in the County's Community Spay and Neuter Program.
Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director, and Maureane Hoffman, Animal Services
Advisory Board (ASAB) Chair, reviewed the background information and following PowerPoint
Presentation.
Animal Services Spay Neuter Program
Making sense and savings cents in Orange County
Animal Services
February 2018
Targeted Spay and Neuter: The Theory (chart)
Animal Services Spay Neuter: What it is and how it works (chart)
New Developments
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Growing spay and neuter in the County: thanks to a grant of $16,500 from the Margo T.
Petrie Foundation, we have been able to make free spay and neuter services available
to more County residents than ever before. They are now available to residents with a
household income of up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty level rather than only 200
percent, as well as residents who receive public assistance.
Working (Barn) Cat program: With a $5,000 grant from the Trad Foundation made via
friends of Orange County Animal Services, we launched the Working (Barn) Cat
program as part of a broader effort to more humanely manage free - roaming cats. This
program helps County residents have working cats spayed or neutered, vaccinated,
licensed, and micro - chipped at no charge.
Don't delay? Spay or Neuter Today!
Working Barn Cat Program
Animals Admitted 2005 -2017 (graph)
Animal Outcomes 2005 -2017 (graph)
Targeted Spays and Neuters 2008 -2016 (graph)
Total Cats Sterilized 2015 -2017 in OCAS Spay /Neuter Program (graph)
Opportunities and Challenges
• Increasing the number of sterilized dogs and cats to 500+ via enhanced communication
and new initiatives
• Outreach to virtually all sectors of the community about the availability of free spay and
neuter services
• Growing the Working (Barn) Cat Program and expanding the program to include other
cats that are loosely affiliated with residents.
• Encouraging community involvement and support in managing free roaming cats in new
ways using spay and neuter services.
• Sustaining financial support from multiple sources to ensure that Community Spay and
Neuter is an ongoing and growing part of Animal Services.
Commissioner McKee read the resolution:
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
SPAY NEUTER DAY RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, cats and dogs provide companionship to and share the homes of thousands of
individuals in Orange County; and
WHEREAS, the problem of pet overpopulation costs the taxpayers of Orange County hundreds
of thousands of dollars annually through animal control and sheltering programs aimed at
coping with unwanted and homeless cats and dogs; and
WHEREAS, humane societies and shelters throughout the country have to euthanize
approximately four million cats and dogs each year, although many of them are healthy and
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adoptable, due to the lack of critical resources such as money, space, and good adoptive
homes; and
WHEREAS, the Animal Services Advisory Board and the Animal Services Department have
made correcting pet overpopulation a priority, and prepared Managing Pet Overpopulation: A
Strategic Plan for Orange County and Managing Free - Roaming Cats in Orange County
North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, spaying and neutering cats and dogs, among other animal companions, has been
shown to drastically reduce overpopulation; and
WHEREAS, Animal Services has partnered with community partners including AnimalKind, the
Department of Social Services and Spay Neuter Assistant Program -North Carolina to offer "low
cost" and "no cost" spay and neuter to households who are economically disadvantaged or who
receive public assistance; and
WHEREAS, veterinarians, animal care and control organizations, national and local animal
welfare organizations, and private citizens have joined together again this year to advocate and
support the spaying and neutering of companion animals on "Spay Day USA 2018 ";
Now, therefore be it RESOLVED by Orange County that February 27, 2018 is declared "Spay
Neuter Day ", and the Board of County Commissioners calls upon the people of the County to
observe the day by having their own cats or dogs spayed or neutered or by sponsoring the
spaying or neutering of another person's cat or dog.
THIS THE 6th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2018.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
adopt the proposed resolution and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
b. Body -worn Cameras for the Orange County Sheriff's Office
The Board received a presentation from a representative of Wireless, NC regarding a
digital evidence management proposal for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Blackwood and vendors from Motorola presented this item:
BACKGROUND:
At the October 6, 2016 Board of Orange County Commissioners meeting, Orange County
Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood and the Board discussed the possibility of equipping Sheriff's
Deputies with body -worn cameras (BWC). Subsequent to the meeting, various vendors of BWC
met with Sheriff's Office staff about their offerings. The Sheriff's Office identified four BWC
models of interest and placed them into limited use by Deputies. Through this pilot testing, the
Deputies determined that products offered by Motorola Solutions are best suited for use by the
Sheriff's Office. Amanda Barringer with Wireless, NC will make a presentation to the Board on
Motorola's Digital Evidence Management Solutions (DEMS), which includes the SI -500 Body
Camera and Command Central Vault.
Sheriff Blackwood said Amanda Barringer is very ill, and unable to attend, but she laid
the foundation for this presentation. He said he is very pleased with the options available to the
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County. He said technology moves so quickly that the solution being presented this evening
was not available when this discussion started. He said the cost is expected to be $200,000
less than budgeted. He said initially this was a partial implementation, but now a full
implementation and back up is expected to be more financially attainable, which is very
pleasing. He said a test of the solution was conducted, and input was gathered from various
stakeholders. He said many previous concerns have been satisfied. He showed a video of law
BOCC of law enforcement describing its experience with the equipment.
Sheriff Blackwood said the vetting process was well worthwhile, and the residents stand
to benefit the most from this equipment.
Scott Hurt, Mobile Communications America, introduced his team: Mike Costa, Solution
Expert Specialist, and Joe Freedman, Solution Architect.
Mike Costa thanked the BOCC for its time, and highlighted the unique features and
capabilities of the product. He reviewed the following PowerPoint presentation:
Orange County Sheriff's Office
Si500
Command Central Value
• Situational Awareness
Analytics and Investigation
Records and Content Management
Si500 Video Speaker Microphone
SSI 500 and Command Central Vault- products being shown to the Board of Commissioners
Si500 Multiple Devices
Si500: 3 in one device consolidating officer hardware
• Body worn camera
• Advanced noise cancelling microphone
• Smart hand held device
Motorola Rugged Purpose Built
User interface and Work Flow
Wearability Options
Sample District or Precinct Deployment
Command Central Vault
Operations Simplified
Simplified Management:
• Advanced end -to -end content management
Content Storage
Predictable costs (OPEX)
Cloud offering — no complex IT
Simplified Workflows:
Integration with Si500 VSM
Metadata extraction
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Advanced retrieval, review and management
Automated redaction
• Streamlined evidence sharing
Commissioner Rich asked if there is a plan in place to deal with the Wi -Fi -dead spots in
the County.
Vendor said the device is flexible to use any Wi -Fi, and can store up to 128 networks.
Commissioner Rich asked if it is constantly uploaded.
Vendor said no. He said the deputy can select to upload at the end of a shift, or it
happens automatically when the device is in the dock.
Commissioner McKee said his question was answered above.
Commissioner Jacobs congratulated Sheriff Blackwood for getting to this point.
Commissioner Jacobs said when the BOCC previously talked about this, there was
discussion regarding the public record component, and there were some different opinions as
to how to proceed. He asked if there was an update on this topic.
Sheriff Blackwood said he will be handing out his Department's adopted policy, which
reflects the State law. He said there are different ways the content can be released, and the
most important thing to remember is that anyone who feels they were mistreated will not be
given the video, but are able to view it.
Commissioner Price asked if this equipment will substitute for the regular radios.
Sheriff Blackwood said it is in addition to the regular radios. He said instead of the
officer having a body mic and a camera, he /she will have one device that does both functions.
He said he really cares about the way the officers look, and this equipment allows function
without a lot of extra stuff being added to the uniform.
Commissioner Price asked if an officer is in a rural area with no Wi -Fi, will there still be a
regular radio frequency, by which to communicate.
Sheriff Blackwood said the radio frequency and the downloading of information are two
separate things. He said the radio works off the radio, and the camera downloading happens at
access points at certain times.
Vendor said the radio will be able to work on the radio system, regardless of Wi -Fi.
Commissioner Price asked if maintenance of records have been considered.
Sheriff Blackwood said all of this is addressed in their policy. He said his IT team has
met with Motorola, as well as County IT, to work out all questions. He said maintenance will
cost about $300,000.
Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the hypothetical situation of a child who reports
police mistreatment to his /her parent, and the parents look at the video and are disturbed. He
asked if there is a process from that point forward.
Sheriff Blackwood said these steps are covered in the state statute, but HB 972 is not
perfect. He said this statute is always being talked about, with possible tweaking of the statute
moving forward.
Chair Dorosin said he would like to know when the cameras will be turned on or off, and
how this decision is made. He clarified that the $300,000 is the cost of the equipment, and
asked if there is a cost estimate for the data storage.
Vendor said the $300,000 includes both the device and the back end storage for 5
years.
Chair Dorosin asked if the policy will address how long information be kept, and how
and when things are deleted.
Sheriff Blackwood said the policy will address this, and it is open for discussion.
Chair Dorosin said it is a complicated situation.
N.
I Sheriff Blackwood said sometimes it takes months for concerns to come to light, and the
2 policy addresses this.
3 Chair Dorosin asked if the BOCC would review the policy, and if there are questions or
4 concerns, Sheriff Blackwood can come back for further discussion. He said this is an expected
5 budget request for FY2018 -19.
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7 c. FY2018 -19 Orange County Schools Continuation Budget
8 The Board received an update on the current continuation budget projections for the
9 FY2018 -19 Orange County Schools (OCS) budget.
10 Chair Dorosin reviewed the background information below:
11 BACKGROUND:
12 During the last collaboration meeting of the three Boards, Orange County Schools requested
13 the opportunity to appear before the Board of County Commissioners prior to the official start of
14 the budget process. The request is an effort to be transparent with information early in the
15 process so that the Board of County Commissioners is aware of the current reality in Orange
16 County Schools. Orange County Schools faces a budget shortfall due to declining enrollment,
17 state mandated salary increases, and state mandated changes to class size ratios at
18 kindergarten through third grade.
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20 Dr. Todd Wirt, OCS Superintendent, said he is glad to be able to give the Board an early
21 overview of where OCS is now. He said there is a handout in the abstract and he walked the
22 BOCC through this sheet. He reviewed the per pupil amounts, and fund balance appropriations
23 that his Board has made.
24 Dr. Todd Wirt said it is possible that Department of Public Instruction (DPI) projections
25 for enrollment may be received by the end of the week. He said charter school enrollments
26 have increased, and OCS is working hard to counter this change.
27 Dr. Todd Wirt referred to the bottom 1/3 of the page:
28
HB 13 Class Size
$870,000 (12 teachers)
Mandate
State Mandated
$1,200,000
Increases
Loss of State -
Teacher Funding 725,000 (10
positions)
Total Continuation 33,280,226$
36,075,226
Budget
Estimated Local
(3,401,396)
Revenue Shortfall
Charter School Funding -
(602,641)
Gap
Total Estimated Funding Gap (2,798,755)
29 Dr. Todd Wirt said there is a $3.4 million shortfall, which does not include keeping pace
30 with $15 /hour living wage, which would add an additional $350,000. He said OCS has frozen
31 many positions throughout the year as cost cutting measures, which resulted in a savings of
32 about $350,000 for this year. He said some of these positions will have to be filled moving
33 forward.
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Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS felt it was important to bring this information forward as the
County approaches its budget season.
Commissioner McKee asked if there could be greater clarification regarding the charter
school funding gap.
Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS is funded based on the previous year's enrollment of 617
charter school students, when there are actually 768 students enrolled in charter schools this
year. He said there is a gap between the funding that OCS must find.
Dr. Todd Wirt said there could be a gap again, and maybe it will be better to fund
charter students on a conservative projection, as the number of charter students continues to
increase.
Commissioner McKee said he would have assumed it would have increased the deficit
rather than decrease it.
Dr. Todd Wirt said what is being taken out is what that gap feeds in.
Commissioner Price asked if OCS could indicate in its budget the positions that will not
earn the living wage of $15.00.
Dr. Todd Wirt said he expects this would be included that in their budget presentation.
Commissioner Jacobs said the new federal tax law also pays for private school for
students, and asked if OCS is tracking all of these changes that are draining off the funds for
the public schools.
Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS does track that data, and can present it to the Board of County
Commissioners.
Commissioner Rich asked if all of the charter school students attend charter schools in
Orange County.
Dr. Wirt said the vast majority goes to charter schools in Orange County.
Commissioner Rich asked if the same amount of money is sent to charter schools
outside of Orange County.
Rhonda Rath, OCS Chief Financial Officer, said yes. She said about 25% of OCS
students attend charter schools outside of Orange County.
Dr. Todd Wirt said a charter school in another county receives more funding for an OCS
student, than it does for students from its own county.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the economic effects of homeschooling are known.
Dr. Todd Wirt said the main economic effect is that OCS does not receive state or local
funding for students who are homeschooled.
Commissioner Marcoplos said families that homeschool their children, still pay taxes,
and thus this should have a positive economic effect.
Dr. Todd Wirt said the schools benefit from local taxes being paid by homeschooling
families, but the state does not provide any funding for these students.
Commissioner Marcoplos said taxes are generated to pay for other kids.
Dr. Todd Wirt said that is true for any tax paying resident without children in the school
system.
Chair Dorosin said thanked Dr. Todd Wirt and OCS for their foresight.
Chair Dorosin referred to the numbers at the top of chart, and said the OCS enrollment
is declining, but the overall amount of school -aged children is increasing, but more children are
going to charter schools.
Dr. Todd Wirt said that is correct.
Chair Dorosin said he heard a rumor that the General Assembly will bring in the special
session, and potentially offer a resolution for the class size issue.
Dr. Todd Wirt said there are varying reports out of Raleigh. He said there are various
strategies being proposed: delay the mandated class size; provide additional funding stream to
pay for specials (art, music, PE); etc.
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Commissioner Jacobs asked if it will be necessary to consider how SAPFO works in this
new environment. He said many projected students are not attending traditional public
schools, and he asked if there is a way to address this issue of class size and predict the
necessary number of classes, all the while not knowing if students will actually enroll. He said it
is unclear to know whether or not to build classrooms.
Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS is analyzing the building capacity of the two largest charter
schools have, and how much capacity those schools have left. He said OCS has a working
relationship with the Charter Schools.
Commissioner Jacobs said maybe staff from the County, OCS, and CHCCS need to
meet and have a reality check, as the federal tax changes will likely kick in next year. He said if
people are encouraged to go to private or charter schools, it is difficult to know how to project
numbers for the public schools.
Commissioner McKee said he is glad to hear that there is communication with the
charter schools.
5. Public Hearings
5. Public Hearings
a. Class A Special Use Permit — Solar Array off US Highway 70 in Cheeks Township
The Board held a public hearing, review, and make a determination on a Class A
Special Use Permit (hereafter `SUP') application proposing the development of a solar array in
accordance with Section 2.7 Special Use Permits and Section 5.9.6 (C) Solar Array - Public
Utility of the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).
SCRIPT FOR ACTING ON CLASS A SPECIAL USE PERMIT SOLAR APPLICATION —
FEBRUARY 6, 2018 PUBLIC HEARING:
Chair Dorosin informed all present the next item on the agenda was 5(A) a quasi judicial
public hearing to review a Class A Special Use Permit application seeking to develop a
solar array /public utility station on a 52 acre parcel of property further identified utilizing PIN
9835 -02 -9137, which is accessed via an easement from 6519 U.S. Highway 70 West within
the Cheeks Township.
The purpose of this hearing will be to gather evidence to determine whether the ordinance's
standards have been met. The Board must base its decision with respect to the approval or
denial on the application solely on the competent, material and substantive evidence
presented during the hearing. The Board must exclude from consideration both their
personal and the public's opinions with respect to the disposition of this request.
Chair Dorosin declared the public hearing open and asked all parties intending to offer
testimony and /or evidence to come forward and be sworn by the Clerk.
The Deputy Clerk administered the oath indicating that the testimony the individual is
about to give is the truth, the whole, truth, and noting but the truth to their knowledge.
Any individual offering testimony (i.e. staff, the applicant, members of the public,
Planning Board, etc.) has to be sworn.
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1 Three individuals were sworn in: Applicant Brian Quinlan, Michael Harvey,
2 Supervisor /Planner III Orange County Planning, and Patrick Mallett, Planner II Orange
3 County Planning
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5 Chair Dorosin asked staff to review the abstract.
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7 Patrick Mallett: Good evening, Commissioners. Pat Mallett with Current Planning. I've been
8 duly sworn. Before I go through the presentation, I am going to walk you
9 through the large stack of what you're dealing with. With a special use permit,
10 you tend to have a lot of paperwork. You should have at each of your places: a
11 hard copy of the PowerPoint presentation; a larger stack that is the abstract on
12 the front end, and all the ten attachments; 11 x17 version of the site plan; and
13 then the script that follows through the process for a special use permit. I'd like
14 to enter all of those items into the record including the abstract in your packets
15 with all referenced attachments.
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17 Through consensus the Board entered all items associated with the application into the record
18 as requested by staff.
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20 Patrick Mallett made the following PowerPoint presentation:
21
22 PUBLIC HEARING —
23 AGENDA ITEM: 5.a
24 CLASS A SPECIAL USE PERMIT
25 DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLAR ARRAY - PUBLIC UTILITY
26 Orange County Board of Commissioners
27 February 6, 2018
28
29 PROPERTY INFORMATION
30 • PIN(s): 9835 -02 -9137 (site); and 9835 -10 -3858 (access)
31 • Size: Approximately 52 acres (leased area +/ -27 acres)
32 • Zoning: R -1 (Rural Residential)
33 Overlay(s): Back Creek Protected Watershed/ Efland- Cheeks Highway 70 Overlay
34 District
35 Future Land Use Map Designation: 10 -Year Transition Area
36 Growth Management System Designation: Urban Designated
37
38 REQUEST:
39 Erection of panels on 27 acres of 52 acre parcel;
40 Typical array between 7 -9 ft. in height, between 2 -3 ft. of ground clearance; and 50 -75
41 ft. in length;
42 Arrays screened by existing vegetation (stream and floodplain buffers) and Type D Land
43 Use Buffer;
44 An 8' high chain link security fence around perimeter;
45 Gravel paths /drives around solar arrays to permit access;
46 Depending on the soil and topography, areas around the panels will be combination of
47 natural groundcover, grass, and /or paths;
12
2 REQUEST:
3 Vehicular access restricted by an entry gate and gravel drive and 30 -50 foot wide
4 easement (via PIN 9835 -10 -3858) to an existing driveway onto US Highway70.
5 • STAFF COMMENT - This request seeks to re- approve a Class A SUP originally
6 approved by the BOCC on September 12, 2016;
7 • Approval expired in September of 2017;
8 This request is the same as previously approved with one exception. The
9 language and condition of approval requiring a recorded Conservation Easement
10 has been changed to read preservation of Natural Buffer Area.
11
12 SURVEY OF PROPERTY
13
14 SITE PLAN:
15 the black rows at are the solar panels; and chain link fence; applicant is providing a 100 ft set
16 back; a lot of existing trees; average height is 40 -60 ft tall
17
18 REVIEW PROCESS:
19 STEP ONE — NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING (NIM):
20 STAFF COMMENT: The required NIM was held on November 13, 2017 from 6:30 -7:30
21 p.m. in accordance with the UDO. They had two residents that attended.
22 STEP TWO — PLANNING BOARD REVIEW: Review the request and make a recommendation
23 to the BOCC on the project's compliance with specific development standards (Section 5.9.6)
24 and the general standards (Section 5.3.2 Special Uses) of the UDO.
25 STAFF COMMENT: Item reviewed at the January 10, 2017 meeting. Planning Board
26 unanimously recommended approval.
27 STEP THREE — PUBLIC HEARING: The BOCC holds a public hearing to allow the applicant
28 and other interested parties to provide sworn testimony related to the proposal.
29 STAFF COMMENT: The required public hearing will be held at the February 6, 2018
30 BOCC Meeting.
31 STEP FOUR — DECISION: The BOCC will review the Planning Board and Staff
32 recommendations as well as any other evidence presented at the hearing, deliberate, certify the
33 record, close the public hearing, and then render a final decision.
34
35 RECOMMENDATION
36 The Administration recommends the Board:
37 1. Receive the application;
38 2. Conduct the Public Hearing and receive sworn testimony and evidence as well as the
39 Planning Board and staff recommendation(s) on the application;
40 3. Close the public hearing;
41 4. Review and make a decision on the Findings of Fact and Conditions of Approval as
42 contained in Attachment 9.
43 ** Once the public hearing is closed there can be no further questions asked /answered
44 by the staff, the applicant, or other party and no additional evidence can be placed into
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the record. If additional information is needed, the BOCC should continue the public
hearing to a date /time certain in order to hear the information in a quasi - judicial setting.
Patrick Mallett: I'll briefly walk you through the packet. This is everything that's required for a
special use permit, per our ordinance. On page 1 -4, you've got the abstract,
with all the overview information. On page 5 -138, is their actual application.
That's rather lengthy, but there are a lot of pieces that have to be submitted by
the Applicant to support the findings of fact. Page 140 is the site assessment,
that's Attachment 3. Attachment 4, page 141 -150 are the findings of fact.
Those are the staff recommendations — all the applicable findings of fact are in
the affirmative, both from the staff perspective and the Planning Board. Then
we have Attachment number 6; the neighborhood information materials,
documenting that neighborhood meeting. Attachment 7- page 215 - public
hearing mailing certifications, which are required. Attachment number 8 is the
expert of the Planning Board minutes. Attachment number 9 is the Board of
Commissioners findings of fact. And Attachment number 10, on page 227, is
the legal advertisement.
I would draw your attention, obviously, to Attachment number 9, which is the item
that, once the hearing is closed, you will go through each of those findings, and
make your determinations. With that I'm free to answer any questions you may
have.
Questions from Board of County Commissioners
Commissioner Price: In the hand out, you mention the chain link security fence, and then on
this map, it says it has barbed wire (on top). So which is...
Patrick Mallett: It would be chain link with barbed wire on the top around the whole thing
(peremiter of the solar facility).
Chair Dorosin: I just have one: Attachment 9 that says "BOCC Findings of Fact," that's from
the last time, that's from the February one when we heard this the first time. Is
that right?
Patrick Mallett: That's an updated version of that. You had findings of fact that you originally
considered when you originally approved this permit request.
Chair Dorosin: These are the blank ones that we have to find tonight.
Patrick Mallett: That's right. That's where you go through and reapprove each one of those
findings of fact. And I would note that at the end of that is the conditions of
approval. You would include those as part of your decision, and all of those —
conditions 2 -11 — are the same as they were in September 2016. The one
exception is the conservation easement language that was changed to replace
it with the word natural buffer.
Chair Dorosin: And that's number one of those 11.
Patrick Mallett: Yes.
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Chair Dorosin: Great.
Chair Dorosin asked the applicant to make their presentation on the application.
Brian Quinlan: Brian Quinlan, and I have been duly sworn in. We have got a packet of
information; a lot of it is similar to what you've already got from the County.
There is a presentation in the back that I can go through. I didn't want to take
too much time, since everyone has seen it, but it really just goes through three
findings of fact: the project maintains /enhances public safety; the projects
maintains /enhances adjoining property values; and the project is in harmony
with the area, and in compliance with the County plan. It provides significant
detail around why we feel that this is the case, and the County and the Planning
Board have been in concurrence with that. If you want me to go through it I
can. It's really up to you guys.
Chair Dorosin: What is the will of the Board? Do we want to hear the presentation, or just see
if we have any questions? I just want to know that we are saying that this is
being submitted to be put in to the record, as part of the record of the hearing.
The Oakwood Solar Farm binder will be part of the record. Are there any
specific questions for the Applicant?
There were no questions.
Brian Quinlan submitted the Oakwood Solar Farm LLS SUP Binder Table of Contents
into the record.
Through consensus the Board entered Mr. Quinlan's document into the record as requested.
Chair Dorosin asked if there are any other individuals intending to provide testimony and
evidence on the project.
There were none
Chair Dorosin asked staff to review the recommending findings for the project (Attachment 4
beginning on page 141 of Item 5 -A of the February 6, 2018 BOCC meeting packet).
Patrick Mallett: I think what I will do is go through these in groupings. Basically the findings of
fact are grouped into basic categories. You have your basic findings of fact,
which start on Attachment 9, on page 220. The items in the green document
are that they have met the requirements of our ordinance, state law, etc. And
then the items in orange are the legal advertisements required by our ordinance
and state law. That's on page 221. The specific standards, which are required
for this type of issuance of the SUP: waste disposal safety, vehicular access,
on page 222. Then you have your standards of evaluation, which run through
page 223. 1 believe that you can have a consideration and a motion to affirm
those findings. And then on the last page, those are the ones with each special
use permit, our recommendation that you will or will not approve or deny each
one of those, and make those three separate recommendations.
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Chair Dorosin: Great. We will note for the record that in the column that says "Planning Board/
staff recommendations" on all of these it's a yes, that they've been met.
Patrick Mallett: It is, yes. And that's attachment number 4.
Chair Dorosin asked if the Planning Board Vice -chair (Tony Blake) or other members of the
Planning Board if the audience wanted to offer additional comment.
They did not
Chair Dorosin asked if there were any other questions for staff, the applicant, or other
individual(s) who have offered testimony /evidence.
There were none.
John Roberts: If we could just get an affirmative statement from the Applicant that the
Applicant has been presented with, and understands the conditions that are being
recommended here.
Brian Quinlan: We've seen the conditions attached to the permit, and we acknowledge them.
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to close the
public hearing.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Chair Dorosin indicated the BOCC will first need to take action on the Special Use Permit
findings of fact. The findings of fact have been organized per relevant UDO sections to aid in
making motions to approve or deny. The cadence on taking action should be as follows
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner Price to affirm
the recommendation of the Planning Board and Staff concerning the application's compliance
with the provisions of Section(s) 2.2 and 2.7.3 of the Orange County Unified Development
Ordinance as detailed within Attachment 9 (page 220) of the abstract package. Second. Vote.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to affirm
the recommendation of the Planning Board and Staff concerning the application's compliance
with the provisions of Section 2.7.5 of the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance as
detailed within Attachment 9 (page 221) of the abstract package
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
16
1 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Rich to affirm the
2 recommendation of the Planning Board and Staff concerning the application's compliance with
3 the provisions of Section 5.3.2 (B) of the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance as
4 detailed within Attachment 9 (page 222) of the abstract package. Second. Vote.
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VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to affirm the
recommendation of the Planning Board and Staff concerning the application's compliance with
the provisions of 5.9.6 (C) of the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance as detailed
within Attachment 9 (page 223) of the abstract package.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich seconded by Commissioner Price that the applicant
is in compliance with Section 5.3.2 (A) (2) inclusive (Sections 5.3.2 (A) (2) (a), (b), and (c)) of
the Ordinance as detailed in Attachment 9 (page 224) and this is supported by the
uncontroverted evidence presented in the public hearing.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Chair Dorosin indicated there needed to be a motion to either approve or deny the Special Use
Permit
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to approve
the Special Use Permit.
John Roberts: You need to add to the motion to include language indicating the BOCC
imposes the recommended conditions as detailed within Attachment 4 of the
abstract package (pages 225 -226).
Commissioner Price and Commissioner Burroughs agreed to this amended language.
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to approve
the Special Use Permit and the Board of County Commissioners imposes recommended
conditions as detailed within Attachment 4 of the abstract package (pages 225 -226).
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
6. Regular Agenda
a. Approval of Transfer of Rental Property from CASA to the Town of Chapel Hill for
Continued Affordable Housing Use
17
1 The Board considered approving CASA's transfer of four (4) scattered site condos in
2 Chapel Hill to the Town of Chapel Hill for continued affordable housing use. The request is
3 being made based on CASA's current Agreement with the County and its requirement for
4 having the Board of County Commissioners' (BOCC) approval when transfers to entities other
5 than a non - profit occur.
6 Sherrill Hampton reviewed the background information below:
7
8 BACKGROUND:
9 In 2009, CASA assumed ownership of 20 units of scattered -site housing in Orange County
10 when a local non - profit dissolved. CASA collaborated with Orange County to ensure that the
11 units remained in use as affordable housing. CASA undertook extensive interior rehab work on
12 all the units. At the present time, CASA feels that individual condos are not a sustainable model
13 for affordable rentals. In the condo model, the owner does not control the costs of the HOA
14 dues and special assessments or the schedule of preventive maintenance and capital
15 replacements.
16
17 The current status of the 20 -unit portfolio is as follows:
18 • 1 unit, a single - family home in Hillsborough at 2308 Redbird Lane, was sold to
19 EmPowerment in 2017. As the transfer was to another non - profit, per CASA's current
20 Agreement with Orange County, the Board of County Commissioners did not need to
21 approve the transaction.
22 • 1additional scattered site condo was also transferred to EmPowerment in 2016.
23 • 3 scattered site condos in Carrboro are proposed to be sold in 2018.
24 • 4 additional scattered site condos in Chapel Hill are to be sold in 2018. EmPowerment is
25 considering the acquisition of these units.
26 • 4 scattered site condos in Chapel Hill are proposed for transfer to the Town of Chapel
27 Hill and are the subject of this Abstract.
28 • 7 units will continue to be held by CASA, including:
29 o 2 duplexes in Chapel Hill (4 units)
30 o 2 homes on one lot in Carrboro (3 units)
31
32 All properties that are being considered for disposition are small, aging and /or scattered site
33 and are not consistent with CASA's current business model. The proposed disposition allows
34 CASA to capture the value in the properties and reinvest in other rental properties that are more
35 cost - efficient to manage. The disposition also allows for other entities with the correct business
36 model and capacity to take ownership and maintain the units as affordable housing.
37
38 The proposed disposition of the four (4) scattered site condos to the Town of Chapel Hill is only
39 a transfer in ownership - no sale proceeds will be generated. If the proposed transfer is
40 approved, restrictions regarding "affordability" under the current Agreement will be assumed by
41 the new owner. The units are occupied and the Town intends to keep all current tenants in
42 place. However, when vacancies occur, the Town will utilize the units as transitional housing for
43 families preparing to move out of Public Housing as their economic situation improves. The
44 maximum allowable income for an individual or family occupying the units would be 50% of the
45 area median income (AMI). The Town of Chapel Hill will manage the units, perform annual
46 tenant certifications and conduct routine maintenance.
47
48 The Town had the units inspected by a licensed home inspection company. All units are in need
49 of some level of rehabilitation, ranging from light /moderate to substantial. The Chapel Hill Town
50 Council has adopted a resolution accepting the transfer of the four (4) units, and authorizing up
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to $65,000 to be used toward renovation costs and the satisfaction of a private mortgage on the
units, if the BOCC approves the transfer.
Commissioner Price asked if there was any other rationale for the second part of the
recommendation.
Sherrill Hampton said this was before her time, and she said expediting these processes
can assist these non - profits in pursuing properties.
Commissioner Price asked Commissioner Jacobs if he remembered.
Commissioner Jacobs said he assumed that it was just a tracking process.
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price for the
Board to approve CASA's request to transfer the four (4) scattered site condos to the Town of
Chapel Hill. The Manager also recommends that the Board allow CASA to make future
transfers of any remaining units to Orange County local jurisdictions without subsequent Board
review and approval. Furthermore, the transfer of ownership must allow for continued affordable
housing use or meet another identified community need.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
b. Resolution Authorizing the Participation in the North Carolina Health Insurance
Pool (NCHIP)
The Board considered approving the Manager's recommendation to join the North
Carolina Health Insurance Pool (NCHIP) effective July 1, 2018. NCHIP is a new health risk pool
coordinated through Gallagher Benefit Services, which provides economies of scale and risk
pooling to provide greater financial stability among participating North Carolina counties, cities,
and towns, and authorize the Chair to sign.
Brenda Bartholomew, Human Resources Director, said Wes Grigston and Gregg
Aleman, Gallagher Benefit Services, will make the following PowerPoint presentation:
North Carolina Health Insurance Pool (NCHIP)
February 6, 2018
What is NCHIP?
• Intergovernmental agreement
• Allowed by the State, Regulated by the DOI.
• Member Driven
• Financial vehicle
• Conservatively funded and reserved
• Preserve plan design and vendor selection freedom
• Managed by the State's preeminent public sector vendors
• Fully- transparent
• Stable, Budgetable, and Predictable
Wes Grigston presented this portion of the PowerPoint:
Making the unpredictable ... Predictable (graph)
Gregg Aleman presented this portion of the PowerPoint:
Banded Laver (chart)
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Individual member 5 -year history (chart)
Financials for Orange County
What's in it for Orange County
• Ownership
o Help drive the decisions of NCHIP. Become owner /partner of NCHIP.
• More buying power
• Enhanced PBM contracts. Enhanced stop -loss. Buying power on non - medical
lines.
• Orange will have access to deals of 5,000+ life groups as opposed to 1,000+ life
stand- alone
• Predictable budgets
• Volatile claims over $40K become a fixed cost — the banded layer.
• Annual spend determined before plan year
• No reserves /internal service fund
o $2 million in reserves goes back into General Fund.
• No penalties to withdraw, only requires 1 year commitment
• Retain your plan design
• Your peers
5 -Year Projections — 7.5% (chart)
Commissioner Burroughs referred to slide 10, where it says $2 million will go back into
the general fund. She asked if this could be explained a bit further.
Gregg Aleman said after the County runs out the United Health Care contract, there will
be monies freed up to go in other areas. He said these funds were identified out of the
County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR).
Bonnie Hammersley said if these funds are available, they would only be so one time,
and the BOCC would identify use for these one time funds. She said based on the CAFR, and
what it actually is, staff would let the Board know what that is.
Commissioner Price asked if Gallagher already has contracts.
Gregg Aleman said they already have commitments from communities, and are working
on more to come. He said Blue Cross /Blue Shield (BCBS) will be the medical provider to this
cooperative for a minimum of three years. He said the goal is to eventually be able to get best
in show on everything you do, with this pool being as large as some of the largest private sector
employers in North Carolina. He said this leads to greater leverage in the marketplace, and
better deals year after year.
Commissioner Price asked if this is already in existence now.
Gregg Aleman said it will start on July 1, 2018.
Commissioner Price asked if the plan design would change.
Gregg Aleman said the plan design would not change as it is written.
Brenda Bartholomew said the County is with United Healthcare now, and changing is a
big decision. She said a few years ago this decision arose, and the County remained with
United Healthcare. She said staff has run a disruption report, and there will be very little
disruption if the County moves to BCBS. She said the County would still have the ability to
speak and advocate on anyone's behalf if there is a disruption in service. She said it is not just
United Healthcare to BCBS, it is also taking the Envision Rx back to Prime Therapeutics, all
under the umbrella of BCBS. She said the staff has stressed to Gallagher Services that the
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C
BOCC is concerned about not disrupting access to care, and making sure benefit plans stay
intact. She said Gallagher has provided assurance that the process will be smooth.
Commissioner Rich referred to page 1 -2, where it says each local government member
has representation on the board, and asked if this board and its process could be explained.
Gregg Aleman said groups usually appoint a County Manager /HR /Financial Director,
who review financials and vendors, to see what can be improved, etc. He said this will be an
evolution, and his company is merely there to offer pros and cons, and will not have a vote; the
decision lies in the hands of the communities.
Wes Grigston said the group would meet on a quarterly basis.
Commissioner Price asked Bonnie Hammersley if the BOCC voted in favor of this
change, would it go into the budget in June.
Bonnie Hammersley said as of July 1 st the County would become a member of the pool,
and the next item this evening is the approval of their plans, which would also begin July 1. She
said this change should be seamless to employees, but there is a disruption plan in place, and
the County can terminate on an annual basis.
A motion was made by Commissioner Marcoplos, seconded by Commissioner Rich for
the Board to:
1) Approve Orange County to join the North Carolina Health Insurance Pool (NCHIP)
effective July 1, 2018, allowing long -term stability and predictability in future health
insurance budgets, greater buying power, continued ownership in plan design and the
opportunity to capture savings through dividends. This will allow Orange County to
demonstrate how, by working together, governments across North Carolina may
collaborate to create a stable, predictable, and sustainable health program;
2) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign the Resolution for Participation in the North
Carolina Health Insurance Pool (Attachment 1); and
3) Authorize the County Manager to sign the applicable bylaws /contract and subsequent
vendor contracts when applicable following the County Attorney's review.
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PARTICIPATION IN THE NORTH CAROLINA HEALTH
INSURANCE POOL
WHEREAS, North Carolina local governments, including any North Carolina county, city,
or housing authority, may enter into contracts or agreements under Article 23 of Chapter 58 of
the North Carolina General Statutes (the "Local Government Risk Pool Act ") to establish pools
providing for life or accident and health insurance for their employees on a cooperative or
contract basis with one another;
WHEREAS, this local government anticipates the creation of the North Carolina Health
Insurance Pool (NCHIP), a pool providing for accident and health insurance for employees of
North Carolina local governments in accordance with the Local Government Risk Pool Act; and
WHEREAS, this local government wishes to become a member of the NCHIP on certain
conditions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF
THE February 6, 2018 as follows:
If the conditions described in Section 2 of this Resolution are satisfied, this local
government, as of July 1, 2018, will become a Member of the North Carolina Health Insurance
Pool (NCHIP), an intergovernmental cooperative to pool health insurance risks with other North
Carolina local governments.
21
1 This local government will participate in NCHIP effective July 1, 2018, only if the
2 following conditions are satisfied no later than May 31, 2018:
3 (A) NCHIP is properly formed under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the
4 provisions of the Local Government Risk Pool Act and a board of trustees
5 meeting the requirements of N.C.G.S. § 58 -23 -10 is properly empaneled.
6 (B) The board of trustees of NCHIP adopts bylaws and /or a form of agreement or
7 contract that meets the requirements of N.C.G.S. § 58 -23 -15 and other
8 applicable provisions of the Local Government Risk Pool Act.
9 (C) The NCHIP risk pool includes commitments for participation on July 1, 2018,
10 from local governments that together will consist of no fewer than two thousand
11 five hundred (2,500) lives in the risk pool.
12 The terms and conditions of membership in NCHIP will be such terms and conditions as are
13 imposed by the board of trustees of NCHIP in the acceptance motion, and the contractual
14 obligations under the terms of the contract and by -laws of NCHIP as such document is adopted
15 by the board of trustees of NCHIP and as it may be amended in accordance with its terms.
16 If, on May 31, 2018, all of the conditions identified herein are satisfied, then, in
17 accordance with N.C.G.S. § 58- 23 -5(e), County Manager of this local government, or such
18 other officer, as shall be authorized, is directed to give notice (or cause notice to be given) to
19 the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance no later than June 1, 2018, in a form prescribed
20 by the Commissioner that this local government intends to participate in NCHIP as of July 1,
21 2018.
22 If, on May 31, 2018, all of the conditions identified herein are satisfied, then, the County
23 Manager of this local government, or such other officer, as shall be authorized, is directed to
24 execute, after review and approval by the County Attorney or his designee, any documents
25 necessary to complete the membership of the local government in NCHIP.
26 This Resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its passage, approval and
27 publication in pamphlet form, if required by law.
28 PASSED this 6th day of February, 2018.
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30 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
31
32 Commissioner Rich said this is the first time in 6 years that she has voted in favor of the
33 County's health care plan, as it is not associated with the American Legislative Exchange
34 Council (ALEC).
35 Commissioner McKee said to bring this item back in a year, in order to review the
36 financials.
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38 c. Recommendations for Employee Health Insurance and Other Benefits
39 The Board considered approving the Manager's recommendations regarding employee
40 health and dental insurance and other employee benefits effective July 1, 2018 through June
41 30, 2019. The Manager is recommending no increase in premium equivalent for employees or
42 participating pre -65 retirees for FY2018/2019. All other health benefits, co -pays, co- insurance
43 and deductibles will remain the same.
44 Brenda Bartholomew reviewed the following information and PowerPoint presentation:
45
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47 BACKGROUND: The County provides employees with a comprehensive benefits plan,
48 including health, dental and life insurance, an employee assistance program, flexible
49 compensation plan and paid leave for permanent employees. Additionally, the County
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contributes to the Local Governmental Employee's Retirement System and a supplemental
retirement plan.
The County has been self- funded since January 1, 2014 for medical and pharmacy plans
and continues to be self- insured for the dental plan. The County transitioned from a twelve-
month calendar plan year to a twelve -month fiscal plan year in 2015 aligning with the
County's fiscal year. In February 2015, the Board of County Commissioners approved
Gallagher Benefit Services (GBS) as Broker of Record for the administration of the benefit
programs, which include health, dental, vision, and other voluntary programs for employees
and retirees.
In FY2016/2017, the Board of County Commissioners approved the recommendation of the
County Manager to continue with UnitedHealth Care (UHC) as the County's Third Party
Administrator for health insurance programs and granted authority to the County Manager
to renew the Third Party Administrator contract with UnitedHealth Care. UnitedHealth Care
will also fund $25,000 for FY 2017/2018 for wellness programs.
For FY2017/2018, the Board of County Commissioners approved "carving out" pharmacy
coverage from UnitedHealth Care and contracted with Envision Rx as the County's
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM). This resulted in an expenditure reduction of $141,000
for FY2017/2018. The FY2017/2018 total adopted budget was increased by $524,433 or
5.05 percent for the County's health insurance appropriation. The FY2017/2018 total County
budget for health insurance for employees and pre -65 retirees is approximately $11.6
million dollars.
Health Insurance
The total FY2018/2019 health insurance expenditure is projected to be approximately $13.3
million (including health savings account contributions) based on increases to current
enrollment of 1,068 employees and pre -65 retirees. The County contribution is projected at
$11.9 million assuming that no changes are made to the current employee contribution
structure. This represents a 5.9 percent increase in the projected FY2018/2019 budget; or
approximately $750,000 (County share).
Dental and Vision Insurance
Delta Dental is the County's Dental provider and Community Eye Care provides the
County's vision plan. The County will continue to provide coverage with Delta Dental and
Community Eye Care. In FY2018/2019 no increases in dental premiums for employees is
recommended by the Manager. Vision premiums are paid 100 percent by employees and to
date no increase has been proposed by Community Eye Care. The current fiscal year
budget for dental coverage is $305,856. Based on current enrollment, the County share for
the FY2017/2018 budget is projected year end at $420,952; representing a budget shortfall
of $115,096. The County's expenditure for the FY2018/2019 dental budget is projected at
$431,377. The additional funding is partly driven because of an increase in the enrollment
for dental coverage. By accounting for the increased enrollment and the current budgetary
shortfall for FY2017/2018, an increase of $125,521 is projected for the FY2018/2019
budget.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed FY2018/2019 Health Insurance appropriation increase
is $750,000, and the proposed FY2018/2019 Dental Insurance appropriation increase is
$125,521.
Brenda Bartholomew presented the PPT below:
Recommendations for Employee Health Insurance and Other Benefits
23
1 Action Agenda Abstract
2 Item 6 -c
3 February 6, 2018
4 BOCC Meeting
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6 Manager's Recommendations for the FY201812019 Budget
7 ❖ No increase in premium equivalent for medical coverage or increase in dental
8 premiums.
9 ❖ Increase County cost for medical coverage by $725,000.
10 ❖ Increase County cost for dental coverage by $125,521.
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12 Re -Cap of Actions:
13 ❖ The County has been self- funded since January 1, 2014 for medical and pharmacy
14 plans and continues to be self- insured for the dental plan.
15 ❖ FY2016/2017 —
16 o BOCC approved UnitedHealth Care (UHC) to continue as the Third Party
17 Administrator (TPA) for the County's Medical Plan. The TPA renewal was
18 negotiated from $41.50 per employee per month to $29.50 per employee per
19 month. (Budget savings of $149,000)
20 o County participated in a stop -loss marketing comparison and moved the specific
21 stop -loss to a $150,000 deductible from $100,000 deductible and contracted with
22 Symetra (previously UHC). (Budget savings of $120,000)
23 o Dental plan benefits were enhanced by removing diagnostic and preventative
24 services from the annual maximum of $1,200 of covered services to promote
25 preventative oral health care.
26 ❖ FY2017/2018 —
27 o BOCC approved "carving out" pharmacy coverage from UnitedHealth Care and
28 contracted with Envision Rx as the County's Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM).
29 (Budget savings of $141,000)
30 ❖ BOCC approved no increase in premium equivalents for medical coverage or increases
31 in dental premiums for multiple budget years.
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33 Request for Approval by BOCC
34 ✓ Approve increasing the funding for the FY2018/2019 Health Insurance appropriation
35 $750,000; and
36 ✓ Approve increasing the FY2018/2019 Dental Insurance appropriation $125,521; and
37 ✓ Approve maintaining current premium equivalent rates for health insurance and dental
38 coverage for employees and pre -65 retirees.
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40 Commissioner Jacobs clarified that the deductibles will stay the same.
41 Brenda Bartholomew said yes, nothing changes.
42 Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is knowledge about the BC /BS provider coverage.
43 Brenda Bartholomew said BC /BS is similar to United Healthcare. She said there may
44 be a few unexpected disruptions, but staff will be proactive in resolving these.
45 Commissioner Jacobs asked if staff has had any conversations with like governments
46 about BC /BS's responsiveness to concerns or questions.
47 Brenda Bartholomew said BC /BS's customer service is rated well. She said she will be
48 on top of this process, and will report any problems to the BOCC.
49 Commissioner Jacobs asked if there would be benefit to having an internal clinic for
50 employees.
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Brenda Bartholomew said she will send the BOCC the report from two years ago about
putting in a clinic. She said Gallagher did a study on this, which she will also send out to the
BOCC.
Bonnie Hammersley said this amount is assumed in the FY18 -19 budget as part of the
employee compensation plan.
A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner Rich for
the Board to approve the Manager's recommendations regarding employee health and dental
insurance and other employee benefits effective July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019, which will
require a $750,000 funding increase funding for the FY2018/19 Health Insurance appropriation,
and a $125,521 funding increase the FY2018/19 Dental Insurance appropriation; and
maintaining current premium equivalent rates for health insurance and dental coverage for
employees and pre -65 retirees.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
7. Reports
a. Connect 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan
The Board received a presentation on the Connect 2045 Metropolitan Transportation
Plan (MTP) for Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO)
and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization ( CAMPO) from Orange County
Transportation Planning staff and provide any comments.
BACKGROUND:
DCHC MPO and CAMPO are concluding their two -year long planning process, the Connect
2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). DCHC MPO and CAMPO approved the
transportation projects, financial plan and socioeconomic data for the Connect 2045 MTP at
their December 13, 2017 meeting. DCHC MPO released the full 2045 MTP report for public
comments at its January 10, 2018 meeting for a public comment period that will end on March
2, 2018. The DCHC MPO Board will adopt the Connect 2045 MTP and full report at its March
14, 2018 meeting, following CAMPO's adoption on February 21, 2018.
The MTP helps guide transportation investments that address the growth expected in the
Research Triangle region. The plan covers an area encompassing both DCHC MPO and
CAMPO. It does not simply address current issues but anticipates the future growth of the
Region. Both MPOs share a common vision in the Connect 2045 MTP:
A seamless integration of transportation services that offer a range of travel choices to support
economic development and are compatible with the character and development of our
communities, sensitive to the environment, improve quality of life and are safe and accessible
for all.
There has been extensive public and local jurisdictional involvement in developing the plan,
starting from CAMPO releasing the Goals and Objectives for public review in November 2015,
followed by DCHC MPO three months later. The MTP has been presented to the Orange
County Board of County Commissions and Orange Unified Transportation Board at various
stages of the planning process including Alternatives Analysis and Preferred Option. As part of
the MPO's Public Involvement Policy, this is the last opportunity for the public and local
jurisdictions to provide comments on the Connect 2045 MTP.
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Key highlights of the plan include:
• Single set of Performance Measures agreed upon by both MPOs and in accordance
with
Federal requirements under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
• Incorporation of all local jurisdiction plans within DCHC MPO and CAMPO.
• Anticipates over $1.2 billion (in 2016 dollars) in bicycle and pedestrian investments in
the
region from 2018 to 2045.
• Transit investments geared towards: increased frequency, expanding service,
redesigning networks, new services, improved infrastructure, electric busses, and last
mile connections.
• Takes into account improvements to Freight, Transportation Demand Management
(TDM), Rail, Air, and Transportation System Management (TSM)
• Discusses autonomous vehicle through improvements in the regions Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS).
• Critical Planning Factors including Air Quality, Environmental Justice and Safety and
Security.
• See Attachment 2 for additional items of Regional Interest in the Connect 2045 MTP.
The Connect 2045 MTP can be found at: http: / /www.dchcmpo.org /programs /transport /2045mtp
and http: / /www.campo- nc.us/ transportation -plan/ draft - 2045 - metropolitan- transportation -plan
Next Steps
• February 21, 2018 — CAMPO adopts Connect 2045 MTP
• March 14, 2018 — DCHC MPO adopts Connect 2045 MTP
Nishith Trivedi, Transportation Planner, made the following PowerPoint presentation:
Connect 2045
Metropolitan Transportation Plan
For DCHC MPO and CAMPO
Outline
❖ Regional Growth
❖ Shared Vision
❖ Coordinated Planning & Public Involvement
❖ Regional Coordination
❖ Project Highlights
❖ Financial Plan
❖ Critical Planning Factors
Regional Growth - graph
Regional Growth — graph
Largest cross county pattern is 82,000 daily between Orange /Durham County and Wake
County
Shared Vision
gel
I A seamless integration of transportation services that offer a range of travel choices to support
2 economic development and are compatible with the character and development of our
3 communities, sensitive to the environment, improve quality of life and are safe and accessible
4 for all.
5
6 Coordinated Planning & Public Involvement - graph
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8 Coordinated Planning & Public Involvement - graph
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10 Regional Coordination
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12 County Transit Plans - Durham County & Orange County Plan in 2017. The Capital
13 area MPO & Wake County approved in 2016.
14 • Alternatives — jointly defined, evaluated and selected the same land use alternative for
15 development into the final Plan.
16 • Joint Policy Board Meeting —joint MPO Policy Board meetings on November 30, 2016
17 and November 30, 2017
18 • Financial Plan — same financial methodologies and cost and revenue basis for all
19 aspects of the plan.
20 Triangle Regional Model (TRM) — same planning tool, version 6.
21 Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures — same set of Goals, Objectives and
22 Performance Measures to guide land use scenario
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24 Protect Highlight
25 DCHC MPO -
26 $7.5 Billion Road, Bike & Ped
27 $4.7 Billion Transit
28 CAMPO -
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30 $27.7 Billion Road, Bike & Ped
31 $6.7 Billion Transit
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33 Includes transit investments geared towards: increased frequency, expanding service,
34 redesigning networks, new services, improved infrastructure, electric busses, and last -
35 mile connections.
36 Discusses autonomous vehicle through improvements in the regions Intelligent
37 Transportation Systems (ITS).
38
39 Financial Plan - graph
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41 Critical Planning Factors
42 • Air Conformity — The region no longer has any conformity requirements but continues
43 monitoring emissions using the latest Environment Protection Agency's air quality
44 model, MOVES.
45 • Environmental Justice — Both MPOs identify Community of Concern (CofC) that meets
46 various thresholds in determining transportation investments impacts.
47 • Safety and Security - Both the MPOs are proactive in addressing safety and security of
48 our overall transportation processes.
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1 Commissioner Marcoplos asked when the BOCC will next be able to make comment on
2 this item.
3 Nishith Trivedi said CAMPO will be adopting this plan on February 24th, and DCHC -MPO
4 on March 14th. He said the date for public comment for DCHC -MPO is March 2 nd
5 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there will be opportunity for comment thereafter.
6 Nishith Trivedi said this process comes up every 5 years or so.
7
8 RECOMMENDATION(S):
9 The Manager recommends the Board:
10 1. Receive the presentation (Attachment 1);
11 2. Provide any final comments the Board may have on the Connect 2045 MTP.
12
13 b. Broadband Initiatives and Event Timeline
14 The Board received an update on the County's current broadband initiatives and
15 received a timeline of relevant events.
16 Jim Northrup, Chief Information Officer, reviewed the following information and
17 PowerPoint presentation:
18
19 BACKGROUND:
20 Since 2014, Orange County Information Technologies (IT) has been tasked with working
21 toward improving broadband technology for Orange County residents. Many of the tasks below
22 were accomplished through collaboration with residents, business partners, State and local
23 representatives, government agencies, and towns.
24
25 • The largest current initiative currently underway is the $500,000 Broadband Incentive
26 Request for Proposals (RFP) whereby the County is soliciting Internet Service Providers
27 (ISPs) for proposals on how to improve broadband in both unserved and underserved
28 areas in Orange County. This Request for Proposal was released in January of 2018.
29 The intention is to find a vendor that can improve broadband speed and services in the
30 rural areas of the county.
31 • A larger initiative in terms of dollars, but at this time only tangentially related to
32 broadband, is the County's Fiber Project Phase 1. Currently, the County is partnering
33 with the Town of Hillsborough in order to reduce costs for both parties. The County and
34 Town are currently in the process of vendor section after successfully releasing an RFP
35 in November of 2018. Phase 1 is currently funded in Fiscal Year 2017 -18, and Phases 2
36 & 3 are planned in upcoming fiscal years. Once complete, this project will connect
37 County buildings from Cedar Grove to Carrboro and have fiber running east -west along
38 the Highway 70 corridor connecting from the Efland Cheeks Community Center to points
39 close to the Durham County line. The excess dark fiber will be available to other
40 organizations and individuals outside of Orange County Government for both broadband
41 and economic development purposes.
42 • Orange County Chief Information Officer (CIO) Jim Northrup has attended and
43 presented at multiple community meetings. Most recently, Orange County IT presented
44 at the Schley Grange along with Internet Service Providers and State representatives,
45 including NC House Representative Graig Meyer.
46 • Orange County Information Technologies has been acting as a clearinghouse for all
47 resident broadband service issue concerns. Typically, the CIO responds to every
48 Orange County resident email and call personally and tries to facilitate solutions
49 between residents and ISPs while at the same time setting realistic expectations. Often
50 this is simply a matter of connecting residents with the right person in the ISP's
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organization and, after making introductions, checking back in to ensure that all parties
are communicating effectively.
Broadband Timeline of Relevant Events
• June 2017 — $500k for broadband incentives approved in County budget
• Late 2016 — County works with Representative Craig Meyer to set meeting with
CenturyLink. This meeting paved the way for CenturyLink to provide budgetary numbers
for improving broadband in its service area and those numbers were used as a base
number for the FY 2017 -18 $500,000 Broadband Incentive.
• September - December 2016 — IT met with Federal Engineering and Emergency
Services to discuss the positive impact proposed telecommunications towers may have
on broadband services in rural Orange County. It was requested at that meeting that
approximately 15' of vertical strata be reserved for placement of 3rd party wireless
broadband equipment on any new towers to be constructed by Orange County.
Discussions also included how both the County's telecommunication and fiber plans
have synergies that may decrease long range costs and offer a more secure and
reliable fiber connection to each proposed tower location.
• July 2016 — Former Governor Pat McCrory released the NC broadband strategy report.
No funding identified within this report for broadband improvements.
• May 2016 — The County's public network buildout was completed in downtown
Hillsborough and all County- occupied buildings.
• March 2016 — WiFi -to -Go pilot began via collaboration by IT and the County Library.
• March 2016 — The State assisted Orange County with identifying vertical assets -
understanding the location and availability of county -wide vertical assets is important to
businesses that want to bring wireless internet services into Orange County.
• December 2015 — An ISP meeting on State /County collaboration occurred.
• Late 2015 — The Orange Public + Education Network (OPEN) formed to foster
collaboration and cost - sharing among Orange County and its municipalities.
• August 2015 — The County's Broadband Survey closed.
• June 2015 — The County's Broadband Survey was released.
• Apr. 2015 — The Broadband Initiative resident group was formed.
• November 2014 — The Manager directed County staff to make a concerted effort to
engage residents in broadband discussions.
• June 2014 — January 2016 — Orange County leveraged its relationship with Time
Warner resulting in Time Warner extending its wireless hotspots network throughout
downtown Hillsborough and into Fairview and Cedar Grove Parks. Prior to the County's
contact, Time Warner reported it was only going to deliver hotspot services to Durham
and Chapel Hill. This service allows any individual to connect wirelessly throughout
downtown Hillsborough and the parks for free.
• 2011 — North Carolina House Bill 129 barred governments from using public funds to
become Internet Service Providers.
• 2010 — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publishes its National
Broadband Plan.
• 2010 — MCNC awarded federal funds for middle -mile network in rural NC.
• 2009 — The US Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus bill included a provision to
make loans to states for the purpose of broadband.
Broadband Initiatives & Event Timeline
Item 7 -b
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2009 Stimulus Act Starts the Ball Rolling
• MCNC receives funds to improve their middle -mile network - 2010
• FCC publishes National Broadband Plan for every American to have "access to
broadband capability." - 2010
• NC House Bill 129 bars local governments from providing broadband using public funds.
-2011
Orange County Action
• All public buildings have free WiFi Orange_Public_WiFi - 2013
• Time Warner installs free wireless in Hillsborough and points north - 2014
• Downtown
• Cedar Grove Community Center
• Fairview Park
More Orange County Action
• Manager directs staff to engage with the State and our residents to find broadband
solutions - 2014
• Ad hoc Broadband Initiative Group formed - 2015
• Orange County Broadband Survey - 2015
• State solicits broadband providers to come to Orange County - 2016
Meanwhile....
Orange County solidified and expanded its relationships with neighboring jurisdictions and
agencies
• Hillsborough
• Chapel Hill
• Carrboro
• Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools
• Orange County Schools
• UNC
• UNC Hospital
• Piedmont Electric
• Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA)
• Duke
2016
Wi -Fi to go
Orange County Plans
• Federal Engineering communications tower planning to include space for broadband
providers to attach
• Fiber Plan
• Cedar Grove to Carrboro
• East West along Rt. 70
Current Initiatives
• Maintaining all of the previous stuff just covered
• Fiber Project with Hillsborough - 2017
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list.
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• Broadband RFP / Grant - 2018
Commissioner Price asked about Durham Tech.
Jim Northup said staff has not met with Durham Tech, but will add them to their meeting
Commissioner Price said what about the students.
Jim Northup said he would invite Durham Tech to their meetings.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the cost of the Wi -Fi to go could be identified.
Jim Northup said $35 /unit monthly for unlimited broadband, and it is available for any
library patron.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the County pays for the unit itself.
Jim Northup said the County does not buy the unit; rather the unit comes with a
$35 /monthly charge. He said the units fail fairly often, and replacement units are provided for
free.
Commissioner McKee thanked Jim Northrup for his work in, and outreach to, the
community.
Chair Dorosin said the request for proposals (RFP) was released in January, and asked
if there is a timeline for getting responses back.
Jim Northup said it went out for 30 days, and there is a timeline within the RFP. He said
he hoped to turn this around within a few weeks, and then start the longer process of
developing a contract with a vendor(s).
c. Quarterly Update on the Orange County Transit Plan and the Durham - Orange
Light Rail Project
The Board received a quarterly update from GoTriangle on the status of the
implementation of the Orange County Transit Plan and more specifically on the status of the
Durham - Orange Light Rail Project. This quarterly update is prescribed by the Cost Share
Agreement between Durham County, Orange County, and GoTriangle.
BACKGROUND:
On April 27, 2017, the Board of Orange County Commissioners adopted the Interlocal Cost
Sharing Agreement for the Durham - Orange Light Rail Transit Project as well as the Orange
County Transit Plan. These agreements allowed GoTriangle to provide updated financial
information to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in support of GoTriangle's application to
enter the engineering phase of the Durham - Orange Light Rail Project. On July 28, 2017,
GoTriangle received approval from the FTA to enter the New Starts Engineering phase of the
Capital Investment Grant Program. This project is now underway, and the engineering
component of the project is expected to reach the fifty percent (50 %) completion milestone in
February.
The Cost Sharing Agreement requires GoTriangle to provide quarterly reports to the FTA,
Durham County, Orange County, and the Durham - Chapel Hill - Carrboro Metropolitan Planning
Organization (DCHC MPO). This quarterly report will update the Board on Transit Plan
implementation activities, contracting agreements that are in place for the Durham - Orange
Light Rail Transit Project, the status of funding sources for the light rail project, and the Transit
Oriented Development (TOD) planning work that is currently underway.
John Tallmadge, GoTriangle Regional Services Development Director, made the
following PowerPoint presentation:
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GoTriangle
Durham - Orange Light Rail
Transit Project Quarterly Update
February 2018
Status of the Transit Plans
• GoTriangle Annual Report
• Bus and Infrastructure Improvements
• Short -range Transit Planning
• Public Involvement
• Durham - Orange Staff Working Group
• New Administrator Mo Devlin
Matthew Clark, GoTriangle Government Affairs Manager, presented this portion of the
PowerPoint:
Light Rail Overview and Update
• Region is still on track for a federal investment of over $1.23 billion.
• Budget for the capital cost of the project is still set upon entry into engineering at roughly
$2.47 billion.
• Light rail engineering approaches the 50% design milestone in February.
Contracts and DBE Participation
• General Engineering Consultant (HDR)
• Program Management Consultant (HNTB)
• Construction Management Consultant (Gannett Fleming /WSP joint venture)
• DBE goals and workforce development
• GEC contract valued at $81.3 million. 93% remains.
• PMC contract valued at $28 million. 96% remains.
• DBE participation goals set at 14% and 15 %. So far 24 DBE firms have participated.
Fundinq and Contingency
• The project remains eligible for roughly $1.238 billion in federal grant funds.
• Durham County has committed $738.4 million or roughly 30% of the capital budget.
• Orange County has committed $149.5 million or roughly 6% of the capital budget.
• We are seeking $247 million from North Carolina and roughly $102.5 million from other
sources.
• At entry to Engineering, contingency was $531 million, which includes $168 million
unallocated.
• GoTriangle carefully manages financial risk through its FTA mandated Risk and
Contingency Management Plan.
Schedule and Design Progress
• Critical paths are advancing design and initiating certain right of way acquisition
activities (ROMF).
• ROMF acquisition, annexation, and rezoning
• 50% Design complete in March 2018.
• Current schedule goal is execution of FFGA in September 2019.
• GoTriangle is working with various stakeholder groups and local governments to receive
feedback on 50% design.
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• GoTriangle is working with the FTA to determine if additional work is needed regarding
proposed engineering updates.
Transit - Oriented Development (TOD)
• TOD is an opportunity to move planning and infrastructure in sustainable and equitable
ways.
• GoTriangle and Triangle J Council of Governments hosted opportunity summit on 2/6.
• Work with consultants and stakeholders is underway to further analyze joint
development opportunities.
Public Involvement
• GoTriangle hosted a very successful visioning workshop at the Hayti Heritage Center on
1/16.
• Due to inclement weather, Chapel Hill workshop will be rescheduled with details to
come.
• GoTriangle public involvement team continues to track and respond to stakeholder
inquiries in accordance with the Public Involvement Plan.
Questions
Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the funding and contingency page, and said there
is $102.5 million from other sources, which is 4 %.
Matthew Clark said it is 4% of the overall budget for the capital costs of the project.
Commissioner Marcoplos said he thought it would be 1.5 %, which is what the outside
agencies said.
Matthew Clark said that does not just include private donations. He said he has pie
chart that he will be handing out, but the best way to think about it is as a whole pie. He said if
one takes 50% out of it, which is about $1.238 billion, there is $1.238 billion left. He said
$738.4 million is the Durham County share, and $148.5 million is the Orange County share, and
roughly $247 million is the State share, leaving $102.5 million to come from other sources. He
said these other sources include what Commissioner Marcoplos mentioned, as well as other
things, like joint development.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a formal process for the 1.5 %, which was the
community collaborative effort.
Matthew Clark said there is now a non - profit organization, called GoTransit Partners,
has been formed. He said he is not the best person to explain this to the Board, as this non-
profit has a separate Board of Directors, and is separate from GoTriangle. He said
GoTriangles's General Counsel would be the best person to speak to, and he is happy to
connect the BOCC to her.
Commissioner McKee referred to the acquisition of the maintenance facility, and asked
if there is a timeline for this process.
Matthew Clark said he would get back to the BOCC with correct information. He said
property acquisition, especially in the case of eminent domain, is always difficult. He said
GoTriangle wants to reserve the use of eminent domain as the last resort, and is working with
the property owners to come up with a solution. He said he hopes all will be acquired, annexed,
and rezoned in a timely fashion and get it before the Durham Planning Commission some time
in the September 2018 time frame.
Commissioner McKee said he is an employee of Summit Engineering, who is a
subcontractor to this project.
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Commissioner McKee said he is asking about the property acquisition is because it is
now a possibility that the federal funding will be 20% instead of 50 %. He said that possibility
should be in the back of their minds when discussing this acquisition.
Matthew Clark said this property is in Durham County, and they will be moving forward
on this, trying to avoid eminent domain. He said the property owners would be able to remain
on the land until September 2019.
Commissioner McKee asked if there is another vote on transit in 2018.
Bonnie Hammersley said she did not know, and would check on that.
Commissioner McKee asked if there is a formal contingency plan in place, should
federal funding be less than the full 50 %. He said it was his understanding that federal funding,
at anything less than 50 %, would make the project unviable.
Matthew Clark said the project cannot be completed without a full funding grant
agreement from the federal government.
Commissioner McKee said he agrees, but has yet to hear of a fallback plan should this
occur. He said he wants to know how monies would be spent should the federal funding be
less than 50 %.
Matthew Clark said the BOCC would have to come back together, speak with Durham
County, and decide how to proceed.
Commissioner McKee said GoTriangle is a major player, and would be the one to put a
plan together, not the counties. He said he is apprehensive to buy the aforementioned property
in 2018, if there is no guarantee of the 50% of federal funding. He said he does not know what
would be done with the property is the project fails to proceed due to lack of federal funding.
Commissioner Price said it is important to look at the development that already exists
around the rail stations, to make sure that these residents can get to the stations.
Matthew Clark agreed.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the Fast Act could be clarified.
Matthew Clark said it authorizes the Capital Investment Grants program (CIGP), which
has strong bipartisan support in congress. He said this is the program from which the full
funding grant would come.
Commissioner Marcoplos clarified that the Fast Act authorizes this process, but not the
funding amount.
Matthew Clark said yes, but it also provides guidance on the levels of funding. He said
there is strong bipartisan support to fund the CIGP at current, or above current, levels.
8. Consent Agenda
• Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda
8a by Minutes by Commissioner Marcoplos
8 -f- by Commissioner Price
8 -g by John Roberts
• Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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• Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
a. Minutes
The Board will consider correcting and /or approving the minutes from January 23, 2018
as submitted by the Clerk to the Board.
Commissioner Marcoplos said that he would like to amend the minutes of January 23,
2018 on the section on Settler's Point, in reference to the conversation surrounding solar
panels. He said he would like the wording to state that the business owner would not just meet
with a solar company to understand the benefits of solar power, but rather to understand the
benefits of solar power to the owner's particular business. He said it is important that this does
not just drift away.
Donna Baker asked if Commissioner Marcoplos would send her the exact wording that
he would like.
Commissioner Marcoplos said that he would.
Donna Baker asked if the BOCC would approve the minutes as amended, and
Commissioner Marcoplos could follow up with his desired wording.
A motion was made by Commissioner Marcoplos, seconded by Commissioner Price to
approve the proposed amended minutes for January 23, 2018.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
f. Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction Implementation
The Board will consider adopting a Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction
Implementation, and authorize the Chair to sign.
Commissioner Price said this resolution is based on what was received from the two
school boards, but when she attended the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
( NCACC) public education steering committee, the general consensus was to ask for full repeal
of HB 13, because they want to look at other factors, such as does class reduction by 2 or 3
really make a difference. She said it was determined that a delay would not really change
anything, and a full repeal is preferable.
Commissioner Price said she would feel awkward amending the resolution without the
approval of the two school boards, but she wanted to bring the NCACC feedback to the BOCC.
She said members of the North Carolina School Board Association were also present. She
said it may be the pleasure of the Board to amend the resolution.
Commissioner Burroughs said she cannot imagine the school boards objecting to this
change.
Commissioner Price said Chair Rani Dasi sent an email indicating she thought a full
repeal was a good idea, but there was no more formal discussion.
Chair Dorosin said the two options are: "therefore we respectfully request that they full
fund the classes, slow down the implementation through a multi year phase...." or "repeal HB13
in its entirety."
Commissioner Price said she would support amending it to repeal HB 13 in its entirety.
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
change amend the Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction Implementation to request
the full repeal of HB 13.
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VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich to adopt
the amended Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction Implementation, and authorize
the Chair to sign.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
g. Declaration of Public Nuisance
The Board will consider approving a resolution declaring prescription opioids a public
health nuisance in Orange County, and authorize the Chair to sign
John Roberts said the Board has a revised abstract and resolution for this item and for
the motion to state, if the Board chooses, to approve the amended information
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to
approve the amended resolution declaring prescription opioids a public health nuisance in
Orange County, and authorize the Chair to sign.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
a. Minutes
The Board approved the minutes from January 23, 2018 as submitted by the Clerk to the
Board.
b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases /Refunds
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release motor vehicle
property tax values for eight taxpayers with a total of nine bills that will result in a reduction of
revenue, in accordance to NCGS.
C. Property Tax Releases /Refunds
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release property tax
values for one taxpayer with a total of one bill that will result in a reduction of revenue, in
accordance with North Carolina General Statute 105 -381.
d. Applications for Property Tax Exemption /Exclusion
The Board considered four untimely applications for exemption /exclusion from ad valorem
taxation for four bills for the 2017 tax year.
e. Advertisement of Tax Liens on Real Property
The Board received a report on the amount of unpaid taxes for the current year that are liens on
real property as required by North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) 105 -369 and considered a
request for March 21, 2018 as the date set by the Board for the tax lien advertisement, and
authorized the Chair to sign the order.
f. Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction Implementation
The Board adopted an amended Resolution Regarding K -3 Class Size Reduction
Implementation, and authorized the Chair to sign.
g. Declaration of Public Nuisance
The Board approved an amended resolution, which is incorporated by reference, declaring
prescription opioids a public health nuisance in Orange County, and authorized the Chair to
sign.
9. County Manager's Report
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Bonnie Hammersley said the Board will have a work session on February 15I", where
the Board will discuss boards and committees. She said the Commissioners will choose their
boards that evening. She said there is a budget agenda item regarding liaisons to report to the
full board and parks timetable and funding. She said this meeting will occur at the Southern
Human Services Center.
10. County Attorney's Report
John Roberts said, today, the Supreme Court partially allowed the special masters maps
to go forward, and partially granted a stay for the legislative Republicans who had asked for
that stay. He said one can see the actual map that is going to go forward, if one searches for it
on Google.
Chair Dorosin asked if there will be a new map for this year.
John Roberts said yes, for 2018 elections. He said, for now, some of it will be what the
Republicans in the legislature want, and some of it will be drawn as the special master drew
those maps.
11. *Appointments
a. Go Triangle Transit Community Advisory Committee — Recommendations
The Board considered making four (4) recommendations for appointment to the
GoTriangle Transit Citizen Advisory Committee and to select one (1) liaison from the 7 BOCC
members.
* ** *Lavender sheet - applicants for Go Triangle Citizens Advisory Committee — 4
nominations
Your first choice = 4 pts, 2nd choice -3 pts, 3'd choice — 2 pts and 4th choice 1 pt- staff will
tally.
The GoTriangle Board of Trustees will appoint 30 people to the committee, with fourteen (14)
from Wake County, nine (9) from Durham County and seven (7) from Orange County. The
Orange County Board of Commissioners will recommend four (4) applicants to Go
Triangle and Go Triangle will select the three (3) additional members for a total of seven (7).
The BOCC will select one (1) liaison to represent Orange County.
The committee will meet six times a year. Members will be allowed to serve two two -year terms.
The Board agreed by consensus (highest two voting totals) to appoint the following two
applicants to the Go Triangle Transit Community Advisory Committee:
• Recommendation for appointment to a full term (Position #1- John Rees) "At -Large
Orange County Resident' for (To Be Determined) expiring (To Be Determined).
• Recommendation for appointment to a full term (Position #2- Tom Farmer) "At -Large
Orange County Resident' for (To Be Determined) expiring (To Be Determined).
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
appoint the following to the Go Triangle Citizens Advisory Committee:
• Recommendation for appointment to a full term (Position #3- Jayse Sessi) "At -Large
Orange County Resident' for (To Be Determined) expiring (To Be Determined).
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VOTE: UNANIMOUS
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
appoint the following to the Go Triangle Citizens Advisory Committee:
• Recommendation for appointment to a full term (Position #4- Heather Brutz "At -Large
Orange County Resident" for (To Be Determined) expiring (To Be Determined).
VOTE: Ayes, 4 (Commissioner Price, Commissioner McKee, Commissioner Marcoplos,
Commissioner Rich); Nays, 3 (Chair Dorosin, Commissioner Burroughs, Commissioner Jacobs)
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
The Board voted to strongly recommend the following applicants (in order of priority) to
Go Triangle for their consideration for the remaining three seats from Orange County to this
Committee:
Molly DeMarco
Jason Baker
Alison Stuebe
Commissioner Price volunteered to be the BOCC liaison to the Committee.
The Board agreed by consensus.
Donna Baker asked Commissioner Jacobs if GoTriangle had recommended a staff
person to be the staff support for this committee yet, outside of the Attorney.
Commissioner Jacobs said not that he is aware of.
b. Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee — Appointment
The Board considered making an appointment to the Adult Care Home Community
Advisory Committee.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
appoint the following to the Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee:
• Appointment to partial term (Position #5) "At- Large" position for Michael Zuber expiring
10/31/2019.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
c. Agricultural Preservation Board —Appointment
The Board considered making an appointment to the Agricultural Preservation Board.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to
appoint the following to the Agricultural Preservation Board:
• Appointment to a first full term (Position #7) "White Cross Volunteer Ag. Dist."
representative for Portia McKnight expiring 09/30/2020.
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VOTE: UNANIMOUS
d. Arts Commission — Appointment
The Board considered making an appointment to the Arts Commission.
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Price to
appoint the following to the Arts Commission:
• Appointment to a partial term (position #13) "At- Large" for Frederick Joiner expiring
03/31/2018.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
e. Commission for the Environment — Appointment
The Board considered making an appointment to the Commission for the Environment.
Chair Dorosin said there is a seat that has been vacant since May 2017, and the
Commission has repeatedly asked the Board not to fill this vacancy. He proposed that this be
the last time that the Board honors that request.
The Board agreed by consensus.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
appoint the following to the Commission for the Environment:
• Appointment to a first full term (position #1) "At- Large" for Jody Eimers expiring
12/31/2020.
• Appointment to a first full term (position #10) "At- Large" for Laura Doherty expiring
12/31/2020.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
f. Human Relations Commission — Appointment
The Board considered making an appointment to the Human Relations Commission.
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to
appoint the following to the Human Relations Commission:
• Appointment to a partial term (position #2) "At- Large" for Rebecca High expiring
06/30/2018.
• Appointment to a partial term (position #3) At Large for Alicia Reid expiring 9/30/2018.
• Appointment to partial term (position #13) Town of Hillsborough for Allison Mahaley
expiring 6/30/2020 (is being appointed without a resolution from Town of Hillsborough
because they have not submitted anything over the past 8 months).
Commissioner Price asked if the Board should be filling the position.
Commissioner Jacobs said it has been open for eight months, and the BOCC decided
previously to only wait so long to fill positions, and the applicant lives in Hillsborough.
Commissioner Price asked if the Town of Hillsborough was supposed to put someone
forward.
Donna Baker said the Town has failed to do so, despite repeated requests.
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Chair Dorosin said there is a second Hillsborough position, which the Board is not filling.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Commissioner Jacobs said Hillsborough has two positions to appoint; Carrboro has two
positions to appoint; and Chapel Hill has one position to appoint. He said this was apparently a
data entry mistake, which has been corrected.
Commissioner Price referred to item 11 -a, the Go Triangle Transit Community Advisory
Committee, and said their bylaws state that each member would be responsible for their own
expenses. She said if the Board desires people to serve that typically use public transportation
or rides a bus, then some reimbursement should be provided.
12. Information Items
• January 23, 2018 BOCC Meeting Follow -up Actions List
• Tax Collector's Report — Numerical Analysis
• Tax Assessor's Report — Releases /Refunds under $100
• Memorandum — NC -54 West Corridor Study
• Memorandum — County Government Academy Update
• BOCC Chair Letter Regarding Petitions from January 23, 2018 Regular Meeting
13. Closed Session
NONE
14. Adjournment
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by adjourn the meeting at
10:40 p.m.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Mark Dorosin, Chair
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Attachment 2
DRAFT MINUTES
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
WORK SESSION
February 15, 2018
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a work session on Thursday, February
15, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs,
Mark Dorosin, Barry Jacobs, Mark Marcoplos, Earl McKee, Renee Price and Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified
appropriately below)
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Park Construction and Funding Update
BACKGROUND:
At the December 12, 2017 BOCC meeting, the Board suggested that an update of park
construction projects and funding sources be planned for the February work session.
As shown on the attached table and map, the adopted Capital Investment Plan (CIP) —
consistent with the County's adopted 2030 Parks and Recreation Master Plan — includes a
number of park projects. These include completion of several existing or partially -built facilities,
as well as plans for parks with sites land- banked through the Lands Legacy Program, and a few
facilities for which land has not yet been acquired.
In general, Orange County parks and public open spaces fall into the following categories,
which are elaborated on in the 2030 Master Plan:
36 • Regional Parks (such as Little River and Blackwood Farm)
37 • District Parks (such as Twin Creeks /Moniese Nomp)
38 • Community Parks (such as Fairview Park and Cedar Grove Park)
39 • Linear Parks (Trails — such as the portion of the Mountains to Sea Trail)
40 • Nature Preserves / Nature Parks (such as Hollow Rock and Seven Mile Creek)
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42 There are a total of 13 projects listed in the CIP and shown on the attached table. The cost
43 estimates shown are total projected cost, and do not include potential grants or partner funding
44 amounts, which may significantly reduce the cost of the projects. It is also worth noting that
45 many parks may be completed in phases. Twin Creeks Park, for example, was broken into
46 three phases last year (Phase 1 is completed), while other large district parks like Northeast
47 and Bingham have not yet progressed to that level of discussion. There is also the potential to
48 scale back the scope of facilities and amenities planned. The cost estimates shown are based
49 on estimates prepared to date for a comparable park of the size and type, or by actual cost
50 estimates created for the park in question.
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In some cases, land for an identified park need has been acquired using previously- approved
general obligation bond funds. This "land- banking" program was a conscious and deliberate
component of the Lands Legacy Program (created in 2000) to identify, evaluate, secure and
protect good park sites while they still existed, in the aggressive real estate boom years before
2007. Acquisition of future park sites is but one of five areas of activity for the Lands Legacy
Program.
There are two projects where land acquisition is still needed — Bingham District Park and the
Mountains to Sea Trail (MST). Funding for land acquisition is included within the Lands Legacy
Fund or in the park project account, and work is underway to secure these lands at present.
Looking at the timing of planned park construction projects, two significant projects are
currently slated for funding in the upcoming FY 2018 -19 (pending further Board discussion of
the CIP later this spring). Construction of many of the planned facilities at Blackwood Farm
Park is scheduled for next fiscal year, upon completion of infrastructure improvements needed.
This infrastructure work (parking, turn lanes, entrance road) has been delayed pending the
decision of the location for the Parks Operations Base, which was originally slated for this site.
The Board will see an updated master plan in March as a prelude to the hiring of engineering
and design consultants later this spring.
The second phase of Cedar Grove Park is also scheduled for construction beginning in FY
2018 -19. This would involve new baseball /softball fields, tennis courts, parking and other
amenities. An update to this master plan will also be forthcoming to address a possible change
in the type of ballfields planned, to help replace several small fields in Hillsborough that will be
lost to development in 2020.
On a smaller scale, funds are also proposed next fiscal year for Little River Park (to address the
Laws House near the park entrance) and a waystation /traiIhead for the MST at Seven Mile
Creek Nature Park.
Funding Sources
Historically, funding for County parks has come from:
• General obligation bonds approved by voters in 1997 and 2001;
• State grants from sources such as the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and the
Regional Trails Program and federal grants from the Land and Water Conservation
Fund;
• Funding from partner entities, including Durham County and the Town of Chapel Hill;
• Payment -in -Lieu funds collected and used by district for park projects; and
• Other general fund appropriations made by the Board
These sources are expected to continue to be an important part of funding for parks, especially
for the MST (which may also include the bond funds available from the State).
David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Director,
made the following PowerPoint presentation:
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Parks Construction and Funding Update
February 15, 2018
Types of Parks /Public Open Spaces
• Regional Parks (Little River, Blackwood Farm)
• District Parks (Twin Creeks /Moniese Nomp)
• Community Parks (Cedar Grove, Fairview)
• Linear Parks /Trails (MST)
• Nature Preserve / Nature Parks (Hollow Rock)
Existing Park System
• Six Parks
• One Soccer Center
• One Nature Park (Hollow Rock)
• One Greenway (Twin Creeks)
• Seven Mile Nature Park underway
CIP Park Project Locations (map)
Parks & Recreation Master Plan
• Through 2030, plan adopted in 2014
• Nine Parks across the County
• 1 -2 Soccer Centers
• Three Nature Parks within Preserves
• Two Linear Parks (part of MST, Jones Creek Greenway)
CIP Projects — Important Notes
• Costs shown do not include rg ants, partner and other funds (can be as much as 50 %)
• Projects may be broken into hp ases and built over time
• Most park sites acquired through Lands Legacy 2001 -2008 ( "land- banked ")
• Subject to annual review / revision
Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:12 p.m.
Planned Protects for 2018 -19
• Blackwood Farm Park — complete infrastructure work (underway), build Phase 2
• Cedar Grove Park — construct Phase 2 (includes ballfields that could replace fields lost
in 2020)
• Small Projects
• Little River Park: Address the Laws House
• MST: Trailhead at Seven Mile Creek
Example: Park Construction $ (graph)
FAIRVIEW PARK (2010 -11)
Park Visitation Numbers — 2017 (graph)
Commissioner Price said Little River and Hollow Rock parks are shared with Durham
County, and asked if these numbers are just from the Orange County entrance.
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David Stancil said the only entrance into Hollow Rock is in the Orange County side. He
said there are vehicles that park on Pickett Road, or enter from the subdivisions on the Durham
County side, but the only parking lot is in Orange County. He said Little River Park also only
has one entrance, which is in the Orange County side. He said it is not clear whether visitors
are Durham or Orange County residents, but staff has done some surveying of visitors in the
past, and he can get this information to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).
Commissioner Rich asked if the totals take into account the number of people inside the
cars, or if it is one car equals one visitor.
David Stancil said the totals reflect vehicles entering the parks, not the actual number of
people. He said staff may look into other methods to capture this data in the future.
Historical Funding Sources
• Voter- approved Bonds (1997, 2001)
• State and Federal Grants
• Partner Entities (Durham Co, Chapel Hill)
• Payment -in -Lieu Funds (by district)
• Other Appropriations
Commissioner Price asked if Hillsborough helps with Fairview Park, and if Carrboro
helps with any parks.
David Stancil said Hillsborough pays the water bill, and opens and closes the gates at
Fairview Park. He said Carrboro has not helped with any projects, but the County has helped
with some of Carrboro's projects.
Commissioner Jacobs said Raleigh should fit in here somewhere.
David Stancil said yes, Raleigh is more involved on the conservation side, and nature
preserves and the like. He said the City of Raleigh's clean water initiative has been a good
funding source for a lot of conservation projects.
The Benefits of Parks & Open Space
• Public /personal health and well -being
• Community gathering places / events
Historically under - served communities
Safe settings for youth and adults for recreation and nature enjoyment
Protecting natural resources
Next 4 slides — pictures and maps
Commissioner Price referred to Twin Creeks, and said the proper name for it is Moniese
Nomp, and if the County truly wants to honor the people that originally lived here, the proper
name should be used. She also said the website inaccurately refers to Tupolo Saponi, instead
of Tutelo Saponi.
David Stancil said this property has an archeological site on it, which shows historical
use by the Saponi Indians.
Commissioner Price said a rhyolite section was found, but deemed insignificant.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if a brief history of Twin Creeks could be provided.
David Stancil said it was purchased in 2001, using some of the 1997 bond monies. He
said it was also one of the park projects in the 2001 parks bond, but at amount that was not
sufficient to actually build anything. He said the County took some of those funds and used
them build soccer fields elsewhere.
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David Stancil said one of the challenges of the 2001 bond was that the County split up
the money so much that it was hard for them to do meaningful projects. He said funding
remains in the Twin Creeks account to help build the entry road into the park, and Carrboro has
sent emails recently asking about the status of the park. He said the % mile greenway from
Morris Grove School into Lake Hogan Farms has been built, which has been treated as phase
one of the park.
Commissioner Jacobs said Carrboro approached the County about putting a gym there,
and Orange County was willing to share the cost, but Carrboro declined. He said something
that increases the costs, is that Carrboro has required a road with sidewalks and bike lines on
the eastern side of the park, going from the bottom to the top. He said this issue remains
unresolved.
Commissioner Jacobs said Orange County wanted a park on this site, and Carrboro
wanted it for economic development. He said this was an uncomfortable topic for several
years, and some of the older elected Carrboro officials felt that Orange County had stolen an
opportunity from the Town. He said most, if not all, of these officials are no longer serving, so
maybe this could be an opportunity for collaboration once again.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if this has been contentious in recent years.
David Stancil said the last discussion was in 2007 or 2008, and the conversation has
been stalled since the greenway was put in. He said the Town was going to do a study of storm
water and transportation in the area, but that never came to fruition.
Commissioner Jacobs said even the greenway was a hard fought win.
Commissioner Rich said she reviewed the master plan for Twin Creeks with David
Stancil, and she and Commissioner Marcoplos walked the land with David Stancil. She said it
is worthwhile to have those conversations with Carrboro again. She said the County is
responsible for the entryway, and the road that Carrboro has requested is cost prohibitive,
because it needs to cross over the creek twice, and the bridge requirements are very
expensive.
David Stancil said the road of which they speak is the one that goes into Morris Grove
Elementary School, and dead ends.
Commissioner Rich said it may be worth re- engaging Carrboro in discussions, as this
location is a sweet spot for affordable housing.
Commissioner Price said there was a working group that met years ago, and there
should be a report from this group.
David Stancil said yes.
Commissioner Marcoplos said the workgroup could be revived, and many people in
Hogan Farms have asked him when this park will be developed. He said if Carrboro is holding
this up, and if people realize this is a joint project, then the public could go to Carrboro and
inquire of the status.
David Stancil said he thinks Carrboro staff may be a different place now than it was 10
years ago.
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the master plan, and said next to Morris Grove there
are two sites: a school site, and an education facility; the latter of which refers to a possible two
school system pre -K facility that could be built on this site. He said this property is right at the
line between Orange County Schools (OCS) and Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS).
Commissioner Burroughs said she hates to be a "Debby downer," and while the long -
range plan is lovely, she is not sure if the County can afford it for a while. She said everything
should be pushed back two years, with the exception of the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST), due
to the momentum behind that project. She said the house at Little River Regional Park is a
small enough project to continue, but Blackwood Farm Park and Cedar Grove Park should be
delayed.
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Commissioner McKee asked if the total on these parks is about $40 million, less a bit if
one removes the cost share for Millhouse Road Park with the Town of Chapel Hill.
David Stancil said about $35 to $36 million total cost, over a ten -year period. He said
this amount does not account for any grant funding.
Commissioner McKee asked if the anticipated amount of grant funding is known.
David Stancil said with Fairview Park, the County was able to leverage 40% of the
funding from grants. He said grant sources have maxed out recently, so requests need to be
spaced out. He said breaking projects into phases, is helpful.
Commissioner McKee said there is $540,000 in payment in lieu (PIL) funds, and asked if
the amount of PIL funds generated yearly could be identified.
David Stancil said prior to the 2008 a larger amount of PIL funds were generated. He
said the PIL formula is from 1987, and staff is looking to update but now. He said the current
amount is $422 /lot, which does not generate many funds.
Commissioner McKee said PIL is basically negligible going forward.
David Stancil said once the $540,000 is spent, it will take considerable time to
accumulate significant funds.
Commissioner McKee agreed with Commissioner Burroughs, and he said it would be
better to finish existing parks, and delay starting new ones. He said he has a problem with
letting parkland "sit ", but he is nervous about the County's $7 million deficit this year, as well as
future expenses. He asked if the County can fund $30 million for parks, where will the County
find the remaining funds, other than from the taxpayer.
David Stancil said historically funds have come from a bond referendum.
Commissioner McKee said the demand for school facilities is going to override
everything else. He said this recent school bond is only the beginning. He said the County
must be cautious in how it proceeds, and beware of the promises it makes.
Commissioner Rich said she agrees and disagrees. She said things like the soccer.com
fields are good, and are an economic development opportunity. She said not all parks are
equal, and when looking at these projects, it is important to be mindful of what some parks
bring in to the County in terms of economic development.
Chair Dorosin asked if article 46 sales tax can be used on soccer.com.
David Stancil said the Visitor's Bureau has numbers regarding the economic benefit of
the soccer.com facility.
Commissioner Jacobs said soccer.com is located where it is, in order to generate
economic development.
Commissioner Jacobs it may be wise to prioritize these projects. He said if Bingham
Park is removed, one quarter of the necessary funding is removed. He said Bingham Park
could be put in over the next ten years. He said the MST will serve Bingham.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the parks base fits into this planning process.
David Stancil said it is currently listed as part of Blackwood Farm Park, in the third
phase. He said it is unlikely that Blackwood Farm would be the location for it, but that is where
it is in the current adopted capital investment plan (CIP).
Commissioner Jacobs said if the base is being moved to another site, nearer to
Hillsborough, it would be possible to sell the Revere Road property, and use the funds to pay
for what is being built at the Baird - Ruston complex. He said the funds could be ear marked for
a certain percentage for each of the projects that go there, or put it all on one project. He said
this may help defray some of the cost.
Commissioner Jacobs said he will always be in favor of parks being a part of proposed
bond referendums. He said the bulk of funds should go to the schools, and hopefully the state
will provide more funding toward the efforts of renovating 60 -year old buildings. He said in
2001, there was a balance between different uses in the bonds. He said he understands why
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the recent bond focused on schools, but it will be an important discussion as to whether this
should continue moving forward.
Commissioner Price referred to the Blackwood Farm Park, and asked how much of the
$1.7 million will pay for the road.
David Stancil said none of the $1.7 million is for the road, and there is a prior
appropriation of $1 million for the road. He said the $1.7 million is for other amenities.
Chair Dorosin said the idea of prioritizing is a good one, and cost should not necessarily
be the primary driver in the prioritization.
Chair Dorosin referred to Cedar Grove Park, and said new ball fields will increase the
usage. He said when parks have limited accessibility; they can almost become elitist, which is
unfortunate.
Chair Dorosin said part of the challenge of spending money on schools, instead of parks
or other things, is that most residents do not know what is happening at a lot of the parks. He
said the land has been purchased, and the commitment to the community should be honored,
so that the land can be used.
Chair Dorosin referred to the CIP chart in the Board's packet, and said there are 6
parks, one soccer center, one nature -park, one greenway, and a 7 -mile nature park underway.
He asked David Stancil if he could provide a status report on each of these items, as towards
completion, and fully realizing their potential.
David Stancil reviewed the following:
• Cedar Grove Park is in its 2nd phase. Getting ball fields and possible tennis courts
completed. When these items are completed, this park is fully done.
• Little River Park is essentially completed. Some repaving and renovations are needed.
• Efland Cheeks Park is also essentially completed, with no opportunity to build further
due to impervious surface limits.
• Fairview Park has opportunity for more, once the landfill is mitigated. There is a 25 -acre
section to the north for another phase.
• River Park cannot be expanded at this point, but there is opportunity to make some
improvements.
• Blackwood Farm Park has the most on the immediate horizon, and is in high demand
from the public.
• Soccer.com center needs major expansion, as well as a decision regarding natural
grass versus turf.
• Twin Creeks has nothing happening right now.
• Hollow Rock needs minimal improvements.
• Others sites are awaiting first activity.
Commissioner Marcoplos said he recently attended some food scarcity meetings,
sponsored by Department of Social Services, and was struck by how many people were
interested in community gardens. He said this was particularly true for Cedar Grove Park.
David Stancil said staff met today with the Cedar Grove Neighborhood Association, and
a community garden has been planned there, as well as Blackwood Farm.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is another phase of Cedar Grove Park, which
extends to the pond.
David Stancil said this park has tennis courts, additional parking, additional ball fields,
and possibly an additional trail. He said that is all this park can handle, given impervious
surface limitations.
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Commissioner Jacobs said the County will derive some additional acreage from the
Sheriff's office, which adjoins Cedar Grove; and there is the property across the street, which
was purchased for septic services, and currently has no use.
David Stancil said the property across the street is 12 acres.
Commissioner Jacobs said it is not being used because there is concern about having
people cross the street. He said a cross walk was researched but the Department of
Transportation said it would be unwise, as it would encourage people to cross the street. He
said there is a lot of room there for other things, and it may be wise to review the park plan
again.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if any adults use the Cedar Grove ball fields.
David Stancil said the bulk of the use is by Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association
(HYAA), but there is a big adult softball tournament every September.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the fields will be cut up into smaller fields.
David Stancil said no. He said the new field that is proposed in the second phase would
be broken into three T -ball fields.
Commissioner Burroughs said a two cents tax increase would raise $3.2 million. She
said FY18 -19 has Blackwood Farm and Cedar Grove Parks costing $3.6 million combined. She
said there is still a disconnect between the financial reality, and what the County hopes to
accomplish. She said the Board is at least talking about a 2 -cent tax increase for these parks,
but there will also be tax increases for the school bond. She said 5 cents on the tax rate is a lot
of money, and it does not include funds for the parks. She said the 5 cents could be cut down
to 3 cents, if the parks were not included.
Bonnie Hammersley said the CIP through the next 5 years, is all included in what that
increase would be. She said it includes the schools, plus everything else in the CIP. She said it
is for principal and interest payments over 20 years.
Commissioner Burroughs said if the parks were not in the CIP, it would reduce the
pressure of raising taxes.
Bonnie Hammersley said it would reduce it, but it would not be like 2 cents. She said
taxes are not being raised on the whole amount, but rather on the amount that has to be paid
on an annual basis.
Commissioner Burroughs said she would like to know the exact difference in the tax
increase if the parks were removed. She asked if the CIP also includes operating costs for the
parks.
Bonnie Hammersley said staff has started including the operating expenses and costs
for CIPs. She said she is unsure of the significance of the operating costs of the parks.
David Stancil said the operating costs for the parks are included in the CIP. He said if
Blackwood Farm were to open full time, there may be additional costs incurred, such as
additional staff; but these would not be big expenses.
Bonnie Hammersley said staff can provide the Board with the increase in operating
expenses for each year of the CIP.
Commissioner Price said when prioritizing these projects she would encourage the
Board to keep in mind the usage of these parks. She said parks are built to serve underserved
communities, and should be built in such a way that people want to use them.
Commissioner Jacobs said when considering the priorities, it would be helpful to break
out the borrowing costs, operating costs, etc. He said in 2001, neither staff nor the Board
thought to calculate the operating costs.
Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Commissioner Price, and said, when building the
soccer.com complex, it was noted that it would connect to a large part of the Hispanic culture.
Commissioner Rich said she would also like to know how many people are working at
the various parks, because parks do create employment opportunities.
I
1 Commissioner Jacobs asked if staff is trying to sell naming rights at any of the other
2 parks besides soccer.com.
3 David Stancil said no, not aggressively, but that has been talked about.
4 Commissioner Jacobs said naming rights could be sold for portions of these parks, to
5 help defray the costs.
6 Chair Dorosin said Commissioner Burroughs is not being a "Debby downer ", but he said
7 he does not think that the Board has been afraid of raising taxes in recent years, or has missed
8 opportunities to do so. He said the potential tax increase that is coming is because of the bond
9 that was approved by voters, and he appreciates Commissioner Burroughs' critical eye on the
10 parks issues, and hopes she will apply it to all other areas, including school budgets.
11 Commissioner Burroughs agreed, and said it is not necessarily wrong to not raise taxes;
12 but it is painful, and she will continue to look at this budget, as well as the schools' budgets.
13 She said the parks offer big chunks of funding that can be delayed, without killing the concept
14 altogether. She agreed that the BOCC has been a good steward.
15 Commissioner Rich asked if there is a timeline to determine the prioritization of the
16 parks projects.
17 Chair Dorosin suggested discussing this during the CIP work session.
18 The Board agreed by consensus.
19
20 2. Board of Commissioners - Boards and Commissions Annual Selection Process
21
22 Chair Dorosin reviewed the procedures for choosing their boards and commissions, and
23 the Clerk reviewed the revisions at their places.
24 Commissioner Rich requested that she and Commissioner Marcoplos stay on the
25 Chatham /Orange Work Group since it just met for the first time, despite being formed in 2017.
26 Commissioner McKee said it is difficult for him to attend the Upper Neuse River Basin
27 Association meetings, due to his full time work.
28 Commissioner Price asked if the short -term task forces work groups have been
29 eliminated from the process.
30 Chair Dorosin said yes.
31 Donna Baker said with one exception: Commissioner Rich asked just prior to this
32 evening's meeting if the Strategic Communications Work Group could be recreated/
33 reconvened, and Commissioner Rich has talked to Todd McGee, Community Relations
34 Director, who is in the process of doing so. She said in 2015, Commissioner Rich and former
35 Commissioner Gordon served on this work group.
36 The Board agreed by consensus to add the Strategic Communications Work Group
37 back on the list.
38
39
BOARD NAME
MEETING DATE
BOCC MEMBER
BOCC Member
BOCC member
Currently Serving
Serving 2018
-2017
STATUTORY
ABC Board
Monthly, Third
Commissioner Not
Commissioner
Commissioner
Tues 8:30 AM-
Required (non- voting
McKee
Price
ABC offices in
member)
Hillsborough
2018 -2020
10
Board of Health
Monthly, Fourth
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Wed
Required
Burroughs -
Burroughs
7:00 PM -at
2018 -2020
Member
Health Dept. in
Hillsborough
Board of Social
Monthly, Third
2 appointees
Chair McKee -
Commissioner
Services
Monday- 4:00
Commissioner not
Member
McKee
PM at DSS
required but usually a
offices in
Commissioner serves
Citizen - Already
Hillsborough
2018 -2020
appointed
Community Oversight
Quarterly
1 Commissioner or
Commissioner
Commissioner
Board (part of OPC
designee
Price
Price
Community Operations
1 Consumer /Family
Center)
member
1 Citizen/
Stakeholder
(2018 -2022)
INTERGOVERNMENT
AL and OTHER
GROUPS WITH BOCC
MEMBERS
Burlington /Graham
6x /year -(or more
Requires
Commissioner
Commissioner
MPO Transportation
as needed)
1 Commissioner
Jacobs - Member
McKee - Member
Advisory Committee
Tuesdays at
member
Commissioner
Commissioner
5pm in
1 Alternate
Marcoplos -
Burroughs -
Burlington
Commissioner
Alternate
Alternate
(2018 -2022)
Chatham Orange Work
3x /year-
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner Rich
Group
alternates
(2018 -2020)
Marcoplos
Commissioner
between Orange
Commissioner Rich
Marcoplos
County and
Chatham County
CHCCS Work Group
As needed
1 Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Chair Dorosin
(2018 -2020)
(11/17)
Community Home
Monthly-2 nd
1 Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Commissioner
Trust BOD
Thursdays at
Required
McKee
6pm at CHT
(2018 -2020)
office
Durham- Chapel Hill —
Monthly- 2
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Carrboro Metropolitan
Monday at 9am
1 Commissioner
Jacobs- member
Price- Member
Planning Organization
in Durham
Alternate (2018 -2022)
Commissioner Rich
(MPO)- Transportation
- Alternate
Commissioner
Advisory Committee
Marcoplos -
(DCHC -MPO)
Alternate
Durham- Orange-
Quarterly- at
2 BOCC
Commissioner Rich
Commissioner
Chapel Hill Work
noon - rotates
(2018 -2022)
Commissioner
Jacobs
Group
locations-
Jacobs
Commissioner Rich
Durham/
11
Chapel
Hill /Orange
Count
Durham Tech Board of
6x /per year-
2 Appointees— one
Commissioner
Commissioner
Trustees
usually 4t"
Commissioner
Price — Member
Marcoplos -
Tuesday of
(2018 -2022)
Member
month at 4 -6pm
One resident
Citizen already
(locations move
appointed
about)
Plus there are
committee
meetings
Family Success
Meets 6x per
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner
Alliance
year -1 -3pm
(2018 -2020)
Burroughs
Burroughs
Alternates —
Commissioner
Commissioner
northern and
Marcoplos
Marcoplos
southern Orange
Count
Fire Chief's Association
Bi- monthly — first
Commissioner not
Commissioner
Commissioner
of Orange County
Weds - 7pm
required as member —
McKee
McKee
but can attend as
guest(s)
2018 -2020
Food Council
Meets 1/x per
1 Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Commissioner Rich
Month (usually
(2018 -2020)
the 1St Monday
at 4:30)
Alternates
between Chapel
Hill and
Hillsborough
Go Triangle Board of
Monthly
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Trustees
3rd Wed -12pm in
(2018 -2022)
Jacobs
Jacobs
Durham
Go Triangle Special
Meets every
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner
Tax Board
January (more
required
Dorosin and
Burroughs
often if needed)
(2018 -2022)
Commissioner
Commissioner
in Durham at
Burroughs —
Price
GoT office
Go Triangle
6x per year
1 Board of County
NA
Commissioner
Community Advisory
(assuming they
Commissioners
Price
Committee-
will meet at Go T
Liaison
offices
Healthy Carolinians
Meets quarterly
Commissioner not
Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
(3rd Thursdays at
required —often same
Burroughs
8:30am)
BOCC Member as on
the Board of Health
2018 -2020
Orange County Local
Quarterly
1 Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Commissioner
Government Affordable
Required
Marcoplos
12
Housing Collaborative
(2018 -2020)
(the Collaborative)
Intergovernmental
Meets 3 times
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Chair Dorosin —
Parks Work Group
per year at
Member
Rich — Member
Member
5:30pm -at SHSC
1 Alternate
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Burroughs -
McKee - Alternate
(2018 -2020)
Alternate
Justice Advisory
Quarterly (Friday
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner
Council
afternoons:
(2018 -2020)
Jacobs
Jacobs
3:30pm)
Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Price
Joint Public Safety
Meets as
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Chair Dorosin
Training Facility Work
needed at ES
(2018 -2020)
McKee and
Commissioner
Group
Commissioner
Price
Burroughs
JCPC (Orange County
Meets 6 -7x per
1 Commissioner
Commissioner Rich
Commissioner
Juvenile Crime
year (every other
(2018 -2020)
Burroughs
Prevention Council)
month)
LIWG (Legislative
Meets as
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner Rich
Issues Work Group)
needed
(2018)
Price and
Chair Dorosin
Commissioner
Marcoplos
NACo Voting Delegate
I Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Required
Price
Price
(2018)
NCACC Voting
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Delegate
Required
Price
Price
(2018)
May have alternate
N/S BRT (North /South
Not decided yet
One Commissioner
NA
Commissioner
Bus Rapid Transit)
Jacobs
policy committee
Orange County
Bi- monthly- Last
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Partnership for Young
Wednesday -at
Burroughs
Burroughs
Children
8:30am
Partnership to End
Monthly-
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Homelessness
Marcoplos
Burroughs
Small Business Loan
Meets as
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Program
needed to vet
Jacobs
Jacobs
applications
received
(7:30am on
Fridays)
Solid Waste Advisory
Meets as
2 Commissioners
Commissioner
Commissioner
Group (SWAG)
needed
(2018 -2020)
Jacobs and
Jacobs
Commissioner Rich
Commissioner
Marcoplos
13
Strategic
Meets as
2 Commissioners
Commissioner Rich
Commissioner Rich
Communications Work
needed
Commissioners
and
Commissioner
Group
now
OPEN POSITION
Marcoplos
Triangle Area Rural
Bi- monthly-
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Planning Organization
meetings at
Member
Price — Member-
Marcoplos —
(TARPO)
12pm, alternates
1 Alternate
Alternate-
Member
Transportation
counties —Lee
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Advisory Committee
and Chatham
2018 -2022
McKee
Rich - Alternate
TJCOG
Meet 1x per
1 Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
month- Last
1 Alternate
Rich- Member
McKee — Member
Wednesday
(2018 -2022)
Commissioner
Commissioner
6pm
Price Alternate
Rich - Alternate
Upper Neuse River
Bi- monthly at
One Director Position
Commissioner
Commissioner
Basin Association
9:30am- 12:OOpm
Two Alternate
McKee - Director
McKee - Member
(meets in
Positions
Butner)
(2018 -2022)
Commissioner
No Alternate
Price — alternate
Workforce
Meets monthly in
Does not require a
Nancy Coston —
Nancy Coston
Development Board —
various counties-
Commissioner - usually
DSS Director
Regional Partnership
has been 1 Non -
Voting
Liaison
Visitor's Bureau
8:00 am third
1 Commissioner
Commissioner Rich
Commissioner Rich
Wed., monthly,
Required
no meeting in
(2018 -2020)
Jul /December
SHORT TERM TASK FORCES /WORKGROUPS 2016 2017
Cedar Grove
Meets at needed
2
Commissioner
Future Phase
Advisory Board
— on hold for
Commissioners
Jacobs and
forthcoming
Meeting
now
Commissioner
Price
Space Study Work
Meets as
2
Chair McKee
In Maintenance
Group
needed
Commissioners
and
Commissioner
Price
EX- OFFICIO
Hillsborough /Orange County Chamber of Commerce- does not
require a Commissioner
Chair Serves
NC DOT Quarterly Meetings
Chair /Vice Chair
School Collaboration Meetings
Chair /Vice Chair
14
2 Boards to be decided on /chosen at future work session
JOCCA- need to decide
whether to continue
participation
Meets Quarterly in
Pittsboro at 5:30pm -
1 Commissioner
Or
Citizen
Plan Implementation Focus
time
3
4 Boards – Not Meeting at this time
5
Efland Mebane Small Area
Not meeting at this
1 Commissioner
Plan Implementation Focus
time
Group
Historic Rogers Road Task
Not meeting at this
2 Commissioners -
Force
time
Commissioner Price and
Commissioner Rich
Hollow Rock Park Planning
Not meeting at this
2 Commissioners
Committee
time -
Will take all 4
governmental entities
to sunset this group
Library Services Task Force
Has not met since
2 Commissioners
2009 — suggestion
to sunset and re-
create, if needed at
a later date
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7 3. Board of Commissioners - Discussion on BOCC Advisory Board Liaison
8 Reporting
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10 Chair Dorosin said this topic has come up in some petitions, and how the
11 Commissioners relate their service on these advisory boards to the rest of the BOCC. He said
12 the Board had encouraged each other to share updates by email, but this has been intermittent.
13 He said several Commissioners have made a renewed effort by email, and he appreciated this.
14 Commissioner Burroughs said email is helpful. She said some boards send the agenda
15 in advance and perhaps if all Commissioners could receive the agenda, review it, and note any
16 items of particular interest.
17 Commissioner Price said all internal boards have agendas and minutes posted on line.
18 Donna Baker suggested that the serving Commissioner could share agendas from inter -
19 governmental boards with the rest of the Board.
20 Commissioner Jacobs said it may be useful to have a place on the BOCC regular
21 agenda for the Board to give him direction, as relates to the GoTriangle Board. He said the
22 GoTriangle board recently discussed a LEAD Certified Rail Operations Maintenance Facility,
23 and he, and several other board members, felt that a LEAD certification is a waste of money.
24 He said there is a lot of chest expanding at GoTriangle about the importance and beauty of
25 what is being done, which does not add anything but make people feel more important. He said
26 it costs money. He said he would welcome the direction of the BOCC on how to proceed at
27 GoTriangle meetings, with these types of issues. He said he is often a lone voice with a
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discouraging word for GoTriangle, and it would be nice to have the power and support of the
Board behind his statements.
Commissioner Rich said getting the notes from liaisons in the first place is very
important for them all.
Chair Dorosin said if there is an upcoming meeting, for any board, which a
Commissioner anticipates being significant, and would like direction or feedback from the
Board, that item can be added for discussion to the end of a meeting.
Chair Dorosin said sending emails, containing highlights and questions, may be the best
way to proceed for now.
Commissioner Jacobs said Commissioners could send the minutes of the Board on
which they serve.
Commissioner Marcoplos suggested highlighting any important issues contained in any
minutes that are sent.
Commissioner Burroughs encouraged the school collaboration minutes to be sent out to
the full board.
Commissioner Marcoplos suggested that the process of choosing the boards and
commissions be done earlier than February.
Chair Dorosin said the process will take place in December going forward.
The meeting adjourned at 8:54 p.m.
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Mark Dorosin, Chair
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Attachment 3
DRAFT MINUTES
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING
February 20, 2018
7:00 p.m.
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Tuesday, February 20,
2018 at 7pm. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs,
Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, Renee Price and Penny Rich
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified
appropriately below)
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Additions or Changes to the Agenda
Chair Dorosin noted the following items at the Commissioners' places:
- PowerPoint for Item 6 -a,
- PowerPoint for Item 4 -b
- Yellow sheet: hand out for 7b
PUBLIC CHARGE
Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the problem.
Arts Moment - Aaron Belz
Aaron Belz's poetry has been published in American journals such as Fence, Boston
Review, Eleven Eleven, and Z6calo Public Square, and internationally in publications such as
Van Gogh's Ear, Jacket, and Tears in the Fence. He has given readings in numerous venues
ranging from literary salons and bookstores and university classrooms to improve workshops,
literary festivals, and comedy festivals. Mr. Belz has released three full - length books, The Bird
Hoverer (2007), Lovely, Raspberry (2010) and Glitter Bomb (2014) and has one forthcoming:
Soft Launch (2019, Persea Books). Aaron lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The late John
Ashbery remarked, "Aaron Belz's poetry reminds us that poetry should be bright, friendly,
surprising, and totally committed to everything but itself. Reading him is like dreaming of a
summer vacation — and then taking it."
Aaron Belz read two poems.
2. Public Comments
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
Chair Dorosin said Ellie Kinnaird wished to speak to an item on the consent
agenda, and asked the BOCC if it would be acceptable to allow her to speak at this time.
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The Board agreed by consensus.
Ellie Kinnaird said she is here to speak to Item 8 -g: Letter to Cardinal Innovations
in Support of Club Nova's Request for Capital Funding. She thanked the BOCC for its
support, and said Club Nova is taking time to tell people what they do. She said Club
Nova fulfills a policy that was created in the 1980s, when the institutions for the
chronically mentally ill were closed down with the goal of providing services in the
community. She said Club Nova is a day program where the mentally ill can gather,
which meets in a 100 -year old house. She said a variety of programming is offered to
meet all levels of need. She said socialization is very important for the chronically
mentally ill. She said Club Nova provides three meals a day, transportation, follow up
pertaining to health and medication needs, transitional employment, etc. She said all of
these services allow for the clients to receive care, families to know their loved ones are
safe, and the tax payer to see that these clients are not re- hospitalized, incarcerated or
homeless.
Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:10 p.m.
Commissioner Price said Cardinal Innovations has changed some of its policies,
and she asked Cardinal Innovations if it would now provide funding for residential
construction, and she was told yes. She said Cardinal Innovations encouraged Club
Nova to apply for funding.
Commissioner Jacobs said the Board of County Commissioners has always been
supportive of Club Nova.
Ivey Barger said she is here to address the plans of a neo- confederate group to erect a
billboard size confederate symbol in every county in the state, including Orange County. She
said this group considers this symbol to be a flag, but according to the Unified Development
Ordinance (UDO) these are not flags but signs, and, as such, should be subject to the sign
code. She said this symbol is not a flag of a country, state or political subdivision, and thus
does not fulfill the UDO's definition of a flag. She asked the BOCC to apply the sign code to
the planned display.
Heather Ann said she is here to discuss the aspects of the permit granted for the 60 -foot
flagpole in northern Orange County, off of route 70. She said she is not here to contest the
content, imagery, or related messaging of the anticipated flag, but rather an issue regarding
code compliance enforcements. She said signs on private property can be regulated, and
referred to portions of the LIDO to support this.
Hillary MacKenzie declined to speak.
Patricia Clayton said she is the President of Northern Orange chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and is concerned about the
raising of this proposed flag. She said the NAACP is against racial hatred, division, and
discrimination, and encouraged the BOCC to please vote against the confederate flag.
Joe Cole said his family is from West Virginia, and many family members were coal
miners. He said his parents left West Virginia, as his father did not want to be a coal miner. He
said he has a heritage that is rooted in the south, and in a blue - collar community. He said there
is a lot of complexity in the history of poor white people in the south, and in recent years, he
learned that one of his great grandfathers was a part of the Ku Klux Klan, and some of his
ancestors were slave owners. He said, to him, the confederate flag is a symbol of racism and
terrorism. He said he knows that he has racism in himself, but this flag is a symbol that
promotes racial hatred. He said this symbol should not be so large that it can intimidate people
of color.
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Artha Cravey said she wanted to speak against the large confederate flag that is
proposed to go up in northern Orange County, and the group that is proposing these in every
county. She said this group is promoting white supremacy, and mega size racist symbols are
being used as mega size racist statements. She said Orange County Schools (OCS) has
shown leadership on this issue, and the Board of County Commissioners can do the same.
Emily Elstad said she wanted to speak out against the large confederate flag that is
proposed to go up close to her home. She said she is worried about her property values,
tourism, and the people of color who will have to drive past this symbol daily, two of whom are
her children. She said this is a 20 x 30 foot flag on a 90 -foot pole, which her family will be able
to see from its back yard. She said neither she nor her children want to see this symbol of
hatred. She said movement around the confederate flag is often sluggish, and she urged the
BOCC to consider how it would act if this group was going to put up a swastika or a flag of male
genitalia.
Amy Halberstaff said she is in awe of the speeches that have come before her, and she
has flags at home but this flag, and its size, is a symbol of hatred and racism. She said she has
concerns for all that would see this flag, and how it would reflect on Orange County. She said
erecting this flag will not be helpful to Orange County in any possible way.
David Neal said he is concerned about the idea of a mega size symbol of hate going up
in Orange County. He said he agrees the UDO should be used to limit the size of this symbol,
and any other symbol, on residential property. He said if there any ambiguity within the UDO,
he hopes the BOCC will work with the Planning Department to remove it, and any doubt,
moving forward.
Julia Sendor said she is here because of the young people with whom she works. She
said she never thought seriously about the confederate flag until she started working with
middle and high school students. She said many young people of color "just shut down" when
they see a flag such as this. She said the County has the tools to govern in a way that protects
public health and welfare.
Sarah Cross said she is speaking against the confederate flag that may be put up in
northern Orange County. She said this flag is stained with murder. She said she is a
descendant of southern families and confederate flags. She does not want a mega
confederate flag in Orange County, or anywhere else in the country.
Erik Johnson said he is a retired minister in Chapel Hill, and he stands in opposition of
any flag of this type. He said symbols are powerful, and the confederate flag is a symbol of
reality that is horrifying to him, and one in which he does not want to participate. He said when
he sees this flag throughout the country he trembles and is chilled. He said he feels pain and
terror, and he is white; he can only imagine how people of color must feel. He said other areas
have removed this flag, and Orange County can do the same.
Chair Dorosin said this is a matter of concern, and the Board has asked John Roberts to
look in some of these issues, and will ask him to look at more of these after tonight. He said the
public has spoken very eloquently about all the elements of this issue, and he said the Board of
County Commissioners is taking this matter very seriously.
Commissioner McKee said it is a two -prong approach: the Sons of Confederate
Veterans is the group that is intent on putting one flag in every county; and the group that is
based in Alamance County wants to put up 4 flags in Orange County specifically.
Commissioner Jacobs said about 15 years ago, the Sons of Confederate Veterans
approached the Board of County Commissioners requesting that the confederate Memorial Day
be a County holiday. He said German soldiers fighting for Germany in WW2 were fighting for
the Nazis, and their actions were therefore immoral. He said confederate soldiers were the
same. He said the confederate flag has been used to protest racial reconciliation and the
institution of equal civil rights.
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Commissioner Price thanked the public for coming out and speaking.
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
(These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda
below.)
3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members
Commissioner McKee said he had mentioned recently that GoTriangle would come back
to the BOCC for an additional vote in 2018, but he has learned that this was incorrect. He said
he would like to petition the Board to direct staff to determine when the BOCC has another
go /no go vote on the light right project.
Commissioner McKee said he would like to know whether a material change, as defined
in the plan, automatically triggers a go /no go vote, or if the change is simply reported to the
BOCC.
Commissioner McKee said he is disturbed that, at the last Metropolitan Planning
Organization's (MPO) meeting, a weighted vote occurred. He said he did not know about the
weighted vote, but it is his understanding that the weighted vote did not change the outcome,
but it insured the outcome. He said he is concerned that this was used as a tactic, when all are
supposed to be equal and collaborative partners.
Commissioner Price said she would also like to know what triggers a review and
reevaluation of the County's agreement with GoTriangle.
Commissioner Price said residents have been requesting walkability around
Hillsborough, in particular a sidewalk or gravel pathway to and from the State Employees Credit
union (SECU) that just opened on Highway 70.
Commissioner Price thanked the new elections director for updating the website about
upcoming elections.
Commissioner Price said she attended her first ABC board meeting today, and she
distributed alcohol resource guides to the BOCC. She said the Sheriff's department plans to
take a DWI simulator to local schools to educate young people about the dangers of drunk
driving.
Commissioner Rich said she handed over her MPO orientation book to Commissioner
Marcoplos. She said the weighted vote has not always been in the make up of the MPO, and it
goes by population, with each group getting the amount of votes per populations. She said this
vote can be asked for at any time but usually occurs when there is a controversy.
Commissioner Rich said she and Commissioner Jacobs attended the 5 -year LAUNCH
celebration event. She said LAUNCH now has an additional space.
Commissioner Rich gave a big shout out to Chapel Hill Town Council member, Hongbin
Gu, for the Chinese New Year event at the Friday Center.
Commissioner Rich said she attended the fire academy with Chapel Hill High (CHHS)
students, which was a learning experience. She said the students lead the class, and this is a
great program for students at CHHS and Orange High School.
Commissioner Rich said she also took an EMT class with students at CHHS. She said
learning CPR is no longer sufficient, and EMT training needs to include how to stop bleeding,
and tourniquets are needed for all the first responders in the schools.
Commissioner Rich said she attended a program about hunger in schools, where they
talked about food distribution in Wake County high schools. She said she would like to have a
similar program for high schools in Orange County.
Commissioner Marcoplos said it was frustrating reading the article about the MPO
meeting. He said the article made it out to be a power play, and as he talked with others, he
found the article was fairly erroneous. He said the article fired people up with misinformation,
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and he said the MPO is going to have a committee on communications. He asked if there is a
better way to get on top of controversial issues in the future, in order to provide factual
information up front.
Commissioner Marcoplos said last night he attended a presentation by the group
working on the tiny homes initiative. He said this initiative is doing a lot of work in showing the
roadblocks to tiny homes, and he encouraged everyone to find out more.
Commissioner Burroughs said she attended the Family Success Alliance (FSA)
meeting, and the FSA has been invited to submit a significant proposal to the Kenan Trust.
She said the new head of United Way for the Triangle attend the FSA meeting, and said the
United Way is again changing the way it does funding. She said UNC has applied for, and
received, more funding to help with evaluations.
Commissioner Jacobs said this Monday is the 201h Orange County Agricultural Summit
at the Whitted building.
Commissioner Jacobs petitioned to direct staff /Commission for the Environment to
research how Orange County can be qualified as a "Bee Friendly County ".
Commissioner Jacobs said he asked that the new Elections Director to come and talk to
the Board about the safety of their votes. He said he served on the State Commission on
Electronic Voting, and they found that the machines in Orange County are hard to hack, but
they did see a demonstration about how easy it is to get into electronic machines. He said a
review would be good.
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the MPO vote, and said it was an unfortunate decision
from the Durham representatives to undercut the collegial relationships that were created about
the light rail. He said Durham's petition to remove certain projects would have failed 5 -3,
because Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Chatham, Orange and Hillsborough voted no; but because it
was a weighted vote, these 5 entities lost. He said this does not set a good tone for the future.
He said he believes GoTriangle staff has an answer to when there is a check -in point in the
project, which he believes is related to insufficient funds being available in order to proceed.
Commissioner Rich said they are talking about removing projects that may or may not
be getting state funding, and it is important that everyone understands what the SPOT 5.0 is,
and how the state funding works. She said this could be an information item on an upcoming
agenda.
Commissioner Price said she has worked with the SPOT series before, and with the
Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO) there is a level of trust and collaboration
where they shared the points system.
Commissioner Price said the Orange County Mental Health Work Group toured the
Wakebrook Behavioral Health facility in Raleigh. She said local judges and other criminal
justice staff attended, and they were looking at ways to help keep people with mental health
needs out of jail.
Commissioner Price said she too attended the Lantern Festival, and Chapel Hill -
Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) won the dragon dance.
Chair Dorosin said he attended a good school collaboration meeting this morning. He
said one of the discussion items was safety within the schools. He said one suggestion was for
the two school boards and Orange County to meet with the Community Emergency Response
Collective to share information. He said he suggested hosting a community listening session to
allow the public to receive up to date information regarding school safety.
Chair Dorosin said he had a meeting with Community Home Trust Director, Robert
Dowling and Kevin Foy yesterday, who are Chairs of the InterFaith Council's (IFC) campaign for
The Food First facility in Carrboro. He said this project may be one of which the Board of
County Commissioners would be supportive, and possibly use the social justice fund to fund
their capital building request over several years.
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4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
a. OWASA Annual Update Presentation
The Board received a presentation and information from the Orange Water and Sewer
Authority ( OWASA) on recent activities.
Ray Dubose, Orange County Appointee to the OWASA Board, said they value this
annual opportunity to present to the BOCC.
Ray Dubose, Robert Morgan, OWASA Board Chair, and Todd Taylor, OWASA General
Manager, reviewed the following information:
The North Carolina Drought Monitor currently classifies central North Carolina including Orange
County as being in a moderate drought. The OWASA Board and staff are closely monitoring
conditions and we continue to encourage wise use of water resources.
As of January 17th, our reservoirs (Cane Creek Reservoir, University Lake and Quarry
Reservoir) were 63% full, which is lower than normal for this time of year. Since 1990, the
lowest level for our reservoirs on January 17th was 41 % full in 2008, during our last severe
drought.
We have a Water Shortage Response Plan and a Drought Response Operating Protocol, which
guides our decisions to ensure we work proactively with the community in response to
increasingly severe drought conditions. Each year, we want to see our water supply capacity at
100% by the spring, so we anticipate improvement within the next month or so. If not, we will
take action to seek additional conservation from our customers and consider our Jordan Lake
supply option.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure /Agua Vista
Significant progress was made last year on our Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project
called Agua Vista to include:
• Wrapping up vendor selection and contract negotiations.
• Executing the installation contract with our preferred vendor.
• Installing a portion of the network infrastructure.
• Substantial completion of software integration.
• Staff training.
• Development of the community engagement plan and materials.
• Upgrading a small quantity of meters with OWASA staff to reinforce training and test
processes.
• Processed a small quantity of bills utilizing AMI reading data.
The key benefits of the project are:
• To improve customer access to water use information,
• To make for more efficient and effective billing,
• To allow early detection of possible water leaks, and
• To enhance operational efficiency.
Key activities for 2018 will include finishing the installation of the network infrastructure,
completing a field readiness test with the installation subcontractor to review their processes,
begin system -wide meter upgrades, and launching the customer portal.
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Sewers for the Historic Rogers Road Area
Sewer installation began in the fall of 2017. About 2,950 feet of sewer pipe has been installed to
date. This is approximately 15% of the 19,000 feet of pipe that will be installed. The project is
on schedule for completion in summer 2018.
Financial Management
Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 is the sixth consecutive year with no increase in our monthly water and
wastewater rates. We received an unmodified opinion from our independent auditors that our
financial statements fairly present our financial position. We continue to meet our financial
performance objectives, including the metric we use to measure the affordability of our
services. The average household in our area uses about 4,000 gallons per month of water and
sewer service; the annual cost of service at this level, $70.66 per month, is less than 1.5% of
median household income.
Affordability Outreach Program
2017 marked the second full year of OWASA's formal Affordability Outreach Program. We
continue to engage with over 20 social service agencies from across the county to increase
community awareness of options to manage and reduce OWASA bills and empower low -
income customers and the local agencies that serve them with information and tools to manage
and reduce OWASA bills. Some of our notable efforts in 2017 include:
• A revenue - neutral transition from a seasonal water rate structure to a uniform water rate
structure for multi - family, master - metered customers to help with month -to -month water
bill budgeting for sub - metered tenants.
• The launch of a neighborhood conservation challenge (Save2Gain) in partnership with
Chapel Hill Public Housing.
• Promotion and completion of water use assessments to identify water saving strategies
for low- income customers, working through the local agencies that serve them.
• The implementation of a pay -by -text option for interested customers.
We continue to promote the on -bill contributions to the Care to Share customer assistance
program in our Blue Thumb customer newsletter, public events (like our Open Houses), and
website. In fiscal year 2017, the program raised over $5,400 in on -bill contributions from 1,038
customers. We also promote direct contributions to the Inter -Faith Council.
In 2018, OWASA will consider a reduction in our service availability fees (renamed system
development fees) for all new connections to OWASA's water and sewer system, as well as the
creation of a new, low tier for homes that are 800 square feet or less. Additionally, the OWASA
Board of Directors will receive and discuss a proposal for Year 3 of the Affordability Outreach
Program Plan at our February 8, 2018 Work Session.
Fluoridating drinking water
On October 9, 2017, OWASA resumed fluoridation of drinking water to promote dental health
and in accord with recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control, US Environmental
Protection Agency, US Public Health Service, NC Division of Public Health and the Orange
County Board of Health. Fluoridation resumed following completion of improvements to the
safety and reliability of the fluoride feed system at the Jones Ferry Road Water Treatment
Plant.
In February 2018, the Orange County Board of Health is scheduled to consider OWASA's
request for the Health Department to facilitate a County -wide process for periodic review of
drinking water fluoridation.
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Drinking water quality
In 2017, we again met all Federal and State standards for the quality of our drinking water,
including requirements to test for over 150 substances.
As part of our regulatory monitoring, we test every three years for lead in tap water at 30 homes
built between 1983 and 1985. The results from this testing in 2017 were that 90% of samples
tested below the detectable level of 3 parts per billion (ppb). In 29 of the water samples, lead
was below the detectable level of 3 ppb. We found lead in one sample at a level of 4 ppb, which
is below the Federal action level of 15 ppb.
We continue to offer drinking water quality testing to all of our customers free of charge.
Quality of our treated wastewater and biosolids
In July 2017, we received the Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association
of Clean Water Agencies for seven consecutive years of meeting all standards for the quality of
our treated wastewater. Our treated wastewater has phosphorus and nitrogen levels well below
the limits set by the State for our Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant.
We also continue to meet all standards for the quality of the treated wastewater solids, and our
Class A biosolids (the solid residue from wastewater treatment) meets federal environmental
standards for "exceptional quality." We recycled our biosolids primarily to enhance the soil on
approved farmlands in Orange, Chatham and Alamance Counties. Some biosolids are recycled
at a private composting facility in Chatham County, which makes a soil additive for landscaping.
Commissioner Rich asked if a bit more information could be shared about about Energy
Management, and alternative sources of energy.
Todd Taylor reviewed the following information:
Energy management
In April 2017, the Board adopted an Energy Management Plan that included a suite of
strategies to help us work towards our Board -set energy management goals to:
• Reduce our use of purchased electricity by 35% by 2020 compared to a 2010 baseline.
• Reduce our use of purchased gas by 5% by 2020 compared to a 2010 baseline.
• Beneficially use all Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant biogas by 2022, provided
the preferred strategy is projected to have a positive payback within the expected life of
the required equipment.
• Formally engage local governments and partners in discussion about potential
development of biogas -to- energy projects at the wastewater treatment plant.
• Seek proposals for third -party development of renewable energy projects on OWASA
property.
This plan is a key milestone to improve the environmental impact of our operations, reduce
costs, and improve reliability. It represents our first formal, comprehensive, organization -wide
evaluation of ways we can better manage energy across all our facilities. On February 22,
2018, the Board will receive and discuss an update to the Energy Management Plan.
Diversity and Inclusion Program
We are proceeding with our Implementation Plan for the Employee Diversity and Inclusion
Program. Our consultant, VISIONS, Inc., has trained a Diversity Leadership Group, Diversity
Recruitment Group and a Diversity Resource Group as well as the OWASA Board of Directors.
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1 An organizational assessment has been conducted and results will be reviewed with employees
2 soon.
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4 Key activities for 2018 are completion of organization assessment and additional training for
5 OWASA staff.
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7 Infrastructure investments
8 Capital investments, including debt payments for capital projects, account for about half of our
9 costs. In 2017, we invested about $13.6 million to renew, replace and improve our infrastructure
10 to maintain the reliability and quality of our services and the structural integrity of facilities.
11 Key accomplishments in 2017
12 • Replacement of aging water mains on parts of East Rosemary and Henderson Streets,
13 in coordination with Town of Chapel Hill street resurfacing.
14 • Substantial completion of work to replace an aging water main on Hillsborough Street
15 from East Rosemary Street to Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, again in coordination
16 with an upcoming Town roadway project.
17 • Rehabilitation of a deteriorating section of a pressurized sewer in the Hamilton Road
18 and Prestwick Road area, an extremely high priority project in that this pipe carries
19 nearly half of the wastewater flow of the entire service area.
20 • Installation of a new water main from our water storage tank on Hilltop Street to improve
21 system pressures in the Hilltop /McCauley neighborhood.
22 • Completion of needed electrical, controls, and monitoring improvements to the
23 wastewater pump station in the Piney Mountain neighborhood (off of Mt. Sinai Road)
24 • Received approval for nearly $15 million in low- interest loans from the NC Division of
25 Water Infrastructure to serve the design and construction of six capital projects.
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27 Key projects planned in 2018
28 • Completion of rehabilitation and improvements to the wastewater pump station near
29 Cleland Drive, our largest remote wastewater pump station.
30 • Completion of an assessment at our treatment plants to identify and assess risks that
31 would prevent OWASA from providing services that meet or exceed federal, state, local
32 quality requirements.
33 • Replacement of filter media and rehabilitation and improvements to the filtration system
34 used at the Jones Ferry Water Treatment Plant.
35 • Installation of and enhancements to security systems at various remote water supply
36 and storage facilities.
37 • Completion of work in the Heritage Hills Neighborhood, including replacement of water
38 mains on portions of Brandywine and Lexington Roads, and rehabilitation of sewer
39 mains and manholes throughout the neighborhood.
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41 New System Development Fees
42 As explained in my December 18, 2017 letter (attached), the OWASA Board expects to take
43 action to lower our one -time fees for new water and sewer connections effective July 1, 2018.
44 We currently refer to these fees as Service Availability Fees. They will be called System
45 Development Fees in the future.
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47 For single - family residences, depending on the house size, these fees will be reduced by 25-
48 36% (even more for our proposed new lower tier for small homes). For example, under current
49 rates, a new 1,300 square foot home would be charged a System Development Fee of $3,862
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to connect to the water and sewer system. Under the revised rates, the same new connection
would be charged a System Development Fee of $2,472.
40th Anniversary Celebrations
We held an open house on October 21st at the Cane Creek Reservoir and an open house on
Saturday, November 4th at our 400 Jones Ferry Road facilities in Carrboro. These events were
well received by the public.
OWASA Water Wagon
In 2017, OWASA built and debuted a Water Wagon to serve chilled drinking water from our
water treatment plant at public events. The Water Wagon is powered by solar panels and
provides the opportunity for community members to fill their water bottles, drink directly from the
fountains, and even give water to their dogs. We are excited about this new platform for
engaging with the community.
Commissioner Rich asked if there are plans to use solar panels.
Todd Taylor said OWASA owns a lot of land, and solar farming is being considered. He
said the initial obstacle is that the Duke solar substation, on this land, is at capacity.
Commissioner Rich said she is not talking about having solar panels on the land, but
rather on property.
Todd Taylor said he would take this suggestion back to OWASA.
Commissioner Price referred to the Rogers Road project, and asked if the completion
date of summer 2018 includes hook ups to all homes.
Todd Taylor said it is his understanding that individual hooks ups will be done by the
homeowners, and the timeline is for the infrastructure.
Commissioner Price referred to working with the Health Department about fluoridation,
and asked if this is inclusive of the whole County.
Todd Taylor said this is still in the works, but OWASA would like to have the
conversation about fluoridation with the entire community, and is seeking the assistance of the
Health Department in this endeavor.
Commissioner Price offered kudos for OWASA's efforts towards energy management.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a status update on the re -use system.
Todd Taylor said this system is working well, and UNC added the reclaimed water
system to the wastewater plant. He said last year OWASA sold the largest amount of
reclaimed water in its history. He said the growth of this system is at the maximum now.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the record number is known.
Todd Taylor said he thinks it was 2.6 MGD, and most of the hospital and campus
chillers are on this system, as well as some irrigation.
Commissioner McKee complimented OWASA staff on their professionalism around the
greenway bridge project.
Chair Dorosin referred to a point in the report about considering a reduction in the
service availability fee /connection fee for homes that are 800 square feet or less, and asked if
there could be some clarification on this topic, as it was his understanding for years that
OWASA could not do anything about this fee. He also asked if the number of homes, that are
800 square feet or less, is known, and why the size of 800 square feet was chosen.
Robert Morgan said nothing has changed on how the costs are calculated, but the State
directed utilities to calculate the cost in a certain way, which OWASA has done. He said during
this process, it was determined that the costs for smaller structures were less, and this is being
recognized. He said he does not know how many homes of this size are in existence, but he
can find out.
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Chair Dorosin asked of there was a reason the size limit was set at 800 square feet, as
opposed to 1000 or 1100 square feet. He said the idea sounds like a good one, but his
concern is that it will not help many affordable housing projects. He said the Board of County
Commissioners supports the goal of reducing housing costs, and he is not sure that this change
will have a significant impact.
Commissioner Marcoplos said the idea came about in consideration of tiny homes.
Robert Morgan said he can research the number of units that fit this size limit, why the
800 square foot size was chosen, and whether there is any flexibility on this issue, and get back
to the BOCC.
Chair Dorosin said he is encouraged by this step, and affordable housing has become a
real action priority amongst all local governments, but he suspects there are very few homes
that are 800 square feet or less.
Commissioner Price referred to the Tiny Homes Summit, and said this reduction in fees
lays a foundation for tiny home communities to exist.
Commissioner Price said different size homes are ruled by different regulations.
Chair Dorosin said this progress for tiny home communities is excellent, but the cost of
OWASA is a huge factor in the cost of housing, and he would like to see more help made
available to the most people.
b. FY2018 -19 Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) Continuation Budget
The Board received an update on the current continuation budget projections for the
FY2018 -19 Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools budget.
BACKGROUND:
During the last collaboration meeting of the three Boards, Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools
requested the opportunity to appear before the Board of County Commissioners prior to the
official start of the budget process. The request is an effort to be transparent with information
early in the process so that the Board of County Commissioners is aware of the current reality
in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. The estimated local cost for potential state mandates is
$3,057,231. This represents the estimated amount of funding needed to maintain the current
educational services, programming, and staff.
Re: 2018 -19 Preliminary Continuation Budget
Each year the district prepares a continuation budget estimate to begin the budget development
process. The continuation budget is an estimate of the additional funding needed to maintain
our current educational services and programs. This estimate is based on the anticipated state
salary increases and benefit cost increases that must be matched for locally paid employees.
The continuation budget also includes estimated revenue increases as a result of student
growth, special district tax inflation, and other miscellaneous revenue growth. We anticipate
receiving our official state enrollment projection from the Department of Public Instruction by the
end of February. At this time our continuation budget is based off the same growth as the state
projected last year of 109 additional students. We project a $777,460 increase in local revenues
from student growth and the special district tax inflation. We also project a $175,000 increase
from all of the other revenue sources.
A placeholder amount has been included in the preliminary budget for a 6.9% state pay raise
for certified staff and a $1,000 increase of all other staff. This placeholder will also support the
district meeting Orange County's living wage goals for all of our employees. We have also
projected increases in the state retirement employer match rate as well as in the health
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1 insurance rate. In total the estimated local cost for these potential state mandates is
2 $3,057,231. This represents the estimated amount of funding needed to maintain our current
3 educational services, programming, and staff.
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5 District schools and central offices submitted budget requests as part of our budget
6 development process. Over $3 million was requested by school improvement teams and district
7 administrators to support unfunded educational needs of our students. Over the next two
8 months, these requests will be prioritized and may be included in the Board's budget request to
9 the Board of Orange County Commissioners.
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11 Superintendent Pam Baldwin and Assistant Superintendent Todd LoFrese made the
12 following PowerPoint presentation:
13
14 Preliminary 2018 -19
15 Local Budget Review
16 Board of County Commissioners Meeting
17 February 20, 2018
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19 2017 -18 District Highlights
20 • Restorative Practices & Discipline Data
21 • District -wide focus: Culture of Safety
22 • Co- located Mental Health
23 • CTE Fire and EMT programming
24 • Newcomer Graduates
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26 2017 -18 District Initiatives
27 • The Innovation Project
28 • Northside AVID program
29 • Phoenix Evening Program
30 • TRAC Grant
31 • LAUNCH
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33 Strategic Plan Development
34 • Student and Staff Forums
35 • Focus Groups
36 • Four Key Themes Emerge
37 o Whole Child
38 o Human Capital
39 o Organizational Structure
40 o Family and Community Engagement
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42 Commissioner Rich asked if an update about the bus driver situation could be provided.
43 Superintendent Baldwin said there are driver sicknesses as well as vacancies that are
44 creating some route issues, and CHCCS has advertised this need across the district.
45 Todd LoFrese resumed the PowerPoint presentation:
46
47 Preliminary 2018 -19
48 Budget Drivers
49 • Legislative salary and benefit increases
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• Impact of School Funding formula changes
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• Renovations to school facilities
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• Potential charter student increase — loss of State and
Local funds
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2018 -19 Student Enrollment Protection
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2018 -19 Enrollment Projection 12,348
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2017 -18 State Enrollment Projection 12,239
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District Projected Enrollment Increase 109
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Projected Local Revenue Increase
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• County per pupil for enrollment change $ 431,067
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• 1 % Inflationary increase to district tax 346,393
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• Net change in other Local revenues 175,000
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Total Net Increase $ 952,460
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Projected State Mandates
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State Mandates
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• 6.9% State pay raise for teachers incl. benefits $
1,488,731
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• $1,000 pay raise for other employees
857,000
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• State retirement match increase
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(17.13% to 17.64% est.)
500,000
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• Employer health insurance match increase
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($5984 to $6104 est.)
211,500
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TOTAL OF CONTINUATION BUDGET REQUEST
$3057,231
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Local Expansion Budget Requests
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Expansion Budget Requests
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• Schools' Expansion Requests
$2,070,750
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• Support Services
345,000
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• Transportation Department
55,218
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• Facilities Department
133,000
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• Exceptional Children's Department
382,988
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• Curriculum and Instruction
163,300
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TOTAL
$3,150,256
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TOTAL OF STATE MANDATES AND EXPANSION BUDGET REQUESTS
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• State Mandates $3,057,231
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• Expansion Requests 3,150,256
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TOTAL $6207487
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PROJECTED REVENUES COMPARED TO GRAND TOTAL OF REQUESTED
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EXPENDITURES
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• Revenue Increase $ 952,460
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• Less: Grand total of request $6,207,487
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• Budget Shortfall ($5,255,027)
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Ad Valorem Tax Increase Reauired to Fund Budaet Shortfall
49 Using Current Year Valuation:
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County Ad Valorem Tax Increase
$5,255,027/$1,069,015 = 4.91 cents
$438 per pupil increase
Local Fund Balance Projection
• Assign $1,000,000 in Fund Balance for 2018 -2019
• Estimated year -end unassigned fund balance for June 30, 2018 is $6.9 million or 9%
• The projected 5.5% target is $4 million
• $2.9 million above the target
Key Dates on the Budget Development Calendar
• March 1 Superintendent presents recommended budget
• March 15 Budget work session and public hearing
• April 5 Board approves budget to be submitted to the County
• April 24 Joint meeting of school board's for budget presentations to County
The Main Priority is the students
Chair Dorosin referred to a spreadsheet in the Commissioners' packet, specifically page
three, and asked if this could be reviewed.
Todd LoFrese reviewed the following information:
CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS
BUDGET UPDATE
2018 -19 SCHOOL YEAR
PROJECTED ENROLLMENT
CHARTER SCHOOL Funded
Less: Out -of- District Estimate
TOTAL STUDENT BILLING BASE
Revenue at FY 2018 per pupil ($3,991)
County Appropriation
Special District Tax
Prior Year District Tax
Tuition
Fines & Forfeitures
Interest Earnings on Investments
Other Local Revenues
Total Local Revenue
FY18
FY19
DIFFERENCE
12,239
12,348
109
162
162
-
(241)
(242)
(1)
12,160
12,268
108
$ 48,530,521 $ 48,961,588 $ 431,067
$ 48,530,521 $ 48,961,588 $ 431,067
23,092,849
23,439,242
346,393
125,000
125,000
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670,000
670,000
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330,000
330,000
-
25,000
50,000
25,000
2,600,000
2,750,000
150,000
$ 75,373,370
$ 76,325,830
952,460
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1 Fund Balance Appropriation
2 Local Operating Expenses
3 Total Local Budget
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State Mandated Increases (estimate)
Estimated Funding Gap $
1,000,000
75,373,370
$ 76,373,370
1,000,000
76,023,568
$ 77,023,568
$ 3,057,231
(2,104,771)
*Projected student enrollment based on DPI estimate from 16 -17 to 17 -18.
Chair Dorosin referred to the 162 students attending charter schools, and asked if they
are counted in the per pupil number, and if the money goes to the charter school with the
student.
Todd LoFrese said the charter schools provide documentation that they have CHCCS
students enrolled in their schools, and on a monthly basis the budget and finance office writes a
check to those charter schools for the per pupil equivalent. He said CHCCS are just a pass
through for the charter school funding.
Chair Dorosin asked if Orange County is also giving this money back to CHCCS.
Todd LoFrese said it is included in the total student billing base number. He said
CHCCS started with the projected enrollment of 12,239, and added the 162 charter students to
that number. He said the out of districts students are backed out of that number, which leaves
a total student - billing base of 12,160 students.
Chair Dorosin said these 162 students are budgeted as part of the total student
enrollment; their per pupil is sent to the charter schools, and then Orange County gives CHCCS
this money again to replace this. He said Orange County holds CHCCS harmless under the
current model, and Orange County is paying CHCCS as if the charter students are there. He
said this is a fairly extraordinary thing for a County to do.
Commissioner Price asked if the charter school students are only those who live in
Orange County.
Todd LoFrese said only the ones that live in the CHCCS district.
Chair Dorosin said it does not matter where the students attend a charter school, as the
money follows the students.
Commissioner Price asked if the process would be the same if the charter school were
within the CHCCS district
Todd LoFrese said PACE Academy used to reside within CHCCS, and not only did
CHCCS have to provide the per pupil from the County, but also had to provide the proportionate
amount for the special district tax.
Commissioner Price asked what would happen if there was a student from Durham
County who attended PACE academy.
Todd LoFrese this student would not be calculated in CHCCS numbers.
Todd LoFrese continued to review page 3.
Chair Dorosin asked if tuition is from out of district students coming into CHCCS.
Todd LoFrese said yes.
Chair Dorosin asked if there is a policy for setting this tuition number.
Todd LoFrese said it is a CHCCS Board policy.
Chair Dorosin asked if the only way one can attend CHCCS schools from out of district
is by being a child of an employee.
Todd LoFrese said yes.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the cost for paying for custodians in house is known.
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Todd LoFrese said this information will be brought back to the BOCC at a later date.
Commissioner Marcoplos clarified that this this cost is not currently part of the
expansion budget.
Todd LoFrese said that is correct.
Commissioner Rich referred to the healthcare plan, and asked if it is purchased through
the State.
Todd LoFrese said it is prescribed to CHCCS, and it is the State health plan, and is not
open for negotiation.
Commissioner Price referred to the priority expansion request, and asked if it only refers
to for operational expenses, and not capital.
Todd LoFrese said yes.
Chair Dorosin said having these early presentations was a good idea that came out of
the school collaboration meetings.
5. Public Hearings
NONE
6. Regular Agenda
a. Greene Tract Conceptual Plans
The Board considered development and preservation alternatives for the Greene Tract
and authorize staff to communicate the Board's preferences to the Towns of Chapel Hill and
Carrboro. These preferences include decisions on:
1. Reconfiguration of the Headwaters Preserve area;
2. Size of the development and preservation areas within the Greene Tract;
3. Density of the development area;
4. Land uses and affordable housing preferences in the development area such as
a. Single use (residential) versus mixed use development (residential and
commercial)
b. Affordable housing versus mixed income /market rate housing
c. Goals for the number or proportion of affordable units
Upon receipt of feedback from both towns, County staff - in concert with town staffs - will
prepare a draft resolution for future approval by the Board of Commissioners, the Chapel Hill
Town Council and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen to codify the preferences /input from all three
entities. With adoption by all three governing boards, the resulting resolution would supersede
the 2002 Resolution that outlined the County and Towns' intentions for developing the Greene
Tract.
BACKGROUND:
The Greene Tract is a 164 acre parcel of which 104 acres is jointly owned by Orange County,
Chapel Hill, and Carrboro. The remaining sixty (60) acres is owned by Orange
County and has been designated as the Headwaters Preserve.
Last year, the owners of the jointly owned portion of the Greene Tract agreed to have the
Mayors and BOCC Chair consider different preservation and development options for the
property. This discussion resulted in three alternatives that illustrate high, medium, and low
development intensities. All of the alternatives include an elementary school site, a site for a
future park, the preservation of significant environmental and cultural areas, and a preliminary
road network and infrastructure design. The three alternatives also consider the project area's
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current environmental conditions, elements of the 2002 Joint Governments' Resolution, the
Rogers Road Task Force report, the Mapping Our Community's Future report, and previous
land use discussions. These three alternatives are contained in Attachment 3.
In addition to the high, medium, and low development intensity scenarios, the Mayors and Chair
requested an examination of the entire Greene Tract, including the Headwaters Preserve, in an
effort to preserve the most environmentally sensitive areas and to develop the most appropriate
areas of the entire 164 acre Tract. As a result, staff amended the proposed conceptual plan,
reconfiguring the Headwaters Preserve and the jointly owned areas. This reconfiguration
maintains the same total acreage for each of the areas but aligns them differently. The
reconfigured tracts were drafted with environmental staff from the Town of Chapel Hill, the
Town of Carrboro, and Orange County in order to create new parcels which endeavored to
protect environmental features and habitats located on site. The proposed reconfigured
Headwaters Preserve area alternatives are also contained in Attachment 3.
Attachment 4 includes land use and density outcomes for the different alternatives. Attachment
5 includes potential affordable housing outputs based on different affordable housing
proportions.
Greene Tract Conceptual Plans
Information on Factors Considered During Creation Process
The staff - created conceptual plans for the Greene Tract are a result of several months of
iterations and input from a variety of staff from the three jurisdictions. While planning staffs
were the lead on creating the conceptual plans, input was also sought and incorporated from
environmental and stormwater staffs.
The following information addresses some anticipated questions regarding why the conceptual
plans are presented as they are.
Environmental Features
Although the Greene Tract lies entirely within the planning jurisdiction of the Town of
Chapel Hill, 104 acres of the Greene Tract are co -owned by Orange County and the Towns of
Chapel Hill and Carrboro while 60 acres are owned solely by Orange County.
Planning staffs chose to apply the most stringent development regulation of the three
jurisdictions when determining stream and wetland buffers and preservation of other
environmental features such as forest types. For example, if one jurisdiction requires a 50 -foot
stream buffer and another requires a 65 -foot stream buffer, a 65 -foot stream buffer was used
as the stream buffer on the conceptual plan.
The Upland Hardwood Forest areas were slated for preservation as at least one jurisdiction
would normally request /require preservation of these types of forests if a development proposal
were made.
Road Configuration
All previous planning efforts of the Greene Tract /Rogers Road area have strongly stated that
Purefoy Drive and /or Lizzie Lane should not be the only access to the Greene
Tract. Connections to the south, north, and /or east must be made. The early iterations of maps
(not included in materials) sought to avoid a stream crossing and connected to
Merin Road, near the southeast corner of the Greene Tract, by traversing the area
between two stream buffer areas. However, this configuration was revised as
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environmental and stormwater staff members stated that a stream crossing would be
preferable to impacting the Upland Hardwood Forest areas while also bisecting
preserve connectivity.
Staffs have spoken with Norfolk Southern railroad representatives regarding a crossing on the
east side of the Greene Tract. While Norfolk Southern is amendable to reviewing any requests,
the railroad generally requires closure of at least one existing crossing for each new
crossing. Staff has not been able to identify existing crossing(s) that could be proposed
for closure in order to make a connection from
the Greene Tract to Weaver Dairy Road Extension to the east.
A connection to the north (to Eubanks Road) might be possible through an edge corridor of the
"Neville Tract" if an alternative site can be found to conduct the Solid Waste activities occurring
on the Neville Tract.
Reconfigured Preserve Area
Quarterly "Managers, Mayors, Chair" (MMC) meetings have been taking place to provide the
opportunity for staffs and the Town /County managers, Town mayors, and
County Chair to meet and receive updates /guidance on Rogers Road sewer system and
planning issue status, including progress on Greene Tract planning. Staff received direction to
consider the reconfiguration of the County -owned 60 -acre portion of the Greene Tract to
encumber the most preservation - worthy lands. Staffs conducted the analysis and the
conceptual plans incorporate a reconfigured County -owned preserve area.
If a reconfigured preserve area is desired, future work would include re- platting the parcels to
reflect different parcel boundaries and ownership from those that currently exist.
Travis Myren said his PowerPoint presentation does not contain new information, since
the BOCC reviewed this topic at the Assemblies of Governments (AOG) meeting. He said
Commissioner Jacobs reminded staff that the Board wants to take a walking tour of the
property, and this will be done prior to the development of a resolution. He said the Housing
Coalition and Rogers Road Neighborhood would also like to be part of the conversation, and
staff will check in with both of these groups.
Travis Myren made the following PowerPoint presentation:
Greene Tract Conceptual Plan
February 20, 2018
Item 6 a
Purpose
• Consider the development and preservation alternatives for the Greene Tract
• Potential reconfiguration of the Headwaters Preserve
• Size and location of development and preservation areas
• Density of the development area
• Land use and affordable housing goals
• Single use vs. mixed use
• Affordable housing only vs. mixed income with market rate
• Goals for the number and proportion of affordable housing
Next Steps
o Communicate Board's preferences to Towns
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• Walking Tour of the Property
• Receive feedback from Towns
• Consult with Affordable Housing Coalition
• Check in with Neighborhood
• Prepare and act on joint resolution for Greene Tract development
Greene Tract
Approximately 164 total acres
0 104 acres jointly owned by Orange County, Town of Chapel Hill, and Town of
Carrboro
0 60 acres owned by Orange County — Headwaters Preserve
• Originally Solid Waste Property
• General Fund Purchased in FY2016 -17
• Designated for low impact recreation and preservation
o Neville Tract
■ Solid Waste Owned
■ Provides soil cover for C &D Landfill
Background
• Rogers Road Task Force Report
• Open Space
• Schools
• Affordable Housing
• Mapping Our Community's Future Report
• Open Space and Recreation
• Connectivity — avoid over burdening existing roads
• Preserve neighborhood character
• Opportunity for mixed uses
• Communicate with neighborhood
• 2017 Managers, Mayors and Chair's Meetings
• Create three development area scenarios (Large, Medium, Small)
• Consider total development area to include 60 acre Headwaters Preserve
Scenario Assumptions
• Joint Development
• Apply most stringent development regulations
• Preserve natural areas for preservation, recreation
• Protect areas of cultural /historic significance
• Develop connectivity /road network
• Create development area for affordable housing opportunities and /or mixed use
potential
• Retain area for a school site
Headwaters Preserve Potential Reconfiguration (map)
Headwaters Preserve Potential Reconfiguration
• Maintains current acreage balance
0 60 acres owned by County
0 104 acres in Joint Ownership
c
1 Advantages
2 o Creates a continuous environmental corridor
3 ■ Upland Hardwoods
4 ■ Wildlife Habitat
5 ■ Historic /Cultural Sites
6 o Consistent County ownership
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8 Disadvantages
9 o Separates potential development areas
10 o Creates access challenges for eastern development area
11 ■ Railroad crossing on eastern boundary
12 ■ Northern road required for access
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14 Development Area — Large (map)
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16 Development Area — Large (tables)
17 • Development /Preservation
18 • Unit Output Potential
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20 Development Area - Large
21 • Advantages
22 o Creates largest area for housing development
23 o More acreage to offset development costs per acre
24 o Double road frontage
25 • Disadvantages
26 o Least amount of preservation
27 o Increased impervious surface
28 o Greater traffic impacts depending on density
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30 Development Area — Medium (map)
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32 Development Area — Medium (tables)
33 • Development /Preservation
34 • Unit Output Potential
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36 Development Area - Medium
37 • Advantages
38 o Wetland buffer adjacent to wildlife corridor
39 o Additional preserve
40 o Double road frontage
41 • Disadvantages
42 o Fewer units possible: 242 -72 depending on density compared to large
43 development area
44 o Less development to offset infrastructure /affordability
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46 Development Area — Small (map)
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48 Development Area — Small (tables)
49 • Development /Preservation
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1 Unit Output Potential
2
3 Development Area – Small
4 • Advantages
5 o Additional preserve
6 o Wildlife corridor– landscape connectivity
7 o Fewest traffic impacts
8 • Disadvantages
9 o Fewer units possible: 138 -690 compared to large development area
10 o Less development to offset infrastructure /affordability
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12 Development /Preservation Areas (pie charts)
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14 Density- photos
15 - Low -4 -6 units per acre
16 - Medium -6 – 10 units /acre
17 - Large- 10 -20 units per acre
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19 Unit Potential by Density (graph)
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21 Land Uses (photos)
22 - Residential
23 - Commercial
24 - Mixed Use
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26 Mixed Use /Mixed Income Affordable Housing Potential – Headwaters Existing (table)
27 (If mixed income development – % of affordable housing shown at bottom left)
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29 General Conclusions
30 Headwaters Existing vs. Headwaters Modified
31 o Modified allows continuous environmental corridor with continuous ownership
32 o Modified produces larger development areas and unit outputs
33 o Modified yields less area for preservation and land banking
34 o Modified needs to be ground verified
35 o Modified presents access challenges by separating development areas
36 Development Area
37 o Larger development areas produce more potential units except in small area
38 where unit outputs are approximately the same
39 o Larger development areas have less preservation areas
40 o Larger areas allow more potential for other development to subsidize
41 infrastructure costs and affordable units
42 Density
43 o Higher density produces more potential units
44 o Higher density allows more opportunity to offset costs of infrastructure and
45 affordable unit costs
46 o Low to moderate density more consistent with current neighborhood
47 • Land Use
48 o Mixed use /mixed income provides opportunity to offset infrastructure and
49 affordable unit costs
50 o Mixed use /mixed income yields fewer affordable units
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o Single use for affordable housing requires more public subsidy
Decision Points
• Consider the development and preservation alternatives for the Greene Tract
• Potential reconfiguration of the Headwaters Preserve
• Size and location of development and preservation areas
• Density of the development area
• Land use and affordable housing goals
• Single use vs. mixed use
• Affordable housing only vs. mixed income with market rate
• Goals for the number and proportion of affordable housing
Next Steps
• Communicate Board's preferences to Towns
• Walking Tour of the Property
• Receive feedback from Towns
• Consult with Affordable Housing Coalition
• Check in with Neighborhood
• Prepare and act on joint resolution for Greene Tract development
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the Neville Tract, and said he thought it was used for
borrowing soil to cover landfills. He asked if a portion of this tract can be rehabilitated to
support a road.
Travis Myren said Solid Waste has borrowed up to the property line, and it is tapered.
He said engineering and fill would be required, and there is not sufficient undisturbed width to
support a road north of the property line.
Commissioner Jacobs said the County has the equipment to do this, and using it to
make a roadbed would be a preferable option to other possible approaches, such as asking the
railroad.
Commissioner Jacobs said the walk through needs to take place before he feels
comfortable making a recommendation.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if land banking can be defined.
Travis Myren said an undefined current use that would require some further action to put
it into active use.
Commissioner Jacobs asked if land is land banked does that mean it will be developed,
or it is undetermined.
Travis Myren said undetermined at this point, and until there is some affirmation action
taken by Board of County Commissioners, it will not be developed.
Commissioner Jacobs said part of the reason the County kept the east part of the land
in Orange County ownership, is because there is a rail line there and a County controlled rail
stop may be built at some point. He said the BOCC may want to keep this in mind, and
incorporate it into future plans.
Commissioner Rich asked if clarification could be provided regarding a "County
controlled rail stop ".
Commissioner Jacobs said this would be on Orange County property, and the County
could put a rail stop there. He said it was a visionary plan, and there is nothing planned.
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the "low scenario," and said he did not understand
why the wild life corridor preserve was only included in this scenario, as opposed to all three.
Travis Myren said it is in the low and medium, but it is not continuous in the large.
Commissioner Jacobs said he applauded the incorporation of a wildlife corridor, but if it
is not a corridor, it does not serve the wildlife. He said whether long or narrow, or headwaters
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modified versus a chunk, is preferable is something he cannot answer, but he would like more
information.
Commissioner Jacobs said he does not understand why a higher density could not be
done anywhere.
Travis Myren said the development area by the potential densities would be applied to
each size of development area.
Commissioner Jacobs said he does not understand why it is assumed in the small
scenario that the density is low, as opposed to high density all the way through.
Commissioner Jacobs said he does not want to make this land into a "new ghetto" by
packing the largest possible amount of people onto the land. He said he is in favor of having
mixed use and a variety of housing types, but he does not understand why the density
assumptions are being made, especially in the small scenario.
Travis Myren said in an unbounded thought exercise, one could see how high the
density could go.
Commissioner Jacobs said some open space would be required, but he questioned the
assumption that one would automatically yield the fewest units, unless the BOCC decides it is
going to yield the fewest units. He suggests that a range of units may be a better way to think
about it.
Travis Myren said he understands Commissioner Jacobs' comments.
Chair Dorosin said he does not understand, and he thought this was a good way to
compare the scenarios, because the same metrics is being used for each. He said it does not
have to be 20 units, 10 units, and 6 units, but these numbers are benchmarks. He said he is
referring to slide 16.
Chair Dorosin said the presentation lays out three different options for how much
developable area there will be, based on how the headwaters are configured. He said the
metrics are being applied to these three different total acreage numbers.
Commissioner Jacobs said there could be a target number of units, as opposed to a
target number of acreage, and design something less dense, and more livable.
Travis Myren said the reason why the 39 acres times 20 does not work, is because the
39 includes the school site, the road, etc. He said a subset of those 39 acres would be
available for housing.
Commissioner Jacobs asked, if there is mixed use, is it counted separately yet again, or
is it a part of the housing.
Travis Myren said that would be part of the housing.
Commissioner Jacobs said the inclusion of commercial development has been part of
the debate from the beginning, and the issue of food deserts makes this particularly germane.
Commissioner Marcoplos said food deserts and jobs, and he would be in favor of mixed
use. He said the eastern side has always intrigued him because it allows easier access to
existing transportation and food.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a reason why this railroad track is such an
insurmountable obstacle.
Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said there are no new crossings allowed over the rail,
and adding one requires the removal of two existing crossings. He said the existing crossings,
at Homestead and Eubanks roads, are critical. He said if the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR)
were to abandon this rail in the future, there would be no problems. He said Orange County will
submit an application, but NCRR has recommended that the County find another access point
from the north or south. He said there is possible access to the north through Genestu Drive,
next to the Animal Shelter, but some right of ways would be needed from property owners.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if NCRR has the same criteria for a freight train
travelling at 60 miles per hour, and a coal train that is crawling along.
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Craig Benedict said yes, and the possibility of a new rail crossing is minimal.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if Norfolk- Southern is a private company.
Craig Benedict said Norfolk- Southern has the use of the right of way from the State.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if anyone has approached Norfolk- Southern to see if
they will change their mind.
Craig Benedict said they are in the mode to close private crossing throughout the state,
and close public crossings where they can, NCRR has rerouted roads rather than closing
crossings.
Commissioner Price asked if they are discussing at grade crossings.
Craig Benedict said yes.
Commissioner Price asked if, this area would be developed; would there be any at
grade, open crossings.
Craig Benedict said one suggestion was to have a grade crossing, as there seems to be
no way to go under or over it. He said the likelihood of NCRR approving this is minimal.
Commissioner Price asked if there would be trains going through the property without
signals, and bars to alert people to the train's presence.
Craig Benedict said the train is only used to transport coal to UNC, and there are no
crossings being suggested for this site.
Commissioner Price referred to the buffer, and asked if the buffer is a long standing
policy, or a current recommendation.
Craig Benedict said the wetlands necessitate required buffers.
Commissioner Price asked if the size of the buffers is an existing requirement.
Craig Benedict said the buffers are required, and the County has expanded them
beyond the regulated size. He said these policies exist amongst the local governments.
Commissioner Price said what bothers her is that the County is considering this project
in isolation to the rest of the neighborhood, and without seeing what else is around the
proposed development area. She said she would like the Board to be cognizant of this, and
she requested working with the surrounding neighborhoods in an ongoing manner as the
process moves forward, as opposed to at the end of the process.
Craig Benedict said Reverend Campbell has been a good attendee of all staff meetings,
and is already providing input. He said staff will do some ground trooping as it receives
direction from the BOCC. He said the land will likely be a mixture of low, medium, and high
density.
Commissioner Price requested again that there be more interaction with the different
residential communities that would surround this area. She said she would like to see some
mixed use, such as a small business incubator, included in the conversation.
Craig Benedict said this is a part of the mixed use discussions, and staff has heard from
professionals, who build mix use, about the importance of considering the amount of critical
mass that is needed to create enough traffic to get people to use retail and incubator space, in
connectivity to different roads. He said eventual roads to the north and south will be important
to create the critical mass of traffic.
Commissioner Price said she is not thinking of a huge commercial development, but
rather a centralized small business space for people in the neighborhood, or a small health
clinic. She said there are a lot of residents in this area, and she would like to see them more
involved in the conversation.
Commissioner Jacobs thanked the Chair and the staff for being creative, and he said
this is one of the most undisturbed natural areas in Chapel Hill. He said it would be useful to
see more of where the roads are going to go out of the area, and it is important to make sure
the neighborhoods are kept informed through neighborhood meetings. He said Reverend
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Campbell is only one person, and it would be smart and kind to include the whole
neighborhood.
Bonnie Hammersley said to Commissioner Price and Commissioner Jacobs that one of
the reasons this item was brought forward tonight is get the Board's input, and staff is fully
aware of what they need to do with the neighborhoods. She said a community meeting should
be held going forward, as well as using the report from the Jackson Center.
Chair Dorosin said the community has expressed concern about the traffic being
dumped on Purefoy Road, and the importance of having other access points to Eubanks Road.
He said part of the goal in adding this to the agenda is to keep the discussion moving forward.
He said the maps are misleading as to what can be developed, and the idea of having this
natural corridor, and recognizing that the SW corner of the current headwaters preserve is good
developable land.
Chair Dorosin said this is the greatest potential for the Board to create affordable
housing, and he sees Orange County as the driver of this process. He said, preliminarily, he
supports the medium or larger amount of developable area, to create the maximum number of
options.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is a timeline for this project.
Chair Dorosin said there is not a particular timeline, so Orange County can drive the
timeline. He suggested scheduling the walk about as soon as possible.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked if all of the governments will do the walkabout.
Chair Dorosin said yes. He said there is an urgency to proceed, and part of the
community's concern is if anything is ever going to happen.
Commissioner Rich said the Manager's recommendation calls for feedback from the
Towns by May 1, 2018. She said a walk through should happen soon, in order to comply with
this recommended date.
Commissioner Jacobs said staff does not need a surveyor to come to the property. He
said there have been several problems with the Greene Tract over time: one jurisdiction did not
want to pay for its part; the recession in 2008; and there was a lot of objection to mixed use in
the early 2000s. He said those who were advocates for affordable housing rotated off of
boards, and the momentum slowed.
Commissioner McKee said whichever alternative is chosen, he would suggest starting
with the most developable property, while maintaining the best preservation corridor. He said
there is no requirement that all of the property be developed, and it is easier to start with a high
level and work down, than to start at a low level and work up.
Commissioner Burroughs said it makes sense to look at the headwaters modified, as
the corridor is in all three options. She agreed with Commissioner McKee's point of starting
high and working down, if necessary.
Commissioner Jacobs agreed with Commissioner McKee, and said to preserve as much
of the significant natural areas as possible, and then go with the highly developable areas.
Chair Dorosin said it sounds like there is consensus to:
• Modify the headwaters preserve, with the goal of creating, or protecting, the natural
north -south corridor, with the exact boundaries to be determined;
• Begin with the highest developable areas;
• Keep to the timeline established of May 1, and communicate this to the Towns;
• Set up the walking tour as soon as possible;
• Have a community -wide meeting, presenting that which has been learned, between the
walking tour and May 1.
Commissioner Rich asked if Carrboro is still engaged in this project.
26
1 Chair Dorosin said yes, at least through the May 1s` deadline, and if the Board felt
2 Carrboro should ultimately not be involved, then Carrboro would consider stepping back.
3 Commissioner Price said it would be good to speak with St. Paul's Village.
4 Chair Dorosin agreed, and thanked staff from across the County for working hard on this
5 project.
6
7 7. Reports
8
9 a. Orange County Sheriff's Office Portable Audio /Video Recorders Policy
10 The Board discussed the Sheriff's Portable Audio /Video (body -worn cameras) Records
11 Policy.
12
13 BACKGROUND:
14 At the February 6, 2018 Board of Orange County Commissioners meeting, the Board received
15 a presentation on Motorola's Digital Evidence Management Solutions
16 (DEMS) and introduced the SI -500 Body Camera and Command Central Vault. Orange County
17 Sheriff Charles S. Blackwood responded to questions from Board members about the possibility
18 of equipping Sheriff's Deputies with these body -worn cameras (BWC). During the conversation,
19 the Board expressed interest in revisiting the discussion after having a chance to review the
20 Sheriff's Portable Audio /Video Records Policy, which was distributed at the meeting.
21
22 Jennifer Galassi, Legal Advisor, said the policy tracks with State law, as well as best
23 practices. She said many of the parameters of the policy are already established based on the
24 relatively new North Carolina General Statue, which excludes recordings from the public
25 records designation, and sets out the process for seeking disclosure, and /or release of
26 recordings. She said the State's records and retention schedule for Sheriffs' offices, which this
27 body adopted, and the office adheres to for retention policies. She said this is the framework
28 into which the policy fits. She said the statute requires all law enforcement agencies that use
29 body cameras to have a policy that addresses the use of those devices, and places restrictions
30 on when a recording may be reviewed and released, both internally and to the public.
31 Jennifer Galassi said the statute does not address what the policy must address. She
32 said there are issues such as when to activate the body -worn camera; what should guide the
33 Sheriff's decision to allow disclosure, when that request is made; or when the Sheriff should
34 seek a court order to release a recording. She said all of these areas are within the Sheriff's
35 purview to establish in his /her policy.
36 Jennifer Galassi said she is here this evening to entertain the BOCC's comments, and
37 suspects most will center around social justice and issues of civil liberties. She said it is
38 important to remember that this policy has not yet been issued, as the Sheriff's office does not
39 yet have the body -worn cameras. She said all policies are open to revision and changes when
40 laws change, or better practices are encountered. She highlighted some issues of particular
41 interest to the Board:
42 • This is just another piece of equipment that will be assigned to their officers. As with
43 any equipment, the officer is responsible for insuring, prior to going into service, that it is
44 in good working order.
45 • The policy will outline the specific situations when the body -worn cameras should be
46 activated. The policy states that not every scenario can be foreseen, but it focuses on
47 two touchstones of when a recording should begin: when it is appropriate or valuable to
48 record the incident. An officer is called upon to exercise his /her discretion when making
49 that determination. Good training will be very important
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• What to do when privacy issues are encountered. The policy envisions a balancing test
that will be employed to weigh the privacy interests of an individual against the
legitimate law enforcement interests. If the privacy interests outweigh the law
enforcement ones, the decision would weigh in favor of turning off the recording device.
• The policy indicates that officers will never be asked to jeopardize their safety by turning
on the camera, and will be guided by a standard of reasonableness.
• The policy addresses when turning off the device is appropriate, which is usually when
the officer's direct participation in an incident is completed, if the set out criteria no
longer fits, significant periods of inactivity, etc.
• The State's retention schedule for Sheriff's offices, which Orange County has adopted,
sets the floor for the different timelines for how long things should be retained. The
State sets it at 30 days, and Orange County's policy requires 180 days, at the minimum.
Any misdemeanor would require a 3 -year retention period, and any felony would require
a 20 -year retention period.
Commissioner Price said in the purpose and scope section, it refers to "portable and
mobile," and asked if Jennifer Galassi could differentiate between the two.
Jennifer Galassi said an officer using a personal device is still subject to this policy.
Commissioner Price referred to the second paragraph, and said it does not apply to
mobile audio -video recordings.
Jennifer Galassi said it reads "mobile, audio, or video recordings, interviews or
interrogations..." and this is modifying what comes after it. She said it is taking out of this policy
interviews, interrogations, recordings that are made within the Sheriff's office, or taken from an
undercover officer, wire taps, or eavesdropping.
Commissioner Price said some of the language reads, "should" instead of "shall," and
asked if there is specific reasoning behind this. She read the following as an example: "when
using a portable recorder, the assigned member should record his /her name." She asked if
there is a reason the officer is not required to record his /her name.
Jennifer Galassi said that is envisioning what it then goes on to discuss. She said she
does not know how their particular system will work, and it is envisioned that each unit is going
to be assigned to one particular officer, and so the system will be set to an individual, and thus
recording a name will be unnecessary.
Sheriff Blackwood said the devices will be issued, and the computer index will have the
officer's name on it, and it will be theirs to keep with them all the time.
Jennifer Galassi said they have envisioned having additional devices in the event there
is a malfunction with one. She said in this scenario, the officer will have to manually assign
themselves to the device.
Commissioner Marcoplos said it sounds like a lot will be learned with experience, and
asked if there are any process or evaluation techniques in mind.
Jennifer Galassi said it will be a learning curve as things occur. She said issues can be
anticipated, but as soon as the officers have the devices, further input and feedback will be
gathered.
Chair Dorosin said last time this topic was discussed, Sheriff Blackwood said the policy
would say that if someone wanted to see a video, they would be permitted to do so; but he said
he does not see that allowance in policy 803.
Sheriff Blackwood said it is in the general statute, and if it is not in the policy, it will be
added.
Chair Dorosin said the General State Statute says a video "may" be disclosed, and he
understood that Orange County will make the wording that a video "will" be disclosed to a
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requesting party contained within the video recording. He said if this is true, he would like to
see if reflected in the policy.
Jennifer Galassi said the only reference to this point is in 803.50.
Chair Dorosin said he would like to see this specifically added to the Orange County
policy.
Chair Dorosin said a concern that has occurred in other places is officers turning off
cameras before an incident takes place. He said policy 427 says, "the recorder should remain
on continuously," and he asked if it would be worthwhile to make this language stronger. He
said the question is how the discretion is monitored, and asked if the policy can include how
they would determine if discretion were utilized appropriately.
Jennifer Galassi said a violation of this policy is treated as any other violation, and
internal affairs conducts an investigation and disciplines as appropriate, up to, and including,
termination. She said policy 427.8 addressed the monitoring question, and supervisors are
encouraged to spot check and monitor how things are going.
Sheriff Blackwood said this is another piece of equipment, but it is a unique one. He
said the concept of trust is being built on the legitimacy of what the officers are doing. He said
nationally there have been studies that indicate officers are completely forgetting that the
cameras are on, and are acting inappropriately. He said these scenarios speak to the culture of
specific agencies and communities, and Orange County has a good agency and community,
and a level of trust they do not want to jeopardize. He said there will be strong oversight of this
equipment, and its use by Orange County officers.
Chair Dorosin said he appreciated that, but this is unique equipment, and he would like
this policy worded as strongly as possible. He said he believes Sheriff Blackwood has made
this commitment to the community, and he would to see it reflected in the policy with a line that
says that violations of this policy will be treated pursuant to, etc...
Commissioner Price said there is several "shoulds" in the language, which give too
much leeway, and she would like to see stronger language.
Sheriff Blackwood agreed.
b. Update on the Mobile Home Parks Initiative
The Board received an update on the activities undertaken to date, as well as those that
are upcoming, as it relates to the County's Mobile Home Parks Initiative.
Sherrill Hampton, Housing Director, said this initiative is an inter - departmental and multi -
jurisdiction collaboration. She reviewed the yellow sheet at the Commissioners' places: a
revised draft strategy from Chapel Hill regarding the Lakeview Mobile Home Park. She said
Chapel Hill has developed and completed the residents' survey, which the County will use with
a few tweaks. She said Chapel Hill is conducting its due diligence.
Commissioner Price asked if Chapel Hill has plan in place.
Sherrill Hampton says Chapel Hill is continuing discussions with the developer, and is
considering several sites and funding sources, but has not shared specifics. She said the
conversations with the residents are very important.
Commissioner Price asked if there is a hold on evictions.
Sherrill Hampton said she does not know, and they will continue to update the Board of
County Commissioners as information is received.
Chair Dorosin said he spoke to the Mayor of Chapel Hill, and the developer has been
cooperative, and has not submitted anything yet to the Town. He said some residents do not
have leases anymore, and are living month to month.
Sherrill Hampton said yes, that is correct. She said mobile home park owners have to
comply with the 180 -day North Carolina statute for closure.
Commissioner Jacobs said Sherrill Hampton asked if the Town is looking at parcels.
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Sherrill Hampton said yes, the Town is examining Town -owned properties, and other
locations.
Commissioner Jacobs said there is a parcel of land on Homestead, and asked if the
Town is considering that parcel.
Sherrill Hampton said she does not know if that is one of the sites being considered.
Commissioner Jacobs said since the County and Town are working as partners, it
seems information should be shared. He said he would hate to see opportunities lost, or
conclusions reached without discussion amongst partners.
Commissioner Jacobs asked the Managers to talk about having more open
conversations.
Chair Dorosin said he made that point to the Mayor today, and reiterated the County's
desire to have Sherrill Hampton included in all discussions.
Sherrill Hampton said Town staff is in communication with her.
Commissioner Marcoplos asked Chair Dorosin if Mayor Hemminger mentioned in any
way, shape or form, that Chapel Hill has land that it is considering.
Chair Dorosin said the Mayor said the Town is looking at Town -owned parcels, but did
not identify specific parcels. He said the Mayor reported the Town is feeling positive about the
Millhouse Road location.
Sherrill Hampton reviewed the following information:
BACKGROUND: For many years the Orange County Board of County Commissioners has had
a keen interest in addressing the vulnerability of residents living in mobile home parks and
allocated funding to address land banking for mobile home parks and /or to assist in the
acquisition of property for future residential development as an affordable housing alternative.
As a result of the Board action approving funding, a multi- sector Affordable Housing /Mobile
Home Park Work Group was formed. On November 20, 2017 the Work Group presented the
Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) with its recommendations on strategies for mitigating
resident displacement and relocation challenges due to park closures and redevelopment
efforts. The BOCC approved the recommendations and requested that County staff develop a
Rapid Response Protocol in order to allow for timely, coordinated action when mobile home
park closures occur.
TIMELINE /RECENT AND UPCOMING ACTIVITIES:
• Discussions with the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough began before and
have continued since the BOCC's November 2017 approval of the Work Group
recommendations. Discussions focus on the development of a coordinated approach
between the jurisdictions and sharing of pertinent information.
• January 2018 — Orange County staff learned of a potential mobile park closure, and
Town of Chapel Hill staff shared notice regarding the potential closure and
redevelopment of the Lakeview Mobile Home Park.
• January 16, 2018 — County staff held a meeting of the Work Group to receive input and
comments on the draft Rapid Response Protocol.
• January 23, 2018 — County staff presented a proposal to use a portion of the County -
owned Millhouse Road property as a potential site for a new mobile home park to the
Board of Orange County Commissioners. The Board approved moving forward with
completing a full assessment of the proposed site, including an environmental and
engineering study, as well as initiation of the rezoning process, as applicable.
• January 30, 2018 — The approved Work Group recommendations, along with a synopsis
of the proposed Millhouse Road project, were presented at the 2018 Assembly of
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1 Governments meeting. Additional input and comments were gathered as to the creation
2 of a comprehensive and coordinated strategy regarding the Mobile Home Park Initiative.
3 • January 30, 2018 — The Town of Chapel Hill developed a response strategy for the
4 proposed closure of the Lakeview Mobile Home Park and shared that information with
5 Orange County staff.
6 • February 1, 2018 — County staff learns of the proposed displacement of residents at the
7 Homestead Mobile Park located in an unincorporated part of the County outside of
8 Chapel Hill. The Homestead Mobile Home Park includes approximately nine (9) homes
9 that would be affected by the closure. Staff had a conversation with the Park owner to
10 discuss the situation. Conversations with the Park owner will continue throughout the
11 process.
12 • February 9, 2018 — County staff convened an initial meeting of the Rapid Response
13 Team to plan for a community meeting with the Homestead Mobile Home Park
14 residents.
15 • The County Manager has invited both Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools and Orange
16 County Schools to be a part of the Mobile Home Park Work Group and the Rapid
17 Response Team.
18 • February 24, 2018 — A meeting is planned with the residents of the Homestead Mobile
19 Home Park (map) to gather their input and comments, as well as ascertain their needs
20 given the proposed displacement. The meeting will be held at the New Hope Camp and
21 Conference Center starting at 10:00am- 1:OOpm.
22 • County staff continues to conduct due diligence on the Millhouse Road site and other
23 identified strategies, including identifying cost centers and gathering applicable pricing
24 information.
25 • By March 16, 2018, the Rapid Response Team will meet again, debrief on the February
26 24th meeting with residents and provide input on the draft proposal to the County
27 Manager as it relates to the provision of services for the Homestead Mobile Home Park
28 residents.
29 • By March 23, 2018 and based on the findings from the February 24th meeting, staff will
30 present a proposal, including applicable cost, to the County Manager as it relates to the
31 provision of services for the Homestead Mobile Home Park residents.
32 • By March 30, 2018, County staff will convene a meeting with mobile home park owners
33 within the County. Work Group members and a representative from the Rapid
34 Response Team will participate in the meeting.
35 • Periodic updates to the Board of County Commissioners will continue throughout the
36 process.
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38 Chair Dorosin asked if Sherrill Hampton would update the Board of County
39 Commissioners after the February 24th meeting, and after the surveys are completed.
40 Commissioner Jacobs said to Sherrill Hampton and Craig Benedict that the vendor from
41 the tiny home meeting last night might be a useful source of information to pursue, prior to
42 involving a consultant. He said the vendor is Kimberly Brewer.
43 Commissioner Marcoplos said he has her contact information.
44 Commissioner Rich said she would like to talk about Millhouse Road as a neighborhood,
45 instead of an industrial site. She said it is important to include these neighbors into activities
46 that are going on in that area.
47 8. Consent Agenda
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49 Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda
50 8 -e: Commissioner Jacobs and Commissioner Price
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2 Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda
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4 A motion was made by Commissioner Burroughs, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
5 approve the remaining items on the Consent Agenda.
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7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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9 Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
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11 e. Resolution in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic
12 Blast Activities Off the Coast of North Carolina
13 The Board considered voting to approve a Resolution, which is incorporated by
14 reference, in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic Blast Activities
15 Off the Coast of North Carolina and authorize the Chair to sign.
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17 Commissioner Price said this is an important resolution, even though similar resolutions
18 have been passed in previous years. She said she would like to have this resolution sent to the
19 organizations that are mentioned in the resolution, as well as to all other counties in North
20 Carolina.
21 Commissioner Jacobs said that he wanted to highlight this resolution, and heard
22 yesterday that 70 scientists have written a letter to the Department of the Interior, objecting to
23 the seismic testing because it is so harmful to marine mammals, and its consequences are
24 unknown.
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26 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to
27 approve a Resolution in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic
28 Blast Activities Off the Coast of North Carolina and authorized the Chair to sign.
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30 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
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32 a. Minutes
33 The Board approved the minutes from January 26 and 30, 2018 as submitted by the Clerk to
34 the Board.
35 b. Fiscal Year 2017 -18 Budget Amendment #6
36 The Board approved budget and grant project ordinance amendments for fiscal year 2017 -18
37 for the Department on Aging, and Animal Services.
38 c. Application for North Carolina Education Lottery Proceeds for Chapel Hill — Carrboro
39 City Schools (CHCCS) and Contingent Approval of Budget Amendment # 6 -A Related
40 to CHCCS Capital Project Ordinances
41 The Board approved an application to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
42 (NCDPI) to release proceeds from the NC Education Lottery account related to FY 2017 -18
43 debt service payments for Chapel Hill — Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS), and approved Budget
44 Amendment #6 -A (amended School Capital Project Ordinances), contingent on the NCDPI's
45 approval of the application and authorize the Chair to sign.
46 d. ADDroval of 1.0 FTE Time - Limited Erosion Control Officer I Position and Budaet
47 Amendment # 6 -13
48 The Board approved the creation of a 1.0 full -time equivalent (FTE) time - limited position to
49 address the work load of a multi -year Erosion Control and Sedimentation Control project and
50 approve Budget Amendment #6 -B.
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e. Resolution in Opposition To Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic
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The Board approved a Resolution, which is incorporated by reference, in Opposition To
Offshore Exploration, Drilling Activities and Seismic Blast Activities Off the Coast of North
Carolina. (Approved above)
f. Authorization for NC Recreational Trails Program Grant - Hollow Rock Nature Park
The Board authorized staff to resubmit an application to the North Carolina Division of Parks
and Recreation Recreational Trails Program (RTP) by the March 2, 2018 deadline for a 2019
grant for $100,000 to develop an ADA accessible 1/3 -mile loop trail at Hollow Rock Nature Park
consistent with the adopted master plan.
g. Letter to Cardinal Innovations in Support of Club Nova's Request for Capital Funding
The Board authorized the Chair to sign a letter to Cardinal Innovations Healthcare in support of
Club Nova's capital request for $2.5 million from Cardinal Innovations Healthcare to assist in
the construction of a new, expanded clubhouse facility.
9. County Manager's Report
Bonnie Hammersley pointed out the Guide to Orange County Government at the
Commissioners' places, and said this was mentioned at the first Orange County Academy,
which met this evening for the first time.
Bonnie Hammersley said the Board has a joint meeting with the Town of Hillsborough
on February 22nd
10. County Attorney's Report
Annette Moore said that the Pauli Murray Awards are on February 25th. Mariella
Hernandez is this year's adult winner. She is a Zone Navigator with Orange County's Family
Success Alliance (FSA), an organization designed to "close the achievement gap and end
generational poverty in Orange County." She works with a variety of resources in the area to
connect children and families with the services they need. She collaborates with local non-
profits and public agencies to develop ways to empower community members and address
structural inequities in the systems in which we live.
Annette Moore said Kenzie Patrick was chosen as the youth honoree. She is a 12th
grade student at Orange High School with a heart for being involved through service. She
balances a high GPA, athletics, and service effectively. Among numerous other clubs and
initiatives, she was involved with the Hate Free Schools Coalition and advocated to have the
Confederate Flag banned from Orange County Public Schools in hopes of creating a learning
environment free from racial intimidation.
Annette Moore said Davison Douglas PDA., Dean of the College of William & Mary Law
School and Arthur B. Hanson Professor of Law, will provide the keynote address.
11. *Appointments
NONE
12. Information Items
• February 6, 2018 BOCC Meeting Follow -up Actions List
• Memorandum Regarding Second Quarter FY2017 -18 Financial Report
• Memorandum Regarding Continued Review of Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text
Amendments on Signage
• BOCC Chair Letter Regarding Petitions from February 6, 2018 Regular Meeting
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13. Closed Session
NONE
14. Adjournment
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
adjourn the meeting at 10:55 p.m.
VOTE: UNANIMOUS
Donna Baker
Clerk to the Board
Mark Dorosin, Chair