HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 8-a - Minutes1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: March 20, 2018
Action Agenda
Item No. 8-a
SUBJECT: MINUTES
DEPARTMENT: Board of County
Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S):
Draft Minutes (Under Separate Cover)
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 22, 2018 BOCC Joint Meeting with Town of Hillsborough
March 8, 2018 BOCC Regular Meeting
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
1
Attachment 1 1
2
DRAFT MINUTES 3
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4
HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 5
JOINT MEETING 6
February 22, 2018 7
7:00 p.m. 8
9
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Joint Meeting with the Town of 10
Hillsborough Commissioners on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the Whitted 11
Building, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. 12
13
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, 14
Mark Marcoplos, Earl McKee, Renee Price, and Penny Rich 15
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Barry Jacobs 16
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: James Bryan 17
TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS/STAFF: Mayor Tom Stevens, Town 18
Commissioners Mark Bell, Evelyn Lloyd, Kathleen Ferguson, Jenn Weaver, and Town Manager 19
Eric Peterson 20
TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Brian Lowen 21
22
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 23
24
Welcome and Opening Remarks 25
Chair Dorosin welcomed everyone to the meeting, and said he hopes the evening will 26
flow much like a work session, with open and productive dialogue. 27
Mayor Stevens said Hillsborough’s expectation is to have a good conversation as well. 28
He said, from Hillsborough’s perspective, the larger context for the evening is: 1.) a sense of 29
place: the wonderful town that Hillsborough is, and wanting all residents to feel that they are in 30
“town” no matter where they live; 2.) a sense of stress: there has been a lot of growth and 31
change in Hillsborough in recent years, despite it being a very small town, with a small staff. 32
Sometimes the growth and ideas can strike a sense of terror due to the size of the staff, and 33
financial limits of the Town, and it is wise to consolidate and think creatively whenever possible; 34
3.) a sense of appreciation: for both the Town and County staff , who do such tremendous work. 35
Chair Dorosin said it is an opportune time for the two boards to converse. 36
37
1. Opportunities for Collaboration 38
a) Museum 39
40
Margaret Hauth, Hillsborough Assistant Town Manager, reviewed the following 41
information: 42
43
Museum Background: 44
The Town has an interest in assisting the Orange County Historical Museum to find a new 45
home. This is in part to find a more appropriate owner of this historic building and in part to help 46
the museum reach a broader audience with an easier-to-access site. The County has office 47
rearrangements on the horizon that might make a desirable space available in a year to 18 48
months. An arrangement like the one between the Alliance and the County for the Visitor 49
2
Center is one option to be considered. Whether this can expand into the cultural/genealogy 1
center the County has envisioned may also be worth studying. 2
3
Margaret Hauth said the Town has an interest in finding a new home for the current 4
museum that is more accessible. She said the Town would like to know if the County may have 5
a more desirable space in the near future, and staff will need direction from both boards as to 6
how to proceed. 7
Town Commissioner Ferguson said she is excited about this collaboration. She said 8
she is inspired by a small museum in Oneonta, Alabama that captures a sense of place like no 9
other to the extent that she has even become a member of this museum. She said this 10
museum partners with the Register of Deeds, leading the county’s efforts for genealogy and 11
historical activities. She said Orange County could have such a museum, if the right location 12
can be found with the right display cases. She said she hopes the County will partner with the 13
Town on this project, as it has great potential and is an important piece of the Town. 14
Commissioner Rich said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has not 15
discussed this topic in any detail, and asked if County staff could provide some insight about 16
the County’s involvement, and exactly what type of collaboration is needed. 17
Jeff Thompson, Asset Management Services Director, said the staff is talking and 18
sharing ideas at a high level about needs, availabilities, and directions, in which, both the Town 19
and the County are moving. He said this evening provides an opportunity for further discussion. 20
Commissioner Rich asked if there is a vision for what the museum will look like, if there 21
is an end game in mind. 22
Jeff Thompson said there is the heritage exhibit in the Orange County library, and there 23
is the museum in downtown Hillsborough that is in a stressed situation. He said there has been 24
discussion of the merging of these two places somewhere in the vicinity of where they are 25
currently located. He said the discussions revolve around the content inside the building, and 26
the location of the building itself. 27
Chair Dorosin said the County and the Town could collectively decide what this 28
collaboration looks like. 29
Town Commissioner Bell said the strategy map says that the celebration of history is 30
valued in Hillsborough, and a museum is an important part of that conversation. He said the 31
museum is going through a top-to-bottom review of its strategies, and what opportunities may 32
exist. 33
Bonnie Hammersley said she and Commissioner Price toured the museum a while ago, 34
and the condition of the current facility is not good. She said the museum has approached the 35
County seeking to work together. She said staff has reviewed the available County space, but 36
none is available now. She said the question remains whether the Town and the County should 37
continue to partner, or does Hillsborough go off on its own. She said this conversation has been 38
going on for a while. 39
Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the museum in Alabama, and clarified that the 40
Register of Deeds is a partner in the process there. 41
Commissioner Ferguson said the Register of Deeds works collaboratively with the 42
museum in Alabama. She said the Probate Judge pays the salary of the docent, and the 43
museum is across the street from the courthouse and the Register of Deeds. She said the 44
museum is very small, but the way it is laid out is different: there are maps, display cases, 45
places to do research and there is an active collaborative relationship with the Register of 46
Deeds, which encourages the genealogy activity, as well as other historical activities. 47
Commissioner Marcoplos said Mark Chilton, Orange County Register of Deeds, is an 48
historian, and has just completed a project on slave genealogy. He asked asked if Mark Chilton 49
has been brought into this discussion. 50
3
Town Commissioner Ferguson said she is not sure, but this seems like a logical match. 1
She said the museum is aware of Mark Chilton. 2
Mayor Stevens said it is evident that the current status quo cannot continue, as there 3
are insufficient resources, and the building is not worth restoring. He said there is no definite 4
plan, but there is a lot of opportunity, and there may be other potential partners out there. He 5
said the goal is for this to be a community process and project, and that is why this topic was 6
brought forward. He said history is important to them all, and this topic cannot be kicked down 7
the road for much longer. 8
Commissioner Burroughs said she took a tour of the Register of Deed’s office, and Mark 9
Chilton showed her historical documents. She encouraged his inclusion in these conversations. 10
Commissioner Rich said she spent a year on a work group that focused on what a 11
museum looks like in a town, within her role as BOCC liaison to the Visitors’ Bureau. She said 12
a report was completed and asked staff if this report could be forwarded to the Town of 13
Hillsborough. 14
Chair Dorosin asked if the Town currently has a fiscal relationship with the museum. 15
Margaret Hauth said the Town maintains the building, and makes it available to the 16
museum at a rate of $1 per year, which is never collected. She said maintenance of this 17
building ranges from $5,000-$15,000 per year. 18
Commissioner Rich asked if the Town does fundraising to pay the museum staff. 19
Town Commissioner Ferguson said it is not the Town’s museum. She said their salaries 20
and operations budget are all fund raised; and the Town contribution is the building and the 21
maintenance of the building only. 22
Bonnie Hammersley said the County supports the museum through the yearly outside 23
agency funding process. 24
Commissioner Price said the museum is a good resource, an asset to the Town, and for 25
all of Orange County. She said she is supportive of any help that Orange County would like to 26
provide the museum. 27
Chair Dorosin said it is important to think of this as a countywide museum, and asked if 28
there is a timeline. 29
Mayor Stevens said the Town received a presentation last fall from the museum board, 30
which highlighted their needs. He said the goal tonight was to bring awareness to both boards, 31
and he is not sure of a specific timetable. He said the museum wants to engage the whole 32
community, and the Town and the BOCC are part of that engagement. He said he wants to 33
see the two boards make a commitment of interest, and allow staff to continue the 34
conversations. 35
Town Commissioner Bell said he would like to see a commitment to socialize a variety 36
of ideas. 37
Commissioner Price said he spoke with Ernest Dollar, Museum Director, a few months 38
ago, and he wanted to know if the County had any interest in being a partner with the museum. 39
She said the building has been in dire condition for a long time, and has been shut down on 40
various occasions. 41
Commissioner Marcoplos said he has some ideas, and asked if there is a way to 42
transmit them. 43
Bonnie Hammersley said staff will take notes, and assign County staff to move forward 44
with Town staff. 45
Chair Dorosin said to forward any ideas to staff, including reaching out to the Register of 46
Deeds, the library, the Historic Preservation Commission, etc. 47
48
b) Downtown Redevelopment 49
50
4
Margaret Hauth reviewed the following information: 1
Background: 2
The Town and County both own properties downtown that may become available for 3
redevelopment or sale in the next five years or so. A map of the properties is attached. 4
Previously, both boards have indicated an interest in working together on how the properties 5
are disposed or redeveloped. Should the Town and County pursue a joint effort to determine 6
mutually desirable timing and uses for these properties using a small area plan process? 7
Options for that format are: staff meeting to offer options or a short-term committee with elected 8
officials and staff? 9
10
Margaret Hauth said both entities have parcels downtown that they want to return to the 11
tax roll. She referred to the map in the packet at their places. She said the Town owns the fire 12
department building, but a third entity owns the parking lot. She said this meeting provides a 13
good opportunity to further this discussion. 14
Chair Dorosin asked if the specific parcels could be identified. 15
Margaret Hauth said the museum, the annex, the police department and a portion of the 16
parking lot, 129 E. King, the current detention center, the fire department and parking lot. 17
Mayor Stevens asked if the timeframe for the Town’s properties could be identified, as 18
they are tied into the Town’s whole campus. 19
Margaret Hauth said the Town is currently renovating the Singer Gatewood medical/ 20
dental building, which will hopefully be completed by the end of the year. She said the Town’s 21
finance offices will move from the annex building to this new location. She said some police will 22
go into the annex, until the combined police and fire station can be built next to the medical 23
building on north Churton Street. She said the fire department and Emergency Services are 24
pursuing the building of a fire station in Waterstone. She said these two fire stations would 25
have to come on-line at the same time in order to have sufficient coverage, or the one in 26
downtown needs to remain. She said there is a 3-5 year timeframe on these projects. 27
Margaret Hauth said the Town’s properties that are listed for redevelopment are more 28
valuable as a package than individually. She said she would recommend selling these 29
properties together, on a preserve ownership of some of the parking to insure that it is not built 30
on. 31
Commissioner Price said she heard a rumor that the police station would be 32
deconstructed. 33
Margaret Hauth said the only plans for this building are to move out of it. 34
Mayor Stevens said it may take at least 3-5 years before the properties are turned over, 35
and he said the general notion is that these buildings will be redeveloped. He said the Town 36
needs the proceeds from these sales to fund other projects. He said changes in downtown 37
would have to go before the historic commission, but could offer a big potential upgrade for the 38
Town. He said the County properties are an unknown to the Town, and that is part of the 39
discussion the Town hopes to have tonight. 40
Town Commissioner Weaver said doors need to be kept wide open because revenue is 41
needed for other projects, and going forward she would like to make the RFPs inviting, such as 42
adding affordable housing, etc. 43
Jeff Thompson said that 129 King Street is a part of the Capital Investment Plan (CIP) 44
process, and there have not been any serious discussions about its future, should the BOCC 45
decide to relocate the public defender from this property to the lower level of the Link Center. 46
Jeff Thompson said the detention center is being studied, and moving through the due 47
diligence. He said this will go back to the Town board, and then to the BOCC. He said this is a 48
2-3 year process for that parcel to vacate. 49
5
Jeff Thompson said the courthouse annex is also on that parcel, and does not 1
necessarily have to vacate, but it does make sense to study it. He said there has been little 2
discussion of what would follow, but any conversations will be thoughtful and deliberate. 3
Commissioner Price referred to the block in orange on the map, which contains the 4
Norwood law office, and asked if this is in the County’s jurisdiction. 5
Jeff Thompson said that is owned by the County, and it is a historical site. He said all of 6
this would be considered in any redevelopment plan. He said it would follow the Hillsborough 7
jurisdiction’s rules and regulations, but is a County owned property. 8
9
c) Sidewalks - Connectivity Plans 10
11
Margaret Hauth reviewed the following information: 12
The Town can require sidewalks within its planning jurisdiction. When those sidewalks are on 13
state roads outside the city limits, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) 14
will not allow them to be constructed in the right of way without a maintenance commitment by 15
the government. Previous discussions have not come to a resolution about how to address 16
maintenance of sidewalks outside the Town limits. A method to implement these plans for the 17
benefit of the community that leverages each government’s strengths and works within the 18
jurisdictional and funding constraints is desired. 19
20
Margaret Hauth said the Boards talked about these two years ago, and she reviewed 21
the links to the plans. She said the Town wants to have sidewalks connecting all of the schools 22
to the Town, but some schools are outside of the Town limits. She said there has never been 23
any resolution on this issue. 24
Town Commissioner Ferguson said Town residents should be taken care of first. 25
Town Commissioner Bell said he sees kids walking on the side of roads, and the lack of 26
sidewalks is an issue. He said he would serve on a taskforce to address this. 27
Commissioner McKee asked if the amount of funding needed for such a project is 28
known. 29
Margaret Hauth said the amount depends on whether discussing construction and/or 30
maintenance. 31
Commissioner McKee said both. 32
Margaret Hauth said it would be about 2 miles to connect to Cedar Ridge, and the 33
middle and high school on Orange High Road. 34
Margaret Hauth said she is assuming that the elementary and middle schools on NC 86 35
south are not being included. 36
Commissioner McKee said that was his next question. 37
Margaret Hauth said she makes this assumption as these schools are approaching the 38
rural buffer, outside water and sewer service area, etc. She said it may be 2.5 miles if including 39
these schools. 40
Commissioner McKee asked if this was in total, or just one way, as Cedar Ridge High 41
School is about 2 miles out Orange Grove Road. 42
Margaret Hauth said there are developments that will be building sidewalks almost out 43
to the I-85 overpass. 44
Commissioner McKee said he envisions this costing millions of dollars. 45
Margaret Hauth said pricing has not been looked into, as it seemed wise to resolve the 46
issue of maintenance first. 47
Jeff Thompson said the Cameron Street sidewalk, which was about 300 feet, cost 48
$53,000. 49
6
Eric Peterson said the Nash Street sidewalk project, about 10 years ago, was about 1
$100,000 per tenth of a mile, including curb and gutter. He said there is a wide window of cost, 2
as unexpected problems arise. He said retrofitting sidewalks is extremely expensive. 3
Town Commissioner Weaver asked if there are other options besides a full-blown 4
sidewalk. 5
Margaret Hauth said that depends on where you are, and getting residents to grant 6
easements. She said the Nash Street project was so expensive because it was in the NC 7
Department of Transportation (NCDOT) right of way on an NCDOT street, and everything had 8
to be completed to NCDOT standards. She said Orange Grove Road, Orange High Road, and 9
NC 86 are all state roads, and it may be worth checking with adjoining neighbors to explore 10
alternatives. She said curb and gutter are expensive, as storm water becomes an issue. 11
Commissioner Marcoplos said he drives Orange Grove Road a lot, and he would like to 12
see an area wide enough for bikes and pedestrians to co-exist. 13
Margaret Hauth said it is all about costs, and Orange Grove and St. Mary’s roads are 14
very old. She said NCDOT does not claim ownership of the right of way, but rather claims 15
maintenance right of way from the back of one ditch to the other, as most property lines go to 16
the middle of the road. She said there is no room to put in any improvements unless you get 17
easements from residents, and that drives up the cost. 18
Commissioner Rich said the County does not build sidewalks, and does not have a 19
sidewalk plan, but they need to see what a plan looks like before partnering any further. She 20
said she would like to know Hillsborough’s plan as well. 21
Margaret Hauth said Orange County has a high level plan, and she said the interests 22
overlap outside the city limits. 23
Tom Altieri, Orange County Comprehensive Planning Supervisor, said there is just the 24
Comprehensive Transportation Plan at the Durham Chapel Hill Metropolitan Planning 25
Organization (DCHC MPO), and there is also one that applies to the rural areas with the 26
Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO). He said it is part of the County’s transit 27
plan as relates to access to bus stops, but the primary question is one of maintenance. 28
Margaret Hauth said the Town has no intention of putting a sidewalk on both sides of 29
every existing street in Hillsborough. She said new sidewalks are required in new 30
developments. 31
Commissioner Rich asked Tom Altieri if he could highlight past conversations with DOT 32
about Orange Grove Road. 33
Tom Altieri said there is a small project to add fencing on the bridge overpass, and DOT 34
would encourage people to walk closer to the fence. He said that project will go in very soon, 35
and DOT said the bridge is not safe to walk on. He said the fence will make it safer, but DOT 36
did not want to be seen as encouraging walkers. 37
Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said when the County did the Orange Grove Road 38
Access Management plan, the County lobbied DOT to put in a pedestrian bridge there, but it 39
was a bridge to nowhere, due to a lack of sidewalks to which to connect, and that was ten years 40
ago. He said if bus stops exist, a request can be made to build sidewalks to connect 41
neighborhoods to those bus stops. He said transit tax funds can be used for this purpose. 42
Commissioner Rich asked if Orange County would maintain the sidewalks. 43
Craig Benedict said that would have to be determined. He said what he just mentioned 44
addresses the capital side of the costs. He said before DOT would allow access to its right of 45
way, it would require a maintenance entity. 46
Stephanie Trueblood, Hillsborough Public Spaces Director, said one other project that 47
has arisen in the past, which may be more low-hanging fruit than Orange Grove Road, is 48
making a connection on highway 70 between Eno Haven and the Orange County Sportsplex. 49
She said there is one very small piece of missing sidewalk, and she thinks adjacent property 50
7
owners would grant right of way. She said this is within the Town limits, but County partnership 1
would still likely be needed. She said this may be a good starting point for collaboration, with 2
shared funding and maintenance, as this sidewalk would directly connect people with a County 3
facility. 4
Commissioner Price said she and Commissioner Jacobs have spoken about this, and 5
petitioned the BOCC on this in recent months. 6
Mayor Stevens said the maintenance costs are the bigger issue. He said connectivity is 7
important to the Town, but it becomes an issue of bandwidth for the Town. He said there are 8
some ways to collaborate and find connections to the schools. 9
10
d) Affordable Housing 11
Sherrill Hampton, Housing Director, reviewed the information below: 12
The Town of Hillsborough and Orange County are engaged in a number of strategic 13
collaborative initiatives in an effort to enhance affordable housing opportunities in the Town and 14
County. Several of these initiatives are included below: 15
• Senior staff from Hillsborough and County senior staff, along with their respective 16
counterparts from the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill meet monthly to review, 17
discuss and share ideas on various affordable housing activities and other related 18
matters. One such initiative is Housing for Teachers and Other Community Workers. 19
The discussion between the jurisdictions are in the very early stages but staff have 20
begun the due diligence as it relates to best practices being utilized in other 21
communities across North Carolina and the United States. 22
• Hillsborough Senior staff, along with senior staff from the County and the Towns of 23
Carrboro and Chapel Hill, also meets monthly with the County Manager and various 24
Town Managers to continue strategic discussions around areas of collaboration and 25
those matters that have a countywide relevance for all County residents. 26
• In October and November 2017, Orange County, along with the Towns of Hillsborough, 27
Carrboro and Chapel Hill’s local elected officials, expanded the role of the HOME 28
Review Committee to include broader discussions regarding affordable housing and 29
related matters. The action taken also renamed the Committee as the Orange County 30
Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative (the Collaborative). The expansion 31
of the role of the Committee and creation of the newly named body was in direct 32
response to elected officials and Orange County residents’ desire for jurisdictions in the 33
County to take a more strategic and collaborative approach as it relates to enhancing 34
affordable housing opportunities. Residents’ suggestions for the more collaborative and 35
strategic approach was articulated during many of the public meetings that were held in 36
regard to the 2016 Affordable Housing Bond. 37
38
Sherrill Hampton said the Mobile Home Park Initiative is another area of collaboration. 39
Town Commissioner Ferguson said she is interested in the teacher and community 40
service worker housing, and asked if any preliminary parcels have been identified in 41
Hillsborough. 42
Sherrill Hampton said both Superintendents were in the meeting, and one parcel was 43
mentioned. She said she is not at liberty to send this out now, but when ready she will let the 44
Manager pass on this information. 45
Town Commissioner Ferguson said she is very glad this need is being considered, and 46
she hopes that something comes of it. 47
Commissioner McKee asked if new developments are required to provide a certain 48
percentage of affordable housing. 49
8
Margaret Hauth said the Town does not have a policy for affordable housing, but it 1
negotiates case by case with each developer. She said there is no overall percentage, and it is 2
different for each development with some providing acreage and others provide payment in lieu. 3
Sherrill Hampton said one of the topics that came up in the collaborative meeting were 4
standards of requirements for affordable housing throughout the jurisdictions, as well as transit 5
as it relates to affordable housing. 6
Commissioner McKee said it is encouraging to hear that all are working collaboratively, 7
as this makes more sense and should lead to greater results. 8
Mayor Stevens said his board values affordable housing, but Hillsborough only has a 9
major development every 6 years or so, and it has seemed better to take each development as 10
it comes, as opposed to setting a particular standard. 11
Mayor Stevens said affordability is one of the issues that will be the Town’s greatest 12
challenges going forward. 13
Commissioner Rich asked if the Town’s affordable housing negotiations include the 14
requirement of the same amenities as regular housing receives. 15
Margaret Hauth said yes, as much as possible. 16
Commissioner Rich asked if the Town’s affordable housing include some units that are 17
ADA compliant. 18
Margaret Hauth said that is more from the provider’s viewpoint, and the Town does not 19
have any specifics like that in its ordinance. 20
21
e) Parks 22
23
Margaret Hauth reviewed the following information: 24
Background: 25
Orange County has expressed an interest in forging partnerships with Town governments to 26
leverage investments in park creation. The Town is interested in acquiring an existing private 27
facility and expanding the scope of services available to the whole community. A partnership 28
with the County may help this project occur on a quicker schedule. 29
Margaret Hauth said the Exchange Club approached the Town two years ago, and 30
expressed some interest in transferring ownership of the park to the Town. She said a financial 31
agreement has yet to be reached. She said the park has some significant needs, but would be 32
a good location for basketball courts, a skate park, and disc golf. She said the Town does not 33
have the resources for this acquisition, and hopes there may be some way to share the 34
financial burden of building this park with the County. 35
Chair Dorosin asked if more specifics could be provided about the park. 36
Stephanie Trueblood said the pool is a separate parcel, and the Hillsborough Youth 37
Athletic Association (HYAA) leases the baseball fields. She said the Town is talking about the 38
green space between the pool and the building, which includes: a parking lot, restrooms, picnic 39
shelter, and a run down play structure, totaling about 6 acres. She said there may be more 40
space on the other side of a creek, which would lend itself to a disc golf area, mountain biking 41
trails, or natural trails. She said the Town’s Parks and Recreation board has been interested in 42
a skate park for some time, and after evaluating several sites, the Exchange Club site is at the 43
top of the list. She said adolescents are underserved in Orange County as a whole, not just in 44
Hillsborough. 45
Town Commissioner Bell said he is a member of the Town’s Parks and Rec board, and 46
at a recent meeting several families came to speak in favor of areas to serve adolescents. He 47
said it was very compelling. 48
Commissioner Burroughs said park needs would need to be prioritized, to determine 49
what the County can afford. 50
9
Commissioner Price said budgets are under stress, but when she sees young people 1
just hanging out in parking lots, she is supportive of having a space for them. 2
Town Commissioner Ferguson echoed this, and said the Town looks at the livability for 3
all of its residents, and teenagers that are bored do not always have a good outcome. She said 4
this facility would have the opportunity to open doors, and helps residents in the long term. 5
6
2. Collins Ridge Update (Orange County Schools Transportation Concerns) 7
8
Margaret Hauth reviewed the following information: 9
Background: 10
The Town continues to encourage the developer of Collins Ridge to address the concerns 11
raised by Orange County Schools’ transportation staff about bus stops, turning radii, and 12
access to the neighborhood. Clearing of the property has not yet begun. The Town estimates it 13
may be about 18 months before there are residents in the neighborhood. The development will 14
phase over time to comply with erosion control recommendations about limiting the amount of 15
grading. The development has also committed to bus stops for public transit. The Town is 16
available and anxious to discuss these locations with Orange County Transportation staff at the 17
appropriate time. 18
19
Margaret Hauth said the developer has committed to public transit access through the 20
neighborhood, and if the Town wants the circulator to run through here, the developer will 21
provide bus stops. 22
Commissioner Rich asked if it will be 18 months before anything starts, or just until 23
building starts. 24
Margaret Hauth said there is a lot of dirt to move, and it will be 18 months before vertical 25
construction begins. 26
Commissioner Rich asked if the effect on Churton Street is known. 27
Margaret Hauth said the goal is to try to balance the site with the dirt, thus keeping it on 28
site, and the developer hopes to have a second point of access. 29
Commissioner Rich asked what happened to the baseball site that was there. 30
Margaret Hauth said that is on the site that the Town owns, where the train station will 31
go, and play will continue until the Town is ready to move forward with the train station. 32
Chair Dorosin clarified that in 18 months construction will begin on the buildings. 33
Margaret Hauth said that is a ballpark timeframe. 34
Chair Dorosin asked if it is known when people will start moving in. 35
Margaret Hauth said the process takes about 6 months. 36
Chair Dorosin said about 2 years in total. 37
Commissioner Marcoplos asked Bonnie Hammersley if building inspectors are being 38
added in anticipation of this development. 39
Bonnie Hammersley said this change was made in last year’s budget. 40
Margaret Hauth said she gives the chief building inspector an annual projection on 41
building activity. 42
Chair Dorosin referred to the schools, and said the Orange County Schools’ board is 43
feeling frustrated. He asked if there is an expectation of collaboration with the schools. 44
Margaret Hauth said it is her impression that the designers are accommodating the 45
design aspects: the turning radius, where access points and bus stops are, etc. 46
Patrick Abele, Chief Operations Officer for Orange County Schools (OCS), said the 47
schools have been trying to monitor the operations of this development, and safety is of utmost 48
concern. He said on street parking is one concern, and the street widths and sizes are 49
important. He said the turnaround points and phasing may present some difficulties in moving 50
10
buses within the neighborhood. He said feedback has been provided to the developer. He said 1
buses are getting larger, in order to have greater capacity, and the neighborhoods need to 2
accommodate this. He said the schools have worked closely with the developer to identify 3
school bus stops that can be communicated to the neighbors and homeowners, so that children 4
can be safe walking to the stops. He said another concern is the traffic in the area. He said 4 5
buses are anticipated being needed to serve this neighborhood. He said some creativity will be 6
needed to serve this neighborhood. 7
8
3. Economic Development 9
10
a) Town/County Perspectives on Economic Development 11
(Short/Mid/Long Term Plans and Mutual Objectives) 12
13
Margaret Hauth reviewed the following information: 14
The Town does not have an adopted economic development plan or policy. However, the 15
Town has consistently striven to maintain its tax base mix which is roughly 60% residential and 16
40% non-residential. Additionally, the Town Board has been increasingly interested in compact 17
and connected development. The adoption of the Urban Services Boundary was a strong step 18
in that direction and the Town Board has been committed to that boundary. The Town Board 19
has also discouraged three different residential developers with potential projects within the 20
boundary from pursuing requests for utilities or annexation at present as they were still located 21
rather far from the core of town and were therefore less desirable. 22
23
The focus of the Town’s economic development planner has been to respond to inquiries for 24
new non-residential space and attempt to match users with available spaces, assist applicants 25
navigating the planning processes, increase visibility of local events, and work with the chamber 26
on growing its membership and serving as a voice for local business. 27
28
The County has been working with the Town of Hillsborough on extending utility service to the 29
Hillsborough Economic Development District. As part of the Utility Extension Agreement with 30
the Town, McAdams Engineering has been retained to design the extension of sewer through 31
the northwest to southwest quadrant of I-40 and Old NC 86. The infrastructure also includes a 32
water loop system from Old NC 86 westward to improve water quality, quantity and pressure in 33
the general area. The design is 95% complete with bids and construction later this year. 34
35
Mayor Stevens said the Town has tried to maintain a 40% commercial base within the 36
Town. He said the Town has recently added an Economic Development Planner to its staff, 37
and noted that tourism is big for Hillsborough. 38
Travis Myren reviewed the following information: 39
40
Orange County Economic Development and Planning, in collaboration with Town of 41
Hillsborough, have also submitted a grant request to the Golden Leaf Foundation for partial 42
funding of the utility extension. More information regarding grant awards is expected in mid-43
April of 2018. 44
45
Over the past 12 months, Orange County Economic Development responded to 46
14 separate investment prospect inquiries (light industrial, commercial, hotel, and warehouse) 47
by submitting real estate data on available sites and commercial buildings in the Hillsborough 48
market, to include Settlers Point, and generated 9 actual prospect visits during 2017. Several of 49
these projects remain active. 50
11
1
Throughout 2017, Orange County Economic Development managed the County’s 2
“Small Business Loan” program to 6 existing businesses in Hillsborough, which comprised 3
77% of the County’s total small business loan activity for the year. 4
Local Hillsborough businesses that are currently receiving the County’s financial support 5
include: Accidental Baker, Bacon Meat Market, Beau Catering, The Cherry Peal/Cup A Joes, 6
Seal The Season, & MasterPeace Barbershop. 7
8
Over the past 12 months, the County also approved “Small Business Investment Grants” to 9
5 local Hillsborough small businesses, which comprised 37% of the County’s total business 10
grant activity for the year. The Hillsborough based grant recipients were: Judit Beres, Kyooks, 11
Boro Beverage, Beau Catering & Cardinal Workshop. 12
13
And for the same period, the County also approved “Agriculture Economic Development 14
Grants” to 2 local Hillsborough-based businesses, representing 32% of the County’s total 15
agriculture grant activity for the year: Patrick Purcell, & Garland Gourmet Mushrooms and 16
Truffles. 17
18
Chair Dorosin said this is a big issue, and the County would like to see collaborative 19
opportunities. He said the discussions regarding the Settlers’ Point development included 20
resident concerns about development in the area. 21
Chair Dorosin asked if the Town is at 40% commercial. 22
Margaret Hauth said it is closer to 50/50, depending on how the tax-exempt properties 23
are accounted for. 24
Mayor Stevens said all areas of the Town are being considered. He said there are 25
many business parks within the Town’s jurisdiction that have a positive impact, though not 26
always seen. He reviewed various commercial entities within the jurisdiction, as well as areas 27
that would benefit from improved connectivity. 28
Commissioner Price asked if the Hillsborough board could share its feelings about 29
Settlers’ Point in reference to Daniel Boone, as she has heard people complaining about the 30
negative impact on Daniel Boone Village. 31
Mayor Stevens said it is a concern, and one of the things about Orange County, in 32
general, is that long-term sustainable businesses are desired. He said Greenfields had an 33
impact, and pulled residents there for services/business. He said the concern is that 34
Hillsborough has done some economic development studies, which are taken with a grain of 35
salt, and there is room for additional grocery stores and retail in Town, which can serve a broad 36
section of the community; and a major shopping center that is on the edge of Town is a 37
concern. He said it is not a hard line, but there is concerns about the potential impact of the 38
Town, and whether a desire for immediate commercial growth will ultimately hurt the overall 39
economic growth of the Town. 40
Commissioner Price asked if Margaret Hauth is working with Steve Brantley. 41
Margaret Hauth said it is up to the property owner as to what uses are brought forward, 42
especially in district 2 of Settlers’ Point. She said all are supportive of district 1, but the retail 43
component of district 2 is more challenging. She said the Town has shared its interests and 44
concerns with the developer, and if what the developer says will come to pass actually does; 45
there should be no negative impact on Daniel Boone. 46
Town Commissioner Lloyd said the Town has tried to bring some commercial entities to 47
Waterstone, but the developers keep bringing in more townhouses; and thus what is happening 48
in Settlers’ Point should not have a negative effect on Daniel Boone. She said she is also 49
12
concerned about all of the bars downtown, and people need somewhere to actually shop. She 1
said the Town is turning into townhouses, bars and traffic. 2
Town Commissioner Ferguson said her concern is that it will not just be the transient 3
commercial retailers going in to Settlers’ Point, but rather local residents will go there, and there 4
is not connectivity, walkways, etc. She said this is potentially very dangerous. 5
Town Commissioner Weaver said connectivity and walkability is so integral to everything 6
they do in Hillsborough and the planning and zoning aspect is one of the few things the Town 7
can control. She said it is important for the people that live here to be able to walk or bike to 8
the places they need the most, in order to alleviate traffic. 9
Mayor Stevens said the Town has sat down with the developers, and it is not a matter of 10
refusing retail, it is a question of what kind of retail will be brought in to Settlers’ Point. He said 11
the Town has acquired land on either side of I-85, with the long-term vision of making some 12
type of pedestrian/bike connection. 13
14
b) Extension of Water/Sewer Boundary in Economic Development District 15
Mayor Stevens said the Town is willing to extend the water and sewer boundary, with 16
commercial growth in mind. 17
Mayor Stevens said the staff and the Board of County Commissioners have been very 18
responsive to considering the Town’s concerns about Settlers’ Point. 19
Margaret Hauth reviewed the information below: 20
The Town conducted its public hearing on designating the 85-acre extension to the water and 21
sewer boundary on February 15, 2018. The mutually agreed land use designation proposed 22
was Suburban Office. The Orange County Planning Board has deferred action on 23
recommending a new land use on the expanded Water and Sewer boundary area. Similarly, the 24
Board of Orange County Commissioners has requested a delay in considering the proposal 25
pending further study. Orange County planning staff is planning an open house ‘Planning 101’ 26
meeting for County residents, in general, to explain the various elements of planning. This is 27
not specific to the area but maybe helpful to many new and existing residents in Orange 28
County. 29
30
Margaret Hauth said the Town agreed to the extension because it was a request from 31
Orange County, and this evening allows one last check in before more public involvement. 32
Travis Myren said after hearing from the public, the Board of County Commissioners 33
took a pause on affixing a land use. He said the public voiced concerns about the public 34
notification process, and thus staff is doing some public education before moving on. 35
Town Commissioner Ferguson asked if this parcel of land is built out more, with water 36
and sewer, will it still be zoned suburban office, employment based, and not residential. 37
Travis Myren said yes. 38
Mayor Stevens said it would also not be zoned for retail. He said the Town has already 39
extended the water and sewer boundary agreement, contingent on the land use agreement. 40
Margaret Hauth said the Town held the public hearing about designating the future land 41
use, and it is cued up for the board to make a decision by the end of March. She said if the 42
BOCC may not go forward with this land use designation, then the Town board can stop its 43
process, and let the water and sewer boundary amendment lapse. She said this is not 44
necessarily a recommendation, but is just another option for moving forward. 45
Chair Dorosin said the pause does not imply that the proposal has been abandoned, but 46
rather is due to what the BOCC heard in the public hearing about the lack of adequate public 47
notification, what was happening and what could happen. He said the pause is to look at this 48
again, and determine how to better communicate with the residents. He said the economic 49
development use is still the model for this parcel, but the BOCC would like to start the 50
13
community engagement and education process anew. He said part of the problem is that the 1
district was set up a long time ago, and then nothing happened. 2
Commissioner Burroughs said the public is now informed, and a long pause is not 3
necessary, and suggested that the process keeps moving forward at a reasonable pace. 4
Mayor Stevens said this item will come to the Town board at the end of March, and 5
suggested that the Town go ahead and continue their process. 6
Town Commissioner Bell said because the County has paused, it has deescalated the 7
importance from the Town’s perspective, and he suggested waiting to hear from the County. 8
Mayor Stevens said one option is for the Town to proceed, which would involve another 9
public hearing 10
Margaret Hauth said if the Town does not continue the process, then enough time would 11
pass where the Town would have to re-conduct the public hearing. 12
Town Commissioner Mark Bell said he is hearing that the County may pause for a while, 13
and another public hearing may be needed 1 to 4 quarters from now, which would just be an 14
extra hour of their joint time, which is not an impactful burden. 15
Travis Myren said the County would intend to complete the additional public education 16
over the summer, and be ready to continue the process in the fall. 17
Mayor Stevens asked if the preference would be for the Town to continue. 18
Travis Myren said yes. 19
Margaret Hauth asked if the Town board wants to proceed with the process at the end 20
of March. 21
The Town Board agreed to proceed with its processes. 22
23
Commissioner Rich said she got a call f rom a resident in Waterstone, who asked if the 24
“W elcome to Hillsborough” sign could be moved further toward the Waterstone area, or if 25
additional signs could be put up to make more people feel welcome as they enter the area. 26
Margaret Hauth said the sign was nowhere near the Town limits when it was built, but it 27
was a convenient location and there was a willing property owner. She said staff will review 28
this, but that is an old sign, and is probably too old and too heavy to move. She said it has to 29
go on private property, and not in the right of way, and if staff receives direction to work on this, 30
staff would find locations to put additional signs. 31
Commissioner Marcoplos said Commissioner Jacobs is receiving the Sportswriter of the 32
Year award tonight in Raleigh, and was unable to attend this meeting. 33
34
The meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m. 35
36
Mark Dorosin, Chair 37
38
39
Donna Baker 40
Clerk to the Board 41
42
43
44
1
Attachment 2 1
2
DRAFT MINUTES 3
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4
REGULAR MEETING 5
MARCH 8, 2018 6
7:00 p.m. 7
8
9
The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in regular session on Thursday, March 8, 10
2018 at 7 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Building, in Hillsborough, N.C. 11
12
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Dorosin and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, 13
Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, Renee Price and Penny Rich 14
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None 15
COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 16
COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 17
Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified 18
appropriately below) 19
20
Chair Dorosin called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. 21
22
PUBLIC CHARGE 23
Chair Dorosin dispensed with the reading of the public charge. 24
25
1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 26
The following items were noted at the Commissioners’ places: 27
- Pink sheet: Commissioner Rich’s Proposed Draft Gun Violence Resolution, Add as item 4b 28
- White sheet: Commissioner Price’s friendly amendment to Commissioner Rich’s Gun 29
Violence Resolution 30
- Blue sheet: Updated Attachment for 6-a-1, Historical Use of Social Safety Net and Social 31
Justice Reserve Fund 32
- PowerPoints for item 6-b 33
- Item 8-e, pulled at staff’s request: Resolution of Approval – Conservation Easement 34
Amendment for Keith Arboretum-- to be brought back at first meeting in April. 35
36
Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:05 p.m. 37
38
Arts Moment – Jeffery Beam 39
40
Katie Murray, Arts Commission Coordinator, introduced the artist and reviewed the 41
following information: 42
Jeffery Beam's award-winning works: Broken Flower, Gospel Earth, Visions of Dame Kind, 43
Elizabethan Bestiary: Retold, New Beautiful Tendons, a CD What We Have Lost, Jonathan 44
Williams: Lord of Orchards, and Spectral Pegasus/Dark Movements – a poetry/painting 45
collaboration with Welsh painter Clive Hicks-Jenkins (January 2019 Connecticut’s Kin Press). 46
Composer collaborations: Lee Hoiby—Carnegie Hall premiere Life of the Bee (2001 Albany 47
Record's New Growth); Steven Serpa—Heaven's Birds (2008 Boston’s World AIDS Day), An 48
Invocation (2016 Austin Symphony), The Creatures: A Bestiary (2016 Austin Opera); Holt 49
McCarley—The Hyena (2015, St. Louis); and Daniel Thomas Davis—Family Secrets w/Beam’s 50
2
Porch Song (2015 UNC-CH, 2016 NC Opera). Forthcoming—a children’s book The Droods 1
(English artist Phil Cooper). Retired botanical librarian (2011 UNC-CH). Beam lives with his 2
husband Stanley of 38 years in Hillsborough. 3
4
Jeffrey Beam read some of his poems. 5
6
2. Public Comments 7
8
a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 9
Phillip Nasseri, White Cross Fire Department Fire Chief, said he wanted to inform the 10
Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) of a collaborative effort between all of the fire 11
departments/law enforcement/Emergency Services to create a countywide training facility, and 12
that this group has asked the federal government for a $330,000 grant for the initial facility of a 13
structure. He said this group has secured the matching funds of 10%, based on the County’s 14
population. He said land has been chosen for this facility, and this group may reach out in the 15
future for assistance. He said his goal tonight is to make the Board of County Commissioners 16
(BOCC) aware of this process, and it is a unique opportunity, the collaboration for which has 17
never existed before. He said this building will allow all first responders to train in a more 18
efficient and safe manner. He asked the BOCC if it would provide written support of the project. 19
Commissioner Price asked if the support will be expressed as a united board, or as 20
individual Commissioners. 21
Chair Dorosin said as a united board. 22
Tony Blake said he is the president of the White Cross Fire Department Board of 23
Directors (BOD), and the community is in support of this project. He said it will be funded 24
through the fire departments, and not from the Board of County Commissioners. He stressed 25
the importance of this proposed joint training facility. 26
Laura Streitfeld said she is with Preserve Rural Orange (PRO), and she sent an email 27
request to all of the Board. She said PRO is concerned about many event centers that are 28
being presented as barns; equitable information distribution; and transparency. She said PRO 29
is asking the BOCC to look at the items that it can address. She said PRO would like the 30
BOCC to help with the following: access to information from Board of Adjustment (BOA) 31
meetings; ordinances being enforced consistently; appoint independent counsel to the BOA, to 32
prevent dual roles by legal staff; appoint independent staff to coordinate all BOA 33
communications; clarify public records, policies and procedures; post full record of public 34
documents pertaining to each event center proactively, separately, and in a searchable format; 35
and to clarify the rural special events in the unified development ordinance (UDO). She said 36
she had requested information in an electronic format, in accordance with the law, but in the 37
last two months she has only received paper copies. She asked if the BOCC would take action 38
on all of PRO’s requested items, and if it would make sure BOA meetings are recorded. 39
40
b. Matters on the Printed Agenda 41
(These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda 42
below.) 43
44
3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board 45
Commissioner Burroughs had no comments. 46
Commissioner McKee said the comments from Phillip Nasseri were reviewed at the Fire 47
Chiefs Council last night, and this is a collaborative effort among volunteer fire departments, 48
Emergency Services and law enforcement. 49
3
Commissioner Jacobs petitioned the Manager’s office to provide a comprehensive 1
response to Ms. Streitfeld’s requests. 2
Commissioner Jacobs said the Department of Transportation (DOT) is putting up a 3
pedestrian fence on the Orange Grove Road Bridge. 4
Commissioner Jacobs said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) received an 5
email that Paylor Street is now a NCDOT road. 6
Commissioner Jacobs said he and the County management office met with the Director 7
of GoTriangle last week, and presented a list of issues of interest to the BOCC. He said there 8
is a handout at the Commissioners’ places that provides an overview of this meeting. He said 9
he received positive responses on all of the items, and the BOCC will receive a change in areas 10
where dissatisfaction exists. 11
Commissioner Jacobs petitioned the BOCC to write a resolution urging the State of 12
North Carolina to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). 13
Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the Greene Tract, and said the competitiveness of 14
solar power may make it possible to install a community solar generating facility as a part of an 15
affordable housing area. He asked if staff would review this suggestion. 16
Commissioner Price said the BOCC received an email about Marcy’s law, and petitioned 17
the Board to look at a resolution as a joint effort. She said she will write up a draft. 18
Commissioner Price said she attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) 19
Legislative Conference, where she met with the Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban 20
Development (HUD). She learned that the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and 21
Home funds have bi-partisan support to keep them in the budget. 22
Commissioner Price said she heard from DJ Gribbin, Special Assistant to the President 23
on Infrastructure, who said that the federal government has given 14% on average for 24
transportation/infrastructure projects around the country. She said 14-20% is likely to be the 25
most any project would receive, and it will be important to have a plan for how the remaining 26
parts of a project will be funded. 27
Commissioner Price said she also attended a USDA meeting about broadband and 28
digital infrastructure. 29
Commissioner Rich said the Board normally puts draft resolutions up, and waits until the 30
next meeting to vote; however, some resolutions are time sensitive. She said her proposed 31
resolution this evening is such a resolution. She asked if the BOCC would put its policies about 32
resolutions and timeliness on an upcoming meeting agenda. 33
Commissioner Rich said she received a resolution from Planning Board member Kim 34
Piracci about a month free of plastic straws in September, and she would bring this back in the 35
future. 36
Commissioner Rich read the proclamation that was put forth in 1987 for Women’s 37
History Month. 38
Chair Dorosin followed up on Commissioner Jacobs’ petition about the BOA. He said 39
the list of concerns included some matters on policy discussion, and he asked if this could be 40
added to agenda review for a possible future meeting. 41
Chair Dorosin asked if the BOA meeting on Monday, March 12th could be recorded. He 42
said one issue raised is related to the substance of the event centers’ usage, which is out of 43
BOCC control; but the dissemination of information and transparency is something the BOCC 44
can address. 45
46
A motion was made by Chair Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Price to hold the 47
March 12th BOA meeting in a facility where it can be recorded, or streamed, or audio recorded, 48
or video recorded. 49
4
1
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 2
3
Commissioner Rich asked if all BOA meetings will be recorded, or just the one on March 4
12th. 5
Chair Dorosin said that question would be resolved when the BOCC has the policy 6
discussion, but recording the March 12th meeting is a show of good faith by the BOCC. 7
8
4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 9
10
a. Resolution Opposing a Change from Election of Judges 11
The Board considered voting to approve a draft Resolution Opposing a Change from 12
Election of Judges, and if approved, authorizing the Chair to sign. 13
14
BACKGROUND: 15
At the January 23, 2018 Regular Board meeting, the Board requested that a resolution be 16
prepared for the Board’s consideration expressing support for the current system of electing 17
judges in North Carolina and opposing any change to that system. 18
19
Commissioner Price read the resolution: 20
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 21
RESOLUTION OPPOSING A CHANGE FROM ELECTION OF JUDGES 22
23
WHEREAS, the North Carolina State Constitution [Constitution] established three branches of 24
government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial; and 25
26
WHEREAS, the Constitution also established the roles and responsibilities of each said branch 27
of government, and how individuals seeking to serve in each branch is to be elected; and 28
29
WHEREAS, this delineation of separate branches is essential to the maintenance of a balance 30
of powers that ensures the unfettered and effective function of our democratic form of 31
government; and 32
33
WHEREAS, the North Carolina General Assembly currently is debating the merits of amending 34
the Constitution so as to allow the appointment of judges rather than the historical and 35
Constitutional method of electing judges by a vote of the people; and 36
37
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners [BOCC] believes that members of the 38
judicial branch of government should continue to be elected by the voters, as opposed to being 39
selected by members of the legislative branch or by some other process that may be 40
established by the legislative branch; and 41
42
WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners supports maintaining the current 43
Judicial District System, and opposes division into sub-districts; and 44
45
WHEREAS, forcing judges to run for election on a frequent basis, such as every two years, has 46
the potential of politicizing their decision-making, thus undermining the independence that is at 47
the heart of a free and fair judiciary; and 48
49
5
WHEREAS, at its regular meeting on March 8, 2018, the BOCC voted unanimously to send this 1
resolution to its state legislative delegation as well as to the boards of county commissioners of 2
all other 99 North Carolina counties; 3
4
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of County 5
Commissioners herewith opposes any amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that would 6
abridge or impinge upon the right of the people of North Carolina to elect their judges; and 7
8
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of County Commissioners affirms 9
its position in favor of an independent judiciary, as now provided in the North Carolina State 10
Constitution. 11
This the 8th day of March, 2018. 12
Mark Dorosin, Chair 13
Orange County Board of Commissioners 14
15
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Price to 16
adopt the proposed resolution and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution. 17
18
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 19
20
b. A Resolution in Support of Local Youth-led Efforts Calling for State and National 21
Action to Prevent Gun Violence in Schools and Communities Nationwide. 22
23
Commissioner Rich added this item to the agenda, with no abstract, along with a friendly 24
amendment version from Commissioner Price. 25
Commissioner McKee said he has concerns with bringing forth a resolution without 26
public notice, as such action lacks transparency. 27
Commissioner Rich said she and Commissioner Price spoke about this resolution, and 28
Commissioner Price is recommending changing the wording in the second to last paragraph 29
from “whereas” to “therefore be it resolved.” 30
Commissioner Rich read the resolution: 31
32
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 33
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL YOUTH-LED EFFORTS CALLING FOR STATE 34
AND NATIONAL ACTION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES 35
NATIONWIDE 36
37
WHEREAS, gun violence is a crisis in the United States, especially for children; and 38
39
WHEREAS, the US has the highest rate of gun violence among its peers, including nearly six 40
times the gun homicide rate of Canada, more than seven times that of Sweden, and nearly 16 41
times that of Germany; and 42
43
WHEREAS, on average, two dozen children are shot every day in the United States; and 44
45
WHEREAS, more than 150,000 students attending at least 170 primary or secondary schools 46
have experienced a shooting on campus since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999; 47
and 48
49
6
WHEREAS, along with school shootings, countless other lives are impacted by gun violence 1
that do not make headlines every day. Ninety-six Americans are shot and killed and hundreds 2
more are wounded each day in this country; and 3
4
WHEREAS, every child deserves to learn in a school that is safe and adults must do more to 5
protect our students and schools from gun violence; and 6
7
WHEREAS, young people in our community are taking the lead, in solidarity with Marjory 8
Stoneman Douglas High School, in calling for action by state and national leaders and asking 9
that adults listen and follow their lead; and 10
11
WHEREAS, these grassroots and youth-led efforts build on the momentum of Black Lives 12
Matter, the Dream Defenders, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Americans for 13
Responsible Solutions, and other efforts to amplify the majority of voices who support sensible 14
gun control legislation in the U.S; and 15
16
WHEREAS, these youth are taking part in protests and other actions to demand that they be 17
kept safe in their schools; and 18
19
WHEREAS, we reject arming teachers or other acts that would put more guns and fear in our 20
schools; 21
22
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Commissioners supports 23
our youth in their assertions that sensible gun control legislation efforts including universal 24
background checks, waiting periods, and an assault weapon ban will prevent gun violence; and 25
26
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of County Commissioners 27
supports the youth-led actions to make their voices heard and calls on the community and State 28
and federal elected leaders to act on sensible gun control legislative measures to prevent 29
further gun violence in our schools and in our communities; and 30
31
BE IT MOREOVER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to Senators 32
Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, Congressman David Price, and Governor Roy Cooper. 33
34
This the 8th day of March, 2018. 35
36
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Price to 37
approve the resolution and forward to designated individuals. 38
39
Commissioner McKee asked if Commissioner Price’s friendly amendment is asking for a 40
total ban of assault weapons, including confiscation of existing assault weapons, or the future 41
purchase of assault weapons. 42
Commissioner Price said she did not amend this portion of the resolution, rather she just 43
changed the “whereas” clause to a “therefore be it resolved.” 44
Commissioner Rich said it refers to the ban on purchasing automatic rifles. 45
Commissioner McKee asked if Commissioner Rich would accept removing that 46
language and replacing it with, “a ban on the future purchase of assault weapons that will 47
reduce gun violence.” 48
Commissioner Rich accepted this language change. 49
7
Commissioner McKee offered a friendly amendment to say, “Be it therefore resolved 1
that the Orange County Board of Commissioners supports efforts to reduce the availability of 2
violent movies, games, and other media, and supports efforts to address mental health issues 3
through additional funding of services on the state and federal level.” 4
Commissioner Rich said she would not accept this wording, but asked Commissioner 5
McKee if he would like to break this wording down into separate items. She said she does not 6
see game or media violence as part of the spirit of this resolution. 7
Commissioner McKee said they fundamentally disagree about this, but he is willing to 8
drop the first part of his proposal, and asked if Commissioner Rich would accept the wording 9
about mental health services. 10
Commissioner Rich said she does think this wording belongs in this resolution, as the 11
resolution solely seeks to support youth lead protests against gun violence. 12
Commissioner McKee said he cannot support this resolution. 13
Commissioner Rich said mental health issues are completely different than gun 14
violence. 15
Commissioner McKee clarified that the resolution is aimed at simply supporting the 16
youth effort. 17
Commissioner Rich said yes, that is the spirit of the resolution. 18
Commissioner McKee said he would support the resolution with reservations, and at 19
some point, he would like the Board to have a discussion as to whether or not it supports violent 20
movies and games, as he believes this media plays into the mental health of children. 21
22
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 23
24
5. Public Hearings 25
NONE 26
27
6. Regular Agenda 28
29
a. Request to Utilize Social Justice Funds for Emergency Assistance Payments 30
The Board considered allocating $125,000 from the Social Justice Fund for emergency 31
assistance payments for Orange County residents. 32
33
BACKGROUND: 34
The Department of Social Services (DSS) supports individuals and families experiencing 35
financial crises through emergency payments for rent, utilities, deposits and other essentials. 36
Although federal and state sources provide some of this support, the County provides most of 37
these funds. 38
39
As of the end of January, the County had served over 800 Orange County residents and at the 40
current rate would serve nearly 1,400 during fiscal year 2017-18. In fiscal year 2016-17 these 41
funds served 1,240 clients. Although some of the increase in emergency assistance this year is 42
explained by demand, much is related to rising housing costs. In previous years, a greater 43
percentage of funds was spent on utilities but now a greater percentage is spent on rents, 44
deposits and related costs. 45
46
From July through January of the current fiscal year, DSS has made $120,919 worth of rent 47
payments on behalf of 325 households as compared to $94,812 during all of the previous year. 48
In addition to rent, the County has also spent $93,546 on electric bills and $19,680 on water 49
bills thus far this fiscal year. 50
8
1
DSS has also assisted with some extremely difficult situations this year and those cases have 2
been more costly. Often these included serious safety issues for a child, a senior or a person 3
with a disability. Extreme weather also contributed to higher needs as DSS tried to assure that 4
all families were safe during the recent cold temperatures. 5
Based on current spending trends, DSS will need approximately $125,000 in additional funds to 6
meet the need for the remainder of the fiscal year and is requesting this amount from the 7
existing Social Justice Fund. 8
9
Nancy Coston, Department of Social Services (DSS) Director, said this year DSS has 10
had a difficult time staying within its budget, due to demands for emergencies, with rising 11
housing costs being a large issue. She said DSS is requesting the use social justice funds to 12
offset some of these emergency costs. 13
Commissioner Jacobs referred to the revised information on the blue sheet in the 14
Commissioners’ packet, and said this has been a long-standing commitment of Orange County. 15
He said this type of need is the intended purpose of the social justice fund. 16
Nancy Coston said DSS always seeks to use federal funds first, but sometimes those 17
funds do not cover the needs. 18
Chair Dorosin asked if this as more of an anomalous situation, or if this is a trend of 19
higher level of expenses. 20
Nancy Coston said it is both, and there have truly been some extenuating situations this 21
year. She said expenses vary from year to year, but she does not anticipate these costs going 22
down. 23
24
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 25
approve the allocation of $125,000 from the Social Justice Fund to the Department of Social 26
Services to address the continuing need for emergency assistance. 27
28
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 29
30
b. Framework for the First Annual Orange County Local Festival 31
The Board considered voting to establish a financial and programming framework for 32
Orange County’s First Annual Local Festival. 33
34
BACKGROUND: 35
The FY2017-18 Budget authorized up to $15,000 in Article 46 sales tax proceeds to begin 36
planning for an Orange County Local Fest. The County conducted a request for proposal 37
process and retained Evan Hatch as the Event Planner. Mr. Hatch has fifteen years of 38
experience in folk arts and cultural programming, which includes experience in event planning 39
and festival production. Mr. Hatch has been working with a group of Orange County 40
departments to create a financial and programming framework for Local Fest. 41
42
Orange County Local Fest is intended to be a local, grassroots festival that celebrates and 43
promotes Orange County’s commitment to its heritage, diversity, culture, sustainable living and 44
agriculture. The event is proposed to be held at the Blackwood Farm Park on Saturday, 45
September 29, 2018. 46
47
Revenue generated by the event is proposed to support the Breeze Farm Incubator. The 48
Breeze Farm provides a place for individuals who are interested in learning to farm, but may not 49
have access to the land or equipment required to start a farming business. The Breeze Farm 50
9
provides tools, infrastructure, and services as part of the lease agreement with these 1
individuals. These resources help to minimize the risk and capital investment needed to start a 2
small farm. Historically, the Breeze Farm generated approximately $30,000 in revenue by 3
hosting the annual Farm to Fork Event. That event has relocated to outside of Orange County, 4
resulting in a loss of revenue to the Breeze Farm. 5
6
The programming element of Local Fest is proposed to include music, agricultural and food 7
demonstrations, local artists, educational opportunities for children, and revenue generating 8
activities, food, and beverage sales. Music and dance stages will feature a diverse mix of local 9
musicians and artists. Examples of agricultural and food demonstrations include a 10
demonstration kitchen, sheep herding and shearing, molasses processing, fabric weaving and 11
dying, and quilting. The activities are expected to include pony rides, draft horse hayride tours, 12
a hollering contest, and a baking contest. The County will contract with musicians, vendors and 13
demonstrators using standard contract protocols, and artists will be juried by the Orange 14
County Arts Commission staff. The proposed programming model does not include areas or 15
booth rentals for nonprofit advocacy or political organizations. 16
17
The total expense budget for the event is expected to be approximately $50,000. These 18
expenses include payments for entertainment and event set up, rentals, advertisements and 19
publicity, and event signage and wayfinding. Staff expects that sufficient capacity will be 20
available in the FY2018-19 Article 46 sales tax fund to fully support these expenses. 21
22
Revenue will be generated through event sponsorships, food and beverage sales, and charges 23
for activities such as pony and hay rides. Event sponsorships would include opportunities to 24
sponsor specific event areas or to support the event in general. Sponsorship opportunities will 25
follow a tiered sponsorship level model. 26
27
Food and beverage sales will be generated by a local food truck rodeo and beer garden. The 28
County will collect revenue through rental fees and/or collect a percentage of sales at the event. 29
Up to $30,000 of revenue would be transferred to the Breeze Farm to support the incubator and 30
its educational programming. This financial support would replace the revenue that had been 31
generated by the Farm to Fork event. Any revenue generated in excess of $30,000 would be 32
applied to offset the cost of producing the event. The financial model does not currently rely on 33
a fee for general admission. 34
35
Travis Myren made the following PowerPoint presentation: 36
37
Framework for First Annual Orange County Local Fest 38
March 8, 2018 39
Item 6(b) 40
41
Purpose 42
• To establish a financial and programming framework for Orange County’s First Annual 43
Local Festival 44
• Background 45
o FY2017-18 Budget - $15,000 for Local Fest Planning 46
o Funded through Article 46 Sales Tax 47
o Event Planner RFP and Contract 48
• Next Steps 49
o Begin marketing campaign – website, social and traditional media 50
10
o Formalize contractual relationships with vendors, demonstrators, musicians 1
o Formally secure outside sponsorships 2
3
Financial Framework 4
• Raise Funds for Breeze Farm Educational Programming 5
o PLANT Program – training on small scale sustainable farming techniques 6
o Replace revenue raised from Farm to Fork event ($30,000) 7
• Expense Budget 8
o Up to $50,000 9
o Entertainment, rentals, advertisement, publicity 10
o Expenses financed through Article 46 Sales Tax 11
• Revenue Budget 12
o No general admission fees 13
o Revenue sources 14
Sponsorships – tiered sponsorship model 15
Food and beverage sales 16
Beer Garden 17
Booth rentals for arts 18
Charges for some activities 19
o First $30,000 to Breeze Farm 20
o Excess event proceeds to offset event expenses 21
22
Programming Framework 23
• Local Festival 24
o Heritage, History, Culture of Orange County 25
o Blackwood Farm Park 26
o Saturday, September 29, 2018 27
28
Evan Hatch, Event Planner, made the following PowerPoint presentation: 29
30
LOCALFEST 2018 31
Blackwood Farm Park, Hillsborough, NC 32
33
The 5 W’s OF LOCALFEST 34
• Who – Presented by Orange County, NC Government in support of the Breeze Farm 35
Incubator 36
• What – A local, grassroots festival celebrating and promoting Orange County’s 37
commitment to its heritage, diversity, culture, sustainable living and agriculture. 38
• Where – Blackwood Farm Park, 4215 NC-86, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 39
• When – Saturday, September 29, 2018 10 AM – 6 PM (9 AM -5 PM?) 40
• Why – To serve as a fundraiser for Breeze Farm Incubator. To promote agricultural and 41
economic stability models in Orange County, NC. 42
43
THE 6th W – HOW? WORKING TOGETHER. 44
• Orange County Visitor’s Bureau 45
• Orange County Arts Commission 46
• Orange County Cooperative Extension 47
• Orange County Emergency Management 48
• Orange County Public Health 49
• Orange County Information Technology 50
11
• Orange County Sherriff’s Office 1
• Orange County Solid Waste 2
• Orange County Public Transportation 3
• Orange County Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation 4
• Orange County Economic Development 5
6
WHAT HAPPENS AT LOCAL FEST? 7
• MUSIC AND DANCE STAGES 8
• DEMONSTRATION KITCHEN 9
• CRAFT VENDORS 10
• AGRICULTURE DEMONSTRATIONS 11
• FOOD TRUCKS 12
• BEER GARDEN 13
• KIDS AREAS AND ACTIVITIES 14
• EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES 15
• AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCES 16
17
A ROUGH OVERVIEW OF LOCALFEST (map) 18
19
MUSICAL AND DANCE ACTS 20
• Jake Xerxes Fussell 21
• Five Points Rounders 22
• Music Maker Relief Foundation Artist 23
• Mariachi de los Galleros 24
• Red Leaf Drum Group 25
• Green Level Entertainers 26
• Bouncing Bulldogs 27
28
AGRICULTURE & FARM DEMONSTRATIONS (photos) 29
30
KID’s AREA ACTIVITIES & DEMONSTRATIONS 31
• A GREAT opportunity to make money from donation$ and fee-based activitie$... 32
• Paperhand Puppet Intervention Puppetry Workshop 33
• Muraling Activities with Cornelio Campos 34
• Volunteer-led Face Painting Station’s (Donation Potential) 35
• Pony Rides 36
• Draft Horse Wagon Rides 37
• Story Telling Stage 38
39
DEMONSTRATION KITCHEN 40
• A fantastic opportunity to unify local food, farming and cooking on our sponsored 41
independent stage, creating contests, demonstrations, and educational opportunities 42
• A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A STAGE SPONSORSHIP!!!! 43
• FERMENTATION, BUTCHERY, BAKING CONTESTS, KIDS KITCHEN DEMO! 44
45
FOOD TRUCK RODEO (SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE) BEER GARDEN & MORE 46
• Weaver Street Market 47
• Carrboro Coffee Roasters 48
• Margaret’s Cantina 49
12
• Monterrey 1
• Maple View Farms 2
• Vimala’s Curryblossom Café 3
• Hillsborough BBQ 4
• Myst ery Brewing Company 5
• Full Stem Brewing 6
• Botanist and Barrel Cidery and Winery 7
• COMMUNITY BAKING CONTEST: Best Cakes, Pies, Breads, Tamales, Pan Dulces! 8
9
WHY DO ALL THIS? 10
• COMMUNITY 11
o Education 12
o Outreach 13
o Promotion 14
o Fundraiser 15
o Pride 16
o Coming Together 17
18
Commissioner Marcoplos said Full Steam Brewery is in Durham, and, while he very 19
much likes Full Steam, he suggested approaching Steel String Brewery in Carrboro, as it is in 20
Orange County. He said this is proposal is a great start, but he suggested charging $5 per car 21
load, which would encourage car-pooling, yet still make some funds. 22
Evan Hatch said the current plan is to not have cars on site, in order to keep in line with 23
sustainability and low impact. He said those showing at the festival will have parking rights, 24
while all others will be transported in from other sites. 25
Commissioner Marcoplos said maybe charging a dollar a person, or a suggested 26
donation. 27
Commissioner McKee asked Travis Myren if there is sufficient infrastructure at 28
Blackwood Farm to sustain such an event. 29
Travis Myren said generators will be brought in for power and portable toilets for sanitary 30
purposes. 31
Commissioner McKee asked if these costs are covered in the $50,000. 32
Travis Myren said yes. 33
Commissioner Price said because the festival is being funded by taxpayer dollars, she 34
would like to see “donations welcomed,” but no entry fee charged. 35
Travis Myren said a fee structure for entry was discussed, but staff felt the BOCC may 36
prefer the event to be free. He said if the Board feels differently, staff can create a fee structure 37
for admission. 38
Commissioner Price said she is opposed to any entry fee. 39
Commissioner Jacobs said for other events, cars were parked at the middle school and 40
were shuttled in throughout the day. 41
Commissioner Jacobs said he has no particular affinity for this project, but he is willing 42
to support it; however, it is odd to tell the public that the County will spend $50,000 to raise 43
$30,000, instead of just giving $30,000 to the Breeze Farm. He suggested thinking about the 44
wording for this. 45
Commissioner Jacobs said he runs a small non-profit in the Hillsborough area, and he is 46
concerned about people such as him having to compete with Orange County for sponsorships, 47
and it will drain what few businesses that exist, and their ability to support multiple non-profit 48
operations. He said there are a number of small entities that depend on one annual event to 49
make or break their budgets. 50
13
Commissioner McKee said there are other festivals in Orange County, and asked if the 1
timing sequence of those events have been compared to the timing of this event. 2
Evan Hatch said Localfest would occur the same weekend as the Carrboro Music 3
festival, but most of Carrboro’s music activities are on Sunday. He said he is unsure about Hog 4
Day. 5
Commissioner McKee said the County has already allocated $15,000 to this event, and 6
now plans to allocate another $50,000. He asked if the receipts come in for $10,000 will 7
another $20,000 be added to give $30,000 to the Breeze Farm. 8
Travis Myren said only the amount raised, up to $30,000, goes to the Breeze Farm. He 9
said if only $5,000 is raised then that is the amount that will go to the Farm. He said the 10
exposure for the County next year would be $50,000. He said there will be a little left from the 11
$15,000 allocated this year, which will be applied to the $50,000. He said the Breeze Farm will 12
only benefit to the extent that funds are raised by the event itself. 13
Commissioner McKee said this information concerns him. He said if this is to replace 14
money to the Breeze Farm, he does not see how $30,000 cannot be given to the Breeze Farm. 15
Commissioner Jacobs asked if there is a target amount for funds raised by 16
sponsorships. 17
Evan Hatch said this is being worked on, and there will be a tiered structure for 18
sponsorships. He said he expects that no individual sponsorship would go over $20,000, but 19
there are currently no targets. 20
Commissioner Rich said Hog Day is September 14-15. 21
Commissioner Rich clarified that the sponsorships will cover the cost of the $50,000 22
being put forth by the County, and asked if the funding source for the money for the Breeze 23
Farm could be identified. 24
Travis Myren said all of the revenue collected by the event, up to $30,000 will go to the 25
Breeze Farm first. He said these revenues will come from sponsorships, sales of food/goods 26
etc., and rentals. 27
Travis Myren said if $30,000 is raised, that amount will go to Breeze Farm, and the 28
County will pay $50,000. He said if the event raises $40,000, then $30,000 will go to Breeze 29
Farm and $10,000 will be applied to the County’s costs. 30
Commissioner Rich said it is important to communicate that this event will feature local 31
artists throughout all areas: musicians, food, beer, artists, etc. 32
Commissioner Price asked if the sponsorship money is expected to cover the County’s 33
$50,000 expenses. 34
Travis Myren said it has not been considered by revenue source, but rather by amount. 35
He said once the Breeze Farm bucket is filled; the County’s expenses can be offset. 36
Commissioner Price asked the $50,000 will come out of the Article 46 sales tax. 37
Travis Myren said this would be part of the Manager’s budget proposal for next year, but 38
the planning/organizing needs to begin due to the event being in September. 39
Commissioner Price said staff is pursuing sponsorships now, and asked if the goal is to 40
cover expenses through these sponsorships. 41
Evan Hatch said that is the goal, but with this being a first year project, there are many 42
unknowns. He said he is dedicated to raising as much revenue as he can, but $50,000 is a 43
large sum. He said it is a goal for now. 44
Commissioner Price asked if any of the necessary entrance road improvements will be 45
completed prior to the event. 46
Bonnie Hammersley said the road will be improved after the event, and is already 47
allocated in the Capital Investment Plan (CIP). She said this event will use the same model as 48
the 250th anniversary by shuttling people from offsite locations. She said the exact finances are 49
14
unknown, but the worse case scenario will be a $50,000 expense from the Article 46 tax funds, 1
minus the remaining funds from the $15,000 from this year. 2
Commissioner Marcoplos said the Farm to Fork event raised $30,000, via $100.00 per 3
person. He said in addition to major sponsors, a call could be put out inviting people to be 4
individual sponsors as “Friends of the Breeze Farm.” 5
Evan Hatch said sponsors from all over Orange County are being considered. 6
Commissioner McKee asked if this event ties into economic development. 7
Travis Myren said it is hoped that this event will draw tourists. 8
Commissioner McKee said he is reluctant to support this because there are people that 9
are being displaced from mobile homes, and the schools are in need of greater security. He 10
said it is difficult to explain to a resident, in extreme financial distress, why he voted to support a 11
“party.” He said he does not question whether it is a good event or not, but rather it is an 12
ethical question for him. 13
Chair Dorosin said he is excited about this festival, and this is a celebration of all things 14
local with a good outcome for Breeze Farm. He said it will be important to look closely at the 15
proposed outline, and he encouraged creativity with the artists that will be involved, as this is a 16
great opportunity to reach different constituencies. He said one cannot underestimate the value 17
of taking pride in, and celebration of, one’s community. 18
Commissioner Rich said it is important to think through and figure out the logistics of the 19
beer garden before moving forward on this. 20
Commissioner Price said this is a way of supporting local businesses, artists, and 21
culinary artists. She said any leftover food should not be thrown away, but rather donated to 22
food banks, Meals on Wheels, etc. 23
Commissioner Marcoplos said he has done some research on non-traditional county 24
fairs around the country, and many make a lot of money. He said this has the potential to be a 25
big money maker over the years. 26
Commissioner Rich said to add the Food Council to the list of collaborators. 27
Commissioner Jacobs asked if the next steps could be outlined. 28
Travis Myren reviewed the final PowerPoint slide: 29
30
Decision Points 31
• Approve financial and programming framework for Orange County’s First Annual Local 32
Festival 33
• Next Steps 34
o Begin marketing campaign – website, social and traditional media 35
o Formalize contractual relationships with vendors, demonstrators, musicians 36
o Formally secure outside sponsorships 37
38
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich to 39
approve the programming and financial framework for the Local Fest Event as described in the 40
abstract. 41
42
VOTE: Ayes, 6; Nays, 1 (Commissioner McKee) 43
44
7. Reports 45
NONE 46
47
8. Consent Agenda 48
• Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda 49
o Item 8-e: has been deferred to a future meeting 50
15
o Item 8-f: Boards and Commissions - Commissioner Assignments 1
2
• Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda 3
4
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich to 5
approve the remaining items on the consent agenda. 6
7
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8
9
• Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda 10
11
f. Boards and Commissions - Commissioner Assignments 12
The Board considered approving the list of boards and commissions, on which members 13
of the Board of County Commissioners have chosen to serve. 14
Commissioner Jacobs said when the Board picked its boards and commissions last 15
month he said he would stay on GoTriangle, if no one else wanted it. He said Commissioner 16
Marcoplos has asked to serve on this board when Commissioner Jacobs is no longer doing so. 17
Commissioner Jacobs suggested that this appointment start now. 18
Commissioner Jacobs said he felt like he had a certain role that he was filling for the 19
Board: to corral something with which the Board was having difficulty. He said he is not sure 20
he has succeeded, and he suggested letting Commissioner Marcoplos become the GoTriangle 21
representative now. 22
Commissioner Marcoplos said he would like to do this. 23
24
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 25
approve the suggested substitution to GoTriangle Board of Trustees. 26
27
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 28
29
Commissioner Price said she would volunteer to be the alternate for the Upper Neuse 30
River Basin Association (UNRBA). 31
32
A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Jacobs to 33
approve this. 34
35
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 36
37
a. Minutes 38
The Board approved the minutes from February 6, 15 and 20, 2018 as submitted by the Clerk 39
to the Board. 40
b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases/Refunds 41
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release motor vehicle 42
property tax values for four taxpayers with a total of seven bills that will result in a reduction of 43
revenue, in accordance with the North Carolina General Statutes. 44
c. Property Tax Releases/Refunds 45
The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release property tax 46
values for three taxpayers with a total of three bills that will result in a reduction of revenue, in 47
accordance with North Carolina General Statute 105-381. 48
d. Approval of an Additional Automotive Mechanic Position 49
16
The Board approved an additional Automotive Mechanic position (1.0 FTE) to start by April 15, 1
2018 to work within the Fleet Maintenance Division of Asset Management Services, with 2
funding from an ongoing 5307 Federal Transit Administration Small Urban Grant appropriated 3
to Orange County Public Transportation (“OCPT”), as well as funds from the operating budget 4
of OCPT that will be used for the 50% match required by the grant. 5
f. Boards and Commissions - Commissioner Assignments 6
The Board approved the list of boards and commissions on which members of the Board of 7
County Commissioners have chosen to serve. 8
g. Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Amendment Outline 9
and Schedule – Four UDO Text Amendments 10
The Board approved process components and schedule for proposed amendments to the 11
Orange County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). 12
13
9. County Manager’s Report 14
Bonnie Hammersley said there is a light rail presentation on March 12th at the Chapel 15
Hill Town Hall. 16
17
10. County Attorney’s Report 18
NONE 19
20
11. *Appointments 21
Commissioner Jacobs asked if County employees can serve on County Advisory 22
Boards. 23
Commissioner Price said only the Board of Health had a policy in its bylaws that 24
employees cannot serve on its board. 25
John Roberts said the Board of Health has this policy, and the County has a general 26
policy that says no nominee to a board shall be currently employed by Orange County 27
government and serve on a board that directly affects the employee’s work. 28
Donna Baker said if an employee completes a board application, her office contacts the 29
County Attorney before proceeding. 30
31
a. Arts Commission – Appointments 32
The Board considered the following appointments to the Arts Commission: 33
34
Chair Dorosin said his partner is being proposed to fill one of the appointments. He said 35
there is no financial interest in her being appointed. 36
37
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner McKee to 38
appoint the following to the Arts Commission: 39
40
h. Appointment to a first full term (position #1) “At-Large” for Marcela Slade expiring 41
03/31/2021 42
i. Appointment to a second full term (position #2) “At-Large” for Tim Hoke expiring 43
03/31/2021 44
j. Appointment to a second full term (position #8) “At-Large” for Bronwyn Merritt expiring 45
03/31/2021 46
k. Appointment to a first full term (position #12) “At-Large” for Anita Mills expiring 47
03/31/2021 48
49
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 50
17
1
b. Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau – Appointments 2
The Board considered the following appointments to the Chapel Hill Orange County 3
Visitors Bureau (CHOCVB). 4
5
A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner McKee to 6
appoint the following to the CHOCVB: 7
8
• Appointment to a partial term (Position #1) “At-Large Chapel Hill Town Council” 9
representative for Dr. Rachel Schaevitz expiring 12/31/2018. 10
• Appointment to a partial term (Position #16) “At-Large” for Libbie Hough expiring 11
12/31/2018 12
13
Commissioner Rich said this group has actively sought to diversify this board, and it is 14
still an ongoing effort. 15
16
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 17
18
c. Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee – Appointment 19
The Board considered the following appointments to the Nursing Home Community 20
Advisory Committee: 21
22
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Rich to 23
appoint the following to the Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee: 24
25
• Appointment to a first full term (Position #2) “At-Large” representative for Molly Stein 26
expiring 03/31/2021 27
28
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 29
30
d. Orange County Planning Board – Appointments 31
The Board considered the following BOCC appointments to the Orange County 32
Planning Board. 33
34
A motion was made by Commissioner Jacobs, seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos to 35
appoint the following the Orange County Planning Board: 36
37
• Appointment to a second full term (position #3) “Cheeks Township Resident” for Patricia 38
Roberts expiring 03/31/2021 39
• Appointment of Carrie Fletcher to a first full term (position #4) “Bingham Township 40
Resident” BOCC Appointment expiring 03/31/2021 41
• Appointment to a first full term (position #7) “At-Large” representative for Hunter Spitzer 42
expiring 03/31/2021 43
44
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 45
46
12. Information Items 47
48
• February 20, 2018 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List 49
• Tax Collector’s Report – Numerical Analysis 50
18
• Tax Collector’s Report – Measure of Enforced Collections 1
• Tax Assessor's Report – Releases/Refunds under $100 2
• Memorandum - Updated Lands Public Access Table and Map 3
4
13. Closed Session 5
6
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Rich to go 7
into closed session at 8:49 p.m. for the purposes below: 8
9
“To discuss the County’s position and to instruct the County Manager and County Attorney on 10
the negotiating position regarding the terms of a contract to purchase real property,” NCGS § 11
143-318.11(a)(5). 12
13
“Pursuant to G.S. § 143-318.11(a)(3) "to consult with an attorney retained by the Board in order 14
to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the Board.” 15
16
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 17
18
RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION 19
20
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 21
reconvene into regular session at 9:35 p.m. 22
23
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 24
25
14. Adjournment 26
27
A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Burroughs to 28
adjourn the meeting at 9:35 p.m. 29
30
VOTE: UNANIMOUS 31
32
Mark Dorosin, Chair 33
34
35
Donna Baker 36
Clerk to the Board 37