HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 11-01-2000-8dORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: November 1, 2000
Action Agenda
Item No.
SUBJECT: Polic on Plannin and Fundin School Ca ital Projects
DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment 1. Policy on Planning and
Funding School Capital
Projects as of 11 /01 /00
INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Link or Rod Visser, ext. 2300
Donna Dean, extension 2151
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough 732-8181
Chapel Hill 968-4501
Durham 688-7331
Mebane 336-227-2031
PURPOSE: Ta adapt a "Policy on Planning and Funding Schaal Capital Projects".
BACKGROUND: At the March 29, 2000 CIP work session, the Board expressed its intent to
communicate to both ~ school boards its expectations regarding communication and review
processes that should be associated with schaol capital projects. Staff drafted a proposed
policy document to define the Board's expectations and presented it to the Board in April 2000.
Both schaol boards expressed a number of concerns about the draft policy and requested that
the Board refrain from adopting any such policy until formal dialogue among the boards
occurred. Over the past few months, staff has received comments from the Board of
Commissioners, both School Boards and Superintendents regarding the April 2000 version of
the policy.
At the October 17, 2000 BOCC meeting, staff presented the revised policy that incorporated all
changes made since the original April 2000 version of the policy. While the Board approved the
policy's concept, they asked staff to clarify a few areas of the policy and bring the final version
of the policy to the Board at the November 1, 2000 meeting for affirmation. The list below
outlines BOCC comments from October 17.
Concept/Pre-Planning Phase (Page 1 of the policy) -provide further explanation or
examples regarding what elements are included in this phase
Project Updates (Page 1, second bullet) -Indicate that the Superintendents provide
written project updates to the County Manager and he, in turn, provides, in writing,
this information to the Board of Commissioners
Urban Service Boundaries (Page 2, third bullet) - "The availability of public utilities at
or in close proximity to the site" should now read "The availability of public utilities
within the urban services boundaries"
'Potential Site Reports (Page 2, last sentence) -Delete the last portion of the
sentence: "during regularly scheduled Board of Commissioner meetings."
Construction Standards (Page, 4) -The Board asked that the following sentence be
'deleted: "For example, a system may design a facility with a larger than standard
gymnasium that allow for citizen/community use."
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FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fnancial impact tied directly to the approval of the Policy an
Planning and Funding School Capital Projects. However, implementation of the, policy will likely
impact funding for future school capital projects.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board affirm its adoption of the
"Policy on Planning and Funding Schoal Capital Projects", as presented in Attachment 1.
Attachment 1
ORANGE COUNTY
Revised for BOCC approval on 11/01/00
Clarification of Policy on Planning and Funding School Capital Projects
(This document is intended to clarify the expectations of the Orange County Board of Commissioners in
collaborating with the Boards of Education in planning for and implementing school capital projects. On
October 17, 2000, the Board of Commissioners adopted the policy in concept and requested that staff make
minor changes bringing the final version back on November 1, 2000 for final adoption. Items in bold italic
type or appearing as "strike through" indicate changes from the October 17, 2000 version of this policy.)
1. Background
The County's ten yeaz capital investment plan is a planning document that is updated annually.
Before the beginning of each fiscal year, the Boazd of County Commissioners approves the
funding plan in concept. However, funding of individual projects is contingent upon the scope
of work required to complete the project.
• Level l Projects: Level one projects are those projects that have a relatively small scope
of work and can be accomplished using a single prime contractor, in-house staff or entail
purchasing equipment and vehicles. Specific examples of Level 1 projects include
roofing projects, parking lot paving and re-wiring of existing buildings. The Board
approves the entire project ordinance at one time.
• Level 2 Projects: Level two projects are major projects that require several phases to
complete. For these projects, the Board of County Commissioners approves afour-phase
appropriation process to include:
• Concept/Pre-Planning Phase (includes preliminary programming and design
work that would result in conceptual drawings and preliminary cost estimates
)•
• Planning Phase (including siting & infrastructure)
Design and Construction Approval Phase (including Errol design, equipment,
furnishings, non-recurring start up, technology, contingency)
^ Schools have the latitude to shift funds between major components without
prior BOCC approval, providing that the actual cost of the project does not
exceed budget.
^ Superintendents will provide the County Manager with written project
updates at their regulaz monthly meetings. In turn, the County Manager will
provide the Board of County Commissioners with written progress reports
related to the project.
Page 1 of 6
Pnlir~~ nn planninn snA F,,,,.lin.. Crhnnl (''~..i+sl Prn.en+e
Attachment 1 4
Revised for BOCC approval on 11/O1/00
• Final Accounting Phase
^ Upon completion of the project, School and County staff will reconcile actual
project expenditures with approved budget and provide the BOCC with a
"final accounting" of project.
2. Site Standards
In accordance with North Carolina State Statutes, a local board of education cannot execute a
contract nor expend funds to purchase a facility site without the consent of the local board of
county commissioners. As each school system in Orange County plans for future school-related
facilities, it is important that they adhere to the following guidelines related to the potential
acquisition, either by purchase or donation, of a site, in addition to any siting criteria they may
have established internally:
Potential Sites -The Board of Education is to notify the Orange County Board of
Commissioners, in writing, whenever they have tentatively identified a potential
school site for purchase, or if a potential donor indicates interest in donating a site to
the system. The written correspondence should provide the following information for
Commissioner consideration: .
• Location, including tax map numbers, of the potential site;
• Opportunities for additional facilities to be co-located as a park site, as
outlined in the "Memorandum of Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site
and Facility Planning";
• The availability of public utilities ~ within the
urban services boundaries of the County;
• If a donated site:
• Any knowledge of a donor's plans for adjacent development;
• Special considerations or expectations the donor may have referenced in
initial discussions pertaining to the donation;
Upon receipt of the Board of Education's notification, the Commissioners will
appoint, by a majority vote of the Board, a representative to work directly with the
Board of Education. As a partner with the school system, the Commissioner
representative will receive information and provide input regarding talks and
negotiations related to the potential site. The Commissioner representative will share
information regarding the progress of talks and negotiations of the potential site with
other members of the Board of Commissioners a„ °•-'•'°~'" ~°''°a"'°a ~°.,ra ~f
Page 2 of 6
D.,1;..<..~.. Ulemm~n ~nrl F~.nrlina .C'r}innl ('.anital PrniectS
Attachment 1 5
Revised for BOCC approval on 11/O1/00
Environmental Factors - A school system is to pay particular attention to the physical
environment surrounding the site and new facility.
In order to avoid future flood hazazds, a facility should not be located in close
proximity to wetlands, stream buffers, or in a flood plain. Facility siting should
also avoid other physical factors that create either additional construction or
longer-term maintenance problems, or other unfavorable environmental impacts.
Once a system acquires a site and before grading begins, each school system
receives State approval of its erosion control plan and additional County review to
ensure that unnecessary cutting of trees or clearing of land does not occur.
Adequate natural buffers are to be left intact with existing trees, or replanted if the
areas aze disturbed during construction. Special attention should be paid to
"specimen" trees as outlined in the County land development code.
Road and Utility Requirements -Major elements for a system to consider in siting a
new facility relate to infrastructure requirements by a Town or other public utility. Tn
some recent instances, the systems have been required to provide costly infrastructure
such as sidewalks and road improvements. These elements greatly inflate
construction costs of new facilities. As a system begins initial planning; there should
be a joint meeting between elected Town, County and Education officials to discuss
particular requirements that all parties expect of other project partners.
3. Building Design Standards
As a school system selects a particular facility design, it is important that the most cost-effective
design alternative be pursued. Historically in Orange County, new school buildings have been
designed uniquely for each particulaz project. The Board of Commissioners encourages systems
to pursue non-traditional, or prototype, designs that can be replicated for use on more than one
project. Should a system choose a unique design, it is to provide a detailed cost comparison
analysis and justification in writing of why that particular approach was chosen over a prototype
design.
4. Construction Standards
Over the past few yeazs, the County has given special attention to defining construction
standards for each school level -elementary, middle and high schools. The standards provide a
minimum and maximum squaze footage and student capacity for each level. As a system
undertakes construction of a new facility, it is critical that the system adheres to the most recent
school construction standards (estimated project cost should include a reasonable allowance for
inflation).
The Commissioners agree to provide funding for new school facilities that aze designed within
the adopted standards. They do not agree to fund projects that go beyond the adopted standards
unless there is sufficient justification provided in writing by the Boazd of Education. One
justification for going beyond the standazds centers relates to co-location of facilities, in
Page 3 of 6
Policy on Planninv and Fnnrlino Crhnnl (`anital PrniantC
Attachment 1
Revised for BOCC approval on 11/O1/00
particular recreational facilities. ,
riztc``j--El~,r'r~~a~ccci~it~6'~~-cr "~~s~rs'gel~-~-s '4-'-t~l~rt ~,,-ccr~i:3wTroF
. In this case, the system must provide detailed explanations outlining the
benefits to be offered to the community and citizens, in the context of the intergovernmental
"Memorandum of Agreement for Providing Coordinated Site and Facility Planning".
S. Project Approval
A project's inclusion in the ten-year plan does not give the Schools or the County legal authority
to expend funds. The legal authority to expend funds lies in County Commissioner approved
capital project ordinances. Therefore, the schools should not incur any expenses for any capital
project until the Board of County Commissioners approves the capital project ordinance.
In order to provide timely flow of the approval process and ensure that all elements are
addressed, the following steps should be followed:
Details included in each system's ten-year Capital Investment Plans regarding the scope and
timing of various phases of individual capital projects is limited. To that end, as individual
Boards of Education begin discussions related to new capital projects (new construction, site
acquisitions, major renovations, etc), they will be expected, in writing, to notify the Board of
County Commissioners of the substance of those discussions. The memorandum from the
School Board will:
• Provide the Commissioners, with an overview of the project concept along with other
project specifics that the Board of Education has defined to that point;
• Iustify the need based on current school capacities and projected student enrollments
consistent with the School Adequate Public Facility Ordinance (if the Ordinance is in
effect at this time);
+ Provide a preliminary cost projection of the project based upon the adopted school
construction standards and provisions of the Cost Effective Facilities Initiative (CEFI),
which has derived from earlier discussions about "value engineering" (if this policy is in
effect at this time);
• Request that the Board of Commissioners approve a capital project ordinance to provide
funding for the initial plamung phase of the project;
• Instruct the Superintendent to update the County Manager, in writing, of the project's
progress at his/her monthly meetings, with the County Manager.
Upon receipt of the memorandum from the Board of Education, 'the Board of
Commissioners will:
• Act upon the project concept by either approving it or asking the Board of Education to
amend the concept plan;
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Pnlirv nn Plannrna and Fttnrlino school Capital ProieCts
Attachment 1 7
Revised for BOCC approval on 11/01/00
• Instruct County staff to confirm the project's cost estimate and student capacity in
accordance with the County's adopted School Construction Standazds Reports along
with student enrollment projections;
• If the Boazd of Commissioners approves the project concept, the County Budget Director
will prepaze an agenda abstract .and related capital project ordinance that provides
funding for the concept and pre-planning phase of the project;
• Appoint, by majority vote of the Boazd, either a Commissioner representative (preferably
the same representative that participated in the siting phase of the project) and one staff
representative, or two staff representatives, to partner with the school system as the plans
develop;
• Instruct the County Manager to update the Commissioners on a regulaz basis regazding
the written information shazed by the School Superintendent.
6. Expenditure of Project Finds
Funding for Project Planning -School systems will not expend or encumber for
planning of any. project until the Board of County Commissioners has approved the
plan concept.
Background -For several years, the Boazd of Commissioners has approved a capital project
ordinance entitled Plannzng for Future Projects for each school system. The creation of
these ordinances enabled a system to expend a portion of their pay-as-you-go funds for
planning during a project's conceptual stages. Once a project grew beyond the concept
stages, systems requested the Commissioners to approve a `project specific" capital project
ordinance allocating all funds anticipated to carry out the planned project. In tum, each
district expended their monies up-front for planning, design, architect, construction,
furniture and equipment. In return, the County reimbursed each District with all of the
project-related expenditures up to the total project budget.
With the changes implemented by the County Commissioners in June 1999, this process
has changed. Tt is important to note that unless a County approved capital project
ordinance is in place (i.e. adopted by the County Commissioners), that the County is
not legally or otherwise obligated to reimburse the school system for their
expenditures. If the Board of County Commissioners approve the project concept and
capital project ordinance as outlined in Item 5 above, the following steps occur:
• Following Boazd of Commissioner approval of final plans for the project, the school
system. advertises for construction bids;
• Once the system receives the bids, the School Superintendent notifies the County
Manager, in writing, of the result of all bids received.
The County Manager informs the Board of Commissioners, in writing, of the
construction bid results.
Page 5 of 6
Policy nn Planning and Funding fichnnl C'anital PrniPetc
Attachment 1
Revised far BOCC approval on 11/01/00
7. Submission Timelines
While the Board of Education may receive the bids, it should not execute any contract
until the Boazd of County Commissioners receives bid information and approves a
capital project ordinance for the construction phase of the project;
• Generally, the Boazd of. Commissioners conducts regulaz meetings on the first and
third Tuesday of each month. To allow for timely preparation of the meeting agenda,
the following timelines should be followed by staff:
Twenty-one days prior to the Board of Commissioners meeting, the School Finance
or Budget Director or the Director of Facilities provides the County Budget Director
with:
• Bid Tabulation of School Construction or Major Renovation Project (example
included as Attachment 1 of this Memorandum)
• Any other pertinent information regarding the project.
• Fourteen days prior to the meeting, the County Budget Director submits a draft
agenda abstract including the bid tabulation and capital project ordinance to the
County Manager's office for review. The Budget Director forwards (via a-mail or
fax) a copy of the abstract and attachments to the School Finance or Budget Director
and the Director of Facilities for review and comments.
• Ten days prior to the meeting, the School Finance or Budget Director and the
Director of Facilities provide abstract revisions and comments to the County Budget
Director.
• Seven days prior to the meeting the County Budget Director submits final agenda
abstract and attachments to the County Manager's Office. A copy of the abstract and
attachments are forwarded (via a-mail or fax) to the school system.
Upon adoption by the Board of Commissioners, the County Budget Director informs the
School Finance and Budget Director and the County Finance Director of the abstract
approval and the assigned account number(s). This is done via a standard memorandum that
indicates purpose and account codes.
• All requests for payment from the School Finance Directors aze forwarded to the County
Finance Department for payment. The County Finance Department ensures that the
requisition for payment falls within the purposes approved by the Boazd of Education:
8. Change Orders
The School Superintendent submits, in writing, to the County Manager all contract change
orders for the project. Upon receipt of the information, the County Budget Director prepazes an
agenda abstract and an amended capital project ordinance for approval by the Boazd of
Commissioners at their next scheduled meeting. If there are change orders that cause project
expenditures to be over budget, the School district must receive approval from the Boazd of
Commissioners prior to approving the change order.
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