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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05-23-19 Budget Work Session APPROVED 6/18/2019 MINUTES BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS BUDGET WORK SESSION May 23, 2019 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a budget work session on Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Penny Rich and Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford, Mark Dorosin, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos and Renee Price COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: None COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) Chair Rich called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. 1. FY 2019-20 Operating and CIP Budget Discussions, with: • Durham Technical Community College, Pg. 148 & 199 • Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Pg. 148& 153 • Orange County Schools, Pg. 148& 173 BACKGROUND: The County Manager presented the FY2019-20 recommended budget on May 2, 2019. Since that time, the Board has conducted two public hearings to receive residents’ comments regarding the proposed funding plan. Tonight’s work session is the first opportunity the Board has had to discuss next year’s recommended funding plan related to Education funding. County Support of Local Boards of Education The recommended funding level represents a total appropriation for both school districts of $113.2 million, which is 49.5 percent of General Fund revenues, 1.4 percent above the target of 48.1 percent established by the Board of County Commissioners. This includes funding for current expense, school related debt service, school health and safety service contracts, schools deferred maintenance funds, and school equity training funds. Total Funding for Local School Districts: 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20* Original Budget $98,488,46 9 $102,727,14 1 $104,274,75 7 $109,141,51 9 $113,230,859 *Recommended Budget Student Enrollment Projections for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools: Based on DPI projections, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District enrollment for fiscal year 2019-20 totals 12,355, reflecting a decrease of 119 when compared to the March 2018 projections. The district has a current enrollment, as of March 2019, of 169 charter students, which represents an increase of 14 students from March 2018. Out of district students are budgeted at 250, 8 more than budgeted in the current fiscal year. This brings the total district enrollment to 12,274 for FY 2019-20. Student Enrollment Projections for the Orange County Schools: Based on DPI projections, the Orange County School district enrollment for fiscal year 2019-20 totals 7,388, an increase of 43 students from the March 2018 projections. The district continues to experience a growing number of charter students, with a current enrollment, as of March 2019, of 843 students, which represents an increase of 74 students from March 2018. Out of district students are budgeted at 97 students; 6 less than budgeted in the current fiscal year. This brings the total district enrollment to 8,134 for FY 2019-20. The General Assembly requires school systems to pay a per pupil allotment to support charter students within their district. Current Expense The recommended appropriations for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City and Orange County Schools increase the current expense funding by $3,613,050 in FY 2019-20. This includes an increase in per pupil funding from $4,165 to $4,340, a $175 increase for each of the 20,408 students in the two school systems. This increase is to help cover the cost of both school systems for mandated increases related to State mandated teacher pay raises and all other locally paid school employees, and increases in Retirement and Health Insurance for FY 2019-20. Local Current Expense funding supplements State and Federal funds received by each district for the day-to-day operation of schools. Examples of expenses paid from these funds include salaries and benefits for locally paid teachers and utilities. North Carolina statutes mandate boards of county commissioners to provide local current expense monies to school districts. Counties having more than one school administrative unit, as is the case in Orange County, are required to provide equal per pupil appropriations to each system. 2019-20 Enrollment Projections CHCCS OCS Total March 2019 Department of Public Instruction ADM Allotment #s 12,355 7,388 19,743 Less: Out of District (250) (97) (347) 12,105 7,291 19,396 Plus: Budgeted Charter Students 169 843 1,012 Total Budgeted Students 12,274 8,134 20,408 60.14% 39.86% School Debt Service The recommended budget provides for $17,770,542 in School Related Debt Service, which represents repayment of principal and interest on School related debt, including general obligation bonds and private placement loans. North Carolina statutes require counties to pay for school related capital items, such as acquisition and construction of facilities. In instances where counties borrow funds to pay for such items, the State mandates counties to repay the debt. The amount of money counties borrow for school related projects is discretionary and varies from county to county. Health and Safety Service Contracts The recommended budget includes $3,629,597 for the Health and Safety Service Contracts for both school districts to cover the costs of School Resource Officers in every middle and high school, and a School Health Nurse in every elementary, middle, and high school in both school systems. Deferred Maintenance Funds for School Capital Projects The recommended budget includes $3,000,000 allocated by ADM towards deferred maintenance needs as addressed in both school districts’ assessment of older facilities in the following amounts: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools appropriation of $1,804,200, and Orange County Schools appropriation of $1,195,800. School Equity Training The recommended budget also includes $260,000 towards Foundational Equity Training which consists of the following: REI-Ground Water training will provide an historical context related to racism and its fundamental impacts on organizations; and Beyond Diversity training which will provide an in-depth analysis of systemic issues as they relate directly to schools and their communities. It will allow participants to practice their learning in the context of their work in schools. School Districts Budget Requests Both School Districts requested increases in per pupil funding for FY 2019-20. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools requested an increase of $485.00. This requested increase in the local per pupil allocation for current expenses would increase the per pupil allocation to $4,650. This funding level would represent an increase of $5,530,872 in the current expense for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Orange County Schools requested an increase of $273.00. This requested increase in the local per pupil allocation for current expenses would increase the per pupil allocation to $4,438. This funding level would represent an increase in the current expense for Orange County Schools of $2,729,117. County Support of Orange County Campus of Durham Technical Community College The recommended funding for the Orange County Campus of Durham Technical Community College, located at the Waterstone Development in Hillsborough, provides current expense funding of $723,256, recurring capital of $75,000, and debt service payments of $242,108. In addition, the recommended budget includes $200,000 for 200 scholarships (student tuition for Orange County Residents), which will be paid from Article 46 Sales Tax proceeds instead of through Current Expenses. As with local school districts, counties in North Carolina are responsible for supplementing state and federal appropriations to community colleges. For the most part, counties are responsible for day-to-day operating costs such as utilities, security and custodial services. The Counties are not responsible for funding of teaching staff. Capital Investment Plan The FY 2019-24 Manager Recommended Capital Investment Plan includes funding of $8,689,391 in FY 2019-20, and a 5-Year total of $39,903,779, for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools; and funding of $25,823,215 in FY 2019-20, and a 5-Year total of $56,604,739 for Orange County Schools. Note: these amounts have been revised from the Original Recommended Capital Investment Plan to reflect the revised ADM%, as included in the FY 2019-20 Manager Recommended Operating Budget. The Manager Recommended Capital Investment Plan includes funding of $26,547,911 for a new Academic Building and parking in Years 6-10 for Durham Technical Community College – Orange County Campus. Details regarding recommended funding levels for local school districts and Durham Technical Community College are located in the Education section of the budget document, beginning on Page 148. During tonight’s work session, Commissioners will have the opportunity to dialogue with the Durham Technical Community College, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Orange County Schools about county funding and anticipated State funding for schools next year. Attachments A, B, and C provide additional information of how Orange County compares with other counties within North Carolina related to Current Expense funding per pupil and other educational related funding issues; Attachment D provides a history of the Per Pupil Appropriation; Attachment E provides a history of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District Tax, Attachment F represents the School Districts Local Current Expense Fund Balance Policy, and Attachment G represents the Capital Investment Plan Schools Projects Summary. Commissioner Dorosin said he was interested in the salary and benefits. He said it is $8000, which seemed happily low to him. He asked if the number of impacted employees was known. Matt Williams, Durham Tech CFO, said Durham Tech was named as a living wage employer last year, and the raise took place at that time. He said only a few people will get a 2.5% raise, he said most will get $500, or 1%, per the State’s prediction. He said these funds will cover less than 8 people. Commissioner Bedford referred to the proposed additional recruiter and counselor who would work with both school districts, and clarified that the County funded one of these positions 4 years ago, who works with 4 of the high schools. She asked if there is another person working at Cedar Ridge High School, or if this role is covered under that same first position. She asked what this role entails. Penny Gluck, Executive Dean of the Orange County campus of Durham Tech, said this four years ago the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) funded a public school liaison position that covered both school systems: 5 high schools and 2 alternative high schools. She said this was a lot for one person to do, while attempting to make significant connections with the students and staff. She said Orange County partnered with them on a grant to receive funding for a career coach, and this funding comes partly from Orange County Schools (OCS) and Durham Tech – 25% each, with the grant paying for the rest. She said this grant required a designated school, and in OCS this is Cedar Ridge High School (CRHS). She said this career coach helps 9-12 graders make career decisions. She said this person discussed programming at all of the community colleges, the military, and other career options beyond the scope of Durham Tech. She said this position has been applied for and funded again, and Durham Tech has requested that this position be able to serve Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS), and allow the original position to serve both OCS high schools. Commissioner Bedford asked if this position would serve 9th -12th graders. Penny Gluck said yes, but works mostly with the juniors and seniors. She said the liaisons will do whatever is needed to help students think about long term planning. She said they explain options for attending Durham Tech, as well as the Career and College Promise Program, which is tuition free for juniors and seniors that are college ready. She said the financial gain for these students is huge. Commissioner Bedford asked if undocumented students pay out of state tuition. Penny Gluck said yes, but Durham Tech is asking the Board to consider some of the short-term, non-credit, training options that are available, as these fees are not based on in- state/out-of-state. Commissioner Dorosin asked if this proposal has been approved. Penny Gluck said not yet. She said Durham Tech is asking for a reallocation, within the $200,000 provided for scholarships; as thus far these funds have been for curriculum programming only, but this proposal would include certificate short-term training options that have a track record of good employment outcomes. She said most of these are less than $1000 to complete. Commissioner Dorosin asked if this proposal will be voted on soon. Penny Gluck said the BOCC has to vote on this potential reallocation. Bonnie Hammersley said this will be voted on as part of the budget. Chair Rich asked if the entire $200,000 is being spent. Matt Williams said the $200,000 request is based on projections. He said this year $151,000 was spent for fall and spring. He said it is growing every year, but not as quickly as was expected. Commissioner Bedford asked the school superintendents if, funding this additional person at Durham Tech, would allow the districts to use counselors, etc. for expanded capacity. Dr. Pam Baldwin said that is a hard question to answer, since CHCCS does not have a plan yet; but would work with its counseling department and Durham Tech if this position were funded. Dr. Todd Wirt agreed with Superintendent Baldwin, and said OCS has seen some benefits at CRHS from having a full time person on site, which has allowed counselors to focus on other areas of their responsibilities, which are numerous at the high school level. He said as a result there has been explosive growth in the College and Career Promise students. Travis Myren said the Board of County Commissioners originally approved the eligibility criteria, which the BOCC can amend as it so desires. He resumed the PowerPoint presentation: OCS and CHCCS Commissioner McKee said he cannot imagine that there will only be a difference of 10 more students between this year and next. Travis Myren said the charter schools students are up by 88 students, and the number of students in seats is down by 76, which staff believes is driven by an overly aggressive Department of Public Instruction (DPI) projection for CHCCS from last year. He said more students were funded than actually showed up in the seats in CHCCS. He said this happens sometimes. Commissioner Marcoplos said he would find it notable to know how many home schoolers there are, and asked if this number could be provided next year. Dr. Todd Wirt said there were just over 1000 students countywide, last time staff checked. He said the data is not parsed out by school system. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the County pays for a school resource officer (SRO) at every middle and high school. Travis Myren said yes. Commissioner Dorosin asked if there are SROs at the elementary schools. Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS does, and these are paid for with grant funding from DPI. Dr. Pam Baldwin said CHCCS does not, and does not qualify for this same grant funding. Travis Myren resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Commissioner Dorosin asked if the information on the previous slides is what totals up to the percentages on the bar graph. Travis Myren said yes, this bar graph includes all of the operating budget monies. He resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the lottery system could be further explained. Travis Myren said these funds are drawn down from the state, and applied to offset debt service. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the BOCC controls the fund into which the state moneis flow. Travis Myren said state lottery monies go into the state fund, and the County draws it from there. He said he is not sure how that pot of money is established. Paul Laughton, Finance and Administrative Services, said staff receives lottery estimates from the state, and there is a quarterly allocation that the County can go to on the State’s site, to see how much has been received. He said staff then comes to the BOCC most quarters and does a quarterly application for debt service. He said both school boards passed a resolution a few years ago to use the lottery funds as additional pay-go money. He said the districts get the funds, and the County applies for the debt service, which allows the districts to avoid filing with the State for different projects. Travis Myren asked if there is a formula for establishing the amount of money in the first place. Paul Laughton said the lottery sales proceeds are state wide, and were capped at $100 million in 2007/2008. He said prior to the cap the County used to receive around $2 million, but now only receives about $1.3 million. Commissioner Greene clarified that the state lottery funds are intended for education, but the General Assembly (GA) has decided to use these funds for other things. Several members said yes. Joal Broun, CHCCS Board Chair, said, in 2008, the GA started raiding the schools’ lottery funds due to the recession. She said the remaining amount of lottery funds go into the general fund. Jennifer Bennett, CHCCS Assistant Superintendent, said it is ADM driven, as far as the allocation that goes out for capital. She said over time more and more of the lottery funds are going to cover other state public school funds-type expenditures that would have normally been general operating funds. She said the schools watch this budgeting process carefully. Chair Rich asked if the ADM count the charter schools. Jennifer Bennett said it is the LEA ADM, as the charter schools are not eligible for capital. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the bond draw will exhaust the bond. Travis Myren said each school would have one more draw left in the 2022. He resumed the PowerPoint presentation. Commissioner Dorosin asked if staff could identify to what amount would a 1-cent increase equal. Travis Myren said around $1.8 million. Commissioner Dorosin asked if staff could identify to what amount would 1-cent on the Chapel Hill district tax equal. Travis Myren said around $1 million. Commissioner Bedford asked if staff is aware what the House is proposing for classified for certified salary increases. Jennifer Bennett said an average of 4.8% for the teachers, and 1% or $500, whichever is higher, for classified staff. She said the Senate budget should come out in the next few weeks. Commissioner Bedford said traditionally the House is friendlier to public education. Jennifer Bennett said it depends, and hopefully the Senate budget will provide more clarity. She said the benefit increases are on target with projections. Commissioner Bedford said, in that case, what would be shortage be for the continuation budget. Jennifer Bennett said the retirement rate will be about the same, and if the classified drops from 3% to 2%, this equals about $100,000 difference. She said she thinks the teacher increase will come in at 5%, and the classified close to 2%. She said she will do final calculations once the Senate’s budget is available. Commissioner Dorosin asked if everyone is making a living wage in both school districts. Dr. Todd Wirt said that all OCS employees make a living wage, with the exception of contracted custodians. Jennifer Bennett said CHCCS is paying all a living wage. She said contracted positions were required to provide a living wage through their benefit package. Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS is going to re-bid its custodial contracts, and will be asking for a living wage. Commissioner Dorosin asked if cost comparisons will be done for bringing these services in house. Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS has done these calculations several times, and the costs to bring these services in house around an additional $500,000 to $600,000. Commissioner Dorosin asked if the living wage is covered by the contractor increases its cost for services. Dr. Todd Wirt said yes. Commissioner Bedford clarified that teacher assistants (TAs) are not getting paid for workdays. Dr. Pam Baldwin said TAs were brought back for a few days this year, for professional development, which will continue. Commissioner Bedford said she remembered making cuts to summer programming in CHCS, and now it is down to 15 days. She said she is not sure what OCS has for summer programs, but she is glad that CHCCS is restoring these programs and she is glad that OCS is restoring class sizes in middle school Commissioner Bedford said the State have made serious cuts, and the districts are doing less with less, and there is not enough staff to do the quality work that is needed. She said if $175 does not allow for a continuation budget, she is fearful what will have to be cut next. She said the question of restoring positions has not even been discussed. Dr. Pam Baldwin said CHCCS would have 40 positions that would need to be absorbed through attrition or cut. Dr. Pam Baldwin said CHCCS is looking to write some grants in order to avoid cutting summer programming. She said this programming is so important. Dr. Todd Wirt said this year the budget does meet OCS’ continuation request, and it is seeking to restore some summer programs, etc. this year, but there have been many reductions over the past three or four years in order to meet state mandates and cuts. He said these cuts have been made at the central office whenever possible. Commissioner Bedford referred to capital, and said Mebane is growing. She asked if it is time to look at landbanking in Mebane, especially in consideration of the Economic Development District (EDD) zones. Will Atherton, OCS Board Chair, said absolutely, and OCS is bringing this up now because the problem is inevitable. He said all OCS schools are centralized, and redistricting will not allow for much scale value. He said looking at some of these growth areas will help significantly. Dr. Todd Wirt said the Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OREd) out of NC State, assists schools districts in addressing politically sensitive school planning issues, such as district membership projections, determining the location of new school sites, creating new attendance boundaries, and examining demographic balance in redistricting processes. He said OREd will help OCS in this process. Dr. Todd Wirt said OCS has one site that is greatly aged, but the moment OCS takes an aging school offline, a new elementary school would be needed immediately. He said as part of the reassignment process, OREd will help determine the best location for a new school. He said there is growth in Hillsborough, but Mebane has no foreseeable slowing down of its growth. Commissioner Bedford asked if there is also the potential to hook into water and sewer in Mebane. Commissioner Bedford said the County would want to help OCS, and collaborate on finding a good school site. Commissioner Dorosin said it is worth mentioning the Board’s long-term dedication to school funding, and called attention to the agenda attachment: The Public School Forum Local School Finance Study. He said this study ranked Orange County number one in actual dollar effort, as well as in 6-year average capital outlay and debt service, etc. Commissioner Marcoplos said at the last public hearing, it was noted that Orange County did well in North Carolina, but does not stack up well on the national level. He said he did some research about best-ranked schools in the nation, and how much money is spent per pupil. He said there was a great range, and there seemed to be no relationship between per pupil funding and school success. Commissioner Dorosin said school funding can certainly make a difference, but the relative wealth of the community is likely most significant. Chair Rich said it is important to thank the school boards, as all involved are partners in this process. She said this process is so much better than when she first arrived on the Board of County Commissioners. She said the discussions now happen all year long, as opposed to just during budget season. Commissioner McKee said the funding increases the Board has provided in per pupil allocation for the last 12 years exceeds to majority of the total funding of the counties across the State. Chair Rich said this shows the commitment of everyone in Orange County to public education. 2. Discussion of Outside Agencies Funding for FY 2019-20, Pgs. 337-349 BACKGROUND: Each fiscal year, non-profit organizations that deliver community services have the ability to apply for program funding from Orange County. In December 2016, the Orange County Board of Commissioners adopted a funding target of 1.2 percent of the county’s general fund expenditures, less the appropriation for education expenses, for the purpose of funding outside agency operations. Historically, the county had a funding target of 1.0 percent. Applications are reviewed by staff members for completeness and eligibility. The applications are then presented to a specific advisory board, depending on the subject matter. Each advisory board is responsible for scoring each application based on an application scorecard. The application scorecard is comprised of five weighted categories with a total possible score of 100. The five categories and the total possible points are: Mission (10 points), Collaboration Efforts (15 points), Customer Impact/Value (25 points), Results (25 points), and Plan for Implementation (25 points). The County Manager presents recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners, which approves the final allocations. Recipients are required to submit written program reports that include: goals, description of activities/challenges, revisions of timelines/budgets, and other relevant information. Funded projects are monitored for progress and performance, financial and administrative management, and compliance with the terms of Performance/Development Agreement(s). Monitoring may involve site and/or office visit(s). For fiscal year 2019-20, Orange County received applications from 62 agencies. The requests totaled $2,079,550, an increase of $628,377 above fiscal year 2018-19. The FY 2019-20 County Manager’s Recommended budget includes funding awards for 54 agencies with a total of $1,490,181; an increase of $39,008 from FY 2018-19 Commissioner Approved Budget. The County Manager’s recommended funding levels are based on scoring completed by each advisory board. Agencies scoring between 95% and 100% received 35% of their requested increase. Agencies scoring between 90% and 94% received 15% of their requested increase, and agencies scoring between 80% and 89% received 5% of their requested increase. Agencies with scores of 79% and below are not recommended for an increase in funds. Based on the County Manager’s Recommended Budget, less the appropriation for education expenses, 1.2 percent equates to $1,466,081. Please refer to the Outside Agency section (Pages 337-349) of the FY 2019-20 Manager’s Recommended budget for discussion of Outside Agency funding. In addition, see Attachment 1 for an Outside Agency Funding Requests Book, which includes the Purpose/Mission, Program, Proposed Services, Performance Measures, and Agency Budget for each Outside Agency. The following are the primary function areas: Arts, Community Services, Food/Nutritional Services, Health, Housing, Human Services, Juvenile/Adult Justice Services, Mental Health, Senior Services, and Youth Services. Bonnie Hammersley said the Commissioners have a purple sheet at their places, which is the scorecard used by the advisory groups to score the outside agencies, as well as an outside agency book that will follow numerically with the PowerPoint presentation. Bonnie Hammersley gave some background on the application process, and the changes that staff made this year. She noted the outside agency book highlights and explains these changes as it goes along. Bonnie Hammersley said staff met with all 65 agencies, and all were invited to a grant writing workshop prior to the start of this process. She made the following PowerPoint presentation: Commissioner Dorosin said at the start of this process there is a target of 1.2%, but there is no dollar cap. He asked if every one of the applications had scored above 80, would they all have received some funding. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. She said last year, new agencies did not receive any funding, but this year if an agency scored over 79 it received some time of funding; whether it was a new agency or not. Commissioner Dorosin asked if “new” means that an agency has not previously received County funding. Bonnie Hammersley said yes, or have not received funds in the past 5 years. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Chair Rich asked if those applicants that did not score well had attended the grant writing class. Bonnie Hammersley said yes, most did. Commissioner Dorosin asked if an entity, which was previously funded, is guaranteed to get its base budget regardless of its score. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Commissioner Dorosin said he would question why the County would continue to fund an agency that is scoring so low. Bonnie Hammersley said there have been some agencies that were not funded again due to such a low score. She said low scores are not usually related to the application, but rather to the service no longer being needed. Commissioner Dorosin said the score does not have to be a zero to warrant review. Commissioner Marcoplos said looked at the example of the Hillsborough Arts Council, which score an 88, and received an increase of $1,462; and the Arts Center, which score a 96, but only got an increase of $916. Bonnie Hammersley said the Arts Council requested a larger increase ($40,000) than the Arts Center ($15,000). Commissioner Greene said she is not clear on this year, and asked if the problem is that agencies are asking for enough money. Allen Coleman said it is the percentage difference between what was received last year, and the requested increase this year. Commissioner Marcoplos said, with this in mind, one could not go wrong by asking for more. Bonnie Hammersley said the agencies have to justify increases in the application, and it is the difference between the base and the request, and they can get 35% of their request. Commissioner Price asked if new programs are scored differently. Bonnie Hammersley said a new program only gets scored on 75%, and she said it is not 100% grant. She said 25% of the weighted scoring is on past experience. Allen Coleman said that is correct, and there is a “results” section in the scoring matrix, for which a new agency would not yet have data. Commissioner Price asked if 75 is the highest score a new agency could receive. Allen Coleman said there are 75 total points possible, which is then divided against an 100-point scale. Bonnie Hammersley said a new agency can score over 79, and if it scored 100, it can receive 35% of its request. Bonnie Hammersley said Hope Renovations is a new agency, but due to its very low score, it was not recommended for funding. Bonnie Hammersley referred the green line on the above slide, and said it is a new request. She said Orange County does not fund capital requests, and this organization is not eligible for the loan fund at this time. She said this agency was not eligible for outside agency funding right now, but the Community Relations department budget has a $15,000 matching option, which has been recommended for this agency. Chair Rich asked if the match is given up to $15,000 if the agency raises an equal $15,000. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Bonnie Hammersley said PORCH has not requested funds in the past, but it is coming to Hillsborough. Bonnie Hammersley said Transplanting Traditions is a similar situation. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Allen Coleman said Piedmont Health Services changed its request from the refugee program to general clinic support. He said the Health Department Advisory Board felt the greater need exists with the refugee population. Bonnie Hammersley resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said Rebuilding Together of the Triangle is a new agency request, but scored too low to receive funding. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said all of the above are not recommended and previously unfunded. She said Book Harvest is new but scored low; Child Care Services Association is previously unfunded, and continues to be unfunded due to low scores. She said all childcare services are currently being run through the Department of Social Services (DSS), and there is no need for this association. She said the Diaper Bank is part of a line item in DSS, and this scored low because of this. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said the Youth Communnity Project is new and scored low and was not funded. She said other agencies on this slide scored low, but will continue to receive their base funding. She resumed the PowerPoint presenation: Bonnie Hammersley said Coastal Horizons Center is a new agency and was recommended for funding. She said this agency will be line item in the Justice department’s budget. Commissioner Price asked if that funding will come from the Justice Department’s budget. Bonnie Hammersley said no, but there are some agencies that work so closely with particular departments that the funds are put through into the department’s budget to more easily manage. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said TROSA used to consistently request outside agency funding, and now is back and scored well. Bonnie Hammersley said Club Nova had a $62,500 increase request for one time monies for transition, while its facility is under construction. She said this is considered operating funds, and this money was pooled. She said Club Nova did not score as well as in the past, but this was put together as a whole number, as opposed to the percentage being just against that one time. She resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said Orange County provides many in kind services to Orange Partnership for Alcohol and Drug Free Youth, and so this agency scored low. Commissioner Dorosin recommended reviewing any of the agencies that scored low, but still received the same base funding, and determine whether these agencies should be funded at all. Bonnie Hammersley referred to the Boys and Girls Club of Eastern Piedmont, which scored low, and did not receive an increase. She said this group still received $5,000, as there is value in the work that it is doing for the County. She said each group is reviewed and spoken openly with. She said every group that has received money is providing a service to the County, but some are not increasing the services provided, so staff and advisory groups did not see a reason to increase funding. Commissioner Dorosin said the groups may be providing a service, but he questions exactly what the service may be, and if it could be done more effectively by someone else. He said he likes the scoring system, but if part of the exercise is to evaluate the value of the services being provided, there ought to be notation has to why low scoring agencies do/do not receive funding. Bonnie Hammersley said better performance measures have been put in place, but the resources are limited, and there must be a weighting system to best allocate all the funds. She said staff can flag these agencies, and discuss low scores in great detail with them. Bonnie Hammersley said they are working closely with food distribution agencies (e.g.: Meals of Wheels, OCIM and OCRA), and there was not time to distribute how the funds would be distributed, but checks are not cut immediately, and money is received by a reimbursement model. She said she hopes next year there will be greater consolidation in this area. Commissioner Dorosin said he wants does not want to only reward organizations that have the means to hire a grant writer, or submit a top tier application. He said he wants to support community-based organizations, and if someone scores low, but provides a valuable and unique service, he wants to see that agency funded. He would like to have all this information. He said he wants it to be very clear for those looking in from the outside. Commissioner Price referred to page 9, and an organization that scored a 78 but is getting $50,000 because they have received it before; however, there is another organization on the same page that scored 79 and is getting nothing. She said this is difficult logic to explain to the public. Bonnie Hammersley said these agencies are being scored based on what they are requesting. Chair Rich said it is also related to the services that an agency is providing, and this book is a whole picture, not just a score. Commissioner Price said the logic just does not make sense. Commissioner Marcoplos said the reasoning behind the added request is evaluated, which validates that dollar request. Commissioner Price said this is a good system, but it appears unbalanced when programs that do not score well continue to receive base funding. Commissioner Marcoplos said to communicate to the public more about how the process works. Commissioner McKee said this system is by far so much better than the process that existed when he came on the board in 2010. He said he appreciated the effort that staff has put into this process, and said the County is far less likely to be challenged now that it is in place. Bonnie Hammersley resumed the PowerPoint presentation: Bonnie Hammersley said this loan is 0 interest loan with a 10-year payback period, and it is for capital projects. Commissioner Greene asked if staff has spoken to Kidzu about why it was not eligible. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Bonnie Hammersley said InterFaith Council (IFC) precipitated this new loan program, and it is aware of the opportunity, and will apply at some time. Commissioner McKee said IFC is aware of the loan program, but did not apply, and asked if IFC did apply if it would be a part of next year’s cycle. Bonnie Hammersley said yes. Commissioner Greene referred to her proposed amendment that Bonnie Hammersley sent out today. She referred to page 32, and Community Empowerment requested $39,050, and $19,050 was specifically for the County’s proposed shared of the permanent housing location position. She said the Manager is amenable to this, and would like to put this under contract to the Partnership to End Homelessness. Commissioner Greene said this would not be the whole share, and as of tonight, neither Chapel Hill nor Carrboro have funded their portions yet, but she is advocating for this position. She said if the County is the only entity that funds this position, there will be insufficient funding. She said this position exists so that when one calls the PTEH, at the brink of homelessness, they would be referred to this person who has a strong network of available housing. Commissioner Dorosin asked if Commissioner Greene is advocating that Orange County fully fund this position if the towns are unwilling. Commissioner Greene said no, but she would like the County to lead by example and commit its portion of the funding. She said Carrboro seems to have said no, and Chapel Hill has yet to discuss the position. She said if Chapel Hill is willing, she would like to see the County and Chapel Hill work together to cover the missing $5000 that was intended to come from Carrboro. Bonnie Hammersley said that Commissioner Greene is referring to the amendment sheet she sent out today, and on June 11th the Board of County Commissioners will be voting on each amendment, and she has put this item in as a partnership line item (which means it depends on funds from all jurisdictions). She said the $15,229.50 is only Orange County’s portion, and she said if the Board wants her to change that then let her know. Commissioner Greene said the executive committee of the Partnership for Homelessness did not have a chance to discuss this since procedurally it did not come up to them that way. She said she hoped the Board and Chapel Hill could fund it this year, and it could be shared by all four entities next year. Bonnie Hammersley said if this is determined by the time the budget is approved, then an amendment can be done. Commissioner Dorosin said there is a request for $39,050, and the County is giving $23,824. He asked if this for the same position, or if this is an additional request. Commissioner Greene said the request for $39,050 is not broken down between that which is needed for regular work and that which is needed for the new position. Bonnie Hammersley said part of the outside agency request was to help fund this position, but not all of the funds were to come from the County. He said CEF has applied to all of the jurisdictions, and she does not know how much was requested from the County, but a portion would go to fund this new position. Commissioner Greene said CEF’s spreadsheet indicates request of $19,050 from the County for this position. Commissioner Dorosin said there is a recommendation to give CEF $23,824. Commissioner Greene said the $20,000 received by CEF last year was not for this position. Commissioner Dorosin said he needs more information about this amendment. Bonnie Hammersley said it is a part of their ask, but their base was only $20,000 and their addition included some for that position. Commissioner McKee said he wants to be careful to not move away from this process and he has had several agencies contact him requesting additional funding. He said he will not support giving additional funding because the process is data based, and this discussion seems to be moving away from the established process. Commissioner Greene said yes, and no. She said the proposal being made by the Manager, is that this worthy position of housing locator should be managed by the PTEH, which is not an outside agency. Commissioner McKee said the position was grant funded, the funding for which has no ended. He said he does not question the usefulness of the position, but the Board needs to be careful about the blurring the process. He said this seems like a separate conversation. Commissioner Price said she is concerned about what message this may send, and she would feel better if this came up in an overall housing discussion. Commissioner Greene said it would be good for this organization to speak to the Board, and this is the intersection of homelessness and housing. Bonnie Hammersley said she will send out an updated amendment list each week. Commissioner Bedford suggested putting this information out for public consumption. Bonnie Hammersley said copies are available at the Clerk’s office, and this is a living/changing document. She said these decisions will be voted on at the June 11th meeting, and the abstract will contain information. Commissioner Bedford asked if the public can comment at that meeting. Bonnie Hammersley said no, but the public can comment at the June 18th meeting. Commissioner Bedford said it would be more transparent to allow the public to comment prior to the Board voting. Commissioner Price said the public can send emails to the Board. 3. Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin seconded by Commissioner Greene to adjourn the meeting at 9:01 p.m. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Penny Rich, Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board