HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-21-20 8-a - Minutes 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: January 21, 2020
Action Agenda
Item No. 8-a
SUBJECT: Minutes
DEPARTMENT: Board of County
Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Draft Minutes 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.
December 2, 2019 BOCC Business Meeting
December 10, 2019 BOCC Business Meeting
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NONE
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: NONE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: NONE
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
1
1 Attachment 1
2
3 DRAFT MINUTES
4 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
5 BUSINESS MEETING
6 December 2, 2019
7 7:00 p.m.
8
9 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in a Business Meeting on Monday,
10 December 2, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, N.C.
11
12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Penny Rich and Commissioners Jamezetta
13 Bedford, Mark Dorosin, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, and Renee Price
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 Rich called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
21 Chair Rich said Commissioner Greene is running late, due to traffic.
22 John Roberts said the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) could switch up the
23 agenda to give Commissioner Greene more time.
24
25 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Bedford,
26 to move forward in the agenda and come back to the Board Organization portion after
27 Commissioner Greene arrives.
28
29 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
30
31 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
32
33 Chair Rich noted the following items at the Commissioners' places:
34 - PowerPoint for Item 4-a
35
36 PUBLIC CHARGE
37 Chair Rich acknowledged the public charge.
38
39 Arts Moment
40 Doris Friend, Arts Commission Board Member, introduced Pam Baggett:
41 Pam Baggett is the author of Wild Horses, described by Terri Kirby Erickson as "a barebacked,
42 buck-naked ride on the slick haunches of fate (to the tune of Riders on the Storm) all the way
43 from the mystical land of sex, drugs, and rock & roll to the bedside of a dying friend." She is a
44 recipient of an Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant from the Durham Arts Council, two
45 Artist Project Grants from the Orange County Arts Commission, and a 2019-20 Artist
46 Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. She co-hosts the Second Sunday Poetry
47 Reading Series at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, and hosts readings and teaches free writing
48 workshops at the Orange County Main Library in Hillsborough. New poems are forthcoming in
49 Cider Press Review, Kakalak, Plainsongs, and Tar River Poetry. When she isn't writing, Pam is
50 outdoors, hiking trails along the Eno River or exploring her own back-forty.
2
1 Pam Bagget thanked the BOCC for its support of the Arts. She said she likes to be in
2 the great outdoors, and read a poem called "Sightings". She said she also likes to write
3 about climate chaos, and read a piece called "21st Century pastoral".
4
5 2. Public Comments
6
7 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
8
9 NONE
10
11 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
12 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda
13 below.)
14
15 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members
16 Commissioner Marcoplos said he would like the BOCC to have a discussion about
17 continuing membership with, and paying dues to, the National Association of Counties (NACo).
18 He said he is unsure if this membership provides any benefit to the County.
19 Commissioner Bedford said she had no comments.
20 Commissioner Price said she received a letter in the mail about the renovations of the
21 High Rock Road Solid Waste Convenience Center (SWCC), which were delayed, but are
22 forthcoming in 2020, and will take about 18-24 months to complete.
23 Commissioner Price said some local food pantries like Orange Congregations in Mission
24 (OCIM) and the Department of Social Services (DSS) would appreciate any donations.
25 Commissioner Dorosin said he attended the Affordable Housing Collaborative Meeting
26 before coming to this meeting, and this group agreed to develop a countywide vision statement
27 for affordable housing and a road map for implementation. He said there is consensus
28 between elected officials that efforts towards affordable housing can be best maximized by
29 working together. He said the process is moving forward in a positive way. He said the group
30 received a good list of all the existing plans for affordable housing, which he will share with the
31 Board.
32 Commissioner McKee had no comments.
33 Chair Rich said she has heard some concerns that the County and the towns are not
34 doing enough about affordable housing, and she would like for the Affordable Housing
35 Collaborative group to share updates publicly to keep people informed.
36 Chair Rich said the Board will be writing a letter to the White House stating Orange
37 County's willingness to accept refugees. She said she would also like to send a letter to the
38 Governor to reiterate the County's serious intent.
39 Chair Rich said there was a Mayors/Managers/Chair (MMC) meeting last week, and the
40 group talked a bit about the sewer hook ups on Rogers Road. She said RFPs were sent out,
41 but no plumbers responded. She said there was a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
42 between the three owners of the property along with the three local governments. She said the
43 intent was to choose a plumber together, but this is no longer an option, as no plumber has
44 come forward. She said the process needs to move forward.
45
46 Commissioner Greene arrived at 7:17:10 PM
47
48 Craig Benedict, Planning Director, said the MOU between the three local governments
49 contained a process that would expedite the hook ups. He said the RFP went out, but no
50 plumbers responded. He said the agreement will be modified, and staff will create a simpler
3
1 process. He said community meetings continue, and readying homes to be connected once
2 plumbers are lined up.
3 Chair Rich said the MMC also spoke about the Greene Tract governance document,
4 and plans to bring in a facilitator to meet with the attorneys, mayors, chairs and managers. She
5 said the BOCC agreed to move forward with a governance document, and proposed some
6 initial language, which Chapel Hill rejected. She said the Town wants to go back to a process,
7 and has requested Maggie Chotas as the facilitator. She said this will occur as soon as
8 possible. She said the Mayor of Chapel Hill wants to move forward on an environmental study
9 that would cost around $25,000-$30,000, but no one has a clear understanding on the scope on
10 this survey.
11 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the governance document has an intended purpose.
12 Chair Rich said there is an original document from 2000-01 which includes some
13 thoughts as to how to move forward with affordable housing; but since then, the Greene Tract
14 has become part of Chapel Hill's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). She said the older document
15 gives little guidance on working as partners together, and moving the process forward.
16 Travis Myren said conceptually the governance document would establish a process to
17 establish some decision points and to understand what will happen if a 3-party agreement
18 cannot be reached. He said this property is jointly owned and there are a variety of ways to
19 make this partnership work, and previous efforts have resulted in stalemate.
20 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that nothing can move forward with affordable housing
21 until these details are settled.
22 Travis Myren said yes.
23 Commissioner Greene referred to the environmental study, and said she is unclear on
24 why there is confusion. She said some work has already been done regarding environmental
25 issues.
26 Chair Rich said, at the MMC meeting, it was not clear from Chapel Hill what the scope of
27 the project would be. She said the feeling is that Chapel Hill wants an environmental study, but
28 does not know what it hopes to get out of said study. She said the Craig Benedict suggested
29 the Army Corps of Engineers, but the offer was declined.
30 Chair Rich said County staff did an environmental study, and that is where some of the
31 suggestions came from.
32 Commissioner Marcoplos said some of the BOCC have walked the Greene Tract and
33 can see how the map reflects the environmental study that was done. He said it all makes total
34 sense, and that work was done to bring everyone to the point where serious decisions could be
35 made. He said it seems that there is a now a backtracking, and perhaps it would beneficial for
36 more elected officials to walk the Tract.
37 Commissioner Price said she heard that the environmental study was not conclusive
38 enough to determine density and planning options.
39 Commissioner Marcoplos said his experience of walking the tract with the map is that
40 they are 90% there, and another study is unnecessary.
41 Commissioner Price said it seems greater information is desired.
42 Chair Rich said the Town of Carrboro wants this document up and running before
43 spending any more money on the Tract.
44 Commissioner Price asked if Chapel Hill will pay for the study that it has suggested.
45 Chair Rich said Chapel Hill is not planning to do anything on its own, and is requesting
46 that the partners join in with the study.
47 Chair Rich said some requested topics for the upcoming Assemblies of Government
48 (AOG) meeting are:
49 • Green Tract update
50 0 Census update
4
1 • Climate Commission report
2 • Update on Emergency Services - update on response times
3 • Transit Steering Committee Update
4 • Homelessness and Food Council Reports
5 • Update from the Affordable Housing Task Force
6
7 Commissioner Greene apologized for being late due to traffic issues.
8
9 3. Board Organization
10
11 a. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
12
13 VOTE: 7-0 For Chair: Penny Rich
14 VOTE: 7-0 For Vice Chair: Renee Price
15
16 b. Designation of Voting Delegate for all North Carolina Association for County
17 Commissioners (NCACC) and NACo Meetings for Calendar Year December 1,
18 2019-2020
19
20 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by to appoint Commissioner
21 Dorosin to the NCACC for Calendar Year December 1, 2019-2020.
22
23 Commissioner Dorosin said he would gladly serve, but if another Commissioner would
24 like to do it, then he would gladly support them.
25 Commissioner Bedford said she would be interested in serving.
26 Commissioner McKee withdrew his initial motion.
27
28 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
29 nominate Jamezetta Bedford.
30
31 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
32
33 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price, to
34 serve as the NACo representative for Calendar Year December 1, 2019-2020.
35
36 Commissioner Dorosin asked if anyone besides Commissioner Price wants to do this.
37 Chair Rich said she served many years ago, and would be interested in serving again.
38 Commissioner McKee asked Commissioner Price if she would be willing to step down.
39 Commissioner Price said that is fine, because she is part of many NACo committees
40 already and can continue to serve in that capacity.
41 Commissioner McKee withdrew his previous motion.
42
43 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to
44 nominate Chair Rich to serve as the NACo representative for Calendar Year December 1,
45 2019-2020.
46
47 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
48
49 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
50
5
1 a. Voluntary and Enhanced Agricultural District Designation — Multiple Farms
2 The Board considered voting to approve applications from seven (7) landowners/farms
3 to certify qualifying farmland within the Caldwell, Cedar Grove, High Rock/Efland, Schley/Eno,
4 Cane Creek/Buckhorn, and White Cross Voluntary Agricultural Districts; and enroll the lands in
5 the Orange County Farmland Preservation Voluntary and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural
6 District programs.
7
8 Gail Hughes, Soil Conservationist, presented this item:
9
10 BACKGROUND: Orange County's Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program was started in
11 1992. To date, there are 114 farms in both the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) and the
12 Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) program, totaling 15,059 acres.
13
14 The County's Voluntary Farmland Protection Ordinance (VFPO) outlines a procedure for the
15 Agricultural Preservation Board to review and approve applications for qualifying farmland, and
16 to make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners concerning the establishment and
17 modification of agricultural districts. Section VII of the VFPO contains the requirements for
18 inclusion in a voluntary agricultural district. To be certified as qualifying farmland, a farm must:
19
20 a) Be located in the unincorporated area of Orange County;
21 b) Be engaged in Agriculture as that word is defined in NC GS 106-581.1
22 c) Be certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the United
23 States Department of Agriculture as being a farm on which at least two-thirds of the land
24 is composed of soils that are best suited for providing food, seed, fiber, forage, timber,
25 forestry products, horticultural crops and oil seed crops;
26 d) Be managed in accordance with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and NC
27 Soil and Water Conservation Service defined erosion-control practices that are
28 addressed to said highly-erodible land; and have a current conservation farm plan
29 and/or forestry management plan associated with the current usages and owner;
30 e) Be the subject of a non-binding conservation agreement, as defined in N.C.G.S. §121-
31 35, between the County and the owner that prohibits non-farm use or development of
32 such land for a period of at least ten years, except for the creation of not more than
33 three lots that meet applicable County zoning and subdivision regulations.
34
35 The Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board reviewed the findings of the staff
36 assessments for the attached applications for the Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District
37 program at the September and November 2019 meetings. All farm applications were reviewed
38 and verified to have met or exceeded the minimum criteria for certification into the program.
39
40 The Agricultural Preservation Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the
41 certification for seven (7) farms, and their inclusion in the Voluntary and/or the Enhanced
42 Voluntary Agricultural District program. The certification documentation is on file in the
43 DEAPR/Soil and Water Conservation District office. The farms are described briefly below:
44
45 Brief Farm Descriptions:
46 1) Owner Richard Jude Samulski (Scuppernong Estates LLC/ Eno River Farm) has
47 submitted an application to enroll one (1) parcel of land totaling 178.18 acres as
48 qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District program (VAD) in the
49 Schley/Eno Agricultural District. The farm operation includes strawberries and blueberry
50 production, hay land and managed woodland. Since 1992, a 150-acre portion of the
6
1 farm has been enrolled in the VAD program under the prior ownership of the Barbour
2 family. Mr. Samulski is requesting an ownership change to the existing acreage and
3 adding an additional 28.18 acres to be enrolled in the program. The farm has been
4 evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or
5 exceeds all of the measures above;
6 2) Owners Manley and Kathy Palmer (Palmer Family Show Pigs) have submitted an
7 application to enroll one (1) of parcel of land totaling 3.39 acres as qualifying farmland
8 for the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program in the Caldwell Agricultural District.
9 The farm operation includes sheep, swine, and pasture. The farm has been evaluated
10 against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of
11 the measures above;
12 3) Owners William and Amanda Berry have submitted an application to enroll seven (7)
13 parcels of land totaling of 236.15 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary
14 Agricultural District (VAD) program located in the Caldwell Agricultural District. The farm
15 includes beef cattle, pasture, and managed woodland. The farm has been evaluated
16 against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of
17 the measures above;
18 4) Owner Portia McKnight (Chapel Hill Creamery) has submitted an application to enroll
19 one (1) parcel of land totaling 12.17 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary
20 Agricultural District (VAD) program in the White Cross Agricultural District. The farm
21 operation includes dairy cattle, pasture, hay crops, and managed woodland. This
22 acreage will be added to their existing parcels in the VAD program. The farm has been
23 evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or
24 exceeds all of the measures above;
25 5) Owners James and Elizabeth Hooten have submitted an application to enroll four (4)
26 parcels of land totaling of 38.09 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary
27 Agricultural District (VAD) program located in the Cane Creek/Buckhorn Agricultural
28 District. The farm includes beef cattle, pasture, and hay crops. The farm has been
29 evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or
30 exceeds all of the measures above;
31 6) Owner Jason Shepherd has submitted an application to enroll one (1) parcel of land
32 totaling 42.38 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD)
33 program in the High Rock/Efland Agricultural District. The farm operation includes
34 soybeans, hay crops, and managed woodland. The farm property has been evaluated
35 against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of
36 the measures above; and
37 7) Owners Annette and Mark McClish have submitted an application to enroll one (1)
38 parcel of land totaling 14.1 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural
39 District (VAD) program in the Cedar Grove Agricultural District. The farm operation
40 includes goats, heritage turkeys and chickens, pasture, and hay crops. The farm
41 property has been evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement
42 standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above.
43
44 Gail Hughes made the following PowerPoint presentation:
45
46 Orange County Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program
47 Voluntary and Enhanced Voluntary
48 Agricultural District Program
49 Orange County Board of Commissions Meeting
50 December 2, 2019
7
1
2 Orange County VAD/EVAD Program Benefits of Agricultural Districts
3 ➢ Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) is a 10-year commitment for farm to be in active
4 farm production, but the landowner can withdraw from the VAD at any time, for any
5 reason, with a 30-day notification to the Agri. Preservation Board.
6 ➢ Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) is an irrevocable 10-year
7 commitment to be in active farm production, therefore the "enhanced" qualifies farm for
8 up to 90% cost share rates and a priority for state and federal grants funds, when
9 applicable.
10
11 Benefits include: (listing a few)
12 ➢ Makes public more aware of the local agricultural and its vital role in the economics of
13 the county;
14 ➢ Recorded notice of agricultural district property is recorded at County Land Records
15 office;
16 ➢ Land search on all properties within a '/2 mile radius has notification of the agricultural
17 status, therefore, the agricultural landowner has increased protection from nuisance
18 lawsuits.
19 ➢ Agricultural Preservation Board can request public hearings for proposed condemnation
20 of VAD land and utility assessments may be suspended or waived on EVAD land if not
21 connected to the utility.
22 ➢ Farm may receive up to 25% of gross sales from the sale of non-farm products and still
23 maintain its zoning exemption as a bona fide farm. (EVAD only)
24 ➢ VAD District signs are placed on farms, for public to know location of VAD/EVAD farms
25
26 Richard Samulski (owner) for Scuppernong Estates, LLC
27 Keegan Czesak (farm manger) for Eno River Farm
28 VAD — 178.18 acres — Schley/Eno Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land
29 Ownership change on 150 acres existing in VAD program, additional 28.18 acres
30 Strawberries, blueberries, horticultural crops, greenhouse, hay land, and managed
31 woodland.
32
33 Manley and Kathy Palmer (Palmer Family Show Pigs)
34 VAD — 3.39 acres- Caldwell Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land
35 Sheep, pastures, and show pigs (competition swine shows along the east coast)
36 One of the smallest farms in the program, but very actively farming
37
38 William and Amanda Berry
39 VAD — 236.15 acres — Caldwell Agricultural District- 7 parcels of land
40 Beef cattle, pasture, hay crops, and managed woodland
41
42 Portia McKnight and Florence Hawley (Chapel Hill Creamery)
43 VAD — 12.17 acres —White Cross Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land
44 Dairy cattle, pasture and hay crops
45 Additional acres will be added to existing acreage of farm, 37.07 acres.
46
47 James and Elizabeth Hooten (Glen Oaks Farm)
48 VAD — 38.09 acres— Cane Creek/Buckhorn Agriculture District
49 4 parcels of and
50 Beef cattle, pasture, and hay crops
8
1
2 Jason Shepherd
3 VAD - 42.38 acres— High Rock/Efland Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land
4 Hay crops, soybeans, and managed woodland
5 In addition to farming, Jason is also the Orange County Fire Marshal
6
7 Annette and Mark McClish
8 VAD-14.1 acres — Cedar Grove Agricultural District— 1 parcel of land
9 Goats, heritage turkeys, guineas, chickens, beef cattle, bees, and pasture.
10
11 Orange County Voluntary and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Program
12 The Agricultural Preservation Board has approved all of the farms requesting enrollment, as
13 presented.
14
15 Requesting approval from Commissioners to accept seven (7) farms into the VAD program and
16 an additional 375 acres* in the Voluntary Agricultural District program
17
18 With this approval: enrollment will be increased to
19 121 farms: 12,868 acres in VAD and 2,566 acres in EVAD
20 Total of 15,434 acres in the program.
21 * = rounded acres
22
23 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner McKee, for the
24 Board to certify the seven (7) farm properties noted above totaling 375 acres and designate
25 them as Voluntary Agricultural District farms within the Caldwell, Cedar Grove, High
26 Rock/Efland, Schley/Eno, White Cross, and Cane Creek/Buckhorn Voluntary Agricultural
27 Districts; and enroll the lands in the Orange County Farmland Preservation Program; Voluntary
28 and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD and EVAD) programs. With approval of
29 these acres, the Orange County Farmland Preservation program will have enrolled 121 farms
30 totaling 12,868 acres in the VAD and 2,566 acres in the EVAD for a total of 15,434 acres in the
31 program.
32
33 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
34
35 Commissioner Price said this is Gail Hughes' last presentation, as she will be retiring.
36 She said she has done a fantastic job, and the County will be as a loss without her. She
37 thanked her for all her work over the years, and the way in which she worked with farmers.
38 Gail Hughes said there is a separate soil and water board, and there was membership in
39 the program, but it was not being run by anyone who understood farming and farmers. She
40 was happy to step into the role, and has enjoyed the opportunity to expand this program. She
41 said the success has been due to word of mouth, signage and the enthusiasm of the farmers.
42 Chair Rich said the VAD signs are so helpful in promoting and explaining the program.
43 Chair Rich referred to the selection of BOCC boards and commissions next week, and
44 said the Clerk sent out the draft listing, along with the process, today. She said commissioners
45 are able to save one board at the beginning of the process. She said last year Commissioner
46 Dorosin did not save a board, and she plans to do the same this year. She asked if one does
47 not save a board, does one get to pick a board after the saves are completed, and prior to the
48 second round beginning.
49 Commissioner Dorosin said he did not pick a board to save, and then did regular picking
50 in the second round. He said he did not get to pick a board in lieu of a save.
9
1 Chair Rich asked if the BOCC wants to allow a commissioner to pick any board in lieu of
2 saving an existing board.
3 Commissioner Marcoplos said he agreed with getting a first pick if a commissioner does
4 want to save.
5 Commissioner Price said the saves should go first, and then those who decline to save
6 would have a chance to pick, followed by all Commissioners picking in round 2.
7 The Board agreed by consensus.
8
9 b. Proclamation Recognizing Katherine Cheek
10 The Board considered voting to approve a proclamation recognizing and expressing
11 gratitude to Katherine "Kat" Thompson Wilkerson-Cheek for her devotion and service to the
12 people of Orange County.
13
14 BACKGROUND: After approximately 36 years of service to the Schley Grange, Katherine
15 Cheek is stepping down as the President. Katherine "Kat" Thompson Wilkerson-Cheek has
16 been a leader in the Orange County agricultural community for much of her life. Under her
17 leadership, the Schley Grange went from only six active members in 1983 to become the
18 largest Grange in the State of North Carolina.
19
20 The Schley Grange has promoted rural agriculture as a strong supporter of the FFA/4-H Junior
21 Livestock Show, as well as hosting numerous sessions of the Orange County Agricultural
22 Summit. Under Kat's leadership, the Schley Grange has also distributed over 10,000
23 dictionaries to third graders in Orange County Schools.
24
25 Commissioner McKee read the following proclamation:
26
27 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
28 PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING
29 KATHERINE CHEEK
30
31 WHEREAS, Katherine "Kat" Thompson Wilkerson-Cheek was born in Orange County; and
32
33 WHEREAS, she has been a driving force within the community and especially the Schley
34 Grange organization; and
35
36 WHEREAS, Katherine assumed the role as president of the Schley Grange in 1983 when it had
37 only six active members; and
38
39 WHEREAS, under her leadership, the Schley Grange became the largest Grange in the State
40 of North Carolina with more than 150 members; and
41
42 WHEREAS, the Schley Grange was built in 1948 using funds that the Grange won in a contest
43 to receive a $50,000 prize from Sears & Roebuck; and
44
45 WHEREAS, the Grange being in disarray at her start as president, Katherine led fundraising to
46 return the hall to its former glory serving as a meeting place for many community events; and
47
48 WHEREAS, under her leadership, the Grange added its dictionary program that has delivered
49 over 10,000 dictionaries to third graders in Orange County Schools; and
50
10
1 WHEREAS, the Grange has promoted rural agriculture as a strong supporter of the FFA/4-H
2 Junior Livestock Show, now in the 73rd consecutive year; as well as hosting numerous sessions
3 of the Orange County Agricultural Summit; and
4
5 WHEREAS, Katherine is one of the few women in the nation who served as president of a
6 Grange Chapter; and
7
8 WHEREAS, including the 36 years since she first became president of the Schley Grange,
9 Katherine Cheek has helped to improve the quality of life in Orange County;
10
11 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
12 recognizes and expresses its deep appreciation and respect for the services rendered by
13 Katherine Thompson Wilkerson-Cheek and wishes her well in her retirement.
14
15 This, the 2nd day of December 2019.
16
17 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Price, for
18 the Board to approve a proclamation recognizing and expressing appreciation to Katherine
19 Cheek for her service to the people of Orange County and wish her well in her retirement,
20 and authorized the Chair to sign it.
21
22 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
23
24 Katherine Cheek said Schley is the only grange left in Orange County, and it has
25 members from all of over the County. She said she could not have done all of this without her
26 husband Milton Cheek. She expressed appreciation for the Board of County Commissioners'
27 interest in the rural parts of the County, and said she is proud of the Board of County
28 Commissioners.
29 Alice Hunt Sealy thanked Orange County for recognizing Katherine Cheek, as she and
30 her peers did many years ago. She said they recognized her compassion, love and leadership
31 qualities, which all started in the first grade.
32
33 c. Proclamation Recognizing Robert Dowling
34 The Board considered voting to approve a proclamation recognizing and expressing
35 gratitude to Robert Dowling for his devotion and service to the people of Orange County.
36
37 BACKGROUND: After approximately 22 years of service to the Community Home Trust, Robert
38 Dowling is stepping down as the Executive Director.
39
40 After a career in the private sector, Robert Dowling joined the board of Orange Community
41 Housing Corporation in 1996 and became the executive director in December 1997. Mr.
42 Dowling managed the organization's transition to a community land trust, and due to his
43 leadership, Community Home Trust is recognized as a leader in the provision of permanently
44 affordable housing that is integrated into market-rate neighborhoods. Because of Mr. Dowling's
45 work, more than 300 homes in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area are permanently affordable to
46 people who are low income.
47
48 Commissioner Greene read the following proclamation:
49
50 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
11
1 PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING AND HONORING
2 ROBERT DOWLING,
3 RETIRING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY HOME TRUST
4
5 WHEREAS, Robert Dowling, after serving as a banker in the private sector, moved to Orange
6 County, North Carolina, with his wife, Bethaney Dale; and
7
8 WHEREAS, in 1995 Mr. Dowling embarked on a second career in community development and
9 joined Hayti Development Corporation, an affordable housing nonprofit in Durham, and in 1997,
10 after a brief time on its Board, joined Orange Community Housing Corporation as Executive
11 Director; and
12
13 WHEREAS, in 2001, under the leadership of Mr. Dowling, Orange Community Housing
14 Corporation merged with the Community Land Trust in Orange County, which had been
15 established in 1999 with the support of the Town of Carrboro, Town of Chapel Hill, and Orange
16 County, and which today is known as Community Home Trust; and
17
18 WHEREAS, throughout his distinguished career, Robert has helped ensure that more than 300
19 homes in the Carrboro-Chapel Hill area are permanently affordable to people earning less than
20 eighty percent of the area median income; and
21
22 WHEREAS, today the Community Home Trust manages a total of 322 affordable single family
23 ground leases and rental apartments, with a staff of 10 and a budget of nearly $1.1 million; and
24
25 WHEREAS, Mr. Dowling has served as a faithful advocate, representing both Community
26 Home Trust and the Orange County Affordable Housing Coalition at affordable housing tables
27 and before elected bodies, making the case for such policies and investments as A Penny for
28 Housing, the Orange County Affordable Housing Bond, and a Pilot Master Leasing program;
29 and
30
31 WHEREAS, Robert's work in Orange County has ensured that neighborhoods are diverse and
32 thriving and sustained as such for generations to come; and
33
34 WHEREAS, Mr. Dowling is retiring from Community Home Trust on December 31, 2019, after
35 22 years in service to our communities, and will be missed;
36
37 NOW THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby recognize
38 and express deep appreciation and respect for the services rendered by Robert Dowling to the
39 Orange County community, and wish him well in his retirement.
40
41 This, the 2nd day of December 2019.
42
43 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner McKee,
44 for the Board to approve a proclamation recognizing and expressing appreciation to Robert
45 Dowling for his service to the people of Orange County and wishing him well in his retirement,
46 and authorized the Chair to sign it.
47
48 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
49
12
1 Robert Dowling said it has been a privilege to serve the County all these years, and
2 thanked the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County for their ongoing support. He said there
3 are currently 322 homes in the inventory, with a market value of over $50 million. He said
4 none of this would have been possible without the support of local governments and the
5 community. He offered additional thanks to the Manager for her support and understanding.
6
7 d. Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness —2019 Data Update
8 The Board reviewed updated data about homelessness in Orange County submitted to
9 the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) earlier this year.
10
11 BACKGROUND: The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) was created
12 in 2008 to coordinate funding and activities to end homelessness in Orange County. OCPEH is
13 jointly funded by Orange County (39%) and the Towns of Carrboro (15%), Chapel Hill (41%),
14 and Hillsborough (5%).
15
16 OCPEH Coordinator Corey Root will present the updated data and discuss how current data
17 relate to identified gaps in the homeless service system, including rapid re-housing and street
18 outreach programs.
19
20 Corey Root said she usually makes this presentation earlier in the year, but she has
21 been out on maternity leave. She made the following PowerPoint presentation:
��T� i i�• �-aunt}
Endnership to
Homelessness
Board of County Commissioners
December 2, 2019
22
y¢amauettt
Ereargenzy hhtatrraBesed
Engagement Respanu Nousinp
sing Housing
Street Housing Rapld
Outreach . Services Re-Housing
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IMN nor m9 9M Housing
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23
24
25
13
The context in Orange County
4.1% 12.8% 18.5% 4,0% 8.6%
5,900 18.553 26.815 5,798 12,320
•sources
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1
2
3
4
Point-in-Time count:annual"census"of
people experiencing homelessness
- . Longstanding
•Nationwide
•Accurate for one night
0 Does NOT count everyone
In nousing crisis
•Affected by weather
•One of several important
outcomes
5
6
People living outside,in shelters,&in
transitional housing are counted homeless
31People
expenendng
homelessness
ea
I
rA
Sheltered Unsheltered E"dM
7
8
9
14
Orange County Point-in-Time(PIT)count
numbers relatively flat since 2010
1
POINT-IN-11ME COUNT DATA
2010-2019 '
SD
9
7L1,p][111 2012 7953 2014 2015 2016 20,l 2p18 2019
1 .��d .IMslr¢ered
2
Numbers are decreasing statewide and
nationwide
2010-2018
qw�a 4,
• If Orange County was on track with these
decreases,our PIT would he lower:
• 15%decrease=115 people
• 24%decrease=103 people
3
4
51°/a of people exp.homelessness are
Black/AfricanAmerican—4x general pop
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Great progress towards ending chronic
homelessness in Orange County
SPECIAL.POPULATIONS
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20
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0 7010 71111 X17 Xa X14 2015 7016 N17 7018 7tl19
1
2
3 Chair Rich asked if there is a reason for the dip in 2016.
4 Corey Root said she started in March 2016, and her staff views 2016 as an outlier. She
5 said OCPEH did not have full time staff at that time, and has changed its methods for gathering
6 data since then. She said current numbers are more accurate than 2016.
Reduce thehomeless
-
num6er efpee�e -
sful placement
an,ote,ti-
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hpmeleuneu
7
PIT counted 131 people on one night,how
many in 12 months?
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ear rhwneles
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197 'h ekswnler
• People with entries into Shelter,Transitional
Housing,&Permanent Housing
• Homeless for first time=no entries for 24 months
prior
g
16
Goal:transition folks to permanent housing
as quickly as possible
CD
177
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• Shelter,Transitional Shelter&
Housing,&Permanent Transitional
Housing Housing only
• Indudesapproximate date Program entry to
of homelessness exit
1
2
Goal:People exit to permanent housing
.
,^n
4 P
018 2
34�4
i118 2014
ExRedto
permanent
hwsing
ol&ft aaean
3
4
Goal:people do not return to homelessness
$�l0 Returned to
homelessneu
withln 2 pan
F—P.M. 2T 20 nw 439E
F.Tnm'ai I lc% a. m xA
Fm %minxntFp q� 32% a% Exited
Oct.2015
r ral n.er, lac tow 61e Zak Sept.2017
permanent
housing
5
6 Commissioner Price asked if this number represents those going from a shelter back to
7 homelessness.
8 Corey Root said this is the federal fiscal year, which is October 2015 through September
9 2017. She said these are positive exits to permanent housing.
10 Commissioner Bedford asked if transitional housing could be defined.
11 Corey Root said, locally, transitional housing is the men's shelter, IFC community house.
12 Commissioner Bedford said if the men's shelter is transitional housing, could the
13 County's shelter could be identified.
14 Corey Root said the shelter is Homestart, the women and families program.
17
OCPEH updated Homeless Service
System Gaps Analysis in June 2019
ffi Lo
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Or,frmn.,nkr� [ep� p uh
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1 TOTAL $1,717,314
2
3 Corey Root said $1.7 million more is needed in annual funding to fill all of the gaps.
4 Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is a priority to these gaps.
5 Corey Root said yes, rapid re-housing is the number one gap, and her staff plans to
6 prioritize this time around.
7 Commissioner Dorosin said there is low hanging fruit that is not being harvested, and
8 this seems like a case where the County has experts that know what needs to be done and
9 what works. He said $1.7 million is a lot of money, and the annual budget is $220 million, and
10 he asked the BOCC to start thinking about addressing some of these needs.
11 Bonnie Hammersley said the Partnership budget is funded from all of the governments,
12 and thus the $1.7 million gap does not just fall on Orange County. She encouraged the
13 committee to consider how to address some of the low-hanging fruit, and does not feel the
14 County should come in and be responsible for meeting all the needs.
15 Chair Rich said this may be a good conversation topic for the Assemblies of
16 Government (AOG).
17 Bonnie Hammersley said Corey Root will be giving this report to the other elected
18 officials.
19 Commissioner Greene thanked Commissioner Dorosin for jump-starting this
20 conversation. She said there is a team of experts locally, and Corey Root has been singing this
21 song for some time now. She said the priorities are known, and the answer is funding.
22 Commissioner Greene said one of the problems with lacking capacity is the set up with
23 the men's shelter. She said she was on the Town Council when the Director announced he
24 was changing the model from a shelter to a transitional men's home, thus resulting in no
25 homeless shelter for men in Orange County.
26 Commissioner Greene said the facility could be reorganized, but fundamentally it is time
27 to take some action.
28 Commissioner Marcoplos said since rapid re-housing is a priority, and funding is the
29 deterrent. He said the County has access to land at the Greene Tract, and creating 20-30 tiny
30 homes would not be difficult or expensive to construct. He asked if this type of resource would
31 have a major impact on the need.
32 Corey Root said 20-30 units of anything would be great. She said tiny homes are one
33 option, but will not end homelessness by themselves. She said it is just one part of the solution,
34 as sometimes there are families in need, or those who do not want to live in tiny homes.
35 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is an effective way to pull information together
36 to put out to the community.
37 Corey Root said Raleigh is building a tiny home community, and Austin, Texas has a
38 very famous one. She said there are many models to follow. She said it also important to
39 remember community.
18
1 Commissioner Price asked if the full cost of$1.7 million would be a one-time cost or an
2 annual one.
3 Corey Root said it would be ongoing, annually.
4 Corey Root said the Partnership's Executive Team asked for a phased implementation,
5 recognizing that there will be a big overall number. She said, where possible, with each of the
6 gaps, she developed a year one, year two, and year 3 phases. She said this is contained in the
7 full Gaps Analysis document.
8 Commissioner Price referred to street outreach, and said the full annual cost is the
9 same as year 2 when phased in, and asked if there is a reason for this.
10 Corey Root said each program is its own entity. She said 90 families would be served
11 annually, to meet the current need for rapid re-housing. She said this breaks down to a
12 caseload for 3 full time social workers. She said the street outreach program requires 2 full
13 time workers, at the peer support level.
14 Commissioner Price referred to the chart on the last slide, and asked if any of these
15 activities are currently being done, and if the current budget could be identified.
16 Corey Root said she would look up the numbers, but some gaps are partially filled.
17 Commissioner Price asked if any street outreach is already under way.
18 Corey Root said the gap for street outreach is pretty significant. She said the Chapel
19 Hill Crisis Unit are the go-to folks, as well as people from the Criminal Justice Resource
20 Department, and some local church bodies. She said these are band-aid solutions for now.
21 Commissioner Price clarified that everything on the list of gaps has needs.
22 Corey Root said yes. She said the youth host homes programs is an existing one,
23 which serves mostly Durham County residents, and would be an expansion into Orange
24 County. She said rapid re-housing was funded with $40,000 in state funds, and will start at
25 DSS in January. She said all areas need additional funding to fully expand to full capacity.
26 Commissioner Price said $1.7 million may seem a lot, but being proactive will help the
27 County save money in the long run. She said she would like to move forward on some these
28 programs.
29 Commissioner Greene referred to the Coordinated Entry staffing, and said this exists,
30 but it is ad-hoc, and needs to be formalized and expanded to be most efficient.
31 Commissioner Greene referred to Commissioner Marcoplos' point on tiny homes, and
32 said these are not a solution to everything and the conversation needs to get back to housing
33 first. She said Charlotte has an apartment complex that is a housing first community, and she
34 said Orange County needs to keep working on this effort. She said there are a number of ways
35 to put rap around services around someone, and the type housing is not that big a deal.
36 Commissioner Greene thanked Corey Root for her clear presentation, and said this
37 funding would solve a lot of problems for a lot of people.
38 Chair Rich asked if this information has been presented to the OCPEH.
39 Commissioner Greene said yes.
40 Commissioner Rich asked if the partners have received the information well.
41 Corey Root said the partners are in agreement that action should be taken, but no
42 formal proposal has been made.
43 Commissioner Greene asked if this presentation has been made to the Chapel Hill
44 Town Council.
45 Corey Root said yes, but with the 2018 data regarding gaps.
46 Chair Rich said the County may be excited about helping but do not yet know how the
47 towns feel.
48 Commissioner Greene asked if this information has been presented recently to the
49 County's partners.
50 Corey Root said she presented to the towns in March or April 2019.
19
1 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if it would be possible to have the costs for an
2 apartment complex like the one Charlotte. He said it would be good to have a comparison of
3 costs.
4 Corey Root said the complex in Charlotte is site based permanent supportive housing,
5 which is more typically found in larger cities. She said here in Orange County there is scattered
6 housing, with services that rap around. She said Raleigh in building a site based supportive
7 housing, but she does not know of communities, similar in size to Orange County, that have this
8 type of housing. She said it would be very innovative to take this approach here, and Carrboro
9 has expressed interest in this method.
10 Commissioner Price asked if there has been discussion about where these facilities
11 would be. She said community outreach will be important to avoid the "not in my backyard"
12 (NIMBY) mentality.
13 Corey Root said for some of the gaps, the location is key. She said it is important to
14 have the services in the same location has the needs. She said community consensus is
15 important prior to filling gaps.
16 Commissioner Dorosin asked if his peers would reach out to fellow peers on the other
17 elected boards about the funding and furthering the conversation.
18
19 5. Public Hearings
20 NONE
21
22 6. Regular Agenda
23
24 a. Approval of Budget Amendment #3-A for the Receipt of an Emergency Solutions
25 Grant, and Creation of a 1.0 FTE Time-limited Position Allocating Current Mental
26 Health Maintenance of Effort Funds
27 The Board considered voting to approve Budget Amendment#3-A for the receipt of an
28 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) of$40,000 to provide Rapid Rehousing services, and to
29 create a 1.0 FTE time-limited position to provide these services by allocating currently available
30 Mental Health Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funds to support the position, as well as the use of
31 additional currently available MOE funds to provide counseling to families involved in protective
32 services.
33
34 Nancy Coston, Department of Social Services Director, presented this item:
35
36 BACKGROUND: Orange County Department of Social Services (DSS) was able to apply for
37 ESG funds to support Rapid Rehousing for persons experiencing homelessness. In order to
38 maximize the impact of the program, DSS is requesting to create a 1.0 FTE time-limited Human
39 Services Specialist III position to provide the assessment and case management services to the
40 participants, allowing the grant funds to pay actual housing costs. The grant period is January
41 2020 through December 2020, and this current request is to fund the position through the
42 current fiscal year at a cost of$28,737. Continued funding for the position, through December
43 31, 2020, will be included in the FY 2020-21 budget.
44
45 In addition to the ESG position, DSS is requesting to use $25,000 in unobligated MOE funds to
46 provide assessments and counseling to families involved in protective service cases. Some of
47 these families do not have health insurance or other ways to access critical treatment and the
48 lack of timely treatment may impact their ability to care for or retain custody of their children.
49
20
1 Commissioner Dorosin asked if Nancy Coston could explain how staff will work with
2 people to regain custody of their children.
3 Nancy Coston said her department has already put in a contract of limited amount of
4 money to have counselors come to the DSS office, or wherever, to work with families. She said
5 some people need specialized counselors, and the goal is to show the court that families have
6 access to an avenue in order to improve. She said some work is also being done with older
7 youth to prepare them for independent living.
8
9 A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford, seconded by Commissioner Greene, for
10 the Board to approve:
11
12 1) Budget Amendment#3-A for the receipt of the $40,000 Emergency Solutions Grant;
13 2) the creation of a 1.0 FTE time-limited position at DSS to provide assessment and case
14 management for homeless persons with mental health needs; and
15 3) allocating $28,737 from MOE funds to pay for the position costs and $25,000 from MOE
16 funds to purchase mental health services for families involved in protective services.
17
18 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
19
20 7. Reports
21 NONE
22
23 8. Consent Agenda
24
25 • Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda
26 • Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda
27
28 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner McKee, to
29 approve the Consent Agenda.
30
31 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
32
33 Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
34
35 a. Minutes
36 The Board approved the minutes from November 7 and 14, 2019 as submitted by the Clerk to
37 the Board.
38 b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases/Refunds
39 The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release motor vehicle
40 property tax values for five taxpayers with a total of five bills that will result in a reduction of
41 revenue in accordance with NCGS.
42 c. Property Tax Releases/Refunds
43 The Board adopted a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, to release property tax
44 values for thirteen taxpayers with a total of twenty-two bills that will result in a reduction of
45 revenue in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 105-381.
46 d. Applications for Property Tax Exemption/Exclusion
47 The Board considered six untimely applications for exemption/exclusion from ad valorem
48 taxation for six bills for the 2019 tax year.
49 e. Resolution to Accompany the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Building
50 Reuse Grant Incentive Application for ABB, Inc.
21
1 The Board approved a supporting Resolution, based on a request from the North Carolina
2 Department of Commerce as part of the required documentation for the State's Building Reuse
3 Grant incentive that was awarded to ABB, Inc. in July 2019, that endorses the County's role to
4 help administer the eventual transfer of State funds from the North Carolina Department of
5 Commerce to ABB for the State's Building Reuse Grant incentive related to the company's
6 recent July 10th announcement to expand its Orange County manufacturing facility and
7 authorize the Chair to sign.
8 f. Proposed Tower Antenna Agreement with Open Broadband for Wireless Broadband
9 Appurtenances on a County Facility
10 The Board authorized the Manager to sign the attached agreement thereby providing Open
11 Broadband, LLC with no cost access to a County facility for the purpose of appropriately
12 attaching equipment in order to provide broadband services to rural Orange County residents
13 and authorized the Manager to sign.
14 g. Approval of a Resolution Authorizing a Revision in the Resolution Adopted May 1,
15 2018 Which Authorized the Orange County FY 2018-2019 HOME Program Design
16 The Board approved a resolution, which is incorporated by reference, revising the resolution
17 adopted May 1, 2018, which authorized the Orange County FY 2018-2019 HOME Program
18 Design.
19 h. Advisory Boards and Commissions —Appointments
20 The Board approved the Advisory Boards and Commissions appointments as reviewed and
21 discussed during the Board's November 14, 2019 work session.
22
23 9. County Manager's Report
24 NONE
25
26 10. County Attorney's Report
27 John Roberts said a three-judge panel allowed the federal congressional district
28 redistricting maps, drawn last month, to move forward. He said the only good news is that the
29 general assembly is in recess until the middle of next month, and cannot act.
30 Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is a status update on the impact fee case.
31 John Roberts said the certification of the class was to be heard, not the merits of the
32 case. He said the superior court judge approved and certified the group of unknown impact fee
33 payers as a class, which was appealed. He said has been continued to due personal leave by
34 the opposing counsel. He said he will keep the Board updated on this.
35
36 11. *Appointments
37 NONE
38
39 12. Information Items
40
41 • November 19, 2019 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List
42 • Tax Collector's Report— Numerical Analysis
43 • Tax Collector's Report— Measure of Enforced Collections
44 . Tax Assessor's Report— Releases/Refunds under $100
45 • Memorandum Regarding FY 19-20 Orange County Budget Appropriation for Sidewalk Study
46 — Orange Grove Road Corridor and Pedestrian Safety
47
48 13. Closed Session
49 NONE
50
22
1 14. Adjournment
2
3 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Dorosin, to
4 adjourn the meeting at 9:04 p.m.
5
6 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
7
8
9 Penny Rich, Chair
10
11
12 Donna S. Baker
13 Clerk to the Board
14
15
1
1 Attachment 2
2
3 DRAFT
4 MINUTES
5 ORANGE COUNTY
6 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
7 BUSINESS MEETING
8 December 10, 2019
9 7:00 p.m.
10
11 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in a business meeting on Tuesday,
12 December 10, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
13
14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Penny Rich and Commissioners Jamezetta
15 Bedford, Mark Dorosin, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, Mark Marcoplos, and Renee Price
16 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT:
17 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts
18 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager
19 Travis Myren, and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker. (All other staff members will be identified
20 appropriately below.)
21
22 Chair Rich called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
23
24 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
25
26 PUBLIC CHARGE
27 Chair Rich acknowledged the public charge.
28
29 Arts Moment:
30 Katie Murray, Arts Commission Director, introduced Andrea Selch:
31 Andrea Selch joined the board of Carolina Wren Press 2001, after the publication of her
32 poetry chapbook, Succory, which was #2 in the Carolina Wren Press poetry chapbook series.
33 She has an MFA from UNC-Greensboro, and a PhD from Duke University, where she taught
34 creative writing from 1999 until 2003. Her poems have been published in Calyx, Equinox, The
35 Greensboro Review, Oyster Boy Review, Luna, Swink, The MacGuffin, Prairie Schooner, The
36 Southern Review and featured on the Best American Poetry blog. Her full-length collection of
37 poetry, Startling, was published by Turning Point Press in October, 2004, and reissued by
38 Cockeyed Press in 2009. In 2007, Choreo Collective danced her "Holy Shell Waiting for the
39 Return of the Soul," and "Early Weaning" at the biennial symposium of Duke University's Sallie
40 Bingham Center for the Study of Women's History and Culture. She won a 2008 "Hippo" Award
41 from The Monti for her spoken story, "Replacement Child." Her small collection of Ekphrastic
42 poems, Boy Returning Water to the Sea: Koans for Kelly Fearing, was published by Cockeyed
43 Press in 2009, and in 2011 a selection of her work appeared in The Book of Ystwyth: Six Poets
44 on the Art of Clive Hicks-Jenkins. After a dozen years as President of Carolina Wren Press,
45 she now devotes her time to coaching the Triangle Equestrian Vaulters, while continuing to
46 work on a second full-length manuscript entitled "Oh My Darling".
47 Andrea Selch read two poems, one for fall and one for spring: "Kathexis" and "Early
48 Berry Picking".
49
50 2. Public Comments
2
1
2 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
3 Riley Ruske said he came here tonight after watching the basketball game at Cedar
4 Ridge High School, where he noticed that before the game, everyone stood during the national
5 anthem. He said he has petitioned the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) multiple times
6 this fall to include pledge of allegiance at the beginning of each meeting. He said he petitioned
7 this before, and the Board has failed to discuss and vote on the matter. He said he will keep
8 bringing this up until the Board responds appropriately.
9
10 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
11 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda
12 below.)
13
14 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members
15 Commissioner Greene said she attended the Justice Advisory Council meeting last
16 week She said the County currently has a pre-arrest diversion program, which diverts only first
17 offenders (in eight specific categories), which does not include underage alcohol possession.
18 She said the Criminal Justice Resource Department staff is proposing to include the underage
19 alcohol charge in the current model of the program, to allow for early intervention with treatment
20 instead of criminal justice involvement. She said this would not include any new resources to
21 implement. She said additionally, the department wants to create a second track of harm
22 reduction law enforcement diversion that deflects our "familiar faces" (i.e., repeat low-level
23 offenders with behavioral health issues and often experiencing homelessness). This will involve
24 more intensive case management and will require additional positions working from Chapel Hill,
25 where most of the "familiar faces" reside. She said the District Attorney has agreed to these
26 changes, and she hopes the County will approve the necessary budget increases.
27 Commissioner Bedford said she and others attended the Environmental Summit last
28 week and heard about the 2019 State of the Environment Report, as well as regional updates.
29 She said it was an informative meeting.
30 Commissioner Bedford said all Board members have been to several swearing in
31 ceremonies, and she thanked those who have served, and expressed excitement to serve with
32 those newly appointed to boards.
33 Commissioner Marcoplos reiterated Commissioner Bedford's comments about the
34 Environmental Summit and said the Commission for the Environment (CfE) is an excellent
35 group, doing excellent work. He said the report can be easily found online.
36 Commissioner Marcoplos said he attended the Family Success Alliance's (FSA)
37 resource subcommittee group, where the topic was "what criteria should be used for dispersing
38 $5,000 for innovation grants to the schools". He said the plan is to disperse two $2500 grants,
39 and eligible schools are those in two FSA zones (zones 4 and 6). He said he was struck by the
40 need to give away more grants, and he petitioned the manager to add an additional $10,000 to
41 the grants.
42 Commissioner Price said she also attended the Environmental Summit, and she liked
43 the regional approach. She said she used to serve on the CfE, and it is wonderful to see the
44 good work continuing.
45 Commissioner Price said the new ABC store opened in Hillsborough today, and there
46 was a large turnout.
47 Commissioner Dorosin said he also attended the Environmental Summit, and noted that
48 there was no discussion of environmental justice, the inclusion of which the BOCC tasked the
49 CfE. He said it was a noticeable gap in this discussion. He said it was a very homogenous
3
1 group, both attending and presenting. He said, when hoping to have greater diversity, one
2 must be cognizant of location, time of event and having diverse presenters.
3 Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:15 p.m.
4 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the HB2 law, and said the bill was repealed and
5 replaced with something else that said local governments would continue to be preemptive until
6 December 1, 2020. He petitioned the Board to develop an anti-discrimination ordinance that
7 includes all range of provisions and protected classes, and adopted it as soon as possible with
8 a date effective of December 1 or 2, 2020.
9 Chair Rich said she attended the JCPC meeting, where it was reported that staff are
10 seeing 55% of African Americans, 17% Latino, 17% white, 10% multiracial, and 1% Asian
11 getting suspended for repetitive fighting. She said this group is also is concerned about the
12 Medicaid reformation and it is unsure how the "raise the age" will impact funds for services.
13 She said there is a lot of confusion among families, and the Department of Social Services
14 (DSS) is helping to make sense of things.
15 Chair Rich said she went to the Big Bold Ideas meeting, organized by the Chamber of
16 Commerce. She said 450 ideas were whittled down to three: affordable housing, youth master
17 plan to close the opportunity gap, and innovation hub and workforce.
18 Chair Rich said Economic Development Director Steve Brantley asked her to tell the
19 Board that Medline did not build its building yet, but won an award for the building's concept
20 plan, as it is a LEED platinum building facility, with over 50% of its energy coming from solar
21 panels. She said this building won the "impact of the year" category.
22 Chair Rich said she and Commissioner Greene attended the ABB groundbreaking,
23 which is another great partnership with Mebane.
24 Chair Rich said members of the BOCC were talking to Paul Jones about the County's
25 website navigation. She said Paul Jones recommended contacting Laurie Hight at the School
26 of Government, and ask that her class do a user experience of the County's website. She said
27 this is a petition, and ideally this would be done this before the semester starts.
28 Chair Rich said the Pauli Murray awards are on February 23, 2020. She asked if this
29 information could be put on the front page of the County's website.
30 Commissioner McKee said the ABB facility is the only place he has watched metal
31 printing. He said there is a lot of cutting edge work being done at this business.
32 Commissioner McKee wished everyone a Happy Holiday.
33 Commissioner Greene said there is a forum on Saturday Dec. 14: "Where Do We Go
34 From Here? A Community Forum on Criminal Justice Reform in Orange County." Hours are 1-5
35 p.m. at Chapel Hill Public Library.
36 Commissioner Price said the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
37 People (NAACP) will be present as well.
38
39 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations
40
41 a. Proclamation Recognizing the Chapel Hill High School Women's Volleyball Team
42 for Winning the 2019 State 3A Championship
43 The Board considered voting to approve a Proclamation recognizing the Chapel Hill
44 High School Women's Volleyball Team for winning the 2019 State 3A Championship and
45 authorize the Chair to sign.
46
47 BACKGROUND: The Chapel Hill High School Women's Volleyball Team won the State 3A title
48 with its victory in the state finals on November 9, 2019.
49
50 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
4
1 PROCLAMATION OF RECOGNITION ON
2 CHAPEL HILL HIGH SCHOOL WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TEAM
3 WINNING THE 2019 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
4
5
6 WHEREAS, on November 9, 2019, the Chapel Hill High School Women's Volleyball Team
7 captured the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's (NCHSAA) 3A
8 State Championship; and
9 WHEREAS, under the guidance of Coach Ross Fields, the Chapel Hill High School Women's
10 Volleyball Team earned its third NCHSAA title; and
11 WHEREAS, the Tigers completed the season with a 28-1 record; and
12 WHEREAS, through hard work, dedication, teamwork, and commitment, the Tigers brought
13 honor upon themselves, Chapel Hill High School, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
14 Schools District and Orange County;
15
16 NOW, THEREFORE, be it proclaimed that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
17 expresses its sincere appreciation and respect to the Chapel Hill High School Women's
18 Volleyball Team and Coach Ross Fields for the team's outstanding achievement, and their
19 inspiration to youth across North Carolina through their dedication, teamwork, and athletic
20 prowess.
21
22 This the 10t" day of December 2019.
23
24 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Bedford for
25 the Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached proclamation recognizing the
26 Chapel Hill High School Women's Volleyball Team for winning the 2019 State 3A Championship
27 and honoring the players and Coach Ross Fields for representing the community with the
28 highest ideals of sportsmanship and integrity.
29
30 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
31
32 b. Proclamation Recognizing the Carrboro High School Women's Cross Country
33 Team for Winning the 2019 State 2A Championship
34 The Board considered voting to approve a Proclamation recognizing the Carrboro High
35 School Women's Cross Country Team for winning the 2019 State 2A Championship and
36 authorize the Chair to sign.
37 Todd McGee introduced Coach Mimi O'Grady, who in turn introduced some members of
38 her team.
39
40 BACKGROUND: The Carrboro High School Women's Cross Country Team won the State 2A
41 title with its victory at the state championship meet on November 9, 2019.
42
43 Commissioner Greene read the proclamation:
44
45 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
46 PROCLAMATION OF RECOGNITION ON
47 CARRBORO HIGH SCHOOL WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
48 WINNING THE 2019 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
49
5
1 WHEREAS, on November 9, 2019, the Carrboro High School Women's Cross Country Team
2 won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's 2A State
3 Championship; and
4 WHEREAS, under the guidance of Coach Mimi O'Grady, the team won its seventh state
5 championship and second in a row; and
6 WHEREAS, through hard work, dedication, teamwork, and commitment, the team brought
7 honor upon themselves, Carrboro High School, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
8 Schools District and Orange County;
9 NOW, THEREFORE, be it proclaimed that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
10 expresses its sincere appreciation and respect for the Carrboro High School Women's Cross
11 Country Team and Coach Mimi O'Grady for the team's outstanding achievement, and their
12 inspiration to youth across North Carolina through their dedication, teamwork, and athletic
13 prowess.
14
15 This the 10t" day of December 2019.
16
17 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Bedford to
18 approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached proclamation recognizing the Carrboro
19 High School Women's Cross Country Team for winning the 2019 State 2A Championship and
20 honoring the players and for representing the community with the highest ideals of
21 sportsmanship and integrity.
22
23 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
24
25 c. Proclamation Recognizing the Chapel Hill High School Men's Cross Country Team
26 for Winning the 2019 State 3A Championship
27 The Board considered voting to approve a Proclamation recognizing the Chapel Hill
28 High School Men's Cross Country Team for winning the 2019 State 3A Championship and
29 authorize the Chair to sign.
30
31 BACKGROUND: The Chapel Hill High School Men's Cross Country team won the State 3A title
32 with its victory at the state championship meet on November 9, 2019.
33
34 Senior co-captains Zeno Scotti and Owen Rodgers received the proclamation. They
35 said they are grateful to be here and they worked very hard this year, under the guidance of
36 their coach, who could not be here tonight.
37
38 Commissioner Dorosin read the proclamation:
39
40 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
41 PROCLAMATION OF RECOGNITION ON
42 CHAPEL HILL HIGH SCHOOL MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
43 WINNING THE 2019 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
44
45 WHEREAS, on November 9, 2019, the Chapel Hill High School Men's Cross Country Team
46 captured the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's (NCHSAA) 3A
47 State Championship; and
48 WHEREAS, under the guidance of Coach Joan Nesbit Mabe, the Chapel Hill High School
49 Men's Cross Country Team earned its 11t" NCHSAA title; and
6
1 WHEREAS, through hard work, dedication, teamwork, and commitment, the Tigers brought
2 honor upon themselves, Chapel Hill High School, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City
3 Schools District and Orange County;
4 NOW, THEREFORE, be it proclaimed that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
5 expresses its sincere appreciation and respect to the Chapel Hill High School Men's Cross
6 Country Team and Coach Joan Nesbit Mabe for the team's outstanding achievement, and their
7 inspiration to youth across North Carolina through their dedication, teamwork, and athletic
8 prowess.
9
10 This the 101" day of December 2019.
11
12 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin seconded by Commissioner Price for the
13 Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached proclamation recognizing the
14 Chapel Hill High School Men's Cross Country Team for winning the 2019 State 3A
15 Championship and honoring the players and Coach Joan Nesbit Mabe for representing the
16 community with the highest ideals of sportsmanship and integrity.
17
18 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
19
20 d. Proclamation Recognizing Robin Jacobs
21 The Board considered voting to approve a proclamation recognizing Robin Jacobs for
22 her years of service with the Association for the Preservation of the Eno River Valley (Eno River
23 Association) and authorize the Chair to sign.
24
25 BACKGROUND: Earlier this fall, Robin Jacobs retired as Executive Director and legal counsel
26 of the Eno River Association after 15 years of service. Ms. Jacobs previously served on the
27 Board of Directors for the Eno River Association for five years.
28
29 During Ms. Jacobs' tenure as Executive Director, the Eno River Association protected 1,664
30 acres of important natural resource lands, many of which were in Orange County and
31 transferred to the State for inclusion in Eno River State Park. The Association was and
32 continues to be an important conservation partner of Orange County, with many joint
33 conservation efforts to protect watersheds and prime and threatened farmland through
34 conservation easements.
35
36 David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation (DEAPR)
37 Director, said ERA has been such a great partner, and is thankful for Robin Jacob's leadership.
38 Commissioner Marcoplos read the proclamation:
39
40 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
41 PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING
42 ROBIN JACOBS
43
44 WHEREAS, Robin Jacobs retired at the end of October, 2019 as the Executive Director and
45 legal counsel for the Association for the Preservation of the Eno River Valley, better known as
46 the Eno River Association; and
47
48 WHEREAS, Ms. Jacobs previously served the Association for five years as a member of its
49 Board of Directors; and
50
7
1 WHEREAS, Ms. Jacobs served as the executive Director and legal counsel for the Association
2 for 15 years, leading the organization through many significant milestones and built the
3 Association into a professionally-staffed organization increasing its capacity to meet the
4 Association's mission to conserve and protect the natural, cultural and historical resources of
5 the Eno River basin; and
6
7 WHEREAS, in her time at the Association, 1,664 acres of land were conserved, with the
8 majority being transferred to public ownership (Eno River State Park, etc.); and
9
10 WHEREAS, during this time, Ms. Jacobs and the Association collaborated with Orange County
11 on many land conservation projects, including the purchase of four properties for future parks
12 and/or natural areas with amenities for public enjoyment, three conservation easements that
13 protect significant natural areas, and five conservation easements that protect prime farmland;
14 and
15
16 WHEREAS, Ms. Jacobs was a tireless advocate for local and regional open space conservation
17 and the protection of natural resources across local government boundaries, and will be greatly
18 missed by Orange County in this capacity;
19
20 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners
21 expresses its deep appreciation, gratitude and respect for the guidance, actions and assistance
22 provided by Robin Jacobs and her leadership of the Eno River Association, and that the Board
23 wishes her well in her retirement.
24
25 This the 101" day of December, 2019.
26
27 A motion was made by Commissioner Marcoplos, seconded by Commissioner Price for
28 the Board to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the attached proclamation recognizing and
29 expressing appreciation to Robin Jacobs for her work with the Eno River Association.
30
31 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
32
33 Robin Jacobs said thank you for this incredible honor. She thanked the Board for its
34 partnership with the ERA, and said she is going to stay on the ERA land stewardship
35 committee. She said she has been coming since 2004 to bring ERA calendars to the BOCC.
36 Commissioner Price thanked her for all of her hard work.
37
38 e. Recognition of Emergency Services Planner Sarah Pickhardt by the Veterans of
39 Foreign Wars - Post 9100
40 The Board will host and join with the Veterans of Foreign Wars - Post 9100 in honoring
41 Emergency Management Planner Sarah Pickhardt with a certificate of recognition for her
42 dedication and service to Orange County and the residents of North Carolina.
43 Dinah Jeffries, Emergency Services Director, introduced Captain Buck Simmons, and
44 reviewed the information below:
45
46 BACKGROUND: The mission statement of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is "To foster
47 camaraderie among United States veterans of overseas conflicts. To serve our veterans, the
48 military and our communities. To advocate on behalf of all veterans."
49
8
1 VFW Post 9100 has ventured out to embrace community providers, law enforcement, fire,
2 EMS, teachers, etc., and recognize selected individuals who have served with dedication and
3 selflessness to those in need of help. The Orange County Emergency Services Department
4 nominated Sarah Pickhardt, Emergency Management Planner, for her dedication, untiring
5 service and willingness to go wherever she is called, regardless of the mission or location.
6 Captain Buck Simmons, former United States Marine Corps pilot, will be present at the meeting
7 on behalf of Post 9100. Captain Simmons flew 920 combat missions in Viet Nam and received
8 multiple medals and awards during his service. His proudest accomplishment was in the
9 "number of Marines" he was able to keep alive.
10
11 On behalf of the VFW, Post 9100 will recognize Sarah Pickhardt for her exemplary service to
12 the residents and visitors of Orange County, and throughout the State of North Carolina with a
13 framed citation in honor of Ms. Pickhardt's contributions and with a one hundred dollar ($100)
14 donation to the organization of her choice.
15
16 Captain Simmons said the VFW likes to be involved in its communities, and to recognize
17 those who give back to the community. He shared a story of a military service experience that
18 he said opened his eyes to all that those in emergency services do for others. He presented a
19 plaque to Sarah Pickhardt in thanks for all that she does.
20 Kirby Saunders read a citation acknowledging the excellent efforts made by Sarah
21 Pickhardt in her line of work. He presented her with the citation, as well as some coins.
22 The Board hosted and expressed their appreciation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars
23 Post 9100 for extending their outreach to recognize individuals who have a positive impact on
24 the community, and join with Post 9100 in recognizing and congratulating Sarah Pickhardt for
25 receiving this honor.
26
27 f. Presentation of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for FYE 6/30/2019
28 The Board received the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal
29 year ended June 30, 2019.
30
31 BACKGROUND: The CAFR reports on all financial activity of the County for the fiscal year July
32 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. Mauldin and Jenkins, a firm of Certified Public Accountants,
33 audited the financial statements. The financial statements and audit are required by Chapter
34 159-34 of the North Carolina General Statutes. The County prepares a Comprehensive Annual
35 Financial Report (CAFR) that meets the standards set by the Government Finance Officers
36 Association (GFOA). The CAFR is submitted to the GFOA in order to be awarded the
37 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. The financial report for the
38 Orange
39 County SportsPlex, as required under the management contract, is included in the County's
40 CAFR.
41
42 The County received an unmodified (clean) audit opinion on the financial statements received
43 from the audit. The financial audit results indicate compliance with County financial policies.
44 The
45 Chief Financial Officer and representatives of Mauldin and Jenkins will cover highlights of the
46 report and answer any questions.
47
48 Gary Donaldson, Chief Financial Officer, made the following PowerPoint presentation:
49
50 Fiscal Year 2018-19 Review
9
1 December 10, 2019
2 BOCC Regular Meeting
3
4 Operating and Capital Funds Highlights
5 ➢ Met Board County Policies including Unassigned Fund Balance levels
6 ➢ Favorable Budget versus Actuals Performance and Fund Reserve Levels as forecasted
7 in Quarterly reports and Long-Term Forecast Model;
8 ➢ Continued reduction in General Fund subsidy to Solid Waste Fund from $1.5 million to
9 $126,510;
10 ➢ Strong Investment Earnings results; earnings increased by $358,107 to $1.1 million
11 through proactive Finance Investment strategy;
12 ➢ New Debt Series 2019A Limited Obligations Bonds: $14.1 million included IT
13 Infrastructure investments, Building Remediation (Meadowlands, Government Annex,
14 District Attorney and Battle Courtroom) and Public Safety and Solid Waste Vehicle
15 Replacements.
16 ➢ Affirmation of `AAA' Bond Rating by all Three Major Credit Rating Agencies
17
18 General Fund Budget versus Actual (table)
19
20 Audited Fund Balances and Net Positions (table)
21 Finance Investment Strategy and Results (table)
22
23 James Bence, Maudlin and Jenkins, made the following PowerPoint presentation:
24
25 Mauldin and Jenkins
26 Presentation of 2019 Audit Results
27 Orange County, North Carolina
28 December 10, 2019
29
30 Agenda
31 • Engagement Team
32 • Results of the 2019 Audit
33 • Financial Ratios
34 • Comments, Recommendations, and Other Issues
35 • Questions & Comments
36
37 Engagement Team: Maudlin & Jenkins, LLC
38
39 Results of 2019 Audit
40 Our Responsibility Under Auditing Standards Generally Accepted in the United States
41 of America (GAAS) and Government Auditing Standards (GAS)
42 o We considered the internal control structure for the purpose of expressing our
43 opinion on the County's basic financial statements and not providing assurance
44 on the internal control structure.
45 o Our audit was performed in accordance with GAAS and GAS.
46 o Our objective is to provide reasonable—not absolute—assurance that the basic
47 financial statements are free of material misstatement.
48 o We did not audit the financial statements of the Orange County ABC Board. We
49 reviewed and relied on the report of other auditors for amounts included in the
50 County's statements related to the ABC Board.
10
1 o The basic financial statements are the responsibility of the County's
2 management.
3 Report on 2019 Basic Financial Statements
4 o Unmodified ("clean") opinion on basic financial statements.
5 o Presented fairly in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in
6 the United States of America.
7 o Our responsibility does not extend beyond financial information contained in our
8 report.
9 Significant Accounting Policies
10 o The significant accounting policies used by the County are described in Note 1 to
11 the basic financial statements.
12 o The policies used by the County are in accordance with generally accepted
13 accounting principles and similar government organizations.
14 o In considering the qualitative aspects of its policies, the County is not involved in
15 any controversial or emerging issues for which guidance is not available.
16 Management Judgment/Accounting Estimates
17 o The County uses various estimates as part of its financial reporting process —
18 including valuation of accounts receivable, depreciation of capital assets, self-
19 insurance claim liabilities, and pension and OPEB assumptions.
20 o Management's estimates used in preparation of financial statements were
21 deemed reasonable in relation to the financial statements taken as a whole. We
22 considered this information and the qualitative aspects of management's
23 calculations in evaluating the County's significant accounting estimates.
24 Financial Statement Disclosures
25 o The footnote disclosures to the financial statements are also an integral part of
26 the financial statements and the process used by management to accumulate
27 the information included in the disclosures was the same process used in
28 accumulating the statements. The overall neutrality, consistency, and clarity of
29 the disclosures were considered as part our audit.
30 • Relationship with Management
31 o We received full cooperation from the County's management and staff.
32 There were no disagreements with management on accounting issues or
33 financial reporting matters.
34 • Audit Adjustments
35 o There were several posted adjustments, which were necessary during the audit
36 process. Those entries have been provided to management and have all been
37 recorded on the County's general ledger by management and they have agreed
38 with all adjustments.
39 • Management Representation
40 o We requested, and received, written representations from management relating
41 to the accuracy of information included in the financial statements and the
42 completeness and accuracy of various information requested by us.
43 • Consultation with Other Accountants
44 o To the best of our knowledge, management has not consulted with, or obtained
45 opinions from, other independent accountants during the year, nor did we face
46 any issues requiring outside consultation.
47 • Significant Issues Discussed with Management
48 o There were no significant issues discussed with management related to business
49 conditions, plans, or strategies that may have affected the risk of material
50 misstatement of the financial statements.
11
1 Information in Documents Containing Audited Financial Statements
2 o Our responsibility for other information in documents containing the County's
3 comprehensive annual financial report and our report thereon does not extend
4 beyond the information identified in our report. If the County intends to publish or
5 otherwise reproduce the financial statements and make reference to our firm, we
6 must be provided with printers' proof for our review and approval before printing.
7 The County must also provide us with a copy of the final reproduced material for
8 our approval before it is distributed.
9 Auditor Independence
10 o In accordance with AICPA professional standards, M&J is independent with
11 regard to the County and its financial reporting process.
12 There were no fees paid to M&J for management advisory services during fiscal
13 year 2019 that might affect our independence as auditors.
14
15 General Fund Balance Ratio to Expenditures (graph) (add verbiage from PPT)-87 days of
16 fund balance
17
18 Trend Analysis of Property and Sales
19 Tax Revenue per capita (graph)
20
21 General Fund Budget to Actual Results
22 Fiscal Year 2019 (graph)
23 ❑ General Fund revenues were 1.5% more than the amended budgeted amount. The
24 actual revenue was over budget due to increased actual property tax collections.
25 ❑ Expenditures for many functional areas were less than budget by $7.9 million (3.5%)
26 from the operating budget. Several departments came in under budget due to personnel
27 vacancies and efforts to spend conservatively.
28 ❑ Budgeted use of fund balance was not needed to the extent anticipated, as actual
29 revenues and other financing sources exceeded expenditures.
30 ❑ General Fund significant transfers were $1,493,643 to School Capital Improvement
31 Fund; $1.7 million from School Capital Improvements; $220,000 to County Capital
32 Improvement Fund; $126,510 to Solid Waste Landfill Fund; $2,626,520 to Internal
33 Service Funds and $687,783 to non-major governmental funds.
34
35 Enterprise Results
36 Solid Waste Fund still relies on transfers in from the General Fund.
37 The Solid Waste and Sportsplex Fund reported an increase in net position for the fiscal
38 year ended June 30, 2019.
39
40 Single Audit Engagements
41 • Federal Expenditures of$16.8 million
42 • Type A program threshold in 2019: $750,000
43 • State Expenditures of$4.3 million
44 • Testing for 3 Federal and 2 state programs in 2019 — DEFSA
45 o Child Support Enforcement (93.563)
46 o Medicaid (93.778) (State)
47 o Section 8 Housing Vouchers (14.871)
48 o Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (State)
49 o Lottery Proceeds (State)
50
12
1 Material Weaknesses on Financial Reporting
2 Equity Reconciliation
3 During our testing, audit adjustments were required to adjust the opening net
4 position of the four funds. The entries included adjusting balances incorrectly coded to equity
5 during the current year, as well as to record audit entries from the prior year which were not
6 posted to the County's general ledger. Audit adjustments totaling approximately $2,794,000
7 were needed to correct the County's opening fund balance and net position as of June 30,
8 2019.
9
10 Comments, Recommendations, and Other Issues
11 Industry recommendation
12 The Information Technology environment is characterized by rapid change and there has
13 been no shortage of headlines about cybersecurity attacks. While breaches of large
14 organizations have been very high profile and have received a lot of press coverage,
15 organizations of all sizes face the same types of threats and are experiencing similar
16 breaches. Many organizations are still struggling to effectively address cybersecurity
17 issues; however, they are no longer ignoring them. During the performance of our audit of
18 the financial statements of the County, we noted that the organization is taking measures
19 to prevent such an attack on the County, but is lacking some elements of a Cybersecurity
20 Framework or Cybersecurity Risk Management Program (CRMP). A functioning CRMP
21 will assist the County with comprehensively identifying cybersecurity weaknesses,
22 potential threats and risks, and controls used to safeguard information and systems. We
23 recommend that the entity investigate and consider implementation of a Cybersecurity
24 Risk Management Program including covering the monitoring and testing of controls in
25 place.
26 New GASB Pronouncements - Implemented This Year
27 Statement No. 88, Certain Disclosures Related to Debt, Including Direct
28 Borrowings and Direct Placements, under Statement 88, debt for disclosure
29 purposes is defined as a liability that arises from a contractual obligation to pay
30 cash (or other assets) in one or more payments to settle an amount that is fixed
31 at the date the contractual obligation is established.
32 New GASB Pronouncements for Future Years
33 GASB Statement No. 87, Leases was issued in June 2017 and is effective for
34 the first reporting period beginning after December 15, 2019. This statement
35 increases the usefulness of governments' financial statements by requiring
36 recognition of certain lease assets and liabilities for leases that previously were
37 classified as operating leases and recognized as inflows of resources or outflows
38 of resources based on the payment provisions of the contract. It establishes a
39 single model for lease accounting based on the foundational principle that leases
40 are financings of the right to use an underlying asset. Under this statement, a
41 lessee is required to recognize a lease liability and an intangible right-to-use
42 lease asset, and a lessor is required to recognize a lease receivable and a
43 deferred inflow of resources, thereby enhancing the relevance and consistency
44 of information about governments' leasing activities. Applicable for June 30,
45 2021.
46 Statement 89, Accounting for Interest Cost Incurred Before the End of a
47 Construction Period, this standard eliminates the requirement/ability to capitalize
48 construction period interest costs as part of the cost of a capital asset in
49 enterprise funds. This standard should be applied prospectively with no
13
1 restatement. This standard can be early implemented as part of fiscal year
2 2019, but is applicable for June 30, 2021.
3 New GASB Pronouncements for Future Years
4 Statement No. 90, Equity Interests an amendment of GASB Statements No. 14
5 and No. 61, is intended to improve the consistency and comparability of reporting
6 a government's majority equity interest in a legally separate organization and to
7 improve the relevance of financial statement information for certain component
8 units. It defines a majority equity interest and specifies that a majority equity
9 interest in a legally separate organization should be reported as an investment if
10 a government's holding of the equity interest meets the definition of an
11 investment. A majority equity interest that meets the definition of an investment
12 should be measured using the equity method, unless it is held by a special-
13 purpose government engaged only in fiduciary activities, a fiduciary fund, or an
14 endowment (including permanent and term endowments) or permanent fund.
15 Those governments and funds should measure the majority equity interest at fair
16 value. Applicable for June 30, 2020.
17 Other Matters Currently Being Considered by GASB
18 Re-Examination of the Financial Reporting Model. GASB has added this
19 project to its technical agenda to make improvements to the existing financial
20 reporting model (established via GASB 34). Improvements are meant to
21 enhance the effectiveness of the model in providing information for decision-
22 making and assessing a government's accountability.
23 Conceptual Framework is a constant matter being looked at by GASB.
24 Current measurement focus statements (for governmental funds) to change to
25 near-term financial resources measurement. May dictate a period (such as 60
26 days) for revenue and expenditure recognition. May expense things such as
27 supplies and prepaid assets at acquisition.
28 Revenue and Expense Recognition is another long-term project where the
29 GASB is working to develop a comprehensive application model for recognition
30 of revenues and expenses from non-exchange, exchange, and exchange-like
31 transactions.
32 Conduit Debt. The GASB is looking at improving the definition of conduit debt
33 and determining whether a liability should be reported for these transactions.
34 Other Changes
35 There continues to be changes to auditing standards relative to the conduct and
36 reporting of Single Audits. This year's financial and compliance audit recognized
37 the implementation of the new Uniform Grant Guidance (UG) which included
38 significant changes to cost principles and other requirements for auditees
39 receiving Federal funds. These changes are driven based on the grant award
40 date as awarded by the Federal agency. As such, auditors and auditees will
41 follow requirements from both the "old" and "new" guidance for a few years to
42 come.
43
44 Free Quarterly Continuing Education for Governmental Clients
45 Since March of 2009:
46 o Mauldin & Jenkins provides free quarterly continuing education for all of our
47 governmental clients. Topics are tailored to be of interest to governmental
48 entities. In an effort to accommodate our entire governmental client base, we
49 offer the sessions several times per quarter at a variety of client provided
14
1 locations resulting in greater networking and knowledge sharing among our
2 governmental clients. We normally see approximately 100 people per quarter.
3 o Examples of subjects addressed in the past few quarters include:
4 Revenue Accounting Requirements
5 GASB Updates
6 Internal Controls — Revenues & Receipts
7 Internal Controls — Expenses, Disbursements & Payroll
8 Collateral ization of Deposits
9 SPLOST Accounting, Reporting & Compliance
10 Capital Asset Accounting
11 Grant Accounting, Processes and Controls
12 Policies & Procedures Manuals
13 Segregation of Duties
14 GASB No. 51 — Intangible Assets
15 Single Audits for Auditees
16 GASB No. 54 — Governmental Fund Balance
17 Best Budgeting Practices, Policies and Processes
18 Internal Revenue Compliance (Payroll)
19 CAFR Preparation
20 GASB No. 60— Service Concession Arrangements
21 GASB No. 61, the Financial Reporting Entity
22 GASB No. 63 & 65 — Deferred Inflows and Outflows
23 GASB No 67 & 68, Accounting/Reporting Pension Plans
24
25 Commissioner Bedford referred to the general fund versus actual, and asked if these
26 changes were built into the budget for 2020, and how much more money can the County spend
27 than it was planning on.
28 James Bence said a lot of these variances are not related to audit adjustments, but
29 rather to how the County's general fund performs. He said staff may be able to better answer
30 this question.
31 Commissioner Bedford said this was probably already done by the Finance Department
32 as budget amendments, prior to the auditors coming in.
33 James Bence said the $11 million is actuals over the appropriated budgets. He said
34 the County already used, and was reporting, $7.8 million of fund balance in the original
35 adoption of the FY 202 budget.
36 Commissioner Greene referred to the reduction in subsidy to the solid waste fund, and
37 said this is a dramatic number. She asked if staff expected the number to be this great.
38 Bonnie Hammersley said yes, and for 2019-20, the budgeted amount of 0. She said
39 half a million was budgeted for 18-19, and staff was hoping to do that fairly quickly, which it was
40 able to do.
41 Bonnie Hammersley said the first year she was in the County there were revenues that
42 came in about 8% over while the County was spending 95%. She said this resulted in 13%
43 discrepancy between what the budget was. She said right now it is 1.5% and 3% over, which is
44 much closer. She gave kudos to the budget and finance staff, which only has one finding this
45 year in the audit.
46 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the slide about General Fund revenues, and asked
47 the presenter to walk through this slide again.
48 James Bence said the BOCC was planning to reduce the general fund's fund balance
49 to cover operations.
15
1 Commissioner Dorosin said the Board then decided to add almost $2 million to this
2 reduction.
3 James Bence said the County actually added $2 million to the reserves.
4 Commissioner Dorosin said the County took nothing from reserves.
5 James Bence said $2.7 million was added to the fund balance, and the County has
6 already appropriated $7.8. He said when the $2.7 million was added, the County reached its
7 goal of 16.5% unassigned fund balance. He said the more this balance is used, the more the
8 County will eat into its ideal percentage.
9 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the letter at the Commissioners' places, and item #6
10 talks about cybersecurity. He asked if this takes into account the new staff that has been
11 created for cybersecurity.
12 Bonnie Hammersley said the new position will begin as of January 2020, which will help
13 address point#6.
14 James Bence said all of this is as of June 30, 2019.
15 Chair Rich asked if the BOCC should send additional questions to Gary Donaldson and
16 Bonnie Hammersley, once it receives the PowerPoint.
17
18
19 5. Public Hearings
20 NONE
21
22 6. Regular Agenda
23
24 a. County Commissioners: Boards and Commissions Assignments
25 The Board considered selecting the Boards and Commissions on which Board members
26 would like to serve during 2020.
27
28 BACKGROUND: BOCC members serve on various County and County-related boards and
29 commissions. On an annual basis, BOCC members indicate their desire to continue serving on
30 specific boards or commissions or their desire to make changes.
31
32 Chair Rich said she would like to answer a few questions that have been submitted
33 regarding this process, first of which is why pick National Association of Counties (NACo) and
34 North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) at an organizational meeting
35 versus this meeting. She said these are associations and not committees, but these 2 can be
36 added to the chart.
37 Commissioner Marcoplos said the Board needs to re-visit a few aspects of this process
38 at another time.
39 Chair Rich said the next question asks what happens if one joins a board part way
40 through the year, or a board is newly formed, does one stay on that board. She said Donna
41 Baker said, traditionally, Commissioners get to stay on a board, but this is open for discussion.
42 Commissioner Price said Commissioners can ask to stay on it.
43 Chair Rich reviewed the various situations where this is currently an issue.
44 Commissioner Bedford said she is in a similar situation with the Behavioral Task Force,
45 and said she assumed staying on this would have to be her one save.
46 Commissioner Price asked if this implies an automatic continuance on a board.
47 Chair Rich said the Commissioners would just ask.
48 Commissioner Price asked if this would be a save or a pick.
49 Commissioner Rich said no.
16
1 Commissioner Price said this brings the board back to where it was earlier, with
2 Commissioners being able to stay on boards.
3 Commissioner Dorosin said he is surprised at how much time the Board takes talking
4 about these processes, but he appreciates Commissioner Price's attentiveness.
5 Chair Rich said OWASA is not a board or a committee, but rather she and
6 Commissioner Marcoplos chose to meet with OWASA.
7 Commissioner Bedford said she was the BOCC appointee to the Cardinal Innovations
8 (CI) Central Regional last year, and Cl is reorganizing and will now have an Orange County
9 Community Advisory Community. She said Cl will vet members through the process, and the
10 BOCC will appoint to this new group also. She said this group will meet during the weekday,
11 and the chair of this group will move to the newly created, regional 5 County Health Committee.
12 Commissioner Dorosin clarified that Cl will pick who goes on this board.
13 Commissioner Bedford said Cl will pick who goes on the regional health board, and
14 there was an application process for the local Orange County community board, and names will
15 be forwarded to the BOCC for appointment. She said there is not a set amount of members,
16 but there are various categories of members.
17 Commissioner Marcoplos clarified that the regional health board is advisory, not
18 governing.
19 Commissioner Bedford said it is advisory up to the health committee, and the health
20 committee will meet 3 times a year with the Cl Board. She said there will be a Cl board
21 member on the health committee as well.
22 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the item on the list tonight "Cl county commissioner
23 advisory board" no longer exists.
24 Commissioner Bedford said that is entirely different, and is a separate board on which
25 Commissioner Price has served. She said this board helps to vet and appoint members to the
26 Cl Board.
27 Commissioner Bedford said this was created after the state takeover.
28 Chair Rich asked if Commissioner Bedford would like to remain on the board.
29 Commissioner Dorosin said Cl will send a list of people for the Orange County
30 Committee.
31 Commissioner Bedford said yes, Cl will send them the full list and help categorize them
32 Commissioner Dorosin said the BOCC has carte blanche to choose who they want.
33 Commissioner Bedford said Cl will forward all the names.
34 Commissioner Greene said Commissioner McKee is the current representative for the
35 Community Home Trust (CHT), and she serves on it as a community member, which looks like
36 the BOCC has double representation. She said she is happy to resolve this concern tonight by
37 being the BOCC representative, and Commissioner McKee is in agreement.
38 Chair Rich asked if Commissioner Marcoplos and Commissioner Bedford would like to
39 stay on their mid term appointment committees.
40 Commissioner Marcoplos said he would like to stay on the climate committee.
41 Commissioner Bedford said she would to stay on Orange County Behavioral Health task
42 force.
43
44 Round Robin starts:
45
46 Process Governing the Selection Process of BOCC Boards/Commissions Assignments
47 1. One "Save" in order of seniority (choosing one board that they currently serve on and service
48 as an officer is not an automatic exemption):
49 • If a "Save" is skipped by a BOCC member—The save process continues
50 through the remaining BOCC members
17
1 —Then, by seniority, the members who skipped are allowed one pick so that each BOCC
2 member has one position. • Appointments to regional boards are limited to four-1 year
3 terms
4 • Appointments to intra-county boards are limited to two -1 year terms
5
6 The round robin process will continue as in the past below:
7 2. The junior member will then pick one board first in the first round and then least senior
8 members of the Board will choose one board on which to serve 3. In the second round, the
9 senior member will pick first, and then the other senior members to the least senior member will
10 pick
11 4. And then it is back to the junior member.....
12
BOARD NAME MEETING DATE BOCC MEMBER BOCC member BOCC Member
Serving 2019 Serving 2020
STATUTORY
ABC Board Monthly, Third Commissioner Not Commissioner Commissioner
Tues 8:30 AM- Required (non-voting Price Dorosin
ABC offices in member) (2020-2022)
Hillsborough Intra-county
Board of Health Monthly, 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Typically Fourth Required McKee McKee
Wed Intra-county (2019-2021)
7:00 PM-at
Health Dept in
Hillsborough
Board of Social Monthly, Third 2 appointees ( one Commissioner Commissioner
Services Monday- 4:00 citizen) Bedford Bedford
PM at DSS Commissioner not (2019-2021)
offices in required but usually a
Hillsborough Commissioner serves
-I ntra-county
Cardinal Innovations TBD Regional Commissioner Commissioner
County Commissioner Price Price
Advisory Board (2019-2023)
INTERGOVERNMENT
AL and OTHER
GROUPS WITH BOCC
MEMBERS
Burlington/Graham 6x/year-(or more Requires Commissioner Commissioner
MPO Transportation as needed) 1 Commissioner Bedford- Member Bedford — Member
Advisory Committee Tuesdays at member (2019-2023)
5pm in 1 Alternate Commissioner
Burlington Commissioner McKee - Alternate Commissioner
Regional Marcoplos -
Alternate
18
2020-2024
Chatham Orange Joint 3x/year- 2 Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner
Planning Task Force alternates Regional Price—Member Dorosin Member
between Orange Commissioner (2020-2024)
County and Rich- Alternate
Chatham County Commissioner
McKee —Alternate
2020-2024
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Monthly 1 BOCC member Commissioner Commissioner
Chamber of Commerce Intra-county McKee McKee
Third Thursdays (2019-2021)
at 8:30am at
Chamber
Climate Committee TBD 1 BOCC member Commissioner Commissioner
Intra-county Marcoplos Marcoplos
(Mid-year (2019-2021)
appointment)
Community Home Monthly-25 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Trust BOD Thursdays at Required McKee Greene
6pm at CHT Intra-county (2020-2022)
office
Durham- Chapel Hill — Monthly- 2" 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Carrboro Metropolitan Monday at 9am 1 Commissioner Price- Member Price — member
Planning Organization in Durham Alternate (2019-2023)
(MPO)- Transportation Regional Commissioner Chair Rich —
Advisory Committee Rich- Alternate Alternate
DCHC-MPO 2019-2023
Durham- Orange- Quarterly- at 2 BOCC Members Commissioner Commissioner
Chapel Hill Work noon - rotates Regional Bedford Marcoplos
Group locations- (2019-2023)
Durham/ Commissioner Commissioner
Chapel Marcoplos Greene
Hill/Orange (2020-2024)
Count
Durham Tech Board of 6x/per year- 2 Appointees—one Commissioner Commissioner
Trustees usually 4t" Commissioner Marcoplos - Dorosin
Tuesday of Regional Member (2020-2024)
month at 4-6pm
(locations move One resident- already
about) appointed
Plus there are
committee
meetings
19
Family Success Meets 6x per 2 Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner
Alliance year-1-3pm Intra-county- Price Greene
Alternates — Commissioner (2020-2022)
northern and Marcoplos
southern Orange Commissioner
County Bedford
2020-2022
Fire Chief's Association Bi-monthly—first Commissioner not Commissioner Chair Rich
of Orange County Weds.-7pm required as member— Dorosin (2020-2022)
but can attend as
guest(s)
Intra-county
Food Council Meets 1/x per 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Month ( usually Intra-county Greene McKee
the 1st Monday (2020-2022)
at 4:00)
Alternates
between Chapel
Hill and
Hillsborough
Go Triangle Board of Monthly 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Trustees 3rd Wed-12pm Regional Marcoplos Marcoplos
in Durham 2019-2023
Go Triangle Special Meets every 2 Commissioners Commissioner Rich Commissioner
Tax Board January (more required Commissioner McKee
often if needed) Regional Price (2020-2024)
in Durham at Commissioner
GoT office Price
2019-2023
Go Triangle 6x per year ( 1 Board of County Commissioner Commissioner
Community Advisory assuming they Commissioners Price Bedford
Committee- will meet at Go T Liaison (2020-2024)
offices) Regional
Healthy Carolinians Meets quarterly Commissioner not Chair Dorosin Commissioner
(3rd Thursdays at required —often same Price
8:30am) BOCC Member as on (2020-2022)
the Board of Health
Intra- county
Orange County Local Quarterly 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Government Affordable Required Dorosin Dorosin
Housing Collaborative Intra-county 2019-2021
the Collaborative
Intergovernmental Meets 2-3 times 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Parks Work Group per year at Member McKee —Member McKee — member
5:30pm-on Wed. 1 Alternate Commissioner (2019-2021)
at SHSC Commissioner Bedford - Alternate Commissioner
Intra-count Dorosin —alternate
20
(2020-2022)
Joint Public Safety Meets as 2 Commissioners Chair Dorosin Commissioner
Training Facility Work needed at ES Intra-county Commissioner Marcoplos
Group Price (2020-2022)
Commissioner
Price
(2019-2021)
Jordan Lake One Meets the third 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Water Association- Wednesday of Regional Marcoplos Marcoplos
Elected Officials every other (2019-2023)
month from 9:00
AM to 11:00 AM
at TJCOG
Justice Advisory Quarterly 2 Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner
Council (Friday Intra-county Greene Greene
afternoons- (2019-2021)
3:30pm) in Commissioner Commissioner
Hillsborough Dorosin Price
2020-2022
JCPC (Orange County Meets 6-7x per 1 Commissioner Chair Rich Commissioner
Juvenile Crime year (every other Intra-county Bedford
Prevention Council) month) (2020-2022)
Fridays at noon
LIWG ( Legislative Meets as 2 Commissioners Commissioner Chair Rich
Issues Work Group) needed Term - one year Dorosin (2020)
Commissioner Commissioner
Price Dorosin
(2020)
NACo Voting Delegate 1 Commissioner Commissioner Chair Rich
Required Price (2020)
NCACC Voting 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Delegate Required Dorosin Bedford
May have alternate (2020)
N/S BRT (North/South As needed 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Bus Rapid Transit) Intra-county Dorosin Price
policy committee 2020-2022
Orange Co Behavioral Every other 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Health Task Force month (IntraCounty) Bedford Bedford
3:30-5pm (2019-2021) (2019-2021)
Hillsborough Mid year
Hospital appointment
21
Orange County Bi-monthly- Last 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Partnership for Young Wednesday-at Intra-county Bedford Bedford
Children 8:30am- (2019-2021)
alternates —
Chapel Hill/
Hillsborough
Partnership to End Monthly-Tcl 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Homelessness Mondays Greene Greene
(2019-2021)
Piedmont Food And 5-6 times per 1 Commissioner Commissioner Commissioner
Agricultural Processing year Regional Bedford Marcoplos
(PFAP) Center (2020-2024)
Small Business Loan Meets as 1 Commissioner Commissioner Chair Rich
Program needed to vet Intra-county Bedford (2020-2022)
applications
received
(7:30am on
Fridays)
Solid Waste Advisory Meets as 2 Commissioners Chair Rich Commissioner
Group (SWAG) needed Intra-county Commissioner Marcoplos
Marcoplos (2019-2021)
Chair Rich
(2019-2021)
Strategic Meets as 2 Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner
Communications Work needed Commissioners McKee Dorosin
Group (internal) Commissioner (2020-2022)
Price
Chair Rich
2020-2022
Transit Planning Meets as 2 Commissioners Commissioner Commissioner
Committee needed Intra-local Marcoplos Marcoplos
Commissioner (2020-2024)
Greene (11/7/2019) Commissioner
Greene
2020-2024
Triangle Area Rural Bi-monthly- 1 Commissioner Member- Commissioner
Planning Organization meetings at Member Commissioner Greene
(TARPO) 12pm, alternates 1 Alternate Greene (2019-2023)
Transportation counties —Lee Commissioner
Advisory Committee and Chatham Regional Alternate- Commissioner
Commissioner Marcoplos
Marcoplos (2019-2023)
TJCOG Meet 1x per 1 Commissioner Member- Commissioner
month- Last 1 Alternate Commissioner Greene — member
Wednesday Regional Greene (2019-2023)
6pm- Chair Rich —
22
Alternate — Chair alternate
Rich 2019-2023
Upper Neuse River Bi- monthly at One Director Position Member- Commissioner
Basin Association 9:30am-12:OOpm Two Alternate Commissioner Greene — member
(meets in Positions Greene (2019-2023)
Butner) Regional Commissioner
Alternate — Chair Bedford — alternate
Rich 2020-2024
Workforce Meets monthly in Does not require a Nancy Coston Nancy Coston
Development Board — various counties- Commissioner-usually
Regional Partnership has been 1 Non-
Voting
Liaison
Visitor's Bureau 8:00 am third 1 Commissioner Commissioner Rich Commissioner
Wed., monthly, Required Bedford
no meeting in Intra-county (2020-2022)
Jul /December
1
2
EX-OFFICIO
Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce- does not Chair Serves
require a Commissioner
NC DOT Quarterly Meetings Chair/Vice Chair
School Collaboration Meetings Chair/Vice Chair
3
4
5 RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board discuss and select the
6 Boards and Commissions on which Board members would like to serve, and formally approve
7 the Board assignments if appropriate, or direct the Clerk to finalize the list and schedule the
8 assignments for final approval at the Board's January 21, 2020 business meeting.
9
10 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner Price to
11 approve the BOCC selections to the various boards and commissions they serve on.
12
13 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
14
15 Commissioner Greene asked if the Strategic Communications workgroup could be
16 explained.
17 Chair Rich said it reviews how the County is communicating with the public about
18 various items. She said it meets as needed.
19 Commissioner Dorosin said he would like to add the issue communication outreach to
20 this committee's agenda, especially as pertains to diversity and equity.
21 Commissioner Marcoplos said another issue for this committee to consider is the
22 proactive dissemination of information when the BOCC has controversial issues to consider.
23
24 7. Reports
25
23
1 a. Orange County Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census
2 The Board received a report on the 2020 Census and the Orange County Complete
3 Count Committee.
4 BACKGROUND: At its May 21, 2019 meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved the
5 creation of an Orange County Complete Count Committee (CCC) to develop and implement a
6 2020 Census awareness campaign to encourage residents to respond. Board Vice-Chair
7 Renee Price was appointed to lead the Committee, with Community Relations Director Todd
8 McGee as staff liaison.
9
10 The Committee is a group of community volunteers, local government elected officials and staff
11 dedicated to increasing awareness and motivating residents to respond to the 2020 Census.
12 The Committee held its first meeting in July and has been meeting regularly since. The
13 committee is comprised of 56 members representing 28 community organizations and local
14 governments. With increased awareness of the Census, more members are added to the CCC.
15 The CCC will work with community partners to focus on hard-to-count communities, including
16 people of color, non-English speaking communities, low-income families, people who live in
17 non-traditional housing and the refugee populations within the County. An accurate count of
18 these populations will ensure that all available federal resources will be provided to support
19 these communities.
20
21 Committee members represent a broad spectrum of government and community leaders from
22 business, non-profits, faith-based groups, and other community organizations. The Committee
23 has created a page on the Orange County website (www.orangecountync.gov/2020census) to
24 house information and materials, including links to resources for the public to use to help
25 promote awareness.
26
27 The Committee has created several subcommittees to focus on specific areas:
28 • Be Counted Sites: libraries, community centers, senior centers
29 • Publicity and Marketing: Public Information Officers for the County and Towns
30 • Hard to Count Non-English speaking: Chinese School, El Centro
31 • Hard To Count Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) with Clients: Department
32 of Social Services, Department of Health
33 • Housing: County, Town, Habitat for Humanity, EmPOWERment,
34 • Community Outreach: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
35 (NAACP), churches, faith assemblies
36 • Business Community: Chambers of Commerce
37 • Schools: Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
38 • Colleges/Universities: Durham Technical Community College, UNC-Chapel Hill
39 offcampus
40 • Planning/GIS/Information Technology Support: Planning and Technology
41 Department Staffs
42 • Elected Officials: Serving as Ambassadors
43
44 Among the Strategies that the Committee plans to use are:
45 • Videos, Facebook, other social media outlets
46 • News online and in print
47 • Public Service Announcements on the radio, in buses
48 • Posters in local government facilities, medical clinics and businesses
49 • Get out the Count events
50 • Tabling at events
24
1 • Website with links
2 • Identify trusted partners within the hard-to-reach communities to deliver our message.
3 • Recruit community Census communicators who will spread the messages to
4 neighborhoods through listservs, e-mail newsletters, social media, Next Door and other
5 means.
6 • Kickoff events on Census Day (April 1, 2020) at all Be Counted Sites
7
8 Tentative schedule
9 • January-February—The Census Bureau begins national awareness campaign. The
10 Orange County CCC will develop local messages to amplify the Census Bureau's
11 outreach efforts with a focus on the importance of participating in the Census. In addition,
12 the Committee will develop talking points that address specifically how the Census data
13 is used to benefit the local community. The CCC will recruit community volunteers who
14 will agree to share information with their friends and neighbors through community
15 emails, newsletters, etc.
16 • March —The Census Bureau mails postcards to households with unique identifying
17 numbers. Households will be able to complete the census online, by phone or by
18 requesting a paper form. The CCC message will shift to alerting residents to expect the
19 postcard and encouraging them to complete the questionnaire.
20 • April — Be Counted sites will open on Census Day (April 1) to provide online access to
21 residents who do not have Internet service. These sites will be located at libraries,
22 community centers and other facilities throughout Orange County (see attached map).
23 The Be Counted Subcommittee will look to add additional sites in areas that have
24 experienced low response rates in prior censuses.
25 May-July—The Committee will continue to promote responding to the census.
26
27 Next steps
28 The subcommittees and Committee will meet through winter and spring to identify strategies to
29 accomplish their objectives.
30
31 Todd McGee made the following PowerPoint presentation:
32
33 The 2020 Census:
34 What it means to Orange County
35
36 What's at stake?
37 • Political representation
38 • Federal funding
39 • Community Planning and Economic Development
40
41 Projected Change in Congressional seats in 2020 (map)
42
43 Federal Funding
44 Each person counted in North Carolina is about $1,600.00 in federal funding for the state.
45
46 Data
47 • Businesses use data to determine locations or expansions
48 • Local governments use the data for planning purposes
25
1 Federal government uses the data to distribute $675 billion a year for schools, roads,
2 transportation, social services, etc.
3
4 Local Governments
5 Preparation
6 Boundary Annexation Survey (BAS)
7 Census Redistricting Program
8 Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA)
9 Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
10 New Construction
11 A lot of the early geospatial preparations for the Census rely on contact with Local
12 Governments. BAS, LUCA, New Construction, and PSAP work directly with local governments
13 or their designated liaisons.
14 But all the preparation is wasted if there is poor participation in the Census.
15 Census Bureau reached out to Local Governments to form CCCs.
16 Challenges:
17 Digital Divide
18 Hard To Count Communities
19 Inadequate and late funding
20 The Postcard vs. Paper Form
21 Marketing
22 In the 2020 Census, about 95 percent of housing units will receive their census invitations in the
23 mail. The U.S. Census Bureau will send up to five mailings to encourage you to respond online,
24 by mail, or by phone. In Orange County, almost everyone will first receive a letter asking you to
25 go online to complete the census questionnaire. One census tract in Chapel Hill has been
26 identified as an area less likely to respond online, so they will receive a paper questionnaire
27 along with their first invitation.
28
29 Chair Rich asked if it the person will be is easily identifiable as a census taker.
30 Todd McGee said 5 mailings will be sent before a person will show up. He said the goal
31 is to keep census takers out of Orange County.
32
33 This will include information about how to respond online or by phone.
34
35 Complete Count Committees in N.C. (map)
36
37 Complete County Committees-CCCs
38 Led by Vice Chair Renee Price
39 More than 50 members and growing
40 Stacey Carless, Executive Director, NC Counts Coalition
41 Bob Coats, Governor's Census Liaison
42 Eric Edelheit, Census Bureau Liaison
43 Subcommittees
44 o Be Counted Sites
45 o Publicity and Marketing
46 o Hard to Count Non-English Speaking
47 o Hard to Count NGOs with clients
48 o Community Outreach
49 o Business Community
50 o Schools
26
1
2 The Census staff has already begun sowing CCC seeds. The NC CCC should not reinvent the
3 wheel, but we can support existing CCC and encourage CCC growth.
4 LOCAL ownership of the Census is key:
5 o GIS/IT support
6 o Elected Officials
7
8 Commissioner Dorosin said there is a lot of hiring for the census, and it may be good to
9 add a link—to work for the census— on the web.
10 Todd McGee said staff has been pushing that out on social media, but it can also be
11 added to the website.
12 Commissioner Price said recruiting events are already taking place.
13 Todd McGee said the "be counted" sites can now serve as a source for a job
14 application.
15 Commissioner Dorosin said he would like all of this information to be strongly promoted.
16 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the personal home visits are a last resort, and if those
17 people are all paid employees.
18 Todd McGee said those people that visit homes are the paid census takers, employed
19 by the Census Bureau. He said those who are out publicizing the census are more likely
20 volunteers.
21 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is any expectation that every dwelling will be
22 contacted, or exhaustively checked.
23 Todd McGee said Orange County has always been very responsive, so the Census
24 Bureau is not concerned about Orange County, which leads to it being an unlikely candidate to
25 receive grant funds. He said he is worried about the digital divide, and the political atmosphere.
26 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the participation percentage for Orange County is
27 known.
28 Todd McGee said the Census Bureau considers a 75% initial response rate to be good,
29 and Orange County was close to 90% in 2010. He said his goal is to be 10-15% higher than
30 the average response rate, and responses are accepted through July and August.
31 Commissioner Marcoplos asked if there is any benefit to marshal more volunteers.
32 Todd McGee said he is concerned about that because it may confuse people, since it is
33 unknown who has responded and who has not. He said it is possible that there will be an
34 online live response by census tract, which could possibly allow staff to engage in some
35 targeted outreach.
36 Commissioner Marcoplos said the federal government will have the specific information,
37 but sharing it would be a privacy issue.
38 Todd McGee said that is correct. He said the government cannot share identifying
39 census data with anyone.
40 Commissioner Bedford asked if there is a particular practice to county the homeless.
41 Todd McGee said the homeless are counted separately. He said the students that live
42 in dorms are also a unique group, which is counted by the University. He said a group that the
43 staff is concerned about is students that live in off-campus housing, since so many live in the
44 same dwelling. He said another hard group is those under age 5 years.
45 Chair Rich referred to the sites, and the upper right and lower left groups on the map,
46 and asked if there is a way to better reach this part of the population.
47 Todd McGee said the "be counted" site committee will look at this. He said a possible
48 location is the grange in the northwest part of the County. He would like to set up some
49 computers during one of their meetings. He said a volunteer fire station is another possible
50 location.
27
1 Chair Rich asked if information could be posted at the Animal Shelter.
2 Todd McGee said the committee will be creating flyers and posters to be distributed at
3 all government buildings as well as businesses, etc. He said the recreation centers and the
4 Sportsplex are also good location to publicize.
5 Commissioner Dorosin said it would also be good to partner with churches.
6 Commissioner Price said yes.
7 Todd McGee said the month of March has 5 Sundays, and pastors generally prepare 4
8 sermons per month, and a 5" Sunday presents an opportunity to coordinate a 5t" Sunday,
9 "souls to the polls" type movement.
10 Commissioner Dorosin said Todd McGee has identified the challenges, such as the
11 digital divide, etc., and seems to have good plans in place. He said is it also possible to partner
12 with the schools, which can stuff backpacks and email parents. He said when he served in this
13 area in 2000, there were more resources available (swag, fliers, etc.), and this may be helpful.
14 Commissioner Marcoplos said he can be a White Cross Volunteer. He said there is a
15 new Hispanic restaurant and market that opened, and the owners are leaders in the Hispanic
16 community and would happy to help spread the word.
17 Chair Rich said there are so many people who are untrusting of official things, and
18 asked if there is a way to better reach these people.
19 Todd McGee said with the low response and hard to reach communities, the best
20 practice is to identify the trusted community members and ask them to deliver the message to
21 the community at large. He said staff is working with the FSA, the Refugee Partnership, and
22 other organizations.
23 Commissioner Price said they want to recruit people of different nationalities, languages,
24 etc. to serve as the trusted messengers.
25 Commissioner Dorosin suggested that Commissioner Bedford bring it up to the
26 Partnership for Young Children.
27 Commissioner Marcoplos said building material suppliers may be a good contact too.
28 Commissioner Price said they are trying to work with the chambers of commerce.
29 Commissioner Marcoplos said he meant places like Lowes, Home Depot, Fitch Lumber,
30 etc.
31 Chair Rich said this will come to the Assemblies of Governments meeting in January.
32 Todd McGee said staff will have the most current information at that time.
33 Commissioner Dorosin suggested putting something on the homepage of the County
34 website.
35 Commissioner Bedford suggested putting information on the buses, etc.
36 Commissioner Dorosin said it is frustrating that local partners will not be more helpful.
37 Chair Rich said she can talk with the Board's OWASA appointees.
38 Commissioner Price said one concern is do people actually read their mail, and if they
39 are looking at the inserts in their bills.
40
41 8. Consent Agenda
42
43 Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda
44
45 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance
46 (SAPFO) attachment could come in a different format in the future. He said attachment 2 gives
47 total capacity of 100% by elementary, middle and high; while attachment 1 has individual school
48 numbers, but it does not give the sense of the percentage. He said he would like to get the
49 same data by school, and the percentage by capacity.
28
1 Commissioner Bedford said she wonders why this information would be helpful,
2 because SAPFO applies at the district level, and the school board should redistrict if there is
3 over 100% capacity.
4 Commissioner Dorosin said he wants to know if this should be happening, and if so, is it
5 happening.
6 Commissioner McKee said that information has been provided before.
7 Commissioner Dorosin said it would be helpful to have in this report as well.
8
9 Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda
10
11 A motion was made Commissioner Price, by seconded by Commissioner Marcoplos to
12 approve the consent agenda.
13
14 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
15
16 Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
17
18 a. Minutes
19 The Board approved the minutes from November 19, 2019 as submitted by the Clerk to the
20 Board.
21 b. Fiscal Year 2019-20 Budget Amendment #4
22 The Board approved budget, grant and capital project ordinance amendments for fiscal year
23 2019-20 for the Health Department; and Housing and Community Development.
24 c. Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) —Approval of Membership
25 and Capacity Numbers
26 The Board approved the November 15, 2019 membership and capacity numbers for both
27 school districts (Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools) which will be used in
28 developing 10-year student membership projections and the 2020 SAPFO Technical Advisory
29 Committee (SAPFOTAC) Report.
30
31 9. County Manager's Report
32 Bonnie Hammersley said there is an information item about possible childcare at Board
33 of County Commissioners meetings. She summarized the report and Nancy Coston and her
34 team reviewed this item closely, and said this is a high-risk endeavor due to medical issues,
35 appropriate caretakers, etc. She said one of the things that all agreed upon is looking at what
36 barriers exist for people being able to attend meetings.
37
38 10. County Attorney's Report
39 NONE
40
41 11. *Appointments
42 NONE
43
44 12. Information Items
45
46 • December 2, 2019 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List
47 • Memorandum — Child Care at Board of Commissioners Meetings
48
49 13. Closed Session
50 NONE
29
1
2 14. Adjournment
3
4 A motion was made by Commissioner Dorosin, seconded by Commissioner McKee to
5 adjourn the meeting at 9:41 p.m.
6
7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
8
9
10 Penny Rich, Chair
11
12
13
14 Donna Baker
15 Clerk to the Board