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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01-28-2020 Assembly of Governments 1 APPROVED 3/10/2020 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL HILLSBOROUGH BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CARRBORO TOWN COUNCIL January 28, 2020 ASSEMBLY OF GOVERNMENTS (AOG) The Orange County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) met with the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough for an Assembly of Governments meeting on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough, N.C. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Penny Rich and Commissioners Earl McKee Jamezetta Bedford, Mark Dorosin, Sally Greene, Mark Marcoplos, and Renee Price COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis Myren and Clerk to the Board Donna Baker (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS/STAFF PRESENT: Mayor Pam Hemminger and Town Council Members Jessica Anderson, Alan Buansi, Michael Parker, Hongbin Gu, Ty Huynh, Amy Ryan, Karen Stegman and Town Manager Maurice Jones CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: Rachel Schaevitz CARRBORO TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT/STAFF: Mayor Lydia Lavelle, and Town Council Members Damien Seils, Sammy Slade, Randee Haven O'Donnell, Jacquelyn Gist, Barbara Foushee, Susan Romaine and Town Manager David Andrews CARRBORO TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS/STAFF: Mayor Jenn Weaver, Town Commissioners Mark Bell, Kathleen Ferguson, Matt Hughes, Evelyn Lloyd, Robb English and Town Manager Eric Peterson TOWN OF HILLSBOROUGH COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None Welcome, Call to Order and Opening Comments Chair Rich welcomed everyone at 7:01 p.m. She said Commissioner McKee had to leave for a family issue. Chair Rich is giving a brief history of the Whitted Building. Chair Rich asked if each attendee would give their name, place of birth and birth order. 1. Greene Tract— Presentation and Discussion on Managers/Mayors/ Chair Proposal The Greene Tract is a 104-acre parcel jointly by Orange County, the Town of Carrboro, and the Town of Chapel Hill. An additional 60 acres is owned by Orange County and has been designated for preservation as the Headwaters Preserve. The Greene Tract is located within the Town of Chapel Hill's extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction. In 2002, the joint owners adopted a resolution to designate 86 acres for open space and 18 acres for affordable housing. No development has occurred on the jointly owned property since the adoption of the 2002 Resolution. 2 In 2017, the joint owners agreed to have the Managers, Mayors, and Chair (MMC) recommend next steps by further considering preservation and development options. Starting in May 2017, a joint staff work group began to examine the preservation and development potential of the existing Greene Tract. That work culminated in the 2019 Greene Tract Resolution and Conceptual Plan which recommended a reconfiguration of the jointly owned 104 acres and the 60 acre Headwaters Preserve and designated areas of the property for specific preservation and development purposes. In February of 2019, Orange County and the Town of Carrboro adopted identical 2019 Greene Tract Resolution and Conceptual Plan documents. In July 2019, the Town of Chapel Hill adopted a substantially similar resolution but modified the master plan map to remove specific land use designations from the areas proposed for development. The Town of Chapel Hill also adopted a companion resolution committing to hold a series of community meetings, solicit input from the public and respective advisory boards regarding land uses and densities, initiate environmental and connectivity assessment; and initiate steps to protect the jointly-owned preserve and the Headwaters Preserve in perpetuity. In an effort to reconcile differences between the adopted resolutions, each jurisdiction is considering a 2020 Greene Tract Resolution to supersede the resolutions adopted in February 2019 by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen and the Orange County Commissioners and the resolution adopted in July 2019 by the Chapel Hill Town Council. The 2020 Greene Tract Resolution is scheduled for consideration at the January 21 Carrboro Town Council meeting, the January 21 Board of County Commissioners meeting, and the January 22 Chapel Hill Town Council Meeting. The 2020 Greene Tract Resolution establishes the following next steps: 1) Jointly pursue an environmental assessment of the entire 164 acres to consider designating the most environmentally sensitive area as the Headwaters Preserve. The cost of this analysis will be shared among the parties, 43% Orange County, 43% Town of Chapel Hill, 14% Carrboro. 2) Jointly pursue a Memorandum of Understanding for future decision-making processes. This document will be used to ensure the parties participate in good faith in the planning process for potential development of the Greene Tract. The document will describe community outreach efforts. 3) Jointly agree to not initiate formal public engagement until completion of the Memorandum of Understanding document. 4) Jointly agree any potential developers of the Greene Tract may rely upon and utilize the environmental assessment contemplated herein and shall not be required to conduct or obtain a separate environmental assessment. 5) Jointly agree to a discussion of the Greene Tract at the 2020 Assembly of Governments meeting on January 28, 2020. Staff will provide any other information at the meeting, and the governing boards can discuss issues and provide feedback to staff related to this item as necessary. Attachment 1a — Greene Tract Vicinity Map Attachment 1 b — Proposed 2020 Resolution Travis Myren made the following PowerPoint presentation: 3 2020 Greene Tract Update January 28, 2020 Assembly of Governments Congratulations Adoption of the 2020 Greene Tract Resolution and Interlocal Agreement for an Environmental Assessment January 21 — Board of Orange County Commissioners January 21 — Carrboro Town Council January 22— Chapel Hill Town Council 2020 Greene Tract Resolution and Environmental Assessment Interlocal Agreement 1. Jointly pursue an Environmental Assessment of the entire 164 acres to consider designating the most environmentally sensitive area as the Headwaters Preserve. The cost of this analysis will be shared among the parties, 43% Orange County, 43% Town of Chapel Hill, 14% Carrboro. Total Cost Estimated - $40,000 2. Jointly pursue a Memorandum of Understanding for future decision-making processes. This document will be used to ensure the parties participate in good faith in the planning process for potential development of the Greene Tract. The document will describe community outreach efforts. 2020 Greene Tract Resolution and Environmental Assessment Interlocal Agreement 3. Jointly agrees to have a joint public information session that includes Orange County, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro a minimum of 2 months after the Environmental Assessment has been completed by the consultant and received by the jurisdictions. 4. Jointly agrees to not initiate formal further public engagement until completion of the Memorandum of Understanding document. 5. Jointly agree to a discussion of the Greene Tract at the 2020 Assembly of Governments meeting on January 28, 2020. Environmental Assessment Timeline Highlights-handout February 7 - Release RFQ for Environmental Assessment consultant March 23 - Joint staff review of submittals April 7 - Award contract to consultant - Notice to proceed June 7 - Draft Environmental Assessment completed July - Review Environmental Assessment with School District and facilitate next steps for analyzing school site Mid- August - Review findings with Managers, Mayors, and Chair September 14 - Jointly-planned community meeting to review and discuss the Environmental Assessment Memorandum of Understandinq and Other Timeline Highli-ghts Mid- February - Mayors, Chair to review draft Memorandum of Understanding June- August - Further revision and discussion of MOU - Joint staffs develop goals and objectives to evaluate development proposals informed by the draft Environmental Assessment 4 Mid-August - MMC meeting to review status of MOU, review Environmental Assessment, review draft metrics, schedule presentations to governing boards Chair Rich said the AOG is considered a work session and the use of first names is appropriate. Carrboro Town Council Member Foushee referred to the MOU, and asked if it is going to be made up of Managers/Mayors/Chair (MMC) and attorneys, and if a draft form might be ready by June. Travis Myren said the MMC group usually includes MMC, Managers, Attorneys and planning staffs. He said this group will review the initial draft, and he is unsure of the timeline. Mayor Hemminger said the MMC wanted to attend this AOG meeting, to understand questions and concerns to discuss at its mid-February meeting, prior to making a timeline. Mayor Hemminger said the group has a MOU template, and the attorneys are reviewing this. Mayor Lavelle said the attorneys are looking at a draft MOU now, and she hopes a draft will be ready by June. She asked if Travis Myren could explain the legal ramifications of an MOU. Travis Myren said the MOU is an interlocal agreement between governments, and the end goal of the document is to have some timeframe for things that happen; and if disagreements arise, how to resolve these issues and move forward with the process. He said each board will adopt the MOU. Carrboro Town Council Member Gist referred to the schedule, and said it might be more expedient for the draft MOU to come before the boards before all of the work has gone into it; to check in with the various boards. She suggested adding check in points to the schedule. Mayor Lavelle agreed, and said the MMC minutes are also helpful. Carrboro Town Council Member Gist said to have each board put a formal check in on their agendas, which will also make the public more aware of the process. Chair Rich said the proposed MOU schedule is a first shot at a schedule so that the group could have a starting point and some guidelines for tonight's meeting. She said there will be check-ins along the way, but the attorneys have to start the process. Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson referred to two places where the staffs were collaborating together, and asked if staff will collaborate at any other times. Travis Myren said yes, it is assumed staff will be working jointly throughout the entire process. Chapel Hill Town Council Member Anderson asked if the MMC would address opportunities for the public to provide input, prior to a final document being created. Mayor Lavelle said this is a legal document that references the resolution, which has been passed by all the boards, but also has the legalese of what each party will do, percentages, how to resolve disputes, etc. She said she does not see the MOU as explaining how the Greene Tract will be developed. John Roberts said the MOU is an outline, which will include public participation and other legal requirements in it. Mayor Lavelle said the MOU will be adopted in open session, allowing the public to comment. Chapel Hill Town Council Member Anderson said she is talking about the goals and principles and the development plan. Chair Rich said the development plan in not yet being discussed. She said the MOU is a governing document. Chapel Hill Town Council Member Anderson said she was talking about point #3. 5 Travis Myren said the MOU will come first, and staff can begin working on developing goals, based on the broad goals that were adopted in the resolution. He said this will all culminate in some sort of development proposal, which will include codified details for a developer. Chapel Hill Town Council Member Anderson said she understands what the MOU is, but there is a piece that states: "review Greene Tract draft goals and metrics for evaluating development proposals", which strikes her as something on which the public should weigh in. She said if the MMC is receiving data, it would be helpful to have the information the websites of each jurisdiction. Commissioner Dorosin said this governing MOU will be pretty basic, and the questions raised by the PowerPoint will be answered after the MOU is in place. He said the purpose of the MOU is to determine how the boards will make decisions. He said it is good to talk about this now while everyone is together, and his current understanding is that the MMC meet, hash out their agenda, and report back to their boards, etc. He said when decisions need to be made all three boards have to act unanimously. He asked if the MOU is designed to codify this process, and, if so, is this the best way to proceed. Commissioner Dorosin said if this document is designed to determine how the boards get information, set agendas, vote, etc. it should be able to be done fairly quickly, assuming all agree. Commissioner Dorosin said another way to approach this process would be to appoint a joint Greene Tract committee with representatives from the boards, which could have voting ability. He said if an MOU is necessary, then he hopes there can be discussion tonight about what this will look like. He said the MMC model may need to be tweaked. Commissioner Dorosin said he has been Chair before, and he found the process to be ineffective. He said he thought agreements had been reached previously, but it seems there was not actual agreement. Commissioner Dorosin said he wants to move forward thoughtfully, effectively, efficiently, and in a way that making procedural decisions does not get in the way of the actual substance. Commissioner Dorosin said there is an agenda for the environmental assessment, which should hopefully come back in June. He said this will be public document, which everyone can discuss. He said the governance documents need to be completed by the time the environmental assessment is returned. Chair Rich said it is very helpful that the MMC meetings are being facilitated and transcribed, as this keeps everyone informed and on track. Chair Rich said the resolution states that a public meeting can occur before the MOU is completed, but should wait until after the environmental assessment is completed and staff has a chance to review it prior to presenting it to the public. She said if this process needs to be changed, it should be discussed tonight. Mayor Hemminger said the MMC did a good job at discussing how to take pragmatic steps on each piece, instead of trying to bite off the whole thing at once. She said this should help many things happen simultaneously, as opposed to waiting in a linear fashion. Commissioner Dorosin said it is important to start the conversation about the MOU. Chair Rich said she hopes this will be straightforward to hash out. She said the 2002 MOU was reached fairly easily, but at that time the Greene Tract was not in the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). She said the 2002 MOU is not consistent with the current reality. Carrboro Town Council Member Haven O'Donnell said the public engagement will start with one public information session, and asked if there is a minimum amount of public engagement that will occur, and will there be separate sessions in each jurisdiction. 6 Chair Rich asked if she was referring to discussing the environmental assessment with the public. Carrboro Town Council Member Haven O'Donnell said no, overall public engagement. Chair Rich said these decisions have not been made yet. Carrboro Town Council Member Haven O'Donnell said she would want to have a feel for the check-ins and if these could engage the public. Chair Rich said Reverend Campbell told the BOCC that he wanted to hear one voice, and not several, when it comes to this issue. She said he desires a unified voice. Commissioner Price said there should be a mechanism from the beginning to include community engagement in the process and schedule. Commissioner Price said the boards are waiting on the MOU and its purpose. She said this process has taken a long time, and wonders if there is a lack of trust. John Roberts said it is a process for the boards to move forward, and it will set out public engagement, staff meetings, how to resolve disputes, etc. He said currently all three parties must agree unanimously for things to move forward, and there has been no forward movement for a significant amount of time. Commissioner Dorosin asked if options are unanimous consent, vote by the parties, or by percentage of ownership. John Roberts said he has a basic draft, which includes an initial meeting of appointed representatives of the three boards and Managers and Attorney to try and reach an agreement. He said if that does not work he suggests bringing in a mediator, and if that still does not work even after a lengthy time, then allow a vote of ownership by percentages. He said this is all just his proposal and is subject to change. Mayor Hemminger said overall clarification was needed, as there was varying terminology, it was unclear who should sign, etc. Mayor Hemminger said there is a working template, and the whole has been broke into pieces to make it more manageable. Mayor Lavelle said it is both complicated and not complicated. She said everyone wants affordable housing, open space, connectivity, etc., but it is complicated because there are three joint owners, but one owner is the permit issuing authority. She said the property is located in an ETJ, which is also unusual Mayor Lavelle said the biggest question is how to make decisions going forward. She said the only example she can think of that is somewhat similar was the Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG). She said there was a SWAG vote regarding the recycling fee, and every jurisdiction had a vote and there had to be a resolution available if unanimity could not be reached. Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the issue of community engagement, and said everyone is committed to that process. He said the boards will schedule these meetings later when there is more information to share. He said it important to keep it simple with what is being done now: the Environmental Assessment, the MOU, and the school site. He said it would be wise to work through these three tasks without much distraction. He said it is important to get it right this time. Chapel Hill Council Member Bin said the timeline is process focused. She said she would like to see more about what kind of information should be collected to reach the point where the boards can agree. She said her Council talked about the importance of connectivity analysis, environmental assessment, and what kind of financial commitments are needed. She said these things need to be presented to the public, and she would like to know when these key pieces of information will be known. 7 Mayor Hemminger said the environmental assessment and school site will inform the connectivity piece. She said the MMC can discuss these items and share back out with the various boards. Mayor Hemminger said the MMC did agree that the local partners do not want to be the developers. Chair Rich said the MOU will guide the boards on how to move forward in the process with the partners. She said discussions about actual development are far off. Chapel Hill Council Member Bin said the MOU will layout the decision process and resolution of disputes. Chair Rich said yes, the MOU takes all the partners and guides them on how everyone moves forward. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said the time schedule notes that in August there will be a time for refining goals and preservation, and she would like for the public to weigh in before it gets back to the MMC. She said ideally it would be good to have public engagement in June. Travis Myren said points #2 and #3 are from staff's perspective, signaling what work needs to be done before staff can make sense out of any development proposal. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said as long as it happens in a way that allows public engagement on the earlier end. Carrboro Council Member Seils said #2 and #3 are separate activities from the process of developing the MOU and beginning the environmental assessment. He said the MOU needs to be in place first, and he appreciates the intent of staying focused on the most pressing items first. He said he would like to consider what other approaches there may be, and asked Commissioner Dorosin to expand on his previous thought. Commissioner Dorosin said he thought the boards could do some brain-storming and see what alternatives exist. He said there are inefficiencies in the unanimous consent requirement, but some may think this is the best way. He said SWAG voting was done by entity, and voting by percentages of ownership is another option. He said the MOU will define how this project gets done; and it is important to consider how to proceed if agreement cannot be reached. Carrboro Council Member Seils said it sounds like the draft MOU will go to the MMC, but asked if it will then back to the individual boards for discussion. Commissioner Dorosin said the boards are here to give feedback tonight. He said he personally does not want to adopt an MOU that requires unanimous agreement. Chapel Hill Council Member Stegman said the MMC process has been frustrating in the past, but has improved with the recent changes of facilitation and notes coming back to the boards. She said it would be helpful to know the agendas are ahead of time, as well as set meeting and check in times. She said unanimity is not working, and she would be interested to hear more about other options. Commissioner Marcoplos said right now the focus is the environmental assessment, the school site, and the MOU, and there will not be much further progress without agreement on those three items. He said once those are completed, further items could come down to a majority vote. Commissioner Dorosin said everyone has agreed upon the environmental assessment, and the MOU and the school site are the next topics for discussion. He said he does not think unanimous agreement on these matters will come easily. Commissioner Marcoplos said he does not think it will be easy either, but if there is one party that does not agree to the MOU, then further discussions will fail as well. Mayor Lavelle said it really does not make a difference if it is one vote each or a percentage. 8 Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson said earlier she did not mean she did not understand the purpose of the MOU, but rather she seeks clarity on point#2 and #3, and to insure public input on these items earlier in the discussions. Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson said the boards are not agreeing together on what foundational information is needed to make decisions, or how to engage the public in advance. She said it is right to do incremental steps, and she would like to see agreement on what information is needed, or not needed, to make decisions and be fully informed. She said the public should be engaged purposefully. She said the connectivity and environmental analyses are critical to be able to make decisions. Chapel Hill Council Member Parker said the two voting options are unanimity or 2/3. He said the County Attorney has done a good job trying to bridge this by starting with a hope for unanimity, but going to mediation and 2/3 voting if necessary. Chapel Hill Council Member Parker said what is causing some confusion is that two processes have been conflated: the process of figuring out the MOU (what is in it, decision making processes, etc.) and the work plan itself, which should actually be a separate document. Carrboro Council Member Damon Seils said # 2 and 3 are important to the process, but the boards need to focus on the MOU first. He said he would like to see the MOU approved early on, and as quickly as possible. Commissioner Greene said this vote is not like other votes the boards have taken, because all are very interested in the real estate. She said there needs to be unanimous agreement about the nature of the development, or mediation should be employed. Chair Rich asked Commissioner Greene if she feels John Roberts is heading in right direction with the draft MOU. Commissioner Greene said yes. Chapel Hill Council Member Huynh said the jointly planned community meeting is a good idea to avoid confusion, but if there will only be one meeting he would like to insure that it is recorded and posted on the website. Chair Rich said there will be more than one meeting, and everything will go on the Orange County website. Chair Rich said the public can come to any of the BOCC's business meetings and make comments. Chair Rich asked if everyone feels the boards are heading in the right direction with the draft MOU. Chapel Hill Council Member Huynh said he is concerned about the presentation of the materials, and making sure that the public is clear about the dates and locations of any presentations. Chair Rich said this is just a stab at a schedule, and nothing is written in stone. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said actually no meetings are able to occur until the MOU is signed. Mayor Hemminger said that is not correct, and this point has been taken out of the resolution. She said there will be a joint meeting once the environmental assessment is completed. She said no one jurisdiction will have a special meeting for the public until the information is together. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said it also says, "we jointly agree not to initiate further formal public engagement until completion of the MOU document." She asked if this limits everyone to one formal meeting until the MOU is signed. Mayor Hemminger said that was not the intention, rather that when meetings do occur about the Greene Tract, it would include everyone together. 9 Chair Rich said the goal is to make sure everyone is together when meetings do occur. She said this goes back for years, and when the public is engaged, all parties should be involved. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said the language is unclear. Chapel Hill Mayor Hemminger said all parties have different environmental restrictions, and staff wants to make sure it is working from the same assumptions, which was part of these goals. She said staff wants to have it formalized in the MOU that the parties will use the most restrictive, least restrictive, etc. She said some assumptions have been made, and staff did not feel it had the support from all of the elected officials in any kind of understanding of these processes. Chair Rich asked if the boards are heading in the right direction, and with general consensus, with the MOU, or does anyone want to offer anything about it. She said the MOU is a guiding document, and she wants to gather any remaining input. Carrboro Council Member Damon Seils said it is difficult to discuss in the abstract, but it seems like the attorneys are going in the right direction. He asked if the MOU will address a worse case scenario of total disagreement, and the options for resolution. He suggested that the attorneys explore these issues, in particular. Chapel Hill Council Member Buansi said there should be clear language about mediation and parameters, but agreed that the attorneys seem to be going in the right direction. Chapel Hill Council Member Gu said there are so many decision points, and it is important to have a roadmap or work plan, and some agreement about the type of information that must be collected. She said the current timeline is too vague, in her opinion. Mayor Lavelle said she said she wants the MOU to address what happens to an entity if it wants to get out of the process. She said Carrboro only has a 14% stake, and the land is not in Carrboro. She said a time may come when Carrboro wants to voluntarily step away, and she would like to have this process included in the MOU. Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson agreed with Commissioner Greene, but then found some confusion. She said it is her understanding that the draft MOU contains a weighted vote system, but asked if this is accurate. Chair Rich said the MOU addresses how to move forward if there is not an agreement, and a weighted vote is one option. She said the currently existing MOU says all parties must agree, and the new MOU will state the same, and Commissioner Dorosin has posed the question of"is there a better way?" Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson said the current MOU track seems reasonable. Commissioner Price said John Roberts is on the right track and she would encourage everyone to keep the process simple. She said having a work plan would be useful, as a separate process to the MOU. Chair Rich asked Commissioner Dorosin if this conversation has satisfied his questioning. She said the attorneys are waiting for the boards to give advice. Commissioner Dorosin said the conversation happened, but he is not completely satisfied. He said his main point of interest is the time that is passing to accomplish anything. He said the boards have been working on this land, and the communities have been waiting, for years. He said he is interested in the MOU moving the process forward faster than it has moved thus far, and is glad to have heard the comments of his peers. He said this conversation has been a good start. 2. Orange County Complete Count Committee - Status and Efforts for 2020 Census Mayor Weaver introduced item and Todd McGee, Community Relations Director, reviewed the following information: 10 At its May 21, 2019 meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved the creation of an Orange County Complete Count Committee (CCC) to develop and implement a 2020 Census awareness campaign to encourage residents to respond. Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Renee Price was appointed to lead the Committee, with Community Relations Director Todd McGee as staff liaison. The Committee is a group of community volunteers, local government elected officials and staff dedicated to increasing awareness and motivating residents to respond to the 2020 Census. The Committee held its first meeting in July and has been meeting regularly since. The committee is comprised of 56 members representing 28 community organizations and local governments. With increased awareness of the Census, more members are added to the CCC. The CCC will work with community partners to focus on hard-to-count communities, including people of color, non-English speaking communities, low-income families, people who live in non-traditional housing and the refugee populations within the County. An accurate count of these populations will ensure that all available federal resources will be provided to support these communities. Committee members represent a broad spectrum of government and community leaders from business, non-profits, faith-based groups, and other community organizations. The Committee has created a page on the Orange County website (www.orangecountync.gov/2020census) to house information and materials, including links to resources for the public to use to help promote awareness. The Committee has created several subcommittees to focus on specific areas: • Be Counted Sites: libraries, community centers, senior centers • Publicity and Marketing: Public Information Officers for the County and Towns • Hard to Count Non-English speaking: Chinese School, El Centro • Hard To Count Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) with Clients: Department of Social Services, Department of Health • Housing: County, Town, Habitat for Humanity, EmPOWERment, • Community Outreach: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), churches, faith assemblies • Business Community: Chambers of Commerce • Schools: Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools • Colleges/Universities: Durham Technical Community College, UNC-Chapel Hill off- campus • Planning/GIS/Information Technology Support: Planning and Technology Department Staffs • Elected Officials: Serving as Ambassadors Among the Strategies that the Committee plans to use are: • Videos, Facebook, other social media outlets • News online and in print • Public Service Announcements on the radio, in buses • Posters in local government facilities, medical clinics and businesses • Get out the Count events • Tabling at events • Website with links • Identify trusted partners within the hard-to-reach communities to deliver the message. 11 • Recruit community Census communicators who will spread the messages to neighborhoods through listservs, e-mail newsletters, social media, Next Door and other means. • Kickoff events on Census Day (April 1, 2020) at all Be Counted Sites Tentative schedule • January-February—The Census Bureau begins national awareness campaign. The Orange County CCC will develop local messages to amplify the Census Bureau's outreach efforts with a focus on the importance of participating in the Census. In addition, the Committee will develop talking points that address specifically how the Census data is used to benefit the local community. The CCC will recruit community volunteers who will agree to share information with their friends and neighbors through community emails, newsletters, etc. • March —The Census Bureau mails postcards to households with unique identifying numbers. Households will be able to complete the census online, by phone or by requesting a paper form. The CCC message will shift to alerting residents to expect the postcard and encouraging them to complete the questionnaire. • April — Be Counted sites will open on Census Day (April 1) to provide online access to residents who do not have Internet service. These sites will be located at libraries, community centers and other facilities throughout Orange County (see attached map). The Be Counted Subcommittee will look to add additional sites in areas that have experienced low response rates in prior censuses. • May-July—The Committee will continue to promote responding to the census. Next steps The subcommittees and Committee will meet through winter and spring to identify strategies to accomplish their objectives. Staff will provide any other information at the meeting, and the governing boards can discuss issues and provide feedback to staff related to this item as necessary. Attachment 2a — 2020 Census Invitation Letter and Questionnaire Attachment 2b— Map of Be Counted Site Locations Todd McGee made the following PowerPoint presentation: Everyone County The 2020 Census: What it means to Orange County What's at stake • Political Representation • Federal Funding • Community Planning and Economic Development Map Federal Funding • $675 billion a year for schools, transportation, roads, social services, etc. • Each person counted in North Carolina is about $1,600 in federal funding for the state and another $200 in state funding. 12 Data • Businesses use data to determine locations or expansions • Local governments use the data for planning purposes What's New in 2020 • Online response • Telephone response • 121anguages • More dual-language enumerators Schedule • March 12-20 — Invitations mailed SAMPLE SLIDE OF INVITATION-Letter Schedule • March 16-24 — Reminder letters sent • March 26-April 3 — Reminder postcards sent to those who have not responded • April 8-16 — Reminder letter and paper questionnaire sent • April 20-27 — Final reminder postcards sent before in-person follow-ups begin Challenges • Digital Divide • Hard To Count Communities • Inadequate and late funding -In the 2020 Census, about 95 percent of housing units will receive their census invitations in the mail. The U.S. Census Bureau will send up to five mailings to encourage you to respond online, by mail or by phone. • The initial mailing will go out March 12-20. This will include information about how to respond online or by phone. • A reminder letter will come about a week later. If you haven't responded by the end of March, the Census bureau will send a reminder postcard. A fourth mailing a week later will include a copy of the paper questionnaire. These will be sent from April 8-16. • If you still haven't responded by April 20, you will receive one more reminder postcard. Follow up in-home visits will start at the end of April and early May for those who have not yet responded. • In Orange County, almost everyone will first receive a letter asking you to go online to complete the census questionnaire. • One census tract in Chapel Hill has been identified as an area less likely to respond online, so they will receive a paper questionnaire along with their first invitation. Complete Count Committees (CCCs) • Led by Vice Chair Renee Price • More than 50 members and growing • Stacey Carless, Executive Director, NC Counts Coalition 13 • Bob Coats, Governor's Census Liaison • Eric Edelheit, Census Bureau Liaison MAP of CCC Committees in NC CCC Role • Promote awareness of the Census • Encourage participation • Identify hard-to-reach communities • Work with trusted leaders in those communities The Census staff has already begun sowing CCC seeds. The NC CCC shouldn't reinvent the wheel, but we can support existing CCC and encourage CCC growth. • LOCAL ownership of the Census is key. • There's no set playbook for CCCs. They vary by the communities they serve, but there are some consistent components — assess, plan, budget, and communicate. • Almost every county in North Carolina has created a Complete Count Committee. • Counties understand what is at stake in terms of funding and political representation. Subcommittees • Be Counted Sites • Publicity and Marketing • Hard to Count Non-English Speaking • Hard to Count NGOs with clients • Community Outreach • Business Community • Schools • GIS/IT support • Elected Officials Be Counted Sites • Addresses the Digital Divide • Public Computers • Non-staffed (self-service) • Available during regular business hours • Pop up sites Hard to Count Committees • Homeless • Non-English speaking • College students • Young children Todd McGee said nearly one million children under the age of 5 were uncounted in the 2010 census Counting the Homeless • Service-Based Enumeration (SBE) 14 • March 30-April 1 • In-person interviews with individuals using a paper form • Enumeration at Transitory Locations (ETL) • Hotels, motels, campgrounds surveyed in the fall • April 9-May 4. Todd McGee said people experiencing homelessness likely have been undercounted in the decennial census for decades. He said there are a number of ways that the 2020 Census will count people experiencing homelessness in the United States. He said the primary operations for counting people experiencing homelessness in the 2020 Census are the Service- Based Enumeration (SBE), which is part of the broader Group Quarters operation, and Enumeration at Transitory Locations (ETL). He said the SBE operation locate people at places where they receive services and at outdoor locations, including shelters and soup kitchens. The effort targets outdoor locations, including encampments and other locations where people sleep unsheltered. He said the SBE operation will run from March 30 through April 1, and during the SBE, census takers will conduct in-person interviews with individuals using a paper census form. Todd McGee said non-sheltered outdoor locations, which will be identified in advance, will be counted on April 1, 2020. He said the Census Bureau will identify service-based and outdoor locations through internet research, outreach to advocacy organizations, and outreach to elected officials of state, local, and tribal governments. He said ETL operations count people in transitory locations who do not have a stable home elsewhere, including people experiencing homelessness. Hotels, motels and campgrounds are included in this operation. Potential locations were identified in Fall 2019. Todd McGee said the ETL operation will take place from April 9 to May 4, 2020.13 Non- English Speaking • Census Bureau making information available in 12 languages. • Trusted community leaders • Schools Foreign Languages • Arabic • Chinese • French • Haitian Creole • Japanese • Korean • Polish • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish • Tagalong • Vietnamese • Burmese • Karen • Kinyarwanda (Swahili) 15 Todd McGee said the Census Bureau is translating the information to 12 languages, and in addition, the Family Success Alliance (FSA) has identified three additional languages that are more common in Orange County than some of the languages on the Census Bureau's list: Burmese Karen Kinyarwanda Todd McGee said staff will work with the FSA to translate some of the Census materials into these languages as well. Group Quarters Enumeration (GQE) • Group homes • Nursing facilities/skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes) • Residential treatment facilities • College/university or seminary student housing • Religious group living quarters • Correctional facilities • In-patient hospice facilities • Hospitals • Workers' group living quarters • Job Corps centers or vocational training facilities The Bureau uses multiple approaches to try to get an accurate enumeration of people living in group quarters including: Electronic Response Data Transfer (eResponse) • In-person Interview • Drop Off/Pick Up of Questionnaire • Paper Response Data Collection Mayor Hemminger said she spoke with the University of North Carolina (UNC) yesterday, and the University is ready to spread the message to all UNC students, and explain the differential. She said UNC is just waiting to get information from the boards, and is happy to broadcast it widely. Todd McGee said staff is working on this currently, and UNC is part of the complete count committee. Outreach strategies • Census Captains • PSAs • Interviews • April 1 kickoff events • Public speaking Todd McGee asked if each elected official in attendance would be a census captain, and to put the census information on personal social media feeds. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHHCS) Board Chair Joal Broun said the two school systems are working together, and Cedar Ridge High School's video group is making a video emphasizing child nutrition, which will be another PSA. 16 Carrboro Town Council Member Gist said staff is doing a great job, and she asked if people will be scared to talk to census takers for fear of immigration repercussions. Todd McGee said security is one of the main issues that staff will focus on, especially in February. He said every `be counted' site will have cards available highlighting the steps taken by the census bureau to explain that the data cannot be shared for 72 years. He said census data has been used in the past to locate wanted persons, and so the fear is understandable. Commissioner Price said the committee has made a conscious effort to involve people from the Latinx community as trusted messengers to take the information back to their communities. She said trust is a huge issue, and always has been throughout the history of the census. Carrboro Town Council Member Ferguson said it is important to emphasize the confidentiality laws, which did not exist in the past. She said the census is locked down, and the consequences for violating privacy are extremely serious. Commissioner Greene said both she and Kathleen Ferguson were at a Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) meeting last week, where a presentation was made about the census and the severity of the fines. She said Orange County is only 40-60% towards reaching its recruitment goal for census workers. She said those interested in being a census worker can go to 2020census.gov/jobs and apply on line. She said the pay is good. Commissioner Greene said the census will not ask for a Social Security Number, credit card, etc. but all those things have already happened in North Carolina. She said all census workers who go house to house will be well identified, with official IDs. Chapel Hill Council Member Buansi said there is risk of false census documents, and asked if there are any public campaigns to advise people on how to identify the real form the fake. Todd McGee said staff will start promoting a sample letter. He said there will be no phone calls made by the census bureau, and letters will not be addressed to people by name. He said staff will provide information on any scams of which it is aware. Mayor Lavelle said she has an article that outlines the laws that protect census data. Chair Rich asked if residents in the northern part of the County will have reliable broadband access. Todd McGee said staff will bring hotspots. Hillsborough Town Commissioner Hughes said the Town of Hillsborough Board has committed at least $5000 matching funds for marketing in Orange County, and encouraged other towns to do the same. He said completed census data directly connects to Orange County receiving Federal funds, and it is very important that residents complete the form. Carrboro Council Member Romaine asked if instructions for completing the census will be widely available, as it can be a difficult form to understand. Todd McGee said the census contains 10 questions, and he can forward the sample letter to the boards. He said it is not terribly complicated to understand, and the biggest issue is understanding that this information is about households, not necessarily families. Carrboro Council Member Romaine asked if it is known how long it will take to complete the form. Todd McGee said about 10-15 minutes, and the sample one is in the boards' agenda packet. He said the form is not complicated, and the greater challenge is convincing people to fill it out. Carrboro Council Member Slade encouraged his board to invest in the census, as there is real return on the investment. Todd McGee said the state was going to invest $1.5 million, which was only 14 cents per person, but has ultimately chosen to invest nothing. He said North Carolina is one of many states that are not investing in the census, and local support will be very important. 17 Commissioner Price said people have applied for census jobs but have not heard back from the Census bureau yet. She said census workers will have identification on them. She said Orange County has invested $1500 already, and will invest an additional another $5000. Commissioner Price said the census website has about 100 languages. Commissioner Greene said the official hot line # is: 1-800-424-6974 Mayor Weaver thanked the Census Count Committees. Mayor Hemminger introduced the item below: 3. Update on the County's Emergency Response Time and Co-Location Efforts Background Dinah Jeffries, Emergency Services Director, presented this item along with Kim Woodward, Emergency Medical Services Operations Manager. Background In FY 2019-20 (July 1, 2019 to January 17, 2020), Orange County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has responded to 9,033 calls, with a projected outlook for the year of 16,500 calls. During this period, approximately 208 times, the County has needed to request assistance from surrounding counties (Durham, Alamance, Chatham, Caswell and Person) to respond to calls when no EMS units were available. With the addition of the UNC-Hillsborough Emergency Department (ED), EMS has been able to reduce the discharge time for patients and report available for service. This does not affect the call volume; however, it does reduce the length of time that a unit is out of service, thus reducing the time that County partners must remain on standby to respond into Orange County for calls. Issue 1: UNC-Hillsborough Hospital and the relationship to EMS response times Traditionally, Orange County EMS transported all of patients to UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke/Durham Regional and/or Alamance Regional. With the new UNC-Hillsborough location opening in 2015, transports to Duke have dramatically decreased, which in turn clears units quicker to return for service. UNC Hillsborough (UNC-H) is typically served by Medic 1 (Revere Road, Hillsborough), Medic 4 (Mt. Willing Road, Efland), Medic 5 (St. Mary's Road, Hillsborough), and Medic 7 (NC 86 South — across from Camp New Hope, Chapel Hill). Patients are being transported to UNC-H by ambulance from northern Chapel Hill and northern Orange County. In 2019 Orange County EMS transported 1,254 patients to UNC-H. The average turn-around time of an ambulance transporting to UNC-H was 26 minutes 29 seconds, in stark contrast to the 37 minute 53 second average - around time for ambulances transporting to Duke University Medical Center. While impossible to analyze fully, this quicker turn-around time, accompanied by the shorter transport time to UNC-H, allows ambulances to clear up faster from each call. Response time is dependent on the number of available ambulances and the proximity to the requested response. The opening of UNC-H also allowed many of the northern Orange County patients, who would have otherwise been taken to Duke or UNC Main Campus in Chapel Hill, to be transported to a closer hospital with a shorter turn-around time. Background Orange County EMS is a single EMS district, which delivers response to the entire County encompassing approximately 398 square miles to include the three municipalities. The highest percentage of EMS calls occur within and proximate to Chapel Hill, followed by Hillsborough 18 and then Carrboro. The Hillsborough responses have increased steadily due to the addition of multiple medical and nursing facilities. EMS currently staffs six (6) 24-hour stations, with four (4) of those stations co-locating, and two (2) 12-hour stations, with both of those stations co- locating. It is important to note that with the exception of the Chapel Hill Fire Station in Glen Lennox, also known as EMS Station 3, none of the current facilities were originally built or intended to accommodate EMS operations, including the stand-along stations that house two of the northern stations. Co-locations have allowed EMS to protect the ambulances and drugs in a temperature controlled, enclosed and secure environment. Issue 2: How are the co-locations with the Fire Departments going? EMS is currently housing ambulances at the following colocations: Medic 2 — Carrboro Fire Rescue Station 1 (S. Main Street) Medic 3 — Chapel Hill Fire Station 2 (Hamilton Road) Medic 5 — Eno Fire Station 2 (St. Mary's Road) Medic 6 — Carrboro Fire Station 2 (Homestead Road) Medic 7 — New Hope Fire Station 2 (Hwy 86) *Medic 9 — Orange Grove Fire Station (Orange Grove Road) The co-locations are effective and advantageous for the communities and offer strategic placement of equipment and personnel. The County's partnerships with each fire department have strengthened, as the arrangement allows crews to routinely train with Fire Department personnel. Chapel Hill Fire and Orange Grove Fire both advanced to EMT level fire departments since the co locations. EMS is currently working with New Hope and Eno Fire to also advance to the EMT level in the upcoming year. EMS has improved its geographic knowledge in the service areas. These co-locations have also led to ambulances being housed inside, which greatly improved medication temperature control as well as keeping ambulances plugged into shorelines and preserving the ambulances. Ambulances were fitted with plymovent adaptors in FY 2018-2019 for those stations with plymovent exhaust systems. The County has experienced space issues at the majority of the co-location stations already established and designed for fire logistics and personnel. During weather events, EMS recognizes that fire departments increase staffing that continues the challenge of providing lodging for additional staff or relief staff for the following day. All of the County's co-locating partners have been extremely gracious and accommodating in adjusting operations and the living environment for EMS staff. Strategically, co-locations are placed in high demand areas with the exception of two locations that have the lowest utilization system wide; however, EMS is using these units to provide relief for the high demand stations, as well as provide visibility in communities that have not commonly experienced EMS presence. Future Co- locations Co-location with Orange Rural Fire Department • Waterstone Fire/EMS Station: • Entering design stage with Orange Rural Fire Department • Strategically placed to respond to the heavy numbers of medical facilities and senior housing in Hillsborough • EMS stand-a-lone station in Efland • Replaces the existing station • Strategically placed to quickly access major roadways • EMS stand a-lone Northern Cedar Grove 19 • Located in center of Northern Orange County CONCLUSION • More strategic planning needed • Continue our work with fire partners • Continuing providing excellence in service • Prepared, Coordinated and Integrated Emergency Services System Future Protections- Dinah Jeffries Orange County Emergency Services EMS is an on-going and at times almost continuous service that functions 24-hours a day throughout the entire County. Not all existing locations were based on strategic planning, so this concern must be addressed as a long term issue in future planning. Fire and EMS personnel work together throughout the county every day and the common goal to always provide more than is expected remains throughout the system. Staff will provide any other information at the meeting, and the governing boards can discuss issues and provide feedback to staff related to this item as necessary. Dinah Jeffries said the vision is that this emergency services system be prepared, coordinated, and integrated, and this requires the continued cooperation of all involved parties, for which she is very grateful. She said Orange County has some of the best trained, and most professional, responders in the State, and the nation. Carrboro Council Member Slade said Carrboro just completed a facility assessment, and he is intrigued to hear about co-location, as the Carrboro fire station has some adjacent space. He said if the County provided funding, there could be room to build onto the station in Carrboro. He said the stand-alone station in downtown Carrboro is an economic development opportunity. Dinah Jeffries said her department is open to all invites. She said that the stand-alone station in Carrboro is South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS), which has very limited space to co-locate EMS there. Commissioner McKee commended EMS and the fire departments, and said he remembered the skepticism years ago about co-locations. He encouraged the re-staffing of the Orange Grove Fire Department co-location. He said he is aware of 2 situations where the ambulance being in Orange Grove allowed for tragedy to be avoided. Mayor Lavelle said Carrboro has one of the highest call volumes, and asked if EMS is at fire station number 1 in Carrboro. Kim Woodward said EMS is located at both fire stations in Carrboro, but call locations are all calls in Carrboro. Mayor Lavelle said Carrboro has a new Fire Chief called Dave Schmidt. Hillsborough Commissioner Member Hughes said Hillsborough has the second highest call volume, and asked if this refers to Hillsborough proper or the greater Hillsborough Township. Dinah Jeffries said the greater Hillsborough Township, and this includes station 1 and 5. She said the reason Hillsborough's numbers have grown so much is due to the additional medical facilities in the area. She said there EMS is there daily. Chapel Hill Council Member Buansi thanked Emergency Services, and asked if the need for mutual aid partners is comparable with past years. Kim Woodard said the need is less now, as compared to 2010, but the trend is moving up, and staff is keeping a close eye. She said it would be great if Orange and surrounding counties could work this out, but there are days that are surge days, and they do not parse out 20 to insure equal staffing. She said thus far, Orange County's surge days have not corresponded with other counties, which is fortunate. Hillsborough Commissioner Hughes said Alamance and Durham counties are most frequently mentioned, and asked if this is Orange County helping its neighbors, or neighbors coming to help Orange County. Kim Woodard said it is neighbors coming to help Orange County in call response. She said South Orange is utilized frequently, and she is proud of this relationship. Hillsborough Commissioner Hughes asked if there are typical situations that require extra help. Kim Woodard said the telecommunicators prioritize the responses, and send the closest ambulances to the highest acuity call, with longest distance traveling ambulances going to non- emergency calls. Mayor Hemminger said Chapel Hill also has a new Fire Chief called Vencelin Harris, who will be sworn in next week. Mayor Lavelle said noted the following information items: 4. Information Items (Written Updates — Not for Specific Discussion) a) Orange County Climate Action Committee Update b) Orange County Transit Plan Steering Committee Update c) HOME Consortium Project Update d) Update on Orange County Northern Campus Project e) Update on Collins Ridge f) Update on the Carrboro Economic Development - Lloyd Farm, etc. g) Update on Chapel Hill Economic Development - Opportunity Zone, Project Well, etc. h) Update on Orange County Economic Development i) Update on the Colonial Inn The meeting adjourned at 9:31 p.m. Penny Rich, Chair Donna Baker Clerk to the Board