HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 02-01-22; 8-a - Minutes 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: February 1, 2022
Action Agenda
Item No. 8-a
SUBJECT: Minutes
DEPARTMENT: Board of County Commissioners
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Draft Minutes (Under Separate Cover) Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board, 919-
245-2130
PURPOSE: To correct and/or approve the draft 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.
Attachment 1: January 18, 2022 Virtual Business Meeting
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this item.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated
with this item.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal
impact associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve minutes as
presented or as amended.
Attachment 1
1
1 DRAFT MINUTES
2 ORANGE COUNTY
3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
4 VIRTUAL BUSINESS MEETING
5 January 18, 2022
6 7:00 p.m.
7
8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Virtual Business Meeting on Tuesday,
9 January 18, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
10
11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Renee Price, Vice Chair Jamezetta Bedford,
12 and Commissioners Amy Fowler, Jean Hamilton, Sally Greene, Earl McKee, and Anna
13 Richards
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 Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified
18 appropriately below)
19
20 Chair Price called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. She stated that the Board is meeting
21 virtually due to the pandemic, and also because of the winter storm that came through the
22 region.
23
24 A roll call was called; all members were present.
25
26 Due to current public health concerns, the Board of Commissioners is conducting a Virtual
27 Business Meeting on Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Members of the Board of Commissioners
28 participated in the meeting remotely. As in prior meetings, members of the public were able to
29 view and listen to the meeting via live streaming video at
30 http://www.orangecountync.gov/967/Meeting-Videos and on Orange County Gov-TV on
31 channels 1301 or 97.6 (Spectrum Cable).
32
33 In this new virtual process, there are two methods for public comment.
34 • Written submittals by email
35 • Speaking during the virtual meeting
36
37 Detailed public comment instructions for each method are provided at the bottom of this
38 agenda. (Pre-registration is required.)
39
40 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda
41 NONE
42
43 Chair Price dispensed with reading the public charge.
44
45 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour)
46 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda
47 Gretchen Schmid addressed the Board. She expressed concern with school board
48 comments made during the October meeting, specifically that the board represents the
49 majority of the community. She said that the role of the school board is not that of a
50 politician but is to provide students with a sound basic education, per the North Carolina
2
1 Supreme Court. She said the school board should also provide leadership and define high
2 academic standards for students' success. She said the school board's priority has been to
3 replace and supersede parents' rights in a number of areas including health, risk
4 management, and exposure to radical ideologies. She stated concern over a novel titled
5 "Water for Chocolate" that was assigned as a literature assignment in a sophomore English
6 class at Orange High School. She said the novel has been banned at schools in a number
7 of states but was chosen to teach magical realism and described it as the teacher's favorite
8 book. She said sexual fantasy is the experience through the whole book, and the teacher
9 assigned it as a classroom read with students and teacher taking turns reading it out loud.
10 She said her son and other classmates came home and reported feeling uncomfortable in
11 English class because of this book. She said she obtained her own copy of the book to
12 review it and is unable to read excerpts of it here or at a school board meeting due to the
13 rules of public comment. She said the students in this class are receiving affirmation by an
14 education authority that the degraded actions and ideas written in the book are worth their
15 time thinking about and testing on.
16
17 The public commenter's time expired at this point.
18
19 Jacqueline Barker addressed the Board. She said something needs to be done about
20 the school mask mandate. She said her children are wearing masks 7 hours a day because
21 the schools require it, in part due to Orange County's mask mandate. She said one school
22 has silent 15-minute lunch, another allows talking during a 45-minute lunch, while some
23 require masks outdoors and others don't. She said there are inconsistencies and
24 contradictions amongst the school. She said her children are suffering health issues from
25 wearing masks so long including an obstructed nasal airways, allergies, nosebleeds, and
26 headaches. She said she is unable to send her children to school when they have allergies
27 because they would be unable to breathe and are not allowed to come to school with any
28 symptoms. She said that despite her child's medical provider attributing a new diagnosis to
29 wearing masks, the school still requires it with no break. She said there are many parents
30 speaking up about the harm masks are doing to children, and only time will tell the long-term
31 effects. She asked the Board to consider revoking the mask mandate and leave the choice
32 up to individuals. She said despite masking and vaccines infections are at an all-time high.
33 She said that children rarely die from COVID and it's rare for hospitalizations in children.
34 She said that many in Orange County are concerned with the mask mandates, especially for
35 children in schools, and encouraged the Board to end requirements.
36
37 The public commenter's time expired at this point.
38 Chair Price noted that both commenters spoke on items related to the school boards, so
39 additional coordination would need to take place to address their concerns.
40
41 Chair Price announced to the Board that they should be receiving wall calendars from
42 the Eno River Association and thanked them for all they do to protect that environment.
43
44 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda
45 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.)
46
47 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members
48
49 Commissioner Greene wished everyone a happy new year and noted she has no
50 announcements.
3
1 Commissioner Fowler wished everyone a new year and said she and Commissioner
2 Greene attended the transit planning meeting, and that information will be brought to the public
3 in February. She said that they are looking to expand frequency and hours on certain routes to
4 increase environmental equity and sustainability. She said she also attended her first Alcoholic
5 Beverage Control (ABC) Board meeting and heard from local law enforcement agencies on
6 alcohol-related education and outreach activities over the past year. She said that the ABC
7 Board also discussed increasing salaries to living wage standards and addressing compression
8 due to the General Manager's salary being tied to that of the Clerk of Superior Court. She said
9 she may bring a question related to that to a future Board meeting.
10 Commissioner Richards expressed appreciation for Christian Hirni, Land Conservation
11 Manager in the Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks, and Recreation, who spent two
12 hours with her to discuss Orange County land conservancy and preservation. She stated that
13 Mr. Hirni was very generous with his time and she appreciated that and has a better
14 understanding because of it. She said she also attended the meeting on strategies to address
15 the opioid epidemic. She indicated she isn't sure of Orange County's status with the settlement
16 and would like to have a better understanding of all of the community organizations that are
17 dealing with the opioid issues. She stated that the presentation included five steps that all
18 counties should be doing right now and she plans on finding out more about where Orange
19 County is and then maybe make a formal request later.
20 Chair Price said Orange County was one of the first to sign on and that Chapel Hill also
21 signed on because of the size of the city and that Orange County is good to go. She said there
22 are people working on what the money should be used for.
23 Commissioner Richards asked if that information would come to the Board at some
24 point.
25 Chair Price stated that the Board received some preliminary information on that and then
26 recognized Commissioner Greene for further information.
27 Commissioner Greene said there is a meeting on Thursday of the reconvened Opioid
28 Task Force. She stated the pandemic has caused the crisis to worsen and at the same time,
29 took some of the focus away from the task force. She stated that the task force will be meeting
30 again now. She said she will be at the next meeting to talk about the connections with the state.
31 She stated that Commissioner Richards had a good question, and she will continue to make
32 sure all the community partners are involved. She stated that the good news is that because of
33 all the work that has been done with the Sheriff's Office and Caitlin Fenhagen's Office (Criminal
34 Justice Resource Director), the county is in good shape to move forward.
35 Chair Price said there are several possibilities the task force is looking at. She said it
36 was started out of a basic interest in addressing the opioid epidemic and coming off a
37 presidential initiative that the NCACC had several years ago. She said that now that the
38 litigation is resolved, the task force decided to get back together again and determine how to
39 move forward. She said that the BOCC still must determine how the funds will be distributed, so
40 staff will need to bring that back for discussion and decisions.
41 Commissioner Hamilton wished everyone a happy new year and said the Capital Needs
42 Work Group meeting was rescheduled from January 10th to January 27th from 8:30-10:00 am.
43 They will be discussing schools' capital needs and focusing on improving maintenance issues in
44 public schools.
45 Commissioner McKee had no announcements.
46 Commissioner Bedford wished everyone a happy new year and said she attended the
47 Environmental Steering Committee meeting with NCACC this morning. She said the Board has
48 received inquiries lately about trash along roadways. She said that NCDOT provided a
49 presentation during the meeting and that in 2021, NCDOT picked up over 13 million pounds of
50 litter and dumping. She said the prior year was only 6.5 million because of COVID and the
51 budget so some of 2021 was carry-over trash, which is sad, but 2019 was 10.5 million. She said
4
1 that anything the Board can do to encourage residents to please tarp their loads and not dump
2 or litter will be a big help. She expressed thanks to Captain Spear for giving a tour of the new
3 detention center to Chair Price, Commissioner Greene, and herself last week. She said the
4 center is still being finished but it is such an improvement over the current facility. She
5 encouraged others to take the tour of they get a chance.
6 Chair Price said that, while the facility is nice, it is still not a place where people should
7 want to be. She said that she came across a manual from 2012 or 2013 detailing emergency
8 protocols and procedures and asked staff if there is a more up to date version available
9 because it outlines what Commissioners are supposed to do in an emergency. She
10 acknowledged the Emergency Operations Center that got together over the weekend in the face
11 of the winter storm. She also thanked the county's Asset Management Services Department for
12 making sure county staff got into work today. She reminded the Board that their retreat has
13 been rescheduled for February 24th. She mentioned that there were MLK Day celebrations
14 online and there are links for those interested. She said that over the holiday period she met
15 with the mayors, and they agreed that, due to the COVID surge and lack of tests, the mask
16 mandate will continue, and encouraged people to wear them properly. She said that the county
17 is working to distribute masks for first responders and people who work with community
18 members, as well as communities that might not be able to afford masks or have difficulty
19 getting them. She reiterated that this meeting was meant to be in person, but due to the surge in
20 COVID cases, the county and towns have decided to remain virtual, at least through the end of
21 January.
22
23 Chair Price noted she inadvertently skipped over public comments and returned to the
24 item.
25
26 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/Special Presentations
27
28 a. Recognition of County Employee Retirements from October 1, 2021 through December
29 31, 2021
30 The Board recognized and expressed gratitude to recent county employee retirees for their
31 devotion and service to Orange County and its residents.
32
33 BACKGROUND: The following employees have retired in the second quarter of this fiscal year:
34
Last Name First Name Location Desc Retirement YRS OF SERVICE
Date
LEMMERMAN DEBORAH DEPARTMENT ON AGING 09/30/2021 5
BROOKS TERRY HEALTH 09/30/2021 8
POMERLEAU GARRY EMERGENCY SERVICES 12/01/2021 11
GALEANA LEOVITA HEALTH 09/30/2021 16
INSKO KURT SHERIFF'S OFFICE 11/01/2021 16
INGERSOLL SHERRI HUMAN RESOURCES 10/29/2021 17
HUPMAN LINDA HEALTH 11/30/2021 18
CARR SCOTT SHERIFF'S OFFICE 11/01/2021 19
MOORE ANNETTE HUMAN RIGHTS & RELATIONS 11/30/2021 23
BAILIN ROBIN DEPARTMENT ON AGING 09/30/2021 27
BROOKS MICHELE FINANCE AND ADMIN SERVICES 10/31/2021 27
EVERHART DEBRA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES 10/01/2021 27
UNDERWOOD BOBBIE TAX ADMINISTRATION 10/31/2021 30
35
5
1 The Orange County Board of Commissioners thanks each of these retirees for their service to
2 Orange County and for their dedication in meeting the primary mission of Orange County, in
3 serving residents with fairness, respect and understanding.
4
5 Chair Price thanked the retirees for their contributions to the county and introduced
6 Brenda Bartholomew.
7 Brenda Bartholomew, Human Resources Director, reviewed the background information
8 for this item and read the names of retirees aloud. She also shared a photo of the glass award
9 that is sent to all retirees featuring their name and years of service. She stated that the award is
10 also accompanied by a letter from the County Manager thanking them for their service. She
11 noted that all retirees were invited to join the meeting, and Sherri Ingersoll was present. She
12 read the names and years of employment for all retirees. She thanked the Board and County
13 Manager for recognizing the retirees.
14 Chair Price thanked all the retirees again and then invited Sherri Ingersoll to speak. She
15 said she remembers working with her on the Planning Board many years ago.
16 Sherri Ingersoll addressed the Board and thanked them for their support in her various
17 positions in Orange County over the years including in the Planning and Inspections
18 Department, the Clerk's Office, and Human Resources.
19 Craig Benedict, Planning and Inspections Director, thanked Sherri Ingersoll for her work
20 in his department over the years and for her service in other departments in the county.
21 Commissioner McKee congratulated the retirees and thanked them all for their service.
22 John Roberts said that before Annette Moore became the Human Rights and Relations
23 Director, she was a valuable asset to his office for many years and made them a better office.
24 He said she has been missed from his office and congratulated her.
25
26 b. Recognition of Felix Nwoko, Former Manager of DCHC MPO
27 The Board recognized Felix Nwoko, former manager of the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro
28 Metropolitan Planning Organization, upon his retirement on December 31, 2021.
29
30 BACKGROUND: For 27 years, Felix Nwoko played an important role in the development of
31 the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO). Mr.
32 Nwoko helped to professionalize the MPO and develop a technical foundation for planning in
33 the Triangle area. Mr. Nwoko authored the MPO's first three long-range plans and
34 spearheaded the creation of modeling tools that are still used to update long-range planning
35 for the MPO. His extensive knowledge of the transportation planning process and federal
36 policies and procedures benefitted not just the DCHC MPO, but MPOs throughout the state.
37 Mr. Nwoko also worked to increase the representation of underrepresented groups in the
38 transportation field by creating an historically black college and university internship program.
39 Mr. Nwoko recruited a diverse, knowledgeable, and talented staff at DCHC MPO, and his
40 leadership in the community will be missed.
41
42 Chair Price said that Mr. Nwoko is an amazing person and noted that he could not be
43 present this evening. She stated that he was quiet in his work but very effective.
44 Craig Benedict read the following letter of appreciation:
45
46
6
1 18 January 2022
2
3 Felix Nwoko, Manager
4 DCHC MPO
5
6 Re: Letter of Appreciation
7
8 Dear Mr. Nwoko,
9
10 The Orange County Board of County Commissioners, on behalf of the people of Orange
11 County, hereby extends our most heartfelt congratulations to you on your forthcoming
12 retirement. We sincerely appreciate your years of dedicated service at the Durham
13 Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, and we applaud you for your
14 stellar career in the field of transportation planning.
15
16 Working with elected officials, staff members and constituents of the DCHC MPO, you
17 always exhibited diplomacy while balancing the varying interests of the local
18 governments and stakeholders. You demonstrated that transportation planning goes
19 beyond the complex and technical nature of state and federal funding formulas, and you
20 brought this understanding to the households, businesses and institutions affected by
21 transportation projects and initiatives.
22
23 Again, the Orange County community is grateful to you for sharing your intellect and
24 talents with us over the years, and for your commitment to the growth and sustainability
25 of our region. May the next phase of your life be filled with joy and laughter. We wish
26 you all the best.
27
28 Sincere and warm regards,
29
30
31 Renee A. Price, Chair
32 Orange County Board of Commissioners
33
34 Chair Price and Commissioner Bedford confirmed Mr. Nwoko was also recognized at the
35 last DCHC MPO meeting.
36
37 A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford and seconded by Commissioner
38 Hamilton to authorize the Chair to sign a letter of appreciation recognizing Felix Nwoko upon his
39 retirement.
40
41 Roll call ensued
42
43 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
44
45 5. Public Hearings
46 NONE
47
48
7
1 6. Regular Agenda
2 a. One Orange Countywide Racial Equity Framework
3 The Board reviewed the updated Countywide Racial Equity Framework and considered
4 approving this framework for moving forward with the multi-jurisdiction collaborative work on
5 racial equity.
6
7 BACKGROUND: In January 2021, the GARE Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force, One Orange,
8 established subcommittees to work on each section of this framework. One Orange is comprised
9 of Orange County staff along with staff from the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough.
10
11 The five multi-jurisdictional subcommittees are led by at least one jurisdictional member and include
12 staff from each jurisdiction. The subcommittees are:
13 • Training
14 • Racial Equity Tool Kit, now more aptly named the Racial Equity Assessment Lens (REAL)
15 • Community Engagement
16 • Racial Equity Index
17 • Evaluation and Accountability
18
19 Through the work of these subcommittees, a draft framework was developed. One Orange is
20 committed to creating a community where race no longer predicts life outcomes and was eager to
21 share this information with the community for feedback.
22
23 In June 2021, the Orange County Board of Commissioners received the Orange County Racial
24 Equity Plan: A Framework for Moving Forward. Starting in June 2021, community outreach events
25 were organized, the plan was shared with the community, and valuable feedback was received. In
26 November 2021, a push for additional community engagement resulted in listening sessions at the
27 Senior Center and The Refugee Support Center and the distribution of questionnaires at the DSS
28 Annual Toy Chest event. One Orange utilized the feedback to refine the Racial Equity Framework.
29
30 The One Orange Task Force is now presenting the revised framework to each jurisdiction's
31 governing board requesting support for moving forward with this work. The Task Force believes the
32 framework better describes the purpose of this work since specific plans are expected to come
33 mostly from individual jurisdictions, although there may also be joint initiatives. The framework
34 provides structure and oversight as each jurisdiction develops its individual strategies and plans to
35 promote racial equity. The updated framework will be presented to Hillsborough on January 24,
36 2022, Chapel Hill on January 26, 2022, and Carrboro on February 1, 2022.
37
38 Although there are no substantive changes to the framework, there are additional details about the
39 community engagement and training pillars as well as updates to the staff members who are
40 leading these efforts.
41
42 The feedback from the community shows interest and support for this work and the need for action
43 by all jurisdictions.
44
45
46 Chair Price introduced Erica Bryant, Child Support Services Director, Sharron Hinton,
47 Interim Human Rights and Relations Director, and Nancy Coston, Department of Social Services
48 Director.
49 Erica Bryant and Nancy Coston gave the following PowerPoint presentation:
50
51
8
1 Slide#1
ONEORANGE
One Orange Countywide Racial Equity Frarnework:
Catalyst For Moving Forward
• 'I
{)RANGE COUNTY
am.rrn m ikii-rcAftin.[NA
-11 T.T.S BOROUG H
2
3 Erica Bryant said that One Orange is a joint venture between employees of Orange County
4 and the three towns.
5
6 Slide#2
7
One Orange Mission Statement
One Orange is a commitment by Grange
County leaders and staff to uncover and
address implicit racial biases in our
institutions to ensure that race can no longer
be used to predict life outcomes in our
community.
ONEDIRAiNGE
9
10 Erica Bryant stated that the mission of the One Orange Plan is to work to ensure that race
11 can no longer be used to predict life outcomes.
12
13
9
1 Slide#3
Framework
1 . Introduction & Overview
2. Racial Equity Pillars Updates
• Training & Organizational Capacity
• Community Engagement
• Racial Equity Index
• Racial Equity Assessment Lens
• Evaluation and Accountability
3. Next Steps
4. Questions
3 ONEORANNE
3
4 Slide#4
What IS Racial Equity?
• When race can no longer predict life
outcomes
. People of all races struggle, and when you
compare outcomes across most
indicators, Flack and brown people
struggle the most.
5
:a�q�[INANGE
6 Erica Bryant stated that the data in Orange County shows that income disparities, home
7 ownership rates, and education achievement gaps continue to persist. She stated that this is true
8 across the state and nation.
9
10
10
1 Slide#5
Why Equity?
• Racial equity is about raking sure our
policies and practices no longer cause
harm to (black and brown communities.
• When we do this, we make things
better for everyone.
—Equity is about fairness
=--Equality Is about sameness
2
3 Erica Bryant explained that equity is about fairness and equality is about sameness.
4
5 Slide#6
Why Face?
Systems are
built that
Normalizing Operation alizin g better address
i 0 wealth
Organizing inequity and
recognize bias
for app people..
6 ORANGE
7 Erica Bryant said that normalizing discussions about race and operational izing the
8 strategies for advancing racial equity allows us to build systems that address other areas of income
9 and wealth inequity and recognize bias based on gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, religion,
10 and other protected categories. She said by building a framework of tools and resources to apply to
11 racial equity, we can then address other areas of marginalization as well, recognzing that different
12 strategies may be needed, for different inequities.
13
14
11
I Slide#7
Government Alliance on Fuca and
Equity (" ARE")
• Support state and local jurisdictions that
are advancing racial equity;
Build internal capacity to uncover racism
and bias within their organization; and
Delp expand and strengthen local ar d
regional collaboration.
ONEDRANGE
2 v,. ..
3 Erica Bryant said that the One Orange Team have received training to do this work. She
4 said that racial equity is both an outcome and a process. She said that as an outcome, racial equity
5 is achieved when race no longer predicts one's outcomes, and when everyone has what they need
6 to thrive, no matter where they live. She said that as a process, racial equity is applied when those
7 most impacted by structural racial inequity are meaningfully involved in the creation and
8 implementation of the policies and practices that impact their lives.
9
10 Slide#8
Community Engagement
Targeted
•Virtual Outreach • On`MUnity
• Feedback Generate+i Racial
inUmed targeted • III-Person Equity Priorities
auteeach survey ' Virtual
Toy Chest
. 1
Sessions• - • -
ONEOWN
12
13 Erica Bryant said that because it is so important to engage those that are impacted by
14 structural racism, community engagement is a key component of the work. She said that since the
15 racial equity framework was received by the Board in June 2021, robust community engagement
16 has occurred. She said that the framework is a working document and will change with time. She
17 said "Appendix A" details the results of the community engagement. She said the framework was
18 shared in three general sessions and general questions were posed along with a Menti-Meter to
12
1 provide feedback. She said the outcome was a list of community generated racial equity priorities.
2 She said hose responses served as a basis for the community questionnaire which was used
3 during targeted outreach at the Senior Center, Refugee Support Center, and the DSS Annual Toy
4 Chest Event in November and December. She said that participation was voluntary, but the
5 response was staggering with over 660 responses received during those events.
6
7 Slide#9
8
What. is one hope and one fear about this
Countywide Racial Equity Framework?
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NEORAN E
10 Erica Bryant stated that the slide title is the question that was asked during the general
11 sessions and the results are displayed in a word art, with the larger words being recorded more
12 often than the smaller ones. She said that the most trending were "Community," "Change," and
13 "Understanding. She said for fears, it was concern over lack of action, that the initiative would fail,
14 and that there could be increased racial tensions and violence.
15
16
17
13
1 Slide#10
What three results regarding racial equity
would you like to see?
285 Improved Education Outcomes for Children of Color
285 Increased Affordable I-1 a usin g Options
162 Increased EmploymenI Oppnirtur 11!es for People of Color
157 Improved Health Outcomes tor People of Color
146 Decreased Criminal J ustice Involvement for People of Color
140 Increased Opper-tunities for Youth Voice(s
138 1 n c reased Com mu nity Unity
119 1 n c reased 0 ecisic n-M a ki ng Opportun Mes tor People of Colo r
108 1 n c reased I nfi uence on B odget/Resou rce Alloo ations
82 Increased Community Engagement for People of Color
82 Increased Local GovernmentAccour[ability to Communities of
Color
10 ONEONANGE
2
3 Erica Bryant stated that the slide title was the question asked as part of the community
4 questionnaire and that responses are listed in order of number of responses.
5
6 Slide#11
Racial Equity as the Catalyst for Change
RacWlEquo
Assessment
Lens
L�
ONEORANGE
7
8 Erica Bryant summarized the pillars of racial equity as the catalyst for change.
9
10
14
1 Slide#12
Training & Organizational Capacity
a Developed a plan to provide tra ining to fey
stakeholders to advance racial equity and
embed racial equity into countywide systems.
ONEORMIRE
3 Erica Bryant said that each jurisdiction will develop its own training guide that serves it best
4 and that training work has begun in all jurisdictions.
5
6 Slide#13
Community Engagement
Principles
Commit a change toward Commit to co-design desired
resutts iengagement
�Ptwera « if'
processes (IAP2 Spectrum of
decision-making, working
PublicParticipation) the
togethercommunity.
community,
Commit a ■ a s a- i _ i
to listen, learn, and
implement solutions from all technical assistance ■
i oyses to vni'ai'
communities, M
ImpactedGGMrnunities of a i
•
ONEORANGE
7 _ �._..,_._.
8 Erica Bryant stated that community engagement is vital for centering and advancing racial
9 equity in the community because it requires the expertise of people with lived experiences. She said
10 that to effectively remove race as a predictor of success, residents and employees of color should
11 be engaged as subject-matter experts on institutional barriers and the strategies to dismantle those
12 barriers. She said this engagement makes for better procedures, policies and programs. She said
13 that resources for effective community engagement were added to the framework for use by all
14 jurisdictions, and she said that the resources were available for the Board's review in Appendix C of
15 the agenda packet.
16
17
15
1 Slide#14
Key Updates
• Community Engagement Framework
• International Association for Public
Participation (IAP2) Model
• -step Community Engagement Process
Step 2 . r~
TAILOR
• Community • Commnity • IA4P2 Net1iods Matrix
Engagement design ENapsnwt Ma[Hx
Tool Tool
11 ONEORANGE
3
4 Slide#15
Facial Equity Index Data Process)
Racial Equity
Index
Statistical analysis
of causal factors
Uncover&
document
disparities
,5 ONEORANGE
6 Nancy Coston continued the presentation. She said there is a desire to get better data and
7 the team is still working with SAS on the possibility of predictive analytics. She said that in the
8 meantime, the team will keep working with Carolina Demography to have a baseline available for
9 anyone who would like to review it. She said that even without predictive analytics, having all data
10 about various disparities has value. She explained that the goal of the index is to show what piece
11 will have the most impact to target resources. She said they are still on target to get the data, but it
12 is taking longer than they would like to get the data from SAS.
13
14
16
1 Slide#16
Key Updates
• Contract and staff resources being
identified to compile racial equity
demographics
• Work continues with SAS to develop
prescriptive analytics and index
,;,,'i,
ORAIMGE
2
3 Erica Bryant continued the presentation.
4
5 Slide#17
Racial Equity Assessment Lens
• Approach to evaluate existing and new
policies, practices, services and other
initiatives using a racial equity lens.
• Aligns racial equity outcomes to racial equity
goals.
OMEOAANOE
7 Erica Bryant began presenting here. She noted that the Racial Equity Assessment Lens
8 (REAL) is attached as Appendix D in the agenda packet. She said that committee members used
9 the lens, and the result was a more user-friendly and relevant document.
10
11
17
1 Slide#18
Evaluation and Accountability
The Evaluation and Accountability Committee will
develop an Evaluation process based on the
principles of the Results-Based Accountability
("RBA„) framework.
RBA is a national model and provides a disciplined,
data-driven, decision-making process to help local
governments take action to solve problems.
• An Evaluation Plan will help local governments apply
racial equity principles embedded into the Results-
Based Accountability (RBA) methodology into Racial
Equity Action Plans.
2
3 Erica Bryant said that updates to this section will be expected as the lens and framework
4 are used. She said they also realized that more training was needed for the results-based
5 accountability and that will continue. She said the updated framework will be presented to
6 Hillsborough on January 2411, Chapel Hill on January 26t1, and Carrboro on February 1St
7
8 Slide#19
Next Steps Across Jurisdictions
• ContinuedCollaboration
— Develop racialized history
— Create racial equity index and evaluation and
accountability steps
— Consider racial equity capacity building training
1� ONONG
10 Erica Bryant said that as a group, they discussed next steps to take across the jurisdictions.
11 She stated that this is important because part of the GARE framework is to discuss how
12 governmental actions have created racial disparities across communities. She said it is best
13 practice to create a reckoning document to tell our racialized history. She said that a racial equity
14 index and evaluation and accountability steps will also be created. She said the committee will also
15 consider racial equity capacity building training.
18
1 Slide#20
Next Steps For Orange County
Government
• Completion of Racial Equity Training for County
Leadership and the Budget Team
• Racial Equity training available to all employees from the
Cne Orange Training Team
• Consistent use of racial equity principles when engaging
the community
• Use of REAL for budgetary decisionsinew initiatives
• Additional Results Based Accountability training
opportunities
• Compilation of racial equity demographics to inform our
initiatives going forward
20 ONEORANGE
2
3
4 Slide#21
Questions?
21 ONEORANGE
5
6
7 Commissioner Greene asked for more information about the lack of trust reported by
8 employees as mentioned earlier.
9 Nancy Coston clarified that the responses Commissioner Greene is referring to came
10 from community members and not employees. She said that it speaks to feelings many
19
1 community members have about government but also shows the frustrations that people feel
2 that government talks about a lot of things but doesn't always move those forward. She said
3 community members at the Department of Social Services who gave responses do not usually
4 share much feedback with government entities and said it was telling that they expressed
5 distrust in government agencies. She said that they will try to increase trust in government.
6 Commissioner Greene said that is obviously tapping into broader distrust of government
7 on all levels. She encouraged the team to think about how they can respond and gain trust.
8 Erica Bryant said the community outreach strategy will begin to address this distrust.
9 She said that this strategy will be used by all departments going forward and they will go to
10 community members that government agencies don't usually hear from to seek their input in
11 government. She said it is important to go where people are that usually don't have a voice, and
12 this will help break down the systems of oppression.
13 Commissioner Fowler asked how the other types of inequities Erica Bryant mentioned
14 will be addressed. She asked if they will automatically be addressed by focusing first on racial
15 inequity or if the process will need to be repeated for each one.
16 Erica Bryant said that the system isn't working for any of us and is working even less
17 great for people of color. She said that by remaking our systems all areas of marginalization can
18 be addressed. She said race must first be addressed and then others.
19 Nancy Coston said the GARE philosophy is that systemic issues of race are so
20 institutional that they need to be addressed intentionally and focused on first, and that the
21 framework can then be repeated as a philosophy with all populations. She said that people in
22 the community don't come with one attribute anyway, so if we are better with our community
23 engagement and outreach all inequities can be addressed in a better way.
24 Sharron Hinton said that most responses came through the toy chest event and those
25 respondents did not get to hear the presentation about why the county is doing this work. She
26 said that moving forward, it is imperative to continue the community engagement and get
27 additional feedback and to tell them the "why." She said when the presentation was at the
28 Senior Center, it focused on members of the Mandarin community, and they were extremely
29 involved and participatory. She stated that they want to return to the communities previously
30 engaged to give them updates and to continue to get feedback from them, moving forward.
31 Commissioner Richards asked if each jurisdiction is in a similar place and if being in
32 lockstep is a goal. She asked if there is a timeline to completing initial training and data
33 gathering and creating the history.
34 Erica Bryant said that the jurisdictions are at different places in the process because
35 they are moving at different paces. She said that Carrboro is ahead of the county, but the
36 county's training is different and that is part of the flexibility that the framework provides. She
37 said that the timeline is to normalize the conversation about race. She said the department
38 directors and budget team will be trained first, and that is a strategic decision because they
39 want to make the most impact by ensuring a racial equity lens is used when discussing the
40 budget items. She said it is not a quick process but there is an expectation of seeing changes.
41 Nancy Coston said this work isn't like a project, it is about imbedding a
42 philosophy/process in how Orange County responds to issues. She said this will become how
43 Orange County thinks differently about everything.
44 Commissioner Richards asked if the staff would be completed with training before the
45 next budget cycle.
46 Erica Bryant said that she would need to defer to the County Manager, but the training
47 staff does have the capacity to complete the training.
48 Commissioner Richards said that she is trying to understand if there is any
49 understanding of a timeline for training whether that be next year, or before next budget, or six
50 months. She asked how long until the basic things are in place.
20
1 Bonnie Hammersley said the department directors had REI groundwater training today
2 and this included people on the budget team and those dealing with outside agencies. She said
3 there isn't a deadline by when everyone needs to be trained and everyone may not be trained
4 within a certain time, but there are resources to make sure that staff is trained when they need
5 to be. She said it is something that staff is working on as a way of changing their decision-
6 making processes and will be a key driver for 22-23 budget process.
7 Commissioner Hamilton asked when the commissioners are going to be trained on this
8 since they are the decision-makers in many ways, and they need to be part of it. She said that
9 she is ready to be trained.
10 Erica Bryant said that it would be a wonderful next step to have all elected boards
11 trained.
12 Commissioner Hamilton said it would be great to have training, but to also have
13 documents available to follow that will allow them to think about the impacts as they make
14 decisions, organize meetings, participate in the process more, etc. with racial equity in the
15 focus.
16 Chair Price said she previously also wondered about a timeline and when Annette
17 Moore was leading the effort, she had a slightly different strategy and wanted to wait on training
18 commissioners. She stated that now that the new co-leads are in place, things may be different
19 and that she agrees with getting everyone trained and on the same page. She stated that this is
20 an ongoing process and while there are some benchmarks, this must be ongoing and ever
21 evolving. She stated that new employees will take the training and noted that those that leave or
22 retire will leave a gap so their replacements will need training. She stated that there remains the
23 question of deciding if the training will be a requirement. She said there is an incentive to
24 receive training vs. a requirement to do so because people say they just do not want to. She
25 said that in terms of trust, it is an ongoing process to gain people's trust since the United States
26 was founded on racism. She said there have been hundreds of years of policies, laws, thinking
27 and sentiments and it is going to take a long time to unravel that. She said one of the things we
28 can do is look at the way planning and zoning is done. She said examining the question of why
29 certain areas only allow single family homes on large tracts of land is a beginning. She said that
30 other places are looking at their application forms to see if there are changes to be made. She
31 stated that there are a lot of elements that go into this, but for tonight, the Board is being asked
32 to approve the framework itself and make suggestions.
33 Commissioner Bedford said it was impressive to use the toy chest event as an
34 opportunity to engage the community. She stated that as a politician, the biggest struggle is how
35 to hear from those from which you don't usually hear from. She stated that did not know there
36 was an International Association on Community Engagement and Appendix C was very
37 illuminating to her. She explained that many Board members have had different racial equity
38 trainings over the years but training together, and with other boards in the towns, can get them
39 all on the same page. She stated that she looks to Chair Price, Commissioner Hamilton, and
40 Commissioner Richards to help guide her because of their lived experiences. She said she is
41 thrilled that the advisory boards can also get equity training. She stated that the Partnership to
42 End Homelessness did racial equity training. She said groups often get stuck because so much
43 of government work is downstream and they do not often look upstream at how to actually apply
44 it. She said it is almost overwhelming because it is so massive but that she is up for it and wants
45 to make sure it is done thoughtfully. She stated that updates must continue so the work does
46 not fall apart.
47 Chair Price said it is more than just the initial training and that it will continue to grow.
48 She stated that the steps — normalize, organize, and operationalize — ensure that participants
49 learn about what's going on, start working in it, go out and do it, then pass it along.
50 Bonnie Hammersley said all employees will be required to have racial equity training,
51 starting with willing employees first, looking into providing it as training for new employees into
21
1 perpetuity. She said this is not going to stop that it will be ongoing. She said the clerks for each
2 board could get together to discuss the benefits of all elected officials taking the training
3 together, but that is up to the Board if they would like that to happen. She said that if the BOCC
4 wants the training, the staff can do it at their direction.
5
6 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to
7 approve the revised framework and collaborative work of One Orange for promoting racial
8 equity throughout Orange County.
9
10 Roll call ensued
11
12 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
13
14 7. Reports
15 NONE
16
17 8. Consent Agenda
18
19 • Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda
20 • Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda
21 . Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda
22
23 Chair Price said corrections were sent out for items 8-a, 8-i, and 8-k earlier in the day to
24 commissioners.
25
26 Commissioner Richards requested item 8-i be removed from the consent agenda
27 awaiting clarification of the dates for the report, and 8-j be removed for discussion.
28
29 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner McKee, to
30 approve the remaining consent agenda.
31
32 Roll call ensued
33
34 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
35
36 a. Minutes
37 The Board approved minutes from the November 16, 2021, December 6, 2021, and December
38 14, 2021 Board of County Commissioners meetings.
39 b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases/Refunds
40 The Board adopted a resolution to release motor vehicle property tax values for three taxpayers
41 with a total of three bills that will result in a reduction of revenue.
42 c. Property Tax Releases/Refunds
43 The Board adopted a resolution to release property tax values for sixteen taxpayers with a total
44 of seventeen bills that will result in a reduction of revenue.
45 d. Applications for Property Tax Exemption/Exclusion
46 The Board considered six untimely applications for exemption/exclusion from ad valorem
47 taxation for six bills for the 2021 tax year.
48
22
1 e. Advertisement of Tax Liens on Real Property
2 The Board accepted a report of the amount of unpaid taxes for the current year that are liens on
3 real property as required by North Carolina General Statute 105-369 and authorized the Chair to
4 sign the Order setting the lien sale advertisement on or about March 23, 2022.
5 f. Human Relations Commission —Approval of Request for Changes to the Meeting
6 Schedule
7 The Board approved amendments to the Orange County Human Relations Commission's
8 Policies and Procedures regarding the Commission's monthly meeting schedule.
9 g. Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget Amendment#6
10 The Board approved a budget amendment for Fiscal Year 2021-22.
11 h. Approval of Financing Arrangements for New Hope Volunteer Fire Department to
12 Purchase Fire Truck
13 The Board approved New Hope Volunteer Fire Department entering into a financing
14 arrangement to purchase a replacement fire truck; and authorized the Board of County
15 Commissioners' Chair to sign the appropriate documents related to the financing arrangement.
16 i. Fourth Quarterly Report (2021 Q4) and 2021 Annual Report for Orange County's CDBG-
17 CV Grant
18 The Board receive the fourth quarterly update for calendar year 2021, and an annual report for
19 calendar year 2021, on Orange County's Community Development Block Grant— Coronavirus
20 (CDBG-CV) grant from the NC Department of Commerce.
21 j. Change in BOCC Meeting Schedule for 2022
22 The Board will consider changes to the Board of Commissioners' meeting calendar for 2022.
23 k. West End Revitalization Association Letter of Support
24 The Board will authorize the Chair to sign a letter supporting the West End Revitalization
25 Association's Clean Energy and Climate Justice initiative.
26
27 Commissioner Fowler said that for item 8-i, the totals on pages 8 and 9 did not add up.
28
29 Bonnie Hammersley recommended postponing 8-i until February 1, 2022. The Board
30 agreed.
31
32 In regards to 8-j, Commissioner Richards said she would suggest leaving the May 17,
33 2022 meeting where it is until the State Board of Elections announces final date for primary.
34
35 A motion was made by Commissioner Richards, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to
36 approve item 8-j with the removal of the May calendar change.
37
38 Roll call ensued
39
40 VOTE: UNANIMOUS
41
42 9. County Manager's Report
43 Bonnie Hammersley said the Assembly of Governments meeting was scheduled for
44 January 25, 2022. She said the items will include the Long-Term Recovery Plan Update,
45 Transportation and Transit — Infrastructure Planning, and Parks, Greenways and Trails —
46 Connectivity. She said staff will present these three items, 10 minutes each, and the remainder
47 of the time will be for elected boards to have discussion.
48
49
23
1 10. County Attorney's Report
2 John Roberts said the legislature met today and will reconvene tomorrow and will be
3 discussing possibly moving the May primary to a later date.
4
5 11. *Appointments
6 None
7
8 12. Information Items
9 • December 14, 2021 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List
10 • Tax Collector's Report— Numerical Analysis
11 • Tax Collector's Report— Measure of Enforced Collections
12 • Tax Assessor's Report— Releases/Refunds under$100
13 • Memorandum Regarding SPOT 6.0/STIP 2024-2033
14
15 13. Closed Session
16
17 Laura Jensen noted that the closed session will take place within the same Zoom
18 webinar.
19
20 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to
21 enter into closed session pursuant to G.S. § 143-318.11(a)(3) "to consult with an attorney
22 retained by the Board in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and
23 the Board" and to approve closed session minutes.
24
25 Roll call ensued
26
27 VOTE: UNANMIOUS
28
29 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee and seconded by Commissioner Hamilton
30 to reconvene into regular session at 9:05 p.m.
31
32 Roll call ensued
33
34 VOTE: UNANMIOUS
35
36
37 14. Adjournment
38 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler and seconded by Commissioner McKee to
39 adjourn the meeting at 9:06 p.m.
40
41 Roll call ensued
42
43 VOTE: UNANMIOUS
44
45 Renee Price, Chair
46
47 Tara May
48 Deputy Clerk to the Board
49
50 Submitted for approval by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board.