HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-06-2022; 6-c - Orange County’s Recommendations Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the NCACC 2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: September 6, 2022
Action Agenda
Item No. 6-c
SUBJECT: Orange County's Recommendations Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the North
Carolina Association of County Commissioners' (NCACC) 2023-2024
Legislative Goals Package
DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners
County Manager
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Commissioner Renee Price, 245-2130
Draft Resolution — Recommendations Commissioner Anna Richards, 245-2130
Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the Bonnie Hammersley, County Manager,
North Carolina Association of County 245-2300
Commissioners' (NCACC) 2023-2024 John Roberts, County Attorney, 245-
Legislative Goals Package 2318
Greg Wilder, Manager's Office, 245-
2314
PURPOSE: To consider and approve a Resolution Detailing Orange County's Recommendations
Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners'
(NCACC) 2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package.
BACKGROUND: Every two years, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
(NCACC) organizes a process to develop a legislative goals package. The purpose of the
package is to develop a consensus of broad support on legislative goals and issues for matters
affecting North Carolina counties that may be addressed by the North Carolina General Assembly
during the next two calendar years. The goals and issues included in the package, with their
broad support, guide and strengthen NCACC representatives and staff as they converse with
individual legislators and committees on legislative matters.
NCACC initiated the process to develop its 2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package in May. North
Carolina counties have been asked to submit proposed legislative goals for consideration for
inclusion in the Package by a September 12, 2022 submittal deadline.
The County's Legislative Issues Work Group (LIWG), including Commissioners Renee Price and
Anna Richards, County Attorney John Roberts, and County Manager's Office staff, has developed
a draft resolution for Board consideration that outlines several proposed legislative goals for
inclusion in NCACC's 2023-2024 package. The LIWG's draft resolution is attached. The Board
will likely want to discuss the draft resolution and possibly add to, delete from, and/or revise the
language of the proposed goals included in the draft.
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FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with consideration and approval
of a Resolution Detailing Orange County's Recommendations Regarding Goals for Inclusion in
the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners' (NCACC) 2023-2024 Legislative Goals
Package.
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:
1) Discuss potential goals for the North Carolina Association of County
Commissioners' (NCACC) 2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package;
2) Discuss and consider the LIWG's draft Resolution Detailing Orange County's
Recommendations Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the North Carolina
Association of County Commissioners' (NCACC) 2023-2024 Legislative Goals
Package;
3) Add to, delete from, and/or revise the language of the proposed goals included
in the draft resolution;
4) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution as presented or
amended; and
5) Direct the Clerk to the Board's Office to forward the approved resolution and
any other related materials to NCACC by the September 12, 2022 deadline.
RES-2022-042 3
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Resolution Detailing Orange County's Recommendations
Regarding Goals for Inclusion in the
North Carolina Association of County Commissioners' (NCACC)
2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package
WHEREAS, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC)
organizes a process every two years to adopt a legislative goals package
representing the collective interests of North Carolina counties; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the process is to develop broad support for matters
affecting counties that may be addressed by the North Carolina General
Assembly during the upcoming legislative biennium; and
WHEREAS, the goals and issues included in the NCACC package guide and
strengthen NCACC representatives and staff as they converse with individual
legislators and committees on legislative matters; and
WHEREAS, NCACC has begun the process to develop its 2023-2024 Legislative
Goals Package and requested Orange County and all other North Carolina
counties submit proposed legislative goals by September 12, 2022 for
consideration for inclusion in the 2023-2024 Legislative Goals Package; and
WHEREAS, Orange County believes there are many issues of importance to all
North Carolina counties that should be included as goals in NCACC's 2023-2024
Legislative Goals Package;
NOW THEREFORE we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby
recommend that NCACC include the following goals in the NCACC 2023-2024
Legislative Goals Package:
1) Mental Health & Behavioral Health Services — Seek legislation to
develop and fund mental health and behavioral health facilities and
services at the state and local level that:
• ensure adequate State-funded mental health, developmental
disability and substance use disorder services and facilities
are available, accessible and affordable to all residents;
• include dedicated resources for community para-medicine
projects and enhanced mobile crisis response;
• support Medicaid reimbursement to EMS for behavioral health
transport to crisis centers;
• reduce the number of people with mental health issues in
county detention centers;
• ensure that state resources fund service provision costs,
inclusive of crisis intervention and treatment; and
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• provide assistance to NC residents, especially youth, who are
dealing with the impacts of COVID;
2) Medicaid Expansion — Support legislation increasing access to the
Medicaid program to make health insurance available to North
Carolina residents at 138% of the poverty level; broaden the
opportunity for coverage for more than 500,000 North Carolinians
to address chronic conditions and to prevent illness and disease
progression; to provide additional support for rural hospitals; and to
protect families from medical debt and bankruptcy;
3) Racial Equity in Criminal Justice — Support continued
consideration and implementation, where practicable, of the
recommendations of the North Carolina Task Force for Racial
Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC), including:
• legislation to legalize the possession and use of marijuana and
permit licensed businesses to engage in retail sales to adults,
as this decriminalization will in turn broaden the agricultural
economy and jobs as well as enhance revenue for
governments with taxes, licenses, and other associated
revenues that can be utilized to address opioid and other drug-
related problems and other needs;
• policing reforms to address use of force, community oversight
and law enforcement training on crisis intervention;
• Funding at the county level to expand access to diversion and
restorative justice programs; and
• the reduction of fines, fees and costs in criminal court, noting
that such fines, fees and costs disproportionately impact
people of color and people of low income;
4) Concealed Weapons in Parks and Red Flag Law — Support
legislation authorizing counties to regulate the carrying of
concealed weapons on county-owned playgrounds and in county-
owned parklands, and allowing courts to prevent access to firearms
for individuals who show signs of being a danger to themselves or
to others. Mental illness, escalating threats, substance abuse and
domestic violence are among the circumstances in which a judge
should have the authority to order weapon restrictions or surrender;
5) Full Funding of the Leandro Remedial Action Plan — Support
equity and racial justice by fully funding the Leandro Remedial
Action Plan, which details additional comprehensive, targeted
education funding over the next eight years, predominantly to low-
wealth and minority communities, in order for the State to come into
compliance with its constitutional obligation to provide every
student a sound basic education;
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6) Priority School Issues — Support legislation to address the
following issues related to schools:
a) Provide local school systems with calendar flexibility;
b) Provide full funding for State allotments including Average
Daily Membership (ADM) growth and infrastructure/capital,
and support legislation to provide for an overall increase in
funding based on ADM outside of the current formula system;
c) a periodic accounting process for State per pupil funds so
that funds and pro-rated funds follow students to their
respective schools, as opposed to the current process that
only considers State funding allocations based on students'
attendance location on a single day during the school year;
d) Increase salary compensation for teachers and staff at all
years of service;
e) Impose class size reductions commensurate with State
funding for staffing; and
f) Maintain full funding for Driver Education;
7) School Capital Funding — Support legislation to provide needed
State capital funding to support school infrastructure, renovations,
and new construction, and support a State bond referendum to
address school capital needs; and
8) Non-Partisan Redistricting Process for Elections — Support
legislation to establish a process for an independent, non-partisan
redistricting process after each United States Census for the
election of representatives from North Carolina to the United States
House of Representatives, the North Carolina House, and the North
Carolina Senate.
This the 6t" day of September, 2022.
Renee A. Price, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners