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Agenda - 04-04-2023; 8-a - Minutes
1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: April 4, 2023 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: February 21, 2023 Business Meeting Attachment 2: February 24, 2023 BOCC Retreat Attachment 3: February 27, 2023 Legislative Breakfast 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 BUSINESS MEETING 5 February 21, 2023 6 7:00 p.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 9 21, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. 10 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Earl McKee, 12 and Commissioners Amy Fowler, Sally Greene, Jean Hamilton, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, 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 Bedford called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commissioners were present. 21 22 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 23 24 Chair Bedford requested the addition of a Letter of Support for Chapel Hill's Rebuilding 25 American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application as item 8-h on 26 the consent agenda. 27 28 A motion was made by Vice-Chair McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to approve 29 the amended agenda. 30 31 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 32 33 Chair Bedford dispensed with reading the public charge. 34 35 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) 36 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 37 Clifford Rogers said he is a member of Mt. Zion AME Church and lives near Cedar Grove 38 School at 6005 NC Hwy 86N in Hillsborough. He said he lives on land that has been owned by 39 his family for years. He said he is retired and he and his wife moved back to the property. He 40 said his home is within 75 feet of their neighbor's property. He said his neighbors are shooting 41 semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons that are very loud and disturbing. He described this 42 behavior as occurring at different times of day, including at night. He said he understands what 43 the ordinance says, but he is concerned that there is no time limit and houses are too close for 44 this type of behavior. He said other neighbors are being affected by this behavior. He said he 45 and his wife moved to Hillsborough to get away from hearing gunfire and have peace. 46 47 b. Matters on the Printed Agenda 48 (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 49 50 51 2 1 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members 2 Commissioner Hamilton said she had no announcements. She welcomed Commissioner 3 Portie-Ascott to the meeting and said that she looks forward to working with her. 4 Commissioner Fowler echoed Commissioner Hamilton's remarks. She said she went to a 5 TARPO meeting and the Towns of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen along with three 6 other towns now have adequate density to require an MPO and that will be developed over the 7 course of the next year, and they will get pulled out of TARPO. TARPO also approved the county's 8 submission for a CMAC grant for $180,000 that will require a small match and if approved, the 9 funds will be used to purchase mobility vans with a preference for EV. She said that she learned 10 that the IIJA Federal Act includes funding for bike and ped projects so it will be worth a look into 11 that. She said that she attended the ABC board meeting and they have increased staffing with 12 the opening of a new store and implemented wage increases for staff. She said the ABC Board 13 will report to the commissioners in March. 14 Commissioner Richards said she attended the Justice Advisory Council meeting. She 15 said she hoped to share information from that meeting at a future meeting. She said the NC 16 Department of Public Safety presented information about youth outcomes that were disturbing 17 especially with Orange County statistics compared to the rest of NC. She said she hopes they 18 can discuss this at work session in the future. She said she went to the Agricultural Summit and 19 it was great to be there in person. 20 Chair Bedford said she went to the MMC meeting, DSS meeting, and the Partnership to 21 End Homelessness meeting. She said they will make the committee assignments later tonight 22 but those will change. She said the MMC meeting minutes have been forwarded to the 23 commissioners. 24 Vice-Chair McKee said he attended the Durham Tech Board retreat that day. He said 25 there is a plan to place roadway markers for a civil rights historical trail. He petitioned staff to 26 research this plan and bring back information to the Board. 27 Commissioner Portie-Ascott thanked Commissioners Fowler and Hamilton for their 28 comments. She said she began working with staff to schedule meetings with department heads 29 to learn more about them. 30 Commissioner Greene said she attended the Agricultural Summit. She said soon they will 31 see an update to the lands legacy action plan and will prioritize wildlife and natural corridor trails. 32 She said that the NC Natural Heritage Association has been working to create the maps. She 33 said the climate action plan consultant led an interactive workshop with farmers to determine what 34 they need. She said that they are trying to work to preserve farmland and prevent encroachment. 35 36 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 37 a. Black History Month Proclamation 38 The Board approved a proclamation declaring February 2023 as Black History Month. 39 40 BACKGROUND: Carter G. Woodson and three others started Black History Month, proclaimed 41 by every president since 1976. These Black Americans formed the Association for the Study of 42 Negro Life and History (ASNLF), which started the idea of Black History Month in 1915, at the 43 celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation in Washington, DC. The ASNLF, an 44 organization whose mission was to research and promote the achievements of Black Americans 45 and other people of African descent. The first celebration was during the week in February that 46 encompassed Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas's birthdays. In 1976, President Gerald 47 Ford expanded the celebration to the month of February. President Ford urged Americans to 48 "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in 49 every area of endeavor throughout our history." The month of February was selected to 50 commemorate the birthdays of Lincoln and Douglas and to recognize the history of Black 51 Americans and the historical significance they represent in the history of the United States. 3 1 2 This year's Black History Month theme is: From The Ground Up: Rooted In Place, Land, and 3 Body. 4 5 County activities commemorating Black History Month include: 6 7 • Thursday, February 2"d, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Diversity & Equity strategy session 8 Description: As efforts begin to shape equity in the community, a strong foundation is 9 needed. An opportunity for a candid discussion during this strategy session to build the 10 internal infrastructure of the equity committee. 11 Location: Solid Waste Management office (1207 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516) 12 "Internal Orange County Staff only. 13 14 • Friday, February 3rd, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Community Canvas 15 Description: A family affair as Black History Month kicked off! All visitors were welcome to 16 come join and contribute to the community canvas. A local artist helped guide everyone 17 and paint a masterpiece focusing on this month's theme: From the Ground Up: Rooted in 18 place, land, and body. 19 Location: Orange County Arts Commission, Eno River Mill, 437 Dimmocks Mill Rd. Suite 20 17, Hillsborough, NC 27278 21 22 . Tuesday, February 7t", 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Read it and Reap 23 Description:A facilitator assisted as attendees delved into a book discussion of a powerful 24 story of a father's past and a son's future, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. 25 Coates wrote about race as he referenced his passion and hopes for change in society. 26 Location: Orange County Public Library, 137 W. Margaret Ln., Hillsborough, NC 27278 27 28 • Wednesday, February 15th 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Movie night 29 Description: My Name is Pauli Murray reintroduces the iconic trailblazer who has been 30 overlooked in many elements of history. A documentary on the impact of this lawyer, 31 activist, poet, and priest who helped to transform the world. 32 Location: Seymour Center Theater, 2551 Homestead Rd. Chapel Hill, NC 27516 33 34 • Tuesday, February 211t, 10:30-12:00 p.m. Orange County Emergency Services (or 35 Orange County EMS) and UNC Hospital is offering a hands only CPR class. Learn how 36 to live heart healthy and some important CPR techniques. 37 Location: Rogers Road Community Center, 101 Edgar St. Chapel Hill, NC 27516 38 39 • Thursday, February 23rd, Black History Tour, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for the 40 Roots & Soul: Walking with Pauli Murray tour provided by Whistle Stop Tours in 41 Durham, NC. The Office of Equity & Inclusion is offering a co-learning experience to 42 Orange County employees. This will be an opportunity to participate in a 90-minute 43 traveling performance through the West End neighborhood, inspired by local history and 44 the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray's ancestors. There will be an opportunity to witness the 45 Fitzgerald Family's determination for emancipation as remembered through the memories 46 and writing of the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray. Together, attendees will unpack personal 47 memories and embody collective responsibility with one another. Bring your curiosities; 48 move and create with others! 49 4 1 This tour is a collaboration between Whistle Stop Tours and the Pauli Murray Center for 2 History and Social Justice and is offered by the Orange County Office of Equity & 3 Inclusion. This opportunity is open only to Orange County employees. Slots are limited, 4 so RSVP at https://form.motform.com/230095861980159. Please feel free to reach out to 5 eguityCa)-orangecountync.gov should there be any questions or for assistance getting 6 registered. 7 8 Sunday, February 26th, 3:00-5:00 p.m., Pauli Murray Awards, 9 Description: The 33rd Annual Pauli Murray Awards aims to recognize local Orange County 10 residents who exude many of the qualities that the late Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray dedicated 11 her life advocating for, such as human rights, equality and leadership. Everyone is invited 12 for some refreshments and live music. 13 Location: Whitted Building, 300 W Tryon St, Hillsborough, NC 27278 14 15 Monday, February 27th, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Orange County Emergency Services (or 16 Orange County EMS) and UNC Hospital is offering a hands only CPR class. Learn how 17 to live heart healthy and some important CPR techniques. 18 Location: Cedar Grove Community Center, 5800 NC HWY, NC-86, Hillsborough, NC 19 27278 20 21 Commissioners Hamilton, Portie-Ascott, and Richards took turns reading the following 22 proclamation: 23 24 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 25 BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROCLAMATION 26 WHEREAS, Carter G. Woodson and other members of the Association for the Study of Negro 27 Life and History initiated a celebration of African American achievements and contributions to 28 American life in 1915 during the week in February that encompassed the birthdays of Abraham 29 Lincoln and Frederick Douglas; and 30 31 WHEREAS, President Gerald Ford expanded the observance to one month in 1976, urging 32 Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of Black 33 Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history;" and 34 35 WHEREAS, observance of Black History Month continues to provide opportunities for all 36 Americans and residents of Orange County to gain an understanding of the many contributions 37 made by Black Americans in science, technology, arts and culture, religion, economics - indeed 38 to the fabric of our county and the nation; and 39 40 WHEREAS, Orange County Black residents participated in the development and growth of 41 Orange County from its formation and continue to do so today having persevered against 42 enslavement, oppression, and discrimination, and shown resilience throughout the years by 43 continuing to work toward an equitable and just society; and 44 45 WHEREAS, each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History sets a 46 theme for Black History Month and the theme for 2023 is "Black Resistance;" and 47 5 1 WHEREAS, this year's theme encourages each of us to study the history Black American 2 fortitude and commitment to establish a society where black life, like all humanity, can be fortified, 3 honored, and respected; and 4 5 WHEREAS, we honor the generations of Black organizers, leaders, and all who resisted and 6 continue to resist inequities, systemic barriers, and deep Anti-Black bias, so that African 7 Americans not only survive but thrive as they consistently pursue the American promise of life, 8 liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and 9 10 WHEREAS; Orange County strives to uphold these ideals through an inclusive society where all 11 can thrive and look to Black History as an American History, fueled by perseverance and hope 12 for building a more equitable community; 13 14 NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Board of County Commissioners of Orange County, do hereby 15 proclaim February 2023 as "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" and encourage all residents to honor 16 this occasion by learning more about the contributions of Black Americans in our Community 17 and the World. 18 19 This the 21St day of February 2023. 20 21 22 Jamezetta Bedford, Chair 23 Orange County Board of Commissioners 24 25 Chair Bedford and Commissioner Fowler noted some of the upcoming events honoring 26 Black History Month. 27 28 A motion was made by Commissioner Richards, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to 29 approve the proclamation and authorize the Chair to sign the Proclamation on behalf of the Board. 30 31 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 32 33 Nathalie Volkheimer of the Human Relations Commission took a photograph of the 34 commissioners approving the proclamation. 35 Commissioner Richards thanked the HRC and Dr. Fairbanks for their work on this. 36 37 b. OWASA Annual Update Presentation 38 The Board received a presentation and information from the Orange Water and Sewer Authority 39 (OWASA) on recent activities. 40 41 BACKGROUND: At the beginning of each calendar year, OWASA representatives appear before 42 the Board of Commissioners to make a presentation on recent OWASA activities. OWASA Board 43 Chair Bruce Boehm and Jody Eimers and Ray DuBose, Orange County appointees to the 44 OWASA Board, will present the annual update. 45 46 Jody Eimers introduced the item. She said that OWASA resumed standard collection 47 practices and that service disconnections have resumed if they have a bill more than 60 days 48 past due. She said that the OWASA team connected those delinquent with agencies providing 49 funding assistance. She said that OWASA received allocations of ARPA funding from the Towns 50 of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. She said OWASA participates in the Care to Share program which 6 1 helps those in need pay their water and sewer bills. She said they are reassessing the program 2 to ensure it meets the needs of customers. 3 Ray DuBose said OWASA was making progress on energy management. He said they 4 recently built a new solar array at the Cane Creek Reservoir. He said that it will offset '/4 of 5 electricity used to pump water from the reservoir. He said that the Orange County Climate Action 6 Grant Program helped fund the solar array. He said an energy management update will be 7 available in the spring. 8 Bruce Boehm discussed the western intake partnership. He said Jordan Lake has a single 9 intake of water that is operated by the Town of Cary. He said the western intake will provide 10 redundancy and a direct connection to OWASA and is a partnership with the City of Durham, 11 Town of Pittsboro and Chatham County. He said there was an open house in Chatham County 12 on January 10 to allow the public to learn more about the project and about 50 people attended. 13 He said they expressed appreciation for the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. 14 He said that the partnership is in early stages and OWASA will continue to provide updates to the 15 community. 16 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked about the temporary changes to drinking water and 17 how OWASA notifies customers. 18 Bruce Boehm said once a year OWASA makes changes to their treatment process. 19 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how customers are notified. 20 Todd Taylor, OWASA Executive Director, said they notify customers via email and in their 21 bills. He said they try to coordinate with other water providers to make these changes at the same 22 time. He said they are always ready to speak with customers on the issue. He said they've been 23 following this process for a couple of decades. 24 Commissioner Richards asked about new regulations for PFAS, lead and copper. 25 Todd Taylor said there are new regulations coming out of the EPA. He said that lead and 26 copper standards were revised and they are working with a consultant to get a plan together. He 27 said when the regulations come out there will probably be a 3-5 year window to become compliant. 28 Commissioner Hamilton asked about the impact of the changes on the OWASA budget 29 and the cost to customers. 30 Todd Taylor said they do not know this information yet, but there will be a lot of 31 conversation when the new standards are released. 32 Chair Bedford asked Nancy Coston, DSS Director, if there are any remaining funds to 33 assist those that are behind on their water and sewer bills. 34 Nancy Coston said there is about$100,000 left in the budget for the year. She said people 35 can contact DSS for more information. 36 Chair Bedford said Ray DuBose had been helping the Clerk to the Board's office with 37 questions for the next application process. She said Ray DuBose would soon leave the OWASA 38 board and thanked him for his service. 39 Commissioner Richards thanked the OWASA board members and Todd Taylor for 40 meeting with her to learn more about OWASA. 41 42 43 5. Public Hearings 44 a. Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Text Amendment — Neighborhood Information 45 Meetings 46 The Board held a public hearing, received the Planning Board and staff recommendations and 47 public comment, closed the public hearing, and considered action on staff-initiated amendments 48 to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) regarding proposed revisions to the current 49 requirements for Neighborhood Information Meetings. 50 7 1 BACKGROUND: Neighborhood Information Meetings (NIMs) are a common requirement of 2 Planning Departments throughout the state and country. NIMs are an opportunity for an 3 "...applicant to initiate a conversation with the community members most directly affected by the 4 proposed [action]..." (City of Raleigh). These meetings are a separate and distinct opportunity 5 from the statutory obligations of a community to provide an applicant due process for a rezoning, 6 major subdivision, special use permit, or similar action, as provided for by the Planning Board 7 meeting and public hearing before either the Board of Adjustment (BOA) or the Board of County 8 Commissioners (BOCC). NIMs are informal meetings with the community most affected by a 9 proposed land use change. With the exception of publication of the meeting notice in a local paper 10 of record, public notification requirements for an informal NIM are similar to that for the formal 11 Planning Board meeting and BOA and BOCC public hearings. 12 13 Orange County's requirement for a NIM for a special use permit (Section 2.7), conditional zoning 14 (Section 2.9), and subdivisions(Section 2.14&2.15)are consistent with the requirements of North 15 Carolina peer counties, including Chatham, Durham, and Mecklenburg. Orange County is 16 inconsistent with these counties by having staff administer the public notification and host these 17 informal meetings rather than the applicant. This practice has created confusion for the public 18 regarding the respective roles of the applicant and staff at the NIM to request and represent a 19 land use change; and to disclose the facts and the consistency of the application with Orange 20 County's adopted ordinances and plans. Planning staff's role in the latter is detailed in both local 21 and statutory language on the proceedings of the Planning Board, BOA, and BOCC in making 22 land use determinations. Having staff present at a NIM can confuse this role, and places Planning 23 staff in a central role at a meeting that should be a constructive discussion between the applicant 24 and the affected community as to how a proposed project could be modified to respond to 25 concerns before it is presented to an appointed or elected body of Orange County. Having staff 26 administer all aspects of these meetings also places an additional task for an informal meeting 27 upon staff that is, appropriately, the applicant's responsibility. 28 29 The Planning Director is recommending amendment of the UDO Article 2, Sections 7, 9, 14, and 30 15 to: 31 32 1. Place the responsibility of scheduling a NIM upon the applicant; 33 2. Place the responsibility of property owner notification upon the applicant; 34 3. Establish a uniform property posting date of public notification sign of no less than 14 35 days prior to the NIM; and 36 4. Require the applicant to provide the Planning Department a recording and written report 37 of the NIM at least 14 days prior to either the public meeting, public hearing, or 38 administrative action, dependent upon the nature of the application. 39 40 The Director's recommendation differs from that of the Planning Board (see below). The UDO text 41 amendments reflecting this recommendation are found in Attachment 3. 42 43 Joint Planninq Area (JPA) Review: In accordance with the Joint Planning Agreement with the 44 Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the amendment package was sent to the Town planning staffs 45 on August 30, 2022. To date, Orange County staff has not received any comments from the 46 Towns. 47 48 Planning Board Recommendation: At its December 7, 2022 meeting, the Board voted 49 unanimously (9-0)to recommend approval of the Statement of Consistency presented by staff, 50 and approval with specified changes of the UDO amendment package, with the following 51 modification: 8 1 2 1. That a planning staff member attend NIM meetings, not to run them but to be there to 3 clarify or answer questions. 4 5 The Planning Board is empowered to make a recommendation with specified changes by Section 6 2.8.8(B) of the Orange County UDO. Attachment 2 contains the version of the amendments 7 recommended by the Planning Board. And excerpt of the draft meeting minutes and the signed 8 Statement of Consistency from this meeting are included in Attachment 4 and meeting materials 9 are available at: 10 https://www.orangecountync.gov/AgendaCenterNiewFile/Agenda/ 12072022-1685 11 12 Prior to making its recommendation, the Planning Board had reviewed the materials in an 13 "Ordinance Review Committee" meeting on October 5, 2022. Materials for this meeting are also 14 available at: 15 https://orangecountync.gov/AgendaCenterNiewFile/Agenda/ 10052022-1647 16 17 The Planning Director's recommendation differs from the Planning Board's recommended 18 approval with specified changes, and reflects of the original draft of the proposed text amendment 19 presented by the Planning Department. Having staff present at a NIM is counterproductive to the 20 purpose of the meeting enabling an informal discussion between an applicant and the affected 21 community; resolving the confusion regarding Planning staff's presence at the informal NIM and 22 their administrative and professional role at a Planning Board meeting and/or BOA or BOCC 23 public hearing; and to the dedication of county resources in supporting a NIM, which is, 24 appropriately, an applicant responsibility. 25 26 Planning Director's Recommendation: The Planning Director recommends approval of the: 27 1. Statement of Approval and Consistency indicating the text amendments are reasonable 28 and in the public interest, as contained in Attachment 1. 29 2. Amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), as contained in Attachment 30 3. 31 32 Cy Stober, Planning and Inspections Director, made the following presentation: 33 34 Slide #1 ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA LIDO Text Amendment Neighborhood Information Meeting (NIM) Requirements Public Hearing Cy Stober, Planning & Inspections Director 35 Tyler Sliger, Planner 11 9 1 Slide #2 What is a NIM? • An optional meeting Orange County requires required step for - Subdivisions - Conditional Zoning - Special Uses - Govern men Uses An opportunity for the public 'to understand the project being proposed and speak directly with someone about it Currently Grange Co. Planning staff ORANGE COUNTY NlOffn I CAROLINA 2 3 4 Slide #3 What is a II ? P .� . . • A required step for 1 several Planning r.n�,a wd rwc.ir applications/requests `- - Subdivisions - Conditional Zoning - Special Uses - Government Lues }RANGE COUNTY NOFM I C'LROLINA 5 6 7 8 10 1 Slide #4 What is a NIM? • A required steps for several Planning applieatiens/requests. ., Subdivisions — Gonditional Zoning — pe-tial Uses ; — Government Uses ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #5 What is a NIM? Hew are Neighbors Notified? ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 11 1 Slide #6 What is a NINO How are Neighbors Notified? - Property Posted Z GASF AVE- PLbAGfi- 1'FiQkLr G_ w qry waaPww r'31q 3ASl ST9 - ORANGE COUNTY NXDIUT]r CkROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #7 What is a NIM? How are Neighbors Notified? - Letters Moller to All Property m Owners within 100 0' — - - ORANGE COUNTY 5 6 7 8 12 1 Slide #8 What is a NIM? How are Neighbors Notified? - Meeting held prior to the next step (Planning Board, Board of Adjustment.staff approval) ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #9 Proposed changes fn+emprhasis) ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 13 1 Slide #10 Proposed changes (ireemphasis) • Sign posting --- 14days prior to meeting instead of 10 days ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #11 Proposed changes (in -emphasis) • Applicant will schedule and host meeting ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 14 1 Slide #12 Proposed changes (ireemphasis) e,ign pasting — 14 days prior to meeting "" head of 10 days • Applicant will schedule and hast meeting • Applicant will steed to submit a written report of what happened (e.g., list of attendees, summary of issues discussed, any changes to the plan) no less than 14 days prior to public meeting or staff action (depending upon request) ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #13 Proposed changes (in -emphasis) • Appiicant will send notices and post ISI signs (Subdivisions) ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[CkROL[NA 5 6 7 8 15 1 Slide #14 Why? Staff currently schedules, hosts, and presents the project to the public ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #15 Why? • Staff currently schedules, hosts, and presents the project to the public This gives the public the impression that Orange County staff is endorsing the project ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 16 1 Slide #16 Why? Staff currently schedules, hosts, and presents the project to the public • This gives the public the impression that Orange County staff is endorsing the project • Particularly confusing regarding a staff recommendation of a project, which is a state-required and -informed analysis, not ars emotional or even professional judgement of a project's character ORANGE COUNTY t OFM[C/iROLINA 2 3 4 Slide #17 'hy • Staff currently schedules, hosts, and presents the project to the public This gives the public the impression that Orange County staff is endorsing the project • unusual for staff to take this role • Beers require applicants to schedule, notice, and hast NIMs ORANGE COUNTY 5 6 7 8 17 1 Slide #18 What is a NIM? "..'a way for the rezoning applicant to initiate a conversation with the community members most directly affected by the proposed rezoning.." City& Raleigh ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 Cy Stober said this process also allows the applicant to negotiate with neighbors on the 4 project. 5 6 Slide #19 Grange County Land Use Change Notification • Planning Board, Board of Adjustment, & BOCC meetings and hearings require public notification 10-25 days prior. • Mailings sent to all property owners within 1000` of subject property • Property is pasted Advertisement publisher) in paper of record (public hearings only) "Does not apply to Minor Subdivisions NCGS 1600-406 & -602 & Grange Co. IDG Particle 2, §§7-12 ORANGECOUNTY NORT]r c,kWaLINA 7 8 9 10 18 Slide #20 Orange County Land Use Change Notifications • Web Site Updates • Social Media Updates • Orange County Weekly Newsletter Cultivating Partnership with Community Relations for Continual Improvement ORANGE COUNTY NlOffn I CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #21 Staff Analysis & Recommendation • Planning Director recommends approval of the text amendment, as presented, to place the schedulingr noticing, and hosting a Neighborhood Information Meeting responsibilities upon the applicant, as well as increasing the time window the meeting is held relative to the next action, and requiring a report and recording of the NIM. Planning Director recommends approval of, The Statement of Consistency that the amendments are reasonable,in the publlc i n terest,and serve Land Use Goal 6 (Attachment 1); and The proposed ord1nance to amend UDOArticle 2,%7, 9, 14,& 15 (Attachment 3). ORANGE COUNTY NORnI C'LROLLNA 5 6 7 8 19 1 Slide #22 Planning Board Recommendation • Planning Burd Ordinance Review Committee reviewed proposed amendment at its October b. 2022 meeting. • Planning Board reviewed proposed amendment at its December 7, 2022 regular meeting — Voted -0 to recommend approval of the tent amendment with specified changes: "That a planning staff member attend NIM meetings, not to run them but to be there to clarify or answer questions." ORANC : ,._AUNTY MOOT'l tAJU LINA 2 3 4 Slide #23 Planning Board Recommendation • Planning Board reviewed proposed amendment at its December T 2022 regular meeting — Voted 9-0 to recommend approval of the text amendment with specified changes: "That a planning staff member attend NIM meetings, not to run therm but to be there to clarify or answer questions." • This changie is reflected in attachment 2 with the following: "The Orange County Planning Department shall have a representative attend and observe the meeting-", GRANGE COUNTY NO R n[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 20 1 Slide #24 Recommendation for To-night The Manager recommends the Board: 1. Conduct the public hearing and accept the Planning Boardlstaff recommendations and public comment; Public hearing was advertised as required bytate an+d local levers 2. Close the public hearing; 3. Deliberate as desired; and ORANGE COUNTY NlOffn I CA ROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #25 Recommendation for Tonight The Manager recommends the Beard: 4. Vote to approve the Statement of Consistency (Attachment `I) and Ordinance Amending the Unified Development Ordinance, as Recommended by the Planning Bard (Attachment 2). OR Dote to approve the Statement of Consistency (Attachment 1) and Ordinance Amending the Unified Development Ordinance, as Recommended by the Planning Director (Attachment 3). OR Vote to deny the staff-initiated text amendment, due to a stated reason that the request is inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the Orange County Compreh 06�- , NORTI I Ck RLlLICIA 5 6 7 8 21 1 Slide #26 Questions from Commissioners Public Comments ORANGE COUNTY 1109n[CkROLINA 2 3 Commissioner Fowler asked if"optional" on the first slide was referring to the state. 4 Cy Stober said yes. 5 Vice-Chair McKee asked the role of the staff at the NIM. 6 Cy Stober said the current practice is for the staff to welcome the public, present a 7 PowerPoint, show site plans, present findings of fact, discuss consistency with adopted plans, 8 describe the location of project as it relates to zoning districts and then the next steps of the 9 process. He said they essentially present the project to the public. 10 Vice-Chair McKee asked if this NIM is put in place, what the role of staff would be. 11 Cy Stober said there would not be a staff role. 12 Vice-Chair McKee said maybe he misunderstood but he thought the recommendation was 13 for staff to be there. 14 Cy Stober said staff would be there but in an observatory role because the developer 15 would be the one presenting the project to the public. Staff would only be there to answer any 16 questions that the developer may not be able to. 17 Commissioner Richards clarified that the NIM is optional under General Statute, but 18 required by Orange County LIDO. She said it's the first step, then there is a public hearing. She 19 said the public would have the opportunity to hear from staff during the public hearing. She said 20 that it would also require that the applicant provide a record of the NIM. She asked what that 21 would look like. 22 Cy Stober said it is the first public step of the process. He said county staff would have 23 reviewed the project at this time. That includes, planning staff, the environmental department, the 24 NCDOT, the Fire Marshall. He said there are multiple county departments and state agencies 25 before it advances to a NIM. He said that rezoning requests would then go to a Planning Board 26 hearing, then to a BOCC public hearing. He said that in some cases, it would go to a Board of 27 Adjustment public hearing. He said as advised by the County Attorney's office, the recording 28 definition was left unspecified to allow the applicant to provide a record and they are required to 29 provide a written report. 22 1 Chair Bedford asked if a transcript should be provided by an independent company. She 2 said that a transcript seems that it would not be as accurate as a recording. She asked if it is 3 prescribed in the LIDO what a transcript might look like. 4 Cy Stober said it is not. He read from the LIDO what is required in the transcript. He said 5 staff can find that a transcript is insufficient, based on the recording. 6 Chair Bedford asked if staff would be required to review the recording. 7 Cy Stober said that is the intention, although it is not reflected in the text. 8 9 Commissioner Greene made a motion to open the public hearing, seconded by 10 Commissioner Fowler. 11 12 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 13 14 There was no one signed up to speak for the public hearing. 15 16 Vice-Chair McKee made a motion to close the public hearing, seconded by Commissioner 17 Hamilton. 18 19 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 20 21 Commissioner Hamilton thanks staff for bringing this forward. She said that it makes sense 22 that the developer would be charged with presenting this to the community. She said that she 23 leans toward having a staff person there. She said trust in government and developers is slim. 24 She said having staff there means someone can observe the whole environment. She said there 25 may be parts of the NIM that aren't captured by the recording. 26 Vice-Chair McKee said it allows staff to serve as eyes and ears to ensure oversight of the 27 process. 28 Commissioner Greene said there is some benefit of not having anyone from the county 29 there. She said either amendment would be better than the status quo, but her preference is the 30 Planning Director's recommendation. 31 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if there were instances of meetings being contentious 32 and if staff knows how to handle those situations. She asked if it would put staff in an awkward 33 situation. 34 Bonnie Hammersley said this issue was one of the issues she discussed with Cy Stober 35 when he was hired. She said it has been a big problem. She said there was a public perception 36 that the county was running the meeting and was in favor of the project. She said for people 37 unfamiliar with county government, the role of staff, even in an observational capacity, make it 38 confusing for the public because it is the developer that is running the meeting. She said the NIM 39 is to inform the neighborhood about the project. She said there are many instances where staff 40 will be available to the public to answer questions. She said that planning staff were demonized 41 by some unpopular projects, because they were presenting projects and running the NIMs. She 42 said negative comments were directed at certain people. She said it gets political when there's a 43 misunderstanding. She said that her role is to insulate staff from politics and it gets political when 44 there is a misunderstanding of the role that staff is playing. 45 Commissioner Richards said it is interesting other municipalities don't have staff present. 46 She said it is a responsibility for the developer to engage with neighbors. She said that it may free 47 staff to do more value added discussions with the developer. She said it should be seen as an 48 opportunity for the developer. She said the Bucee's proposal stands out in her mind and how 49 staff got hammered by the community. 23 1 Commissioner Fowler agreed with putting the onus of the meeting on the developer. She 2 said it may be nice to have staff there because the community does have a lot of questions. She 3 said if they didn't do that, she would like for the definition of recording to be defined more clearly. 4 John Roberts, County Attorney, said he does not think of a recording as a transcript. He 5 said he thinks it would be audio or video. He said it could be specified as audio or video. 6 Chair Bedford said with the definition of recording as audio or visual, she is comfortable 7 with staff not being present to take questions. She said staff should not be in the role of 8 maintaining security. She said with an audio or video recording, there should not be a need for 9 staff to observe. 10 Commissioner Greene thanked the County Manager for the explanation of the past 11 history. She said she feels strongly that the director's recommendation is the way to go. 12 Chair Bedford asked if she was ok with the change to audio and visual. 13 Commissioner Greene said yes, but she was more concerned with making this a meeting 14 between the developer and the neighbors. 15 Vice-Chair McKee said at NIMs, sometimes there are ideas or opinions on what the UDO 16 says. He said without staff there he does not see how something could be conveyed by the 17 developer that is not consistent with the UDO. He said the public may not understand. He said 18 that he feels the proper route is to approve the Planning Board's recommendation. 19 Commissioner Hamilton thanked the County Manager for her comments. She said she 20 thinks that staff not presenting would make it clear they are not proponents. She said that it should 21 be there as observing only. She said she was involved in the Bucee's experience. She said it was 22 very confusing about what the project was and what they were doing. She said there are so many 23 issues around development the people don't have a sense of. She said that she also worries 24 about not having oversight. She said if it's not working, it could be reviewed again. 25 Commissioner Fowler said it could potentially keep the developer a little more honest. 26 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if developers could have a second meeting with the 27 community if they are not familiar with the UDO. She said she did not want to operate from a 28 position of distrust with developers. 29 Chair Bedford said in her experience developers know the UDO and have a strong legal 30 team. 31 32 A motion was made by Vice-Chair McKee to approve the Statement of Approval and 33 Consistency (Attachment 1) and Planning Board-recommended UDO Amendments (Attachment 34 2). Commissioner Hamilton seconded the motion. 35 36 VOTE: Ayes, 3 (Vice-Chair McKee, Commissioner Fowler, and Commissioner Hamilton); 37 Nays, 4 (Chair Bedford, Commissioner Greene, Commissioner Richards, and 38 Commissioner Portie-Ascott) 39 40 MOTION FAILS 41 42 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene the Statement of Approval and Consistency 43 (Attachment 1) and Planning Director-recommended UDO Amendments (Attachment 3) with the 44 additional language suggested by the County Attorney to specify immediately after the word 45 "recording," either parenthetically or separated by a comma, either "audio or "audio/video." 46 Commissioner Richards seconded the motion. 47 48 VOTE: Ayes, 5 (Chair Bedford, Commissioner Greene, Commissioner Fowler, 49 Commissioner Richards, and Commissioner Portie-Ascott); Nays, 2 (Vice-Chair McKee 50 and Commissioner Hamilton); 51 24 1 MOTION PASSES 2 3 6. Regular Agenda 4 a. End of Food and Nutrition Pandemic Emergency Allocations and Unwinding of the 5 Public Health Emergency Declaration and Approval of Budget Amendment#6-A 6 The Board received an update regarding the impacts of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) 7 unwinding and reduction of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits due to the end of 8 emergency allocations, and approved time-limited staff positions and funds to assist recipients 9 affected by this change through Budget Amendment#6-A. 10 11 BACKGROUND: The PHE declaration will officially end on May 11, 2023. This will have several 12 impacts on clients and the workload of the Department of Social Services (DSS). 13 14 Effective March 1, 2023, the emergency allocations provided through Food and Nutrition Services 15 (FNS) will end. Households that have been receiving extra FNS benefits (called "emergency 16 allotments") each month since March 2020 or after will see a reduction in benefits because of a 17 federal change that ends emergency allotments for all states. 18 19 As part of the COVID-19 public health emergency, families enrolled in the FNS program in North 20 Carolina have been receiving at least$95 extra per month since March 2020 through emergency 21 allotments. With the end of emergency allotments, the average FNS benefit per person per day 22 will decrease from $8.12 to $5.45. 23 24 These emergency allotments have been critical in helping families compensate for financial and 25 economic hardships due to COVID-19. 26 27 Since March 2020, an average of 6,000 Orange County households received FNS emergency 28 allotments, giving more families access to nutritious meals that support healthy and productive 29 lives, and bringing approximately $1.3 million federal dollars each month into the local economy. 30 31 Effective March 2023, FNS benefits will go back to regular monthly benefit amounts issued prior 32 to the pandemic. Beneficiaries will continue to receive regular monthly benefit amounts in March 33 2023 based on a person's or household's current eligibility, income, household size and other 34 federal eligibility requirements. 35 36 The Department of Social Services anticipates some recipients will not initially understand this 37 change and may need assistance during the transition. Staff has developed plans for outreach to 38 the current recipients and to local human service and food providers in the community. Many 39 families are still struggling to pay for basic needs and the community will need to help with this 40 change. 41 42 The Department proposes to utilize $125,000 of funds from the Social Justice Reserve Fund to 43 provide emergency food at agency sites and to increase the support to food pantries in the 44 County. A balance of$12,696 would remain in the Social Justice Reserve Fund with approval of 45 this allocation. 46 47 In addition to the FNS allotment changes, all pre-pandemic rules for eligibility in all program areas 48 will be reinstated over the next twelve to eighteen months. This includes Medicaid, which will 49 require the evaluation of approximately 22,000 cases over the next year and a half. The volume 50 of work for staff will increase significantly as these changes occur. 51 25 1 To manage these tasks and additional work, the department proposes to add three (3) additional 2 time-limited staff positions and to extend two (2) existing time-limited positions through June 30, 3 2024. These would be funded with current salary attrition, and would not require additional 4 funding. 5 6 Nancy Coston and DSS Human Services Manager Lindsey Shewmaker made the 7 following presentation: 8 9 Slide #1 ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA. End of Food and Nutrition Pandernic Emergency Allocations and Unwinding of the Public Health Emergency Declaration BOCC Meeting February 21 , 2023 10 11 12 Slide #2 Purpose and Request • This presentation will give an overview of the impacts of the Public Health Emergency (PH E) unwinding on Social Services and the related reduction of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits. • As a result, Social Services is requesting the following from the County to manage these impacts: — Authorize three additional time-limited positions in DSS through June 30,2024; — Extend two existing time-limited positions in DSS through June 30,2024;and - Transfer$125,000 from the Social Justice Reserve f=und to the Department of Social Services to provide food to Food and Nutrition Services recipients during the transition froth pamlemic rraer enc allocations- ORANGE COUNTYe 1 g N*OF77 i C..AR01.INA 13 14 Nancy Coston said the request is to help assess the impact of the end of these funds on 15 families. 26 1 Slide #3 Background and Context In January, 2 123 Orange County had 6,117 households receiving Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) and 22,114 individuals receiving Medicaid. Average Medicald FMS Care Average rEnrvfiment 2718-24192419.20202020-29212D21-2Q222022,I3 201ea-20192019.202202920-0212021-20222022-2D23 rAvewe Me&iud Eruairned r FRCS Cease AveerawC t�fT+,r ORAN'[.;E C'OU.�I I I 3 NOR T1l C kROLINA 2 3 Lindsey Shewmaker said Medicaid cases have steadily increased. She said FNS cases 4 dipped as counties reassessed FNS recipients. 5 6 Slide #4 Public Health Emergency Unwinding • The Federal Public Healthy Emergency (PHE) d laration will end on May 11, 2023, This will undo many of the pandemic-era rules (and end waivers) in public assistance programs administered by the [department of Social Services. Most of these rules and waivers created easier access to benefits and allowed more people to became eligible and maintain eligibility over the last three years. • Ending these pandemic waivers and reverting tack to pre-pandemic rules will cause many Orange County residents to lase benefits. GRANGE COUNTY A NORT][i kWaLLNA 7 8 9 27 1 Slide #5 End of Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental Benefits: Overview • Effective March 1 , 2023, the emergency allocations provided through Food and Nutrition Services (FNS)will end. All households will see a reduction in benefits because of a federal change that ends emergency allotments for all states. Effective March 2023, FNS benefits will go back to regular monthly benefit amounts issued prior to the pandemic. Beneficiaries will continue to receive regular monthly benefit amounts in March 2023 based on a person's or household's current eligibility, income, household size and other federal eligibility requireDiants. ORANGE COUNTY 5 hlOff TJ[CAROLINA 2 3 4 Slide #6 End of Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental Benefits: Impact 6 Families enrolled in the FNS program in North Carolina have been receiving at least 95 extra per month since March 2020 through emergency allotments. With the end of emergency allotments, the average FNS benefit per person per day will decrease from $8.12 to $8.45. • This change impacts approximately 6,100 Orange County households. There will be a $1 .3 million loss of benefits monthly to Orange County households. ORANGE COUNTY d NOR-n[CAROLINA 5 6 7 8 28 1 Slide #7 End of Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental Benefits: Impact Examples senafltpArnount 1 $14,580 $231 ($253) 4 $30,000 $939 $544 (5395) 6 $40,260 $1,434 $1,339 {$95} 85 year old adult with Social Security income of$12851month would now receive $23 in benefits. 42 year old mother with three children making$15.50/hour in a Full- time job would now receive$544 in benefits. R Two pa rent family with four child ren and one rnirlimurn wage ( 1,160Imorrth)jobwou14 now receive $1,339 in benefits:- � ORANGE COUNTY 7 1,lOffn[CkROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #8 End of Food and Nutrition Services Supplemental Benefits: Planning • Social Services is convening a meeting on February 22, 023 of Orange County government and non-profit agencies who provide food support to Kcal families, • With State partners, Social Services will attend a Food Security Summit on March 2n" and V to facilitate planning with regional partners. • Social Services is requesting $125,000 in social justice funds to buy food, food cards, and support local non- profits to ease the transition for families ORANGE COUNTY NOR-n[C'LROL[NA 15 Lindsey Shewmaker said as supplemental benefits end, they expect many families to turn 16 to non-profits for assistance. 17 18 29 1 Slide #9 North Carolina's COVID Waivers and Policy Chandos • In addition to the ending of emergency FNS allocations, there are gather waivers and program requirements ending that will have impacts on eligibility for families and workload for staff. • [wring the P H E most clients received continuous Medicaid coverage regardless of changes in household income or other factors that normally impact eligibility. The FPS program implemented several waivers designed to make applying easier and extended eligibility to college students, people with certain types of felony convictions, and able-bodied adults without dependents who were not working ORANGE COUNTY 9 1,lOffn[Ck3ROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #10 North Carolina Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding • The 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Omnibus Evill) decoupled the continuous coverage requirement from the Federal Public Health Emergency. The process to begin terminating Medicaid cases will start April 1, 2123, Due to the 90 day renewal process in North Carolina, the first termination will be effective July 1 , 2023 with some exceptions. • All 22,[}00+ Medicaid cases in Orange County will need to be evaluated for ongoing eligibility by May 31 , 2124. Many clients will lose eligibility during this process. • Clients receiving Medicaid for Cov1d Testing (MCV)will lose coverage when the Public Health Emergen €-eads. ORANGE COUNTY 14 hiOKn[Gk3ROLINA 5 6 7 8 30 1 Slide #11 North Carolina's COVID FNS Waivers Ending Eligibility Impacts (All end March 31, 2023) • Pandemic-caused overlssuance • Extend certkkatlon periods up to waiver 6 months * Able-Bodied Adults wlthout ® WaNe eligibility Interview If all Dependents(ABAwD) waiver mandatoryverifleatlons are (Ends June 30,2023) completed * College student waiver (Ends Telephonic signature June 11, 2023) • Suspension of claims activity * HFI drug felon waiver (Ends June Waiver of fair heating time frames 30, X123) • Extension of administrative disqualification hearing{ADH} timeframes ORANGE COUNTY 11 NxDirr]L[_kROLLLVA 2 3 4 Slide #12 North Carolina's COVID FNS Waivers Ending Efigi (All end March 31, 2023) * Pandemic-caused overlssuance * Extend certification perlods up to waiver 6 months * Able-Bodied Adults without * Waive ellg Ibilltyy Interview it ail Dependents(ABAwD) waiver mandatoryverificatlons are (Ends June 30, 2023) completed College student waiver (Ennis - Telephonic signature June 11, 2023) . Suspension of claims activity HFI drug felon waiver (Ends June . Waiver of fair hearing time frames 30.2023) * Extension of adminiistratNe dlsqualIflcation hearing{ADH} timeframes -ORANGE COUNTY 11 NOFM L C'LROLLNA 5 6 Commissioner Richards asked about the timing of the ending of supplemental benefits. 7 Nancy Coston said the public health emergency officially ends in May 2023. She said that 8 counties have a year to unwind benefits. She said that the allotments ended in December 2022. 31 1 Commissioner Richards said that the farm bill has cause for concern because they could 2 separate SNAP and those services from the farm bill. She asked if Nancy Coston has insight into 3 that. 4 Nancy Coston said they expect Congress to enforce work requirements again. She said 5 employment waivers will end. She said some people have had wages go up, but it has been an 6 uneven recovery. She said the concern with changing rules is who gets left out, or who does not 7 understand the rules. 8 Commissioner Richards asked if there are efforts to analyze all of the benefits and how 9 the community might approach this. 10 Nancy Coston said the supplemental funds during the pandemic also exposed a lot of the 11 problems that already existed. She said there are a lot of questions, but they do not know the 12 answer. She said it is a $1.3 million a month loss just in food and nutrition. She said there was 13 emergency help for water payments, and electricity. She said all of those things are going away. 14 She said that if Medicaid expansion happens, some who will lose benefits will be in that group, 15 and they might get the help through this. 16 Commissioner Hamilton asked about the eligibility impacts. She asked if there are any 17 estimates of how many people in Orange County were getting benefits based on those waivers. 18 Lindsey Shewmaker said pre-pandemic, they were at 4,800 cases and over 1,000 19 households. 20 Commissioner Hamilton asked about the breakdown of the waivers to consider the 21 programs that other institutions might have to support that individual. 22 Lindsey Shewmaker said she would look into it for the Board. 23 24 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to 25 approve Budget Amendment#6-A: 26 1) authorizing three additional time-limited positions in DSS through June 30, 2024; 27 2) extending two existing time-limited positions in DSS through June 30, 2024; and 28 3) transferring $125,000 from the Social Justice Reserve Fund to the Department of 29 Social Services to provide food to Food and Nutrition Services recipients during the 30 transition from pandemic emergency allocations. 31 32 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 33 34 Commissioner Greene said she thought this was an appropriate use of social justice 35 funds. 36 Nancy Coston said that as they get data they will bring it back to the Board. 37 Vice-Chair McKee asked the County Manager if the Board can replenish funds in the social 38 justice fund in future budgets. 39 Bonnie Hammersley said yes, it is a base budget amount each year. 40 41 b. Approval of Police and Mental Health Collaborations for Diversion Programs Grant Staff 42 Positions and Budget Amendment#6-13 43 The Board approved two new staff positions funded by the Police and Mental Health 44 Collaborations for Diversion Programs Grant, and approve Budget Amendment#6-B. 45 46 BACKGROUND: The Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department (CJRD) was 47 awarded a grant in the amount of$1,193,745 on November 28, 2022 by the N.C. Department of 48 Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance 49 Abuse Services. The contract for the grant, entitled Police and Mental Health Collaborations for 50 Diversion Programs, was fully executed on February 2, 2023. The grant runs from January 2023 51 to September 30, 2025. 32 1 2 The grant provides for the creation of a Community Care and Diversion Response (CCDR) team 3 coordinated by the CJRD that will enhance law enforcement diversion and collaboration for 4 individuals with serious mental illness. The grant funds immediately provide for a 1.000 FTE 5 position in the CJRD to serve as the Mental Health Diversion Coordinator. Additionally, the grant 6 funds four (4) social worker positions that will operate in each of the major law enforcement 7 agencies in Orange County: the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the Chapel Hill Police 8 Department, the Hillsborough Police Department and the Carrboro Police Department. Finally, 9 this grant will fund two (2) therapeutic positions that will work at Chapel Hill's Freedom House 10 Recovery Center—a mental health clinician and a peer support specialist. These positions will be 11 hired and managed by the independent agencies. Approval of this request will authorize 2.000 12 County FTE's, time-limited until September 2025 — a 1.000 FTE Mental Health Diversion 13 Coordinator in the CJRD starting this fiscal year, and a 1.000 FTE Social Worker in the Orange 14 County Sheriff's Office to start in the next fiscal year. 15 16 The purpose of the CCDR team is to increase and expand pre-arrest and post-charge diversion 17 opportunities, clinical care, peer support and person-centered case management for individuals 18 with serious mental health issues. The grant will formalize another collaboration between law 19 enforcement agencies, the CJRD and Freedom House that will serve individuals at risk of criminal 20 legal system involvement. 21 22 The CCDR team will focus specifically on diverting the growing population of individuals with 23 serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders from arrest and incarceration. The CJRD 24 Coordinator will provide supervision to the social workers embedded in the agencies and training 25 on trauma-informed mental health interventions to the law enforcement agencies. This 26 coordinated and collaborative team approach between clinicians, social workers, peer support 27 and law enforcement officers will ensure greater awareness, communication and consistency in 28 the law enforcement and treatment response to individuals with serious mental health issues who 29 frequently interact with our law enforcement agencies, courts and behavioral health care systems. 30 31 Approval creates the following grant ordinance in the Multi-Year Grant Fund, outside of the 32 General Fund: 33 Police and Mental Health Collaboration ($1,193,745) - Project# 71378 Revenues for this project: Current FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23 Amendment Revised Grant Revenue $0 $1,193,745 $1,193,745 Total Project Funding $0 $1,193,745 $1,193,745 Appropriated for this project: Current FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23 FY 2022-23 Amendment Revised Grant Expenditures $0 $1,193,745 $1,193,745 Total Costs $0 $1,193,745 $1,193,745 34 35 Caitlin Fenhagen, Director of the Criminal Justice Resource Department, introduced the 36 item. She reviewed the background material from the agenda. She said this does not replace 33 1 the need for a mobile crisis unit to respond in lieu of law enforcement. She said many 911 calls 2 could be addressed. She said they are different programs, but critical in Orange County. 3 Commissioner Fowler asked for the number of justice involved people with mental health 4 issues. 5 Caitlin Fenhagen said the self-reported number in the jail is 50%. She said it is probably 6 closer to 75%. 7 Commissioner Fowler asked if all officers have received CIT training. 8 Caitlin Fenhagen said the training is offered by Alliance. She said they do this several 9 times a year. 10 Chair Bedford said school resource officers are a priority. 11 Commissioner Fowler said she likes the ideas of social workers. She said she was in 12 support of the item. 13 Vice-Chair McKee clarified that it would be one person from each agency and not four. 14 He said it was a great leap forward. He said he hopes they will learn a lot during the grant phase. 15 Caitlin Fenhagen said law enforcement is supportive because they understand the danger 16 to their patrol officers going on calls that may not be as trained on how to respond to a mental 17 health problem. She said that they certainly don't have warm handoff opportunities during certain 18 times of the day. She said hopefully it would get officers more time to do the work that they need 19 to be doing and focusing on more serious crimes. 20 Vice-Chair McKee said he sees the benefit of having people trained to recognize a mental 21 health crisis event and be able to take a step back. 22 Commissioner Hamilton said as a social worker it's really nice to have positions so social 23 workers have a group to support each other, because it is extremely hard work. She said it is 24 only one social worker for each entity so it is also important to have officers trained. 25 Caitlin Fenhagen said this is not a substitute of a 24/7 mobile crisis team. She said that 26 the hours might be slightly different because the majority of calls from 7 to 11 pm. 27 Commissioner Hamilton said she looked forward to the data for the program. 28 Caitlin Fenhagen said the data recording for the program is very specific. 29 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if 75% of people in the criminal justice system also 30 have a mental health illness. 31 Caitlin Fenhagen said it is closer to 50% with 47% of the jail inmates self-reporting. She 32 said it might be closer to 75% in the detention facility having a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental 33 health illness. 34 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how many have substance abuse issues. 35 Caitlin Fenhagen said around 70% of the people in the jail have a self-reported substance 36 abuse issue. 37 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked about marijuana treatment restriction in the grant 38 program and how that might restrict services. 39 Caitlin Fenhagen said the grant will allow anyone that has a cooccurring disorder with a 40 mental illness will be treated. She said if marijuana is the sole substance, there is very little 41 success. 42 Chair Bedford said it would be great if a social worker or the clinical person at Freedom 43 House could be bilingual. 44 Caitlin Fenhagen said the clinician hired in the Lantern Project is Latinx and bilingual. She 45 said that because of restrictions at Freedom House, there are not a lot of people in the Latino 46 population being served. She said they also hired a bilingual person in the office who will be a 47 part time grant management employee. 48 49 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to: 34 1 1) approve two new grant-funded, time-limited positions of Mental Health Diversion 2 Coordinator in the Criminal Justice Resource Department for this fiscal year and a 3 Social Worker position in the Sheriff's Office for FY 2023-24; and 4 2) approve Budget Amendment#6-B. 5 6 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 7 8 c. BOCC Boards and Commissions Assignments 9 The Board selected the boards and commissions on which Board members would like to serve 10 during the remainder of 2023. 11 12 BACKGROUND: BOCC members serve on various County and County-related boards and 13 commissions. On an annual basis, BOCC members indicate their desire to continue serving on 14 specific boards or commissions or their desire to make changes. 15 16 Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board, introduced the item. She reviewed the background 17 materials from the agenda. She read an email from Steve Brantley sent to the Board earlier in 18 the day regarding the Research Triangle Regional Partnership - Executive Board. She said the 19 Small Business Loan program had been dissolved and removed from the list of boards and 20 commissions. 21 Commissioner Fowler asked for clarification on the ABC Board term. 22 Tara May said the appointment was for a two year term. 23 Commissioner Hamilton clarified that there are two commissioner positions on the Capital 24 Needs Task Force, one of which is vacant. 25 Chair Bedford discussed the Burlington Graham MPO meeting structure. She said that 26 TARPO and Burlington Graham MPO are really good ways to learn about transit. 27 Commissioner Fowler said that TARPO has a virtual meeting option. 28 Chair Bedford said that GoTriangle and Durham Tech positions would normally be saved, 29 but because they were previously held by former Commissioner Renee Price, their temporary 30 assignments cannot be saved. 31 32 The Board made the following selections for boards and commissions: Board Name 2023 BOCC Member ABC Board Commissioner Fowler Alliance Health Board of Directors Commissioner Hamilton Board of Health Commissioner Bedford Board of Social Services Commissioner Bedford Burlington/Graham MPO Transportation Advisory Commissioner Richards-Member Committee Commissioner Fowler-Alternate Cooperative Extension Leadership Council Commissioner Fowler Durham- Chapel Hill — Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Commissioner Bedford-Member Organization Board Commissioner Greene-Alternate Durham Tech Board of Trustees Commissioner McKee Family Success Alliance Advisory Council Commissioner Richards Fire Chiefs Association of Orange County Commissioner Bedford Go Triangle Board of Trustees Commissioner Greene 35 Commissioner McKee Go Triangle Special Tax Board Commissioner Fowler Go Triangle Transit Advisory Committee Commissioner Hamilton Healthy Carolinians Commissioner Bedford Commissioner Fowler-Member Intergovernmental Parks Work Group Commissioner Hamilton-Alternate JCPC (Orange County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council Commissioner Portie-Ascott Commissioner Richards Justice Advisory Council Commissioner Fowler Commissioner Bedford Legislative Issues Work Group (LIWG) Commissioner Portie-Ascott North/South Bus Rapid Transit (N/S BRT policy committee Commissioner Portie-Ascott Orange County Behavioral Health Work Group Commissioner Richards Orange County Local Government Affordable Housing Collaborative Commissioner Portie-Ascott Orange County Partnership for Young Children Commissioner Richards Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Commissioner Greene Piedmont Food Processing Center Commissioner Greene Research Triangle Regional Partnership Executive Board Commissioner Portie-Ascott Commissioner McKee Solid Waste Advisor Group SWAG Commissioner Fowler Commissioner Hamilton Strategic Communications Work Group Commissioner McKee The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Directors Commissioner Richards Commissioner Portie-Ascott- Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO) Member Transportation Advisory Committee Commissioner Richards-Alternate Commissioner McKee-Member Triangle J. Council of Governments (TJCOG) Commissioner Hamilton-Alternate Commissioner Greene-member Upper Neuse River Basin Association Commissioner Bedford-alternate Visitor's Bureau Advisory Board Commissioner McKee Other Active Task Forces/Work Groups For Reference Capital Needs Work Group Commissioner Hamilton Library Services Task Force Commissioner Fowler Commissioner Hamilton Orange County Schools Safety Task Force Commissioner McKee NOTE: The Chair of the Board of County Commissioners serves as an ex-officio member of the Hillsborough Historic Commission 1 2 A motion was made by Vice-Chair McKee to approve the assignments for BOCC boards 3 and commissions. Commissioner Hamilton seconded the motion. 4 5 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6 36 1 7. Reports 2 None. 3 4 8. Consent Agenda 5 6 • Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda 7 8 Chair Bedford requested to remove item 8-c from the consent agenda. 9 10 • Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda 11 12 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to 13 approve the remaining consent agenda. 14 15 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 16 17 Commissioner Greene said that in reference to item 8-c, she was asked by Jessica Perrin, 18 who works with the Soil and Water Conservation district, if farmers were able to apply for the 19 county's climate action grants. She said that she reviewed the Climate Action Grant language 20 criteria and that farmers are not excluded but she does not know if there is a lot of outreach to 21 them. She said that it is an opportune time and that Solarize Triangle should also reach out to 22 farming community. 23 Bonnie Hammersley said Amy Eckberg would work on that for both issues. 24 25 A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, to 26 approve item 8-c. 27 28 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 29 30 a. Minutes 31 The Board approved the draft minutes for the January 17, 2023 BOCC Meeting as submitted by 32 the Clerk to the Board. 33 b. Approval of the Purchase of Land Records Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) 34 Software 35 The Board approved the purchase of Land Records Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) 36 software from Farragut Systems, Inc. 37 c. Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget Amendment#6 38 The Board approved budget, grant, and capital project ordinance amendments for Fiscal Year 39 2022-23. 40 d. Durham & Orange Transit Plan Governance Study — Interlocal Agreement Between 41 Oranqe County, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, and 42 Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority 43 The Board adopted the revised Orange County Transit Plan Interlocal Agreement (ILA). 44 e. North Carolina Local Government Commission Contract Amendment#2 45 The Board amended the contract with the North Carolina Local Government Commission (LGC) 46 for the County's audit to modify of the audit fee to reflect additional audit hours required to 47 complete the audit and the Local Government Employer Retirement System (LGERS) 48 examination. 49 f. Proposed Revisions to the Wild and Dangerous Animal Provisions in the Orange County 50 Unified Animal Control Ordinance 37 1 The Board presented for second reading proposed revisions and changes to the Wild and 2 Dangerous Animal provisions in the Orange County Unified Animal Control Ordinance, and adopt 3 the attached resolution approving the revisions. 4 g. Amendment to the Code of Ordinances — Emergency Proclamations 5 The Board presented changes to Chapter 14 (Emergency Management and Emergency Services) 6 of the Code of Ordinances for second reading and adopt the attached resolution approving the 7 revisions. 8 h. Letter of Support for Chapel Hill's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability 9 and Equity (RAISE) Grant Application 10 The Board approved a letter of support for the Town of Chapel Hill's Rebuilding American 11 Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant application. This item was added at 12 the beginning of the meeting. 13 14 9. County Manager's Report 15 16 Bonnie Hammersley said the retreat was on February 241h at the Solid Waste Management 17 Facility. She described the agenda for the retreat. She said on February 27th the Board would 18 be back at Solid Waste Management Facility for the legislative breakfast. 19 20 10. County Attorney's Report 21 John Roberts said three departments responded to his request for any statewide 22 legislation that the Board might support. He said that he will send that out in the morning so they 23 can have it in advance of the legislative breakfast next week. He welcomed Commissioner Portie- 24 Ascott to the Board. 25 Vice-Chair McKee said he was going to send a letter in regard to White Cross Fire 26 Department for the purchase of certain capital items, as required by law. He read the letter: 27 28 To whom it may concern, 29 I, Earl T McKee, attended a Board of Directors meeting of the White Cross 30 Volunteer Fire Department on February 2, 2023 in my official role as a County 31 Commissioner in Orange County, North Carolina. 32 The purpose of my attendance at this meeting was to ensure compliance with the 33 Federal Law governing certain capital purchases by local governing entities 34 including Volunteer Fire Departments. 35 The following prescribed actions were followed by this VFD 36 - a meeting was called on a date certain, February 2, 2023 37 - notice of this meeting was provided to the public by publication in the local 38 newspaper, the posting of said printed notice on the front door of the fire station 39 prior to the meeting and on the website 40 - a copy of the contract was made available for public viewing 41 - this certification that I witnessed the resolution authorizing the execution and 42 issuance by the VFD of a lease purchase financing contract to acquire SCBA 43 equipment for an amount not to exceed $325,000.00 44 Earl T. McKee 45 Commissioner, District 2 46 Orange County, North Carolina 47 48 Vice-Chair McKee said he would be unable to attend the legislative breakfast on February 49 27th due to work commitments. 50 Commissioner Fowler said she would also be unable to attend the legislative breakfast. 51 38 1 11. *Appointments 2 None. 3 4 12. Information Items 5 0 February 7, 2023 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List 6 • Memorandum —Annual Report of the Community Child Protection Team (CCPT) 7 • Memorandum — Perry Hills Mini-Park- Project Progress Update 8 • Memorandum — Financial Report - Second Quarter FY 2022-23 9 10 13. Closed Session 11 None. 12 13 14. Adjournment 14 A motion was made by Vice-Chair McKee and seconded by Commissioner Hamilton to 15 adjourn the meeting at 9:45 p.m. 16 17 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 18 19 20 Jamezetta Bedford, Chair 21 22 23 Laura Jensen 24 Clerk to the Board 25 26 Submitted for approval by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board. Attachment 2 1 1 DRAFT MINUTES 2 ORANGE COUNTY 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4 RETREAT 5 February 24, 2023 6 9:00 a.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 9 24, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. at the Solid Waste Management Facility in Chapel Hill, NC. 10 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Earl McKee 12 (left at 2:30 p.m.), and Commissioners Amy Fowler, Sally Greene,Jean Hamilton, Phyllis Portie- 13 Ascott, and Anna 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 Bedford called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. All commissioners were present. 21 Bonnie Hammersley welcome the Board to the retreat. 22 Travis Myren asked the group an ice breaker question to begin the day. 23 24 Framing the Countywide Strategic Plan 25 26 a. Purpose of Strategic Planning 27 Charlene Kirongozi and Jonathan Grace from BerryDunn, the strategic plan consultants, 28 made the following presentation: 29 30 Slide #1 Orange County Strategic Plan Board Presentation February 24,2023 b BerryDunn 31 32 2 1 Slide #2 Retreat Agenda Introductions County Board experiences with strategic planning County Board expectations for the strategic planning effort a _- Overview of the project Preliminary visioning discussion b 2 3 4 Slide #3 The BerryDunn Team ILz JGnathan Grace [iarhne KIrongul Shannon Flowers 1rad0iso', llo• ers Khera bbdus Prolecl P^mci.pal Pnwat kwhaWff and FaeiYmror 1,*pr nr.rr Subject Ualler Erperl FacEialm Rrsrerdlhhehe[ BeMOu a'a 3fit3r G�euu�n4 -- On raj 1.wmaded mg part ?«.w baa la ibxyd Y Y: 5PmW1zzWm ,-We q and WemmA&fi4m r cirr4lrrrtri ui co.,,or,.7aira is Ell eayere _.'!f. artldlrrp the Qmnrmm enetl 5 6 7 8 3 1 Slide #4 Board Discussion: Your Experience with Strategic Planning • RATEGIC YLANNING 2 3 Charlene Kirongozi asked the Board to describe their experiences with strategic planning. 4 Commissioners Fowler and Hamilton said they'd participated in a strategic planning 5 process as former school board members. 6 Commissioner Richards said in her work in the private sector she had a strategic planning 7 group reporting to her, and had other experience outside of the private sector. 8 Chair Bedford said she had experience with the school board and as a member of the 9 public. 10 Vice-Chair McKee said he had very little experience. 11 Commissioner Greene said she had no experience. 12 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she had some experience through her work in the 13 Democratic Party. 14 15 Slide #5 Board Discussion: Your Expectations for the Strategic Planning Project What are your expectations for the strategic planning project? � What outcomes do you hope to achieve from the process? What does success look like when the strategic plan is completed? b 16 17 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how long the strategic planning process would last. 18 Charlene Kirongozi said it would last six months. 19 Commissioner Richards said success would be a guiding document that would be used 20 by the organization. 21 Commissioner Fowler said it would include measurable goals. 4 1 Chair Bedford would like more in-depth communication with people who do not usually 2 attend meetings. She said she'd like to see goals integrated into department work. She said she 3 wanted something that looked like the county's master aging plan with actionable items and 4 measureable goals. She said she'd like a 10-year horizon since government can move slowly. 5 Commissioner Hamilton said she'd like the measures to be used to make data driven 6 decisions. 7 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the measurable goals will be integrated into the 8 budget. 9 Charlene Kirongozi said yes, the best practice is to align the budget to the strategic plan. 10 Commissioner Greene asked how unexpected challenges or opportunities are 11 incorporated into the plan. 12 Charlene Kirongozi said it is important to review, re-examine, and reframe. 13 Jonathan Grace said that organizations must give themselves flexibility. 14 Commissioner Fowler said some things are state mandated. She said it is important to 15 acknowledge that fact when creating the plan. 16 Chair Bedford said it is important for her to temper her own expectations. She said 17 mandated vs. optional/desired means that the Board needs to be realistic with the community. 18 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the county is strategizing based on excess income 19 or based on the services the county is able to provide. 20 Charlene Kirongozi said it's both, and that the consultants would push the Board to be 21 aspirational. She said they would also set expectations with the community engagement groups 22 and encourage priority-setting. 23 24 b. Community Engagement Scope Discussion 25 26 Slide #6 Overview of the Process: What is a Strategic Pian? Defines 'What we a re goirg to pdoiiti7e and 'oc Ls on (goals.)so vie car achis-we the visior County's derision-makinq about: Budgets 27 28 29 30 5 1 Slide #7 Overview of the Strategic Planning Process SSlrategicPlan Irnp#emenialion Performance Project Initiation Stakeholder Development and Reoornmendatorks Monitawing and and Rlanning Engagement Approval anal Budget Continuing Engagement b 2 3 Commissioner Greene asked at what point in the process are existing plans incorporated 4 into the strategic plan, such as the transit plan. She said it would be helpful for the community to 5 know that these plans are in place as they are engaged in the strategic planning process. 6 Jonathan Grace said existing plans will be reviewed to see where they can find alignment. 7 Commissioner Richards asked stakeholder engagement is about what they want, vs. what 8 the county has. She said it would be helpful to know if the community's needs are in alignment 9 with existing plans. 10 Commissioner Greene said the transit plan was developed over two years with community 11 engagement. She said it was a robust process. 12 Commissioner Hamilton said it is important to help the community understand what the 13 limitations are in the county. 14 Charlene Kirongozi said that the community engagement tool can include existing policy 15 documents. 16 Commissioner Fowler said it is helpful to give the community a definition on what county 17 government is and can do. 18 Chair Bedford said it is important for existing plans and policy documents should living 19 documents and adjust as new information and priorities come up. 20 Commissioner Greene said education for the community is important, including existing 21 plans and policies. 22 Chair Bedford asked what a typical stakeholder engagement process looks like. 23 Charlene Kirongozi said it usually starts with interviews and focus groups. She said all of 24 the data will be incorporated into an environmental scan which will be presented to the Board. 25 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for more information about when the visioning process 26 would be conducted with the stakeholder group. She wanted to make sure that people who are 27 not normally involved in discussions are part of the process. 28 Charlene Kirongozi said random sample of people will be used to try to ensure that many 29 voices are heard. 6 1 Commissioner Fowler said Commissioner Portie-Ascott wanted to make sure that 2 interviews are not biased by receiving the stakeholder engagement data first. 3 Commissioner Richards said it would require extra effort to reach as many different groups 4 as possible. She said stakeholder engagement would be approached in multiple ways, and then 5 that information would be shared at community meetings. 6 Jonathan Grace said these approaches would be developed and decided in Phase 1. 7 Chair Bedford said that the Board would like to see these approaches first before 8 stakeholder engagement begins. 9 Commissioner Hamilton asked if it would be beneficial to look at recent county surveys to 10 add another way to gauge the priorities of the community. 11 Charlene Kirongozi said it will be important that surveys are not repetitive from previous 12 efforts. 13 Jonathan Grace said existing community events will be opportunities to gather input. 14 Vice-Chair McKee said Orange County has a very engaged community. He said he 15 worries that the loudest voices in the room drown out others. He wanted to hear about the 16 consultants' plan to reach those who are not as engaged. 17 Charlene Kirongozi said that community meetings in different areas will be very important. 18 She said it is important to identify different groups that may have specific needs. 19 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the survey would be in multiple languages. 20 Charlene Kirongozi said they would be. 21 Chair Bedford said that the survey should be in Spanish, Mandarin, and Karen. 22 Jonathan Grace said there would be some people who just don't participate, perhaps due 23 to lack of access. He said it's important to identify and think about how to reach out to them. 24 Commissioner Richards asked if stakeholders include county staff. 25 Charlene Kirongozi said yes. 26 27 Slide #8 Project Approach: Facilitation Methodology The Institute of CulturalAffalrs ToP`l faellitation methodology emprhaslzes structured parklpation that creates a clear intention,helping member of the group align with one another and reach,consensus, Individual and Group Creativity Brrrxs oars Me best of Action a n d 0i) k and aficbperwnn'srarnfw Ownership ation &WWJ mrenhwe L'&fJVNtJI�tJB:' Pb:Yhm-,;Pic,grobpk;- ny ur fha N ar acrrrara rxi, gf hGuh lf, AgrivoflS ot"ed arart Car wax at1� W rred by growle m}Prk be(a Values Inclusive Reflection Participation Encouraged by and Learning 7rr;+�d5vs arxf gdrerarrag Structured C'ffvff s reiWvidu vFf0Lp Participationr W,tram` x-UM mrn�raric rat afire aRG w?d' �rd7pGrfarrt79 C@nt�:nAK&enani 28 29 30 7 1 Slide #9 Project Approach: Environmental Scan and Needs Analysis The foundation of strategic plan is an environmental scan and needsanalysis � �. Provide Identify Provide Help County potential everyone leaders opportunities, involved in successfully challenges,and strategicnavigate the trends that can planningwith a fc�rcesand drive the shared obstacles that County'sfocus understanding can hinder the and of the County's achievement of efFecliveness. current a shared vision. envi ronment. b 2 3 4 c. Identification of Key Stakeholders 5 6 Slide #10 Project Approach: Stakeholder Engagement Beard of County Commissioners - Sports - Faith Communities —County Leadership and Staff c' Homeowners Assoclatlons/Cultural Centers Community Partners Residents Businesses/Restaurants Community Leaders Boards and Commissions Inter0ews wlth diverse stakeholders ' Social Pinpoint Community Engagement Platform Comnnunity Forums Other existing County pia n s e 7 8 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what industries will be targeted. 9 Charlene Kirongozi said they would be identified by the county, and the consultants will 10 reach out to them. 8 1 Jonathan Grace said stakeholders can vary community to community, so it is important 2 that identification of stakeholders is a collaborative process. 3 Charlene Kirongozi said they also ask interviewees if there is anyone they suggest should 4 be contacted. 5 Commissioner Hamilton said she would like to know how long people have lived in Orange 6 County when they respond. 7 Commissioner Greene said she didn't think that question is relevant. 8 Commissioner Hamilton said she wanted to understand what perspective people are 9 coming from. 10 Commissioner Fowler said it would be helpful to know so that they can make sure they 11 are reaching a variety of people with different experiences. 12 Commissioner Greene said she thought it could push people away when they are 13 completing the survey. 14 Charlene Kirongozi said that it would be part of the questions to encourage a statically 15 valid survey. 16 Chair Bedford said the question would need to be framed carefully. 17 Commissioner Fowler said it could be valuable to know if there are more people in one 18 area who are new to the county. 19 Commissioner Hamilton said she thought it was important to think about. 20 Jonathan Grace said the survey questions would be sent to the Board in advance. 21 Vice-Chair McKee said there are people who have lived in Orange County all of their lives 22 and feel ignored or not valued by newcomers. He said it goes back to his concerns of small 23 interest groups dominating the process. 24 Commissioner Hamilton said it would be helpful to have a strategic plan to use when 25 responding to special interest groups so commissioners can explain their reasoning for decision 26 making. 27 28 Slide #11 ProjectApproach: Virtual Engagement KLLLAINL_ L r{ 1918 City of Redlands - .rr.rerrmlMco+4!Ira.}':Rme+I WdM&.iaMs'rwi slralcLt _,. �.•rrhlchMllrp—4-h1 lrtm Total Visits } d41+'^di;ra 1!pu hnmpa�e i`e you-wra lnee.Mrd m+rteerti�sen hart •r'Jl ur_le Aftkin=b.*-PL..V rS&- rd Ta eaaa R. .`/'J� Rnibr9s Sl 1.1a M.,—b rtb f�fh7>lGill F%"*t�yfi M.tl'rt 1.r y,U%- ! /� p,.r;,re�rs nmr aters�s0.'s}rupAsearwurlr�mRlnry.•ryyr.y fT' p.d yon Ih-ltb m sa 1—idla Unique 1.secs 39 Comments 4 Share your ideas Take a brief survey Enuisic7n our future Survey Responses C{If MD hg 03pcs.IMP19 US WOW W"'7h011 N* LolC11�rIVidrS Yrwn hex R"6rdt is dune-irW yyS�'e3d'A1YS[GQI[rrill vfihaslrul sown laGL ke0utds shcr,ln fh[WS tvl-andhwt. hprrtsh7Utltoe pC.ae MA perks.mtl open spaces Srampvwbrx the Ecy iYl'irN trven maYib iruim ei[ew 29 30 9 1 Commissioner Fowler said it would be helpful to have printed materials for those who do 2 not have good internet access. 3 Chair Bedford said it would almost need to be similar to a marketing campaign with 4 advertisement through multiple methods. 5 Commissioner Richards said having the survey information available at the library would 6 also be helpful. 7 Vice-Chair McKee asked if the number of visits/comments/responses listed on slide #11 8 were typical of other communities. 9 Charlene Kirongozi said the example shown is lower than normal. 10 Jonathan Grace said these figures also do not show the total responses for the statistically 11 valid survey, which will be undertaken by a separate firm. 12 13 Slide #12 Project Approach: North Star Vision The North Star Vision F An organization's North Star Vision serves as a unifying focal point for long-term achleveenent.It must be clear enough for stakeholders to know what they are working towards and how to get there. Stakeholders roust see their rale in Ihi5 vision and believe in the orpnization s dream,as they will play a vital role in executing on it. b 14 15 16 Slide #13 Project Approach: Plan Development Board of County Commissioners • Mission • Vision 0The North Star Vision Strategic Priorities .6 serveS as a unifying Focal Strategic Goals 5, point for an organization's long-term achievement.It IU must be clear enough For statkeholders to know win at they are working towards County Leadership and haw to get Ihere. Stakeholders must see their ~ 0 role irk and Current and Future State this vision a 4 StrategicObjectives Z believe to the organization's d3 dream,as they will play a Performance Measures _C vital rale in executing on it. 17 10 1 Slide #14 Project Approach- Strategic Pion Document lilt�Or®nvwxLaao _ Slrratgvic Plan -Apr#I , 20-92 Fiissicr�'f,7CeTenC tit_:P: alp>.ccncnC •,t-11;iA I. eie,klPa -d b bserapes�e.�pro.+pfLry nl.6riP'»�'aP,>ip �17,..r.h.na�rM/m�va4 end cwPWni�.+ywat ork Yh 1-d IN4WWpabe.'i Nal..Y*-A it .Ia.Y'+ravin]':u..raY acr..y..vr,ua0rap..raie.-0 crMnpN�.a.nm..tlwaigNfil M+•alrM i.fn 'r.�l3ryfm.t:Yklei ,tE!d3nlE#M a-Wp X.tN r•M•�•:'+: u1l.Mc¢iiY"'lsawlVwwll'-ms.mrae � i �M.k IFax arwa'LbnnWw..lk a. I.R. vrl- �:wwum R,f�eir'xna wea v..�r: a: 11 1 Slide #16 Project Approach: Performance Monitoring Implernenlation Plan Template it W. i --d i J'.gGw ,ar ha,� Lff rta agktl+ss ern t ea"°cc`�rf #�� an Mp+twv.�u� EIMUF p4"M"'v" WOO OQdf 6s-.1%ib IV a b. .N ;�,. 9sPR,z'[�7�W nod a � UMM4.VoOK 3.e. I3•,r.4y GASSAM itY6 uI�•hal: y,u i y'rr t,�19} W.J7.R,eKA 6twe f4r-7i. Wrl r I c6p:1w hro� araGb�r n'IaMrs C�ilry - 7 Quartawly and Annual Report Templar .r.h^ Ono*WPMO PAC i WA L-A-*1stgWxi m+rti4 vd�aFFnv Mkr WWF a.abwr i3 FiNYPLG:Jhuaahhr �18-0[}1iYlYN FKA aa+ h- ducAq'XV'W' o.,�bdu14► wb- M� �++r++lhurnri lei w�+b aaaa►ewa�rn� # ,�t>tNi[,tiC,J...ra.aaC rsp,.a}..M.P.— r—W W « .v.yanewM'wh r. +tabu ..d, �,wa..�a,ue,o.e { au�iu. eiJnAr + '�r'•+•, rr W P Ta,.s,« uneq�.san Nw. OMI Wis.a n+'+Qan WNM1++ t'02 i 7rxLLFIFA�aaYY 31M THW6iro ?"O Fi WMT Ri v Thw~.ko&A .Wpa �—� !+KQ H Fi Owadow, Y} wv.- T K'rY9a'�N.�H Aw i 3 FYBihoJi F+IBS w�4 fMl U.'�-f0''e1�'Y1�i.6W% !y�' FiWISV[�HAF lrrtr�'MN�+<Y*:U.M pa�a4 . hQA Ma]o1J1atF fauyx na�eMia�8r32 h'ti'r r++awuo.• Conduct Implementation Workshop 2 3 4 Slide #17 Environmental Scan - SWOT Analysis SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and Ie� threats. DIVOT analysis assesses you current position before deciding on any strategies. SWOT analysis reduces the chances of failure by understanding and eliminating obstacles that get in tale way of effective strategy. 5 6 7 8 12 1 Slide #18 Environmental Scan — SWOT Analysis Discussion What are the strengths of etre Community? Of County government? . Kftt are weaknesses that geed to be , taken into account? Community? County E70 7 government7 T • "at opportunities does Orange County have that it can capitaiize oro? What threats is the community facing now Y � and for its future? that threats does Count government face to effectively y serving the community now and to the future? 2 3 The Board wrote their responses to the above questions: 4 5 STRENGTHS: 6 Commissioner Portie-Ascott noted that Orange County is a diverse community. She said 7 the community has a great reputation for being involved. 8 Commissioner Greene said the county has strong management. She said the community 9 is progressive and pushes the government to do good things and to help, such as social justice, 10 broadband, and a climate action plan. 11 Vice-Chair McKee said the community is engaged and informed. He said the county has 12 the resources to provide services and a good reputation. 13 Chair Bedford said the community values education and helping the planet. She said that 14 the community has good healthcare resources and arts programming. She said county 15 government has capable staff, transparent operations, service-focused departments, and 16 department directors work together. 17 Commissioner Richards said the county has professional management. She said the 18 community is committed and has a strong business sector. 19 Commissioner Fowler said the community is highly-educated and a large majority of 20 residents are self-sufficient. She said there are lots of resources for advisory boards. She said 21 the community is a mix of suburban and rural. She said the community is diverse and engaged. 22 She said the county has a well-organized budget and departments have SMART goals. 23 Commissioner Hamilton said many residents have monetary and time resources to be 24 engaged. She said county government has dedicated staff and comprehensive services. 25 26 WEAKNESSES: 27 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said a weakness is a lack of affordable housing. She said 28 the county has disparities in the education system. 29 Commissioner Greene said there is a lack of money to do all of the things we want to do. 30 She said she thinks that the county does not communicate well with residents. 13 1 Vice-Chair McKee said the loudest voices override others, leaving people feeling unheard. 2 He also noted the lack of infrastructure for economic development. 3 Chair Bedford said poverty, rural/urban divide, skyrocketing housing and childcare costs, 4 lack of full transit, undiversified tax base, crumbling schools, and equity opportunity gaps. She 5 said staff need more time to collaborate, they are dealing with systems that are inequitable, and 6 they need more money. 7 Commissioner Richards said a weakness is that there are two different counties and 8 uneven resources. She said we have the highest per capita income, but not everyone participates 9 in that. She said there is shrinking diversity, because people can't afford to live in the county. 10 She said a weakness is the real estate tax base. She said decisions were made many years ago 11 that can't be undone. She said communication to the public is a weakness. She said lack of a 12 clear vision is a weakness. She said lack of a clear vision makes it difficult for staff. 13 Commissioner Fowler said there is a large mental health issue, lack of affordable housing, 14 and insufficient public transit. She said there are massive school capital needs. She said there 15 is tension between economic growth and the ability to provide affordable housing and other needs 16 for increasing numbers of residents. She said there are insufficient funds to meet all needs. She 17 said the county has to fund schools, both capital and some operational, and she said that it creates 18 difficulties because schools do not have to determine what their real needs are, the county has to 19 make these decisions. She said funding for schools is tied to a percentage, versus what they 20 need and what the county's needs are. 21 Commissioner Hamilton said strong special interest groups affect decision-making, lack 22 of diverse industries, the capital needs of schools, lack of affordable housing, and a limited ability 23 to raise taxes. She said communication and coordinating with residents could be better. She 24 said departments can be silo-ed. 25 26 The Board took a 15 minute break. 27 28 OPPORTUNITIES: 29 Commissioner Hamilton said an opportunity is that the county has a stable tax base. She 30 said when there are changes in the economy, they are buffered. She said they have engaged 31 commissioners, residents, and staff. She said the strategic plan is an opportunity. 32 Commissioner Fowler said there is an engaged populous, a university, and farmland/open 33 space. 34 Commissioner Richards said an opportunity is regional growth and an improved 35 transportation system. She said they have an opportunity to improve inter-connectivity across 36 the county. 37 Chair Bedford said the strategic plan is an opportunity. She said the county has beautiful 38 natural areas, which gives opportunities for eco- and agri-tourism. She said there are 39 opportunities in changing policing and justice systems. She said the behavioral health center is 40 tied to that. She said county government has an opportunity to work on equity across functions. 41 She said they have an opportunity in integrating services, so residents have a one stop shop, 42 such as the housing helpline. 43 Vice-Chair McKee said the geographic location of the county and increased economic 44 development interests are opportunities. 45 Commissioner Greene said there is an opportunity to collaborate and think regionally for 46 transit and housing. She said the southern branch of the library will increase opportunities to think 47 collaboratively. She said farmland provides an opportunity to strengthen that resource. She said 48 there will also be opportunities with the new behavioral health center. 49 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said there is an opportunity engage with developers to make 50 it easier to build affordable housing and increase economic development. 51 14 1 THREATS: 2 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said a threat is a lack of money and work force to accomplish 3 some of the things we want to do. 4 Commissioner Greene said a threat is encroaching development around the county. She 5 said the lack of affordable housing is a threat. She said the unemployment rate might be low, but 6 many people working in the county are driving in from far away each day because they can't afford 7 to live where they work. 8 Vice-Chair McKee said a growing population is bringing gentrification to Orange County. 9 He said other threats include high expectations and resistance to change. 10 Chair Bedford said increasing costs are forcing people out. She said mental health issues 11 area threat, especially for youth. She said climate change is a major threat. She said the General 12 Assembly cutting funding across service areas is a threat. She said the county's biggest threat 13 is recruiting and retaining employees. 14 Commissioner Richards agreed that the General Assembly is a threat. She said there are 15 competing interests with limited resources. She said population growth is projected to slow. She 16 said statewide, the projection is higher growth. She said she is not sure how that fits into planning. 17 She said it may be perception versus reality. 18 Commissioner Fowler said growth has led to tearing down affordable housing and 19 replacing it with unaffordable housing. She said transit may not be meeting the needs of 20 residents. She said school capital is a large need looming in the environment. 21 Commissioner Hamilton said there are a lack of people for human service employment. 22 She said that undermines the ability of schools to provide services. She said the demand from 23 elsewhere is driving up the cost of housing. She said balancing those demands is difficult. 24 25 Strategic Plan Community Engagement 26 27 a. Initial Visioning with Board of Commissioners 28 29 Charlene Kirongozi and Jonathan Grace continued the presentation: 30 31 Slide #19 Preliminary Visioning Discussion • What is your ideal vision for trove the County will took and feel 5 years from now? • What, specificefly will be dlfierent than now? What will be the same? • What will the people of the community be experiencing living In Orange County 11 ■ What accomplfshment(s)would make " you most proud to have achieved at the completion of your service on the Board of County Commissioners? 32 AA 15 1 Slide #20 Preliminary Visioning Discussion • Write ONE IDES, per card_ Record your ideas on the Post-It using ONE to FIVE WORDS. Write BIG! 1,7 2 3 4 The Board wrote their ideas down for a preliminary visioning discussion on sticky notes. 5 The ideas were categorized into similar themes: 6 Orr— —,"W* Mo re rQ G i I1�?i Il cTe f luF2 5�'f-` e- cl A z , � r ieA +� l 7 16 CxQ�� fir�e� �c��s5 ppI 7— �vcfise.l �IYNSfwri"fifi0tif ( 0.i Iry}ort crm�u�''�'r°a;�t 'a 1 ¢{ res deA, S 17 Ns ) Sc.s.,oal caP;'tel rree.{I � QilGr^rnGn T Wo kf_ o(isr" re a,,. Imp yyroye 1 �ltiw� 5rvii'SmGxt :w.. � �nf WM1tiA. �9 USir�q f � / 1 2 18 6 Uvw%i Vl q 1 19 1 Chlldrerl et CA((y C©ref r,�e C1�+1dl+oo� dawa-I-i +sl)e$5 reap fdrmrmF �1 o re. C�r ve,�rs� 1 c Oren s 11!'�tl5 OW urz oOr �gpl. aPf �ak/er YLP -61 fen^�,f Tx 'UNrde� o� �{.�rc a.iNr✓s -FV n5m 3 4 20 r0o ftV44A L t -^N K�,f\+a,-t V-) M t(ga4e, �fw-s C1;�,A� rrstilt�u— 1 21 1 b. Questions and Discussion 2 3 Slide #21 Next steps • Engage stakeholders (favus groups, one-on- one interviews, virtual engagement, etc.") • Develop Environmental Scan presentation Conduct Community Visioning Forums • I' .! 0 0 i VlSION 4 5 6 Slide #22 Final Questions and Discussion That questions do you have as we move forward? What additional guidance do you have for the project team? 8 9 The Board took an hour break for lunch. 10 11 22 1 Budget Planning Briefing 2 3 a. Preview of Opportunities and Challenges for the FY2023-24 Operating Budget 4 5 Slide #1 RAE CT NORTH CAROLINA FY2023 -24 BUDGET PLANNIN BRIEFING Board of Orange County Commissioners' Retreat February uar y 4, 202 6 7 Bonnie Hammersley said this presentation is purely informational and the gap the Board 8 will see is not something they need to fix because it is her job to present a balanced budget on 9 May 2nd. She said all county departments are submitting their budget requests today, so their 10 requests are not part of the presentation. She said her goal with this budget is to retain current 11 employees. She said the cost to continue for the school districts is included, and she will meet 12 with them on March 1St to discuss what she is able to include in her recommended budget. She 13 reiterated that the presentation is informational to show them how staff builds the budget and staff 14 will figure out how to fix any issues with numbers. She said Travis Myren will lead them through 15 the presentation. 16 Travis Myren said the first part of the presentation would be operating budget planning, 17 and the second part would be a discussion with bond counsel, Bob Jessup, about whether to 18 pursue a bond. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 23 1 Slide #2 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2023-24 BUDGET • Budget Tools Used in the Budget Process — Cost to Continue Coed,��srusatedw�tn�onnnuatlonadCun�ntSl�ln� — Ten(1D)Year capital Investment Flan(CIP) Apprmtes Appropria"rLsI rYear I Creates aTom(lel Year Plan for CapiLaI Expandituras — Debt Service M&del Pro-jrsts debt ServIon kqulrarn�nnrs Measures tri ad oriflP — Long Range Financial Plan Ten.(11)}Vaar GV-orabria Budget Projec bon,hto-dal based on PrnMiours E+rpeDditureTrands Inregra4e-s UaMSarvita and Operations and hl aIn[rnanzacosts from ftp ORANGECOUNTY t O T]r C/iROLLNA 2 3 Travis Myren said this budget is relatively predictable overall. 4 5 Slide #3 ORANGE COUNTYF ` 2023- 4 BUDGET • 'Strategic Focus Areas for 0 3- 4 — Existing Cuunty Staff and Programs — School Districts'Continuation Deeds — Financial Stability ORANGE COUNTY NICIMr CAROLINA 6 7 Travis Myren noted that the schools have faced the same staffing and recruitment issues 8 as the county, which will be reflected in the schools' continuation budget. 9 10 24 1 Slide #4 ORANGECOUNWIFY2022-23 EXPENDITURE BUDGET TramAm Ta 21'X CvqWb&to i1, ■Personnel Services ■0perwions ■Recu rrinq Cap itat ■Education aCoraribs_to Lather Ape tom a Long Hang&Calpm I Debt ■Trarls�rs Tp P"uningg Capruel D.7a ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn r CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #5 ORANGE COU NTYFY 2023-24 EXPENDITURE BUD Er County Expenditures not Including Education ORANGE COUNTY NO RT]r G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 9 10 25 1 Slide #6 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2023-24 BUDGET • Expenditure Projections — County Cost toContinveCurrent Staffing and Programs — School Continuation Budget Estimates — Debt Service Requirements ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn r CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #7 COU NTY COST TO ONTINUE ESTIMATE . Known Personnel Cost Drivers F Annualized Salary Changes 54.6W.0W Merll Pa6ormanca Awa res U25.004 Heath Irksurane (5 increase) $425,000 Reliremant contributions 51.100. TOTAL MOWN COSTS $6,55D,000 Other Personnel Considerations - Acru the Board Wage Adjustment-Evoryr 1%-$700,000 - LiwinghNialge-$16.60 ORANGE COUNTY NOR-n I G''LROL[NA 5 6 Travis Myren said the county has done a lot of salary work, starting with implementing 7 STEP plans in public safety, and now the focus is social services. He said every time the hourly 8 wage in Durham County goes up, it influences how we have to look at entry level salaries, which 9 then requires cascading adjustments to treat employees who have been in the organization longer 26 1 fairly. He noted that the retirement contributions are determined by the Local Government 2 Employee Retirement System (LGERS). 3 4 Slide #8 COU NTY COST TO CONTI N UE ESTI MATES • operating and Contractual Services Considerations General Inflationary Pressures fleet Services Operating Costs(Fuel and Repairs) — Software as Service and Maintenance — ArnericanRescue Plan Act Fra,graniContinuation EnriDrgemcy Hoitsing AssMa msa $tires!Owmalch,Harm r;a411111on and Diwrsion Long TlmaHumt •mar°sAssistancc Program Chlld Care Parent I'F s — Medicaid Expansion ORANGE COUNTY 5 6 Travis Myren noted that Orange County may be responsible for 25% of needed additional 7 positions in Social Services if Medicaid Expansion is approved. 8 9 Slide #9 HO L ONTINUAlTI NE TIMATE ContinL anon Entimartes Chapel HtllCeirrbora City Schools.CZmninustion Estimate-Approximately 59 mil lion Oraji�o CourAySrib olsCOMInuallOAF3ttti ON-Approtimaloly 52 million. Includerr gimilar cost Draws to the County Curet to Continue nue No Matrriil Growth in Number of Fundmtl St1lfrRgVl3 At6 1001Bid ORANGE COUNTY h,�GAM t CARDIANA 10 27 1 Travis Myren noted that the number of students declined at the start of the pandemic and 2 the numbers have not gone back up. 3 Chair Bedford asked what changes occurred between budget cycles to increase CHCCS's 4 continuation budget. 5 Travis Myren said the school system assigned around $5 million to salary adjustments. 6 He said around $3 million was used to address the state required increases and the rest was 7 used for increases for classified staff. 8 Chair Bedford said it would be nice to have a breakdown of the factors that led to the 9 increase. 10 Bonnie Hammersley said CHCCS's continuation budget also includes a 4% increase to 11 address salary adjustments for next year, while the county's does not. 12 Vice-Chair McKee asked what percentage of total schools funding goes to each school 13 district. 14 Kirk Vaughn, Budget Director, said the split is 40%-60%. 15 Chair Bedford said she doesn't need the information she requested today, but it would 16 help her moving into budget season. 17 Vice-Chair McKee said this looks like a much larger percentage than 4%. 18 Travis Myren said it is because of the salary adjustments they made to be competitive in 19 the market and recruit and retain employees. 20 Vice-Chair McKee asked how much the percentage increased from last year. 21 Kirk Vaughn said the increase was 16.5%. He said they also have the district tax which 22 goes up a smaller amount, so the general fund has to cover a larger percentage. 23 Vice-Chair McKee asked if the $9 million increase to CHCCS's continuation budget would 24 be covered fully by the county. 25 Kirk Vaughn said yes. 26 Commissioner Hamilton said the same way the county spends the majority of its 27 continuation budget on personnel, the schools have to do the same. She noted that the state 28 required salary increases that the schools had to meet and they are struggling to recruit and retain 29 employees, so she thinks the increase makes sense. 30 Chair Bedford and Vice-Chair McKee both said the increase is just larger than they would 31 have expected. 32 Chair Bedford said CHCCS also chose to include paternity leave, which was their choice 33 vs. a mandate from the state. 34 Commissioner Hamilton said decisions had to be made to retain personnel, and the Board 35 has not yet heard what the Manager will recommend to retain Orange County personnel. 36 Bonnie Hammersley said another difference between the districts is CHCCS is expecting 37 a larger percentage of funding from the state. 38 Kirk Vaughn said CHCCS is expecting 5% from the state, and OCS is expecting 3%. 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 28 1 Slide #10 SCHOOL CONTINUATION ESTIMATES Cost to the County Depends on Conti nu at io n Ta rget a rid R esulti ng Per Pupil Ann ount ltcuiuonumownEstvMta $ ,i G O Cnr ra nF r Number of Funder;31u+derds FY2022-23 11.442 to owr¢r er Nrdeo�,A Aens 2022-23 K ,AditoW Rm Prrpul $TK Addaiorill Pae PoN $2 [sir Fisrdad Saud"ts 9 ata +1WM Fun oi5d FAuidur.ft iti4 il`—e ;+e��r Pvprl X92_ %t-N Per Pupil OCS Adckwm I Fwrwk ",WA,23h CFMXS,4dkkk of Furry 2.PW F(-AajjNtpmfiwr rt:Wm**,''m1 $15. 17,. al N%k FiwobreNoWp s a_ ORANGE COUNTY F%6RT1 r CARnLIN A 2 3 Travis Myren said this table explains the difference needed in funding to meet the 4 continuation budget of each school system and keep the per pupil funding equal between the two. 5 Bonnie Hammersley said when she and budget staff anticipated the continuation budget 6 requests to be more similar to previous years, they thought the best strategy would be to fund 7 OCS's continuation budget fully because CHCCS has the benefit of the district tax. However, 8 since the numbers came in so differently than expected, she said the county is in a bind, and so 9 is CHCCS because they are in a structural deficit. 10 Commissioner Hamilton said part of this issue is the special district tax. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 29 1 Slide #11 SCHOOL CONTINUATION ESTIMATES Changes�n Per P upi[A mount by Year Change in Per Pupil Allocation "Mac ¢75t2m PW IC WPW IC &SW 66 54M ao- pmm "Mm ittnaxisarsa i y12am 1 �am 819.75 :Inaooit:O� 4 ORANGE COUNTY r'Ofrn i C-AROLLNA 2 3 Bonnie Hammersley said the $441 looks good, but it's high because the county lost 900 4 students. She said they plan to add the number of students here so people can see the context 5 for the difference. She assured the Board she will present a balanced budget despite these 6 challenges, but hopes this will demonstrate what staff faces as they consider her 7 recommendations. 8 9 Slide #12 DEET SERVICEREQUIREMENTS Five Year Debt Service P Fnjeckion Planned Debt Ser4re Revenues and Expenditures WM 1.12 Dgrt7u nrsalmn maW[Qtliar FY 20�fi-.Tf W support Eland Raraundlm &14 iA &.WWII Aran m tho 56 nlllm Illstl trp '51241 am-lwn WWLN �d k9 53$M OWN Sw&&daerusas twaiy in Pi H and FY 29 bMm pwidrg a1 Ma n!iinr In FY 33. 6341M FY 2U23.24 FY 2024-25 FY WKI 25 FY 2D2a.27 FY 2D27.2a Furding For DaM Semce 1 Sa ice Payments BcpardAllracatcd$t3 mlllloe in FY2G21-2F Fund Bakarmot,n new Capital Reaere*to OfflultrartieipatFdOne(1)Ceut Tax Inol e y ORANGE COUNTY NOWnI CAROLINA 10 30 1 Slide #13 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2023-24 BUDGET • Revenue Projections — Property Tax Estimates — S a les Tax Esti m ates — Charges for Services — Interest lncame ORANGE COUNTY NlOffn r CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #14 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2022-23 REVENUE BUDGH Cdr Pow�anun rTFauW�In Chargso r 3anisn_ 4,F^±4, 9A% —Apprcp of Fund Balans CAN bpaw-nmanlal 5.971 ■Properly Tape ■Sales Tax m IntergovemmerdaJ M Charge%for Service Other R*vanue s Transfers In m Approp of Fund Balance ORANGE COUNTY NORM"]r G''LROL[NA 5 6 Chair Bedford asked if there will be an impact on sales tax with the discontinuation of 7 additional Food and Nutrition benefits. 8 Travis Myren said it should be immaterial. 9 10 31 1 Slide #15 REVENUE ESTIMATES • Property Tax — 2% Natural ruwath due to Nein Construction $3,600,000 — No Change in Collection Rates(99.29 Property, 99.4%Vehicles) — No Tax Rate Increase for Debt Service ORANGE COUNTY rlOfrn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #16 REVENUE ESTIM TE • Sales Tac — 12% Growth from FY22 Budget dueto Recent Performance • Potential Yiaid of Approximately$4 million • Actual FY2021-226rowth-16 a#rom FY21Actuals • PFD]ede-d FY21)22-23crowth•8-12 from FY 22 Actuals — Assumes No Significant Recession,but Normalization to Pre- COVIp,Pre-Record Inflation ORANGE COUNTY NO Rn[G''LROL[NA 5 6 7 8 9 10 32 1 Slide #17 REVENUE ESTI MATES, • Other Revenue Considerations — Emergency Services Charges Growth-Higher usage of EMS Services,Impact of Medicaid Transformation still in question. • Base Budget or$1,7So,aaalorSizingContext — Interest Income Growth- Interest income on countydeposlts,due to change in interest rate environment Base Budget W$10,000 Cor Sizing Context ORANGE COUNTY 2 3 Chair Bedford asked if the higher usage of EMS Services is due to the population aging. 4 Travis Myren said fewer people wanted to go to the hospital during the pandemic. He said 5 an aging population is a possibility as well. 6 Commissioner Greene said Janice Tyler gave her some statistics earlier that morning, and 7 from 2021-2041 the 0-17 population will decrease from 17% to 15%, while the 60+ population will 8 increase from 23% to 27%. 9 Commissioner Hamilton said there was also a change to the rate amount for services. 10 Travis Myren said that is also true. He said the rates were higher and there were also 11 more EMS runs. 12 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked about the collection rate for trips. 13 Travis Myren said he and Kirk Vaughn will provide that information. 14 15 Slide #18 TOTAL ESTI MATED REVEN UES AN D EXPENDITURES FOR BASE BUDGET • Total Estimated Expenditures $286,135,000 • $28 million Increase from FY2022-23 • Total Estimated Revenues $270,618,000 • $12.5rninioiiincreasetrramFY2022.73 • difference $15,517,000 ORANGE COUNTY NORTa[CA3ROLLNA 16 33 1 Slide #19 TOOLS FOR BALANCING BUDGET • Refining Expenditure and Special District Tax Rate Revenue Forecasts Fee Increases • Cost Reductions Application of Remaining • Phasing American Rescue Pian Act • Fund Balance Appropriation Funds • Coontywide Property Tax Rate ORANGE COUNTY P,lOffn I CAROLLNA 2 3 4 Slide #20 LONGTERM FINANCIAL MODEL Lon9Term Planningfor Financial Stability Two largest expenditures categories, Personnel:and Education, are programmed to grown faster than the largest revenue source-Property Tax. Capital projects with operating budget impacts - Southern Branch Library- Crisis Diverslon Facility, new Fmer enCy SeFVIC&S SLIbStatiOrlii that require new staff Current school. facility.and climate consultants will identify additional expenditures. ORANGE COUNTY NOFMI CAROLINA 5 6 7 8 9 10 34 1 Slide #21 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2023-24 BUDGET Department Director Guidelines Presentation January 5 Operating Budget Kickoff meetings January 12-13 PY2023-24 EudgetSUbmission, Deadline February 24 County Manager m eet i n g w/O uts i d e Agencies and Mid to Late-March Related Department Directors County Manager Meebng w/Depa rtment D i recto rs Mid-March to Early Apri I County Manager Meeting w/F[re Districts Early April BICC Joint Meeti ng w,/Board s of Education April 27 County Manager presents FY2023-24 Mav 2 Recommended Budget 2 3 4 Slide #22 ORANGE COUNTY FY 2023-24 BUDGET Budget and Capital Investment Plan (CIP) May 9 & June :1 RUDGF-1 WORK SF551ON SCH RDLU FAIT Schools and Outside AgE�ncies May 11 Fire District_ Public Safety, and Human Services May 19 Support Services, General Government, May 23 Community Services, and Durham Tech Budget Amendments and Resolution of Intent to June 8 Adopt FY2023-24 Operating and CIP Budget Adoption June 20 ORANGE COUNTY NOR-n I C'LROLLNA 5 6 7 8 9 10 35 1 Slide #23 ORANGE COUNTY MISSION STATEMENT Grange County exists to prewide governmental services requested by our Residents or mandated by the Mate of North Carolina. To provide these quality services efficiently, we must: • Serve the Residents of orange County -Our ResidentsCome First; Depend on the energy,skills, and dedication of all our einpIoyees and walunteers; • treat all our Residents and Employees with faim ess, respect, and uriderstanding. geCogn ORANGE COUNTY r10Frn i CAROLLNA 2 3 4 5 b. Discussion of Potential Bond Referendum 6 7 Orange County's bond counsel, Bob Jessup, made the following presentation: 8 9 Slide #1 N-N- C General Obligation Bonds for SANFORD HOLSH O- FR Orange County LAWYERS AND ADVISORS Bob jessup Sanford Holshouser LLP www.SHLawCroup.com February 24,2023 10 36 1 Bob Jessup said the purpose of this presentation is to provide the Board with information 2 they should consider when deciding whether or not to pursue a bond. 3 4 Slide #2 Revenue bonds 3 primary ways North Carolina local Installment financing governments borrow money General obligation bonds 5 6 Bob Jessup said revenue bonds occur when the funds borrowed for a major enterprise 7 like a water and sewer system or an electric system, are paid back with revenue from the 8 enterprise. He said Orange County doesn't have any big revenue-producing enterprise so this 9 isn't really an option here. 10 Bob Jessup said installment financing is when money is borrowed, the facility is built, and 11 the lender is given a deed of trust on the facility. He said this is the largest and most common way 12 North Carolina local governments borrow money. He said the county does spring financing every 13 year which is for installment financing. He said it requires a public hearing and is a Commissioner- 14 driven approach. 15 Bob Jessup said general obligation bonds involve levying taxes as much as necessary to 16 repay the bonds. He said this requires asking the voters in the county to approve the borrowing 17 of this money. 18 19 Slide #3 Don't worry about collateral 20-year financing Why use GO bonds? Slightly better interest rates And the #1 reason, public buy-in 20 21 37 1 Slide #4 Why not .what will you do if the voters use GO say"No?" bonds? 2 3 Bob Jessup said a backup plan is necessary in case the voters do not agree. 4 5 Slide #5 The formal authorization process takes three separate Board actions plus a public hearing,and in Orange County's case, The GO must be completed before summer break. bond process But the informal process of figuring out what you want to propose is just as important and needs to come first—at least the starting point. 6 7 Bob Jessup said bond referendums are only allowed in even numbered years. He said if 8 the Board wants to move forward with a bond, the next opportunity for the public to vote is 9 November 2024. He said, compared to other counties he works with, Orange County has typically 10 had a more community-involved informal process, but it is ultimately up to the Board. 11 12 Slide #6 The Board - State the purpose in "brief and general terms"--"school bonds," and not "build approves a new xxxx school for the xxxx District." "Bond - Need a separate Bond Order for each Orders" general purpose-can't combine "unlike" purposes. 13 38 1 Slide #7 What we ask the voters -- ORANG1E CCIUNTY SCHOOL Banns Shall the order authorizing $ of bonds plus interest to pay capital costs of providing public schools and paying related costs, and providing that additional taxes may be levied in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds,as adopted by the Change County Board of Commissioners on .2024,be approved? Yes_ No- 2 3 Slide #8 What we tell the voters -- 1. The County believes that an increase in the County's property tax rate of approximately cents per$100 of valuation will be necessary to provide for principal and interest payments on the bonds.fThis is new since your last bond referendum.J Z. Based on the assumptions stated on the attached schedule,l estimate that the total amount of interest that will be paid on the bonds for the proposed purpose, over the expected term of the bonds if issued,is$ 4 5 Slide #9 • The significant timing issue in Issuing proceeding with a band issue is the progress of the projects that are going bonds after to be financed. Projects drive the schedule. a successful • You have seven years to issue bonds once approved by the voters. The LGCr referendum can (and usually will) extend that to ten years. 6 7 39 1 Slide #10 Thanks! H01 �)W kSF>\ LAWYERS AND ADVISORS Questions? 2 3 Bob Jessup said by early April 2024, the Board needs to know what they'd like to bond to 4 address and plan for a public hearing, with the bond referendum in November 2024. 5 Commissioner Richards asked if counties typically have an idea of needed projects before 6 moving forward. 7 Bob Jessup said yes, that's the information that would inform them how much to ask for 8 on the bond. He said it is also typical to have a project in the queue they can assign to the bond. 9 Commissioner Hamilton asked if the schools capital needs consultant could provide some 10 numbers that would be helpful in determining the need for a bond. 11 Travis Myren said they could ask them to. He said by April of next year they should have 12 a good idea. 13 Commissioner Hamilton asked how long the informal process has taken in Orange 14 County. 15 Jessup said years because of the approach Orange County takes with receiving input 16 from the community through task forces and other avenues. He said most counties he works with 17 could have it done within a day. He reiterated that this is a commissioner-driven process. 18 Bonnie Hammersley said the informal process for the 2016 bond was started about a year 19 in advance. 20 Vice-Chair McKee said there was no task force for the 2016 bond and the Board of 21 Commissioners at the time wanted the bond to provide funding for schools, but community 22 members advocated for different allocations of the funds. He said the need for affordable housing 23 became predominant amongst conversations, and a reduction was made in the amount for 24 schools to allocate $5 million for affordable housing, to keep the total amount for the bond $125 25 million. 26 Chair Bedford said there was a Bond Education Committee that was tasked with informing 27 the community of what the bond would do. 28 Commissioner Hamilton added this committee was formed after the Board voted to move 29 forward with the bond. 30 Travis Myren said the county can afford a $130 million bond at this time, over 5 years. 31 Vice-Chair McKee asked if the last bond will be paid off by November 2024. 32 Bonnie Hammersley said no, it's paid back over 20 years. She added that the last bond 33 before 2016 was in 2001. 34 Commissioner Greene asked what the 2001 bond addressed. 35 Vice-Chair McKee said it was for parks, senior centers, schools, and one other item he 36 couldn't recall. He shared his reasoning for his vote on the 2016 bond. He said the total need at 37 the time surpassed the county's debt capacity. He said if the Board had added additional areas 38 for the money to be distributed, it would have reduced the amount to schools to $60 million and 39 with the 60-40 split between the systems it wouldn't have been enough to even rebuild Chapel 40 1 Hill High School. Therefore, he said he determined the money for the bond would go the farthest 2 if it only addressed schools and a smaller amount for affordable housing. 3 Commissioner Richards said she would think that in less than a year the Board could have 4 a good view of what they could do for the bond based on the Capital Needs Work Group, the 5 consultant, etc. She said the most important factor for her is thinking about where the Board can 6 make the biggest impact with the money. 7 Commissioner Hamilton said she believes the $130 million needs to go to school capital 8 needs because school facilities are currently inadequate. She said this is a key investment to her. 9 Commissioner Richards said she isn't arguing one way or the other, she just feels the 10 county has a lot of information already with consultants and said it seems the process can move 11 forward quickly. 12 Commissioner Hamilton agreed. 13 Commissioner Fowler said CHCCS had a list of needed projects year ago that was $360 14 million, but now with price of construction the cost is way more. She said no matter where the 15 other priorities are for the county, they are obligated to take care of school capital needs. 16 Vice-Chair McKee said there was a building spree with schools in the late 80s and early 17 90s with 3-6 cent tax increases every year. He said this was followed by a fairly long lull with no 18 school building, and the last money issued with the 2016 bond probably didn't move the needle 19 on catching up. He said what he doesn't want to do is pit schools against other county needs like 20 parks, senior centers, etc. because then everyone just gets a little and the impact of the money 21 is lessened. 22 Commissioner Greene said she wasn't on the Board during the last bond but she was in 23 the community advocating for the $5 million to go toward affordable housing. She said her 24 perspective has changed, and believes bonds for affordable housing should be issued by 25 municipalities like Chapel Hill because that's where housing is needed and it's on the transit line. 26 She said she agrees with Commissioner Fowler that it is the Board's job to keep school facilities 27 safe. 28 Vice-Chair McKee said it would take a lot of convincing for him to agree to pull money 29 away from the schools for the next bond, otherwise he's afraid the capital needs for schools will 30 never be caught up. 31 Chair Bedford said she certainly supports schools, but is glad there is time to consider so 32 the board can hear more about the county needs through the budget cycle. She said the Crisis 33 Diversion Facility might also be a bond need, but may need to wait a couple of years so there's 34 more bond capacity. She agreed with Commissioner Greene that building affordable housing is a 35 great thing for Chapel Hill to do, especially since the county is doing the prevention work of 36 keeping people in housing. She said she worries there will be a point within the next year that 37 there will be a huge increase in the number of people who become homeless because housing is 38 becoming increasingly out of reach. She said $1 million was put aside for a land bank in case of 39 an emergency. 40 Bonnie Hammersley said the $1 million is in financing, not money in hand, but is in the 41 model. 42 Bonnie Hammersley said the county gave the schools planning money to move forward 43 immediately after the bond money was issued in 2016. She said she hopes schools will be able 44 to work with the capital needs consultant to get some shovel-ready projects moving so they'll be 45 prepared when the bond passes. 46 Chair Bedford said she reminded the schools that the money the county has provided for 47 maintenance should not be saved. 48 Bonnie Hammersley said $44 million was given. 49 Commissioner Hamilton said she heard from Capital Needs Work Group that there is a 50 focus to use the money efficiently and make sure there is a plan. 41 1 Bonnie Hammersley said they will hear about that next month. She said OCS has $44 2 million that's already been appropriated and CHCCS has$19 million. She said she told them they 3 can't wait to spend the money. She said the schools want to talk about this at the upcoming joint 4 meeting, but the Board has already done their part by allocating the money to the schools. 5 Commissioner Hamilton said she hopes the capital needs consultant will help get 6 everyone on the same page and identify efficiencies. 7 Chair Bedford said a lot of institutional knowledge at the schools is gone, so it's good they 8 are all having these conversations. 9 Vice-Chair McKee said the Board received an email today from the schools and there was 10 mention about wanting to discuss buying land for future schools. 11 Commissioner Richards asked why more land is needed when school populations are 12 decreasing. 13 Chair Bedford said it is increasing in the Mebane area. 14 15 The Board took a 15 minute break. 16 17 Vice-Chair McKee left the meeting at 2:30 pm. 18 19 Office of Equity and Inclusion Work Plan 20 21 a. Review of Work Plan and Key Goals for 2023 22 23 Dr. Shameka Fairbanks, Chief Equity and Human Rights Officer, made the following 24 presentation: 25 26 Slide #1 Y� M,i�WiiWYl� OrangeCounty Office of Equity and Inclusion Dr.Shameka Y.Fairbanks 27 28 Dr. Fairbanks said the Office of Equity and Inclusion was previously known as the 29 Department of Human Rights and Relations but was renamed recently to be more consistent with 30 other communities. 31 32 42 1 Slide #2 Organization Chart ChlelEquity and Nman RlghuOlfter fir.S1rrTu�ri4r�Y.FaarOrarr�Va i lndu11011ktanavt Eanguageand(ammunEty (nmmumityUsagpmentand WIM 8faU" Spedaltst Otltremb(oardtnatar maripe V040 Cminvy 919-01rrgro m Intake Special lit Vocarrr 2 3 Dr. Fairbanks said the Inclusion Manager was renamed to the Inclusion Manager, but the 4 duties of the position are still the same. She said the Intake Specialist is currently vacant, but acts 5 as the first point of contact for the office. 6 Commissioner Greene said her understanding is that staff handles the fair housing cases. 7 She shared that she doesn't feel the title of Inclusion Manager captures that purpose. 8 Dr. Fairbanks said they felt the Civil Rights Specialist title was outdated, but what 9 Commissioner Greene mentioned is still part of this role. She said the Language and Community 10 Specialist does a lot of outreach, translation services, and Spanish assessments. She said the 11 Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator will be focused on outreach and collaborating 12 with other departments and jurisdictions in the county. 13 14 43 1 Slide #3 �' llhtkrCUN171N!I::41 N9� Tapw xitepallcles,prattices,a+ You havergMs,You belvreg,we programmmrg,that createbridges, arerste*g. adehressdisparities.and disrn a tle bacaers thraughaut0farrge Cart`ty, f Mission • Vision 2 3 4 Slide #4 MIr Strategy session,. • What should the`diverslty councillequity group'look IIke in 0C? What sloes the infrastructure of this gaup look like? Strategy What do we need in the county internally andexternally? Session • Discuss topics of+equity to keep at the forefront, - Better understand where we were, what worked, build action stelss,and understand what didn't work In the past and how we 2.2,23 need to move forward, Ac#ion steps�n+d goals Next stepslfeasnblt time frame to accomp4hthem 5 6 7 TraFning & i2arial Carnrrrurr`rty Racial I �vr�fu�ti�n8a Cap5ti4y equity Ouiredch$r Equity A�caur�tahility Assessm�ent I:n�ag�m�nt Indy Lens tels�a9 Equityin Orange i:ounty and whaC , CCCfli �lShlT1E'f15 mavinglvrarddanla�klike,auint#reUiceal Equity�bncfusian to discuss what is gang w�li, ���,ap�y N.,,tri.n,a.nom, Hope to see you there!lw�hl reireshrne�ts anal �'� HurnnnRr�et�naRmnatghlR[i c�ffeewi�iiieprc,vided" � '� evpwCY Ss,3lnln�7 44 1 Slide #5 4 Slide #6 Sofii��'k+�ste h+lanac��ment,l���Eubanks Rd.,�C�ra�el Hipl, NC www.orangecou"C.90WOCCEI • 10 45 1 Slide #7 FEBRUARY2,023 BLACK I TH F G 111 0 U N[) U P: ROOTE D I N PLACE, LAND,AN D BODY MONTH aw�auwrr�s�mr�a. terror 2 3 Dr. Fairbanks noted that the Human Relations Commission helped draft the Black History 4 Month Proclamation that the Board ultimately passed in February. 5 6 Slide #8 ff tMMUN[ �1 Fil4T fY�T L4f THE Mlll Nomm 20n 0 LOP.ANDBUT NOU RUB IT IIP �._. T4M r"wVtJv."ror9'IWrpn _ �� - ��■4i ,.M[L.SIC Lytl irdiledMnd+�r9r+� +� ��•.�• W rcsma�t s�ti wws 7 8 9 10 46 1 Slide #9 BLACK HISTORY PP, MOVIE NIGHT wk,has ii an Me impart of acbrml,pW,jndpr1eflvA0 f' Movie ni gill— I sm rAug x,woed Wednesday{February IS,2023 6-8pm r Canon T'bcr�cr,L�S1 Hamnlyd Rtf.CHr�1�I IIL IF[ EQE�rfll' Ir, _ Equlty,aaraarg t�untyne.�ow •4194AS-248? 2 3 4 Slide #10 Race Forward Employee Survey completed November-December 2Q 22 ="pQnse rBty 4r 579 en-1r c • I?raLitr=-,�%��arnin�»n sprng2oa3 - Elected Off icialsTraining-One Orange NovemherlDeeember zo22 Additional Apart... itedfrortmOrange CounLy - Strategy Session(2.2,23) ' • a ' *7PeQR1e inar[endanrwe - U.S. Housing and Urban Develcpmerrt education and Qv-tr-each partnership Vprogrmmmingmunthe cornplutedbyJune p, =o_ . Black HIstory Month 2o2B events - W-omen's History Month 2ri23 events DE!Lail=Fortrnr-ornirig at the heo-nn no of"J�rrh 5 6 7 8 9 10 47 1 Slide #11 I a oil a lot l ► 1 r Please • and support! ,I . Wh"W Ouilaq,Room 730,30a W Tryon St,I rough,INC www.oran9emmtync ovlBIadNhtwY m 2 3 b. Questions and Discussion 4 5 Commissioner Richards asked what each committee listed on Slide #5 will work on. 6 Dr. Fairbanks said these are internal committees that will work to streamline equity efforts 7 happening across county departments. 8 Commissioner Hamilton asked for information on the number of discrimination complaints 9 the county receives and how long the cases take to resolve. 10 Dr. Fairbanks said she would send that information to the Board. 11 Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the Inclusion Manager handles types of 12 discrimination cases other than housing. 13 Dr. Fairbanks said yes. 14 Commissioner Fowler said she agrees with Commissioner Hamilton that it would be good 15 to have some statistics about the types of complaints the department sees. 16 Chair Bedford said she thinks with all of the turnover in the organization and the pandemic, 17 the community may not be aware of the services offered, so she hopes that will improve with the 18 more events they have and with the help of the Community Relations Department. 19 Dr. Fairbanks said she agrees it is very important to engage the community, as well as 20 addressing internal departmental needs. 21 Chair Bedford asked if she would be part of the strategic planning group. 22 Dr. Fairbanks said yes. 23 Bonnie Hammersley said she would also like to provide some department history. She 24 said the Human Rights and Relations department was independent when it was first created, then 25 became part of the Housing Department, and she made the decision to make it independent again 26 in 2018. She said a lot of people access the department and noted that the Human Relations 27 Commission is really the external part of the department and have a lot of community events. She 28 said during the pandemic, the department housed the Eviction Diversion Program under Annette 29 Moore's leadership. She said that program has since been moved to Housing. She clarified that 30 housing discrimination has always been investigated by this department. She said the department 48 1 reports the number of complaints, basis of complaints, and the age of cases, and other information 2 to HUD annually. She said Dr. Fairbanks has really hit the ground running and has been doing 3 some great work. 4 Chair Bedford asked if there will be other One Orange training sessions. 5 Dr. Fairbanks said there will be other opportunities forthcoming. 6 7 Climate Action Plan Overview 8 9 a. Review of the Climate Action Planning Process and Outcomes 10 11 Amy Eckberg made the following presentation: 12 13 Slide #1 ORANGE COUNTY ` NORTH CAROLINA OrangeCounty Climate Action Plan (CAP) February 24, 2023 14 15 Travis Myren introduced Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Manager. Amy Eckberg said she sat 16 in during their strategic planning exercise this morning and was pleased to hear the number of 17 times climate action and sustainability came up. She said climate action planning started in 18 November 2022 and they have made good progress so far. 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 49 1 Slide #2 Climate action Plan Consultant • Blue Strike Environmental Based in Monterey, CA Over 100 Climate Action Plans o Durham County-Renewable Energy Plan o RTI-Climate Action Plan o Town of Chapel Hill—Solar Feasibility study o City of Los Altos.SFO Intl Airport, City&County of Santa Barbara,Sonoma State University 2 3 Amy Eckberg said she thinks the consultant will bring some progressive, aggressive, and 4 innovative climate action ideas to the plan. 5 6 Slide #3 CAP Guidance • Commission ror the Environment • Climate Action Team (CAT)— Asset.Managemerrt5emWes Slavin Atimdt Kt*V"hn Cgoperaitive Extension Jia mhon Swwh F Sirv►Branfty Kirby Saun leis Gary 043naidson N"Kh0ePftrtMCRL Chintana Stewan Housing Grey Road f • Saeafftka Falrb4ni s Cay Swim DC a n L1 CH CC S S rhools Patrick Abele Tommy Blair Caheries Blackwood' Fdena:y Costar, RobertAilliams N>smih Tnaedi 7 8 Amy Eckberg said the Commission for the Environment is currently looking at the plan 9 and providing input. She said they are also helping with outreach efforts and identifying 10 stakeholders. She said the Climate Action Team is for internal county departments to help have 11 a say in the plan. She mentioned how each department is important to the plan. 12 50 1 Slide#4 Community Engagement Com:munityuruey • Video focus groups i� f� for school districts IET YOUR VOICE Of EEARD • 4 a Ag Summit(farm community) Weneed your input unOra County o Business community Climate Action plan! o StudentVolces n Non-profits/community ,. 0 roups a Community symposium o County staff engagement ❑ Outreach events-Farmer's ,_,: ,, , w�xw.orar�geuuntjmcgarCilmat�4etlan Markets, Earth D--ay, etc, 2 3 4 Slide #5 CIlrmateAotion Plan Timeline •ea amass sa.A.+#�,wQ r4ea R➢P'1 Rak F.FMrrs(�C�hrS�'I®wt rt a �= aye wraa ran sgq sa�a•4�•+a4+sax 4• w�{v�Peab, r�F:#:G.twB�va Caav OrYlea hvarlrlg o-xax LL�r�a iy-ass C=am zCeP+ '��Y9]!1■M195'�.'ibt 1>DaL T 161 rte' �Fvic ti �QEukllxlvta5�f�-na 6ayxP.+{�y a kr alm7++o-;l+sn se+.rai scan w.aLprdra W rmm`Iral'caretia axae rna!•micasP.vE i nctira maL1u�nya,l.srs P. l eu {Qxy,Pe{Nin.51' P•i 9'F31! PFJ �+.d ti a'a�9A Y.4]P TIN .rrM:eEe! yaxrcoo �tgl.�o,Egp},x�+4 eTa+4tr-,e�.4V+1���.P'9 SSaTa� �CYd110E! i SNx4.CA {C�r rvld IE' •CELE 5 51 1 Amy Eckberg said the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory will drive how aggressive the 2 climate strategy should be. She said this will be presented to the Board in the spring. She said 3 community engagement is in progress and will continue through the spring. She said the draft 4 Climate Action Plan will come to the board in June. She said the Community Symposium will be 5 done in late summer or early fall. She said the funding plan is an extra step she asked the 6 consultants to do so the plan doesn't just sit on the shelf. She said there will also be a Climate 7 Action Plan dashboard that will provide real time information on where the county stands on 8 greenhouse gas and will be housed on the website. She said this will be an opportunity to show 9 where the county has been and where it's going. 10 11 Slide #6 CAP Consultant Updates Spring 1 Inventory Draft CAP BOCC Update presentation Approval 12 13 14 b. Questions and Discussion 15 16 Commissioner Richards asked if the Vision and Goals have been sent to the Board. 17 Amy Eckberg said they are in draft form, which she can share with them all. 18 Bonnie Hammersley said that can be included as an information item on the board's 3/7 19 agenda. 20 Commissioner Greene said she was at the Ag Summit and wanted to offer constructive 21 criticism. She said it didn't feel like a focus group, but like the consultant giving a presentation. 22 She said some of the things the consultant said could be done with tax money can't be done. She 23 said it felt like there was a disconnect and the members of the audience didn't know how to 24 engage. 25 Amy Eckberg said she appreciates the feedback and Commissioner Richards also shared 26 similar concerns, she said there will be a debriefing with the consultant. She said there is room to 27 do better, and some contextual information at the beginning of the focus group would be helpful. 28 Commissioner Greene said it would be nice to have another opportunity to engage with 29 agricultural community if possible. 52 1 Commissioner Hamilton said Board of County Commissioners of the past have set out 2 goals. She said she would like to compare what was said in the past and what the plan is capturing 3 in order to ensure the history is included. 4 Amy Eckberg said she could provide a recap of previous resolutions relating to climate, 5 etc. 6 Commissioner Hamilton said yes. 7 Commissioner Fowler said the Climate Action Plan will address how to get to the goals. 8 Commissioner Richards said she is glad the Commission for the Environment is involved 9 because it's a great way of utilizing a structure already in place. 10 Commissioner Hamilton asked if the Board has to undo resolutions by past commissioners 11 before passing something new. 12 John Roberts said he will have to look at what was done previously before determining. 13 Bonnie Hammersley said she thinks the resolutions were in support of national trends, but 14 they will take a look. 15 Amy Eckberg said the big one is that on September 12, 2017, the Board passed a 16 resolution to transition to a 100% renewable energy economy. 17 Commissioner Fowler asked how this impacts existing climate plans. She asked if it will 18 work with Town plans. 19 Amy Eckberg said the consultant is working on synthesizing the plans across the county 20 to the greatest extent possible. She said a lot of recommendations will come out of working across 21 jurisdictions and will also maximize dollars and impact. 22 Chair Bedford said this is where the MOU between the county and towns comes in to meet 23 throughout the year to discuss climate action. 24 Amy Eckberg said Chapel Hill passed the MOU, and it is going to Hillsborough and 25 Carrboro soon. She said TJCOG has been great getting all jurisdictions together. 26 Chair Bedford asked if the consultant will look at making the Climate Action Plan equitable 27 and helping people who otherwise couldn't afford to participate. 28 Amy Eckberg said equity will underpin the plan. 29 Commissioner Fowler asked if there can be incentives for businesses building green or 30 using electric vehicles. 31 Cy Stober, Planning and Inspections Director, said he's directed staff to build a Unified 32 Development Ordinance task force for a variety of things, and they could work on building in 33 incentives for sustainability. 34 Travis Myren said Amy Eckberg has been part of the CIP meetings with departments so 35 if there are opportunities for added sustainable features of capital projects she can address that. 36 37 Evaluation and Next Steps 38 39 Travis Myren asked the Board to provide feedback on the retreat. 40 Chair Bedford asked for comments on highs and lows of the day. 41 Commissioner Fowler said she thought the day was the perfect combination of education 42 for the board as well as vision setting and strategic planning. 43 Commissioner Hamilton said she liked that the presentations were clear, not too long, and 44 gave enough time to comment. 45 Commissioner Portie-Ascott said it served as a great orientation for her. 46 Commissioner Richards said the Board intentionally scheduled the retreat for after her 47 appointment and agreed it was a good time for her to have the retreat shortly after coming on the 48 board. She said the retreat was great. She said the Retreat Planning Committee removed 49 Planning from the agenda, so she hopes to have Cy Stober come to a work session. She said the 50 Board doesn't get enough time to work through and get everyone's perspective on things during 51 meetings and liked the opportunity for that today. 53 1 Chair Bedford said the day went well and echoed comments from other members. 2 3 4 Adjournment 5 A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler and seconded by Commissioner Richards 6 to adjourn the meeting at 4:00 p.m. 7 8 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 9 10 Jamezetta Bedford, Chair 11 12 13 Recorded by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board and Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board 14 15 Submitted for approval by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board. 16 Attachment 3 1 1 DRAFT MINUTES 2 ORANGE COUNTY 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4 LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST 5 February 27, 2023 6 8:30 a.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a breakfast meeting with the Orange 9 County Legislative Delegation on Monday, February 27, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. at the Orange 10 County Solid Waste Administration Building (1207 Eubanks Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27516). 11 12 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, and Commissioners 13 Sally Greene, Jean Hamilton, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, and Anna Richards 14 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Vice-Chair Earl McKee and Commissioner Amy 15 Fowler 16 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 17 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 18 Travis Myren, Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen, and Assistant to Manager for Legislative 19 Affairs Greg Wilder (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) 20 LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION PRESENT: Senator Graig Meyer, Representative Renee Price, 21 and Representative Allen Buansi 22 23 Chair Bedford called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m. All board members were present 24 except Vice-Chair McKee and Commissioner Fowler. 25 26 Chair Bedford welcomed the legislative delegation. 27 The Board of County Commissioners, legislative delegation, and staff introduced 28 themselves. 29 Chair Bedford said that Vice-Chair McKee and Commissioner Fowler both had work 30 conflicts this morning and could not attend. 31 Chair Bedford noted the list of Orange County's 2023 Priority Legislative Issues is 32 consolidated from previous years. She said the legislative delegation already supports many of 33 them. 34 Chair Bedford reviewed the first item on the Board's list of priority legislative issues: 35 36 Mental Health & Behavioral Health Services — Seek legislation to develop and fund 37 mental health and behavioral health facilities and services at the state and local level 38 that: 39 • ensure adequate State-funded mental health, developmental disability and 40 substance use disorder services and facilities are available, accessible and 41 affordable to all residents; 42 . include dedicated resources for community para-medicine projects and 43 enhanced mobile crisis response; 44 • support Medicaid reimbursement to EMS for behavioral health transport to crisis 45 centers; 46 • reduce the number of people with mental health issues in county detention 47 centers; 48 • ensure that state resources fund service provision costs, inclusive of crisis 49 intervention and treatment; 2 1 • provide assistance to NC residents, especially youth, who are dealing with the 2 impacts of COVID; 3 • Increase innovation waiver slots more aggressively to meet the Olmstead Act 4 requirements; and 5 • Increase compensation for nurses and direct support staff funded by innovation 6 waivers and other Medicaid sources. 7 8 She said Alliance Health has been Orange County's Managed Care Organization (MCO) 9 for one year. She said they are all aware that there is a shortage of funding for mental and 10 behavioral health services. She noted there are 16,000 people on the waitlist for Innovations 11 Waivers, which are for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) who could live in 12 the community rather than an institution. 13 14 Chair Bedford reviewed the second list on the Board's list of priority legislative issues: 15 16 Medicaid Expansion — Support legislation increasing access to the Medicaid program 17 to make health insurance available to North Carolina residents at 138% of the poverty 18 level; broaden the opportunity for coverage for more than 500,000 North Carolinians to 19 address chronic conditions and to prevent illness and disease progression; to provide 20 additional support for rural hospitals; and to protect families from medical debt and 21 bankruptcy. 22 23 She said the North Carolina House of Representatives passed legislation expanding 24 Medicaid, and asked Senator Meyer what the next steps are. 25 Senator Meyer said there's broad agreement that Medicaid expansion will happen. He 26 said there are only questions about the timeline and what other legislation will be tied to it. He 27 said if it's passed by the end of March 2023, North Carolina would receive $1.4 billion in federal 28 bonus. He said there is discussion about tying expansion to Certificate of Need reform and 29 expansion of advanced practice for nursing. 30 Chair Bedford asked Senator Meyer to explain both of those issues. 31 Senator Meyer said Certificate of Need is a law in North Carolina that governs 32 healthcare facility expenses. He said it requires state approval before the purchasing any major 33 healthcare facility cost that justifies there is a need for it. He said it's an attempt to regulate both 34 healthcare costs and the distribution of healthcare facilities across the state, including rural 35 hospitals. He said the downside is that it may prevent market-based competition so costs are 36 higher if there's limited availability. He said there is probably some middle ground, but the 37 negotiations on that issue in the North Carolina Senate are more complex than just Medicaid 38 expansion. 39 Senator Meyer said the issue of advanced practice nursing looks at whether nurses 40 should be able to practice independently without the supervision of a doctor, which could bring 41 down costs and expand access to healthcare, but some argue is more risky. 42 Commissioner Greene asked for Senator Meyer to outline what each party wants related 43 to Certificate of Need. 44 Senator Meyer said the issue isn't partisan, but is more about what independent doctor 45 practices want vs. what hospitals want. He said Medicaid expansion would change the 46 economics related to profits at both types of healthcare facilities, which is why the North 47 Carolina Senate wants to address both issues at the same time. 48 Commissioner Richards asked how common Certificate of Need and advanced practice 49 nursing are in other states. 50 Senator Meyer said it varies state by state. He said his take is that there are probably 51 other pathways the state could take where everyone comes out fine. He said he thinks there is a 3 1 way to preserve enough of Certificate of Need to keep rural hospitals from going out of business 2 and give enough expansion of practice to nurses so there are more nurses in more places so 3 it's easier to get healthcare. 4 Commissioner Richards asked if anyone is pursuing that middle ground. 5 Senator Meyer said yes. 6 Commissioner Hamilton asked if there is any movement to de-couple these issues. 7 Senator Meyer said that is essentially the House's position. 8 Commissioner Hamilton asked what would change the Senate's position on tying these 9 issues to Medicaid expansion. 10 Senator Meyer said it would take negotiations between House and Senate leadership. 11 Representative Buansi said the Senate passed the Medical Omnibus Bill over the 12 summer that included Medicaid expansion, but House leadership at the time did not want to 13 consider it during that session. 14 Representative Price said Governor Cooper is really pushing for the Medicaid expansion 15 bill by the end of March for the federal bonus. She said there was discussion in the House about 16 how desperately young people need mental health care now and the need for practitioners in 17 every school, or at least accessible to students. 18 Related to youth mental health services, Chair Bedford said she was pleased to hear 19 that the hospital in Butner will convert by July with UNC Hospitals to serve children. However, 20 she noted that it will now be a 2 hour drive for adults in Orange County who need substance use 21 treatment, so fewer will get it. She said we aren't solving the problems, just shifting it to a 22 different population. She said not only are 1/3 of the beds for substance use treatment going 23 away, but there's also the question of who is going to transport the adults if they do get a bed. 24 Chair Bedford said she hopes the legislative delegation supports the Department of 25 Health and Human Service's appeal of the ruling by Judge Baddour about the Olmstead Act 26 because it was going to eliminate all the small group homes. She said the goal is a full 27 continuum of services because some people do need to be in institutions at times in their lives, 28 while others can live in the community without supports. 29 Chair Bedford revisited the following component of the first item on the list on the 30 Board's list of priority legislative issues an: 31 32 • support Medicaid reimbursement to EMS for behavioral health transport to crisis centers; 33 34 She said this would help Orange County financially. 35 36 Chair Bedford also revisited the following component of the first item on the list: 37 38 • reduce the number of people with mental health issues in county detention centers; 39 40 Chair Bedford said the county is working on this. She shared that some Board members 41 are going to learn about a DHHS-funded mental health center in Mecklenburg County and see if 42 Orange County could qualify for something similar. She said the county could build this type of 43 facility but the issue is operating it. She said MCOs are supposed to do this but they don't have 44 the money. She said it's important to keep people with behavioral health issues out of the 45 criminal justice system and overcrowded hospital emergency rooms. She said expanding 46 Medicaid will help many people access the real services that they need. 47 Representative Price said she saw through her work with the National Association of 48 Counties that states with Medicaid expansion have great models and programs with quick 49 handoffs from law enforcement to mental health providers. 50 Commissioner Richards asked if the end of pandemic funding is also part of the 51 discussion. She said the Department of Social Services Director, Nancy Coston, recently spoke 4 1 to the Board and shared that people who receive healthcare through the additional pandemic- 2 related benefits will fall off care before Medicaid expansion is in place and we may lose contact 3 with them. 4 Senator Meyer said Governor Cooper brings up this issue every time he talks about 5 Medicaid expansion. 6 Representative Buansi said he's on the Housing Standing Committee for Appropriations 7 for Health and Human Services and they received a presentation from the Deputy Secretary of 8 DHHS last week talking about that very issue, as well as how the State will have to make up the 9 gap in funding from lost pandemic benefits. 10 Commissioner Richards asked if State agencies are ready to handle Medicaid expansion 11 when passed. 12 Senator Meyer, Representative Buansi, and Representative Price all said yes. 13 Chair Bedford said the Board received a letter from DHHS saying the State will cover the 14 administrative costs to the county for Medicaid expansion. She said she's glad DHHS is trying 15 to be proactive so counties won't be left with the cost. She said she is grateful for that support. 16 Chair Bedford revisited the following components of the first item on the list: 17 18 Increase compensation for nurses and direct support staff funded by innovation waivers 19 and other Medicaid sources. 20 21 She said while the General Assembly did increase the pay for direct care staff last year, 22 it's still insufficient. She said with an aging population, the shortage will only get bigger. 23 Commissioner Hamilton said the Board heard that the State is not training Adult Care 24 Home and Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee applicants to go into these facilities. 25 She said this is crucial work and there are people willing to volunteer, but they have to be 26 trained. 27 Chair Bedford said she plans to work on this issue as well and may need help from the 28 legislators. 29 Representative Price said they have contacts at the Governor's Office that can assist if 30 needed. 31 Commissioner Richards said she wanted to make the legislators aware that the plan for 32 mental health supports starts at age 4, and there really is a need for it at this age. She said the 33 Board is particularly interested in anything that supports mental health services in early 34 childhood and for children. 35 Senator Meyer said there's discussion across the General Assembly this year about 36 child and adolescent mental health. He said there is also discussion about increasing funding 37 for early childhood care and rate of pay for early childhood care. He said there's crossover in 38 the labor market of people who work in adult care and early childhood care, so if there's funding 39 towards this effort the market dynamics may raise rates for adult care workers too. He said 40 there is also a broad realization that the vacancies in state agencies are due to pay not keeping 41 up with the private sector, so there could be significant increases in state agency pay as well, 42 which could help pay rates in all of these fields. 43 Commissioner Richards asked if there's discussion about expanding eligibility rules for 44 Medicaid, which were waived during the pandemic, as part of the negotiations on Medicaid 45 expansion. 46 Representative Price and Representative Buansi said that is part of the bill passed by 47 the House. 48 Back on child care, Representative Price said money came in during the pandemic to 49 help with early childhood centers, but the pay is abysmal. She spoke about the importance of 50 increasing pay for these positions. 5 1 Chair Bedford said Orange County has been covering parents' share for anyone eligible 2 for early childhood education and childcare services with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) 3 funding. 4 Commissioner Richards said there are a lot of openings for early childhood staff and 5 transportation staff as well. 6 Chair Bedford said the county's goal is for there to be no waitlists and for there to be no 7 financial barrier for children to have quality childcare. 8 Representative Price said the other part of the issue is those doing childcare work are 9 getting really low pay and will likely leave the field if they have opportunities to make more 10 money elsewhere. 11 Senator Meyer asked if the Board has an impression of how Alliance is doing. 12 Chair Bedford said she thinks it's much better. She said Justice United held a meeting 13 and several Senior Vice Presidents were there to discuss providing more mental health services 14 in Spanish. She said Alliance staff is very knowledgeable about rapid-rehousing for when 15 people exit criminal justice system. She said Alliance did a study around five years ago and 16 determined they would rather do short-term housing with a transition to permanent housing with 17 supports rather than long-term institutional settings. She said there's a closed group home on 18 Nash St. in Hillsborough that is being looked at as the future site of a state-owned traumatic 19 brain injury facility. She also said that some Maintenance of Efforts funds are being monitored 20 and managed by Alliance with quarterly reports to the county. 21 Travis Myren said Alliance is very responsive to even case-specific things and are 22 wonderful to work with. 23 Representative Price asked about transitioning to the tailored plan. 24 Chair Bedford said she doesn't know the current status. She said hospitals have been a 25 barrier because the rates are so low, but individual providers have signed up to provide 26 services. 27 Senator Meyer asked if there are conversations with the property owner of the facility on 28 Nash St. 29 Representative Price said the idea is for another provider to take over but possibly serve 30 a different population. 31 Commissioner Hamilton asked if it was a former mental health group home. 32 Chair Bedford said yes, but it would be recertified as something different. 33 Representative Price said the former owner of the facility passed away and family could 34 not run it. She said they were able to find other places for everyone who lived there to go. She 35 shared that someone from Alamance County is interested in the facility, but is waiting to see if 36 they could change who the facility serves. She also said she can also assist if anyone is trying 37 to get someone placed in a group home. 38 Chair Bedford said she's glad the county is with Alliance now because at least people 39 will only have to move to Durham rather than across the state. She also said Commissioner 40 Hamilton is the new liaison to Alliance. 41 42 6 1 Chair Bedford reviewed the third item on the Board's list of priority legislative issues: 2 3 Racial Equity in Criminal Justice — Support continued consideration and implementation, 4 where practicable, of the recommendations of the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in 5 Criminal Justice (TREC), including: 6 • legislation to legalize the possession and use of marijuana and permit licensed 7 businesses to engage in retail sales to adults, as this decriminalization will in turn 8 broaden the agricultural economy and jobs as well as enhance revenue for governments 9 with taxes, licenses, and other associated revenues that can be utilized to address 10 opioid and other drug-related problems and other needs; 11 • policing reforms to address use of force, community oversight and law enforcement 12 training on crisis intervention; 13 • Funding at the county level to expand access to diversion and restorative justice 14 programs; 15 • the reduction of fines, fees and costs in criminal court, noting that such fines, fees and 16 costs disproportionately impact people of color and people of low income; and 17 • the decompression of Juvenile Justice salaries. 18 19 Commissioner Richards said some commissioners attended the Justice Advisory 20 Council and received a presentation from Crystal Wynn-Lewis of the North Carolina Department 21 of Public Safety on the state of youth in the juvenile system. She said 16-17 year olds in North 22 Carolina are 54% white, 24% African American, and 17% Latino, but white adolescents make 23 up 29% of complaints, African American adolescents make up 58% of complaints, and Latino 24 adolescents make up 9% of complaints. She said there were 33,000 complaints last period 25 total. She said of those adolescents who were diverted, 47% were white, 33% were African 26 American. She said the types of complaints were broken down into categories including violent, 27 serious, and age-related. Orange County offenses were more violent and serious than state 28 statistics. She said that African American adolescents were 2.8 times more likely to be 29 complained against across the State, but 5 times more likely in Orange County. She said in 30 Orange County white kids make up 61% of the population and 24% of complaints, but African 31 American kids make by 12% of the population and 67% of complaints. She said the numbers 32 that lead to confinement are small across the state except when it comes to African Americans. 33 She said there were only around 100 kids with complaints in Orange County, so there should be 34 very specific help for them and their families. She said this information plus the "opportunity 35 gap" makes her concerned about what is going on in this county. 36 Commissioner Hamilton said the causality is needed in order to reach a conclusion. 37 Commissioner Richards said her point is that with only 100 kids, they should be able to 38 find that out. 39 Commissioner Hamilton said the question is what agency can do that kind of analysis. 40 Commissioner Richards said the county should take that initiative to understand why. 41 She said she believes there's enough energy and resources in this county to inform people of 42 the numbers, and then figuring out what to do. She said she brought this up here in case there 43 are things the legislative delegation can do to collaborate on this. 44 Chair Bedford said this relates to the Governor's Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal 45 Justice. 46 Representative Price asked what year the data was from. 47 Chair Bedford said 2021. 48 Representative Price said COVID was a factor as well then. She said when they worked 49 on raising the age of the juvenile jurisdiction, one of the issues was need to have a program for 50 people to go into in lieu of the adult prison, and there is nothing automatically set up. She said 51 the situation has gotten much worse for young people since COVID. She said she would also 7 1 like to know the ages of these children, as well as their school status. She also said the 2 resources here may not be getting to the people who need them most. She said this is a good 3 wakeup call that there is work to do. 4 Commissioner Hamilton said she agrees and that it's a county function to bring the 5 pieces together to do the analysis. 6 Chair Bedford said the state may have more data to share as well. 7 Commissioner Richards said they do and the Board could review it or have it brought to 8 a meeting. She said part of why the data is so shocking is that the disparities are still there 9 despite diversion programs. 10 Senator Meyer said there is also a statistical truth that the lower the end, the easier it is 11 to have disparities. 12 Chair Bedford said she thinks it was inadvertent when the General Assembly 13 decompressed salaries in the justice system, and did not include juvenile justice staff. She 14 asked if there are any bills to address that. 15 Senator Meyer said it will be in the budget. 16 Commissioner Richards said there's a national effort to help people keep Medicaid when 17 released from incarceration. She said this should also be worked on in North Carolina. 18 Representative Price said the county picks up the cost when individuals lose their 19 Medicaid benefits. She said this is something NACo and NCACC are working on. 20 Senator Meyer said the Downtown Partnership asked for joint meetings between the 21 Criminal Justice Resource Department (CJRD) and UNC Hospitals to try to address patients 22 discharged from the hospital interfering with the downtown Chapel Hill geographic area.He said 23 this is complicated because there's physical, mental, and behavioral health mixing with property 24 issues and police. He said it's been a fruitful partnership so far. 25 Chair Bedford said Mayor Hemminger said one solution is to provide a bus ticket. 26 Commissioner Richards said (CJRD) just got a grant for a social worker to work within 27 each of the law enforcement agencies in the county. 28 Chair Bedford added that this also includes 1.5 clinical positions at Freedom House. She 29 said Durham has a pilot program for mental health professionals to respond to calls usually 30 without police, but it was $8 million. 31 Senator Meyer said there is another push in legislature to authorize non-law 32 enforcement traffic investigators. 33 Chair Bedford reviewed the remaining components of the third item on the Board's list of 34 priority legislative issues. 35 36 Chair Bedford reviewed the fourth item on the Board's list of priority legislative issues: 37 38 Concealed Weapons in Parks and Red Flag Law — Support legislation authorizing 39 counties to regulate the carrying of concealed weapons on county-owned playgrounds 40 and in county-owned parklands, and allowing courts to prevent access to firearms for 41 individuals who show signs of being a danger to themselves or to others. Mental illness, 42 escalating threats, substance abuse and domestic violence are among the 43 circumstances in which a judge should have the authority to order weapon restrictions or 44 surrender; 45 46 Senator Meyer said each chamber has passed a bill but not the same one. 47 Commissioner Greene asked what happens if the bills are vetoed. 48 Representative Buansi said there's hope that won't happen. 49 50 Chair Bedford reviewed the remaining items on the Board's list of priority legislative 51 issues: 8 1 2 Full Funding of the Leandro Remedial Action Plan — Support equity and racial justice 3 by fully funding the Leandro Remedial Action Plan, which details additional 4 comprehensive, targeted education funding over the next eight years, predominantly to 5 low-wealth and minority communities, in order for the State to come into compliance with 6 its constitutional obligation to provide every student a sound basic education; 7 8 Priority School Issues — Support legislation to address the following issues related to 9 schools: 10 a) Provide local school systems with calendar flexibility; 11 b) Provide full funding for State allotments including Average Daily Membership 12 (ADM) growth and infrastructure/capital, and support legislation to provide for 13 an overall increase in funding based on ADM outside of the current formula 14 system; 15 c) a periodic accounting process for State per pupil funds so that funds and pro- 16 rated funds follow students to their respective schools, as opposed to the 17 current process that only considers State funding allocations based on 18 students' attendance location on a single day during the school year; 19 d) Increase salary compensation for teachers and staff at all years of service; 20 e) Impose class size reductions commensurate with State funding for staffing; 21 and 22 f) Maintain full funding for Driver Education; 23 24 School Capital Funding — Support legislation to provide needed State capital funding to 25 support school infrastructure, renovations, and new construction, and support a State 26 bond referendum to address school capital needs; and 27 28 Non-Partisan Redistricting Process for Elections — Support legislation to establish a 29 process for an independent, non-partisan redistricting process after each United States 30 Census for the election of representatives from North Carolina to the United States 31 House of Representatives, the North Carolina House, and the North Carolina Senate. 32 33 Chair Bedford asked about the state surplus. 34 Senator Meyer said last year there was about an $8 billion unappropriated surplus and 35 about half has been spent. He said most of remainder is in reserve funds. He said there was 36 about $3 billion left, but it is now up to a $6 billion unappropriated surplus with around $3 billion 37 expected to be recurring. He said the Senate would likely not agree to raise the state budget by 38 $3 billion so some of the money will probably go into reserve funds, some into tax cuts or 39 possibly tax rebates, and some will likely be spent. He said there is a possibility of direct funding 40 for school construction, rather than bond money. He said there may also be investment in 41 special education funding. He said he doesn't know what will be decided regarding teacher pay. 42 Commissioner Richards noted that Leandro v. State of NC is back in court. 43 Chair Bedford asked about the calendar bill. 44 Representative Price said there was a general bill that she and Representative Buansi 45 co-sponsored but only individual local bills are being passed. 46 Representative Buansi said they will follow up on it this week. 47 Senator Meyer said the Senate has no plans to hear calendar bills. 48 Chair Bedford said Commissioner Hamilton and Vice-Chair McKee are on a Schools 49 Capital Needs Work Group and expressed the need for funding. She said the Board continues 50 to hope there might be a state bond for school facilities for all counties. 9 1 Commissioner Hamilton said another possibility would be to change the State's rules for 2 giving money for school facilities because Orange County is not currently eligible. 3 Senator Meyer said Speaker Moore made it a priority to introduce a bond package which 4 passed the House, but he hasn't heard anything discussed since then. 5 Chair Bedford said the Board has a meeting with the school boards on March 9, 2023. 6 Board members and the legislative delegation discussed the public school funding 7 debate, and the movement of support for charter and private schools. They also discussed 8 developments regarding non-partisan maps for elections. 9 Chair Bedford said Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools are 10 the 1St and 3rd in the state for funding, but systems across the state need more support. She 11 acknowledged that Representative Buansi, Representative Price, and Senator Meyer are all 12 there to do the best they can. 13 Senator Meyer said he's been in very productive conversations with the Chancellor of 14 Leadership at UNC Chapel Hill about shutting down the coal plant. He said not only will there be 15 an environmental benefit, but the North Carolina Railroad Corporation would no longer need the 16 rail line, which goes through the largest areas of undeveloped property in southern Orange 17 County. He said converting it to a transportation pathway opens up possibilities for housing and 18 economic development. He said the University is open to a long range plan for the area. 19 Representative Price asked if this would require changing the rural buffer. 20 Commissioner Greene said Carrboro has already changed land-use planning to 21 accommodate future development in the area in question. 22 Senator Meyer said development in the area would not impact the rural buffer. 23 Chair Bedford said she advocated for rails to trails, but hadn't considered other options. 24 Senator Meyer said it would be a very different way of handling this corridor than 25 Durham handled the American Tobacco Campus, which is almost exclusively recreational. He 26 said this would be similar to the Beltline in Atlanta with recreation and transportation pathways 27 through the middle of multiuse development. He said the community will need to work with the 28 university on an energy transition plan and then a long range plan for housing and economic 29 development in the area. 30 Commissioner Richards asked if the university is also talking about workforce housing 31 as a possible use. 32 Senator Meyer said yes, it is driving their interest in the project. 33 Commissioner Greene said an opportunity exists to create a positive outcome. 34 John Roberts briefly reviewed the departmental legislative priorities. 35 Representative Price asked for John Roberts to send the list to the legislators. 36 Chair Bedford thanked everyone for coming together. 37 38 A motion was made by Commissioner Richards, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton, 39 to adjourn the meeting at 10:04 a.m. 40 41 42 Jamezetta Bedford, Chair 43 44 45 Recorded by Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board 46 47 Submitted for approval by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board.