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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 12-10-2024 - Business Meeting 1 APPROVED 1/21125 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BUSINESS MEETING December 10, 2024 7:00 p.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT. Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Jean Hamilton, and Commissioners Marilyn Carter,Amy Fowler, Sally Greene, Earl McKee (arrived at 7:05 p.m.), and Phyllis Portie-Ascott COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT. John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Travis Myren, Interim Deputy County Manager Caitlin Fenhagen, and Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) Chair Bedford called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commissioners were present, except for Commissioner McKee. 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda There were no changes to the agenda. 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda Chair Bedford dispensed with reading the public charge. NC Representative Renee Price discussed the recent installation of a bench along the River Walk in Hillsborough in memory of John "Blackfeather" Jeffries, which was previously approved by the Board of Commissioners. She thanked the Orange County staff who were involved in installing and later helping with the unveiling ceremony. She said the event was really community oriented. b. Matters on the Printed Agenda (These matters will be considered when the Board addresses that item on the agenda below.) 3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she attended the Cooperative Extension Leadership meeting. She said that this year for the first time, Cooperative Extension hosted Kids Voting and had over 747 students participated. She said that they will pack bags for community members in Western NC on December 14' and are accepting volunteers. She said that on January 13th at 5:30pm, the livestock agent will meet with farmers to hear their needs. She said the Ag Summit is on February 10". She said she attended the RTP Regional Partnership meeting, and she expressed gratitude for Steve Brantley's guidance during the meeting. She said they continue to work toward a Bio-Economy in NC. She said that 18,000 veterans are entering the workforce annually, they are looking into recruiting veterans. She also attended the"From Campaigning from Governing" class and will be attending the Essentials of Government class. She also participated in the holiday parage. 2 Commissioner McKee arrived at 7:05 p.m. Commissioner Greene said she attended the Hillsborough Holiday Parade. She said she attended the Central Pines meeting to celebrate the end of the year and recognize employees that have worked so hard throughout the year. Commissioner Fowler said she attended an all-day DCHC-CAMP combined meeting on rail. She said she learned about the differences between commuter and passenger rail. She said they are governed by two different agencies with different rules and different funding sources. She said the DCHC is focusing on passenger rail as a means to pursue a basic spine that could be used for commuter rail in the future. Chair Bedford wished everyone happy holidays and thanked Orange County staff. She said that Eric Hallman and Sue Ellsworth, with the Piedmont Food Processing Center, were honored with the Golden Whisk award. Vice-Chair Hamilton wished everyone happy holidays. She said that she is on the board of Alliance Health, and they met on December 51". She said there is a reorganization of the Consumer and Family Advisory Council. She said that the Board voted to approve the changes that were recommended. She said it will now have representation from all counties and with these changes, there will be additional subcommittees created for the counties. She said they will need more volunteers for these subcommittees. She said there are six Orange County residents that are represented on the CFACT committee. She said she thinks they will need to monitor the change and see if it is working. Commissioner McKee recognized staff for all of the work they have done in 2024 and wished everyone happy holidays. Commissioner Carter wished everyone happy holidays. She said she will volunteer at the DSS Toy Chest on December 13. She said she will meet with 10 departments in December as part of her orientation. 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations None. 5. Public Hearings a. Public Hearing for 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development Needs The Board held a public hearing to receive preliminary comments from the public on current housing and community development needs in Orange County. BACKGROUND: The Consolidated Plan is designed to help states and local jurisdictions assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions. The consolidated planning process serves as the framework for a community-wide dialogue to identify housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Planning and Development(CPD)formula block grant programs. For the Orange County HOME Consortium, those programs are the Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) Program, operated by Town of Chapel Hill, and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, operated by Orange County's Housing Department. The steps are as follows: • Consultation and Citizen Participation. Through the Consolidated Plan (often called the "Con Plan"), grantee jurisdictions engage the community, both in the process of developing and reviewing the proposed plan, and as partners and stakeholders in the implementation of CPD programs. By consulting and collaborating with other public and 3 private entities, grantees can align and coordinate community development programs with a range of other plans, programs and resources to achieve greater impact. • The Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan, which may have a duration of between 3 and 5 years, describes the jurisdiction's community development priorities and multiyear goals based on an assessment of housing and community development needs, an analysis of housing and economic market conditions and available resources. Orange County's 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan is attached for example/reference purposes. • The Annual Action Plan. The Consolidated Plan is carried out through Annual Action Plans, which provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by the Consolidated Plan. • Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). In the CAPER, grantees report on accomplishments and progress toward Consolidated Plan goals in the prior year. Orange County is currently in the "Consultation and Citizen Participation" phase of the planning process, which includes at least two (2) public hearings. The first public hearing, being held on December 10, 2024, is a preliminary hearing designed to receive public input on current housing and community development needs before the Plan is drafted.A second public hearing will occur in spring 2025 after a draft of the Plan has been published. The eligible activities for CPD block grant programs are: • Development of new units • Acquisition of existing units • Preservation/rehabilitation of existing units • Homebuyer assistance • Tenant-Based Rental Assistance • Program Planning and Capacity-Building • Grant administration The allocation amounts for each program are variable, but are approximately $400,000 annually. In FY 2024, Orange County was allocated $367,000 for its HOME program (representing a decrease from recent levels), while Town of Chapel Hill was allocated $422,000 for its CDBG program. Applicant (subgrant recipient) eligibility for each program is based on a project that fits one of the above eligible activities plus serving residents at 80%Area Median Income (AMI) and below. The HOME Consortium evaluates all projects and crafts all plans with the goal of affirmatively furthering Fair Housing. The past expenditures on HOME activities are as follows: 4 Year Rental Homebuyer Rehab. Acquisition Grant TOTAL Assistance Assistance Admin. FY20-21 $96,497 $110,000 $37,476 $243,973 FY21-22 $111,113 $161,000 $60,905 $40,839 $37,476 $411,333 FY22-23 $142,188 $493,923 $9,825 $645,936 FY23-24 $128,275 $8,822 $137,097 TOTAL $478,073 $764,923 $60,905 $40,839 $93,599 $1,438,339 Past agencies funded are as follows: Activity Agency Habitat for Humanity Homebuyer Assistance Community Home Trust Community Empowerment Fund Rehabilitation Rebuilding Together of the Triangle Acquisition EMPOWERment, Inc. Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) Blake Rosser made the following presentation: Slide #1 ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING DEPARTMENT Public Hearing- HOME Consortium 202-5-2029 Consolidated Plan December 10, 2024 5 Slide #2 A chance to guide housing investment for next 5 years... Identify housing and community development priorities Priorities direct funding from CPD block grant programs Orange County: HOME Investment Partnership Chapel Hill: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Consists of 4 Phases Consultation & Citizen Participation Consolidated Plan Annual Action Plan (AAP) Consolidated Annual Performance Report (CAPER) In ORANGECOUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said that each program is about $400,000 per year but depends on the federal budget. Slide #3 Central Pines Regional Council consulting on Plan development • Regional planning council that serves 48 local governments Serves counties of Chatham, Durham, Johnson, Moore, Lee, Orange, Person, Wake Formerly Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) .4 �4 A il1 CENTRAL PINES ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL COUNCIL Q HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said that Hunter Phillips, a representative from Central Pines Regional Council (CPRC) was present. He said that CPRC has been leading the public engagement process. 6 Slide#4 We are currently in consultation phase • 1st phase consists of two public hearings Preliminary hearing—tonight—designed to receive public input on current housing and community development needs before Plan is drafted 2nd Hearing receives comments on draft plan after development in spring 2025 • Allocation amounts: approximately $400,000 per year for each program • Eligibility: Projects serving residents at 80%AMI and below for one of the following activities: • Development,Acquisition,Rehabilitation, Homebuyer Assistance, Rental Assistance,Planning,Administration nORANG€COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said that his is the first of two required public hearings. Slide#5 Performance during current ConPlan has been inconsistent ® $96,497 $110,000 $37,476 $243,973 ® $111,113 $161,000 $60,905 $40,839 $37,476 $411,333 $142,188 $493,923 $9,825 $645,936 ® $128,275 $8,822 $137,097 $478,073 $764,923 $60,905 $40,839 $93,599 $1,438,339 n ORANGE COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said this chart displays historical spending. Slide#6 Funding has been concentrated in six agencies EFE Habitat for Humanity Homebuyer Community Home Trust Assistance Community Empowerment Fund • Rebuilding Together of the Triangle Acquisition EMPOWERment, Inc. Tenant-Based Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness(OCPEH) n ORANGECOUNTY O HOUSING DEPARTMENT Slide #7 Questions? Blake Rosser, Housing Director 919-245-2492 • brosser@orangecountync.gov In ORANGECOUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what activities Housing had done in support of the project since the summer. Blake Rosser said that they worked with Central Pines for the kickoff, started the public engagement planning, began hosting Central Pines at various meetings in the area, and developed a survey. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if the survey collection has ended. Blake Rosser said it has not ended. Hunter Phillps of CPRC, said there is no firm end date. He anticipates it will end in February or March when they plan to finalize the plan. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked when the community will see the new data. 8 Blake Rosser said it would be around March and that he sent the old, consolidated plan out for reference only. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what kind of questions they are asking the community. Hunter Phillips said demographic information, if they live and/or work in Orange County, where they work, what needs they have in the community, and priority rankings. He said they hope to have three or four priority rankings. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked how they will ensure that they are hearing from voices that accurately reflect the community. Hunter Philips said that they are working on this now. He said that he has spoken with Justice United and got some strategies from them. He said that there will be in-person engagements, as well. Blake Rosser said the OC Affordable Housing Coalition is working with the Jackson Center,the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association, and the Efland Cheek Community Center now. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if there was activity in northern Orange County. Blake Rosser said they are working in Cedar Grove. Chair Bedford said some of the commissioners are members of the northern branch of the NAACP and the southern NAACP and would be glad to help facilitate and get links into the newsletters. Commissioner Carter said that the gap analysis for the homeless population included in the abstract was from 2019. She asked if there will be information on a more recent gap analysis presented later in the meeting. Blake Rosser said it is not a comprehensive gap analysis but that he will present some data on the gaps later tonight. Commissioner Carter said that the Housing Needs Assessment refers to data from 2015. She asked if more recent data, from after 2020, would be used. Blake Rosser said that they will be using the most recent data available. Commissioner Carter asked if the participating organizations will also be organizations that provide this type of housing. Blake Rosser said that was a good suggestion, and that working with the Chamber of Commerce was already on the list. Commissioner Carter asked when the next point in time homelessness count would be taken. Blake Rosser said it occurs every January and he has data that will show additional detail and updates to data later tonight. Chair Bedford said that the nationwide point in time survey is in January of every year. She asked how much money remains from the prior years. Blake Rosser said they are working on that, and they are getting close to reconciliation and hope to have it within a month or two. Commissioner Fowler said that would have already been appropriated. Blake Rosser said yes. Chair Bedford said it would maybe give a clue to if there are delays or if projects can be sped up. She said it would be nice just to have an idea. Blake Rosser said it does expire at some point. He said that agencies will come to them and update them with timelines. He said that they sometimes ask to amend the project and that would have to come before the Board. Chair Bedford said that they will go into this at the retreat. She asked if this funding could be used for the issue that Justice United brought back and could it be used for maintenance of existing units. Blake Rosser said it could be. 9 Chair Bedford asked if this would be an Orange County decision only or if it had to go through the partners. Blake Rosser said that the Consortium members must agree through the local government affordable housing collaborative and that is made up of one elected official from each government partner. A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to open the public hearing. VOTE: UNANIMOUS PUBLIC COMMENTS: Delores Bailey, Executive Director of EMPOWERment, Inc., said it is difficult for providers to help, but that they know and are committed to doing so. She said EMPOWERment will open the Peach apartment building in March or April 2025. She said the Peach apartment building will serve those at 30% AMI or below, and that the building is 70% complete. She said that EMPOWERment wanted to move into NOAH, or "naturally occurring affordable rental housing." She said that is housing, which is already affordable, but has no government money invested in it. She said that they were approached with three units, one in Carrboro and two were in Chapel Hill. She said that they would promise not to displace anyone. She described the property in Carrboro, which is 9.4 acres with 10 two-bedroom homes on the property. She said the intent was to buy it, invest in it, and then expand. She said it was a great location and where Carrboro wanted to expand, but they could not afford the property. She said that is why funding is so important. She said they are out there, doing the work. A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Vice-Chair Hamilton, to close the public hearing. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 6. Regular Agenda a. Authorize Notification Regarding Potential Change in Student Protection Methodology Used by the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee The Board authorized staff to provide notice to the parties of the Student Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Memorandum of Understanding (SAPFO MOU) that the student projection methodology will be changed to either the one employed by the Operational Research and Education Laboratory (OREd) or Carolina Demography and invite comment from the parties. BACKGROUND: Each year, a staff committee comprised of representatives from the County, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carborro, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and Orange County Schools prepares and transmits a report on student growth projections. This committee is known as the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Technical Advisory Committee (SAPFOTAC). The projections are compared to school capacity in an effort to predict when new school facilities might be needed. If the projections indicate a need for more school capacity, the County may plan to add capacity through the County's ten year Capital Investment Plan. The MOU contains a provision that authorizes the Board of Commissioners to change student projection methodology. The MOU requires the County to notifiy the other parties of a change to the methodology no later than February 1. 10 The original SAPFO projection methodology relies on capacity calculations that do not take into consideration the existence of Pre-Kindergarten classrooms and the lower capacities for some specialized classroom functions such as exceptional children classrooms. When Woolpert, Inc. completed Long Range (School) Facilities Optimization Plan, those deficiencies were corrected. On the student projection part of the analysis, the current SAPFO projections use a series of five different mathematical formulas that all rely on history to predict future growth. Attachment 1 describes each of those formulas. While this methodology has accurately measured growth in the past, it would not quickly reflect significant policy changes or development that is inconsistent with past growth trends. For example, the existing models would not pick up a very large development that generates a high quantity of students until those students start presenting in classrooms, and even then, a three, five, or ten year average would only begin reflecting those increases over time. Similarly, a significant policy change like growth in educational options outside of a traditional public school setting may reduce projected student growth and space needs in a single year rather than over time. Overthe pastyear,the School Capital Needs Workgroup and the SAPFOTAC discussed making improvements to the Schools Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (SAPFO) enrollment projection and capacity determination process. The Committee is recommending a change to the projection methodology consistent with the terms of the MOU. The County has already worked with the Operational Research and Education Laboratory (OREd)from NC State University and Woolpert, Inc. consultants respectively to review a different projection methodology and to update school capacity. The OREd projection model, described in Attachment 2, utilizes land-use and future residential development projections directly in its ten-year enrollment projections. It determines the student generation rates of specific neighborhoods and makes estimates of generation rates of future developments based on similar existing neighborhoods. This methodology increases the predictive nature of the projections as they are based on approved development and student generation rates rather than historic growth rates. Following the suggestion of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools staff, the County has also conferred with Carolina Demography from UNC-Chapel Hill about its student projection methodology that was recently used in Wake County Schools. The methodology and assumptions are described in Attachment 3 which is an excerpt from the Wake County student projection analysis. The Carolina Demography methodology uses a variety of factors including birth rates, the number and type of building permits issued, migration, population structure and change, and losses to charter schools and private schools. Staff is recommending that the Board authorize staff to provide notice to the parties to the MOU that the existing student projection methodology will be replaced by either the OREd or Carolina Demography projection methodology and to invite comment from the parties. The Board of Commissioners would make a final decision on which methodology is used in April of 2025. Travis Myren, County Manager, made the following presentation: 11 Slide #1 Agenda Item 6-a ��- ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA Notice of Change to Student Projection Methodology December 10, 2024 Slide #2 Purpose • To authorize staff to provide notice to the parties of the School Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Memorandum of Understanding (SAPFO MOU)that the student projection methodology will be changed to either the one employed by the Operational Research and Education Laboratory(OREd)or Carolina Demography and invite comment from the parties. • The SAPFO MOU requires the County to provide notice of proposed changes to the parties by February 1. • The Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on which methodology is used moving forward in April 2025. ORANGE COUNTY 2 NORTH CAROLINA 12 Slide #3 Context • Schools Adequate Public Facility Ordinance—Memorandum of Understanding — (SAPFO MOU) — Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, School districts,and Orange County — Originally intended for two purposes: • Align adequate school capacity with development • Serve as a ten-year capital planning tool to predict the need for new capacity for identify future excess capacity) — Capital Planning Tool—annual report to inform Capital Investment Plan(CIP) School capacities are certified annually • Student projections are updated annually — Board may change student projection methodology and must provide notice to the parties by February 1 ORANGE COUNTY .i NORTH C.AROLIMA Slide #4 Context • Schools Adequate Public Facility Ordinance—Memorandum of Understanding — (SAPFO MOU) — Utilization calculated by dividing membership by capacity • CHCCS Elementary Utilisation Example:4,518 studantsf5,375 capacity=85.0%utilization — Assigns a maximum capacity for each elementary(105%), middle(107%),and high school(110%)and measures current utilization against that benchmark Clio el HifUCarr6Oro School District orange Couu school kspiel Alloivable D4a�mum kmal2024.25 LOS Allowable hla�imum Acttu112024-25 LOS LOS Il MOU) LOS(Pei MOU) Eleatentarl• 105°'c 85.0% 105% 86.7% Middle IV% 88.7% 1 107% 66.0% High 110% 106A 1 110% 88.5% ORANGE COUNTY 4 NORTH CIAROLINA 13 Slide #5 Context • Schools Adequate Public Facility Ordinance— Memorandum of Understanding (SAPFO MOU) Applies a series of formulas to create 10-year projection of utilization No need triggered unless allowable maximum is achieved CHCCS Student Projections(ti idJ EWranla &kdY,a, AWS Milt 3136I7 WIM AINH Ana Otto' Ana 1111.9 1m5/ 1Alaa ANA WWI ANA ANN AM MMMI ZQ 1@11 211a1 ±Sr 57C! 5�1 55R $471 M 1 41a iIs, 05 45A 45M "47 lla 43, IaW ISIi LAILAW4Ai 4151 411 Coo in 10 1A1 3111 aM am 113 '1•ra��✓, 4375 1 tall toll 1111 art 31r Mo loll C11 4574 I'm 1W in IN 1M 19a US loll CIL IN 1 W 1 , I,W III 410 I`R tin 4H1 1a 4151 1a0 l0! IOA 011 40 US 1 InNI.4 •teal 11 r INI Is I' 1 4 II r c_N-ml%I V&m ua sm sm .1 am IN LN sal UM. Lol up LIN AN am Is &M "Mm UNI S1a sal gmMdp�ip,kul a+l kgNfiAPr14dIA N0%Los .lN; IU, lNT pal I".11trri 0%I Ilan nlni Im I41tL 11411 11Ol p11N Hiet 1116111 7s01, I'M PM .,MtLxWorSeMn LOSS 1 1 1 i r M•E«d Aeln,ksil ak en1 11NI lDl19 I 1 1 III 1 I 1 1 it I I na,is•,r< fi'% lH% lo. IIS% a47% 82 pM .ene5erax Rh ill% l4 nm '.R `,4S M UK a'alhrBlwllRr am 1 lrc n a. aa% a r 4. 11]% a ill% 1ai ..M........�..�rrr._.,......,.r.,,.•.,.wo....a..e_.:.a..a.... .•. jw.,Nu«rvcxgr•��Im ,�lr:::.Iann>~, a��.+�o�....nraer..•r.ran.1.. •r..r.u•�a....a,.en.��..a..+�wd....r«.n....awaomr.,w.,.,..�:.rlr.rts Slide #6 Context • Schools Adequate Public Facility Ordinance— Memorandum of Understanding — (SAPFO MOU) — Why make changes? — Capacity Deficiencies Did not account for capacity used for Pre-K classrooms • Did not recognize capacity constraints in specialized classrooms Capacity deficiencies addressed through Woolpert.Inc.and follow-up work with Districts — Student Projection Methodology Formulas rely on history to predict future growth Linear,Ten-year average 3,5,and 10 year cohort grade advancement rates with 1%annual elementary growth • Would not respond to system shocks—rapid simultaneous development,new charter school,expanded vouchers ORANGE COUNTY 6 NORTH CAROLINA 14 Slide#7 Alternatives Operational Research and Education Laboratory(OREd)from NC State University • Utilizes land-use approvals and future residential development projections • Determines the student generation rates of specific neighborhoods and makes estimates of generation rates of future developments based on similar existing neighborhoods R1;s January 2024 Report C> ld.. e6r911m.m i F.-d!M..h-1ADM 1,2023-21enm11mva 2023-24 1 M23-20 1 2024-25 1 2025-26 1 2026-27 2027-28 20M429 1 2029410 1 20303E 1 203142 1 203243 2033a4 awided by aC9. Elemsntary Schools(K-5) 3 n Knot `rci`: doe d Central Elementary 428 291 285 285 290 293 305 316 334 342 347 354 Efland Cheeks Elementary 455 Grady Brown Elementary 490 406 402 414 41 B 419 419 417 416 412 414 414 HIIlsborough Elementary Q. 437 437 437 437 437 437 437 437t281 43 New Hope Elementary 526 514 510 522 526 528 544 549 551 Pathways Elementary 540 312 315 307 305 306 301 292 284 286 284 Capacity Legend River Park Elementary 502 Totals 336E 1 3055 1 3042 1 3039 1 3074 3108 3117 1 3157 1 3164 1 3173 1 3200 1 3211 195 Middle Schools(6.8) a L 5tanback Middle 740 633 639 633 655 644 662 663 670 676 6% 698 100%-105 Gravelly HIII M"'d. 700 411 406 463 475 50B 525 562 578 593 fit6 627 Orange Middle 726 535 530 647 553 541 544 540 642 536 IN34638 106% Totals 1 2166 1 1579 1575 1643 1684 1694 1731 1765 1790 1805 1845 1863 High Schools(9-12) Cedar Ridge High 1500 1117 1138 1172 1143 1157 1174 1173 1220 1250 1266 1312 Orange High 13909 1222 1239 1180 1191 1253 1265 1295 1334 1365 1377 7425 Partnership Academy 40 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 1 -dh a.d Totals 2939 2382 1 2419 2394 2376 2452 2401 2510 2596 2657 2684 2779 1 09aEd..I.Lalwratary na I rTre P.,::i n I re...andrduaati.n System Total 9466 7018 1 7036 7076 7133 7253 7328 7432 7550 76M 7730 7854 Norm gown sere Nmremat Slide #8 Alternatives Carolina Demography from UNC-Chapel Hill • Starts with grade progression formula that emphasizes most recent years • Integrates data on birth rates,the number and type of building permits issued, migration, losses to charter schools and private schools Sahle 8.Fioal{i'CP55 EaraIIm.os Pr9jerrioa5 by Grade Wake County Example Moth 2dDM Grad• ..++ 201E 'M 203E 20M 797] - 2019 - -11 -11 -1 Chap.202}2M1 R 10,96.E ll.eta ]1.716 ...... .2,14E I2,113 I". 12.242 I2.- 12.381 12995 12.50T 1,45E 1 I1,a- 11.41. 12,148 12,149 11.1 11.96a 12.869 12,4" 12,111 12.781 12,81s 11,906 1,402 11,2W 12,008 II,SaT 12,3a2 t2,.7. I2,TSS 12,840 12,81T 1Zeaa 12,979 13,OJ3 13,108 I,100 1 I1,99fi 11.4T6 12,MI 11,.71 11.- 13.95T 12.31a 12,930 12.907 12,]a2 13.089 13.155 1.950 11,26p 11.T92 11,ei72 12,2s3 E,8]6 12:s, 11,.2s 12,.7 13,107 13,084 12,"T O.W 1,4a. 5 11,T66 11.i01 I1.9T6 11,812 r2,445 12,WI 12.917 12.824 12.694 13.313 13.289 13.161 I,45T 6 I1,TTe 11,TO] 1L,s0a 1l,17 11,TOB 12,]3] 11,912 12,T91 I1,.7 12,a58 13,232 1],2se I,ss 12,173 12.012 I1,T85 11.674 11,047 IE,Ta9 12.420 11.99] 12,89s 12.892 12,731 13,:1 1.342 2,125 12.605 2,]]3 a,111 442 9 14,812 14.91E N.57T 14,2s0 14,063 13.-2 14.2sa 11.09E 19.aIs t4.]71 ].4]1 15,43a 46a l0 IJ,lA9 13.176 13.696 1],4W 13,101 U.. 12.11- 13.W 12,927 U.- 13.213 14.191 615 14 12,a. 11,197 12.819 1],021 U.751 12.461 12.298 12.183 12.4a9 12.297 12.9a4 12.569 �ZB 12 12,Ora 42,I 11,600 12,263 12,663 11,]02 12,024 11.364 11,1" 12,029 11,56] 12,508 61 TwY IM.412 159.1195®160,]82 [a 1.230 Ia I,899 162.8.7a 1a4,]62 166,254 IW.2T1 170.2 1T2.]ST •Choate -651 1.5fLM1 980 �7 898 869 931 I.- 1,892 2.019 1.- 2.12E '.Chap -0,;% 1.M 0.M ,M 0.54E 0.69E 0,0%. 1.29E 1.29E 1.M 1.29E S.-tir 1n 2026,coro11a1eats ere forecast to riu steadily.lerpely due to thr f ecasted eau -Ea both cohorts.and because most ofphe cLertrrs projected to impart rnr911-1 wdl largely be at fall capacuy by l+ ORANGE COUNTY 8 NORTH CAROLINA 15 Slide #9 Recommendation • To authorize staff to provide notice to the parties of the School Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Memorandum of Understanding (SAPFO MOU)that the student projection methodology will be changed to either the one employed by the Operational Research and Education Laboratory (OREd)or Carolina Demography and invite comment from the parties. • The SAPFO MOU requires the County to provide notice of proposed changes to the parties by February 1. • The Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on which methodology is used moving forward in April 2025. 9 OP,ANG Cp OLINA COUNTY TTOR'FHCommissioner Fowler said it sounded reasonable. She asked if Wake is using one of these methods and how their experience has been. Travis Myren said Wake used the Carolina Demography method, but that staff has not yet spoken with Wake County. Vice-Chair Hamilton said this is long overdue and using these methodologies will allow the schools to have a consistent capacity measure across different uses. She said they will be using the most accurate numbers that they can. She said she liked that the"shocks to the system" could be gathered via the model. Commissioner Carter asked if the models anticipate the charter and private school impacts. Travis Myren said the Carolina Demography model specifically mentions the losses to private schools. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for clarification about development being suspended. Travis Myren said that in the MOU, there is a section that states when a development is proposed, the schools need to certify that there is adequate capacity. He said then theoretically the local government would not approve the development to go forward. He said that has not happened in practice. He said it is on paper, but potentially difficult to enforce. Commissioner Greene said that when SAPFO was created, that was the way it was supposed to work. She said that the intent was not for it to be a choke on development but was to spur new schools. She said that was what happened in the 1990s. She said that the intent was to keep an eye on how development was going, so as developments came on line, the schools would know to build a new school. Chair Bedford said between 1973 and 1993, no new schools were built in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. She said in that year, schools like Ephesus Elementary School that had a capacity of 475 had 734 students, and lunch began at 9:30 a.m. She said the SAPFO agreement came from that experience, so that there were parameters for building new schools. She said that when there was a need for Carrboro High School the MOU was not enforced because everyone was moving forward with the right intent. She said it is a planning tool. 16 Commissioner Fowler said there has been the opposite problem the last few years, particularly with the population in elementary schools going down. She was wondering if the schools might use this for other purposes, like consolidation. She said she had also thought about how it could open up opportunities for more pre-K programming. She said that pre-K can improve scores later on. She said she would like to explore the potential of increased pre-K opportunities. Travis Myren said that was a good idea. A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to authorize staff to provide notice to the parties of the Student Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance Memorandum of Understanding (SAPFO MOU) that the student projection methodology will be changed to either the one employed by OREd or Carolina Demography and to invite comment from the parties. VOTE: UNANIMOUS b. Community Climate Action Grant (CCAG) — FY 2024-25 Project Selection The Board: 1. Received the grant project funding recommendations from the Commission for the Environment (CFE) and the overall scores and comments from the CFE and Human Relations Commission (HRC) for the FY 2024-25 Orange County Community Climate Action Grant Program; and 2. Approved funding for the recommended Community Climate Action Grant projects for FY 2024-25. BACKGROUND: As part of the FY 2019-20 budget, the Orange County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) established the Orange County Climate Action Fund to accelerate climate change mitigation efforts within the County. This initiative was motivated in part by the Board's ambitious climate goals, including a full transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. The recently adopted Climate Action Plan establishes additional climate goals and outlines the actions and strategies that will enable Orange County to achieve these objectives, including the Community Climate Action Grant. For the FY 2024-25 funding cycle, $262,500 was allocated to general applicants to support climate action projects designed to benefit Orange County residents both socially and financially. The Board did not approve any climate funding for schools this year. In alignment with the Board of Commissioners' direction, the selection process for awarding funds was conducted through the Community Climate Action Grant program. The Community Climate Action grant program received twenty-five (25) applications in this round from a variety of applicants representing nonprofits, small businesses and public organizations whose total requests added up to $1,151,873. Grant applications were completed over the summer and reviewed by both the Commission for the Environment (CFE) and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) in fall 2024. Each of these Commissions voted to forward their final scoring and comments to the BOCC. The following is a rank-order summary table of the combined project scoring and recommendations for funding. More details on each project are available in Attachment 1. 17 Recom Total Applicant Amount mended Score Rank Project Name Project Summary Requeste (out Name d Funding of level 26) Trees for the Shade for Planting of 260 native trees and Triangle Schools distribution of 2,600 seedlings across 13 schools in Orange County, prioritizing schools in rural, 1 underserved areas $50,000 $50,000 22.1 Habitat for Rooftop Solar on Rooftop solar on 14 newly 2 Humanity Habitat Homes constructed Habitat Homes $100,000 $50,000 21.7 Empowerme Peach Elecrical panel box and labor for solar nt Apartments installation project 3 Solar Project $19,800 $19,800 20.9 Eno River Nature Based Conversion of 14.2-acre agricultural Association Solutions at the field to Piedmont prairie and Confluence reforestation of an 8.6-acre Natural Area agricultural field. Includes purchase of equipment such as a $45,000 4 tractor. $67,600 $22,600 20.5 SolarEquity St.Joseph's CME 23.4-kW solar array on the roof of St. Church Solar Joseph's CME Church 5 Project $78,251 $50,000 19.1 Urban Orange County Installation of sustainable stormwater Sustainability Green management measures in historically Solutions Infrastructure underserved communities utilizing Workforce public HS teachers and students in a Development certified green infrastructure training Program program to implement these 6 measures $71,000 $58,100 18.6 Red Hawk Farm Renewable Hire consulting firm to provide Farm Energy engineering and design services for a Infrastructure REAP grant to install solar on farm; replace single phase with 3-phase 7 power to enable solar installation $100,000 $0 18.2 Town of Extended E-bike maintenance and management Chapel Hill Service and Key services to offer free e-bike pilot Equipment for E- program in Chapel Hill;funds will Bike Pilot supplement federal funding received Program for this program to help it operate for 8 an additional six months $57,165 $0 18.1 Community Electrify 5 CHT Replacement of gas water heaters Home Trust homes with with electric water heaters&gas water heaters furnace/electric air conditioners with and heat pumps electric heat pumps for 5 homes in 9 Community Home Trust inventory $110,000 $0 17.8 18 Recom Total Applicant Amount mended Score Rank Project Name Project Summary Requeste (out Name d Funding of level 26) Endswell The First Carbon Installation of a 40-kW solar array Neutral Funeral 10 Home $15,000 $0 17.6 Town of Sustainable Purchase of e-bikes, safety Carrboro Transportation equipment, and storage to allow Pilot Town employees to replace most low- cargo trips within two miles of each town building and a portion of trips 11 beyond two miles $49,620 $0 17.5 Jubilee Cob Outdoor Construction of cob outdoor Healing Farm Classroom and classroom and adjacent food forest 12 Food Forest $34,625 $12,000 17.2 Eno River Compost Compost monitor for Eno River Farmers' Monitor Farmers' Market 13 Market $4,800 $0 16.6 Town of LED Lighting Purchase and installation of new LED Chapel Hill Upgrade for light fixtures to replace the existing, Hargraves less efficient metal halide fixtures at Community the Hargraves Community Center Center outdoor basketball court 13 Basketball Court $35,000 $0 16.6 Carolina 1.Video 1. Production of bilingual videos on Advocates for Vignettes of climate health to be used in clinical Climate, Climate Health practice; 2. Planning for solar arrays Health and Principles in to offset energy costs through Equity Clinical Practice; renewable energy credits for 2. Solar Arrays medically high-risk patients and Energy Offsets for Medically High- 15 Risk Residents $64,850 $0 15.2 Parker Farm Carbon Transition 60 acres of intensively and Vineyard Sequestration tilled row-cropped tobacco into through Pasture permanent pasturelands for 16 Establishment regenerative grazing $39,085 $0 15.1 Town of Enhancing Installation of two rain gardens in Dr. Carrboro Resilience and Martin Luther King,Jr. Park to Biodiversity: manage stormwater runoff, enhance Rain Gardens at local biodiversity, and contribute to Dr. Martin education and outreach Luther King,Jr. 17 Park $50,000 $0 14.7 19 Recom Total Applicant Amount mended Score Rank Project Name Project Summary Requeste (out Name d Funding of level 26) One Soil Electric Vehicle Electric vehicle and EV charger for Farm and EV Charger produce delivery for Produce 18 Delivery $50,000 $0 14.7 The The ArtsCenter Installation of NFRC UV ray blocking ArtsCenter Energy Efficiency films on all eastern and western 19 Initiative exposure windows $10,000 $0 14.3 Kolibri Farm Cultivation, Purchase of multiple electric Cooking and appliances for kitchen, powered by Community solar array, as well as seeds, mower 20 and drill for community garden $60,077 $0 14.0 Spring Crest Solar Well Pump Installation of solar well in remote Farms System area to reduce GHG and provide 21 water for cattle $18,000 $0 12.4 Blawesome Sun Smart: Installation of cold storage protective Functional structure around existing cold storage Shade Structure unit to enhance its functionality and for Energy- energy efficiency Efficient Cold 22 Storage $15,000 $0 11.9 The The ArtsCenter Installation of 20' x 30'pollinator ArtsCenter Sustainable garden,two commercial grade rain Landscape barrels, a tri-section compost bin and 23 Project bird feeding station $33,000 $0 11.2 Botanist and Rural Electric Installation of a 2 port Level 2 EV Barrel Vehicle Charging charging station at a commercial site 24 Station in Cedar Grove $12,000 $0 9.8 Fiori Hill - Floating Purchase floating wetlands and plants Homeowner' Wetlands in Fiori as part of SCM designed to sequester s Association Hill SCM/Koi carbon, reduce algal growth, and Pond eliminate the need for an aeration 25 system $7,000 $0 9.0 Total Requested: Total: $1,151,873 $262,50 0 Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Projects Manager, made the following presentation: 20 Slide#1 ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA Community Climate Action Grant (CCAG) Project Selection FY24-25 December 10, 2024 Slide #2 CCAG Background • '/cent property tax for climate action approved beginning in FY 19-20 • First year projects run by County entities • FY20-21 and future projects open to community through grant program • Scoring and eligibility guidelines created by the BOCC • Projects prioritized with social justice and racial equity benefits • Community focus Amy Eckberg said this program was created to accelerate climate mitigation actions in Orange County. She said that the first year did not have an application process. Slide #3 CCAG Eligibility Guidelines • Non-profits, public entities, and small businesses • All funds spent in Orange County • Must have legal standing to receive funds • Ongoing projects eligible if expanding or accelerating • Replacement and repair projects are eligible if not likely to be funded within 5 years 21 Slide #4 CCAG Scoring Criteria • 26-point scale • Social Justice and Racial Equity (6pts) • GHG emissions reduced (4 pts) • Efficient use of Funds (4 pts) • Capacity of Applicant (3 pts) • Local Economic Development (3 pts) • Amount and Duration of Engagement (3 pts) • Time to complete (3 pts) *A❑applications are reviewed and scored by the Commission for the Environment and the Human Relations Commission Slide #5 FY 24-25 CCAG — Timeline PeriodFall 2024 December January Application HRC BOCC Projects Review Approval Begin! Amy Eckberg said the grants closed in August after a two-month application opening. She said that projects are anticipated to begin in January 2025 after approval tonight. Slide #6 22 New This Year • Extensive community outreach A���y TODAY! Community Climate Action Grant Program — New Signage mecanmunM(11—N..W.P- isdoi,stedh, ,,hng,Ii d� q� m Bann,,t-1.0,a g,mC.y. Applications must — Promoted atAg Summit AlICAP,ndmn-pmfilent1, d-11busines—, be received by e0gih1ei pply' August 16,2024. — Targeted email list wea.Ukgfogrp.jstid.smahop reduce gree�neu:egg,ems::ion:a�a may a pasmve-,tinpw MOO... CAM• 25 applications! [in 11 • Wide variety of projects—solar, ,COr .11 ""u`"••"' "'�" "�` oRnN�Eeouivrr a u�roa�.m�ensus,maan,. szav,ae,wbas� erfi� LED lights, prairie restoration, tree plantings at schools, community gardens and green infrastructure stormwater projects involving youth • CCAG "Success Stories" page continues to grow on website — Projects highlighted in each addition of our Climate Connection newsletter) • $1.1 million in grant funding requested ($262,500 available) Amy Eckberg said she presented at the Ag Summit and there was an increase in farm applications. She said this is the most applications they have ever received. Slide #7 Advisory Board Recommendations: • 7 projects recommended for full/partial funding • Partial funding determined based on: • Scalability of project • Projects that had multiple, separate components • Projects that could utilize other funding sources 23 Slide #8 Trees for the Shade for Schools Planting of 2EO natlye trees and Trianpl• dl lb.rtion of 2,800 s.�adl ings across 13 sc hoes•fn orange C; a V.pr" ix ing [ sc hook In rural,undat- -ad a SSQ,ODD SSD,otlG xl.t Ha boat for Roottop Solar on Rooftop solar on 14 newly Genet ucted 2 Humanity Hablta[H Ha4it.[Homer. 5aov goo 5sa ovD 21.7 Empowerment Peach Apart menu Elecrical panel box and laborfor aotar 3 Solar ar lect inatallailon p^ol_ $19,eDD $39,SDD 2D.9 Eno Rlyer Nature Rased Conyers inn of IA.2•sale agfeulLurai Ileld Ln ASsoclatlon Solutions at the Piedmont prairie and reforested .1 Canfluvnce Natu rel 8.8-ecre agrlcult urel fi.ld.Includes Area purel of e�qulpmenL su[h as a$as,DDD a tra Cta. $679QQ f,22 g00 2104. 5c,I.Mqufty St.lweph`s CME 23.A-kW al array on the roof of St. Church Soler leseph�a CME Lh�Kh 5 Pro e[i $76,251 $SD,DOD 19.1 Urban Orange Ceunty Installatlen of suatelnable 5xerrnwaeCr 5 ustalnablllty Green nagentent m es In hest wl[aly Sol infrastructure underserva7 corn un Itlas ut nixing pu bl lc Werkferre Msteachers and students In a oen Hied ocyelopment green Infraseru[tuna Lre smog program[o 8 Program Implement these measures $71,000 $68,100 18.6 Red Hawk Farm Fa rm Aenewable Hire epnsultFl firm t p provide englneering Energy and dcslRn so Il for a REAP p'ra n[tv l fl trueture Install solar on farm;replace single phase whh 3-phase power to enable solar 7 Ins[alatlorr $l oo 000 $0 1a.2 Town of Chapet Extended Se ke E•blke malntenenco and management Will and k•Gy Eq 4lpntenf ­Il [q pflCr free_blkt pile[prpgrem for E-Rlke Pl bt In chapel Hll l;funds well supphement Program federal funding rcceNed for thfs prol to help It operate far an edditi k six enths a $57,165 S. 18.1 Commul El—Mfy 5 CT Replacement of gas water heaters with Home Trust homes wl th water electrc water heaters 8,gas heaters and heat fume rn/electric aFr Condit lonara with pumps decoHe heat F t r-for 5 hnm es in Commsinity Home Trust Inye rrco ry $3Yd,000 $tl lY-& E n dswell The Plmt Ce than IneGa llailon of AD•kW solar array Neutral F.natal 1D Home $15 ODD $D 17.6 Tpyrn of S=1r,atalC Purchase of rbitCs,SafCty CqulpmCnl,and carcboro Transportation 'tors ga to allow Town employees to PIf_ replace most lour arse tlips within two miles of each town bulldm and a pprNon 11 of L F-beyond 1w nrfies $A9.B2D $D 17.5 24 Slide #9 Re commv To[el Rank AyPllcenR acL He Rro aaL Stfmm Hmvu nL rWmd 5�v ry Jubilee Healing Gob outdoor Construction of cob outdoor classroom and Farm Classroom end adJaco..x food f— Food Forest 34 624 S12.000 17.2 Eno Rlygr CpmpoaC Mtlaftgr Comppat rnonft—for En IRP—,Fermara� F armwrf' Market 13 MerYat 54,eoa SCl 16.6 Town of Chapel LED Lfghting Pumhese and 1-1.11at lc r[of new LED Ilg ht III [Jpgree!fo. fi:cr�ras To"""" Ina,lass Ha rgra vwa ef1rl metal hal lde Hat ures et the Cammunf[y Cen[!r HergYaVlS COmmunity Centlr 6u[tl[rOY 13 0asketball Court basketball court $35.DOu 50 11.6 C•rvlina 1.Ylda VignvtLaa 1.PMtlYCtlpn of bilingual Yldaps pn Clfmata AdVPraxae£Pr of Cl I—.H"Ib hwlxft[4 be uatxt In cllnfral Pra cTlcq 2. Cllmeta,Ytaalth PrfncfAlaa rn Ple nning for molar errata to pffaat a orgy •nd lquitY Cl l ntutPrwcticm:2. Data throughro wablm mnm£gy Crmdl[•for solar wrreys end m�dica lly high-r k pstlents l nmrmy offs for Medlce3ly HIgFf-Risk Rmafdents 35 $64,g.SD SO 15.2 Parker Ferm Ce rben Tre"I'I fn 6 0 cares of IntanS ly til Il reau- nd Vfneysrd Semueatratlon rogped tobacco Into pvrrna Went thneugh Pasture pes[urelends for reg¢n¢rat Ne grazing 16 Establishment $39 D85 $O 15.1 Town of EnRancing Installation ottw r gardens In Dr_ Carrboro R�sfl—_and Martin LuThCr King,Jr.Park To-nag, efodiyersit Y'Rain starmwater runoff,lnh►ncl loca5 Gard¢ns at l]r. blpdfyer5ltV.and cnntrlbuta to Bducat Martin Luther Kina, and outreach 17 Jr.Park 59v o0o So 14.7 one soil Farm Electric Vehlete and EI—trfe Yehtcla and EV charger ter preduee £V Cha rger£Pr dallVvry 18 Produw DeifYery SO OOP 14,7 The Art Center The Ar Center Installation of HFFkc LJM ray blocking films energy EfHclaney I,ell ws[ern and western—p—a 19 Initi-N. windows 510.Doo So 14.3 K Plibrf Farm Culx Nation. Purrhasa of m Ilipl.a7nrt r{r appluncw for Cvvkingand k_han,vowaradbywiararrey.•a wmll a• Cgmmunf[Y as Se,mower entl prll £qr cPTm1Jn ISY 2O garden 60 D77 O 14.o Spring Crest Spier Wall Pump Installation If solar wait in rmmota arms tp Farms Systarn reduce GHG and provide water for cattle Z1 $18.DOD $D 12.4 glees esame Sun Cmer[� 1nsTelle[fen 01 acid sxere ae p.a[ecTlVa iunetfvnal Shad. ttructura•rpu nd ane fa[Ing cold at pre gm unit 5[r re f6r enhance Its tllnrtt[Ind Dty entl energy Energy-Effletent et/lr leney 22 Cold 5[ore S3S DOD 50 Y1.9 25 Slide #10 Tho A—C-- Tho A—Cvntvr Installat ivn of 20's 30'pvlltnatvr�a.clon, Sustainable two commercial Qrade rain barrels,a trf- Landscaoa P—j—t Peed irl¢ s[atlon 533,obtl $0 YS_2 6vtenist and A .Electric Inste Hetfvn of e 2 port—el 2 Ev ch.rg-g 6arre! —hlele Ch erging station at a cem me rclel see In Oder Grove 24 stet;— $12,000 $n 9.R Fiori Hill- Flw rfntR Wrtlendc p..rcF,es.(foatinc weklenda and pienrc ec FfOme0lVrte r't [n FfOrl Ff ill tuR Of SCM tleaiQnad t0 segYeeter GrbOn, ,\.soclErion SCM/Koi pond .rd.Ic.�Iawl erowrl.,.r+d ellmfnete tha 25 need far•n—etion eyetem $T O0Q $0 Total A­-d: Total: si.ass.asa tQG2.300 Slide #11 2024 Project Highlights Club Nova t Community garden �i Urban Sustainability Solutions Using green infrastructure to control stormwater and working with Orange County schools to provide workforce development Binkley Baptist Church New solar installation Habitat for Humanity Solar installations in Weaver Grove community 1� 26 Commissioner Greene noted that the score for Jubilee Healing Farm was 17.2 and was behind several others. She asked how it received funding. Chair Bedford said when she read it, it seemed that it did not meet the scalability. Amy Eckberg said that it is being partially funded. She said the food forest is being funded. She said that the commission liked the nature-based aspect and wanted to provide funding to farms. She said that the Red Hawk Farm project was not able to be parsed out and funded at a lower level. She said some projects scored higher but would not suit the partial funding. She said at $100,000, it would have taken too much from others for this year. Commissioner Fowler asked about the urban sustainability solutions and how they mitigate storm water and reduce GhGs. Amy Eckberg said they are planting native plants which have a double impact of mitigating the stormwater and sequestering carbon simultaneously. Commissioner Carter asked about the projects that are solar array oriented. She said that St. Josephs and Endswell have different capacities. She asked for more details because with this one, it seems that the impact of delivery was less than the cost, that it seemed inverted. Amy Eckberg said that the commission felt that Endswell was serving the business rather than the community. She said that the St. Joseph's project was for the benefit of the community. Vice-Chair Hamilton asked if the greenhouse gas emission mitigation should have more points. She said that capacity is either you have it, or you do not; she wondered if that should be scored. Commissioner Fowler said it seemed odd that it only received 4 points. She said that she does appreciate social justice and education scoring but since this is specifically for climate and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, she agreed that the focus should be on what the funding was originally intended for. Chair Bedford said these suggestions could be incorporated into future projects. A motion was made by Chair Bedford, seconded by Vice-Chair Hamilton, to approve funding for the recommended Community Climate Action Grant projects for FY 2024-25. VOTE: UNANIMOUS c. Amendment to the Network Development Agreement for Broadband Deployment with Lumos to Extend the Project Deadlines The Board approved an amendment to the 2022 Lumos contract to extend the project completion deadline of the Lumos broadband deployment so that all 6,370 unserved and underserved homes contained in the original agreement are served by December 31, 2025, instead of December 31, 2024. BACKGROUND: In June 2022, the Board of Commissioners finalized an agreement with Lumos Fiber(formerly known as North State Communications Advanced Services, LLC)to deploy a fiber optic broadband network to 6,370 unserved locations in Orange County. Unserved locations are defined by State law as locations that do not have access to internet service that provides speeds of 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload. The statutory authority under which the County is authorized to make grants for broadband deployment only allows those grant funds to be used to serve unserved locations. The County funded this public-private partnership with a $10 million grant using American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA)funds. Payments of the grant funds to Lumos are based on performance. Lumos was paid a $1 million start up payment following approval of the contract. The first benchmark of passing 3,000 homes was also achieved which triggered the second benchmark payment of $3 million. Releasing the final benchmark payment of $6 million is contingent on the company 27 passing all 6,370 homes as detailed in the agreement. The original deadline to serve these homes was December 31, 2024. During spring 2024, Lumos began experiencing delays due to construction and budget issues, and much of the construction activity on the project slowed considerably. Those issues were resolved, and construction resumed in earnest in late summer 2024. However, those delays did have an impact on the overall project schedule. Under the original agreement, all 6,370 unserved and underserved homes identified were to have service available by December 31, 2024. The delays experienced in the spring have pushed final project completion into 2025. This amendment establishes a new deadline of December 31, 2025 to serve all homes identified in the original agreement and to receive the final benchmark payment of$6 million. The County has complied with the first ARPA deadline by committing ARPA funding through the contract with Lumos by December 31, 2024. The final deadline to spend the ARPA funding is December 31, 2026, so this contract amendment does not jeopardize the availability of ARPA funding. To date, Lumos has installed 407.5 route miles of fiber in Orange County.This network is available to 13,964 total homes including 3,236 previously unserved and underserved homes contained in the agreement. Lumos expects an additional 900 unserved and underserved homes will be added in December 2024, an additional 750 homes will be added in the first quarter of 2025, and the final 1,484 contracted homes are expected to have service available upon successful completion of the project by December 2025. The original Lumos project did not reach all of the unserved and underserved homes in the County. These areas have been referred to as doughnut holes where approximately 600 unserved and underserved homes are located. The County has consulted with the North Carolina Division of Broadband and Digital Equity, and the most likely funding solution to serve those homes will be through the Broadband Equity and Deployment (BEAD) Program which has the goal of reaching 100% of unserved and underserved homes. The funding process for the BEAD program is expected to begin in Fall of 2025. County staff will provide updates as more details become available. Robert Reynolds, Chief Information Officer, reviewed the background information for the item and made the following presentation: Slide #1 Lu Broa Pro ORANGE N()I(I'E 1 Slide #2 28 Project Details at a Glance • County funded public-private partnership with a$10 million American Rescue Plan Act(ARPA)grant began in April 2022 $� • Project goal is to con nect6,370 unserved/underserved addresses in the County.Payments of grant funds to Lumos are based on performance ` �I • Lumos paid$1 million upon contactapproval V r • First benchmark of passing 3,000 homes achieved and Lumos paid$3 million as per contract ! '� + 4 • Final benchmark payment of$6 mil€ion is contingent on Lumos passing all6,370 homes as detailed in the agreement.The original deadline to serve these homes was December 31,2024 • Delays experienced in the spring have pushed final project completion into 2025.The proposed amendment establishes a new deadline of December 31,2025,to serve all homes identified in the original agreement. Slide #3 t Project Progress T 01 0 � AA aft xLIIIT Lumos has installed 407.5 3,236preeiouslyunserved and The project continues... route miles of fiber in Orange underserved homes now Additional900uns d od County connected homes by December 2024 • Additiona€750 homes in first quarter of 2026 • Final 1,484contracted •--� homes upon successfu€ project completion in December 2025 ram' Robert Reynolds said the project continues as they try to find solutions to address the remaining unserved homes, and they have a goal of final completion by December 2025. Slide #4 29 Orange County FTTP Project Schedule J6370 HHs) grecM NeMnk RgeNRrWrg Ramng Qrxb� SY Euwya Ergrwn firmly Ck'P EumMFleaestN IP Eynee Qrxb IP CwyEw�iru ErgrYmnp Qr. � Pviril Acqumnen IP E.grwiry gEPPEe s.ia ce•Ym,.a<m �� Qrxw OP I 5Y Pepermm Erg I grcly lP Ewrol„mamm E.q grcaC� �� IIIIII'Il. cipa Tv.,..y YeyiESd­ Co.vWcem Qrmv[6 - CvmvutlPwaMrim Ergeeenq QrRYIP EwoT- E­ E­ Project Schedule Chair Bedford asked about the "doughnut holes" in service. Robert Reynolds referred to slide#3. He said that the service "doughnut holes" are in the light blue areas. He said that they are trying to get the information to the state so that their information matches the county's and no one is left out. Chair Bedford said that they had hoped to be able to work on the doughnut holes by this point, but they are experiencing a year delay. She said that there may be a need to find a "Plan U after they hear from the state because they are committed to extend service to all of Orange County. Commissioner McKee said that many homes that were not unserved or underserved are also being picked up due to the fiber laid by Lumos. He said he is constantly getting called about people needing service, and he sends their information to Lumos. He said that the odd thing about donut holes is they have homes served on either end of the boundaries but not in the middle. He said that there is a willingness by Lumos to serve the entire county. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if there are any issues from extending the contract. Robert Reynolds said he does not think there are any downsides. He said he speaks to many residents about the impact of not having fiber internet service. He said he is committed to getting as many people as possible connected. He said it may take a couple of years, but they are working towards that goal. Commissioner Greene said that there is time pressure on Lumos to get the work done. She said she knows they have run into unexpected challenges. Vice-Chair Hamilton asked if Lumos could not fulfill the contract, how would Orange County spend the funds to make sure they are compliant. Travis Myren said that they can solicit a different vendor if Lumos is unable to complete the project. Robert Reynolds said that the two main challenges that Lumos faced were hitting heavy rock and then cost overruns due to trying to work around the rock. Commissioner McKee said that there were also requirements that NCDOT had for Lumos which complicated their projects. He said there were also structural changes at Lumos. He said 30 that many counties are also competing for installation crews and materials for this type of work. He said that not being served due to being in a doughnut hole or because the existing service is slow is an equity issue. Commissioner Fowler said they need to do whatever they can to incentivize service expansion. A motion was made by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to approve the amendment and authorize the Manager to execute the amendment and any other related documents. VOTE: UNANIMOUS Commissioner Carter said she has heard from residents that now have internet service, that this has been life changing for families. She thanked all those that worked on the project. At this point in the meeting, the Board decided to take up item 7-a so Housing staff could depart. 7. Reports a. Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness — Data Report The Board will receive an overview of the work of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH), including updated system level data about homelessness in Orange County submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) earlier this year, as well as obstacles and successes. BACKGROUND: The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) was created in 2005 to coordinate funding and activities to end homelessness in Orange County. OCPEH is jointly funded by Orange County(39.5%)and the Towns of Carrboro(14.3%), Chapel Hill (39.7%), and Hillsborough (6.5%). Overview This year has seen a series of transitions as the community recovered from the COVID 19 pandemic in several ways. COVID-era relief funding has been exhausted. Community partners have experienced reductions in grant and small donor revenue which has resulted in diminished program capacity at a time when community need remains high. This period has also highlighted the importance of local and regional collaboration to address the rise of homelessness. The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) uses a variety of funding sources to support community-level planning, coordination and evaluation efforts. Funders include federal and local government, foundations, and private partners. Challenges Orange County has seen a significant increase in Fair Market Rents leading to over half of the rental households in this community being cost-burdened. Compounding the rental pressures are the expiration of COVID-era Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) funds. New eligibility criteria and benefit caps have increased demand on the homeless system and increases in first-time homelessness. While emergency shelter capacity has increased in 2023 and served more people than ever before, the need for emergency shelter during inclement weather outstripped shelter capacity. Like many communities, Orange County has also seen the loss of institutional knowledge through staff turnover both internally and with local partners, as well loss of non-local and non-HUD funding, such as the Victims of Crime Act which supported domestic violence and sexual assault programming. 31 Successes As a small Continuum of Care, OCPEH expanded its impact by partnering with other local homeless systems on federal funding opportunities. County government has increased its commitment to address system needs and prioritized funding for two (2) main drivers of inequity in the current system by investing in Permanent Supportive Housing expansion and funding for Bridge Housing for this current year. County and local governments have also supported the expansion of life-saving inclement weather sheltering with plans for greater collaboration and capacity in 2024 and 2025. OCPEH has also leveraged Managed Care Organization (Alliance Health)funding to address a homeless system gap. OCPEH continues to perform well during federal funding competitions, increasing the funding that is available for homeless system services. The Road Ahead North Carolina's decision to expand Medicaid opens new opportunities to provide housing and related supports to more people experiencing homelessness in this community. Homeless system partners will need training and support to be able to utilize these funds (e.g. with Alliance Health's various housing-related programs). OCPEH continues to work with regional partners to identify and recruit providers to Orange County to address system gaps. OCPEH has been increasing engagement with people with direct knowledge of the local homeless system in system design, planning, and assessment, and will continue this focus in the year to come. This includes the recently initiated Technical Assistance through the local HUD office, as well as a collaborative Youth Homeless Systems Initiative grant that is being coordinated by Central Pines Regional Council. This overview of the Partnership's efforts serves as a basis for more in-depth discussion of OCPEH planned for a spring 2025 Board of Commissioners' work session. Blake Rosser, Housing Director, introduced Homelessness Program Manager Danielle Butler, who recently joined the Housing Department. Blake Rosser made the following presentation: Slide #1 nORANGECOUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) Data Report December 10,2024 Slide #2 32 A year of transitions • COVID-Era funding is exhausted • Reduced programming capacity in both OCPEH and local partners Personnel • Need remains as high as ever • New program (Bridge Housing), and hopes for more in the near future (Permanent Supportive Housing) nORANGE COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Slide#3 OCPEH has multiple funding; streams Mousing and Urban Development FTE through Orange (HUD) O(PER (arrbora (hapelitill Hillsbonogh CattntF Homeless Odw (ost-sharing (14.3%) 439.7%) (6.5%) (39.5% funds sovfm Continuum of(arestaff 2AS $33,135 $94,212 $15,42S $93,737 $21,749 Continuum of(are operations nla $12507 $34,722 $SAS $34,S47 $2,150 SOHRAD staff 4.0 $40A29 $113,349 S18,SS8 $112,778 SOHRAD operations n/a $5,774 $16,031 $2,625 $15,950 $S,000 Rapid Rehousing staff DS S4,648 S12.902 $2,113 $12,838 SA2,650 S84SO6 'Rapid Rehousing rental assistance n7a S28,600 S79,400 513r000 $79,000 $226,082 -HousingHelpstaff OS S112,849 S191,620 S35,000 Overflow(old Weather shelter $20,000 Housing Location staff $35,000 S35,004 TOTAL S126,293 S3SO,616 $S7," SS16,6" 5641,251 $75,000 nORANGECOUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT" Blake Rosser said there are three buckets of funding that can be considered. 33 Slide #4 IL Emergency Solutions Grant(ESG) ■Continuum of Care(CoC) sicoo.o00 $X40o.000 S1200,0m sa.ow.ow [OVID-related funding inaem Seo0ao0 Sso0ao0 s400.000 sao00W w nO nN M mlf M7 207E W19 2020 2021 2022 W23 ORANGE COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said that this year has been a reentry into the new normal after the elevated funding from COVID funds. Slide #5 � 1 1 200 1NCREASEDNUMBER 178 ,SO HOUSED 145141 100 78 87 51 so 19 18 21 7 8 8 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 nORANGF COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT 34 Slide #6 DIRECT SERVICE PROGRAMS IMPALTIN2023 Coordlnatedentry 9,174Households Q Income Based Rental Units point for ea a served;541 HOUSING Housing Locator Housing Helpllne seeking housngand horeless Furniture and Household goods homeless services assessments Rapid Re-Housing Working with Landlord Incentives Housing Access landlords to make 57 Landlords added; Youth Housing &A Coordinator units avallable for 62 Units added Permanent Supportive Housing people at very low Incomes Short-terra rental 51 Households Accessible,housing-focused shelter Rapid Re-housing asslstance and served;41 obtained SERVICES— Medical Respite Beds u services permanent housing TEMP.HOUSING Bridge Housing * SOAR{SSII 5upportsto help g ppI(obtained SSDI Outreach people expe Mend ng (ertificatlon In Sept ' -A and Access to homelessness apply 2023am Housing Helpllne staffing ) +r Recovery) for551/01 SERVICES— Integrated Service Center Street Outreach, CONNECTIONS Crisis/Diversion Facility Harm Reduction& Connections to 04h Deflection hausingand 71 people se rved;29ex1te Ivid �° people portnersh with services for hold to permanent SERVICES— 24 hour bathrooms p housing OCCrlmfr iJustfce living unsheltered DIGNITY Memorial Service Funding Resource Department ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING DEPARTMENT Chair Bedford asked if the linking of folks in need for services moved from DSS to Housing. Blake Rosser said that is correct and it moved a couple of years ago. He said the GAPS are listed in the right-table. He said that they are always looking for temporary housing. 35 Slide#7 Point In Time (PIT) Count from January 2024 had positive and negative indicators POINT-IN-TIME COUNT DATA 200 2020-2024 15O Z SPECIAL POPULATIONS 40 100 35 so 30 25 �Q+o ablkmeles ' 20 t F2ddes f VAMd'6 ° 2020 2021 24221 202) 2024 1 panPHpnS{OI b sheltertd UnVwbted 10 5 0 2020 2021 M 2023 2024 nORANGECOUNTY HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser said there was a 17% increase, but chronic homelessness is down overall to 18%. 36 Slide#8 Black residents, men disproportionately represented in those living unsheltered RACE �r HOUSEHOLDTYPE �z �Adults only mn z ■km�rs M11 0 20 40 50 80 100 4Go( plehorangelountroff4ll GENDER AGE k-AM. 4I I' : 1 wh eudaah;yWh on■Assn■Mulankdoa �A141e 254nd Older -1NrirplWarWna anx7xC�[l9ariNr ■AmMM bAenaAnfrdketlw 17 amyomx femalr ■w4erder& 218-24 ETHNICITY Wj" 4 of PeoplePxpeAm[ng Homelessneuin Orange Coolly -, Nw(or&wing 1snuo-e lrn ■aa+mvra ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING DEPARTMENT Commissioner Fowler asked if Blake Rosser had any information on individuals with disabilities. Blake Rosser said he did not think that was available for the previous year, but he would make a note to include that for the next count. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if Blake Rosser knew why the numbers of Black Americans experiencing homelessness is going up. Blake Rosser said no. Commissioner Portie-Ascott said she thought it was important to understand why and wanted to talk about it further on the Partnership to End Homelessness. She asked how many landlords were lost. Blake Rosser said it is difficult to know why and even when that happens. He said they want to develop an exit survey to send to landlords when someone moves out. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked what the landlord incentive is. Blake Rosser said that the landlord incentive that has two programs. He said there is a signing bonus for Section 8 or rapid rehousing at $1,000 and there is a $500 referral bonus for referring other landlords to the program. He said there is a risk mitigation program, which guarantees damages up to $3,000 or$4,000 above the security deposit. Chair Bedford said that the partnership was looking to see if it would be more efficient to pay for repairs directly without having the landlord file on their insurance. Danielle Butler said that landlords are not required to file with insurance when there are damages. 37 Commissioner Fowler said that 57 landlords were added. She asked how many were contacted, and how complex is the process to add a landlord. Blake Rosser said it is tough to know how many were contacted. He said that the process to add a landlord is straight forward. He said that they are added as a vendor by the Orange County Finance Department and have to sign a different rental agreement with the lease, depending on what service they are offering. He said there is also an inspection involved. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked if they want to know the out churn with the landlords. Blake Rosser said that it would be good to know, but they would need to do so in a way that is not too irritating for landlords. Vice-Chair Hamilton asked what the barriers are to 24-hour bathrooms. Blake Rosser said that willing sites are hard to come by. Chair Bedford said that in Chapel Hill it costs $200,000 a year to monitor and clean the 24-hour bathroom that was in the parking garage. She said it is incredibly expensive. Blake Rosser said it was also becoming a hazard. Chair Bedford said that the bathroom at the Carrboro Town Commons is open 24 hours. Vice-Chair Hamilton said she wonders what other towns and counties do. Commissioner Greene said there is and has been an advocacy effort taking place in Chapel Hill to try to solve the problem. Commissioner McKee said that the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan seems to have a good understanding of the outdoor 24-hour bathrooms. He suggested that they be contacted for more information. Chair Bedford said it is not just the unhoused population that could use bathroom facilities and that she also hears from advocates for those with disabilities. Slide #9 Overall we are seeing more homelessness, but less time homeless People entering an 3e0 340 shelter and housing programs 17I Of those,people experiencing 74 homelessnessfor t 21hefirsttime Pesple—d—yea■PeopM erpemm�ng Mmelessnessfa treinst ume ��� Length of time homeless(days) Lengitonalhoneheileror Iransitionai housing{days? ' 231 Average days T53 765 818 62 656 170 14i 112 288 a 111 ISI�m6 � Median days ■Ar»age -1Median nORANGE COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT Blake Rosser speculated that the voucher program is improving the length of time for individuals in shelters or transitional housing. 38 Slide #10 4CPEH making inroads on housing and recidivism O Returned to (07 /O w thin 1 years 178 INCREASED NUMBER 1 �m�mm00� 151 HOUSED From 6ulremb 4'* - too 81 Shemet 11% 43% 6% t49t 6% tam ttc 78 Fmm S0 S1 Inns 0% 26% 25% 30% 10% 11% 11% 1 , Houvng 79 18 11 From 7 8 8 ' PKmanenl 1i 3% 10% 3% 9% 0% Oil E Housing 2012 2013 2014 201$ 2016 2017 201E 2019 2010 2011 DU IO23 Total 6% 11% 14% 3% 11% E% 7% Returns n ORANGE COUNTY HOUSING DEPARTMENT Slide #11 Questions? Blake Rosser, Housing Director • 919-245-2492 • brosser@orangecountync.gov nORANGE COUNTY 0 HOUSING DEPARTMENT 39 Chair Bedford said that the Board may have a future work session item to discuss housing. At this point, the Board resumed the Regular Agenda with item 6-d. 6. Regular Agenda d. BOCC Boards and Commissions Assignments The Board selected the boards and commissions Board members will serve on during 2025. BACKGROUND: County Commissioners serve on various County and County-related boards and commissions. On an annual basis, BOCC members indicate their desire to continue serving on specific boards or commissions or their desire to make changes. The following attachments are provided to aid in the selection process: Attachment 1: Policy Governing the Selection Process of BOCC Boards/Commissions Assignments Attachment 2: Selection Process Guide Attachment 3: Current Boards and Commissions List Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board, introduced the item. The Board made the following boards and commissions selections: Board Name 2025 Commissioner(s) ABC Board Commissioner McKee Alliance Health Board of Directors Commissioner Hamilton Board of Health Commissioner Fowler Board of Social Services Commissioner McKee Burlington/Graham MPO Transportation Advisory Commissioner Bedford-member Committee Commissioner Hamilton-alternate Central Pines Regional Council Board of Delegates Commissioner Hamilton-member Commissioner Greene-alternate Central Pines Rural Planning Organization (CPRPO) Commissioner Portie-Ascott-member Rural Transportation Advisory Committee Commissioner McKee-alternate (formerly TARPO TAC) Climate Council Commissioner Greene Co-Gen Rail Transformation Project Policy Steering Commissioner Bedford Committee Cooperative Extension Leadership Council Commissioner Portie-Ascott Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Commissioner Fowler-member Organization Board Commissioner Carter-alternate Durham Tech Board of Trustees Commissioner Bedford Family Success Alliance Advisory Council Commissioner Fowler Fire Chief's Association of Orange County Commissioner McKee Go Triangle Board of Trustees Commissioner Greene Go Triangle Special Tax Board Commissioner Portie-Ascott Commissioner Fowler Go Triangle Transit Advisory Committee Commissioner McKee Healthy Carolinians Commissioner Fowler 40 Intergovernmental Parks Work Group Commissioner Bedford-member Commissioner Hamilton-alternate JCPC (Orange County Juvenile Crime Prevention Commissioner Carter Council Jordan Lake One Water Coalition Commissioner Carter Justice Advisory Council Commissioner Bedford Commissioner Greene Legislative Issues Work Group (LIWG) Commissioner Fowler Commissioner Hamilton North/South Bus Rapid Transit (N/S BRT) policy Commissioner Hamilton committee Orange County Behavioral Health Task Force Commissioner Hamilton Orange County Local Government Affordable Commissioner Greene Housing Collaborative Orange County Partnership for Young Children Commissioner Portie-Ascott Board of Directors Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Commissioner Portie-Ascott Leadership Team Piedmont Food Processing Center Commissioner Carter Research Triangle Regional Partnership Executive Commissioner Portie-Ascott Board Solid Waste Advisory Group (SWAG) Commissioner Bedford Commissioner Carter Strategic Communications Work Group Commissioner Carter Commissioner Fowler The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro B Commissioner McKee Board of Directors Upper Neuse River Basin Association Board of Commissioner Carter-member Directors Commissioner Bedford-alternate Visitor's Bureau Advisory Board Commissioner Greene A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Chair Bedford, to approve the assignments for BOCC boards and commissions. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8. Consent Agenda • Removal of Any Items from Consent Agenda • Approval of Remaining Consent Agenda • Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Vice-Chair Hamilton, to approve the consent agenda. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 41 a. Minutes The Board approved the draft minutes for November 7, 2024 and November 12, 2024 BOCC meetings as submitted by the Clerk to the Board. b. Motor Vehicle Property Tax Releases/Refunds The Board adopted a resolution to release motor vehicle property tax values for four(4)taxpayers with a total of four (4) bills that will result in a reduction of revenue. c. Property Tax Releases/Refunds The Board adopted a resolution to release property tax values for two (2) taxpayers with a total of two (2) bills that will result in a reduction of revenue. d. Late Application for Property Tax Exemption/Exclusion The Board approved one (1) untimely application for exemption/exclusion from ad valorem taxation for six (6) bills for the 2024 tax year. e. Refund of Overpayment of Excise Tax to Bagwell Holt Smith, P.A. The Board approved a refund request for overpayment of excise tax in the amount of$400 from Bagwell Holt Smith, P.A. f. Renewal of Health Services Agreement with Southern Health Partners for Medical Services at the Orange County Detention Center The Board approved a one-year renewal of the Health Services Agreement with Southern Health Partners for medical services at the Orange County Detention Center. g. Enhanced Voluntary and Voluntary Agricultural District Designation — Multiple Farms The Board approved applications from two (2) landowners/farms to certify qualifying farmland within the Cedar Grove and Caldwell Agricultural District Regions; and enroll the lands in the Orange County Farmland Preservation Program's Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District or Voluntary Agricultural District program. h. Award of Professional Services Agreement for County Trails Plan The Board approved and authorized the Manager to execute a services agreement with Gensler Architecture, Design and Planning, P.C. for the creation of a County Trails Plan. i. Approval of Contract with TripSpark Technologies for Consolidation of County Transit Management Technology The Board approved a contract with TripSpark Technologies for the consolidation of County transit management technology and authorize Manager to sign. j. Ratification of Manager Signed Intergovernmental Agreements The Board acknowledged and ratified various intergovernmental agreements signed by the Manager as previously authorized by the Board of Commissioners. k. Change in BOCC Meeting Schedule for 2025 The Board approved changes to the Board of Commissioners' meeting calendar for 2025. I. Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget Amendment #4 The Board approved budget, grant, and capital project ordinance amendments for FY 2024-25. m.Approval of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)—Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) The Board approved a one-year interlocal agreement by which Orange County and the Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough agree to jointly fund the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH). n. FY 2024-25 Ambulance Equipment Purchase The Board approved and authorized the Manager to sign all documents necessary for the procurement of one (1) LIFEPAK 15 Monitor/Defibrillator, three (3) LUCAS Chest Compression Systems, three (3) POWERPRO Cots, three (3) POWERLOAD systems, and three (3) Stair-PRO stair chairs. 9. County Manager's Report Travis Myren reviewed the potential topics for the retreat in January. 42 10. County Attorney's Report John Roberts wished the Board a happy holiday. 11. Appointments a. Orange Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors —Appointment Discussion The Board will discuss an appointment to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority(OWASA) Board of Directors. BACKGROUND: The OWASA Board of Directors adopts OWASA's annual budget, approves bond issues to fund capital projects, makes policy decisions, and sets rates, fees, and charges based on cost-of-service principles. The Board also appoints an Executive Director, independent Auditor, and General Counsel. The Board of County Commissioners appoints two (2) members. The following position is presented for Board consideration: NAME POSITION TYPE OF EXPIRATION DESCRIPTION APPOINTMENT DATE TERM BOCC County Resident Partial Term 06/30/2026 Appointee If the position listed above is filled, no vacancies remain. Tara May, Deputy Clerk to the Board, introduced the item. A motion was made by Commissioner Greene, seconded by Chair Bedford, to appoint Johnny Randall to the OWASA Board of Directors. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 12. Information Items • December 2, 2024 BOCC Meeting Follow-up Actions List • Tax Assessor's Report— Releases/Refunds under$100 13. Closed Session None. Adjournment A motion was made by Vice-Chair Hamilton, seconded by Commissioner Greene, to adjourn the meeting at 9:29 p.m. Jamezetta Bedford, Chair Submitted for approval by Laura Jensen, Clerk to the Board