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Commissioner Gordon asked if there was any way for the State to take over Medicaid instead of <br /> the counties. Commissioner Carey said that it was unlikely that the State would take over Medicaid <br /> unless it got something out of it. The proposal is that the State gets to keep the $398 million for next <br /> year, but after that it comes to the counties in the form of Medicaid relief. <br /> Commissioner Halkiotis said that the County Commissioners received some information from the <br /> Orange County Partnership for Young Children that explained how the 10% State budget cuts would <br /> impact their program. There will be even more cuts in Smart Start, which will have devastating impacts <br /> on young children. He talked with the Director of Smart Start in Orange County Michelle Revist this <br /> morning. He asked the County Commissioners to authorize him to work with Michelle Revist to draft a <br /> resolution to be sent to the Governor, the Orange County legislators, and other key legislators in both the <br /> Senate and the House. The resolution will highlight the accomplishments and the successes of the <br /> Orange County Smart Start program. The Orange County program is considered a model across the <br /> State and has won many awards. The Board agreed that Commissioner Halkiotis should work with <br /> Michelle Revist on a resolution to be placed on an upcoming agenda. <br /> Commissioner Halkiotis praised Jerry Passmore and the Orange County Department on Aging on <br /> the RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) given at the Friday Center today. He said that he was <br /> so very proud of this program. The volunteers have contributed in excess of a million dollars in services. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that the Schools and Land Use Council has been working on the <br /> Memorandum of Understanding and the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. They have made <br /> recommendations on all outstanding parts of the Memorandum of Understanding. The Chapel Hill Town <br /> Council and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen have approved the Memorandum of Understanding. The <br /> Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are very close to approving this Memorandum of Understanding and <br /> the Orange County Schools and the Hillsborough Town Commissioners plan to discuss this in the near <br /> future. Also, the Schools Facilities Task Force met the other day and had an introductory meeting. They <br /> will meet in another two weeks to talk about school construction standards. <br /> Commissioner Gordon recognized members from our Division 7 NCDOT. She said that the County <br /> Commissioners talked the other day about a way to have Orange County notified when projects are <br /> coming to fruition. The County Commissioners would like an automatic update and she asked who <br /> would be the best person to work this out. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that on behalf of the Board he wishes to express condolences to Mayor Glendel <br /> Stephenson of Mebane whose wife passed away over the weekend. A token of remembrance was sent <br /> to his home. <br /> Chair Jacobs informed the public and the Board that on Thursday evening they would be televising <br /> the presentation of the budget as well as the following work session on solid waste. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that there was a meeting over the weekend celebrating the completion of the <br /> fund raising for the Little River Regional Park. This attracted sufficient State and federal grant money. <br /> The County's portion is only $700 an acre. People were very appreciative and very mindful of the <br /> collaborative nature of this project. <br /> Chair Jacobs said that on Saturday afternoon a meeting was held with the Rogers Road community <br /> to hear information on the grants which would enable citizens in that area to hook up to the waterline that <br /> was installed. A report will be on the first agenda in June on how many people qualify and if any <br /> adjustments need to be made. <br /> Chair Jacobs made reference to the water summit held last Thursday the 16`h at the Southern <br /> Human Services Center. There were presentations from Orange County, Hillsborough, Orange <br /> Alamance, Durham, OWASA, Mebane, and Chatham County. He said that it was very informative and <br /> people came away with a better appreciation of the water and sewer issues in this region. Even though <br /> we were told that we have a surplus of water in the region, it was pretty clear that unless we do a better <br /> job of coordinating and sharing, then we will continue to have extremely high prices in one place while <br /> another jurisdiction may be sitting on 20 or 30 million gallons per day of capacity. <br /> Chair Jacobs made reference to a memo from the County Manager regarding the annual report <br /> published by the Public School Forum of North Carolina on school funding. Orange County has ranked <br /> first in the state in per pupil spending for the last five years. The next closest county is almost $1,000 <br /> less per pupil. The lowest per pupil allocation is $587. There is a court ruling that requires the State to <br />