Minutes 10-15-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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He said the second stage will involve developing the application and then bringing it back to the Board at a second public hearing to lay out the specifics of the projects and how the money will be spent. Commissioner Dorosin asked for information on the parameters for these grants. Craig Benedict said the state legislature narrowed the focus this year, so there is not as much funding available for typical housing purposes. He said there are limitations based on the classification of Orange County as a tier three county. He said monies are available for infrastructure and job creation and training. He said he will be able to elaborate more by the second public hearing. Commissioner Rich asked who is able to request monies at the second public hearing. She asked how the Board of County Commissioners can get involved in recommending projects. Craig Benedict said the typical cadence would be to identify five different pots of money. He said non-profits would normally request monies at this hearing. He said monies are not available as they have been in the past, but monies are available for infrastructure that will bring jobs to low income residents. He said he would expect to see projects such as extending water and sewer to companies that provide jobs to people who have not been making 80 percent of the median income. Craig Benedict said the effects of the state legislature rules are far-reaching, and he will provide the Board of County Commissioners with this information at a later date. Commissioner Rich asked if any non-profits have contacted Craig Benedict's or Tara Fikes' office yet. Tara Fikes said she has received one inquiry from Habitat for Humanity. Chair Jacobs said this is a two-step process. He said people will be encouraged to come to the next hearing. Craig Benedict said people have been notified directly, and there are public hearing ads. He said people are scrambling to see how monies will be distributed. Commissioner Dorosin said, in thinking about issues of poverty, the state has prioritized tier one counties. He noted that the 40 lowest wealth counties are tier one, the second 40 counties are tier two, and the 20 wealthiest counties are tier three, which includes Orange County. He said people who live in a low wealth community in a high tier county have a much smaller pool of funds to address needs. He said this clearly places the burden on the Board of County Commissioners to address the low wealth communities in Orange County. Michael Talbert said there are going to be limited funds for Orange County, especially in the housing arena, this year and next year. He said the next public hearing will be very specific regarding the economic development grant. He said this is the first step in making that happen. Chair Jacobs referred to Commissioner Dorosin's comment and said this was one of the hurdles in addressing concerns with the Rogers Road Neighborhood. He said the tier three status prevented access to monies. He noted that the Board has now gone in a different, self supported direction. The Interim Manager recommends that the Board continue to receive comments from the public as additional information. 7. Regular Agenda a. Infrastructure Design and Construction Administration Contract for Morinaga Site