Agenda - 03-06-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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24 1 about raising taxes, people like teachers could be on the brink. The Board needs to be 2 careful and creative as they think through all of their options. 3 4 Commissioner Dorosin said he is reluctant to think they are going to take on poverty— 5 that is why he narrowed it down to "child poverty." He said that if we focus, we can 6 begin to address the most severe aspects and make a tangible difference. He said that 7 we need a laser approach at the start, rather than a shotgun approach. 8 9 Chair Jacobs said every government has its own housing plan without any coordination 10 with the non-profits and other governmental entities, including UNC. He wanted to 11 address this as they talk about affordable housing and a possible bond referendum. He 12 said the presence of the University is one of the reasons for the shortage of housing, 13 and that maybe it would be possible to converse with the new Chancellor about "low 14 hanging fruit." 15 16 Commissioner Gordon said they should try to figure out something that makes a 17 difference, and that children would be a good place to focus. She emphasized the 18 importance of the resources they spend on education. 19 20 Commissioner McKee said he agreed on selecting a priority to focus on, but whatever 21 they do has to be interconnected with the entire problem. 22 23 Commissioner Rich said she brought this topic forward for inclusion in the retreat 24 agenda because of the Assembly of Governments discussion and the formation of a 25 group to work on affordable housing. She said that we can't do it alone —we have to ask 26 for help and to have some sort of group that encompasses all of the players. 27 28 Chair Jacobs asked if Nancy and Tara had the list of information items requested during 29 this discussion. Nancy Coston said yes, and that she assumed the Board would want to 30 know the costs associated with those things. 31 32 Commissioner Price asked if staff had any idea how many people have left the County 33 because of the cost of living. Nancy Coston said she does not think they have any 34 numbers that track that. 35 36 Commissioner Dorosin urged staff to think not just about programs we have or have 37 had, but also to think of things they have not tried before (e.g. take County owned land 38 and build a manufactured housing park). He said we should think about it as broadly as 39 possible rather than be constrained in our thinking. 40 41 Commissioner Price said that what she thinks seems to work is when governments 42 support community organizations. 43 44 The Board decided to briefly discuss the tally of the top 5 goals from the list of potential 45 2014-15 budget goals that had been identified earlier in the retreat. Each commissioner 46 had individually voted in priority order - #1 to #5. By assigning 5 points for each #1 vote, 47 4 points for each #2 vote, and so on, the tally of the top goals was as follows: 48 49 1. Defending the quality of public education —22 points 50 2. Ensure our safety net services— 16 points 51 3. Funding for sewer and hook ups in Rogers Road area (construction) -14 points 52 4. Targeted funding to address child poverty i.e., increase childcare subsidies - 9 points 53 5. (tie) Support broad range of economic development— new and existing businesses (make 54 sure to support infrastructure) —8 points 55 5. (tie) Consider limit to viability of tax increase — 8 points