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asserting its authority to prevent local government from restricting or regulating fracking. He <br /> said he appreciates Commissioner Price speaking up. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs noted that he had shared an article related to this issue, regarding <br /> Dillon's rule. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 7. Reqular Aqenda <br /> a. Updated Oranqe County Partnership to End Homelessness Memorandum of <br /> Understandinq <br /> The Board considered adopting the updated Orange County Partnership to End <br /> Homelessness Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Orange County and the Towns <br /> of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough and authorizing Chair to sign the same. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier said the Board needs to vote on this MOU. She said when the <br /> partnership was created in 2007, it was a ten year plan to end chronic homelessness, and it <br /> would have ended in 2017. She said, since that time, the federal government has seen that <br /> there were other best practices, and ending homelessness is now an ongoing focus that <br /> includes prevention of homelessness. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier said the four elected officials on the committee got together and <br /> reviewed and revised this MOU. She said the towns have already adopted this, and the County <br /> is the last to look at it. <br /> She said the major changes are designed to recognize that this is an ongoing program, <br /> and the goal was to have some certainty about funding. She said any party can withdraw from <br /> the program, but a one year notice is required. She said if one party withdraws, it does not <br /> obligate any other parties to continue, though hopefully they will. <br /> She said another major change is that the coordinator's position will be in the County <br /> Manager's office. She said four elected officials from the different towns will comprise the <br /> executive committee, and these officials will assess the progress and meet with the coordinator <br /> on a regular basis. She said this is the first year that Chapel Hill will spend more than the <br /> County in the funding of the coordinator position, because this is based on population. <br /> Mary Jane Seyda is the Chair of the Partnership to End Homelessness. She recognized <br /> Commissioner Pelissier and her work on this committee. She said the purpose of the <br /> partnership is to have all service providers, municipalities, and public entities collaborate <br /> together to prevent and end homelessness. She said the overarching goals of the partnership <br /> are to: 1) Reduce the number of people who experience homelessness; 2) reduce the length of <br /> time people are homeless; and 3) to reduce the number of people who return back to <br /> homelessness. <br /> Mary Jane Seyda said their leadership team is the large group that provides the vision, <br /> and there are 25 active voting members. She said this is a very engaged partnership, <br /> composed of many different members of the community. She said there are 6 work groups that <br /> are comprised of different service providers and agencies in Orange County. <br /> She said one of these work groups is the 100,000 Home Task Force, which not only <br /> counted the homeless population, but also did surveys to see how people's mental health is <br /> compromised by their homelessness. She said the goal was to house these people first, and in <br /> the three years since this survey, 26 of these people—who typically have been on the street for <br /> 5 to 20 years - have been housed. <br /> Mary Jane Seyda said another initiative is the Outreach Court, which is the first and only <br /> special court in North Carolina for homeless people with misdemeanor charges. She said this is <br /> an alternative program in which the service providers are right there in court to give people the <br /> ability to engage in services. <br />