Agenda - 04-07-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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27 1 Commissioner Jacobs said if there are going to be any elected officials there should be 2 Commissioners on this task force. He said he has no problem with having elected officials from 3 the schools. He feels it would be a mistake to have a group of citizens with other elected 4 officials and no representation from the Board of Commissioners. 5 Commissioner Jacobs said if it is a genuine process then the Board does not tell the 6 task force what the Commissioners hope the outcome will be. He said this is an opportunity for 7 the task force to talk about what is of interest and they can look at the CIP for guidance. He 8 said it is better to let them work it out and bring it forth to be voted up or down. He said if there 9 are Commissioners present, they would not be there to drive things in any direction. 10 Bonnie Hammersley noted that there is a reference on page 2 stating that there is an 11 appointment for each town. 12 Commissioner Burroughs said she understands the value of buy-in and the desire for an 13 organic process; however, she said there are already such clearly illustrated needs, including 14 school needs, and affordable housing needs, and there is a limited pot of money. She said the 15 sooner that the broader topics have been settled, the better the work of the committee will be, 16 because there will be a focus. She said she comes from a background of thinking it is better to 17 be more directed, at least on the two issues that are already clearly identified. 18 Commissioner Price said she had the same question about the need for a facilitator. 19 She said if there are clear reasons to hire a facilitator, it will be necessary to thoroughly vet the 20 person. 21 Commissioner Pelissier feels the Board does need to narrow down what they want in 22 the bond referendum. She said public buy-in is important, but her concern is that the proposed 23 task force composition may be setting up false expectations. She said the schools already 24 want a level of money that is nowhere near what will be put on a bond referendum, but it is 25 clear that the schools will be part of this. 26 Commissioner Pelissier said she had a discussion with a Chapel Hill town council 27 member about affordable housing, and it may be a good idea to see what Chapel Hill puts on 28 their bond as relates to affordable housing. She suggested that staff be asked to work behind 29 the scenes with Chapel Hill to work this out. 30 Commissioner Rich said Chapel Hill voted last night on the topics that would be moved 31 forward in the bond discussion. She said this has narrowed the list down. 32 Commissioner Rich said the purpose of a bond is to involve citizens. She said citizens 33 are voting on a tax for themselves, and it does not seem organic to set limits. She questioned 34 why you would not want to get opinions from residents. 35 Commissioner Jacobs said it is important to set some limits. He said as soon as the 36 school needs came up, he suggested a bond issue discussion. He said it is reasonable to tell 37 the group that a preponderance of the funding will go to the schools, and the group will need to 38 hash this out. He said 68 percent went to the schools last time. He said he does not want to 39 say up front that seniors are to be discounted or that the parks system should not be 40 developed. He said it is not fair to go in and say that the bond will only support two things, as it 41 is a disservice to people who care about the other things and would like to make their case. He 42 said it is good to set parameters, money, and preponderance, and then allow people to work 43 the rest of it out. 44 Commissioner Burroughs said there is always the opportunity for the residents to make 45 their concerns known through the regular budget process and the CIP discussion. She said 46 she does not see it as cutting people out, but there are well known needs that are a priority. 47 She said ultimately the Board is elected to think about these issues and make decisions. She 48 said her representation side is weighing more heavily after years of hearing about these two 49 particular issues. She said that tone can be set without discounting what others have 50 advocated for.