Minutes 03-03-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Discussion and Approval of the Items Removed from the Consent Agenda i. Revised Applications, Guidelines & Scorinq Sheets for Oranqe County's Business Investment Grant &Aqriculture Economic Development Grant The Board considered approving revised draft Applications, Guidelines & Scoring Sheets for each of two grant programs — Business Investment Grant & Agriculture Economic Development Grant—which are funded by Article 46 one quarter cent sales tax proceeds to support economic development. Commissioner Price asked if the applications will specify that the amount has to be rounded to whole numbers. Steve Brantley said the wording states that the smaller grant is up to $1,000 for agriculture and up to $1,500 for businesses. Commissioner Price said the small grants are listed as up to $1,000, and large grants as between $1,001 and $10,000. She said people could use the 99 cents gap to work around the system. Steve Brantley said their advisory board can be more specific in order to address this. He said he will bring this to their attention. Chair McKee suggested the wording of"small grants of amounts below $1,000, and large grants from $1,000 to $10,000." Commissioner Price referred to item #9 and the request for grant recipients to provide an accounting of how all funds are used within 180 days of receipt. She asked if this is saying that the recipient must have spent all of the money in that time frame, or if this just means an accounting needs to be provided for what has been used up to that point. Steve Brantley said the language could be changed to say, "how the funds were, or will be, used." A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Rich to approve the revised draft Applications, Guidelines & Scoring Sheets for each of two grant programs — Business Investment Grant & Agriculture Economic Development Grant—which are funded by Article 46 one quarter cent sales tax proceeds to support economic development. with the two proposed changes: 1) to designate small grants as amounts below $1,000 and large grants as amounts from $1,000 to $10,000; and 2) item #9 language will be changed to say "how the funds were, or will be, used." VOTE: UNANIMOUS Steve Brantley gave an update of the website improvements and the digitization of the application. He said the grants and the small business loan programs will be incorporated into the business retention program. n. Draft Interlocal Aqreement for the Hollow Rock Park and Natural Area The Board considered receiving a draft interlocal agreement for the construction and operation of the planned Hollow Rock Park and Natural Area — a planned multi-jurisdictional public park located along New Hope Creek and referring the draft interlocal agreement to the Durham-Chapel Hill-Orange County Work Group for consideration at its March 11 meeting before the agreement comes back to the Board at a future meeting for further discussion and action.