Agenda - 04-21-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

8 1 • Board of Adjustment - Michael Harvey, Support Staff 2 Michael Harvey said he does not have a formal presentation but he would be happy to 3 answer any questions. 4 Commissioner Pelissier said she did not understand the concern expressed by the 5 Board of Adjustment. 6 Michael Harvey said there is a misspelling in the listed concern. He said if the Board is 7 going to look at processes with respect to changing how land uses are reviewed, the Board of 8 Adjustment would like to be part of that discussion. 9 10 • Board of Health 11 The Board of Health had requested that their work plan be discussed at the Joint Dinner 12 Meeting with the Board of Commissioners on 4/14/15. 13 14 • Board of Social Services - Tamara Dempsey-Tanner, Vice Chair 15 Tamara Dempsey-Tanner said there were some accomplishments that she wanted to 16 highlight. She said over the past year staff was challenged with many issues, including dealing 17 with the rollout of federal marketplace insurance, new eligibility requirements related to 18 Medicaid, and the implementation of NC FAST. She said the staff has done a remarkable job 19 with all of this. 20 She noted that there have also been some legislative changes regarding childcare 21 subsidies, primarily with regard to census rebasing, which has an impact on their subsidy 22 allocations, and she thanked the Board of County Commissioners for their support. 23 Tamara Dempsey said the priorities for next year will be looking at childcare, and 24 continuing to support those families in Orange County. She said new initiatives will include 25 youth employment and veteran services, as retail spaces are developed 26 . 27 • Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau - Visitor's Bureau Director Laurie 28 Paolicelli 29 Commissioner Rich said Chair Anthony Carey sent her a note saying he was ill and 30 would not be able to attend. She said Visitor's Bureau Director Laurie Paolicelli would be 31 presenting tonight. 32 Laurie Paolicelli said that, in terms of total revenue, Orange County now ranks 24th out 33 of 100 counties. She said the County has 1,623 hotel rooms and is outperforming the regions 34 and the state in terms of occupancy and rate. 35 Laurie Paolicelli said there is a lot of interest from hoteliers and builders in Orange 36 County, and there is a lot of growth in tourism. 37 She said the only declining metric is the walk-ins at their visitor center. She said when a 38 visitor's center has a connection to an attraction in a town, such as trolley or train station, there 39 is an increase. She said the three fastest growing segments for travel in Orange County are 40 gay weddings, a greater demand from disabled travelers, and the foodie market. 41 She said tourism is a form of economic development and economic retention, as these 42 visitors help keep these new restaurants and hotels open. 43 Commissioner Rich said it is important to understand that there is an increase in tourism 44 related to youth sports such as soccer. She said there are efforts to increase stay over 45 travelers. 46 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Visitor's Bureau is responsible for the interstate sign 47 "You will be a fan for life." 48 Laurie Paolicelli said no. She said a former agent at the Visitors Bureau came up with 49 this slogan, but there is no campaign tied to it. 50 Commissioner Dorosin asked how this can be changed.