Minutes 09-10-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 1 shows it to not be a priority. He said he does not believe the fear of failing should keep 2 affordable housing off a bond. He acknowledged the great needs of the schools, but added that 3 the community has a lot of needs. He said it is inaccurate to think of housing and school needs 4 as disconnected. 5 Commissioner Dorosin said having money in a bond for housing is an acknowledgment 6 of the need. 7 Chair McKee said he is concerned with the idea that without a bond the Board can do 8 nothing. He said money can be borrowed, etc. He said his understanding is that the schools 9 were primary in this bond discussion from the start. He said he has not seen indication of this 10 Board opposing housing, parks, etc. He said he disagrees with the notion that if an item is not 11 on a bond then nothing will happen to address the item. 12 Chair McKee said, with Commissioner Jacobs' suggestion, the Board created a $100 13 million land-banking project in the CIP in one night. He said he started evolving towards a one- 14 issue bond for the schools in the spring of 2015, especially in reference to safety. 15 Chair McKee said there is still the possibility that the legislature could throw a wrench 16 into all of this. 17 Chair McKee said he supports affordable housing, seniors, parks, etc. He said, as of 18 now, he is supportive of bond funding going exclusively for the schools. 19 Commissioner Jacobs said he was the first one to suggest a bond because of the 2013 20 school shootings in Connecticut. He said at times the Board had to choose operational needs 21 over structural needs for the schools years ago. He said he had every expectation that the 22 bond process would be transparent, with early engagement in the process by the public, etc. 23 He said the Board has not had that type of conversation yet, but only assumptions. He said this 24 is a flawed process and a disservice to the community. He said actions speak louder than 25 words and that the message being sent is that other issues are not as important as schools. He 26 said a big deal has been made about a bond and trying to educate the public. He said the 27 Board is saying that schools are the only one issue that is important. 28 Commissioner Jacobs said he felt disappointed in this Board up to this point about this 29 process, and he hoped there would never be a bond discussion/process like this again. He said 30 everyone is in a reactive mode now, and this issue was decided back in April. 31 32 2. Implementation of the Strategic Communications Plan 33 Laurie Paolicelli, Community Relations Director, said this Board decided a year ago that 34 a strategic communications plan was needed for Orange County in order to stay relevant. 35 Laurie Paolicelli said Chapel Hill finished their website for $150,000, and now Wake County has 36 set a goal of 10,000 Facebook followers in order to communicate more effectively with 37 residents. 38 Laurie Paolicelli said some of the surrounding towns are using survey monkey to engage 39 residents about bonds and initiatives. 40 Laurie Paolicelli said the Strategic Communications Work Group laid down the 41 groundwork for her plan, and represented a diverse group of employees and what was needed 42 to move forward in this area. 43 Laurie Paolicelli presented the following PowerPoint slides: 44 45 Orange County, North Carolina, government 46 2015-2016 Communications 47 Implementation Plan 48 49 Community Engagement