Minutes 11-05-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Rich said the laws could be placed on a bike map of Orange County, on the web or in hard copy. A motion was made by Commissioner Rich, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to refer the resolution back to the Manager to be fleshed out, and for the Manager do all she said and the Board will revisit this in January or February 2016. VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8. Reports a. Community Giving Fund Update The Board received an update on the Orange County Community Giving fund, its evolution to date, and its anticipated future developments and provide comments and direction as appropriate. Bob Marotto, Orange County Animal Services Director, reviewed the following information: BACKGROUND: In 2013, the Orange County Community Giving Fund was created as a mechanism for residents and others to make donations to the County for specific public purposes. The fund is County-wide and all departments have an equal opportunity to participate in this purpose. The creation of the fund was partially in response to feedback that there may be hesitations on the part of the public to donate to the County's general fund. Of special concern was that people did not believe that they are able to decide where and how donated money is used. Additionally, the ability to roll funds over from one year to another was challenging and a secondary fetter on purposive giving. The Community Giving Fund, in contrast, contains a structure that guarantees donations will only be used for the specified purpose for which they are made. It also has an advantage of rolling funds over from year to year for specific projects and programs that may be long-term and unable to be completed in a shorter time frame. All donations to the fund are tax-exempt. The fund has continued to grow annually, in both scope and size, with several changes being made along the way as the County has become more familiar with its opportunities and how to most effectively fit them to its needs. One of these has been introducing the ability to refresh the menu of giving opportunities on a semi-annual basis as needs change and grow within departments or on the County level. Another has been the introduction of the fund to the County's Combined Giving Campaign, a change that first took place in 2014 and will continue for the upcoming 2015 drive. Most recently the County has begun to connect larger initiatives to the potential provided by the Community Giving Fund. Illustrations include the Family Success Alliance, My Brother's Keeper, and the Veteran's Memorial. In the latter case, efforts were underway to find a suitable donation mechanism for the memorial; and ultimately, funds were transferred from another source into the Community Giving Fund to jumpstart the project. Currently, the managing committee for the Community Giving Fund is considering extending outreach about the fund to civic groups active in the County. It is anticipated that this would take place in the form of in-person presentations to a broad range of active civic organizations in Orange County. In addition to its form and content, thought is being given to the timing of such an outreach initiative.