Minutes 12-13-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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24 Gary Donaldson apologized to Commissioner Rich, and said there would be no other exceptions. PUBLIC COMMENT: Riley Ruskey mentioned several increasing costs imposed by Orange County, and said the BOCC's appetite for spending the citizen's earnings is just too great. He said he supported not increasing the amount. He said as a US citizen and Veteran, he requested that this policy include the following statement: no County funds will be provided to any agency, organization or entity that aids and abets illegal activities. He said their Orange County government should not be aiding or abetting illegal activities. Hathaway Pendergrass said he is the President of the Board of Directors for the Rape Crisis Center. He said this Center has just embarked on a capital campaign to secure office space, and allowing more options for capital needs is helpful for outside agencies. Commissioner Rich asked if Hathaway Pendergrass would talk about the Center's increased needs. Hathaway Pendergrass said the capital campaign will help the Center expand their services and staff space. He said this organization has existed for 42 years, and recently set a record for most clients served in one month. He said there are more clients, and the Center is seeking to expand services to address more issues. He said there is insufficient staff to fill all of the educational programming that has been requested. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the desired size of space and quantity of funds could be identified. Hathaway Pendergrass said the Center is looking to get into a space larger than 5,400 square feet, and is seeking to raise $1.2 million. He said the building costs $800,000, with an additional $400,000 for upfitting. He said the Center is seeking $200,000 from the County with additional requests going to the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. He said the Center is currently in a suite of condos, and are also on a bus route. He said the new space would be in the same location but with an expansion of space. Commissioner Marcoplos asked if the number of people in need of services could be identified, versus the number of people that the Center is capable of serving. Hathaway Pendergrass said the Center serves between 500-600 people annually, and they are looking to double that number going forward. He said the Center is in a very cramped space, and anonymity is forfeited in this current space. Chair Dorosin reminded the Board that it is only discussing a policy change tonight. Commissioner McKee said outside agencies are vital to Orange County, and he does not mind raising the grant amount up to 1.2%, but he does have a problem with expanding the capital policy any more than what is written in the proposal. He said there are several outside agencies that are in the midst of capital campaigns, and if the Board opens that door it may not be able to close it. He said he is concerned that the County will end up picking up all capital costs for outside agencies. Commissioner Rich said she is fine with the target for 1.2%, but she does not like limiting more options for capital funding. She said the Rape Crisis Center is the only organization that provides these services, and she cannot support the portion of the policy that does not provide more options. Commissioner Jacobs said he will vote for this policy, but he is hesitant to increase the funding in advance of the budget process. He said he wants to support the non-profit community.