Minutes 01-27-2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Commissioner Burroughs asked where that would be discussed under the retreat agenda; she asked if there was an intention to direct staff to prepare a budget this year with a zero tax increase. Commissioner Jacobs replied that the planning group had directed the staff to approach today's discussions with the idea that we are aiming for a zero tax increase. Bonnie Hammersley said that the staff presentations for today had been prepared with the aim of a zero tax increase. The group added "Be Present" to its set of retreat ground rules in keeping with a request from Commissioner Dorosin that participants not text, Tweet, or check their emails during the retreat. Commissioner Rich acknowledged that Lee Worsley, Executive Director of the Triangle J Council of Governments was in attendance. She said she invited him to the retreat because TJCOG has been focusing on transportation and broadband for the past few months. She said his presence will help her and him bring what they learned today back to the COG. Bonnie Hammersley called attention to the star-shaped badge holders, "Orange County Stars," at each Board member's place. She said these are tokens of appreciation to be given to employees who attend the Manager's quarterly information sessions. She wanted to be sure each board member also had one because they are also stars on the Orange County team. Preparing for Change Agenda Item Overview Facilitator and planning committee members explain the focus of this agenda item: "How can the County prepare for significant changes that might take place in the natural environment and society?What does it mean to be "sustainable" or "resilient" given climate change, demographic changes, fiscal limitations, and our commitments to social justice, economic viability and environmental stewardship? Our intention is to use this time to (a) recognize the challenge, (b) clarify our terms, and (c) generate ideas for making the County more resilient." The group talked generally about sustainability before hearing three substantive staff presentations. Commissioner Rich noted that the term "sustainability" can be overused, and asked if the retreat planning group intended for today's discussions to be about sustainability in a broad sense — how we're sustaining the budget and our larger projects— or with a more narrow focus. Commissioner McKee said that the retreat planning group wanted the Board to clarify what it means when it uses the term -- it is a code word that means different things to different people, he said -- and to come to a common understanding of the word's meaning among Board and staff for when we talk about County projects and tax levels. Commissioner Jacobs said that the intention of the retreat planners was to talk about sustainability in a broad sense, to avoid dealing with things episodically. It would similar to the way the Manager is trying to deal with the budget using a five year financial outlook. Another buzzword they could use is "holistically. " He said they want to look at things as if they were all interrelated, because they know they are, and articulate that view when explaining what the County does so that other people can follow it. Chair Dorosin said that one connotation for him of both "sustainability" and "resilience" is maintaining the status quo. That's helpful in the context of threats we face from the General Assembly and the federal government, but they also should be thinking about moving forward. For example, the bond has passed and they now have an opportunity to move forward on housing. Commissioner Jacobs said that another way to look at "sustainability" is to consider the County as a living entity. It has to be forward-oriented in order to survive but it also has to be