Minutes 02-05-2019 Regular Meeting

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4 Commissioner McKee said the Board of County Commissioners put out a statement about a year ago about not committing any more funds to light rail, and he petitioned that the Board re-commit to that statement. Commissioner Price said the Ag Summit is on Monday, February 11t" Commissioner Price said that she and others attended a Stepping UP Initiative stakeholders' group in Buncombe County. She said she noticed the resources dedicated to diversionary programming, and the comprehensive and cohesive approach that Buncombe County takes. She said the group visited family justice center and the detention center, and it was concluded that prosecution and incarceration cannot solve or remedy any of the pressing social issues. Commissioner Marcoplos petitioned the Planning Department to do a planning assessment of the detached section of the rural buffer in the southeast corner of the County: east of Old Lystra Road, on the edge of the Chapel Hill transition area. He said discussions about the future of this area are inevitable, and it would be helpful for the Board to know the implications of the land use in that area. Commissioner Marcoplos respectfully added on to Commissioner McKee comments about LRT, and said it would be money not well spent to pay Davenport to do any economic analysis on the light rail, since the Federal Transportation Authority (FTA) has not returned a report on the risk assessment. He said there are a lot of unknowns at this point, and it would be fruitless to do such an analysis. Commissioner Dorosin suggested that the County look into creating some Orange County swag. Commissioner Dorosin said the General Assembly is back in session and there have already been several bills introduced that reflect priority items of the BOCC: expanding Medicaid; repealing the confederate monument protections; raising minimum wage to $15/hour; red flag laws regarding gun violence. Commissioner Bedford said she attended the Legislative Breakfast on Mental Health, and it is the time to be loud about the need for the expansion of Medicaid. Commissioner Bedford said that she would like to engage Davenport, and have them on standby, as Davenport will need to time to be prepared should the County need them. She said she would like Davenport to analyze the proposed LRT cost sharing agreement that will be coming to the Board, as assumptions have changed and the Board needs factual information. Commissioner Bedford said the Board needs to understand the numbers, and Davenport may just want to be ready. She said the Board needs a comparison — like a truth in lending. She said she is very concerned about the interest rates, and the Board needs an analysis from an independent source so the Board knows exactly to what it is committed. Chair Rich said Happy Chinese New Year, noting it is the year of the pig. Chair Rich referred to the rural buffer discussion that happened at the Chapel Hill Council meeting, and agreed that it would be good for the BOCC to get some information about that southeastern corner of the County. She said would also like a bit more history on why this portion of the County is in the rural buffer and information on the sensitive stream buffers and watersheds. She said she heard that the ETJ stays the way it is as it is the open space for southern village, and she does not know if these two areas are related. She said she would also like a bit more information about typography. Chair Rich said she is glad to work with Commissioner Dorosin on the "One Orange" theme, and possibly kick off something in the spring. Chair Rich said she attended the Extension Community Association meeting on Saturday morning, and there are 80 women doing wonderful things for those in need in the community: knitting blankets, making pillows, etc. Chair Rich said she had three take-aways from Assembly of Governments (AOG) meeting: Greene Tract resolution; formation of the climate change committee; and the formation