Agenda 12-02-19 Item 12-5 - Information Item - Memorandum-FY 19-20 Orange County Budget Appropriation for Sidewalk Study – Orange Grove Road Corridor and Pedestrian Safety

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6 Government appropriation is recommended to grow from $9.9 million in FY2018-19 to $10.5 million in FY2019- 20. The Budget recommends the following initiatives in General Government functions. • County Attorney In FY2018-19, 0.5 FTE Senior Staff Attorney was assigned to be the Director of Human Rights and Relations. Due to workload pressures, the County Attorney requested to restore this staff capacity to hire a new 0.5 FTE Staff Attorney to specialize in litigation. The FY2019-20 Budget restores this capacity and adds $19,200 to maintain Staff Attorney capacity during an anticipated parental leave. • County Manager—Information Security Officer&Sidewalk Study The County Manager's Budget adds 1.0 FTE to serve as the County's cyber security officer, starting in January of 2020. The County's recent experience with sophisticated malware highlighted the importance of having a staff resource dedicated to cyber and data security both on the computer network and throughout County operations. As part of the County Manager's Office, the position will have the full support of County leadership as well as an indirect line of responsibility to Information Technology. The Budget adds $54,300 in operating funds to support this position. During the Capital Budget Amendment process, an amendment will be requested to provide an additional $350,000 in to purchase hardware and software to harden the County defenses to data security threats. The Unified Transportation Board completed a work plan for Safe Routes to Schools. This plan identified the need for pedestrian options for students. Since several Orange County Schools are located outside of Town boundaries, the County has been attempting to devise a strategy to mitigate pedestrian safety concerns. The County Manager's base budget included $50,000 for program evaluation studies. This funding will be reallocated to retain a consultant to evaluate options specifically along Orange Grove Road. • Board of Elections The 2019-20 Fiscal Year will feature three Countywide elections, municipal, primary, and second primary. Recommended Operating Budget for the Board of Elections increases by over $226,000 in personnel and operating costs to reflect the administration of three Countywide elections during FY2019-20. • Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners The Clerk's Budget anticipates facilitator expenses of$2,500 to assist with the pilot intergovernmental work group process. As the facilitator time commitment for these meetings become defined, this amount of funding may have to be revisited. • Register of Deeds Due to current trends,the Register of Deeds recommended a decrease of$125,000 in excise stamp revenue. This revenue is based on the sale price of a real estate transaction. The decrease could be due to a reduction in large, commercial sales. • Tax Administration The Tax Administration Recommended Budget begins to prepare for the 2021 revaluation. It includes $26,000 for independent appraisal services for commercial properties as well as$21,100 to maintain staffing capacity during anticipated parental leaves next year. The Budget also funds NC Property Tax System enhancements at a cost of$35,000. 7 15