Agenda - 09-01-20; 8-a - Minutes

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11 1 will continue to be, committed to land preservation, and he thinks it is time to show equal 2 commitment to this type of education. 3 Commissioner Price said Orange County has a unique relationship between 4 education and economic development, and this conversation about another building has 5 been ongoing for years, and even more so when the hospital was built. She said 6 earning a GED is free at Durham Tech, and affords many people a wonderful 7 opportunity. She said students can transfer credits to a four year college, which levels 8 the playing field for many who could not afford the traditional college route. 9 Commissioner Marcoplos said he recognizes the dire need for vocational 10 training, and would like to see this project move forward. He said he would like to find a 11 way to get the planning done, but maybe look at the rest of the funding thereafter. He 12 said the Board does not know what the implications of taking funding from these 13 different other CIP projects would have, and he would never support taking funding from 14 lands legacy. 15 Commissioner McKee said he appreciated both Commissioner Price and 16 Dorosin's efforts, but the BOCC needs to spend more time discussing these proposals, 17 as there are many projects he will not defund. He said he would support delaying this 18 discussion until the fall for next year's budget, because of all of the uncertainty around 19 the County's finances, and the economy at large, due to Covid. He said he fully 20 supports vocational training, but he cannot support these proposed offsetting costs. 21 Commissioner Greene said she has come to believe that this issue should be 22 made more urgent, and she appreciates Commissioner Dorosin's reduction in the 23 conservation offsets, but that is probably the only offset she cannot support. She said 24 she can support a pause on parks, but wants to know if this amendment can be 25 achieved without touching the lands legacy and conservation easement monies. 26 Commissioner Price said her plan does not take funding from the lands legacy or 27 conservation easements. She said she took funds from areas that seemed able to wait. 28 She said she does not want to defund the parks, but rather wants to delay them. She 29 said the parks already exist, and she is proposing delaying modifications to them. She 30 said delaying the parks will not close them down. She said she was unsure about years 31 2 and 3, but staff said numbers needed to be plugged in. She said the future is 32 uncertain, and she is open to suggestions. 33 Commissioner Bedford said she in her first year as a Commissioner, the 911 34 center moved multiple times, and the link center is condemned. She said there needs to 35 be some wiggle room for the upcoming hurricane season. She said the County is about 36 to do a study of County needs, which is important, and she would prefer to wait until that 37 is completed before a plan is made. She said she would like to have all needs 38 integrated into the County budget. She said post secondary education is in transition, 39 and much more will be known in a year, and she would prefer to wait and see, as well as 40 allow the new president time to get acclimated to the role and the community. She said 41 the budget has no wiggle room, and any delays that can be put in place to allow staff 42 flexibility are important. She said she does not think the County can afford to do this 43 right now, and the BOCC should be cautious. She said there are more immediate ways 44 to help those negatively affected by Covid, and she will not support this amendment. 45 Commissioner Marcoplos said Twin Creeks has not been built yet, and has been 46 on the books for 13 years. He said Governor Cooper wants to put an education 47 referendum on the ballot, which likely will not happen this year, with $5 million going to 48 Durham Tech. He said would support doing the study now. 49 Commissioner Greene asked if there is a response from Durham Tech about the 50 possible transition to more online learning being needed in the future. 51 Commissioner Dorosin said online learning is evolving, but additional physical 52 capacity will still be needed at the Orange County Campus. He said the County needs 53 to make a commitment in order to have the voice it wants on the Durham Tech board. 54 He said he provided offsetting cuts to be able to afford this project. He said saving 55 money in the capital budget does not put the money in the operating budget.