Minutes 06-09-2020 Virtual Budget Work Session

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11 Commissioner Marcoplos said he recognizes the dire need for vocational training, and would like to see this project move forward. He said he would like to find a way to get the planning done, but maybe look at the rest of the funding thereafter. He said the Board does not know what the implications of taking funding from these different other CIP projects would have, and he would never support taking funding from lands legacy. Commissioner McKee said he appreciated both Commissioner Price and Dorosin's efforts, but the BOCC needs to spend more time discussing these proposals, as there are many projects he will not defund. He said he would support delaying this discussion until the fall for next year's budget, because of all of the uncertainty around the County's finances, and the economy at large, due to Covid. He said he fully supports vocational training, but he cannot support these proposed offsetting costs. Commissioner Greene said she has come to believe that this issue should be made more urgent, and she appreciates Commissioner Dorosin's reduction in the conservation offsets, but that is probably the only offset she cannot support. She said she can support a pause on parks, but wants to know if this amendment can be achieved without touching the lands legacy and conservation easement monies. Commissioner Price said her plan does not take funding from the lands legacy or conservation easements. She said she took funds from areas that seemed able to wait. She said she does not want to defund the parks, but rather wants to delay them. She said the parks already exist, and she is proposing delaying modifications to them. She said delaying the parks will not close them down. She said she was unsure about years 2 and 3, but staff said numbers needed to be plugged in. She said the future is uncertain, and she is open to suggestions. Commissioner Bedford said she in her first year as a Commissioner, the 911 center moved multiple times, and the link center is condemned. She said there needs to be some wiggle room for the upcoming hurricane season. She said the County is about to do a study of County needs, which is important, and she would prefer to wait until that is completed before a plan is made. She said she would like to have all needs integrated into the County budget. She said post secondary education is in transition, and much more will be known in a year, and she would prefer to wait and see, as well as allow the new president time to get acclimated to the role and the community. She said the budget has no wiggle room, and any delays that can be put in place to allow staff flexibility are important. She said she does not think the County can afford to do this right now, and the BOCC should be cautious. She said there are more immediate ways to help those negatively affected by Covid, and she will not support this amendment. Commissioner Marcoplos said Twin Creeks has not been built yet, and has been on the books for 13 years. He said Governor Cooper wants to put an education referendum on the ballot, which likely will not happen this year, with $5 million going to Durham Tech. He said would support doing the study now. Commissioner Greene asked if there is a response from Durham Tech about the possible transition to more online learning being needed in the future. Commissioner Dorosin said online learning is evolving, but additional physical capacity will still be needed at the Orange County Campus. He said the County needs to make a commitment in order to have the voice it wants on the Durham Tech board. He said he provided offsetting cuts to be able to afford this project. He said saving money in the capital budget does not put the money in the operating budget. Commissioner Dorosin referred to Commissioner McKee's concern about not being able to pause once started, and he disagreed. He said the process can be paused at any time, if necessary. He referred to the uncertainty of the County's finances, and said the financial commitment is the same whether the Board approves the Manager's recommended budget or approves this amendment, which has a dollar for dollar substitution for the costs. He said parks are a priority but so is the community college. He said he would like to start this project, and changes can be made as necessary, as with every project.