Agenda 11-16-2021; 8-a - Minutes

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36 1 which will be paid to the insurance provider, who has already distributed the funds to the plaintiff 2 in exchange for a voluntary dismissal of the case. 3 4 Commissioner Richards said she made a mistake, and did not realize that the Board 5 does not discuss items in the consent agenda unless a Commissioner pulls an item. 6 Chair Price said that is correct. She said if Commissioner Richards has additional 7 questions staff can help answer them. 8 Commissioner McKee asked if the item could be brought back to a future meeting. 9 Chair Price said the Board has already voted. 10 Commissioner Richards said she was interested in item 8-e, and has already spoken to 11 staff, which was very helpful, but she wanted to talk to the Board as well. 12 John Roberts said the Board can revisit an item if someone from the winning side of the 13 vote makes a motion to reconsider it. 14 15 A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford, seconded by Commissioner McKee, to 16 reconsider item 8-e. 17 18 Commissioner McKee suggested the item be discussed at a future meeting. 19 Commissioner Fowler said if the item was pushed to another meeting, the current vote 20 would stand for people to act on. 21 Commissioner McKee withdrew his comment about pushing the conversation to a future 22 meeting, and seconded the motion as stated by Commissioner Bedford. 23 24 Roll call ensued 25 26 VOTE: Ayes, 6 (Commissioner Fowler, Commissioner Greene, Commissioner McKee, 27 Commissioner Richards, Commissioner Bedford); Nays, 2 (Commissioner Hamilton, 28 Chair Price) 29 30 Motion Passes 31 32 Commissioner Richards said she questioned staff about item 8-e, and staff was very 33 helpful. She said no other county in North Carolina has a similar benefit, and she was 34 concerned whether Orange County is competitive in its pay structure for law enforcement. She 35 said staff provided information and Orange County is competitive to nearby surrounding areas. 36 She said surrounding areas use bonuses to attract good candidates to come in the first place, 37 as oppose to the end of a career. She said since 2016 only three law enforcement officers have 38 retired, so this is not likely to affect a large group. She questioned what the county is 39 incentivizing, and should this be reconsidered given the fact that no other county offers this. 40 Chair Price said it is not to incentivize, but rather it is beneficial to law enforcement as 41 well as the general public when law enforcement takes early retirement, due to the demands of 42 this kind of work. She said this benefit would serve as a bridge to those who retire but are not 43 yet eligible for other forms of retirement benefits (such as social security). 44 Bonnie Hammersley said the Sheriff would make the recommendation to the County 45 Manager and it would have to be approved by the County Manager. He said it is not a given 46 that all law enforcement would receive it. She said the County Attorney's office and human 47 resources would also be involved. She agreed that this benefit is a bridge for those who may be 48 in a situation where they are not fit for duty, and it would be best for public to provide this 49 benefit. 50 Commissioner Hamilton asked if it would have been acceptable for the Board to reopen 51 this item at a future meeting.