Minutes 02-08-2022 Virtual Work Session

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10 Nancy Coston said that the SOAR program is designed to help those with mental illness and homelessness their disability benefits. She said that is run through DSS. She said that all of the services Orange County provides are through a competitive bid. She said that services would continue, even if it is with a different provider because of the competitive process. Commissioner Hamilton asked how many Orange County residents take advantage of the program each year. She asked if the services meet the needs of Orange County residents. She asked what performance measures are required by the federal government. She asked how well the county does with the allocation of funding and if the new alignment would change how the money is split up. Nancy Coston said she would send numbers and performance measures to the commissioners. She said funds follow the county. She said if the county aligns with a different group, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds will follow. She said the Department of Commerce will meet with the workforce board in the next few days to explain the study to them. She said after that meeting, questions about realignment, boards, and representation, and funding will hopefully be answered. Commissioner Fowler said it seems like the Chamber of Commerce is in agreement with realignment, but that they aren't sure if prosperity zones are the right option and suggested alignment with how the councils of governments or community colleges are aligned. She asked if the county gets a say in how realignment works. Nancy Coston said there will be a public comment period when the proposal is made public by the Department of Commerce. She said she thinks the Governor will have the final say. She said she is going to ask the Department of Commerce about how the decision is made. Commissioner Fowler asked if the prosperity zones are the only divisions they are considering for now. Nancy Coston said she does not know that she has not been able to get information at this time but hopes to learn more at the meeting on Thursday. Commissioner McKee referred to slide #4 showing the prosperity zones. He said the current map on slide #5 is helter-skelter. He said the prosperity zones make more sense. Chair Price said the prosperity zone proposal brings the county into alignment with the Triangle and many of the other Triangle J Council of Governments and makes sense to her. She asked about the other programs and how they might be affected by realignment. She asked if the prosperity zone realignment causes any risks to how the programs are being run now. Nancy Coston said she would like to get back to the Board on that question after meeting with the Department of Commerce on Thursday. She said she is interested in if the county has a say, and what would it look like. Commissioner Greene said that the Triangle J Council of Governments is made up of 7 counties and that seems like a middle ground between the two alternative realignments. She said that it hits the entire Triangle, but not farther northeastern counties. She hopes they will give that alignment consideration. Commissioner McKee asked if there has been discussion of any other realignment configuration. Nancy Coston said she did not know. Commissioner McKee said he was curious how the prosperity zone map was created other than pulling contiguous counties together. Nancy Coston said this map was created by the Department of Commerce for another purpose. She said she would ask them at their meeting about how the model was developed. Chair Price said that she has heard conversation in other groups, like Transportation circles, about bringing Nash, Johnston, and Granville counites in since they are growing and