Minutes 03-01-2022 Business Meeting

Browse Search

4 While the LIWG wanted to focus on the five (5) Priorities in Attachment 1, it also decided that the county should express its positions on other topics. Attachment 2 is a draft broader listing of 2022 Orange County Legislative Interests. It includes issues the Board has submitted in past years to the county's legislative delegation, with some updates as necessary. The Board will need to discuss and consider Attachments 1 and 2 as provided by the LIWG. The work of the Legislative Issues Work Group to this point is based on the current information available for the 2022 General Assembly Session. The issues addressed by the Group may evolve and change over the session and require additional attention by the Group and Board of Commissioners. New issues may also arise necessitating additional review. Greg Wilder, Assistant to the County Manager for Legislative Affairs, reviewed the background information for the item. He noted that the March 21, 2022 Legislative Breakfast is planned to take place via Zoom. Chair Price asked Greg Wilder to explain what happens at the Legislative Breakfast. Greg Wilder stated that the Board members and three members of the legislative delegation join with staff to meet and discuss the five legislative priorities identified by the Commissioners. He said that they also discuss other topics the delegation wants to share with the commissioners and vice versa. He said the meeting typically lasts 1.5 hours. He said that the delegation sometimes gives feedback on items they think will move forward and they can ask for additional information as needed. Commissioner Hamilton thanked Chair Price and Commissioner Richards for working on the legislative issues list. She said the list is excellent. She said she would like to add a priority focused on capital needs of the schools, given the level of need. Chair Price said that has been in the document in the past. Greg Wilder noted that the issue is part of item number 17 on Attachment 2. Commissioner Hamilton said she thinks there should be a separate highlighted issue. Chair Price clarified that Commissioner Hamilton is proposing to move 17b to its own separate item. Commissioner Hamilton said she would like the infrastructure capital part of 17 to be a new item. Greg Wilder suggested a new item to read "support legislation to provide additional capital funding to support school infrastructure, renovations, and improvements". Commissioner Greene suggested making that 17b. Commissioner Hamilton said she would prefer the item be its own as number 18. Commissioner Fowler suggested making it 17a since it is priority and agreed that it should be more prominent on the list. Chair Price said the Board will discuss these issues with the delegation and that it would be fine to make it a separate item. Commissioner Fowler shared appreciation for highlighting mental health on the list. She said that is a priority that the state is failing on. She said that there is a deficit to take care of folks with mental health issues. She said the state is currently serving 13,500 and there are over 15,000 on registry of unmet need. She said there is another list called community alternative services for folks with chronic disabilities and there are 2,500 on the list with zero on the waitlist. She said that the state's recommendation to address those needs is increasing the cap to 5,000 with 1,000 this year and 1,000 next year. She said that this is merely a drop in the bucket that they need to continue pressure on the General Assembly to increase those slots. She said this is an equity issue where mental health needs are being treated differently than other health needs.