Minutes 04-14-2022-Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 Pat Garavaglia and Lindsey Shewmaker presented for the Board of Social Services. Pat Garavaglia said that DSS has accomplished serving an average of 5,076 families per month in food in nutrition and over 8,000 in Medicaid. She said they have also worked with PORCH, Interfaith Council, Orange Congregations and Missions, Friends of DSS, the Foodbank Central and Eastern NC, and the Diaper Bank to help fill in service gaps. She said that they have also managed the new DHHS water assistance program to help people catch up on overdue water bills. She said they have paid over 2,000 utility bills for families in Orange County. She said DSS staff are responsible for managing over $125 million that does not show up in the county budget. She said there will be changes to DHHS policies and public assistance that will cause many families to lose benefits including food and nutrition and Medicaid. She said many families will need help and staff will be more in demand to answer questions. She said that the work will be focusing on prevention and families that have struggled to recover since COVID. She said DSS staff try to prevent struggling families from falling even further behind. She said that North Carolina has adopted a statewide policy called Safety Organized Practice and this should create consistency among all one hundred counties. She said this will require an increase in staff workload to help with transitions and increases to help with staff recruitment. She said they need help recruiting and retaining qualified staff. She said it is concerning that DSS lost staff to neighboring counties and other county departments due to higher wages. She thanked the Board for assistance to the community. Commissioner McKee praised both the Boards of Health and Social Services. He said these boards put you as close to the needs of Orange County as any board and encouraged other commissioners to serve on the boards. Commissioner Hamilton thanked the Board of Social Services for their work. She asked if there is a breakout of the number of older adults versus children or families that receive Medicaid. Lindsey Shewmaker said she would get that information to the commissioners. She said their number for total Medicaid enrollment for April was 21,000. She said the number is typically higher for children. Commissioner Hamilton thanked Lindsey Shewmaker for the information. Lindsey Shewmaker said the criteria to qualify is so limited for older adults that the greater population tends to be among children. Chair Price said they had a huge budget to manage and thanked them for their work. 2. Discussion on Board Members Voting on County Funding for, or Contracts with, a Non-Profit While Serving on a Non-Profit's Governing Board The Board discussed and considered options for addressing a new state law regarding BOCC members voting on County funding for, or contracts with, a non-profit while serving on a non- profit's governing board. BACKGROUND: The state adopted a new law last year prohibiting elected public officials from participating "in making or administering a contract, including the award of money in the form of a grant, loan, or other appropriation, with any nonprofit with which that public official is associated." The law describes the covered officials as those who serve on nonprofit boards or entities that are "organized or operating in the State primarily for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, public health and safety, or educational purposes and of which the public official is a director, officer, or governing board member." It further requires covered officials to recuse themselves from votes on funding for or contracts with these nonprofits. Since outside agencies are funded by County grants through contracts with those agencies, the determination