Minutes 11-15-2022 Business Meeting

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27 Bonnie Hammersley said yes. She said there does need to be a decision for the rest of the year within the next couple of weeks because they will be out of money by the new year. She said they knew going into this that it was not sustainable, but they were meeting the need of the residents during the pandemic and the need continues. She said this program has not even had a million in it prior to COVID. Commissioner McKee said he has no issue figuring out what to do with it for this year. He said that there is a limited amount of ARPA funds and when they are gone, they are gone. He said it will fall back on the county to find other avenues of funding the program. He said the applications are still climbing even though we are coming out of COVID, perhaps not due to the effects of it. He said it is concerning to him that Chapel Hill residents are representing around half of people receiving assistance, but Chapel Hill is not willing to provide funding. He said he does not want to put the county in a position on having to back away from the program at a future point. He said he would not want to back away from keeping people in their homes. Commissioner Richards said in 2019, everyone came together and did a consolidated program—before COVID. She asked what brought them together then. Corey Root said the program was confusing for residents and services providers for applications. Commissioner Richards asked what the funding was total for all programs in 2019. Bonnie Hammersley said the change was that it was moved to the county to administer. She said she is assuming there is an expectation that the county will cover the increased needs. Commissioner Richards asked if it is because it is being viewed as a safety net. Bonnie Hammersley said probably. She said it is something that Orange County would do. Commissioner Richards asked if Option 3, at some level, would be in line with what was available pre-COVID. Corey Root said it would be much more generous. Chair Price asked if Chapel Hill is going to do anything they were doing pre-COVID regarding housing. Corey Root said no. Commissioner Greene said that COVID has turned the world upside down. She said the need that was already there was made worse. She said that jobs that people can get are not enough to pay the rent. She said she would like to be able to fund Option 1, but can't support anything less than Option 2, because it at least reaches the 30% AMI. She said it is also only half of the remaining ARPA money. She said she is very frustrated with Chapel Hill, but the Board can't take it out on residents of the county. Chair Price asked if they would use ARPA money this year, what will happen next fiscal year. Bonnie Hammersley said for this year, the remaining ARPA funding would be around what is needed. Chair Price said she is concerned with folks that are historically struggling and those who are unable to transition to higher paid jobs. She asked if the jurisdictions are still working together on CDBG. She said she would still think they would want to share in this. Commissioner Bedford said she does not know what Chapel Hill is doing with their ARPA money, so she does not want to judge yet. She said during COVID, a lot of people left cities and came to Orange County, and that drove up rents. She said there are many other factors that drive up housing costs as well. She said this money is supposed to bridge assistance through the pandemic. She said she thinks the Board should move forward with Option 2, just in case other emergency projects need funds. She said the manager will have time to look during budget planning. Bonnie Hammersley said spending is keeping on track with other years at this time. She said they are looking for some one-time expenses related to foster care.