Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
49 <br /> Quintana Stewart said there is not a specific Housing seat, but they do have that voice <br /> represented by Cait Fenhagen, who is a member of the Partnership to End Homelessness. <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Hamilton, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to <br /> approve and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution regarding the expenditure of Opioid <br /> Settlement Funds, and to approve Budget Amendment#8-A. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 7. Reports <br /> a. Library Services Task Force Report <br /> The Board received the Final Report from the Library Services Task Force regarding issues <br /> related to library funding and interoperability. <br /> BACKGROUND: In April 2021, the Board of County Commissioners and the Chapel Hill Town <br /> Council jointly approved creation of a Library Services Task Force to study County funding for the <br /> Chapel Hill Public Library and examine the costs of expanding interoperability between library <br /> systems. The Dispute Settlement Center was hired to act as facilitator for the Task Force. <br /> Task Force Members are: <br /> • Tiffany Allen, Chair of the Chapel Hill Public Library Advisory Board <br /> • Karen Curtin, Chair of the Friends of Chapel Hill Public Library <br /> • Diane Kelly, Chair of the Orange County Friends of the Library <br /> • Nerys Levy, Chair of the Carrboro Friends of the Library <br /> • Jess Anderson, Chapel Hill Town Council Liaison <br /> • Amy Fowler, Orange County Commissioner Liaison <br /> Chapel Hill Public Library Director Susan Brown and Orange County Public Library Director Erin <br /> Sapienza served as staff support for the work of the Task Force. <br /> The Task Force worked from April 2022 through February 2023. Task Force members explored <br /> and discussed County funding for the Chapel Hill Public Library and expanding interoperability <br /> between library systems in depth. Members considered historical information, practices among <br /> other library systems across the state, future impacts and expenses of the Southern Branch <br /> Library in Carrboro, thoughtful/equitable/sustainable funding formulas, potential cost/benefit <br /> scenarios, and the current systems, services, data, and operations of both the Orange County <br /> Public Library and Chapel Hill Public Library. <br /> Based on its work, the Task Force recommends that: <br /> 1) The County consider entering an MOU with the Town to fund library services based on a <br /> "Service Provider" model from FY 2024 — FY 2029. They recommend incremental <br /> increases be phased in over five years at a rate of $169,358 / year with a final target <br /> amount calculated on (Total County funding for Orange County Library operating <br /> expenses) x (Percent of Orange County residents living with Town jurisdiction) = Annual <br /> County Funding to Town of Chapel Hill. <br />