Agenda 04-02-24; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attachment 1 1 1 DRAFT MINUTES 2 ORANGE COUNTY 3 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 4 BUSINESS MEETING 5 February 20, 2024 6 7:00 p.m. 7 8 The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a Business Meeting on Tuesday, February 9 20, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill, NC. 10 11 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Vice-Chair Sally Greene and Commissioners Amy 12 Fowler, Jean Hamilton, Earl McKee, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, and Anna Richards 13 COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford 14 COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts 15 COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager 16 Travis Myren, and Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen. (All other staff members will be identified 17 appropriately below) 18 19 Vice-Chair Greene called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All commissioners were 20 present, except Chair Bedford. In her absence, Vice-Chair Greene led the business meeting. 21 22 1. Additions or Changes to the Agenda 23 Vice-Chair Greene summarized the public charge in lieu of reading it. 24 25 2. Public Comments (Limited to One Hour) 26 a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda 27 BJ Warshaw read the following statement to the Board: 28 "I'm back to raise a few more points about your upcoming March 7th agenda item, amending 29 WASMPBA in the southern Chapel Hill ETJ. 30 Yesterday, I sent you an email detailing how Chapel Hill's current and planned stormwater 31 regulations are insufficient. I say this after attending the Chapel Hill Stormwater Staff's public 32 session last week around updating the LUMO's guidelines. As far as I could tell, current and 33 planned restrictions do not take into account the increase in rain events we're seeing today due 34 to climate change, where a 100-year event is already closer to a 1 in 25 chance of happening 35 annually. And these increases in rain events — in duration, volume, and frequency — are baked 36 into the climate crisis for decades to come. 37 Just outside the proposed WASMPBA area, there are existing housing developments, built during 38 a very different climate reality and abutting Fan Branch, Wilson, Morgan, and Obey Creeks, that 39 are near or within existing 100-year flood zones. Before the water and sewer boundaries change, 40 1 would like to see an environmental impact study. Let's determine—first—whether or not it really 41 is appropriate to develop up to 70% of mostly undeveloped woodlands, wetlands, creeks, and 42 streams. Otherwise, I worry the pressure to build bigger and denser will lead to creating the 43 Eastgates and Heritage Hills of tomorrow. 44 Chapel Hill Town Staff has argued such environmental study is unnecessary. And that it's too 45 expensive to conduct any studies without first moving the water and sewer boundary. 46 Respectfully, that's now a moot point, as Carrboro and Hillsborough have said "yes" to amending 47 the boundary. OWASA will say"yes". So, what is the rush?With support across the Towns, it now 48 seems wise to take a step back, and set up reasonable guardrails to development. The flooding 49 of future homes, the permanent destruction of natural ecologies are also expensive. 50 Yesterday, I attended the amazing Orange County Ag Summit, as did several of you. I found the 51 presentation from Amy Eckberg around our sustainability goals incredibly enlightening. Especially