Minutes 03-21-2024 - Legislative Breakfast

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1 APPROVED 5/7/24 MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST March 21, 2024 8:30 a.m. The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a breakfast meeting with the Orange County Legislative Delegation on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. at the Whitted Human Services Center in Hillsborough, NC. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair Jamezetta Bedford, Vice-Chair Sally Greene, and Commissioners Amy Fowler, Jean Hamilton, Earl McKee, Phyllis Portie-Ascott, and Anna Richards COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis Myren, Clerk to the Board Laura Jensen, and Assistant to Manager for Legislative Affairs Greg Wilder (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION PRESENT: Senator Graig Meyer and Representative Renee Price Chair Bedford called the meeting to order at 8:44 a.m. All board members were present. Chair Bedford welcomed the legislative delegation. The Board of County Commissioners, legislative delegation, and staff introduced themselves. Chair Bedford thanked Commissioner Fowler and Commissioner Hamilton for working with Greg Wilder on the list of legislative priority issues. Commissioner Fowler, Commissioner Hamilton, and Chair Bedford highlighted new items on the list of legislative priorities. Chair Bedford reviewed the first item on the Board's list of priority legislative issues: Mental Health, Behavioral Health, and Substance Use Issues — Seek legislation to develop and fund mental health and behavioral health facilities and services at the state and local level that: • Ensure adequate State-funded mental health, developmental disability and substance use disorder services and facilities are available, accessible and affordable to all residents; • Include dedicated resources for community para-medicine projects and enhanced mobile crisis response; • Support Medicaid reimbursement to EMS for behavioral health transport to crisis centers; • Reimburse behavioral health urgent care services at a sustainable rate; • Reduce the number of people with mental health issues in county detention centers; • Ensure that state resources fund service provision costs, inclusive of crisis intervention and treatment; • Provide assistance to NC residents, especially youth, who are dealing with the impacts of COVID;