Minutes 05-29-2025-Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

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11 My understanding is there is a budget proposal that would freeze new fundingfor Lands Legacy for up to 90 years. No new funds for land acquisition or for conservation easements. Existing funds will be used up within just a few years,so I suggest maintaining some level of funding each year to keep the program operating, and to be ready when new opportunities arise. • 1 know first-hand that the opportunity to protect land depends on a lot of factors—willing Landowners, having partners,sometimes luck, and available funds. It is vita(to have money available when those situations line up. • The County is in the process of writing a Trails Plan; I attended a public input session just Last week. The new Trails Plan will heLp further goals from the County's 2030 Parks& Recreation Master Plan,which found that the kinds of recreation facilities OC residents want most are trails--wa(kingtraits, nature trails, bike trails,greenways. Trails and greenways are relatively law-cost facilities that benefit all maple. Funding will be needed to acquire land to establish new trails. Similarly,the current bands Legacy Action Plan prioritizes working with partners, here and in neighboring counties,to protect important wildlife corridors—allowing wildlife to navigate safety between existing green spaces. • Land acquisition for trails and forwildlife corridors is much less costly than buying land for parks and preserves. But there needs to be a dedicated source of funds at the ready. So again, I recommend maintaining an adequate level of funding in future years to keep the Lands Legacy program operating,and to be ready when opportunities arise that would enable the County to protect special places, either on its own,or better,in partnership with one of our fine Land trusts and with matching contributions from state trust funds. Thank you for this opportunity to comment. Shirley Thompson said she is a lifelong resident of Orange County. She said that she has a problem with her water and has spent $7,000 and was told it would take another $8,000 to fix the issue. She said that she does not have that kind of money and borrowed the $7,000. She said she has not had water in her home since January 2024 and cannot afford to continue to look for solutions. She asked the Board for assistance. Charlotte Holmes spoke on behalf of her mother who does not have a ramp to her home and could not get and out of her home after experiencing medical issues. She said there are several residents in northern Orange County who need home repair assistance. Allan Green said that conservation easements are needed to preserve farmland in Orange County. He said there are elderly people who have easements at risk. He asked the Board to remember the comments they made at the Whole Orange effort. He said that it is clear that the easements are needed. He said they will also need trails and connectivity. He said this is a high priority in the Parks and Recreation surveys. Roger Callahan said he participates in the Handy Helpers program. He said his groups helps people who need ramps, grab bars, or toilets fixed in their homes. He said that this is his chosen work in retirement. He said this is a moral responsibility for our elders. He said there are about 20 volunteers that work with them, and they use the money from the Department on Aging, but that funding sometimes runs out. He said there is much work that needs to be done. He said there is an estimate of about$2 million in need and a two-year wait time for the work to be finished. He said they literally have elders falling through the floor. He said that the work he does allows