Agenda 01-20-2026; 8-a - Minutes for November 14, 2025, November 18, 2025, November 21, 2025, December 1, 2025, and December 9, 2025 Meetings

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3 1 neighbors, and Medicaid rate cuts, and all of this on top of the lack of affordable housing for people 2 making less than $74,000 a year. She said that the Board should stay focused on the work that 3 only the Board can do. She requested that the Board consider whether their presence on 4 unmandated boards is wise. She proposed taking a temporary hiatus from the ABC Board, Fire 5 Chiefs Association, JCPC, Orange Care Coalition, Piedmont Food Processing Center, Solid 6 Waste Advisory, Chapel Hill Chamber, and the Visitors Bureau. She said the Board should remain 7 focused on the most pressing policy challenges. 8 Commissioner Carter extended congratulations to Chair Hamilton and thanked 9 Commissioner Bedford for her service. She asked that with the challenges facing the community, 10 she asked that the Board consider how community members with the experience and skillsets 11 can support boards and commissions where a commissioner is not required. 12 Chair Hamilton said she looked forward to working with Vice-Chair Fowler. She said on 13 November 18, the Board approved an Abolition Day proclamation. She encouraged everyone to 14 reflect on Abolition Day and the values and progress that has defined the United States since 15 then. She said she attended the agricultural breakfast. She said she appreciated the half day 16 retreat on conservation subdivisions. She thanked the staff who supported residents using cold 17 weather cots in the past week. 18 Vice-Chair Fowler said she attended a Board of Health meeting where they reviewed client 19 satisfaction in the different departments. She said that overall, satisfaction was high. She said 20 there is one vacancy on the Board of Health. She said they approved a proclamation in October 21 regarding access to affordable housing and its impacts on health. She said the proclamation 22 encouraged policy changes to increase access to affordable housing. She said she attended a 23 safety summit at Chapel Hill Public Library on November 20 and hear a presentation on the need 24 for safe and accessible transportation. She said the group described as "silent suffering" was 25 particularly highlighted. She said the silent suffering are community members that the Board 26 might not hear from and that the presented encouraged remembering those individuals in their 27 service and decision making. She said the next day the tax work group will receive a virtual 28 presentation from Wake County on how they've address vertical equity and tax revaluations. She 29 said they will meet on Friday in-person to review RFP responses. She said the meeting on Friday 30 would be in-person. She thanked the Board for their support and said that all the commissioners 31 provide different and valuable perspectives. 32 Commissioner Bedford thanked everyone for their kind words. She said she filed for re- 33 election. 34 Commissioner McKee said he also filed for re-election. He said he attended the 35 Thanksgiving luncheon at Cedar Grove. He petitioned for a work session discussion on the 36 possibilities and probabilities for expanding the Homestead Exemption. He described the 37 difficulties people face as they age and their income drops, and he mentioned some ideas that 38 would help alleviate their tax burden. He said getting it through the state legislature would be 39 difficult, but he wanted to discuss if there is a path forward. 40 41 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations 42 a. OCPEH Homeless Data and Annual Report 43 The Board received an overview of the work of the Orange County Partnership to End 44 Homelessness (OCPEH), including updated system level data about homelessness in Orange 45 County submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 46 earlier this year, as well as obstacles and successes. 47 48 BACKGROUND: The Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH) was created 49 in 2008 to coordinate funding and activities to end homelessness in Orange County. OCPEH is 50 jointly funded by Orange County(39.5%)and the Towns of Carrboro (14.3%), Chapel Hill (39.7%), 51 and Hillsborough (6.5%).