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11 <br /> I Slide#20 <br /> Questions? <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> 2 Neea�H«Itnl.orvn <br /> 3 <br /> 4 3. Public Comments <br /> 5 <br /> 6 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Vice-Chair Fowler,to open the public <br /> 7 hearing on the budget and capital investment plan. <br /> 8 <br /> 9 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 10 <br /> 1 1 PUBLIC COMMENTS: <br /> 12 Vibeke Talley from the North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature provided historical context on <br /> 13 social work staffing at the senior centers. She described her experience working in aging transitions at <br /> 14 the Department on Aging from 2000 to 2011, noting that during that period, social workers struggled to <br /> 15 effectively help low-income older adults complete applications for food stamps and Medicaid. She <br /> 16 credited Director Janice Tyler for arranging a shared social work arrangement with the Department of <br /> 17 Social Services (DSS) in 2010, whereby two social worker positions were moved to DSS and shared with <br /> 18 the Department on Aging to serve senior centers. She described the arrangement as streamlining the <br /> 19 application process and dramatically improving the number of vulnerable older adults receiving benefits. <br /> 20 She respectfully asked that there be no cuts to the shared DSS/DOA social workers at the senior centers. <br /> 21 Gayane Chambless spoke as an advocate for youth education and mental health. She urged the <br /> 22 Board to fund the Orange County Schools' request to increase teacher and staff supplements, noting <br /> 23 that OCS had previously ranked among the top five districts in the state for teacher pay but no longer <br /> 24 did. She acknowledged that while some residents were willing to pay higher taxes to support county <br /> 25 needs, others could not afford to do so. She said voters agreed to take on tax increases for the school <br /> 26 bond, but questioned whether the timing was right to proceed with projects such as relocating the <br /> 27 Sheriff's Office, constructing a new behavioral crisis center, and building an EMS headquarters, <br /> 28 suggesting those projects might wait until funding stabilizes. She requested the Board prioritize <br /> 29 sustaining and retaining school staff by fully funding the OCS budget request, consistent with the <br /> 30 county's stated strategic priorities. <br /> 31 Kelly Suttles urged the Board to fully fund Orange County Schools' continuation budget, noting <br /> 32 the County Manager's recommendation fell more than $712,000 short. She said that the continuation <br /> 33 budget should be the floor, not the ceiling. She warned that the gap was roughly equivalent to 12 <br /> 34 average teacher salaries. She expressed support for fully funding the continuation budget and <br /> 35 advocating at the state level for ending the school voucher program, citing$533.6 million in public funds <br /> 36 directed to private schools statewide in the current year, including more than $2.9 million to private <br /> 37 schools in Orange County. <br />