Minutes - 20080527 - Laserfiche WebLink

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levels of service the Chapel Hill Library currently provide to residents. This year the Council is asking the County to come back to funding levels of 20% ($462,000) this year. The Council is also asking that immediate steps be taken to establish a long-term agreement that uses a revenue formula in order to make commensurate the levels of funding and usage by residents of Orange County (outside of Chapel Hill) within three years. Thank you." Debi Timiko said that she joined the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program, and these programs help people learn how to support each other. She found the course to be enlightening and empowering and she learned how to be ready for emergencies and to take care of her family. She said that there are other volunteer services in the community such as staffing for emergency shelters and helping at flu clinics. She encouraged the County's support for the Volunteer Coordinator position to keep these services alive and well. Karl Knapp lives in the Laurel Springs neighborhood. He is here in support of the Manager's budget. He said that this budget fully meets needs for OCS and most of CHCCS's budget. He said that he would be more thrilled about the budget if it were not funded by a large tax increase. He said that the tax increase is not in there because of extravagant spending on programs, but because of lack of economic growth. He said that he knows that the County Commissioners will be under pressure to cut the tax rate, but he asked them not to cut education, social services, or public safety. In the area of education, the request from CHCCS already includes some reductions, and further reducing would require cuts of existing programs. He hopes that the County Commissioners will continue their support of education. Karen-Kincaid Dunn is appreciative of the support of the Board of County Commissioners for Club Nova. She said that state and federal funding has decreased for their services and Club Nova continues to provide a large volume of services that are not reimbursable. Even with level County funding, Club Nova still provides a substantial share of non-funded services. The OPC allocation of County funds and the County's direct allocation pay for transportation, crisis intervention, services for members who also receive ACT services, medical case management, and other facets of the program. Club Nova serves some of the most disabled and poor citizens of the County and the clubhouse is life-sustaining, compassionate, proactive, and cost effective. Club Nova reduces hospitalizations and keeps members out of the legal system. She said that, in order to exercise fiscal responsibility, Club Nova had to freeze one of its program staff positions. Without the allocation from the County, Club Nova would lose two additional staff positions, which would be a total loss of over a third of the program staff. This would be devastating to the services. She said that Club Nova needs both the public and private dollars. Club Nova is fundraising. She asked for the same allocation from the County as last year. Sonda Oppewal asked for funding for the Public Health Reserve Corps, the Community Emergency Response Team, and the Volunteer Coordinator position. She said that she has been a volunteer nurse in the corps, and they need the Volunteer Coordinator position to be effective in times of a disaster. She would like the County Commissioners to consider this resource in the County's funding. She said that this would be minimum input, but tremendous output. Claire Watkins is President of the Friends Board for Central Orange Senior Center. She came to address a portion of the budget not being recommended by the County Manager relative to Orange County positions for the senior center. She said that it is expected that the attendance will greatly increase once the center is moved to the new facility. The two positions are of absolute necessity— one full-time Facilities Manager for five days a week, and one part- time Facilities Manager for four evenings and a few hours on Saturdays. Paid, trained employees are required because they will be handling monies and taking care of various things