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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-08-31 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, AUGUST 31, 2017 PAGE 852 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 4:01 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chairman Woody White; Vice-Chairman Skip Watkins; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Patricia Kusek; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. Chairman White called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the September 5, 2017 Regular Meeting with discussions as noted: Consent Item 4. Approval of Outside Agency Funding Policy. In response to Board questions, Chief Strategy and Budget Officer Beth Schrader stated that neither the current process or proposed process imposes any insurance or worker’s compensation requirements on the outside agencies that the County funds. That is a requirement for vendors. When some outside agencies transition to vendor status it will be a requirement of the contract. The Risk Management department will evaluate the contractual information for each outside agency transitioning to vendor status to determine the required level of insurance. County Manager Coudriet stated that he supports the policy as presented but staff will defer to the Board to make what changes it directs. As constructed, he believes it is consistent with the Board’s directive. In response to Board discussion about Section 4.0 – Funding Application Procedure, subsection 4.4.2, Ms. Schrader stated that it is rare for an outside agency to receive more than it has requested but it is possible. Where Subsection 4.4.2 currently states “A revised scope of work and budget reflecting the final award amount will be required of outside agencies that do not receive the full amount of their funding request prior to contract execution” it could be adjusted to read “A revised scope of work and budget reflecting the final award amount will be required of outside agencies that receive an amount that differs from the original funding request prior to contract execution.” There was general consensus of the Board for this suggested change. Regarding the citizen committee appointments and if the structure is in place now, Ms. Schrader stated that it is part of what staff would be suggesting for Board consideration. The idea is to have citizen involvement in the human services agencies recommendations. The committee would be identified by the Board in January as that is when funding application requests are due. The committee would review, score, and recommend human services agencies to fund and the amount to fund. A brief discussion was held about the proposed committee being comprised of members with skill sets geared towards this type of work. Regarding the requirements for human services agencies to have three years funding eligibility to move to vendor status or be ineligible for a three-year period of time, Ms. Schrader stated that the County has been funding some non-profits for more than 30 years. These are non-profits that help the County provide key services and various departments be more effective in their service delivery and have better outcomes. It would make sense to move those non-profits from outside agency contracts to formal contracts that would be part of the budget for a department that most closely works with them. This also provides an opportunity for the County to continue to support programs that are supporting outcomes that the Board has determined to be its objectives. It also allows for some new non-profits to come in and possibly bring some new programs onboard. Ms. Schrader further explained that non-profits moving to vendor status will not be a part of the County. The non-profits will have a contract with the County to provide services for a certain price. It’s not much different from an outside agency contract except that the County department that is most closely tied to the non-profit would have direct communication about the key needs. The contract for services would be based on those key needs. In response to Board questions, Ms. Schrader stated that the intent of vendor status is to recognize that there are some long-term partners that are critical to the County’s ability to be successful as an organization. Moving these partners to vendor status acknowledges this and helps to determine what services and what service levels are needed. County Manager Coudriet stated that he does not think the non-profits would be giving up any authority as it would be a contractual relationship. The funds would be found in the general fund budget and included for the specific department’s budget it serves, and then enter into a contractual relationship that specifies the terms of performance. In response to Board questions about which current non-profits being funded by the County would possibly become a permanent vendor, Ms. Schrader stated she will provide a formal list to the Board. There are a number of agencies such as Coastal Horizons, Domestic Violence Shelter, and Elderhaus which are providing long-term services that are critical to the County’s success. It would be appropriate to discuss with the non-profits the possibility of being moved to a vendor status. This would be part of the next budget year going forward. If the County moves to this model as it relates to the vendor status, staff will bring to the Board for it to decide on future increases or decreases to what’s been a static funding for a non-profit. County Manager Coudriet stated that in proceeding down this path, ultimately it has to be the Board’s decision which non-profits do or do not become a vendor. The question will be does the value of a non-profit’s funding from the outside agency fund follow them to the vendor status or does the outside agency funding stay the same amount. It will be for the Board to decide. In response to Board questions, Ms. Schrader will include in the list of non-profits what financial impact on the outside agency fund may be seen if a non-profit is moved to the vendor status. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, AUGUST 31, 2017 PAGE 853 After a brief discussion, the general consensus of the Board is to move Consent Item 4 to the Regular Agenda. This will provide more attention to what changes may be coming in the future. In response to Board questions, Ms. Schrader will incorporate the requested changes into the proposed outside agency policy and presentation and send the revised documents to the Board prior to Tuesday’s meeting. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that the committee’s recommendations for which agencies to fund and at what amount will be submitted to staff for inclusion in the recommended budget. The outside agencies moving to vendor status will not go to the committee for its recommendation. Regular Item 5. Consideration and Presentation of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation. Vice-Chairman Watkins will read the proclamation. Regular Item 6. Consideration and Presentation of WHQR Day Proclamation. Commissioner Zapple will read the proclamation. Regular Item 7. Consideration of Constitution Week Proclamation for the Daughters of American Revolution, Stamp Defiance Chapter. Commissioner Kusek will read the proclamation. Regular Item 8. Public Hearing - Rezoning Request (Z17-08) – Request by Lee Law Firm, PLLC, on Behalf of the Property Owner, The Lewis Family Tract, LLC, in Order to Rezone 85.19 Acres Located at the 4700 Block of Gordon Road from O&I, Office and Institutional District, and B-2, Highway Business District, to (CUD) R-15, Conditional Use Residential District, and for a Special Use Permit in Order to Develop a High Density Development. Commissioner Barfield requested that a representative from the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) and the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) attend the meeting to help explain the traffic consequences of this request in this area of Gordon Road. County Manager Coudriet stated that staff will contact the WMPO about having a representative at the meeting. An NCDOT representative is planning to attend the meeting and County Manager Coudriet’s understanding is that NCDOT has not issued its report on the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) but will have opinions to answer questions. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman White adjourned the meeting at 4:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.