[0:07] Somebody needs to be on mute.

[0:18] February 23rd, 2021, the policy meeting of the member of commissioners.

[0:26] Due to our ongoing COVID-19 state of emergency and the Governor's most recent executive order, as well as the director from our public health director, we are meeting remotely this afternoon.

[0:38] and the Charlotte-McGurb government center remains closed to the general public.

[0:43] Therefore, members of the public may access and view the meeting on the government channel

[0:48] or watch mecknc.gov or on Twitter.

[0:53] Members may also listen to the meeting by going online to YouTube.

[0:59] We begin the meeting this afternoon by having each board member to identify him or herself

[1:04] for the record.

[1:06] So that our records will accurately reflect who is participating in the meeting.

[1:12] I will begin by introducing myself and I will call upon each of my respective colleagues

[1:17] to do the same.

[1:18] I am George Dunlap.

[1:20] I am elected by the people of District 3 and I have the privilege of serving as Chair

[1:24] of the Board.

[1:25] Next, I'll turn to my large colleagues to introduce themselves.

[1:28] We'll start with Commissioner Lee Altman.

[1:41] Lee you must be on mute.

[1:49] That's Commissioner Lee Altman with all the

[1:54] conference circumstance.

[1:56] All right, Commissioner Pat Coffman.

[2:10] Pat, you're still on mute.

[2:21] All right, Commissioner Ella Scarborough.

[2:24] Commissioner Ella Scarborough at large.

[2:27] And I'm delighted to be here.

[2:29] All right, Commissioner Lee and Powell.

[2:31] Good afternoon.

[2:33] I'm Commissioner Lee and Powell.

[2:35] I represent District 1, which is Hunter'sville,

[2:37] David St. Cornelius, and North Charlotte.

[2:39] and I also serve as vice chair.

[2:42] Thank you.

[2:44] Commissioner District 2.

[2:47] Good afternoon.

[2:48] This is Commissioner Leake

[2:49] and I represent the most positive district in the county.

[2:53] Good afternoon to all.

[2:55] Commissioner District 4.

[2:58] Good afternoon everyone.

[3:00] My name is Mark Gerell

[3:01] and I've been elected by the people of District 4.

[3:04] Commissioner District 5.

[3:06] Good afternoon and I'm Laura Meyer

[3:08] and I represent District 5.

[3:13] Good afternoon, I'm Susan Rodriguez McDowell, elected by the people of District 6, and I'm participating remotely.

[3:22] I'll start again, Lee Altman.

[3:27] No, Lee, they ain't working.

[3:29] All right, Pat Kauffman.

[3:33] We just lost Pat again, too.

[3:37] All right, so let me move on to our somebody.

[3:50] All right, for the record, all of our commissioners are present and therefore we have a quorum.

[3:58] At this time, I'd ask to follow himself to the board.

[4:02] Good afternoon, Emily Cunsey, to the board.

[4:06] Deputy clerk.

[4:08] Good afternoon. This is Christine Smith, Deputy clerk.

[4:13] County manager.

[4:14] in a deorio county manager and our county attorney and after that our own Wade County attorney.

[4:23] All right, if you would join me in our plays of allegiance, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, individual with liberty and justice for all.

[4:43] All right. So a few housekeeping things. Since we are conducting a remote meeting, there are a few housekeeping rules which we must adhere to the Governor Actions of our Board to make sure that our minutes act or reflect our actions.

[4:57] have a commissioner wishes to leave.

[5:00] Privileged. State the privilege so that the menace can capture the actions and attendants of each board member. When a commissioner returns, please announce your return when it is most convenient to do so. Since we are participating remotely, when a matter comes on the floor for debate, I will call upon each commissioner and ask whether or not they have comments. Please wait to be recognized by the chair before speaking and please refrain from speaking over one another or interrupting another speaker.

[5:28] May I also suggest that each speaker ends his or her comments by saying this concludes

[5:34] my comments.

[5:35] If a commissioner does not have any comments, please state I have no comments, I do not wish

[5:41] to speak to this matter.

[5:42] Out of courtesy to all participants, if you are joining the meeting by phone, please speak

[5:48] yourself muted until it's your turn to speak.

[5:51] At which time, you will need to press star six on your phone to unmute yourself.

[5:57] Once you have finished speaking, please mute yourself again by repeating the same process.

[6:03] Star six on your phone.

[6:07] There are no items on the gender requiring action.

[6:11] However, if a matter is brought forth, requiring a vote.

[6:15] When the motion is made, the maker of the motion should identify him or herself.

[6:19] As should the individual who seconds the motion.

[6:22] the chair will verbally then repeat the motion.

[6:25] I will have to conduct a roll call vote and call upon each commissioner separately and

[6:31] ask for the vote to be cast verbally so that there's no confusion as to how a commissioner

[6:37] has voted.

[6:38] At the end of each roll call vote, the clerk will then state the results of each vote.

[6:44] Also, please note that the board policy requires each commissioner to vote on every item.

[6:53] Once you are connected and acknowledge your presence, when I call your name for a vote,

[6:59] if there is no response, it will be recorded as a yes vote on the item under consideration.

[7:06] Thank you.

[7:07] So, at this time, before we start our official meeting, I want to take this opportunity

[7:15] to say happy birthday to Dina Dioria.

[7:21] Dina, I will tell you that where I come from, birthdays are national holidays, and a

[7:29] lot of people don't work on their birthday, and you probably noticed that from their tenors

[7:33] of staff.

[7:34] but I just could not pass this opportunity without saying to you happy birthday and how happy we are that you're spending it with us and then you can go have a glass of wine later on.

[7:48] Thank you Chairman and I would not have it any other way but to spend my birthday with all of you.

[7:54] All right, we'll turn it over to you at this time.

[7:56] All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, everybody. We're going to start. We just added this item to the agenda today. This is an update on the encampment North and encampment. And with that, I'm going to ask.

[8:08] Anthony Trotman to walk you through a few slides and give you a sense of where we are. Thank you.

[8:11] All

[8:19] right, good afternoon Chairman Dunlap, board of commissioners and county manager

[8:23] D. O'Reill.

[8:24] I am Anthony Troutman, deputy county manager of the Consolidated Human Services Agency.

[8:31] In today's, this afternoon, CSS Business Manager, Karen Pelotere, and I are going to provide

[8:38] an overview of our efforts to address the public health concerns at the North and in Canton.

[8:44] If

[8:48] my computer was working, I would be going a little smoother.

[8:53] All right, and offer residents access to hotel based on shelter and supportive services.

[9:04] We will then discuss our ongoing work to address the needs of these households and outline

[9:11] our next steps.

[9:13] Before discussing our efforts at the encampment, I want to emphasize that unsheltered homelessness

[9:20] is not just a local issue.

[9:24] Communities across the country are dealing with similar challenges, and a comprehensive

[9:30] national response is needed to fully address homelessness.

[9:36] Now, next slide.

[9:37] I

[9:40] am the current vice chair for the housing subcommittee of the National Association of Counties, Community, Economic and Workforce Development Steering Committee.

[9:51] NACO's membership totals approximately 2400 counties representing

[10:00] 80% of the nation's population. Our committee recommends that the federal government should follow

[10:07] a national housing policy that embodies clear annual housing goals and provides adequate

[10:14] and predictable funding levels. We have issued a series of resolutions such as the inclusion

[10:21] of affordable housing investments in any federal infrastructure package, the implementation

[10:27] of strategies that preserve and expand our nation's affordable housing stock.

[10:33] An increase in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development,

[10:38] the expansion of the low income housing tax credit program,

[10:43] and greater federal support to address increases in unsheltered homelessness across our country.

[10:51] These resolutions underscore the necessity of substantial federal investment

[10:57] to make progress on homelessness because this isn't just a Mecklenburg County issue,

[11:03] but a national issue. Chairman Dunlap, county manager Diario and many of our commissioners

[11:10] represent our county and NACO on Capitol Hill lobbying for additional federal support annual.

[11:19] So even if we make progress locally, it will be difficult to sustain if we don't have a national

[11:25] strategy to end and prevent homelessness.

[11:31] Next slide.

[11:36] Due to safety and health conditions on the encampment site,

[11:39] a health director issued an order of abatement of imminent hazard

[11:43] last Tuesday effective 5 p.m.

[11:46] The owners of the five properties housed at housed encampment were

[11:50] responsible for removing encampment residents within 72 hours by 5 p.m.

[11:57] last Friday.

[11:58] Cleaning their property and engaging pest control to eradicate the rodents in their property by 5 p.m. yesterday.

[12:07] A vast majority of the North Indian Camping residents have now been relocated to hotel shelter

[12:14] because of our amazing staff and community partners. The site has been clean and all five properties

[12:23] have submitted pest control plans that have been approved by public health,

[12:28] will monitor the initial eradication efforts, and continue to assess the situation over the next month.

[12:36] Next slide.

[12:39] When health and safety conditions reach a point that required the encampment to be closed,

[12:45] the county committed to providing all interested residents with up to 90 days in a hotel room.

[12:53] However, we are hopeful that some will transition to a permanent housing solution as early as

[13:01] this week, because that's what it's really about connecting people with stable, safe housing

[13:10] or the appropriate resource to support them long term.

[13:15] We have deployed and will continue to devote all of our relevant county departments and

[13:21] partnerships to ensure the safety and well-being of

[13:25] incantement residents. Our efforts led to over 200 incantement

[13:29] residents being sheltered in hotels within 48 hours.

[13:34] Karen will discuss our collaborations with community

[13:37] partners shortly, but I want to highlight the County

[13:41] departments and staff that have been a part of this work.

[13:44] These include our public health environmental health

[13:47] specialists that identified the health risk at the

[13:50] in Canton and work promptly to have these issues address.

[13:54] Public health insured COVID tests were provided

[13:58] to interested residents to minimize the risk of COVID spread.

[14:02] They're also planning to offer vaccines to anyone

[14:05] who is 65 and other that transition to the hotels.

[14:11] Our procurement division expanded contracts

[14:14] with many of our key vendors to ensure

[14:16] that residents had basic resources in place

[14:19] as quickly as possible. Our Department of Social Services

[14:23] Mecklenburg Transportation System drivers provided van rides for a majority of the

[14:29] incantement residents on Thursday and Friday to the hotel. Transportation staff have

[14:35] been at the hotels to provide residents with bus passes to assist with their

[14:40] transportation needs such as getting to work or seeking work opportunities. Along

[14:48] Along with our transportation team, DSS community social workers provide a support during the

[14:54] band rides and at the hotels.

[14:58] Our DSS clinical

[15:00] Local and contractual services team also expanded their contracts to provide ongoing peer support services, one site through Promise Resource Network. Our criminal justice services staff have been at the hotel to complete a security assessment and a cross reference and cross reference clients for any additional available resources. Our asset and facilities management staff initially secured our hotel vendor and have deployed the county

[15:29] against contract security team to provide on-site security.

[15:33] Our security staff are now supported by the Sheriff's Office and CMPD safety patrols

[15:40] as well.

[15:42] The county's solid waste team was instrumental with the cleanup efforts at the in-camp.

[15:49] The city requested assistance late Saturday, so the team loaned six roll-up dumpster bins.

[15:55] On Sunday, the team pitched in, assisting with calling degrees and opened the Fox

[16:01] Hole Landfill from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., accepting just under 112 tons of disposal.

[16:11] Luisa also assisted NCDOT with logistics for removal and clean-up on its site as well.

[16:22] And our community support services staff have been managing the check-in process at the

[16:28] hotels and offering support to guests.

[16:32] Our homeless services staff are completing coordinated entry assessments to determine

[16:36] which housing resources households may be eligible for.

[16:41] Our prevention and intervention staff are ensuring access to substance use and mental health services

[16:46] for interested guests.

[16:47] Our Veteran Services staff are providing on-site support connecting eligible veterans to veteran resources.

[16:56] Because of our staff and courageous community partners' dedication,

[17:02] over 200 people who just last week were living exposed to the elements at the encampment

[17:10] are now sheltered at our hotels.

[17:13] This is not to minimize the challenges that many people experience when going from unshelpt

[17:21] of homelessness to shelter and ultimately housing.

[17:25] I want to take a moment to recognize the county manager's leadership and support for

[17:32] county operations and community partners during this last week.

[17:37] She has been available throughout the process and is sure that every available resource

[17:43] was provided not only to support encampment residents, but also to protect the entire

[17:49] uptown community from becoming potentially rat-nifested. Robert Nesbitt from the

[17:57] manager's office was also involved on site working with roof above outreach

[18:03] team and and help to coordinate processes and problem solve as issues came up.

[18:10] I also like to clarify the decision-making process and why things had to be done in such

[18:16] rapid succession.

[18:18] The sequence of events were as follows.

[18:22] After initial discussion of the right infestation on Saturday afternoon, I had far more discussions

[18:29] on Sunday, briefed the manager on Monday, and then Gibby and the public health team researched

[18:35] options for us to consider.

[18:38] We had additional conversations with the Department of Health and Human Services and our legal team to ensure an appropriate response.

[18:47] All of this occurred between Saturday afternoon and when the ordinance was issued on Tuesday.

[18:54] As Gibby's chair last week, based on her 30 plus years of experience, a public health imminent hazard is not something she takes lightly.

[19:05] She takes her commitment to the health of our entire community very seriously, and I'm

[19:12] proud of the work that she has done and of the entire team that has worked on this issue.

[19:19] But especially, Karen Palatir, who has been serving as the project lead for this effort.

[19:26] The grassroots organizations affectionately call her Karen from the county, because she

[19:34] has engaged them throughout the process, ensuring that their voices are always heard.

[19:41] Candle has shared the details of artwork engaging community partners and coordinating the

[19:47] in camp in response.

[19:49] Karen, the floor is yours, and next slide.

[20:00] Thank you, Deputy County Manager, Trotman. Good afternoon, Chairman Dunlap, members of the Board of County Commission, County Manager, Deorio, the birthday girl, and my fellow staff. My name is Karen Palachir, and I serve as Project Lead on behalf of Mecklenburg County to support the residents previously residing in the North Ending Campment. I have been working with partners and other stakeholders since the

[20:30] September and trying to determine strategies to assist with housing solutions for residents

[20:36] of the encampment. I would like to begin by providing a high-level overview of our work,

[20:45] beginning from the time that the abatement order was first issued. You'll see that immediately

[20:52] following the abatement order being issued, I convened a virtual meeting of grassroots organizations

[20:58] with whom we had already been engaged.

[21:02] It was imperative to quickly convene in order to build on the trust we had been establishing

[21:08] and the work that they had tirelessly been doing for the past several months.

[21:15] We reviewed the order together and went over questions and concerns and shared how the

[21:21] county plan to quickly mobilize to support people impacted by the order.

[21:27] We also collectively problem-solved ways to ensure that all residents in the North End

[21:33] encampment were aware of the option to move to a hotel and receive a range of supportive

[21:40] services.

[21:43] Based upon feedback we received from the organizations, Mecklenburg County Community

[21:48] Support Services staff went to the North End encampment site that following day Wednesday, February 17th.

[21:56] We worked with community providers and grassroots organizations to begin

[22:01] formally communicating opportunities to residents. Signups began that very

[22:07] morning as the packing and other preparation. This full day of onsite work

[22:14] allowed us to share information firsthand and to the extent possible address

[22:20] resident questions and concerns. At 8 a.m. Thursday February 18th, Public Health

[22:29] arranged for COVID testing for all interested residents prior to the move. It

[22:34] is worth noting that although transportation and access to the quarantine and

[22:39] isolation hotel were on standby, all 81 tests were negative. At 11 a.m., the

[22:48] The Department of Social Services began transporting the first residents from the encampment

[22:52] to the hotel.

[22:54] Peak Limousine also joined in these efforts.

[22:59] Staff from Community Support Services and the Department of Social Services wrote along

[23:04] with guests to ease the stress this move may have caused.

[23:09] When it became clear that we were fast reaching capacity at the first hotel, Mecklenburg County

[23:15] procurement secured another hotel. We immediately started filling those rooms as well.

[23:23] We continue to move residents the following morning. The last trip occurred at 1 p.m. on Friday,

[23:30] February 19. I am pleased to report working in concert with our community organizations and

[23:37] and grassroot organizations, we safely transported 214 individuals to two separate locations

[23:45] in just under 26 hours.

[23:50] We did not stop there.

[23:53] During the move-in process, CSS staff, alongside staff from supportive housing communities were

[24:02] able to connect individuals to coordinated entry, which is the front door of our homeless services

[24:09] system. This is the first step in procuring housing resources for anyone who is facing homelessness

[24:16] in Mecklenburg County. We also launched into developing individualized housing plans for each

[24:23] resident. On Monday, yesterday, the Department of Social Services was on-site distributing Beth

[24:31] bus passes to connect residents with other mainstream community resources to help support pathways

[24:39] to treatment, employment and housing. Today, DSS continue that distribution and in keeping

[24:46] with our commitment to housing first, community support services, substance use services

[24:52] work to complete on-site screening and referral for treatment and other supports.

[25:00] CSS Veterans Services Division will be on site later this week to assist veterans in accessing possible resources.

[25:10] Plans are being finalized to include other partner agencies and to train grassroots organizations on how to assist residents with completing permanent supportive housing applications.

[25:23] The estimated budget for this project is $1.5 million and is reimbursable through FEMA.

[25:31] Next slide.

[25:35] As I reflect on the past week, I'm an awe of how our community responded to this public health crisis.

[25:42] I'm awed by the number of people who showed up every day.

[25:46] None of this work would have been possible without the leadership and support of multiple county departments.

[25:53] departments, our local homeless service providers and our amazing grassroots organizations,

[25:59] staffed mainly by volunteers. You can see the names of the entities who have been involved in

[26:06] this effort listed on the current slide. Also included are established partners who have expressed

[26:14] interest in offering resources. Next slide.

[26:21] I am also proud of the fact that when we got to work

[26:24] on Tuesday, February 16th, we knew that all our planning and problem solving had to both anticipate

[26:32] various scenarios while also trying to ensure that we met all residents literally where they were

[26:40] in a trauma-informed way. We devised backup plans, the backup plans for the backup plans.

[26:47] When we needed to change course or velocity, we were prepared. This commitment to flexibility

[26:53] and trust in each other was absolutely critical to ensuring that the move

[26:59] was sensitive, efficient, and safe for everyone. The quote you see on the slide

[27:06] reflects the appreciation from a grassroots organization HeartSpeak for One

[27:11] Foundation director Bethany McDonald.

[27:17] Next slide. While the hotel was the

[27:21] destination for residents during the initial phase, it is not the intended endgame

[27:26] for the homeless residents we are serving.

[27:30] Not all residents will need the same level

[27:32] or types of support or services.

[27:36] To that end, we have been conducting needs assessments.

[27:40] This is, in many ways, only the beginning.

[27:44] The quote depicted is from guests

[27:48] as they were moving to the hotels last week.

[27:54] Next slide.

[27:58] As we start looking at the next steps,

[28:00] We have identified some short-term actions that are necessary.

[28:05] First, we will complete all of the final coordinated entry assessments this week.

[28:11] We will continue to connect individuals with resources for housing, employment, mental health, substance use, and more.

[28:20] I want to address the misconceptions in the community regarding circumstances at the hotel.

[28:27] County staff have not been informed by any resident or staff about bed bug issues at either hotel location.

[28:36] We do have experience on how to address these issues if they were to arise and will do so accordingly.

[28:45] The current meal vendor has an existing relationship with the county.

[28:49] These meals meet all USDA nutrition standards.

[28:56] We expanded contracts with our existing laundry service vendor to ensure everyone has access to laundry services.

[29:05] I have confirmed with both hotels that services have begun at both locations.

[29:12] The safety of all residents remains another priority.

[29:16] To that end, we hold all residents accountable for basic communal living expectations, all

[29:23] of which were communicated up front.

[29:28] Individuals who have displayed violent or illegal behavior have been and will be exited

[29:33] from participation.

[29:36] Individuals who are still in active addiction, but not yet ready to seek treatment, must abide

[29:42] by the drug-free zone policy. But, before an individual exits due to a violation, we will first

[29:52] revisit treatment as a path to remain. To be clear, there will be people who do-

[30:00] Despite our best efforts, we'll leave the hotel and return to homelessness. This has already

[30:06] happened for six individuals due to criminal activity or refusal to abide by hotel rules

[30:15] regarding safety. But the majority of people will be connected to permanent housing or

[30:22] other community resources. Some will be prioritized for permanent supportive housing or others

[30:29] to be assessed for higher levels of care. Engagement with case management and weekly case

[30:36] conferencing will help monitor needs and connect people to the various resources.

[30:43] Extensive criminal histories and current criminal behavior or court credit are barriers to

[30:50] identifying housing solutions. That's why we need landlords to join us in

[30:56] this effort. If you are a landlord, you can make a difference by enrolling in

[31:02] social serves housing CLT program. Housing CLT is a community collaboration

[31:08] among rental property owners, professional property managers, and homeless

[31:13] services agencies to provide housing opportunities for people experiencing

[31:18] homelessness who have significant barriers to securing safe, permanent, and affordable housing.

[31:26] To enroll, call 704-323-5540 or visit housingsealtepartner.com.

[31:39] Now, shifting to the longer solutions, it is critical that our community be clear-eyed about this

[31:45] situation. We move 214 individuals into two temporary housing facilities in the

[31:53] midst of a global pandemic. While Macklenburg County had to act in order to

[31:59] protect the health of those at the encampment and the community, we cannot solve

[32:04] homelessness alone. Homelessness and housing and stability were

[32:08] increasing even before COVID. As was the need for permanent affordable housing, we need to build

[32:16] upon momentum of this movement with the grassroots organizations, align policies and strategies

[32:23] to meet the demand of the community. And as Deputy County Manager Trotman highlighted,

[32:29] we need to have significant expansion of federal resources to fully address homelessness.

[32:34] The BOCC and the county's leadership and advocacy at the federal level through organizations

[32:42] like NAICO is essential in this regard.

[32:46] This concludes my remarks and I welcome any questions.

[32:50] Thank you.

[32:58] First of all, let me thank the manager and her staff for this presentation.

[33:06] I have heard the rumors.

[33:07] members, I have heard the rumors being repeated by some of my colleagues when it would have

[33:15] simply taken a phone call to ask someone the questions were addressed today. But instead

[33:26] there are those who would much rather rely on the rumors out on the community as if the

[33:32] for some reason, their story is better than the story that you just heard.

[33:41] My hope is in the future that we would take advantage of the opportunity to call up on staff

[33:50] to verify what you might hear in the community. Clearly, much more has been done

[33:59] and what we've heard about.

[34:02] So at

[34:05] this time, if there are questions,

[34:08] I will certainly intertaining by going by districts

[34:17] and I will start with district two.

[34:21] You had questions.

[34:23] This point Mr. Dunlap, the only thing I want to say

[34:27] to the staff and to dinner, and I'm grateful that we have the kind of staff that has put forth an effort that this country can look at and model after.

[34:43] One thing I want to say you could always count on the council.

[34:46] My question is, where were those who are totally responsible for housing, that worries me.

[34:56] But I'm glad that this information is out there, and I'm...

[35:00] I pray that we will continue to sit in this message out to this community and across this country, as to what we were able to do in Mecklenburg County, under the leadership of Mrs. Dina Dioria, who is celebrating her 16th birthday today. All right. Thank you, Commissioner Lee. Commissioner Jarelle.

[35:28] Thank you,

[35:31] Karen. And I just want to take a minute to thank staff for the work that was being done.

[35:37] Also, on a level set with the community, relative to really understanding that this is a difficult

[35:44] transition.

[35:45] And I think it's important for us to understand that the expectation for us as commissioners

[35:52] should not be for us to be reactive, but as long as we're being responsive, I think is what

[35:59] the responsible approach is as we encounter these situations that we know will naturally

[36:04] your car when you have this many individuals in these environments with the challenges that

[36:11] they're facing and the challenges that we're facing. And so I think it was indeed

[36:29] of a very

[36:30] challenge population and

[36:55] you were following up so I do want to point that out to everyone. I would

[37:00] like you to speak to though, if you can there's a few areas that I'd like either you are caring to

[37:05] go or sense

[37:09] of, and I'll just go through these questions and whatever you can answer that

[37:13] be great.

[37:14] It's

[37:27] kind of what they are, and I think you've already said the expectations, but Karen,

[37:33] I think you laid that out to

[37:42] these of this issue I think would be helpful.

[37:45] So that concludes my comments and questions.

[38:05] Karen, you can answer that question.

[38:06] Okay, thank you.

[38:07] So, regarding the staffing, so thank you first, Commissioner Jerald, but regarding the

[38:15] staffing question. We currently have staff from our existing partners with Salvation Army and

[38:21] Ruth above are providing staffing. A primary source of our staffing right now are from our key

[38:27] grassroots organizations. We are working also with the staffing company to help support those

[38:33] organizations as well as having county staff there to provide support as well.

[38:43] And then can you

[38:44] remind me of your second, your second question I apologize.

[38:56] What on the other can you give us a sense of what the resources that are needed right now?

[39:03] I believe the immediate resource as far as maintaining, we are doing our best to maintain.

[39:10] I think as regarding other solutions, many of the individuals that are there have struggles

[39:16] with mental health and substance use services so anything that we can do to help get people

[39:22] quickly connected and possibly into higher levels of care is really is really

[39:27] where the emphasis is to make sure that everyone in both hotels are safe and

[39:42] I

[39:42] thought there was a third question Mark

[39:53] was there additional question that you

[39:55] That's it.

[40:06] Thank you for that presentation and thank you for all the work you've done. I also want to thank all the grassroots organizations. And thank you for recognizing them. I think that's very important. I just have a couple of questions. One, Karen. Thank you for clearing up about the rumors about the.

[40:30] conditions of the hotel. I heard that this morning for the first time, so I'm glad. I appreciate

[40:36] that. I'll sit on the back of the straight. And what is the staff that you're talking about?

[40:42] Who? What are the actual jobs that you're that probably should normally and some of our staff

[40:49] are doing? And Ruth above.

[40:53] So the key piece is really about maintaining almost such a shelter

[40:57] operations, so to speak, so making sure that people are in their rooms, they're following

[41:03] guidelines, making sure that they are with familial distribution, if they've got a question

[41:11] about the TV not working. Everything that would mean to really help kind of make a shelter,

[41:17] making a shelter. In addition, we have staff from the shelter, both shelter systems,

[41:24] They're providing that case management support, so either even hoping with a

[41:29] crisis intervention, talking about what other housing options may be, hoping

[41:35] people perhaps reconnect it. Family to friends, to services, so really about that

[41:41] holistic approach. And really what we're looking to do is mirror how our current

[41:47] shelter system operates, but bring those services there on site as well. And then

[41:54] And we're also working to have agencies come and be on site to offer those direct services

[42:01] as well.

[42:01] We're figuring out ways to if we need to have substance use services on site, meeting

[42:07] with Cardinal to see what expectations Cardinal would have for them to be able to provide

[42:11] those services on site as far as privacy and things like that.

[42:16] And are they being paid by the county or their own organizations or FEMA, is that FEMA

[42:22] many or how they being compensated. So any of the providers that are coming in or being

[42:28] paid through their own organization, same with the shelter staff, the grassroots organizations

[42:35] are either paid through their organization or our volunteers. We are working with county procurement

[42:43] on getting a relationship for the key volunteers that are there to be able to make them part

[42:51] a part of our time agency and then be able to help reimburse them really for the coverage

[42:58] that they're providing as well. The strongest relationships I believe that the folks that

[43:04] are there have are with these grassroots organizations and that's not the takeaway from

[43:09] any of our other partners but I have been amazed by about the just the compassion that these

[43:16] volunteers have brought to the table and the connections that they truly have with the individuals

[43:21] that are there. It's amazing. I agree. Thank you very much for everything. Absolutely.

[43:29] All right, Commissioner McDowell.

[43:33] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[43:37] I have a few questions. I think I think this is great information. I appreciate

[43:47] the presentation Anthony and Karen. You guys are on the ground. You are present. You guys

[43:55] know exactly the pulse of what's happening and so I really appreciate hearing

[44:00] perspective and but I do I do want to challenge us a little bit on you know

[44:07] when we're in the white hot spotlight sometimes things happen and I think

[44:14] it's really important that we we take a look at our responses and so I think we

[44:24] We have to ask, you know, I hear the chairman, but I really want to say that as a commissioner,

[44:37] I feel like for the hard job is to hear the different perspectives.

[44:43] I can't just take a staff perspective.

[44:47] We have to listen to the community as well.

[44:48] I think that's part of our job is to always be testing, to always be listening, to always

[44:56] please be challenging, festigating.

[45:00] Just hearing, I think that they're over different perspectives, looking at the same situation. And so there's different viewpoints that are valid. So I just want to say that I really appreciate staff and the support, support you guys 100% and I want to say that with no bites about it. But in addition, I appreciate that I'm getting letters

[45:29] There's phone calls and other perspectives from other people that I'm listening.

[45:37] I have to listen to them as well as a commissioner and that's my job, I believe.

[45:43] So I want to say that I want to know what we'll do differently next time and I know that

[45:50] maybe this isn't the time to do a dissection of what we could do differently next time, but

[45:57] I think that's not will come, and I think we really have to, I think this was a communication

[46:04] problem most of all. And I feel like that was where a lot of the process broke down, was

[46:14] around the communication piece, and that's communication for our partners and communication

[46:20] with the population and the community. And those are things that I would like to see how

[46:26] we can do better on.

[46:31] I think that's I don't really have a question. I think you guys did a great

[46:35] job of, you know, let's know kind of what's happening and where we stand right now and I'm really

[46:42] pleased to hear about the folks who are getting services that they wouldn't have gotten if they

[46:50] accepted this. I think the rat infestation of course is a horrible thing, but in a way it's like

[46:58] we turned it into a positive by being able to see how folks are going to be helped as a result

[47:06] of that experience and of that terrible situation. So I know that sometimes the worst happens and it

[47:14] into a good thing and I'm really I'm really happy about that and I'm proud of what the

[47:20] county can do to help folks. I'm really looking for the hope about having a comprehensive response

[47:30] to homelessness, a comprehensive plan and what I'm really looking for is what is ours to do

[47:39] As a county, what piece of it is ours to do, do we have a piece in every single part

[47:47] of the comprehensive plan, or do we to be focused in a certain part?

[47:53] And those are some of the questions that I'm wrestling with, is we take our fire power

[48:00] or our power, I don't mean the word power that way, but I mean like our resources,

[48:07] and tackle a part of the comprehensive plan,

[48:12] be a big part of it,

[48:14] or are we supposed to be involved in all of it?

[48:18] So kind of really wrestling with that.

[48:20] And so I'd love to hear if you guys have thoughts

[48:23] on that at some other time.

[48:24] So I don't have the actual question for today,

[48:28] but thank you for letting me say my comments.

[48:31] And if you have a response, that's great too.

[48:36] Well, I think that we definitely can talk about this later.

[48:42] In previous presentations, I talked about the reduction in headphones nationally.

[48:47] I talked about the lack of access to behavioral health services and access to treatment.

[48:55] I talked about the affordable housing issue, and I talked about our ability to control

[49:02] the inflow because most of what we're talking about is the outflow you know and it is difficult when

[49:10] you know people hear about all the great things that are happening in Mecklenburg County not only

[49:15] our business leaders come in here but everybody else is coming as well and so it is difficult to have

[49:21] a plan that says that we're going to end homelessness when we don't have a national plan to end homelessness

[49:29] which is why it led off of what we're doing with NACO.

[49:35] Thank you, Anthony.

[49:36] This really, as a commissioner, I'm telling you,

[49:39] this is a huge learning curve.

[49:41] And I just appreciate the players

[49:45] and who all is part of this conversation.

[49:48] So thank you.

[49:48] And it takes a little time to learn.

[49:51] And so appreciate those of you who have so much more experience.

[49:55] So thank you.

[49:57] All right.

[49:58] All right, committee.

[50:00] Commissioner Altman.

[50:03] Can you hear me now? Yes. Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, when I open up the national newspaper every morning, I think like many people, I see so much dysfunction and frankly, corruption and incompetence and indifferent at the national level. And I think that it can break the bond between people and the government when the people lose hope that their government will be there

[50:32] for them in a competent way, in a caring, compassionate, and responsive way.

[50:37] And that's a problem.

[50:39] And so for me, the big story here is how responsive this local government was to a crisis.

[50:48] I saw compassion.

[50:50] I saw responsibility.

[50:52] I saw basic care and concern for human suffering.

[50:58] And that that is what led this county government to issue the order of

[51:02] embatements, move so swiftly, get people rehomed all inside of seven days.

[51:10] So, you know, was it done quickly?

[51:13] Yes.

[51:14] To me, that shows nimbleness in government, which is often in short supply.

[51:19] And it also shows leadership.

[51:23] The county manager and her team acted swiftly.

[51:26] She threw the weight of this organization to lead and to amplify the work of our non-partners

[51:33] on the ground.

[51:34] There are many, many people in the encampment whose collaboration was absolutely critical

[51:39] and I'm glad they've been highlighted today.

[51:42] I'm also grateful to the public health director, to Mr. Tropman and to the manager who had

[51:47] the courage to say, we cannot allow people to live like this one more day and they persevered

[51:53] in the face of many challenges.

[51:55] So, the people of this community need to hear it.

[51:59] There was a need, this organization saw it, and it acted boldly to meet the need.

[52:04] It did a great job.

[52:05] It did not do a perfect job.

[52:07] It did a great job nonetheless.

[52:10] A service was rendered, which restored the dignity of many, and hopefully has put them on

[52:15] a better path.

[52:16] What we saw on display is what we expect from our government, courage, service, and leadership.

[52:22] I humbly thank the every single employee of Mecklenburg County, every nonprofit partner,

[52:30] and every private citizen who stepped forward and contributed to this outcome.

[52:40] Thank you.

[52:41] Commissioner Scarborough.

[52:45] I have no comments at this time.

[52:50] I do want to thank Ann also for congratulating those who have been on the ground.

[52:55] open this open with this because it's important and there are people who understand it to understand how important it is to serve it.

[53:05] So thank you very much for the opportunity.

[53:08] Thank you.

[53:10] Commissioner Cotten.

[53:12] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[53:14] And thank you for the great presentation.

[53:16] I started to get interested in homelessness around 2009 because of a job where I was helping

[53:24] people, a finding employment, and who had been incarcerated, and many of them lived

[53:31] at the shelters.

[53:32] So that's when I started, and that's what motivated me to run for office.

[53:37] The more I learned about homelessness, the more I realized I don't know, and the more

[53:43] realize how complicated it is and I don't think there's anybody can say I know

[53:49] everything about homelessness because it is extremely complicated and most of

[53:53] our issues are more complicated than people realize. Certainly when we got

[54:00] the news last Tuesday about the move there were a lot of people that contacted us

[54:10] and they were very upset, and I did not overreact to them because, first of all, even though they did not have the facts and, you know, everybody can have opinions, but there's only one set of facts and they didn't have the facts, but, and they might have been upset, but at least they cared, they cared about homelessness.

[54:33] And we haven't had as many people until recently, really care.

[54:38] And so I thanked all of them, even though I tried to help them better understand the truth.

[54:46] And I tried to let them know that we were not clearing people.

[54:52] We were clearing the rats and caring for the people.

[54:56] And I also wanted to

[55:00] Thank our media partners. They did an awesome job to contact members of the county commission, members of the nonprofits, our county staff, to help the public better understand the situation. And some of that was, you know, very difficult work for them. They were having to park so far away. And the weather was bad. And they

[55:29] just persevered, and I was really glad to see that. And, you know, Dina, you did an awesome job

[55:37] and of coordinate and all this, and I think it was... I thought it was outstanding. And, you know,

[55:49] I wasn't looking for any perfection, but I was... I knew that you would care for the people,

[55:56] and you did. You did care for the people. And in a respectful way. You know, because our

[56:02] homeless neighbors are human beings, there's somebody's son, somebody's mother, somebody's

[56:09] brother, and they're just in a bad spot. And many of them are only there temporarily. And many of them

[56:17] are there maybe continually because of other obstacles that they face in their with their

[56:23] mental health or their finances or whatever or trauma that they've experienced but they're

[56:29] all human beings and I know that all our staff and our partners kept that in the forefront

[56:38] that these are human beings and to be respectful of them and it was amazing how quickly you made

[56:48] the move and how all the negativity stopped. And again, I didn't judge the negativity because

[56:57] again, they were well-intentioned people who just did not have the correct information. And once

[57:03] they got the information, thanks to our, to the media, then they realized that this was handled

[57:10] very well. And I'm just thrilled that more people are talking about homelessness and trying to look

[57:16] for solutions. And it is a very complicated because it involves a lot of different governmental

[57:24] partners, and it involves caring people. I was really glad that you mentioned Robert Nesmith.

[57:30] I have known Robert for a long time, and I'm so glad that he came to the county because he's a young

[57:36] man that has been working on homelessness for years, and even though he's very young. And I was

[57:45] really glad you gave him a shout out and thank you, Dina, for all that you did.

[57:49] Thank you to the staff, to Gibby, and all of the workers, and goodbye rats, right?

[57:56] Thank you.

[57:57] That concludes my comment.

[58:00] Thank you, Commissioner Powell.

[58:04] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[58:07] I could have co-written the speech with Commissioner Altman

[58:11] because I have many of the same feelings and so I want to start with gratitude and I want to start with Karen because the email that you sent in the middle of all this was very touching and it made a lot and it made me know that what I was thinking was true.

[58:34] And it is hard, it's hard to know the staff side and then hear the public outcry and know how hard you're working.

[58:45] And, you know, like Commissioner Rodriguez McDowell said, we have to listen to a lot of negativity and you have to be open to hearing that.

[58:55] But at the same time, you know how outstanding the staff is that is responding to an emergency.

[59:02] And so thank you for your note. Thank you for your dedication, your compassion. I mean, all the words, your heart, your caring.

[59:13] Thank you for that because it is, it's what we need and it is what people expect and they expect that for people who are in such a hard situation.

[59:26] So I want to thank you and all the people that you work with and all the community partners

[59:33] and Mr. Trotman and I also want to thank Dina for having the courage and the step-up leader

[59:44] that we have to have in a situation where public health is so at risk and to have the possibility

[59:53] of a countywide problem with a plague or a disease caused by rats.

[1:00:00] I want to be dealt with swiftly, and there was no time for wishy-washy. It had to be dealt with. And so while it's not perfect, the love behind it is perfect. And that's what matters. And that's what the focus should be on making sure that we're protecting public health and that we're helping people in a difficult situation. And so thank you to every single person that made it possible.

[1:00:26] I admire you, and I just admire your courage and leadership, and I do have a question because

[1:00:33] I think it's an important question. Because there's so much stress, you know, I got emails like

[1:00:40] the county was bubbling over with tax dollars, and I thought no, we're not bubbling over with tax

[1:00:45] dollars. Like this is difficult, you know, and this is not sustainable. So Mr. Trotman, you know,

[1:00:54] We started off with, you know, we need a federal assistance.

[1:00:59] What do you think about the state assistance?

[1:01:01] I mean, I don't want to put you on the spot, but I feel like we needed at every level.

[1:01:05] Do you agree with that?

[1:01:08] You're on mute.

[1:01:14] I said, I totally agree.

[1:01:16] One of the issues that many of our residents face is accidentally to help here.

[1:01:22] And a debate that we've been having for years is expanding the Medicaid program, or those

[1:01:28] single adults that are out there. They would have access to behavioral health and or physical

[1:01:33] health treatment if we would expand the Medicaid program. Also, as we think about, you know,

[1:01:39] these various behavioral health facilities throughout our state, have we increased the number

[1:01:45] of beds for psychiatric treatment centers? Do we have enough? Because what's happening is,

[1:01:52] you know, the support for these individuals has been forced down to the local level.

[1:01:56] And we're doing our best to, for one, provide supportive services with our shelter partners

[1:02:03] to ensure that they have access to everything that they need.

[1:02:07] So it's definitely a joint effort.

[1:02:09] I think all levels of government from the county and to the city, to the state, to the federal

[1:02:14] government, all bear responsibility in dealing with this issue.

[1:02:19] And thank you for that, because it is enormous.

[1:02:21] It's we could spend every single dollar just on this one issue and still not solve it and so we need partners and I'm glad that you mentioned inflow because inflow matters.

[1:02:34] I mean, when other cities and counties are sending their homeless to Mecklenburg County, it becomes I don't even know the right word.

[1:02:43] It's just not sustainable. It becomes overwhelming.

[1:02:47] And so I'm glad that you brought that up.

[1:02:50] And again, just thank you, thank you for your sensitivity and caring and courage.

[1:02:55] I appreciate you.

[1:02:56] Thank you.

[1:02:59] All right.

[1:03:00] Let me start off by also adding my thanks to what has already been stated.

[1:03:08] I can't think, you know, enough for her leadership in this initiative and to give

[1:03:16] to Anthony and to all of the Mecklenburg County staff that was involved.

[1:03:23] I also wanted to call out Karen is good to see your face.

[1:03:29] I got the email and I was so I

[1:03:37] was taken by your email.

[1:03:38] So I felt the need to share with all of my colleagues.

[1:03:41] So I sent it out immediately and even as late as after 12 o'clock somebody

[1:03:48] was commenting to me about your message. So thank you for that. I'm going to take a moment to

[1:03:57] address a couple of things. And that is the notion about whether or not the county is really

[1:04:04] doing something or not. And so not just to my colleagues but to the community as well,

[1:04:13] Mecklenburg County doing something doesn't simply mean that it's only Mecklenburg County staff.

[1:04:20] which is why we have partnerships,

[1:04:23] which is why we have vendors.

[1:04:26] And so you may not see a Mecklenburg County staff person doing it,

[1:04:32] but it's the leadership that comes from Mecklenburg County

[1:04:34] that works with our partners and our vendors to get it done.

[1:04:40] And so when people tell me what Mecklenburg County is not doing,

[1:04:45] I ask the question, did anybody do it?

[1:04:49] Because chances are if anybody did it, Mecklenburg County was involved.

[1:04:55] They may have had a different title behind their name.

[1:04:57] They may have said that they were about-

[1:05:00] A member of a particular organization. But somewhere in Mecklenburg County was behind that. And so I want to thank all of our partners and our vendors for working with us on this initiative.

[1:05:15] I also would say that there are those people who look for perfection, I never do, because I realize that I'm not perfect. There's a scripture that says

[1:05:29] says,

[1:05:37] judge not. At least you be judged. And so I would caution people who are always

[1:05:47] critical and looking at the bad side. Now, is it fair to critique what happened? Certainly

[1:05:55] it is. Were there some mistakes made? Oh, I could see some. But at the appropriate time

[1:06:02] with the appropriate people, you address those concerns because others may not have seen them.

[1:06:09] And so I would encourage all of my colleagues. If you think that happened,

[1:06:14] then talk to the person that you think might have been responsible.

[1:06:19] Because you may learn that what you thought you saw, what you really saw,

[1:06:23] or what you heard really wasn't what happened. So I want to encourage you to do that.

[1:06:30] But yeah, there are some things we could have done differently.

[1:06:34] And I hope in the event that something of this nature happens again, we would do some

[1:06:41] things differently.

[1:06:43] I think one of the biggest frustrations I have about this whole situation is the number

[1:06:50] of organizations or groups who said that they were involved with homelessness, they were

[1:06:59] actually raising money, asking people to donate to their group or organization, and

[1:07:06] I have not seen your name's printed anywhere. I have not heard anybody mention your name.

[1:07:12] And so what I'm saying is, yes, they're scammers even with the homeless population who are taking

[1:07:18] advantage of this situation and getting money and using it for other purposes. That's

[1:07:25] disheartening.

[1:07:30] It infuriates me when people take advantage of a crisis situation such

[1:07:38] as this.

[1:07:41] I would also say, and I think both Laura and Commissioner Coffin contacted me

[1:07:49] about the recognition for those people who assisted the county in this effort.

[1:07:59] And so I agree that we will look for a more tangible way to say thank you to all of those volunteers that were involved in this effort.

[1:08:12] Some were involved who were not necessarily a part of a particular group or organization,

[1:08:18] but nonetheless, we'd like to say thank you for what you contribute to making what could

[1:08:25] have been a terrible situation turn out as well as it did.

[1:08:32] So I think I have covered everything I had planned to say.

[1:08:40] So thank you all again for your efforts and then dinner if you would because I know how

[1:08:53] it is important to some commissioners probably more than others that they know every time something

[1:09:02] happens. So we don't necessarily have to wait until we come together at a meeting if you would

[1:09:08] send out Anthony an update keeping people in form because because I hear the

[1:09:17] comments about people never sharing information so if we could send out a

[1:09:23] memo just keep people informed about any changes or update status of the

[1:09:30] situation of those people that are being housed I was pleased to hear staff

[1:09:36] acknowledge the fact that everybody's not going to stay there because some are going to decide that's not what they want

[1:09:44] which is why they chose the situation that they were in in the first place. And what do we like it or not? No matter how concerned we are, we have to respect the adults' decisions.

[1:09:57] So with that, amount of manager.

[1:10:01] Your next report. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The next item in the agenda is the board's definitions around your priorities that you set at the retreat. We said we would come back and we would talk to you about definitions and possible target setting for some of the items that you have deemed your priorities. And so we will be hearing today from Adrian Cox, our budget director, as well as Monica Allen, our strategic planning and evaluation director to walk you through

[1:10:30] that information. Adrian I can

[1:10:35] manage your deorio. Dr.

[1:10:37] Allen's actually going to start

[1:10:39] us off and then I'll pick it

[1:10:40] up shortly.

[1:10:41] All right. Thanks Adrian happy

[1:10:43] birthday Dina. Good afternoon

[1:10:45] chairman Dunlap County

[1:10:46] commissioners and 20 managed

[1:10:47] your deorio and others.

[1:10:49] Next slide.

[1:10:52] And in Dina alluded to this a

[1:10:54] little bit but in January 2021

[1:10:56] during the Board of County

[1:10:57] commissioners annual retreat.

[1:10:59] The consultant Megan Palmer to

[1:11:00] key through and exercise to

[1:11:03] identify the FY 2022 board priorities. At that time, staff shared its plan to meet with

[1:11:09] the board in February as a follow-up to setting those priorities to share indicators and performance

[1:11:13] information with you. As staff was preparing for the meeting today, we did think it was best to

[1:11:19] also share with the board the descriptions of the priorities for your review and feedback.

[1:11:23] Share any indicators we have identified today related to the FY21 board initiatives and even

[1:11:31] go over the FY 2020 board priorities. And we know that one funding for many of those items from the FY 24 priorities may not go away.

[1:11:42] And we also know that some of the board members interest was there and continuing to focus on the FY 2020 priorities.

[1:11:49] And so this presentation is really going to kind of wrap around those three things.

[1:11:53] And the other thing too, at the end of the presentation,

[1:11:57] when it came from the board, if there are any other indicators,

[1:12:00] maybe higher order indicators that we can track and report

[1:12:03] out to you quarterly, and after today, we'll

[1:12:06] determine that feasibility of doing so

[1:12:07] in the frequency of reporting as well.

[1:12:10] So before we get started, next slide.

[1:12:13] And I dive into the information.

[1:12:15] I'm going to have ageing talks go

[1:12:17] over the priority descriptions that staff have developed

[1:12:20] for your consideration. Thank you. During the Board's budget retreat, we listen to the conversations

[1:12:28] and took notes of amazing concepts that you use to describe the different priorities.

[1:12:34] Based on that discussion, we have drafted preliminary descriptions that I'll be reviewing with you

[1:12:39] in the next slides. These descriptions will serve as a tool to communicate the priorities by further

[1:12:45] elaborated on each priority. As you will see, these descriptions are intentionally brief

[1:12:52] and broad. The intent is to provide a sense of the meaning of the priority, not to describe

[1:13:00] every possible aspect or potential initiative that may align to the priority in the future.

[1:13:07] So if you're looking for something particular that does not show up in these descriptions,

[1:13:12] decisions, it does not mean that it's not part of our focus.

[1:13:16] Most importantly, the descriptions will be finalized with the feedback that we received

[1:13:21] today.

[1:13:22] Next slide.

[1:13:26] So here are all the priorities and the descriptions that we have drafted.

[1:13:31] These are not reflected in any order of rank or importance.

[1:13:36] They are simply shown in alphabetical order.

[1:13:39] As I go through the descriptions, please bear with me as I read them out loud because

[1:13:44] I want to make sure that everyone has a chance to hear how we have described the priorities.

[1:13:49] As a reminder, these are meant to be brief and broad.

[1:13:55] First, affordable housing. We have described this priority as evaluate new housing opportunities

[1:14:01] that are affordable for residents in need. Education attainment gaps.

[1:14:07] LYNC existing allocations to strategies and targets to improve college and career

[1:14:14] readiness outcomes for all students, environmental leadership, implement the environmental

[1:14:21] leadership action plan, MEC pre-K, continue implementation of voluntary universal pre-K for

[1:14:31] all eligible for your old children, workforce development, provide leadership and

[1:14:38] line communication with job seekers and employers.

[1:14:44] Racial disparities was approved as a cross-cutting focus that is uniquely embedded across

[1:14:50] all priorities.

[1:14:52] With a particular focus on analyzing all of the services to improve equitable opportunities

[1:14:57] for all people.

[1:15:00] The description that you see here is derived from the mission and vision statement of our county's equity action plan. The states to ensure that investments by the county focus on closing racial and ethnic gaps so that race does not predict one success while also improving outcomes for all. Race will be interwoven into the board's priorities through policies, practices and procedures that

[1:15:29] seek to analyze and eliminate the root causes of racial disparities with the hope that

[1:15:35] all people in Mecklenburg County will have an equitable opportunity to thrive in the community.

[1:15:43] So these are the descriptions of the board's priorities.

[1:15:48] In just a moment, Dr. Allen will go over performance indicators related to each of these priorities,

[1:15:55] But at this point, Chairman Dunlap, I'll pause to see if there is any reaction or feedback

[1:16:01] from the board regarding these descriptions.

[1:16:04] However, we will also circle back to hear your feedback following the discussion with

[1:16:10] Dr. Allen.

[1:16:12] Okay.

[1:16:13] Of course, you know I'm hesitant to do this, but are there any questions about the definitions?

[1:16:27] I take that we are all satisfied.

[1:16:30] All right, Dr. Allen.

[1:16:31] Mr. Chairman, I had my hand up for a question.

[1:16:34] Okay, I can't see my hands.

[1:16:36] That's okay, it's Lealtman, it's just one question.

[1:16:39] Yes.

[1:16:40] Thank you, sir.

[1:16:43] Can Mr. Cox, does the environmental leadership plan

[1:16:46] which implements the environmental leadership action plan

[1:16:50] include expanding parks or is it?

[1:16:55] I'm not sure I'm totally clear on the definition

[1:16:58] that that encompasses.

[1:16:59] So that was part of the action plan that was presented at the Board's retreat, but if I could

[1:17:08] out defer to Deputy County Manager Leslie Johnson to verify exactly all the aspects of the

[1:17:15] leadership action plan.

[1:17:19] Yes, good afternoon. The Environmental Leadership Action Plan does include

[1:17:26] the parks, what specifically it talks about land acquisition, open space, and the lake

[1:17:31] as it relates to protecting the environment.

[1:17:36] Okay.

[1:17:36] Thank you.

[1:17:37] Mr. Chairman, I had my hand up too, and I know now I know you can't see us.

[1:17:42] So I don't know how you want us to indicate that we have a question unless you just alert it out.

[1:17:48] Yeah, you have the floor.

[1:17:49] Okay.

[1:17:49] Thank you.

[1:17:50] I just need to understand a little bit more when Dr. Johnson says that the

[1:18:00] environmental action plan does include parks and then she said it includes land

[1:18:09] acquisition. I just I think the definition if you're asking us if we want to be

[1:18:15] sold on these definitions. I think it would be better if or or I really want to understand

[1:18:24] if meck playbook plays in to the to the environmental piece. I'm not clear on that and I feel like

[1:18:33] it's a question that keeps coming up in my mind.

[1:18:38] Well I will say this meck playbook is a plan for

[1:18:42] parks in and of itself, irrespective of the environmental

[1:18:46] plan. And you will know that we are currently still under

[1:18:51] the ten year plan that was approved before the make playbook

[1:18:55] plan. So that plan will stand on its own. Now, there might be

[1:19:00] pieces where it might be interwoven into the environmental

[1:19:04] leadership plan, but it is a plan for park and recreation,

[1:19:09] except for an apart from anything else.

[1:19:12] Okay, so that means that's not one of our priorities currently.

[1:19:16] It's going forward, it's going to be the leadership plan

[1:19:20] and the environmental leadership.

[1:19:23] Based on what the board decided,

[1:19:25] what you see before you are the priorities.

[1:19:29] There are other things associated with these things

[1:19:32] with our priorities that might include, for example,

[1:19:36] the mech playbook but the mech playbook is not the priority. Environmental leadership

[1:19:43] is the priority. So mech playbook might be something under that but these are the priorities.

[1:19:51] Okay. All right, so are we being asked to tweak any of the wording? Is that what we're being

[1:19:58] asked to do or

[1:20:00] I'm just not quite clear what you're what you want from us at this point. So the so the question is, and general terms, does these definitions pretty much agree with what we were tempted to get at at our retreat? And we won't get into wordsmithing because we'll be doing that all day. But generally, does this reflect what we're agreeable? That's what they're asking. Okay, thank you.

[1:20:27] All right, was anyone else a term in this is commissioner Powell and I just wanted to just to make sure we are under the education attainment gaps, we are, you know, ultimately working to improve college and career readiness.

[1:20:50] But it is also very important to all of us about really targeting the K-3-3 achievement gap and I don't need and I don't know if we need to include that in there, you know, along with it or what, but it jumped out at me because it's so important.

[1:21:10] I jump in here for a minute, to mind Mr. Chairman, if I jump in for one second.

[1:21:14] So the College and Career Readiness Outcomes, there's actually targets in CMS's strategic

[1:21:21] plan that really focus on third grade reading and math and fifth grade reading and math

[1:21:27] and eighth grade reading and math, which are there college and career readiness indicators.

[1:21:33] So we use that language because then we can tie back to their strategic plan, which is really

[1:21:37] what they told us they wanted us to do was to go back to their strategic plan because

[1:21:41] those are the things that are important to them.

[1:21:43] So that is what this is designed to do to make sure that we can go back to that as a

[1:21:48] way to measure whether or not they're achieving the outcomes.

[1:21:51] So that's the first thing.

[1:21:52] The second thing is that in terms of Park and Rec and McPlaybook, you know, that's still

[1:21:57] part of your board initiatives, even though it doesn't show up as a priority here, you

[1:22:02] We still have from this fiscal year, fiscal year 21,

[1:22:06] Mac playbook and park equity and all of those other issues.

[1:22:10] And that continues.

[1:22:11] We don't drop what we started to work on in 2021

[1:22:14] and just focus on these things.

[1:22:16] Those things all continue.

[1:22:18] But it just gives us a little bit of a framework

[1:22:20] when we put budget together to sort of think about

[1:22:23] these items as board priorities.

[1:22:25] So it's not, it's a both and it's not a one or the other.

[1:22:29] If that helps.

[1:22:32] You'll see that in one Monica does the presentation because she's got Meck Playbook and Park Equity and all of that in her presentation.

[1:22:41] Thank you.

[1:22:42] Yeah.

[1:22:43] All right.

[1:22:44] I think that helps.

[1:22:46] All right.

[1:22:47] If there's nothing else, we'll move on, Monica.

[1:22:51] All right.

[1:22:52] Well, thank you for that.

[1:22:53] And like Adrian said, we will circle back at the end.

[1:22:56] So if there's anything that I share in the data or the information that I provide over the next several slides.

[1:23:02] And you say, we really need to qualify that a little further than you can certainly give that feedback to us.

[1:23:07] But we wanted to share those descriptions with you on the front end, give some information.

[1:23:13] And like Dean said, I will be talking about the mech playbook, educational attainment, things like that.

[1:23:18] And then at the very end, if there's anything we want to modify, you can certainly give us that feedback.

[1:23:24] So I think let's go into the next slide and maybe the slide after that.

[1:23:31] Okay, so like I mentioned earlier, you know, our goal really is to just kind of share

[1:23:37] with you the indicators as it relates to both your initiatives and your priorities.

[1:23:43] So for 2021, for example, that Met Playbook was an initiative.

[1:23:47] It's not a priority, but like Dean said, that's something that will continue to be funded.

[1:23:51] So the next several slides is really less about me doing a performance report and more about

[1:23:56] Here are the measures, here are some data and insights, and here's just some things we could start tracking.

[1:24:02] This really gets to the accountability piece and the transparency piece that after the budget is adopted.

[1:24:08] I'll come back to the board and say, okay, here's what we think we can put in place to help you understand

[1:24:11] how successful the county is doing around those things.

[1:24:16] Next slide.

[1:24:20] So as it relates to the 2021 board initiatives, there is some overlap of initiative and priority,

[1:24:28] But these are the five that are pure initiatives meaning they're kind of more on the start of side is kind of how I like to think about an initiative and on the next slide.

[1:24:38] We'll talk about the 2020 and the 2022 work priorities. So again, this gets to why you have new priorities in place. There were some there were already underway.

[1:24:48] You could see if we're housing a mech pre K showed up in both of the priorities and set by the board.

[1:24:53] and then there's other things that we'll probably carry forward, like maybe any investments

[1:24:57] I'm saying maybe, but maybe any investments we made in the...

[1:25:00] I know how we'll probably be investments will continue to make. Next slide. So I've shared this slide with you last month at the retreat, and I'm not going to go in depth with this just kind of is a reminder about the logic model that we use. Or is a guiding tool, I guess I could say that like that. And it really just kind of helps move us from this situation and what's going on to focus priorities and initiatives that are set both by the board and by the county manager to all of the inputs that go into the

[1:25:29] the output work that we do as well as ultimately the outcomes in the impact.

[1:25:33] And then on the next slide, it really just kind of highlights specifically those things

[1:25:38] that I'll kind of talk about.

[1:25:39] So we're not getting into inputs and what do we invest today?

[1:25:42] We're not getting into the outputs, but we're so what do we really want to accomplish?

[1:25:46] And one thing's always say a structure follows strategy.

[1:25:49] And so whatever the budget strategies are, the organizational strategies are that are put

[1:25:54] in place.

[1:25:55] And the structure of performance and accountability will follow that.

[1:25:57] Next slide.

[1:26:00] So I'm also using this as an opportunity just to educate the board a little more than kind of what I've done in the past.

[1:26:06] So there are essentially two types of indicators that will be tracking and sharing with the board.

[1:26:10] One set includes what we're calling community indicators and those are really indicators that reflect non direct accountability and we put some examples there.

[1:26:20] So you know, during the board retreat, I share with you the pulse report and I know Brandon Simmons also share with you an economic update.

[1:26:26] So things like population growth, trajectory, migration, patterns, jobs, incomes, wages.

[1:26:33] We know we have some relationship to that, but it's more so measures and indicators around

[1:26:37] what is going on in the sternal to the county.

[1:26:39] The second set includes organizational indicators that do reflect core accountability of leaders

[1:26:44] in the organization.

[1:26:45] And we typically share this information with you through several reports.

[1:26:48] I just put three here, so the Annual Performance Report, the Department of Management and

[1:26:53] reports that we share with you each month. Really, those things just kind of track activity as

[1:26:58] well as in our budget book. We put service level indicators and then I know Adrian does his

[1:27:02] quarterly budget monitoring reports with you every month. I'm sorry, every quarter. Next slide.

[1:27:09] So diving into the FY20-21 board initiatives and again, these are things that you put money towards

[1:27:16] in the budget for FY21. Adrian did share with you last month. What the spend is to date for

[1:27:23] initiatives. So I'm not going to talk about that. And you also highlighted some activity.

[1:27:28] So next slide. Our initiative here is, and let me orient you because every slide is pretty

[1:27:36] much kind of laid out like this. So I put the initiative or the priority at the top and

[1:27:40] then somewhat of a description for the initiative. And then where we have community indicators,

[1:27:46] I'll put those I would put those in there. And then if we have organizational indicators

[1:27:50] over put those in there as well. So this first initiative is to highlight, you know, community

[1:27:55] violence gun violence, which I know has been a strong interest of the board. And currently

[1:27:59] we have three community indicators whereby over the past three years all metrics, unfortunately,

[1:28:05] and this is not new news to you have increased. We haven't seen any decreases in this area.

[1:28:10] With the violent crimes per capita, the results are on a one-year lag, so that's why we do not

[1:28:15] have those results as of right now. And those results are released by the state in North Carolina

[1:28:18] and not the CMPD. So we do hope that with such initiative and perhaps in the long term,

[1:28:24] we'll be able to see the results go in a positive direction. And then as

[1:28:27] really the organizational indicators give you alluded to this last month around the Office

[1:28:32] of Violence Prevention and Public Health. So once that gets up and running, then staff will work

[1:28:38] with that department to identify those key accountability measures to track. In your material,

[1:28:44] You can access the existing Community Guidelines data dashboard that's out there that was a joint partnership between the city and the county.

[1:28:51] Next slide.

[1:28:53] So the next initiative is food deserts. You've heard a lot around food deserts in January.

[1:28:58] Adrian did share a presentation with you on options and strategies for consideration.

[1:29:03] Currently staff are bidding several options kind of thinking through some things.

[1:29:07] And we're also waiting for the UNCC study to be completed.

[1:29:10] And, you know, they're doing more actual reintegrated research

[1:29:13] where they're engaging the community around their food desert

[1:29:15] or food insecurity needs.

[1:29:17] And so, hopefully those recommendations will come out

[1:29:20] around June or July.

[1:29:21] And once we get those recommendations in place,

[1:29:23] eventually, we'll create some more organizational indicators

[1:29:26] of accountability.

[1:29:28] But the three here are consistent with what we've shared

[1:29:30] in the past and kind of give us an idea

[1:29:32] of the magnitude of the issue before us.

[1:29:35] Next slide.

[1:29:38] So, another initiative in 21 was the Homes Pregnant for helping out Mecklenburg's home owners

[1:29:43] with economic support, which was specifically designed to assist qualify residential home owners

[1:29:48] with low to moderate income within Mecklenburg County and to retain their homes. Through marketing

[1:29:52] a promotion campaign last year, of course it was a start-up, 658 applications were received

[1:29:58] of that 56 of the.

[1:30:00] The applications were approved with the other results here in terms of underreview and denials. I'm in staff are tracking kind of why something may have been denied versus approved. And I'm sure at a later date, there'll be a more comprehensive presentation for you. But as of right now, we just had the counts of applications, but I do imagine that if this program stays in place and continues on that we'll have some more defined outcomes that we can share with you and the individuals that we serve. Next slide. So the next initiative is with regards to park and recreation.

[1:30:30] I'm highlighting the Meck Playbook and Park Equity and during the board retreat last month, you've received this presentation, these two presentations on this initiative by director Lee Jones.

[1:30:39] For our community indicators, we currently have three. These are actually three indicators that are consistent with what we report out on every month to you.

[1:30:47] So in this monthly reports, you can see over the past 12 months, what the activity is. You can see the seasonality of visitors or utilization to nature preserves, greenways and parks.

[1:30:57] The point here is when we look at our results today, compared to last year, you can see that

[1:31:01] there are increases that we have annualized results that we share. However, with the green

[1:31:05] ways, we weren't able to really do apples and apples comparison, because there were green

[1:31:10] way counters that were added in January 2020, which really makes the data hard to compare.

[1:31:15] As it relates to the organizational indicators, what we have currently in place are these three

[1:31:21] until funding decisions are made. And that's a really important point because it depends on how much money sometimes

[1:31:28] an entity has in order to be able to say what are we going to measure and what should the targets be.

[1:31:33] So I do know that after budget adoption we'll probably have more focus on this around organizational metrics.

[1:31:38] But what we have as of right now is the parkland per 1000 residents.

[1:31:42] We don't necessarily have a target for 21, but that's a question we're funding in the board.

[1:31:48] is do we want to have, you know, a greater number of parkland per 1000 residents and if so,

[1:31:53] then we'll set those targets in place. And then we have two customer satisfaction metrics that we

[1:31:59] have to track how people perceive the parks and the programs and things like that will continue

[1:32:03] to report out on that. Next slide. So the next four slides focus on reducing public health disparities.

[1:32:11] And so in January, you also received a presentation on this from Gibby Harris and she talked about

[1:32:16] the department's plan to reduce public health disparities.

[1:32:19] There were three core areas, just as a reminder for you

[1:32:23] that were outlined in her plan and that was focusing on chronic diseases,

[1:32:26] violence prevention, and maternal and child health.

[1:32:29] The next two slides focus on chronic diseases

[1:32:35] and then I think the third slide and then the fourth slide will focus on

[1:32:39] one-owned violence prevention and maternal and child health.

[1:32:41] So I just want to arrange you before I go through.

[1:32:42] But what we see here is some data for the community indicators of top that is basically collected through community health assessment and a behavioral risk factor surveillance.

[1:32:53] So those two sources of data share with us the two things that we need to primarily focus on which is obesity as well as smoking within Mecklenburg County.

[1:33:04] And as you can see here, the results have remained flat over through your period.

[1:33:08] There is a healthy people 2030 target that is a federal government program, and that target

[1:33:13] is one that we may be striving for.

[1:33:16] So essentially, lower is better.

[1:33:17] We want to have less people that are obese or less people that are smoking.

[1:33:22] When you look at the health disparities in chronic disease, we do know that not only are chronic

[1:33:26] diseases some of the leading causes of death in individuals, but there are disparities in

[1:33:30] disease rates and in death rates for minority populations and males.

[1:33:34] So this kind of gets really to that, reducing public health disparities piece.

[1:33:38] In the data, we can at least start tracking it.

[1:33:39] I'm sure in addition to some other data, but the three that we have here are focused on

[1:33:44] female breast cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

[1:33:47] And in terms of death rates, you can see the heart disease.

[1:33:49] We're looking at the per capita rate of 1000 is more, 100,000 is more prominent.

[1:33:54] When you look at the ratios for gender and rates, you see that there's disparity there.

[1:33:57] For example, for every one white person experiencing heart disease, there are 1.4 African Americans experiencing the same.

[1:34:04] So ideally, any strategies that would be in a plan or through partnerships or programs would help kind of close that gap.

[1:34:12] Next slide.

[1:34:14] So in terms of organizational indicators, you know, we were trying to think about what might be something that we could start with.

[1:34:22] So, we turned our heads to the work of the Village Heartbeat Program, which is a free program

[1:34:27] designed to promote better heart health awareness and to enhance community resources in a

[1:34:31] coordinated health care service model to address obesity and heart disease awareness

[1:34:37] and among African-Americans in Hispanic populations.

[1:34:40] One of their key outcome measures is the percent of Village Heartbeat participants that saw improvement

[1:34:44] in at least one outcome is listed.

[1:34:47] And, as you can see, results are very favorable with at least 99% of individuals reporting

[1:34:51] improvement in at least one and that's 99 at least for the last two years that we have right now.

[1:34:58] Other corresponding measures to track are the number

[1:35:01] The first line being with pre and post data. So in order to really understand if there's been improvement, then we need to have participants complete a pre-assessment and then do the program and then complete a post-assessment. So essentially those individuals make up that outcome above the number of all program participants. So we wanted to put this in here because it shows a greater reach than just those individuals that have pre and post data. And then the number of faith-based organizations.

[1:35:28] and so as you can see here, program participants in faith-based organizations have increased from

[1:35:32] FY19 to FY20. And then we put a little foot out there, I think you got a little bit distorted,

[1:35:38] but it basically is talking about in FY21, the goal is to have 53 faith-based organizations on board.

[1:35:44] Next slide. So when it comes to violence prevention, one of the key community indicators we're

[1:35:50] going to track as homicide rates. And as shared with you, violent crime rate for the community

[1:35:56] violence piece for homicide rates is just a little different. So the very top of the chart,

[1:36:02] you can see the homicide rates per capita with 8.5 desks for 100,000. And in terms of the

[1:36:07] community indicator targets is sticking to the Healthy People 2030 initiative, a target of 5.5 desks

[1:36:13] for 100,000 could be what we want to strive for. Now, obviously you want zero, but if we're trying

[1:36:17] to see if we're moving the needle, moving in the right direction, we may want to lead with that target.

[1:36:22] Below, you can see the disparity information for homicide deaths, death rate, per capita

[1:36:27] and disparity ratios for death rates.

[1:36:29] Across all three, it is clear that African Americans and men, if not necessarily African

[1:36:34] American males, but African Americans and males are disproportionately affected by homicides

[1:36:39] and death rates as evidenced by the disparity ratios at the bottom.

[1:36:42] So essentially, for every one white, seven African Americans died by homicide.

[1:36:46] And then for context, as another data point, the rate of homicides in Mecklenburg counties

[1:36:52] increased by 70 percent between 2014 and 2017, and in 2016, homicides were the second

[1:36:59] leading cause of death for persons ages 15 to 24 years old.

[1:37:04] Next slide.

[1:37:06] So moving on to maternal and child health, one of the two metrics we've been at least able

[1:37:10] to identify.

[1:37:11] Again, these are metrics that we're starting with, although we know we can still probably

[1:37:16] build out some of these metrics. But the first metric is on pre-term bursts, whereby based on

[1:37:21] disparity data, African-American infants are two times more likely to be born early or pre-term

[1:37:26] than white infants, whereas Hispanic infants have similar pre-term birth rates as white infants.

[1:37:31] With the second metric that is labeled at number of infant deaths for 1,000 live

[1:37:36] bursts, as you can see over the past five years, results not only vary across the years for Hispanics,

[1:37:42] but also for blacks in non-Hispanic.

[1:37:45] And then a little bit for context,

[1:37:46] it was hard to kind of jam the numbers on this slide

[1:37:48] because some of the demographic groups are so close

[1:37:51] with their results.

[1:37:52] But in 2017, there were 4.8 infant deaths for 1,000 live births.

[1:37:57] And that's for Mecklenburg County, and that's the blue line.

[1:38:00] By race, for white non-Hispanics, there were 3.9.

[1:38:04] For black non-Hispanics, 8.8, that's that gray line.

[1:38:08] And then Hispanic was 3.8.

[1:38:10] The good news is that for all groups, results have been improved since 2013, yet disparities

[1:38:15] still exist.

[1:38:17] So, for the last four slides, basically, I'm reducing public health disparities that I

[1:38:20] just highlighted.

[1:38:21] They're in Gibby's strategic business plan as well as her newly created plan.

[1:38:25] The goal is to reduce this health disparities, and I believe that when executed over time,

[1:38:30] we should see some positive impact on the results.

[1:38:32] Although recognize that many of the community indicators are not directly in the county's

[1:38:37] control, so it may take us a couple of years to actually see positive movement in people.

[1:38:44] Next slide.

[1:38:46] So I'm going to shift to the board priorities for 2020 and 2022, and we're possible

[1:38:50] highlight the racial disparity information or share with the potential information could

[1:38:54] track.

[1:38:55] So this kind of gives to, you know, kind of keeping in line with reducing racial disparities

[1:39:01] in 2020, and then what Adrian shared with you, those 2020 priorities, cross-cutting

[1:39:07] with the reducing racial disparities. So we're possible we try to get the data and put it

[1:39:11] into the next several slides for you to review. So next slide.

[1:39:15] So beginning with affordable housing, as you know is one of your continued priorities from

[1:39:19] the 2020 list and the share with you last month, the county made significant investments

[1:39:23] in affordable housing beginning in FY20. So really the intent on this slide is to not go deep

[1:39:29] because there's so much more that are behind these numbers that are reported by La Shonda.

[1:39:32] I'm sorry, for the organizational indicators, but really just to say here's some things that we can

[1:39:36] track. For the community, two indicators of importance, and we share this with you in

[1:39:42] the past or the homeless rate per capita. That would be 1000 residents, which includes

[1:39:47] data that we pull from the point in time count on homeless population. It's lagged because

[1:39:52] we do not have the most recent data yet. And another indicator that could be probably more of a

[1:39:56] predictive metric is the percent of households that spend more.

[1:40:00] 30% of their income on housing. According to national best practices, researchers in the

[1:40:05] light, housing becomes unaffordable or less affordable when persons on average spend more

[1:40:10] than 30% of their income earned on housing. In this case, in Mecklenburg County, you

[1:40:14] can see the metrics of 31% of all households spend at least 30% of their income on housing.

[1:40:21] As an aside, I know there's been a lot of talk around AMI, so once there's a decision made

[1:40:26] around that we can definitely cut some metrics together to kind of help us understand the

[1:40:31] population as relates to AMI. For the organizational indicators currently we have several, one of

[1:40:38] which is on this slide reflects our reach and our impact in terms of households with individuals

[1:40:42] and families. One of the challenges with some of the data and we're teasing through that is that

[1:40:47] in some cases households may reflect one individual. So like I could be a household of one or somebody else

[1:40:55] through that to decipher through that so that we can pay

[1:40:57] a more clear picture for the Board at a later date.

[1:41:00] But some of the organizational indicators,

[1:41:04] that one of the organizational indicators

[1:41:06] that you see here, important notice in FY20,

[1:41:09] we only had two quarters of data

[1:41:11] due to when the contracts were signed.

[1:41:13] And so within that two quarter period

[1:41:14] we were able to serve 66 individuals or households.

[1:41:17] And in FY21, at least today, we're up to about 80

[1:41:21] and we still have two quarters to go.

[1:41:23] It's also important to note that, whereas we had mech home and keeping families together

[1:41:28] and like housing in like Arbor in 2020, we now have a new contract that's underway,

[1:41:32] which is with the housing for good.

[1:41:35] And that's also going to add to that number in FY 2021 and the housing for good contracts

[1:41:39] of some women that have been unfortunately experienced domestic violence.

[1:41:46] Next slide.

[1:41:47] So, other affordable housing indicators that are more or less considered organizational, and

[1:41:52] That's mainly because it's a department like CJS,

[1:41:56] that bottom metric, or we're going through vendors

[1:41:59] or individuals that we've engaged in contracts with.

[1:42:02] Our focused on evictions, critical home repair,

[1:42:05] so that would be the Habitat for Humanity

[1:42:07] and transitional housing.

[1:42:08] And this is information we've shared with you before,

[1:42:10] but as you can see compared to FY20,

[1:42:13] with only two quarters to go.

[1:42:15] My assessment, if my projections are right,

[1:42:17] is that we're going to be in line

[1:42:19] with prior fiscal year performance

[1:42:20] are we made achieve prior year physical year performance? So if somebody wants an understanding

[1:42:25] of how well are we doing, I think you can kind of look at where we are mid fiscal year and

[1:42:30] understand that maybe we're going to, you know, be legal or me target or, you know, have really

[1:42:36] strong performance at your end. Next slide. So the second priority on the list on the FY 2022

[1:42:43] list as well as the FY 2022 list in this format is education, education, attainment.

[1:42:50] The two metrics we show you here, we're also shared at the CMS, joint CMS-BOCC meeting,

[1:42:55] as well as with information that I share with you last month in the Community Pulse Report.

[1:42:59] First ran is on graduation rate, and we do have the results over the last several years,

[1:43:05] and they've been favorable and they've been high.

[1:43:07] In fact, something that's not listed here, but just to give this four context, is that since

[1:43:13] Since 2010 rates have increased or improved, from 69.9% of a four-year cohort of students

[1:43:20] graduating to 85.5 to date.

[1:43:24] So obviously you want 100% of students to graduate that is within the CMS strategic

[1:43:29] business plan, but I just wanted to give you that data point in terms of improvement over

[1:43:33] the last so many years.

[1:43:34] Another indicator is the NAEP 4th grade reading score, and at the time of this presentation

[1:43:38] the only information we had was from 2019.

[1:43:42] And this is with, as you can see here, a CMS system-wide overall score of 225, yet the

[1:43:48] target, really, and is kind of noted there in the bottom right, is really 268.

[1:43:53] So they have certain cut points for this metric.

[1:43:56] So basic reading scores are basic levels 208, 238's proficient, and then advances 268.

[1:44:03] So as the time that we have this 2019 data, there's not any group, whether it's a demographic

[1:44:08] group are overall that is meeting that 268 and then the other thing I just want to call

[1:44:15] on the slides are I should have said this before but around the four-year graduation rate you

[1:44:18] can see that there's the disparity there. So those are two metrics that we want to keep track of

[1:44:24] as CMS plays out their plan and as the county considers what budget funding decisions should align

[1:44:29] to the strategic plan. So next slide.

[1:44:34] So I want to spend a few moments on this slide for a few

[1:44:36] reasons because there's been a lot of buzz around what I put in bold which was you know what's the

[1:44:42] percent of CMS students deemed college and career ready. So we know that graduation rates are not

[1:44:47] the best indicator of student success in college career readiness certainly won't all students

[1:44:50] to graduate but are they ready to go to that next level. And so here what you see is that there's five

[1:44:56] metrics, see much tracks these five key metrics and then

[1:45:00] We holistically review these five to determine college and career readiness for its students. So, when

[1:45:05] I discuss this with a key staffer at CMS, they mentioned there's not one single metric that

[1:45:09] we used to determine this, but they're essentially five. And the metrics do link back specifically

[1:45:15] to their strategic plan overview. So, there's a strategic plan document. I think it's a shorter

[1:45:20] version. I'm meeting with the chief accountability officer this week to maybe go deeper or maybe

[1:45:25] what I think is a more robust version, but with in that shorter version, that overview,

[1:45:30] you can actually take these five metrics and see what those targets are in that document.

[1:45:35] So we can circle back with you or if CMS needs to come and do a formal presentation and

[1:45:39] they can go deeper and deeper.

[1:45:41] So the five metrics that you see here, the other thing I just want to point out is in the supplemental

[1:45:45] document that was attached to this presentation, I essentially pulled the information directly

[1:45:50] from the CMS performance dashboard, and instead of putting it all into this PowerPoint

[1:45:54] If you take a look at that document, you'll see that there's disparities for all five metrics across

[1:45:59] race and ethnic groups. The other thing just to point out is that for the first three metrics, those are the core metrics that CMS would say that you use to

[1:46:07] understand college and career readiness with the EOC metric as the primary college and career readiness metric.

[1:46:14] The last two are used to determine ACT performance and is administered, I'm sorry, the fourth one is administered to all juniors

[1:46:22] and the work keys exam performance is administered to seniors who are career and technical education

[1:46:28] concentrators. And the other thing that CMS didn't want me to share with you is that the last two,

[1:46:33] so the fourth and the fifth metric on this slide are part of the state's accountability model.

[1:46:38] So all five of those holistically are looked at to determine if someone is ready and it's not just

[1:46:44] based on graduation, it's not just based on course performance, it's not just based on if you

[1:46:50] completed in advanced course or or to state diploma, it's really based on a

[1:46:54] bunch of bunch of things together. So you know certainly if you have more

[1:46:59] questions around that supplemental document I'd be glad to answer and or direct

[1:47:03] those questions to CMS. And you know again just circle back before I go to the

[1:47:07] next slide. I know as part of that budget process there'll be more discussion

[1:47:10] around the alignment as it relates to these performance outcomes. Next slide. So

[1:47:16] for environmental leadership and as ties back to the leadership environmental

[1:47:19] really should action plan that you learned more about from Dr. Leslie Johnson last month.

[1:47:24] We essentially said, okay, as a start point, what are some community metrics or indicators?

[1:47:28] So the ones that we went ahead and pulled as a start range from water quality to air quality

[1:47:33] to residential waste diversion, tons of recycled materials processed, as well as tons of construction

[1:47:41] and demolition material that's diverted.

[1:47:44] We do not have a data point for that FY20 performance for that because the baseline year is going to be next year next slide.

[1:47:53] In terms of organizational indicators, this is what we have at the moment that directly line back to the plan, and I will say to some of the.

[1:48:01] I will say similar to some of the other indicators once those funding decisions are made will be able to circle back the board and say OK, here's the set of metrics that we want to track.

[1:48:11] indicators that we want to track as it relates to the government leadership action plan.

[1:48:15] And here's the target that we could possibly choose on an annual basis. Next slide.

[1:48:20] And then you've seen the MEC pre-K data many times over. But I think the two things that we're

[1:48:26] going to add to that in terms of tracking. And this was brought up by Eveli, one of the commissioners

[1:48:31] last month around MEC pre-K student performance in kindergarten. So we do know how well they do in

[1:48:36] the MEC pre-K program. But when they go to kindergarten, is there a difference between those children

[1:48:40] that went through mech 3k and the children that did not in kindergarten maybe beyond.

[1:48:45] The other thing that we could do, we put a footnote down there below, is that we do have

[1:48:49] this data available by various demographic groups.

[1:48:53] But I think one of the things we're going to have to be really careful about is if we're

[1:48:57] sharing information with you around reducing racial disparities or age disparities or what

[1:49:02] have you, we wouldn't want to put data out there in a public space where somebody can splice

[1:49:06] that data and identify Monica as an African-American female and that she was underperforming in

[1:49:11] the MEC 3K program or that she was performing in the MEC 3K program.

[1:49:15] So, we're going to have to be very careful with how we share a lot of this data because

[1:49:18] we definitely don't want to risk an amenity.

[1:49:21] Next slide.

[1:49:24] And then, mental health was one of your FY20 board priorities and given that we're not

[1:49:29] a primary service provider in mental health, we do think it's important to track a lot

[1:49:34] this data and for the community indicators on this slide for the first time in 2020 we did

[1:49:39] assess resident mental health or annual community survey. Here you can see essentially two indices

[1:49:45] that are kind of a roll-up of the metrics that are more positive or positive affect metrics that are

[1:49:50] on the left slide, what higher, right? So we can see that a lot of those results are in the 80s and 90s,

[1:49:56] so that's good. The negative affect index, you want to be as close

[1:50:08] And so we'll continue to track that. And on the next slide, you can see that we broke down those results by race. So this is another data point that we have. We can share it by race to see if there's any disparities that we need to address. Next slide.

[1:50:25] And then as it relates to organizational indicators, and this was funding that was provided to the Sheriff's Department.

[1:50:31] and our Sheriff's Office and FY21,

[1:50:34] the one that we do have in place is the investment

[1:50:36] to meet the needs of Sheriff's Office participants,

[1:50:39] jail residents and their mental health.

[1:50:41] And so this slide shows you the numbers that we served,

[1:50:43] the average length of stay,

[1:50:46] and the breakdown of those results by race.

[1:50:49] And so for the inaugural year,

[1:50:50] since sort of 61 people with an average length of stay

[1:50:53] is 63 days and 120 days for males,

[1:50:56] 63 days for females, 120 for males,

[1:50:59] which is not necessarily a bad thing

[1:51:00] because one, it may take some time to address mental health issues or concerns.

[1:51:06] And then also, we heard from the sheriff that, in his team, the individuals are so appreciative of the investments

[1:51:12] and the services that they're receiving to address those things that weren't able to be addressed in the past.

[1:51:17] So, we do have that data as well by race in terms of our remaking improvements in all individuals or just a certain group.

[1:51:24] Next slide.

[1:51:24] And then for the accelerated green waste program, this was not necessarily part of your

[1:51:32] prior list for 2022, although it was an initiative that started in 2020, carried over into

[1:51:39] 2021, so we're just saying we'll continue to track progress towards the 30 miles target

[1:51:44] by FY 2023, and then the data that you see here is what I shared with you last month.

[1:51:48] And at least as of December, there were 5.8 miles towards that targeted staff to believe

[1:51:54] that over the next several fiscal years they can achieve that, that ultimate target of

[1:51:57] 30 miles.

[1:51:58] Next slide.

[1:52:00] And so for work first development, it's a new priority for the BACC and so we, what we

[1:52:05] have currently are these community indicators to understand employment and unemployment.

[1:52:08] For Mecklenburg County and we do have this data at the county level, but we believe that

[1:52:14] that we can capture information by race for employment,

[1:52:17] as well as employment rate and race.

[1:52:20] But employment rate and race, we only get annually,

[1:52:23] we won't get month to month.

[1:52:24] So I've shared with you in the past

[1:52:26] that one of our proxy metrics

[1:52:27] is the unemployment insurance claims data.

[1:52:30] And Brandon did, Brandon Simmons,

[1:52:32] sorry, he talked about that last month.

[1:52:34] So we're just laying around here

[1:52:35] to show you the unemployment insurance claims

[1:52:37] and how those results break down by race.

[1:52:40] Next slide.

[1:52:42] And so as a relates to organizational indicators, there are some measures that we put in place.

[1:52:48] We started to collect data on last year.

[1:52:50] The first two focus on the Unified Workforce Development Program with employment rates.

[1:52:55] So this is a program that's operated out of the Department of Community Resources.

[1:53:00] So we would want to not only get individuals employed, but we would want to retain them

[1:53:04] for six months or more as it relates to employment.

[1:53:07] And then we also have data that we're starting to collect as it relates to the partnership

[1:53:10] between the Department of Community Resources and Charlotte Works, and you can see here those

[1:53:14] results in terms of number of individuals served. So in 2020, 449, in terms of the percent

[1:53:20] of clients that were employed, it was 65%, and then you can see where we are today for

[1:53:26] up by 21. And those numbers in terms of 65 and 64 may seem low, but one of the things we

[1:53:31] do know is that individuals that are hard to place may require a little more engagement.

[1:53:35] If individuals have substance abuse issues or concerns and mental health issues or concerns,

[1:53:40] it may take staff longer to reach those individuals.

[1:53:43] So they have set their targets for those to be around the 55% as it relates to a percent

[1:53:50] of clients employed.

[1:53:52] So next slide, I think that concludes my part of the presentation.

[1:53:57] And so at this point, Adrian and I, we'd like to get some feedback, comment through reactions

[1:54:01] to the descriptions and there may not be any but we did highlight at the beginning of the meeting or circle circling back with you.

[1:54:08] And then I think after we go through this, I would like to get feedback from this board or any reactions or suggestions for other metrics in any way.

[1:54:16] We may want to put in place and start to track on my side and then of course we'll we'll share this.

[1:54:21] The data with you in another fiscal year and a half or we can share any insights that we have after the board adopts its budget for FY 2022.

[1:54:32] Thank you, Monica, based on our time today, I'm going to ask that the commissioners will combine both your comments and feedback as well as suggested things that you might think that they would want to track.

[1:54:48] Madam Clerk, if you'll set the time rate, three minutes per commissioner, and we'll begin with Commissioner Altman.

[1:55:01] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My questions go to substantive questions, not so much about the metrics used. May I ask them right now? Should I nod?

[1:55:16] Okay, so I'll streak them out, Monica, and then you can, you know, on the home program, if you can update us, did we have good uptake on that? Because I recall that we were advertising it, and didn't have people accessing it in the numbers that we were making it available.

[1:55:32] My second question will be, I'm not seeing an improvement over chronic diseases that we've

[1:55:39] targeted over three years, so I'd love to hear your thought about that. My third question is,

[1:55:44] I believe the county is targeting a 2035 goal for someone filling the blank for me.

[1:55:54] For some of our environmental priorities and if we were to, I guess I hope that we can understand

[1:56:02] the cost around if we were to accelerate it because we recently saw data that a lot of our peer

[1:56:07] jurisdictions are really achieving their goals sooner than 2035. My fourth question is,

[1:56:15] under MEC pre-K, I did not understand your answer as to whether we have been able to measure any

[1:56:21] improvement in outcomes for children who did matriculate through our MEC pre-K program.

[1:56:29] and those are all my questions.

[1:56:34] Okay, Monica, you can answer what you can,

[1:56:36] or you can respond back at a later time

[1:56:39] in a written response.

[1:56:41] I'm sure we're going to have to respond back

[1:56:42] at a later time with a written response,

[1:56:44] but I'll yield to the county manager,

[1:56:45] or deputy county manager, Michael Bryant,

[1:56:47] to respond to your home's question.

[1:56:50] I think the chronic diseases question,

[1:56:51] I think we'll have to get a written response back to you as well.

[1:56:55] And then I know you talked about MEG Pre-K.

[1:56:57] So, essentially, what I was just saying was that,

[1:56:59] But right now, the three metrics that we shared with you is where we have that data that

[1:57:03] we can track in terms of how they're performing within MEC 3K, but one of the other things

[1:57:07] that we want to start tracking is when they get to that kindergarten space, how well are

[1:57:11] they doing?

[1:57:12] Right?

[1:57:13] So it was more so just FYI to be determined in terms of methodology, any challenges we may

[1:57:18] have with collecting that data, that was the reason, and then, I forgot your other two.

[1:57:21] Sorry, I tried to write them down real quick.

[1:57:24] Well, let me just talk about the home's program really quickly.

[1:57:27] we did not get the uptake that we had hoped as you write, we extended the deadline for filing

[1:57:31] the applications and we did get some additional interest but we're still going to go back and

[1:57:37] take another look at the program to see if there's opportunities to get additional people who are

[1:57:41] either interested and or will that will be eligible.

[1:57:46] Thank you and thank you and so my understanding is

[1:57:48] we don't know yet about how MEC pre-K is affected performance. We don't know yet, is that correct?

[1:57:57] Not, you can't know because we're only in year three of MEC 3K and unfortunately first

[1:58:04] years of start-up year, so it's going to take a while.

[1:58:13] We're still doing our evaluations, UNC Chapel Hill, those are evaluations of our program and

[1:58:17] we're still doing those around program fidelity and other items, but it'll take us a little

[1:58:23] bit more time to figure that out.

[1:58:24] Thank you.

[1:58:25] Thank you so much.

[1:58:28] Okay.

[1:58:29] Commissioner Coffman.

[1:58:34] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[1:58:35] Monica, that was a great report.

[1:58:37] Thank you.

[1:58:38] I just have asked about some additional data.

[1:58:44] You showed some good news that smoking was going down, but she didn't include the other

[1:58:50] part of the equation is vaping and increasing.

[1:58:54] And I know over the years, we have worked on that, and especially with our teens.

[1:59:01] So at some future time, I hope you'll update us about the other forms of tobacco.

[1:59:09] And do we still have a problem with teenagers and that worries me.

[1:59:15] The other set, there's two other areas, I'm glad you gave information about mental health,

[1:59:21] But you did not include suicide, and I mean, nationally, I keep reading that suicide

[1:59:28] is increasing, and I mean, we lost a middle school student recently.

[1:59:39] So I would like information about suicides, and we have to, if we don't confront that

[1:59:46] that and talk about it and make sure people know the signs, those numbers are going to keep

[1:59:53] going up.

[1:59:54] But I just would like to get it, so we're talking about it more as a health concern.

[2:00:00] A public health concern. And the last thing when you talked about CMS, and I have brought this up over the years, you talk about graduation rates, but we, a few years ago, we had some great charter schools that worked on this, taking from CMS students who were not likely to graduate and then worked with them, met them where they were.

[2:00:29] and had classes until the evening and gave them different times and worked with them differently.

[2:00:38] And they were having great success in graduating, you know, like 50 or 60% of those kids.

[2:00:46] And that certainly helped the CMS numbers, you know, improve.

[2:00:52] But the main thing is, it's not so much the numbers is to how many kids are graduating.

[2:00:57] So if there's any way we could include those from those two charter schools, so we get a better rounded information about that, I would appreciate that if that's possible.

[2:01:09] So you don't have to respond today, but if you could just think about including some of this in the future, that would be great.

[2:01:15] Thank you.

[2:01:16] Welcome. Please, my comments.

[2:01:18] All right, Monica. I do not think the name of those charter schools, but one of them is located on the plaza, and the other one is located out on Freedom Drive.

[2:01:29] If I could add one of them is, Mr. Chairman is Commonwealth, and they own the other. It's owned by the same company, but I have been over there, and they are really doing great work.

[2:01:42] So, I just ask you to think about including those numbers in some way.

[2:01:47] Thank you.

[2:01:48] All right.

[2:01:49] Commissioner Scott-Brill, you have any questions or comments?

[2:01:52] I have no questions, no comments, but I appreciate the information we've been given.

[2:01:57] So, that's, uh, uh, yeah.

[2:02:00] I'm looking forward to more.

[2:02:03] All right.

[2:02:04] Thank you.

[2:02:05] Commissioner Powell.

[2:02:10] Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[2:02:11] I mean Monica, on here on the Park and Recreation, we got some visitation numbers, but nothing

[2:02:20] about increase in park equity.

[2:02:23] Do you have any information on that?

[2:02:26] Yeah, let me, that was actually one of the things in my talking points.

[2:02:29] And I think it's one, we have determined a methodology, right, for measure.

[2:02:34] So again, this is our attempt to say here's what we have to start with.

[2:02:38] post budget and come back to you with maybe some options, but we're thinking that once the board adopts the budget and what's in there, we can figure out what we can really deal with park equity. So that methodology hadn't been determined yet, there's not date available right now.

[2:02:51] But that is not the way to track as we go forward.

[2:02:55] Okay, I heard that part, but I just wonder like if you have a list of investments that we've made to try to increase.

[2:03:04] But what we're doing in parks that haven't been traditionally served.

[2:03:09] Yeah, I'm sure that there may be a list of those investments.

[2:03:13] I'm looking at this more of a quantitative, not a qualitative.

[2:03:17] But, you know, is it a percent of parks or wherever we've made investments?

[2:03:22] You know, that type of measure.

[2:03:23] So, you know, we could try and get that list for you.

[2:03:26] but a formal methodology calculation where we have targets and goals around equity that won't come

[2:03:34] later. But if you want the list now, we can certainly, I'm sure, provide that for you,

[2:03:38] but I don't want to speak. I appreciate it. I'm glad, I'm glad we're going to, our offices

[2:03:43] will be near each other when we go back to the government center. Thank you, thank you. You're welcome,

[2:03:48] thank you. That's all. All right, Commissioner Leake.

[2:04:00] I want to look at education and to

[2:04:03] to re-address for me, Dr. Alan, not today, but later as it relates to kids who are deemed

[2:04:12] college ready and career ready based upon reading levels.

[2:04:18] That's number one.

[2:04:19] And number two, that all students that they say are graduating are not receiving diplomas.

[2:04:25] So what percentage of our students are not receiving diplomas that say that they

[2:04:31] are graduating but they are not equipped for college ready or for job ready. The

[2:04:42] other point is today with 19 and last year 18 what is the status of the third grade

[2:04:51] children that are one and two's across the district what percentage and what

[2:04:58] how do we use them to correct?

[2:05:00] Let one and two level, rather than them moving toward threes and fours. And the statement that has been made that they have Lord, the standards for our children. And you will find that black children, even in high level schools are not successful. So why in those high level performance schools? And then last one, because I don't want to bombard you with a lot, but I do appreciate you that every school and district

[2:05:29] district to accept one is a failing school and I want to know why not poverty but I want

[2:05:38] to know what programs are they using to enhance our children in those communities.

[2:05:46] So if you do that for me, I would appreciate it.

[2:05:48] And the last one deals specifically about a food that is available to help us to correct

[2:05:57] the problems of health and eating, and thank you so much. I heard the bill.

[2:06:07] Okay. Commission of Durel.

[2:06:13] Dr. Allen, thank you for the presentation. As always, great information.

[2:06:17] A couple of quick, quick hits on the greenway projects, the accelerated greenways.

[2:06:23] I thought we approved eight accelerated greenway projects. Am I off on that?

[2:06:32] I'm not sure the number. Yeah, we can we can follow up with you now. I'm not sure the number that was approved, but we were just hearing with you what?

[2:06:41] It's the greenway miles that have been achieved to date. I get it. I get it. Yeah, because there's a lot of commission and done last distance that goes to really creek that I didn't see on there. So I was wondering, but I got you. Yeah, and some of those. I'm sorry real quick. And some of those may not have been started until this fiscal year.

[2:06:58] So, you know, we've got to, we'll have to go to the end of the fiscal year to say, okay, this is what we, these are the green ray projects. And then here's me, three-way projects are going to be going into 2022.

[2:07:08] So that, that data should come later.

[2:07:10] Thank you for that. I appreciate that.

[2:07:12] As it relates to our priorities and how reducing racial disparities is as a cross-cutting element, there's two questions that I have.

[2:07:20] First, I just want to say, I'm really glad to see a column that relates to targets.

[2:07:27] I think that's really, really important.

[2:07:29] It helps us with the level of accountability.

[2:07:32] And I know we've talked about that in the past, so I do want to say thank you for that.

[2:07:36] As it relates to that, though, I would like to know if there is number one going, as we

[2:07:41] set the baselines, are we going to have sub categories out there by race that have baseline and

[2:07:50] targets as well in each of those categories. And if not, I would like us to consider that

[2:07:57] since we're saying reducing racial disparities will be a cross-cutting element. So I'd like

[2:08:03] you to consider that in the last question I have is we make investments that certainly,

[2:08:11] certainly can be tied to non-direct accountability. So we have some impact in those areas as well.

[2:08:19] How do we gauge the success of those investments or the return on investment when there is that

[2:08:25] non-direct accountability? Do you have any sense of how we'll measure that and be able to tell the

[2:08:31] effectiveness of the investments that we're making? Yeah, now answer that quickly. So in the logic

[2:08:38] model that I shared with you, right, if it's not direct accountability, it's really those things in

[2:08:43] the short term and the medium term that we can influence that are the means to the end

[2:08:48] And so you can't really say, oh, we, based on what we did, we directly influenced this

[2:08:55] jobs number, because there's so many other factors, right?

[2:08:58] But what we can't say is that there are people that we got employed, and, you know, how

[2:09:02] many people were retained employment, and so we could look at it in the short and medium

[2:09:06] term outcome space, but that greater impact is really this community, non-direct accountability

[2:09:12] metrics.

[2:09:13] So we could make some assumptions, but you can't really hold the county manager response

[2:09:18] for all jobs and all wages and all that, you know, so we'll have to make some direct correlations

[2:09:23] or indirect correlations and be able to, in our assessment, be able to tell you we think

[2:09:27] that based on what you did, five years later, you know, or three years later, make an impact in the

[2:09:33] community. I don't know if that answers your questions. To Commissioner Benson, comment well,

[2:09:40] there's a, there's that school is also on central avenue as well. I'm sure they have multiple locations

[2:09:45] but just to give you a heads up on that as well.

[2:09:48] Okay, thank you.

[2:09:49] Thank you, that concludes my comment.

[2:09:52] All right, and I stand corrected.

[2:09:54] It is central as opposed to the plaza.

[2:09:57] All right.

[2:10:00] I've been there a couple of times. Okay, Commissioner Meyer. Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Dr. Allen. That's an incredibly informative presentation. I want to second what Commissioner Jorrell just said about racial disparities. One, I very much like how you have done or have structured this with the racial disparities, cutting into each one, and I'm just wondering what he said.

[2:10:30] can we have some specifics for each one how we were going to reduce

[2:10:34] facial disparities in each goal and each priority and also my really

[2:10:41] mind question is met 3k what year did we start it and then what year were we

[2:10:46] begin tracking and wouldn't that be their third grade year?

[2:10:53] You'll take

[2:10:53] cash manager on that one okay we're

[2:10:59] in we're just now finishing our third year

[2:11:04] So they would have gone to kindergarten, first grade, they would be in second grade today, they wouldn't be in third grade.

[2:11:11] So we'll start tracking them in third grade.

[2:11:15] Well, that's when we get our first NAV scores, which will tell us whether or not we're at third grade reading levels.

[2:11:20] That's the sort of the indicator, but these kids are going to be tracked all the way through high school because we are aligning them with CMS's database.

[2:11:30] database. We'll be able to track them all the way through high school. But one of their first

[2:11:35] indicators is their name scrolling. They're in third grade.

[2:11:38] In third grade. All right. That's all. Thank you.

[2:11:41] All right. Commissioner McDowell.

[2:11:44] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Allen. You just really

[2:11:52] knocked my socks off every time with your presentations. I'm really impressed with, you know,

[2:11:58] sort of how you're able to just, it's just amazing what you can do that I definitely cannot do.

[2:12:07] And I need your help on trying to figure out how to track what I would like to track

[2:12:14] knowing that the community indicators and the organizational indicators it would be really

[2:12:21] rough to do it, but one of the things I'm really interested in is with MECP-PK, with our investments

[2:12:28] in MECP-PK, can we add as one of the things we're tracking increases in family income,

[2:12:41] or family stability, or family wealth? Like how can we track the parents, or the families,

[2:12:49] and not just the students.

[2:12:51] So if you have that mastermind,

[2:12:54] that might be able to think of a way

[2:12:56] that I certainly can't think of,

[2:12:58] appreciate your insight on that.

[2:13:02] And then secondly,

[2:13:04] on the slide 20 with the maternal and child health,

[2:13:10] the only thing I see us tracking are infant deaths

[2:13:14] and I wonder about maternal,

[2:13:16] Are we missing the maternal tracking there as far as maternal deaths or serious complications or those sorts of things? Is that something that can be added?

[2:13:30] The answer is, yeah, and for the maternal and child health, we just again wanted to get some things out there to get going because we know that infant mortality is a big issue.

[2:13:39] And then the thing about McCree K, I'll check

[2:13:41] out the program manager to see what data is available.

[2:13:43] I do know the demographic data is collected,

[2:13:46] age ratio gender, but I don't know about,

[2:13:47] if there's any SES socioeconomic status data

[2:13:50] that's collected on the families of the parents.

[2:13:53] Mm-hmm, I think that would seem

[2:13:54] such a great thing for us to be tracking,

[2:13:57] if there was a way, you know, year over year,

[2:14:02] and I don't know if it's possible, but anyways,

[2:14:06] your mastermind might just come up with something.

[2:14:07] Well, in part of this was just, you know, getting some feedback from the board and then we can explore the methodologies

[2:14:14] That we can put in place to track some of these things and we can explore if there's if the data's out there

[2:14:18] If it's feasible to start collecting the data, so that's what we'll be working on well and the budgets being developed

[2:14:23] We'll be kind of behind the scenes and then we'll come back to y'all in the summer with hey, this is what we can do or can't do

[2:14:29] Thank you

[2:14:31] Okay, just a couple of things I'll go back to something that Commissioner Leake was speaking of

[2:14:37] So, attainment of level four and five with CMS is an essence saying that they're college

[2:14:44] in career ready.

[2:14:45] And I know you talked about that in the presentation, but I'd like to be able to track the number

[2:14:52] of students who obtain levels four or five or who back up, but I'd like to be able to do

[2:14:59] that.

[2:15:00] I'd also like to track a number of high school diploma endorsements, because that's also an indication of success. So if you can weed that into what you're already doing, what's in that would be appreciated. Um. Let me. Let me. We can certainly do that. I just want to follow the forward's attention to those five metrics, you know, a deployment, and, you know, in the course. Graduates, all of that is in that.

[2:15:29] supplemental documents that was attached to this PowerPoint presentation. So, you'll be able to see a lot of those results. But I think we can provide more streamlined answer to get to the questions that you all had today.

[2:15:42] To kind of wet your palate in terms of what's going on within CMS right now.

[2:15:47] Right. I think that's going to be a signal in terms of helping us to tie a success back to our resources.

[2:15:54] It doesn't have to necessarily be that way, but that's the concern.

[2:16:01] We talked about the housing, and we're focusing on care to take care of that.

[2:16:08] Mr. Chairman, there's a lot of feedback somewhere. I'm so sorry.

[2:16:13] Okay, I don't have time to check right now.

[2:16:20] But I got to thinking about the fact that in all the things that we try,

[2:16:25] I didn't see anything where we tracked what's happening with our chronically homeless.

[2:16:31] And my concern is that, and I think somebody said it earlier, we've made a substantial

[2:16:37] effort over the last two weeks to get people out of tents and into housing.

[2:16:45] And we're looking for more permanent and stable housing.

[2:16:47] And I think this group of people fallen to a category separate in a part of anything

[2:16:54] we ever mentioned. And so I like to in some way be able to kind of track whether or not chronically

[2:17:02] homeless population is increasing or decreasing so that we can keep the focus on that and keep

[2:17:11] that in front of us.

[2:17:14] And while the violence in a rupture program is I guess primarily the

[2:17:18] city's program. I'd really like to keep track on that because that helps us with our reduction

[2:17:25] in our violence program.

[2:17:29] And I think that covers the concerns that I have are relative to your

[2:17:35] presentation. All right well thank you thank you everyone for that feedback and you know again

[2:17:42] there's a lot of data as you can imagine but we definitely wanted to get your thoughts and

[2:17:45] and we'll follow up immediately with some responses

[2:17:49] to some of the questions that were asked,

[2:17:51] and then in other places where it may require methodology

[2:17:53] creation or data collection or something like that

[2:17:55] we'll take some time to do that,

[2:17:58] make sure it's right data and we'll get that to you.

[2:18:00] So I think really on the last slide that I had,

[2:18:02] which is the next slide is just saying,

[2:18:03] we'll circle back, do what we need to do.

[2:18:06] And then I think that third bullet point,

[2:18:08] which I hadn't really talked about is that

[2:18:10] we're possible depending on capacity and things like that,

[2:18:13] that we should be able to create some type of public facing dashboard that you guys can

[2:18:18] take a look at on a regular basis and track some of these things.

[2:18:21] Again, with the caveat of making sure that we don't get anything out there that risk

[2:18:24] an amenity.

[2:18:26] So, that's all I have.

[2:18:27] So, thank you.

[2:18:29] All right.

[2:18:29] Thank you, Monica.

[2:18:29] Thanks, Adrian.

[2:18:32] Thank you, guys, for that report.

[2:18:34] Before we move forward, we have 10 minutes left that it's certainly not enough time to hear

[2:18:40] commissioners report. We still need to hear from Gibby. I'll follow up. And so if there's

[2:18:48] someone who wants to make a move from the time, Mr. Chairman, so there's a motion to expand

[2:18:56] our time so that we can include our commission's report. Is there a second to that motion?

[2:19:07] Okay, because there's a second, we'll conduct a roll call vote, Commissioner Altman,

[2:19:19] Commissioner Scarborough,

[2:19:26] Commissioner Scarborough,

[2:19:31] Commissioner Catham.

[2:19:36] No.

[2:19:38] Commissioner Powell.

[2:19:43] No.

[2:19:44] Commissioner Leeck,

[2:19:51] Commissioner Jarelle,

[2:19:58] Commissioner McDowell.

[2:20:02] Yes. Commissioner Mayer. Yes.

[2:20:13] All right. The chair.

[2:20:17] That would make the vote five to three in favor of extending the meeting. All right. So we're going to hear from Ghibi. We're going to hear from Ghibi.

[2:20:32] We're going to hear from Ghibi. We're going to hear from Ghibi.

[2:20:35] going to hear her report, then if there are questions about Gibb's report and then each

[2:20:40] commissioner gets three minutes to do a commission's report. So my guess is that could

[2:20:46] extend us up to an hour. All right, Madam Manager, we're ready for Gibb.

[2:20:58] Okay, Gibb, you're up. Good afternoon. Mr. Chairman, commissioners, and the manager,

[2:21:09] I'll be very brief, but I did want to give you just a quick update on where we are with

[2:21:15] our COVID response here in the county.

[2:21:18] All of our metrics continue to slowly decline, which is great news.

[2:21:24] We are about where we were in early November with most of our numbers at this point, and

[2:21:29] we're continuing to watch that very closely.

[2:21:32] There are all kinds of projections out there depending on who you listen to and at this

[2:21:38] point in time because of our numbers decreasing the way they are and that being a consistent

[2:21:44] slide for us, I'm choosing to listen to the more positive ones at this point in time.

[2:21:49] And again, really appreciate all the efforts that our community has made to help this happen

[2:21:56] and ask that everyone continues to do the things that we know keep those numbers moving

[2:22:02] in the right direction. A quick update on vaccines. As of February 16th, the health department

[2:22:10] had given a little over almost 22,000 first doses with a total, when you add second doses,

[2:22:18] is a total of 30,000 doses, Mecklenburg County total except for the long-term care facilities

[2:22:29] as part of the federal program, which we don't have access to that data, has given 96,850

[2:22:36] doses. That's about 9% of our population. So obviously we still have a long way to go.

[2:22:42] Our equity issues continue to exist but have slowly improved.

[2:22:49] Mecklenburg County is a whole.

[2:22:52] We've vaccinated about 19 and a half percent of African Americans and four and a half

[2:22:59] percent of our Hispanics, of the doses that we've given 19 and a half and four and a half

[2:23:06] have been in those populations.

[2:23:08] For Mecklenburg County Public Health, we're a little bit higher in both of those, but about

[2:23:12] the same. We are seeing slow increases in the amount of vaccine that's being made available

[2:23:18] to the county. We hope that that number continues to increase. But as you know, we've had

[2:23:24] challenges with the delivery over the last couple of weeks because of weather. And we're still having

[2:23:29] some of those challenges. The doses we were to receive today, we have not yet had confirmation

[2:23:34] that they've been shipped yet. So we are balancing every week right now trying to make sure that

[2:23:41] we're covering the appointments that we already have in place, but it does limit us sometimes

[2:23:46] with some of the community activity that we can be involved in.

[2:23:49] Just quickly, last week to let you know that we did have an event at the Lake Norman Community

[2:23:55] Health Center in North Mecklenburg.

[2:23:58] And you've probably seen that we did have a very successful event at the United House

[2:24:03] of Prayer on Saturday with almost 500 doses being provided there.

[2:24:08] We have other events that are being scheduled right now or are in the works.

[2:24:14] We are actually at the Aida Jenkins Community Center tomorrow, and we have an event scheduled

[2:24:20] later this week at the Islamic Center of Charlotte.

[2:24:24] And in terms of working with our partners, both CMS and the private schools as well as

[2:24:36] our child care settings and with atrium and avont. We have requested additional vaccine from

[2:24:42] the state for the next couple of weeks to help us do some larger events to get those folks vaccinated

[2:24:50] before we get into the next round of group three. I mean, and we have not heard from the state.

[2:24:55] I've just confirmed this afternoon. They haven't made final decisions about our request.

[2:25:00] But the plan would be to have a couple of larger events, one through atrium, one through Nevada. And then some smaller events through the health department that would involve a couple of schools, especially focusing on some of the ancillary staff and our staff, the staff that provide services to our exceptional children. Also, with our

[2:25:29] There are child care providers, we do have an event scheduled later this week and looking

[2:25:35] at an event with our private and charter schools.

[2:25:37] So again, trying to get through that part of group three before we get into the bulk

[2:25:42] of group three, which is a much larger group.

[2:25:45] We're continuing to plan around that and again, a lot depends on vaccine availability.

[2:25:51] So I will stop there right now, but happy to take any questions that you might have.

[2:25:55] All right.

[2:25:56] Commissioner Altman, any questions?

[2:26:00] Is it true that Pfizer may be approved to be a single shot and doesn't have a significantly

[2:26:06] reduced effectiveness, so I'm kind of concerned about that, and do we have any firm updates

[2:26:13] about the ability of someone who's been vaccinated to transmit the virus?

[2:26:19] So good questions.

[2:26:22] We have not really heard anything about Pfizer being a single shot.

[2:26:25] what I have heard is the ability for Pfizer to be stored at a lower, I guess, a higher temperature.

[2:26:34] It's sort of the regular freezer level for some period of time which may make it more

[2:26:40] available in the community and some of our other providers to be able to provide that vaccine.

[2:26:47] I've not really heard anything about a single shot at this point because right now what we know

[2:26:53] is to get the high level of immunity,

[2:26:57] you have to have those both of the shots.

[2:27:01] And the second question.

[2:27:04] Ability for people who have been vaccinated

[2:27:06] to none the less transmitted to people who haven't been.

[2:27:10] That is an ongoing study that's being done.

[2:27:13] Right now, what we do know,

[2:27:15] and there is some word that we're watching from CDC,

[2:27:20] they have not changed their guidance yet,

[2:27:22] But the possibility of people who have been fully vaccinated, being able to interface

[2:27:27] with other folks who have been fully vaccinated without wearing masks and social distancing

[2:27:31] and those sorts of things.

[2:27:32] So we continue to watch the guidance and the studies that are happening around the potential

[2:27:37] for transmission, even though you've been vaccinated, there continues to be some concern about

[2:27:43] that.

[2:27:43] So the need for people to continue wearing masks and socially distance, even though they've

[2:27:48] been vaccinated, is something we've got to watch.

[2:27:51] Thank you, sir.

[2:27:53] All right, Commissioner Coffin.

[2:27:58] Thank you, Mr. Manager.

[2:28:01] Mr. Chairman, and I give you thank you for the presentation.

[2:28:07] The only question I had is, do you think, and I've had so many people ask me,

[2:28:13] do you think the governor will loosen any restrictions this week?

[2:28:18] We're watching that very closely.

[2:28:19] I think there is probably a good chance that he will loosen, you know, the word he used,

[2:28:26] he will lessen the restrictions. I don't know that he's going to completely do away with his order, but do expect to see some lessening of some of the restrictions.

[2:28:38] Okay. All right. Thank you. I don't have any in the interest of time. I don't have any other questions. Thank you.

[2:28:46] Okay, Commissioner Scarborough, do you have any questions?

[2:28:49] I have no questions.

[2:28:51] All right.

[2:28:52] Commissioner Powell.

[2:28:59] I'm here.

[2:29:00] I have just two things.

[2:29:05] I was going to Commissioner Kaufman asked about the governor loosening restrictions because I'm hoping locally we can get back to more normal outside.

[2:29:14] I understand indoor restrictions, but I hope we can move forward on outdoor recreation.

[2:29:23] And the other thing is, I understand why Commissioner Altman asked the question because

[2:29:27] I've heard that asked and I've seen it on the news and it's very troubling to me.

[2:29:33] I don't want people to think that they can just skip the second vaccine.

[2:29:38] And so I think we need to get that message out there until the scientists are telling

[2:29:44] us. I think we need to keep encouraging how important the second vaccine is.

[2:29:50] I think that's a great point and I will tell you that our I was checking with staff today.

[2:29:57] We, in both hospital systems,

[2:30:00] So, seeing this as well as a return rate for second doses has been really high, which is good news. Obviously, we drop a small number, but for the most part folks are coming in. So, we'll continue to assess that, but we'll continue to get the word out. I mean, both Moderna and Pfizer, you need to get your second dose at this point. There's nothing that should discourage you from doing that.

[2:30:27] Thank you, and thank you for all of your, I mean, every day, all of your work, but I know the last two weeks have been really hard, so extra thank you.

[2:30:36] And that concludes my questions.

[2:30:38] All right, Commissioner Leake.

[2:30:47] I'm sorry, excuse me sir, no questions.

[2:30:50] All right, Commissioner Durrell.

[2:30:55] Give me just want to say thanks for keeping the community updated.

[2:30:58] All

[2:31:02] right, Commissioner Meyer.

[2:31:05] I have no questions, and thank you, Gaby.

[2:31:08] and commissioner McDowell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don't actually have any questions. Thank you,

[2:31:15] Gibby. Okay, Gibby, I have a question. I think I heard you say that you're aware of the fact that we've

[2:31:23] given out 96,000 shops or doses. Earlier in some presentation, you mentioned the number of seniors in our

[2:31:34] community. And so what I'm trying to do is gauge whether or not to what degree we've gotten the

[2:31:39] majority of our seniors, I saw a report where there were seniors saying that they couldn't get

[2:31:44] the vaccine because now we're adding these other groups. But if if we only have 75 or 80,000 seniors,

[2:31:53] then it would make sense for us to be moving into phase three. So can you give me a sense of how many

[2:31:59] people currently before we move into phase three there are above the age of 65

[2:32:07] and then, well, that's basically what I want to know.

[2:32:13] Okay, and it's a great question and we are actually evaluating that right now.

[2:32:19] Sure, she has the numbers for you in the next couple of days.

[2:32:22] The challenge we have is that a good number, well, almost everyone,

[2:32:27] almost everyone that's in a long-term care facility that got vaccinated by either

[2:32:32] Walgreens or CVS, are seniors. And none of those numbers are in our numbers. We

[2:32:38] don't have access to those. Those are federal. They didn't go into the state

[2:32:42] system, so we have no way of tracking that. So all we can do is track what the two

[2:32:47] health care systems and what the health department have done. We are working with

[2:32:52] hospitals right now to really better evaluate all of the demographic data between the three organizations

[2:32:59] because that's what we have control over and I'm hoping to have that information for you in the

[2:33:05] next couple of days. Alright, thank you. That ends our question and period. Madam Clerk,

[2:33:13] set the timer for three minutes. No more than three minutes. We'll start with Commissioner

[2:33:19] Senator Leak, Commissioner's report.

[2:33:25] Thank you.

[2:33:27] This is the ending of Black History Month, and I wanted to honor my seniors across

[2:33:33] Mecklenburg County who have suffered as relates to economics, education, housing, health

[2:33:41] care, and the many issues that we've talked about.

[2:33:44] So I want to honor my senior black people who have suffered as

[2:33:52] relates to because of discrimination.

[2:33:56] That's number one and number two, I want to thank our president

[2:34:00] who recognized the loss of the number of people due to the virus

[2:34:06] over 500,000 people are deceased in this country.

[2:34:11] So we need to continue to follow the rules and regulations that set out so that longevity

[2:34:17] will be there with us and for us.

[2:34:20] So again, the last week of Black History Month, let us not forget our people and the

[2:34:27] suffrage that took place.

[2:34:29] There was a program that's on PBS that talks about the Black Church.

[2:34:34] Those of you who have not seen it, you will certainly enjoy the information historically

[2:34:40] and otherwise. That's it and thank you.

[2:34:43] All right, Commissioner Jarrell.

[2:34:50] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to take this time.

[2:34:52] There's two things that I want to look up as well.

[2:34:55] One, I want to reiterate on our north end encampment,

[2:34:58] what a

[2:35:00] I commend this effort that was undertaken by not only our staff, but the community and the grassroots organizations. I'm just so always just really overjoyed when I see the community come together. I mean, we truly have a community that cares and it shows and it shows even when folks don't necessarily express themselves the way that I may like or the way others may like. But I do know that most of the time it comes

[2:35:29] from a good space and I do appreciate when folks do extend us the level of grace that's needed

[2:35:38] to allow us to clarify and allow us wide information that is you

[2:35:48] know that's the first

[2:35:55] pandemic

[2:35:56] to really remember our working family,

[2:36:13] keep their lights on, they're trying to eat the lines when

[2:36:17] the food distribution goes

[2:36:22] dry by and you see them but we still have people in this community that

[2:36:26] are getting up every day 40 plus hours a week just to do, you know, to keep food on the table.

[2:36:34] And my heart goes out to those folks and I want them to know that working families continue

[2:36:40] to be front and center of my radar for sure and that you're not forgotten through this pandemic

[2:36:46] and we're going to remember you as we go through it. So thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the time.

[2:36:50] All right, Commissioner Meyer.

[2:36:54] Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[2:36:56] This weekend, this past weekend, I helped in a neighborhood called Pine Valley in my

[2:37:02] district with senior vases, and it was such a good experience.

[2:37:07] And I just want to lift up that program.

[2:37:09] It is an incredible program where we feed our seniors, and I take so much for granted myself.

[2:37:16] and watching people and loading these cars, these boxes and cars and the joy that they had just

[2:37:25] receiving a box of food was heartwarming and brought me back down to reality. So I thank the

[2:37:33] county for such a great program. And two, I also want to again talk about the encampments we did pull

[2:37:40] off a miracle thanks to staff and thanks to these organizations that are full of volunteers who

[2:37:46] or not paid, and who had to take off three days of work.

[2:37:50] These are bankers and all kinds of jobs

[2:37:55] that people hold, and they had to take off work

[2:37:57] to help their fellow man.

[2:37:59] And I think it was, it's incredible

[2:38:03] that the community came together.

[2:38:05] And let's just keep those lines of communication open

[2:38:09] with them, and with us, with our community,

[2:38:12] so that they know what we're doing.

[2:38:13] that's so important that we do that. Thank you.

[2:38:17] All right, Commissioner McDowell. I don't have any additional comments right now. Thank you.

[2:38:25] All right, just a couple of last words. Mr. Chairman. Oh, I'm sorry. You're right.

[2:38:32] Commissioner. Oh, but. And Commissioner Gotham. And perhaps Commissioner Scarborough.

[2:38:38] I got it real fast. I wanted to, you know, yes, we have so many people who are struggling

[2:38:52] economically. We have unemployment, which is, you know, even with the recent improvement

[2:38:57] from the really high levels, we're still, I think, around double what we are historically

[2:39:02] where we were a year ago. And so there is tremendous and economic suffering in the community

[2:39:08] community, and I'm so excited about our workforce priority and its ability to help people's

[2:39:14] lives.

[2:39:16] I was recently became aware of this opportunity at CPCC that I just wanted to try to spread

[2:39:22] the word about because it's free.

[2:39:25] It's their accelerated career training program, free job job training.

[2:39:30] It's fast training for high-growth career path and it includes areas for truck driving,

[2:39:39] early childhood education, EMT, emergency medical technician training, heating, ventilation

[2:39:46] and air conditioning training, IT fundamentals, a nurse aid training and phlebautomy.

[2:39:53] So these are great opportunities to learn and gain a marketable skill that's in demand

[2:39:59] And the...

[2:40:00] It doesn't cost you anything to gain. So if you, just Google CPCC, accelerated career training,

[2:40:07] you'll be able to get more information or reach out to me. Thank you, sir.

[2:40:13] All right. Commissioner Scarborough. No comments.

[2:40:18] All right. Commissioner Coffin. Oh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to talk about just briefly,

[2:40:26] You know, the February is ending, and this is Black History Month.

[2:40:33] And I don't think that we had a lot of big problems this month,

[2:40:38] and I don't think we did a good job celebrating Black History.

[2:40:43] And I would just ask Mr. Chairman that you consider next year

[2:40:48] that maybe a few months before Black History Month, we form a committee to make some plans

[2:40:57] that we have certain presentations or learn things.

[2:41:01] I just think it might be helpful and I just feel badly that it's ending and we really

[2:41:08] didn't do as much as we have had in the past.

[2:41:12] So I just ask you to consider that.

[2:41:13] And, you know, maybe we can also, I worry also about children, I know they're going back

[2:41:20] to school, but a lot of them, they missed out on Black History Month 2.

[2:41:26] And so, I just hope we can catch up next year and make it into something positive.

[2:41:32] So, I just ask you to think about that.

[2:41:34] That concludes my comments.

[2:41:35] Thank you.

[2:41:40] And I'll take full responsibility for that, and I won't use the excuse that we were involved with COVID and some of the other things, but we'll plan to do that on next year.

[2:41:51] All right, for my few comments, first of all, I want you guys to know that young people are watching.

[2:41:58] On last evening, I spent two hours with the Boy Scouts as they asked a bunch of questions.

[2:42:05] Say they have watched, as you've asked questions about the homeless and they too are concerned

[2:42:10] about the homeless, they heard the discussion about tiny housing and they were asking questions

[2:42:17] about that.

[2:42:17] In fact, I am going to send you a list of the questions that were sent to me in advance

[2:42:22] so you will know the kind of questions the young people are asking.

[2:42:26] I also wanted to acknowledge the passing of Reverend Darrell Gaston, who is probably

[2:42:36] one of the biggest advocates in District 3, especially as it relates to Park and Recreation,

[2:42:42] but he was involved in so many things, he is certainly going to be missed.

[2:42:48] to the public and to you, my colleagues, we are looking forward to going back into our

[2:42:56] new offices and based on the responses to the surveys, seed assignment will be based

[2:43:05] on seniority and when more than one person is elected in the same year, there will be

[2:43:10] a lottery to determine who the most senior person is in that election cycle. And we'll

[2:43:18] figure out how to do the lottery and let you know about that. I want to remind you that

[2:43:24] ethics training is Friday. Every elected official is required to have two hours of ethics training

[2:43:31] each year. It is also a part of essentials for government. Then we have two new commissioners.

[2:43:36] I don't know if you guys signed up for that or not,

[2:43:39] but that is a part of your essential for government training.

[2:43:43] And then lastly, I want everybody to know

[2:43:46] that I spent my time with Elaine looking at invasive species.

[2:43:53] I now know what they are.

[2:43:55] I just thought it was regular grass.

[2:43:58] It's the kind of stuff that I grew up with,

[2:44:00] honeysuckle vines, and I never thought anything about it.

[2:44:03] Um, but I want to thank our county staff. Um, the depth of knowledge and the background, the education of background that these guys have is, is, is unbelievable.

[2:44:17] I mean, every kind of feel you could imagine, we have them in parking recreation.

[2:44:24] And one of the things I learned was that the amount of money that we're putting in for eradicating a basic species is like a drop in the bucket.

[2:44:38] In fact, if you looked at what they showed you, I wouldn't suggest this, but they could spend $21 million a year.

[2:44:48] But we've got to certainly do a better job because when you listen to the whole story,

[2:44:53] then you begin to understand how invasive species choke out our trees,

[2:44:58] which is where we get our oxygen.

[2:45:00] I mean, it goes on and on and on, but that was probably one of the best trips I had this year, except for the trip I took with Elaine last year, when we were on the water, to look at what was happening with the river. So, I feel like it's, I feel like it's my birthday.

[2:45:23] Well, that's all I have this year. So, we have completed our,

[2:45:29] agenda. So at this time the chair will entertain a motion to adjourn.

[2:45:35] A move. Second. Again. I has been moving in properly. Second, roll call vote. Commissioner

[2:45:42] Altman. Happy birthday, Deena. And I vote aye.

[2:45:48] Commissioner Scarborough. Aye. Commissioner Cautman. Aye. Commissioner Powell.

[2:46:00] No.

[2:46:04] Thank you.

[2:46:05] Don't consider me

[2:46:09] as one of the

[2:46:09] patients who are my team members.

[2:46:18] No, all of them, no.

[2:46:19] No.

[2:46:21] No.

[2:46:24] No.

[2:46:28] eight to one in favor of adjourning the meeting.

[2:46:31] All right, thank you.

[2:46:32] Good night.

[2:46:33] Have a cup of tea.

Board of County Commissioners — Budget Public Policy on 2021-02-23 2:30 PM - Members of the public can access and view the meeting on the Government Channel or online at: https://watch.mecknc.gov or Twitter or listen on YouTube.

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