THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

 

Monday, October 1, 2001

 

9:00 A.M. Worksession

 

AGENDA

 

 1.    Update From Durham Health Partners, Inc.

 

Durham Health Partners (DHP) has requested an opportunity to inform the Board of County Commissioners of its activities since its last report in spring 2001.  DHP is an organization dedicated to improving the health status of the Durham community.  DHP combines the functions of a foundation, a health planning and intervention group, and programs that recognize and promote excellence in biomedical education and research.  Formed in July 1999, DHP combined the Foundation for Better Health of Durham, the City of Medicine program, and the local Healthy Carolinians initiative.

 

DHP has taken the results of a health needs meta-analysis it commissioned and has facilitated 5 work groups considering interventions in 5 key health areas: violence, substance abuse, mental health, maternal and child health, and chronic disease.  Some 70 community agencies and leaders were represented on these work groups.  Out of this effort, a number of potential projects have been identified that DHP will adopt for further planning and potential funding.

 

Thomas Gambill, the new Executive Director, will update the Commissioners on DHP?s activities.

 

Resource Person(s): Thomas Gambill, Executive Director of Durham Health Partners, Inc.

 

County Manager?s Recommendation:  Receive report from the Executive Director of Durham Health Partners, Inc.

 

 2.     Presentation From the Cape Fear River Assembly

 

The Cape Fear River Assembly was founded 25 years ago and has grown into a membership of over 400 with a 34-member board of directors.  The Assembly?s membership and board are made up of representatives from throughout the Cape Fear River Valley Basin that have diverse interests, including environmental and conservative organizations; academia; small business and industry; local, state, and federal governments; and the general public.  Services and functions provided by the Assembly include: a basin-wide context for funding requests, political support, and resource management; a forum for discussion and issue resolution by the diverse interests represented within the basin; the general coordination of relevant efforts throughout the basin; and a basin-wide commitment to facilitate the completion of needed scientific and economic study, to educate the public regarding the environmental and economic value of this natural resource, and to encourage the development of policy that is most likely to maintain and improve the condition of the Cape Fear River and its tributaries for present and future uses and benefits.

 

Resource Person(s): Don Freeman, Executive Director, Cape Fear River Assembly

 

County Manager?s Recommendation:  The Manager recommends that the Board receive the presentation and advise the staff if additional action is necessary.

 

 3.    Balanced Transportation Systems in Western Europe

 

Commission Vice-Chairman Ellen Reckhow studied balanced transportation systems in Western Europe in July of 2001.  Her study focused on techniques to develop walkable communities, promote mixed-use activity centers that can serve transit hubs, and develop an integrated multimodal transportation system.  She also investigated how the European Union promotes sustainable growth and regional cooperation among member governments.

 

Resource Person(s): Ellen W. Reckhow, County Commission Vice-Chairman

 

County Manager?s Recommendation:  The Manager recommends that the Board receive the report and advise the staff if any additional action is necessary.

 

 4.    Review of Public School Impact Fee Study

 

The Board of County Commissioners earlier contracted with Tischler & Associates, Inc. for $57,500 for the preparation of a Public School Impact Fee Study.  Impact fees are one-time payments used to construct public facilities needed to accommodate new development and are proportionate to the school capital facility service demands for the respective categories of residential development.  Tischler & Associates evaluated possible methodologies and documented appropriate demand indicators for the impact fees.  Specific capital costs have been identified using local data and current dollars. The report also includes a summary table indicating the specific factors used to derive the impact fee.  These factors are also referred to as level-of-service (LOS) standards.  The incremental expansion method, the most appropriate methodology, documents the current LOS for each type of public school in both quantitative and qualitative measures.  The consultant calculated school impact fees for Durham County based on data from the previous school year.  The school impact fee methodology is based on current public school student generation rates, local costs, and level-of-service standards.

 

Resource Person(s): Paul Tischler, Tischler and Associates, Inc.

 

County Manager?s Recommendation:  The Manager recommends that the Board review the study?s findings, authorize any revisions, and schedule a public hearing to receive comment on the substance thereof.

 

5.     Contracts for Firewall Security Services

 

The Board is requested to authorize the County Manager to sign contracts for the monitoring and management of internet access to the County?s computer network at a cost of $29,700/year for the County?s main links and $20,352/year for the Sheriff?s Department DCI (SBI/FBI Criminal Records) & Warrant Network link.

 

Due to the continued increase in hostile computer activity through the Internet, Durham County must raise its network security level beyond the capabilities of existing staff.  The long-term solution requires improvement of our own capabilities to manage firewall and anti-virus technologies.  However, the urgent need to address this issue now requires we recommend the outsourcing of firewall monitoring and management until the in-house capabilities are available. 

 

Because Durham County?s frame relay communications infrastructure as well as 50% of its internet connectivity is provided by the Verizon corporation, it is critical that the service provider have the capability to provide and monitor internet traffic, that the technology integrate with our existing services, and the accountability for communications services be clearly defined.  For these as well as the urgent nature of improving security for our network, we recommend Verizon as the sole source for these services.

 

The Sheriff?s department will pay its first year cost of $20,352 through the Cops More ?98 Technology Grant.  Information Technology will pay the balance for this fiscal year from funds budgeted for network enhancements.

 

Resource Person(s):  Perry Dixon, Director of Information Technology; John Myatt, Manager of Network Services; and John Hardy, Sheriff?s Department MIS Manager.

 

County Manager?s Recommendation: The Manager?s recommendation is that the Board approve this contract with Verizon in an effort to take the necessary security precautions to maintain the County?s information technology operations.  As recent as this week, the County?s information system was crippled due to viruses penetrating its technology system.  This initiative will aid in deflecting such troubles in the future.  Funding for this contract is available in the Sheriff?s and Information Technology?s budget.

 

6.     Official Name of Holloway Street/Wake Forest Highway (NC Highway 98)

 

It has been reported that a citizen living outside of the city limits on Wake Forest Highway, NC Highway 98, received a notice from the Board of Elections incorrectly identifying her address as Holloway Street.  Holloway Street extends from Roxboro Street to the city limits at which the name of the street officially becomes Wake Forest Highway to the Durham/Wake County Line.  It should be noted that the Postal Service has all three names in its database and recognizes any one of the names when delivering mail to any location along NC Highway 98.  The Board of Elections has corrected the error and the resident has been notified that the official address for the location in question is Wake Forest Highway.

 

Resource Person:  Mike Ruffin, County Manager

 

County Manager?s Recommendation:  Receive the report and advise the staff if any additional action is necessary.