Orange County staff recommend changes to outside-agency funding after new scoring process

Deputy Manager Kate Finhade presented Orange County's recommended awards for outside agencies during the board's May 15 budget work session, saying the county received 39 applications and that the review used a revised scorecard tied to the county's strategic goals.

Finhade said the requests totaled about $1.1 million and that the new process sought to align performance measures in applications with the county strategic plan. "At the outset I want to say what a difficult job this is for everyone who's involved because we have wonderful applicants across the board," she said.

The county, working with department directors and strategic-plan manager Kelly Guadalupe, reviewed applications and held interviews for applicants requesting more than $10,000. Chapel Hill participated only by staff review rather than in-person interviews, Finhade said. Applications were jointly reviewed by Orange County and Carrboro; Chapel Hill reviewed but opted not to do in-person…