Orange County NC Website
19 <br />He said that the Orange County Board of Commissioners does a lot and this County is into <br />services that other counties have not even thought of. <br />Commissioner Pelissier thanked Frank Clifton for the report. She said that this will help <br />in designing the upcoming retreat. She asked how the County Commissioners could give <br />feedback since he is just an interim Manager and since there is so much information in this <br />report. <br />Frank Clifton said that, as an interim, the important issues he is addressing or will <br />address while he is here can be used as a blueprint for the new Manager. He said that some <br />issues will take years and may require legislative action. He said that, as far as feedback, the <br />Board of County Commissioners sometimes needs to step out of the way and let the Manager <br />do his job. He wants to know the areas in which the County Commissioners want to be more <br />involved, but there are areas of business where the County Commissioners should not be <br />involved. He said that the more the Board involves itself, the less the Manager is in charge. <br />Commissioner Nelson echoed Commissioner Pelissier's comments about the value of <br />this document. He wholeheartedly seconded the comments about micromanagement. <br />He said that he has faith in Frank Clifton's judgment about reorganization and if there is policy <br />involved he hopes that staff will come back and touch base with the County Commissioners. <br />Regarding Human Rights and Relations, he said that it would be instructive for new <br />Commissioners to hear how that department evolved and the lawsuit that stripped the <br />department of its mission and to talk about whether this department is necessary. <br />Commissioner Nelson asked about recommendations for the large number of advisory <br />boards. Frank Clifton said that a lot of them are task forces that are finished with their work <br />and a letter of thank you could be sent to the members. He suggested that, when staffing <br />boards and commissions, that the membership should be turned over and the provisions <br />sunset or consolidated. <br />Chair Foushee said that the issue of boards and commissions should be discussed in <br />more depth. <br />Commissioner Yuhasz asked for more detail on the areas that could spin off into <br />independent agencies. <br />Commissioner Jacobs made reference to how to use this report and suggested making <br />a list of direction given in the past, such as central permitting and a consistent sense of identity <br />of County departments, etc., and bringing it back to make sure that the Board is still on board <br />with the issues. Some items have already been blessed by the Board of County <br />Commissioners, but are not happening due to technical issues. He made reference to the <br />emergency services study and said that the Board is still in the dark about where this is. He <br />said that this has been dragging on for years and he wants some concrete information about <br />this. <br />Frank Clifton said that the RFP is out for consultants and Commissioner Jacobs asked <br />to see a copy of this. Commissioner Jacobs said that this was handled poorly before and he <br />does not want to make the same mistake twice. <br />Commissioner Jacobs made reference to economic development and said that this <br />needs to be brought to the table and there needs to be a plan. <br />Commissioner Gordon thanked Frank Clifton for this thorough report. She said that the <br />Board needs to be clear about its goals and priorities and adopt them. Regarding Emergency <br />Services, she said that she is confident that the Board approved correcting the addressing <br />system, and this has not been done. Also, the 911 system has gone down twice lately and this <br />is a concern. <br />