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~o <br />January 4, 2010 <br />RE: RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE NUMBER OF ADVISORY <br />BOARDS AUTHORIZED BY THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />OVERVIEW: <br />County Commissioners held a work session led by UNC Institute of Government <br />Staff addressing the practice of using advisory boards in County Government in <br />North Carolina. The work session focused on the proper role of advisory boards, <br />appropriate use of advisory boards, and county staffing support for advisory <br />boards along with an analysis of how advisory boards have practical applications <br />in support of on-going county government applications. <br />County Commissioners recognize that (1) a number of established Advisory <br />Boards have served their initial intended purpose and those participants need to <br />be recognized for their service and the group as a functioning committee <br />dissolved, or placed on inactive status; (2) some Advisory Boards established by <br />State Statute or other legal requirement need to function but meet more <br />infrequently; (3) some Advisory Boards created for a specific purpose which may <br />no longer have a valid need to exist; (4) some Advisory Boards should have had <br />fixed durations and then dissolved; (5) and to an extent, some Advisory Boards <br />have overlapping interest(s) with other established Advisory Boards. <br />A review of information provided by the Clerk's Office indicates there are 77 +/- <br />Advisory Boards and/or Committees with membership appointed by the County <br />Commissioners, not all of which are Orange County creations. There are <br />approximately 400 persons serving in some appointed capacity on those groups. <br />45 people (more or less) are appointed to more than one of the Advisory Boards. <br />No effort was made to tabulate the vacancies based upon desired membership, <br />but there are existing vacancies among the various Advisory Boards. <br />One staff member within the Clerk's Office devotes a significant number of hours <br />daily to managing and maintaining information on appointments made by the <br />County Commissioners. <br />At the conclusion of the County Commissioner's work session on this subject, the <br />County Manager was directed to develop recommendations regarding the <br />number of existing Advisory Boards and to suggest which Boards might be <br />restructured, merged and/or designated for dissolution. <br />Recommendations offered take into consideration specific organizational <br />restructuring decisions that are being implemented, formulated for consideration <br />or to be suggested in FY 2010-11 budget proposals. <br />1 <br />