Agenda - 10-20-1998 - 2b - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Introduction In the fall of 1997, six working committees were formed by the SOCF Task Force to identify issues of importance within six broad areas cited by Orange County citizens as critical to shaping our future: Economy; Education and Cultural Arts; Environment and Resource Protection; Human Services, Health and Safety; Land Use and Growth; and Transportation, Infrastructure and Services. Two additional ( "umbrella ") committees were formed early in 1998 to explore relationships among the identified issues in terms of the underlying themes of the SOCF initiative: sustainability and community building. On June 1, reports on all of these efforts were presented to the governing boards of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Orange County. In reviewing this work at a Task Force meeting on June 25`x, it was immediately apparent that the vast amount of information that had been gathered needed to be synthesized into a single, integrated and coherent statement to provide focus for upcoming discussions of conflicting issues and to assist in setting parameters for developing scenarios of possible futures. Thus, the Synthesis Work Group was created, made up of Task Force members and other interested citizens, many of whom had served on one or more of the previous committees. This group met five times from July to September to produce the report which follows. The purposes of the Synthesis Report are: • to provide a framework within which to view all of the relevant issues; • to specify major forces and trends propelling and limiting change in the County; • to identify issues seemingly in conflict with one another thus encouraging debate and discussion leading toward resolutions The report is divided into four sections and two appendices: ♦ Section I describes some of the major forces and trends affecting change in Orange County. These provide a context for examining key issues. ♦ Section II defines a framework of eight focus areas within which to view the various issues. These areas are: Economic Vitality and Quality, Managing Growth and Development, Transportation Issues, Environment and Natural Resources, Responsive Governance and Quality Public Services, Quality Community Life and Participation, Basic Human Needs, Services and Issues, and Diverse Educational Needs. ♦ Section III is a first attempt to list those issues that appear to be in conflict and on which further discourse is needed. ♦ Section IV concludes the report, describing the next steps in the SOCF process and how the report should prove useful. ♦ Appendix A includes a matrix listing all of the issues identified in the previous reports under focus area headings. Many issues can fall under more than one focus area. Thus, those that do not have one clear primary focus are listed under more than one focus area in the matrix. ♦ Appendix B is a diagram contributed by one of the Work Group members showing insight into how forces impacting Orange County's future can be examined. 1