Shaping Orange County's Future Final Full Report

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Recommendation 3: Reshape local governance for community - building. A framework that establishes effective communication among public officials will lead to a stronger sense of community among citizens. Public officials can lead by example and by authority in this important and vital endeavor by adopting community- building principles into ordinance form and putting them into practice as they conduct and consider their business. Establishment of a community building ordinance will ensure that a community - building framework will be maintained, even as boards of public officials change with new elections, appointments, or resignations. Action Strategies: A. Have the Board of Orange County Commissioners, the Hillsborough Town Board, the Chapel Hill Town Council, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, and the Boards of Education for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools and Orange County each approve a set of ordinances that would specify how community building would be integrated into their own individual procedures as well as into the processes by which they conduct their collective work across jurisdictions. The Boards as constituted could approve ordinance language as provided to them, such as the following: ■ A general definition of what is necessary to insure community building and maintenance. ■ Principles for discussion that would apply to each elected Board, joint board meetings, and the various advisory boards, committees, work groups and task forces that assist the boards with policy and decision making. Examples of such discussion principles could be found in those adopted by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, or in Roger Schwarz's article, "Groundrules for Effective Groups," published by the UNC Institute of Government. ■ Principles and steps for collaborative conflict resolution could be adopted. The steps for such a process might include acknowledgement that there is a conflict and the need to settle it; identification of the affected parties and effective ways for them to participate in face -to -face sharing of information about the dispute; joint brainstorming by all parties as to potential solutions and shared evaluation of the ideas; selection of a plan that all agree upon; setting aside time to implement the plan and evaluate how it is working; and the use of mutually acceptable third party neutrals (mediators and facilitators) who could help parties use the conflict resolution process. ■ Principles for how citizens are to conduct themselves at public hearings. Examples of such principles can be found in those adopted by Carrboro's Board of Aldermen. ■ A definition of "consensus" that would permeate the framework. B. Support and commit to the participation by appointed and elected officials in programs that reinforce the shared community building framework, explore community building principles, and provide opportunities to develop community building skills. The commitment to such government official education could be made by joint policy enactment, and might include a recommendation that members of advisory boards participate, as well recommending that elected officials take a refresher course at the midpoint of their terms. By making such a commitment, the Commissioners and members of the various town boards would be demonstrating to citizens that they are willing to learn about community building and abide by their own rules. Such modeling by boards and commissions would set an example to motivate citizens to follow the disciplines of community- building, consensus decision - making, and conflict resolution. The program(s) might cover: • the set of ordinances, rules, policies and agreements approved by the local jurisdictions for consensus and decision making described above; and • the use of effective communication, conflict resolution, mediation, meeting facilitation and other community- building and community- maintenance techniques. 25