2006 NS Contract - Process and Facilitation Consultant Contract for Comprehensive Plan

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 14, 2006 Agenda Item No. Q - SUBJECT: Process and Facilitation Consultant Contract for Comprehensive Plan DEPARTMENT: Planning & Inspections/ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y /N) No County Manager ATTACHMENT(S): 1) Comprehensive Plan Update Timetable 2) Proposed Contract INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning Supervisor, (919) 245 -2579 Rod Visser, Interim County Manager, 245 -2308 PURPOSE: To approve a contract between the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center (DSC) and Orange County for the provision of process and facilitation services related to the Comprehensive Plan update. BACKGROUND: At its October 3, 2006 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved, with minor revisions, the Planning Board's proposed process for updating the Comprehensive Plan as well as the various roles of County staff, advisory boards, and elected officials during the update. Furthermore, County Administration and the Planning Board were asked to compress the proposed timetable for completion of the update and to consider the use of a consultant, if necessary to complete the project. On October 23, 2006, County Administration met with the Chairs of the Planning Board and BOCC to discuss an accelerated schedule and the use of consulting services to complete the Plan update. In summary, the major outcomes of this meeting were twofold. First, the Comprehensive Plan would be completed by August 2008. This timeline (see Attachment 1) would take approximately 2 years, concluding 6 months earlier than the October 3`d proposal. Second, the idea is to use a combination of two different "types" of consultants to complete the Comprehensive Plan: 1. A consultant to provide process and meeting facilitation services (proposed Contract attached); and 2. A consultant to "synthesize" the existing reports and studies that have been completed by various county departments, advisory boards, and in some cases consultants; identify any missing components; and repackage into a Draft Comprehensive Plan. The recommended approach will permit an additional joint meeting of advisory , boards involved in the Comprehensive Plan, to occur in January 2007, as outlined in the accelerated process timetable. The underlying premise of the proposed approach is that to a great extent the