Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Board to allow all interested parties to participate in the process of crafting the ordinance. That <br /> interest of citizen participation appears to have evaporated. <br /> At the February 21 St Board meeting there was a petition by the Vice-Chair to return the <br /> item to regular agenda without a community meeting on the matter. On March 6th this was <br /> denied by the Chair in favor of more review and return to regular agenda at least by summer <br /> vacation with no plans of community meeting in the interim. <br /> From email exchanges with members of staff there is no indication this matter will find <br /> itself in a venue where actual dialog may occur as we were led to believe. <br /> It is in the interest of shared information and transparency and expediency in <br /> government that we ask three things: <br /> - A community meeting to discuss the ordinance <br /> - To better understand the scrutiny of, dedication of, and commitment of CWP <br /> holders, we ask that the BOCC, Attorney, and Manager all receive CWP provided <br /> free of charge. The offer for CWP stands for all County employees at the regular <br /> rate. <br /> - That this matter not be pushed out to a date in which we are all distracted by other <br /> events." <br /> b. Matters on the Printed Aaenda <br /> (These matters were considered when the Board addressed that item on the agenda <br /> below.) <br /> 3. Petitions bv Board Members <br /> NONE <br /> 4. Proclamations/ Resolutions/Special Presentations <br /> a. Presentation on the Countv's Online Service Offerinqs <br /> The Board received information on the current state of Orange County's web-based <br /> online services and provided any recommendations and directions for future expansion. <br /> Todd Jones, Chief Information Officer, said that he requested to be on the agenda <br /> tonight to give the Board of County Commissioners a presentation of the current state of <br /> Orange County's web-based online services. There has been an exhaustive review of the <br /> larger counties in the state that are deemed to be technology leaders. He made reference to <br /> the spreadsheet with online services and different counties that offer them. <br /> Todd Jones gave some background information and said since the inception of the County's <br /> internet site in the mid-1990's, the County has envisioned providing a wide variety of County <br /> services through the Internet. These services, sometimes known as e-Government, allow the <br /> public to interact with Orange County government anytime and from any Internet connected <br /> computer. This strategy marks a deliberate transition in the County website from the <br /> information source to a resource for engaging the public and county government in a wide <br /> variety of interactive services. In addition to the clear benefits of public accessibility and <br /> convenience, online services can alleviate the inefficiencies of staff managing paper and <br /> manually processing forms and payments. <br /> Orange County's Information Technologies Department has been working with other <br /> departments to add online services as the website evolves. There has been a recent push to <br /> position the County's online services among those leading the state. This initiative has included <br /> seeking input from departments, comparing Orange County's offerings to those of other <br /> counties and brainstorming new offerings unique to Orange County. <br />