Minutes - 20050124 - Laserfiche WebLink

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system is the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center. He is not suggesting that the County take on these programs, he is just trying to give an early warning that some of these programs will expire if funding is not found. He gave some grant information to the Manager. Chair Carey said that he has worked with Judge Buckner on the justice partnership organization over the last few years and he said that Judge Buckner is going beyond the call of duty to help the County avoid some of the conflicts in the court system among the residents. He believes this is saving the County a lot of money. Chair Carey apologized for his cell phone ringing. He said that he was going to ask the Board tonight to amend the public charge to add an item about cell phones and ask people to turn them off or put them on vibrate. Bob Strayhorn said that ten years ago the Board appointed a committee to look at districting. He was appointed to this committee and they met and reported that districting would be a good thing in Orange County. There was no action taken. He thinks that the Shaping Orange County's Future Task Force had the same conclusion and that electing County Commissioners by district would be a good mane in Orange County. He is following up on this. He has found a great deal of interest in the community, and he brought 1,252 signatures with a resolution in support of districting. He introduced Lawrence Van Hoak, Bob Nutter, and Bill Faison, who have helped him in this endeavor. He said that he knows this is a change, but the rural area really believes that this is needed. They have an endorsement from the Schley Grange, the American Legion of Schley, the Cedar Grove Ruritan Club, the Efland Ruritan Club, and the Exchange Club of Hillsborough. He asked the County Commissioners to give this their deepest consideration. Chair Carey said that when items are brought to the County Commissioners for the first time at this time of the meeting, they refer them to the Manager and ask for a report at a later time. This is an emotional issue. North Carolina House Representative Bill Faison said that there are many ways to choose County Commissioners, and the rural areas in Orange County would like the opportunity to select from their community. He said that this is not an issue of control -Chapel Hill and Carrboro have the largest population within the County and they will always be able to select enough Board members so that area of the Caunty will ultimately control. This is an issue of representation. He knows that this can be done, and he deferred to Geof Gledhill to explain it. He said that people in the rural areas of the County feel disenfranchised because they lack the votes to select someone from their community to serve an the Board of County Commissioners. b. Matters on the Printed Agenda {These matters were considered when the Board addressed that item on the agenda below.) 3. Board Comments Commissioner Halkiotis said that in the last couple of months John Link has recognized County employees. He would like to recognize Jean Riley who answers the phone at the Health Department. He said that she was one of the kindest, most considerate, most courteous people that he has talked to in a long time. He said that she did not even know who he was. He said that he identified himself afterwards and thanked her for being so courteous and he told her that he was going to thank her publicly. He asked John Link to drop a note to Health Director Rosie Summers to tell her that Jean Riley is a wonderful representative of Orange Caunty government. He also thanked Rosie Summers, because when he got his flu shot he found that the Health Department had contracted service with a retired nurse to do the shots. He thought this was a very cost effective way of doing business.