Orange County NC Website
3. Staff Update Presentation <br />County Attorney Geof Gledhill said this is the second public hearing on <br />the idea of district elections and there are materials in the agenda packets that were <br />prepared by county staff. The staff's report reviews the options which are available under <br />the general law, those options being used by counties across North Carolina, the history <br />of this issue in Orange County, and a limited amount of statistical information concerning <br />Orange County relevant to the question of one person, one vote. The Board posed <br />questions to the staff at the conclusion of the May 5t" staff presentation and those <br />questions have been answered and are in the materials provided. All of the staff's report <br />from the May fit" meeting and the entirety of further questions and answers that resulted <br />from the May 5t" meeting presentation are also available in the Clerk's office and on the <br />County's website. Geof Gledhill said there are materials including the three options <br />available in the back of the room. <br />4. Public Comments <br />Bob Strayhorn said that he lives in Chapel Hill Township and farms in <br />other townships. He is the person that brought the petition to the Board of <br />Commissioners in order to try and make Orange County a better place to live. He said <br />that rural Orange County has changed over the years particularly in the area of being <br />included in the political process. He said that they do not have homeowner associations <br />or other organizations that would allow them to get the word out or get people involved it <br />getting things they are particularly interested in stopped or promoted. They do this more <br />through civic clubs and churches and have not been able to adapt to the times they find <br />themselves in. He said that the they need to include rural people in the political <br />process. Orange County has been a great place to him. He does not know which <br />proposal is the best but the process needs to be changed to include rural people. This <br />has been going on a long time and it is not a short process. They do not want a process <br />where arguing is going on. They need a process where they can really talk about the <br />things that need to be done. He took time to go to all rural organizations (The Grange, <br />The Ruritan Club, the Exchange Club of Hillsborough, etc.) to see how they felt about <br />haw to make Orange County a better place to live and he got unanimous support. <br />I.J, Mangum seconded what Bob Strayhorn said. <br />Kent Magnum declined to speak. <br />Billy Shepherd declined to speak <br />AI Mustian said he agreed with Bob Strayhorn. <br />Connie Lloyd said that she represents northern Orange County and lives <br />in Hillsborough Township and she would like to see northern Orange County <br />represented. And if she had to she would chose option 1. She has lived here all her life <br />and feels they have no representation on this side of the Eno. She wishes they would <br />consider this. <br />Kathy Hartkopf lives in Hillsborough and she and her husband chose to <br />move their family to northern Orange County. The day that they closed on their home in <br />Hillsborough she met a man that told her about what a great place this is to live in if only <br />they had a voice on the Board of County Commissioners. She thanked Chair Carey for <br />proposing these options and if asked to choose one of the three options, she likes option <br />1. However, she said that none of the options would give the people of Orange County <br />what they have wanted for more than ten years. The reason is because they would be <br />allowed in all three proposals to only vote in the primary in their district. Everyone who is <br />in the County would be able to vote in the general election. She would respectfully ask <br />