Minutes - 20070503 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Policy and Compliance Officer Annette Moore introduced Employment Manager Allison Newcomer. Annette Moore said that there were some corrections after the plan was submitted. These are on the gold sheet. She gave some background as stated in the agenda abstract. The staff is asking the Board to adopt this revised program, and the language has been changed to comply with the requirements of the amended recommendations of Executive Order 11246. She said that the implementation requires that the program designate a Chief Executive Officer. This program designates the County Manager as the CEO of the program. Section 8 includes the affirmative action plan for qualified individuals with disabilities and veterans. She made reference to Appendix A, which is the Work First Analysis by department. Appendix K identifies areas of underutilization of women and minorities. Employment Manager Allison Newcomer explained Appendix G, Comparison of Orange County Workforce with Recruitment Area Availability by Category. The recruitment area used is Orange, Durham, Alamance, and Wake Counties. In 2006, 79% of Orange County applicants came from these four counties. As of December 31, 2006, the Orange County workforce consisted of 801 permanent employees. Of these, 57% were women, and 32°~ were minorities. Based on the 2000 U. S. Census data, the four-county recruitment area totaled 608,344. Of these, 47% were women, and 31 % were minorities. Orange County's total utilization of women and minorities exceeds the recruitment area availability. As they go forward, they will continue to look at additional recruitment tools that are directed toward the targeted population, including publications, job fairs, and other community events. They will also build on the County's training calendar to foster cultural awareness and increase disability awareness among all County employees. Annette Moore said that staff is asking the Board of County Commissioners to approve the revised Affirmative Action Program, authorize the Manager to update the Affirmative Action Program Report as necessary, receive the January 2007 Affirmative Action Program, and authorize the Chair to sign the letter transmitting the document. Commissioner Gordon asked haw long it has been since the last revisions and Annette Moore said 1999. Commissioner Gordon would like to see something more frequently and a document that is shorter. She painted out pages 2-5 and the program report, section D through the placement goals. She would like to see a summary once a year. Annette Moore said that this program requires them to review every two years. It could be updated informally every year. Laura Blackmon said that she would be working with departments on recruitment, and as positions become available, the Personnel Department will be working with applicants and the departments. She said there it is not a quota to hire specific types of people but it is more of a heightened awareness. Commissioner Jacobs made reference to Appendix J and said that it looks as if Orange County is in the negative in all of these. He asked if this would be more of a focus in the recruitment and Allison Newcomer said yes. Commissioner Jacobs asked where handicapped people Shaw up and Annette Moore said that if the Board approves this plan, then the disabled can self-identify and this will show up for the County overall. This is a way for the County to track applicants. Commissioner Jacobs said that this is an improvement and he thanked those involved. Chair Carey thanked them for this report and said that he would like to see the mid-term report also. He said that some departments are doing better than others. He said that he is mare interested in how to address this internally. Laura Blackmon said that a lot of this has to do with the applications they receive. Same areas are not areas in which women or minorities tend to apply. After the tracking is developed, staff will be looking at some ways to recruit individuals to become interested in these areas.