Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY 1 <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: December 2. 1996 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item#—I L+_ <br /> pr <br /> SUBJECT: STAFF ASSISTANCE FOR CITIZEN-INITIATED ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS <br /> DEPARTMENT: PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING Yes_x—No <br /> BUDGET AMENDMENT NEEDED Yes x No <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Mary Willis <br /> Extension 2583 <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Hillsborough - 732-8181 <br /> Durham -688-7331 <br /> Mebane -227-2031 <br /> Chapel Hill - 967-9251 <br /> PURPOSE: To consider establishing a policy with respect to the amount of staff assistance to be <br /> provided to citizens initiating ordinance amendments. <br /> BACKGROUND: At its meeting on September 17, 1996, the Board of Commissioners discussed citizen- <br /> initiated ordinance amendments. In question was the amount of Planning Staff time <br /> which should be spent assisting applicants in developing proposals, which may not be <br /> supported by the staff or governing boards. The Board of Commissioners directed the <br /> County Manager to review the issue and to report back to the Board with policy <br /> recommendations. <br /> Historically,the Planning Staff has worked closely with citizens in developing <br /> amendment proposals. Most proposals have implications beyond the specific needs of <br /> the citizen proposing the amendment. Citizens often do not have the expertise to <br /> convert their ideas to a more broadly-applicable ordinance form. <br /> Depending on the complexity of issues involved,a considerable amount of time can be <br /> spent by the Planning Staff to develop a proposal for the applicant. Since the idea <br /> would have been generated by the applicant rather than the County,the content or <br /> purpose of the proposal may not be supported by the Staff,Planning Board or Board of <br /> Commissioners. <br /> In order to make the most efficient use of staff resources, the Board of <br /> Commissioners may wish to consider reviewing the general purpose of citizen- <br /> initiated amendment requests prior to the drafting of any text by the Planning Staff. <br />