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12 <br />APPROVED BY BOCC ON XX /XX /XX <br />UPDATED AS OF 012915 <br />Legal and Ethical Considerations <br />All communications disseminated by Orange County Government will be tested against the <br />highest ethical and legal standards, to ensure that the County faithfully serves the public in a <br />manner consistent with its mission statement, to the best of its ability. <br />• North Carolina Open Meeting /Public Records Laws - The State's open meeting and <br />public records laws are critical to operating a fair and open government. The spirit with <br />which public officials work to comply with the law is as important as the law itself. <br />Recognizing that the public's business should be done in the open and honoring <br />requests for help serves the people in a transparent manner. <br />• Accessibility — Orange County will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the <br />information concerning policies and programs is available to all despite the many <br />barriers that could hinder effective communication. These barriers could include, but are <br />not necessarily limited to, access to media /technology, language, and physical <br />disabilities. <br />• Informing Versus Persuading —The BOCC and all County departments strive <br />proactively to provide all residents with complete and unbiased information on issues <br />that may be, or are currently being, considered by the BOCC. This is especially <br />important on matters that are coming to the Commissioners before the full Board has <br />deliberated, voted, and established an official position. In instances where it may be <br />appropriate for the BOCC to adopt a voice of persuasion (e.g. encouraging voters to <br />vote on a bond referendum), County communication will be carefully crafted to <br />recognize and explain the distinction between information intended to educate and <br />information intended to influence. The County Departments serve as responsible <br />advocates for the Board's policy decisions by providing clear, concise, and accurate <br />information to all. The County will provide the data and reasoning behind the policy <br />decisions so that residents can understand how these decisions were made. <br />• Collective Versus Individual Commissioner Communications — In the interests of clarity <br />and transparency, individual County Commissioners will take care to dispel any <br />reasonable confusion about whether they are communicating on behalf of the Board as <br />a whole or whether they are communicating their own individual viewpoints. <br />-10- <br />