Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: December 11, 2007 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~- - ~ <br />SUBJECT: Authorization for Additional Funding and Time for Hillsborough Farmer's Market <br />Mediation Activities <br />DEPARTMENT: Cooperative Extension PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />County Manager <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Dr. Fletcher Barber, Jr., 245-2051 <br />Laura Blackmon, 245-2300 <br />PURPOSE: To request authorization for additional funds and time in excess of those <br />previously approved by the Board of Commissioners to cover half of the costs for mediation <br />related to the parties interested in the Hillsborough farmer's market of the Public Market House. <br />BACKGROUND: At the September 6, 2007 Board of County Commissioners meeting, the <br />Board asked the Manager and Cooperative Extension staff to draft and present to the Board at <br />the October 9, 2007 meeting an initial set of draft guidelines to direct the. operation of the Public <br />Market House facility as the Hillsborough Farmer's Market. Those materials were presented to <br />the Board at the October 9, 2007 Board meeting. <br />It was also discussed at that meeting that there were two groups within the community <br />interested in maintaining the traditional Hillsborough farmer's market in the new Public Market <br />House. Staff proposed as part of the October 9th discussion that the County offer to assist in <br />prompting mediation of the differences between the various interests and suggested that the <br />County pay 50% of the costs for mediation for up to 10 hours of mediation preparation and <br />actual meeting time. That mediation, potentially through the Dispute Settlement Center, would <br />possibly help address. the differences among the interests and could also enhance the <br />discussions of the draft guidelines and ultimate final document. The goal was to unify all <br />vendors into one entity with a strong Board of Directors capable of entering into an agreement <br />with the County for extended use of the County's facility for the Hillsborough Farmer's Market. <br />The Board authorized staff to extend an offer from the County to assist with mediation of the <br />differences between the various interests, with the County paying 50% of the costs for <br />mediation for up to 10 hours of mediation preparation and actual meeting time and the other <br />participants/groups paying the other 50% of the costs. As part of its action, the Board also <br />requested that all mediation efforts be completed by the end of the 2007 calendar year and that <br />