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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS <br /> 084 - OF CHAPEL I-IILL/CARRBORO,NC <br /> I am Gina Cunningham, President of the League of Women Voters of Chapel <br /> Hill/Carrboro <br /> The League of Women Voters of Chapel Hill/Carrboro commends the County <br /> Board of Commissioners, the Chapel Hill Town Council and the Carrboro Board <br /> of Aldermen for reaching mutual understanding and signing the Joint Planning <br /> Agreement. <br /> Our members established a position in favor of joint planning, rather <br /> than extraterritorial jurisdiction, in March 1986. One of our reasons was <br /> that joint planning fosters cooperation across jurisdictional lines. Much <br /> has been said about intergovernmental cooperation, and the Joint Planning <br /> Agreement is proof that intergovernmental cooperation can work, even in <br /> controversial areas. <br /> The September 1987 revision of the Joint Planning Agreement contains <br /> a longer list of definitions than the earlier version contained, but the <br /> definitions are difficult to use because one is referred repeatedly to the <br /> Joint Planning Land Use Map. We understand the reason that the Agreement <br /> was so written and do not suggest a change in the definitions. We recommend <br /> instead that the summary (apparently prepared in the Chapel Hill Town <br /> Manager's office) be retained and supplemented by a chart showing which <br /> jurisdiction controls which land. <br /> We had earlier suggested that the joint approval process for develop- <br /> ment proposals should be evaluated to determine if a less cumbersome method <br /> of administering the jointly-adopted regulations could be found. This <br /> evaluation has apparently been done and simplified changes in the regulations <br /> made accordingly. <br /> Section 1 .3 of the Agreement lists four steps that must be taken before <br /> the Agreement becomes effective.We urge all of you to complete those steps <br /> as quickly as possible. Conditions are not static and the Agreement should <br /> become effective before the conditions under which it was signed change <br /> significantly. <br /> We will follow the implementation of the Joint Planning Agreement with <br /> great interest. We look forward also to your further cooperation. One <br /> possibility for nurturing cooperation is the establishment of a mechanism <br /> to assure continued discussions among representatives of the three <br /> jurisdictions. <br /> October 14, 1987 <br />