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1 <br /> 4. To report to the Orange County Board of Commissioners no later than June 30, <br /> 1993 on the subject of the charge. <br /> PROCESS <br /> The Task Force was instructed to, at a minimum, hold two public hearings in <br /> geographically convenient locations in the County to receive public comments on issues <br /> of fair and equitable representation. The public hearings were held June 16, 1993 at 7:00 <br /> pm at Guy B. Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill and June 17, 1993 at 7:00 pm in the <br /> Superior Courtroom in Hillsborough. The hearings were attended by a total of thirty-five <br /> (35), ten (10) of whom were present at both hearings. <br /> In addition, the Task Force held meetings on June 2, 30, and July 8, 1993. The group <br /> also consulted with Joseph Ferrell of the Institute of Government and Lee Mortimer of the <br /> Center for Voting and Democracy. <br /> An informal survey was conducted at Hillsborough Hog Day Festival on June 19, 1993 <br /> and on Saturday, June 26, 1993 at the Carrboro Farmers Market. A copy of the survey <br /> instrument and the results are included as Attachment L <br /> CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> CHARGE: DETERMINE WHETHER THE PRESENT PROCESS FOR ELECTING <br /> COMMISSIONERS PROVIDES FAIR AND EQUITABLE <br /> REPRESENTATION FOR THE CITIZENS OF ORANGE COUNTY. <br /> Response: The Task Force has determined that the current election system in Orange <br /> County does not provide for fair and equitable representation for all citizens in the county. <br /> This conclusion was reached by a five (5) to three (3) vote. This conclusion was based <br /> on the responses from the informal surveys; the comments received at the public <br /> hearings; and discussions among task force members. <br /> Concerns raised by those opposed to the current election system included: <br /> 1. Lack of rural representation on the Board of County Commissioners; <br /> 2. Present board is composed of only Chapel Hill township residents; <br /> 3. Rural and conservative residents feel alienated and disenfranchised. <br /> 4. Political parties excluding Democrats are frustrated by the perceived inability <br /> to participate on local elected bodies. <br /> A total of 171 Orange County citizens spoke at the public hearings and/or completed the <br /> surveys regarding this issue. Of these, 153 considered the present system unfair and/or <br /> unequitable, while 18 supported the current election system. It should be noted that as <br /> of January 8, 1993, there were 60,560 registered voters in Orange County. Thus, the <br /> 2 <br />