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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 21, 2006 Action Agenda Item No. ~ -q SUBJECT: Next Steps on District Elections far the Board of County Commissioners for a November 2006 Referendum DEPARTMENT: County Attorney, Planning, County Commissioners & County Manager ATTACHMENT(S): 1) Citizen Petition Cover Sheet 2) Draft Principles 3) Draft Process/Timetable 4) Copy of N.C.. Gen.. Stat. § 153A-60 5) Summary of Public Comments from March 2, 2006 BOCG meeting 6) Statistical Data and Map for Proposal 5 7) Statistical Data and Map for Proposal 3 PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No INFORMATION CONTACT: Geof Gledhill, County Attorney, 732-2196 Greg Wilder, 245-2300 David Hunt, 245-2130 Jahn Link, 245-2300 Brian Carson, 245-2595 Benedict, 245-2592 PURPOSE: To provide 1) an opportunity for the Board to consider the public comments made at the March 2, 2006 Board meeting on district elections for the Board of County Commissioners for a November 2006 referendum; 2) to provide the Board an opportunity to consider the content of a Resolution calling for the referendum; and 3) to give the Board the opportunity to provide comments, questions and any further direction to staff. BACKGROUND: At the Board's .lanuary 24, 2005 regular meeting, representatives of a group of Orange County residents addressed the Board and submitted a 1200-signature petition to the Board regarding the method by which the members of the Board of Commissioners are elected in Orange County. The representatives requested that the Board review the current method of election far the members of the Board, which entails all five members of the Board being nominated and elected to staggered four-year terms on an at-large basis.. The petition requesting an alternative method and manner by which Orange County Commissioners are elected is attached,. The County Manager and County staff reviewed the issue and the petition submitted and provided a report to the Board at the Board's May 5, 2005 work session. The report included information on the following: 1) the legal framework for stgncture of boards of county commissioners; 2) the various methods of at-large election, district election, and combination of at- large/district election utilized for boards of commissioners in the 99 other North Carolina counties; 3) a history of past discussions by the Orange County Board of Commissioners in regard to Board representation and election;