Agenda - 09-07-2017 - 2 - Board of Commissioners - Boards and Commissions Discussion

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8 Attachment D Another Aspect of Equity: Composition of Our Town and County Advisory Boards More than 630 residents serve on our towns' and county's 71 advisory boards. Advisory board volunteers give their time and knowledge and provide an important service by helping our elected officials and staff make decisions that influence the vibrancy of our community. According to the Town of Carrboro website, "These volunteers perform a vital role in our community by contributing their time, expertise and talent.... They serve willingly and without compensation. They interpret town codes, they counsel and advise elected officials and they listen to citizen appeals." Orange County's advisory boards "assist the staff of Orange County in achieving a greater understanding of the nature and causes of community issues" and "promote public awareness of contemporary issues Orange County must address to achieve the Orange County Board of Commissioners' goals and priorities." These boards include human service advisory boards, which help allocate over $2 million of town and county funds to a variety of community service organizations, such as the Community Empowerment Fund, the Art Therapy Institute, and Triangle Bikeworks. We also have parks and recreation boards, transportation advisory boards, and even a youth advisory board in Carrboro. Advisory boards are the first line of review for proposals and projects that will come before the county and the municipalities. Yet, as important as the advisory boards are, they often do not reflect the demographic makeup of our communities. Why are inclusive advisory boards important? 1) More inclusive boards bring wider perspectives that are more representative of the entirety of our community. 2) Research shows that serving on such boards builds the social capital of members as they interact with their colleagues, elected officials, and town and county staff. These interactions, along with the knowledge and experience gained through this service, can lead to wider employment prospects that can help to reduce the racial wealth gap. 3) Advisory board service is often a stepping stone to elected office. All of Carrboro's Board of Aldermen (6 of 6) and the Orange County commissioners (7 of 7), 78% (7 of 9) of the Chapel Hill Town Council, and at least 67% (4 of 6) of the Hillsborough Town Board have previous advisory board service. 4) Research also shows that when girls and children of color see people that look like themselves in positions of power they are more likely to have similar aspirations. We can see observe the demographic disparities in advisory board membership by reviewing advisory board applications. Town and county staff graciously provided this public information, accurate as of April 2017, which we can compare to census data from the American Community Survey five-year estimates from 2011 to 2015. (Data on income and sexual orientation are currently not collected by any of the jurisdictions, and age is not systematically collected by Chapel Hill or Orange County.) The average age of Carrboro advisory board members is 44 years, ranging from 12 to 77 years,