Agenda - 04-01-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 ?NTRODUCTION it is the intention of this summary to give a clear, brief review of the proposed Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance. This document is meant to inform the public in broad terms of the intent and scope of the proposed ordinance. Citizens with more specific questions on features of the ordinance are encouraged to bring those questions forward at the time of the formal presentation of the final draft of the ordinance. The Orange County Board of Commissioners (the Board) has found that there exists in Orange County a significant and widespread problem in the area of discrimination. The board has appointed the Orange County Human Relations Commission (the Commission) to monitor and report on discriminatory practices. The Commission gathered evidence through investigation and extensive public hearings. This evidence was presented to the Board in a formal report. The report made clear to the Board that the protections currently in place at the state and federal level are insufficient to protect the citizens of Orange County. The Board then instructed the Commission to draft a civil rights ordinance that would achieve the goals stated by the Board when it created the Commission. Because the Commission has now informed the Board that the ordinance is near completion, the Board must now gain the legal authority necessary to adopt its own civil rights ordinance. In order to do this, the Board must request enabling legislation from the State of North Carolina. The county's request will secure authority from the State to expand the jurisdiction of the county government. The county must do this because the State of North Carolina has jurisdiction over civil rights protections unless it delegates that authority to the county. Several counties in North Carolina now have such authority.