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ORANGE COUNTY . <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: .November 14, 2006 <br />Agenda //~~ <br />Item No. ! - G <br />SUBJECT: Process and Facilitation Consultant Contract for Comprehensive Plan <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning & Inspections/ PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />County Manager <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) Comprehensive Plan Update Timetable <br />2) Proposed Contract <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Tom Altieri, Comprehensive Planning <br />Supervisor, (919) 245-2579 <br />Rod Visser, Interim County Manager, 245-2308 <br />PURPOSE: To approve a contract between the Orange County Dispute Settlement Center <br />(DSC) and Orange County for the provision of process and facilitation services related to the <br />Comprehensive Plan update. <br />BACKGROUND: At its October 3, 2006 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) <br />approved, with minor revisions, the Planning Board's proposed process for updating the <br />Comprehensive Plan as well as the various roles of County staff, advisory boards, and elected <br />officials during the update. Furthermore, County Administration and the Planning Board were <br />asked to compress the proposed timetable for completion of the update and to consider the use <br />of a consultant, if necessary to complete the project. <br />On October 23, 2006, County Administration met with the Chairs of the Planning Board and <br />BOCC to discuss an accelerated schedule and the use of consulting services to complete the <br />Plan update. In summary, the major outcomes of this meeting were twofold. <br />First, the Comprehensive Plan would be completed by August 2008. This timeline (see <br />Attachment 1) would take approximately 2 years, concluding 6 months earlier than the October <br />3`d proposal. <br />Second, the idea is to use a combination of two different "types" of consultants to complete the <br />Comprehensive Plan:. <br />1. A consultant to provide process and meeting facilitation services (proposed Contract <br />attached); and <br />2. A consultant to "synthesize" the existing reports and studies that have been completed by <br />various county departments, advisory boards, and in some cases consultants; identify <br />any missing componentsy and repackage into a Draft Comprehensive Plan. <br />The recommended approach will permit an additional joint meeting of advisory boards involved <br />in the Comprehensive Plan, to occur in January 2007, as outlined in the accelerated process <br />timetable. The underlying premise of the proposed approach is that to a great extent the <br />