Orange County NC Website
Approved 11/5/14 <br />12 <br />hearing and then you have the statements. I think that’s right before appeal, for a number of reasons, I don’t know if 593 <br />the Board really wants to get into all of that but my recommendation would be that because of all of the legal 594 <br />concerns with all that let one board handle it, the Board of Adjustment, that’s all they do and then you also have a 595 <br />corollary to that because when the public goes to these meetings and they want to know, look I’m a neighbor and I’m 596 <br />against this, quasi-judicial they can’t say anything. That’s objectionable, you’re not supposed to allow them to go and 597 <br />speak to that. So if you have one board where they know, oh Board of Adjustment that’s when I have to have my 598 <br />expert there to testify and any time you go before the Board of County Commissioners or the Planning Board, that’s 599 <br />when I’m allowed to give my opinion because they do policy and legislative matters. It’s clear for the public. 600 <br /> 601 <br />Lisa Stuckey: So, the quasi-judicial, and I guess the mix will move out of the Planning Board? 602 <br /> 603 <br />James Bryan: That would be my recommendation. 604 <br /> 605 <br />Perdita Holtz: Well, the legislative part of the mix would not but we need to figure out what we want to do for 606 <br />legislative versus quasi-judicial before we tackle that funny beast of the mix. 607 <br /> 608 <br />Lisa Stuckey: But quasi-judicial is leaving us. 609 <br /> 610 <br />Bonnie Hammersley: No, as the County Manager I have to speak. The issue tonight is some kind of 611 <br />recommendation from this Board to the County Board of Commissioners, they make the final determination. One 612 <br />thing I would want to add thought as you all talked about your power or your worth, this Board is a highly valued 613 <br />board in county government and is in all the counties I’ve been in. The County Board of Commissioners depend on 614 <br />you greatly for your recommendations and what you do and so I want you for that but no determination has been 615 <br />made on what is going to happen. That’s what this discussion is about. It would be a recommendation to the County 616 <br />Commissioners and whether the Commissioners would agree with that, they would make the final determination and 617 <br />I don’t know what that is. 618 <br /> 619 <br />Maxecine Mitchell: I’m sitting here thinking I want to share in my own way, when I decided to be on this Planning 620 <br />Board, I came to represent my community. I don’t feel comfortable in any decision we make, I have to be there to 621 <br />hear what the people have to say. I sit here every month and hear the staff from their perspective and I get a good 622 <br />understanding on their challenges, what they are trying to do as a whole, I then like to come to the public hearing 623 <br />meeting and I cautiously listen to the people. Within the decisions we make to the UDO and the Comprehensive 624 <br />Plan when we have a chance that helps me to figure out if it a good thing for the community. Then my 625 <br />recommendation that I give to the County Board of Commissioners, I’m looking at it from the community perspective 626 <br />because I have to live here. You may not live in my neighborhood, in my area, and I don’t want rules making it hard 627 <br />for me to enjoy the life here in Orange County. I take this very seriously so I don’t want whatever we do, I want to 628 <br />hear from the public, as well as coming here every month and hearing from the Planning Board and hearing the 629 <br />County Commissioners and what they want and make it all work the best we possibly can. I understand the legal 630 <br />process but for me that’s top concern because we have to live here in Orange County so we have to keep it where 631 <br />people can enjoy the County and not feel like they want to move to Durham or Alamance County, that’s the way I see 632 <br />it and I want to find the best way to say that in the decisions we make. I try my best to show up to the public hearings 633 <br />and I go to work at 12 at night and the night of that long meeting, I left that meeting and went right to work because 634 <br />that’s my commitment to the citizens of Orange County to be there. I think that staff and the Board of Commissioners 635 <br />get benefit from it. 636 <br /> 637 <br />Pete Hallenbeck: One good thing coming from this discussion is that it’s an interesting opportunity for everyone to 638 <br />think about the role of the Planning Board and I think we are all basically on the same page. If anyone has another 639 <br />rule they think is critical. 640 <br /> 641 <br />Paul Guthrie: I mentioned one and that is the fact that we provide the Board of Commissioners with a screen with 642 <br />which they can filter through information as they deal with some very tough issues. 643 <br /> 644