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2 <br /> <br />2. Public Comments <br /> <br />a. Matters not on the Printed Agenda <br />None <br /> <br />b. Matters on the Printed Agenda <br /> <br />3. Announcements, Petitions and Comments by Board Members <br /> Commissioner Price said she had attended the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro <br />Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting. She said the MPO voted to approve <br />version 6 and the update on the 2025 transportation plan, and adopted these. She said she <br />also attended a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) event on <br />Sunday regarding “All Labor has Dignity”, in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. She said <br />this was a good presentation , and was a reminder that there is still a lot of work to be done <br />regarding racial inequity. <br /> Commissioner Marcoplos had no comments. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said he would like to see the actual version that the MPO <br />approved and adopted. He said he went to th e Millhouse Road Temporary Waste Facility <br />meeting, which will be closing on April 3 at noon, with the new facility on Eubanks Road opening <br />at the same time. <br />Commissioner Jacobs provided a report on the meeting of the Justice Advisory Council; <br />most of the meeting discussion was about fines and fees in the NC court system, which <br />disproportionately impacts those of lower means. He said it was a good conversation, and this <br />problem is not unique to NC. He said many states use fines to keep people in jail, but 1.2 <br />million people in NC are stuck in this situation. He said consequently, they could lose jobs and <br />family due to not being able to pay the fine. He said Judges are no longer allowed to waive <br />fees, and those affected need approval from any entity that the County gives to before lowering <br />the fine. <br />Commissioner Rich said she attended a meeting at the White House, with about 300 <br />other representatives from North Carolina. She said they met with some of President Trump ’s <br />directors and secretaries, and spoke about school safety and infrastructure, in particular <br />broadband. She said infrastructure often means water, sewer, and transportation, but this <br />conversation focused on money going out to the states for broadband. <br />Commissioner Rich said the Food Council is going to present the REI groundwater <br />presentation (3 hours) at the Whitted building on April 8, and interested people can sign up at <br />the Food Council website. She said there will be a $5 fee. <br />Commissioner Rich spoke about an article she read about the unemployment rate, and <br />Orange County is currently at 3.8%, which is one of the lowest in the State. She said this is <br />encouraging, but the County can always do better. <br />Commissioner McKee had no comments. <br />Commissioner Burroughs had no comments. <br />Chair Dorosin said he also attended the NAACP program, and it was very informative. <br />He said he has no formal petition, but wants to get clarification on whether or not a policy exists <br />to allow staff to act on one Commissioner’s request, as opposed to always requiring Board <br />consensus. He said all Commissioners are equals, and he does not know when items should <br />be brought back to the Board. <br />Commissioner Price said that a refresher is always good. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said there is a long-standing policy of a certain threshold of staff <br />time, after which, approval of the County Manager and/or the BOCC Chair is required. He said <br />he believed the threshold was anything above two hours of work. He said that this is an <br />important policy of which to be reminded.