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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: May 5, 2005 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. „Z <br />SUBJECT: Orange County Staff Report on the Structure of Boards of County <br />Commissioners <br />DEPARTMENT: County Attorney, County <br />Commissioners & County <br />Manager <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Orange County Staff Report an the <br />Structure of Boards of County <br />Commissioners (under separate cover) <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Geof Gledhill, County Attorney, 732-2196 <br />Greg Wilder, ext, 2300 <br />David Hunt, ext 2130 <br />John Link, ext 2300 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To provide the Board of Commissioners with a staff report on the stn~cture of <br />boards of county commissioners, <br />BACKGROUND: At the Board's January 24, 2005 regular meeting, representatives of a group <br />of Orange County residents addressed the Board and submitted a 1200-signature petition to <br />the Board regarding the method by which the five members of the Board of Commissioners are <br />elected in Orange County. The representatives requested that the Board review the current <br />method of election for the members of the Board, which entails all five members of the Board <br />being nominated and elected to staggered four-year terms on a countywide/at-large basis. The <br />representatives specifically requested, as stated in the petition, that the Board "alter the method <br />and manner by which Orange County Commissioners are elected to afford equal and fair <br />representation to the residents of the county by adopting NCGS 153-58(3)b, permitting the <br />voters of Orange County to choose commissioners by electoral districts with each district being <br />as nearly equal in population as practicable." The petition continued, "Further, that the qualified <br />voters of each district nominate candidates and elect members who reside in the district far <br />seats apportioned to that district and that some of the commissioners, but not more than half of <br />the board, be allocated to the county as a whole, to be nominated and voted upon by the <br />qualified voters of the entire county." Neither those making the request nor the petition <br />submitted included any explanatory information ar detailed any specific proposal regarding the <br />format or implementation of the requested district representation for the Board. <br />