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82 <br />4. To report to the Orange County Board of Commissioners no later than June 30, <br />1993 on the subject of the charge. <br />PROCESS <br />The Task Force was instructed to, at a minimum, hold two public hearings in <br />geographically convenient locations in the County to receive public comments on issues <br />of fair and equitable representation. The public hearings were held June 16, 1993 at 7:00 <br />pm at Guy B. Phillips Middle School in Chapel Hill and June 17, 1993 at 7:00 pm in the <br />Superior Courtroom in Hillsborough. The hearings were attended by a total of thirty -five <br />(35), ten (10) of whom were present at both hearings. <br />In addition, the Task Force held meetings on June 2, 30, and July 8, 1993. The group <br />also consulted with Joseph Ferrell of the Institute of Government and Lee Mortimer of the <br />Center for Voting and Democracy, <br />An informal survey was conducted at Hillsborough Hog Day Festival on June 19, 1993 <br />and on Saturday, June 26, 1993 at the Carrboro Farmers Market. A copy of the survey <br />instrument and the results are included as Attachment I. <br />CONCLUSIONS /RECOMMENDATIONS <br />CHARGE: DETERMINE WHETHER THE PRESENT PROCESS FOR ELECTING <br />COMMISSIONERS PROVIDES FAIR AND EQUITABLE <br />REPRESENTATION FOR THE CITIZENS OF ORANGE COUNTY. <br />Response: The Task Force has determined that the current election system in Orange <br />County does not provide for fair and equitable representation for all citizens in the county. <br />This conclusion was reached by a five (5) to three (3) vote. This conclusion was based <br />on the responses from the informal surveys; the comments received at the public <br />hearings; and discussions among task force members. <br />Concerns raised by those opposed to the current election system included: <br />1. Lack of rural representation on the Board of County Commissioners; <br />2. Present board is composed of only Chapel Hill township residents; <br />3. Rural and conservative residents feel alienated and disenfranchised. <br />4. Political parties excluding Democrats are frustrated by the perceived inability <br />to participate on local elected bodies. <br />A total of 171 Orange County citizens spoke at the public hearings and /or completed the <br />surveys regarding this issue. Of these, 153 considered the present system unfair and /or <br />unequitable, while 18 supported the current election system. It should be noted that as <br />of January 8, 1993, there were 60,560 registered voters in Orange County. Thus, the <br />2 <br />