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120 <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No _9_ e, <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: June 22, 1998 <br />SUBJECT: ELECTION OF ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS IN DISTRICT ELECTIONS <br />----- ----- -------- ----- --- - -- --- <br />DEPARTMENT County Commissioners <br />-------------------------------- <br />PUBLIC HEARING YES-- <br />-------- ----------- <br />NO X <br />---- -- - -- - -- <br />----- ---- ---- °--- -------- -- - -- - -- <br />BUDGET AMENDMENT: _YES <br />X NO <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />INFORMATION CONTACT <br />YES <br />Moses Carey, Jr. <br />TELEPHONE NUMBER <br />Hillsborough <br />732 -8181 <br />Chapel Hill <br />968 -4501 <br />Mebane <br />227 -2031 <br />Durham <br />688 -7331 <br />PURPOSE: To consider the future election of Orange County Commissioners <br />in Residential District Elections. <br />BACKGROUND: The members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners are <br />currently elected At -Large in partisan primary and general elections. <br />Upon election they serve in staggered four -year terms with terms ending <br />every two years. A Task force created by the Commissioners in 1993 to <br />study the process of electing commissioners concluded that a change was <br />needed to improve the perception of representation among rural citizens. <br />In 1.996, the Board of Commissioners adopted a plan in principle to change <br />the way Commissioners are elected but failed to follow through with <br />implementation. More recently, the Shaping Orange County Future Task <br />Force reported the improvement of geographical representation in Orange <br />County policy making as one of its preliminary goals. <br />Orange County is growing rapidly. As this growth occurs some groups <br />within the county feel isolated and disenfranchised in the policy making <br />process. Election of Commissioners from residential districts and <br />possibly increasing the number of commissioners could effectively address <br />the concerns of many citizens as the county continues to grow. <br />RECOMMENDATION: The Board of Commissioners adopt the attached Residential <br />District Election Plan for the election of Commissioners and instruct the <br />County Attorney and County Manager to develop a plan for implementation <br />of this plan as soon as possible. The implementation plan must be <br />consistent with all state and federal laws governing the electoral <br />process and include a public hearing in Northern and Southern Orange <br />County at the draft stage of the plan. <br />