Agenda - 05-05-2005-1b - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 2 District Election for the Orange County Commissioners serving, that the Board could not figure out how to effectively draw districts. This is somewhat surprising since, at least today, the districts are very easy to draw. The Chapel Hill Township which includes the urban portion of the county makes up almost perfectly 66.66% of the county population (Chapel Hill Township 67.05 %). The Hillsborough and Efland small town areas of the county makes up almost perfectly 16.66% of the county population (Hillsborough and Eno Townships plus the Efland precinct 16.70 %). The more rural area of the county also makes up almost perfectly 16.66% of the county population (Bingham, Cedar (rove and Little River Townships plus the Cheeks precinct 16.25 %). The population division almost perfectly and very easily works out to a Board of seven (7) members with four (4) elected by and from the urban portion of the county, one (1) by and from the small town area of the county, and one (1) by and from the more rural part of the county, plus one (1) at large. When District Representation first carne before the Board, the Board did not bring closure to this matter by putting it before the county for a vote on District Representation, even after all the work and recommendation for District Representation by the Commission. The matter is now back before the Board yet again, brought forward by the petition of more than a thousand county residents. The petition was posted and available for signing at almost every crossroads grocery in the rural part of the county for months before it was presented to the Board. The issue was discussed with you by a number of county residents in your recent successful bid for re- election. Moreover, since the petition was filed and discussed with the Board, you have participated in a lengthy session with rural residents at the Schley Grange where the community, without exception, vigorously supported District Representation. I understand that the Board now wants to study this issue all over again, and to take the rest of this year and perhaps into next year before bringing the matter on for consideration by the Board. Even then action that would allow the residents of the county to vote on this issue seems remote. You have expressed to the community at the Schley Grange your opposition to District Representation. At least two other commissioners have expressed in one forum or another their resistance to the idea of allowing the community to decide this issue. While one commissioner supports a referendum on district 14.3