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<br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: June 18, 2019 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-s <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Proposed Human Relations Commission (HRC) Membership Reduction <br /> <br />DEPARTMENT: Human Rights and Relations <br /> <br /> <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Current HRC Member Roster Positions <br />Human Relations Commission Board and <br />Commission Members <br />August 13, 2018 HRC Minutes <br /> <br /> <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Annette M. Moore, (919) 245-2317 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To approve a reduction in the number of members of the Human Relations <br />Commission from eighteen (18) members to twelve (12) members. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: The Board of County Commissioners (“BOCC”) by Resolution approved the <br />creation of the Human Relations Commission (“HRC”) on June 16, 1987 in response to events <br />associated with a Klu Klux Klan march in Chapel Hill. The HRC was comprised of 17 members <br />appointed by the BOCC and one student representative from each high school in Orange <br />County. On June 6, 1994, the BOCC adopted the Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance. <br />Shortly, thereafter the towns of Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill also adopted the <br />Ordinance by resolution. The HRC seeks to prevent and/or eliminate bias and discrimination by <br />means of education, persuasion, conciliation and enforcement and advises the Board of County <br />Commissioners on these matters. <br /> <br />Currently, the HRC is comprised of eighteen members with at least one member from each of <br />the towns of Hillsborough, Carrboro and Chapel Hill. There are nine members and nine <br />vacancies. Four positions are up for reappointment. Two positions would like to be <br />reappointed, one position is term limited and the individual in the other position will be moving <br />out of the County in the fall. During this fiscal year, of those members currently serving on the <br />HRC, there has not been a quorum for the months of September, October and February. <br />During 2018, of the eleven members currently serving, only three members (those on the <br />executive committee) had attendance at over fifty percent of the meetings. There were eight <br />scheduled meetings in 2018. <br /> <br />The HRC is recommending that the BOCC reduce the number of HRC members from eighteen <br />to twelve. Staff recommends reducing the HRC with the elimination of the following positions: <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1