Minutes 01-28-2020 Assembly of Governments

Browse Search

9 Chair Rich said the goal is to make sure everyone is together when meetings do occur. She said this goes back for years, and when the public is engaged, all parties should be involved. Chapel Hill Council Member Ryan said the language is unclear. Chapel Hill Mayor Hemminger said all parties have different environmental restrictions, and staff wants to make sure it is working from the same assumptions, which was part of these goals. She said staff wants to have it formalized in the MOU that the parties will use the most restrictive, least restrictive, etc. She said some assumptions have been made, and staff did not feel it had the support from all of the elected officials in any kind of understanding of these processes. Chair Rich asked if the boards are heading in the right direction, and with general consensus, with the MOU, or does anyone want to offer anything about it. She said the MOU is a guiding document, and she wants to gather any remaining input. Carrboro Council Member Damon Seils said it is difficult to discuss in the abstract, but it seems like the attorneys are going in the right direction. He asked if the MOU will address a worse case scenario of total disagreement, and the options for resolution. He suggested that the attorneys explore these issues, in particular. Chapel Hill Council Member Buansi said there should be clear language about mediation and parameters, but agreed that the attorneys seem to be going in the right direction. Chapel Hill Council Member Gu said there are so many decision points, and it is important to have a roadmap or work plan, and some agreement about the type of information that must be collected. She said the current timeline is too vague, in her opinion. Mayor Lavelle said she said she wants the MOU to address what happens to an entity if it wants to get out of the process. She said Carrboro only has a 14% stake, and the land is not in Carrboro. She said a time may come when Carrboro wants to voluntarily step away, and she would like to have this process included in the MOU. Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson agreed with Commissioner Greene, but then found some confusion. She said it is her understanding that the draft MOU contains a weighted vote system, but asked if this is accurate. Chair Rich said the MOU addresses how to move forward if there is not an agreement, and a weighted vote is one option. She said the currently existing MOU says all parties must agree, and the new MOU will state the same, and Commissioner Dorosin has posed the question of"is there a better way?" Chapel Hill Council Member Anderson said the current MOU track seems reasonable. Commissioner Price said John Roberts is on the right track and she would encourage everyone to keep the process simple. She said having a work plan would be useful, as a separate process to the MOU. Chair Rich asked Commissioner Dorosin if this conversation has satisfied his questioning. She said the attorneys are waiting for the boards to give advice. Commissioner Dorosin said the conversation happened, but he is not completely satisfied. He said his main point of interest is the time that is passing to accomplish anything. He said the boards have been working on this land, and the communities have been waiting, for years. He said he is interested in the MOU moving the process forward faster than it has moved thus far, and is glad to have heard the comments of his peers. He said this conversation has been a good start. 2. Orange County Complete Count Committee - Status and Efforts for 2020 Census Mayor Weaver introduced item and Todd McGee, Community Relations Director, reviewed the following information: