Orange County NC Website
30 <br /> 1 Commissioner Greene said she would entertain a friendly amendment to the motion to <br /> 2 add further conditions, if Commissioner Fowler wanted to add some. She said, alternatively, the <br /> 3 Board could vote on the motion as is, add conditions later and push final approval or denial to a <br /> 4 future meeting. <br /> 5 Commissioner McKee said he would also entertain a friendly amendment. <br /> 6 Commissioner Fowler made a friendly amendment to add the condition to lower the <br /> 7 signage to 24 feet, as is required under the current UDO. She said she sees no reason for such <br /> 8 a tall sign. She said she would also like to add the condition for solar energy options in Phase 1. <br /> 9 Commissioner Hamilton made note of the late hour, and that minds get tired as time <br /> 10 goes on. <br /> 11 Commissioner Greene and Commissioner McKee accepted Commission Fowler's <br /> 12 friendly amendment. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 Roll call ensued <br /> 15 <br /> 16 VOTE: Ayes, 5 (Commissioner Bedford, Commissioner Dorosin, Commissioner Fowler <br /> 17 Commissioner Greene, Commissioner McKee); Nays, 2 (Commissioner Hamilton and <br /> 18 Chair Price) <br /> 19 <br /> 20 MOTION PASSES <br /> 21 Bonnie Hammersley said it would be appropriate for this item to return on the February <br /> 22 16 Business Meeting agenda. <br /> 23 The Board agreed by consensus. <br /> 24 <br /> 25 b. Amendment to the Code of Ordinances — Non-Discrimination Ordinance <br /> 26 The Board considered amending the Code of Ordinances to add a Non-Discrimination <br /> 27 Ordinance. <br /> 28 Commissioner Dorosin introduced the item and provided background on the sweeping <br /> 29 measures enacted by the NC General Assembly. He said the national backlash was swift and <br /> 30 devastating to NC, both economically and reputationally. <br /> 31 <br /> 32 BACKGROUND: <br /> 33 In 2016 the North Carolina General Assembly adopted House Bill 2, widely known as the <br /> 34 "bathroom bill." This law had the effect of discriminating against transgender people in the use <br /> 35 of public facilities and established a limited statewide non-discrimination law while <br /> 36 simultaneously prohibiting local governments from adopting their own non-discrimination <br /> 37 ordinances. In 2017 Governor Roy Cooper signed a repeal of the bathroom bill. Among the <br /> 38 terms of that repeal was a provision that repealed the prohibition on local governments enacting <br /> 39 non-discrimination ordinances, and it provided that local governments could only consider <br /> 40 action after December 1, 2020. In early 2020 the Board instructed the County Attorney to draft <br /> 41 a nondiscrimination ordinance for consideration by the Board. The draft ordinance was <br /> 42 submitted to the Human Relations Commission for review and comment and the Commission's <br /> 43 recommendations are incorporated. The attached draft non-discrimination ordinance is offered <br /> 44 for the Board's consideration. <br /> 45 <br /> 46 If adopted the ordinance would: <br /> 47 • Establish a clear policy of non-discrimination in Orange County. <br /> 48 • Create a protected class consisting of persons who may not be discriminated against <br /> 49 based on "age (as defined in the Orange County Civil Rights Ordinance), race, ethnicity, <br /> 50 color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, <br />