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4 <br /> 1 WHEREAS, These associations are organizations of more than 100,000 people engaged in <br /> 2 the design, installation and operation of emergency response communications, and have set <br /> 3 aside the week beginning April 10, 2022, to recognize Telecommunicators and their crucial role <br /> 4 in the protection of life and property; <br /> 5 <br /> 6 NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, hereby proclaim the <br /> 7 week of April 10-16, 2022, as "Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" in Orange County, <br /> 8 North Carolina, in honor and recognition of our County's Telecommunicators and the vital <br /> 9 contributions they make to the safety and well being of our residents, those passing through our <br /> 10 County and our public safety providers. <br /> 11 <br /> 12 Adopted this 5th day of April, 2022. <br /> 13 <br /> 14 <br /> 15 Renee Price, Chair <br /> 16 Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> 17 <br /> 18 <br /> 19 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Fowler, to <br /> 20 approve the proclamation and authorize the Chair to sign it. <br /> 21 <br /> 22 VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> 23 <br /> 24 The Board thanked Kirby Saunders and Kevin Medlin for their service to the community, <br /> 25 as well as the telecommunicators. <br /> 26 Chair Price said there is some movement afoot at the state and national level to <br /> 27 recognize telecommunicators as first responders. She asked Kirby Saunders and Kevin Medlin <br /> 28 to comment on this. <br /> 29 Kevin Medlin said telecommunications are not currently recognized as part of public <br /> 30 safety or first responders in federal job descriptions. He said they are now classified as a <br /> 31 clerical position. He stated that telecommunicators are the first contact first responders and that <br /> 32 the rest of the process and system breaks down without them. He said professional <br /> 33 organizations are working to change this classification and he hopes to have the Board's <br /> 34 support in this effort. <br /> 35 Chair Price said he would have the Board's support. <br /> 36 <br /> 37 b. Native Plant Month Proclamation <br /> 38 The Board considered proclaiming April 2022 as Native Plant Month in Orange County. <br /> 39 <br /> 40 BACKGROUND: The US Congress first designated April as National Native Plant Month in <br /> 41 2021. Congress has acted again in 2022 to designate April 2022 as National Native Plant <br /> 42 Month. In both years, various states and local governments across the country have declared <br /> 43 Native Plant Month. <br /> 44 <br /> 45 In recent decades, the increase of invasive non-native plant species has become a national <br /> 46 concern, as many of these species tend to force out native species, thus threatening the eco- <br /> 47 system and species reliant on native plants, such as pollinators. <br /> 48 <br /> 49 The attached proclamation proposes that the Board of Commissioners designate April 2022 as <br /> 50 Native Plant Month in Orange County. <br /> 51 <br />