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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: June 20, 2023 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-i <br /> SUBJECT: Orange County Climate Council Memorandum of Understanding <br /> DEPARTMENT: Asset Management Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> 1. Orange County Climate Council Amy Eckberg, Sustainability Programs <br /> Memorandum of Understanding Manager, 919-245-2626; <br /> 2. Climate Council Sub-Committee Steven Arndt, Asset Management <br /> Report Services Director, 919-245-2658 <br /> 3. Town of Chapel Hill and Hillsborough <br /> Resolutions to Adopt Climate Council <br /> MOU <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the restructuring of the <br /> Orange County Climate Council. <br /> BACKGROUND: In Fall 2021, the Board of County Commissioners created a sub-committee <br /> consisting of Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford, Amy Fowler and Anna Richards to assess, <br /> review and consider the restructuring of the Orange County Climate Council. <br /> The Sub-committee reviewed background materials, conducted a survey of current and <br /> former Climate Council members, interviewed Climate Council members, and reviewed other <br /> models for intergovernmental information sharing and coordination. The Sub-Committee <br /> recommended that the Climate Council be restructured and remodeled similar to the <br /> Intergovernmental Parks Work Group and expressed that the charge of the group should be <br /> focused on information sharing and not on joint action or programming (Attachment 2). <br /> The Sub-committee also recommended that the participating jurisdictions create a Memorandum <br /> of Understanding to govern the new Climate Council. (This was consistent with the request from <br /> the initial Climate Council and the direction from the Mayors and Chair to their respective <br /> attorneys). It was stated that the MOU should detail the membership, charge and boundaries of <br /> work, meeting frequency, appointment process, and an understanding of staff responsibilities. <br /> Pending completion of that MOU, the County's participation in the Climate Council was <br /> suspended. <br /> In Fall 2022, staff attorneys from the County and participating municipalities developed a draft <br /> MOU, which was then reviewed and finalized by Town and County sustainability staffs <br /> (Attachment 1). In Spring 2023, both the Towns of Chapel Hill and Hillsborough approved the <br /> MOU. However. the Town of Carrboro has not approved the MOU at this time. <br />