PRO-2024-010-Proclamation Recognizing and Expressing Gratitude to Bonnie Hammersley

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING AND EXPRESSING GRATITUDE TO BONNIE HAMMERSLEY , RETIRING ORANGE COUNTY MANAGER WHEREAS , Bonnie Hammersley , after 10 years of dedicated service to the Orange County community , is retiring July 173 2024 ; and WHEREAS , prior to joining Orange County in 2014 , Ms . Hammersley served as County Administrator for Muskegon County , Michigan for 5 years , and in several positions in Dane County , Wisconsin for over 21 years ; and WHEREAS , during Ms . Hammersley ' s tenure , the county opened the Rogers Road Community Center ; the Orange County Northern Campus , home to the Bonnie B . Davis Environment and Agricultural Center , a new parks operations base , and a new county detention center ; the Eno Arts Mill ; and Blackwood Farm Park ; and WHEREAS , Ms . Hammersley led the county through two revaluations , the development of a long - range financial plan , the transition of mental health /SUD/ IDD services to Alliance , an exemplary response to the COVID - 19 pandemic , and the administration of American Rescue Plan Act funding ; and WHEREAS , Ms . Hammersley has throughout her tenure thoughtfully executed the county ' s funding responsibility to its two school districts with county per pupil funding consistently in the top four in the state , funding a nurse in every school and a school resource officer in every secondary school , overseeing a $ 120 million school bond passed in 2016 , and adding over $ 72 million capital funding , leading to an independent study of school facilities ; and WHEREAS , Ms . Hammersley has taken leadership regarding the county ' s role in the creation of affordable housing , from managing a $ 5 million housing bond passed in 2016 to allocating $ 15 million of capital funding to housing over 10 years , to giving personal direction to the Housing department in a time of administrative transition ; and WHEREAS , Ms . Hammersley has been a key part of the county ' s economic development program , which generated over 1 , 700 new jobs and $ 545 million in investment from new and expanding industries , and awarded over $ 3 million in grants to local farms and small business operators , while also advocating for environmental conservation , farmland preservation , and protection of headwaters ; and WHEREAS , under Ms . Hammersley ' s guidance , the county developed the One Orange Countywide Racial Equity Framework with the Towns of Carrboro , Chapel Hill , and Hillsborough , which is designed to uncover and address implicit biases in our jurisdictions to ensure that race is no longer a predictor of life outcomes in our community ; and