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2 <br /> 1 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley has throughout her tenure thoughtfully executed the county's <br /> 2 funding responsibility to its two school districts with county per pupil funding consistently in the <br /> 3 top four in the state, funding a nurse in every school and a school resource officer in every <br /> 4 secondary school, overseeing a $120 million school bond passed in 2016, and adding over $72 <br /> 5 million capital funding, leading to an independent study of school facilities; and <br /> 6 <br /> 7 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley has taken leadership regarding the county's role in the creation of <br /> 8 affordable housing, from managing a $5 million housing bond passed in 2016 to allocating $15 <br /> 9 million of capital funding to housing over 10 years, to giving personal direction to the Housing <br /> 10 department in a time of administrative transition; and <br /> 11 <br /> 12 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley has been a key part of the county's economic development <br /> 13 program, which generated over 1,700 new jobs and $545 million in investment from new and <br /> 14 expanding industries, and awarded over $3 million in grants to local farms and small business <br /> 15 operators, while also advocating for environmental conservation, farmland preservation, and <br /> 16 protection of headwaters; and <br /> 17 <br /> 18 WHEREAS, under Ms. Hammersley's guidance, the county developed the One Orange <br /> 19 Countywide Racial Equity Framework with the Towns of Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough, <br /> 20 which is designed to uncover and address implicit biases in our jurisdictions to ensure that race <br /> 21 is no longer a predictor of life outcomes in our community; and <br /> 22 <br /> 23 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley has been involved in many other notable county projects, such as <br /> 24 the development of the local housing voucher program; the formation of the Criminal Justice <br /> 25 Resource, Community Relations, and Transportation Services departments; the county-wide <br /> 26 broadband installation project; the establishment of Durham Tech Promise Scholarships with <br /> 27 Durham Technical Community College; the creation of the county's first Climate Action Plan; and <br /> 28 the planning and groundbreaking for the Southern Branch Library; and <br /> 29 <br /> 30 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley elevated the organization by encouraging a positive workplace <br /> 31 culture and demonstrated a commitment to residents, staff, county partners, and the Board of <br /> 32 County Commissioners; and <br /> 33 <br /> 34 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley's leadership on behalf of Orange County and the region has been <br /> 35 critical in extraordinary times; and <br /> 36 <br /> 37 WHEREAS, Ms. Hammersley's integrity, vision, knowledge, collaborative spirit, and compassion <br /> 38 will be sorely missed; <br /> 39 <br /> 40 NOW THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby recognize and <br /> 41 express deep appreciation and respect for the services rendered by Bonnie Hammersley to the <br /> 42 Orange County community, and wish her well in her retirement. <br /> 43 <br /> 44 This the 4th day of June, 2024. <br /> 45 <br /> Jamezetta Bedford, Chair Earl McKee, Commissioner <br /> Amy Fowler, Commissioner Anna Richards, Commissioner <br />