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