Agenda - 10-17-2005-3 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

the Board regarding the method by which the members of the Board of Commissioners are elected in Orange County. The representatives requested that the Board review the current method of election for the members of the Board, which entails all five members of the Board being nominated and elected to staggered four -year terms on an at -large basis. The representatives specifically requested, as stated in the petition, that the Board "alter the method and manner by which Orange County Commissioners are elected to afford equal and fair representation to the residents of the county by adopting NCGS 153- 58(3)b, permitting the voters of Orange County to choose commissioners by electoral districts with each district being as nearly equal in population as practicable." The petition continued, "Further, that the qualified voters of each district nominate candidates and elect members who reside in the district for seats apportioned to that district and that some of the commissioners, but not more than half of the board, be allocated to the county as a whole, to be nominated and voted upon by the qualified voters of the entire county." Neither those making the request nor the petition submitted included any explanatory information or detailed any specific proposal regarding the format or implementation of the requested district representation for the Board. Upon hearing the request, the Board of Commissioners asked that the Orange County Manager and County staff review the issue and the petition submitted and provide a report to the Board. Staff subsequently provided that report at the Board's May 5, 2005 work session. The report included information on the following: 1) the legal framework for structure of boards of county commissioners; 2) the various methods of at -large election, district election, and combination of at- large /district election utilized for boards of commissioners in the 99 other North Carolina counties; 3) a history of past discussions by the Orange County Board of Commissioners in regard to Board representation and election; 4) some limited boundaries and statistical information showing the population distribution as it may relate to the consideration /formulation of district representation for Orange County. The report was not intended to be an investigation of the benefits, costs, opportunities, hurdles, or timelines that may be associated with the consideration and possible implementation of district representation for the Board of Commissioners. It was intended to provide an initial framework of information upon which the Board of Commissioners could deliberate and determine as appropriate any further steps in evaluating this issue and responding to the request and petition submitted. Following staffs May 5th presentation of the report, the Board scheduled and conducted two public hearings on August 24 and August 31, 2005 to receive input from the public on this issue. Since the August 31St public hearing, the Chair has solicited input from other BOCC members on potential district election ideas /frameworks that the Board could consider as a next step in the review process. In addition, the Chair and Vice Chair have provided direction and feedback to staff in the development of initial draft mapping and associated materials that followed the ideas /frameworks provided. Based on the Chair and Vice Chair's work with staff, the attachments provided with this abstract include an introductory preamble, a draft set of Principles, a draft Process/Timetable, and five initial draft maps, which were prepared both in concert with ideas /frameworks outlined by BOCC