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Chair Jacobs said that Chief Matthews was promised timely reports, and he will get an <br /> answer by the next meeting, or it will be on the agenda as to where the shortfall is. <br /> Commissioner Nelson said that the County Commissioners found out about this through <br /> the media and received no information in advance. This is of tremendous concern to him. He <br /> asked if the rescue squad received no written advance notice of concerns and steps that they <br /> were expected to take to correct the concerns prior to that action. This is also of great concern <br /> to him. He said that there are issues which need to be discussed publicly and in closed <br /> session. He does not know if staff concerns are valid because he has not received enough <br /> information. He said that he is furious that the rescue squad was ordered to stand down <br /> without a prior explanation of what the concerns were and was not given adequate time to fix <br /> the concerns, and it has been over two months later. He will follow up on this and he expects to <br /> have a closed session to discuss this in the context of a personnel matter. <br /> Tom Darnell said that he is shocked that there is millions of dollars worth of equipment <br /> and it cannot be used. He said that Orange County needs every ounce of help. <br /> Commissioner Gordon said that she is also concerned about the County's emergency <br /> services in general and how to best meet the public safety obligations. <br /> b. Matters on the Printed Agenda <br /> (These matters were considered when the Board addressed that item on the agenda <br /> below.) <br /> 3. Proclamations/ Resolutions/ Special Presentations <br /> a. NCACC 2007-08 Ralph W. Ketner Employee Productivity Award for Inspect <br /> Plus Software—On Site Field Inspections <br /> The Board considered recognizing the Planning and Inspections Department and <br /> specifically Permit Systems Analyst Dan Bruce as a recipient of the North Carolina Association <br /> of County Commissioners 2007-08 Ralph W. Ketner Employee Productivity Award. <br /> Laura Blackmon introduced Dan Bruce, who has done an outstanding job developing <br /> technology for on-site field inspection software. Mr. Bruce was honored at the NCACC <br /> conference held a couple of weeks ago. He has been a County employee for 13 years. This <br /> software has saved time and money for Orange County. <br /> The County Commissioners offered congratulations. <br /> Dan Bruce said that there was an element of teamwork involved in this. <br /> b. Proclamation for Library Grant Award — Big Read <br /> The Board considered approving a proclamation designating October 2008 as Big Read <br /> month and promoting a community-wide literacy program featuring The Grapes of Wrath by <br /> John Steinbeck and authorizing the Chair to sign. <br /> Library Services Director Brenda Stephens presented copies of The Grapes of Wrath to <br /> the County Commissioners. She read the proclamation. Orange County received a $20,000 <br /> grant for this. <br /> ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> PROCLAMATION TO RECOGNIZE OCTOBER 2008 AS BIG READ MONTH <br /> Whereas, the Orange County Library has joined in partnership with the National Endowment for <br /> the Arts and Arts Midwest to conduct the BIG READ, a campaign inviting all Orange County <br />