Orange County NC Website
1 <br /> APPROVED 5/5/2016 <br /> MINUTES <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> Legislative Breakfast <br /> April 18, 2016 <br /> 8:30 a.m. <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners met for a breakfast meeting with the Orange <br /> County Legislative Delegation on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. at the Solid Waste <br /> Administrative Offices in Chapel Hill, N.C. <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chair McKee and Commissioners Mia Burroughs, Mark <br /> Dorosin, Barry Jacobs, Bernadette Pelissier, Renee Price and Penny Rich <br /> COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: <br /> COUNTY ATTORNEYS PRESENT: John Roberts <br /> COUNTY STAFF PRESENT: County Manager Bonnie Hammersley, Deputy County Manager Travis <br /> Myren, Clerk to the Board Donna Baker, Finance Director Gary Donaldson, Assistant to Manager for <br /> Legislative Affairs Greg Wilder (All other staff members will be identified appropriately below) <br /> LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION PRESENT: Senator Valerie Foushee, Representative Verla lnsko, <br /> Representative Graig Meyer <br /> Chair McKee called the meeting to order at 8:42 a.m. <br /> Chair McKee said the Board of Commissioners is pursuing avenues to repeal HB2. <br /> Chair McKee said the Board had prioritized their legislative items and referred to their agenda <br /> package with their priorities listed and discussion ensued on the various issues and the priority topics <br /> first. <br /> Chair McKee asked that the discussion on the Bona Fide Farms topic be moved to the first item <br /> under priority discussion since there were several members of the public in attendance for this item. <br /> PRIORITY DISCUSSION TOPICS <br /> Bona Fide Farms — Item #26 <br /> • Support legislation clarifying the farm use and agriculture exemption of 153A-340 that restricts <br /> local zoning authority applies only to property on which the production of crops or livestock is <br /> the primary use. Clarify that marketing and agri-tourism activities must be secondary uses of <br /> the property and do not qualify for the exemption in the absence of the production of crops or <br /> livestock. Local governments are seeing an increasing number of properties that, although <br /> they meet one or more criteria for exemption, such as having a federal farm <br /> Representative lnsko asked if there was any legislation on the books with Bona Fide farms and Chair <br /> McKee said no but they are looking for clarification on this issue. <br /> John Roberts said any clarification/changes would need to be done through legislation. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier had asked John Roberts to submit this proposed item to our internal <br /> Legislative Issues Work Group because many individuals are trying to circumvent the rules on this <br /> issue in this county. <br /> John Roberts said currently all the statute requires to avoid regulation is the property owner meet one <br /> of five criteria such as having a forestry plan that need not be approved by any governmental <br />