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Orange County Climate Council <br /> Meeting Summary <br /> September 24, 2019 <br /> 3:30pm - 5:00pm <br /> Southern Human Services Building, 2501 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill <br /> Attendees: Brennan Bouma,Jen Della Valle, Raymond DuBose,Tyrone Fisher, Hongbin Gu, <br /> Laura Janway, Mark Marcoplos, Melissa McCullough, Sarah Pitts,John Richardson, <br /> Donna Rubinoff, Dan Schnitzer, Sammy Slade, Dr. Stephen Halkiotis, Mary Tiger, <br /> Joshua Van Mater,Jenn Weaver <br /> I. Call to Order-Orange County Commissioner Marcoplos called the meeting to order at <br /> 3:35pm. Marcoplos asked members for permission to moderate the day's discussions as <br /> leadership for the Council had not been determined. Council Members agreed. <br /> II. Welcome, Introductions, and Context -Council members introduced themselves, and <br /> Marcoplos provided a brief overview of the formation of the Climate Council.After the <br /> destructive 2018 hurricane season Marcoplos joined with Slade, Weaver, and Rachel <br /> Schaevitz to create an Ad Hoc inter-governmental committee on Climate Change.They <br /> collected an initial report on the key climate change initiatives and goals of the <br /> governments they represent, and at the January 2019 Assembly of Governments meeting <br /> they brought forward the idea of expanding and formalizing their effort through creating an <br /> Orange County Climate Council. With the approval of the Assembly of Governments, staff of <br /> the four local governments began work to create and approve a general member list and <br /> then began recruiting individuals within each slot. Marcoplos noted that not all slots had yet <br /> been filled and efforts were ongoing to identify representatives, including two of the four <br /> At-Large representatives from the 4 participating local governments. Marcoplos <br /> acknowledged that these positions attracted applications from many well-qualified County <br /> residents, several of whom were present in the room as observers of the meeting. He <br /> indicated that anyone who was interested in the discussions and decision of the Climate <br /> Council would be included on a distribution list and would receive regular communications. <br /> The general charge of the Climate Council as identified by the original Ad Hoc committee is <br /> to accelerate joint action on climate change within Orange County. <br /> III. Council Structure and Meeting Schedule -Council members then established a <br /> structure and meeting schedule to clarify the process for convening the Council and setting <br /> meeting agendas. <br /> As a first action, Marcoplos suggested that the Council appoint a Chair to facilitate meetings <br /> and help set meeting agendas. He indicated his interest in serving in this capacity, and Slade <br /> nominated Marcoplos to serve as Chair for the first year. Dr. Stephen Halkiotis seconded <br /> the nomination, and there being no other candidates nominated the Council members <br />