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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 19890124_`' ~, MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARp OR COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS JANUARY 24, 1989, 12:00 NOON The Orange County Board of Commissioners met in Special Session on January 24 1989 at 12:00 noon at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for the Purpose of hearin a g presentation from Joe Myers on Emergency Preparedness, BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Care John Hartwell, Shirl` y~ Jr., and Gommissioners Stephen Halkiotis, y Marshall and Don Willhoit. STAFF PRESENT_ County. Manager John M, Link, Jr,, the Board Beverly A, Blythe, Social Services Director Marti~Cook~rpublic Health Clerk to Director Eileen Kugler, Sanitarian Tony Laws, Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass, Administrative Officer Richard Poole and Health Director Dan Reimer. Joe Myers, Director of State Emergency Management, presented information on emergency preparedness. He stated that it is important for the County to have three components in place: (1) coordination, (2) caoperatian and 3 community, It is important to have a ( ) unity - unity in the population and because of the technological hazards becaueryt~ingeinvolvesechemica ls. Myers gave statistics which indicate that the number of emergency disaster situations continues to increase each year, He emphasized that a community must know (1) haw to get the resources to handle a disaster and (2) what to have in place to respond to an emergency, Myers listed the number of state agencies that may be involved in ari emergency, He emphasized that teamwork is essential. Everyone involved must know their fob and a procedure must be in place for carrying out those duties. The governing board would need to know how to call an emergency meeting and how to enact an ordinance if necessary to handle the emergency, ' A slide presentation was made showing the different types of emergencies that have happened in the last four or five years and how they were handled at the state level and at the local level. The plan for Orange County does not need to include a plan for every type of emergency but it does need to be a multihazard plan. He described the four phases of emergency management - (],) mitigation, (2) preparedness, (3) response and (4) recovery. These are described in the material Myers distributed and which is pant of the permanent agenda file in the Clerk's Office, John Link asked if there was any state assistance to help counties identify the individual responsibilities of each office. Myers responded stating that there are two types of training exercises available, The Disaster Law of 1974 was discussed. Myers described the followed in declaring an area a disaster area, A process must bepincplacehthatuwauld include an assessment team who would evaluate the total damage. In closing, Myers emphasized that everyone who works for the County would have a role in an emergency. Mutual aid agreements between the County and the cities need to ~{ i be in place. He closed his presentation by showing slides of the damage done by the recent tornado that hit parts of Wake County, With no further comments, the meeting was adjourned. Beverly A. Blythe, Clerk .Moses Carey, 1r., Chair MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SPECIAL MEETING ON THE RURAL CHARACTER STUDY JANUARY 24, 1989 6:00 P.M. A special meeting was held on January 24, 1989 at 6:00 p.m. at Huey's Seafood Restaurant, Hillsborough, North Carolina for the purpose of receiving a report from Consultant Lane Kendig on the Rural Character Study: BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Moses Carey, Jr „ and Gommissioners Stephen Halkiotis, Jahn Hartwell, Shirley E, Marshall and Don Willhoit. ATTORNEY PRESENT: Geoffrey Gledhill. STAFF PRESENT: County Manager John M. Link, Jr,, Planner Gene $ell, Clerk to the Board Beverly A, Blythe and Planning Director Marvin Collins. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Chair Moses Carey emphasized that the Board of Commissioners is interested in preserving the rural character for all of Orange County. Mazvin Collins made additional remarks about the study. REMARKS FROM CONSULTANT LANE KENDTG Kendig explained the process that is being followed to encourage citizens to participate in the process and voice those things now that usually come out later in the process. The procedure he uses involves listening to the people to find out what their concerns are. The consulting firm has met with special interest groups as well as citizen groups and are looking at four things: (1) Agricultural Preservation (2) Rural Buffer (3) Resource Protection (4) Visual Resources All have basically the same issue -- they are viewing the land as a resource that needs to be protected and something that doesn't renew itself automatically. On the other side is the commodity view of the land, The two views are fully compatible with each other. Kendigs' next visit will involve taking the four components of farmland, natural resources, growth management and ,visual resources and begin to set down all the kinds of policies that may provide guidance for the County to preserve the rural character of the County. He explained that their focus is on all four components although the study may, in the final analysis, be focused on only one of those components. He explained that they are using several techniques and are listening to the people. The process includes going out to the people and listening to find out what their real concerns are. On this trip the emphasis is shifting to more of an educational program. The next trip they will be doing the issue statements. "Community Character" is very important and essential. The landowners want to do what they want with their land. Part of the problem is that the growth is changing what is happening in the County. On the one hand is the urban community and this study is i, _~ ?-. .: ~. -~ .r s;:~ about the rural character and in between you have suburban. Basically the Rural Buffer is not really rural at all. The suburban areas are split into full service and non full service areas. In the suburban areas you have some decisions to make about what services will be offered and who will offer those services. The meetings held this time are aimed at getting the people to think about what kind of community they want. ISSUES They will meet with small groups a number of times and try to get a consensus on what techniques the citizens feel are appropriate for their area. The next step is to wx'ite the plan and get a consensus. QUESTIONS Julie Andresen asked Kendig how many communities he has seen with an urban and a suburban area with some services - not complete services. Kendig indicated that there are some. Commissioner Marshall asked what would be done to help the citizens who don't understand the restrictions that must be placed on the land and Kendig indicated that this would be covered in the natural resources part of the study. In answer to a question from Livy Ludington about the uniqueness of things, Kendig stated that many of the things are the same and some things are unique. The same tensions are there and they are moreso or sharper here than other communities because of the growth being so heavily concentrated in the Chapel Hill area. In general the reactions are very common reactions. He expressed a little surprise because the citizens think the Board of Commissioners is not looking after them. They want to be left alone. The process is designed to find out what the people are concerned about and respond to that. It is important to get the people involved and let them help create the plan. Commissioner Willhoit asked how you deal with the diversity and if these will be different plans for different parts of the County and how this would be approached. Chair Carey asked if the consensus would be built in the Township Advisory Boards? Kendig responded that groups will be structured in different areas and right now there are six groups plus special interest groups. They want to get people with different interest to interact and talk with one another. Chair Carey explained that the Township Advisory Councils formed a starting point and in the last series of meetings, they were divided into special interest groups. Those special interest groups will be divided by townships and groups will be formed by region. Lane Kendig explained that some of the issues crass township lines. Commissioner Marshall asked if there was enough municipal representation on these regional groups and if their input was being heard. Lane Kendig explained that one of the special interest groups was local government as well as one for local utilities. If we don't feel we are getting enough input, we will go back to the group. Commissioner Hartwell noted that there are people who live in towns who have an ~_ interest in this. Commissioner Marshall stated that, although all the areas that are being studied are extremely important, the study has jumped from the Rural Buffer to the entire rural area and that a critical answer for that Rural Buffer area is needed. Lane Kendig shared the format for the public meeting being held the following evening, Zf the vast majority of people have seen the presentation it will not be repeated, lf, on the other hand, there are new people in attendance the presentation will be done for them. The staff will be requested to continue the dialogue with the different. groups to ascertain what they want for their community, As soon as the issue papers come out, then work will be started to move the groups together. John Link asked if after the issue statements are developed will they then go back to the Township Advisory Committees in an effort to finalize the techniques and start to quantify what these specific techniques would mean today. This will then begin to address those misconceptions. Commissioner Hartwell stated that what is clearly crucial in this is that the location of the airport will have an influence on this study. Commissioner Halkiotis stated that the Board received feedback after the first series of meetings about mistrust of the County. This concerned him and he questioned if this level of mistrust was typical and how a balance could be brought about. Lane Kendig stated that he was surprised that people don't trust the County. Some of that is part of what he sees as an inherent problem. The rural person who doesn't believe in zoning wants to be left alone. Its part of the political, process that takes place when the rural people are outnumbered by those who want to buy the land. The intent is to get these citizens involved in the process so they won't be able to say that we have not involved them. A lot of people in the rural area think that they are being stifled as to what they can do with their land. Julie Andresen expressed a concern that as the Rural Suffer fills up, at what point those people pay taxes for the services they receive. Commissioner Willhoit stated that one of the problems with the Rural Buffer is the impact that increased traffic will have on an area. John Link asked Marvin Collins if he has shared the strategic plan with Lane Kendig. He stated that there are a lot of things that interact. There are other things such as the transportation pyan, the University Lake Watershed Study, etc, that would have an impact on this study. He emphasized that as the County begins developing the issues and applying resources versus money, there is a need to stress what the benefits and costs are in the Rural Buffer and weigh the economic or noneconomic costs of greater traffic and less freedom. These issues need to be real and concrete. Lane Kendig stated that he has found that those communities with the strictest of standards draw more economic development. With no further comments, Vice-Chair Halkiotis adjourned the meeting. Moses Carey, Jr., Chair Beverly A. Blythe, Clark \,