HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 14, 2024 Minutes Approved ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD
May 14, 2024
Bonnie B. Davis Building
1020 US-70 West Room #104
Hillsborough
Minutes
Members Present: Sharon Hill, Estella Johnson, Barbara Jessie-Black, Tom Proctor, Kristen Young,
Elise Tyler, Hasan Abdullah
Members Not Present: Johnny Morris, Dave Gephart, Jane Saiers
Orange County Staff: Steve Brantley, Amanda Garner, Lindsey Hirni
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Kristen Young at 11:35 a.m.
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Sharon Hill and seconded by Tom Proctor to approve the Minutes from the March
12,2024 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
Old Business
Kristen Young presented the Sharon Hill and Barbara Jessie-Black with a Certificate of Appreciation for
their years of service on the board.
Steve Brantley informed the board that Dave Gephart has resigned from the board so there will be a 4th
vacant spot on the board. Steve will draft a Memo to the BOCC by Friday May 17th recommending the 3
applicants who were previously endorsed by the board. A motion was made by Tom Proctor and
seconded by Sharon Hill to hold off on endorsing a 4th candidate from the current applicants so that the
board members have more time to recruit additional applicants. The motion passed unanimously.
Steve briefly presented the County Manager's recommended budget to the BOCC. He mentioned the tax
increase and property revaluation. He told the board that our department will begin the process to pursue
bids on a new Strategic Plan for Economic Development. Amanda Garner discussed that we will need to
decrease our advertising campaigns for the grant programs and Barbara Jessie-Black suggested that we
connect with Innovate Caroline Junction (Small Business Center) as well as NC IDEA.
New Business
Elections were held with a quorum. A motion was made by Sharon Hill and seconded by Barbara Jessie-
Black to nominate Estella Johnson as Secretary, Elise Tyler for Vice Chair and Kristen Young as the
Chair for FY24-25. All motions passed unanimously. Estella also mentioned that she would like to
volunteer to be on the grant committee.
Barbara Jessie-Black spoke to the board about Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging. She mentioned
that many organizations are new to use this and training their employees. She expressed how this is
important and feels it should be required for our board to explore, learn and educate themselves on the
country's history and help move Economic Development forward to help influence our county.
Estella Johnson mentioned that she volunteers with the Justice United organization and would like to see
us help the Hispanic community as well. Kristen Young asked about a paid vs. corporate opportunity for
this type of training with our budget constraints. Elise Tyler also agreed that the topic was important to
discuss and would like to take a vote on whether the board wants to move forward. A motion was made
by Kristen and seconded by Barbara to make it a requirement for Economic Development Advisory Board
members to participate in DEIB training when the staff confirms with the county legal department about
adding this to our board's policy. If county legal says this cannot be added as a requirement, then the
board will hold an optional DEIB training for members to attend. Barbara would be able to recommend
some options for a DEIB workshop or experience.
Director's Report:
Steve provided an update on the commercial and industrial projects in Orange County.
Adjournment
Kristen Young adjourned the meeting at 1:06 PM