AGENDA ITEM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ITEM TITLE*
title
Continued Discussion about Boards/Commissions and Equitable Community Engagement
presenter
RESPONSIBLE STAFF, TITLE, DEPARTMENT*
Susan Brown, Executive Director for Strategic Communications
STAFF RECOMMENDATION*
Council will continue their discussion of boards and commissions and receive information about the Town’s strategic communications and equitable engagement efforts. The desired outcome is a better understanding by staff of whether a majority of Council is receptive to considering a series of ordinance amendments regarding the Town’s existing advisory boards and commissions. If staff receives that direction, they can bring forward actionable recommendations for Council to consider adopting at an upcoming business meeting.
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LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT*
The Town’s Boards and Commissions were created by Council to serve in an advisory capacity to Council.
Should Council wish to make changes to Boards and Commissions, they would need to take legislative action to do so. This legislative process would involve one or more ordinance amendments to be proposed and considered by Council on a future agenda. The current discussion does not dictate or bind Council to any decision as to those ordinance amendments.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT*
BACKGROUND
• In June 2023, some Council members petitioned for an assessment of the Town’s current Boards and Commissions. The petition requested that actionable recommendations be brought to Council by the fall of 2023.
• At the September 20, 2023 <https://chapelhill.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6354155&GUID=7DA91D85-6D54-4929-B990-0F26D13CA722&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=boards> work session, Council received information and recommendations from staff in response to the petition response to the petition (Attachment A)
• At the November 13, 2023 <https://chapelhill.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6410469&GUID=9EF92EF0-BF93-41B3-8223-91A455A881AD&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=boards> work session, Council received additional information and recommendations from staff in response to the petition. (Attachment B)
• At the March 6, 2024 <https://chapelhill.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6555859&GUID=C75319F6-B37A-47AF-AC8A-CF0C265E1EEC&Options=ID|Text|&Search=boards+commissions> business meeting, Council considered, but did not take action on, an item to authorize the Town Manager to prepare a new framework for advisory boards. (Attachment C)
• After that meeting, Council members indicated to the Town Manager that an understanding of the Town’s overall strategies and efforts regarding equitable engagement would be helpful as they consider any action regarding possible changes to boards and commissions.
• In June 2024, Council received a report, Boards & Commissions Assessment: Findings and Recommendations, from staff.
CONTEXT
The following frameworks guide Council and staff efforts around equitable engagement:
• The Community Connections Strategy, received by Council on April 17, 2019 <https://chapelhill.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3917030&GUID=01D2659A-C8C2-4111-9BDB-2C0FA3C32FA6&Options=&Search=>. (Attachment E)
• The Gap Analysis and Engagement Study, received by Council on May 17, 2023 <https://chapelhill.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6206239&GUID=4E85FA5F-A58D-4BC2-B394-132B5CD64405&Options=ID|Text|&Search=engagement+study> (Attachment F)
• The One Orange County Racial Equity Plan: A Framework for Moving Forward, adopted by all jurisdictions in Orange County in January 2022. (Attachment G)
TRADEOFFS, ALTERNATIVES, IMPACTS
While the in-depth analysis and discussion about boards and commissions has been valuable, staff has yet to hear a clear consensus from Council on what next steps they would like to take. As a result, many Boards and Commissions report being in a state of limbo, with a high degree of uncertainty about whether they should meet and many Boards reporting issues with quorum. For some boards, this has an impact on their jurisdictional partners as well.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION
The Town’s goal is to ground all our work, particularly communications and community engagement work, in the principles of equity. The adopted One Orange County Plan informs the Town staff’s communications and engagement work. The plan references the International Association of Public Participation’s (IAP2) “Spectrum of Public Participation”, a spectrum that outlines best practices for community participation in government processes and decision-making. (Attachment G)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
As part of the petition response, we engaged the following stakeholders:
• Staff liaisons completed a survey and participated in a focus group. Key findings outlined in the Findings & Recommendations report include:
o Staff dedicate a significant amount of time to Boards and Commissions, beyond the monthly meetings.
o Staff highly value community input, and Boards and Commissions are only one of many ways to receive that.
o Staff most value Boards and Commissions input on policy-level work.
• Board/Commission members completed a survey and staff attended their regular meetings to hear feedback. Key findings outlined in the Findings & Recommendations report include:
o Boards and Commissions that have focused on policy-level work report a higher sense of impact.
o Board and Commission members are often unclear about their roles and responsibilities, individually and collectively.
o Board and Commission members want to have an impact.
• Historically under-engaged residents were surveyed in 2022-2023 as part of the Town’s Engagement Study. Key findings outlined in that report include:
o Trust and accountability need to be improved in order for residents to feel compelled to engage with Town programs and decision-making processes.
o Residents feel excluded from participating in Town decision-making processes due to inaccessibility of meetings and institutional marginalization, especially experienced by renters, non-white, and immigrant residents.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: BOARDS_Boards and Commissions Staff Presentation_Sept 2023
Attachment B: BOARDS_Boards and Commissions Staff Presentation_Nov 2023
Attachment C: BOARDS_Boards and Commissions_Staff Presentation_March 2024
Attachment D: BOARDS_Boards and Commissions Memo_June 2024
Attachment E: ENGAGEMENT_Community Connections Strategy_2019
Attachment F: ENGAGEMENT_Engagement Study Summary Report_April 2023
Attachment G: ENGAGEMENT_One Orange Countywide Racial Equity Plan
Attachment H: BOARDS_Boards and Commissions_Council Work Session Presentation Sept 2024
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