Government

At the Carrboro Century Center.

February is Human Relations Month. The Orange County Human Relations Commission, the Orange County Department of Human Rights & Relations and the Orange County Board of Commissioners will host a kick-off ceremony to acknowledge Human Relations Month in Orange County. The Human Relations Month Kick-Off will take place at the Carrboro Century Center on Sunday, January 27, 200 8 from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

As Orange County accepts its cultural and ethnic diversity, the ideology that all human beings should have the right to equitable health care will be the theme of this year’s Human Relations Month Kick-Off Event.

The Kick-Off will include musical entertainment by the band, Big Much and a performance by the Chuck Davis African-American Dance Ensemble.

The key speakers will be Shannon Fleg and Anthony Fleg. Ms. Fleg is a proud Dine (Navajo) woman from Arizona who serves as a coordinator for the Native Health Initiative. She is a social research associate for the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Mr. Fleg serves as a coordinator for the Native Health Initiative. He recently earned a Masters in Public Health from UNC and will graduate from medical school in May 2008.

Come and help celebrate Orange County’s diverse cultures. The event is free and open to the public.

For additional information contact the Orange County Office of Human Rights and Relations, 919-960-3875.

From Town eNews:

Town Planning Retreat Scheduled Jan. 11-13

The Chapel Hill Town Council has set an ambitious planning weekend for Jan. 11-13 to discuss strategic goals for the community organized around priorities established in last year's planning retreat: Steward the Organizational Change, Champion Downtown, Plan Ahead for Carolina North, Continue Focus on Land Use and Development, Maintain and Improve Community Facilities and Services, and Improve the Town's Fiscal Condition.

The Town Planning Retreat begins with a Friday dinner and launches into detailed discussions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Siena Hotel, 1505 E. Franklin St. Representatives of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees will meet with the Council from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Orange County Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, to discuss the proposed development project Carolina North. Dr. Phil Boyle will facilitate the discussions each day.

The purpose of the Town Planning Retreat is to determine the Town's current and future priorities and create shared commitments among the Council, manager, staff, and residents regarding the goals and strategies required to appropriately address priorities.

The retreat has been planned by Mayor Kevin C. Foy, Council Member Laurin Easthom, Town Manager Roger L. Stancil, Deputy Town Manager Flo Miller, and Parks and Recreation Director Butch Kisiah.

Stated goals for the Sunday meeting are to engage Town and University representatives in a shared discussion about Carolina North. They will identify common interests and decide how to address those interests.

"This is the policymakers sitting down together, for the first time, in an informal setting, and discussing things," Mayor Foy said. "It indicates our willingness to talk, exchange perceptions, ideas and goals. It's good for the community, and it's an open meeting like all Council meetings, so we encourage people to attend and listen, and to help the Council work through the process in the future."

The Council changed its process for strategic planning last year when it looked to the Town's senior management team to provide earlier and fuller participation in planning goals and priorities for the community. The new process shifts from a financial-based review of revenues and expenditures to a broader conversation of goals and values. These discussions will lay the groundwork for developing the budget and help to prioritize how the Town will use current and future resources to achieve identified goals.

"As the Council considers priorities for the future, it has invited input from the Town management team," Stancil said. "We now have a more action-oriented planning process that requires broader participation to address past and present successes, anticipate the future, examine trends and assess current capabilities."

Discussion on Saturday will focus on the following topics: Champion Downtown; Continue Focus on Land Use and Development; Maintain and Improve Community Facilities and Services; and Improve the Town's Fiscal Condition. The Council and department directors have exchanged lists of their perceived Town successes, trends and priorities. Although the data was collected independently, the lists show many synergies.

For more information about the Town Planning Retreat, contact Town Manager Roger L. Stancil at (919) 968-2743 or manager@townofchapelhill.org.