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Work Session

Orange County · Board of County Commissioners
Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Work session Appointments and personnelComprehensive planParks and recreationEthics and transparencyFarmland and open spacePublic facilitiesSchools and education

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Orange County commissioners took four subjects at their 8 April 2025 work session, then worked through appointments to five advisory boards. The most consequential is the 2050 comprehensive land use plan: the board asked for more background before it will review the draft, and the third community engagement window, scheduled for May through July, has been postponed with the consultant's work paused.

The board also reviewed performance measures for the countywide strategic plan, the draft Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan, and a status report on the Soccer.com Center.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Planning staff brought a calendar for answering the board's questions on the land use plan, colour-coded by how long each answer will take, to be worked through across meetings and retreats yet to be scheduled. The engagement window will not open until that is done.

The farmland plan updates the county's 2009 Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan and was prepared by the Agricultural Preservation Board's farmland protection subcommittee. It covers recent farmland loss, the obstacles to continued farming, and recommendations for the five years from 2025 to 2029, and is meant to be reissued every two years. Meeting the content guidelines in G.S. 106-744 is what gives the county preference for state Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund money.

On the Soccer.com Center, staff reported 474 field reservations and nearly 155,000 visits in FY2023-24, against revenue of $205,362 and direct costs of $238,743, or $408,406 once personnel and other expenses are counted. Staff proposed new revenue for FY2025-26 including charging for tournament parking. The Visitors Bureau put the 2024 College Series soccer showcases at $2.25 million in direct business sales and $3.3 million in total. The complex opened in 2009 on 34 acres beside Gravelly Hill Middle School on West Ten Road, with five full fields and a practice field; an adjoining 37 acres was bought in 2016 for expansion. After fifteen years of heavy use, staff said field and irrigation work will be needed within a few years, and that expansion matters as much for parking and restrooms as for fields. Outside Soccer.com the county has one soccer field at Efland Cheeks Park and one at the Central Recreation Center.

The strategic plan's performance measures will be tracked quarterly, with the manager's office reporting to the board twice a year on each of the six goals.

How the votes went

Three unanimous votes were recorded, including adjournment. The appointment discussions produced recommendations rather than contested votes.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (9)

Appointment · 5Discussion item · 3Staff or committee report · 1
  1. 1 Follow-up Information and Next Steps on Draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2050
    Discussion item Comprehensive plan
    Staff brought a calendar for answering the board's requests for background on the draft plan. The third community engagement window, set for May to July, is postponed and the consultant's work is paused until the board finishes its review.
  2. 2 Discussion on Strategic Plan with Revised Objectives and Draft Performance Measures
    Discussion item Ethics and transparency
    Performance measures for the six goals in the 2024-29 countywide strategic plan, to be tracked quarterly with a report to the board twice a year.
  3. 3 Draft Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan
    Discussion item Comprehensive planFarmland and open space
    An update to the county's 2009 farmland protection plan, prepared by the Agricultural Preservation Board and covering 2025 to 2029, to be reissued every two years. Meeting the content guidelines in G.S. 106-744 gives the county preference for state farmland preservation trust fund money.
  4. 4 Soccer.com Center Report
    Staff or committee report Parks and recreationPublic facilitiesSchools and education
    The 34-acre complex beside Gravelly Hill Middle School on West Ten Road took 474 reservations and nearly 155,000 visits in FY2023-24, on revenue of $205,362 against direct costs of $238,743, or $408,406 with personnel. The Visitors Bureau put the 2024 showcase tournaments at $3.3 million in total business sales. Field and irrigation work will be needed within a few years, and the 37 acres bought in 2016 would add parking and restrooms as well as fields.
  5. 5 Board of Health - Appointments Discussion
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
  6. 6 Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau Advisory Board - Appointment Discussion
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
  7. 7 Commission for the Environment - Appointments Discussion
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
  8. 8 Human Relations Commission - Appointments Discussion
    Appointment Appointments and personnel
  9. 9 Parks and Recreation Council - Appointment Discussion
    Appointment Appointments and personnelParks and recreation

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