This series of posts will be made weekly on Chapelboro to help inform our community about local government meetings. All meeting days, locations and times may be subject to change. Check town, county, and school district websites for additional information.
This week is an especially busy one for Orange County Commissioners, who actually meet three times: a regular meeting on Tuesday to discuss a possible moratorium on AI data centers; a joint meeting with Mebane officials on Thursday to consider ways to accommodate population growth; and a retreat on Saturday to discuss housing needs. They may be the busiest elected officials this week – but it’s a busy week all around, with budget discussions in Chapel Hill and Durham (as well as the local schools) and a grand summit of town, county, and state-level elected officials in Chatham County.
Here’s a rundown of local government meetings this week in Durham, Orange, and Chatham Counties.
Orange County
Orange County Commissioners meet not once, but three times this week. Their regular meeting is Tuesday, March 17, at 7 p.m. in the Southern Human Services Center, with an agenda that includes a discussion of whether to impose a moratorium on the approval of new AI data centers and data mining facilities in Orange County, given concerns about their long-term environmental and infrastructural impacts. (Chatham County Commissioners approved a 12-month moratorium last month.) Commissioners then meet jointly with the Mebane City Council Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in the Whitted Building; that agenda includes discussions around land use, water & sewer capacity, and the possibility of future new schools to serve Mebane’s growing population. Finally, the board is also slated to hold a housing retreat on Saturday, March 21. Get links to all the agendas here.
The Carrboro Town Council meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 17. The council will hold a public hearing on a zoning proposal to allow greater-density development around Brewer Lane, and receive updates on how the town is progressing toward its Race & Equity and Climate Action goals. Click here for the full agenda.
The Chapel Hill Town Council meets Wednesday, March 18, at 6 p.m. in the Chapel Hill Public Library. Click here for a link to their agenda, which has only two items: the council will begin discussing next year’s budget and receive an update on the town’s stormwater program.
And the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board is slated to hold a budget hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19. Their full agenda will be available at this link.
The Orange County School Board was scheduled to meet Monday, March 16 in the Whitted Building — but the forecast of severe weather led the district to cancel all classes and school-related activities out of an abundance of caution. The Board of Education will now hold that meeting on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. If the prior agenda holds, Superintendent Danielle Jones will unveil her $50.7 million budget proposal for the upcoming year, and board members will receive an update on staffing, with a focus on efforts to fill vacancies and reduce staff turnover.
Chatham and Durham Counties
Chatham County Commissioners met once this week: Wednesday, March 18, at 9 a.m. in the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center. It is a legislative breakfast, with many electeds on hand. Chatham’s State House and Senate representatives will meet jointly with local officials – including the Pittsboro and Siler City town boards and the Chatham school board, as well as county commissioners – to hear their priorities for the upcoming session of the General Assembly. Get links to the agenda here.
The Chatham County Commissioners were also set to hold a meeting Monday night, which was canceled due to the forecast of severe weather.
And the Durham City Council meets twice this week, at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, and then again at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 19. Monday’s meeting features a public hearing on next year’s budget and capital improvement plan; Thursday’s work session includes an update on plans for affordable housing at 505 W. Chapel Hill Street. Get links to both agendas here.
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