BOARDS
Chatham Transit Network Director, Tom Vanderbeck,
with Executive Director Dale Olbrich on the CTN bus.
The Chatham County Commissioners held over 60 meetings in 2009. Several days before each regular board meeting, Tom and the other Commissioners receive an agenda packet. It typically takes the better part of a weekend to work through each packet and otherwise prepare for these regular meetings.
But there is much more to being a Chatham County Commissioner. In the first place, Tom is much sought-after to attend, and often to make a few remarks at, a variety of community functions in the county. Tom sees these events both as an opportunity to support charitable and voluntary efforts in Chatham, and as a way to remain in touch with the concerns of our citizens.
Tom also works collaboratively with citizen volunteers, public-policy experts and other elected officials on a number of county and regional boards. In fact, if you read through the list below you have to wonder when Tom sleeps!
Affordable Housing Task Force
Tom took a leadership role in helping craft the strategy and details for locating affordable housing in the Briar Chapel development. This Task Force supervised a major needs assessments study and held the first-ever Housing Summit in 2008. Following a series of half-day facilitated group meetings, the Task Force recommended an affordable housing strategy for the county that included a requirement that large residential developments contain a percentage of affordable housing. The Task Force also recommended that a permanent Affordable Housing Advisory Board be established.
Affordable Housing Advisory Board
As mentioned above, Tom led the effort to convert the time-limited Affordable Housing Task Force into a permanent Affordable Housing Advisory Board, which was established in the fall of 2009. Tom was also instrumental in opening the selection process for this board to citizens across the county from diverse backgrounds. The County publicly advertised for applications and set up a non-political panel of former members of the Task Force to review the applications and make recommendation to the commissioners.
As part of the application process, candidates received a set of expectations for participation on the board, a Code of Ethics and Operating Principles that included accountability, mutual trust, transparency and community input. New board members will also receive training in both county government processes and an orientation to affordable housing. Tom hopes that this non-political, open selection process can become a model for all the county’s citizen advisory boards.
County Broadband Committee
Tom, who has been a tireless advocate for obtaining full countywide broadband service, initiated an ad hoc committee of county staff members to work with a local expert consultant in designing and conducting a county-wide survey of available broadband coverage. This survey is the necessary first step in development of a county-wide broadband expansion strategy. The survey data should be available in the first quarter of 2010.
Chatham Transit Network (CTN)
As a member of the Chatham Transit Network Board of Directors, a community transportation non-profit, Tom has encouraged the provision of efficient and effective countywide transit service to underserved rural communities, public assistance and worker training recipients, persons with disabilities and those needing transport to area medical facilities. Tom helped facilitate the expansion of CTN’s regular transit service to coordinate with the new Pittsboro Express bus service to and from UNC Hospital and UNC-Chapel Hill. CTN runs a "Cross County Route" that goes from Siler City to Pittsboro and on to Chapel Hill and back on a regular basis. An internal circulator route for Siler City is under consideration to provide mass transit capabilities for the city, and connecting to Sanford and beyond is a long-term goal of the board. Currently, this board is working with the state on a newly awarded five year planning grant.
Transportation Advisory Board
The mandate of the new Department of Sustainable Communities encompasses transportation planning. To meet that objective, a new Transportation Advisory Board for the County has been created. This board will advise the Commissioners about critical issues dealing with transportation, including review of developments’ Traffic Impact Analyses and state priorities for Transportation Improvement Programs, and it will act as a public forum for transportation issues. Tom will serve as the Board of Commissioners’ liaison to the new board. In that capacity, Tom will be working closely with the County Transportation Planner on long-range transportation plans.
Pittsboro-Siler City Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB)
Tom serves as the Commissioners’ liaison to the Bureau, which is the official marketing organization responsible for expanding Chatham’s brand, as an arts, cultural, eco, and agricultural tourism destination. This Bureau is funded exclusively by the current 3% occupancy tax on overnight accommodations in the County.
e-NC Authority
As an outspoken advocate for rural broadband access, Tom was recently appointed by the North Carolina House of Representatives as the local government representative on this state board that is working to provide high-speed internet access to all citizens. Tom also recently spoke before a state legislative committee opposing a proposed bill that would potentially strip local governments of their authority and/or ability, to form public-private broadband partnerships, as well as significantly reduce broadband flexibility and government options. Read/download this speech.
Green Economy Task Force
Tom serves as the Board of Commissioners’ liaison to this ad hoc committee, formed to develop local revolving loan programs that could create jobs to implement energy efficiencies. As envisioned, savings realized by cutting operating costs would be used to repay loans and to perpetuate the program. This task force was formed to help Chatham County access the federal government’s ARRA stimulus grants.
Green Building Task Force (GBTF)
Tom is also the Commissioner’s official liaison to this board, which reviews, develops and implements strategies to encourage county-wide green-building and sustainable-development practices. Most recently, working in collaboration with the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, the GBTF researched and developed language for a construction and demolition waste ordinance. The Task Force has also been working on a transition plan to become an advisory board in early 2010.
Housing Coalition of Chatham (HCC)
Tom is the official liaison to the HCC, which meets as necessary, to discuss such matters as Section 8 housing availability, housing opportunities, and opportunities for people with disabilities. Funding opportunities from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are discussed. The group’s stakeholders include representatives from OPC (see below). HUD is also responsible for reporting yearly homeless counts in order to quality for HUD funding.
Orange-Person-Chatham (OPC) –The Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Board
Tom serves on this board, which develops policy and authorizes disbursement of government funding to provide efficient and effective programs for people with developmental disabilities, mental health and substance abuse problems.
Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO)
Tom serves as vice-chair of the federally mandated Triangle Area Rural Transportation organization serving Chatham, Orange, Lee and Moore counties. Staffed by the Triangle J Council of Government, TARPO is responsible for developing, advancing and prioritizing transportation projects and initiatives.
Solid Waste Advisory Committee
Tom serves as official liaison to this citizen advisory body to the Solid Waste Management Department staff and the County Board of Commissioners. This committee provides guidance on solid waste issues such as funding, waste reduction/ recycling, short and long-term disposal, collection center policies, household hazardous waste, environmental education, and enforcement. The committee recently updated a solid waste feasibility study that will serve as the basis for a ten-year strategic plan.
The committee also recommended conducting a site study for the consideration of a landfill to serve Chatham and possibly a neighboring county. Throughout this process, Tom has been outspoken in promoting the exploration of all possible approaches to dealing with solid waste, including increasing recycling and developing the kind of landfill that could serve as a green economic development engine.