View this email online.

The purpose of the Citizens Academy is to give residents of Orange County a real time view of their Sheriff’s Office. Although graduates of the Academy are not qualified for daily street duty, they do acquire a better understanding of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office operations and responsibilities.

Residents can have a positive impact on the future of Orange County by serving on a volunteer board or commission. 

Join us at the Countywide Public Safety Hiring Event on March 7, 2024, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Durham Technical Community College!

“Area public safety agencies are looking for candidates to embark on a rewarding career of service, compassion, and fairness,” said Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders. “Whether you aspire to uphold the law on the front lines, become a firefighter, EMT, 911 telecommunicator, or contribute your skills in a support role, we have opportunities waiting for you. Explore a career with purpose, where every role plays a crucial part in ensuring Orange County remains a safe place to live, work, and visit.”

DATE CHANGE! The Orange County Planning Department has received a proposal to rezone 10.01 acres located at 6915-UT Millhouse Road from RB (Rural Buffer) to ASE-CD (Agricultural Support Enterprises Conditional District) to allow for "Agricultural Service Uses".

Tickets may be purchased from a Deputy through April 5. Tickets are also available at the Sheriff's Office at 106 E. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough.

Orange County Commissioner Anna Richards was honored by The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro with its 2023 Public-Private Partnership Award. Commissioner Richards was honored Feb. 9 during the Chamber’s 2024 Annual Meeting at The Carolina Club.

The Chamber presents the award annually to an individual whose work and community service builds bridges between the public and private sectors to the benefit of the entire community.

The Chamber’s citation for Commissioner Richards read, “This year’s Chair’s Award for Public-Private Partnership recognizes a business leader, a civil rights leader, and an elected official.  But unlike a year where we might recognize more than one person, today we honor a single person who embodies all three."

This Fact Book provides data on existing conditions and projected future trends to provide a common understanding of Orange County at the start of this Land Use Plan 2050 process.

The Fact Book will also serve as a resource as the plan is being developed. New data continually becomes available, such as new Census data and updated development features maintained by the County’s GIS staff. This Fact Book freezes the data at a moment in time and is a useful snapshot of County conditions today to help inform development of the plan.

Primary election day is Tuesday, March 5, but you can vote early if that is more convenient. The early voting period begins on Thursday, Feb. 15 and runs through Saturday, March 2. Orange County residents can vote at any early voting site.

If you decide to vote on election day, March 5th, you must vote at your assigned polling place.

Early Voting Sites:

Any North Carolina registered voter may request and receive a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstance is needed.

You may request your absentee ballot NOW through February 27 for the March 5, 2024 election!

A registered voter or their near relative or legal guardian must complete, sign and return the request form.

Orange County offers absentee voting by mail to all registered Orange County voters who wish to vote by mail rather than at a one-stop early voting site or on Election Day.

Beginning January 1, 2024, all absentee by mail ballots (returned by mail or in person) must be received in the Board of Elections office by 7:30 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, March 5, in order to be eligible to be counted.