TITLE: Title
Adoption of Updated Gender Neutral Town Code
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is for the Town Council to adopt an updated Town Code with gender neutral language.
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DEPARTMENT: Town Clerk/Attorney
CONTACT INFORMATION: Cathy Dorando and Nick Herman
INFORMATION: On September 10, 2019, the Board of Aldermen authorized staff to begin the process of updating the Town Code with gender neutral language throughout. During that update, staff also reviewed the language through the following lenses:
1) Gender, Racial*, and Social Equity
2) Governing Body Name
3) Current Town Practices
4) Statutory Requirements
*Please note that the racial equity review was done as a preliminary review. The Town Code will be reviewed again once the GARE Racial Equity Toolkit is implemented.
All chapters of the Town Code, except Chapter 15 the Land Use Ordinance, have been reviewed and updated at this time. The Code has been updated to reflect gender-neutral language and to remove codified inconsistencies with internal practices.
To access the Town Code, please use the link below:
<https://townofcarrboro.sharefile.com/d-sc0c0691086c54294a9decda460fbcd6a>
At this time, the project has is complete and ready for Town Council action. All departments have reviewed their sections. The Town Clerk has edited the text and the attorney has reviewed all chapters and approved.
This compressive review will not change the fact that various ordinance amendments will still need to be brought to the Town Council, on an as needed basis.
An ordinance adopting the revised Town Code has been prepared by the attorney and is attached.
Also attached is a spreadsheet of any major changes to the Code.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: Town staff spent hundreds of hours on this project. It would not have been possible without the help of UNC undergraduate intern, Bailey Fattorusso, and previous Deputy Town Clerk, Chris Milner.
RECOMMENDATION:r Town staff recommends that the Town Council adopt the ordinance finalizing the updated and gender neutral Town Code.