Dear 

Thank you for your e-mail. 

Chapel Hill is committed to ensuring that our government processes are both above-board and fair so I appreciate that you reached out to share your concerns. 

The Town Council solicits recommendations from several of our advisory boards as part of a multi-step development review process, leveraging their expertise to help us look deeper into issues.  As a result, community members on these boards include architects, developers, engineers, planners, and other professionals who work actively in their fields.
 

On those occasions when a conflict arises, we have created clear policies and guidance to provide transparency and manage the conflict.   This includes having the member remove themselves from consideration during the discussion (by leaving the dais or removing themselves from the screen).  The board must, also, recuse the member prior to any discussion, consideration or vote on the matter. 

Based on a review by our Town attorney, it is my understanding that Ms. Dancy’s actions and those of the Community Design Commission (CDC) during recent review of the Aura project, followed those steps and appear to have been consistent with the law and ethical guidelines. 

We will continue to monitor the situation as the process moves forward and encourage you to stay engaged as well. 

Sincerely, 

Pam Hemminger