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DRAFT Cabarrus County Council for a Sustainable Local Economy A Vision for Cabarrus County The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners (BOC) has a vision of Cabarrus as a county in which our children learn, our citizens participate, our dreams matter, our families and neighbors thrive, and our community prospers. The Board of Commissioners established the following five broad goals in an effort to achieve and maintain its vision: 1. Preserve and enhance quality of life by addressing growth with sound public policies that sustain resources, fund infrastructure needs, and provide high quality services. 2. Achieve community —wide preparedness to protect public safety, respond to routine and catastrophic events, and maintain and restore the well —being of all residents. 3. Use resources wisely and responsibly by protecting assets, minimizing risk, creating partnerships and using technology to maximize the value of county investments, expenditures and services. 4. A fully engaged community with a shared understanding of its issues and challenges and working together to achieve its goals. 5. Ensure that all citizens have equal opportunity and access to education, health care, and economic prosperity and encourage citizens to fulfill their potential and contribute to their community. A Sustainable Community The Board of Commissioners determined that a critical element in achieving its vision is the establishment of Cabarrus County as a sustainable community. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The pursuit of sustainability involves a triple bottom line approach; that is, policies and regulations are designed to achieve a balance between the social consequences (health, equity and justice), the economic consequences (economic growth and prosperity) and the environmental consequences (wise use of natural resources and protecting the environment). Several policies, programs and regulations have already been implemented in the sustainability effort. For example, energy and water conservation measures have been employed in county - owned facilities, and procurement policies minimize the use of disposable items and require the use of products with recycled content when possible. Also, environmentally (and human) friendly cleaning and grounds maintenance products are used at county facilities. A number of measures have also been implemented aimed at improving air quality, including vehicle idling policies and the establishment of a large fleet of hybrid vehicles. A0aidg" number 1 G -7