By The Horns | Resource Guide

Here are the rules and guidelines for how city council operates. https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10129/Council-Rules-of-Procedures?bidId=

The Consent Agenda consists of items that the council has previously considered in a work session. All items on the Consent Agenda may be approved by a single vote of the council. Items may be removed from the Consent Agenda by a council member or a member of the public. Those items will be considered separately at the end of the meeting.

For more, check out page 4-6 of the Rules of Procedure document.

Adopted in 2006, the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) lays out the rules for the physical development of property. The UDO designates zoning of properties in Durham, and is crafted to result in a built environment that meets the goals of the Comprehensive Plan. The UDO superseded the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances.

https://www.durhamnc.gov/414/Unified-Development-Ordinance-UDO

This chart breaks down how the City Council and City of Durham staff work together, and who is responsible for which departments within city government.

https://www.durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/25785/City-of-Durham-Organizational-Chart---May-2022

“Open Durham is a highly interlinked archive/inventory of information about people, places, and history in Durham, NC.”

This is an amazing resource for understanding how Durham has changed over the years, going back decades. Think of it almost like a Wikipedia for Durham.

https://www.opendurham.org

“Forever Home, Durham is an ongoing program creating affordable opportunities for renters and homeowners. Through new construction, property repairs, and essential housing services, we are building a more inclusive and livable community.”

Essentially, FHD is tracking what’s happening with private/public funds around affordable housing. It was created as a way to be more transparent after the affordable housing bond was passed.

https://www.durhamnc.gov/4593/Forever-Home-Durham

“Our mission is to democratize data to facilitate an empowered, productive, and equitable community.”

They are a valuable resource for people trying to wrap their head around trends in housing and other aspects of Durham living. Dataworks presented on affordable housing at the October 6 work session (and was covered in By The Horns).

https://dataworks-nc.org/

“Durham's Geographic Information System (GIS) dedicated to providing the community with access to computerized information such as tables, maps, plans and other graphic documents through expert implementation of the principles of geography, cartography and geospatial analysis. City and county departments work side by side to develop applications which include land records information, street centerlines, hydrology, digital aerial photography and more.”

https://maps.durhamnc.gov

“The Real Property Records Search allows the user to obtain ownership information as of January 1, value of improvements and land, photo of improvement, sales information for the last three (3) years, view the tax bill and GIS Mapping information associated with a parcel.”

https://property.spatialest.com/nc/durham/#/