This week, Durham County and City governments met for a Joint City-County Committee Meeting to discuss information regarding a merger between the local governments. While final decisions regarding the direction of the consolidation have not been made, Durham County Government has made the merger study available to the public on the county's website.

The idea of consolidating Durham's local governments has been considered for many years, the most recent time being in 1999. Ten years ago, the governing bodies of Durham County and City governments established the Joint City Council-County Commissioners Merger Steering Committee to oversee a citizen review process on the advisability of consolidation. A final report containing the findings and recommendations of the citizen task forces was issued on January 6, 2000.

A copy of the merger study is now available to the public on the county's website and will be available at all Durham County library locations in the near future. For more information about the merger report, contact Laura Jensen, assistant to the County Manager, at 919-560-0000 or via email at ljensen@durhamcountync.gov.