AGENDA #11 | Proposed Council Calendar through December 2007

AGENDA #11

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor and Town Council

FROM: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager

SUBJECT: Proposed Calendar for Council Meetings through December 2007, including the 2006-07 Budget Process

DATE: September 11, 2006

The attached resolution would adopt a calendar of Council meetings through December 2007.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Section 2-3 of the Town Code establishes a schedule of regular business meetings of the Council on the second and fourth Mondays of most months, and public hearing meetings normally on the third Mondays of January through June and September through November.

In September, the Council normally adopts a calendar for the following year (in this case through December 2007) with changes made as needed due to holidays and other events. The attached material outlines the proposed calendar from September 2006 to December 2007.

DISCUSSION

The proposed calendar includes schedules for:

1. Preparation of the annual budget and 15-year capital improvement program.

2. General planning session of the Council on Thursday, January 11, 2007 (so as not to conflict with observances honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. that are normally scheduled on the Friday before the holiday).

3. A public forum and action by the Council on potential legislative requests during the 2007 session of the General Assembly.

4. Preparation of plans to use grants for:

public transit,
community development,
public housing renovations,
the Town’s public housing operating budget, and
the County-wide HOME program.

5. Consideration of performance agreements with human services agencies, use of hotel/motel taxes for visitor information services and support of cultural events.

6. Consideration of a tax rate for the Downtown Tax District.

7. Joint planning hearing dates are reserved on the third Thursday in October (October 19, 2006 and October 18, 2007) and the fourth Thursday in April (April 26, 2007), and subject to concurrence by the Town of Carrboro and Orange County.

8. Assembly of Governments meeting dates are reserved on the third Thursday in September (September 21, 2006 and September 20, 2007), and the fifth Thursday of March (March 29, 2007).

General Comments:

The proposed processes and meeting dates are similar to those adopted by the Council for 2005-2006. For example, the budget process includes public forums in late January and late March, a public hearing in mid-May, and several dates for work sessions of the Council.

We recognize that the Council may wish to follow a budget process different from those of the past and will be pleased to assist the Council in developing options. In case the Council wishes to resume the practice of meeting with advisory boards and Department Heads we have included time for presentations early in the budget process in mid- to late-February. No meetings are scheduled for July and August.

Holidays, Annual Meetings, etc.

As in past years, the proposed calendar takes into account holidays, various religious observances, the annual meeting of the N.C. League of Municipalities in October, and the spring breaks in the University’s and City Schools’ calendars. Some of these changes include:

Three meetings scheduled for November are moved up one week each to avoid the Thanksgiving holidays (November 6, 13 and 20, 2006).
The public hearing in January was moved to Wednesday, January 17 (to avoid conflict with Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 15).
The first business meeting in March is proposed for March 5, due to the National League of Cities meeting from March 10 – 14.
The first business meeting in April is scheduled for Wednesday, April 11 (to avoid conflict with Easter Monday on April 9).
Three meetings scheduled for May are moved up one week each to avoid the Memorial Day holiday (May 7, 14 and 21).

We suggest that some meetings that need to be rescheduled from Mondays be held on Wednesdays, thus avoiding overlap with Planning Board meetings usually held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. We note meetings proposed to be held on the following dates:

Wednesday, September 27, 2006 regular business meeting (to avoid conflict with Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce’s Foundation for Sustainable Community visit to Madison, WI).
Public Hearing moved to October 18, 2006 to avoid conflict with North Carolina League of Municipalities annual conference.
The second regular business meeting in June is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20 (to avoid conflict with the US Conference of Mayors).

Additional Options

a. 2006 Budget Forum and Hearing Dates

The proposed forum and hearing dates are scheduled for Wednesday, January 31, Wednesday, March 28, and Wednesday, May 16. We recommend scheduling the budget forums and hearings separate from the regular business meetings of the Council so that meetings are not unduly long.

b. Budget Development Schedule

We propose the following budget work session schedule. As in past years, we have rotated the starting times for the work sessions based on the Council’s instructions.

Date	Day of Week	Meeting
January 11	Thursday	Council planning session; including budget/finance (8:30 a.m.)
January 31	Wednesday	Public Forum on Budget and Related Items (7:00 p.m.)
February 7	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (7:00 p.m.)
February 23	Friday	Budget Work Session (Noon-5:00 p.m.)
February 28	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
March 7	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (4:00-6:00 p.m.)
March 28	Wednesday	Public Forum – Status Report on 2006-07 Budget (7:00 p.m.) (HOME grant program and CD grant submittals.)
April 11	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (4:00-6:00 p.m.) if desired.
April 23	Monday	Business Meeting – Submittal of recommended budget (7:00 p.m.)
May 2	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (5:30-7:30 p.m.) if desired.
May 16	Wednesday	Public Hearing on Recommended Budget and related items (7:00 p.m.)
May 23	Wednesday	Budget Work Session (4:00-6:00 p.m.) if desired.
June 11	Monday	Consideration of adopting budget and related items (7:00 p.m.)
June 20	Wednesday	Consideration of performance agreements (7:00 p.m.)

c. Meetings of the School Board and OWASA Board

The proposed schedule also takes into account the regular schedule of meetings in the Council Chamber of the Board of Education on the first Thursdays of most months and of the OWASA Board of Directors on the fourth Thursdays of most months.

CONCLUSION

Any schedule of meetings is subject to change by the Council in the future if there is a need for additional meetings or other changes. Adopting a calendar at this time would be useful to boards and commissions and citizens’ groups who will schedule meetings in coming months.

RECOMMENDATION

That the Council adopt the attached resolution.