SUMMARY MINUTES OF A BUDGET WORK SESSION
OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2006, AT 4:00 P. M.
Mayor Kevin Foy called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.
Council members present were Laurin Easthom, Sally Greene, Ed Harrison, Cam Hill, Bill Strom, Bill Thorpe, and Jim Ward.
Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt arrived 5:40 p.m.
Staff members present were Town Manager Cal Horton, Deputy Town Manager Florentine Miller, Assistant Town Manager Bruce Heflin, Town Information Officer Catherine Lazorko, Finance Director Kay Johnson, Information Technology Director Bob Avery, Planning Director J. B. Culpepper, Engineering Director George Small, Public Works Director Bill Letteri, Police Chief Gregg Jarvies, Fire Chief Dan Jones, Transportation Stephen Spade, Human Resources Director Pam Eastwood, Library Director Kathleen Thompson, Inspections Director Lance Norris, Parks and Recreation Director Kathryn Spatz, Housing Director Tina Vaughn, and Town Clerk Sabrina Oliver.
Other staff members present were Assistant Parks and Recreation Director Bill Webster, Development Planning Coordinator Gene Poveromo, Landscape Superintendent Robert Minick, Assistant Human Resources Director Anissa Graham-Davis, Stormwater Management Engineer Sue Burke, Accountant Lisa Taylor, and Budget Analyst Aaron Gallagher.
Mayor Foy made some introductory remarks regarding the agenda for today’s work session and the materials provided to the Council.
Mr. Horton said he would like to formally introduce Stephen Spade to the Council, noting he had taken the position of Transportation Director with the Town. He said Mr. Spade had an impressive background in transportation, having recently retired from another community. Mr. Horton expressed gratitude over having him here in Chapel Hill.
Mr. Spade thanked the Council and the Manager for the opportunity to become a part of the organization. He said he had survived his first three days, which were energizing and busy. Mr. Spade said his goal was to spend the next several weeks learning the processes and people, noting it was a great system with a great group of employees. He said that would include meeting department heads and learning the facility and operations in order to get up to speed on issues. Then, Mr. Spade remarked, he would work with the Town Manager to develop a plan of action to meet the needs of the community in the months and years ahead. He was excited to be in Chapel Hill, he said.
Council Member Thorpe commented that Police Chief Gregg Jarvies was present at today’s meeting, having recently returned to work after suffering from a medical condition that required surgery. He said he was very happy to see Chief Jarvies feeling well and back on duty. Mr. Horton said he too was glad to have him back.
Item 1 – Information Requested by the Council at the
March 22, 2006 Budget Forum
a. Use of Downtown Service District Tax Funds for 2006-2007
Finance Director Kay Johnson noted there were two issues that Council members had requested additional information on. She said the first was the value of one cent in the Downtown Service District Tax, and the other was with the boundaries of that district.
Ms. Johnson noted that one cent on the tax rate currently yielded approximately $14,700 in revenue, with the total revenue for 2005-2006 expected to be $77,000. She said that the property boundaries of the Service District had remained unchanged since 2003, adding that some property had changed hands so those boundaries were currently being re-examined. Ms. Johnson said the Council would in the near future receive a report regarding this issue. She said the Council’s normal process to consider changing the boundaries would be to notify all property owners in the District and hold a public hearing at least four weeks after that notification. Ms. Johnson said the Council could then change the boundaries, if desired, by the end of this year, with changes taking effect back to the valuation date in January.
Ms. Johnson said, regarding other purposes of the District, that by State law the taxes collected must go towards providing improved services to a demonstrably greater extent than the remainder of the Town. She said such services might be special police protection, special cleaning, or special development. Ms. Johnson said, historically, the tax district included properties that were predominately commercial and excluded properties that were predominately residential. She said as the area becomes more mixed use, they would need to look at how they defined the properties included in the Downtown Service District.
b. Parking Token Utilization of Town Meters and Free Weekend Meter Parking
Ms. Johnson said there had been a specific question asked by a Council member regarding downtown parking, and what would happen if the downtown district paid for parking on Saturdays. She said the current revenue from meters on Saturdays was $60,000, noting that was from meter revenue downtown but not necessarily exclusively in the Downtown District. Ms. Johnson stated that if the Town did not collect revenue from meters, it would have to be from all meters downtown, and not just meters that were exclusively in the Downtown Service District. She noted that was due to the fact that there was no way for a person to know if the meter they were using was inside or outside the Downtown Service District.
Council Member Harrison asked if that was exclusively meter parking. Ms. Johnson responded that was correct, noting it did not include lot parking. Council Member Harrison asked if that meant that revenue was not applied to paying the debt on the parking deck. Ms. Johnson said metered parking revenue did not go towards paying the debt on the deck if there was an excess of expenditures to the General Fund.
Mayor Foy said the memo had stated that if free parking were offered on Saturdays tires would have to be chalked because there was a maximum two-hour parking limit. He asked if that was an additional expense. Mayor Foy asked if the $60,000 was solely from lost revenues and that the actual cost would increase to include additional employees. Ms. Johnson responded she did not believe the Town would need additional employees, but she would anticipate there might be a marginal loss in ticket revenue. She said if the parking officers were chalking tires at the same time they were ticketing, the ticketing process might be slowed somewhat.
Mayor Foy said he had brought this issue forward based on a conversation with the Downtown Partnership. He said he believed the Town should offer free metered parking on Saturdays, and use the current $11,000 in fund balance to offset the revenue loss, increase the Downtown Service District Tax by three cents, and have the Town make up the difference since some of the meters were outside the District. Mayor Foy said they should try it, and monitor it to see how it was working. He said they could always revise the policy later, adding he believed it would be beneficial to the downtown. Mayor Foy said he also questioned the two-hour time limit.
Council Member Hill asked where meters were located that were outside the Downtown Service District, noting that might include Cameron Avenue and part of Graham Street. Ms. Johnson said when they come forward with the final report they would include a map that would specifically note the areas that contained meters that were inside and outside the District.
Council Member Hill said he believed the Town should make Saturdays just like Sundays, meaning no charge, no ticketing and no chalking of tires. He said theoretically there should be some cost reduction since there would be no need for parking enforcement downtown. Ms. Johnson said they would still retain enforcement for the parking lots. Council Member Hill said his suggestion was to have two sets of rules, one for Monday through Friday, and the other for Saturdays and Sundays.
Council Member Ward said he would like some input from downtown business owners as to the value of the two-hour limit. He said one of the reasons for considering this would be to improve the climate for downtown businesses, and if this just clogged up parking spaces by people not doing business in the downtown, then he did not see the advantage. Council Member Ward said there was some value to the two-hour maximum, noting it provided enough time to have a leisurely meal without worrying about a ticket. He said he preferred the proposal with the two-hour maximum, but would like feedback from the business owners.
Council Member Ward said he was willing to foot the bill rather than ask for more from the downtown businesses. He said the tax may need to be increased for other reasons, but he wanted this Council to continue to show an extra sensitivity to the value of invigorating the downtown, and this might be a way to do it.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he did not have a strong preference for chalk or no chalk. He said once a change was made, having a report come back after 90 days and 180 days would be very useful, noting they needed to monitor it carefully. Mayor pro tem Strom said he was pleased the Mayor had brought this up and was interested in seeing how people respond to this type of change.
Council Member Harrison said the downtown businesses were in a better position to analyze the usefulness of the two-hour limit. He said there were not a lot of special events downtown, but there were Saturday game days. Council Member Harrison said University employees, visitors, and students set one of the major dynamics on weekday parking. He said that would also be the case on Saturday game days where people park anywhere possible, noting he would like to see the parking managed on those days so that people could still park and visit downtown businesses without all the spaces being taken by those attending the game.
Council Member Easthom said he was pleased with this proposal, noting it was a good first step in addressing parking concerns in the downtown. She contended that two hours might not be long enough if you were going to have dinner and see a movie. Council Member Easthom said she would favor either no maximum limit, or raising it to three hours or more.
Council Member Ward said he wanted to understand the longer-range effort they would be making to replace the spaces lost by the development of the Wallace Deck and Parking Lot #2. He said he would like this proposal to be created in such a way as to provide stability during this time of flux, and to come up with a strategy to address those parking demands the Town would experience during the construction of the Wallace Deck and Parking Lot #2.
Mr. Horton said he shared the concern about special event parking, adding that the Town had five or six football games and a number of basketball games. He said in addition, there were a fair number of other University-related special events that did not involve athletics, such as competitions of various kinds that high school students participate in. Mr. Horton said there was a need to factor in those other University events when looking at this issue.
Mayor Foy said he believed this should be referred to the Downtown Partnership, noting he believed there was some Council support for this proposal to be included it in the budget. He said he did not support taking funds from the General Fund, partly because the Town put $140,000 into the Downtown Partnership, they contribute $70,000 from the General Fund, and they do a lot of extra work downtown. In addition, he said, this year the Council was considering adding new Public Works employees and seven new police officers downtown. He said those things alone add up to over $600,000, and he did not think it was asking too much to have the downtown property owners assist in providing parking.
Mayor Foy stated that one of the things he had consistently said at Downtown Partnership meetings was that parking was not free and was always subsidized, whether it was at the mall or downtown. He said he did not think it was an unfair burden to ask merchants to contribute to that. Mayor Foy said the Downtown District Tax was far, far below that of other communities, noting Chapel Hill’s was the lowest in the State. He said some communities charge 20 cents, where Chapel Hill’s was five cents.
Mayor Foy said they would still not be asking the Downtown Service District to carry the full load, because the Town would still be contributing some portion of it. Ms. Johnson said another point was that because revenues from metered parking in excess of expenses go into the General Fund, if there were expenses in excess of revenues then this would have an indirect effect on the General Fund.
The Council agreed by consensus to place this issue before the Downtown Partnership for feedback. Mr. Horton noted they would see that this was forwarded to the Downtown Partnership and would take that discussion into account as they move forward with preparation of the budget.
c. Arts Commission Review of Arts Request
Mayor Foy commented that last year the Arts Commission had requested that the Council allow the Commission to review funding requests for all arts services and programs. He said that Council Member Kleinschmidt was the Council’s liaison to the Arts Commission, and suggested holding discussion on this item until Council Member Kleinschmidt arrived, if a discussion was indeed necessary. There was no objection from the Council.
Council Member Thorpe said he understood the Arts Commission’s request, but asked how the Council might proceed.
Mayor Foy asked the Town Manager if honoring the request would have an effect on preparation of the coming year’s budget. Mr. Horton replied in reality it could if the Council wanted to request that the Arts Commission consider reviewing requests for art support, noting there was at least one from the ArtsCenter in Carrboro that could be referred to the Commission. He said it was not necessary that this be done and that was why it was a policy decision for the Council to make.
Mayor Foy suggested adding this issue as the final item on the April 10th agenda, and if someone wanted to discuss it then they would do it at that time.
Item 2 – Items for Discussion
Mr. Horton noted that staff had received a list of questions from the Council on a variety of issues, and that the most appropriate staff person from each department was present to respond to those questions. He suggested going down the list of questions, and if the Council wanted to ask for clarification they could do so at any time. Mayor Foy agreed to proceed in that manner.
Finance Department
Finance Director Kay Johnson responded to the questions asked by the Council:
1. Look at the budget over a two-year period and plan to avoid a tax increase in both years; recognizing the programmed increases for 2007-2008 (e.g. bond service increases next year by $1.12 million; the full-year cost of employee pay increases).
Ms. Johnson said that projections were made for a five-year period, and said that she understood the Council’s concern.
Mayor Foy commented that the concern was that the debt service that was programmed into the budget for next year and the full cost of employee pay increases this year would be in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. He said if nothing changed, that would be a three-cent property tax increase that was programmed into next year. Ms. Johnson said what they were proposing was to use a portion of the one-time fund balance they had retained to flatten the debt service peaks they would face over the next few years when General Obligation bonds and Town Operations Center debt was added. She said she understood the problem and agreed that it needed to be flattened out.
Mr. Horton added that they intended to hold in reserve a portion of the excess funds available, at least $1million, to assist in that same effort. Mayor Foy asked what excess funds the Manager was referring to. Mr. Horton responded there was $2 million one-time use available, and they were proposing to use only a portion of it this year and reserve the remainder for use next year.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked what the target for this year was for retained fund balance aside from the $2 million. Ms. Johnson said there had been a suggestion that they retain it at 18 percent but she was not sure that was where they wanted to be.
Mr. Horton said that he would not recommend that, noting they would be closer to the level discussed at the prior meeting. Ms. Johnson said a factor contributing to that was that one of the things that bonding agencies looked at was your savings level as well as your debt. She said that savings had to be reasonable given the size of the community, and should not be too low or too high.
Mayor Foy asked if the level was 18 percent if one added back in the $2 million in one time money. Ms. Johnson said that was correct.
2. Raise the reserve fund from $800,000 to $1.2 million in 2006-2007, and to $1.6 million in 2007-2008.
Ms. Johnson said they had preliminarily raised it to $1 million, and would look at the amount that seemed reasonable and the savings relative to the budget as a whole. She said they understood the principle of wanting to raise the amount above the amount they currently had.
Mr. Horton said he believed it was imprudent to target $1.6 million, noting he did not believe that was feasible. He said they would take a more careful look at attaining $1.2 million. Mr. Horton said he believed they could attain the $1 million on a regular basis, but would be concerned above that figure.
Ms. Johnson said part of the concern was that one of their major revenue sources was sales tax, which was difficult to estimate and fluctuated from year to year. She said if revenue from sales taxes were lower than estimated, that would make it increasingly difficult to put aside an increasing large number.
Mayor pro tem Strom said they could ask for a 2 percent across the board cut to see a budget that made some reductions. He said this rollover became another method for the Council to do that. Mayor pro tem Strom said they were under a lot of pressure to have a realistic budget that looked at this year and next year without a tax increase, and he wanted to see a legitimate attempt to accomplish that.
Mayor Foy said when the Manager said he believed $1 million was a realistic number, how would that show up in the recommended budget. Mr. Horton replied it would be noted in the Appropriated Fund balance for next year’s budget, and then would be taken into account in the Projections section for future years.
3. Keep all funds in fund balance this year (maintain 18 percent balance), and do not use the $2 million in this year’s budget.
Mayor Foy said the Manager had said that a portion of this $2 million would be used, and asked how much. Mr. Horton said they propose using $1 million this year and reserving $1 million for next year. Mayor Foy said that would just be a transfer into the General Fund and could be used for any purpose. Mr. Horton said it would be arbitrary.
Mayor Foy said that money could be used for CIP projects, since funds for those projects come from the General Fund. Mr. Horton said that was correct. Mayor Foy said if they did not use that $1 million, then they would be short by $1 million. Mr. Horton responded that it would mean he had a $1 million problem to solve.
Mayor pro tem Strom said they would have a $1 million problem to solve in the third year. Mr. Horton said he had not looked at those numbers yet, noting that there would be a revaluation of property coming that would complicate things as well.
Mayor Foy asked what would be done about the Aquatics Center, noting he believed that was one of the concerns of the Council. Mr. Horton said his recommendation was to appropriate $750,000 more so that the project could be completed. He said they had talked about building this project for some time, and it would get more expensive as time went on. Mr. Horton said they had already simplified the building, and could take out the warm water pool and save some money. He said they would then have only a lap pool for lap swimmers, and that was a small audience for such a large expenditure. Mr. Horton said that was why his recommendation was to fund the additional $750,000 and complete the project as planned.
Mayor Foy asked if that would be a one-year expense, or would it be amortized. Mr. Horton responded it depended on how the Council wanted to proceed. He said they could borrow the $750,000 and amortize it, or they could pay cash. Mayor Foy asked if the Manager would make a recommendation on how to do that. Mr. Horton said he would include that with the recommended budget.
Council Member Harrison asked if the Manager had a recommendation now for the source of those funds. Mr. Horton said in the end, the only source was the taxpayer. He said they had not completed the recommended budget, but the target was to have a no-tax increase or a minimal tax increase. Council Member Harrison asked if that would include the Aquatics Center. Mr. Horton said it would.
Council Member Easthom asked if the Council would see a breakdown of exactly where the $1 million would be used once it was placed in the General Fund. Mr. Horton replied it was simply cash to the General Fund, and an easier way to look at it was if that money were not there then what would have to be excluded from the General Fund.
Council Member Easthom asked how long they had known that the change in accounting would result in this $2 million. Ms. Johnson said they had become aware of that at the close of the last fiscal year. She said they had changed auditing firms and the accounting standards changed at the same time. Ms. Johnson said they had done the accounting the most conservative way possible, which resulted in that $2 million savings. She explained how the new accounting standards reflected the changes in the Town’s financial statements.
Council Member Easthom asked what the effect on the budget would be if they did not have that $1 million. Mr. Horton replied they would be looking at a tax increase of slightly less than two cents, and they were aware of that from the projections made a year ago.
4. Human Services funding level should stay constant.
Mayor Foy said currently the funding level was $498,000. Ms. Johnson said the figure was exactly the same as last year, adding that figure included the funds from Hotel/Motel allocations and grants to other agencies. She said there was a chart in the March 22 agenda item that explained the allocations. Mayor Foy said from that chart, the contribution to agencies recommended by the Human Services Advisory Board was $225,000.
5. What is the Council obligated to give the Visitors Bureau, if anything? Can this be used for the Town’s economic development position?
Mayor Foy said currently the Visitors Bureau received $69,000. Mr. Horton said the Council was not obligated to make any service agreement with the Visitors Bureau, noting it was created through special legislation for Orange County and funded by an occupancy tax collected by County. He said the Council a number of years ago had voluntarily chosen to make a payment for services to the Visitor’s Bureau at the rate of 15 percent of the total amount collected from the Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax. Mr. Horton said the Council a couple of years ago decided to make it a fixed dollar amount, noting the Council could choose to reduce it to zero or could raise it to whatever sum was desirable.
Mayor Foy asked for the Manager’s opinion on whether these funds could be used to fund the Town’s economic development position. Mr. Horton replied that the Council could use the Hotel/Motel occupancy taxes for any purpose they wish, except for the 10 percent that by law had to be used for cultural services. The other 90 percent, he said, could be used for any purpose the Council wished without limitation.
Mayor Foy asked what 10 percent would be. Ms. Johnson replied 10 percent was the $69,000 currently contributed to the Visitors Bureau. Ms. Johnson said the total amount could go up or down slightly, noting the amount estimated for the coming year was $700,000.
Mayor Foy said those funds could be used for the Town’s economic development director, except for the 10 percent that must be used for cultural services. Mr. Horton said that was correct.
6. Can the category called “Services to Seniors” be phased out over two years – this is a County function; can this money be dedicated instead to the CIP budget?
Mayor Foy said that would be about $108,000. Mr. Horton said the Council a number of years ago had decided to make a contribution to the Friends of the Senior Center of $30,000. He said there was a second amount of money, $46,700, that went to Orange County to help pay for services of an employee who worked directly with seniors at the Senior Center. Mr. Horton provided additional information regarding the contributions that made up the remaining balance of that $108,000.
Mayor Foy said the reason this was linked to the CIP budget was because there were potentially two large CIP improvement costs this year, one being the Southern Park of $300,000 and the other was the Aquatics Center at $750,000. He said he believed what the Council was looking at was where they would find that $1 million. Mayor Foy said it was a good point that these were County services, and the Town pays County taxes. He said he believed the Council should initiate a conversation with the County about this “money swapping.” Mr. Horton responded he would be glad to arrange that conversation.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he would like to be able to compare services offered and supported by Chapel Hill dollars compared to County dollars, and whether similar dollars were going into County programs and facilities. Mr. Horton said that kind of study probably could not be done during this budget year.
7. What services has the budget analyst provided in the budget process?
Ms. Johnson stated that the budget analyst took on the duties that had been performed in other departments. She said first of all was CIP development that had previously been prepared by the Planning Department. Ms. Johnson said the budget analyst was also responsible for calculation of the base figures and preparation of budgets relative to human resources and personnel, and assisted with preparation of the operation budget. She said beyond that, the budget analyst would assist in moving forward with performance measures, which was a weak area pointed out by the Government Finance Officers Association.
Council Member Thorpe asked if that question had come from the Finance Department. Mayor Foy noted that all of the questions had come from Council members. Council Member Thorpe commented that question and the response had allowed him to better understand the use of that position.
8. Combine the fire station capital maintenance and Town HVAC into a financing package instead of cash.
Mayor Foy said that referred to three items that totaled about $540,000. Ms. Johnson responded they could consider financing anything rather than paying cash, but she recommended saving the money for financing needs, since they had several general obligation issues coming up in the next few years, rather than using it on something that was less than $1 million. She said knowing that they have these other issuances coming up, she would be reluctant to finance it over time if they had the cash to pay for it instead.
Mr. Horton said that he and Ms. Johnson had a difference of opinion about this, noting he believed there was nothing wrong with financing certain kinds of long-term improvements. Because the Town has a AAA rating, he said, they could get a good rate. Mr. Horton said he and Ms. Johnson would discuss this and come to a decision prior to issuance of the recommended budget.
9. Why are vehicles in the add-ons and not in the Vehicle Replacement Fund?
Mr. Horton said it was customary not to increase the size of the fleet without prior notification to the Council. Ms. Johnson said the amounts on the add-ons were the first year costs if it were financed.
Mayor Foy asked if there was any objection from the Council to including the two requested vehicles. The Council had no objection.
10. Maintain the Arts Commission at the current funding level.
Mayor Foy said the current funding level was $150,000, and the Arts Commission had asked for $185,000. There was no comment from the Council, and the Mayor instructed the Manager to leave the funding level at $150,000.
11. Include the NC High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) funds.
Mayor Foy noted that funding level was $30,000.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked if this qualified for “cultural activity” money. Mr. Horton responded yes, and visitor services as well.
Hearing no objection from the Council, Mayor Foy instructed the Manager to include $30,000 for the NCHSAA.
12. Do not add in Economic Development Commission money; use this money for the Town EDC position.
Mr. Horton provided a brief background regarding this issue. Mayor Foy suggested folding this issue into the discussion of other economic development issues. Mr. Horton said that would be reasonable. There was no objection from the Council.
13. Provide full funding to the Land Trust, including the additional request.
Mayor Foy said the Land Trust had requested an additional $14,000. Mr. Horton said one of his concerns about the Land Trust was that they had not been adequately compensating their employees. He said he had asked Executive Director Robert Dowling to allow our Human Resources Director Pam Eastwood to take a look at their job descriptions and compensation. Mr. Horton stated that Ms. Eastwood had matched those jobs up with the Town’s pay system so they could be comfortable that the Land Trust employees were being treated in a fair and consistent manner in the same fashion as Town employees. He said Ms. Eastwood had presented recommendations to Mr. Dowling, who had in turn presented them to his Board. Mr. Horton said that Board had authorized Mr. Dowling to include that in the Land Trust’s request to the Council. Mr. Horton said he strongly endorsed this additional funding.
Mayor Foy asked if there were any objections to providing the additional $14,000 to the Land Trust.
Council Member Easthom said the Land Trust employees were hard working, committed, and fully believed in what they were doing. She said it would be a shame to lose any of them, and she agreed with Mr. Horton’s recommendation. Council Member Easthom said they were performing a valuable service to the Town, and they should be fairly compensated for that.
Hearing no objection from the Council, Mayor Foy instructed the Town Manager to include the $14,000 in the budget for the Land Trust.
14. Provide the $10,000 to the ArtsCenter, but not the additional request.
Mr. Horton said he believed the ArtsCenter request could reasonably be rejected by the Council, noting it was a Carrboro institution.
Hearing no objection from the Council, Mayor Foy instructed the Manager not to include the additional funding requested by the ArtsCenter.
15. Add the firefighter positions and the traffic technician.
Mayor Foy said that was a priority addition to the base budget, noting it included the cost of six firefighters for three months at $95,000, and the traffic technician for nine months would be paid from current revenues, so it had no impact on the budget.
Hearing no objection from the Council, the Mayor instructed the Manager to include these positions in the budget.
16. Do not add on the database administrator or the librarian.
Mr. Horton noted he was not recommending the addition of the database administrator, but continued to recommend including the librarian.
Council Member Ward said he supported including the librarian position, noting patrons were underserved in terms of understaffing at the library.
Council Member Harrison said he supported including that position as well.
Mr. Horton noted this position would augment children’s services, which was the fastest growing area of service. He said it was an incredibly popular service. Library Director Kathy Thompson noted that children’s circulation had risen by 10 percent over the last quarter, when the average was about 2 percent.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he wanted to see the cost of this in context to the overall budget, noting it was difficult to form an opinion at this point.
Council Member Easthom said she and her children were patrons of the library, and she saw the need directly. She supported the Manager’s recommendation.
Mr. Horton said he understood that the Council was not making final decisions tonight, and he respected that they could change minds. He said it was helpful to have this interim advice so they could prepare the recommended budget.
Mayor Foy commented that the Manager had received some guidance from the Council and would use that in his preparation of the recommended budget.
Council Member Thorpe asked what level of funding they received from Orange County for library services. Ms. Thompson responded $250,000. Mr. Horton stated that was nowhere near what it should be considering the large population of County residents that were served, although they were grateful for that support.
17. Add on Parks and Recreation Request.
Mayor Foy said this referred to on-line registration. Ms. Johnson said this was something they would like to have in the near future, but her concern was they would like to have an integrated on-line capacity for taking registration and funds at the same time, and as a result would prefer not to move forward with this request without bringing the rest of the Town along with it. She said she believed they needed to wait another year before moving forward with that.
Hearing no objection from the Council, Mayor Foy instructed the Manager not to include this in the recommended budget.
18. Use part of the $2 million to invest in library book purchases, and program continuing money for book purchases into future budgets.
Mayor Foy stated this had to do with sustaining the purchase of books over the long term, and to begin that by using a portion of the $2 million. Ms. Johnson remarked that this was a possible use of those funds.
Mr. Horton noted that as the Library expanded, the public would expect to have additional books as well as services. He said this would be a consistent concern over the next few years that the Council would need to address.
Ms. Thompson said the Library Foundation had been raising funds to provide 9,300 additional titles in the Library, which was the amount of shelf space that could be added while continuing to maintain good traffic patterns throughout the Library. She said that although the Library Master Plan called for four books per capita and suggested adding 73,000 books in the next 25 years, currently there is room for only 9,300.
Council Member Ward said his desire was that they begin to more consistently address the need for book purchases on an annual basis rather than ad hoc rescue attempts, to assist and augment the efforts of the Library Foundation.
Mayor Foy asked how much they put into book purchases each year. Ms. Thompson said it was around $250,000 for all different formats.
Assistant Town Manager
1. Provide funding for the Southern Park to build the original plan (re: parking), using part of the $2 million.
Assistant Town Manager Bruce Heflin stated that they had been asked to look at both the plan approved by the Council as part of the SUP and the original plan. He said they believed they would have an estimate ready for the Project Planning Committee (PPC) meeting next week, and would return to the Council once they received comments from the PPC.
Mayor Foy asked if they would be able to make a decision about this prior to adoption of the budget. Mr. Heflin said the problem was that they don’t know what the bids would reveal, noting they would bid most of the program elements as alternates, which would allow the Council to decide which to include in the final plans.
Mayor Foy said then the Council could choose within the current budget to adjust the plan, such as not putting in lights in one place or not building one of the soccer fields. Mr. Heflin stated that was correct. He said the previous guidance was to maximum program elements, but they would bring back recommendations that would allow that to be modified.
Council Member Easthom asked if this would come back before the Council as a response to the neighbors’ petition. Mayor Foy replied that it would come back to the Council, but it was not yet clear in what form. He said the PPC would make a recommendation to the Council with the same recommendation being made to the County Commissioners, with the hope that they could come to some agreement and not delay the project. Mayor Foy said they would have to wait until they saw the options and then make a decision.
Mr. Heflin said they would be responding to the petition regarding the traffic-calming plan both for signalization at Dogwood Acres Drive and US 15-501, and the possible addition of other traffic calming measures along Dogwood Acres Drive. He said they hoped to be able to bring that forward on April 24.
Mayor Foy said the SUP afforded some flexibility so it was unlikely they would have to amend it. He said the Council would have to make some decisions regarding how to spend the money.
Council Member Ward asked if the PPC would consider the cost the original design that had about 40 parking spaces off of Dogwood Acres Drive. Mayor Foy said yes, noting the Town had asked that no parking spaces be built on Dogwood Acres Drive.
2. Do not include the vestibule doors.
Mr. Heflin said this was to add air-lock doors to the two first floor entrances and one second-floor entrance at Town Hall. He said this was to achieve energy savings and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mr. Heflin said there were also security issues related to the way they work together. He said they recommend that these doors be included in the budget in order to achieve all of the mentioned purposes.
Council Member Ward said he supported this addition, noting that energy efficiency and compliance with the ADA were worthy issues.
Mayor Foy asked how these doors would work on the first floor. Mr. Heflin said they had not yet developed a design but it would be an extension of the vestibule that would include some roof structure. He said they had contractors examine the doors and had been able to receive cost estimates.
Mr. Horton noted this would be similar to the experience of entering double doors at hotels. Mayor Foy said this would be only for the entrances from the parking lots. Mr. Heflin responded that was correct.
Mayor pro tem Strom said $135,000 was too much for him to support. He said he agreed with the goal, particularly the ADA and energy efficiency goals. Mayor pro tem Strom suggested there may be other ways to do this, such as extending the vestibule into the building rather than outside the entrances, or using a revolving door. He said he would like to see that approach explored before he could support this.
Council Member Hill said he agreed with Mayor pro tem Strom, but if the objective was no tax increase then this was an easy item to forego. He suggested there were other ways to alter the entry doors to achieve many of the objectives. Council Member Hill said he would have a hard time supporting this.
Mr. Horton commented that the doors, as they were, did meet the threshold of ADA compliance, and they were in technical compliance with the ADA compliance plan, currently being updated. He said the Town was not in violation of the law, but it was not meeting the best standard.
3. Delay the building condition assessment.
Mayor Foy asked if the Council had requested that. Mr. Heflin said the last assessment was completed in 1995, noting a consultant had inspected the Town’s facilities and offered a plan for making things right. He said that had been the genesis of the large renovations done since then. Mr. Heflin said the intent of the 1995 assessment was to offer the Council a method that would allow for predictable budget impacts over the course of the years it would take to complete the work.
Mr. Heflin said it was now time to conduct another assessment. He said it certainly could be delayed, but he did not recommend it. Mr. Heflin said each year that it was delayed allowed for more deterioration, and created a multiple-year planning horizon for them, adding one more year to begin financing and planning for improvements.
Council Member Easthom asked what the building condition assessment would cost. Mayor Foy noted it was listed as $65,000. Council Member Easthom said they know that the HVAC needed to be replaced, and she was finding this expense hard to accept at this time.
Mayor pro tem Strom said they had conducted a lot of work on buildings the last two years. He asked it was possible to narrow this down and assess only the buildings most likely to need repairs. Mayor pro tem Strom said he was confident that Mr. Heflin and his staff could pinpoint the trouble spots that needed attention and then bring an option back to the Council to spend a significantly less amount of money to assess those structures. He said they had spent a lot of money on roofs and other things, and he would like to see a scaled-back version of this.
Mr. Heflin said they could do that. He said one of the benefits of reviewing buildings that had not been renovated was to determine any additional deterioration or problems. Mr. Heflin said he would develop options for the Council’s consideration.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he would like to have those options before moving forward with this issue.
4. What is the difference between line 30 and line 42 on the CIP chart?
Mayor Foy said line 30 referred to capital repairs on Parking Lots 2 and 5 at $75,000, and line 42 was greenway trails at $47,000. Mr. Heflin said that line 30 referred to finished surface repairs throughout the Town, including parking lots, paved greenway surfaces, and other pedestrian paths, particularly asphalt, that needed routine maintenance. He said they had created an inventory of all of these spaces, and they had addressed as much as possible each year.
Mr. Heflin said the second item had to do with a higher level of maintenance on the greenways, primarily where there were boardwalks, steps, and other wooden features that had deteriorated over time. He noted they wanted to focus on Tanyard Branch and Battle Branch.
Council Member Hill asked, regarding line 30, if that was performed with the Town crews or contracted out. Mr. Heflin stated that most of it was contracted out. Council Member Hill ascertained that the same was true for line 42. Mr. Heflin said yes.
Council Member Hill asked, regarding the streetscape work that we do with Town forces, if the Town hires extra people to help with that work. Mr. Heflin replied no, noting that the typical streetscape project had particular elements, such as curb and gutter work that the Town hires out because it does not own the necessary equipment to do that work. He said that excavation, fine micro-grading and other work was performed by Town forces.
Council Member Hill asked, since they had not funded any streetscape work last year, how that impacted the Public Works budget. Mr. Heflin said that not performing streetscape work had allowed them to perform other types of work such as sidewalk work. He said the construction crews had several functions, one of which was sidewalk installation and street reconstruction, and not having to perform streetscape work had allowed them to concentrate on other projects.
Council Member Hill said if we had funded the streetscape project, then some of the money would have gone to outside contractors and some would have gone towards other things, and the extra sidewalk work would not have been performed because the construction crew would have been concentrating on streetscape. Mr. Heflin said that was correct. Council Member Hill said his point was that Public Works draws those funds in as they perform the projects, so in essence the Town was acting as a contractor in that regard. Mr. Heflin said that was correct.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked if Public Works had charged the bond fund for materials and labor, or just the materials. Mr. Heflin responded for the materials only. Mr. Horton added it would include any rentals as well.
Council Member Hill said that accounted for why the work could be performed at half the cost of hiring a contractor. Mr. Heflin said yes, because only the hard cost was pulled from the bond fund, and not the cost of the labor.
Mayor Foy remarked that the labor cost was absorbed by the Public Works budget, since it was not charged to the bond fund.
Council Member Hill asked if Town forces would perform the cemetery repairs noted at $20,000. Mr. Heflin replied it was primarily contracted out, adding that the larger projects in recent yeas had been the lighting, the stone wall, marker restoration and some drainage issues. He said this $20,000 would go towards further marker restoration, noting that we experienced a far amount of vandalism at the cemetery.
5. Extraordinary maintenance funds should stay at $76,000.
Mayor Foy said it had been suggested that this be increased to $90,000, and asked why it had gone up. Mr. Heflin said they had seen the need to increase this fund over the years, noting this was a contingency fund that was a safety net for the Town. He said these funds could be used for heating or air conditioning systems that might fail, for pool mechanical systems that do not perform well, for roof repairs, or others. Mr. Heflin said currently they were experiencing a leak in the roof at the Hargraves Center, and they would be hiring someone to provide an assessment. He said they did not know what was causing the leak, so they don’t know whether it would be a small expense or a large expense.
Mr. Heflin said they also had to keep the Community Center going until they could do the renovation, and they were concerned that they may experience some sort of failure in the next fiscal year before the work could be done in the fall. He said they would also be doing repairs on the Town Hall HVAC system this spring even though they were considering replacing it, because there were parts that routinely needed replacing.
Mr. Heflin said there was no magic dollar amount for this contingency fund, but commented that they had used virtually all of that money each year.
Mayor Foy asked if all of the funds had been spent in the current year. Mr. Heflin responded that Public Works Director Bill Letteri had indicated that the remaining funds had been committed, so all of the funds would be used.
Council Member Greene asked what would happen if they experienced an unexpected maintenance issue and needed more than the $76,000. She asked where the additional funds would come from. Mr. Horton said he would find it in a departmental budget, noting that would result in something else being deferred.
Council Member Greene asked what had been the experience over the last three years of what had been set aside versus what the Town had actually spent. Mr. Heflin responded that he would be happy to get that information and provide it to the Council.
6. Curb cut improvements (line 28), Jay Street paving (line 29), mobile radios (line 34) should be included.
The Council agreed by consensus to include these items in the budget.
7. Does the $90,000 (line 35) for signal system need to say in this year’s budget?
Mr. Horton said unless the Town shows good faith and budgets its share of the traffic signal system costs, it would make it more difficult to get the larger share of funds from the NCDOT. Engineering Director George Small said this would be a reappropriation of funds already in the current year budget. He said this was more than a $5 million project, and the Town’s share of that was about $450,000. Mr. Small said of that, they had gotten the Metropolitan Planning Organization to allocate $360,000, leaving $90,000 as the Town’s share. He said that was the commitment they had put on the table to the NCDOT, telling them the Town was ready to go if they were. Mr. Small said they believed there was a good chance that if the construction project were funded in the next few fiscal years then NCDOT would do the design next year, meaning that the money needed to be available at that time. He noted that the $450,000 included costs for both design and construction.
Mayor Foy said the system was not likely to be funded until 2009. Mr. Small said that was the latest information, noting that they were confident that the design would begin in the next fiscal year.
Mayor pro tem Strom said it was important to have the money available so they could move forward as Mr. Small had described, which was that this was a priority and they were ready to go. He reminded the Council this was a reappropriation and not new money, and it would be wise to go ahead and reallocate it.
The Council by consensus agreed to reappropriate the $90,000.
Human Resources Department
1. Provide the Council with a projection as to the cost of a 2.5 percent employee pay increase for 2006-2007.
Mr. Horton noted that they had not yet had time to complete the projections, but would provide that information as well as other information very soon.
Planning Department
1. Reduce home occupation license fee to $50 from $100.
Mr. Horton said they believed that the $100 fee was reasonable considering the cost incurred to operate the Home Occupancy program. He said they not only had to administer the process, but had to respond to complaints as well.
Mayor Foy asked who paid that fee. Planning Director J. B. Culpepper responded that persons applying for a Home Occupation Permit, to conduct a business out of their homes, paid it. Mayor Foy asked if that was a one-time fee. Ms. Culpepper responded yes.
Council Member Easthom said she had asked about this because she wanted to encourage more people to work at home. She said this program would reduce traffic, noting that Carrboro charged $50 as their fee. Council Member Easthom said she felt strongly that they should see what the budgetary implications would be to drop it to $50, noting she wanted to encourage people to work at home.
Mayor Foy said it would be good to know the budget implications. Ms. Johnson said if the fee were to be reduced to $50, and given that they virtually experience the same amount of applications each year, it would cost the Town approximately $1,000.
Mayor Foy said if there was no objection from the Council, then drop the fee to $50. There was no objection from the Council.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked if that $100 was a one-time fee and existed through the life of the business. Mr. Horton said that was correct, noting that one of the reasons the license fee was set at $100 was because it was the only such fee of that type. He said other fees were assessed and collected each year.
Mayor pro tem Strom said it would be interesting to find out if Carrboro charged this fee each year, before the Town definitely decided to drop its fee to $50.
Mayor Foy agreed, and asked the Manager to provide that information to the Council.
Council Member Kleinschmidt arrived at 5:40 p.m.
2. What benefit does Chapel Hill get from the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Bike and Pedestrian position?
Ms. Culpepper said the Bike and Pedestrian position was funded 50 percent from the MPO annual allocation funds that were theoretically available for any regional projects. She said that person’s role was to assist with any bicycle and pedestrians issues. Ms. Culpepper said she understood that that person had coordinated the Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road bicycle and pedestrian feasibility study, and was working to arrange the regional walkable communities design workshops. She said the other 50 percent of the cost was funded by the City of Durham.
Council Member Harrison said he frequently interacted with this person, noting there had never been a bicycle and pedestrian planner in any government in the Triangle until this person was hired. He said the Old Durham-Chapel Hill Road bicycle and pedestrian feasibility study would not have been done had this person not been in place to do it. Council Member Harrison said that was the largest project of its kind in the Triangle, noting if a local government asked this planner to do something she would do it. He said it was a valuable position, and if they wanted more value for Chapel Hill then they should ask for more to be done.
Mayor pro tem Strom said as a member of the MPO, they had asked many times for information about the structure of the organization, such as who reported to whom, and he wanted to get a sense from the Planning Department if there was more they could ask for from this staff person that would be fair. He said he wanted to understand if there were things that they should be getting.
Council Member Harrison said they had asked the MPO to answer questions about what functions the staff performed. He said they were still waiting for an organization chart and a list of duties.
Mayor Foy said the Council’s basic question was could the Planning Department use the services of a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator. He said if the answer was yes, then the Council would need some prioritization of issues, and the MPO representatives would approach the MPO and ask for that.
Council Member Harrison said there were services that could be provided to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, but they had to ask to get it done. Ms. Culpepper said she would do some research and bring a report back to the Council.
3. Can the affordable rentals position be funded from the revolving loan fund?
Mayor Foy noted this was $12,000. Ms. Culpepper said it was a local fund and the Council could do what it wished. She said the fund was set up as a revolving source of funds to acquire affordable housing. Mr. Horton said he was recommending that the Council use $200,000 of that fund to go with the $300,000 from the Parking Fund to make up the $500,000 that the Council had tentatively committed to the RAM Development project to pay for some 35 parking spaces for affordable housing units. He said his recommendation was not to use this fund for this particular position, noting he had included the $12,000 to support the position in the operating budget, adding this would be a continuing cost.
The Council agreed by consensus with the Manager’s recommendation.
Council Member Greene commented that the purpose of this position was to assist the non-profits with inspections because they were experiencing a frustrating level of developments that were not complying with stipulations. She asked Mr. Horton if this request was reasonable in order for them to achieve the desired result. Mr. Horton said he believed they needed the Inspections Department to be more diligent in the early stages to make sure that developments were complying with the approved elevations and details. He said the Inspections Department had been applying greater attention and had found problems that had been brought to the Community Design Commission, which in turn had prompted the request for this position. Mr. Horton said he believed by paying greater attention early in the process, these violations could be identified and abated without having to provide a new position.
Council Member Ward asked what the funding source was for the inspector position that was created using rental licensing fees. Mr. Horton said that position had been abolished and was no longer in the budget, along with a part-time clerical position as well.
Police Department
1. Add seven new police officers to the downtown; but add only three new positions. Assign others from other duties (e.g., traffic patrol).
Police Chief Gregg Jarvies said he had originally recommended the addition of seven new positions to bring the total to 12 offices assigned to the downtown. He said after extensive discussions with Mr. Horton, they believe the Department could move two positions and assign them to the downtown, bring the current total to five. Chief Jarvies said he could not recommend moving any additional officers, noting that would mean reducing the patrol staff. He said that 89 percent of the calls came from outside the downtown district, and moving other positions would reduce the number of officers available to respond to other calls.
Chief Jarvies explained how vacations and other leave were accommodated within the Department. He said it was important to remember that officers not directly assigned to the downtown would still patrol in the downtown to supplement the foot and bicycle officers, and would supplement the 12 officers. But, Chief Jarvies added, 12 officers would not provide around-the-clock coverage.
Chief Jarvies said he truly believed that five new positions were needed to supplement the two that he had been able to transfer from other positions. He said from the 87 first-line, non-supervisory patrol officers, only seven did not work first-line duties. Chief Jarvies said one was in training, three in community policing at substations, and one handled all special events and acted as their court liaison.
Mayor Foy said he understood there were 80 officers who patrolled through Town 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Chief Jarvies said there were actually 74 who patrolled; the others were in Investigations. Mayor Foy asked of those 74, how many were currently assigned to the downtown. Chief Jarvies stated that currently five of those were assigned to the downtown. Mayor Foy said that meant that in other parts of Town there were 69 officers, and asked about coverage in the Northside neighborhood. Chief Jarvies replied that the 69 included the eight in Northside, leaving 61 in other parts of Town.
Mayor Foy said if 12 officers were assigned to the downtown, one should remember that providing constant coverage, and taking into account vacations and other leave time, one will not see 12 officers. He asked how many would actually be out and about. Chief Jarvies responded that typically there were eight, noting there were 11 per platoon. He said with vacations, court time, injuries, and training, that total was usually eight, which was their minimum. Chief Jarvies said in addition, there were two supervisors on duty with each platoon.
Council Member Harrison asked if that meant that eight vehicles were “rolling.” Chief Jarvies said that was correct.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked if Traffic was a separate group of officers. Chief Jarvies said they were among the 69, but four were assigned to traffic enforcement, traffic investigation, and traffic education. He said they do almost all of the crash investigations so that other officers don’t get tied up for long periods, adding that their request load from citizens could support six officers but they had been at four for about six years.
Council Member Easthom said she understood there was one officer downtown during the day and two at night. Chief Jarvies said that was correct. Council Member Easthom asked, with the request for more officers, what officer presence would be seen in the downtown? Chief Jarvies responded at least Wednesday through Saturday their goal would be to have four officers working at night, beginning at 5:00 p.m. until around 3:30 a.m. He said their hope was to double the coverage at night with an additional officer working daytime, Monday through Friday.
Mayor Foy asked if all of those officers would be on foot. Chief Jarvies said they would be on foot or on a bike.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked what would be the responsibilities of the officers on duty from 5 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., particularly with regard to the bars open late hours. He asked if there was a private element and a public enforcement element, or was the Town completely responsible. Chief Jarvies replied they provide security services beginning at about 1 a.m. particularly Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. He said some of the establishments provided private security and that helped, but the two officers walking the downtown usually provided a presence at the locations they expected to be needed most, which for the most part was the eastern section.
Mayor pro tem Strom asked if this new force would double that to four. Chief Jarvies said their goal was on the busiest nights to provide four officers and divide them up east and west, but on weekend nights they would concentrate on the area they knew would need them the most. He added that the beauty of this system was there would still be patrol officers in cars patrolling the downtown to back up those foot and bike officers.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he continued to hear from citizens who wanted to see an officer walking the downtown, and hoped that Chief Jarvies would keep that clearly expressed community desire in the forefront of his scheduling and application of this new downtown force. Chief Jarvies stated they understood that visibility was key, and officers for this new unit would be chosen for their creativity, energy, and athletic ability since they would be on foot or a bike for 8 to 12 hours and they had to be everywhere. He said the goal was to make it seem as though there were 15 of them.
Council Member Thorpe said he was proud of the attitude of the Police Department, noting that many citizens had commented on how well they were treated by Town officers. He said that was all about attitude from the top of the organization down. Council Member Thorpe encouraged Chief Jarvies to continue to recruit officers such as they now had, and to continue to emphasize in their training the uniqueness of Chapel Hill. Chief Jarvies agreed that they had great women and men on the force and that attitude was key. Council Member Thorpe said when a vacancy occurred in the top administration, he would like to see someone of color in that position.
Council Member Kleinschmidt asked what level of cooperation the Town police force received from the University police force given that UNC had property in the downtown and an independent police department operating in their jurisdiction which abuts the Town’s, right at a point where many of the problems occur. He asked what arrangements the Town had to allow them to add their assistance to the Town’s effectiveness downtown. Chief Jarvies replied that the Town patrols the same areas, mostly roadway, and they had always had a good relationship although there were jurisdictional issues. He said the University police would not respond to calls outside its jurisdiction, but would assist the Town if they were called. Chief Jarvies said they share the extraterritorial jurisdiction approved by the Council a year ago.
Council Member Kleinschmidt asked, if an event was witnessed by a University police officer on the opposite side of the street from their jurisdiction, was the Town’s expectation that they would intervene. Chief Jarvies said he had discussed this with Chief Poarch, and he was sure they would if there was a potential for injury or someone was breaking into a building, but for minor offenses such as alcohol offenses they would not respond.
2. Are the mobile data units necessary? Why is the software license too expensive?
Mayor Foy noted these were two budget add-ons to that total $72,000. Chief Jarvies explained that the units would offer the downtown officers the same access and availability as officers in cars. He said without that they would have to depend on reaching an officer in a car by radio, or would have to report to a substation to write their reports. Chief Jarvies said it was also a safety issue, because the units would allow for immediate checks for outstanding warrants or other red flags.
Mayor Foy confirmed that these units were for the downtown patrol. Chief Jarvies said that was correct, noting these units would be smaller and more compact. Regarding the licensing, Chief Jarvies noted that they had used this software for several years with virtually no problems. He said every new unit would require an additional licensing fee, adding that the software was expensive but competitive. Chief Jarvies noted that the vendor provided software exclusively for law enforcement.
Mayor Foy asked if this was a one-time licensing fee or an annual fee. Chief Jarvies replied it was an annual fee per unit. Mayor Foy confirmed that the fee was $4,000 per unit.
Public Works Department
1. Can Public Works reassign people instead of hiring new people for the downtown positions?
Public Works Director Bill Letteri said they had focused on how to improve conditions downtown, and had considered various options of how they might reallocate staff or resources. Mr. Letteri said they were able to periodically provide additional services, but what was required was a consistent, dedicated individual who could work all day to provide a constant presence downtown. He said it was difficult to find ways to divert people to other activities without impacting other services.
Mayor Foy asked how many people were in the Landscaping Division. Mr. Letteri said 30 people. Mayor Foy said that would be the pool of people they would look to, since they provide this kind of service to the downtown.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he knew it was difficult to shuffle resources to get the services you want. He asked, if they cut back on leaf collection somewhat, and given the fact that they may not allocate streetscape dollars this year for certain projects, was there a way to offer some program cuts that would not hurt a lot, such as leaf collection, to create some space for these jobs to be filled without hiring additional people. Mr. Letteri responded that they could, and could define just what those service reductions might be, but he emphasized that there would be no way to accommodate that without service reductions.
Mayor pro tem Strom said his mind was not made up, but he would benefit from seeing what those service reductions might be in order to cover these positions. He said it appeared that cutting back on leaf collection might be possible. Mr. Letteri reminded the Council that leaf collection took place for only a part of the year, so it only solved a partial problem.
Mayor Foy said whatever Mr. Letteri brought back for consideration, the person had to be dedicated to the downtown. He said it would not be someone who was pulled off other work to go downtown, but someone who was permanently assigned to work in the downtown. Mr. Letteri said he understood.
Mr. Letteri said that this would present a difficult practical problem for them to solve, to try to draw an individual or a group of individuals from a host of different operations to try and fill this need. He said he was not sure that was a practical solution.
Mayor pro tem Strom said he endorsed the position being filled, but was asking for options, if possible, for how other resources could be assigned. He said that Council Member Easthom had reminded him about vegetative waste that was picked up every week. Mayor pro tem Strom said he would feel well served if that service was offered for the first five days of each month. He said he knew that people liked that service, but it was a service that would not affect how people cared for their homes or the character and look of the community.
Mr. Horton said, regarding vegetative waste, that was a service that would be difficult to rearrange. He said the work force that provided that service was the Sanitation Collector work force, and a modification of the vegetative waste collection schedule would not produce an immediate supply of additional hours from that work force to do other things. Mr. Horton said he had looked at that carefully since the Council had raised that question in previous years, adding that each time he had found it not to be workable.
Mr. Horton said he had pushed Mr. Letteri hard to find some other way to fill this position, but so far he had not identified anything that was appealing to him. He said he would challenge Mr. Letteri to try again with the hope that he would identify something that was acceptable to the Council.
Council Member Ward left the meeting at 6:18 p.m.
Other Matters
Council Member Hill said he had talked with Ms. Johnson previously about accounting rule changes regarding the declaration of liability associated with retiree benefits. He asked what impact that would have on the Town. Ms. Johnson said there would be a cost associated with having the study done. She said beyond that it was a question of what the liability would be. Ms. Johnson said they had looked at the numbers in terms of how many people currently are on retiree benefits, and said the number was not sufficiently large enough for it to be placed in a special fund with a reserve. She said she did not think the Council would be overwhelmed by the number. Council Member Hill asked if the study was required. Ms. Johnson replied it was.
Mr. Horton said he had several points he would like to make. He said he continued to receive requests not only from citizens, advisory groups, and non-profit organizations, but from department heads who were making pleas for consideration, including one from his office, for a part-time clerk to provide some support for the Deputy Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager. He said he would have to take that request seriously.
Mr. Horton said he had failed to include in the Council’s earlier budget figures that the Council, in its first budget session, had approved the addition of an internship program. He said that would appear in the recommended budget when the Council received it on April 24. Mr. Horton said the figure was around $25,000 to $30,000.
Mayor Foy asked what the budget schedule was from there on. Mr. Horton said the next task would be preparation of the recommended budget in a final format for the Council’s consideration on April 24, although the document would be distributed to them before that date. He said then there were a series of meetings, one of which the Mayor had requested be modified. Mr. Horton said there was a budget work session scheduled for May 31, but he believed it could easily be deleted and would bring that option forward for the Council’s consideration. He said the budget public forum was on May 10, and budget adoption was scheduled for June 26. Mr. Horton added there were a couple of work sessions on the schedule that he believed would be sufficient for the Council to come to some conclusions.
Mayor Foy said he had asked because the recommended budget needed to be ready two weeks from today. He said he was assuming that after today there would not be much that was useful if they were to have an extra public hearing between now and then, so they might as well continue with the schedule. Mr. Horton said that would be his advice.
Mr. Horton thanked the Council for the manner in which they had arranged the process this year, noting it was not only very effective and helpful to the Council, but had been enormously useful to the staff to have the opportunity to talk to them about key issues earlier in the process and get feedback.
Council Member Thorpe reminded the Council that they were to discuss the schedule for the Manager’s Search Committee.
Mayor Foy said what they needed to know was if the Council would be available June 14 through June 29, because that was the time period that they expected to schedule interviews with the finalists, and that was the critical time that the full Council needed to be able to engage with the finalists. He asked if anyone had a conflict between June 14 and June 29, noting they needed to know as soon as possible. Mayor Foy said it was important to know if there was any time from 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. between June 18 and June 29 that a Council member would not be available for any reason.
Council Member Kleinschmidt said he would appreciate the fewest number of things scheduled between 1 and 3 p.m., noting it was easier to schedule events at the beginning or the end of the day because of work schedules.
Council Member Easthom commented that Tuesdays and Thursdays were good for her, but Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were not. She said evenings after 6 p.m. were fine any day.
Council Member Greene asked if anyone knew when the last day of public school was. Council Member Easthom responded it was June 8.
Mayor pro tem Strom said his strong preference was to work between the 14th and the 23rd, noting that the Council had a business meeting on the 26th. He said then they could wrap up on the 27th or 28th. Mayor pro tem Strom said the 29th was not good for him.
Council Member Harrison said that on June 14 he and Mayor Foy and Mayor pro tem Strom would most likely be at the TAC meeting in Durham, and there was a work group meeting scheduled that afternoon that he planned to attend.
Mayor Foy reiterated the schedules and suggestions offered by the Council. He said he would forward that information to the Town’s consultant, Anita Badrock, to put into a grid and try to come up with some firm times.
The meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.