ATTACHMENT 5
Excerpt from Draft Minutes of the February 23, 2004 Town Council Meeting:
Item 8 - Discussion of Council Goals and Implementation Plan for 2004
Mr. Horton presented a set of goals and recommended priority categories based on goals the Council had developed at its January 15, 2004 session. These did not include Council Member Ward's question about transfer and purchase of development rights, Mr. Horton said, explaining that this had been an oversight. He told Council members that the staff would bring back an amendment for consideration very soon. These goals were being offered as a draft for Council feedback and direction, Mr. Horton said.
Mayor Foy commented that the goals were a blueprint for the Council's work for the coming year. They were divided into highest, second, and third priority, he pointed out. Mayor Foy recommended that Council members make sure they agree with the prioritization and that their understanding of the goals is the same as the staff's. He noted that Council members probably would like to move everything into the highest priority, but cautioned them to consider the staff's assessment of how much they can do in a year.
With regard to #21, under the second priority on page 13, Mayor pro tem Wiggins asked what master plan the Council had been referring to when they adopted that. Various Council members explained that it would be a new master plan. Mayor pro tem Wiggins ascertained that the same item was referring to Chapel Hill Transit, not Town transportation in general. Mr. Horton pointed out, however, that it could include future changes that might be operated by Chapel Hill Transit. Mayor pro tem Wiggins noted that the Transit Committee had been calling for a master plan.
With regard to #36, Council Member Harrison stated that discussions of Chapel Hill Transit and Highway 15-501 refer to Fordham Boulevard. That is why mitigation of traffic congestion plays a role in how well transit can operate on Highway 15-501 itself, he said. Council Member Harrison wondered if the Town needed to repeat the study through the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT), since that is what his petition, which had become a Council resolution, had already accomplished. He said that the study would help feed into the transit master plan because it looks at how well Highway 15-501 could be working. So, Council Member Harrison said, #36 had already been done and the Town was waiting for NCDOT to get around to it. He pointed out that another request from the Council to the MPO might move it along.
Mayor Foy asked if Council Member Harrison was suggesting changing or eliminating the goal. Council Member Harrison replied that he was trying to jump-start it. There was not that much for the staff to do on it, he said, because it was going to be a State study and the State had already begun doing those on troubled corridors elsewhere.
Mayor Foy commented that getting a resolution from the Council to go the MPO would not be a problem. But if Council Member Harrison was recommending changing the description, or moving the item or eliminating it, then the Council should do that tonight, said Mayor Foy. He recommended leaving the item as it was and doing as Council Member Harrison had recommended in a resolution. Council Member Harrison agreed, adding that he had wanted that kind of analysis.
Council Member Hill pointed out that publicly financed elections had not been put on the list even though the Council had discussed it. He proposed that it become a high priority regardless of what the General Assembly decides to do. Mr. Horton offered to bring that back as an amendment at the next Council meeting. Council Member Hill explained that he wanted to make candidacy for Town Council more inclusive and to have campaign finance reporting done "in real time."
Council Member Kleinschmidt suggested that they make sure that this gets addressed this year rather than next since it would be unseemly to do it during the 2005 election year. It would be better to have this kind of conversation with the community in the absence of that kind of electoral overly, Council Member Kleinschmidt reasoned. Mr. Horton and Mayor Foy agreed that a Council Committee should address this issue.
Council Member Strom recommended that #21 be moved to the highest priority. He suggested trying to compress the timetable, secure funding, get the study underway in 2005, and get it in place as quickly as possible. Council Member Strom stressed the importance of the Council having a vision and direction for public transit.
Mayor Foy asked if moving #21 to the highest priority would place an undo burden on the staff. Mr. Horton replied that the staff would look at the entire package and bring back a recommendation for modification if moving it up would be an unrealistic objective. Mayor Foy recommended moving that to highest priority then, with the modification that Council Member Strom had recommended.
With regard to #23, Council Member Ward determined from Mr. Horton that what the staff had proposed would allow the Council to know what it could do during this budget cycle. With regard to #35, he expressed concern that the strategy would have significant negative health implication. If drainage ponds were leading to more mosquitoes then he would like to know that soon, he said. Mr. Horton replied that this was the fastest schedule they could promise given the limited staff to focus on this issue. He added, though, that the Town might obtain University assistance that would allow it to move faster. Council Member Ward asked the Council to support allowing the Manager to look into obtaining University assistance with #35. Mr. Horton noted that there was consensus for that based on the nods from Council members and the lack of any objection.
With regard to #8, Council Member Greene said that the Council had asked to review how the 5,000 square foot threshold was working versus the 2,000 square foot one that had been proposed but had not been adopted. She explained that the rationale for the 5,000 square foot threshold, for this and the tree ordinance, was that it would catch most Chapel Hill development anyway. But the Planning Board had asked that it be tracked for a year or so, Council Member Greene recalled, and she asked if that could be worked in as a goal in the next review of the LUMO. Mr. Horton replied that the staff was scheduled to report on that this year.
With regard to #16, Council Member Greene emphasized that the NC Rehabilitation Code already exists. She had asked whether the Town should opt into that program or not, she said, and had hoped it could be done earlier in 2004 rather than at some unspecified date. Mr. Horton replied that so many things fit into that category he would not want to make a promise.
With regard to #34, Council Member Greene asked the Manager if he had any ideas about where to pursue grant funding. She also asked who on the staff had been assigned to head that up. Mr. Horton replied that he had not made the assignment yet but thought that funding was possible based on limited discussions with Planning Department staff.
Mr. Horton suggested that the staff bring back a revised resolution that would include the Council's discussion tonight. The Council agreed by consensus. Mr. Horton thanked the Council for the work they had created over a two-year period. It had moved the Comprehensive Plan implementation ahead in a good way, he said, and the staff was very grateful for that leadership.