AGENDA #4c

MEMORANDUM

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

SUBJECT:       Proposed Calendar for Council Meetings Through December 2001, Including the 2001-2002 Budget Process

DATE:             August 28, 2000

The attached resolution would adopt a calendar of Council meetings through December 2001.

                                                                BACKGROUND

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 August, the Council normally adopts a calendar for the following year (through December 2001) with any changes needed due to holidays and other events.  The attached material outlines the proposed calendar from September 2000 to December 2001.

                                                                  DISCUSSION

The proposed calendar includes schedules for:

1.      Preparation of the annual budget and 5-year capital program.

2.      General planning session of the Council on Friday, January 19, 2001.

3.      A public forum and action by the Council on potential legislative requests during the 2001 session of the General Assembly.

4.      Preparation of plans to use grants for:

·        public transit,

·        community development,

·        major renovations to public housing and related activities,

·        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, support of cultural events and the Downtown Commission.

6.      Joint planning hearings on the second Wednesday in April and the first Monday in October 2001, and subject to concurrence by the Town of Carrboro and Orange County.  The October 1 joint planning hearing was scheduled on the first Monday to avoid UNC Fall Break and Yom Kippur.

7.  Work sessions with Development Ordinance consultants at 5:30 p.m., preceding Council meetings on September 18, 2000 and January 22, 2001.

General Comments:

            The proposed processes and meeting dates are similar to those adopted by the Council for 2000.  For example, the budget process includes public forums in late January and late March, a public hearing in mid-May, reports and recommendations from the Manager, and several dates for work sessions of the Council.

We recommend continuing to have presentations by advisory boards and commissions early in the budget process, in mid- to late-February.  We also recommend including presentations by department heads to the Council, as in the past two years.  Last year’s department head presentations began in early March.  However, we recommend that this year’s department head presentations begin on February 28, because of the National League of Cities meeting from March 9-13 and the University Spring Break from March 10-18.  We recommend continuing to hold these budget work sessions early in the budget process to allow the Council time to consider the information presented by advisory boards and department heads. 

Holidays, Annual Meetings, etc.

As in past years, the proposed calendar takes into account holidays, 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.

·        The first business meeting in March is proposed for March 5, due to a National League of Cities meeting from March 9-13.

·        Unlike last year, the University’s and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ Spring Breaks do not coincide in 2001.  The University’s Spring Break is scheduled from March 10-18; the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools’ Spring Break is from April 9-13.

·        The proposed calendar through December 2001 would not conflict with the times of UNC men’s basketball home games.

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

Additional Options

a.         Federal Holidays

The proposed calendar could be changed to avoid having Council meetings on the federal holidays that fall on Mondays for Presidents' Day (third Monday in February) and Columbus Day (second Monday in October). Veterans Day will be on the second Sunday in November and would not overlap the proposed Council meeting schedule.

b.         2001 Budget Forum and Hearing Dates

The proposed forum and hearing dates are scheduled for Tuesday, January 23 and Wednesday, March 28.  We do not recommend scheduling the budget forums and hearings as a part of the regular business meetings of the Council due to the large number of participants in recent years.

c.         Budget Development Schedule

The following proposed budget work session schedule could be amended by the Council as desired:

January 19        Friday                    Council planning session, including budget/finance (8:30 a.m.)

January 23        Tuesday                 Public forum and hearing on budget and related items

February 14     Wednesday            Budget work session - Meeting with advisory boards (4-6 p.m.)

February 28     Wednesday            Budget work session – Department presentations (4-6 p.m.)

March 2           Friday                    Budget work session - Department presentations (12-5 p.m.)

March 5           Monday                 Business meeting – Action on related budget items (Housing;    

                                                      Downtown District; requests to County).                                        

March 7           Wednesday            Budget work session – if desired (4-6 p.m.)

March 26         Monday                 Submittal of preliminary budget report and related items at regular business meeting

March 28         Wednesday            Public forum and hearing on preliminary budget report.

April 23            Monday                 Business meeting - submittal of recommended budget

April 25            Wednesday            Budget work session – if desired (4-6 p.m.)

May 9              Wednesday            Public hearing on recommended budget and related items

May 16            Wednesday            Budget work session – if desired (4-6 p.m.)

June 11            Monday                 Consideration of adopting budget and related items

June 25                 Monday             Consideration of performance agreements

d.         Meetings of the Triangle J Council of Governments, School Board and OWASA Board

The Executive Committee of the Board of Delegates of the Triangle J Council of Governments meets on the fourth Wednesdays of most months. Based on the Council’s custom in recent years, we have not proposed meetings on fourth Wednesdays with the exception of a department head presentation on February 28, a budget work session on March 28, and an optional budget work session on April 25.

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

e.         Other

The proposed calendar avoids scheduling meetings on the first Monday of each month based on the request of a Council Member, with the exceptions of the March 5 regular business meeting (due to Spring Break adjustments), the May 7 regular business meeting (due to Memorial Day adjustments), the July 2 regular business meeting (due to Independence Day and Council summer recess), and the October 1 joint planning meeting.

A Council Member has also requested that no meeting be held on Easter Monday, April 16, and we recommend that the customary public hearing night be moved to Wednesday, April 18.

The proposed calendar through December 2001 would not conflict with the Atlantic Coast Conference's men's basketball tournament from March 8-11, 2001 or with the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I men's basketball tournament final on April 2, 2001.

We recommend consideration of Monday, January 29, for the meeting with the Shaping Orange County’s Future Task Force.

                                                                 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.

A RESOLUTION ADOPTING A CALENDAR OF COUNCIL MEETINGS THROUGH DECEMBER 2001  (2000-08-28/R-3)

BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby adopts the following calendar of Council meetings.  Meetings will be at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

This the 28th day of August, 2000.