AGENDA# 5b
TO: Mayor and Town Council
SUBJECT: Quarterly Status Report on Council Goals and Objectives
DATE: August 28, 2000
Development Regulations:
· Fosters sustainable development
· Provides greater regulatory flexibility for the Council
· Focuses more attention on the impacts and effects of development proposals
March 27 Action Plan: The Council has agreed in discussion to allocate funds to pay for the cost of a consultant to re-write the development ordinance. The Manager will bring a proposal for employment of a consultant at the Council’s April 24, 2000 meeting.
August 28 Status: On May 8, the Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan, which included a plan for revising the Development Ordinance. On May 22, the Council adopted an ordinance allocating $100,000 to hire a consultant to work on a new draft Development Ordinance. The Council also directed the Manager to issue a Request for Proposals and asked Mayor Waldorf to appoint a committee of Council members to work with the Manager in bringing forward a recommendation for consultant selection.
On July 5, the Council selected the firm of Lane Kendig to prepare a revised Development Ordinance. The Council also directed the Manager to negotiate a specific scope of work and contract for the Council’s consideration in August. The current schedule calls for: (1) an August 28, 2000 agenda item to approve a contract and scope of services; (2) a September 2000 start date for beginning work on the revision; (3) an April 2001 first draft and initial public hearing; (4) a June 2001 second public hearing; and, (5) a July 2001 Final Ordinance presentation for Council consideration.
March 27 Action Plan: The Manager will report to the Council in the first quarter of 2000-2001 on options for obtaining traffic impact analyses with development applications.
August 28 Status: The Town’s traffic engineer resigned last spring, and a new traffic engineer reported to work in late August. Because of the vacancy in the traffic engineer position, the report to the Council will be delayed until the second quarter of 2000-2001.
March 27 Action Plan: The Manager will report to the Council in the second quarter of 2000-2001 on options for improving the process.
August 28 Status: On schedule.
Downtown Initiatives:
March 27 Action Plan: The Council is scheduled to consider adoption of the Downtown Small Area Plan at the March 27 meeting.
August 28 Status: The Council adopted the Downtown Small Area Plan as a component of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan on March 27, 2000.
March 27 Action Plan: The Manager will negotiate a contract with UniDev, the consultant selected by the Council, and will submit the contract for Council consideration at its meeting on April 10, 2000. The Manager also will obtain a letter of commitment that will pledge the financial participation of the University and UNC Hospitals in supporting the study, as previously agreed informally, and present such letter to the Council at the same meeting.
August 28 Status: On April 10, the Council authorized the Manager to execute an agreement with UniDev to conduct an Employer-Employee Housing Study. Both the University and UNC Hospitals have agreed to contribute $33,000 each to help pay the cost, with the remaining $32,000 paid by the Town.
On July 11, the consultants presented Council Members with a Feasibility Analysis for the Rosemary Street Development Project, including a summary of survey results conducted with Town and University employees. The consultant’s next meeting with the Employer-Employee Housing Task Force is scheduled for August 29.
March 27 Action Plan: The Council has appointed a special Committee on the Old Post Office to develop proposals for the preservation, enhancement, and future use of the building. The Committee has begun work and will report to the Council as progress is made.
August 28 Status: The Committee has reviewed the site and has met with the Chief District Court Judge and postal officials. The Manager is conducting further research as directed by the Committee, and the Committee will report to the Council at the September 25 meeting.
March 27 Action Plan: The Manager will report to the Council in the fourth quarter of fiscal 1999-2000 on Downtown Streetscape reconstruction options, including consideration of how to increase the pace of reconstruction.
August 28 Status: During budget deliberations, the Council received information regarding the rate of progress for Streetscape improvements. One consideration was the cost of upgrading street and pedestrian lighting in the downtown area and the rate of lighting replacements. A second consideration was the choice of using Town versus contract labor. Staff reports stated that contracting out planning and construction could expedite the process, but remove some Town control over the monitoring of the work and potentially result in a higher cost per linear foot of completed project.
On May 22, the Council allocated $60,000 in available Streetscape bond funding to pay for the cost of improvements within the public right of way on the south side of the 500-block of West Franklin Street at the Orange County Skills Development Center. The work will be performed by a private contractor under the County’s direction. Staff will assess whether this approach provides acceptable work on a timely basis, as well as the relative cost of the use of private contractor versus Town labor.
March 27 Action Plan: The Manager will provide a report on the City of Monrovia downtown redevelopment program in the first quarter of fiscal 2000-2001.
August 28 Status: On schedule.
Capital Improvements Program:
March 27 Action Plan: The Council received a report from the Manager on February 28, 2000 that outlined a preliminary approach to development of a 15-year Capital Improvement Program that would identify all Town capital needs and result in a funding schedule determined by the Council. The Council agreed to further discuss the report at the April 5, 2000 budget work session.
August 28 Status: The Council discussed the report at the April 5, 2000 budget work session and directed the Manager to proceed with development of a 15-year Capital Improvements Program. On June 26, the Council adopted the 2000-2005 Capital Improvements Program, which included projects with financing extending 10 years, effectively beginning the Town’s preparation of a 15-year program. Additional work will be done during the fiscal year and reported to the Council during the budget development process in the third and fourth quarters.
March 27 Action Plan: The Council will receive a presentation by County Commissioner Margaret Brown and a report from the Manager about the County’s proposed recreation and parks master plan at the Council’s March 27, 2000 meeting. The Manager’s report on the proposed recreation and parks master plan will offer resolutions for the Council’s consideration.
August 28 Status: On April 10, the Council adopted the Joint Master Recreation and Parks Plan Work Group Report as a general planning document, including provisions for inter-jurisdictional work on joint siting, design, and management of school and park sites across jurisdictions. The Council also adopted a statement supporting an Open Facilities Policy, which provided that all public recreation facilities constructed by the member local governments of the County be open for use by all County and Town citizens.
At the August 28, 2000 meeting, the Council is scheduled to review Parks and Recreation Commission and staff recommendations regarding the County’s request to participate in a new Intergovernmental Parks Work Group. The Work Group would begin meeting this fall to collaborate on parks planning and development issues.
In addition, the Manager will participate with other Orange County managers in developing a report for the Fall 2000 Assembly of Governments meeting on ways that the County and municipalities might coordinate capital funding for future parks.
March 27 Action Plan: The Council has adopted a schedule of general priorities for purchase of open space using bond funds. The Manager will prepare a proposal for the Council’s consideration in the fourth quarter of 1999-2000 that would further clarify the Council’s priorities for open space acquisition and propose engagement of a real estate professional to assist the Town in carrying out an acquisition program.
August 28 Status: On June 12, the Council authorized the Manager to: (1) prepare a map of undeveloped parcels and of publicly-owned land to help the Council provide its guidance on primary areas of interest for acquisition; (2) request the services of Orange County’s staff land acquisitions specialist; and, (3) if such services are not available, present a proposal to the Council to engage the services of a real estate professional. Staff is working to prepare a map of undeveloped parcels and of publicly-owned land to help the Council provide its guidance on primary areas of interest. The map and an accompanying report with recommendations will be presented to the Council in the first quarter of this year.
Town Staffing and Organization Structure:
March 27 Action Plan: The Council-appointed Technology Committee has been working for more than a year to conduct a review of Town operations. We expect that the Committee will report its findings and recommendations to the Council in the early fall of 2000. We believe that the Committee’s report will be a good beginning point for further discussion of the Council’s goal and development of a follow-up work plan by the Manager.
August 28 Status: On schedule.
1. March 27, 2000 Council Goals and Objectives for 2000, with Resolution (begin new page 1).