MINUTES OF A JOINT MEETING OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL AND CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO SCHOOL BOARD, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1995

School Board Chair Kenneth Touw called the session to order at 5:50 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Administration Building. School Board Members in attendance were Sue Baker, Mary Bushnell, Elizabeth Carter, Bea Hughes-Werner and Mark Royster. Board Member Judith Ortiz was unable to attend. Also in attendance were Superintendent Neil Pedersen, Assistant to the Superintendent Kim Hoke and Board Attorney John McCormick. Chapel Hill Town Council Members in attendance were Mayor Ken Broun and Council Members Joyce Brown, Joe Capowski, Mark Chilton, Pat Evans, Lee Pavão, Barbara Powell, Jim Protzman and Rosemary Waldorf. Also in attendance were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and Florentine Miller, Planning Director Roger Waldon and Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos.

Mr. Touw said he believed there were a number of similarities between the School Board and the Council. Mr. Touw also said he believed the School Board and the Council could closely cooperate on a number of matters.

Mayor Broun said the School Board and Council had some areas of overlapping interests in their constituencies. Mayor Broun also said he hoped the two bodies could respond jointly to mutual problems and resolve them in a creative manner.

Dr. Pedersen briefly reviewed school enrollment projections, noting that annual growth of 4-5% was anticipated, based on historical trends. He also presented an overview of school capacities for elementary and middle schools and new student enrollments. Mayor Broun inquired about the number of students leaving the school district each year. Dr. Pedersen said the school district was growing at a net rate of about 300 to 400 students per year.

Mr. Royster stated that ten-year attendance projection figures indicated that the district's elementary schools were over capacity and would continue to be so for the foreseeable future. He added that by the year 2000, the number of students in the district's middle and high schools would exceed available building capacities

at that time. Noting that a new high school would open for the 1995-96 school year, Council Member Waldorf inquired about the projected opening date for new elementary and middle schools. Mr. Royster stated that additional schools were needed, but specific plans were not in process due to fiscal constraints.

Council Member Powell inquired whether new school needs were based solely on enrollment data collected by the State of North Carolina. Mr. Royster stated that school needs were largely based on historical projections of anticipated school population. Dr. Pedersen noted that the State of North Carolina had reduced the class sizes for kindergarten classes last year and would likely advance additional proposals to reduce class sizes in other grades.

Mr. Horton thanked the school board and district for providing good teachers and facilities to teach his daughter and other students. He noted that larger proposed developments such as Meadowmont and Southern Village and smaller developments had a cumulative impact on services such as school facilities.

Planning Director Roger Waldon said the Town's growth patterns had been, and continued to be, fairly predictable. Mr. Waldon said an average of about five hundred single-family homes and one hundred multi-family units per year were constructed in the Town. He noted that there was currently a total of about 1,000 total units which had been approved by the Council but not yet built or occupied. Mr. Waldon stated that one possible development provision which the school might find useful was that developers could be required to reserve land for future acquisition by the school district.

Mayor Broun noted that the floor was open for discussion of planning matters and the joint response of the Council and School Board to growth.

School Board Member Hughes-Werner inquired about the possibility of considering school sites in the development review process. Mr. Waldon said the Town's development regulations did not permit the Town to require developers to build schools. He noted that the Town had recently explored the possibility of an adequate public facilities ordinance, wherein infrastructure had to be in place or planned prior to development. Ms. Hughes-Werner inquired why such an ordinance had not been implemented. Mr. Karpinos said although such legislative authority had been sought, it was not granted.

School Board Member Bushnell inquired whether there were other ordinances which might be useful concerning the provision of school facilities. Mr. Waldon said one possibility was the use of impact fees, with developers paying a surcharge for new developments.

Council Member Capowski asked whether the school district had a breakdown of enrollment by new development and parts of Orange County. Dr. Pedersen said no, although these numbers could be generated geographically. Mr. Royster reiterated that the school district needed additional facilities to handle new students. Council Member Capowski inquired whether the school district knew the number of students per household. Dr. Pedersen said there was an average of about one student per household. Ms. Bushnell said Orange County had performed an analysis concerning the number of bedrooms per household.

Council Member Evans inquired whether the school district had ever considered adjusting its district lines. School Board Member Sue Baker noted that the Orange County Schools were also at or over capacities. Council Member Evans said the southern small area planning committee had received no input from the school district concerning the possible location of a high school in the area. Board Member Hughes-Werner inquired about the status of the Town's northwest area plan. Council Member Evans said work on the plan had been completed, but not yet adopted by the Council.

Mr. Horton noted that the east entranceway to the Town, along NC 54, was the last large undeveloped area of the Town. He added that the UNC-Chapel Hill Planning Panel was crafting development plans for the Mason Farm and Horace Williams tracts.

Responding to Council Member Evans' earlier remarks, Dr. Pedersen said he had attended one or two meetings of the southern small area planning committee on behalf of the school district. Dr. Pedersen also said he supported the proposed village concept and believed there had been some discussion at the meetings about school properties. Mr. Touw noted that the school district would have had to pay for higher utility relocation and land grading costs for a high school in the southern part of the Town than it did for the approved site on Weaver Dairy Road.

Council Member Pavão inquired about the proposed locations of future schools. Dr. Pedersen said the school district was in the process of determining optimal locations for proposed new schools. Mr. Touw added that although the need for new facilities had been identified, there were no existing funds for these projects.

Council Member Waldorf inquired whether the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District would entertain the idea of a joint elementary school/public park project at the Southern Community Park site on Dogwood Acres Drive. She noted that the North Carolina Department of Transportation would be realigning Dogwood Acres Drive during 1997. She also noted that it would be necessary for the School District to refund the Town for the project bonds.

School Board Member Baker inquired how many acres were available and how many were usable. Mr. Horton said the proposed park site was approximately seventy acres, with most of the land being usable. Ms. Baker said the school district could examine the possibility of a school site at the park. She added that a minimum of fifteen acres were required for an elementary school site. Noting that a lot of funds were tied up in land acquisition costs, School Board Member Royster said this proposal had excellent possibilities. Council Member Waldorf suggested that the Town's and School's attorneys address bond-related matters. Mr. Horton said the key element was reimbursement of bond expenditures. Council Member Pavão noted that reimbursement of funds had occurred for construction of public housing units at the Northern Community Park site.

Council Member Powell inquired about the guidelines for elementary school capacities. Dr. Pedersen said the district was at the State's capacity for elementary schools in terms of building square footage.

Council Member Capowski inquired what steps the Town could take to assist the School Board with facility and development concerns. Mr. Horton noted that the Town could entertain modification of development ordinances to allow more development and expansion of facilities on existing school sites. Ms. Baker said this possibility was tied to the school district's ability to enlarge core facilities such as cafeterias and gymnasiums. Council Member Protzman suggested the possibility of siting two schools on the same tract. Mayor Broun suggested the possibility of multi-storey school facilities. School Board Member Royster said the School Board was examining a number of building-related options to relieve overcrowding in existing buildings.

Council Member Protzman inquired whether the school district had a preferred approach for the Town to consider the need for schools in its development review process. Ms. Baker inquired whether proposed school sites were included in the Town's land-use plan. Mr. Waldon said such sites had never been specifically pinpointed to the best of his knowledge. Ms. Baker suggested that the Town keep the School District apprised of possible school building sites, especially those tied to larger development proposals. She added that the school district had evaluated a total of thirty-six proposed sites for the new high school. Ms. Baker said the Town also appeared to have concerns about building in the rural buffer.

Mr. Waldon said utility extensions were not permitted in the rural buffer. Ms. Baker expressed concern that buildable school sites were disappearing. Mr. Waldon stated that efforts to keep facilities in the urban services area argued against building a school in the rural buffer.

Council Member Brown inquired whether any funding was available for schools in the event that development logistics could be worked out.

Noting that the vast majority of new development in Chapel Hill and Carrboro was residential rather than commercial, Mayor Broun stated that it was difficult for the amount of revenues to keep up with funding for new school facilities. He suggested that one approach to provide additional funding was by increasing impact fees or receiving authorization for impact taxes.

School Board Member Bushnell noted that it was important to maintain smaller class sizes, especially in the lower grades. School Board Member Royster said it was not too soon to begin thinking about another school bond issue. He added that parents of students also favored smaller class sizes. Mr. Touw noted that an impact fee of $750 per unit was currently collected. He added that the maximum authority was currently $5,500 per unit. Mr. Touw stated that if 1,000 new units were levied the maximum impact fee, the School District would garner an additional $5.5 million in funds.

Council Member Waldorf inquired about the steps for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School District to initiate a bond referendum. Mr. Royster said the Orange County Board of Commissioners needed to approve such a referendum. School Board Member Bushnell expressed appreciation for the Council's support of increased impact fees for school facilities.

School Board Member Baker inquired about the Council's perception of the community's perception concerning "year-round" schools. She noted that the proposal would not save any money beyond initial facility costs. Mayor Broun inquired whether this arrangement also provided additional flexibility in terms of capital funding and greater flexibility to reduce class sizes.

Mr. Horton said one way to follow up on this evening's discussions would be for the Town Council and School Board to instruct the Town Manager and School Superintendent to examine alternatives such as appointing an elected officials work group to pursue key issues related to the construction of school facilities.

Council Member Protzman suggested that the work group could explore funding options for new school facilities.

Stating that it cost the school district a lot of money to meet Town development requirements, School Board Chair Touw said it would be desirable to reduce these costs wherever possible.

Council Member Pavão raised the possibility of discussing a better entrance for the proposed new high school on Weaver Dairy Road. Mayor Broun noted the importance of equity in sharing development costs such as the widening of Weaver Dairy Road in association with the proposed high school. School Board Member Baker said the School Board was somewhat caught between the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and Orange County in this regard. Council Member Evans noted that the Council was willing to give expedited reviews for public projects such as school facilities.

Council Member Capowski inquired whether it was correct that the Orange County Commissioners made many decisions concerning capital facilities for local schools. School Board Attorney John McCormick said this was correct. School Board Member Baker suggested that all local governing bodies coordinate all of their bond referenda planning activities. Council Member Powell asked whether it was best to have one or several schools on a bond issue. School Board Member Bushnell said it was best to have more than one facility on a bond referendum. She noted that the most recent referendum had been for three facilities. School Board Member Baker noted that Certificates of Participation (COPs) were used to finance the district's newest elementary school.

School Board Member Hughes-Werner inquired about the viability of the Town Council playing a greater role in encouraging developers to provide school facilities in proposed developments.

Noting that the School District had recently filed an application to construct a new transit maintenance facility, Council Member Protzman inquired about the possibility of siting a skateboarding facility at the bus maintenance facility of the existing Chapel Hill High School. School Board Member Bushnell said although this was generally a good idea, the school was not currently served by a Town bus route. Council Member Waldorf asked whether the School Board was willing to entertain the concept. The School Board unanimously agreed to do so.

Council Member Capowski noted that there was no regular service to Chapel Hill High School. He said this necessitated many vehicle trips to and from the high school by parents and students. School Board Member Bushnell said the School Board had a shared interest in exploring options for possible routes to the high school campus.

School Board Member Hughes-Werner noted that the proposed new high school was located on a bus route. Council Member Capowski said there had been some way to provide Town bus service to the school.

Mayor Broun inquired whether there was consensus by the School Board and the Town Council for the Town Manager and Schools Superintendent to put together a draft work plan for the two bodies to consider. The School Board and Town Council concurred with this approach. School Board Chairperson Touw said there appeared to be many areas of agreement between the Town Council and School Board concerning a variety of planning, transportation and recreation matters.

Council Member Waldorf inquired about the School Board's reaction to the provision of a Police Officer at the high school campus. School Board Chair Touw said this presence was appreciated and was working well.

The joint meeting concluded at 7:25 p.m.