PLANNING SESSION OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL, CHAPEL HILL

PUBLIC LIBRARY, SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1996, 8:30 A.M.

Mayor Waldorf called the session to order at 8:30 a.m. Council Members in attendance were Julie Andresen, Joyce Brown, Joe Capowski, March Chilton, Pat Evans, Lee Pavão, and Barbara Powell. Staff members in attendance were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and Florentine Miller, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos, Finance Director James Baker, Planning Director Roger Waldon, Town Clerk Peter Richardson, Deputy Town Clerk Joyce Smith, Assistant to the Manager Greg Feller and Assistant to the Mayor Alice Joyce.

Appointment to Vacant Town Council Seat

Noting that nominations to fill the vacancy had occurred at the Council's January 2nd special meeting, Mayor Waldorf inquired whether the Council wished to vote on the vacancy today.

Council Member Brown stated that although the process used by the Council to select a new Council Member had been criticized by some, she felt it was a good process. Council Member Brown said preference should be given to those candidates who had faced the electorate in November, 1995. Council Member Brown said Kevin Foy was a political unknown who had shown courage by running for Mayor and he had performed a tremendous amount of work to prepare himself for filling the Mayor's seat. Stating that she did not believe that there were sufficient votes to seat Mr. Foy on the Council, Council Member Brown said her second choice to fill the vacant seat was Richard Franck. She said that Mr. Franck was very knowledgeable about transportation matters and was very experienced regarding a number of other Town-related issues.

Council Member Pat Evans called for a vote.

Richard Franck was elected with seven votes (Council Members Brown, Capowski, Chilton, Evans, Pavão, Powell and Mayor Waldorf). Mr. Foy received one vote (Council Member Andresen). After receiving the oath of office from Mayor Waldorf, Mr. Franck was seated as a Council Member.

Mayor Waldorf called upon facilitator Dr. Pat Fischer to present an overview of today's planning session.

Dr. Fischer stated that she had met with each Council Member prior to today's meeting to gather information regarding what might be included on today's agenda. Dr. Fischer also said she had met with Mayor Waldorf and Mr. Horton to finalize the agenda and proposed ground rules. She inquired whether the Council wished to make any changes to the proposed agenda.

Council Member Andresen proposed that there be at least a few minutes set aside for discussion of growth management and long-range planning issues. She suggested that this could possibly be folded into the transportation module of the agenda and expanded time-wise.

Council Member Brown said there were a number of important issues not included on the proposed agenda which should be addressed by the Council.

Council Member Evans stated that revisions to the Comprehensive Plan should be considered either in the framework of the budget discussion or within today's transportation discussion. Council Member Pavão agreed that these issues were important and needed to be addressed by the Council.

Council Member Brown stated that the Council should agree on a process to address these issues, since some were of such magnitude that they deserved additional consideration.

Dr. Fischer briefly recapped the items the Council wished to add to the agenda. She suggested that the Council proceed with the current agenda through the morning session and revise the afternoon agenda to include all of the additional items with the understanding that the Council would make a decision as to when these items would be further considered.

Council Member Andresen said she believed too much time had been allotted for discussion of budget matters.

Council Member Pavão indicated that as much time as possible should be devoted to budget discussions. Mayor Waldorf and Council Member Capowski expressed their concurrence.

Council Member Chilton said that in the past the budget had been first discussed in their annual planning session, but it might not need that much discussion time at this point in the year.

Dr. Fischer indicated some adjustments could be made to the agenda later in the day. She passed out to the Council a set of groundrules for today's planning session, a copy of which is attached and incorporated herein by reference.

Dr. Fischer introduced Joe Hensley, noting that he would serve as the flipchart recorder for today's session.

Communications Among Council Members at Meetings

Dr. Fischer stated this issue was the most requested item for today's agenda.

Council Member Brown said she believed that some Council Members had a tendency to make speeches at Council meetings rather than talking among themselves. Council Member Brown also said she would like the Council to look into the possibility of having a retreat concerning possible improvements to the conduct of Council meetings.

Council Member Pavão said he believed that a lot of dynamics were lost during Council meetings due to the fact that individual Council Members had to be called upon to offer their remarks, rather than there being some opportunities for spontaneous dialogue.

Council Member Powell said she believed that the current process was too formal to allow Council Members to open up and really discuss matters.

Council Member Evans said she was concerned about communications outside of Council meetings, such as voice mail, E-mail and fax.

Council Member Andresen said although there was lots of discussion and give and take among Council Members during meetings, Council Members should take care to listen more closely to what others were saying. She also stated that Council Members tended to make position statements, rather than really discussing and working through issues.

Mayor Waldorf said she agreed with most of what had been said and wanted to see a true debate situation which kept order at the same time so that the topic was not monopolized by one or two members.

Council Member Capowski said he believed that Carrboro Town Board showed a lot more spontaneity than the Town Council. He stated that Carrboro's discussions tended to be more dynamic.

Noting that he frequently attended meetings in Carrboro's Board Room, Council Member Chilton noted that a set of ground rules were posted in the room which might also be helpful to the Council.

Council Member Franck said that parliamentary procedures were sometimes an impediment when a Council Member wished to bring up a matter not directly fitting with the matter being discussed.

Council Member Powell said that sometimes she did not hear exactly what was said or did not understand what was proposed, but because of the process used she was unable to stop to request that the information be repeated.

Council Member Brown said she believed that Council Members took positions and then the balance of the discussion was spent on defending these particular positions.

Council Member Andresen said she did not see how it was possible to avoid taking a position before meetings on certain matters.

Dr. Fischer said it generally appeared that Council Members felt that Council meetings were conducted too formally, that additional discussion time was needed and better use of technology such as electronic mail and voice mail was desirable. She also stated that it might be useful for the Council to receive training about the conduct of meetings.

Mayor Waldorf inquired about the pleasure of the Council regarding the conduct of future Council meetings.

Council Member Capowski said Council meeting procedures had not been substantially changed during the last few years, despite the fact that the dynamics of the Council had substantially changed.

Council Member Powell urged the Council not to rush into making changes. She said the Council needed more time to discuss the matter.

Council Member Evans concurred, stating that effective meetings had an element of formality. She urged Council Members to become better communicators.

Council Member Brown asked that the staff look into what types of meeting-related training might be available to the Council. Mr. Horton said that staff could report back to the Council on this at the first business meeting in February.

Council Member Franck said the goals of formal meetings and successful discussions should not necessarily be in conflict.

Council Member Andresen suggested that the Council consider formulating its own meeting ground rules.

Council Member Pavão stated he had recently attended a meeting in Phoenix and brought back a tape concerning effective group communications and would share this resource with the Council.

Council Member Evans reiterated her desire to see more technology put into place to reduce use of staff time and paper copies.

Mayor Waldorf stated that the recent adverse weather had proven to her how important voice mail was to effective communications.

Council Member Brown said she was talking about communication among the Council Members when they came together as a group, not in communicating outside of the group as a whole.

Council Member Capowski said the Council's goal was not to do more, but to do it more effectively.

Processes and Procedures

Job Expectations for Council Members: Workload

Council Member Andresen said it was incumbent upon each Council Member to decide how much time they spent on Council-related matters.

Council Member Evans said in the past some Council members were criticized because they held full-time jobs and were perceived as not having sufficient time to spend on Council matters. She stated that this was not a fair assumption for the public to make. Council Member Pavão agreed, saying when deciding to run for the Council, he did not consider it as taking on a full-time job.

Council Member Powell stated that although she worked full-time, she did not feel that she was any less available than Council Members who did not work full-time.

Council Member Evans said it appeared that Council Members not holding jobs were more available for daytime meetings, and did not mean to insinuate that others where not spending the necessary time on Council matters.

Council Member Pavão stated that when important work needed to be done, generally a Council Member stepped forward to volunteer, based on their schedules and workload.

Mayor Waldorf said the key to managing the workload for everyone was being judicious about how much the Council would address. She noted that Town staff or advisory boards could often times perform ground work on many issues.

Council Member Capowski said he believed that Council's workload might need to be decreased or the Council's salaries increased. He stated that the existing annual Council salary of $7,500 per member did not come close to paying for the time spent on Council-related matters. Council Member Capowski also said he had trouble believing that elected officials in towns similar in size to Chapel Hill spent as much time on Council matters.

Council Member Brown stated that based on budget constraints, it was not feasible to completely compensate Council Members for all of their time on Council-related matters. Council Member Brown also said she realized that a lot of her time was spent on projects of her own making, such as development sustainability.

Council Member Chilton said he agreed, noting that the Council had the power to decide which items came before the Council and could make adjustments if they wished.

Council Member Andresen said the Durham City Council was actually divided into groups that targeted specific issues.

Council Member Powell said Town residents demanded a great deal and the Council needed to respond accordingly. Mayor Waldorf agreed, saying she believed that the Council should look into having some specialized committees to make recommendations to the Council as a whole.

Council Member Brown suggested that the Council examine which issues might require specialized committees, other than the specialized committees already in existence.

Council Member Capowski stated that each Council Member had their own areas of expertise. Council Member Capowski said he believed the Council should look into the processes and systems used by other municipalities to see whether another system was a better fit.

Council Member Franck stated the main issues before the Council were the number of Council Members, whether or not a ward system was viable and possibly setting up a committee structure wherein certain Council Members could belong to subcommittees based on their interest or expertise.

Council Member Brown inquired which areas the Council felt merited special attention and how these proposed subcommittees differed from what was currently in place.

Council Member Powell said the establishment of Council subcommittees might result in some time savings for individual Council Members.

Mayor Waldorf suggested that a Council Committee of three members could possibly brainstorm further on the matter, gather ideas from other Council Members and recommend a possible procedure.

Dr. Fischer inquired about the scope of the proposed mission of the new committee.

Council Member Powell said it was important for the Council to plan for the future and not just to look at issues as they stood now.

Council Member Brown said it was possible that the Town might not be large enough to lend itself to a ward-type system. She suggested that the proposed committee examine the process issue as well.

Dr. Fischer inquired whether it was the Council's consensus to form a subcommittee.

Council Member Evans suggested that the Council invite a professional, such as a member of the Institute of Government, to come and speak to the Council on this matter.

Council Member Franck said although he was not convinced a Council committee on the matter was necessary, he would be willing to support such an effort.

Dr. Fischer inquired whether there were any volunteers for the committee. Council Members Evans, Pavão and Franck volunteered for the proposed committee. Mayor Waldorf said she would like to have the subcommittee to report back to the Council within three months. There was Council consensus to proceed.

Roles and Responsibilities of Council Members and the Mayor

Dr. Fischer said she believed it was important to have a definition before proceeding. Council Member Brown said that within the context of the Procedures Manual, she was interested in specifying the responsibilities of the Mayor and Council Members. Council Member Brown stated that several years ago she and a former Council Member had reviewed the entire manual for possible changes. Council Member Brown also said she wished to bring the revised manual before the Council for review regarding the roles and procedures of the Council.

Council Member Andresen said if a Council Member or the Mayor spoke to a media representative about a current issue, she would like to know that such a conversation had occurred.

Council Member Capowski stated that when information was received by the Mayor, all such information should be passed on to the Council.

Noting that he frequently received copies of letters or information addressed to others, Council Member Pavão said he believed that this information was already being shared.

Council Member Evans said that if a Council Member received information the Council might be interested in, at the least the Mayor should be notified, so that the Mayor could decide whether or not the information should be furnished to the entire Council.

Council Member Andresen said her understanding was that when a letter was received by the Mayor, such letters were copied for all Council Members. She stated that this practice was very helpful and should be continued.

Council Member Brown said she had something broader in mind, namely

updating the Council Procedures Manual regarding the various roles and responsibilities of the Mayor and Council Members. Council Member Brown said the Council needed to examine the role of the Mayor as a Town representative, internally and externally to the Town.

Council Member Evans said that other governmental bodies might have a process in place concerning the automatic appointment of mayors to outside committees. Council Member Brown stated that this did not mean that the Council had to accept others' processes. She suggested that the matter be examined in greater detail.

Council Member Capowski inquired whether Town-related conversations by Council Members with other community leaders at social events should be disclosed to other Council Members.

Dr. Fischer noted that the Council consensus appeared to be to bring the Procedures Manual before the Council for discussion and possible revisions. Dr. Fischer also inquired how the Council wished to handle internal and external communications.

Council Member Franck stated that in order to be effective, communications must be open. He said that each Council Member needed to decide what should be shared or not shared and be willing to accept the decision of other Council Members on this matter.

Council Member Chilton concurred, stating that if he received a letter addressed specifically to him, it was up to him whether or not to share the information with the rest of the Council.

Council Member Capowski stated that many letters were sent to Council Members because of their role as an elected community leader. Council Member Capowski said he believed that copies of such letters should be shared with other Council Members.

Mr. Karpinos stated that if materials were received by the Town, they were generally construed as being public documents.

Council Member Pavão stated that several times during the last year he had been contacted by a citizen asking that a storm drain be replaced and another citizen asking for new signage on a Town road. He stated that it was much more efficient to contact staff and have these problems taken care of right away than to contact the other Council members to alert them or to wait and have the items placed on a Council agenda.

Mayor Waldorf said she believed that the Council was asking to be kept apprised of any matters directly or indirectly effecting the Town. There was Council concurrence on this point.

Eleventh Hour Resolutions

Council Member Capowski stated that many of the decisions made by the Council were based on available financial resources, which meant that the Council was saying yes to one item and no to another. He suggested that all parties, including those being denied potential funding should be informed of these decisions.

Council Member Chilton stated that many times resolutions were amended on the floor or resolutions were brought before the Council at the eleventh hour. Council Member Chilton said he did not believe it was always possible to prevent this from happening.

Council Member Evans said these practices did not permit the Council sufficient time to thoroughly consider these matters and make fully informed decisions.

Council Member Andresen stated that it was very hard for the public to know what was being potentially acted upon when the item was not made available prior to the meeting. She stated it might be necessary to delay action on these items so that public comment could be received.

Dr. Fischer suggested that this item might be further discussed at the Council's next planning session.

Budget Matters

Budget Process

Mr. Horton presented an overview of the Town's general budget- related situation. He noted that present projections for property tax valuations, State-shared and other revenues were generally in line with recent projections. Mr. Horton also said he believed that the costs of the recent winter storm could be handled within the context of the current budget. He stated that an increase in the landfill tipping fee of $4 per ton might be needed to support solid waste programs. Mr. Horton said that given recent cuts in federal funding for transportation, it might also be necessary to increase the Transportation Fund tax rate by one and a half cents. He also noted that if all present Town services were to be continued, it might be necessary to explore alternative revenue sources.

Council Member Capowski inquired whether the possible one and a half cent Transportation Fund property tax rate increase assumed no increase in bus fares. Mr. Horton said this was correct.

Mayor Waldorf inquired whether the estimate for State-shared revenues was firm. Mr. Horton said he was confident that the estimates were accurate.

Council Member Capowski requested that staff develop a matrix based on fee options for various Town services. Mr. Horton said staff would do so. Council Member Capowski also asked whether the buses recently purchased by the Town were more expensive to operate than the older model buses. Mr. Horton said no, adding that the newer buses were more fuel-efficient than older models.

Mr. Horton also presented an overview of the budget review and preparation schedule recommended by staff.

Council Member Andresen suggested that it might be helpful to form a citizens group specializing in budget issues or a subcommittee of the Council to look into specific budget areas to do detailed work and then report back to the Council.

Council Member Capowski stated that recently money had been allocated to one program when the Council was not aware that this allocation would negatively impact other programs. He said it was important that this not recur.

Mayor Waldorf agreed, stating that advisory boards needed to be aware of budget impacts on their department's programs. She also stated that advisory boards needed to look at the programs they felt might be marginal and report these findings to the Council during the budget process.

Council Member Brown said although she felt it was a possibility to have a citizens group participate in the budget process, the process itself should also be examined.

Council Member Evans said that in the past there had been two different citizens group who had concluded that the Town's budget process worked well.

Council Member Andresen said that although this might be so, it was advisable to examine other possibilities for improving the overall process.

Council Member Brown said that a tax increase, even a small one, could have real consequences on citizens having fixed incomes. She asked the staff to develop a budget which would not necessitate a property tax increase.

Council Member Andresen said the Council's information was received from the Manager and his staff, but in order to do a proper review, more information might be needed.

Council Member Brown said the current process did not permit the Council to get into details when examining the proposed budget.

Council Member Powell said that earlier comments on having Council Member committees should be carried over here, with a subcommittee of the Council appointed to study the budget in detail.

Council Member Capowski said the Council needed to examine how funds were distributed to outside groups, such as hotel-motel taxes and human service funds. He inquired how it would be possible to do a better job of allocating these limited resources.

Council Member Chilton said the current process for allocating human service funds was generally an excellent one, with the persons making recommendations being knowledgeable and well-informed.

Council Member Brown recommended that the Council consider forming a budget committee to examine the substance of the budget, which in turn might lead to looking at the budget process as well.

Dr. Fischer asked whether there was Council consensus to have the previously drafted Council committee also examine the possibility of establishing a budget committee.

Council Member Franck said that since the budget process had already begun, it might not be practical to implement a budget committee this fiscal year.

Mayor Waldorf suggested that advisory boards and commissions could study their budgets and identify marginal programs.

Council Member Evans suggested that it might be better to ask that boards and commissions assume a three percent budget reduction for prioritizing possible marginal program reductions.

Mayor Waldorf volunteered to draft a short list of proposed guidelines which might be used by boards and commissions for later discussion by the Council.

Policy Direction to Manager for Budget Development

Mayor Waldorf asked staff to develop a no property tax increase budget. She also asked staff to develop estimated costs for scheduled brush collection and to review the possibility of a more effective employee incentive program than the existing one and to strongly pursue improvements to communication and computer technology.

Council Member Pavão asked for no tax increase, and for staff to review the merit program so that it could be a true incentive program for employees. Expressing concurrence about a no property tax increase budget, Council Member Evans suggested that the budget place an emphasis on streetscape, a review of the Town's bus service policy, and residential cardboard recycling.

Council Member Chilton requested a review of Town recycling policies and an examination of funding sources for the Transportation Fund.

Noting that federal funding of transportation programs would likely decrease in the next fiscal year, Council Member Franck said he was not willing to pass all of these costs on to bus patrons by raising fares.

Council Member Andresen stated that she was willing to look at bus fare increases if necessary. She also agreed with Mayor Waldorf's statements, adding that some attention should be given to transportation planning matters.

Council Member Capowski said he did not agree with a no property tax increase recommendation because this did not appear to be realistic. He requested that staff develop a budget with a property tax increase of no more than one cent on the tax rate.

Council Member Capowski also agreed that the Town needed to deal with improving technology, and to begin work on putting a Parks and Recreation bond before the voters. Council Member Capowski also said that he believed that the Parks and Recreation Department was placing too much emphasis on "ball" sports. Council Member Capowski asked that the staff try to discover the worth of new developments to the Town, such as the proposed Meadowmont development. Council Member Capowski also said he believed that the collection process for bulky items, such as washing machines, should be examined.

Council Member Powell suggested that funds be provided for education the public about the recycling process. Council Member Powell also said she supported the complete elimination of the merit pay system.

Council Member Brown said that she advocated no property tax increase for the coming year. Council Member Brown also said that solid waste pickups should be scheduled for all items, bulky or otherwise. She stated there were inherent problems with merit-based systems which should be examined. Council Member Brown also said that the Council needed to get a handle on the social and environmental impacts of new development in the Town.

Council Member Andresen stated that although she did not endorse a complete review of the Comprehensive Plan, she did advocate updating some portions of the Plan.

Mayor Waldorf adjourned the planning session for lunch at 12:20. The meeting was reconvened at 12:50.

The Council agreed by consensus to modify the agenda for the afternoon session to include additional items.

Mayor Waldorf asked Mr. Horton whether he needed any clarifications or had any questions about what had been discussed thus far concerning the budget. Mr. Horton said he did not.

Council Member Evans said she thought it was important that all Town departments continue with their grant application efforts and that the Town move forward with its inventory of Town-owned land.

Council Member Capowski requested that the Council earmark a small amount of funds, possibly $10,000, for bicycle safety improvements. He also suggested that the Council address the philosophy behind whether the Town should maintain its current level of public housing or build more units. Noting that federal funding was involved, Council Member Chilton said it was not possible to more units and still have funds left over to maintain existing units. Council Member Capowski said he believed that it was necessary to choose between maintain existing units and building new public housing. Stating that she did not believe that the Town needed to build any more traditional public housing, Council Member Powell noted that these funds could not be allocated for other purposes. Mayor Waldorf expressed her concurrence.

Intergovernmental Work Groups and Regional Activities

Council Member Chilton stated that some Council Members served on some advisory boards as private citizens, rather than in their capacity of Council Member.

Liaison to Commissions and Boards

Council Member Chilton inquired what was expected of Council liaisons to advisory boards. Council Member Chilton said his interpretation did not include attending every meeting of the advisory board and participating in every related event.

Council Member Pavão said although advisory boards strongly favored having Council liaisons, it was not expected or necessary for Council liaisons to attend all board meetings. He added that Council liaisons played a vital role in facilitating effective communications between the Council and advisory boards.

Council Member Brown said she believed that the term "delegate" was more appropriate than "liaison" for committee assignments as committee members. There was general Council consensus on this point.

Council Member Franck expressed his agreement with Council Member Pavão's interpretation of the role of Council liaisons.

Council Member Capowski asked whether or not Council delegates should try to influence an advisory board by giving direction.

Council Member Pavão said no, but if he were asked whether the Council would consider a particular item, he would not hesitate to give his opinion as to whether or not the Council would be willing to consider the item.

Mayor Waldorf stated she would draft an item for the Council outlining the definition of a "delegate" and what the delegate's role would be pertaining to advisory boards & commissions.

Relationship of Council Members to Staff

Council Member Brown said she was concerned about whether or not the information being forwarded to the Council was accurate and up-to-date.

Council Member Andresen said that she sometimes received duplicates of items, but did not receive all materials related to other matters.

Council Member Franck said that some items required a more complete staff report than others because of the potential effect on the community, such as a rezoning request.

Council Member Evans said if needed information was not provided, the Council need only ask and it would be provided by staff. She stated that the Council needed to be aware of the cost and staff time which might be needed to provide additional information. Council Member Evans said if she had additional information, she shared it with Council Members. She suggested that other Council Members could do likewise.

Council Member Brown stated that it did no good to know that there were 280 participants in a Parks and Recreation program, if the Council did not know how much time was spent by a specialist in that particular program. She said it was the responsibility of the Council to let the staff know exactly what level of detailed information they needed for items.

Dr. Fischer asked the Council to comment on an earlier statement by Council Member Capowski concerning micromanagement.

Council Member Capowski stated that the Council hired and fired two positions, the Manager and Attorney. He stated that the Council should not get into the business of attempting to tell the Manager where staff was needed.

Council Member Chilton stated that if the Manager told the Council that certain issues could not be addressed because there were insufficient staff issues, it was a policy matter as to whether or not that issue was addressed by the Council.

Council Member Capowski said it was appropriate for the Council to discuss which issues were to be addressed, but it was not appropriate to decide whether or not staffing levels were adequate.

Council Member Brown stated that it was the Council's responsibility to indicate to staff what issues the Council wanted to address and the implications of these decisions.

Council Member Evans stated that at one time it took about six months for a proposed development to be placed on the Council's agenda, whereas it had taken as long as fifteen months in recent times. She that this was a staffing issue that the Council should be concerned about and address.

Mayor Waldorf said she was generally impressed with the staff's reports to the Council. She added that any time a Council Member had a problem with a staff report, it was important to point this out to the Manager.

Council Member Brown said she occasionally had to dig for information and she believed that this was the staff's, rather than Council Member's job to do so.

Mr. Horton stated that Town staff always presented staff reports which were as complete as possible.

Council Member Franck stated that the Council must realize that no matter how informed it was by the staff, the Council might have a community contact or personal area of expertise which brought them information which the staff might not have access to. He stated that any such information should be passed along to the staff.

Council Member Brown stated that there was some information available to the staff which was pertinent to issues but not always passed on to the Council.

Dr. Fischer stated that the suggestion before the Council was to vigilantly read all information presented and alert the staff to any missing or incorrect information.

Council Member Capowski said he believed that when the Town Manager disseminated information, he wielded a large amount of power. Council Member Capowski also said he believed that when the Council had indicated that a staff report was biased or needed revisions, the Manager had gone out of his way to assure that the needs of the Council were met. Council Member Capowski stated that he did not believe a process was needed to address this matter.

Mr. Horton said his objective was to develop a recommendation that others could readily understand and use.

Dr. Fischer said her understanding was that no policy needed to be set at this time. There was Council consensus on this point.

Mr. Horton said staff attempted to bring forth reports which were as complete, accurate and informative as possible.

Dr. Fischer stated that she interpreted what the Council was asking for was alternative viewpoints along with the staff's report.

Mayor Waldorf said it appeared that some Council Members were asking for a staff analysis without a staff recommendation. Mayor Waldorf inquired why the Council Members felt this was necessary.

Council Member Andresen said she was interested to know whether or not development proposals would meet Town ordinance standards.

Council Member Franck said he believed the Manager might influence the Council by offering a staff recommendation.

Mayor Waldorf asked if the line of thought here was that the Manager and staff should have no suggestive role in a Council policy decision.

Council Member Capowski said he wished to receive staff recommendations. He noted that the Manager and staff's professional opinions were important.

Council Member Evans said she believed that the staff recommendations were very helpful, especially to newer Council Members.

Council Member Chilton said in certain instances, such as legal issues pertaining to zoning or special use permits, the Manager and Attorney should make recommendations.

Mayor Waldorf asked what would be the advantage of not having a staff recommendation.

Council Member Andresen said for example some negotiations take place between the Manager and staff and developers before some items were brought before the Council. Council Member Andresen said she did not believe it was necessary to have further staff recommendations on matters of this type.

Council Member Pavão said he found the staff's recommendations to be helpful. Council Member Pavão also noted that the staff's recommendations were based on the professional expertise of staff.

Dr. Fischer said although she believed that there was no consensus as to whether or not the Manager should offer a staff recommendation, there appeared to be agreement that staff should offer alternative suggestions in its staff reports.

Council Member Chilton suggested that the Council use this new method through July, and discuss it in more detail at the Council's August retreat.

Noting that she did not understand exactly what was being requested, Mayor Waldorf said she did not concur with this suggestion.

Mr. Horton suggested that a section could be added to staff reports which would outline arguments for and against specific items.

Council Member Powell inquired what the downside was to Council discussion of items.

Affordable Housing

Council Member Chilton suggested possibly convening a small group

of professionals to gather together all the recent studies and needs assessments related to local affordable housing. He suggested that the group could also possibly make recommendations to the Council.

Council Member Brown said she would have to think about the need to convene one more group. Council Member Brown also said that she would like to suggest that at the February 29th Assembly of Governments meeting, the Council request that attorneys from all four jurisdictions in Orange County meet and discuss ways in which it might be possible to require inclusionary zoning without going to the General Assembly and reporting back to the four governing bodies.

Council Member Chilton said he would put together a resolution for the Council's consideration which would be very specific about affordable housing matters.

Council Member Powell said she felt it was necessary for the Town to take the lead in providing affordable housing opportunities.

Council Member Andresen said she believed that the Town could not control market forces and the cost of land for housing. She also said that the Town should really push for inclusionary zoning. Council Member Andresen stated that if the Town really wanted there to be moderate and low-income housing in the Town, it was important to implement inclusionary zoning as soon as possible.

Council Member Chilton suggested examining the shorter-term aspects of the problem, even though inclusionary zoning might be the best long-term course of action.

Council Member Pavão said he liked Council Member Chilton's ideas and agreed that inclusionary zoning was important.

Council Member Brown said that at the February 29th Assembly of Governments meeting all governing bodies should discuss this matter and see what could be done.

Mayor Waldorf stated that when she thought of a housing bond issue, it was difficult for her to justify increasing the taxes of someone who was currently living in affordable housing which they may or may not own.

Council Member Brown said that affordable mixed-use housing was not currently being built in the Town and this needed to be built into the development process to assure that it was considered.

Dr. Fischer recapped the two proposals on the table. She said the first was to convene a committee to look at affordable housing issues. Dr. Fischer said the second was Council Member Brown's request that this item be placed on the agenda for the February 29th Assembly of Governments meeting.

Miscellaneous Issues: Traffic and Transportation,

Growth Management, the Comprehensive Plan,

and Horace Williams/Mason Farm Tract

Council Member Evans said she had previously distributed a memorandum to the Council regarding revisions to the Town's Comprehensive Plan. She stated that revisions to the Plan were overdue and the Town would run into more problems if revisions were not made in a timely fashion.

Mr. Horton estimated that it would take about two years to complete a comprehensive review of the Comprehensive Plan, involving at least one full-time staff person. Council Member Capowski asked whether this would delay other projects. Mr. Horton replied that it would take additional resources to do some of the data collection and things of this nature, but a lot of hands-on work would be required of the staff.

Council Member Brown stated that the Shaping Orange County's Future process should be put in place very soon, which would pull the County together to look at a vision for the County and the last step was for governments to look at their comprehensive plans. She said this would be one way to address the matter, because it would draw information together for the entire county.

Council Member Franck said the Council should be thinking about what the Town could do while the Shaping Orange County's Future process was moving forward.

Council Member Capowski said he would need more information regarding Council Member Evans' proposal. He asked what the ramifications would be, how much staff time would have to be dedicated, and whether or not it would delay other projects already in process. He asked staff to report back to the

Council on these items.

Council Member Pavão agreed, stating that he would like to know exactly what this process would entail in terms of cost, staff resources and effects on other projects.

Council Member Brown said she believed if the Council moved forward with this, they would be duplicating the efforts of the Shaping Orange County's Future process, which would encompass the entire County.

Council Member Andresen said she would still like to receive a report from the Manager on this matter.

Council Member Evans said she supported the Shaping Orange County's Future program. She noted that the Town of Hillsborough's mindset was quite different from the Town's.

Council Member Evans said she believes the Town needed to move forward on its own plan which would reflect the Town's own needs.

Council Member Evans said she believed that the Town was behind the times on this matter and would be quite discouraged if it were put off for another two years. Council Member Evans also said she did not believe that the Shaping Orange County's Future project would be able to move as quickly as the Town's review of its Comprehensive Plan.

Council Member Pavão said he agreed with Council Member Evans. He also said that the Town had been waiting for two years already for Shaping Orange County's Future to move forward and there was no way of knowing quickly the process would move once it began.

Dr. Fischer said she had identified two schools of thought. One being that the Shaping Orange County's Future program was beginning County-wide to identify these issues, and the other being that the Town needed to also move forward on revision of its Comprehensive Plan.

Council Member Brown said nothing Shaping Orange County's Future would be working on would be adverse to the Town and that they would be pulling information from all over the County together to form a vision for the whole county. She indicated that there was some question as to whether or not the Town of Hillsborough would participate in the process.

Mayor Waldorf asked whether under the Shaping Orange County's Future scenario, the staff work would be performed by Orange County. Mr. Horton said the lead agency was Orange County and the Town was paying a portion of overall program costs. Mayor Waldorf asked whether Shaping Orange County's Future would be looking at each jurisdiction's Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Horton said no, noting that the program would be looking at the County as a whole and gathering information from all effected jurisdictions.

Council Member Evans said she believed that the Town needed to move ahead with its revisions to the Comprehensive Plan even if some efforts were duplicated by Shaping Orange County's Future.

Dr. Fischer said although she believed there was agreement that the Comprehensive Plan needed to be examined, there was some question about how to do so.

Council Member Capowski said he would like to wait until the Council received the Manager's follow-up report before proceeding on this matter.

Council Member Evans said she did not know until today that there was a possibility that Hillsborough would not participate in the process.

Traffic and Transportation

Council Member Franck said that the Transportation Board was working on a set of initiatives and specific goals to reduce single-occupant vehicle travel and the Council should expect the report in April. He also stated that regarding funding for pedestrian walkways, capital improvement funds were usually used for this purpose. Council Member Franck said he believed that the Town needed to explore new funding sources for these projects.

Council Member Andresen said the Town needed to take a look at its Transportation Management Plan and see what it was accomplishing. She said if the Town were discouraging people from building parking spaces but at the same time reducing bus service schedules, then it was important to review the overall situation.

Council Member Evans said that traffic was a regional concern, rather than solely a Town problem.

Council Member Brown requested that the four governments in Orange County request a meeting with local legislative delegation and Durham's elected officials and legislative delegates to jointly present funding options for transportation alternatives be included on the Assembly of Governments February 29th meeting agenda for discussion.

Council Member Evans said she believed that this was a regional issue and she would ask that the Executive Board of the Triangle J Council of Governments place it on an upcoming agenda for discussion.

Mayor Waldorf said she would also bring it up at the next Transportation Advisory Committee meeting for discussion.

Council Member Chilton said he felt if there was a consensus among the different governing bodies to move forward on identifying alternative resources, it would be important to communicate this to the local legislative delegation.

Council Member Capowski said he did not believe the Town was doing as good a job as it should regarding the maintenance of streets. Mr. Horton said many of the roads with maintenance problems were State-maintained. He suggested that the Council could bring these concerns to the attention of the local legislative delegation.

Growth Management

Council Member Brown said the Council should begin to look at the Development Ordinance to see how well it was working. She said the Town of Carrboro was bringing in the Planning Director from the City of Belmont to address this matter and she would like the Town to consider doing the same.

Council Member Andresen said she believes that more tools were needed in the Town to deal with growth management concerns, especially future school needs. She also noted that it might be necessary to contract with an outside expert to deal with growth management related matters. Council Member Andresen also expressed her support for the preservation of wildlife corridors.

Noting that many suggestions had been made today, Mayor Waldorf asked that the Council be mindful of limited staff resources in setting its priorities.

Council Member Brown said she that believed development issues were the primary current priority. She said looking at the Development Ordinance would be a good starting place and the Council could move forward from there.

Council Member Capowski requested that the Manager include the Smith Level Alliance petition concerning Southern Village on the Council's next regular agenda.

Review and Evaluation

Council Member Andresen said she believed today's exchanges went well.

Council Member Evans and Council Member Chilton both felt that Dr. Fischer had done an excellent job in bringing items to closure and keeping the discussion moving.

Council Member Andresen said she would have liked to have been able to react to the final agenda prior to the planning session.

Dr. Fischer said as a facilitator she liked the idea of allowing everyone to speak once before others spoke twice. She said she believes it allowed for a broader sharing of opinions. Dr. Fischer said there were issues within issues that were brought out during the discussions, and encouraged the Council to pursue them at a later date. The session concluded at 3:43 p.m.