SUMMARY OF A MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF  CHAPEL HILL WITH ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS,

     MONDAY, MAY 6, 1996 AT 6:00 P.M.

 

 

Mayor Waldorf called the meeting to order.  Council Members in attendance were Julie Andresen, Joyce Brown, Joe Capowski, Mark Chilton, Pat Evans, Richard Franck and Lee Pavao.  Council Member Barbara Powell was absent excused.  Also in attendance were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and Florentine Miller, Library Director Kathleen Thompson, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Loveman, Administrative Analyst Bill Webster, Transportation Director Bob Godding and Human Services Coordinator Karen Rose.

 

Library Board of Trustees

 

Board Chair Virginia Young introduced Board Members James Harler, Clifton Metcalf, Marilyn Ryan and Jane Joyner.  She called upon Board Vice-Chair Clifton Metcalf to make the Board's general presentation.  Mr. Metcalf said that the Library's circulation level was up by 41%, with over 258,000 visits already this year.  Stating that library circulation in 1993-1994 totalled 611,000 volumes, Mr. Metcalf said that projected circulation in 1995-1996 would be 876,000 volumes.  He added that in 1993-94 there were a total of 66,000 reference questions, while a total of 115,000

reference questions were anticipated this year.  Mr. Metcalf noted that about thirteen percent of the library's $1.3 million budget was for the purchase of materials.  Council Member Capowski inquired about the types of non-book materials at the library.  Ms. Thompson said these materials included compact disks, periodicals and newspapers.  Mr. Metcalf said although the Library Board did not have a specific budget request this year, it hoped the Council would continue to support the library's overall positive momentum. 

 

Referencing the need to work on funding equity concerns, Council Member Capowski asked whether there was any indication of the percentage of students in the school system using the Town's library.  Mr. Metcalf said the Board could develop information on this matter.  Mayor Waldorf inquired whether the percentage of budget earmarked for library materials was about the same in the current and proposed budget.  Ms. Thompson said this was correct. 

 

Noting that several very determined community residents had been successful in securing funding from the Orange County Board of Commissioners for the establishment of a public library in Carrboro, Council Member Andresen said she encouraged the Library Board to likewise seek funding from the County Commissioners.  Ms. Young said the Trustees had done so last year and received an additional $18,000 in funding.  Citing last year's successful campaign with the Commissioners, Council Member Pavao suggested that the Council might wish to seek a greater level of funding, possibly as much as $72,000.  Mr. Metcalf suggested the possibility of requesting a sustained increase over a three year period.

 

 


Council Member Capowski noted that at a candidate's forum last week, Commission Chair Moses Carey had raised the possibility of an Orange County representative serving on the Board of Trustees.  Ms. Ryan noted that Town residents were also residents of Orange County.  Mr. Metcalf said the Board did not have a problem with the possible establishment of a County representative seat on the Board of Trustees.  Council Member Evans said the matter could possibly be tied to receiving a level of funding from Orange County.

 

Bookmobile Service

 

Ms. Young said the Board of Trustees was recommending that the bookmobile's services be focused on serving children up to seven years of age at five public housing center stops with experimental programs.  Noting that ninety percent of the bookmobile's users were children, Ms. Young said that the experimental program was focused on encouraging younger people to read using weekly story hours and other special programs.  Stating that the bookmobile was an important symbol of literacy, Ms. Young said the Board of Trustees recommended the continuation of the service.

 

Council Member Capowski inquired whether day care centers were charged for bookmobile service.  Ms. Young said no.  Council Member Brown inquired whether or not the possibility of adding three other public housing stops would be considered after the Public Housing Residents Council completed its work.  Ms. Young said nothing was written in stone in this regard.  Ms. Thompson said an effort was being placed on centers having buildings and staff.  She added that shifting of resources was possible in the future, if the Council wished.  Council Member Brown said she was delighted that the Residents Council was working on this matter. 

 

Council Member Evans inquired about the status of the proposed library foundation.  Ms. Young said that the articles of incorporation for the foundation were in their final draft stages.  She expressed hope that the foundation would be in place by year's end. 

 

Mayor Waldorf expressed appreciation to the Board for their efforts.  Council Member Pavao encouraged the Board to continue their efforts in seeking funds from the Orange County Board of Commissioners for the provision of library services by the Town.

 

Parks and Recreation Commission

 

Commission Chair Gary Barnes introduced Commission Members Sherry Anscher, Eve Kedem, Candace Ashton-Schaeffer, Martin Feinstein, Dan Costa and Dianne Lemasters.  Referencing the expenditure of recent parks and open space bond funds, Mr. Barnes said an emphasis had been placed on land acquisition in the past.  He urged the Council to consider investing future funds in facilities such as soccer fields, volleyball courts and other types of facilities.  Mr. Barnes also stated that there were a number of opportunities for collaboration on joint facilities such as shared school and park sites, which would be consistent with the recommendations of the countywide parks and recreation work group.


Stating that the Commission's list of possible capital projects totalled about $5.5 million, Mr. Barnes emphasized the importance of moving ahead with these matters as soon as possible, given the strong demand for recreational facilities.  He also said that the Commission favored earmarking some funds for bikeway and bike path projects.  Stating that the Town's level of per capita indebtedness was quite low, Mr. Barnes requested that the Council think about existing infrastructure problems and following a system whereby future residents would pay for future goods and services.

 

Martin Feinstein said the Commission members concurred that the Town had too few resources for swimming, parkland and other facilities.  Mr. Feinstein said he thought it was a good time to move ahead with a bond referendum pertaining for parks and recreation facilities.  Stating that having insufficient funds for facilities forced the Town to phase facilities in stages, Mr. Feinstein expressed concern that this was not efficient and was not good public relations.  He urged the Council to deal with the bonds matter as soon as possible.

 

Mr. Barnes said some economies and savings could have potentially been realized if additional funding had been available for the development of the Northern Community Park.

 

Mayor Waldorf thanked the Commission members for their eloquent and passionate remarks.  She noted that the Council would be discussing bond related matters later in the meeting.

 

Council Member Andresen said that good facility planning and prioritization were both essential to efficient Town operations.  Mayor Waldorf expressed her concurrence on this point.  Mayor Waldorf also suggested the possibility of waiting six to nine months beyond November, 1996 for the conduct of a bond referendum. 

 

Mr. Barnes said that local public schools could possibly be asked to contribute a pro rata share of funds for parks facilities.

 

Council Member Capowski stated that when he frequented the new Triangle Sportsplex facility in Hillsborough, only three to ten people were using the swimming pool.  Referencing funding equity concerns, Council Member Capowski said if the facility were located in the Town, it was likely that it would be heavily utilized.  Mr. Barnes said Parks and Recreation staff was in the process of gathering information about the residence of persons using the Community Center and other Town facilities.

 

Council Member Andresen asked staff to look into the method of financing for the Triangle Sportsplex pool facility in Hillsborough.  She suggested that such a mechanism could possibly be used to finance a similar facility in southern Orange County.


Mayor Waldorf said she did not think that the upfront capital money proposed by Orange County, $25,000 per year for ten years, would address the real facility needs.  Mr. Barnes concurred, noting that the present value of this money would be far less than $250,000.   Council Member Pavao said he did not like the piecemeal approach to financing of facilities, because they always came up short compared to actual needs.  Mr. Barnes said when the Town was ready to move ahead with a bond issue, the Commission was willing to help with documentation relative to facility needs.

 

Greenways Commission

 

Greenways Commission members in attendance were Chair Andrea Rohrbacher, Pam Hemminger, Marjorie Gordon and Carol Pekar. 

Ms. Rohrbacher said that the Commission was requesting funding of $20,000 to revise the current greenways master plan.  She noted that the existing report was produced in 1985.  Ms. Rohrbacher also stated that a revised master plan could include the identification of land parcels for future greenways.

 

Ms. Hemminger said she favored holding a parks and recreation bond referendum in November.  She also said that the funds could be used for planning and development of needed new greenway trails.

 

Ms. Rohrbacher expressed the Commission's thanks to the Council for recently authorizing planning funding and the establishment of a committee for the Dry Creek greenways trail.  She noted that residents in the Weaver Dairy Road area were eager for the greenways trail to be put in place.

 

Ms. Hemminger said the Greenways Commission had been working hard on the second phase of the Bolin Creek trail and the general promotion of greenway trails, including the Battle Branch trail and proposed Morgan Creek trail.  She also noted that more detailed maps of the Town's greenway trails had been produced this year.

 

Council Member Franck said a memorandum from Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Richard Franck suggested the need to look at the community facility plan, especially regarding bikepaths and similar facilities.  Mr. Webster said that the 1989 facilities report had updated a portion of the 1985 greenways report.

 

Council Member Andresen inquired whether or not sewer overflows were still occurring along the Bolin Creek greenway trail.  She also inquired whether or not the possibility of painting wildflowers or other illustrations on the raised manholes had been investigated.   Ms. Hemminger said children seemed to love the tall towers along the Bolin Creek trail.  She added that OWASA had granted permission to plant wildflowers along the trail.  Ms. Hemminger stated that the sewage overflow situation seemed to be under control.  She added that the Commission was working on identifying permanent exit and entrance points to the trails as new subdivisions were proposed and developed.  Ms. Rohrbacher said the matter of painting the towers had opened up the question of whether or not art was desired along greenway trails.


Mayor Waldorf said she agreed with the Commission's efforts to have public easements marked and cleared and connections made to provide maximum transit options along greenway trails.  Ms. Rohrbacher said a keypoint of the proposed master plan would be to identify potential new greenway trails.

 

Council Member Evans said she had spoken to Duke Power officials about the possibility of linking up some of their rights-of-way and easements to link up neighborhoods via greenways.

 

Council Member Franck requested that staff comment on the community facilities report and which of the two commissions (greenways or parks and recreation) might best handle this matter.  Mayor Waldorf requested that the staff bring back the report as soon as practical.

 

Transportation Board

 

Transportation Board Chair Ruby Sinreich introduced Board Members

Paul Killough, Steve Manton, Michelle Minstrell and Jeffrey Obler.

 

Ms. Sinreich said the Board felt that additional resources for EZ Rider services were needed, due to increased demand for these services, especially during afternoon hours and on weekends.  She also noted that the Board favored a proposed bus fare increase and increasing the public's awareness of transit options other than single-occupant vehicles.  Ms. Sinreich said the Board was requesting funding of $20,000 for a pilot program relative to encourage the use of mass transit.

 

Ms. Minstrell said she echoed the Parks and Recreation Commission's comments regarding the provision of funds for bikeways.  Ms. Minstrell also said she supported a requirement wherein private employers had to have transportation management plans for their employees.  Ms. Sinreich said existing transportation management plans could use a lot of improvement from employers and improved bus service.

 

Council Member Franck inquired about the availability of grants for promoting the use of mass transit.  Ms. Minstrell said Town staff had recently applied for a grant related to transportation management plans.  Mayor Waldorf inquired how the Board had come up with its cost estimate relative to promoting mass transit.  Ms. Sinreich said information from the City of Boulder, Colorado had been useful in this regard.

 


Council Member Evans noted that she had had preliminary discussions with School Board Member Nick Didow and Transportation Board Chair Ruby Sinreich about options for collaborating on the transportation of students to local schools.  Mr. Godding said although the Town liked the idea of students riding Chapel Hill Transit buses, buses were not routed solely to serve student and school needs.  Noting that students staying after school for activities were not always aware of other bus options, Mayor Waldorf said she would discuss the concept with the School Board Chair.

 

Council Member Capowski inquired whether funding for any of the Board's recommendations was included in the proposed 1996-97 budget.  Ms. Sinreich said no.  Council Member Capowski inquired whether the Board had suggestions for possible funding sources for these recommendations.  Ms. Sinreich said two possible sources were a property tax increase or the use of bonds.

 

Mayor Waldorf said that the Board indicated that more drivers were needed to provide EZ Rider service, especially during afternoon hours.  She noted that the Manager would report back to the Council on this matter.  Mayor Waldorf also said it was important to promote the transit system as exhaustively as possible, especially to visitors to the Town.  Council Member Evans noted that the availability of Tarheel Express bus service was very well publicized. 

 

Noting that Greensboro Road and other streets in Carrboro were striped for bicycle lanes, Council Member Andresen suggested that roads in the Town be similarly restriped as they were resurfaced.  Mr. Killough noted that some bicycle lanes tended to be narrow relative to the safety of bicyclists.  He suggested that the lanes be sufficiently wide to afford some protection to bicyclists.  Ms. Minstrell said having smooth edge surfaces to the pavement along the gutter was important in ensuring the safety of bicyclists.

 

Council Member Capowski inquired about the Board's specific suggestions for encouraging increased bus ridership.  Ms. Sinreich said one important element was the wider dissemination of transit service schedules.  Council Member Franck said another possibility was a "try transit week" promotion.  Ms. Sinreich said people could also be encouraged to ride bicycles.

 

Human Services Advisory Board

 

Human Services Advisory Board Chair Ed Devany introduced Board Members John Birkholz, Mildred Council, Sarah Kogut, Donald Shaw and Harriett Crisp.

 

Mr. Shaw said when he had first joined the Board six years ago, total available Town funding for human services was about $60,000, compared to about $120,000 at present.  Mr. Shaw also noted that funding requests received to date (for 1996-97) totalled over $170,000.  He stated that general philosophy relative to human services programs was that funding from the Town and Carrboro supplemented Orange County's human services programs.  Mr. Shaw said that as cutbacks in State and Federal funding of human service programs, the onus for funding would continue to increase at the local level.

 

Council Member Andresen inquired whether or not the Board had developed a philosophical limit on funding of human service related programs.  Mr. Shaw said one possible limit would be about a penny on the tax rate, between $240,000 and $260,000.


Mayor Waldorf inquired whether any human service programs other than the Senior Center and JOCCA were included as line items in the Town budgets.  Mr. Horton said the only other similar situation he was aware of was the after schools program.  Mayor Waldorf noted that the Council had requested an evaluation of the after schools program by the Human Services Advisory Board.  She inquired whether the Board had suggested regarding routing of human services funding requests.  Mr. Devany said although the Board had no specific proposal, the Board was aware of the potential of some agencies to directly make these requests to the Council.  Council Member Andresen noted that Board member Michael Owen had recently spoken to her about this subject.  She noted that the Board worked hard to depoliticize requests for human services funding.  Council Member Evans inquired whether there was a mechanism in place to coordinate agency funding requests through United Way, local governments and other funding agencies.

Mr. Devany said there was such a system in place.

 

Council Member Capowski expressed his concurrence with Council Member Andresen's remarks.  Noting that some human services groups directly requested funding from the Council, Council Member Capowski said that all human service agency funding requests should be scrutinized by the Human Services Advisory Board in relation to other groups.

 

Council Member Chilton suggested that some programs, such as the after schools program, might not fare as well if they were considered by the Human Services Advisory Board, rather than the Council.  He also suggested that guidelines needed to be developed for discontinuation of support of programs after a certain time period.  Council Member Capowski said the Human Services Advisory Board was specialized and experienced in examining human service agencies.  Council Member Chilton said he believed that the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department  provided funding for the Senior Center.  Council Member Capowski said the Senior Center received funding from the Department of Aging as a social service.  Council Member Pavao inquired whether or not the Human Services Advisory Board had reviewed the Senior Center's funding request.  Mr. Devany said the Board had not reviewed this funding request.

 

Noting that the Council had recently asked the Board to review the After School program, Mr. Devany said the Board recommended that the Council consider the funding request as a possible line item.  Mayor Waldorf inquired about the results of the Board's evaluation of the After School program.  Mr. Devany said the Board's work on the evaluation would likely be wrapped up by the middle of next week, including a funding recommendation.  He also said that the Board was trying to get the best results with integrity relative to the funding of agencies.

 

Council Member Evans inquired whether the Board also reviewed Carrboro agencies as well.  Mr. Shaw said applications were reviewed in concert with the Town of Carrboro's Human Services Board.  He stated that there was good communication between the two boards.

 


Ms. Kogut noted that in other parts of the country after school programs were funded solely by school systems, rather than a portion of funds being provided by local governments.  Stating that school officials said the after schools program were excellent, Mr. Birkholz said the Town might wish to investigate why the school district was not paying for the program's costs.

 

Mr. Devany requested a clarification from the Council or Town staff regarding a funding request to the Human Services Advisory Board from the Public Housing Residents Council to fund a proposed position.  Mr. Horton said it would be out of the ordinary for the Board to fund specific positions and it would be consistent with tradition not to get into this business.

 

Discussion Regarding Possible Bond Referendum

 

Mr. Horton said the decision about which, if any, bond referendum items should be included on a ballot, lay with the Council.  He also said that there were a number of well-justified capital needs which merited the Council's consideration. 

 

Council Member Capowski said the Council had three key decisions to make:  whether, when and how much to put a possible bond referendum ballot.  He proposed that the Council put a parks and recreation bond referendum before the voters in November, 1996.

 

Noting the importance of having adequate school facilities, Council Member Capowski said the School Board and County Commissioners were considering holding a bond referendum for schools in November, 1997.  He expressed belief that there was sufficient time for a citizens committee to be formed and work on background material for a November, 1996 bond referendum election.

 

Stating that existing recreational facilities were not very good at present, Council Member Andresen suggested that the Council needed to further discuss the possible need for a bond referendum.  She also emphasized the importance of making a clear delineation between active and passive recreation.

 

Council Member Pavao expressed concurrence with Council Member Capowski's suggestion that the Town move ahead with a bond referendum election as soon as possible.  Council Member Pavao also said he believed that the Parks and Recreation Commission could do a good job of getting ready for a bond referendum election in the near term.  He also emphasized the importance of having language on the referendum ballot which was as specific, concrete and saleable as possible.

 

Council Member Capowski said the Town's acquisition of Merritt's Pasture was an opportunistic one which was possible because the Town had a line of credit from voter approved bonds.  Council Member Pavao suggested that funds from the bond could be used to develop active and passive recreational facilities on land already owned by the Town.

 


Noting the Council's and staff's current heavy workload, Mayor Waldorf inquired how much more could be done if the bond referendum were held in November, 1996, rather than November, 1997.  Stating that the specific date was not critical for individual projects, Mr. Horton said it would be more of a convenience than a necessity to hold the referendum at an earlier date.

 

Council Member Chilton said the Council's comments on a bond referendum were right on target this evening, especially Council Member Andresen's point about taxpayers being able to see tangible results.  Stating that there appeared to be a need for some new facilities, Council Member Chilton said November, 1996 appeared to be a good strategic time to hold a bond referendum election.

 

Council Member Evans inquired about the amount of property tax rate attributable to the approval of 1989 for parks and open space bonds.  Mr. Horton said the funding of the bonds took advantage of new revenue sources at that time.  Mr. Horton also said if a future bonds were approved, he would recommend raising the tax rate to pay off bonds, rather than having several tax rate increases over a number of years. 

 

Council Member Evans suggested that the Council explore options for the Town of Carrboro, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools and Orange County becoming participants in funding of recreation facilities.

 

Stating that the last effective bond referendum election had occurred in 1989, Council Member Pavao said November, 1996 appeared to be a good time to hold a bond referendum election.

 

Council Member Andresen said she found the idea of a bond issue appealing to pay for recreation capital needs.  She stated that another longshot option was to develop other revenue sources such as a real estate transfer tax.  Council Member Andresen said such a mechanism would be fairer to people in general than an impact tax.

 

Mayor Waldorf suggested that the Council continue its discussions regarding a possible bond referendum and remain vigilant about Orange County's discussions regarding a possible bond referendum for school facilities.  Stating that the development of school facilities was a top priority, Council Member Capowski said he did not think it was too late for the Town to move ahead with a parks and recreation bond referendum if the County Commissioners chose not to proceed with a school bond referendum in November.

 

Council Member Pavao said if the bond referendum were held and passed, there would not be a requirement to spend these funds.  He suggested working on a collaborative effort with other governmental entities.  Mayor Waldorf said it was very important to pursue options for collaborative funding of facilities.  Council Member Evans said the availability of bond money would provide leverage to work with other entities.

 


Council Member Andresen said she concurred that it would be a good idea for the Council to continue its dialogue on a possible bond referendum.  Emphasizing the need for good facility planning, Council Member Andresen said she was not ready to make a final decision on the matter.  Mayor Waldorf suggested placing the item on the Council's May 13th agenda for discussion.

 

 

Council Member Pavao suggested that it might be a good idea for staff to pull together a checklist of all that needed to be done relative to a potential bond referendum.  Mayor Waldorf said she would be pleased to include any Council comments or suggestions in an agenda item for follow-up Council discussions.

 

The work session concluded at 8:59 p.m.