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.