SUMMARY
MINUTES OF A CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL
BUDGET WORK
SESSION
WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 17, 1999, AT 6:00 P.M.
Mayor Rosemary Waldorf called the meeting to order
at 6:00 p.m.
Council Members present were Flicka Bateman, Joyce
Brown, Joe Capowski, Pat Evans, Kevin Foy, Julie McClintock and Edith
Wiggins. Council Member Lee Pavão was
absent, excused. Staff members present
were Town Manager Calvin Horton, Assistant Town Managers Sonna Loewenthal and
Florentine Miller, Assistant to the Manager Ruffin Hall, Transportation
Director Bob Godding, Parks and Recreation Director Kathryn Spatz, Library
Director Kathy Thompson, Housing Director Tina Vaughn, Human Services
Coordinator Karen Rose, Parks and Recreation Administrative Analyst Bill
Webster and Acting Town Clerk Toni Pendergraph.
Mayor Waldorf explained that revenue growth had been
less than in previous years and that the Town would be dealing with a difficult
budget. She also explained that each of
the evening’s presentations would be limited to 30 minutes.
Transportation Board members present were Loren
Hintz and Fred Schroeder.
Mr. Schroeder thanked the Council for its hard work
and guidance. He noted that this was
the 25th anniversary of the Chapel Hill Transit System and that a Chapel Hill
Transit Review Committee would gather advice from the public at a spring
forum. Mr. Schroeder pointed out that
several Transportation Board members were also members of the NC 54/Hamilton Road
Study Work Group. He said that there was
ongoing concern for the continued development of about 25 bus shelters within
the community, and noted that the Board was aware of the Council’s financial
limitations.
Mr. Hintz, pointing out that the non-University
component of bus users was growing, encouraged the Council to allocate more
money to provide more bus service during currently reduced service
periods. He stated that non-University
citizens experienced inconvenience, and even hardship, because of reduced bus
service during academic breaks and summer sessions. Mr. Hintz stressed that
something would have to be done to meet the needs of non-University citizens,
adding that this would be
expensive.
Mr. Hintz noted that increased traffic and wider
roads had created island communities whose residents had difficulty crossing
the street to shop, attend school, or visit friends. He said that the Board had compiled a list of things to do to
make these areas safer, noting that the NC 54/Hamilition area was not the only
region that had these kinds of problems.
Mr. Hintz stated
that there was concern among Board members about what the recently-formed Walks
and Bikeways Commission could do in the short term, using primarily local but
also State and federal funds. He said
the Estes Road Extension needed to be widened to make it safe for
bicyclists.
Council Member Brown asked if the Board was aware of
the conference and rally being sponsored by the NC Coalition for Public
Transportation Association in Raleigh on March 17th. She suggested distributing the program to
Board members because relevant funding sources and issues would be discussed at
the conference. Mr. Hintz replied that
because he was working full time it was difficult for him to attend such
conferences. He added, though, that any
information the Board could obtain would be useful.
Council Member Bateman asked how great the increase
in non-University riders had been. Mr.
Hintz replied that it had increased from one-third to one-half when the
University was out of session. Bob
Godding, Director of Transportation, added that service was reduced during
three periods: Christmas, Spring Break, and summer). He said that service during these times was reduced on some but
not all routes, with the total reduction being about one-third. Mr. Godding added that ridership previously
dropped by about two-thirds during those periods, but now it drops by only
about 35-50% because there are more
non-students using the service year round.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked Mr. Hintz to repeat his
request. Mr. Hintz stated that he was
requesting that the Council keep the Transportation Board in mind in terms of
allocations for transportation when making the budget. He pointed out that one of the evening
routes did not run during the reduced schedule and other routes run fewer times
per day. Mr. Hintz said, although the
Board had not come to any recommendation about when and where to increase
service, they wanted to inform the Council that they would be asking for an
increase. Mr. Schroeder added that the
Board had resolved the previous evening to get more staff and citizen input as
to what would be the best way to increase service on an experimental
basis.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked if a process had begun
whereby the Council could get an estimate of the cost of the anticipated
ridership changes. Mr. Godding noted
that in previous public forums the Board had seen a consistent request from the
public to maintain full levels of service throughout the year. Mayor Waldorf noted that would require a
higher level of commitment from all partners.
Council Member Foy asked if the Board had discussed
using smaller buses. Mr. Hintz replied
that it had not been an agenda item during this year, which had been his first
year on the Board. Mr. Godding said
that the Board had not had such a discussion but had accepted the Federal
Transportation Grant initiated by the University, which included two full size
(35 foot, 35 passenger) buses and three or four smaller (20-25 foot, 25
passenger) vehicles. Mr. Godding added
that the Board had no specific plan for how to use these vehicles at this
point.
Council Member Brown asked if the bus size was
comparable to the “Hop, Skip and Jump” in Boulder, and if it was related to the
Alternative Fuels Grant that the Council was seeking. Mr. Godding replied that he did not know the size of the Boulder
vehicles, and that it was not related
to the Alternative Fuel Grant. He added that the Board had not developed
specifications but had discussed looking at something other than standard
gasoline and diesel.
Council Member McClintock said it was promising that
there had been an increase in people other than students riding the buses. She suggested that Council Members increase
their commitment to bus service. Council
Member McClintock also said that she would like to see more of a pedestrian
focus on the Transportation Board that would include practices and policies to
improve pedestrian transportation corridors.
She asked the Board to think about ways to mitigate the effect of
traffic on developments. Council Member
McClintock also asked the Board to recommend a policy that the Council could
adopt which would say that every time a road was paved or widened in Chapel Hill
a bike lane must be added as well. Mr.
Schroeder replied that a number of the Transportation Board were rabid
pedestrians who were concerned about such issues. He noted that mitigating traffic was a daunting issue, adding
that the Board would be happy to share their best judgment on it. Mr. Schroeder reminded the Council that the
newly-formed Walks and Bikeways Commission would be making suggestions along
with the Transportation Board.
Mayor Waldorf inquired about the bus line that the
Town had constructed to serve the Southern Human Services Center. She asked if the Board was looking at the
cost/benefit of that experimental route.
Mr. Godding replied that the Board had not received information from the
State on what funding it would have. He
assured the Council that service could continue throughout the year without any
additional cost to the Town.
Council Member Wiggins asked for clarification of
what the 25-year anniversary was about.
Mr. Hintz noted that it was a time of revaluation, not a
celebration. Mayor Waldorf explained
that the Council had requested it because the bus system had been in existence
for a quarter of a century and it seemed like a good time to stand back and see
if things were being done in the best possible way.
Council Member Foy encouraged Transportation Board
members to attend the February 23rd meeting with the UNC Master Plan
Committee.
Mayor Waldorf agreed, noting that the University
consultants would make recommendations.
Library Board members present were Paul Farel, Vice
Chair, and Mary Holton.
Mayor Waldorf thanked the Library Board in advance
for attending the Orange County Commissioners’ meeting and presenting a report
on how well the Library served all of the people of Orange County. She also explained that funding would be
limited this year, and reminded the Board that all presentations are limited to
30 minutes.
Mr. Farel stated that the biggest change for the
library this year was the installation of five internet stations for public
use. He said that this was made
possible by an increase in the County’s appropriation to the Town, which the
Council had used to supplement the Library’s budget. Mr. Farel explained that this had allowed the Library to access
the State-supported service, NC Live, which included databases and search
facilities for library patrons. He
reported that another of this year’s highlights was the installation of an
automated telephone notification system, which replaced the manual handling of
overdue and reserve notices, thereby saving $6,000 per year in postage costs.
Mr. Farel reminded the Council that it had created
an Library Needs Assessment Task Force to identify long term goals and service
measures for the Library. He said that
the Task Force would report its findings to the Town Council in the
spring. Mr. Farel noted that this year
the Library had tried to identify possible changes or alternatives to its
current outreach program. He explained
that this involved identifying areas of cooperation between the Residents’
Council, and the Housing and Police Departments.
Mr. Farel noted that the Library Board would make
another presentation to the Commissioners during the 1999 budget process. He said that report would thank the County
for its increased support during the past year, but would include the following
statistics: 41% percent of the people of Orange County lived in Chapel Hill,
but Chapel Hill residents received only 26% of the funds that the County
devoted to library support.
Mr. Farel pointed out that Orange County residents
who lived in Chapel Hill were supported at the rate of $4.91 per capita by the
County for the Library, while Orange County residents who lived outside of
Chapel Hill were supported at a rate that was more than $10 per capita. He explained that 75% of the County’s budget
for libraries went to people outside Chapel Hill even though 41% of Orange
County’s residents lived in Chapel Hill.
Mr. Farel also explained that 75% of the Library’s
support came from the Town, about 13% from the County, and about 13% from other
sources. Nevertheless, he pointed out,
County residents who lived outside of Chapel Hill made up more than 43% of the
registered Library users.
Mr. Farel reported that nearly 50% of the County’s
expenditures for 1998-99 went to education.
He noted that education was inextricably linked to library support, and
pointed out that the County’s support of libraries did not come close to its
support of education, adding that the County gave less than 1% of its operating
budget to libraries.
Mr. Farel concluded that the County did not support
libraries enough and that Chapel Hill did not receive its proportional share of
that support.
Mayor Waldorf agreed with both points.
Mr. Farel stated that the Library Board would focus
on two areas in the coming year. He
said it would continue to discuss issues associated with internet service, such
as staffing problems and issues concerning access to information, and the Board
would review the Library Needs Assessment Task Force’s findings and report to
the Council in the spring. Mr. Farel
ended the Library Board’s presentation by recognizing the leadership of Library
Director Kathy Thompson and the dedication of the entire library staff.
Mayor pro tem Capowski noted that Mr. Farel had
expressed funding discrepancies as a function of the total budget, adding that
as a function of the Education Budget the percentage devoted to libraries was
even smaller. He asked how much Orange
County residents used the Chapel Hill Library.
Mr. Farel replied that a survey last year found that about 40% of those
who used the Library lived outside of
the Chapel Hill/Carrboro school system.
Council Member Foy stated that to equalize funding
the Library would have to receive $215,000.
Mr. Farel replied that, realistically, the Board planned to ask the
County for all it could give.
Council Member Foy recommended asking for an exact
sum.
Mayor Waldorf suggested presenting a plan to
equalize the amount over time.
Council Member Foy asked what the Library would do
with $215,000 if it received it.
Mayor Waldorf suggested requesting 20% of the
$215,000 over a five-year period. Both
Council Member Foy and Mayor Waldorf said that asking for a specific amount
would be useful to the Commissioners in justifying the expenditure and useful
to the Council in planning how it would be used.
Council Member Bateman recommended that the Library
try to help the School in the Community, a Carrboro charter school, because it
was under-funded and did not have many books.
Council Member McClintock pointed out that the fact
that the County had been doing better each year should be noted in the Library
Board’s presentation to the Commissioners.
Council Member Brown asked if the County’s library
usage had increased. Mr. Farel replied
that it had remained the same.
Council Member Brown asked if the Board had made up
a needs list. Mr. Farel replied that
they had and that it would be formalized by the Library Needs Assessment Task
Force, which would report to the Council in the spring before going to the
Commissioners.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked if the library building
was adequate. Mr. Farel replied that
the space was inadequate, particularly with the growing use of computers and
internet access.
Council Member Bateman stated that a potential
benefactor had asked her if the Town would pull back some of its funding if
someone made a sizable contribution to the Library. Town Manager Horton replied that it would be easy to demonstrate
that it has never happened.
Commission members present were Daniel Costa, Dianne
Lemasters, Al Mebane and Martin Feinstein, Chair.
Mayor Waldorf explained that this year’s budget
would be limited, and explained that there was a 30-minute limit on
presentations.
Mr. Costa reported that the Parks and Recreation
Department had a productive year under the new leadership of Director Kathryn
Spatz. He mentioned some of the
Department’s accomplishments: the
Hargraves Gym was open and fully operational with expanded programs; and Phase 1 of the Northern Community Park was nearly complete, with two lighted
ball fields, two lighted soccer fields, picnic areas, playground equipment,
skateboarding facility and batting cages.
Mr. Costa said that a major goal for the upcoming
few years would be the completion of the Northern Community pool complex. He said, noting that the Town’s population
was expanding, that sports and recreational needs were growing as well and
suggested leveraging resources with other entities, such as the school system,
to meet mutual goals. Mr. Costa
recommended trying to establish a temporary committee, composed of “stake-holder parties,” to explore specific
areas where such interaction might be developed. He expressed gratitude to the Council for supporting the Parks
and Recreation Department as well as the new Walks and Bikeways Commission.
Mr. Costa reported that the Community Center pool
area and bathhouse needed refurbishing and that the Community Center needed
more lighting for security and safety purposes. He also said that the Department needed a revamped nature
program, more outdoor activities, more community events, new sporting
activities, such as flag football and tiered baseball, and instructional sessions
for players and coaches. Mr. Costa
remarked that Director Kathryn Spatz would provide strong leadership to guide
the evolution of the Department, which he predicted would reach out to the
broad community with programs, including those for at-risk teens. Mr. Costa noted that such programs might
require individual financial investment, adding that leveraged resources could
be highly productive, as well.
Mr. Costa explained that the Commission had
initiated discussions with UNC’s music and athletic departments. He said, among the ideas discussed, was a
possible collaboration on a summer music festival in Chapel Hill, which could
become a regional annual event. Mr.
Costa commented that the University had expressed interest in other
collaborative ideas as well, such as
providing coaching clinics, offering intern
opportunities, and including exhibitions and demonstrations at University
events. He added that the University
had also expressed interest in a program through which well-known University athletes
might become inspirational speakers as part of the at-risk youth programming
effort.
Mr. Costa pointed out that the Commission needed to
develop a master plan that would lay out its vision for the next five
years. He said the plan would include: the
organization of the Department; the
needs of the community; a description
of programming measures to monitor effectiveness; a description of development needs for facilities and parks; and a plan for future needs, such as the
Southern Community Park, and the resources that might be required to develop
that. Mr. Costa pointed out that the
master plan could serve as an integral block of the Town’s Comprehensive
Plan.
Council Member McClintock praised the idea of
developing a master plan. She pointed
out that such a plan would give the Council something concrete to look at and
respond to. Council Member McClintock
added that having a master plan might be the only way to get started on
expensive projects, such as the Southern Community Park and the community
building at the Northern Community Park.
Mr. Costa agreed, pointing out that having a master plan was necessary
to obtain State funding. He said that
the Commission had essentially been disqualified from State funding last year
because it did not have such a plan.
Mr. Costa stated that the Commission would be requesting funding from
the Town for a consultant to lay the groundwork for the master plan.
Mr. Horton noted that it would cost around
$40,000-$50,000 for a community the size of Chapel Hill to do a detailed master
plan with real projects, schedules and costs.
He added that a request for these funds would be in the Town’s budget
proposal.
Council Member Evans asked how the Commission was
meeting the needs of citizens over 65 years of age. Ms. Lemasters replied that she was exploring a plan to foster
inter-generational mentoring relationships between senior citizens and the
young. Mr. Costa pointed out that the
Town presently contracted much of its senior citizen activities to the County.
Council Member Brown asked for more information
about the music festival, specifically whether it would be a fund raiser for
Parks and Recreation. Mr. Costa,
reminding the Council that planning was still in the very early stages,
suggested that such a project would be appropriate for multi-dimensional type
funding the first year and then should eventually become self-sustaining.
Council Member Brown asked if the Commission hoped
that it would be more than self-sustaining and lead to funding for the Parks
and Recreation Department. Mr. Costa
repeated that the project would need funding at the start, but might become a
source of funds in the future.
Ms. Lemasters said that the Commission had also
discussed having concerts for teenagers, whereby teens themselves would obtain
their own music groups. Mayor Waldorf
noted that Robert Humphreys of the Downtown Commission would be a good contact
person.
Council Member Foy asked if the Commission had
discussed the County-wide Task Force’s recommendation to develop cooperation
among Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Orange County’s parks departments. Diane LeMasters, pointing out that there had
been a conflict between County and Town meeting times, replied that the Commission
had learned that Chapel Hill was the only one of the three which did not have a
master plan. She pointed out that the
Town needed a master plan before some of the work of the County-wide group
could proceed.
Mr. Feinstein stated that planning for County-wide
cooperation had been going on since 1995. Mr. Feinstein, noting that the task
force had done a lot of research, said that he hoped a group consisting of
staff, citizens, and elected officials would begin to work on coordinated
capital planning.
Council Member Foy said that he had thought the Task
Force would determine how the County would spend its money, adding that it was
true that Chapel Hill needed a master plan.
Council Member Foy remarked that the County-wide
Task Force had identified how ineffective all three Departments had been at
getting “in lieu” payments and land into the park system. He pointed out that all of the funding was
coming from the tax base and noted that nothing came from the impact of new
development.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the Task Force had ever discussed
a County-wide parks/open space district tax.
She added that this was a fund raising mechanism that was permitted in
North Carolina.
Council Member McClintock commented that, contrary
to her former beliefs, she now thought it would be disadvantageous to have the
County run the Parks and Recreation Program.
Mayor Waldorf pointed out that, in the past, that idea had been
ignored.
Mayor Waldorf requested that the Parks and
Recreation Commission go to the County Commissioners and ask for funding, as
the Library Commission had done. Mr.
Costa replied that it was easier for the Library Commission to obtain
supporting statistics because their system was automated.
Council Member Bateman suggested tracking the
residences of those who use the Community pool. Both Ms. Lemasters and Mr. Costa noted that attendance at the
pool was cyclic, but expressed willingness to find a way of obtaining
information.
Mayor Waldorf stressed that the information did not
have to be perfect in order for the Parks and Recreation Commission to thank
the County Commissioners for what they were doing and to ask for more
support. She added that it would be
much more effective if the Commission did that than if the Council asked for
funding in their behalf.
Mr. Horton said that the Town staff would be glad to
help prepare the material, as they did for the Library Board.
Council Member Brown asked if figures on County
support for Parks and Recreation were available that might make a case similar
to the one the Library was making. Mr.
Horton replied that the staff probably could construct the same kind of
picture—one showing that the County had given a very static level of support
which had not changed in about 10 years.
He said that a good case could be made for a higher level of continuing
operating support. Mr. Horton added
that the staff would like the opportunity to work with the Board to help them
with this.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the Commission would consider
approaching the County Commissioners if the staff put together such supporting
information. Commission members agreed.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked if a case could be made
that the Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Department provided services for kids
in the school system and that, without Parks and Recreation, the school system
would have to build more capital facilities.
Council Members agreed that such a case could be made.
Council Member McClintock asked Commission members
to look critically at real estate proposals as they came in. She requested that the Commission bring
their concerns to the Council when development proposals did not seem to
contribute enough green or recreational space.
Mr. Mebane
thanked the Council for the extra staff
help.
Commission members present were Mark Broadwell,
Vice-Chair, Carol Pekar, Joe Herzenberg, Pamela Hemminger, Chair, and Laura
Philpot.
Mayor Waldorf repeated her message that revenue
growth had not been as high as in the last few years and that the Town would
have to consider a tighter budget.
Mr. Broadwell thanked the Council, Parks and
Recreation Department Director Kathryn Spatz, and Town Administrative Analyst
Bill Webster for their support. He
stated that the Commission’s accomplishments this year included updating its
master plan. He said that phase two of
the Bolin Creek Pedestrian Trail had been dedicated in July, in spite of “every
natural adversity -- including floods and landslides.” Noting that the Council had approved the
conceptual plan for Lower Booker Creek he reported that the Commission was
completing the design documents for that in conjunction with Orange Water and
Sewer Authority’s replacement of the sewer line that ran up the easement.
Mr. Broadwell described the Booker Creek Linear Park
project as an exciting one that would combine paved and natural trails and
perhaps even a wetlands restoration project.
He said that the Commission hoped to have a draft conceptual plan ready
in March. Mr. Broadwell noted that a
conceptual plan was completed last year for Dry Creek Trail and the Commission
had a $5,000 grant from the Adopt-a-Trail Program and expected to receive an
additional $35,000 from the National Trails Program. He said that Dry Creek
Trail would combine a natural trail and boardwalk. Mr. Broadwell added that eagle scouts would begin constructing the
trail the following week.
Mr. Broadwell stated that the Southern Village Trail
would soon be completed as far as the Town boundary at the edge of Southern
Community Park. He noted that the
Commission did not have any design money to continue the trail through Southern
Community Park and would be requesting the Council’s help. He pointed out that the Town had received a
$200,000 Clean Water Management Trust Fund grant to purchase conservation
easements along Dry Creek, adding that this would be a big step toward
providing a link to Durham’s trail system.
Ms. Hemminger thanked the Council for past funding
and noted that there was still a little money left to finish the Bolin Creek
project. She said that the Commission
had also been using funds to develop conceptual plans because such plans were
necessary to obtain grants. Ms.
Hemminger expressed appreciation to the Council for directing funds toward the
Triangle Land Conservancy, which she said was preserving open space, creek area
and watershed which would benefit the Town.
Ms. Hemminger stated that the Commission’s highest
priority was to obtain funds to match a NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
funding for the Lower Booker Creek Trail.
She pointed out that the Commission did not have exact figures because
the conceptual plan was not finalized, but hoped that the Capital Improvements
Plan money plus the cell tower money, would be enough to fund this
project. Ms. Hemminger pointed out that
the Commission would lose the $260,000 grant from NCDOT if it did not raise the
matching funds.
Mayor Waldorf clarified that the NCDOT grant was
federal funds that were distributed through NCDOT.
Ms. Hemminger reported that the Commission could not
estimate construction costs for the Linear Park Project until they got the
Linear Plan back. She said that most of
their projects were currently in the planning stages and thanked the Council
for supplying matching funds.
Council Member McClintock asked Ms. Hemminger if she
knew how much the matches would be. Ms.
Hemminger replied that the Council already had allocated $200,000 for the Dry
Creek grant. She added that the Council
also had allocated funds toward the Lower Booker Creek project, but the
Commission was not yet sure of the total cost.
Ms. Hemminger noted that the Commission had reserved some CIP money for
this, but the project would require additional funding. She added that the Commission was excited
about the possibility of CIP money and the cell tower money.
Mr. Herzenberg referred to a memo that he had sent
to the Council in January which included recommendations about open space
priorities. He said that the Commission
would like bond money to secure safe, legal access to Merritt’s Pasture, noting
that those who currently use it lived in the County. Mr. Herzenberg asked for the Council’s support in finding
creative solutions to that project.
Mayor Waldorf asked if anyone had talked to the
Finnegans about this. Mr. Herzenberg
replied that the Commission had done so on Monday. He added that as far as he knew no one had spoken with Duke
Power. Bill Webster, Parks and Recreation Administrative Analyst, added that
Duke Power had been receptive to giving easements a few years ago. He said that the difficulty of construction
in that area, not land acquisition, had been the problem.
Mayor pro tem Capowski encouraged the Commission to
come back again with a recommendation and a cost estimate.
Mr. Herzenberg said that the Commission’s second
priority was to extend Bolin Creek westward from Airport Road to Umstead Park
and beyond. He stated that funding was
needed primarily for acquisition of easements and some very small pieces of
property. Mr. Herzenberg listed land
along Morgan Creek west of Merritt’s
Pasture as the Commission’s third priority.
He noted that both Morgan Creek and Bolin Creek Greenways would lead out
of Chapel Hill and into Carrboro and Orange County and stated that the
Commission would at some point need the Council’s help in cooperating with
those other governments so that all could benefit from the program. Mr. Herzenberg stated that the last priority
was property in the northwest part of Town between the Green Tract and Parkside
sub division.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked for the Commission’s
reactions to Vice President Gore’s recent statement about federal donations
going to towns for purchase of greenspace.
Mr. Webster replied that the federal program was in the conceptual stage
and that Congress had not yet acted on it.
He stated that the Commission would follow this and would be very
interested if it was adopted.
Council Member McClintock remarked that she had
attended a meeting where the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency announced that all of these programs, such as open space and greenspace,
bonding, abilities for communities to buy open space, were in the President’s
budget and had substantial funding attached.
Mr. Webster pointed out that some federal programs allocated very little
to local governments.
Ms. Hemminger added that the Triangle Greenways had
published a list of places to apply for grant money and how to go about
obtaining it.
Council Member Foy, noting that Booker Creek Linear
Park was environmentally sensitive, asked how land disturbance there was
mitigated or taken into account in the planning stage. Mr. Broadwell replied that the
recommendation from the NC Wetlands Restoration Commission was
to do as little as possible to the banks and preserve the vegetation. He explained that the Commission was planned
to build two bridge crossings, but would do all they could to minimize impact
on the creek. Mr. Broadwell added that
most of the trails near the creek would be natural ones.
Council Member Foy asked if the trail would go as
far as University Mall. Mr. Broadwell
replied that one possible link would be to cross Elliott Road and connect to
Conner Drive.
Council Member Bateman asked what the criteria were
for selecting sites for open space purchase.
Mr. Herzenberg replied that the Commission looked at the master plan and
then decided how a relatively small amount of money could make a big
difference. He added Bolin Creek was
high on their list because it was the longest greenway and could eventually be
extended up to Northside.
Council Member Bateman asked about the distinction
between greenways and open space. Mr.
Broadwell explained that open space funds could not be used for
construction. Mayor Waldorf added that
the ballot had specified purchase of land for open space and greenways. She noted that the Commission’s list of
priorities showed that it tended to look at it more from a greenways point of
view. Mr. Herzenberg replied that this
was true, but emphasized that access to Merritt’s Pasture was high on their
list even though they were not planning to cross the meadow with greenways.
Mayor pro tem Capowski commented that the popularity
of the Mason Farm tract and Duke Forest and Merritt’s Pasture indicated that
these would be increasingly valuable and popular as time goes on. He thanked Mr. Herzenberg for his vote on
the Council when the Town bought what had become a “golden purchase.” Mayor pro tem Capowski encouraged the
Commission to continue its good work because 50 to 100 years from now these
properties would be invaluable.
Council Member Foy asked Ms. Hemminger if she
thought the priorities the Commission had listed would exhaust their
funds. Ms. Hemminger replied that it
would depend on which approach they take on Merritt’s Pasture, since some
possibilities were more expensive than others.
Council Member Brown agreed that Merritt’s Pasture
should be preserved as open space. She
expressed hope that the Town would resist pressures to develop that land.
Council Member Evans added that she was glad the
Commission was seeking legal public access to Merritt’s Pasture because it was
being used by the public anyway.
Advisory Board members present were Charles deBose,
Chair, Michael Ullman and Mary-Winne Sherwood.
Mr. deBose commented on how challenging it had been
to develop a diverse, nine-member Advisory Board. He said that the Board wanted to prepare the Council for a report
they would present in July which would review the current state of public
housing in Chapel Hill and outline the Town’s needs in relation to low-income
housing.
Mr. Ullman summarized the Board’s Annual Housing
Analysis Review, which he distributed to the Council. He said the main points included: monthly rent payment this year
were significantly lower than last year; there was a decrease in the numbers of
residents living in public housing; the average income of residents had
dropped; there were more non-wage-earner heads of households; about 1/3 of
residents were long term, 1/3 had been there between two and ten years, and 1/3
of residents turnover each year; there was a high female/male ratio among the
children; there was a much higher percentage of younger children; about 1/4 of
the units are underutilized; there was incongruity between the need for one-
and two-bedroom units and the number of those units in public housing; and,
very few adult males were legally residing in these households. Mr. Ullman added that the Board was
attempting to get information and statistics on how children from public
housing were faring in school.
Mr. Ullman referred to a list he developed of
agencies that had ongoing programs at public housing projects. He said the list also included his estimate
of how much money was going into these programs—nearly $1,000 per family per
year. Mr. Ullman compared this to the
school system’s budget, which devoted $4,500 per child per year. He argued that the many agencies should be
coordinated.
Mr. deBose repeated that the Board was merely
preparing the Council for a report to come, to include statistical
analysis. He remarked that the Board
planned to be more communicative with the Council than it had in the past
because there were many crucial situations demanding attention. He said, referring to a recent article in
the News & Observer on affordable
housing in Chapel Hill, that the story had hit some important points but had
missed others. One point missed, Mr.
deBose said, was the lack of housing for transitional people (those leaving the
Inter-Faith Council’s shelter or public housing, a mother and one child who
needed an affordable two bedroom home with stabilized rent). He pointed out that the US Department of
Housing and Urban Development was not satisfied with the way the Town was
spending the $25 million a year for renovation of public housing units, adding
that Community Development Block Grant funds were slated for creative impacting
efforts for low-income neighborhoods.
Mayor pro tem Capowski inquired about the Board’s
use of maintenance money. Mr. deBose
replied that there were other grants that had been used for renovation and
refurbishing five years in a row. He
stressed that answers to questions such as these would be in the report.
Council Member Evans asked if there was any
correlation between the decrease in wages and the fact that public assistance
was being phased out. She also inquired
as to whether people who needed to learn new skills were aware of the new
Skills and Training Center. Mr. Ullman
replied that he did not think that was having much effect. Mr. deBose acknowledged that the Housing
Department had not done as good a job as it could to inform residents about
Town resources. He added that they were
taking it more seriously now and had hired a staff person to coordinate and
track progress. Mr. Ullman pointed out,
though, that residents were inundated with information, surveys, orientations
and interviews. He noted that there
also was some xenophobia among members of this community and agreed that the
Town needed to try new strategies to connect people and Town resources.
Mayor pro tem Capowski asked why incomes were going
down. Mr. Ullman replied that,
anecdotally, it seemed that the penalty for getting on public housing and then
quitting one’s job was not great because rent for the unemployed went down to
zero and they received a utilities stipend.
He pointed out that when they worked they also reached a kind of a 60%
tax bracket because 30% of their income goes to rent and, even if they are in
the 15% tax bracket, FICA and the State tax take another 30%. Mr. Ullman said that the Board was
discussing the idea of a rent ceiling as an incentive to get people back to
work.
Mr. deBose added that the federal structure of
public housing was not supportive of those trying to make major changes or
increases in their life. He added that
the Town needed to be more innovative because the federal structure was not
helping. Mr. deBose emphasized that
this was where the Community Development Block Grant funds were supposed to fit
in, but those were being used instead to maintain housing stock.
Council Member Bateman asked what the percentage of
Hispanics was in public housing and what efforts were being made to reach out
to that population. Board members
replied that it was almost zero, adding that they did not have statistics.
Council Member Bateman expressed disappointment,
noting that there were four on the waiting list last year and none in public
housing.
Council Member Foy asked if the Skills and Training
Center had been useful. Mr. deBose
explained that there were many services and resources available in Chapel Hill,
but there was no tracking system to show which families interacted with which
agencies and what the outcome was.
Mr. Ullman added that Ruth Burnett in the Human
Services Department probably was more familiar with utilization of the Skills
and Training Center due to her efforts at coordinating GED and computer
classes.
Mayor Waldorf suggested that the Manager could ask
Ms. Burnett to write an answer to that question.
Council Member Foy said that the Skills and Training
Center was a resource that should be used.
Council Member McClintock added that the Skills and
Training Center was making an effort to coordinate on site and was bringing a
lot of agencies together into one place.
Council Member Evans noted that the Orange County
Economic Development Commission had its last meeting at the Skill and Training
Center. She suggested that the Board
schedule a meeting there too.
Council Member Brown asked if the Board was going in
the direction of expanding its scope.
Mr. deBose replied that it was, because the Board really was not
providing the service that it should if all it was doing was maintaining bricks
and mortar and evicting people who did not pay their rent.
Mayor Waldorf stated that nothing the Board had
suggested tonight went beyond the responsibilities set forth in the ordinance
that created it.
Council Member Brown explained that she had meant
that what the Council had heard tonight was an expansion beyond what it had
been hearing from the Board over the past few years. She added that the Board was headed in a good direction.
Mayor Waldorf asked Board members to assess the
safety situation in Public Housing and to comment on whether or not there had
been significant improvement now that there were community police officers in
the neighborhoods. She also asked if
the Residents’ Council, which received significant funding every year, was
serving residents effectively.
Mr. deBose replied that the Residents’ Council was a
work in progress. He noted that the
group had made significant progress with organizing some communities. Mr. DeBose said, regarding the safety issue,
that the community police officers’ presence had lead to a decrease in crime in
public housing as well as adjacent communities. Mr. Ullman added that the Residents’ Council probably needed more
guidance than the Board, which was made up of volunteers, could provide.
Item 6—Human
Services Advisory Board
Board members present were Harriet Crisp, Mildred
Council and Betsy Lowman.
Mayor Waldorf greeted the Board and noted the time
limit.
Ms. Crisp listed four new priority needs in addition
to those that they had always had:
services for high-risk youth; substance abuse treatment and prevention
programs; parent and family support programs; and support and resources for
senior citizens. She pointed out that
expenses had increased each year, but the Human Services allocation had
remained at $167,500, the 1997
level. She noted that human services
problems were becoming more complex, listing homeless youth, the Hispanic
population, and all aspects of homelessness as growing concerns. Ms. Crisp noted that several new agencies
had notified the Board that they planned to present proposals for funding.
Ms. Crisp reported that requests from various
agencies last year totaled $214,700.
She pointed out that the Board had to do a lot of trimming because of
the $167,000 allocation. Ms. Crisp
explained that this year they planned to request at least a 7% increase, which
would bring the total allocation to $179,225.
She proposed that the Council consider a formula for allocation
increases so that the Board could anticipate how much it would receive, rather
than have to propose new amounts each year.
Ms. Council explained that people who lived in
northern Orange County needed bus passes to get to Work First classes at the
Skills and Training Center on Franklin Street.
Council Member Evans pointed out that a Rotary Club
had expressed interest in providing transportation for Work First
individuals. Ms. Council replied they
did not know if the Rotary Club knew who was out there to support.
Mayor Waldorf asked whether Orange County’s van
service could help with this. Mr.
Horton added that the van service, called Coordinated Agency Transit, was
available for anyone who wished to ride it from Hillsborough to Chapel Hill.
Mayor Waldorf suggested that those in northern
Orange County who needed transportation to the Skills and Training Center be
handed one of Chapel Hill’s bus schedules, which included the Orange County
Coordinated Transit Service schedule.
Council Member Bateman, pointing out that the Skills
and Training Center should have bus schedules available, volunteered to make
sure that these were available.
Council Member Bateman added that she supported the
request for additional funding.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the Board still met jointly
with Carrboro. Ms. Crisp replied that
they do.
Elizabeth Pringle, Chair, was the only Commission
member present.
Ms. Pringle stated that the Commission would be
asking for a grant next year to work on a chapter in the Comprehensive
Plan. She estimated that the matching
funds for that would be about $4,000.
Ms. Pringle also said that the Commission would be requesting funds for
signage in all of the historic districts.
She estimated the cost at between $3,000 and $5,000 for about 30
signs.
Ms. Pringle commented that the signs would enhance
the historic neighborhoods’ awareness of their own entity and perhaps foster a
sense of ownership. She added that it
would be important to tourists who liked to wander in the historic areas, and
noted that it was good business to advertise the Town’s historic
districts.
Ms. Pringle thanked the Council for making the
Zoning Compliance Officer available and said that she looked forward to seeing
what impact that would have on parking problems in the historic districts.
Council Member Brown asked Ms. Pringle to elaborate
on the Comprehensive Plan chapter. Ms.
Pringle replied that the chapter would include information such as: a summary
of the Commission’s goals and objectives; a definition of historic area;
surveys of historic districts, including maps and photographs; objectives for
the future in terms of areas that needed to be surveyed to become historic
districts; and, the criteria of congruity.
Council Member Evans asked if the $3,000-$5,000 for
markers was the total amount. Ms.
Pringle replied that it was, and explained that the signs would be small, the
size of a bus stop sign, which would go on the right-of-way.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
The minutes of
February 17, 1999 were adopted on the 12th day of April, 1999.
__________________________________________
Joyce A. Smith, CMC
Town Clerk