SUMMARY MINUTES OF A BUDGET WORK SESSION
OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL
WEDNESDAY,
MARCH 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, Pat Evans, Lee Pavăo and Edith Wiggins.
Council Member Kevin Foy arrived at 6:35 p.m. Council Member Julie
McClintock arrived at 6:55 p.m. Mayor
pro tem Capowski was absent, excused.
Staff members present were Town Manager Cal Horton, Assistant Town
Manager Sonna Loewenthal, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos, Assistant to the
Manager Ruffin Hall, Inspections Director John Davis, Engineering Director
George Small, Personnel Director Pat Thomas, Finance Director James Baker,
Accounting and Finance Systems Manager Kay Johnson, Computer Analyst Bob Avery,
Planning Director Roger Waldon, Town Clerk Joyce Smith, and Toni Pendergraph,
acting as Town Clerk for the meeting.
Mr. Horton said that presentations by department
heads would be in a standardized format, as requested by the Council at its
January 16th Planning Session.
He noted that some graphs and tables that the Council had requested
would not be in this presentation, but would be in the Manager’s Recommended
Budget. Mr. Horton encouraged the
Council to provide feedback and recommendations on both the format and the
content of the presentations.
Ralph Karpinos, Town Attorney, requested the
transfer of salary and benefits for Executive Secretary Toni Pendergraph from
the Town Manager’s budget to the Town Attorney’s budget. He explained that most of her work was for
the Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Karpinos noted that the Attorney’s Office budget
consisted of his salary, the professional services account, and office
expenses. He added that the only significant
increase would be for professional services and a new attorney position.
Mr. Karpinos said that some of the factors that led
him to conclude that there was a need for an additional attorney were an
increase in Council initiatives, an increased need for him to attend board
meetings on a regular basis, and a need for greater involvement by his office
staff in housing and planning matters.
He added that there was a growing frequency of situations where two
attorneys were required before the Board of Adjustment due to the nature of the
cases.
Mr. Karpinos explained that there had been a
substantial increase over the past year in the number of Council initiatives
which required him to write reports and do research, making him less accessible
to the staff which he said was not getting the type of legal review that it
needed. He stated that the staff
suffered because other demands were placed on the Attorney’s Office. Mr. Karpinos said that staff members in the
Planning Department were having to act as paralegals—writing deeds, deeds of
trust, and other real estate matters.
Mr. Karpinos stated that the increase in enforcement
initiatives was likely to generate a need for legal assistance, including
zoning enforcement, public housing regulations, and soil erosion enforcement
matters. He noted that the Planning
Department needed more access to legal services early on so that there was more
legal input for planning proposals and more legal presence at Planning Board,
Historic District Commission, and other advisory board meetings. Mr. Karpinos pointed out that having another
attorney would save having to hire outside counsel to represent the Town at
hearings, such as those before the Board of Adjustment.
Mr. Karpinos added that there might be some
financial savings in not having to hire attorneys to do some closings. He said that there also had been personnel
hearings before the Manager or the Personnel Appeals Committee where one
attorney had represented the Manager or Appeals Committee and another had
represented the department head whose decision was being appealed. Mr. Karpinos
said that in these cases, an additional attorney on staff would save money.
Mr. Karpinos said that there was a proposed increase
to the Professional Services line item reflecting the expense of transcription
services. He noted that the Meadowmont
hearings had been recorded by a court reporter or taped and then later
transcribed. Mr. Karpinos pointed out
that these expenses had been coming out of the Town Attorney’s budget, totaling
$3,500-$5,000 for the last lawsuit. He
stated that such expenses would continue for Meadowmont and probably would be
incurred for other applications as well.
Mr. Karpinos noted that the Council had expressed
interest in being able to hire private attorneys to defend the Town. He suggested anticipating that and having
money set aside to cover it.
Council Member Bateman asked if a paralegal would
accomplish the same goal without being as costly as a new attorney. Mr. Karpinos replied that a paralegal would
help but that he would prefer to have someone who could go to represent the
Town in court.
Mayor Waldorf noted that Mr. Karpinos was describing
an increased volume of work and increased regulations that the Council seemed
to want.
Mr. Karpinos said that the addition of an attorney
would allow him to rely upon that person’s help with research.
John Davis, Inspections Director, said the primary
mission of the Inspections Department was to provide safety of life and
protection of property through the effective administration and enforcement of
applicable codes, ordinances and regulations.
He noted that key services were the enforcement of the NC State Building
Codes, Chapel Hill Code of Ordinances, Minimum
Housing Code and the Development Ordinance.
Mr. Davis said that the Inspections Department was also responsible for
resolving complaints, handling citizens’ requests for assistance, issuing sign
permits, inspecting day care facilities, and issuing business licenses.
Mr. Davis said that more revenue was generated this
year because of an increase in the number of building permits issued and in the
fee charged for re-inspection. He
stated that, due to the continued building of Southern Village, the start of
Meadowmont, and the building out of existing subdivisions, the Department
anticipated permit revenues to rise over the next year as well. He added that they also predicted
re-inspection fees rising, based on current revenues from re-inspection fees.
Mr. Davis stated that there had been an increase in
the cost of meetings and training, maintenance and repair of equipment, and
telephones. He stated that a key goal
of the Inspections Department was to perform inspections on the day the request
is made. Mr. Davis asked for an
administrative assistant to assume responsibilities that were currently shared
by several staff members.
Council Member Brown asked if the Department’s
revenues essentially paid for its budget.
Mr. Horton replied that the revenues occasionally exceeded the cost of
operation and helped pay for other costs related to the development
process.
Mayor Waldorf commented that the request for
expenditures for 1999-2000 looked as though it was less than the current
year. Mr. Davis explained that this was
because an Inspection Department employee was transferred to the Planning
Department and the replacement’s salary was less.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the total expenditures figure
included the additional amount requested for the administrative assistant. Mr. Davis replied that it did not.
Council Member Brown pointed out that the projected
revenues should cover that additional expense.
Mr. Davis agreed.
Council Member Bateman asked how many staff members
were in the Inspections Department. Mr.
Davis replied that there were seven.
Council
Member Bateman asked what the delay time was for a request for inspection. Mr. Davis replied that it was one to three
days.
Council Member Bateman replied that that was
reasonable.
Council Member Evans pointed out that such delays
could be costly to construction projects.
Mr. Davis noted that his Department had had an excellent reputation for inspecting promptly until about two years ago. He added that they now sometimes have 95 inspections in one day.
Council Member Evans asked if the Department had
incorporated technology to enable inspectors to be more efficient. Mr. Davis replied that the inspectors
received a schedule in the morning and stayed out all day.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the administrative assistant
would be a certified inspector. Mr.
Davis answered yes.
Council Member Wiggins asked if the Inspections
Department was the only one with a training program. Mr. Horton stated that the Transportation Department had one as
well.
Council Member Wiggins asked if the Department would
be doing more training. Mr. Davis
replied that he was attempting to do so.
Mr. Horton added that Mr. Davis had made the
training program work far better than anyone thought it would because he was
such a great teacher. He added that the
training program had helped the Town because the Town now had an excellent
inspector at a reduced cost because of the training.
Pat Thomas, Personnel Director, stated that the
proposed base budget for next year was “holding the line for the current level
of services.” She reported that most
training programs and services were going well, as was the major training
effort planned for supervisors in the basics of supervision. Ms. Thomas stated that the training for
front-line employees on quality service for citizens and colleagues was also
going well. She said that a priority
for next year would be to implement the first phase of a new pay system.
Ms. Thomas explained that there was a continuing
difficulty with filling positions. She
suggested adopting the policy, recommended by the pay consultant, of competing
at the 75th percentile in the labor market. Ms. Thomas also expressed concern about
whether the Personnel Department would be able to continue good health care
packaages at a reasonable cost with wide-spread physician participation. She said that the Department was having
trouble keeping up with the large amount of paperwork generated by various
programs and activities.
Ms. Thomas proposed several additions to the base budget:
·
hiring
a consultant for a Town-wide classification and labor market comparability
study;
·
hiring
a consultant to work with departments, along with Personnel Department staff,
to improve work standards used to evaluate employees;
·
creating
a new part-time recruiter position; and,
·
adding
10 clerical hours per week to assist with recordkeeping, filing, and reporting.
Ms. Thomas added that she strongly supported the
Public Works Department’s request for someone to assist with its Safety
Program.
Mayor Waldorf explained that Ms. Thomas was
requesting the base budget of $484,683 plus about another $95,000.
Council Member Bateman asked if the hard-to-fill
positions were the same this year as last.
Ms. Thomas replied that they were, noting that bus drivers, construction
workers, and groundskeeper positions were difficult to fill. She added that attending job fairs should
help.
Council Member Bateman asked what the Department did
when a person with limited English
applied. Ms. Thomas replied
that some staff members were able to speak other languages, especially
Spanish. She acknowledged, though, that
this could be a problem. Council Member
Bateman suggested trying to fill the half-time recruiter position with someone
who was bilingual.
Council Member Foy asked if the Town used the
internet for recruitment. Ms. Thomas
replied that the jobs listing was posted on the Town’s website each week.
Council Member Foy asked what the Town’s 400-500
temporary employees do. Ms. Thomas
replied that they umpire ball games, serve as lifeguards, camp counselors,
security monitors, arts and craft teachers, for example.
Council Member McClintock asked if the Wellness
Coordinator was on the Personnel Department’s staff. Ms. Thomas replied that the position was funded by Police, Fire
and Personnel.
Council Member McClintock asked what the Wellness
Coordinator did. Ms. Thomas replied
that the Coordinator probably would not feel that she had been able to do much
“wellness.” She said that the position
was partially funded by the Police and Fire Departments because of the strong
needs that both had for maintaining the physical abilities of its workers. Ms. Thomas noted that the Coordinator, a certified
law enforcement instructor, taught in the Rookie School because the State
required new officers to be able to pass physical fitness standards. She said that the Coordinator also handled
workers’ compensation issues, worked with safety committees regarding
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), kept up with first aid
and CPR certifications, blood-born pathogens training, and worked as much as
possible on operational issues within the departments.
Council Member McClintock asked why there had been a
shift in this position. Ms. Thomas
replied that Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines became
applicable to local governments and that required increasing the Safety
Program. She said that the Wellness Coordinator then became the logical person
to take on that responsibility. Ms.
Thomas explained that the Wellness Coordinator was also being used by all
departments, especially Police and Fire, on health-related issues, noting that
the Coordinator’s time went from wellness and health promotion to working with
disability issues.
James Baker, Finance Director, said the primary
mission of the Finance Department was to provide financial and technology
systems that allow the Council to make the best possible use and allocation of
Town resources and assets in providing Town services to citizens.
Mr. Baker said that the key services of the
Department were to provide support for the budget process, to oversee Town
purchasing and contracts, and to monitor the Town’s fiscal position and overall
financial plan. He said that the
Finance Department provided accurate, timely and informative financial records
for all Town departments and citizens.
Mr. Baker said that it also provides structure, equipment, software, and
support for staff, citizens and other interested parties to use Town
information efficiently within a secure environment.
Mr. Baker noted that the increase in the personnel
section of his base budget was due to the full year cost of a computer analyst
who was funded in 1999 for only nine months.
He added that the operations section included a 23% increase in Orange
County’s charge for tax collection due to the additional staff and operational
costs incurred by the County’s joint tax collection system.
Mr. Baker reported that the Finance Department had
received awards for Distinguished Budget Presentation three years in a row and
had received a Certificate for Excellence for Financial Reporting for the last
14 years. He also noted that the Town
had a Aaa bond rating.
Mr. Baker proposed adding of another computer
analyst to the staff, replacing desk-top computers and standardizing computer
equipment over a three- or four-year period.
Council Member McClintock asked if Council agenda
packets were available on the Town’s website.
Kay Johnson replied that they had been for about six months. Council Member McClintock suggested
advertising the website more. Ms.
Johnson replied that the staff intended to do so.
Council Member Brown suggested putting the Town’s
website address on the screen when the meetings are broadcast.
Council Members McClintock and Bateman expressed
support for standardizing the computer system.
Council Member Evans asked what “monitor the Town’s
fiscal position and overall financial plan” meant under the Key Services
Provided by the Department section of the written presentation. Mr. Baker explained that it referred to the
general financial policy that the Town had, which constituted a plan for the
future, such as, how approved bonds would be issued, and when that service
would be coming on line.
Council Member Evans asked if the Department had
ever had time to look beyond five years.
Mr. Baker replied that things change so quickly that even the fourth and
fifth years were speculation.
Council Member Foy asked if the web address was
scheduled to be changed to something less complicated. Ms. Johnson replied that the address was
basically the standard format for a city, but added that a simpler address
could be purchased. Council Member Foy
recommended doing that, adding that he was glad to see initiatives being taken
to upgrade the system.
Council Member Foy asked if the Department had
considered contracting the analyst position.
Ms. Johnson replied that it was difficult to use contractors when the
system was not uniform. Mr. Horton
added that when it was isolated Local Area Networks contracting worked well,
but the system was now too complicated.
Mr. Avery explained that there were 239 computers in the system
(including about 12 different kinds of computers), 40 or so different software
packages, and about 30 networks—each with different specifications for software
maintenance requirements.
Council Member Foy wondered how the Town intended to
keep pace with technology in the long run and provide support for people who
had the cutting edge knowledge to do that.
Mr. Avery replied that the Town was migrating to a common standard. He added that most of the vendors that
provide the database software that most of the departments use on a specialty
basis were also migrating to a Windows NT-based server system. Mr. Avery stated that the Town should have a
common system in about a year and a half, noting that having a few people who
were well-trained would enable the Town to support its system in-house.
Council Member Wiggins questioned the “Y2K Minimum
Compliance” section on the Replacement Level chart. She asked what level of continuing operation the Town would get
with minimum compliance and what would it get if it invested more money. Ms. Johnson replied that that figure was the
cost of replacing the oldest machines, which could not be fixed and which would
not adequately work in the year 2000.
Council Member Brown commented that she had thought
the Town had begun standardizing its computers several years ago. Mr. Avery replied that there still were a
number of Macintosh computers that were not being used. He added that some computers used Windows
3.1 rather than Windows 95, adding that the Town has been working toward a
standard and was about 85-90% there.
Council Member McClintock asked if there was a way
to hook into the County system other than through E-mail. Mr. Horton explained that the Town used the
same GIS framework and software as the County, and commented that the County
was the backbone of that system. He
added that Engineering Director George Small was the informal leader of a
number of GIS users among the County governments who coordinate with each other.
Mayor Waldorf asked if the Department was asking for
between $100,000 and $150,000. Mr.
Baker replied that would represent the cash values of the equipment needed,
adding that the lease/purchase program would cost less.
Council Member Pavăo asked which option the Finance
Department preferred, the three- or four-year replacement schedule. Mr. Avery replied that the Department
recommended three years.
Council Member Pavăo asked if a two-year cycle would
be better. Mr. Avery replied that it
would not be better for the Town’s purposes.
Mr. Horton added that the three-year cycle would cost about $35,000 in a
“normal” lease/purchase arrangement.
Council Members McClintock, Evans, Brown and Wiggins
discussed alternatives for disposing of old computers. Mr. Avery, pointing out that the Town had
not had to deal with that yet, said that he was aware of the options, such as
donation to other organizations.
Council Member Foy asked if the figure $97,000 was
for each year for three years. Ms.
Johnson replied that $147,000 would be the amount needed in the first year of a
three-year plan. She said that $147,000
would then be needed in each of the next two years to replace everything. Ms. Johnson added that this was figured on a
cash basis, pointing out that the Town would eventually get to that number on a
lease/purchase basis even though it would take longer.
Council Member Foy asked if this would be just for
computers and monitors. Ms. Johnson
replied that it would be, adding that the figure included basic software to run
the machines.
Council Member Brown asked for clarification of the
$35,000 figure. Mr. Horton replied that
the $35,000 figure referred to a lease/purchase arrangement
Mayor Waldorf stated that she was in favor of hiring
an analyst since Mr. Avery and his assistant were in constant demand to provide
services.
Council Member Wiggins suggested that the Council
say what was important now so that it could stand behind that later in terms of
the tax rate.
Mayor Waldorf noted that the Council was hearing
department reports which preceded the Manager’s report to the Council.
Council Member Brown suggested that the Council wait
to see the whole picture of what everyone is requesting before assigning value.
Council Member Wiggins commented that the
presentation format was greatly improved, but added that the percentage column
was not very informative. Mr. Horton
agreed, noting that different departments had used it differently, and that
would be corrected.
Council Member McClintock agreed that the
percentages were confusing. She asked
if the full budget, which the Manager would present next month, would respond
to the Council’s reactions to tonight’s presentations. Mr. Horton replied that it would be a
complete recommendation. He said that
it would begin by explaining what the Council could do if it did not wish to
change the tax rate, then it would include minimal essential recommendations
for good government in this community, and then it would make recommendations
for worthwhile improvements. Mr. Horton
added that the budget would also included Council recommendations, such as the
$50,000 it had suggested for landscaping on NC 86.
Council Member McClintock asked if there would be a
connection between what the Council said tonight and what Mr. Horton put in the
budget. Mr. Horton replied that there
would be if the Council spoke clearly.
He stressed that if the Council told him to put the technology in the
budget he would do that, but added that he would do that anyway because he
thought it was essential. Mr. Horton
emphasized that this was not a process where he tried to guess what the Council
wanted.
Council Member McClintock expressed preference for
seeing a budget reflecting what the Council wanted, which the Council could
then modify.
Mayor Waldorf replied that the reasonable time to
begin talking about this would be after receiving the preliminary report from
the Manager.
Mayor Waldorf pointed out that there was a budget
forum scheduled for March 30th.
Council Member Wiggins said that she would like the
budget process to be more of a joint process between the Manager and the
Council. She suggested that a budget
which reflected some of the Council’s wishes would help avoid getting into an
adversarial relationship with the Manager.
Mr. Horton added that the staff would welcome having the Council
identify key services and programs that it wished to seek.
Roger Waldon, Planning Director, said that the
Planning Department’s three major functions were development, long range
planning and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Administration. He stated that the Development Division
evaluated proposals, coordinated evaluation with other Town departments,
assisted advisory boards and the Town Council in review of applications,
issuance of permits, maintenance of the Development Ordinance, and enforcement
of regulations.
Mr. Waldon explained that long range planning
involved development of a Comprehensive Plan, a Capital Improvements Plan,
transportation plans, affordable housing initiatives, and annexation
studies. He said that CDBG
administration involved promoting and financing housing initiatives, investing
in low and moderate income neighborhoods, and monitoring progress by organizations
receiving CDBG funds.
Mr. Waldon noted that most Planning Department
revenues came from application fees, with a small amount generated by sales of
Planning Department documents. He said
that revenue from application fees was lower than expected this year and so
projections for next year were lower as well.
Mr. Waldon noted that the bulk of the Planning Department’s budget was
for personnel expenses and remained unchanged because there were no anticipated
personnel changes.
Mr. Waldon said that the Comprehensive Plan project
was proceeding on schedule and a draft plan would be submitted to the Council
in October 1999. He expressed concern
about the Planning Department’s ability to keep up with clerical and logistical
support for boards, commissions and tasks forces. He said that there was a need for improved long-term storage of
land records files.
Mr. Waldon stated that the Planning Department’s
most critical need was for a minutes clerk.
He also requested funds for intern help over the summer and to update
the Town’s 1979 Historic District design guidelines.
Council Member Evans noted that the goals and
objectives of the Comprehensive Plan had been successful, but implementation
had failed in part because the Council had not set priorities. She acknowledged that doing this creatively
would cost money and noted that she did not see anything in the Planning
Department’s budget for the implementation phase. Mr. Waldon replied that it would take time to get the
implementation phase underway. He
stated that funds for that probably would not be needed until the next budget
cycle.
Council Member Evans remarked that citizens who had
participated in the Comprehensive Plan expected that the process to continue to
move forward.
Council Member Brown recalled a meeting last fall at
which the Council requested implementation of some parts of the Comprehensive
Plan. She suggested reissuing that
document and making it available to the Comprehensive Plan Work Group and to
the Council.
Council Member Brown stressed that it would be helpful
if the Council could have a list of what they had requested and a schedule of
where the Planning Department was in the implementation process. Mr. Waldon replied that the number of items
was very few, three to five.
Mayor Waldorf asked if any other Council Members
wanted this report. Council Member
McClintock replied that she did, and suggested giving a copy to members of the
Comprehensive Plan Work Group, as well.
Council Member Foy asked if the application fees
figure on the revenue side of the budget represented a schedule of fees which
depended on what a developer wanted to do.
Mr. Waldon replied that it did.
Council Member Foy asked how those fees were
established. Mr. Waldon explained that
the Department tried to estimate the cost to process a typical application and
then arrived at an average which attempted to recover in fees about 80% of the
direct costs other than personnel.
Council Member Foy asked when application fees were
last increased. Mr. Waldon replied that
it was about two years ago.
Mayor Waldorf pointed out that Chapel Hill’s fees
were substantially higher than those in other towns.
Council Member Foy noted that Orange County had
increased its fees this year, and added that it might be worth looking at.
Council Member McClintock also expressed interest in
seeing how Chapel Hill’s fees compare with Orange County’s and Cary’s.
Mayor Waldorf asked Mr. Waldon to put together a
chart comparing everyone in the area.
Council Member McClintock, regarding enforcement of
ordinances and of project oversight during the construction phase, said that
she was interested in having more and closer inspections. Mr. Horton explained that Engineering
Director George Small would make a presentation on March 19th in
which he would ask for additional inspection personnel.
Council Member McClintock asked who worked in
Transportation Planning and Development, what they do, and how they fit into
the Planning Department. Mr. Waldon
explained that the Planning Department had a Transportation Planner and the
Engineering Department had a Traffic Engineer.
He said that the functions of these two were different, though
related. Mr. Waldon explained that the
Transportation Planner looked at long-range issues, such as the Metropolitan
and State Transportation Improvements Program, the Durham/Chapel Hill/Carrboro
Metropolitan Planning Organization regional transportation plan, and air
quality issues.
Mr. Waldon noted that the Transportation Planner
position was partly funded by transportation grants, so there was also work
related to the transit system, such as the annual survey of bus ridership. Mr. Waldon noted that the Transportation
Engineer, on the other hand, looked at traffic impact statements that accompany
development applications, as well as roadway configurations and traffic calming
proposals.
Council Member McClintock asked how much time the
Transportation Planner spent with long-range planning in comparison to traffic
and transit issues. Mr. Waldon replied
that it was about half.
Mayor Waldorf remarked that Council Member
McClintock was asking if there were adequate resources in the transportation
planning area. Mr. Waldon replied that
the Department was covering the tasks, but could always do more. He said that with more funding they could,
for example, be more aggressive with traffic management, work with employers on
transportation
management plans, and create incentives to encourage people to use alternate
modes of transportation. Mr. Horton
added that the Council would have a better idea of whether or not it wanted the
Department to undertake additional work after its meeting with the
transportation consultant on March 24th.
Council Member Foy asked how many employees were in
the Planning Department. Mr. Waldon
replied that there were 16˝.
Council Member Foy asked if “long-term storage of land records” referred
to the archives of a project. Mr.
Waldon replied that it did, adding that the land records office was overflowing
with records spilling out into the hallways.
He noted that there should be ready access to this information even
though some of it was inactive.
Council Member Foy asked if the library staff might
help with these records. Mr. Waldon
replied that imaging technologies would provide the best solution.
Council Member Foy noted that the Registry of Deeds
used this technology. Mr. Horton
pointed out that the Council had authorized the Town to buy some imaging
equipment, adding that this would be of substantial help to the Planning Department,
but not for large format items. Mr.
Horton added that Council Member Foy’s suggestion to work with the Registry of
Deeds was a good one, especially for the larger format items.
Council Member McClintock, noting that there were
new State laws defining what a record was and what records a Town needed to
keep, said that the definition of a record was broad. Mr. Waldon stated that his Department kept everything, adding
that it was all accessible.
Council Member Bateman asked if the requested minutes
clerk would work mostly in the evening.
Mr. Waldon said that the clerk would attend evening meetings and then
prepare minutes during the day. He
noted that the minutes clerk might also have time to help in the records
room.
Mayor Waldorf noted that the minutes clerk would be
covering Planning Board, Community Design Commission, Historic District
Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Bikes and Walkways Commission
meetings.
Council Member McClintock wondered if some of those
minutes could be taken by board members.
Mayor Waldorf asked Mr. Waldon if summary minutes
for these meetings would be adequate.
He replied that the Department already had cut back on the detail of
some minutes but that the minutes clerk would also help in the preparation of
packets and dispensing information.
Joyce Smith, Town Clerk, said that the Mayor and Town Council represent citizens in all matters before the Town Council, and conduct regularly scheduled meetings open to public participation. She also said that the Mayor and Council provide guidance to the Town Manager and Town Attorney through adoption of policy decisions. Ms. Smith noted that these offices do not generate any revenues.
Ms. Smith stated that the cost of travel and lodging
had increased, as had registration fees and the Town’s per diem rate. Ms. Smith said that the Mayor’s budget was
so small the addition of a few hundred dollars appeared to be a large increase.
She also said there was an increase in catering costs, adding that the number
of catering events had also increased.
Council Member Pavăo asked Ms. Smith to explain the
catering events. Ms. Smith replied that
traditionally there had been about 15 events per year, but there already had
been 26 this year with 10 more scheduled.
She noted that a meal was provided for any Council meeting that began
before 7:00 p.m., and explained that the number of those meetings and work
sessions had increased.
Council Member Pavăo said that he wanted the public
to understand that these catered events were not social.
Council Member Wiggins asked when the Council had
last had a salary increase. Mr. Baker
replied that it went from $4,000 to $7,500 in 1986.
Council Member Wiggins asked what the philosophical
underpinnings were for the Council’s compensation. She also asked if it was considered a salary since Council
Members pay taxes on it.
Council Member McClintock said that she viewed it
more as an honorarium, adding that it obviously did not reach minimum wage
given the hours the Council spends.
Mayor Waldorf asked if Council Member Wiggins would
like someone to research what Council Members get in other places. Council Member Wiggins replied that she
would, and Mr. Horton said that the staff would be happy to do that.
Ms. Smith said that the Town Clerk attended all
Council meetings and recorded summary minutes at each. She also said that the Clerk’s Office
maintained minutes, resolutions and ordinance books as required by State
statutes, and maintained the Town Code of Ordinances. Ms. Smith said that, in addition, the Clerk’s Office provided the
Council with staff support, maintained all archival information for the Town,
and provided information services to citizens, the Town Council, and Town
departments. She noted that her Office
does not generate any revenues.
Ms. Smith reported that there had been an increase
in the cost of advertising and a small increase in the cost of updating the
Town Code of Ordinances. She said that
she expected a slight increase in the cost of stenographer services for
preparation of the Town Council meeting minutes, and a slight increase in the
cost of cablecasting Town meetings and updating and printing Town Code
supplements. Ms. Smith said that the
projected cost of the November 1999 election was approximately $21,456. She noted a reduction in Capital costs due
to replacement of a postage meter in the current budget year.
Ms. Smith stated that preparation of Council Minutes
was going well, noting that draft minutes were available within two weeks of a
Council Meeting. She pointed out that
the Town Code of Ordinances was being reformatted for distribution this spring
to enhance readability and usefulness, and noted that the Town Code was updated
annually. Ms. Smith reported that the
Clerk’s Office was responding well to requests for information services to
citizens, Town Council, and Town staff.
She noted that Council agenda packets were prepared and delivered as
scheduled.
Ms. Smith said that the Clerk’s Office could improve
on updating of citizen mailing lists and responding to requests for services
from Town departments. She proposed
adding a full-time secretary in the Clerk’s Office and reassigning the current
10 hours per week mail clerk back to the Personnel Department. Ms. Smith added that her Office, like the
Planning Department, was moving toward image processing.
Council Member Brown noted that a Mission Statement
developed in 1991 by the original Noise Committee had been deleted from the
final product published by the Municipal Code Corporation. She asked Ms. Smith if there was any way
that the Council could have more control over such things being worded the way
they want them to be. Ms. Smith replied
that the Code was revised by chapter, section and article. She said that the Mission Statement was not
part of the chapter change that year but was an introductory statement, so it
was not included by the attorneys and editors when it was printed.
Council Member Bateman asked how much money had
accumulated in lapsed salaries this year.
Ms. Smith replied that there had been none because most of it was used
for temporary clerical help in the Manager’s and Clerk’s offices because of
vacant positions. Mr. Horton added that
there had been a small residue, which went toward purchasing replacement
computers.
Council Member McClintock asked Ms. Smith if she had
duties other than being Town Clerk. Ms.
Smith replied that she had retained her duties as the Americans With
Disabilities Act Coordinator.
Council Member McClintock asked if things such as
design standards for engineering were the responsibility of the Engineering
Department or the Clerk’s Office. Ms.
Smith replied that copies of many of those records are archived in the Clerk’s
Office because the public requested them.
Council Member McClintock asked if a list could be
made of the records that were archived.
Ms. Smith replied that all of the permanent files were indexed and that
she would provide Council Member McClintock with a list.
Council Member Evans asked if there was a thank-you
or a follow-up sent to those people who had applied for a position on a board
or a commission but had not been appointed.
Ms. Smith explained that applicants were told when they applied when the
Town expected to make appointments and that their application would be kept on
file for two years. She said that there
was no follow-up sent to those who were not appointed, adding that there could
be if the Council wanted that.
Council Member Evans said that she did not want to
add to Ms. Smith’s workload unless the Council authorized adding another person
to her staff.
Council Member Bateman agreed that thank-you letters
should be sent out, as did Mayor Waldorf.
Council Member Foy asked Ms. Smith to elaborate on
the Code of Ordinances’ new format. Ms.
Smith explained that it would be a two-column, 8-1/2 x 11 format. She noted that the book had not been
reorganized since 1971.
Council Member Foy asked if it would be on
disk. Ms. Smith replied that it would
be a “read only” CD ROM.
Council Member Foy asked if it could be put on the
Town’s website. Ms. Smith explained
that doing so would violate copyright, unless the Town paid a fee of several
thousand dollars a year.
Council Member McClintock suggested that those who
had served on Town Boards receive some physical object as a thank-you. Ms. Smith replied that the Town gave out
Chapel Hill coffee mugs, which were inscribed with “thank you for your service
to the Town of Chapel Hill,” at the reception for retiring Board and Commission
members each June.
Mr. Horton said that they were shifting one position
from the Manger’s Office to the Attorney’s Office, noting that Mr. Karpinos
already had covered that in his presentation.
He explained that the Manager’s office also was eliminating the deputy
clerk position and replacing it with a lower paid executive secretary. Mr. Horton noted that there was a new person
at the reception desk, who was less experienced and therefore received a lower
salary than the previous secretary.
Mr. Horton reported that he had, with the Council’s
approval, rearranged his budget in the middle of the year in order to purchase
computers and imaging equipment. He
said that he proposed no significant changes in his budget. Mr. Horton noted that the Town was about to
hire a part-time clerk. He added,
though, that this would not add additional costs because it was being done with
construction project money.
Mr. Horton noted that there were a couple of areas
where the Manager’s Office was not doing as good a job as desirable. He said that he would like to hire a staff
person to help with public information, but did not include a request in his
budget because other things were more important. Mr. Horton also said that he and Mr. Baker were able to do a lot
more budget analysis than they had the time to do. He added that the Town could use a budget analyst, but said that
he could not in good conscience put that forward as a replacement for some of
the other budget items requested by the departments.
Council Member Bateman suggested adding another
phone line in the Mayor’s Office, explaining that she often had difficulty
getting through between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Mr. Horton suggested that Council Member Bateman try using
968-2743 rather than 968-2714 because that number reaches the secretary
directly.
Council Member Wiggins asked Mr. Horton to calculate
what percentage of the total budget was the Town Council’s salaries.
Mayor Waldorf reported that Congresswomen Inslo and
Kinnaird had told her that a request for authorization for both the Impact Tax
and Impact Fee would have trouble making it through Congress. She said that they had suggested that Mayor
Waldorf ask the Council which they wanted if they had to choose. Council Members agreed that they prefer the
tax.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
The minutes of
March 17, 1999 were adopted on the 26th day of April, 1999.
__________________________________________
Joyce A. Smith, CMC
Town Clerk