SUMMARY MINUTES OF A WORK SESSION
OF THE CHAPEL HILL TOWN COUNCIL
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2004, AT 12 NOON
Mayor Kevin Foy called the meeting to order at 12 noon.
Council members present were Ed Harrison, Cam Hill, Bill Strom, Jim Ward, and Edith Wiggins.
Council Members Mark Kleinschmidt was absent, excused. Council Member Sally Greene arrived at 3:10 p.m. Council Member Strom left at 4:17 p.m.
Staff members present were Town Manager Cal Horton, Deputy Town Manager Florentine Miller, Assistant Town Manager Bruce Heflin, Interim Finance Director Kay Johnson, Interim Public Works Director Bill Terry, Urban Forester Curtis Brooks, Sanitation Superintendent Harv Howard, Public Works Administrative Analyst Randy Ballard, Parks and Recreation Director Kathryn Spatz, Hargraves Center Supervisor Nate Davis, Planning Director Roger Waldon, Long Range Planning Coordinator Chris Berndt, Senior Development Coordinator J. B. Culpepper, Library Director Kathy Thompson, Assistant Library Director Mark Bayles, Housing Director Tina Vaughn, Assistant Housing Director Glenn Davis, Human Resources Director Pam Eastwood, Engineering Director George Small, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos, and Town Clerk Joyce Smith.
Item 1 - Transportation Department
Mr. Horton expressed gratitude to Transportation Director Mary Lou Kuschatka and her staff for working during recent storms, including one on that day. He also thanked the Public Works staff for working hard on stormy days to keep Town roads open.
Ms. Kuschatka provided a Transportation Department overview, noting that it began in 1974, receives federal and State funding assistance, and has an approximate $11 million budget. The Town's transit partners are UNC and Carrboro, she said, and the system serves a 25-mile area.
Ms. Kuschatka commented that the Town's fare free system, which began in 2002, was the only free-to-all transit system she was aware of. She outlined her proposed budget, including a requested $11,168,624 base budget, and explained that the Transportation Department had $412,700 in operating revenue. Sources of this were special events, the Tar Heel Express, park and ride lots, and rentals, she said.
Ms. Kuschatka estimated federal assistance at about $1 million and State assistance at about $1.5 million. This leaves $8,165,672 still to be covered, she said, noting that it costs about $57.50 per hour to run the system. Ms. Kuschatka noted that the University pays $2.3 million for routes that are restricted to its use, leaving about $5.7 million that is shared on a population-based formula. Chapel Hill pays $2,657,682 of that, with Carrboro paying $915,581 and the University paying $2,209,543, she said.
Ms. Kuschatka showed a diagram of the Town's fixed bus routes, including its feeder service. Ridership had increased from $3 million in 2000 to 4.88 million by the end of 2003, she pointed out. Ms. Kuschatka reported that summer ridership had jumped as well, indicating that not only students take advantage of the fare free system. She discussed the Town's 30 "talking buses," in which an automated voice stop announcement system had been installed. The Department was implementing a real-time passenger information system that will give information about when the next bus will arrive, she said, and the Town is considering implementing an automatic passenger counting system. Ms. Kuschatka told Council members that the project was going out to bid and would move forward in a couple of months.
Ms. Kuschatka stated that the demand for EZ Rider service had increased. The Town now had a dispatcher and a reservationist, she said, noting that the reservationist position was temporary but the Department needed it on a permanent basis. She pointed out Department requests for several new operations and maintenance positions, and described plans to add automated touch screens to reduce time and paper. Ms. Kuschatka asked to use contract services for cleaning bus shelters and bus interiors during extreme weather events.
Council Member Ward inquired about bilingual announcements, and Ms. Kuschatka replied that Alexandria, Va. had tried that and discontinued it because the message had been too long to complete before the doors opened. The Transportation Department had an automated Spanish information line, she said, but did not yet have staff fluent in Spanish to speak on the line. Ms. Kuschatka pointed out that her administrative staff had been studying conversational Spanish and working toward a level of fluency.
Council Member Ward asked about safety statistics, and Ms. Kuschatka replied that they were exceptional. The Town was experiencing an average of 50,000-60,000 miles between preventable accidents, she said, noting that this far surpassed its goal of 25,000 miles. She added that all drivers had been through a new system for defensive driving and would repeat that training every two years. They had hired a safety and training coordinator who was organizing safety and training needs in all three divisions of the Department, Ms. Kuschatka explained. She said that they were setting up a Safety and Accident Review Committee, consisting of employees who would evaluate injuries and accidents and make recommendations.
Council Member Ward verified that additions to the budget would be shared with the Town's local partners.
Mayor Foy asked about funds that would be added this year from the State Maintenance Assistance Program. Ms. Kuschatka explained that the Department had put money into the capital reserve each year for the facility. They had a one-time, $889,000 allocation of State money this year, she said, and all three partners had agreed to transfer that to capital reserve to help cover the facility. That leaves $591,607 to cover the local match of the facility, she explained. Mr. Horton noted that the additional funding was to assist in operations and maintenance. The Town had used those dollars for that purpose, he said, which allowed them to put additional local money into the reserve.
Council Member Verkerk asked about the advertising fee. Ms. Kuschatka estimated that it costs about $70 per month to put an ad in all of the buses. Council Member Verkerk remarked that she had placed an ad and had thought the cost was "ridiculously cheap."
Council Member Verkerk expressed concern about the difficulty of walking on icy sidewalks and asked if that had had an impact on bus service. Ms. Kuschatka replied that the Transportation Board had discussed this, and that she saw it as an effort that needed to be made Town-wide. Council Member Verkerk noted that NCDOT had removed trees blocking roads but had left the sidewalks impassable. Perhaps NCDOT crews are not aware of how important the Town's transit system is, she remarked.
Council Member Strom inquired about equipment that the Department had intended to retire. Ms. Kuschatka replied that about five of the thirteen 1990 buses had been out of use because they needed to be brought up to Clean Air Act standards before engine work could be done on them. The Department had received money for that and was getting ready to have those buses rehabilitated, she said. That will save about $100,000 per bus, Ms. Kuschatka said, adding that this was well worth doing because those were among the highest quality buses ever made.
Council Member Strom asked how many trips per day the feeder service provided and inquired about the budget implications of that service. Ms. Kuschatka estimated that less than 30 of the 270 riders in the Demand Response Services were using the feeder service per day. Council Member Strom asked the Manager when the Council might discuss the EZ Rider program. Mr. Horton replied that an agenda that included that item had just been sent to Council members.
Council Member Harrison remarked that there had been an animated discussion about sidewalk clearing at a recent Transportation Board meeting he attended. He asked Ms. Kuschatka about the ridership gain from Fare Free. She replied that it had jumped from about 3 million to 4.2 million the first year. Ridership was at 4.88 million now, Ms. Kuschatka said.
Mayor Foy verified that the January 2004 ridership had increased by about 6,000 over the previous January.
Council Member Harrison commented that the total increase had been about 60%. He asked about possible budget implications of computerizing the analysis process for route planning and changing. Ms. Kuschatka mentioned some of the intricacies of designating and timing buses. She works with transportation planners to try and synchronize that and to address the many requests they get throughout the year, she said. Ms. Kuschatka stated that she was not familiar with software that could do those things. Council Member Harrison commented that University Mall seemed to have many times the riders that it had before Fare Free.
Council Member Ward expressed hope that coordination between the Transportation Department and the Public Works Department would correct the problem of icy sidewalks that people must traverse to get to bus stops. He asked about the bus service to Chapel Hill High School and inquired about whether or not teachers were using it. Council Member Ward also asked about bio-fuels, alternative fuels, and smaller scale buses.
Ms. Kuschatka replied that the High School route was steadily gaining ridership and that it carried a mix of people, including neighbors and employees of the school. Last year, when the Department researched the bio-diesel option, they were told that kerosene was cleaner, she said. Mayor Foy verified that all Town buses run on kerosene. Ms. Kuschatka stated that the Town had three small buses that were due for replacement in 2007. The plan was to replace those with heavier-duty small buses, she said.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins noted that the Council had recently moved the strategic plan for transit to the highest priority. She asked Ms. Kuschatka if she would bring forth a process and a plan with implications for the budget. Mr. Horton replied that Ms. Kuschatka and Senior Transportation Planner David Bonk would help put together a process for the Council's consideration. He had not yet had time to think through the budget implications for this year, he said, but some federal funds for transit planning could be devoted to that purpose. Mr. Horton stated that the Town would also ask its partners to help out. Mayor pro tem Wiggins remarked that meetings get tense when the Town starts talking about money with its transit partners. Mr. Horton agreed, but the staff would do their best to make it an easy process and to accomplish the goal quickly, he said.
Item 2 - Public Works Department
Interim Director Bill Terry reviewed the Public Works Department's mission and described its divisions. These include Management and Support Services, Field Operations, Internal Services, Landscape, Solid Waste, and Solid Waste Services. Mr. Terry presented revenue estimates, noting that FEMA and the State and local match for emergencies tended to skew the figures. He pointed out that the bottom line was down $59,000. But that is only down $15,000, he said, when you deduct Traffic Signals, which is being transferred to a different department.
Mr. Terry explained that his budget request for personnel was up about 2% this year, primarily due to increases in insurance costs and workers’ compensation. He noted that the Operating Budget portion was up about $217,000 (6.3%), which consisted of less discretionary costs. The Department was up about $310,000 (2.8%) across the entire budget, Mr. Terry said. He reviewed programs that were going well, noting that curbside collection will have saved the Town $780,000 by the end of this year. The savings will be $440,000 annually after 2006, Mr. Terry said.
Council Member Strom verified that the Department had been able to maintain weekly brush service in addition to curbside collection. He praised the successful program and asked if the cost had once been estimated at $400,000 per year. Mr. Horton replied that the Council had once asked how much it would cost to provide that kind of service if the Town did not make the service change.
Mr. Terry said that leaf collection was also going well. The Department attributes that to the fleet replacement program and to the ability to keep up-to-date information on the website, he said. Mr. Terry described the fleet replacement program as a great success, and recommended shortening the 15-year expected lifespan of the large fire apparatus trucks. The Town was spending too much money on them each year, he said, noting that it sometimes costs up to $20,000 for maintenance.
Mr. Terry reported success with the alternative fuels program. He predicted that fuel prices would remain reasonably stable, and said he was not proposing an increase in the budgeted amount.
Mr. Terry reviewed a list of programs that could be improved and discussed proposed additions and reductions. He pointed out that two add-ons (enhanced traffic signal maintenance and an enhanced stormwater utility) would be cost neutral due to NCDOT reimbursements.
Council Member Strom verified that the Town currently had a five day per week fee for scheduled pick-up. Sanitation Superintendent Harv Howard explained that the Council raised fees by 10% last year and did not lose any customers, although some did cancel over the new regulations. Mr. Howard said that apartment complexes now pay fees as well, and there is a separate fee structure for tax-exempt programs.
Council Member Strom noted that there were fees for additional pick-ups as well. It appeared the Town had pretty much harvested what revenues it could from that service, he said. Mr. Horton asked Mr. Terry if he believed it would be possible to make further adjustments in fees that would generate revenues without a significant loss in customers. Mr. Terry noted that the Town had sacrificed $80,000 to $90,000 when it decided not to charge apartment complexes. Raising fees on the existing commercial base probably would cause customers to go elsewhere, he said.
Council Member Harrison congratulated Mr. Terry for becoming a regional leader in the field of alternative fuel vehicles. He thanked the Manager and staff for the pending arrangement with NCDOT on signal maintenance and the total offset of revenues. Council Member Harrison stated that he was impressed by the Town's well-run solid waste system, but was not in favor of changing it to include apartment complexes. He commented that the Public Works Department had carried out a "model" small-scale stormwater project on his street. Council Member Harrison said that his neighbors had expressed concern about their street never being plowed even though nearby streets are. Mr. Horton commented that he also lived on a cul-de-sac, and those seemed to be the last plowed.
Council Member Verkerk determined that the Town was making some money by charging OWASA for bio-diesel fuel. She asked if that could also be done with the School System. Mr. Terry replied that the Town had some excess capacity and could take on other customers. But they would have to be careful not to impede the Public Works operations, he pointed out. Mr. Horton added that the School System's bus fleet might be large enough to support that conversion on its own. Council Member Verkerk expressed concern about air quality and asked if these issues were discussed on a staff or School Board level. Mr. Horton replied that a communication from the Council to the School Board would be most effective. The Town had cordial relations with the School staff, he pointed out, and he offered to make an inquiry if the Council so wished.
Mayor Foy expressed support for Council Member Verkerk's position. Wake County had done an air quality study and found that 60% or so of the particulates in the air in the Triangle were from diesel fuel, he said. Mr. Horton noted that the School System might already be using the most appropriate fuel. The Town just did not know, he said, but repeated that he would make an inquiry and report back to the Council.
Council Member Ward worried that fuel prices might increase dramatically and said that he would not be opposed to budgeting a little more for that. He said that street cleaning would become more important as more bike lanes are developed. Mr. Horton interjected that the Council had made it possible for the Town to improve its performance in that area when it authorized them to purchase a second vehicle for street cleaning.
Council Member Ward wondered if the Town might have the NCDOT resurface streets in a way that does not affect bike safety and fix those where their former repairs have affected bike safety. Mr. Terry replied that the Town does mill its streets to minimize that problem and would continue to work with the State on that. Council Member Ward verified that the tipping fee for brush at the landfill was $15 per ton. The Town collects about 3,000 tons per year, so that comes to $45,000, he determined.
Mayor Foy determined from Administrative Analyst Randy Ballard that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) does reimburse a portion, but that these figures excluded that. Mr. Horton pointed out that the Town had submitted bills to FEMA totaling about $200,000 for two big storms. Also, FEMA had determined that the Town benefits from the operation of the landfill, Mr. Horton said, pointing out that the Town does not do so since Orange County keeps the money. Mr. Horton told Council members that the staff had protested and appealed, and that they expect to win the appeal. He noted that Congressman David Price had helped with this. If the Town does not soon receive a favorable decision, the staff will ask Congressman Price to help in a more substantial way, Mr. Horton said, adding, "We do expect to get that money back."
Council Member Ward determined that the Public Works Department had a different replacement criterion for each class of vehicle. Also, only the large fire trucks are 15 years old, he said. Council Member Ward inquired about the process and about opportunities for input when the Town is re-striping roads. He remarked that some bike and pedestrian advocates have been frustrated by their inability to create better facilities. Mr. Horton replied that this question was more for the Engineering Department, since it was more about traffic engineering than application of material. Field Operations Superintendent Richard Terrell explained that the Department does have early information about which streets will be paved. They had recently worked with the State on wider outside lines when re-striping Airport Road, he said. Council Member Ward suggested sharing that information with the Transportation Board and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board so that they could give input in a timely fashion. Mr. Terrell agreed to do so.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins confirmed that NCDOT was responsible for clearing State roads after storms. But it was not uncommon for the Town to deal with a problem spot if NCDOT is not there, Mr. Terry said. Mayor pro tem Wiggins asked if the snow and ice removal program included sidewalks. Mr. Terry replied that they clear the sidewalks around Town facilities, but there is no comprehensive program to clear all of the sidewalks in Town, he said. Mayor pro tem Wiggins urged the Council to think about whether or not to devote the same attention and resources to sidewalks that they do to roads. Mr. Horton agreed that this would be a policy decision for the Council to make. He pointed out that they might also need to devote resources to hauling the snow away.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins proposed having the Manager bring back a plan for making this an equal priority. She determined that the staff would have to move quickly to estimate costs and options if the Council wanted to have money for it in the budget for next year. Mr. Horton predicted that the cost would be substantial. He recommended having the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board and the Transportation Board discuss this and develop ideas over the coming year.
Council Member Verkerk pointed out that this was the gist of the petition that she had recently submitted. Mr. Horton said that the staff would bring back options for the Council to consider.
In response to an inquiry from Mayor Foy, Mr. Terry stated that it would not be worth adding kerosene to bio-diesel fuel, or converting the fleet to kerosene, because bio-diesel fuel already is as clean as kerosene.
Mayor Foy asked about the plan for tree planting and tree maintenance throughout Town. Urban Forester Curtis Brooks explained that the Department had developed several plans over the years for plantings at major entranceways. In just about every case it requires curb and gutter on a State road to allow raised medians, he said. Mayor Foy ascertained that this was a drainage issue as well as an issue of NCDOT requirements for setback of trees from a roadway. Mr. Brooks explained that the Town had planted most of the entranceways that have curb and gutter. But potential future projects have the caveat of having to be combined with NCDOT road improvements, he said. With regard to other areas, such as parks, the Town does extensive plantings as a matter of course whenever it develops a property, Mr. Brooks said. He added that there were not many open space options for planting projects.
Mayor Foy asked what the Town could do to improve the appearance of Highway 15-501 near Eastgate, for example. Mr. Brooks replied that a swale section between Highway 15-501 and the service road was limiting the Towns' ability to plant there. The Town could come up with a proposal that includes curb and gutter and plantings, he said, and the cost would be driven by construction improvements, not planting improvements. Mr. Horton indicated that this might be an excellent opportunity for the NCDOT board member who represents Chapel Hill to utilize discretionary funds for such a beautification project. Those were usually done in $50,000 sums, Mr. Horton said, and the process would be for Mayor Foy to ask for that funding. Mr. Brooks offered to supply a list of locations where projects were needed and a list of what the obstacles were.
Council Member Harrison determined that Mr. Brooks' Department was taking on a considerably higher number of landscape protection review projects. Mr. Brooks mentioned a reduction this year in other applications, however, and said that it had somewhat balanced out. The challenge had been on the enforcement side, he said, explaining that the Department had not been able to get out to all of the single-family homes as often as they would like. Any future upturn in development would considerably stretch his Department’s resources, Mr. Brooks said. Council Member Harrison asked about perhaps redistributing work, but Mr. Horton pointed out that other departments had been similarly affected. Council Member Harrison agreed that the Ephesus Church Road/Highway 15-501 intersection needed help.
Council Member Ward asked what happens to stormwater when swales are converted to curb and gutter. Mr. Brooks replied that a pipe extension would be used to replace the natural barrier. But they usually are relatively small areas of green space that otherwise could not be planted, he said.
Mayor Foy determined that it might be possible to do a bio-retention project similar to that at University Mall.
Council Member Ward attempted to verify that kerosene was cleaner than bio-diesel fuel, but Mr. Terry maintained that they were each better in their own way. Fuel experts had told him that the impact was about the same when you average all of their emissions’ characteristics, Mr. Terry said.
Item 3 - Parks and Recreation Department
Director Kathryn Spatz reviewed the Department's mission and briefly described its key programs and facilities. She indicated items in her budget for reallocation of funding for Apple Chill and for salaries, including a new part-time position at the Community Center. Ms. Spatz noted a proposal to move funding for Employee Appreciation Week from Human Resources to the Parks and Recreation Department. Also, she proposed putting the wall-climbing event on the expenditures side as well as the revenue side this year.
Ms. Spatz noted a request for an additional $10,000 for staffing, supplies, and shuttle service to expand Apple Chill to the west end of Downtown. She discussed maintenance of the Town's playing fields, and explained that much of the damage to the Scroggs field had been caused by drop-in use. Ms. Spatz said that the Scroggs field would be closed down for renovations in June. She also proposed upgrading the Special Olympics Specialist position to full-time status.
Ms. Spatz mentioned the fee reduction policy and financial assistance eligibility scale. She explained that the Department had eliminated the 75% range recommended by Housing and Urban Development (HUD) because almost no one qualified under that range. They had lowered the 25% range to 10% because even the 25% range was a burden for the vast majority of people, she said. Ms. Spatz stated that 218 households had qualified for a fee reduction last year and that most of them pay at the 10% level. She said that the Parks and Recreation Commission and staff would review the policy in March or April.
Council Member Ward mentioned that bike and pedestrian advocates had been trying to determine where they might hold some bicycle education classes. He wanted Ms. Spatz to be aware of that, he said, so that she might forward any immediate reactions to them. Ms. Spatz welcomed the idea, but Council Member Ward cautioned that such classes had been poorly attended in the past. He thought there was a need for this, however, and that it could be a valuable addition to what the Department was already offering, he said.
Council Member Ward asked about possible links between the Public Arts Commission and the Parks and Recreation Department's programming. He wondered if there was a way to give public exposure to what children create in the classroom, such as turning their artwork into posters for the bus system. Ms. Spatz replied that the Department already had discussed various opportunities. Council Member Ward confirmed that there were special guidelines for Special Olympics funding and that the Department was working with the Special Olympics coordinator and the Friends of Special Olympics staff.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins asked about the problem with Bermuda grass. Ms. Spatz explained that several experts had told the Parks and Recreation Department that this would be the ideal turf for Chapel Hill's climate and use. But keeping people off it at certain times was the problem, she explained. Mayor pro tem Wiggins cautioned against making fields off limits to the public during times when they are not being used for Town programs. She ascertained that they would be protected for only a limited time when they go dormant.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins asked if there was another kind of turf that would allow the public to use the fields more. Public Works Landscape Superintendent Fred Battle explained that Bermuda grass was the best turf there is for playing fields. The problem was that no one monitored the open fields and people try to play on them when they're wet, he said. Mr. Battle noted that this tears up the turf, especially when the players have spikes on their shoes.
Mr. Battle said that there was a joint maintenance agreement between the Town and the School System for the Scroggs field. The Town maintains it from June to August and the School System does so the rest of the year, he said. Mr. Horton suggested perhaps renegotiating the agreement to allow the School System to maintain the field full time.
Council Member Ward suggested possibly doing it the other way around, but Mr. Horton argued that whoever uses it for the longest period should be the one to maintain it. The School System has the field for eight to nine months, he pointed out, but added that the Town might make a contribution to the cost. Council Member Ward commented, though, that the Town might have more expertise.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins remarked that whoever takes responsibility for it needs to have a good program to protect it.
Council Member Hill verified that the field was dormant from November through March. Mr. Horton pointed out that a new, artificial turf was "just a dynamite product" might be ideal for a field that needs to be used throughout the year. It would be wonderful if a private sponsor would donate the $500,000 that it would take to install it, Mr. Horton said. Council Member Hill commented that nobody's field survives the year no matter what. "It's just the nature of the beast," he said. Mr. Horton agreed, adding that the long-term solution would be to have more fields so that they could be rested on a schedule.
Item 4 - Planning Department
Planning Director Roger Waldon listed the things that were going particularly well in his Department. These included design workshops, the Northside Neighborhood Conservation Area process, a Town data book with indicators of community well-being, statutory deadlines being met, and improved mapping. Development review was by far the biggest departmental function, he said, noting that adding small zoning compliance permits had caused a jump in applications from 170 last year to more than 500 this year. The Department was also working with 15 applications from UNC, he said, and this was an unprecedented number to have at one time.
Mr. Waldon told Council members that builders had begun sending their clients directly to the Planning Department instead of going themselves. The Department had to provide citizen education, he said, adding that each of those 500 applications was taking longer than they used to take. Mr. Waldon noted that development review includes working with the Council to evaluate, process and amend the new ordinance. He said that special projects were going well and the Department was working with the Council on planning projects for next year.
Mr. Waldon explained that his Department had not had time to evaluate how the stormwater management standards were working. They had been unable to look at use patterns, such as vertical mixed use and conservation subdivision, he said. Mr. Waldon stated that he had not had time to be involved in staff development for planners to the degree he would like. There had been no time to keep people fresh on new developments in the planning field in the way he had been able to do in the past, he explained.
Mr. Waldon expressed regret that his Department's response times for processing applications and returning requests for information or analysis were not what he wanted. The staff had been spending more overtime than he would like, he said, noting that it often goes uncompensated. Mr. Waldon said that he worried about the state of the Town's records and hoped that the Technology Department would eventually help manage that. Mr. Waldon stated that the Planning staff had been making more small mistakes. He attributed those mistakes "completely to overload," and said that he regrets that. Mr. Waldon characterized his Department as struggling. He requested an additional planner, arguing that the Planning Department's resources do not match what the Council had asked it to do.
Council Member Harrison commented that Chapel Hill is not making many mistakes when compared to other planning departments. He determined from Mr. Waldon that the greatest need was for someone in Current Planning, but he pointed out a need for a Long Range Planner as well. Mr. Waldon agreed, stating that he would love to have two new planners. But the more pressing need was in Current Development, he said. Council Member Harrison praised the work that the Planning Department had done in spite of its difficulties.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins inquired about the criteria for overtime compensation. Mr. Horton explained that a set of jobs is covered by a federal regulation that requires the employees to be paid for overtime at a time and a half rate. But professional employees are generally not eligible for overtime payment as a matter of law, he said. Mr. Horton acknowledged that some other operations do pay this, but said that Chapel Hill had not done so, although it does allow compensatory time off. The difficulty in the Planning Department was that there is no time for them to take time off, he said. Mr. Horton told Council members that he would use those extra hours as part of his justification for an additional position in the Planning Department. The amount and quality of work was very impressive, but planners had been working nights and not taking time off in order to achieve it, Mr. Horton said.
Council Member Ward asked for some analysis of the costs and benefits of the time devoted to the Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO). Mr. Waldon replied that it was mostly LUMO regulations applying to single-family dwellings that had changed the Planning Department's world. Also, they had begun to be more careful about the permits they were issuing because, in part, of instances where construction had not matched the plan, Mr. Waldon explained. Council Member Ward suggested having a Council discussion about single-family regulations in terms of what the Town is gaining versus what it is paying for stormwater management and tree protection.
Council Member Ward asked if Planning Department records were protected from fire. Mr. Waldon replied that much of what was coming in was being submitted electronically and backed up. But most of what is in the storage room is irreplaceable, he said, and he encouraged the Council to make plans to protect it. Mr. Horton noted that the Information Technology Committee had recommended expanding the use of electronic storage. Some of the most critical documents were on file in other places, such as the County Courthouse and microfilm, he said. But documents such as working notes, drawings and sketches exist only in the Planning Department files.
Mr. Horton stressed that it would become critical at some point to find a better way to manage and store those records. In response to a question by Council Member Ward, Mr. Horton said that having one new planner would allow people to do the same excellent job they have been doing. But they will be working only a little more than 40 hours a week rather than a lot more, he said.
Mayor Foy verified that Zoning Compliance Permit applications probably would not slow down. He asked Mr. Waldon how that affects his thinking about the structure of the Planning Department. Mr. Waldon explained that they had made some adjustments, such as relying more heavily on Long Range Planning Coordinator Chris Berndt for the Northside initiatives. Ms. Berndt had not received as much help from him, or from the Current Development staff, that she might have had in the past, he said. Mr. Waldon explained that much of his time had gone toward Current Development and that planners are spending less time on Long Range projects. He remarked that the Long Range component of their work was critically important to the community and the Council. The Town needs to protect those resources and not let them drain off into Current Development, Mr. Waldon said.
Mr. Horton noted that much staff time will be devoted to University plans of one kind or another. There will also be Downtown and infill projects that will challenge the community with proposals to replace things that some will want to retain, he said. Mayor Foy noted that different types of clients were coming in. He asked if it would help to hold monthly information sessions rather than having a planner sit down with each applicant. Mr. Waldon replied that the Town's new Town Information Officer might help out with that. But his experience with such sessions, he said, was that they increase the workload. And, for individual projects such as a house, people really do want to sit down and talk with a planner, Mr. Waldon said.
Council Member Strom commented that when the Council adjusted the fees they had believed that "current growth should pay for the staff support to support the current growth." How was staff doing with regard to that principle, he asked. Mr. Waldon replied that they were not in a very good place, and that revenues were down significantly this year from what they thought they would be. Mr. Waldon stated that the number of big new projects with big fees was down. Fees to individual homeowners did not come close to recovering the cost of staff time, he said. To recover the costs would mean a several order of magnitude increase in fees for the small things, Mr. Waldon pointed out.
Council Member Hill commented that his customers go to the Planning Department for a survey and are told it will take two weeks. People do not become planners because they want to help people add a room to the back of their houses, he remarked, adding that the staff probably does not enjoy the situation anymore than customers do. Council Member Hill commended the Planning staff for their hard work, adding that he could not imagine Chris Berndt or Roger Waldon having any life outside of this. Council Member Hill remarked that the low-volume/high-profit projects had ended and that the staff was left with the high-volume/low-profit ones. He determined that UNC does pay for design review. Mr. Horton agreed to bring back information on how much UNC pays.
Council Member Ward asked if the many extra hours spent on small additions and conversions were due to the LUMO. Mr. Waldon replied that those made up about two-thirds of it. About one-third was due to the staff being more careful, he said. Council Member Ward asked what the Town was getting in return for those extra hours, and Mr. Horton commented that part of the problem was that clients don't believe what they are told regarding the requirements. They continue to ask people higher up the chain, he said, adding that many do not understand that these better rules are there to protect the environment. Council Member Hill noted that people complained even when they only had to draw it on the back of a napkin.
Item 5 - Chapel Hill Public Library
Director Kathy Thompson reviewed the Library's mission to provide recreational reading, general information, life-long learning, and instruction in finding, evaluating and using electronic data bases. She discussed the Library's services, which include a general materials collection, reference services, and children's programs. Ms. Thompson discussed the revenue estimates, noting that State aid of about $38,000 had been based on a formula that favors county and regional libraries. The Hyconeechee Regional Library, housed in Hillsborough, receives about $400,000, she said. Council Member Ward determined that the Hyconeechee Library included three buildings and covered Orange, Caswell and Person Counties. Mayor Foy noted that the McDougal Library was a branch of Orange County Library because it does not have the funding to be independent.
Ms. Thompson told Council members that the Public Library had contracted with a company called Unique Management, which collects for overdue books. This was giving a 76% return for the long overdue books, she said, noting that it was about a $17,000 return. The Library has a cost neutral arrangement with Unique Management, she said, because the Library passes the collection fee on to the patron. Ms. Thompson explained that patrons bring books back sooner now, which saves staff time.
Ms. Thompson provided a base budget cost estimate of $1,985,173 for next year. She reviewed the programs that were going well, as well as those that could be improved. She mentioned a need for additional reference staff and in-house support for technology.
Council Member Verkerk expressed concern about websites providing inaccurate information, and asked who would review links at the Library's website. Ms. Thompson agreed with the importance of pointing people toward credible sites, but noted that doing so was labor-intensive. She had always expected that some entrepreneur would create a utility that libraries could buy and overlay on their catalogue, she said. Ms. Thompson stated that there were resources to help identify credible sites. And, she added, there are some machines in children's areas that are limit to approved sites.
Item 6 - Housing Department
Housing Director Tina Vaughn stated that there were no major increases proposed in her budget request for 2004-2005. The Housing Department would maintain the same level of service and same number of employees, she said, and expenditures would decrease by about $7,500 from the current year. Ms. Vaughn reviewed the Department's revenue sources and explained that they would need to use about $132,000 of their operating fund balance this year to cover expenses. That will leave about $300,000, which is slightly above HUD's (Housing and Urban Development) recommended fund balance, she explained.
Ms. Vaughn noted the programs that were going well. She highlighted the applicant screening process, lease enforcement, preventive maintenance program, and response time to residents’ requests for repair work and emergency repairs, and the refurbishing program. Among the things that could be improved, she said, was turnout at residents’ meetings. But, Ms. Vaughn pointed out, that low turnout might be the result of things going so well. You tend to see a large turnout when there are problems, she said.
Council Member Ward asked if the Department was looking into Energy Star products. He hoped the Town would look into those products for all of its departments, he said. Ms. Vaughn stated she was not familiar with Energy Star, but said that the Department replaces appliances with those that are most efficient. Council Member Ward asked about decisions regarding products with recyclable contents. Ms. Vaughn replied that her Department does use recycled office supplies. But when it comes to paint and other products the Department is "not there yet," she said. Council Member Ward offered to help with that, and Ms. Vaughn agreed to be in contact.
Mayor Foy determined that the fund balance would remain at $300,000 next year unless the Department had excess revenues in 2004-2005. They would not be able to dip into it to make up for any shortfall next year, he pointed out. Ms. Vaughn agreed, but noted that HUD funding might increase from 91% to 94% this year. That would mean using less of the fund balance, she noted.
Assistant Town Manager Florentine Miller reminded Council members that the Housing Department would officially bring its budget to the Council on Monday, March 1, 2004, because of the early submittal deadline required by HUD.
Item 7 - Human Resources
Director Pam Eastwood discussed her Department's key services. She mentioned that the Employee Forum had just celebrated its first year. It had been very active and effective in identifying employee needs and ways of improving communications and relationships, Ms. Eastwood said. She explained that her proposed budget was essentially flat, with a .6% increase, and proposed transferring responsibility for administering Employee Appreciation Day from Human Resources to the Parks and Recreation Department.
Ms. Eastwood said that the total number of Workers’ Compensation claims had been reduced from 83 last year to about 36 for the first seven months of this fiscal year. The average cost of a claim last year was about $2,400, but is only about $700 this year, she said. Ms. Eastwood predicted that her Department would report even more savings next year. They had made changes in the allocated resources used on their employment program, she said, and had reduced the amount of resources they placed on recruitment and promotion. The Department had done this without damaging their efforts to recruit employees, she pointed out, noting that they had hired 57 people since July 2003.
Ms. Eastwood said that technology improvements would enable her Department to be more productive and efficient, and would hold staffing down over time. She expressed support for the Information Technology Committee's recommendations. Ms. Eastwood proposed adding $8,000 to the budget for the purpose of improving Spanish-language fluency among employees. This would enable the purchase of materials that employees could check out and use on a lending basis, she said. Ms. Eastwood also mentioned a plan to set up formal Spanish classes for employees.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins thanked Ms. Eastwood and Mr. Horton for their continued support of the Employee Forum. Ms. Eastwood noted that the Manager had asked her to make office space available for that group and she was doing so. Mr. Horton said that there had been strong leadership from the initial group and he predicted that there would be continued participation.
Mayor Foy commented on the benefit to the Town of having fewer injuries to employees. He asked, however, when the Town would see a financial benefit from improvements in Workers’ Compensation. Ms. Eastwood replied that the Town had one very bad year within the five-year period that the risk program looks at. That will be off the Town’s record soon and will cause a reduction in the premium, she said. Ms. Eastwood explained that her staff had also discovered errors in risk codes, which had been costing the Town unneeded funds. So the audit charge should come down further, she explained. Ms. Eastwood predicted a substantial reduction in costs next year.
Council Member Harrison said that he had enjoyed Employee Appreciation Day and recommended that the newer Council members attend that.
Council Member Verkerk, commenting that a survey of Town employees had uncovered deep dissatisfaction among women, asked how those needs were being addressed. Ms. Eastwood replied that she would be able to answer that more specifically as the year progresses. Council Member Verkerk recalled that there had been sexual harassment issues. Mr. Horton replied that those had been limited to a couple of areas and that the problem was not widespread. He emphasized that the Town would not tolerate that kind of practice. Ms. Eastwood added that any report of unfair treatment is always investigated quickly and thoroughly.
Council Member Verkerk asked how many sexual harassment complaints the Town receives each year. Ms. Eastwood said she did not know the exact number, but stated that it was very few. If a complaint comes to her she tries to find ways to resolve it before it reaches a formal level, she said. Mr. Horton pointed out that a large number of the Town's department heads were women. This helps to establish a good environment that is more progressive than in some other organizations, he said.
Council Member Ward expressed support for the effort to teach employees Spanish. He urged the Town to coordinate this rather than having each department devise its own program. Ms. Eastwood explained that the Department would coordinate programs Town-wide and was attempting to directly manage and centralize those programs. The Department was putting together a resource directory of the various capabilities available in the community, she said. They were also looking at ways to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of the program by testing competency levels and determining how to maintain those levels, Ms. Eastwood explained.
Council Member Greene expressed appreciation for the Spanish effort, and asked Ms. Eastwood if she had discussed this with her peers in Carrboro. Ms. Eastwood replied that Orange County and Carrboro had been included in the resource survey. Council Member Greene asked to see a copy of the report to which Council Member Verkerk had referred, and Ms. Eastwood agreed to provide that.
Item 8 - Engineering Department
Director George Small noted that this was a time of significant change in his Department's areas of responsibility. That began a year or two ago and had continued at an increasing pace, he said. With regard to revenue estimates, Mr. Small noted the difficulty of providing projections when the significant ones were things that the Department had no control over. He did not expect to see a change in revenue in the coming year, he said.
Mr. Small reviewed the Department's base budget costs. Since Engineering provides services rather than products the personnel line is the highest budget item, he explained. Mr. Small proposed that a vacant position in the Public Works Department be transferred to the Engineering Department. This would be an assistant engineer with primary responsibility for supervising the traffic signal system operations, he said. Mr. Small stated that this would help move the Town from a Service Level F for the traffic signal system to a Service Level C. That would lead to a significant increase in reimbursements for services the Town provides, he pointed out. The Town Stormwater Engineer would soon become a licensed professional engineer, Mr. Small said. He reviewed the programs that were going well, which included the GIS system, Traffic Engineering Program, and Stormwater Management Program.
With regard to programs that could be improved, Mr. Small commented that his staff was "running on empty" and needed help in both stormwater management and traffic engineering. He proposed adding an assistant engineer for stormwater management in addition to the assistant engineer for traffic. Mr. Small argued that this would be necessary regardless of whether the utility concept moved ahead this year, or at all. There are an increasing number of things the Town needed to do in stormwater management, he said, but the staff was too lean on resources to effectively respond to that increase.
Mayor Foy confirmed that more than $800,000 had been directly associated with stormwater management, according to the stormwater consultant's report. Mr. Small explained that the largest bulk of that had been spent in the Public Works Department.
Council Member Harrison expressed support for the already-funded position for traffic signals. He had not known that the Town’s signal system had a Level of Service F, he said, but was not surprised considering the shape it's in. Council Member Harrison commented on the stress level that those in the Engineering Department were experiencing. He argued that the stormwater assistant position was necessary whether or not the Town had a utility to pay for it. Mr. Horton replied that while it was true that the utility would pay for some of these costs the utility would also charge. The staff must figure out what the reasonable charge to the Town should be, he said.
Council Member Hill asked what cemetery internment fees were for. Mr. Small explained that it was a settling fee for maintaining burial sites that were not surrounded by concrete. In response to various Council members' questions, Mr. Small stated that a cemetery plot costs $500, or $1,000 for out-of-state residents.
Item 8 - Legal Department
Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos explained that his budget consisted of two employees and had no significant changes from last year. The operations amount of $34,486 included $20,000 for professional services, he said. He noted that this amount had been included for the past several years and was sometimes more than necessary. At other times, he had come back and sought additional funding, he said. Mr. Karpinos explained that the other principle part of the operations budget included about $6,000 for library and computerized legal research services. The balance was for travel, professional licenses, and subscriptions, he said. Mr. Karpinos touched on programs that were going well and stated that he hoped to become more involved in capital projects over the next few years. He expressed interest in becoming more involved with new policies and federal regulations related to Human Resource issues.
There were no questions from the Mayor and Council members.
Item 8 - Offices of the Mayor and Town Council,
Town Manager and Town Clerk
Town Clerk Joyce Smith said that the Mayor’s Office budget proposed no major program changes or additions. The operating expenditures remain within the established guidelines, she said, adding that they reflected an increase of less than 2%. Ms. Smith projected a 7% increase in the telephone line item to cover an expected rate increase.
Ms. Smith stated the Town Council's budget included no major program changes or additions, noting that the operating expenditures remain within established guidelines. Ms. Smith pointed out that an increase of a little less than 10% was reflected in computer use charges for high speed internet and computer hardware for Council members. Funds were budget there as well for the expected telephone rate increase, she said.
Ms. Smith stated that there were no major changes or additions in the Town Manager's budget, noting there was just a .1% increase in the operating budget. Ms. Smith listed the services that were going well, but noted that public information and marketing of Town services could be improved. She stated the Manager hoped to have the Town Information Officer position filled in April. Ms. Smith requested funds for a temporary, part-time administrative clerk to assist with special projects and to provide additional staffing in the Manager's Office.
Ms. Smith said that there would be no major program additions or changes in the Town Clerk's budget. She pointed out that the operations budget reflected a decrease of about 13%. This was due to a reduction in the professional services line item to remove funds that had been budgeted in the current year for the 2003 election, she explained. Ms. Smith reminded Council members that those expenses would have to be reinstated in the budget request for 2005-2006 to fund the cost of the November 2005 elections. She projected an increase of 7% for telephones and an increase in the maintenance repair line item.
Ms. Smith listed the services that were going well. She said that response time to requests for materials that are archived could be improved. The Clerk's Office plans to expand its use of the Town's website to better inform citizens of services and programs, she explained. Ms. Smith requested funds for a part-time administrative clerk who would assist with Town archives, minutes indexing, and activities associated with creating electronic documents. Ms. Smith said that the Clerk's Office was in desperate need of secretarial help.
Ms. Smith referred to a list of suggested equipment replacements, repairs and upgrades to the equipment located in the Council Chamber, and recommended that the Council consider funding as much of that as possible. In particular, the audio system in the Council Chamber needs replacement, she said. She reminded the Council that we had experienced difficulties with the sound system for over a year, and the problem was becoming critical.
Ms. Smith explained the need for a switcher panel, which is the most expensive item on the list. That will mean replacing other related parts, she said, at an estimated total cost of about $30,000.
Ms. Smith explained that the audio-visual equipment was fourteen years old, and much of the equipment had surpassed its expected life span. She noted that the Town’s producer, Eugene Murray, has done an excellent job of keeping the equipment repaired, but we were quickly approaching a time when that will no longer be possible. The Town must replace this system, Ms. Smith emphasized, or we will not be able to use the Council Chamber to its full potential.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins verified that the part-time vocational student position suggested by Ms. Smith in her budget proposal could grow into a permanent position with the Town. She asked what the salary was expected to be. Ms. Smith replied that the salary was expected to be $7.50/hour, or about $4,800 per year.
Council Member Verkerk asked if less postage expenses meant there had been less paperwork. Ms. Smith explained that it did not, since the staff had been providing more and more copies of agenda items to citizens at Council meetings. Council Member Verkerk pointed out that citizens could search the minutes online for information. Ms. Smith remarked that there is a computer in the archive room that citizens may use as well. But very few are willing to do that, she said. Council Member Verkerk suggested adding "how to search for yourself" to the website. Ms. Smith replied that many things such as this will be included once the Clerk's Office has its website up and running.
Council Member Hill asked if the staff had considered having the Council treated as full-time employees for health insurance purposes. Mayor Foy explained that Council members had not been eligible for health insurance benefits through the Town prior to last year. But, they had modified the policy last year to make them eligible as part-time employees, he said. Mayor Foy remarked that he had supported the full-time employee proposal.
Council Member Verkerk remarked that she had supported it as well.
Council Member Hill noted that health insurance would be a “perk” that might bring more people into public service.
Council Member Ward explained that he had opposed the idea because he did not think the Council could justify saying that they put in 40 hours a week.
Council Member Greene inquired about a note in the materials stating that the Council's budget reflected an overall decrease of 7.23%, primarily due to the reduction in funds for health insurance for all Council members. Ms. Smith explained that the Town had budgeted for nine Council members, but only five had chosen to take the insurance so the figure budgeted for this cost was reduced. Council Member Greene stated that she would support full-time health benefits for Council members. It would be balanced by the fact that Council members do not receive retirement benefits even though they are half-time employees, she said.
Mayor pro tem Wiggins asked if the Manager would propose salary increases for the Council, or should the Council take an additional action for salary increases for Council members. Ms. Eastwood replied that due to a prior action by the Council, the Council's and Mayor's salaries would increase automatically by the same percentage as the overall increase to employees. This is done each year with no action required on Council members' part, she said.
The meeting adjourned at 4:17 p.m.