E.   RECOGNITIONS, REPORTS, AND PRESENTATIONS

 

1.   Report of the status of the Cary and Chatham County joint planning efforts, and consideration of adoption of a resolution outlining these planning efforts, including preliminary steps and a proposed timeline. Council may take action. (Mayor McAlister and Mr. Jeff Ulma)

 

The resolution for council’s consideration is below. Chatham County adopted this resolution on December 12, 2005 .

 

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING JOINT PLANNING

BETWEEN CHATHAM COUNTY & THE TOWN OF CARY

 

WHEREAS, owners of property in the area of eastern Chatham County between Jordan Lake and the Wake County/Chatham County line are expected to continue to exercise their rights to improve, sell, and develop their land; and,

 

WHEREAS, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners and the Cary Town Council are equally concerned about protection of water quality in Jordan Lake, an important shared resource; and,

 

WHEREAS, both Chatham County and the Town of Cary recognize the need for sound long-range planning in this area, having previously adopted separate plans addressing the area’s future growth and development; and,

 

WHEREAS, the Cary Town Council and the Chatham County Board of Commissioners conducted a joint meeting on March 22, 2004, and agreed on the need for coordinated planning by both units of government; and,

 

WHEREAS, transmittal of pending development requests received by the Town of Cary to Chatham County government has served as an interim step until such time as joint planning between the two units of government does occur; and,

 

WHEREAS, members of the Cary Town Council and the Chatham County Board of Commissioners are now ready to move forward with a process for joint land use and environmental planning in this area; and,

 

WHEREAS, the proposed steps in the process and a preliminary timeline for proceeding with this joint planning effort have generally been identified, as shown in Attachment A made part of this resolution; and,

 

WHEREAS, this process will be conducted by the technical staff of both jurisdictions with oversight by the governing boards; and,

 

WHEREAS, this process will include extensive public involvement through a variety of public participation opportunities; and,

 

WHEREAS, public hearings will be conducted before any plan is adopted; and,

 

WHEREAS, the expected outcome of this coordinated planning process will be a mutually acceptable plan that both governing bodies will adopt and utilize when making both short- and long-term decisions about private development proposals and public capital investments in the area of eastern Chatham County between Jordan Lake and the Wake County/Chatham County line;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners of Chatham County and the Cary Town Council resolve to embark on a joint process to prepare and adopt a plan to address future land use, utility infrastructure, transportation, and environmental protection in the area of eastern Chatham County between Jordan Lake and the Wake County/Chatham County line.

 

 

ADOPTED by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners this 12th day of December, 2005.

 

_________________________

Bunkey Morgan, Chair

Chatham County Board of Commissioners

 

ATTEST:

 

_________________________

Sandra Sublett

County Clerk

 

ADOPTED by the Cary Town Council this 15th day of December, 2005.

 

_________________________

Ernest F. McAlister

Mayor

 

ATTEST:

 

_________________________

Sue Rowland

Town Clerk

 

Attachment A - Preliminary Steps & Proposed Timeline

 

JOINT PLANNING

BETWEEN CHATHAM COUNTY & THE TOWN OF CARY

 

Step/Activity

Proposed Date(s) - 2006

 

 

1.   Data Collection, Mapping [Staff Technical Team]

January/February

2.   Notice of 1st Community Meeting

February

3.   1st Open House Community Meeting – Background Information & Issues Identification; Public Comment Period Established

March

4.   Preparation of Draft Plan [Staff Technical Team]

April

5.   Notice of 2nd Open House Community Meeting

 

6.   2nd Open House Community Meeting – Feedback on Draft Plan; Public Comment Period Established

Early May

7.   Refinement of Draft Plan [Staff Technical Team]

End of May

8.   Public Hearing(s) [Governing Boards]

June/July

9.   Review by Appointed Planning Boards

July/August

10.  Adoption by Elected Officials

September

 

In addition, Chatham County also adopted the following resolution:

 

A RESOLUTION REGARDING ANNEXATION BY THE

TOWN OF CARY WITHIN CHATHAM COUNTY

 

WHEREAS, the County of Chatham has adopted a joint resolution calling for the establishment of plans for coordination between the County of Chatham and the Town of Cary in the consideration of private development proposals and public infrastructure needs in that portion of Chatham County lying east of Jordan Lake; and

 

WHEREAS, said resolution includes a proposed schedule for the joint development of said plans by the technical staffs of the governmental units involved and that includes opportunities for public input; and

 

WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of the County of Chatham understands that the Town of Cary may receive future requests for voluntary annexation of property within the proposed joint planning area; and

 

WHEREAS, annexation of any such areas prior to development and implementation of the cooperative plans may be precipitous unless the respective governmental units are afforded an opportunity to conduct coordinated review as contemplated by joint resolution;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Chatham that the Town of Cary is respectfully requested to not consider any future requests for voluntary annexation of lands within Chatham County until such time as the proposed joint plans can be formulated.

 

Adopted this 12th day of December 2005.

 

                                                                                    COUNTY OF CHATHAM

 

                                                                                    _________________________

                                                                                    Bunkey Morgan, Chairman

 

ATTEST:

 

___________________________________

Sandra B. Sublett, CMC, Clerk to the Board

Chatham County Board of Commissioners

 

 

Mr. Joyce thanked Cary and Chatham County for responding in this manner.

 

ACTION: Mr. Joyce moved to adopt the joint resolution with the timeline. Mrs. Robison provided the second, and council granted unanimous approval.

 

Mayor McAlister proposed to respond to the second resolution that was adopted by Chatham County (contained herein) by stating in the spirit of partnership and cooperation, the Town of Cary understands Chatham County’s concern and agrees that a plan should be in place prior to additional annexations, and to the extent possible by law the Town will do this. He added that anyone has the right to petition the Town of Cary for annexation, but given this action the council would not take action on any new annexations until the plan is in place.

 

Mrs. Robison asked for clarification of the expectations for the annexation requests that are in the pipeline. Mayor McAlister stated anything that is dated prior to taking this action tonight would be allowed to continue; the Town would accept petitions dated after tonight, but staff would inform them that the council and Chatham Commissioners are working on a joint plan and probably will not act on the petition until a plan is in place.

 

Ms. Dorrel asked Mr. Ulma if anything has been received since December 12 – the date that Chatham County adopted their resolution – and today’s date. Mr. Ulma stated the latest application was received on December 2.

 

Mayor McAlister read the following statement that was prepared by Town Attorney Chris Simpson:

 

Cary acknowledges Chatham County ’s request that Cary not consider future requests for voluntary annexation of lands in the area of eastern Chatham County between Jordan Lake and the Wake County/Chatham County line until such time as the proposed joint plans can be formulated.

 

Mindful of the rule that municipalities may not enter into agreements that bind the discretion of the governing board, and sensitive to other possible restraints on Cary’s ability to agree to such a restriction, Cary agrees that, to the extent it lawfully can comply with the request, Cary agrees not to voluntarily annex lands in Chatham County that are the result of future annexation requests occurring after this date (December 15, 2005), until the earlier of adoption of a joint planning document or September 2006.

 

ACTION: Mayor McAlister moved to adopt the above statement that he read into the record. Mrs. Robinson provided the second.  

 

Mrs. Robison stated the moratorium on moving forward would end in September 2006 if a plan is not in place. Mayor McAlister stated he believes there will be a plan in place, but it made sense to have a deadline to keep the process on track. Ms. Dorrel stated it is her expectation that if this date nears, the council would have the opportunity to renew this action by extending the date.  

 

ACTION: Vote was called for on the motion, and council granted unanimous approval.

 

_________________________