Work Session Minutes of the Town of Cary, NC
FY 2008 Proposed Budget
Present:
Mayor Ernie McAlister, Mayor Pro Tem Jack Smith, Council Members Marla
Dorrel, Ervin Portman, Jennifer Robinson, Julie Robison and Nels Roseland
Mayor McAlister called meeting
to order at
Mr. Coleman stated that one of
the issues needed to be discussed is the financial impact of downtown
redevelopment and how that relates to the costs of the downtown improvements.
He said that staff developed a methodology using the Town Center Area
Plan (TCAP) original study. They
looked at the overall recommended development, reduced that to square footage
for residential and commercial, developed a square footage value and then
extrapolated the overall tax value for the TCAP development.
From that staff has prepared both conservative and aggressive estimates
which were provided to council earlier. (Copies
of the General Fund summary, TCAP build out estimates, and fund summary
comparisons are attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit
A.)
Mr. Fogleman provided updated
estimates for TCAP which supersede the earlier version provided to council.
(A copy of the updated TCAP-related build out estimates is attached to
and incorporated herein as Exhibit B.)
He said that the early version
focused primarily on the core of the downtown along
Mr. Coleman said that staff
discussed the several different elements to the downtown project.
The streetscape is the primary project serving as the basis for
everything else—development of facilities, downtown park, etc.
The performing arts center, park, and library are all special facilities
that support the overall quality of life and are not necessarily related to
downtown development. He said that
the cost of the streetscape project is what is needed to determine whether we
are generating a return on investment.
Mayor McAlister asked about
having a separate bond referendum for the downtown and whether council wanted to
move ahead with the downtown project based on the $3 million funding.
Mrs. Robinson said that council committed to the project and they should
move forward regardless of the funding. Mr.
Roseland and Mrs. Robison echoed her comments.
Mayor McAlister said the
question is what funding source they will look to for the other $26 million in
future years. Mr. Portman said that
he is not comfortable raising property taxes to fund the project.
He said they need to know the impact on the tax base.
Mr. Coleman said that the
information provided is based on certain assumptions, all of which would have to
be true for the scenarios to work. There
are individual projects that would be reviewed yearly with the annual budget.
He said with the current schedule all TCAP projects are supposed to be
finished by 2013. The decision to
proceed with the downtown project this year is primarily a decision to proceed
with the streetscape project and Cary Elementary School; the rest of the
projects will follow after that in a sequence driven by the financial position
of the Town, our other obligations, and whether council thinks it’s a good
idea at that time to move ahead.
Mayor McAlister asked about the
funding for the streetscape project. Mr.
Coleman said the streetscape and
Mr. Fogleman reviewed the 2003
transportation bond and parks bond funding appropriations.
(A copy of the 2003 transportation GO bond and parks GO bond funding
appropriations history, major upcoming projects, and TCAP improvements capital
program information is attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit
C.)
Mr. Fogleman said that staff
factored in the $22 million of funding for the performing arts center coming in
2012. The funding schedule includes
the $22 million in cash coming back to the Town and reducing the amount needing
to be borrowed. It also assumes the
$10 million in interlocal funds as a stream of cash which would need to be
fronted by the Town.
Mr. Roseland stated that
decisions made at the last work session have significantly impacted the deficit
numbers. Council’s removal of the
$23 million
Mayor McAlister asked if there
is a deficit of $25 million going forward. Mr.
Portman said that with the two projects removed there should be enough funding.
They can then decide on another transportation bond in FY08 or FY09.
Mayor McAlister said they need
to look at the FY08 budget and whether changes are needed.
He said he is hearing from council that the $3 million for FY08 is not an
issue.
Mr. Portman and Mrs. Robinson
asked about accelerating the Cary Elementary project.
Mr. Coleman said the budget recommendation is based on the schedule
received from consultants to move through the process of programming, design,
and the citizen and community participation element.
Doug McRainey of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department
said that staff talked with the consultants about the elements of the schedule
and what can be done to change it and move more quickly.
Mr. Roseland said that the
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) Advisory Board discussed the
parks and recreation budget recommendations and voted to endorse the whole
package. He said that they also
discussed the 20-month planning process for Cary Elementary.
There board unanimously agreed recommending that council look at
expediting the schedule, consider phasing, and consider a significant funding
installment of about $10-12 million in FY08 with the balance appropriated in the
following year.
Ms. Dorrel said council needs
to understand what accelerating means in terms of sacrifices in the project.
Mrs. Robinson asked if accelerating the development would maintain the
quality and whether accelerating funding actually accelerates the project.
Mr. McRainey said that accelerated funding will not necessarily
accelerate the project. He said that
the scheduled was recently refined with the consultants.
(A copy of the revised schedule is attached to and incorporated herein as
Exhibit D.)
He said they are looking at 20 months of design with 15 months of
construction. The construction would
be initiated in January 2009. Mr.
McRainey said that staff will do what they can to speed up the project; however,
the consultants don’t think that we can go out to bid before July 2008.
Mrs. Robinson said they don’t
want to sacrifice the deliberate and careful process that the Town goes through
to result in a quality project. She
said they don’t want to accelerate something for the sake of satisfaction of
getting things done.
Mr. McRainey provided
information on the process outlined for public input. (A
copy of the programming/public input schedule is attached to and incorporated
herein as Exhibit E.) He said they
are at the beginning stages. In
October staff can provide a tighter cost estimate and better feel for where the
process can be quickened, if possible.
Mr. Coleman stated that the
architect said there were things that needed to done to the Cary Elementary
building between now and the time of renovation to ensure that it doesn’t
deteriorate. He didn’t think it
was an issue to be raised in the budget because it’s a facility that the Town
maintains. It is a normal repair and
facility maintenance item.
Mrs. Robinson said it’s her
understanding that
Mrs. Robison left at this point
in the meeting at
Mr. Portman stated that he is
comfortable with the $3 million for the streetscape.
Mayor McAlister asked if there
were any remaining arguments to accelerate funding for Cary Elementary into
FY08. Ms. Dorrel said that there is
concern that the level of commitment from council to that project will go away.
She said they need ensure the PRCR advisory board that they are committed
to this project.
Mrs. Robinson said putting
money aside to show the Town’s commitment to
ACTION:
Mr. Roseland moved that council set aside $865,000 in the capital budget
to support a media arts center and combined upgraded library in partnership with
Mayor Pro Tem Smith said he
believes that half of that amount would send the same message.
Ms. Dorrel said if the motion
passes they need to make the distinction between setting aside this money and
setting aside the Cary Elementary money. She
said the greatest distinction is that they are already funding Cary Elementary
and they have a contract for the design which states a level of commitment.
The purpose of setting aside this funding is to induce the partnership
with
ACTION:
Vote was called for on the
motion. Mayor Pro Tem
Smith voted “no”. All others
voted “aye”. The motion carried
by majority vote. (Mrs. Robinson left the meeting before this vote was
taken and was not excused; therefore, the record reflects an “aye” vote for
her.)
Transportation
Mr. Bailey provided council
with a summary of the projects for the FY08 capital improvements budget.
(A copy of the summary information on the transportation CIB/CIP is
attached to and incorporated herein as Exhibit
F.) He said if council were
interested in partnership with Morrisville it would take some follow-up
discussion at a later date.
Aviation Parkway Widening
Mr. Bailey said that the
interchange at I-40 is most of the problem. He
said if there are a lot of issues that may need to be coordinated with the
Department of Transportation or the airport. There
are some issues that also affect other jurisdictions.
They need to determine where it fits in the priorities.
Mr. Roseland said that although it is a bottleneck for
Mayor McAlister said that it
doesn’t make sense for
Mrs. Robinson asked if there is
anything the Town can do to help the signalization at the merging section.
Mr. Bailey said he didn’t believe there was any to make signal timing
better.
Mr. Roseland asked if there is
value in adding it to the federal funding agenda list.
Mr. Bailey said it could be added.
Mayor McAlister asked if
allocating funding would move the project along.
Mr. Bailey said he doesn’t think Morrisville will allocate funding this
year. He said they need to
work with the other entities (Morrisville and DOT) to develop an agreement to
make it a shared project. Ms. Dorrel
suggested council hold a joint meeting with Morrisville’s board.
Mayor McAlister added that the joint meeting be scheduled soon.
Mr. Bailey said the Town has
been making repairs to Weston, removing the pavement and stone, and putting in
asphalt to give it a higher structural integrity, there is a lot of rutting and
alligator cracking. Staff is
concerned that it will start deteriorating quickly which is why they’ve asked
for separate funds for
Mayor McAlister asked how much
more funding is needed address the other issues. Mr.
Bailey said that the $4.6 million in the budget should take care of the segments
on
Mr. Roseland asked if $2
million is enough to address citizens concerns regarding maintenance.
Mr. Bailey said the $2 million in the FY08 budget will help improve the
ratings.
Mayor McAlister asked if they
need to go beyond the staff recommendation.
Mr. Bailey said they will know at the end of the year if they are on
target and can make any necessary adjustment at that time.
Mayor Pro Tem Smith said that
if staff sees something happening they shouldn’t wait until next year.
Mr. Roseland agreed and asked about designing a survey and assessment to
get to the desired benchmark. Mr.
Bailey said staff provides a report each year.
He said they can add information to the report and work with council to
refine the target when the updated list is provided.
Reedy
Mrs. Robison returned at this
point in the meeting at
Mayor McAlister stated that the
intersections are functioning well. Mr.
Bailey concurred.
Mr. Roseland said there is a
safety problem with the curbs. He said the infrastructure needs to be in place
to support the intense development proposed.
At a minimum they need to advance reedy creek to three lanes with a
sidewalk and traffic light to deal with issues they’ve heard at a public
hearing. He asked how much is needed
to advance design for the three lane cross section of that road.
Mr. Bailey said about $1 million would get the design started and it
would go for one year.
Ms. Dorrel asked about
increasing safety concerns. Mr.
Bailey said there are some curves in the road creating site distance problems
for stopping distance around the schools in the area and there isn’t a walk
zone; there are issues that can benefit from sidewalks and street lights.
He said there is clearly some benefit to bringing the rural road up to
some type of suburban/urban standard that is consistent throughout the core of
the area. He said the project is in
the FY09 budget.
ACTION:
Mr. Roseland moved that council budget in the upcoming budget cycle $1 million
to initiate design of
Ms. Dorrel asked if they would
also be moving the $5.5 million to complete project earlier.
Mr. Bailey said there would be design the first year and right of
way and possibly construction the following year.
Mrs. Robison asked at what
point in the process a stop light would go up at Electra and Reedy Creek.
She said it’s a safety problem and needs to be considered sooner rather
than later. Mr. Bailey said once
council approved the design funding all of the intersections would be evaluated
for signal criteria. Mr. Bailey said
staff will perform a signal warning analysis on that location.
ACTION: Vote was called for on the motion, and council granted unanimous approval.
Mr. Bailey said that both ends
at Evans and Harrison are built to the thoroughfare plan and have at least the
required number of turning lanes. He
visited the site, looked at all of the intermediate intersections, and they are
functioning pretty well on either end. Based
on his observations there are minor issues associated with the intermediate
sections.
Mayor McAlister asked if any
fixes are necessary. Mr. Bailey
responded that if some of the intermediate intersections started to develop long
cues there would be a potential intermediate fix, but he is not aware of any at
this time.
Mrs. Robison asked at what
point the area would be rechecked. Mr.
Bailey said several things would trigger the need to improve the section grade.
Anything that would extend
Mrs. Robison said the road is
degraded is certain areas on the right side and looks unfinished.
She asked if some minor things can be done to improve the quality of that
area. Mr. Bailey said the pavement
may need to be removed and replaced with a street improvements project. A
permanent solution is probably the road improvement project.
In the interim, staff can look at things to make it better.
ACTION:
Mrs. Robison moved that as part of the street improvement budget this
year that one of the projects as a priority be the pavement improvements on
Ms. Dorrel asked if they would
want to increase the funding for the street improvements projects from $2
million to something else. Mr.
Bailey said that section is already included in the funds to be used.
The bigger issue is how far they want to go.
ACTION: Vote was called for on the motion, and council granted unanimous approval.
Miscellaneous Capital
Improvements
Mr. Roseland asked what it
would cost to address the deficiencies and issues raised in the Silverton
regional stormwater study in terms off culverts or other infrastructure
improvements. He asked if there
would be merit to set aside money to help other areas in Town.
Mr. Bailey said the study had rough cost estimates for some of the
retention facilities. Council
direction to staff was to use that study as a basis for considering and
approving development plans occurring within the watershed.
As a result of the study staff was directed to develop a Town-wide
retention ordinance. He said that
staff will prepare an initial report to council outlining the framework before
writing the actual ordinance language. .
Mrs. Robison asked about the
county study and task force researching the issue.
Mr. Bailey said they don’t have any conclusions but have made a lot of
progress with the communities trying to define the problem, getting information
on the level of interest in types of projects and categorizing them.
Mrs. Robinson said it would be helpful to have a work session on
stormwater when the study is completed to discuss impacts of new development,
existing problems, and areas that don’t have any new development.
She said that council needs feedback from staff on the alternatives.
Mayor McAlister asked if
anything needs to be done in the budget to move this along.
Mr. Bailey said the county study is moving along, and when it comes back
there will be significant council decisions that will need to be made.
Mr. Portman asked about the
money for dealing with stormwater. Mr.
Bailey said the Town has a good program with three sources of funding and staff
has done a good job of meeting requests received.
He said they are managing those projects that have a direct impact either
with flooding on private property or have significant public road or public
property issues and they haven’t had any shortfall.
Items for Future Discussion
Mr. Portman said he would like
to discuss the $5,000 for kids voting and the budget process for next year.
Mrs. Robison would like to
discuss the revenue for transportation improvements and the vehicle license
fees. She said there was a proposal
from staff a while ago to increase the fees and she would vehicle license fees
designated to some type of road improvements.
She would also like to see a report on the impact of taking the SRO
program out of the elementary schools and what it would cost to re-embrace that
program.
Mr. Roseland would like to
discuss the crime stoppers funding.
Mayor Pro Tem has questions
about the funding for Diamante. He
said they agreed to have an international festival which would remove the
funding for isolated specialty groups.
There was a consensus among the
council to reconvene another work session to discuss the other issues.
Mayor McAlister adjourned the meeting at 6:51 p.m.