Information Services Advisory Board
MINUTES
February 2, 2006, 5:30 p.m.
Cary Town Hall, Council Large Conference Room
316 N. Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:35 p.m.
Introduction of Members
Present: Donna Bravo, Lee Douglas, Mark Evangelista, John Fitzpatrick, Dayna Guzik, Tangie Hofer, Nazi Kite, Council Liaison Julie Robison, and Staff members Susan Moran and Teri Peralta
Absent: Steve Del Verde, Frank DeVita
After member introductions, Chair Mark Evangelista reminded members to arrive promptly so that a quorum is met and meetings can begin on time, explaining that it is a public meeting and citizens could leave frustrated if they attended a meeting and nothing could be done. Ms. Robison, Council liaison, introduced herself and expressed enthusiasm for a productive new year.
Approval of Minutes
Mr. Evangelista stated that the current agenda and the minutes from previous meetings are available on the Town’s Web site so that members can review them before the meeting. Minutes from the December 1, 2005, meeting were approved unanimously.
Old/New Business
a. Vice Chair Selection
Mr. Fitzpatrick was selected to continue to serve as Vice Chair of the Board.
b. Priorities for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Budget: Scott Fogleman
Mr. Evangelista introduced Mr. Fogleman who explained that during the month of February the Town is proactively pursuing citizen input on budget priorities for the FY 2007. He explained that there are a several means available for citizens to provide input, including an e-mail account, budgetinput@townofcary.org, and a phone number, (919) 462-3858, set up with voice mail. He noted that citizens will have an opportunity to direct their comments to Council members at both Council meetings in February (9th and 23rd), and Ms. Moran and Ms. Robison, as well as all other Council members and staff members, are also available to accept citizen comments.
Mr. Fogleman then gave a brief breakdown of the Town’s budget, noting that all citizen comments concerning budget priorities will be compiled in summary format and presented to the Town Manager and Council for consideration.
Mr. Evangelista added that budget documents back to 1999 are available on the Town’s Web site, and that they are broken down into several smaller sections, rather than one large document. He encouraged members to take time to review these files and then opened the floor to any questions concerning the upcoming budget or the process. Ms. Moran asked more specifically what sort of input Mr. Fogleman was seeking, such as philosophy and vision or particular items or projects citizens think money should or should not be spent on. Mr. Fogleman replied that all opportunities for comment are welcome.
Ms. Guzak asked how the public has been notified of the various methods of communication concerning budget input. Mr. Fogleman responded that various public outreach tools have been used, including the BUD newsletter which is in all utility bills, the Town’s home Web page which has a direct link, the electronic mailing list which reaches over 2000 people, advertisements in Cary news for Council meetings, and Cary TV.
Ms. Robison asked if there were any big issues for the budget this year and, if so, would there be tradeoffs. Mr. Fogleman indicated it was still too early to say because they are still in the process of building the components. He explained that’s why public input is being sought at this early stage of the budget development process.
Mr. Evangelista asked for a brief overview of the process and finalization of budget presentation to Council. Mr. Fogleman explained that staff is asked early on in the process to compile requests for funds required for their respective departments while budget staff reviews various revenue streams to determine what funds will be available. The Manager then compiles the information and presents the recommended budget to Council with a summary of the issues and possible tradeoffs. He explained that budget staff mainly collects data in February, makes some recommended budget decisions in March, and looks to finalize the official document in early May. The finalized budget is typically presented to Council in May and Council adopts it in June.
Mr. Douglas asked when and how staff knows how much money is coming into Cary. Mr. Fogleman explained that revenue varies, but that the biggest source of revenue is tax base, and sales tax is the next largest source, and then staff looks at trends in development, because a good bit of the budget is based on new development that comes in and new population.
Ms. Bravo asked what influence annexation of land has on the budget. Mr. Fogleman replied that the amount of property on the ground as of a certain time contributes to the tax base. He explained that most often voluntary annexation is at the request of a property owner who wishes to develop property, so the budget would require a long-term evaluation in terms of what would be needed to provide services to those properties in the future.
Ms. Robison mentioned the annexation of approximately 1200 households in 2001 and asked if that had a more immediate impact. Mr. Fogleman agreed that a larger volume annexation would require availability of funds to provide fire, sewer, public safety and solid waste services, and the infrastructure to support it.
Mr. Fogleman reminded members that their comments did not need to be ISAB related, and added that they were free to use any of the above-mentioned means throughout the month of February to offer their thoughts on budget priorities.
Mr. Fitzpatrick asked if budget staff included results from the biennial survey in their process. Mr. Fogleman replied that the study is one of the key drivers in how the budget is prepared. He added that departments and Council look at the results to assess where we might place additional resources. Mr. Fitzpatrick commented on the impact the rising cost of energy will have on Town resources and asked if there are opportunities for conservation of resources. Mr. Fogleman agreed that the budget will have to allow for the same energy cost increases that citizens are experiencing, noting that the Town has been proactively applying various means of conserving resources, noting that some of the Town’s fleet has been converted to the more environmentally friendly bio-diesel, and the transition to automated curbside solid waste collection will reduce the truck fleet over time as well.
Ms. Bravo expressed interest in budget allowance for an emergency preparedness fund so that emergency preparedness could be enhanced beyond traditional into non-traditional areas. She also mentioned she would like to see roads and maintenance addressed along with the implementation of a wireless mesh for a town-wide Wi-Fi network.
Ms. Robison asked Ms. Moran if there she had received input from ISAB when preparing her department budget. Ms. Moran responded that she takes into consideration what is discussed throughout the year before submitting her budget, citing as an example the Web calendar discussed at length by the board which was included in last year’s budget. She also stated that when something is supported by the ISAB she makes a note of that in the budget request.
Mr. Evangelista thanked Mr. Fogleman for his time and encouraged members to share with others the various ways they can offer input throughout the month of February. Mr. Fogleman left at 6:02 p.m.
c. Goal Setting: Susan Moran
Mr. Evangelista explained that at the beginning of each year board members are encouraged to put together a list of issues or goals they would like to see addressed or discussed. He reminded members that as an advisory board there is opportunity to be creative and bring new technology or new methods of accomplishing tasks to the attention of Council for their review. Ms. Moran added that these goals generally become topics of discussion at the meetings, noting that sometimes several topics may be discussed at one meeting, while other times it may take several meetings to thoroughly address a single topic. She also reminded all members to sign up for one of the two orientation sessions.
The following were brought up as possible discussion items at future ISAB meeting:
Ø Investigation of wireless mesh vs. Wi-Fi, including feedback from Technology Services about their concerns regarding security issues and costs, putting together a list of bidders, determining expense to the Town and/or its citizens, and inviting citizen comment; work with the Heart of Cary Association to set up a working committee between the two groups regarding wireless in the downtown Cary area
Ø Revision of the Town’s Web site into a more user-friendly design, including standardized menus across the top of the page
Ø Pursue new methods of cost-effective emergency notification, such as using cell phones
Ø Research CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program; invite Chief Cain and Chief Cunningham to participate; review comprehensive emergency preparedness kit list; opportunity for fundraiser/community awareness; include discussion of Biennial Survey results concerning emergency preparedness questions
Ø Foreign language communications
Ø Increased communication to citizens about board meetings concerning rezoning and development issues; greater citizen involvement in development planning and review; how and at what points in the process they can participate; timing of notifications; advertising in the News & Observer, not just the Cary News
Ø Coordinating with ISAB boards of other municipalities
Ø Reaching out to get more citizen involvement with the ISAB, including online surveys that provide opportunity for citizen comments; investigate other ways to survey a greater population, such as a terminal set up where people can answer surveys at their convenience.
Ø Investigate ways to make archived electronic documents accessible to the public, getting more information online while maintaining Department of Justice ADA requirements, such as video streaming; open source technology
Ø Reaching more citizens with government information; many find DirecTV and other dish networks more cost effective, but no longer have access to Cary TV 11; in a broader context, look at having a satellite uplink to dish network for a fee
Ø Review the results of the 2006 survey, specifically the questions that have to do with communications and public involvement, to be more aware of trends, see what resources people are looking at
Ø Non-electronic ways to reaching citizens who still don’t have Web access, such as kiosks or terminals somewhere on Town Hall Campus.
Ms. Moran then led the board in prioritizing the topics discussed, stating that she would work with Mr. Evangelista to organize them in order that makes sense, based on information available for discussion. She explained that the next step for the board would be to adopt the topics and the schedule at the next ISAB meeting.
High
CERT
Increasing citizen involvement
Wireless
Emergency notification
Medium to High
Web overhaul
Medium
P&D; Citizens getting information
Accessibility of older information on Town’s Web site, PowerPoint, etc.
Results of Biennial Survey
Streaming video
Foreign language communication
Medium to Low
Non electronic communication
Surveying citizens online / non-electronic communication
Low
More info into the News & Observer, not just Cary News
Communicating with other ISABs in other communities
Open source
It was determined that wireless and Wi-Fi should be on the agenda for March since a good amount of information has been compiled already, along with alternative methods of emergency notification.
Comments
a. Statement of Findings
The ISAB received information on how citizens can provide information to the budget department for FY2007 and discussed prioritization of goals for the year, which will be finalized at the next meeting.
b. Citizen comments
There were no citizen comments.
c. Member comments
Mr. Evangelista welcomed the new members. Ms. Moran reminded the Board that all members need to attend orientation. There were no other member comments.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:46 p.m.