In This
Issue :
MAJORITY RULES AS CARY MOVES TO RUNOFF ELECTION METHOD
Christmas Tree Collection Program
REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVE
Trail Improvement Workday at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
Bud
is a
Monthly
Publication of the Town
of Cary.
Past
Issues
MAJORITY
RULES AS CARY MOVES TO RUNOFF ELECTION METHOD
Beginning with 2001 local elections, candidates running for Town Council in Cary will need a majority of the votes cast in order to win a seat as citizens in Cary begin using the nonpartisan runoff election method when voting for Town Council members.
Under this new method—used for years by Raleigh and adopted in November by Cary Council--the regular election for Council will be held four weeks before the general election. For 2001, this means that registered voters living in Cary will go to the polls on October 2, 2001 to vote on candidates for three of the seven Council seats—districts A, C, and one At-Large seat. The candidate with half plus one of the votes cast wins. If no candidate takes at least half of the votes cast for his/her seat, the candidate winning the most votes is declared the winner unless the candidate receiving the second highest number of votes requests a runoff. Then, a runoff will be held on the same day as the general election—November 6, 2001.
For example, in last fall’s mayoral contest, current Mayor Glen Lang would have been declared the winner with 48.6% of the vote unless runner-up Mary Kamm requested a runoff. If requested, then a runoff would have been held between Lang and Kamm.
Until now, citizens in Cary used the plurality method of electing the Mayor and six Council members. Under that sort of system, the candidate with the most votes won – there was no runoff. A plurality could mean -- and in recent Cary elections has meant – that a candidate running against several candidates for an office could be elected without getting at least half of the votes cast.
Look for further information on voter registration and running for local office in future issues of BUD and on the Town’s website.
.Thank you to all of the citizens who came to help shape the land use and transportation vision for the downtown. More than 300 people attended the two open houses held October 25th and November 2nd to view the draft Town Center Area Plan (TCAP). Most interest in transportation recommendations focused around possible road extensions linking South Harrison Avenue to Kildaire Farm Road and also South Walker Street to Chapel Hill Road. Citizens were generally supportive of encouraging mixed uses, moderate densities and building heights, and preservation of a traditional small town feel. Citizen comments will be used to revise the plan prior to a public hearing to be held in early 2001. After the plan is adopted the Town will be working on Zoning District revisions, Downtown Signage and Design Guidelines, a Market Feasibility Study and an Implementation Plan to detail and program the steps needed to make the vision a reality. Keep posted by visiting the Town Center Area Plan web pages at www.townofcary.org/whatsnnew.htm or call or e-mail the project coordinator, Gordon Sutherland at 460-4983 or gsutherl@ci.cary.nc.us.
Leaf collection crews began to vacuum leaves from the curbside in November. Collection Schedules were mailed to all Cary residential customers the last week of October. Additional copies can also be obtained at the Finance Counter at Town Hall or by calling the Public Works & Utilities Department at 469-4090. The Leaf Collection Schedule may also be viewed on the Cary web site at
www.townofcary.org/depts/pwdept/faq.htm#leaf.Have a computer sitting in your house not being used, just taking up space? Do you want that space back? If so, there are two ways to do it. First, if the computer is in working order, please consider donating it to any of the following places:
Goodwill Industries (Cary)
467-7048
The Computer Exchange (Cary) 851-1995
ExplorNet (Raleigh, gives to schools) 878-0533
Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store (Raleigh) 833-7039.
If the computer is non-working or obsolete, call 469-4090 to schedule a pick-up of the computer for recycling. We also accept monitors, scanners, printers, and other computer components.
Christmas Tree Collection Program
Christmas Trees will be collected throughout the Town beginning Tuesday, January 16, 2001. To assure curbside collection, residents should have their Christmas Tree at the curbside by 7 AM on January 16, 2001. Please remove all non-vegetative material (tinsel, bulbs, ornaments, etc). Beginning Monday, December 18, 2000, Christmas trees can be dropped off at the Citizens Convenience Center at 313 N. Dixon Avenue or Godbold Park at 2050 NW Maynard Road. Please leave trees ONLY in the designated locations.
New Year’s Day Holiday
All Town of Cary Government
offices will be closed on Monday, January 1, 2001 in observance of New
Year’s Day. Yard waste will not be collected during the week of the
holiday. Household garbage, curbside trash and recycling material will
be collected on a normal schedule during the week of the holiday.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
All Town of Cary Government
offices will be closed on Monday, January 15th in observance of Martin
Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Yard waste will not be collected during
the week of the holiday. Household garbage, curbside trash and
recycling material will be collected on a normal schedule during the
week of the holiday.
TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVE
Mayors of Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, & Raleigh are facilitating a special study to formulate a regional transportation strategy designed to address the growing multibillion dollar problems of congestion and mobility threatening RTP and the quality of life of our surrounding communities. When completed in January, the $100K study—funded by local businesses—will compile all known current plans for transportation improvements in the region and recommend a coordinated Triangle strategy that includes cost estimates and identifies options for funding the strategy. Check on our regional progress online at townofcary.org.
Trail Improvement Workday at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve
(Attention volunteers, scouts,
clubs, office groups.…)
Saturday, January 20, 2:00-4:00
Looking for a volunteer experience, community service, or a
conservation project? Well, look no further! On Saturday, January 20
from 2-4 PM, Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve will hold a trail
improvement workday. By donating two hours of hard work, you will aid
the preserve in its conservation efforts and improve the experience of
many future visitors. Participants should bring high spirits as well
as gloves, mulch rakes, and wheelbarrows, if you have them. To
register yourself or your group for this FREE event, please contact
the Stevens Nature Center at 387-5980.
Ever wonder what the colored markings on streets, sidewalks, and yards mean? They all identify the presence of underground utility lines. A nationally standardized system sets the color code for each utility. Red designates electric lines; yellow represents either gas, oil, or steam lines; orange identifies communication/tv cable lines; blue symbolizes water lines; green denotes sewer lines; pink indicates temporary survey markings; and white specifies proposed excavation. Before digging, call NC One-Call at 800-632-4949 to have the lines marked. If any of your utility lines are accidentally cut, call the specific utility affected.
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CONSERVATION
CORNER Outdoor Water Conservation Tip: Do not use fertilizer to give your wheels traction on icy roads and driveways. The melting ice or snow will wash it down storm drains and into creeks that feed the Neuse River, contributing to algae blooms in the spring. Help prevent fish kills by using sand or kitty litter. Indoor Water Conservation Tip: Here’s a two-for-one idea if you have a fish tank in the house. When you clean the tank, use the dirty water to water your houseplants. It’s rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, which gives you a nourishing fertilizer while you use |
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