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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-09-2024 Work Session370 Dunn City Council Work Session Tuesday, April 9, 2024 6:30 p.m., Dunn Municipal Building Minutes PRESENT: Mayor William P. Elmore Jr., Mayor Pro Tern J. Wesley Sills, Council Members Raquel McNeil, April Gaulden, Billy N. Tart, Alan Hargis, and Dr. David L. Bradham. isAlso present: City Manager Steven Neuschafer, Assistant City Manager Billy R Godwin, Finance Director Cary McNallan, Chief of Police Cary Jackson, Planning Director George Adler, Parks and Recreation Director Brian McNeill, Public Works Director Dwayne Williams, Water Plant Manager Ian Stroud, Administrative Support SpecialistAmber Groves, CityAtmrney Tilghman Pope, and City Clerk Tammy Williams. CALL TO ORDER AND INVOCATION Mayor Elmore opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. and Mayor Pro Tear Sills gave the invocation. Afterwards, Council Member Gaulden led in the Pledge of Allegiance. AGENDA ADJUSTMENT AND APPROVAL Motion by Mayor Pro Tern Sills and second by Council Member Gaulden to adopt the April 9, 2024 meeting agenda as presented with the following additions: - PARTF Amendment Request - Temporary Blocking of Street -Shrine Car Show Motion unanimously approved. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND/OR DECISION Lead and Copper Rule Revisions - Engineering Contract Approval Water Plant Manager Shroud presented request for Council to authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract for engineering services with KCI and Associates to conduct an assessment and inventory (A&I) of lead service lines throughout the city as required by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions. This project was approved by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), Division of • Water Infrastructure's State Water Infrastructure Authority (SWIA). The SWIA approved total funding of $500,000 for this project and a Letter of Intent to Fund was issued on October 30, 2023. The funding is in the form of a loan from NCDEQ, whereas up to $300,000 of the loan will be forgiven and the remaining $200,000 of the loan will be repayable at 0016 interest A loan fee of 2% will be invoiced by NCDEQ after bids have been received. The City of Dunn issued a RFQ on February 23, 2024, KCI and Associates was selected based on demonstrated competence and qualification without regard to fee. A capital project fund will be established for recording the expenditures and funding sources for this project Motion by Council Member Hargis and second by Council Member McNeil to authorize the City Manager to enter into a contract for engineering services with KCI and Associates of North Carolina to conduct an assessment and inventory of lead service lines throughout the City of Dunn as required by the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions subject to the City Attorneys approval. Motion unanimously approved. 195 Sewer Line Replacement City Manager Neuschafer presented an option for a complete sewer line replacement under I-95 for approximately $413,000 or a selective replacement of two sections of the existing clay sewer line for $250,000. The state does not allow clay pipes under the road. This $413,000 proposal will take the upgrade all the way under the street from manhole to manhole. The existing maps which were used by DOT did not contain enough specific information and the sewer line was designed as a spot repair that does not work with what is in place, in the field. The betterments and additional work requested by the City will be invoiced at the end of the project as one lump sum. Currently: . Sidewalk improvements $116,112 2" Electrical Conduit • $41,330 Utility Betterment $260,498 • Sewer Line $413,000 After discussion, there was a motion by Council Member Tart and second by Mayor Pro Tear Sills in approve the I-95 Sewer Line Replacement and authorize City Manager Neuschafer to execute agreements. Motion unanimously approved. Summer Hours After discussion, there was a motion by Council Member McNeil and second by Council Member Gaulden to adopt proposed summer hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., beginning May 1, 2024 and ending September 30, 2024. Motion unanimously approved. 371 PARTF Amendment Request Assistant City Manager Godwin requested authorization to request removal of the picnic shelter renovation from the project scope of Phase Two of the Clarence Lee Tart Park renovation project funded by a PARTF Grant This would free funds designated for the shelter to be applied to expand the size, scope, and quality of new equipment at the main playground at Clarence Lee Tart Park and would enable that new equipment to be a more inclusive playground. In August 2022, the City was awarded a PARTF grant in the amount of $200,000 towards Phase Two renovations of Clarence Lee Tart Park. The scope of the grant consists of the renovation of two playgrounds, renovation of a picnic shelter, additional sidewalks, and landscaping. The total Phase Two project budget consists of the $200,000 grant funding and $200,000 in required matching funds totaling $400,000. Motion by Council Member Bradham and second by Council Member Gaulden to authorize staff to request that the N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation approve an amendment to the Phase Two Clarence Lee Tart Park PARTF grant removing the shelter renovation from the project scope. Motion unanimously approved. Temporary Blocking of Street- Shrine Car Show Motion by Mayor Pro Tern Sills and second by Council Member Gaulden to approve the temporary blocking of E Edgerton from N Wilson to N Clinton on April 22, 2024 for the Shrine Car Show. Motion unanimously approved. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION St Jude's Car Show Downtown Director Lindsey presented request to close sections of streets and alleys between N. Clinton and Railroad between US421 and E Edgerton for St Jude's Car Show. The car show was held here last year but they are requesting a change in the location. She has spoken to downtown merchants and overall, they were in favor but there was concern about parking. Council Members Bradham, Hargis, Gaulden and Sills said they had all received phone calls about concerns with the proposed location. They feel that there needs to be a compromise and work on a different location. There was also concern about how close the show was to the Cotton Festival. Virginia Webb spoke to express support of the St Jude's Car Show she organized and is proposing the new location. She feels the location will work better for the participants and attendees. Mayor Elmore asked for this to be tabled to give more time for a compromise and better solution and asked Ms. Webb to work with Lindsey for other options and there were no objections from Council. Proposed Christmas Parade Changes Kristina Harrell, Interim Executive Vice President with the Dunn Area Chamber of Commerce proposed transforming the annual Christmas Parade into a Christmas Extravaganza by merging it with the City Tree Lighting and Dunn Tourism's carriage rides. The parade would move to a nighttime parade and be held on Saturday, December 7 at 6:00 PM. This initiative aims to maximize community involvement, boost local businesses, and create a magical experience while streamlining city support. This would keep street closing request to one request instead of three requests. Council Member Bradham asked Chief Jackson's feedback, and she felt that the Chamber and City could work together to help with safety including having bicycles out Council Member Tart was concerned about any conflicts and suggested more help at all street crossings for safety. Harrell said that there are no other towns doing a nighttime parade on that Saturday. This is a group effort between the Chamber, Tourism and Downtown Development and planning will begin in July. After discussion, consensus was to support this year and come back after parade to follow up. Yard Waste Cans Public Works Director Williams shared with Council that many residents are putting trash in the yard debris can which is causing major problems with the landfill. Some residents put trash under the yard waste so that the truck driver does not know that it has trash until they have dumped it in the truck Currently, Public Works staff are having to go to the landfill to sort through City of Dunn yard waste weekly, using eight man- hours per week to help sort garbage. Staff is requesting direction from Council on how to manage this recurring problem. The current City Ordinance does not allow for quick action or penalties for misusing any type of waste receptacle. Staff would like authorization to amend the ordinance and include protective actions to eliminate the comingling of trash 16 and debris. City Manager Neuschafer added that it is pretty much the same addresses across the city and an ordinance change is needed for enforcement After much discussion, Council Member Gaulden added that they should be fined because our public works department should not be digging through the trash at the landfill. Consensus was to proceed forward with an ordinance amendment Zoning Overview Assistant City Manager Godwin presented a general overview of the rezoning process in the City of Dunn. The City Council is frequently asked to consider rezoning property. These requests generally fall into one of two categories,namely, a conventional rezoning or a conditional rezoning. Zoning involves the use of land and 372 there are three methods authorized in the City of Dunn. Those are Permitted Uses, Permitted Uses with Supplemental Standard, and Special Use Permits (SUP). Often, land subdivision is also involved adding another layer to the development review process. These concepts can overlap and lead to confusion. He presented a presentation to help eliminate some confusion concerning zoning focusing on the administrative and legislative decisions and items that must be considered under GS 160D-701. He further shared what cannot be considered in zoning matters. City Attorney Pope added that zoning under the ODD is not any different than what it was under the old code. Zoning is the base need for a developer before proceeding You are not looking at what they are bringing but • is it an appropriate use of the property. The ODD is a new tool for the city to help developers. He further encouraged the council to ask questions prior to the meeting to get a better understanding so you understand the process. Legislative is more subjective than quasi-judicial. Godwin added that Council cannot talk about quasi-judicial ahead of time, but you can if the process is legislative. Pope further stated that the decision for quasi-judicial must be made by the evidence presented. Neuschafer shared information on proposed Ordinance Amendment to be presented at the next meeting for sign setbacks. There were no questions. FY2024.2025 Budget Summary and Updated Goals City Manager Neuschafer presented an updated goals report with projected timelines and budget FY2024-2025 Budget Finance Director McNallan provided the City Council with some preliminary budget information to receive feedback from the Mayor and Councilmembers for staff to prepare the recommended budget He gave an update on the budget process; he has looked at revenue projections for the year and the city has $561,000 more revenue in 2025 than in 2024. Some expenses like capital items and library expenses have decreased. He shared the personnel changes that have increased expenses and other expenses increasing the needed budget Initial budget shortfall is more than $334,000 without salary increases in General Fund. Water and Sewer fund was overbudgeted this year. He reviewed and explained the increase in expenses. Stormwater expense increase is mainly due to debt service. He shared the following Budgeting Information: • The South Region CPI index for February is 3.7% • The FY25 General Fund expense budget increases for non -personnel, and non -debt related costs, equals • 0.9 • •b 10.5 cents of the current tax rate go towards debt payments • A tax ate increase of 1 cent generates $112,942 in tax revenue • A tax rate increase of 1 cent would add $20 to the city portion of the property tax for a house assessed at $200,000 • Ten new dwelling units, averaging $225,000 per unit, would generate $11,250 in tax revenue at the current tax rate Requested projects would add to the shortfall so discussion at the next workshop will be how to fund the requests. He asked the Mayor and Council to complete a survey rating the special project requests. McNallan's recommendation for fund balance is 40% and LGC is 25%. Mayor Elmore encouraged Council Members to ask questions of Neuschafer and McNallan concerning the special projects prior to completing the survey. Announcements/Information Mayor Elmore announced upcoming events and activities. With no further business to discuss, Mayor Elmore adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m. with no objections. Motion unanimously approved. 1&illiam P. Elmore Jr. G0(1PORAT• gayor Attest: SEAL- r�Q?