A summary of decisions made by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners:
The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners met in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center on Tuesday, April 5, 2005. The meeting was televised live on The Government Channel, cable 16 and rebroadcast on WTVI at Midnight. The meeting was scheduled for re-telecast on channel 16 April 6 at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., April 8 at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and April 9 at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. It also airs at various times on GOV-TV, Time-Warner Digital Cable Channel 232.
PROCLAMATIONS AND AWARDS. The Board of County Commissioners adopted the following proclamations: April 2 * 9, 2005 as the Week of the Young Child; April 2005 as Alcohol Awareness Month; April 2005 as Fair Housing Month; April 2005 as Scottish Heritage Month, and April 2005 as Drug Court Month.
The Board also proclaimed April 10 * 16, 2005 as National County Government Week in Mecklenburg County. In celebration, the County's Public Service & Information Department will hold the second annual Mecklenburg at the Mall, in partnership with Eastland Mall on Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is intended to reach out the Mecklenburg residents to inform and educate them about County services, responsibilities and results.
PUBLIC APPEARANCE. Willie Dawson addressed the Board on senior citizens' issues.
APPOINTMENTS. The Board made the following appointments: Russell Allen, Victoria Matias, and Victoria Matias to the Board of Equalization and Review: Kenneth Hammond as chairman of the Board of Equalization and Review; Barney Stewart and William Rakatansky to the Citizen's Capital Budget Advisory Committee.
ImaginOn REPORT: The Board received a report on the construction costs for ImaginOn, the library/children's theater facility being constructed in downtown Charlotte. The Board also approved a lease and operating agreement between the library and the Children's Theatre for the joint operating of the facility. The construction report reveals that the project is 95% funded, with the remaining funds to come from a fundraising campaign already underway. The report explains when and how the early cost estimates of approximately $31 million grew to $41.8 million.
PARK BOND PROJECTS UNDERWAY. The Board approved by consent the selection of architectural firms for a variety of park projects. These are projects related to the $69 million bond referendum approved by Mecklenburg voters last November. The Board authorized staff to negotiate a fee and execute a contract with Neighboring Concepts to design the Revolution Regional Recreation Center. The phase one budget for design and construction of this center is $10 million. The Board also authorized staff to negotiate fees and execute contracts as needed with fourteen landscape architect firms for the design of parks and greenways using $50 million of the bond funds.
PLAN REVIEW FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS. Also under consent, the Board approved creating four new positions in LUESA code enforcement that will be dedicated to providing building plan review for school construction projects. The additional and dedicated staff is intended to speed up the plan review approval process for school construction so schools can be built faster to meet growing demand. This enhanced level of resources and service will be paid for through fees charged to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
BUSINESS INVESTMENT GRANT. The Board approved a business investment grant to The Contractor Yard, Inc. As part of this grant agreement, the company will relocate its corporate headquarters to Charlotte, investing $2 million in equipment and adding 46 full-time jobs to the community. It is estimated that this relocation will generate additional revenue to the county of $74,933 a year. The County's grant will range between $10,000 and $13,000 a year.
MWSBE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION PLAN. The Board endorsed a plan to implement a revised approach to ensuring equitable opportunity for women-owned and minority-owned business to do business with Mecklenburg County. The revision to the existing MWBE Program will create the Minority, Women, Small Business Enterprise Program that incorporates various recommendations from a disparity study conducted last year. As part of this endorsement, the Board will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on May 3 on the policy revisions. The Board also approved the creation of two new positions to handle the enhanced level of services that would occur. No new funding is required to pay for these positions.
BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS. The Board amended its budget calendar to incorporate two public hearings on the County Manager's recommended budget on May 19 and May 26. The first would be reserved for comments about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and CPCC funding; the second to core County services.
