(A summary of decisions made by the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners:)
PUBLIC APPEARANCE. The following speakers addressed the Board:
- James Barnett on the murder rate in Charlotte
- Kim Holly on infrastructure repairs
- Sam Hearn and Myra Alexander Sceau on pretrial release and electronic monitoring
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE REPORT. The Board received a report on domestic violence in Mecklenburg County and appropriated $734,225 from restricted contingency to the Women's Commission for the current fiscal year. These funds were placed on contingency pending the study and recommendations on domestic violence service system design. Because the study's recommendations are not likely to be implemented until next fiscal year, the funds allow the Women's Commission staff to continue providing the current array of services for the remainder of the fiscal year. The study identifies the scope of domestic violence in Mecklenburg County and provides recommendations on changes that would eliminate gaps in service and better define the roles and responsibilities of the County in addressing domestic violence.
CAVALIER APARTMENTS. As part of consent agenda, the Board approved submitting federal grant applications totaling $5.4 million. If received, these federal grant funds would be combined with $2.3 million in County storm water fees to buy the flood-prone Cavalier Apartments off Monroe Road. The reason the County would purchase this property would be to remove these structures from the Briar Creek floodway to prevent loss of life and property in the future due to flooding.
FUNDING AIR QUALITY. The Board released $500,000 in restricted contingency to develop and implement an employer-based air quality improvement pilot. The pilot will engage 50 of the largest employers in the region to take actions that will improve air quality and foster trip-reducing behaviors by their employees. In addition, the Board approved seeking another $500,000 in federal grant funds to also help pay for this pilot. The intent is to contract with URS Corporation to develop and implement this pilot. This pilot approach is the product of a regional alliance that includes the City of Charlotte, Charlotte Chamber, Centralina Council of Governments and Mecklenburg County.
VOTING EQUIPMENT. The Board approved the purchase of 1,000 voting machines to comply with new federal and state mandates that include requiring a hard-copy printout that records votes for each voter. The cost of purchasing these machines this year will be approximately $4 million, with additional costs in subsequent years as well. The state of North Carolina is expected to provide money to pay for about 60-percent of the total costs this fiscal year. As a result, purchasing these machines will require the Board to appropriate an additional $1.6 million, which will come from the elections reserve and the technology reserve.
STATE OF THE COUNTY PERFORMANCE. The Board received the 2005 Performance Report for the past fiscal year. The Report reveals that the County has achieved about half of the Board of County Commissioners' long-range goals for the community. In 2001, the Board adopted a vision of this community in the year 2015 and established specific measurable goals to evaluate progress toward this vision. Each year, the County Manager's Office publishes a performance report to let the Board and Mecklenburg residents know the progress being made. The State of the County Report uses objective data to measure and report on the County's performance. Using a performance management tool called the Balanced Scorecard, the State of the County Report focuses on 35 specific measures to gauge the County's success in achieving the goals established by the Board of County Commissioners. The State of the County Report will be distributed within the Charlotte Business Journal on January 20 and The Charlotte Weekly on January 27. It is also available online at www.4citizenhelp.com and at various County facilities.
BROOKLYN RENAISSANCE PROJECT. The Board received a presentation from Jerry Reese on a proposal called the Brooklyn Renaissance Project. This proposal includes ideas to locate a baseball stadium in Second Ward as a catalyst for retail and residential development in this area formerly known as the Brooklyn neighborhood. The proposal involves numerous transactions by several government agencies including the County, City of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The Board directed the County Manager to include information from this proposal in the fact finding process associated with the recent Center City Partners' proposal for a baseball stadium and park in Third Ward and redevelopment in Second Ward.
