Calendar:
Monday, March 8 - Tuesday, March 9
NLC Congressional City Conference, Washington, DC
Wednesday, March 10
3:00 pm - Budget Retreat, Room 267. AGENDA: Spay/Neuter Services; ASC Cultural Facilities Master Plan; CATS Budget; Utilities Financial Projections and Rates
Information Items:
Electronic Memo Today
Staff Resource: Julie Burch, 704-336-3187
Since several Council members are traveling to the National League of Cities meeting in Washington, DC, the Council-Manager memo is being provided via email today. Most of the attachments are also being provided electronically. You will also have a hard copy of the memo and all attachments in the mail when you return.
Staff appreciates any feedback about receiving the memo in this format, e.g. ease and accessibility of receiving the information.
Mill Apartment Properties
Staff Resource: Stan Wilson, 704-336-3337
Monday's Charlotte Observer included an article on the Johnston and Mecklenburg Mill Apartments. Attached is a status report for Johnston, Mecklenburg and Hoskins Mills. A brief description of the properties is provided as well as a financial status. Staff has engaged an attorney to represent the City's interests in all three of the bankruptcy proceedings.
Colony Road Improvements Update
Staff Resource: Doreen Szymanski, 704-336-7527
The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) was expecting the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) to approve donating land and a cost sharing plan for improvements on Colony Road at the Myers Park High School driveway entrance at their February 24, 2004 meeting. That item was bumped from the agenda. Guy Chamberlain of CMS expects the Board to consider the request during March.
CDOT plans to wait for CMS Board consideration during March before moving ahead with the City's road project. Depending upon CMS's decision, CDOT will proceed with the project Council already approved or an alternative plan will be shared with Council for further consideration.
Proposed Picketing Ordinance: Stakeholder Meeting
Staff Resources: Vi Lyles, 704-336-3132 and Bob Hagemann, 704-336-2651
The proposed picketing, public assembly and parade ordinance has been referred to the Community Safety Committee. Prior to the Committee discussion, staff has established a stakeholder process to invite comments and suggestions from groups that have used the ordinance during the last two years. A total of sixteen groups have been invited including the NAACP, Operation Save America, PETA and the Catholic Diocese. The American Civil Liberties Union has also been invited to participate.
The stakeholders will have two sessions: the first to solicit comments and a second to provide feedback on those comments. The first session to request comments is scheduled on Wednesday, March 24 at 2 pm in CH-14 and the second is Thursday, March 25 at 2 pm in room 280. The Community Safety Committee will begin discussion of the proposed ordinance on April 25.
After-Action Report on Snow Storm Operations
Staff Resource: Layton Lamb, 704-336-5128
Attached is a preliminary report from the Street Maintenance Division detailing actions taken and costs incurred in response to last week's snow storm. City staff is working on a more complete assessment and "lessons learned" report that will be shared with Council at a later date.
Mayor Housing Organization Inventory Report
Staff Resource: Stanley Watkins, 704-336-3796
Attached is the Major Housing Organization Inventory Report for the City of Charlotte Neighborhood Development, Charlotte Housing Authority and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership. This Inventory Report catalogs all assets, resources and skill sets for these three major housing organizations. The report is a follow up to one of the action steps from the 2nd
Housing Retreat that was held on May 8, 2003.
A status update on all five Housing Retreat action steps was included in the February 24, 2004 CWAC agenda packet. The action steps status report including supporting documentation is also attached.
Second Quarter SBE Utilization Report for Informal Purchases
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862
With the approval of the SBO Program in January 2003, City Council also established KBU SBE Utilization Goals for informal procurements. For the second quarter of FY2004, the City of Charlotte spent $1.19 million (7%) with SBE firms on informal procurements for construction, architecture and engineering, professional services, goods and supplies and other services. For the first quarter of FY2004, the City spent $573,848 (5.92%) with SBE firms.
A report is attached for your review. This report was delayed to accommodate Strategic Operating Plan development by the Key Business Units. The third quarter report will be available April 2004
Solid Waste Bulky Item Collection Process
Staff Resource: Wayman Pearson, 704-336-3410
Solid Waste Services has been working in cooperation with various communities and neighborhood associations to decrease the instances of unscheduled bulky items. These communities include Plaza/Shamrock, Washington Heights, Lincoln Heights, Wilson Heights, Grier Heights, Belmont/Piedmont Courts, Lakewood Community Develop Corporation, Optimist Park, Oaklawn Park and Enderly Park.
Working in partnership with identified community and neighborhood association representatives, Solid Waste Services will implement a program, which has been dubbed the Call and Send Program, in each community. As the name implies, a representative from the neighborhood association will call in the unscheduled bulky items in their respective community to Solid Waste customer service.
After the items have been scheduled, the representative will then send a letter to the owners of the properties to advise them on how to properly schedule items for collection. The goals of the Call and Send Program are three-fold to:
(1) assist identified neighborhoods in becoming self-sustaining in handling unscheduled bulky items in their communities;
(2) increase compliance and awareness of bulky items preparation guidelines and
(3) increase customer confidence in Solid Waste Services by entering into a partnership with identified neighborhood associations.
In January 2004, Solid Waste Services, in partnership with the Windsor Park Neighbors, implemented a pilot for the Call and Send Program.
Greater Enrichment Program - Compliance Monitoring Status
Staff Resources: Stanley Watkins, 704-336-3796 and Patricia Mason, 704-336-3994
In November 2003, Neighborhood Development's Compliance Unit began a compliance review of the Greater Enrichment Program (GEP). Greater Enrichment Program administers an after-school and summer program for school-age youth, residing in Communities Within A City (CWAC) neighborhoods.
GEP is contracted to provide services to 500 participants and receive funding in the amount of $605,854 (salaries and operating expenses) for fiscal year 2004. City funding accounts for 76% of the GEP funding amount.
During the review, discrepancies were found in enrollment numbers reported by GEP and attendance records that were analyzed by the Compliance staff. GEP reported an enrollment number of 492 participants for the period of September - November 2003. However, their attendance records showed an average number of 288 active participants for that same time period. We have given GEP until March 17, 2004 to respond to this particular issue and March 26, 2004 to the Compliance Report issues.
The Charlotte Observer has made inquiries regarding our review of the Greater Enrichment Program. We have made available to them a copy of our correspondence to GEP, copy of their contract and draft copy of the 2003 Compliance Scorecard. (Copies of the correspondence and scorecard are attached.)
We have stressed that these are preliminary findings and we have not received their response on these issues. Based on the information that we receive from GEP, we may make adjustments to the final report.
Neighborhood Development's compliance review includes an examination of various records and processes to assess the program's operations. It also includes interviewing board members and staff to assess their program oversight responsibilities.
