Agenda Notes:
Business Items for Action at February 21 Zoning Meeting
Staff Resource: Julie Burch, 704-336-3187
When the February 14 Business Meeting was canceled, staff identified seven items that need action prior to the February 28 Business Meeting. These seven items are compiled for the February 21 Zoning Meeting in a separate agenda document in today's packet. Council is asked to take action on them at the conclusion of the Zoning meeting. These business items include four contracts, two bid items and one nomination. Each of them are time sensitive for various reasons stated in the agenda document.
Information Items:
Airport Press Conference - 2 p.m. Thursday, February 17
Staff Resource: Jerry Orr, 704-359-4006
Included in your packet is a copy of the press release faxed to Council members earlier today regarding a press conference called for 2:00 pm, tomorrow, Thursday, February 17, at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. The purpose of the press briefing is to make a major announcement regarding Charlotte air service. It will be held at the West end of the Ticketing lobby, upper level.
Budget Committee Meeting - February 17
Staff Resource: Ruffin Hall, 704-336-3403
The agenda and related material for the 1:30 pm meeting on Thursday, February 17, is included in today's packet.
Prosecution of Drug Cases
Staff Resource: Major Piper Charles, 704-336-8294
This morning the Charlotte Observer published an article which indicates that the District Attorney's Office is reducing the number of drug cases that it prosecutes each year. The article quotes the Assistant District Attorney who heads the Drug Prosecution Unit as saying that the District Attorney's Office must select thirty-six (36)drug cases per year to try.
Members of the District Attorney's staff have met with members of the CMPD command staff, officers in the Vice and Narcotics Division, and sergeants assigned to Street Drug Interdiction to discuss this issue. Based on the limitations on court time, the District Attorney's Office can only schedule 36 drug cases per year for jury trial. It is important to note that approximately 90% of drug cases are settled through the plea bargain process and do not ever go to trial. The number 36 refers only to cases that actually go to trial.
The District Attorney's Office and CMPD have talked about working together to prioritize cases to insure that those that are most critical are prosecuted. The District Attorney has also set a higher standard for some drug cases by requesting that CMPD submit both video and audio evidence of drug buys and requesting a larger number of buys from suspects. This will have some resource implications for CMPD as it may take longer to build drug cases and will require the recording of drug transactions. CMPD is buying additional equipment for Vice and Narcotics to make the required recordings. Funds for the equipment are available from assets forfeiture and Council will be asked to appropriate them at its February 28 meeting.
This is another example of the resource issues faced by the District Attorney's Office as they try to set priorities in a criminal justice system that is inadequate to handle the volume of cases that go into it.
The City currently pays about $260,000 per year to fund six administrative support positions for the District Attorney's Office. The Police Department has assigned a sergeant and seven officers to the District Attorney's Office to do follow-up investigations on cases being prepared for prosecution. CMPD also provides about $30,000 per year in assets forfeiture funds as a match for a Community Gun Violence Prosecution grant. The grant funds four assistant district attorneys for four years to prosecute violent crimes committed with a firearm.
Southwest Water Main Public Meetings Next Week
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070
Community meetings will be held next week for Phase A of the Southwest Water Main project. This pipe will reinforce the existing system and provide additional drinking water to southern Mecklenburg County. The first phase will include installation of pipe from Franklin Water Treatment Plant, along Toddville Road, Tuckaseegee Road, Stafford Drive, and to the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.Community Meetings:
- Commercial industry and businesses -- February 22, 2:00 pm, at Trinity Church of the Nazarene at the corner of Toddville and Tuckaseegee
- Residents and property owners -- February 22, 7:00 pm, at Trinity Church of the Nazarene
At these meetings, residents and businesses can learn construction and traffic control details for this phase of 72-inch pipe installation. More than 8,000 meeting invitations were sent to citizens in the area. To access these project websites through www.cmutilities.com, click on the "construction projects" button. A project newsletter is mailed out frequently to update citizens in the project area.
Charlotte Arena Project Monthly Expenditures
Staff Resource: Jim Schumacher, 704-336-3656
Small Business Opportunity Program Waiver Provisions
Staff Resource: Tiffany Capers, 704-336-3862
In June 2003, there were compliance issues for several bids where the lowest, responsible bidder did not comply with the Small Business Opportunity Program. In response to a recent request from Council member Tabor to compare how the current waiver would have applied to those bids, staff has reviewed the non-compliance issues. The issues can be summarized into two basic issues: failure to comply with mandatory outreach and failure to earn minimum Good Faith Effort points. Attached is a summary of the nature of the non-compliance and whether or not the current, revised waiver provision would have applied.
Hot Jobs/Cool Communities
Staff Resource: Tom Flynn, 704-432-1396
The Friday, February 4, Council Manager Memo indicated that the consultant's PowerPoint presentation on the status of the Hot Jobs/Cool Communities initiative was attached. However, the memo provided a link to the website and not a hard copy attachment. Attached is the hard copy of the consultant's PowerPoint presentation for your review.
The City is one of many sponsors of this initiative and staff plans to use this information in developing the Economic Development Strategic Framework.
