Calendar:
Monday, January 10
7:30 am - Mecklenburg Delegation Breakfast, Room 267
12:00 pm - Agenda Briefing, Room 280
3:00 pm - Transportation Committee Meeting, Room 280
AGENDA: Transportation Focus Area Plan (Information Only); Preparing the Transportation Action Plan (Information Only); Street Resurfacing Evaluation: Degradation Fees (Information Only)
5:00 pm - Council Manager Dinner Briefing, Room 267
7:00 pm - Council Business Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Thursday, January 13
9:00 am - Retreat Planning Committee Meeting, 15th Floor Small Conference Room
12:00 pm - Community Safety Committee Meeting, Rms 270-27. AGENDA: Focus Area Plan; First Responders; Jiggler Keys
5:30 pm - National League of Cities Conference Planning and Fundraising Reception, Bentley's Restaurant on 27, 201 South College Street
6:00 pm - District 4 Meeting, Citiside Clubhouse, 4500 Eaves Lane
Friday, January 14
12:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Housing and Neighborhood Development Focus Area Plan (Information Only); Code Enforcement Overview; No Parking on Front Lawn Ordinance Six Month Review.
Agenda Notes:
Dinner Briefing
Staff Resource: Julie Burch, 704-336-3187
We have changed the order for the dinner briefing for Monday, January 10. The new order is:
1. Update on South Corridor Light Rail
2. Mayor's Task Force on Cultural Facilities
3. Public Art Mid-Year Report
Dinner Briefing Item #2: Report of Mayor's Cultural Facilities Task Force
Staff Resource: Ruffin Hall, 704-336-3403
Attached is the report of the Mayor's Cultural Facilities Task Force. Luther Cochrane, chairman of the Task Force will present the report at the Dinner Briefing on Monday.
Dinner Briefing Item #3: Public Art Update Presentation
Staff Resource: Brenda Freeze, 704-336-4516
The attachment for Item No. 1 is a Power Point presentation and was inserted in your Agenda Books in front of attachment tab 1 instead of behind it. The print shop regrets placing this attachment in the wrong place.
Information Items:
Fiscal Year 2004 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Staff Resource: Greg Gaskins, 704-336-5885
The fiscal year 2004 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) is attached for your information and review. On January 24, a full presentation will be made regarding these financial statements. In addition, on January 10, a link to an electronic copy of the CAFR will be placed on the Finance page of the City's website.
Confederate Flag in Elmwood Cemetery
Staff Resource: Willie Ratchford, 704-336-2195
On December 9, 2004, the Community Relations Committee's (CRC) Executive Committee met to review the information gathered on the confederate flag in Elmwood Cemetery. Information included feedback from a public forum held on October 19, 2004 where approximately 140 persons attended; 350 responses from a web page CRC developed for public input that was active October 19 - December 1, 2004; and legal research provided by the City attorney's office on what other cities have done regarding the flying of a confederate flag on publicly-owned property.
The CRC Executive Committee began preliminary discussions on proposed recommendations for the City Manager regarding this issue. The following draft recommendations were captured at this meeting:
- The City establish a moratorium on any new flags erected in Elmwood Cemetery and,
- The confederate battle flag now flying be removed and placed in a glass enclosed case somewhere near the memorial, and
- The standing flagpole at the Confederate gravesites be used to fly the North Carolina State Flag of 1861 or another Confederate Flag that has not been linked to hate groups and,
- The City allow the flying of the confederate battle flag now flying in the cemetery on certain days, to be designated by the City (i.e.: Memorial Day, Flag Day, special events, certain holidays, etc.) and,
- The City develops and implements a flag flying policy for public property, including cemeteries; all flags flying on City-owned property as of December 1, 2004 continue to fly until such time as the flag flying policy is implemented.
The draft recommendations were sent to CRC Executive Committee members after the meeting for review and further consideration. The CRC Executive Committee will hold a called meeting in January 2005 to continue this discussion and prepare a list of final recommendations for the City Manager.
This information is being provided to you at this time because the Charlotte Observer has requested a copy of the draft recommendations and may run a story prior to the CRC's Executive Committee developing its final recommendations for the City Manager.
Redistricting Process
Staff Resource: Mike Boyd, 704-336-4111
During the November 22 Council meeting, staff was requested to outline the redistricting process that Council will be asked to follow, if annexation triggers legal requirements to revise district boundaries. The proposed redistricting process is based on the assumptions that the annexations approved in November will be included in the existing, adjacent districts and that any population imbalances in the districts can be resolved without substantial changes in district boundaries. If substantial changes are considered, the process may need to be extended.
June 30 is the practical deadline for completing the redistricting process, since July 1, 2005 is first date that candidates can file for the 2005 Council elections. The Board of Elections staff notes that the earlier the redistricting process is completed, the easier it is to avoid (or at least minimize) potential questions and confusion from candidates and/or voters concerning boundaries of Council districts.
Proposed Redistricting Process
February 7, 2005
- Confirm filing/service of any legal challenges to Annexation Areas (Legal)
February 2005
- Appointment of redistricting committee (Mayor);
- Finalize population estimates for City and Annexation Areas (Planning/Legal);
- Develop minimal-impact, redistricting plan (Planning/Legal).
March/April 2005
- Develop alternative redistricting plan(s) as directed by redistricting committee (Planning/Legal);
- Council consideration of redistricting plan(s);
- Approval of redistricting plan
City Fully Expends EPA Brownfield Assessment Grants
Staff Resource: Tom Warshauer, 704 336-4522
The City has expended the full $300,000 in two EPA Brownfield Assessment Grants. Since 1996, the City has been a leader in helping return brownfield sites to productive use. The EPA Brownfield Assessment Grants were used to assist owners of 13 sites suspected of contamination: over 36 acres were revitalized, over $36,000,000 projected in new investment and over 860 projected new jobs. The EPA grants leveraged an additional $375,000 in private assessment funds and over $593,000 in projected private clean-up costs.
Additionally, the City pioneered the development of dedicated State Brownfield staff to expedite local projects. Half of the 50 Brownfield Agreements in the State of North Carolina are in Charlotte. Twenty per-cent of the 50 projects in the pipeline for Brownfield Agreements are in Charlotte.
The State staff, which is entirely funded by the State, will remain in Charlotte. The Brownfield Assessment Grant program is also continuing, utilizing the $80,000 remainder of local dollars dedicated to the program.
Sewer Backbilling for 38 Residents in Willowmere Neighborhood
Staff Resource: Doug Bean, 704-391-5070
Several Council members have been contacted by representatives from a group of 38 Willowmere neighborhood residents who recently learned they are being required to pay for years of sewer service for which they had not been billed. Willowmere is a subdivision of approximately 500 homes, located in the vicinity of McKee and Weddington Roads, south of I-485.
We certainly understand and regret the inconvenience to customers affected by backbilling. Revenue recovery - which includes backbilling to recover costs for prior water and/or sewer services received without payment - is a necessary and regular part of daily business for any utility service.
In our system, with more than 250,000 water/wastewater accounts of varying types, there are occasional circumstances where there are customers who received past water and/or sewer service but were not billed properly. These cases include those who have intentionally obtained service and avoided payment, but they also include customers who are victims of honest billing mistakes that originated with a developer, a builder of a new neighborhood, a customer or a mistake on Utilities part. Staff has not been able to determine exactly why the 38 households in Willowmere were not billed properly, starting approximately five years ago.
If Utilities does not recover at least some of the revenue for service that was used, that cost inevitably will be absorbed by all customers. The practice has been to minimize hardships to backbilled customers, regardless of the circumstances, by utilizing the following practices:
- Backbilling only for the time a customer has lived in their house, up to a maximum of three years (regardless of how far the usage may have extended beyond that);
- Offering payment arrangements over an extended period of time; and
- Basing backbill charges on the lowest water usage rate.
Most Utilities customers are both water and sewer, but there are some customers who receive one service and not the other. Customers share a responsibility to know who provides their utility services and to keep their account in good standing, but accurate billing and revenue collection for water and sewer service is Utilities' responsibility. We are constantly monitoring billing records and metered water usage - and also making improvements to our daily business processes - to ensure that all usage is being billed properly.
Solid Waste Mark of Distinction Program
Staff Resource: Wayman Pearson, 704-336-3410
On Sunday, January 9 an advertisement announcing the start of the Mark of Distinction program will appear in the Mecklenburg Neighbors. A FAQ on the program is attached.
The Mark of Distinction Program (MOD) is an event and incentive-based promotional program that seeks to increase participation in the CURB IT! residential recycling program. The program is funded by a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. It provides residents of the City of Charlotte living in single-family units with the opportunity to win a $100 gift card for recycling during the campaign, which starts January 10 and ends April 22, 2005. In addition to the incentives the campaign also features several events.
In July 2003, the City of Charlotte approved the Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Management plan, which outlined a solid waste reduction goal of eleven percent for the entire county. The Mark of Distinction program is one of several Solid Waste recycling initiatives designed to assist in meeting the waste reduction goal.
In September Solid Waste implemented the Meta Un G-O-O-O-L Reciclando campaign, which seeks to increase recycling in the Latino community. Participation in that community was recorded at zero percent in October 2004. Last week, recycling participation was recorded at eleven percent, and is expected to increase. Similar results are expected from the Mark of Distinction program.
