Calendar
Monday, June 26
3:00 pm - Transportation Committee Meeting, Room 280 AGENDA: Dixie River Road and Shopton Road West Thoroughfare Plan Amendment; State Transportation Issues
5:00 pm - Council Manager Dinner Briefing, Room 267
6:30 pm - Citizens' Forum, Meeting Chamber
7:00 pm - Council Business Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Wednesday, June 28
5:30 pm - Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting, Room 267
Thursday, June 29
12:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee Meeting, Room 280 AGENDA: Boarded Up Structures Inventory Study Status Report; Charlotte Neighborhood Fund Recommendation; Housing Trust Fund Reallocation
Agenda Notes:
US National Whitewater park Request - Hawfield Road Improvements - New Dinner Agenda Item
Staff Resource: Pamela A. Syfert, 704-336-3185 - psyfert@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is a letter from Jeff Wise, Executive Director of the US National Whitewater Park requesting assistance from the City of Charlotte in securing temporary access to the Whitewater Park via Hawfield Road. I plan to brief you on this matter at dinner to determine an appropriate path forward.
Agenda Item #14: FY2006 Housing Trust Fund - Project Funding Recommendations
Staff Resource: Stan Wilson, 704-336-3337 - swilson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On Monday, June 26, 2006 City Council will be asked to approve the FY2006 Housing Trust Fund (HTF) project funding recommendations. Attached is a status report on the Housing Trust Fund developments that have been funded to date. The report highlights include:
- 2,360 affordable housing units have been financed through the HTF.
- 1,387 housing units (59%) serve households earning 30% and below the area median income.
- $46,907,642 has been committed to projects or has been committed for allocation.
- The HTF has contributed to $143 million in total housing development costs.
Agenda Item #16: Seaboard Street Extension Reimbursement Agreement
Staff Resources: Tom Warshauer, 704-336-4522 - twarshauer@ci.charlotte.nc.us and Tracy Finch, 704-432-3025 - tfinch@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Seaboard Street Extension Reimbursement Agreement is on Council's June 26 Agenda for consideration. Attached find the completed Agreement, approved by ARK Management.
Agenda Item #33: Beaverdam Creek Outfall, Pumping Station and Force Main, Change Order #4
Staff Resource: Donnell Wilson, 704-391-5097 - dwilson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Change Order Number 4 for the Beaverdam Creek Outfall, Pumping Station and Force Main, item #33, page 36 of Consent II is being pulled by staff from the 6/26 Council Agenda. Additional issues have been raised by Bryant Electric's parent company regarding this final change order requiring further negotiations with project staff.
Information items:
Distinctions Between Business Participation Goals on SBE, MWBE and DBE Programs
Staff Resource: Andrew Jackson, 704-336-4138 - adjackson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
This information is to provide Council with additional clarification about City, State and Federal programs designed to capture small, minority, women and disadvantaged business participation, and how they relate to City contracts. While most contracts City staff present to Council include the City's SBE goals, there are also formal contracts recommended for award that include participation goals reflecting outside funding sources. Locally funded projects are subject to the SBO Program, state-funded projects are subject to the State's MWBE program and federally funded projects are subject to the U.S. Department of Transportation's DBE program.
Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Goals: On building contracts totaling $100,000 or more that receive state funding, the City uses the State MWBE goal and follows State guidelines for subcontractor participation. North Carolina General Statutes establish a 10% MWBE subcontracting goal for these contracts. Bidders must follow the good faith efforts described in the State statutes to meet the goal.
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Goals: The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) establishes DBE rules and procedures for contracts that receive federal funding from the USDOT. Typically CATS or Aviation administer these contracts. For these federally funded projects, the City establishes DBE participation goals. DBE goals consider the availability of DBEs in the areas where there are contracting opportunities. Bidders must follow the good faith efforts established by federal law to meet DBE goals.
Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Goals: The City currently sets SBE goals for all City contracts that do not receive State or USDOT funding and meet all 3 of the following criteria:
- The contract equals or exceeds $100,000
- The contract will be competitively bid and
- There are SBEs available in the City's vendor database to provide goods or services required by the project
Bidders must follow the good faith efforts defined by City's SBO Program to meet the SBE goals. Unlike the MWBE and DBE programs, the SBE program benefits only local subcontractors because the purpose is local economic development.
Each of the three programs--SBE, MWBE and DBE-- require that a participation goal be set and that bidders follow good faith efforts to meet it. The programs differ in the definitions of the businesses that benefit, the manner in which the City sets the goals and the types of good faith efforts that bidders must undertake to comply.
Grant for Fire Prevention Education
Staff Resource: Luther Fincher, 704-336-2791 - lfincher@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On June 22, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Museum, the Charlotte Fire Department received a $28,400 grant from BB&T, McPhail Bray Insurance, and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. The department will distribute the funds to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Museum to buy materials, including coloring books, brochures and DVDs to educate children and senior citizens about fire prevention and safety. Research has shown that children under the age of 14 and senior citizens are the age groups at greatest risk of being injured or dying in fires.
Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) Thoroughfare Plan Amendments - Dixie River Road/ Shopton Road West Area
Staff Resources: Tim Gibbs, 704-336-3917 - tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us Mike Davis, 704-336-3938 - madavis@ci.charlotte.nc.us
City staff and consultants recently completed a technical analysis and public input process in the Dixie River Road/Shopton Road West area to more precisely determine the location of the new Dixie River Road/Steele Creek Road intersection and the relocation of Shopton Road West. Consequently, City staff is requesting that MUMPO amend its Thoroughfare Plan to show a new route for Dixie River Road north of Steele Creek Road that would intersect existing Dixie River Road west of Interstate 485.
In addition to the public involvement previously undertaken by City staff, property owners in the area affected by the proposed roadway alignments have been notified and given an opportunity to express their concerns to staff by July 14.
Construction of the new roadways and intersections will occur as a result of a public-private venture between the City and a developer contingent upon approval of Rezoning Petition 2006-078. A public hearing for this petition was held on June 19.
At its May meeting, the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) (staff advisors to MUMPO) recommended intersection changes at NC 160. At its July 6 meeting, the TCC will consider the alignment and intersection at existing Dixie River Road and the new Dixie River alignment.
This item will be on Council Transportation Committee's agenda on June 26. Council will be asked to direct its MUMPO representative's vote on the Thoroughfare Plan amendment at its July 17 meeting in advance of this item's consideration at the July 19 MUMPO meeting in Monroe.
Attached is a map highlighting the proposed Thoroughfare Plan changes.
Hand Held Products Relocating to South Carolina
Staff Resource: Brad Richardson, 704-336-3857 - brichardson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
In February, we informed you that Hand Held Products, a service center for mobile and wireless data collection devices, had decided to relocate to northern Lancaster County, South Carolina. This week, the Charlotte Observer and the Charlotte Business Journal ran stories on the relocation. Hand Held Products currently employs 100 at Quorum Business Park on Independence Boulevard near Village Lake Drive and expects to hire an additional 50 employees over the next five years. In the past year, we have been in contact with Hand Held officials in an effort to retain them in Charlotte.
The incentives offered by South Carolina were cited as one of the factors in the decision to relocate. City staff initially supported a local incentive to Hand Held when the company proposed a $5.4 million renovation of the vacant K-Mart big box at Independence and Sardis Road North.
When the company eliminated this site from consideration and reduced their projected investment in Charlotte, we withdrew our support for an incentive. At that time, we notified South Carolina economic development officials that we would not offer incentives to Hand Held.
Update - SafeSpeed and SafeLight Programs
Staff Resource: Keith Parker, 704-336-3855 - kparker@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At the June 5 meeting, Council directed staff to do the following regarding the SafeSpeed and SafeLight programs:
1. Monitor High Point's Actions: The City of High Point has formally challenged the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling that 90% of all revenue collected from the programs must go to the local school system. Charlotte City Council sent a letter to the City of High Point encouraging them to appeal the ruling. It is unclear how long the appeal process will take, but likely to be in the 12 to18 months range.
2. Work with Contractor to keep the programs suspended:
Peek Traffic has been very cooperative. The City and Peek mutually agree to continue suspension of both programs. However, Peek is continuing to collect fines that were owed before suspension of the SafeSpeed and SafeLight programs on May 26. Some violators erroneously concluded that since the programs had been suspended, they were no longer responsible for paying fines.
3. Engage Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and/or Mecklenburg County: City staff has begun working with CMS and County staff to discuss options that will allow the SafeLight and SafeSpeed programs to resume without adding new cost to Charlotte's general fund.
Staff will periodically update Council as new information develops.
