Calendar:
Monday, July 17
3:00 pm - Environment Committee Meeting, Room 280 AGENDA: Draft Environmental Principles; "Clean Cars" Legislation
5:00 pm - Zoning Dinner, Room CH-14
6:00 pm - Zoning Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Wednesday, July 19
3:30 pm - Economic Development and Planning Committee Meeting, Room 280 AGENDA: Cultural Facilities Master Plan; Bryant Park Financing District
7:00 pm - MUMPO Meeting, 8th Floor Conference Room
Agenda Notes:
Agenda Item #41: Water Sewer Revenue Bonds and Bond Anticipation Notes
Staff Resource: Scott Greer, 704-336-5883 - sgreer@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City's first Commercial Paper Program concludes on August 1, 2006 when the City will issue permanent debt to replace the short-term notes that have funded the ongoing water/sewer capital plan. The second and last item requiring Council action will appear on the July 17th zoning meeting which is required to meet Local Government Commission guidelines and complete the permanent financing by the end of July. Council will be notified of the savings generated from the CP Program when the financing is complete, but it is expected to be substantial. Use of this process allows the City to reduce the cost of borrowing.
New Agenda Item #42 - Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) Thoroughfare Plan Amendments to 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
At your July 17 dinner meeting, you will be briefed by staff on proposed Thoroughfare Plan amendments in the Dixie River Road-Shopton Road West area. Later, during the zoning meeting, you will be asked to direct your Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MUMPO) representative's vote in support of the Technical Coordinating Committee's (TCC) unanimous recommendation of City staff's request that the 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) and for the relocation of Shopton Road West at Steele Creek Road.
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 the close of business on July 14. To date, only two citizens have responded.
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. This petition is on the July 17 Zoning agenda as Item #14 for your consideration.
The Transportation Committee voted 3-1 (Mumford, Burgess and Carter in favor and Turner in opposition) at their June 26 meeting to support the recommendation of the TCC with the caveat that additional information on the overall roadway network in the area be provided. This information was included in the July 7 Council-Manager memo. It is also attached with this memo along with comments from the public meeting that was held in April and a map highlighting the current and future thoroughfare alignments.
Your action at the July 17 meeting will direct your MUMPO representative's vote at the July 19 MUMPO meeting in Monroe.
New Agenda Item #43 - Monroe Bypass
Staff Resource: Tim Gibbs, 704-336-3917 - tgibbs@ci.charlotte.nc.us
At your July 17 dinner meeting, you will be briefed by staff on the status of Section A of the Monroe Bypass. During the zoning meeting, you will be asked to direct your Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MUMPO) representative's vote in support of the Technical Coordinating Committee's (TCC) recommended action regarding Section A of the Monroe Bypass. The specific action would be to add Alignment 2 of Section A to the Long Range Transportation Plan, subject to an air quality conformity determination, and add an alignment to the Thoroughfare Plan supported by the City of Monroe, whose jurisdiction the alignment traverses. The action item will further request you give City Council member Mumford the flexibility to recommend deferral of MUMPO's votes should he feel there is additional information which he and City Council should consider. NCDOT staff pressed for a July MUMPO decision saying that construction of the funded road segments could be delayed further, if MUMPO's action does not occur in July.
In March, you directed your MUMPO representative to vote in favor of moving forward with actions to add Segment A to the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Thoroughfare Plan. Since that time, NCDOT has performed various studies and held two public meetings. That information was presented to the TCC and considered in their recommendation.
Your action at the July 17 meeting will direct your MUMPO representative's vote at the July 19 MUMPO meeting in Monroe.
A map showing the Monroe Bypass Amendment Alternatives is attached.
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Information Items
Charlotte Neighborhood Fund
Staff Resource: Stanley Wilson, 704-336-3337 - swilson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The June 29, 2006 Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee meeting was cancelled. As a result staff did not have the opportunity to discuss the options for the FY2007 Charlotte Neighborhood Fund Contract, so this item will not be on Council's July 24, 2006 agenda. The Charlotte Neighborhood Fund is the program that funds operating support for the six local Community Development Corporations. The City invests $300,000 in the fund annually.
Under the City Manager's authority, Neighborhood Development will continue funding the Belmont, City West, Lakewood, Northwest Corridor and Friendship Community Development Corporations (CDCs) up to $5,000 per month for incurred expenses over the next three months. This will sustain the organizations until a City Council decision is received.
On July 25, 2005, City Council approved a grant for the final year of funding for the Grier Heights Economic Foundation (GHEF). A final grant was approved due to the CDCs lack of housing production.
The Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee will have an opportunity to review the Charlotte Neighborhood Fund and make a recommendation to the full Council at a meeting to be scheduled over the next few weeks.
Police Department Redistricting
Staff Resource: Darrel Stephens, 704-336-2337 - dstephens1@cmpd.org
The Police Department is planning to implement a redistricting plan in January 2007. The plan which, has been approved by the City Manager, will add a 13th patrol division in the University area and have new boundaries for each of the current 12 divisions. Attached is an explanation for the redistricting and a map showing the new patrol division boundaries.
Clean Air Works! Update
Staff Resources:
Julie Burch, 704-336-3187 - jburch@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Jim Humphrey, 704-336-3883 - jhumphrey@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Clean Air Works! is a summer pilot project sponsored by the Regional Air Quality Board to encourage private companies to help fight the region's ozone problem. Council has received several briefings on this initiative over the past several months.
As of this week, 44 employers have volunteered to participate. Volunteering means they are encouraging their employees to find alternative ways to commute to work, even offering incentives in some instances, and also changing operating practices where feasible.
Attached are the July project update and an article from yesterday's online Charlotte Business Journal about the program. This information includes a complete list of participating businesses. The City of Charlotte is participating in this program for the third consecutive summer.
Closing of Knight's Inn, 2909 Boxmeer Drive
Staff Resource: Deputy Fire Chief Pete Key, 704-336-8565 - hkey@ci.charlotte.nc.us
In late June, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department requested assistance from the Fire Prevention Bureau to address concerns with the Knight's Inn. Since then, representatives of Police, Charlotte Fire Department, and the Mecklenburg County Health Department have worked together to identify and address quality of life and fire safety issues at the property.
On July 11, fire inspectors and police officers made a visit to the site. They found that the fire alarm system was completely out of service and smoke alarms were not functioning in a majority of the motel rooms. The manager was issued an immediate $200 fine for failing to maintain the fire and life safety systems. At that time, the manager was given a 48-hour notice to repair those systems. He was also informed that if the requested actions were not completed by July 13, he would be issued a second fine and residents would be required to evacuate. Just after noon on July 13, fire inspectors and police officers made a follow-up visit to the property. The fire alarm system was still out of service and only six rooms were found to have working smoke alarms. As a result, the manager was issued another $200 fine and shut down the facility. Residents were informed to gather their belongings and vacate. Staff from the Salvation Army and United Way assisted residents who needed help. CATS assisted residents who needed transportation.
Demographic Information of Those Arrested and Requests for Tapes from July Fourth Uptown Cameras
Staff Resource: Deputy Chief Dave Stephens, 704-432-0379 - dstephens@cmpd.org
Attached is information the Criminal Intelligence Unit has compiled related to the individuals arrested in the center city on the evening of July 4, 2006. It includes a map showing the locations of the arrests, a map showing the residences of those arrested and tables of demographic information. We are providing this information to people who request it.
We also have received requests from media outlets, elected officials and a couple of citizens for copies of the tapes taken from the uptown cameras the evening of July 4, 2006. With 20+ cameras taping over six hours, there are more than 100 hours of tape that first must be copied to a viewable format. The copying is in real time so it is a long and labor-intensive process.
We believe it is important for citizens to understand the circumstances of the evening. While there is considerable footage from the uptown cameras, most media outlets were in the area filming and captured much of the action. The uptown cameras see the action from a higher vantage point, but early reviews of key taped segments do not reveal much different than what has already been shown numerous times on the local news.
Still, we understand the interest in the tapes from the cameras and are working as methodically as we can to complete the review and determine if and when we can release all or parts of the tapes. Because of the arrests of more than 24 people, the tape is considered investigatory material. After investigators have reviewed the tapes and consulted with the District Attorney regarding the evidentiary value they contain, we hope to produce a CD we can make available that includes excerpts. We anticipate the review and decision on releasing portions of the tapes in the next two weeks.
National Night Out
Staff Resource: Sgt. Michelle Preston, 704-432-0380 - mpreston@cmpd.org
National Night Out is Tuesday August 1. National Night Out is designed to heighten drug and crime prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community relations, and send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting crime.
A number of neighborhoods are planning events on the night of August 1. Attached is a spreadsheet that details the neighborhoods that have registered to hold an event. In a number of cases, the details on the event have not been finalized and provided to CMPD. Where possible, the spreadsheet includes the type of event, the time and location, and the contact person. Council will be provided with an updated list prior to August 1; the preliminary list may help council members identify events they want to attend.
