Calendar:
Monday, November 20
1:00 pm - Environment Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Floodplain Management Ordinance Revisions
5:00 pm - Zoning Dinner, Room CH-14
7:00 pm - Zoning Meeting, Meeting Chamber
Thursday, November 23
Thanksgiving Day Holiday - City Offices Closed
Information Items:
Solid Waste Services Yard Waste Collection Behind Schedule
Staff Resource: Wayman J. Pearson, 704-336-3410 - wpearson@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The rapid change in temperatures this fall has leaves falling at a faster rate then normal for the season. As a result, the amount of yard waste at the curb has been heavy, creating collection problems for Solid Waste Services crews. This trend is expected to continue through next week. To ensure that crews do not get further behind, collection crews will work this Saturday. It may take two weeks before crews are back on schedule.
Residents are asked to remember the following yard waste collection procedures when preparing materials for collection:
- Separate limbs into piles small enough for one individual to handle. Piles should be no more than 75 lbs and no more than 4 ft. high or 5 ft. long.
- Place leaves and grass clippings in untied plastic bags or uncovered trashcans. This helps expedite the collection process and allows crews to verify that the yard waste is not contaminated with non-yard waste material. Bags do not have to be clear, but dark-colored bags must be untied.
City crews cannot collect:
- Tree stumps, limbs or logs larger than 4 in. in diameter or 5 ft. in length.
- Limbs and other yard waste resulting from commercial tree service.
Police Department Promotions and Transfers - November 20 Ceremony
Staff Resource: Julie Hill, 704-336-4098 - jhill@cmpd.org
Please join us in celebrating the promotions of 17 Police Department members. The ceremony is Monday, November 20, at 2 pm, at the Police & Fire Training Academy, 1770 Shopton Road.
Chief Stephens is making these promotions now to put the command and support personnel in place for redistricting in January 2007 and to fill vacancies resulting from recent retirements including Deputy Chief Dave Stephens’ retirement effective December 1.
Those being promoted and their new rank are:
- Deputy Chief Ken Miller;
- Majors Tim Danchess, Harold Medlock, Cam Selvey and Rick Williams Captains Martha Dozier, Jeff Estes and Michael Smathers
- Sergeants Tom Barry, Graham Brown, Shawn Crooks, Gerard Farley, Jeff Harless, Harold "Chuck" Henson, Pam Lisenby, Bobby Morton, Travis Pardue and Steven Winterhalter.
In addition to these promotions, other staffing changes will take place on November 20 in support of redistricting. The command staff assignments list is attached.
North Council Legislative Agenda
Staff Resource: Pam Syfert, 704-336-3186 - psyfert@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Due to the holiday schedule, I am referring our draft NC Legislative Departmental Requests to the respective Council Committees for review and comments prior to formal City Council review on December 11.
Fall Cankerworm Tree Banding Opportunity - Tues. Nov. 28
Staff Resource: Don McSween, 704-336-5752 - dmcsween@ci.charlotte.nc.us
City Council members are invited to an educational "tree banding" event at Old City Hall on Tuesday, November 28 at 10 am. With Council members’ assistance, City Arborist Don McSween will demonstrate the proper method of banding trees. Three of the city’s oldest trees, two Willow Oak trees and a White Oak tree, will be banded.
Tree banding is the most important method of controlling the Fall Cankerworm. Tree bands trap the wingless cankerworm moths as they climb the tree - preventing them from laying their eggs in the tree canopy above.
- As the majority of leaves fall this week, the next three weeks are prime time for tree banding.
- Contractors have started the preliminary banding of large Willow Oaks along the streets in some neighborhoods. Others have chosen to band in one procedure and will do so in the next two weeks.
- For more information on the fall cankerworm and tree banding, check out the city’s educational website at http://cankerworm.charmeck.org
Seventeen neighborhoods submitted applications to the Neighborhood Matching Grants Program to help fund neighborhood tree banding projects. The total amount of funds requested is $37,414. Some of the approved neighborhoods include Country Club Heights, Cotswold Homes, Commonwealth Park, Park Plaza, Washington Heights, Derita/Tanglewood, Merry Oaks, Allen Hills, Wesley Heights, Chantilly and Elizabeth.
Annexation Revenues - Actual vs. Estimated
Staff Resources:
Bill Parks, 704-336-5015 - wparks@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Jonathan Wells, 704-336-4090 - jwells@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Sandy Bumgarner, 704-336-2456 -sbumgarner@ci.charlotte.nc.us
During the October 9 public hearing for the 2007 Annexation areas, Council asked staff to compare previous annexation areas’ estimated revenues (contained in annexation reports) to the actual revenues attributable to the annexation of those areas.
Staff reviewed the twelve revenues (taxes and fees) estimated in the annexation reports and determined that nine of those revenues could not be geographically linked to the annexation areas, making it impossible to calculate the actual revenue receipts for the annexation areas. For instance, sales tax distribution is based on several variables and factors including the relative City and County property tax rates and overall population distribution throughout the county, making specific sales tax revenues attributable to annexation impossible to compute. The manner in which data and records for several other types of taxes - such as Business Privilege and personal property taxes - is maintained makes it impossible to associate these revenues to specific annexation geographies.
However, actual revenue data can be derived by annexation area for three revenue sources included in the annexation estimates. The total dollar amount for these three revenue sources account for more than 70 percent of all the revenues derived through annexation:
- Real property tax (as part of the "property tax" category)
- Solid Waste disposal fee, and
- Powell Bill funds
For each of these revenue sources, staff compared original estimated revenues for the three most recent City-initiated annexations in 2001, 2003, and 2005 to actual revenues received in the first full year following each annexation (see attached chart). These revenue sources are estimated one year prior to the effective annexation dates, and are based on residential and commercial properties and street lane miles existing at the time. Annexation areas are typically fast growing, newly developing areas that often experience additional growth between the time estimates are developed and actual revenues are received; but it is difficult to anticipate the rate of development that might occur in an annexation area during the ensuing year prior to annexation. Any additional growth that does occur will have an impact on the potential actual revenues received.
Building Regional Collaboration Amidst Economic Decentralization
Staff Resource: Tom Flynn, 704-432-1396 - tflynn@ci.charlotte.nc.us
During the review of the Business Investment Grant Program, the Economic Development and Planning Committee requested that we send this attached report to City Council again.
