Monday, September 10
9:00 am - Community Safety Committee Meeting, Room 280. AGENDA: Proposed Hotel/ Motel Ordinance
Wednesday, September 12
11:00 am - Transportation Committee, Rooms 270/271. AGENDA: Urban Street Design Guidelines
Wednesday, September 12
12:00 pm - Housing and Neighborhood Development Committee, Room CH-14. AGENDA: PILOT Program; Gentrification Update; FY07 Code Enforcement Update
Small Business Development Manager Welcome Reception-Wednesday, September 12
Staff Resource: Tom Flynn, 704-432-1396,
tflynn@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City of Charlotte's Economic Development Office is hosting a Welcome Reception for Alicia Jolla, the new Small Business Development Manager from 3 - 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 in the Lobby of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center. The reception will provide an opportunity for City leadership and staff as well as small business development stakeholders to meet Alicia and her team. We look forward to your participation as we officially welcome Alicia to her new position.
Agenda Notes:
The commencement for the Mayor's Youth Employment Program (MYEP) was held on Wednesday, August 8th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. 120 Charlotte area youth were recognized for their participation in completing an 8-week, career-based internship. The program enjoyed a nearly 50% jump in participation this year, both from employers and students. On Monday, September 10th, students, host employers, and community partners will be recognized at the City Council meeting for their active participation in the program. Attached is a program recap.
Charts 1 and 2, which are attachments to the Request for Council Action entitled Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) for Mixed Income Affordable Housing Developments, were inadvertently omitted from City Council's agenda package. The two charts attached provide detail on the mixed-income affordable housing developments that owe back taxes and new developments that will owe taxes in the near future.
In the August 29th Council-Manager Memo, staff described the options for tolling the Monroe Bypass and Connector. As expected, the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) voted to recommend tolling both the Monroe Bypass and Connector at their September 6th meeting. The vote was unanimous.
Tolling both the Bypass and Connector would allow the Turnpike Authority to construct both facilities with existing funding and have both open for traffic by 2013. Tolling only the Connector would require an additional $109 million in funding and delay construction of the Connector to 2015 at the earliest.
City staff will be requesting that you direct City Council's Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) representative to support the TCC recommendation at the September 10th Council meeting. Council member Mumford is the City Council's representative on the MUMPO. The MUMPO is expected to address this issue at their September 19th meeting.
On Thursday September 6, 2007, we received a request from Scaleybark Partners, LLC to extend the Examination Period until November 16, 2007. This would be a 60-day extension of the Examination Period, which is currently set to end on September 17, 2007. Attached is a Council Action to approve this request and a copy of the letter from Scaleybark Partners, LLC.
Information Items:
At the workshop Monday evening, Council member Lassiter asked staff to look into concerns raised by surrounding residents about the operations of the Wallace Farm composting facility in Highland Creek. Residents have complained that Wallace Farm is violating approved zoning for the area and is emitting noxious smells and discharges.
In September 2006 the City's Zoning Board of Adjustment ruled that the property was in compliance with the zoning ordinance as a grandfathered "farm" use. Staff is now looking into the status of the facility's solid waste and discharge permits required by the State. After gathering this additional information, we will determine a course of action and advise Council.
City Council approved 14 neighborhood improvement planning contracts with seven engineering firms at their May 14, 2007 meeting. These neighborhoods include: Sugaw Creek/Ritch Avenue, Revolution Park, York/Cama, Enderly Park, Tryon Hills, Colonial Village Sedgefield, Lincoln Heights/Wilson Heights, Nevin, Eastway/Sheffield, East Forest, Farm Pond, Autumnwood, Delta Lake and Linda Lake.
City staff and engineering firms are holding a series of public meetings in these neighborhoods. The purpose of the public meetings is to enhance resident's understanding of the neighborhood improvement program, receive input from residents on recommended infrastructure improvements and establish project timelines. The September public meeting schedule is:
Linda Lake and Delta Lake Neighborhoods
Thursday, September 13, 2007
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Hickory Grove Presbyterian Church, Gymnasium
5735 East W.T. Harris Boulevard
The Linda Lake and Delta Lake neighborhoods public meetings represent the last of our first series of public meetings. The next step in the Neighborhood Improvement Program process involves a second round of public meetings, which will begin in late October. The purpose of the second round of public meetings is to present alternatives on recommended infrastructure improvements based on resident input, received in the first round of public meetings. Staff will notify you of the specific dates once these meetings are scheduled.
On September 4, Council directed staff to re-convene the Post Construction Controls Stakeholder Group for 45 - 60 days in order to allow time for clarification of issues and assessment of the recently completed cost study.
The attached letter will be sent to the original stakeholders and their affiliate groups via e-mail and postal service on Friday, September 7. The first meeting will be held on September 18, with follow-up meetings scheduled at a later date. We will keep Council advised as the process moves along.
Listings start with the most recent 2006 bonds and go back to the 1998 bond projects. Each active project has a link to its dedicated web page providing an overview with objectives, budget, phases and contact information. The listings are part of the new E&PM website, which is premiering today. Its new design and organization put functionality first, showcasing E&PM's work in three major categories: Projects, Services and Resources.
The website also is listed on signs being erected at projects under construction. Citybonds.charmeck.org is the first of several corporate portal pages, which will elevate commonly used services and information to the top levels of the site thereby easing navigation for web users.
Solid Waste Services has received several complaints regarding trash spilling from garbage trucks along the I-85N corridor leading to the landfill in Concord. While it is difficult for staff to investigate and respond to individual occurrences without truck numbers, we have conducted an investigation to determine the cause and a long-term resolution to the problem.
Our investigation revealed that some of our trucks are being overfilled and drivers are not ensuring garbage and recyclables are in the body of the truck before continuing along their route. As a result, we have asked field supervisors to conduct a short retraining session for drivers on the proper way to collect garbage and recyclables to reduce the potential for litter. The training should be completed within the next 6 weeks.
In addition, drivers are being reminded of the following:
- Trucks should not be filled beyond the tonnage capacity limit. When the limit is reached on the trucks, drivers should take the truck to the designated disposal facility.
- All garbage should be in the body of the truck before moving to the next stop. Drivers should make sure they pack all garbage, leaving none outside the blade, before driving to the landfill.
- Recyclables should not be left inside the sorting bin. Recyclables should be dumped from the bin into the body of the truck at each stop, and before driving to the recycling Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
The investigation also revealed that some spillage was the result of improperly prepared materials. This was mostly the case on garbage routes where garbage carts are overfilled and a bag gets stuck on the top of the truck, but does not fall into the truck. When this happens there is the potential for litter from the truck. We will continue to educate customers on the proper preparation of items using door hangers and other educational initiatives, including the Speakers Bureau.
Representatives from the City's Passenger Vehicle for Hire Office, the Airport, and the Hospitality and Tourism Alliance (HTA) have developed a proposal for a taxicab quality rating system. The goal of such a system is to improve the image of the taxicab industry and provide Charlotte residents and visitors with a higher quality taxicab system.
Participation in the system would be voluntary, serving as an incentive for those taxicab companies who are interested in enhancing their business by demonstrating that they meet stringent standards.
A draft of the proposal has been sent to the HTA Board of Directors and the Charlotte Area Hotel Association for input. Once that stakeholder input has been incorporated into the proposal, Council will receive a dinner briefing on the proposed rating system.
