Monday, May 5
3:00 pm - Governmental Affairs Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Discussion/Debrief/Next Steps from April 21st Meeting with Mecklenburg delegation; Discussion of Hot Topics; Discussion of Mecklenburg County and Charlotte Chamber 2008 Legislative Agendas
4:00 pm - Budget Presentation, Chamber
5:00 pm - Council Workshop, Room 267
7:30 pm - Citizens' Forum, Room 267
Information Items:
In the Council Manager Memo of March 26, Council was updated on the progress of the of the fleet maintenance consolidation initiative by the City and Mecklenburg County. At that time, staff anticipated that the necessary interlocal agreement would be completed in time for the Board of County Commissioners to consider at its regular meeting on April 15th and for the City Council to consider it at its April 28th business meeting.
Completion of the interlocal agreement took longer than anticipated and has moved the schedule for consideration. The Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissions will consider the interlocal agreement on May 7th, and the Charlotte City Council will consider the agreement on May 12th.
As part of the Initial Foreclosure Strategy adopted by City Council on April 28, a web page has been developed to provide resources and referrals for those individuals and families facing foreclosure. The page is available on the City's web site under Neighborhood Development and includes links to national, state, and local organizations providing assistance. The site will be updated as staff learns about new sources of information and assistance.
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Neighborhood+Dev/Provide+
Affordable+Housing/Foreclosure+Resource+Center.htm
On February 11, 2008, City Council directed staff to prepare reports on the proposed extensions of the University City MSD and the South End MSD. The City is required to prepare these reports before conducting the public hearing on May 12. This report is available for public inspection in the City Clerk's office and is on the City's website. Copies of the report are attached.
The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) recommended at their May 1 meeting that the MUMPO approve the TIP with the following amendments:
1) The allocation of $20 million of STP-Direct Allocation funds in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 as recommended by the TCC and as endorsed by the MUMPO at their March meeting. The $20 million will fund 10 projects over the two fiscal years, with one of the projects being the relocation of Little Rock Road to tie into the future Fred D. Alexander Boulevard at Freedom Drive.
2) The inclusion of an earmark for transportation improvements at the Marion Diehl Center. Queens University had an earmark included in the federal SAFETEA-LU transportation bill that was to fund parking and internal roadways at the Marion Diehl Center in Charlotte. The Federal Highway Administration made a determination that these types of improvements are not eligible for federal funding. Queens University obtained a technical correction to the earmark, which now allows them to use the earmark for these improvements.
A presentation is scheduled as part of the May 12 Dinner Briefing. The presentation will detail the specific recommendations which the TCC is making to the MUMPO. The MUMPO will be asked to approve the TIP at their meeting on May 21.
City Council is being asked to direct your MUMPO representative's vote regarding the TIP as recommended by the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC).
The Division of Water Quality of the State Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (NCDENR) has issued the public notice to solicit and receive comments on the draft stormwater discharge permit for the Wallace Farm composting facility. The State will hold a public hearing on the draft permit on Thursday, May 29, in room 131 of the Criminal Justice Building on the CPCC North Campus in Huntersville.
The stormwater permit is a component of the review for Wallace's application to renew its State permit for composting. Once the stormwater permit is issued, the Division of Waste Management will finish the work necessary to circulate the draft composting permit. State staff has indicated there will be another public hearing in Charlotte to solicit comments about the composting permit. It is anticipated that hearing will not occur until some time this summer.
During the Citizen's Forum on Monday, April 28, Mr. Reuben Flax expressed concern about a perceived lack of Council and police response. Subsequently, City staff was asked to follow up on Mr. Flax's safety concerns.
The City has been working with Mr. Flax since September 6, 2007 when City staff initiated an Emerald request (#2428130) on behalf of Council member Anthony Foxx. Mr. Flax reported that people were allegedly engaged in illegal activities at 2006 A Avenue. The house had been boarded up, yet Mr. Flax indicated that the area outside the house was littered with condoms, needles, and syringes. Mr. Flax added that he often saw cars pull up alongside the house and sit there all hours of the day. He requested an investigation by CMPD and for CMPD to patrol this street regularly, in an attempt to put an end to the problem.
Officer Dave Hudson of the Metro Division spoke with Mr. Flax on September 11, 2007. Mr. Flax provided some additional information that will be helpful in the investigation. Officer Hudson noted that Mr. Flax did not call 911 when he observed illegal activity, and he advised him to do so to give CMPD an opportunity to respond while the problems are occurring.
Officer Hudson also went to 2006 A Avenue. He reported that the house is in a very secluded area and appears to have been vacant for some time. He saw no evidence of drug use, but did see some condoms, indicating that a prostitute may have been using the house for illegal activity. The house had been cited previously for code enforcement violations. (Code Enforcement staff reports that the owner has since voluntarily demolished the house.)
On October 9, 2007, the City Council staff initiated another Emerald request (#2466284) on Council member Anthony Foxx's behalf based on a call from Mr. Flax requesting regular police patrols to address illegal activity on his street. On October 15, 2007, Officer Hudson talked with Mr. Flax again and told him that none of the officers who patrol the area had seen any suspicious activity. Mr. Flax confirmed that he had not seen any suspicious activity either and that he had seen police patrols as recently as Sunday, October 14, 2007.
On May 1, 2008, Officer Hudson contacted Mr. Flax, who indicated that things had been quiet in his area. He stated that he had no concerns about drug activity, especially since the house that had been a problem in the past has been demolished. Officers from the Metro Division patrol the area on a daily basis and, to date, have observed no illegal or suspicious activity. Mr. Flax has contact numbers for Officer Hudson, his community coordinator, so he can reach him directly any time he has concerns.
