Calendar Details:
Monday, July 27
12:00pm - Restructuring Government Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Performance evaluation procedures for Solid Waste Services; Small Business Opportunity Program; Sponsorship Policy development; Boards and Commissions
2:00pm - Housing & Neighborhood Development Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Draft Non-Residential Building Code ordinance; Committee meeting schedule and future agenda items.
3:30pm - Transportation Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: MUMPO directed vote regarding I-485 funding; Wright Avenue and paper streets; Pearl Park Way bike lanes
5:00pm - Council Dinner Briefing, Room 267
6:30pm - Citizens' Forum, Council Chamber
7:00pm - Business Meeting
Tuesday, July 28
11:00am - Environment Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Sustainable City Facilities Policy
Agenda Notes:
Agenda Item #25A- Various Bids: Construction Equipment, Light Trucks, Van, Sedans and Hybrid Vehicles
Resource:
Karen King, Business Support Services, 704-336-7557, kking@ci.charlotte.nc.us
On Monday's Consent Agenda, Council is asked to approve low bid unit price contracts for purchasing various pieces of equipment, including hybrid vehicles, from several different vendors. The purpose of unit price contracts is to provide purchasing options for the City without a firm commitment to purchase. Below is additional information about the City's purchase and experience with hybrids.
The City of Charlotte's Environmental Focus Area Plan has as one of its measures "Implement strategies to reduce City fleet emissions." One of the performance targets that support this measure is to "Increase percentages of City fleet using alternative fuel or emission efficient technologies," which includes increasing the use of hybrid vehicles when those vehicles meet the functional use requirements. Currently, there are thirty-seven hybrids in the City fleet as follows:
- 22 Ford Escape SUVs are being used in Utilities, CDOT, CMPD, NBS, CFD and CATS operations;
- 12 Honda Civic compact sedans are in use in CDOT, SWS, Planning, CMPD, E&PM, BSS and CATS operations;
- 1 Chevrolet Malibu sedan in use in Utilities; and
- 2 Toyota Prius compact sedans in use in CMPD
For previous bid awards, Original Vehicle Manufacturers (OVM) produced few hybrids that met the functional use requirements of most City departments, thereby limiting choices to the four types of vehicles above. Further, the availability of these vehicles was limited because of the public's increasing demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, i.e. dealers had no incentive to sell to governments at a volume discount given general market demand. Today, OVMs (specifically Chevrolet) have expanded the types of vehicles using hybrid technology allowing the City additional choices in large SUV's and pickup trucks.
Staff recognizes the importance of the City's leadership role in improving Charlotte's air quality and continues to look for opportunities to integrate hybrid and other technologies into the City's fleet. Hybrid vehicles continue to cost 35% to 60% more than gasoline vehicles, which makes a return on the additional investment very difficult to realize. There may be long-term savings in fuel and maintenance costs, but the use of hybrids in the City's fleet is still new enough that the City's operational life cycle costs are yet to be determined. The City's current budget situation also impacts the ability to incorporate more hybrid vehicles into the fleet. Staff will continue to evaluate the benefits and costs of hybrid technology for future vehicle purchases.
Agenda Item #25C- Various Bids: Road Humps FY2009
Resource:
Robert Gallup, CDOT, 704-336-3922, rgallup@charlottenc.gov
At the July 27 Business Meeting, City Council will be asked to approve the speed hump installation contract for 2009. The Charlotte Department of Transportation's list of approved streets is attached.
Agenda Item #44- FY2010 Tree Removal Services
Resources:
Jeb Blackwell, E&PM, 704-336-3603, jblackwell@charlottenc.gov
John Lojko, E&PM, 704-336-5056, jlojko@charlottenc.gov
Engineering & Property Management has received a letter from Heartwood Tree Service LLC formally protesting the Tree Removal Services contracts recommended for approval by Council on Monday, July 27. A four-person committee followed the statutory process for RFPs and selected from nine proposals the five best qualified contractors, taking into consideration among other criteria, qualifications and fair and reasonable fees. Upon receipt of the protest letter on Thursday, July 23, a review by the City Engineer and City Attorney staff determined the process was properly followed. In the event Council chooses not to award all five contracts as recommended, E&PM requests approval of the first four contracts within the item (Actions A, 1 through 4) as well as Action B, which allows the City Manager to renew the approved contracts. This will allow the City to proceed with the removal of high risk street trees. Staff is preparing a response to Heartwood Tree Service stating the City's position. A copy of the protest letter is attached.
Information Items:
North Carolina Legislative Update
Resource:
Boyd Cauble, City Manager's Office, 704-336-2009, bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached are excerpts from media sources reporting both the annexation and budget issues that occurred this week in Raleigh.
Annexation will pass the House with basic changes that assure annexed residents will receive new services. A huge negative occurred regarding referendum authority for annexation areas that produce a petition with 15% of the area's registered voters. The North Carolina League of Municipalities and local governments must now concentrate on preventing Senate approval of this very negative restriction on future annexations.
The tentative budget agreement reached on Wednesday of this week did not include any limitations on our business privilege license tax or other locally levied sources of revenue. Many factors contributed to no restrictions placed on local revenues. A major factor was the publicity and information regarding the huge revenue impact on the City of Charlotte and several other urban areas. Although the budget decisions are not final, the City has been assured by several leaders in the legislature that Charlotte will not be negatively impacted. In light of the Governor's intervention that resulted in an erosion of the budget agreement, we need to be very vigilant about new proposals that are likely to surface in the next couple of weeks. Staff will brief Council Monday night on any new information that surfaces.
Rubber Sidewalk Pilot Study
Resource:
Vivian Coleman, CDOT, 704-353-0481, vcoleman@charlottenc.gov
Recent media attention to a trial installation of rubber sidewalks has prompted questions about the initiative; below is a brief report. We acknowledge that CDOT did not properly communicate the implementation of the rubber sidewalk pilot study to City Council prior to implementation. We have taken steps to ensure proper communication for future initiatives.
Background: Street trees are usually close to sidewalks, often resulting in a problem as the roots grow under the sidewalk and ultimately the trunk encroaches on the sidewalk. In a few cases, the sidewalk can be relocated further from the tree, but there is usually not enough right of way to do so. In some instances where the sidewalk became unsafe because of the heaving of the concrete, the sidewalk was replaced with a structural sidewalk slab that spans over the roots, preserving both the tree and the sidewalk. In recent years, staff has become aware of a rubberized sidewalk material that may have application to these situations. These materials have been installed in approximately 70 cities nationwide. Some of the cities in the east include Washington D.C., Savannah, Tallahassee and Baltimore.
During the week of July 14, CDOT began a small pilot study to investigate the performance of these recycled rubber sidewalk materials. We installed a new product in two test locations: 1201 The Plaza in front of Charlotte Fire Department Station #8 and 620 West 28 Street in front of Charlotte Fire Department Station #11. Prior to installation, staff spoke with the manufacturer, purchased the material, located a local contractor familiar with the product and selected candidate locations. The product is a rubberized modular panel made of 100% recycled tires. No other test locations have been identified. CDOT routinely tests products such as asphalt and concrete blends, aggregate, sign and pavement marking materials, and signal electronics.
Pilot Study: The City's pilot study will allow staff to evaluate the two test locations over the next few years to determine if this type of rubber sidewalk is appropriate for greater use. In the short-term, staff will receive comments from the public via CDOT's website. The longer-term study will allow CDOT to assess:
- Movement of the sidewalk from tree root growth, possible settling and changes in elevation or gaps between panels.
- Wearing of the panels from pedestrian traffic.
- The overall health and root system of trees along the rubberized sidewalk locations.
- Other cities' experiences with rubberized sidewalks to compare monitoring efforts and successes.
- The cost-benefit of using the new material in close proximity to trees.
Cost and Lifespan of Product: The total cost of the test at the two locations was $8400. Earlier information indicated rubber sidewalks cost approximately 4 times more than standard concrete slab sidewalk. The cost of structural concrete to span over tree roots averages around $7 per sq. ft., making the rubber alternative 2 to 3 times more at approximately $16 per sq. ft.
Summary: Though cost is higher, should it prove advantageous, this type of product is only envisioned for specific locations where the tree/sidewalk conflict is resulting in unsafe conditions. Ideally, the environmental benefits of healthier trees will also result. As outlined by the manufacturer, some of the rubber sidewalk advantages include:
- Environmentally-friendly by using recycled tires
- Better for trees, less harmful and constricting to tree roots
- More porous, which allows storm water to filter through the sidewalk panel directly to tree roots (100% permeability)
- Easier to examine utility lines and tree roots beneath the sidewalk
- Easier to maintain and replace than concrete sidewalks
- Potentially safer than concrete sidewalks where they buckle, crack and heave with tree roots or weather conditions
Staff will advise Council as evaluation of the pilot project progresses
Greenway Business Park Request
Resource:
Tom Flynn, Neighborhood & Business Services, 704-336-2136, tflynn@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Development Corporation is requesting additional funding of $500,000 to rehabilitate two remaining vacant buildings in the Greenway Business Park on Rozzelles Ferry Road. Attached is a memorandum from the City Manager referring this request to the Economic Development and Planning Committee for evaluation and recommendation to City Council.
Fiscal Year 2009 Audit Summary
Resource:
Greg McDowell, Internal Audit, 704-336-6085, gmcdowell@charlottenc.gov
Attached is the Fiscal Year 2009 Audit Summary prepared by the Internal Audit division of the City Manager's Office. Internal Audit staff completed a number of managed-competition and other performance audits during fiscal year 2009. Significant efforts were made to follow up on previous procurement audits, and to support CATS light rail construction. Near year-end, Internal Audit staff began supporting the City's efforts to prepare for the receipt of, and properly report, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or Stimulus Act funds. Please contact Greg McDowell if you have any questions.
2008 Traffic Crash Data Report
Resources:
Charles L. Jones, CDOT, 704-336-8334, cljones@charlottenc.gov
Scott Putnam, CDOT, 704-336-7085, sputnam@charlottenc.gov
The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) completed its annual crash report using collision data from 2008. The report includes the 2009 High Accident Location (HAL) list, which is based on 3 years of collision and traffic count data. CDOT has released the HAL on a regular basis since the 1970s.
Overall, the total number of collisions in the City was up slightly to 22,401 during 2008, a less than 1% increase. However, the number of fatal collisions for 2008 was down 24% over 2007 levels.
CDOT compiles this information annually as one of our tools to support the Department's efforts to build, maintain, and operate a safe and efficient transportation system. We will be publishing the complete report on the CDOT website for your convenience. http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Transportation/Home.htm
