Calendar Details:
August and September Calendars are attached
Information Items:
FY2009 Mid-Year Small Business Enterprise Utilization Report
Resource:
Nancy Rosado, Neighborhood & Business Services, 704-336-2116, nrosado@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached is the Mid-Year FY 2009 Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Utilization Report. Staff experienced significant production delays in producing the report due to internal system discrepancies that were discovered in the Fall of 2008. The discrepancies resulted in a number of transactions not being included in previous reports. A team of City staff has spent considerable time researching and correcting the data connections associated with the development of the report.
The report highlights performance measures achieved for the period ending December 31, 2008, utilizing two sets of data metrics: the "BASELINE" metrics report performance without the discovered additional transactions; and the "ADJUSTED" metrics report performance with the inclusion of the discovered additional transactions.
The City's FY2009 SBE Utilization Goal for informal purchases remained at 10%. The City fell slightly short of that goal with 9.51% (BASELINE) and 9.06% (ADJUSTED) accounting for $2.97 million and $3.57 million in informal spending respectively.
Other highlights for the first-half of FY2009 include:
- $28.3 million (11.06% - ADJUSTED) spent with minority and/or women-owned firms, a 17% increase from the same period a year ago
- The five minority-ownership groups surpassed the goals established for construction-related subcontractor utilization
- More than $14 million paid to SBEs on the City's Public-Private Development Projects
August 10 - Local Elected Official's Meeting and Citizen's Informational Workshop for Proposed Charlotte Area Railroad Improvements
Resource:
Tim Gibbs, CDOT, 704-336-3917, tgibbs@charlotte.nc.gov
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will convene a meeting at 3:30 p.m. on August 10, 2009 in Room CH-14 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center for local elected officials to discuss proposed railroad improvements in Charlotte. NCDOT staff will provide elected officials with an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns about the proposed improvements. A citizen's informational workshop on these improvements will follow the elected officials meeting and will also be held in Room CH-14 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
NCDOT proposes to realign the Norfolk Southern (NS) rail line and implement track improvements necessary to return passenger rail service to Charlotte Center City. This project will also assist in introducing high speed passenger rail service to Charlotte. The proposed project will extend along the NS railroad from west of Morris Field Drive to Orr Road. The project proposes to eliminate some existing at-grade roadway/railroad crossings. The track improvements anticipated as part of this project will improve rail operations, increase freight and passenger rail efficiency, and eliminate the inherent safety concerns associated with at-grade roadway/railroad crossings.
NCDOT will also discuss its proposal to depress the CSX rail line where it currently intersects the Norfolk Southern mainline in Fourth Ward. This separation will enhance safety and reduce noise while improving rail operations.
While there will be no formal presentations made during the workshop, the format will allow participants to talk with staff in an informal setting to ask questions and provide comments related to the rail improvement projects.
A map of the study area is attached.
August 20 - Local Elected Official's Meeting and Citizen's Informational Workshop for Proposed Double Tracking of the North Carolina Railroad Corridor in Northeast Charlotte
Resource:
Tim Gibbs, CDOT, 704-336-3917, tgibbs@charlotte.nc.gov
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will convene a meeting at 3:30 p.m. on August 20, 2009 at the American Legion Hut located at 2200 Rocky River Road (just east of the Harris Boulevard / Rocky River Road intersection) for local elected officials to discuss the proposed addition of a railroad track immediately parallel to the existing track and Old Concord Road. NCDOT staff will provide elected officials with an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns about the proposed improvements. A citizen's informational workshop on these improvements will follow the elected officials meeting at the same location from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.
NCDOT proposes to construct an additional track along a 12.2-mile section of the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) south of NC 49 at Concord to Orr Road in northeast Charlotte. The additional track will improve train travel and minimize congestion on the existing rail line between Concord and Charlotte. This is the southernmost piece of three double track projects proposed between Lexington and Charlotte. Minor railroad alignment changes and safety improvements will also be considered.
While there will not be formal presentations made during the workshop, the format will allow elected officials and citizens to talk with staff in an informal setting to ask questions and provide comments related to the rail improvement projects.
A map of the study area is attached.
National Night Out - August 4
Resource:
Darrellyn Kiser, CMPD, 704-336-7736, dkiser@cmpd.org
On Wednesday July 29, Council was given a list of scheduled events for National Night Out on Tuesday August 4. We now have information on two additional events and an update on the Wesley Heights event referenced in the previous memo.
Wesley Heights:
The event will be held at Summit Avenue and the Greenway and will include a walk and refreshments. The contact person is Steve Nett at 704-400-8065.
Country Club Heights: An ice cream social will be held at Shamrock Park at 7:30 p.m. The contact person is Dennis Frost at 704-532-8846.
Belmont: There will be a walk from 17 Street and Seigle Avenue to Belmont and Allen Street. The walk will begin at 17 Street and Seigle Avenue at 5:30 p.m.
Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting Summary - July 22, 2009
Resource:
John Muth, CATS, 704-336-3373, jmuth@charlottenc.gov
At its meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, the MTC had two action items and three information items on the agenda:
York County Service: MTC members unanimously approved a new regional express bus service. Rock Hill approached CATS to request express bus for the Celanese Corridor. The service will connect to the LYNX Blue Line I-485 Station. Due to budgetary constraints, CATS is not able to pay for the service, so Rock Hill committed to 100 percent funding for the service. CATS would make 3 morning trips and 3 evening trips, for a total of 6 trips per day, with a fare of $3.00 each way. The service is expected to begin in October 2009.
Concord Saturday Service: MTC members, by a 6-2, vote passed a proposed new regional express bus service from Uptown Charlotte along North Tryon Street to Lowes Motor Speedway, continuing across Bruton Smith Boulevard and terminating at Concord Mills Mall. CATS anticipates funding 25 percent of the proposed express bus service, with 50 percent of the funding provided via a job access reverse commute grant, and Lowes Motor Speedway and the City of Concord each providing 12.5 percent of the cost of the service. The proposed service will be a Saturday-only service, running throughout the day at times designed to accommodate workers' shifts as well as accommodating potential shoppers. CATS' portion of the service is anticipated to be about $11,000 annually. The fare will be $3.00 each way. The service is expected to begin in October 2009.
Vanpool Fare Policy: MTC members will decide at the August meeting whether to increase the current Vanpool fare by 15%, and whether to incorporate the Vanpool program into the CATS fare policy. Currently, Vanpool is not covered by the fare policy, which requires a fare review every two years. The last Vanpool fare increase was a 13 percent increase in 2005. The current increase would improve farebox recovery to approximately 63 percent of the cost of the service. CATS believes that inclusion in the fare policy would allow for modest fare increases on a regular basis, rather than large increases at longer intervals.
LYNX Survey Results: CATS surveyed 988 LYNX riders, using questions historically asked of bus riders. Ridership demographics show that 72 percent of LYNX riders did not use public transit before, and 61 percent have been riding LYNX for six months or more, showing rider retention. Rider satisfaction is high, and safety and more service rating as top customer service concerns for riders.
North Davidson Bus Facility Renovations: The North Davidson Bus Facility is almost 30 years old. The FTA has awarded CATS an ARRA grant to renovate the facility. The planned renovation will replace the building's exterior skin system, which will improve the look of the building for the surrounding neighborhood and will also improve its energy efficiency and eliminate leaks which have led to mold problems in the building. Phase 1 of the renovation will renovate the existing BOD facility, the administration building across Davidson Street and construct employee parking. This phase is fully funded with stimulus and other federal and local funds. Phase 2, construction of a new facility to house the Special Transportation Services, is a future phase and is not currently funded.
CEO Report: Under the CEO's report, Mr. Muth discussed the following:
a. Monthly Budget Update
The monthly budget update is attached.
b. Senate Banking Committee Symposium
Mr. Muth participated in a Senate Banking Committee Symposium in Washington, DC on June 19 to discuss the New Starts process. Mr. Muth shared with the Senate staff CATS' challenges with the process, and areas where the process could be improved for greater efficiency. As an example, he mentioned the scope changes that were necessary to cut costs to reduce excess capacity that the modeling calculations indicated would not be needed. Many of the items cut, such as reduced station platform lengths and parking, now seem unfortunate as ridership has greatly exceeded the forecasts. A copy of Mr. Muth's written statement is attached.
The next MTC meeting will be August 26 at 5:30 p.m.
North Carolina Budget Update
Resource:
Boyd Cauble, City Manager's Office, 704-336-2009, bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
As we continue to read about the budget discussions in Raleigh, it appears that local governments will retain the Business Privilege License tax, but the local beer and wine taxes appear to be headed to the state for at least one year. The attached North Carolina League of Municipalities Newsletter states that a tentative revenue proposal will have the state withholding "…$33 million in annual revenues with about $22 million going to towns and cities and $11 million going to counties." The City of Charlotte is estimated to lose $3.2 million if the state were to retain local beer and wine revenues this year.
Some budget negotiators are hopeful the budget can be finalized next week, but there must be several crucial votes before anything is final. Once the budget package details are confirmed, and city staff has an opportunity to review these details, staff will prepare a report to Council with options and recommendations to address any potential revenue losses.
