Town Council

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Town Council Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes - Final Mayor Pam Hemminger Council Member Nancy Oates Mayor pro tem Jessica Anderson Council Member Michael Parker Council Member Donna Bell Council Member Rachel Schaevitz Council Member Allen Buansi Council Member Karen Stegman Council Member Hongbin Gu Wednesday, March 21, 2018 7:00 PM RM 110 | Council Chamber Roll Call Present: 9 - Mayor Pam Hemminger, Mayor pro tem Jessica Anderson, Council Member Donna Bell, Council Member Allen Buansi, Council Member Hongbin Gu, Council Member Nancy Oates, Council Member Michael Parker, Council Member Karen Stegman, and Council Member Rachel Schaevitz Other Attendees Town Manager Roger L. Stancil, Deputy Town Manager Florentine Miller, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos, Housing and Community Executive Director Loryn Clark, Community Development Program Manager Renee Moye, Affordable Housing Manager Nate Broman-Fulks, Community Resilience Officer John Richardson, Planning and Development Services Director Ben Hitchings, Business Management Director Kenneth C. Pennoyer, Interim Principal Planner Corey Liles, LUMO Project Manager Alisa Duffey Rogers, Assistant Director of Housing and Community Sarah Vinas, Assistant Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Police Officer Rick Fahrer, Fire Inspector, Communication Specialist Mark Losey, Deputy Town Clerk Amy Harvey OPENING a. Mayor Hemminger Regarding Successes Video. [18-0258] Mayor Hemminger introduced a short video about improvements on Rosemary Street and explained it was part of the Town's "Celebrating Successes" stories. She said the Downtown Work Plan would continue through 2020 and many more similar videos would be posted on the Town's website. b. Proclamation: TABLE Day. [18-0259] Council Member Gu read a proclamation regarding TABLE Day, which would be celebrated on April 7, 2018, and urged everyone to show appreciation Page 1 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 and support. She explained that TABLE was celebrating 10 years of providing hope, encouragement and healthy food to under-served children and families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Ashton Tippins, executive director at TABLE, said that TABLE had begun in 2008 by delivering food to 12 children and had grown to serve 650 every week through its Backpack Program and 325 children through a Nutrition Education Program. TABLE planned to expand the number of children served and insure that families had knowledge of social services that may benefit them, she said. Ms. Tippins noted that TABLE needed larger, permanent facilities in order to reach its goal. She announced an open house at TABLE from 11 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 7th. The Mayor applauded the organization and thanked them and all their volunteers for all they do. TABLE helped children and families in the community and also brought the community together, she said, and she wished them a happy 10th anniversary. PETITIONS FROM THE PUBLIC AND COUNCIL MEMBERS PUBLIC COMMENT - ITEMS NOT ON PRINTED AGENDA ANNOUNCEMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS a. Mayor Hemminger Regarding Water Week. [18-0260] Mayor Hemminger pointed out the United Nations had declared March 22 of each year as World Water Day. She listed several activities in which the Town and several partners would be hosting and/or collaborating. b. Mayor Hemminger Regarding Community Egg Event and [18-0261] Adopt a Trail Volunteer Work Day. Mayor Hemminger said there would be a community egg hunt on Saturday and an Adopt a Trail volunteer workday on the coming weekend. c. Mayor Hemminger Regarding Near and Far Event. [18-0262] Mayor Hemminger said that a "Near and Far" event would be coming up on April 8 to celebrate the community's cultural diversity. There would be 35 flags flown and performances and foods from different cultures, she said, adding that she hoped the event would grow and expand. d. Council Member Oates Regarding Community Policing [18-0263] Academy. Council Member Oates pointed out the Community Policing Academy training would be happening soon. She strongly encouraged anyone who had not yet taken that training to do so. e. Council Member Stegman Regarding a New Habitat Home [18-0264] Page 2 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Dedication in Northside. Council Member Stegman said she had attended a Habitat for Humanity new home dedication that day in Northside. It had been a lovely ceremony for a family that had been relocated from a refugee camp in Thailand and was now working in Chapel Hill, she said. Council Member Stegman commented on the new home being the result of collaboration among United Church of Chapel Hill, Marion Cheek Jackson Center, Habitat for Humanity, Orange County, and the Town. f. Mayor Hemminger Regarding Joint Meeting with Orange [18-0265] County Commissioners. Mayor Hemminger reminded the Council they would have a joint meeting with Orange County commissioners the following evening. CONSENT Items of a routine nature will be placed on the Consent Agenda to be voted on in a block. Any item may be removed from the Consent Agenda by request of the Mayor or any Council Member. Approval of the Consent Agenda A motion was made by Mayor pro tem Anderson, seconded by Council Member Parker, that R-1 be adopted, which approved the Consent Agenda. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 1. Approve all Consent Agenda Items. [18-0236] This resolution(s) and/or ordinance(s) was adopted and/or enacted. 2. Amend the 2018 Council Calendar. [18-0237] This resolution(s) and/or ordinance(s) was adopted and/or enacted. INFORMATION 3. Receive Upcoming Public Hearing Items and Petition Status [18-0238] List. The item was received as presented. DISCUSSION 4. Consider Adopting a Resolution for the Sale of $12.5 million of [18-0239] 2015 Public Improvement General Obligation Bonds. Page 3 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Director of Business Management, Ken Pennoyer, presented a resolution authorizing the sale of $12.5 million in general obligation (G.O.) bonds, pledging the Town's taxing power to repay those bonds, if necessary. He outlined a three-step process for issuance: Council approval of a referendum; public vote on bonds; Council approval of actual debt issuance. Mr. Pennoyer gave a PowerPoint presentation, providing background on Chapel Hill voters' approval of $40.3 million in G.O. bonds in 2015 for streets and sidewalks, trails and greenways, recreation facilities, solid waste facilities, and stormwater improvements. He said the Council had since authorized issuing $3 million of sidewalk and street bonds, $5 million of trail and greenway bonds, and $1 million of recreation facility bonds. Mr. Pennoyer explained the current resolution was for $5.5 million of street and sidewalk bonds, $4.3 million of recreation facility bonds, and $2.7 million of stormwater bonds. He explained how those bond funds would be used and gave the staff's rational for recommending the issuance. Mr. Pennoyer said the bonds would be for a 20-year term and that repayment would come from the Town's Debt Management Fund. The expected annual debt service would be about $860,000 per year, he said. Mr. Pennoyer showed a list of projects the Town planned to fund over the next five years, at a total cost of $50.3 million. He said there was Debt Fund capacity of $45.9 million and noted the funding gap. He showed a list of projects that were not in the five-year plan and pointed out they included affordable housing. The Town would need to either find another funding source to pay the debt service for those projects or reduce, or delay, the projects that were currently being funded, he said. Mr. Pennoyer outlined next steps in the process. He said the Local Government Commission was scheduled to sell the bonds in a competitive process on April 3 and the sale would close on April 19, 2018. Staff would then bring projects back and ask the Council to appropriate funds, he said. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked if Cultural Arts and the Varsity Theater were not the same thing. Mr. Pennoyer replied that they were not. The Cultural Arts facility had been identified in the 2015 referendum process as an item in the Parks and Recreation Department's master plan whereas the Varsity Theater was a project that had come up relatively recently due to the pending sale of that building, he said. Several Council members commented that the two "could be the same thing," but Mayor Hemminger said there had been no determination yet regarding that. Page 4 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Council Member Stegman asked Mr. Pennoyer why he had said the Town was not expecting to sell the American Legion property within the next year. Mr. Pennoyer replied he did not know that for a fact but did not want to count on it because it was not certain. Town Manager Roger Stancil added that the American Legion Task Force had referred its report to him to think about meeting as many of its interests as possible. While doing that, staff was also being guided by the Council resolution, which indicated an interest in selling a portion of the property to help offset the cost, he said. Mr. Stancil pointed out that staff were scheduled to return in May with a report on the Task Force report. That would include many options for the Council to think about when making a decision on how to proceed, he said. Mr. Stancil said selling a portion of the American Legion property was unlikely to happen within the next year. Mayor Hemminger said there had been a misconception that the Council had used Cultural Arts bond money to make an American Legion payment and had, therefore, deleted the Cultural Arts project. That was not true, she said, and she clarified with Mr. Pennoyer that the goal had been to get a better interest rate. Mr. Pennoyer explained the most cost-effective way to finance the American Legion purchase had been to use those bonds. However, that did not remove the Cultural Arts project; it simply puts it in a category where the Town was looking for a funding source to move it further up, he said. Mayor Hemminger explained the interest rates had been better with G.O. bonds than alternative financing would have been. Council Member Buansi asked if the Rogers Road sewer project was a debt financing project. Mr. Pennoyer replied Orange County (OC) had financed construction of the sewer project. The Town was paying 43 percent of the debt service on that and had set aside about five years' worth of that payment, he said. Mr. Pennoyer said the Town would look to adding to that at the end of five years, he said. Council Member Bell commented the $2.6 million for the Blue Hills District Phase II was financing to do the project . She confirmed with Mr. Pennoyer that the project would be paid back through a synthetic TIF. Therefore, it showed up as something the Town needed to borrow, but there was a revenue source that would offset that cost, Mr. Pennoyer said. Council Member Bell mentioned some citizens were concerned about the Cultural Arts funds, which were part of the Parks and Recreation bond, Page 5 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 being used for the American Legion purchase. Those citizens had said there did not seem to be a plan for reimbursing them and had expressed concern about what that means for the future of a Cultural Arts building, she said. Mayor Hemminger acknowledged the issue had been very confusing. She explained the Town had used G.O. Bond money to get a better interest rate and had needed it immediately because of the timing of the American Legion sale. The voters had voted for $3.4 million for Cultural Arts and the Town was going to stand by that commitment, she said. She added the Council did not know when or how it would do that but was committed to finding a way. Council Member Bell confirmed with Mayor Hemminger and Mr. Pennoyer that funds for Cultural Arts could not currently come from G.O. Bonds. Cultural Arts was on the list of projects currently searching for funding, Mr. Pennoyer said. He said he was relatively confident that staff would find a way to finance that project if it was a Council priority. Mr. Stancil pointed out the Town was also paying down debt and creating capacity in the Debt Management Fund. In addition, Council believed there was a way to sell a portion of the Legion Road property in a way that would still achieve the Task Force's goals, and a Cultural Arts facility would be first on the list to be funded out of that, he said. Mr. Stancil mentioned several other potential sources of future revenue -- such as increasing the debt tax and increased economic development activity leading to more property taxes. There were multiple ways to replenish the Debt Management Fund, and the Town was very clear the Cultural Arts facility was the highest of priorities, Mr. Stancil said. Council Member Stegman clarified with Mr. Pennoyer that the $2.7 million currently remaining in the Parks and Recreation bond had been committed to the new Municipal Services Center. She asked if more money could go to that if more went into the same fund. Mr. Stancil replied it depended on where those costs go, adding he did not see costs going down. One reason for keeping moving on the Municipal Services Center was to avoid more increases, he said. Council Member Stegman said she wondered if selling a piece of the American Legion property and putting those funds back in might mean the money would go to the Municipal Services Center. She said it sounded as though the answer was "maybe." Mayor Hemminger and Mr. Stancil noted there could be other opportunities, such as public/private partnerships, to help meet some of the goals. Mr. Pennoyer pointed out the Town would drop a significant amount of debt in FY 2022 when the Town Operations Center payments would end. Page 6 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Mayor Hemminger confirmed with Mr. Pennoyer that payments for the Chapel Hill Public Library would end in FY 2029. Carmen Elliot, a local artist and teacher who managed Community Clay Studio at the Parks and Recreation Department, said the studio had served 18,500 Town citizens since 1981 with sculpture and pottery classes. Ms. Elliott described the need for a Cultural Arts building in Town and asked the Council to make that a top priority within the next few years. Council Member Schaevitz, liaison to the Cultural Arts Commission, said the Commission was moving forward to come up with an idea of exactly what it would like to see the bond money used for and would let the Council determine cost and location. She encouraged Ms. Elliott and others from the arts community to email her for contacts with those who were compiling a list of groups that would like to work in the Cultural Arts space. Council Member Oates, a former American Legion Task Force member, recalled conversations about using space on that property for Cultural Arts. Council Member Bell said she was not sure a Cultural Arts facility was her highest priority and pointed out the need for fire stations as well. She recalled when the Town was down $80 million worth of projects and said being down only $31.6 million was something to cheer. Council Member Stegman noted that part of the original agreement when the Council decided to buy the American Legion property was to sell part of that land. She wanted to make sure when voting tonight the Council was committed to that, she said. With regard to prior Council comments about holding onto land, thereby making it more valuable, Council Member Stegman noted the Town was maintaining it as well, and not collecting taxes on it, and that a lot of potential uses were on hold. Council Member Stegman said she felt a sense of urgency others might not share. A motion was made by Mayor pro tem Anderson, seconded by Council Member Oates, that R-3 be adopted. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 5. Public Forum: 2018-2019 Community Development Block Grant [18-0240] Program Plan. Community Development Program Manager, Renee Moye, gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Town's 2018-2019 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund allocation. Her presentation included background on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) creation of the program in 1974 and the Town's designation as an entitlement community. Ms. Moye said the Town had received grants from HUD annually for projects that benefit low- to moderate-income households, that aid in Page 7 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 the prevention or elimination of urban blight, or that meet an urgent need. She gave examples of eligible activities and explained that the Town's Application Review Committee had made the following funding recommendations: $15,926 for the Inter-Faith Council's (IFC) Home Start program; $24,000 for the Town's Summer Youth Employment Program; and $75,000 for grant administration. She said the recommendation also included $348,238 for affordable housing (AH) activities, which she listed. Ms. Moye explained the evening's public forum was the second one and Council action was scheduled for April 11 but might be delayed due to the federal budget approval process. The Council would receive a final recommendation for approval as soon as staff received notification of allocations, she said. Ms. Moye recommended the Council open the public forum and accept comments on the use of 2018-19 CDBG funds and the recommended plan. Staff would return with a final plan as soon as they receive an allocations notification, she said. Stephani Kilpatrick, Residential Services Director at the IFC, spoke on behalf of their request for CDBG funding to support a full-time case manager to assist families experiencing homelessness in their Home Start Program. She thanked the Council for its past assistance and explained how case management helped families overcome homelessness and break the cycle of poverty. Marisa Martini, a Community Development Manager at Habitat for Humanity, thanked the Council for previous allocations of CDBG funds for affordable home repairs in Chapel Hill. She explained Habitat's request for $50,000 would be used to complete 10 repair projects in the Northside, Pine Knolls, and Rogers Road communities through Habitat's Home Preservation Program. Ms. Martini provided details of the program and said she hoped the Council would approve Habitat's full funding request. Mayor Hemminger commented the Town valued its partnerships with local programs and that partnering made funds stretch further. She was looking forward to the item coming back on April 11, or sometime thereafter, she said. The item was received as presented. 6. Consider Adopting a Preliminary Resolution Stating Chapel Hill’s [18-0241] Intent to Proceed with a November 2018 Affordable Housing Bond Referendum. Mayor Hemminger mentioned Town staff members had gone to Philadelphia to make a presentation regarding open data to the Public Library Association. The presentation would be about the Town's unique approach of using its Public Library to house an open data portal, she said. She noted Mr. Stancil had been invited to participate but had agreed to stay in Town. Page 8 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Mr. Stancil recommended the Council move forward with a $10 million Bond referendum for affordable housing (AH), stating that doing so would be a prudent use of Town resources. It would require a one cent tax increase over a period of time, he said. He stated $10 million was a manageable amount to spend to advance the Council's AH interests. He acknowledged a list of needs had totaled about $15 million, but pointed out the Town was not the only entity providing subsidies. Orange County (OC), private partners, income tax credits, and the Penny for Housing already allocated over the next five years; all contributed to AH funding as well, he pointed out. Mr. Stancil explained the Council had several options to consider. Adopting Resolution 4, as presented, would set a November 18 referendum for $10 million, he said. He explained the Council could modify the resolution to $15 million, if it chose. He discussed the Council's excellent credit rating and bond ratings and stressed the importance of maintaining that. Pay-as-you-go would not be a good option, he said, and he provided reasons for that conclusion. Mr. Stancil said a vote for a bond referendum would not be for any specific project but would be a vote to fund an amount of money. Staff would return before the November election with an evaluation process as well as criteria to evaluate projects, including those by the Town, he said. If the referendum succeeded, the Council would begin issuing bonds to advance projects and staff would recommend the tax increase required in the subsequent fiscal year to provide the debt service on how much was sold, he explained. Mr. Stancil said he did not recommend implementing a tax increase before the bond referendum. The first tax increase would be in FY 2019 and would likely be a half cent, based on the Council having sold half ($5 million) of the bonds, he said. Business Management Director, Ken Pennoyer, gave a PowerPoint presentation with further details on what Mr. Stancil had presented. He said the current Penny for Housing plus a $10 million bond would yield $13.5 million for AH and would require a tax increase. He reviewed several steps that would be required if the Council intended to put an AH bond referendum on the November 6, 2018 ballot. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked what the larger strategy was for funding AH beyond five or ten years. Mr. Stancil replied the Town was growing its strategic planning process, and he viewed the five-year horizon as a mid-term goal and did not see any time in the foreseeable future where AH would not be an issue. He discussed economic strategies that should lead to commercial growth and a greater tax base. He pointed out that retiring debt from the Town Page 9 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Operation Center would occur within the five-year window. Mr. Stancil said other resources within the Debt Management Fund could help pay the Town's portion of AH. There were additional ways to subsidize AH, such as partnerships and joint projects with other political jurisdictions, he said, adding the federal government might "come back to life one day" as well. Mr. Stancil noted the University of North Carolina (UNC) and UNC Healthcare had an interest in AH as well. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked why the Council could not give voters more information about what they would be voting for. Mr. Stancil replied staff and Council would engage in such publicity over the next few months, if the Council approved the resolution. Staff would put that information out in August and September. The bond question was typically very broad, and the marketing information was what stuck in people's minds, he pointed out. Mayor pro tem Anderson said Town projects seemed to have shifted, and she was confused about the numbers being presented. She asked when the Council would talk about whether Town projects still made sense and were still priorities. Mr. Stancil replied staff would return with information about projects over the next few months. He recommended the Council evaluate all projects - - including those by the Town -- by whatever criteria the Council established so that all would be treated equally. Council Member Buansi expressed support for a $10 million bond. He pointed out the community had been talking about AH for decades and said there needed to be a coherent and intentional strategy. AH was something the Town would have to continue investing in, in various ways, and he did not see that ending, he said. Council Member Gu confirmed with Mr. Stancil that interest for a $10 million bond paid back over 20 years would be $4 million at the current rate. She verified with Mr. Pennoyer that about $800,00 would come from taxpayers in the first year for the one penny increase, and that would increase between 1 and 1.5 cents each year over the 20 years. Council Member Gu calculated the current Penny for Housing plus the penny increase in the tax rate would come to $35 million over 20 years for AH. Mr. Stancil pointed out the Council would make a decision every year about whether to leave the tax increase or take it away. Mayor Hemminger said a penny on the tax rate would generate more than $16 million but less than $20 million over 20 years, not $35 million. She clarified Council Member Gu's point was that a penny increase in taxes would mean ending up with more than $10 million, and would cost $14 Page 10 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 million in interest and principle. Julie McClintock, a Chapel Hill resident, expressed support for a $10 million bond as long as there were clear, justifiable goals and the Town identified how it would generally spend the money. She pointed out other projects - - such as police and fire stations, road and sidewalk repairs, additional recreation and cultural arts space -- could be affected. Ms. McClintock advocated for finding partners to share the burden and leverage opportunities. She said the debate regarding an AH bond should not be divorced from potential county, school, and property tax increases. Heidi Dodson, a public historian at the Marion Cheek Jackson Center, said she hoped the Town would increase the bond amount to $15 million. She shared her personal experience and concerns about AH, explaining she might have to leave Town even though it is her home. Ms. Dodson said AH should not be divorced from wages and that a living wage needed to be considered as well. George Barrett, representing the Marion Cheek Jackson Center, shared his experience of living on $11,000 per year and pointed out that even some who work to provide AH for others could not afford to live in Town. He urged the Council to "practice what you preach" and adopt a $15 million bond referendum. If the Town wanted diversity and a place for all, then it would have to take action to achieve that, Mr. Barrett said. Chinita Howard, a Chapel Hill resident and teacher, noted UNC had been created through donations of land and by people working together. She told the Council about how the amount of her lease had been greatly increased "based on fair market" and how she had had to live in her jeep in the woods for three months. Ms. Howard asked the Council to amend Resolution 4 and asked for $15 million. Megan Stanley, an incoming graduate student at UNC and an education coordinator at Marion Cheek Jackson Center, said Chapel Hill was "The Southern Part of Heaven" for white and wealthy residents and "One of the best places to live" for those who were wealthy and single, according to CNN. She noted the Council members had identified AH as a priority in their campaigns and asked them to live up to those words. Kathy Atwater, a Northside resident and Habitat for Humanity and a Jackson Center board member, said AH was very important to her and her family and pointed out that a house shown in the staff presentation belonged to her niece. She asked the bond be increased to $15 million to enable the Town to return to being a livable community for all. Ms. Atwater pointed out that people whose ancestors helped build the Town and whose children want to attend UNC had to drive from their jobs back to other towns because they could not afford to live in Chapel Hill. Robert Dowling, executive director at Community Home Trust, thanked Mr. Page 11 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Stancil for recommending an AH bond. He recognized the Town's efforts to address AH and noted that the Council was being asked to do even more. Mr. Dowling pointed out that incomes had been stagnant for the last 15 years and noted several market challenges that towns and cities across the country had been facing. Addressing those challenges required crystal clear priorities, creative solutions, tough decisions, and a maximization of available subsidies, he said. Mr. Dowling said the Town could probably use $25 million, or more, over the next 10 years. Alyssa Peeler, a UNC undergraduate and a board member at the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness, expressed deep concern about the state of AH. She said she had participated in taking a survey that included people living on the streets, in the woods, and in abandoned buildings in Town. In 2017, there had been 127 homeless people in Orange County, and the majority of those were in Chapel Hill, she said. As a volunteer at the Jackson Center, she had seen how rising costs made it more difficult for Northside residents to stay in their homes, Ms. Peeler said. She expressed concern about "gentrification" of Northside and said she would certainly vote for a $15 million bond. Anthony Sharp, a longtime Chapel Hill resident who was once homeless but was now an IFC board member, stressed the importance of people who work in Town being able to live in Town, as well, and send their children to Chapel Hill schools. The organizations that help people get free of homelessness also do a lot to help once people's lives improve, he pointed out. However, there was no place in Town for those who had been formerly homeless, and they were forced to move out, he said. Mr. Sharp asked the Council to vote in favor of a $15 million bond referendum. Heather Brutz, co-chair of the Housing Committee for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, read her executive committee's official statement, which encouraged the Council to raise the bond to $15 million, contingent upon concerns that included making sure funding reached people living at 60 percent of AMI and below. Ms. Butz said the Housing Committee was concerned about the current state of public housing in Town and wanted to insure there was appropriate oversight and well-defined plans for renovations, repairs and rebuilding. The Committee also wanted a portion of the bond to support relocation assistance for mobile home residents and others being displaced by development and for the St. Paul Village project, Ms. Butz said. Brentton Harrison, a Chapel Hill resident, said AH was not just a budgetary concern but an education issue as well. Actions, or lack of, affected people's ability to imagine the "American dream," he said. He expressed concern the Council might be slipping backward and said it seemed incredible to him that they were having the current conversations when their campaigns had prioritized AH. "What's the hold up," Mr. Harrison asked, stating there was enough money for all in the community. He said people had put faith in their elected officials and that choosing to be Page 12 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 neutral in the face of oppression meant choosing the side of the oppressor. Douglas Call, a Chapel Hill resident, said he and his wife would vote for an AH bond for as high as the Council could make it. In his professional career, he had spent much time building houses and working on disaster relief, and it was the same all over the world, he said. Mr. Call said it was the Town's responsibility to change things. If that meant raising the bond amount, then the Council needed to be bold and go for at least $15 million, said Mr. Call. Jonathan Young, a Chapel Hill resident and Community Empowerment Fund employee, shared statistics about the AH crisis and said $10 million was great but more than $25 million was needed. He said he understood the Town's budgetary constraints but did not understand why AH was not equal to other priorities. Chapel Hill had amazing schools and parks, but some children do not have safe homes to return to or parents who have enough free time to take them to the park, he said. Patrick Watkins, a resident at IFC Community House, said he had met many people who had faced obstacles in life and had straightened themselves out only to find that the homeless shelter is the only place they will ever be. He said $10 million was a gracious amount but more was needed. Chapel Hill was a welcoming place, but what was below the surface could be scary, Mr. Watkins said. He noted people were sleeping in tents in the woods by the highways. Others continued to live at Community House because there was nowhere for them to go, said Mr. Watkins. Henry Harris, a Chapel Hill resident, explained he had come to Chapel Hill to have surgery and had been accepted at the Community House shelter. He had since recovered and was working full time, but his landscaping salary was not enough to pay for a place to live in Town, he said. Mr. Harris characterized Chapel Hill as a great place to live and said he felt everyone should be able to live in the Town. Bliss Hayes, a Community House resident since last August, said he felt blessed to be in a town that was such a desirable place to live. However, those who were at 30 percent or below of AMI had "zero places to live," he said. Mr. Hayes argued it was unfair that those who serve coffee to Town residents at Starbucks could not afford to live in the town where they work. He asked the Council to set the referendum for a minimum of $15 million so that people of all levels of income could live in Town. Jackie Jenks, executive director at the IFC, said people were stuck in Town shelters, living in the woods, getting displaced from trailers, and struggling in other places to pay the rent. AH was the most significant issue the community was facing, she said, noting that even those who were making a "living wage" could not afford to live in Town. Ms. Jenks Page 13 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 said she believed taxpayers would be willing to pay more to achieve a racially and economically diverse community where everyone has a place. She asked the Council to consider giving voters a chance to vote on a $15 million bond. Kim Talikoff, a Chapel Hill elementary school teacher, said she was learning from this evening's presentation and Council members' questions that an integrated AH plan was still being developed and would take some time. The Town might discover in very short order that $15 million was not nearly enough, she said. Ms. Talikoff encouraged the Council to not restrict itself. Michelle Siegling, a Chapel Hill resident and former teacher's assistant, said she could afford to live in Town only because home values had been higher in the town she moved from. However, she has not met another family of two public school teachers who could afford to live in Town, she said. Ms. Siegling said her three children continue to see white, wealthy people with resources in their Chapel Hill schools, and she wanted them to be part of a diverse community with people from all backgrounds. Ms. Siegling urged the Council to approve a $15 million bond. Council Member Bell mentioned that holding a 2018 bond referendum for AH would be on track with the Council 2014 strategic plan. She said she had been moved by recent conversations and wanted the bond to be for $15 million because there was need across a housing spectrum. She pointed out matching values and missions with strategic partners could be a time-intensive and difficult effort. She explained she did not mean to argue against doing that, but did not think the Council should make decisions based on doing so. She did not want to have to come back in 10 years and have the same conversation again, Council Member Bell said. Council Member Stegman said the Town's AH crisis was the Council's responsibility and obligation, and the Town needed more money to address it. She pointed out that only 8 percent of housing in Town was affordable to those who were at 60 percent of AMI and below. Council Member Stegman said she absolutely supported a $15 million bond, which would push some limits but gives more options. The Town needed to be creative and think more about different strategies for different populations, she said. Council Member Stegman said she did not want to have to do another bond in five years when the Town ran out of AH money. Mayor pro tem Anderson said Council members realized the extent and importance of the AH issue, and she was personally and professionally familiar with it. However, she was also concerned about debt capacity and the other projects that the Town must undertake, such as fire and police stations, she said. Mayor pro tem Anderson said a $10 million bond was the fiscally responsible thing to do, and she supported finding other strategic ways to address the AH issue as well. Page 14 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Council Member Parker said he was convinced that a bond was the only way to generate the funds the Town needed when it needed them. However, he had concerns about the project list not being right, he said, adding he wanted to get the maximum value for every dollar the Town spent. It would be easier to raise larger sums in the future once the Town had proven it could manage AH projects and continue to generate the housing it needed, he said. Council Member Parker pointed out the Town had other priorities and projects it did not yet know how it would finance. He expressed support for a $10 million bond and noted other ways the Town would generate additional AH funding. Council Member Gu said the current Penny for Housing plus a $10 million bond would mean taxpayers would contribute $34 million toward AH over 20 years. She thought a $10 million bond would be the most financially responsible thing to do at the current time, she said. She stressed the Council was committed to Town citizens and told about her own struggle to make ends meet at one point in her life. She said AH was more than just a roof over one's head, but referred to things such as public transit, food, opportunities for young people, as well. If the Town committed to one cent for the next 20 years, then there would be enough funds to comprehensively address the AH issue, said Council Member Gu. Council Member Oates cautioned against making a generous pledge for a $15 million bond and said she accepted staff's well-documented recommendation for $10 million. Every town had an AH problem because everyone was motivated to find a place to live and that pushed the cost of housing everywhere, she said. She said she had been told that taxpayers alone could not come up with enough money to solve the AH problem. The Town needed to be able to rely on other resources, including private developers, she said. Council Member Oates said it would help if Orange County would hire a housing locator, which would cost $40,000 per year. She acknowledged a $10 million bond would not cover everything, but said it would chip away at it and noted that success breeds success. Council Member Schaevitz said she wholeheartedly supported an AH bond and the Town needed to do something big to address the AH crisis. Ten million dollars was a huge amount of money, she said, but she noted the Town's partners were saying it was not enough. Since that was the amount the Town's financial staff had recommended, the Council needed to take a comprehensive look at the problem and think about all of the pieces of the puzzle, she said. Council Member Schaevitz commented she had been excited about the opportunity to vote for a $10 million AH bond but was now hearing feedback that that was not sufficient. She agreed the Council needed to rely on the staff's expertise and look at all the demands on the Town. Council Member Buansi said he had struggled to decide between $10 million and $15 million. Part of making responsible decisions as a Council member meant making sure the Town was a diverse and welcoming Page 15 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 community while also managing the Town's finances in a responsible manner, he said. He had decided to support $10 million, he said, and he urged residents to keep in mind there would be other funding sources to draw upon as other Town initiatives generate more tax revenue. Mayor Hemminger said Town staff knew what the Town could handle and had put together targets and goals in collaboration with others. They were the professionals and she respected the information they had presented, she said. She commented on the heartfelt passion from the community and said everyone on the Council wanted to do more. She expressed excitement about recent economic development opportunities that would help generate more funds for housing. Mayor Hemminger said she did not think the bond could be $15 million at the current time, given the Town's other obligations. Her biggest current concern was the Municipal Services Building, which would likely go over the amount budgeted, she said. Mayor Hemminger advocated for putting the penny tax in the debt service during the current year, adding that Council Member Gu's math calculations had given her a different perspective on that. Mayor Hemminger stressed that the Town must work with its AH partners and said she wanted to create as much housing as possible along transit corridors. She said, in summary, that all Council members wanted to create more AH but disagreed somewhat on the amount and timing of the bond referendum. The majority supported $10 million and also supported adding a penny to debt service in the current budget year, she said. A motion was made by Mayor pro tem Anderson, seconded by Council Member Parker, that R-4 be adopted. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 8 - Mayor Hemminger, Mayor pro tem Anderson, Council Member Buansi, Council Member Gu, Council Member Oates, Council Member Parker, Council Member Stegman, and Council Member Schaevitz Nay: 1 - Council Member Bell 7. Presentation: Blue Hill Biannual Report [#7]. [18-0242] Community Resilience Officer John Richardson presented the Blue Hills District's (BHD) seventh semi-annual report. He gave an update on improvements since the last reports in September and January. In a PowerPoint presentation, he showed key BHD activity centers on a map and presented an update on projects. He said no new permits had been approved since January, but the Community Design Commission (CDC) had recently approved a zoning compliance permit and design review permit for facade improvements and outdoor amenity space in Village Plaza. Page 16 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Mr. Richardson noted that Park Apartments, a 300-400 multi-family unit housing development, was at the pre-application stage. Staff anticipated an application would be submitted after roadway discussions had happened, he said. He explained the owner of the Quality Inn property was planning a 97-room True Hotel where the Hong Kong Buffet currently was and that the CDC had done a courtesy review of that. He said the Quality Inn would be demolished, and he described several possible projects that might go in its place. Mr. Richardson said staff had received a question from Council about affordability metrics and was currently tracking market rate versus below market rate, as well as affordable square footage as a percentage of the total for all new housing. With regard to the net number of affordable units, staff would track that going forward and report on any potential loss or net differential, he said. Mr. Richardson said the Elliott Road Extension project would go before the Transportation and Connectivity Board on March 27 and the Council on April 25. Staff would be looking at moving from 25 percent roadway design to 70 percent plans, he said. Mr. Richardson showed an area map with roadway improvements and said more details regarding that would be provided on April 25. Mr. Richardson said the assessed value of the BHD had increased by 71 percent between 2014 and 2017. The Council had asked what percentage of that change could be attributed to development projects that had been permitted or constructed over the last three years, and the staff's estimate, based on tax records, was about 56 percent, he said. He said the number of school-aged children in the BHD had increased by five. Mr. Richardson discussed projected and actual increases in retail square footage, noting that new square footage was 11 percent above target, at 33,000 square feet. He said 149 AH units had been constructed or permitted in the district, which was halfway to the Town's goal of 300. He pointed out that all 149 had been due to the DHIC project. Mr. Richardson discussed impervious surface treatment and said greenways had increased in the BHD by 177 percent. Council Member Oates asked about parcels across Elliott Road, by Extraordinary Ventures, that had been pulled out with the idea they would have an AH incentive attached to them. She noted that topography issues had affected that plan and asked if there were other options. Mr. Richardson replied topography challenges would make it difficult to put in ground floor retail with housing above. In addition, a Rosen and Associates study on zoning incentives for AH had found the subsidy required to provide AH units in that location would be $147,000 per unit, he said. With regard to other options, the area was approved for a Page 17 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 municipal service district for stormwater, and those districts could potentially serve as a tool for other things and staff was exploring whether AH was one of those options, he said. Council Member Gu pointed out the greenways improvement report was based on nothing being there to begin with. She said people she had spoken to felt there was not enough greenway space in the area, and she inquired about the goal. Mr. Richardson explained an extension of the Lower Booker Creek greenway had been there in 2014. He showed on a map where the increases had been and might continue. He pointed out the Council had approved standards for a larger percentage of publicly-dedicated outdoor amenity space and said that should help increase publicly accessible spaces in the district. Council Member Buansi confirmed with Mr. Richardson that all of the current AH space was rental. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked where the Town would meet the remaining half of its AH goal for the district. Mr. Richardson pointed out a Council petition just posed the idea of density bonuses or trade-offs associated with community benefits, and staff was evaluating that. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked how the Town assessed the cost of services in ways other than the number of school-age children. Mr. Stancil replied a certain amount of growth could occur without an additional cost of service. The challenge was to define where that point was, which was difficult to do in Chapel Hill since it did not grow through annexation. He said the Town had tried to find a consultant to help figure that out but had not found anyone who could do so. Mayor pro tem Anderson commented it was not realistic to say there was no cost. She would like to see an estimate, or an asterisk, or something that indicated there was a cost, she said. She then asked how Fordham Apartments being built in the RCD would impact projections regarding flooding and stormwater. Mr. Richardson replied that that project had been permitted on the basis there would not be a rise of more than six inches as a result of impervious surface or the project itself being added to the space. It was being done in conjunction with a flood mitigation project for Booker Creek, he said. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked if information about where the Town started in 2014, what it currently had, and what it expected by 2029 would be provided in September. Page 18 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Mr. Richardson offered to provide that sooner, in the next week or two. Council Member Bell noted the cost of service had been discussed with other projects and staff had talked about the cost of additional fire and public works services. Additionally, the BHD was not set up to create AH but to increase commercial revenue that would enable the Town to support AH in other parts of Town, she said. She said the Town was well on its way toward meeting the goals of the 25-year BHD project. Mayor Hemminger said the Town had already exceeded its goal of a certain number of residential units, but it was important to see where the Town was on retail square footage. She noted staff had shown how much progress had been made but had not addressed the goal. The goals had been specifically stated, and she would like to see how the Town was doing with those, she said. Mayor Hemminger asked if the Park Apartments project was aiming for 700 units, and Mr. Richardson agreed to check that number. Mayor pro tem Anderson said the report had been helpful regarding the BHD's status but had not provided an overall picture of lessons learned. She did not know how to evaluate what the Town had gotten right and what it needed to think differently about, she said. She wanted to know what did not happen the way the Council wanted it to. Mayor pro tem Anderson said she wanted to have an honest conversation about the BHD without seeming like implicating those who had voted for it. Mr. Richardson replied staff definitely could return with lessons learned and a look at things that had been changed regarding regulations. Mayor pro tem Anderson replied that doing so would be an example of how the Town always strives to do better and would not be a criticism of the original project. Mayor Hemminger said knowing the number of residential units, even if there was only one person per unit, would give an idea of how many people were added to the community. If 1,000 people were added, then the Town would experience increased needs, so it was important to know how many more residential units would be in the BHD, she said. Council Member Schaevitz praised the staff for its beautiful report, but said she felt manipulated because she was not hearing anything to the contrary. She agreed with Mayor pro tem Anderson on the need to know what was missing and what was coming next, she said. Council Member Schaevitz remarked that only celebrating success made her feel uneasy. She asked that future reports include some action that could challenge the Council and move things forward. Page 19 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Council Member Gu said the numbers being presented were great but did not match how she felt. The staff presentation showed a large improvement in green space, but she did not see trees when she visited the area, she said, adding that everyone she talked to expresses the same feeling. She said connectivity was a goal but she was not sure how many people were walking or biking through the district. Something was missing; the numbers did not match people's perceptions, said Council Member Gu. Council Member Parker said Council Members Anderson, Schaevitz and Gu had been commenting on qualitative dimensions that the staff report was not getting at. The numbers seemed to be working, but the Council had heard people did not like the buildings, he said, adding that maybe there was an urban design element the Town did not get right. Maybe the Town got the square footage it wanted, but it was not built in a way that people found congenial and the Town needed to better understand those elements, he said. Council Member Parker pointed out the Town had made changes in block length and building length that the staff report had not captured. Council Member Stegman reminded other Council members the area being discussed had been just an empty lot with a chain-link fence for many years. She was a nearby resident and that area had been paved over for as long as she had lived there, she said, She pointed out it had not been attractive before and was still a work in progress that was only a couple of years into a longer term. More density and more people living there would lead to bikes and pedestrians walking around, she pointed out. Council Member Stegman said she runs and bikes through the area often and found it much safer, more pleasant, and more connected than before. The Council tends to hear more from people who are unhappy, she said. Council Member Buansi said he had a wait and see approach and thought the experience people would have in the area was still to be determined. He said he had grown up in nearby Coker Hills and knew some people in his old neighborhood enjoy walking down Elliott Road to the shops. He wanted to hear from citizens about their reactions, he said. The item was received as presented. 8. Consider Land Use Management Ordinance Text Amendment - [18-0235] Proposed Revisions to Articles 3 and 4 Related to Conditional Zoning. Community Resilience Officer John Richardson presented the Blue Hills District's (BHD) seventh semi-annual report. He gave an update on improvements since the last reports in September and January. In a PowerPoint presentation, he showed key BHD activity centers on a map and presented an update on projects. He said no new permits had been Page 20 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 approved since January, but the Community Design Commission (CDC) had recently approved a zoning compliance permit and design review permit for facade improvements and outdoor amenity space in Village Plaza. Mr. Richardson noted that Park Apartments, a 300-400 multi-family unit housing development, was at the pre-application stage. Staff anticipated an application would be submitted after roadway discussions had happened, he said. He explained the owner of the Quality Inn property was planning a 97-room True Hotel where the Hong Kong Buffet currently was and that the CDC had done a courtesy review of that. He said the Quality Inn would be demolished, and he described several possible projects that might go in its place. Mr. Richardson said staff had received a question from Council about affordability metrics and was currently tracking market rate versus below market rate, as well as affordable square footage as a percentage of the total for all new housing. With regard to the net number of affordable units, staff would track that going forward and report on any potential loss or net differential, he said. Mr. Richardson said the Elliott Road Extension project would go before the Transportation and Connectivity Board on March 27 and the Council on April 25. Staff would be looking at moving from 25 percent roadway design to 70 percent plans, he said. Mr. Richardson showed an area map with roadway improvements and said more details regarding that would be provided on April 25. Mr. Richardson said the assessed value of the BHD had increased by 71 percent between 2014 and 2017. The Council had asked what percentage of that change could be attributed to development projects that had been permitted or constructed over the last three years, and the staff's estimate, based on tax records, was about 56 percent, he said. He said the number of school-aged children in the BHD had increased by five. Mr. Richardson discussed projected and actual increases in retail square footage, noting that new square footage was 11 percent above target, at 33,000 square feet. He said 149 AH units had been constructed or permitted in the district, which was halfway to the Town's goal of 300. He pointed out that all 149 had been due to the DHIC project. Mr. Richardson discussed impervious surface treatment and said greenways had increased in the BHD by 177 percent. Council Member Oates asked about parcels across Elliott Road, by Extraordinary Ventures, that had been pulled out with the idea they would have an AH incentive attached to them. She noted that topography issues had affected that plan and asked if there were other options. Mr. Richardson replied topography challenges would make it difficult to put in ground floor retail with housing above. In addition, a Rosen and Page 21 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Associates study on zoning incentives for AH had found the subsidy required to provide AH units in that location would be $147,000 per unit, he said. With regard to other options, the area was approved for a municipal service district for stormwater, and those districts could potentially serve as a tool for other things and staff was exploring whether AH was one of those options, he said. Council Member Gu pointed out the greenways improvement report was based on nothing being there to begin with. She said people she had spoken to felt there was not enough greenway space in the area, and she inquired about the goal. Mr. Richardson explained an extension of the Lower Booker Creek greenway had been there in 2014. He showed on a map where the increases had been and might continue. He pointed out the Council had approved standards for a larger percentage of publicly-dedicated outdoor amenity space and said that should help increase publicly accessible spaces in the district. Council Member Buansi confirmed with Mr. Richardson that all of the current AH space was rental. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked where the Town would meet the remaining half of its AH goal for the district. Mr. Richardson pointed out a Council petition just posed the idea of density bonuses or trade-offs associated with community benefits, and staff was evaluating that. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked how the Town assessed the cost of services in ways other than the number of school-age children. Mr. Stancil replied a certain amount of growth could occur without an additional cost of service. The challenge was to define where that point was, which was difficult to do in Chapel Hill since it did not grow through annexation. He said the Town had tried to find a consultant to help figure that out but had not found anyone who could do so. Mayor pro tem Anderson commented it was not realistic to say there was no cost. She would like to see an estimate, or an asterisk, or something that indicated there was a cost, she said. She then asked how Fordham Apartments being built in the RCD would impact projections regarding flooding and stormwater. Mr. Richardson replied that that project had been permitted on the basis there would not be a rise of more than six inches as a result of impervious surface or the project itself being added to the space. It was being done in conjunction with a flood mitigation project for Booker Creek, he said. Page 22 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Mayor pro tem Anderson asked if information about where the Town started in 2014, what it currently had, and what it expected by 2029 would be provided in September. Mr. Richardson offered to provide that sooner, in the next week or two. Council Member Bell noted the cost of service had been discussed with other projects and staff had talked about the cost of additional fire and public works services. Additionally, the BHD was not set up to create AH but to increase commercial revenue that would enable the Town to support AH in other parts of Town, she said. She said the Town was well on its way toward meeting the goals of the 25-year BHD project. Mayor Hemminger said the Town had already exceeded its goal of a certain number of residential units, but it was important to see where the Town was on retail square footage. She noted staff had shown how much progress had been made but had not addressed the goal. The goals had been specifically stated, and she would like to see how the Town was doing with those, she said. Mayor Hemminger asked if the Park Apartments project was aiming for 700 units, and Mr. Richardson agreed to check that number. Mayor pro tem Anderson said the report had been helpful regarding the BHD's status but had not provided an overall picture of lessons learned. She did not know how to evaluate what the Town had gotten right and what it needed to think differently about, she said. She wanted to know what did not happen the way the Council wanted it to. Mayor pro tem Anderson said she wanted to have an honest conversation about the BHD without seeming like implicating those who had voted for it. Mr. Richardson replied staff definitely could return with lessons learned and a look at things that had been changed regarding regulations. Mayor pro tem Anderson replied that doing so would be an example of how the Town always strives to do better and would not be a criticism of the original project. Mayor Hemminger said knowing the number of residential units, even if there was only one person per unit, would give an idea of how many people were added to the community. If 1,000 people were added, then the Town would experience increased needs, so it was important to know how many more residential units would be in the BHD, she said. Council Member Schaevitz praised the staff for its beautiful report, but said she felt manipulated because she was not hearing anything to the contrary. She agreed with Mayor pro tem Anderson on the need to know what was missing and what was coming next, she said. Council Member Page 23 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Schaevitz remarked that only celebrating success made her feel uneasy. She asked that future reports include some action that could challenge the Council and move things forward. Council Member Gu said the numbers being presented were great but did not match how she felt. The staff presentation showed a large improvement in green space, but she did not see trees when she visited the area, she said, adding that everyone she talked to expresses the same feeling. She said connectivity was a goal but she was not sure how many people were walking or biking through the district. Something was missing; the numbers did not match people's perceptions, said Council Member Gu. Council Member Parker said Council Members Anderson, Schaevitz and Gu had been commenting on qualitative dimensions that the staff report was not getting at. The numbers seemed to be working, but the Council had heard people did not like the buildings, he said, adding that maybe there was an urban design element the Town did not get right. Maybe the Town got the square footage it wanted, but it was not built in a way that people found congenial and the Town needed to better understand those elements, he said. Council Member Parker pointed out the Town had made changes in block length and building length that the staff report had not captured. Council Member Stegman reminded other Council members the area being discussed had been just an empty lot with a chain-link fence for many years. She was a nearby resident and that area had been paved over for as long as she had lived there, she said, She pointed out it had not been attractive before and was still a work in progress that was only a couple of years into a longer term. More density and more people living there would lead to bikes and pedestrians walking around, she pointed out. Council Member Stegman said she runs and bikes through the area often and found it much safer, more pleasant, and more connected than before. The Council tends to hear more from people who are unhappy, she said. Council Member Buansi said he had a wait and see approach and thought the experience people would have in the area was still to be determined. He said he had grown up in nearby Coker Hills and knew some people in his old neighborhood enjoy walking down Elliott Road to the shops. He wanted to hear from citizens about their reactions, he said. A motion was made by Mayor pro tem Anderson, seconded by Council Member Parker, that the Public Hearing be closed, that R-5, R-7, and R-8 be adopted, and that O-1 be enacted. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 8 - Mayor Hemminger, Mayor pro tem Anderson, Council Member Bell, Council Member Buansi, Council Member Gu, Council Member Parker, Council Member Stegman, and Council Member Schaevitz Page 24 of 25 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final March 21, 2018 Nay: 1 - Council Member Oates APPOINTMENTS Consider a Process for Recruiting and Selecting Community [18-0243] Members to Participate in the Town Manager Assessment Center. Mayor Hemminger said she would send an email to all Council members asking for volunteers and would then choose three, and an alternate, to participate in the Town Manager Assessment Center. She said the group would meet one time, for three or four hours, to narrow down applications. They would then bring a final list back to the full Council by May 2, 2018, she said. Mayor Hemminger explained staff needed the Council to approve a process in order to move forward. Mayor pro tem Anderson asked if services such as childcare and transportation could be provided for participants. Assistant Town Manager, Flo Miller, replied that something could be worked out for those four to six people, if needed, and staff would do its best to accommodate. Mayor Hemminger clarified with Ms. Miller that applications for serving would be available the next day and people would have until April 16 to apply. Council Member Parker asked if staff intended to proactively recruit. Ms. Miller replied staff planned to use a process similar to that for recruiting advisory board members. That included contacting the faith community, home owners associations, the Northside community, media outlets, email accounts, and others. The goal would be to hit every area of Town, she said. Ms. Miller encouraged Council members to ask individuals to fill out the application form. Council Member Stegman suggested contacting "Next Door" as well. A motion was made by Mayor pro tem Anderson, seconded by Council Member Schaevitz, that R-9 be adopted as amended. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 p.m. Page 25 of 25