Town Council

Town Hall TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Town Council Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Meeting Minutes - Final Mayor Jessica Anderson Council Member Theodore Nollert Mayor pro tem Amy Ryan Council Member Adam Searing Council Member Camille Berry Council Member Elizabeth Sharp Council Member Melissa McCullough Council Member Karen Stegman Council Member Paris Miller-Foushee Wednesday, May 14, 2025 6:00 PM Library, Meeting Room B Language Access Statement In-Person Meeting Notification View the Meeting • Public attendance is welcome, and limited to room capacity • We will not live stream or video the event, and there is no public comment period. • The Town of Chapel Hill wants to know more about who participates in its programs and processes, including Town Council meetings. • Participate in a voluntary demographic survey before viewing online or in person - https://www.townofchapelhill.org/demosurvey Parking and Entry • Parking is available at the Library lots. The Library is served by CL Route, D Route, and GoTriangle Routes of Chapel Hill Transit • Meeting Room B is to the right from the main entrance. • Please do not bring signs. ROLL CALL Page 1 of 5 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final May 14, 2025 Present: 8 - Mayor Jessica Anderson, Mayor pro tem Amy Ryan, Council Member Camille Berry, Council Member Paris Miller-Foushee, Council Member Adam Searing, Council Member Theodore Nollert, Council Member Melissa McCullough, and Council Member Elizabeth Sharp Excused: 1 - Council Member Karen Stegman OTHER ATTENDEES Interim Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger, Deputy Town Manager Loryn Clark, Town Attorney Ann Anderson, Planning Director Britany Waddell, Human Resources Director Anita Badrock, Police Officer Danny Lloyd, Strategic Communications and Marketing Executive Director Susan Brown, Fire Chief Jay Mebane, Chief of Staff Jeanne Brown, Parks and Recreation Director Atuya Cornwell, Senior Park Planning and Operations Manager Kevin Robinson, Principal Parks and Recreation Planner Marcia Purvis, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Nikki Cherry, Project Manager Sarah Poulton, Special Projects Manager Cliff Turner, Manager's Office Intern Josie Zakrzewski, and Deputy Town Clerk Amy Harvey. OPENING Mayor Jessica Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Council Member Stegman was absent/excused and Council Members Nollert and McCullough arrives at 6:01 and 6:07, respectively. 0.01 A motion was made by Council Member Berry, seconded [25-0236] by Mayor pro tem Ryan, that the Council adopt a motion to call two Special Meetings: One on May 22, 2025, and another on June 5, 2025 at 5 p.m. in the First Floor Conference Room 102 at Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to discuss the Town Manager search. A motion was made by Council Member Berry, seconded by Mayor pro tem Ryan, that the Council adopt a motion to call two Special Meetings: One on May 22, 2025, and another on June 5, 2025 at 5 p.m. in the First Floor Conference Room 102 at Town Hall, 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, to discuss the Town Manager search. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 7 - Mayor Anderson, Mayor pro tem Ryan, Council Member Berry, Council Member Miller-Foushee, Council Member Searing, Council Member Nollert, and Council Member Sharp Excused: 1 - Council Member Stegman Page 2 of 5 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final May 14, 2025 Absent: 1 - Council Member McCullough 0.02 Proclamation: Endangered Species Month. [25-0237] Council Member Nollert read a proclamation declaring May 16, 2025, to be Endangered Species Day in Chapel Hill and encouraging everyone to work toward conserving endangered species. This matter was received and filed. ANNOUNCEMENTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS AGENDA ITEMS 1. Pay and Class Consultant Update [25-0235] Human Resources Director Anita Badrock reported that the Town's largest investment was its employees and that the goal of the Pay and Classification Study was to evaluate whether Chapel Hill was effectively managing this investment. She noted that it had been six years since the last study, despite the best practice being to conduct one every three years. She explained that Evergreen's recommendation for a 5% pay raise in January 2026 would help most employees align with the highly competitive local job market, requiring approximately $210,000 from the Town's General Fund and $40,000 from its Enterprise Fund. Evergreen Solutions representatives Rob Williamson and Karl Fuchs discussed the collaborative process they had engaged in with Town staff including orientations, focus groups, interviews with department directors, and discussions with Human Resources staff. The focus sessions addressed base pay, affordability (cost of living and housing), staffing levels, and the rising cost of benefits and reported that Chapel Hill's salaries were 7.6% below the market rate midpoint and ranked 14th out of 18 peer communities. Mr. Williamson and Mr. Fuchs recommended the Town adopt their proposed pay plan structure, reassign classification paygrades based on internal and external equity, and align employee salaries with their assigned market-competitive pay range. They outlined the next steps, which included developing a final draft, presenting the study's findings, recommendations, and costs, developing a communication plan, creating recommendations for ongoing plan administration, updating job descriptions, and providing Job Force Manager training. Council members inquired about the role of professional development and education, whether certain groups should be given priority, and the development of new leaders and succession plans. They also sought clarification on the effects of compression, position alignment, and Page 3 of 5 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final May 14, 2025 national events, and asked for more data on the adequacy of the Town's current staffing levels. Council members confirmed with Interim Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger that the recommended 5% pay increase was for all employees and that adjustments would be made in January 2026 to solve compression problems, discussed factors that had led to the Town's current position, and asked about the potential ramifications of not implementing the plan. Council members discussed benchmarks for vacancy and turnover rates and the effect of state and federal changes on the study's goals, and asked about year-to-year monitoring. Mr. Fuchs described a training tool that could help as market conditions change that Evergreen would include in best practices in the final report. Mayor and Council commented on the budget constraints, need to understand tradeoffs, implications of not implementing all recommendations in the current year, residents input on parts of the organization they are willing to forgo, savings from postponing projects, tax increase after losing federal, state, and university jobs, in favor of 5% raise as an investment in staff, and the need to see more actual numbers and data. Ms. Nirdlinger outlined the next steps, which included a public hearing on May 21, a work session on May 28, and a budget work session on June 4, 2025. This matter was received and filed. 2. Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan Update [25-0234] James Mickle, a consultant with BerryDunn, provided an update on the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. He discussed the planning process, funding strategies, and outlined BerryDunn's equitable community engagement strategy. Mr. Mickle noted that Chapel Hill had been selected to apply for CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies) accreditation, emphasizing the rigorous process involved. Mr. Mickle asked the Council to provide feedback on the following three questions: 1) What three things would you like to see in the final master plan. Council members expressed a desire for the plan to address upgrading and maintaining existing facilities, new facilities to address gaps, and synergy with the Greenways planning process, a clear, funded, and actionable plan Page 4 of 5 Town Council Meeting Minutes - Final May 14, 2025 that aligns with budget realities. They also asked for the plan to include recommendations and cost estimates for repairing all issues, and to incorporate goals derived from accomplishments in peer communities. 2) What Parks and Recreation Department's priorities should be over the next five years. The Council emphasized the importance of providing places for residents to enjoy nature and structured play, the goal of the Everywhere-to-Everywhere Greenway system to connect the entire Town, and the need to maintain and upgrade existing facilities. Council wanted to determine what would be used by the highest number of people and maximize the number of Parks and Recreation users, prioritizing partnerships, and the importance of equitable land distribution. 3) What top three community challenges or values should be considering when developing the Plan. The Council discussed budget constraints, potential funding sources, and the importance of leveraging assets and pointed out that University land, which the Town currently used as park land, is always subject to potential development. This matter was received and filed. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Page 5 of 5