Planning Board Regular Meeting

Minutes PLANNING BOARD Regular meeting 7:00 p.m. January 15, 2026 Board Meeting Room of Town Hall Annex, 105 E. Corbin St. Present: Chair Frank Casadonte, Vice Chair Hooper Schultz, Jeanette Benjey, Robert Iglesias, Sean Kehoe, Sherra Lawrence, and Carrie Winkler Staff: Senior Planner Molly Boyle and Engineering Services Manager Bryant Green 1. Call to order and confirmation of quorum Chair Frank Casadonte called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Senior Planner Molly Boyle confirmed the presence of a quorum. 2. Agenda changes and approval Motion: Vice Chair Hooper Schultz moved to approve the agenda. Planning Board member Sean Kehoe seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. 3. Minutes review and approval Minutes from joint public hearing on November 20, 2025. Motion: Planning Board member Jeanette Benjey moved to approve the minutes. Schultz seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. 4. Rules of Procedure review and approval Senior Planner Molly Boyle explained that there were two changes to the Planning Board Rules of Procedure: all meetings would now begin at 7 pm and the order of agenda items had been updated to better reflect current practice. Motion: Schultz moved to approve the changes to the Rules of Procedure. Lawrence seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. 5. Chair election Boyle explained that Casadonte would be rotating off the Planning Board on January 31 after two full, successive terms. She said the board needed to elect its new chair, who would assume their duties on February 1. Boyle explained that as the clerk, she was to facilitate the election of the chair. She opened the floor for nominations. Kehoe nominated Schultz for chair. No other nominations were made, and Boyle asked for a motion to close the floor to nominations. 101 E. Orange St., PO Box 429, Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-1270 | www.hillsboroughnc.gov | @HillsboroughGov PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 1 of 3  PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 2 of 3 Motion: Planning Board member Carrie Winkler moved to close the floor to nominations. Kehoe seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. Per the Rules of Procedure, Boyle conducted a roll call vote to elect Schultz as chair. All board members voted in favor (7-0), and Schultz was elected chair effective February 1, 2026. Since Schultz had been serving as vice chair, an election for vice chair was also held. Boyle opened the floor to nominations, and Planning Board member Robert Iglesias nominated Sherra Lawrence for vice chair. Hearing no other nominations, Boyle asked for a motion to close the floor to nominations. Motion: Kehoe motioned to close the floor to nominations. Schultz seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. Boyle conducted a roll call vote, and all members voted to elect Lawrence as vice chair effective February 1, 2026 (7-0). Boyle also announced that Planning Board member Tiffney Marley had resigned from the board to pursue a PhD program at UNC. She introduced Kimberly Landaverde, who was sitting in the audience. Boyle said Landaverde had been appointed to the vacant Planning Board seat by the town board, and her term would begin in February. 6. Board training session with Bryant Green, Engineering Services Manager Bryant Green, Engineering Services Manager for the Town of Hillsborough, began by thanking board members for their service and provided background on his professional qualifications, including his engineering license and experience. Green conducted a comprehensive training session on water and sewer availability and infrastructure. Board members were free to ask questions throughout the session. Green discussed the following topics with the board:  Town Water System Overview: Green explained that the town provides potable water and sewer treatment through facilities on Dimmocks Mill Road (water treatment) and Elizabeth Brady Road (wastewater treatment). He detailed current processing volumes: approximately 2.2 million gallons per day for water and 1.3-1.4 million gallons per day for wastewater.  Water Supply: Green described the West Fork on the Eno Reservoir as the town's raw water source, with approximately a two-year supply. Water flows from the reservoir through the Eno River to the water treatment plant.  Treatment Process: The water plant can treat 3 million gallons per day but operates optimally below 2.5 million. Green explained the treatment process, including filtration and backwashing procedures.  Infrastructure Challenges: Compared to other, larger municipalities, the town has a high ratio of pump stations (42-43) to utility customers. This is due to Hillsborough's topography and physical barriers like I-40, I-85, the railroad, and the Eno River.  Financial Issues: Green discussed how infrastructure debt, particularly for the West Fork on the Eno Reservoir and wastewater plant upgrades, affects water rates. He also explained the impact of  PLANNING BOARD MINUTES | 3 of 3 Tropical Storm Chantal, which damaged the River Pump Station, and complications with FEMA funding for repairs.  Urban Service Boundary Updates: Green explained that the town has reduced its Urban Service Boundary to improve water quality by reducing the distance water must travel through the system. About 25% of treated water is currently wasted through flushing, which is necessary to maintain water quality when water travels a significant distance through the distribution system.  Development Considerations: Green described how the town evaluates capacity when considering new developments and the growing use of developer "proffers” (i.e., contributions toward infrastructure improvements) to fund system upgrades. 7. Updates A. Board of Adjustment Iglesias reported that the Board of Adjustment did not meet that month. B. Parks and Recreation Board Schultz reported that the Parks and Recreation Board had not meet in December but would meet the following week. C. Staff and board members Boyle said she had no updates other than Tiffney Marley’s resignation, which she had addressed earlier. No other board members had updates either. 8. Adjournment Motion: Schultz motioned to adjourn the meeting. Kehoe seconded. Vote: 7-0. Motion passed. The meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Molly Boyle Senior Planner Staff support to the Planning Board Approved: March 19, 2026