Town Council Regular Meeting

Page 1 of 3 TOWN OF ST. JAMES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES February 7, 2024 The St. James Town Council met in Regular Session at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 in the Earl Dye Council Chamber. Council Members Present: Mayor Jean Toner, Mayor Pro Tem David DeLong, Councilors David Morgan, Lynn Dutney, and Jim Board Staff Present: Town Manager Jeff Repp, Finance Director Pauline Haran, and Town Clerk Laura Williams Others Present: Cape Fear COG Regional Planner Sam Boswell, State Port Pilot Reporter Eliot Duke, one other NCDOT employee, and 7 residents. Via Zoom: North Carolina DOT Transportation Engineer Nazia Sarder and Brunswick County Long-Range Planner Helen Bunch CALL TO ORDER Mayor Toner opened the meeting at 4:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE All in attendance joined Mayor Toner in honoring our flag. APPROVAL OF AGENDA There were no changes or corrections to be made to the Agenda. Mayor Toner asked for a motion to approve the Agenda as presented. Mayor Pro Tem DeLong made a motion to approve the Agenda. Vote: 5/0 APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA Councilor Board made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda, which consists of the minutes from the January 3, 2024 Regular Meeting and the minutes from the January 18, 2024 Work Session. Vote: 5/0 MAYOR/COUNCIL/STAFF REPORTS Town Manager Repp gave an update on the St. James water pressure improvement project. He stated the RFP deadline to the County was January 26th. Brunswick County received two RFP’s but three were required in order for the bids to be publicly read and opened. The project will be readvertised for seven days, and the new deadline is mid-February. At that point, if only one bid is received they can open it and proceed with the project. This will not impact the project completion date of late 2025. a. Presentation of the 2023 National Firewise Certificate of Recognition for the Town of St. James - Councilman Morgan Councilor Morgan stated the Town's Firewise Recertification Application and Plan have  Page 2 of 3 TOWN OF ST. JAMES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES February 7, 2024 been approved by Firewise USA (NFPA). Councilor Morgan discussed that Firewise plans to become more involved in community outreach and working with the POA. b. Notification of NCDOT February 26, 2024 Public Meeting on Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and NC 211 Updates the St. James Community Center – Mayor Pro Tem DeLong Mayor Pro Tem DeLong stated Chad Kimes with NCDOT is conducting a presentation on the NC211 project and Cape Fear Memorial Bridge repairs. It will be on February 26th from 2:00-4:00pm at the St. James Community Center. He will be available to answer questions from the public. c. Wellhead Protection Overlay District Update - Councilman Board Councilor Board gave a brief history and a progress update of the wellhead protection overlay district. Councilor Board’s PowerPoint presentation is posted on the Town’s website. OLD BUSINESS – None. NEW BUSINESS 24-06 Motion to Approve Resolution 2024-01 Adopting the 2024 Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan Mr. Repp stated that this Resolution will adopt the 2024 Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan which has been in production since 2020. The St. James Town Council received a presentation from Cape Fear COG and NCDOT at the January Work Session. Once the resolution is signed, it will be forwarded to the County. The other Brunswick County municipalities are also being asked to adopt a similar resolution. Once all municipalities adopt the resolution, they will be sent to the State and become the backbone of future requests of infrastructure projects within Brunswick County. Mayor Toner introduced Mr. Sam Boswell with the Cape Fear COG. Mr. Boswell stated that this plan is a 20–30-year long-range plan that addresses transportation needs such as highway projects, bicycle/pedestrian projects, transit projects, and rail projects. The purpose is to assess the current and future needs of Brunswick County. Councilor Dutney made a motion to approve Resolution 2024-01 Adopting the 2024 Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Mayor Toner asked if there were any discussion or questions from Council, there were none. Mayor Toner asked if there were any questions from the public, there were none. Vote: 5/0 PUBLIC COMMENT – None.  Page 3 of 3 TOWN OF ST. JAMES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES February 7, 2024 ADJOURNMENT At 4:27pm Councilor Morgan made a motion to adjourn the meeting. All were in favor. Vote: 5/0 Respectfully Submitted, Approved, _________________________ ______________________ Laura Williams, Town Clerk Jean R. Toner, Mayor