Town Council Work Session

Page 1 of 4 TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES January 18, 2024 The St. James Town Council held a Work Session on January 18, 2024 in the Earl Dye Council Chamber. Mayor Toner opened the Work Session at 10:00am. Council Members Present: Mayor Jean Toner, Councilors Jim Board, Lynn Dutney, and David Morgan. Staff Present: Town Manager Jeff Repp, Finance Director Pauline Haran, and Town Clerk Laura Williams Others Present: North Carolina DOT Transportation Engineer Nazia Sarder, Cape Fear COG Regional Planner Sam Boswell, Brunswick County Long-Range Planner Helen Bunch, State Port Pilot Reporter Eliot Duke, one other NCDOT employee, and 6 residents. Absent: Mayor Pro Tem David DeLong Administration Update a. Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) Final Presentation - Nazia Sarder, Transportation Engineer III, NCDOT Ms. Nazia Sarder and Mr. Sam Boswell gave a thorough presentation on the Brunswick County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). In summary, the plan is a 25 to 30- year vision plan that is essentially a wish list for Brunswick County’s current and future needs. The types of projects that were discussed include: public transportation and rail map, bicycle and pedestrian map, highway recommendations, and facility classifications for mobility and control. This plan is updated every 5 years. Mr. Boswell stated the purpose of the presentation is to seek adoption of the CTP by local municipalities adopting the resolution, and then the RPO would endorse the plan. Once adopted and endorsed, DOT can score the projects based on feasibility and community desire. The higher the score of a project, the higher prioritization the projects receives. If St. James chooses to join the CTP, then a Resolution will be adopted. Mayor Toner stated that one issue St. James and the surrounding area has faced is the difficulty of hurricane evacuation. NC211 tends to flood during hurricanes which can prevent residents from being able to effectively evacuate. Ms. Sarder stated that the flooding in the area is a resiliency project in the CTP and will be addressed. Councilor Board inquired which projects are already submitted and which projects are going to happen in the future. Ms. Sarder responded that on the list and appendix of the project sheets, there are details that show if the project has been scored in prioritization or if it has been submitted to prioritization for scoring. If it is not listed, then it is just considered a vision project. Council discussed the NC211 widening having multiple steps/projects listed on the Brunswick County Highway Recommendations sheet. Mr. Boswell stated the entire length of NC211from Highway 17 to Southport has not been funded but is listed on the CTP. There are some sections that are actively being widened and there are some sections that are on the “wish list”. Mr. Repp advised the Council that a resolution will be on their February public meeting agenda for action.  Page 2 of 4 TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES January 18, 2024 Council thanked Mr. Boswell and Ms. Sarder for their presentation. Ms. Sarder left the meeting at 10:30am. b. Proposed Rail Expansion - Mayor Toner Mayor Toner stated she wanted Council to be aware of the proposed rail expansion. She discussed the intercity passenger rail workgroup handout. The committee has recommended a passenger rail connection from Raleigh to Wilmington and improvements of the current rail. Mr. Boswell stated there was a lot of interest in expanding the rail and it is something that is being discussed across the state of North Carolina. Mayor Toner requested that if Mr. Boswell has any more information regarding the proposed rail expansion, to share it with St. James. Mr. Boswell left the meeting. c. November & December 2023 Zoning Report Mr. Repp presented the November and December zoning reports. In November, there were 3 total zoning permits issued, 1 new construction and 2 additions. In December, there were 7 total zoning permits issued, 2 of which were new construction. The cumulative total of permits issued in the last 12 months were 89 new construction and 72 other permits. d. November & December 2023 Community Center Monthly Report and Survey Mr. Repp reviewed the Community Center reports for the months November and December. In November, there were a total of 218 reservations and in December, there were 169 reservations. For the calendar year 2023, there were 2,688 events with a billed revenue of $74,965. e. St. James Water Pressure Project - Updated Time Schedule Mr. Repp updated Council on the progress of the St. James Water Pressure Project. He stated that on January 26th, the request for proposals are due to Brunswick County. The Public Works department will form a committee (including Town Manager Repp) to review the proposals and make a recommendation to the County Commissioners. As soon as the Commissioners take action in April, the process of awarding the contract will begin. The completion date is still set for late 2025. f. 2024 Town Shredding Day Mrs. Haran stated that Shred 360 will provide shredding services at the Community Center, but they only have two trucks, which is an issue for the desired second shredding location. The second location is the Dosher facility that is next to the Seaside gate, and they have verbally agreed to allow the Town to use their parking lot as a secondary shredding event location. The proposed date is May 18th. Mrs. Haran found that Iron Mountain is available to provide shredding services for the secondary location. The cost for Iron Mountain is $3,000 and Shred 360 is approximately $1,600. With the second shredding location, Mayor Toner stated that the Town could provide a popup tent for shade and water for volunteers. Mayor Toner stated the community would be recommended to go to one of the two  Page 3 of 4 TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES January 18, 2024 shredding locations and that volunteers will be needed to assist with traffic congestion and efficiency. g. Firewise Update - Councilor Dave Morgan Councilor Morgan stated that Firewise is involving both the St. James Fire Department and the POA in fire prevention in the Plantation. He stated Firewise has plans to discuss landscaping requirements with the POA. h. NCDOI Proposed Homeowners Insurance Increase Mr. Repp discussed that the North Carolina Department of Insurance is proposing increases across the entire state of North Carolina. For the 28461 area code, there is a 71.4% proposed cost increase. Mayor Toner stated she wants to draft a letter from the Town that opposes the cost increase. She stated that the 19 mayors in the Mayor’s Association are drafting a joint letter to be sent to NCDOI. The Mayor’s Association is also requesting that individual municipalities draft and send a letter to the NC Insurance Commissioner. The NCDOI is accepting public comment for this rate increase through February 2nd. The Mayor stated that this Work Session covered a lot of interesting topics and inquired if there was public comment. Julie Livingston, 4308 Ashfield Place, stated that she was excited about the proposed rail service coming to the St. James area. She also stated she was concerned about the aviation in the area. She discussed wanting to see more flight options in the area. Mayor Toner responded that the NC Department of Transportation is responsible for aviation, and they have an annual prioritization meeting. There are not currently any aviation expansions planned for this area. Mayor Toner thanked Ms. Livingston for her comments. Finance Update Mrs. Haran discussed the revenues as of January 2023 totaled $3,843,767. The Town’s expenditures totaled $1,968,525, which is 38% of the budget. The sales taxes collected for sales in November totaled $233,789.45 and the ad valorem taxes totaled $253,980.49. The Town has started planning for the 25th anniversary celebration. The celebration will take place on June 30th and July 1st. On June 30th, there will be a classic car show at the Community Center and concerts at Woodlands Park that afternoon. On July 1st, there will be a golf event at Members Club and fireworks that evening. Mrs. Haran stated the National Guard cybersecurity consultants are expected on site the week of January 22nd. It is for an on-site analysis to test the system and determine if there are any cyber security issues. In March or April, the Town will transfer to a new website platform, EvoGov. The Town’s current website provider, Catalis, is substantially increasing rates and the Town has opted to contract with another website host.  Page 4 of 4 TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES January 18, 2024 Other updates include Council confirmed the date of February 22nd for the Budget Retreat, and the Community Center painting is completed. Adjournment Mayor Toner adjourned the Work Session at 11:15am. Respectfully Submitted Approved Laura Williams, Town Clerk Jean R. Toner, Mayor