Town Council Work Session

TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES October 17, 2024 The St. James Town Council held a Work Session on Thursday, October 17, 2024, in the Earl Dye Council Chamber. Mayor Toner opened the Work Session at 10:00am. Council Members Present: Mayor Jean Toner, Mayor Pro Tem David DeLong, Councilors Lynn Dutney and Jim Board Staff Present: Town Manager Jeff Repp, Finance Director Pauline Haran, and Town Clerk Laura Williams Others Present: State Port Pilot Reporter Eliot Duke and 4 residents Absent: Councilor Dennis Barclay Administration Update a. Naming Town Buildings Policy Town Manager Jeff Repp stated this item is regarding the discussion of renaming of the Community Center. The policy was originally adopted by Council in 2019, and it does not allow the renaming of Town buildings. One reason this policy was introduced was due to the limited number of Town-owned facilities. If Council were interested in renaming a building, they would need to rescind the policy. Council agreed to have it on the agenda for the November meeting. b. Discussion: Recent Brunswick County Planning Board Decisions Mayor Toner stated that there have been several issues involving the approved developments in Brunswick County. One of which is the approval of 1,001 acres that span from NC211 to Gilbert Road. The proposed development is 3,500 housing units, which has three road access from 211, Gilbert Road, and Middleton Road. The Mayor voiced concerns about the developments access on 211 due to the increase in traffic and safety issues that would accompany the traffic increase. A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) had not been conducted for this development prior to approval. It is estimated that it will add 32,000 vehicular trips on 211 per day. Mayor Toner stated that since 2020, Brunswick County has approved 37,500 new housing units. The Brunswick County Planning Board met the previous Monday, and they tabled the action on a few text amendments, one item was the TIA requirements and other item was clear cutting. The Mayor then discussed the County’s UDO only requires retention ponds to be constructed to handle just 1” of water from a storm. Any new developments in the County are only required to handle a 25-year storm. The Mayor continued to discuss recent text amendments and Planning Board decisions. She stated NC 211 is being built to withstand a 100-year storm. Page 1 of 3  TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES October 17, 2024 c. August & September Zoning Report Town Manager Repp stated that in August, there were 15 total zoning permits issued, 8 were new construction and 7 were modifications/additions. In September there were 13 total zoning permits issued, 1 new construction and 12 modifications/additions. The cumulative total of permits issued in the last 12 months were 69 residential new construction permits and 74 modification/addition permits. Mr. Repp stated that the Town received the certified population estimate which was 7,932. This estimate is current as of July 1, 2023. d. August & September Community Center Reports & Surveys Town Manager Jeff Repp stated that to-date there were a total of 2,056 events held at the Community Center and the revenue billed for the same time period totaled $71,884. For the same time period last year, the total number of reservations were 2,047 and the total billed revenue was $49,025. Mr. Repp reviewed the presented chart which showed the number of events by tier. Tier 1, resident activities, had by far the largest number of reservations. e. Amending Grant Project Ordinance #2022-06 & Revising Interlocal Agreement with Brunswick County Town Manager Jeff Repp discussed the grant project ordinance and revision of the Interlocal Agreement with the County. He stated that the Town needs to have its funds obligated by the end of this year, which based on the current schedule will not happen until spring of 2025 when the County awards the final construction contract after the 60% design is completed by CDM Smith. This will keep the Town in compliance with the ARP guidelines. Ms. Haran discussed that the Town has taken it upon itself to create an Ordinance that uses revenue replacement. By doing this, the town has authorized, obligated, and spent the grant money. Instead of giving the County the award, the Town is contracting with them to complete the water pressure improvement project. The project is still scheduled to be completed by mid-2026. f. SJFD Aerial Truck Purchase Town Manager Repp discussed the aerial truck proposal. Councilor Dutney stated it will take 34-36 months for the truck to be manufactured. The SJFD went through an extensive process of analyzing the two truck manufacturers. The maker, Stuphen, is a family-owned company out of Ohio. Mayor Toner stated the Town does not have to put down a down payment and will pay in full when the truck is received. Councilor Dutney stated the current fire truck is about 25 years old. The new truck will be able to reach 4-story buildings. Finance Update Finance Director Pauline Haran stated that the sales taxes collected for sales in August totaled $317,240.79. The property taxes collected totaled $194,373. She stated the Town will collect 100% of the taxes by September. Page 2 of 3  TOWN OF ST. JAMES WORK SESSION MINUTES October 17, 2024 There are four electronic sign boards the Town owns that the POA and SJFD use during storms and emergency situations. All of the signs need to be serviced, three of the four can be repaired with the fourth sign being used for parts for one of the other three signs. The Town found a company in Rocky Point to upkeep and repair the signs. Two of the signs are 17 and 18 years old and the replacement cost is approximately $16,000 to $20,000. Mayor Toner stated that after the signs are in working order, there needs to be an assigned maintenance schedule to ensure the signs are always in working order. Council discussed who would be the responsible party and those using the signs need to keep the town abreast when there are issues with the signs. Ms. Haran stated that the town was awaiting a proposal from the company and then would see that the signs get repaired. Ms. Haran stated that Patriot Illumination has installed the holidays lights. She discussed Ponds 2 and 3 are both damaged. Pond # 2 sustained damage from Tropical Cyclone #8 and the cost to repair it is approximately $3,500. Pond # 3’s damage occurred from a failed riprap inlet leading from the parking lot to the pond, and the cost to repair it is $4,340. Ms. Haran stated a draft of the audit report has been returned to the Auditors for corrections. Councilor Board inquired about temporary lighting in areas that are dimly lit as a result of storm damage, specifically in the area of Pinecrest. Town Manager Repp stated that BEMC does have temporary spotlights that the Town could potentially use if needed. Mayor Pro Tem DeLong discussed the NC 211 project funding was 45% complete. NCDOT assessed the roads after the two recent storms and there was no significant damage to the new roadwork and the project is still on schedule. Adjournment Mayor Toner adjourned the Work Session at 10:57am. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Laura Williams, Town Clerk Jean R. Toner, Mayor Page 3 of 3