Town Council Work Session

Page 1 of 5 TOWN OF ST. JAMES BUDGET RETREAT MINUTES February 20, 2025 The St. James Town Council held a Budget Workshop at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2025 in the Earl Dye Council Chamber. Council Members Present: Mayor Jean Toner, Mayor Pro Tem David DeLong, Councilors Dennis Barclay, Jim Board, and Lynn Dutney Staff Present: Town Manager Jeff Repp, Finance Director Pauline Haran, and Town Clerk Jamie Burns Others: Jim Crum (SJFD Board President), Rich Agar (SJFD Treasure), and 2 residents CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 9:16am. Updates on Ongoing Business a. Status of Projects Grant for Carbon reduction plan (will add to short-term funding needs in the amount of $400,000). Mayor Toner stated that she met with Congressman David Rouzer who confirmed the grant was already committed and not at risk of being pulled back. They could possibly pause the grant, but since it’s to be expended by the end of this fiscal year, that is unlikely. Town Manager Jeff Repp stated that he received final numbers from BEMC which was $399,600 for 498 lights. They are in the process of going through grant submission forms with NC DOT. b. Shred Event Ms. Haran reminded council that the shred event would be two days again this year. When the event gets closer announcements will be made. The community will be split up by the yard debris schedule which seemed to work well last year. Council was fine with the expense of close to $6,000. The dates of April 19th and May 3rd were secured last year. Ms. Haran will reach out to make sure the dates are on the St. James Fire Department’s schedule. She will also see if the conservancy is available to assist. Council agreed the Conservancy volunteers were helpful last year. The only issue last year was people lining up before the scheduled start time causing traffic to back up. c. Status of Occupancy Tax charter/Determine the need for additional Legislative Action Mr. Repp gave an update on the occupancy tax. He stated that last year at this time council passed the legislation necessary to ask for and receive authority to levy an occupancy tax on short-term rental properties. Authorization was given to the town, but legislation does not provide the town the ability to exempt anyone, including non-profit organizations. Council was clear that unless there was an exemption for non-profits they would not be interested in adoption. A request was made to the general assembly to amend legislation to allow the town to exempt nonprofits, which is not uncommon. This is currently pending at General Assembly and should come back to the board later this year with the exemption capability.  Page 2 of 5 TOWN OF ST. JAMES BUDGET RETREAT MINUTES February 20, 2025 d. Update on Event Center Survey-Next steps Mr. Repp stated that response has been very good to the surveys that were sent out to gather information from the public. Survey responses will be condensed into an informational report the council will receive prior to a public meeting to be held in late April or early May where public will have an opportunity to provide any additional comments. A final report will be completed after the public meeting to include public comment. Ms. Haran stated that for this next budget year, beginning July 1st, she is not including any expenditures for the community center. Mr. Repp stated that would be appropriate because the town would not be budgeting anything until they receive a final report and direction. Commitment to Disaster Recovery Ms. Haran stated that one of the most important things to decide during this meeting is what to do with the one cent tax that was levied eight years ago in anticipation of building up the reserve for the disaster recovery fund. A commitment goal of $1.5 million was established eight years ago. At the end of this fiscal year in June the town will be $31,467 shy of that goal. The council had a lengthy discussion regarding whether to continue or discontinue the tax. Mayor Toner highlighted the importance of maintaining a robust fund, citing past experiences with hurricanes Florence and Dorian. Council acknowledged the importance of maintaining this fund to cover immediate clean up costs after a disaster, as reimbursements can take years to process. Consensus was that the one cent tax to fund disaster recovery would remain in the budget for an additional year. St. James Fire Department Update – Jim Crum, Board President and Rich Agar, Treasurer Mr. Crum thanked Finance Director, Pauline Haran for suggesting the cash flow analysis. He presented the fire department’s capital expenditure plan for the next ten years, which amounts to approximately $4.5 million. Mr. Crum presented a detailed breakdown of planned purchases, including replacements for vehicles and equipment, such as life-saving devices. A new pumper truck was purchased and should be coming in a couple months. A ladder truck is under order that will arrive in about four years. They are currently looking to purchase an ambulance which will be about three years out. He explained that the timing of purchases was based on both schedules and the expected lifespan of equipment. The fire department is working with the Town to accrue reserves in anticipation of purchases. Ground cover sales will be designated as the primary source of capital reserve funding. Council discussed the funding mechanism for these capital expenditures, with the fire department proposing to absorb smaller capital expenses into their operating budget. Mayor Toner stated that the council is happy to do long range planning and wants to be able to provide funds when needed. The council expressed appreciation for their thorough planning and agreed to support the concept and range of numbers presented. They discussed the importance of this plan in light of extended equipment delivery times, which can take 3 to 4 years from order to receipt. Mayor Toner inquired whether the fire department would be able to utilize the proposed Brunswick Community College Public Safety Building and training facility. Mr. Crum confirmed that they currently use existing facilities in Shallotte and would likely be able to use the new facility when it is completed. Mayor Toner thanked Mr. Crum and Mr. Agar for a complete and thorough report that was easy to understand. She expressed appreciation for everything they have done.  Page 3 of 5 TOWN OF ST. JAMES BUDGET RETREAT MINUTES February 20, 2025 Mr. Crum and Mr. Agar left the meeting at 10:15 Council took a break at 10:15 and the meeting readjourned at 10:33 Open Forum for New Ideas Recycling: Councilor Board brought up resident concerns regarding the council’s previous decision not to fund recycling in the town. The estimated cost of recycling for just the first year would be $351,000 and is unknown following years. A reasonable contract could not be made with GFL. Residents are currently able to choose to participate in recycling. The town handles recycling similarly to other municipalities in the area, with residents responsible for recycling. The town values recycling but does not feel like it can afford to pay for 100% of the residents when only half of the community utilizes it or use it appropriately. When the town has previously funded recycling, GFL reported to the town that people were not recycling properly and using it as an additional trash can. The cost of recycling is more than yard debris. There is good communication between the town and the new yard debris vendor. Things have been going well. The new flag system that they instituted to explain why debris was not picked up has reduced the number of calls to town hall. The new vendor has invested in new equipment, including trucks with camaras. Comprehensive Plan Council discussed the Comprehensive Plan which is updated every five years with the last plan being published in 2021. There was discussion as to whether the POA should continue to be included in the comprehensive plan. Mayor Toner would like questions to obtain feedback from citizens regarding the services offered by the town, such as opinions regarding yard debris. State law suggests that comprehensive plans be completed every five years for strategic planning that ties into budgets. Council members will review the last two comprehensive plans and last questionnaire before the next work session. Staff will assist with the survey once questions have been determined. Ms. Haran will email and print survey questions and answers to the last questionnaire to Council members. Event Center Expansion: Discussion was tabled because there is no information to discuss. Town Newsletter: Council discussed the creation of a town newsletter. Mayor Toner emphasized the importance of differentiating the town’s communication from that of the POA and other entities. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the name for the newsletter. It was agreed that “Town of St. James” must be included in the title to clearly identify it as a town publication. “News and Notes” was a favored option. Mayor Toner asked town staff to do some mock-ups of a newsletter. Council discussed content, format, and frequency of the newsletter. Some members advocated for a single page format while others suggested a more flexible approach for digital distribution. It was decided that the newsletter should be published monthly and include a dedicated section to summarize Council activities to keep residents informed about monthly council decisions and actions. Council discussed the need for clear, concise writing and the importance of making the  Page 4 of 5 TOWN OF ST. JAMES BUDGET RETREAT MINUTES February 20, 2025 newsletter easily readable on mobile devices. Council also discussed seeking help from a volunteer to assist with the initial design and formatting of the newsletter. Staff Requests: Town staff requested the following additions to the budget: • Electronic Message Boards: Council discussed the need for additional emergency signage in the town. The purchase of three basic signs, which would cost just over $40,000, would bring the total to five functioning signs. Town Manager Repp indicated that five signs would be the appropriate number for the town. • Conference Zoom capabilities in the EOC in fire station 2: There is currently no conference room capability for Zoom in the EOC conference room located in fire station 2. Council was in agreement to purchase a camera and screen, at an estimated cost of $20,000, to provide the capability of broadcasting the entire table together. Priorities Town Staff and Council reviewed priorities for this Fiscal Year’s Budget: • SJFD Future Capital Improvements - $250,000 • Disaster fund transfer – one more year • Council agreed to continue sponsoring the Veteran’s Day breakfast at a projected cost of $3500. • UNCW Oyster Project: $20,000 • Council agreed to continue funding the drone flight for another year. UNCW Partnership: The Council reviewed the town’s partnership with the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Ms. Haran reported that she had requested clarification from UNCW regarding the services provided in exchange for the town’s funding of $20,000. The council agreed to continue the partnership, valuing the speaker series and research projects provided by UNCW. Mayor Toner suggested renaming the partnership to “UNCW Research and Education” to better reflect its scope. The council expressed satisfaction with the partnership and the positive feedback received from residents about the speaker series. Emergency Communication: The council also discussed improving emergency communications with property owners, businesses, and future residents in Executive Park and future developments. The council agreed to work on developing a system to gather contact information and create separate communication lists for different areas of the town to ensure effective emergency communications. Councilor Board left the meeting at 11:48. Council took a lunch break at 11:48pm and the meeting resumed at 12:44pm.  Page 5 of 5 TOWN OF ST. JAMES BUDGET RETREAT MINUTES February 20, 2025 Town Identity: The council discussed ways to increase the identity of the Town of St. James to ensure that residents know they live in the Town of St. James and not Southport. Some of this confusion may come from the use of a Southport mailing address. Council discussed: • Whether to add directional signage to the Town Hall and POA offices. • Having a Town of St. James float in Southport’s 4th of July parade • Reaching out to new residents with a welcome letter specifically from the town • Identification of council members during events by wearing a town shirt A Year in Review Ms. Haran reviewed what Council had wanted to accomplish in Fiscal Year 2025. Mayor Toner expressed that the Cell Tower Road repaving project looks great. There is still money in this year’s budget for landscaping of the area. The Town celebrated its 25th anniversary with fireworks and community activities. The fireworks were well received and the council discussed having a fireworks display again this year. Town sponsored fireworks may help increase the Town’s identity. There will need to be a discussion with Troon and the St. James Fire Department as to whether fireworks are feasible this year. Ms. Haran also reviewed some unexpected/not budgeted expenses that the Town had to pay over the course of the Fiscal Year, such as the permanent repair of a sinkhole near the rear parking. Mayor Toner and Council thanked the town staff for their work. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Toner adjourned the Budget Workshop at 1:44pm. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, _________________________ ___________________ Jamie Burns, Town Clerk Jean R. Toner, Mayor