Regular Meeting
MINUTES
The Holly
Springs Town
Council Members Absent: None.
Staff Members Present:
Planning Board Members Present: A quorum of the Planning Board also was in
attendance: Chairman Joseph Fanjoy,
Vinnie DeBenedetto, Raymond Cordon, Lisa Martin and Joe Signoretti.
2 and 3.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and the meeting opened with an
invocation by Rev. Horace Ferguson of
4.
Agenda Adjustment: The
Motion
By: Womble
Second
By: Dickson
Vote: Unanimous
Items
Added to the Agenda: None.
Consent
Agenda Items Removed: None.
Other
Changes: None.
5.
Public Hearing: Bridgewater
Recreation Center, 05-SEU-01 – Mr. Jones said that at the April 19 meeting, the Town Council
continued this public hearing until May 3 to give the applicant time to meet
with neighboring property owners to discuss ways of making the plan more
acceptable to them. Mr. Jones said that
the meeting could not be held prior to the agenda packet deadlines for the May
3 meeting; therefore, staff requests that the hearing be further continued
until
Mr. Jones said that because the hearing is continued, any
citizens who are interested in speaking should be allowed to provide testimony
and evidence under oath before continuing the hearing until May 17.
With that explanation completed, Mayor Sears opened the
public hearing to accept sworn testimony and qualified evidence. Speakers spoke under oath administered by the
Deputy Town Clerk. The following
testimony was recorded:
Alexander Lapinski of 105 Arbor Creek Tree Court said that the proposed location of
the
A. Troy Mangum of 112 Arbor Tree Court said that he has reviewed a revised
plan of the
Councilman VanFossen asked Town staff to research the tree-cutting
matter and to research other possible locations for the
Action:
The council approved a motion to continue the public hearing until
Motion by:
Pearson
Second By:
Womble
Vote:
Unanimous
6a. Kids Appreciation Day,
Erica Bailey, a volunteer of Holly
Springs Kiwanis Club and Kid’s Appreciation Day festivities, thanked the Town for
its support and introduced Ann Petroza.
Ann Petroza, a member of the Key Club,
read a poem about children and their future.
Mayor Pro Tem Dickson presented a proclamation to the
Kiwanis Club of
6b. National Charter Schools Week – Ms.
Lynanne Fowle, director of the
Mr. Fisher provided the
Council with the school’s history and the school’s features, such as the
integrated curriculum and the classroom environment.
Ninth-grader Ms. Weaver
said she enjoys going to her classes because of the hands-on projects and how they
relate to real-world scenarios. She
explained to the Council how the school uses portfolios, internships and job
shadowing. She also explained the
community service and curriculum requirements each student is to complete
before graduation.
Ms. Fowle said that the
future plans of the
Councilman Pearson at this time presented Mayor
Sears with a small gift from
6c. Presentation of the FY 2005-06 Budget
– Mr. Dean
distributed his recommended FY 2005‑06 Town budget for the Council’s
review. He said that in order to
accommodate the Council members’ questions and suggestions for revisions to the
budget plan, a budget workshop is scheduled for
Mr. Dean said that the Town of Holly Springs has experienced
a great deal of positive growth over the past several years, enhancing the
Town’s ability to improve services provided to its citizens. He said that, as the Town continues to
develop, a vision of how the community will grow while upholding the quality of
life expected by its citizens should be maintained. Mr. Dean said that this vision should include
quality services, programs that address the needs of citizens, economic
development in keeping with the community, and adequate infrastructure to meet
the requirements of the growing Town. He
said the proposed budget is designed to meet those needs during the next
year. He reviewed the revenues of the
general and utility funds, in addition to the general and utility expenditures,
with the council members.
Mr. Dean said that the salary requirements for next year
include a recommended 3% cost of living adjustment (COLA) across the
Mr. Dean said that with the current economic environment, the
Town’s goal is to create a budget that will maintain and improve services to
citizens while still controlling the costs for these services. He said that he feels the Town of Holly
Springs has a solid and conservative budget for next year.
Mr. Dean said that, as part of the budget process, staff
feels it is important to have new residential developments absorb additional
expenses for infrastructure rather than passing costs on to existing
citizens. He said the Town has increased
the water and sewer capacity fees from $3,000 to $3,500 in order to address
immediate infrastructure needs. He said
that in addition, the Town has removed the sewer capacity fees from the
operating budget, allowing these fees to go directly into reserve
accounts. He said that it is important for
the Town to gradually reduce its dependence on impact fees and charges for
operating expenses, and staff will continue to attempt to reduce these charges
in future budgets to eliminate potential financial problems within the
operating budget.
Mr. Dean indicated that as the Town proceeds into the next
several years, staff will continue to evaluate projects and personnel needs as
they relate to the provision of services.
He said that Town staff has several substantial projects (wastewater
treatment plant, library/cultural arts center, fire station,
Mr. Dean said that Town staff has done a good job in the
development of the budget and has done a good job of controlling costs while
providing service levels expected by the Town Council and citizens. He said the proposed budget was a best
estimate of what the Town should expect next year and represents a fair
assessment of the Town’s anticipated revenues and expenditures.
Mr. Dean said this budget reflects his recommendations based
on department meetings, evaluation of existing service needs, and input from the
Town Council. He thanked all the
department heads and the finance director,
Mr. Dean said that the FY 2005-06 budget represents a level
of funding that will allow the Town to maintain and improve current service
levels while making organizational changes, which should be cost effective and
more efficient. He said it is important
to note that with any budget external forces can affect projections, and for
that reason the figures proposed in the FY 2005-06 budget are a very
conservative forecast of revenues and expenditures for the next year.
Councilman VanFossen inquired about the increase of impact
fees for single family dwellings.
Ms. Sudano said that increasing the impact fees would
increase the construction cost of a single family dwelling from $5,500 to
$6,000 per dwelling, which includes other permitting fees as well.
7.
Consent Agenda: All
items on the Consent Agenda were approved following a motion by Councilman Atwell,
a second by Councilman Dickson and a unanimous vote. The following actions were affected:
7a. Minutes – The
Council approved minutes of the
7b. Budget Amendment $30,000 – The
7c.
Budget Amendment $590 - The
7d. Budget Amendment $52,725 - The
7e. Resolution 05-17 – The Council adopted Resolution 05-17
directing the Town Clerk to investigate the sufficiency of Annexation Petition
A05-08, filed by property owners Walter Colvin, Cindy Colvin, Ora Colvin, Blondell J. Johnson, Vandell J. Price and Peggy J.
Butts, for the annexation of
14.25 acres and to fix the date for a public hearing on the question of
annexation for May 17, 2005. A copy of Resolution 05-17 is incorporated
into these minutes as addendum pages.
8.
Sunset Ridge Pump Station Odor Study Report –
Mr. Tillage, the water quality director, explained that at a previous
Council meeting, the council directed staff and a consultant to continue
investigating the odors associated with the Sunset Ridge pump station and the
Ballenridge subdivision.
Tim Reneau of US Fiber gave a brief history of the US
Fiber’s products and the services they offer. He discussed wastewater odors,
how they are generated and the method of treating odors.
William Diehl of Diehl & Phillips explained what can be done
about the odors and discussed the cost for correcting the problem. He said that he recommends to add odor
control units at the
Mr. Tillage said that he included the cost for the chemicals
needed to treat the pump stations in the FY 2005-06 budget, but the equipment and
the installation costs are not included in this year’s budget.
Councilman Pearson suggested that the Council consider
adding the cost of the equipment to future budgets, one station per budget year,
until the problem is corrected, or infiltrating the cost of the equipment into
the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
Consensus: The Council members were in consensus to
discuss and consider the consultants’ recommendations and costs at the May 10 FY
2005-06 budget workshop at
9a.
Ms. Mizelle said that Mr. Charles Todd of Little Diversified
Architectural Consultants was present to discuss the options with the Council
on possible changes to reduce the costs.
She said her request is for the Town Council to either increase the
project budget amount or make changes to the building design to reduce the
project costs.
Mr. Todd reviewed with the Council
members the project history and stated that at the time of the completion of
the schematics the project cost estimates were within the Town’s budget. He said that over the period of two years the
cost of construction was continually rising due to the cost of materials as
well as interest among local contractors.
Mr. Todd reviewed the furniture,
fixtures and equipment (FF& E) items that must be built into the cultural
center theater space. Those items include the telescopic theatrical seating, AV
sound system, theatrical lighting system and theatrical equipment/curtains. He said that other FF& E items remain at the
original estimated cost, including the tables, chairs and other miscellaneous
equipment not fixed to the building. He
said that he recommends either increasing the project budget for both the
Library and
After much discussion of the options
of removing two classrooms or using other furniture, fixtures and equipment, the
Councilmen were all in consensus to increase the project budget to match the
cost estimates.
Action: The
Motion By:
Atwell
Second
By: Womble
Vote: Unanimous
A copy of
Mr. Todd said that the project was
on schedule. He anticipates receiving full construction documents at the
beginning of June and advertising for bids in mid-July, 2005. The anticipated project
completion date is September, 2006.
Ms. Mizelle said that she will be
working with
9b. Sunset Point, 05-MAS-01 - Mr. Jones said his request is for the
Council members to consider a preliminary plan for Sunset Point,
05-MAS-01. He said the plan proposes a
subdivision of 46 residential lots on an approximately 21-acre site, with an
average lot size of 11,960 square feet. Mr. Jones said that a greenway connection to
the Middle Creek Greenway would be required.
He said the site contains a pond and drainage areas, which would be
maintained by the homeowner’s association.
Mr. Jones said Town staff and the Planning Board
recommends approval with conditions.
Councilman Womble inquired about when the
development of the proposed major thoroughfare and the main entrance to the
proposed subdivision will be constructed.
Mr. Jones said that the road improvements along
Ms. Sudano said that there will be turning lanes
and widening along
Action: The
1.
A
UDO permit for sign installation in addition to all other applicable permits
will need to be secured prior to any sign installation.
2.
A
fee-in-lieu of a pump station upgrade will be required.
3.
Prior
to the Final Plat, the following must be completed:
a.
Payment
of fees-in-lieu of land dedication in the amount of $874/unit.
4.
The
following items are to be included with the first construction drawing
submittal (later in the approval process):
a.
Drainage Area Map for the fully developed
tributary area and supporting calculations.
b.
A
detail of the outlet structure for the dam
c.
Documentation
of offsite sewer easements
d.
A
pond report verifying capacity of the pond and structural integrity of the dam,
including 100-year water surface elevation.
e.
Graphically
show location of and label local (flood study) 100-year floodplain elevation
for the pond and stream.
Motion By:
Pearson
Second
By: Womble
Councilman VanFossen said, regarding the pond and flood
elevations, that he clarified with staff that the plan meets the Town’s flood and
drainage requirements.
Ms. Sudano said that staff has reviewed the preliminary plan
and made comments regarding the drainage and what materials are needed for the construction
drawing approvals (condition #4. a-e).
Vote: Unanimous
9c. Parkside Developers Agreement,
Realignment of
Ms. Sudano said the
Ms. Sudano said that, on the thoroughfare plan,
There was much discussion of several thoroughfare plan
options of alignment of
Mr. John Johnson, P.E., the engineering consultant for
Parkside Village LLC, gave a brief history of the Parkside Development and the
area. He said the original plan was
approved to construct 87 units with zero lot line. He said that over the years the market for
this type of housing has changed and the remainer of the subdivision is being
developed as a tradional subdivision with larger-sized lots. He said in the beginning the alginment of
Lyle Overcash, P.E., of Martin Alexiou Bryson of
Mr. Overcash said realigning
Mr. Overcash said that the overall proposed realignment is
not necessary based on the traffic demand.
Mr. Mizelle, a representative of
After much discussion of several options of realigning
Action:
The
Motion By:
VanFossen
Second
By: Womble
Vote: Unanimous
9d. Village District Small Area Plan
– Ms. Bobber said
the Town has received several proposals for consultant services to assist staff
in the development and preparation of the Village District Area Plan. She said the focus area is to be encompassed
roughly by Third Street / Holly Springs Road / Collins Drive / Grigsby Ave. /
NC 55 Bypass / Avent Ferry Road / Burt Street / and Blalock Street. She said the review process of the proposals
will be completed on Friday, May 6, and the Council Members will receive the proposals
and staff’s recommendations on Monday, May 9, for the Council’s review. The
Council is to consider taking action on the proposals on Tuesday, May 10, at
the budget workshop.
Action:
None.
9e. BFI Construction and Demolition
Landfill Site –
Councilman VanFossen addressed the Council, reporting on site visits by him and
Councilman Pearson in
Councilman Pearson concurred and
stated that he thought that a block chart of concepts of what could go on the
site should be developed, and that a community survey should be developed to ascertain
what the market need for this land would be.
Councilman
Womble said that he favored the Town gaining control of the land.
Councilman
Dickson stated that he was not interested in the Town being responsible in any
manner for this site in 2000 when it was last discussed, and he still is not in
favor of the concept, stating that he would rather it remain open space.
Councilman
Atwell concurred with Councilman Dickson and stated that it was not practical
to compare the northeast region of the country with
Action:
The
Motion
By: Pearson
Second
By: Atwell
There
were discussions between Councilmen Atwell and Pearson regarding the
undesirability at this stage to entertain detailed analyses from a land planner
on specific layouts and uses, and it was decided that this type of analysis was
not needed. Councilman Pearson agreed to amend his motion to include the
directive that the analysis should not go into detailed planning.
Vote:
The vote carried, the four in favor being Councilmen Pearson, Womble,
VanFossen, Atwell, and the one opposed being Councilman Dickson.
10. Public Comment: At this time, an opportunity was
provided for members of the audience who had registered to speak to address the
Council on any variety of topics not listed on the night’s agenda. The following citizens were heard:
John L. Johnson, 5500 Solomon of
Seal Court, said
that he was concerned about the Town officials’ travel expenses to
11. Other Business: Councilman Pearson said that the trip to
Councilman Pearson gave Town staff a
compliment regarding a business brochure, remarking on how professional and customer
friendly it was. Also, he said, Town
staff did a great job on the Town’s website with the pothole hotline.
Councilman Pearson asked the Council
to keep in mind, when designing the downtown village area and the community
center, to consider including space for the arts; this could be an attraction
to the Town to draw more citizens to
Councilman Atwell asked Town staff to
remind citizens about recycling through a news article in the paper and to
inform the citizens of the possible yard debris fee increase after the May 10
budget workshop. Councilman Atwell also
asked about the progress of web streaming the Council’s meetings. Mr. Dean reported that the web streaming will
be online first of July; the equipment has been ordered, and the Town is in the
process of renegotiating Beacon’s contract.
12.
Manager’s Report: Mr. Dean reminded the Councilmen
of the upcoming Town Hall Day on
13. Closed Session: The Council approved a motion to enter into
Closed Session, pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11(a) (3) to consult with the Town
Attorney regarding a matter of a case petition of the
Motion
By: Pearson
Second
By: Dickson
Vote: Unanimous
General Account Closed
Session May 3, 2005
In Closed Session, the Councilmen
directed the Town Attorney to go forward with the withdrawal of the contested
petition concerning the NCPDES wastewater permit.
-- End of General Account
Action: The Council approved a motion to return to Open Session.
Motion By: Atwell
Second
By: Dickson
Vote: Unanimous.
A
copy of NPDES Permit Adjudication letter from DWQ is incorporated into these
minutes as addendum pages.
Councilman
Atwell said that he had met with Joe Fanjoy and Raymond Cordon of the Planning
Board before the Council meeting. He
said that Raymond Cordon said that he might be speaking at the next Council
meeting about the article in the
Councilman Atwell said that another concern
of Mr. Cordon was the statements that were mentioned in the paper and other
statements by the Town Council appear to indict Mr. DeBenedetto, the entire
Planning Board and himself for failure of keeping the Town Council informed
regarding the actions that led to the Feb. 9 meeting. Councilman Atwell said that Mr. Cordon felt that
he and Mr. DeBenedetto, in keeping the Planning Director, Town Manager and
Mayor informed of planned actions, sufficiently notified to Town officials
about the board’s actions. Councilman
Atwell said that he also was under the impression that Ms. Bobber, Mr. Dean or
Mayor Sears would forward this information to the Town Council members if they
deemed it of sufficient importance to warrant action.
14.
Adjournment: There being no further business for
the evening, the May 3, 2005, meeting of the Holly Springs Town
Respectfully
Submitted on
_________________________________
Addendum pages as referenced in these
minutes follow and are a part of the official record