Ballantyne, NC – Time Management is always an issue for government officials. Charlotte is no different. The breakfast meeting on July 23rd started with talk of the Charlotte City Council Dinner Meetings. There are a large number of agenda items to cover in sixty minutes. The city council will be having a dinner meeting and a regular city council meeting this coming Monday, July 26th, 2010. Here are the items on the agenda for the dinner briefing: the mayor’s task force on small businesses, the tree ordinance and urban land use issues. Dinner meeting’s are scheduled to start a 5:00 pm but lately there has not been a quorum of council members until well past 5:15 pm. This means the council can not get everything talked about in the remaining time. The minority women’s small business task force was replaced by the mayor’s task force on small businesses.
Mayor Anthony Foxx has two new task force groups: the small business task force and the budge review task force. Currently, the city has fewer dollars set aside for business decisions. “Saving money is bad for small businesses” seems to be the model at hand. Informal business goals are linked to city goals in order to save the city some money. “Raise taxes” and make “the government, the customer for small businesses” are all part of this business model. The city now has a program that does not always favor the lowest bidder. Sometimes, the bid will be awarded to a business that is certified with the city. Some of the qualifiers are: the annual revenue of a business and the net worth of the owner. Small business owners who own construction businesses can qualify to work with the city after they are certified. After a company is awarded the contract from the city, contractors are required to work with certain subcontractors. These subcontractors are the certified small business owners. In Charlotte there are 27,000 small businesses. 850 of these businesses are certified with the City of Charlotte. The city currently has a threshold of $200,000 but the State of North Carolina has a $50,000 threshold. The city is working to find ways to get more businesses certified.
The Economic Development Committee is meeting next week as well. Some of the city council members on this committee are: Andy Dulin, James Mitchell and Patsy Kinsey. Soon the city council will vote again on the new street car. Will there be anyone protesting the street car? It has been seven years since Charlotte did a disparity study. Right now, the city council has decided to have a new disparity study. Does the city treat minorities and women equally with everyone? City Councilman James Mitchell made sure that the city council had this item on the budget before there was a call for a need for the disparity study. Phase I of this study asks: “Do we need to further investigate disparities?” Phase II calls for a procurement program. This study is ongoing.
The tree ordinance is another item on the agenda for the dinner meeting. Is there a significant loss of tree canopy in Charlotte? The American Forests Group has just recently stated that Charlotte’s Tree Canopy Percentage is fine. The City of Charlotte has a 46% tree canopy currently. Here are the target percentages according to the American Forests Group: 1. Urban: 25%; 2. Commercial: 15%; 3. Residential: 50%. Several on city council would like a comparison between Charlotte’s tree canopy and that of other American Cities. Currently, a 15% tree save is the minimum for commercial builders. A city new ordinance increases space between parking lots from 40 feet to 60 feet. All builders must comply with an approved tree list and must have a minimum of 50% native trees that are planted. If more than 15% of the surface area of the front of any business changes then the tree ordinance once again is going to affect this business. This same business will then be required to plant an additional 50% of trees at said business. The city does try to discourage a “payment in lieu” of tree planting. This little used option requires that the payment not exceed 90% of the tax average.
City Councilman Michael Barnes is not happy with the residential 15% tree save. He is especially not pleased with how most developers use the “clear cut” method by clearing the middle of each parcel. This method takes out many useful, old trees. There is also a move not to require Industrial Properties to follow the tree ordinance. Hopefully Industry as a whole is coming back the United States. August 23rd, 2010 will be a meeting for the public to attend on this entire tree ordinance issue.
FY2011 Federal Housing and Urban Development Funds and Community Block Grants from H.U.D. will be discussed at the next city council meeting. This meeting is Monday, July 26th, just after the dinner meeting. Federal Stimulus money for an energy quality study and several ways that the city can work with Habitat for Humanity will also be on the agenda. C.I.T.C.O. is a new company that will bring jobs to Charlotte. C.I.T.C.O. recently received a business investment grant from the city. Essentially, the city asks for property taxes from C.I.T.C.O and then the city returns about 90% of these taxes to the same company in the form of a grant. The Citizens Service Committee has a new iPhone application to take the place of 311. The way 311 works, it costs the city approximately $4.91 per call. 311 handles 250,000 calls. This new iPhone application will reduce the cost to 18 cents per call for 311.
The Locational Housing Committee is meeting again soon. The city is subsidizing construction and thus helping the builders. Currently the city is making sure more people have a “roof over their heads”. Section 8 helps the people not the developers. Section 8 does not involve the city in any way. The city is looking at expanding Section 8 as a better way to help more people have good housing.
City Council Member Patsy Kinsey lives in the Elizabeth neighborhood. She lives near 7th Street and Pecan Street. Ed’s Tavern recently opened in this same area. Evidently Ms. Kinsey went to Ed’s Tavern during the opening to complain about the noise. Ms. Kinsey stated that she is on the city council and would be closing the tavern. How will this be resolved?
Three new bonds will be on the ballet for the November election. . Once again the city is taking on projects in areas that are the responsibility of the state. These are the three bonds:
Streets and roads: $156.6 million
Neighborhood improvements: $ 32 million
Housing: $ 15 million
Some of the details of the streets and roads bond are as follows: 1. McKee Road and Providence Road Widening: $7 million; 2. Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Elm Lane Widening: $7 million. On August 23rd, there will be a public hearing for these bonds.’
In 2006, the city council was scheduled to have the Rea Road Project put on the ballot and it was taken off the ballot at the last minute. The project on Rea Road has been a concern since before 1998. Currently the Rea Road Project is going forward, at LONG last.
Susan J. Spaulding
Public Policy Writer
Ballantyne Scoop
