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2021-04-01 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, APRIL 1, 2021 PAGE 43 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. via in-person and remote in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chair Julia Olson-Boseman; Vice-Chair Deb Hays; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr. (remote); Commissioner Bill Rivenbark; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. Chair Olson-Boseman called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the April 5, 2021 Regular Meeting with discussions as noted: Regular Item 11. Ratification of Bureau of Justice Assistance FY21 Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program Application. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated the if the grant is awarded, the $125,000 match would be included in the FY 2022 budget as a current expense from the general fund. Regular Item 13. Presentation: Joint City/County Workforce Housing Advisory Committee Housing Study. County Manager Coudriet stated that an executive summary of the study has been included in the agenda packets th and the consultants will provide an in-depth overview of the survey results during the April 5 meeting. The th committee will continue to refine the survey information leading up the April 27 joint meeting with the Wilmington City Council. He believes that at the meeting the committee will share what it considers a prioritization of what it sees as urgent things to work on in the near term and then things to work on long term. Planning and Land Use th Workforce Housing Planner Rachel LaCoe confirmed the April 5 presentation is focused on the baseline data and th the committee’s recommendations will be shared on April 27. Regular Item 14. Consideration of Local Plan for American Rescue Plan Funds. County Manager Coudriet reported that the amount of funds to be received by the County continues to be refined. The best estimate today is approximately $45.4 million, but that will continue to be trimmed and hopefully increased over the next several weeks. The receipt of the first portion of the funding is expected mid-May, at the latest. The law required the th Treasury to transmit the funds to entities directly within 60 days of signing the law, which was done on March 11. The City of Wilmington is getting a direct allocation of approximately $26 million. Each of the beach communities will receive allocations as well, but those will be going through the state, rather than as direct allocations. There are nuances in the law that had direct appropriations to large jurisdictions/entitlement cities, and then pass through the state for municipalities that were not certain populations or were defined as entitlement. Discussion was held about the implementation of the funds, the need for the Board to have further in-depth conversations on the framework presented by staff and what the community is contacting them about to determine a set priority list. In response to questions about what the funds can and cannot be used for, County Manager Coudriet explained that the framework being presented on Monday is tentative as the Treasury has not provided its guidelines and that may have an impact on what priorities, as determined by the Board, can be funded. The framework of the local plan was developed based on what the Board has stated over time as its priorities, as understood by staff. Again, until there is clarity and guidance from the Treasury on the framework, it is just a framework. If the Board approves it on Monday, that allows staff to continue to work through the mechanics with the hope that the federal guidance will be issued before May and nothing will be put into detail on Tuesday. There will be a ramp up period as well and staff will continue to update the Board on the process and have those discussions with the Board. Again, this is a framework of items for the Board’s consideration that are most important in keeping with federal law because staff does not want anybody to be in trouble, but also reflective of what the Board has said are priorities and what has been communicated to the organization as priorities. Regular Item 15. Public Hearing for Rezoning Request (Z21-03) – Request by Terroir Development, LLC on Behalf of the Property Owners, Charles R. Clay, Sr., and the Essie W. Clay Revocable Living Trust, to Rezone Approximately 5.12 Acres of Land Located at 4615 Gordon Road from R-15, Residential District, to (CZD) RMF-M, Conditional Residential Multi-Family Moderate Density District, in Order to Develop an 84-Unit Multi-Family Project. In response to Board questions, Planning and Land Use Director Rebekah Roth explained that the site location is currently designated as General Mixed Use. The density necessary to make the affordability piece work, and the density that makes the most sense for the location now roughly five years after the 2016 Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Plan) was adopted, is greater than what is allowed in general residential areas. The Planning Board, as it was felt this was a good project, felt that it was reasonable and in the public interest. The Planning Board recommended it because if the Commissioners were to approve the project that was contrary to the Plan, staff must update the Plan to reflect that. The Planning Board’s recommendation of approving the request also included that the future land use map in the Plan be updated to show the property as Community Mixed Use instead. The motion in the agenda packet, if the request is approved, is the only action needed to make appropriate update. In response to Board questions, Mr. Schuler stated this project would not require a signal. As to the flooding issues that occurred due to Hurricane Florence around the on-ramp to Interstate 40, Mr. Schuler stated that County Engineering has cleaned out a portion of Smith Creek in that area as part of the emergency watershed protection grant funding. He is not aware of any flooding in that area since that time occurring due to significant rainfall. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, APRIL 1, 2021 PAGE 44 Commissioner Barfield stated that NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reworked the ramp area about two months ago and now the water flows extremely well in that area. Additional Discussions and Updates Commissioner Barfield reported on the recent passing of former County employee Carl Byrd. Chair Olson-Boseman reported on a conversation County Manager Coudriet and she had with New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust and Board of Education Vice-Chair Nelson Beaulieu as concerns were expressed at the joint meeting regarding NHCS’ fund balance. Vice-Chair Beaulieu and Dr. Foust stated their concern about reducing the fund balance is that a hurricane will hit, and they will not have the cash to pay out at the beginning during those events. County Manager Coudriet suggested a great solution in asking them how much money NHCS would need, and the County will dedicate a portion of its funds for NHCS in the event of a hurricane. That would allow them to have the funds upfront and then if the hurricane did not come this way, NHCS would send the funds back to the County. The County would be its emergency reserve. Chair Olson-Boseman further reported that they also seem to be committed to getting all NHCS employees up to $15 per hour. Brief discussions were held about President Biden’s infrastructure initiative, whether there is anything in the initiative for rail; about the priority for NHCS students to have one-to-one devices and how the broadband initiative will work with the one-to-one program; and about progress on the efforts at the state level for beach nourishment funding through the mitigation fund. Vice-Chair Hays reported that it was a good turnout at Airlie Gardens today for Plant an Azalea Day and that 77 azaleas were planted to replace what has been lost from past storms. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Olson-Boseman adjourned the meeting at 4:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.