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2023-04-27 Budget Work Session & Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 BUDGET WORK SESSION AND AGENDA REVIEW, APRIL 27, 2023 PAGE 733  Roof replacements  HVAC chiller/boiler needs, exterior waterproofing, gas, and electronic control replacements In response to Board questions about salary increases for CFCC, County Manager Coudriet stated there is an increase at the administrative level, but the County does not fund salary increases at the instructional level. He believes there is an increase in supplemental funding for the instructional level, but not specifically for instructor salaries. As to the debt service on the Bank of America building, there may only be an interest payment in FY24 depending on when the bonds are issued. The actual cost of the debt service will be budgeted starting in FY25.  Escrows:  Mental Health and Substance Use fund FY24 estimated spending plan:  Total FY24 estimated spending = $5.3 million ($3.7 million on Robin Hood property and $1.6 million on programs)  Mental Health and Substance Use fund projections: In response to Board questions regarding funding for the Robin Hood property, Mr. Credle stated that the total project cost is $6.1 million with funding coming from RHA Health and Leading Into New Communities (LINC), as well as funding coming from the escrow that was set up specifically for mental health and substance use purposes. Chief Facilities Officer Sara Warmuth confirmed that the facility is approximately 13,000 square feet.  Revenue Stabilization Fund projections:  Community Building:  FY24 Community Building funding plan: NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 BUDGET WORK SESSION AND AGENDA REVIEW, APRIL 27, 2023 PAGE 734  FY24 Community Building expenditures = $20.5 million Discussion ensued regarding the various Community Building expenditures. Regarding Port City United (PCU) Connect, the funding comes from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds through June 2024. The County will then need to absorb the cost of the program if it is the will of the Board. Regarding the Northside Grocery Store, the total cost of the project is $7.3 million. Staff is hopeful that the County can offset the debt issuance based on its ability to encourage other parties to participate in the funding. The plan is to construct a 6,000 to 8,000 square foot building. Seven Roots Group is working on the schematic design for the grocery store which should be received within the next quarter. Due to the timing being before the budget is adopted, the County has assumed the full amount of debt for the grocery store. As the County will not be issuing debt until around this time next year, the Board will be asked to modify the debt issuance based on how much private money is raised. Ms. Warmuth gave a brief update on the status of the project, specifically regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and schematic design. The MOU and schematic design will be available for review by July 2023. Discussion ensued regarding the nonprofit capacity building which is a $1.2 million annual investment for the nonprofits to work in the space of at-risk youth and trying to help solve the problems that are there. Assuming the Board remains committed, the $1.2 million will be in the FY24 budget. Assistant County Manager Tufanna Bradley provided examples of how the funds go back into the community through organizations such as Voyage, Communities in Schools, and PCU Connect. The County partnered with the United Way to score and approve the grants. Although the United Way scored and approved the grants, the County signed off on the grants. A brief discussion ensued as to whether the County should have a seat at the table when making the grant determinations.  ARP Planning:  American Rescue Plan- sunsetting – summary:  American Rescue Plan – sunsetting:  Summary:  General Fund: $461 million spending plan, no tax rate change recommended  New Hanover County Schools: No change in ADM rate, capital increase  Recycling and Solid Waste: No change in tip fee  Fire Rescue: No change in the 7.25 cents tax rate  Stormwater Services: No change in $5.65 per ERU per month  American Rescue Plan Act: $1.6 million in programs sunsetting FY23  Community Building: $7.5 million in escrow planned for FY24  Mental Health and Substance Use: $5.3 million year 1 estimate  Next steps:  Manager’s recommendation – May 15, 2023:  Includes Non-County Agency Funding Committee recommendation  Public Hearing: June 5, 2023  Budget adoption: June 5 or June 19, 2023 DISCUSSION OF MAY 1, 2023 AGENDA ITEMS The Board reviewed and discussed the agenda items for the May 1, 2023 Regular Meeting as noted: Consent Agenda Items. No items were discussed. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 BUDGET WORK SESSION AND AGENDA REVIEW, APRIL 27, 2023 PAGE 735 Regular Item #9: Rezoning Request (Z23-03) – Request by James Yopp with River Road Construction, LLC and Hoosier Daddy, LLC, applicant and property owner, to rezone 29 parcels totaling approximately 42.10 acres of land, including 5741 Carolina Beach Road and 18 unaddressed parcels on Shiloh Drive north of Manassas Drive, from R-15, Residential to (CZD) R-5, Residential Moderate High Density for 10 single-family residential lots and 327 residential townhomes with associated open space and amenity center. County Manager Coudriet stated that the applicant has requested a second continuance of the matter. A lengthy discussion ensued regarding the initial continuance request. Planning and Land Use Director Rebekah Roth confirmed that the second request to continue came before Commissioner Scalise was appointed. It is her understanding that Mr. Yopp is considering the possibility of providing additional information regarding bicycle and pedestrian connectivity in the area. The proposed roadway would not trigger the need for a new application. There is no awareness of whether Mr. Yopp is planning to change the plan, but what the staff has heard is that there may be things Mr. Yopp would be willing to offer as conditions of approval if the Board would like to entertain those things. Staff did speak with Mr. Yopp the day prior to Commissioner Scalise being identified as the potential appointee, at which time he was about to go out of town, and he knew he would not have an opportunity to reach out to Commissioner Scalise if he were appointed the next week. A brief discussion ensued regarding how to better serve the citizens to avoid them wasting a trip only for the case to be continued again. Senior Planner Robert Farrell confirmed that no changes have been submitted since the initial application was made. After further discussion, the consensus of the Board was to not grant the continuance and proceed with hearing the matter on Monday. Regular Item #12: Rezoning Request (Z23-06) – Request by Cindee Wolf with Design Solutions, applicant, on behalf of Giovanni Ippolito and Tanya Vlacancich, property owners, to rezone approximately 4.65 acres of land located at 6634 Carolina Beach Road from R-15, Residential to (CZD) RMF-M, Residential Multi-Family – Moderate Density for a maximum 64-unit multi-family development. In response to Board questions regarding the different traffic counts provided in the staff report, Mr. Farrell stated that both counts are correct. The area in the apartment project is from a stretch of road that is in the Myrtle Grove intersection area. Traveling further north towards the other uses is a different segment of roads which was measured by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO). Staff can go back and find what those average links tend to be and if there is an average standard length of segments. The number of units for the application has been reduced from the previous application. A traffic impact analysis (TIA) was not required as there are less than 100 peak hour trips. Ms. Roth explained the traffic counts, as explained to her by the WMPO, and how the estimated traffic generation numbers cannot be added to an annual average daily traffic number to produce an actual number that makes sense. Part of what is provided as the average annual daily traffic is an aggregate number that is taken to show what is the typical traffic. The WMPO and NCDOT believe that number is not intentionally representative of peak summer trips, which is what the residents tend to be most concerned about. Part of the reason they do this is because of how the numbers are used to inform their decisions about when roadways need to be improved. The data being provided was compiled for other purposes while trying to maneuver it into something that answers questions from a planning perspective. The WMPO has agreed to take summer counts, but that information is not currently available. In response to Board questions about the project, Mr. Farrell stated that there are 128 proposed parking spaces, which is two spaces per unit. The buildings have been reduced in height to two stories. The 2016 Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Comprehensive Plan) classifies the proposed rezoning as medium density. The Planning Board shared some of the same concerns as the Board about the project but unanimously recommended approval after the applicant added conditions which reduced the number of units. A brief discussion ensued regarding the conditions for approval. County Manager Coudriet stated that the Board will be in this position with projects like this until a new Comprehensive Plan is adopted. A brief discussion ensued regarding how the Comprehensive Plan factors into rezoning requests. Regular Item #15: Consideration of Revised Appointments of County Commissioners to Various Boards and Committees for 2023. The consensus of the Board was to appoint Commissioner Scalise to fill the vacancies on the various boards and committees created by the passing of Deb Hays. Clerk Crowell will update the list and place it on the consent agenda for the regular meeting. STAFF UPDATES Strategic Plan Update. Chief Strategy Officer Jennifer Rigby provided the following update:  Context map: Workforce and Economic Development:  Themes: Developing people and workers, supporting businesses to grow (and lead?), and meeting infrastructure needs (water, sewer, fiber, optic, airport, port, etc.) NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 35 BUDGET WORK SESSION AND AGENDA REVIEW, APRIL 27, 2023 PAGE 736  Desired outcomes:  Residents are provided equitable opportunities to connect to education and high skilled employment  The needs of businesses are met at the speed of business  Infrastructure drives regional economic growth  Context map: Growth, Development, and Environmental Stewardship:  Themes: Deliberately planned urban community, quality of life amenities – rich in cultural resources, and recognizing and respecting environmental features  Desired outcomes:  Through organized growth, residents have access to their immediate needs  Cultural amenities that make us unique are safeguarded  Critical and sensitive environmental features are protected  Context map: Community Safety and Wellbeing:  Themes: Individuals physical healthy outcomes, built environment’s impact on health and wellbeing, and mental wellbeing through connections, sense of community and relationships  Desired outcomes:  Residents have access to services that support their physical health and mental well-being  Our developed environment supports a life that mitigates health risk  Residents feel safe, supported, and connected to their community through diverse services  Next steps:  Clarify and confirm: Board of Commissioners Agenda Review on April 27, 2023  Strategic objectives: Board of Commissioners Agenda Review on May 11, 2023  Measures and targets: Board of Commissioners Agenda Review on June 1, 2023  Final plan: Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting on July 17, 2023 In response to Board questions regarding meetings to build the strategic plan, Ms. Rigby provided an update on the timeline for staff to conduct meetings with both the department heads and community partners. Commissioners expressed their desire that the plan reflect the organization. Chair Rivenbark thanked Ms. Rigby for the update. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, Chair Rivenbark adjourned the meeting at 5:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available online at www.nhcgov.com.