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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-13 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 36 JUNE 13, 2024 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING PAGE 240 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met on June 13, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. for Agenda Review in Conference Rooms 138-139 at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Vice-Chair LeAnn Pierce; Commissioner Dane Scalise; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Members absent: Chair Bill Rivenbark and Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell; and County Attorney K. Jordan Smith. Vice-Chair Pierce called the Agenda Review meeting to order stating the purpose is for the Board to review and discuss the June 17, 2024 Regular Meeting agenda items. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Scalise to excuse Chair Rivenbark and Commissioner Barfield from the June 13, 2024 meeting. Upon vote, the MOTION PASSED 3 TO 0. Consent Agenda Item #2: Adoption of Budget Amendments. Deputy Chief Financial Officer Martha Wayne stated there are new accounting standards that require leases needing to be treated as debt, and there is no impact on the Fund Balance. The budget amendments are administrative only to comply with Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) procedures. Consent Agenda Item #3: Approval of New Hanover County Schools Capital Outlay Fund Budget Transfer. New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) Assistant Superintendent of Operations Eddie Anderson stated that $1.8 million is allocated for stabilizing the foundation at New Hanover High School with micropiles, followed by brick repair. The work focuses on the building's west corner, with additional evaluation ongoing. He reported that Winter Park Elementary's lift station, connected to Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA), needs replacement as it pumps to a manhole. The $1.2 million projects for Trask Middle School and Laney High School are on hold until North College Road is widened, or they will adversely impact Danny Pence Drive. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has no current plans to widen the road due to funding, but the multi-use path and a planned stoplight at McDonald’s are expected to help. Consent Agenda Item #5: Adoption of a Resolution to Dispose of Surplus Property According to Procedures Outlined in North Carolina General Statute 160A-Article 12. Chief Facilities Officer Sara Warmuth stated there are 59 vehicles on the surplus list due to several years without replacements. Initially, budget reductions during the pandemic and then a chip shortage prevented the County from acquiring new vehicles. Now, all vehicles ordered during that period have arrived, and those on the list are well past the County's vehicle age limit. Regular Agenda Item #13: Public Hearing and Consideration of Resolution for the 2024 Limited Obligation Bonds on Proposed Not-to-Exceed $37,500,000 Installment Financing of Capital Projects. Chief Financial Officer Eric Credle stated in response to questions that there are no changes to the resolution. Regular Agenda Item #14: Public Hearing Appropriations and Expenditures for Economic Development and Economic Incentive Agreements. Commissioner Zapple requested funding for the Cucalorus Film Festival and the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra be restored to $28,000 and $20,000, respectively. County Manager Coudriet stated that the request requires Board approval and guidance on funding sources. He also noted that unless it is a contracted agency, there is a recommended one-third cut for all funding requests and noted that approving the request could lead to more funding increase requests. Commissioner Scalise stated that dialogue is ongoing about budget items. Regular Agenda Item #15: Public Hearing Presentation of the New Hanover County Non-County Agency Funding Committee Recommendations and Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Recommended Budget. County Manager Coudriet reported that staff recommends maintaining current funding levels for the new fiscal year which is different from the New Hanover County Non-County Agency Funding Committee’s (NCAFC) recommendation. The NCAFC will present its recommendations on Monday before any Board action. It is the Board’s decision on how to proceed based on two different funding levels. He clarified that the recommended budget scales back funding for each agency by one-third from the NCAFC's recommendation, not from current payouts. A brief discussion about the Fund Balance followed. Regular Agenda Item #16: Text Amendment Request (TA23-03) - Request by New Hanover County Planning and Land Use to amend Articles 2 and 5 of the Unified Development Ordinance to incorporate standards for electric vehicle charging stations. Senior Planner Zach Dickerson reported the amendment will only require installing conduit. Three changes are proposed: the wording now specifies "EV capable," language was added to incentivize placing EV charging stations in transitional buffers between commercial and residential zones, and developments providing 100% affordable housing are exempt. Details are reflected in the agenda packet. Regular Agenda Item #17: Consideration of Workforce Housing Services Program Request for Proposals for Fiscal Year 2025. Housing Program Manager Theo McClammy reported that the program will continue as it has in the past two years, offering loans and grants with staff interviewing applicants to assess their project completion capacity. County Manager Coudriet clarified that funding, whether by grants or loans, prioritizes speed to market and NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 36 JUNE 13, 2024 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING PAGE 241 depends on the application's needs. An example of this is Starway Village which received a loan at its developer’s request. ADDITIONAL ITEMS County Manager Coudriet requested that the Board set the expectations for Monday’s budget public hearing so staff can be prepared. No presentation is planned beyond the summary slides. Staff does need to know in advance if there will be budget changes or additions, including where to allocate funds from and whether the change is an addition. Commissioner Scalise noted the Board’s consensus to include the proposed sustainability manager position, if feasible. County Manager Coudriet responded by explain how that can be accomplished by utilizing one of the 120 current vacancies, of which 13 can be reclassified. A brief discussion on vacancies ensued, with County Manager Coudriet noting a 5.5% vacancy rate and an average 76-day fill time. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chair Rivenbark adjourned the meeting at 4:34 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.