Work Session - 5/25

[Wuptdo]

On 25 May, 2004, at the Bond Park Center, a meeting was held of the Cary Budget Committee. Attending where Don Hyatt and Mike Dodson. Since there were only two members present, the meeting evolved into a work session. The core focus was the Cary CIP budget for 2005. A good percentage of the CIP was reviewed, line by line. The following is some highlights of this review.

Fire

a. Why no money at all?
b. 2006 - 1.4 Million for Fire Training Facility: What is wrong with Jorden Lake Facility

General

a. Storm Drainage Project - 200K: What exactly is this?
b. Storm Drainage System Database - 300K (2.1 Million total) This is a lot money just for a database: need additional details
c. Vehicle Replacement (SUVs): No money for 2005; this is a big fleet and how efficent at maintain fleet (Another committee?)
d. TCAP - Town Center Streetscapte Improvements: Why are the different projects scattered around the budget? Is there any coordination in this plan?
e. Police Cruiser Replacement - No money this year, but 4.5 Million over next ten years. Do we need to actually replace the car, with new maintence shop being built, couldn't life expentancy of the vehicles be lenghten"?"; i.e., new motors & parts (or buy imported
Nissan & Toyota Diesel sedans/minivans (how many "high-speed" chases per year does the CPD actually do); do they really need big cars?)
f. Scooters - What Scooters?
g. Median Plantings - no money: small change, maybe 25K this year?
h. Alternative Fueling Feasibility Study/Station - no money, but 450K in 2006. Another consultant hits the jackpot. (Hire a history/comm student right out of College (strong research backgrounds), pay 26K per year to do various "research studies" for TOC.
i. Land Purchase for Maintenance Facilities - 400K: Consider purchasing land adjuctant to either or future waste water treatment facilities (land should be much cheaper)
j. Operations Center Parking Deck - 300K, but 2.7 million in 2006. NO - either park & ride C-tran or go to 2nd shift
k. Aerial Topograhic Mapping - no money, however 700K in FY2009. Old technology, can hire Russian "Spy" Satillites and "consulants" much cheaper, it is all digital now.

Parks

Ok, a day late and a dollar short, but....

a. North Cary Community Center-1 - 435K; move out to 2006 or 07, and maybe change location to reflect actually growth in North Cary.
b. Bartley Community Park-1 - 3.5 million; separate into several phases and move out over 2 or 3 period.
c. Bond Park Water Line - $138,000: Two options: 1) Drill a commerical well (50 gpm) and use well water for "fire protection" ($20,000); 2) High Speed pump/generator combo and pump water directly out of Bond Lake for "Fire protection" ($15,000 - Grainger Catolog)
d. TCAP-Town Hall Gateway Project (split Funding) - 119K from TOC. Objection to "fixed" artwork in TOC; a more static approach to art is desired (50/50)

Sewer

a. Dutchman's Branch Region Pump Station, Force Main & Intercepter - no money, howeve estimated 7.5 million in FY 2012; shouldn't this be move up to a "high" priority?

Transportation

a. Annual Sidewalk Improvement - 200K and 200k per year to FY 2015: suggest this be cut back for the next several years.
b. Bicycle Facilities Improvements - $40,000; suggest this be cut back to just $5000 for bike racks on C-Tran.
c. Traffic Calming - 100K, and 3.5 million over next ten years. We think these are "speed bumps." With this many speed bumps, won't this diminish Cary's "Quality of Life?"
d. Aviation PKway Widening (Morrisville ETJ to National Guard Dr) (with curbs and Sidewalks) - 4.9 million in FY 2009/2010. Why? There is nothing there.

e. TCAP - Downtown Roundabouts - 250K; coordinate with other TCAP projects
f. High House Road Widening - 1.6 million in FY 2006. Is this 1.6 additional money needed because they are adding a "median" to this project?


Discussion Questions:

1) What is the different between Open Space Acquisiton and Future Funded Greenway Projects?
2) Why are so many "big" parks being built in East Cary, and so close togather as well?
3) Why not have a centeralized Motor Pool system?
4) The Future PArks Program seems to be "overly" aggressive; why so aggressive and do we need all these mini-parks?
5) What are we actually paying in debt service now, and when we bring these future bonds into use? What are all this bonds going to cost us in the future?
6) How much does a 1 cent property tax increase buy us in "bond" money?

Submitted by:

Mike Dodson B-)

[Wuptdo]

Hello People,

Just wondering if this committee is dying the slow death. Haven't seen too much action recently, i.e., postings. This only works if we all pull togather - Go Budget Team, Go!

Brent - Don and I have some good questions for staff from the work session. Could you Zap a few over to them (I don't have a clue who is who over there). Many Thanks :D !

Mike B-)

[Brent]

Mike,

I sent the questions from the previous session. I will send these latest ones, also. Don't know if we'll get answers back in time to affect a group consensus answer, but let's hope so.

It is tough to keep a group like this going for a long time. I do think that as the budget cycle continues through June, it is important for us to wrap up on what we have concluded thus far so that we can provide that input to Staff and Council. I think we need to figure out how we're going to provide that input.

[Don]

How about presenting it at the next council meeting? Can it get on the agenda that quickly? There is a public hearing that night on the budget right? The group could be there and you/Wup/whoever present a powerpoint or something. Is something like this possible?

[Brent]

Don,

This is one of the possibilities that we should discuss Thursday, I think.

[Wuptdo]

Group,

Two thoughts: 1) Either meet the council at a Budget Meeting (less formal); 2) Meet at open council meeting, however, 3 minutes is not going to cut it. I suggest an e-mail to TC a see what they would prefer, but I am open either way. Go Group!

Mike B-)

[Brent]

Mike and others,

I have inquired about the possibility of our group doing a brief presentation at the next Council meeting. I know that Council tends to be rather picky about allowing such presentations by "non Town-sanctioned" groups, but we won't know if we don't ask.

Alternatively, we could have a parade of people give our report during the public hearing on the budget. Each person gets 5 minutes. We could have a scripted report if we choose to go this route.

I think that at tomorrow night's meeting we should (1) address any remaining budget issues that we think are important; and (2) draft an outline of our final report. Even if we don't know what forum the report will be presented in, we need to have it ready, I think.

[Wuptdo]

Brent and others:

Agree with Brent on Agenda and action items. Anyone have any real big issues they want to bring to the table?

Mike B-)

[Karen]

Mike, Brent and others, :D

Brent's agenda and action items sound good to me as well. See you all tomorrow.

Karen

[Brent]

Well, I have just received a reply to my query about giving a Powerpoint presentation at the Council meeting.

It turns out that we could do this -- IF WE SUBMIT THE PRESENTATION TO THEM BY 5:00 P.M. TOMORROW (THURSDAY). Unfortunately, we will not develop that presentation until after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. What a crock.

I will compose a whining, complaining reply, but it looks like we will have to go with some "Plan B" that we develop tomorrow. We can submit hardcopy to the Council any time before next Thursday's council meeting.