Wendell News Outlet

Board of Commissioners Friday Update

April 25, 2008

ITEM 1. ETJ EXPANSION REQUEST PRESENTATION TO LEGISLATORS

The mayor will present the town’s ETJ extension request to the full Wake County Legislative delegation at a 3:00 p.m. meeting on Monday, April 28^th. Anyone interesting in attending this meeting should contact the manager.

ITEM 2. ANNEXATION MATTER

As the board is aware, The NC House Select Committee on Annexation voted on April 23^rd to recommend a moratorium on all city-initiated annexations, including all those currently pending, and all satellite annexations, including pending ones. The moratorium, if adopted by the General Assembly, would remain in place until June 30, 2009.

The committee recommended halting all city-initiated and satellite annexations to give the study committee additional time to determine whether changes to the state’s annexation statutes are needed. All city-initiated annexations would be affected, even those for which a council already has passed an ordinance that is not yet effective. Satellite annexations, done at the request of the property owners, also would be covered by the moratorium.

Some language in the April 23^rd vote is vague, and there are multiple interpretations flying around as to what effect a moratorium bill could have on towns. A proposed bill to implement a moratorium will be up for adoption at the May 14^th committee meeting, at which time the details would be known.

Once approved by the Committee, the moratorium would still need to be approved by the General Assembly. It is possible that the bill could call for a halt to all annexations not yet in effect as of the date the bill became law. Because of the potentially far-reaching effects of this recommendation and the approach of the legislative session, the NC League of Municipalities has asked its members to contact members of the General Assembly now to help them understand the consequences of a moratorium on the cities in their districts.

It has been suggested that the board may want to add this issue as a discussion item for the April 28^th work session. (The agenda packet for this meeting was already fairly complete when this news began to be circulated Wednesday evening.) The board may wish to direct staff to draft a resolution on this matter for the May 12^th board meeting.

ITEM 3. PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT MASTER PLAN FOR LAKE MYRA PARK – TUESDAY, APRIL 29^TH AT 7:00 P.M. AT WENDELL COMMUNITY CENTER

Wake County will hold a public meeting about plans for Lake Myra Park on Tuesday, April 29^th at 7:00 p.m. at the Wendell Community Center. Citizens in Eastern Wake County are invited to attend the forum to learn about and participate in the planning process for the new Lake Myra County Park.

Additionally, the county is asking for feedback in the history and personal memories of the site. Anyone with photographs or memorabilia they wish to share is encouraged to bring them to the meeting.

ITEM 4. PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT POLICE CHIEF HIRING

Please remember that the board established the following opportunities for the public and board to give input to the manager about knowledge, skills, abilities and traits desired in a new police chief:

· Thursday, May 1^st at 7:00 p.m. – meeting to receive input from the public about the knowledge, skills and abilities desired in a new police chief.

· Thursday May 8^th at 7:00 p.m. – meeting to receive input from the mayor and commissioners.

ITEM 5. BUDGET WORK SESSION FOLLOW-UP

Thank you to the mayor and commissioners for your diligence and patience with Tuesday’s budget session.

The presentation of the Manager’s Proposed Budget and Budget Message is scheduled for the May 12^th board meeting. The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the Tuesday, May 27^th work session.

According to the 2008-09 Budget Development Calendar, May 13 – 30^th is tentatively scheduled for any additional budget work sessions. If the board would like to meet during this time or prior to the May 12^th meeting in order to give additional feedback to the manager, please let him know.

ITEM 6. UPDATE ON SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION ISSUE

WRAL-TV reports that the governing boards of Wake Forest, Zebulon, Morrisville and Wendell all agree that it’s better to leave the school board elections alone.
Neither Raleigh, Fuquay-Varina nor Knightdale has taken a formal position on the subject, but a Raleigh City Council member has publicly stated that Raleigh will likely take a stand on the issue at the council’s meeting next week, and she feels that Raleigh will support the status quo. Knightdale is also expected to take a stand on the issue in the near future. Click here to view this story.

ITEM 7. GOOD NEWS ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE

The town has received the news yesterday (Thursday, April 25^th) that Wellpath will renew the town’s medical insurance AT NO ADDITIONAL EXPENSE – a 0% increase in rates!! The manager and finance director included a 10% increase in medical insurance costs for the draft budget. A 10% increase would have cost the town another $14,000.

The town’s broker is still seeking quotes from other providers. Maybe we will get an even better quote from a Wellpath competitor, but it is great to know that we can provide medical insurance coverage to our employees without any increase in cost.

ITEM 8. DROUGHT UPDATE

The drought continued to ease across the state over the past week, though conditions in much of the Triangle remained "severe," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor's report.

For the first time since June 2007, conditions are back to normal in some North Carolina counties. Six coastal counties -- Pamlico, Hyde, Dare, Carteret, Tyrrell and Washington -- are no longer considered even "abnormally dry" in the weekly report. They account for about 12 percent of the state's area.

About a third of the state -- 34 percent -- was still in "extreme" or "severe" drought status in today's report, down from 46 percent last week.

Eastern Wake County has been downgraded to the “Moderate Drought” category. Click here to read a News and Observer article. Click here to view the US Drought Monitor map for North Carolina.

ITEM 9. OTHER:

A. The Council of Churches will hold its annual National Day of Prayer observation in the Wendell courtroom on Thursday, May 1^st from 12:00 p.m. until 1:00 p.m.

B. Rep. Linda Coleman and the Eastern Regional Center (along with multiple partners, including the Town of Wendell) will hold a public health forum / health fair on Saturday, May 31^st from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Wendell Community Center and Park.

ITEM 10. UPCOMING EVENTS:

DATE TIME EVENT

04/28 7:00 p.m. Board of Commissioners Committee Meeting at Town Hall
05/01 12:00 p.m. Council of Churches National Day of Prayer Observation at Town Hall
05/01 7:00 p.m. Public Meeting to Receive Input about Desired Traits and Skills for a New Police Chief at Town Hall
05/05 6:00 p.m. UDO Meeting at Town Hall
05/01 7:00 p.m. Board of Commissioners Meeting to Give Input about Desired Traits and Skills for a New Police Chief at Town Hall
05/12 7:00 p.m. Board of Commissioners Meeting at Town Hall
05/14 1:00 p.m. Wendell Chamber Golf Tournament at Wendell Country Club
05/19 7:00 p.m. Planning Board Meeting at Town Hall
05/26 Memorial Day – Town offices closed
05/27 7:00 p.m. Board of Commissioners Committee Meeting at Town Hall
05/31 East Wake Public Health Forum at Wendell Community Ctr.
06/02 6:00 p.m. UDO Meeting at Town Hall
06/04 NCLM Town Hall Day at NC Legislature
06/09 7:00 p.m. Board of Commissioners Meeting at Town Hall

posted by Administrator  # 10:18 PM