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Home My Public Portal About02-05-2000 Session . . . 21.1 MINUTES HILLSBOROUGH TOWN BOARD RETREAT FEBRUARY 5, 2000 Hillsborough Police Department Training Room 12:00 Noon The Hillsborough Town Board held their annual Goal Setting Retreat on Saturday, February 5, 2000 at Noon in the Hillsborough Police Department Training Room. Present for the Board Meeting were Mayor Horace H. Johnson, Sr., Commissioners Frances Dancy, Evelyn Lloyd, Mark Sheridan, Brian Lowen and Kenneth Chavious. Staff present were Town Manager Eric Peterson, Finance Director Sherry Carter, Town Clerk Donna Armbrister, Planning Director Margaret Hauth, Police Chief Nathaniel Eubanks, Town Engineer Kenny Keel, Fleet Maintenance Supervisor/Mechanic John Cook, Public Works Director Pete Champion, and Orange Rural Fire Department Representatives Paul Davis and Chandler Cates. Mayor Horace H. Johnson, Sr., called the meeting to order at 12:02 PM. Mayor Johnson made opening remarks and explained that the Retreat format would be to discuss the "Big 15" which is a compilation of issues, topics, and projects that warrant discussion by the Board that was assembled by the Town Manager. SECTION #1: BROAD BASED-ISSUES 1. Fire Protection Paul Davis, Representative from the Orange Rural Fire Department, appeared before the Board and discussed the Fire Department's Capital Projection which consisted of: YEAR 1 3 Additional Fire Fighters $39,000 (OSHA) Epoxy Coat Bay Floor $8,500 (OSHA VIOLATION) Raise Ceiling Tiles in Bay $7,000 Paint Building In/Out $4,500 YEAR 2 Exhaust Recovery System $7,000 (OSHA, NIOSH) Replace Tile/Carpet $4,000 Station Furniture $8,000 Phone & Networking System $5,000 Rework Walls for Sleeping Quarters $3,000 Signals for S. Churton Street $20,000 YEAR 3 RENOVATIONS TO STATION: Kitchen Upgraded $4,000 (NFPNOSHA) Replacement of Windows in Bay $5,000 Generator $25,000 . . . 21.2 2. Recreation Commissioner Chavious recommended that a "passive park" be proposed for the property at the comer of Harper Street and Riddle Street for a Community Park. Commissioner Sheridan suggested the Board contact the property owners along the Riverwalk to discuss the proposed plans instead of having the property owners be contacted by the consultants. Commissioner Lloyd arrived at the Meeting at I :00 PM. 3. Implementing the Top Priorities from the Vision 2010 Plan Commissioner Sheridan stated he felt the Vision 2010 Plan's top priorities were very sound and recommended that some ofthe items be placed on future Board agendas. 4. Philosophy Regarding Growth in Hillsborough & Developing a Solid Vision for the South End of Town (e.g., how, what, where, when, key issues, and priorities ofthe Board) 5. Growth: Internal Planning & Making New Development Pay its Way The Board discussed Items 4 and 5 together. Commissioner Chavious suggested the Town solidify the Water/Sewer Boundary Line Plan. Commissioner Lowen suggested the Town clearly define the plan for any expanse of the Economic Development District. Mayor Johnson called for the Board to take a 15 Minute Break. Mayor Johnson re-convened the meeting. 6. Communications with Citizens: Enhancing our Technological Abilities for Greater Citizen Use & Convenience The Board requested that the Town's Web Page be kept up to date. The Board requested that the Town Manager explore the idea of a semi-annual citizen newsletter. Commissioner Lowen suggested that the comments area of the water bill statements be utilized more to get pertinent information out to citizens. 2 . . . 213 7. Employee Retention & Training The Manager stated that it is his philosophy that it is preferable to have fewer employees that are well trained and fairly compensated than it is to have more employees with less experience and a higher turnover rate. By consensus, the Board agreed that the Town needs to conduct a salary survey to know how the Town's Pay Plan needs to be amended to stay competitive with surrounding employers. 8. Expectations Amongst the commissioners, Mayor, and Town Manager Commissioner Sheridan distributed a handout he had obtained from the Newly Elected Officials Conference he recently attended in Asheville. The handout cited examples of expectations other boards have developed. Commissioner Sheridan stated that he would like to see the Board review these in more detail at some later date. SECTION #2: SPECIFIC ISSUES/IDEAS: Mayor Johnson asked that the order ofthe Agenda be altered to consider Items 11 and 12 at this time so that Commissioner Lloyd could participate in their discussion since she needed to leave the meeting to fill some prescriptions. The Board agreed. 11. Disaster/Emergency Planning Town Manager Peterson discussed the possibility of staff designing the Police Department Training Room in a manner that it could be quickly converted within into an Emergency Operation Center. By consensus, the Board gave their support to this idea and directed the Manager to proceed with the room design and also with the development of a written Disaster/Emergency Plan for the Town. 12. Cemetery Coverage on Weekends & Holidays Discussion ensued regarding the difficulty the Town is having in providing weekend and holiday service regarding the Town Cemetery to funeral homes. The Town currently has one staff person who is on call every weekend and holiday. The Board discussed options and directed the staff to bring a Cemetery Ordinance amendment to the March Board meeting for their consideration. 8. Expectations Amongst the commissioners, Mayor, and Town Manager Continued Commissioner Chavious stated he felt when the Board appointed a liaison as their representative at other meetings, the liaison should express the desires ofthe entire Board- 3 . . . 214 not their own personal feelings and opinions. Commissioner Chavious stated that misrepresentation of the Board is unacceptable. Commissioner Chavious suggested that the Board send a letter to every political entity in the area to state what the Board's position on a Bypass for Hillsborough. Commissioner Sheridan stated he felt it is important for anyone acting on the Board's behalf, accurately represent the feeling of the Board as a whole. Commissioner Dancy stated she wants the Board to make a firm commitment to do what they say they will do. Commissioner Lowen stated that he and Commissioner Chavious would be attending the Transportation Advisory Committee next Wednesday and Hillsborough's TIP requests will again be discussed. Mayor Johnson stated that the Elizabeth Brady Road Bypass option has been on the TIP for the last 31 years. 9. Rotating Board Meeting Sites Throughout the Year at Different Locations in Town Mayor Johnson informed the Board that this is something the Town did many years ago. Board members will individually discuss their ideas with the Manager and he will propose a schedule to the Board for their adoption at a later date. 10. Discuss Possibility of Putting Utility Lines Underground Along the Downtown Portion of Churton Street Commissioner Sheridan stated eliminating the power poles and overhead lines would make downtown Hillsborough much more visually appealing. Commissioner Chavious stated that this is also on the priority list for the Revitalization Group. 11. DisasterlEmergency Planning This was discussed earlier in the day. (Change in Agenda order) 12. Cemetery Coverage on Weekends & Holidays This was discussed earlier in the day. (Change in Agenda order) 4 . . . 215 13. Top Water & Sewer Issues Town Engineer Kenny Keel reported that during a state audit of the Water Plant, it was discovered that the Town has 39% unaccounted for water usage. He stated that some ofthis could be attributed to hydrant flushing; some is "stolen" water. Keel reported that he is exploring a new program for leak detection. The Board briefly discussed the Water and Wastewater Plant Expansions. 14. Key Police Issues Police Chief Nathaniel Eubanks explained Police Department Accreditation and stated that the department plans to achieve accreditation within 5 years at a total cost of $42,000. Chief Eubanks reviewed with the Board the proposed realignment of the department's rank and organizational structure. 15. Proposed new position of Personnel Director/Assistant Town Manager Manager Peterson fielded questions from the Board regarding the proposed new position. By consensus, the Board agreed that additional personnel is needed. Fleet Maintenance Supervisor/Mechanic John Cook reviewed the proposed budget for the Motor Pool for the Board. Public Works Director Pete Champion reviewed the proposed budget for the Public Works Department for the Board. Town Engineer Kenny Keel requested guidance from the Board on how the expense for the Grady Brown School Water Line Loop should be shared. By consensus, the Board declared that the total expense should belong to the County. Upon a motion by Commissioner Chavious, seconded by Commissioner Dancy, the Board moved to adjourn at 5:40 PM by a vote of 5-0. The motion was declared passed. ~~ Donna F. Annbrister. CMC Town Clerk 5