Nov 12 Council Meeting and Office Hours
Council meeting was, as always, informative and productive.
Invocation was led by Councilmember Broadwell.
Presentations
Morrisville 101 graduation began the evening with 26 graduates in the program. Stephanie Smith recognized the graduates, and Lauren Butler, class of 2012, addressed Council and the audience, as she helped this year with the class. Congrats goes out to each graduate and I thank them for their interest in the Town of Morrisville.
Panreatic Awareness Month proclamation followed by Veterans Day Proclamation. Councilmember Schlink reminded Council of other organizations, supporting Veterans.
UDO Public Hearing
Council heard from citizens, addressing the UDO, along with the Morrisville Chamber.
Based on the input at the Public Hearing, Council recommended changes to the UDO, increasing Administrative Staff Review of any projects which have met the UDO standards.
Council agreed for a first reading and vote on the UDO on Dec 10, followed by a second vote by the new Council.
Action Items
Economic Development Agreement: Economic Development Agreement and incentives were approved by Council and we are very excited that Teleflex Medical will be creating jobs in Morrisville.
The incentives to which the Town is committing are tied to certain specific performance indicators, particularly newinvestment along with the creation and retention of jobs.
As the agreement is structured, theincentive disbursements to be paid by the Town will be made only after property tax revenues arerealized as a result of property improvements, machinery and equipment due to Teleflex’s relocation to Morrisville.
The revenue realized from Teleflex will allow the incentives to be paid without impinging on other Town services or expenses.
In addition to the Town’s participation this project will trigger the State of North Carolina to contribute $200,000 through the One North Carolina Fund program to this project.
Highlights of the agreement include:
- · 25 million dollars in property improvements, machinery and equipment.
- · Creation of 75 new jobs with salaries exceeding $80,000/year
- · Estimated new property taxes of $ 100,000/year.
- · Company must meet specific performance requirements related to investment dollars and
new job creation prior to being eligible to receive the incentive grants.
- · All applicable property taxes must be paid prior to being eligible to receive the incentive grants.
Structures in the Right of Way: Council voted the Gazebo with a 5/2 vote, and I disagreed with Councilmember Diehl, that this was a political vote, to appease Morrisville Action. I have always viewed this as a Town wide amendment and that Council has been focusing too much on HOA issues.
The text amendment is sound, makes sense for the Town, and prevents Council from having to make these types of decisions on a Case by Case basis.
New Items
Rev. Atkins House: Council heard from the Wake County Historic Preservation Society and we will be voting in December to designate this a historic landmark, and Council is very excited to have another designation like this in one year. (Last one was the Pugh House)
Blue Ribbon Task Force on Transportation Funding: Council is slated to vote on the appointments to this panel in two weeks. We agreed to have at least 2 alternates. I like the experience of the pool of candidates.
Council Comments
I thanked Lenovo for hosting the Veteran Day event and to recognize the building of homes for troops coming home.
I revealed that I will be hosting a Town Hall for Secretary Tata for the citizens of Morrisville in January and plan on all of the Council working with me on this event.
On more meeting until we swear in the new Council.
Council Office Hours
Do It Right Sports: Met with a Sports Vendor, who has an idea of having his ball machine at our MAFC to generate additional revenue. The Ball Machine uses analytics and data to analyze tennis strokes, record the speed of serves and stokes and is generating $12K per month of revenue. I am making an introduction to staff.
Gables residents: Met with two Gables residents, who are not happy with a walking path that is going in close to their homes. Staff and I are working on potential resolutions.
Flex Space at Chapel Hill road: I visited Mr. Pinter to view his Flex Space and hear his concerns on how the UDO will affect his ability to lease out his property. He will continue to work with Staff and Council to see if any changes to the UDO can be made to address his concerns and I need to meet with Staff to get some clarity on Town Center Corridor Commercial.
NC State Student: I met with an NC State Senior, interested in volunteering 5 hours per week in an internship as she is intending a career in public policy. During our discussion, we discussed the possibility of a structured intersnhip with the Mayor or Council,, where students could earn credit for their work. Next step will be to introduce this student to staff but also bring this idea to Council.