Stokesdale, North Carolina
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Stokesdale, North Carolina
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TOWN OF STOKESDALE PO Box 465 STOKESDALE, NORTH CAROLINA
The regular meeting of the Stokesdale Town Council was held in the Town Hall at 8416 US Highway 158 on Thursday, February 15, 2007.
Mayor Randle L. Jones called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. The following members of Council were present: Mayor Randle L. Jones, Mayor Pro Tem John W. Flynt, Mickie Halbrook, and Bobby Richardson.
Others present included: Powell M. Shelton (Appointed to Council Dec. 21, 2006) William B. Trevorrow, Town Attorney; Greg Niles, Guilford County Planning Development Director; and Carolyn Joyner, Town Clerk/Finance Officer.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, Council considered the proposed agenda. Mr. Hal Pegram asked to be placed on the agenda regarding a water issue. Mayor Jones suggested hearing Mr. Pegram’s concerns as the first item under Water System Issues. Mr. Flynt made a motion to adopt the agenda with the suggested change. Ms. Halbrook seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the agenda was adopted.
Mayor Jones recognized former Council member, Anthony Vaughn and welcomed him to the meeting. Mr. Flynt made a motion to suspend with the reading of the minutes and approved them as presented. Mr. Richardson seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the minutes the regular Council meeting of January 18, 2007 were approved.
NEW BUSINESS: Swearing In of Council Member Powell M. Shelton: Mr. Shelton took the Oath of Office administered by the Town Clerk.
Report from Guilford County Sheriff’s Department: Deputy Christman reported one residential break-in, 7 assaults which were domestic related or an assault by an acquaintance resulting in two arrests , 2 drug violations resulting in three arrests, one vehicle pursuit with three arrests made and one person who fled during a traffic stop was charged and taken to jail also.
Audit Report Presentation: Cannon & Company: Manley Fortune, Audit Manager and Ashley Krim, Senior Auditor with Cannon & Company presented Council with a presentation letter to Council which was a summary of the audit report. Mr. Fortune’s summary included the following:
General Fund actual revenues were over budget by $53,614 and were $28,379 more than 2005 revenues. Expenditures were $54,915 under budget and had decreased by $30,114 compared to 2005. Expenditures for public safety reflected the largest decrease. The General Fund ended the year with assets of $3,448,813 which included $3,327,522 in cash. The General Fund - fund balance at year-end was $3,420,055.
The Town has one Enterprise Fund, the Water Fund, which is operated in a manner similar to private business enterprise with the intent of the governing body being to provide a service to the public with the costs or expenses, including depreciation, being covered by user charges. The Enterprise Fund ended the year with $4,194,999 in assets and liabilities of $29,743 and net assets of $4,165,256.
The Town had a total of $4,309,207 cash at the end of the year compared to $4,049,695 in 2005 and the Finance Office was commended for her work.
Neither Council nor the public had any questions of the auditors. Book 9 Page 1464
Planning Case: SUBDIVISION CASE# 07-01-STPL-00369: KTW Properties, Inc. Owned by Kathy Williams. Located southwest of Mt. Carmel Road and east of the Forsyth County line Oak Ridge Township and consists of four (4) residential lots for a total of approximately 4.716 acres. Requesting approval of two (2) flag lots. Being Guilford County Tax Map 02-007, Block 2012-41S, Parcel 006. Zoned AG.
Mr. Niles presented the case to Council. He indicated that the request was a minor subdivision which would create four residential lots and included the creation of two flag lots. The subdivision plat has been reviewed and found consistent with the minimum requirements of the Town’s Development Ordinance. The Planning Board heard the matter on February 8, at which time they approved the subdivision and recommended, with a 4 to 0 vote, the creation of the two flag lots. Staff recommends approval.
The following spoke in favor of the request:
Anthony Vaughn, surveyor with offices in Madison, indicated that he would answer any questions.
No one spoke in opposition to the matter.
Mr. Flynt said that he was not a fan of flag lots but it is a part of the Ordinance and the case meets the requirements. He made a motion to approve the request. Mayor Jones seconded the motion. All Council members voted 5 to 0 to approve the flag lots.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Jones Aye Halbrook Aye Flynt Aye Richardson Aye__ Shelton Aye___
Mr. Flynt asked for an update on a new County policy for cluster homes, town houses and RDP when water and sewer is not available. Mr. Niles said that the County has recently amended the Planned Unit Development rules and regulations. Only properties that were 25 acres or greater and served by public water and sewer were eligible to seek a rezoning of Planned Unit Residential (PUD) which had been a part of the Development Ordinance since 1992. Since that time, community wells, off-site septic systems and improvements in septic systems have been made. Planners view PUD as a wonderful planning tool and the development regulations have been amended to allow any property that is 25 acres or greater can be considered for PUD rezoning regardless of how they obtain potable water or take care of the sanitary sewer issues. The greater benefit is the creativity that that can be brought to the land design and not be limited by public water and sewer. The Guilford County Commissioners unanimously adopted the amendments and to date, there have not been any cases. Mr. Flint asked how the density issues were addressed. Mr. Niles indicated that it was addressed through the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan. Density is not looked at as a limitation. If there are demonstrated benefits and innovation being brought through the project, innovation and good sound planning design will be rewarded by various methods such as additional density
Mr. Flynt said that Stokesdale is getting requests for RPD that are cluster developments with lots of 20,000 square feet and he felt that they are out of character with the Town. He had hoped someone would build cluster townhouses for senior citizens and empty nesters but that is not the case. He had hoped that new County policy might address the issue and Stokesdale may want to consider it.
Mr. Flynt acknowledged the work done by Mr. Niles on behalf of the three towns in northwest Guilford County. He was a major impetus in helping reduce the planning fees and keeping the planning office open in Oak Ridge and he has done a lot of constructive things for the County.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Update: Mr. Niles indicated that the NPDES is a federal mandate that will become effective July 1, 2007. He noted that about one half of the Town would be affected by the new regulations. All areas outside of a watershed
Book 9 Page 1465 will be affected. Guilford County, under the current contract, provides stormwater review for areas in the watershed areas. All of the area outside of the watershed will be subject to these regulations. In unincorporated Guilford County, the State of NC has review responsibilities. He believes that the County has engineers with expertise on staff that can perform those duties of regulatory review, enforcement, instead of utilizing the Winston Salem regional office or the State. The County has recently revised their stormwater regulations in anticipation of the July 1 NPDES Phase II requirements. The State, has reviewed the rules & regulations and it meets the requirements for NPDES Phase II. The County is now seeking delegation from the State to allow Guilford County to enforce and administer the stormwater program in the areas outside of the watershed. The County would rather provide the service so that a developer would not have to apply with the State and then come back to the County to deal with a subdivision. There must be a delegation of authority from the State to allow Guilford County to perform the services. It will also take delegation approval for the towns that partner with the County, if they choose to have County to administer their plans. The County has submitted an application to the State for the delegation of authority for unincorporated Guilford County. It will take further delegation from the State to allow Guilford County to perform these services for the towns if they choose to have the County provide the service on their behalf. Currently the Winston Salem office services 6 or 7 counties and the County feels that they can do it on an expedited manner. Should the Town wish to work with the County, the following events must occur:
Mr. Trevorrow asked if there was any sort of an ordinance change in the resolution that would require a public hearing. Mr. Niles indicated that there resolution did not require public hearings but if the stormwater ordinance were to be amended, then public hearings would be held for the Planning Board and Town Council. He suggested holding a workshop to go over what is involved in the process and why it is happening and the benefits the Town will be derive from it. Mr. Trevorrow indicated that the resolution was an expression of interest and intent on the part of Stokesdale to participate with the County in this process. Mr. Niles pointed out that Council has a copy of the rules and regulations that the County recently adopted for Stormwater regulations. With some minor changes, it could become Stokesdale’s regulations as well and it would be some changes from the current regulation. Mr. Niles suggested that they could work with the development community that works in Stokesdale and they may combine it with Summerfield and Oak Ridge.
Mr. Flynt made a motion to adopt the resolution. Mr. Shelton seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the resolution was adopted. A copy of the resolution is hereby incorporated into and made a part of the minutes of the meeting.
Mr. Niles informed Council that new Flood Maps will be effective on June 18, 2007. The County is looking at making some changes to the County’s flood ordinance. Currently it is six pages in length. He indicated that he would be working with the State in an attempt to be in compliance with FEMA but to minimize the documents.
CDBG Scattered Site Housing Program: The Clerk indicated that the Town of Stokesdale participated in the program in 2001. The program provides rehabilitation housing assistance to qualifying lower income households in Guilford County. The funds may be used to fix structural, cosmetic and/or water and sewer deficiencies. Applications are due February 28. Mr. Flynt made a motion to authorize Mayor Jones to sign the certification for the Scattered Site Housing Program on behalf of the Town of Stokesdale. Mr. Richardson seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion was approved. Book 9 Page 1466 Water System Issues: Mr. Hal Pegram told Council that the water in his house from the Town waterlines was dirty. He said it had always been like this since he had the water installed. Sometimes there is grit or rust in the water. Mayor Jones asked the Clerk to contact MLP and have them investigate the problem.
As to other water issues, Mayor Jones noted that the Town has been on a month-to-month basis with MLP and it may be appropriate to secure another contract with them or another firm. A draft of a request for proposals has been prepared. There are some changes that MLP wants to make in their current agreement and we need to renegotiate with them or send out the RFP to see if there are other operators that have the proper permits and meet the certification requirements of the State. Mr. Flynt asked how the request would be advertised. The Clerk indicated that the last time an RFP was made, an ad was placed in the News & Record and the Northwest Observer. The Clerk was not aware of any trade journals where it could be advertised. Mr. Flynt questioned whether another municipality might be willing to operate the system. Mayor Jones indicated that he felt that a municipality would have to go through their political process to determine if they would be willing to operate the system and they would not submit a proposal. The Clerk noted that the State maintains a list of certified operators who are willing to take on additional work. The last time the records were checked there were very few people listed in our area. Mayor Jones made a motion to make the request for proposals based on the draft and authorize the Clerk to advertise in the Greensboro News & Record and the Northwest Observer, and to check with the State and send appropriate notices to businesses that have the proper Class B certification and any trade journals that are appropriate. Mr. Flynt asked if the motion could be amended to include the Winston paper as well. Mayor Jones amended his motion to include the Winston Salem Journal. Mr. Shelton seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried.
Mr. Marziano had prepared an application for approval of Engineering Plans and Specifications for water Supply Systems to submit to NCDENR. Mr. Flynt made a motion to grant Mayor Jones the authority to sign the application. Mr. Richardson seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried.
Unfinished Business: There was no unfinished business coming before Council.
Committee and Board Reports Stokesdale Community Park Board Report: A report for the Community Park was not available.
Land Use Plan Review Committee – Update on Applications: The Clerk reported that no new applications had been received but some other members of the original land use committee had responded. Mr. Flynt made a motion to appoint the Robert Wurz, Scott Lawrence, Stewart Hommel, Richard Millard, Ms. Halbrook, Mr. Flynt and Carolyn Joyner to the Land Use Review Committee. Mr. Shelton seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the committee was appointed by Council.
Departmental and Administrative Reports: Mayor Jones said that he felt that Council should echo the sentiments that the auditors expressed regarding the job that Carolyn has done as finance officer. It was an excellent report and he expressed Council’s gratitude and sincere appreciation for the job that she has done.
Finance Report: January, 2007: The Finance Officer noted that the nine certificates of deposit that matured during the month of January are shown in bold. The certificates earned about $39,000 in interest. Assets increased by about $21,000 in January. Checking account transactions included the payment of $35.00 to Mr. Richardson for the addition of a wheel to the tongue lift on the generator trailer; payment of $4,000 to Cannon & Company for the final billing for the audit; payment of $444.07 to Covington Diesel for the annual maintenance on the generator. Accounts Payable included an invoice from Guilford County Finance for fourth quarter which was about $17,000.00.
The 4th quarter cable franchise fees of $6,860.70 were deposited into the savings account. The Finance Officer noted that Mr. Harris, PTCOG, had presented information regarding the change in the distribution
Book 9 Page 1467 of cable franchise fees. The State is requiring that cable fee payments for the last two quarters to be certified to them and future payments will be based on those numbers until the contract expires. Any increases in the customer base will not be taken into consideration. Mr. Trevorrow said that the Town would get the fees that are generated by Stokesdale residents pursuant to the franchise agreement. The Town will receive the average of two quarters which will be the base payment that the Town will receive for the remainder of the contract period.
The Finance Officer indicated that nine Certificates of Deposit matured and were renewed for 5.1% for 6 months or 5.098% for 11 months. The previous rate was 4.1%. Interest rates have improved.
The Water Enterprise Checking accounts shows mostly routine transactions and the deposit of new tap fees. Water meters are being purchased in Angels Glen as construction begins in that subdivision. Water Enterprise Accounts Payable includes billing from Yates Construction Company for the installation of a new tap and meters.
Administrative Reports: Set fees for 2007 Election: The Clerk noted that the filing period begins in July and the Board of Elections has asked that Council set the filing fees for the upcoming elections. The previous fee was $5.00. Mr. Shelton made a motion to set the fee at $5.00. Mayor Jones seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye and the motion carried. The seats now held by Mr. Richardson, Mr. Shelton and Mr. Flynt will be up for reelection.
The Clerk noted that the website will be updated soon.
Legislative Action: There was no legislative action coming before Council.
Announcements: Mayor Jones noted the announcements listed on the agenda.
Comments from the Floor: No comments were made.
Comments from Council: Ms. Halbrook noted that Council has been invited to the open house for the new Oak Ridge Town Hall.
Mr. Shelton noted that at the previous meeting, a citizen had brought the hazardous situation at the intersection and asked about a sensor that could be used at the stoplight. Mr. Flynt said that he has talked with Fire Chief Todd Gauldin and there is a company that makes such a system and they are investigating the possibilities but it may be cost prohibitive. Mr. Flynt said that citizens should direct their questions to the Fire Chief so that they would have the correct information. Mayor Jones noted that the Chief and Fire Department Board have expertise in these matters and would be in contact with the vendors. Mr. Flynt noted that NCDOT and perhaps the Federal government would need to be involved because it is a federal road and it may not be a simple process to have this type of devise installed.
Adjournment: Mayor Jones made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Halbrook seconded the motion. All Council members voted aye. The meeting adjourned at 8:42 PM.
___________________________________________ Carolyn L. Joyner, Town Clerk
Approved:
______________________________________________ Randle L. Jones, Mayor Book 9 Page 1468
APPROVED BY COUNCIL: March 15, 2007 Official Copies of the Town Council minutes are available at Town Hall for a nominal copy fee.
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