Chapel Hill Town Council passes final budget for 2005-06

After months of build up and discussion, the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a final budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year Monday with little discussion.

“We thank you very much for your hard work on the budget this year,” Town Manager Cal Horton told council members.

The new budget sets a tax rate of 52.2 cents per $100 of assessed property value — a 2.9-cent increase.

The budget includes pay plans for town employees — a topic that has drawn much debate and could face tougher scrutiny from council members next year.

Council members have requested a review of the current pay plan that currently calls for a 3.78 percent pay raise.

The raises help to get town employees to the job rate — the amount that a competent employee would be worth in the job market.

The makeup of the committee that will be charged with reviewing the pay plan drew some debate from council members.

“If we really want to get some insight, we really need some people who are going to give us confidence in their opinions,” Mayor Kevin Foy said.

Members of the town’s budget advisory committee will be invited to serve on the new committee. Applications from town employees also will be solicited,

The committee will be charged with evaluating the pay plan, comparing it to local public and private employers and recommending possible changes to the plan to the council, among other things.

The committee is slated to be established September 26.

Umstead Act

Council members took a stance on new legislation from the state after receiving a petition Tuesday.

Council members agreed to oppose changes to the Umstead Act — a 1929 legislation prohibiting UNC-system schools from placing themselves in competition with private businesses.

The amendments call for a “blanket exemption,” giving the universities the chance to sell or rent out services otherwise not available to the local communities.

Council members briefly debated where they stood on the issue and the ambiguities of the changes.

Many council members agreed that modifications at least needed more scrutiny and discussion before they are passed.

“I think we’re all saying this shouldn’t be passed,” Foy said.

The amendments already passed in the N.C. House by a vote of 113-6.

Wal-Mart

A concerned citizen and council member submitted separate petitions to the council Monday — both addressing the possible development of a Wal-Mart in Chatham County.

The Wal-Mart could be situated off U.S. 15-501, not far from the Orange County line.

Chapel Hill resident Laurin Easthom urged council members to investigate all means to deter the project.

Later in the meeting council member Ed Harrison presented a similar petition that urged town staff to speak with Chatham County staff about the approval process for such a development, among other things.

Town Manager Cal Horton said staff could see what kind of information Chatham County could provide.

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen also passed a resolution Tuesday to ask the Chatham County manager to review the effect this project could have on surrounding areas.

The resolution, presented by Alderman Alex Zaffron, passed unanimously.

OI-4 Zoning

Another resolution that will impact University development was passed by council members Monday.

The resolution will deal with a transportation impact analysis for the Office/Institutional-4 zoning district — a special district created in 2001 to deal with on-campus development.

The resolution calls for an annual Executive Summary Report of the analysis which will give special attention to neighborhoods adjacent to the campus development.

Other resolutions were passed at the council’s June 15 meeting regarding O/I-4 standards, including a requirement that the University submit a development plan to a specific advisory board before council review of new projects.

But this resolution was held for additional review time.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.