Town council says Chapel Hill debt is manageable -

Bond referendums, facility planning and employee surveys were discussed at Wednesday’s Town Council work session.

Business management director Kenneth C. Pennoyer presented the results of the recent bond referendum. All five bond orders were approved and the next step in the issuing process is certification of the referendum on Nov. 23.

Pennoyer explained Chapel Hill’s outstanding debt of $50,530,145 as of June 30.

“It’s definitely on the low side,” Pennoyer said. “It’s manageable.”

Compared to its peer cities and towns, Chapel Hill has relatively low debt per capita at $739. Winston-Salem was the only peer to have a lower amount at $669 while Raleigh possessed the highest at $1,889.

With this information and bond referendums, the town can now proceed in planning project schedules to match debt capacity, organize resources for capital project implementation and monitor and report on projects transparently.

Next on the agenda was an update on the upcoming Municipal Services Center. The facility will house departments including parks and recreation as well as police and fire.

“I think we all agree that we need a new facility,” said Alonzo Jaynes, assistant police chief and project manager. “From this project, we see a golden opportunity.”

The buildings where these departments are currently located suffer from inadequate storage, leaks, mold and bug problems.

“It’s been long overdue,” said Town Council member Lee Storrow.

James announced that Chapel Hill 40, also known as Vilcom, is being considered as a potential space for the new facility. Town manager Roger Stancil hopes the 72,703 square foot space will accommodate all of the departments and encourage collaboration.

“We’re trying to take care of a number of administrative needs,” Stancil said.

The project will return to the Council in May with an update on architectural plans, space needs, programming and site determination and cost estimation.

“It will be such a positive statement,” Jaynes said.

The work session concluded with a thorough examination at an employee engagement survey conducted during May and June.

“We try to engage with employees,” said senior Ombuds Jim Huegerich.

The survey was administered by Management and Personnel Services (MAPS) to better understand employee attitudes. Huegerich compared the survey to peeling an onion as it revealed layers of information.

The anonymous survey had a 50 percent participation rate with 467 employees participating. Topics addressed through the survey ranged from job satisfaction to teamwork.

“It’s a great opportunity to have dialogues with our employees,” Huegerich said.

Significant findings of the survey included 90 percent of participants feel their work impacts others and have opportunity to value others. Sixty-nine percent of participants are satisfied with their job. Thirty-one percent think they could do a better job with more authority.

“I think it’s consistent with what we’re trying to see happen in this workforce,” said Huegerich, who explained that the town will use the results to improve employees’ experiences.

Noteable:

Pennoyer said the town is in the process of making a website to promote transparency which will contain budget information, maps and descriptions of ongoing projects.