Housing bonds on council docket
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on July 26, 2015 1:50 AM
The Goldsboro City Council will hold a public hearing Monday night to consider issuing $4.5 million in multi-family housing revenue bonds for the acquisition and renovation of Jefferson Court Apartments.
The apartments are a 60-unit housing development at 1100 N. Jefferson St.
The hearing is one of five public hearings to take place. If approved, the $4.5 million would be loaned to FFAH Jefferson Court, an affiliate of the Foundation for Affordable Housing, a nonprofit organization in Delaware.
Money for the acquisition and renovation of the Jefferson Court Apartments would be issued in September if the action is approved following the hearing.
The proposed bond issuance is not expected to exceed $4.5 million, but has a maximum issuance of $75.5 million. The bonds will not become the city's debt, but rather will be paid back by debt service payments from the Foundation for Affordable Housing.
Also on the public hearing list is an item to consider allowing an Internet cafe on the north side of U.S. 70 West between N.C 581 and Westbrook Avenue, to add 18 computers to its operation. This would bring the total amount of computers at the location to 48. No action will be taken following the hearing, and the city Planning Commission will provide the council with a recommendation at its Aug. 3 meeting.
Next on the list is a public hearing to consider issuing a conditional use permit to allow the operation of an entertainment business with ABC permits at 3009 E. Ash St. It is the site of the former Pizza Inn. Last year, the council approved the operation of an entertainment business with no ABC permits. It has since closed. The applicant, Earl Beasley, owns and operates Heroes Oyster Bar. If the permit is granted, Beasley will install a complete kitchen and two bar areas. No action will be taken following the hearing, and the planning commission will provide the council with a recommendation at its Aug. 3 meeting.
Another public hearing will be held to consider allowing an Internet sweepstakes cafe to convert its business to a bingo game establishment. Julia Tillet has requested the change and would remain in the same location in the Southeast Plaza Shopping Center on the east side of N.C. 111 South between Southeast Drive and U.S. 70 East.
The final hearing will deal with a request by the Islamic Center of Goldsboro to construct a private cemetery on the south side of Fedelon Trail between Salem Church Road and North William Street. A modular church currently sits on the property and the cemetery would be placed to the east of the church. Approving the rezoning request to operate a private cemetery would require the use of three acres of existing cleared land and would create areas for 1,033 graves. Just under one acre of the property would be used for memorial services.
There are 10 items on the council's consent agenda.
The engineering firm of McKim and Creed recently used closed circuit television equipment to inspect the city's sewer lines. During the evaluation of the CCTV data it was observed that approximately 39,000 linear feet of sewer line in the city has not been evaluated. The city Engineering Department is seeking $128,850 to analyze the remaining linear footage that will be used in Phase 3 of the city's ongoing inflow and infiltration rehabilitation.
Next on the agenda is an item regarding the purchase of $882,619 worth of vehicles for the Public Works Department through installment financing in the form of a five-year loan. Two pickup trucks, a salt spreader, a crew-cab pickup truck, a fully automated garbage truck, two administrative vehicles, a sports utility vehicle, a half-ton pickup truck, a dump truck and jet-vac truck would all be purchased with the money.
The city is expected to amend its budget ordinance for the 2015-16 fiscal year if the consent agenda passes, allocating funds to pay for purchase orders made during the previous fiscal year that could not be closed out before the end of the last fiscal year. In order to reconcile the difference, $1,665,273.35 will be taken from the unassigned fund balance of the General Fund, and $1,926,842 will be taken from the unassigned fund balance of the Utility Fund to pay for the purchase orders.
Another $5,263,641.84 will be taken from the TIGER V Fund Operating Unit to pay for ongoing TIGER V projects.
Next on the consent agenda is an item approving the purchase of mobile and portable radios for the Fire and Police Departments at a cost of $546,937. This would pay for the replacement of 105 mobile and 119 portable radios for the Police Department, and 13 mobile and 28 portable radios for the Fire Department.
Also on the agenda is an item establishing a capital funds project ordinance for the construction of the W.A. Foster Center and the renovation of the Goldsboro Country Club.
A 15-year loan in the amount of $7.2 million was approved by the council on June 15. The city then received a reimbursement for costs incurred by the projects in the amount of $902,588.06, which brings the total down to $6,377,411.94 the council will have in the fund to draw from to pay for the projects as they continue should the agenda item be approved.
There are two items on the agenda that would see updates made to the city's Sanitation Division. The first is a request to authorize citizens to rent an additional refuse bin from the city for $4 per month. The second is a request to authorize three additional temporary positions in the Sanitation Department to stay on with the department until Sept. 11, 2015. The three temporary positions were created to help with the implementation of new garbage trucks, and therefore garbage rules, but the rules will not go into effect until after Labor Day, making it necessary for the personnel to stay on to aid with enforcement.
The city was approved in January to receive $100,000 from the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund to aid with urgent home repairs in the city for low and low income homeowners. In April, the council approved the policies associated with the program, and the item on the consent agenda for Monday night is to allow the city to enter into a contract with the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency to begin using the money. No matching funds are required from the city. The city will seek to help at least 15 homeowners. A maximum of $8,000 will be provided to each homeowner that needs assistance.
Last on the consent agenda are two appointments to city commissions and councils. The first is to appoint Patrick McArthur to the Planning Commission. The second is to appoint Mary Ann Dudley to the Goldsboro Tourism Council.
The council's work session begins at 5 p.m. in Room 206 of the city hall annex. The regular council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.