Council approves bond referendum
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 18, 2016 1:46 PM
The Goldsboro City Council Monday approved a $10 million bond referendum package that seeks voter support for street improvements and a future multi-sports complex.
The Nov. 8 election ballot will include a $7 million bond proposal for street resurfacing projects and a $3 million bond referendum to partially fund construction of a 62-acre multi-sports complex on the perimeter of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, on Oak Forest Road.
The council voted unanimously for the bonds. Several members of the council, including Mayor Chuck Allen, have said the bonds would speed construction efforts of the sports complex, estimated to cost between $6 and $8 million. The street bond would also help city crews to resurface city roads in need of repair, he said.
Councilman Gene Aycock has also said that the city remains behind on resurfacing streets. The city spends close to $500,000 each year on resurfacing projects, an amount city officials say isn't enough to keep up with current demands. Some of the bond financing could also be used to construct streets where dirt roads exist.
No property tax increase is planned for repayment of the general obligation bonds, the mayor and City Manager Scott Stevens said.
Voter approval would allow city officials to secure part of the funding, $6.5 million, in 2017, and the remaining $3.5 million in 2019 or 2020, said Kaye Scott, Goldsboro finance director.
The debt would be paid within 20 years and a fixed interest rate would be set depending on the market, Scott said.
Also Monday, the council held off on voting for a Goldsboro Traffic and Parking Study after listening to a report summary during its 5 p.m. work session.
Timothy Tresohlavy, project manager with VHB Engineering, told council that the downtown area has plenty of parking available now and in the near future, even though multiple downtown development projects are planned within the next several years.
The four-month study, which included onsite data collection, project meetings and public feedback, concludes that downtown Goldsboro has 3,595 public, private and on-street parking spaces available.
The highest parking demand areas observed include the Wayne County Courthouse, City Hall and Center Street, near Walnut Street.
VHB studied parking and traffic trends within a study area primarily bordered by Ash, William, Elm and George streets. Six additional blocks west of George Street and extending to Union Station were included.
VHB estimates that the city has 579 public parking spaces available during the busiest time of the day, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. An estimated 17 downtown development projects planned within the next three years is expected to reduce public parking to about 322 available spaces by 2019. Additional downtown development is expected to eventually lead to a 191 public parking space deficit.
The city launched the study, following the downtown Streetscape project, which led to a loss of parking due to removing angled parking and adding parallel parking, said Jennifer Collins, Goldsboro assistant planning director. Parallel parking offers fewer parking spaces, Collins said.
The $80,000 cost of the study was shared by the N.C. Department of Transportation, which paid $64,000, and the city of Goldsboro, which paid $16,000 for the work.
The city contracted with VHB Engineering to determine current and future parking needs for the downtown area.
"We're trying to come up with recommendations without building new parking," Collins said.
During a short presentation, Tresohlavy told the council the study provides future planning recommendations, including a parking advisory board and the possibility of adding parking meters. The study recommends parking meters as a last resort.
The council decided to table a decision on the report, after Allen said he did not have a copy and wasn't comfortable voting for a document he didn't have time to review.
"I don't want to vote on something I haven't seen," Allen said.
Aycock said it was difficult to see some of the details of the report during Tresohlavy's presentation.
Also during its meeting Monday, the council approved:
* An ordinance change allowing city residents to pay an additional $20 per month for trash rollout service and the sale of heavy duty bags for construction debris. Each 3-cubic-yard bag will sell for $25. City crews will collect and dispose of the bags at a first bag cost of $125 and additional bags at $100 each.
* Increasing the cost to $8 per cubic yard for compost and mulch sold at the city's compost facility, on North Center Street.