04/02/17 — Council to meet Tuesday

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Council to meet Tuesday

By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on April 2, 2017 12:25 AM

The Goldsboro City Council is expected to review a proposal for new stormwater fees during its meeting Tuesday.

Recommendations from a recently formed stormwater stakeholder committee will be presented to council, along with some of the city's challenges in maintaining the aging infrastructure.

Rick Fletcher, Goldsboro public works director, plans to present the recommendations to council during its 5 p.m. work session Tuesday.

The work session will be in the City Hall annex, 200 N. Center St., and precede the council's regular 7 p.m. meeting in City Hall, at 214 N. Center St.

The stormwater committee, which started meeting in February, recommends a new monthly residential fee of $4.50.

Fees will be higher for other properties, including commercial and multi-tenant buildings, based on the amount of impervious surface areas.

Impervious surfaces, which generate stormwater runoff, are areas that prevent water from seeping into the ground and include parking lots, buildings, sidewalks and other hard surfaces.

The committee is making the recommendation to council prior to its May review of the fiscal 2017-18 budget.

The proposed stormwater fees, if adopted by council, are estimated to generate $1.47 million in new revenue for the city. The fees would provide additional funding for stormwater maintenance, which can reduce flooding and other problems, including sinkholes and damaged roads, in the city, Fletcher said.

The stormwater division of public works receives $220,000 in annual funding from the city's general fund, an amount staff have found inadequate to meet current and future needs.

A review of some of the city's stormwater lines show pipes that are caving in, undersized and collapsing.

The stormwater committee recommends a complete assessment and mapping of the city's stormwater system, which currently does not exist, Fletcher said.

The committee has a total of 18 recommendations for the council, including prioritizing projects, reviewing the fee structure every five years, considering a credit program for businesses that reduce stormwater runoff, and pro-rated fees for businesses that open in mid-year.

The plan will be presented to the council for discussion Tuesday. The council could reject the plan or change any of the recommendations, Fletcher said.

"All these are recommendations from the committee," Fletcher said. "These are non-binding. We're just at the beginning stages of the process."

Goldsboro, unlike several other nearby cities, has not had a stormwater fee since state regulations were adopted in the late 1990s. Monthly stormwater fees in area cities are $4.50 in Kinston, $5 in Rocky Mount and $3.80 in Wilson.

The council will also receive other reports during its work session, including presentations about a summer job program and membership fees at the golf course.

During the regular meeting, the council will consider setting a public hearing on May 15 for the planned closing of several city streets, most which include dirt paths.

Closings include Bruce Street, from Vann Street to Colonial Terrace Drive; South Road from Langston Drive to Ridgecrest Drive; and sections of Corney Street, near Gulley Street, Juniper Street, near Best Street, and Spruce Street near Leslie Street.

If the streets are closed, ownership of each right of way would be split between adjoining property owners.

In other matters, the council will consider:

* Naming a private street PFC Dan Bullock Way at the main entrance of Elmwood Cemetery in honor of Private First Class Dan Bullock. Bullock was the youngest American serviceman to die in combat during the Vietnam War on June 7, 1969, at the age of 15.

* Approving a site plan requested by Simmons Technical Services for 10.2 acres at 701 S. George St., near Cola Street, that includes buildings proposed for use as a greenhouse, warehouse, office and classroom space.

* A zoning change from neighborhood business to general business for a multi-tenant shopping center, at 2201 and 2207 E. Ash St., near Durant Street.

* Approving a N.C. Department of Transportation request to close a crossover on U.S. 70 West at West Grantham Street to improve safety along the highway corridor.

* Approving a $47,000 auditing services contract with the Carr, Riggs and Ingram accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

* Establishing a capital projects fund ordinance to record revenues and expenses related to a $3 million Wayne County loan for construction of the multisport complex.

* Establishing a capital projects fund ordinance for revenues and expenses related to a $5.45 million loan for automatic water metering infrastructure.

* Approving an agreement with Alfred Benesch and Co. and adopt a budget ordinance decreasing the occupancy tax fund balance by $51,750 for the cost of design services for the multisport complex. The agreement also includes a council decision to reimburse the fund balance with loan proceeds.

* Closing Center Street, from Chestnut to Spruce streets, on May 27 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., for the Wings of Wayne Military Appreciation Festival.

* Closing Center, Spruce, Walnut, Pine, Jefferson, Chestnut and Mulberry streets on April 8 from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the 39th annual Greater Goldsboro Road Run.

* Closing Center, Walnut, John, Mulberry, James, Chestnut, Spruce and Pine streets from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 27 for the annual Dillard-Goldsboro High Alumni parade.

* Appointing Tyrone Starkie and Robert Taylor to the Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities.

* A resolution requesting federal and state agencies support increased efforts to prevent flooding in the Lower Neuse Basin.

Flood-control measures include the requested construction of reservoirs along the Neuse River, identifying alternative water supplies for the city of Raleigh to allow the lowering of Falls Lake when flooding is expected, mitigation by DOT to reduce stormwater problems from highway construction and an active dredging and clearing of the Neuse River and its tributaries.

The resolution will be sent to the N.C. General Assembly and Congress.