This week mostly consisted of meetings and work sessions. The most news worthy and difficult item of the week was funding for the Panther Creek High School Road improvements. Fortunately, the end of the week included a nice event sponsored by Cary’s Sister Cities and an Eagle Scout Ceremony.

The Wake County School System is planning on adding 3 modular units, which include 22 classrooms, to Panther Creek High School. The only thing keeping them from their certificate of occupancy is road improvements that are required by Cary law. Early in the week I was contacted by Wake School Superintendent Dr. Burns on this issue. He felt that the school board would not agree to the required road improvements because of their financial situation which currently has them over $11 million in the hole. I also received met with or received calls from Rosa Gill, Lori Milberg, and Eleanor Goettee of the school board who expressed the inability to pay the required improvements now. I told them that I felt the council would not agree to do the road improvements for them but might agree to extend the time if they agreed to sign a bonding agreement. At their Tuesday meeting the school board decided to hold their decision on whether or not to do road improvements until after the Cary council met on Thursday. At the council meeting on Thursday we decided to give the school board 18 months to do the road improvements. The school board will now decide what to do with the modular units on December 2^nd. They can agree to do the improvements which are required by law or not use the modular units and reassign many high school students. I believe it is important to point out that Cary has always been more than generous to the school board. We have spent more than $64.9 million since 2000 on schools. During these tough economic times it extremely important that those responsible for required improvements meet their obligation. I hope, for our children’s sake, the school board makes the right decision.

The first meeting of the week was on Monday with staff to prepare for the CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) meeting. We are concerned about a couple of items and a list of road improvements promised for Cary. Mayor Pro-Tem Robison agreed to represent the council at the CAMPO meeting on Wednesday since I was scheduled to attend another meeting.

Monday evening I spoke with a representative from a group called Morrisville Action. They are very upset with the current governing body in Morrisville and want a less dense approach to growth. They believe the current board approves projects with little or no regard to road improvements. I believe this group will make a significant difference in the next Morrisville election.

Monday night I attended the elected officials’ reception in Raleigh. I was able to talk with several newly elected officials including Josh Stein and Stan Norwalk. Both of these gentlemen will have a significant impact on what happens in Cary over the next few years.

Tuesday evening the council held a work session to get the latest information on the Western Wake Water Treatment Plant Project. In attendance were elected officials from Morrisville, Apex, and Holly Springs. Staff basically reported that the project is moving forward and permitting is on schedule which should have the plant operating around 2013.

Tuesday night the council held a work session to meet with consultants who we will use to hire our next town manager. We went over the process and a preliminary time line. The council should be getting down to a handful of candidates by mid to late February.

Wednesday morning the council attended a presentation from staff on our current economic situation. We talked about our General Fund’s revenues, operating margin, and fund balance. In addition, we talked about the town’s Utility fund. It was reported that our General Fund revenue stream remains strong. The only concerns are lower permits which only accounts for 3% of our revenue and lower sales taxes which makes up about 20% of our revenue. Over half of our revenue comes from property taxes. The operating margin looked good with some items doing better than expected and some doing worse than expected resulting in an overall net close to estimates. Our fund balance is expected to total $65 million at the end of the fiscal year which is $11 million higher than the target. Our utility fund, despite a wet summer and successful conservation is doing well at 99.6% of target. I ought to mention that we are also cutting back in several areas such as travel and new hires. We are continuing to hire necessary police and fire employees. Bottom line is our financial situation looks good at this point thanks to the excellent staff in the finance and budgeting departments.

Wednesday evening I met with a council subcommittee and staff to discuss ideas for our next legislative agenda. Three of the items we presented to the Wake County delegation last year were successfully done in the short session. We hope to have more success this year in the long session. I think it is important to note that the committee recommended keeping the three school items on the legislative agenda: some kind of at-large school board elections, taxing authority, and the ability to raise funds county-wide (for example a county-wide developer fee for schools).

Thursday I met with the council sub committee on the council-staff retreat. In the past the retreat has been held out of town in places like Mid Pines or Wrightsville Beach. We decided that due to the tough economic times the retreat this year should be held locally. While we haven’t decided on a place I hope we can remain in Cary to support our local businesses.

Thursday night’s council meeting went very well. We had several issues that did not have unanimous approval. But each discussion was vetted well and I believe good decisions were made. Big decisions included extending time for Panther Creek road improvements, a mid-year appropriation for Habitat for Humanity, and not annexing 4 acres on Cary Parkway and Winfair near Evans.

Friday night my wife and I attended the 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration at the Page Walker sponsored by Cary’s Sister Cities. Culinary students from Wake Tech who hope to travel to our sister city Le Touquet in France prepared the magnificent food. The honored guest was long time council member Bill Garmon. It was a privilege to meet and talk with him and his wife and hear stories about my uncle (former mayor Fred Bond).

Sunday afternoon I attended the Eagle Scout Ceremony for Alex Dubois. His ceremony was the third I have attended from troop 213. Alex’s project was the information kiosk at the Cary dog park. I look forward to Alex being a future leader in his community. 

Most of the emails this week were in support of a mid-year appropriation to Habitat for Humanity. We were also lobbied heavily via email on the annexation petition for Cary Parkway at Winfair. I also received many other emails with various requests including wanting a job, selling services, and requests for me to attend numerous governmental meetings around the state.

Well, that is about all I have for this week. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll close for now and hopefully post again by Sunday, November 30^th.

This week was slow relatively speaking with two events and a few meetings.

Monday started with a ceremony at Reedy Creek Middle School to honor the teachers who are veterans. I was honored to read and present proclamations to each. I was fortunate to talk with a few about their tours of duty. One teacher was actually stationed for a time in an intelligence location and had fascinating stories about that particular assignment.

Monday night was a joint meeting of the town’s Planning and Zoning Board and the town council on our LDO Amendments pertaining to Conservation Residential Overlay and Cluster Housing, and the South West Area Land Use Plan Amendments. To put it more simply it was about how we are to allow development as we approach Jordan Lake and do we allow developers to get extra density for donating open space. Each member present was able to give their thoughts and opinions and I think the council and P&Z board have a good understanding of each other’s opinions. Interesting opinions included a desire to have less density going west. On the other hand a point was made that it might not be realistic to expect very low density in this area ten to twenty years from now. The staff will take the information from this meeting and try to come up with a proposal that will encompass the thoughts and comments expressed at the meeting. That will be presented to the P&Z first and then brought to council.

Tuesday was a holiday so no meetings or events were scheduled for me. Several people including myself, who work outside the government sector, had to work. But Veterans Day is not about working or not but remembering and honoring our veterans. As has been said many times, freedom is not free and I thank God for the men and women who risk their lives every day.

Wednesday night I was the keynote speaker for the 40^th anniversary of Christian Community in Action. This group is probably best known for the Dorcas shop but that is but just one of their ministries. They also support other agencies like The Carying Place, Meals on Wheels, and many other organizations. They also run a crisis ministry that provides assistance to those in desperate need of money for rent, prescriptions, utility bills, etc. This dedicated group of volunteers is a great asset to the Town of Cary and surrounding communities.

Thursday I attended the monthly meeting of the Wake Transit Leadership Team. This team is made up of Wake County Chair Bryan, mayors of Raleigh, Cary, and Wake Forest, members of Raleigh and Cary chambers, and members of transit interests in the area. We discussed the original plan for transit presented to Wake County mayors last week. That plan’s original phase called for many new buses to be funded by a ½ cent sales tax and a $10 vehicle fee increase. We are all tasked to talk with elected officials and others that may have ideas on this original plan. We plan to meet again in December to compare notes.

The last meeting of the week was with developers of the proposed Piney Plains Office Park. I have been working with the residents and developers on this issue for weeks. We are making progress but some residents will continue to keep their valid protest petition. The main complaint is about flooding but the flooding is an existing condition and will not be exacerbated by this proposed development.

Emails this week mostly consisted of requests by individuals to pull money from our General Fund to buy land for Habitat for Humanity. Other emails complained about council delaying the Cary Elementary renovation due to the fly tower art work review. There were also a few emails complaining about various issues. It is important to know that staff reviews my emails and addresses any problems quickly.

Well, that is about all I have for this week. So I’ll close for now and hopefully post again by Sunday, November 23^rd.

This week was of course dominated by the historical election but also included several meetings, a ribbon cutting, and events.

On Monday I started the week by meeting with a representative of Pulte Homes about development in Amberly. He expressed concerns about several things but mainly wanted to get out of a developer agreement if they bought properties from another developer. While I will always listen to proposals it needs to be known that if demands created by developments (water, sewer, roads, etc) are not picked up by the developer then they will certainly fall in the laps of the taxpayers. As for me, I not interested in adding to the taxpayer’s burden.

Monday night I toured the construction of the new SV temple off Chapel Hill Road near Maynard Road. This Hindu temple will be completed sometime next summer. The developers have brought over several craftsmen from India to create this temple that will be very unique in the United States. That is, it will be one of three that has this kind of detail. The amount of time being spent on the artistic detail of these structures is incredible. One craftsman had spent two days on the detail of one column of which there are many dozens. No matter what religion you choose  you should see this structure. The structure, when finished, will be an architectural draw for the region.

Tuesday was Election Day with about every office up for election except local offices. Doing my duty as a party member I stumped for candidates in the morning and evening. I went to the Democratic headquarters in the Marriot located in downtown Raleigh to visit with candidates and to celebrate victories. At about 10:30 my wife and I went to the Obama suite on the 17^th floor to watch the results. It was clear at that time that all major networks were waiting to call the race once the west coast polls were closed. Once the race was called there were of course a lot of tears and hugs. One image that sticks in my mind is a 60 to 70 something African American staring at the TV in disbelief. Having lived through the sixties I can only imagine what was going through his head. Hopefully, we are finally putting the issue of race behind us. After a few minutes of celebrating my wife and I decided to leave for home to hear speeches. We left the suite and managed to get through the celebrations in the hall. At the elevator we could hear the roar from seventeen floors below. Getting off the elevator we entered a celebration like I have never seen. On the way home I heard McCain’s concession speech. What a classy speech. This was a side of McCain that many people did not get to see in the campaign. Once home, I was able to watch Obama’s speech. I wish him the best of luck and ask that everyone pray and work together and support our new president as we have many problems to overcome.

Wednesday it was back to mayoral duties. I attended a leadership reception at the Governor’s mansion. I was able to meet Mrs. Easley for the first time. It was also the first time I had been in the Governor’s mansion. The reception was nice and I was able to talk with a few people of special interests, a few friends, and a few politicians. I probably spent the most time talking to Nancy McFarlane of the Raleigh City Council. We had fun comparing stories about working on our councils.

Thursday afternoon started with a meeting of mayors, Wake County Commission Char Bryan, and various leaders interested in future transit. This meeting was called so that we can create an original plan for future transit in the area. This original proposal included specific steps to implement the STAC recommendations. The main points included beginning with expanded bus service: over 100 new buses total with 75 primarily for express service between municipalities by 2013. Rail was also included but would begin until 2019. The funding would be from a ½ cents sales tax along with a $10 increase in vehicle registration. It was pointed out in the presentation that Federal support could accelerate the timelines. I along with others expressed concern about gathering support. It should be noted and clearly stated that this is an original draft. I believe we will definitely need more transit in the next ten years as this area is projected to double within the next twenty years. If we, as a county, do not plan and prepare now then our reaction to transit needs in the future will be much more expensive.

Thursday night I attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for Mills Park Elementary. There was quite a turnout and I was able to speak with many parents who expressed how happy they were to have their children attend the new school. One note of interest was the incredible chorus made up of 4^th and 5^th graders who sang several songs including the national anthem (even hit all the high notes). I was able to talk to superintendent Burns before I left and he was very happy with the school and administration. He believes that even though reassignments cause anxiety in families, the eventual outcome usually ends up with happy parents and children at their new school. I pray that he is right but still I am looking to do what I can to limit the reassignments.

Friday I attended the mayor’s outing at the RBC center to watch the Carolina Hurricanes. It was good fun and we actually conducted business. I was voted vice chair and treasurer of the mayor’s association. Unfortunately, this is viewed as a duty rather than a privilege by most. I look at it as an  opportunity and a challenge. Just one of many new experiences I have had during the last twelve months.

Saturday I had the privilege of attending the Bat Mitzvah of Mayor Pro-Tem Robison’s daughter Hannah. What a lovely young lady and Dan and Julie should be very proud. This was the third Bat Mitzvah I have had the opportunity to attend over the years and really enjoy the service. It is similar to my daughter’s confirmation but there is much more celebration in the Jewish community for these events.

Sunday afternoon I attended a volunteer appreciation for the Center for Volunteer Caregiving. These amazing people spend many hours volunteering to help our elderly citizens. To me they are angels. I was honored to thank them for their community service.

Emails this week consisted of many complaints and questions which included: why we are considering further limits on noise at the amphitheater, why we haven’t started on the downtown streetscape project, why there isn’t water/sewer in the Windsor subdivision, and complaints about not having a Cary school system.

Well, that is about all I have for this week. So I’ll close for now and hopefully post again by Sunday, November 16^th.

This week consisted of work sessions, events, a subcommittee meeting, and a council meeting.

Last Sunday I mentioned that I was working on something in secret. At the time I was writing the journal entry last week town officials and I were talking with Obama representatives about the possibility of Obama coming to Cary. But after the representatives talked with the town manager, police, and park officials it was decided that all our venues were too small and he ended up going to Raleigh were the turn out was estimated at 28,000 by some. But it was nice to know that Cary was considered for a potential presidential candidate visit.

Monday’s main task was catching up on phone calls. Most of them were to council members about issues they might want discussed at the council meeting on Thursday. I make these calls so that staff and I can be prepared with information which will allow us to answer questions that council members might have.

Tuesday morning was the regularly scheduled agenda meeting. This allows the Mayor Pro-Tem and me to go over the agenda in detail and ask questions so that we are better prepared to run the council meeting on Thursday. In addition, this is when I alert staff to any questions that council members want answered at the meeting.

Tuesday evening was a work session on items related to the Booth Amphitheater. There was a lot of discussion on noise complaints and the direction the venue should be going. It was decided that the venue is going in the right direction and no changes were needed as far as entertainment. That is, we want to have performances that match all kinds of tastes. One exception is that we hope to attract some theater for next year. We did make one change regarding measurements of noise during concerts. Instead of using a 92 decibel average for 10 minutes we will now use a 92 decibel average for 5 minutes. We will also look into monitoring equipment that filters crowd noise from performance noise. Seems a bit excessive to me since noise is noise but it will help us in fine acts that violate their contractual agreements of 92 decibels.

Wednesday evening was a sub committee meeting on the Occupancy Tax and the Prepared Food and Beverage Tax. This subcommittee is made up of Mayor Pro-Tem Robison, Council member Robinson, and me. These two taxes are collected by Wake County on Hotels, Motels, and restaurants and distributed back mostly in projects. The Occupancy tax started in 1991 when the legislature granted a 6% Occupancy Tax to Wake County and repealed existing municipal Occupancy Taxes. Since Cary already had an Occupancy Tax it was granted an amendment to receive 5% of the county tax revenues. This year Cary generated $3,385,385 of Occupancy Tax revenue in Wake County but only received $703,837 from the 5% grant. Cary does not receive any of the Food and Beverage Tax collected by Wake County even though it generates 18.86% of the revenue. This year Cary generated $2,983,110 from the Food and Beverage Tax. Since 1991 Wake County has spent $46.4 million on projects throughout the county from money collected by these taxes. Projects include Five County Stadium, Exploris/IMAX, Apex Performing Arts, Carolina Ballet, a Garner Park, a Fuquay Park, a Yates Mill Pond Park, an American Tobacco Trail Park, a restaurant for the Mudcats, Factory Kids, and USA Baseball ($1million). It is easy to see that Cary is very much a donor to the rest of the county when it comes to the Occupancy Tax and Food and Beverage Tax. It is my goal as mayor to get a more equal distribution from the county and Raleigh which control the money.

Following the work session on Wednesday I met with a few folks for a brief discussion on my performance as mayor. From their perspective I am doing a good job which I am glad to hear. Of course, I am sure there are some that disagree.

Thursday afternoon before the council meeting there was a work session on the process of hiring a town manager. We decided to hire Steve Straus to facilitate the entire process and to do backend assessment. We also decided to hire a national search firm recommended by our HR Director. This search firm is out of Atlanta and will begin discussions with Mr. Straus and will meet with us on in a few weeks. Right now it is looking like early next year before we have it narrowed down.

Thursday night’s council meeting went relatively smoothly with the most significant decision being related to amending the Southwest Comprehensive Plan to allow higher density for the White Oak Baptist Church proposal. Luckily the meeting only lasted about 4 hours.

Friday night I attended a reception for the 50^th annual Cary Band Day. At the reception were band directors from the early 1950’s. Some told fascinating stories. I enjoyed meeting the past directors that have done so much over the years to make Cary Band Day a signature event for Cary.

Saturday was a busy day for me. It started by welcoming everyone to the 50^th Cary Band Day parade. It was a wonderful parade and the weather was perfect. After lunch I dedicated the Marla Dorrel Park, the Hinshaw Greenway, and the art for the Pedestrian Bridge over US1. That was followed by an award ceremony for bands in the 1A, 2A, and 3A classes of Cary Band day at 6:30. Then at 11:30 I participated in the award ceremony for the 4A and 5A bands.

Sunday has been a busy day in a different kind of way as I spent most of the day of catching up on emails, phone calls, etc., after teaching Sunday School. Luckily, I had time to watch my daughter participate in a tennis tournament at Cary Tennis Park.

Emails this week included complaints about stop lights, school problems, AT&T digging problems, and the proposed gas station on Winfair Drive (off Cary Parkway near Evans Road).

Well, that is about all I have for this week. So I’ll close for now and hopefully post again by Sunday, November 9^th.