This week is full of personal events so a lot of my time was blocked. I celebrated my youngest daughter’s 16th birthday, my oldest daughter’s 20th birthday, and my 22nd anniversary.

Monday was the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the mayors of Wake County. Nine mayors were in attendance as we discussed various topics from litter to road projects. We will meet again on Monday, May 18th.

Tuesday was my regularly scheduled weekly meeting with the town manager. Since it was in conflict with my daughter’s soccer match we had a virtual meeting over the phone. The main issues we discussed were related to the budget and preparing information for our meeting with the Chatham County commissioners which is scheduled for May 13th.

Wednesday I attended the Cary Chamber’s Annual Elected Officials reception. It was well attended by local, state, and federal officials. I was proud to recognize my colleagues who were all in attendance except one who was out of town on business. It was a great time for me to talk with several business owners. I was especially intrigued in conversations with the banking people. The majority of them stated that they believed we have reached the bottom of the recession and we are on our way back up. Only one of them thought the recession will reach bottom later in the summer. Other business leaders also expressed belief that the recession had reached bottom. I hope they are right and expect Cary to be the first community in the region to recover.

The rest of my week was spent at personal events as I mentioned. Thursday was a birthday dinner for 17 for my youngest daughter at the Cheesecake Factory. That was a blast and included nine guests from Le Touquet France. Saturday was a private anniversary dinner with my wife. I am attending the Canes game tonight which should be a lot of fun. Monday we will be celebrating my oldest daughter’s birthday.

Emails this week included a press release reaffirming Cary’s AAA bond rating:

FITCH RATES CARY, NC’S $96.2MM GO BONDS ‘AAA’;

OUTLOOK STABLE

Fitch Ratings-New York-22 April 2009: Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AAA’ rating to the Town of Cary, North Carolina’s (the town) estimated $96.21 million general obligation (GO) bonds, consisting of $53 million GO public improvement bonds, series 2009A and $43.21 million GO public improvement refunding bonds, series 2009B. The bonds are scheduled to sell competitively on April 29, 2009. In addition, Fitch affirms the ‘AAA’ rating on the town’s approximately $142 million of outstanding GO bonds and the ‘AA+’ rating on approximately $35 million of certificates of participation, series 2002A and 2002B. The Rating Outlook is Stable.

The long-term ‘AAA’ rating reflects the town exceptionally strong financial position, stable and diverse economy, and generally moderate debt levels that should remain affordable through the life of the 10-year capital improvement plan (CIP). The town’s financial flexibility is extremely high, given large fund balances, a moderate property tax rate, and use of pay-as-you-go funding for capital projects. While declines in sales tax receipts and building permit revenues are forecasted to continue through fiscal 2010 as a result of softening economic conditions, the Stable Outlook reflects the long-term stability of the local employment base and the town’s continued prudence in financial management.

The town’s population more than doubled in the 1990s, but recent growth has slowed significantly; the U.S. census bureau-estimated 2007 population of 116,910 is 23.7% above the 2000 census figure. Residents benefit from employment opportunities within the town limits, as well as from jobs in Raleigh, the state capital, and in nearby Research Triangle Park, a campus of 170 biotechnology firms with roughly 42,000 jobs. Several colleges and universities, as well as major health care facilities, add depth and breadth to the employment base. Although the town’s unemployment rate has increased slightly year-over-year, the February 2009 rate of 6.5% remains well below state and national averages of 11.2% and 8.9%, respectively. Reflecting the highly specialized nature of most of the town’s employment, income levels are well above state and national averages.

Financial management is very strong, as evidenced by high fund balances, stringent fiscal policies, and conservative budgeting. Planned capital project expenditures for fiscal 2007 resulted in a reduction of the unreserved general fund balance from 58% to a still strong 43% of spending. Audited results for fiscal 2008 showed a slight increase in fund balance, with financial flexibility remaining healthy at 43% of spending. Town officials project that despite pressure on sales tax receipts and building permit revenues, fiscal 2009 will close with a $3.8 million surplus. The town’s proposed budget for fiscal 2010 conservatively incorporates further softening in sales taxes and permitting revenues, and also factors in declines in investment earnings. The proposed budget does not include an increase to the property tax rate, which was adjusted downward in fiscal 2009 to reflect a revaluation. While growth in the assessable base between revaluations was moderate, the town’s assessed value increased 40% from fiscal 2008-2009. Town officials anticipate slower AV growth in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, although the housing market in the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area remains strong compared to national trends.

Overall debt levels, including the overlapping debt issued by Wake and Chatham counties, are somewhat high on a per capita at approximately $4,000 and more moderate as a percentage of market value at 2.4%. Amortization is above average, with 60% of principal retiring within 10 years. After the issuance of the 2009 bonds, the town will have approximately $194 million in authorized and unissued GO debt, which is expected to be issued over the next six fiscal years to fund improvements to the town’s utility system, streets, parks and recreational facilities, and open spaces. The town’s 10-year CIP through fiscal 2019 totals $942 million, approximately 47% of which is for general capital projects (transportation, fire, parks and recreation, and general government), with the remainder allocated to water and sewer capital needs.

This is great news. Cary’s financial status remains extremely strong even in these tough economic times. The AAA bond rating, the highest that can be given, will allow Cary to finance bonds with the lowest cost to the taxpayers.

Well that is about it for this week. I will hopefully post again on Sunday, May 3rd.  Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.

This week’s most significant events included three charity events and a public hearing on the future Western Wake Wastewater facility.

Monday began with calls to all council members to ask about issues related to the regularly scheduled council meeting on Thursday. At the agenda meeting with staff later that day, deciding upon the voting method topic generated the most discussion. What was confusing was that we had a public hearing on the plurality method of elections but we had an information presentation on Instant Runoff Voting. A final decision on the voting method will be made on April 30^th. If we do nothing then we have an election with runoff or we could decide to do instant runoff or plurality. At this time I have no idea which way the council is leaning.

Tuesday mid day I joined the Lions Club as a charter member of the Professional Lions Club of Cary. I am excited about our members and the potential good we can do for the community.

Tuesday night I attended and spoke at the EIS public hearing on the Western Wake Wastewater facility held at the Apex town hall. Unfortunately, I had to leave the public hearing immediately after I spoke because I was scheduled to meet two French guests who were expecting me at 7 PM. My comments basically stated support of moving the facility forward as soon as possible at its current location.

Let me give a little background on the Western Wake Wastewater facility. Before I was elected Mayor Cary, Apex, Morrisville, and Holly Springs representatives chose a site for a new wastewater facility in New Hill, known as site 14. Once I was elected mayor I asked about the possibility of changing sites and what impact that would have. According to staff members it would cost a couple million and a couple years of delay to change sites now. The delay is significant because of our interbasin transfer agreement.

The interbasin transfer agreement, which allows Cary to take water from the Cape Fear river basin and return it to the Neuse river basin, will expire on January 1^st, 2011. Cary does return some water to the Cape Fear river basin via an agreement with Durham. At a premium cost, Cary sends some of its effluent to Durham so that it can be discharged in the Cape Fear river basin via their system. It is also important to note that the expansion of our water facility from 18 million gallons a day to 40 million gallons a day was based on the interbasin transfer. At peak times Cary has used as much as 30 million gallons in one day. Since the Western Wake Wastewater facility will be delayed beyond the expiration of the interbasin transfer, there is a slight risk that the amount of water we take from Lake Jordan may be limited to what can be returned to the Cape Fear River basin. This could lead to many complications especially in the summer months. So to support our growing population and our current population via the interbasin transfer, Cary needs the Western Wake Wastewater facility to be built without delay. Combine these potential complications with the added millions in expense and it is impossible for me to justify changing locations at this time. While this puts me in conflict with many of my supporters, I hope they understand that I am sworn to do the best I can for the people of Cary and it is my belief that proceeding is the best course of action.

Wednesday was our first council meeting of April. This week and day is not typical for a Cary Town Council meeting and was picked at the beginning of the year to accommodate holidays and vacations. There were two issues that seemed to generate a lot of discussion at the meeting. Dr. Gilbert and Cherie Poucher of the Wake County Board of Elections and two members of the state board of elections were present to answer questions about the integrity of the system as it relates to Instant Runoff Voting. It is my belief that there is no question that Wake County and the State’s procedures are solid and safe. I have all the confidence in the world that votes cast in Cary will be accurately counted. As mentioned earlier, the council will decide which voting method to use at our April 30^th council meeting.

Another topic of discussion at the meeting was related to our SPRUCE program which includes litter reduction. The council agreed to send a letter to the governor asking that she keep our state roads clean specifically I-40 and US1. I will also ask the Mayor’s Association to support this request.

Thursday I participated in the Cary Chamber’s Celebrity Tennis match. I played with long time friend Dan Weant, Director of Tennis at Prestonwood Country Club, against Bobby Heald, Director of Tennis at MacGregor Downs Country Club and Chip Thomas, a top tennis player at MacGregor. Chip seemed to be the star of the show and Bobby was excellent as usually. Dan and I were whipped pretty solidly 8-2. The good news is that the exhibition was followed by Business After Hours. Since Business After Hours is usually held on Thursday during our regularly scheduled council meetings I don’t normally get to go. But with the council meeting on Wednesday this week I was able to attend and had a lot of fun.

Friday evening started with a roast, well… sort of a roast, of Pat Andrews the principal of Davis Drive Elementary who is retiring after 35 years in education. Her dedication and love for children has made Davis Drive one of the best elementary schools in the state if not the best. Since education has always been a hallmark of our community, I was proud to congratulate her for her many years of service and present her with a town pin. Of course to keep in the spirit of the event, I threw in a few jokes too.

I left that event and immediately went to Prestonwood Country club to play in a tennis exhibition to benefit Anna’s Angels. Yes, that’s right, two tennis events in a row. This time I was paired with Head Tennis Professional Mike Rayos against my old buddy Dan Weant and his son Patrick, who is also a pro at Prestonwood. It was a great match and we were fortunate to come out on top.

Saturday morning was spent playing tennis once again at Prestonwood for Anna’s Angels. I played with several partners for about 3 hours. By lunch time my back was as stiff as a board. But I still had one more event scheduled for Saturday night. My wife and I joined several friends in participating in the Bowling Ball for Center for Volunteer Caregiving. I probably had the worst bowling scores of my life but it was for a good cause and we had a great time.

Emails this week included the latest population information:

As of April 01, 2009, the Town of Cary’s population is estimated at 135,132. This is an increase of 6,066 people (+ 4.70%) in the last year (since the April 01, 2008 estimate). Cary’s population has increased by 40,569 people (+42.90%) since the last U.S. Census on April 01, 2000.

In addition to the population estimate, please note that the Town of Cary has averaged a 4.64% annual population growth rate from April 01, 2004 until April 01, 2009. This figure exceeds the Town Council’s 2003 goal of maintaining an annual growth rate of 3-4% measured over a five-year rolling average.

Note: This population estimate is based on the reported number of Certificates of Occupancy issued in the Town.

Other emails this week included complaints about Cameron Pond’s buffer, tree removal at Davis Drive and High House, daycare expansion on Dynasty Drive, my leaving the Public Hearing at Apex Town Hall, and Instant Runoff Voting.

Well that is about it for this week. I will hopefully post again on Sunday, April 26^th.  Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.

This week consisted of private meetings, staff meetings, a meeting with international guests, and the opening of the Cary farmer’s market.

Monday began with a meeting with a member of the Wake Transit Leadership team. This team is working on financial support for multi-modal transit systems. We reviewed and discussed a survey that showed there is citizen support to move forward with financing transportation systems.

Later on Monday I met with board members from the Police Benevolent Association. We discussed a variety of topics but one of the main issues they have is being heard by the appropriate people. The rest of our conversation should probably be left private since we discussed personal information.

Tuesday I met with staff in a preliminary view of the 2011budget. Although the staff is not in a position to make proposals at this point, it looks as though we will see a proposed budget with only essential capital projects, a freeze on hiring, and a cut of around 10% in operating costs. Key points about next year’s budget include a projected 20% reduction in sales tax revenue, a 42% reduction in permit/fee revenue, and a 50% reduction in development revenue. We will have at least five work sessions on the budget once it is proposed.

Thursday I interviewed with Renee Chou of WRAL about a proposal for the Town of Cary to buy the Triangle Aquatics Center. I stated that the town will review this proposal as part of the budget cycle. Then I was asked what I thought about the proposal and I said I believed that it would be difficult for us to come up with the capital to buy this aquatics facility. So this ended up being reported as Cary being “luke warm” to the proposal when the fact of the matter is we haven’t spent time reviewing it as a council.

Friday afternoon I met with 5 members of the South Australian Rotary exchange club. We talked about mostly about how things were taxed in Cary and North Carolina. They were a great group and extremely friendly. They presented me with a pin and a hat from Adelaide. Then we did a few pictures in the council chambers and then they were on their way to Chapel Hill where they will stay a few days. If UNC wins on Monday they will be witness to quite a spectacle.

Saturday I did the seasonal opening of the Cary Farmer’s market. They are located in a new space this year, Chatham Square. I think it is a great location and I think the vendors will do well there. There were only a couple of displays with produce but there were several with crafts and baked goods. I think it is important to know that all these vendors are visited to make sure they make all their goods and are located within 60 miles of Cary, before they are allowed to participate. These are truly local folks providing local goods. It is a blessing to have them in Cary.

Emails this week included requests to buy the Triangle Aquatics Center, a complaint about sidewalks, a complaint about irrigation backflow inspections, a complaint about not having indoor tennis courts, a complaint about the new roll out recycle carts, and a complaint about sidewalks.

Well that is about it for this week. I will be vacationing in Augusta, Georgia next week so I won’t post for a couple of weeks. If you happen to be going to the Masters Golf tournament be sure to look me up at the #17 scoreboard. I will hopefully post again on Sunday, April 19^th.  Please feel free to leave a comment on my post.