By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net
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Town officials are drafting a budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year, and it looks like the plan will hold the tax rate steady for another year. Commissioners got a glimpse of the proposal at their budget retreat last week, and Mayor Chuck Travis touted the steady tax rate at Monday’s Town Board meeting.
Also at Monday’s meeting, commissioners put off a vote on creating a new committee of elected officials and town staffers that will give developers “pre-application input” on new projects to be submitted for conditional zoning approval. The goal of the new committee is to help developers craft plans that fit town rules and satisfy the concerns of town officials.
Commissioners also endorsed a grant application that could help pay for sidewalks on on four streets off Catawba Avenue in the old part of town. And they approved adopting a section of Vineyard Point Lane as a town street.
At the meeting’s end, the board also heard from residents and homeowners association leaders in the the Harborside neighborhood who are feuding over new parking restrictions the HOA adopted. Commissioners heard from HOA leaders and residents and agreed to provide help as the HOA drafts a ballot to let residents vote on new parking rules.
BUDGET OUTLOOK: NO TAX HIKE
At last week’s retreat, Town Manager Anthony Roberts shared a preliminary budget that calls for spending $18.9 million in the coming fiscal year, up about 6 percent from this year. It includes modest increases in most categories, with the biggest growth coming in capital expenditures – major projects such as streets, sidewalks and equipment.
The draft foresees slight growth in revenues from property and other taxes, from about $11.2 million this year to $12 million next. The town also would dip into reserves, about $540,000.
The tax rate would remain steady at 24 cents per $100 of assessed value.
“It looks like the tax rate is heading to be consistent with last year,” Mayor Travis said at Monday’s Town Board meeting. “It doesn’t look like it will increase.”
That news comes despite plans for a variety of capital projects over the next few years. Voters last fall approved three bond questions totaling $20.4 million, which Cornelius would use to pay for streets and sidewalks, parks and park improvements, and town center redevelopment. Town officials said they hope to begin some of those projects by as early as March 2014.
“We’re really positioning ourselves for growth,” Travis said.
Roberts is scheduled to formally present his recommended budget at the May 5 Town Board meeting. Commissioners would hold a public hearing on May 19, and could vote as early as that day, or delay a vote until early June. The budget must be approved by June 30, before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.
See a spreadsheet of “budget directives” presented to commissioners last week.
ALSO MONDAY
Also at Monday’s Town Board meeting, commissioners:
- Endorsed 5-0 the town’s application for a Community Development Blog Grant from the Mecklenburg County CDBG Consortium. The town is proposing a two-year CDBG project to construct approximately 1.2 miles of sidewalks on the east side of Cornelius. A grant this year would help pay for about 3,749 feet of sidewalks along portions of Burton Lane, South Hill Street, Meridian Street, and Pecan Street. The projected cost for the first year projects is $196,560. Those sidewalks were among the priorities listed in last fall’s bond campaign. Commissioners also endorsed the town staff’s proposal to consider using matching town funds to improve the chances of the application.
- Decided to defer until their next meeting a proposal to establish a new “Pre-Development Review Committee”. Town planner Wayne Herron said the new committee would provide developers with “pre-application input” for potential projects that are considering conditional zoning approval. The committee would include town staff and elected officials. Some board members had suggested rotating commissioners on the panel, and the vote was deferred so that town staff could draft a new resolution to adopt that change.
- Voted 5-0 to accepta section of Vineyard Point Lane, between West Catawba Avenue and the western Monbrison Circle intersection, as a town street.
- Approved 5-0 the sale of surplus town property. The town plans to use the public auction site GovDeals.com to sell items including police vehicles, audio-visual equipment, office and meeting room equipment.
- Heard from Harborside residents and homeowners association (HOA) leaders about a dispute over new parking restrictions. For the second meeting in a row, West Catawba Avenue resident Bob Houck pleaded with the board to intervene and restore parking along Harborside Drive. He complained that he and others who live at the front of the development have no place for on-street parking since HOA adopted restrictions. HOA president Michelle Crawford said the new rules were adopted for safety and aesthetic reasons. She said the board is drafting a ballot to let residents vote on new proposed parking rules. Commissioners asked the town staff to help as the HOA drafts new proposals for parking in the neighborhood.
- Approved 5-0 a resolution proclaiming April 27 to May 3 as Relay for Life Week. The town already has its own team entered in the American Cancer Society fundraiser, an overnight relay at Bailey Road Park on May 2-3. Town Clerk Lori Harrell told commissioners the team currently has the most participants and has raised the most money in the relay. See ACSevents.org
- Heard a presentation on the work of the Global Vision Group, described as a conversation on the region’s future. Chase Saunders & John Gallis describe major trends in business, transportation and growth that will face the region over the next couple of decades.
- Held a closed session to discuss a potential real Estate acquisition
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See the full agenda on the town website.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
