Minutes 11-21-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Michael Talbert said she is correct about this. He said the number one priority is to get sewer to the people of Rogers Road. Alderman Johnson asked why the larger plan is still on the table. Roger Stancil said the Chapel Hill Town council did ask him to explore this option. He said if Carrboro and the County wanted to solve this problem now, it would be simple to do. He said those two entities could take that on. He said what the Town is looking for is a way to produce the resources that the Town has been talking about. He said the first priority is to provide sewer to the people who need it. He said the district is a way to produce resources that could do that, and it could be phased in. He said the council asked him to explore this as a way that the Town of Chapel Hill could participate in its funding. Alderman Johnson asked if the council is aware that this was discussed in the task force meeting, and the County said it would not be financially feasible. She would like to move forward with what was actually recommended. Mayor Kleinschmidt asked if it was true that it was financially impossible for the County to participate in the larger district. He said he doesn't want to discuss the option if it is a no-go. Michael Talbert said he is not sure it is an absolute no-go, but the price tag on the larger district was $17 million. He said the County would have to be the lead agency, and this is not in their CIP or on their radar screen. He said this would make it a very difficult sell. He said sewer for the 86 parcels was seen as the priority, as discussed by the task force Michael Talbert said when this was being discussed, the issue of the ETJ and the question of Chapel Hill's participation came up. He said there was a great deal of uncertainty at the time as to whether the Town could participate. Mayor Kleinschmidt said right now the discussion is not about the larger district. Michael Talbert said it was his understanding from talking to Roger Stancil that this is what the Town Council wanted him to pursue. Roger Stancil said it was pursued as a vehicle for creating resources for the Town of Chapel Hill to participate in the funding of the extension of sewer. He said the priority was to serve the identified properties of the Rogers Road neighborhood that have been affected by the landfill. He said there was a preliminary meeting of the managers, including OWASA, to discuss what it would take to establish that district. He said that district is one way to make this happen, but the ETJ is also being pursued. Mayor Kleinschmidt said it is not an absolute no to have a utility district to provide sewer to the 86 properties. Alderman Johnson said she is referring to the $17 million district. Mayor Kleinschmidt said this is not what is being discussed. Chair Jacobs said there is some confusion because Michael Talbert referred first to the recommendation of the task force; but then he put forth the idea of looking at the larger universe of options. He said the task force recommendations are only a sub-set in this larger universe. He said guidance would need to be given on this, as well as the disposition of the Greene Tract. Chair Jacobs said it is fine to keep talking; but it should be remembered that there are two options on the table. Council Member Ward said there may be additional strategies that come about when discussing this suite of options. Roger Stancil said proposed participants would be Orange County, OWASA, the Jackson Center, the Credit Union and RENA. He said the main priority is to provide sewer as quickly as possible. He said one idea was for the school board to purchase a school site on the Greene Tract, and those proceeds could go into the utility district. Council Member Ward said that is why the manager was asked to pursue other options. He said it seemed like this may provide some other funding opportunities. He said another