Minutes 05-15-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Michael Talbert said staff would work with the town to negotiate a market rate lease for a minimum of 5 years with renewable options. He said the town manager is aware of this, and it would need to be vetted with both units of government. Commissioner porosin asked for information on the market rate. Michael Talbert said this would be somewhere in the $15 - $17 range, but the square footage has not been determined yet Ken Pennoyer said this would be an open office layout with four 6 x 6 work stations, and five smaller conference rooms. He said the common area would be split based on the square footage of the actual work stations. He said the meeting rooms would be on a first come first serve basis. Chair Jacobs asked if the County would be paying rent for access to all five meeting rooms or just one. Ken Pennoyer said they would have to agree on a formula for the use of the common area. He said there would also be a large lobby with computers and kiosks for customers, as well as a reception area. He said a formula would be created based on the actual work station area the rest of the common area. Commissioner Pelissier asked how many staff will be left in Hillsborough. Dwane Brinson said there are 39 full time employees in the tax office, so that would leave about 35 in Hillsborough and 4 in Chapel Hill. Commissioner Gordon referred to the 3 employees, plus one floater supervisor in Chapel Hill and asked if this meant there will be no new employees. Dwane Brinson said yes. He said the only bottleneck in the Hillsborough tax office is the collections areas. He said the ability to explain things in person will make things much more efficient. Commissioner Gordon asked for more of a ballpark cost on the rental. Dwane Brinson said they do not know the dimensions yet. Chair Jacobs said this will all be included in the decision item. Commissioner Gordon asked if there is room in Town Hall for this. Dwane Brinson said yes. He said there was not space in the old building, but there is room in the newly renovated area of Town Hall. Commissioner Price said this is a great idea but she has concern about the parking. Ken Pennoyer said parking has been problematic at Town Hall, but more spaces have now been designated for customers. He said staff may have to come up with alternative options for employees, such as parking at the Wallace Deck. He said the parking for customers is free now, and it will continue to be in the future. Dwane Brinson said this office is located on the bus route, and this is great for customers. Commissioner Rich said this is a great idea. She asked if the equipment in Hillsborough will be moved or if it will need to be duplicated. Dwane Brinson said since these positions will be transferring from Chapel Hill, he assumes there may be some potential to move resources. Commissioner Rich said the idea of having a tax office where you live is a great one. Chair Jacobs is supportive of this idea, but he knows there have been problems in the past with adequate supervision of satellite offices. He hopes the supervisor will keep this in mind. Chair Jacobs said a value can't really be placed on convenience, but it may be useful to have some way to track the increased in efficiency in tax collections. He said this would show that there is sufficient return on the investment. Dwane Brinson said staff will come up with some measures to show progress. He said this could be tracking the increase in listing forms and tax assistance applications.