Orange County NC Website
10 <br />4. 5tormwater Utility Bill. A bill is being developed through discussions and meetings of the . <br />Environmental Review Commission with input from the N.C. League of Municipalities to <br />authorize use of stormwater utility fees to address stormwacer quality as well as stormwater <br />quantity cottcerrrs. A recent judicial decision interprets the current statute as not a]lowing use of <br />stvrmwater utility fees for all these purposes. This Iegislation is of interest to local governments <br />throughout Notch Carolina. The Towti continues to consider the creation of a stormwater <br />management program funded by utility fees. . <br />Los_a1 Itub <br />1. Increase in the sDendir~4 [irreit orr protects constructed by Town staff. North Carolina General <br />Statute Sec. 143-135 currently limits constructaan and repair work that may be undertaken by the <br />'.Town's own employees to projects that do not exceed $125,000 in total cost or $50,000 in labor <br />cost. A number of local governments have requested increases in the statutory limits over the <br />years. Some of these requests have been for permanent authorization to use a higher dollar <br />limit. lri other cases, the requests have been temporary (one to two years) and/or to allow a <br />locality to complete a specific project. Based an recent experience seeking contractors to build <br />parts of our on-going Downtown Streetscape, an increase in these dollar limits may improve the <br />Town's ability to conranue the work on this project. We believe that it would be reasonable to <br />consider asking for a local bill to make an adjustment to these limits m $175,000 total cost or <br />$75,400 in labor costs, possibly expressly Iimited to StneetsCape. <br />2. Allow use,,,, f video traffic code enforcement. A number of municipalities around the State <br />'now have authorization to use video camera surveillance technology to identify Certain improper <br />traffic movements and to impose civil penalties on the drivers of vehicles so identified. The act <br />now requires conspicuous posting of advance warning signs not more than 300 feet from the <br />location of the photographic system. We may wish to consider asking that Chapel Hill receive <br />this authority. <br />3. hori to issiee rkin tickets on rivals roe .North Carolina General 5iatute <br />Sec. 160A-301(d) cutrerttly allows the Town, upon the request of a private property owner or <br />person in control, co enact an arditranCe regulating pazking on the owner's property. The statute <br />is limited to~certain types of property, including, for example, packing areas of shopping centers <br />and apartment complexes. During recent Council discussions regarding the regulation of <br />residential rental properties it was suggested that landlords have dlfFiculty preventing the <br />intermittent etas of front yards of residential lots for the parking of cars. Tf this statute were <br />expanded ta- it~Tude individual residential lots, an owner or landlord could ask the Town to enact <br />an ordinan~t under which the Town could issue pazking tickets to improperly parked cars. <br />(Currerrtiy, that Town regtilates front yard parking in historic districts, but does so by issuance of <br />a zoning violation notice to the property owner.) <br />