TOWN OF DUCK
TOWN COUNCIL
RETREAT
January 19, 2005
The Town Council for the Town of Duck convened at the Sanderling Inn at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 19, 2005.
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Gene Schwarz; Mayor Pro Tempore Allan Beres; Councilor Neil Morrison; Councilor Monica Thibodeau; and Councilor Nancy Caviness.
OTHERS PRESENT: Town Manager and Town Clerk Christopher J. Layton, Planning Director Suzanne Cotellessa; Police Chief Dale Hamilton; Fire Chief John Brock; Town Attorney Donald I. McRee, Jr.; and Deputy Town Clerk Lori Kopec.
ABSENT: None.
Mayor Schwarz called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m.
COUNCIL MEMBER PRIORITIES
Mayor Schwarz stated he would like to have the Council members talk about what their ideas are for the future. He stated the retreat would be informal and encouraged participation from the audience.
GENE SCHWARZ
4th of July Parade
Mayor Schwarz stated that Darwin “Dock” Drewyer has been holding a 4th of July parade for the past four years and recently came to the Town to ask that the Town take over the responsibilities of the parade. He stated that the Town should not only support Mr. Drewyer but get others involved as well. He stated that two people have volunteered so far but more volunteers are needed. He felt the parade would get the Town started on having “community spirit”.
Councilor Thibodeau asked what the parade route was in 2004. Darwin Drewyer stated the route started on Carroll Drive, down Duck Road, and into the Carolina Dunes subdivision. He stated there was a small party afterward.
Mayor Schwarz felt the route should start at Caffey’s Inlet and continue down and end at the Town property with a small party as well.
Mayor Schwarz stated that the Town will move forward with the 4th of July parade.
Dogs on the Beach
Mayor Schwarz stated he had received an email from the Osprey Property Owners Association requesting that the Town pass an ordinance requiring dog owners have their dogs on a leash during the summer months while on the beach.
Council and the audience discussed whether or not dog owners should leash their dogs during certain hours in the summer months.
Mayor Pro Tempore Beres felt it would be comparable to have dogs leashed during certain hours in the summer months only. Town Manager Layton felt that the question in front of Council was if the Town wanted to do anything with dogs on the beach. Councilor Morrison stated he did not want to see any more regulations added.
It was consensus of Council not to do anything with regard to dogs running unleashed on the beach.
Voting Trends
Mayor Schwarz stated that after the last election, he saw that 344 people had voted in Duck. He stated he researched the issue and found that in the year 2000, 217 people had voted; in 2002, approximately 289 people had voted; in 2003, 185 people had voted. He stated that in 2003 there were 444 registered voters; in 2004 there were 487 registered voters. He wondered where all of these people live and what it means to the Town of Duck. He felt that more people need to get involved in the happenings of the Town.
Council and the audience discussed the issue of 2004 being an important election year, possibly contributing to more voters as opposed to previous years. It was brought up that voters may have voted more during a presidential election rather than during a local government election. Another issue discussed was that when a voter does not understand an issue, a voter will typically vote no on the issue.
Sales and Occupancy Taxes
Mayor Schwarz stated he wanted to compare occupancy taxes collected in Duck in the past few years. However, he was only able to compare 2003 and 2004. He stated that the Town of Nags Head has the largest collection of occupancy tax with the Town of Duck coming in second. He suggested that the Town contact the Tourist Bureau to find out how more money can be returned to the Town.
ALLAN BERES
Dark Sky
Mayor Pro Tempore Beres stated the dark sky issue was discussed at the 2004 retreat. He stated there has been some advancement in achieving a dark sky environment; ordinances have been passed addressing exterior lighting as a matter of emphasis. He stated that there is a growing awareness in the commercial district that changes have to be made, but the residential areas still need to be addressed as well as some parking areas.
Mayor Pro Tempore Beres suggested an awareness campaign for the Town to let the citizens know about the dark sky issue and how to protect the night skies. He went on to discuss other possible ways to get the public aware of dark skies and the ordinances that the Town has passed.
Council and the audience went on to discuss suggested lighting for homes and businesses in Town.
Mayor Pro Tempore Beres suggested that the awareness be kept up on the lighting issue in Town.
MONICA THIBODEAU
Affordable Housing
Councilor Thibodeau stated she is on the Affordable Housing Committee. She stated that the committee has projects that are being worked on to try to figure out how to achieve affordable housing on the Outer Banks. She stated that the Town of Duck has affordable housing options with apartments over commercial buildings and student housing. She stated she will periodically report back to Council about the meetings she attends.
Duck Trail
Councilor Thibodeau stated that the Duck Trail is a great asset to the Town. She stated it has kept the community united and together. She stated she is thrilled that there will be a grant to add onto the west side of the Trail. She stated she would like to see a vision for how the Town and its citizens would like to see how the Trail would look in the future.
Community Outreach/Education
Councilor Thibodeau stated that the newsletter and the website have gone a long way to keep nonresidents informed. She stated that she is going to make it a priority this year to reach these nonresidents as well as visitors regarding what goes on within the Town.
NANCY CAVINESS
Community Involvement
Councilor Caviness stated she wanted an overall strategy for short-term vision planning for community involvement. She asked what the Town’s community is all about and the shared sense of purpose, value and direction in the community when there isn’t a good idea of who is in the community itself. She stated the Town has a sense of who is in the community but that they are not really known.
Fall Festival 2005
Councilor Caviness stated she spent a lot of time thinking about the Town having a fall festival and has reservations about it due not knowing how to pull it all together and have a community festival. She stated that she is not sure how to get a festival together and that because it would be a full time job, it should not fall to the staff or to Council. She stated it needs to be decided how to get the community together for their input.
Council and the audience discussed possible ways to get the community together for a festival and what it could entail. The possibility of the Town hiring a part-time employee to coordinate events in Town was also discussed. Council and the audience discussed bringing back the Trash Festival to the Town in the fall to start off the community involvement.
NEIL MORRISON
Newsletter
Councilor Morrison thanked Councilor Caviness for her work on putting the newsletters together. He stated he is getting weary of hearing the same comments from citizens of the Town constantly. He suggested putting a question and answer column in the newsletter regarding issues of the Town that the public would be interested in.
Compensation
Councilor Morrison stated that at the 2004 retreat, compensation was discussed and since then, compensation for the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment has been made. In November, 2004, the Council had the referendum which was defeated. He stated it is common practice for towns and cities to compensate their board members. He felt that the Town’s referendum was defeated based on how it was worded. He suggested rewording it and putting it back on the ballot. Councilor Morrison asked Council and the audience for their thoughts.
Council and the audience went on to discuss the issue of putting Council compensation back on the ballot, but first educating the public on what salary and honoraria means.
It was consensus of Council to hold off putting it back on the ballot until the year 2007 or during a non-Presidential election year.
RECYCLING
Mayor Schwarz stated that for the last two years, the top issue he has heard from residents and non-residents is recycling.
Town Manager Layton introduced Ernie Hoch from Waste Management. He stated that he had a meeting previously with Mr. Hoch and Rob Clendenin regarding recycling.
Ernie Hoch was recognized to speak. Mr. Hoch went on to give a presentation to Council and the audience regarding recycling, touching on the history of recycling, how recycled items are separated, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of having a recycling program in Town.
Mayor Schwarz thanked Mr. Hoch for his presentation.
Town Manager Layton pointed out that if Council is interested in starting a recycling program, it would need to be put in place before the summer season. He stated that if Council wanted it to be part of budget discussions, it would not be implemented until next fall. Mayor Schwarz suggested discussing it later in the retreat.
DUCK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT/RESCUE 11 EMT ISSUE
Fire Chief John Brock was recognized to speak. Fire Chief Brock stated that Council was given a report with their retreat package and he wished to give a presentation overview regarding the report. Fire Chief Brock went on to give a Power Point presentation to Council and the audience, regarding the history of the Duck Volunteer Fire Department and implementing EMS service, as well as the issues the Fire Department is facing today with EMTs and EMS service.
Council and the audience discussed the use of ambulances and the idea of having an ambulance in Duck that would be shared with Corolla. It was also discussed the possibility of hiring part-time EMTs.
Mayor Schwarz thanked Fire Chief Brock for his presentation.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Land Use Plan
Planning Director Suzanne Cotellessa was recognized to speak. Planning Director Cotellessa stated that Council had a copy of the Land Use Plan in their packets. She stated that the Land Use Committee has worked for the past two years to bring it forward to Council, has held a series of outreach meetings, CAMA staff had reviewed it, the Planning Board reviewed it and recommended approval and there is a scheduled public hearing for Council’s February 2, 2005 meeting. She stated that copies are available at the Town’s Administrative Offices for review and if the Town adopts the plan, the Coastal Resources Commission will review and certify it. Planning Director Cotellessa went on to review some minor changes to Council and the audience.
Stormwater
Town Manager Chris Layton was recognized to speak. Town Manager Layton stated that the Outer Banks Hydrology Management Committee met and began the process of finalizing recommendations to governing bodies, ending with a possible meeting with Marc Basnight afterward. He went on to give an overview of the meeting to Council and the audience.
Planning Director Suzanne Cotellessa was recognized to speak. Planning Director Cotellessa stated that the moratorium is slated to end on February 17, 2005. The Planning Board is beginning to grapple with the issue of fill. She stated that input has been received from the building community, the Hydrology Committee and she will be getting input from the engineering community. It will then be run through the Planning Board before coming back to Council.
Planning Director Cotellessa stated that there will be a public hearing on the fill issue at their February 2, 2005 meeting. She stated that Council will need to grapple with either putting something in place or extending the moratorium to accommodate more discussion on the issue. She suggested extending the moratorium.
Council and the audience went on to discuss fill and stormwater issues in the Town of Duck.
Town Manager Chris Layton was recognized to speak. Town Manager Layton gave a presentation on the Town’s budget analysis with Council and the audience, showing where he estimates the Town to be at the end of Fiscal Year 2005.
CIP Overview
Town Manager Layton was recognized to speak. Town Manager Layton gave a presentation on the Capital Improvement Program for the Town to Council and the audience, explaining how the CIP process works.
Town Manager Layton passed out photo examples of different uses for the Municipal Property to Council as he reviewed the Municipal Property implementation phases.
Revaluation
Town Manager Layton was recognized to speak. Town Manager Layton gave a presentation on the recent Dare County revaluation to Council and the audience. He stated that the Town’s budget will be based on the numbers of the revaluation. He went on to review the revenue neutral property tax rate to Council and the audience.
Financial Priorities
Town Manager Layton was recognized to speak. Town Manager Layton asked Council at what level they would like to see the fund balance grow. He recommended seeing a one hundred percent fund balance. He stated that by having a successful fund balance, the Town could lower the rate for the taxpayers. He asked Council to think about what percentage fund balance they would be comfortable with.
DISCUSSION OF VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND COMMUNITY APPEARANCE AWARDS PROGRAM
Mayor Schwarz stated that the Village Improvement Program was scheduled for earlier in the retreat. Town Manager Layton suggested it be tabled until the February 2, 2005 meeting. It was consensus of Council to table the Village Improvement Program and Community Appearance Awards Program until the February 2, 2005 meeting.
Committee Appointments
It was consensus of Council to appoint one committee for both programs.
Date to Begin Program
Town Manager Layton asked which fiscal year the program should begin. It was consensus of Council to table the issue until the February 2, 2005 meeting.
Appropriation of Funds
It was consensus of Council to table the issue until the February 2, 2005 meeting.
OTHER ISSUES
Mayor Schwarz asked for any other business. He stated the next meeting will be Wednesday, February 2, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.
CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Pro Tempore Beres moved to enter closed session to consult with an attorney to establish or to instruct the Town’s staff or negotiating agents concerning the position to be taken by or on behalf of the Town in negotiating the price and other material terms of a contract or proposed contract for the acquisition of real property by purchase, option, exchange or lease.
Motion carried 5-0. The time was 5:20 p.m.
Upon return from closed session, Mayor Schwarz thanked Council for their participation in the retreat.
Councilor Morrison moved to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried 5-0. The time was 5:40 p.m.
____________________________
/s/ Christopher J. Layton, Town Clerk
Approved: ______________________
_______________________________
/s/ Gene Schwarz, Mayor