Raleigh City Council Regular Session - 06/16/2015

City Council

June 16, 2015 Page 1 of 46

COUNCIL MINUTES

The City Council of the City of Raleigh met in regular session at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2015, in the City Council Chamber of the Raleigh Municipal Building, Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 West Hargett Street, Raleigh, North Carolina, with the following present.

Mayor Pro Tem John Odom, Presiding

Councilor Mary-Ann Baldwin

Councilor Thomas G. Crowder

Councilor Bonner Gaylord

Councilor Wayne K. Maiorano

Councilor Russ Stephenson

Councilor Eugene Weeks

Mayor Pro Tem Odom called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. The invocation was rendered by Reverend Dr. Michael Parnell of Temple Baptist Church and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Councilor Maiorano. The following items were discussed with action taken as shown.

RECOGNITION OF SPECIAL AWARDS

WEDGE COMMUNITY GARDEN OF RALEIGH – NEIGHBORHOODS, USA 2015 NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE YEAR AWARD – PRESENTED

Mayor Pro Tem Odom announced the Wedge Garden of Raleigh received special recognition and read the following:

Receiving the recognition today are Shamsa Visone, Community Gardner; Dan Bagley, Community Specialist; and Sheila Lynch, Neighborhood Services Supervisor.

Neighborhoods, USA named the Wedge Garden in Raleigh, NC the Grand Prize winner of the Neighborhood of the Year Award for 2015 at its luncheon held Friday, May 22 at the 40th Annual NUSA Conference in Houston, Texas.

Led by Shamsa Visone and located on the Alexander Family YMCA property in Raleigh, Wedge Community Garden is a true community garden and learning center that connects and motivates students and families from diverse backgrounds through organic gardening, environmental stewardship, and nutrition education.

Since 2012, it has promoted healthy and connected neighborhoods because it brings neighbors and volunteers together by gardening, educating, and sharing the harvest among neighbors, volunteers, and those in need.

The Wedge Community Garden also took home top honors in the Multi-Neighborhood Partnership Projects category.

Shamsa Visone accepted the two plaques on behalf of Wedge Community Garden. She thanked the Alexander Family YMCA for use of their property, the community gardeners from surrounding neighborhoods, the HCAC members, the Raleigh Community Services Department, and the City Council. She said community gardens are on the rise and are extremely important to help educate youth of today for tomorrow, and the Wedge Connect program at the Wedge Garden does exactly that.

Ms. Crowder said she has visited the Wedge Garden. It is beautiful and the produce she was offered was delicious. It stands as a real testament to what wedge gardens can be and what they add to a community in terms of involvement, especially for children who may not be exposed to such things otherwise. She is very proud of the Wedge Garden. Mr. Weeks visited the Wedge Garden yesterday and had a beautiful salad made from the produce he was given. He thanked Ms. Visone and her partners for everything they are doing.

2014 CITY EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR – MELVIN PARROTT – PRESENTATION MADE

City Manager Ruffin Hall announced this year's City Employee of the Year. He stated one of the most enjoyable parts of his job is to have an opportunity to recognize someone who has done outstanding work. The City of Raleigh Employee of the Year award is presented to one City employee in recognition of exceptional job performance and distinguished service provided to City residents and other employees throughout the previous year. This year's winner was selected from a distinguished group of nine nominees, each of whom had been selected as Employee of the Year for his or her City department. City Manager Hall pointed out the competition was tough because there are so many outstanding employees in the City and it is hard to pick one for Employee of the Year. This year, Melvin Parrott, Service Technician for the Pullen Arts Center, was selected as the 2014 City of Raleigh Employee of the Year. He asked Mr. Parrott to come forward for recognition. Mr. Parrott received two plaques from the City (one each as Employee of the Year for his department and for the City) and a standing ovation from the assembly. City Manager Hall told Mr. Parrott how much he personally appreciated his exceptional service and impeccable work over the last seven years. Mr. Parrott's commitment to keeping the facilities sparkling and in a safe condition during its extraordinarily busy 68-hour week, and his personal dedication to customer service, led to him being selected Employee of the Year. Pullen Arts Center Director Eliza Kiser said she could not think of describing the job Mr. Parrott does without using the words "exceptional customer service" over and over again. Mr. Parrott's fellow workers said his "sixth sense of a co-worker's or patron's needs can be uncanny." In addition to those compliments, one patron of the center called Mr. Parrott "the heartbeat of the Center." City Manager Hall stated in addition to the plaque, Mr. Parrott will receive a check in the amount of $500.00 in recognition of his excellence in service. He closed his remarks by stating that Mr. Parrott is a professional of the highest caliber whose hard work and dedication produces superb results. The City is pleased with his outstanding performance, exceptional skills, inspired leadership, and extraordinary service to the City of Raleigh. Mr. Parrott received another round of applause from the assembly.

AGENCY GRANTEE PRESENTATION – THE RALEIGH BOYCHOIR – RECEIVED

Evelyn McCauley, Executive Director of The Raleigh Boychoir, thanked the Council members for their continued support of The Raleigh Boychoir. She introduced the six choir members who were present: Oz Rogers, Howie Bair, Will Kleompken, William Hanley, Austin Harger, and Kenya Johnson. The choir, which sings secular and other types of music, was conducted by Megan Yohman of Hunter Elementary as they sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by John Rutter. Director McCauley announced the choir would sing at the Red Hat Amphitheater with "The Lord of the Rings" later in the fall; with the North Carolina Symphony; and with the North Carolina Master Chorale. Mayor Pro Tem Odom thanked the choir for singing and said it was a great way to being the Council meeting.

CONSENT AGENDA

CONSENT AGENDA – APPROVED AS AMENDED

Mayor Pro Tem Odom presented the consent agenda, indicating all items are considered to be routine and may be enacted by one motion. If a Councilor requests discussion on an item, the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. The vote on the consent agenda will be a roll call vote. He stated he had received the following requests to withdraw an item from the consent agenda: Dix Park Property Acquisition Financing (Odom and Maiorano); License Agreement – Google Fiber (Crowder); Cross Access and Common Use Agreement (Weeks); Contract Services – Off-Street Parking Decks Safety Patrol – Downtown Raleigh Alliance (Maiorano); and Encroachment Request – Horne Street (Crowder). Without discussion, those five items were withdrawn from the consent agenda. Mr. Stephenson moved Administration's recommendations on the remaining items on the consent agenda be upheld. His motion was seconded by Ms. Baldwin and a roll call vote resulted in all Council members voting in the affirmative. The Mayor Pro Tem ruled the motion adopted on a 7-0 vote (Mayor McFarlane absent). The items on the consent agenda were as follows.

FINANCE – Municipal Order to Direct the Collection of Taxes – MAYOR AUTHORIZED TO EXECUTE

Council annually adopts orders directing the collection of taxes by the City revenue manager, the Wake County revenue administrator, and the Durham County tax administrator for the portions of Raleigh jurisdiction located in Durham County. The orders are required by state statutes (G.S. 105-321).

Recommendation: Authorize the mayor to execute the tax collection orders. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).

Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant – FACILITY NAME CHANGE to "NEUSE RIVER RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITY" – APPROVED; STAFF DIRECTED TO RENEW DISCHARGE PERMIT

The Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), in operation since the early 1970s, is required to obtain a discharge permit from the State of North Carolina. The existing permit is currently in the renewal phase with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. As part of the renewal process it is recommended to update the name of the facility to the "Neuse River Resource Recovery Facility," which aligns with the evolving nature of the industry as well as the changing technology of wastewater treatment. These changes include recovery of valuable resources that can be recycled or reused, including clean water, energy, nutrients and eventually metals. Future technology updates include changing plant operations from being a major energy consumer to producing energy that can be used to offset energy demand as well as to reduce the carbon footprint of the City.

The Smith Creek WWTP, located in Wake Forest, and the Little Creek WWTP, located in Zebulon, do not require name changes as the treatment processes at these facilities will not change in the near future.

Recommendation: Authorize the facility name change and direct staff to take appropriate action to renew the discharge permit. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).

Wrenn Road Wastewater Spray Irrigation Facility – FACILITY NAME CHANGE TO "CITY OF RALEIGH WRENN ROAD FACILITY" – APPROVED; STAFF DIRECTED TO RENEW DISCHARGE PERMIT

The Wrenn Road Wastewater Spray Irrigation Facility, located in Garner, became a City asset upon utility system merger agreement with the Town of Garner. The facility was originally used to treat wastewater collected from the sewer system serving most of the Garner area, and is also permitted by the State of North Carolina. As part of the permitting process it is recommended to update the name of the facility to the "City of Raleigh Wrenn Road Facility." The facility has not received waste from the sewer system since 2007, when all wastewater flow was permanently redirected to the Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Operations at the site have since been repurposed for the management of residuals generated by operation of the Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant. Water plant residuals are currently land applied and irrigated onto hay fields. It is appropriate at this time to update the name of the facility; there are no objections from the Town of Garner.

POLICE – Donation of Ballistic Vests for Police Dogs – ACCEPTED

The organization Vested Interest in K9s wishes to donate six ballistic vests, valued at approximately $5,700, to the City for use by the Police Department canine unit.

Recommendation: Accept the donation. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).

POLICE – 2015 Justice Assistance Grant – VARIOUS ACTIONS APPROVED

The Raleigh Police Department is preparing to submit a grant application, in partnership with the Wake County Sheriff, to the Bureau of Justice Assistance for formula funding from the 2015 Justice Assistance Grant program. A copy of the grant application was included with the agenda packet. The City will be the fiscal agent of the grant. Grant funding will be used to pay overtime and fringe benefits to sworn officers working on problem-oriented policing projects. A total of $167,851 in federal funding was allocated to the Raleigh/Wake County area. The City portion of funding based on disparate jurisdiction will be $92,318; the portion allocated to the Wake County Sheriff’ is $75,533. No cash match is required for this grant. This grant was approved by the Grants Committee on June 4, 2015. A budget amendment in the amount of $167,851 to the Grants Fund is required; accounting details were included with the agenda packet.

Recommendation: Authorize submission of the grant application, authorize the City Manager to execute the required Memorandum of Understanding, and authorize a budget amendment in the amount of $167,851. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent). See Ordinance 456 TF 254.

solid waste services – Vehicle Information Management System – Fleetmind Solutions, Inc. – CITY MANAGER AUTHORIZED TO EXECUTE contract; funds transferred

The City issued a Request for Proposals for the provision of a real-time vehicle information management system for vehicle fleet tracking and monitoring, including radio frequency identification (RFID) technology with will be utilized with the City’s recycling program. Following evaluation of proposals as well as a pilot project to demonstrate equipment and services, staff has determined that Fleetmind Solutions, Inc. can provide the system which most adequately meets the needs of the City. A contract with Fleetmind Solution, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $478,417 is recommended. Additional information was included with the agenda packet; in order to execute a contract with the recommended vendor a budget transfer in the amount of $97,717 is required to cover the additional cost of including the RFID technology. Accounting detail was included with the agenda packet.

Recommendation: Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent). See Ordinance 456 TF 254.

Multi-Family Waste Container Collection Service – Waste Industries, LLC – cONTRACT Amendment – city manager authorized to execute amendment

The City provides containerized solid waste collection services to multi-family complexes and certain City facilities via contract with a private hauler. The current contract term was for a three year period with options to extend for two additional one-year periods. The first contract extension ends June 30, 2015; both parties desire to enter into the second one-year extension. Funding is included with the proposed operating budget.

History:Original contract $114,000 not to exceed $342,000 over three-year period

Amendment Number One:Extended contract through June 30, 2015

Total Contract Amount:$570,000

Recommendation: Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract amendment. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).

Customer Call Center Services – Total Outsource Systems, Inc. –city manager authorized to execute contract amendment

Total Outsourced Systems, Inc. provides first-level call center services to include staff to receive inbound calls from customers requesting solid waste collection services and to perform corresponding administrative functions for these customers. Continuation of service is required in an amount not to exceed $250,000. The current contract term was for a one-year period with an option to extend for an additional one-year period; both parties desire to enter into the one-year extension. Funding is included with the proposed operating budget.

History:Original contract $114,000 not to exceed $250,000

Total Contract Amount:Not to exceed $500,000

Recommendation: Authorize the City Manager to execute the contract amendment. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).

Landfill Gas Agreement – Ajinomoto AminoSciences, LLC – Contract Amendment – approved

The City has a longstanding agreement to sell methane gas from the Wilder’s Grove Landfill facility, which closed in 1997. The agreement was most recently revised in 2007; at that time an agreement with Ajinomoto AminoSciences, LLC was executed for the sale of methane gas as well as for the operation and maintenance of the existing gas collection system at the landfill. In addition, the agreement established a reserve fund to provide for ongoing maintenance.

Ajinomoto has provided notice to the City that it desires to terminate the agreement, effective June 30, 2015. Terms of the agreement provide for an exit inspection to determine compliance of the methane gas collection system with all permit requirements. An amendment to the existing agreement is necessary at this time to specify duties of the respective parties with regard to termination inspections. Ajinomoto will retain an inspection company acceptable to both parties; the City will incur one-half of the cost of the exit inspection in an amount not to exceed $15,000.

Results of the exit inspection will determine the cost of any necessary repairs to meet the minimum standards for the permits held by the City for operation of the methane gas and destruction facility; any residual funding from the operational reserve is eligible to be returned to Ajinomoto under the terms of the existing agreement.

Recommendation: Authorize the City Manager to execute the amendment and authorize the expenditure in an amount not to exceed $15,000 for exit inspection purposes should the inspection process begin before the written amendment is executed. Upheld on consent agenda, Stephenson/Baldwin – 7 ayes (Mayor McFarlane absent).