It’s Budget Time

Wake County Commissioners just passed their budget, and the NC General Assembly just dropped a big budget document on all the members’ desks on Tuesday, June 16, 2015.

For a vote on Wednesday, June 17, 2015. That’s right. The very next day.

The good news is that, here in the Town of Cary, we have a participatory budget process. It allows lots of time for involvement from you, our citizens.

Feedback

For our Fiscal Year 2016 budget, we received feedback via:

– Facebook – 19 comments
– Twitter – 2 comments
– Email – 26 comments
– Public Hearings – 4 comments
– Voicemails – 1 comment

Not a lot, but some. And we’ve had more feedback in previous years.

This feedback started in October 2014, when we expressly solicited feedback from you, and, also, when we look for feedback during our two public hearings in May and June. There are about eight weeks between the posting of the proposed budget and our final vote.

Often, comments we receive make it into the budget process, and, sometimes, as in the SK8 Park and Pickle Ball enthusiasts, they make it into our Master Plans.

So, What’s in the Budget?

-Total Budget of $295M:

• $218M operating budget
• $77M capital budget

-$1/month increase in solid waste fee to help with cost recovery

-$3.8% increase in water and sewer rates, an average of $2.75/month (the result of rate smoothing to pay for the $300M water treatment plant).

-Increase taxes of 2 cents from 35 cents per $100 valuation to 37 cents to pay for voter approved bond projects (approximately $40/year for a $200K home) – still keeping us in one of the lowest taxes in Wake County. (Originally, this was 3 cents, but additional electricity tax revenue came in, allowing us to remove the additional penny).

-24 new positions including hires of a new police officer, three firefighters, customer service reps in Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources and more (reducing staff to 8.1 staff per 1,000 Cary residents).

The Budget Process

It’s hard to believe, but budget planning starts almost as soon as the budget is signed. The Town of Cary Fiscal calendar starts July 1st, so our budget must be approved by the last council meeting this month, which is June 25, 2015.

By law, the balanced budget (yes, local government MUST have a balanced budget, even though the Federal government does not) by June 30th.

I, and my fellow members of the Town Council, take this job and our fiduciary responsibilities to the citizens with utmost care and responsibility. There are many additional projects that each of us would like to see added to the budget – but money always seems to get in the way.

During this process, if there is something that we want added to the budget, that means that some other project will have to be removed or slimmed down. Those are hard decisions, just like you make at home everyday.

Adding to this struggle is the fact that the General Assembly removed the Town’s ability to levy a privilege tax on businesses. Despite how we might feel about that tax, it did bring in an additional $1.5M in revenue to Cary. We have to make up for that lost revenue in some other manner.

There are various ways to make up for the lost revenue – reducing spending, of course, or raising taxes.  And no one wants to raise taxes. The math for raising taxes works this way – if we raise taxes by 1 cent – that generates about $2.2M in revenue.

Raising taxes is not what anyone wants to see, and Cary has been lucky to have an amazing Town Staff that run a highly productive and tight ship – keeping our productivity and efficiency of our employees high while providing some of the highest quality of life in the Triangle.

We have not had a tax increase that wasn’t for voter approved bonds in 25 years…since 1990. Pretty amazing.

What’s In?

There are a number of great projects on tap for this year – some of those funded with voter-approved bonds from 2012.

• Support for deployment of gigabit fiber services by telecom companies AT&T and Google Fiber ($821K)
• Support for new positions, from Planning, Parks, Public Works, and Engineering
• Addition of wellness programs at Mills Park Middle School ($7700)
• Parks Master Plan update to include the Joint Planning area for Cary in Chatham County ($100K)
• Expansion of the successful Project PHOENIX ($130K)
• ADA and access improvements at Sertoma Aphitheater and Koka Booth ($550K)
• Renovations at Thomas Brooks Park Fields ($275K)
• Kilmayne Water Storage Tank ($3.5M)
• Replacement of a Fire Pumper truck($650K)

There are many more that you can read about in the budget

What’s Missing?

I’m sure that there are lots of folks that would weigh in on wanting more out of our budget, and I hear them, as well. As of today, we have a list of items that might be in or out of the budget. (We had a work session on a few of them Tuesday, June 16, 2o15).

Open Data – discussed on Tuesday. A small request that I think will make for HUGE inroads in citizen engagement, visibility and public information availability.

Expansion of Crossing Guard program at Schools – this item did not get funded this year. The proposal would have added an additional $250K to the police budget. Cary currently spends $100K to provide crossing guards at 11 elementary schools. We plan to reach out to Wake County to see what additional resources they might provide. Side note: Cary also pay for School Resource officers in the high schools, today.

Paper map of Cary – suggestion: to find a private or not-for-profit that will step up.

On-location Cary TV program – too costly.

Increase in recycling pickup frequency – although many folks have shared that their recycle bins are becoming fuller more quickly than their regular can, this would be a significant increase in costs to the Town (one time cost of $2M for new equipment and annual costs of $595K).

Sunday C-Tran service – although I would love to see Sunday service, this is a difficult item. Currently, Wake County is considering a November 2016 referendum on a sales tax increase to support transit. If we expanded our service now, it would not make that service eligible for that funding. So, we are in a “wait and see” mode.

So, Overall…

So, overall, I think we are close to having a completed budget. There is still room for improvement, and I always value your input. Although we might not be able to do something in this year’s budget, please give us your thoughts. They, and you, matter.

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From the blog of Lori Bush, At-Large Member of Cary Town Council. Photo by R. Nial Bradshaw.

Unlike the federal government, municipalities must balance our budget and go through a process by which we get public input and balance that with our current and upcoming needs, improvements, operating costs and capital expenditures. You can see what you all told us by reading the public input report.

From Town of Cary

I wrote a bit about the process last year, if you would like to read more. 

Priorities

This year, Town staff has utilized a new process called “Priority Based Budgeting.” This is a system that we used to ensure that our resources align with the priorities that Council sets for the Town. The process starts by defining the goals, then drills down into those goals, identifies the programs and services associated with accomplishing those goals, evaluating the programs, a peer review and finally allocating costs based on those priorities. Council and staff reviewed and finalized the goals at our Council Retreat in January.

Our Council priorities are:

• Attractive Well Planned and Livable Community
• Economic Vitality and Development
• Effective Transportation and Mobility
• Quality Cultural Recreational and Leisure Opportunities
• Reliable, Sustainable Infrastructure
• Safe Community

Overview of the Budget

Here is a quick overview of the items in the budget.

• – No tax increase, and NO additional debt
• – Limited revenue growth is projected in FY2015 due to the gains in taxable real estate (our main revenue source) being offset by losses in taxable public service property, personal property and vehicle. (More revenue growth is projected after FY2015)
• – Remember, we paid a one –time $6M debt reduction payment in 2014, so there IS room for service expansion for FY2015.  (Meaning, if we NEED to borrow money, we COULD do so.)
• – The General Fund Operating Budget is $137.3M – with is a 3.1% increase over FY2014
• – The Utility Fund operating budget is $65M, a 4.8% increase over last year.
• – The Capital Improvement budget at  $51.2M  (a 51% drop from last year)
• – Utility rates will increase by 3.7% – a result of rate smoothing to pay for the Western Wake Water Treatment plan – $2.21 more per month for residents using 4,500 gallons of water.
• – Construct over 5 miles of new water and sewer lines ($5.3 million)
• – Additional 25.5 staff position – still keeping Cary at one of the LOWEST ratios of staff per 1,000 residents (8.2) among largest cities and towns in NC
• – Improved public access to Town information is planned, through a website overhaul, public access to Geographical based data, and new workflow software that will allow council meeting videos to be indexed

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

The budget document is huge, but broken up into readable components.  (But it is still 350 pages!)  Here are some highlights that I think folks might be interested in, based on feedback I’ve received.

• – Improve the visual appeal of city streets by adding landscaping to existing medians ($150,000) – supported by all of council, and will take about 4 years (with annual funding of $150K) to get to all of the bare medians across town
• – Facilitate business development in downtown by creating a small business incentive loan program ($120,000)
• – Spot improvement in the level of service for Town intersections and streets ($250,000)
• – Extending C-Tran evening hours from 8pm-10pm ($139,620)
• – Increasing size of buses on two C-Tran high traffic routes ($28,823)
• – Improving programming for participants with disabilities ($18,110)
• – Adding 6 police officers in northwest Cary ($575,940)
• – Adding covered tennis courts at Cary Tennis Park, (part of interlocal agreement, Wake County providing $1M of $4M), renovating existing courts ($300K)
• – Build of trail head parking lot on White Oak Greenway ($185K)
• – Connection of 2 existing section of Morrisville Parkway on either side of NC540 ($6M, half funded by CAMPO)
• – Additional water storage tank in western Cary to ensure adequate water storage ($2M)
• – Acquire land for new fire station in Southwest Cary ($800K)
• – Resurface over 25 miles of Town streets ($5M)

There are many more details that you can find in the final budget, online.  

What’s not there? A Vert

You will see that there are several items that council has not moved forward on – one of those, passionately supported by a number of citizens, and that is a Vert Ramp for SK8 Cary.

Photo by Dylan Brown

So, what’s a “vert?” A Vert ramp has a component that includes a vertical wall in the design – and is used in the higher end of skateboarding and BMX biking.  The idea is that this more difficult, and probably more exciting ramp, allows riders to be able to “catch air,” and is  certainly targeted for the higher skilled riders.

A number of citizens requested Council look at expanding the capability of SK8 Cary to include a Vert. They presented a strong case for this expansion; Cary’s commitment to amateur sports, the fact that many kids don’t opt for more “traditional sports,” and also providing information that points out that there isn’t another Vert in the state – offering a unique opportunity for Cary to shine and attract enthusiasts from all over.

Staff was asked to investigate the costs, opportunities and potential liabilities associated with this type of ramp.  Initially we received information that this ramp would cost somewhere near $150,000 -and I have to say and I was supportive of this price point and the idea.  But in our recent worksession, staff updated council that the cost of the Vert along with other associated needs was closer to $475,000.  And at that price point, it’s a more difficult sell.  That cost and some of the challenges we would have with parking, made it difficult for council to move forward to add this to the budget this year.

In our budget work session, I suggested, and others agreed that staff should continue to investigate this, and specifically look at other cities that have Verts and see if there are any other innovative ways to fund it – such as a potential public/private partnership.  I also sent a note to Staff with a link to a public ramp that was funded in this way in Colorado Springs.  Hopefully we can find a way to make this happen in Cary.

Weigh In

We have a number of opportunities for you to still speak up regarding the budget

You can comment on the Manager’s Recommended Budget during our Council meetings at 6:30 p.m. on May 22 and June 12 in the Council Chambers at Town Hall.  Or, as always, feel free to email or call.

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Featured image by Tax Credits

I’ve written about it before, it’s part of my twitter profile, and I see the value of technology to engage citizens, connect people and improve lives.  Technology can bridge the gap between communities and continents, it democratizes all voices, allowing citizens to participate on a level playing field, and improve access – closing the educational divide.

You use it, and you want it

Here in Cary we’ve seen our citizens use technology to engage with the Town:

– Citizens use the Town website to look up Town agendas, minutes and development activity and watch Council meetings on YouTube.

– Provide budget feedback via Twitter (24 tweets), post on Facebook (37 comments) and email (66 emails).  The number of  Tweets and Facebook posts combined (61) this year were more than ALL of the input we received for last year’s budget (59 comments.)

– We saw you create an online petition signed by 1275 residents to save the Cary High School Water Tower

•   – A biennial survey that shows 54.5% of our citizens own or plan to own a smartphone this year and the trend is that smart phone users outnumber basic phone users.
• And on and on… 

• Charting a path

  The goal of creating the Technology Task Force (TTF) was to tap into the wealth of information that we have in our citizenry – these folks are the best of the best, and that’s what we needed.  We have incredibly technology literate people in Cary – you work for IBM, Cisco, NetApp, SAS, LexisNexis, … and so many of you use these tools everyday. Cary needed a set of recommendations from folks from all areas that use, build, or leverage technology; to share with the Town ways to increase citizen engagement, and to get us on the right path.

  And they delivered! The TTF gave Council 71 recommendations.  Of those, 2 have since been done (but not by the town.)

• Disappointment

I was hopeful that some of those recommendations would make it into the Town Budget for this year.  No such luck.  Not a single TTF recommendation – from improving the website, providing Open Data, to creating mobile apps, improving social media  or citizen engagement tools are included in the budget for next year. (I wrote about the Town budget earlier this year.)

Why?  It comes down to money and priorities.

Our Town budget is tight, and council has to make some hard decisions.  Town staff has detailed that implementing ANY of these recommendations will cost staff time, meaning real operating expenses.  And our collective priorities aren’t aligned to provide those funds.

I don’t disagree with staff.  It will cost money.  But I disagree with our priorities.

Here’s what I believe:

1. We need to foster Open Data – get the data that we have out there so that really cool people can build really cool apps, that make our lives easier.  Apps like RGreenway that now shows Cary Greenways (made possible by putting out our greenway data, but what about new greenways that come online?)  Then we can have great Open Apps – civic apps built with open data – and have I mentoned the value of Code for America?  (Join the Brigade!) 
   
2. We need an app or service like SeeClickFix, a 3-1-1 tool that allows citizens to post issues (pot holes, streetlight repair, and other nuisances and issues) to an app – getting you to submit and track non-emergency service requests.  More importantly, you can vote, and see if other people have submitted it, and track the requests.  We could call it “ASK Cary” – just sayin’.
3. We need expanded social media tools and engagement, to reach out to citizens where they are, and using what they use
4. Update our website.  Make it easier to use, to find content, and to easily find information.  How many times have you tried to find out if a Town field is open? A list of fun events coming up this month, for kids? For teens? For seniors? Something that looks professional, clean and easy to navigate.
5. We need a Town of Cary Official App – that would provide users with event information, get Town news, request services or connect with a Town official.

Raleigh’s SeeClickFix

Yes, it costs money

Technology isn’t free. I know that.   But I ALSO know that an investment in these areas can save us money in the long term – while also connecting us to you, our citizens.  Other cities have shown that these investments DO have return in cost savings in reduced phone calls, while providing real-time feedback to citizens. Leveraging technology is not just a nice or cool thing to do — it’s critical if the Town hopes to cut costs while still providing core, vital services.

And, most importantly, technology touches all of our citizens.  99% of our residents have internet access.  54.5% have a smartphone, or are planning on getting one. I’ve seen children looking up Skate Park information, our seniors using the web, and new users accessing their water data online. Improvement and expansion of our Town services touches us all, and it’s the right thing to do.

Not funding any Technology Initiatives this next year means that we are going to be another year behind.  We have a roadmap – given to us by our great TTF members, let’s do something.

What can you do?  Speak Up, Speak Out 

So, I might be the only one that thinks we can do better, but I hope not. I hope we can get back to Cary being the “Technology Town of NC” – but I’m afraid we won’t get there at this rate.

Personally, I think these initiatives are at least worth the kind of  $110,000 Public Art funding for Fire Station #2 that is in the current budget.

If you agree, or don’t, make sure to make your feelings known to your council members:

1. Speak at an upcoming Budget Public Hearing:
     At Town Hall on Thursday, May 23, 2013 and June 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
        (Held as part of the regular Council meetings)
       Town Council Chambers at Cary Town Hall, 316 N. Academy St
   
2. Call or email council with your thoughts
3. Tweet your ideas, thoughts or concerns about #technology in #cary to @TownofCary

You can read more about Cary’s FY14 Budget at our website.

Most importantly though, thanks for being an important part of Cary.

Ok, I’m not gonna break into a the Spice Girls’ song (although I now have that song in my head.)  But, it is the theme of this post.

I’ve said it before. Democracy is not a spectator sport. In order for me, your At-Large representative, to know what you want, you have to tell me. And I’m not talking about winning the lottery – but rather what you want the Town of Cary to do.

Sure, we ask for you opninion all the time – using tools like our biannual Survey, Public Speaks Out options at our Town Council Meetings, individual meetings and of course, we certainly ask you during election time. But we also look for your feedback on our Town Twitter feeds, ask for it through CaryTV and the YouTube channel, BUD, Facebook pages, and in our email. But sometimes, we are looking for your direct feedback about a particular issue or strategic plan – and that’s true now.

It’s budget season

From Town of Cary

Unlike the Federal Government – our Town budget MUST be balanced. This is a lengthy process – and generally starts many many months before it’s actually accepted by Council.

Our 2014 (yes, 2014) budget year identifies services and infrastructure projects to be undertaken by the Town from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. And we are currently at the end of the MONTH LONG comment period, which ends on February 28th.

It’s important we hear from you

This is absolutely the time for you to make yourself heard.  

• You want more Parks and Greenways? Or want a SPECIFIC park moved up in priority? Tell us.

• Wish we had more plantings in specific medians? Share that.

• Want more Senior programs? Or programs for Disabled and developmentally challenged individuals? We want to know.

• How about speeding up the Downtown development? More parking? More events? All input is valuable.

• Wish you had an App that allowed you to more easily see where the greenway maps are… or the status of Bond Park Fields (open or close?), or a way to more easily report potholes? Let us know. (Ok, that’s my little plug.)

• Want to see what other people are saying? Check out the online listing.

It’s your turn

Just like you do at home, our budget guides our plans for the next year. So please let us know what you want in next year’s budget priorities.

There are lots of ways for you to connect and voice your opinion. But do it QUICKLY!

• Via email: budgetinput@townofcary.org

• Voicemail: (919) 469-4307

• Public comment at special budget public hearings (Last chance on Wednesday, February 27)

• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TownofCaryNC

• Twitter: www.twitter.com/townofcary (#TOCbudget)

This is your town, your government, and your turn to let us know.

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

(As always, thanks for listening.)

Featured picture by 401(K)2013

Aquastar is the name we use in Cary to refer to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system for our water. The Aquastar program replaces what WAS the monthly manual reads of your water meter, with a wireless system that collects multiple remote meter reads every day. The technology used is often referred to as part of a Smart Grid infrastructure. The vendor of the system, Sensus (in Raleigh), worked closely with the town to find the right solution, while Johnson Controls developed and managed the project.  (In what the Town Staff refers to as “The Cary Way.”  I like that!)

(Here is the video that the Town used to share the process with all of us.)

Aquastar History

The project started with a proposal in November of 2009, when Cary was manually reading over 57,000 meters per month in Cary and Morrisville. (Yes, Cary is the water utility provider to Morrisville.) That meant that trucks were rolling – and a number field personnel working for the Town were driving to your neighborhood and walking to read your water meter.

With this new system of 63,000 wireless water meters, the system can monitor water usage and report the usage back to Town Hall. That means that the Town will realize the cost savings associated with:

– significantly reduced fuel consumption (over 7,000 gallons a year),
– a lower carbon footprint (71,000 miles of truck usage off the road),
– along with reduced headcount (10 people), and reduced worker’s compensation by reducing job-related injuries.

The total budget of the project is $17.9 million, which was funded through the Town’s utility fund. Originally, Aquastar was projected to save the Town (and taxpayers) $2.4 million dollars. (Which is great!)

However, the finance department has found that THAT number was conservative. A recent cost analysis shows that we will save close to $10.2 million dollars, which is great news for our utility ratepayers!

Saving Water

There are also other huge benefits besides the cost savings. With this system, we can find a leak when it’s much smaller – so that it can be repaired more proactively, and sometimes, finding leaks earlier means a cheaper repair. And, of course, conservation is another key benefit. By giving our citizens actionable information about their water usage, the hope is that it gives us EACH the power to see what we are using, and potentially make changes to reduce our water usage.

Here’s how it works

Annotated picture from Town of Cary

1. All of our commercial and residential water meters have been replaced with Aquastar meters – meters with a wireless capability
2. Each meter will send water usage information to a regional collector 4 times a day.
3. The collector will forward that information to Town Hall.
4. And, starting in March, customers will have access to a Website with detailed information that will provide a graphical view of their water usage.  (This will be available off of your Online Billing page.)

With this capability, the Utility services will have more than 500 million data points per year. This will help narrow down any problems in the system, and also for them to notice any trends that may help improve efficiencies.

The members of the Information Services Advisory Board and members of the Technology Task Force got a sneak peak into the tool recently.  They all gave valuable feedback, and a number of changes have been made based on that feedback.   New enhancements to the tool are also coming, so make sure to give you comments, as well.

What can you learn from all this data?

Well, quite a lot. The Aquastar Webportal will show you a rolling 13 months of data – giving you the ability to compare your most recent month with the same month of the last year. You can drill down into a month, to see the weeks, days, and finally, hourly usage. You can also look at a particular data range, as well. (All of this data can be downloaded for the real geeks to use in a spreadsheet, if you are so inclined. )

For instance, look at this data below.

What can you see? Something very interesting. Look at the “Hourly Water Usage” section line chart. Notice that on December 29th, from 3am to 7am, the water usage does not ever go to ZERO. It just hovers at a few gallons an hour. That’s because there was a leaking toilet in the house.

This homeowner was able to use the data to realize this, (and to realize that the toilet had been leaking for a while before), and to fix it.  (Notice how her graph goes to ZERO after the fix later that day!)

This is a small example – but just think of it. That’s not only wasted water, but you are not only paying for the water, you are paying for the sewer associated with that.

I also heard several stories from staff and homeowners, where Town Staff were able to proactively contact a citizen to let them know that they had a leak. In one case, letting them know helped them identify that their water heater was leaking (sometimes that’s the first step before you water heater dies), and in another case, actually SEEING the system was leaking, and proactively turning off the water before significant damage was done to their house.

How much water are we talking about?

The typical Cary resident uses about 50 gallons of water – per day, per person. That’s for indoor usage, not for irrigation systems. (That number goes up to about 60 gallons per day, per person if you include outdoor uses.)

It’s possible to use less – and many folks do. I have friends, who will remain nameless, who tend NOT to flush their toilet during the day.

Their mantra is – “If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down.”

(I’m not saying you should do that, but be aware that old toilets use about 3 to 5 gallons/flush, newer ones, about 1.3 gallons.)

Want to be proactive?

From Town of Cary

You can even set up alerts in the system for it to proactively alert you on water usage. There’s a good reason for doing that. In Cary, we used a tiered rate structure for our water usage. So, at a particular threshold, any water used over that “line” becomes more expensive. Using just 1,000 gallons? You are charged $3.60. Using 6,000 gallons? You are charged $3.6 for the first 5,000 gallons, and $4.08 for the last 1,000 gallons…. And so on. You might want to be alerted when you jump over a threshold.

Or, maybe you want an alert when you exceed a particular number of gallons in a single day? That’s possible too. All of this gives you more power – more power to know your usage, on a daily basis rather than waiting for your monthly bill, when it’s really to late to make any changes to affect your bottom line.

Coming Soon

Hopefully you will find that this new system is a step in the right direction for Cary. Yes, there are still opportunities to enhance our system. (For instance, I can’t WAIT to NOT get a paper bill. ) And the usability and graphics will improve over time. But the power to see WHAT you use, close to WHEN you use it, is great. I’m looking forward to the new capability as a way to help in my own water conservation efforts.

Thanks for listening! And always feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Featured photo by Stephen A Gregory