February 20th City Council Meeting:
- Meeting Opening and Recognition:
- The meeting was called to order, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation by Councilman Ledford. A special recognition was given to Ben Taylor by Councilman Hester for his dedicated service to the city.
- Baseball Stadium Project Update:
- The financial plan for the baseball stadium involves a total project cost of $115 million. The funding structure includes:
- $80 million from Sports Authority bonds previously approved.
- $26 million in subordinate financing through a tax increment financing (TIF) arrangement, now solely based on the city's increment, adjusted from a previously considered higher amount due to collaboration specifics between the city and county.
- $1 million estimated to be earned on the $80 million prior to expenditure.
- $3 million capital contribution from the team (Lookouts).
- An additional $5 million in debt issued by the Sports Authority, with repayment being supported by hotel/motel taxes and local option sales taxes from the stadium area to the extent necessary beyond property tax increment financing from the South Broad District.
- The county committed to investing $15 million towards public education enhancements in the area, with $10 million allocated to Howard School and $5 million for other schools serving the TIF district.
- City Court Clerk's Office Overview:
- The City Court Clerk's office, which has a staff of 14 individuals, operates with a budget that has varied over recent years. Specific figures mentioned include:
- The budget for FY 2022 was $1.2 million.
- For FY 2023, the budget increased to $1.4 million.
- The current budget for FY 2024 stands at $1.3 million, with an anticipated budget of $1.2 million for the upcoming year.
- The office handles a wide array of cases and functions, including traffic violations, animal control issues, code enforcement, and newly short-term vacation rental violations. Despite a reported average monthly caseload of 5,924 cases tracked in their system, it was noted that only about 20% of these cases are actually heard in court. The discussion underscored a need for an audit to assess the efficiency and necessity of the current staffing level in relation to the workload.
