There’s one way the U.S. Census is saving money – on office space. At least, that’s what’s happening in Chapel Hill. On Thursday, I met up with a crew leader, one of the folks who coordinate the actions of a group of enumerators, who is using the last three rows of tables at a Burger […]
All posts for the month May, 2010
Counting up the savings
Posted by Don Evans on May 14, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/14/counting-up-the-savings/
St. James vs. St. Thomas More
There goes the neighborhood, and it looks like it’s due, if not to the hand of God, at least an arm of the Catholic church. John Stone, a resident of the St. James neighborhood, situated next door to St. Thomas More Church, petitioned Town Council Monday night for help. He said that when council approved […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 13, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/13/st-james-vs-st-thomas-more/
Book fees
Town Manager Roger Stancil was quick to point out at the Town Council meeting Monday night that going ahead with issuing library renovation bonds would not increase taxes this year. But there is not a single soul sitting on the council dais who believes that renovating the library will not increase taxes. It will; it […]
Posted by Don Evans on May 12, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/12/book-fees/
Budget clock is ticking
Time is running out on resident input on the town budget for fiscal 2011. A public forum in April was scheduled by the staff without providing any budget details, which pretty much negated any discussion. Then the Town Council canceled a budget work session planned for May 5. The council has three other work sessions […]
Posted by Don Evans on May 11, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/11/budget-clock-is-ticking/
Toward a more perfect census
We sat in the large civics room of a local newspaper, 12 of us and an instructor. The group included a former newspaper editor, a scientist, a woman who had just received a doctorate, a former milkman, a retiree, a student, an artist and several IT professionals. We were all there to learn how to […]
Posted by Don Evans on May 10, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/10/toward-a-more-perfect-census/
Ethics
On Monday night, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos will present a proposed code of ethics for Town Council and others in town government to live by. The timing of it, nearly a year after the Bill Strom shenanigans, strikes me as locking the barn door after the cow has wandered off. But it seems the proposal […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 7, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/07/ethics/
Playing hardball
County commissioner and sports writer Barry Jacobs could title his next book Getting to No, a negotiating how-to. He could lead with the discussions over how much Orange County will contribute toward operating expenses for the Cadillac library Chapel Hill hankers for, even though the expansion would max out the town’s debt limit. The town, […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 6, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/06/playing-hardball/
Poll dancing
I handed out campaign literature at the polls yesterday, which gave me a glimpse of the rarefied people who vote in Chapel Hill. Voter turnout across the county averaged about 15 percent, nothing to be proud of to be sure, but it would have been a lot lower without the nearly 30 percent turnout of […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 5, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/05/poll-dancing/
Primary colors
Three of the Orange County commissioner races will be decided today as voters head to the polls for the primary. That’s because two of the races are uncontested – the winner of the primary faces no opposition in the fall. In fact there are a lot of candidates who are running unopposed. Maybe we shouldn’t […]
Posted by Don Evans on May 4, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/04/primary-colors/
Development nestles in
Marketing is everything, especially when it comes to easing development through the town’s approval process. Witness The Cottages at Homestead. The name evokes images of cozy little clapboard-sided single-story abodes, flowers in the window boxes, snuggled together in a clearing. But look at the specs: The 1,175 parking spaces is your first indication that “cozy” […]
Posted by Nancy Oates on May 3, 2010
http://chapelhillwatch.com/2010/05/03/development-nestles-in/