Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Town Council Work Session on Pay Study and Parks Master Plan - May 14, 2025

Meeting Portal — Wednesday, May 14, 2025

BodyChapel Hill, North Carolina

SessionMeeting Portal

DateWednesday, May 14, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:24:39

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Good evening, everyone.

0:02

Welcome to Chapel Hill Town Council's May 14th work session.

0:06

We're pleased to have you join us.

0:08

This evening we have two items on our agenda.

0:11

We'll begin with an update on the paying class study that will be followed by an update on the parks and rec comprehensive master plan.

0:20

A note for the clerk.

0:22

Councilmember Stegman will not be joining us tonight.

0:26

Council members, before we get started, we have two pieces of business to attend to.

0:31

First, we need to formally call two new meetings related to the town manager search.

0:36

To do that, may I have a motion to call special meeting on May 22nd, 2025 and June 5th, 2025 at the locked in.

0:47

2025 at 5 p.m.

0:49

in the town hall, first floor conference room, room 102.

0:53

So moved.

0:54

Second.

0:55

Moved by council member.

0:57

I'm like, is it for your first name?

0:58

Is it your last name today?

0:59

I don't know.

1:00

It's coming.

1:00

Okay.

1:01

That's official business.

1:02

It's official business.

1:03

Okay, moved by council member Barry, seconded by councilmember Ryan.

1:06

All those in favor, please say aye.

1:08

Any opposed, please say nay.

1:12

Motion is 7-0.

1:17

Both times council will enter into closed session to discuss the time and hiring process.

1:23

Second, with help from Theo, we have a proclamation for Endangered Species Day to announce.

1:27

Theo, would you please take the honors?

1:29

Thank you, Mayor.

1:31

This thing on?

1:32

Yeah, there you go.

1:33

Good evening, everyone.

1:34

This evening, the mayor and council wish to announce that Friday, May 16th will be the endangered species day in Chapel Hill.

1:40

The United States prioritize the conservation and recovery of imperiled species by an acting endangered species act of 1973 and other landmark conservation statutes.

1:50

Conservation Protection Efforts implemented under the Indangered Species Act has successfully prevented these states of more than 99% of the species designated as threatened or endangered.

2:00

At a time when more than 2300 species are recognized as at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future, with many more in decline across the world.

2:10

We need to continue to support and to celebrate the endangered species act and conservation efforts.

2:15

In making this proclamation, we encourage everyone to work for the conservation of endangered and threatened species everywhere.

2:22

Thank you for bringing that proclamation forward, Theo.

2:26

With the current administration trying to upend the Endangered Species Act, it's important for us to be speaking of trying to prevent rollbacks that would result in long-term negative impacts.

2:38

And we invite members of our community to do the same.

2:42

Having taken care of those items of business, we want to remind our audience that the format of a work session is different than that of our business meetings.

2:52

Work sessions are an opportunity for the council to dive more deeply into specific topics.

2:57

These meetings are more conversational and less formal.

3:01

We do not vote during work sessions, and the topics will come back to a formal business meeting.

3:06

Finally, we value public input and do want to hear from you on these topics.

3:11

There'll be opportunities for the public to speak at upcoming business meetings.

3:15

Our next regular meeting will take place this Wednesday, September 25th at 6 p.m.

3:21

Another good way to reach us is Mayor and Council at Town of Chapel Hill.org.

3:26

With all that said, we're ready to move to our first item, which is the update on the paying class study, and Anita Badrock, our director of HR, will kick us off.

3:38

Thank you.

3:38

Thank you so much, Mary Anderson.

3:40

And good evening, Mayor and members of the council.

3:43

As Mary Anderson said, my name is Anita Badrock.

3:46

I'm your HR director for the town.

3:48

I really appreciate the opportunity to be here and speak to you this evening about our paying class study and share a bit about what we asked our consultants to do.

3:58

Well, I'm the one presenting tonight.

4:00

Um this has truly been a team effort.

4:03

Um, Cliff Turner, here to my left, our former HR director, has been our technical compensations expert and historian.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Workforce Development██████████████████████████████30%

Personnel Matters█████████████████████21%

Budget Equity Analysis████████████12%

Parks and Recreation██████████10%

Public Engagement████████8%

Procedural█████5%

Public Safety████4%

Economic Development███3%

Community Engagement███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Chapel Hill Town Council Work Session on Pay Study and Parks Master Plan - May 14, 2025

The Chapel Hill Town Council held a work session on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Library Meeting Room B. The meeting included opening business, an update on the Pay and Classification Study, and an update on the Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan. Council Member Karen Stegman was excused; Council Members Nollert and McCullough arrived at 6:01 PM and 6:07 PM respectively. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.

Opening Business

Special Meetings for Town Manager Search: The Council unanimously (7-0) approved calling two special meetings: May 22, 2025, and June 5, 2025, at 5:00 PM in Town Hall Room 102 to discuss the Town Manager search.
Proclamation for Endangered Species Day: Council Member Nollert read a proclamation declaring May 16, 2025, as Endangered Species Day in Chapel Hill, encouraging conservation efforts.

Pay and Class Consultant Update

Presenters: Human Resources Director Anita Badrock, Evergreen Solutions consultants Rob Williamson and Karl Fuchs.
Key Findings: The study found Chapel Hill's salaries are 7.6% below the market rate midpoint and ranked 14th out of 18 peer communities. The last study was conducted six years ago, despite best practice being every three years.
Recommendations: Adopt a new pay plan structure, reassign classification paygrades, and align employee salaries with market-competitive pay ranges. The recommended 5% pay raise (effective January 2026) would require approximately $210,000 from the General Fund and $40,000 from Enterprise Funds. A hybrid implementation methodology would address compression issues.
Employee Engagement: 83% of employees completed the job assessment survey (high for the industry). Employee focus groups highlighted concerns about base pay, cost of living, staffing levels, and benefits.
Council Discussion: Council members inquired about professional development, compression, staffing levels, turnover benchmarks, and the impact of not implementing the plan. They discussed budget constraints, trade-offs, and the need for data on the adequacy of current staffing. Some members expressed support for the 5% increase as an investment in staff, while others noted the challenge of raising taxes amid community economic uncertainty.
Next Steps: Public hearing on May 21, work session on May 28, and budget work session on June 4, 2025.

Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Master Plan Update

Presenters: Parks and Recreation Director Atuya Cornwell, consultant James Mickle from BerryDunn.
Overview: The plan will include a facility assessment, equitable community engagement, and a funding strategy. Chapel Hill has been selected to apply for CAPRA accreditation, a rigorous process that less than 3% of agencies achieve.
Council Feedback: Council members provided input on three questions:
1. What three things would you like to see in the final master plan? Responses included: priority projects for upgrade/maintenance of existing facilities and new facilities to address gaps; synergy with the Greenways planning process; a clear, funded, and actionable plan aligned with budget realities; recommendations and cost estimates for all repair issues; and goals derived from peer community accomplishments.
2. What should the Parks and Recreation Department's priorities be over the next five years? Responses included: places for nature and structured play; completing the Everywhere-to-Everywhere Greenway system; maintenance and upgrade of existing facilities; maximizing user numbers; prioritizing partnerships; and equitable land distribution.
3. What top three community challenges or values should be considered? Responses included: budget constraints; university land vulnerability; leveraging assets and partnerships; ensuring equitable access; and the value of community cohesion.
Next Steps: Continued engagement with the community (pop-ups, surveys, listening sessions), analysis of operations and facilities, and drafting of the final plan by summer 2026.

Key Outcomes

Special meetings approved (7-0) for Town Manager search.
Pay study recommendations were received and filed; no formal vote was taken. The Council will continue budget discussions at upcoming meetings.
Parks Master Plan update was received and filed; the consultant will incorporate council feedback into the process.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Chapel Hill Town Council's May 14th work session. We're pleased to have you join us. This evening we have two items on our agenda. We'll begin with an update on the paying class study that will be followed by an update on the parks and rec comprehensive master plan. A note for the clerk. Councilmember Stegman will not be joining us tonight. Council members, before we get started, we have two pieces of business to attend to. First, we need to formally call two new meetings related to the town manager search. To do that, may I have a motion to call special meeting on May 22nd, 2025 and June 5th, 2025 at the locked in. 2025 at 5 p.m. in the town hall, first floor conference room, room 102. So moved. Second. Moved by council member. I'm like, is it for your first name? Is it your last name today? I don't know. It's coming. Okay. That's official business. It's official business. Okay, moved by council member Barry, seconded by councilmember Ryan. All those in favor, please say aye. Any opposed, please say nay. Motion is 7-0. Both times council will enter into closed session to discuss the time and hiring process. Second, with help from Theo, we have a proclamation for Endangered Species Day to announce. Theo, would you please take the honors? Thank you, Mayor. This thing on? Yeah, there you go. Good evening, everyone. This evening, the mayor and council wish to announce that Friday, May 16th will be the endangered species day in Chapel Hill. The United States prioritize the conservation and recovery of imperiled species by an acting endangered species act of 1973 and other landmark conservation statutes. Conservation Protection Efforts implemented under the Indangered Species Act has successfully prevented these states of more than 99% of the species designated as threatened or endangered. At a time when more than 2300 species are recognized as at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future, with many more in decline across the world. We need to continue to support and to celebrate the endangered species act and conservation efforts. In making this proclamation, we encourage everyone to work for the conservation of endangered and threatened species everywhere. Thank you for bringing that proclamation forward, Theo. With the current administration trying to upend the Endangered Species Act, it's important for us to be speaking of trying to prevent rollbacks that would result in long-term negative impacts. And we invite members of our community to do the same. Having taken care of those items of business, we want to remind our audience that the format of a work session is different than that of our business meetings. Work sessions are an opportunity for the council to dive more deeply into specific topics. These meetings are more conversational and less formal. We do not vote during work sessions, and the topics will come back to a formal business meeting. Finally, we value public input and do want to hear from you on these topics. There'll be opportunities for the public to speak at upcoming business meetings. Our next regular meeting will take place this Wednesday, September 25th at 6 p.m. Another good way to reach us is Mayor and Council at Town of Chapel Hill.org.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com