BCR's Daily Fishwrap Report for February 23, 2009

The readers have spoken, and the Fishwrap is back. (Thanks to those who wrote in or commented to note that it's of use to them.) Glad to see it's popular -- and it'll be staying in here at BCR.

Here's the top stories from this weekend and this morning in Bull City news:

• The H-S and the N&O both have features on Sunday's opening of the Durham Station. Both showed remarkable journalistic restraint (and common sense) by waiting until it was light out to show up; the H-S' Laura Collins was rewarded by learning that a cigarette caused a small brush fire on all that pine straw. Given that it's the two-year anniversary of a massive townhouse fire in Raleigh caused by the same, let's be careful out there, eh?
• A new wrinkle in the Jordan Lake/751 assemblage critical watershed boundary: City/County Planning's Steve Medlin stated last week that he believed the City Council and BOCC would need to approve a privately-funded survey accepted by the state that would change Jordan Lake's boundary and allow a dense development near the manmade lake. An attorney representing the landowner, however, is saying that a November vote by the BOCC to send the survey to the state was the only legislative action needed to make the change. Medlin has asked city and county attorneys to review the matter. (H-S)
• Has downtown matured to the point that the revitalization fund can sunset? City Council members -- including Mike Woodard, Diane Catotti, and Howard Clement -- called at Friday's budget retreat for maintaining existing obligations to downtown debt funding, including parking deck and DPAC support, but otherwise diverting the 1-cent property tax earmark for the city center, while finding some funds to support targeted neighborhood revitalization instead. (N&O)
• Local officials are investigating a report that a billboard at the I-85/US 70 intersection might have collapsed in high winds or from another cause a few weeks back. A contractor apparently performed some manner of repairs, but under Durham's zoning ordinance, the repairs might have exceeded the allowable amount, which could allow the sign to be removed. Reports that anti-billboard activist Tom Miller has recently returned from Superman's Fortress of Solitude, where he learned the power of "super-breath," could not be confirmed at press time. (H-S)
• The N&O takes a look at Golden Belt's "Bailout Biennial" art exhibit, even as the paper reports that the stimulus dollars won't go far enough to cover the growing budget gap at the state level. Meanwhile, The Durham News reports in an interview with U.S. Rep. David Price that his district (which includes most of Durham/Orange Co. and part of Wake) should gain or maintain 9,000 jobs due to the bill.
• We're less than two months into 2009 and we're already 3+ inches of rain below normal, with the Triangle back in the "abnormally dry" category. The N&O remembers the drought (even if it's been forgotten by some members of the public who've complained about water rate increased needed to support water supply increases) with an interview with state climatologist Ryan Boyles. 
• The Durham News reports that although implementors of Durham's ten year plan to end homelessness claim the community is making progress, elected officials are concerned about the lack of quantitative measures and metrics available to determine whether progress is being made. (TDN)

Comments

[Rob]

I think moving the 1-cent tax earmark out to the targeted commercial areas is an excellent idea. We've had the chance to witness the benefit that this earmark has had on downtown, and now it is time for us to spread the money to the five commercial districts targeted by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. A first step can be using the funds to help pay for the streetscape initiative that is currently seeking funding. We should also build up the accounts we have for facade improvements and matching funds for business investment in these corridors.

[Todd]

Moving the 1-cent earmark away from downtown would delay or kill any prospect of undoing the downtown loop. That does not seem like a very good idea.

A better choice would be to add a penny to the tax rate to fund the projects Rob mentioned.

[Rob]

Todd-
I was wondering what future projects would be funded by the 1-cent downtown revitalization fund. I definitely don't want to see other projects cut, especially when the projects getting cut are of the same nature of the projects getting funded. It isn't good for community groups/neighborhoods to have to fight over money like that.

In the grand scheme of things, a penny isn't that much. It gets ~$2.1M of revenue for the city each year, but will cost 95% of Durham home owners less than $25/year. An 'average' Durham home will pay $10-15 per year. [I admit that I made up the 95% number, but there are few houses in Durham assessed above $250k.]

But I guess the problem lies in deciding how many pennies to add. One more for street maintenance? Another one for parks? I feel guilty asking my favorite projects to be funded, because there are a lot of things in Durham that need funding.