Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/821895
14 UCW MAY 10-16, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM It may be a first for City of Fayetteville budget writers: Of nearly $200 million in next fiscal year's operating budget plan, there's only a $3,000 difference between this fiscal year's budget and the proposed FY18 plan. e property tax rate will have to be adjusted to compensate for a loss of revenue brought about by a decline in property values. City Manager Doug Hewett told Fayetteville City Council members the tax rate must be increased to 52.66 cents per hundred dollars of property valuation from 49.95 cents to achieve revenue neutrality. at means the tax for those whose property values went down because of revaluation will not go up. Hewett briefed Council members in small groups encouraging them to ask questions while preparing them for virtually no growth in spending in the coming fiscal year, except for a small pay raise for the city's 1,500 employees. Hewett said police and fire pay plans would include scheduled increases. e manager is proposing small increases in environmental service and stormwater fees but no tax increase. Hewett describes his plan as a hold-the-line budget brought about by the countywide decline in residential property values. Some members were disappointed that the Fayetteville Area System of Transit's proposal to launch limited Sunday bus service is being put on hold. e manager plans to realign some departments of the government. In response to questions from some Council members on tight operations, Hewett said making progress is a matter of capacity and resources. Environmental services (trash collection) plus street maintenance and stormwater management would become a division of the Engineering and Infrastructure Department. e Permitting and Inspections Department would be consolidated into the Planning and Code Enforcement Department. "e objective is to achieve improved efficiency," said Hewett. And an aging workforce is taking its toll. Senior managers and experienced professionals are approaching retirement, Hewett noted. Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer said some older workers can't always perform some of their duties as they once could. He hopes to encourage high school graduates to study the trades at Fayetteville Technical Community College. Bauer has been talking with FTCC officials about attracting young people into vocational fields such as plumbing and mechanical engineering. "ese trades provide a good wage," Bauer said. He added that permitting inspectors are needed in these areas to improve the city's ability to meet the needs of the business community promptly. Hewett said he hopes to find other ways of stabilizing the city's workforce. Turnover in the police department has been significantly reduced thanks in part to an improved pay plan. But Hewett noted that recruiting and employee retention in other departments such as environmental services, transit and information technology continue to be a challenge. Hewett could not say what the current turnover rates are. City Council and the administration will spend the next few weeks refining the FY18 budget plan, which must be adopted by July 1. City Budget the Same for FY18 by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200. The Fayetteville City Council must adopt its FY18 budget plan by July 1. In the musical "Caroline, or Change," opening at Cape Fear Regional eatre this weekend, the washing machine, dryer, radio, moon and bus are all played by people. "I think that immediately (estab- lishes) that this is not realism," said Director Bryan Conger. "is play is all about change. I think change begins in the imaginations of people. ey imagine what is beyond them or what could be … and that's how a movement starts." He said the idea of imagination, memory and emotion being the catalyst for concrete change informed his approach to the whole show. Joy Ducree Gregory, who plays Car- oline, agreed. Gregory said it's Caro- line's memories and feelings projected onto inanimate objects that allow her as an actress to portray someone who might otherwise seem one- dimensionally sad. "I don't think she's emotionally available enough to tell (other people) about herself, but she is emotionally available enough to have conversations with these inanimate objects, which all sort of represent a piece of her," added Conger. ere are, however, other human charac- ters in this story, like Caroline's 8-year-old boy, her daughter who is coming into adult- hood and the middle- class Jewish family she works for as a maid. Tension between Caroline and the Jewish family rises after a small amount of money goes missing. is serves as the impetus for the play's exploration of the politi- cal through the personal, set in 1963 Louisiana. Look forward to Jeanine Tesori's visceral score played by a live or- chestra that, according to CFRT's mailer, blends blues, gospel and traditional Jewish melodies. In most musicals, spoken dialogue carries a good amount of the story with songs arriving at strategically emotional moments. Conger said this dynamic is reversed in "Caroline." Gregory said she's heard this score performed by other casts and she's blown away by the talent in this production, saying Conger did a perfect job casting each role. "I don't believe I've ever before been part of a show where every rehearsal I get chills just from listening to the music," said Gregory. "is is the most challenging role, vocally, that I've ever (undertaken) … I've never had to dig so deep emotionally to sing a song." Gregory said the issues "Caroline" explores continue to resonate be- cause they are still relevant in today's America. "In this story, you have issues with race, issues with culture, with the disparities between those that have and those that don't have — how those with privilege view the world and view money, versus those that don't," she said. "When you take that storyline and you look at where we are in 2017 … I think yes, we've come a long way, but … it's clear that this is a time where we have to look at where we are. And the same conversations that will happen as a result of this play, those are the same conversations we need to be having in America." CFRT invites the public to attend free pre-show conversations May 17 and 18, from 6:30-7:15 p.m. On May 17, Nick Glazier, executive director of the North Carolina Justice Center, will facilitate a conversation about poverty and economic disparity in America. On May 18, Reverend Cure- ton Johnson will facilitate a talk about the civil rights movement. Pre-show conversations are made possible due to CFRT's receiving the prestigious NEA "Art Works" Grant for "Caroline, or Change." "Caroline" opens for preview nights May 11-12, with official opening night Saturday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15-$25 and can be purchased by visiting www.cfrt.org or calling (910) 323- 4233. Talking to Washing Machines and People: Caroline, or Change by LESLIE PYO EVENTS LESLIE PYO, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200. Gregory said the issues "Caroline" explores continue to resonate because they are still relevant in today's America.