HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/23/2021 - Regular March 23, 2021 213
Roanoke County Administration Center
5204 Bernard Drive
Roanoke, Virginia 24018
The Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia met this day at the
Roanoke County Administration Center, this being the second regularly scheduled
meeting of the month of March 2021. Audio and video recordings of this meeting will be
held on file for a minimum of five (5) years in the office of the Clerk to the Board of
Supervisors.
IN RE: OPENING CEREMONIES
Before the meeting was called to order, a moment of silence was
observed. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all present.
IN RE: CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Peters called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m. The roll call was
taken.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman P. Jason Peters; Supervisors Martha B. Hooker,
Paul M. Mahoney, Phil C. North and David F. Radford
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Daniel R. O'Donnell, County Administrator; Richard
Caywood, Assistant County Administrator; Rebecca Owens,
Assistant County Administrator; Peter S. Lubeck, County
Attorney; Amy Whittaker, Public Information Officer and
Deborah C. Jacks, Chief Deputy Clerk to the Board
IN RE: REQUESTS TO POSTPONE, ADD TO, OR CHANGE THE ORDER OF
AGENDA ITEMS
Mr. O'Donnell requested that the Briefing to provide the Regional Housing
Study by Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission to the Board of Supervisors
be postponed to a later date. There were no objections.
214 March 23, 2021
IN RE: PROCLAMATIONS, RESOLUTIONS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
1. Resolution expressing the appreciation of the Board of
Supervisors to William David Cochrane, Solid Waste Equipment
Operator, upon his retirement after over forty-one (41) years of
service (Nancy Duvall, Solid Waste Manager)
Resolution was presented and read by the Clerk to the Board. Each
Supervisor offered their thanks and congratulations.
RESOLUTION 032321-1 EXPRESSING THE APPRECIATION OF
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF ROANOKE COUNTY TO
WILLIAM DAVID COCHRANE, SOLID WASTE EQUIPMENT
OPERATOR, UPON HIS RETIREMENT AFTER MORE THAN
FORTY-ONE (41) YEARS OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, William David Cochrane was employed by Roanoke County on June
11, 1979; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochrane retired on January 1, 2021, after forty-one (41) years
and seven (7) months of devoted, faithful and expert service to Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochrane, through his employment with Roanoke County, has
been instrumental in improving the quality of life and providing services to the citizens of
Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, throughout Mr. Cochrane's tenure with Roanoke County, he
provided exemplary service to the citizens of Roanoke County, primarily in his duties
with the Physically Unable and Premium Service collection programs. Mr. Cochrane
provided door service to some of the most vulnerable of our population; and for many,
Mr. Cochrane was their only connection to the outside world. He was the cheerful,
helpful face of Roanoke County Solid Waste that they saw faithfully each week. Mr.
Cochrane filled many roles in the Solid Waste department apart from his regular
responsibilities from being a backup automated truck driver to his highly skilled bear
container engineering. Mr. Cochrane was diligent and creative in finding the best fit for
the latches to keep the bears from accessing garbage in the containers that many
residents now greatly appreciate. Mr. Cochrane performed all of his varied tasks with a
friendly demeanor and willingness to help; he is a true example of government service.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County expresses its deepest appreciation and the appreciation of the citizens
of Roanoke County to WILLIAM DAVID COCHRANE for more than forty-one (41) years
of capable, loyal, and dedicated service to Roanoke County; and
FURTHER, the Board of Supervisors does express its best wishes for a happy
and productive retirement.
March 23, 2021 215
On motion of Supervisor Peters to adopt the resolution, seconded by Supervisor
Hooker and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
IN RE: BRIEFINGS
1.
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(Bryan W. Hill, Regional Planner III - Roanoke Valley Alleghany
Regional Commission)
The agenda item was postponed to a later date by County Administrator
Daniel R. O'Donnell.
IN RE: NEW BUSINESS
1. Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Roanoke,
Virginia in relation to approving Roanoke County support of
financing by the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority (RVRA) (Peter
S. Lubeck, County Attorney; Rebecca Owens, Assistant County
Administrator)
Ms. Owens outlined the request for resolution.
Supervisor Hooker gave a special thank you and advised she appreciated
the work staff did on this.
Supervisor Radford advised staff has done a great job. There was no
further discussion.
RESOLUTION 032321-2 OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF
THE COUNTY OF ROANOKE, . VIRGINIA IN RELATION TO
APPROVING ROANOKE COUNTY SUPPORT OF FINANCING
BY THE ROANOKE VALLEY RESOURCE AUTHORITY
WHEREAS, the County of Roanoke is a member jurisdiction of the Roanoke
Valley Resource Authority (the "RVRA") pursuant to the Amended and Restated
Roanoke Valley Resource Authority Member and Facilities Use Agreement dated as.of
July 1, 2016, between the RVRA, the County of Roanoke, Virginia ("Roanoke County"),
the City of Roanoke ("Roanoke City"), the Town of Vinton, Virginia ("Vinton") and the
City of Salem, Virginia ("Salem") (together, the "Member Localities"); and
216 March 23, 2021
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors (the "Board") has been informed that the
RVRA intends to pursue Phase III of its Facilities Modifications & Improvements Project,
which will, among other things, improve direct truck access to the Authority's Smith Gap
Regional Landfill and related improvements (the "Project"); and
WHEREAS, the RVRA has applied to the Virginia Resources Authority (the
"VRA") for financing assistance in connection with the Project; and
WHEREAS, the VRA's approval of the RVRA's application is subject to final
credit approval, which final credit approval is expected to include a moral obligation
pledge of each of the Member Localities that would be evidenced in separate support
agreements between the Member Localities and the VRA; and
WHEREAS, the RVRA desires to proceed with the Project and has requested
that Roanoke County provide its approval to the RVRA pursuing financing for the
Project through the VRA, and for the Board to authorize the County Administrator to
execute a support agreement in support of the financing (collectively, the "Plan of
Finance").
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED as follows:
1. The Board hereby approves of the Plan of Finance and hereby authorizes
the County Administrator, or any assistant County Administrator, to execute a support
agreement that would enable the RVRA to obtain financing to proceed with the Project.
The Board recognizes that the attached support agreement may require some
modifications prior to approval and acceptance by the VRA, and authorizes the County
Administrator to execute the support agreement in such final form, as approved to form
by the County Attorney.
2. This Resolution shall take effect upon adoption.
On motion of Supervisor Hooker to adopt the resolution, seconded by Supervisor
North and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
IN RE: PUBLIC HEARING
1. Public hearing for citizen comments on the Real Estate effective
tax rate for calendar year 2021 (Laurie Gearheart, Director of
Finance and Management Services)
Chairman Peters recessed the meeting from 3:26 p.m. until 3:36 p.m. to
allow time for comments.
Chairman Peters opened and closed the public hearing with no comments
on this public hearing. There was no discussion
March 23, 2021 217
IN RE: PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS
1. Public hearing for citizen comments on the maximum 2021
calendar year tax rates for Real Estate, Personal Property and
Machinery and Tools Taxes (Laurie Gearheart, Director of Finance
and Management Services)
Chairman Peters recessed the meeting from 3:37 p.m. until 3:47 p.m. to
allow time for comments.
Chairman Peters opened and closed the public hearing with no comments
on this public hearing. There was no discussion
2. Resolutions to set the following maximum tax rates for calendar
year 2021 to support this fiscal year 2021-2022 operating budget:
(Laurie Gearheart, Director of Finance and Management Services)
(a) Resolution to set the Real Estate maximum tax rate for calendar
year 2021
RESOLUTION 032321-3 TO SET THE REAL ESTATE MAXIMUM
TAX RATE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia will set
maximum tax rates for calendar year 2021 to support the fiscal year 2021-2022
operating budget; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing for citizen comments on setting maximum tax rates
was held on March 23, 2021, at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia; and
WHEREAS, the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will adopt final 2021
calendar year tax rates on April 13, 2021, following a public hearing for citizen
comments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke
County, Virginia, that the Real Estate Tax for calendar year 2021 is set at a rate of not
more than $1.09 per$100 of assessed valuation.
On motion of Supervisor Hooker to adopt the resolution, seconded by Supervisor
Radford and carried by the following,recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
218 March 23, 2021
(b) Resolution to set the Personal Property maximum tax rate for
calendar year 2021
RESOLUTION 032321-4 TO SET THE PERSONAL PROPERTY
MAXIMUM TAX RATE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia will set
maximum tax rates for calendar year 2021 to support the fiscal year 2021-2022
operating budget; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing for citizen comments on setting maximum tax rates
was held on March 23, 2021, at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia; and
WHEREAS, the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will adopt final 2021
calendar year tax rates on April 13, 2021, following a public hearing for citizen
comments.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke
County, Virginia, that the Personal Property Tax for calendar year 2021 is set at a rate
of not more than $3.50 per$100 of assessed valuation.
On motion of Supervisor North to adopt the resolution, seconded by Supervisor
Radford and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
(c) Resolution to set the Machinery and Tools maximum tax rate for
calendar year 2021
RESOLUTION 032321-5. TO SET THE MACHINERY AND TOOLS
MAXIMUM TAX RATE FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia will set
maximum tax rates for calendar year 2021 to support the fiscal year 2021-2022
operating budget; and
WHEREAS, a public hearing for citizen comments on setting maximum tax rates
was held on March 23, 2021, at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia; and
WHEREAS, the Roanoke ;County Board of Supervisors will adopt final. 2021
calendar.,;year tax rates on April .13, 2021, following a public hearing for citizen
comments;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke
County, Virginia, that the Machinery and Tools Tax for calendar year 2021 is set at a
rate of not more than $2.85 per$100 of assessed valuation.
March 23, 2021 219
On motion of Supervisor Mahoney to adopt the resolution, seconded by
Supervisor Radford and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
3. Public hearing for citizen comments on the proposed amendment
to the Comprehensive Plan for Roanoke County, Virginia
incorporating the draft (dated January 8, 2021 Oak Grove Center
Plan (Philip Thompson, Director of Planning)
Mr. Thompson provided a PowerPoint presentation.
Wayne Leftwich, Senior Roanoke City Planner provided comments for the
Roanoke City perspective.
Supervisor Radford asked with regard to the comments from Mr.
Grammer, he does frequent that area quite a bit (his comments are for Roanoke City);
between the Farrington Apartments and the Food Lion is the City, correct? Mr. Leftwich
responded in the affirmative. He knows exactly what Mr. Grammer is talking about at
lunch time or coming out of Food Lion and trying to make that right-hand turn and go up
to the stoplight, people are zipping down from the other end. Have you thought about
his question? Mr. Leftwich responded they have and there is a crosswalk there. The
traffic is very fast there and we have had some communications with our Transportation
Divisions about things that can be done; ideally we would love to have a sidewalk on the
Food Lion side, but there is some topography there and some right-of-way issues. It is
something we will continue to look at as part of this plan. As you get to Rt. 419, what
we are hoping to see very soon is a crosswalk across Rt. 419; that will make that
connection a little bit better. Supervisor Radford asked if it would warrant putting an
octagonal side with flashing light to slow it down. He sees the crosswalk, but you have
to paint it every couple of years. It gives the residents.a path to go from Point A to Point
B. Mr. Leftwich stated they routinely move around a sign that we put in the crosswalk
that reminds people that it is State law to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. He will
follow-up to see when it was there last.
Supervisor Mahoney asked Mr. Leftwich what were the comments that
primarily came from the Roanoke City residents on the other side of Rt. 419. He wants
to be sensitive to the concerns they have expressed. Mr. Leftwich stated they were
hearing some of the same comments from the City residents as from the County; going
from a corridor development to a neighborhood center is what was heard most.
220 March 23, 2021
Supervisor Radford stated based on Mr. Grammer's comments, we really
need improvement on the crosswalk, like now, so he would hope between the County
and the City we can work on that. Mr. Thompson stated this was discussed during the
Board retreat; there is a project for both the crosswalk at Grandin and Carriage and at
Keagy where Keagy Village is. There are eight (8) intersections that VDOT has looked
at and is trying to fund crosswalks for. Those two (2) he believes will be funded this
year or next year. So, the crosswalks are coming. Staff is also working on a scope of
service to try and build a sidewalk between the two. The intent is to submit to the
Regional Commission for a grant to build it.
Chairman Peters recessed the meeting from 4:14 p.m. until 4:24 p.m. to
allow time for comments.
Chairman Peters opened and closed the public hearing with no comments
on this public hearing. There was no discussion
4. Resolution adopting an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan
for Roanoke County, Virginia: incorporating the draft (dated
January 8, 2021) Oak Grove Center Plan (Philip Thompson,
Director of Planning)
Mr. Thompson outlined the resolution.
Ms. Hooker commented she does not think we have said enough positive
about this model of communication where we had a good relationship and
communication with Roanoke City, the Schools and the community and she is really
proud, obviously it was award winning on many levels, but just wanted to say it one
more time. This really was a model for communication and could probably be applied to
projects in the future and not just inside planning, but inside our communities to make
sure we are really reaching the people that need to be hearing these issues. We
applaud you.
Supervisor North stated he came here in 1983 and the first place he lived
was in the Pines Apartment, which is in the Oak Grove Plan area and thought it was a
very convenient location and to get into downtown the back way. The commercial area
was nice; there was a food store there, Mick or Mack and is glad to see improvement
are soon to be made and look forward to seeing the final project.
Supervisor Radford commented he actually talked to several residents
and citizens in the Oak Grove area over the last couple of four or five days. They did
bring up stormwater and higher density. As a professional developer we have to take
care of stormwater, we can't just dump it out anywhere. We have to control it both
before and after our development. He sees that continuing on. There is also a
misconception that we are voting on the development. We are not voting on a
development today. This is a vision; we are casting the vision out into the 419 area. If
you go back and look at the draft principles, which are create a place where people and
business want to be, improve and expand outdoor amenities; increase the mobility and
March 23, 2021 221
connectivity between us and Roanoke City and expand the housing options. We might
crowd some more people in, but we want to preserve land. So, every other community
in our nation packs in some areas. We have higher density already, with the Glen and
Glen Ivy, did a good job on Roanoke City's side and we have apartment on the County-
side and the other principles include upgrade our existing facilities, services and utilities.
This is a great opportunity to improve the park for those people in the neighborhood;
that will be a great asset. There was no further discussion.
RESOLUTION 032321-6 ADOPTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR ROANOKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA:
INCORPORATING THE DRAFT (DATED JANUARY 8, 2021)
OAK GROVE CENTER PLAN
WHEREAS, § 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia requires that every jurisdiction
shall adopt a comprehensive plan for the physical development of their jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, § 15.2-2230 of the Code of Virginia requires that the Planning
Commission review the comprehensive plan at least once every five years to determine
whether it is advisable to amend the plan; and
WHEREAS, it is proposed that .the Comprehensive Plan be amended to
incorporate the Draft Oak Grove Center Plan, dated January 8, 2021, into the
Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed
amendment to the Comprehensive Plan on February 2, 2021, after posting,
advertisement and notices as required by § 15.2-2225 and § 15.2-2204 of the Code of
Virginia.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia, as follows:
1) The Comprehensive Plan is hereby amended by incorporating the Draft
Oak Grove Center Plan, dated January 8, 2021, into the Comprehensive
Plan with the following additional amendment:
a. The Plan's Community. Engagement section shall be updated to
incorporate information regarding public hearings held by the City of
Roanoke (held before the City's Planning Commission on March 8'
2021, and before City Council on March 15, 2021), and the public
hearing held on this date (March 23, 2021) before the Board.
2) This resolution is effective upon its adoption.
On motion of Supervisor Radford to adopt the resolution, seconded by
Supervisor North and carried by the following recorded vote:
111 AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
222 March 23, 2021
IN RE: FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
1. Emergency ordinance readopting Ordinance 033120-1 to
effectuate temporary changes in certain deadline and to modify
public meeting and public hearing practices and procedures to
address continuity of operations associated with pandemic
disaster (Due to the Pandemic Disaster, it is requested, upon a
four-fifths vote of the Board, the second reading be waived and
the ordinance adopted as an emergency measure) (Peter S.
Lubeck, County Attorney)
Mr. Lubeck outlined the need for this continuing ordinance. There was no
discussion.
EMERGENCY 032321-7 ORDINANCE READOPTING
ORDINANCE 033120-1, TO EFFECTUATE TEMPORARY
CHANGES IN CERTAIN DEADLINES
AND
TO MODIFY PUBLIC MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING
PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES TO ADDRESS CONTINUITY
OF OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH PANDEMIC DISASTER
WHEREAS, on March 31, 2020, the Board adopted emergency Ordinance
033120-1, to effectuate temporary changes in certain deadlines and to modify public
meeting and public hearing practices and procedures to address continuity of
operations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic disaster; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 15.2-1427 of the Code of Virginia, emergency
ordinances shall not be enforced for more than sixty (60) days unless readopted; and
WHEREAS, the Board readopted the ordinance on May 26, 2020, July 14, 2020;
September 8, 2020, November 4, 2020; December 15, 2021; and again on February 9,
2021; and
WHEREAS, due to the ongoing nature of the COVID -19 pandemic, it is again
proposed that the Board readopt Ordinance 033120-1; and
WHEREAS, the first reading of this ordinance was held on March 23, 2021; and
the second reading has been dispensed with, upon an affirmative vote of 4/5ths of the
members of the Board, this being deemed to be an emergency measure pursuant to
Section 18.04 of the Roanoke County Charter.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Board of Supervisors of the
County of Roanoke, Virginia:
1. That Ordinance 033120-1 is hereby readopted, with the following amendment
to Section 2(b), which shall now state:
March 23, 2021 223
a. "The chairman of each Public Entity shall have authority to decide whether
to hold any such electronic meeting. If the chairman is unavailable, the
vice-chair shall decide. If the vice-chair is unavailable, such authority shall
lie with members of the Board, in the order of their seniority (length of
tenure) on the Board."
2. An emergency is deemed to exist, and this ordinance shall be effective upon
its adoption.
On motion of Supervisor Peters to adopt the ordinance as an emergency
measure and waiving the second reading with a 4/5ths vote; seconded by Supervisor
Hooker and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
2. Ordinance amending Chapter 7 (Building Regulations), Article IV
(Unsafe Buildings and Structures), Section 7-62 (Appeals from
decisions rendered under Article) of the Roanoke County Code
111 (Peter S. Lubeck, County Attorney)
Mr. Lubeck outlined the request for ordinance. There was no discussion.
Supervisor Mahoney's motion to approve the first reading and set the
public hearing and second reading for April 13, 2021, was seconded by Supervisor
Radford and approved by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
3. Ordinance authorizing the granting of a new thirty foot (30')
drainage easement to the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke
County, on property owned by the William Livingston Whitwell
Revocable Trust (Tax map no. 027.12-06-02.00-0000), located at
1252 Keffield Street, for the purpose of drainage improvements,
Hollins Magisterial District (Tarek Moneir, Director of Development
Services)
Mr. Moneir outlined the request for ordinance.
Supervisor Mahoney commented based on page 267, the easement
appears to take up the entire parcel. Mr. Moneir advised that is correct. There was no
further discussion.
1 Supervisor North's motion to approve the first reading and set the public
hearing and second reading for April 13, 2021, was seconded by Supervisor Radford
and approved by the following votO:
224 March 23, 2021
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
IN RE: CONSENT AGENDA
RESOLUTION 032321-8 APPROVING AND CONCURRING IN
CERTAIN ITEMS SET FORTH ON THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AGENDA FOR THIS DATE DESIGNATED AS
ITEM J-CONSENT AGENDA
BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia, as
follows:
That the certain section of the agenda of the Board of Supervisors for March 23,
2021, designated as Item J - Consent Agenda be, and hereby is, approved and
concurred in as to each item separately set forth in said section designated Items 1
through 4 inclusive, as follows:
1. Approval of minutes—January 30, 2021
2. Confirmation of appointments to the Local Office on Aging (LOA)
3. Request to accept and allocate funds in the amount of $5,872 to the Clerk of
Circuit Court from the Commonwealth of Virginia for Technology Trust Funds
4. Request to accept and allocate grant funds in the amount of $3,000 from the
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to retrofit current trash
containers to make them bear resistant
On motion of Supervisor Hooker to adopt the resolution; seconded by Supervisor
Mahoney and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
A-032321-8.a
A-032321-8.b
A-032321-8.c
IN RE: CITIZENS' COMMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Michael ;Altizer of 1020 Lauderdale Avenue stated he had before the
School Board almost a month ago and thanked the Board for allowing him to be here.
He stated he would lead with a little bit of humor and then get into the substance of why
he is here. A couple of friends of his knew he was going to speak before the School
Board and the Board of Supervisors and the first thing they both asked him, "what was
he running for." He will attest that he is running for nothing except for the betterment of
March 23, 2021 225
the students of Roanoke County. What he sees that we have today brings back
memories of the early 1990; the gentleman from Cave Spring probably remembers
those very well, which was quite a time of indecision, nothing getting done and just a lot
of political wind that served no one, not the citizens of Roanoke County and not the
children of Roanoke County. From what he has read from different articles in the
Roanoke Times, the current atmosphere is headed back that way. He is not here to
take sides, place blame or anything else. What he is here trying to do is to try to bring
two (2) Boards together to do what he does believe is what they sincerely believe is in
the best interests of the kids in Roanoke County. What Roanoke County citizens want,
number one, is dialog. We have none of that in the State house and none of that in
Washington and people are tired of it. They want to see something done. They also
want involvement. They want information; they don't get enough information to know
what is going on; whatever things are all about. Why do we need Burton or BCAT?
Well, we need it for a lot of reasons that probably should have been addressed ten-
twenty years ago. It sits in a flood plain; sits in another locality and with everything that
is being brought forward about this, we are looking a probably one of the biggest bond
referendums in the history of Roanoke County at over $91 million. It's a lot of money;
citizens need to understand if that were to happen how you are going to do it, why is it
needed. In his mind, there is no doubt that all of these three (3) projects need to be
done. It is the how, when and why, but in his opinion as humbled as it is, that is a
question for the two (2) Boards to figure out, but to the best of his knowledge, there has
been nothing set in stone about a joint meeting; a joint public meeting between the
School Board and the Board of Supervisors. That may or may not have happened, he
has not heard it. He will say here today if you want to talk about a voter referendum, in
his opinion it will fail. Timing and circumstances have a lot to do with how the citizens
feel and one year they may agree to something and in another they would not. Now, we
talked about the average assessment in Roanoke County going up 3%. His went up
14%; $356 and he is going to have to pay extra already and he already pays seven
more cents on the hundred because he lives in the Town of Vinton. He pays $1.16 and
if you add 6 cents to the debt and to what citizens would have to pay, the citizens of
Vinton would pay $1.22, which would be the highest effective tax rate of any locality in
this valley and he would bet some good money it would be defeated in that end of the
County. There is a lot of other things that are going on; the higher assessments are all
over the County, maybe it all averages out to a little over $3.06%. It has been a long
time since the people of Roanoke County have had a. real estate tax reduction. He
remembers those days when there were a couple that were made. When you reduce
taxes or don't reduce taxes does not mean you are a bad person or you don't care. It is
just the dynamics of the day of what is going on and what needs to be done. We all
know if it were to go to a bond referendum and it failed, we all know what happens.
There is no pressure on anybody to do anything because the will of the people has
spoken and I am not going to go out and do these things. The moral to that story is
what happens in the aftermath of that. If no one looks for a way to do it; to figure out a
226 March 23, 2021
way to do it. To have dialogue with citizens, School Board members and Board of
Supervisor members. He is very proud that he can say that he has sat on that side of
the dais for the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and it is different there, but
it is different over here. We have to find a way to bring everybody together. Again, he
has said this project should have been done years ago and one of the reasons that it
hasn't and as he has said to the School Board, BCAT and Burton has no mother or
father. Nobody owns it and if you don't own it, you don't do anything for it. As School
Board members at William Byrd, we are going through the second project at William
Byrd. Northside High School had a $31 million renovation. Cave Spring Middle School
had a $32 million, Cave Spring just finished with a $40 million renovation, but they all
have someone dedicated to those schools and what is going on. He has recommended
to the School Board that someone has to take ownership. Wherever Burton or BCAT
goes, it has to be put in somebody's district and it has to be their school. So, for BCAT,
the economic development component of that is staggering. Just look at the things we
have added to it already from nursing, cyber security, EMT and other things. What
other things are going to come. He has seen, based on news accounts that the Board
of Supervisors want to take a regional approach. He understands that from a fiscally
financial way of doing things, but this is not the time and this is not the project to do that
on. He has always been a defender of regional cooperation in this valley, but to get into
all the minutia of everything that it would take to make this happen, you would be talking
about years. The Governor's School was worked on for years before you ever go it all
put together. The longer it takes, the dollar, the cash register continues to go up. On
the School Board side, they want to put it on a postage stamp. As he told them, the
current BCAT property is 29.971 acres of land and it is in a flood plain. The
administrative property where the proposal is 34.36 acres. Now, Supervisor Radford
will know what he is talking about, when you go to develop, you are going to_lose 12-
15% of that property for gutters,, sidewalks, stormwater, all of those types of things.
When you do that, you get down to 30.9 acres, about 9/10ths of an acre more at the site
where the School Board wants to .put it. If you just look at the numbers of the
enrollment over the last 3 to 5years at BCAT, a School. Board and a Board of
Supervisors 10 years from now will be saying what were people thinking about, here we
go again, we have to find another site. There is going.to be more and more things that
are going to be put into a Burton that you have to have that flexibility to do it. Vinton
Library, we have done that beautiful facility, but it will never get revisited in 40 years; the
same thing with the SW County Library, the Glenvar Library. 'You build these things and
they don't get revisited again just because we do a pretty good job in building those
things.. So, it is not how quick it is going to get these things done, but with :BCAT you
have to figure out what. is it going to be like in 2030, 2040. There are two odds there,
what the Board wants with regional cooperation to do something like that when really
Roanoke County is the one that needs this project; not anybody else. So, he thinks,
and he is going to cut his remarks short as Supervisor North suggested. Right now,
BCAT has 150 to 200 students a year that cannot be accommodated. He would say
March 23, 2021 227
there is that many more that say, the heck with it and not even try. So, if we build to
what we have, we are already underbuilding. So we have to build to What we know we
have or will have in the future and what it will be 10-15 years from now. We are talking
about $91 million. It is going to take some deliberative negotiation, talking on how that
gets done. He thinks the General Assembly has shirked their responsibilities to the
localities of this State when it comes to what they do to help the schools. He hopes
some of them are listening, but $22 million for Cundiff, $19 million for Glen Cove and
$50 million (which is a low number in his opinion) for BCAT. If something does hurry up
and happen, before you know it, just to get where we are today is going to be another
$10 million. So the financing becomes harder to do, the numbers are harder to work..
So, he has some recommendations he would like to ask the Board to consider as he
asked the School Board. He would have to say, and he does not mean this as a dig at
the School Board, but he really felt bad that with everything that it is facing and then you
vote. He even said this to them 'at the School Board meeting, you don't need to do a
study for what you already know will or will not work. So, you spend $31,000 to have
somebody to tell you what you already know and that is just wrong. Having said that,
this property is not the right property if you tore down the administration building, where
are you going to put it to try and get more room. You are going to end up spending $15
million on top of the project to move all of that. So, this is why it is desperately needed
that this Board and the School Board get together publicly and discuss how they are
going to do this. You don't need to have 100 acre piece of property, but what you do
need is the ability to know what is going to happen in the future and to be able to see
where you can purchase continuous properties and have campuses. He is asking that
the School Board and Board of Supervisors appoint a committee of one Board member
from each side, except for the Chairmen, the Chairmen would not be allowed to be put
on it and there is a reason for that. Also, a citizen from each magisterial district and
charged with six (6) months to come back with a recommendation to the Board of
Supervisors and to the School Board on sites, and everything relative to this. They
should have one meeting in each magisterial district to let all the citizens know and
communicate what is going to happen, why it needs to happen so everybody is
informed and can buy into this. This committee would not be a voting committee, but a
steering committee that would come back to each Board with recommendations on a
site, likely ways to finance and most critically have informational meetings throughout
the County so citizens understand and know. We have to have a developed workforce
and one thing that struck him, there is over 29,000 in Roanoke County, but only about
7,800 citizens hold those jobs. The rest of 71,200 is held by people in the community
as a whole. The dynamics are changing. He remembers the gentleman from Cave
Spring saying about 8-9 years-ago about the aging population in Roanoke County that
we were becoming a bedroom community and those numbers in that report say that.
The report was about housing, but he sees that our young people are still leaving and
the older people are here, staying here and moving here and there is going to be more
services that we have to provide. We have to have economic development. We have
228 March 23, 2021
to have a great school system and we have to have a trained workforce. Eventually, if
these things can get worked out, then you will have businesses who themselves will
then come to the table and want to participate in the training of the next generation of
workers that is going to be here. Somebody has to go out on the court with the ball and
start the game, who will that be.
Supervisor Peters commented that he did offer to the School Board over
30 days ago for a joint meeting and he spoke with Chairman Butzer on the way over
today and he has agreed to this meeting, which will be held here on April 13, 2021. He
is looking forward to the dialog with the School Board and just to having a good
conversation about where we are, where we are headed in our future.
IN RE: REPORTS
Supervisor Peters moved to receive and file the following reports. The
motion was seconded by Supervisor Hooker and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North Radford, Peters
NAYS: None
1. Unappropriated, Board Contingency and Capital Reserves Report
2. Outstanding Debt Report
3. Comparative Statement of Budgeted and Actual Revenues as of
February 28, 2021.
4. Comparative Statement of Budgeted and Actual Expenditures and
Encumbrances as of February 28, 2021
5. Accounts Paid — February 28, 2021
6. Statement of Treasurer's Accountability per Investment and Portfolio
Policy as of February 28, 2021
7. Proclamations signed by the Chairman - Multiple Sclerosis Education
and Awareness Month
IN RE: REPORTS AND INQUIRIES OF BOARD MEMBERS
Supervisor Mahoney stated he had three items to talk to the Board about.
Item number 1, on March 18, 2021, he had the great pleasure of participating in a
ZOOM forum. Jill Loope, in our Economic Development Department, set up an
"Investing in the Future of Tanglewood" forum. We had over 80 attendees who were on
that meeting. Two really fantastic people spoke, Mr. Abernathy, who is one of the
owners of Tanglewood Mall and talked about different stores and businesses that are
coming there and then there was a person from Carilion, who gave an excellent
summary of the improvements for the children's facility in the old JC Penney portion of
Tanglewood Mall. He felt it was an excellent forum. Ms. Loope did an excellent job; it
March 23, 2021 229
went on for about an hour and a half. It was exciting to see some of the economic
development that is beginning to take off there at the Tanglewood 419 site. The second
item is this coming Friday, March 26, 2021, he will have the opportunity to attend a
ribbon cutting at El Mezcal Mexican restaurant, at the corner. It is a step, if you will, an
addition in the 419 Plan so we are beginning to see activity there. If anyone has driven
down 419 in front of Tanglewood, you will see all of the highway construction going on;
progress is occurring. Third, the Board may regret putting him on the CEDS Committee
for the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. At
one of our meetings, we talked about this spring having to review and approve a project
list. If you were to look at the project list, there are over 140 to 150 projects. In his
personal opinion, he thought it was a little silly. He asked if it could be possible to all
come together regionally and try to winnow the list down, not to eliminate any project,
but to try to come up with a top-ten, priority list. Each jurisdiction was supposed to
submit their top two to four projects. He circulated an email to the Board members and
key staff. From his reading of what was submitted to him, he submitted on behalf of
Roanoke County the following: 1) Regional Career and Technical Education Facility 2)
Wood Haven Project, specially the work that will need to be done at the Peters Creek
exit and 1581 3) Explore and he added a fourth one because the time for that in the
national media, the American Rescue Plan, and one of the thoughts is infrastructure
piece of legislation so he thought 173 might be a wonderful idea to add for a regional
infrastructure plan. He submitted those ideas to the CEDS committee, the other
jurisdictions are submitting theirs and he is happy to see some of the other jurisdictions
are agreeing with Wood Haven and Explore. Other jurisdictions, obviously, have other
priorities: We will be wrestling with how to come up with a top ten at our April meeting,
so wish him luck.
Supervisor North complimented Supervisor Mahoney on his comments
and noted on the infrastructure bill coming out about $3 trillion, which is more than the
relief plan at $1.9 trillion. A trillion of the three trillion of the infrastructure plan is
supposed to be highways and roads, so we look forward to hearing more on that. The
printing presses in Washington are running 24/7 printing the greenbacks to fund the
treasury. Lord help us if they run out of green ink or they break down, because the
money is going to take sixty (60) days to get here for the relief plan. By the way, he was
on a call with NACO recently and also with Senator Warner's office on questions
concerning what you can do with this money. They are still writing the rules of
engagement until they send the money in May, of which we should get fifty percent
(50%). The question he had was on broadband and the question he asked Senator
Warner was, "What is dedicated for broadband, what component of the $1.9 trillion was
broadband?" Senator Warner indicated that he had advocated for $50 billion, but they
got $17 billion and $7 billion is coming in May and the other $10 billion is coming a year
from now. So, that is what we have on broadband. Everybody knows we need it and
you never get enough money that you need and there have been some good stories in
the paper, in the Roanoke Times and the Wall Street Journal about Space X
230 March 23, 2021
Technology and how that is working right here in Wise County in SW Virginia for a year
and people are ecstatic about it. One of the things he has noticed is that while we have
almost 67-68% coverage around here, you have Nelson County north of us and Wise
County. One is using the power company technology in Nelson and over is Wise they
are using Space X. Everyone is pulling levers to get broadband service because
without it you cannot do anything with economic development and it does not help
Telemedicine as well as schools. Also, he noticed in our packet that sales tax revenues
are running about 5.48%, which is up and a good story and an indicator that the
economy is beginning to turn and things are starting to back upwards again and we all
look forward to an improved future. Comments regarding Mr. Altizer's remarks, he
listened to it when he gave it to the schools and listened to him today. They are a little
different, but they resonate with the same message. He wants to say he does not agree
with everything, but can say he agrees with most of what he is saying because what he
is saying is true. To your point, Chairman Peters, we finally have a meeting date on
April 13, 2021. I think we all agree in Roanoke County with respect to this Board and
the School Board that something needs to be done. What we don't necessarily agree
on is how do we do it or how do we resolve it? We have some great strengths with our
school system. We have great funding in place, capital funding. We improved that by
$14 million back in 2019 over a ten (10) year period. It does not sound like a lot when
you talk about the trillions the federal government is sending states, but every little bit
helps here at home. We held schools harmless as well as the. State of Virginia held
school harmless based on all of its attendance population declines because of the
pandemic. We have shared debt arrangements for the most part. We do have $164
million in debt, Roanoke County does, of which the schools contribute to some of that
as well. By the way, one interesting statistic is 79.5% of Roanoke County's real estate
tax revenue, which is $102.3, of the $81.3 million that goes to the school system. By
comparison, Fairfax County, only gives 67.5%, The Roanoke County tax rate of$1.09 is
the fourth (4th) largest, county rate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He made the
comment when he put his boys in school years ago, our schools are as good as Fairfax
County and he still stands by that. Unfortunately, we don't have the tax revenue that
Fairfax County does, nor does he aspire to ever get to that level, but we sure do use it
well in Roanoke County in regards to our schools. So, there is no doubt about it, we are
going to talk and come up with solutions and that solution is going to be something that
is going to have to be shared by many of our citizens, but he does not advocate that our
homeowners, the homeowners of Roanoke County, the bedroom communities of
Roanoke County all bear that cost. ..1 will be frank about it. This reassessment hit him
pretty hard at 6.8% and he wasn't too happy about it and his tax bill is going up on a
fixed income and like. Mr. Altizer, he had some concerns over it, but we have to have
those revenues to run the County government. So, we will talk about some of those
issues. He has a passion for following the State of Virginia and what is going on with
VACO, the General Assembly, our representative Eldon James. He is talking to people;
he talked to two or three people yesterday. He is trying to find out what the State is
March 23, 2021 231
going to do to help us because we don't have a printing press where we can run off
money. We need to find a revenue stream for Burton and the other schools. Hopefully
that will come to fruition in time. We need to look at other things like what is going on
with other schools. He personally would like to know what other school systems or what
other areas of the State are doing with a Burton type center. They may some best
practices we don't know about. We could spend the day and go to two or three (2 or 3)
and we might learn something. At least, he knows he might. He thinks we need to seek
federal and state funds for these technical schools. He thinks this is probably a good
time with the help that Washington is giving to the economy. He does think that is
something were to ask him today what is the economic impact of the Burton Technical
Center, he could not tell them that answer and he does not know if there has ever been
an economic impact study done. It would be a nice thing to find out and he is told by Jill
Loope that probably would not take two (2) months to do utilizing one of our local
educational institutions who would probably take it on as a good project to help their
business schools; something to think about. We need to talk about our elementary
schools. He looks forward to a dialog where we can exchange of conversation to get
some answers because he does not think there is a single person on this Board in the
room or this County that does not think we should continue having good school
systems. The challenges are declining attendance. He would also like to say about the
housing study that we did not hear about today. It says Roanoke County needs 1,000
more single-family homes in the next ten (10) years and with those homes, come
children and with those children are going to need our schools. So, we need to be
looking at many, many things and no decisions can be made overnight to effect the
goals we all seek to attain. We must go slowly and deliberately and confidently in what
we decide to do going forward into the future.
Supervisor Radford commented we recently found out last week that the
VATI grants for our area were released and we did not get any VATI grants; which
created an avalanche of emails to certain supervisors that have areas that are definitely
underserved. He just wanted to let those areas know in his district that we see it, we
hear it and we are going to work with our Administrator and look at all the funds that are
coming in from the rescue plan to see how we can hopefully building that infrastructure.
We have talked about and we all know the impact of telemedicine, telework and long-
distance learning. He looks forward to speaking with the other supervisors down the
road.
Supervisor Hooker stated Supervisor Radford is exactly right that we were
very disappointed about not getting the VATI grant. She is comforted by the fact that
we have staff that is willing to work and we are going to figure it out. We are going to
work hard to see what we need to do to provide services so she is not losing heart and
does not want our citizens to lose heart. We are continuing to work on it and feels
confident that this is a priority for the Board and appreciates that.
Supervisor Peters sent kudos to Jill Loope, he loves to pick on her and
push her for Economic Development. She has done a great job; they are actually
232 March 23, 2021
moving dirt for the outparcels at Tanglewood Mall. What a blessing that it to see it
come to fruition. When we first started talking about that in 2016, it has been a long
road, but we are finally beginning to see movement and what is taking place there is
really exciting. As I mentioned earlier, we will be having our joint meeting with the
School Board on April 13, 2021. He looks forward to that. There have been a lot of
things going back and forth over the last couple of months. We are looking to dial back
the political rhetoric and are looking at what we need to do for our citizens, our school
system moving forward. He is very thankful for Tim Greenway, who is his counterpart
over in Vinton on the School Board. He and I work very well together. He appreciates
him being there as someone to bounce concerns off of. He does look forward to the
meeting. He does expect it to be a productive meeting with a lot of questions that the
Board has will be answered and try a common path to move forward.
Chairman Peters recessed to the fourth floor at 5:15 p.m.
IN RE: WORK SESSIONS
1. Work session to review with the Board of Supervisors the County
Administrator's Proposed Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Operating
Budget (Laurie Gearheart, Director of Finance and Management
Services; Steve Elliott, Budget Manager)
Mr. O'Donnell and Laurie Gearheart provided an overview and started the
PowerPoint presentation. Chief Orange outlined the increases outlined for the Sheriffs
Office.
Supervisor Mahoney asked if the Regional Jail has the same problems
outlined by Sheriff Orange with Sheriff Orange responding they have private contracted
medical care like Roanoke City. We current provide sort of a hybrid, we have contract
medical services, but we provide the day to day service by our medical deputies.
Supervisor Peters asked with regard to the two new Deputy Sheriff as
Medic Staff, would they get paid the same as a regular deputy. Sheriff Orange advised
they would start at a Deputy Sheriff II, which is the equivalent to a paramedic as they
are required to have additional certification.
Supervisor Radford stated right before COVID hit, we actually talked about
we would need to tackle this.
Shannon Brabham, Assistant Director of Service Programs explained the
request for additional staffing in Social Services. Joyce Earl outlined the three
additional staffing provided by the State for July 1, 2021.
Supervisor North inquired if we received any additional monies or did we
get lip service or did we get everything pushed down the road from Richmond. He is
under the impression that noting passed. Mr. Lubeck advised he has not seen anything
concrete.
March 23, 2021 233
Supervisor Mahoney commented he anticipates the demands in this area
continuing to grow. Does Ms. Earl anticipate additional directives from either the
Federal or State to increase staff in this area; he is looking at three to five years down
the road. Secondly, it has been a while since he has been through the building, do you
have enough space for additional bodies. Ms. Earl responded they are putting staff
upfront so that perhaps they could reduce the size of the foster care workers. If it
works, they should not need to increase staff more, just move them around. With
regard to the building, when they renovated the building, Mr. Caywood advised 20% for
growth, they are filled to capacity, but with so many people working remotely and if we
continue to allow people to work remotely a couple of days a weeks, they are looking at
docking stations with shared office space. Mr. O'Donnell advised staff was working on
work from home policy. Ms. Earl added 80% of her staff is working remotely.
With regard to outside agency funding, Supervisor North stated he has no
issues with Supervisor Mahoney's additional $1,000 for Blue Ridge Legal Services, he
does not have any changes. He would suggest we look at the Roanoke Regional Small
Business Center and noted while they asked for $20,000 and we put $6,000. He would
suggest something greater than $6,000 since we are lower than the other localities like
$10,000 at the most. As long as nothing else had changed since last year, he is okay
with everything else.
Supervisor Hooker stated she was in agreement.
Supervisor Mahoney stated one other comment with respect to the small
business center, they were a participant in the Tanglewood Forum that he mentioned in
the afternoon session. This development group is doing some pretty good things with
not a lot of money, so if we can add more money to the Blue Ridge Legal Services he is
in agreement.
Supervisor Hooker stated staff should come up with final suggestions and
then send to us for final review.
Mr. O'Donnell suggested they could do that with a budget memo.
Supervisor Radford asked for the total number staff is proposing,
$192,600 with Ms. Gearheart responding in the affirmative. So the final number will be
$197,600. Supervisor Radford concurred with the additional $5,000.
Supervisor Mahoney remarked he thought there was some new legislative
items dealing with non-profits with Ms. Gearheart responding in the affirmative. There
are many good problems that "might" be able to move money in the next 60 days to do
some of things. Mr. O'Donnell stated the good thing about the rescue plan is you have
until 2024 so we don't have to rush in to allocate like the Cares Act.
Supervisor North stated we need to think about upping the capital account
another$50,000. We stopped funding the debt fund and lost $1.2 million as well as the
111 schools for a total of $2.4 million. He is not saying we need to do all at one time, but
would like for us to think about adding another $25,000-$50,000 to the July 1 year. The
second thing is that we working on a position in the Treasurer's office and would like to
know if that has succeeded.
234 March 23, 2021
Supervisor Peters suggested that would be a topic for discussion with the
School Board.
The work session was held from 5:24 p.m. until 6:19 p.m.
IN RE: ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Peters adjourned the meeting at 6:20 p.m.
Su. - itted by: Approved by:
,/ :40,14 .1
it i Glees,
-a orah C. Jor P. Jaso Peters
Chief Deputy ' erk to the Board Chairman