HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/6/2020 - Regular - DRAFT
October 6, 2020
461
Roanoke County Administration Center
5204 Bernard Drive
Roanoke, Virginia 24018
The Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia met this day atthe
Roanoke County Administration Center, this being the first regularly scheduled meeting
of the month of 2020. 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 Radford called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. The roll call
was taken.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Chairman David F. Radford; Supervisors Martha B. Hooker,
Paul M. Mahoney, Phil C. North and P. Jason Peters
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: PROCLAMATIONS, RESOLUTIONS, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
1. Recognition on receiving a 2020 Virginia Association of Counties
(VACo) Achievement Award (Chris McDonald, Esq., Director of
Government Relations)
Mr. McDonald presented the award to Doug Blount, Director of General
Services and Parks, Recreation and Tourism. In attendance for recognition were Wendi
Schultz, Award was given. Also in attendance were Doug Blount, Wendi Schultz,
Tourism/Event Coordinator; Scott Ramsburg, Business Coordinator and Eric Kohler,
Parks Supervisor-Ground.
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IN RE: FIRST READING OF ORDINANCES
1. Ordinance authorizing the County Administrator to enter into a
lease agreement with First Team, Inc. to lease twelve (12) parking
spaces at the Hollins Library facility at 6624 Peter Creek Road,
Hollins Magisterial District (Richard L. Caywood, Assistant
County Administrator)
Mr. Caywood outlined the request for ordinance. Supervisor North asked
Mr. Caywood to confirm that the agreement would exempt Election Day with Mr.
Caywood responding in the affirmative. There was no further discussion.
Supervisor North’s motion to approve the first reading and set the second
reading and public hearing for October 20, 2020, was seconded by Supervisor Mahoney
and approved by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
2. Ordinance accepting and appropriating funds in the amount of
$2,916,945 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER)
Grant (Stephen G. Simon, Chief of Fire and Rescue)
Mr. Simon outlined the request for ordinance, fully funded three-year
grant. Supervisor North inquired if these were entry level position with Mr. Simon
responding in the affirmative.
Supervisor Mahoney commented this is great news and thanks to Chief
Simon and his staff for putting together the grant application. Like he said it is a “grand
slam”, excellent.
Supervisor Peters’ motion to approve the first reading and set the second
reading for October 20, 2020, was seconded by Supervisor Hooker and approved by
the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
3. Ordinance authorizing and approving a mutual Lease Agreement
between Roanoke County and City of Salem for
telecommunications equipment (Bill Hunter, Director of
Communications and Information Technology)
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Mr. Hunter outlined the request for ordinance. There was no discussion.
Supervisor Hooker’s motion to approve the first reading and set the
second reading for October 20, 2020, was seconded by Supervisor Mahoney and
approved by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
4. Ordinance authorizing and approving a ground lease addendum
between Roanoke County and John W. Brandemuehl for a
communications facility at Tinker Mountain (Bill Hunter, Director
of Communications and Information Technology)
Mr. Hunter outlined the request for ordinance. There was no discussion.
Supervisor North’s motion to approve the first reading and set the second
reading for October 20, 2020, was seconded by Supervisor Mahoney and approved by
the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
IN RE: SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES
1. Ordinance authorizing a temporary construction easement to the
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Transportation on
property owned by the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors
(Tax Parcel Number 055.00-01-12.00-0000) for the purpose of the
Diuguids Lane Bridge Rehabilitation Project located at 2500
Green Hill Park Road, Catawba Magisterial District (Lindsay
Webb, Park Planning and Development Manager)
Ms. Webb outlined the ordinance and advised there were no changes
since first reading of this ordinance held on September 22, 2020. There was no
discussion.
ORDINANCE 100620-1 AUTHORIZING A TEMPORARY
CONSTRUCTION EASEMENT TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ON
PROPERTY OWNED BY THE ROANOKE COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS (TAX MAP NO. 055.00-01-12.00-0000) FOR THE
PURPOSE OF THE DIUGUIDS LANE BRIDGE REHABILITATION
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PROJECT, LOCATED AT 2500 GREEN HILL PARK ROAD,
CATAWBA MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Transportation
(VDOT) has requested a 4,491 square foot (0.103 acre) temporary construction
easement in Green Hill Park adjacent to Diuguids Lane (Route 760) for relocation of an
overhead utility line which is part of an overall project for the rehabilitation of the
Diuguids Lane bridge; and
WHEREAS, VDOT has offered $900 to the Roanoke County Board of
Supervisors for acquisition of the temporary construction easement and impacts to
Green Hill Park; and
WHEREAS, the proposed easement will serve the interests of the public and is
necessary for the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Roanoke County;
and
WHEREAS, Section 18.04 of the Roanoke County Charter directs that the
acquisition and disposition of real estate be authorized only by ordinance; and
WHEREAS, a first reading of this ordinance was held on September 22, 2020
and the second reading was held on October 6, 2020; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provision of Section 16.01 of the Roanoke County
Charter, the interest in real estate to be conveyed is hereby declared to be surplus, and
is hereby made available for other public uses by conveyance of the necessary
temporary construction easement to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the completion of
the VDOT Diuguids Lane bridge rehabilitation project on property owned by Roanoke
County located at 2500 Green Hill Park Road.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke
County, Virginia, as follows:
1. That a 4,491 square foot (0.103 acre) temporary construction easement to
VDOT for the completion of the VDOT Diuguids Lane bridge rehabilitation project on
property owned by Roanoke County located at 2500 Green Hill Park Road is hereby
authorized.
2. That the sum of $900 is accepted and appropriated from the
Commonwealth of Virginia for the purpose of a temporary construction easement and
impacts to Green Hill Park.
3. That the County Administrator, or any Assistant County Administrator, is
hereby authorized to execute such documents and take such further actions as may be
necessary to accomplish this conveyance, all of which shall be on a form approved by
the County Attorney.
4. That this ordinance shall be effective on and from the date of its adoption.
On motion of Supervisor Hooker to adopt the ordinance, seconded by Supervisor
North and carried by the following recorded vote:
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AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
IN RE: APPOINTMENTS
Martha Hooker recommended Steve Bandy to fill an unexpired term, expiring December
31, 2021 and asked to add to the consent agenda. There were no objections.
IN RE: CONSENT AGENDA
RESOLUTION 100620-2 APPROVING AND CONCURRING IN
CERTAIN ITEMS SET FORTH ON THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AGENDA FOR THIS DATE DESIGNATED AS
ITEM G - 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 October 6,
2020, designated as Item G - Consent Agenda be, and hereby is, approved and
concurred in as to each item separately set forth in said section designated Items 1
through 6 inclusive, as follows:
1. Approval of minutes – September 22, 2020
2. Resolution expressing the appreciation of the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County to Macie "Ann" Boggess, Senior Appraiser, upon her
retirement after more than twelve (12) years of service
3. Resolution expressing the appreciation of the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County to Pamela L. Locks, Customer Service Representative,
upon her retirement after more than eleven (11) years of service
4. Designation of voting delegate to the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo)
Conference to be held November 9-11, 2020
5. Confirmation of appointments to the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority
(RVRA)
6. Resolution proclaiming October 2020 as Community Planning Month in
Roanoke County
On motion of Supervisor Peters to adopt the resolution with changes, seconded
by Supervisor Hooker and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
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RESOLUTION 100620-2.a EXPRESSING THE APPRECIATION
OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF ROANOKE COUNTY
TO MACIE “ANN” BOGGESS, SENIOR APPRAISER, UPON
HER RETIREMENT AFTER MORE THAN TWELVE (12) YEARS
OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, Macie “Ann” Boggess was employed by Roanoke County on
December 3, 2007; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Boggess retired on April 1, 2020, after twelve (12) years and
four (4) months of devoted, faithful and expert service to Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Boggess, through her employment in the Real Estate Valuation
Department with Roanoke County, has been instrumental in improving the quality of life
and providing services to the citizens of Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, throughout Ms. Boggess’’ tenure with Roanoke County, she fairly
and equitably assessed neighborhoods throughout and near the Town of Vinton.
WHEREAS, Ms. Boggess initiated a recycling program for the administration
building at Roanoke County encouraging all employees to recycle, therefore reducing
the amount of waste sent to landfills.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County expresses its deepest appreciation and the appreciation of the citizens
MACIE “ANN” BOGGESS
of Roanoke County to for more than twelve (12) 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.
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, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
RESOLUTION 100620-2.b EXPRESSING THE APPRECIATION
OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF ROANOKE COUNTY
TO PAMELA L. LOCKS, CUSTOMER SERVICE
REPRESENTATIVE, UPON HER RETIREMENT AFTER MORE
THAN ELEVEN (11) YEARS OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, Pamela L. Locks was employed by Roanoke County on September
15, 2008; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Locks retired on June 1, 2020, after eleven (11) years and nine
(9) months of devoted, faithful and expert service to Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Locks, through her employment with Roanoke County, has been
an Office Support Specialist and Customer Service Representation with the Parks,
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Recreation and Tourism Department and has been instrumental in improving the quality
of life and providing services to the citizens of Roanoke County; and
WHEREAS, throughout Ms. Locks’ tenure with Roanoke County, she exemplified
excellent customer service in person and over the phone with the citizens of Roanoke
County; and
WHEREAS, during Ms. Locks’ time serving the citizens of Roanoke County she
worked diligently to increase facility rentals with a variety of groups for the Brambleton
Center, increasing revenue for the Department; and
WHEREAS, during Ms. Locks’ time serving the citizens of Roanoke County she
trained co-workers on complex registration software and on customer service delivery
skills; and
WHEREAS, during Ms. Locks’ time serving the citizens of Roanoke County, is to
be commended for the positive impact her work had on the lives of countless citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County expresses its deepest appreciation and the appreciation of the citizens
PAMELA L. LOCKS
of Roanoke County to for more than eleven (11) 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.
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, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
A-100620-2.c
A-100620-2.d
RESOLUTION 100620-2.e PROCLAIMING OCTOBER 2020 AS
COMMUNITY PLANNING MONTH IN ROANOKE COUNTY,
VIRGINA
WHEREAS, change is constant and affects all Virginia cities, towns, suburbs,
counties, and rural areas; and
WHEREAS, community planning and plans can help manage this change in a
way that provides better choices for how people work and live; and
WHEREAS, the citizen engagement which is a hallmark of community planning
provides an opportunity for all residents to be meaningfully involved in making choices
that determine the future of their community; and
WHEREAS, the full benefits of planning requires public officials and citizens who
understand, support, and demand excellence in planning and plan implementation; and
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WHEREAS, the month of October is designated as National Community Planning
Month throughout the United States of America and its territories, and
WHEREAS, the American Planning Association and its professional institute, the
American Institute of Certified Planners, endorse National Community Planning Month
as an opportunity to highlight the contributions sound planning and plan implementation
make to the quality of our settlements and environment; and
WHEREAS, the celebration of National Community Planning Month gives us the
opportunity to publicly recognize the participation and dedication of the members of
planning commissions and other citizen planners who have contributed their time and
expertise to the improvement of Roanoke County and the Roanoke Valley; and
WHEREAS, we recognize the many valuable contributions made by professional
community and regional planners in Roanoke County, the Roanoke Valley, and the
Commonwealth of Virginia and extend our heartfelt thanks for the continued
commitment to public service by these professionals;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED THAT, the month of October 2020 is
hereby designated as Community Planning Month in Roanoke County in conjunction
with the celebration of National Community Planning Month and all cities, counties and
towns throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States are encouraged
to recognize the importance of planning and planners in building great communities and
especially the value of civic engagement throughout the planning process.
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, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
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, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
1. Unappropriated, Board Contingency and Capital Reserves Report
2. Outstanding Debt Report
3.Proclamation signed by the Chairman – Red Ribbon Week
4. Proclamation signed by the Chairman – Mental Health Awareness
Week
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IN RE: REPORTS AND INQUIRIES OF BOARD MEMBERS
Supervisor Hooker stated another congratulations to Mr. Doug Blount and
the whole parks and recreation team. What a great honor today from VACo and good
work. We are looking forward to it already again this year. We really enjoyed going to
Illuminights last year. Thank you very much for your good work.
Supervisor North stated he would dovetail on the comments of Supervisor
Hooker. He did the math and you are anticipating if you sell out every night for 42
nights would be a 62% increase and that is the goal. Let’s see how close we get to that.
He is looking forward to that story because Chris McDonald might find his way over
here again next year. Congratulations on a job well done. Just some news for the folks
at home that might be interested. Unemployment rates for the month of August were
published last week; it is noteworthy that Roanoke County’s unemployment rate
dropped to 4.8% and the Roanoke area is currently at 6%; good news there on the
economic front. Also, Virginia’s Blue Ridge tourism, even before the impact of Covid-19
topped $920 million in direct travel expenditures to the area for 2019, which was in
increase of 3% over the previous year and tourism impacts this area by about 8,200
jobs in the region and $66 million in State and local taxes. This is their tenth year of
consecutive record growth at Virginia’s Blue Ridge and primarily the success was driven
by regional collaboration and examples of Explore Park are one of those. Just a
reminder, elections starting October 19, 2020, you may vote in Cave Spring at the
Brambleton Center in the Cave Spring area. You can go so Monday through Saturday
thst
from October 19 through October 31. He knows many folks have been going to the
Craig Center; but you may go there and vote in-person or take your absentee ballot if
you have filled it out already. There will be additional drop off locations starting that
same day, Monday through Friday at Hollins Library at 6624 Peters Creek Road as well
at the Parks and Recreation Administrative Offices at 1206 Kessler Mill Road. You may
also continue to vote early in person at the Craig Center in Vinton at 800 Chestnut
Street, Monday through Friday, from 8 to 4 p.m. and they will be open on two Saturdays
thst
prior to Election Day on October 24 and 31 as well.
Supervisor Peters continued the comments for Doug Blount, for Wendi,
Scott and Eric and the whole team. What a great job they have done at Illumights. He
actually called Doug a couple of weeks ago and he was really concerned about
Illuminights and he knew we were going to have it this year, but if this is the only game
in town, how are we going to keep 100,000 people from showing up. He assured me
that we will be able to handle it. So, he is looking forward to that; happy that we are
having it and know it is a great event for everybody in our area as well as outside our
area. Supervisor Peters then advised that he had made a request to the County
Attorney and to the County Administrator to have a briefing at the next meeting
regarding the towing in Roanoke County. There have been a couple of things that have
come up over the last several months. He has spoken to all the Board members about
it and would like to move that forward to the next Board meeting.
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Supervisor Mahoney advised he had one idea. Again, some positive
news from Ms. Loope and the Economic Development Department. Supervisor North
touched on part of it, but he is happy that Jill was able to report that we provided 256
businesses with Small Business Recovery grants, totaling $1.1 million from the CARES
Act money. We are trying to help our small, local businesses and we hope they can
stay afloat during these difficult times. It is good news; we are not out of the woods yet,
but if we can help our small business community hopefully, it will help mitigate some of
the pain.
Supervisor Radford advised he would conclude with comments in our
Consent Agenda is a resolution proclaiming this month as Community Planning Month
in Roanoke County. There are some highlights he wants to bring up that is in the
resolution that we spoke about. He is talking about that because National Community
Planning month gives us a way to recognize the participation and dedication of
members of Planning Commissioners, which we have four (4) sitting here, right now,
alumni, and other citizen planners because we contribute out time, their time and
expertise to the improvement of Roanoke County. These are just some of the highlights
in the resolution. Planning and plans help manage change. They help provide a way
for better choices for people to work and live. It is also a way to manage growth, where
we want growth to occur in our communities. Also, it is a hallmark of getting the
residents a change to be involved with the planning, utilizing the planning meetings in
their communities so they can help determine the future of their communities and their
neighborhoods. The background of all of this is provided by the American Planning
Association. They are a professional institute of planners. While sometimes he does
not see eye to eye with the APA, as a real estate developer, they do lay out a good core
guideline for communities to go by and our staff takes care of that and manages it very
well when putting it in our ordinances. Also, a heartfelt thanks to the continued
commitment to public services by these professionals for this resolution of community
planning month.
IN RE: CLOSED MEETING
At 3:35 p.m., Supervisor Radford moved to go into closed meeting
following the work sessions pursuant to the Code of Virginia Section 2.2-3711 A Section
2.2-3711(A) (5) of the Code of Virginia, to discuss a prospective business or industry
where no previous announcement has been made of the business or industry’s interest
in locating or expanding its facilities in the community. Specifically, the Board will
discuss the proposed location of a new business in the Catawba Magisterial District
and Section 2.2-37aa (A) (7) and A (29) of the Code of Virginia in order to consult with
legal counsel and receive briefings from staff members pertaining to 1) probably
litigation, where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the
negotiating or litigating posture of the public body, and 2) the award of a new public
contract for goods or services, and discussion of the terms or scope of such contract,
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where discussion in open session would adversely affect the bargaining position or
negotiating strategy of the public body. Specifically, the Board will discuss litigation
options for proceeding against a vendor of goods or services for breach of contract, and
the award of a new public contract for such goods or services. The motion was
seconded by Supervisor Peters and was carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
The closed session was held from 4:48 p.m. until 6:13 p.m.
At 3:36 p.m. the meeting was recessed to the fourth floor for work session
and closed session.
IN RE: WORK SESSIONS
1. Work session to review with the Board of Supervisors the budget
for the second allocation of CARES Act funding (Laurie
Gearheart, Director of Finance and Management Services)
Mr. O’Donnell provided an overview advising Treasury office advised the
rules have changed and turned the meeting over to Laurie Gearheart who gave a
PowerPoint presentation.
Mr. O’Donnell advised with regard to Broadband, we did have one vendor
who would not sign a contract because they were not comfortable with the December
th
30 deadline, but by rolling this over, we can extend them the contract. Mr. Lubeck
explained they could not guarantee they could get the work done. Supervisor Hooker
asked if it was the Timberview with Mr. Lubeck responding in the affirmative. Will we be
able to sign the contract now with the longer timeline? Mr. O’Donnell stated they would
need to negotiate. Supervisor Hooker asked if they provided a timeline with Mr. Lubeck
advising in the negative. Mr. Lubeck advised there was also issues with indemnification.
Supervisor Radford inquired since we are talking about broadband, where
are we with the VATI grants, which should be in January? Mr. O’Donnell advised in the
affirmative. Supervisor Radford asked how much money is that. Mr. O’Donnell advised
with regard to VATI, we are using $500 of general fund money. Supervisor Radford
stated what he is driving at is that if we don’t win anything with the VATI grants, we still
have all those underserved areas, so we are going to have to do something. Mr.
O’Donnell advised we would have $2.95 million to figure out what we want to do.
Supervisor Radford stated that was just a small drop compared to the $7 million to do
everything. He advised he felt it was not enough. Mr. O’Donnell stated the reality is
when you look at the number of houses in the County that are not served, there are not
enough customers.
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Supervisor North stated $50 million is what it would cost to do the whole
County; that is not going to happen with the VATI Program over the next ten (10) years
if we are successful and it is a good question. If we are not successful, what are we
going to do? We are going to have to do something short-term, but long-term is what
we need to be thinking about next year and getting some thoughts together now
because we cannot do this without borrowing significant amounts of money unless
Congress does something for us and Congress will take two (2) years to go anything, if
they do anything then. So, this is a difficult problem and we are not the only area
st
challenged by it. The second year of the biennium budget, which is next July 1, you
don’t have $50 million. Unless the General Assembly does something in the budget
cycle that he does not know about and so far as he can tell from what he has heard they
are going to up it to $50 million and $35 million and that is it. So, if we don’t get it in this
$50 million, we are probably not going to get it the next go around.
Supervisor Hooker noted that based on an article that Mr. Caywood had
sent, DSL will be going away.
Supervisor North commented we should be very judicious about the $2.9
million until we hear about the VATI Grant. He thinks it is a smart thing to do until
January.
Supervisor Mahoney commented but as Mr. O’Donnell stated, we need to
think and plan and come up with some long-term strategy. Let’s consider worst case.
Worst case, we don’t get a VATI Grant. Worse Case, there is no new money in the
second year of the biennium. Third, we have all these underserved areas. Would we
look at a general obligation bond referendum to do this? Assuming no help comes from
our friends in Richmond or Washington. He thinks we ought to plan for that. This may
be a plan in February, March, April in 2021, but he is just pessimistic that money is
going to rain out of the sky. However, money has rained out of the sky here that he
never expected. Supervisor Hooker commented, but how many more times can that
happen. Supervisor Mahoney added we need to do long-term planning.
Supervisor Peters asked at what point does Broadband become a utility?
Supervisor Hooker stated it is. Supervisor Peters stated at that point, is this the
business we should be in. He knows the need is still there, he is not diminishing that,
but at some point and we have invested all this money into it and it becomes a utility
and is taken over by someone else, then we have invested millions of dollars in
something that we are never going to get a dime back out of. He added that is his
concern, because he knows when Joe McNamara was here, they talked about it a
number of times. We feel like at some point, and now with the Coronavirus hitting
people working from home, it has moved up the ladder a number of rungs. Will this now
become a utility? How deep do we want to go into this?
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Supervisor Mahoney asked Mr. Lubeck if we were still prohibited under
State law from doing that. He thought there was language that was inserted a couple of
years ago into the Code of Virginia that directly prohibited localities from doing things.
His point being, we may want to include that as part of the legislative program if we
need to tweak some current language. To Supervisor Peters point, the City of Salem
was masquerading as an electric utility for all these years and made a ton of money out
of it. Supervisor North added that Vinton has the Water Board.
Supervisor Peters stated in his day to day world, is $200,000 enough to
put back into the Economic Development Grant. He mentioned this before, a million
may be off, but he is seeing the businesses that did receive the money initially that are
starting to struggle again and he is thinking do we do something like if you got the grant
three months ago, you are eligible for it again; something to help the businesses that
are in our back door. We have the funds to do it. We are basically just churning money
to throw it back in our general funds, when the money is there to help our businesses.
He added that is a concern that he has. We talked about it awhile back, while he was at
the beach on the call, he talked about $1 million for hazard pay and $1 million to put
back into Economic Development fund. From the economic development side, he is
starting to see it more and more on a daily basis. He does not know if that is something
we want to try to manage. Is $200,000 the right number?
Mr. O’Donnell stated he would rather put $200,000 in now and come back
in another month and have the discussion again. Up until five (5) minutes ago, he was
expecting more federal money, but today the President said no.
Supervisor Peters stated his concern with continuing to put it off as we
have seen as the original conversation was hazard pay and we are going to do it again
and that has done by the wayside. He just don’t want to see this part of it go away.
Mr. O’Donnell added another thing that we can do if some of the thing
allocated are not going to be finished, we can use those funds and not have to give
anything back. He wants to see how the projects develop.
Supervisor Peters stated he understands and his concern is protecting our
small businesses. Ms. Loope and her team have done a great job to this point, but
again he is starting to see the slowdown as we get into the fall.
Supervisor Mahoney asked Ms. Loope if she had any businesses in the
queue when you ran out of money. Ms. Loope responded she had two (2) applications
that she would have included if she had the money. She added that she thinks their
perspective is going to change and thinks there will be a lot more need as this continues
on. She would tweak the program in its current form. She added she would not do sole
proprietors as it leaves the door open to double dipping. She stated a lot of businesses
were hesitant because they thought it would have to do towards ppp.
Supervisor Radford commented there were sole proprietors that did not
get ppp. Why would you want to cut them out? Ms. Loope explained she would have to
be clearer on what that definition looks like. There were some she had to obtain legal
counsel to make sure we were okay.
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Supervisor North stated these small businesses in the retail, not the
trades, but the retail make their year right now, between September and December.
The first quarter, retail, whether it is small, medium or large, is the worst quarter;
especially with these small businesses. So, whether you do it now or in January or
some now and some in January, they will appreciate it. What he found when he went
and knocked on a few doors, people thought they would have to repay it. There were
misconceptions and one in particular was Sal’s.
Supervisor Hooker appreciated Ms. Loope’s calls, which helped. She
thinks they don’t want to take advantage of government money.
Supervisor North asked how much out of our own money with regard to
the VATI grants, $500,000, which Mr. O’Donnell confirmed. Supervisor North stated
there are a couple of ways to look at this. Suppose we don’t get the VATI Grant, we put
$500,000 of our own money up, what will that get us in terms of service for broadband.
Another way you can look at it, these fans of Bill Hunter, are probably not going to care
if the VATI failed, they will be mad. Mr. O’Donnell stated then the discussion becomes
do you put more general fund money in.
Supervisor North stated he would like to see some scenarios, take what
the Board has said and come up with two (2) or three (3) scenarios. He would not be in
a big hurry about some of this, except the small business grants. Mr. O’Donnell stated
the problem is we don’t know yet. Will the State budget give more to schools? We just
don’t know. Supervisor North stated we don’t know what the schools needs are going
to be, we don’t know what their year-end balances are. He thinks we have done just
right, we have given them some, what we think we can do. There is some uncertainty
and unknowns and some dark clouds and he does not think we should commit
everything in the next thirty (30) days to how to spend the $2.95 million. The one thing
that he thinks we need to think about doing, is to recognize all the employees because
we came out of the gate at $750 and most every government in the area was $1,000.
This is what happens when you come out first, other people look at it differently. It
would be nice also to recognize all of our employees with a bonus. He added he would
support a bonus for all employees.
Supervisor Peters stated what about a holiday bonus; with Supervisor
Radford indicating an end of the year bonus.
Supervisor Radford stated with regard to providing more funds to Ms.
Loope for the grant program. He thinks staff is right, we can through $200,000 out
there, take a look and see what it does and if we want to come back in thirty (30) days
and do another $200,000, we can. Let’s take it easy, look at again in thirty (30) days,
but he does not think we should eliminate sole proprietors. What he would do was
restrict sole proprietors for funds for rent; to help with rent and if you need a copy of the
lease from that proprietor, ask for a copy, so you can see there is a term.
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Supervisor North stated to Mr. Mahoney’s statement about broadband.
There was an editorial recently in the Roanoke Times. It pointed out that we are
learning in this COVID environment is people can work from home and people can work
in Roanoke that might live somewhere else. Some people have come to town to visit
and continued working even though they lived in New York City. This is a great time for
a shift in public thinking and to get everyone’s attention in the General Assembly,
whether Democrat or Republican is this area of the State could blossom and be an
economic engine with more broadband coverage. The population depletions that a lot
of areas are suffering, maybe not so much us, although ours is flat and we already have
a housing study underway based on the current population is a double-edged sword.
More broadband brings more economic growth and improves the whole region. This is
the message we need to start talking about when we talk to our folks. We need to talk
about VATI, we need to talk about more than VATI. What can you do to help all of the
State of Virginia and do the same thing with VACo? We should never lose sight of the
VATI grant, fine, but we need to raise the conversation a little bit about the benefit we
would derive in terms of economic growth and property values would resonate
everywhere with improved service and coverage. He really thinks it will become a
gubernatorial issue next year when the governor’s race comes about, especially if
someone from SW Virginia and even folks in Arlington that have areas they need
improvement on. This is something that is not going to go away, but he does not want
to support a $50 million general obligation bond to take care of Roanoke County without
exhausting everything else that we can advocate for in Richmond or otherwise.
Supervisor Hooker stated she wanted to add one quick thing before we
move on. Those are the scenarios for positivity, an economic boom, but take the back
side of that that says if we don’t what are we risking. So, people don’t want to live in
areas where there is not connectivity. We could definitely be looking at some
depressed home values and difficult in selling property and it is an education things.
You just cannot get around that. So, if we are not open to available education and
when is this hybrid model going to go away. She does not think it will. We are in a
mode that says we need to be proactive, but here is the danger of not. She thinks it is
real and thinks you have to look at it from both perspectives.
Supervisor Mahoney stated despite all the fears we had in March and
April, he thinks we are in a good spot right now. He would suggest, and he will need to
go back and look at his notes when we had the strategy, planning session in January or
February, what are our priorities. He feels that we have touched them; public
education, maybe the school board wants more money, but he believes we have
stepped up to the plate and met their immediate needs. Public Safety, he thinks we
have done that and the third component is economic development and he thinks they
have attempted to work with our small businesses so if you go back and look at
Roanoke County’s priorities and any one of us talk about public education, public safety,
economic development and feels we have touched all of those bases.
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476
Broadband, he agrees with Supervisor Hooker, is economic development
in a large sense. He does not know if we can afford it and as Mr. O’Donnell points out,
spending millions and millions of dollars for 300 houses, we need help from Washington
or Richmond or someplace else. Do we have other priorities other than what he calls
the big three (3)? He is comfortable with the Registrar being in Vinton and he had
gotten a lot of angry phone calls from people. Supervisor North and I were talking
earlier today, is there some other facility that we would want to purpose between now
and December 30 in another portion of the County that would be the location for that.
Well, that is a problem that only surfaces every four (4) years, if at all. His recollection
from being in Roanoke County since 1984, we never had an issue with Presidential
elections. The only reason we are having an issue now is the virus. It is not anything
with respect to going to your precinct and voting. He is hoping all of that will go away,
but he is getting a lot of people saying you have to have another satellite facility
someplace else. He thinks we have solved that problem, but his point is we could all
come up with a laundry list, but he would like to go back to what are our priorities and
really focus on those because they have always stood the test of time. We can do
public education, we do economic development and we do public safety and he thinks
we have done their job.
Supervisor North commented on the public education side, we don’t know
what the ADM is going to reverse and go back up after COVID passes or if is going to
stay put, because not only us, but other counties in the State of Virginia, it’s a State
issue, not just a local issue. They have lost people to private schools or public
academies.
Ms. Owens stated just one update on the schools, they are having a work
session this afternoon to talk about their year-end. At this point, they have not shared
any information, but after today will update her. If you recall, in the budget process,
they would allocate a portion to their major and minor capital reserves and we talked
about having to come back to the County Board and advising what they wanted to use
the money for. She has spoken to Susan Peterson, Director of Finance, and she would
come back to the Board to review those items. As they have more information, they will
share with the Board.
Supervisor North stated is it 50/50 on major and minor with Ms. Owens
responding in the affirmative.
Supervisor Mahoney asked what is the procedural step for approval;
resolution, ordinance, we all nod our heads right here? What do you need paper-wise
or audit-wise for approval? Ms. Gearheart advised a work session would be in order.
She indicated we have already appropriated the monies, but would need approval
whether by memo like we did for the first round, or something to have as backup. It was
the consensus of the Board for approval of the staff’s recommendation as outlined on
page 6 of the presentation.
Mr. Lubeck asked for consensus of the Board to move forward on the
Timberview project with Comcast. There was unanimous consent.
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477
Supervisor North stated he did not want us to agree to do anything with
the $2.95 million without waiting for the VATI Grant results. Supervisor North stated he
is talking about the last two points. Mr. O’Donnell stated they would have another work
session before any decisions were made.
Supervisor North stated he just did not want them to go too fast on the
$2.95 million. Ms. Owens reiterated that with the changes, we no longer have to worry
th
about the December 30 deadline. We can take our time.
The work session was held from 3:45 p.m. until 4:40 p.m.
IN RE: CERTIFICATION RESOLUTION
At 6:14 p.m., Supervisor Radford moved to return to open session and
adopt the certification resolution.
RESOLUTION 100620-3 CERTIFYING THE CLOSED MEETING
WAS HELD IN CONFORMITY WITH THE CODE OF VIRGINIA
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia has convened
a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in
accordance with the provisions of The Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and
WHEREAS, Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by
the Board of Supervisors of Roanoke County, Virginia, that such closed meeting was
conducted in conformity with Virginia law.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia, hereby certifies that, to the best of each member’s
knowledge:
1. Only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting
requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting which this
certification resolution applies; and
2. Only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening
the closed meeting were heard, discussed or considered by the Board of Supervisors of
Roanoke County, Virginia.
On motion of Supervisor Radford to adopt the resolution, seconded by
Supervisor North and carried by the following recorded vote:
AYES: Supervisors Mahoney, Hooker, North, Peters, Radford
NAYS: None
October 6, 2020
478
IN RE: ADJOURNMENT
Chairman Radford adjourned the meeting at 6:14 p.m.
Submitted by: Approved by:
________________________ ___________________________________
Deborah C. Jacks David F. Radford
Chief Deputy Clerk to the Board Chairman