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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/7/2017 - RegularMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2017, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA MEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor Matthew S. Hare, Vice Mayor Keith N. Liles Sabrina McCarty Janet Scheid STAFF PRESENT: Barry W. Thompson, Town Manager Susan N. Johnson, Executive Assistant/Town Clerk Theresa Fontana, Town Attorney Pete Peters, Assistant Town Manager/Director of Economic Development Anne Cantrell, Finance Director/Treasurer Tom Foster, Police Chief Anita McMillan, Planning & Zoning Director Christopher Linkous, Deputy Chief-Fire/EMS Joey Hiner, Public Works Director Donna Collins, Human Resources Director Mary Ann Brenchick, Deputy Director of Public Works, General Services/Stormwater Division The Mayor called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Town Clerk called the roll with Council Member Liles, Council Member McCarty, Council Member Scheid, Vice Mayor Hare and Mayor Grose present. Roll call After a Moment of Silence, Vice Mayor Hare led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Under upcoming community events, Council Member McCarty announced the following events February 10 — Event Zone at the War Memoria with The Tams at 6-00 p.m.; April I — Clean Valle D. March 30 — Regional Meeting Greenwa Plan Update at Fishburn Elementary at 6:30 p.m I and March 28 — Senior Expo at the War Memoria from 1000 a.m. to 4:00 Council Member Scheid made a motion 11 2 approve the Consent Agenda as presented t motion was seconded by Council Member McCa and carried by the following vote, with all membe 1 voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) — Liles, McCart Scheid, Hare, Grose; Nays (0) — None. The next item on the agenda was the presentation of CRS Plaque to the Town of Vinton for its significant accomplishments as a participant 02911 Is 19110 1 "Mr-41 I I RAN Mr, 12192, 19VAFF"AW"t of the National Flood Insurance Program and Owen, Floodplain Program Planner and Charley Banks, Floodplain Manager & State NAP Coordinator, both with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation introduced themselves. Mr. Hadzick with FEMA Region III based out of Philadelphia, in the Floodplain Management and 4,*im Commonwealth of Virginia and FEMA, he wanted to formally recognize and congratulate the Town of 11204-02FFUN litsidg%*$ RON ZURTO After brief comments regarding the NFIP Progra Mr. Hadzick recognized Town staff, led by Ani McMillan, Karla Turman, and Jill Acker, staff fro Roanoke County including Darren Jones, To Morlan, and Butch Workman, and the communi volunteers that served on the Floodpla Management Committee and who played important role in receiving this rating. He th presented the plaque to the Mayor, Karla Turm 2nd Anita McMillan. Council Member Scheid asked how citizens go about getting the premium reduction. Mr. Hadzick responded that it will be automatic, but he was not sure of the effective date. The next item on the agenda was the introduction of new Paramedic/Firefighter Kelly Stoots and recognition of Paramedic/Firefighter Deputy Chief Linkous shared a short bio and then introduced Kelly Stoots. Deputy Chief Linkous next commented that Corey Gee has obtained his National Registry of Paramedic Certification from the Jefferson College of Health Sciences, the highest level of certification in this profession of emergency medical care. He then shared a short bio and congratulated him on his achievement. The next item on the agenda was the Officer of the Month for December 2016 and announcement of promotion of Sergeant Fabricio Drumond to the rank of Captain. 4 Chief Foster first made brief comments on the process that was followed to select Sergeant Drumond as Captain. He then shared a short bio after which Captain Drumond's wife, Julianna and his mother, Milza Clay, pinned on: Captain's bars. Captain Drumond then thanked Council, staff and all of his family, friends, and colleagues w,»® and present) who attended the meeting to share the moment with him and made additional comments. Captain Drumond read t® Memo from Chief Foster naming Officer Andrew DiCarlo as Officer of the month for: 2016. In closing Chief Foster commented that he is proud to serve as the Chief of such a great organization with such great people. The Mayor then commented on the ceremony and that Council looks forward to working with Captain Drumond, Under w® comments and petitions, Donnie Bush of 217 West Cleveland Avenue, commented on the -<,© level that is being put out by the exhaust fans at Southern States. The property is zoned M-1, but he thought between \® hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. it should be controlled for people to rest at night. He asked if something could be done about the noise level. Council Member Scheid asked when the noise was the worst and Mr. Bush responded that you could hear it all during the day. Ms. Scheid commented that she went to his house today at about 2:30 p.m. and she could he Virginia Avenue and the wind blowing, but did not hear the noise. She then asked if he heard it 24 hours a day to which he responded 24/6 because they do not run it on Sundays. She further commented that was trying to figure out a particular time of day when he knew it was always there that someone could come out and measure the not at that point in time. Mr. Bush next commented that he had spoken with Pete Peters and he had been out there. He does not mind the train going by, but this decibel level is bothering him because it is intruding into his home. He did not understand why they could not have put the ventilation system into the #round instead of out into the area. Q Vice Mayor Hare asked Mr. Bush if he knew th purpose of the exhaust fans to which Mr. Bus responded a vacuum for dust. Mr. Hare nex commented that exhausting the dust into the are is the only thing that keeps the silo from explodin and it cannot be exhausted down. Mr' Bus asked if Council could address the problem. The next item on the agenda was the consideration of public comments regarding the petition of Rachel Robertson for a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Home Occupation for a Personal Service Business to operate a small pilates exercise studio at 1345 Duke Drive, Tax Map Numbers 61.18-01-06 & 07, zoned R-1 Residential District. The Mayor opened the Public Hearing at 7:45 Public Hearing opened p.m. Anita McMillan commented that under the current Zoning Ordinance in Residential, Single Family, they do allow home occupations by a Special Use Permit. Ms. Robertson is going to be operating a pilates, studio and there is an existing paved driveway which will serve as a parking area for her customers. On January 17'h, Council was briefed on Ms. Robertson's petition and on nd February 2 , the Planning Commission held their Public Hearing and voted unanimously to approve the request with four proffered conditions as submitted by the Petitioner. Boyd Shorter of 1319 Duke Drive and Hildrey Pollard of 1371 Duke Drive attended the Public Hearing. Both have been residents of Duke Drive for 60 years and were concerned about the traffic. They indicated that Duke Drive has been used as a short-cut from Hardy Road to Virginia Avenue and during school events at W. E. Cundiff from the Spring until the Summer and would like to see if the Town could address this issue. Ms. Robertson was in attendance and the two property owners were advised of the date of this Public Hearing. However, they felt that their concerns had been addressed. The four conditions being proffered are: one (1) to two (2) private clients per hour for private or semi -private classes; two (2) to three (3) mornings per week between the hours of 9 a.m. and 12 noon; two (2) evenings per week between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and a total of no more than 15 hours per week. M Council Member Scheid asked about the traffic count on Duke Drive. Ms. McMillan responded that VDOT does not have traffic counts for residential streets and there is not one for Duke Drive. The Mayor asked if all questions received from the citizens have been addressed. Ms. McMillan responded they did notify the entire neighborhood and they only received comments from the two property owners that attended the Planning Commission Public Hearing. Council Member Scheid asked if the Planning Commission had any comments or concerns, Council Member Liles, who is also Vice -Chairman of the Planning Commission, responded that they viewed this as being no different than a hair salon or child care in a residence, With the four proffers that Ms. Robertson has offered, they did not see any problems. Ms. McMillan also commented that in the past they have had Special Use Permit requests for a day care and a hair salon. Hearing no other comments, the Mayor closed the Public Hearing at 8:50 p.m. Public Hearing clos(Til Vice Mayor Hare made a motion to adopt the Ordinance as presented; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) — Liles, McCarty, Scheid, Hare, Grose; Nays (0) — None. The next item on the agenda was an update o the offer by Sarah A. & Henry J. Brabham, IV to gi to the Town of Vinton a 0.555 acre of an existin private road and a stormwater best managemen facility consisting of 2.855 acres, both locate between Niagara Road and Vinyard Road in th Town of Vinton. Mary Ann Brenchick, Depu Director of Public Works commented that she wa asked to prepare a Memo regarding the pros an cons concerning the offer to gift these two parcel to the Town. A copy of the Memo is on file in th Town Clerk's Office and will be made a part of th permanent record. Based on Ms, Brenchick' Memo, staff recommends that the Town not accep the private road and not accept the stormwate management facility. Adopted Ordinance No. 983 approving the petition of Rachel Robertson for a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Homt Occupation for a Personal Service Business to operate a small pilates exercise studio at 1345 Duke Drive, Tax Map Numbers 61.18-01-06 & 07, zoned R-1 Residential District. In* Council •. their consensus to • it on the next agenda for action. 101 Vice Mayor Hare asked Ms. Brenchick if she knew how Roanoke City does their stormwater utility fee and what credits they give. Ms. Brenchick commented on how credits are normally given, but that the Town could create its own program. Ms. McMillan commented that there are different tiers of credit and by State Code if a stormwater utility fee is implemented, you have to have a credit system. Jus)4� Services for the purchase of a Mobile Services Community Unit. Chief Foster first commented that the total grant is $20,000.00 with $18,000.00 being from DCJS and the $2,000.00 in -kind match being paid from the Department's fuel and maintenance and training line items. This funding will be used to purchase a Mobil Services Community Unit to promote outrea education, community engagement and crim prevention while enhancing the relationshi between the Department and the community Prior to implementation, they will survey th communities on satisfaction with the services the provide, how citizens feel about safety in the community and any potential problems. A mid term evaluation will also be done to evaluate th effectiveness and to make adjustments as to ho it is used and how they can further implemen community policing strategies based on th findings of these surveys. Vice Mayor Hare asked if this Resolution als moved the $2,000.00 from one budget line to th other or will that be done later, Ms. Cantrell responded that several grant items are being tracked out of their gas and oil budget and a department code was not set up for this $18,000.00. Council Member Liles made a motion to adopt t Resolution as presented', the motion was second by Council Member McCarty and carried by t following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5- Yeas (5) — Liles, McCarty, Scheid, Hare, Gros None. 31 The next item on the agenda was to consider adoption of a Resolution allowing the Town Treasurer/Finance Director to remove outstanding Personal Property delinquent taxes and Vehicle Adopted Resolution No. 2187 appropriating $18,000.00 received from the Department of Criminal Justice Services for the purchase of a Mobile Services Community Unit 0 License Fees over five years old from the acti records to a permanent file. Anne Cantr -1 commented that these taxes are for 2011 and tt - State Code does not allow the collection after fi' . years. They have done everything they could l ' 0 collect by using the State Debt Set-off Progra making telephone calls and send delinquent notices. Vice Mayor Hare commented on receivin 1 million between personal property and real estal't taxes a year, but to only be writing off aroun I $15,000.00 in total. This is a testament to th I work that the Finance team does in using all th tools at their disposal without turning over t collections and other avenues that Council woul not be supportive of. Council Member Schei asked how our percentage compares to othe localities. The Town Manager said our collectio rate is probably about 97%. Ms. Cantrel commented that the write-off in 2011 is less tha the write-off for 2010. Vice Mayor Hare made a motion to adopt I ebShid and carri ote 5-0; Yeas 5— LilesMcCartyScheid Grose; Nays (0) — None, The next item on the agenda was to consider adoption of a Resolution allowing the Town Treasurer/Finance Director to remove outstanding Water and Sewer delinquent bills over five years i old from the active records to a permanent file, Anne Cantrell commented that this is to allow the Finance Department to remove the delinquent bills in the amount of $8,799.96, which is less than last year. They have made every effort to try and collect these bills. The Town Manager commented that these will be maintained in a file and if someone comes back to apply for service again, and they have a delinquent bill, they will be required to pay Cantrell further commented that this also shows our auditor that we are reviewing our accounts receivable as really collectible. The Mayor asked if the utility deposit policy adopted several years ago has had an impact on the number of delinquent bills. The Town Manager responded that it has helped with Adopted Resolution No. 2188 allowing the Town Treasurer/Finance Director to remove outstanding Personal Property delinquent taxes and Vehicle License Fees over five years old from the active records to a permanent file Rl lowering the amount. However, we may want I look at the current deposit of $100 during t, budget process because we have had three ra increases and it is getting to the point that we m- need to increase that amount to cover the fin ,Fill. 11� Vice Mayor Hare made a motion to adopt the Adopted Resolution No. 2189 allowing Resolution as presented; the motion was the Town Treasurer/Finance Director seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by to remove outstanding Water and the following vote, with all members voting: Vote Sewer delinquent bills over five years 5-0; Yeas (5) — Liles, McCarty, Scheid, Hare, old from the active records to a Grose; Nays (0) — None, permanent file The next item on the agenda was to conside adoption of a Resolution approving a Undeveloped Right -of -Way Vacation Policy. Th Town Manager commented that Council wa briefed on the Vacation policy by the Tow Attorney at their last meeting, Council Membe Scheid made a motion to adopt the Resolution a presented; the motion was seconded by Counci Member McCarty and carried by the folio in] ang jWlj�# ��v =41RR11k1FjD*Mt1&VA=ir,j5MMURM03,10! Way Vacation Policy mm The -Town Manager gave an update on Valley Metro. On January 17 th he and Mr. Peters went to the GRTC Board meeting to thank them for beginning to conduct the ridership survey on the FIXED route and to express concern for the unlimited pass on the STAR service. He presented data on the STAR service, which was received favorably. There was some discussion, but no action was taken. It will be discussed again at the March 20th meeting, which he plans to attend. A follow-up meeting is scheduled with Sherman Stovall and Carl Palmer on February 1 oth to receive the January ridership survey information. That information will be shared with the Finance Committee. Once we have the February information and a complete compilation of that data, we will be able to later bring information to Council. The Town Manager next commented that th recycling center at Lake Drive Plaza will be close on March 1'. The third party vendors that hav participating with the Town have opted t ] discontinue the service. A public servi announcement will be put out to that effect on ou website and all social media tomorrow. We wan 9 WE Under comments by Council, Council Member Liles commented on the Macado's sign that has gone up. Council Member McCarty has heard a rumor that Buffalo Wild Wings was coming to Vinton. Mr. Peters responded that there have been some conversations, but in 2017 there will not be a Buffalo Wild Wings in Vinton. We have reached out to a number of chain and local restaurants. Council Member Scheid commented that the Litter Task Force met again last Friday and she apologized for missing the meeting. The then made brief comments regarding several items that the Task Force is working on: enforcing our trash ordinance and the need to address the issue of providing cans and Joey Hiner has put together ordinance and Chief Foster has drafted an ordinance that would make littering of cigarette butts civil violation much like a seatbelt violation where there is a fine collected and those funds can be taken back for the Town to use for highway beautification and a meeting is going to be scheduled with Sheriff Orange to encourage him to send inmate crews to clean up trash on a regular basis in needed areas in the Town. She thanked Public Works for getting the orange bags picked up along Hardy Road in the County that were left by the inmates. RAN 15" it would be good to clean that area up. A clean-up day has been scheduled for March 4'h from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon at the site and she encouraged Council to participate. Council Member Scheid next commented that thql Town applied for Smart Scale funding for th'i Walnut Avenue improvement project. When the i rankings came out, they are proposing to fund th top 21 projects and ours was number 22. Sh and Anita McMillan have drafted a letter to our t members of the Commonwealth Transportatio Board, William Fralin and Court Rosen, that sh would like Council to sign. She will work with th e J w Town Clerk to get the signatures. She also commented that the Greenwa Commission is updating the Greenway Plan an on April I 01h we are joining with Roanoke Coun] for the East County update at the War Memoria ill from 5:00 p.m. to 9-00 p.m. At some point th Plan will come to Council for approval. Ms. McMillan commented that it will have to go befor the Planning Commission first because it is a pa of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment. The would like to have all of it completed by June. I 1014111111IN" Ilia, 161011- Council Member Scheid made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Liles, McCarty, Scheid, Hare, Grose; Nays (0) - None. The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Meeting adjourned Bradley E. Grose, Mayor A SST: f\ Susan N, Johnson, �6wn Clerk M-