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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2009 - RegularMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2009 IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA. MEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor Robert R. Altice Carolyn D. Fidler William W. Nance William E. Obenchain, Jr. STAFF PRESENT: Chris Lawrence, Town Manager Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Darleen Bailey, Town Clerk Beth Austin, Human Resources Manager Herbert Cooley, Police Chief Mark Vaught, Police Lieutenant Ben Cook, Police Lieutenant Steve Doyle, James Testerman, Karla Turman, Associate Planner Craig Sheets Agenda 6:00 P.M. – VINEVENT AT VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING - RECEPTION A. 7:00 P.M. – Roll Call and Establishment of a Quorum B. INVOCATION C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U. S. FLAG D. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of Minutes for Regular Meeting on June 2, 2009 2. Resolution Reappointing Janet Scheid to Roanoke Valley Greenway Committee ACTION: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 1828 3. Resolution Reappointing Fred Swisher and James Childress to Transportation Safety Commission ACTION: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 1829 E. AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS 1. Police Officers of the Month - Detective Sergeant, Valerie Cummings Detective James M. Testerman Detective Monica McCullough Police Sergeant, Steven Doyle 2. Letter from FBI Commending Detective Craig Frye and Master Police Officer David Cooper F. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS AND PETITIONS G. PUBLIC HEARING 1. Ordinance No. 887 – Amendments to the Town of Vinton Zoning Ordinance, Article V, Division 7, Sign Regulations and Article X Definitions a. Staff Report b. Public Comment c. Council Discussion d. Council Action H. TOWN ATTORNEY 1. Repeal Vinton Town Code Section 62-81. Carrying loaded firearms in public places – Ordinance No. 888 I. TOWN MANAGER 1. VML Insurance Program J. MAYOR K. COUNCIL L. ADJOURNMENT WORK SESSION 1. New World Software for CAD and Records Management – Presentation by Vinton Police Department 2. BobCOP Presentation – Vinton Police Department Following the VinEvent reception at 6:00 p.m., Mayor Grose called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Following roll call, Mr. Bill Booth gave the invocation and Council Member Wes Nance led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Roll call, invocation and Pledge of Alle- giance to U.S. Flag. Mr. Lawrence reported that Resolution No. 1829 on the Consent Agenda, would reflect the re-appointment of two members, Mr. Swisher and Mr. Childress to the Highway Safety Commission. He further reported that there was a third member up for reappointment who did not wish to be reappointed. He asked Council and staff for their input on a replacement for the third member. Mr. Nance moved to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded by Mr. Altice and passed with all in favor. Approved Consent Agenda Mr. Nance read a letter from Police Chief Cooley naming Valerie Cummings, Detective Sergeant; James Testerman, Detective; Monica McCullough, Detective; and Steven Doyle, Petrol Sergeant as Officers of the Month for the month of May 2009. Ms. Fidler read a letter from Kevin Foust, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of the U. S. Department of Justice, commending Master Police Officer, David Cooper and Detective Craig Frye regarding a local kidnapping incident. Recognitions Mayor Grose opened the public hearing at 7:10 p.m. to take comments and questions regarding proposed amendments to the Town of Vinton Zoning Ordinance regarding sign regulations. Mr. Adopted Ordinance No. 887 amending sign ordiance 2 Lawrence advised that the proposed amendments to the Sign Ordinance had been considered by the Planning Commission at their work session in January and their recommendation had resulted in questions from Council relating to signage for businesses. He noted that, at that time, Council had recommended the sign ordinance be sent back to the Planning Commission for their input. Karla Turman, Associate Planner, advised that the only change in the proposed sign ordinance amendment that Council discussed in February is under General Business on page 15, Section 5-49, b-1 (b). “In no case shall an individual tenant be restricted to less than 32 square feet of sign area”. She noted that this section was stricken. Ms. Turman pointed out that most of the changes in the proposed ordinance were house keeping. She advised that the definition of a sign was added to the ordinance which was left out of the 2007 update and some signs were re-identified such as the off-premise sign shown on page 3 as well as a change in the definition of a permanent sign. Also added was the definition for a public service sign. On page 5, under exempted signs, signs on the inside of the establishment would be exempted except those within 1 foot of a door or window. Also on page 5, Ms. Turman pointed out that a section was added under (p), “the Town Manager or his authorized agent is able to give permission for public right-of-way signs”. Other changes were noted on page 9 that historic signs would be allowed in the Central Business, General Business, Residential Business, Manufacturing Districts 1 and 2. Also added was a section that the historic signs would not counted against the number of signs allowed for a business. The number of banner signs allowed on a property was also changed to allow only 1 banner sign per tenant and if it is a corner lot and has more than one frontage, a banner would be allowed on each frontage. Another change pointed out by Ms. Turman on page 20, that would allow the Zoning Administrator as well as the Building Official, to determine whether an unconditional sign had become a public hazard A discussion ensued regarding requirements for signs on properties that contain multiple businesses. Ms. Turman noted only four or five business properties have multiple tenants that could potentially be affected by the 5 sign limit. She advised that a proposed amendment to the sign ordinance allowing more than 5 signs on lots with multiple 3 businesses had been removed and the sign ordinance would continue limiting the number of signs to 5. Mr. Lawrence stated that the 5 sign limit is not a problem at this time but could potentially be in the future. Ms. Turman added that the Residential Business District limits the number of signs to 4, making businesses in that district vulnerable if a unit is vacant for more than two years and loses its “grandfathered” status. Ms. Turman pointed out a change on page 7 of the Definitions under number 78, Personal Service Business. She stated that staff has taken out barber shops and beauty salons. She went on to say that this use has been singled out in each district and is a permitted use Since barber shops and beauty shops are a permitted use, and Personal Service Businesses require a Special Use Permit, the ordinance is in conflict with itself. Because of this, barber and beauty shops have been taken out of personal service businesses. In that same section of the proposed sign ordinance definitions, Ms. Turman advised that Council’s copy shows that tattoo parlors were taken out. She noted that this was a mistake and the section will be changed to show that tattoo parlors will continue to be a permitted use. Another change was made on page 8 of the Definitions, number 87, Retail store or shop eliminating gas stations as a retail use. Ms. Turman also pointed out that the definition of a sign was added back that had been left out. Mr. Lawrence asked if a personal service is allowed by right or as a special use in the Central Business District. Ms. Turman replied that personal services are allowed by right in the General Business District and the Central Business District. She went on to say that they would require a special use permit in the Residential Business District. Ms. Fidler asked if staff could put together a list of items that Council might need to look at in the near future. Mr. Lawrence replied affirmatively and requested that Council notify the Planning Office if there are other issues they wish to discuss. Mr. Lawrence thanked Ms. McMillan and especially Ms. Turman, who crafted the proposed amendment to the sign ordinance. There were no public comments or questions. Mr. Nance asked if the proposed ordinance would need to be amended to make the change regarding personal services and tattoo parlors. Ms. Dillon explained that Council could move to amend the ordinance to make the change, pass that change and then pass the ordinance as 4 amended. Mayor Grose closed the public hearing at 7:35 p.m. and called for a vote. Mr. Altice moved to amend the proposed Sign Ordinance’s Definitions on page 7, number 78 by negating the striking of the language regarding tattoo parlors. The motion was seconded by Ms. Fidler and passed unanimously on a roll call vote. Mr. Obenchain moved to adopt proposed Ordinance No. 887, amending the Town of Vinton Zoning Ordinance, Article V, Division 7, Sign Regulations and Article X Definitions. The motion was seconded by Mr. Altice and passed on a unanimous roll call vote. Ms. Dillon reported on a request to repeal Town Code Sec. 62-81 which prohibits the carrying of loaded firearms into public places within the Town. She explained that pursuant to the Virginia Code Section 15.2-915, as of July 1, 2009, the Town cannot enforce such an ordinance and added that as of January 1, 2009, a citizen could bring suit against the Town for having such an ordinance on the books, even if it is not enforced. Mr. Nance moved to adopt proposed Ordinance No. 888 repealing Vinton Code Section 62-81 prohibiting the carrying of loaded firearms into public places. The motion was seconded by Ms. Fidler and past unanimously on a roll call vote. Adopted Ordinance 888 repealing town ordinance that prohibits the carrying of loaded firearms in public places Mr. Lawrence advised that the Town had received a letter from VML Insurance informing him that the Town had been taken off their insurance “Watch List”. Ms. Austin, H.R. Manager, reported that five years ago, the Town was at 30% of meeting Risk Management Guidelines and had a bad loss ratio of about 90% (average over a 5 year period). She pointed out that during that 5 year peroid, VML could have dropped the Town’s membership or charged a 15% penalty because the Town was on the watch list. Ms. Austin went on to say that because the Town has improved every year, VML did not require the Town to pay the penalty fee. She added that as of today, the Town has met 100% of their guidelines and is now our loss ratio for a five-year period is around 50%. Mr. Lawrence pointed out that the Town was able to achieve this goal at the direction and help from Ms. Austin. Craig Sheets briefly reported on the 211 Roanoke County Alert System. He advised that the County had received a grant from the Department of Emergency Management to put a mass system notification system in. He noted that the system would notify citizens Report – Town removed from VML Insurance’s Watch List 5 using telephones, email, cell phones, text, pager, and S & S messaging. It was reported that it uses the 911 data base for emergency life and death situations. Mr. Sheets pointed out that if citizens use 211 Virginia, it takes the burden of citizens calling staff to register for the alerts. He reported that the system will go “live” on July 1st. Mr. Lawrence reported on a joint work session with the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors to discuss the proposed Communications Department merger as well as other joint topics. He advised that the meeting would be held at the Vinton War Memorial on July 21st at 5:00 p.m. The Mayor thanked Ms. Austin for the work she has done in the years she has been working for the Town. He reported on a letter he received from Rail Solutions thanking the Town for the resolution passed by Town Council supporting the Steel Interstate Demonstration Project for I-81. Mayor Grose noted that because of all the support, Rail Solutions has the potential to secure a pilot demonstration project for the I-81 corridor where truck density is among the highest in the nation. Mayor Grose complemented his fellow Council members on their previous meeting as it was a true exercise of open government and commended Council for their work on the FY 2009/2010 budget. The Mayor stated the he would be making an effort to report to Council and the public on all of the meetings that he attends relating to Town business. He went on to say that on June 3rd, he and the Town Manager had a meeting with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce to establish better communications between the two agencies. He advised that they planned to meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues that are pertinent to both organizations. The Mayor also reported that he and Mike Altizer met with local businessmen that have concerns, on June 11th. He went on to say that the Town Manager and the Roanoke County Administrator have been invited to attend their next meeting. The Town Manager reported that the Public Safety Committee had met that afternoon to begin work on revaluating and drafting the Police Take Home Vehicle Policy. He noted that the committee would be meeting again in a few weeks to “tweak” the current policy so it can be presented to the full Council. Mr. Lawrence advised that they had also discussed the New World Comments from the Mayor 6 Software and reported that the Public Works Committee would probably be charged with the water/sewer rate study along with the Finance Committee. The Town Manager acknowledged that he was now an official property owner in the Town of Vinton and would be moving into his new home at the end of the week. Mayor Grose adjourned the meeting at 7:58 p.m. WORK SESSION 1. New World Software for CAD and Records Management Police Lieutenant, Ben Cook, briefed Council on a software package under consideration by the Police Department. He gave a short explanation of the Police Department’s CAD system and their records management system, and advised that the end of life for their current system was 2011. He advised that at this point, the system can not be expanded and the Department would lose maintenance and support for their old system in 2011. He noted that if any problems arise after 2011 the cost to fix them would be substantial. Lt. Cook reported that Roanoke County has been using the New World System since 2005 and has proven its reliability and stability. He stated that Roanoke County has an IT person who was trained by New World to perform maintenance and to provide upgrades on the system. He briefly described how the system works and pointed out that officers would have the ability to email their reports with the New World System software. Lt. Cook advised that Roanoke County has offered to expand their New World licenses to include the Town which will be much less expensive than if the Town has a separate system. He went on to explain that the software would not only aid the Police Department but would also simplify fire calls that involve both Vinton and Roanoke County Departments and would enable both agencies to see what the other is doing. Lt. Cook pointed out that the system would allow Vinton Fire and EMS to have the same reporting and storage capabilities as the Police Department and the County Fire and EMS. He commented that the software would also make the proposed Communications merger with Roanoke County easier and smoother, and pointed out that if the merger does not take place, the Town would not lose anything. Lt. Cook reported on the financial benefits of going with the New World software and advised that the cost associated with installation, training and travel would be paid for with the Wireless 911 Grant Fund. He reported that a rough estimate of the start-up cost would be approximately $95,000. He went on to say that if the Police Department stays with their current provider, it would cost $110,710 to upgrade 7 their current system. Ms. Fidler asked if the Town’s hardware would be compatible with the New World software and was advised by Lt. Cook that it would be. Mr. Lawrence advised that the Police Department would purchase the software with 911 funds that had been designated to make improvements in the Dispatch area. He went on to say that the 911 funds will continue to come in on a consistent basis which will enable them to go ahead with the Dispatch improvements if necessary. Mr. Nance asked if the Police Department was under contract with their current software company and Lt. Cook replied that they are not. Chief Cooley stated that the New World Software would not only make the proposed merger go more smoothly, it would also give the Town a record system comparable to the County’s. Ms. Fidler asked if the system would be difficult to learn and Lt. Cook responded that he did not believe it would be. Ms. Fidler inquired as to what would happen if there were problems with the New World software and the County decided not provide the support and maintenance for the software. Lt. Cook responded that since New World would not consider working with a locality the size of Vinton, the Police Department would have to explore other options and might have to go to the next level with the Town’s current provider. Mr. Nance asked if the new software purchase would be contingent on the Communications merger and Mr. Lawrence advised that it would not be, the merger would have nothing to do with whether to purchase the software or not. 2. BobCop Presentation, Vinton Police Department Jimmy Testerman, Detective Sgt. for the Police Department, gave a presentation on BobCop. He reported that BobCop has created software that can greatly benefit the Town and its citizens. He noted that both police officers and citizens can use the software to communicate with each other. He stated that the company has been in business for 13 years and that their software is a result of information generated from the 50 agencies who have used their systems. Detective Sgt. Testerman advised that the system can be applied as the Police Department’s website or used solely as a means for citizens to make reports on criminal activity. The system can address other citizens concerns such as complaints, extra patrols and other information. He noted that the software is compatible and flexible to the needs of the community and the Department. He further noted that it can be hosted on the Town’s servers, but would be much less expensive if it is hosted on BobCop’s server as they would maintain it at no charge. He advised that the software will eventually be able to be used by municipal administration operations. Detective Testerman advised that the original cost for the BobCop software is $2,200 per year. He further advised that the Police Department qualifies for a three-year grant in the amount $1,450 per year so the Town’s cost for the first year 8 9 would be $900 and for the following two years, the cost would be $750 each. He added that after the three years, the cost would increase to $2,200. Following his report to Council, Detective Testerman gave a brief demonstration on how the system would operate. Ms. Fidler asked if the Town was going to recognize National Night Out on the first Tuesday in August or if they were going to delay it until the weather cooled down. Mr. Lawrence replied that those involved had discussed delaying the event but decided not to change the date. The work session adjourned at 9:15 p.m. APPPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: Darleen R. Bailey, Town Clerk