Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/6/2012 - Regular1, LI I 'ON", I ITI 14 ILI I M I mril a MN 1 In Q ILI MEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor Carolyn D. Fidler, Vice Mayor Robert R. Altice Matthew S. Hare William W. Nance STAFF PRESENT: Christopher S. Lawrence, Town Manager Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Susan N. Johnson, Town Clerk Consuella Caudill, Assistant Town Manager/Economic Development Manager Barry Thompson, Finance Director/Treasurer Anita McMillan, Planning and Zoning Director Gary Woodson, Public Works Director Joey Hiner, Assistant Public Works Director The Mayor called the work session to order at 6:30 p.m. Angie Lewis, Executive Director, gave a presentation on behalf of the Vinton Area Chamber of Commerce. She commented that their membership is up to over 250 members, which is an increase of 60+ and that they have expanded their events to 13 major events for the year. The Chamber makes use of all social media to expand their advertising and currently they have almost 4,000 friends on Facebook. She expressed thanks for the funding in prior years and requested continued support, Dan Miles, Chief Executive Officer, gave the next presentation on behalf of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority. He commented that there has not been an increased in the tipping fee for ten years, but that it will remain the same for the upcoming year. He then reviewed a ten year chronological history of the $45.00 tipping fee which showed that the tonnage amount has been decreasing every year. Other municipalities that the Authority services have also seen a decrease in tonnage, this being due to the economy. This has made the Authority operate in a deficit mode for the past seven years and required a draw down from its contingency funds. This amounted to an 83% reduction in the contingency fund and a 20% reduction in the reserve balance. Another factor has been the low interest rates being paid on the Authority's investments, Mr. Miles indicated that the Authority will have to ask for an increase in the tipping fee for the next fiscal year 2013-2014. He then commented that if they had increased the fee to break even they would have been charging $63.87 per ton. The bond debt was paid off a year early, but was done by going into the contingency fund. A 10-year projection showed that even with an increase in tipping fee, the Authority will be operating in a deficit mode, but it will begin to replenish the contingency fund. There was no one present on behalf of the Vinton Dogwood Festival. Wayne Strickland, Executive Director, gave a brief presentation on behalf of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission. The Town and the Commission have been working together for over 40 years. He commented on the Commission's assistance with the Town's CDBG Grant application as well as the Tinker Creek Restoration Project, the Water Supply Plan which was done jointly with 13 other jurisdictions and has been approved by the DEQ. The stormwater management plan is continuing and the Regional Pre -Disaster Hazardous Mitigation Plan has been completed which is important for a locality to receive FEMA funds along With several other projects in the Town. The Town's participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy is important and that the Town has just been designated by the Economic Development Administration as an eligible community for direct EDA assistance. A Regional Broadband Study is also being done. He thanked Vinton for their active role in the Commission's Mayors and Chairs meeting and that the next meeting will be the end of March. K made through the capital grant and Ms. Murphy indicated those funds have to be used for capital improvements only, not for operating costs. Mattie Forbes made brief comments on behalf of the Vinton Historical Society/Museum, The Town of Vinton room has been opened and over 1,200 individuals visited the Museum the past year. They have run out of space and are always looking for volunteers. The Museum will celebrate 25 years next year. The Town Manager commented that the Town owns the Museum building and that some improvements need to be done which is a separate funding item from the Society's request. The work session ended at 6:50 p.m. The Mayor called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 Roll Call p.m. The Town Clerk called the roll with Council Member Altice, Council Member Hare, Council Member Nance, Vice Mayor Fidler, and Mayor Grose present. The Illayor welcomed those in attendance. After a Moment of Silence, Vice Mayor Fidler led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Mr. Nance made a motion to approve the consent Approved minutes of February 21, agenda as presented; the motion was seconded by Vice 2012 Mayor Fidler and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose; Nays (0) - None. Liz Belcher, Roanoke Valley Greenway Coordinator, gave a Power Point presentation on behalf of the Greenway Commission. Mark McClain and Janet Scheid were also present. She reported that the budget has not changed again this year and that Vinton's portion based on population is 3.8% or $3,300. She then commented on several projects such as the Gladetown Bridge and Trail; placing uniform signage for the Wolf Creek Greenway and the Greenway connection that the City is building with a new 660 foot bridge. Ms. Belcher also commented on the economic development benefits of the Greenway and reviewed all of the projects --those completed, those under construction and the Bridge the Gap project that is in the planning and fund raising stage. She then showed a one -minute time lapse video showing the placement of the 660 foot bridge being installed last week. Mr. Hare asked the cost of the bridge and Ms. Belcher indicated it was part of a $3.2 million contract that included about a mile of trail and two bridges. Vice Mayor Fidler KI commented that there has been some discussion with the Greenway and the members of Explore Park about the future of locating the Greenway on that property, Ms. Belcher responded that they met with the Board two weeks ago and got permission to do survey work up to the Parkway. She is hoping that when they get to the next part that the Explore Park group will have more clarity as to what they are interested in seeing in the Park. The next item on the agenda was the second Public Hearing for citizen comments on the submission of the VA DHCD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the Downtown Business District Revitalization Project Anita McMillan gave a brief report on the first Public Hearing that was held at Cundiff Elementary School on February 21st, and the Downtown Management meeting on February 24th at the War Memorial which was well attended. She indicated that Mr. Barney Arthur has suggested that we make Vinton the music center for the Roanoke Valley. This is the second Public Hearing and Council is being requested to adopt two Resolutions, one to designate the Downtown Redevelopment Area and one to authorize the Town Manager to execute the application for the Grant. The (feadline for the application is March 28th. The Mayor then declared the Public Hearing open. Public Hearing open Hearing no public comments, the Mayor closed the closed. Public Hearing. i Mr. Hare asked if we have gotten any indication from the State about what credit we may get for the purchase of the Dunman Property and the demolition of the former Steve's Garage. Ms. McMillan responded that both of those items will be a part of the application. He then indicated that we still need a spark plug, a private investor and asked if most of the money is from the Town, will we get turned down again. Vice Mayor Fidler commented about the music center concept that Mr. Arthur had suggested. Mr. Nance thanked Ms. McMillan and Town Staff for their involvement in submitting this grant and hopes that all of the hard work pays off for the Town, The Mayor also commented on the work done by Staff. MR Vice Mayor Fidler made a motion to approve the Adopted Resolution No. 1953 Resolution designating the Downtown Redevelopment - designating the Downtown Area as presented; the motion was seconded by Mr. Redevelopment Area Nance and carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose, Nays (0) - None. rd Mr. Nance made a motion to approve the Resolution authorizing the Town Manager to execute the Grant application as presented; the motion was seconded by rf--rW-&-&rrO -wMwi wMr-W members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose; Nays (0) - None. The next item on the agenda was to adopt a Resolution establishing penalties for parking violations in the Town. The penalties were approved as part of the FY12 budget, but by the Town Code a separate Resolution needs to be adopted and posted, The Police Department needs the Resolution so they can proceed with ordering parking tickets. Mr. Altice commented that he thinks they are still a little low and Vice Mayor Fidler asked about several of the violations. The Town Manager commented that some of our fees are cheaper than other localities and as part of the upcoming budget process, we can review the current fees. Mr. Altice made a motion to approve the Resolution for parking violations as presented and the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Fidler. In discussion, Mr. Nance asked if there was a consensus on Council to reconsider the fees, why would we go ahead and order new tickets. The Town Manager recommended that Council approve the Resolution since the fees are already a part of the FY12 budget and it needs to be posted. However, he will check with Chief Cook to see what is the minimum number of tickets he can order and will send Council a comparison report for their review. Adopted Resolution No. 1954 authorizing the Town Manager to execute the application for the VA DHCD CDBG Grant for the Downtown Business District Revitalization Project After discussion, the motion carried by the following roll Adopted Resolution No, 1955 call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - establishing penalties for parking Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose; Nays (0) - None. violations in the Town Barry Thompson made brief comments on the real estate tax levy for calendar year 2012 and indicated that Council needed to authorize advertising a Public Hearing for their next meeting to set the rate at $0.03 per $100 of the assessed value for 2012. Vice Mayor Fidler asked what the tax would be in the Town for a $150,000 home and the response was around $40.00. It was the consensus of Council to proceed with the advertising, �W� The Town Manager reviewed Amendment No. 2 to the Roanoke Valley Regional Cable Television Agreement. This Amendment provides specific procedures that will be followed in the event a locality decides to withdraw from the RVTV partnership. Mr. Altice commented that there is a provision that allows a locality to rescind their notice within 60 days of their notice to withdraw. The Town Manager commented that the attorneys for all three localities have reviewed the Amendment and are in agreement. The Town Attorney commented that the Amendment is legally sound and that Council needs to decide if they agree with the Amendment. The Mayor asked the date of the original Agreement and Ms. Bays -Murphy indicated it dates back to 1992. Mr. Nance asked the Town Attorney about her interpretation of the sentence in Section V, Termination (D) that reads "The withdrawing party shall have no vote or right to object to the actions of the nonwithdrawing party or parties." Does that mean even for the year that you are giving your Notice? The Town Attorney responded that she thinks it does. Mr. Nance then commented that you are being forced to pay another year to an organization that you do not want to be a part of, but you have no vote during that year. The Town Attorney indicated that once you are withdrawing, you are not at the table to vote. Mr. Nance then stated that we could decide to withdraw right now without being forced to pay another year. If we adopt the Amendment as it is currently worded, we would be forced to pay another year, but have no voice in the way the organization is run, The Town Attorney responded in the affirmative, Mr. Nance then stated that the next sentence indicating that the withdrawing party shall also have no further right... after the effective date of withdrawal is fine. Once you are not part of it, you have no benefits. But if you are paying to be a part of it for a year, you should have a vote. Your inability to vote should be after the withdrawal. The Town Attorney stated that she would contact Mr. Tegenkamp, the City's Attorney, and Mr. Mahoney, the County's Attorney. Ms. Bays -Murphy stated that she agreed if you are paying for the service, then you should have a voice. The Mayor then commented if the locality withdrawing would be tainted by the fact that it was leaving the organization. Mr. Nance stated that it would be two against one, but it would not be fair to pay for a service R and not have a vote. The Amendment will be brought back to Council at their next meeting for further consideration. The Mayor asked Barney Arthur, who attended the Council in the Neighborhood meeting at Cundiff Elementary, if he had any feedback. Mr. Arthur commented that he thought Council received some very candid comments from people who have not historically attended meetings in Council Chambers. There were situations brought to their attention that officials are not often aware of. He thinks any involvement that Council and Staff can engage with the citizens is a good thing. The Work Session then continued with a presentation by Richard Oakes on behalf of the Vinton Volunteer Fire Department. He made brief comments on the budget request for FY13 of $19,000 and gave a breakdown on the request. Mr. Hare asked what were they not able to do last year since they asked for $19,000 but were only given $15,000, Mr. Oakes responded that they cut out the Chief's Convention at Virginia Beach and out-of-town training expenses. Tom Philpott, Rescue Chief, and Doug Adams, Vice President, gave the presentation on behalf of the Vinton Volunteer First Aid Crew. Mr. Philpott reviewed the breakdown of this year's budget request of $17,000. Part of the request is a requirement by the FCC to upgrade their high -band radio system and gave an explanation. They are trying to get a Grant together with the State that may fund up to $6,000. Mr. Adams also made comments about the importance of the radio system and how it is used to notify the volunteers of situations that are considered dangerous. Mr. Philpott then made comments about the cost of oxygen and the fact that they are now getting oxygen from Roanoke County up to the $6,000 limit. He then commented that EMS has brought in substantial revenue to the Town over the past few years and has recently replaced a new $135,000 ambulance at no cost to the Town. Mr. Nance commented that the request is still $17,000 even though the breakdown exceeds that request. Mr. Hare asked if they were funded the $17,000, how would they allocate. Mr. Philpott responded they would have to pull some more out of their funds to cover the rest. After further discussion, Mr. Adams mentioned that the N State has now a requirement that the First Aid Crew be recognized by the local governing body through a proclamation as part of their licensing process. If, am of the Code of Virginia, as amended, for discussion of a personnel matter; the motion was seconded by Mr. Nance and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose; Nays (0) - None. Council went into Closed Meeting at 8:30 p.m. At 9:15 p.m., the regular meeting reconvened and the Certification that the Closed Meeting was held in accordance with State Code requirements was approved on motion by Mr. Hare, seconded by Vice Mayor Fidler and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) - Altice, Hare, Nance, Fidler, Grose; Nays (0) - None. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. JEST, �rusan N. Johnson own Clerk APPROVED: Bradley Sr E.O GYa )�� 1.1 KTJ 1110 M V-11 WIN IN 111 -111-11 k-UNAM I WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Vinton, Virginia has convened a closed meetin!ti on this date, pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with th* provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and, WHEREAS, Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by the Vinton Town Council that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia Law. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Vinton Town Council hereby certifies th to the best of each member's knowledge: i Only public business matters lawfully exempted from opening meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification 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 Town Council. Motion made by Council Member Hare, and seconded by Vice Mayor Fidler, with all in favor. Clerk of Council IV