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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/20/2014 - RegularMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 6:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA. MEMBERS PRESENT. Bradley E. Grose, Mayor William W. Nance, Vice Mayor 1. Douglas Adams, Jr. Robert R. Altice Matthew S. Hare STAFF PRESENT: Christopher S. Lawrence, Town Manager Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Susan N. Johnson, Town Clerk Ryan Spitzer, Assistant to the Town Manager Barry Thompson, Finance Director/Treasurer Gary Woodson, Public Works Director Ben Cook, Police Chief Mark Vaught, Police Lieutenant - Services Chris Linkous, Fire/EMS Captain The Mayor called the work session to order at 600 p.m. for a final review and discussion of the proposed FY2014- 2015 budget. The Town Manager began by commenting on the items that Council has given direction on at prior meetings. The $10,000 has been added back to the proposed budget to continue the dumpster service on 3d Street. There is also the request for staff to collect more information to assess the service further and give Council more perspective. He will also take the matter up with the Resource Authority at their next Board meeting concerning the hours of use on Saturday. Barry Thompson commented that under the contributions to organizations, the Mountain View Spay and Neuter has been changed to the RCACP Coupon Program and he removed the contribution to the Bank -On Program. The Bank -On item was $1,500 and the RCACP is $500. Having the coupon program will give our Animal Control Officer a tool to use out in the field and we can designate part of the $500 to Mountain View and the rest to RCACP coupons. The coupons will have Mountain View, Vinton Veterinarian and Angels of Assisi on them. The Town Manager further commented that since we now have a plan for the 24-hour fire service which includes staffing the second medic truck, the transport fees could be increased by approximately $20,000, We took $30,000 out of the proposed budget. Also, on the expense side, we will now use $40,000 of the $60,000 in the budget to fund the part- time employees. He recommended leaving the $20,000 in the budget because in the FY2016 budget, the 24-hour fire service will require an additional $80,000. Vice Mayor Nance commented that the projected :1 expectations can safely be lowered for both the pari-mutuel 2nd cigarette tax. Mr. Thompson commented that he can bring the pari-mutuel item down to zero and he can also reduce the admissions tax by $2,000. Mr. Thompson further commented that he feels it would be safe to restore the full $30,000 on the fee for transport instead of just the $20,000. ITIr. Hare commented that we should ask the War Memorial t start marking up the pass -through items by five percent or so which could potentially be an extra $4,500. The Tow Manager stated his concern is that the rental rate for nex year is already more than the current rate and his forecas already has a rental increase taken into consideration. Mr. Nance asked about the $5,000 in the Council i travel and training item and the Town Manager responded that h recommended just keeping that amount the same from yea to year whether the annual VML Conference is local or out #f-town. Also paid out of this line item is the Newly Elected Officials Conference which is available for Ms. Weeks I i4tend either this summer or early in 2015. Mr. Nance -;uggested that we reduce this amount to $4,000. Mr. Thompson commented that there is the possibility of $10,000 savings within the general liability, property an automobile insurance coverage cost due to only a sligh increase this year. I] Mr. Hare next commented about the news that the State wit not have a budget and the need to find $300 million. H asked how this could affect our budget on July 1' and ou ability to operate. Mr. Thompson responded that we ar dependent on the State for highway maintenance funds, 59• funds and grant programs that are passed through the State i The distribution of the highway maintenance funds is the en of June in the approximate amount of $250,000 and the 59 funds come in the first of June. We would not get anothe distribution of the highway maintenance funds until the end o the next quarter, so hopefully the issues with the State will b resolved before it would affect us. Mr. Hare asked if there are other pass -through items and Mr. Thompson responded the utility and sales taxes. Mr. Hare felt that we should have a plan and he suggested that the matter be discussed at the next Finance Committee meeting. -4 balance the budget with the $10,000 savings on t, MA insurance. He further asked if Council desired that we n it use any more fund balance than originally proposed ar work to balance the budget with the items discussed. Nance responded that he thought that was the best way proceed. Mr. Nance further commented that Council needs to get together in late summer or early fall and set their priorities. He expressed concern about continuing to study the dumpster service and spending more money to figure out what the service is when we know it is a nice service. It is duplicative to what the Town and certainly the region already provides. The Mayor agreed that Council needs to have this discussion and encounter the public to get their input in it-stablishing priorities very early on in the budget process for the next fiscal year. The Mayor asked Mr. Thompson to summarize what the Town's revenues have been for the past couple of months. Mr. Thompson responded that certain areas have performed on target. The business license area is very healthy this year and at budget levels. The utility tax is performing well, fee for transport is on target as well as sales tax. The cigarette tax is not showing a significant improvement even with the change in the tax rate and as mentioned earlier, the park mutuel tax. The gain sharing amount we received was also down from the projection. One item that had a significant impact on the amount we received was the Fire and EMS component. Mr. Spitzer contacted the County and for what we can determine, this was a one-time capital outlay in this last year that related to fire equipment and overtime pay throughout the entire County. Mr. Spitzer commented that our gain sharing is based on a percentage of our sales tax based on the Town's population. They take what is budgeted for Fire and EMS for the entire town and divide that by our population and our sales tax and we have to pay that portion. The Town Manager further commented that Roanoke County's audit showed that they spent about $3 million more than they normally do on Fire and EMS last year and the formula does not account for capital expenditures. The more they spend has an adverse impact on what we receive. So as costs go up in the County, as some point our revenue sharing bubble starts inversely relating to their increase and we have gotten to that point. Also, our population is not growing, but the County has more room to grow. The more population costs the County incurs per capita inversely relates to Thompson further stated that not knowing that the County had this huge capital outlay, we projected our gain sharing amount based on historical data and were counting on an increase instead of a decrease. N Council took a five-minute recess. I The Mayor called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 Roll call p.m. The Town Clerk called the roll with Council Member Adams, Council Member Altice, Council Member Hare, Vice Mayor Nance, and Mayor Grose present. After a Moment of Silence, Mr. Altice led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Under upcoming community events/announcements, tll- Mayor reminded everyone that the Vinton pool will opening the first of June. The Vinton Farmer's Market al has some special events going on this time of year such Shake, Bake & Sprout, an Art Market and several cr 0ows. Mr. Adams made a motion that the consent agenda be Approved minutes for the approved as presented; the motion was seconded by Mr. Altice Special Budget Work Session and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: of April 10, 2014; minutes for Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) — Adams, Altice, Hare, Nance, Grose; Nays the regular Council meeting of (0) — None. April 15, 2014 and minutes for the Special Budget Work Session of April 29, 2014 Vice Mayor Nance read a letter from Chief Cook naming Master Police Officer Scott Hurt as Officer for the Month of April 2014. The next item on the agenda was a proclamation for Click It or Ticket. Mr. Hare read the proclamation and presented to Chief Ben Cook. The next item was a proclamation for National Emergency Medical Services Week. Mr. Adams read the proclamation and presented to Chief Tom Philpott. The next item on the agenda was a Public Hearing t receive public comments on a request to revise Water an• Wastewater Fees and Charges Schedule by an increase o 8.9 percent for FY2014-2015 and an increase of 8.9 percen for FY2015-2016, pursuant to authority granted by Virgini Code §§ 152-2111, 15.2-2119 and 15.2-2122, according t the Vinton Town Code, Chapter 24, Utilities, Section 94-2 Fees and charges for water service and Section 94-74, Fee and charges for wastewater service, The Mayor opened the Public Hearing at 7:13 p.m. The Public hearing opened Town Manager commented that the proposal is an 8.9% increase for FY2014-2015 and an 8.9% increase for FY2015- 2016. In summary, in FY2012 Davenport & Company completed a study evaluating the town's water and wastewater system to create a five-year plan for operations and capital investment. The major projects proposed to be M funded in the upcoming fiscal year are meter reading wireless radio technology implementation, Cityworks Asset Management software, Phase 2 of the Jefferson & Cleveland Avenue water line, the design and replacement of the sewer main on Blandford Avenue and replacement of waterlines on Southampton Drive. Another major item is our cost to the Western Virginia Water Authority for the Wastewater Treatment Plant improvement costs that increased by $90,000. Last year's increase of 8.7% funded the Water Authority plant improvements previously mentioned, the Glade/Tinker Wastewater Interceptor Line improvements, Phase 1 of the Cleveland/Jefferson/Jackson Avenue project and replacement of four pick-up trucks and one backhoe. The Town Manager further commented that this year's increase will be about $2.50 more a month for the average homeowner. Cheryl Daniels of Vinton spoke against the rate increase an then commented that her water is not drinkable because 01 the amount of chlorine, Mr. Mare commented that Council does not take th increases lightly because they all live and some work in th service area. Some of the increases are due to no fault o the Town's and we have to pass the costs on to the citizen because there are no funds to cover those costs. H remembered the first increase and it was a difficult decisio at that time. However, the reality is that we have a syste that is aging to the point where some areas are borderlin dangerous and incredibly expensive to fix. He knows tha the increases are painful for a lot of our citizens, but it woul be even more painful if we do not have water because o collapsed lines. Fire suppression is also impacted by th ability to improve the water lines that feed the fire hydrants i certain areas of the town. Mr. Hare further commented tha he supports the increase. The Town is blessed to have th well systems that our leaders in the past were wise enough dig and set up the system that we have and it is our duty t keep it up so that the next generation inherits what w inherited. Vice Mayor Nance next commented that he too realizes tha the increase will hurt individuals, but the same costs that th citizens are seeing in other areas, the Town is also seeing The infrastructure of the water and wastewater system 1 getting more expensive. Citizens may ask why the rat increase is funding such items as wireless radio technolog and the software program and the answer is that the increas will not pay for new employees and the current employee 2.re not getting raises. These items will allow our employee to do their jobs quicker so they can keep some of th HAIRMIMIKOIN 7OR 1H The only other option that we have is to ignore the problems and let the lines get older and older. There are already many water line breaks each year and we are hoping to stop those only the citizens now, but citizens in the future with reliable v.ccess to water. It is necessary and there is no other way to pay for this, It has to be a self-sustaining project. Mr. Nance further commented regarding the chlorine content in the water and urged the citizen that spoke earlier to contact Public Works to see if some adjustments can be made. In closing, Mr. Nance said that we have the responsibility to pay for those improvements now which are not cheap and they will not get any cheaper later. Mr. Adams commented that he hears the citizen's complain about the rate increase being a burden. He has been i EMS for 40 years and he knows that the cost of medical ca I has gone up along with everything else we do. However when he drives around the town and sees fire hydrants tha are painted black which means if there is a fire in tha particular area, there may not be any water to flow from tha hydrant, it bothers him. We have an obligation to make su that we have the fire protection that we need for our citizens He fully supports the increase because we have to maintai our water and wastewater system for now and the future. I Mr. Altice commented that when he first served on Council, the Town did not have a water system. Now we have a system and the rates that our citizens are paying now are less than any other surrounding locality. By putting in new pipes and upgrading the current system, we hope to improve even more the quality of the water. The Mayor commented that Council does listen to the citizens. Concerning the chlorine in the water, there has been some discussion about the possibility of looking at other methods to treat the water to hopefully improve the taste, However, if those methods are cost prohibitive, unfortunately we will have to live with the chlorine because we do not want to raise rates unless we absolutely have to, This is just the cost of doing business and he will support the rate increase for both this upcoming fiscal year and next year. Hearing no further comments, the Public Hearing was closed at 7:40 p.m. Action on this item will be taken at the June 3, Public Hearing closed 2014 Council meeting. 59- The next item on the agenda was a Public Hearing to ' Public Hearing receive public comments concerning the proposed FY2014- 2015 Town of Vinton Budget, The Mayor opened the Public Hearing at 7:41 pm. The Town Manager commented that this is the FY2014-201 annual budget in the amount of approximately $12 millio with a General Fund of $8.6 million and the Utility Fund whic is just over $3 million. The recommendation is to us approximately $128,144 of our fund balance rather than rats taxes this fiscal year. Of that $128,144, $38,400 would be fo capital projects and $89,744 for operating expenses. Ove the past five years, positions have been eliminated throug attrition and restructuring and once someone retires o leaves, we always re-evaluate those positions. The facilities and equipment are aging and are not only needing to b maintained, but will require significant investment over th next five to ten years. Additionally major equipment such a - dump trucks, fire trucks and similar items need to be replace• in the next five years. Almost $3 million have been identified in a five-year capita improvement plan. However, we are recommending to onl fund $38,400 in this upcoming fiscal year, Those include th Walnut Avenue corridor, replacement of a dump truck with hook lift and dump body and the painting of the pool interior The capital improvements projects funded in the Utility Fun were l mentioned in the prior Public Hearing concerning th water and wastewater rate increases. There was a recommendation to eliminate the dumpste service on 3rd Street, but Council has agreed to maintain thi service and that amount will be placed back into the budget. We have worked with Roanoke County to create 24-hour firt. coverage. The proposed budget includes a 24-hour fire truck with career staff that will supplement the volunteers, a second medic truck that will be paid for jointly by the Town and Roanoke County with part-time employees for the upcoming fiscal year and renovations to the Fire building which is under design now. The Town Manager further commented that there are no new taxes proposed, but it is acknowledged that the revenue needed to hire two additional Fire and EMS employees in the FY2015-2015 at a cost of $120,000 is not projected to be able other than again using the fund balance. Mr, Hare commented that this next year will have its challenges, but we have approximately $12 million to make 0 budget because this is not Council's budget, it is the citizensl budget. It is their priorities and what they want to do wit their Town and where they want to go in the future. I Mr. Nance commented that a lot of great things are going on in the Town such as the new library and revitalization of the downtown area. The next thing we need is for private money to come into Vinton and make the economy work. Government can only do so much and we have set the stage, He never likes going into fund balance, but over the past two years in very closely monitoring the budget and an excellent staff watching where every dollar goes, we have been able to add substantially to that fund balance. The amount we are talking about using this year for normal operations does not come close to impacting what was added those two prior years. One of the priorities that was set for this budget was the 24- hour fire coverage. An initial proposal brought about that coverage, but had the potential to hurt our EMS services 4uring the day. After Council voiced their concerns about the EMS services, staff worked further with Roanoke County and irought back another option that fills that gap. The using of fund balance this year to balance the budget i not somethinq we can do year to year. The Town Manage referred in his comments to revenue needs and that mean bringing more money into the government which would be i the form of tax increases. We have two separate funds an we already know that the Utility Fund needs more money an even though we are increasing the costs to keep tha business run, but we are increasing the costs to our citizens It is going to be difficult for him in FY2015-2016 to addres the other side of the equation with more revenue needs When you see that we are using over $100,000 from the fun balance this year, we need to realize this is a transitional yea and it not just for Council to be figuring out what the prioritie are, Shortly after this budget is completed, Council will b discussing what everyone's priorities are for the Town fo, FY2015-2016. If it means keeping things the exact same, that is when you start talking about the revenue having t increase. We also need to look at the services we provid which keep getting more expensive or look at providing no ,tuite as many services and try to lower or keep the expense in line. Mr. Adams commented on the way that the 24-hour fire coverage plan came about and agreed that Council will have to continue to look at the budget, He does not want a tax increase, but he feels that he gets a good return on his investment for what he pays to the Town. Mr. Altice commented that it is going to be a tight budget and when you start pulling from fund balance, it is often hard to put that money back. The Mayor commented that staff and Council have spent a lot of time on this budget. It is a tough year and no one likes to have to dip into savings, but the savings are there because of some really good budget work that has been done over the past few years. We have built up the reserve fund to the point that we can use some of it to balance this budget, The encouraging part is that there are a lot of good things happening in Town, a lot of good investments that have Aready been mentioned. Despite all of these investments, he feels that one of the biggest accomplishments over the ,*ast three or four years is the way Council has handled the 'tudget along with the help of staff. Joe - After comments relating to the noise of motorc les on By - Pass Road, he asked about the rumors that a Wendy's was coming to Vinton on By -Pass Road. The Mayor responded that there are those rumors. Hearing no further comments, the Public Hearing was closed - at8:10p.m. Action will betaken on this item at the June 3, Public Hearing was closed 2014 Council meeting. Under citizens' comments and petitions, Bud Atkinson o Tinker Avenue in Vinton addressed Councif concernin issues that he is having with a neighbor and wanted to kno what he could do about it. He will be going to Court o Thursday regarding some of the issues. Vice Mayor Nanc expressed to Mr, Atkinson that he is doing the right thing b using the criminal justice system and that he should continu to do so. The Town Attorney commented also that th criminal process is the best way to go because from th Town's standpoint there are not a lot of remedies for him. Chief Cook commented that they have relayed information t the Commonwealth's Attorney that this is not an isolate• event. Glenn Marshall, also of Tinker Avenue, als addressed Council regarding the same issue and Mr. Nanc .vnd the Town Attorney made similar comments to him regarding the criminal justice system. The next item for consideration was a Resolutio approving the updated Emergency Operations Plan for th Town of Vinton. Chief Cook made brief comments regardin the updated Plan and the need for Council to appoint Director of Emergency Services and a Coordinator o Emergency Services. The Town Manager commented tha if Council is ready to approve the Plan they can make al separate motion appointing the Town Manager, by the Tow Code, as the Director of Emergency Services and that th Town Manager has appointed Chief Cook as the Coordinato *f Emergency Services. Lo IT,lr. Hare asked in the case of an emergency, how this process flows through the chain of command. Chief Cook responded that the Director of Emergency Services has the overall operational administrative decision making and the Coordinator can act on his behalf or in his absence. Council's consent is to approve the Plan and see that the Plan is used during an incident or if we need to declare an emergency, Council would have to make that declaration. A declaration can be made on a very emergency basis, but Council would have to act on that declaration within 14 days. After additional comments, Mr. Hare made a motion to adopt the Plan as presented; the motion was seconded by Mr. Adams and carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0;Adams, Altice, Hare, Nance, Grose; Nays (0). Mr. Hare made a motion to approve appointment of the Town Manager as the Director of Emergency Services and the Ben Cook, Police Chief as the Coordinator of Emergency Services; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Nance and carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0, Yeas (5) — Adams, Altice, Hare, Nance, Grose; Nays (0), The next item was to consider adoption of an Ordinance repealing the Vinton Town Code Chapter 15, Stormwater Management, Chapter 15, 1, Erosion and Sediment Control and Steep Slope Development and Chapter 15.3, Storm Sewer System Illicit Discharge and adopting a new Chapter 79, Stormwater Management. The Town Manager commented that by July 1, 2014 becaus we are an MS4 locality, we will have to enforce the ne Stormwater Management regulations and will also becorn the VSMP authority. As a result of this, we are required t amend our Town Code regarding our Stormwate d Management, Storm Sewer System Illicit Discharge an Erosion and Sediment Control and Steep Stop Development. We are proposing to repeal Chapter and 15.3 and create a new Chapter 79, Sto Stormwater rmwate Management. All of these Management Codes have been reviewed by the DEQ and are in compliance wit1h DEQ standards. Our ordinances mirror Roanoke County's ordinances and we have contracted with them to be our plan reviewer for site plans and our field condons inspector. However, ultimately Town staff is the enforcement agent. The Town Manager further commented that we have participated in the County's Stormwater Advisory Committee, which is a citizen -driven Committee. The Committee's recommendation is to proceed with discussion on how to pay Adopted Resolution No. 2063 approving the updated Emergency Operations Plan for the Town of Vinton Approved appointment of the Town Manager as the Director of Emergency Services and Ben or the Police Chief as the Coordinator of Emergency Services im for the maintenance of the program through a stormwater utility fee, This is not being proposed for consideration by Council at this time, but it will require further discussion in the future. Mr. Hare asked if Council would get the same presentation by the consultant that was given to Roanoke County. The Town Manager indicated that we can get a copy of the presentation that relates to the Town and give to Council. Mr. Mare asked if the Town Manager could summarize what the impact will be for the average citizen in the Town once we enact this Ordinance. The Town Manager responded that there will be very little impact from a homeowner's standpoint, but homeowners' associations that have ponds in the neighbors will be responsible for maintaining those ponds. Vice Mayor Nance asked if staff found any sections in the Ordinance where they felt appropriate to make stricter than required. The Town Manager responded no and in essence we have actually made some of the requirements not as strict. Mr. Nance then asked about Section Applicability, Subsection C, 3 that refers to single-family residences not part of a larger common plan of development or sale. The Town Manager responded that a small subdivision or development has a definition of a site plan and as that plan gets larger (whether it is the number of lots or the size of your development, like a commercial building), eventually you will get to a common plan. The Town Attorney commented that the stormwater is part of that whole plan, not just each place, Mr. Nance also commented on Section 79-9, Town Right of Entry, Subsection B relating to the standard of proof being cause to believe. The Town Attorney responded that almost all of the new regulations are directed by the State and they have determined that is the standard. You have to have a right to go in and inspect. The Town Manager further commented that we will have a standard operating procedure of how we want to implement this and that we will not go on anyone's property without some level of acknowledgement that we are there for a stormwater issue, The Town Attorney further commented that this use to be administered by the State and now the localities are required to do it. There are not a lot of changes from what the State was empowered to do, they are just funneling it down to the localities. She further commented that by getting the permit required or entering into a maintenance agreement, the property owner would be agreeing to these conditions. some of the numbering would change. Adopted Ordinance No. 952 Mr. Adams made a motion to adopt the Ordinance with the repealing the Vinton Town recommended re -numbering by the Town Attorney; the Code Chapter 15, Stormwater motion was seconded by Mr. Altice, and carried by the Management, Chapter 15.1, following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 3-2; Erosion and Sediment Control Yeas (3) —Adams, Altice, Grose; Nays (2) — Hare, Nance. and Steep Slope Development and Chapter 15.3, Storm Sewer System Illicit Discharge and adopting a new Chapter 79, Stormwater Management Under old business, the Town Manager commented that the request for a street light in Gladetown which is on Giles Road definitely meets the requirements and we will be pursuing that with AEP. The traffic light loops at PFG, 3d Street, Pollard and Vinyard on Virginia Avenue will be put back in this week, Also, contact has been made with Mr. Stovall regarding the school sign. Mr. Hare asked about the barriers at the Virginia/Glade intersection to not allow left turns and Mr. Woodson responded that they have bulbs ready to be placed in that area. The next item on the agenda was the presentation of the Financial Reports for March and April 2014. Mr. Hare commented that the Finance Committee met yesterday and one point of interest is that the cigarette tax revenue continues to go down. We are about $17,000 behind where we were at the same time last year and about $25,000 behind from March to April. The original projection was going to be missed by $100,000 and now it is probably going to be $150,000 plus. The gap is much larger than when we reviewed the previous reports. All the departments are running really close, but there is not enough to cover that large of a revenue loss. The Police Department had a pretty big gap several months ago that they have closed substantially. Fire and Rescue is about $60,000 favorable, but we will be spending that toward renovations to the building. Mr. Hare further commented that Mr. Thompson furnished the Committee some policies from various localities, some local and some in other states regarding setting up a reserve ttecount and we will be bringing a report to Council in that regard, possibly as part of our strategic planning retreat, Mr. Hare made a motion to accept the Financial reports for March and April 2014 as presented; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Nance, and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) — Adams, Accepted Financial Reports for Altice, Hare, Nance, Grose; Nays (0). March 2014 and April 2014 The Mayor expressed thanks to the Historical Society for the lunch today and that is good to see activity on the construction site for the new library branch. M Comments from Council: Vice Mayor Nance commented *n the great attendance at the Wine Festival at the War Memorial. The Town Manager commented that this week we are celebrating Public Works, Police and EMS Week. Public Works is having Homestead Creamery Ice Cream on for all employees and the Police Department is having Vito's Pizza Mobile Kitchen for all employees and Council is invited to participate as their schedules will allow. Vice Mayor Nance made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Mr. Adams and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote Adams, Altice, Hare, Nance, Grose; Nays (0) — None. The meeting was adjourned at 9:24 p.m. APPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: N, WV, Susan N. Johnson, Town Clerk HE