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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/4/2010 - RegularMINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2010, 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 Matthew S. Hare William W. Nance STAFF PRESENT: Chris Lawrence, Town Manager Darleen Bailey, Town Clerk Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Barry Thompson, Finance Director/Treasurer Michael Kennedy, Public Works Director Agenda 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. Request to Approve Minutes for Regular Meeting of April 6, 2010 2. Request to Appoint Town Manager to the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission – Resolution No. 1869 ACTION: ADOPT RESOLUTION E. AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS 1. Designation of Town of Vinton as a Tree City USA Community F. CITIZENS’ COMMENTS AND PETITIONS G. TOWN ATTORNEY H. TOWN MANAGER 1. Request to Approve Roanoke Valley Television Budget for 2010/2011 – Resolution No. 1870 I. MAYOR J. COUNCIL K. ADJOURNMENT WORK SESSION 1. Budget Work Session Mayor Grose called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Following roll call, Mr. Bill Booth gave the invocation and Councilman Hare led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Roll call, invocation and Pledge of Allegiance to U.S. Flag. The Consent Agenda was approved on motion by Ms. Fidler and seconded by Mr. Nance, with all in favor. 2 The Town Manager reported that this year is the eighth consecutive year that the town has been designated as a “Tree City”. He noted that the Town currently has 35% tree canopy coverage, He further noted that the national goal for tree canopy coverage is 40%. The Town Manager thanked staff and Anita McMillan in particular, for all the work done to get the trees planted. He pointed out that the trees were purchased with grant funds. Mr. Lawrence also expressed his appreciation to Public Works for helping to prepare the sites for planting and for keeping the trees alive after they were planted. Mr. Booth pointed out the trees planted by PFG two years earlier. Mr. Lawrence added that PFG had planted 11,000 trees on their property which will help deter erosion on Tinker Creek. Mayor Grose expressed his appreciation to staff for getting the trees planted and taking care of them as the trees will improve the appearance of the town and as well as the quality of life. Mr. Lawrence commented that over 1,700 trees have been planted in the Town over the past eight years. Mr. Hare asked about comments on the outdoor concerts at the Dogwood Festival and was advised by Sabrina Weeks, President of the Chamber of Commerce that she attended the concert on Friday evening and worked as a volunteer at the Saturday night concert. She reported that there were no disruptions or arrests made at either event. She went on to say that the Friday evening concert was very well attended but the Saturday evening event was not as successful due to the rain. She went on to say that she received mostly positive comments on the event. Mary Beth Layman updated Council on the Dogwood Festival event. Chris McCarty reported that he had a considerable amount of positive feedback on the Dogwood concert events and noted that he had received several comments from restaurants in town that they had a considerable increase in business during the Dogwood Festival events. Elaine Bays, the Cable TV Access Director for Roanoke Valley Television (RVTV), gave a brief report on RVTV. She explained that RVTV serves the City of Roanoke, the County of Roanoke, the City and County School Systems and the Town of Vinton. Ms. Bays went on to say that RVTV is governed by the Roanoke Valley Regional Cable Television Committee made up by representatives from the three localities and the two school systems. Ms. Bays explained that all productions at RVTV are original productions. She noted that last year, RVTV produced the following Adopted Resolution No. 1870 approving RVTV annual budget 3 videos for the Town of Vinton: 1. the 125 Anniversary Celebration 2. the Vinton Student Government Day 3. Updated Vinton Public Works Video that was done several years ago 4. segments for Roanoke County Today of the Veterans Monument Memorial 5. a segment on the Vinton Corridor Study and the Vinton Façade Program Ms. Bays advised that RVTV has a message board that runs when programming is not on, providing information on Town functions and events. She complemented the Town on being very accommodating and understanding regarding deadlines for Town videos they produce and that her employees enjoy working on Town of Vinton projects. Ms. Fidler complemented Ms. Bays and her staff for their work. Ms. Altice stated that Ms. Bays does a very good job for RVTV. Mr. Nance pointed out that he feels RVTV is an important tool for the Town to use to get information out to the Town’s citizens. Mr. Hare asked if the Town was locked into a certain amount of time for programming and Ms. Bays replied that the time is somewhat flexible and is based on the percentage of cable subscribers in each locality. She noted that Vinton has 4% of cable subscribers and added that she can usually accommodate the Town’s requests on stand-alone programming because the Town never asks for more than RVTV can handle. Ms. Bays advised that most videos produced by RVTV are done for the City, the County or the Town, but will work with regional partners as long as there is a strong tie-in with one of the three localities such as the Resource Authority and the Water Authority. Mr. Altice moved to adopt proposed Resolution No. 1870 approving the Roanoke Valley Television’s FY 2010/2011 Budget. The motion was seconded by Ms. Fidler and passed on a unanimous roll call vote. Mayor Grose reported that he had received a letter from the National Association of Letter Carriers who are the sponsors for the Stamp Out Hunger Day, a one-day food drive that will be held on Saturday, May 8. He went on to say that the Organization has asked the Mayor to proclaim this day as Stamp our Hunger Day in the Town of Vinton. The Mayor requested that Ms. Bailey, the Town Clerk, prepare a proclamation for the Saturday event. Mr. Lawrence added that information on the event can be placed on the Town’s Facebook 4 Page and website. Mayor Grose reported that it was Election Day in the Town and hoped that everyone had voted for the persons they want to see represent the Town. Mark McKaskill who is with the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, reported that some of his colleagues had worked on the tree canopy grant. He stated that the Regional Commission is looking for other grants such as the sustainability grants that were recently announced. Mr. McKaskill noted that these grants will be available for projects when land use and transportation are tied together. He added that there would soon be a second round of the Tiger grants for the Valley’s greenway system. Mr. Hare asked if it would be possible for the Town’s new Economic Development person to come up with a way to measure the impact of the Dogwood Festival on the restaurants in Town. He reported on a citizen’s concerns that Augusta Avenue had become a by-pass and that there is a serious problem with speeding vehicles on Augusta. Mr. Hare stated that he felt that a “stepped up” Police presence would help remedy the situation. Mr. Hare also reported that a large number of trucks are traveling on Augusta Avenue and asked that staff contact some of the companies that are using that street that they need to stay on the main roads and out of the neighborhoods. Ms. Fidler complained that Third Street is being used as a cross-over from Virginia Avenue to Walnut Avenue. She went on to say that when vehicles travel up Fourth Street and make a wide turn to the left to go down Fourth Street, they do not heed the Yield sign at the top of Fourth Street and Cedar Avenue. Mr. Nance commented that the Dogwood Festival event on Friday night was a family event and was very well organized and attended. He noted that events of this type and size need to be very tightly managed if more events are to be held in the future. Mr. Altice stated that he would like for Council to plan a visit to the RVTV studio sometime in July. Mr. Lawrence replied that staff will coordinate that visit. Ms. Fidler commented that her family had a wonderful time at the Dogwood Festival’s Fair. Mr. Lawrence commented on the very successful Dogwood Festival 5-K Run on Saturday morning. Mr. Donald Altice, Councilman Altice’s son, announced the unofficial results of the Council election. 5 Matthew Hare – 301 Robert Altice – 247 Aaron Lyle – 234 Paul St.Clair – 86 The regular meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m. WORK SESSION 1. Budget Worksession A discussion took place regarding the closing of a tobacco store in the Town and the opening of another and how it would affect the Town’s revenues. Mr. Thompson reviewed his department’s accomplishments for the past year. a. Conversion of real estate and personal property to MUNIS Tax Software with Roanoke County. He discussed the many difficulties he has encountered this year with the new MUNIS software used by the County, especially with personal property tax bills. The difficulties with the collection of the VLF fee and ideas on how to improve collection was also discussed. b. Implementation of New Tyler Cashiering for new Tax Software Mr. Thompson noted that his department is running off of two cashiering systems which is not an ideal solution. He stated that he had hoped to move to a new computer system that could interface the two systems but due to financial constrictions, he will not be able to purchase a new system in the foreseeable future. Mr. Thompson advised that his staff is working to increase the capabilities of the Town’s AS 400 software. He reported that his staff is also in the process of moving the system to a point where department heads will be able to make more detailed inquiries and run reports. Mr. Hare inquired as to whether the Town has a disaster recovery plan for the Town’s accounting system. He was advised by the Town Treasurer that the Town does not presently have a formalized disaster recovery plan. He went on to say that the system is backed up each evening and the back-up tapes are removed and taken to the Town’s bank vault for safe keeping. He stated that he has sent a memo to the Town Manager advising that the auditors have requested that the Town devise a formal disaster recovery plan. Mr. Thompson commented that he has worked out a reciprocal agreement with Rocky Mount, who also has an AS 400 system, to use their system as a backup if the Town’s system is down. 6 The Mayor asked if the Town Manager is now able to look at all department’s accounts. Mr. Thompson replied that the capability is there but has not been implemented at this time. Mr. Hare inquired as to if and when these capabilities would be implemented and was advised by Mr. Thompson that it is slated to be completed by June. Mr. Lawrence added that implementing the AS 400’s capabilities is a part of the Town’s succession planning. The Mayor asked if there is local support for the AS 400 system and was advised by the Mr. Thompson that there is local support that is now provided by a third party. c. Development of an Identity Theft Policy and upgraded utility system to comply with “Red Flag” legislation. Mr. Thompson reported that because of the “Red Flag” legislation, the Town is now requiring more information from applicants which has helped collect outstanding bills. d. Implemented Tobacco Tax and Tax Stamps effective August, 2009 e. Set up FTP site for Audit purposes Mr. Thompson advised that setting up the FTP site improved the transfer of information between staff and the auditors. f. Revised the Budget Document with new graphs and charts Mr. Thompson reported that last year, the Town Manager had requested that graphs and charts be added to the budget by this year. g. Department received the GFOA Award for Financial Reporting The Treasurer reported that he has just received notification that his department will receive the GFOA Award again for the 2009 CAFR and expected to receive a plaque sometime in June. Mr. Hare asked if a notice of this award would be placed on the Town’s website. Mr. Thompson stated that he had a press release that he will send out to the local media. Mr. Thompson reviewed his department’s goals for FY 2010-2011: a. Improve customer service and office perception in all aspects of operations by providing the highest level of customer service to our external and internal customers Mr. Thompson reported that he feels that, over all, his department provides very good customer service to its citizens as well as to all of the Town’s departments. b. Elimination of the business license sticker and move to a certificate 7 Mr. Thompson noted that he is planning to go back to a business license certificate which will be less expensive than the sticker was. c. Increase collection activity through automated debt set-off of personal property and real estate through the MUNIS Tax Software. Mr. Thompson advised that staff has been trained to generate a debt set-off file that has to be submitted to the State of Virginia in order for the Town to be eligible to collect outstanding taxes through the debt set-off system. He noted that this system is on a first come/first serve basis. Mr. Thompson commented that he is planning to meet with the Town Attorney to discuss the different methods that are available to collect outstanding debts and will forward the information to the Finance Committee. d. Training on the ACS Computer System to better use the existing financial software He reported that he had communicated with ACS and they are willing to use webinars to train staff on their software. e. Develop a TOV Utility Procedure Manual Mr. Thompson reported that currently, most of the Town’s utility procedures are in the form of memos and are scattered. A procedure manual will ensure that everyone in his office and the Public Works Administration will have the same information when utility issues arise. f. Apply for the GFOA Award for Budgeting Mr. Thompson pointed out that along with the GFOA award for financial reporting, there is an award for budgeting. He noted that, this year, he planned to submit the Town’s budget to GFOA for evaluation. He warned Council that most localities do not receive an award on their first submission. g. Attain GFOA Award for Financial Reporting Budget Highlights Mr. Thompson reported an over all budget increase of .11% from last year and that salaries had been reduced by $3,005 or 2.59%. He reported an increase in benefits of 2.55% due to increased health insurance costs in the amount of $962. Mr. Thompson reported that operating costs decreased by $960 or 1.26%. He advised that the Maintenance Service Contract item decreased by $3,000 and Merchandise for Resale increased by $6,100 due to the need to purchase additional tobacco tax stamps. 8 Mr. Thompson reported that Capital Outlay was decreased by $1,000 to cover unexpected costs for computers that need to be replaced. Mr. Thompson reported that analysis fees, a new line item, increased by $4,500 or 100% due to bank fees. He explained that he has not been able to retain the Town’s compensating balance at a half million dollars as required by the bank and they charge the Town a fee for every transaction when the balance falls below that amount. Mr. Hare inquired as to when the Town last negotiated a bank contract. Mr. Thompson replied that a contract had not been negotiated recently. He added that this would be one way to reduce this fee. Mr. Hare asked if the Finance Department coordinated the purchase/lease of all department’s purchase/lease of copiers/printers. Mr. Lawrence advised that Finance, Administration, Planning and Special Programs have all leased copier/printers from one vender. Mr. Thompson noted that the Police Department leases their machine from a different company. Mr. Hare pointed out that some companies will buy out contracts in order to get a companies business. Mr. Hare made the statement that the Town needs to look at some kind of delegation authority to determine who can purchase or lease a copier. The Mayor stated that he is impressed with this year’s budget format because it is much easier to understand than some of the past budgets have been. Mayor Grose stated that he wants Council to make some kind of effort to let staff know how much their work is appreciated and pointed out that this is the third year that staff has not received salary increases. The Mayor advised that he feels that it is necessary for Council to have more discussion on the Town’s reserve fund sometime in the near future as he is very uncomfortable with what is happening with the fund balance. He questioned o what could be done to ensure that tax payers pay their VLF fees. He asked if the fee could be incorporated with the personal property tax and was advised by Mr. Thompson that the fee cannot be hidden as long as the VLF ordinance is in force and has to be shown on the tax bills as a VLF fee. Mr. Lawrence pointed out that Mr. Thompson has changed the priority of tax payments made so that the VLF fee is paid before any payment is applied to the taxes that are owed.. He noted that taxes are easier to collect than the VLF fee. Mr. Hare asked if it was time to talk about replacing two part-time employees with one full time collections person. Mr. Lawrence replied that Council can make this decision whenever they feel it is needed if they are willing to change the budget. Mr. Lawrence reported on the HR budget in the absence of Beth Austin who is ill. He noted that Ms. Austin spent a lot of time this year on implementing wellness programs. He advised that Ms Austin has worked diligently to have the Town removed from VML Insurance’s “watch list” which will save the Town approximately 5% on their yearly premium. 9 Mr. Lawrence reported that the Town had no grievances this year and the Town’s year-to-date voluntary turnover has been reduced by 40%. He noted that Ms. Austin has a very good relationship with all of the Town’s department heads and employees. Mr. Hare inquired about employee’s responses to the fact that they would not be getting a salary increase again this year. Mr. Lawrence responded that it has not been an issue so far and felt that part of the reason for that was because none of the other local governments have given employee raises. He pointed out that another reason could be that the Town had recently raised employees’ salaries up to a competitive level. Human Resources Goals: Succession Planning Mr. Lawrence stated that there are several employees who will be reaching retirement age within the next five years. Mr. Hare asked if there was a formalized plan for the succession of retiring employees. Mr. Lawrence replied that he would have to speak to Ms. Austin to get an answer to that question. Mr. Nance inquired as to how much of the $10,000 in the education budget was used this year. Mr. Lawrence replied that $8,000 was used this year. He went on to say that if more money was in the fund, it would be used because the town has several employees who are working on their Bachelor’s Degree. Continue to foster and build employee relations Continue to provide leadership training that supports the Town’s vision and strategic plans Evaluate the structure of the employee’s health insurance and determine alternative options that may promote financial wellness for the Town Mr. Lawrence noted that Ms. Austin is currently working on a plan to connect customer service with the Town’s vision and mission. He noted that the HR Manager is currently working with a trainer at Virginia Western on this issue. Budget Highlights Mr. Lawrence reported that HR reduced Legal Services by $3,500 because she has used this line item very little in the past couple of years. He noted that when she does need legal advice, she uses the Town Attorney which gets charged back to the Town Manager’s budget. Contractual Services was reduced by $1,650 because the number of employees leaving the Town has decreased and if someone leaves a position, it will probably be left empty for a while. 10 Tuition Reimbursement Mr. Lawrence reported that Tuition Reimbursement has been decreased this year by $2,000. He noted that those employees already in the system will continue to be supported but any employee planning to begin work on their degree next year may not get any support from the Town due to a lack of available funds. . The Town Manager reported that, overall, the HR Department budget was reduced by 9%. Mr. Thompson noted that there is $5,000 in the budget for customer service training that was not mentioned. Mayor Grose stated that he is really happy to hear about the upcoming customer service training. He stated that the training that staff has received has made a huge difference in the Town’s employees. He noted that some of the training should not be optional. Town Manager’s Office Accomplishments Mr. Lawrence reported on the assessment of the Municipal Building as well as the Health Department Building and the Fire House that was completed this year. He noted that the assessment of other Town buildings will continue. He reported that the Town received a $35,000 grant for downtown improvements. He stated that the Town continues to work with Roanoke County on change of use issues, development and business codes. The Town Manager’s Office has made strides and continues work on electronic documentation through a Laserfiche system. He gave a brief explanation as to how the system works. Goals: Development of a New Town Website The Town Manager advised that the new website will not be completed until after the town’s consultants have completed work on the “branding of the Town”. He reported that the County has contracted with a company to develop a new website for them and has allowed the Town to “piggy-back” on their contract. This has saved the Town a considerable amount of money without losing any control of the website. It was noted that the only requirement would be that the Town has to work off of the County’s schedule. Mr. Lawrence commented that he believes Council will be very proud of the new website. Mr. Nance asked if the timing for the branding would interfere with the timing for the website. Mr. Lawrence replied the timing should work out okay. 11 Facilitate and Engage Town Council and the Community to Develop a Long Term Financial Plan to Ensure Financial Sustainability of the Town. Mr. Lawrence noted that the Town’s long-term financial sustainable model as a town has big hurdles to overcome such as the Gainsharing and Utility system agreements with Roanoke County. He went on to say that now is a very good time to get conversations underway on how to replace the funds from the County that the Town will lose when the agreements end. Provide leadership and direction to town departments to improve customer service value in all operations of town services Evaluate and continue implementation of the electronic document management program for use by other departments Mr. Lawrence stated that this goal will help manage information and reduce the amount of printing that has to be done. Improve customer service and provide a stronger more unified connection between the multiple departments and agencies that impact the business community Enhance and continue to develop the branding and market positioning of the Town of Vinton Mr. Lawrence advised that this will be accomplished through the website and by tying it into the Town’s special events. Mr. Lawrence reported that the Town Manager’s Office is the only department that has a sizeable increase. He explained that it was discovered that, somehow, one employee’s VRS contribution in the amount of $3,500 had not been allocated to the correct account. He noted that all of the other accounts had been reduced. Mr. Hare asked if funds from the Flower Fund had been included in the budget and was advised that they had not been. After some discussion, it was the consensus of Council to use the $5,000 interest from the flower fund to refurbish the Town’s seven welcome and wayfinding signs. A discussion then took place on ways to use the flower fund’s principal amount. Council recommended using the Flower Fund principle to tear down the garage on Walnut that is owned by the Town and currently being used as a storage area. The Town Manager commented that destruction of the building will have to be further discussed before a decision is made to tear it down. Ms. Fidler asked if there was money in the budget to repair the railing at the Council Chambers back exit steps. Economic Development Accomplishments 12 Successful façade grant applications for Vinton Appliance and Mazeka Property In response to a question from Mr. Nance, Mr. Lawrence gave a brief update on the Façade Program and discussed the possibility of expanding the grant area district. Successful in receiving $10,000 grant from VHDA to develop a feasibility study for Vinton Ford property Reorganization of Town Manager’s Office staff to increase the focus and resources dedicated to economic development and improving business relationships Budget Highlights Mr. Lawrence reported that the Façade Grant was not funded in the proposed budget but that $40,000 remains in the Town/County project account for the upcoming year’s applications. He also pointed out that the web redesign is scheduled for implementation by the fall of 2010. Mr. Lawrence advised that training, travel and membership funds were added to the Economic Development as Ms. Caudill would need these tools if she is going to be successful in her new endeavor. It was the consensus of Council that they not attend the VML Conference in October due to budget constrictions. The work session adjourned at 10:30 p.m. APPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: Darleen R. Bailey, Town Clerk 13