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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/15/2011 - Regular �11N T O� Bradley E. Grose, Mayor p r Vinton Municipal Building Robert R. Altice, Councilmember x' 311 South Pollard Street Carolyn D. Fidler, Vice Mayor Z Vinton, VA 24179 Matthew S. Hare, Councilmember b3 (540) 983-0607 William"Wes" Nance, Councilmember O ti 1884 Vinton Town Council Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 15, 2011 AGENDA Consideration of: A. 5:30 P.M. —Work Session 1. Mid-Year Financial Report B. 7:00 P.M. — Roll Call and Establishment of a Quorum C. INVOCATION D. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U. S. FLAG E. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Request to Approve Minutes for January 18, 2011 Regular Meeting 2. Approve Vinton Volunteer Fire Department's Slate of Officers for 2011 F. AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS 1. Recognize Police Officers of the Month for January — Anna V. Wooten, Police Sergeant and Stephen G. Foutz, Police Officer G. CITIZENS' COMMENTS AND PETITIONS - This section is reserved for comments and questions for issues not listed on the agenda H. TOWN ATTORNEY I. TOWN MANAGER 1. Request to Allocate Funding for Capital Projects a. Replacement of Fire Department Roof b. Former 911 Center Renovation c. Police Department Technology Expenditures J. MAYOR K. COUNCIL 1. Finance Committee Report L. ADJOURNMENT NEXT TOWN COUNCIL MEETING: March 1, 2011 NOTICE OF INTENT TO COMPLY WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. Reasonable efforts will be made to provide assistance or special arrangements to qualified individuals with disabilities in order to participate in or attend Town Council meetings. Please call (540) 983-0607 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting date so that proper arrangements may be made. WORK SESSION 1. Discussion — Budget Priorities 2 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 7:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011, 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 Elizabeth Dillon, Town Attorney Darleen Bailey, Town Clerk Michael Kennedy, Public Works Director Stephanie Dearing, Human Resources Manager Herb Cooley, Police Chief Joey Hiner, Assistant Public Works Director Steve Doyle, Vinton Police Department 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 Approval of Minutes for Regular Meetings of December 7 and December 21, 2010 E. AWARDS, RECOGNITIONS, PRESENTATIONS 1. Presentation — Beth Doughty, Roanoke Economic Development Partnership 2. Police Officer of the Month for December, 2010 — Lt. Andrew Corbin F. CITIZENS' COMMENTS AND PETITIONS - This Section is reserved for comments and questions for issues not listed on the agenda G. TOWN ATTORNEY H. TOWN MANAGER 1. Request Approval to Extend Contracts for As-needed Architectural and Engineering Services — Resolution No. 1900 2. Request Approval for Police Department's Capital Projects — Resolution No. 1901 3. Request Re-appropriation of Funds for Encumbrances from June 30, 2010 — Resolution No. 1902 4. Utility Fund Bank Drafts Payment Option 5. Request to Authorize Treasurer to Write Off Delinquent Personal Property Taxes for 2005 — Resolution No. 1903 6. Refuse Collection Study I. MAYOR 1 J. COUNCIL K. CLOSED MEETING 1. Request to Convene in a Closed Meeting Pursuant to §2.2-3711 (A) 3 — Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose or of the disposition of publicly held real property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body L. RECONVENE AND ADOPT CERTIFICATION OF CLOSED MEETING M. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Grose called the regular meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll call, invocation Following roll call, Councilman Hare gave the invocation and and Pledge of Alle- Councilman Altice led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. giance to U.S. Flag. The Consent Agenda was approved on motion by Mr. Hare and Approved Consent seconded by Mr. Altice. The motion passed with all in favor. Agenda Beth Doughty, Executive Director of the Roanoke Valley Economic Roanoke Valley Eco- Development Partnership (Partnership), presented their annual nomic Development report to the Town. During her presentation, she reported that it Partnership Annual appears that 2010 was a significantly better year overall than the Report year before with a 36% increase in activity in the Roanoke Valley. She reviewed some of the ways that the Partnership promotes Vinton throughout the year. She acknowledged some of the Partnership's successful projects over the past year such as Trinity Packaging in Franklin County, Altec in Botetourt County, Max Performance in Roanoke City. Ms. Doughty also discussed asset development that is turning the outdoors into an economic engine. She noted that outdoor recreation contributes $730 billion to the U.S. economy and is the focus for the Partnership. Ms. Doughty reported that outdoor event participation in the area is up significantly even though the rate has declined at the state and national level. Following her report, Mr. Hare inquired as to how the Roanoke Valley is doing economically and was advised by Ms. Doughty that the Valley continues to lose manufacturing jobs. Mayor Grose commented on the importance of having private industry join with local governments in providing funding for the Partnership. He also commented on the wisdom of putting new emphasis on the outdoors. The Mayor expressed his appreciation to Ms. Doughty for her report and pointed out that she was very well respected throughout the 2 Valley, not only by government leaders but also by the private sector. Mr. Nance read a letter from Police Chief Cooley naming Lt. Andrew Corbin as Police Officer of the Month for December. Ms. Caudill reported on a request to extend contracts for as-needed Adopted Resolution architectural and engineering services. She further reported that the No. 1900 authorizing contracts the Town had with Spectrum Design and Wiley/Wilson had new A & E contracts expired and needed to be renewed. She asked that Council authorize the Town Manager to sign a one-year contract with the two providers at the same rate as the initial contract. Ms. Caudill noted that the initial one-year contract included an option to extend the contracts for three one year periods. Mr. Altice moved to adopt proposed Resolution No. 1900 authorizing the Town Manager to renew the contracts with Spectrum Design and Wiley/Wilson for architectural and engineering services. The motion was seconded by Mr. Nance and passed with a unanimous roll call vote. Mr. Lawrence reported that the next item, a request to adopt Pulled item for Police proposed Resolution No. 1901 approving several Police Department Department Capital Capital Projects, had been removed from the agenda and would be Projects — Resolution brought before Council next month. He noted that Council had been No. 1901 briefed on the request at their last meeting. Mr. Lawrence advised that some capital projects had been removed from the list but that funds for the renovation of the old dispatch office, the renovation of the old Records Office into an interview room, data sharing software and the outstanding Verizon bill would remain on the list of capital projects request to be funded. The repair of the Fire Department's roof was briefly discussed. The Town Manager reported that if possible, the roof repairs would be added to the list of Police Department capital projects. He advised that he hoped to have a better idea of what the costs for the roof repair would be by next month. Mayor Grose felt that Council should consider repairing the roof rather than replacing it, if at all possible, due to the Town's financial constraints. He noted that he would not vote for any spending that is not absolutely essential until he is more comfortable with the Town's financial standing. Mr. Altice supported the Mayor's comments but also stated that the Town has to protect its investment in the Fire Department. Ms. 3 Fidler stated that she felt the roof repairs at the Fire Department needed to be done before anything else. Mr. Altice added that maybe the Volunteer Fire Department could assist with the funding of the needed repairs. Mr. Nance advised that he felt it was incumbent that Council micro-manage the Town's budget during this time but felt it was an embarrassment that the Fire Department's roof was allowed to deteriorate to its present condition. Mr. Nance did support the renovation of the records office and the development of an interview room. Safety issues for the Police Department were briefly discussed. Mr. Hare advised that a Finance Committee meeting would take place before the Police Department capital projects issue comes before Council next month. Mr. Thompson reported on a request to re-appropriate encumbered Delayed consideration funds from June 30, 2010. He advised that each year, after the of proposed Resolu- annual audit has been completed, it has been Town policy that tion No. 1902 until the funding for all open purchase orders at the end of the previous fiscal February 1St Council year are re-appropriated and spent. He noted that this year, staff meeting. has tried to reduce the amount of encumbered funds and as a result of their efforts, 2010 encumbered funds were less than in the past several years. He went on to say that this year there was $96,501.45 in encumbered funds in the General Fund, $7,441.62 in the Utility Fund and $47,308.72 in the Capital Improvement Fund. Mr. Thompson reported that Resolution No. 1902 amends the 2010/1011 budget that was adopted in June in order to cover the outstanding purchase orders that were unpaid at the end of the budget year. He explained that staff has discussed a different accounting approach for the next fiscal year when all purchase orders would be closed out at the end of the fiscal year and new purchase orders would be issued on July Vt. Mr. Thompson felt the new accounting system would be better for the Town because it would prevent accounts from appearing to be overspent halfway through the budget year as is now the case. He reported that the current budget year would be the last year that the Town uses the old accounting system where encumbrances would be carried over to the new budget. Mr. Lawrence explained that Council does not have to act on this issue at this meeting but does need to take official action at some point. He recommended that Council look over the project list and determine if they wish to cancel purchase orders for any items that Council feels are unnecessary. Mr. Lawrence reviewed the list of 4 projects included and indicated which had been completed and which had not. In response to a question from Mr. Nance as to whether any of the projects on the list would be completed before Council has a chance to review the list, the Town Manager assured him that staff would be told to hold off on any projects that were carried over from the previous budget. Following considerable discussion on cash flow and surplus funds, Mr. Thompson noted that he did not have to move as much money between funds this year as he did last year as revenues are more stable. Mr. Lawrence asked that Council get in touch with him sometime during the next two weeks if there are any projects listed in the encumbered fund accounts they want pulled so that Resolution No. 1902 could be revised. Mayor Grose asked about using email to contact Councilmembers and whether or not it is legal to do so. The Town Attorney, Elizabeth Dillon, replied that more than two Councilmembers cannot legally have a live chat but email between Councilmembers is legal. She added that Council emails are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Mr. Lawrence advised that Mr. Thompson's report on the Utility Report on Utility Fund Fund Bank Draft Payment Option is not intended to be a formal Bank Draft Payment request and does not need any formal action from Council. He went Option on to say that if Council has any objections after they have heard Mr. Thompson's report, to let him know. Mr. Thompson stated that several other local governments offer this service to their utility customers and he felt that the town should do the same. He noted that the service would be advertised on the Town's website and a notice would be sent out with March's water/sewer bill. After a brief explanation Mr. Thompson reported that he had taken the issue to the Finance Committee for their review before bringing it to the full Council. He noted that if a customer chooses to use this service, there would be a small savings for the Town. After a brief report on how the process would work, Council reviewed the application format that would be submitted by the Utility customer. 5 Mr. Thompson reported on proposed Resolution No. 1903 Adopted Resolution authorizing the write-off of delinquent Personal Property taxes for No. 1903 authorizing 2005. He further reported that the write-off amount would be write-off of delinquent $4,052.46 out of a tax levy of $459,760 or .88%. Mr. Thompson Personal Property advised that all efforts were made to collect the taxes including taxes for 2005 reporting them to the State Debt Set-Off Program. Mr. Hare moved to adopt proposed Resolution No. 1903 authorizing the write-off of delinquent Personal Property Taxes for 2005. The motion was seconded by Mr. Nance and passed unanimously on a roll call vote. Joey Hiner gave an update on the Regional Refuse Collection Study. He reported that the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority (RVRA), the City of Roanoke, County of Roanoke and the Town of Vinton took part in a 1999-2000 regional collection study that was led by R. W. Beck, a consulting firm that provided business, financial, technical, engineering and planning services. Mr. Hiner advised that the purpose of the study was to determine the viability of a regional collection system; to review collection priorities; to develop a cost model and to identify strategies to improve services. He further advised that in 2010 the R. W. Beck study was revisited and a regional collection study team was formed. He noted that the team examined challenges to regional collections and how they would be resolved. In his report, Mr. Hiner made some comparisons between the proposed Regional Solid Waste Collection System and the Town's current collection system. He noted that curbside recycling was not included in the collection data but if reaction to results of the MSW section of the study is favorable, recycling will also be reviewed. Following his presentation, Mr. Hiner advised that the completed study should be ready to present to Council by the end of May. Mr. Lawrence expressed his appreciation to Mr. Hiner and Mr. Cantor for being a part of the Regional Collection Study Team. Mr. Kennedy briefed Council on the Town's snow and ice removal process and equipment that is used. 6 Mr. Hare asked if it was possible to schedule any agency requests for funding in a way that allows Council time to ask questions and obtain information they feel they need before voting on the funding request. Mr. Nance questioned whether Council should consider a soft hiring freeze and to require that department heads get Council's approval before hiring new employees. Mr. Hare agreed with Mr. Nance's comments. Mayor Grose commented that it appears to him that the Town is operating as efficiently as possible and noted that the only other way to cut costs would be to cut personnel. He pointed out that Council needs to keep in mind that hiring was management's territory, not Council's. At 10:00 p.m., a motion was made by Mr. Nance for Council to go into Closed Meeting pursuant to Section 2.2-3711 (A) (3) of the Code of Virginia, as amended, for discussion of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Fidler and passed with all in favor. At 11:00 p.m., the regular meeting convened and the Certification that the closed meeting was held in accordance with State Code requirements was read and adopted on motion by Mr. Altice and was seconded by Ms. Fidler, with all in favor. The regular meeting adjourned at 11:10. APPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: Darleen R. Bailey, Town Clerk 7 AT A CLOSED MEETING OF THE VINTON TOWN COUNCIL, HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011, AT 7:00 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILIDNG, 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA. CERTIFICATION THAT A CLOSED MEETING WAS HELD IN CONFORMITY WITH THE CODE OF VIRGINIA WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Vinton, Virginia has convened a closed meeting on this date, pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the 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 that 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 Altice, and seconded by Vice Mayor Fidler, with the following votes recorded: AYES: Altice, Fidler, Hare, Nance and Mayor Grose NAYS: None Clerk of Council r -- �— Vinton Volunteer Fire Department P.O. BOX 426 ® VINTON, VA. 24179 ., aw February 8, 2011 Vinton Town Council 311 S Pollard St Vinton, VA 24179 Dear Council Members, This letter is written on the behalf of the Vinton Fire Department to inform you of the results of its annual election of officers, in accordance with the By-Laws of the Vinton Fire Department, Article II, Section I. The election results are as follows: Line Officer Chief Richard Oakes Assistant Chief Chris Hepinstall Deputy Chief Craig Sheets Captain Keith Ball Lieutenant Timothy Gonzalez Business Officers: President William English Vice President Dan Rogers Sr. Secretary Jordan Keyser Treasurer Scott Morfitt The following members were present at the time of elections: Donnie Thomas Benny Powell George Stone H.L. Offenbacker Matthew Thomas Preston Gonzalez Jonah Loyd Thomas Simmons John Brindle Hong Ngugen Jonathan Stone Craig Herndon - Vinton Volunteer Fire Department - - P.O. BOX 426 ® VINTON, VA. 24179 5 _ate The following members were absent at the time of elections: Perry Fisher William Rodgers Dan Rodgers Jr. Mitch Rucker The term for the elected officers will begin on the first day of March, 2011. We look forward to serving the community of the Town of Vinton. Sincerely, Jordan Keyser Secretary Vinton Fire Department ViInton Police Department �s 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET O VINTON, VIRGINIA 24179 Z t , HERBERT G.COOLEY CHIEF OF POLICE 03 $ PHONE (540)983-0617 FAX (540)983-0624 A State Accredited Agency February 4, 2011 To: Anna V. Wootten, Sergeant Stephen G. Foutz, Police Officer From: Herbert G. Cooley, Chief of Police Re: Officer of the Month Congratulations! You have Both been nominated and selected as Officer of the Month for the month of January 2011. Stephen G. Foutz—On January 2, 2011 The Vinton first Aid Crew arrived on scene at 101 Oxford Square to find you lying across the patient's bed attending to the patient, who was lying on the floor. You were doing rescue breaths to sustain the patient until rescue arrived. According to rescue, the patient survived thanks to your quick and decisive action. Ana V. Wootten - On January 30, 2011, paramedics arrived on a scene to find you on the floor performing CPR and mouth to mouth on a 13 month old infant. You assisted paramedics in getting the infant to the unit and continued to assist once in the unit. You are credited with doing an outstanding job during an emotionally trying experience. Sergeant Wootten and Officer Foutz; you are both a credit to this department. Good Job! erbert G. Cooley, Chief of Police CC: Chris Lawrence, Town Manager Stephanie Dearing, Human Resources Director Mayor and Members of Council Darleen Bailey, Town Clerk ACTION NO. Reso. 1901 ITEM NO. I. - 1 TO: Town Council FROM: Christopher Lawrence, Town Manager Benjamin L. Cook, Police Captain DATE: February 11, 2011 SUBJECT: UPDATED STAFF REPORT - Special projects for Fire and EMS Department and Police Department ISSUE/PURPOSE: The current condition of the Fire Department Building roof requires replacement of roof. Police Department employee safety and operations necessitates utilizing available building space to better suit the needs of the department. Upgrading multi-jurisdictional data sharing software, and reserving funds that may be needed to pay for Wireless 911 trunk fees that are currently pending. ACTION REQUESTED: Approval at the February 15, 2011 meeting to allow staff to proceed with bidding out the installation of a new roof for the Fire Department Building. Approval to allow the Police Department to move forward in renovating the former dispatch office space to accommodate a new office for the Records Clerk, an interview room, and a conference room / Emergency Operations Center. Approval to allow the Police Department to allocate funding for the upgraded data sharing cost and Wireless 911 trunk fee costs. JUSTIFICATION/ SUMMARY: FIRE DEPARTMENT The results of a building assessment completed on the Fire Department Building identified the existing roof has exceeded its expected life. Additionally, numerous leaks are clearly evident throughout the upstairs area of the building, resulting in the closing of the men's bathroom. The roof requires replacement, which will include the removal of two layers of roofing material currently on the roof and the installation of a new roof. The estimated repair cost according to the building assessment was $80,000. Staff has worked with a reputable roofing company in the valley and has received an estimate of $40,000-50,000. Additional work will include cleaning the men's bathroom, which does not appear to have sustained any real damage other than cosmetic, and the replacement of numerous ceiling tiles. POLICE DEPARTMENT In regards to the Police Department, following the merger of the Vinton and Roanoke County dispatch centers, the old dispatch center is available for use. Prior to the merger, the dispatch office area was scheduled for an $85,000 renovation and upgrade due to poor and old working environment. This is no longer needed and was one of the reasons behind the merger. However, this space is not usable in its current condition and provides .an opportunity to be reprogrammed to meet the needs of the Police Department. It is a recognized project in the Capital Improvement Program scheduled for funding in FY2011/2012. The Police Department has been in need of an interview room, which is best suited in the location that currently houses the records office. The records office will be moved into a more suitable location in the old dispatch center, providing necessary safety for the records clerk, and security for police records and VCIN access. A conference room is another need that has been identified for some time to have small scale incident emergency operations, conduct training, briefings, meetings, etc. The initial proposal was brought to Council on January 181", and included renovating the space and furnishing it at a cost of $12,772. Staff has investigated.these costs and ways to minimize the impact to the town's budget, while still fulfilling this need. To this end, staff has identified grant funds to cover up to $5,000 of expenses related to furnishing this space. These funds are from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and can be used to develop an Emergency Operations Center. There is no financial impact to the town related to this grant. The remaining work to this area would include new flooring to replace the current carpet which is in very poor condition and painting the walls. Staff is willing to do the labor of improving this room by painting the walls, at no cost to the town. Flooring and paint is needed and is estimated to cost approximately $1,500. Therefore, we believe this space can be renovated at a cost of $1,500 to the town, which reduces the impact on the town's budget by $11,272. The final two projects include funding the town's portion of the data sharing expenses and a potential outstanding bill from Verizon for $5,000. The Verizon bill stems from when dispatch was in house and to date the town has not been invoiced for this expense by Verizon. The funding to accomplish these projects will come from within the town's approved budget. The wireless 911 grant account currently has approximately $104,000 remaining. Individual estimated project costs are as follows; Fire Department Building Roof Replacement: $50,000 Records Office: $ 5,000 EOC/conference/training room: $1,500 Interview Room: $3,000 Data sharing: $4,228 Verizon: $5,000 Fire subtotal: $50,000 Police subtotal: $18,728 Total: $68,728 Remaining funds in wireless 911 grant account: $35,272 BUDGETARY IMPACT: No new money is being requested, and there will be no impact to the fund balance; these requests can be fully funded with money contained within the police departments Wireless 911 fund. STAFF COMMENTS/ RECOMMENDATION: Approval of projects DATE ACTION NEEDED: February 15, 2011 RESOLUTION NO. 1901 AT A REGULAR MEETING OF VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 AT 7:00 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING,311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET,VINTON,VIRGINIA. WHEREAS, the Vinton Fire and EMS Department and the Vinton Police Department is requesting approval of special projects, and WHEREAS, these special projects will benefit the Vinton Fire and EMS Department, the Vinton Police Department as well as the Town of Vinton, and WHEREAS, the Fire Department building's roof has met its useful life, regularly leaks causing damage to the interior of the building, and has been identified for replacement through a building assessment study completed in 2009, and WHEREAS, the Police Department has identified safety and operation needs necessitating the renovation of the former 911 dispatch office, as well as technology expenditures for a regional data sharing system and Verizon 911 trunk fee, and WHEREAS, the funds are readily available to cover the cost of all requested projects without increasing the adopted budget or impacting the fund balance, and WHEREAS, the total cost for this request is $68,728, detailed as follows: Fire Department Building Roof $50,000 Records Office: $ 5,000 EOC/conference/training room: $1,500 Interview Room: $3,000 Data sharing system upgrade: $4,228 Verizon 911 Trunk Fee: $5,000 NOW, THERFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Vinton hereby approves the Fire and EMS Department and Police Department's request for special projects, which include replacement of the Fire Department's roof, renovation of the old dispatch center to be utilized as a records office, EOC/conference/training area, and establishing an interview room in the old records office. Approval is also granted to fund an upgrade to the current Data Sharing software and reserving funds for a pending Verizon Wireless 911 trunk fee. From: Wireless 911 Funds 200.3105.324 $68,728.00 To: VPD Special Projects line item 200.3101.722 $18,728.00 To: F&EMS Special Projects line item 200.3205.722 $50,000.00 Total: $68,728.00 This Resolution adopted on motion made by , and seconded by Council , with the following votes recorded: AYES: NAYS: APPROVED: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: Darleen R. Bailey, Town Clerk