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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/6/2025 - Regular1 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 6:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2025, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE VINTON MUNICIPAL BUILDING LOCATED AT 311 SOUTH POLLARD STREET, VINTON, VIRGINIA MEMBERS PRESENT: Bradley E. Grose, Mayor Laurie J. Mullins, Vice Mayor Keith N. Liles Sabrina M. McCarty Michael W. Stovall STAFF PRESENT: Richard Peters, Town Manager Cody Sexton, Deputy Town Manager Megan Lawless, Executive Assistant to the Town Manager Donna Collins, Human Resources/Risk Management Director Andrew Keen, Finance Director/Treasurer Jill Loope, Special Projects Assistant to the Town Manager Fabricio Drumond, Police Chief Jesse Dibble, Police Corporal Brandon Alterio, Police Sergeant Jason Call, Police Sergeant Daniel Valladarez, Police Officer Julie Tucei, Planning and Zoning Coordinator Jeremy Carroll, Town Attorney Mayor Grose called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Mrs. Tucei called the roll with Council Member Liles, Council Member McCarty, Council Member Stovall, Vice Mayor Mullins, and Mayor Grose present. Roll call After a Moment of Silence, Council Member Liles led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag. Under upcoming community events/ announcements, and Council Activities, Council Member McCarty announced the following: May 10 – Vinton History Museum Garage Sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Museum; May 26 – Town Offices Closed for the observance of Memorial Day; June 3 – Ribbon Cutting for Glade Creek Greenway Phase 2B from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; June 7 – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vinton History Museum Ice Cream Social First Saturday Event at the Museum; and June 14 – Mingle at the Market with Filthy Souls and Gasoline Alley. Council Member McCarty encouraged everyone to visit the community's many restaurants and entertainment venues and to follow the Town’s social media and website for more information. 2 Vice Mayor Mullins announced the following Council activities: April 17 – Mayor Brad Grose attended William Byrd High School’s Navy National Defense Cadet Corps First Military Ball; April 24 – Vice Mayor Laurie Mullins and Council Member Sabrina McCarty attended Town of Vinton Arbor Day Celebration at the Vinton Branch Library; April 24 – Council Member Mike Stovall attended the RVTPO meeting; April 26 – Mayor Brad Grose, Vice Mayor Laurie Mullins, and Council Members Keith Liles, Sabrina McCarty and Mike Stovall attended the 70th Annual Dogwood Festival; April 29 – Council Member Keith Liles attended the Vinton Planning Commission Work Session; April 30 – Mayor Brad Grose attended a Staff Meeting with the Town Manager and staff; and April 30 – Council Member Keith Liles attended the Comprehensive Plan 2050 Citizen Advisory Committee. Under requests to postpone, add to, or change the agenda, there were no requests for postponements, additions, or changes. Council Member Stovall made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented with the minutes of the Regular Meeting on April 15, 2025; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Approved the minutes of the Regular Meeting on April 15, 2025. Under awards, introductions, presentations, and proclamations, Mr. Peters introduced the new Executive Assistant to the Town Manager, Megan Lawless. He also thanked Ms. Tucei for helping with the Council Meeting tonight. Mr. Peters mentioned that Ms. Lawless is wife to Deputy Chief of Police Tim Lawless. Ms. Lawless said she is very happy to be here. Everyone welcomed her aboard. Council Member Stovall read a proclamation for National Police Officers Week from May 11 to May 17. Mayor Grose thanked him. Mr. Stovall presented the proclamation to Chief Drummond and the officers who were in attendance. Chief Drummond thanked the Council for their support, and he said it is a privilege to serve alongside the officers of the department. 3 Council Member McCarty read a proclamation for Business Appreciation Month for May. Council Member Liles read the National Small Business Week Proclamation for May 4 to 10. Ms. Loope said May is the time that we pause to say thanks to our small businesses, over 600 in the Town. She introduced Heather Fay and Tom Tanner from the Greater Roanoke and New River Valley Small Business Development Center She also introduced Nadean Carson of Oya Construction, LLC., who was awarded the 2024 Regional Small Business Veteran of the Year for her business located in the Town that began in the Gauntlet. Vice Mayor Mullins read a Proclamation for Ms. Carson from the Town of Vinton. Ms. Loope thanked Ms. Carson for her hard work and energy. Ms. Carson expressed thanks to the Town of Vinton and Mr. Peters. Under citizen comments and petitions, there were no comments or petitions from citizens. Under items requiring action on the agenda, there was a motion to adopt a Resolution authorizing the renewal of the Town of Vinton Employees’ group health insurance coverage with The Local Choice Program for the contract year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Ms. Collins presented the Resolution for the employee health insurance. She reported that the Town will continue to offer the same health insurance plans with no cost increase. She also said that the Town is still able to offer free coverage for the employees. Council Member Stovall stated that giving the employees a pay raise and not raising the cost of insurance is a job well done. Mayor Grose said he appreciates the efforts of the Town Staff to stay healthy. Council Member McCarty made a motion to authorize the renewal of the Town of Vinton Employees’ group health insurance coverage with The Local Choice Program for the contract year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Mullins, carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Approved Resolution No. 2643 authorizing the renewal of the Town of Vinton Employees’ group health insurance coverage with The Local Choice Program for the contract year July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. 4 Ms. Collins informed them about the Field of Honor which will consist of 300 American flags on the lawn of the Vinton War Memorial in honor of our veterans and first responders. She said they are looking for volunteers on May 9 at 10 a.m. to assist with setting up the flags. Mayor Grose thanked Ms. Collins and Town Staff for putting together the Field of Honor display. Under items requiring action under the agenda, there was a motion to consider the adoption of a Resolution authorizing the Town Manager to execute a Real Property Lease with Option to Purchase Agreement between RSP11, LLC, and the Town for approximately 0.1083 acres located at 307 South Pollard Street, identified as Tax Parcel Number 060.15-07-43.00. Ms. Loope stated that the Town has renegotiated the lease with the owner of 307 S. Pollard Street. The Town worked with the property owner to develop a lease/purchase agreement very similar to the one we had in place before. The plan is to construct a two-story building to expand the restaurant with a first floor for additional seating with a deck/patio for outdoor dining and cold storage in the back. The second floor will consist of a residential unit. The purchase price is $20,000 with a $100,000 estimated investment. Ms. Loope said it would be a one-year lease with three-one- year renewals for $250.00 a year. Again, this is very similar to the first agreement that was in place, with a few exceptions. There were no comments or questions about this from the Town Council. Council Member Liles made a motion to authorize the Town Manager to execute a Real Property Lease with Option to Purchase Agreement between RSP11, LLC, and the Town for approximately 0.1083 acres located at 307 South Pollard Street, identified as Tax Parcel Number 060.15-07-43.00; seconded by Council Member Stovall, carried by the following roll call vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Approved Resolution No. 2644 authorizing the Town Manager to execute a Real Property Lease with Option to Purchase Agreement between RSP11, LLC, and the Town for approximately 0.1083 acres located at 307 South Pollard Street, identified as Tax Parcel Number 060.15-07-43.00 Under briefings, Ms. Loope provided an update on Economic Development in the Town. Ms. Loope 5 reported that the Town has nearly completed the purchase of the DR Music property. The site has been stabilized, and the Town is working with the surrounding property owners to rebuild the project. There are various approaches being evaluated from a phased-in version of the project to a full-scale build-out, which can include a combination of retail and residential uses with the number of units and total square footage to be determined. A grant request of $734,810 from Virginia Housing has been submitted for the maximum build out, and it has not been determined which approach will be implemented yet. Ms. Loope also reported that there is a degree of anxiety over cost control, which is causing uncertainty with investors to take risks with new project investments. She said that escalation in pricing for materials is a great consideration in the decision-making process. Ms. Loope also briefed the Council on the 7 Walnut/McClung Property. The lease agreement has been signed between the Town and the property owner, and the structural assessment and asbestos survey have been completed. The Phase II ESA is currently underway. Ms. Loope stated that the Town is planning to issue a request for proposals to give interested developers an opportunity to secure a sublease to manage the build-out and operations for a multi-tenant space. This will involve a complex financial analysis by a developer who will analyze the cost of improvements and the return on investment to convert the space into a multi- tenant building. Ms. Loope also briefed Council on the Gish Mill project. She stated that the project has progressed from stabilization of the structure to rehabilitation. Interior construction is underway with an opening planned by Spring of 2026. For the Hotel Project, Ms. Loope said that the site plan has been submitted, and construction is expected to begin by the end of May (or early June) and will continue over the next year. Staff are working with the general contractor to assist with securing local sub-contractors for the site work and construction activities. They are strong supporters of using local contractors, which is encouraged and appreciated. Also, the Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for their Charlottesville hotel, which is now open and had 6 more than 30 guests to date. A grand opening will be planned soon, and they will inform the Town of the date if leadership and Council would like to attend. Ms. Loope reported that construction is underway at Stone Plaza, and they are halfway done with the walkway from Lee Street and Walnut Avenue to Pollard Street. The improvements being made are ADA compliant. She said that the McClung parking lot is already being used as it was intended with people parking there and using the walkway as a connector to Pollard Street. Design plans for the public space are being evaluated to maximize the aesthetics, appeal and functionality of the space for the public. This could potentially include unique features that are incorporated into the plaza. She said they are two weeks ahead of schedule with the project expected to be completed in June. Lastly, Ms. Loope stated that the Virginia Energy Grant through the US Department of Energy has made available for $1.6 million in block grants to Virginia communities for marketing, education and outreach grants. Vinton has received $100,000 in two grants totaling $200,000 for capacity building, education and training to boost staff for energy auditor education, certification and training. The overall objective of the program is to secure and train a total of 10 individuals to become certified residential energy auditors, which will expand the local workforce capable of performing high-quality home energy assessments. The Town will partner with a third-party provider that will coordinate the training and certifications for these individuals. The grant will require minimal staff involvement, oversight and administration. Under briefings, Mr. Peters provided an overview of the Town Manager’s Recommended Budget for FY 2025-2026. Mr. Peters presented a PowerPoint presentation, a copy of which will be made a part of the permanent record of this meeting. He stated that the budget looks very similar to what they saw a few weeks ago, but that some numbers have been updated since then. He mentioned that nothing negative came out of the Governor’s announcements last Friday. He again mentioned that there is not a lot of new information, just updated numbers. Mr. Peters reviewed the six 7 goals for the presentation tonight that are included in his PowerPoint. He mentioned that the fund balance is the Town’s reserves. He stated that the Town has been using one-time money to fund Capital Improvement Program (CIP) items. He said that we have been able to draw good interest rates. However, the fund balance is drawing down. He stated we are proposing to use about $900,000 this year for Economic Development Performance Agreements. He mentioned that it is typical of local governments to use the fund balance for these types of items. Mr. Peters said the Town will receive the last payment from the Western Virginia Water Authority this year for the water system. He pointed out that the economy has been doing well up to now. He said that the Town has Rosie’s and has added some new restaurants to the area. Mr. Peters said there is caution about the economy in the forecast. He mentioned that there is still growth in our revenue, but it is not as much as years past. He reviewed the major revenue sources—real estate, personal property, business licenses, state sales, meals, and pari-mutuel. He stated that the projections are cautious due to the economy. Mr. Peters said that the numbers shown for Rosie’s do not factor in any potential new legislation from the State of Virginia regarding how much the Town receives. Mr. Peters mentioned that the Town Department’s expenditures are flat, with most increases in personnel. He stated that it takes good compensation to attract and retain good talent. He said that other major expenditures include the annual paving and the Economic Development Performance Agreements. He pointed out that the Police Department and the Public Works Department make up half of the Town’s budget. They are the largest and have the most employees. Mr. Peters said that a three percent raise across the board is proposed for employees, plus a targeted additional 1.5% raise for the Police and Public Works Departments. He stated that there is a lot of competition for employees in those departments. He said it will also help with the Public Works staff being able to make fair wages. Next, Mr. Peters showed a slide in the PowerPoint presentation which illustrated the contributions to be made to community organizations. He also briefly went over the (CIP) items for this year, including a streetsweeper, which was prioritized over a knuckleboom truck; Downtown furniture which is needed for the lower block of Pollard Street; HVAC upgrades for Public Works; 8 Gateway Entrance Signs, which will be fabricated and installed in July possibly; and the Vinton History Museum cargo lift which may or may not need all of the planned $50,000. Vice Mayor Mullins asked where the Town had landed on the multi-generational park. Mr. Peters stated that we may have a mid-year request to complete the park, and the funds will come from fund balance. He mentioned that names for the park have been looked at, and they may come back to Council to help with the selection of the final name for it. Next. Mr. Peters reviewed a slide showing a balanced general fund budget of $13,557,181. He reminded the Council that there will be a Public Hearing on May 20 for the budget, with June 3 being the budget adoption meeting. He asked them to let Mr. Sexton or Mr. Keen know if there are any questions about the budget. Mayor Grose thanked staff for all the hard work on the budget. Mr. Peters thanked his team for all their hard work. Mayor Grose asked if there were any other questions, and there were none. Under the Town Attorney portion of the agenda, Mr. Carroll reported that the Town will be closing next week on May 15 tentatively, on the DR Music lot in Downtown. He stated that the lot is covered by the Town’s insurance in the meantime. 9 Under the Town Manager’s Project Updates/Comments, Mr. Peters acknowledged the Vinton Dogwood Festival and its volunteers. He said they provided an adequate number of volunteers to work with Town staff during the event and said they put on a great show. He recognized the Special Programs, Police and Public Works staff for working on the festival this year. Mr. Peters said the weather and attendance were great. He also appreciated the Council’s participation. He thanked the Town staff and volunteers. Mr. Peters said the fireworks at the Farmers’ Market were incredible. He stated that they were not much smaller than the July 4th fireworks shows the Town holds. He said the company who supplies the fireworks, Grucci, did a great job on them. Mayor Grose said he received numerous comments about how nice the festival was this year. He said it is a wonderful Town tradition, and he said that the Dogwood Festival Committee and Town staff should be very proud of it. Mayor Grose stated that the Dogwood Festival’s car show at the new parking lot received a lot of praise from participants. He also mentioned that it is amazing how quickly our Public Works staff cleans up after the festival. Under the Council and Mayor portion of the agenda, Council Member Stovall echoed Mayor Grose’s comments on the Vinton Dogwood Festival. He said there were a lot of people in attendance this year. He mentioned that Angie Chewning from the Vinton Chamber told him they had 191 vendors at the festival this year. He said that the people loved the free cupcakes the festival had in honor of their 70th year. Council Member Stovall also commended Dale Wilkinson who he said has put his fingerprint on the Town. Mr. Stovall said he is proud of Mr. Wilkinson’s work, and he said he tips his hat to him. Vice Mayor Mullins commended Mr. Peters for all his work on the Dogwood Festival, as well as the Vinton Police and Public Works Departments. She said she noticed that there were a lot of people from outside Vinton who attended the festival which she thought was remarkable. Vice Mayor Mullins also mentioned that she had a fun day attending the Town’s Arbor Day Celebration and seeing Smokey Bear there. Mayor Grose commended her for the video interview with RVTV for the Arbor Day Celebration. 10 Council Member McCarty said Vice Mayor Mullins did a great job at the Arbor Day Celebration at the library. She also mentioned that there is a lot going on at the Vinton Library and she recommended people go check out all the activities they have there. She said she was very thankful the weather was nice for the Dogwood Festival this year. Council Member Liles said the Dogwood Festival this year was fantastic. He said he really liked the car show at the new parking lot. He reiterated what Council Member Stovall said about Dale Wilkinson. He said that Mr. Wilkinson likes to stay behind the scenes on his projects. He mentioned that work has been going on for a year on the Comprehensive Plan Update and mentioned that they just had their last advisory committee meeting in April. Mayor Grose said the Comprehensive Plan is very important to the Town. He thanked Council Member Liles for his involvement in it. Council Member Liles showed appreciation for the citizens who have participated in the process. Mayor Grose stated that we are fortunate to have Mr. Wilkinson interested in our Town. He also said that the Vinton Dogwood Festival was great this year. Mayor Grose mentioned that he had attended the ROTC ball, and it was a wonderful tradition that has been brought back. He said the highlight was the grog. Mayor Grose recommended others attend the event if they have an opportunity in the future. Vice Mayor Mullins made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:14 p.m.; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Meeting adjourned APPROVED: _________________________________ Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ Richard W. Peters, Jr., Town Clerk