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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/6/2026 - Regular 1 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 6:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026, 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, Town Clerk Jeremy Carroll, Town Attorney Tim Lawless, Deputy Chief of Police Tiffany Stewart, Interim Finance Director Kimberley Ramsey, Interim Treasurer Mayor Grose called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The Town Clerk 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. Under Upcoming Community Events/Announcements, and Council Activities, Council Member McCarty announced the following events: Town Offices will be closed on Monday, January 19 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Vice Mayor Mullins announced the following Council Activities: December 4 – Mayor Grose, Vice Mayor Mullins, Council Member McCarty, and Council Member Stovall attended the Christmas Parade; December 9 – Mayor Grose, Vice Mayor Mullins, Council Member McCarty, and Council Member Stovall attended the Santa Crawl; December 10 – Mayor Grose and Vice Mayor Mullins attended the State of the County Address; December 10 – Council Member Stovall attended the Virginia Municipal Board meeting; December 11 – Council Member Stovall attended the monthly Staff Birthday Luncheon, the RVTPO meeting, and the Vinton Chamber of Commerce Holiday Open House; December 12 – Mayor Grose, Vice Mayor Mullins, Council Member McCarty, and Council Member McCarty attended the Staff Holiday Party, and Mayor Grose attended the VFW Anniversary 2 meeting; December 16 – Mayor Grose and Council Member Stovall attended the Finance Committee meeting, and Mayor Grose, Vice Mayor Mullins, Council Member McCarty, and Council Member Stovall attended the Council & Administration Holiday Party; December 18 – All members of Council attended the Public Works Holiday Luncheon. Under Requests to Postpone, Add to, or Change the Order of the Agenda, Mr. Peters requested to postpone Item H, Update from Vinton Police Department, and then requested to add a Resolution to approve Check Signing Authority under Item J5. Council Member Stovall made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented with the minutes of the Regular Meeting on December 2, 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 of December 2, 2025. Under Awards, Introductions, and Presentations, there were no awards, introductions, or presentations. Under Citizens’ Comments and Petitions, no one offered any comments. Under Briefings, the update from Vinton Police Department was removed from the agenda and will be presented at the next Town Council meeting on January 20, 2026. Under Items Requiring Action, Mr. Peters presented a Resolution to Council authorizing the Town Manager to execute second amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding with Roanoke County for the Vinton/East Roanoke County Hotel project. Vice Mayor Mullins made a motion to approve the Resolution authorizing the Town Manager to execute second amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding with Roanoke County for the Vinton/East Roanoke County Hotel project; 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 Resolution No. 2658 authorizing the Town Manager to execute second amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding with Roanoke County for the Vinton/East Roanoke County Hotel project. 3 Under Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees, Allen Kasey’s term on the Board of Zoning Appeals expires on January 16, 2026. Mr. Kasey would like to be re-appointed. The Town Clerk requested Council to reappoint Mr. Kasey to a new five-year term beginning January 17, 2026, and ending January 16, 2031. Council Member Stovall made a motion to reappoint Mr. Kasey as a member of the Board of Zoning and Appeals to a new five-year term beginning January 17, 2026, and ending January 16, 2031; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles, carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Under Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees, Mayor Bradley Grose and Cody Sexton’s term on the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority expires on February 3. 2026. The Town Clerk requested Council to reappoint them to new four-year terms beginning February 4, 2026, and ending February 3, 2030. Council Member McCarty made a motion to reappoint Mayor Brad Grose and Cody Sexton as members of the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority to new four-year terms beginning February 4, 2026, and ending February 3, 2030; the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Mullins, carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Under Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees, the Town Clerk recommended Council to appoint Richard W. Peters, Jr., as a member of the Greater Roanoke Transit Board for the remainder of Andrew Keen’s term that ends on June 30, 2026, since Mr. Keen is no longer employed with the Town. Vice Mayor Mullins made a motion to appoint Richard W. Peters, Jr., as a member of the Greater Roanoke Transit Company Board for the remainder of the term that ends on June 30, 2026; the motion was seconded by Council Member McCarty, carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Reappointed Allen Kasey as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals. Reappointed Mayor Brad Grose and Cody Sexton as members of the Western Virginia Regional Industrial Facility Authority. Appointment of Richard W. Peters, Jr. to the Greater Roanoke Transit Company Board. 4 Under Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees, Chapter 4 of the Charter of the Town of Vinton provides for the appointment of deputies to each of the appointive officers by Town Council. Mr. Sexton presented a Resolution acknowledging the following deputies for each appointive officer: Deputy Town Manager – Adam E. Cody Sexton Deputy Town Treasurer – Kimberley A. Ramsey Deputy Town Clerk – Julie S. Tucei Deputy Town Attorney – Michael W. S. Lockaby Deputy Chief of Police – Timothy J. Lawless Council Member Liles made a motion to approve a Resolution appointing authority to deputies for each of the appointive officers; the motion was seconded by Council Member Stovall, carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Under Appointments to Boards, Commissions, and Committees, Mr. Sexton presented a Resolution to Town Council to approve check signing authority to Richard, W. Peters, Jr., Adam E. Cody Sexton, Kimberley A. Ramsey, and Megan K. Lawless to countersign checks in the manner as provided by Section 2-93 of the Town Code and that the necessary signature cards be executed and placed at the appropriate depositories of Town Funds. Council Member McCarty made a motion to approve the Resolution to approve check signing authority; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles, carried by the following vote, with all members voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. Council Member McCarty suggested that staff call the bank before they show up for signature cards. Under Town Attorney, Mr. Carroll provided some clarity on the different appointments and reminded Council that the appointment of the appointive officers, such as Chief of Police, will be held next January. Under Town Manager’s Project Updates & Comments, Mr. Peters announced that Tiffany Stewart will serve as the Interim Finance Director, and Kimberley Ramsey will serve as the Interim Adopted Resolution No. 2659 appointing authority to deputies for each appointive officer. Adopted Resolution No. 2660 approving check signing authority. 5 Town Treasurer. A press release will be sent to Vinton Messenger. He advised that all positions within the Finance Department will be evaluated over the next month or two with additional changes coming. Mr. Peters then acknowledged Mandy Adkins, Director of Cultural Placemaking & Events, and Nathan McClung, Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning as 40 Under 40 recipients in the Roanoker Magazine. Mrs. Adkins and Mr. McClung will be invited to a future Town Council meeting for a more formal recognition of this achievement. Next, Mr. Peters shared that the Planning and Zoning Department received $80K through the Safe Streets For All program that the Town adopted. With this grant, the plan is to study the corridor between Famous Anthony’s and Burger King. Mr. Peters stated that Deputy Chief Lawless was able to secure an equipment grant for $90K through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services for advanced 3D imaging software that will allow the Criminal Investigations Division to recreate crime scenes to further their investigations. Last, the Mountain View Road project received an internal award through VDOT officials. The project was recognized for its creativity and cost saving initiatives. No further comments or questions were provided. Under Council and Mayor comments, Council Member Stovall acknowledged the deputy positions as highly respected members of the team. He then complimented Town events and how beautifully decorated the Town was for Christmas. Council Member Stovall continued with comments on how solid the Town is by fostering the employees; he is proud to be a part of the Town. Last, he shared that he will be running for Town Council again. Vice Mayor Mullins wished everyone a happy new year. She commented on how fun December was and complimented the staff for also getting the work done. 6 Council Member McCarty thanked all the staff who worked on the 2026 Town Calendar. She expressed appreciation to all the staff for the events in December. She then gave a shout out to Vinton Appliance for their excellent customer service. Last, Council Member McCarty announced she will run for Town Council again. Council Member Liles congratulated Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Ramsey for their interim roles. He then recognized that today marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Mrs. Stovall, the mother of Council Member Stovall. Council Member Liles then congratulated Vice Mayor Mullins on her daughter’s wedding. He ended his comments with wishing everyone a happy new year. Mayor Grose reiterated everything that was said by Council. He shared appreciation for staff and the members of Council. He then acknowledged the VDOT award for Mountain View Road, the grant that Deputy Chief Lawless received, and the interim roles for Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Ramsey. Mayor Grose also acknowledged the work from the Public Works Department on demolishing and removing a shack on Town property as this made many citizens happy. Mayor Grose congratulated Veterans of Foreign Wars on their 80-year anniversary. Last, he encouraged everyone to read the Vinton Messenger to see the milestones of 2025. No further comments or questions were provided. Vice Mayor Mullins made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Liles and carried by the following vote 5- 0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. ATTEST: _______________________________ Megan K. Lawless, Town Clerk Meeting Adjourned at 6:45 p.m. APPROVED: _______________________________ Bradley E. Grose, Mayor