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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/20/2026 - Work Session 1 MINUTES OF A WORK SESSION WITH THE VINTON TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT 4:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 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 Michael W. Stovall Keith N. Liles Sabrina M. McCarty STAFF PRESENT: Richard Peters, Town Manager Cody Sexton, Deputy Town Manager Megan Lawless, Town Clerk Tiffany Stewart, Interim Director of Finance Kimberley Ramsey, Interim Town Treasurer Fabricio Drumond, Chief of Police Timothy Lawless, Deputy Chief of Police Donna Collins, Director of Human Resources & Risk Management Anita McMillan, Director of Planning and Zoning Nathan McClung, Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning Jamie Hurt, Director of Capital Projects Mandy Adkins, Director Cultural Placemaking & Events Jill Loope, Special Projects Assistant to the Town Manager Mayor Grose called the work session to order at 4:06 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. Mr. Peters opened the work session by providing a quick briefing on the purpose of the work session, which was to introduce a draft of the Strategic Plan that was the result of the Council Retreat held on November 5, 2025. He shared that the Strategic Plan will come to Council for adoption, likely on February 3, 2026. Mr. Peters then introduced Mike Callahan and Vlad Gavrilovic from 3TP Ventures who have been working on the Strategic Plan. Mr. Callahan greeted and thanked Council for their time and proceeded to review a PowerPoint presentation, which will be kept on file at the Town Clerk’s office as part of the permanent record. Mr. Gavrilovic greeted and thank Council for their participation in the drafting of the Strategic Plan. He continued with the PowerPoint presentation and highlighted the intent and process of a strategic plan. Mr. Callahan then shared the results of the pre-retreat analysis to include the sorting of vision principles by level of urgency for the next five years. Those vision principles include adaptability, exceptional town services and infrastructure, housing for all phases of life, sociable and welcoming small town, safe and connected streets, thriving and authentic downtown, connected and collaborative with the region, parks for all, outdoor recreation hub, and environmental stewardship leader. 2 Mr. Callahan continued with the PowerPoint presentation and shared a summary from the retreat which included survey results on how Council wants to prioritize resources. Council’s priorities included updating the zoning code, adopting financial incentives for housing, purchasing properties for economic development, funding to improve aging housing stock, and connect downtown to River Park. Next, Mr. Callahan discussed the vision and mission for the Town of Vinton. The vision statement expresses where the Town wants to be in 25 years, while the mission summarizes the principles of how the Town will get there. Proposed Vision Statement: Vinton embraces the future. In 2050 the Town retains its safe and welcoming small-town character, has well maintained public infrastructure, provides more housing opportunities, and delivers exceptional civic services for all. The Town’s historic downtown will be a local regional destination, walkable from surrounding neighborhoods with authentic gathering spaces, vibrant events, and flourishing business community. Proposed Mission Statement: The Town of Vinton will work to achieve our Vision by: • Maintaining the highest standards for livability, services, and infrastructure. • Building a solid financial future by proactively pursuing high quality economic development. • Providing transparent, efficient, and responsible governance. • Communicating clearly, honestly, and frequently with our citizens. • Protecting our unique character and values. Mr. Gavrilovic continued with the PowerPoint presentation by showing a graph of where we will go through the vision, key projects and strategic actions and how we will do it through the mission and key principles. The key projects for the next five years include build walkable connections in and to downtown, updating and modernizing the Town’s zoning ordinance, invest in quality housing for all phases of life, strategically promote economic development, and invest in critical public infrastructure. The key principles include bolster popular Town events, support our high-quality staff, build trust and community, improve communication with our citizens, promote stable, safe and connected neighborhoods, and build revenue through proactive economic development. Mr. Callahan wrapped up the PowerPoint presentation with the strategic actions that go along with the key projects to include, but not limited to, modernizing the zoning code to support more housing options, especially downtown; study and consider new incentives for housing development, and partner with regional housing organizations to bring their services to Vinton; find opportunities to purchase key properties in Vinton to support economic development, community enhancement, and infrastructure goals; maintain street pavement data and investment in the paving program so that all streets are in a state of good repair and develop a comprehensive stormwater system dataset and stormwater master plan; divert commuter cut through traffic, and prioritize sidewalk gaps. The next topic on the agenda was Discussion and Comments. Mr. Peters welcomed questions and additional direction from Council and staff. 3 Vice Mayor Mullins agreed with the vision and mission statements. Council Member Liles shared that the plan aligns with everything that we have discussed in group sessions and all the things that citizens have said they wanted. He especially likes the flexibility that comes with the plan. Mr. Peters added that when it comes to the key principles and action items, this is not all that we are going to do. He would like to focus on updating our performance objectives in the budget process. The goal is to expand performance measures, so we can identify, fund and achieving work programs over the next three to five years. Staff will match the Strategic Plan to their budgets through performance measures. Mr. Sexton added that a key intersection between the projects and the goals for the Leadership team performance measures comes together with the key principles. Mayor Grose expressed that he is impressed with the plan. Council McCarty shared that she thinks the plan is great. She appreciated the process of asking questions and then sharing the results in a way that is understandable. She wants to ensure the Town continues to support the staff. Council Member Stovall complimented the Town’s events and shared that citizens look at everything within the Town including how they take care of their staff. He congratulated the consultants on the draft of the Strategic Plan and said that they did a fantastic job. Mayor Grose shared that he is excited to see that housing is in the Strategic Plan as it is an important aspect of this community. There were no further comments or questions. Vice Mayor Mullins made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member McCarty and carried by the following vote, with all members of the Town Council voting: Vote 5-0; Yeas (5) – Liles, McCarty, Stovall, Mullins, Grose; Nays (0) – None. The meeting adjourned at 4:46 p.m. APPROVED: _________________________________ Bradley E. Grose, Mayor ATTEST: _________________________________ Megan K. Lawless, Town Clerk