City Council

CITY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VIRGINIA Special Meeting of City Council Tuesday, April 18, 2023 1. Call to Order. The Special Meeting of City Council was called to order by Mayor Kochuba at 6:00 P.M. 2. Roll Call. Present: Councilman Kenneth B. Frenier Councilwoman Elizabeth G. Luck Councilman John E. Piotrowski Councilwoman Dr. Laura F. Poe Mayor T. Gregory Kochuba Absent: Councilman John T. Wood (arrived at 6:15 P.M.) Vice-Mayor, Robert W. Wade Also Present: Mr. Douglas E. Smith, City Manager Mr. Hugh P. Fisher, III, City Attorney Mrs. Pamela B. Wallace, City Clerk 3. Declarations of Personal Interest There were none. 4. Reading of Manner of Addressing Council. Mr. Fisher read the Manner of Addressing Council. 5. Advertised Public Hearing A. AN ORDINANCE NO 23-8 (Second Reading) Establishing a tax rate pursuant to Chapter 35.1 of Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia (“Personal Property Tax Relief”) on all qualifying vehicles under the Chapter. A motion was made by Dr. Poe, seconded by Vice-Mayor Wade, to approve Ordinance No. 23-8. Mr. Smith provided background information of the proposed ordinance providing additional information with a recommended change to the current rate. This change would set the rate at 44% with an adjustment in the coming year. Council Comment: Special Meeting Minutes April 18, 2023 Page 2 Directing her question to Mr. Feasenmyer, Commissioner of Revenue, Dr. Poe asked if use car values were decreasing, Mr. Feasenmyer responded that they were. There were no comments from the public. A motion was made by Dr. Poe, seconded by Mrs. Luck, to amend the motion to change the existing rate of 38% to 44% with an adjustment in the coming year. Vote: 5-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Kochuba No: None Absent: Wood Wade Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS A motion to approve the motion as amended was made by Mr. Frenier, seconded by Dr. Poe. Vote: 5-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Kochuba No: None Absent: Wood (arrived at 6:15 P.M.) Wade Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS 6. A Work Session on the Following Items: A. Annual Comprehensive Financial Report Presentation Mr. Travis Gilmer, of Brown Edwards, provided the findings of the City’s annual audit for 2022. Mr. Gilmer thanked the Finance Department for their efforts in providing the necessary information during the office transition. Mr. Gilmer presented three deliverables: Special Meeting Minutes April 18, 2023 Page 3  The City received a clean audit.  $5.4M in unspent ARPA funds  The General Fund is at $16.5M, representing a 47% increase from the prior year. Mr. Gilmer provided information on each of the City’s accounts; specifically noting a positive cash flow. There were no new comments on the Management Letter with Mr. Gilmer commending City School administration for their efforts. Concluding, Mr. Smith thanked Mr. Gilmer and his staff, as well as Ms. Rhodes and the Finance Department staff for their efforts relative to the audit. B. AN ORDINANCE NO 23-7 (Second Reading) Awarding a $2,000 bonus on May 3, 2023, to all full- time employees employed on April 25, 2023, who are not participating in the Public Safety Step Plan. A motion was made by Mr. Piotrowski, seconded by Mrs. Luck, to approve Ordinance No. 23-7. Mr. Smith advised that after discussion by Council at the April 11, 2023 meeting, the ordinance would be amended by adding language to clarify that employees who leave City employment less than one year after being hired, shall repay the $2,000 to the City Department of Finance, and those employed by the City for less than one year as of April 25, 2023, shall, as a condition for receiving the bonus, sign a contract to be prepared by the City Attorney, agreeing to the repayment of $2,000. There was no further discussion. Vote: 6-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Wood Kochuba No: None Absent: Wade Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS C. A RESOLUTION NO 23-10 Approving the “First Amendment to the Special Projects Service Agreement for yard and waste” with Central Virginia Waste Special Meeting Minutes April 18, 2023 Page 4 Management Authority and authorizing the City Manager to execute the Amendment. A motion was made by Mrs. Luck, seconded by Dr. Poe, to approve Resolution No. 23- 10. Mr. Smith advised that the current service agreement for Residential Recycling and Drop Off Processing Services between the City and CVWMA expires on June 30, 2023. In anticipation of the agreement’s end date, CVWMA conducted a procurement process to select vendors for a new Recycling contract with Colonial Heights and other localities being served. The selection committee, which included City staff, chose to move forward with TFC Recycling as the vendor for the next contract. CVWMA executed the Residential Recycling and Drop Off Processing Services Contract with TFC Recycling in February 2022 and submitted the Service Agreement for City review. TFC Recycling is the vendor currently servicing the City on our existing contract. Mr. Smith advised this was a five-year contract. There was discussion relative to the number of days that the recycling center is open; however, there was no formal action taken to make changes to the schedule. Vote: 6-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Wood Kochuba No: None Absent: Wade Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS D. A RESOLUTION NO 23-12 Approving a Special Service Agreement with the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority for Residential Recycling and Drop Off Processing Services and authorizing the City Manager to sign the agreement. A motion was made by Mrs. Luck, seconded by Dr. Poe, to approve Resolution No. 23- 12. The current service agreement for Residential Recycling and Drop Off Processing Services between the City and CVWMA expires on June 30, 2023. In anticipation of the agreement end date, CVWMA conducted a procurement process to select vendors for a new Recycling contract with Colonial Heights, Ashland, Hopewell, Petersburg, Special Meeting Minutes April 18, 2023 Page 5 Richmond and the counties of Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, and Powhatan as the localities being served. City staff chose to move forward with TFC Recycling as the vendor for the next contract. CVWMA executed the Residential Recycling and Drop Off Processing Services Contract with TFC Recycling in February 2022 and submitted the Service Agreement for City review. TFC Recycling is the vendor currently servicing the City on our existing contract. Vote: 5-1 Yes: Frenier Luck Poe Wood Kochuba No: Piotrowski Absent: Wade Abstained: None E. Discussion of the Proposed FY24-28 Capital Improvement Plan Mr. Smith opened the floor for comments relative to Council’s review of the CIP document and addressed several questions presented by Council. There were no requested changes to the CIP document only clarification by staff relative to the proposed plan After the review, Mr. Smith advised of the upcoming meeting schedule for first and second reading the CIP ordinance. F. Discussion Regarding the City Noise Ordinance Mr. Smith recalled a previous request from a citizen for a review of the City’s current noise ordinance. At the request of Mr. Smith, Mr. Carter provided information relative to the City’s current noise ordinance which addressed noise from vehicles and equipment and noise from radios. Continuing, Mr. Carter provided his research comparisons for several surrounding jurisdictions including Petersburg, Hopewell, Henrico, and Hanover. This information included violations and fines associated with such violations. Mr. Fisher provided a history of the City’s noise ordinances. He advised that the current ordinance was signed into the City Code in 2010 and provided additional comments relative to the different variables within the ordinance. Mr. Fisher stated it was his recommendation to keep the general concept of the ordinance; however, incorporate the concepts used by the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell. At the request of Mr. Smith, Chief Anspach provided comments including his recommendation to utilize the measurement of decibels when determining the violation. Special Meeting Minutes April 18, 2023 Page 6 Additionally, Chief Anspach recommended the language defining the violation be written in a way that would be easily understood by citizens. There was no action taken on this sitem. G. Regional Opioid Abatement Grant Update Mr. Smith advised of a possible opioid abatement grant opportunity ranging from $280,000 to $300,000 in partnership with Chesterfield County. Mr. Smith advised that 1/3 of the funding would be for treatment and recovery with additional funding for an outreach coordinator or staff nurse practitioner to assist frequent callers which would alleviate the need for continued City resources. After a brief discussion, it was the consensus of Council that Mr. Smith move forward with the grant application. 4. Adjournment There being no further discussion, a motion to adjourn the Special Meeting was made by Dr. Poe, seconded by Mr. Frenier, and carried unanimously on voice vote at 7:51 P.M. APPROVED: ____________________________________ T. Gregory Kochuba, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________________ Pamela B. Wallace, City Clerk