City Council

CITY OF COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VIRGINIA Special Meeting of City Council Tuesday, June 18, 2024 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 Vice-Mayor Robert W. Wade Mayor T. Gregory Kochuba Absent: Councilman John T. Wood (arrived late) 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. The Clerk announced the purpose of the closed meeting. 4. Closed meeting pursuant to the Code of Virginia in accordance with the following provision:  Paragraph A.7 of Section 2.2-3711, to consult with legal counsel and be briefed by staff members pertaining to both actual and probable litigation concerning the levying of penalties and interest on unpaid taxes, where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body.  Paragraph A.8 of Section 2.2-3711, to consult with legal counsel employed by a public body regarding a specific legal matter – i.e., an employee’s direct or indirect supervision of a relative – requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. A motion to convene in a closed meeting was made by Vice-Mayor Wade, seconded by Dr. Poe. Vote: 6-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Special Meeting Minutes June 18, 2024 Page 2 Wade Kochuba No: None Absent: Wood (arrived late) Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS 5. Vote to come back into open meeting. A motion to reconvene in open session was made Vice-Mayor Wade, seconded by Mr. Piotrowski, and carried unanimously on roll call vote at 7:07 P.M. Vote: 7-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Wood Wade Kochuba No: None Absent: None Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS As stated by the Clerk, the Council was in a closed meeting pursuant to the Code of Virginia in accordance with the following provisions:  Paragraph A.7 of Section 2.2-3711, to consult with legal counsel and be briefed by staff members pertaining to both actual and probable litigation concerning the levying of penalties and interest on unpaid taxes, where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body.  Paragraph A.8 of Section 2.2-3711, to consult with legal counsel employed by a public body regarding a specific legal matter – i.e., an employee’s direct or indirect supervision of a relative – requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. Consideration of the following certification: Each member will now certify that to the best of the member’s knowledge (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements of the act and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed, or considered in the meeting by the public body. Any Special Meeting Minutes June 18, 2024 Page 3 member who believes there was a departure from the requirements of clauses (i) and (ii), shall so state prior to the vote, indicating the substance of the departure that, in his judgment, has taken place. Council members approved this certification, without any stating departure from the requirements of clauses (i) and (ii), by the following roll call vote: Vote: 7-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Wood Wade Kochuba No: None Absent: None Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS 6. A Work Session on the Following Items: 1. A RESOLUTION NO 24-27 Approving the City of Colonial Heights Housing and Community Development Annual Action Plan and Budget for 2024-2025. A motion was made by Vice-Mayor Wade, seconded by Mrs. Luck, to approve Resolution No. 24-27. At the request of Mr. Smith, Mrs. Prarthana Rao, Planner, provided the Council with an overview and presentation of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, requesting the Council’s support and approval of the program. Mrs. Rao advised that the City would receive $91,001 for the CDBG funds for Program Year 2024-25 supporting the home repair program for approximately eight home repair grants. Continuing, Ms. Rao advised that to date, the City has received over $1.8 million in funding and has provided home repair grants to 180 low to moderate-income owner-occupied households to support the CDBG program. Mrs. Rao shared criteria specific to program eligibility and the program priorities. These priorities included, but were not limited to, homeowners in specified districts of the City, first-time applicants, elderly and/or disabled, and needed repairs that threaten the safety or wellbeing of the resident(s). After the presentation, Mrs. Rao addressed several questions after which time, Mayor Kochuba called for the vote. Special Meeting Minutes June 18, 2024 Page 4 Vote: 7-0 Yes: Frenier Luck Piotrowski Poe Wood Wade Kochuba No: None Absent: None Abstained: None Motion UNANIMOUS PASS B. Community Assessment Overview At Mr. Smith's request, Joseph Carter, Planning Director, asked Council to recall their prior discussions of the concept at the Retreat. After additional brief comments, Mr. Carter introduced Aaron Bond, Assistant Planning Director. Mr. Bond explained the concept of the Community Assessment, stating that it was a collaborative process to assess the City’s quality of life through community engagement. Continuing, Mr. Bond explained that the staff’s objective of the assessment was to address the needs and concerns identified by citizens who participated in the survey. Mr. Bond provided examples including assisting in establishing community priorities, feedback on the provision of services, and identifying experiences of different demographic groups. Mr. Bond provided information on how the survey was to be distributed and the survey response goal (the number of citizens participating in the survey) that would be a significant sample for the City’s population. Concluding, Mr. Bond provided the staff’s timeline for preparation, implementation, and evaluation. At the conclusion of the presentation, the council entertained questions, beginning with Dr. Poe, who suggested that positive feedback could be utilized to develop an economic business plan. Mr. Wood expressed his concern relative to the addition of another program developed within the Planning Department and provided additional comments supporting his position. Dr. Poe advised that citizen input was good; however, it was up to staff or the Council to determine how the input was to be developed. Mrs. Luck commended the Planning Department’s initiative to develop such a plan which encourages community engagement Mr. Frenier inquired about the 2006 survey and the projects that were never initiated. Mrs. Luck, commenting on Mr. Frenier’s question, recalled the ice-skating rink suggested by a Special Meeting Minutes June 18, 2024 Page 5 group of citizens that was never developed; however, the skate park that was developed was quite successful. Mr. Carter provided additional comments supporting the proposed concept and the importance of initiating engagement with the public in an effort to grow and develop the City in many areas. After a continued discussion between several council members, Mr. Smith advised that the presentation's purpose was to bring the information to the Council and initiate their support. Mayor Kochuba asked for a consensus vote from the Council allowing staff to move forward with the Community Assessment. Vote: 6-1 Frenier Yes Luck Yes Piotrowski Yes Poe Yes Wood No Wade Yes Kochuba Yes C. Proposed Staff Reorganizations Mr. Smith advised of the recommended reorganization to create a new Assistant City Manager position to replace the current Economic Development Administrator. Mr. Smith clarified that under the City Charter, an Assistant City Manager position is treated as unclassified and will not be assigned to a pay range in the pay plan; and it will not have a job description/class specification. Mr. Smith advised that the position would assist with the administration of the City, supervise assigned functions and/or departments, and coordinate activities with other City departments and outside agencies. Mr. Smith also recommended adding the Permit Technician in the Planning and Community Development Department back to the pay plan as a full-time position. Mr. Smith stated that the staff identified the need for the Permit Technician to be a full-time position instead of the combination inspector position. Staff also recommends that the full-time combination inspector position in the Planning and Community Development be filled as a part-time position in the FY 24-25 budget. After addressing questions from Council, Mr. Smith requested approval to proceed with the above-described reorganization and to advertise for the Assistant City Manager and full-time Permit Technician positions effective immediately. It was the consensus of Council for Mr. Smith to move forward with the above-noted requests. Special Meeting Minutes June 18, 2024 Page 6 7. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn the Special Meeting was made by Dr. Poe, seconded by Vice Mayor Wade, and carried unanimously on voice vote at 8:10 P.M. APPROVED: ____________________________________ T. Gregory Kochuba, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________________ Pamela B. Wallace, City Clerk