City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. THOMAS J. TOMZAK, MAYOR HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, VICE MAYOR CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. BRADFORD C. ELLIS, WARD ONE HON. GEORGE C. SOLLEY, WARD TWO HON. FREDERIC N. HOWE, III, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street HON. BEATRICE R. PAOLUCCI, WARD FOUR Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 Council Work Session January 11, 2011 Court System Needs The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Circuit Court Courtroom. Council Present. Mayor Thomas J. Tomzak, presiding. Vice-Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw. Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Bradford C. Ellis, Frederic N. Howe, III, Beatrice R. Paolucci and George C. Solley. Also Present. City Manager Beverly Cameron, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, Director of Parks, Recreation and Public Facilities Robert Antozzi and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Others Present. Judge Gordon F. Willis. Court System Needs – Judge Willis began with and opening statement stating that the reason Council is where they are is because of previous Council’s failure to put together adequate court facilities. He said it is the duty of the locality to provide adequate court facilities. In September 2009, the Virginia Department of General Services issued a certification of non compliance and this has allowed the City to start charging a fee for filing in Court. This money can be used to help fund a new facility. He stated that the Request for Proposals (RFP) the city staff has been working on is out and once they are received he would like to go through them with Council and staff and proceed in a timely fashion. Judge Willis also stated that since he has been the presiding Judge that all interactions with City Council have been of mutual ground and he hoped that it would continue to be that way. Mayor Tomzak stated that there were two major concerns one being security and the other capacity. He asked if that was correct, that there was a need for an increase in capacity. Judge Willis stated that there is a need to increase capacity as of 2010 the caseload is five years 1 ahead of the projections. He said this is the reason for holding court in the Council Chambers from time to time. He stated that the General District Court has 40,000 cases per year and the average for Virginia judge is 25,000. He said if the General District Court Judge retired and a new judge came in they would have a difficult time with that caseload. Judge Willis cautioned that Council must project 30 years out when building the facility. Councilor Ellis asked whether they look further, maybe 50 years. Judge Willis said they must look at least 30 years or it would be a waste of money. Mayor Tomzak stated that people have discussed going regional with the Courts, he asked Judge Willis if that was possible. Judge Willis stated that he believed it to be a mandate that Courts be located within the municipality. Discussion ensued on whether it would be better for the City to convert to town status in order to keep cost low for City residents. Councilor Ellis asked Judge Willis if he felt the Circuit Court should continue to be used as a court. Judge Willis stated that it does not have the security to protect the citizens and there was no way to renovate it without spending millions to make it a workable courthouse. He said there are many other ways it could be used such as a museum or Council Chambers. Councilor Devine stated that she recognize the need and agreed that the time has come to move on the courts building, but due to the economy it has caused a delay. She said they are committed to making it happen. She also wanted to clarify that no one was in agreement of moving to town status. Vice-Mayor Greenlaw agreed that the time has come. She stated that due to the poor economy, cost for the building materials would be far less if the courthouse was built now. She thought there were more positive reasons to build now, rather than later. Mayor Tomzak agreed the City doesn’t want to convert to town status, but he said the City would need to determine if they wanted to bear the burden or convert to town status. Councilor Ellis agreed that the cost of the material is the lowest it will ever be to build the courthouse, but in order for Council to make a decision they will have to see how the cost would translate across the tax books. Judge Willis reminded Council that they have a lawful duty to provide adequate courthouse facilities or there could be repercussions. He said the City and the citizens will be the ones to suffer. Having adequate court facilities enhances the viability of the City. Councilor Howe discussed the need to address the security concerns. He mentioned making short-term changes that were recommended in the Marshal’s report to help the officers 2 with the court safety. Judge Willis said he didn’t think the band-aid approach would help, but the courts were willing to accept some minimal changes as long as they it did not take funds away from the larger project. Judge Willis would like to see any improvements be part of an overall plan to a new courthouse. Judge Willis also informed Council that the plan for Virginia is to go paperless within the next five years which would help with the Clerk’s space needs. He said that he would like to continue to keep the lines of communications open and he would continue to communicate through the City Manager. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, the meeting was declared officially adjourned at 6:17 p.m. Tonya B. Lacey Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 3