City Council

CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. MARY KATHERINE GREENLAW, MAYOR HON. BRADFORD C. ELLIS, VICE -MAYOR, WARD ONE CITY COUNCIL HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, AT-LARGE HON. MATTHEW J. KELLY, AT-LARGE 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 April 29, 2014 City Manager’s Recommended Budget for Fiscal Year 2015 The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia held a work session on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Conference Room. Council Present. Vice-Mayor Brad Ellis, Presiding. Councilors Kerry P. Devine, Frederic N. Howe, III, Matthew J. Kelly, Beatrice R. Paolucci and George C. Solley Council Absent. Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw. Also Present. City Manager Beverly Cameron, Assistant City Manager Mark Whitley, City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, Budget Manager Amanda Lickey, Clerk of the Circuit Court Jeff Small, Sheriff Paul Higgs and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Fiscal Year 2015 Budget. Councilor Devine declared that she was employed by a government agency which receives funding from the City of Fredericksburg appropriated in the budget, namely the Fredericksburg Public Schools. Assistant City Manager Whitley reviewed the updated five-year forecast memo with Council (see attached). Councilor Kelly expressed concern with only having a $300,000 increase per year for the schools and he liked the idea of having $200,000 increase per year for the Jail. He also asked why some of the capital projects were not included in the projections. Mr. Whitley said that over the last five years it averaged a $300,000 increase every year. Vice-Mayor Ellis was also concerned because schools have under estimated their growth in the past. He said Council needed to sit with the schools and figure out what their numbers are going to be. Vice-Mayor Ellis also suggested using a constrained and an unconstrained approach on the five year plan so that Council could have a good sense of the needs. 1  Proposition Lists – City Manager Cameron reviewed the Proposition List, Option A (see attached) and he identified the funding source for each of the items. Councilor Howe asked for clarification from the Sheriff and the Court Clerk what the impact would be if the additional courtroom was delayed and would that change the needed positions and he asked whether the courtroom would be used 5 days a week. Mr. Small stated that his request was strictly driven by the assumption that that additional courtroom would be opened. He said they can currently handle the case load with the current staff. He said it would make sense to authorize the positions when the courthouse opens and he feels the courtroom would be used 5 days a week. Sheriff Higgs said he is confident the courtroom would be used 5 days a week. He said the five deputies he was requesting was not based on the additional courtroom opening but was based on the courthouse opening. He said only one and a half deputies would be needed for the courtroom the other 3 and a half would be needed to run the courthouse. Councilor Kelly said the Sheriff and the Clerks requests were not unreasonable, but he again expressed his concern that the State was not funding any of the requested positions. He also stated that he was concerned that Council dropped the planning position. He said this was a much needed position for all the archeological problems in the downtown. Councilor Kelly said he would like to find funds to support this position. He felt strongly that there needed to be an additional position in the Planning office. Vice-Mayor Ellis said it was the City’s obligation to see that the courts were run efficiently. Councilor Kelly said the preservation position would bring more money to the City and he would prefer the money go towards the preservation. Councilor Kelly asked if the Empowerhouse funding was still needed since Stafford decided to fully fund them. Councilor Devine explained that they were requesting the money because they were reduced by $5,000 in the past and they need this money to help serve the City residents. Vice-Mayor Ellis suggested going through the proposition list and taking a final straw vote. • Paving Neighborhood Streets – all agreed to keep • ALS – all agreed to keep • COLA – 2 percent – all agreed to keep • Additional Fleet Replacement – all agreed to keep 2  • Reduction of Fredericksburg Area Museum and Increase Arts Commission for Via Colori – 5 agreed to reduce Museum and 5 agreed to increase Arts Commission for Via Colori. • Empowerhouse – 4 agreed to keep and 2 no. • Tri City-County Soil and Water – all agreed to keep. • Sidewalks, Safety and Lighting – 6 agreed to keep. • Twin Lakes – 6 agreed to keep. • Cowan Street Lights – 6 agreed to keep. • Riverfront Utility – 6 agreed to keep • Sheriff and Clerk of Court Position - Option A (funding all requested positions; 5 ½ deputies and 2 clerk positions) – 2 agreed to support; 4 did not support. • Sheriff and Clerk of Court Position - Option B (no positions funded) – 3 agreed to support; 3 did not support. • Sheriff and Clerk of Court Position - Option C (funding 1 full-time position for the Clerk and 2 full-time and 2 part-time positions for the Sheriff) – 2 agreed to support; 4 did not support. Councilor Devine said she had trouble supporting these positions and the need was not known yet. She said she wanted the Courts to run efficiently but she struggled with some of the justifications. Councilor Devine said she had the same struggle. Sheriff Higgs noted that he has no one to run the x-ray machines or the control room. He said he would need two deputies to staff each of the courtrooms, civil processes, someone for transports and he explained that the courts were not the Deputy’s only duties. Council took a straw vote on Councilor Howe’s Option D to include funding for 4 full- time, 0 court clerks, but added that the real estate rate would stay at $0.05 in case the clerk was needed. The straw vote was taken and 2 agreed to support; 4 did not support. Councilor Paolucci offered Option E to include funding for 2 full-time and 2 part-time deputies, no clerk and $0.05 tax increase. Sheriff Higgs stated that if Council agreed to hire 4 deputies he would not ask for the 1 and ½ deputy this year, he would wait until next year. Before Council took a straw vote on Option E Sheriff Higgs explained why that option would not work, so a vote was not taken. 3  Council took another straw vote on Option D to include funding for 4 full-time, 0 court clerks and keep the real estate rate at $0.05 in case a clerk was needed and 4 agreed to support and 2 did not support. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, Vice-Mayor Ellis declared the work session officially adjourned at 7:21 p.m. ___Tonya B. Lacey_______ Tonya B. Lacey Clerk of Council City of Fredericksburg 4