City Council

Public Hearing 04/08/25 HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, MAYOR CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. CHARLIE L. FRYE, JR., VICE -MAYOR, WARD FOUR HON. JANNAN W. HOLMES, AT-LARGE CITY COUNCIL HON. DR. WILL B. MACKINTOSH, AT-LARGE HON. JASON N. GRAHAM, WARD ONE HON. JONATHAN A. GERLACH, WARD TWO HON. SUSANNA R. FINN, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 April 8, 2025 The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, held a public hearing on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, beginning at 7:33 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. City Council Present. Mayor Kerry P. Devine. Vice-Mayor Charlie L. Frye, Jr., Council members Susanna R. Finn, Jonathan A. Gerlach, Jason N. Graham, Jannan W. Holmes and Dr. Will B. Mackintosh. Others Present. City Manager Timothy J. Baroody, Deputy City Manager Mark Whitley, Deputy City Manager David Brown, City Attorney Kelly J. Lackey, Economic Development Director Joshua Summits, Planning and Building Services Director Michael Craig, Principle Planner Josh Crump, Historic Resources Planner Kate Schwartz, Zoning Administrator Kelly Machen, Finance Director Amanda Six and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Notice of Public Hearings (D25-156 thru D25-167). The Clerk read the notice of the public hearings as it appeared in the local newspaper, the purpose being to solicit citizen input. Adopting an Amendment to the 2015 Comprehensive Plan to Adopt a New Small Area Plan for Planning Area 5 (D25-156 thru D25-157). 22489 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Rezoning Approximately 13.2007 Acres of Land Located in Planning Area 5 from Commercial Shopping Center to Commercial Highway and to Adopt Form-Based Regulations, as Recommended in the Draft Small Area Plan for Area 5 (D25-156 thru D25-157). 2 speakers. Community Development Planner Thompson presented a PowerPoint presentation and he discussed the following: Summary, Staff Recommendation, Where in the City are we?, Plan Timeline, Transect Map, Historic Foundation and Neighborhood Focus, “Brain Power Area, Form- Based Code, T5-C Core Corridor Transect, Zoning Map, T5-C Core Corridor Transect – Area 3, Zoning Map, T5-C Core Corridor Transect – Area 6, Zoning Map, T5-C Core Corridor Transect – Area 10, Village Transition Area, Character Structures, Vehicular Mobility, Bike/Pedestrian Mobility and Safety, Linking the Uplands Open Space, Zoning Map Amendment, Staff Recommendation and Zoning Map. See D25-156 for more information. Councilor Holmes asked the difference between Commercial Highway (CH) and Commercial Shopping Center (CSC). Mr. Thompson explained that CSC was older in nature and was being phased out with the Area Plans. Planning Director Craig explained that CH was a little more permissive than CSC but they were substantially similar. The advantage of going CH was that it puts it on par with the other shopping centers. Councilor Holmes asked if changing to CH would capture the hubs where people would not need to get in a car to meet their basic needs. She asked if they had looked at a zoning that would capture that more. Mr. Thompson said step one would be rezoning 22490 Public Hearing 04/08/25 to CH. He said there was a study coming from Rhodeside and Harwell that will look at commercial corridors and they would see what the recommendations are from the study. Councilor Graham agreed that he did not think this had gone far enough towards the Council’s goals and he hope that the report would help move towards that goal. He asked if that was the intent of the study. Mr. Thompson said the RFQ was to determine how they could go further with the CH/T5-C. Mr. Thompson said it was safer to move in this direction, than to leave it and change it later. Mr. Craig explained that right now someone could come under the older residential standards and propose a development that does not have the open space that the City wants. He said making this change would make it so they have to adhere to the principles of a solid quality of life. They are working on the levels of usage and they will be bringing it back to Council shortly. Councilor Mackintosh said he believes many are struggling because it is CH and highway does not seem to fit the vision that this area articulates, which is a walkable, mixed-use community. He encouraged Mr. Craig to work with the consultants on a new way to frame the kind of zoning that articulates what they want in the area. Councilor Finn asked how Eagle Village could serve as an example for the PDMU. Mr. Craig explained that applicants typically do PDMU and he said the reason not all of Eagle Village was included is because someone did a proffered rezoning on themselves and the City cannot change it because it is a legal thing. Councilor Holmes said if the City is looking for walkable hubs and it puts out what it really wants it will let developers know what is wants. 22491 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Councilor Mackintosh asked what percentage of the transition village area counted as character structures. Mr. Bailey said the ARB did a thorough review of 35 structures and it was cut down to 24. Mr. Craig said about half count as character structures. Mr. Bailey explained that they looked at the period of significance and their character and ARB designated 24 of them. Councilor Mackintosh thought that was a large designation and he asked if there was a standard of good practice to receive that type of designation. Ms. Schwartz said there were no metrics it depended on the context and what is there. She noted that the reason they honed in on the area was that there was a large concentration of those types of building remaining in the area. The ARB used the document from the National Association of the Department of Transportation to see how they evaluated architectural character as well as the national register criteria. This is what they used to evaluate the metrics of the buildings. Councilor Mackintosh expressed concern that the character structures are coming from a period of intensive automobile driven development, which strikes as intentional with the articulated vision of open walkable mixed-use village center. He was concerned that if they over designate too many character structures from this period of history it would be at odds with the environment they are trying to accomplish for the temporary residents. Ms. Schwartz noted that there was a strong desire for adaptive reuse in the community and there is a scale to what this level designation means and character structure is an incentive based methodology. It does not put a prohibition on demolition it is just a tool. 22492 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Sue Sargeant, 1318 William Street, President of College Heights Neighborhood Association, expressed concern over the following statement: Comp Plan 11 (5)-2. Commercial Use: “College Avenue is a highly utilized pedestrian corridor and creates the opportunity for neighborhood-serving commercial uses through the conversion of residential buildings to commercial uses”. She said they did not like this idea because someone could convert the houses in the neighborhood to commercial uses. See D25- 156 thru D25-157 for more information. Roy Perry, 60 Summerfield Lane, 22405, he said he did not see a clear path moving forward and what those changes would do for the City. City Attorney made one correction to the Resolution there was a reference to Area 10 and it should say Area 5. Councilor Holmes said she was not comfortable approving this item and she requested to postpone and bring it back. Councilor Mackintosh suggested bringing the topic to a work session to give Council more time to discuss before voting. Resolution 25-22, Granting a Special Use Permit for 400 PA, LLC to Construct Five Residential Units on 400 Princess Anne Street (D25-158 thru D25-167). 12 speakers. Zoning Administrator Machen presented a PowerPoint presentation in the presentation she discussed the following: Overview, Location, Land Use, General Development Plan, Zoning and Current/Proposed Conditions, Comprehensive Plan, Zoning District, Special Use Permit Considerations, Special Use 22493 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Permit Criteria, Special Use Permit Considerations, Planning Commission (March 12, 2025) and Conclusion and Recommendation. Councilor Mackintosh asked if this was considered a mix-use project because of the coffee shop. Ms. Machen explained that it did not meet the criteria. Councilor Mackintosh asked for clarification on the units per acre since it did not meet the mixed- use criteria. It was clarified that it was 12 units per acre. He also asked about the HOA requiring the residents to use the garages for parking and how enforceable it is. She explained that she could not require the HOA documents to have it in there because they can change those, but she could deny any building permit to convert a garage to usable space. She also said if she found that a garage was completely used for storage she could send a notice of violation and let them know they are in violation. Councilor Mackintosh also clarified that the residents would not qualify for parking permit because they were outside of the permit-parking zone. Councilor Gerlach asked if there were any changes since the original application. Ms. Machen stated there were no changes to the General Development Plan. She said the changes to the spacing of the trees was made in September 2023. The new conditions that were added were the parking in garages, replacement of any trees that may die within 10 years, and the addition of the crosswalk. Vice-Mayor Frye asked what the requirements were for parking and Ms. Machen explained that in this area, any new buildings are required to provide parking and they 22494 Public Hearing 04/08/25 are providing 10 parking spaces, 2 per unit. The commercial building is in the historic district and it is not required to have parking James Whitman, 1600 Washington Avenue, one of the owners at 400 Princess Anne Building and said they were looking to build five townhomes on the side and behind the building at 400 Princess Anne Street. He mentioned the improvements they will be making such as the brick sidewalks, crosswalk, streetlights, street trees, and improvements to the handicapped ramps. He said this was an ideal location and it fits into the city’s Comp Plan, city’s goals, and density around the train station. He said this would revitalize the neighborhood. Councilor Mackintosh asked if the three existing units would be for sale and if not would they be renovated. Mr. Whitman explained that they would not be for sale and they were recently renovated when they bought the building. City Attorney Lackey commented on the status of the pending litigation of the site. There was a hearing and the judge ordered dismissal of the appeal by a citizen to the City Council’s decision to affirm the Architectural Review Boards Certificate of Appropriateness. She said should the special use permit be granted it would allow the developer to proceed to the detailed stage of review. The City is also actively defending a lawsuit challenging the repeal of the Railroad Station Overlay District but unless and until the court determines otherwise the City will continue to process applications under the ordinances that the City believes was properly enacted and nothing prevents consideration of this project at this time. She did state that the developer can proceed at their own risk should the laws change during the development process. 22495 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Mo Deadman, 214 Princess Anne Street, spoke in opposition of the special use permit for the project at 400 Princess Anne Street. She said the existing building would be stripped of all parking spaces for customers, employees and residents. Additionally, she said there would be no overflow parking for the townhomes. She expressed that the height was too tall and it was based on the height of commercial buildings. Ms. Deadman also said these houses would not be affordable. She said this special use permit fails in many ways of protecting the neighborhood. Denise Malczewski, 220 Princess Anne Street, said this project was denied in 2023 because it was a bad project and it was still a bad project. She said the problem with the special use permit is that it does not achieve what the City wants to achieve, reasonably priced housing, train station to be a transit hub and the area plan calls for businesses around the train station. Ms. Malczewski said this project also does not allow the Tower 1 fire truck to safely rescue anyone if needed. She said the three units on top of the coffee shop that could be rented as affordable are used as Air B&B’s. These houses are not going to be a benefit for the City and she asked the Council to deny the special use permit. Adam Lynch, 1108 Sophia Street, spoke in support of the project. He spoke of the benefits such as streetscape, trees, lights, close to the train and a better use of the land. He said density brings in benefits and he asked the Council to support the development. Nancy Moore (D25-160), 314 Princess Anne Street, stated that this project does not belong in the historic neighborhood of small two story homes. She said the density 22496 Public Hearing 04/08/25 was too high and the removal of the parking for the coffee shop would create parking problems for the business John Sperlazza (D25-161), 113 Caroline Street, stated that the townhomes were too tall for the area and they do not meet scale and massing of subordinate neighboring buildings. He said removal of the parking would cause issues, firefighters will not be able to effectively fight fires and it does not support the City’s goals of affordable housing. John Urban (D25-162), 300 Princess Anne Street, spoke in opposition of approving a special use permit for the proposed project at 400 Princess Anne Street. Valarie Keane (D25-163), 300 Princess Anne Street, spoke in opposition of approving a special use permit for the proposed project at 400 Princess Anne Street. Robert Thomas (D25-164), 809 Brompton Street, spoke in support of the special use permit for the project at 400 Princess Anne Street. He said this area needed denser housing. Forrest Wilhoit (D25-165), 1402 Caroline Street, urged the Council to reject the proposal at 400 Princess Anne Street because of the near unanimous opposition from Darbytown. He said this plan violates the Comprehensive Plans intent for infill near the railroad station. He called on the Council to work with them to implement real solutions that serve all residents – not just those who can afford luxury housing. See D25-165 for more information. Lissah Michalski (D25-166), 316 Frederick Street, expressed her concern that 400 Princess Anne was part of a recurring, problematic development pattern that 22497 Public Hearing 04/08/25 threatens the character of her historically unique block. She said this calls for a more careful approach to the future of Fredericksburg’s most valuable and prominent historic gateway. Ms. Michalski said this area deserves more thorough discussion and scrutiny. Allowing the developer to build massive 50-foot structure directly across from her tiny duplex and near other critical historical resources will erode what remains of the rare and irreplaceable historic context. See D25-166 for more information. Paula Chow (D25-167), 132 Caroline Street, spoke in opposition of this project being built. She asked the Council to consider that the size and scale does not fit into the tiny lot. Ms. Chow said the character is what draws people to the City but if you destroy the character with inappropriate infill it will no longer draw people here. She added that this project was not a solution for affordable housing. She also expressed concern about the one mature tree that will suffer and eventually die due to the development. Councilor Graham asked if this was a multi-family development instead of townhomes how it would affect parking and Ms. Machen said it would decrease the parking requirement. Councilor Graham asked the applicant if he considered more units and Mr. Whitman said they looked at every scenario and that was not feasible with the restriction of the size of the lot. He also asked if condominium were considered. Mr. Whitman said they did consider it but with the size of the lot and the restrictions on condominiums and the way you have to get in and out, the parking, and with fire restrictions they could not make it work. 22498 Public Hearing 04/08/25 Councilor Mackintosh said this building was the same height of the Janney Marshall and the Beanery Building but he asked the height of the Purina Tower and Ms. Schwartz said it was 50 feet tall. He stated that all the boards that advise the Council had reviewed this project, they have been overwhelmingly supportive, and Ms. Schwartz said they were. Councilor Gerlach confirmed that if the Council approves the project it would go to the Architectural Review Board for review of all the details and Ms. Schwartz confirmed. City Attorney Kelly noted that the most recent revision of the General Development Plan date was not reflected in the resolution. It should say April 8, 2025 instead March 17, 2025. Council Graham moved to approve Resolution 25-22, granting a special use permit for 400 PA, LLC to construct five residential units on 400 Princess Anne Street as amended by Ms. Lackey; motion was seconded by Councilor Gerlach. Mayor Devine said she has given this careful consideration and she thanked the Architectural Review Board and the Planning Commission for addressing issues. She added that the City would continue to struggle with infill because it is confined in space and people want to live here. Vice-Mayor Frye said he know this will not make people happy but as he looked at the whole area, the City has done a great job with projects that have been revitalized in the area. 22499 Public Hearing 04/08/25 The motion passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Adjourned. There being no speakers to come before the Council at this time, Mayor Kerry P. Devine declared the hearing officially adjourned at 8:33 p.m. Kerry P. Devine _ Kerry P. Devine, Mayor Tonya B. Lacey Tonya B. Lacey, Clerk of Council, MMC APPROVED 10-10-23 22500 Regular Session 04/08/25 HON. KERRY P. DEVINE, MAYOR CITY OF FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA HON. CHARLIE L. FRYE, JR., VICE -MAYOR, WARD FOUR HON. JANNAN W. HOLMES, AT-LARGE CITY COUNCIL HON. DR. WILL B. MACKINTOSH, AT-LARGE HON. JASON N. GRAHAM, WARD ONE HON. JONATHAN A. GERLACH, WARD TWO HON. SUSANNA R. FINN, WARD THREE Council Chambers, 715 Princess Anne Street Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401 April 8, 2025 The Council of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia, held a regular session on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. City Council Present. Mayor Kerry P. Devine. Vice-Mayor Charlie L. Frye, Jr., Council members Susanna R. Finn, Jonathan A. Gerlach, Jason N. Graham, Jannan W. Holmes and Dr. Will B. Mackintosh. Others Present. City Manager Timothy J. Baroody, Deputy City Manager Mark Whitley, Deputy City Manager David Brown, City Attorney Kelly J. Lackey, Economic Development Director Joshua Summits, Planning and Building Services Director Michael Craig, Principle Planner Josh Crump, Historic Resources Planner Kate Schwartz, Zoning Administrator Kelly Machen, Finance Director Amanda Six and Clerk of Council Tonya B. Lacey. Opening Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance. Council was led in prayer by Vice-Mayor Charlie L. Frye, Jr. followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilor Jason N. Graham. Officer Recognized. Mayor Devine recognized the presence of Detective Johnny Wright at this evening’s meeting. 22501 Regular Session 04/08/25 Consent Agenda Accepted for Transmittal as Recommended (D25- 152 thru D25-155). Councilor Gerlach moved approval of the City Manager’s consent agenda; motion was seconded by Councilor Graham and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). o Transmittal of Ordinance Changing the District 4 Polling Place from New City Fellowship Church to the Schools Administration Building (D25-152). o Approval of Nomination for the Virginia Municipal League 2025 Policy Committee Nominations (D25-153). o Transmittal of the Board and Commission Minutes o Planning Commission – December 11, 2024 (D25-154). o Public Transit Advisory Board – February 5, 2025 (D25-155). Public Hearing (D25-156 thru D25-167). The regular session was recessed in order to conduct scheduled public hearings and immediately reconvened upon their conclusion. Citizen Comment. The following comments were given and/or submitted to be read during the citizen comment portion of this evening’s meeting. Mary Beth Rich, 1609 Augustine Avenue, Board President for Habitat for Humanity, said she was trying to bring six affordable homes to the Mayfield Community. After three years, this project was at risk of not proceeding. She said when they met with Technical Review Committee in 2022 about extending the cul-de-sacs on 22502 Regular Session 04/08/25 Canterbury, Newell and Davies Streets and because it encroached into the Resource Protection Area it was rejected. Staff proposed edits and it brought the proposal down to nine and with that revision they could not afford to build out the cul-de-sacs. The only viable path was to build out Davies Street and they were able to fit six homes within those restraints. Ms. Rich said they have submitted the project four times, each round included detailed feedback from staff and issues were addressed, and they believed they were ready to move forwards. On April 3, staff raised two new issues that jeopardize that entire project. The first suggestion was to apply to the US Army Corps of Engineer and Department of Environmental Quality for wetlands permits. She said this was the opposite of what they were originally told. The second issue was a stormwater pipe on an adjacent property. The pipe would need to be replaced and extended due to grading changes but staff believes the current easement would not be sufficient to allow for the adjustment. She said this issue was never raised and now it may stop the process. She said they could not afford to start over. Council Agenda Presented. The following items were presented to Council for discussion. 8A. Economic Development Authority and City Relations Committee Council Appointment – Mayor Devine 8B. Noise Ordinance – Mayor Devine 8C. Bragg Hill Clean Up Day – Vice-Mayor Frye 22503 Regular Session 04/08/25 8D. Community Conversation on Train Derailment – Vice-Mayor Frye 8E. Sign Board – Councilor Graham 8F. Habitat for Humanity – Councilor Gerlach Economic Development Authority and City Relations Committee Council Appointment – Councilor Graham moved to appoint Councilor Mackintosh to the Economic Development Authority and City Relations Committee; motion was seconded by Councilor Holmes and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Noise Ordinance – Mayor Devine stated that spring was here and it comes with noise issues. She explained that the City was trying to work with Fairfax County to ask for permission for it to be a pilot program to be able to ticket those violating the noise ordinance but Governor Youngkin vetoed it. She stated how it affects the downtown and the Council would continue to work on it. Bragg Hill Clean Up Day – Vice-Mayor Frye invited anyone who wanted to attend and help with the cleanup at Bragg Hill. He said they would meet at the basketball Court from 9:00 am – 12:00 PM on Saturday, April 12. Community Conversation on Train Derailment – Vice-Mayor Frye said there was a community meeting last month in regards to the train derailment from last year. He said there were three questions that were asked: is there a specific location where railcars cannot be parked; is there a trip alarm sensor that could alarm if there is a derailment; and if there was another problem like this, was there somewhere for 22504 Regular Session 04/08/25 people to be housed? Vice-Mayor Frye informed the public that he would get the answers to those questions and report back. Councilor Gerlach stated that there was an emergency evacuation plan that was presented to the residents a few years ago. Sign Board – Councilor Graham said he heard from some downtown business owners about the sign board policies, regarding materials. Currently, the materials are restricted to wood and metal and they asked if high-grade polymers could be included. He asked to direct staff to review the policy, Council agreed. Habitat for Humanity – Councilor Gerlach followed up on the Habitat for Humanity comment and he wanted to let people know that the Council does not run the City, the staff does. He said there was a charter that prevents the Council from interfering with the operations of the city departments. He said he has toured Habitat for Humanity houses and they are fantastic. He asked if staff could do anything to move this along, he would be grateful. Adoption of Minutes. Councilor Graham moved to approve the Public Hearing and Regular Session minutes of February 25, 2025 and March 11, 2025, and the Regular Session minutes of March 25, 2025; motion was seconded by Councilor Holmes and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Resolution 25-23, Approved, Member Revision to the City Towing and Recovery Board (D25-168). Councilor Mackintosh moved to approve 22505 Regular Session 04/08/25 Resolution 25-23, Member Revision to the City Towing and Recovery Board; motion was seconded by Councilor Graham and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Appointment to Rappahannock Emergency Medical Services – Chief Mike Jones (D25-169). Councilor Mackintosh moved to appoint Chief Mike Jones to the Rappahannock Emergency Medical Services Council; motion was seconded by Councilor Gerlach and passed by the following recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Resolution 25-24, Initiating the Process to Amend and Readopt the City of Fredericksburg’s Comprehensive Plan (D25-170 thru D25-172). Upon a motion by Councilor Graham, to approve Resolution 25-24, initiating the process to amend and readopt the City of Fredericksburg’s Comprehensive Plan; motion was seconded by Councilor Gerlach and passed by the following unanimously recorded votes. Ayes (7). Councilors Devine, Frye, Finn, Gerlach, Graham, Holmes and Mackintosh. Nays (0). Discussion on Potential to Fund a Grant to the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) to Support a Street Outreach Coordinator Position (D25-173). City Manager Baroody said this was a recommendation after months of work. He said they worked closely with RACSB, the City would grant money for the position, and they have tentatively agreed to hire a position, titled Homeless Outreach. This person would be responsible for homelessness 22506 Regular Session 04/08/25 prevention in the downtown and throughout the City. They will report to and work for RACSB under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the City. He said as of today, there has been over 320 calls to the 911 Center for interaction with homeless related issues. He said they are trying to create a strategic path and this partnership helps with that. This person would work all different times, interact with the homeless, and build relations and they can help address issues as they arise. Ms. Finn thanked staff for the work gone into this and she suggested that the picture might be broader than homelessness. She said much of this was tied to homelessness, but there could be someone who was recently housed and still need this kind of intervention service. She asked if the language could be clarified. Councilor Mackintosh asked if the 320-911 calls could be quantified he wanted to see what the fiscal saving would be. Mr. Baroody said it was not an easy number to get but he would do his best. Councilor Graham thanked staff for the work on this and he was looking forward to working with RACSB. He was hopeful it would make a positive effect of the community. Councilor Gerlach said this reminds him that we are a small City with big City problems and being a small City allows the City to move nimbly to solve them. Mayor Devine said the City is a small City with a big heart. The compassion that the community continues to show to the less fortunate and the unhoused is commendable. She commends staff for pursuing this and the community for often being behind the efforts. 22507 Regular Session 04/08/25 Councilor Holmes reminded people that this conversation started months ago and it was brought up at the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) as a way to address the unhoused population regionally. She said the City has also encouraged its neighbors to look at a position like this. This is a regional challenge and it will have a greater impact if everyone works together. This is a person who can be a liaison between the businesses downtown and the unhoused and they can educate both ways to make challenges less challenging. Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Update (D25-174 thru D25-175). Finance Director Six briefed the Council on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Financial condition. She said that through March the City had collected $69.5 million or 57.5% of its total budget. Real Estate tax was at $22.1 million or 51.1% of the FY 2025 budget and $6.63 million collected in personal property taxes. The FY25 meals taxes have had some ebb and flow but the year to date average shows growth year over year. The FY25 sales tax had a large increase in sale for Christmas but year over year the sales tax numbers look good. Ms. Six said the investment income was very strong this FY. Lodging taxes have collected about $1.7 million year-to-date. The EMS fees-for-service revenue bills total $1.7 million and were sent out and they should start collecting on them soon. She said at this point they have not been notified that any of the State or Federal grants have or will be impacted. Ms. Six explained that there has been $93.1 million in General Fund expenditures spent to date. They are projecting a slightly higher than normal savings in the General 22508 Regular Session 04/08/25 Fund due to personnel savings in FY25. She anticipated that expenditures would be about $5.1 million under budget. City Manager’s Report and Council Calendar (D25-176 thru D25- 177). City Manager Baroody directed the Council’s attention to the Manager’s Update: City Manager's Recommended Budget for FY 2026, Annual Water Disinfection and Flushing, Fire Hydrant Flushing, Stay Informed, Arbor Day Celebration, April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, Mark Your Calendars, Earth Day Festival, Volunteers Welcome, The Fredericksburg Memorials Advisory Commission is Seeking Nominations for the City Wall of Honor, Traffic Safety Initiative, 2025 Summer Programs, and FXBG Snapshot. Adjournment. There being no further business to come before the Council at this time, Mayor Devine declared the meeting officially adjourned at 9:51 p.m. Kerry P. Devine _ Kerry P. Devine, Mayor Tonya B. Lacey Tonya B. Lacey, Clerk of Council 22509 Regular Session 04/08/25 [This page intentionally left blank] 22510