Senior Citizens Advisory Committee

Hampton Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Hampton Senior Center, 3501 Kecoughtan Road October 2, 2023 Call to Order and Welcome Chair Linda Kindred opened the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and reminded all that the attendance sheet at the back of the room was to be signed upon arrival. She added that if anyone needed to be absent from future meetings to contact her directly at 757-776-2286. She noted that if anyone had questions, to ask them at the end of the meeting. Opening prayer was then offered. Roll call & Approval of September Minutes Present: Linda H Kindred-Chair, Lewis Dawley III- Vice Chair, Martha L. Clark, Tonya L. Grant, C’Faison Harris, Phyllis Porter, Lynda Burke Absent: Camilla Doctor, Cassandra Alston-Townsley, City/Lead Agency Reps: Mayor Donnie Tuck, Councilman Chris Bowman, Shantel Hudgins (HPRLS), Phyllis Palin (Hampton Human Services), Ethel Heyward (Social Services), Bill Massey (PAA) Guests: Chris Snead (Hampton Treasurer), Sandra Timmons (Hampton Treasurer’s Office), Doris Farmer, Gloria Gross, Nancy Glenn, Selma Toon, Audrey Johnson, Georgia Scott Shantel Hudgins conducted the roll call; a quorum was present. The opportunity was given to the advisory board to review the September minutes. A motion to accept the September minutes as written was made, seconded, and unanimously approved. Opening Remarks Director McCauley gave some additional opening remarks and proceeded to discuss informative updates on special current and future events that are to occur in the city in the coming weeks/months. ❖ Tour De Fort (Bike/Walk Hampton Event) occurred on October 1, 2023 on the Fort Monroe Streets and Oozlefinch Craft Brewery from 2pm-6pm. ❖ The Food Truck Rodeo is expected to be scheduled soon with the Carousel opening. ❖ The Bluebird Gap Farm Festival is scheduled for October 21st and October 22nd from 10am-5pm at Bluebird Gap Farm. 1  ❖ The Holly Days Market is scheduled for December 8th (5pm-10pm) and December 9th (12pm-5pm) in Downtown Hampton. ❖ The Holly Days Downtown Block Lighting is scheduled for December 8th from 5pm-10pm in Downtown Hampton. ❖ The return of the Hampton Holly Days Parade is scheduled for December 9th beginning at 5pm with Downtown Hampton as the step off location. ❖ The Holiday Wonder Walk is scheduled for December 16th through December 22nd (nightly) from 5pm-8pm at Water Walk Trail near the Hampton Coliseum. Director McCauley also shared that he briefed the Council recently on the Capital Improvement Projects that are done through PRLS. There are 400 assets that PRLS manage for the city. This year, PRLS has completed over 60 projects. A large project that is coming up is the Darling Stadium Project which will be completed in phases to ensure that the football season is not disrupted. The HSCAC Annual Awards Ceremony is scheduled for December 4th at the Hampton Senor Center. The nomination forms are available at each of the community/neighborhood centers and the forms are due by November 1st. The categories include the following: 70-80 years old, 80-90 years old, and 90 years old & above. Committee Update Linda shared that the Council has appointed Remi Travis Wright as a new board member to HSCAC. Presentation (Hampton City Treasurer) Director McCauley introduced Hampton City Treasurer, Christine Snead, to present to the board and visitors. Christine thanked everyone in attendance for inviting her as the guest speaker for today’s SCAC meeting. She shared that she previously served on the Hampton City Council and currently serves as the Hampton City Treasurer. She stated that she has worked for the city of Hampton for 34 years. She also served as the Budget Director for 15 years. Her goal is to educate and share the process of how the Treasurer’s Office works. They work closely with the Commissioner of Revenue which is the entity that overlooks one’s personal property such as vehicles, trailers, boats, etc. The Commissioner of Revenue placed the value on these items. The Treasurer’s Office also works closely with the Assessor’s Office which places the value on one’s real estate property. Individuals may get a property tax bill because the value of property has gone up which causes one’s taxes to increase. Similarities occurred with vehicles where used vehicles value increased significantly which caused a change in the assessment of used vehicles. Some individuals received personal property taxes because the value of their vehicle increased which created an issue because some individuals had not received personal property taxes in years. The Commissioner of Revenue looks at the trends in car sales. The city council sets the tax rate on personal property, real 2 estate, number of fees, and stormwater. The tax rate against the value of the property and then the total of taxes owed is formulated. The information is sent to the Treasurer’s Office who then prints the bills, sends the bills, and completes the collection of taxes owed. The Treasurer’s Office also completes reconciliation of every amount of money that comes to the city of Hampton. They must account for all the cash, checks, and wires that come through the Treasurer’s Office. Christine also shared her goal to improve the customer service within the Treasurer’s Office. It is an objective to thank the individuals that pay their taxes because it provides funding to police, schools, fire, PRLS, and more. Failure to pay taxes gives the city less money to work with. The taxes help to operate the city. The city’s budget is council approved along with the Finance department, Commissioner of Revenue, Economic Development, Treasurer’s department, etc. Each of the departments tries to estimate what they will generate in revenue for the year which becomes the basis for the budget. There must be a balanced budget. The Treasurer’s Office also provides services such as DMV Select, passport services, and collection tools. She stressed the importance of paying taxes on time on June 5th and December 5th. Anything beyond those dates automatically results in a 10% fee. If one chooses not to pay, the Treasurer’s Office sends a delinquent notice. The next steps in actions result in a lien on one’s paycheck if they fail to abide the delinquent notice. She shared that 32,000 liens were previously sent to employers. One’s full paycheck is collected until the debt is paid in full. The Treasurer’s Office has an online system where citizens can set up online payments. Individuals can also be sent an email for courtesy reminder of bill payments. They will also implement a new system where individuals can set up payments to be taken out of their accounts monthly to ensure that their taxes are paid in full by the due date. They are hoping that this system would help individuals to avoid being delinquent on their taxes. An outreach program will be implemented in the future for citizens who are not computer savvy and need assistance with the online services provided by the Treasurer’s Office. Christine encouraged citizens to document that property is to be passed down to children or a particular family member. This would help the Treasurer’s Office to locate the correct individuals in reference to paying the taxes on behalf of a loved one. She also encouraged others to not wait if they happen to experience any hardships. Please speak with the Treasurer’s Office as soon as possible. They have collected over 100% of taxes this year. She also briefly spoke about the tax relief programs that the city implemented. They have tax deferment programs available to citizens. They also have a tax freeze program. Each of these programs has requirements/qualifications to be able to obtain these reliefs. The council has eliminated fees that were associated with paying personal property taxes online. It was noted that this function was enacted during COVID, but fees could possibly be reinstated in the future. Newsletters are available twice a year to the public to give updates on the Treasurer’s Office. Christine opened the floor for questions and concluded her presentation. Linda thanked Christine for a very informative presentation. Subcommittee Reports Senior Residential Housing Committee: Tonya Grant shared the following information: 3  • A resident from SinClair Commons contacted Linda Kindred regarding an incident that occurred involving a safety issue. • A meeting occurred with the manager of Somerset Town Center to help re-establish the relationship between the residents and management. • Linda Burke came up with the idea to host a meeting at the Hampton Senir Center to include residents and directors from senior living facilities to address any concerns or questions. Speaker’s Bureau Committee: C’Faison Harris shared the following information: • They completed the quarterly meeting in October where the April minutes were approved. She expressed the need for suggestions for speaker selections for the year 2024. • Chief Wideman (Police) and Corey Johnson (Fire) will be presenting at the November meeting. • LaTonya Hughes and Camica Credle will be scheduled as presenters for 2024. • Gloria Jones from Westhampton Community Center previously expressed the need for a representative from HSCAC to speak with the seniors at the centers. Mayor’s Town Hall Committee: Lewis Dawley III shared the following information: • It was confirmed that the Mayor’s Town Hall meeting has been scheduled for October 16th at 10am within the Hampton Senior Center. Annual Awards Committee: Linda Kindred shared the following information: • The nomination forms are available to nominate a senior for the Hampton Senior Citizenship of the Year Award. The nomination forms to be submitted to the Hampton Senior Center no later than November 1st. City/Lead Agency Updates PAA: Bill Massey shared the following information: • PAA is working with the Mayor of Newport News to help bring awareness about the needs for seniors. • Hampton City Council appointed two new members to the PAA Board of Directors. The council appointed Lewis Dawley III to the PAA Board of Directors. • On September 28th, PAA worked with the Peninsula Task Force of Aging during the legislative summit to bring together as many representatives in the General Assembly. This event was focused on senior issues such as affordable housing, transportation, healthcare, and senior services in general. • PAA’s current challenge going into FY24 is that the additional funds that are made available by the Federal Government have been exhausted. As a result, there is a waiting list for Meals on Wheels. The PAA is going to continue to advocate for additional funds to help close the gap. 4  Public Comment Linda gave an opportunity for visitors/guests to speak. Chanda shared information about the wreath class that was being offered at the Hampton Senior Center every Thursday during the month of September. Loom knitting will be available during the month of October every Thursday from 1pm-2pm. Creative Expressions is also available on Wednesdays of each month. Adjournment Linda closed the meeting by asking all to remember to be a ray of sunshine in someone’s cloud, adding that you may be the only person someone sees, and your smile or act of kindness will brighten someone’s day. The meeting adjourned at 11:30am. Minutes submitted by Shantel Hudgins, SCAC Recorder 5