City Council

409 S. Main Street City of Harrisonburg Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Meeting Minutes - Final City Council Tuesday, January 28, 2020 7:00 PM Council Chambers 1. Roll Call Present: 5- Mayor Deanna R. Reed, Vice-Mayor Sal Romero, Council Member Richard Baugh, Council Member Christopher B. Jones and Council Member George Hirschmann Also Present: 4- City Manager Eric Campbell, City Clerk Pam Ulmer, City Attorney Chris Brown and Gabriel Camacho 2. Invocation Council Member Jones offered the invocation. 3. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Reed led the Pledge of Allegiance. 4. Special Recognition 4.a. Presentation from the sixth grade class of Great Oak Academy. Allison Eanes, 6th grade teacher Great Oak Academy, Thomas Harrison Middle School, and students from that class presented a request for Council to amend the ordinance to allow for chickens at their school. The students that spoke were Nicolas Churney, Malea Fitzwater, Jazmyn Jones, Shamya Williams, KJ Summers, Jose Amaya, Tyler Christian, Rowida Abugasim. 5. Consent Agenda (any item placed on the consent agenda shall be removed and taken up as a separate matter, if so requested by any member of Council, otherwise all items will be voted on with one (1) motion) A motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Council Member Hirschmann, that the consent agenda be adopted. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 5.a. Minutes from the January 14, 2020 City Council Meeting City of Harrisonburg Page 1 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 These minutes were approved on the consent agenda 5.b. Consider a request from Peale Properties LLC with representative John Sallah to rezone 129 West Wolfe Street This rezoning request was approved on the consent agenda 5.c. Consider a request from The Norton Group, LLC to rezone five parcels at 1043, 1045, 1059, 1061, 1063 South High Street This rezoning was approved on the consent agenda 5.d. Consider amending and re-enacting Section 4-2-124, Section 4-2- Section 4-2-21, Section 4-22, Section 4-24 and Section 4-25 of the City Code of Harrisonburg, in regard to personal property and real estate tax relief This ordinance amendment was approved on the consent agenda 5.e. Consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $6.2 million for the General Capital Projects and School Capital Projects Funds. This supplemental appropriation was approved on the consent agenda 6. Public Hearings 6.a. Public hearing to consider the issuance of up to $141 million in general obligation bonds that will finance construction of the new high school and several other capital projects. Larry Propst, finance director, stated this public hearing is in advance of obtaining the General Obligation Bond for the new high school. He stated included in this is funding for a new Public Works building and the Eastern Raw Waterline project. He stated no action is required at this time, a resolution will be presented to Council at the next Council meeting on February 11, 2020. At 7:12 pm Mayor Reed closed the regular session and called the first public hearing to order. A notice appeared in the Daily News-Record on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 and Tuesday, January 21, 2020. There being no one desiring to be heard, Mayor Reed closed the public hearing at 7:12 p.m., and the regular session reconvened. No action required This Public Hearing - No Action was received and filed. 7. Regular Items City of Harrisonburg Page 2 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 7.a. Presentation from the Rockingham - Harrisonburg SPCA Huck Nawaz, executive director for the Rockingham/Harrisonburg SPCA, stated 2019 was a long and challenging first year for him, but he had great news to share with Council. He stated he started off the year with a promise of a collaborative effort to improve the welfare of the animals in our community. He stated they closed out the year with bringing on over 25 new partners who are local organizations as well as other animal welfare organizations throughout the state and beyond. He stated in 2019 word got out that they were really focused on live release rate which led to a lot of support and positive outcomes for the animals. He stated an unintended consequence of that effort was an unexpected increase in intakes. He stated intakes increased by 19% (450 more animals), adoptions increased by 70%, return to owners increased by 6% transfers increased by 173%, and a total percentage of euthanasia decreased by 50%. He reviewed the intakes and outcomes from 2016 through 2019 and noted the increase in intakes for 2019 were all feline intakes. He reviewed some of the promotions that were done in 2019 and noted 2020 initiatives are to attempt to address the issues of increase in intakes by engaging in public education, foster and volunteer programs. Council Member Baugh asked what Mr. Nawaz thought the reason for the intake increase was. Mr. Nawaz stated he believes it is a combination of reengagement from the community and increased awareness from advertising. Vice Mayor Romero asked if other localities who have similar issues were reviewed for possible strategies to use and if there was anything Council or city schools could do to help. Mr. Nawaz stated he appreciates the offer and will take him up on it. He stated other localities have been looked at and they are working together with many. Mayor Reed asked if the partnerships increased. Mr. Nawaz stated it did, at the local level a vast majority of surgeries are being done through Anicira, at the regional level partnerships are being utilized in transferring out animals. He stated we may not have been able to come to a resolution in the past or saw how we could work together, but that has significantly improved and has made a huge impact on improving the welfare of the animals. He stated they also have partnerships with groups such as On the Road Collaborative and local schools. Mayor Reed stated she liked the direction of where the numbers are heading and that everyone is getting along. She stated Mr. Nawaz is doing a great job at the RHSPCA Council Member Baugh stated Mr. Nawaz has done some great work. Council Member Jones stated he has been dealing with this since he was elected and hasn’t had any complaints since Mr. Nawaz came on board and thanked him and City of Harrisonburg Page 3 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 his staff for that. This Presentation was received and filed. 7.b. Presentation on the Heritage Oaks Golf Course Luanne Santangelo, director, Brian Mancini, assistant director, and Genevieve Chandler, administrative services manager for Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation presented. Ms. Santangelo noted Ms. Chandler recently assumed management and oversight of the Heritage Oaks Golf Course. She provided the history of the Parks and Recreation department, recently celebrating 65 years of service to the community. She reviewed an overview of the Parks and Recreation Department, with information on the amenities offered, number of staff members, current budget, services offered and impact to the city. She reviewed statistics on the Heritage Oaks Golf Course, which included 28,300 annual rounds 45 tournaments/events, home course for 3 local high schools and four leagues, just to name a few. She stated the city contributes to the operations of the golf course and ranged between $ 278,000 - $500,000. Mayor Reed stated one local high school and two county high schools use the golf course. She reviewed a map of the property and noted 34 acres of the property located in the center of the golf course and has deed restrictions that limit any kind of development to recreation activities. Ms. Chandler reviewed the rounds played per year between 2015 and 2019 and noted in 2018 there were 153 days of rain which significantly impacted the rounds played. She reviewed the revenue per year between 2015 and 2019 and noted trend shows we are approximately $60,000 ahead from last year. She reviewed revenue comparisons between the golf course to the rest of the programs offered by Parks and Recreation and noted in 2015 the golf course raised $272,000 more than other programs combined and over the past five years the total revenue for the golf course was $1.1M. She stated the current revenue this fiscal year is $417,000 versus $270,000 for all other programs. She reviewed the expenditures of the golf course from 2015 through 2019 and noted the increase in 2018 expenditures was due to aging out of equipment. She stated the loss at the golf course has been between 278,000 to $518,000. She also reviewed the comparison of expenditures between the golf course and all other programs offered. Mr. Mancini provided information on the conservation efforts at the golf course, such as flood control, city’s water treatment plant, and pollinator project. He stated the golf course provides a natural habitat for the area wildlife. He stated the green space provided is part of the nutrient management plan approved by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. He spoke on the economic impacts to the city, noting all the schools in the area that use the golf course. He stated if VHSL golf tournaments are held at the golf course people will come from all over the state to participate, which equates to more money spent in the city. He shared some history of his efforts at his previous location, which included tracking of the economic impact events generated, stating many of the efforts could be used here. Mayor Reed asked if there was any way to track what economic impact the golf course has to the city . City of Harrisonburg Page 4 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 Council Member Jones stated what happened at Mr. Mancini’s previous location doesn’t help us today because he can’t tell us what is happening here and now. Mr. Mancini stated he hasn’t been here long enough to implement some of the efforts. He stated the property values are based on what types of property is behind the developments. He stated the current housing development along the back edge of the golf course holds up property value. He stated the reviews on the many social media sites for the golf course are good, including specific golf websites. He reviewed how the golf course promotes health and wellness and noted the First Tee program is a big part of the golf course. Ms. Chandler reviewed new initiatives that are a major focus of the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, including the ability to track information and make data informed decisions to better serve the community. She stated some initiatives already implemented are cameras at the Morrison Park to capture the usage to determine if the tennis courts should be converted to pickle ball courts or not; people counters at facilities to determine the usage at the facilities, database software installed at the golf course to track information on the users of the golf course to be able to determine possible economic impact to the city. She stated staff needs to change the perception of the golf course, it is a challenge but our number one goal . She stated the golf course is more than a golf course, it is a park, it is a beautiful venue and is an amenity to the community. She stated staff worked on ideas with other entities in the community and tourism, on how to change the perception and expose the golf course to the non-golfers. She stated part of that is to increase community events, increase the traffic, including opening it up for walkers, social events, partnerships with other facilities, and create awareness of the facility rental that can be used for private events, weddings, reunions etc. She stated we want to increase golf participation by collaborate with other city and business entities, create strategic marketing, and offer instructions, camps and clinics, to name a few. Ms. Santangelo stated this presentation was created via a request from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, and what it comes down to is what we do in the city to enhance quality of life for our residents and do we consider the golf course a recreational asset and amenity to those in our community, which is a question that needs to be answered in order for the Parks and Recreation department to move forward in a positive direction at the golf course. Eric Campbell, city manager, stated the golf course has been a sensitive issue for many years in the community, and many of the issues predate his arrival and the current Parks and Recreation director’s arrival. He stated we cannot speak to the historical decisions made, but we can look from where we are now, the community has changed tremendously over the past 18 years and we have a major hotel and conference center that we try to market externally from the city. He stated he can only respond from his professional experiences and management oversite of two golf courses at other localities and noted none of those were expected to make money, they were viewed as community amenities to the parks and recreation departments . City of Harrisonburg Page 5 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 He stated they expanded beyond just playing golf to include public /private venues and events. He stated he views the Heritage Oaks Golf Course as a community amenity, we can work to enhance the programming, but does not want to give any false expectations that the golf course will make money. He stated there is new management and new direction on how the golf course can be enhanced. He stated Council has not given him any specific direction on what to do regarding the golf course, but he hopes what comes out of this meeting is direction from Council as to where do they want to go from here. He stated there have been questions about economic impact, things we can get involved in, some of the questions are detailed, and asked Council where do they want staff to concentrate on, do they want staff to engage consultants to study economic impacts and what does Council want to do with the golf course over all. Mayor Reed stated that is one reason why council wanted the presentation from the Parks and Recreation Commission. She stated she was fortunate enough to sit through the presentation at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting, we know the golf course is a very sensitive topic, and she isn ’t sure how many times the golf course has been thoroughly discussed by Council, but she appreciates the work that staff has done on the presentation and Council is aware that the staff that presented is new and the issues predated them. Council Member Jones stated he initially asked for this information in November 2019 to the city manager, and although he appreciates the presentation it is not what he was looking for. He stated he wanted something more robust and wanted to hear from Economic Development and Tourism, in regard to impact to the city and the value of the property if put back on the market. He stated he wanted to know how much it would cost to get it running better as continuing to operate at such a loss doesn't make sense. He spoke on how one justifies certain losses with Parks and Recreation. He stated land is the city’s most precious resource and he did not hear what the benefits are with keeping the golf course operating. He asked if workforce housing would be better suited for that area. He stated he thinks there is a lot involved in making a decision, would the stormwater issue exist without the golf course. He stated comparing the loss per golfer and really educating the public of the cost per user is the bigger picture, what really is the impact on tourism, are people really staying in the city and using the facility. He stated we have lost $ 21M after considering the revenue it took in, a school could be built for that. He stated he wasn ’t looking for how awesome the golf course is, he wanted to know if we really could afford it, there are people in our community who are in the business of selling golf for a profit that can’t make one, which is scary to him if we are just providing the service and subsidizing it to some degree. He stated there are new individuals on staff, we are walking into things that happened in the past, but we need to move forward. He stated we have given $1M to the First Tee program, are our people asking for that. He stated from what he sees people are wanting schools, affordable housing, workforce housing, new jobs etc., but is this an amenity they want. He stated he isn’t 100% sure he is anti-golf course but there is no data that says that we should keep it . City of Harrisonburg Page 6 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 He stated he expects more information so an intelligent conversation can be had on this subject. He stated whether that means investing in an outside resource or have staff come up with more information. Vice Mayor Romero stated when he ran for Council, he doesn't recall a lot of people talking about the golf course. He knows very little about the golf course, never been there, but tonight he was able to schedule a tour, so he can see what it looks like. He stated he needs to know a lot more, and he is very excited to hear that multiple community and private events can be hosted there because we want to expand beyond golf. He stated staff was open to exploring what other opportunities are out there, but he doesn't have enough info to make a decision that would be sound and right. Mayor Reed stated she has asked the question if previous councils actually discussed the golf course as we are now. Council Member Baugh stated this is an incredibly divisive issue in the community and produced a political change on City Council that people who actually study this stuff said was remarkable. He stated past Council had been elected specifically because of their negative stance on the golf course, but it couldn’t be stopped after they took office. He stated what they did accomplish was to stop as much spending on it as possible, which caused poor reviews for years and was ignored. He stated when he was elected in 2008 Council did start talking about it, and what they all agreed on was that by ignoring it for eight years it needed a look. He stated a committee was formed to provide recommendations and determined that aspects of the golf course originally planned and didn’t happen needed to happen. He stated Council followed the recommendations and put some money into it to basically build it out the way it was originally planned. He stated positive movement of revenue began to be seen, and the reviews are good. He stated he heard for years that people like the golf course, it is kind of what it was intended to be, and it is one of the best middling golf courses in the area. He stated it hasn’t been looked at hard since 2012 after those changes that were made. Mayor Reed stated she doesn’t want to make the golf course issue a political issue at all, she wants to see if this is something that we need to have in the city. She stated she was very intrigued when the tournaments and events were being talked about, she had no idea those events took place. She is interested to know if those types of events have had an economic impact on the city. She stated there is useful data that hasn’t been collected, but staff is in the process of getting that. She stated she loves the idea of community events out there and wonders why we aren ’t doing that already. She stated she would love to know who is using that and wondered if an outside study could help us with that. Council Member Jones stated that is exactly what he was talking about, he had hoped the information would have been provided by Public Works, Finance and Economic Development. What was presented this evening was not what Council needed in order to make a decision. He stated he has played there, but he hears from residents about raising taxes and not helping all the other non-profit organizations but are losing City of Harrisonburg Page 7 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 money on 200 acres of land that could make up a penny of revenue. He stated he feels Council has to have that greater conversation because everything that was said is perfect in a vacuum but who lives in a vacuum. Council Member Baugh stated he hopes no one from staff takes this as an insult as they do a good job at what they do, but he thinks to do a thorough analysis of economics and what it would look like to close the golf course is beyond the paygrade of anyone we have on staff. He stated what is being talked about are big lifts, there are too many variables and he wouldn’t feel comfortable if the information requested was provided by staff alone. Council Member Jones stated he agreed with Council Member Baugh and feels the conversation and presentation should have been about that. Mayor Reed stated what was presented was wonderful and does allow for a much deeper conversation to be had. She stated there is a 34-acre parcel that no one can touch. Mr. Campbell stated the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC) requested a presentation on the golf course and there had been questions to Council on the golf course, so he made the decision that it was important that a Council received the same information provided to PRAC. That is the only reason this came up, he doesn’t take any offense from comments made by Council Member Baugh, the city does not have the capacity to do the level of economic analysis that is being requested. He stated that is why he asked Council in the beginning how deep do they want staff to dive into the economic analysis, economic impact, housing impact, etc . He stated he would need outside help to quantify this. Council Member Jones asked what the range of cost would be for that. Mr. Campbell stated he has no idea as there as been no direction to date. Council Member Jones stated he did not know that Mr . Campbell needed that direction, and now is asking for him to obtain a price and review with Council. Mr. Campbell stated he needs Council to direct him, not just one member. Mr. Chris Brown, city attorney, stated if Council wants to direct the city manager, it as to come from Council as a whole not from one individual member. Council Member Baugh stated from an analytical standpoint it is straight forward to have an analysis, but that is not what we are talking about here. He stated there are too many variables and types of analysis needed and he doesn ’t feel there is one analysis that would cover all of the data needed. Council Member Hirschmann stated we need a price to find out what it would cost to provide an analysis. Council Member Jones made a motion, seconded by Vice Mayor Romero, to direct the city manager to explore pricing for maintaining and/or closing the Heritage Oaks Golf Course and its economic impact in either direction. City of Harrisonburg Page 8 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 Vice Mayor Romero asked what Council Member Jones means as far as the cost, the time commitment, who are we asking and what is the process. Council Member Jones stated it is a request to get ball park costs on what this type of analysis would cost. Council Member Hirschmann stated all the request is is to find companies that are capable of doing these types of analysis. Mr. Brown asked if this request is just to all three or four companies to provide ball park figures of what this type of analysis would cost, or does he want staff to actually do an RFP to get bids for this sort of work. Mr. Campbell stated for the level of economic analysis we are looking for it may end up being an RFP as we can ’t do it by quote. Mr. Brown stated we couldn’t enter into a contract with just a quote but if Council Member Jones just wants us to call around for estimates it would not be binding. Council Member Baugh stated he doesn’t believe the economic analysis at the level that is being requested exists. He stated there are too many variables, how does one repurpose a golf course for a housing development, has anyone done that. Council Member Jones asked what we should do with the golf course, do we keep theorizing, do we want to find out information, do we not. Further discussion took place on what to do. Mayor Reed stated we have a study out there on the scope of housing and she doesn’t feel it needs to get to this point yet. Vice Mayor Romero stated he is more interested in seeing what the Parks and Recreation staff can do with the golf course to make it a greater asset to the community. Council Member Jones made a motion, seconded by Vice Mayor Romero, to direct the city manager to explore pricing for maintaining and/or closing the Heritage Oaks Golf Course and its economic impact in either direction. The motion failed with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 1- Council Member Jones No: 4- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh and Council Member Hirschmann Recess At 8:46 p.m., Mayor Reed called the meeting into recess. At 8:48 p.m., Mayor Reed called the meeting back into session. 7.c. Consider enrolling the Northeast Neighborhood into the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Tom Hartman, director of Public Works, provided the time line from the initial effort in 2008 of the Northeast Neighborhood to enter into the Neighborhood Traffic Calming City of Harrisonburg Page 9 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 Program. He reviewed the Traffic Study Summary and the next steps to implementation if council approved. A motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Council Member Hirschmann, to approve the enrollment into the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 7.d. Consider adopting a resolution reducing the Posted Speed Limit on East Grattan Street Tom Hartman, director of Public Works, reviewed the existing conditions and concerns on East Grattan Street, the options available, and staff’s recommendation. Council Member Baugh stated Mr. Hartman did a great job compiling the data. He stated he uses that road all the time and not really sure if he saves time or not. City Attorney Brown noted the resolution attached to the agenda item will need to be corrected to show today’s date prior to execution A motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Vice Mayor Romero, to adopt the resolution as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 7.e. Consider amending and reenacting Section 3-1-2 Authority to execute contracts and agreements of the Code of the City of Harrisonburg Chris Brown, city attorney, stated the amendment to the city ordinance involves the authority of the of the city manager to delegate certain contract signing duties to other members of staff and department directors. He reviewed the current city code and after discussion with the finance director and the procurement agent and review of other localities it was determined to be a wide variety of ordinances in reference to this signing authority. He stated most localities our size gave the city manager the authority to delegate to other staff members within certain parameters. He reviewed the recommended amendments to the ordinance. A motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Vice Mayor Romero, to approve the ordinance amendment as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 City of Harrisonburg Page 10 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 7.f. Consider adopting a resolution approving and ratifying a real estate purchase agreement. Chris Brown, city attorney, presented a request to approve a resolution ratifying a contract entered into by staff to purchase real estate from Sylvia Karageorge and Pete T. Karageorge for 2.52 acres, the old Panos Restaurant property. He stated some of the property is necessary for improvements to E Kaylor Park Drive and a right turn lane off of S. Main Street into the new high school parcel. He stated when the Public Works department worked on right of way acquisitions, staff realized the amount of property needed for the right turn lane and the improvements to E. Kaylor Park Drive, were going to vastly effect the value of the parcel owned by the Karageorge’s. He stated it would, in effect, take all of the front parking of the business, eliminate the business’s entrance along S. Main Street, eliminate much of the parking on the side of the business and also eliminate the location of the current sign. He stated during the analysis, it was realized that between what the city needed to purchase and the damage to the rest of the property would probably be in the neighborhood of $1.5M. He stated the property was on the market and staff was able to negotiate a contract for the entire 2.52-acre parcel in the amount of $2.2M. He stated staff’s suggestion is that once the contract is approved the city can retain what is needed, use the area for staging for construction and then remove the old Panos building, reconfigure the lot and put the remaining parcel back on the market in hopes to recoup a substantial part of the $2.2M purchase price. A motion was made by Council Member Hirschmann, seconded by Council Member Baugh, to adopt the resolution as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 8. Supplementals 8.a. Consider a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $1,125,000 for the General Capital Projects Fund Larry Propst, director of Finance, presented a supplemental appropriation request in the amount of $1,125,000.00 as the city’s one-half share of the Phase Two renovation of the Rockingham County District Court Building. A motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Vice Mayor Romero to approve the supplemental appropriation as presented. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 City of Harrisonburg Page 11 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 9. Other Matters 9.a. Comments from the public, limited to five minutes, on matters not on the regular agenda. (Name and address are required) No public comments 9.b. City Council and Staff Chris Brown, city attorney stated in reference to the presentation from the sixth graders on the request to have chickens. He stated a few years ago Council has a similar request from Skyline Middle School. He stated staff worked with the students and teachers and came up with proposed amendments to the chicken ordinance that would allow a school, public or private, to keep chickens. He stated there was a first reading of the ordinance and approved by Council, but in the existing ordinance there was a prohibition of having chickens within 500 feet of any poultry processing plant, hatchery etc. He stated staff did further research and realized that Skyline Middle School was within 500 feet of a hatchery, and under the terms of the ordinance did not qualify to have chickens. He stated around the same time staff heard from the Virginia Poultry Federation who expressed some concerns and suggested some guidelines to be used if the ordinance was in effect, such as if any student has someone in the household that works in a poultry facility, they would not be able to participate, along with a few other bio-security provisions. He stated obviously the poultry industry is very critical to the city and the bio-security is big. He stated he would be happy to revisit the amendments to the ordinance with the Poultry Federation and bring back to Council. He stated there were a few things noticed during the presentation, such as the two feet per bird, ordinance states four feet required, we require a roof on a chicken coup, but is sure these things can be worked out between the staff and the teachers and students involved. Vice Mayor Romero stated the students do have a copy of the current ordinance and is sure they will work with staff. Mr. Brown stated with council’s direction he can go back to the Virginia Poultry Federation to make sure all requirements are met and in the ordinance amendment. Vice Mayor Baugh stated it was a good start as we were able to do something that the Federation ultimately supported but it is interesting as we spend a lot of time looking at the city maps relative to residential properties to determine if they can /can’t have chickens, but we never looked at school locations. Mr. Brown mentioned that the city does not allow the selling of eggs but can be given away or used in the school. Mayor Reed stated a survey is now available on our website regarding the city ’s Downtown Parking Study, please fill this survey out to help us as we plan for the future of our downtown; a forum will be held Wednesday, February 5, 2019 at Public Works City of Harrisonburg Page 12 Printed on 8/26/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes - Final January 28, 2020 about the future of South Main Street and Erikson Avenue, please visit our website for more information; the city clerk is currently accepting applications for the Economic Development Authority, three positions are vacant, visit our website or City Hall to learn more about how to apply; applications are still being excepted for the 2020 Harrisonburg Community Police Academy, learn more and apply at our website; and the 2020 Census is right around the corner, households will begin receiving letters in the mail in March, 2020 detailing how to complete the census online or by phone, your response helps secure critical funding for our community each year, lets ensure we are counted so our city gets the funding and needs for schools, roads, transits and much more. 10. Closed Session 10.a. Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A), under: Subsection 1 for the discussion and consideration of prospective candidates for employment At 9:35 pm a motion was made by Council Member Baugh, seconded by Council Member Hirschmann, to enter into closed session as authorized by the Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A), under: Subsection 1 for the discussion and consideration of prospective candidates for employment. The motion carried with a recorded roll call vote taken as follows: Yes: 5- Mayor Reed, Romero, Council Member Baugh, Council Member Jones and Council Member Hirschmann No: 0 11. Adjournment At 9:44 p.m., the closed session ended and the regular session reconvened. City Attorney Brown read the following statement, which was agreed to with a unanimous recorded vote of Council: I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge (1) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under Chapter 37 of Title 2.2 of the Code, of Virginia, 1950, as amended, and (2) 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 closed meeting by the City Council. At 9:44 p.m., there being no further business and on motion adopted, the meeting was adjourned. ________________________ ________________________ CITY CLERK MAYOR City of Harrisonburg Page 13 Printed on 8/26/2020