City Council

March 27, 2018 Council Meeting The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia was held on March 27, 2018 in Council Chambers, Municipal Building, at 7:30 PM with Mayor Gene Teague presiding. Council Members present included Gene Teague, Chad Martin, Jennifer Bowles and Kathy Lawson. Sharon Hodge was not in attendance. Staff present included City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Assistant City Manager Wayne Knox, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Finance Director Linda Conover, Fire Chief Ted Anderson, and Deputy Police Chief Rob Fincher. Mayor Teague called the meeting to order. Following the Pledge to the American Flag and invocation by Council Member Lawson, Teague welcomed everyone to the meeting. Consider approval of minutes of January 9, 2018 Council Meeting, January 23, 2018 Council Meeting, February 8, 2018 Informational Neighborhood Meeting – Council Member Lawson made a motion to approve minutes as presented. Vice Mayor Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Read and present a proclamation acknowledging the week of April 8-14, 2018 as National Library Week – Council Member Bowles read the proclamation which was presented to Betsy Haskins, Chairperson for the Blue Ridge Regional Library Board of Trustees. Haskins thanked Council for the proclamation, highlighted opportunities provided by the library and recognized staff and board members who were present. March 27, 2018 Council Meeting Read and present a proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month – Vice Mayor Martin read the proclamation and presented it to representatives of the Southside Survivor Response Center. Mary Jones stated that the proclamation is appreciated as well as Council’s support. Read and Present a proclamation acknowledging April 3, 2018 as National Service Recognition Day – Council Member Lawson read the proclamation that was presented to Julie Brown, Director of Advanced Learning on behalf of AmeriCorps members. Brown and other representatives thanked Council for their support and stated that they hope to expand their services in the near future. March 27, 2018 Council Meeting Consider adoption of a Resolution recognizing April as Fair Housing Month and expressing the City’s pledge to provide equal housing opportunities for all citizens – City Manager Towarnicki invited Wayne Knox to the podium and welcomed members of the Danville Redevelopment Housing Authority. Knox explained that this resolution is needed annually to assist with project funding and grants. Mayor Teague read the resolution. Council Member Bowles made a motion to adopt the resolution; Council Member Lawson seconded the motion with all present Council Members voting in favor. Teague presented the resolution to Terry Ferguson, Director Housing Authority. Ferguson explained that DRHA assists low-income families to purchase homes. March 27, 2018 Council Meeting Consider authorizing execution of an easement to Henry County for recreational use of approximately 0.76 acres located on the south side of Spruce Street adjacent to Mulberry Creek for the purpose of constructing a trailhead facility for the extension of the Dick and Willie Trail – City Manager Towarnicki recapped previous meetings regarding the proposed trail and trailhead easement. Specific conditions have been added to the easement execution by request of residents and Council. Towarnicki explained that construction of a trail in a residential area is allowed by right. Staff will be bringing recommendations for the Planning Commission regarding a Special Use Permit in situations like this at the April 10, 2018 Council meeting. Council Member Bowles made a motion to authorize the execution of the easement subject to those specified conditions; Council Member Lawson seconded the motion with all present Council Members voting in favor. Teague says the County has acknowledged that they could have done more to inform the City and residents however the trails that the County builds and maintains throughout the City and surrounding areas are an asset to the residents. Council Lawson encourages staff to have closer dialog on Section 6A of the trail. . March 27, 2018 Council Meeting March 27, 2018 Council Meeting March 27, 2018 Council Meeting Conduct a public hearing on a request from Lanier Farms, LLC for a Special Use Permit to allow the former Food Lion building located at 1000 Spruce Street to be used as a warehouse – Wayne Knox summarized the procedures taken by Community Development and the Planning Commission leading up to the public hearing. No residents have come forward with any opposition on the permit. James Coleman noted that Cougar Paws has been in the City for 10 years and the business has expanded silently during that time. Mayor Teague opened the public hearing. No one approached the podium. Teague closed the public hearing. Council Member Lawson made a motion to approve the special use permit; Vice Mayor Martin seconded the motion with the following roll call: Bowles, aye; Lawson, aye; Teague, aye; and Martin, aye. March 27, 2018 Council Meeting Hear information from the Town of Clifton Forge and Alleghany County regarding the transition of Clifton Forge from city to town – Council welcomed Stephen Bennett, Chairman of the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors who was also on the Board at the time of the reversion and Mr. Mac Campbell who was Mayor of the City of Clifton Forge at the time of the reversion agreement. The biggest challenge the City faced was the perception of residents that the City would lose something or become less than what they were before, they viewed it as a negative move. The discussions were handled by two people from the City, two people from the County discussing two concerns at each meeting. Those topics were then taken back to the remaining Board and Council members for discussion. Campbell and Bennett discussed the expense related to the reversion, the numerous meetings and suggested discussing only two issues at a time until an agreement is reached, as well as how the schools were handled under the reversion. Lawyers were engaged right up front, one firm was shared by both City and County. Both men agree that it was a positive and successful move for both Clifton Forge and Alleghany County. Residents’ taxes actually decreased although they received tax statements from both town and county. It took a few years to learn how to be a town and part of the County and not consider them as a separate entity. The Justice Department decides the voting districts, not the County. It’s a complicated process and Martinsville Council should prepare to make mistakes if the option to reversion is considered. Some positions were eliminated but no one lost their employment including the Constitutional March 27, 2018 Council Meeting office staff. They recommend not waiting until it is too late and begin the process from a point of weakness. This should be considered an opportunity to better the community as a whole. Consider approval of Consent Agenda - Council Member Lawson made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented; Council Member Bowles seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Business from the Floor – JC Richardson Jr, Pastor of Mt Sinai Church appreciates Council inviting speakers to provide information on reversion. His concern was lack of resident information. Council Member Bowles asked if representatives from locations that have said NO to reversion could be invited to Council to share that side of the reversion topic as well. Mayor Teague said the topic has been approached with the County but has not been successful to date. Bill Moore, 1424 Spruce Street Ext thanked City Council for considering the easement for the trailhead and feels that it will be beneficial to the residents. Moore said that the reversion study online seems unfair that the County would be responsible for the expense. Comments by Members of City Council – Council Member Lawson asked the City Manager to respond to the electric outage communication. City Manager Towarnicki explained the process of incoming calls and reporting outages. The phone system is limited to the number of calls that it can receive and could give the caller a busy signal or dead air. Towarnicki said callers should be able to talk to a person, to hear a message that the City is aware of the outage and explained that staff is working to get that resolved, hopefully providing the ability to leave a voice mail or get a busy signal. The City is looking at options to address the process when residents have outages in addition to using the County Code Red March 27, 2018 Council Meeting system. The Code Red System would need to be subscribed to and the recipient must receive notices on a cell. Council Member Bowles thanked West Piedmont Planning Committee District for the assistance they provide to the City. The New Heights Foundation is offering an academic summer program in June; Bowles explained where to find applications and how to apply. Bowles wished a happy birthday to her nephew, grandmother and cousin. Mayor Teague announced the last Citizen’s Academy would be later this week. The next Council meeting will include budget presentation and work sessions will be scheduled at that time. Teague explained that Council Member Hodge was not present due to a work commitment. Vice Mayor Martin shared the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination and events that are planned to recognize that. Comments by City Manager – City Manager Towarnicki explained that a couple of items from the agenda were either moved to a future meeting or removed if not necessary. Each quarter Towarnicki has a City Manager breakfast with employees; he explained that employees have concerns about what a reversion would mean for the City staff. There being no further business, Council Member Lawson made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Bowles with all Council Members voting in favor. The meeting adjourned at 9:28pm. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Karen Roberts Gene Teague Clerk of Council Mayor