City Council

February 23, 2021 Council Meeting The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia was held on February 23, 2021 in Council Chambers, Municipal Building, at 7:00 PM with Mayor Kathy Lawson presiding. Other Council Members present included Danny Turner, Jennifer Bowles, Tammy Pearson and Chad Martin. Staff present included City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Assistant City Manager/City Attorney Eric Monday, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Utilities Director Durwin Joyce, and Deputy Police Chief Rob Fincher. Mayor Lawson called the meeting to order and advised Council would go into Closed Session beginning at 6:15 PM. In accordance with section 2.1-344 (A) Code of Virginia (1950, and as amended) and upon a motion by Council Member Turner, seconded by Vice Mayor Bowles with the following 4-0 recorded vote: Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye; Council Member Turner, aye; and Mayor Lawson, aye. Council Member Martin was not in attendance for the vote but joined Closed Session later. Council convened in Closed Session to discuss the following matters: (A) Consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members, attorneys or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation, or other specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel, as authorized by Subsection 7. At the conclusion of Closed Session, each returning member of Council certified that (1) only public business matters exempt from open meeting requirements were discussed in said Closed Session; and (2) only those business matters identified in the motion convening the Closed Session were heard, discussed, or considered during the meeting. A motion was made by Council Member Turner; seconded by Vice Mayor Bowles, with the following 5-0 recorded vote in favor to return to Open Session: Mayor Lawson, aye; Council Member Martin, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Turner, aye; and Council Member Pearson, aye. Following the Pledge to the American Flag and invocation by Mayor Lawson, Lawson welcomed everyone to the meeting. Lawson explained that the meeting would follow COVID guidelines, allowing limited attendance and recognizing social distancing recommendations. Approve minutes from the February 9, 2021 Council Meetings – Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Council Member Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Recognize City Employees who are eligible for Service Awards for the period January 1 – March 31, 2021 – City Manager Towarnicki recognized City employees who had achieved service milestones. February 23, 2021 Council Meeting Hear an update from Greg Preston with Piedmont Community Services regarding ongoing operations – Greg Preston, Shannon Clark and Sharon Buckman with Piedmont Community Services presented a PowerPoint detailing the organization’s mission, locations around Martinsville and Henry County, types of services provided including mental health and substance abuse, and additional organizational data. Clark described PCS housing locations and how many residents those locations serve. Preston described a new location at the former National Business College building where they plan to open a recovery center. Preston said the expected completion for the recovery center should be about 12 months. Buckman touched on treatment available through PCS for those suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders. PCS offers school-based services and a new Pathways program to support residents with a history of substance abuse. Online information services are offered every Thursday with a variety of topics. Preston thanked City Manager Towarnicki who is an excellent partner and a wealth of knowledge. February 23, 2021 Council Meeting February 23, 2021 Council Meeting Hear an update on FY21 Electric operations – Electric Department Director Durwin Joyce shared a PowerPoint with Council that included data for FY21 through December 2020 with wholesale power data, revenue and expenditures, current projects, the impact of COVID and CARES funding on delinquent accounts, Joyce touched on how COVID impacted a Citywide power outage and a list of staff with important contact information. Joyce shared that May 8-9 will be a scheduled power outage by AEP in the early morning hours. Joyce explained that the February 23, 2021 Council Meeting department must prioritize during wide-spread power outages but there is more to getting the power turned back on for all locations, there are other hurdles that must be tackled once the main line is restored. February 23, 2021 Council Meeting Consider action as Martinsville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to approve the BB&T building Contract of Sale and Development Agreement – Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to recess as City Council and convene as the Martinsville Redevelopment and Housing Authority; Council Member Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. City Attorney Monday summarized how the City took ownership of the BB&T building and what the City’s plan was for that building. The original plan for development has fallen through but the City has a second option proposal for a mixed-use commercial development February 23, 2021 Council Meeting for the property. Monday highlighted the details of the new agreement. The building offers one of the most spectacular views of the City so they felt it was important to offer an amenity on the roof for access by the tenants and hopefully the public in the future. If at the end of the 36-month period the redevelopment is unsuccessful, there is a claw-back provision where the City can take back the property along with any improvements for the original purchase price. Housing Authority Vice Chair Bowles made a motion to approve the Contract of Sale and the Development Agreement and authorize the Executive Director to execute all documents related to the project; Housing Authority Member Martin seconded the motion with all Authority Members voting in favor. Housing Authority Member Pearson made a motion to recess as the Martinsville Redevelopment and Housing Authority and reconvene as City Council; Housing Authority Vice Chair Bowles seconded that motion with all Authority Members voting in favor. February 23, 2021 Council Meeting February 23, 2021 Council Meeting February 23, 2021 Council Meeting February 23, 2021 Council Meeting February 23, 2021 Council Meeting Business from the Floor – Jane Martin emailed Council Member Turner with concerns about residents who do not have access to the COVID vaccinations, referring to the statistics listed in the Martinsville Bulletin. Martin questioned why younger residents are being given vaccines before the elderly. Mayor Lawson explained that anyone who has received COVID vaccinations are being reported by SOVAH Health and those numbers are being reported to a different district, it depends on where the shot is being given and may not be the district that the shots were actually administered. Lawson explained that she has received numerous calls asking for an explanation of who gets called for a vaccine and how do they know if they are even on the list. Vice Mayor Bowles wishes the information was better shared with the community. Lawson explained that residents want to know how distributers choose who is contacted for immunizations. Council Member Martin said that residents should register on the VDH site since several local names were lost when the local list was merged with the state list. Comments by City Council – Council Member Turner offered condolences to Mr. Wright who was 1 of 6 recognized on V-Day this year. Council Member Martin shared details about a Food Investment Act Fund for residents who want to invest in co-ops, grocery stores, food trucks, etc., he encourages them to contact the organization regarding available grants. Vice Mayor Bowles said that Martin did a great job hosting a recent community event and creating great dialog. Bowles shared that Saint Paul High Street Church will offer a community drive-thru on Saturday with free meals. Bowles wished her God-daughter a happy 11th birthday. Mayor February 23, 2021 Council Meeting Lawson thanked the electric department for their work on the recent power outage. She is thankful that the city started a pro-active tree cutting program years ago which has been beneficial in limiting outages. Lawson confirmed that the City utility bills are not estimated; the usage is transmitted electronically and based on kilowatt usage. Lawson wished Pearson luck in her recovery for a detached retina. Comments by the City Manager – City Manager Towarnicki reminded Council that March 9 will be the second Pine Hall Road public hearing at 6:00pm at Albert Harris Elementary School cafeteria. Council will recess from that public hearing then return to regular council meeting at City Hall, or could simply remain at Albert Harris and finish the meeting. Towarnicki offered condolences to the family of Paul Roop, a former electric department supervisor who passed away recently There being no further business, Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Pearson with all Council Members voting in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8:30pm. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Karen Roberts Kathy Lawson Clerk of Council Mayor