City Council

April 27, 2021 Council Meeting The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia was held on April 27, 2021 in Council Chambers, Municipal Building, at 7:00 PM with Mayor Kathy Lawson presiding. Other Council Members present included Danny Turner, Jennifer Bowles, Chad Martin and Tammy Pearson. Staff present included City Manager Leon Towarnicki, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Utilities Director Durwin Joyce, Building Inspector Kris Bridges, Assistant Finance Director Mandy McGhee and Deputy Police Chief Rob Fincher. Mayor Lawson called the meeting to order. Following the Pledge to the American Flag and invocation by Council Member Martin, Mayor 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 April 13, 2021 Council Meeting and the April 14, 2021 Work Session – Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Council Member Pearson seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Consider presentation of a proclamation regarding National Police Week 2021 and Peace Officer’s Memorial Day – Council Member Pearson read the proclamation which was presented to Deputy Police Chief Rob Fincher. Fincher said the Police Department staff are honored to be recognized. Fincher shared details on upcoming events to honor fallen officers; announcements with final details will be released soon. Read and present a proclamation recognizing the week of May 2 through May 8, 2021 as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week in the City of Martinsville – Council Member April 27, 2021 Council Meeting Martin read the proclamation which was presented to Sheriff Steve Draper. Draper thanked Council for the recognition and said it means so much to the staff. Read and present a proclamation acknowledging May, 2021 as Building Safety Month – Vice Mayor Bowles read the proclamation which was presented to Building Official Kris Bridges. Bridges thanked Council for all of the support they give his department. Bridges explained that many of his peers have nowhere near the support he does. The Community Development page went live today with resources for residents and important links. April 27, 2021 Council Meeting Consider presentation of a proclamation recognizing Friday April 30, 2021 as National Arbor Day – City Manager Towarnicki explained that the City has been recognized for many years as a Tree City. Part of the process to qualify is the proclamation and events that will occur on Friday. Council Member Turner shared that the two trees in front of The Martin Plaza will have plates installed in honor of Fred Martin and Fred Martin Jr. Turner also shared details on a farewell event for former Mayor L.D. Oakes who will be moving out of the area. Towarnicki shared that the City has a Tree Board and encourages residents to apply for vacancies on that board to help make decisions for the City. Mayor Lawson said that a tree in a public area can not be cut down without permission. Lawson read the proclamation which was give to Towarnicki on behalf of the Tree Board. April 27, 2021 Council Meeting Consider adoption of a resolution committing the City to certain efforts related to the Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR) benchmarking process – Building Official Kris Bridges explained the need for the resolution as part of the benchmarking process to formalize the commitment by Council so Martinsville can become an ANCR City through 2030. Vice Mayor Bowles made the motion to adopt the resolution; Council Member Martin seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. April 27, 2021 Council Meeting Consider approval of a Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Procedures agreement – Utilities Director Durwin Joyce explained the need for the agreement, summarized the contract which was provided for Council’s review and gave examples of what to expect. There is already one customer in the City with a solar power system. With the growing trend of solar installations, it is important for the City to approve the Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Procedures Agreement which provides for a process for private solar installations to interconnect with the City’s electric grid. This particular agreement is lengthy and a shorter version will be developed for residential use. After considerable discussion, questions, and comments, Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to approve the agreement. Council Member Martin seconded the motion. Joyce encouraged anyone interested in going solar to contact the electric department so the resident will have a clear understanding of the “payback” time and how beneficial the solar system will be for them. Joyce clarified that the City is not offering solar systems; these are being offered and installed by private contractors. Council Member Turner expressed his concern about the agreement, comparing it to the “AMP Ohio disaster”. Turner asked Council to allow a third party to review the agreement before deciding. Mayor Lawson explained that there is a local customer who needs the agreement approved immediately. Mayor Lawson read questions and concerns voiced by local resident Craig Deitrich; those concerns were addressed by Joyce. Council Member Martin, Vice Mayor Bowles and Mayor Lawson voted aye, Council Member Pearson and Council Member Turner voted nay – the agreement was approved with a 3-2 vote. Consider setting a public hearing for Council’s June 8, 2021 meeting regarding an increase in assessed real estate values that exceeds more than 1% of the most recent previous assessment April 27, 2021 Council Meeting – City Manager Towarnicki explained the need for the public hearing and staff’s recommendation to leave the rate as is. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to set the public hearing. Council Member Pearson seconded the motion. Council Member Turner expressed concern about a potential tax increase. Mayor Lawson explained that Council was setting a public hearing, not approving a tax increase and that Council was not in favor of an increase. Council Members Lawson, Bowles, Martin and Pearson approved setting the public hearing for June 8, Council Member Turner opposed. Council Member Martin excused himself from the meeting at 8:00pm Hear a summary of the City’s quarterly financial report for the period ending March 31, 2021 – Assistant Finance Director Mandy McGhee summarized the financial report. Council Member Turner and Council Member Pearson asked questions regarding the report which were answered by McGhee and City Manager Towarnicki. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to approve the report. Council Member Turner seconded the motion with all four Council Members voting in favor. April 27, 2021 Council Meeting April 27, 2021 Council Meeting Consider approval of consent agenda – Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented; Council Member Turner seconded the motion with all Council Members voting in favor. Business from the Floor – none Comments by City Council – Council Member Turner said that he looked forward to Arbor Day and recognizing the Martin Family. Friday will be an exciting morning for Uptown Martinsville. Council Member Pearson said that she has spoken to other local business owners who are all struggling and in dire need of employees. She is proud of her team of employees who are working extra hard and said that it is ironic that businesses like hers made it through the COVID pandemic and are now struggling to accommodate the surge in business and being short staffed. As new businesses look to our area, they are going to be looking to see if we can fill current job openings and if we cannot, they will be hesitant to relocate here. Pearson said there are plenty of jobs in this area and she encourages residents to seek out and apply for the numerous job April 27, 2021 Council Meeting opportunities. Vice Mayor Bowles said that Turner’s Arbor Day events are a good idea and she regrets not being able to attend. Bowles wished a happy 89th birthday to her grandfather who was the 3rd African American police officer for the City. She invited residents to attend a drive-by parade for him on Saturday. Mayor Lawson wished a happy belated birthday to Council Member Pearson. Lawson shared that the Hazardous Waste Day was successful, with this year being the best so far. Lawson said the traffic was backed up to Route 57 for over an hour. She thanked all who had a part in organizing the event. Lawson said that she had received a notice from CenturyLink for landline users that Martinsville residents will start having to dial the area code in addition to the phone number by October 2021. Lawson shared that Council Members would be reviewing the “If I Were Mayor” essays written by the seventh graders at Martinsville Middle school again this year. The top three students will be awarded with contributions by Council Members and local businesses, awards will not be from tax payer money. Comments by the City Manager – City Manager Towarnicki hopes to complete the “If I Were Mayor” essay contest and award those students at the next Council Meeting. Towarnicki reminded residents that there will be a power outage on May 8 and 9 from midnight to 4:00am so that Appalachian Power can do maintenance work on the feed coming into the City. Notices have been sent out to all residents and local businesses. Notification will also be sent out using the CodeRed system; Towarnicki encourages all residents to sign up for the CodeRed system so they will not miss important information. The budget will be presented on May 11 then work sessions will be held on May 12 (City departments and constitutionals), May 13 (schools and outside agencies) and May 18 which will be a “wrap-up” work session. Towarnicki encourages any resident interested in serving the City to visit the City’s website. There is a complete listing of all boards and commissions with descriptions and current vacancies, as well as an online application to apply. Towarnicki explained that only 2/3 of those seats are currently filled. The City has quite a few job openings and is having difficulty collecting applications for those vacancies. There are numerous help wanted signs throughout the City; Towarnicki encouraged residents to apply for those jobs. The City Attorney is following up with Comcast to see when they will be reopening the office in the City. Comcast has chosen not to respond to his request although they have a contractual obligation to have a local office to serve Martinsville residents. Mayor Lawson encouraged residents to not wait until something is in disarray for months before reporting it to a City representative. 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