City Council

August 24, 2021 Council Meeting The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Martinsville, Virginia was held on August 24, 2021 in Council Chambers, Municipal Building, at 7:00 PM with Mayor Kathy Lawson presiding. Other Council Members present included Danny Turner, Chad Martin, Jennifer Bowles and Tammy Pearson. Staff present included Assistant City Manager/City Attorney Eric Monday, Clerk of Council Karen Roberts, Finance Director Linda Conover, Assistant Finance Director Mandy Muse, and Police Lieutenant Sandy Hines. Mayor Lawson called the meeting to order and advised Council would go into Closed Session beginning at 6:00 PM. In accordance with section 2.1-344 (A) Code of Virginia (1950, and as amended) and upon a motion by Vice Mayor Bowles, seconded by Council Member Turner with the following 4-0 recorded vote: Council Member Turner, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye; and Mayor Lawson, aye. Council convened in Closed Session to discuss the following matters: (A) Discussion or consideration of the investment of public funds where competition or bargaining is involved, where, if made public initially, the financial interest of the governmental unit would be adversely affected, as authorized by Subsection 6 and (B) Consultant with legal counsel and briefings by staff members, attorneys or consultant 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 Vice Mayor Bowles; seconded by Council Member Turner with the following 4-0 recorded vote in favor to recess Closed Session and return to Open Session: Mayor Lawson, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Turner, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye. No action was taken out of Closed Session. Following the Pledge to the American Flag and invocation by Mayor Lawson, Lawson welcomed everyone to the meeting. Mayor Lawson explained that the meeting would follow COVID guidelines, allowing limited attendance and recognizing social distancing recommendations. Council Member Martin arrived at 7:05pm Approve minutes from the August 10, 2021 Council Meeting – 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 reading a proclamation acknowledging the importance of COVID vaccinations for the good of the public health of our community – Council Member Pearson read the proclamation. Mayor Lawson referenced an article from the Martinsville Bulletin related to COVID vaccinations and another article written by Dr. Gary Miller, Cardiologist and member of Danville, Virginia City Council that discussed the after effects of COVID. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Consider adoption of a resolution setting the allocation percentage for personal property tax relief for qualifying vehicles in the City of Martinsville for tax year 2021 – Commissioner of the Revenue Ruth Easley explained the need for this annual allocation and resolution and the changes on rates from 2020. Easley explained that they do not tax local car lots on used car inventory. Vice Mayor Bowles made a motion to adopt the resolution. Council Member Pearson seconded the motion with the following roll call vote: Council Member Martin, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye; Mayor Lawson, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; and Council Member Turner, aye. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Consider adoption of a resolution approving the Voluntary Settlement Agreement for Reversion – City Attorney Monday explained the need for the resolution and briefly summarized the steps taken in the reversion process. Public hearings and private deliberation dates have been set for September 7-8. Council Member Turner ask for details on Commonwealth Crossing and if Henry County would be able to tax the property. Council Member Pearson was contacted by citizens who have asked to review the agreement prior to Council’s approval. Monday explained that Council’s approval is required at tonight’s meeting to proceed with the reversion timetable and the agreement will be publicly released after the Council meeting. Pearson prefers to push back the timetable giving citizens the opportunity to review the copy. Citizens have also voiced concern over the school system and how the reversion will affect them. Monday explained how the school system fits in with reversion, explaining that the buildings are property of the school board and not the City. The school is not a necessary party to this resolution and is not required in this decision. Mayor Lawson explained that the MOU has already been approved so even if the resolution is not adopted tonight, the reversion will continue forward. The City and the County have agreed to the suggested date. The City will not agree to any future extensions unless Council Members instruct them to. Council Member Martin made a motion to adopt the resolution. Council Member Turner seconded the motion with the following 4-1 roll call vote: Mayor Lawson, aye; Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Martin, aye; Council Member Pearson, nay; and Council Member Turner, aye. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Consider approval of a new management contract for the Martinsville Mustangs baseball team with Next Plan Athletics, LLC, a group of locally based citizens – City Attorney Monday explained that the current contract expires the end of August. This is a 2-year contract with a local based company. Jason and Tonya Davis, representatives of Next Plan Athletics were in attendance to answer questions. They look forward to making Hooker Field a better experience and a bigger value to the community. They are anxious to get started and begin recruiting immediately. Housing a player for the 2-month season can build a life-long family bond. They expect to upgrade the batting cages and concession stand, provide reasonably priced tickets and open the games to businesses in the community. They look forward to using local resources to benefit the area as a whole. They are considering concert nights and movie nights, and potentially new uniforms with a salute to service members. They look forward to working as a collaborative partner with the City. Council Member Turner expressed concern that Martinsville does not have enough relationships with college coaches to recruit good players. He feels that since the previous management company owned more than one team, that it benefited those other teams more than Martinsville. Davis explained that they are starting the recruiting process early and have a positive relationship with various colleges. The coach has a very unique and aggressive style of recruiting. Next Plan Athletics is a group of 10-12 members who will share the responsibilities in the best interest of the team. Council Member Martin expressed his opposition and feels that it is wrong to terminate the contract of the previous manager who did so much for the team during a pandemic. Council Member Pearson made a motion to approve August 24, 2021 Council Meeting the new management contract. Vice Mayor Bowles seconded the motion with the following 4-1 roll call vote: Vice Mayor Bowles, aye; Council Member Turner, aye; Council Member Pearson, aye; Council Member Martin, nay; and Mayor Lawson, aye. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Business from the Floor – Pastor Richardson approached the podium and shared his concern about reversion and the affect on the City school system. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Mayor Lawson explained that Council Members would respond to Richardson’s concerns outside of the meeting. Lawson confirmed that an email was sent to Dr. Talley and Mrs. Dillard of the school board informing them that Council Members would not be attending their meeting. Reverend Tyler Millner asked if anything done now will have any bearing on the September 8 meeting regarding reversion and the schools. Lawson encourage Millner to attend the public hearing on September 8 to voice his concerns. Lawson explained that Henry County and Martinsville have come to an agreement and the commission will listen to public comments regarding anything else that needs to be considered. Council member Martin suggested Millner put his concerns in writing to ensure all of his concerns can be addressed. August 24, 2021 Council Meeting Comments by City Council – Council Member Martin has a new position at Virginia Tech with an opportunity for youth groups to attend a free Virginia Tech football game. Martin addressed the representatives of Next Plan Athletics and explained that his statements were not directed at them in a negative way but that the process is frustrating to him that the current group was not given the contract. Council Member Turner stated that September 11 is the 20th Anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing; local residents are looking to do a commemoration event at the Farmers Market and provide free meals for service members, firefighters, EMS, and others. Flags will be flown in the City on September 11. Council Member Pearson thanked Bishop Richardson for coming forward with his concerns. She wished residents a happy Labor Day and reminded them that Labor Day is a time to pay tribute to the American workers. Pearson stated that workers are needed for many businesses in our area. Smith River Fest was a success and Pearson thanked the organizers and sponsors for a wonderful event. She congratulated the Boys & Girls Club for reaching their goal with the duck fundraiser. Vice Mayor Bowles encouraged residents to reach out to Council Members with concerns. She met with Senator Warner at P&HCC to discuss broadband in the area. Bowles encouraged residents to get vaccinated for COVID. She was proud to announce that she had been appointed to Blue Ridge PBS Board and she looks forward to representing Martinsville. Mayor Lawson shared that Smith River Festival and the Uptown Music Festival at the museum were both successful and well attended. August 8 is Community Day at Jack Dalton Park and will be sponsored by the Southside Survivor Response Center. Lawson requested an update on the property violation list and demolition list to discuss at an upcoming council meeting. Comments by the Assistant City Manager/City Attorney – City Attorney Monday announced that City Manager Towarnicki was a first-time grandfather to Leo Alan Towarnicki, born around 4:00am on August 24, 2021. There being no further business, Council Member Turner made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Council Member Martin with all Council Members voting in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8:15pm. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Karen Roberts Kathy Lawson Clerk of Council Mayor