City Council

AGENDA--CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA Council Chambers – Municipal Building 5:00 pm Work Session 7:00 pm Regular Session Tuesday, January 23, 2024 5:00 PM WORK SESSION / BRIEFING 1. Discuss Consent Agenda Items 2. Briefings and Presentations A. Emergency Housing Committee Update 3. Quarterly Department Updates: A. Human Resources B. Public Information Officer C. Sheriff’s Department 6:00 PM CLOSED SESSION – IF NECESSARY 7:00 PM REGULAR SESSION 1. Call To Order 2. Invocation 3. Pledge of Allegiance by Council Member Kathy Lawson 4. Proclamations And Presentations A. Recognize City Employees who retired in 2023 B. Proclamation for February Black History Month 5. Consent Agenda A. Consideration of Appropriation of Additional Grants and a Donation B. Consideration of Approval of an Electric Rate Adjustment 6. Public Hearings A. No Items 7. Regular Agenda or New Business A. No Items 8. Communications From Visitors/Business from The Floor  AGENDA--CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA Council Chambers – Municipal Building 5:00 pm Work Session 7:00 pm Regular Session Tuesday, January 23, 2024 The public comment portion of the Council meeting provides citizens the opportunity to discuss matters relevant to the operation of the City, which are not listed on the printed agenda. Citizens who wish to participate in a meeting’s public comment period may do so by emailing their comments to Karen Roberts, Clerk of Council, at kroberts@ci.martinsville.va.us, calling in their comments to 276-403-5182, faxing comments to 276-403-5280, or mailing comments to the City of Martinsville, attn.: Karen Roberts, P.O. Drawer 1112, Martinsville, VA 24114. Comments must be received by 12:00 noon on January 22, 2024. Citizens may also request to speak at the Council meeting in the same manner. Comments, or a request to speak, must be received by noon the day before a Council meeting for consideration by the Council at the meeting. Any person submitting comments or requesting to speak must identify themselves by name and address, including zip code, limit their remarks to 3 minutes or less (as read aloud), address a topic of City business, and refrain from making any personal references or accusations of a factually false and/or malicious nature. Priority for comments AGENDA--CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA Council Chambers – Municipal Building 5:00pm Work Session 7:00pm Regular Session DATE is given to City residents, taxpayers, and business owners. Speakers may not yield time. Groups of speakers on the same topic must designate a single representative. Comments violating these rules may not be presented at the Council meeting. Any speaker violating these rules may be removed from the podium or from the Council chamber. This policy does not apply to public hearings, at which any citizen of Martinsville may appear and speak on the subject of the public hearing. 9. Comments By Members of The City Council. (5 Mins) 10. Communications. A. City Manager B. City Attorney C. Deputy City Clerk D. Monthly Financial Update 11. Adjournment  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Emergency Housing Committee Program Update STAFF RESPONSIBLE Barbara Seymour, Chairman BACKGROUND/HISTORY The City of Martinsville Emergency Housing and Community Support Commission was established in February of this year, with a three-fold aim: 1. Engage in discovery of current state of homelessness and community support for such, including housing and behavioral health services; 2. Based on discovery, create and prioritize outputs of the commission; and 3. Draft recommendations for a warming shelter plan. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE A quarterly update is being provided for City Council operational awareness. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. No Action Required ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Human Resources Quarterly Update STAFF RESPONSIBLE Travis Hodge, Director of Human Resources BACKGROUND/HISTORY The Human Resources Department serves as the primary point of contact with directors, supervisors, and employees on matters relating to human resources. The office provides professional leadership and guidance to over 350 employees in recruitment, compensation, and benefits. Staff supports and encourages personal growth and well-being through individual learning opportunities, wellness initiatives, and other HR-sponsored activities and programs. The Department will provide an update on all activities for the calendar year 2023 and the highlight activities for the upcoming year. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE A quarterly update is being provided for City Council operational awareness. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. No Action Required ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Public Information Quarterly Update STAFF RESPONSIBLE Kendall Davis, Public Information Officer BACKGROUND/HISTORY The Public Information Officer is part of the City Manager Team. Responsible for managing all aspects of the City’s external communication, including the development and maintenance of press releases, web content, social media, and other information of importance to the public. This also includes the development of additional avenues to promote greater community engagement and awareness. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE A quarterly update is being provided for City Council operational awareness. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. No Action Required ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Sheriff Department Quarterly Updates STAFF RESPONSIBLE Sheriff Steve M. Draper BACKGROUND/HISTORY The Sheriff's Office is responsible for the City Jail, Court Services, and process serving in the City of Martinsville, Virginia. The office currently has approximately 60 employees and serves approximately 15,000 citizens. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE A quarterly update is being provided for City Council operational awareness. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. No Action Required ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Recognition of City of Martinsville 2023 Retirees STAFF RESPONSIBLE Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, City Manager BACKGROUND/HISTORY During the 2023 Calander year, over 17 employees retired from the city with over 100 years of total service. In honor of the years of service, the city will recognize and present each retiree with a clock celebrating their years of service. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE A quarterly update is being provided for City Council operational awareness. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. No Action Required ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  Proclamation RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY 2024 AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN THE CITY OF MARTINSVILLE WHEREAS, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, distinguished African American author, editor, scholar, and historian who is known as the “Father of Black History” founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History) in September, 1915, and Negro History Week in 1926, which became Black History Month in 1976, intended to encourage further research and publishing regarding African American heritage; and WHEREAS, Americans of African descent have made valuable and lasting contributions to our country, our state, and our local community, achieving exceptional success in all aspects of society including business, education, politics, science, arts ; and WHEREAS, in 1976 Black History Month was adopted to honor and affirm the importance of the history of African Americans and to focus on the stories and teachings of those who helped build our nation, advance the cause of civil rights and strengthen families and communities; and WHEREAS, the City of Martinsville continues to work toward building an inclusive community that lives up to the American ideal of equality of educational, social, and economic opportunity for all our citizens; NOW, THEREFORE, I, LC Jones, Mayor, and members of Martinsville City Council do hereby proclaim the month of February 2024 as Black History Month in the City of Martinsville and we urge all citizens to join in celebrating the significance of African American culture in its past, present, and future. __________________________ LC Jones, Mayor  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Public Information Quarterly Update STAFF RESPONSIBLE Mandy McGhee, Director of Finance BACKGROUND/HISTORY The City of Martinsville has received grants and other funding since the budget was approved. The grants represent additional revenue for specific purposes, and in ordinance with accepted financial practices, such funds are not appropriated until receipt of the funds. The grants received were as follows: • $30,000 – Harvest Foundation - Creation of Pickleball Court & Community Development Project Hope. • $4,776 State Funds – Fire Program – Additional Funds beyond our initial projection were received. • $6,090 Donation- Proceeds collected from the Annual Golf Tournament to be used for Sheriff Motorcycle Maintenance. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE This will result in an additional $40,866 in revenue for project-specific activities. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. Approval of Allocation 2. Do Not Approve Appropriation 3. Other Action as Approved by City Council ATTACHMENTS: 1. None 1  STAFF REPORT MEETINGS: January 23, 2024 TITLE: Electric Rate Adjustment STAFF RESPONSIBLE Durwin Joyce, Director of Electric and Mandy McGhee, Director of Finance BACKGROUND/HISTORY Martinsville Electric Department was established in 1904 to provide electric service to Martinsville's residents, businesses, and industries. The city purchases wholesale power from American Municipal Power INC to meet the city's peak demand of 42 million watt-hours. The city also generates a portion of its peak demand energy at a historic hydroelectric dam on the Smith River. This clean, reliable source of electric generation meets two percent of Martinsville's power needs and reduces the peak power demand the city must purchase wholesale. The staff maintains the dam and surrounding environment, monitors flooding conditions, removes debris, and keeps state-required records. Over the past years, the cost of providing utility services to the public has increased due to several factors. Given these increases, we are projecting an approximate 1.2-million-dollar deficit compared to the current budget. To address the projected deficit, we are recommending an increase in Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) from the current 0 to .00794 per kWh, which will result in an annual revenue increase of $1,270,400 based on projected 160,000,000 annual kWh sales. We recommend that the proposed rate adjustment be effective on/after Jan 1, 2024, and that the city adopt a policy that would automatically adjust the rate for the power cost adjustment. This would not impact any adjustment for capital and other potential rates. POLICY EXPLANATION NA FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE The Electric Fund is trying to recover from a lack of rate adjustments in 2021-2023. The Electric Fund is trending toward deficit due to the increase in the cost of purchased power in FY24. This will address any deficit that would have resulted in the power cost adjustment to the city that went into effect on January 1, 2024; it would not build on the city’s depleting fund balance but would 1  STAFF REPORT stabilize the balance for this fiscal year. This power cost adjustment is not to increase utility profit but to cover actual cost of the purchased power agreement. AVAILABLE BUDGET PURCHASE AMOUNT NA NA ACTION REQUESTED/ALTERNATIVES: 1. ` 2. Approval of Rate Increase 3. Do Not Approve Rate Increase 4. Other Action as Approved by City Council ATTACHMENTS: 1. PowerPoint from prior meeting 2