City Council

314 Mill Street PO BOX 195 TOWN OF OCCOQUAN Occoquan, VA 22125 (703) 491-1918 Circa 1734 ● Chartered 1804 ● Incorporated 1874 www.OccoquanVA.gov info@occoquanva.gov Occoquan Town Council Special Meeting March 20, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Citizens’ Time - Members of the public may, for three minutes, present for the purpose of directing attention to or requesting action on matters not included on the prepared agenda. These matters shall be referred to the appropriate town official(s) for investigation and report. Citizens may address issues as they come up on the agenda if advance notice is given during ‘Citizens’ Time’. 4. Regular Business a. Request to Advertise Proposed FY 2019 Tax Rates 5. Closed Session 6. Adjournment Work Session Meeting March 20, 2018 | Following Special Meeting 1. Work Session a. Arts and Crafts Show Exploratory Committee Structure 2. Adjournment Portions of this meeting may be held in closed session pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. A copy of this agenda with supporting documents is available online at www.occoquanva.gov.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 4. Regular Business Meeting Date: March 20, 2018 4 A: Request to Advertise Proposed FY 2019 Tax Rates Explanation and Summary: This is a request for the Town Council to direct staff on tax rates to advertise in support of the FY 2019 Proposed Budget. A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3, 2018, and a public hearing on the proposed tax rates in support of the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2018. Both meetings will be held at 7:00 p.m. at Town Hall, 314 Mill Street. The FY 2019 Proposed Budget will be available for public inspection on the Town’s website at www.occoquanva.gov and in Town Hall, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by close of business on Friday, March 23, 2018. The FY 2019 Proposed Budget includes revenue and expenditure estimates based on maintaining the current tax rates: 1. Real Estate Tax: $0.12 per $100 of assessed value 2. Meals Tax Rate: 3% 3. Transient Occupancy Tax: 2% Historically, the Town Council has advertised a higher Real Estate Tax Rate than what is included in the Proposed Budget as Virginia law does not allow the Town Council to adopt a higher real estate tax rate than appears in the advertisement. The Town Council may set other tax rates (such as meals tax or transient occupancy tax) either higher or lower than the advertised rates. The Town Attorney has reviewed the time line and the draft motion and finds that they are in proper form for approval. Town Manager’s Recommendation: Recommend approval. Cost and Financing: N/A Account Number: N/A Proposed/Suggested Motion: “I move to advertise the following tax rates in support of the FY 2019 Proposed Budget: Real Estate Tax Rate of ____ cents per $100 of assessed value; Meals Tax Rate of ____ percent; and Transient Occupancy Tax Rate of ___ percent.” OR Other action Council deems appropriate. Attachments: None.  TOWN OF OCCOQUAN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Agenda Communication 1. Work Session Regular Agenda Meeting Date: March 20, 2018 1 A: Arts and Crafts Show Exploratory Committee Structure Explanation and Summary: At the direction of Town Council, staff has developed a draft committee charter for an exploratory committee that would be tasked with evaluating the implementation and structure of the Occoquan Arts and Crafts Shows and providing a report and recommendation to the Town Council on the future of the show. Attached is a draft charter for Council review and discussion. Staff is seeking feedback on the draft charter and direction from the Town Council on next steps. Attachments: (1) Draft Committee Charter ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE DRAFT CHARTER BACKGROUND The Occoquan Arts and Craft Show (“Show”) has been held within the Town of Occoquan for the past 50 years. It has evolved over the years from a small event held in an open lot to a large two-day outdoor street festival that sees more than 10,000 visitors to the town. The Town of Occoquan has also changed within this time, growing from approximately 300 residents to more than 1,000, with new residential developments and commercial redevelopment, and a flourishing downtown historic business district. As the community continues to grow and change, this event must be reviewed to ensure it is meeting its intended goals: - Enhance the Town of Occoquan as a center for living, shopping, dining, art, and history. - Generate funds for town capital projects and other town financial needs. PURPOSE The Arts and Craft Show Exploratory Committee (“Committee”) will review the purpose and goals of the Show and provide recommendations to Town Council on the future of the Show. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP The Committee will be a special committee and will serve until final recommendations are provided to Town Council as detailed in this document. The Committee will consist of eleven (11) members, including the following requirements: - Three (3) members of the business community representing a restaurant, professional business, and retail; - Three (3) residents with at least one owning property (1) outside of the historic district and one owning property (1) within the historic district; - Two (2) local arts and/or crafts vendors/businesses; - One (1) Councilmember; - Town Manager; and - Events and Community Development Director. The Events and Community Development Director will serve as Chairperson. At the first meeting, the Committee will designate a Co-Chair to serve in the absence of the Chair. Arts and Crafts Show Exploratory Committee – Draft Charter Page 1 of 3 MEETINGS The Committee will meet on a regular basis as agreed upon by members of the Committee. At every meeting of the Committee, the Committee will designate a member to be responsible for preparing minutes. The Committee will review and approve minutes at the beginning of each meeting and submit to the Town Clerk for record retention by the Town of Occoquan. COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES The Committee will meet on a regular basis to discuss, analyze, and prepare recommendations and a final report to the Town Council on the future of the Show. The Committee will evaluate and provide recommendations that support the goals of the Show, including: 1. Enhancing the Town of Occoquan as a center for living, shopping, dining, art, and history. 2. Generating funds for town capital projects and other town financial needs. The Committee may also review the goals and include recommended changes within the report. In preparing its recommendation, the Committee will consider a variety of factors that impact the Show including, but not limited to: 1. Availability of quality arts and crafts vendors. 2. Shopping patterns (online vs. in-person). 3. Challenges of hosting a multi-day, outdoor street event. 4. Generational impact on arts and crafts development, and shopping patterns. 5. Ability to generate at least $120,000 in annual net revenue for town capital projects. 6. Competing events; number of similar events in region. 7. Impact on residents and businesses. 8. Community demand for events, including type, frequency, etc. 9. Goals of events: quality of life, revenue generating, tourism impact. 10. Community and business input. 11. Other current town and business events. The Committee will have approximately six months to provide a final report and recommendation to the Town Council on the future of the Show, with a presentation to Town Council scheduled for the November 2018 work session. Recommendations will be considered for implementation no earlier than the 2019 Fall Show, or as determined and directed by the Town Council. Arts and Crafts Show Exploratory Committee – Draft Charter Page 2 of 3 REPORT The Committee will prepare a report and present to the Town Council in November 2018. At a minimum, the report will include the following: 1. Description of the Issue 2. Factors Considered a. Community/Residential Input b. Business Input c. Show Goals/Objectives d. Other Factors 3. Recommended Actions a. Recommendations b. Time Line c. Fiscal Impact d. Community Impact 4. Next Steps Arts and Crafts Show Exploratory Committee – Draft Charter Page 3 of 3