City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at the General District Court. Mayor Parham called the meeting to order at 6:30p.m. 1. ROLL CALL: Present: Council Member Charles H. Cuthbert, Jr Council Member Annette Smith-Lee Council Member Treska Wilson-Smith Council Member W. Howard Myers Council Member Darrin Hill Vice Mayor John A. Hart, Sr. Mayor Samuel Parham Absent: None Present from City Administration: Interim City Manager Tom Tyrrell City Attorney Joseph E. Preston Clerk of Council Nykesha D. Jackson, CMC 2. CLOSED SESSION: City Attorney Joseph Preston stated that City Council will now move to go into closed session for one purpose pursuant to Section 2.2-3711.A (1) of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended. He stated that council will be in closed session to discuss a personnel matter involving a City employee, when discussion in an open session would adversely affect the position of this employee. Council Member Hill moved that the City Council go into closed session for the purposes noted by the City Attorney. The motion was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. There was no discussion on the motion, which was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham City Council entered closed session at 6:32 p.m. CERTIFICATION: Mr. Preston stated that City Council now moves to come out of closed session and certify that only public business matters lawfully exempted from an open meeting requirement pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and only such business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed or considered in the closed meeting. Council Member Myers made a motion to return City Council into open session and certify the purposes of the closed session. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion on the motion, which was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 17-R-18 A RESOLUTION CERTIFYING, AS REQUIRED BY THE CODE OF VIRGINIA, SECTION 2.2- 3712, THAT TO THE BEST OF EACH MEMBER’S KNOWLEDGE, ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ MATTERS LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS OF VIRGINIA LAW WERE DISCUSSED IN THE CLOSED SESSION, AND ONLY SUCH PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS AS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MOTION CONVENING THE CLOSED SESSION WERE HEARD, DISCUSSED, OR CONSIDERED. Mayor Parham stated that he would like to start the meeting off with the Positive Petersburg Story. He stated, “This evening the message is about our citizens stepping up. As the City of Petersburg work its way out of financial crisis I would like to recognize some of the individuals and the types of activities our citizens can do for our City. As our late U.S. President John F. Kennedy message ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country’. I want to stress also that in the City we have some shining examples of people that take on the spoke ‘Ask not what Petersburg can do for you, but ask what you can do for Petersburg.’ First example is Justin Faison of Custom Comfort Mattresses donated six brand new mattresses to the Petersburg Fire Department, Fire Station 3. “A round of applause for that.” A number of our local churches and ‘Classics’ barbershop donated money, bicycles and tricycles to the Easter event at the sports complex this past Saturday. Dexter Grant of Grant’s Powerwashing donated his servicing of powerwashing to the pavilion at Wilcox Lake around Lee Park this March 2017. I would like to add that Mr. Guidry has a donation today that he would like to make.” Rob Guidry, President/CEO of Container First Services, stated that the landfill takes a beating in town. He stated that at the end of the day they are compliant and inspected by the EPA and the City on a regular basis. He stated that anyone that would like to trade places and come run the landfill they can. He stated that he has an open door. He stated that his company has had a great relationship with the City and City Council over the years. He stated that he would like to donate to the City for $50,000. He stated that the $50,000 is for public safety and public education. He stated that the Fire Department and Police Department are very near and dear to his heart. He stated that he understands what the City is going through financially at this point. He stated that he asks that they do not just put this in general fund but to put it somewhere that it is needed in the City. He stated that he thanks them for the host community. 3. MOMENT OF SILENCE: a. Clerk of Council, Nykesha D. Jackson, led council and the audience in a moment of silence. 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: a. Clerk of Council, Nykesha D. Jackson, led council and the audience in the pledge of allegiance. 5. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS: a. A Proclamation honoring Robert “Wert” Smith, former Chair of the Petersburg Economic Development Authority. BACKGROUND: The City wishes to proclaim April 18, 2016, as Robert “Wert” Smith Day and celebrate and honor his leadership and service to the City of Petersburg. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council adopt the attached proclamation. Mayor Parham read and presented the proclamation to the Smith Family. 6. COMMUNICATIONS/SPECIAL REPORTS: a. Monthly Financial Reports *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND: Monthly, City Staff will provide City Council with financial reports. The two reports that will be provided monthly include a snapshot of the daily/monthly cashflow and the previous month’s month -end budget to actual. The reports will be provided to City Council, at its second meeting of the month. In an effort to determine areas of weakness in internal controls and any fraud and abuse that may have occurred, the City Council authorized the hiring of a forensic accounting firm. After a nationwide search through the City’s RFP process, PB Mares – a Virginia based company, was selected to conduct this work. Currently, the City is working to refine the scope of the work, but general areas for review are as follows: payroll and account payable, purchasing/travel cards, cash management and checking accounts, bank reconciliation, fuel usage, water/wastewater, billing/collections and tax credits/abatements. RECOMMENDATION: This report is for information purposes only; no recommendation is provided. Mr. Tyrrell stated that he would like to defer this to the next meeting. He stated that the CFO is sick and battling sinusitis. He stated that the report is included and that they will answer questions interim via email. He stated that they would like to defer the presentation until the next meeting. Mr. Bobb stated that as the City Manager has indicated that several of them have been suffering from allergies, bronchitis etc. He stated that Nelsie is under the weather and will present a detailed report. He stated that they have gone through a process of the RFP for forensic audit. He stated that they had several very skilled firms that submitted a request to conduct the work on behalf of the City of Petersburg. He stated that he would like to introduce the forensic audit team. He stated that they already hit the ground running. He stated that the team is PBMares. He stated that they are represented by Michael Gaber, John Hanson and Kenon Thomas. He stated that they are conducting the forensic audit in several areas in the City. Mr. Bobb stated that this also has a lot to do with the financial report. He stated that it focuses on the City’s financial operation. Michael Gaber, PBMares, stated that he is a partner with PBMares and that he has been a partner for 14 years. He stated that local government work is what he has done for the last 24 years of his career. He stated that it is something dear and passionate to his heart. He stated that he has audited localities all over the State of Virginia. He stated that John Hanson is one of the principles with the firm as well. He stated that John is a certified fraud examiner and Kenon Thomas is also a GFE. He stated that John has experience with the FBI and things of that nature. He stated that he thinks that they have put together a pretty good team. He stated that they have had some open meetings with Nelsie and Tom and some of the others on items that were spoke on. He stated that they requested a list of things to be submitted to them on last Friday and that they are just beginning to go through the list. Mr. Bobb stated that the Johnson Controls contract will also be added to this audit that they will have a look inside. b. City Treasurer’s Report BACKGROUND: City Treasurer contracted with Propel Financial Services and TACS to assist in the collection of delinquent taxes in November 2015. City Treasurer has prepared and presented a monthly collection of delinquent revenue presentation for City Council. RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only. Ms. Jackson stated that in speaking with Mr. Brown that the report has been pulled from the agenda until the next council meeting. *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -4– ______________________________________________________________________________ 7. CONSENT AGENDA (to include minutes of previous meeting/s): a. Minutes: Regular Council Meeting Minutes of April 4, 2017; Budget Work Session: March 27, 2017 b. Schedule a public hearing on May 2, 2017, for the FY17-FY18 All Funds Budget c. Schedule a public hearing on May 2, 2017, for the proposed uses of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for FY2017-2018. d. Schedule a public hearing on May 2, 2017, to amend Section 106-10 of Article I of Chapter 106 pertaining to supplemental personal property tax. e. Schedule a public hearing on May 16, 2017, for a request to rezone 3706 South Crater Road identified as T.P. 101-06-0001 from PUD “Planned Unit Development” to M-1c “Light Industrial District” with certain conditions. Council Member Hill made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda with the scheduling of public hearings on May 2nd and 16th, 2017. The motion was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 8. OFFICIAL PUBLIC HEARINGS: There are no public hearings for this section of the agenda. 9. PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: A public information period, limited in time to 30 minutes, shall be part of an Order of Business at each regular council meeting. Each speaker shall be a resident or business owner of the City and shall be limited to three minutes. No speaker will be permitted to speak on any item scheduled for consideration on the regular docket of the meeting at which the speaker is to speak. The order of speakers, limited by the 30-minute period, shall be determined as follows: a) First, in chronological order of the notice, persons who have notified the Clerk no later than 12:00noon of the day of the meeting, b) Second, in chronological order of their sign up, persons who have signed a sigh-up sheet placed by the Clerk in the rear of the meeting room prior to the meeting. Brandon Martin, 1546 Berkeley Avenue, stated that he would like to thank whomever is responsible for restoring the planters along the 200 block of North Sycamore. He stated that it is converted from an eye sore to being attractive. He stated that he would like to thank Public Works Street Division for taking care of the potholes so quickly. He asked what has happened to council vision session that was originally scheduled for March 2nd. He stated that this has suddenly disappeared. He stated that there was an ad in the Progress-Index recently on behalf of Prince George government offering a Citizens Academy, which is a free course providing an inside look on Prince George County Government and so forth. He stated that this is a marvelous idea for the citizens, administration and members of council. He stated that one item of interest is the PPEA and how it works. He stated that he recalls that he asked a year ago about the grass. He stated that the grass is getting high but not knee high. He stated that he realizes public works is strapped but that perhaps someone in the neighborhood can cut it. Richard Stewart, 129 Rolfe Street, stated that he would like to thank the Petersburg Police Department *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -5– ______________________________________________________________________________ for patrolling Pocahontas. He stated that they are doing a very good job. He stated that there are some events that will probably take place before the next City Council meeting. He stated that St. Paul Church on Union Street will be honoring him for Preservation of Pocahontas and History. He stated that will be on April 30th at 3:00pm at the church. He stated that it is important to him because St. Paul Church was built in 1856. He stated that Robert E. Lee son got married at St. Paul’s Church. He stated that he heard about a young lady that finished Petersburg in 1963 from Peabody. He stated that he would like to speak about UVA. He stated that UVA came to Pocahontas to do a study. He stated that they will be at Pocahontas on May 2nd. He stated that everyone is invited to the event honoring them. Lafayette Jefferson, 1746 Brandon Avenue, stated that he searched the internet a couple of days ago. He stated that he was on the EPA website and that it was talking about community infrastructure that they could support through funding. He stated that he gave them a call and the gentleman on the federal level directed him to someone on the state level about the funds that are available to municipalities to help water infrastructure. He stated that he was talking to the guy and looking at the list and asked was Petersburg getting of the funds. He stated that the guy responded no. He asked the guy was there any reason why the City was not getting any of these funds. He stated that the City did not apply but that the City did qualify. He stated that this is something that he is wondering if the Robert Bobb Group and all their expertise knew about it. He stated that this should have been something that Mr. Bobb knew about and secured it for the City of Petersburg. He stated that this leads him to the point that it seems like an environment is being created in Petersburg in privatization. He stated that he would like to ask City Council to ensure that someone is overseeing the Robert Bobb Group to make sure that they are doing what they are supposed to do. He stated that right now balls are being dropped. William “Mouse” Jones, 1504 Duke Drive, stated he is present concerning an opportunity that has been missed. He stated that he put in an application for an event to host concerts out at the Petersburg Sports Complex. He stated that he has been waiting and that he put his application in on February 7th. He stated that to this day he has not gotten an answer. He stated that he has made 15 trips and that he has met with every department head. He stated that he does not understand why a concert series in which he is going to celebrate 30 years of service from Retired Fire Chief T.C. Hairston and a military appreciation day concert. He asked why is it taking him so long to get the City to approve his information when the City approved two permits to the Virginia Flaggers for running through the middle of the City with confederate flags. He stated that he cannot get an answer. He stated that he cannot get a concert permit to expand on Petersburg all at his expense. He stated that he understands that the City Manager is supposed to be holding the application and that he has not responded back at all. He stated that he met with Jack Berry who is secretary to “Broken Bobb.” He stated that he calls Mr. Bobb this because he goes to every City and state that it is broken. He stated that this reminds him of a TV commercial. He stated that he asks Jack Berry about the time in regards to the application. He asked Mr. Berry if he even bothered bringing his wife to the City. He stated that Mr. Berry’s response was “No.” He stated that Mr. Bobb turns around and hires another failure from Richmond who worked for the Department of Works. He stated that the gentleman was fired because he put his interest in Dwight Jones and not the citizens of Richmond. He stated that in the meantime we are firing people who put years and years into the City and taking pay cuts and letting them loose. He stated that they cannot tell him one City that Mr. Bobb has left that has asked him to come back. He stated that the City is a broken City but not a broken City. He stated that they elected City Council to take their money and do right. He stated that the City has given Mr. Bobb half a million dollars to show what goals he is trying to reach. Michael Edwards, 409 Grove Avenue, stated that he comes before them today with some documentation obtained dated March 16, 2017, from the law firm of Morrissey and Associates. He stated that if many can recall when Mr. Myers was Mayor, him and the former City Attorney reached out to Mr. Morrissey and Mr. Goldman to solicit their services to look at the fiasco with Johnson Controls. He stated that he is only going to touch base in three minutes because it’s a 30-page document. He stated that he can provide anyone a copy if they choose to read the information. He stated that in the letter from Mr. Morrissey to the City it *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -6– ______________________________________________________________________________ primarily speaks on a $29,000 invoice that the City owes him for his services. He stated in the letter it states that right before Mr. Goldman was to interview Mr. Clarke they were notified that their services were no longer needed. He stated that per former Mayor Myers, Mr. Flynn lobbied to have his own firm represent the City. He stated that the firm Woodley & Flynn spent a little time on the matter before they determined Johnson Controls had no liability. He stated that Mr. Morrissey goes on to say that the conclusion was startling for two reasons. He stated that the first reason was that Woodley & Flynn spent a small fraction of time on the investigation compared to Mr. Morrissey and Goldman Firm. He stated that second their firm determined that Johnson Controls could well be on the hook for $5 million dollars owed to the City of Petersburg. He stated that indeed that Mr. Goldman and Morrissey were indeed able to recover a large verdict from Johnson Control’s and that they offered to work on a contingency basis and offered to reduce it 20%. He stated that Mark Flynn stated that Johnson Control owes no liability. He stated that the fact that they were discharged from their work immediately prior to interviewing Mr. Clarke, the former Interim City manager’s fiancé raises real concerns on what the real motive was. He stated that the documents are available and FOIA. He stated that this is not his word but facts from the Law Office of Joe Morrissey. Barb Rudolph, 1675 Mt. Vernon Street, stated that she will repeat what Mr. Martin stated in regards to asking about the vision session. She stated that she is not sure how a budget was created for FY18 without having a vision. She stated that only vision that they have seen is the Robert Bobb’s Group answer to outsource everything. She stated that she thinks that Mr. Jefferson has some outstanding comments to make about some lost opportunities. She stated that it makes you wonder why they have not been more aggressively pursuing the many alternatives. She stated that she would add to this that she thinks that the Adhoc Committee are contributing a lot and that she hopes that as they go to vote a third time on the attempt to bypass the Adhoc Committee that they give this a lot of thought. She stated that she appreciates what Mr. Jones had to say. She stated she thinks that he was very passionate and that he spoke a lot of truth. She stated that it does make a person wonder they have hired the director that they did. She stated that it is kind of already in the local press and now in the national press to the ridicule of Petersburg. She stated that she does not understand how the Robert Bobb Group did not know the gentleman’s background. She stated that because of the baggage that the gentleman brings from the City of Richmond and how he is not a public works person but that he was put in that job because of the friendship that he has with Mayor Jones that he is in a position in the City where he is easily controlled by the City administration. She stated that she hopes that they would ask some critical questions. She stated that as they go to May 2nd and they hope to not have the meeting in the General District Court because it is too small and to allow enough time to have an additional City Council Meeting. She stated that there is a lot of information that they need to keep in mind. Wesley Nicholas, 102 North Sycamore Street, stated that it is a lovely day in Petersburg and that he truly loves the City. He stated that he thinks that it is a great City and that he thinks that it will go forward. He stated he is present to speak on the Parks & Recreation Services. He stated that everyday Coach Scott drops of two young men to his shop. He stated that they come to the shop and they work. He stated that the young men come out and help their families. He stated that he asked the young men why they don’t have Jordan’s on and gold teeth. He stated that they stated that they use the money to help their mother’s and help feed their brother and sister’s. He stated that Petersburg is one of the lowest City’s as they have a salary rate below poverty. He stated that these children help their families out and that Parks and Recreation help provide jobs to many kids. He stated that if you take away Parks and Recreation you are taking away the dream of Frank Mason. He stated that he understands that now the City wants to honor him but how can you honor him by killing is dream. He stated that through working with Parks and Recreation he could achieve the highest award in the state of America. He stated that Parks and Recreation taught them comradery, teamwork, brotherhood, friendship and how to work with one another. He stated that you take this from the children then you would be creating drug dealers, killers, murders, and robbers. He stated the same young men that are trying to learn and work. He stated that Parks and Recreation partnership was teaching and giving them jobs. He stated that they cannot graduate without passing workforce readiness. He stated that the City has a partnership with the schools and how can they kill this. He asked how can they shoot their own foot off and that they are killing *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -7– ______________________________________________________________________________ themselves. He stated that they just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ and asked can they celebrate the resurrection of Petersburg. He asked can they do something positive for the City. He stated that if there is no youth there is no future. Lemar Johnson, 529 Pegram Street, stated that he is present for Parks and Recreation. He stated that Parks and Recreation is very important to him. He stated that it is very important to the kids and it is very important to the kids. He stated that he grew up in Parks and Recreation. He stated that now he is a City Firefighter that he has been for 17 years. He stated that when he got the word that they can be losing Parks and Recreation it brought tears to his eyes. He stated that back in the 80s his family lived off Parks and Recreation. He stated that it was off the free meals that Parks and Recreation provided. He stated that he is sure that a lot of people behind him know what he is talking about. He stated that he remembers the chocolate milk, apple and ham sandwiches wrapped up in the saran wrap. He stated that he remembers asking the guy serving the food if they could get an extra meal because his family was poor. He stated that the guy said he could lose his job but that he was going to do it anyway. He stated that getting rid of Parks and Recreation is hurting the kids, the education, the employment and the love. He stated that instead of getting rid of Parks and Recreation they need to make it better. He stated that he loves the City. He stated that when he received his t- shirt “I AM PETERSBURG” he stands behind it. He stated that he is going to stand behind the kids, senior citizens and his City. He stated that he loves his City. Ron Flock, 1708 Pender Avenue, stated that he would like to apologize for his outburst. He stated that he has been at meeting after meeting after meeting and that he has watched members of the Robert Bobb Group get up and walk up to the front and start talking. He stated that this is not the way that it is done. He stated that if they are not on the agenda and they are not recognized by the members of council to speak they need to stay in their chairs and be quiet. He stated that he has been working on the budget for many hours. He stated that there are some on the table in the back and that they can all get a copy. He stated that he asks that they please go through it and meet with him. He stated that they will discuss it if they have any questions. He stated that he did not include any funding for the water meters. He stated that it is his opinion that this number is inflated. He stated that the Robert Bobb Group has them spending eight and a half million dollars on repair replace of a system that cost the City $5.1 million dollars. He stated that it doesn’t make any sense and that this must be looked at and new numbers need to come up. He stated that when the Robert Bobb Group started he had been asking questions and that he spoke to some of the members of that group and some members of council. He stated that he had suggested that they do minimum of personal property tax of $25. He stated that there are a lot of cars that pay $0 for taxes. He stated that this would raise $270,000. He stated that this tax needs to be in place and then put the money towards Parks and Recreation. 10. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR OR OTHER MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL: a. Consideration of a resolution to proceed with the detailed proposal stage under PPEA for acquisition and operation of the City of Petersburg Water and Wastewater Utility Assets. BACKGROUND: Following the receipt of the initial unsolicited proposal, the City requested approval from City Council to form a negotiation team of City staff and consultants (financial, engineering, legal) and moved forward with consideration of the proposed project in accordance with PPEA requirements. In minutes for the regular council meeting on December 13, 2016, council voted and approved for the City Manager to review and accept for public competition proposals for purchase of its water and sewer systems from a private entity under the Virginia “Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA).” The City’s PPEA Guidelines call for a two-step proposal process, with the first step being receipt of “conceptual proposals.” The City received two such proposals on February 7, 2017. The second step is the *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -8– ______________________________________________________________________________ receipt of “detailed proposals.” Once City Council approves the attached resolution. Both proposals from Aqua Virginia, Inc. (the original proposer) and Virginia-American Water Company indicate substantial experience in the ownership and operation of municipal water and sewer systems. The City considered many criteria during the evaluation of these proposals and the following was among the most important to the City: the price paid by a private entity, benefit to the public including ensuring a clear understanding and rationale for customer water and sewer rates, and the proposer’s ability to meet the City’s financial goals including investments by the proposer for much needed water and sewer system capital improvements. The approval of the attached resolution will allow City staff the continuation of the PPEA process. Adoption of the proposed Resolution does not commit the City to entering into an agreement regarding the water and sewer systems, but authorizing moving forward to a “detailed proposal” phase with these two companies, and makes findings required by the City’s PPEA Guidelines in order to proceed with a competitive negotiation process with these two companies. The negotiation process may lead to an agreement with one of these companies, which would have to come before City Council for review and approval before it would be effective. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the attached resolution which does not bind the City into an agreement but would allow the City to take the necessary steps to obtain more detailed proposals. Mr. Tyrrell presented a brief PowerPoint presentation on the PPEA process request. Mr. Bobb stated that Mr. Tyrrell has covered the PPEA process. He stated that he wanted to remind everyone about the confidentiality forms that are needed to be signed by Council Members and the Adhoc Water and Sewer Committee. Council Member Wilson-Smith stated that she has a couple of things. She stated that they do have in the City a Citizens Academy. She stated that the Citizens Academy will be meeting on April 23rd. She stated that Delegate Aird and Senator Dance will present and give updates on the General Assembly. She stated that on April 30th she will be having the American Water Company at the Citizens Academy. She stated that the Citizens Academy is open to the public and that they are free. She stated that it is held at the Train Station and it is on a Sunday. She stated that it is the Sunday Series. She stated that it will be 2:00pm to 4:00pm. She stated that on April 27th she will be having a Ward 1 Meeting at Robert E. Lee School. She stated that at the last meeting they discussed opening it up to the citizens to give their view points about where they should have council meetings. She stated that she would like for it to go on record that they have this on the agenda to have public comments at the next council meeting. She stated that it appears from conversation and emails that as council they must put some things in place in the City. She stated that there has been a whole lot of discussion about the budget, the Robert Bobb Group, the water and the discussion sometimes full of anger. She stated that the finance people in this case is the Robert Bobb Group and the former case the City Manager are charged with presenting council with a balanced budget. She stated that they have done that and that Mr. William Johnson has done this. She stated that there was and still is something lacking and that this is the guidance to drive the budget. She stated that this must come from City Council. She stated that Mr. Bobb asked them several times about them meeting and having a workshop and they didn’t. She stated that it is almost impossible for any City Manager to develop a set of numbers to operate without any guidance on where City Council wants it to go and what they want it to do. She stated that per the schedule there is to be a public hearing on the FY18 budget. She stated that this is still without the direction the input and the leadership that they are charged to give. Council Member Wilson-Smith made a motion that City Council with the guidance of a strategic person *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 -9– ______________________________________________________________________________ to assist them meet in a workshop on Saturday, May 6th and develop some strategic plans for the City. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Council Member Smith-Lee stated that on last Thursday she had a ward meeting at Pecan Acres. She stated that it was supposed to be at the Community Center but she was not able to get in. She stated that her husband came out and they put up tent and chairs and they still had a meeting. She stated that the biggest concern from citizens in Ward 6 was about the youth and the seniors. She stated that they were upset. She stated that they do not understand all that they do. She stated that they put her up to it. She stated that they told her that they will hold her accountable to protecting the youth and the seniors. She stated that she will be having another meeting on May 11th. She stated that it will be at A.P. Hill Elementary School and that it will start at 6:00pm. Council Member Hill stated that he would like to thank all the citizens that are present tonight with their comments and concerns. He stated that he would like to thank the staff that is present as well. He stated that he would like to thank the Robert Bobb Group also. He stated that he is glad that Council Member Wilson- Smith made that motion because this is one of the things that he had on his agenda to present to City Council. He stated that Ward 2 will be having a council meeting in the mid-part of May. He stated that he must get the dates. He stated that he will be presenting this at the next council meeting. He stated that the citizens are concerned about two areas. He stated that at first it was public safety but now it is the Parks and Recreation Department. He stated that he has some ideas in regards to this and he will speak on it at the work session. Vice Mayor Hart stated that the “Stop the Violence” Rally will be canceled. He stated that he has been under the weather and that he has not had time to fully get things together and going. Vice Mayor Hart made a motion to replace Reverend Wright on the Adhoc Committee with Arnold Westbrook. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Mayor Parham stated that he would like to thank International Paper. He stated that they gave him and Vice mayor Hart a tour of their facility. He stated that they are hiring as well. He stated that they had a good turn out at Rose’s Express Grand Opening. He stated that they had over 70 people to attend the ribbon cutting. He stated that the directors were amazed at all the support that they were receiving from Petersburg. He stated that this coming week there are more ribbon cuttings. He stated that on Friday El Mundo Restaurant will be opening. He stated that he encourages everyone to go out and support them. He stated that he heard that they have some of the best drinks and tacos around. He stated that on Saturday there will another ribbon cutting of Local Vibe Café. He stated that as stated earlier Mr. Wert Smith is a very great man. He stated that there will be a Hall of Fame Banquet this Saturday at Good Shephard starting at 5:00pm. He stated that he encourages all that can get a ticket to come out and support them. He stated that Mr. Smith spearheaded this event. He stated that he got some information on the utility rates and that he will pass this out to council. He stated that he hopes he can get some clarity. He asked Mr. Tyrrell if he can give them a summary and some clarity on the information. Mr. Tyrrell stated that he will get back with them because this is the first time he as seen this information. There was discussion among City Council on the utility rates and amounts. 11. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT: *No items for this portion of the agenda. *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 - 10 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. Consideration to Amend Rules of Council BACKGROUND: City Council adopted the Rules of Council on January 3, 2017. There have been some updates recommended throughout the rules as well as establishing standing committees. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council amend the Rules of Council as detailed in the attached draft resolution. Ms. Jackson passed out correction on page 8 regarding signs. Council Member Hill made a motion to amend the Rules of Council as detailed in the draft resolution. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Barb Rudolph, 1675 Mt. Vernon Street, stated that she appreciates Council Member Cuthbert comments. She asked if the amended version is something that is short enough to read out loud. She stated that this has been out there for a while and that she did read it closely some time ago. She stated that she is probably not in the state to offer real comments to the information. She stated to City Council to please be careful before passing something that goes too far in the direction that is suppressing the public’s right to express themselves. She stated that she understands that there is need for decorum but if it becomes where people are uncomfortable to come and express their opinion that this is not where they should head. She stated that this would cause problems. She stated that this is not about the signs but with regards to what people can say. Ron Flock, 1708 Pender Avenue, stated that he does not know about the revised but that he does remember the part of the amendment that allows meetings to go to midnight. He stated that people must be to work in the morning and that if they are going to move it from 11:00pm they should move it to 10:00pm instead of 12:00am. Lafayette Jefferson, 1746 Brandon Avenue, stated that last week he was speaking to young lady in Detroit. He stated that she was explaining to him the process of how Robert Bobb and his organization operates. He stated that one of the things that they do is try to silence the community from participating in the process. He stated that they depend on silence and people being ignorant to what is going on people not having a voice based on how they are governed. He stated that based on the protesting and not speaking up he would recommend that they not support this. He stated just like when Mayor Parham spoke up and walked tall for the City of Petersburg in the meeting that they were about the Department of Corrections relocating. He stated that they must be able to speak as citizens. He stated that sometimes as elected officials it will work to your benefit and sometimes it will not. He stated that the voice of the citizens should always be heard. Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. Mayor Parham read the decorum on page 8 of the amended Rules of Council. There was discussion and comments from City Council Members. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 - 11 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 17-R-19 A RESOLUTION AMENDING AND RESTATING THE RULES OF COUNCIL. 13. NEW BUSINESS: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 14. REPORTS/RESPONSES TO PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 15. CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA: a. City Manager’s Report b. Robert Bobb Group Report Mr. Tyrrell stated that the City Manager’s Report is available to council in their packets and that there were also copies in the back for the public. He stated that the City had an empty building of the Freedom Support Center that they had a lease on. He stated that they were able to close it and that he sent out an email regarding the information. He stated that the City is out of the lease. He stated that VEC will be the new one stop shop at 22 West Washington Street this summer. He stated that he would like to thank Council Meme Myers for his assistance with this. He stated that he wanted to update City Council on the emergency procurement funding for the financing of the police and fire vehicles. He stated that he has spoken with four potential private lenders. He stated that they will have meetings about this in the next several days and then report back to City Council. He stated that they will work on the utility issue and billing. He stated to Council Member Cuthbert that the City does have perpetual care fund and that this will be part of the forensic audit. Mr. Tyrrell presented slides from the PowerPoint presentation. There was discussion among City Council Members and staff in regards to charges on customers that were paying the wrong rate on the line size. Mr. Bobb stated that when their contract was extended there were a number of deliverables. He stated that on the PowerPoint the yellow shaded means that they are in the process of working and completing them. He stated that as stated in the contract that they will complete everything by the 30th of June. He stated that they have added from the last report an engagement in the March 25th through June 30th. He stated that this is to improve the billing and collection citywide. He stated that they see billing and collection issues daily. He stated that they have to collect everything down to the penny. He stated that they must do this because this impacts the budget. He stated that they still have to work to ensure that the citizens are making payments and that the payments are processed and in the City’s bank account the day that they are collected. He stated that with the forensic audit they have added Johnson Controls and that the audit team work product is due back to them in the month of June. He stated that if there is anything that is discovered that is of the criminal nature they will work with the City Attorney and find ways to bring this to City Council. He stated that there are three goals of the forensic audit. He stated that one goal is to improve the City’s policy and procedure and process. He stated that the second goal is that if there are criminal findings to take this to the constitution. He stated that the third goal is make sure at the end of the day the City has a clean slate. Mr. Bobb stated that he wanted to give them an update on the executive search. He stated that Mr. Baenziger stated that they have a stellar group of potential city manager candidates. He stated that the candidates are going through a vetting process as they speak. He stated that the full report will be presented to City Council shortly after the work session on May 6th. He stated that City Council can then do their review of *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 18, 2017 - 12 – ______________________________________________________________________________ the candidates. He stated that it has been a successful search as of today. He stated that they have a strong group of directors of finance of candidates that are going reference checks. He stated that they cannot do criminal background checks because of the “Ban the Box” that the City has put in place. He stated that only at that time can they do background checks. He stated that if they do not follow this they are subject to $5,000 fines. He stated that they have strong candidates for the police chief position. He stated that on Thursday they will be interviewing for the fire chief. Mr. Bobb stated that all their work is on the City’s website He stated that they do their best to be transparent. He stated that they are looking forward to the meeting ono May 6th. There was discussion among City Council Members and staff. 16. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CITY CLERK: Ms. Jackson stated that the May 2, 2017, City Council Meeting will be held at the Union Train Station at 6:30pm. 17. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY: Mr. Preston stated that he wanted to inform City Council about the Trailways Bus Station. He stated that City Council entered into a sell agreement with the developer to do something to the Trailways building approximately three years ago. He stated that under the agreement that they had with the developer that if he did not present council with a Certificate of Occupancy for the Trailways Bus Station by April 1st he would be considered in default. He stated that he put the developer on notice that he had ten days according to the agreement which would have been April 11th. He stated that he did not do this. He stated that they are in the process of getting the building back to the City. He stated that this is based on information that was in a reversion clause that was in the addendum. He stated that the City would be able to buy the building back for the same amount that it was sold for which was $100,000. He stated that they are going forward with this. 18. ADJOURNMENT: City Council adjourned at 9:04 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor *Audio available