City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at the Union Train Station. Mayor Parham called the meeting to order at 6:30p.m. 1. ROLL CALL: Present: Council Member Charles H. Cuthbert, Jr Council Member Darrin Hill Council Member W. Howard Myers Council Member Annette Smith-Lee Council Member Treska Wilson-Smith Vice Mayor John A. Hart, Sr. Mayor Samuel Parham Absent: None Present from City Administration: Deputy City Manager Darnetta Tyus Clerk of Council Nykesha D. Jackson, CMC 2. PRAYER: Mayor Parham stated, “At this time I would like to invite Reverend Dr. Michael Shannon, pastor of Zion Baptist Church to lead us in prayer.” Reverend Shannon led the City Council meeting in prayer. 3. CLOSED SESSION: *There were no closed session items. 4. MOMENT OF SILENCE: a. Clerk of Council, Nykesha D. Jackson, led council and the audience in a moment of silence. 5. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: a. Clerk of Council, Nykesha D. Jackson, led council and the audience in the pledge of allegiance. 6. DETERMINATION OF THE PRESENCE OF A QUORUM: Ms. Jackson stated, “We have a quorum.” Mayor Parham stated, “Tonight I want to continue the recognition of honoring our Petersburg Heroes. On Saturday, we unveiled the historical marker for Lieutenant Colonel Howard Baugh. Lt. Col. Baugh was an original Tuskegee Airman and a native of Petersburg, Virginia. In addition to his many accolades, Lt. Col. Baugh was a major advocate for education. While continuing to teach our youth about the shoulders we stand upon, we must continue to also teach that it is possible to turn small beginnings into a lifetime of monumental change throughout the world. I encourage all of you here to visit the marker located at the corner of Old and Sycamore Street. Also, I would like to recognize the Annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service that took place yesterday. We honored the lives of Captain James W. Gee, Sergeant Michael D. Goff, and Firefighter Robert W. Erb. The ceremony  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ yesterday was an excellent remembrance for these fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our safety here in Petersburg. We are continuously grateful to them and also to our current Fire, Rescue and Emergency services departments for all they do for our community. And Chief Rubin of the Fire Department is here today. Please stand and give him a round of applause for those men. Mr. Bubby Bish, we thank you.” 7. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/PRESENTATION OF CEREMONIAL PROCLAMATIONS: (Each presentation will be limited to 10 minutes.) a. A proclamation designating March as Purchasing Month. BACKGROUND: March is Procurement Month. It’s a time to celebrate with pride the role of the public procurement profession. This month provides the opportunity to help educate elected officials, administrators, taxpayers and vendors about the procurement process and the admirable work we perform every day. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend the Honorable Mayor and Members of Council present the attached proclamation recognizing the month of March as Purchasing Month. Mayor Parham read the proclamation out loud. Lisa Scott, Purchasing Specialist, stated, “Good evening Mayor Parham and Vice Mayor Hart. Thank you all. I would like to thank you for recognizing the purchasing office for all the work that we do for the City. We will continue to do our due diligence to ensure that the taxpayer funds are spent wisely and that we provide the most efficient and effective services in the City of Petersburg.” 8. COMMUNICATIONS/SPECIAL REPORTS: a. Crater Small Business Development Center of Longwood University Presentation. BACKGROUND: The City of Petersburg is one of nine jurisdictions services by the Crater Small Business Development Center of Longwood University. The Longwood SBDC is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration that provides no-cost consulting and low-cost training to small business owners and start-ups. The goal of this presentation is to share information with the City of Petersburg about the services provided the Crater SBDC. They include: Training, Business Plan Development, Financing and other services. In addition to the operational hours in the office at 1964 Wakefield Street, the Crater SBDC of Longwood University maintains weekly office hours at the Petersburg Public Library to provide assistance to existing and prospective small business owners. RECOMMENDATION: Informational Purposes Only. Reggie Tabor, Projects Manager of Economic Development, stated, “Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor and Members of City Council. We have Ellen Templeton of the Crater Small Business Development of Longwood University to make a small presentation.” Ellen Templeton, Crater Small Business Development of Longwood University, stated, “We are proud to serve your small business community and I want to show you some of the things that we actually provide on a daily basis. In addition to be able to work with Reggie, he is awesome to work with, we also provide these services to the small business community in Petersburg. We have confidential in-depth counseling and we go through the market and the industry announces to make sure that the small businesses can gain the greatest advantage. We also have support from the small business administration from Longwood University. We would be completely lost without your support as one of our allies and partners. We appreciate what you do for us. We also deliver no cost consulting and occasionally there is a low-cost training. This is if we have to bring out a  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ consultant that is not specifically affiliated with Longwood and usually it is about $20 per person. So, it is not a huge expense.” Crater Small Business Development of Longwood University provide some of the services below:  Financial analysis and review how it can be most profitable.  They go over competitive strategies and make sure that they are very well versed with the government regulations and taxes.  They work on marketing plans and business plans. The hiring can be part of these plans as well.  They help with getting credits for expansion.  They do evaluations and projections for franchises.  They do comparisons with other companies.  38 training seminars Mayor Parham stated, “Thank you we appreciate the presentation.” b. Monthly Financial Report. BACKGROUND: Monthly the City’s Staff will provide the City Council with financial reports that contain the data that is available in the City’s Financial Systems. RECOMMENDATION: The report is for informational purposes only. Blake Rane, Chief Financial Officer, gave a briefing on a PowerPoint presentation on the monthly financial report. Some key points from the PowerPoint are below:  80% of the bills the City received was in cash.  The Treasurer and himself met with bank last week and they committed to moving the Lockbox to Virginia.  In public utilities they are collecting about 80% of the cash from the bills.  VDOT has held $2.5 million dollars for the City and has paid vendors on the City’s behalf.  The Personal Property Relief Tax will come in June.  City is trying to get Moody’s Bond Rating and that it appears to be going well. There was discussion among City Council and staff. c. Presentation of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Operating Budgets BACKGROUND: City Manager has presented an operating spending plan of $102,566,709 for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2018, and ending June 30, 2019. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council review and provide guidance on any changes that need to be made to the Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Operating Budgets. Ms. Jackson stated, “The Proposed Fiscal Year 2018-2019 Operating Budgets has been removed from the agenda and will be held at the next regular meeting of April 3, 2018.” 9. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA (to include minutes of previous meeting/s) a. Minutes: Regular City Council Meeting – March 6, 2018, Special Meeting: March 6, 2018 b. Schedule a public hearing regarding the disposition of City-owned property at 248 Halifax Street, Tax Parcel 022-22-0011.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -4– ______________________________________________________________________________ Ms. Jackson stated, “The suggested date for the public hearing is April 3, 2018.” Council Member Myers made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 10. OFFICIAL PUBLIC HEARINGS: Mayor Parham stated, “At this time we have several public hearings for tonight and tonight we have our City Attorney out with the flu and City Manager out sick tonight. We will not have any action items except for one and that ‘10A.’ I will entertain a motion to move these public hearings to the next council meeting.” Vice Mayor Hart made a motion to remove items “10b, 10c and 10d from today’s agenda and add them to the agenda items of April 3rd. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. There was discussion on the motion. Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I am going to vote aye but I want to state on the record before I do that I have asked for opinions from the City Attorney on both the eligibility for certain real estate tax exemptions and also for the legality of the proposed discount for senior citizens for water bills. And I would still like to receive those two written opinions before the betterment.” The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham a. A public hearing to amend the Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Enterprise Revenue an Expenditures. BACKGROUND: The Budget Team completed a Mid-Year review of the FY17-18 Enterprise Funds’ Budget. For the Enterprise Funds the Budget Team analyzed all revenue and expense line items and met with Department Heads. At the end of the meetings, it was determined that minor adjustments were necessary. The Budget Amendment was advertised in The Progress-Index, pursuant to Section 15.2-2507. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached appropriation ordinances. Mr. Rane stated, “To remind council that we had to readvertise these items and the presentations were made I believe February 20th.” Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comments. Seeing no hands, Ms. Jackson closed public comments. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the attached appropriation ordinances. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion among City Council Members. Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “I think although we did review this in February for the benefit for people who were not here and who do not know this, they could not speak because they do not have information. The people who were here, I am sure that they do not remember the information which makes it difficult for them to speak on. I don’t think that this is something that we needed to rush on because the public doesn’t have this information in order to elaborate on it or to know what we are talking about or what we are getting ready to vote on. Which to me seems unfair.”  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -5– ______________________________________________________________________________ Council Member Wilson-Smith made a substitute motion until the next meeting until such when they can show the information on the screen and give the public a fair opportunity to discuss. Council Member Wilson-Smith substitute motion dies due to lack of second. Vote on original motion: The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Voting No: Wilson-Smith 18-ORD-10 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2017, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2018, IN THE UTILITIES FUND FOR PETERSBURG FUTURE SERVICES. 18-ORD-11 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2017, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2018, IN THE MASS TRANSIT FOR PETERSBURG FUTURE SERVICES. 18-ORD-12 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2017, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2018, IN THE GOLF COURSE FUND FOR PETERSBURG FUTURE SERVICES. b. A public hearing to amend an ordinance to reduce water and/or sewer rates of home owners 65 and over. BACKGROUND: During the March 6, 2018, City Council meeting, Council was presented three (3) options for the Senior Citizen Discount Pilot:  50% sewer (only) discount  50% water and sewer discount  5/8-meter size capacity rate. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council amend the City Ordinance which provides 1 of the following options: 1) 50% sewer (only) discount, 2) 50% water and sewer discount or 3) 5/8-meter size capacity rate. *Item moved to the April 3, 2018, council meeting. c. A public hearing to approve the Application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Delta Community Service Foundation location at 2951 S. Crater Road. BACKGROUND: Delta Community Service Foundation requests the provision of a real property tax exemption for property addressed as 2951 S. Crater Road, further identified as tax parcel 065-11-0006, such property utilized to enhance and facilitate the Chapter’s programs and activities. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the real estate tax exempt status for the Delta Community Service Foundation. *Item moved to the April 3, 2018, council meeting. d. A public hearing to approve the Application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Petersburg Battlefields Foundation, Inc. located at 501 Rives Road. BACKGROUND: Petersburg Battlefields Foundation, Inc. requests the provision of a real property  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -6– ______________________________________________________________________________ tax exemption for property addressed as 501 Rives Road, further identified as tax parcel 102-04-0002, such property utilized to inspire and educate the public about the Petersburg Campaign. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the real estate tax exempt status for Petersburg Battlefields Foundation, Inc. *Item moved to the April 3, 2018, council meeting. e. A public hearing to approve the Application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Flaming Sword Church of Deliverance located at 200 S. Sycamore Street. *No Public Hearing Held. Property is exempt from taxation by classification – Code of Virginia 58.1-3606 (A)2 BACKGROUND: Flaming Sword Church of Deliverance requests the provision of a real property tax exemption for property addressed as 200 S. Sycamore St., further identified as tax parcel 022-15-0005, such property utilized for religious praise and worship services open to the community. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the tax-exempt status for Flaming Sword Church of Deliverance. f. A public hearing to approve the Application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Open Door Ministries Church of God located at 301 E. South Blvd. *No Public Hearing Held. Property is exempt from taxation by classification – Code of Virginia 58.1-3606 (A)2 BACKGROUND: Open Door Ministries Church of God requests the provision of a real property tax exemption for property addressed as 301 E. South Blvd, further identified as tax parcel 055-11-0006, such property utilized for religious praise and worship services open to the community. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the tax-exempt status for Open Door Ministries Church of God. Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I question this. Perhaps we will revisit this once we get the written legal opinions from the City Attorney. We at a bit of a disadvantage in that the City Attorney is not here and that decisions were made without City Council to take this off the agenda. So, I don’t know what we do with facing that stew of unusual circumstances, but I expect that we will be revisiting this in open session or closed session.” Mayor Parham asked, “Do you have motion to put it on at the next meeting for discussion?” Council Member Cuthbert stated, “That would be helpful and that’s a good way of handling it.” Council Member Myers made a motion to put items “10e” and “10f” on the agenda for discussion at our next regular meeting. The motion was seconded by Council Member Wilson-Smith. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith and Parham; Voting No: Myers, Hill and Hart 11. PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: The Public Information Period is established by the Rules of Council to hear input from City residents or owners of businesses in the City. It will last for a maximum of 30 minutes. Speakers will be called in the order that they have signed up to speak. If there are ten or fewer speakers, each shall speak for a maximum of 3 minutes. If there are more than ten (10) people desiring to speak, the time allotted to each person may be adjusted or the number of speakers limited  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -7– ______________________________________________________________________________ to meet the time limitation. A speaker may speak on items except those that are listed on tonight’s Council agenda. Any matter brought before the attention of the City Council during the public information period will not be acted upon by the City Council at this meeting. Willie Noise, 1508 Circle Drive, stated “I was told that I have to speak I have to be able to stand. Good afternoon Council, Mayor, Vice Mayor and Members of Council. Really, I should be passing. One of the things that I really wanted to mention was each business store that we have in the City is visited by the police department. The original reason was not the police officers it was members of council and I am not going to let you all forget it. To visit the stores in Petersburg so you can determine the attitude. It is a whole lot of data that can be gathered. Now that you have the police doing it they need a check list so they will know what to go by. The small business lecture we had even confirms it as far as the data that they can be an idea person to train the police officer. It’s a thousand things that they do and it is very impressive to me. I would like to see some data and figures about the resources. I’m still having nice feeling about this council. Petersburg is looking good. The work I have been seeing you all do all of the place especially Sycamore Street and a couple other places. I am just impressed and I feel good. Petersburg is my home and I am not going anywhere. I have been in the war and I learned a lot and I am bringing it back and I am comparing it very closely to the way things are being run and the way things should be run. You all have a lot of catching up. I am judging 50% and you have another 50% to buckle down. We lost a lot of valuable input from the veterans that went away and fought your way. Some of the decisions you all made like don’t beat the kids is coming back. This didn’t just start. This came from a root and that root goes back. We have to buckle down. I want to see everybody together. It isn’t about you it’s about Petersburg. And once we find out and get that in our head and start asking the proper questions and stuff. Most of all listen. You all have to be hearing the same thing I’m hearing when a question is asked and the answer given is not deserved.” Raymond Crockett, 248 Southwood Drive, stated, “Good evening. We have a problem with some property at 1573 Valor Drive. I have talked to Mr. Hart and he is going to address that issue. It’s a trailer park in front of the yard and I know it’s a code violation there. I would like to bring something out while you all can look at this thing here. We got some water meters one inch, an inch and a half, two inches, three inches, four inches, six inches, eight inches, ten inches and twelve inches. We need to know how many meters are that size because income coming in on that. I have a sheet here that you can look at and if we add that up there is a super fee that is coming in. I definitely would like you to check on Southside Regional Hospital. Thank you.” Linwood Christian, 613 St. Matthew Street, stated, “First I want to thank our City Manager and Commissioner of Revenue for attending the meeting of the Harding Street Association as well as Councilwoman Treska Wilson-Smith. For those of you that have your ward meetings, I hope that you, council, has realized how informative and helpful those are. Because they help answer a lot of questions that as Mr. Noise say that something we may ask or bring up. We here one question asked and then another answer comes when in essence that wasn’t even the question. At the last meeting we had at Harvest International two themes kept coming up. The expressed them to Mr. Myers and one of those things to the department directors will take heed. The customer service needs to be worked on. I called down to the City Manager’s Office and her assistant Ms. Stephanie was very helpful even though that wasn’t her part. One of the things that have come out and that people have said is that they go to the water billing office to ask questions and that they are either met with hostility or even they do not know. Then they get made when we say can you direct us to who does know. And by the way when we call to the City Treasurer’s Office we do not want to be switched to the tax collector’s or whomever office. And then the person on their sound like they are reading from a script. Mr. Brown is no longer an official take his voice of the voice message please. Mr. Mayor you seem to be a good young man and strong mayor but here is something that you are going to have to do. Now a lot of people complained about my City Council person who was former Mayor and some of the things he did. But yet why complain about him when you are turning around doing the same thing. When we as citizens get up here, members of council get thick skin and want to respond to others like how dare you say what you said. But the same applies to you. Mr. Mayor we ask you to be the Mayor. When members of council make statements whether it be in the paper or to citizens. Last time we had a young man come up to council and this was his  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -8– ______________________________________________________________________________ first time and one of the city council members attacked him. It is your job Mr. Mayor to be a strong Mayor. Although you are not an elected at-large Mayor you still are the one that presides over this session. And last but not least, I know when you all say there is no division among City Council but the streets talk. And when people in the streets are talking members of council and including people to run against members of council because they don’t like them you tell me is that unity. Thank you.” Michael Edwards, 409 Grove Avenue, stated, “I am here to very briefly, I have it in front of you and on the back table, it is the first annual movie night that the Petersburg Area Art League and the Petersburg Public Library have partnered together to make this possible. April 5th, will be the first one here at the train station. The board of directors was so glad that we were able to partner with the City and the library to make this happen. It will continue each month after April. The one in May will be in the art park beside the art league. Each month the date will change and the time and the movie will change. It will not be a consistent date, time or month. Also, I want to put on your radar that August 10th in conjunction with Friday for the Arts, the board of directors for the art league has decided to do a program about the tornado. It’s 25 years this year that the tornado touched down in Petersburg. It was August 6th. We will do a program on August 10th at 4:30pm. The public is invited and I hope to see a majority if not all of council there. I have sent invites to Senator McCain and Congressman McEachin. Senator Dance will be on the program. Our Mayor will be on the program and I have some of our first responders that I will be reaching out to. This is just some things that I want to put on your radar. We are being more community oriented. It’s more than just pictures hanging on the wall. We are here and we look forward to working with everybody.” 12. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FOR/FROM THE MAYOR OR CONCIL MEMBERS: Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I want to thank the Petersburg Preservation Task Force for the presentation that they put together and made day before yesterday at Centre Hill dealing with Elizabeth Keckley. The Mayor was there and it was great to see him there. He brought his daughter and it was an educational express for all of us. I can tell that parts of the presentation were quiet brutal description of history but I think it’s important that we all understand the brutality of the past and not shellac it and ignore it. With that said it was absolutely fascinating. How many people in the audience know that Elizabeth Keckley lived in Petersburg? How many people in Petersburg never heard of Elizabeth Keckley. Well Elizabeth Keckley was more than a seamstress she was a modest. She was the confidant as well as the keeper of the wardrobe for Mary Todd Lincoln. She made some beautiful gowns for Mrs. Lincoln. One in which it is in the Smithsonian Institution. The place where she lived in Petersburg was the second floor overtop of the trading post on North Sycamore right near Longstreet’s. She was at that point a slave. She bought her own freedom with the help of friends and sympathizes at a later point when she was living in St. Louis. And then she went from there to Washington, DC. She was quiet an entrepreneur. She landed on her feet was able to develop quiet a clientele on the social prominent in Washington, DC, including Mary Todd Lincoln and the wife of Jefferson Davis. Anybody who was anybody in Washington society was a client of hears and she made some beautiful things. She was very talented and then she wrote one of the first kiss and tell books about behind the scenes in Washington in the White House. And it was somewhat controversial. It raised an eyebrow or two because some people felt that what she told should not have been public. It was a wonderful presentation and I thank the preservation task force for bringing that forward. And I hope they will do that presentation again and other presentation as well. Thank you.” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “I have two items. The first item is that starting in April through the month of July, I will present my Citizens Academy. Citizens Academy is always presented here and it is always on Sunday. It is from 3pm to 5pm. There are different subjects each month and you will have the opportunity to talk to the individuals who are doing the presentations. You can have conversation with them so if you have questions you may ask them. You will get answers and you may ask another question if you like. The first one will be in April and it is all about safety. There will be a presentation by your police chief and your fire chief. Please pay attention to the newspapers and anything else for advertisement for the subjects of each month. And the next item that I would like to tell you about is that I will be having a Ward 1 Workshop on  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 -9– ______________________________________________________________________________ Saturday, March 24th at the Robert E. Lee School. It will start at 11am and it is scheduled to end at 1pm, but should it need to go further, then it will. The police chief will be there and the fire chief will be there. Hopefully our City Manager will be feeling better and she will be there. Other persons will be in attendance at our workshop. You may ask questions there and if you don’t live in Ward 1 and have some concerns in Ward 1 or you work in Ward 1 you are more than welcome to come to the meeting. Thank you.” Council Member Smith-Lee stated, Good evening everyone. I have a short report that I want to give. I want to thank each and every one of you all for coming out tonight. I originally said that I was going to have ward meeting on the 22nd but it is being rescheduled to April 12th. I know that Mr. Hill is having and I didn’t want to have a conflict. April 12th will the next meeting for my ward meeting for Ward 6 and it will be at A.P. Hill Elementary School. Also, I want to thank Treska Wilson-Smith for being instrumental in that Cervical Cancer Forum at Petersburg High School. It was phenomenal. They gave out a lot of information and we need to really think about and read up on it because cervical cancer does not just effect women but men also. So, I want to thank you for spearheading that forum so hopefully we have man more. Thank you.” Council Member Myers stated, “There will be a Ward 5 Meeting on the 28th of April. Upon confirmation from Mr. Christian we will provide the facility on the 3rd of April.” Council Member Hill stated, “Good evening. I would like to thank all of you today for coming out to our City Council meeting on today. I would like to thank the employees for all the work they put forth. I would like to continue to pray for our City Attorney and City Manager as they are dealing with the flu right now. We all know that the flu is right rough this past season so keep them in your prayers. Ward 2 will be having a town hall meeting on Thursday, March 22nd at 6:30pm, at Good Shepherd Baptist Church. I want to thank Councilwoman Annette Smith-Lee for changing hers because we had some of the same people to be at our council meeting. At the council meeting it will be our city manager, police chief and our fire chief. So any one is welcome to come out. If you have questions. I do agree with Mr. Christian. We do get in on depth at some of our council meetings as opposed to here. A lot of times you can ask more in-depth questions at the meetings because a lot of times we are on a timeframe here. We are at our Town Hall Meetings too. It is more of a relaxed environment. Also, on the 24th of this month, which is this coming Saturday, at 9:00am, our deputy city manager along with Mrs. Tami Yerby and myself will be doing a renovation of the Berkeley Manor Park. We are asking for volunteers to come out. Notices have been put out and we have city workers that are going to be there along with some of the residents. So, if you know of anyone in Berkeley Manor, let them know that we will be sprucing up their playground. That’s it right now.” Vice Mayor Hart stated, “Yes, everyone I just want to give a big thank you to the billing and collections department for the hard work that you have done in these past few weeks. Not only did you collect a lot of money but you have been very patient with those individuals that have come through and stood in the long lines. You assisted with their billing and questions and provided water and good customer service to them. Thank you for all that you have done. And it’s not to slate any other department but this is one that everybody has to come in and put their hands on this month. So, thank you for all that you have done.” Mayor Parham stated, “Good evening again everyone. I would like to thank Ms. Darnetta Tyus, Deputy City Manager, for stepping up and being with us tonight. We appreciate your services and all that you do for the City of Petersburg. We had a very busy weekend talking about the Tuskegee Airmen and Ms. Keckley presentation that Council Member Cuthbert and I also saw. In last week we had the opportunity thanks to our governor and the funding that he provided to our council members for the training. We were at the National League of Cities last week for the Congressional City Conference. We had the opportunity, it was Council Member Smith-Lee, Hill and Myers. We had a chance to learn a lot. One of the biggest things that we learned was that there is a lot of other communities struggling with the same issues that we have had and some of theirs are even worse. We have heard some bad stories. Because infrastructure is crumbling all around the country. We took classes on it and everyone talked about how they have the same issues that we have with pipes breaking and an older system with trying to get assets in place to fix those infrastructure needs. The  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 - 10 – ______________________________________________________________________________ billing systems is something that is across the country. And also, I had a chance to take a class on the ‘Ethical Leader’, which was fostering a culture of ethics. That is something that is really high on this council’s mind. You know we have had trouble in the past and we have learned that in class that just because its legal doesn’t mean it’s ethical. We want to operate ethically here in Petersburg. It was a very informative class. Also, another class I took was ‘Leverage and Community Assets and Private Partnerships’. The City of Petersburg, we do have land and we have opportunities to recruit industries here back to our City. The class guided us in things that we can do to assist in bringing our next round of industry to the City. We had our governor here as soon as we got back for the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Dinner. And I had the opportunity to take the governor around Petersburg and show him some areas of growth that are possible with his help. He said that he is going to sign for us, HB222, which is by Delegate Aird, which will waive some tax fees for businesses to locate where in the City of Petersburg. One of the crown jewels we have is Collier’s Yard, which is over 173 acres. I asked the governor to assist us in getting over that land. We have the railroad track there and we went over there and he went over there and took a look and seen the opportunity that we have with our industrial park being in their capacity. We only have 8 acres left in our industrial park and if we can get access to that next 173 acres it will be game changer here in the City of Petersburg. Also, going back to the Congressional Cities Conference, I also took a class with Council Member Myers on Opioid Crisis. To just see the number 45 pass additional funding to add to the $2 plus billion dollars of funding for the Opioid Crisis. We are getting back here to figure our numbers in the City of Petersburg and how many people are affected. And to make sure that we go after every dime that the federal government will assist in our citizens with people with Opioid abuse. Again, I would like to thank everyone that came and thank everyone for the opportunity and let’s continue to keep moving the City forward. 13. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 14. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 15. STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 16. NEW BUSINESS: a. Consideration of amendments to the Citywide Classification & Compensation System (Pay Plan). BACKGROUND: The City hired a Consultant Firm Management Advisory Group, Inc. (MAG) to conduct a compensation and classification study for the City’s classification and compensation system and pay plan based on current compensation levels for similar public-sector employers, municipalities and local market competitors. The study resulted in the development of an updated classification plan; and the development fi a compensation system and pay plan. In December 2015, City Council agreed with the study results and adopted the new Classification & Compensation system. The new system addressed internal/external equity by granting salary adjustments to over 100 employees; eliminated certain outdated classifications; and revised/updated job descriptions. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council revise the listed classifications and corresponding job descriptions to the City’s pay plan and to place each classification in the compensation  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 - 11 – ______________________________________________________________________________ system accordingly. 1. Deputy City Manager 2. Chief Financial Officer 3. Deputy Chief Financial Officer 4. Manager of Billing & Collections 5. Customer Service Supervisor 6. Assistant Director of Planning & Code Compliance 7. Assistant to the City Manager 8. Special Events Coordinator 9. Assistant Fire Chief 10. Property Maintenance Official 11. Building Maintenance Official 12. Human Resources Specialist 13. Real Estate Assessment Clerk 14. Cook 15. Superintendent of Maintenance 16. Facility Manager 17. Grants Specialist 18. City Engineer/Assistant Director of Public Works and Utilities Council Member Myers made a motion to revise the listed classifications and corresponding job descriptions to the City’s pay plan and to place each classification in the compensation system accordingly, with adding Deputy City Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Manager of Billing & Collections, Customer Service Supervisor, Assistant Director of Planning & Code Compliance, Assistant to the City Manager, Special Events Coordinator, Assistant Fire Chief, Property Maintenance Official, Building Maintenance Official, Human Resources Specialist, Real Estate Assessment Clerk, Cook, Superintendent of Maintenance, Facility Manager, Grants Specialist and City Engineer/Assistant Director of Public Works and Utilities. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion the motion among City Council and staff. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham b. Consideration of a lease agreement with the Washington Street Plaza Associates and the City of Petersburg. BACKGROUND: The Community Affairs and Economic Development Offices will need to relocate at the end of the month once the closing and sale is completed for old Ramada Hotel and office building. These offices will temporarily locate for three months to 32 W. Washington Street until a permanent location can be found. This is set to be completed March 20, 2018. The lease will begin on March 20, 2018 to June 30, 2018. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the three-month lease agreement with Washington Street Plaza Associates. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the three-month lease agreement with Washington Street Plaza Associates. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham c. Consideration to extend the timeframe the Petersburg Preservation Task Force Memorandum of Understanding. BACKGROUND: The PPTF entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City on March 16, 2017 for one-year period. Currently, PPTF manages the Blandford Church and Reception Center, Centre  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 - 12 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Hill Mansion, and The Exchange Building (formerly The Siege Museum.) RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council extends the MOU with the Preservation Task Force until March 30, 2019. Council Member Myers made a motion to extend the MOU with the Preservation Task Force until March 30, 2019. The motion was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. Council Member Hill requested an actual tangible report from them in the near future as far as monies collected and things of that nature from the museums. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill and Parham; Voting No: Hart 17. REPORTS/REPONSES TO PREVIOUSE PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: Stephanie Harris, Assistant to the City Manager, read the questions and answers from the previous meeting regarding the public information period on March 6, 2018: 1. Is the City selling a bond to pay the Petersburg City Public Schools? Answer: The City is not currently selling bonds for Petersburg City Public Schools. 2. Why is there only a meter sizing form for commercial and not residential? Answer: The City does not have commercial nor residential water meter sizing forms. Typically, when a new structure is built the meter size determined by the designer. 18. CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA: *No items for this portion of the agenda. 19. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM CLERK: Ms. Jackson stated, “I do have one item. I received a letter from District 19 Community Services Board and they are requesting council to appoint a member. At this time, we do not have any applicants, so I am encouraging the citizens to apply to the District 19 Community Services Board. If you need an application I have some available with me today or if not you can stop by my office to receive copies. That is all that I have more my portion.” 20. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY *No items for this portion of the agenda. 21. ADJOURNMENT: Ms. Jackson stated, “This meeting is adjourned.” City Council adjourned at 8:11 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: March 20, 2018 - 13 – ______________________________________________________________________________ APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor