City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Tuesday, April 17, 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 Annette Smith-Lee Council Member Treska Wilson-Smith Council Member Darrin Hill Council Member W. Howard Myers Vice Mayor John A. Hart, Sr. Mayor Samuel Parham Absent: None Present from City Administration: City Manager Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides City Attorney Joseph E. Preston Clerk of Council Nykesha D. Jackson, CMC 2. PRAYER: Mayor Parham stated, “Now at this time I would like to ask Reverend Kim White of Bloomfield Baptist Church to come up for the opening council prayer.” Reverend Kim White led the City in prayer. 3. 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, council will be in closed session for discussion, consideration, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, disciplining or resignation of specific public officers, appointees, or employees where such evaluation necessarily will involve discussion of performance of specific individuals. Council Member Myers moved that the City Council go into closed session for the purposes noted by the City Attorney. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. 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 6:34 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 Hill made a motion to return City Council into open session and certify the purposes of  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ the closed session. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; 18-R-20 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 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. City Council returned to open session at 7:04pm. 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 that all City Council Members are present for a quorum. Mayor Parham stated, “For tonight’s Positive Petersburg story, I would like to congratulate Petersburg City Public Schools on being a part of 16 school districts across Virginia to receive funding to upgrade their career and technical education programs. Governor Ralph Northam recently announced this as a step toward allowing students to experience and explore 21st century career and technical opportunities and to learn with up-to-date technology. The funds will be used to enhance the school’s cybersecurity program expansion. Please a round of applause for our school board and our superintendent, Dr. Newsome and staff.” 7. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/PRESENTATION OF CEREMONIAL PROCLAMATIONS: (Each presentation will be limited to 10 minutes.) a. Recognition of Achievement of Rashad J. Seaborne Vice Mayor Hart stated, “Rashad wasn’t able to make it but I do have some students from Petersburg Schools that I like to recognize. I had some volunteers over the spring break. About six students came out and participated. I want to recognize them with a certificate of appreciation tonight. It reads as follows, ‘Vice Mayor, John A. Hart, Sr, present this Certificate of appreciation to, in appreciation of your contribution and dedication to keep the City of Petersburg clean and to help enhance the beautification, I present you this certificate of appreciation on behalf of the City of Petersburg. Your commitment to the well-being of the community is appreciated, presented this Seventeenth day April, 2018,’ and signed by myself, John Hart. These individuals are Anaja Ingram, Jaquana Tucker, Alfred Wyche, Jr., Richardo Hazelwood, Shaniya Lewis and Za’Naya Raines.” 8. COMMUNICATIONS/SPECIAL REPORTS: a. Battersea Update  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND: Per our MOU with the City when property was purchased in 2011. RECOMMENDATION: For informational purposes only. Sandy Graham stated, “I am the President of the Battersea Foundation. I appreciate you giving us time this evening to give a report on what’s going on in Battersea. What is going to be running behind you on the screen is going to be a number of photos of recent Battersea event. They are not linked at all to my comments. Please take a look at those and you can see all the events that we are engaged in.” Key points made by Mr. Graham on Battersea:  Battersea Foundation purchased the Battersea properties which include five main buildings and 37 acres on the Appomattox River on June 2011.  Main building was constructed in 1768.  Battersea is currently back on tax rolls.  Mayor Samuel Parham sits on the board.  Envision one day that Battersea will evolve into a cultural arts campus.  Since 2011 the foundation has raised over a million dollars.  Currently working on interior being plastered.  Battersea has a new partnership with the University of Virginia.  Hopes of partnering with the City of Petersburg with the war reenactment.  Developed a 4th grade lesson plan that falls in line with the SOLs.  May 5th, there will be a trades fair event. b. Petersburg City Schools Presentation on FY2018-2019 Budget Dr. Marcus Newsome, Superintendent of Petersburg Public Schools, presented a PowerPoint presentation. Some of the key points are:  Operations have been stabilized and the school system has a strong foundation.  SOLs scores in the writing area increased by nine points.  Since 2002 the population in schools has decreased by 22%.  Have to invest into talent of teachers.  School Board approve an increase of $3 million dollars in transfers.  They have slight decrease in student enrollment.  Health insurance is projected to increase by 5%.  80% of the monies are dedicated to salaries. There was discussion among City Council Members and Dr. Newsome. Council Member Myers made a motion to schedule a public hearing on the FY2018-2019 School All Fund Budget for May 1, 2018. 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 c. Financial Report Robert Floyd, Director of Budget and Procurement, gave a PowerPoint presentation on the monthly financial status of the City. There was discussion among City Council and staff.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -4– ______________________________________________________________________________ d. Work Session on 2018-209 General Fund Revenue and Expenditures Michael Rogers, Maisha Beasley, Robert Floyd and Mrs. Benavides gave a PowerPoint presentation on the General Fund Revenue and Expenditures. There was discussion among City Council and staff. Council Member Hill made a motion to schedule a public hearing on the FY2018-2019 Proposed Budget for May 15, 2018. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 9. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA (to include minutes of previous meeting/s) a. Minutes: Regular City Council Meeting – March 20, 2018. b. Request to schedule a public hearing to receive public comments on proposed uses of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in 2018-2019 and consider submission of the Petersburg Community Development Block Grant 2018-2019 Annual Plan. Ms. Jackson stated, “Suggested date for the public hearing is May 1, 2018. Vice Mayor Hart made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda with scheduling a public hearing on May 1, 2018. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. 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: a. A public hearing to regarding the disposition of City-owned property at 248 Halifax Street. BACKGROUND: The City has received a request to acquire the small City-owned property adjacent to the property at 244 Halifax Street, the location of the CARES Emergency Shelter for women and children, to expand the existing playground at their site. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the disposition of publicly owned property at 248 Halifax Street. Reggie Tabor, Projects Manager of Economic Development, stated “I believe at the last meeting this public hearing was tabled or continued. There was a request for the assessed value of the property which is $4,500. We also provided additional information. That was provided by the requester of the CARES organization and we have the executive director from CARES here if you have any additional questions.” Council Member Wilson-Smith made a motion to approve the disposition of the property at 248 Halifax Street to CARES. Council Member Myers made a substitute motion to approve a 10-year lease for $1. 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 18-ORD-14 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A 10-YEAR LEASE FOR $1 FOR CARES FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 248 HALIFAX STREET.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -5– ______________________________________________________________________________ b. A public hearing to approve the application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Delta Community Service Foundation located 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 ass tax parcel 065-11-0006, such property utilized to enhance and facilitate the Chapter’s programs and activities. RECOMMENDATION: N/A Ms. Jackson stated, “This item will be removed from the agenda because the Delta Community Service Foundation removed their application for tax exemption. There was discussion among City Council and staff. 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 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. Julian Greene, Jr, 1625 Blair Road, stated, “I am Chair of the Petersburg Public Schools Education Foundation and Co-chair of the Peabody Academic Learning and Development Center. With me as well is the Co-Chair of Peabody Academic Learning and Development Center and the former Chair of the Peabody High School National Alumni Association and now the CEO of the Peabody High School National Alumni Association, Ms. Thelma Jefferson. Also with me is the member of Petersburg Public Schools and High School Education Foundation and the President and CEO of Peabody Academic Learning and Development Center, former Mayor Mrs. Annie Mickens. I reside at 1625 Blair Road, Petersburg Virginia, 23805. Tonight, we were here to make statements to both bodies of the Petersburg City Council and Petersburg High School and School Board Superintendent. Most of the members have left and you have declared a motion that we will have a work session on May 1st. We will delay our comments until that May 1st work session. However, the initial individual that you called is a partner with us and he came from Arlington, Virginia. He is Mr. Mark A. Canada, Sr. He is the Chairman of the Virginia Democratic Small Business Caucus that e business and opportunities for the State of Virginia. And they are a mega million-dollar organization. I would like to take this time to read a letter from a supporter who could not be with us tonight. And that person is well known statewide and nationally and also worked with former Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. During the time that we had massive resistance with education. That person is the Honorable Henry L. Marsh, III, Esq.” Mr. Greene read a letter that was addressed to him out loud to City Council, staff and the citizens. Annie Mickens, 1013 Melville Street, stated, “I too will take the opportunity to address the specific concerns and remarks at the public hearing that you have just decided to have for school budget on May 1st. I do want to say before I sit and within the three minutes that I do have that it has always been one of my driving factors. I have had the opportunity to serve on your side of the table and as an educator of 42 years in the Petersburg Public School System. It is very interesting in driving for me to look at every organizational chart of the elected officials that at the top it is the citizens. Before anything else takes place at the top the citizens. I say to you that I agree with Dr. Newsome when he says that there is not successful school system anywhere that he has been. If the community is strong and engaged then the school system will be successful. I want to say also that I committed myself to working to help the school system of Petersburg become that successful  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -6– ______________________________________________________________________________ entity. I doubly committed myself to working to see that all of the communities or whatever is necessary to make the City successful. And with that in mind I am glad you brought up the issue with Peabody. Peabody carries a legacy that is not local and not state. It is national. And that legacy is routed in the fact that the community deserves the right to have a voice at the table. So instead of inviting us for a presentation there is so much that has been said about the community in Petersburg of what we are not and what we don’t do and what we are not able to do. I say to you that it is time for us to show what we are able to do. I say to you that it is time for us to show you what we are able to do. And we deserve that opportunity. We view Peabody as that mechanism by which that can be done. So, I am saying to you tonight at 10:00pm that I will see you on May 1st.” Willie Noise, 1508 Circle Drive, stated, “Good afternoon Mayor, Vice Mayor and Members of Council and the citizens of Petersburg. I had a few things that I was going to say but I think this is more important. For of all I want to thank you for being gracious in allowing people to speak over their time. A couple of words, ‘dual usage.’ And it takes a village or army. Fractions or anything down to the least common denominator. You are going to have to fraction to the least common denominator so you can put all the variables in and meet all the demands or the caution variables. And what I want to say on top of that is dual usage. I noticed most of you have glasses and I don’t. Whether I need them or not, I have a hard time viewing that screen. I don’t know about you all but I am a couple of rows in. My example of factual is we have white letters on a, no black letters on a white screen and you can reverse that and have a black screen. I it right before I first got here but I been here too long. This plan of certain locations in the City. I would like to see a front view. You all have been showing an aerial or maybe both. The lighting or maybe when we have a meeting or something we will invite an eye doctor to come in and sit. And write it up about the lighting condition. I mean factoring it down to the least common denominator. I cannot even read this so anyway I am a man and I am not going to be seen with no glasses on. I might break them. Anyway, I love you all. Come on Petersburg we are looking good. We are.” Ron Flock, 1708 Pender Avenue, stated, “Good evening Vice Mayor Hart and Members of Council. I had intended on coming up here speaking about the tax exemption for the Delta Foundation but somewhere in my train of thought I just wanted to look at the value of this property. Maybe going forward, we should take into consideration that when applications are made for this exemption that we give a limit on the property value. It’s not to push them or scare them away but if we can get people who are interested in doing community service to purchase properties that need to be developed then this is a win, win. Let them continue to develop that property in that tax-exempt status and it lifts of the City at the same time plus they perform services. If we just outright grant them exemption for a half a million-dollar property then they probably will not continue to develop that. We can use this to our advantage. Thank you.” 12. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FOR/FROM THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL MEMBERS: Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I think all of us have problems in our wards with neighborhoods and the appearance of our neighborhoods. I want to pass on two experiences that I have had recently. It is good but perhaps everyone is already doing this but I will share with you my experiences. Disabled vehicles, there are a lot of them around town. Within the last week I had three vehicles removed from the streets of St. Andrews and East Fillmore. I shouldn’t say that I had them removed but the chief of police had them removed. And he is great to work with and I want to thank him for what he did. It was very simple. I took a picture of the vehicle with my cellphone and emailed that picture to the chief with the address and asked would he have this vehicle towed, it is a disabled vehicle. How did I know that, it was a disabled vehicle was that one had a flat tire and a broken wind shield? Another one a neighbor told me that it had been there for a year and has not moved. The third one was under a tarp and the tarp was being held in place by heavy rocks. And within 48 hours the chief texted me back and said that all three vehicles had been removed from the streets. I really appreciate that Chief Miller and I wanted to share that experience with others because it really works. The other good experience I had was through the Department of Public Works the ‘Request Go App’ on my cellphone. Goodness knows that we are a City of potholes. You go to the ‘Go Request’ and then go to streets and potholes and then you take a picture of the pothole and put a little comment on it and then hit send and it  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -7– ______________________________________________________________________________ goes right to public works with GPS coordinates. This is so public works knows where the pothole is. And before too long the pothole gets filled. So those are two very efficient ways to make our City look better and I’m glad to share those good experiences with everybody. Thank you.” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “Thank you so much I just have two announcements. One you will see a flyer in the back of the room. On Sunday, April 22nd we will have the first of four series of the citizens academy. The first presentation will be given by the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Fire Chief, Petersburg Sheriff and the Police Chief. Several residents have a lot of questions about the most recent shootings, about crime in the neighborhood, about a lot of events as it relates to crime. This is the place to come to get those answers to the questions that you have. This event is free and at the train station. It is from 3pm to 5pm or perhaps a little after if you have more questions. Please come out to this event if you have questions. It is for you and it is not ward related, it is Petersburg related. It is for all the citizens in Petersburg. It is ‘Citizens Academy 101’. The first series will be Sunday, April 22nd at 3pm held right here. The second announcement that I have is that Mrs. Annette Smith-Lee and myself are chairpersons to the ‘Health and Human Services Standing Committee’ and we will have our first meeting on the 19th at city Council Chambers at 6pm. The public is invited to attend. And that’s all I have for tonight.” Council Member Smith-Lee stated, “Good everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I had a ward meeting on April 12th and it was just awesome. I had so many guest speakers such as the City Manager, our Mayor, our Vice Mayor, our Deputy City Manager, our Interim Billing and Collections, the Police Department and Tami Yerby. And when I left the ward meeting I got several calls from citizens in Ward 6 and they were so excited. They wanted me to give you all a round of applause for supporting Ward 6. I really and truly appreciate you Mayor and Vice Mayor for being there for me and mostly for the citizens. Because a lot of questions that they had were all answered. Also, I participated in the ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes.’ You should have seen Howard Myers and his grey high heel shoes and John Hart in his lime green high heel shoes. And they walk better in high heel shoes than me. I thought that was a very good activity and fundraiser and a good community togetherness in reference to stop the violence for domestic violence. I just want to say that I know its late but I really truly appreciate all of you for just hanging in there with us. And have a blessed week.” Council Member Myers stated, “Thank you for exposing us down there, Councilwoman Smith-Lee. Thank you all for being here tonight. I got two announcements. The first one is that on Saturday, April 21st, 2018, from 12pm to 2pm, there will be a 5th Ward Meeting at Third Baptist Church at 550 Farmer Street. I look forward to all of you being there. We will have administration and staff there to answer any questions that you all may have with respect to the services that we provide. Also from 2pm we will do a walk. There will be a celebration walk of life in memory of the ‘Washington, Wilkins and Chavis Family’ and then there will be a cookout at the Harding Street property. But we will convene at Halifax and Harding Street and then we will have a good time and celebration. Also on Thursday, May 10th at 6:30pm at Tabernacle Baptist Church we will have the 2018 Ward Budget Meeting. Thank you all for being here tonight.” Council Member Hill stated, “Good evening again. Ward 2 and 3 will be having a combined 2018 Ward Budget Meeting on Thursday May 3rd at 6:30pm at Vernon Johns Middle School, 3101 Homestead Drive, here in the City. We are doing a combined and hopefully we can get this information in the paper for our residence so that they will be aware. And also, I have a couple of thanks and maybe a question or two. I want to thank public works for their work this past week. They got some stuff taken care for me. Mrs. Innis was on time with it. I like to thank the budget and finance staff. The budget that they proposed today I know that it is a lot of work into these handouts and we don’t take it light. We appreciate the work that all our employees do here in the City of Petersburg. One thing about the properties as far as the properties that people are coming forward to get exempt and things of that nature is that we have to be very careful about the properties that come to us. Whether it be nonprofit because every nonprofit entity is not exempt. We are in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most churches in Petersburg for the locality. And I am not being funny but we have a lot of churches here whether it be store fronts or major historic churches or things like that. We just have to be very careful. I would just hope that administration would do their due diligence before it even comes to us. I  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -8– ______________________________________________________________________________ have issues with that. We shouldn’t allow those things to come to us if they are not ready to be voted on. Of course, we know that it is a council’s decision and it has to go through a chain of command before it gets to us. We know certain nonprofit entities met the criteria and some just don’t. We have a lot of nonprofits in the City of Petersburg and a lot of fraternities and sororities and a lot of motorcycle groups and everything. If you exempt everything that come through then where is your tax base going to come through. Even some churches you have to look at them because of the way that they are designed and it calls for question. So, we have to be very careful about those things. That is all, I am not going to ask that question I will just wait and ask that individual person. I really want to thank the staff and the citizens for staying here and working with us and hanging in there with us. Vice Mayor Hart stated, “Good evening everyone thank you for staying with us. I just want to say a few things. It was a busy weekend. We had our first tournament in Lee Park and then we had our first ‘Jazz in the Stacks.’ We are getting prepared for next month’s events. That was a well-attended event in Petersburg. I think a lot of people enjoyed themselves from all around. I do thank all for coming out. It was already told but Saturday morning we got up and put some heels on and walked the field. I respect all you women. The only thing good about it was that it made me a little bit taller for a few minutes. Congrats to that staff along with Sheriff Crawford and her team. I left there and I had some individuals call and say they wanted to do a cleanup. So, we also went out and cleaned up Crater Road Exit. The last thing is that on Thursday, April 26th we will be having a joint meeting of Ward 6 and Ward 7 at Stuart School at 6:30pm for the budget and the city. So please come out get as much information as possible.” Mayor Parham stated, “Good evening everyone I like to take this time to thank everyone and Mrs. Benavides and her staff. We went on our Ward Walk last week and it was a great time. Thank you all for coming. Also, I want to formally welcome Mr. Lionel Lyons, our Deputy City Manager to Petersburg from Phoenix. Thank you for coming to Petersburg and this is not anywhere of a reflection of our weather out here in Petersburg. When the humidity hit you will miss Phoenix because it is coming. Also, we have another busy week in Petersburg. We have ‘Half Marathon and 5K’ and we will have over 2,000 runners here at the train station. It is always a great event and we have a good time here in Petersburg and I urge everyone to come out and support those runners. Also, I would like to thank my fellow partner in crime my school board chairman, Mr. Kenneth Pritchett, for hanging in there with us tonight. I look forward to seeing you at how joint budget ward meeting as well. I welcome you and thank you for the presentation on the school system. Thank you.” 13. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA: No items for this portion of the agenda. 14. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. Request to amend the Revitalization Strategy to include the Petersburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) Projects by name, specifically Pin Oaks, Pecan Acres and Sycamore Towers. BACKGROUND: Petersburg, Virginia is an entitlement jurisdiction for the annual receipt of CDBG funds from HUD. City Council made the decision to fund the eligible activities of Code Compliance with the CDBG allocation. As such, the City had to adopt a Revitalization Strategy which defines deteriorating and deteriorated and defines the areas in which the program will be applicable. In the previously approved Ordinance, the City did not name the specific redevelopment projects for the Housing Authority. This information is critical to the Housing Authority successfully obtaining the gap funding necessary to move forward with their redevelopment plans. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the name of Pin Oaks, Pecan Acres and  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 -9– ______________________________________________________________________________ Sycamore Towers Housing Development Projects be added to the Strategy in name and census tract. Council Member Wilson-Smith made a substitute motion to approve the resolution with the change of wording to supporting instead of approval. 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 18-ORD-15 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE DEFINITION OF “DETERIORATED” AND “DETERIORATING” FOR THE REVITALIZATION STRATEGY PROGRAM AND TO DESIGNATE THIS DETERIORATING AREA TO INCLUDE THE CENSUS TRACTS OF 8101, 8102, 8103, 8104, 8105, 8106, 8107, 8108, 8109 AND 8112, AND TO SPECIFICALLY NAME THE PETERSBURG REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY (PRHA) MANAGED DEVELOPMENTS OF PIN OAKS, PECAN ACRES AND SYCAMORE TOWERS. b. Consideration of the application for Real Property Tax Exemption for a nonprofit organization named Petersburg Battlefields Foundation, Inc. located 501 Rives Road. BACKGROUND: Petersburg Battlefields Foundation, Inc. requests the provision of a real property tax exemption for property addressed as Rives Road, further identified as tax parcel 102-04-0002, such property utilized to inspire and educate the public about the Petersburg Campaign. RECOMMENDATION: N/A 15. STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS: No items for this portion of the agenda. 16. NEW BUSINESS: a. Consideration of a resolution of recommended funding to Petersburg City Schools. BACKGROUND: In the proposed FY 2018-19 budget the local allocation for Petersburg Public Schools was set at $9,745,976.30. Petersburg City Schools must adopt its budget prior to May 15; therefore, the amount City Council approves for schools is requested in a resolution prior to the adoption of the City’s FY 2018-19 budget. RECOMMENDATION: Staff developed the proposed FY2018-19 budget based on a local allocation of $9,745,976.30. There was discussion among City Council and staff. Council Member Hill made a motion to approve the recommendation. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. There was discussion on the motion. Council Member Cuthbert made a substitute motion to table matter until after the public hearing is held on May 1st. The motion was seconded by Council Member Wilson-Smith. The motion was not approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert and Wilson-Smith; Voting No: Smith-Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 - 10 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Kenneth Pritchett, 1912 Matoax Avenue, stated, “I just want to piggyback on what Councilman Hill said. Dr. Newsome is very concerned about getting the contracts to the teachers. Many of the school divisions are already locking in contracts. We do know that we already have several teachers that are planning to leave because they have signed other contracts with other school divisions. We are trying to keep what we already have here. We also have individuals that we want to give contracts to but we have given them an intent letter and they have agreed to work for Petersburg but we cannot put a contract in their hands until we get something from City Council saying that we are going to give you all some money but you can move ahead with giving out the contracts. That’s all we are asking. We do not need our teachers leaving Petersburg because we are always late in giving our contracts out. Thank you.” Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. There was discussion among City Council and staff. Council Member Wilson-Smith made a substitute motion to approve the resolution with the change of wording to supporting instead of approval. 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 18-R-21 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA TO APPROVE FY2018-19 FUNDING ALLOCATION TO PETERSBURG CITY SCHOOLS. b. Consideration of an appointment to the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority. BACKGROUND: The Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA) is a public service authority that implements solid waste management and recycling programs for thirteen local governments. Since its formation in 1990, the CVWMA has endeavored to provide efficient and economical waste management and recycling solutions for its member jurisdictions. The CVWMA’s aim is to meet local government’s waste management and recycling needs, through improving existing services and programs and expanding into new program areas. A board of directors including representatives from each member locality governs the actions of the Authority and daily operations are coordinated by an experienced staff. RECOMMENDATION: Tangela Innis and William Riggleman positions align with the requirements of CVWMA. City Council must decide who to appoint. Council Member Myers made a motion to appoint Tangela Innis and William Riggleman to the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 18-R-22 A RESOLUTION APPOINTING TANGELA INNIS AND WILLIAM RIGGLEMAN TO THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY FOR A TERM EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2022. c. Consideration of an appointment to the Appomattox Regional Water Authority. BACKGROUND: The Appomattox River Water Authority consists of the Cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg and the Counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, and Prince George. The Authority is responsible for the operation of the Appomattox River Water Treatment plant.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 - 11 – ______________________________________________________________________________ The Authority Board includes one (1) Member and one (1) Alternate Member from each of the political subdivisions. The City Manager is currently on the board as a member. RECOMMENDATION: Lionel Lyons’ position is in line with the membership requirements of the ARWA Board. Council Member Myers made a motion to appoint Lionel Lyons to the Appomattox Regional Water Authority. 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 18-R-23 A RESOLUTION APPOINTING LIONEL LYONS TO THE APPOMATTOX REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITY FOR A TERM EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2019. d. Consideration of an appointment to the South Central Wastewater Treatment Authority Board. BACKGROUND: South Central Wastewater Authority Board operates the Petersburg Wastewater Plant, which serves the Cities of Colonial Heights and Petersburg along with the Counties of Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George. The Authority Board includes one (1) Member and one (1) Alternate Member from each of the political subdivisions. City Council has, as have other member jurisdictions. The City Manager is currently member on the board for Petersburg. RECOMMENDATION: Lionel Lyons’ position is in line with the membership requirements of the South Central Wastewater Treatment Authority Board. City Council to provide staff with a recommendation. Council Member Myers made a motion to appoint Lionel Lyons to the South Central Wastewater Treatment Authority Board. 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 18-R-24 A RESOLUTION APPOINTING LIONEL LYONS TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT AUTHORITY BOARD FOR A TERM EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2019. 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 April 3, 2018. 1. With the water meters being wireless, are they encrypted? Answer: The radio message is not encrypted; however, it is proprietary meaning it is transmitted in a language only used by Itron – the maker of the City’s ERTs. 2. If property is given to someone for the use of planting riverfront trees, is that land now tax exempt? Answer: Pursuant to §58.1-3606 Section 6 of the Code of Virginia, Parks or playgrounds held by trustees for the perpetual use of the general public may be found to be tax exempt. 3. How many of each size meter are there? Answer: Size of the Meter Number of Meters 5/8 in. 9,260 1 in. 2,570 ¾ in. 216  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: April 17, 2018 - 12 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 1.5 in 250 2 in. 274 3 in. 8 4 in. 17 6 in. 8 8 in. 1 10 in. 1 4. Will the City have a Clean-Up day soon? Answer: Yes, the City will have a Clean-Out day on Saturday, May 5th from 8am-12pm. Containers will be located throughout the entire City for proper disposal of household trash, furniture, appliances and carpet. 18. CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA: No items for this portion of the agenda. 19. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM CLERK: No items for this portion of the agenda. 20. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY No items for this portion of the agenda. 21. ADJOURNMENT: City Council adjourned at 10:38 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor