City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council Special Called meeting held on: November 8, 2018 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The Special Called Meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Thursday, November 8, 2018, at the Union Train Station. Mayor Parham called the Special Called 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 (left at 7:40pm) Vice Mayor John A. Hart Mayor Samuel Parham Absent: Council Member W. Howard Myers (arrived at 6:39pm) Present from City Administration: Assistant City Attorney Rashaad Bey City Manager Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides City Clerk Nykesha D. Jackson 2. PURPOSE: a. There will be a closed session. Assistant City Attorney Rashaad Bey 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 to discussion, consideration or interviews of candidates for employment and/or consideration of assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining or resignation of specific public officers or appointed employees of any public body and under Subsection 7 for consultation with legal counsel for a specific legal matter requiring the provision of legal advice by legal counsel. 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 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, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Myers City Council entered closed session at 6:31 p.m. CERTIFICATION: Assistant City Attorney Rashaad Bey 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. Vice Mayor Hart 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 Myers. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hart and Parham; Absent: Smith-Lee and *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council Special Called meeting held on: November 8, 2018 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ Hill 18-R-54 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. 3. PURPOSE: a. An ordinance amending Article IV, of Chapter 38, Section 38-97, changing the effective date of the Technology Zone. BACKGROUND: By Ordinance, the City Council of the City of Petersburg established the I-95 Technology Zone in 2003. In 2014, the City Council adopted an ordinance reaffirming the Zone and extending the expiration date to January 1, 2020. When the Technology Zone was established, the property within the Zone was owned by BI Chemical. BI Chemical sold the facility to UNITAO in 2014, and AMPAC fine Chemicals purchased the Petersburg facility in 2016 from UNITAO. On August 31, 2018, SK Holdings purchased AMPAC Fine Chemicals. The facility had not been in production since UNITAO purchased the plant in 2014. Going forward, the Petersburg facility will operate under AMPAC, and both SK Holdings and AMPAC expressed plans to significantly invest millions of dollars in the Petersburg Plant, and plans to maintain staffing up to 300 employees within the next several years. They also expressed that they plan to operate the facility for decades into the future. Without the Zone incentives, production costs will increase, and operations at the Petersburg plant may be moved to another AMPAC site in another State, thereby reducing the number of jobs, the investment, and the revenue to the City of Petersburg. This is a request to change the Zone effective date to in perpetuity. If approved, incentives associated with the Zone may be offered beyond January 1, 2020. The current Zone incentive, Machinery and Tools Tax rebate, will apply only to qualified equipment owned by AMPAC. Although the Zone effective date would be in perpetuity, as previously established, the incentive offered for qualified equipment within the zone will be effective for a period not to exceed five years. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council considers approval of the extension of the Technology Zone beyond 2020, to in perpetuity. Mrs. Benavides and Mr. Bey gave a brief update on the technology zone from the last regular council meeting. Vice Mayor Hart made a motion for the approval of the extension of the Technology Zone beyond 2020, to in perpetuity. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Myers, Wilson-Smith, Hart and Parham; Absent: Hill and Smith-Lee 18-ORD-30 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ARTICLE IV, OF CHAPTER 38, SECTION 38-97, CHANGING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE TECHNOLOGY ZONE OF THE 2000 CODE OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG, AS AMENDED. 4. ADJOURNMENT: *Audio available  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council Special Called meeting held on: November 8, 2018 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ City Council adjourned at 8:18 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor *Audio available