City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Tuesday, November 20, 2018, at Petersburg High School. 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: City Manager Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides Assistant City Attorney Rashaad Bey Clerk of Council Nykesha D. Jackson, CMC 2. PRAYER: Mayor Parham stated, “Now at this time Reverend Darrin Hill, Associate Minister of Tabernacle Baptist Church, will lead us in our opening prayer.” Reverend Hill led the City 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: All City Council Members were present. 7. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/PRESENTATION OF CEREMONIAL PROCLAMATIONS: (Each presentation will be limited to 10 minutes.) a. Recognition of the 2018-2019 Petersburg High School Football Team Mayor Parham stated, “For tonight’s Positive Petersburg, it is my pleasure to recognize our very own Petersburg High School Football Team. As Mayor of this great City, I am so proud of the level of success these young men have achieved. This includes going 7-3 for the first time since 2010. This great team of  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ overachievers went full throttle this year as they defeated the likes of James Monroe, Prince George, Matoaca and others. These are teams they had struggled against in recent memory. This team has shown tremendous determination as well as passion for the game. They are not only athletes but outstanding students and young gentlemen. I am happy to have them represent Petersburg. Please join me in recognizing the 2018-2019 Petersburg High School Football Team.” 8. COMMUNICATIONS/SPECIAL REPORTS: a. Update from John Tyler Community College on Activities and Program Edward “Ted” Raspiller, President of John Tyler Community College; Elizabeth Creamer, Vice President of Workforce Development and Credential Attainment; Fred Taylor, Director of Governmental and Administrative Services and Holly Walker, Public Relations Manager, presented a briefing of a PowerPoint update on John Tyler Community College. Key Points:  2017-2018 – 276 Petersburg residents attending John Tyler.  Currently High School students are taking classes at John Tyler Chester Campus.  Programs related to advanced manufacturing include hands-on experience in Tyler’s state-of- the-art labs.  Industry recognized credentials can be earned in some programs.  Last year Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) there were 7066 participants, 498 organizations served, 2133 credentials awarded, 1300+ classes and nearly 170,000 training hours.  CCWA trained nearly 166 Petersburg residents and they worked with seven Petersburg organizations, including Brenco QBS/Amsted Rail, Fort Lee, Petersburg Public Schools and Crater Region Workforce Board.  They are offering new programs of advanced manufacturing technology, nurse aide/medication aide, massage therapy, theatre and technical theatre specialization. b. Update from Petersburg YMCA on Renovations Marco Callender, Executive Director of Petersburg YMCA, gave a PowerPoint presentation of pictures on the renovations of the Petersburg YMCA. Mr. Callender stated that they are on a 12-month schedule and that they are on time with completion this year. He stated that they will have the Grand Opening on January 29, 2019, at 10:30am and that there will be a hard hat tour for City Council on Monday, November 26th at 3:30pm, at the Petersburg YMCA. He stated that Kevin Washington, President of the National YMCA will be the guest at the Grand Opening. c. City Assessor Report – Brian Gordineer, AAS, City Assessor There are no items for the City Assessor Report. d. City Manager Report – Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, City Manager Mrs. Benavides stated, “Thank you. Mayor and Council, you should find a copy of my City Manager’s Report in your packet. I am going to highlight just a few of the items on there. Couple of things. One of the objectives given to me was to make sure that we are participating in our intergovernmental partnerships. And one of the things that I would like to let council know is that is I was elected Vice Chair of the Crater Youth Commission as well as Vice chair of the South Central Waste Water Authority. The other thing that is important that I want everyone to know is that with the Riverside Regional Jail Superintendent has submitted his  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ resignation and we have begun talks of the new head for Riverside Regional Jail. On November 29th, Thursday, the Petersburg Area Art League and the Union Train Station will have our tree lighting. This is will begin with a mini parade at 4:30 and the lighting to begin at 5:00pm, and entertainment with Santa from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The Petersburg Annual Christmas Parade sponsored by the Dominion Energy will be on Saturday, December 1st from 3-5pm. The budget and procurement office have began working on a performance matrix. One of the things that we are focusing on looking at is how do we tie things with each of our departments to better describe what we do and how we do it and how we continue to move forward to measure in what we have succeeded in. Another thing that is important to everyone is that data has been collected and we are in the process of continuing our rates study. We have received all the data for that and you can look for it in January of this year in coming back to council with the results of our rates study. We are also continuing from a community development standpoint with our ward by ward cleanup. This has been a very successful project and I believe that this is a chance for us to focus on each ward on an annual basis where we have crews available to go through for litter and light trash and mowing crews and pruning of trees and debris removal. We will continue this process throughout the new year. Also, tied to that is our code enforcement staff and the assistant city attorney are working with the property owners on multiple properties with violations in creating an abatement master plan. This courtesy will only extend to property owners who are currently working on abatement violations. This part of the cleanup process and going through our deputy city manager office. Dogwood Trace Golf Course has introduced a new E-Gift Card Program as well as introducing a new fresh dining experience at the golf course. The Grill at Dogwood Trace will be a City run facility which will feature food on a daily basis. Also, included in that presentation is the discussion about our City of Petersburg inflow and infiltration program. This is one of the issues that we have with water. As many of you are aware we have had a lot of rainfall but most importantly we had some issues based on the hurricane. We are looking at what we can do to better relief that. One of our challenges that we have had is rain water moving into our sewer system, which there is a cost associated with it. And so, you do have a report included on that. My last big one is our Grove Avenue recommendations. One of the issues that we have been working with Council Member Cuthbert on is what we can do about Grove Avenue. We have an issue with Grove Avenue with traffic. It is a flow over to Virginia State University that has caused a lot of problems. Our police department has been actively there seeking and writing tickets and we realized that something has to be done. So, we are working with staff in moving forward with some recommendations. As you can see on the presentation that’s included for council, we have a number of different ways of doing this. One that we have looked at beyond speed bumps is to do a raise cross walk. And so, there is a picture of one in Colonial Heights near the Publix gas station. It is a substitute for doing a speed bump but is an opportunity to start to slow people down. We are hoping to move forward with this as soon as possible, based on the state, there is a recommendation settlement in here, but the state requires a study to be done before we can move forward with the RFP. Our goal and need of the council is that we can actually move forward with this at the same time. This is an area that we know needs attention and we do not want to slow it. The state regulation, even though it is a raised crosswalk still requires for safety reasons a traffic study. We would like to do the traffic study but also get permission to move forward with the traffic study but also moving forward with a remediation based on the traffic study. And that would move forward quickly as possible once this begins. That concludes my highlights. One other thing, we are working with the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Organization in which I have been a member of for many years, the national president has selected the City of Petersburg for their toy drive this year. We are doing a toy drive and we will have sites set up in City Hall, Billing and Collections, Public Library, Police Station and all Fire Stations in which we will be taking toy donations for youth. They will be working with the Department of Social Services to donate those toys to local Petersburg youth. This is not just a local organization, it’s actually a regional. They will be doing collections in Richmond, Chesterfield and throughout the region. My last announcement is that on Sunday, my son officially became an Eagle Scout. I think that this is a very important accomplishment. And one of the statistics that they shared with it is that only 4% of all scouts become Eagle Scouts but only 1% of African Americans actually become Eagle Scouts. And so, this accomplishment is something very important for us and the City of Petersburg. And I am very pleased that he did a project within the City on beautification in creating a park. But also, it is one of the things that we have to promote in our City. As our Councilwoman Treska Wilson-Smith work with our girl scouts we also know that our boy scouts and girl scouts together do tremendous things for our community and it helps promote our  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -4– ______________________________________________________________________________ youth. That concludes my presentation.” e. City Attorney Report – Rashaad Bey, Assistant City Attorney There are no items for the City Assessor Report. f. Multi-Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Kenneth Miller, Public Safety Managing Director Mark Milazzo, Executive Division Chief of Fire Department, gave a briefing with a PowerPoint presentation on the Crater Hazard Mitigation Plan. BACKGROUND: Disasters have the potential to devastate a community’s economic, social, and environmental well-being. Hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the potential impact of future disasters. Mitigation planning is a key process to break the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. In 2016 the Richmond Regional and Crater Planning Commissions and the consulting firm of Dewberry Consulting, LLC, collectively with 26 localities of the Richmond and Crater regions of Virginia have worked together to update the Richmond-Crater Multi-Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan to identify vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters and develop long-term strategies to reduce or eliminate long-term risks. The effort was guided by the Hazard Mitigation Technical Advisory Committee (HMTAC) consisting of emergency management staff from each of the 26 localities. Results from the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) were used to develop the plan. Due to the nature of the planning and review process and the governmental approvals required, this plan revision is dated 2017. The next plan review and revision is scheduled for 2022. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend that City Council approve and adopt the updated Richmond – Crater Hazard Mitigation Plan 2017. Council Member Hill made a motion to approve and adopt the updated Richmond – Crater Hazard Mitigation Plan 2017. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. 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-56 AN RESOLUTION APPROVING THE 2017 RICHMOND – CRATER MULTI-REGIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE. 9. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA (to include minutes of previous meeting/s) a. Minutes: Regular Meeting: October 2, 2018 b. Minutes: Special Meeting: October 16, 2018 c. Minutes: Regular Meeting: October 16, 2018 d. Minutes: Special Meeting: November 8, 2018 e. Minutes: Special Meeting: November 13, 2018 f. Request to schedule a public hearing on an ordinance to amend the map of the Central Business District Enterprise Zone. g. Request to schedule a public hearing on the Petersburg 2019 Legislative Agenda. h. Request to schedule a public hearing on a request to vacate the right-of-way in Commonwealth Medical Park I. i. Request to schedule a public hearing on a request to vacate the right-of-way of Hemlock Circle and a portion of Juniper Road in Pecan Acres.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -5– ______________________________________________________________________________ Vice Mayor Hart made a motion to accept the Consent Agenda and to schedule a public for December 11, 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 on the Special Use Permit request from P I Tower Development. BACKGROUND: The Zoning Ordinance requires that City Council must take action once a recommendation is forwarded from the Planning Commission. This use in the Zoning Ordinance requires a Special Use Permit. The applicant is requesting to have a 175’ monopole communications tower at this location with 4 antennas. RECOMMENDATION: Following duly advertised public hearing, council may affirm the Planning Commission recommendation, overturn the Planning Commission recommendation, table for further consideration, or return the item under consideration to the Planning Commission requesting further review. The recommendation of the Planning Commission was to approve the Special Use Permit request with a vote of 9-0. Michelle Peters, Director of Planning and Community Development, stated that she would like to ask that City Council continue this public hearing until the next City Council meeting due to collecting information on the hearing. Council Member Myers made a motion to continue the P I Tower Development public hearing until the next City Council Meeting on December 11, 2018. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was approved on roll call. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham b. A public hearing on the Rezoning amendment (proffers) request from Ryan Homes (Brian Bowe, agent). BACKGROUND: The Zoning Ordinance requires that rezoning request or changes to proffered conditions must be approved by City Council and action must be taken once a recommendation is forwarded from the Planning Commission. The rezoning allows for single-family development, the applicant is requesting permission to offer a footprint smaller than what the existing ordinance requires. RECOMMENDATION: Following a duly advertised public hearing, council may affirm the Planning Commission recommendation, overturn the Planning Commission recommendation, table for further consideration, or return the item under consideration to the Planning Commission requesting further review. The recommendation of the Planning Commission was to approve the rezoning request with a vote of 9-0. Michelle Peters, Director of Planning and Community Development, gave a briefing on the request for Rezoning amendment (proffers) request from Ryan Homes. Mayor Parham asked Council Member Hill if he has been in contact with the residents of Berkeley Manor and the developers. Council Member Hill stated that he has talked with the residents and the developers. He stated that the citizens are fine with the development. Council Member Hill made a motion to accept the recommendation of the proffers from Ryan Homes. The motion was seconded by Council Member Smith-Lee.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -6– ______________________________________________________________________________ Representatives from Ryan Homes gave a briefing on request of amendments (proffers). Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comments. Richard Stewart, 129 Rolfe Street, stated that over the years he has heard about Section 8 housing and affordable housing. He stated that it was said that the average income in Petersburg is $32,000 for a family of four. He asked what the target income is. Mrs. Peters stated that this is not Section 8 housing. She stated that these homes are for ownership. She stated that they are not for rent. Linwood Christian, 410 Mistletoe Street, stated that not all renters are how people present them. He stated over the last ten years they have seen numerous presentations. He stated that they have heard this all before. He asked when the project is going to be completed and who is going to make sure that what is stated is being done. Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed public comments. Council Member Hill made a motion to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission of the proffers from Ryan Homes. The motion was seconded by Council Member Smith-Lee. There was discussion among City Council Members. 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-ORD-31 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE REZONING AMENDMENT (PROFFERS) REQUEST FROM RYAN HOMES. c. A public hearing on proposed Memorandum of Understanding regarding a Revenue Share Agreement. BACKGROUND: The Cumberland Industrial Facilities Authority has proposed to offer revenue sharing agreements with Virginia localities that participate in or contribute to economic development projects in the Cumberland region and invites localities benefited by HB222 to join Cumberland in similar agreements. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council approves the MOU. Mr. Bey stated that he requests that this be sent to the Standing Committee of Economic Development for further review. Council Member Hill made a motion to move the proposed Memorandum of Understanding regarding a Revenue Share Agreement to the Standing Committee of Economic Development for further review and then return back to council. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. There was discussion among City Council Members. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham 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  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -7– ______________________________________________________________________________ information period will not be acted upon by the City Council at this meeting. Lynn Stanley, 728 West South Boulevard, spoke on a men’s shelter in the City of Petersburg. She stated that she would like to ask the City for assistance in giving a temporary building for four months for a men’s shelter. Willie Noise, 1508 Circle Drive, congratulated City Council Members on their reelection of their terms. He stated that he would like to speak on vets, health and handicap. He spoke on how fast they buried his mother and that he asked the undertaker what is going on in the City with so many people dying. He stated that the undertaker stated that they need to ask the health department about the health of everyone dying in the City. He spoke on healthcare and handicap accessibility during the polling. Richard Stewart, 129 Rolfe Street, congratulated City Council on their reelection. He stated that he wants to thank the police department for patrolling Pocahontas. He stated that it is unbelievable about the new hotel that is coming to Petersburg and that it is a great thing. He stated that they need to do something with VSU, JTCC and Richard Bland college on the 400th Anniversary of Slavery. He stated that the City should help and participate in the celebration. Linwood Christian, 410 Mistletoe Street, stated that they have seen a tremendous change in the community now that Officer Christian and others are working with their neighborhood association. He stated that the City is still receiving calls on problems with the water bill situation. He stated that they need to fix the problem and show that it is fixed instead of saying what they are going to do. He stated that a number of taxes have increased as well. He stated that they want a report on what the taxes are going to and also a report on the commission’s that the City have. Veronica Person, 1800 East Boulevard, stated that she would like to speak on payments to taxes and the long length of time that it takes for monies to come out of people’s bank account. She stated that payments were, and it takes months before payments are taken out of accounts. She stated that she would appreciate information regarding this. Barb Rudolph, 1675 Mt. Vernon Street, stated that a few weeks ago they learned that there is law suit from the state against CFS. She stated that she is concerned about this and the effects that it may have on the City of Petersburg. She stated that this is a serious situation. 12. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FOR/FROM THE MAYOR OR COUNCIL MEMBERS: Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I want to return to the report of the City Manager concerning the problem with speeding on Grove Avenue. And as council may be aware the report that the City Manager gave concludes a recommendation that we proceed with the traffic engineering study and proceed with either a speed table or speed lumps. Since each as proven to reduce speeds by about five to nine miles an hour. To give council insight on the severity of the problem, I am going to and down the table papers dealing with three crashes on Grove Avenue. I have handed to council a packet dealing with three crashes that happened on Grove Avenue this year. And once those pages get to the end I would like everyone to turn to pages one and two. Pages one and two deals with a crash that happened on March 10th. It was a hit and run and you can see on page two how it happened. The car that started the problem is car number one. Then on page two, car two ran into car three. Then if you go to page three and four, we deal with another hit and run on Grove Avenue. This was on May 2nd of this year. You turn to page four and you see where the hit run vehicle side wiped a car. If you look at page five, this is a more recent crash. I don’t have a police crash report, but I took this photograph. This was on September 25, 2018. There is a fair amount of pedestrian traffic on Grove Avenue because people walk back and forth to Virginia State among other reasons. And so, we got that as a concern. We’ve got children that live on Grove Avenue. We’ve got adults that have vehicles that are parked along the streets. So, it is a significant problem.”  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -8– ______________________________________________________________________________ Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to instruct the city Manager to move forward with the proposal of Grove Avenue traffic study and to implement the traffic calming recommendation of staff reached as a result of this study. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Council Member Cuthbert stated, “I want to thank Mr. Lyons for getting the fence repaired to the People’s Memorial Cemetery. Councilman Hill brought this to our attention at the end of the summer I believe. It may have been mid-summer. And Mr. Lyons jumped on it and got the fence repaired and if you drive by you will see that the fence is intact, and it looks nice and respectable. And I am grateful for Councilman Hill for bringing that to council’s attention and I am grateful to Mr. Lyons for following up and for the City Manager for allowing things to go forward before we receive the insurance proceeds. Thank you very much.” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “Yes, thank you. The first thing is the issue of 1540 Baylor’s Lane. According to the minutes of October 2nd, a council person had made a request to address the issue at the October 16th meeting, but it has not been done. Can somebody tell me the status of 1540 Baylor’s Lane?” Mr. Bey stated, “I reviewed the 1540 Baylor’s Lane easement request. I have actually driven to the property. I drove over the gravel driveway personally and I have done some extensive research at the courthouse on the leaps and bound of the property. Currently, the issue is that the piece of property that the City of Petersburg owns is a conglomeration from Petersburg to the park then back from the park to Petersburg. There is no accurate leaps and bounds for that portion of Baylor’s Lane where the gravel easement or ingress and egress occurs. That is where our stand is. So, we are waiting for a report back from the National Foundation which did the first leaps and bounds to provide us with more accurate information so that we can provide the easement.” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “Thanks. On October 2nd, according to the minutes, Mrs. Innis brought to us a copy of the ordinance which dealt with grass cutting. Council was to look at it again on October 16th. Another council person asked for an estimation on what it cost the City if we did not continue with this ordinance. So, do we not have an estimation yet?” Mr. Lyons stated, “The question was specifically about cutting grass between the sidewalks. Which was a very, very broad issue. We do not have an estimation on that right now. One of the challenges that we are still dealing with, and we have made significant progress in different areas, is staying on top of cutting grass and having a secure amount of individuals which we can do through another agency to do that. We are still working closely as it relates to the sidewalk issue to figure out how to put a value in terms of what it would take to do that.” Council Member Wilson-Smith, asked, “So, then would you suggest that wait another meeting and then revisit it.?” Mr. Lyons stated, “We are hoping to have some kind of answer for you if you give us that additional time to focus on it. It has been a challenge to figure that out because of the magnitude of the challenges that we are facing with grass in general. And secondly, some of it is the challenge in terms, even if we use an outside entity to do it, getting an individual to bill us a quote. So, if you give us a couple of weeks then I will get that information back to you.” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “Okay, thank you so much. The last thing that I would like to address is the young lady that talked about the emergency shelter. I stayed couple of night last year at the year, my husband and I, with the people that had to stay there. And it is my understanding that the YMCA would pick these people up to take them to the YMCA to get showers. And then they were on the street for the rest of the day. I know that Petersburg, itself may not have a place. But I have asked us and other localities, if  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 -9– ______________________________________________________________________________ we looked at a regional place, because it is not only Petersburg residents. On the grounds of Southside Virginia Training Center there is Building 125. It is broken up into four wings. Each wing is broken up into two wings. Both sides have four bedrooms. One-bedroom houses eight twin beds and the next houses four and then the next one houses two and then the next one houses one. Within that same wing each wing has showers, bathtubs and sinks. The building has a kitchen that people can eat there. It is a very good boarded up building that the state owns. It sets right on a bus line. It’s on a bus line and it faces the McDonald’s, I guess that is called Washing Street like you are going to Dinwiddie. So, it was a Petersburg address, but it is in Dinwiddie. But it is there It’s a building and it is a building that is in good solid condition that is owned by the state. Now, given the governor’s latest executive order this is state owned property that we can somehow tie into this executive order and work that out for those individuals that we don’t want to get frozen. Other than having the idea and the locality, what else can I possibly do. But I will certainly be willing to help to bring that to fruition because it is available.” Mayor Parham asked, “Council Member Wilson-Smith have you had any discussion with Senator Dance or Delegate Aird being that this is a state building?” Council Member Wilson-Smith stated, “I have written to the governor.” Mayor Parham stated, “Okay.” Council Member Smith-Lee stated, “Good evening. I just want to say thank you for coming out. I do not have any reports. One item is that I want to give kudos to Mrs. Innis. She and I took a trip around my ward. And she got some issues resolved. So, I just wanted to thank her for that.” Council Member Myers stated, “Thank you for everyone coming out and happy holidays to you. I just have one statement that I would like to make and a motion for the floor. Mayor and members of council, I would like to take the time to say that there is a greater need to inspire. I ask that we do during our last meeting of 2018, set a public hearing and presentation for the My Home Initiative in effort to reduce the number of City owned properties by allowing staff to work with local banks and contractors to improve the quality of life for our citizens and to renew our neighborhoods through this First Time Homeownership Program. Details will be provided during our December 11th meeting.” Council Member Myers made a motion to set a public hearing for December 11th for My Home Initiative Program. The motion was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Council Member Hill stated, “Good evening everyone. Thank you all for coming out. First of all, I want to congratulate all the council members who won the race a couple of Tuesdays ago. One inspiring thing that I was fortunate enough was that at my poll greeting some of my constituents and they were very pleased with the direction that the City is going in. They are very pleased. Of course, we still have some issues but for the overall view they tell us to keep up the good work and keep going. I just want to let the council know. I spoke with hundreds of people on that day. I was like out there from 6am to about 7pm that night. So, I just wanted to thank the council members and I thank the citizens that hold us to the fire. And also, the administration that does the work also. Also, I see that there is a paper up here for Ward 2 leaf removal on November 19th through the26th. I know that this is a holiday week and things like that. So, I may need to come back and ask for another day. I know in my area and there is a lot of vegetation and trees and by the time the end of December come we have even more leaves on the ground. So, depending on where we are with our leave pickup I may need another week to come around and pick up. A special thanks to the businesses downtown and the police officers who are handling the traffic because of the Harriet Tubman Movie that is being broadcasted. I know that it is a lot of work trying to direct traffic and let traffic come through and get to the businesses to the best of their ability. So, I want to thank the men and women of our police department along with our Chief and Deputy Chief. Thank you. And also, two items and we will discuss this in January. I want to talk about going to an  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 10 – ______________________________________________________________________________ earlier time, maybe 5:30pm or 6:00pm. Because what typically happens is that most of our employees get in at 8:30am or 9:00am and have to stay and wait a couple of hours for the meeting to be here. So, I want to be sensitive to the time. We know our meetings are very lengthy at times. But if we can start at maybe 5:30pm or 6:00pm, I think that this will help. I do understand that we have citizens that may work in Richmond and things of that nature, but we also have to look at our citizens who work for us. Some do not live here and things of that nature. So, I will be bringing that to council for discussion. Also, members of council, in particular the Mayor and Clerk when we have presentation presented the time limit is ten minutes each presentation. So, I think we have to turn the clock on them. Because we have five or six presentations and then some of them are speaking for 20 or 30 minutes. So, we have to kind of tighten up on that. So, that is my report. Thank you.” Vice Mayor Hart stated, “Good evening everyone. I just want to thank you all for coming out. I want to say a big thank you for those in Ward 7 that reelected me for four more years. I am sure that I will be done after that. Ward 7 has the leave pickup starting next week, so start raking leaves towards the curb so that it can be picked up by the City. The 2nd Annual Christmas Drive at Masonic Temple on Christmas Day. I will be doing that again. We are feeding everyone from the homeless and those that don’t want to cook or just need a meal or company come out to the Masonic Temple between 1pm and 4pm and we will provide a meal for you. Only thing you need to bring with you is an appetite. I want to say thank you to the administrative team in the City for all the work that you are doing. Back in September, we voted to dispose of some properties and I have had a few developers to call to see where we stand with that. I would like to know when that transition will happen. That is it. Have a good evening.” Mayor Parham stated, “Good evening again everyone. First of all, it is an honor to be elected by my 1,201 voters that have decided to keep me in the Ward 3 seat. I am definitely appreciative of the opportunity and continue to look forward to moving the City forward. And as a council we have a lot of work to do. Now that the election is over we can get back into building revenues and getting new money into this City. Because we can only operate with life blood. And our life blood is revenue. I want to take this time to thank our City Manager and Public Works. We did are Ward 3 cleanup a few week ago. We cleaned up a ton of debris from Battlefield Park and Walnut Hill. I think those guys for their hard work and also Public Works for putting new piping in. it has been flooding over there for the last 30 years. And we finally have new pipes on Southpark and Rolyart. It has made difference. The last rain we had we did not have all the ponding over there. So, thank public Works and the City Manager. Finally, it has been four City Manager’s and we finally got a City manager to address that problem over there. And I sincerely thank you Mrs. Benavides and your staff for getting that done for us. I have no more items.” Council Member Smith-Lee stated, “I just want to invite anybody who wants to volunteer to feed the homeless at the Hope Center at 829 Commerce Street on Thursday at 11:00am. Please come out and join me.” 13. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA: No items for this portion of the agenda. 14. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. Consideration of the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda. BACKGROUND: The City of Petersburg is impacted by legislative action taken by the U.S. Congress and the Virginia Legislature. This is a list of legislative priorities to be advocated through the City’s U.S. and Commonwealth legislative delegations and the City’s legislative partners. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council considers approval of the 2019 Legislative Agenda.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 11 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Reginald Tabor, Economic Development Manager, gave a briefing on the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda. There was discussion among City Council and staff on the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda. Council Member Hill made a motion to adopt the Commerce and Labor Section of the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to support Subparts 2, 3 and 4 of Community Development and table Subpart 1 until they have specific legislation in front of them. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Smith-Lee made a motion to accept Court and Justice of the Legislative Agenda. Council Member Myers made a substitute motion to accept Court & Justice (3), Education (4) and Election (5) of the Legislative Agenda. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Myers made a motion to support Section 6 (Finance). 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, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Hill made a motion to adopt General Laws and Local Government and not adopt Subpart 1 (Request authorization to change the City Charter and allow for at-large elected City Council). The was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Myers made a motion to approve Subpart 2 (Request authorization to change the City Charter and transfer the financial functions to the Finance Department from the City Treasurer). The was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Myers made a motion to strike Subpart 3 (Request authorization to change the City Charter and allow for at-large Elected Mayor). The was seconded by Council Member Hill. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Absent: Wilson-Smith Council Member Cuthbert made a motion table Subpart 4 (Allow local governments to place limits on the concentration of group homes licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services) until the December 11th meeting. Council Member Myers made a substitute motion to support Subpart 4 (Allow local governments to place limits on the concentration of group homes licensed by the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services). The was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Abstain: Wilson-Smith  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 12 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Council Member Myers made a motion to support Subpart 5 (Support the modernization of the Communications and Sales Tax (CSUT) to ensure that it reflects the modern telecommunications landscape, which has evolved since the CSUT took effect in January 2007). The was seconded by Council Member Hill. 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 Council Member Myers made a motion to support Health and Social Services Subpart 1 (Legislation that would provide funding to address low ranking of Health Outcomes). The was seconded by Council Member Cuthbert. 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 Council Member Myers made a motion to support Health and Social Services Subpart 2 (Maintain funding for the current TANF for Employment Grant Programs at $7.5 million and $3 million in each FY2020 and FY2021.) The was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion on the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith- Lee, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham; Voting No: Wilson-Smith Council Member Myers made a motion to table Health and Social Services Subpart 2 (Maintain funding for the current TANF for Employment Grant Programs at $7.5 million and $3 million in each FY2020 and FY2021) until further review. The was seconded by Council Member Hill. 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 Council Member Hill made a motion to approve Number 9 (Natural Resources and Infrastructure of the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda.) The 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, Smith- Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to approve Number 10 (Public Safety of the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda.) The was seconded by Council Member Hill. 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 Council Member Myers made a motion to approve Number 11 (Transportation of the City of Petersburg’s 2019 Legislative Agenda.) The was seconded by Council Member Smith-Lee. 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 15. STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS: No items for this portion of the agenda. 16. NEW BUSINESS: a. Consideration of a motion regarding meals tax and lodging tax. BACKGROUND: As agents of the City, businesses in Petersburg have collected meal and lodging tax but have not remitted the monies collected. RECOMMENDATION: City Council approves the motion for delinquent meals and lodging taxes.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 13 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to approve the motion for delinquent meals and lodging taxes. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham b. Consideration of Petersburg 2018 Tourism Plan BACKGROUND: Tourism in Petersburg offers a brilliant blend of history, natural beauty, a vibrant old-town atmosphere with a desirable and walkable downtown lifestyle. While tourism in Petersburg has always been an omnipresent entity, recent financial obstacles forced the City to prioritize other aspects of our community. This resulted in a reduction of resources allocated for tourism. We understand that our tourism assets are a large part of what makes up Petersburg. There is something here for everyone. This Tourism Plan will enable City Council and Petersburg City staff to make strategic decisions regarding increasing tourism opportunities. Contributions from local businesses, tourism operators, regional stakeholders and community members have been collated to develop clear methods for Council to consider and implement. The City of Petersburg Tourism Plan is an integral step in working toward a sustainable tourism program for the future of our City. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council considers approval of the 2018 Tourism Plan. Reginald Tabor, Economic Development Manager, provided information on the 2018 Tourism Plan. Council Member Myers made a motion to table action and move item to December 11, 2018. 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 c. Consideration of appropriation for the Virginia Commission for the Arts Grant BACKGROUND: The Petersburg Area Art League fosters and conducts many forms of art programs in the City. The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra has provided musical performances to not only the City of Petersburg, but to the greater Southside Virginia region for over 35 years. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve. Council Member Myers made motion to approve the appropriation ordinance in the amount of $4,500. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Victoria Revilla, Petersburg Area Art League, spoke in favor of the Virginia Commission for the Arts Gran Kenneth Lewis, 503 Mistletoe Street, spoke in favor of the approval of the Virginia Commission for the Arts Grant. He also stated that on Sunday, December 2nd at 4pm at Petersburg High School, the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra will be performing and that he invites all to come out and attend. Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson- Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 14 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 18-ORD-32 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, FOR THE CREATIVE COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP GRANT FOR PETERSBURG. d. Consideration of appropriation Foundation for Healthy Youth Grant. BACKGROUND: This is a two-year grant renewable after completing a successful first year. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve. Council Member Hill made a motion to approve the appropriation ordinance in the amount of $29,828. The motion was seconded by Council Member Myers. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Linwood Christian, 410 Mistletoe Street, asked what is the program for and are they working with organizations that are in the City of Petersburg. He asked are they educating the parents on this information as well. He asked who will be doing the report and when can they expect to see a report on the grant. There was discussion among City staff and citizens. Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. 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-ORD-33 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, FOR THE VIRGINIA FOUNDATION FOR HEALTHY YOUTH GRANT FOR PETERSBURG. e. Consideration of appointment/s to the District 19 Community Services Board BACKGROUND: District 19 Community Services Board (D19 CSB) is a multi-jurisdictional, community-based organization whose mission is to improve the quality and productivity of the lives of individuals who experience, or are at risk of experiencing, mental disabilities and/or substance abuse. They are licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide mental health, intellectual/developmental disability, substance abuse and prevention services to the citizens of the cities of Colonial Heights, Emporia, Hopewell, and Petersburg, and the counties of Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council make appointment/s to the District 19 Community Services Board. Council Member Myers made a motion to appoint Antonio Morgan, Christine Diggs and Rhonda Greene. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. There was discussion among City Council. Council Member Hill made a substitute motion to interview all applicants except Joan Spratley. The motion was seconded by Council Member Wilson-Smith. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Smith-Lee, Wilson-Smith, Myers, Hill, Hart and Parham f. Consideration of appropriation for the Workforce Development Forensic Audit  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 15 – ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND: The City will receive $180,000 from the State to commence an audit of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) expenditures and activities of the Crater Regional Workforce Development Board. Audit Scope: The audit must encompass WIOA expenditures and activities of the Crater Regional Workforce Development Board, including those of the former fiscal agent, Learn to Earn, Inc., for the period July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2018. The audit shall evaluate the Board and Learn to Earn in the following areas:  Compliance with internal accounting and operating controls  Detailed documentation and support of purchasing transactions and contractual agreements  Compliance with applicable city, state and federal laws and WIOA regulations  Risk of fraud and misconduct RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council approve the resolution to appropriate the funds. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the appropriation ordinance in the amount of $180,000. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Seeing no hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. 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-ORD-34 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, IN THE GENERAL FUND IN THE AMOUNT OF $180,000. g. Consideration of appropriation for VDOT Highway Maintenance Urban Allocation for fiscal year 2018/2019. BACKGROUND: In accordance with Section §33.2-319 of the Code of Virginia, The Commissioner of Highways, subject to the approval of the Board, shall make payments for maintenance, construction, or reconstruction of highways to all cities eligible for funds. The payment rates per the number of peak hour moving lane miles are made to localities based on a state functional classification system. This system classifies roads and streets as principal and minor arterial roads and collector roads and local streets. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council adopt and appropriate $147,462.11 for VDOT Highway Maintenance Urban Allocation funding based on the original budget amount of $5,834,237. However, the adopted funding for the VDOT urban allocation was increased to $5,979,012.96. The additional funding and the Overweight Permit Fees increased the appropriation to $173,412.10. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the appropriation ordinance. The motion was seconded by Council Member Hill. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Seeing no hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 16 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 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-ORD-35 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, IN THE STREETS FUND FOR PETERSBURG VDOT HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE URBAN ALLOCATION. h. Consideration of appropriation of Virginia Resources Authority (VRA) Bonds for the fiscal year 2018 Capital Budget. BACKGROUND: The Utility Department has identified the most serious issues facing the Petersburg Utility System. A plan has been created a plan to resolve them. The FY 2018 Capital Budget and 5- Year Capital Improvement Plan, which addresses $7,098,000, of which $5,073,794 is to be financed with 2015A VRA Bonds previously allocated to the City of Petersburg. The remaining projects are to be funded by the Utility Operating Fund and the Community Development Block Grant in the amounts of $1,809,206 & $215,000 respectively. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend Council approve the attached appropriation for $5,055,552 to the fiscal year 2018 Capital Budget. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the attached appropriation for $5,055,552 to the fiscal year 2018 Capital Budget. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Seeing no hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. 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-ORD-36 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, IN THE UTILITY CAPITAL BUDGET. i. Consideration of an appropriation for the City of Petersburg Litter Prevention and Recycling Program Grant. BACKGROUND: The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality provides funds for litter prevention and recycling to localities under a non-competitive grant program based on population and road miles. These grants have been awarded annually, since 1980, to localities for local litter prevention and recycling program implementation, continuation, and/or expansion. The following are authorized uses of the funds:  Salaries, wages, or other personnel costs  Office supplies, postage, telephone  Printing and program materials  Travel expenses  Locally conducted meetings, workshops, and awards  Audiovisual material on litter or recycling  Equipment such as: educational, litter receptacles, recycling, source reduction, and  reuse equipment, audiovisual, safety, and the renting of such equipment  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 17 – ______________________________________________________________________________  Award materials  Cleanup supplies  Annual dues for solid waste related associations (Maximum cap of $100)  Litter collection and/or recycling collection contracts  Solid Waste Disposal fees, fuel and transportation ONLY ASSOCIATED with a volunteer cleanup. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the attached appropriation ordinance in the amount of $7,192.00. And appropriate $455.00 unspent grant funds for FY2018 for a total available FY2019 of $7,647.00. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the attached appropriation ordinance in the amount of $7,192.00. And appropriate $455.00 unspent grant funds for FY2018 for a total available FY2019 of $7,647.00. The motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Hart. Ms. Jackson opened the floor for public comment. Linwood Christian, 410 Mistletoe Street, asked what is being done and who are they targeting. He asked are they looking at certain individuals or groups of people. Willie Noise, 1508 Circle Drive, stated that one of the things that bothers him the most is seeing the trash in front of the stores. Seeing no further hands, Ms. Jackson closed the public comments. 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-ORD-37 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2019, IN THE LITTER PREVENTION AND RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR PETERSBURG PUBLIC WORKS. 17. REPORTS/REPONSES TO PREVIOUSE PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: Kemi Osoba, Public Relations Officer, read comments and responses from previous public information at the October 16, 2018, regular council meeting. 1. What can be done about adding to the Exit 52 attraction sign? There are multiple stipulations that the tourism attractions must adhere to before the sign can be update. City staff is in continuous communications with the appropriation parties to move forward with having the sign updated. 2. What can be done about the increased need for Code Compliance? Please see below updates from Petersburg Code Compliance. Code Compliance is currently working through several initiatives to aggressively tackle Code Enforcement:  During the Ward-by-Ward Cleanup, Public Works addressed grass and other vegetative and street related issues while Code Compliance wrote citations and completed housing reports to accompany notices to deficient owners.  There are currently six referrals (individuals who have received a notice of violation) in process for grant funding to correct the code violations.  Staff is currently working with a committee to establish criteria and identify the funds for implementation of an enforcement tool permitted under State Code §15.2-906.  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 18 – ______________________________________________________________________________  Staff participated in a training on “Delinquent Taxes and Servicing Distress Papers,” presented by Attorneys Jeffrey Scharf and John Rife. The purpose for Code’s participation was to explore other options available in achieving code compliance. This training was significant because part of the dilemma is locating property owners that are out of town, state or the country.  Code Compliance is currently working with the Assessor’s Office to determine if Non-Judicial Sale of Real Property is an option for the homes currently with code violations.  Code Compliance has referred eligible renters to Legal Aid for rent escrow when code violations exist on rental property.  Code Compliance is partnering with IT and Billing and Collections to assess civil penalties and fees for historic property with code violations or routine maintenance violations.  Staff is currently working through the Secretary of the Commonwealth Process to serve summons.  Code Compliance staff and the Assistant City Attorney are working with property owner’s multiple properties with violations to create an abatement master plan. This courtesy is only extended to property owners who are currently working on abating the violations These are property owners who currently have renovation taking place on one or more parcels currently in violation. 3. The Staff directory on the City website only lists two telephone numbers. City Personnel and their contact information is listed by department on the City staff directory. Users should click on the department they wish to contact to access all information on personnel names, telephone numbers and email addresses. 4. What is the status of the former Ramada Inn project? The developer of this project is slated to resume work within the next month. 18. CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA: Mrs. Benavides stated, “One item that we did not cover tonight is the updated financial report. You should have received an email from the City Clerk with the financial update. What we would like to do given the heat in this room is allow you a chance to review them and disgust them and bring them back to council to discuss at the next meeting. 19. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM CLERK: Ms. Jackson stated that she would like to thank Tanesha Flowers, Debbie Porter, and Tami Yerby in helping host the City of Petersburg Trunk-A-Treat. She stated that she would also like to thank the various departments, churches and organizations throughout the City that participated as well. She stated that council needs to change the first meeting in January being that it is on a holiday and that they can look at January 3, 2019, as the changed date. Council Member Myers made a motion to move the original council meeting and organizational meeting of January 1, 2019, to January 3, 2019. 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 20. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY Mr. Bey stated that information was passed around for City Council for their information and review. 21. ADJOURNMENT:  Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on: November 20, 2018 - 19 – ______________________________________________________________________________ City Council adjourned at 9:56 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor