City Council

Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -1– ______________________________________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Petersburg City Council was held on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at the Petersburg Public Library. Mayor Parham called the meeting to order at 5:20 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL: Present: Council Member Charles Cuthbert, Jr. Council Member Marlow Jones Council Member Annette Smith-Lee Council Member Arnold Westbrook, Jr. Council Member W. Howard Myers Mayor Samuel Parham Absent: Vice Mayor Darrin Hill Present from City Council Administration: City Manager John March Altman, Jr City Attorney Anthony Williams Clerk of Council Nykesha D. Lucas 2. PRAYER: Mayor Parham stated that Councilwoman Smith-Lee will lead the city council meeting in the opening prayer. Council Member Smith-Lee led the city council meeting in the opening prayer. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Parham led the council and the citizens in the pledge of allegiance. 4. DETERMINATION OF THE PRESENCE OF A QUORUM: A quorum was determined with the presence of all city council members except Vice Mayor Hill. 5. PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/PRESENTATION OF CEREMONIAL PROCLAMATIONS: a. Proclamation designating July 16-22, 2023, as Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week in the City of Petersburg. Mayor Parham presented the proclamation to the probation office staff. b. Presentation and update from the Treasurer’s Office. City Treasurer, Paul Mullin, gave an update on the treasurer’s office. Key points:  Current responsibilities: cash reconciliations, dog tags, statutory write-offs, contesting of parking tickets, real estate tax sale abatements, wire processing, uploading web payments to the bank, payroll & A/P check signoff, unclaimed property, and investor of city funds.  Suggested efficiency improvements – moving the treasurer’s office to the fiscal management building. This allows for more internal controls regarding the transportation of daily work/cash, Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -2– ______________________________________________________________________________ creates a one stop shop for a better customer services experience for citizens, and makes the job of signing A/P & Payroll checks much easier.  Suggested efficiency improvements – return the collections duties to the treasurer’s office. This makes the most fiscal sense, due to the reimbursements from the State Comp Board, and the ability to have predictable and consist of revenue, due to the institutional knowledge of the office and access to training through the Treasurer’s Association of Virginia. There was discussion staff, Mr. Mullin, and the city council members. 6. RESPONSES TO PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: Mayor Parham stated that responses to previous public information period is under the council communications. 7. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA (to include minutes of previous meeting/s) a. Minutes: -July 5, 2023 – Special City Council Meeting -July 5, 2023 - Closed Session Meeting -July 5, 2023 – Work Session Meeting Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Jones seconded the motion. The motion was approved on voice call. On voice vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill 8. OFFICIAL PUBLIC HEARINGS: a. A public hearing and consideration of an ordinance approving a petition to rezone the property located at 2225 Jamestown Road, from A, Agricultural Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District, and 2262 County Drive, from B-2, General Commercial Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District. BACKGROUND: The City of Petersburg received a Petition to rezone the property located at 2255 Jamestown Road, PIN: 040030005 from A, Agricultural Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District, and 2262 County Drive, PIN: 040030006 from B-2, General Commercial Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District. The purpose of the rezoning is to permit the construction of buildings for the operation of a light industrial and warehouse uses and the proposed use is permitted in the M-1 district. The current Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Plan identifies the property as commercial. The Planning Commission held a Public Hearing and considered a resolution with a recommendation to the City Council regarding the petition during the June 1, 2023, meeting. During the Public Hearing, the representative from the applicant/Developer spoke. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council holds a Public Hearing and considers an Ordinance approving a Petition to rezone the property located at 2255 Jamestown Road, from A, Agricultural Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District, and 2262 County Drive, from B-2, General Commercial Zoning District to M-1, Light Industrial Zoning District. Mayor Parham stated that item “8A” has been pulled from the agenda. Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -3– ______________________________________________________________________________ Naomi Siodmok, Director of Planning and Community Development, stated, “I am the new planning director for the City of Petersburg. I did want to make a comment before we move on from item ‘8a’ if that is all right. We did receive a request that this item be deferred by the client representative. They did ask for September 5th. I want to further make a request that the council make a motion that this item be referred back to the Planning Commission and that today act as the date of the application. This is to ensure that we properly advertise this project and that no decisions can be disputed as a result. If we can make that motion it will be much appreciated.” There was discussion among the city council and staff. Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to refer this back to the Planning Commission. Council Member Myers seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, Westbrook, Hill, and Parham; Absent: Hill b. A public hearing and consideration of an ordinance approving a petition to rezone the property located at 3287 County Drive from B-2 General Commercial Zoning District to M-1 Light Industrial Zoning District. BACKGROUND: The City of Petersburg received a petition to rezone the property located at 3287 County Drive from B-2 General Commercial Zoning District to M-1 Light Industrial Zoning District. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing and consider a resolution with a recommendation to the City Council regarding the petition on May 4, 2023. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council hold a public hearing and consider an ordinance approving a petition to rezone the property located at 3287 County Drive from B-2 General Commercial Zoning District to M-1 Light Industrial Zoning District. Naomi Siodmok, Director of Planning and Community Development, gave a brief overview of the request. Mayor Parham opened the public hearing for public comments. Jeffrey Fleming, 1819 Chuckatuck Avenue, stated that because it is in two jurisdictions, how does this benefit the City of Petersburg. He asked will this be higher tax revenue or more traffic. Seeing no further hands, Mayor Parham closed the public hearing. There was discussion among the city council members and staff. Council Member Cuthbert made a motion to table action until the new director of planning brings the city council back an agreement with Prince George that will be more favorable to Petersburg. Council Member Myers seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill c. A public hearing and consideration of adoption of an ordinance to authorize the exchange of real property with the Estate of William A. Patton. BACKGROUND: The City received a Letter of Interest from a representative of the Estate of William A. Patton to exchange in kind certain properties associated with the Harvell Dam with an assessed value of $167,800.00 in exchange for City property with an assessed value of $68,600. Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -4– ______________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: Approve ordinance. Mr. Altman and Mr. Williams gave a briefing regarding the request. Mayor Parham opened the public hearing for public comments. Jeffrey Fleming, 1819 Chuckatuck Avenue, stated that he agrees with the Appomattox Trail tied into Ashland. He asked what the other uses and the assessed value of the swapped property are. Seeing no further hands, Mayor Parham closed the public hearing. There was discussion among the city council members and staff. Council Member Myers made a motion to adopt the ordinance. Council Member Westbrook seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith- Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill 23-ORD-36 AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE EXCHANGE OF REAL PROPERTY WITH THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM A. PATTON. d. A public hearing and consideration for adoption of an ordinance to Direct the City Manager to Reimburse Bollingbrook Properties, LLC F/K/A Master Properties, LLC and Worther G. Becker III and Karen K. Becker for expenses incurred in real property transaction recorded in Instrument 2023-2112. BACKGROUND: The City recently purchased certain real property downtown. Closing on the properties was extended at the request of the City to facilitate confirmation of clear title and the performance of a Phase 1 ESA. The Purchase Agreement and Addendums do not address the accrual of real property taxes during the extension period, and the City is not under a legal obligation to reimburse these expenses. Notwithstanding, in the interest of fair and equitable dealings, and in consideration of the owners' voluntarily agreeing to these two extensions, City Council has indicated that it would like to consider reimbursement to the owners for the expenses incurred in the amount of $3,602.82. RECOMMENDATION: Approve ordinance. Mr. Williams, the City Attorney, gave a brief overview of the request. Mayor Parham opened the public hearing for public comments. Seeing no hands, Mayor Parham closed the public hearing. There was discussion among City Council Members. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the ordinance. Council Member Westbrook seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill 23-ORD-37 AN ORDINANCE TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO REIMBURSE BOLLINGBROOK PROPERTIES, LLC F/K/A MASTER PROPERTIES, AND WORTHER G. BECKER, III AND KAREN K. BECKER FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN REAL PROPERTY TRANSACTION RECORDED IN INSTRUMENT 202302112. Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -5– ______________________________________________________________________________ e. A public hearing on the request to carryover FY22 balance to FY2023 and FY2023 balance to FY2024 including the respective FY2023 project budget for the Petersburg Station Park and Ride project. BACKGROUND: In the March 5, 2019, City Council meeting, City Council adopted resolution 15- R-64, which supported the submittal by the City of Petersburg of an application for grant funding to construct a Park and Ride Parking Structure adjacent to the City’s Transit Center located at 100 Washington Street. The total amount of the project was $8,000,000 with funding amounts spread across the following fiscal years: p RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommend the City Council approves the carryover balances and the FY23 budget for the Petersburg Station Park and Tide project. It should be noted that the $8,000,000 project is a Smartscale project and costs are 100% reimbursable up to the $8,000,000 amount by the Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). Randall Williams, Public Works and Utilities, gave an overview of the request. Mayor Parham opened the floor for public comments. Seeing no hands, Mayor Parham closed the public hearing. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the carryover balances and the FY23 budget for the Petersburg Station Park and Tide project and appropriation ordinance. Council Member Jones seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill and Smith-Lee 23-ORD-38 AN ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, SAID ORDINANCE MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COMMENCING JULY1, 2023, AND ENDING JUNE 30, 2024, FOR THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND. f. A public hearing on the consideration of a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of General Obligation Refunding Bonds of the City of Petersburg, Virginia, providing for the form, details, and payment thereof to finance the courthouse project. BACKGROUND: The city is in the process of planning and design for necessary renovations/reconstruction of city courts facilities. It has been advertised as a public hearing for the issuance of general obligation bonds to fund such a project as permitted under Section 15.2-2606. Staff have attached a resolution which includes the formal terms of issuance. Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -6– ______________________________________________________________________________ RECOMMENDATION: Recommend the City Council adopt the resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of the General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $34,000,000. Mr. Altman, City Manager and Dan Siegel, Bond Counsel, gave an overview of the request. Mayor Parham opened the public hearing for public comments. Seeing no hands, Mayor Parham closed the public hearing. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of the General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $34,000,000. Vice Mayor Hill seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill and Smith-Lee 23-R-48 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, PROVIDING FOR THE FORM, DETAILS AND PAYMENT THEREOF. 9. PUBLIC INFORMATION PERIOD: A public information period, limited in time to 30 minutes, shall be part of an Order of Business at each regular council meeting. Each speaker shall be a resident or business owner of the City and shall be limited to three minutes. No speaker will be permitted to speak on any item scheduled for consideration on the regular docket of the meeting at which the speaker is to speak. The order of speakers, limited by the 30-minute time period, shall be determined as follows: a) First, in chronological order of the notice, persons who have notified the Clerk no later than 12:00 noon of the day of the meeting, b) Second, in chronological order of their sign up, persons who have signed a sign-up sheet placed by the Clerk in the rear of the meeting room prior to the meeting. Queen Shabazz, 464 Byrne Street, stated that she is present on behalf of non-profit organizations to request that the city lift the moratorium for tax exemptions. She stated that they have been granted tax exemptions by the Internal Revenue Service but not by the City of Petersburg. She stated that it makes it hard for non-profits to do business in the City of Petersburg and to provide support for everyone in the community. She stated that when they are granted funds most times it is stipulated that the organization be tax exempt. Therefore, they are not granted funds for taxes that they are not expected to pay. She stated that it causes financial hardship. Council Member Myers stated that he is aware of the issue regarding Ms. Shabazz. He stated that he has heard that it converted from a commercial facility to residential. He stated that it has been going on for months. He stated that he would appreciate it if the City Manager would take the time to sit down with Ms. Shabazz and his staff and get it corrected. Mr. Altman stated that he will be happy to sit down with Ms. Shabazz. He stated that with the structure of the ordinance they would not typically revert back but that he will sit down with Ms. Shabazz. Ken Pritchett, 1113 Overbrook Road, stated that there has been a great surge of redevelopment in the city in some neighborhoods. He stated that there are certain situations where developers want to renovate a home that dates back to the 1800s but there is an ordinance that says that if the homes have not been occupied in two years, then it reverts back to a single-family home. He stated that there are couple of people that have spent a couple thousand dollars reverting them back to single family when they never were. He Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -7– ______________________________________________________________________________ stated that he has talked to a few people who stated that they will not do anymore development in Petersburg. He stated that the city does not want that. He stated that he encourages people to come here. He asked if the city could look at the ordinance and see if it can be changed, adapted, or revised to accommodate putting these houses back on the market to increase tax revenue. He stated that he has been asking for years for the city to take Washington Street that is coming over I-95 and make a merge lane so that the traffic coming off I- 95 does not have to stop. He stated that there is a problem with litter in the city. He stated that he would like the city to look at what they can do to increase the liter fines and capture people that are littering within the city. Mr. Williams stated that regarding Mr. Pritchett’s comment on the zoning ordinance, Council Member Cuthbert and Council Member Myers have both made suggestions on how to correct that issue. He stated that the planning department is currently working on that issue, and it is likely that the council will see a proposed text amendment on that in the future. Mr. Altman stated that there is currently a study being done on I-95 and the traffic from Colonial Heights. Mayor Parham stated that he helped to catch a citizen that was coming through the city dumping pizza boxes and trash out the window. He stated that the driver got caught by Petersburg Police and he was a resident from Chesterfield coming through Petersburg to dump trash. Roy Jordan, 1806 W. Clara Drive, stated that he goes down I-95 and stop at places. He stated that one of the places that he can never stop at is Petersburg. He stated that there are no adequate hotels or restaurants. He stated that Petersburg dissects the highway every month and year. He asked why they have not torn down the old hotels and things and rebuilt new ones. He asked why there is no marketing plan to get people to stop in Petersburg. Mr. Altman stated that this council is aggressive when it comes to looking at redevelopment particularly along the interstate and the interchange. He stated that part of the delay is the study with VDOT that was discussed previously. Jeffrey Fleming, 1819 Chuckatuck Avenue, stated that he has lived and worked in other cities throughout his life. He stated that it is hard to believe the technology that the city has today. He says that the city has departments that do not talk to each other or communicate. He stated that he is not sure if it is the technology that the city does not have but it is something that they really need to look at. He stated that this puts us in liability issues and its revenue. He stated that we are doing a courthouse and the city is going to need some revenue. 10. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR OR OTHER MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL: Council Member Cuthbert stated that he wanted to discuss neighborhood services and what happens when they do not do their job. He stated that he wanted to show the property on Liberty Street before it was demolished. He asked the city manager did he knew where the photos were. Mr. Altman stated that he was not aware of any photos being shared tonight and that Mr. VanVoorhees was going to be absent tonight. He stated that the photos can be shared at the second meeting in September. Council Member Cuthbert stated that was fine. He stated that on July 13th he was given a tour of a program that the city council helped with at Walnut Hill Elementary School. He stated that the greater Richmond YMCA spearheads it. He stated that it was very gratifying and satisfying to see what was happening. He stated that in one classroom there were children working on their ability to read in small groups. He stated that there were three adults in the room, and they were helping the students to master reading. He Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -8– ______________________________________________________________________________ stated that he was really pleased. He stated that there are people working to make this a better place and the city council is among them. Council Member Jones stated that he does not have much to say. He stated that he would like to piggyback off the mayor’s statement on trash from another area. He stated that he would like to put the city on alert that there are people out here that are not from the City of Petersburg that are taking advantage of the ignorance. He stated that they are doing things in the city making it seem like it is the citizens doing it. He stated that he is talking about murders, robberies, and everything where everyone thought that it was Petersburg. But there are people out there that feel like they can do it because the city does not know any better. He stated that when you see things happening in the city do not automatically think that it is our youth. He stated that just as easy as they threw the pizza boxes on the highway is the same way that they can shoot a gun and then leave the city and let the city deal with it later. He stated that this is what is going on in the city. He stated that he is getting ready to open up a skating rink up in the City of Petersburg. He stated that he thought he kept it a secret but that the location is still secret. He stated that some people think that it will be dangerous for the city. He stated that he is not worried about it because he has the police department and the people to protect it. He stated that he wants to give a special shoutout to the Parks and Recreation Director. He stated that the fence in Berkeley Manor is fixed, and the grass was cut for a family reunion this weekend. Council Member Westbrook stated today is an all or nothing day. He stated that he knows recently there have been talks about the comprehensive plan going forward. He stated that the citizens’ voices are the ones to be heard. He stated that they try their best to move the city forward. He stated that he questions what everyone loves about Petersburg and the actions that they are moving on it together. He stated that the city as a whole cannot wait on entertainment or a casino to save the city. He stated that the entire Petersburg community has to invest into things like the Comprehensive Master Plan. He stated that they need to help out the Planning Commission. He stated that there is a drainage survey that is going on and he has to take that information to the Camelot residents because they complain about the ravine behind their houses. He stated that he has an example of how it can work. He stated that it is a big term called urban regeneration. He stated that it is a comprehensive approach that merges vision with action to solve problems. He stated that it is his pleasure to work with each one to move the city forward. Council Member Myers stated that he has no comments. Council Member Smith-Lee stated that she would like to welcome the new planning and public works director. She stated that she appreciates them for wanting to come to Petersburg and hopes and prays that they will do their best to make a difference. She stated that she wanted to give a shoutout to Richard Harris who was the interim public works director. She stated that he did an excellent job in the position. She stated that she wanted to congratulate all of the students who are going on to college and the military and all those who have gotten scholarships. She stated that she wanted to congratulate Kenneth Miller and Lakishah White and the HR Department. She stated that they hired almost 80 students for the City of Petersburg. She stated that the funding did not just come from the city but from Kings Dominion and Dominion Power. She stated that the city has made an impact because they are getting paid and learning something during the summer. She stated that she appreciated them going the extra mile. She stated that she appreciates Marquis, Janell, and Massenburg for showing that the youth have something to do during the summer. She stated that she just wanted to say, “Petersburg Strong, It’s a New Day.” Mayor Parham stated that he would like to take a moment to talk about the National Night Out. He stated that it will be next Tuesday August 1st. He stated that he looks forward to going around the city. He stated that he would like to express his gratitude and appreciation for the city manager. He stated that he and the city manager were in New York on Wall Street talking about the City of Petersburg to get them in front of the rating agencies. He stated that they were very well received. He stated that they were well received. He stated that they formally introduced Mr. Altman as the new City Manager of the City of Petersburg and provided a perspective of improvements in fiscal health with the city based on audit information. He stated that Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 -9– ______________________________________________________________________________ they provided them with information on bond ratings, economic development initiatives, and future projects. He stated that they were impressed and that they stated that they plan to visit the city when the new Hotel Petersburg is completed. 11. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA: *There are no items for this portion of the agenda. 12. FINANCE AND BUDGET REPORT: *There are no items for this portion of the agenda. 13. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: a. A public hearing and consideration of a petition for a Special Use Permit (SUP) for a Car Wash and Automotive Detailing at 1602 W. Washington Street. The property is located in the B-2 General Commercial Zoning District. Mayor Parham stated that this item is pulled from the agenda tonight but that there was a gentleman who wanted to speak on it. Wallace Warden, 1602 West Washington Street, stated that he owns the building on 1602 West Washington Street. He stated that he is currently renting the building out and the tenants have been waiting for their special use permit for about five months. He stated that she cannot get a business license or operate her business, but she is still paying rent. He stated that he hopes that the city council will consider passing the special use permit for a car wash. He stated that he would like to know why the action is being moved to September. Mr. Altman stated that there was some concern about meeting the proper requirement of advertising and posting in the state code. He stated that if they moved forward and someone brought this up it could be a potential issue for null and void on the decision from council. He stated that they just want to check all boxes correctly and follow the procedure. Mayor Parham stated that they will have a special meeting on September 5th to act on this item. 14. NEW BUSINESS: a. Consideration of appointment/s to the Appomattox River Water Authority (ARWA) Board. 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 Plan. The Authority Board includes one (1) Member and one (1) Alternate Member from each of the political subdivisions. The City Council has the city manager, as have others as its representatives on the Board and the Director of Public Works as the alternate. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council appoint Jerry Byerly, Director of Public Works, as the alternate member to the Appomattox River Water Authority Board and reappoint John ‘March” Altman, Jr, as the primary. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the resolution appointing Jerry Byerly, Director of Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 - 10 – ______________________________________________________________________________ Public Works, as the alternate member to the Appomattox River Water Authority Board and reappoint John ‘March” Altman, Jr, as the primary. Council Member Smith-Lee seconded the motion. The motion was approved on voice vote. On voice vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill 23-R-49 A RESOLUTION REAPPOINTING JOHN M. “MARCH” ALTMAN, JR., CITY MANAGER, TO THE APPOMATTOX RIVER WATER AUTHORITY BOARD AS THE PRIMARY AND APPOINTING JERRY BYERLY AS THE ALTERNATE FOR TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2023. b. Consideration of a resolution approving the funding recipients for the FY23-24 Community Development Block Grant. BACKGROUND: The CDBG 2023-2024 Action Plan will start on July 1, 2023, and ends on June 30, 2024. The estimated amount of funding the City of Petersburg will receive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for 2023-2024 is $583,000. Please note that at the time of this notice, the 2023-2024 funding amounts have not been issued by HUD. CDBG funds will be used to support the following three activities: Housing Rehabilitation, Public Service, and Public Facilities/Infrastructure, which are described in the 2020-2024 Consolidate Plan. RECOMMENDATION: Recommend City Council approve the resolution. Kofi Adif, chairperson from Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board, gave a briefing on the request. Council Member Myers made a motion to approve the resolution with amended changes. Council Member Smith-Lee seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Jones, Smith-Lee, Myers, and Parham; Absent: Hill; Abstain: Cuthbert and Westbrook 23-R-50 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE THE FUNDING RECIPIENTS FOR THE FY23-24 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT. c. Consideration of a resolution to amend and re-adopt Articles V, VII, and VIII of the City of Petersburg Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual pertaining to Disciplinary Matters, Grievance and Appeal Procedures. BACKGROUND: The City of Petersburg City Council previously approved and adopt the City of Petersburg Personnel Policies, which included Articles V – Disciplinary Actions, Demotions, Dismissals and Separations, Article VII – Grievance and Appeal Procedures and Article VIII – Grievance Hearing Panel. Revisions are being recommended in an effort to correct deficiencies which exist in the current policies as written, to improve the City’s defensibility in disciplinary and grievance matters, to implement a streamlined review process to include Human Resources, the City Attorney, and the City Manager, and to ensure standard forms and procedures exist to support both the disciplinary and grievance processes for the City of Petersburg. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the City Council make a motion to approve the resolution amending Articles V, VII, and VIII of the City of Petersburg Policies and Procedures Manual. Lakishah White, Human Resource Director, gave a briefing on the request. Council Member Smith-Lee made a motion to approve the resolution. Council Member Jones seconded the motion. The motion was approved on roll call vote. On roll call vote, voting yes: Cuthbert, Jones, Smith- Lee, Myers, Westbrook, and Parham; Absent: Hill Minutes from the Petersburg City Council meeting held on July 26, 2023 - 11 – ______________________________________________________________________________ 23-R-51 A RESOLUTION TO AMEND AND RE-ADOPT ARTICLES V, VII, AND VIII OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUEL PERTAINING TO DISCIPLINARY MATTERS, GRIEVANCE AND APPEAL PROCEDURES. 15. CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA: Mr. Altman stated that Mayor Parham is an excellent representative of the city, and he did an excellent job in New York with the rating agencies. He stated that the mayor is the best salesperson for the City of Petersburg. He stated that they had very good meetings. He stated that he was going to announce the new staff, but they have already been introduced and he welcomes them. He stated that it is a great time to be in the City of Petersburg. He stated that there are so many positive things going on in the city. 16. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM THE CLERK: *There are no items for this portion of the agenda. 17. BUSINESS OR REPORTS FROM CITY ATTORNEY: Mr. Williams stated that he has no report. 18. ADJOURNMENT: The City Council adjourned at 7:33 p.m. _________________________ Clerk of City Council APPROVED: _________________________ Mayor