City Council

The “New River ” City 10 Robertson St. October 28 , 2013 Radford, Virginia Meeting Number 6 of Radford City Council, F.Y. 2013-2014 The special closed meeting of the Radford City Council was convened at 6:00 p.m. in the City Manager’s Conference Room, 10 Robertson Street, Radford, VA. The Mayor of the City, Mr. Bruce Brown, was present and presiding. Other members of City Council present were Mr. Keith Marshall, Dr. Richard Harshberger, and Mr. Robert L. Nicholson III. Others present were as follows: Mr. David Ridpath, City Manager/City Clerk Mrs. Gail Cook-DeVilbiss, City Attorney Mr. Basil Edwards, Economic Director Ms. Melissa Skelton, City Clerk CLOSED MEETING: Mr. Marshall made a motion, seconded by Dr. Harshberger, to convene into a closed meeting for the purpose of discussion of the following subjects as provided in Section 2.2-3711 A, paragraph 3 & 7 of the Code of VA 1950 as amended which reads as follows: (3). Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. (7). Consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation, where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body; and consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. For the purposes of this subdivision, "probable litigation" means litigation that has been specifically threatened or on which the public body or its legal counsel has a reasonable basis to believe will be commenced by or against a known party. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to permit the closure of a meeting merely because an attorney representing the public body is in attendance or is consulted on a matter. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Marshall, Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 Mr. Marshall made a motion to adjourn the closed meeting, Dr. Harshberger seconded the motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Dr. Harshberger, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 Dr. Harshberger made a motion to re-convene the regular meeting, Mr. Marshall seconded the motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Dr. Harshberger, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 CERTIFICATION OF THE CLOSED MEETING Mr. Marshall made a motion that Council did not discuss anything in the closed meeting other than the items for which it was convened. Mr. Nicholson seconded the motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Dr. Harshberger, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 The regular meeting of the Radford City Council was convened at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, 10 Robertson Street, Radford, VA. The Mayor of the City, Dr. Bruce Brown, was present and presiding. Other members of City Council present were Mr. Keith Marshall, and Mr. Robert Nicholson III. Others present were as follows: Mr. David Ridpath, City Manager Ms. Melissa Skelton, City Clerk Mrs. Gail Cook-DeVilbiss, City Attorney Mr. Basil Edwards, Economic Director Mr. Donald Goodman, Police Chief The news media was represented by Radford News Journal. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Mayor Brown, an invocation was pronounced by Rev. McCandlish. MINUTE APPROVALS: On a motion by Mr. Nicholson, seconded by Dr. Harshberger, that the minutes of September 9, 2013 are approved with corrections. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 MINUTE APPROVALS: On a motion by Mr. Marshall, seconded by Mr. Nicholson, that the minutes of September 23, 2013 are approved with corrections. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 ABSTAIN: Dr. Harshberger PUBLIC HEARING SUBJECT: Amendment to B-2, M -1 & M-2 Sections 120.1-90 (2), 120.1-107, 120.1-109, 120.1-114, and 120.1-115 of the Zoning Ordinance SUMMARY: The Planning Commission has recommended amendments to the City Zoning Ordinance to promote business and industrial uses that were originally omitted in the 2007 Ordinance rewrite. The amendment pertains to sections 120.1 -90 (2), 120.1-107, 120.1-109, 120.1-114 and sections 120.1-115 and adds permitted uses related, generally to retail stores and shops, light manufacturing and assembly, as well as warehousing. Mayor Brown opened the public input hearing at 7:07 p.m. No Comments Mayor Brown closed the public input hearing at 7:07 p.m. Clerks note: Notice of the public hearing has been duly advertised. REPORT Community Development Block Grant – Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report OLD BUSINESS SUBJECT: Consider Ordinance # 1654 – Guns and Weapons SUMMARY: Over the past several months, City Council has received and considered public comments and staff recommendations to amend section 70-35 through section 70-44 of the Radford City Code pertaining to “guns and weapons”. Revisions to the Code were needed to remove conflicts with the State Code, pertaining to carrying concealed firearms, discharge of firearms, sale of weapons, as well as regulations associated with air guns, BB guns crossbows and pneumatic guns. The Ordinance has been modified to reflect“repeal” (removal) of these City code sections pertaining to “charges and enforcement” that are contained in the Code of Virginia. ACTION: Mr. Nicholson made a motion, seconded by Mr. Marshall, to place Ordinance 1654 on its first reading. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 SUBJECT: Consider Second reading of Ordinance # 1655 – Cross Connection and Backflow Prevention SUMMARY: The Cross Connection and Backflow Prevention program protects the public water supply from contaminates entering the system from low water pressure or improper service connections. The program is mandated by the Virginia Health Department. The proposed Ordinance replaces the existing program and conforms to modern requirements and practices pertaining to administration, enforcement, penalties, customer responsibility, as well as maintenance and inspection. The city has had a program since 1996. A public hearing was held on September 9, 2013. The first reading of the Ordinance was held on September 23, 2013. Clerks note: No Action was taken and will be continued at the next meeting. CITIZENS COMMENTS: John McClandlish, Radford resident, suggested that a historic marker be placed at the old Police Station. It is common that history gets lost when buildings get demolished and feels this would be a good way of recognizing the significance of that location. Beth Barber, Radford Citizen, informed Council that she has a petition with over 100 signatures on it, trying to get Radford Transit to place a shelter at the New River Garden apartments. She shared that there are a number of elderly and disabled people who would greatly benefit having this. Mr. Ridpath responded that he had met with Ms. Barber earlier in the week and shared that we are in the process of purchasing shelter and will be installing them at the bus stops in the near future. NEW BUSINESS Consent Agenda – Appropriation Ordinances SUBJECT: Consider Appropriation Ordinance 1648.15: $2,000 for Radford Heritage Foundation SUMMARY: City Council approved a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the Radford Heritage Foundation at its meeting on September 23, 2013 for the F.Y. 2014 fiscal year. The contract provides $12,000 to the organization to fund historical and cultural events, educational activities, as well as a new (one time) provision to write a document reflecting our Veteran’s accounts/stories of their service to our Nation and Community. A $10,000 allocation was provided in the F.Y. 2014 budget. The $2,000 shortfall for the additional work provided in the contract needs to be appropriated from Council’s “Contingency Fund.” SUBJECT: Consider Appropriation Ordinance 1648.16: $10,000 DMV Grant for selective enforcement - Speed SUMMARY: The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has awarded the City of Radford a grant in the amount of $7,500. The funds will be used for improving roadway safety pertaining to “speeding” enforcement. The grant provides funds to be used for the overtime associated with the program and requires a 33% ($2,500) match, which can be accommodated from existing departmental funds. The appropriation is for $10,000 to accommodate the grant and associated match. SUBJECT: Consider Appropriation Ordinance 1648.17: $18,818 DMV Grant for selective enforcement – Alcohol SUMMARY: The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has awarded the City of Radford a grant in the amount of $12,545. The funds will be used for improving roadway safety pertaining to “impaired driving” enforcement. The grant provides funds to be used for the overtime associated with the program, officer training and the purchase of an in-car camera. A 50% ($6,272) match is required and can be accommodated from existing departmental funds. The Appropriation is for $18,818 to accommodate the grant and associated match. ACTION: Mr. Marshall made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nicholson, to place the Consent Agenda, Appropriation Ordinances 1628.15, 1648.16 and 1648.17 on its first reading. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 ACTION: Mr. Marshall made a motion, seconded by Mr. Nicholson, to dispense with the second and final reading. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 SUBJECT: Consider First reading on Ordinance # 1657: Amendment to Zoning Ordinance SUMMARY: The Planning Commission has recommended amendments to the City Zoning Ordinance to promote business and industrial uses that were originally omitted in the 2007 Ordinance rewrite. The amendment pertains to sections 120.1 -90 (2), 120.1-107, 120.1-109, 120.1-114 and sections 120.1-115 and adds permitted uses related, generally to retail stores and shops, light manufacturing and assembly, as well as warehousing. ACTION: Dr. Harshberger made a motion to place Ordinance # 1657 on its first reading, seconded by Mr. Marshall. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 SUBJECT: Consider awarding contract for the Electric Department Bucket Truck SUMMARY: The Electric Department received bids for the purchase of a 2013 Aerial Device and Cab/Chassis (Bucket Truck). The City received three bids following competitive procurement. The lowest bid that met all requested specifications was Altec Industries in the amount of $190,371. A lower bid was received, but did not meet all of the specifications required. The City has had very good experience with Altec products. Funding for the equipment was provided in the F.Y. 2014 annual budget of the Electric Department. $200,000 was budgeted. ACTION: Mr. Nicholson made a motion to award the contract to Altec Industries, seconded by Dr. Harshberger. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 SUBJECT: Department of Corrections Lease Proposal SUMMARY: The City of Radford has been notified by the Virginia Department of Corrections of its intentions to lease property in the 2000 Block of West Main Street. The lease would accommodate a “Probation and Parole Office” on the site following the planning and construction of a new office building on the vacant property between Ingles Street and Denby Street. The Department of Corrections will hold a public hearing in the locality of the project, if requested by the local governing body. ACTION: Dr. Harshberger made a motion to request the Dept of Corrections hold a public hearing in regards to the Probation and Parole Office, seconded by Mr. Marshall. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 CITY MANAGER’S COMMENTS: Mr. Ridpath informed Council and audience that our fall leaf collection program has started early and the collection information is on our website. He shared that the former Public Safety Building is completely torn down and sod will be put down in a few days and thanked Basil Edwards and Kenny Ford for having done a great job overseeing the project. Mr. Ridpath announced that he is very pleased that the City has received several nice recognitions, the GFOA, Government Finance Association has recognized our budget for its excellence , we received a Gold star on reporting to the Municipal League for comprehensive related accidents on the job, received Green government challenge and also recently been designated as an Enterprise Zone. Mr. Edwards will provide a report in the upcoming weeks to address how that designation will help us. He added that we appreciate the work that Marceline Hunter and Nick Nicholson did on the decorations at the end of the bridge. CITY COUNCIL COMMENTS: Dr. Harshberger pointed out that the school system received reaccreditation, and shared that this is very prestigious and not easy to get and takes a lot of work to achieve. We are moving closer to closing a missing link in our educational system, a new early Radford ChildCare Development Incorporate will be breaking ground soon across from Harvey’s on Tyler Avenue. This will only be the 2nd fully certified Child Care Centers in Southwest Virginia. Mr. Nicholson shared that he, along with Dr. Harshberger and Mr. Cox recently attended the annual VML conference in Arlington and it is a time where local government representative get together and discuss local issues and share the challenges that each are facing. We attended a number of different sessions and thought it was important to share some of the sessions with you: - Captain Mark Adamshick, a retired Navy captain, talked about Moral leadership in Public Service. - Changing demographics, new technology and market trends. - Government Accounting process and how we do our audits and the new standards that are coming out. - Exploring the available resources that State agencies offer to address identified community challenges. - Storm water 101 Requirements, recognize how these State and Federal regulations impact localities. We all have been hearing about how Roanoke will be imposing fees on all properties. The State is requiring that for any new building development, they will have to pay the State for storm water. December 15th is deadline for an ordinance to be passed at each locality and I think we need to share as much information as we can to the community. Because if a fee is to be imposed, then people need to hear about it as soon as possible. - Demographic and Cultural trends, recognizing how they are continuing to reshape our localities. The session talked about multi generational perspectives and difference and their expectations for our locality. At the Radford Planning Commission meeting we talked about the Comprehensive Plan that we will soon be getting into and the one thing mentioned is that we need to include millennial’s and the Y generation in the working groups, because they will be the ones who will be impacted. It was very interesting sessions and appreciates an opportunity to go. Mr. Marshall shared that we will be celebrating Halloween this Thursday and encourages everyone to be safe driving around. Mayor Brown shared some more updates throughout the City, the Water Department just replaced the traveling screen in the New River and will improve reliability of the filtering process, Public Works has completed the wall along Sullivan Street and road will be paved this week, the New River Sports Complex is starting to take shape, and Jimmy Johns has open on Clement Street. There is a lot going on in the City. The City is getting ready to embark on its Comprehensive Plan which frames development in the City. Nick Nicholson and Marceline Hunter are our ambassadors in charge with decorating, they are good citizens to help do that and do a great job. The News Journal had a picture of the old High School before it burnt down. He shared he would like to get back at recognizing people within the community. Veterans Day is on 11th, there will be a ceremony that will dedicate John Ripley bridge. And finally don’t forget to vote on November 5th. Dr. Harshberger made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:58, seconded by Mr. Marshall. VOTE: AYES: Dr. Harshberger, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Nicholson, Mayor Brown NAYES: None-0 ATTEST: _________________________________ Melissa A. Skelton, City Clerk of Council