City Council

The “New River” City 10 Robertson St. February 12, 2024 Radford, Virginia Meeting Number 11 of Radford City Council, F.Y. 2023-2024 The regular meeting of the Radford City Council was convened at 7:00 p.m. on February 12, 2024 in the Radford City Council Chambers, located at 10 Robertson Street Radford, VA. The Mayor of the City, Raymond David Horton, was present and presiding. Other members of City Council present were, Vice- Mayor Seth Gillespie, Ms. Jessie Foster, Mr. Bobby Davis, and Ms. Kellie Artrip. Others present were as follows: Ms. Melissa Skelton, Deputy City Clerk MINUTES APPROVALS: On a motion by Mr. Gillespie and seconded Ms. Artip that the minutes for the January 29, 2024 Closed Meeting are approved. CITIZEN COMMENTS: Janet Jones, City Treasurer, came to address some council comments that were made during the last couple of work sessions, she stated she heard a couple of people were trying to lay the blame on the tax conversion not being done on the Commissioner of Revenue and Treasure. She stated she is here before you tonight because I want to make it known and be very clear to the citizens of the city that elected her as Treasure that she has in no way held up this conversion on the module. She said she doesn’t agree with the way it's been handled, that there have been many attempts to convert the taxes over to Munis software and every time they have run into issues that can't or haven't been resolved or the switch to another project manager and they have to start over. As of today, she had one call in October where she and IT staff discussed what data had been converted over and there was a ton of issues that were found. She stated that to her knowledge none of those issues have been resolved if they have no one has talked to me about them. She shared that she was provided a schedule, which she has completely tried to accommodate, but every date they were given has either been cancelled or changed to a future date. She stated that in order for her office to convert to this software they need support, not only from council and management but IT staff as well. She informed them that they’ve been experiencing a lot of sporadic issues in the municipal building like the phone's and internet being down. All of which effect getting payments from our customers. She mentioned there is a lack of communication with IT staff, that upgrades have been done on Munis and they were never told, so they would come in the next day and something's not working or works completely different. She stated that the IT staff works from 7 to 3:30 and are allowed to work remotely, so that means their office is working more than 25% of the time with no IT staff on site to help when they have issues. She asked the IT supervisor if that could rearrange the schedules to be sure that IT staff is available from 8:30 to 5 like all the other offices. She added that she has been asking for additional training on the financial software for a couple years. She’s expressed her concerns about the proposed switch being done in March, that there are other localities that made this transition who are still experiencing issues with reconciliation and being able to get the tax tickets out timely manner. She stated that financially, we can't take a chance on not being able to get our tax tickets out in a timely manner. She stated that she is not against the conversion if it's done right, everyone just needs to work together. She went on to say that the mayor pointed out in the last work session, that the collection rate on personal property had dropped 2%. She stated that she doesn’t know what they expected, with the economy the way it is. She informed council that her office workload measures show that they are under staff and it have been for a few years. She has requested another position for the past two budget cycles without approval. She stated that she had lots of conversations with the city manager about this need. The state has budgeted to fund 50% of one of those positions for the last two budget years and feels that position would be very minimal for the city to allow for another position. She shared this would help with collections and would be less than what was spent on planting trees on private property this past year. She shared that her collection rates are very impressive against any other locality in the state, that her staff works very hard and efficiently and is very proud of each and every one of them. She hopes this is received the way it's was intended and they take an interest in making sure that the operations become more efficient and that her office receives support that it needs so this tax module can be a success instead of a demise to the city. She shared her door is always open and they are welcome to discuss these issues. COUNCIL RESPONSE: Mayor Horton asked Janet if you wouldn't mind submitting those concerns that she brought up in an email to them, that would be really helpful. And if there are specific things related to the conversion to Munis, they can begin to address those things as a council and work with the City Manager's office on that, including concerns with IT. He thanked her for coming. Mr. Gillespie asked how many training days does would take to train them. Mrs. Jones responded that right now there are only two more training days scheduled. And there's no way that that can be met efficiently, but you also have two offices that are affective so obviously that means one day per office, and she doesn’t want to close her office to the public so they would definitely need more than one day. This way so we can split the staff in half and still serve the citizens. Mr. Gillespie agreed with her that keeping that office open is a good suggestion. He also agreed with Ms. Foster to have a work session Jesse as well to have a work group so they can make sure that they are getting the resources they need to get converted. He thanked her for bringing it up to them. Mr. Davis shared his appreciation for her coming forward and bringing it to their attention. He stated that they need to communicate better which would benefit everyone there. PROCLAMATION: SUBJECT: Black History Month SUMMARY: The month of February is recognized nationally as Black History Month, to reflect on the achievements and contributions made by African-Americans to our economic, cultural, spiritual, and the political development of our Nation. The local Proclamation encourages the celebration of our diverse heritage and culture, as well as recognition of this important designation. ACTION: Ms. Foster made a motion to approve the proclamation as presented Mr. Gillespie seconded the motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 RECOGNITION: SUBJECT: American Library Association SUMMARY: Morgan Esterhuizen, Youth service Librarian for the Radford Public Library, has been recognized by the American Library Association for her "Kid Librarian" Program. The program has been identified as a model to inspire children and expand their interest in Libraries through community engagement. Our Library Director, Elizabeth Sensabaugh, and Morgan will be present at the meeting to review the program and highlight this award. PUBLIC HEARING: SUBJECT: Zoning Ordinance Amendment - Signs SUMMARY: The Planning Commission has been reviewing the zoning Ordinance provisions pertaining to "Non- Conforming" signs, Division 2, Sec. 120.1-228 (5). An amendment is proposed that would allow for the consideration and/or reconstruction of existing nonconforming signs. The Ordinance would allow the consolidation of two single-faced billboard structures into one double-faced structure which may be a monopole design. *The public hearing was advertised as required* Mr. Ryan Watson opened the Planning Commission meeting at 7:23pm, and stated they have a quorum, the following were present. Mr. Bart Castleberry Mr. Barry Collier YES Mr. Charlie Cosmato YES Mr. Seth Gillespie YES Mr. Rob Gropman YES Mr. Ryan Watson YES The Mayor opened the public hearing at 7:24 There were no comments. The Mayor closed the public hearing at 7:24 Mr. Ryan Watson stated that Planning Commission was ready to vote on this matter. ACTION: Mr. Gropman made a motion to recommend approval of Ordinance #1797, Mr. Cosmato seconded that motion. Mr. Bart Castleberry YES Mr. Barry Collier YES Mr. Charlie Cosmato YES Mr. Seth Gillespie YES Mr. Rob Gropman YES Mr. Ryan Watson YES OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: SUBJECT: Zoning Ordinance Amendment - Signs SUMMARY: The Planning Commission has been reviewing the zoning Ordinance provisions pertaining to "Non- Conforming" signs, Division 2, Sec. 120.1-228 (5). An amendment is proposed that would allow for the consideration and/or reconstruction of existing nonconforming signs. The Ordinance would allow the consolidation of two single-faced billboard structures into one double-faced structure which may be a monopole design. ACTION: Ms Artip made a motion to receive the recommendation from Planning Commission, Mr. Gillespie seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 ACTION: Ms. Foster made a motion to approve Ordinance #1797, Mr. Davis seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 ACTION: Mr. Gillespie made a motion to approve Ordinance #1797 on its second and final reading, Ms. Foster seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 SUBJECT: Surplus Property – Radford Transit SUMMARY: Radford Transit replaced five of its buses in F. Y. 2023, as well as the Fare Boxes. Bus #314 and #316 are no longer needed and can be declared surplus. They have met their usage requirements for mileage, age and condition as it pertains to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation requirements. Both of the buses and the sixteen fare boxes have no further public use and can be declared surplus. ACTION: Ms. Foster made a motion to surplus property for Radford Transit, Mr. Gillespie seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 SUBJECT: Appropriation Ordinance 1787.24 SUMMARY: The City of Radford Police Department received a grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services under the local law enforcement program (LOLE). The $4,258 grant must be used to support efforts to reduce crime and improve public safety. The funds will be used to purchase 35 holsters and a digital camera. The total cost is $4,267. The difference will be made up from the existing Police Department budget. ACTION: Mr. Gillespie made a motion to approve Appropriation Ordinances 1787.24 on the first reading, Ms. Foster seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 ACTION: Ms. Foster made a motion to dispense with the second reading of Appropriation Ordinances 1787.24, Ms. Artrip seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 CITY MANAGER COMMENTS: Mr. Ridpath shared comments for Council to share. The Recreation Department Basketball Tournament was well attended over the past weekend with 44 teams. The East Main Street mural project, that was funded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, is nearing completion. We are pursuing several grants for the West Radford Commerce Park to address environmental protection expectations, as well as site planning and development. Reminder that Presidents Day Holiday on Monday. City offices will be closed and sanitation pickup will be on Tuesday. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Mr. Gillespie followed up regarding the Keith Crowder tournament, he shared it was great to see 44 teams there, he’s always been a huge advocate of sports tourism, it brings people into the city hopefully spending money, having a good time. He appreciates the recreation staff and all the hard work they do. He also wanted to add that the New River Community College rep Chris Calfee has asked that he be added to an agenda either next meeting or the following to give an update about some of the things that they have going on. He also wanted to thank the library staff, he can see their enthusiasm, what a great asset for the kids and community. He shared that he had several people reach out over the last budget and ask where they are and where they need to be. He stated that this is something that they all take very seriously and will be open and transparent through the whole process. He said if you haven't watched the last work session, he encourages you to do so. He mentioned that there is a hiring freeze on non-essential workers. He said they’ve talked about getting a schedule to meet with department heads to look at their budgets and to cut what we can. He shared they are going to have to have those hard conversations and be honest with the staff. He said he appreciates everything David Ridpath and staff does. He knows they're working really hard on this. He wanted to share a follow up on regarding the West Commerce, he had a conversation with Delegate Jason Ballard and he seemed extremely excited about this Prospect and ask that he gather all the information of the steps they’ve taken to date and the steps we needed to move this forward. He shared both Kim and David got all the information together over the weekend and has provided it to Del. Ballard. He said that Del. Ballard would like to take it to the governor to get the word out that Radford is open for business. Mr. Davis thanked Morgan, Scott and Elizabeth, he can tell that they have a genuine love for the kids and appreciate that. He stated he has two grandsons that have been down there down there many times. He thanked Janet for coming in, we are one big community/family. He shared they are striving to get together and communicate and to make sure that they cross their T’s and dot their I’s eyes. He shared he’s had a lot on his mind, especially the elderly people in our community. He said we need to pray for them, especially in the times we live in. Ms. Artip echoed everything that has been shared. The Library sounds amazing, her goal is to bring her kids down more often. She wished the best to DWDC Dance Center, they are starting up their competition season and are doing very well so far. She thanked Janet for coming. She shared they had met and will continue to do so. She said they don’t know these things unless someone comes to them and lets them know. She added that they need to have transparency through all departments so they can know exactly what's going on and get their information from everyone, not just a few people. She shared that she had other department heads reach out to her this week with some things that she was not aware, and discussed it the City Manager. Some things that should not be going on and issues that they need to be addressed. She told Janet that hopefully she can meet with her again and figure out how they can get her some more support training and that goes for any other department heads, if they are having issues or if there something that's making their job difficult or need training, to please reach out to them. She stated they don't know what the need is unless they let them know. She stated that they are working very hard on the budget, they are all turning over every rock and putting all of their heads together to try to figure out how we can get the city back on track, so please don't think that they are not trying to do that. She shared she had some busy changes with work, so she’s had to push back a lot of her joint commission and meetings but will have a better update of everything that's going on at the next meeting. She wished everybody a Happy Valentine's Day. Ms. Foster shared that it was a quiet two weeks. She shard that prior to this meeting, she had a Chamber Board planning session. She said they wanted to evaluate the mission statement, along with evaluate the services that are providing to the businesses. A survey will be coming out soon, this one's really important they really want to drill down and see how they can be the best partners. She shared that there are a couple things that have been brought up on Council, one is how to bring more participants to the events at the recreation center and pull them to our businesses, so the Chamber is taking a look at that and seeing if there's some measures that they can take to better enhance that opportunity. The other thing they are discussing and will be throwing it out to the businesses, is the working with RU’s workforce and providing intern opportunities so students can get work experience before they graduate. She said tomorrow, she has the Community Justice Board meeting, this will her first and she’s anxious to see what that's about, She shared that she and Seth meet with the RU’s president and members of their leadership team about our continued efforts to collaborate better across the board. They have some really exciting things that are being planned for the future, more details to follow soon. She also wanted to say to Janet for coming, and appreciates her bringing this to their attention and it is an open door. Anytime people feel they know a better way to do things or better resources that they need to provide, they certainly want to do it because we are a team and the more efficient and effective they are, the more efficient and effective Council is. She shared she is actually looking at this as a really good turning point to get this done, with better communication, so everyone feels better prepared for it. Mayor Horton thanked Seth for his efforts in reaching out to Jason Ballard with the West Radford Commerce Park. He knows Kim and her team have been working with the Virginia Department of Economic development so everybody we can get on board, the better off they are with moving this forward. He shared they have also been working with onward NRV and some of our other groups to try to help move us forward. He thanked Janet for coming this evening, and as he shared earlier, if she could email those specific items so that he doesn’t forget anything. He said that Janet mentioned his question why the collections have dropped? He said he is going to ask questions about just about everything because they just got the audit report they are trying to figure out where is every dollar is in Radford, where's every everything they have to look at and just making sure that we're leaving no stone unturned as they move through the city's finances. He stated that one of the challenges they were running into several years ago. is if you cut and don't invest you really struggle to grow. The West Radford Commerce Parks, which is a perfect example of having that piece of property gives them a future. He mentioned that you will see some additional work sessions this year during the budget, most likely early to mid-march into the beginning of April. They have to get all this done in timely manner, the City manager has to get them a budget by April 1st. He thanked all department heads, employee and member of the city staff for all the work they're doing to help them identify where they could better invest the resources they have. How they could move things around, make cut out of the budget and how they can improve things for the citizens. He asked the community, if there are ideas out there they think Council haven't considered, to please bring them forward. This is an open, transparent time for them to have discussions and to look at possibilities for the city to continue to make forward progress. He shared that there is still time to sign up and join him on Saturday for the Southwest Virginia Polar Plunge. It will be down at Dudley's Landing. The program goes on all morning and believe he’ll be plunging around the 12 or 1:00. He stated that this raises money for the Special Olympics with a goal of $88,000. He also wanted to mention that he is wearing a little Chinese coin with a dragon for Lunar New Year. Which was on Saturday and there were several wonderful celebrations around the city. He shared we have a number of folks who recognize the Lunar New Year here in Radford and on campus. He mentioned that people may remember Simon Kong, who is a wonderful member of this community and used to own the Canton restaurant, and who is also a martial arts master, put on some demonstrations. He shared that it is the Year of the Dragon specifically the wood dragon. Which brings prosperity and that's what they hope to have for our city. To continue to move forward. ACTION: Mr. Gillespie made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:50pm, Ms. Foster seconded that motion. VOTE: AYES: Mr. Davis, Ms. Foster, Mr. Gillespie, Ms. Artrip, Mayor Horton NAYES: NONE-0 ATTEST: _____________________________ Melissa A. Skelton, Deputy City Clerk