Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-19-19Minutes of the Pulaski Town Council Work Session held at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, 2019 in the Council Chambers of the Town Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W. In attendance were: Mayor: David L. Clark, presiding Councilmen Present: G. Tyler Clontz, Brooks R. Dawson; Gregory C. East (arrived 5:14 p.m), Joseph K. Goodman, Lane R. Penn, James A. Radcliffe Administration: Shawn M. Utt, Town Manager Legal Counsel Spencer A. Rygas, Town Attorney Press: Melinda Williams, Southwest Times G. Tyler Clontz Mike Williams, PC Patriot Staff: Chief Robbie Kiser, P.F.D. James A. Radcliffe Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer David Quesenberry, Clerk of Council Rebecca Reece, Finance Director Chief Gary Roche, P.P.D. Others Present: Catherine Van Noy 1. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Mayor Clark. 2. Roll Call. Following the call to order, the roll was taken. Present were: Mayor Clark, Mr. Clontz, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Goodman, Mr. Penn, and Mr. Radcliffe. Mr. East was absent from roll call. Given that a majority of Council was in attendance, a quorum of members were present for the conduct of business. 3. Modification of the Agenda. Mayor Clark requested a motion to modify the agenda to add one item to the Closed Session under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (A) 8, consultation with legal counsel concerning a zoning application. Mr. Goodman moved to add the agenda modification as requested. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Absent James A. Radcliffe -Aye 4. Guests and Visitors. Mayor Clark welcomed those persons attending the meeting. 5. Consent Agenda. a. February 19, 2019, Council Work Session Minutes. Mayor Clark moved on to the Consent Agenda and requested a motion to approve the minutes of the February 19, 2019 Council work session. Mr. Penn moved to adopt the minutes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved by unanimous voice vote of Council. 6. Public Hearings. There were no public hearings scheduled for this meeting. Page 1 of 7/March 19, 2019 7. Presentations. a. Introduction of New Staff Mr. Utt introduced Mr. Zach Blevins, the new part-time Marketplace manager. Following the introduction, Mr. Blevins informed Council that the first Marketplace would be May 14t" 8. Public Operations a. Blight Incentive and Rehabilitation Grant Program Applications Mr. Utt told Council that Ms. Hair was not present due to illness. Since she and her staff had worked on the blight program, he recommended that Council table the matter until the next meeting when Ms. Hair could be present to provide feedback to Council. Mr. Goodman moved to table discussion on the Blight Incentive Program Applications until Ms. Hair could attend the meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dawson and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Absent James A. Radcliffe -Aye Council next reviewed the staff vision for Community Development. b. Staff Vision for Community Development Mr. Utt said the effort was to get the conversation started, in light of previous Council discussions, for a vision of a community development department. The first task he said was to educate the Council what a community development department was. Referring to the packet, Mr. Utt reviewed a list of various functions of community development. If there was a deficiency, he felt it was in marketing/public relations and the need to get out and sell ourselves. He noted that the work by the part-time intern on social media had resulted in Facebook hits of 30,000+ each week, a phenomenal increase. If Council wished to hire new staff, his opinion was that it would be a marketing/public relations director. This position would continue to sell what the Town was doing; exercise oversight on social media; advertising, etc. He then asked for Council's views on a community development department should be or what it should move toward. Mr. Dawson noted the issue was rather unclear and that conversations on the matter involved public relations and marketing along with economic development; business support or development. He felt that other activities such as the museum and Senior Center detracted from the focus of the Town Planner, Deputy Town Manager and Town Manager. The more things that pulled on these positions made it more likely that they could not focus on what Council wanted them to focus on. He expressed concern that business support and development were not on the list of community development functions. Mr. Dawson said the issue to him was getting those activities (e.g. Marketplace, etc.) away from the Town Planner, and the Deputy Town Manager. One of the reasons that a gap existed he believed, was that those positions were tied up with these other activities. He felt it was necessary to define what those current staff did and what part of those specific activities (e.g. public relations, marketing, business development, economic growth) were already picked up by the current staff in addition to those activities that should not be there. He felt that would help him understand what was missing. Mr. Goodman felt that part of the problem was that in the rush to eliminate the Parks and Facilities Department, no place was left to put the Senior Center, Marketplace, Pulaski on Main, etc. Those programs were now pigeonholed into the Community Development Department. Going back to previous comments, Mr. Goodman said community development had two branches; retention which was community programs, Downtown events, working with existing businesses to address needs; and, the development side that looked for ways to grow the community either from within or without. Mr. East entered the meeting at 5:14 p.m. Mr. Goodman added that marketing was the biggest lack since there was no one currently marketing the Town to highlight what was here. Mr. Utt replied that when asked, the Town could produce materials, but it was not Page 2 of 7/March 19, 2019 proactively doing that as it should be. Mr. Goodman said Council had requested a marketing package for developers several times over the past ten years. Mr. East added there was a standing resolution with a unanimous vote for a marketing package. Mr. Utt informed Council that the next day, he was to meet with Mr. Solomon of the County and two consultants who would present some draft proposals for a marketing effort. Mr. Goodman asked why the Town could not do a marketing package by itself. Mr. Utt responded that one reason it wasn't done was time constraints. Mr. Dawson felt that was where a lack of clarity for responsibilities came in. He felt that the issue came back to what the designations were for current positions. Mr. Goodman felt that it went back to a proper chart of what responsibilities were. He said he knew what the Deputy Town Manager did, but he did not know what she did because so many duties were thrown at her. He thought of that position as being the chief economic developer of the Town, focusing on larger (macro) issues and not smaller (micro) ones. Regarding the micro level duties, Mr. Goodman asked who was coordinating those: someone with dual roles or someone picked at random. He said that it had not been defined how these roles lined up and worked together as a cohesive team. Without an actual plan as to how those positions would work together, he said eventually the positions would run into each other. Mr. Dawson expressed concern over there being no one to take advantage of opportunities, resulting in a "dropped ball" because no one had the defined responsibility to deal with an issue. He added that in such cases, it was hard to identify where the issue was dropped which was another problem due to the lack of definition. Mr. Utt observed that in the last couple of years, two department heads were lost that could have answered inquires. Mr. East questioned if that was accurate because if the roles weren't defined, then priorities weren't defined. If priorities weren't defined then nothing was accomplished. If a task was not the responsibility or priority of someone, then is was the responsibility or priority of no one. Mr. East felt that given the many tasks faced each day, the tendency was to go with the flow because there was no intense focus and a definition of what job responsibilities were. Someone he continued, needed to be that community development person that no matter what. It had to be well defined who had the responsibility and it had to be a priority, otherwise nothing would happen. Mr. Dawson asked if there was anything that defined the duties of the Planner and Deputy Town Manager. Mr. Utt said there were position descriptions. Mr. Goodman suggested that job descriptions and department tasks could be described briefly and changed as needed. When duties for community development were drawn up, they could be assigned to a particular position based on position requirements and salary. Mr. East noted that Police and Fire had a core mission which they focused on. He ventured that community development should be thought of in the same way in the sense of having a main focus. Mr. Goodman suggested that there could be a retention group and a development group that could switch focus when circumstances required. Mr. East suggested the simple goal of "Grow the Town" for community development. That goal required the growth of the tax base with all things business. If the goal was watered down with other things, then the mission of community development would be undercut. Ultimately, the goal was to grow the tax base to lift the entire community by bringing in business. This would make it easier to do the other things if the tax base grew. Discussion continued about how to define the tasks and duties for community development and staff. Mayor Clark suggested that each member of Council write down three main goals to turn in to him. As discussion progressed, Council decided to meet Saturday, April 13th at Pulaski on Main to review each member's ideas. Next item considered was a dam safety grant. 9. Finance No issues for consideration were scheduled on the agenda. Page 3 of 7/March 19, 2019 10. Le_aislative No legislative items were scheduled to be considered. 11. Public Utilities a. Dam Safety Grant, Resolution 2019-07 Mr. Utt said that the resolution involved grant funding from DCR's Dam Safety Grant Program's -Dam Safety Flood Preventions and Protection Assistance Fund. The grant itself was a 50/50 grant applied to a total project cost of $50,000. The town would ask for $25,000 in grant funds and provide a match of $25,000 taken from the reserve funds set aside for Gatewood, which currently had a balance of $75,000. Grant funds would be used for an engineering study that would inspect the dam and design any repairs that were necessary. Mr. Utt emphasized that there were no failures or worries as far as an imminent danger was concerned, but it was necessary for the Town to do preemptive maintenance. Mr. East moved to adopt Resolution 2019-07 as proposed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dawson and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Next, Council considered Resolutions 2019-08 and 09 for emergency generators and service replacement. b. Grant for Emergency Generators/Lead Line Service Replacement, Resolutions 2019-08 and 09 Mr. Utt said the Town was applying for two Health Department grants. The first grant was for emergency generators for the Ridge Avenue, Route 11 South, and Pierce Avenue pump stations. Presently there were no emergency generators at the three stations. The Town was applying for a $50,000 grant request with no match required. Mr. Dawson asked if this was something that should have been done regardless. Mr. Utt said yes. Generators were located at the Raw Water Station and the Filter Plant, which brought water from the creek to the plant and then into the system. However once in the system, water could not get into other pressure zones without these pump stations. Following a short discussion on how the generators would be fueled, Mr. Goodman moved to adopt Resolution 2019-08 as proposed with the modification of $50,000 for the amount. The motion was seconded by Mr. Radcliffe and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Mr. Utt told Council that the next grant, the Lead Lined Service Replacement had been done by the County for a couple of years. The grant was an "ongoing grant" that provided up to $5,000 per customer per connection to replace lead service lines. Rather than the customer, the Town, through a contractor, would change the service to get rid of the lead pipe. He added that the grant funds would cover those expenses and would also cover a $500 administrative fee, if the Town levied it, to the grant. Mr. Utt reported that it was estimated that 400 or 10% of the connections in the Town had lead service lines. He recommended applying for $100,000 since that was a conservative amount that could be handled. Additional funding could be applied for depending upon how things went. The grant required no match and the amount applied for in the resolution would be $100,000. Mr. Goodman asked if the service line was from the meter into the home. Mr. Utt replied that the service line was from the meter to the first valve inside the residence. Mr. Pedigo added that a new valve would be installed for the customer to come off of. Mr. East asked about liability. Mr. Utt said there were draft agreements in the guidelines that the homeowner would sign off on. Once the homeowner signed off on work Page 4 of 7/March 19, 2019 up to the valve, if it burst in five years, it was the homeowner's issue since the maintenance on the line was their responsibility. Mr. Goodman expressed concern that the pipes in a structure might not be able to handle the possible change in pressure from the new service. Discussion having concluded, Mr. Goodman moved to adopt Resolution 2019-09 as proposed with the modification of $100,000 for lead service line replacement. The motion was seconded by Mr. East and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Council then moved to a discussion of a scooter/moped muffler ordinance. 12. Safety a. Update on Moped/Scooter Muffler Ordinance Mr. Utt asked Chief Roche to comment on the ordinance. Chief Roche said he was not at the meeting when the issues were discussed. He said that he, Captain Anderson and Lt. Parmelee looked at various ways that the Town might be able to adopt an ordinance dealing with noise, which they focused on. The summary set out what could be done and he was satisfied with it. Mr. Utt said it would be an opportune time to do an ordinance on sound referencing back to the State Code sections. If Council was comfortable, staff could work with Mr. Quesenberry to get the ordinance drafted. When asked, Mr. Quesenberry said a public hearing would be required to which Mr. Utt suggested that a draft ordinance could be brought to Council followed by scheduling of the public hearing. Mr. Penn asked what would be enforced. Mr. Utt replied that it was noise from mufflers about which Mr. Radcliffe had received complaints. Mr. Penn express doubts that the offenders would be caught. Mayor Clark explained that owner of scooters were cutting the pipes off them to gain speed, which also made them much louder. Mr. Dawson asked Chief Roche if P.D. were getting complaints, to which Chief Roche replied that he had not received any. Mr. Goodman asked that given what the state code had, would anything be achieved by adopting a Town ordinance where the Town already had those powers by the state code. Chief Roche replied that the state code (§46.2-1047) prohibited a gutted muffler, cut out or straight exhaust to be operated on the highway. The problem was determining the original equipment. Sec. 46.2-1049 required a system comparable to factory equipment that was required to be in good working order. He added that if section 1049 (§46.2-1049) were referenced in the Town ordinance then it would apply and charges could be placed under either one. Following a brief discussion on enforcement, Mr. Utt asked Council if they wished to see a draft ordinance to which they agreed they would. There being no further discussion, Council considered the appointment of a property maintenance official 13. Human Resources a. Appointment of Property Maintenance Official, Resolution 2019-10 Mr. Utt informed Council that Ms. Hodge had been taking all the classes and expected that she would take the test to be a certified property maintenance official in the next month or so. He requested that Council formalize Ms. Hodge as the property maintenance official which would give her twelve months to get her certification. Mr. East moved to adopt Resolution 2019-10 as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. Goodman and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Page 5 of 7/March 19, 2019 After the vote, Mr. Radcliffe said he wanted to see Ms. Hodge assigned a decent vehicle, marked specifically for the code compliance officer. Mr. Utt said the current unit had a blown engine and that the problem was being looked at. Mr. Radcliffe said the issue referred back to earlier discussions on the impression of what the Town had. He felt that Ms. Hodge, given the visibility of her work, needed something presentable. Mr. East added it should be marked as a code enforcement vehicle. Mr. Utt said the issue could be looked at as part of the budget. Council then proceeded to the Round Table Discussion. 14. Round Table Discussion Mr. Penn complained about the gravel and debris at the corner of Jefferson and West Main, where construction was in progress. Mr. Utt responded that some of the gravel was from the Town when new water lines were put it. Mr. Penn said he unde,,stood there was work to be done on the building, but asked when it would be repaired. Mr. Utt said the Town would have to wait for the asphalt plant to open. In the meantime new brick pavers would be installed at the cross walk as part of the Downtown project in addition to lowering a storm water box. Mr. Penn said he had nothing further. Mr. Dawson, Mr. East and Mr. Goodman said they had no comment. Mr. Clontz said he was looking forward to events coming up in the spring and summer months such as the Marketplace, Music and Merchant's Festival, Rhythm and Ribs and baseball. Mr. Radcliffe wanted to commend the employees in the Finance Department for their work during the decal sales, especially for writing manual receipts which kept things going. A second issue he noted was staff not reaching out to Mr. Justin Kemp concerning a committee appointment. Mr. Utt said Mr. Quesenberry was going to reach out to Mr. Kemp who had applied to be a member of the Housing Board of Adjustment and Appeals. The committee had not met in six years, so Mr. Utt wanted to see if he would be interested in serving on a more active committee. Mr. Radcliffe said these people needed to be contacted. Mr. Goodman requested that someone contact Mr. Kemp. Mr. East added that the Town was a customer service organization first and foremost. He also had received comments on unanswered calls and emails. A call or email not returned from a Town office gave the impression that no one cared. He felt there needed to be a reinforcement effort to remind staff of the Town as a customer service organization. Mr. Goodman noticed that there did not seem to be an employee dress code which did not present a professional appearance for an organization that represented the Town and its citizens. Mayor Clark mentioned that while at a meeting at the train station he noticed water damage to the soffit. After discussing the matter with Mr. Utt, Mayor Clark felt there would be no problem to get the funds to repair the soffit before the start of the Marketplace. Instead of waiting until the new fiscal year on July 1St, he proposed finding a way to do the repairs now to create a good impression for persons attending the Marketplace. Mr. Radcliffe asked why not take money from reserves and then place the money back into the reserves. Mr. Goodman said that was exactly what should be done; loan the money to ourselves, then pay it back. Mr. Pedigo said an issue to consider that there were very few people that did that type of work. Another issue was if the wood, described as bead board, was rotten, its replacements would require milling. Mr. Goodman suggested if adequate storage was available to have some spares made at the same time. Mr. Pedigo cautioned that some of the rafters could also be rotten as was the case before. After discussion, Mr. Goodman moved to authorize the Town Manager to take $25,000 from reserves to do the repairs to the Train Station with the caveat that the $25,000 must be put back into reserves in the next fiscal year. The motion was seconded by Mr. Radcliffe and approved on the following voice vote: Page 6 of 7/March 19, 2019 1 1 1 Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz James A. Radcliffe -Aye -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Following the vote, Council moved next to the Closed Session. 15. Closed Session to go into Closed Session for three items as follows: one item Mayor Clark requested a motion for Council under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 3 acquisition of real property or disposition of public property concerning a North Washington Ave. property; and, two items under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 8 consultation with legal counsel regarding a UDAG loan and a zoning application. Mr. Goodman moved to enter Closed Session for the three referenced items. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dawson and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Council entered Closed Session at 6:18 p.m. and returned from Closed Session at 7:27 p.m. Mayor Clark asked for a certification motion that the Council discussed only those three items for which they went into Closed Session: one item under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 3 acquisition of real property or disposition of public property concerning a North Washington Ave. property; and, two items under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 8 consultation with legal counsel regarding a UDAG loan and a zoning application. Mr. Goodman made the certification motion which was seconded by Mr. East and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Joseph K. Goodman -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye 16 Future Meetings and Adiournment ork session scheduled for March 26th at 6:00 p.m. and a Mayor Clark reminded Council of the Council budget w Council meeting on April 2"d at 7:00 p.m. There being no further business, Mr. Goodman moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Mr. East and approved by unanimous voice vote of ncil at 0 P. Appro David L. Clark Mayor ATTEST: David N. Quesenberry Clerk of Council Page 7 of 7/March 19, 2019