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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-06-16Minutes of the Town Council meeting held Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building at 42 First Street, NW. There were present: Mayor: Robert N. Glenn Council: James A. Radcliffe, Gregory C. East, David L. Clark, Joseph K. Goodman, H. M. Kidd, Lane R. Penn Staff: Shawn M. Utt, Town Manager Nichole Hair, Deputy Town Manager Patricia Cruise, Clerk of Council David Quesenberry, Assistant to the Town Manager Spencer Rygas, Town Attorney John White, Economic Development Director Rebecca Reece, Finance Director Gary Roche, Police Chief Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer Dave Hart, Parks and Facilities Director Robbie Kiser, Fire Chief Others: Sandra Hillyer Clark Payne Mickey Seagle Ike Jeanes Richard Meadows Brooke Wood, Press Mike Williams, Press Mayor Glenn advised that before he officially called the meeting to order, he wished to offer kudos to the Public Works department, especially Jerry Crowder, Mike Quinney and Dave Burton for their work completing the upgrade on the Council Chambers. Additionally, he thanked Debbie Bivens for her work on the audio and video. He noted that the new chairs had been ordered and would be delivered soon. At 7:00 p.m., Mayor Glenn called the meeting to order. Councilman Kidd led the Pledge of Allegiance and Councilman Clark gave the Invocation. Mayor Glenn advised that the next item for consideration was a Public Hearing regarding a proposed 2016 General Obligation Bond issue. Mr. Utt advised that after Council authorized the development of financing options for six new vehicles planned for purchase through the current CIP, staff enlisted assistance from Davenport & Associates for procurement of proposals from banks. He added that after the RFP was issued, the lowest and recommended rate was from Carter Bank and Trust for 1.54% for a five year term. He continued that since this type of funding was for a General Obligation Bond, a public hearing had to held. He advised that should Council choose to proceed with the proposal, the goal would be to close on the loan before the end of the year. Mayor Glenn opened the Public Hearing at 7:07 p.m. There being no comments, the Hearing was closed. Following discussion, Councilman Clark moved to adopt Resolution 2016-33, Authorizing the Issuance of a General Obligation Bond of the Town of Pulaski, in a Principal Amount Not To Exceed $200,000, and Providing For the Form, Details and Payment of the Bond and Authorizing Certain Related Actions. Councilman Kidd seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: Page 1 of 7/December 6, 2016 James A. Radcliffe - Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye The next item on the agenda was the Public Comment Period. Sandra Hillyer addressed Council regarding several matters. She opined that water deposits were too high for renters. She asked Council to review the charges and consider lowering them. She advised that she had been picking up trash in Town and noticed that trash had not been picked up Friday. She felt more trash cans should be placed around Town and asked that "No Littering" signs be placed around Town. She felt that the Town Ordinance regarding littering should be strengthened so that people would pay more attention. And lastly, she requested that the Police Department offer some drug training. She stated she had no idea what drugs looked like or smelled like. Councilman East advised that he felt the water deposits were too high as well. He added that Council had previously discussed utilizing letters of credit in lieu of deposits. Following more discussion, Mayor Glenn advised that staff would research the matter. Next, Ike Jeanes addressed Council regarding the potential conversion of Route 99 to add bike lanes. He opined that the conversion should not be made. He felt there were not enough bicyclists to make it worthwhile. He commented that there were many turn offs to the shopping center and the potential for cars hitting the bicyclist increased. He felt it was safer for the bicyclist as the road was currently designed. Mayor Worrell thanked Mr. Jeanes for his comments. There being no further comments, he moved on to the Consent Agenda consisting of the minutes of the November 1, 2016 Town Council meeting. Councilman Kidd moved to adopt the Consent Agenda consisting of the minutes of the November 1, 2016 Town Council meeting as written. Councilman Clark seconded the motion and carried on voice vote. The next item on the agenda was Project Updates. Mr. Utt summarized the Project Review Chart including that town staff met with the engineering firm and James Hardie officials to discuss options being considered for the Direct Injection PER. It was hoped that the engineer would have an update in January. He advised that the 2nd round bids had been sent out and the 31d round bids should go out within 2 weeks for the Kersey Bottom/Case Knife Road CDBG housing project. He advised that the 921 Randolph Avenue structure had been secured and that outside aesthetics of the property were being worked on. He noted that the town audit was near completion and he anticipated a presentation would be given to Council in January. He advised that delinquent real estate notifications had been mailed. He advised that vulture complaints had increased in the Prospect Hill/Oakwood neighborhood. He added that contractors were working on disbursement measures. He noted that the town was in the rotation for county funding toward a new fire truck and staff had begun working on spec sheets for a new rescue engine which was anticipated to be funded in FY 18. Councilman. Kidd advised that the vultures were increasing on Commerce Street as well and he asked that the area be checked. Mr. Utt agreed. He continued that an application for the Assistance to Firefighters FEMA grant had been submitted for the aerial truck. He added that the estimated cost was $987,700, which would require a local match of $47,033. He noted that the FEMA grant for operator training had also been submitted. The estimated cost was up to $23,220, which would require a match of $1,105. He advised that it was hoped to get feedback soon from the EPA on the Phase One assessment of the First Street property (the former foundry). He noted that Hill Studio staff members recently met with building and business owners for a planning "charrette" for a downtown redevelopment grant. He added that they would be back in January for the branding portion. He Page 2 of 7/December 6, 2016 advised that MOVA hosted some contractors to move forward on bids for their redevelopment of the two buildings in West Main Development. He noted that there had been some interest on some industrial prospects. Mr. Utt continued that work would continue on the Senior Center now that the Council Chambers were complete. He advised that the Gatewood Advisory Committee would meet in January to prioritize and discuss various needs in time for the FY 18 budget development. He noted that staff had been in touch with Xaloy corporate staff about their desire to assist/sponsor some playground improvements. He hoped to be able to couple that donation with a grant to completely replace equipment at one playground. He advised that staff was considering property on West Main Street as a possible location. He added that staff hoped to be able to discuss this with Council in the near future. He advised that the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony and Christmas parade had a really good turnout even with the cool weather. Mayor Glenn asked whether the Gatewood Advisory Committee would be working on projects for the upcoming season for Gatewood? Mr. Utt responded in the affirmative, noting that some of the larger items would be discussed in relation to the FY 18 budget development. Smaller items, such as the filtration or treatment system on the two wells, would be discussed as well. Mayor Glenn commented that he wanted to make sure the Committee stayed active and involved. Councilman Radcliffe requested that the town do a better job of decorating the tree used for the Tree Lighting event in the park next year. Mr. Utt responded that the intent had been to have the new street lights installed in the park with trees covered in lights between the street lights. He added that unfortunately, the street lights had been on back order and the trees could not be planted until after the lights were installed. He felt that with those changes and a year to plan, next year would be much better. Councilman Radcliffe commented that overall it was a great event. Councilman East asked whether there was some work that could be done in the near future. He continued, for example, trees and bushes that needed to be trimmed. Mr. Utt felt that some work could be done during the spring, but he wasn't sure when trees should be trimmed. He added that the Promenade plan included some trees on the back side of the Park as a buffer for the railroad, which would result in some current trees being removed and new ones being planted. He noted that those trees could be covered in lights as well. Councilman East commented that he would really like to see the goal for next year being Jackson Park surrounded by trees that were decorated with lights and the street lights lit as well. Mr. Utt continued that staff hoped to have a draft zoning ordinance ready for review within the next 90 days. He advised that the consultant continued to work on draft layout needs for the Public Safety Facility. He added that a follow-up meeting was planned for mid-December. Mayor Glenn moved on to Department update provided by Police Chief Gary Roche. Chief Roche provided a summary of how his department worked including general job descriptions for the secretarial and administrative staff and programs his staff was involved in and what they accomplished. Council thanked the Chief for his report. Page 3 of 7/December 6, 2016 Councilman Radcliffe commented that he liked the department summaries as they enlightened Council and the public with what each department accomplished. The next item on the agenda was Old Business. Regarding Comp Time roll—over policy, Mr. Utt reminded Council that previously they voted to move forward with a policy related to comp time accrual and roll over for a 15 day maximum of comp time. He advised that after review he realized that staff had worked hard in the last several years to put all the employees on the same level. By that, he meant the personnel manual used to refer to days of leave rather than hours of leave, so a day for an office worker or laborer would be 8 hours, but a day for the fire department had been 16 hours and now was 24 hours and a patrol officer would be 12 hours. He felt that if the comp time accrual and rollover policy was changed to allow for a 15 day maximum of comp time, it would be a step back for the employees. He recommended that the comp time accrual and rollover policy be changed to a maximum comp time of 200 hours, no matter what department the employee worked for. It would apply to all full-time non-exempt employees. He asked Council to review the draft Resolution included in the packet and make the effective date January 1, 2017. Councilman Kidd asked whether the comp time would be used in 8 hour increments. Mr. Utt advised that if a patrol officer took a day off it would use 12 hours. However, if a fireman took a day off it would use 24 hours. Councilman Penn asked if it was possible to have a difference between emergency service and non- emergency service. He felt comp time should only be paid for emergency services. He felt that any other extra time worked should be paid for as overtime. He felt that would be simpler. Mr. Utt advised that the vast majority of employees that earned comp time were emergency services. He estimated that 60% of the remaining employees were choosing pay rather than comp time. Councilman Kidd advised that he would like to see Fire and Police be able to accrue at least 240 hours. Mr. Utt responded that he would do whatever Council decided. He was just trying to keep everyone on the same page. Councilman Goodman advised that he was not a fan of comp time at all. He felt it should be paid out as overtime. That said, he felt the terms of the draft Resolution was fair. He felt since the terms of the Resolution had been discussed and agreed on by all the Department Heads, that Council should defer to the Department Heads and Management. He advised that the system needed to be tracked electronically. Councilman Radcliffe commented that whatever policy was adopted, needed to actually be implemented so that no future Council would have to deal with this problem again. Councilmen Clark and East spoke in favor of the policy. Councilman Goodman moved to adopt Resolution 2016-31, Amending the Town Personnel Manual Regarding Accrual, Carryover and Payout of Compensatory Time. Councilman Penn seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe - Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - No David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye The next item on the agenda was the tuition reimbursement policy update. Page 4 of 7/December 6, 2016 Mr. Utt advised that as a result of Council's discussion during the November work session, staff had included in the packet draft revised adjustments to the current personnel policy related to tuition reimbursement for employees. He reviewed the potential adjustments and asked for Council's comments. Councilman Goodman spoke in favor of the proposal. He looked forward to there being a line item in the budget to allot some funds. He felt this was one of the best ways to reinvest in the employees. There being no further comments, Councilman East moved to direct staff to draft an Ordinance regarding tuition reimbursement policy for Council's review at a later Council meeting. Councilman Penn seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe - Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye The next item on the agenda was VDOT grant application for Main Street Improvements from Duncan Bridge to Bob White Boulevard. Mayor Glenn advised that he had asked Mr. Utt to come back to Council with additional information about this grant that had already been applied for and voted by Council. Subsequent to the previous meeting, the Mayor learned that once a planning project was completed, it was eligible to be funded by the state Department of Transportation at 100%. He added that once he learned that one fact, he felt better about approving the grant application. He felt that Mr. Utt could provide further information for Council and the public. Mr. Utt advised that he should have provided this additional information for the Public Hearing. He continued that what Council approved was the planning and design portion of what could be between Duncan Bridge and Bob White Boulevard. He advised there would be a study of the traffic flow in that area to show whether a lane could be eliminated in each direction and bike lanes be added with a turn lane. He advised that until those studies were completed, a determination could not be made regarding the road diet. He continued that what the Mayor had referred to regarding the 100%, was that whatever project was chosen would be eligible for a separate funding program through the state which was 100% funding through VDOT. He added that the current proposal was a $355,000 planning portion, with a 20% match. He added that hypothetically, if the proposal came back at 2 million dollars, there would be no match. Councilman Radcliffe confirmed that the area being discussed was from the intersection of Route 99 and Bob White Boulevard going toward downtown. Mr. Utt agreed and explained that the plan being studied, called a road diet, would be to remove the middle median, make that area into a turn lane, take the four lanes and turn them into two lanes, one going in each direction and the remainder of the right of way portion becoming bike lanes. Councilman Radcliffe confirmed that the Town's portion would be $71,000. Mr. Utt agreed and said that would be the Town's match portion. Councilman Radcliffe confirmed that the Town would not have to spend any money at this time. Mr. Utt advised that if the Town received the grant for the design work, the $71,000 would be required. If the Town gets the grant for the construction, a match would not necessarily be required. The upshot was that the Town could get a 2 million dollar grant to do a 2 million dollar project with no funding from the Town. Councilman East confirmed that without the design, the Town could not do that. Mr. Utt agreed. Page 5 of 7/December 6, 2016 Councilman Goodman confirmed that there was no guarantee that once the design was drawn and the analysis completed, that the Town would be able to do the road diet. Mr. Utt agreed. He continued that it could end up being a re -working of the current four lane system, moving cut overs and new medians etc. Councilman East confirmed that they would look at all the information including Mr. Jeanes concerns, and then come back with some options for Council to choose from. Councilman Radcliffe asked where all the bicycles were supposed to be coming from that would require this work. Councilman Clark responded that if you have ever come in on the New River Trail and gotten off at Xaloy and tried to come into Town, you would discover that you would only try it once. He added that you can't get to downtown easily and you are lucky if you make it in once piece. Mayor Glenn emphasized what Mr. Utt said. Under the current legislation, if this project is amended for Council's approval, the Town would owe nothing. However, that could change if legislation changes. Additionally, he advised that the study would look at how many curb cuts there are in the sidewalk to cross off pavement into a parking lot, which would answer Mr. Jeanes concerns. He added that as part of the RFP, language would be included that a number of public hearings would be held by the engineers to get input from the public so there would be no misunderstandings. Councilman Kidd advised that since the Christmas parade several people had complained about the lighting along parts of Route 99 from Duncan Bridge to Pizza Hut. He asked if more lights could be added. Mr. Utt advised that he would research the matter, but he felt it could be added to this project. There being no further comments, Mayor Glenn moved on to New Business and Resolution 2016-32, Electing to Provide Health Insurance Coverage for Retirees and Dependents of Retirees. Mr. Utt advised that as Council discussed during the August work session, the Town's current health insurance provider, the Local Choice through Anthem, allows localities the ability to permit retirees to buy into the health insurance program at the rates paid by the Town, which are less than market rates for employees old enough to retire but young enough to not be eligible for Medicare (pre -65 years old). He added that Resolution 2016- 32 had been included in the packet and had been developed along with the Anthem staff and would be the next step in making this an option for future retirees. He emphasized this Resolution would not take effect until July 1, which would be the beginning of the new health insurance plan year. From the public, Clark Payne asked whether the medical experience of the retirees would be calculated with the rates for the Town. Mr. Utt advised that a portion would be calculated, not the full amount. He added that once the retiree turned 65, they would no longer be allowed to stay on the Town insurance. Councilman Clark moved to adopt Resolution 2016-32, Electing to Provide Health Insurance Coverage for Retirees and Dependents of Retirees. Councilman Kidd seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe -Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Page 6 of 7/December 6, 2016 At 8:55 p.m., Councilman Penn moved to enter into Closed Session under Virginia Code 2.2-3711 (A-1), discussion for consideration of employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of public officers, appointees or employees, regarding Employee Retirement Reorganization and (A-3), discussion for consideration of the disposition or acquisition of publicly held property regarding Bob White Blvd building and (A-5), discussion concerning a prospective business or industry, or the expansion of an existing business and industry, where no previous announcement has been made of the business' or industry's interest in locating or expanding its facilities in the community regarding Project Goldilocks and 2 items under (A-7), consultation with legal counsels and briefing by staff for discussion of specific legal matters and matters subject to probable litigation regarding UDAG and RBEG loan update, and update on West Main Street property. Councilman Clark seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe -Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye At 10:13 p.m., Council returned from Closed Session and adopted the Certification Resolution on motion by Councilman Clark, seconded by Councilman Goodman and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe -Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Councilman Goodman moved to authorize the Town Manager to execute the Letter of Agreement dated December 6, 2016, which outlines the Restructuring of the RBEG and UDAG loans from the Town of Pulaski to West Main Development, LLC, which includes the modification of original loans, amending Deed's of Trust, receiving 69 West Main Street for an offset of $20,000 of loan principal and further to hereafter sign documentation to execute the outlined Restructuring and formally secure said loans. Also to accept 69 West Main Street as part of the refinancing package. Councilman Penn seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe - Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye Councilman Goodman moved to cancel the 2nd Council meeting of the month scheduled for December 20, 2016. Councilman Clark seconded the motion and carried on the following recorded vote: James A. Radcliffe - Aye Joseph K. Goodman - Aye Gregory C. East - Aye H. M. Kidd - Aye David L. Clark - Aye Lane R. Penn - Aye At 10:16 p.m., there being no further business, Councilman Penn moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilman Kidd and carried on voice vote. Approved: L Robert .Glenn, Ma k__ Page 7 of 7/December 6, 2016