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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-06-21Minutes of the Pulaski Town Council Meeting held at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2021 in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building at 42 First Street, N.W. The meeting also featured a general live cast to the public via the Town's Facebook page. In attendance were: Mayor: Shannon Collins, presiding Councilmen Present: G. Tyler Clontz; Brooks R. Dawson; Greg East; Lane R. Penn; James A. Radcliffe; Michael P. Reis Administration: Darlene L. Burcham, Town Manager Legal Counsel Spencer A. Rygas, Town Attorney Staff: Kim Caudill, Adm. Manager, Public Works Lt. Jill Neice, P.P.D. Lt. Mike Parmelee, P.P.D. Bill Pedigo, Town Engineer David Quesenberry, Clerk of Council Chief Gary Roche, P.P.D. Jordan Whitt, Social Media Manager Others Present: Christopher Conner Patrick Ford Tye Kirkner Tammy Parks Cathy Stripling Jeff Worrell 1. Call to Order Mayor Collins called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. 2. Roll Call of Council The roll was then called. Present for roll call were Mayor Collins; Mr. Clontz; Mr. Dawson; Mr. East; Mr. Penn, Mr. Radcliffe and Mr. Reis. With all Council members present, a .quorum -existed for the conduct of business. 3. Modifications to the Closed Session Agenda . . Mayor Collins noted there were no modifications to the Closed Session agenda. 4. Closed Session Mayor Collins then asked for a motion to enter Closed Session for three matters: two items under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 1, discussion of personnel matters concerning a committee appointments and a personnel policy review; and one items under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 3, acquisition/disposition of publicly held real property. Mr. East moved to enter Closed Session on the stated items. The motion was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe , -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reit --Aye Council entered Closed Session at 6:17 5. Certification of Closed Session Council returned from Closed Session at 7:02 p.m. Mayor Collins then requested a motion that Council discussed only those three matters for which it went into Closed Session: two items under Va. Page 1 of 11/April 6, 2021 Code 2.2-3711 (a) 1, discussion of personnel matters concerning a committee appointment and a personnel policy review; and one item under Va. Code 2.2-3711 (a) 3, acquisition/disposition of publicly held real property. Mr. East moved to certify the Closed Session. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye 6. Pledge of Allegiance Vice -Mayor Dawson then led the Pledge of Allegiance. 7. Invocation Following the Pledge, Councilman East gave the Invocation. 8. Modification of the Public Session Agenda Mrs. Burcham noted there was an ordinance amending the compensatory time provision when an employee moved from a non-exempt to an exempt position that they were to be paid compensatory time at their current rate of pay. Also provided subject to Council's review was a resolution appointing persons to the Housing Board of Adjustment and Appeals. The Board would hear appeals from the building official's decisions as well as decisions involving the Rental Inspection Program. All the individuals had agreed to serve and had the necessary credentials as background for an effective board when it was necessary to convene a hearing. Mr. East asked if the ordinance would be added to No. 15 on the agenda. The Clerk answered that the item would be under modification of the public session as Ordinance 2021-07 with the appointments listed under Resolution 2021-15. Mrs. Burcham added if Council was not ready to act it could be moved to the April 20th meeting and read out the names of the appointees Tye Kirkner, Alan Palmore, Braxton Cox, Todd Lewis and Jordan Truesell. Kirkner and Palmore were to serve two-year terms and the remaining nominees' three-year terms. Mr. East suggested acting Ordinance 2021-07 and deferring action on the appointments until the next meeting. Mr. Reis also asked about tabling Ordinance 2021-08 (No. 15) for language revisions and ventured Council could proceed with Ordinance 2021-07. Mr. East then moved to modify the agenda to include Ordinance 2021-07 Amending the Personnel Policy Clarifying the Payout of Compensatory Time at Employee Separation. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye 9. Guests and Visitors • Mayor Collins welcomed visitors in attendance and those watching online. He then called for the presentation from -Pulasl4on'Main- . •e 10. Presentation by Pulaski, on Main-Proaress & Proiects. Patrick Ford Mr. Patrick Ford then mada a presentation to Council on behalf of Pulaski on Main (POM). Mr. Ford began his presentation- by:rnentioning their application under the Community Vitality Grant to place murals at Count's Crps§ing and 235 East Main Street. He then mentioned some of the accomplishments of POM such as.,attaining 501 (c) 3 status and establishing an office at 87 West Main which also served as a tpurisrn center for the Town. Committees had also been established with •. :'..,'Page 2 of 11/April 6, 2021 Chris Conner as head of Fundraising; Tammy Parks as head of the Tourism & Parks Committee; and Cathy Stripling as President and head of the Executive Committee. Mr. Ford emphasized the cooperative effort of the organization's membership and committees in developing the Downtown. Smaller projects, such a beautification, could obtain assistance from the Virginia Main Street Program. These projects were being attempted because of the organization's belief that Pulaski deserved it. With the apparent fading of the COVID issue, Mr. Ford said the Town needed events like Music and Merchants which POM was taking over along with the Marketplace. A fall program was also under consideration. Vendors were also showing interest which was evidenced by the first vendors meeting in which nine vendors participated with interest shown by others not in attendance. Mr. Ford felt it was important to support the Downtown district, which was what POM was looking for. He then reviewed local media accounts of the activities of POM as well as the guidelines for the Virginia Main Street Program. The guidelines indicated the resources that could become available to Pulaski as well as the different information that could be provided for Pulaski residents who wanted to start a new business, get involved in their community, or make a difference. People within and outside of the district had shown support and interest in the Main Street program and the Historic District which provided the drive to move forward. Mr. East asked about the turnout for the vendor's meeting. Mr. Ford replied that nine vendors attended and that others wanted to attend but could not because of the time. There was a "healthy" number of vendors that wanted to come in as well as additional vendors who wanted to join. They were being assisted by POM to find the best process for them to join. Mr. Ford said that the Marketplace was intended to begin the first Tuesday in May. Ms. Stripling said the Marketplace Committee would be meeting in a few days. Mr. Ford said he felt putting the vendors together could be done by that time. Many vendors were anxious to proceed he said and that the Marketplace represented a significant revenue source for some of them. Mr. Dawson said he liked the energy presented and noted POM's role in bringing things together for which he expressed appreciation for all the work. Mr. Ford said one of his first tasks was meeting with organizations to get them to be where the nexus was for groups wanting change in Pulaski. Mrs. Burcham told Council that two members of the Town's staff, Mr. Deal and Mr. Whitt had been working regularly with POM which gave the Town gave a direct and regular link. Mr. Ford added that communication with the Town was great and that Mrs. Burcham and the staff had worked to keep the lines of communication open to ensure the two organizations moved forward together. Mr. East complemented him on that approach and after reviewing previous arrangements, felt that POM's working with the Town was excellent. With the presentation concluded, Council moved on the Ratcliffe Museum presentation. 11. Presentation by the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Transportation Museum. Tve Kirkner & Jeff Worrell Mr. Worrell told Council that Mr. Kirkner had been delayed and said that the presentation could be moved to later in the meeting or rescheduled for another time. Council agreed to hear the presentation later in the meeting. Mrs. Burcham next gave Council a report on the recent reassessment. 12. Presentation on Reassessments Following distribution of two handouts, Mrs. Burcham informed Council that an advertisement concerning the real property tax rate was published in the newspaper the previous Friday. She noted the County Commissioner of the Revenue was responsible for the reassessment of all real and Page 3 of 11/April 6, 2021 personal property for the County and the Town which was done every six years. The last reassessment was done in 2015. The only changes.to the reassessment in the interim years was for new construction or renovation which were picked up when they occurred. Otherwise reassessments remained stagnant for the six-year period. Referring to the handouts, Mrs. Burcham noted that the assessment for the Town increased 12.8% (approximately $197,000). The state code required a public hearing, advertised 30 days in advance, if the new levy at the existing rate was more than 101 %. Public comments were to be taken at the hearing with regards to the real estate assessment amount and Council's decision on reducing the rate to no more than 101% which would be a rate of $0.30/$100 as compared to the current rate of $0.34/$100; or set a levy between $0.34 and $0.30; or maintain the current rate at $0.34. Given the current financial situation with the downward adjustment of the budget in August 2020 by $220,000 and the potential effects of collection rates, senior and handicapped discounts, Mrs. Burcham said she advertised the reassessment with maintaining the current rate of $0.34/100. The advertisement also required posting of the anticipated increase in the budget for the next fiscal year which was difficult to estimate. She added that Council was familiar with her policies of not giving so much away and making sure that people paid their fair share for services they received. Based on these policies, she noted the budget was advertised with a 2% increase. The public hearing on setting the rates was scheduled for May 01 and was separate from the budget public hearing which might be held two weeks to thirty days later. The revenue from the reassessment would become clearer as the process moved forward. Mrs. Burcham noted that the calculations were thrown off by an error of the County Assessor in calculating what the 101 % value would be, which resulted in a smaller increase, due to his assumption that the Town would reduce its real estate tax rate by the four cents. After the public hearing, she said that would be the time for Council to voice other ideas. This was the background as to why the ad was presented as it was. Mr. Reis wanted to be clear that levy was the amount collected. Mrs. Burcham responded affirmatively. Mr. Reis understood that the rate would be the same, but the levy would be going up, since property was becoming more valuable with the value varying from home to home. Mrs. Burcham said he was correct that the average increase would be 4.8% with some increases higher and some lower. The important thing to remember was that this was a six-year adjustment and that it took six years to get to this level of increase at a rate of about 2% per year. This assessment would hold, with the exception of new construction and renovation, for the next six years. To Mr. Reis' inquiry on the frequency of reassessments, Mrs. Burcham said reassessments varied between communities. Towns had to abide by the County's reassessment date. Concerning a later item in the agenda, she noted, the Town chose in the past to be on a calendar year for reassessment that does not fit with the fiscal year budget. She suggested that the Town change its assessment year to a fiscal year basis. The Town would still impose for the balance of this year whatever the reassessment was once the books were received. That was another challenge she continued in that the Town did not get the assessment book from the Commissioner of Revenue until mid-April. Since the Town wanted to give citizens at least a 30 -day notice as to what their taxes would be, that would lead to a significant turnaround issues for the last two weeks in April for the Finance Department. Council was free at the tax rate hearing and the budget hearing (whose ad will also mention the tax rate) to make rate adjustments. Mr. Reis asked if the valuation of agricultural parcels were pre -or post -land use since the Town followed the County. He asked if the assessed value was the fair market value of the parcels or is it the land use value. Mrs. Burcham responded it was the land use value, but was generally discounted since it was agricultural. Mr. Reis understood that that if a parcel had a certain valued and the Page 4 of 11/April 6, 2021 discount was applied, the taxes would be applied to the discounted value. Mrs. Burcham said that was correct and added that the state code was precise in its requirements for the legal ad for the proposed tax rate. Council next considered the Code amendment to levy taxes on a fiscal year basis. 13. Code Amendment to Levy Taxes on a Fiscal Year Basis, Ordinance 2021-06 Mr. Dawson asked concerning billing, that someone might question if it would require paying their taxes twice in a six-month period as far as one payment in a calendar year. Mrs. Burcham responded that there were two payments in a calendar year but one in one fiscal year and one in the next fiscal year. She said the ordinance would be effective on July 1St and the two payments on December 51" 2021 and June 5, 2022 would be the fiscal year payments for real estate taxes. There would still be two payments in the calendar year, but they would be treated in the future as fiscal year payments, since the budget is based on a fiscal year. Mrs. Burcham said that state law allowed Towns to go to a fiscal year basis. Since things were set up on a fiscal basis it made sense that it should be communicated that way. The citizens would not make any additional payments to those they had been making. For that fiscal year, the first payment would be in December and the second in June. Mr. Dawson stated if tax rates changed, they would be effective in December as opposed to June of the following year. Mrs. Burcham explained that if tax rates changed, payments at that new rate would not go into effect until after July 1 st, with one payment in December and the next in June of the fiscal year. Payments would be coded on a fiscal not calendar year basis. Mr. Reis moved to adopt Ordinance 2021-06 as written. The motion was seconded by Mr. East and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye Council next continued discussions on capital improvement projects. 14. Continued Discussion on Capital Improvements, Gary Roche & Bill Pedigo Chief Roche, Mr. Pedigo and Mrs. Caudill discussed with Council capital improvements for their respective departments. Mr. Reis thanked the staff for their timely and detailed response. Mr. East asked Mrs. Caudill what was the most important capital need for her department (P.W.) Mrs. Caudill responded it would have to be a tossup between dump truck beds and salters, with one salter and 3 dump beds being the direst followed by a dump truck. Mr. Reis expressed dismay over photographs of the truck's condition. Mr. Pedigo said with equipment the mileage was not a factor, but if the hours of use were metered, it would be high. Mr. Radcliffe ventured with a dump truck 28 years old, when a certain point was reached it cost more to operate it which would justify a new one. He mentioned previous situation that the Town found itself in concerning ageing pickup trucks and urged that the Town not fall back into that situation. Mr. Reis asked if there was a sense of when we would hit additional needs or when would the next cycle come up. Mrs. Caudill said the pictured truck was the worst truck. Concerning the salters, they could replace one every year which they used to do given their lifespan from 8-10 years, which some units were coming upon. Her capital request reflected less on the next year to replace a pickup salter and a salter motor. Salters and beds would be rotated. Mr. Reis felt that another lift to keep vehicles going longer as well as the scanner tool. Presently there were only two employees performing auto maintenance with a search for another in progress. Page 5 of 11/April 6, 2021 Mr. Radcliffe asked about the tractors. Mrs. Caudill responded that there were two tractors, one that required constant repair and the other which was used frequently. Mr. East, .in referring to dump trucks, mentioned that in the past the Town secured pickups that maybe were a couple of model years old. Mr. Pedigo responded that the first group bought were used. Mr. East asked if the $97,000 represented a used truck; Mrs. Caudill said it was the full cost for a 2019 on the lot in Roanoke. Mr. East asked if it would be used as a salt truck. Mr. Pedigo responded that dump trucks were used in all seasons hauling various items and pushing snow in the winter. Mrs. Burcham noted that next year's capital was frontloaded due to the lack of scheduled replacements and that the Town had not gone through a five-year capital exercise for many years. She wasn't sure staff had the time and expertise to think out over multiple years. She expected the next CIP would have more projects in the "out" years rather than the "loading" of years one and two. The other problem was that in theory reserves were created for different categories. Unfortunately, these reserves were not being carried over on an annual basis and fell into the fund balance if they were not spent in a given year. Contrary to expectations, these funds were not building up. This prevented a replacement cycle for equipment. She thanked Council for their willingness to review the first year and understand what this equipment represents. Mr. East asked what the options for funding. Mrs. Burcham responded that there was no cash available to fund anything. If the American Relief Act (ARA) came forward, there might be the possibility of using that to pay for some things. Given delays in receiving ARA assistance, the Town would have to use short term debt or a lease purchase or issue debt for larger projects. Local banks in the past had shown a willingness to issue loans for a shorter term. She did not recommend using long term debt for many of these purchases and ventured that short-term debt or lease purchase would be used. Mr. Radcliffe asked if it would be cheaper leasing tractors. Mrs. Caudill said she had not looked at the pricing difference for leasing and used the full price for what was needed. Mr. Radcliffe asked if it would be cheaper to lease large equipment. Mrs. Burcham said if equipment was not used often, you should lease it. If the equipment was used regularly and consistently she did not believe leasing was practical. The issue could be looked at. Mrs. Burcham said another way she had seen was communities sharing equipment which went back to the frequency of equipment use. Mr. Radcliffe asked if the numbers could be run for comparing a lease with a purchase to give Council something to review. Mr. Pedigo noted that a leased tractor with boom mower was rather costly. To Mr. Radcliffe's question on how a smaller John Deer tractor was financed, the answer was it was bought. Mr. East said from the audit review, the Town had pretty low debt. Mrs. Burcham said the issue with debt was affording the payments in the operating budget. If the ARA came through, she favored using those funds to relieve some debt and free up capacity in the operating budget. A short discussion followed concerning the availability of ARA funds after which Mr. East said that there could still be a short-term .debt option. Mr. Dawson said his concern was that the real estate taxes was a six-year decision without an understanding of the scope of equipment needed. In trying to understand the financial future, the CIP only showed immediate needs. Councils of the future would need to understand the three remaining years of the CIP. In light of current issues, he felt the problem was what to do beyond the "now". He felt the Town was in a "shortsighted place" and needed to get further ahead in understanding when expenditures should be made. Page 6 of 11/April 6, 2021 Mr. Pedigo said Council had the CIP which staff had tried to give them the best look that they could. He felt that what Council really needed to do was have a CIP and stick to it. Mrs. Burcham said the most urgent needs were in years 1 and 2. Years 3, 4, 5 should be used to get on a regular schedule that levels the CIP out to where the Town is doing regular replacements or getting new equipment. Larger projects would have to be fitted into a multi-year plan which would require something beyond a five-year plan. Multi -million -dollar projects (e.g. Public Safety Building) would not happen in a five-year period. It was not unusual to see the early years (of a CIP) better understood and identified. Staff had not been able to look at one year, which was the biggest disadvantage we started with. If Council picked some capital items to move forward, Mrs. Burcham felt it would give the staff greater confidence to work on better plans because they will see something happening as a result of their time and effort. She commended Council for placing a lot of effort into the capital plan. Mr. Dawson felt it was important to have the full picture to make the full decisions and was most appreciative of the efforts made. Mr. East emphasized that Council needed a real plan, in order to make it a reality, otherwise when the date arrived nothing happened. Mrs. Burcham said realistically the project would be shoved to another year. She mentioned that at the audit presentation, Mr. Dawson said that money needed to be set aside to build the reserves back, which was, in the thinking as the budget was being prepared. Council could also create a capital reserve that would be building toward a large amount. While the use of the accumulated funds may not be decided, there continued a building of capacity. The problem before was the reserves were not building and some capital items were deferred to balance the budget. With the proposed five-year plan, Council would only vote upon and approve only the first year of the plan. Because each budget year, decisions would be required on how to finance and how much. Something could happen (e.g. breakdown) that would change the priorities and would have to be dealt with (e.g. Filter 2). The Water Fund balance was used to pay for that. Building a reserve was very appropriate, but was a question how much could be afforded and keep other things operating. Mr. East asked if the Town was looking at a piece of equipment for the Flood Mitigation plan. Mr. Pedigo said it was a GPS device and was in the Engineering capital budget. He added that Filter 2 had been back in operation for 10 days and was doing well. Mrs. Burcham noted that the capital budget had replacement of the remaining two listed hopefully before they became an emergency. Mr. Reis asked if the newer filter would take the strain off the others. Mr. Pedigo said all four filters were in operation. Chief Roche then addressed Council noting that in the 2000's the Department was not able to replace hardly anything and things added up for everybody. However, the Police Department received $241,000, from the Commonwealth from drug seizures, to buy 10 cars. Six of the cars replaced in 2013 were from the 1990's while four of them were 2005 pool cars. After that, Council discussed going to a rotational program with replacement of three cars a year. When a vehicle was rotated out, it was ten years old. Fleet managers have said that the mileage of a police car was only part of the issue, the other being idling time resulting in wear roughly three times the mileage. One advantage to having a current equipment was that in 2011-2012, the department budgeted $101,000 for vehicle repair. As new vehicles were brought into service the maintenance budget dropped to $60,000; the advantage of fleet maintenance he felt was illustrated. Mr. Reis asked if the current maintenance budget was $60,000. Chief Roche replied that it was. Mr. Dawson asked if there were certain cars for certain shifts and their use rotated. Chief Roche responded no, that there were certain specialty vehicles (e.g. Crime Scene, Special Operations, Page 7 of 11/April 6, 2021 Academy car) and the rest were assigned vehicles. At full staffing there would be three shifts of five and one shift of four and, with some transfers the Department, would be at full staff. Vehicles, Chief Roche said, were assigned to individual officers which was an advantage for emergencies and special events. Historically he added that assigned vehicles were better maintained. Mrs. Burcham said those were take home vehicles for those who lived in Pulaski County. Following the conclusion of discussion, the Ratcliffe Museum made its presentation. 15. Presentation by the Ratcliffe Museum Mr. Worrell and Mr. Kirkner addressed Council concerning the activities of the Ratcliff Museum. Mr. Worrell, President of the Friends of the Radcliffe Museum, did a brief review of the history of the museum as well as the role that several citizens played in helping establish it. Emphasizing the Town's ownership of the museum, he noted the Friends were formed to operate the Town's museum through a memorandum of understanding setting forth how the museum should be operated. Mr. Worrell said the only thing requested this evening was Council's continued support. Mr. Kirkner using a PowerPoint presentation, covered many aspects of the museum and its operation beginning with a memorandum of understanding, which defined how the museum performed its objectives which he reviewed for Council. He then reviewed the responsibilities of the Friends involving various issues including but not limited to annual and operational budget; financial reporting, fund raising procedures, and general operational processes for the museum. Town responsibilities mentioned were museum funding through the annual budget process; building upkeep and maintenance; utilities, insurance, capital improvements and staffing. Given potential changes, Mr. Kirkner said the group was prepared to work with the Town Manager and make what changes were necessary to the memorandum of understanding. Under the MOU the Town was responsible for utilities and miscellaneous costs through the budget. Work was in progress with the Town Manager on the museum budget. Mr. Kirkner reviewed some fundraising activities of the museum (e.g. golf tournament; Victorian Holiday) but noted the effect of the current pandemic on fundraising. There were other expenses that the museum had not asked the Town to pay for (e.g. pens, PastPerfect collection management system, etc.). Other information would be made available to Council containing further information on museum activities. With reference to finances, Mr. Kirkner said the museum had a checking balance of $46,000 which Mr. Worrell said in effect was the museum's reserve fund. Mr. Kirkner reviewed briefly other activities with the museum concerning donations, payment of federal and state fees, attendance, volunteers and other aspects of the museum's operation. The goal was to make the museum a destination for visitors, the number of which was tracked and recorded. Mr. Worrell noted that visitors were surprised that a town of our size had a museum of this stature. Elderly citizens who had been lifelong residents engaged in reminisces with other residents resulting in remarkable conversations about the Town. Concerning assets, Mr. Kirkner offered to distribute to Council an asset sheet from the Past Perfect Management system. He said that the collection had an estimated value $1,500,000 and the museum structure $1,400,000, which was growing every day. Mr. Kirkner reviewed a projected five-year plan which project various revenues and expenditures in addition to projected attendance. Mr. Worrell mentioned a potential future event called the "Pulaski Post -Pandemic Party" based upon a photograph of the first public gathering in the Town after the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. After an invitation to tour the museum, the presentation concluded. Next, Council considered Ordinance 2021-08. , Page 8 of 11/April 6, 2021 15. Compensatory Time Policies, Ordinance 2021-08 Mr. Reis moved to table Ordinance 2021-08 for further review by the Town. Mr. Dawson seconded the motion which was approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye Council then considered a resolution recognizing Capt. A.K. "Andy" Anderson upon his retirement. 16. Recognition of the Service of Capt. A.K. "Andy" Anderson, Jr., Resolution 2021-14 Mayor Collins read Resolution 2021-21 in its entirety before Council. Following the reading of the resolution, Mr. East moved to adopt Resolution 2021-14 in recognition of the service of Andy Anderson, Jr. with our Police Department. The motion was seconded by Mr. Penn and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye Since Captain Anderson could not be present, the resolution was accepted by Chief Gary Roche; Lt. Jill Neice; and Lt. Mike Parmelee of the Pulaski Police Department. Following the presentation, Council considered Ordinance 2021-07. 17. Public Comment Period No comments were received from the public. 18. Consideration of Ordinance 2021-07 Council next considered Ordinance 2021-07, "Ordinance Amending the Personnel Policy Clarifying the Payout of Compensatory Time at Employee Separation" which was added to the agenda at the start of the meeting. Mr. Reis' motion to approve the ordinance, was seconded by Mr. Clontz and approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye 19. Consent Agenda a. Consideration of the Minutes of the March 16, 2021 Council Work Session Mayor Collins asked for consideration of the minutes of March 16, 2021. Mr. Dawson moved to adopt the March 16, 2021 meeting minutes as written. Mr. Penn seconded the motion which was approved on the following roll call vote: Lane R. Penn -Aye James A. Radcliffe -Aye Brooks R. Dawson -Aye G. Tyler Clontz -Aye Gregory C. East -Aye Michael P. Reis -Aye 20. Council Comments Mayor Collins asked for council members comments. Mr. Penn had no comment. Page 9 of 11/April 6, 2021 Mr. Dawson mentioned two issues. The first was the upcoming expiration of the Gatewood contract this year. He felt that a positive direction was made and that Mr. Valach was driven to make improvements that were a positive benefit to the Town. The second issue dealt with Ms. Peggy White's efforts to pursue a permanent food truck location. These locations would have parking as well as tables to be functional at mealtimes. Mr. Reis suggested making Pulaski on Main aware of the effort. Mrs. Burcham said she was prepared to negotiate with Mr. Valach, but wanted some sentiment from Council if they wished to do that. Under the original proposal for a 01 and 5t' year some percentages had been mentioned which might be negotiated further. Mrs. Burcham said she waited until the issue was mentioned to see if members wished to negotiate now or go out for a request for proposals (RFP). Mrs. Burcham had also spoken with Ms. White about a couple of locations and some alternative locations. She had asked Mr. Deal to bring up to the Planning Commission the issue of allowing the idea of permanent locations for food trucks. In addition, she mentioned she had spoken with Mr. Valach. Mr. Dawson said the issue with the season closing, was how much of an investment Mr. Valach would make in the park, which he felt was desirable. If proceeding with decisions allowed him to proceed or not with investments, that would be more positive to both parties than letting the issue linger. Mr. Reis agreed with beginning the conversation. Mrs. Burcham said if there were any changes she would bring them back to Council for approval. Mr. East felt the relationship had been successful so far. Mr. East asked who Gatewood was name after. Mr. Penn said the reservoir was named Mr. Gatewood, father to former councilmember Polly Mitchell, who was the Town Engineer. Mrs. Burcham added that new, more attractive signs had been put out for Gatewood that were both larger and more visible. Mr. Radcliffe said that citizens has asked him to have some "cruise -ins" which had been held on Main Street. He suggested that staff might contact someone and that the events brought a lot of business Downtown. Mrs. Burcham asked for staff to be contacted if anyone was interested. Mr. Radcliffe thanked Mrs. Burcham for her work on the budget. Mr. Cloritz had no comment. Mr. Reis expressed his appreciation for the hand sanitizers placed in the 6th Street playground as well as the repairs made to Kiwanis Park playground. He also noted that playgrounds were listed in the CIP which he felt would give more things to do as well as keep business and people in the Town. Mrs. Burcham said that the five-year CIP, starting in the following fiscal year, listed playground equipment replacement for one playground and that a schedule was necessary for getting all of them done. Mrs. Burcham then shared with Council discussions with the County Administrator concerning dog parks. Mayor Collins thanked the citizens for their support of local businesses and expressed his expectation for better things for the community. 21. Manager's Report Mrs. Burcham noted visiting her grandson in culinary school in New York state, that her grandson found the macaroons from Pulaski were superior to those in N.Y. Also mentioned was the intent to have Mayor Clark's picture in place on the wall of mayors at the next Council meeting. 22. Reminder of Future Council Meetings and Adjournment Mayor Collins reminded Council of the upcoming Council Work Session on April 20, 2021, with the Closed Session beginning at 5:00 p.m. and the Public Session beginning at 6:30 p.m. Page 10 of 11/April 6, 2021 There being no further business, Mr. Penn moved to adjourn. The'motion was seconded by multiple Council members and approved by unanimous voice vote at 9:07-p.m.. , Approved: i W. hannon Collins Mayor ATTEST: David N. Quesenberry Clerk of Council 1 Page 11 of 11/April 6, 2021