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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-251 1 Town Council Meeting Minutes March 4, 2025 1. Vice -Mayor Dawson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and asked for a roll call. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye Mayor Collins- Absent 2. Modification to Closed Session- No modifications were made. Vice- Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to enter into Closed Session to discuss the following items: a. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 1 (2 items)- Personnel Matters i. Appointments to Boards ii. Town Manager b. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 3 (1 item)- Acquisition/Disposition of Real Property i. SHAH Development The motion was made by Councilwoman Cope and seconded by Councilman Clark. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye Mayor Collins- Absent The following council members and staff entered into Closed Session: Councilman Clark, Councilwoman Cope, Vice -Mayor Dawson, Councilman Clontz, Councilman Erickson, Councilman Burchett, Town Manager, Todd Day, Town Attorney, Scot Farthing, Clerk of Council, Ms. Hale. Councilman Clontz exited Closed Session before the discussion of SHAH Development. 7:05 pm Open Session 4. Certification of Closed Session- Vice -Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to certify that only the following items were discussed in Closed Session: a. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 1 (2 items)- Personnel Matters i. Appointments to Boards ii. Town Manager b. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 3 (1 item)- Acquisition/ Disposition of Real Property i. SHAH Development Page 1 of 9/ March 3, 2025 The motion was made by Councilman Clark and seconded by Councilwoman Cope. Jeremy L. Clark Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Abstained Mayor Collins- Absent Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye 5. Councilwoman Cope lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. 6. Councilman Clark gave the invocation. 7. Vice -Mayor Dawson welcomed all in attendance and viewing online. 8. Modification to Public Session Vice- Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to return to Closed Session after item 12 on the agenda. The motion was made by Councilman Clark and seconded by Councilwoman Cope. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Mayor Collins- Absent Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye 9. Presentations a. Condemnation Process- Code Enforcement Officer, Carla Hodge & Acting Building Official, Nathan Smythers Vice -Mayor Dawson stated there have been questions from the public regarding the blighted properties and structures that are vacant, they are curious about what is being done and what should be done and asked that Ms. Hodge and Mr. Smythers explain the process and steps they have to go through to remedy the issues. Ms. Hodge reported the first step is when a citizen complaint comes to her office, they will inspect the property, document any violations, notify the property owner and give them time for compliance, if they don't comply or take corrective action, Ms. Hodge and Mr. Smythers will re -inspect and take court action if needed. The court can then assign a fine or give the property owner more time to comply. In the case of unsafe structures, the property owner is notified with a notice of violation, a placard is posted on the property, a legal notice is advertised in the paper, an asbestos report is required if the structure is going to be demolished, and a quote for demolition is obtained. Ms. Hodge stated there are 17 structures that are unsafe that her and Mr. Smythers have identified in the town, they are boarded to keep trespassers out because they Page 2 of 9/ March 3, 2025 are so dilapidated, she stated the average cost to demolish a structure is around $15,000 plus the payment cost. Manager Day reported there are methods and processes that the town can go through if a property is structurally unsound; we can acquire the property along with the land, work with the EDA to give it to a developer and build a new structure on the property. He reported $150,000 has been budgeted for Ms. Hodge to work on the list of homes that are condemned. Mr. Farthing commented on a new bill that was passed by the General Assembly to clean up blighted properties that was driven by Bristol, Virginia, where the land gets transferred to the locality and the locality can clean it up and then own it. Councilman Burchett asked of all the dilapidated structures, which ones are occupied and if there are owners, do the owners live in town. Ms. Hodge stated none of the properties are occupied and a lot of the situations she comes across, the property owner is an absentee owner. Councilman Burchett asked if Ms. Hodge felt supported by the court system. Ms. Hodge stated she feels supported as the judge in the general district court has good knowledge of the town code, and works together with staff and property owners that are brought to the court. Councilman Burchett stated he remembered when the town had a task force to take care of the same issues but it was never acted upon and he remembered looking at their recommendations but between then and now the code has not changed. He asked what Council could do to help, if there needs to be more teeth in the code, then maybe amending some things in the code. Ms. Hodge stated amending the code may strengthen the enforcement of it. Manager Day stated he was looking into programs offered by DHCD and other assistance to get Project Revitalize off the ground but it will take time. Councilman Erickson addressed his concerns regarding the budgeted amount, where the money comes from and how is the money recruited. Manager Day stated previously with ARPA money, the town was comfortable financially but the only way to be aggressive to that level, to grow the community to see a larger tax base, we have to do due diligence, review the tax base, taxes, and fees and operate within a given budget. Councilman Erickson stated he would hate to think that the Police Department couldn't get a new cruiser, Public Works couldn't get a new dump truck, or get a Page 3 of 9/ March 3, 2025 new transit vehicle because the town has spent over a quarter million dollars on tearing houses down and a tax increase should be necessary to replace needed equipment is easier to explain than a tax increase to tear down houses. Councilwoman Cope asked if the listed homes were up to date on taxes. Manager Day stated some are and some are not, and that you can put liens on them but if no one is paying liens, the value of the property is going to increase when the property has no value. The remedy is to fight for business, recognize the incentives that we know is out there, and use them and how to attract business and although he doesn't want to recommend to raise taxes or fees, water and sewer rates will increase, as they do each year, because of the capital improvement projects, there isn't any other choice. He stated if we can grow the economy, by getting more business; more homes, that's more tax dollars back to the town. Councilman Burchett asked if three quotes were obtained before any demolition work was done. Manager Day stated the town follows the procurement structure. Councilman Erickson asked if there was a way for the town to remove itself from the process, to sale the property to a developer. Manager Day stated the town would still have to acquire the property to be able to sale it to a developer. Vice -Mayor Dawson thanked Ms. Hodge and Mr. Smythers for their work towards this process as it's a big and important topic and commented on Councilman Erickson's statement that there is an expense to it, but it is part of the obligation to the citizens, that it can't be looked at as a frivolous expense, it has to be looked at as part of the work that we do, not necessarily that we can't do. It needs to be looked at as our responsibility that the 17 unsafe structures, that have neighbors, we have to do everything that we can do to fix them and if it requires money to do it, we need to be trying to find that money somehow to accomplish that. He also stated that if there are missing pieces in the code that need to be looked at to benefit our citizens and put more responsibility on the property owners then it needs to be looked at. Manager Day stated we can look at different areas of cooperation, like waiving taxes, but it would also need cooperation with the county to waive those taxes, but the main goal is to get a new home on the property. Councilwoman Cope asked if the listed properties were owned by the same people and what was the average time for the town to procure the property. Ms. Hodge stated they are different owners, which most are deceased and if everything goes smoothly, it takes around six months. Page 4 of 9/ March 3, 2025 b. Streetscapes Update- Project Engineer, Austin Painter Mr. Painter stated the goal of this project is to provide as much support for our community through rejuvenation and repair of our main street, to support both pedestrians, increase the transportation viability of the downtown through pedestrian access, and to support the businesses by redoing aesthetics of our streetscape. The progress has been moving along and the contractors have been on site, working in front of the Pulaski theater. He reported because the bid for the project came back lower than expected, lower than the construction estimate, that we are seeking and finding ways to pay the difference for the selected light poles. The cost estimate from AEP currently is roughly around $100,000. Councilman Clark asked if work is being completed on schedule. Mr. Painter stated they are on schedule. Councilman Burchett asked if there were any concerns from the business owners about water intrusion into their business. Manager Day stated there was a business with water issues but it'll be alleviated when the project is complete. This project has VDOT- approved sidewalks, which comes at a specific fall but unfortunately, due to the taper on the sidewalk, the road will have to be milled and repaved. Vice -Mayor Dawson asked if the lights were already ordered to prevent any issues with them not coming in or being delayed. Mr. Painter stated AEP is ready to go on their end, they're waiting to schedule it to where the light poles don't have to sit in too long on their lots, the order has been placed just not invoiced to the town yet. Vice -Mayor Dawson stated he would like to see the same trees that are being planted on Main Street be planted on the surrounding blocks to bring a more uniform look to the downtown area. Councilman Burchett asked that the town be cognizant of what trees are being planted, no big treesm, as they tear up sidewalks. Mr. Painter stated the town consulted an arborist and the trees that were chosen were installed in various downtown communities and chosen to prevent that specific issue. Councilman Erickson asked if their plan was to complete Main Street in quarters. Page 5 of 9/ March 3. 2025 r-, 1 Mr. Painter stated that is their plan, but with construction there could be issues they run into or find a more efficient way to use their time. 10. Discussion a. Fine Arts Center $3,000 Supplemental Funding Request (voting) Manager Day asked to table the discussion until after the budget work session. Vice -Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to table the discussion of the Fine Arts Center supplemental funding request. The motion was made by Councilman Clark and seconded by Councilwoman Cope. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye Mayor Collins -Absent 11. Public Comment Period a. Tom Underwood, a long-time resident of the Town of Pulaski addressed Council with his concerns for the trees being planted on Main Street saying there is a gap between the tree and sidewalk and it is impassable if a mother has a stroller or if multiple people are trying to pass each other. He asked about town code regarding uninhabited properties, if a property is uninhabited year after year, to strengthen the code and to choose five easy properties and get rid of them. He stated his concerns with the gas prices in town, and also there isn't enough public relations as there should be in the paper or on the town's website. Mr. Underwood addressed his concerns regarding the town's financial spending, he asked Council to look into how much money is given to the Fine Arts Center and the museum, stating `if you can't save it, giving it money doesn't help'. The last topic Mr. Underwood addressed with Council was that the town to stop funding things for the county, he stated he is double taxed and his taxes pay for anything the county builds and does. 12. Consent Agenda a. Consideration of February 18, 2025 Town Council minutes The motion was made by Councilwoman Cope and seconded by Councilman Clark to adopt the minutes as written. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye 13. Council Comments & Board Updates Page 6 of 9/ March 3, 2025 Mayor Collins- Absent Councilwoman Cope thanked town staff for their continued hard work. Vice -Mayor Dawson reported he attended his first Regional Commission meeting and thanked Kevin Byrd and his group for the impressive orientation. He stated they went out of their way to make sure he was informed with projects and meet other representatives on the board. Councilman Erickson stated when he and Councilwoman Cope attended the Chamber of Commerce breakfast, they brought up an idea to have a designated spot in town to bring food trucks periodically. He reported he has gotten complaints regarding the dirt in the Food Lion parking lot from the water line break and asked Manager Day if that was the town's responsibility to clean up. Councilman Erickson also addressed the construction signs on Main Street stating there's a sign that says the area is closed for construction but another sign that says the area is open, and it could be misleading. Mr. Painter commented stating the construction sign is a requirement from the state and that's why the additional signage was in place to instruct pedestrians that Main Street is open for businesses. Councilman Erickson also mentioned having a parking lot that someone owns that could be turned into a vendor fair. Manager Day stated there are codes to address it but he would get back to Councilman Erickson with those. The last topic Councilman Erickson asked was that council members receive a list of newly issued business licenses to inform residents, when asked, about new businesses in town. There was a discussion regarding the Chamber of Commerce membership fees and Main Street business signs. Manager Day stated there is a sign program for businesses on West Main Street, that the town would pay for their front signage, but that doesn't mean that the specs of that program couldn't change. Vice- Mayor Dawson stated the idea was to grow Main Street and theoretically, Main Street grows a community from within and out, the incentive for Main Street was put in place for what the town could afford, how to grow business on Main Street and it was something that was driven by a particular project focused on that, it wasn't necessarily intentionally left out of other areas. Manager Day stated he would find out the boundaries of that sign program at get back to Councilman Erickson with that information. 14. Manager's Report Manager Day reported he attended two events this week, one being a tour at the Bimmerworld facility, which the town was apart of helping them locate to the Memorial Square location and he was amazed that we have a business like that inside the political jurisdiction. The other event he attended was a ribbon cutting for the expansion of Broussard's General Store, he stated they have put up with a lot of diversity, due to the town issues, sidewalk deterioration, sidewalk replacement, water issues, and they are extremely humble, they have weathered the storm and were still able to expand their space. He stated with those two events, he is extremely please to be in a community that businesses, like those two, exist in. Page 7 of 9/ March 3, 2025 Manager Day informed Council and listeners of the One Bag Challenge with Pulaski County. Vice -Mayor Dawson asked if a resident wanted to participate in the One Bag Challenge but there was a safety issue due to traffic, would there be a way to coordinate that trash collection safely. Manager Day stated he would work with Chief Shumate and asked that they reach out to him so he could coordinate that request. Manager Day also reported there was a study done a few years back that addressed the main sewer interceptor which the town is responsible for that reaches all the way to Pepper's Ferry. He informed Council that an ad has been placed looking for an engineering firm and a meeting with Pulaski County and the Town of Dublin will be held to get acclimated to that project. 15. Reminder of Future Council Meeting a. March 12, 2025 6:00 p.m. Budget Work Session b. March 18, 2025, Closed Session 6:00 p.m.; Open Session 7:00 p.m. 16. Vice- Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to enter back into Closed Session at 8:27 p.m. to discuss the following items: a. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 1 (2 items)- Personnel Matters i. Appointments to Boards ii. Town Manager b. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 3 (1 item)- Acquisition/Disposition of Real Property i. SHAH Development Manager Day commented saying the discussion regarding appointments to boards has been completed, Council did not have time to discuss the other two items and there were no additions to the agenda for Closed Session. The motion was made by Councilwoman Cope and seconded by Councilman Clark. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye Mayor Collins- Absent The following council members and staff entered back into Closed Session: Councilman Clark, Councilwoman Cope, Vice -Mayor Dawson, Councilman Erickson, Councilman Burchett, Town Manager, Todd Day, Town Attorney, Scot Farthing, and Clerk of Council, Ms. Hale. Councilman Clontz entered into Closed Session after the discussion of SHAH Development. Clerk of Council, Ms. Hale, exited Closed Session before the discussion of Personnel Matters, Town Manager. Page 8 of 9/ March 3, 2025 17. Certification of Closed Session- Vice- Mayor Dawson asked for a motion to certify that only the following items were discussed in Closed Session: a. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 1 (1 item)- Personnel Matters i. Town Manager b. VA Code 2.2-3711 (A) 3 (1 item)- Acquisition/Disposition of Real Property i. SHAH Development The motion was made by Councilman Clark and seconded by Councilwoman Cope. Jeremy L. Clark- Aye G. Tyler Clontz- Abstained Mayor Collins- Absent Sunshine N. Cope- Aye Steven W. Erickson- Aye Brooks R. Dawson- Aye Joel B. Burchett- Aye 18. With no further business, Vice -Mayor Dawson adjourned the meeting at 9:48 p.m. J ATT T Olivia C. Hale Clerk of Council n TOWN of PU ASKI, V INIA f Brooks R. Dawso Vice -Mayor Page 9 of 9/ March 3, 2025