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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/10/2025 - City Council - Minutes - Regular CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Monday, February 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM Work Session, 5:30 PM Council Chambers Conference Room, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 Regular Session, 6:30 PM, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 WORK SESSION 1. Call to Order A work session of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was held in the Council Chambers Conference Room, City Hall, 114 N. Broad Street, Salem, Virginia, on February 10, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor; Anne Marie Green, Vice-Mayor; Council members; Byron Randolph Foley, H. Hunter Holliday, and John Saunders (participated remotely); with Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor, presiding; together with Chris Dorsey, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosemarie B. Jordan, Director of Finance; Crystal Williams, Assistant to the City Manager; and Laura Lea Harris, Deputy Clerk of Council; and the following business was transacted; Mayor Turk reported that this date, place, and time had been set in order for the Council to hold a work session; and 2. New Business A. FY2026 Budget Priorities City staff presented an update highlighting certain funding priorities/obligations identified in the early stages of the City Manager’s draft Fiscal Year 2026 budget. Discussion was held and questions were asked as these items were shared. Staff also reviewed a list of capital projects submitted by departments related to infrastructure improvements. Mr. Light noted that the budget development team is still in the process of reviewing and prioritizing these requests for future consideration by Council. Mayor Turk expressed the desire to see consideration given to funding for landscape enhancement to the entrance corridors. Councilman Holliday asked about the possibility of streaming Council meetings. City Manager Dorsey noted that staff is currently working on evaluating streaming options for inclusion in the budget. Councilman Saunders asked that staff be mindful of the impact of the Real Estate Tax on citizens. 3. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Turk adjourned the meeting at 6:15 p.m. REGULAR SESSION 1. Call to Order A regular meeting of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was called to order at 6:30 p.m., there being present the following members to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor; Anne Marie Green, Vice-Mayor; Councilmembers: Byron Randolph Foley, H. Hunter Holliday, and John Saunders (participated remotely); with Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor, presiding together with Chris Dorsey, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosemarie B. Jordan, Director of Finance; Chuck Van Allman, Director of Community Development; Mike Stevens, Director of Communications; and John Fitzgerald, on behalf of City Attorney, Jim Guynn. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Turk requested that Mr. Light read a request from Councilman Saunders to participate remotely in this Council meeting. The request from Councilman Saunders stated: "in accordance with Section 2.2 - 3708.3 B(1) of the Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Remote Participation Policy of the City of Salem, I hereby request to participate remotely due to a temporary medical condition that prevents my physical attendance." Randy Foley motioned to accept the remote participation of Councilman Saunders. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Holliday, Foley, Green, Turk Nays: None Abstaining: Saunders 3. Bid Opening, Awards, Recognitions There were none this evening. 4. Consent Agenda A. Citizen Comments Comments from the public, limited to five minutes, on matters not already having a public hearing at the same meeting. Stella Reinhard, 213 N. Broad Street, offered the following suggestions for Council's consideration: adopt a set of parliamentary rules of order for Council meetings, allot thirty minutes at the beginning of Council meetings for citizen comments and allow citizens to sign up to speak up until the start of the Council meeting, eliminate two -by- two meetings, and stream Council meetings. In addition, she noted that she would like to meet with each Council member in the next few weeks to discuss ways to move forward with HopeTree. Cynthia Munley, 425 Roanoke Boulevard, requested that rules of procedure for Council meetings be addressed. She also voiced concerns about the procedure followed in the HopeTree rezoning request. B. Minutes Consider acceptance of the January 27, 2025, Work Session and Regular Meeting minutes. Mayor Turk noted that an amended version of the minutes had been distributed by staff to address several minor grammatical issues. The minutes were approved as amended. 5. Old Business There was no Old Business this evening. 6. New Business A. Special Exception Permit - Withdrawn at the Request of the Petitioner WITHDRAWN AT THE REQUEST OF THE PETITIONER. Hold public hearing to consider the request of Heather Pollard, contract purchaser, for the issuance of a Special Exception Permit to allow a personal service, beauty salon, on the property located at 707 South Colorado Street, Tax Map 160 -7- 3. (Advertised in the January 23 and 30, 2025, issues of the Salem Times- Register.) (The Planning Commission recommended approval by a unanimous vote.) Mayor Turk noted that this request had been withdrawn at the request of the petitioner. Due to the withdrawal of this request, there would be no further action, and no public hearing would be held on this item this evening. B. Amendment to the City Code - Chapter 106, Zoning Hold public hearing and consider ordinance on first reading for the request of Patrick and Jamie Snead to amend Chapter 106 Zoning, Article III Use and Design Standards, Section 106-304.17(B)(6) Townhouse, of the CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA pertaining to setbacks for townhouses. (Advertised in the January 23 and 30, 2025, issues of the Salem Times-Register.) (The Planning Commission recommended approval by a unanimous vote.) Mr. Van Allman noted that the details on this item were included in the Council packet from the Planning Commission meeting minutes. This was brought to Community Development as a text revision, which is allowed, and the petitioner would address the reason that this was brought to Community Development's attention. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing. Patrick Snead, 302 Live Oak Court, stated that he and his wife, Jamie were the owners and managing members of Riverland Oaks, LLC. He indicated that this was a company they started to own and manage their residential rental properties, which are currently all located in the City of Salem. He added that they also own and operate a small general contracting business. Mr. Snead noted that they had worked with Balzer and the City of Salem on the proposed amendment. This proposed amendment would reduce setbacks for townhouses when adjacent to properties with equal or higher intensity zoning while maintaining larger setbacks where adjacent to single-family or agricultural zoning. The amendment aims to address the challenges posed by limited available land for development. Mr. Snead indicated that Chris Burns, with Balzer, was present this evening to answer any technical questions. Mayor Turk closed the public hearing as no one else came forward to speak. Anne Marie Green motioned to adopt ordinance on first reading for the request of Patrick and Jamie Snead to amend Chapter 106 Zoning, Article III Use and Design Standards, Section 106-304.17(B)(6) Townhouse, of the CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA pertaining to setbacks for townhouses. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None C. Amendment to the City Code - Chapter 66, Signs Hold public hearing and consider ordinance on first reading amending Chapter 66 Signs, Article IV Permitted Signs by Use and District, Section 66-105 Permitted Signs, of the CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA pertaining to wall signs. (Advertised in the January 23 and 30, 2025, issues of the Salem Times-Register.) (The Planning Commission recommended approval by a unanimous vote.) Max Dillon, Planner, provided a brief overview of the proposed Code change. He explained that this proposed change was in response to concerns from existing and prospective businesses about signage regulations, specifically, the number of wall signs that the current Code allows. He explained how the amount of signage per parcel is determined. The proposed change applies only to wall signage in the Highway Business District and attempts to balance flexibility for businesses while maintaining the aesthetic character of commercial districts. Mr. Dillon explained that the amendment would introduce the concept of a "primary building side" to calculate allowable wall sign area, rather than relying solely on road frontage. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing. No one came forward to speak. Mayor Turk closed the public hearing. Anne Marie Green motioned to adopt ordinance on first reading amending Chapter 66 Signs, Article IV Permitted Signs by Use and District, Section 66 -105 Permitted Signs, of the CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA pertaining to wall signs. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Councilman Foley noted the concern that this does not reduce the main structural sign on the road, and he feels that if the City is providing additional signage, the main structural sign should be reduced as well. He felt that this proposed amendment was helping large corporations and not the smaller businesses. Ayes: Saunders, Holliday, Turk Nays: Foley, Green Abstaining: None D. Taxicabs Consider setting the date for a public hearing in accordance with Section 98- 94 of THE CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA, for the issuance of Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for the next twelve (12) months. (Suggest March 24, 2025). Randy Foley motioned to set the date of March 24, 2025, for a public hearing in accordance with Section 98-94 of THE CODE OF THE CITY OF SALEM, VIRGINIA, for the issuance of Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for the next twelve (12) months. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None E. Appropriation of Funds Appropriate grant funds received from Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia Mayor Turk asked Ms. Jordan for information on this item, Ms. Jordan noted that a discussion was held at the previous Council meeting on changes for the Audit Finance Committee. This was the first item of this type being presented to Council without presentation to the Audit Finance Committee. A grant was received by the City from the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia. This was a $10,000 grant submitted by the Parks Department. These funds are going to be used to replace the dance floor and tables at the Senior Center. The grant will cover the cost and no local match is required. The request is for Council to appropriate that revenue and that expenditure for the $10,000 grant. Anne Marie Green motioned to appropriate the grant funds received from the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None F. Appropriation of Funds Appropriate grant funds awarded by Virginia Tourism Corporation Mayor Turk requested that Ms. Jordan share information on this item. Ms. Jordan explained the City of Salem was awarded a $20,000 marketing grant from the Summer 2024 Special Events and Festivals Sponsorship Program through the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC). The VTC grant funds will be utilized for digital marketing of the 2025 Salem Fair to the Greensboro, Charlotte, and Northern Virginia markets. It has been found that marketing to areas outside of Salem draws a lot of people from out of town in for this event. A local match is required and is already included in the Salem Fair marketing budget for the current fiscal year. No additional local funds will need to be appropriated. Council was asked to appropriate the $20,000 grant revenue and the offsetting expenditure for this marketing program. Council was also asked to authorize staff to roll over any funds that are unspent to Fiscal Year 2026. John Saunders motioned to appropriate $20,000 in grant funds awarded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Also, that any of this grant not spent in the Fiscal Year 2025 be administratively appropriated to Fiscal Year 2026. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None G. Appropriation of Funds Request to adjust budgets for NCAA revenue and expenditure accounts. Audit - Finance Committee In November 2024, the City was awarded the NCAA combined Division II and Division III women’s lacrosse championship which will be held in May 2025. Since this award was made after the budget was adopted, NCAA revenue and expenditure budgets need to be adjusted for this event. Randy Foley motioned to approve additional appropriations totaling $75,500 be made to NCAA revenue and expenditure accounts as detailed in the agenda packet. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None H. Appropriation of Funds Request to appropriate and transfer capital reserve. Audit - Finance Committee The Capital Planning and Reserve Policy was adopted by Council on March 25, 2024. After completion of the fiscal year 2024 annual audit, a calculation was completed using amounts from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report to determine the annual contribution to the capital reserve. Per the calculation that is included in the agenda packet, the contribution is $6,228,707. This amount needs to be transferred from the General Fund to the Capita l Reserve Fund. By establishing and maintaining a capital reserve, the City provides funding for mid -level capital expenditures. Randy Foley motioned to appropriate $6,228,707 to General Fund revenue account, Designation of Beginning Fund Balance, and General Fund expenditure account, Transfer to Capital Reserve. Also, to appropriate $6,228,707 to Capital Reserve Fund revenue account Transfer from General Fund – Capital Reserve, and Capital Reserve Fund expenditure account, Capital Reserve. Anne Marie Green seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None 7. Closed Session Hold a closed session in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.2-3711A(3) of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, for a discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. Anne Marie Green motioned that, in accordance with Section 2.2 -3711 A(3) of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, Council hereby convenes to closed session at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussing the following specific matters: Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose, or of the disposition of publicly held real property, where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None Mayor Turk noted that no action was anticipated this even ing. Anne Marie Green motioned to reconvene at 7:35 p.m. in accordance with Section 2.2‐3712 D. of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended to date, Council certifies that in closed session only items lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and only such items identified in the motion by which the closed session was convened were heard, discussed, or considered by the Council. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None 8. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Submitted by: Approved by: H. Robert Light Renée Ferris Turk Clerk of Council Mayor