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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/11/2023 - City Council - Minutes - RegularCity Council Meeting MINUTES Monday, September 11, 2023, 6:30 PM Work Session 6:00 P.M. Council Chambers, Conference Room, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 Regular Session 6:30 P.M. Council Chambers, 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 September 11, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council to wit: Renée Ferris Turk, Mayor (participated remotely); James W. Wallace, III, Vice- Mayor (participated remotely); Council members: Byron Randolph Foley, William D. Jones, and H. Hunter Holliday; with Byron Randolph Foley, presiding together with James E. Taliaferro, II, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosemarie B. Jordan, Director of Finance; Crystal Williams, Assistant to the City Manager; Laura Lea Harris, Deputy Clerk of Council; and Mark Popovich, on behalf of Jim Guynn, City Attorney; and the following business was transacted; Mr. Foley reported that this date, place, and time had been set in order for the Council to hold a work session. A. Discussion Items Follow up to discussion on Citizen Comment requests. Continued discussion was held on Citizen Comment requests from the August 14 and August 28, 2023, Council meetings. Mr. Foley noted that there was no action that Council could take on the Hope Tree items until the City actually had a proposal from them. Work Session times were discussed. There was no support for changing the time and/or day. Discussion was held on Code enforcement. It was noted that input from Community Development, the City Manager, and the Assistant City Manager were needed in order to fully review this request as well as in-depth thought and discussion. Mr. Wallace requested that Council direct the City Manager and Assistant City Manager to direct Community Development that a formal response must be given to Zoning Violation complaints. Discussion of various options and subsequent questions/comments as to how this could work was held. Mr. Light requested that staff be given time to discuss this with Community Development to better understand the specifics of their current process, gather their feedback, and subsequently follow back up with Council. 2. Adjournment There being no further business, Mr. Foley adjourned the meeting at 6:18 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 (participated remotely); James W. Wallace, III, Vice-Mayor (participated remotely); Councilmembers: Byron Randolph Foley, William D. Jones, and H. Hunter Holliday; with Byron Randolph Foley presiding together with James E. Taliaferro, II, 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 Mark Popovich, on behalf of Jim Guynn, City Attorney. William Jones motioned to make Randy Foley chairman for City Council for the September 11, 2023, Regular meeting of Council. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones Abstain: Turk, Wallace 2. Pledge of Allegiance A moment of silence was recognized after the Pledge in remembrance of September 11, 2001. 3. Bid Openings, Awards, Recognitions There were none this evening. 4. Consent Agenda Mr. Foley requested that Mr. Light read a request from Mayor Turk and Vice- Mayor Wallace to participate remotely in this Council meeting. The request from Mayor Turk stated: "In accordance with Section 2.2-3708.3 B.4 of the Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Remote Participation Policy of the City of Salem, I hereby request to participate remotely for a personal matter, specifically that I am out of town." The request from Vice-Mayor Wallace stated: "In accordance with Section 2.2- 3708.3 B.4 of the Code of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Remote Participation Policy of the City of Salem, I hereby request to participate remotely for a personal matter, specifically that I am out of town." William Jones motioned to accept the remote participation of Mayor Turk and Vice- Mayor Wallace. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones Abstain: Turk, Wallace A. Citizen Comments Comments from the public, limited to five minutes, on matters not already having a public hearing at the same meeting. Michael Bentley, 312 North Broad Street, was the first citizen to address Council. He expressed concern about the proposed Hope Tree redevelopment. He specifically was concerned about overgrowth and potentially negative consequences to the historic neighborhood, such as traffic, infrastructure, and school capacity. He expressed concern about the environmental costs of more development and less green space and said that he felt there was a need for planning to retain existing green spaces and that other spaces should be utilized for new housing. Mr. Bentley requested that Salem City Council not approve rezoning of the Hope Tree property. Christina McCart, 316 North Borad Street, was the last person to address Council this evening. She urged Salem to determine the effects on current neighborhoods of proposed rezoning prior to granting. She expressed concern about traffic. She suggested a simulation to model impacts on traffic reflecting both current load of automobiles and projected numbers. She expressed the concern that this might decrease value and condition of neighborhood. She requested that Council get all facts before making a decision on rezoning. She requested detailed analysis of traffic flow, water runoff, increased load on schools, increased load on all city infrastructure, and demand for multifamily housing. She requested that before voting for any zoning changes, Council get developers to provide specific information on number of units and full impact on residents of Salem. She asked that the impact on the value of homes of current residents be considered as well. B. Minutes Consider acceptance of the August 28, 2023, Work Session and Regular Meeting minutes. The minutes were approved as written. 5. Old Business A. Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Consider ordinance on second reading for the request of Helm Building Enterprises Ltd., property owner, for rezoning the property located at 105 St. John Road (Tax Map # 155-3-2) from HBD Highway Business District to HM Heavy Manufacturing. (Approved on first reading at the August 28, 2023, meeting.) William Jones motioned to adopt ordinance on second reading for the request of Helm Building Enterprises Ltd., property owner, for rezoning the property located at 105 St. John Road (Tax Map # 155-3-2) from HBD Highway Business District to HM Heavy Manufacturing. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace B. Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Consider ordinance on second reading for the request of Doyle Properties, LLC, property owner, for rezoning the property located at 2005 East Main Street (Tax Map # 78-2-2.11) from RSF Residential Single Family to HBD Highway Business District. (Approved on first reading at the August 28, 2023, meeting.) William Jones motioned to adopt ordinance on second reading for the request of Doyle Properties, LLC, property owner, for rezoning the property located at 2005 East Main Street (Tax Map # 78-2-2.11) from RSF Residential Single-Family to HBD Highway Business District. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk Nays: Wallace C. Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Consider ordinance on second reading for the request of Neal Wall, property owner, for rezoning the properties located at 1139 Highland Road (Tax Map #230-2-7) and portions of 1127 (Tax Map #230-2-5) and 1133 Highland Road (Tax Map # 230-2-6) from RSF Residential Single Family to HBD Highway Business District. (Approved on first reading at the August 28, 2023, meeting.) William Jones motioned to adopt ordinance on second reading for the request of Neal Wall, property owner, for rezoning the properties located at 1139 Highland Road (Tax Map #230-2-7) and portions of 1127 (Tax Map #230-2-5) and 1133 Highland Road (Tax Map # 230-2-6) from RSF Residential Single Family to HBD Highway Business District. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace 6. New Business A. Appropriation of Funds Appropriate Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) ARPA Sports Marketing Incentive Program Grant for Stagg Bowl. Audit - Finance Committee The City of Salem was awarded an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Marketing Incentive Program grant through Virginia Tourism Corporation in the amount of $20,150. Funds will be used for personnel and radio advertising expenses for the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl that will be held in December 2023. No local match is required. Grant proceeds will cover the cost of items not included in the FY24 operating budget. William Jones motioned to appropriate $20,150 in ARPA Sports Marketing Incentive Program grant revenue and increase the budget for ARPA Sports Marketing Incentive Program grant expenditures by $20,150. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace B. Appropriation of Funds Appropriate excess local funding due to utilization of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Audit - Finance Committee The City was awarded ARPA funding in the amount of $31,164,631. In the fiscal year 2023 budget, $25,950,000 was appropriated in the General Fund, freeing up local funds for other uses. In fiscal year 2023, excess local funds of $15,622,584 were appropriated in the Capital Projects Fund and excess local funds of $9,456,916 were appropriated in the Water and Sewer Capital Fund. The fiscal year 2023 budget for the Water and Sewer Capital Fund needs to be increased by $870,500 to reflect the correct excess local funding for the North Salem Water Improvement project. The fiscal year 2024 adopted budget for the General Fund includes the remaining ARPA funding for general government services. Utilizing these funds for general government services is an eligible use of funds per guidance issued by the United States Department of the Treasury and will free up local funds for other uses. Excess local funds of $1,963,047 need to be appropriated in the Capital Projects Fund as a reserve for future projects. Excess local funds of $3,247,584 need to be appropriated in the Water and Sewer Capital Fund to fully fund the North Salem Water Improvement project. Federal funding of $5,210,631 will be used to cover general government services in the General Fund, freeing up local funds for other uses. William Jones motioned to appropriate $870,500 in the Water and Sewer Capital Fund in fiscal year 2023 to the Transfer From General Fund account and to the North Salem Water Improvement account. Also to appropriate $1,963,047 in the Capital Projects Fund in fiscal year 2024 to the Transfer From General Fund account and to the Excess Local Funding Reserve account. In addition, appropriate $3,247,584 to the Water and Sewer Capital Fund in fiscal year 2024 to the Transfer From General Fund account and to the North Salem Water Improvement account. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace C. Appropriation of Funds Consider request to re-appropriate funding for various capital items. Audit - Finance Committee In previous fiscal years, funds were budgeted for capital items that were not purchased for various reasons. Attached is a list of projects that need to have funding reappropriated in fiscal year 2024. Re-appropriated funds will be used to cover the cost of equipment and projects. Mr. Foley shared for the benefit of the public that this funding will be used for police vehicles, caulking at Salem Stadium, parking lot resealing at Salem Stadium, and a consultant for the Civic Center to determine its best future use. William Jones motioned to re-appropriate fund balance of $210,964. Increase the Designation of Beginning Fund Balance account by $210,964 and increase the budget for accounts listed on the attachment in the agenda packet for the purpose stated above. In addition, appropriate $50,000 in net position in the Civic Center fund account and increase the budget in the Other Professional Services account by $50,000. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace D. Appropriation of Funds Consider request to amend the School Cafeteria Fund budget as approved by the School Board on August 8, 2023. Audit - Finance Committee The School Cafeteria Fund budget was amended for fiscal year 2022-2023 by the School Board at their meeting on August 8, 2023. The Board amended the Cafeteria Fund budget to increase revenues and expenditures by $120,000. William Jones motioned to approve the School Board’s appropriation changes of $120,000 be made to the Cafeteria Fund as amended at the August 8, 2023, School Board meeting. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace E. Salem Band Boosters Consider request from the Salem Band Boosters for a donation ($4,422.46) equal to the amount of admissions tax paid in connection with the annual Drum Corps International Summer Music Games competition held on August 1, 2023, at the Salem Stadium. William Jones motioned to approve the request from the Salem Band Boosters for a donation ($4,422.46) equal to the amount of admissions tax paid in connection with the annual Drum Corps International Summer Music Games Competition held on August 1, 2023, at the Salem Stadium. H Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, Holliday, Jones, Turk, Wallace 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:53 p.m.