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Home My WebLink About5/27/2025 - City Council - Minutes - Regular CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM Regular Session, 6:30 PM, City Hall, 114 North Broad Street, Salem, Virginia 24153 WORK SESSION WORK SESSION IS CANCELLED FOR MAY 27, 2025 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; 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 Developme nt; Mike Stevens, Director of Communications; and Chris Dadak, on behalf of City Attorney, Jim Guynn. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 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. Evans Baxley, 511 Bonnie Lane, expressed gratitude for Council's service and acknowledged the challenges of their roles. He commended recent enhancements to the downtown area, including lights and sidewalks, and noted the positive impact on traffic speed. Mr. Baxley raised concerns about the condition of roads and proposed ideas for revenue generation for street improvements. He also made recommendations related to utility services. Mr. Baxley requested the purchase of extra guardrails for low-water bridges to avoid reliance on temporary wooden barriers. John Breen, 142 Bogey Lane, criticized the continued use of two-by-two meetings by Council members and asked for a formal motion to abolish the practice. He urged for prioritization of streaming Council meetings. Mr. Breen highlighted long-standing concerns with undeveloped and unsightly properties and expressed concern about road conditions and aesthetics in areas of the City. In addition, he noted concerns with guidelines for citizen comment and follow-up to citizen concerns presented during Council meetings. Mr. Breen offered suggestions for increasing citizen engagement and urged the adoption of formal parliamentary rules for Council meetings. Stella Reinhard, 213 N. Broad Street, noted that she had prepared and submitted a PowerPoint to Council to supplement her comments this evening, and she addressed several topics related to city planning and development. Mrs. Reinhard expressed concerns about construction traffic safety with the ongoing college construction projects. She also made note of possible zoning issues related to the college that may need future Council discussion. Mrs. Reinhard encouraged proactive and detailed vision planning to guide development and shared suggestions for preserving character through village centers, connector roads, and green spaces. B. Minutes Consider acceptance of the May 12, 2025, Regular Meeting minutes. The minutes were approved as written. C. Financial Reports Consider acceptance of the Statement of Revenues and Expenses for the ten months ending April 30, 2025. The Financial Reports were received. 5. Old Business A. Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance Consider ordinance on second reading for the request of Gwynn Properties, LLC, contract purchaser, to rezone the property located at 220 Brand Avenue (T/M# 74 -2- 8) from HBD Highway Business District with conditions to HBD Highway Business District. (Approved on first reading at the May 12, 2025, meeting.) Randy Foley motioned to adopt the Ordinance on second reading, rezoning the property at 220 Brand Avenue from HBD Highway Business District with conditions to HBD Highway Business District. Anne Marie Green seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None B. Resolution 1501 adopting the City's Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2026 Consider the approval of Resolution 1501 adopting the City's Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2026 Hunter Holliday motioned to adopt Resolution 1501, adopting the fee schedule for Fiscal Year 2026. John Saunders seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None C. Resolution 1502 adopting the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 Consider approval of Resolution 1502 adopting the budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Randy Foley motioned to adopt Resolution 1502, adopting the budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Hunter Holliday seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None D. Budget Appropriation Ordinances Consider on second reading the ordinances appropriating funds for: (a) Fiscal year 2026 operating budget and approval of the Schematic List of Positions and Pay Scale for Fiscal Year 2026; (b) Fiscal year 2026 capital budget and; (c) Fiscal year 2026 budget for Salem City Schools Hunter Holliday motioned to adopt the ordinance on second reading, appropriating funds for the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget and approval of the Schematic List of Positions and Pay Scale for Fiscal Year 2026. John Saunders seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None Anne Marie Green motioned to adopt the ordinance on second reading , appropriating funds for the Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Budget. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None Hunter Holliday motioned to adopt the ordinance on second reading, appropriating funds for the Fiscal Year 2026 budget for Salem City Schools. Randy Foley seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None 6. New Business A. Boards and Commissions Consider appointments to various boards and commissions. Randy Foley motioned to reappoint William R. Shepherd for a two-year term ending June 9, 2027, to the Personnel Board. Also, to appoint Denise P. King to replace Skip Lautenschlager for the remainder of a three -year term ending September 26, 2026. Mrs. King appears to have been appointed many years ago as a staff appointment by the City Manager. Per the Commission by-laws, the City Manager appoints two staff members and Council appoints three residents. It is more appropriate that she serves as one of the three governing body resident appointments. John Saunders seconded the motion. Ayes: John Saunders, Hunter Holliday, Randy Foley, Anne Marie Green, Renee Turk Nays: None Abstaining: None 7. Adjournment Mayor Turk noted that she hoped everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and remembered the reason for that holiday. The meeting was adjourned at 6:51 p.m. Submitted by: Approved by: H. Robert Light Renée Ferris Turk Clerk of Council Mayor