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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/8/2021 - City Council - Minutes - RegularAPPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION March 8, 2021 A work session of the Council of the City of Salem, Virginia, was held in the Arena of the Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem, Virginia, on March 8, 2021, at 5:30 p.m., there being present the following members of said Council, to wit: Renee F. Turk, James W. Wallace, III, Byron Randolph Foley, John Saunders, and William D. Jones; with Renee F. Turk, Mayor, 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 John Shaner, Director of Parks and Recreation; Eric O’Brien, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation; Scott Scharnus, Superintendent of Sports Complexes; Jim Farmer, Recreation Program Supervisor; and Aaron St. Pierre, Associate Vice President of Lose Design 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 WHEREAS, Mr. Taliaferro introduced John Shaner who shared a brief history of Moyer Complex and an overview of the facility’s maintenance needs; and WHEREAS, Aaron St. Pierre gave a presentation on the James I. Moyer Sports Complex final master plan; and WHEREAS, a discussion was held; There being no further business to come before the Council, the work session was adjourned at 6:30 p.m. ____________________________________ Mayor _____________________________________ Clerk of Council City Council Meeting MINUTES Monday, March 8, 2021, 6:30 PM Community Room, Salem Civic Center, 1001 Roanoke Boulevard, Salem, Virginia 24153 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: Renee F. Turk, Mayor; James W. Wallace, III, Vice-Mayor; Council members: Byron Randolph Foley, William D. Jones, and John Saunders; with Renee F. Turk, Mayor, presiding together with James E. Taliaferro, II, City Manager; Rob Light, Assistant City Manager and Clerk of Council; Rosemarie B. Jordan, Director of Finance; Mike Stevens, Director of Communications; and Jim Guynn, City Attorney. 2.Pledge of Allegiance 3.Bid Openings, Awards, Recognitions Mayor Turk recognized City Manager Jay Taliaferro for 30 years of service with the City of Salem. She stated that we are very appreciative of all the hard work and dedication to the City that Mr. Taliaferro has put in, doing a wonderful job first as Assistant City Manager and now as City Manager. She also mentioned that he worked before that in engineering where he worked with Community Development and Zoning. Mayor Turk commented that "he has really served the City in many capacities and we are very, very grateful to you for being with us for 30 years." Mr. Taliaferro expressed his appreciation. 4.Consent Agenda A.Citizen Comments Comments from the public, limited to five minutes, on matters not on the regular meeting agenda. The following have signed up to speak at this meeting: 1) John Breen, 142 Bogey Lane, Salem. 2) Kim O'Conner, 46 Upland Drive, Salem. John Breen, 142 Bogey Lane appeared before Council. Mr. Breen stated that his topic for the evening is " Nuts, Bolts, Screws, Maintenance and Timeliness." "We usually know what holds something together and that maintenance is needed to keep a thing successfully operating. Often missed is that success requires timeliness. So, the old mantra that “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” becomes a de facto guiding principle along with another, “it’s the way we’ve always done it.” Prudence demands timeliness and these two old mantras don't have it. Salem has now become a victim. Issues that were once small and readily addressed have now become seemingly overwhelming. In a limited and tentative, but positive fashion Salem is becoming “woke” to the lack of Code enforcement and the need for Code improvements and updates. This is really good news! But does moving to correct ineffective Code enforcement and a weak Code demand urgency? Yes, prudence dictates urgency. Besides, there is no good reason to be tentative or slow. Community benefits would be significant and immediate: enhanced property tax revenue, unsafe structures and unhealthy conditions eliminated, economic development efforts assisted, property owners encouraged to better maintain their property, eyesores abated, and last but not least, community pride improved. Salem’s current Code and Code enforcement issues were essentially allowed to happen. During the 54 years, 24 more than Jay, since Salem adopted its Charter, Code enforcement manpower should have been tackled. In the past 10-years the Comprehensive Plan and Code enhancements should have been updated. Surely enough time has passed so that Salem’s blighted, unsafe, or unhealthy situations could have been effectively addressed, abated, and not allowed to remain and grow in number year after year. Last October a citizen brought two unsafe properties to the city’s attention. In February these were finally before a BZA hearing for either abatement or demolition. Any final resolution is still 90 days away. This is a total of 10 months and counting to abate two situations that actually have existed year after year after year. There are many more that also exist. Ignoring these conditions for years is simply unacceptable. However valid the manpower excuse, it needs to stop. Hire someone now. Given the need and the benefits, are Code enhancements and Code enforcement a top priority that should be urgently and effectively acted upon? Of course. Where on Council’s priority list do these two issues rest? Does Council even have a priority list? The answers are respectively nowhere and no. Council is the body that sets Salem’s priorities. Yes, it is an awesome task for 5 part-time people, but absolutely essential and urgently needed. A simple solution is to hire a professional to guide Council in establishing priorities, setting objectives, and measuring progress. The cost is certainly far cheaper than Council having no priorities, no objectives, and no method to measure progress. Upgraded Codes and how to create Blight Abatement and City Beautification programs doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. Googling the issues reveal any number of Virginia city examples, many which merit emulation. Some of the longer-term visioning and upgrades would significantly benefit from a joint Council and Planning Commission brainstorming session. In fact, why not Council - Planning Commission meetings on a regular basis? Bottom line, T he Salem Way should no longer be to kick the can down the road. Summer is almost here. Taking action now is appropriate and much needed." Mr. Bre e n e nde d by tha nking C ounc il for the ir a tte ntion. Mayor Turk thanked Mr. Breen for his comments and said stated that Council would talk to staff about his suggestions. Kim O'Conner, 46 Upland Drive, was the second citizen to appear before Council. Ms. O'Conner stated that her topic for the evening is "Short Term Rental Policy." Ms. O'Conner shared a packet of information with Council. She stated that she was present this evening because the city feels she is in violation of the city's short-term rental policy by renting her home that is in a residential area. She was told thru Zoning that through their interpretation of the law, she is in violation. She received a letter on Saturday that gives her 30 days to cease renting her house. Zoning also stated that unless someone plans on renting a year or longer, becoming a resident in the City of Salem by changing their voting registration to Salem, registering their cars in Salem, etc. that she should consider them a short-term rental. "After working in the City for over fifteen years I took the plunge and bought a house inside the limits, completely remodeled it, and began renting it last month. What began as an exciting adventure turned sour very quickly. Being a hotelier in the Salem community I can tell you firsthand that there is a need for short term rentals. I receive many calls a day from people looking for a short- term rental that have more than one bedroom and a full kitchen. Some of these people are 13 week contract health care workers working for Lewis Gale or the VA, construction workers on long term projects, parents of children visiting Roanoke College, patients from rural areas who are seeking long term treatment for cancer, parents of children playing in one of the area's many sporting events booked by John and Carey, food vendors for the Salem Fair, an engineer who has taken a contract position at TMEIC, Red Sox players who need a place to live for just six months. T his just names a few. Our hotels cannot meet the needs of all these individuals. If Salem chooses to ban short term rentals, your neighboring cities are welcoming these people and their money with open arms. Salem is missing out on the tax revenue as well as the registration fee that other areas charge that range anywhere from $200 to $350 per year per unit. Roanoke, Blacksburg, and Franklin counties all allow short term rentals in residential settings. In other counties the owner is required to file a registration each year that comes with a fee as well as remit occupancy tax. If you set up your listing correctly on Air BnB they will collect the taxes and remit them to the city on your behalf. Today, right now I can book over 20 short term rental homes in Salem. Based on the number of reviews these places have been rented over 1200 times and that's just the people that have taken the time to leave a review. T he city has not investigated these listings but obviously has collected the tax revenue on them which has insinuated that short term rentals were okay. If you choose to ban short term rentals in residential areas, you are forcing people to stay in Roanoke really. Once they book their rental in Roanoke they are going to eat in Roanoke, buy gas in Roanoke, shop in Roanoke, and you lose all the way around. Why not allow short term rentals in some subdivisions and collect the money that these people are here to spend? It would benefit small businesses and restaurants that are struggling now more than ever. I'm a strong believer in supporting your community. In the month that my house has been completed I have had a person stay who was here to receive their service dog for a week. I have hosted a family of 5 last week who came to visit Roanoke C ollege and spent four days in hopes that their daughter will choose to attend Roanoke. I have hosted a group of 4 adults who spent the weekend hiking and exploring all that Virginia's Blue Ridge has to offer. Some of those stays I donated just to get people into the area. T hese people shopped at the local grocery stores, bought gas at the local gas stations, shopped the stores on Main Street and made it clear that they are sure to return due to the positive experience that they had. C O VID-19 has brought an even greater demand for short term rentals in houses. A high number of people traveling are still fearing staying in an actual hotel. Your tax revenue from hotels has to be down significantly. However, the demand for short term rentals has greatly increased. We all know that short term rentals are going on throughout the C ity. Many who rent their houses are renting them to people who have no plans to become residents in Salem at all. You really need to consider what banning short term rentals does to your economy. I p la n o n a p p l y ing for a Special Exception Permit and hope that you will consider supporting it." Mayor Turk asked Ms. O'Conner if she had some items that she wanted to share with Council and Ms. O'C onner shared packets she had compiled with C ouncil. Mayor Turk thanked her for her comments. B.Minutes Consider the acceptance of the minutes for the February 22, 2021 work session and regular meeting. Mayor Turk noted that C ouncil received an amended set of minutes for the February 22, 2021 regular C ouncil meeting prior to this evening's meeting. C hanges were made to Item 6E Boards and C ommissions to provide clarity to this item. T he minutes were accepted as amended. William J ones motioned to approve minutes as amended. J ohn Saunders seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, J ones, Saunders, Turk, Wallace 5.Old Business 6.New Business A.Taxicabs Hold public hearing in accordance with Section 98-94 of T HE C O D E O F T HE C IT Y O F SA LEM, VIRG IN IA, and consider issuance of Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for the next twelve (12) months, beginning April 1, 2021. (Date set for public hearing at February 8, 2021 meeting. Advertised in the February 25, 2021 issue of the Salem Times Register.) Mayor Turk noted that this date had been set at the February 8, 2021 meeting to hold a public hearing regarding the issuance of C ertificates of Public C onvenience and Necessity, and it was advertised in the February 25th issue of the Salem Times Register. Mayor Turk opened the public hearing for comments. T here was no discussion, and the public hearing was closed. Randy Foley motioned to award Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for the next twelve (12 months), beginning April 1, 2021 to B. Early Cab Service, LLC and Daniel Stephen Reid, trading as Reid Taxi. William J ones seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, J ones, Saunders, Turk, Wallace B.The F ahrenheit Group, L L C Consider request authorizing the City Manager to finalize and execute a contract for Economic Development consulting services between T he Fahrenheit Group, LLC and the C ity of Salem. Mayor Turk requested that City Manager Taliaferro speak to this item. Mr. Taliaferro stated that for C ouncil's consideration tonight is a contract with the Fahrenheit Group and T he City for economic development. T his group would come in and do work with the City as far as Economic Development. T hey would perform a market analysis and help us to develop some goals looking forward for different business opportunities. He stated that he would be happy to answer any questions. Mr. Foley questioned Mr. Taliaferro on the full extent of the organizational framework . Mr. Taliaferro stated that they would look both internally and externally at current standing and make recommendations. Randy Foley motioned to authorize the C ity Manager to finalize and execute a contract for Economic Development consulting services between T he Fahrenheit Group, LLC and the City of Salem. William J ones seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, J ones, Saunders, Turk, Wallace 7.C losed Session A.Closed Session Hold a closed session pursuant to Section 2.2-3711A(1) of the 1950 C ode of Virginia, as amended, to discuss a personnel matter pertaining to the City Manager's annual evaluation. Randy Foley motioned to move to closed session at 6:54 pursuant to Section 2.2- 3711A(1) of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, to discuss a personnel matter pertaining to the City Manager's annual evaluation. Bill J ones seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, J ones, Saunders, Turk, Wallace Randy Foley motioned to reconvene at 8:20 in accordance with Section 2.2-3712D of the C ode of Virginia, 1950 as amended to date, C ouncil hereby certifies that in C losed 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. J ohn Saunders seconded the motion. Ayes: Foley, J ones, Saunders, Turk, Wallace 8.Adjournment T he meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.