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BACK IN OPEN SESSION CONCLUDES THAT CLOSED SESSION. UM, NEXT, WE'RE READY TO GET STARTED WITH JULY 5TH 2023 SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING. MADAME CLAIRE, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
[1. Roll Call]
COUNCILOR MECHANICSBURG YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER JONES YEAH. SMITH LEE COUNCIL MEMBER MYERS MEMBER WESTBROOK PRESIDENT, VICE MAYOR HILL PERM. THANK YOU. NEXT IS ITEM TO DISCUSSION AND[2a. City of Petersburg Financial Policy Update]
CONSIDERATION. ITEM A, WHICH IS THE CITY OF PETERSBURG FINANCIAL POLICY UPDATE. MR ALBAN. MR MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. WE HAVE MR ROSE FROM DAVENPORT'S HERE TO DISCUSS THE UPDATED FINANCIAL POLICIES WITH COUNCIL . WE PROVIDED THOSE TO YOU AT YOUR LAST WORK SESSION. AND WE'RE HERE THIS EVENING TO DISCUSS ANY COMMENTS. YOU MAY HAVE ANY CHANGES AND WE REQUEST ADOPTION THIS EVENING. OKAY GOOD AFTERNOON, MR ROSE. GOOD AFTERNOON. MR MAYOR. MEMBERS OF COUNCIL APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AGAIN. UM AS THE CITY MANAGER INDICATED. I WAS ORIGINALLY HERE ON APRIL 4TH AND SPOKE TO ALL OF YOU ABOUT THE PROPOSED FINANCIAL POLICY GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. THESE WERE ALL IN KEEPING WITH BEST PRACTICES. SO THAT THE CITY CAN CONTINUE TO SEE ITS CREDIT RATINGS GO HIGHER. IT'S COST OF FUNDS GO LOWER AND TO BE IN THE BEST POSSIBLE SHAPE TO TALK WITH THE RATING AGENCIES IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS IT RELATES TO THE COURTHOUSE PROJECT, ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU PLAN TO DO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS WITH THAT, SAID UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE IF I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY AMENDMENTS OR CHANGES THAT PERHAPS, UH, COULD BE MADE THIS EVENING. SO THAT THE HOPE IS THIS COULD BE FORMALLY ADOPTED TONIGHT AND THEN WE MOVE FORWARD . AS I SAID, UM, TO, UH, THE NEXT PHASE OF THE OVERALL THOUGHT, FINANCING AND BORROWING PROGRAMS FOR THE CITY. OKAY? RIGHT COUNSELOR COVER THANK YOU, MR MAYOR. MR ROSE. GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU, TOO, SIR. I'M NOT SURE. WE ARE AT A POSITION ADOPT ANYTHING THAT. WITHOUT SOME SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION BY COUNSEL. WE WERE GIVEN THIS IN OUR LAST MEETING, BUT I'M NOT SURE WE TALKED ABOUT IT AT ALL. AND I'VE READ AND I'VE I'VE GOT . HALF A DOZEN QUESTIONS AND I DON'T KNOW WE'VE ALLOCATED A HALF AN HOUR FOR THIS. I DON'T MEAN TO SLOW THE SMALL THINGS UP, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GET IT RIGHT. UM AND THERE ARE COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I THINK PERHAPS WE NEED TO TWEAK. BUT IN ANY EVENT, UM LET'S DIVE IN ON PAGE 11 OF 74. IT'S TITLED BUDGET DEVELOPMENT POLICIES. SECTION OVERVIEW. YEAH. I'M NOT SURE I'M ON THE SAME PAGE. TRULY NOT ON THE SAME PAGE. ALL RIGHT, WELL, OH, MAYBE THEY CAN GO TO.I'M LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER, MY COPY SAYS PAGE 11 OF 74. MAYBE YOURS IS NOT NUMBERED IN THAT FASHION. I MEAN, OKAY. I THINK YOURS MIGHT BE PAGE TWO. WHY DON'T WE DO PAGE NINE? JUST HAVE IT. PUT UP A LITTLE HIGHER ON THE SCREEN, SO THE WHOLE PAGE COULD BE UP THERE. PAGE NINE. OKAY, AND, YOU KNOW YOU'VE DONE A MASTERFUL JOB. WHOEVER YOU DELEGATED THIS JOB IS DONE A MASTERFUL JOB. UM BECAUSE THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT OF MOVING PARTS IN HERE. UM, BUT LET'S FOCUS ON THIS ONE. OVER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. THERE'S A RECTANGLE AND THEN THE RECTANGLE THERE A BUNCH OF BULLET POINTS. AND THE BOOK THE. THAT RECTANGLE TO THE RIGHT IS DIVIDED INTO A SECTION CALLED PRINCIPLES IN A SECTION CALLED POLICIES AND IF WE GO DOWN TO THE IN POLICIES UNDER THE SIXTH BULLET POINT. IT SAYS THE CITY WILL PURSUE AN AGGRESSIVE POLICY SEEKING THE COLLECTION OF DOING DELINQUENT. TAXES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES AND SO ON. AND I WOULD I WOULD LIKE SOME. I THINK THE COMMITTEE MIGHT BENEFIT IF COUNCIL WERE TO UH HUH. YES, SUGGEST AH! SOME TYPE OF REPORT COMING OUT OF THIS. MR ROSE. WHAT DO YOU THINK
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OF WE ADD ON TO THAT BULLET POINT. AND REPORT QUARTERLY. THE DETAILS OF THOSE REPORTS. THE CONTENT. OTHER REPORTS TO BE DETERMINED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO I THINK IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION OR COMMENT, MR CUTHBERT UM, WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO IS PERHAPS ADD SOME MORE TEETH. TO THAT STATEMENT. IF I'M UNDERSTANDING YOU AND THEN THE LEFT HAND SIDE , WE HAVE RECOMMENDED ENHANCEMENTS AND THAT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY TO ALL OF YOU. UM I THINK WHAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE. UM, IS THAT I'M SORRY . I'M FIGHTING A LITTLE COLD HERE. THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT MY DRINK. I APOLOGIZE. UM. WHAT WE RECOMMEND. SORRY. THERE. UM IS THAT IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. AH THOSE THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE. FOR ANY PARTICULAR, UH, AREA OF POLICY WOULD BE MAKING PRESENTATIONS TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, LITERALLY ON A REGULAR BASIS. AND THEN WHAT COULD HAPPEN IS THAT FINANCE COMMITTEE INFORMATION COULD BE PRESENTED TO THE FOUR COUNCIL. ON A QUARTERLY BASIS. I THINK THAT'S THE WAY I THINK YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT THIS. SO IF THE IF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IS GOING TO START BY MEETING MONTHLY AH, ONE OF THOSE THINGS WOULD BE THAT VARIOUS POLICIES WOULD BE DISCUSSED. UH AND THOSE POLICIES WOULD HAVE, UH, CERTAIN INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO GIVE PRESENTATIONS TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THEN THEY WOULD BE ROLLED UP. EVERY QUARTER OR UP TO, YOU KNOW A QUARTER AND THEN PRESENTED TO THE OVERALL CITY COUNCIL. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO.I GUESS THE POINT WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW IS WHETHER IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL IN YOUR VIEW. TWO.
MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT QUARTERLY REPORTING, UH, IN THE POLICIES THAT COUNCIL DEVELOP, ADOPT, THINK WHAT WE COULD DO GLOBALLY IS TALK ABOUT AND IT'S UP TO THE MAYOR HERE BECAUSE HE WOULD IF THIS IS ADOPTED, UM THERE WOULD BE THE MAYOR AND PERHAPS A MEMBER OR TWO OF COUNCIL WOULD BE ON THIS FINANCE COMMITTEE. AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATION COULD BE THAT IT GETS ROLLED UP QUARTERLY. UH, PERHAPS MORE OFTEN, BUT I THINK QUARTERLY, MAYBE A GOOD APPROACH TO MAKE A FULL PRESENTATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON WHAT HAS TRANSPIRED. OVER THE LAST THREE OR FOUR MONTHS, WHICH COULD HAPPEN SO THAT EVERYONE IS NOT JUST THE 21 OR TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS IS KNOWING WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT EVERYONE IS AND THAT WAY WE CONTINUE THE TRANSPARENCY AND DIALOGUE AND THE EARLY WARNING SIGNS IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING, AS WELL AS POSITIVES. THAT ARE HAPPENING SO IT GOES BOTH WAYS. TWO, RIGHT, OKAY. SO I THINK THE ANSWER COULD BE JUST SIMPLY TOO. ADD TO THE IDEA OF CREATING THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. AND ALLOWING OF FOLLOW UP OF THIS TO SAY THAT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WOULD ON SOMEWHAT OF A REGULAR BASIS, PERHAPS QUARTERLY TO BEGIN WITH. AH TO PRESENT TO THE OVERALL CITY COUNCIL. WELL THAT'S GREAT.
LET ME LET ME GIVE COUNSEL AND YOU, MR ROSE. AN EXAMPLE OF UM THE DIFFICULTY THAT I'M TRYING TO ADDRESS. THE PROBLEM THAT WE'VE RUN INTO IN THE PAST. AND THAT WAS. THE COLLECTION RATE ON UTILITY BILLS. AND IT WOULD WHEN WE WERE PUSHING FOR THAT INFORMATION, IT WOULD VARY DRASTICALLY FROM MONTH TO MONTH. BECAUSE STAFF WAS INCLUDING. THE PAYMENT OF A SUBSTANTIAL PAST DUE. BILL. IN THE CALCULATION OF THE COLLECTION RATE. AND BY DOING THAT STAFF.
UNINTENTIONALLY OBSCURED HOW EFFECTIVE WE WERE. COLLECTING THESE BILLS ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS. AND BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT HIGHLIGHTED. THEN WHEN WE GOT INTO COVID WE FOUND OUT THAT WE HAD CUSTOMERS ALWAYS TOLD US YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF $1000 OR MORE. AND WHEN WE TRIED TO ADDRESS, UM
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THAT BY CUTTING OFF THE WATER, THEN WE BECAME PAINTED AS THE BAD GUYS. AH AND SO WE NEED AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM BEFORE THOSE BILLS. UH CLIMBED TO SUCH A LARGE AMOUNT AS WE TRY TO DO THE KIND OF THING AND WE END UP PAYING THE PRICE. WHEN WE FINALLY SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. SO THAT'S FINE. WE CAN IF THE IF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE COULD GIVE US THOSE QUARTERLY REPORTS. AND AS YOU SAY, GIVE THEM TO ALL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL SO THAT WE'RE ALL IN THE LOOP. AND I THINK QUARTERLY WOULD MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. UM LET AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THAT. LET ME GO TO PAGE OF, UH, I THINK IT'S 14. WHAT WOULD THAT TOPIC BEING AND YOU SAY IT'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT POLICIES. SECTION OVERVIEW. IT'S 11. OKAY WE GOT THREE SETS OF NUMBERS ON THESE PAGES. ALRIGHT, LET'S USE THE CITY OF PETERSBURG , VIRGINIA, NUMBER AND SYSTEM SO WE'RE ON PAGE 11. AND UNDER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT POLICIES. DOWN AT THE BOTTOM. WE'VE GOT ITEM EIGHT. AH SAYS THIS IS CITY SHOW BUDGET. I HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS TOWARD THE FUND BALANCE.REPLENISHMENT. AND I HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS TO FIND IT. PAYGO. CAPITAL PROJECTS. MHM MR. ROSE. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF. SPECIFYING A PERCENTAGE. OF THE FUND BALANCE INSTEAD OF A DOLLAR AMOUNT. YOU KNOW WHEN WE DECIDED ON A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. UH WE HAD MAYBE $2 MILLION AS A UNDERSTAND FUND BALANCE. WE'VE NOW GOT A UNDERSTAND FUND BALANCE OF WHAT WAS IT $30 MILLION. AH AND IN THE CONTEXT OF $2 MILLION HALF A MILLION DOLLARS SEEMS REASONABLE. IN THE CONTEXT OF $30 MILLION. I HAVE A MILLION DOLLARS. SEEMS A LITTLE ON THE, UH, CHINTZY SIDE. AND THE CITY BENEFITS TREMENDOUSLY AS YOU POINT OUT IN THIS DOCUMENT AS WE GO THROUGH IT.
THEY'RE TREMENDOUS BENEFITS TO BUILDING UP THAT ON ASSIGNED TO FUND BALANCE COULD I COULD I AGREE WITH THAT? UM ABSOLUTELY. I COULD SAY WHAT WE COULD DO THEN BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO.
UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING, MR GUTENBERG THAT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE AS CONCERNS. UM WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, WHY DON'T WE, AT A MINIMUM, HAVE THOSE AS OUR AS OUR BASIS? UM, AND THEN ALSO CONSIDER MAYBE EVEN FURTHER ENHANCING THOSE ONCE WE HAVE SOME MORE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CITY MANAGEMENT GOING FORWARD. I THINK THAT WOULD BE FOR THE MOMENT BECAUSE AGAIN THIS IS AFTER, AS WE SAY, REACHING THE MINIMUM TARGETS BECAUSE THERE WILL BE OTHER THINGS THAT DOLLARS ARE GOING TO BE USED FOR SO AGAIN. UM I COULD GO ANY NUMBER OF WAYS ON THAT. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT SOME SOME DOLLARS IN THERE. WE COULD GROW IT BOTH BY THE CERTAIN AMOUNT THERE AS WELL AS TIED INTO INFLATION OR TIED INTO THE BUDGET. THERE'S SOME WAYS WE COULD DO THAT. CERTAINLY. WELL I THINK THE ASPIRATION THAT I'VE HEARD EXPRESSED BY MEMBERS OF COUNCIL IN BY THE CITY MANAGER IS THAT HMM. WE WANT TO MOVE TOWARD A TRIPLE A RATING. YES.
AND IF WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TOWARD A TRIPLE A RATING, IF WE'RE GONNA ACHIEVE A TRIPLE A RATING UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PUMP UP THAT UNDERSTAND FUND BALANCE EVEN MORE. YOU'VE GOT TO COMMENT IN HERE. LET ME FIND IT.
USING THOSE NUMBERS AT THE BOTTOM. THIS IS PAGE 26 OF 74. AND IT'S TALK TALKING ABOUT WHY THEY UNDERSTAND ON ON A SAND FUND. BALANCE MATTERS. YES, THAT'S THE TITLE OF THAT PAGE.
AND THE THIRD BULLET POINT ARE YOU WITH ME, MR ROSE, HAVE YOU THE THIRD BULLET POINT IS SERVED
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THAT IS THE HASSAN TO FUND BALANCE. IT SERVES AS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR CREDIT RATINGS. SO. WE'LL NEVER GET TO BE TRIPLE A IF WE ONLY HAD A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. I THINK I THINK YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT THAT CORRECTLY. IF YOU GO TO PAGE 28 RECOMMENDED ENHANCEMENTS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE AT 35. SO GO KEEP GOING. IF YOU WOULD KEEP GOING. OKAY THERE IT IS. SO WE ARE TALKING, MR CUTHBERT, ABOUT A VERY SUBSTANTIAL UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE LEVEL. 35. OKAY? CAN YOU GIVE ME A PAGE NUMBER? BECAUSE I DON'T SEE ONE ON THE SCREEN. UM PAGE 28. PAGE 28. 30 30. I'M SORRY. 30 OF 74. AND WHAT WERE YOU SAYING, MR ROSE? SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR RECOMMENDATION, WHICH I BELIEVE IS, IS A CORRECT RECOMMENDATION. I WOULD NOT LIKE TO CHANGE THAT. UM UNLESS IT'S THE WAY THAT WILL OF THE COUNCIL. UM, THIS IS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL ON HIS SIDE FUND BALANCE PLUS SOME OTHER RESERVES. YOU CAN BE A TRIPLE A AND THIS TYPE OF THING IF YOU GOT GO TO THE PRIOR PAGE IF THEY WOULD. LOOK AT RIGHT THERE, IT SAYS VERY STRONG, TRIPLE A 35% SO THERE IT IS. THAT IS, THAT'S THE CRITERIA WE'RE SHOOTING FOR. MR CUTHBERT IS TRIPLE A ON THIS. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR.WELL OF THE UNDERSIGNED FUND BALANCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR SEEMS TO GET TRIPLE A IT SEEMS LIKE WE OUGHT TO BE. PULLING OUT ALL STOPS TO TRY TO BUILD UP THAT ON ASSIGNED FUND BALANCE ARE THINK I DON'T MEAN TO BE JUST JUST JUST AGREEABLE, BUT I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN MAYBE THE WAY WE ARE LOOKING AT IT. UM, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT THIS BEYOND THAT TRIPLE A LEVEL THAT'S WHAT I'M SUGGESTING YOU WERE IN THE SAME. WHAT WE'RE SAYING THE SAME THING WHEN WE GET THERE AND HOW THEY ARE NOW. YOU'RE THERE. NOW WHAT DOES THIS METRIC ON THIS MOST IMPORTANT METRIC YOU ARE THERE. YOU'RE THERE TO THIS. THIS ONE FACTOR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR. IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BUT I SUSPECT YOU GET EXTRA CREDIT.
IT'S LIKE IF YOU HAND IN A GREAT PAPER, YOU GET 4.0. AND IF YOU IF YOU DO THE OPTIONAL WORK, YOU GET ANOTHER HALF A POINT TO LET'S GO TO THE NEXT PAGE. IF YOU GO DOWN THIS IS YOUR EXTRA CREDIT, SO ON THE RECOMMENDED HANSE MINTS. IT'S 35% BUT I ALSO RECOMMEND. THE BUDGET STABILIZATION LEVEL OF 5. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DEBT SERVICE CAPITAL RESERVE FUND ON TOP OF THAT, SO YOU LOOK AT THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT DOTTED LINES, AND THAT'S WHY IN THE AFTER WE'RE GOING ABOVE 35. SO I THINK WE ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS TO GET THE EXTRA CREDIT, SO TO SPEAK. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT. THAT'S WHY ON THE TABLE ABOVE YOU'VE GOT LINE EIGHT IS 35% LINE. NINE IS 5% LINE. 10 IS 4% YOU PUT ALL THOSE AND YOU'RE THERE NOW, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET TRIPLE A IMMEDIATELY BY ANY MEANS, BECAUSE THAT'S JUST ONE FACTOR IS FUN BALANCES. YOU'VE GOT THINGS LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER.
COLLECTIONS ARE CRITICAL. YOU'VE GOT THE OVERALL DEMOGRAPHICS. YOU'VE GOT ANY NUMBER OF OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE GOING TO PLAY INTO A CREDIT RATING. AND ALL OF THOSE HAVE MOVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT YOU STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO ON SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE THERE FOR EVERYTHING. ALL RIGHT. WELL, LET'S LET'S LOOK AT IT THIS WAY.
WHAT WAS CONSIDERED COUNCIL DO THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT. TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS OF ATTAINING A TRIPLE A RATING. I THINK THE. THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO IS TO CONTINUE TO SEE. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. NO THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT. THIS DOCUMENT DOES EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO WHAT THIS DOCUMENT DOES. I THINK EVERYTHING IT CAN DO WITHIN LIMITATIONS. IT'S NOT ITS ITS FINANCIAL POLICIES. IT'S NOT SPEAKING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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PER SE, WHICH IS HELPING TO SPEED IT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS. DOING WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO. I BELIEVE IT IS, WHICH IS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHANCES TO MOVE TOWARDS TRIPLE A AS LONG AS YOU DO OTHER THINGS THAT ARE AWAY FROM THIS PARTICULAR DOCUMENT. YES ABSOLUTELY. MR ROSE. THIS IS THIS IS HOW HOW WE GOT HERE BY THE ADVICE OF OUR BOND COUNCIL HERE. DAVENPORT'S EMPLOYER PROVIDED US THE ROADMAP. UM WE GOT THERE BUT NOW ALTERING THEIR ROADMAP DESPITE PUBLIC OPINION FEELING LIKE THE ROADMAP WAS NOT GOING TO WORK, BUT THE ROADMAP DID WORK AND, UM THE ROAD HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPERATIVE FOR US TO GET THESE FINANCIAL POLICIES IN PLACE. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T UM, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVE BEHIND RATING UP AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY. COULDN'T AGREE MORE. MR MAYOR COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE. YOU AND I HAVE BEEN THERE EXACTLY AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT SOME SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE BECAUSE WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH. OTHER CITY COUNCILS . WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE ECONOMY, WHETHER IT'S GOING TO BE A SLOWDOWN, BUT THESE POLICIES WILL KEEP US ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW ROAD ON HOW WE GET TO THE TRIPLE A UM RATING AGENCY, SO COUNCILOR COUNCILOR HERE YOU WON'T YES, THANK YOU. COUNCIL SPECIFICALLY . THANK YOU. THE ROAD MAP THAT YOU HAVE PRESENTED HERE TODAY.IS EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW. BECAUSE IT HAS GOTTEN US TO THIS POINT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL OUR BOND RATING WAS NOT GOOD. BUT LOOK AT US NOW BECAUSE OF THE TIME. THAT YOU ALL SPENT TO TRY TO GIVE US A ROADMAP. AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. KEEP PUSHING AND KEEP WORKING BECAUSE THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, AND I APPRECIATE THIS. VICE FROM HERE. YES ALSO, I CONCUR WITH MY COUNSEL. MY COUNTERPARTS, UM BACK IN 2015 OR 16. WHEN EVERYTHING DROPPED ON US. I CAN REMEMBER. UH MR MOORE WAS WITH US AT THAT TIME. WE WAS ON THE STAGE AT PETERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL. YOU'RE REMEMBER THAT TIME. AND THE ACCESS TO TAKE SOME HARD. LOOKS AT THINGS AND WE LOST SOME PEOPLE BEHIND THAT, BUT IT'S GOTTEN US TO THIS POINT HERE. SO YOU KNOW, FOR US TO TRY TO DEVIATE FROM OUR THE EXPERIENCE THAT THIS AGENCY HAVE I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD TAKE THAT. AND I UNDERSTAND, COUNCILMAN COUPLE. I KNOW YOU WANT TO GET AS MUCH AS WE CAN OUT OF THIS DOCUMENT. BUT IF THEY'RE ADVISING US ON, THIS IS THE PATH, BUT IT'S OTHER THINGS THAT THAT COMES WHAT US GETTING INCREASED BOND RATING THAT SOME OF US OUTSIDE OF THE CITIES, YOU KNOW, DEALS WITH THE SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, TRUANCY WITH THE SCHOOLS. YOU KNOW, SOME OF IT'S NOT EVEN ON US. SOME OF HIS OWN DIFFERENT PARTS OF DEMOGRAPHICS LIKE HE SAID, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR CITY SO YOU KNOW, WE CAN ALL WE CAN ALL TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT. AND WHAT HAVE YOU AH OUT OF MONEY. SH COUNCILMAN COUPLE OF FOR TRYING TO FIND AS MUCH AS HE CAN OUT OF IT ABOUT RIGHT NOW READ THROUGH IT AND LENGTH WHEN IT WHEN IT WAS PRESENTED TO US, AND I SEE I SEE NO FAULT IN IT.
RIGHT AND THIS IS THIS IS THE BASELINE AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE A MEETING SET UP WITH STANDARD AND POOR NOW, AND I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND NITPICK. UM THE MAN WHO GOT US TO HELP US GET TO WHERE WE ARE, AND I DON'T WANT THIS SHOW ANY UNREST AND INSTABILITY AMONGST THE CITY OR CITY COUNCIL AS FAR AS ANY DEVIATIONS OFF OF THE ROAD BACK THAT GOT US HERE. UM BECAUSE WE WILL BE THERE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO GET ANY TYPE OF MOVEMENT IS BY ADOPTING THESE POLICIES AND, UM COUNCILMAN JONES. YOU WANT TO CHAIRMAN? YES. THANK YOU. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. FOR YOUR HARD WORK. RIGHT? BUT I WASN'T HERE DURING THE TIMES THAT EVERYBODY IS SPEAKING OF SO I CAN'T SAY THANK YOU FOR. SOMETHING THAT I DON'T SEE RESULTS YET. I'LL SEE HIM THAT THANK YOU UNTIL WE SEE THOSE RESULTS BECAUSE I GOT MORE RESERVES ON THINGS LIKE THIRD PARTY COLLECTIONS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. I WANT TO SEE THE DAY WHEN WE DO IT OURSELVES. AND I THINK THIS ROLL THEM OUT. IS SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA HELP US GET TO THAT POINT. BUT COUNCIL I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE FUTURE US DOING THINGS OURSELVES. UTILIZING HIS ROAD MAP TO THE FULLEST AND US NOT DEVIATING. LIKE YOU SAID, MR MAYOR, DEVIATING FROM IT, SO I'M
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GONNA HOLD MY BIG THANK YOU UNTIL WE SEE THE END OF THE ROAD, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. WELL THANK YOU. I WOULD SAY THIS COUNCILMAN JONES, THERE IS REALLY NO END OF THE ROAD. IT'S A CONTINUAL ROAD. OKAY WE CAN I'VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS WHERE THEY MOVE ALONG. THEY DO THINGS WELL, THEY GET COMPLACENT . THEY GET OFF THAT ROAD, SO TO SPEAK, AND I'VE SEEN IT AND THEN THEY GET BACK ON THE ROAD. THAT'S REALLY WHY WE HAVE A FINANCE COMMITTEE SO THAT AH, WE CAN SHINE LIGHT ON EVERYBODY'S JOBS AND EVERYBODY'S PRACTICES AND EVERYBODY'S ACCOUNTABILITY. AND DO I DO THINK THAT MR CUTHBERT SUGGESTION OF, UH, PERHAPS HAVING THIS FULLY PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON A REGULAR BASIS? I THINK IT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION. UM I DO THINK AGAIN THAT THIS ALONE DOESN'T GET YOU TO TRIPLE A, I THINK IS ONE OF THE GENTLEMEN THINK VICE MAYOR, HILL SAID. THERE'S OTHER FACTORS. UM AND HIS AND FORMER MAYOR OF MYERS MEMBERS THAT AS WELL, SO, UM AGAIN. I THINK IT WOULD BE WHO VIEW I'M HOPEFUL THAT COUNCIL WILL PASS. THIS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS ANOTHER STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. IS IT A PERFECT DOCUMENT? NO CAN IT BE AMENDED DOWN THE ROAD? ABSOLUTELY BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT IF IT'S A STRONG ENDORSEMENT BY CITY COUNCIL THAT RESONATES WITH THE RATING FOLKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE BECAUSE I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THEY DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT PETERSBURG.THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY CITY. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN CITIES. THEY CARE ABOUT MEANING THAT THEY LIVE IN. YOU ARE FOR THEM JUST BUSINESS, AND SO ALL WE WANT TO DO IS TO SHOW THEM WHY WE CARE ABOUT PETERSBURG AND THE WAY WE DO THAT, I'M HOPEFUL IS A UNANIMOUS ENDORSEMENT OF THIS DOCUMENT. FAIRNESS, MR CUT BURN . THIS WAS PRESENTED ON APRIL 4TH. WEEKS AGO, THE CITY MANAGER AND ALL SAID, IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS, GIVE IT TO US. THAT WAS A MONTH AGO AND I DID NOT GET ANY COMMENTS BACK THROUGH THE MANAGER GOING. I WANT YOU TO CHANGE THIS. I WANT YOU TO LOOK AT THIS. I MAY HAVE GOTTEN SOME, BUT IT WAS ALL THROUGH THE MANAGER AND MAYBE YOU GAVE IT TO THEM. BUT YOU KNOW THE SIT HERE TONIGHT. IN FAIRNESS AND SAY TO ME, I'M NOT SURE WE CAN APPROVE THIS TONIGHT. I TELL YOU WHAT THAT'S THAT'S NOT ON ME. UM, THAT'S ON YOU BECAUSE THIS WAS PRESENTED AND GIVEN TO YOU ALL. WELL OVER A MONTH AGO, AND THE TIME WAS RIGHT THEN BECAUSE I SPEAK TO, YOU KNOW, MR ALTMAN EVERY SINGLE WEEK ABOUT MULTIPLE TOPICS. SO AGAIN, I'M I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE CHANGE THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR I AGREE WITH AND CONCUR BUT TO SIT THERE AND SAY THERE'S A HALF A DOZEN DIFFERENT THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED. UM I MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING . AND I DIDN'T. I DON'T THINK I MISSED ANYTHING TO BE HONEST. YES. COUNCILOR MYA'S. WHO YES, SIR. MR MAYOR AND TONY, YOU CAN ASK ME, BUT I'M GOING TO ASK THAT WE SUSPEND THE RULES OF COUNCIL TONIGHT. WE'RE ALREADY IN A SPECIAL MEETING. I THINK IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTIONS CAN MOVE FORWARD. YES SIR. MR MAYOR, LIKE PUT IN MOTION ON THE FLOOR THAT I COMPLETELY ENDORSE. AND SUPPORT THE GUIDELINES AND POLICY UPDATES. AH THE ORGANIZATION HAS PUT BEFORE US IMPORT. UM AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL FOLLOW SUIT. WE'VE COME A LONG, LONG LONG WAY AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL THAT YOU DID FOR US 2015 16 17 AND ON INTO TODAY THROUGH COVID, 19 AND EVERYTHING ELSE THERE WAS BUT I DON'T THINK WE CAN ASK FOR ANYTHING BETTER IN YOUR RIGHT. THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT UM STATISTICALLY. GIVES US A PLUS EIGHT PLUS B AND ALL OF THAT THEY DON'T GIVE ANYTHING ABOUT THE CITY OF PETERSBURG. IT'S WHAT CITIES PETERSBURG PROVIDES FOR HIMSELF. AND SO IF WE DON'T AD POLICIES THAT ARE GOOD FOR THE CITY IN WE'RE NOT RIGHT. FOR THE CITY, SO I'D SAY LET'S MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. THAT IS A MOTION. AND TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK. COUNCILOR HILL SECOND I SECOND. I'D LIKE TO COMMENT DURING DISCUSSION IF I MAY. COUNCILOR COVER DON'T GET ME WRONG. I THINK THIS IS A STEP FORWARD, BUT I WANT THE BEST STEP FORWARD, NOT JUST A STEP FORWARD. AND I DON'T THINK. WE ARE THERE WITH THE BEST STEP FORWARD. IF I HAVE LET YOU DOWN.
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I APOLOGIZE. BUT DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. LET ME ASK MY QUESTION. OKAY YOU ASK QUESTIONS, BUT YOU SAY IT'S JUST NOT IN MY OPINION, JUST A STEP FORWARD. I THINK THIS IS AN EXCELLENT DOCUMENT SURE, DISAGREE, BUT IT'S NOT JUST YOU SAID THE WORD STEP, MR. ROSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. WE'RE ON THE SAME TEAM. OKAY, OKAY. BUT HEY, THERE'S NOT AS IMPORTANT AS THIS DOCUMENT IS, IT NEEDS ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION. UM LET'S LOOK AT AGE 50 POINT. HOWEVER WE HAVE EMOTION ON THE FLOOR AS ANYTHING YOU WANT TO AMEND ABOUT THIS MOTION. WE WANT TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ON WHETHER WE WANT TO ADOPT THE MOTION OR NOT. OR I SUSPECTED VERY FEW OF US.UNDERSTAND PAGE 30 OF 74? YES A NOTE TO MYSELF ACROSS THE TOP. THIS IS TOUGH TO UNDERSTAND. ALL RIGHT, AND THIS IS A ROOM THAT WE'VE HAD BEFORE. BUT THIS TIME, COUNSELOR CUFF VERY WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. I GOT A I GOT A MOTION IN THE SECOND. MADAM CLERK. PLEASE CALL THE ROAD, CUTHBERT? NO AND I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING BEFORE WE DO IT, AND THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE DOING BEFORE WE DO IT. NO. COUNCIL MEMBER JONES. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SMITH LEE HIGH COUNCIL MEMBER MYERS COUNCIL MEMBER WESTBROOK.
HI. VICE MAYOR HILL MAYOR PERM PAST. THANK YOU, MR ROSE. UM SOME OF US WAS HERE BACK IN 2015. ONCE YOU DID THIS HARD DIVE. OTHERS DON'T APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE AND HOW WE'VE GOTTEN HERE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO STATE. OF COURSE, WE'RE GOING TO STAY FOCUSED. WE'RE GONNA KEEP MOVING. SO I WANT EVERYBODY TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT ONE PERSON, RIGHT? IT'S ABOUT A CITY AS A WHOLE. AND IT IS PETERSBURG CITY AGAINST EVERYBODY TO TRY TO MOVE THE CITY FORWARD AND WE HAVE STANDARD AND POOR'S WAITING TO SEE WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO. AND I'M NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO LET UH, LET ONE PERSON'S OPINION SPIRAL THIS CITY INTO MORE FINANCIAL CHAOS, AND WE'LL BE STUCK THE WAY WE WERE BEFORE WHERE WE WERE BEFORE THAT THOSE TYPE OF THINGS THAT SUNK THIS CITY BACK IN 2015 DECADES OF CHAOS, CONFUSION FIGHTING AGAINST, UH ONE PERSON 30 YEARS OF EXPERT ADVICE WE HAVE HERE THROUGH DAVID ROSE OF DAVENPORT'S RESPECTED IN THIS COMMON WHETHER VIRGINIA IS ONE OF THE BEST. WE'RE NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AS A COUNCIL AND IN QUESTION. HIS IS WHEREWITHAL INTEGRITY POLICIES THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUR CITY SO WE'LL MOVE TO THE NEXT THING, MR. ROSE THANK YOU. WE'LL SEE YOU IN NEW YORK AND ON THAT NOTE. I WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT. UH UM. I'M NOT AN OBSTRUCTIONIST. I WAS NOT ON COUNCIL IN 2015 WHEN THE CITY WENT INTO THE TOILET, OKAY. MAIA PARAM WAS OKAY. MR MYERS WAS LIKE I WAS AND THEY SAID IT WAS DECADES OF COUNCILS, POOR DECISIONS AND POOR FINANCIAL DISCUSSION DECISIONS IN THE DECADES TO 1015 2015. THAT MEANS GOES TO THE EIGHTIES NINETIES. WHATEVER. SO AT THIS TIME, GUESS WHAT? THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, MR ROSE.
WORK SESSION. ALL RIGHT. TH
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.