Jan 21, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting

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OUR CLOSED SESSION MEETING. THAT MEETING IS ADJOURNED. NEXT. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. WE'RE READY TO ROLL ON INTO OUR REGULAR SCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR JANUARY 21ST, 2025. AT THIS

[1. Roll Call]

JONES. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER. SMITH. LEE. PRESENT. VICE MAYOR. HILL HERE. MAYOR PERRY HERE. NEXT IS ITEM TWO.

PRAYER. VICE MAYOR HILL WILL LEAD US IN OUR OPENING PRAYER. LET US PRAY. ETERNAL GOD, OUR FATHER, ONCE AGAIN WE COME BEFORE YOU, GIVING YOUR NAME, HONOR, PRAISE, AND GLORY. WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY. WE THANK YOU FOR THE BLESSINGS OF THE DAY. NOW, LORD, WE ASK THAT BLESSINGS UPON THIS MEETING, HEAVENLY FATHER, THAT IT WILL BE FRUITFUL TO THY NAME. HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ASK THAT WE MAKE DECISIONS THAT WILL BRING HARMONY WITH OUR CITY, HEAVENLY FATHER, AND THE SURROUNDING AREAS. LORD, WE ASK THAT BLESSINGS UPON THIS COUNCIL IN A SPECIAL WAY. HEAVENLY FATHER, AS WE ARE DOING THE BIDDING OF THE CITIZENS. HEAVENLY FATHER, GIVE US WISDOM ON HOW LIKE YOU GAVE SOLOMON. LORD, WE ASK A SPECIAL BLESSING UPON OUR CITY MANAGER, OUR FIREFIGHTERS, OUR EMS, AND OUR POLICE OFFICERS, HEAVENLY FATHER AND OUR ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES. HAVING THEIR FATHER BE WITH THEM, GUIDE THEM AND STRENGTHEN THEM. DO THE SAME FOR OUR CITIZENS. HEAVENLY FATHER, BE WITH THEM AS WELL. KEEP US SAFE FROM ALL HURT, HARM, OR DANGER. LORD, LET US SEE. NO ACCIDENTS, CAUSED NO ACCIDENTS OR BE IN NO ACCIDENTS. LET THIS MEETING BE FRUITFUL TO YOUR NAME. IT'S IN JESUS NAME. WE PRAY AND WE THANK YOU. AMEN.

AMEN. NEXT IS ITEM THREE, THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. CAN EVERYONE PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE? I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND

[4. Determination of the Presence of a Quorum]

[5. Responses to Previous Public Information Posted]

[7. Presentations]

I'M A PARTNER WITH ROBINSON FARMER, COX ASSOCIATES AND THE AUDIT MANAGER AND PARTNER IN CHARGE FOR THE CITY'S FY 24 AUDIT. AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT TO YOU ALL. BEFORE I GET INTO THE RESULTS, JUST LIKE TO GO OVER THE THERE'S THE REALLY THREE MAIN PIECES OF THE AUDIT THAT WE DO FOR THE CITY. ONE IS WE AUDIT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES. THE OTHER TWO PIECES OF THE AUDIT, WE DO IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT AUDITING STANDARDS. ONE IS WE, IN ADDITION TO LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS THEMSELVES, WE LOOK AT THE REVIEW, THE INTERNAL CONTROLS THAT THE CITY HAS OVER ITS FINANCIAL REPORTING. WE DO THIS. WE GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE CONTROLS IN ORDER TO DESIGN OUR AUDIT PROCEDURES. AND THEN THE THIRD PIECE OF THE AUDIT IS THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE PIECE. SO FOR THE MAJOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS FOR THE CITY. WE OMB PROVIDES A COMPLIANCE SUPPLEMENT THAT THAT DETAILS OUT THE VARIOUS COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CITY HAS TO COMPLY WITH WHEN IT'S CARRYING OUT AND EXPANDING ITS FEDERAL GRANT AWARDS. SO AS PART OF THE AUDIT, WE GO THROUGH THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY IS COMPLYING WITH THOSE. SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN PIECES OF THE AUDIT THAT WE DO FOR THE CITY. SO INCLUDED IN THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT ARE THREE DIFFERENT REPORTS FROM US. THE FIRST IS TOWARDS THE FRONT, WHICH IS OUR INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT. AND THIS REPORT IS WHERE WE SAY WE DID PERFORM AN AUDIT ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. AND IT'S ALSO WHERE WE ISSUE AN OPINION ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH WE'RE ISSUING AN UNMODIFIED OPINION ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH AN UNMODIFIED OPINION IS A CLEAN OPINION ON THE SET OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, BASICALLY, AN UNMODIFIED OPINION MEANS THAT THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES. THE OTHER TWO REPORTS FROM US

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SO THE CITY'S UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR WAS 50.8 MILLION. AND THEN THE LAST FINANCIAL STATEMENT I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE NEXT PAGE OVER EXHIBIT FOUR. THIS IS A STATEMENT OF REVENUES, EXPENDITURES AND CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE. FOR THE CITY'S GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS, AGAIN, VARIOUS COLUMNS FOR THE CITY'S DIFFERENT FUNDS. AGAIN, THE FIRST COLUMN IS THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND. SO THIS STATEMENT SHOWS THE REVENUES, EXPENDITURES AND CHANGES IN FUND BALANCE. SO TOTAL REVENUES FOR THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND, 94.5 MILLION, COMPARED TO TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF 82.7. AND THEN DOWN TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THAT PAGE, WE CAN SEE THE NET CHANGE IN FUND BALANCE. SO THE CITY'S FUND BALANCE INCREASED BY 9.3 MILLION DURING THE FISCAL YEAR. BUT THAT'S ALL I HAVE. BUT BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, AS ALWAYS FOR THE REPORT. FIRST QUESTION, COUNCILMAN COOPER. THANK YOU.

WOULD YOU POINT IN OUR. ACFR, PLEASE, TO THE PAST YEAR, ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, BOTH THE TOTAL AMOUNT AND SUBPARTS OF THAT TOTAL AMOUNT. FOR EXAMPLE, PAST USE, REAL ESTATE TAXES.

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AFTER AFTER THE FIRST 60 DAYS OF COLLECTIONS WITHIN THE FISCAL YEAR. ALL RIGHT. AND IS THERE ANY AGING OF THOSE $16.5 MILLIO? ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. IS THERE AGING? YES. HOW MUCH IS 90 DAYS PAST DUE? HOW MUCH IS ONE? 20. HOW MUCH IS 160? HOW MUCH IS OVER 160. THAT KIND OF THING. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS I CAN POINT TO. LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND IT.

AND ARE WE TALKING ABOUT REAL ESTATE TAXES AT THIS POINT? THIS BOTH AS REAL ESTATE TAXES AND PERSONAL PROPERTY. OKAY. SO IF YOU GO I KNOW THAT WE'RE FLIPPING WAY BACK, BUT IF YOU GO TO PAGE 140, TABLE TEN. THAT SHOWS THE TEN YEARS OF PROPERTY TAX COLLECTIONS. SO YOU CAN SEE ON TABLE TEN IT SHOWS HOW MUCH WAS OUTSTANDING AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. PER EACH, EACH LEVY YEAR. SO FOR 2024 THERE WAS 9.8. 2023 9.8. AND THEN 2022 HAD 3,000,021 1.5 AND THEN SOME FOR PREVIOUS YEARS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, FOR 2017, THERE WAS STILL 117,000 OF UNCOLLECTED TAXES AND REAL ESTATE. YOU HAVE UP TO 20 YEARS TO COLLECT, RIGHT? IF WE COLLECT IT, RIGHT, IF WE GO AFTER IT. RIGHT. RIGHT. SO. ALL RIGHT, I'M ON PAGE 140. I'M LOOKING AT TABLE TEN. AND FOR AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2022, WHICH IS GOING TO BE JUNE 30TH OF 2022. IS THAT CORRECT? IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. AND AT THAT POINT, THE CITY OF PETERSBURG WAS OWED $3.6 MILLION. WELL, THAT THAT'S THIS IS UPDATED EACH YEAR. SO THAT'S SO THE 3.6 IS WHAT'S OWED AS OF JUNE 30TH. RELATED TO THAT LEVY TO 22 LEVY. RIGHT. BUT IT'S CUMULATIVE ALL TOGETHER.

CORRECT. WELL, WHAT'S REPORTED IN THE FINANCIALS IS CUMULATIVE ALL TOGETHER. AND THEN THIS TABLE BREAKS IT OUT BY LEVY YEAR. SO AS OF JUNE 30TH NOT ONLY DO YOU OWE THE CURRENT NOT ONLY IS THE CURRENT LEVY OUTSTANDING, BUT YOU HAVE PRIOR YEAR LEVIES THAT STILL HAVE NOT BEEN COLLECTED. AND THAT'S IN THE 3.6 AS OF JUNE. AS OF JUNE 30TH, 2024. AND SO WE'VE GONE FROM $3.6 MILLION AT THE END OF 2022, UP ALMOST $6 MILLION TO 9.8 MILLION. BUT YOU'VE HAD TWO YEARS TO COLLECT ON 2022 LEVY. YEAH. RIGHT. SO 2022 LEVY WAS DUE AT THE END OF JUNE 30TH,

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WHAT'S THAT? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE 2024 LEVY OR ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT IN TOTAL? WELL, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE TOTAL PAS. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AS OF JUNE 30TH OF 2024. RIGHT. SO THAT. SO THE PAST DUE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE. THAT'S WHAT'S REFLECTED. AND THAT NUMBER WE LOOKED AT PREVIOUSLY ON EXHIBIT THREE. SO EXHIBIT THREE SHOWED THE 2023 2223 MILLION. AND THEN THAT'S MADE UP. THAT'S NOT JUST THE CURRENT YEAR LEVY THAT'S UNCOLLECTED. THAT'S ALL THE PREVIOUS 20 YEARS THAT HAS STILL NOT BEEN COLLECTED. SO THAT THE 20 THE NUMBER ON THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, THE 23 MILLION THAT'S CUMULATIVE. THAT'S EVERYTHING THAT HASN'T BEEN COLLECTED AS OF JUNE 30TH, 24. FOR EVERY LEVY YEAR. SO YOU STILL HAD OF THAT 22 MILLION, YOU HAD 9 MILLION RELATED TO 23, 9 MILLION RELATED TO 24, 3 MILLION RELATED TO THE 22 LEVY.

THANK YOU. BUT I'M TRYING TO PIN DOWN HOW MUCH IS THE CITY AS OF JUNE 30TH OF 2024? HOW MUCH WAS THE CITY OWED IN PAST DUE REAL ESTATE TAXES IN REAL ESTATE? YES, THAT'S WHAT I DON'T KNOW.

OKAY. I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THAT BREAKDOWN HERE BETWEEN OF THE 23 MILLION. HOW MUCH IS REAL ESTATE AND HOW MUCH IS PERSONAL PROPERTY? RIGHT. AND THE 23 MILLION. TELL IT'S ON PAGE.

WHAT? SO THE 23 MILLION IS ON PAGE 23, EXHIBIT THREE. SO THAT'S ALL PROPERTY TAXES. THAT INCLUDES REAL ESTATE, PERSONAL PROPERTY. RIGHT. HOW? I'M ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN PAST DUE REAL ESTATE TAXES, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT 20 YEARS TO GO TO COLLECT THEM. OKAY. SO DO YOU HAVE DID YOU DETERMINE HOW MUCH THE CITY WAS OWED IN PAST DUE REAL ESTATE TAXES? AS OF JUNE 30TH OF 2024? I CAN GET YOU THAT FIGURE. YES. CAN YOU GET THAT FOR US? I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.

YEAH, IT'S JUST NOT. IT'S NOT SEPARATELY BROKEN OUT. THAT'S FINE. I'M NOT BEING CRITICAL.

I'M BEING INQUISITIVE. I WANT TO KNOW THAT NUMBER BECAUSE IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE THAT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT. IF IT IF WE'VE GOT 20 YEARS TO COLLECT IT, AND IT'S A BIG NUMBER, I THINK WE OUGHT TO BE GOING AFTER IT. AND I MY SENSE IS THAT WE'RE NOT. SO LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN GET US. YOU CAN GET COUNCIL. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF PAST DUE REAL ESTATE TAXES OWING AS OF JUNE 30TH, 2024. YES. IS THAT CORRECT? YES I CAN. CAN YOU BREAK THAT DOWN BY THE YEAR IN WHICH IT BECAME PAST DUE? YEP. YEAH. YOU CAN. I MEAN, THE CITY HAS THAT AS WELL, BUT YEAH, I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU. IT'LL BREAK DOWN. HOW MUCH? HOW MUCH OF THE 2023 MILLION IS RELATED TO REAL ESTATE. AND THEN THAT CAN BE FURTHER BROKEN DOWN BETWEEN THE VARIOUS LEVY YEARS.

SO YES, I CAN I CAN GET YOU THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO I'M MAKING MYSELF A NOTE. AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR NAME, MISTER DAVID FOLEY. MR. FOLEY. SO, MR. FOLEY. WILL GET COUNCIL. AN

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THAT'S CORRECT. AND WHEN CAN YOU GET THAT INFORMATION TO US, MR. FOLEY? I CAN SEND THAT TO MR. ALTMAN THIS WEEK. OKAY. THIS WEEK. GREAT. AND COULD YOU DO THE SAME FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES? AND THAT'S A BIT MORE CHALLENGING BECAUSE IT HAS A FIVE YEAR LIFE INSTEAD OF A 20 YEAR LIFE. BUT IF YOU WOULD DO THAT FOR BOTH THOSE BECAUSE THOSE ARE, I THINK, SUBSTANTIAL SOURCES OF POTENTIAL CASH, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON I'M INQUIRING. AND I'D LIKE TO PUT THE FOCUS ON TRYING TO COLLECT THOSE MONIES. BUT FIRST I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THOSE MONIES AND WHEN THEY BECAME OWING. OKAY. YEP. THAT WOULD BE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. NOW LET ME SWITCH TO ANOTHER TOPIC. AND THAT IS OF THIS $9 MILLION IN INCREASE IN THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS DUE TO VACANCY SAVINGS. THAT IS, SALARIES THAT WE BUDGETED FOR BUT NEVER PAID. I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN ANSWER THAT EXACT QUESTION FOR YOU, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THAT DETAIL, BUT WE CAN LOOK. AT THERE'S A BUDGET TO ACTUAL SCHEDULE. SO IF WE GO TO EXHIBIT 11, AGAIN, THIS ISN'T GOING TO ANSWER YOUR EXACT QUESTION, BUT IT WILL GIVE YOU SOME OF THE CATEGORIES. SO IF YOU GO TO EXHIBIT 11 PAGE, PAGE 94. ALL RIGHT I'M THERE. OKAY. SO IF YOU GO THERE THERE'S VARIOUS COLUMNS. YOU GOT THE ORIGINAL BUDGET, THE FINAL BUDGET, THE ACTUAL AMOUNT AND THEN THE VARIANCE. SO WHAT WE CAN SEE ON THIS EXHIBIT IS THAT $9 MILLION INCREASE IN FUND BALANCE WAS RELATED TO SEVERAL FACTORS. ONE, YOU BUDGETED REVENUES FOR 88.3 MILLION AND YOU COLLECTED 94.5 MILLION. SO YOU COLLECTED MORE IN REVENUES THAN YOU BUDGETED BY 6.2 MILLION. SO THAT'S PART OF THE INCREASE. AND I'M JUST COMPARING BUDGET TO ACTUAL HERE. THEN IF YOU GO DOWN TO TOTAL EXPENDITURES, YOU BUDGETED 86.1 MILLION AND YOU SPENT 82.7 MILLION. SO THAT'S A 3.4 MILLION POSITIVE VARIANCE. SO YOU COLLECTED MORE THAN YOU EXPECTED AND YOU SPENT LESS THAN YOU EXPECTED. SO THE SUM OF THOSE IS HOW YOU GOT TO THE 99.6. ALL RIGHT. AND HOW MUCH OF THE 9.2 THEN WAS DUE TO SALARIES THAT WE BUDGETED BUT NEVER PAID? I DON'T HAVE THAT. I DON'T HAVE THAT ANSWER. YEAH. THAT WOULDN'T BE REFLECTED IN THE AUDIT. WE HAVE THOSE FIGURES IN FINANCE THAT WE COULD PROVIDE. ALL RIGHT. YOU YOU CAN PUT YOUR HANDS ON THAT. YEAH. AND SAME WITH THE ADDITION OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER WITH THE TAXES DUE. I THINK I'D RESPONDED TO YOUR EMAIL EARLIER THAT WE COULD HAVE IT TO YOU BY THE END OF THE WEEK, EARLY NEXT WEEK ON THE REAL ESTATE. PROGRAM, LIKE YOU'D ASKED. WELL, WE'LL WORK WITH MR. FOLEY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, WOULD YOU, MR. ALTMAN, GET ALL OF COUNCIL, PLEASE? THOSE NUMBERS. THAT IS THE VACANCY SAVINGS. AND I THINK WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. WHAT THAT TERM MEANS. AND ALSO THE ITEMIZATION OF PAST DUE TO REAL ESTATE TAXES BY YEAR. AS OF JUNE 30TH, 2024. AND THE SAME FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY TAXES. YES,

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YES, MA'AM. ABSOLUTELY. MR. GLASNER AND I HAVE HAD THE DISCUSSION OF MOVING TO A NEW PLATFORM FROM WHERE WE ARE NOW. THE SYSTEM THAT WE OPERATE IS SOMEWHAT OF A DINOSAUR. I MEAN, IT WORKS. THERE ARE LOTS OF PIECES, BUT FROM TECHNOLOGY WISE, THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT OTHER SYSTEMS ALLOW WOULD ALLOW US TO DO A LITTLE MORE READILY AND EXPAND UPON. SO WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS PUTTING TOGETHER AN RFP. WE'LL HAVE TO COME TO Y'ALL AND ASK FOR SOME MONEY JUST SO WE'RE CLEAR. STICKER SHOCK. I THINK MAYBE ONE OF MY FIRST MEETINGS WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, MR. MYERS ASKED A SIMILAR QUESTION. I THINK AT THE TIME I SAID, WELL, PROBABLY $2 MILLION, SO PROBABLY 2 OR $3 MILLION FOR SYSTEM UPGRADE. WE WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT MAKE MISTAKES THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE MADE. WE WILL RUN CONCURRENTLY AS WE IMPLEMENT OUR SYSTEM AND TRANSITION APPROPRIATELY, AND NOT JUST JUMP COLD TURKEY INTO A NEW SYSTEM, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY COULD USE A REFRESH FROM A TECHNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. AND IN THE SYSTEM THAT WE WOULD TALK ABOUT JUST WOULDN'T BE THE FINANCE PIECE, BUT IT WOULD ALSO MOVE INTO CODE ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER AREAS. AND ALL THOSE MODULES WOULD, WOULD CONNECT. AND THEN YOU COULD EASILY RUN REPORTS, SAY, ON A PROPERTY MAINTENANCE ON A SPECIFIC PROPERTY WITH THE PRESS OF A BUTTON. WE COULD RUN A REPORT ON ALL THE ACTIVITIES THAT OCCURRED IN THAT ONE LOCATION. SO IT WOULD ALLOW US TO DO A LOT OF THINGS MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING, AND

[00:30:03]

YOUR FEET READY TO GET NUMB. SO. ALL RIGHT, GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. CAN I JUST. ASK A QUESTION? EVERYBODY OKAY? YES. YES OKAY. GOOD. THANK YOU. THANKS. THANK YOU. SO WE'RE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING ERP SYSTEMS WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. ENTERPRISE RESOURCES. EVERYTHING LIKE LIKE WE WERE ALLUDING TO ITS PAYROLL HR FINANCIAL UTILITIES, UTILITY BILLING. IT COVERS A LOT. YOU KNOW, MOST OF WHAT WE DO AND ALL OF WHAT WE DO FINANCIALLY. WE'RE EVALUATING SYSTEMS NOW, MUNIS AND SOME OTHERS, AND LOOKING AT THOSE POSSIBILITIES. WE'RE IN THE DEMO PHASE ARE ABOUT TO START THAT SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHICH ONES FIT US, PETERSBURG THE BEST AND MOVE ON FROM THERE. SO I HEAR A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE ABOUT TO. SO I JUST WANT A TIMETABLE ON WHEN IN WILL THESE NEW SYSTEMS SOME KIND OF WAY COMPLEMENT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WELL, WHERE WE CAN WORK SIDE BY SIDE AND COMMUNICATE TECHNOLOGY WISE? I WILL SAY IT, IT WOULD BE FANTASTIC IF THEY OPERATED THE SAME SYSTEM BECAUSE THEN THEY'LL TALK TO ONE ANOTHER. THEY'RE THEIR OWN ENTITY. BUT I KNOW IN A PREVIOUS COMMUNITY WE WERE PROVIDING FUNDING TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO SPECIFICALLY UPGRADE TO MUNIS, SO THE SYSTEMS WOULD BE ABLE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER. THERE'S ALSO BANK RECON PIECES THAT COME WITH IT THAT THE SYSTEM TALKS TO THE BANK DOES AUTOMATIC RECONCILIATION OF THOSE OF THOSE ITEMS. SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE WHEN WE LOOK AT AN AUDIT AND THEN STAFFING WISE, HOW WE COULD EFFICIENTLY USE OUR STAFF TO A BETTER TO MAXIMIZE THOSE RETURNS. THAT MIGHT BE A TALK IN THE FUTURE WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, OR BECAUSE WE ALREADY AND IT IS A HISTORICALLY I'VE WORKED IN BOTH PLACES WHERE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND THE MUNICIPALITY WERE ON THE SAME SYSTEM AND WHERE THEY WEREN'T.

IT IS OBVIOUSLY A BENEFIT IF WE'RE BOTH ON THE SAME SYSTEM, IT DOES HELP. BUT AGAIN, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE THE WE CAN'T FORCE THEM INTO A NEW SYSTEM. I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT ABILITY. ARE THEY HERE TODAY? WE'LL TALK TO THEM. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OKAY. THANK YOU GARRETT. RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. NEXT WE ROLL RIGHT ALONG TO ITEM B, CITY OF

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THE FINANCIAL CONTROLS ASSESSMENT. HI. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR. AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, I'M MIKE POTTER. I'M A SENIOR DIRECTOR WITH ALVAREZ AND MARSAL PUBLIC SECTOR SERVICES.

WE'RE A FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING FIRM. I'M PART OF OUR PUBLIC SECTOR GROUP FOCUSING ON SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. WE HAVE ABOUT 160 PROFESSIONALS THAT WORK NATIONWIDE, WITH MAJOR CITIES ALL THE WAY TO SMALL VILLAGES AND SMALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS. I LED THE TEAM THAT CONDUCTED THE ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERNAL CONTROLS ENVIRONMENT AT PETERSBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO GET STARTED. I WANT TO JUST PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW. I'VE GIVEN YOU A VERY LONG REPORT OR A FAIRLY LONG REPORT, MAYBE NOT AS LONG AS THE CITY'S AUDIT, BUT A FAIRLY LONG REPORT THAT HAS A LOT OF DETAILS IN THE BACK OF IT. I'M GOING TO COVER JUST THE BEGINNING OF THAT, WHICH IS KIND OF AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY LEVEL PRESENTATION. BUT SHOULD WE GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS WITH DETAILS FROM THE REST OF THE REPORT TO SUPPORT IT. SO IF YOU DON'T MIND, MAYBE GOING TO THE NEXT SLIDE IN THE PRESENTATION. ONE MORE SO YOU CAN SEE HERE, SECTION A IS THE JANUARY 2025 UPDATE, WHICH IS WHAT I'LL BE PRESENTING TODAY. BUT YOU KNOW, ON YOUR OWN TIME OR AT YOUR OWN PACE, YOU MAY WANT TO GO INTO MORE DETAILS ON THE FINANCIAL CONTROLS ASSESSMENT, WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE, WHICH IS THE ASSESSMENT AS PRESENTED TO PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE JANUARY UPDATE REALLY JUST ADDS AN UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED SINCE THE COMPLETION OF OUR INITIAL DRAFT ASSESSMENT, BUT WE'LL BE PRESENTING MATERIALLY THE SAME FINDINGS, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET RIGHT INTO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND. ONE MORE. GREAT. THANK YOU. SO JUST BEFORE WE START PRESENTING OUR OUR FINDINGS FROM THIS REPORT, I WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK, HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS THAT RELATED TO THE COMPLETION OF THIS ASSESSMENT AS CONTEXT FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. I WILL MENTION THAT THIS IS THE SAME PRESENTATION THAT WE PRESENTED TO THE SCHOOL BOARD LAST WEDNESDAY. SO ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD SINCE THAT TIME. AND REALLY, NO, NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THAT PRESENTATION AND THIS ONE. FOR BACKGROUND, YOU KNOW, THIS THE THOUGHT OF CONDUCTING A FINANCIAL CONTROLS ASSESSMENT STARTED IN JUNE WHEN MISS BROWN WAS APPOINTED AS THE INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT. SHE, WITH HER INTERIM FINANCE TEAM, IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED THE NEED TO CONDUCT A FINANCIAL CONTROLS ASSESSMENT. AND IN JULY, IN COORDINATING WITH MISS BROWN AND THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND WAS CONTRACTED TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FINANCIAL CONTROLS. WE CONDUCTED OUR PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT IN THE MONTHS OF AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, REPORTING TO BOARD CHAIR PRITCHETT AND MISS BROWN, AND COORDINATING WITH THE PETERSBURG CITY SCHOOLS FINANCE TEAM. AND WE COORDINATED WITH THE INTERIM FINANCE TEAM TO CONDUCT THE REVIEW, ASSESSING THE CONTROLS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE FINANCIAL OUTLOOK. IN OCTOBER, WE PRESENTED OUR DRAFT FINDINGS TO THE PETERSBURG TEAM, THE FINANCE TEAM AND THE LEADERSHIP TEAM TO MISS BROWN AND BOARD CHAIR PRITCHETT AND CPS LEADERSHIP WAS PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. AND SINCE SINCE THEN, BASICALLY ALL OF THE CONTENT THAT YOU SEE IN THE LONG FORM REPORT IS WHAT WAS PRESENTED THROUGH OCTOBER.

AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE MADE SOME MINOR CHANGES AND ALSO DEVELOPED A STATUS UPDATE BASED ON THE PROGRESS THAT'S BEEN MADE TO DATE. SO IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, WE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS APPOINTED A NEW CFO AND STRENGTHENED THE FINANCE TEAM, ACTED ON SOME OF THE PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS AND COORDINATING COORDINATED WITH US ON ONE OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPROVING THE FINANCIAL OUTLOOK AND THE CASH FLOW ANALYSIS, AND THEN PROVIDED SOME FEEDBACK ON OUR ADDITIONAL REPORT, WHICH RESULTED IN THE FINAL VERSION OF THE REPORT THAT YOU SEE TODAY. WE THEN ALSO SCHEDULED THE PRESENTATION TO THE PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOARD LAST WEEK, AS WELL AS THIS PRESENTATION TO BE CONDUCTED IN JANUARY. SO JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK NOTES BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE FINDINGS, I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OUR SCOPE OF WORK AND WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE AS A TYPICAL AUDIT. OUR REVIEW IS A PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OR A FINANCIAL CONTROLS ASSESSMENT. IT WAS NOT AN AUDIT OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT THE STATEMENTS OF THE DISTRICT AND SAYING THESE ARE STATEMENTS ARE ACCURATE OR INACCURATE, OR ISSUING A PARTICULAR OPINION. SO IT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION, BECAUSE OUR WORK REALLY FOCUSED ON UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE, RATHER THAN LOOKING BACK AT SPECIFICS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. AND WE WERE NOT ASKED TO

[00:40:04]

OUR GOAL HAS BEEN TO SORT OF FORWARD FACING, TO GET TO THE FUTURE STATE AS SOON AS WE CAN, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.

WE CAN GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO I'D LIKE TO JUST PRESENT A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS. AND THEN IF THERE'S AREAS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO GO IN MORE DETAIL ON, WE CAN DO THAT.

THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS REFLECT THE STATUS OF THE FINANCIAL OPERATIONS AT THE TIME OF OUR REVIEW, WHICH WAS IN FALL OF 2024, BASED ON THE CONTROL ENVIRONMENT, WHICH LARGELY PREDATED THE ADMINISTRATION. SO WE DIDN'T REVIEW THINGS THAT WERE IN PROCESS OR THINGS THAT THE DISTRICT SAID THEY'D LIKE TO DO. THIS IS AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT WE SAW WHEN WE REVIEWED THE CONTROLS ENVIRONMENT, STARTING AT THE TOP WITH POLICIES. AT THE TIME OF OUR REVIEW, WE FOUND THAT POLICIES ARE RARELY DOCUMENTED BELOW THE BOARD POLICY LEVEL. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THERE WHILE THERE'S A STRONG POLICY FRAMEWORK FROM THE BOARD LEVEL, A LOT OF THE INSTRUCTIONS, DETAILS, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WEREN'T DOCUMENTED TO THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT ARE TYPICAL IN AN ORGANIZATION THIS SIZE. SO WHILE THE BOARD POLICIES THAT THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH MANY OTHER DISTRICTS IN VIRGINIA STIPULATED CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES, A LOT OF THE UNDERLYING SUPPORT FOR THAT WAS ABSENT, WHICH MAKES IT HARD TO HOLD INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS ACCOUNTABLE TO THOSE CONTROLS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. SO SOME OF THOSE PROCEDURES WEREN'T DOCUMENTED, AND THAT LEFT SOME OF THE ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION AND ERROR AS IT COMES TO TRAINING, THERE ARE NO PROCESS OWNERS OF ANY OF THE KEY FINANCIAL PROCESSES WERE COULD RECALL HAVING RECEIVED TRAINING ON THE ROLES, RESPONSIBILITIES OR PROCEDURAL EXPECTATIONS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED BY THE INTERIM LEADERSHIP TEAM, WHO HAD PROVIDED SOME IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, NECESSARY QUICK FIXES TO THE CHALLENGES THAT WE STARTED TO SEE. BUT NONE OF THIS WAS FORMAL TRAINING, SO INDIVIDUALS DIDN'T HAVE CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES OR PROCEDURAL EXPECTATIONS. EXPECTATIONS. THIS OBVIOUSLY CAN LEAD TO MISTAKES LIKE INCONSISTENCIES AND A LACK OF COORDINATION. OH, LET'S GO BACK.

SORRY. FROM AN ADHERENCE PERSPECTIVE, THE LIMITED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT WERE THERE WERE AT TIMES NOT ADHERED TO BY KEY PERSONNEL AND LEADERS AND FINANCE WAS NOT WAS NOT APPROPRIATELY EMPOWERED TO REQUIRE COMPLIANCE. SO I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY'S FINANCE OR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S FINANCE TEAM TO BE A CHECK ON THE WAY THAT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT WORKS THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION, AND FOR THE FINANCE TEAM TO BE EMPOWERED TO SAY NO TO THINGS THAT DON'T MEET THE DON'T MATCH THE BUDGET OR DON'T FOLLOW THE SPECIFIC CONTROLS. AND THAT WASN'T THE CASE AT PETERSBURG BEFORE THIS LEADERSHIP TRANSITION. AND SO THERE WERE CASES WHERE KEY PARTS OF THE PROCESS WERE CIRCUMVENTED. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE MIGHT BE AN INSTANCE WHERE SOMETHING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR GRANT REIMBURSEMENT WOULD BE SUBMITTED FOR GRANT REIMBURSEMENT, BECAUSE ACADEMIC LEADERS AT THAT TIME THOUGHT THAT THEY NEEDED IT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE FINANCE TEAM HAD CLEARED IT TO BE SUBMITTED. SO THAT TYPE OF POLICY ADHERENCE OBVIOUSLY MAKES IT HARD TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FROM A PROCESS PERSPECTIVE OR SORRY, FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, WE LOOKED AT IN DETAIL THE BUDGET, THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THE FINANCIAL FORECAST. AND, YOU KNOW, THE STATUS OF THE BUDGET PROCESS. WHEN WE CONDUCTED OUR ASSESSMENT WAS THAT THERE WAS NO CLEAR AND SPECIFIC PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING THE BUDGET, WHICH INCORPORATED STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. AND THERE WAS NO LONG TERM FORECAST THAT EXISTED.

SO THERE WAS NO MODEL THAT WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, IN THREE YEARS WE THINK ENROLLMENT WILL DO X, AND THAT MEANS THAT REVENUE WILL DO Y. AND SO IT MADE IT HARD TO ANCHOR STRATEGIC CHOICES IN THINGS THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING THE FUTURE. AND SIMILARLY, SOME OF THE FISCAL MONITORING THAT WE'RE USED TO SEEING IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS THIS SIZE WAS ABSENT. SO RECURRING BUDGET ACTUALS MONITORING HAD BEEN RELATIVELY LIMITED PRIOR TO THE CHANGE OF ADMINISTRATION. SO OBVIOUSLY WITH THIS KIND OF PLANNING, YOU KNOW, THE ABSENCE OF THIS PLANNING, INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING, COMPLIANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ARE REALLY CHALLENGING BECAUSE THERE'S NO ACCURATE TARGETS THAT YOU'RE MANAGING TO. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, I HEARD A QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT THE IMPACT OF VACANCY RATES OF TRYING TO MANAGE A BUDGET WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE IMPACT OF VACANCY RATES WILL BE OVER TIME IS VERY CHALLENGING. SO NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT AS YOU MAKE A PLAN FOR HOW, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THIS ERA WHEN IT'S SO HARD TO KEEP AND RETAIN TEACHERS, YOU KNOW, IT CHANGES THE FINANCIAL FORECAST AND THOSE THINGS COULDN'T BE PART OF THE CONSIDERATION FOR LONG TERM PLANNING. AND THE LAST SORT OF KEY AREA HERE IS THAT THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT HAS HAD LEADERSHIP TURNOVER AND HAS LACKED PERMANENT, EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP. AND THIS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO REALLY ALL OF THE FINDINGS THAT I OUTLINED ABOVE, INCLUDING A LACK OF TRAINING AND MONITORING OR ADHERENCE TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. WITH

[00:45:04]

AS I MENTIONED, WE SAW A LACK OF FORMAL PROCEDURES AND COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAINING. SO DISTRICT WIDE, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS RELATE TO ALL FUNCTIONS OF THE DISTRICT'S FINANCES, NOT JUST A KEY FOCUS AREA, BUT REALLY WE RECOMMEND THAT PCP S FORMALIZE AND DOCUMENT THE PROTOCOLS, IMPROVE THEIR COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAINING, AND ENACT ACCOUNTABILITY PRACTICES TO SUPPORT COMPLIANCE. AND LASTLY, PRIORITIZE STAFFING IN KEY ROLES ACROSS FINANCE. YOU NEED TO HAVE A WELL STAFFED TEAM IN ORDER TO MANAGE THINGS WELL, AND YOU'RE REALLY WORKING WITH A SKELETON CREW WHEN WE ARRIVED. THE TEAM HAS BEEN STRENGTHENED SINCE THEN. FROM A PROCUREMENT PERSPECTIVE, UPDATING AND APPROVING A PROCUREMENT MANUAL, INCREASING STAFF AWARENESS OF REQUIREMENTS, AND STRENGTHENING GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO SAY THAT THESE ARE THE RULES. YOU WANT TO SAY. THESE ARE THE RULES, AND THIS IS HOW WE KNOW WE'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH THEM, ASSIGN THOSE ROLES REALLY CLEARLY AND HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE TO THEM. AN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PERSPECTIVE DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE PROCEDURES, WHICH DOCUMENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND THE PROCESS REQUIREMENTS AND CONTROL THRESHOLDS. THIS IS REALLY KIND OF STANDARD SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING TYPE STUFF, LIKE DUAL CONTROLS THAT NEED TO BE SOLIDIFIED AND MADE PART OF THE PROCESS THAT'S HELD EVERY TIME A CHECK GOES OUT THE DOOR.

EMPLOYEE EXPENSES, THE. WE FOUND THAT THE EXPENSE POLICY WAS RELATIVELY OUTDATED AND DIDN'T HAVE CLEAR THRESHOLDS AND APPROVAL REQUIREMENTS, AND SO WE'D RECOMMEND UPDATING THAT OUTDATED EXPENSE POLICY AND IMPORTANTLY, STRENGTHENING THE TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO EXPENSES. THE PROCESS FOR HANDLING EXPENSES WAS ALL PAPER BASED, WHICH MAKES IT VERY CHALLENGING TO DOCUMENT AND TRACK AND ANALYZE DATA RELATED TO TRENDS OR ANY ABNORMALITIES.

SO WE'D RECOMMEND STRENGTHENING THAT ELECTRONIC TRACKING AND REPLACING THE MANUAL AND PAPER BASED PROCESSES. AND THEN ON PAYROLL. IMPORTANTLY, IMPLEMENTING ELECTRONIC TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CAN TRACK WORK HOURS AND LEAVE, AND DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A PAYROLL VALIDATION PROCESS WILL HELP ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THOSE SYSTEMS. YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY NORMAL FOR SMALLER ENTITIES TO DO SOME OF THESE PROCESSES MANUALLY, BUT OVER TIME, IT'S BECOME MORE STANDARD TO MOVE TOWARDS AUTOMATED THINGS, AUTOMATING THINGS LIKE ACCRUALS.

SO WE'D RECOMMEND DOING THAT. AND AGAIN, LIKE THE PUNCH CLOCK SYSTEM, IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT PAGE. FROM A HUMAN RESOURCES PERSPECTIVE, WE RECOMMEND THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT REALLY FORMALIZE THE HUMAN RESOURCES PROCEDURES. REALLY CRITICALLY HERE IS TO ESTABLISH A POSITION CONTROL POLICY AND PROCEDURE THAT FUNCTIONS AND IMPLEMENT ELECTRONIC RECORDKEEPING TO REPLACE PAPER BASED PROCESSES. THE DISTRICT DID HAVE A POSITION CONTROL SYSTEM, A LEGACY POSITION CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WAS PAPER BASED THAT HAD AT TIMES HAD LAPSED SO POSITIONS COULD BE HIRED THAT WEREN'T PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED OR WEREN'T AUTHORIZED BY THE BUDGET OR BY THE SUPERINTENDENT'S. I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT WHAT THE TEAM'S BEEN DOING SINCE OUR INITIAL REPORT, BUT THAT PROCESS IS REALLY CRITICAL TO MAINTAINING COMPLIANCE WITH THE BUDGET AND FISCAL CONTROL.

SO WE RECOMMEND REALLY STRENGTHENING THAT POSITION CONTROL PROCESS, WHICH I KNOW THE TEAM IS ALREADY HARD AT WORK ON. AND THEN FEDERAL FUNDS FORMALIZING IMPLEMENTING STANDARDS AND PROCESSES FOR REIMBURSEMENT AND CLAIMING USING EVIDENCE BASED PLANNING TO MAKE SURE THAT TITLE FUNDS, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE USED ON ACADEMIC INVESTMENTS THAT ARE PROVEN AND THEN REALLY IMPORTANTLY, EMPOWERING THE FEDERAL FUNDS COMPLIANCE FUNCTION TO HOLD DEPARTMENTS ACCOUNTABLE TO THOSE STANDARDS. SO HAVING A SET OF RULES DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY SENIOR IN ANOTHER DEPARTMENT CAN OVERRIDE THE PERSON WHO'S JUST TRYING TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE. SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, CRITICAL THAT THE FINANCE TEAM SUPERINTENDENT ARE ALIGNED ON THE FINANCE TEAM AND SPECIFICALLY THE FEDERAL FUNDS OFFICE HAVING THE FINAL WORD ON WHAT OR WHAT WHAT IS OR IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT. AND ON FINANCIAL FORECASTING, WE'D RECOMMEND THAT THEY FINALIZE THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OR RATHER, FORMALIZE THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. REINSTITUTE A FORMAL STAFFING MODEL WHICH USES A NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO STAFF, YOU KNOW, ON A CAMPUS TO STAFF KEY ROLES AND THEN DEVELOP A MULTIYEAR FORECASTING CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT PLANNING AND TO MANAGE RISK. AND GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. PROGRESS ON KEY PRIORITY INITIATIVES. SO BASED ON OUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT, AS I MENTIONED, WE PRESENTED THESE FINDINGS IN DRAFT FORM EARLIER IN THE FALL TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND SINCE THEN, WE'VE STAYED CLOSE TO THE EFFORTS AS AS THE DISTRICT'S UNDERTAKEN SOME EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE FINDINGS. AND I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS TO DATE AND WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR THE INITIATIVES WE IDENTIFIED AS KEY PRIORITIES. FIRST, FROM A

[00:50:04]

ADJUSTMENTS LIKE MOVING GRANTS, THE GRANTS OFFICE WITHIN THE FINANCE FUNCTION, WHICH HAVE HELPED ADDRESS SOME OF THESE CHALLENGES AND ARE WORKING ON AND HAVE DEVELOPED AN ENHANCED MANUAL REVIEW FOR TITLE REIMBURSEMENTS. WE'D RECOMMEND THAT THEY CONTINUE TO FORMALIZE THESE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROCESS AND MODERNIZE THE APPROACH TO CLAIMING TITLE ONE WITH A MORE AUTOMATED PROCESS, TITLE ONE AND OTHER TITLE FUNDS WITH A MORE AUTOMATED PROCESS.

WE RECOMMENDED THAT THE DISTRICT EXPEDITE THE HIRING OF A PERMANENT CFO AND ENGAGE FINANCE SEARCH SUPPORT. AS YOU MAY KNOW, DOCTOR GATEWOOD IS HERE AS THE NEW CFO OF THE DISTRICT. THAT HELPS WITH THAT. WE'VE ALSO FILLED ACCOUNTING ROLES. THE DISTRICT'S ALSO FILLED ACCOUNTING ROLES IN AN ACTING CAPACITY WITH AN EXPERIENCED FORMER CFO, AND HAS ADDITIONAL KEY ROLES IN THE PROCESS. NEXT STEPS THERE ARE TO HIRE A PERMANENT ACCOUNTING LEADER, AND TO UPDATE THE FINANCE ORGANIZATION BASED ON THE ROLES AND CAPABILITIES OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER IN THAT TEAM. DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A POSITION CONTROL PROTOCOL. THE LEADERSHIP TEAM NOW PUT IN PLACE A MANUAL POSITION CONTROL PROCESS. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, AS WE WERE DISCUSSING THIS FINDING EARLY IN OUR CONVERSATIONS. THAT IS EFFECTIVE. IT REQUIRES THE DIRECTOR OF HR AND THE CFO TO SIGN OFF ON ALL HIRING. THERE'S ALWAYS A BALANCE BETWEEN PROCESS CONTROLS AND EXPEDIENCY. SO RIGHT NOW THAT'S A VERY CAUTIOUS PROCESS. IT TAKES SOME TIME. IT MAY CAUSE SOME DELAYS, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY CAREFUL AND IMPORTANTLY, YOU KNOW, ALIGNS THE SPENDING WITH THE BUDGET. THE DISTRICT SHOULD LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO AUTOMATE POSITION CONTROL THROUGH WORKFLOWS AND TO CONDUCT A REVIEW OF ALL THE CENTRAL OFFICE AND NON-TEACHING STAFFING THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED BASED ON THE GAPS IN POSITION CONTROL, AND THEN LOOK TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NECESSARY FOR ANY STAFFING THAT'S NOT JUSTIFIED BY SCHOOL NEEDS. AND ON THE LAST SORT OF PRIORITY INITIATIVE IS TO FORMALIZE THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND APPROVAL PROCESS. THIS IS A PRIORITY THAT WAS MADE CLEAR BY THE BY THE DISTRICT'S LEADERSHIP TEAM, BY MISS BROWN, AND BY THE ACTING AND CURRENT FINANCE TEAM, WHICH IS TO BEGIN UPDATING AND DOCUMENTING THE BUDGET PROCESS. YOU KNOW, IT'S JANUARY NOW, SO IT'S IMPORTANT TIME IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, FORMALIZING THE BUDGET PROCESS TO BUILD A STRONGER BUDGET IN THIS FISCAL YEAR. THEY NEED TO FINALIZE THE PROCESS, DOCUMENTATION AND CONDUCT THAT FY 26 PLANNING USING THAT PROCESS. SO ACROSS THE BOARD, WE CONSIDER THE PROGRESS TO BE MADE ON THESE INITIATIVES TO BE VERY SIGNIFICANT. BUT WE DO ENCOURAGE THE DISTRICT TO CONTINUE THIS PROGRESS BY DEVELOPING A PLAN OF ACTION AND COMPLETING THE REMAINING RECOMMENDATIONS. AND BE SURE TO PRESENT THAT PLAN BEFORE THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. OKAY. THAT'S EXCELLENT. I KNOW WE HAVE A WE JUST GOT THIS DOCUMENT RIGHT HERE. AND I SEE EVERYTHING IS THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST AT THIS POINT IN TIME. I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR THIS BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A NEW PRETENDING IN PLACE, AND WE WANT TO HEAR FROM MISS BROWN. IS THERE ANYTHING IN THIS THAT IS CONCERNING TO YOU THAT YOU MAY NEED ANY HELP WITH ON OUR END? ABSOLUTELY. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, AND GOOD EVENING, VICE MAYOR HILL AND THE ENTIRE PETERSBURG CITY COUNCIL. ABSOLUTELY. FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR US GETTING THIS ABSOLUTE FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT THAT WAS NEEDED, AS YOU REMEMBER. AND YOU HEARD MICHAEL SAY THAT WHEN I CAME ON BOARD IN JULY OF 2024, I HAD FIVE PRIORITIES. AND IF YOU REMEMBER, THE FOURTH PRIORITY ACTUALLY FOCUSED ON ASSESSING THE FINANCIAL OPERATIONS OF OUR SCHOOL DIVISION. AND SO WITH YOUR SUPPORT AND THE SUPPORT OF THE BOARD AND THE VDOE, WE WERE ABLE TO BRING ALVAREZ AND MARCEL IN, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IF OUR FINANCES ARE NOT TIGHT, IS WHAT I'LL SAY. WE CAN'T FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT WORK THAT'S WHAT TH.

SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND SO LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION THAT ALVAREZ AND

[00:55:03]

SO NOW WE CAN PUT OUR PLAN IN PLACE. I THINK I SHARED WITH CLARK HILL THIS FRIDAY A ONE PAGER THAT I SHARED. AND I THINK IT'S IN YOUR PACKET, AND IT KIND OF GOES THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY PUT IN PLACE. AND THIS IS THE FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT PIECE. AND I KIND OF TOOK IT BY THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENTS THUS FAR, MIKE ALREADY REFERENCED THOSE. BUT I JUST WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THEM REALLY QUICKLY. AND SO STRENGTHENING THE LEADERSHIP AND CAPACITY FOR QUITE SOME TIME DURING A PREVIOUS TRANSITION, PETERSBURG DIDN'T HAVE A CFO IN PLACE. WE HAD WONDERFUL MR. WALLINGFORD, JOHN WALLINGFORD, WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE WAVE. HE CAME IN BEFORE I CAME ON BOARD. HE TOOK THE REINS OF OUR FINANCES IN PETERSBURG AND KIND OF KEPT THEM STEADY. BUT ONE OF THE MAJOR PIECES WAS TO GET A QUALIFIED CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER IN PLACE. AND SO I'M EXCITED TO WELCOME DOCTOR MATTHIAS GREENWOOD, WHO'S COMING TO US FROM SAINT LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SUCH AS ANOTHER LARGE URBAN DISTRICT. HE ALSO HAS A STRONG BACKGROUND, AND HE'S GOING TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIMSELF IN FINANCE. AND SO HE UNDERSTANDS THAT WORK, BUT HE ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE GOAL IS AROUND KIDS AND WHAT OUR KIDS WILL GET ACCESS TO. AND OUR FUNDING HAS TO ALIGN TO THAT. SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS. AND THEN AGAIN ON THE PAGE, I'LL JUST JUMP AROUND A LITTLE BIT. WE TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS AND CASH FLOW MANAGEMENT. THAT'S WHERE YOU PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO DO WRONG. YOU HAVE TO HAVE CLEAR PROCESSES IN PLACE. WE'VE GOT TO KNOW WHERE EVERY DOLLAR YOU GIVE US, EVERY DOLLAR THE FEDERAL, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GIVES US AND EVERY DOLLAR THE STATE GIVES US AND EVERY DOLLAR OUR TAXPAYERS GIVE US. WE HAVE TO KNOW WHERE IT IS, WHERE IT'S GOING, HOW IT'S BEING USED. AND SO THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT WE'RE ALREADY PUTTING IN PLACE. AND THEN I'LL JUST BE VERY HONEST WITH YOU AROUND ACCOUNTABILITY, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE CAN PUT EVERYTHING IN PLACE. BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T FOLLOW THEM, THEN WE'RE BACK AT THE SAME PLACE. AND SO I STAND HERE TODAY LETTING YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY HAS BEEN RAISED FOR PEOPLE IN OUR DIVISION. AND SO WE ARE STILL DOING SOME MOVING AND SHAKING AND GETTING PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE SO THAT THEY CAN DO THIS WORK AT A HIGHER LEVEL. BUT UNDERSTAND THAT THE LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS AND NO EXCUSES FOR US MOVING FORWARD IN THE DIRECTION THAT WE NEED TO GO. SO WITH THAT, JUST REALLY QUICKLY, I'LL LET DOCTOR GRACEWOOD INTRODUCE HIMSELF. HE'S NEW TO PETERSBURG. HE HAS MOVED TO PETERSBURG, SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I HAVE ANOTHER MEMBER OF MY TEAM WHO'S JOINING ME HERE IN PETERSBURG, SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO HIM AND I'LL CLOSE IT OUT IN JUST A SECOND. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS DOCTOR MATTHIAS GREENWOOD, AND I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE AND TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. MY BACKGROUND IS IN CORPORATE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING. I HAVE OVER 20 YEARS IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. I HAVE A DEGREE, I HAVE AN MBA AND I HAVE A DEGREE IN A BACHELOR'S IN ECONOMICS AND FINANCE. AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS TO CHANGE THE CONTROL ENVIRONMENT, MAKE SURE WE HAVE CONTROL OVER IT, AND BE A PLANNING ORGANIZATION, AND TO STRENGTHEN ALL THE CONTROLS THAT WE HAVE HIGHER RIGHT PEOPLE AND

[01:00:03]

AND I THINK WE NEED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND ALSO AS WE COME TO YOU WITH THINGS THAT WE NEED. I HEARD YOU TALK, MY FRIEND OVER THERE, MARCH ALTMAN, TALK ABOUT FINANCIAL SYSTEMS AND SO WAYS THAT WE CAN PARTNER SO THAT WE STREAMLINE NOT JUST FOR THE KIDS IN PETERSBURG AND THE FAMILIES, BUT FOR OUR WHOLE CITY. AND SO I THINK THAT PARTNERSHIP IS GOING TO BE VERY KEY. SO I'M ASKING FOR YOU ALL TO BE OPEN FOR US, PARTNERING AND MOVING, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD IN DIFFERENT WAYS. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO THINGS THAT I WOULD SAY IS THINGS THAT YOU COULD HELP RIGHT NOW. OKAY. THANK YOU. PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE TEAM, VICE MAYOR HILL? YES, I'M GLAD YOUR LAST PIECE TALKED ABOUT THE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP. SO WHAT IDEAS DO YOU HAVE OR HAVE YOU HAD, OR ARE YOU GOING TO IMPLEMENT TO THE PARENTS? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE LEARNING STARTS AT HOME, OR THE CHECKING OF THE HOMEWORK AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, THE GUARDIANS OR WHO'S UP AT HOME ARE FOLLOWING UP WITH WHAT OUR CHILDREN. SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, VICE MAYOR HILL. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M CLEAR. SO IS THIS RELATION TO JUST FAMILIES IN GENERAL SUPPORTING THEM, OR IS THIS IN FAMILIES UNDERSTANDING OUR FINANCIAL, STATE AND BUDGET PROCESSES? NO FAMILY SUPPORTING THE CHILD. ABSOLUTELY. SO THAT THEIR GRADES WILL GO UP AND THEY'LL BE SUCCESSFUL. WE GET THE FINANCE PIECE. I MEAN, WE CAN THROW MONEY AT STUFF ALL THE TIME, BUT IF THE FAMILY ALONG WITH US, IF THE FAMILY IS BROKEN, IF WE'RE NOT COMMUNICATING WITH THE FAMILY, THEN THEN WE HAVE AN ISSUE.

ABSOLUTELY. SO WHAT I'LL SAY IS I'LL FIRST GO TO THE FACT THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF A ORGANIZATIONAL RESTRUCTURE IN PETERSBURG, BUT AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A STRONG FAMILY ENGAGEMENT TEAM IN PLACE IN PETERSBURG. WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE WHO WORK ON THAT TEAM. AND SO PART OF IT IS, IS RESETTING THE VISION AND DIRECTION FOR HOW WE WILL ENGAGE PARENTS. SO WE ALREADY HAVE SOME PIECES IN PLACE WHERE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN EACH MONTH. THEY SPONSOR DIFFERENT PIECES FOR PARENTS TO BE ABLE TO COME OUT AND LEARN ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR PARENT UNIVERSITY, WHICH IS BEING HIGHLIGHTED. THAT'S ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE ALREADY IN PLACE THAT'S WORKING WELL IN PETERSBURG. THAT'S GIVING PARENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO LEARN ABOUT HOW DO YOU HELP YOUR CHILD AT HOME? HERE'S WHAT'S IN PLACE IN PETERSBURG, BUT WE STILL HAVE MORE WORK TO DO. PART OF MY PLANS WOULD ALSO BE IS HOW DO WE INTEGRATE ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS IN THAT? BECAUSE PARENTS HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CLOSEST TO THE WORK AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS. SO PART OF OUR PIECE IS TO EXPAND OUR PARENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING PARENTS WITH THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. ONE OF THE THINGS I KNOW THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING OR HAD IN PLACE IS A PARENT SURVEY, SO WE CAN FIND OUT FROM PARENTS, WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS? WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO, YOU KNOW, HELP YOUR KIDS AT HOME? AND WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES DO WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE? SO WITHOUT HAVING THE TEAM HERE, I'LL JUST SAY VICE MAYOR PEAL IS THAT THAT IS A PART OF OUR ULTIMATE STRATEGY IS TO WORK WITH OUR PARENTS AND PUT A STRATEGY THAT EXPANDS UPON OUR PARENT UNIVERSITY. AND SO I'M HAPPY TO COME BACK TO THE ENTIRE COUNCIL AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT THOSE PIECES ENTAIL, AND THEN GIVE YOU SOME DATA ON HOW IT'S WORKING AND HOW IT'S MOVING. THANK YOU. BUT CAN I SAY ONE MORE THING, THOUGH? ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LAUNCHING REALLY CLEAR HERE IS AROUND ATTENDANCE, BECAUSE CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN PETERSBURG CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ONE OF OUR TOP CHALLENGES. AND SO WE'RE STARTING WITH PARENTS AROUND GETTING YOUR KIDS TO SCHOOL. YOU HEAR ME SAY THAT AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, IT IS A PARENT CHALLENGE BECAUSE PARENTS GET

[01:05:05]

YOU'RE HERE TO SAY THAT THEY WERE OPEN TO THAT SYSTEM UPGRADE. SO SHE SAID IT AND WE SAID IT. SO WE'RE OPEN MISS BROWN TO THAT SAME THING. SO I EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN AND TAKE PLACE WHEN WE START THE PROCESS AS THE CITY MANAGER. BUT WILL THERE BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS TO FORM A TEAM, A CITY WIDE TEAM FINANCE, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE DOWN THE LINE? THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN JONES. I WILL JUST SAY EMPHATICALLY, YES, THERE IS THAT OPPORTUNITY AND I THINK IT IS A NECESSITY. WE CAN NO LONGER OPERATE IN SILOS. WE ARE ONE COMMUNITY, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE THE EDUCATION ARM. BUT YOU ALL SUPPORT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. SO GOES THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. SO GOES THE CITY, SO GOES THE CITY. I MEAN, THAT'S HOW IT GOES. AND SO WHAT I'LL SAY IS I WILL CHARGE DOCTOR GRAY WOOD TODAY. AND I KNOW HE IS ALL ON BOARD WITH US CREATING THAT KIND OF TIGHT PARTNERSHIP SO THAT WE CAN SHOW EVERYONE OUT THERE THAT WE'RE MOVING WITH ONE VOICE, ALTHOUGH IT'S DIFFERENT, BUT WE'RE STILL MOVING TOGETHER FOR ONE. PETERSBURG IS HOW I SEE IT. SO THE ANSWER IS ABSOLUTELY YES. AND SO DOCTOR GRAY WOULD I WILL BRING YOU TO THE PODIUM SO YOU CAN EXPOUND ON. YES. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. AND I'VE ONLY BEEN IN PLACE FOR SIX WEEKS. AND SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, I'VE REACHED OUT TO LEON AND HIS TEAM IN FINANCE. AND WE HAVE ALREADY SET IN MOTION SOME, SOME OF THOSE THINGS. SO WE WILL BE PARTNERING WITH THEM. AND I'VE EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND THEM. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING FREQUENTLY TO GO OVER THINGS. THANK YOU. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT. AND I JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THAT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM IS NOT JUST OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S AN EDUCATIONAL ARM OF THE ENTIRE CITY, WHETHER YOU GRADUATED OR NOT, WHETHER YOU'RE IN COLLEGE OR NOT. I ALWAYS SAY WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR EDUCATION, THAT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE, BUT IF IT'S NOT MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS, IN YOUR HOME, EVERY CHILD TO COME PASS YOU IN THE STORES, WHEREVER YOU GO, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE AN EXTENSION OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND WE HAVE THAT SAME RESPONSIBILITY. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN, MISS BROWN, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING MORE TALKS WITH YOU. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. I LOOK FORWARD TO IT AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILWOMAN SMITH LEE. HELLO

[01:10:02]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. I APPRECIATE THIS. THE OPPORTUNITY OF BEING HERE AND THIS BEING IN PETERSBURG. AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU ALL STARTED CREATING A PIPELINE. THAT'S WHAT YOU DID, A PIPELINE FOR KIDS SO THAT THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH AT THE END. AND I THINK GOING BACK TO VICE MAYOR HILL'S QUESTION AROUND PARENTS, WE'RE PLANNING TO WE'RE PLANNING UPCOMING IN FEBRUARY, SOME COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH PARENTS AROUND EXPECTATIONS RESET AROUND DISCIPLINE AND AROUND ACADEMICS SO THAT PARENTS UNDERSTAND THAT THREE LEGGED STOOL THAT WE'RE RESETTING IN PETERSBURG. AND SO YOU'LL SEE THOSE DATES COMING OUT FOR FEBRUARY AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, BECAUSE IT'S TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE COMMUNITY AND FOR PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND. HERE'S WHERE WE ARE, HERE'S YOUR ROLE AND HERE'S WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING MOVING FORWARD. AND SO THAT'S WONDERFUL TO HEAR. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE ABOUT THAT SO THAT WE CAN BRING SOME THINGS BACK THAT WERE ALREADY IN PLACE AND WORKING THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AND IMPLEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU AGAIN. AND ALSO, JOHN, DO YOU HAVE YOUR INFORMATION JUST IN CASE WE HAVE ANY TYPE OF QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING LATER ON.

SO. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOHN WALLINGFORD. I'VE BEEN HERE ONCE OR TWICE BEFORE. I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU, FIRST OF ALL, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND MISS BROWN FOR HAVING ME HERE. MY NAME IS JOHN WALLINGFORD. MY PHONE NUMBER IS (571) 722-8877. AND I WOULD OFFER ANYBODY WHO WANTS ME ANY TIME, FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A CALL, JUST 1 OR 2 REAL QUICK NOTES ABOUT MYSELF. RETIRED, EXPERIENCED. WORKED FOR PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR 30 YEARS. AS IN THE LAST 5 OR 6 YEARS AS THE CFO. AND IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH MISS BROWN, MR. PRITCHETT AND MATTHIAS AND THE REST OF THE TEAM THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND ALVAREZ MARSAL. SO ALSO THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING AND LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING THOSE CONVERSATIONS GOING OKAY. THANK

[8. Approval of Consent Agenda (to include minutes of previous meetings):]

COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR.

[9. Official Public Hearings]

COUNCIL. TODAY I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT AMENDING OUR ORDINANCE RELATED TO SANDWICH

[01:15:02]

OKAY. WELL THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MAYOR. I MOVE THAT COUNCIL HEREBY ADOPTS THE ORDINANCE AT PAGE 24 OF COUNCIL'S AGENDA PACKET, INCLUDING THE AMENDED ARTICLE 2, AT PAGES 25 THROUGH 35. ALL RIGHT, VICE MAYOR HILL, SECOND MOTION, A SECOND. AT THIS TIME, IF THERE'S NO DISCUSSION, I'LL CALL FOR THE ROLL. COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL, COUNCILMEMBER CUTHBERT? AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY.

AYE. MOTION TO NEXT IS ITEM B, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE RECOMMENDING REVOCATION OF SPECIAL USE PERMIT GRANTED TO MICHAEL AND NINA STANLEY TO OPERATE A STANDALONE USED VEHICLE SALES LOT AT 1024 WEST WASHINGTON STREET. PARCEL ID 024270002, IN THE B2 GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO HERE'S THE SUBJECT PROPERTY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A CASE THAT SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE THAT'S COME BEFORE YOU ALL. THIS IS NOT US LOOKING TO GRANT A SPECIAL USE PERMIT. THIS IS US LOOKING TO TAKE AWAY A SPECIAL USE PERMIT DUE TO SOMEONE

[01:20:06]

HERE ARE ALL OF THE CONDITIONS THAT WERE APPROVED WITH THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT. SO IT'S NOT TRANSFERABLE. VEHICLES SHOULD NOT PROTRUDE INTO WEST WASHINGTON STREET. THERE WAS A SITE PLAN, A BUILDING PERMIT TO BE SUBMITTED PRIOR TO ANY OPERATIONS ON THE SITE. NO INOPERABLE VEHICLES WERE TO BE KEPT OR STORED ON SITE. NO OUTSIDE STORAGE OF VEHICLE PARTS. SPECIFIC HOURS OF OPERATION. IF THE USE WERE TO BE ABANDONED FOR 24 MONTHS OR MORE, THE PERMIT SHOULD BE NULL AND VOID. SO AGAIN, THEY NEVER CAME INTO FULL OPERATION. SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS HERE BEFORE YOU AS WELL. AND PERMIT MAY BE REVOKED BY COUNCIL FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE CONDITIONS. AGAIN, YOU COULD SEE WHAT ONES WERE VIOLATED. THEY HAVE NO PLANS OR PERMITS. THEY HAVE TWO LARGE INOPERABLE BUSSES ON THE SITE. NO USED CAR DEALERSHIP WAS EVER ESTABLISHED AND IT'S IN VIOLATION, OF COURSE, OF THE CONDITIONS ON THE PROPERTY RECOMMENDATIONS. BOTH PLANNING COMMISSION AND STAFF RECOMMENDED REMOVING THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT FROM THE PROPERTY. SO JUST TO CLARIFY AGAIN, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ONE. COUNCIL CAN REVOKE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT, OR TWO COUNCIL CAN CONSIDER ALLOWING THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO REMAIN ACTIVE ON THE SITE. AND HERE IS A SAMPLE MOTION OF HOW YOU'D ADDRESS THIS. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU, MISS SIDEWALK. WE'RE GOING TO OPEN THE FLOOR NOW FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION OR THE ORDINANCE RECOMMENDING REVOCATION OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT GRANTED TO MICHAEL ANITA STANLEY TO OPERATE A STANDALONE USED VEHICLE LOT AT 1024 WEST WASHINGTON STREET. ANY HANDS IN THIS PUBLIC HEARING? ALL RIGHT.

SEEING NONE. THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. NEXT, I GO TO COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN JONES. MISS NAOMI, HOW ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO THIS BUSINESS OR. YES. MY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING WITH MR. STANLEY SINCE JULY TO GET INTO COMPLIANCE. IT STARTED WITH THE INITIAL VIOLATION MEETINGS AND CONVERSATIONS. THE SITE STILL DIDN'T COME INTO COMPLIANCE. MR. STANLEY WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, AND WE DID NOTIFY HIM OF THE MEETING TODAY. BUT I DON'T BELIEVE I SEE HIM IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. I NOTICED WHILE RIDING PAST THAT SITE, ALL OF THE VEHICLES ARE GONE EXCEPT FOR THOSE TWO BUSSES THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING OF, DID HE MOVE THEM ON PURPOSE OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS ENFORCED ON HIM? THERE IS. THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO PROPERTIES NEXT TO EACH OTHER. SO YOU'LL SEE ANOTHER CASE RELATED TO MR. STANLEY COME BEFORE YOU FOR RESCISSION AS WELL. THIS ONE SPECIFICALLY WHAT I PICTURED THERE WITH THE BUSSES ON THE PROPERTY. SO THIS IS NOT FOR THE LOT WHERE THE BUILDING IS ON. THIS IS FOR THE CORRECT GRASS. THE GRASS LOT NEXT TO IT. OKAY, THAT'S ALL I GOT. THANKS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT, VICE MAYOR HILL. YES, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, I MOVE THAT WE ADHERE TO THE ORDINANCE TO REVOKE THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT GRANTED TO MR. MICHAEL AND NEIL STANLEY AND OPERATION OF STAND ALONE USE VEHICLE SALE LOT AT 1024 WEST WASHINGTON STREET, PARCEL ID. 024270002 AND THE B2 GENERAL DISTRICT. GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN JONES. I SECOND. ALL RIGHT. MOTION AND A SECOND. MISS HILL, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER CUTHBERT? AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WHITE. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM C, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT AND RE-ADOPTION OF CHAPTER 50, ARTICLE TWO OF THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO NOISE, MR. MARK. GREAT. SO NOW I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE NOISE ORDINANCE. SO THIS IS PLANNING BRINGING BACK BEFORE

[01:25:04]

SO YOU CAN SEE ALL THIS HISTORY HERE, JUST TO SAY THAT COUNCIL WANTED PLANNING COMMISSION TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE NOISE ORDINANCE BACK IN 2021. PLANNING COMMISSION TOOK A LOOK. COUNCIL WANTED THEM TO TAKE MORE SPECIFIC LOOK AT ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS. PLANNING COMMISSION TOOK ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT. AND SINCE THEN WE'VE KIND OF BEEN TABLED IN TERMS OF HOW WE WANT TO ADDRESS THIS. SO COUNCIL BROUGHT IT FORWARD TO ME THAT THERE WAS INTEREST IN TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS NOISE ORDINANCE. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. SO CONCERNS THAT LED TO THIS EFFORT. OF COURSE, THE COMPLAINTS THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING RELATED TO NOISE RELATED TO ANY RESTAURANT USES OR LATE NIGHT USES THAT WE HAVE, AND ALSO TAKING A LOOK AT DISTINGUISHING AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT FROM OTHER AREAS IN THE CITY. THAT'S ONE REASON THAT THIS EFFORT CAME BACK, CAME FORWARD IN 2022. SO RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS PLACED AT THAT TIME IS THAT NIGHTTIME NOISE WOULD MEAN ANY NOISE THAT HAPPENS BETWEEN 11 P.M. AND 7 A.M, 75DB WOULD BE ALLOWED DURING THE DAY AND 65 AT NIGHT. THEN THERE WAS ALSO A REQUEST TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE WOULD INTEGRATE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS RELATED TO THIS AS WELL. THIS ALSO LOOKED TO REMOVE THE DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN HOW NOISE IS REGULATED BETWEEN DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICTS. ORIGINALLY OR CURRENTLY. THE CODE SAYS INDUSTRIAL, RESIDENTIAL AND SO FORTH AND ASSIGNS DECIBEL READINGS FOR EACH OF THOSE ZONING DISTRICTS.

SO IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE EASIER FOR THE POLICE TO ENFORCE WITHOUT THEM HAVING TO HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT THE ZONING IS, IT WAS PROPOSED THAT ACROSS THE BOARD, THESE WOULD BE THE DECIBEL READINGS THAT THEY WOULD ENFORCE. BUT I DID ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT THERE'S STILL EXEMPTIONS IN THE CODE FOR THESE NOISE LEVELS. AND THAT INCLUDES CERTAIN USES LIKE RAIL INDUSTRIAL GENERATORS OPERATING DURING POWER OUTAGES, FIRE DEPARTMENTS, OF COURSE, AND OTHER USES AS WELL. SO THIS IS BEFORE YOU ALL TODAY TO TAKE ACTION. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN APPROVING, DENYING, AMENDING, MAKING A COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT RELATED TO THE NOISE ORDINANCE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MISS EMMA.

WE'LL OPEN UP THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THE AMENDMENT AND ADOPTION OF CHAPTER 50, ARTICLE TWO OF THE CITY CODE PERTAINING TO NOISE. ALL RIGHT, MR. CURRY. MY NAME IS LEONARD CURRY, AND I LIVE AT 2014 WOODLAND ROAD IN THE CITY. WHEN THIS STARTED THE NOISE ORDINANCE ISSUE, I WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE FARMERS BANK MUSEUM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE SEVEN MUSEUMS IN THE CITY. AND OUR WE MAINTAIN THE BUILDING THROUGH CONTRIBUTIONS AND FROM RENTING THREE APARTMENTS AND THE RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR TO US WAS EMITTING DECIBELS AT A LEVEL EXCEEDING 105 DEGREES. I MEAN, 105DB INSIDE OUR BANK BUILDING.

AND THAT'S EQUIVALENT ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH, OF A JACKHAMMER, OR BEING IN THE FRONT ROW OF A ROCK CONCERT, THE 65 DECIBEL LEVEL IS GREAT.

GREAT. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT IT SHOULD BE. THAT'S ACCORDING AGAIN, TO THE INSTITUTE. THAT'S A LEVEL OF NORMAL SOUND. OR SITTING IN A CAR MOVING AT A RATE OF 60 MILES AN HOUR. THIS IS A MUCH NEEDED AMENDMENT TO THE CITY RULES, AND IT ADDRESSES OUR SOUND ISSUE. WE'RE DOWN TO DRIVING IN A CAR AT 60 AS OPPOSED TO THE JACKHAMMER. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. OKAY. THANK YOU. RIGHT. SEEING NO OTHER HANDS, THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED.

NEXT, I GO TO DISCUSSION FROM MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN JONES. MISS NAOMI. HOW DOES THIS NOISE ORDINANCE OR HOW WILL IT FIT IN WITH OUR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS? THE CASINO THAT'S COMING. WHERE DO WE GET THE 11:00 PM HOUR FROM? AND? AS CHIEF CHRISTIAN IN HERE, DO ANYBODY IN THIS CITY OWN A DECIBEL GUN OR DEVICE? SO HOW THIS WOULD APPLY ACROSS THE CITY IS THIS IS ESTABLISHING A NOISE LEVEL ACROSS THE BOARD. SO IT IS SAYING THAT FOR ALL USES WITHIN

[01:30:06]

[01:35:02]

MOTION. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, AND WE HAVE SOME SOME. OKAY, OKAY. THE FEDERAL ACT ON SOUND, RIGHT? THANK YOU. ANY DISCUSSION, MR. MAYOR? MOTION. MR. MAYOR, COUNCILMAN COOPER, I MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION THAT WE ADOPT THE AMENDMENT AS PROPOSED. IT APPEARS AT PAGES 58 THROUGH 64 OF OUR AGENDA PACKET. CORRECT. THAT WAS THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION. SEEING NO SECOND, THE MOTION DIES FOR LACK OF A SECOND DISCUSSION. COUNCILMAN WRIGHT, COUNCILMAN HILL. VICE MAYOR HILL. YES. SO WE HAVE NO NOISE ORDINANCE AS IT IS AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, NONE WHATSOEVER. WE DO HAVE A NOISE ORDINANCE ORDINANCE. RIGHT NOW THE NOISE ORDINANCE REGULATES IT'S REQUIRED TO BE ENFORCED BY THE POLICE JUST LIKE THIS. BUT IT REGULATES BASED ON SPECIFIC ZONING DISTRICTS, WHICH MAY BE UNCLEAR TO THE POLICE. YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF COMBINING TWO DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES TOGETHER. SO THIS RECOMMENDATION IS LOOKING TO JUST MAKE ACROSS THE BOARD ONE DECIBEL LEVEL. SO THERE'S NO CONFUSION BETWEEN WHAT IS THIS AGRICULTURAL, IS THIS INDUSTRIAL SO FORTH. SO I THINK THE REASON BACK THEN WAS SO WE BECAUSE WE KNEW CERTAIN AREAS WOULD BE LOUDER THAN OTHERS, WHETHER IT BE INDUSTRIAL OR WHAT HAVE YOU. ALSO, IF YOU'RE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD AND SOMEONE IS PARTYING ALL NIGHT, PEOPLE WILL CALL THE POLICE ON YOU AND SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S UP TO THE POLICE, JUST RIDE BY AND SAY, HEY, YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE COMPLAINING. YOU KNOW, YOU IT'S 2:00 IN THE MORNING AND THEY'LL JUST TURN IT DOWN. I MEAN, THAT'S TYPICALLY I THINK THAT I KNOW THAT IT KIND OF GOE. AND I KNOW WE KEEP ON KICKING THIS TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S NOT HER, IT'S US. KEEP ON KICKING IT TO HER. SO DON'T LOOK AT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. IT'S ALWAYS US GIVING IT TO HER, TELLING THEM. THEN THEY COME BACK WITH A WITH A WITH AN IDEA. AND THEN WE SAY, WELL, NOW GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT AGAIN. SO I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD DO, I SUPPORT THE MOTION OF COUNCILMAN JONES. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GET SOME, MAYBE SOME DATA ON IF WE CAN, WHAT OUR POLICE OFFICERS, HOW MANY TIMES DID THEY ARE GETTING CALLED TO CERTAIN AREAS NOW? I KIND OF FIGURED MY COUNTERPART DOWN THE END. I THINK HE'S PARTICULARLY TALKING ABOUT THE OLD TOWN AREA, I BELIEVE. I DON'T WANT TO PUT ANY WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH, COUNCILMAN CUTLER, BUT I THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE OLD TOWN AREA AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND I BELIEVE IF WE WERE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE OLD TOWN MERCHANTS AND COME TO SOME TYPE OF CONSENSUS AT LIKE 2:00, EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN, THEN WE SHOULD BE GOOD BECAUSE THEY WORK THAT WAY. A LOT OF TIMES. A LOT OF THEM ARE CLOSED AT THAT TIME. SO FOR MAYBE ONE IN PARTICULAR, BUT TYPICALLY, YOU KNOW, 2:00 IS NORMALLY THAT TIME WHEN, YOU KNOW, THE PARTYING STOPS OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, MOST PLACES. SO, I MEAN, THIS IS YOUR TEAM HAS DONE A FABULOUS JOB, YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS NO, NO, NO HIT ON YOU. BUT I JUST BELIEVE THAT IT'S A REASON WHY IT WAS DONE IN CERTAIN AREAS SO THAT IF I'M AT MY HOUSE AND I KNOW WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN, I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT THAT THE NOISE VOLUME WON'T BE AS LOUD. BUT WHEN YOU LIVE IN A ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME SOME NOISE. AND WE REALIZE THAT. BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S WAKING YOU UP AT NIGHT. AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT TO BLANKET IT ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY, I THINK IT'S KIND OF UNFAIR, AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE CASINO COMING, BECAUSE NOBODY THAT'S THE REASON WHY THAT'S A GREAT LOCATION, BECAUSE YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE HOMES OUT

[01:40:01]

THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. MISS HILL, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL, MR. ALTMAN? I MEAN, MR. MAYOR, MAY I ASK THE CITY MANAGER, THE CITY ATTORNEY TO ADDRESS THIS NUISANCE APPROACH AND HOW IT WORKS AND HOW FEASIBLE IT IS AND HOW WELL, HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. YEAH, THAT'S I'M NOT FAMILIAR AT ALL WITH WHAT COUNCILMAN JONES IS REFERENCING. THERE ARE ORDINANCES THAT ARE AND STATUTES THAT PERTAIN TO NUISANCE, BUT IT TYPICALLY REQUIRES AN ONGOING LEGAL VIOLATION IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ENFORCE IT CRIMINALLY. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, WE DO, HOWEVER, HAVE A NOISE ORDINANCE THAT IS IN EFFECT. AND SO IN PRACTICAL PURPOSES, HE'S RIGHT THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ENFORCE THE EXISTING NOISE ORDINANCE UNTIL THIS CAN BE IRONED OUT, AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PROCEED THAT WAY ACCORDINGLY. I THOUGHT WE SUSPENDED THE NOISE ORDINANCE. THAT'S THE HISTORY THAT WE WERE GIVEN IN OUR PACKET. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, MR. ODMARK? THE HISTORY WAS THAT IT WAS SUSPENDED UNTIL THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAD COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU ALL. SO THEY DID COME UP WITH AN ALTERNATIVE. SO MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT IT WOULD BE NO LONGER SUSPENDED BECAUSE THEY DID THE WORK. THEY GOT THE INFORMATION TO YOU ALL. IT JUST WAS NEVER VOTED ON. AND SO JUST TO BE CLEAR FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S THE ONLY WAY THAT COUNCIL CAN SUSPEND THE ENFORCEMENT OF AN ORDINANCE IS TO TEMPORARILY RESCIND THE ORDINANCE BY FORMAL ACTION, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE ADOPTION OF THE ORDINANCE. SO YOU MAY HAVE GIVEN INSTRUCTION TO BE LENIENT PENDING THE ADOPTION OF THIS ORDINANCE. BUT FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, YOU CAN'T SUSPEND AN ORDINANCE. THE OFFICERS HAVE A LEGAL DUTY TO ENFORCE THE LAW IF IT'S ON THE BOOKS. AND SO THEREFORE, I DON'T RECALL AN ORDINANCE HAVING BEEN ADOPTED THAT YOUR ORDINANCE IS STILL IN EFFECT. SO, MR. CITY ATTORNEY, IF THIS MOTION PASSES, WE WILL STILL HAVE A NOISE ORDINANCE ON THE BOOKS. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. AND MISS THE MARK. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT ORDINANCE SAYS? CAN YOU GIVE US A SUMMARY? SURE. THE BIGGEST CHANGES WERE THE ONES THAT I HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS PRESENTATION. SO THE EXEMPTIONS STAYED THE SAME. THERE ARE REGULATIONS IN TERMS OF NOISE AND DECIBEL READINGS, BUT THOSE ARE SPECIFIC TO DISTRICT. SO IF IT'S INDUSTRIAL, IF IT'S AGRICULTURAL, IF IT'S RESIDENTIAL, THOSE HAVE SPECIFIC DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME DECIBEL LEVELS. SOMETHING ELSE THAT CHANGED WITH THIS PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENT WAS HOW LONG A DAY IS. SO IT WENT FROM 7 A.M. TO 11 P.M. AND SEVEN INSTEAD OF 7 A.M. TO 10 P.M. AND IN THE CURRENT NOISE ORDINANCE, IT ALSO OUTLINES A WAY THAT IT WOULD BE ENFORCED, LIKE THE POLICE WOULD IDENTIFY THE VIOLATION AND DO A LETTER. SO IT HAS ALL THOSE STEPS, THE HOW IT'S IDENTIFIED, HOW IT'S MEASURED, WHAT THE

[01:45:01]

WELL, MR. ALTMAN, WOULD YOU INSTRUCT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ENFORCE. 50 DASH 31? IF TONIGHT'S ACTION ENDS? THE BEING LENIENT PIECE, I GUESS BECAUSE I WOULD AGREE WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY, WE YOU KNOW, YOU DIDN'T PASS AN ORDINANCE TO SUSPEND OR REMOVE IT. SO IF COUNCIL IS OF A MIND TO END THE LENIENCY ON ENFORCEMENT, THEN ABSOLUTELY, WE'LL START ENFORCING THE ORDINANCE. I WOULD SO I HAVE WHATEVER COUNCIL'S ACTION HERE IS TONIGHT, I HAVE ONE REQUEST THAT WE RELIEVE THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT FROM ANY HAVING THIS. I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, WE NEED TO TALK WITH PD WHO ARE HANDLING THIS AND HAVE THEM WORK WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY TO BRING FORWARD SOME, SOME PROPOSALS. I DO KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S TIED TO ZONING, WHICH THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY PLACE I'VE SEEN IT TIED TO ZONING. AND THAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ENFORCE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO KNOW THOSE DISTRICTS. BUT ABSOLUTELY, IF THAT'S COUNCIL'S PLEASURE, WE WILL START ENFORCING IT AS WE CAN. JUST AS AN UPDATE TO COUNCILOR JONES'S QUESTION, WE HAVE BOUGHT SOME DECIMAL METERS. AND TO MR. CURRY'S COMMENT THAT WE'VE ALSO DOWNLOADED THE APP AND WE USE THAT ALSO. MR. MAYOR THANKS AND MR. AND MR. MAYOR I THINK MR. WILLIAMS HAD SOMETHING TO SAY. YEAH I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY PERHAPS IF JUST FOR CLARITY YOU COULD AMEND THE MOTION TO SAY IF YOU'RE GOING TO DENY THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT AND DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO PROCEED WITH ORDINARY NORMAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE EXISTING NOISE ORDINANCE.

THAT WAY, THERE'S NO CONFUSION ON HIS PART WHATSOEVER. I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE. I DON'T THINK WE CAN VOTE TO DO ANYTHING TO ENFORCE A LAW LENIENTLY. I THINK WE CAN VOTE TO ENFORCE IT NORMALLY. YES. JUST DIRECT THE MANAGER TO PROCEED WITH NORMAL ENFORCEMENT OF THE EXISTING NOISE ORDINANCE. MR. JONES, WOULD YOU ACCEPT THAT? AMENDMENT OR ADDITION TO YOUR PENDING MOTION? ALL RIGHT. WELL, FIRST WE'RE GOING TO GO WITH THE MOTION THAT'S ON THE FLOOR, THEN COUNCILOR MYERS, AND THEN WE'LL GO WITH ANOTHER MOTION ON ON ENFORCEMENT NEXT OF THE EXISTING ORDINANCE THAT'S IN PLACE. ALL RIGHT. CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER CUTHBERT? NO. COUNCIL MEMBER JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. NO. NEXT. MR. MAYOR, MAY I FOLLOW UP WITH THAT SUGGESTION OR FOLLOW UP ON THE SUGGESTION OF THE CITY ATTORNEY? I MOVE THAT WE DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO ENFORCE SECTION 50, DASH 31 OF THE PETERSBURG ORDINANCE. IN A NORMAL FASHION.

I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN DO ANYTHING ELSE. WE'VE GOT A WE CAN'T RESCIND IT TONIGHT. IT'S ON THE BOOKS, AND WE'RE JUST ASKING HIM TO DO WHAT WE'VE ALREADY ADOPTED.

ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO SECOND THE MOTION DIES FOR LACK OF A SECOND. SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE 50 DASH 31? IS IT ON THE BOOKS? AND DO WE HAVE ANY DISCRETION IN NOT ENFORCING IT? MR. MAYOR? THIS THIS. YES. THIS ALL COMES FROM THE SPECIFICITY OF A CERTAIN RESTAURANT DOWNTOWN THAT CATERS TO INDIVIDUALS AFTER HOURS. AND SO WE HAVE WE HAVE SUSPENDED THE PREVIOUS ORDINANCE, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE IT AT THE LEVEL IN WHICH THAT IT IS BECAUSE IT IS A

[01:50:02]

THE ONE BUSINESS THAT ON A REGULAR BASIS DOES. I HAS EVERYONE HERE. COUNCILMAN JONES, HAVE YOU HAVE YOU BEEN TO THIS BUSINESS AT 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 AT NIGHT ON A SATURDAY NIGHT? I HAD SOME DRINKS THERE TO. SO. YEAH, I'VE BEEN THERE. YOU'VE BEEN THERE? OH, YEAH. I'VE WALKED DOWN THERE AND WALKED BACK AND IT'S GOSH AWFUL. AND I'VE OBSERVED FIGHTS DOWN THERE.

BRAWLS, NOT JUST FIGHTS, BUT I MEAN ONE HALF OF THE POPULATION GOING AT THE OTHER HALF OF THE POPULATION. I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE DOING OUR JOB. AND WE'VE GOT THIS ORDINANCE ON THE BOOKS.

I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN NOT ENFORCE IT. IF WE SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. POLICE IS DOWN THERE. THEY RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER. HAVE YOU CALLED THE POLICE WHEN YOU SAW SOMETHING? BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T FIGHTING WHEN I WAS THERE. BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING THEY RESPOND TO ANYWHERE IN THE CITY, WELL, THEY DO RESPOND. AND WE'VE EVEN GOT A GRAPH IN HERE OR A TABLE IN HERE THAT SHOWS HOW MUCH OF THE POLICE RESOURCES ARE DIVERTED BY THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR. IT'S ON PAGE 156 OF OUR PACKET, WHICH PROVES MY POINT THAT WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IF WE'RE GOING TO CAUSE LIKE THAT AND NOT THINKING ABOUT THE REST OF THE CITY. AND THAT'S WHY I MADE THAT MOTION. WELL, WE'VE GOT ONE, ONE BUSINESS THAT HAS HAD 140. I THINK THAT'S WHAT THIS NUMBER IS. CALLS FOR SERVICE. WE'VE GOT THE ONE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN OLD TOWN THAT HAS HAD 77. I MEAN, YOU TALK ABOUT DIVERTING POLICE RESOURCES. I THINK THE BEST WAY TO CONSERVE POLICE RESOURCES IS TO PUT A LIMIT ON THE SOUND AND CONSEQUENTLY, A LIMIT ON THE BAD BEHAVIOR THAT THE LOUD SOUND ATTRACTS. MR. ALTMAN, LET'S GO BACK TO THE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POLICEMEN. WE NEVER WILL HAVE ENOUGH POLICEMEN, I SUSPECT. BUT HOW DO WE ADDRESS THAT ISSUE? WELL, I WOULD. SO I'VE BEEN KNOWN TO SAY. I THINK THE CHIEF WOULD BACK ME UP AND AGREE. WE CAN HAVE A POLICE OFFICER ON EVERY CORNER, AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP CRIME. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH. BUT I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE GO ABOUT IS THERE'S A PROGRAM THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CALLED THE COPS GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH CAN ALLOW US TO ADD OFFICERS TO THE FORCE. ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING TO COUNCIL ABOUT TO GET APPROVAL TO APPLY FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT CAN HELP US ADD OFFICERS TO THE FORCE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT WAS BROUGHT UP BY COUNCILOR JONES. I THINK WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT GETTING TO A POINT WHERE WE HAVE THE OFFICERS ON ON STAFFING, ON SHIFTS, PARTICULARLY WHERE THESE ARE OCCURRING AT NIGHT, TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE OUR NORMAL CALL LOAD AND HAVE SOME PEOPLE AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS ADDITIONAL CALLS SUCH AS THIS. SO ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO START ADDING THROUGH THE BUDGETARY PROCESS, ADDING ADDITIONAL OFFICER SLOTS. WELL EXCUSE ME MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, IT'S SNOWING VERY HARD OUTSIDE. SO WE NEED TO WRAP THIS UP SO WE CAN GET THROUGH WITH OUR MEETING. I DON'T MEAN TO BE OUT OF ORDER, BUT WE GOT CITIZENS OUT HERE AND WE WANT THEM TO GET HOME. I JUST WENT OUTSIDE AND WE GOT A SHEET OF SNOW ON THE STREET RIGHT NOW. AND BY THE GROUND BEING SO COLD.

[01:55:01]

MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE.

MAYOR. PERRY. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM E, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE VDEM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT. SOLDIER. OKAY, THIS ONE IS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. IT IS FROM THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. AND IT IS A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,675 FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

OKAY. NEXT, WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE ORDINANCE FOR THE APPROPRIATION OF THE VDM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO HANDS. PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. VICE MAYOR HILL. I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE ORDINANCE AND APPROPRIATE THE FUNDS. I SECOND. COUNCILMAN JONES. I SECOND, SECOND. COUNCILMAN JONES, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER. CUTHBERT. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. AYE. NEXT IS ITEM F, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE 2024 OPERATION CEASE FIRE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. MR. KOCHER. OKAY. THIS ONE IS THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES. IT'S FOR OUR COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THIS OPERATION CEASE FIRE GRANT WILL HELP TO HIRE A NEW PROSECUTOR. AND IT IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE OPERATION CEASE FIRE GRANT THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THIS ONE IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. AND THE GRANT AMOUNT IS $301,749. OKAY. WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE 2024 OPERATION CEASE FIRE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. ALL RIGHT.

SEEING NO HANDS, THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. COUNCILMAN JONES, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE. APPROVE THE. ALL RIGHT, VICE MAYOR HILL, SECOND. MOTION AND SECOND. MISS HILL, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER. CUTHBERT. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR.

HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM G, A PUBLIC HEARING AND

[02:00:04]

POLICE TRAFFIC SERVICES GRANT. OKAY, THIS ONE IS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT IS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT, THE TRAFFIC SERVICES GRANT. SO THIS GRANT ALLOWS FOR TIME BEING PAID TO THE OFFICERS AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT FOR THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT THE DMV HAS AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY AGENCY BEING THE CLICK IT OR TICKET PROGRAM. AND SO THIS GRANT AMOUNT IS IN THE AMOUNT OF $35,950. LIKE I SAID, FOR OVERTIME AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT. SO LEADERS. RIGHT. ARE ALLOWED TO BE PURCHASED OFF OF THIS GRANT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE FY 25, DMV SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT, POLICE TRAFFIC SERVICES GRANT. RIGHT. SEEING NO HANDS, THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. NEXT.

COUNCILMAN JONES. I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THIS ORDINANCE. BY COUNCILMAN SMITH.

SECOND. ALL RIGHT, MISS HILL, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER. CUTHBERT? AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM H, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE FY 25 DMV SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT ALCOHOL GRANT. ALL RIGHT. THIS ONE IS FROM THE SAME GRANTING AGENCY. THIS ONE IS SPECIFIC TO ALCOHOL. SO PARTICIPATING IN THE NATIONAL DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER CAMPAIGN. IT ALLOWS FOR OVERTIME FOR THE OFFICERS AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT SUCH AS BREATH TESTS TO ENFORCE THAT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. NOW I OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING, FOR CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE FOR APPROPRIATION OF THE FY 25 DMV SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT ALCOHOL GRANT. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO HANDS, THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. VICE MAYOR HILL. I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE ORDINANCE AND APPROPRIATE THE FUNDING. COUNCILWOMAN SMITH LEE. SECOND.

MOTION AND SECOND. MISS HILL. COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER. CUTHBERT. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM I, A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE TO APPROPRIATE FUNDING FOR THE SPORTS TRAINING FACILITY. FIELD HOUSE AT PETERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL IN THE AMOUNT OF 1,900,000. YES.

SO THIS ITEM IS PERTAINING TO IN RELATION TO ORDINANCE 23 R 46. THAT SAYS THAT THE CITY WILL DONATE TO THIS FUND NOT TO EXCEED $2.7 MILLION. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN COOPER. MR. MAYOR, I WAS REFERRING IN MY MIND TO AGENDA ITEM NINE. I BUT IN ORDER TO MOVE THIS ALONG, I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE ORDINANCE AS PROPOSED FOR NINE H. OKAY. COUNCILMAN JONES. I SECOND.

MOTION AND A SECOND. I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO ONE AND MRS. RUDOLPH. BARB RUDOLPH, 1675 MOUNT VERNON STREET. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT NINE? I. YES. OKAY. BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE WITH WHY. I'M SORRY, I GOT CONFUSED. IT WAS CONFUSING BECAUSE INSTEAD OF CALLING FOR A PUBLIC HEARING ANYWAY. OKAY. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NINE I. ALL RIGHT? MR. MR. MR. WE DIDN'T HEAR THE WHOLE PART, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THERE ABOUT.

THAT. THE CITY WOULDN'T OBLIGATE THE CITY TO COVER THE REST OF THE AMOUNT THAT'S AGREED TO. SO IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'VE SPENT HALF A MILLION SO FAR. ANOTHER 1.9. THAT WOULD BE 2.4 MILLION ALTOGETHER. AND I THINK THE TOTAL THAT THE CITY HAS OFFERED UP IS 2.7. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT $300,000 MORE THAT THE CITY MIGHT PUT IN AFTER THIS PARTICULAR ACTION. SO I'M READING IT, BUT I THOUGHT THAT AT THE LAST MEETING, COUNCILOR CUTHBERT ASKED SOME GOOD

[02:05:04]

SO THE TAKEAWAY IS, YOU CANNOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I'M A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THIS PROJECT. I WANT TO SEE IT SUCCEED, AND I WISH THE COMMITTEE THE VERY BEST IN RAISING THE REST OF THE MONEY. AND THAT IS WHY I AM VOTING YES. COUNCIL MEMBER JONES. I COUNCIL MEMBER MEAD. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE.

VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. ABSTAIN. AND I'M JUST ABSTAINING DUE TO THE FACT THAT I'VE WORKED WITH THE STADIUM COMMITTEE AND THE SCHOOL BOARDS ON DOING THIS FOR OUR KIDS. IT'S BEEN FAR TOO LONG THAT OUR KIDS HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM IN THE WOODS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE FACILITIES. SO FOR ANYBODY TO REALLY TALK ABOUT WHY THIS IS A PRIORITY. IT'S A PRIORITY FOR OUR KIDS. AND IT'S JUST SHOCKING HOW WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHO'VE SERVED ON SCHOOL BOARD THAT DIDN'T ADDRESS THIS ISSUE HERE TONIGHT, THAT NEVER CREATED THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR KIDS. AND THIS IS JUST LONG OVERDUE. IT'S BEEN 30 YEARS AND IT'S LONG OVERDUE. AND YES, IT IS A PRIORITY. NEXT WE MOVE ON TO ITEM J, WHICH IS A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF AN

[02:10:02]

OH. HERE TONIGHT, ON BEHALF OF OUR CUSTOMER CARE AND COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT. THIS ITEM, PER STATE CODE, THE GOVERNING BODY NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION WHEN REAL ESTATE TAXES HAVE BEEN ERRONEOUSLY ASSESSED OR PAID. AND SO THAT IS WHAT THIS ITEM IS HERE FOR THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION. PARCEL 023150003. ALSO KNOWN AS 110 SOUTH PERRY STREET, LOCATED AT 400 WEST WITH STREET. OKAY, WE OPEN THE FLOOR FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF THE ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE REFUND OF TAXES AND ERRONEOUSLY PAID FOR TAX. PARCEL 023150003.

ALL RIGHT. SEEING NO HANDS IS PUBLIC. HEARING IS NOW CLOSED. VICE MAYOR HILL. I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE REFUND OF TAXES ERRONEOUSLY PAID FOR THE TAX PARCEL NUMBER 02315003. COUNCILWOMAN SMITH LEE, I SECOND IT. ALL RIGHT. MOTION TO SECOND.

MISS HILL, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? COUNCIL MEMBER. CUTHBERT. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER.

JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER.

LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT IS ITEM TEN. PUBLIC INFORMATION

[10. Public Information Period]

NEXT WE START WITH MR. DAVID BETTS. HE LEFT MISS MARLOWE GREEN.

GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL. GOOD EVENING. GREEN. 301 ROLFE STREET. SO I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, AND THIS IS REALLY DIRECTED TO THE MAYOR. THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY THAT MR. STEWART WAS THE MAYOR OF POCAHONTAS ISLAND. AND PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW MAYOR FOR POCAHONTAS ISLAND. BUT, SIR, YOU ARE THE MAYOR OF POCAHONTAS ISLAND, AND YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN THAT. AND SO I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN GET MORE SUPPORT FROM YOUR SEAT, ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN CUTHBERT, IN HIS NEW YEAR AS IT RELATES TO INVESTMENT INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND ENHANCEMENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SUCH AS THE ROPER SITE. I JUST WANT TO KIND OF MOVE IT ALONG HERE. ONE OF THE THINGS I RECENTLY OBSERVED OVER AT THE ROPER SITE WAS ON SUNDAY. I CALLED THE POLICE AT 1230. THERE WERE FIVE GUYS SMOKING MARIJUANA. WELL, YOU COULD SMELL THE MARIJUANA, SO I CAN'T SAY FOR CERTAIN THEY WERE SMOKING MARIJUANA, BUT THEY WERE SMOKING SOMETHING AND THEY HAD BEERS. THEY HAD LIKE A SIX PACK AND THEY WERE RIDING SKATEBOARDS. AND SO I CONTACTED THE POLICE. I ENDED UP JUST LEAVING. I WAS I CALLED THE POLICE AS I WAS LEAVING THE ISLAND. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ACTUALLY CAME AND DID ANYTHING. I HOPE THEY DID, BECAUSE WHEN I GOT BACK THEY WEREN'T THERE, BUT IT WAS HOURS LATER, SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THEY GOT OVER THE FENCES. BUT I DID SEE THE GUYS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE BRIDGES BEHIND THAT. THEY WERE COMING FROM BACK AROUND THERE. SO OBVIOUSLY IT WAS A WAY TO GET INTO THE ROPER SITE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE FENCING, CHAIN LINK FENCING THAT IS AN EYESORE AROUND IT. SO THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION AS WELL IS WE'RE REALLY ASKING FOR AN UPDATE AS IT RELATES TO THE LETTER OF DETERMINATION FOR DCR. I JUST WANT TO MAKE THIS COMMENT THAT IF COUNCIL TRULY SUPPORTS THE BYPASS ROAD, IT WOULD CONSIDER A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO MOVE THE BYPASS ROAD OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN. SINCE THE COST OF THIS ROAD WOULD BE FULLY FUNDED BY THE TREATMENT PLANT, IT WOULDN'T COST THE WELL, EXCUSE ME, THE CITY MUCH OF ANYTHING TO PAY FOR A STUDY ON ITS OWN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING WE'VE RECEIVED THROUGH LGIP, WHICH IS UNRESTRICTED DOLLARS, I BELIEVE. RIGHT. SOME OF THE INTEREST WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THAT. SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO JUST FOCUS ON PUTTING SOME CITY DOLLARS IN POCAHONTAS ISLAND, WHETHER THAT BE ON THE TRAIL, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS JUST TALKING TO KIARA ABOUT IT, MY NEIGHBOR. YOU KNOW, WHEN IT CAME TO THE DUMPING ISSUE THAT WASN'T RESOLVED AT THE CITY LEVEL. AND I UNDERSTAND AS CITIZENS WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO MAKE OUR OWN RESOLUTIONS WITHOUT COMING TO YOU GUYS. BUT WE HAD ANOTHER CITIZEN OF THE CITY BRING US CAMERAS. RIGHT. AND I'VE BEEN REQUESTING FOR OVER A YEAR THAT WE CUT BACK THE TREES OVER BY MAGAZINE ROAD, WHICH IS CITY OWNED PROPERTY, SO PEOPLE WOULD STOP DUMPING. IT WILL PREVENT PEOPLE FROM DOING THAT BECAUSE YOU'LL SEE THEM DOING IT. AND I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THAT FOR OVER A YEAR. AND I'M JUST I'M STILL ASKING FOR IT.

[02:15:03]

CHRIS STEPHENS, 226 ROLFE STREET. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO POCAHONTAS, IT WAS A FEW COMPLACENT MINDS OR DISCOURAGING FEARS THAT LONG TERM RESIDENTS HAVE HAD. AND IT WAS KIND OF. TO SUM IT UP. POCAHONTAS IS OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MIND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I SHARED WITH MY NEIGHBOR MARLO IS INVESTING BACK INTO IT AS MUCH AS IS THE COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY IS ALSO I FEEL ON THE CITY. MR. CUTBIRTH, MR. CITY MANAGER, MR. MAYOR LIKE FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER JUST TO KEEP IT PROGRESSIVE AND TO ALSO KEEP IT COMFORTABLE. EVEN THOUGH WE'RE LIKE IN THE CUT, WE'RE STILL A PART OF THE CITY. AND FROM WHAT I SEE, WE GET PLENTY OF VISITORS FROM ALL OVER THE CITY AND PROBABLY NOT IN OUR CITY. AND WITH THE DUMPING. AND THEN I HATE SEEING RANDOM CARS AT NIGHT, CONJUGATING OR ANYTHING.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE WE NEED LIGHTS, WE NEED TO CUT BACK TREES. WE NEED A LOT MORE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ISLAND THAT COULD MAKE IT MORE COMFORTABLE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, AND THEN THE PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY VISIT. AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO KIND OF SEE WHO SHOULDN'T BE THERE OR WHAT SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING, OR THE LIKE THE DUMPING OR THE LOITERING OR THE HANGING OUT. YOU CAN KIND OF IT'LL BE MORE ON THE SPOT FOR YOU TO NOTICE. IF WE KEEP IT IMPROVED AND IF THEY SAW MORE TRAFFIC, THEN PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY BE DETERRED FROM COMING OVER THERE TO DO THAT. THEY COMING OVER THERE BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MIND, AND I DON'T WANT THEM TO COME TO MY HOME TO THINK THAT THEY CAN HIDE. SO IF WE COULD WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE POCAHONTAS ISLAND, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. I'M OPEN TO ANYTHING. VOLUNTEER HOURS. WHATEVER YOU NEED FROM ME, LET ME KNOW. THAT WAS IT. THANK YOU. NO PROBLEM. NEXT, MISS BARBARA RUDOLPH. BARB RUDOLPH, 1675 MOUNT VERNON STREET. I'M KEEPING IT SHORT BECAUSE OF THE REPORT OF SNOW. THAT'S. I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE, TOO. SO I'LL JUST. I'LL JUST LEAVE YOU WITH ONE BRIEF THOUGHT WAS, I WANT TO COMMEND THE NEW SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT FOR HER INTEREST IN TRANSPARENCY AND BRINGING FORTH SOME OF THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS ABOUT WHAT'S GONE ON IN THE SCHOOL DIVISION THAT SHE'S BASICALLY INHERITED AND IS TRYING TO FIX. SO I HOPE YOU GUYS WOULD CONSIDER SOMETHING LIKE, I GOT THE MAN'S CARD FROM ALVAREZ AND MARCEL TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THE CITY.

I MEAN, JUST TO GIVE YOURSELVES LIKE A CHECK OF WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT COULD BE DONE BETTER.

IT'S NOT THE SAME THING AS YOU GOT FROM THE AUDITOR, FROM MISTER FOLEY, WHO IS BASICALLY THEIR REPORT DOING FINANCIAL REPORTING AND TELLING YOU WHAT WHAT THE REPORT SHOWS, BUT NOT REALLY GETTING INTO IN DEPTH ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS. I APPRECIATE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL ASKED ABOUT IT THAT WAS HELPFUL. THE OTHER THING IS, I'M ASSUMING THAT BEFORE THE END OF THE MEETING, THERE'LL BE FURTHER MENTION OF THE RETREAT THAT MAYOR PARHAM REFERENCED AND I HEARD ABOUT IN PASSING LAST WEEK AT COUNCILOR WESTBROOK'S WARD MEETING. IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT PROBABLY SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED TO THE PUBLIC IF IT'S GOING TO BE THIS WEEKEND, CONSIDERING THIS IS TUESDAY. THANKS, MISS BOBBY BEVERLY.

GOOD EVENING. BOBBY BEVERLY, 2305 DUNDEE DRIVE. HI, BOBBY. BEVERLY. I'M MAKING A FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST THE MAYOR. THIS IS CONCERNING THE INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024, AT THE PETERSBURG CITY LIBRARY'S PARKING LOT. IT MUST BE STATED THAT THE COMPLAINT

[02:20:03]

[11. Business or reports from the Mayor or other Members of City Council]

IT'S JUST THREE THINGS. THERE WAS A LETTER SENT TO US ON OCTOBER THE 21ST, 2024 ABOUT THE ALLOCATION TO THE SCHOOLS. I THINK I GOT A REPORT THAT THEY DIDN'T GET THAT YET. WHAT'S THE STATUS ON THAT? SO THE ALLOCATION TO THE SCHOOLS THAT WAS APPROPRIATE. SO THERE'S THEY'RE REQUESTING TWO THINGS, ONE OF WHICH WAS APPROPRIATED BACK IN DECEMBER. AND THEN THE THEY HAVE A SECOND APPROPRIATION REQUEST THAT THEY'LL BE SENDING FORWARD FOR TO SUPPORT THEIR FINANCIAL KIND OF THEIR SOFTWARE UPDATES. WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THAT FORMAL REQUEST YET. I'M WAITING ON THAT. BUT THE PREVIOUS ALLOCATION FOR THE CAFETERIA, YOUR COUNCIL APPROVED THAT AND THEY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THAT. COULD YOU LOOK INTO THAT? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THEY GOT IT YET. SECOND THING IS THE LIGHTS IN BERKLEY MANOR, PARTICULARLY THE ONE IN FRONT OF THE DOCTOR'S OFFICES THAT WAS THERE BEFORE THE POLE WAS KNOCKED DOWN. AND IT'S STILL NOT UP YET. THEY BEAT ME UP ABOUT THAT LIGHT, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE LAST YEAR. YEAH. SO I KNOW IN ADDITION TO NAMING AND WORKING ON ONE, WE HAVE OUR CITY ENGINEER WORKING ON GETTING THAT LIGHT BACK UP. SO WE'RE IN THE QUEUE WITH DOMINION. WE'RE JUST I'LL FOLLOW UP AND SEE WHERE WE ARE WITH DOMINION ON THAT PROCESS. ALL RIGHT. AND LAST THING. PEABODY. THE PART, THE PORTION THAT GOT THE ROOF HALFWAY TAKEN OFF. I KNOW I MADE A MOTION LAST YEAR ABOUT COVERING IT UP WITH A TARP OR SOMETHING, AND WE APPROVED THAT.

BUT THERE'S NOTHING COVERED ON THAT THING YET. YEAH. WE'RE WE'RE WORKING ON ONE. WE GOT TO ALLOCATE THE FUNDING. SO I'M, WE'RE WORKING ON TRYING TO GET THAT COVERED AND THEN NOT JUST THE ROOF PART, BUT WE'VE GOT TO COME DOWN THE SIDE AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO GET THAT ENTIRE ENTIRETY OF THAT EXPOSED PORTION OF THE BUILDING COVERED. SO WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY FUNDS WITHIN THE CURRENT BUDGET. IF I NEED THEM, WE'LL COME BACK, BUT I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO FIND IT SO WE CAN GET IT DONE WITHOUT COMING TO Y'ALL. CAN WE MOVE A LITTLE BIT HARDER ON THAT PORTION? BECAUSE THAT BUILDING, AND THE ONE THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE WITH THE MARQUEE IN FRONT OF IT, THOSE ARE REALLY THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THAT SITE. IF EVERYTHING ELSE FALL DOWN, IT DON'T MATTER TO ME. BUT THOSE TWO WE GOTTA SAVE. YES, SIR. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU.

THAT'S ALL I GOT, MR. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN WESTBROOK. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. START OUT BY SAYING EVERYBODY THAT CAME OUT TO THE WARD SEVEN MEETING, THAT WAS LAST THURSDAY. I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT. AS WE TALKED ABOUT SOME IMPORTANT THINGS THAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY. BUT SPECIFICALLY I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MR. MOORE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPER, MR. SIODMAK AND HER PLANNING STAFF, AS WELL AS HOUSING MISS MARY HOWARD AND TRISHA BROWN. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND POLICE, ESPECIALLY CAPTAIN ADAMS, FOR SPEAKING AT THE MEETING ON AGAIN THINGS THAT ARE IMPACTING THE CITY MOVING FORWARD. I WANTED TO THANK PUBLIC WORKS. IRONICALLY, I DID WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THE SNOW CLEANUP THAT THEY DID LAST TIME WHEN THEY HAD. WE HAD ABOUT 4 TO 5IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. I REALLY WAS IMPRESSED WITH HOW QUICKLY THE STREETS WERE OPERABLE AND MOVING BACK TO NORMAL. AND I DO KNOW THAT IT IS SNOWING OUTSIDE TONIGHT, SO HOPEFULLY THEY'LL BE DOING THE SAME TYPE OF STELLAR WORK TO CLEAN UP ANY BLACK ICE AND PREVENT THE SCHOOLS FROM HAVING ANY ISSUES TOMORROW WITH GOING IN ON TIME, OR AT LEAST SAFE. THIRD, I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT MESSAGE FROM MR. MARQUIS ALLEN, DEPARTMENT OF REX. AS WE KNOW, BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS COMING UP AND BY THE TIME WE TALK TO YOU AGAIN, IT WILL BE MOSTLY OVER. SO JUST THREE MAJOR EVENTS THAT WE CAN HIGHLIGHT. NOW THEY ARE STILL FINALIZING THE SCHEDULE THAT THEY SAID WILL BE RELEASED THIS FRIDAY. BUT RIGHT NOW, IF YOU COULD PUT ON YOUR SCHEDULES FEBRUARY THE 2ND, THERE WILL BE A BLACK HISTORY GOSPEL EXTRAVAGANZA WHERE THEY WILL BE INVITING LOCAL GOSPEL ARTISTS AS WELL AS CHURCH CHOIRS TO KICK OFF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. ALSO, THERE WILL BE SPEAKERS AND MERVYN MAYO WILL BE THE FEATURED ACT FROM AMERICA'S GOT TALENT ON FEBRUARY 21ST. THEY'RE HAVING A BLACK HISTORY CONCERT TO HIGHLIGHT, I GUESS, EVERYTHING GREAT WITH BLACK HISTORY, WHERE THERE WILL BE HERE AT THE LIBRARY WITH SPOKEN WORD, COMEDY AND MUSIC. AND FINALLY, ON THE 22ND, WELL, NOT FINALLY, BUT

[02:25:03]

HOWEVER, BEFORE MOVING FORWARD WITH ANY FORMAL PROPOSALS, I RECOMMEND THAT WE CONDUCT A THOROUGH PRELIMINARY RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SUCH A POLICY WILL LOOK LIKE FOR OUR CITY.

THIS RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON KEY AREAS, INCLUDING THE COST AND BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING A BAN OR A FEE SYSTEM ON SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS. HOWEVER, HOW SIMILAR POLICIES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED IN OTHER CITIES. SO IN VIRGINIA, EIGHT CITIES HAVE ALREADY BANNED PLASTIC BAGS AND THEY INCLUDE ALEXANDRIA, ARLINGTON, FAIRFAX, FALLS CHURCH, FREDERICKSBURG, ROANOKE, AND ACTUALLY, CHARLOTTESVILLE IS A PART OF THAT. SO YOU SEE A LOT OF THE NORTHERN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE CLOSE TO MARYLAND. IT'S ALSO IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND. THEY'VE ALREADY BANNED PLASTIC USE BAGS. THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACT ON LOCAL BUSINESSES AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THEM DURING A TRANSITION, AND COMMUNITY SENTIMENT TOWARDS TOWARDS REDUCING SINGLE USE PLASTICS AND WAYS TO ENGAGE RESIDENTS EFFECTIVELY. I'M REQUESTING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEY AND RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO INITIATE THIS RESEARCH BY GATHERING THE NECESSARY DATA AND CONSULTING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, WE CAN DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE APPROACH TO ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. FOR PETERSBURG, I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY. PETERSBURG CAN BE A LEADER IN SUSTAINABILITY, SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER CITIES IN VIRGINIA. AND. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. NEXT, COUNCILMAN MYERS. YES. THANK YOU, EVERYONE, FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. FINALLY, I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY, I GUESS. BUT ANYWAY, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE WHO'S HERE. AND I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT THE CITY MANAGER EXPLORE PERMANENTLY CLOSING TWO BLOCKS OF THE JOSEPH JENKINS ROBERTS PARKWAY FROM FIFTH STREET TO THIRD STREET. THIS CLOSURE WOULD ESTABLISH A SAFER AND MORE ORGANIZED SPACE FOR HOSTING LARGE SCALE EVENTS AT THE PETERSBURG HARBOR FESTIVAL PARK, INCREASING ITS APPEAL AS A KEY DESTINATION BY DEVELOPING AN INVITING ENVIRONMENT, AS THIS ACTION WOULD DRAW MORE VISITORS AND ENCOURAGE BUSINESS GROWTH IN THE DOWNTOWN OLD TOWN AREA OF PETERSBURG. PLEASE ADD THIS ITEM TO THE FEBRUARY 4TH, 2025 CONSENT AGENDA FOR A PUBLIC HEARING AT THE COUNCIL MEETING ON FEBRUARY 18TH, 2025. AND I DID RECEIVE SEVERAL TEXTS THE

[02:30:02]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. IT WAS AN HONOR TO BE RECOGNIZED ON, ON ON THE OTHER DAY ON MONDAY. SPEAKING OF MLK, I WANT TO THANK THE DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, ALONG WITH MARQUIS ALLEN, JANELLE SINCLAIR, ALONG WITH HIS STAFF AND WAYNE CROCKER FOR PUTTING ON A FABULOUS EVENT.

MLK PROGRAM THAT THEY PUT ON JUST ON SUNDAY EVENING. I BROUGHT GREETINGS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. MISS NAOMI, DURING OUR DURING ELECTION SEASON. OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE PICKING UP SIGNS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE THAT'S THE LAW. BUT NOW THERE'S A LOT OF SIGNS THAT'S IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. WE NEED THOSE PICKED UP ON EXIT 52 ALL UP AND DOWN THE ROAD, ALL DOWN THE CORRIDOR OF CRADLE ROAD. EVERYWHERE YOU TURN THERE ARE SIGNS ON EVERY CORNER. SO CAN YOU GET YOUR STAFF TO PICK UP THOSE, PLEASE? THANK YOU. I WILL COORDINATE WITH PUBLIC WORKS. PUBLIC WORKS RIGHT OF WAY. MANAGER WILL BE ENFORCING THE SIGNS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. SO I'LL COORDINATE WITH THEM TO LET THEM KNOW OKAY. SO WE OKAY.

THANK YOU. PLEASE. YES. TELL THEM TO PICK UP ALL THOSE SIGNS AND HANG ALL THEM SMALL ONES, BIG ONES, ROOFING SIGNS, ALL OF THAT FOR THE CITIZENS AND FOR THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO IT, SO THEY CAN'T DO IT EITHER. SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT.

THANK YOU. ALSO, I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM COREY HARRIS, MARLO. HE SAYS THAT HE HAS THREE SOLO CAMERAS THAT HE'S GOING TO TRY TO GET TO YOU TO PUT ON POCAHONTAS ISLAND SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO SEE WHO'S GOING BACK AND FORTH AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO I TRY TO PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO YOU, OR EITHER I GET THE INFORMATION AND WE'LL WE'LL SET THAT UP ALSO IN MARCH, I'M GOING TO WAIT TILL THE WEATHER BREAK, JUST LIKE COUNCILMAN HOWARD MYERS. WE WILL BE LOOKING AT DOING A WARD MEETING ONCE THE WEATHER AND EVERYTHING BREAK. I MEAN, WE HAVE SOME SENIORS. I DON'T WANT THEM OUT IN THIS STUFF AND WHAT HAVE YOU. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. THANK YOU FOR THE CONGRATULATIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU AGAIN. I'D JUST LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE MARTIN LUTHER KING PARADE. COUNCILMAN SMITH LEE SAID IT WAS A WONDERFUL PARADE ALONG WITH COUNCILMAN CULBREATH WAS THERE AS AS WE MARCHED ACROSS THE BRIDGE FROM POCAHONTAS TO FRANKLIN STREET. IT WAS A GREAT EVENT. MARQUIS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB AS ALWAYS. HE PACKED IT OUT

[02:35:01]

I'M DEFERRING. I, I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THE DCR, THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION, I BELIEVE, HAS SAID THAT WE MAY NOT BUILD IN THAT NEW ROAD THE EXTENSION OF POCAHONTAS STREET IN THE FLOODPLAIN. AND COUNCIL HAS DISCUSSED THIS IN SOME DETAIL.

AND AS PERHAPS EVERYONE HERE REMEMBERS EARLIER IN THIS MEETING, I MOVED THAT COUNCIL, DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO EXPLORE MOVING THE EXTENSION OF POCAHONTAS STREET TO THE NORTH OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN IN ORDER TO GET THE HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC OFF OF ROLFE STREET, AND ASKED THE CITY MANAGER TO REPORT BACK TO COUNCIL WITH HIS THE RESULTS OF HIS EXPLORATION. AT THAT MARCH MEETING. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S THE MARCH WORK SESSION, I SHOULD SAY. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR HANDS ARE TIED AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANY DISCRETION. THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SAYS WE MAY NOT BUILD A ROAD WHERE WE HAD PLANNED ON BUILDING IT. SO THE FLAME IS FLICKERING, BUT IT IS STILL ALIVE. AND I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN FIND A WAY TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. AND AS HAS BEEN SAID, THE COST IS GOING TO BE PAID BY THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.

SO IT IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE IF WE CAN FIND A, A PATH THAT IS OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN TO THE NORTH OF WHAT WE HAD INTENDED INITIALLY. THE OTHER THING I ATTENDED, THE TWO MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR CELEBRATIONS, THE ONE ON SUNDAY HERE IN THIS ROOM, AND I ENJOYED THAT VERY MUCH.

GOOD SPEAKERS. VICE MAYOR HILL WAS OUR MODERATOR AND DID A FINE JOB. AND THEN ALSO, IT WAS GOOD TO BE PART OF THE PARADE THE NEXT DAY I SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE. EVERYONE WAS IN A FESTIVE MOOD IN SPITE OF THE FRIGID TEMPERATURES, AND IT WAS A GOOD EVENT. BOTH OF THEM WERE GOOD EVENTS. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. NEXT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM 12

[13. Finance and Budget Report]

TO DATE, WE'VE EARNED $247,000 FOR A TOTAL OF A LITTLE OVER 1.2 MILLION IN INTEREST. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE COOL, AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU.

[14. Unfinished Business]

SPECIAL USES AS SET FORTH IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG PERTAINING TO GATHERING AND EVENT USES, INCLUDING NIGHTCLUBS. MR. MARK THANKS. MAYOR. VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL. WE'VE HEARD THIS ITEM. WE'VE HAD THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM. I AGAIN, THIS IS TO HELP CLARIFY USES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR ZONING DISTRICTS PREDOMINANTLY AND ALSO CREATE WAYS TO REGULATE NIGHTCLUBS AS WELL THROUGH ZONING REGULATIONS. SO THAT'S WHAT WE SHARED WITH YOU. LAST TIME WE HAD A PUBLIC HEARING, WE KEPT SOME DEFINITIONS. THE SAME FOR CONSISTENCY WITH ENFORCEMENT, NIGHTCLUB AND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. BUT WE'RE ADDING

[02:40:02]

IT'S A RESTAURANT. IT'S A LOUNGE. IT'S SUBJECT TO A DEFINITION. IT'S SUBJECT TO REGULATION. AGAIN, WE MADE SOME CHANGES TO OUR STANDARDS FOR NIGHTCLUBS. WE MADE SOME CLARIFICATIONS. NIGHTCLUBS SHOULD NOT SERVE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BETWEEN 2 A.M. AND SIX, AS IS REQUIRED BY ABC REGULATIONS. WE ALSO ADDED IN THESE REQUIREMENTS THAT THERE BE A MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, THAT THERE BE A SECURITY PLAN FOR ANY SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUIRED FROM A NIGHTCLUB. ALSO, THAT THERE BE SOUNDPROOFING MEASURES TO LIMIT NOISE, AND ALSO AN APPROVED SPECIAL USE PERMIT SHALL BE REVIEWED AFTER TWO YEARS TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE. SO AGAIN, I KNOW WE DECIDED NOT TO TOUCH THE NOISE ORDINANCE JUST YET IN TERMS OF WHAT WAS PROPOSED, BUT I SEE THESE THINGS AS SEPARATE AND DISTINCT ITEMS, SO I HOPE YOU CAN CONSIDER MOVING FORWARD SOME OF THIS CLARIFYING INFORMATION TO HELP REGULATE ZONING THAT WILL HELP US BETTER IDENTIFY, DETERMINE, AND REGULATE USES AS WELL. SO LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU MAKE A MOTION. THANKS. I GOT A QUESTION. ALL RIGHT. QUESTIONS. COUNCILMAN MYERS. YES. THIS ORDINANCE THAT YOU PUT BEFORE US. SO IS THIS TO OVERRIDE WHAT WE DID NOT WANT TO DO EARLIER? SO THIS IS NOT RELATED TO NOISE? NO, IT'S NOT TO NOISE. BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REGULATING DANCE FLOORS AND BANQUET HALLS AND THESE OPEN ATMOSPHERE ENTERTAINMENT SPOTS.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO REGULATE WHAT THEY DO THERE EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T ACCEPT ADMISSIONS TO ENTER THE FACILITIES. SO WE'RE KEEPING THE SAME DEFINITION OF NIGHTCLUB. AND I DO WANT TO SAY THAT IF THERE'S AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT'S ALREADY OPERATING UNDER A PREVIOUS DEFINITION, LIKE THEY WERE APPROVED AS A RESTAURANT, AND BACK IN THE DAY WE HAD A DEFINITION OF RESTAURANT THAT SAID, EVEN IF YOU HAVE A DANCE FLOOR, YOU'RE STILL CONSIDERED A RESTAURANT. IF THEY'RE APPROVED BACK UNDER THAT DEFINITION, THEY CAN CONTINUE TO OPERATE AS LONG AS THEY'RE COMPLYING WITH THAT DEFINITION. SO IT WON'T IMPACT EXISTING ESTABLISHMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED. SO TO FALL UNDER THE GRANDFATHER RULE, BASICALLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANKS. OKAY.

ALRIGHTY. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. COUNCILMAN COOPER. MR. MAYOR, IS IT PREMATURE TO MAKE A MOTION OR. NO, IT'S FINE. YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION. OKAY, I MOVE THAT COUNCIL ADOPT THE ORDINANCE AT PAGES 134 THROUGH 155 OF COUNCIL'S AGENDA PACKET DEALING WITH NIGHTCLUBS. COUNCILMAN MYERS, SECOND MOTION A SECOND. ALL RIGHT, MISS HILL, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCILMEMBER COUSINS I COUNCIL MEMBER JONES I COUNCIL MEMBER MYERS I COUNCIL MEMBER.

WESTBROOK I COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY. AYE. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT ITEM B AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND ADOPT ARTICLE THREE. MR. MAYOR, MAY I GO BACK FOR A MINUTE? MR. JONES HAS POINTED OUT TO ME THAT THAT ORDINANCE DEALS WITH MORE THAN JUST NIGHTCLUBS. SO I SHOULD SAY THAT AS A POINT OF CLARIFICATION THAT I INTENDED MY ORDINANCE TO.

SORRY, I INTENDED MY MOTION TO ADOPT THE ENTIRE ORDINANCE AT PAGES 134 THROUGH 155. I HOPE THAT CLARIFICATION IS CLEAR TO EVERYBODY, AND I THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SAY THAT. AND I THANK COUNCILMAN JONES FOR POINTING THAT OUT. NO PROBLEM. ALL RIGHT. MR. WILLIAMS SAID WE'RE GOOD TO GO. YEAH. THAT'S THE ONLY ORDINANCE YOU HAVE IN THE PACKAGE. OKAY, PERFECT. ALL RIGHT. NEXT IS ITEM B, AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND ADOPT ARTICLE THREE DEFINITIONS.

ARTICLE 17 M-1 LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT REGULATIONS ARTICLE 18 M-2 HEAVY INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT REGULATIONS ARTICLE 23 SUPPLEMENTARY USE REGULATIONS, SPECIAL USES AND ARTICLE 31 PERMITS, PLATS AND FILING FEES AS SET FORTH IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PETERSBURG PERTAINING TO DATA CENTER USAGES. THANK YOU MAYOR. SO AGAIN, YOU'VE SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE. THIS ALL CAME BEFORE YOU IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR IN 2024 FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. WE HAD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PROVIDED AT THE JANUARY MEETING FROM A REPRESENTATIVE FROM LOUDON AND ONE FROM PRINCE, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY. SO WE HAVE HAD SOME INFORMATION PRESENTED TO YOU BETWEEN THAT TIME. WE ALSO HAD THE WARD SEVEN MEETING, WHICH WAS SUPER HELPFUL TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS SHARE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DATA CENTERS. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING HERE, THIS IS WHAT A DATA CENTER COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK LIKE. DATA

[02:45:02]

CONSIDERATIONS. THE COMP PLAN SUPPORTS INDUSTRY, BUT WE JUST GOT TO MAKE SURE IT'S IN THE RIGHT LOCATION AND IT'S COMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDINGS. THE WARD SEVEN MEETING I WANTED TO NOTE SOME THINGS THAT WE HEARD AT THAT MEETING. ONE WAS THAT THERE'S CONCERNS, MAYBE THAT THE 100 FOOT SETBACK FOR BUILDINGS WASN'T LARGE ENOUGH. SO TOOK A QUICK LOOK TODAY WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE OFFICE AND KIND OF SAW THAT THERE ARE SOME LOCALITIES THAT DO THE 100 FOOT LIKE WE'RE PROPOSING, THAT'S WHERE WE GOT IT FROM ORIGINALLY. BUT OTHERS DO LOOK AT DOING A SETBACK THAT'S AT 200FT. SO SOMETHING TO CONSIDER IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN INCREASING THAT SETBACK. WE ALSO HEARD SOME CONCERNS, MOSTLY ABOUT THE NOISE REGARDING GENERATORS WHEN THEY'RE TESTING AND USED. SO I DID WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL THAT. LOUDON DOES HAVE SOME LANGUAGE IN THEIR CODE, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, THAT REGULATES WHEN GENERATOR TESTING CAN OCCUR, AS WELL AS WHEN GENERATOR TESTING OR GENERATOR USAGE CAN HAPPEN. SO GENERATORS ARE LIMITED TO BACKUP AND EMERGENCY USE ONLY. SO RECOMMENDATION APPROVAL, PLANNING COMMISSION AND STAFF RECOMMENDED THAT. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR MOTION AGAIN. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS ALREADY HELD. BUT DO LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OKAY.

THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN COOPER. MR. MAYOR, IS IT APPROPRIATE TO MAKE A MOTION AT THIS POINT? YES IT IS. I MOVE TO ADOPT THE ORDINANCE AS PROPOSED IN AGENDA ITEM 14. BE ALSO, I AS COUNCIL TO DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO HAVE THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT COME BACK TO COUNCIL ON FEBRUARY 4TH, WITH PROPOSED REVISIONS ADDRESSING ISSUES AS MAY BE LATER IDENTIFIED BY MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. OKAY. I SECOND ALL RIGHT. I COUNCILMAN JONES SECOND. ALL RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT. SEEING THEM IS HERE. WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER CUTHBERT. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MEAD. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MEAD.

AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. SMITH. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY I. NEXT GO ON TO ITEM 15,

[15. New Business]

THIS ONE'S REALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. VIRGINIA STATE APPLIED FOR $56,000 IN FUNDING TO SUPPORT POPLAR LAWN PARK, THAT IS, TO DO TREE PRUNING, REMOVAL OF ANY IDENTIFIED DANGEROUS TREES. WE FOUND SIX THAT ARE IDEAL FOR REMOVAL EDUCATION AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL PLANTINGS. SO THAT'S WHAT THAT FUNDING IS FOR. WE'RE HOPING TO USE IT IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS, BUT WE NEED YOUR APPROVAL TO ACCEPT THIS TIME. SERVICES AND TREES FOR POPLAR LAWN PARK.

THANKS. OKAY. COUNCILMAN MYERS SO MOVED, RIGHT. VICE MAYOR HILL, SECOND, COULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE COUNCILMEMBER CUTHBERT, COUNCIL MEMBER JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE.

COUNCIL MEMBER. WHITE. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. LEE. AYE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PERRY.

AYE. NEXT IS ITEM B, A RESOLUTION FOR CITY COUNCIL TO ACCEPT A DONATION FOR

[02:50:01]

SIMILARLY, WE WERE WORKING WITH THE CRATER PLANNING DISTRICT COMMISSION TO GET MORE TREES ON EAST WASHINGTON STREET, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBER JONES, WHO'S REALLY BEEN KIND OF PUSHING US FORWARD IN THIS EFFORT, WHICH HAS BEEN GREAT. SO THEY APPLIED FOR THE GRANT. IT'S ABOUT $335,000. WE JUST NEED YOUR ALL'S APPROVAL TO ALLOW THEM TO KIND OF OVERSEE THAT GRANT AND IMPLEMENT IT ON CITY PROPERTY, OF COURSE, WITH OUR DIRECTION AND OVERSIGHT, REALLY LOOKING AT INVESTIGATING EXISTING UTILITIES, DOING SOME INITIAL BASE MAPPING, AND THEN IMPLEMENTING A PILOT PROJECT AT THAT LOCATION WITHIN THIS CALENDAR YEAR. OKAY, COUNCILMAN JONES, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THIS ORDINANCE. ALL RIGHT, VICE MAYOR HILL SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, MISS HILL, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER CUTHBERT. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. JONES. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER. SMITH. LEE. VICE MAYOR. HILL. AYE. MAYOR. PARENT I. COUNCILMAN. JONES, MISS. NAOMI, FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND MY TREE CREW IF THEY'RE IN HERE. BUT CAN WE KEEP A NOTE OF ALL OF THESE GRANTS THAT WE'RE GETTING FOR EAST WASHINGTON STREET SO WE COULD POSSIBLY DO IT IN THE OTHER WARDS, TOO, AND LET EAST WASHINGTON STREET BE A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE WARDS, BECAUSE THERE'S MONEY TO BE GOTTEN, OBVIOUSLY. AND THIS IS GOING TO IMPROVE OUR GATEWAY. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN AND KEEP A LIST OF THOSE GRANTS, BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER WE FINISH EAST WASHINGTON STREET, WE'RE GOING TO SOMEWHERE ELSE. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS. PERFECT. WE HAVE WEST WASHINGTON STREET. COUNCILMAN WESTBROOK OVER THERE HAS HAS HAS CRIED ME NEXT. ALRIGHT. NEXT C IS RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO PROVIDE A 20% MATCH FROM NON STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION GRANT FOR THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO CREATE A TROLLEY ROUTE TO HEALTHY FOOD AND GREEN SPACES TO INCLUDE THE PETERSBURG NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD, THE SIDEWALK. ALL RIGHT. I GOT A BIT OF AN ASK FOR YOU ALL TODAY FOR YOU TO CONSIDER. SO WE ARE LOOKING TO SUBMIT FOR A GRANT APPLICATION AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, AND THAT IS TO LOOK AT IMPLEMENTING A BUS ROUTE FOR ONE YEAR THAT WOULD SERVE GETTING ACCESS TO PEOPLE FROM GREEN SPACE TO HEALTHY FOOD. SO THE REASON FOR THIS, AS YOU'RE ALL AWARE, VIRGINIA CONTINUES, WELL, PETERSBURG ITSELF CONTINUES TO BE THE LOWEST RANKED IN THE STATE IN TERMS OF THE COUNTY HEALTH RANKINGS. SO WE RIGHT NOW HAVE THE LOWEST LIFE EXPECTANCY UNDER 65 YEARS, COMPARED TO THE STATE AVERAGE OF 78 YEARS. THESE ARE ALL DUE TO FACTORS ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, CLINICAL CARE, HEALTH BEHAVIORS. SO AS WE MAKE OUR EFFORTS TO REDUCE HEAT ISLAND MANAGE FLOODING THROUGH INVESTMENTS IN TREES, AS WE WORK WITH DIFFERENT AGENCIES AS WELL TO MAKE MULTIMODAL IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH MULTIMODAL PLANNING, THROUGH GRANTS FOR THE APPOMATTOX RIVER TRAIL, THROUGH BUS SHELTERS, AND SO FORTH. AND AS WE WORK THROUGH OUR ZONING ORDINANCE AS WELL TO SUPPORT EQUITY IN DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN IN THE CITY, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE TRANSIT TO GET PEOPLE TO HEALTHY FOOD AND GREEN SPACE. SO THE BACKGROUND HERE, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, THE INSTITUTE FOR ENGAGEMENT AND NEGOTIATION FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO GOT US IN TOUCH WITH THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CENTER. AND THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A GRANT TO HAVE THEM SUPPORT THE CITY. WITH THAT, THEY ALSO GOT US CONNECTIONS TO DO A SURVEY TO GAUGE INTEREST IN THIS TROLLEY ROUTE, AS WELL AS CONNECTIONS WITH UVA STUDENTS TO CREATE A TROLLEY ROUTE BASED ON THAT SURVEY FEEDBACK. HERE YOU CAN SEE JUST ONE LITTLE GLIMPSE OF THAT FEEDBACK. THE SURVEY WAS HELD AUGUST TO SEPTEMBER 2024. IT WAS ONLINE AND IN PERSON AT LOCATIONS LIKE THE FOOD LION, THE YMCA, THE PETERSBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY. TRYING TO GAUGE IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THIS TROLLEY SERVICE. WE GOT IN TOTAL 302 RESPONSES REGARDING THEIR INTEREST IN THE TROLLEY, AS WELL AS WHERE THEY LIVE AND WHERE THEY'D LIKE THE TROLLEY TO GO. 57% OF THOSE THAT PARTICIPATED SAID THEY SOMETIMES OR ALWAYS HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME GETTING TO HEALTHY FOOD, AND MOST RESPONDENTS SAID THAT IF THERE WERE A FREE TROLLEY TO HEALTHY FOOD, THEY WOULD USE IT HERE.

VERY SMALL, BUT WE GOT FEEDBACK FROM EVERYONE ON THEIR DESIRED PARK DESTINATIONS, AND THAT'S WHERE THIS ROUTE IS LOOKING TO GO. THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD, THE APPOMATTOX RIVER TRAIL SPORTS COMPLEX, LEGEND PARK THAT IS WHERE WE'RE PROPOSING THE ROUTE TO SERVE IN TERMS OF PARK LOCATIONS AND THEN FOOD DESTINATIONS RIVER STREET, FARMER'S MARKET, THE MARKET AT THE LIBRARY, FOOD LION, THE YOUTH, OASIS FARM, WALMART IS A LITTLE IT WOULD MAKE THE ROUTE GO A LITTLE TOO LONG, BUT WE WERE LOOKING TO SEE WHERE WE COULD BEST SERVE OF THESE LOCATIONS AGAIN. WE THEN WORKED WITH UVA STUDENTS BASED ON THESE DATA POINTS THAT WERE COLLECTED FOR THEM TO PROPOSE SEVEN DISTINCT PROJECTS ABOUT HOW A TROLLEY COULD SERVE THE CITY TO GET TO THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD, AS WELL AS HEALTHY FOOD AND OTHER GREEN SPACES AS WELL. SO

[02:55:04]

ALL RIGHT. SO AND WE DO HAVE DARIUS HERE TOO IF WE NEED THEM. GREAT. SO WITH THAT $100,000 THAT WE WOULD BE MATCHING, WHY CAN'T WE TAKE THAT MONEY, PAY FOR SOME MORE BUS DRIVERS AND ALTER OUR ROUTES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT SAME THING? BECAUSE IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN A TROLLEY RIGHT? TO THESE PLACES THAN ME. I TAKE THAT TROLLEY. IF I WAS IN A COMMUNITY, I'D TAKE THAT TROLLEY AND CATCH IT UP THERE ANYWAY AND WON'T EVEN GO GET NO HEALTHY FOOD. I'LL GO SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE IT'S ANOTHER RIDE. BUT WE ALREADY HAVE FREE TRANSPORTATION, AND I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO USE $100,000, WE SHOULD USE IT TO PAY FOR MORE BUS DRIVERS TOO. AND WE CAN ALTER THAT ROUTE INSTEAD OF PUTTING IT INTO THIS. THAT'S ALL I GOT. THAT IS GREAT FEEDBACK. I WILL SAY, WHEN THE STUDENTS TOOK A LOOK AT THIS, THEY WERE SAYING, IF WE COULD JUST INCREASE OUR FREQUENCY OF OUR NORMAL ROUTES, THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY HELP. REALLY, THE INCREASING OF THE FREQUENCY WAS KEY TO LIKE INCREASE THE NUMBERS THAT THEY WERE STUDYING THAT SHOWED INCREASED ACCESS AND SO FORTH. I DON'T BELIEVE OUR ROUTES ARE GOING TO REMAIN FREE.

I BELIEVE THERE'S PLANS TO IMPLEMENT FARE BOXES AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. SO I DID WANT TO JUST SHARE THAT. MR. MAYOR, CAN I ASK A QUESTION AND TO HELP MARLO? YEAH, BUT DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT THIS WAS MATCHING MONEY? YEAH. SO WE WOULD PAY 140. THAT'S THE MATCH. AND THE DEPARTMENT OF RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WOULD GIVE US 700,000. SO, MARLO, YOU HAVE TO USE THE YOU HAVE TO USE THE 140. ARE YOU DOING. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. HOW ARE YOU DOING? ALL RIGHT. MAYOR, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. YES. LIKE NAOMI SAID, THIS IS AN ACTUAL GREAT PROGRAM. AND ONE OF THE BENEFITS THAT IT WILL HELP THINK OF TOURISM WITH THIS GREEN SPACE ROUTE. THE NATIONAL PARK. WE HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS THAT HAPPEN DURING THE TOURISM SEASON. I MEAN REENACTMENTS OF THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD. I MEAN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP THE PUBLIC TREMENDOUSLY. IT'S FREE. I UNDERSTAND WHAT COUNCILMAN JONES IS SAYING.

WE'RE EXPLORING RIGHT NOW EXPANDING OUR ROUTES. THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS ON THE TABLE, AND WE'RE DOING SOME THINGS IN TRANSIT THAT THAT WILL MAKE PETERSBURG GROW EVEN MORE. SO.

THIS I MEAN, LIKE I SAID, IT'S A IT'S A FUN 20% MATCH, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, BUT THINK OF WHAT IT COULD BRING DOWN THE LINE. I MEAN, AS FAR AS TRANSIT, I MEAN THE TRANSIT SYSTEM, I MEAN, IT'S COMPLETELY CHANGED. WE'RE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE AND WE'RE NOT LOOKING BACKWARDS. SO WE HOPE THAT COUNCIL WOULD APPROVE THIS FOR US. I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION TO HEALTHY FOOD AND GREEN SPACE AND OUR TOURISM. I'M JUST I'M JUST PUTTING TOURISM THERE BECAUSE THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD IS A PART OF TOURISM, AND THAT ROUTE COVERS EVERYTHING. IT COVERS EVERYTHING. IT GOES TO THE BATTLEFIELD AND THE PRESENTATION. EXCUSE ME. WHY IS IT NOT IN THE PRESENTATION? THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD, EVERYTHING. IF WE'RE GOING TO VOTE ON SOMETHING, I WANT TO SEE EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE VOTING ON.

I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT LATER SAYING, WELL, THIS IS IN THE FUTURE. IF I'M READING IT,

[03:00:05]

WE'LL HAVE THE WE'LL HAVE THE MATCH. ALL RIGHT. WELL. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT, VICE MAYOR HILL.

SO BASICALLY WE'RE I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THE COMPONENT ABOUT THE HEALTH AND THE TOURISM, BUT I MEAN, WE CAN'T MAKE THEM. SO BASICALLY WE INCREASING WHAT WE'RE DOING ALREADY PRETTY MUCH.

BUT WE'RE JUST GOING TO THE PARKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. RIGHT. IT'S CREATING A DEDICATED ROUTE THAT'S PICKING UP SPECIFIC PEOPLE IN NEED TO GO TO PARKS AND HEALTHY FOOD. BUT IT IS HITTING TOURIST DESTINATIONS LIKE DOWNTOWN AND THE NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD, LEGENDS PARK AND SO FORTH AS WELL. OKAY, OKAY. THANK YOU. MAYOR. COUNCILOR WESTBROOK, SO I JUST HAD A QUESTION TO MAKE WAS THE OASIS FARM THAT'S IN THE SEVENTH WARD ON THAT ROUTE. THEY I BELIEVE THEY'RE ON THE ROUTE BECAUSE THEY WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAD THE MAP ON THERE. I HAVE TO CONFIRM THAT THEY'RE ON THE ROUTE. BUT I BELIEVE THEY WERE. OH, GREAT. GREAT. YEAH. COUNCILMAN MYERS YEAH. MR. MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER, YOU SAID THAT IF WE DID THIS AS A PILOT PROGRAM AND WE PUT OUT THIS $140,000, HOW LONG? AND WE FIND THAT NOBODY'S RIDING THIS ROUTE FOR THE TWO MONTHS, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE RESIDUE OF THE MONEY? WELL, WE WOULD OPERATE IT FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE GRANT. GRANT PERIOD AND THEN BE ABLE TO HAVE THE DATA TO SAY YES OR NO TO PURSUE FURTHER, FURTHER GRANT APPLICATIONS TO MAKE IT A PERMANENT ROUTE. AND WE HAVE OUR, LIKE THE PETERSBURG AREA TRANSIT STAFF OR WHOEVER WOULD BE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. THEY COLLECT DATA ON RIDERSHIP WE COULD BE ACTIVELY REVIEWING. THIS WAS PART OF THE GRANT PROPOSAL THAT WE ACTIVELY REVIEW THE FEEDBACK WHERE PEOPLE ARE GETTING ON, IF THEY'RE NOT USING IT, AND MODIFY THE ROUTES AS NEEDED TO BECOME MORE DESIRABLE AND MORE USABLE. I MEAN, I GET IT. I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PILOT PROGRAM, AND IT'S JUST A YEAR. SO I'M TRYING TO SEE HOW LONG WAS THIS PILOT PROGRAM YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT LET'S SAY NO ONE GETS ON THIS BUS FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS ONCE IT'S IMPLEMENTED. SO I'M JUST SAYING, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THE RESIDUE OF THE MONEY? ONCE WE CONTRIBUTE THE 140 YOU'VE GOT THE 700,000. IS THAT RETURNABLE OR ARE WE ABLE TO USE THAT? AS YOU SAID? I THINK YOU SAID THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE FOR SOME ALTERNATIVE FOR THIS PROJECT.

BUT MY PLAN WITH APPLYING TO THIS IS THAT WE WOULD BE EVALUATING THE SUCCESS OF THE ROUTE AND MODIFYING IF WE NEED TO. OKAY. I'M GOOD. I'M FINE, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, COUNCILMAN JONES, MR. MAYOR, I'LL MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE A 20% MATCH FOR THE FUNDING OF A DEMONSTRATION BUS LINE TO HEALTHY FOOD AND GREEN SPACE THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION GRANT PROGRAM. OKAY, COUNCILWOMAN SMITH, I SECOND IT, MR. MAYOR. YES. COUNCILMAN COOPER, MAY I JUMP IN ON DISCUSSION? I HAVE SOME REAL RESERVATIONS ABOUT THIS. I MEAN, IT'S, WHAT, $708,000? AND I CAN IMAGINE THE SQUEAKS AND SQUAWKS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HEAR IF ONCE THE YEAR IS OVER AND WE'VE CREATED THIS EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS TROLLEY, I THINK COUNCILMAN JONES'S IDEA WAS A BETTER ONE. AND THAT IS IF WE'RE GOING TO GET TAKE PEOPLE TO THESE ADDITIONAL DESTINATIONS THAT ARE NOT ALREADY ON OUR PETERSBURG AREA TRANSIT ROUTE, THAT WE EXPAND THAT ROUTE. I AND

[03:05:08]

COUNCIL MEMBER JONES. COUNCIL MEMBER. MYERS I'M IN BETWEEN YOU, BUT. YES. OKAY. YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER. WESTBROOK. YES. WITH. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ADVERTISING IS PROPERLY DONE BEFORE IT GETS STARTED. SO IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT FIRST MONTH DROP OFF. COUNCIL MEMBER SMITH LEE A VICE MAYOR I MAYOR I MOTION. THANK YOU I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM 16 CITY

[16. City Manager's Report and Special Reports]

SO THAT WILL BE PART OF WHAT WE TALK WITH THEM TO. THE PROCESS THAT YOU USE, HOW DO THEY GO TO FACTOR THAT IN, AND CAN YOU BRING THAT BACK TO US ALSO AT OUR MARCH WORK SESSION? YEAH, YEAH WE DO. WE HAVE THE CONVERSATION. ABSOLUTELY. WELL CAN YOU HAVE THE CONVERSATION.

NO. WHEN WE BRING SINCE WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT BOTH OF THEM, THEN WE'LL BRING BOTH OF THEM BACK IN MARCH. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT. TELL ME AGAIN, WE'LL BE TALKING TO THE SAME PEOPLE ABOUT BOTH ISSUES. REAL ESTATE TAX. OH, THE STORMWATER AND STORM, THE STORMWATER AND THE VACANCY SAVINGS. WE'LL BE ABLE TO BRING THEM BACK TOGETHER. ALL RIGHT, WELL THAT'S

[03:10:02]

BOTH THOSE ISSUES. WHAT YOU FOUND OUT. YEAH. THANK YOU. I GOT NOTHING ELSE TO DO TONIGHT.

OH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THIS IS A REPORT FROM THE CLERK, MISS HALE. ANYTHING? ALL RIGHT, NEXT BUSINESS REPORTS FROM THE CITY ATTORNEY, MR. WILLIAMS. NO REPORT, MR. MAYOR. ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS ITEM 19. ADJ

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.