* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS SPECIAL MEETING TO ORDER. CAN I HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MAY I PARDON? HERE. VICE MAYOR JOINER. HERE. COUNCILOR HARRIS? HERE. COUNCILOR ELLIS? HERE. COUNCILOR DAY? HERE. COUNCILOR STOKES? HERE. COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY. HERE YOU HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT. AT THIS TIME CAN WE HAVE AN AMENDMENT TO THE AGENDA OR CAN WE APPROVE AN AMENDED AGENDA TO SCRATCH NUMBER SIX AND TO ADD, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS THE NEW SIX. AND PARKS AND REC AS SEVEN. ALRIGHT, I'LL SECOND IT. ANY DISCUSSION? SEE NO LIGHTS. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILLOR HARRIS? YES. MAYOR. PARDON? YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS? YES. COUNCILLOR DAY? YES. COUNCILLOR STOKE? YES. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY, VICE MAYOR JOYNER? YES. MOTION PASSES. SEVEN TO ZERO. OKAY. MR. CROCKER, I ASK IF I, OH, I APOLOGIZE. , UM, YEAH. ESP. YOU CAN STILL COME TO THE PODIUM. UM, AT THIS TIME IS THERE A MOTION TO ALLOW MR. HARRIS TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY? I SECOND THAT. ALRIGHT. UM, MR. HARRIS, AT THIS TIME, CAN YOU STATE FOR THE RECORD WHERE YOU'RE CONDUCTING THE MEETING FROM AND WHERE, AND THE REASON WHY YOU'RE ASKING TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY? I'M CONDUCTING IT FROM HOME FOR MEDICAL REASONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING NO LIGHTS? ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILLOR HARRIS. I'M SORRY. MAYOR PARTON? YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS. YES. COUNCILLOR DAY? YES. COUNCILLOR STOKES? YES. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY? YES. VICE MAYOR JOYNER? YES. MOTION PASSES. SIX TO ZERO. OKAY. THANK YOU. DID YOU DID? YEAH, I SECONDED. UM, OKAY. NOW [HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL UPDATE] YOUR TERM, MR. CROCKER. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MR. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS EVENING. UM, I WAS ASKED TO PROVIDE A BRIEF OPERATIONAL STATUS REPORT, UH, FROM THE WASTEWATER, UM, TREATMENT FACILITY. UM, IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO WEEKS. I'VE BEEN INTERIM DIRECTOR AT THE WASTEWATER FACILITY. UM, A COUPLE THINGS I'VE NOTED, JUST THROUGH MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND SPENDING A LITTLE BIT OF TIME WITH THE FOLKS DOWN THERE, SPENDING A LITTLE BIT OF TIME WITH THE EQUIPMENT. UM, AND I WANTED TO MAKE, UH, MAKE THIS STUFF AWARE TO THE COUNCIL. UM, SOME OF THE THINGS, I GUESS THIS IS HIGH LEVEL. UH, THE MORE AND MORE TIME I SPEND THERE, THE MORE AND MORE I SEE, THE MORE AND MORE I LEARN. UM, AND SO FAR I LOOK AT THESE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE PLANT. SO THE, WHAT I WOULD CLASSIFY AS FALLING UNDER MANAGEMENT, UM, WOULD BE THE THINGS LIKE BUDGETING RATE STRUCTURES, UM, UTILITY CONSUMPTIONS, UM, FINANCE RELATED ITEMS. UM, IT'S, IT'S NO SECRET THAT OUR FACILITY HAS AN INADEQUATE UTILITY RATE STRUCTURE. UM, THE REASON I SAY THAT IS, UH, UTILITY RATE STRUCTURES ARE GENERALLY CRAFTED IN SUCH A WAY WHERE THEY ACCELERATE OVER TIME TO MEET THE CAPITAL AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS OF A FACILITY. UM, THERE IS A RATE STUDY UNDERWAY, SO THAT'S POSITIVE. UM, OUR POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE DEBT SERVICE WILL IN FACT BE RELYING ON A RATE STRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IN THE FACILITY, AS WELL AS THE COLLECTION SYSTEM NETWORK, WHICH IS NOT ON THE PLANT SITE. SO A LOT OF THE TIMES IT IS, IT'S FORGOTTEN ABOUT. IT'S SUBTERRANEAN, IT'S A PUMP STATION AT THE END OF SOMEBODY'S BLOCK. AND, UM, WE, WE JUST DON'T SEE IT DAY TO DAY. UH, THE STAFFING COMPONENT OF THE FACILITY, THERE'S 57 FTES APPROVED FOR THAT FACILITY. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE THREE MANAGEMENT VACANCIES AT THE TOP OF THE ORG CHART. FIVE OPERATION MAINTENANCE AND LAB VACANCIES, UM, WITHIN THE REST OF THE STAFF. UM, I HAVE NOTICED THAT OPERATOR TURNOVER TENDS TO BE A CHRONIC ISSUE, WHICH PLAGUES PERFORMANCE OF THE FACILITY CREATES OVERTIME ISSUES. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET SOME, SOME NEW FOLKS IN. UM, BUT THEY DO TAKE A WHILE TO GET TRAINED UP. IT IS A RATHER UNIQUE FACILITY. SO, UM, EVEN FOLKS COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF OUR FACILITY TO THIS ONE, THERE'S A LOT TO LEARN. THERE'S A BIG LEARNING CURVE RELATIVE TO OUR PROCESS. UM, THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE FRONT. UM, WORKPLACE CULTURE IS A LONGSTANDING ISSUE AT THIS FACILITY. UM, THERE'S NO HIDING THAT I'VE IMMERSED MYSELF IN, IN THE, UH, STAFFING COMPONENT DOWN THERE TO, TO FEEL HOW IT IS TO LIVE WITH WHAT THEY DO EVERY DAY. AND WORKPLACE CULTURE IS DEFINITELY A LONGSTANDING ISSUE. UH, ROUTINE AND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE CONTINUES TO PLAGUE PLANT OPERATIONS. EQUIPMENT REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT. SCHEDULES AND FUNDING CREATE OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES AND INADEQUATE STAFFING AT TIME TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE FACILITY. AND FIELD OPERATIONS, UH, [00:05:01] CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE. UM, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE. SO THE PLANT IS WITHIN LIMITS IN WHICH FITS US IN COMPLIANCE. HOWEVER, A LACK OF OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND REPLACEMENT WILL CREATE HURDLES, UM, TO FUTURE COMPLIANCE AND POTENTIAL LEGAL CHALLENGES DOWN THE ROAD. UM, PUMP STATION OVERFLOWS, UH, CONTINUE TO BE A PROBLEM AND THEY WILL CREATE REGULATORY CHALLENGES IN THE SHORT AND BOTH THE LONG TERM. SO, UH, THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE UNLESS ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, UM, RELATIVE TO WHAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE FOR THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS, I'M HAPPY TO, UM, ANSWER THEM. , IT'S A LOT, IT'S A LOT TO TAKE IN. SO THE FIRST LAST SAW WAS, UH, COUNSELOR Y . SO ENTHUSED THAT SHE BUMPING INTO YEAH. UH, COUNSELOR ELLIS AND THEN COUNSELOR JOYNER. SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID IS, UM, NOTHING'S POSITIVE. ZERO . I WILL SAY THIS, THERE'S A CORE GROUP OF DEDICATED PEOPLE AT THAT FACILITY MM-HMM . THAT, UH, INSPIRE EVEN ME. AND I'M PRETTY INS, I'M AN INSPIRED INDIVIDUAL, BUT I SEE THE ETHIC AND THE OWNERSHIP THAT THEY TAKE IN THE FACILITY. AND THAT I, I CAN HANG MY HAT ON BECAUSE THAT IS CONTAGIOUS AND THAT'S CONTAGIOUS TO THE RIGHT GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT COME INTO THAT FACILITY. SO, UM, NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS, BUT I GUESS WHEN I COME TO BRING YOU NEWS, I'M GONNA BRING YOU THE TOP LEVEL OF WHAT OH, ABSOLUTELY. I SEE. AS A BIG CHALLENGE, BUT OH, YEAH. UM, THERE ARE POSITIVE THINGS HAPPENING, BUT I'LL, I'M NOT GONNA PAINT A PICTURE THAT'S NOT TRUE. RIGHT. YEAH. I DON'T THINK ANY OF US HERE WANTS JUST ALL THE GOOD NEWS. 'CAUSE IN ORDER TO FIX STUFF, WE NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT NEEDS FIXED. THE THINGS THAT DO BOTHER ME ARE THE THREE MANAGEMENT VACANCIES AND THE OPERATION TURNOVER. OKAY. UM, A LOT OF TIMES YOUR OPERATIONAL TURNOVER HAS TO DO WITH LEADERSHIP. UM, YOUR, YOUR VACANCIES, A LOT OF TIMES IT'S LEADERSHIP. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE MONEY, BUT, UM, IN YOUR PERSONAL OPINION ON THAT, THE LEADERSHIP THERE. UM, SO I HAVE, UM, I GUESS A BIT OF A HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE FACILITY AND THE LEADERSHIP THAT HAS BEEN THERE. I'VE WORKED WITH THEM IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER THROUGH MY PREVIOUS JOB AND THROUGH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN WHICH THEY WERE INVOLVED IN. UM, I WON'T SPEAK TO THEM SPECIFICALLY, BUT THE, THE CULTURE THAT WAS CREATED, AND I THINK WE TOUCHED ON THIS WHEN WE MET WITH ALL HANDS ON. UH, THE FIRST DAY I WENT DOWN THERE WAS, UM, I'M A PROPONENT OF ACCOUNTABILITY PERIOD, UH, PERSONALLY AND NOT ACCOUNTABILITY FOR, UH, THE SAKE OF, OF BLAMING SOMEONE. THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. IT'S ABOUT LIFTING OUR TEAM UP. AND I THINK THERE'S BEEN AN ABSENCE OF THAT. AND I THINK THAT IS A BIT OF A CULTURE SHOCK, UH, FOR THE FOLKS DOWN THERE TO HAVE TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR COLLEAGUES, TO THEIR MANAGEMENT, TO THEIR FACILITY, AND TO THE PUBLIC. THAT'S A BIG DEAL. IT'S A HEAVY LOAD TO CARRY AND NOT EVERYBODY'S READY TO CARRY IT. SO THAT'S A BIT OF A, IT'S A, IT'S A NEW THING FOR THEM. HOW LONG HAS THE THREE MANAGEMENT VACANCIES BEEN? UH, THE DEPUTY, I'M GUESSING ABOUT A YEAR, GIVE OR TAKE. OKAY. UM, MAYBE SLIGHTLY LESS. UH, THE DIRECTOR WERE ALL JUST, UH, RECENTLY THE OPERATIONS MANAGER. MAYBE A COUPLE MONTHS PERHAPS. YEAH. RIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. UH, COUNSELOR JOYNER DAY, AND THEN MYSELF. I GUESS MY QUESTION IS WITH REGARD TO THESE VACANCIES, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE SITUATIONS I NOTICED WITH THE POSTINGS, UM, NOW I OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GET INVOLVED WITH THAT, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN LOOKING AT THE POSTINGS AND WORKING WITH HR. IN A LOT OF CASES, THE SALARY NUMBERS ARE NOT EVEN POSTED ON THE POSTINGS. AND SOMETIMES THAT'S INTENTIONAL AND I'LL TELL YOU I UNDERSTAND. BUT YEAH. BUT NORMALLY THERE'S LANGUAGE THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMENSURATE WITH EXPERIENCE, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. SURE. BUT, AND EVEN THE REQUIREMENTS ARE SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, NEBULOUS IN TERMS OF REQUIREMENTS OF THESE POSITIONS. UM, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE POSTING, I DON'T KNOW. YOU KNOW, MAYBE WITH YOUR, UM, BACKGROUND IN THAT WORLD, UH, THERE MAY BE SOME PLACES THAT, YOU KNOW, TO POST THESE JOBS OR CONTACTS TO MAKE. UM, AND, UH, AND YOU KNOW, AND ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IF SOMETIMES IT TAKES REACHING OUT TO THESE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST WAITING FOR THEM TO, YOU KNOW, GO ONLINE AND, AND DO WHATEVER, BUT ACTUALLY REACHING OUT TO OTHER EXECUTIVES, THAT SORT OF THING. I'VE CERTAINLY PUT MY FEELERS OUT TO MY NETWORK AND PUSHED IT OUT TO THE FOLKS THAT I KNOW. UM, RIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY, A A A COMMON PROBLEM OR CHALLENGE OR HURDLE FOR A SMALL TOWN IS, UM, THE TOP END OF THAT COMPENSATION OR WHAT WE CAN OFFER AT THE TIME CREATES A LIMITING FACTOR. AND, AND THAT'S TRUE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAY SCALE AS WELL AS THE TOP OF THE PAY SCALE. MM-HMM [00:10:01] . THE OTHER PROBLEM, AND THIS KIND OF GETS BACK TO COUNCILOR ELLIS'S QUESTION ABOUT, ABOUT WHY, UM, WASTEWATER TREATMENT IS NOT A GLORIOUS JOB. AND THOSE IN IT TEND TO HAVE SOME HIGHER BELIEF THAT THEY'RE PROTECTING PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. AND THAT IS, THAT'S A NOBLE CAUSE. HOWEVER, THE RATE OF PEOPLE ENTERING THIS FIELD IS, IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE LAST DECADE. AND IT GETS WORSE AND WORSE EVERY YEAR. THAT GOES BY. IT'S A, IT'S A COMMON THEME AT WASTEWATER SHORT SCHOOL EVERY YEAR THAT ATTRACTING NEW, NEW, UM, A TALENT POOL TO THIS FIELD IS, IS A CHALLENGE. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . UM, YEAH. SO YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO. UM, WE PUSH IT OUT THERE. WE'RE STILL, DESPITE THINGS HAPPENING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL IN A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT TO, TO ATTRACT CANDIDATES TO THESE JOBS. MM-HMM . I WISH THAT WEREN'T THE CASE. UM, BUT THE POOL, IF THE POOL IS LIMITED ELSEWHERE, IT'S SEVERELY LIMITED IN THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND WATER TREATMENT FIELDS. MM-HMM . YEAH. WITH REGARD TO THE, THE, UM, THE WAGES AND SALARIES AND THAT SORT OF THING, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE TAKEN A LOOK AT. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, UM, IF THAT IS, IS REALLY LIMITING OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND SO FORTH. I MEAN, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, IT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES IN THE CITY. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LOOK TO HAVE CLEAN WATER, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO FLUSH THEIR COMMODES. THEY NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, DEPEND ON THESE THINGS. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY. AND IT CERTAINLY HASN'T BEEN OVER THE TIME THAT I HAVE BEEN ON COUNCIL, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'VE HEARD MUCH ABOUT. AND, UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, WE AS COUNSELORS NEED TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE ASKING QUESTIONS AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT THINGS ARE, THAT, I MEAN, THERE ARE A LOT OF, EVERYBODY'S JUGGLING LOTS OF BALLS, I GET IT AND ALL THAT. BUT IT IS, IT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY. AND IF THERE ARE SALARY CONSTRAINTS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT NOW, UM, TO LOOK AT THE, LOOK AT THE PAY SCALES AND, AND SO FORTH AND SO ON. SO, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA BE ABLE TO, GOTTA BE ABLE TO RUN IT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE WAY IT NEEDS TO BE RUN, NEEDS TO RUN SMOOTHLY. UM, I GUESS MY OTHER QUESTION TOO IS, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE WORKPLACE CULTURE. EXPAND ON THAT A LITTLE BIT. UM, I THINK THE BIG THING IS ACCOUNTABILITY. I THINK, UH, THIS FACILITY'S BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME. UH, THE STAFF HAS INCREASED WITH TIME. UM, WHEN, WHEN RATES OF PAY TEND TO BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER, YOU ATTRACT A DIFFERENT CANDIDATE. YEAH. UM, I'LL BE HONEST, UH, GRANTED I'M PULLING TWO JOBS AT THE MOMENT, BUT EVEN IF I TRY TO THINK ABOUT IT IN THE CONTEXT, IF I WERE THE DIRECTOR THERE AND ONLY THERE, WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE TO ME? AND IT'S A LOT, IT'S A LOT TO MANAGE AND IT, YOU'RE MANAGEMENT STACK AT THAT FACILITY IS NOT ON THE SAME PAGE. AND PEOPLE NEED TO WEAR DIFFERENT HATS WHERE THEIR STRONG SUITS FIT BEST WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION. IF IT'S NOT ALIGNED ALL THE WAY DOWN THAT CHAIN FROM THE TOP OF THE ORG CHART THROUGH THE TOP OF THAT BAR TO ALL MANAGEMENT LEVELS. IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, YOU'RE, YOU GOT, YOU GOT TROOPS MARCHING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. UM, AND THAT CREATES A CULTURE OF, AH, WE CAN DO IT TOMORROW, OR, AH, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT, OR, AH, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO IT. UM, AND IN A WASTEWATER PLANT IT'S AKIN IT'S AKIN TO A NAVY SHIP. IT IS, IT'S A STATIONARY SHIP THAT REQUIRES CONSTANT VIGILANCE WHEN IT COMES TO MAINTENANCE AND OPERATING THAT FACILITY. IT'S NOT SOMEWHERE YOU CAN GO SIT AND JUST KICK BACK. AND I'M AFRAID THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE, IN THE PAST THAT HAS HAPPENED AND THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO GET TO THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND TO TURN THAT STATIONARY SHIFT IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. IT'S A CHALLENGE. IT'S NOT INSURMOUNTABLE. I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA PAINT THAT PICTURE. I SEE. BUT IT IS, IT IS A CHALLENGE FOR SURE. MM-HMM . YEAH. MY OTHER THING TOO IS TALK TO ME ABOUT REGULATORY COMPLIANCE. OKAY. AND I DO, THERE, THERE WERE SOME DEQ ISSUES. UM, I THINK WE NEED TO BE, UH, VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THOSE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST TO LET US, YOU KNOW, TO, TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE DEQ UM, ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED. SO WHAT I CAN SAY, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, DEQ INSPECTORS REGULARLY VISIT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANS. THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THEIR, THAT'S PART OF THEIR, WHAT THEY DO MM-HMM . UM, THEY PROVIDE INSPECTION OVERSIGHT ON ALL OF THE OPERATING COMPONENTS OF THAT FACILITY. MM-HMM . THEY DOCUMENT THOSE, THEY DOCUMENT DEFICIENCIES, THEY DOCUMENT DEFICIENCIES AND COMPLIANCE WITH PERMITS. YES. UM, THOSE INSPECTIONS CAN LEAD DOWN THE ROAD TO NOTICES OF VIOLATION. EXACTLY. UM, AND BEYOND THAT, UM, I DON'T, ANTHONY, UM, I GUESS RELATIVE TO ANY PENDING MATTERS, UM, IF WE WANNA TALK ABOUT PENDING MATTERS, IT, IT'S ULTIMATELY UP TO COUNSEL IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT [00:15:01] IT IN OPEN SESSION. THAT'S UP TO YOU. BUT WE COULD SPEAK ABOUT IT IN CLOSED SESSION. I'VE PREPARED A MOTION IF THAT'S A DESIRED COUNSEL. UM, YEAH. I, I DON'T WANNA DO ANYTHING TO EMBARRASS ANYONE OR WHATEVER, BUT I DO THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, I THINK JUST TO RECOGNIZE THAT DEQ HAS BEEN INVOLVED AND, AND YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE OBVIOUS, AS YOU SAID, THEY OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS TELL, WELL, I DON'T KNOW HOW OTHER COUNSELORS FEEL ABOUT THIS. UM, BUT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT, THAT I, I'M, I'M THE ONE THAT ASKED TO HAVE THIS MEETING TO ADDRESS, UM, THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY. 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY, UM, UNTIL RECENTLY. OKAY. AND, UM, WE DIDN'T REALLY, WERE NOT AWARE THAT THERE WERE, WE KIND OF KNEW THERE MIGHT BE SOME, SOME ISSUES. 'CAUSE THERE WERE SOME CONTENTIOUS MEETINGS THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. UM, BUT, UM, UH, TALK TO ME, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE COUNCIL WANTS TO DO WITH REGARD TO DEQ, THAT'S FINE. BUT, UM, I, I HAD HEARD THAT THEY HAD, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME, THEY'VE BEEN MADE SOME COMMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS WERE NOT AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE KIND OF ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, THAT THEY, THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THAT'S NO, NO SURPRISE. BUT TALK ABOUT THESE PUMP STATION OVERFLOWS. TALK ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. UM, AND JUST I GUESS ANECDOTALLY, SO, UH, DEQ ACTIONS, WHETHER THEY'RE INSPECTIONS, LEGAL ACTIONS ARE IN FACT A COMMON OCCURRENCE YES. AT ALL FACILITIES. YES. THE RANGE OF SEVERITY CAN BE DIFFERENT. MM-HMM . UM, SO PUMP STATION OVERFLOWS ALSO ANOTHER COMMON OCCURRENCE, ONE THAT WE TRY TO PREVENT. UM, THEY TYPICALLY STEM FROM A LACK OF, UH, A LACK OF MAINTENANCE. IT COULD BE EXCESS OF GREASE AND RAGS IN THE SYSTEM, WHICH CLOG PUMPS, WHICH WHEN PUMPS SHUT DOWN, IT HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE. AND UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL LEAVE THE PUMP STATION AND END UP ON THE GROUND, WHICH PRESENTS CHALLENGES TO PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. UM, THAT'S A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN THIS CITY. AND WE HAVE, I THINK, 19 PUMP STATIONS. I DON'T REFLECT ON, YEAH. 19 PUMP STATIONS. I THINK 15 OR 16 OR DOMESTIC. UM, THE DOMESTIC WIND SERVICE, OUR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES, IT'S A LOT TO MAINTAIN. MM-HMM . THEY USE A LOT OF ENERGY. THE PUMPS REQUIRE VIGILANCE AND, UM, MAINTAINING THEM ALSO, REPLACEMENT CYCLES ARE HUGE. UM, SO WE HAVE OVERFLOWS IN TOWN. UM, THEY TEND TO BE IN THE SAME SPOTS. UM, THAT DOES CREATE CHALLENGES FOR THIS PLANT AND COMPLIANCE WITH OUR PERMIT. MM-HMM . OKAY. ALRIGHT. I THINK I'M, I'M DONE. OKAY. FOR THE TIME BEING, FOR THE TIME BEING, TIME BEING, UH, COUNSELOR DAY, AND THEN MYSELF. UM, I'LL PIGGYBACK OFF OF WHAT, UM, VICE MAYOR JOINER SAID, AND THAT WAS ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE THINGS THAT YOU SHARED, UM, THIS EVENING, IF WE HAVE, UM, SOME TYPE OF FAILURE, DO WE HAVE THE BACKUP EQUIPMENT, UH, THAT WE NEED TO HANDLE IT? LIKE, OR ARE WE SHORT IN THAT AREA AT ALL AS FAR AS HAVING WHAT WE NEED MAINTENANCE WISE TO HANDLE A SITUATION LIKE THAT? MY HUNCH, JUST AFTER TWO WEEKS OF, TO LOOK THROUGH IT WITH THAT LENS, TWO WEEKS AND, UH, SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE, UM, IS NO, WE DON'T, UM, NO, WE'RE NOT PREPARED. WE, WE HAVE MOMENTS WHERE THE PLANT HAS TO SHUT DOWN. RIGHT. BUT OUR LIMITING CAPACITY AT THE END OF THE DAY IS OUR, OUR ABILITY TO PROCESS SOLIDS THROUGH THAT PLANT. IF SOLIDS LEAVE THE FACILITY, THEY GO TO THE RIVER. AND THAT'S WHERE WE DON'T WANT 'EM. MM-HMM . UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE, UH, FLUCTUATED BETWEEN OFF AND ON IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THINGS, UM, IN ORDER TO KEEP THE PLANT RUNNING. UM, BUT IF IT SHUTS DOWN, EVEN, EVEN PUMP STATIONS, BACKUP GENERATORS ARE A BIG THING. IF, UH, PUMP CAN'T PUMP AGAIN, THAT WATER'S GOING SOMEWHERE THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE, THE PLANT. UM, IT WOULD BE, I DON'T WANNA SAY IMPOSSIBLE, BUT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE A GENERATOR THAT WOULD RUN THAT ENTIRE PLANT. IT'S A BIG ELECTRICITY SINK. UM, WE DO HAVE BACKUP GENERATORS FOR, FOR CRITICAL THINGS. UM, BUT OVERALL, ANECDOTALLY, I DON'T THINK THAT WHAT IS NECESSARY IS, IS PRESENT. OKAY. AND, UM, I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION. IS THERE A SECURITY, LIKE IS IT GATED OFF AND LOCKED? IS THERE LIKE ANY KIND OF SECURITY COMING INTO THE WASTEWATER FACILITY THERE? UM, SO THAT JUST, ANYBODY CAN'T GET BACK THERE? SO THERE IS A SECURITY GATE PRESENT AT THE ACCESS TO THE FACILITY. UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT IT'S ACTUALLY FUNCTIONAL. IT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I ASKED LAST WEEK. UM, I GUESS IT'S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A TIME AROUND THE PATRIOT ACT. UM, WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES, WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES WERE LOOKED AT LARGELY BECAUSE THEY PRESENT A, UH, A BIG RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH. RIGHT. UM, AND I'VE ASKED OUR, UM, MAINTENANCE MANAGER TO LOOK INTO WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THAT GATE FIXED. UM, THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC. WE DO HAVE A LOT OF TRACTOR TRAILER TRAFFIC, PEOPLE BRINGING IN SEPAGE AND, AND LEAK SHAPE. UM, HOWEVER, IT'S NOT INSURMOUNTABLE TO THINK THAT THAT GATE COULD BE CLOSED AND THEY CAN CALL THE OFFICE [00:20:01] AND WE CAN BUZZ THEM IN. UM, SECURITY SHOULD BE A PRIORITY AT THAT FACILITY. THINK SO? MM-HMM . THANK YOU. UH, OKAY. SO I WOULD JUST WANNA FIRST SAY THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE TO GO DOWN THERE TO THE WASTEWATER PLANT. AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA SAY VOLUNTEERING NECESSARILY TO RUN IT. I KNOW THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DRAFTED. YEAH. A DRAFTED. BUT TRULY THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE, UH, TO GO DOWN THERE AND TO, YOU KNOW, TRY TO FIX SOMETHING THAT'S JUST BEEN, UNFORTUNATELY A MESS FOR AT LEAST SAY, YOU KNOW, 10 PLUS YEARS. UM, NOW, SO WE, I KNOW YOU, YOU'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE STAFFING. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT ADDRESS, MY, THAT WAS ONE THING I WAS GONNA MENTION IS, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF PAY FOR, YOU KNOW, THESE CRITICAL, YOU KNOW, POSITIONS, YOU KNOW, THE OPERATORS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ENI TECHNICIANS, UM, LAB ASSISTANTS. SO I'M, I'M GLAD TO SEE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF PLAN AND THERE'S CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FIXING THOSE ISSUES. UM, ONE ISSUE THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, UM, JUST ONGOING IS EXECUTING CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND I'VE BEEN A VERY BIG PROPONENT OF RAISING AND INCREASING CAPITAL FUNDING DOWN THERE. UM, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM IS EXECUTING THOSE PROJECTS. AND I KNOW YOU'VE ONLY DONE THIS FOR, YOU KNOW, TWO FOR TWO WEEKS. HAVE YOU GOTTEN A GOOD SENSE OF WHERE PROJECTS STAND RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF LIKE, IN THEIR DESIGN DEVELOPMENT PHASE, IN THEIR ACTUAL EXECUTION PHASE, CLOSEOUT PHASE? UM, SO WE'VE STARTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT TODAY. MY FIRST, UM, SO I MAKE TWO ROUNDS THROUGH THE PLANT EVERY DAY. MM-HMM . FROM I FLUENT TO EFFLUENT. UM, SO I WALK THROUGH EACH OF THE PROCESSES AND EACH TIME I, I NOTICE SOMETHING DIFFERENT RIGHT. OR SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. THAT'S BEEN MY PRIMARY FOCUS, IS THE THINGS THAT ARE HERE AND CAN BE OPERATIONAL, NEED TO BE OPERATIONAL RELATIVE TO THE CAPITAL PROJECTS. UM, I'M JUST GETTING INTO THAT. UM, SO I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK AT A EDUCATED LEVEL ON WHERE THEY ALL STAND. I KNOW THERE'S ONE OF, UH, PRIME IMPORTANCE RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS THE ROOF ON THE ADMIN BUILDING HAS A SIGNIFICANT LEAK IN THE BUILDING. SO I'VE BEEN PUSHING PRETTY HARD TO GET THE SHOP DRAWINGS FOR THE ROOF REPLACEMENT. UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN KEEP PEOPLE WORKING. OKAY. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I INTEND TO LOOK AT IN THE COMING WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY STAND. OBVIOUSLY. THAT IS, UH, MY FORTE IS CAPITAL PROJECTS. MM-HMM . SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I PLAN TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME WITH THE, THE, THE CULTURE AND STAFFING WHERE, UH, THEY TOOK, THEY TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF PRIORITY FIRST. RIGHT? SURE. AND I MEAN, YOU GOTTA HAVE THE PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY RUN THE PLANT. IT'S JUST, IT'S BEEN A CHRONIC ISSUE. UM, AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S, IT'S EXPANDED, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY A DECADE NOW WHERE PROJECTS GET APPROVED. AND I THINK, I, I WANNA SAY THEY HIT THE DESIGN PHASE, BUT IT'S LIKE, IT JUST STOPS THERE. AND WE DON'T EVER SEE PROJECTS EXECUTED, UH, DOWN THERE. AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT PEOPLE GET, YOU KNOW, UPSET. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I RIGHTFULLY DO. I MEAN, YOU SAW, YOU KNOW, HOW I, YOU KNOW, GOT, I DON'T WANNA SAY I LOST MY TEMPER, BUT YOU KNOW, HOW I GOT UPSET, YOU KNOW, BACK IN DECEMBER WHEN WE HAD AN OUTSTANDING PAVING PROJECTS YET, YOU KNOW, YOUR PREDECESSOR, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO COME TO US AND ASK FOR, YOU KNOW, A TAX INCREASE ESSENTIALLY. UM, BUT YEAH, IF YOU DON'T MIND KIND OF GIVING US, YOU KNOW, THE RUNDOWN LIST OF, YOU KNOW, THE PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED, YOU KNOW, AND WHERE THEY ARE IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, DESIGN PHASE, WHERE THEY ARE, IF THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY BEING EXECUTED, IF THEY'RE OUT FOR BID RIGHT NOW, UM, THAT WOULD, I KNOW GIVEN I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE COMMISSION MEMBERS, BUT I THINK ALSO MEMBERS ON COUNCIL, UM, PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF PEACE OF MIND. UM, NOW YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS, UM, BUT YOU MIGHT, SIR. UM, DO WE KNOW WHAT THE STATE OF THE QUEEN ANNE PUMP STATION IS? UM, THAT ONE WAS APPROVED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, SO GOT PUSHED BACK GENERATOR WAS A PROBLEM. I THINK IT WENT BACK TO REDESIGN AGAIN. REDESIGN AGAIN. YES, SIR. OKAY. UM, WOW. OKAY. UM, JUST FOR CONTEXT TOO, FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN TO A WASTEWATER PLANT OR, UM, HAVEN'T SPENT ANY SIGNIFICANT TIME THERE, WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS ARE, ARE ALLOWED BY NATURE. MM-HMM . THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS AND PIECES AND THINGS ARE ALWAYS GOING ON. BUT THE OTHER THING, THEY'RE ALWAYS TYPICALLY UNDER SOME STATE OF CONSTRUCTION, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME PROJECT GOING ON AT A WASTEWATER PLANT. THERE'S NEVER NOT A CONTRACTOR PRESENT DOING SOMETHING, WHETHER IT'S UPGRADING SCADA SYSTEMS, IT COULD BE REPLACING PUMPS. THEY COULD BE, UM, AUGMENTING STAFF [00:25:01] TO HELP WITH MAINTENANCE THINGS. UM, SO THERE'S A LOT GOING ON AND THERE'S STILL A LOT TO GO ON . YEAH. AND, UH, OLD ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR ONCE TOLD ME THAT WA WATER WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANS IN AIRPORTS ARE ALWAYS IN A CONSTANT STATE OF CHANGE. UM, THEY'RE, AS THEY SHOULD BE. UM, THERE'S ALWAYS A REGULATORY DRIVER OF, OF SOME KIND TOO, THAT DRIVES THE NEXT STAGE OF ADVANCEMENT AT A WASTEWATER PLANT. UM, THE, THE TECHNOLOGY IS EVER EVOLVING. LIMITS ARE CONSTANTLY RATCHETED DOWN, AND WITH THAT COMES IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY, NECESSARY IN ORDER TO MEET THOSE LIMITS. OKAY. AND THEN, UM, SO MY LAST QUESTION IS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW DICKIE THOMPSON OR IF ALAN, YOU KNOW, STARTED WORKING ON IT. THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD, UM, BUT YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS LIKE PENCIL WHIPPING, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A WHERE DO WE STAND IN TERMS OF OUR SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, WITH ALL THE OVERFLOWS AND COLLAPSING LINES AND MANHOLES AND GOING THROUGH AND GETTING THE CITY ON THE REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE. UM, I THINK WHEN THEY, WE DID BASIC, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SOME NAPKIN MATH, UM, IT CAME OUT TO ABOUT 130 YEAR ISH REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU PUT THE, A NEW SEWER LINE IN TODAY, THEN IT WOULD, WITH THE CURRENT RATE STRUCTURE FEES, MONEY GOING REIN, REINVESTED BACK INTO THE COLLECTION SYSTEM, IT WOULDN'T GET REPLACED FOR ANOTHER 130 YEARS. UM, NOW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WORK ON GETTING THAT DOWN TO ABOUT A 25 TO 50 YEAR REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE FOR A LIFECYCLE. DO YOU KNOW IF THAT HAS BEEN DONE? I DON'T THINK SO. UM, AND FOR A CITY OF, UH, EVEN THIS SIZE MM-HMM . I MEAN, HOPEWELL'S NOT, NOT GINORMOUS. HOWEVER, WE HAVE A LOT OF UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE. RIGHT. UM, I'M NOT AWARE THAT THAT'S BEEN, UM, TACKLED. OKAY. IT IS, I WILL SAY AGAIN, IS INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT. UM, THAT COLLECTION SYSTEM IS THE FINGERS OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT THAT TOUCH THE PUBLIC. WELL, SURE. AND I MEAN, IT'S A BIG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DRIVER. I MEAN, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I MEAN, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A REQUIREMENT. I MEAN, WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS COME TO US THAT DIDN'T EVEN, UM, GIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE, ANY THOUGHT IN MIND. AND THOSE DEVELOPERS EXPECTED US TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING. AND SO, UM, I THINK, UH, VICE MAYOR JOINER TOUCHED ON IT TOO. AND, UM, A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, WATER TREATMENT PLANT, WHATEVER, THE CITY OWNS THAT ASSET, IT IS A, IT IS A MAJOR DRIVER OF A MUNICIPALITY'S ECONOMIC AUTONOMY. UM, IT IT ALLOWS YOU TO CONTROL A LOT OF YOUR DESTINY WITH WHERE YOUR, YOUR DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH AND ECONOMIC VITALITY GO. YEAH. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, A HUGE MISSED OPPORTUNITY OVER, YOU KNOW, THE PAST 10 YEARS WHERE, YOU KNOW, COUNCILS JUST DIDN'T CARE ABOUT IT. I MEAN, THEY JUST DIDN'T SEE IT AS AN IMPORTANCE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING'S COME TO ROOST NOW, ESPECIALLY WITH, YOU KNOW, DEQ VIOLATIONS, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT. UM, PROBABLY SOME, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, YOU KNOW, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE IS GONNA BE COMING, UH, DOWN THE PIPELINE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THIS BUDGET CYCLE, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY ASPECT, DR. MAN, AND, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSING, YOU KNOW, ALL THE, YOU KNOW, THE PAY ISSUES, UH, AND CRIME. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON THIS WASTEWATER PLANT AND OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AS OUR BIG SECOND PRIORITY. OKAY. BECAUSE IF ALL IT'S GOING TO TAKE IS, YOU KNOW, ONE MAJOR INCIDENT AND WE COULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER KEYONE 2.0 HAPPEN. YEAH. UM, BUT I'LL, I'LL SAVE SOME OTHER QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FOR LATER. UM, WE HAVE COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR JOINER FOR THE SECOND TIME. UH, THE, THE MAYOR ENDED UP FINISHING ON THE MAJOR POINT THAT I WAS ABOUT TO, ABOUT TO SPEAK ON IN REGARDS TO LIKE, THE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND MAKING SURE THAT IT WAS, UH, OF UTMOST PRIORITY. 'CAUSE IT, IT'S SO SCARY. UH, I SPEAK THE SAME THING. I WANT TALK ABOUT LIKE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OR POLICE DEPARTMENT, ANYTHING SAFETY, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT. IN THAT, THAT SPACE. SO MUCH SO THAT I WAS JUST LIKE, WELL, IF IT'S NOT RUNNING RIGHT, WHY DON'T WE JUST LIKE, PUT THE THING UP FOR SALE AND LET IT BE PRIOR PRI UH, PRIVATIZED BY SOMETHING LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, UP PURCHASE FOR SOMEBODY, LIKE BUY SOMEBODY LIKE VIRGINIA AMERICAN WATER OR SOMETHING OF [00:30:01] THAT NATURE. BUT THAT WOULD BE A SAD LOSS BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, IT HAS GREAT AND TREMENDOUS BENEFIT IF YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S RAN PROPERLY. UH, BUT I GOT NO NOTICE FOR ANYTHING ON THIS, THESE VIOLATIONS. SO I, I'M DEFINITELY ASKING FOR INFORMATION NOW ABOUT THESE DEQ VIOLATIONS. AND I THINK THE PUBLIC VERY MUCH SO NEEDS TO BE BOARD AWARE OF THAT. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC. I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHY WE WOULD BE GOING IN THE CLOSED SESSION ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO, CAN YOU PLEASE DIVE IN AND LET ME KNOW WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON? EXCUSE ME. SECOND, EXCUSE ME. BEFORE WE JUMP IN. THERE HAS TO BE A CONSENSUS THROUGH COUNSEL TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. UM, AND SECOND, UM, WHY DOES THERE NEED TO BE A CONSENSUS? BECAUSE THERE ARE LEGAL, UM, INDICATIONS TO THESE VIOLATIONS THAT POTENTIALLY NEEDS THE, UM, OPINION OF THE ATTORNEY. SO IS THERE SOMETHING, IT MAY BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH PERSON MAY HE CAN, HE CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE VIOLATION IS, BUT ANY, UM, CONVERSATION AFTER THAT MAY REQUIRE A CLOSED SESSION CONVERSATION. THE, UH, AND SECOND, THE VIOLATIONS WERE EMAILED TO COUNSEL ON JANUARY 25TH. I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THEM IN THE EMAIL, UH, ON A FRIDAY. AND I JUST LOOKED IN MY EMAIL. I DID NOT SEE 'EM AGAIN. WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATION IF IT'S NOT PERSONNEL ISSUES THAT WILL MAKE IT TO THE FACT THAT IT CAN'T, WE CAN'T TELL WHAT THESE VIOLATIONS ARE. DR. MCELROY, I HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER THAT MAY HELP THAT, UM, IMPENDING, UH, LEGAL MATTERS WITH THE STATE, UM, DISCUSSING AND PUBLIC MAY EFFECTIVE BARGAINING POSITION OF THE CITY ITSELF. UM, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT A FOREGONE CONCLUSION OF WHAT WILL COME OF ANY LEGAL ACTION. AND THEREFORE, UM, THE PATH FORWARD IS PROBABLY SOMETHING BEST DISCUSSED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. I THINK. OH, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY MAKES A GOOD POINT. I THINK THE, THE, YOU KNOW, VIOLATIONS, YOU KNOW, NEED TO BE, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW. BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO BE SPENDING A TON OF MONEY RIGHT DOWN THERE AT THE WASTEWATER PLANT AND IN THE COLLECTION SYSTEM SEWER, AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M HATE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE TO GO ON RECORD THIS, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS GONNA HAVE TO START LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WAYS THAT THEY CAN CUT THEIR DEPARTMENTS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET, YOU KNOW, THIS COMPLIANCE AND WE CAN GET THIS WASTEWATER PLANT TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE. IT DIDN'T GET HERE OVERNIGHT AND IT'S NOT GONNA GET FIXED OVERNIGHT. COME ON HERE. BUT WE NEED TO SHOW THE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS. AND SO, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO TELL US THE VIOLATIONS AND, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT LEND THAT LEGAL, YOU KNOW, HOW WE GO ABOUT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DEAL WITH THE LEGALITIES WITH THE STATE. RIGHT. I THINK THAT WE CAN LEAVE THAT INTO, YOU KNOW, CLOSED SESSION IN HOPES FOR A BETTER OUTCOME FOR THE CITY. YEAH. AND THEN NOT AS MUCH EXPENSE FOR THE CITIZENS. ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, TALKING ABOUT AND DISCUSSING HOW WE'RE APPROACHING A MATTER IN THE BEST INTEREST OF, UM, THE CITY IS, IS ONE THING, BUT THESE VIOLATIONS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, WE SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO SHARE WITH THE CITIZENS HERE, WHICH IS WHY I'M CERTAINLY SURE THAT SOME OF THEM HAVE COME OUT TONIGHT. UM, SO PLEASE DO TELL TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT CLEAR ON THE RECORD. OKAY. I WILL, UM, I'LL RUN THROUGH THE, UM, VIOLATIONS HERE AS NOTED. AND OUR RESPONSE LETTER. UM, SO THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT, UNIT PROCESS ISSUES AND OR DESIGN DEVIATIONS WERE IDENTIFIED, UH, DURING THE INSPECTION. MANY OF THESE ITEMS IDENTIFIED, UM, AS INOPERABLE DURING THE FY 23 COMPLIANCE EVALUATION INSPECTION. UH, SO THE SEGREGATED PRELIMINARY TREATMENT TRAVELING SCREENS, ONE OF THREE WAS OUT OF SERVICE. UM, GR CLASSIFIER SYSTEMS. ONE OR ONE OF TWO WAS OUT OF SERVICE. UH, PRIMARY CLARIFIER, FOUR OF THE SIX FLIGHT AND RAIL SYSTEMS. UH, THERE ARE TWO SYSTEMS PER CLARIFIER WERE INOPERABLE. ONE OF THE THREE PRIMARY CLARIFIERS WAS ENTIRELY OUT OF SERVICE. VEGETATIVE GROWTH WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE SCUM LAYER OF TWO OF THE THREE CLARIFIERS, UH, MBBR UNITS, ONE AND TWO CONTAINED RAFTING MEDIA WITH PLANT GROWTH IN THE ANOXIC ZONE UNITS, THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF MEDIA ABOVE THE WATER LEVEL MIXERS IN THE ANOXIC ZONE OF ALL THE UNITS WERE NOT IN USE. AND CHLORINE CONTACT TANK CONTAINED FLOATING SOLIDS ON APPROXIMATELY ONE FOURTH AT THE LENGTH OF THE, OF EACH UNIT. SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE AUTOMATED MONITORING AND DOSING SYSTEM WAS OUT OF SERVICE INDUSTRIAL PRELIMINARY TREATMENT, TWO OF THE TRAVELING SCREENS WERE OUT OF SERVICE, UH, GRIT [00:35:01] REMOVAL. THREE OF THE THREE BUCKET AUGER SYSTEMS WERE OUT OF SERVICE. PRIMARY CLARIFIER, SIX OF THE EIGHT FLIGHT AND RAIL SYSTEMS, TWO PER CLARIFIER WERE INOPERABLE. SOME OF THIS IS ON THE DOMESTIC SIDE, SOME IS ON THE INDUSTRIAL SIDE. SECONDARY CLARIFIERS, 11 OF THE 16 FLIGHT AND RAIL SYSTEMS TWO PER CLARIFIER WERE NOT FUNCTIONING NINE OF THE 16 SECONDARY CLARIFIER. LONG FLIGHT SCRAPER SYSTEMS, TWO PER CLARIFIER MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNCTIONING BASED ON OBSERVED CONDITIONS INCLUDING SLUDGE, OFFGASSING, AND LACK OF CHAIN MOVEMENT. THE UNAC SYSTEM, UH, FOUR TRAINS IN PARALLEL. DIAPHRAGM PUMP ON TREE ONE WAS OUT OF SERVICE. GRAVITY THICKENERS, ONE OF THE TWO UNITS WAS OUT OF SERVICE. THE INSERVICE THICKENERS SHOWED VEGETATIVE GROWTH ON THE SOLIDS. UM, ON THE SOLID SURFACE SLUDGES CENTRIFUGES, TWO OF THE THREE UNITS WERE OUT OF SERVICE, MULTIPLE HEARTH FURNACE. TWO OF THE THREE INCINERATOR FEED PUMPS WERE OUT OF SERVICE STAFF INDICATED AT THAT TIME THAT THE FURNACE WAS OUT OF SERVICE FOR MUCH OF 2024, BUT WAS OPERATING IN, UH, OPERATING THE DAY OF INSPECTION. UM, HWR DOES NOT HAVE A, UH, DOCUMENTATION OF A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE OR PROGRAM. FACILITY. STAFF STATED THAT A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM DOES NOT EXIST, UH, AS MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS ARE CURRENTLY BEING CONDUCTED ONLY IN RESPONSE TO NEEDED REPAIRS. UH, THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM OBSERVED IN THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL IDENTIFIES PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE ACTIONS REQUESTED BETWEEN 2004 AND 2008. THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM DOES NOT REFLECT CURRENT OPERATIONS AND FACILITY STAFF, UH, STATED THAT IT IS NOT FOLLOWED. THE FACILITY DID NOT HAVE RECORDS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE, UH, UH, THAT ALARMS ARE TESTED TO VERIFY PROPER FUNCTION. UH, THE INSPECTOR OBSERVED A DRAIN AND SUMP IN THE SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE STORAGE, SECONDARY CONTAINMENT AREA, IDENTIFIED PHOTOGRAPH SIX ABOVE WHICH THE OPERATOR COULD NOT IDENTIFY IF OR WHERE IT DISCHARGES OR IF IT'S CONTROLLED BY A VALVE. UM, AND THAT CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF IT. ALRIGHT. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I GUESS I'M GONNA PIGGYBACK ON WHAT, WHAT THEY SAID EARLIER. FIRST OF ALL, FIRST, UH, YES, THANK YOU. UH, CERTAINLY GLAD YOU'RE BEEN DRAFTED INTO THIS POSITION. UH, SECOND OF ALL, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST GOT HERE, SO I WANT MAKE THAT CLEAR AGAIN FOR, YOU KNOW, IN THAT POSITION, UH, TO THE CITIZENS WHO MAY BE LOOKING AT YOU LIKE WHAT THE WORLD IS HAPPENING. UH, BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT'S KINDA SAD WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE FOUND OUT THESE THINGS LIKE LATE IN THE GAME BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE, UM, UM, CERTAIN GRANT FUNDINGS AND THINGS THAT COME IN, ESPECIALLY LIKE DURING THE TIME OF THE OPERA FUNDING AND, AND JUST DIFFERENT THINGS THAT COME IN LIKE THAT, THAT WE COULD PUSH, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS. AND I KNOW WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL, THAT WAS ONE OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MAYOR'S DRIVES WAS TO, UM, GO INTO GETTING SOME OF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS DONE BECAUSE HE WAS KIND OF AFRAID THAT THERE WERE PROBABLY OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WERE UNKNOWN. UM, THAT WOULD PROBABLY COME UP LATER. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS BEFORE I GOT HERE, COULDN'T GET EVERYBODY ON BOARD TO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PUSH TOWARDS THOSE THINGS. BUT I MOST CERTAINLY HOPING THAT WE CAN, SOME, SOME OF THESE THINGS I THINK ABOUT WHEN I WORKING AT THE PLANT AND TALKING ABOUT CLARIFIERS, UH, TRAVELING CLARIFIERS FROM THE PLANT TO OUR WASTEWATER, UH, FACILITY. AND THEN YOU'RE SAYING SOME OF THE SCREENS NOT BEING IN PLACE. SO THEN THIS PRESENTS A, A DANGEROUS SPACE TO MESS UP. LIKE OUR, OUR BIO UH, OUR BIOLOGY, UH, UH, THERE, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY SCARY, UH, BECAUSE THEN YOU DESTROY THE BIOLOGY AND, AND HAVE TO ULTIMATELY, UH, START OVER AGAIN WHEN YOU KILL ALL OF THE GOOD BACTERIA IN BIOLOGY THAT LIVES THERE WHEN THOSE, THOSE SCREENS ARE THERE. AND I THINK, AND ESPECIALLY COMING FROM THE INDUSTRIAL SIDE, THEY SEND THINGS THROUGH SOMETIMES THAT'LL WIPE ALL OUR OUT, ALL OUR BIOLOGY THERE AND THEN NOT HAVING SCREENS THERE. THAT'S A VERY SCARY SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCE. UH, UM, I, I, I DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD DITTO 'CAUSE I WAS WAITING TO SEE, I DITTO WHAT THE MAYOR SAID ABOUT FIND OUT WHAT PROJECTS AND STUFF THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE AND WHAT IS LOOKING LIKE TO GET THESE THINGS RESOLVED. UH, MAN, IT'S ALMOST, IT'S ALMOST NEXT TO SOMETHING THAT'LL PUT SOMEBODY IN A MELTDOWN. UH, IT, IT'S JUST VERY SCARY, ESPECIALLY LIKE I SAID, ANYBODY IN HERE. AND [00:40:01] THERE'S A COUPLE PEOPLE I'VE SEEN IN HERE THAT HAVE WORKED IN THE PLANT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TRAVELS, , YOU KNOW, THROUGH THERE. AND IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO END UP BEING PUSHED OUT INTO OUR, OUR RIVER. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR, UH, UPDATING US WITH THIS INFORMATION AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN FIND THE BEST TASK FORWARD, UM, TO RESOLVING THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU AGAIN. OKAY. UH, COUNCILLOR STOKES AND THEN VICE MAYOR JOYNER. UM, TWO WEEKS IN, HUH? TO, TO THIS PARTICULAR JOB. UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION AS A PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS. I WOULD LIKE, JUST LISTEN TO WHAT I'VE ALREADY HEARD TONIGHT WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MAINLY CREATED, BECAUSE I WAS GONNA ASK YOU WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS THAT YOU MENTIONED JUST THEN, BUT, OH, I'M SORRY. UM, WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS? THEN I THOUGHT ABOUT IF I WERE YOU, WHAT WOULD I DO? I PROBABLY BEGAN SIMULTANEOUSLY TO CREATE AN SOP OR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL. SO IF I WERE A CITIZEN AND COMING OUT OF THIS MEETING TONIGHT AND COME DOWN TO THE PLANT, YOU WOULD HAVE, UH, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AND I WOULD UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE JARGON THAT YOU'RE THROWING AT ME TONIGHT. UM, BUT CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR POSITION. AND, UM, IT MIGHT BE CONDOLENCES. YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, I THINK IT'S MORE CONDOLENCES ON YOUR POSITION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO US AS A COUNSELOR, UM, STAYING ABREAST OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU. BUT I WOULD JUST MAKE THAT SUGGESTION. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW THE STAFFING IS FOR YOU ADMINISTRATIVELY, BUT A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL FROM THIS DAY FORWARD WILL PROBABLY SAVE US A YEAR DOWN THE ROAD. I WILL OFFER YOU THIS. SO SOPS ARE COMMON. UH, THEY'RE COMMONPLACE IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES. AND OUR SOP IS, IT'S, IT'S OUT OF DATE ASSUME. UM, SO IT'S, IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD LIVE IN BREEZE BY WHEN YOU'RE WORKING AT A WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY. BUT, UM, THEY'RE THERE, THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE DEFINITELY NOT UP TO DATE. I THOUGHT YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT FROM 2004 TO 2008, UH, SOME OF THE MANUALS. YES. OH, THAT'S, IT'S, IT'S BEEN A MINUTE. 20. 20 YEARS. 20. WELL, I WOULD ASK ON MY BEHALF, AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THE OTHER COUNSELORS THAT WHEN YOU GET IT UPDATED, UH, CAN YOU SHOOT AN EMAIL SO WE CAN COME AND, AND I'LL COME AND LOOK AT THE FACILITY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, FIRST THING I DO IS ASK FOR THE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. I WOULD SAY THIS TOO, RELATIVE TO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, PLANNED MAINTENANCE, UM, A BIG COMPONENT OF THAT IN A FACILITY SUCH AS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE, UM, WE DON'T HAVE A MECHANISM TO THAT POPS UP WITH RECURRING SCHEDULES. UM, THAT'S A BIG DEAL WHEN YOU HAVE A PLACE THAT HAS THIS MANY PUMPS. VALVES, YEAH, YEAH. ALL THE THINGS. IT, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S COMMONPLACE TODAY FOR A UTILITY TO MAINTAIN A SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THEM TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE MAINTENANCE AND, AND EVEN REPLACEMENT OF THOSE ASSETS. AND IT STARTS WITH ASSET INVENTORY. YES, SIR. UM, AND SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A LONG WAY TO GO. OKAY. I WILL START THERE. , I DON'T THINK THAT'S STANDARD OPERATOR PROCEDURES AS I GO, BUT THANK YOU. UH, VICE MAYOR JOINER. YEAH, I, I DON'T, I WON'T TAKE MUCH TIME. A COUPLE THINGS. ONE IS EVEN THE ROBERT BOB GROUP RECOMMENDED SECURITY. THERE, THERE WERE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS AND I FOLLOWED UP AND STILL NOTHING ON THAT. SO WE DEFINITELY NEED TO BE, THE SECURITY THING IS BIG. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I HEARD THROUGH, THROUGH, I WON'T SAY WHERE, BUT THAT BASICALLY, IF WE WERE TO BE GRADED, WE'D GET A DIN. RIGHT NOW WE'RE, AND THAT'S PROBABLY, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING TODAY. SO THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE AN ACCURATE ASSESSMENT. UM, BUT WE HAVE TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD TO, TO MAKE THE CORRECTIONS, THAT SORT OF THING. THESE ARE, THESE ARE HUGE, THESE ARE HUGE QUE THERE ARE HUGE PROBLEMS, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE LARGER ISSUES. THERE'S THE, THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRIVATIZATION. THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BE, BEGIN TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. AND, UM, THIS REALLY IS A VERY URGENT SITUATION. I SO MUCH APPRECIATE, UH, WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOUR TALENT HERE IN THE CITY. I MEAN, YOU WERE IN PUBLIC WORKS AND WE'RE JUST VERY FORTUNATE AND BLESSED THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE OF YOUR TALENT THAT WAS ABLE, IS ABLE TO GO OVER THERE AND REALLY ASSESS IT, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY AND HONESTLY, AND, AND, AND GO FORWARD. BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO MAKE A PRIORITY AND, UM, WORK WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND [00:45:01] ANY OTHER ENTITIES, OTHER INDUSTRY PARTNERS. I KNOW INDUSTRY PARTNERS HAVE A, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY A VESTED INTEREST IN ALL OF THIS. AND, UM, SO ANYWAY, I WANTED JUST SAY THANKS AND, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO MORE DISCUSSIONS INTERNALLY. SO I'M GONNA WRAP UP AND JUST, YOU KNOW, IF I'M MISSING ANYTHING FROM ANYBODY, JUST LET ME KNOW. BUT THE THINGS THAT WE NEED, DR. MAN, AND I CAN ALSO SEND THIS OVER TO YOU IN THE, UM, IN THE EMAIL AND ALONG WITH YOU MR. CROCKER, BUT WE WANT, YOU KNOW, A NEED FOR LIKE A PLAN TO RESTOCK UP ON, UH, SPARE AND REPAIR PARTS FOR, YOU KNOW, BE ON HAND, UM, SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS, YOU KNOW, WITH ASSOCIATED COSTS. UM, A STATUS ON ALL THE CAPITAL PROJECTS WHERE WE ARE WITH THEM. UM, A NEED, A PLAN TO ADDRESS THE DEQ VIOLATIONS. UM, A PLAN, SORRY, THAT WAS A SCRATCH NOTE. UM, A STATUS UPDATE ON, UM, ON ALL THE PUMP STATIONS THAT WE HAVE. 'CAUSE WE HAVE ALLOCATED MONEY TO VARIOUS ONES. I KNOW QUEEN ANNE'S JUST THE ONE I CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. UM, UPDATED SOPS AND THEN, UM, A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. UM, STAFFING. YEAH. AND YEAH. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM YOU GUYS. OKAY. THINK I BEFORE SOPS, AFTER SOPS, UH, IT WAS THE, UH, NEED FOR A PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. AND THEN, UM, STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS. CAN WE GET A UPDATE? ALSO, REMEMBER TALKING, REDO ENTIRE , UH, BUILDING. LIKE, AND I KNOW AGO, LIKE 8 MILLION. YOU HAVE AN UPDATE TALKING, YOU TALKING ABOUT THE, THE ADMIN BUILDING OR THE OXYGEN PLANT OR BOTH? I MEAN, BOTH. OKAY. IF I REMEMBER. AND HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST NOW, BECAUSE INFLATION HIT TREMENDOUSLY SENSE AND I THINK A COUPLE YEARS AGO IT WAS LIKE $8 MILLION, I THINK. YEAH. UPDATE ON HOW MUCH THAT IT'S PLUGGED IN AT 10 RIGHT NOW, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S ACCURATE AND UP TO DATE. AND IT'S ALSO PUSHED OUT FAR ON THE CIP SCHEDULE, JUST THE OPERATIONAL CIP PROJECTS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE BIGGER COMPONENTS OF THE PLAN OTHER THAN THE ADMIN BUILDING. UM, HAVE TAKEN A LITTLE BIT OF PRIORITY. NOT THAT THE ADMIN BUILDING SHOULDN'T, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE. UM, IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE HEADWORKS OF THE PLANT AND IT'S NOT THE MOST PLEASANT SMELL. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO AT THIS TIME, UM, MR. BESSETTE, CAN YOU READ OUT THE CLOSE MEETING MOTION FOR US? ABSOLUTELY. UM, BE MOVED TO, TO GO INTO A CLOSED MEETING UNDER VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.2 DASH 37 11 A ONE AND EIGHT, UH, TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS AND TO DISCUSS AND CONSIDER PERSONNEL MATTERS. THIS IS RELATIVE TO THE HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL. OKAY. IS THERE A MOTION? SECOND. UH, ALRIGHT. MOTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE BY COUNCILOR DAY AND SECONDED BY VICE MAYOR JOINER. UH, COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY. I, I FORM THE DISCUSSION IS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO IN CLOSE TONIGHT WITHOUT HAVING THE, I MEAN, 'CAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A LIST OF THE INFORMATION, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN EVEN DISCUSS TONIGHT TO TAKE IT ANYWHERE? WOULD IT BE ANY, WELL, I THINK THEY WANT SOME GUIDANCE, UM, ON THE LEGAL SIDE. OH, AS FAR AS, OKAY. IS THERE ANY OTHER THING TO DISCUSS? BECAUSE WE'VE DISCUSSED IT OUT HERE. I THINK JUST TO GET MORE DOWN. LEAVE DQ. OKAY. AND SEEING NO OTHER LIGHTS FOR DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCIL HARRIS MINUTES BEFORE THE REGULAR STARTS. YES. I DON'T THINK, MAYOR, I, PARDON? YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR DAY. YES. COUNCILLOR STOKES. YES. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY. YES. VICE MAYOR JOYNER? YES. MOTION PASSES. SEVEN TO ZERO. OKAY. OH, WE'RE GOING IN THERE. YEAH. OH. MAKE A MOTION TO COME OUT OF CLOSED SESSION. OKAY. I MOVE. ALRIGHT. UH, THERE'S MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO COME OUT OF CLOSED SESSION. I'LL SECOND IT. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILLOR HARRIS. COUNCILLOR HARRIS HERE? YES. MAYOR PARTON. YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS. YES. COUNCILLOR DAY? YES. COUNCILLOR STOKES. YES. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY. YES. VICE MAYOR JOINER? YES. CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO VIRGINIA CODE 2.2 DASH 37 12 D. [00:50:01] WERE ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS. LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS AND TWO IDENTIFIED IN THE CLOSED MEETING. MOTION DISCUSSED IN THE CLOSED MEETING. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILLOR HARRIS? YES. MAY. PARDON? YES. COUNCILLOR ELLIS? YES. COUNCILLOR DAY? YES. COUNCILLOR STOKES. YES. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY? YES. INVITES ME TO JOIN HER? YES. MOTION PASSES. SEVEN TO ZERO. OKAY. UH, MOVING ON TO [BUDGET PRESENTATION] OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION. UH, FIRST UP IS MR. BASSETT. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. WOULD YOU PREFER THAT I ADDRESS YOU FROM HERE OR FROM THE RIN? YOU'RE FINE. SITTING DOWN. UH, UM, SHADAY, DO YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE THE POWERPOINT? NO, I AM ABOUT TO SEND ON IT TO YOU RIGHT NOW. I DON'T HAVE, YOU CAN'T, CAN'T HAVE. OH, YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS. OKAY. WELL, UM, DO YOU HAVE YOUR BUDGET? THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE THEIR INFORMATION IN THEIR BUDGET. YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE THESE, THESE BOOKLETS? YEAH. SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS IN YOUR YES. BOOKLETS. EXCELLENT. UM, I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO FLIP THE SECOND TO LAST PAGE THAT HAS SOME BAR CHARTS ON IT. SO, UM, CHIEF LEE, WHAT I'M HERE TO ASK COUNSEL TO CONSIDER IS I'LL, SORRY, I'LL LET YOU GET TO YOUR PLACES. SO FLIP TILL YOU GET TO SOME BAR CHARTS. ARE WE ALL READY? YEP. MM-HMM . OKAY. SO THE ASK FROM THIS OFFICE IS FOR COUNSEL TO CONSIDER ALLOWING US TO HIRE A SECOND AN AN ASSISTANT CITY ATTORNEY. AND, UM, THE, THE CHIEF REASON FOR THIS IS IF YOU LOOK AT THIS BAR GRAPH HERE, YOU WILL SEE HOW MUCH THE CITY HAS SPENT ON OUTSIDE COUNSEL OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THAT LAST CHART HERE, IT'LL SHOW YOU THAT WE ARE ON TRACK TO SPEND $260,000 IN OUTSIDE COUNSEL FEES THIS FISCAL YEAR. UM, SO YOU SEE HERE 256 ROUGHLY THOUSAND, UH, IN FISCAL YEAR TWENTY TWO, A HUNDRED AND FORTY SIX, GIVE OR TAKE, 156 IN 24 ON TRACK TO SPEND 260 THIS FISCAL YEAR. UM, I MADE THIS UP A MONTH AGO WHEN WE WERE ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE BAIT AND SWITCH, BUT IT IS, IT IS INTENTIONAL. THAT BAR CHART THAT YOU SEE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 IS IN FACT GOING TO BE BLOWN RIGHT THROUGH. WE HAVE SPENT $54,000 ON OUTSIDE COUNSEL FEES IN, IN, IN PAYING OUT OUTSIDE COUNSEL BILLING IN THE, IN THE INTERVENING MONTH. SO, UM, WE ARE GOING TO, AT THAT RATE, PROBABLY BE GETTING, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO HIT, BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GET CLOSE TO 300,000 IN FISCAL YEAR 25. NOW, EACH OF THESE YEARS THAT YOU SEE HERE, WHAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED FOR OUTSIDE COUNCIL HAS BEEN $80,000 . SO EVEN IN THE MOST CONSERVATIVE YEAR, WE, WE EXCEEDED IT BY OUR BUDGET FOR OUTSIDE COUNSEL BY OVER $80,000. MM-HMM . SO WHAT I AM SEEKING FROM COUNSEL IS THE AUTHORITY TO OFFER THIS POSITION AT UP TO $115,000. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH IN THE AREA AROUND THE COUNTIES AND CITIES THAT HAVE JOINED US, AND I'VE TALKED TO, UM, OTHER CITY AND COUNTY ATTORNEYS. FOR EXAMPLE, PETERSBURG RIGHT NOW HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN FILLING AN ASSISTANT POSITION AT, I BELIEVE THEY'RE OFFERING, UH, A MAXIMUM OF 80 OR 85. I THINK AT 115 WE CAN, WE CAN ATTRACT SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING TO HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE AND IS GOING TO, TO DO A, AN EXCELLENT JOB FOR SE. JUST A A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, OBVIOUSLY I'VE BEEN HERE FOR SEVEN WEEKS AND IN THAT TIME I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO GET DONE A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET DONE IN THIS OFFICE. UM, BUT EVEN THERE, THERE IS A BANDWIDTH ISSUE THERE. THERE ARE, UM, THERE ARE ITEMS THAT, THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT FOR [00:55:01] ME AND MY OFFICE RUNNING IT AS A ONE PERSON SHOP TO, TO GIVE THE ATTENTION THAT THEY DESERVE. UM, AND THERE'S ALSO, THERE'S CERTAIN LEGAL WORK FOR THE CITY THAT THAT SIMPLY ISN'T AND HASN'T EVER GOTTEN DONE PROPERLY. UM, WHAT I SAY PROPERLY, THE ANSWER IS, IS IN MANY CASES, NOT AT ALL, UH, ZONING CASES WITH, I GUESS SOME EXCEPTIONS A FEW YEARS AGO, ZONING CASES DO NOT GET STAFFED BY AN ATTORNEY WHATSOEVER. ZONING ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE BRINGING VIOLATION CASES TO COURT WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE FROM, FROM AN ATTORNEY. UM, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING TO, UM, THE, THE DIRECTOR OF DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE AN OUTSIDE LAWYER THAT THEY USE FOR BRINGING, UM, CHILD SUPPORT AND, UM, AND, AND, UH, FOSTER CARE LITIGATION CASES. BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, OPERATE, UH, OPERATES WITH NO OPERATIONAL COUNSEL WHATSOEVER, LIKE THEIR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS. THEY ARE, THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY JUST SIMPLY BEEN WITHOUT LEGAL COUNSEL, UM, OF ANY KIND. SO BETWEEN, BETWEEN THE IDEA OF, OF HAVING MORE BANDWIDTH IN THE OFFICE AND THEN ALSO JUST BEING ABLE TO, TO STAFF GIVING LEGAL ADVICE TO DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY THAT SIMPLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT. UM, I, I MET WITH, WITH THE GENERAL REGISTRAR, UM, THAT OFFICE, THAT OFFICE HAS ALWAYS APPARENTLY, AT LEAST IN, IN, IN, IN HIS EXPERIENCE, HAS ALWAYS GONE WITHOUT COUNSEL. UM, SO AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS DOLLARS AND CENTS GO, I, I WILL TELL YOU FRANKLY, I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH OF THIS OUTSIDE COUNSEL COSTS THAT WE CAN SAVE BY HIRING ANOTHER ATTORNEY. UM, BUT I CAN COMFORTABLY TELL YOU THAT WE CAN SAY THAT LEAST AS MUCH AS WE WOULD SPEND ON THIS PERSON. AND BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, IF COUNSEL WERE AMENABLE TO, UH, ALLOWING THIS HIGHER, UH, I COULD GIVE YOU, I COULD GIVE YOU A MORE CONCRETE NUMBER, BUT I, I I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT IT'S GONNA SAVE MORE MONEY THAN IT'S GONNA COST. OKAY. WELL, I CAN TELL YOU THAT IF IT'S GONNA END UP SAVING US MONEY AND ALSO HELPING TO EXPEDITE, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKFLOW, UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH IT. UM, I MEAN, WE REALLY NEED TO, I MEAN, I THINK AS MUCH AS WHAT WE KNOW, WE JUST HEARD ABOUT THE WASTEWATER PLANT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONLY ONE ASPECT OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT ROADS, WE'VE GOT STORMWATER, UM, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS, UH, ROOFS, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE. UM, THE SCHOOLS THEMSELVES, YOU NEED A LOT OF CAPITAL, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, FIX THINGS. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW IN YOUR BEST JUDGMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS POSITION'S GONNA END UP SAVING US, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME MONEY, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. UM, OKAY. SORRY. UH, DID YOU HAVE YOUR LETTER? OKAY. UM, SO COUNCILOR STOKES, HOLLOWAY AND THEN ALICE OR DID YOU HAVE YOUR LINE ON? YEAH, I THINK I MINE IT IS MINE, BUT I CAN GO LAST. OH, OKAY. I JUST WANTED, GO AHEAD. YEAH. UM, IN MY PAST EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE CITY, MOST OF THE DEPARTMENTS BUDGET FOR THEIR OWN LEGAL, UH, LEGAL COUNSEL AS A FORMAL GENERAL REGISTRAR, THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS MAKES SURE THAT ALL LEGAL MATTERS GO THROUGH THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS ONTO THE, UH, STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. AND THEY HAVE DEPUTY ATTORNEYS THAT ADVISE THE GENERAL REGISTRAR, UM, IN PUBLIC HOUSING. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN ATTORNEYS AND THEY ALSO BUDGET FOR LEGAL FEES. SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING TO SPEND ANY OTHER TAX DOLLARS, UM, RIGHT NOW, BASED ON WHAT YOUR PRESENTATION IS UNTIL MAYBE THERE'S SOME TYPE OF REPORTING FROM EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY ON WHAT THEY HAVE BUDGETED ALREADY FOR THEIR LEGAL EXPENSES, UM, AS A FORM OF PARALEGAL FOR SOME OF THEM. I ALWAYS WORKED OUTSIDE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BECAUSE THE CITY ATTORNEY WAS ALWAYS THE CITY'S ATTORNEY, . UM, MAY, MAY I ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE YEAH. UH, COUNSELORS. I WASN'T FINISHED. SO YOU ARE, YOU ARE CORRECT WITH I BELIEVE WITH HOUSING, WITH, EXCUSE ME. I APOLOGIZE. SHE SAID SHE WASN'T FINISHED. OH, I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY, COUNSELOR. YEAH, I [01:00:01] WASN'T FINISHED. I WAS JUST ASKING THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF HIM AS FAR AS HOUSING IS CONCERNED, BUT IT WOULD BE MORE INFORMATIVE TO ME AND I CAN MAKE A BETTER DECISION BASED ON OTHER DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT I DID WHEN I WORKED IN THE VARIOUS CITY, UM, DEPARTMENTS. THE SAME THING WHEN I WORKED IN PETERSBURG. SAME THING IN CHARLOTTESVILLE, HAD FOUR CITY ATTORNEYS. I ALREADY KNOW THAT. BUT AT ANY RATE, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY, WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING IN THE PAST FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE, UM, PRIOR TO YOUR COMING ON BOARD THINKING OR MAYBE YOU, AND I'M NOT, NOT AGAINST WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING MM-HMM . I JUST WOULD LIKE MORE RESEARCH INTO IT AND KNOW WHAT THE DEPARTMENTS ARE DOING NOW AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IN THE PAST FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE. I KNOW WHAT I WAS REQUIRED TO DO. THANK YOU. UH, SO ONE, ONE THING THAT I THINK MY PRESENTATION DID NOT MAKE CLEAR IS THAT THESE ARE NOT ALL JUST AMOUNTS THAT ARE BEING BILLED THROUGH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THIS THIS IS, THIS IS OUR, UM, BEST EFFORT TO DRAW IN AND FIGURE OUT ALL OUTSIDE COUNCIL FEES THAT ARE BEING PAID BY THE CITY, NOT JUST THROUGH THIS OFFICE, BUT ALSO THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, THROUGH, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND OTHER, OTHER DEPARTMENTS. SO WOULD, SO WOULD THAT AMOUNT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE CONTRACTUAL FEES THAT MAY BE, YOU MAY REQUEST, UM, IF YOU CONTRACT OUTSIDE LEGAL YES. ASSISTANCE. I, I DON'T WANT TO PUT COUN, UH, THE COUNSEL UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT HIRING ANOTHER ATTORNEY, THAT, THAT THIS WILL MEAN THE COMPLETE NON-USE OF OUTSIDE COUNSEL. RIGHT. OKAY. UM, IT IS, IT IS TYPICAL AT, AT, AT EVERY COUNTY AND CITY THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT, THAT CERTAIN MATTERS ARE FARM TO OUT TO OUTSIDE COUNSEL. UM, I DON'T KNOW OF A CITY OR COUNTY THAT I'VE ENCOUNTERED THAT DOES ITS OWN REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS. RIGHT. FOR EXAMPLE. RIGHT. UM, SO THERE STILL WILL BE THE USE OF OUTSIDE COUNSEL, UH, EVEN, EVEN WITH A PROPERLY STAFFED OFFICE. IT JUST, THE HOPE IS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO LOWER IT TO ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE POSITION PAID FOR ITSELF. PRECISELY. UH, SORRY TO HOLLY. I THINK IT'S COUNCIL HOLLOW NEXT. I, UH, I'M, I'M A THOUSAND PERCENT. UH, I KNOW THERE'S NO THOUSAND PERCENT FOR PEOPLE WHO'S TECHNICAL, BUT I'M WANTING TO PRESENT AN AGREEMENT WITH, UM, WITH, WITH DOING IT FOR SEVERAL REASONS. UH, SEVERAL OF THE ATTORNEYS, CAN YOU TURN MY MIC DOWN A LITTLE BIT? SEVERAL OF THE ATTORNEYS, UH, THAT WERE INTERIM AND ALSO THOSE THAT WE HAVE EVEN CONTRACTED IN FOR, UM, SOME OF THESE THINGS HAD ALSO, UM, SUGGESTED TO US THE SAME THING. UM, AND, UH, EVEN THE INTERIM PAST INTERIM ATTORNEY HAD BROUGHT THESE THINGS TO US ALSO, UM, WITH SOME OF THE TECHNOLOGIES AND THINGS THAT I HAD TALKED TO YOU ABOUT, UH, UPON ARRIVING HERE. UH, AND, AND, AND I THINK, LIKE YOU SAID, MAN, CODE ENFORCEMENT GETS SO MUCH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO, WHAT TO CALL IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY CALLS AND COMPLAINS, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME CODE ENFORCEMENT COMES OUT, SO MM-HMM . AND I'M PRETTY SURE ALL THE DEPARTMENTS TOO PUBLIC WORKS OR WHATEVER, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY NOT, WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA BE SENDING THEM TO COURT WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, UM, WHERE NEED BE, UH, JUST BECAUSE OF SOME TECHNICALITY COMES UP IN THE, IN THE CITY'S ON THE LOSING SIDE. SO, UH, I'M DEFINITELY IN FULL SUPPORT AND I, AND BEING ANYBODY WHO'S BEEN ON ANY TYPE OF BOARDS OUTSIDE OF THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS, BECAUSE THE STATE USUALLY, YOU KNOW, COMES IN AND DO, DOES SOME THINGS, BUT ALL THE OTHER BOARDS AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THEY HAVE TO DEPEND ON OUTSIDE COUNSEL. LIKE YOU SAID, I THINK THIS CAN REALLY SAVE US, UH, MONEY. AND I ALSO DON'T THINK THAT ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS KIND OF BUDGET FOR, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF TAKE OUT OR TAKE FROM SOMEWHERE. UM, SOME OF 'EM PARTICULARLY MIGHT INCLUDE THOSE THINGS IN THEIR BUDGET, BUT I THINK THIS WOULD REALLY, REALLY BE THE, UH, RIGHT. DIRECTION TO GO. SO I DEFINITELY AM FULL SUPPORT OF IT. OKAY. UH, VICE MAYOR JOYNER, AND THEN DR. MAKER, JUST VERY BRIEFLY WANNA SAY THAT I COMPLETELY CONCUR WITH THE ADDITION OF AN ASSISTANT ATTORNEY. UM, [01:05:01] UH, ECHOING, UM, COUNCIL HOLLOWAY'S COMMENTS, PREVIOUS INTERIM CITY ATTORNEYS HAVE SUGGESTED THAT WE NEEDED AN ASSISTANT, AND ALSO JUST, IT'S SIMPLY JUST A MATTER OF A WELL RUN CITY THAT WE HAVE AN ATTORNEY TO REPRESENT. UH, SOME OF OUR DEPARTMENTS WHEN THEY GO TO COURT, THEY DON'T JUST GO THERE AND THEY'RE THERE BY THEMSELVES. I MEAN, IT'S JUST, IT'S UNFORTUNATE AND I THINK IT LEADS TO, UM, PERHAPS PROBLEMS THAT MAYBE THAT'S WHY WE HAVE ISSUES WITH, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN, I DON'T KNOW, WITH ZONING ENFORCEMENT OR CODE ENFORCEMENT OR WHATEVER. SO, I, I'M IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT. I THINK IT'S MONEY WELL SPENT. OKAY. UH, DR. BANKER, UM, UM, MR. MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THE BUDGET, UM, I WOULD LIKE FOR COUNCIL TO JUST, UM, HEAR THE PRESENTATIONS, UH, OVER THE BUDGET AND CAPITAL. UM, THE MAYOR HAS ALREADY INDICATED THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF NEEDS. THERE'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA BE A TOUGH BUDGET TO BALANCE. UM, AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE INDICATION TO STAFF THAT EVERYTHING THAT THEY ASKED FOR THAT THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A EXTENDED CONVERSATION ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD IN, IN, IN THE DIRECTION WE WOULD LIKE TO GO AFTER AT A, AT A LATER CONVERSATION. OKAY. YEAH. JUST I WOULD, I WOULD ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF A DEPARTMENT IS KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT MR. BESSETTE WAS, YOU KNOW, DOING WITH HIS POSITION, IF IT'S GOING TO BE A POSITION THAT WE CAN SAVE MONEY, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, LET'S ANNOTATE THAT MM-HMM . BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR WHERE WE'VE, YOU KNOW, REALLY GOTTA FOCUS ON CAPITAL AND GETTING, YOU KNOW, OUR PROGRAMS UP AND RUNNING, UM, IF WE CAN, IF WE SEE POSITIONS THAT IMPROVE SERVICES, BUT ALSO SAVE US MONEY MM-HMM . THAT WAY WE CAN REINVEST IT BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN WORK WITH THAT. UM, OKAY. UH, NEXT ONE, I BELIEVE IS WHAT CITY COUNCIL? YEP. CITY COUNCIL. SO I, I, UM, COUNCIL HAS DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING TO BRING BACK THE TRAVEL, UM, BUDGET. WE LEFT ON A CONVERSATION BEFORE YOU, YOU HAVE, UM, THE TRAVEL SHEET THAT INDICATES THE THREE ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, MOST COUNSELORS TRAVEL TO. UH, WE COULD HAVE, UM, ADDED ICMA, BUT THAT'S TYPICALLY THE CITY MANAGERS. UM, ONE, ALTHOUGH COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ALSO WELCOME TO ATTEND IN THE TRAVEL COLUMN, YOU WILL SEE SOME COSTS ASSOCIATED. THESE ARE NOT REALLY PRECISE. UM, I WOULD SAY FOOD AND, UM, HAS NOT BEEN ADDED TO THAT. UM, I, ON AVERAGE, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ON 2,860 $800. UM, WE, UH, PROPOSED THE CITY PROPOSED, MEANING THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND MYSELF PROPOSED 4,000 PER INDIVIDUAL THAT SAVES 6,500 PER COUNCIL, WHICH IS ULTIMATELY A SAVINGS OF $45,000. OKAY. THAT'S OUR RECOMMENDATION. I MEAN, I CAN LIVE WITH THAT. ME TOO. I MEAN, I PERSONALLY LIKE IT LOWER, BUT, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN WORK WITH THAT. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET? OKAY, HEARING NEXT IS HONOR. OH, I'M SORRY. THIS COUNCIL NOT, UH, IT, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE, UH, I NEED TO LOOK AT IT BECAUSE I, I, IT WAS A COST LAST YEAR. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS. AND, AND THE CLERK'S NOT HERE, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WE UTILIZED OR SOMETHING THAT THE CLERK DOES FOR US THAT I THINK IS, WAS BUILT IN OUR BUDGET, BUT THE CLERK USES THEIR BUDGET FOR IT. AND I'M SORRY THAT THE CLERK'S NOT HERE, SO I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT IT IS, BUT I GUESS I'LL, IT MAY BE ADVERTISEMENTS, I THINK IT WAS LIKE ADVERTISEMENT OR, OR, UM, PUBLIC HEARINGS OR THINGS LIKE THAT. I'M NOT SURE. YEAH, I, I DO REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. YEAH. AND YOU, SO I'M, I'M GONNA ASK BECAUSE I, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS LIKE PRINTING AND THEN ONE OF THE CONCERNS I BROUGHT LAST YEAR, BUT I THINK DR. MAKE MIGHT HAVE FIXED THAT. UH, OUR, OUR CLERK WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR, I THINK LIKE PRINTING OR SOMETHING, XEROX PAPER ORDERING ALL THE PAPER FOR ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS. AND IT WAS COMING OUT OF THE, OUR BUDGET AS WELL THAT NEEDED TO BE SPLIT. BUT I THOUGHT, I THINK I WAS TOLD THAT THE OTHER WEEK THAT'S BEEN RESOLVED, THE DEPARTMENT ORDERS PAPER FOR ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS, LIKE THE BIG COPY PAPER, MAAM, THAT COMES OUT OF THEIR BUDGET. I THINK YOU REFERRING TO PRIOR TO IT WAS, UH, I THINK IT WAS COMING OUT TO EITHER COUNCIL OR CLERKS AT XEROX, THEY DEBIT [01:10:01] IT EVERY DEPARTMENT. ONCE THEY, ONCE THEY PURCHASE IT, THEY GO BACK AND THEY DEBIT THE ACCOUNTS. OKAY. TALKING ABOUT WHEN THEY'RE RECONCILED. YEAH. WHEN THEY'RE RECONCILING. YES, SIR. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE COUNCIL BUDGET? ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON TO PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. MR. WARD. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. UM, I'M NOT PRESENTING OUR BUDGET THIS EVENING BECAUSE OUR REQUEST FOR THIS UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR IS GONNA BE FLAT, SAME AS LAST YEAR. SO I'M NOT REQUESTING ANY INCREASES TO THE OPERATIONAL BUDGET. SO I WAS JUST GONNA PRESENT, UM, THE DEPARTMENT'S CIP AND AS YOU PROBABLY WELL REMEMBER, THE PROJECTS THAT WE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT PUTS IN THE CIP ARE NOT TRADITIONAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT TYPE PROJECTS. UM, THESE ARE MORE PLANS. UH, AND SINCE THE SPREADSHEET FOR THE CIP HAS 10 OPTIONS, I PUT 10 PLANS IN HERE. UH, AND IT'S TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF PRIMARILY WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO YOU AS WE GO FORWARD. UH, FOR THE NEXT FIVE, ACTUALLY MY PLAN GOES INTO SIX YEARS. YOU'LL SEE SOME TIMING, UH, UNDER THE TIMELINE. UM, BUT THAT'S REALLY JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW LONG, UH, EACH PLAN WOULD TAKE TO COMPLETE. SO THEY'RE NOT IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER AT THIS POINT. AND THEN LASTLY, I'LL NOTE THAT THE PLANS THAT ARE IN RED TEXT, THOSE ARE TIME SENSITIVE, AND I'LL EXPLAIN THAT WHEN I GET TO IT. SO, UH, NUMBER ONE IS THE, UH, IMPLEMENT THE COMPREHENSIVE WAY FINDING AT A CITYWIDE LEVEL. SO HOPEWELL DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP HAS RECEIVED A GRANT TO IMPLEMENT THE WAY FINDING PROGRAM IN DOWNTOWN ONLY. AND, UH, WE DO HAVE A PLAN FOR THIS. SO THIS ONE ACTUALLY WOULD MEET YOUR DEFINITION OF A, A CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, UH, PROJECT. UH, WE ESTIMATE THAT TO DO THE WAYFINDING PROGRAM CITYWIDE WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $300,000. UH, NUMBER TWO IS, UH, DEVELOP DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR OUR HISTORIC DOWNTOWN. WE HAVE DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR HISTORIC CITY POINT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THEM FOR DOWNTOWN. UM, I'M ABLE TO FUND THE FIRST HALF OF THIS PROJECT THROUGH JUST, UH, DEPARTMENT BUDGET SAVINGS IN MY DEPARTMENT BUDGET. BUT I'M ASKING, UH, COUNSEL FOR $15,000 TO, UH, PUT TOWARDS AS MATCH FOR A GRANT THAT WE WILL BE APPLYING FOR. NOW THAT WE ARE CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WE HAVE A VERY GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING THE GRANT. AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE FOR ESSENTIALLY PHASE TWO OF THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES AND WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO AMEND OUR CITY POINT HISTORIC GUIDELINES BECAUSE THEY DON'T CURRENTLY ADDRESS NEW CONSTRUCTION. AND WE CAN ADD THAT SECTION TO OUR CITY POINT. UH, GUIDELINES NUMBER THREE, UH, MAINTENANCE FOR THE URBAN TREE CANOPY EXPANSION. YOU MAY WELL REMEMBER WE'VE RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE EPA THREE, APPROXIMATELY $319,000 TO TREES AND CREATE BMPS ALONG, UH, ROUTE 10, UH, HERE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. UM, THAT GRANT WILL PAY FOR MAINTENANCE DURING THE LIFE OF THE GRANT, BUT WILL NOT PAY FOR TREE MAINTENANCE POST CLOSEOUT. AND, UH, WE WOULD REALLY HATE FOR THESE TREES TO EVERYBODY SPEND ALL THIS TIME AND EFFORT AND MONEY TO PUT THESE TREES IN THE GROUND. THE GRANT CLOSES OUT AND THEY DON'T GET WATERED. UH, THEN WE HAVE A BUNCH OF DEAD, THEN ALL UP AND DOWN, UH, ROUTE 10. SO REQUESTING $20,000. THAT SHOULD COVER US FOR TWO YEARS, HOPEFULLY. UH, WATER MULCH MAINTENANCE NUMBER FOUR, UM, A ROUTE 36 QUARTER SMALL AREA PLAN. NOW WE HAVE QUITE A FEW ISSUES ALONG THE ROUTE 36 QUARTER AREA AS IT RELATES TO ZONING AND USES AND WHAT'S ALLOWED AND WHAT'S NOT ALLOWED, AND LOT SIZES AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF. UM, WE HAVE BROUGHT THEM BEFORE YOU, UH, NUMEROUS TIMES. SO WE'LL BE, UH, APPLYING FOR A GRANT THROUGH VIRGINIA HOUSING TO DO A SMALL AREA PLAN. AND AGAIN, $10,000 WOULD BE A MATCH, CITY MATCH TOWARDS THAT PLAN. NUMBER FIVE, THIS ONE'S IN RED, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THIS ONE IS TIME SENSITIVE AS WELL. UH, WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND OUR CURRENT PLAN GOES THROUGH 2028 STATE REQUIRES THAT WE, UM, UPDATE THAT PLAN, IF NOT A COMPLETE REWRITE. IT JUST [01:15:01] DEPENDS ON CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND AND THE APPLICABILITY OF OUR EXISTING PLAN GOING FORWARD. SO I'M MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE PLAN WILL NEED TO BE REWRITTEN AND READY FOR ADOPTION IN 2028, AND THAT'S GONNA COST US APPROXIMATELY 150,000 IF PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, DEEMS THAT OUR CURRENT COMP PLAN JUST NEEDS AN UPDATE, THE COST WOULD BE LESS. BUT I WANTED TO GET THIS ON YOUR RADAR TO KNOW THAT IT IS COMING. UH, WE GOT A COUPLE YEARS, UM, BECAUSE WE WOULD START THAT PROGRAM, THAT, UH, PROCESS IN 27. NUMBER SIX, UH, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY IN DOWNTOWN. UH, WHETHER IT'S PERCEIVED OR REAL IN MANY WAYS, DOESN'T MATTER. PERCEPTION TO A LOT OF PEOPLE IS REALITY. SO AN OPTION FOR YOU WOULD BE TO, UH, WE COULD HIRE A CONSULTANT WHO COULD DEVELOP A STED PLAN, WHICH IS A CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN, BASICALLY WOULD BE AN ANALYSIS OF THOSE THINGS IN DOWNTOWN THAT CAUSE A, PER A PERCEPTION OF, UM, IT BEING AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT AND COULD GIVE US STRATEGIES ON HOW TO FIX THOSE. NUMBER SEVEN, UH, THE 200 BLOCK OF EAST WHITE PERSON IN DOWNTOWN. THAT'S THE ONE, UH, BLOCK OF DOWNTOWN THAT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY SORT OF, UM, IMPROVEMENT FUNDING THAT I GUESS ABOUT 20 ODD YEARS AGO WHEN THE BRICK SIDEWALKS WERE PUT IN THE STREET LIGHTS, ALL OF THAT, UH, THIS BLOCK WAS NEVER DONE. AND SO WE ARE, UH, REQUESTING $15,000 FOR THE ENGINEERING AND DESIGN TO FINISH OUT THAT LAST PORTION OF, UH, DOWNTOWN NUMBER EIGHT WOULD BE GATEWAY FACADE DESIGN SERVICES. SO THIS WOULD BE, UH, DEVELOPING A PLAN THAT WOULD ESTABLISH DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR OUR MAJOR GATEWAY CORRIDOR ENTRANCES INTO THE CITY. UH, THAT COULD ULTIMATELY TRANSLATE INTO A ZONING DISTRICT OVERLAY. NUMBER NINE, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT HOUSING AND, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS. AND HOPEWELL AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE A VALID, UM, HOUSING PLAN FOR THE CITY. SO, UH, THROWING THAT OUT THERE AS AN OPTION. AND THEN LASTLY, WE DO HAVE AN EXISTING DOWNTOWN PLAN, BUT IT IS APPROACHING 20 YEARS OLD. AND SO WE ARE, UH, PUTTING IN HERE TO UPDATE THAT PLAN AS WELL. UM, THOSE WERE MY 10 PROJECTS, JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO SEE OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO SIX YEARS IF WE COULD. UM, AGAIN, THE TIME SENSITIVE ONES WERE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BEGINNING IN 27. THE, UH, PHASE TWO OF THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN GUIDELINES WOULD BE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AND THE MAINTENANCE FOR THE TREE CANOPY WOULD LIKELY BE IN A 26, UH, BUDGET. UM, PLANNING COMMISSION IS NOT SUBMITTING THEIR OWN, UH, CIP FOR YOU ALL THIS YEAR, BUT THEY HAVE ENDORSED THE DEPARTMENT'S CIP. SO I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE, UH, COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY AND THEN MYSELF. I, I, I WAS, UH, THE, I THINK IT WAS THE PORTION YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE, UH, THE $35,000 ONE, I THINK IT WAS NUMBER SIX. NUMBER SIX, YEAH. SIX. THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ISN'T, I THINK THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS SOMETHING LIKE SIMILAR WHERE THEY WORK. I DON'T KNOW WHAT AGENCY PARTICULARLY, BUT I KNOW THERE'S LIKE CERTIFIED, MAYBE LIKE CERTIFIED OFFICERS THAT, UM, WORK WITH THE STATE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS ALREADY, WHERE THE STATE KIND OF ALREADY GIVES THAT. LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY WERE ABOUT TO BUILD THE RENDEZVOUS OR PLANNING FOR THE RENDEZVOUS, UM, BILL, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, SEP 10 PLANNER REVIEWED THE RENDEZVOUS PLANS. MM-HMM . THEY OFFERED TO DO IT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES HAVE A COUPLE OF OFFICERS THAT ARE SEEKING SEP TED CERTIFICATION, BUT THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE IT. SO THEY ARE NOT, I THOUGHT THERE WERE TWO THAT WE ALREADY HAD CERTIFIED. I COULD BE WRONG, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS I DIDN'T THINK THEY'VE ACHIEVED IT JUST YET. THEY'RE WORKING TOWARDS IT. OKAY. BECAUSE I SAW, I CERTAINLY, UH, I'M CERTAINLY IN SUPPORT OF DOING IT, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE JUST NOT DOUBLING, YOU KNOW, DOUBLING THAT COST. AND THEN THE SECOND THING WAS THE DOWNTOWN PLAN. NOW IS, IS THAT ALSO SOMETHING THAT KIND OF DOUBLES UP WITH THE HOPEWELL DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THIS WOULD BE, UH, ARE YOU REFERRING TO NUMBER 10 HERE? YES, SIR. UM, THIS WOULD BE, WE, WE HAVE AN EXISTING DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN CITY DOES. IT'S, I THINK IT DATES TO, OH, 2003 IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. UH, SO IT'S ACTUALLY MORE THAN 20 [01:20:01] YEARS OLD. UM, HOPEWELL DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP WOULD BE A, A CRITICAL PARTNER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PLAN. BUT THIS WOULD BE, I'M PROPOSING THAT THE CITY HAVE ITS OWN PLAN, RIGHT. AND THIS COULD EITHER, BECAUSE THIS PLAN IS SO OLD, I, I'M NOT SURE IT'S VIABLE AS AN UPDATEABLE PLAN THAT IT, I FEEL LIKE SO MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED ON THE GROUND IN, IN DOWNTOWN, WE WOULD NEED TO DEVELOP A NEW PLAN. AGAIN, THIS, UM, THE TIMELINE IS REALLY JUST TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHAT WE ESTIMATE THE LENGTH OF TIME WOULD BE. SO THEY'RE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER AS TO PRIORITY HERE. UM, BUT YEAH, DID WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE. ALRIGHT. SO, SO IS THERE ANYTHING ON HERE THAT YOU, UH, SAID THAT THEY'RE NOT IN ORDER BESIDES THE, EXCEPT THE RED ONES, THE TIME CONSUMING ONES. RIGHT. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU, UH, NOTE AS PRIORITIZING OVER NOW THAT IT'S, UH, IN TERMS OF THESE PROJECTS? NO. UM, I DID NOT PUT FORWARD A STAFFING INCREASE REQUEST IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. JUST, YOU KNOW, WITH, BECAUSE WE'RE FACED WITH SOME ISSUES. UM, BUT HONESTLY, UH, A STAFF INCREASE IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD SET AS A PRIORITY FOR MY NEXT YEAR, UM, AS A DEPARTMENT PRIORITY, EVEN OVER THE CIP UH, REQUESTS. BUT IF I HAD TO CHOOSE, UH, SOME OF THESE, OF MY STAFFING INCREASE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT PAY OR MORE PEOPLE? UH, A NEW POSITION. A NEW POSITION, A PLANNER POSITION. YES, SIR. UM, CAN YOU SAY, I WOULD SAY OUT OF THESE, UH, LISTED HERE, I WOULD PUT THE ROUTE 36 SMALL AREA PLAN AS, IT'S NOT LISTED AS A PRIORITY, BUT I WOULD PUT IT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST. THAT SEEMS TO BE THE PART OF TOWN WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST ZONING ISSUES. UH, IT'S VERY CONFUSING FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR BUSINESS OWNERS ALONG THOSE, THAT CORRIDOR, UH, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR STAFF EVEN TO INTERPRET. WE HAVE CONTRADICTORY ZONING ORDINANCES CURRENTLY. UM, ALL THAT'S BEING WORKED ON WITH THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE. BUT A SMALL AREA PLAN WILL REALLY GIVE US, UM, THAT YOU ALL WOULD BE A PART OF TOO, UM, REALLY GIVE US A PATHWAY FORWARD WITH THAT COURT ORDER PARTICULARLY. SO EVEN THOUGH YOU DID NOT INCLUDE, UH, INCLUDE IT, CAN YOU STILL SEND US THAT INFORMATION WITH THE NEW, UH, WITH THAT POSITION AND THE PLANNER POSITION? ABSOLUTELY, YES. SURE. AND, AND KIND OF DETAIL ABOUT, UH, WHAT THEY WOULD PARTICULARLY, UH, JOB DESCRIPTION, THE ABOUT WHAT BE VALUABLE? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS ON YOUR PLAN NUMBER SEVEN, UH, AS A 200 BLOCK OF PORES, IS THIS EAST OR WEST? UH, EAST. OKAY. SO BY THE BEACON, UH, PORES WOULD BE DOWN ALONGSIDE THE BOWMAN BUILDING. UM, OH, I'M SORRY. I'M THINKING COST AND I'M SORRY. OKAY. YEAH, DOWN THAT STRETCH. OKAY. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS PORES OVER THERE BY THE DIALYSIS CENTER. UM, AND ISSUES OVER THERE. YEAH. OKAY. NEVERMIND. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY. IT GOES EVERYWHERE. UH, VICE MAYOR JOINER. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, UM, UH, MR. WARD FOR THE, THE FIVE YEAR, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I MEAN, SURE IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN RECOMMENDED AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY BRAVO FOR NUMBER NINE. THE HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN. I KNOW THAT IT'S A FEW YEARS DOWN, BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO THIS CITY'S FUTURE. SO THANK YOU. YEAH. UH, COUNCILLOR STOKES, I MIGHT JUST HAD ONE QUESTION AS YOU WERE SPEAKING, UM, ON NUMBER FOUR AND NINE. YES MA'AM. IS ANY OF IT BEING CONSIDERED, I HAVEN'T MADE THE FIRST MEETING YET FOR CDBG OR IS ANY OF IT BEING CONSIDERED FOR ANY CDBG FUNDING PRIOR TO US CONSIDERING ANY OF THIS IN TERMS OF, UH, PUTTING CDBG FUNDING TOWARDS THESE PLANNING EFFORTS? HONESTLY, NO. WE'VE NOT LOOKED AT THAT AS A FUNDING SOURCE. UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE, WE ARE IN OUR FIVE YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT'S GONNA TAKE THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR AVAILABLE MONEY FOR PLANNING. SO, UM, THAT'S NOT TO SAY IT COULDN'T BE PUSHED FORWARD, UM, IN A, IN A LATER YEAR. UM, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. IT IS AN OPTION. UM, YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE COORDINATED EFFORTS, UM, 'CAUSE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, AS YOU KNOW, UM, I GEAR TOWARD LOW TO MODERATE INCOME LIFE. SURE. I WOULD LIKE TO JUST TARGET PEOPLE OR LIFE. AND SO IF THAT CAN CURVE SOME OF THE MONEY THAT YOU ARE ASKING US TO COME UP WITH, AND I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE INTEGRATION, SO FROM SOME OF YOUR REQUESTS IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLACK [01:25:01] GRANT COMMUNITY. OKAY, SURE. OUR, OUR CDBG, UH, PLANNING FUNDS WOULD HAVE TO COME OUT OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS. YES, SIR. AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE CAPPED AT 20%, SO IT'S USUALLY AROUND $45,000, UH, TOTAL. MM-HMM . UM, AND OF COURSE WE HAVE TO USE THAT ADMIN MONEY TO SUPPLEMENT THE PROGRAM, BUT, UH, THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPPORTUNITY AND I WOULD GLADLY LOOK INTO THAT, ESPECIALLY YOU NUMBER NINE, WHERE YOU GOT HOUSING AND I DON'T KNOW THE PLAN, YOUR HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, BUT YOU GOT TIME ENOUGH TO TRY TO INTEGRATE THAT INTO A-C-D-G-A FUNDED ITEM AND MOVE SOME MONEY AROUND . THAT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SEE NO MORE LIGHTS. THANK YOU MR. WARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, MR. REASON, GOOD EVENING. CITY COUNCIL MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, UH, THE IT BUDGET, UM, UNFORTUNATELY CONTINUES TO GROW SLIGHTLY DUE TO TECHNOLOGY AND INCREASED COST OF JUST KEEPING THINGS RUNNING. THE, UH, EVER SINCE COVID PRICES HAVE INCREASED SUB SUBSTANTIALLY. SO MY OPERATING BUS BUDGET HAS INCREASED. LAST YEAR IT WAS ALMOST, ALMOST A HUNDRED THOUSAND. THIS YEAR WOULD BE ABOUT 77,000 FOR THE OPERATING BUDGET. UH, SO, UH, THE BIGGEST CHANGES ARE YOUR TYLER'S, TYLER TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE MUNI, UM, ENCODE ALL THE, ALL THE RELATED TYLER SOFTWARE WE SUPPORT. UM, THAT CONTINUES TO INCREASE. NOW WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT MIGRATING OUR TYLER TO THE CLOUD WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR TO TWO YEARS. SO WE'LL BE DOING THE SAME THING AS THIS, UH, SCHOOL SYSTEM AT THAT POINT, BUT THAT WILL TAKE US SOME TIME TO DO THAT. 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF DATA TO MOVE. UH, THE OTHER LARGE INCREASES WERE, UH, A COMPANY CALLED BROADCOM, PURCHASED OUR VMWARE SOFTWARE. VMWARE SUPPORTS OUR SERVERS THAT WHEN BROADCOM PURCHASED THE SOFTWARE, IT INCREASED THE COST ALMOST DOUBLE. SO, UM, THERE IS OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT OTHER THINGS DOWN THE ROAD, BUT WE GOTTA KEEP, CAN MAINTAIN OUR SYSTEMS. CURRENTLY, UM, OUR BARRACUDA BACKUPS, WE CONTINUE TO BACK UP OUR EMAIL SERVERS. WE BACK UP, UM, OUR, ALL OUR REGULAR SERVERS, ALL THE DATA, EVERY, UH, EVERYBODY'S USER DATA THAT HAS TO BE BACKED UP. AND THAT SERVER HAD TO BE CHANGED 'CAUSE IT WAS END OF LIFE AS WELL. UH, SO, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY EVERYTHING KEEPS GOING UP AND I, I'M SORRY FOR THAT. I'M TRYING TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO TRY AND KEEP CROSSED DOWN. BUT YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO MOVE. UH, THE COST FOR THE, TO KEEP THE NEW S UH, EXCUSE ME, CAMERA SYSTEM AND THE MICROPHONE SYSTEM MAINTAIN MAINTENANCE OF THIS ROOM, MAINTENANCE OF THE, UH, COURTROOMS. WE SUPPORT THE SOUND SYSTEM AND AUDIO SYSTEM MOVING THE COURTROOM AS WELL. UM, THE, UH, POLICE HAVE PUT A MANDATE OUT TO GET ALL COMPUTERS THAT LOG INTO THE POLICE SERVERS. THAT HAS TO BE A, UH, TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION. WE HAVE NOW ROLLED OUT A SMALL PORTION 'CAUSE ALL THE OFFICERS AND ALL THE DISPATCHERS ARE ABLE TO LOG IN WITH TWO FACTOR ALTERCATION. BUT THE GOAL IS TO ROLL IT OUT TO THE REST OF THE CITY. SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS WHEN SOMEBODY WANTS TO WORK REMOTELY FROM HOME, THEY WILL GET A, EITHER A TOKEN OR ON THEIR PHONE A NUMBER THAT THEY GOTTA PUT IN. SO YOU PUT YOUR USERNAME PASSWORD AND YOU'LL HAVE TO AUTHENTICATE WITH A NUMBER TO VERIFY WHO YOU ARE. SO THAT'S JUST AN ADDITIONAL COST, BUT THAT'S A STATE STATE MANDATE FOR US. SO THAT WE'RE KIND OF REQUIRED TO GET THE COST FOR THAT AND CONTINUING SUPPORT FOR OUR RICOTTA SYSTEM. FOR OUR CAMERA SYSTEM. THE POLICE USE IT LIKE CRAZY. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, THE, THE, UH, HOUSING AUTHORITY IS USING IT NOW AND, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE SUPPORTING OR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT FOR THAT. UM, SO THE OVERALL BUDGET IS, UH, INCREASE IS ABOUT 77,000 FOR THAT. NOW, FOR OUR CAPITAL PROJECT THAT WE'RE REQUESTING FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS, WE'VE BEEN REQUESTING THE OFFICE 365 OR THE OFFICE UPGRADE, UH, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY HAS NOT HAPPENED. WE ARE NOW GETTING DOWN TO THE END OF THE WIRE FOR MICROSOFT SUPPORT. MYSELF, MICROSOFT IS CHANGING THE WAY THEY ARE LICENSING THEIR PRODUCT. THEY'RE MAKING IT ALL SUB SUBSCRIPTION BASED, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRY AND DO SOMETHING AND SOONER THAN LATER. UM, SO EV RIGHT NOW WE ARE RUNNING EXCHANGE 2016, WHICH IS OUR EMAIL SERVER. AND MOST OF THE COMPUTERS AROUND HERE ARE RUNNING 2019 WINDOWS OR 2019 OFFICE, OR LOWER 2016. THERE'S [01:30:01] A GRIEVANCE COUPLED 2013. SO WE GOT SOME OLD VERSIONS OF OFFICE OUT THERE AND THERE, SOME OF THE NEWER PCS DO HAVE 2021, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ROLL THOSE OUT YET. BUT WHAT, WHAT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THIS IS ON THE NEXT SCREEN YOU'LL SEE HERE, UM, THE FIRST LINE HERE IS WHEN WE DEPLOYED OUR EXCHANGE SERVER, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY MAY OF 2018. OKAY. SO SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN RUNNING ON EXCHANGE 2018 OR 2016. UM, THE NEXT LINE, HE, THIS NEXT LITTLE LINE HERE IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. AS OF SEPTEMBER, YOU'LL SEE A, A DEAD STOP FOR SOME OF THESE. THAT'S WHEN MICROSOFT IS NOT GOING TO SUPPORT US ANYMORE. THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET WINDOWS UPDATES. THEY'RE ACTUALLY, UH, GETTING RID OF WINDOWS 10 AS WELL. SUPPORT. SO THERE'S A PLAN TO UPGRADE ALL THESE SERVERS UP AND GET EVERYTHING ELSE TO THE POINT TO, TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE. BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS CHANGE OVER TO A SUBSCRIPTION BASED SERVICE, WHICH IS, UH, NOT GONNA BE CHEAP, UNFORTUNATELY. AND WE'RE AT REQUESTING $124,000 TO GET THIS PROJECT ON THE ROAD. UM, M AND UNFORTUNATELY MICROSOFT IS KIND OF MANDATING THIS ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRYSIDE FOR EVERYBODY. SO, UM, A LOT OF CITIES ARE TAKING A HIT ON THIS. UM, SO, UM, LIKE I SAID, WE REQUESTED A FEW YEARS PAST, NOW WE'RE COMING DOWN TO A DEAD, DEAD END WHERE WE'RE GONNA LOSE OUR SUPPORT. UH, SO THIS WILL MIGRATE OUR EX OUR MAIL TO THE CLOUD. AND THEN OUR EX OUR MICROSOFT OFFICE PRODUCTS WILL BE, UH, CURRENT. IT'LL ALWAYS BE CURRENT. SO THAT IS MY PRESENTATION, IF ANY, ANY QUESTIONS? UH, SEEING NO LIGHTS, UH, THANK YOU MR. REASON. THANK YOU. NEXT IS MR. CROCKER WITH PUBLIC WORKS. A DIFFERENT HAT ON. YEAH, A DIFFERENT HAT. DIFFERENT HAT. A HAPPIER TOPIC. YEAH. I THOUGHT THERE WAS ONE MORE BEFORE ME. . YEAH. SO I DO HAVE TO SHIFT GEARS A LITTLE BIT. UM, PUBLIC WORKS. UH, SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PUBLIC WORKS, IT'S MORE THAN JUST ASPHALT'S MORE THAN JUST STREET STREETLIGHTS. IT'S, UM, BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, IT'S FLEET. UM, IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAVE OUR HANDS ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS AND FORTUNATELY, UM, WE, WE LIKE THIS TIME OF YEAR, 'CAUSE WE'RE COMING OUTTA SNOW SEASON, SO THINGS ARE LOOKING A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOR US. ALL RIGHT. SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE PUBLIC WORKS FUND IS MADE, IT IS MADE UP OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT FUNDS. SO OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET, WHICH IS OUR, UM, GENERAL AND VDOT FUNDED BUDGET. UM, NEXT YEAR WE WOULD SEE A, A REDUCTION OF ABOUT $6,000. UM, SO THAT COVERS VDOT CITY BUILDINGS AND ALSO COURTS BUILDINGS. UH, THE REFUSE FUND, THEY REQUESTED INCREASE A HUNDRED THIRTY SIX, NINE HUNDRED $9. UM, AND A LOT OF THIS IS DUE TO CPI INCREASES THAT ARE A PART OF THE CONTRACT FOR REFUSE. AND ALSO IT, UM, INCREASE IN THE BIG CONTRACT FOR OUR FLARE MAINTENANCE AT THE LANDFILL. THE CEMETERY FUND, UH, THE REQUESTED INCREASE IS $15,000. UH, AND A LOT OF THAT IS RELATIVE OR RELATED TO THE LEVELING OF RESETTING OF THE HEADSTONES WITHIN THE CEMETERY. UM, IT CONTINUES TO, CONTINUES TO HAPPEN A LOT OF SETTLEMENT. AND THAT WOULD BE PAID FOR WITH, UH, PERPETUAL CARE FUNDS FROM THE CEMETERY FUND. THE STORM WATER FUND, THE, THE REQUESTED INCREASE IS ZERO. RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A PLACEHOLDER OF AN ADDITIONAL $432,000, WHICH IS, UH, THE INCREASE FROM THE REDUCTION OF THE INDUSTRIAL CREDIT, UH, WHICH WOULD BE APPLIED TO PROJECTS THAT THE STORMWATER FUND IS, UM, ATTEMPTING TO PURSUE. AND FOR PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS. UM, I'M NOT, I KNOW A COUPLE FOLKS FROM COUNCIL HAVE BEEN DOWN TO PUBLIC WORKS. UM, THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE WORK IN, UH, ESPECIALLY DURING SNOW SEASON, IS VERY DIFFICULT AND VERY HARD ON OUR EQUIPMENT. UH, THE [01:35:01] FOLKS AT PUBLIC WORKS ARE VERY INDUSTRIOUS IN PUTTING THIS STUFF BACK TOGETHER TO KEEP IT GOING DOWN THE ROAD. UM, I SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME WITH THEM DURING SNOW SEASON RIDING WITH THEM TO SEE THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACE. UM, AND WE'VE INDICATED IN HERE, UH, REQUESTS TO REPLACE A DUMP TRUCK. UM, AND ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT IS UTILIZED FOR SNOW WHEN, WHEN IT DOES SNOW, AND THEN IT ROLLS BACK TO ITS NORMAL OPERATIONS AFTER SNOW. UH, ONE OF THE DUMP TRUCKS WOULD BE TO REPLACE, UH, FOR THE ASPHALT CREW, UM, A DUMP TRUCK FOR THE CONCRETE CREW, A LEAF VACUUM TRUCK, AND A BACKHOE FOR ASPHALT. AND THESE COSTS THAT YOU'RE SEEING, UH, OR THE REQUEST ARE ESSENTIALLY A, UM, THE FIRST YEAR OF A FIVE YEAR LEASE. UM, I WISH WE COULD GET NEW EQUIPMENT THAT CHEAP. THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE. OKAY. TAKE IT. UM, SO THE PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS, UM, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT SUMMARY. SO WE HAVE SOME, UH, LIBRARY ROOF REPAIRS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. UM, IT'S SHOWING $30,000 STREETLIGHT IMPROVEMENTS OF $20,000. UM, AN A DA MASTER PLAN OF $50,000, THE HVAC UPGRADE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES OF $50,000. AND THEN ALSO VERY IMPORTANT ON THE LIST, THE HVAC REPLACEMENT FOR THE COURTHOUSE IS $130,000. UH, WE CONTINUE TO BATTLE WITH THE HVAC SYSTEM AT THE COURTHOUSE, UH, RELATIVE TO PERSONNEL AND, AND PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS. UH, WE'VE REQUESTED ONE ADDITIONAL POSITION, UH, WITH THE CITY'S CREASING FLEET. IT INCREASES THE DEMANDS ON OUR, OUR RELATIVELY SMALL FLEET STAFF. AND THAT SALARY AND BENEFIT COST AND OPERATING COST IS INDICATED THERE AT A TOTAL OF, UM, $78,780. YES, SIR. CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE SURE. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DO THE CHALLENGE WOULD BE WITH THE HVAC THERE, BECAUSE I THOUGHT, UH, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS ABOUT DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT I THOUGHT I WAS TOLD UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM HAD GOTTEN REDONE. SO WHAT IS THE, I DON'T BELIEVE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WAS REDONE. I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER UNIT, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. DO YOU KNOW MY NAME? OH, THE PLACEMENT, THEY WERE HANDLERS. THE, THE FIRST, EXCUSE ME, UH, WHAT WAS APPROVED PRIOR WAS FOR THE SOFTWARE MM-HMM . FOR ALL OF THE COURTHOUSE, UM, HVAC SYSTEMS. AND THEY'VE UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. THIS IS THE ACTUAL UNITS ON TOP OF THE COURTHOUSE. SO DID THE UNITS DO IT HADN'T BEEN CORRECT. THIS IS THE ACTUAL HEART, THE UNIT. MM-HMM . YEAH. THIS IS, SO AT THE BOTTOM THERE ARE SOME NOTES. THERE'S ONE, THIS IS ONE OF TWO ROOFTOP UNITS. AND IS THE SECOND ONE NEEDED REPLACEMENT TWO OR IS IT? NO, THIS ONE IS ON FOR THE, UM, UNIT CONTROLS. THE SECOND FLOOR, WHICH IS THE CIRCUIT COURT, UH, FLOOR. THE OTHER IS NOT IN NEED OF REPAIR. NO. GOTCHA. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF PUBLIC WORKS, UM, WE'RE TOGETHER, BUT SEPARATE, IF THAT MAKES SENSE, IS THE, UM, ENGINEERING AND STORM WATER. UM, WE KEEP, WE'RE LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR, UM, ONE THE STORMWATER PROGRAM AND THEN TWO BRIDGE INSPECTIONS, ANY CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT THE CITY UNDERTAKES, VDOT, OR OTHERWISE, UH, RIGHT OF WAY PERMITS. HERE WE HAVE A, A LIST OF PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT ONE LEVEL OR ANOTHER AND REQUIRE, UH, CONTINUAL ALLOCATIONS OF FUNDING. UM, EACH YEAR, UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE ARE THREE HIGHLIGHTED IN RED. UM, NONE OF THESE PROJECTS ARE NEW. THE THREE HIGHLIGHTED IN RED WE WILL REVISIT NEXT WEEK, UM, AT THE COUNCIL MEETING TO TALK ABOUT REALLOCATION OF FUNDING. UM, WHAT HAS HAPPENED, UM, SINCE COVID, REALLY A LOT OF APPLICATIONS WERE MADE TO STATE FUNDING PROGRAMS UTILIZING ESTIMATES THAT WERE VALID AT THE TIME, THEY WERE VERY VALID. UM, THEY USED GOOD DATA. HOWEVER, AS WE'VE ALL SEEN, EVERYTHING HAS GOTTEN MORE EXPENSIVE AND THESE ESTIMATES BECAME OUT OF DATE REALLY QUICKLY. UM, THEY'VE ESCALATED TO A POINT WHERE IF WE BID THESE PROJECTS OUT AND THEY COME IN OVER THE CITY IS ON, WOULD BE ON THE HOOK FOR THE ENTIRE DIFFERENCE. UM, VDOT COMMITS FUNDING TO A LOT OF PROJECTS, BUT WHEN THEY COMMIT THAT FUNDING, [01:40:01] IT HAS A CONTINGENCY IN THERE. IT'S NOT VERY, IT'S NOT BIG ENOUGH TO CARRY US FROM 2021 TO 2025. UM, HOWEVER, UM, WE HAVE TO REVISIT SOME OF THESE PROJECTS AND THINK, DO WE MAKE NEW APPLICATIONS MOVING FORWARD WITH CURRENT DOLLARS AND TRY AND GET THEM BUILT, UM, THAT WAY WE'RE NOT ON THE HOOK FOR THAT ENTIRE BALANCE. UH, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT IS, UH, UH, HAS BEEN OF INTEREST TO COUNCIL. IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, UM, BECAUSE IT DOES RELY ON ALL CITY DOLLARS TO FUND IS THE HERETIC AVENUE DRAINAGE PROJECT. THE DESIGN IS AT A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETION. AND THE ONLY REASON WE HAVEN'T GONE OUT TO BID IS BECAUSE WE DO NOT POSSESS ALL THE MONEY TO BUILD THE PROJECT. UM, IT'S INDICATED ON HERE AS NEEDING AN ADDITIONAL, UM, $2.3 MILLION TO COMPLETE. OH, OKAY. UH, COUNCILOR STOKES. UM, YES SIR. ARE THERE ANY, UM, PLANS FOR TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS I'VE IN OUR CITY, THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT POTHOLES AND COMPLAINTS MADE BY OUR CITIZENS. CONCERN? CAN'T HEAR HER. POTHOLE IS YOUR OKAY. UM, YEAH, I WAS CONCERNED. YOU MADE THE COMMENT THAT WE'RE COMING OUTTA WINTER AND I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING YET. SO I'M KIND OF FAST FORWARDING HOPEFULLY THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE TO DEAL WITH THE POTHOLES. A LOT OF OUR CITIZENS, ONE OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS, UM, AFTER WINTER IS THE POTHOLES AND DEVELOPMENT OF POTHOLES AND SINKHOLES. SO HAVE WE PLANNED IN THIS BUDGET, UM, FOR THE, UH, REPAIR OF THOSE POTHOLES? SO WE CONDUCT, UM, POTHOLE PATCHING EFFORTS, UM, AS LONG AS WEATHER PERMITS, IT'S BUILT INTO OUR BUDGET ALREADY. UM, THEN WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT ASSET MANAGEMENT TODAY AT THE WASTEWATER PLANT. YES, SIR. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT RELATIVE TO STREETS IS SOMETIMES WE FORGET ABOUT IT. OUR STREETS, OUR STREET LIGHTS, OUR TRAFFIC SIGNALS, OUR SIDEWALKS, CURB AND GUTTER, THEY'RE ALL ASSETS. UM, THE ONE THING THAT, UH, THE MAYOR AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT AT LENGTH, UM, PAVING IS A HOT TOPIC OF HIS IS COMING UP WITH A, WE HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN. AND UNTIL WE DO A CONDITION ASSESSMENT RELATIVE TO PAVING, NOT POTHOLE, BUT RELATIVE TO PAVING, THAT WILL ALLOW US TO DEVELOP A PLAN SIMILAR TO WHAT WE WOULD DO FOR, FOR SEWER, FOR SANITARY SEWER REPLACEMENT PLANT, UM, THE, AND SOME OF THESE PROJECTS HOPE, HOPE TO START ADDRESSING THAT. UM, BUT THE CONDITION ASSESSMENT'S A BIG DEAL. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, POTHOLE PATCHING CONTINUES. WE DO IT, UM, AS EITHER REQUEST ARE MADE OR AS WE SEE THEM. UM, WE JUST WENT THROUGH A PRETTY BIG BLITZ RECENTLY PATCHING POTHOLES. UM, AND WE WROTE, TO BE FAIR, WE RELY ON CITIZENS A LOT TO, TO FIND THESE, THEY DRIVE 'EM EVERY DAY AND THEY'RE QUICK TO LET US KNOW. . YES, SIR. THEY TEAR YOU UP. UM, AND AGAIN, YOU ADDRESSED ALSO THE, THE, THE STREETLIGHTS. I KNOW THAT I'M GETTING A COUPLE OF REQUESTS FOR, PARTICULARLY IN WARD SIX AND PARTS OF SEVEN MM-HMM . FOR THOSE, UH, CROSSINGS AND THE PUSH PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. YEAH. THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ALONG WITH THE PUSHING, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIVE FORKS AREA. HAS BUDGETING BEEN MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT REQUEST? THOSE REQUESTS, AND HOW WOULD I RECOGNIZE IT IN THE BUDGET? SO THERE ARE FUNDS ALLOCATED TO FIVE FORKS. THAT PROJECT IS ALMOST IN THE RIGHT OF WAY STAGE, WHICH WOULD ALLOW US TO START ACQUIRING THE RIGHT OF WAY NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THOSE IMPROVEMENTS. UM, THAT PROJECT IS NEARLY AT A HUNDRED PERCENT DESIGN, SO THEY'RE GONNA CLOSE IT OFF. YOU CLOSING IT OFF STREET, UM, I BELIEVE THAT'S BERRY STREET THAT COMES IN RIGHT THERE WHERE BERRY STREET WOULD BE CLOSED OFF. IT WOULD ELIMINATE AN INPUT TO THAT INTERSECTION. OH, INPUT. I MEAN, THERE'S NO INPUT ON THAT. INTERSECTION IS A ONE WAY STREET. RIGHT. BUT JUST THE MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC YEAH. CREATES A PEDESTRIAN HAZARD. AND I KNOW COUNCILLOR STOKES, YOU HAD INQUIRED ABOUT CROSSING, I THINK FOR THE ELKS LODGE. YES. IT WILL EXIST AT THAT TRAFFIC SIGNAL. UM, CROSSINGS EXIST AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS ULTIMATELY BECAUSE THAT IS THE LOGICAL PLACE FOR TRAFFIC TO STOP DOING MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS, UM, IS TYPICALLY NOT ACCEPTABLE ON A ROAD LIKE THAT. ANYWAY, I WAS JUST WONDERING, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST NEW ON COUNCIL. WHERE DO I FIND THE [01:45:01] BUDGETING FOR IN YOUR BUDGET PROJECTS? UM, SO ON THE CAPITAL PROJECTS LIST, I'M LOOKING OKAY. AND ALSO YOU'LL SEE ROUTE 1 56 IMPROVEMENTS. UM, BERRY STREET. THEY'RE ACTUALLY, IT'S ACTUALLY COMPRISED OF TWO PROJECTS. YES. THE TOP TWO. YEP. I SEE. I CAN, IT'S COMPRISED OF TWO PROJECTS AND PART OF THIS IS STATE FUNDED AND PART OF IT IS, THAT'S WHY ANSWER MY NEXT QUESTION WITH SOME OF IT BEING FUNDED BY THE STATE. SO ANY TRANSPORTATION PROJECT THAT WE UNDERTAKE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME PAVING, IS TYPICALLY A DERIVATIVE OF SOME FEDERAL OR STATE TRANSPORTATION FUND. UM, SO WE PURSUE THOSE, UM, AS MUCH AS THEY'RE AVAILABLE. UM, WE CAN USE EVERY DOLLAR AND LEVERAGE EVERY LOCAL DOLLAR TO GET MORE WORK DONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. ALRIGHT. COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE ANY, UH, INDICATION OF LIKE MILLIONS AND SO FORTH OR THE MARKS. AND SO SOME OF THESE NUMBERS, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT IS, LIKE FOR THAT HERETIC AVENUE DRAINAGE PROJECT. MM-HMM . YOU SAID THAT WAS 2.3 MILLION AND I SEE 2300. THAT'S 2.3 MILLION. SUPPOSED TO BE 2.3. THERE'S A COLUMN THERE. YEAH, BUT I'M SAYING IT LOOKS LIKE IT DOESN'T SAY 2.3 MILLION. YEAH, IT MAYBE MERELY A TYPO. IT'S, IT'S JUST THE WAY SIX. I WAS ABOUT TO ASK YOU THIS. LIKE AN HOUR OR 7.7 $0.6 MILLION TOTAL. SO THEN THE 377, THE $377,000. OKAY. OKAY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. CROCKER? I'LL RUN THROUGH A BRIEF CAPITAL PROJECT STATUS IF YOU'D LIKE. OKAY, SURE. UM, SO THE BERRY STREET, UH, AS I'D MENTIONED CURRENTLY IN THE RIGHT OF WAY PHASE, UM, THE MESA DRIVE PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS, UH, COUNSELOR STOKE YOU HAD MENTIONED ABOUT, UM, RAPID FLASHING BEACONS FOR PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE UNDERTAKING IN FRONT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. I BELIEVE THOSE BIDS CAME BACK TODAY. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY NEWS ON THOSE YET, BUT I'LL FIND OUT TOMORROW. UH, THE WEST RANDOLPH SHARED USE PATH, UM, IS CURRENTLY IN UTILITY LOCATION AND 30% CONCEPTUAL DESIGN IS COMPLETED. UM, AND THEY'RE MOVING ON, UH, TO A MORE IN DEPTH DESIGN, UH, COURTHOUSE ROAD PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS. THAT DESIGN IS MOVING ALONG AND IS UNDERWAY AS I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER. UH, HILL AND H****R STREET RECONSTRUCTION, WAGNER AVENUE AND H****R STREET RECONSTRUCTION. UH, THEIR ESTIMATES ARE WELL OUT OF DATE, UM, RECOMMENDING DEFERRAL. AND THAT WILL COME BEFORE COUNSEL NEXT WEEK. UH, WE DO HAVE TWO PAVEMENT REHAB PROJECTS AND WE HOPE TO UTILIZE THE DEFERRED FUNDS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THOSE TWO PROJECTS TO SUPPLEMENT THE PAVING EFFORTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED, UM, HERE THROUGH UPC 1 1 7 0 6 5 AND 1 2 1 4 0 4. UH, TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT, ASPHALT COST AT THE TIME THE APPLICATIONS WERE MADE WAS $80 A TON AND IT'S $140 A TON. SO WE'VE SEEN A 75% INCREASE IN ASPHALT COSTS. UH, RICHMOND AND PETERSBURG STREET, UH, RECOMMENDING DEFERRAL BASED ON ONE SCHEDULE AND TWO COSTS. THAT ONE DOES NOT HIT THE, UM, BUDGET REQUEST THIS YEAR, BUT IT WOULD NEXT YEAR TO THE TUNE OF $1.8 MILLION. UM, IT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT WE NEED TO REVISIT, HAVE AN UPDATED ESTIMATE AND DETERMINE IF IT IS IN FACT, UM, A PRIORITY. UH, THE ONE THING THAT I'VE PUSHED FOR SINCE I STARTED IN PUBLIC WORKS IS TRYING TO DEVELOP A RANKING PLAN TO ESTABLISH WHERE THESE PROJECTS, UM, SHOULD RANK ON A LIST OF PRIORITY. UM, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY COMPETE WITH OTHER PROJECTS, PAVING AND THE LIKE, UM, OUR SAFE STREETS FOR ALL. UM, THE FINAL REPORT IS PENDING. UM, I'LL BE EXCITED TO SEE THAT. UH, WE HAD A, UH, ACCIDENT, FORTUNATELY THAT IT DIDN'T END UP TOO TERRIBLE DOWN THE BLOCK AT CITY POINT AND, UM, WEST RANDOLPH YESTERDAY, UM, I JUST LOOKED AT THE CRASH STATISTICS THAT MORNING AND THEN THERE WAS A CRASH INVOLVING A CITY TRUCK AND A TRACTOR TRAILER. UNFORTUNATELY, EVERYBODY WAS OKAY. IT DID TAKE OUT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. THAT'S AN UNANTICIPATED PROJECT THAT WE REALLY DIDN'T NEED RIGHT NOW. UM, THE HANK'S POND STORM WATER, UH, WE'VE ENGAGED A CONSULTANT TO LOOK AT THE DESIGN THAT WAS PROPOSED FOR THAT TO ENSURE THAT IT CAN IN FACT, UH, PROVIDE A BENEFIT TO THAT COMMUNITY. UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERETIC PLANS ARE COMPLETE. UH, WE ESSENTIALLY NEED, UH, BUDGET ALLOCATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PUTTING THE PROJECT OUT TO BID, UH, WAGNER [01:50:01] ROAD STORM LINING PROJECT. SO ALL PROJECTS THAT INVOLVE, UH, RELINING OF A STORMWATER PIPE. WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO ESTABLISH A MATRIX TO RANK THEM BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY THAT COULD BENEFIT FROM LINING VERSUS REPLACEMENT AND IT TENDS TO BE, UM, UH, COST BENEFICIAL. SO WE'RE WORKING ON ESTABLISHING A MATRIX TO IDENTIFY ALL OF THE LINING PROJECTS INC. INCLUDING THOSE AS A PART OF THE STORMWATER BUDGET, UH, RIVERSIDE AVENUE REHAB, UH, THE ENGINEERING ASSESSMENT'S COMPLETE, AND I'LL BE BRINGING A RECOMMENDATION OR RECOMMENDATIONS BACK TO COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. UH, PAVEMENT PRESERVATION PLAN. UM, I THINK WE ALLOCATE $466,000 A YEAR TO PAVEMENT PRESERVATION. UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO ALLOCATE MORE, BUT AS I HAD MENTIONED, A A BEST PRACTICE BEFORE WE ALLOCATE FUNDING WOULD BE TO HAVE A CONDITION ASSESSMENT SO THAT WE KNOW WHERE WE STAND WITH ALL OF OUR STREETS AND WE CAN ALLOCATE MONEY ACCORDINGLY. UH, THE COURTHOUSE PARKING LOT, REPRE, REPAVING, UM, NO FUNDING IS ALLOCATED FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. UM, IT CERTAINLY DOES NEED TO BE DONE, UH, RELATIVE TO OUR STREETS. I'M NOT SURE WHERE IT RANKS, BUT IT'S, IT IS A PROJECT THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND THEN THE CATTAIL CREEK DRAINAGE CROSSING, UH, IT SHOWS AS UNASSIGNED. HOWEVER, WE HAVE ASSIGNED THAT PROJECT TO ONE OF OUR ON-CALL CONSULTANTS, UH, AND THAT PRETTY MUCH SUMMARIZES OUR BUDGET. OKAY. EXCELLENT. HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY MORE QUESTIONS. UM, SO THE FIRST QUESTION THAT I HAVE, UM, IT'S ON THE, UH, REFUSE, UH, FUND BUDGET SUMMARY WHERE WE SAID WE SAW AN INCREASE DUE TO THE, UH, CPI INCREASE. YES. IS THAT COMING OUT OF THE ENTERPRISE FUND OR IS THAT GOING TO BE GENERAL REVENUE THAT NEEDS TO MAKE THAT UP? IT COMES FROM THE REFUSE FUND, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO THE NEXT ONE UNDER THE, UH, STORM WATER FUND, UM, 'CAUSE I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS ARE GETTING THIS INCREASE. WHERE DO WE STAND ON THE STATUS FOR THE STORM WATER FEE COMING OFF MONTHLY BILLING AND THEN BEING APPLIED TO THE REAL ESTATE TEXTS? UM, WE'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. SO, UH, WE HIRED A GENTLEMAN, I GUESS IT'S PROBABLY BEEN THREE, FOUR MONTHS AGO NOW, WHO'S BEEN LARGELY CHARGED WITH VALIDATING ALL OF THE PARCEL INFORMATION WE HAVE ACROSS THE CITY. I DON'T THINK THAT EFFORT'S BEEN UNDERTAKEN IN A WHILE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INVENTORY OF PROPERTIES THAT WE BILL MATCHES THE TAX ASSESSOR'S ROLE. UM, I THINK HE FOUND A LITTLE OVER A HUNDRED DEVIATIONS THAT HE'S HAD TO GO OUT AND VERIFY PHYSICALLY. MM-HMM . UM, WE'RE MAKING SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS. I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT. OKAY. UM, THE ONE THING I DO WORRY ABOUT RELATIVE TO THE STORMWATER FUND, AND THIS IS PROBABLY ANY CITY TAX, IS THE COLLECTION RATE, I THINK STRUGGLES A LITTLE BIT. SO THAT PUTS US AT A LITTLE BIT OF A DISADVANTAGE RELATIVE TO THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE SHOULD BUDGET FOR OVERALL. IF WE'RE ENTITLED TO 1.4 MILLION, MAYBE WE'RE ONLY GETTING 1.2. MM-HMM . UM, THE COLLECTION RATES JUST, THEY STRUGGLE A LITTLE BIT. WELL, WE, WE'VE BEEN TOLD AT LEAST HELPS THAT, WELL, AT LEAST FOR LIKE THE PAST THREE YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN, YOU KNOW, CONSISTENTLY TOLD BY, YOU KNOW, EVERY INCIDENT. I MEAN, WHETHER IT WAS, UM, ALVAR, MARCEL, THE ROBERT BOB GROUP, UM, I EVEN THINK DATA INTEGRATORS MENTIONED IT AS WELL. UM, BUT I MEAN, PULLING THAT FROM THE MONTHLY BILLING WHERE YOU HAVE SUPPOSEDLY MORE DELINQUENCIES TO YOUR REAL ESTATE TAXES, YOU SHOULD HAVE A HIGHER COLLECTION RATE. I'M, I'M HOPING SO. YOU WOULD, OKAY. YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD THINK SO MM-HMM . UM, JUST BY VIRTUE OF, UM, JUST BY VIRTUE OF TAXES PAYING TO MM-HMM . KEEP YOU IN YOUR HOUSE AND SO ON. SO I, I DO HOPE IT HELPS. OKAY. HAVE YOU HEARD OTHERWISE? HAVE YOU HEARD FROM OTHER LOCALITIES? NO. NO. I THINK IN THE, IN LARGE PART, UM, I'VE EVEN TALKED TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES IN OTHER LOCALITIES NEARBY HERE THAT HAVE THEIR, UM, FEE ON THE REAL ESTATE BILL. THE PROBLEM THAT THEY ENCOUNTERED IS THERE, THERE WAS SOME OPPOSITION TO THE STORMWATER FEE. OH, MM-HMM . AND THE, UM, THE FOLKS WOULD CHOOSE TO PAY THE AMOUNT OF THEIR REAL ESTATE TAX AND LEAVE OFF THE STORMWATER FEE. BUT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CODIFIED THAT STORMWATER WOULD BE MADE WHOLE PRIOR TO THE REAL ESTATE TAX. THAT WAY THE STORMWATER FUND DIDN'T SUFFER. YEAH. I MEAN, NO ONE LIKES THE FEE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S A STATE UNFUNDED MANDATE, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, LEGALLY BOUND RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. SO IF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE IT, YOU KNOW, THEY GOTTA TAKE IT TO THIS STATE. I MEAN, IT'S UNFORTUNATE. BUT, UM, ON THE NEXT PAGE, UH, WE HAVE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT SUMMARY, LISTING RANKING ORDER ON THE EQUIPMENT. UM, HAVE YOU GUYS LOOKED AT, UM, THE LEASING OPTION? THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE LEASING OPTION. I'M SORRY. THAT'S THE FIRST YEAR. OH, I'M SORRY. OKAY. I APOLOGIZE. WE REQUESTED IT, UM, LAST YEAR AND, UM, IT WASN'T [01:55:01] FUNDED AT THAT TIME. HOWEVER, UM, OUR EQUIPMENT, WE CONTINUE TO, WE CONTINUE TO MAKE IT WORK. OKAY. UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE CONDITION OF IT. OKAY. AND THEN, LET'S SEE. I'M SORRY. WE DID, UH, YOU DID. OH, WONDERFUL. WE GOT THE NEW STREET SWEEPER. WE DID COMBINATION OF, UH, ARPA DOLLARS, INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT. UM, WE MANAGED TO GET IT PAID FOR. IT'S BEEN, UH, IT'S, THEY LOVE IT. . WHY, WHY DIDN'T, WHY DIDN'T WE GO INTO LEASING? WHAT, WHAT MADE THAT PARTICULAR VEHICLE? UH, UM, I DON'T KNOW. THAT WAS, THAT WAS NOT A, A DECISION MADE BY ME. IT WAS MADE BY THE FORMER DIRECTOR. UM, I'M NOT CERTAIN IF WE OWN, I THINK WE OWN ALL OF OUR SWEEPERS OUTRIGHT. YEAH, WE DID. WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY, UH, IN PREPARING THE PREVIOUS ONE THEN COUNSEL PROPOSED PRIORITY OVER, BUT IT EITHER RATE, I JUST, IT WAS JUST QUITE INTERESTING THAT WE DIDN'T DO A LEASE THING WHERE THE STREETS ALL WAS. SO I THINK ALSO WE HAD A, UM, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY AND A BIT OF A TIMETABLE RELATIVE TO ARPA FUNDING TO HAVE IT ALLOCATED. AND, UM, I'M SPEAKING FROM, UH, WHAT I, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE EXPERIENCED AND WE NEEDED TO ALLOCATE IT SOMEWHERE AND IT WAS A GOOD PLACE TO NO, I, I KNOW WE COULD HAVE ALLOCATED IT ELSEWHERE. I WAS JUST WONDERING PARTICULAR BECAUSE WE HAD WIN, I WAS TALKING ABOUT PARTICULARLY FROM, FROM THAT DEPARTMENT, WAS THERE A PARTICULAR REASON WHY WE CHOSE TO PAY, YOU KNOW, OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THAT VEHICLE? UM, I'M UNAWARE VERSUS, I DON'T HAVE THE BACKGROUND BECAUSE A, A LOT OF TIMES WE COME HERE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LEASING, LEASING COMES WITH, UM, CERTAIN MAINTENANCE OR SO FORTH, WHICH WE WOULDN'T BE RESPONSIBLE IN THIS CASE. SOMETHING HAPPENS TO MAINTENANCE. I KNOW YOU'RE NEW ON IT, BUT JUST IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK AT. UM, I'M VERY CONSCIOUS ABOUT THE FLEET AND THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE WITH THE FLEET. SO THANK YOU AGAIN. ABSOLUTELY. SO THE LINE ITEM THAT SAYS PAVE PAVEMENT PRESERVATION PLAN, THAT'S THE, LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD ROAD REPAVING THAT I BO BOTHER YOU ALL ALWAYS ABOUT RIGHT. ? UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE RIGHT LINEUP BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE GOT VDOT, YOU KNOW, SHARING PROJECTS THAT ARE BROKEN OUT. BUT FOR, YEAH, FOR CONTEXT FOR THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE VDOT REVENUE SHARING PROGRAM IS A 50 50 SPLIT. SO DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR. UM, WE PURSUE THAT AND WILL COME, IT COMES OPEN EVERY OTHER YEAR. WE'LL PURSUE IT AGAIN THIS YEAR. THE 466, I BELIEVE THERE'S A LIST OF STREETS THAT, THAT 466,000 IS MEANT TO DRILL DOWN ON. OKAY. 4 66 RIGHT HERE. AND I DON'T, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT INCLUDED WITH THIS PARTICULAR, UM, PRESENTATION, BUT IT DOES TALK ABOUT HOW IT MENTIONS CONDITION INDEXING IN ORDER TO GET THERE. BUT I THINK IT'S A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF STREET. SO WHEN WE APPLY FOR FEE REVENUE SHARING FUNDS, WE TYPICALLY TARGET AN AREA. RIGHT. AND WE TARGET THAT AREA WITH SOME LATITUDE TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF THAT AREA. WE, WE WORD IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT VIDA GIVES US GREAT FLEXIBILITY TO, UH, MOVE OUTSIDE OF THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD IF IT'S WARRANTED. UM, THE 4 66, I THINK IS FOR A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET OF STREETS. OKAY. UM, I WILL SAY 400 WOULD, IT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT COMES UP IN THE FUTURE AFTER WE INDEX IT. OKAY. 466 IS IS, IT DOESN'T GET US VERY FAR. RIGHT. SO, ALRIGHT. AND, UM, THE ONLY OTHER COMMENT THAT I HAD, UM, IS ON THE NEXT PAGE, ON THE CAPITAL PROJECT STATUS, UH, WHERE YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, CROSS-REFERENCING, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS WITH STORMWATER PROJECTS AND NEIGHBORHOOD ROTARY PAVING AND RECONSTRUCTION. UM, WE HAVE A, UM, LIKE A STORMWATER RESILIENCY PLAN AND, UM, IT PROBABLY, IT, I KNOW IT NEEDS SOME UPDATING, UM, BUT THAT MIGHT BE A REALLY GOOD STARTING POINT TO LOOK AT LIKE OTHER ADDITIONAL PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND LOOKING AT THE CRITERIA THAT JOHNNY BUTLER AND, UM, AUSTIN ANDERSON HAD PUT TOGETHER TO KINDA LIKE BREAK THE PROJECTS UP AND I THINK THEY LOOKED AT DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES FOR DIFFERENT ONES, BROKE IT DOWN TO WHERE THERE WERE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY APPLY FOR SOME MONEY FOR. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO JUST MENTION THAT, THAT THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING WORTH LOOKING AT. SURE. UH, IN TERMS OF CROSS, CROSS REFERENCING, UM, THE, I THINK WHAT HAPPENS A LOT OF THE TIMES WE HAVE, WE HAVE PROJECTS TO [02:00:01] MEET PERMIT COMPLIANCE. RIGHT? RIGHT. AND WE, AND WE DID A LOT OF THOSE, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORMWATER COIN, WHICH IS, UH, TENDS TO REVOLVE MORE AROUND FLOODING, RIGHT? MM-HMM . AND LESS OF LESS OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT RELATIVE TO NUTRIENT REDUCTIONS. UM, THOSE PROJECTS ALSO COMPETE WITH ONE ANOTHER. UM, SO WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT, UH, THE COST BENEFIT OF PURSUING A PROJECT IF IT IMPEDES, UH, SAFETY VEHICLE ACCESS, FOR EXAMPLE. MM-HMM . UM, CAUSES THREAT TO LIFE OR LIMB. UM, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT TYPICALLY WOULD GET PUT INTO A MATRIX TO ULTIMATELY HELP US RANK OUT THOSE PROJECTS. OKAY. ALRIGHT. WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO IT. WELL, THANK YOU MR. CROCKER. OH, UH, COUNCILLOR HOLLOWAY AND I, YES, SIR. OH, YOU DID. OKAY. GO AHEAD, MAYOR. I MEAN NOW VICE MAYOR, I DON'T, YOU WON'T YET. ARE ARE YOU SURE? I QUESTIONS. OKAY. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, I'M LOOKING AT, UM, PUBLIC WORKS ENGINEERING CAPITAL PROJECT SUMMARY. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAVING REHAB AND PAVING PRESERVATION? SO JUST TWO SEPARATE POTS OF MONEY. THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME THING. THE SAME. THEY'RE THE SAME THING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND IS THERE, AND THIS IS WHAT DO WE HAVE SOMEWHERE IN THE, IS THERE A LIST OF ALL THE STREETS IN THE CITY AND WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE LAST TIME THEY WERE PAVED OR WHERE THEY STAND IN, IN, IN REGARD TO WHEN THEY MIGHT BE PAVED AGAIN? I MEAN, EVEN IF IT'S IN THE NEXT CENTURY OR SOMETHING. UM, I, SO THERE SERIOUSLY, I'M, I HOPE WE'RE NOT LOOKING OUT THAT FAR. I'VE DRIVEN DOWN TWO OF THEM. I DON'T THINK THEY'LL MAKE IT. WE MIGHT BE GOING BACK TO DIRT ROADS, 15 YEAR PING PROGRAM, 15 YEAR PAVING PROGRAM. I REMEMBER THEY SAID WHAT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE GOING FOR. THE OTHER THING WAS A HUNDRED TO 130 YEARS. THAT WAS THE ONE THING. SO ANYWAY, I HOPE IT'S NOT THAT LONG. NO. UM, SO WE DO HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE STREETS NOW RELATIVE TO THE LAST TIME THEY WERE PAVED. I DON'T THINK THAT EXISTS. THE CONDITION ASSESSMENT, WHICH IS TYPICALLY A, A TWO YEAR CYCLE WOULD ESTABLISH WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND WE WOULD REPEAT THAT EFFORT EVERY TWO YEARS. IS THAT UPDATED? I MEAN, IS THAT WE NO, WE HAVEN'T DONE IT. OH, YOU HAVEN'T DONE IT. OKAY. WE HAVEN'T DONE IT. WE HOPE TO USE SOME OF THIS PAVING MONEY TO DO THAT. IT'S A, IT'S A MINIMAL ONE-TIME EXPENSE TO REALLY HELP US TAKE CARE OF THE ASSETS THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. YEAH. IS IS THAT SOME KIND OF, THAT'S A GOAL FOR THIS YEAR? IS THAT SOME YES. OKAY. I DON'T THINK IT'S RESPONSIBLE TO PURSUE PAVING WITHOUT IT. NO. IN MY OPINION. UHUH, SOUH. NO. UHUH. OKAY. WELL THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW BECAUSE I, I MEAN, THAT'S THE ONE, THAT'S THE ONE QUESTION THAT PEOPLE CALL YOU ABOUT WHEN IS MY STREET GOING TO BE PAID? AND WHEN YOU SAY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO PLAN, IT REALLY, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T MAKE US LOOK TOO SWIFT. UM, OKAY. AND I THINK THAT WAS IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THIS IS REALLY A GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I JUST WANNA SAY THANKS REALLY GIVES US ALL THE INFORMATION WE NEED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, BACK TO THAT, UH, THOSE PROJECTS THAT YOU HAD SAID WAS, UM, NOT THESE ONE. I DON'T THINK IT WAS THESE ONES, I'M NOT SURE. BUT ANYWAY, THE PROJECTS THAT YOU WERE SAYING, YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND KINDA LIKE RECALIBRATE. YOU HAVE TO SEE IF, UM, I, OKAY, I KNOW YOU GOTTA USE FUNDS FROM GRANTS BY A CERTAIN TIME. WHEN DO THOSE EXPIRE? OKAY, THESE THREE THAT I'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN READ ARE COMING UP AGAINST THAT VEDO ONCE THEY'RE ALLOCATIONS BACK SO THEY CAN REALLOCATE IT TO OTHER PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR BOOKS. AND PRIOR TO YOU GETTING HERE, WAS THAT BECAUSE OF LACK OF ENGINEERING, LACK OF DEVELOPMENT, WHICH, WHICH STAGE CAUSED IT NOT TO GO FORTH? I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. STAFF TURNOVER IN ENGINEERING HAS BEEN, IT'S BEEN, I MEAN, WE HAVE TWO HIGH LEVEL POSITIONS IN ENGINEERING THAT ARE VACANT. AND THE, THE TURNOVER RATE HAS BEEN, FROM WHAT I GATHER A LITTLE BIT IN FLUX FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, MAN. UM, SO THAT CAN CREATE SOME, SOME GAPS. IF, IF ANYBODY COMES NEGOTIATING, UH, THEIR PAY INCREASE, , I MIGHT HAVE TO CONSIDER IT WHEN IT COME TO YOU. MY GOODNESS. UH, BUT THINK YOU GIVE ALL YOUR HARD WORK. IT'S IS, UH, DIFFERENT BEING A PLEASURE, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU BRINGING US THIS INFORMATION VERY INFORMATIVE AND, AND, AND, AND AGAIN, DITTO WHAT, UH, VICE MAYOR SAID BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE FU ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW, IT'S THINGS THAT THEY CAN SEE. AND, AND WE NAMED A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF IN PARTICULAR WAYS. AND I WISH MORE CITIZENS WERE HERE, UM, TONIGHT LISTENING, ESPECIALLY TO YOUR PRESENTATION. BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, CONSTITUENTS DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE DOING OUR JOB, IT'S BASED UPON WHAT'S GOING ON IN PUBLIC WORKS. AND THEN UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND TIMETABLES MONEY COMING FROM THE GOVERNMENT, HOW, UH, PROCESSES ARE SET UP AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL GO BACK AND, AND LISTEN IN ON THIS, UH, PARTICULAR PROJECT. UM, ALSO TO CITIZENS LISTENING TO ONE OF THE CITIZENS GIVE STATEMENTS. LAST, I THINK IT WAS LAST, BY THE WEEK, UH, I HAVE MISSING A, A BUNCH OF, UH, PHONE CALLS AND I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD MY NUMBER COMPLETELY LISTED. INAPPROPRIATE, I MEAN INCORRECTLY ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. SO I [02:05:01] BELIEVE THAT HAS BEEN UPDATED. I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. I HAVE ONE COMMENT. OKAY, GO AHEAD MR. HARRIS. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THIS WAS A VERY IMPRESSIVE, UH, PRESENTATION, MR. CROCKER. AND UH, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. DID I HEAR YOU MENTION A PROJECT ON BOOKER STREET? CORRECT. WHERE IS BOOKER? IS IT, DID YOU SAY, WHERE IS IT? YEAH, WHERE IS BOOKER STREET? I DON'T KNOW WHAT WORD IT'S IN. IT'S IN THREE AND FIVE. THREE AND FIVE. YEAH. THREE AND FIVE. THREE AND FIVE. NO, I THINK HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE NAME JOSEPH H****R. STREET H****R. YEAH. NO, HE SAID HE THOUGHT YOU SAID BOOKER. OH, YOU SAID H****R? H****R. H****R STREET. YEAH. YEAH. WITH H H****R STREET. YES. H****R. YES. OH, I'M SORRY. NOT RUTH. NOT RUTH HARRIS. I THINK HE WAS A, YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT HE SAID BOOKER STREET BECAUSE BOOKER STREET IS NOW RUTH HARRIS WAY. AND UH, THAT'S TOO, BUT I'M SORRY, I'M DATING. I WOULD BE DATING MYSELF. I'M NOT . LOOK, I'M LISTENING THE BEST I CAN. . THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. YOU TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM TONIGHT. 15 YEAR PAVING PROGRAM. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MR. CROCKER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, AT THIS TIME, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING UNTIL WE FINISH, UH, THE PARKS AND REC BUDGET? SO MOVE SECOND. ALRIGHT. UH, MOTION'S BEEN MADE BY VICE MAYOR JOINER AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR ELLIS. ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NO LIGHTS ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCIL HARRIS. COUNCILOR HARRIS? YES. MIA PAR? YES. COUNCILOR ELLIS? YES. COUNCILLOR DANG. YES. COUNCILLOR? NO. . COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY. COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY. NOW IT'S RIGHT. YES. VICE MAYOR JORDAN. YES. MOTION PASSES SIX TO ONE. IT'S CLOSE, LIKE BISHOP. SECONDLY, YOU GOT TWO MINUTES. GO AHEAD, MR. BENNETT. UH, GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR. SO GLAD TO BE HERE TONIGHT. SO, UM, WHAT I'M PRESENTING TO YOU TONIGHT IS A TWO FIVE YEAR CAPITAL BUDGET, UM, PLANS. AND, UM, WHAT I DID FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM IS I TOOK THE, UM, STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT WE DEVELOPED TOGETHER WITH THE EDA AND THE, UM, CITY COUNCIL. AND I TOOK, UH, THE, THE PLAN IS BROKEN DOWN INTO THESE DIFFERENT, UM, TARGET AREAS, BUSINESS CORRIDORS, DOWNTOWN RIVERFRONTS. AND WHAT I DID IS I LOOKED OUT AND I SAID, OKAY, FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PLAN THAT WE'VE ADOPTED, AND WE ALL THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA, HOW DO, HOW DO WE START? HOW DO WE ADVANCE THE BALL FORWARD? AND SO, UM, THERE'S SOME BIG NUMBERS ON THIS, ON THIS PAGE. AND, UM, I WANT TO TELL YOU FIRST OF ALL THAT, THAT WE HAVE NOT, UH, TARGETED THESE, UH, TO COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND. WE'VE NOT TARGETED THESE TO COME FROM ANY KIND OF GRANT FUNDING SOURCE OR ANYTHING YET. THESE ARE UN UNALLOCATED UNFUNDED AT THIS POINT. BUT PRIMARILY WHAT THIS IS, IS GETTING OUT FOR YOU THE ROADMAP FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, SO THAT TOGETHER WE CAN KIND OF PICK SOME PRIORITIES AND WE CAN INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE FUTURE FOR, FOR 2026 BUDGET. I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING, UH, HERE. UM, IF COUNSEL SEES SOMETHING THAT THEY REALLY WANT TO DIG INTO, THEN, THEN WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, WE WILL WORK TOGETHER WITH, WITH FINANCE AND CITY MANAGER TO GO AHEAD AND GET THAT PUT IN. NOW, THE OTHER THING I WANNA POINT OUT IS THAT YOU'LL SEE SOME THINGS ON HERE THAT ARE ACTUALLY OVERLAP OR, OR DUPLICATIONS OF SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND THAT'S THE REASON, THE REASON WHY IS 'CAUSE THOSE THINGS SPECIFICALLY, UM, ARE THE FIRST STEPS. SO FOR INSTANCE, UM, DIRECTOR WARD PRESENTED A SMALL AREA PLAN FOR ROUTE 36 CORRIDOR. AND SO WHAT I DID WAS, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE BUSINESS CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENTS, AS IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN IS I SAID, IF WE LOOK AT ALL OF THE BUSINESS CORRIDORS, RIGHT? SO EVERY ONE OF 'EM, THEN OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE SHOULD SET ASIDE ABOUT $300,000, UH, TO DO THOSE. NOW, IN THAT 300,000 YOU CAN TARGET, FOR INSTANCE, THE ROUTE 36TH, FIRST, THE 15TH STREET, UH, THE, UH, UH, WEST BROADWAY, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE DIFFERENT AREAS, THE B VILLAGE. SO, UH, THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE. UM, THEN, UH, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE HERE THAT'S A PLAN. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR RIVERFRONTS, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS TO DO WITH THE RIVERFRONTS, BUT I WAS REALLY, UH, ENCOURAGED AND INSPIRED BY, UH, MR. PAUL REYNOLDS, THE FORMAL CHAIRPERSON [02:10:01] OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION, WHO SAID, WE REALLY NEED TO GET EVERYBODY TOGETHER, CITY COUNCIL, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM AND WITH SOME, SOME CONSULTANTS, AND HAMMER OUT, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF SOME TIME WITH COMMUNITY INPUT, A, A OVERLAY DISTRICT MASTER PLAN FOR THIS. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR FUTURE. AND SO I I WANT TO THANK, UM, THE FORMER, UH, CHAIR, UH, OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION, MR. REYNOLDS, FOR, FOR THAT GREAT IDEA. AND THEN ALSO, UM, THE DISCUSSIONS I'VE HAD WITH DIRECTOR WARD AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR, UM, UH, DAVIS ON, ON THIS AS WELL. UH, AND WE BROUGHT THIS UP IN THE, UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING LAST MONTH. AND, UH, RESOUNDING YES, UH, WE ALL THINK THAT THIS IS A GREAT IDEA. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S GONNA BE GREAT MONEY SPENT. UM, THERE'S ALSO AN OVERLAP IN, FOR INSTANCE, THE, UH, THE HOUSING. SO YOU'LL SEE I HAVE MIXED USE HOUSING REDEVELOPMENT PLANS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR HOUSING, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA LOOK AT IS HOW CAN WE REPLACE A LOT OF THESE OLD SINGLE FAMILY HOMES THAT WERE NOT INTENDED TO BE HERE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS, EVEN A HUNDRED YEARS? HOW DO WE TAKE THOSE OUT AND REPLACE THOSE IN LARGE, MAYBE BLOCK BY BLOCK AREAS WITH NEW MODERN HOUSING? AND, UH, AND SO THAT THAT DOESN'T JUST HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU ENTICE SOME DEVELOPER TO COME BY SOME PEOPLE'S HOUSES. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S A THOUGHTFUL PLAN THAT WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER ON. AND SO I'VE GOT MONEY IN THERE FOR THAT. UH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE ARE JUST FANTASTIC THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO REALLY ADVANCE THE BALL FORWARD. UM, BUT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL AT, AT WHAT WE PICK AND WHAT WE CHOOSE AND WHAT WE FOCUS ON. UM, SOMETHING THAT'S VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART AS THE CITY POINT WATERFRONT, TALL SHIPS DOCK AND VISITOR CENTER, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT HERE IN ONE CATEGORY FOR LAND ACQUISITION. I WOULD REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE TO GO AHEAD AND PURCHASE THAT WATERFRONT PROPERTY. AND SO THEN WE COULD START THE PLANNING TO DEVELOP, UH, THOSE, THOSE DOCKS AND BRING THOSE TALL SHIPS UP HERE AND SEE THE SMILES ON THE LITTLE KIDS' FACES FROM WOODLAWN ELEMENTARY AND, AND FROM DUPONT AS THEY WALK OUT ON THAT TALL SHIP AND GET A, JUST A FEELING OF, OF WHAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE WHEN THE GOOD SHIP HOPEWELL PULLED UP HERE IN 1613. I DIGRESS. BUT ANYWAY, UM, AS WE GO DOWN, AS WE GO DOWN THIS LIST, UM, I CAN SPEND SOME MONEY , I CAN SPEND SOME MONEY. UM, AS WE GO DOWN THIS LIST NOW, YOU'LL SEE ANOTHER THING THAT IS A, UH, AN OVERLAP WITH THE, THE, UM, DIRECTOR WARD. AND THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GONNA BE, WE WILL BE A DESTINATION TOURISM, UH, LOCATION. WE HAVE THE HISTORY, BUT WE'VE GOTTA MAKE THE DECISION TO LEVERAGE IT. AND NOBODY HAS THE STORIES TO TELL THAT WE CAN TELL. BUT WHEN THE PEOPLE ROLL INTO HOPEWELL, THEY SHOULD NEVER GET LOST IN ANY CORNER THEY'RE AT, NO MATTER WHERE THEY'RE AT. THEY SHOULD SEE SIGNS POINTING THEM TO GO TO ONE OF OUR WONDERFUL ATTRACTIONS, THE WATERFRONT, THE RIVERWALK, THE HISTORIC, UM, WESTON MANOR, UM, THE ARLINGTON STREET CORRIDOR REDEVELOPED EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE. AND SO, UM, I REALLY FEEL LIKE THAT, THAT WE NEED TO BE PLANNING FOR A $500,000 COMPLETE THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UNIFORM WAY, FINDING SIGNAGE THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THE CITY, THEY'RE LIKE, THEY'RE, THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE IN HOPEWELL AND, AND THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOWHERE ELSE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE. AND, AND SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE TONIGHT, UH, SPENDING MONEY LIKE A DRUNKEN CONGRESSMAN. SO THE NEXT PAGE THAT I HAVE HERE IS, UM, THE CITY OF HOPE. WELL, DO YOU WANT ME TO PAUSE? AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS FIRST, THEN WE'LL JUMP TO THE MAR, UH, GO AHEAD AND DO THE NEXT ONE. OKAY. SO THE NEXT ONE IS, UM, IS THE CITY OF HOPEWELL MARINA. AND WHAT I'VE GOT HERE IS A FIVE YEAR PLAN. BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS, I WANNA GIVE YOU SOME INCREDIBLE NEWS. JUST YESTERDAY, WE HIT AN INCREDIBLE MILESTONE. WE SUCCESSFULLY, WITH THE HELP OF PROCUREMENT, UH, DELIVERED, UH, THE PURCHASE ORDER TO THE, UM, THE QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR THAT'S GONNA DO THE, THE COMPLETE REVITALIZATION OF THE L DOC. THE PURCHASE ORDER WAS SIGNED, EXECUTED, AND ISSUED YESTERDAY. AND THAT WAS A HUGE MILESTONE THAT WE HAD. AND I'M SO PLEASED TO REPORT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BRING THAT IN UNDER BUDGET. AND, UH, AND SO, UH, WE HAD A, WE HAD A MISHAP EARLIER IN THE, UH, LAST FALL WHEN WE HAD PUT IT OUT TO PROCUREMENT. WE HAD A CONTRACTOR THAT CAME IN WITH A GOOD BID, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE BONDING AND DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHT LICENSE. AND THANKFULLY THAT WAS CAUGHT AND, UH, AND SO WE HAD TO GO BACK OUT AND NEGOTIATE WITH THE SECOND BIDDER. BUT IT WAS GREAT. AND THAT WORK, UH, IS, UH, WE'VE ALREADY ISSUED THE PURCHASE ORDERS YESTERDAY, AND I'VE BEEN IN CALLS WITH THEM THE DAY IT'S ALL, UH, WE'RE PUSHING IT FAST TRACK THROUGH THE, UM, THE PERMITTING PROCESS. UM, BUT THE REST OF THESE THINGS HERE AT THE MARINA REALLY IS JUST ABOUT CONTINUING TO INVEST IN OUR, IN THIS PUBLIC ASSET. I'VE BEEN AMAZED [02:15:01] AT HOW MANY PEOPLE WHEN I STOOD UP HERE LAST, LAST JUNE, AND I ASKED FOR INCREASES IN THE, IN THE, IN THE RATES. AND I ASKED FOR MONEY. I'VE SPENT EVERY DIME THAT'S COME INTO THE MARINA, AT THE MARINA, AND WE'VE REPLACED TONS OF WOOD AND WE'VE, WE'VE INCREASED. UH, WE'VE GOT A AUTOMATED STATION THERE. UH, AND WE TODAY, OR ACTUALLY YESTERDAY, I ISSUED OUR FIRST ANNUAL PASS, UH, HOPPO RESIDENTS CAN NOW GET AN ANNUAL PASS AND THEY'RE ABLE TO PUT IT IN THEIR SECURE CODE. IT'S POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE, IT'S GOING ON THE COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT. AND, UH, MAN, WE'VE HAD OVER 7,000 PEOPLE COME AS OF JANUARY 1ST SINCE WE TOOK OVER. AND, UM, I MEAN, IN, IN, IN EXCESS OF $23,000 JUST IN RAMP FEES ALONE THAT WE'VE COLLECTED, UH, SINCE, SINCE, UH, JULY 1ST OF LAST YEAR. IT'S AMAZING THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING AS FAST AS THE MONEY'S COMING IN. I'M SPENDING IT . BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL, ALL, ALL BASIC, WE HAD, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, SO OVER THE YEARS. SO ANYWAY, UM, WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, HERE'S SOME, HERE'S SOME THINGS WE WANT TO DO. UH, I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO FINISH THIS TRAIL HEAD, UH, WHICH IS FOR THE, UH, FOR WHERE THE RIVER, UH, WALK IS GONNA CONNECT. UM, AND THEN I'VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH DIRECTOR MARTINEZ AND WHAT SHE HAS IN HER, UM, CAPITAL, UH, REQUEST. AND THEN WHAT I HAVE IN HERE, I'VE GOT SOME OVERLAP, UH, IN THE $1.5 MILLION, WHICH IS GONNA MAKE THAT FINAL CONNECTION, UH, TO THE RIVER WALK. AND THEN WE DON'T WANNA STOP THERE BECAUSE IF COMING TO THE MARINA AND THE RIVER WALK IS GREAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S GREATER KEEPING GOING. AND SO KEEPING THE RIVER WALK GOING TO THE WEST AND AS FAR AS WE CAN ON THE CITY PROPERTY. SO WE'VE GOT MORE MONEY IN THERE FOR ADDITIONAL PHASE. LISTEN, THE RIVER WALK AND HOPEWELL IS THE HIGHEST VISITED PART OF THE APPT RIVER TRAIL. AND, UH, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE NOT FAR BEHIND US, THAT ARE CATCHING UP. THEY'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENT AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE BEING THE BEST PART OF IT. AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE ROLLING DOWN THAT ROAD AND, UH, IT'S REFLECTIVE HERE IN OUR BUDGET. I, I WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE NORTH DOCK AND PLAN IN THE FUTURE TO REPLACE THAT ONTO OUR ROOF WITH A METAL ROOF. SO I'VE GOT MONEY IN THERE FOR THAT. I WANT TO HAVE A PERMANENT STAGE OUT THERE FOR WATERFRONT ARTS, UH, AND EDUCATION EVENTS. UH, THIS WILL PROBABLY BE IN THE GRASSY KNOLL AREA, UM, KIND OF TO WHERE YOU CAN HAVE THE CONCERTS THERE AND HAVE IT PARTLY COVERED, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU BEEN TO DOWNTOWN CHARLOTTESVILLE, YOU KNOW, IN CHARLOTTESVILLE WHERE YES, IT'S GOOD. SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I ENVISION OUT THERE. UM, I'M CONTINUING TO SPEND MONEY AND THEN, UM, AND THEN THE PARKING LOT RESTORATION. UH, SO THE PARKING LOT IS IN NEED OF SOME WORK. AND, UH, AND, AND ONCE WE GET ALL THE PUBLIC SAFETY STUFF, UH, TAKEN CARE OF AND, AND THE MARINA IS JUST, UH, EVERYTHING WE WANT IT TO BE, THEN, UM, THEN WE, WE, ABOUT THAT SAME TIME WE'LL HAVE THE DREDGING, UH, TAKING PLACE WHERE WE GOTTA GET THAT OLD SILT AND EVERYTHING OUT. WE'LL BE DONE WITH ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS AND WE'LL MAKE, UH, THE CREEK DEEP AGAIN AND, AND, UH, BASICALLY GET A LOT OF THIS EXTRA DIRT OUT THAT'S SETTLED OVER THE YEARS. I THINK THE LAST TIME THAT IT WAS DONE WAS ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. SO THERE YOU GO. UM, LOTS OF GOOD STUFF HERE. I'M SORRY I EXCEEDED BY ONE MINUTE, BUT, UM, TWO MINUTES. WE'RE GOOD TO GO. . APPRECIATE THAT. UM, COUNSELOR STOKES AND THEN MYSELF. I MIGHT HAVE JUST ONE QUESTION. YEAH. YOU SPENDING ALL THIS MONEY LIKE A WIFE I SPENDING ALL THIS MONEY? LIKE WHAT? LIKE A WIFE? LIKE A WIFE? YEAH. I'LL TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT. I WAS WONDERING, MY HUSBAND SAID THE QUICKER HE BROUGHT IN THE MONEY THAT FAST, FAST MY WIFE SPENT, MY WIFE IS WATCHING. I LOVE YOU HONEY, BUT CAN, UM, I ASK ONE SERIOUS QUESTION IS ONCE YOU GOT THIS MONEY SPENT, CAN WE GET A TOUR? YOU CAN HAVE A TOUR RIGHT NOW. YEAH, BUT ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. SO THE MOST AMAZING THING, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE, WE HAVE 485 FEET OF NEW BOARDWALK. YES. 12 FOOT WIDE ALL THE WAY ACROSS. AND I'M THERE, I'M THERE SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. IT'S AMAZING. PEOPLE BRING IN THEIR DOGS, WALKING, UH, PEOPLE WITH STROLLERS AND THEIR KIDS AND, AND THERE'S JUST SO MANY PEOPLE THAT COME DOWN. PEOPLE COME AND PARK AND, UM, AND I, AND IT'S NOT THAT THEY DIDN'T DO IT BEFORE, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE CONDITION OF THE, OF THE BOARDWALK BEFORE WE HAD TO CLOSE SOME SECTIONS. AND NOW TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT OPEN AGAIN OR REALLY, YOU KNOW, USE, SO SO IT'S AVAILABLE TO TOOL NOW? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. SO, OH, I WANT SEE IT. YEAH, IT WAS QUITE, IT WAS QUITE AMAZING. I WAS LISTENING TO SOME OF THE CITIZENS LIKE COMPLAINING LIKE, OH, WE NEED TO REDO THE, AND I'M LIKE, MAN, YOU KNOW, I GUESS THEY WAS MISSING IT 'CAUSE BROTHER CHARLES WAS ALREADY ON, YOU KNOW, HIS JOB SINCE MY ONLY, MY ONLY THING IS I WANT THINGS TO MOVE FASTER. I I WOULD WANT TO DO STUFF QUICKER. THAT'S, YOU'RE DOING IT AT A, UH, AT A GREAT RATE. I THINK YOU SET OUT BEFORE CITY COUNCIL TO DO 10 YEARS AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU KIND OF CHOPPING AT 10 YEARS DOWN QUITE, QUITE QUICKLY. WELL, WE, WE DIDN'T EXPECT THAT WE WOULD HAVE SO MUCH [02:20:01] REVENUE COMING IN FROM THE RAMPS. I, I DON'T, I HAD ESTIMATED WE'D ONLY HAVE ABOUT 10,000 HERE COMING IN FROM THE RAM FEES, UM, IN MY INITIAL PLACE THAT'S GIVEN ME A BULK WITH SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY. UM, AND THEN YOU GUYS WITH THE MONEY THAT YOU, UH, ALLOCATED LAST FALL HELPED US ACCELERATE GETTING THE CONTRACT IN PLACE FOR THE . WITHOUT THAT, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE DO IT. SO SIDE NOTE WITH THE, UH, HOW'S THE, UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MARINA, THE, UH, POSITION OF THE, IS THAT THE RESTAURANT THING? OH, NEVERMIND, NEVERMIND. EVERYTHING'S GOOD. EVERYTHING'S GOOD. OH, THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, AND ALL THE PROJECTS, IS THERE A WAY THAT YOU CAN DO SOME PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES FOR LIKE, FORECASTED REVENUE THAT THESE WOULD, UH, BRING IN? I MEAN, IS NOT SOMETHING THAT, LIKE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE, GIMME LIKE A REALLY HARDCORE, BUT I MEAN, JUST SOMETHING SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GO BACK AND, YOU KNOW, EVALUATE AND THEN CREATE SOME, LIKE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT. YOU KNOW, HOW MANY YEARS THAT THESE PROJECTS WILL PAY THEMSELVES OFF? UM, YEAH, I WILL, I WILL UPLOAD THESE AND ASK CHAT GPT TO HELP ME KIND . I I WILL DO, I'LL DO THE BEST I CAN. YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT, SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PARKING LOT, FOR INSTANCE, UM, THE PARKING LOT, THE MARINA MM-HMM . ASPHALT'S COMING APART. SO THAT, AND I KNOW WE HAVE ROADS EVERYWHERE. I UNDERSTAND. UM, I JUST RENTED A SLIP YESTERDAY, ONE, LIKE I ONLY HAD ONE SLIP LEFT THAT WAS DEEP ENOUGH TO A GENTLEMAN. HE JUST PAID $139,000 FOR A BOAT OVER THE WEEKEND. SO KIND OF RUN IT THERE. WOW. AND SO WHEN I'M SHOWING PEOPLE THE, THE, THE MARINA SITE THAT ARE BRINGING THOSE TYPE OF, OF VESSELS, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO BE BASICALLY TRIPPING OVER, YOU KNOW, ASPHALT ISSUES. I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW THE CITY AS WELL. I'M NOT TRYING TO, I'M NOT TRYING TO NO, NO, NO, BUT I MEAN, THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, A GOOD POINT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AESTHETICS DO HAVE A LOT FOR, YOU KNOW, FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND, YOU KNOW, THAT MAY NOT BE A, YOU KNOW, A QUANTITATIVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE MORE OF A QUALITATIVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE RETURN ON INVESTMENT. LIKE IF YOU CAN'T GIVE LIKE A DOLLAR AMOUNT FOR IT, LIKE A YEAR, THAT WOULD PAY ITSELF OFF, YOU KNOW, ANNOTATE, YOU KNOW, SOME LIKE BIG HIGH POINT UM, UH, BENEFITS THERE THAT WOULD LEAD TOWARDS SOMETHING LIKE THAT. YES, I, I WILL, I WILL WORK ON WHAT I CAN GIVE BACK. OKAY, THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND, UH, VICE MAYOR JOINER. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT THIS IS EXCITING, A FIVE YEAR PLAN. A YEAR AGO WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS. WE INTEGRATED THE, THE ED'S STRATEGIC PLAN SO FORTH. VERY, VERY EXCITING. UM, AND ONCE AGAIN, IT'S PROGRESS AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. EXCELLENT. ALRIGHT. UH, MS. MARTINEZ, THAT IS GRIEF TOO, BUT IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAY. YEAH, YEAH, THEY BOTH, THEY PLAY OFF EACH OTHER VERY WELL. I MAKE ONE COMMENT WHILE SHE PREPARING, IT'S PROBABLY THE SMARTEST PRESENTATION SO FAR. SHE, SHE MADE SURE SHE PUT THE KIDS ON THE FRONT. SO WE HAVE SOME DIFFICULT TIME NOW. HE, HE HAS A CHURCH. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR MEMBERS AND COUNCIL, I JUST HAVE TO SAY FOLLOWING UP CHARLES, DIRECTOR BENNETT, AFTER THAT, I DON'T KNOW. UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THIS. UM, BUT YES, DEFINITELY GONNA HIGHLIGHT OUR YOUTH. UM, A COUPLE OF THESE PAGES ARE, ARE JUST FOR INFORMATIONAL FOR YOU ALL. SO I'LL LET YOU READ THOSE AT YOUR LEISURES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE. UM, BUT I WANNA GET INTO THE BREAD AND BUTTER IF YOU DON'T MIND, UH, TO SAVE SOME TIME FOR YOU ALL. UM, THE PRESENTATION THAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU IS BROKEN UP IN TWO DIFFERENT SECTIONS. ONE IS A PRIORITY BASED OFF THE DEPARTMENT PRIORITY LIST, UH, AND THE OTHER ONE IS BROKEN DOWN BY EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS. SO I'M GONNA HIGHLIGHT THE PRIORITY LISTING FOR YOU AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE THE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION PER DIVISION, UM, LATER ON IN YOUR PRESENTATION. ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT YOU'LL NOTICE IN THE PRESENTATION THAT THERE ARE SOME ITEMS THAT ARE ITALICIZED AND THE REASON WHY THERE ARE ITALICIZED IS BECAUSE THERE ARE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER IN REGARDS TO THE REQUEST. AS YOU NOTICE, OUR POOL, OUR POOL IS ALWAYS GONNA BE OUR ONE PRIORITY. UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING TO INCREASE OUR SERVICE CONTRACT. OUR CURRENT CURRENT CONTRACT IS ACTUALLY AT $3,400. UH, WE ARE REQUESTING AN INCREASE OF 2000 TWO HUNDRED AND ONE SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY. AND THAT INCREASE WOULD BE TO HAVE AN OUTSIDE LIFEGUARDING MANAGEMENT COMPANY COME IN AND PROVIDE [02:25:01] OUR LIFEGUARDS. THAT WILL THEN ALLOW OUR STAFF THAT ARE CURRENTLY, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR PROGRAMMING AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATIVE WORK TO FOCUS ON THOSE OPTIONS AS OPPOSED TO BEING A DEDICATED LIFEGUARD. BUT THERE'S ALSO AN ADDITIONAL REQUEST AND A PERSONNEL REQUEST AT THE END OF THE BUDGET PRESENTATION TONIGHT, UH, THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL. THE SECOND ONE IS A COMMUNITY CENTER VEHICLE LEASE. UM, THERE WAS AN ULTIMA THAT WAS, UH, ASSIGNED TO THE CITY. IT WAS NOT CLAIMED FOR THE LONGEST TIME. UM, WE DID NEED A VEHICLE, SO THAT WAS NOT INCLUDING OUR ORIGINAL BUDGET. SO WE HAVE TAKEN POSSESSION OF THAT. UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THAT BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY ONE VEHICLE SHORT IN OUR LEASE AGREEMENT, BUT THIS WILL HELP US PROVIDE FOR THAT ADDITIONAL VEHICLE AND THE REQUEST. WE ALSO HAVE AN INCREASE IN CONFERENCE LINES IN BOTH OUR CENTER EVENTS AND PARK DIVISIONS. AS YOU ALL KNOW, MY DEPARTMENT CONFIDES OF SIX DIVISIONS. UM, THESE DIVISIONS HAVE CERTIFIED PERSONNEL IN OUR DEPARTMENT AND WITH THAT, THEY REQUIRED TO GET ADDITIONAL CEUS EACH YEAR TO MAINTAIN THEIR CERTIFICATION. UH, WITH THE INCREASE OF THE GSA AGREEMENT FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, UH, WHICH WE'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR, THAT ALSO INCREASED SOME OF THE BUDGET LINES. AND SO WE ONLY HAVE 250 FOR THESE LINES, WHEREAS WITH THE GSA AND THE ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR REGISTRATION AND HOTELS HAVE GONE UP, WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR A LITTLE BIT OF AN INCREASE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT OUR STAFF STAY CERTIFIED FOR BEST PRACTICES AS WELL AS UP TO DATE ON TRENDS AND SO FORTH IN OUR DEPARTMENT. LET'S SEE. PARK SERVICES, WE'RE ASKING FOR AN INCREASE. OUR CURRENT IS $75,000. THAT IS MOSTLY TO COVER OUR LAWNMOWING CONTRACT. UH, WE'RE IN INCRE, UH, REQUESTING AN ADDITIONAL 15,000. WHAT WE'VE NOTICED OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF IS THAT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TREE SERVICES THAT HAVE, UM, BEEN REQUIRED. UM, IN FACT THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL LARGE TREES THAT WE HAD TO REMOVE JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINED. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO INCREASE THAT TO PROVIDE FOR THAT. UM, I KNOW THAT, UH, PUBLIC WORKS ALSO HAS THAT IN THEIR BUDGET AS WELL, BUT TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS PUBLIC WORKS TAKE CARE OF ALL CITY PROPERTIES AND THEN RECREATION PARKS TAKES CARE OF ALL PARK PROPERTIES. SO THAT'S WHY THAT IS INCLUDED IN BOTH BUDGET REQUESTS CENTER LICENSE. WE ARE EXCITED TO RELEASE A NEW RECREATION SOFTWARE PROGRAM. UH, THE REQUEST FOR $4,000 IS TO DO A MOBILE APP. UH, WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE THAT INCLUDED IN SOME BUDGETS FOR THIS YEAR, BUT NEXT YEAR IT'LL BE AN ADDITIONAL COST. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THAT ACCESSIBILITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN FEEDBACK ON IS THAT OUR REGISTRATION, OUR CURRENT REGISTRATION SOFTWARE IS NOT USER FRIENDLY. UM, THEY CAN REGISTER ONLINE, BUT THEY HAVE TO BE AT A DESKTOP. AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU ALL, BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT AT A PHYSICAL DESKTOP. THEY'RE USUALLY ON THEIR CELL PHONE, A TABLET OR SO FORTH. SO HAVING THIS AS AN OPTION FOR THEM WILL MAKE REGISTRATION AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3. REGISTER ME IS KIND OF OUR LITTLE SLOGAN FOR THAT. AGAIN, OPTION NUMBER EIGHT IS A COMMUNITY VEHICLE LEASE. SO THIS WOULD BE FOR A LEASE AND A BUS. WE HAVE TWO VEHICLE, TWO BUSES THAT ARE OUTDATED. IN FACT, THEY'RE IN THE SHOP EVERY OTHER WEEK. AND I SPOKE TO RUSS, OUR FLEET MANAGER, AND THEY ACTUALLY, THE LAST TIME OUR VEHICLE WAS VANDALIZED, THEY ACTUALLY HAD TO, UM, MANUFACTURE THEIR OWN PARTS BECAUSE THOSE PARTS ARE NO LONGER BEING SERVICEABLE IN THOSE BUSES. SO OUR SENIORS ARE VERY ACTIVE AND THEY LOVE THEIR BUS TRIPS AND SO WE'RE ASKING FOR A LEASE AND OR TO BUY IT OUTRIGHT FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF OUR ACTIVE ADULTS. SO THIS OPTION IS A LEASE OPTION. AND THEN, AND ON MY CAPITAL REQUEST, YOU'LL SEE THE OPTION TO PURCHASE IT OUTRIGHT IF COUNSEL CHOOSES TO DO SO. THAT 40,040 8,000 A YEAR FOR, CORRECT? YES SIR. IT IS DEFINITELY CHEAPER TO BUY AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO BUY IT. AND HOW LONG IS THIS LEASE? IN FIVE YEARS. THAT IS THE TYPICAL FLEET MANAGEMENT IS FOUR YEARS. THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS. THREE YEARS. EXCUSE ME, 44,000 TO LEASE THAT BANK. YES SIR. WITH OUR CURRENT LEASING COMPANY. THAT IS WHAT THE NUMBER THEY GAVE US. YES, SIR. BE CHEAPER. UBER , WHO DO WE LEASE? YES SIR. DO WE, DO WE USE ONE PARTICULAR COMPANY? WHAT NEAR PEOPLE? THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY OWN THE, THE BUSES NOW. I KNOW, BUT YOU KNOW, SHE SAID THERE'S A CURRENT LEASING COMPANY. DO YOU LEASE CURRENTLY SOMEBODY? SO THAT IS NO, NO, THAT IS, SORRY. THROUGH THE CITY LEASING OPTION. OH, OKAY. YES MA'AM. I UNDERSTAND THAT. I APOLOGIZE, UH, FOR THAT [02:30:01] MISUNDERSTANDING. SO, SO BUYING A NEW ONE IS ACTUALLY CHEAPER THAN THE LEASE OPTION. UH, BUT I WANTED TO PROVIDE THE OPTION FOR BOTH BECAUSE I KNOW THE LEASE IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY WANTS TO DO AS AN ENTIRETY. SCHOOLS TOO. IT'S GONNA BE LIKE FOR SCHOOLS TOO. ALRIGHT, NEXT THING. OH, IS THAT ALL THE QUESTIONS FOR THAT PARTICULAR? YEP. OKAY, EXCELLENT. UM, THE NEXT THING OF WOULD, SORRY, I SCROLL DOWN. PARK UNIFORMS. OUR PARK STAFF ARE OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THEIR BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND THEIR PHYSICAL WORKLOAD, THEY DO TEND TO GO THROUGH SOME EQUIPMENT A LOT FASTER THAN THE MOSTS. UM, WE DO PROVIDE THEM WITH, UM, KHAKIS AND A SWEATSHIRT AND OR JACKET FOR THE COLD WINTER MONTHS. SO WE'RE JUST LOOKING TO INCREASE THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, PRICES HAVE GONE UP ON MOST THINGS. KHAKIS. YES. AND THEY'RE LONG SLEEVES AND SHORT SLEEVE SHIRTS. UM, HIGH BZ IS, IS ARE THESE, I DON'T SEE WHY WE DON'T JUST PROVIDE THE TOPS UNLESS THE KHAKIS ARE SOME PARTICULAR PROTECTION PROTECTIVE, UH, KHAKIS THAT THEY NEED OR SOMETHING, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, CORRECT. YEAH, THEY'RE A, A LITTLE BIT THICKER MATERIAL. SO WHEN THEY'RE DOING THE BRUSH WORK AND ALL IN THE PARKS, IT'S A LITTLE BIT THICKER SO IT DOESN'T GET CUT THROUGH AS EASILY AS UNDERSTOOD. OKAY. YES, SIR. THAT MAKES SENSE. IT'S, IT'S A, A LITTLE BIT OF A SAFETY THING. ABSOLUTELY. YES, SIR. UH, NEXT UP IS TEMPORARY HELP. UH, AND THE COMMUNITIES, WE ARE ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR OUR ADULTS. UH, THEY ARE VERY ACTIVE AND THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED IN EXPANDING SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE WERE DOING PRE PANDEMIC. UM, SO WE'RE ASKING FOR A SLIGHT INCREASE OF $450 FOR THAT PARTICULAR LINE, AND THAT IS TO HELP BRING IN SOME ADDITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT, QUOTE UNQUOTE, WHETHER IT'S A GUEST SPEAKER, UH, WHETHER IT'S A BAND FOR THEM TO COME IN AND KIND OF SOCIALIZE AS A SENIOR PROM, THOSE KIND OF THINGS. THE COMMUNITY MAINTENANCE, VE UH, VEHICLE MAINTENANCE, THAT IS, UH, AN OPTION BECAUSE LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, OUR CURRENT BUSES ARE IN THE SHOP EVERY OTHER WEEK AND WE'VE EXCEEDED THAT THIS YEAR, UM, WITH SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD THIS CURRENT YEAR. SO WE ARE EITHER ASKING FOR THE LEASE OPTION, WHICH WILL COVER THE MAINTENANCE OR BUYING IT OUTRIGHT, WHICH HOPEFULLY WOULDN'T HAVE THAT MANY ISSUES WITH MECHANICAL ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON JUST BECAUSE OF THE YEARS OF THE VEHICLE. NEXT THING UP IS A COMMUNITY. THIS IS AGAIN, OUR ACTIVE ADULTS, UM, INCREASING OUR FOOD SUPPLY. WE HAVE GONE BACK TO WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY CALLED THE RESPITE FEEDING PROGRAM. SO WE BRING IN OUR SENIORS EVERY FRIDAY WHERE WE DO PROGRAMMING FOR THEM, AS WELL AS PROVIDE THEM WITH A NUTRITIONAL LAUNCH AND PARTNERSHIP WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND THAT FROM ONE DAY TO TWO DAYS A WEEK. SO THAT WOULD BE HELPING US COVER THE COST OF THE FOOD INCREASE FOR EVENTS, UH, WE'RE ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL $6,832, AND THAT IS TO HELP US PROVIDE A THIRD PARTY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR SOME OF OUR LARGER SCALE EVENTS, SUCH AS OUR CITY POINT FIVE K AND OUR LIGHTUP TONIGHT, WHERE WE'RE UTILIZING BOTH OUR RESOURCES AND PUBLIC WORKS, WE'RE LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL HELP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE PROPER COVERAGE FOR PEDESTRIAN AND TRAFFIC SAFETY. UH, THE NEXT COUPLE OF SECTION IS JUST BROKEN DOWN BY DIVISIONS, AND I'M GONNA SKIP THAT SINCE WE KIND OF WENT OVER ALL THAT. SO WE'RE GOING INTO OUR ONE TIME CAPITAL PROJECT REQUEST. UH, THE REC BUS WOULD BE THE OTHER OPTION AS OPPOSED TO LEASING IT. UM, PURCHASING IT OUT WIRE IS ACTUALLY A 125,180 THROUGH OUR SELECTIVE VENDOR IF TO MOVE FORWARD. UH, WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR A BUNKER AND FIELD RAKE FOR OUR PARKS CREW. THIS IS TO UTILIZE, TO MAINTAIN OUR BASEBALL FIELDS. AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE DIRECTION OF SPORTS TOURISM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT HEAVY, UM, MORE EQUIPPED FOR THE FIELDS AS OPPOSED TO USING WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, WHICH IS A GATOR, WHICH IS A A TV TYPE VEHICLE. SO THE BUNKER AND FIELD BREAK WILL, YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURE DOWN HERE, IT IS INTENDED FOR ACTUAL FIELD MAINTENANCE. NEXT THING UP IS THE HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CENTER CITY SECURITY CAMERAS. WE ARE LOOKING TO REPLACE ALL OF OUR INTERIOR CAMERAS OF OUR COMMUNITY CENTER ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S TECHNOLOGY SO THAT THEY HAVE IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO IT. RIGHT NOW IT'S A CLOSED SYSTEM WHERE ONLY A FEW OF US HAVE ACCESS TO IT. SO WHEN THEY DO NEED ACCESS TO IT, ONE OF US HAVE TO BE AVAILABLE TO PULL THAT [02:35:01] AS OPPOSED TO BEING ABLE TO JUST GO INTO THEIR SYSTEM AND PULL IT AUTOMATICALLY. AND THE LAST REQUEST RIGHT HERE WOULD BE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. THE LAST TIME WE'VE HAD ONE WAS IN 2012, AND I BELIEVE THAT WAS COMPLETED BY A VCU STUDENT. UH, SO THAT'S COMPLETELY OUTDATED. AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY NEEDS US TO MOVE INTO. ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS OUR CAPITAL, SO NOT OUR ONETIME REQUEST. UM, THE HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CITY HVAC, WHICH WILL BE IN FRONT OF YOU ALL ON TUESDAY, UM, WITH THE REQUEST FOR, UH, A LETTER OF SUPPORT. THANK YOU. MY MIND JUST BLANKED A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR EARMARKS. SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL NOT BE A REQUEST THAT YOU ALL WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER. WE'RE HOPING THAT THE EARMARKS WILL PAY FOR THAT. UM, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT POTENTIAL COST. THE OTHER OPTION IS FOR OUR MAINTENANCE MATHIS FIELD IMPROVEMENTS, PHASE TWO. UH, SO WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE PHASE ONE COMPLETED, AND SO WE HAVE COMPLETED TWO OF THE FIELDS, BUT WE HAVE TWO REMAINING FIELDS. THIS WILL HELP US GET THOSE TWO REMAINING FIELDS UPDATED. WE ALSO HAVE THE RIVERWALK PHASE THREE DESIGN. UM, WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF 224,000, UM, WITH A ESTIMATE OF 2.2 MILLION ESTIMATED FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION. SO THAT 224,000 WOULD JUST BE FOR THE DESIGNING IN ENGINEERING SO THAT WE CAN GET TO A HUNDRED PERCENT PLANS SO THAT WE CAN THEN LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL GRANTS TO PAY FOR OR PUT INTO THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE PHASE THREE. ONE OF THE OTHER REQUESTS, WHICH IS A MAJOR REQUEST FOR US, IS OUR HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CENTER, RESTROOMS AND LOCKER ROOMS. AS YOU ALL KNOW, OUR BUILDING IS ABOUT 44 YEARS OLD. UM, AND SO I COULDN'T TELL YOU IF THE LOCKER ROOMS HAVE EVER BEEN UPDATED, BUT THEY ARE IN DIRE NEED. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE UPDATING THOSE STANDARDS TO A DA ACCESSIBILITY AS WELL. DOES THIS INCLUDE THE ISSUE THAT WAS BROUGHT TO US UPDATING THE, UH, RESTROOMS AND LOCKER ROOMS TO ACCOMMODATE STATION? YES, SIR. THIS WOULD BE TO REVAMP OUR ENTIRE LOCKER ROOM SITUATION TO BE MORE FAMILY FRIENDLY AND THAT, THAT EIGHT WAITING. YES. SO WE WERE ABLE TO FUND, UH, PHASE ONE LAST YEAR AND THAT TOOK CARE OF OUR DAPPER SYSTEM, WHICH HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS HELP. SO THAT HAS HELPED A LOT. THIS PORTION OF THE PROJECT WILL ACTUALLY BE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HVAC OVER THE, UM, AQUATIC CENTER, WHICH WILL HELP WITH THE FLOW OF MAINTAINING A CERTAIN LEVEL. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, PARK PAVILION RENOVATIONS. UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO UPDATE OUR ROOFING OVER AT CRYSTAL LAKE, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR MOST POPULATED AND MOST RENTED FACILITIES. UM, THOSE ROOFS HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED IN THE PAST 15 TO 20 YEARS. AND SO IT'S, IT'S TIME FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND BE PROACTIVE AND CATCH THAT BEFORE IT'S, UH, SHUT DOWN UNTIL WE CAN GET THE FUNDING FOR IT. SO WE JUST WANNA BE PROACTIVE. AND THEN THE HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CENTER POOL, UH, $30,000. THIS WOULD BE TO UPDATE SOME OF THE A DA ACCESSIBILITY ITEMS, UPDATE OUR POOL. UH, WE HAVE MARKERS THAT ARE ON TOP OF THE POOL, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN THE POOL FOR AS FAR AS THE DEPTH MEASURE AND SOMETHING THAT IS REQUIRED BY STANDARDS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UPDATE. SO THAT'S, THAT $30,000 WILL COVER ALL THOSE ITEMS. AND THEN THE LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, UM, WE HAVE BEEN ASKED, UM, ABOUT RESURFACING OUR COURTS AND PLAYING SURFACES. THIS WILL COVER ALL OF OUR PARKS, UH, ESPECIALLY CITY POINT PLAYGROUND AS WELL AS RIVERSIDE. IT WILL COVER THE MAJORITY OF OUR PARKS TO GET 'EM RESURFACED AND BE READY TO ROCK AND ROLL FOR TENNIS AND, OR I'M SORRY. SO WE HAVE TENNIS COURTS OVER AT RIVERSIDE TOO, SO, BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN IN USE BECAUSE OF RIVERSIDE PARK. RIVERSIDE PARK PARK. SORRY, WHAT, WHAT IS THE OLD SCHOOL NAME OF IT? THANK YOU. I'M GONNA SAY, YEAH, I DON'T, I TRY TO REMEMBER THE OLD SCHOOL NAMES, BUT I, IT'S, YEAH, JC PARK. UM, BUT THIS WILL COVER ALL THE CITY'S REQUESTS. UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A QUOTE FROM A VENDOR, SO THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESURFACE THOSE PLAYGROUND PLACE PLAY SURFACES. SO THE TOTAL CAPITAL WOULD BE 1.4, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE PRIORITY. THEY'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DESCRIPTION IN REGARDS TO THAT, BUT BE RESPECTFUL OF YOUR TIME. UH, MOVE FORWARD. PERSONNEL REQUEST, WE ARE LOOKING TO REQUEST [02:40:01] THREE POSITIONS. AGAIN, THE FIRST ONE IS ITALICIZED, BECAUSE IF WE GO WITH AN OUTSIDE AGENCY, THEN WE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY NEED THIS POSITION BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE THE THREE PROGRAMMERS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO FACILITATE PROGRAMS. UH, THE OTHER ONE IS SUMMER STAFF FUNDING. SO WE HAVE THE POSITIONS IN OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY'VE NEVER BEEN FUNDED THROUGH THE CITY. SO THIS REQUEST WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY FUND THE SALARIES SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE ON WITH SUMMER CAMPS. AND LAST, BUT NOT ONLY, NOT LEAST, UM, WE HAVE HAD FOUR RECREATION MAINTENANCE SPECIALISTS, UM, FOR ABOUT THE TIME OF THE DEPARTMENT'S INCEPTION. HOWEVER, WE HAVE IN THAT TIME DEVELOPED A RIVER WALK. WE HAVE ADDED THE ATWATER SOCCER COMPLEX IN ITS ENTIRETY, AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED CRYSTAL LAKE. SO IN MATHIS PARK ADDITIONS. SO WITH FOUR PEOPLE MAINTAINING THOSE ADDITIONAL THREE PROJECTS, WE ARE LOOKING TO ASK FOR AN ADDITIONAL SET OF FEET ON THE BOOT, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, EXCUSE ME. UM, TO HELP US MAINTAIN THAT. THERE ARE SOME TIMES THAT WE NEED TO GET OUT TO MULTIPLE SITES MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY. AND RIGHT NOW WITH THE CURRENT STAFFING THAT WE HAVE AND THE JOBS THAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE, IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET OUT TWICE IN A DAY. SO WE TYPICALLY DO OUR ROUNDS, UM, BUT IDEALLY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE EYES ON OUR PARKS SO WE CAN ADDRESS ISSUES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. AND THAT CONCLUDES, OH, SORRY. I DID, UH, WANNA MAKE A MENTION. I BELIEVE I'LL BE COMING IN FRONT OF COUNCIL BEFORE, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL HAD THIS IN YOUR BUDGET PRESENTATION. UH, THESE ARE POTENTIAL DEPARTMENT PROPOSAL FISCAL YEAR FEES INCREASES, UM, AND THREE DIFFERENT, UH, SORRY, FOUR DIFFERENT DIVISIONS. UM, THE COMMUNITY CENTER JUST INCREASING, UH, THE RATES FOR THE MEETING ROOM, THE CONFERENCE ROOM, AND THE POOL LANES IF COUNCIL SO DEEMS, UM, INCREASING OUR MEMBERSHIP. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE THAT MEMBERSHIP, UH, CITY COUNCIL PROVIDED US FUNDING TO REPLACE ALL OF OUR FITNESS EQUIPMENT. UH, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED THE CUSTOMERS ARE. WE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING INCREASED MEMBERSHIPS, UH, PEOPLE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN THE COMMUNITY CENTER, AND IT'S USUALLY BUSY THROUGHOUT THE DAY, SO THEY'RE VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. UM, WITH THAT AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE, WE WANT TO INCREASE IT SLIGHTLY, UM, JUST SO THAT WE CAN START BRINGING IN REVENUE SO THAT IF THE NEXT 10 YEARS WHEN WE DO ASK FOR ANOTHER FITNESS EQUIPMENT REPAIR, REPLACEMENT, WE WOULD HAVE SOME MONEY IN, HOPEFULLY IN THE C. AND NEXT UP IS THE PAVILION. EXCUSE ME. HOLD, HOLD ON. LET, LET'S LET HER FINISH THE PAGE FIRST. OKAY. UH, THE PAVILIONS, THE SMALL PAVILIONS, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 40 AND $75. WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR A $10 INCREASE ON EACH OF THOSE. UM, AND AS WELL WAS LARGE GOING FOR, UH, 65 TO 75 FOR RESIDENTS, AND THEN FROM ONE 50 TO 1 65 FOR NON-RESIDENTS. DO YOU WANT ME TO STOP HERE, MAYOR? YEAH. IS IT THAT TO FINISH? OKAY. YEAH. YES, SIR. UH, COUNCILOR HOLLOWAY, THEN COUNCILOR ELLIS, YOU SAID SLIGHT INCREASE OR FOR, FOR THE, UH, MEETING OR FOR THE ROOM RENTALS OR FOR THE MEMBERSHIP, SIR. MEMBERSHIP, YEAH. SO FOR $8 TO 13, YEAH, IT'S, UH, $4 INCREASE. SO NOT EXACTLY FIVE, WHICH, WHICH IS LIKE 50%. YES, SIR. LITTLE BIT. A LITTLE BIT. WELL, WE JUST SPENT ALL THAT MONEY ON THE FITNESS EQUIPMENT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING RESPONSIBLE AND MAKING SURE THAT WE BRING IN THE REVENUE TO THAT. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ALL JUST A, A PROPOSAL. UH, HAPPY TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT IF THAT'S WHAT THE CITY COUNCIL CHOOSE TO DO. YEAH, I I I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY, I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY JUST A, A JUMP. I CAN'T HEAR, I CAN'T HEAR YOU. COUNCIL . I APOLOGIZE. MY MIC WAS BACK OFF. I THINK IT'S, IT IS, IT IS A LITTLE JUMP. UM, YOU, YOU'RE JUMPING UP AN ENTIRE $5 AND I MEAN, I KNOW WE DON'T HAVE MANY WAYS, I GUESS MANY AVENUES, BUT IF WE'RE, WE'RE INCREASING THE COST IN OTHER PLACES, LIKE RIGHT HERE, YOU'RE INCREASING THE MEETING ROOMS UP $10 AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS INCREASING QUITE A BIT. UM, CAN THAT HELP SOME ON THE MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP TO THE CITIZENS? CORRECT. 'CAUSE IT, LIKE I SAID, IT'S A 50% INCREASE. YES. AND JUST, JUST SO WE WORK CLEAR, THAT'S MORE THAN THE, THE, THE, UH, THAT'S MORE THAN WE WERE FUSSING ABOUT CHARGING FOR SEWER. YES, SIR. UM, YOU KNOW, UM, IF YOU BREAK DOWN THE $8, UM, FOR A MEMBERSHIP FOR A MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP, RESIDENTS ARE REALLY PAYING LIKE 40 CENTS A DAY. SO BRINGING IT UP TO THE $13 WILL PUT US A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, ALMOST TO THAT DOLLAR MARKER. UM, [02:45:01] BUT YEAH, HAPPY TO LOOK AT IT AND HAPPY TO DO SO WE WERE, WE HAVE TAKEN THE INFORMATION FROM OUR NEIGHBORING LOCALITIES AND JUST, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO DO, ABOUT YES, SIR. YES, SIR. WHAT'S GONNA BE MY NEXT QUESTION, WHICH, AND I CAN FORWARD THAT, THAT RESEARCH TO YOU GUYS IF YOU'D LIKE. YES. WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. BUT YEAH, I, I THINK IF WE CAN FIND SOME OTHER JUSTIFICATION, I DON'T CARE, EVEN IF WE'RE PUTTING A COUPLE MORE DOLLARS ON RENTING, UH, THE, UH, PAVILIONS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT AS A MONTHLY COST AND MEMBERSHIP TO THE CITIZENS, I LIKE TO SEE THAT NOT UP TO 50% PERSONALLY. I MEAN, LIKE INCREASE MAYBE 25%. BUT ON THAT END, CAN I THINK WE SHOULD RESTRUCTURE THIS? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK. ABSOLUTELY. UH, QUICK QUESTION, IF YOU DON'T MIND, FOLLOW UP FOR THAT. UH, IS IT JUST RESIDENT RATES THAT WE WANNA KEEP LOW? ARE YOU OKAY WITH THE NON-RESIDENTS BEING HIGHER? I'M JUST ASKING JUST SO I CAN MAKE SURE I, YOU THAT INFORMATION, I MEAN, SOMETHING THAT MAKES SENSE IN COMPARISON, BUT ESPECIALLY TO THE CITIZENS HERE, YOU KNOW, AND THEN WE GOTTA MAKE IT MAKE SENSE TO PEOPLE WHO, WHO ARE GOING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GONNA GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AS WELL, BUT ESPECIALLY TO OUR CITIZENS WHO ARE ALREADY PAYING TAX DOLLARS ABSOLUTELY. MAKING SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NOT JUMP UP SO HIGH. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, COUNSELOR ELLIS, AND THEN STOKES, AND THEN JOAN, HOW ARE YOU? UM, COULD YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE METHODS FIELD PHASE TWO? ABSOLUTELY. UM, I, I THINK YOU AND I HAVE SPOKE ABOUT MEMPHIS FIELD BEFORE. IF NOT, WE WILL. UM, BUT, UM, IT'S, I, I LIKE SPENDING MONEY AND UH, BUT I LIKE MAKING MONEY MORE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IF WE DO INVEST IN, YOU WILL GET A RETURN ON. CORRECT. AND, AND, AND I REALLY LIKE THAT PART. NOW, CHARLES COULD SELL IT BETTER THAN I CAN . I KNOW YOU CAN, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW EVERYTHING'S IMPORTANT, BUT THAT THING THAT WILL, THAT WILL BRING SOME MONEY IN BECAUSE I'VE TALKED TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE TRAVELING BASEBALL LEAGUES, THE, YOU KNOW, THE TOURNAMENTS, THE, I MEAN, AND NOT ONLY JUST THAT, BUT THE FOLKS THAT USE IT HERE IN THE CITY, I WAS THERE YESTERDAY AND, UH, IT'S USED ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW, SO IT'S GOT SOME NICE SCOREBOARDS THAT I SEE THAT WE DON'T USE ALL THE TIME. AND THAT MIGHT BE BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, STAFFING OR WHATEVER IT IS. BUT, UM, IF YOU COULD JUST ELABORATE ON THE PHASE TWO PROJECT. ABSOLUTELY. SO PHASE TWO WILL HELP US COMPLETE, UH, THE TWO FIELDS THAT WERE NOT TOUCHED. AND SO THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF THE DRAINAGE ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING AT THE FIELDS. SO AGAIN, THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTMENT IS TO PROVIDE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS, OUR GOAL IS TO GET INTO THE SPORT TOURISM BUSINESS. UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST NOT COMFORTABLE DOING THAT WITH THE LIPS ON THE FIELD. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THEY'RE NICE AND LEVEL SO THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY SAFE TO PLAY ON. ONCE WE GET TO THAT POINT, THEN YES, ABSOLUTELY WE'RE GONNA GET A NICE RETURN ON INVESTMENT BY BRINGING IN THOSE TOURNAMENTS, BY BRINGING IN THOSE CONSISTENTLY OVER WEEKENDS. UM, I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE SCOREBOARD WORKING. SO TYPICALLY WE DO THAT FOR OUR GAMES. AND SO, BUT WE DO PARTNER WITH OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS. OKAY. UM, AND SO THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE STAFF DOWN THERE. BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO. I I WAS JUST WONDERING. YES, SIR. I KNOW, I KNOW NOT ALL THE TIME IT'S USED, BUT MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S, BUT I DO KNOW, UM, THERE IS SOME PRIDE TAKEN IN THE FIELDS. ABSOLUTELY. UM, WHEN I SEE THEM DOWN THERE STAYING DURING THE WEEKENDS, YOU KNOW, RELINING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, REGRADING RE YOU KNOW, JUST, IT, IT'S VERY NICE TO SEE IT USED AND NOT ONLY IS IT BEING USED, IT'S BEING USED BY PEOPLE OUT OF THE CITY. AND WHEN YOU CAN BRING MONEY IN FROM OUT OF THE CITY, YOU ARE HELPING EVERYBODY IN, IN THAT ASPECT. SO THAT, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH CRYSTAL LAKE AND, AND, AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. SO ABSOLUTELY. IT'S, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT DEAL. ABSOLUTELY. AND I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO OUR PARKS CREW. UM, ERIC DUNBAR SPECIFICALLY. MM-HMM . HE'S, HE DOES A LOT OF WORK ON OUR FIELDS. YEAH. UM, HE'S A HOPEWELL RESIDENT, BORN AND RAISED GRADUATE. HE, HE ABSOLUTELY LOVES SPENDING TIME ON THE FIELD BECAUSE HE UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE HE SPENT TIME. YEAH. UM, SO THE CREDIT GOES TO HIM AND, AND THAT TEAM. I ALSO SAW CARTER WOODSON USING IT YESTERDAY. CORRECT. TODAY BECAUSE I, THEY HAVE A FIELD, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S OPERATIONAL OR NOT OR WHATEVER. SO IT IS NOT OKAY. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH, UH, THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. RIGHT. UM, WE CAN CHAT OFFLINE ABOUT THE AGREEMENTS THAT WERE MADE MM-HMM . AND, UM, BUT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS AND HELPING THEM OUT AS WELL. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. YES, SIR. OKAY. DOES THAT, DID THAT ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS? ABSOLUTELY, YES. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. UH, COUNCILOR STOKES JOINER, AND THEN MYSELF. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. UM, MY CONCERN IS IN THE RAISING OF THE MEMBERSHIP RATES. AND WHAT CONSIDERATIONS HAVE YOU GIVEN FOR THOSE KIDS WHO ARE IN SUBSIDIZED HOUSING [02:50:01] OR LOW, THE BOTTLENECK INCOME HOUSING, WHO, WHOSE PARENTS MAY NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE RATES THAT YOU'RE PUTTING FORWARD? UM, AND THIS IS A BIG CONCERN FOR THE PARENTS LIVING IN PUBLIC HOUSING AND AROUND THAT THE RATES ARE SOMETIMES TOO EXPENSIVE AND THEY CAN'T SEND MORE THAN ONE OR TWO CHILDREN. UM, WHAT CONCESSIONS ARE MADE WHEN YOU'RE CONSIDERING THE MEMBERSHIPS? CORRECT. UH, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, PLEASE, ANY HOPEWELL RESIDENT YOUTH UNDER THE AGE OF 17 HAS A FREE MEMBERSHIP. ALL WE REQUIRE IS THAT THE PARENT COMES IN WITH THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSE THAT HAVE THE HOPEWELL RESIDENT IN, AND THAT'S INCOMPLETE A REGISTRATION FORM, AND THEY GET A FREE MEMBERSHIP FOR THE YEAR. SO THERE IS NO COST FOR OUR YOUTH TO HAVE A MEMBERSHIP TO THE HOPEWELL COMMUNITY CENTER, BUT THE CONCERN IS THE PERSONS WHO LIVE IN IT SUBSIDIZED HOUSING ABOVE THE AGE OF 17, THAT MAY WANT TO BENEFIT FROM MEMBERSHIP AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER, UM, BASED ON THEIR INCOME, THEY CANNOT CORRECT. SO IF IN THAT, I KNOW ABOUT THE CHILDREN UNDER 17. OKAY. BUT THE CONCERNS THAT COME AT ME ARE THOSE PERSONS WHO LIVE IN SUBSIDIZED HOUSING ABOVE, THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO GO THERE FOR CERTAIN ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPEN THERE. THEY'RE NOT MEMBERS. WHAT CONCESSIONS HAVE YOU MADE IN THE MEMBERSHIP TO CONSIDER THEM? SO WE HAVE NOT, BUT WE CAN LOOK OF INCOME, WE CAN LOOK AT A SLIDING SCALE. IF THAT WAS WHAT THE DIRECTIVE IS FROM SENATE COUNCIL, WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO A SLIDING SCALE. UM MM-HMM. HISTORICALLY, CAN WE PRESENT THAT BACK? ABSOLUTELY. IF THAT'S, IF THAT'S THE WISH OF THE COUNCIL, ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT. THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. YEAH, THAT'S FINE. I MEAN, IS IT SLICE SEAL? YEAH. UM, AND YOU CAN JUST FOR MEMBERSHIP, RIGHT? YEAH. JUST MEMBERSHIP. YEAH. YEAH. JUST THE MEMBERSHIP IS MY CONCERN. 'CAUSE A LOT COMES WITH THE MEMBERSHIP. UM, AND IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, I KNOW WHEN I GO TO THE MEETINGS, THE, THE, UH, FAMILIES ARE THAT ALONG WITH THE ACTIVITIES PLANNED, IF THEY HAVE TO BUY SWIMSUITS OR ET CETERA, ET CETERA, BEYOND THEIR, YOU THE DIRECTOR THAT'S IN MY PRAYER IS TO BE FINISHED BY EIGHT. LISTEN, THE MORE RESIDENTS WE CAN GET INTO OUR FACILITY, THE HAPPIER WE ARE, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF OUR HEALTH INDEX, WE, WE WANT THEM WITH US. WELL, AGAIN, Y'ALL HAVE INVESTED INTO THE FITNESS EQUIPMENT. WE WANT THAT TO BE UTILIZED. RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY. UM, SO I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT. WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THAT. AND THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. THANK YOU. YOU WANNA LOOK AT WHAT THE GREATER RICHMOND YMCA DOES. THEY DO AN INCOME BASED THING AND THERE'S LIKE A SLIDING SCALE THERE. UM, THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRY TO REINVENT THE WHEEL. YES, SIR. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. WE DID, UH, VICE MAYOR JOIN. YEAH, I, I I WANTED TO JUST TALK TO ME ABOUT THE SERVICE CONTRACTS FOR THE POOL. I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND AND, AND LIKE, WHAT WOULD THE, I MEAN, I, I SEE THIS NUMBER, BUT IF YOU COULD HIRE THE, THE STAFF, I MEAN, WHAT WOULD BE THE DIFFERENCE THAT, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT ALL OF THAT? YES. UH, SORRY, WE DID NOT GET TO THAT POINT. WE WERE, I JUST NEED TO UNDERSTAND. ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN, AND THEN I GUESS WHEN IN ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE, UH, STAFFING REQUESTS WAS AN AQUATICS MM-HMM . UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DID THAT, HOW DOES THAT FIT IN? YES. SO THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR AN AQUATICS PROGRAM MANAGER. YEAH. THAT WILL GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY. AND OF COURSE, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE COMING BACK TO YOU ALL WITH THE MOA. YEAH. RIGHT. RIGHT. SO I HAVE NOT INCLUDED THAT 18,000 THAT WE HAD SPOKEN ABOUT BEFORE. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. SO IT'S GONNA BE IN MY NEXT PRESENTATION FOR YOU ALL. SURE. THIS POSITION WILL THEN ALLOW US TO HAVE FOUR FULLTIME, THE SERVICE CONTRACT THING? NO, NO MA'AM. THE, THE, THE ADDITIONAL PERSON, THE PROGRAM MANAGER. OKAY. THE PROGRAM MANAGER, CORRECT. MM-HMM . UM, SO THAT WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE FOUR FULL-TIME LIFEGUARDS AT THAT POINT. THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP AND I DON'T HAVE TO RELY SO HEAVILY ON PART-TIME HELP. GOT IT. UM, SO THE COST SAVING FOR THE CITY WOULD BE TO FUND THE ACTUAL AQUATICS PROGRAM MANAGER POSITION AND FORGET ABOUT THE SERVICE CONTRACT BECAUSE AT THAT POINT WE CAN RUN EVERYTHING IN HOUSE. OKAY. THAT'S, THAT'S, I JUST WANTED TO, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO GIVE CLARIFIED. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW. YES, MA'AM. OKAY, THANKS. MY PLEASURE. SHE WAS PROVIDING OPTIONS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HAVING SUCH DIFFICULT TIME. GOT WELL. I KNOW. AND, AND IT'S, AND IT'S BEEN A PROBLEM NOT JUST FOR YOU. I MEAN, A LOT OF POOLS AROUND JUST CAN'T EVEN OPEN. UM, EVEN DURING THE SUMMER, THEY CAN'T OFFER FULL, YOU KNOW, FULL SERVICES. PRIVATE CLUBS CAN'T OPEN. SO, AND IT'S SUCH A VALUABLE RESOURCE TO THE CITY. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE WANNA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION. I WAS JUST CONCERNED HOW THEY FIT TOGETHER. THANK YOU. MY PLEASURE. YEAH, THAT WAS ONE OF MINE THAT I HAD. UM, THE OTHER ONE IS, UM, KIND OF LIKE WHAT MR. ELLIS WAS TALKING ABOUT. UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE SPORTS TOURISM PIECE, UM, IF YOU CAN KIND OF DO LIKE WHAT WE'VE ASKED LIKE CHARLES TO DO, LIKE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT AND I KNOW IT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAY NOT HAVE THE QUANTITATIVE, BUT IT HAS LIKE A QUALITATIVE ELEMENT TO IT. YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST, YOU KNOW, DESCRIBE THOSE, THAT WAY WE CAN HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF [02:55:01] THINGS THAT YOU CAN BRING, YOU KNOW, MORE REVENUE IN FOR THE CITY, SO THEN WE CAN GO BACK AND REINVEST IN A LOT OF THESE FACILITIES. UM, THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL IN CONSIDERATION. DEFINITELY. UH, MAY I ASK ONE? YEAH. QUESTION. CAN I INCLUDE, SO MY STAFF IS CURRENTLY AT CAPACITY. WE, IF WE DIDN'T ADD SPORTS TERRORISM, IS IT OKAY FOR ME TO GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE THAT POTENTIAL COST AS WELL TO BRING SOMEONE IN TO ACTUALLY OVERSEE THAT IN ITS ENTIRETY? YEAH. SO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EVERYBODY. YEAH. SO WE HAVE EVERY WEEKEND KIND OF BOOKED. YEAH. SO LIKE A GOOD EXAMPLE, LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT, UM, MR. BESSETTE DID, YOU KNOW, HE TOLD US, OKAY, YOU KNOW, I'M ASKING FOR A CITY ATTORNEY. I'M, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENT, YOU KNOW, I'VE RUN THE NUMBERS. I'VE BELIEVE THIS POSITION'S GONNA PAY FOR ITSELF, THEREFORE I CAN OFFSET THIS. YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE CAN HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT LEVEL OF ANALYSIS, YOU KNOW, AND THAT GOES FOR, YOU KNOW, ALL POSITIONS, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL MEMBERS ON THE STAFF. ESPECIALLY LIKE, IF YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, JUSTIFY TO US AND TELL US, SAY THIS POSITION'S GONNA HELP SAVE US X NUMBER OF DOLLARS, OR IT'S GONNA BRING IN THIS MUCH REVENUE THAT GIVES US, YOU KNOW, A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN UTILIZE IN, YOU KNOW, MAKING DECISIONS. ABSOLUTELY. WILL DO. THANK YOU SIR. ALRIGHT. NOW I KNOW, UH, MS. STOKES, YOU WANT TO DO THE HONOR? I WAS ABOUT TO GET IT. YOU SEE, I'M GOING, GO AHEAD PLEASE. I BEFORE ADJOURN. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A ALL OPPOSED, ALRIGHT, MEETING'S BEEN ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.