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[Call to order and roll call]
THIS MEETING TO ORDER.CAN I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? MAYOR? PARDON? HERE.
[CLOSED MEETING]
TIME DO I HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO CLOSED MEETING UNDER VIRGINIA CODE SECTION 2.2 DASH 3 7 11, A THREE EIGHT AND 29 TO DISCUSS THE ACQUISITION OR DISPOSITION OF REAL PROPERTY, WHERE ACQUISITION AND A OPEN MEETING WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE BARGAINING POSITION OR NEGOTIATING STRATEGY OF THE PUBLIC BODY.THE AWARD OF A PUBLIC CONTRACT WHERE DISCUSSION AND OPEN SESSION WOULD ADVERSELY AFFECT THE CITY'S BARGAINING POSITION.
AND TO CONSULT WITH LEGAL COUNSEL REGARDING SPECIFIC LEGAL MATTERS, REAL ESTATE CONTRACT DISCUSSIONS, UH, AND 2.2 DASH 3 7 11 A ONE TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS INCLUDING BOARD AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS, HRHA LIAISON, SCHOOL BOARD, CITY ATTORNEY, ANNUAL EVALUATION, CITY MANAGER HIRING, AND 2.2 3 7 11 A EIGHT BEACON THEATER UPDATE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING NO LIGHTS? ROLL CALL PLEASE.
[RECONVENE OPEN MEETING]
UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO COME OUT? A CLOSED MEETING? SO MOVED.MOTIONS TO BE MADE BY VICE MAYOR JOINER AND SECONDED BY COUNCILLOR DAY.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING YOUR LIGHTS ROLL CALL PLEASE.
CERTIFICATION IN THE VIRGINIA CODE 2.2 DASH 3 7 1 2.
WE'RE ONLY PUBLIC BUSINESS MATTERS.
LAWFULLY EXEMPTED FROM OPEN MEETING REQUIREMENTS AND TWO IDENTIFIED IN THE CLOSED MEETING.
MOTION DISCUSSED IN THE CLOSED MEETING.
I WANT THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING TO TONIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
[REPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER]
UH, WE'LL START OFF WITH THE REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER, MR. ROGERS MAYOR COUNCIL, UH, COUPLED ITEMS. UM, FIRST I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE, UH, THAT WE HAVE CONCLUDED THE SEARCH FOR THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOPE WELLS, UH, WATER RENEWAL AGENCY.IN THIS PROCESS, WE USED MGT EXECUTIVE, UH, RECRUITMENT FIRM.
UH, THEY WERE CONTRACT OFF OF THE STATE AUTHORIZED CONTRACTS.
UH, WE RECEIVED 11 APPLICATIONS.
DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT IT IS A SPECIALIZED, UH, POSITION.
THE STEERING COMMITTEE CONSISTED OF, AT MY INVITATION, THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, THE CHESTERFIELD, UH, WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY, THE DIRECTOR OF THE HAMPTON ROADS WASTEWATER TREATMENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ALEXANDRIA WATER RENEWAL, AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL COMMISSION.
UM, THAT PROCESS PROVED, UH, IMMENSELY HELPFUL IN THE REVIEW OF THE CANDIDATES THAT THAT, THAT WE HAD.
I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE AFTER THAT PROCESS THAT WE HAVE AN, WE, UH, HAVE SELECTED MATTHEW ELLINGHOUSE.
HE'LL BE JOINING US ON FEBRUARY 18TH.
MATTHEW COMES TO US FROM HANOVER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC, UH, UTILITIES, UH, WHERE HE HAS SERVED AS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT SINCE 2018.
PRIOR TO THAT ROLE, HE WAS DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL FOR, UM, UH, ENGINEERING.
AND, UH, HE'S A PROFESSIONAL, UM, ENGINEER.
HE ATTENDED UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND AND HAS A MASTER'S OF SCIENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FROM, UH, VIRGINIA
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POLYTECH.AND HIS WHOLE CAREER HAS BEEN WATER WASTEWATER, SO HE'S A TRUE PROFESSIONAL, AND, AND HE, HE KNOWS US AND HE WAS WITH US, AND HE CAME BACK AND
SECONDLY, I'M PLEASED TO, UH, ANNOUNCE THAT THE HOPEWELL, UH, LOBBY DAY IN RICHMOND WAS A SUCCESS ORGANIZED BY OUR GOVERNMENT, UH, CONSULTANT DBS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, AND COORDINATED WITH THE OFFICES OF SENATOR LAURICE, UH, LAURICE AIR AND, UH, LINDSEY DELEGATE LINDSEY, UH, UH, DOHERTY.
UH, WE HAD 40 PEOPLE PRESENT AT OUR BREAKFAST RECEPTION.
OUR DELEGATION WAS RECOGNIZED AND INTRODUCED IN BOTH HOUSES, YOU KNOW, BY OUR REPRESENTATIVES.
UH, AND, UH, THERE WERE 17 OF US.
AND SO WE, WE HOPE WELL MADE A GREAT, GREAT JOIN.
ALSO, PLEASED TO REPORT THAT LAST WEEK THE MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND I, UH, MET WITH SENATOR, UH, AIR AND DELEGATE DAUGHTRY AND MINORITY LEADER, UH, TERRY GILMORE, TO KIND GET AN UPDATE ON OUR LEGISLATIVE P, UH, PACKAGE AND HOW IT WAS GOING AND IN ADVOCATING FOR OUR BEHALF.
SO WE ARE VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE OUTCOME, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO, AFTER THIS MEETING, TO GET ONLINE AND SEE WHAT WAS APPROVED YESTERDAY.
ALSO, UM, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LEADERSHIP OF, UH, CHIEF RUPERT AND DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF, UH, UH, WILLIAMS OR THEIR LEADERSHIP OF THE EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS CENTER, UH, DURING STERN, UH, STORM FERN.
UH, THEY AND ALL THE STAFF, ESPECIALLY PUBLIC WORKS, WERE, WERE OUTSTANDING AND VERY DILIGENT DURING THIS PERIOD.
I'VE ASKED THE, THE CHIEF TO KIND OF DE DEBRIEF US TONIGHT ON THE STORM SINCE IT TOOK UP SO MUCH ATTENTION AND WE STILL SEE SOME VESTIGES OF IT ON OUR STREETS.
MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR RESPONSE TO, UH, WINTER STORM FERN.
UM, I'M GONNA BE JOINED BY A COUPLE OF, UH, OF THE TEAM MEMBERS THAT, THAT ASSISTED IN THIS PROCESS AND HELP US, UH, HELP LEAD THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UM, AND SO I'LL CALL THEM UP, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH JUST A, FIRST OFF, JUST AN IDEA OF THE FORECAST GOING INTO THIS.
AND I, I KNOW ALL OF US LIVED THROUGH IT, SO I I'M NOT GONNA BELABOR THE POINT TOO MUCH, BUT I DID WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, WHAT DRIVES US TO THE POSTURE THAT WE ASSUMED, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAS PREDICTING ABOUT, UH, FOUR AND A HALF WE'RE KIND OF ON THAT LINE BETWEEN FOUR AND A HALF AND SIX INCHES OF SNOW.
UM, BUT THEN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOLLOWED BY, UH, BETWEEN A HALF INCH AND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH OF ICE.
UM, AND WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, THAT KIND OF FORECAST, UH, FOLLOWED UP WITH, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, IS THIS A LITTLE BIT OF AN EYE CHART THERE.
BUT, UM, THE, THE, THE DAYTIME TEMPERATURES FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO GET REALLY HARDLY ABOVE FREEZING.
UH, AND THEN THE NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE, UH, TEENS AND SOMETIMES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS.
SO, UM, SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHIC, TRULY CATASTROPHIC, UH, IF, IF, IF WHAT THEY HAD PREDICTED WOULD'VE COME TRUE.
UH, WE CER CERTAINLY COULD HAVE SEEN CATASTROPHIC RESULTS, UH, FROM TREE LOSS ACROSS THE CITY.
WE HAVE A PRETTY NICE TREE CANOPY HERE IN THE CITY OF HOPEWELL, WHICH NORMALLY IS EXCELLENT, UM, BUT CERTAINLY DURING A WINTER STORM, UH, WITH ICE STORMS SPECIFICALLY THAT COULD HAVE HAD, UH, DETRIMENTAL RESULTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO POWER OUTAGES.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE TODAY THAT, THAT RELY ON ELECTRICITY FOR THEIR HEAT.
AND SO, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, UH, WE ANTICIPATED, UH, SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS, UH, TO THE CITY IF, UH, THAT WERE TO COME TRUE.
AND JUST AS A, AS A NOTE FOR YOU ALL GOING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS A LOT OF VOICES EVERYWHERE WHEN IT COMES TO WEATHER.
UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN CHANGE THE CHANNELS BETWEEN, UH, BETWEEN, UH, THE DIFFERENT METEOROLOGISTS AND SOMETIMES YOU'RE GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, A SIGN, YOU CAN SEE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN WHAT THEIR EXPECTATIONS ARE.
AND SO WE FOLLOW WHAT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, UH, PREDICTS.
UM, AND THEY KIND OF BECOME OUR, OUR, OUR STEADY GUIDE THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF AN IDEA OF WHAT, WHAT THE, THE CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS INCIDENT WERE.
OBVIOUSLY, TRANSPORTATION WAS GONNA BE A SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT AS FAR AS, UH, GETTING THE ROADS CLEARED, UH, AND THEN TRANSPORTING
[00:10:01]
STAFF, UM, EITHER TO SUPPORT THE SHELTERS, TO PORT SUPPORT THE EOC AND EVEN PUBLIC SAFETY.UM, TRA TRAVEL WITH THAT KIND OF STORM JUST BECOMES, UH, ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.
UH, AND THEN EVEN VULNERABLE POPULATIONS WHO'VE LOST THEIR ELECTRIC, AND NOW WE NEED TO GET THEM TO A SHELTER SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THEM WARM.
UM, AND SO ALL OF THOSE, UH, FROM A TRANSPORTATION PERSPECTIVE BECOME A CHALLENGE.
WE ALSO EXPECTED WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.
WE'VE HAD STORMS LIKE THIS IN THE PAST, THAT 90% OF THE, OF THE CITY IS OUT OF POWER AND, AND CAN STAY OUT OF POWER FOR UPWARDS OF A WEEK.
UM, AND SO THIS COULD HAVE HAD A, A, A VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE CITY IF, IF THE, AGAIN, IF THE PREDICTIONS HAD COME TRUE.
UM, WITH THAT ANTICIPATION, WE KNEW THAT ONE OF OUR PRIMARY FUNCTIONS WAS GONNA NEED TO BE, UH, CONGREGATE SHELTER, AND WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO SHELTER PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T HAVE HEAT, UH, AND, AND TO PREVENT, UM, PEOPLE FROM GETTING, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, SICKNESS DUE TO HYPOTHERMIA OR WHATEVER THE CASE IS.
UM, WE ALSO KNEW THAT THE, THAT OUR HOMELESS SHELTER WAS GONNA NEED TO HAVE EXTENDED HOURS, AND, AND THEY DID AN AMAZING JOB OF, OF EXTENDED THEIR HOURS OUT, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT OUR HOMELESS POPULATION WAS TAKEN CARE OF.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE, THE ONGOING DAY-TO-DAY EMERGENCIES.
UM, PEOPLE DON'T STOP HAVING HEART ATTACKS.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY, PEOPLE DON'T ALSO STOP COMMITTING CRIMES, UH, BECAUSE OF, OF WEATHER.
SOME, A LOT OF TIMES SOME OF THOSE THINGS SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
BUT, UM, WE STILL HAVE TO RESPOND TO THOSE EMERGENCIES FROM A PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE.
AND THEN AFTERWARDS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WERE TO GET A, AN EVENT LIKE THIS, MOST LIKELY WE'D GET A PRESIDENTIAL DECLARATION.
AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO DO A 72 HOUR DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, GET THOSE NUMBERS UP TO THE STATE, WHICH WOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE PRESIDENT, UH, FOR A DECLARATION OF, UH, OF EMERGENCY AND, AND THE ABILITY FOR US TO, UH, UH, GET REIMBURSEMENT FROM FEMA.
UH, OUR PREPARATIONS, UH, UH, AND I, I'M GONNA PASS THIS OFF TO DEPUTY CHIEF, UH, WILLIAMS TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR PREPARATIONS HERE.
IN PREPARATION, WE, UH, UPS STAFFED THE EOC WITH OUR TYPICAL STAFFING FOR, FOR THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, OPERATING IN TWO OPERATIONAL PERIODS, 1900 TO ZERO SEVEN OR 7:00 PM TO 7:00 AM AND SEVEN EIGHT TO 7:00 PM AND IN STAFFING THAT WE WERE USING TEAMS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
SO THANK YOU TO JAY AND THE TEAM AT IT FOR GETTING US UP AND WORKING WITH TEAMS TO GET THAT.
WE WORKED VIRTUALLY AND HAD SOME OF OUR PEOPLE FILLING POSITIONS THAT WE DID NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL AND BRING INTO THE EOC WORKING REMOTELY.
SO THAT WAS A NEW THING FOR US TO DO THAT, THAT WAY.
AGAIN, WE LEARNED SOME LESSONS ABOUT HOW TO USE TEAMS GOING FORWARD, AND THAT'LL BE TALKED ABOUT AS WE, UH, TALKED ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED.
THANK YOU TO THE SNOW OPERATIONS TEAM.
THEY, THEY'RE THE TRUE HEROES, AS I STOLE CHIEF LINE TO SAY THAT THEY'RE THE TROOPS HEROES, BUT THEY WERE THE TRUE HEROES.
AND MONIQUE WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEIR, THEIR WORK IN A COUPLE MINUTES, BUT WE TOOK DELIVERY OF AND FUEL IN, IN ANTICIPATION OF THAT.
WE MADE A REQUEST THROUGH THE STATE EOC TO GET THAT AND TO WORK WITH THAT PROCESS.
WE SET UP A SHELTER AND STAFFED THE SHELTER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
WE WENT OUT AND MET WITH THEM FRIDAY BEFORE THE STORM HIT, MADE SURE THAT THE SCHOOL WAS READY TO BE SET UP AS A SHELTER, WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, SHOULD WE NEED TO FEED PEOPLE INTO SHELTER, HOW LONG THE SHELTER COULD OPERATE.
WE TOOK OUR GENERATOR OUT THERE AND GOT IT ESTABLISHED AND GOT IT PUT IN PLACE SO THAT WE'D HAVE THAT TO SECURE THE POWER AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, SHOULD THE, UH, SHOULD IT BE NEEDED.
AND THEN WE WORKED TO PROCURE SOME ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY RESPONSE AND OPERATIONS.
WE DEVELOPED A STAFFING PLAN TO PUT ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL ON TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CALL SUPPORT UNITS.
AND WE BROUGHT IN ADDITIONAL EMS PERSONNEL.
AGAIN, WE OPERATED IN 12 HOUR PERIODS, STAFFING THE EOC.
AND ONE OF THE NEW PEOPLE THAT WE BROUGHT INTO THAT WAS WE BROUGHT IN, UH, CHARLES FROM THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
AND THAT PROVED TO BE VERY HELPFUL.
BUT YOU SEE LISTED OF THE OTHER FOLKS, WE HAD RECREATION PARKS, SHERIFF'S OFFICE, SHERIFF'S OFFICE PROVIDED SUPPORT AND SECURITY BOTH AT THE SHELTER AND AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND THAT PROVED TO BE VERY WORTHWHILE AND VERY IMPORTANT.
WE COORDINATED DOCUMENT, WE USED A SHARED DOCUMENT.
THAT WAS A NEW PROCESS FOR US, USING A COMBINED ONE FORM TO CAPTURE ALL THE WORK THAT WE DID.
WE FELT LIKE THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL.
AND WE DID ALL THIS IN COORDINATION WITH THE STATE.
WE WERE CONSTANTLY IN CONTACT WITH THE STATE FOR DARTMOUTH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
WE MONITORED THE WEATHER THROUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
WE MONITORED THE CITY USING SOME CAMERAS THAT WERE OUT THERE IN THE CITY.
AND WE, WHAT DOMINION POWER WAS DOING, THAT'S ALWAYS A VARIABLE, UH, VERY IMPORTANT ASSET TO US TO LISTEN TO WHAT DOMINION POWER IS PLANNING TO DO, BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE A LOT OF SKIN IN THE GAME WITH WHERE THEY'RE DEPLOYING THEIR ASSETS, WHERE THEY EXPECT ALLIES TO BE.
SO WE CONSTANTLY MONITOR THAT PROCESS.
I'LL LET MONIQUE HAVE THE FLOORS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DID WITH SNOW REMOVAL.
AND, UM, FOR THE SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS, UH, WE WERE EXTENDED A LITTLE BIT PAST THE 72 HOUR PERIOD.
WE DID A 24 HOUR, UH, A DAY FOR FIVE DAYS.
SO WE HAD TWO 12 HOUR SHIFTS ALTERNATING, UM, SHORT STOP REPORTS, BUT THEY ALTERNATED
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FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AND SEVEN P TO SEVEN A.UM, THE SNOW CREWS, THEY DID APPROXIMATELY 2,760 MAN HOURS DURING THAT FIVE DAY OPERATIONAL PERIOD FOR OUR, UH, PROCESS.
THE BEFORE, THE DAY BEFORE, ACTUALLY TWO DAYS BEFORE THE STORM HIT, WE HAD THE, UH, SALT BRINE, UH, COORDINATED WITH THE STATE.
WE HAD ALL OF THE PRIMARY ROADS DONE WITH THE SALT BRINE.
AND THEN, UM, THE FIRST TWO DAYS THEY STARTED, THEY DID THE, THE CREWS PLOWED THE ROADS AND TREATED THE PRIMARY ROADS, AND THEY HAD SOME OF THE SECONDARY ROADS ON THE, ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE, UM, RIDGE.
SO, UM, BY THIS TIME, OF COURSE, WITH THE ICE, THERE WAS NOT A LOT OF PLOWING THAT COULD BE DONE, BUT EVERY ROAD HAD BEEN TREATED AS THE WEATHER, WHICH WAS NOT GOING ABOVE THE, UH, ABOVE FREEZING AS WEATHER WAS ALLOWING SOME SLUSH TO HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THEN THEY WOULD GO AND PUSH WHAT THEY COULD.
OTHERWISE, THEY JUST CONTINUED TO PLOW INTO TREAT.
UH, THEN THE CREWS, THE PUBLIC WORKS, CREWS AND RECREATION STARTED THE TREATMENT AROUND THE PUBLIC WORKS, UM, EXCUSE ME, AROUND THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
SO THEY STARTED ON THE SIDEWALKS AND ENTRANCEWAY TO CITY BUILDINGS.
AND OF COURSE, UM, FROM, FROM THAT PERIOD NOW, WE STILL RECEIVING CALLS AS OF YESTERDAY, WAS LIMITED ICE THAT PLACES WITHIN THE CITY.
WE GO BY AND TREAT, PUSH IF WE POSSIBLY CAN CLEAR IT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CAN GET DONE.
THAT, UH, TO YOU AND YOUR CREW.
YOU WERE VERY DILIGENT AND, AND, AND, AND, AND YOU DID, DID GREAT WITH WHAT YOU HAD TO WORK WITH MR. STEWART.
UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SHELTERING OPERATIONS.
UH, ROBERT, UH, COVERED A LOT OF THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAD PURCHASED A, A LARGE GENERATOR, ABLE TO GENERATE, UH, ENOUGH ELECTRICITY FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, WE, UH, TOOK THAT OVER, TOWED THAT OVER TO THE HIGH SCHOOL, GOT IT ALL HOOKED UP WITH AN ELECTRICIAN, UH, SO THAT IT WAS READY TO GO IN CASE WE LOST POWER.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY COORDINATED WITH ALL THEM.
AND THEN SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, BROUGHT IN THEIR STAFF.
UM, AND THEY, UH, GOT EVERYTHING SET UP SATURDAY NIGHT FOR A, FOR A, FOR A SUNDAY MORNING OPENING.
UM, AND WE REMAINED OPEN FOR A LITTLE OVER 12 HOURS.
UM, AND, AND AFTER THE WEATHER, UH, SIGNIFICANT WEATHER HAD PASSED.
AND, UM, AND THERE WASN'T, UH, A LOT OF USAGE AND REALLY NOT A NEED BECAUSE WE HADN'T LOST ANY ELECTRICITY.
UM, THIS IS, THIS TRULY IS A, A, A HERCULE EFFORT, UM, TO, TO DO THAT OPERATION.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, MEMBERS OF, UH, SOCIAL SERVICES, HEALTHY FAMILIES, FIRE AND EMS PUBLIC WORKS, UH, SHERIFF'S OFFICE, RECREATION AND SCHOOLS, ALL WERE INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS.
IT, IT REALLY IS A, A, A SIGNIFICANT, UH, LIFT TO OPEN A SHELTER LIKE THAT.
UM, AND, UH, AND THIS IS THE, THE FIRST TIME THAT I KNOW OF, UH, UH, AS FAR AS A FULLY OPERATED OPERATIONAL SHELTER DURING AN EVENT, UM, IN, IN 20 PLUS YEARS HERE IN THE CITY.
SO, UM, AN EXCELLENT JOB TO ALL THE, THE, THE CREWS THAT DO THAT, ESPECIALLY TO SOCIAL SERVICES, WHO TAKES THE LEAD ON, ON SHELTER AND OPERATIONS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE JUST STAFFED UP A LITTLE BIT, MADE SURE THAT WE HAD, UH, ON THE FIRESIDE, WE, UH, STAFFED TO, UH, WHAT WE CALL STORM TRUCKS THAT HAD, UH, CHAINSAWS AND, AND, AND SALT AND SHOVELS TO BE ABLE TO HELP CREWS GET TO THE EMS CALL OR AWAY FROM THE EMS CALL, GET PATIENTS TO THE AMBULANCE AND INTO THE HOSPITAL, UH, AS WELL AS GET TO FIRES.
UH, AND SO, UM, WE, UH, WE STAFFED THOSE UP.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE, OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE MANAGED ALL THE USC OPERATIONS.
POLICE ALSO STAFFED UP, UH, DUE TO, YOU KNOW, ELONGATED RESPONSE TIMES AND THI AND, AND SO FORTH.
AND THEN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ASSISTED WITH, UH, EOC AND SHELTER, UH, SECURITY.
A COUPLE REAL QUICK AFTER ACTION ITEMS. UH, A LOT OF THINGS WENT REALLY WELL, UH, AS, AS WAS EXPECTED.
WE, WE, WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT TEAM THAT WORKS REALLY WELL TOGETHER.
UM, AND SO A LOT OF THINGS REALLY WENT WELL FOR US.
UM, AND THEN ON THE, ON THE BACKSIDE, OF COURSE, THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT.
UH, THE, THE, UH, THE TEAMS ELECTRONIC, UH, UH, CONFERENCE CALL SYSTEM IS, IS NEW TO THE CITY.
AND SO, UH, THERE'S DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THAT SYSTEM TO UTILIZE LATER DOWN THE ROAD FOR, UH, VIRTUAL OPERATIONS FOR THE EOC AND TO BRING PEOPLE IN THAT ARE REMOTE.
UM, AND SO, UM, SO WE PLAN ON, UH, WORKING TOWARDS THAT.
WE ALSO PLAN ON DOING A COMPREHENSIVE, UH, REVIEW OF ALL THE CITY, UH, EMPLOYEES TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CITY EMPLOYEE HAS AN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ASSIGNMENT.
UM, WE HAVEN'T DONE A COMPREHENSIVE ONE OF THOSE IN A LONG TIME.
WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW EMPLOYEES.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO A, A REAL COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY HAS AN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS ASSIGNMENT.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST CONTINUE DOING THE, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.
WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE DOING OUR TRAINING.
UH, WE, I KNOW WE HAD INVITED ALL OF YOU TO SOME TRAINING A WHILE BACK REGARDING RESPONSE, AND THERE, THERE'S A FOLLOW UP COURSE THAT'S COMING HERE VERY SOON.
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WE'RE GONNA BE SCHEDULING THAT, AND WE'LL LET YOU ALL KNOW WHEN THAT IS AVAILABLE.BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT WHEN, UM, UH, IF YOU'RE ABLE, UH, JUST A QUICK, UH, REVIEW OF NUMBERS.
UM, SO, UH, MINUS OVERTIME, THAT'S ALL STILL BEING, UH, WORKED OUT.
BUT, UH, AS FAR AS, UH, LODGING AND FOOD AND, UH, PRO PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, THE RESPONSE SUPPLIES AS FAR AS, UH, SAND AND SALT, A TOTAL COST TO THE CITY WAS, UH, A LITTLE OVER $94,000.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAN HOURS THERE, UH, ALMOST 3,900 MAN HOURS, UH, IN, IN, IN RESPONSE ACTIVITIES, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM.
UM, AND THEN, UH, LOTS OF SALT AND SAND, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM, LOTS OF SALT AND SAND.
AND SO, UM, AGAIN, UH, I, I WOULD LIKE TO ECHO EVERYONE'S, UH, COMMENTS.
PUBLIC WORKS WERE THE HEROES ON THIS EVENT.
THOSE GUYS FIVE DAYS STRAIGHT OF 24 HOUR OPERATIONS SHORTHANDED, UH, DID A, JUST AN EXCELLENT JOB.
I KNOW THERE'S PROBABLY A, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ROADS, BUT HONESTLY, IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL THING THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE DONE THE BEST THEY COULD.
UM, AND, AND OF COURSE THE BRINE WORKED EXCELLENT.
YOU CAN SEE ALL THE PRIMARY ROADS, UH, REALLY GOT CLEANED UP VERY FAST.
AND I THINK THE BRINE WAS A HUGE HELP ON THAT.
SO, UM, CERTAINLY I THINK THAT'S A, A BEST PRACTICE MOVING FORWARD.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THANK YOU, CHIEF.
ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T SEE ANY LIGHTS FOR QUESTIONS.
UH, BUT I KNOW THAT I CAN SPEAK FOR CITY COUNCIL.
UM, WHEN I SAY THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE 24 HOURS, UM, RIGHT, RIGHT AROUND THE CLOCK.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT REALLY SHOWED GREAT TEAMWORK, ESPECIALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WERE ABLE TO GET OFF OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS THAT THEY COULD GET TO THE PRIMARY STREETS, SO THAT WAY THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, END UP GETTING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, DOCTOR'S, YOU KNOW, APPOINTMENTS, WHETHER IT WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, PICKING UP MEDICINE, GETTING GROCERIES, YOU KNOW, DOING WHAT THEY HAD TO DO.
UM, BUT I REALLY DO COMMEND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU GUYS FOR ALL THAT YOU DID, AND ESPECIALLY, UM, GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, UM, WITH THE, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE WARMING SHELTER AND THE HOMELESS SHELTER.
I KNOW WE GOT, UM, THESE TWO FINE GENTLEMEN RIGHT HERE THAT ARE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE TONIGHT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB TOO.
AND SO I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE.
UM, SUSAN, YEAH, I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO ECHO THAT AND JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, EVEN ALL OF US MM-HMM
HOW MUCH EFFORT IT TAKES TO DO WHAT YOU DID.
NEXT OFF ITEM ON MS. JORDAN READY FOR YOUR FINANCIAL REPORT.
GOOD EVENING MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL.
THIS IS THE SECOND QUARTER FINANCIALS FOR 2026.
AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, I WILL DO THE JANUARY CITYWIDE 26 SECOND QUARTER CITYWIDE FOR SECOND QUARTER.
REVENUES ARE TRENDING 2.5 OR 6.7 MILLION, HIGHER FOR 26 VERSUS 27.
EXPENSES FOR SECOND QUARTER ARE TRENDING 1.5 OR 4.6 MILLION HIGHER FOR 26 VERSUS 25.
INCREASE IN EXPENSES STEM FROM ANNUAL SALARY INCREASES.
THAT WAS, UM, GIVEN TO STAFF LAST YEAR.
THE COLA AND FRINGE INCREASES AS WELL AS AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL EXPENSES.
KEY DUE DUE DATES FOR THE CITY OF HOPEWELL ARE DECEMBER, FEBRUARY, MAY, AND JUNE FOR OUR REVENUES.
ANY QUESTIONS SO FAR FOR CITYWIDE? OKAY, OUR GENERAL FUND SECOND QUARTER GENERAL FUND.
SECOND QUARTER IS TRENDING POINT 31% OR 874,000 HIGHER IN REVENUES FOR 26 VERSUS 25.
EXPENSES FOR 26 OR TRENDING 3.1% OR 288,000 LOWER THAN 25.
A SLIGHT DECREASE FOR SECOND QUARTER IS DUE TO TRANSFERS.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR GENERAL? ALL OUR ENTERPRISE FUND FOR SECOND QUARTER ENTERPRISE FUND FOR SECOND QUARTER IS TRENDING 7.78% OF FOUR POINT MILLION DOLLARS HIGHER IN REVENUES FOR 26 VERSUS 25.
EXPENSES FOR 26 ARE TRENDING 2.9 OR 2.2 HIGHER THAN EXPENSES IN 25.
OUR INCREASE IN REVENUES FOR ENTERPRISE STEM FROM ON TIME BILLING AND COLLECTED MONIES OWED FROM DI, OUR PREVIOUS, UH, UTILITY PERSON, AS WELL AS CAPITAL BILLING BEING DONE MONTHLY INSTEAD OF AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
INCREASE IN EXPENSES STEM FROM CAPITAL PROJECTS BEING COMPLETED.
ANY QUESTIONS ON OUR, UH, ENTERPRISE FUND?
[00:25:01]
UM, ONE QUESTION ON THAT.UM, I KNOW WE'VE DONE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, TWO SEWER PUMP STATIONS.
UM, WHEN DO WE EXPECT TO START SPENDING THOSE DOLLARS IN? UM, IN TERMS OF UM, YOU KNOW, THE ENGINEERING AND THEN ALSO GETTING THE RFP OUT FOR HIM? I WOULD HAVE TO REVERT TO ANDY.
I KNOW HE HAS ALREADY STARTED ON THE QUEEN END PROJECT.
UM, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW FAR WE'VE STARTED ON THE MANION HILLS AND THE OTHER ONE WITH THE GEO BONDS.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF IT'S, IF IT'S STARTING TO REFLECT IN HERE, THAT'S ALL.
MAJORITY OF THIS IS COMING FROM THE D-E-Q-N-O-V AND SOME OTHER PROJECTS FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS WITHIN HWR PLAN TO HAVE NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED FOR SOME TIME.
FOR SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS IS TRENDING 0.34 OR 856,000 HIGHER IN REVENUES FOR 26 VERSUS 25.
EXPENSES ARE TRENDING 3.22% OR 3.1 MILLION MORE IN FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 VERSUS 25.
THE SLIGHT INCREASE IN REVENUES FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS STEMS FROM THE STATE REVENUES.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR SCHOOLS? OKAY.
OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET TO ACTUALS DEPARTMENT, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF APART DEPARTMENTS THAT CAME IN A LITTLE BIT.
UM, OFF TREND FOR SECOND QUARTER.
ONE IS ACCOUNTING, BUT THAT WAS DUE TO US COMPLETING SO MANY AUDITS IN ONE YEAR.
USUALLY IF IT'S THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE YEAR SHOULD BALANCE ITSELF OUT BECAUSE WE BUDGETED FOR THE AMOUNT.
THE SECOND DEPARTMENT IS THE CIRCUIT COURT, IT'S THE ADMIN OFFICE SUPPLIES.
THEY HAD TO TAKE CARE OF SOME THINGS, ORDER NEW COMPUTERS AND STUFF.
SO THAT SHOULD BALANCE ITSELF OUT AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR AS WELL.
CIRCUIT COURT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES THAT WERE NEEDED.
HWR, OF COURSE, THAT'S MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL.
HUMAN RESOURCES WAS HR MANUAL CONSULTANT THAT'S BEING, UM, WORKED ON CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW.
THAT WILL BE, WE WOULD BRING, BE BRINGING TOWARDS COUNCIL WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OF COURSE WAS OFFICE 365 MITIGATION THAT WAS PAID IN A LUMP SUM UPFRONT THAT SHOULD BALANCE ITSELF OUT AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
WE HAD SOME FOR THE MARINA, BUT THAT WAS DUE TO THE ROOF REPAIR.
POLICE WAS THE SERVICE CONTRACT SOFTWARE.
AGAIN, WHEN YOU BUDGET OUT FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND YOU PAY A LUMP SUM AT ONE TIME, IT CAN THROW THE TRENDS OFF, BUT IT WILL BALANCE ITSELF OUT TOWARDS THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
SHERIFF IS A SERVICE CONTRACT FOR BODY CAMS AND TASERS.
LUMP SUM PAYMENT AND VOTER REGISTRAR WAS THE PART-TIME EMPLOYEES FOR THE ELECTION.
STACY, COULD YOU SLOW DOWN JUST A MOMENT? SURE.
AND EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
SO THEY'RE OFF TREND BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF FOCUS ON THE CAPITAL PROJECTS AS WELL AS A LOT OF MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED PREVIOUSLY WITH THE PLANT.
ANDY HAS BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY AND A TEAM OVER HRW TO MAKE SURE THAT NOT ONLY ARE THEY KEEPING ON TRACK WITH THE MAINTENANCE THAT'S REQUIRED AT THE PLANT, AS WELL AS WORKING ON DEQ AT THE SAME TIME, THE D EQ NLV.
SO CAN WE PROJECT THE TOTAL IMPACT OF THE BUDGET AT THE END? WHAT IT WILL LOOK LIKE BY THE END OF THE YEAR? IT'S STILL SHOULD STAY IN LINE WITH BUDGET.
WE WILL NOT GO OVER BUDGET, BUT IT'S LOOKING LIKE THEY'RE OFF TREND.
LIKE THEY'RE SPENDING MORE THAN THEY SHOULD BE AT THE SECOND QUARTER.
YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A 50% FOR A SECOND QUARTER.
'CAUSE THAT'S HALF OF THE FISCAL YEAR.
THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT OVER, THEY ARE 56%.
SO IT'S JUST A SLIGHT BIT OVER BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING MORE MAINTENANCE AND MORE.
UM, HONESTLY, I WAS EXPECTING IT TO GO MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT.
SO I GUESS THAT'S A DISCUSSION FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.
WE DO HAVE A REQUEST TO TALK TO THE COMMISSION, BUT WE HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO THEM YET TO GET ADDITIONAL FUNDS.
BUT IT'S ONLY LIKE A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO FINISH UP SOME THINGS THAT ANDY NEEDS TO BE DONE.
BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE ANY MORE THAN THAT GOING OVER BUDGET.
THEY SHOULD STAY IN LINE WITH BUDGET FOR THE MOST PART.
UM, YOU MIGHT TALK A LITTLE BIT TOO ABOUT WHEN YOU SAY THAT, UM, WE'RE OVER BUDGET IN SOME CATEGORIES, LIKE YOU MENTIONED THE GENERAL FUND, ABOUT 800,000, ET CETERA.
UH, KIND OF IN LINE WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER OLIS, UH, QUESTION, WHAT DOES THAT PRETEND FOR THE END OF THE YEAR? FOR THE END OF THE YEAR? WE SH WE STILL SHOULD BE.
SO IF WE CAN GO BACK REAL QUICK PLEASE, MICHELLE.
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SPREADSHEET THAT COMES AFTER THE FIRST SLIDE, IF YOU GO BACK TO CITYWIDE, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMPARISON OF 25 VERSUS 26, WE ARE STILL, UM, ABOUT $2 MILLION
[00:30:02]
LESS THAN IN EXPENSES THAN WE WERE FOR 25.SO, WHICH MEANS THAT WE'LL HAVE A GREATER INCREASE OF REVENUES OVER EXPENDITURES AT THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR IF WE STAY ON TRACK THE WAY THAT WE'RE STAYING ON TRACK.
SO ANYTIME YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UH, CITYWIDE OR GENERAL FUND, JUST LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
YOU WILL AL WE'LL WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STAYING IN LINE, WE'RE STAYING BELOW WHAT WE DID THE LAST, THE YEAR BEFORE.
THE NEXT SLIDE SHOULD BE OVERTIME.
OVERTIME BY DEPARTMENT FOR SECOND QUARTER.
WE ONLY HAD A COUPLE OF COURSE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE DUE TO VACANCIES, VOTER REGISTRAR WAS A PART-TIME ELECTIONS AS WELL AS THE TREASURER'S OFFICE DUE TO SOME VACANCIES FOR THE OVERTIME.
AGAIN, THIS IS SECOND QUARTER, SO YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE 50% OR MORE, A LITTLE BIT LESS.
NOW FOR OUR SECOND QUARTER SALARY SAVINGS, THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE SALARY SAVINGS DUE TO VACANCIES AND OTHER VACANCIES THROUGH THE DEPARTMENTS BY EACH DEPARTMENT.
THE SECOND SHEET IS THE SAME AS THE DEPARTMENT.
SO OVERALL, OUR GENERAL FUND SAVINGS SALARY SAVINGS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER IS $2.5 MILLION.
OUR ENTERPRISE SAVINGS THUS FAR ARE $657,000.
OUR SOCIAL SERVICES SALARY SAVINGS ARE $363,000.
AND OUR HEALTHY FAMILY SALARY SAVINGS ARE $86,000.
THESE ARE MONIES AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD, THAT CAN BE REALLOCATED TO OTHERS.
THINGS SUCH AS CAPITAL PROJECTS AND STUFF, LONG AS IT'S WITHIN THE LINES.
GENERAL FUND, SOCIAL SERVICES, HEALTHY FAMILIES, OR ENTERPRISE.
UH, MR. ROGERS, ARE YOU GUYS PLANNING ON BRINGING BACK HERE? UM, IN TWO WEEKS OR AT THE FIRST MEETING IN MARCH? UM, YOU KNOW HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THE MIDYEAR REAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS TO FUND ADDITIONAL CAPITAL PROJECTS? YES.
AND OUR ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DEBT SERVICE FOR DECEMBER.
WE PROCESS 1500 INVOICES FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $6.8 MILLION.
AND I'LL GO, OUR DEBT IS PAID ON TIME.
TONIGHT YOU'LL ALSO HEAR FROM MR. DAVID FOLEY IN REGARDS TO THE FISCAL YEAR 24 A CFR THAT WE FINALLY HAVE COMPLETED.
AND AS POSTED TO THE FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE, AS WELL AS SENT TO A PA, WE ARE ON SO FAR ON TIME TO MEET THE DEADLINE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, WHICH IS MARCH 31ST.
AND WITH THE CITY WILL FINALLY BE CUT UP WITH THE AFR.
THAT'S, UH, WE HAVE AS THE CHIEF YOU NEXT I THINK.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MR. MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL.
I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU THE CRIME SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY.
I'LL BE BACK ON THE 24TH TO, TO DO THE FEBRUARY CRIME REPORT.
UM, THIS IS THROUGH JANUARY THE 18TH.
AND OUR VALID CRIME WE'RE DOWN BY 29%.
HOWEVER, IN OUR PROPERTY CRIMES, WE WILL, WE'RE UP, UH, 71% REGARD.
AND THE BIGGEST INCREASE HAS BEEN THE LARCENY.
IF YOU SEE FROM 2025, IT WAS 10 AND 20.
26 IS 10 MORE, WHICH IS 20, WHICH RESULTED IN A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE.
AND THAT WAS DUE TO LARCENIES FROM MOTOR VEHICLES AND LARS FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY.
AND THE LICENSEES COULD BE A BICYCLE, UH, A LAWNMOWER, UH, ANY TYPE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY.
UH, FORTUNATELY, I I I GET TO SAY THAT MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT IS THERE BY 67% AND TOTAL PROPERTY CRIME BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN THE LARCENIES, UH, OUR PROPERTY CRIME IS UP 71% AND TOTAL MAJOR CRIME IS UP 38%.
BUT THIS IS EARLY PART OF THE YEAR.
AS WE LOOK AT, UH, 2023 V VERSUS WHERE WE AT IN 2026, A PERCENTAGE FROM 2023 UNTIL NOW, WE'LL MINUS 29% IN VIOLENT CRIME AND PROPERTY CRIME COMPARED TO 2023 TO 2026 WILL DOWN WE'LL DOWN MINUS 8%.
SO A TOTAL DECREASE IN TOTAL MAJOR CRIMES COMPARED TO 2023.
AND HERE IN 2026 IS MINUS 12%.
[00:35:01]
OVERDOSES.UH, FORTUNATELY, LIKE IN, UH, FOR 2026, UH, FATAL IS ZERO.
UH, NON-FATAL IS ZERO, AND OUR GRAND TOTAL FOR 2026 IS ZERO.
SO I'M FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT AT THIS TIME PERIOD WE HAVE, UH, ZERO AND FOUR IS OPIATE OVERDOSES.
I VERIFIED SHOTS FIVE, UM, UH, THUS FAR IN 2026 WE'VE HAD ONE.
AND WHEN I REPORT BACK THAT, THAT MAY CHANGE.
BUT WE'LL SEE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETINGS, UH, REMAIN THE SAME, NO CHANGES.
UH, HIRING RECRUITMENT, UH, WE HAD OUR POLICE APPLICANT TESTING ON JANUARY THE 10TH, AND AT THE, THAT WAS AT THE, UH, POLICE ACADEMY AND FIRE WERE GIVEN CONDITIONAL OFFICE AND GOING THROUGH THE BACKGROUND CHECK.
AND SEVEN RECRUITS HAVE STARTED THE ACADEMY BACK IN JANUARY THE FIFTH.
UH, FOUR RECRUITS GRADUATED FROM THE ACADEMY.
THEY ARE GOING THROUGH THE FTO PROGRAM AND WE STILL HAVE ONE, UH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS OPERATOR IN THE BACKGROUND CHECK.
AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE A TOTAL OF SEVEN OPEN POLICE POSITIONS, TOTAL OF SEVEN.
UH, COMMUNITY POLICE AND OFFICER WOODS MADE THE SAME, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
UH, WE HAVE SCHEDULED THE NEXT, UH, POLICE CITIZEN CITIZENS ACADEMY, AND THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR MARCH THE FIFTH THROUGH THE SEVENTH.
AND THAT'LL BE HERE, IT'LL BE AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
STARTING TIME WILL BE 6:00 AM UH, THE HEAT PROGRAM, WHICH IS HELP ELIMINATE AUTO THEFT.
UH, WE HAVE RECEIVED SUPPLIES AND, AND THE, THE DATES OF DISTRIBUTION IS, IS DUE TO BE DETERMINED.
WE HAVEN'T SET A DATE YET, BUT WE HAVE GOT THIS SUPPLIED.
UH, NEXT BUSINESS WATCH MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY THE 12TH.
UH, LOCATION IS YET TO BE DETERMINED AND THE SP THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS PLANNING AND THE MEMORIAL BREAKFAST PLANNING WAS, UH, SCHEDULED AND IT WAS HELD.
AND THE MEMORIAL BREAKFAST IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY THE SEVENTH.
AND THE PROGRAM WILL START AT 8:00 AM THAT IS NOT ON HERE, BUT I JUST FOUND THAT OUT TODAY.
UH, THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS HAVE, UH, IMPLEMENTED A CURRICULUM CALLED HEROES IN TRAINING.
AND THIS IS FOR STUDENTS TO VOLUNTEER TO ATTEND DURING THE INTERSECTION, UH, IF THEY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC INTEREST IN BECOMING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS.
AND THE START DATE FOR THIS IS MARCH THE SECOND OF 2026.
UH, THIS BROWN AVENUE SPEED STUDY, UH, THIS SPEED STUDY WAS CONDUCTED JUNE THE FOURTH THROUGH JUNE THE 11TH.
AND AT THE POSTER SPEED LIMIT IS 25 MILES PER HOUR ON BROWN AVENUE.
UH, DURING THIS VEHICLE COUNT, THIS WAS, UH, THE VEHICLE COUNT WAS, UH, PROPERTY OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS, UH, SPEED, UH, UH, SPEED LIMIT COUNT THAT WE PUT IN POST THAT WE CAN GET THE VEHICLES GOING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
UH, THE AVERAGE SPEED OR TOTAL VEHICLE COUNT WAS 1062 VEHICLES DURING THAT WEEK THAT WE HAD TO STUDY.
AND THE AVERAGE SPEED WAS 18.41 OUT OF A, UH, 85%, 85% PERCENTILE SPEED WAS 23 MILES PER HOUR.
AND OUT OF THE 1062 VEHICLE COUNT, A TOTAL OF 73 VEHICLES WAS OVER THE 25 MILE PER HOUR SPEED LIMIT WITH A 6.87%.
AND THE AVERAGE, UH, VIOLATION SPEED WAS 28.79 MILES PER HOUR.
AND OUT OF THE 1062, UH, VEHICLE ZERO WERE OVER 45 MILES PER HOUR.
AND THE THE NEXT SLIDE IS, IS REALLY JUST A BREAKDOWN AND IT GOES, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DATE AND WE LOOKED AT THE TOTAL VEHICLE COUNT, THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT, THE EXCESS OF SPEED THRESHOLD, AND THE SPEED PROFILE THAT I JUST WENT OVER IN THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE PURPOSE WAS OF THE STUDY? WHAT WERE WE TRYING TO PROVE OR UNDERSTAND BECAUSE OF THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS THAT WE HAD HAD IN REGARDS TO SPEEDING ON BROWN AVENUE FROM CITIZENS? SO DO WE THINK THE BEHAVIOR WAS DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE DID POST WHAT THEIR, AND GAVE 'EM FEEDBACK ON WHAT THEIR SPEED WAS? DO YOU THINK THAT CHANGED THE PATTERN IN ANY WAY? HOPEFULLY IT WILL.
IT CHANGED THE PATTERN THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM WHAT OUR STUDY SHOWS, THAT YOU KNOW, THAT,
[00:40:01]
UH, THE MOTORS ARE DRIVING SPEED LIMIT.HOWEVER, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR BROWN AVENUE FOR ANY TYPES OF VIOLATIONS.
AND WE, UH, MADE SURE THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS SHARED WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETINGS AT, UH, UH, OUR RECENT, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH MEETING WITH THE CITY POINT NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH.
SO, SO BASED ON, UH, ON THE, THE, THE, THE STUDY, UH, RESULTS, ARE THERE, UH, ANY, UH, CHANGES CONTEMPLATED FOR BROWN AVENUE OR WILL IT STAY THE SAME? WILL IT'LL STAY THE SAME AT THIS TIME, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK THAT AREA FOR SPEED OF VIOLATIONS AND, UH, AND IN THE FUTURE, UH, CON CONDUCT ANOTHER STUDY.
UH, THANKS MAYOR, JOINING THAT, THAT, WHAT, THAT'S MY AWARD OBVIOUSLY.
AND, UH, WE DO HAVE SOME CITIZENS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY HAD SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, THE SPEED SPEEDING THERE.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WITH REGARD TO THIS PARTICULAR SPEED STUDY, THE, UM, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE POLICE CARS THAT WERE, WERE LOOKING AT THE SPEED, THEY WERE SO VERY VISIBLE THAT IT PROBABLY MADE PEOPLE SLOW DOWN.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT, I KNOW THAT THERE WERE COMMENTS ABOUT THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT SINCE THEN THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES.
I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE LOOKED AT CHANGING THE, THE WAY THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MEASURING THIS WAS ONLY FOR ONE WEEK.
UM, UH, SO I, YOU KNOW, I WOULD, I MEAN, THIS IS PRETTY ODD THAT THE AVERAGE SPEED WOULD BE BELOW 25.
I, YOU KNOW, I GO ON THAT STREET ALL THE TIME AND IT'S USUALLY A LITTLE BIT FASTER THAN THAT.
BUT, UM, ANYWAY, IT'S, IT'S INTERESTING DATA AND WE, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION SO FORTH.
UM, THE NEXT SPEECH STUDY WAS ON CEDAR LANE IN MAPLEWOOD, AND THAT WAS, UH, OCCURRED THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER THE FOURTH THROUGH THE 11TH.
AND THE SPEED LIMIT ON CEDAR LANE IS 25 MILES PER HOUR.
UH, TOTAL V TOTAL VEHICLE COUNT WAS 4,576 VEHICLES, AND THE AVERAGE SPEED WAS 23.78 MILES PER HOUR.
OUT OF THE 85% PERCENTILE SPEED WAS AT 28 MILES PER HOUR.
A TOTAL OF 37 VEHICLES OUT OF 4,576 WERE OVER THE EXCESSIVE SPEED COUNT THRESHOLD OF 37 MILES PER HOUR.
AND THE AVERAGE SPEED VIOLATION WAS 28.76 MILES PER HOUR.
SO, ONCE AGAIN, YOU KNOW, IT, IT DIDN'T, THIS, THIS STUDY DIDN'T SHOW A, UM, MAJOR, UH, SPEEDING ISSUE.
HOWEVER, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR IT, GET BACK IN THAT AREA AT A DIFFERENT TIME AND, AND CONDUCT ANOTHER SPEED CAMP.
AND ALSO WE WILL CONTINUE OUT DIRECTOR PATROLS ADDRESS SPEEDING COMPLAINTS ON CEDAR LANE IN MAPLEWOOD.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS A KIND OF A BREAKDOWN OF, UH, THE TOTAL VEHICLES, THE DATE, UH, POSTED SPEED LIMIT, UH, TOTAL VEHICLE COUNT, UH, THE SPEED PROFILE, THE 85% TILE, AND THE VEHICLE'S OVER THE EXCESSIVE SPEED THRESHOLD.
SO IT JUST GIVES US A BREAKDOWN.
AND THE AVERAGE SPEED VIOLATION, ONCE AGAIN WAS 28.76.
WE ALSO CHECKED THE ACCESS FROM JANUARY OF 2022 THROUGH JANUARY 5TH, 2026 AT MAPLEWOOD AVENUE, CEDAR LANE, AND MAPLEWOOD AND, AND BROWN AVENUE.
AND DURING THAT STUDY, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF SEVEN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON MAPLEWOOD BROWN OR CEDAR LANE, BUT NOT AT THE INTERSECTION.
NONE OF THE ACCIDENTS REPORTED INJURIES OR ANIMALS BEING STRUCK.
AND LASTLY, THE, UH, THE TRAFFIC STUDY REGARDING THE PRIVATE SCHOOL ZONES AND ON BROADWAY.
AND THIS SPEED STUDY WAS, UH, PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL DATA AND SURVEILLANCE SERVICES, AND THAT WAS AT WEST BROADWAY, NORTH 15TH FOR BROADWAY BAPTIST CHURCH.
AND THE SPEED STUDY WAS DONE, UH, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH THROUGH NOVEMBER 21ST.
AND THE SPEED LIMIT, AS WE KNOW, WAS 35 MILES PER HOUR.
UH, TOTAL VEHICLE, TOTAL SPEED CAMP THAT WAS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OF THAT WEEK WAS TOTAL VEHICLES OF 28,415 VEHICLES BOTH DIRECTIONS.
[00:45:02]
AND THE AVERAGE SPEED, UH, WAS 26.8 MILES PER HOUR.THE 85%, 85% OF THE VEHICLES ARE TRAVELING AT 32 MILES PER HOUR.
AND OUT OF THE 28,415 VEHICLES, ONLY 43 TRAVEL 45 MILES PER HOUR OR MORE.
AND THE SPEED STUDY FOR WEST END CHRISTIAN CHURCH IS PENDING.
WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS PUSHING THE BUTTON CORRECTLY.
DID YOU FIND, IS THAT A CERTAIN TIME OF THE DAY PEOPLE ARE
I, I JUST WAS CURIOUS IF IS, IF IT ACTUALLY PICKED UP ON THE TIME OF DAY IS BEING SIGNIFICANT, THE, UH, TIME OF DAY, UH, FOR ALL HOURS.
UH, WE DIDN'T SEE, UH, SIGNIFICANT, UH, TIME OF DAY, WHETHER IT WAS THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING IN THIS STUDY.
28,015, I KNEW, I KNEW IT WAS HEAVY TRAFFIC, BUT I'M STILL AMAZED THAT IT WOULD BE THAT MUCH IN A WEEK.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY CRIME SUMMARY AND SUMMARY OF THE SKI STUDIES AND I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
THAT FOR CITY MANAGER'S REPORT.
[ACTIONS RESULTING FROM CLOSED MEETING]
UH, WE HAVE A FEW, UH, ITEMS FROM CLOSED SESSION.UH, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPOINT, UH, COUNCILOR SUSAN DAY AS THE HRHA LIAISON? SO MOVED.
MOTION'S BEEN MADE BY VICE MAYOR JOINER AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR OLE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING NO LIGHTS ROLL CALL PLEASE.
AT THIS TIME, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPOINT, UH, MS. PATIENCE BENNETT, UH, TO FILL, UH, THE TERM FOR THE UNEXPIRED TERM FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD? SO, MOVE I SECOND IT OR EXCUSE ME, I'M SORRY.
AND, UH, PLEASE JUST, UH, HAVE IN THE, UH, MINUTES THAT I'M RECUSING MYSELF AND I'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU THE FORM AND EVERYTHING FOR THIS ONE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING NO LIGHTS? ROLL CALL PLEASE.
UM, WE'LL HAVE THE PRAYER TONIGHT BY, UH, REVEREND TUCKER, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, BY MYSELF.
MOST GRACIOUS, HEAVENLY FATHER, WE PRAISE YOU AND WE THANK YOU DEAR LORD.
FOR OUR DEAR CITY, THE CITY OF HOPEWELL, WE THANK YOU LORD FOR OUR CITY LEADERS WHO HAVE GIVEN UP THEIR TIME, LORD.
AND WE PRAY, LORD, THAT YOU WILL BLESS THEM, FATHER, WITH COURAGE, WITH WISDOM, LORD, AND WITH COMPASSION.
AND LORD, WE PRAY THAT THE WORKS OF OUR HANDS WILL BRING GLORY TO YOUR NAME.
AND FINALLY, LORD, WE PRAY THAT WE AS THE CITIZENS, WE WILL GIVE OUR LEADERS OUR HELP AND OUR SUPPORT, LORD.
AND THAT WE WILL SAY KIND THINGS ABOUT THEM OFTEN, LORD, AS ENCOURAGEMENT.
HELP US ALL LORD, TO WORK TOGETHER SO THAT OUR CITY LORD, WILL BE A GOOD CITY.
AND YOU WILL SMILE WHEN YOU LOOK AT US.
WE PRAISE YOU AND WE THANK YOU IN YOUR HOLY NAME.
I PLEASURE TO FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
[00:50:21]
OKAY,[CONSENT AGENDA]
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA? SO MOVED.[COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS]
OKAY.UH, MOVING ON TO COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS.
UH, MADAM CLERK, WILL YOU PLEASE READ THE STATEMENT? ABSOLUTELY.
A COMMUNICATION FROM CITIZENS PERIOD LIMITED TO A TOTAL OF 30 MINUTES OCCURS AT EACH REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, PERSONS ADDRESSING COUNCIL APPROACH, THE MICROPHONE GIVE THEIR NAME, AND IF THEY RESIDE IN HOPEWELL OF THEIR AWARD NUMBER, EACH COMMENT IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES.
NO PERSON IS PERMITTED TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM SCHEDULED FOR PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL REMARKS MUST BE ADDRESSED TO THE COUNCIL AS A BODY, ANY PERSON WHO MAKES PER PERSONAL IMPERTINENT, ABUSIVE OR SLANDEROUS STATEMENTS OR INCITE DISORDERLY CONDUCT IN COUNSEL CHAMBERS MAY BE BARR FROM FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS FROM CITIZENS.
UH, FIRST PERSON I HAVE SIGNED UP FOR TONIGHT IS MS. LAURA GREENWOOD.
UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I'M LAURA GREENWOOD.
UM, I AM GONNA MAKE THIS REALLY BRIEF.
I'M GONNA MAKE THIS REALLY BRIEF.
I'M REALLY DISGUSTED NO AGAINST YOU, WARD SIX.
I'M REALLY DISGUSTED IN REGARDS TO THIS WILLIAMSBURG RETREAT RETREATS.
THE TRUTH HAS BEEN MISREPRESENTED TO ME, AND I DON'T APPRECIATE THAT.
I DON'T APPRECIATE CONDESCENDING COMMENTS EITHER.
THIS AGENDA, EVERYBODY THAT ATTENDED COULD HAVE DONE IT HERE AT HOPEWELL AND SAVED THE TAXPAYERS OVER $10,000.
YOU COULD HAVE HAD THE LOCALS RESTAURANTS SERVE YOU LUNCH AND CATER AND SUPPORT THEM.
I'M DISGUSTED BECAUSE I WAS TOLD BY SOMEBODY AND, UM, THAT IT WAS FOR Y'ALL TO GET ALONG TO GO AND GET ALONG TOGETHER.
THERE WAS ONE COUNCIL MEMBER OUT OF THREE THAT TOLD ME THE TRUTH AND I THANKED THEM FOR THAT.
IT HAD NOTHING TO DO THAT WITH THAT UNLESS THAT $180 WINE BILL WAS PART OF IT.
YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT RIGHT HERE AT THE LIBRARY WHERE I HOLD MY, MY MEETINGS.
THEY HAVE EVERYTHING RIGHT THERE FREE.
YOU COULD HAVE GONE HOME, SLEPT IN YOUR OWN BEDS, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GET A ROOM CHANGE.
AND MY RESERVE MY TIME TO MARK BAREZ.
DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, I THINK I SHOULD.
UM, I HAVE, UM, WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THIS RETREAT AND PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR DISPLEASURE THAT THE COUNCIL WENT AWAY FOR A PLANNING SESSION.
UH, AND AS I SAID BEFORE, MANY COUNCILS THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY INCLUDE PLANNING RETREATS AS A PART OF THEIR STANDUP PROCESS.
THAT'S HOW THEY GET THINGS DONE.
THAT'S HOW THEY GET AGREEMENT AND CONSENSUS AROUND VERY BIG PROJECTS.
AND AT THE RETREAT IN, UM, WILLIAMSBURG, THIS COUNCIL DID THE SAME THING AND TACKLE ONE OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS FACING THE CITY.
AND THAT IS, UH, THE FUTURE OF THE HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL AND WHETHER WE SHOULD SELL IT OR, UH, CONTRACT IT OUT THROUGH OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE.
AND COUNCIL CAME TO A DECISION NOT TO SELL IT AND, UH, TO DO AN RFP FOR OPERATIONS MAINTENANCE.
AND THE ADMINISTRATION HAS FOLLOWED THROUGH ON THAT.
WE, WE'VE RECEIVED ALL THE PROPOSALS AND WE WILL REVIEW THEM IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND COME BACK TO
[00:55:01]
COUNCIL WITH A RE, UH, A RECOMMENDATION.THE C CITIZENS CAN OBJECT TO THAT RETREAT CONTINUOUSLY.
IF THEY DARE, IF THEY WANT TO DARE.
I'M SORRY IF THEY, IF YOU EXCUSE ME, IF YOU WANT, HE HAS THE FLOOR.
YOU'LL HAVE, YOU WILL HAVE YOUR TIME HERE VERY SHORTLY.
THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING, MR. ROGERS.
MY LAST STATEMENT IS THAT AS A PROFESSIONAL AND THE CITY MANAGEMENT PROFESSION, WE'VE WORKED WITH COUNCILS IN THIS AREA AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WE'VE WORKED WITH MANY RETREATS.
I WILL NEVER AGREE THAT A PLANNING RETREAT FOR A CITY COUNCIL IS A BAD THING OR A WASTE OF MONEY.
TAXPAYER'S MONEY, IT WAS WELL SPENT IF IT CAN GET THIS COUNCIL WORKING TOGETHER AND THEY HAVE BEEN AND MOVING ON SIGNIFICANT CITY, UH, PRIORITIES.
SO THE, UH, THE NUMBERS ARE WHAT THEY ARE AND, UM, WE, WE GOT A REPORT AND WE, WE ARE, UH, FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THAT AND, AND IMPLEMENTING WHAT, UH, THE COUNCIL INDICATED THAT THEY WANTED, UH, TO FOCUS ON IN THIS CITY.
I HAVE WRITTEN UP THE NICE LITTLE SPEECH.
MY NAME'S MARK BURROWS, WARD THREE.
UNFORTUNATELY, I'VE WRITTEN UP A NICE LITTLE SPEECH, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS.
BUT LET'S GET DOWN TO THE BRASS TACKS OF IT.
FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR Y'ALL TO SHUT YOUR MOUTHS AND LISTEN, NOT TO RESPOND AS YOU GAVE HIM PERMISSION TO DO SO.
SECOND OF ALL, IT'S IRONIC THAT YOU WANT TO SPEAK TONIGHT, BUT WHEN I CALLED AND LEFT A MESSAGE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ONE OF YOUR CITY EMPLOYEES SLAMMING A DOOR ON MY FACE, DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE BODY OF COUNSEL.
I AM, I DIDN'T CALL HIS NAME OUT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IN THE MEANTIME, I'LL RESERVE MY TIME.
SIT THERE, KEEP YOUR PIE HOLE SHUT AND LET ME ADDRESS HIM.
YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE STILL CONTINUING.
YOU, YOU, YOU DON'T NEED TO ADDRESS ME, SIR.
AS A CITY, AS SOMEBODY WHO IS PAID BY MY TAX DOLLARS, I ABSOLUTELY HAVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT BODY.
MR. BURROWS, YOU ADDRESS THE BODY AS A WHOLE.
YOU DO NOT SINGLE OUT AN INDIVIDUAL.
SINCE I CAN'T REDRESS MY GOVERNMENT AS THE FIRST AMENDMENT AUTHORIZES ME AND GUARANTEES ME THE RIGHT TO DO I'LL ADDRESS YOU, CONTROL YOUR PUPPETS, GET THEM TO CALL THE CONSTITUENTS BACK WHEN THEY FAILED TO DO THEIR JOBS ACCORDINGLY.
I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS IN LINE WENT TO.
WAS THAT DURING THE DUTY DAY WHILE Y'ALL WERE DOING YOUR PLANNING SESSION? WERE Y'ALL PLANNING WHILE YOU WERE INTOXICATED? IS THAT THE PROBLEM WITH THE CITY? OR ARE WE FUNDING Y'ALL'S AFTER HOURS PARTY? YOU WANNA SIT HERE AND SAY THAT DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE THESE PLANNING SESSIONS AND GO AWAY TO DO THEM AND SO FORTH AND SO ON.
YOU MAY BE RIGHT, BUT THEY DON'T DO IT AT THE EXPENSE OF $17,000 AND, AND BASICALLY BS AND THEN COME BACK AND TRY TO LIE ABOUT IT.
AND THEN COME BACK AND TRY TO LIE ABOUT IT AGAIN.
AND THEN SIT HERE AND TRY TO DEFEND IT WHEN YOU'RE BEING CALLED OUT BY THE PEOPLE WHOSE MONEY YOU SPENT.
IF YOU WANT TO SPEND MONEY FREELY SPEND YOUR OWN, NOT OURS, THE CITY DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY FOR YOU TO BE SPENDING $17,000 ON THIS.
FAIR FETCH COUNTY DID A PLANNING SESSION.
THEY DID IT RIGHT IN FAIRFAX COUNTY.
IT COST THEM LESS THAN 20 GRAND FOR THEIR ENTIRE WEEK LONG PLANNING SESSION THAT INCLUDED FOOD AND EVERYTHING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
AND GUESS WHAT? THOSE HORDY TO SONS OF GUNS DIDN'T GO OUT AND HAVE WINE AFTERWARDS.
BUT Y'ALL THINK Y'ALL WERE ENTITLED TO IT EITHER DURING THE DAY OR AFTER ONE OF THE TWO.
ONCE AGAIN, EITHER Y'ALL WERE DRINKING ON THE JOB, WHICH LIKE I SAID, EXPLAINS A LOT.
OR YOU'RE, OR WE'RE FUNDING YOUR AFTER PARTY.
EITHER WAY, THAT SHOULD HAVE COME OUTTA Y'ALL'S POCKET.
AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE, THE ISSUES WITH THIS WHOLE THING.
SECOND IS HOW DARE HOW DARE ANY MEMBER OF THIS CITY'S GOVERNMENT AND EMPLOYEE'S, MR. BURROWS, YOUR TIME IS UP.
HE HAS MY, UH, THAT IS NOT HOW WE OPERATE, MA'AM.
THAT IS NOT IN OUR RULES AND PROCEDURES.
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP ON GOING WITH THE SAME OLD GAME.
[REGULAR BUSINESS]
MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS.ANYBODY ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO
[01:00:01]
SPEAK? COULD I SPEAK? UH, NO.I'M SORRY, UH, GENTLEMEN, BUT YOU DID NOT SIGN UP FOR TONIGHT.
ASHLEY, YOU GAVE YOU GOING PLAY.
DO SO MS. JORDAN, I'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU.
CALL MR. MAGUS IF ANY TIME YOU FEEL LIKE GOOD EVENING AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO INTRODUCE MR. DAVID FOLEY WITH ROBERTSON FARMERS COX.
AND I ALSO WANT TO SAY I TRULY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US SO FAR, DAVID, AND WORKING WITH US IN FOR 24, ESPECIALLY BEING ABLE TO TURN THAT REPORT AROUND IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
WE GAVE HIM A LOT LESS TIME THAN WHAT HE'S USED TO, BUT HE PULLED THROUGH IT AND HE GOT IT DONE FOR US.
UH, MR. MAYOR, UH, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, UH, AGAIN, MY NAME IS DAVID FOLEY.
I'M A PARTNER WITH, UH, ROBINSON PHARMAC COLLEGE ASSOCIATES, AND WE PERFORMED THE, UH, FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT FOR THE, UH, CITY'S FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN, UM, JUNE 30, 20, 24.
AND HERE TO, UH, PRESENT THE RESULTS OF THAT TO YOU ALL.
UM, BEFORE I GET INTO THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT, JUST A QUICK BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE AUDIT THAT WE DO, UM, FOR THE CITY AS PART OF THE, THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
UM, THERE'S REALLY THREE MAIN PIECES TO THAT AUDIT.
UM, ONE OF COURSE, WE AUDIT THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THEY'RE PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPT TO ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER TWO PIECES OF THE AUDIT WE DO, UM, IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT AUDITING STANDARDS.
UM, ONE IS, WHICH IS, UH, IN ADDITION TO JUST LOOKING AT THE, THE NUMBERS THEMSELVES, UH, RE WE REVIEW AND GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE, UM, INTERNAL CONTROLS, UH, THAT THE CITY HAS IN PLACE OVER ITS FINANCIAL REPORTING.
UH, WE DO THIS, UM, AS A BASIS OF, UH, DESIGNING OUR AUDIT PROCEDURES.
AND IN CERTAIN CASES WE WILL, UM, TEST THOSE CONTROLS TO SEE IF THEY'RE OPERATING AS THEY WERE DESIGNED.
AND THEN THE, UH, THIRD PIECE OF THE AUDIT IS THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE PIECE.
UH, SO, UH, WHENEVER A LOCALITY EXPANDS OVER, UM, 750,000 IN FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS, YOU HAVE TO UNDERGO, UH, WHAT'S CALLED THE SINGLE AUDIT, THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE AUDIT, UM, AS PART OF, OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT AUDIT.
SO FOR THE MAJOR, UH, FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS FOR THE CITY AND SCHOOL BOARD, UM, OMB PROVIDES A COMPLIANCE, UH, SUPPLEMENT WITH THE LIST OF, UH, COMPLIANCE, UH, REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CITY AND SCHOOLS HAVE TO COMPLY WITH WHEN THEY'RE EXPENDING THE FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM.
SO WE GO THROUGH THAT CHECKLIST, UM, TO CHECK TO SEE THAT THE CITY AND SCHOOLS ARE, UH, COMPLIANT WITH THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN PIECES OF THE AUDIT THAT WE DO.
SO, UM, AS SUCH, INCLUDED IN THE CITY'S, UM, ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT, THERE'S, UH, THREE DIFFERENT, UH, REPORTS FROM US THAT, UH, COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT.
UM, THE FIRST, UH, REPORT IS TOWARDS THE FRONT OF, OF THE DOCUMENT.
AND THIS IS OUR, UH, INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT.
AND THIS REPORT IS WHERE WE SAY, WE DID PERFORM AN AUDIT ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND IT'S WHERE WE ISSUE, UM, OUR OPINION ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE, UM, ISSUED A, UH, UNMODIFIED OPINION ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, UH, WHICH IS A CLEAN OPINION ON THE, UM, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
UH, BASICALLY A UNMODIFIED OPINION MEANS THAT THE CITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN PREPARED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GENERALLY ACCEPTED, UM, ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES.
UM, THE OTHER TWO REPORTS FROM US ARE ON THE BACK OF THE REPORT.
UM, THE FIRST REPORT BACK HERE IS OUR REPORT OVER THE CITY'S, UH, INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER ITS FINANCIAL REPORTING.
UM, WE DID, UM, REPORT, UM, SOME MATERIAL WEAKNESSES IN THE, UH, CITY'S INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING.
UM, AGAIN, THE THEME OF THESE, UH, MATERIAL WEAKNESSES OR, UH, REALLY RECONCILIATIONS, UM, PERFORMING TIMELY MONTHLY RECONCILIATIONS, BANK RECONCILIATIONS, UM, UH, PROPERTY TAX, UM, RECONCILIATIONS, UTILITY, UM, RECONCILIATION, RECONCILE, SUBSIDIARY LEDGERS.
UM, AND AS I STATED BEFORE, YOU KNOW, AS WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THESE, UM, OLDER YEARS, UM, THESE, UH, FINDINGS, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT JUST 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, GET CAUGHT UP.
UM, BUT, UM, FY 25 WILL BE, UM, THE FIRST FULL YEAR THAT, UM, THE ROBERT, UH, BOB GROUP WAS IN PLACE AND HAD THOSE PROCEDURES IN PLACE.
[01:05:01]
THERE'S POTENTIAL OF SEEING SOME OF THOSE FINDINGS, UM, GO AWAY, UH, DURING, UH, F 25.AND THEN THE, UH, THIRD AND FINAL REPORT, UH, FROM US IS TWO PAGES OVER, UM, WHICH IS A REPORT OVER THE CITY'S COMPLIANCE, WHICH IS, UH, MAJOR FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS. UM, THIS REPORT WAS, UH, CLEAN AS WELL.
NO, UM, MATERIAL WEAKNESSES OR SIGNIFICANT DEFICIENCIES IN THE CITY OR SCHOOL BOARDS, UM, INTERNAL, UM, COMPLIANCE OVER ITS MAJOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS. ALSO NO ITEMS OF, UH, NON-COMPLIANCE, UH, WERE NOTED AS PART OF THE AUDIT AUDIT.
SO THAT REPORT, UH, WAS CLEAN.
UM, BUT THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR FY UH, 24.
AND AS STACY MENTIONED, UM, WE STARTED GETTING DOCUMENTS UPLOADED TO US FOR FY 25.
UM, THE WORK FOR F 5 25 HERE, THAT'S ALL I HAVE, BUT BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ANYONE MAY HAVE.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. FOLEY? I DO.
YEAH, AND IT'S, IT DOES RELATE TO THE MATERIAL WEAKNESSES, AND, UM, UH, I KNOW WE, WE TALKED THE LAST TIME ABOUT HOW THESE WERE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'LL SEE FEWER AND FEWER.
DID, DID ANY OF THESE SURPRISE YOU? I MEAN, WERE THESE SORT OF ANTICIPATED? IT, IT WAS, IT, THEY, THEY WERE, UM, THEY WERE ANTICIPATED.
'CAUSE AGAIN, AS YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE CATCHING UP ON THE OLD YEARS, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, THOSE OLD YEARS, WHAT HAPPENED DURING THOSE OLD YEARS WAS ALREADY IN PLACE.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T, OKAY.
YOU CAN GET THE NUMBERS UPDATED.
UM, BUT THOSE PROCEDURES NEED TO BE IN PLACE ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
SO IT WAS NOT, WERE THERE ANY, I MEAN, I I, I WAS LOOKING HERE.
UM, DID, UM, DID CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS JUMP OUT? I MEAN, I WAS LOOKING AT THE SCHOOLS.
DID THE SCHOOL, I MEAN, DID YOU AN, WERE THERE ANY, UM, ANY ABERRATIONS THERE? I MEAN, JUST OKAY.
JUST SAME THING YOU CAN ANTICIPATE.
YEAH, THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW.
CAN I RESERVE MY TIME TO GET MY MA'AM, MA'AM, WE'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH THIS.
WE WE'RE MOVING ON WITH THE AGENDA.
I JUST WANT TO GIVE MY WARNING R TWO LETTER.
MR. BASSETT COUNCIL EVENING, UM, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE BOARD OF THE BEACON THEATER, UH, OVER THE PAST SEVEN TO EIGHT MONTHS, UH, TO MODERNIZE AND UPDATE ITS GOVERNANCE, TO MOVE IT IN THE DIRECTION OF OPERATING AS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT TAX EXEMPT CORPORATION.
AND FINALLY, TO SEE THAT ITS PROGRAMMING KEEPS IN SYNC WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT IT SERVES.
NOW THE BEACON IS IN ASSET OF, OF THE CITIES.
UM, WE WILL BE BRINGING NEW ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION BYLAWS FOR THE BEACON TO COUNCIL, UH, IN ONE OF THE NEXT MEETINGS.
AND THEN LOOKING TO THIS COUNCIL AFTERWARDS TO NAME ADDITIONAL MEMBERS TO ITS BOARD IN APRIL.
UH, IF IT IS COUNCIL'S PLEASURE TO, TO RATIFY THOSE NEW, UH, ARTICLES AND, AND BYLAWS, WHICH HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY THE BEACONS BOARD IN CONNECTION WITH ALL OF THAT.
STAFF HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE JOHN RANDOLPH FOUNDATION TO SEEK OUT WAYS THAT THE FOUNDATION MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST THE CITY AND THE THEATER ON CHARTING ITS FUTURE.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WE'VE ASKED KEVIN FOSTER, THE JOHN RANDOLPH FOUNDATION'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO COME TALK TO YOU TONIGHT ABOUT WHAT THAT ASSISTANCE COULD LOOK LIKE.
HELLO, MR. MAYOR, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL, MR. ROGERS, MR. BESSETTE, MADAM CLERK.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT JOHN RANDOLPH FOUNDATION.
I NEEDED YOUR SNOW PLOW OPERATIONS OVER IN PRINCE GEORGE.
UM, NO, HEARD THE GOOD REPORT FROM THEM.
I NEEDED THEM AT MY, MY OWN, UH, RESIDENCE.
BUT, UH, I A TRULY BIONIC MAN,
YOU DIDN'T HAVE THIS UNTIL TODAY JUST DUE TO, TO MY ABSENCE.
AND, UM, BUT IT'S A REAL PLEASURE TO BE HERE.
I HAVE NOT, UH, BEEN BEFORE CITY COUNCIL IN, IN A NUMBER OF MONTHS, AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE FAMILIAR FACES.
IT'S ALSO GREAT TO SEE NEW FACES, AND I'M, I'M VERY PROUD OF, OF THE FOLKS THAT I SEE THERE.
I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH MADAM CLERK, IF I CAN GET YOU TO ASSIST.
UM, I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE BENEFITS THAT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL ABOUT FORMING A NONPROFIT TAX EXEMPT ENTITY.
[01:10:01]
ONE.AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL BENEFITS, UM, ON, ON THIS.
AND FIRST AND FOREMOST IS THE EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL AND STATE INCOME TAXES.
UM, ALSO, THERE COULD BE AN EXEMPTION, AND I KNOW YOU'RE DEALING WITH ONE OF THOSE TONIGHT ON LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES FOR A NONPROFIT DEDUCTIBILITY OF DONATIONS.
THIS IS A REAL PLUS FOR AN ENTITY LIKE THE BEACON THEATER, THAT INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATIONS CAN CLAIM TAX DEDUCTIONS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.
UM, THEY CAN, UH, HAVE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AROUND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.
UM, YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE TRIA THEATER IN RICHMOND IN KIND DONATIONS.
A LOT OF FOLKS DON'T REALIZE, UH, THE BENEFIT OF IN KIND DONATIONS WHERE LOCAL BUSINESSES CAN PROVIDE SERVICES OR GOODS, UM, FREE OF CHARGE TO THE NONPROFIT, AND THEN THEY CAN TAKE A DISCOUNT FOR THE VALUE PROVIDED.
PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING THAT I SEE FOR AN ENTITY LIKE THE BEACON THEATER IS TO BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR GRANTS.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC FOUNDATIONS THAT WILL ONLY GRANT FUNDING TO NONPROFIT 5 0 1 C3 ENTITIES.
AND AGAIN, I, I NOTE THE VIRGINIA COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS SALES TAX EXEMPTION, UH, IS A PLUS.
IT'S, IT'S AN APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THAT.
AND THERE ARE SOME OPERATIONAL BENEFITS LIKE REDUCED POSTAGE.
IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MADAM CLERK.
UM, THERE ARE SOME LEGAL ADVANTAGES HERE.
UM, INCORPORATION AS A NON-STOCK CORPORATION PROVIDES A SEPARATE LEGAL ENTITY.
I CANNOT PROFESS TO TELL YOU THAT I UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE ENTITY STRUCTURE TODAY.
UH, THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE A TALENTED ATTORNEY, UH, ON YOUR STAFF.
BUT IT DOES PROTECT PERSONAL ASSETS OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AND VOLUNTEERS THAT MAY SERVE THE ENTITY.
I THINK THE MIDDLE BULLET THERE, UM, ARTISTIC FREEDOM.
NONPROFIT THEATERS SEEM TO BE MORE MISSION DRIVEN, RATHER, RATHER THAN PURELY PROFIT DRIVEN.
AND THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BE A LITTLE MORE CULTURALLY DIVERSE.
UM, A LITTLE MORE EXPERIMENTAL IN SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING AND, AND SOME OF THE OFFERINGS TO THE, TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, I THINK THE, THE THIRD BULLET, UH, YOU COULD ARGUE THAT THE 5 0 1 C3 DESIGNATE BOLSTERS AND, UH, A REPUTATION, UH, SIGNALING CREDIBILITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS TO THE PUBLIC.
DUE TO IRS OVERSIGHT, I THINK IT BOILS DOWN TO THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND THE QUALITY OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES THAT ARE ENTRUSTED WITH FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR AN ENTITY.
IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, COMMUNITY IMPACT, AGAIN, I THINK A NONPROFIT STATUS WOULD ALLOW, UM, A THEATER TO PROVIDE COMMUNITY CENTRIC SERVICES, UM, PROGRAMS FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS.
AND AGAIN, VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT, THAT IS HUGE.
UM, IF YOU KEEP TRACK WITH, UM, THERE USED TO BE A STATISTIC OUT THERE OF WHAT THE, UH, VALUE OF A VOLUNTEER HOUR OF SERVICE, AND I KNOW IT'S BEEN, UH, UPLIFTED, BUT IT USED TO BE NORTH OF $25 AN HOUR, AND HAVING VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTE SKILLED LABOR AND OR RESOURCES, UH, TO SHARE THE PUBLIC.
UM, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.
UM, MOST OF THESE ARE COMMON SENSE.
UH, ANY EARNINGS TO THE CORPORATION CANNOT INNU TO THE BENEFIT OF THE FOUNDERS OR DIRECTORS.
OKAY? THEY HAVE TO STAY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, A 5 0 1 C3 IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED FROM PARTICIPATING IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS OR SUPPORTING CANDIDATES.
I MEAN, YOU ALL KNOW OUR 30 YEAR HISTORY.
UM, I TELL FOLKS ALL THE TIME, WE LIKE TO SAY WE'RE SWITZERLAND, OKAY? AND WE, WE WORK WITH OUR LOCAL CANDIDATES.
WE WORK WITH OUR STATE AND NATIONAL LEADERS, BUT WE DO NOT ENGAGE, UM, IN ANY, UH, POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING OR LOBBYING.
AND AGAIN, UH, ONE RULE IS THAT WHEN DONORS RECEIVE TICKETS IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR DONATION, THEY
[01:15:01]
CAN ONLY DEDUCT THE AMOUNT THAT EXCEEDS THE FAIR MARKET VALUE.OKAY? NO DIFFERENT THAN IF YOU WERE TO, UH, ENGAGE IN A FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY WITH JOHN RANDOLPH FOUNDATION, IEA GOLF TOURNAMENT THAT WE'RE SPONSORING THE VALUE OF THE GOODS OR SERVICES FOR YOU.
BEING ON THE GOLF COURSE ARE NOT DEDUCTIBLE.
HOW CAN WE HELP? AND AGAIN, LET ME JUST SAY IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE ASKED TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT.
I THINK WHAT WE COULD HELP IS, IS WITH, UM, MAYBE POTENTIAL BOARD MEMBERS FROM THE COMMUNITY WITH VARYING SKILL SETS, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, UH, THE DIVERSITY OF OUR BOARD.
UM, WE'VE GOT EVERYONE FROM MEDICAL PROFESSORS TO, TO EDUCATORS, TO CONSTRUCTION, UM, PROFESSIONALS.
AND I THINK WITH A COMMUNITY THEATER, CERTAINLY YOU'D WANT SOME SKILL SETS THAT ARE IN ARTS AND CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT TO BE PART OF THAT.
UM, I WOULD TELL YOU THAT WE ARE VERY INTERESTED IN HOSTING WHAT I CALL LISTENING SESSIONS, UM, WHERE WE COULD HELP ALIGN MAYBE YOUR VISION, THE THEATER'S MISSION WITH WHAT THE COMMUNITY, UM, IS INTERESTED IN.
WE'VE BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL IN OUR OWN STRATEGIC PLANNING AND STAKEHOLDER, UH, MEETINGS TO, TO GATHER AND TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE YOU INFORMATION.
WHAT DOES THE COMMUNITY WANT? DOES THE COMMUNITY JUST EX, UH, CONSIST OF HOPE? WELL, OR IS IT A GREATER REGION? I WOULD TELL YOU IT'S A GREATER REGION.
UM, I KNOW MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT ARE COMING OUT OF TOWN TO MAKE AN ECONOMIC, UH, BENEFIT HERE TO THE CITY BY COMING AND EATING, GOING TO, UH, A PERFORMANCE AND, AND HAVING A GREAT TIME.
AND LASTLY, UM, WE ARE IN A POSITION THAT WE COULD PROVIDE GRANTING GRANT FUNDS TO FACILITATE OPERATIONAL PRODUCTION, PROJECT BASED GRANTS OR CAPITAL PROJECTS.
AND AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, UM, WE MANAGE AN ENDOWMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BEACON THEATER.
AND THAT, UH, ENDOWMENT HAS PRODUCED GRANT FUNDING NORTH OF $45,000 A YEAR FOR SEVERAL YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE USED BY, UH, THE THEATER AND THE LLC, UM, FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS.
AGAIN, I THINK, UM, YOUR WISDOM, YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP WILL, WILL LEAD YOU TO, UH, A GREAT DECISION.
UM, I'M NOT HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR YOU TO, TO VOTE ON ANYTHING TONIGHT.
I JUST THINK THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AND THIS GREAT, VALUABLE COMMUNITY ASSET.
UM, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO BE MORE, I ENJOY THE BEACON THEATER.
I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE SEEN ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF, OF SHOWS AND, AND, AND EVENTS THERE, BEAUTIFUL UPSTAIRS, UM, THE ROOMS AND, AND THE MEETING ROOMS, AND THE, AND THE BALLROOM.
SO YOU'VE GOT A WONDERFUL ASSET THERE, AND WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU ANY WAY WE CAN.
UM, MAYOR PARK, AND I WILL STOP THERE AND ASK IF YOU OR ANY OF YOUR COUNSELORS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. FOSTER? OKAY.
SEEING NO LIGHTS, UM, THANK YOU AGAIN.
UH, MR. FOSTERER, YOU KNOW, COMING TO US AND, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVING US THIS REALLY NICE BRIEFING.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR CITY COUNCIL.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO WANT, YOU KNOW, SOME ASSISTANCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, FROM YOU GUYS, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, YOUR GOOD GUIDANCE AND GOOD INSIGHT THAT YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, FROM MANY YEARS WORKING DOWN AT THE, AT THE JOHN RANDOLPH FOUNDATION AND, AND HELPING US AS WE, YOU KNOW, CHART THIS, UH, THIS NEW COURSE WITH THE ORGANIZATION.
OKAY, UH, MOVING ON TO, UH, R THREE, MR. WILLIAMS AND MS. HOLLAND IS I SET THIS UP.
VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND RESIDENTS OF HOPEWELL.
UM, BEFORE YOU, YOU HAVE A PACKET THAT HAS THE COMMUNICATIONS, UH, CRISIS PLAN.
AND THE OTHER PART IS THE ACTUAL, UM, COMMUNICATIONS PLACES PLAN ITSELF, THE 30
[01:20:01]
PAGE DOCUMENT.SO YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG ON THE, UH, PRESENTATION WITH THE, THE, OKAY.
TRYING TO GET IT TO SHOW UP HERE.
THIS PLAN WAS ACTUALLY ESTABLISHED, UM, THROUGH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MYSELF.
THEY WENT TO THE CITY MANAGER.
WE WANTED TO COME UP WITH A PLAN.
SO WHEN THERE WAS A CRISIS THAT WE COULD HAVE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION, UH, PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, MANY TIMES THERE ARE CRISIS THAT ARISE IN ANY CITY.
AND SO WE, WITH THOSE CRISIS WHEN THEY ARISE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A CONCRETE PLAN TO COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS COUNSEL AND OUR RESIDENTS.
SO, WHEN THE PLAN IS ACTIVATED, WHEN, UH, THE PLAN IS ACTIVATED, IT'S, UH, GENERALLY DUE TO A CRISIS THAT'S COMING ARISE, UH, SUCH AS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, UH, STORM THAT WE JUST WENT THROUGH.
UM, AT THAT POINT WE WOULD GO AHEAD AND ACTIVATE THE CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN, AND YOU WOULD NOTIFY THE CITY MANAGER.
AND THE CITY MANAGER WOULD AT THAT POINT, BE NOTIFIED BY THE DESIGNATED DEPARTMENT HEAD OR THE POLICE OF CHIEF, UH, THE POLICE CHIEF, OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF.
AND AT THAT POINT, THE CITY MANAGER WOULD MAKE THE DETERMINATION IF IT'S DEEMABLE, TO CONTACT THE MAYOR BASED UPON THE SITUATION.
AND THE MAYOR WOULD THEREFORE CONTACT MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.
THE CORE, UH, TEAM IS MADE UP OF THE CITY MANAGER, THE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, UM, CHIEF OF POLICE, FIRE CHIEF, AND OUR EMERGENCY COORDINATOR MANAGER, AND THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER.
AND AT THAT TIME, WE MEET TOGETHER TO DISCUSS WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE MESSAGE THAT WE'RE GONNA SEND OUT TO THE STAKEHOLDERS, TO THE MEDIA AND TO THE RESIDENCE.
UM, WHEN THAT MESSAGE IS, UH, DECIDED UPON, THEN THE MESSAGE WILL BE DELIVERED BY THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER OR THE DESIGNEE.
IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION OR LIFE THREATENING SITUATION, THEN THE POLICE CHIEF OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL DELIVER THE MESSAGE.
UH, DURING AN EMERGENCY, WE HAVE SEVERAL CHANNELS THAT WE CAN USE TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT.
WE CAN DO A PUBLIC, UH, EXCUSE ME, A PRESS RELEASE.
UH, WE CAN ALSO, UH, USE, UH, THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.
IN THE EVENT THAT NONE OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE OPERABLE BECAUSE WE'VE LOST POWER IN THE CITY, THEN WE WILL THEN REVERT TO GOING DOOR TO DOOR OR USING A MOBILE AP UH, SYSTEM TO COMMUNICATE THE MESSAGE.
AND WHEN WE DO DELIVER THE MESSAGE, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE MESSAGE IS GOING OUT AND IT'S CLEAR, IT'S CONCRETE, IT'S CORRECT, AND IT'S ALSO COMPLETE AFTER WE'VE DELIVERED THE MESSAGE AND THINGS HAVE GOTTEN BACK TO NORMAL WITH THE SITUATION, THE CITIZENS ARE OKAY, EVERYONE'S, EVERYTHING'S CALMED DOWN.
THEN WE DO A DEBRIEFING WITH THE CCR TEAM.
AND DURING THAT TIME OF THE BRIEFING, WE WANNA DISCUSS WHAT WE COULD HAVE IMPROVED UPON, WHAT WENT WELL.
AND WE ALSO DOCUMENT THE INFORMATION ONCE THE INFORMATION IS DOCUMENTED, AND WE SEND THAT REPORT UP TO THE CITY MANAGER AND, UM, ANY, ANY, AND THIS IS ALSO USED FOR ANY SITUATIONS THAT MAY ARISE IN THE FUTURE.
AND WE'RE OPEN FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
I HAVE ROBERT HERE, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF, UH, HERE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, COUNCILLOR HARRIS AND THEN THE CLERK.
THIS CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN, IS IT IN PLACE NOW? IT WILL BE AFTER TONIGHT, SIR.
WE JUST WANTED TO PRESENT IT TO COUNSEL.
[01:25:01]
WHAT'S IN PLACE NOW? WE DON'T HAVE A HARD AND HARD AND STEADY PLAN RIGHT NOW.IT'S BASICALLY HANDLING A CASE BY CASE BASIS, DEPENDING ON THE INCIDENT.
COURT SAYS THAT LEADERSHIP IS NOTIFIED BECAUSE OF THE UNIVERSITY STATE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE WINTER STORM WE JUST WENT THROUGH, WE CONTACTED THE CITY MANAGER, ADVISED SOME OF OUR PLANS FOR THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER.
THE SHELTERING PLAN WAS IN PLACE.
SO WHAT WE, WE TYPICALLY OPERATE ON OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, IT'S IN PLACE, WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN 2024.
SO THAT GUIDE'S OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION WARNING AS WELL AS OUR RESPONSE THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GUIDE OUR RESPONSE.
THIS IS
IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT, NOT JUST EMERGENCIES, BUT CRISIS SITUATIONS IN THE CITIES THAT WE'VE HAD A, A CONTACT THAT MAYBE RANSOMWARE ON OUR PUBLIC, OUR IT SYSTEM GIVES THE ABILITY TO ADDRESS THAT MESS, MESSAGE THAT OUT TO THE, TO YOU ALL AS WELL AS TO THE PUBLIC.
SO IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO WHATEVER THE CRISIS MIGHT BE AND HOW WE COMMUNICATE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AS WELL AS TO, TO THE PUBLIC.
AND, UH, THIS PLAN WAS DEVELOPED IN THE SPOTS TO THE, UH, HOPEWELL WATER RENEWAL SPILL BACK, UM, LAST YEAR, LAST YEAR, YEAR.
AND WE DID NOT QUITE MEET THE MARK IN TERMS OF, UH, COMMUNICATING, UH, WITH COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY.
AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE SO THAT THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
UH, AND I'M GLAD IT'S GONNA BE IN PLACE BECAUSE THIS WEATHER THAT WE JUST HAD, I GOT A FEW PHONE CALLS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THE CITY WHO WERE NOT ON THE SNOW REPLACEMENT, THE ROADS THAT'S CLEARED MM-HMM
LIKE THEY ON THEIR BACK STREET, AND THEY COULDN'T GET OFF THEIR BACK STREET.
AND, UH, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY.
SO THEY CALLED ME AND MAYBE SOME OF THE OTHER COUNSELORS IN REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT COULD THEY DO.
AND, UH, THE ONLY NUMBER THAT I HAD WAS THE NUMBER THAT'S, UH, THE 2222 NUMBER OKAY.
AND, UH, AND IT WAS, AND IT WAS KIND OF SERIOUS TOO BECAUSE, UH, SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT CALLED ME WERE ELDERLY DIDN'T DRIVE.
AND, UH, AND THE ONES THAT COULD DRIVE COULDN'T DRIVE BECAUSE THE ICE HAD THEM FLOAT, YOU KNOW, PUT THEIR CAR.
SO, NO, I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, LIKE I, YOU KNOW, I DID, I SENT THEM TO WHO I THOUGHT I COULD.
UH, I KNOW I COULDN'T HELP 'EM.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAD AAA OR, YOU KNOW, BUT THEY DID HAVE A, UM, A NUMBER TO CALL.
SO, AND AN EXAMPLE I HAD
SO THIS WILL GIVE US THE ABILITY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC, BROADER SENSE OF WHAT THAT CALL NUMBER AND CALL, SEND THE NUMBER IS, AND HOW TO GO ABOUT CALLING OUR OFFICE IF WE NEED OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS.
AND IF THEY HAVE NEEDS, LIKE THE, THEIR ROAD NEEDS TO BE CLEARED, OR IF THEY ARE SHELTERED IN PLACE AND THEY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE, THE WAY TO GET THAT MESSAGING OUT, FOLKS.
AND ALSO, I ALWAYS ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO SIGN UP FOR HOPE LOANS.
IF WE HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO CONVENE THIS TEAM, THAT HOBO ALERTS IS OUR ALWAYS OPERATIONAL MESSAGING THAT WE CAN GIVE INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE.
THERE'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO SHARE IMMEDIATELY.
WE ALWAYS HAVE AVAILABLE ALERT.
I'M VERY DETAIL ORIENTED AND HONESTLY, WHEN I LOOKED AT THE PLAN, IT DIDN'T HAVE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL I WAS HOPING TO SEE, IS THERE ANOTHER PLAN THAT'S MORE DETAIL ORIENTED THAT TALKS ABOUT IN THIS SITUATION? AND THEN THIS IS THE RESPONSE, AND THIS IS THE COMMUNICATION METHOD.
I MEAN, TYPICALLY DESIGN OF A CRISIS, COMMUNICATION CLAIMS, YOU WANT TO WRITE IT WITH SOME DEGREE OF VAGUENESS SO THAT IT CAN BE INCIDENT SPECIFIC.
IF YOU WRITE IT IN A FIRE, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AND A WEATHER RELATED EVENT, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AND A HAS NOT RELEASE, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.
YOU CAN PIGEONHOLE YOURSELF AND CREATE A LOT OF PROBLEMS. SO, PURPOSELY WE WROTE IT WITH THE DISCRETION OF ESTABLISHING THAT TEAM, BRINGING THE LEADERSHIP APPROPRIATE TO THE INCIDENT.
WE, WE MENTIONED IN THE PLAN THAT IT MIGHT AFFECT SCHOOLS.
WE BRING SCHOOLS IN AS FAR AS THE PLAN FOR A LEGAL EVENT.
WE BRING THE CITY ATTORNEY IN.
SO WE WROTE IT IN A BROAD SENSE TO GIVE US THE FLEXIBILITY TO,
[01:30:01]
BASED ON THE INCIDENT TYPE, WE ALWAYS SAY DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT, IT ALL DEPENDS.WE USE THE ALL, IT ALL DEPENDS MODEL TO SAY, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF EVENT IT WAS.
BUT WE BRING TOGETHER THE RIGHT PERSONNEL FROM THE LEADERSHIP, BE WITH THE CITY MANAGER TO DETERMINE WHAT THE MESSAGING SHOULD BE, HOW IT SHOULD BE CONVEYED, AND THEN GO FORWARD WITH THAT MESSAGING.
SO MAYBE MY CONCERN IS NOT SO MUCH THE COMMUNICATION CHANNEL, BUT THE ACTION.
UM, AND SO DO WE HAVE A, A ACTION PLAN THAT IF WE HAVE A CHEMICAL SPILL AND IT'S IN THIS AREA, WHO MAKES A DECISION AND HOW RAPIDLY DO WE MAKE THE DECISION TO ALERT? AND THINGS LIKE THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES THAT ARE SCENARIO BASED, THAT WOULD FALL MORE INTO OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, WHICH IS GOTTEN GIVEN, APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL IN 2024.
AND THAT GIVES US THE DIRECTION OF WHO HANDLES A HAZMAT RELEASE.
FOR EXAMPLE, OUR OFFICE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE WOULD START THAT MASS NOTIFICATION, PUBLIC INFORMATION WARNING PROCESS.
IF IT WERE A CRIME EVENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD INITIATE THAT PUBLIC INFORMATION WARNING.
AND THEY DO, IF ANY OF YOU GET THE ALERTS FROM THERE'S TRAFFIC ALERTS OR SHOTS FIRED, THEY INITIATE THAT IN THOSE CASES.
SO WE HAD THAT ADDRESSED IN OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN WAS SPECIFICALLY THOSE TYPES OF VESTS, CHEMICAL RELEASE, SIGNIFICANT FIRE, UM, UH, WHAT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT PRIOR TO OUR OPENING, THE OC, WE WOULD HANDLE THOSE MESSAGING WITH ONE OF THOSE TWO OFFICES TYPICALLY BEING REVIEWED.
AND I REMEMBER SOME OF THE, THAT BEING DISCUSSED.
THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD, DID DID YOU GET RECEIVED? HAVE YOU LOOKED AT THIS? THIS IS, THIS IS JUST, THIS WAS HANDED OUT.
THIS IS THE ACTUAL CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN, WHICH HAS A LITTLE MORE DETAIL.
IT WAS, I, UH, THINK IT WAS SENT ELECTRONICALLY TO ME, SO, NO, I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK THIS WAS, YEAH, WE WERE JUST THE THEM, YOU COULD, EVEN HER, SHE HAS HER DOCUMENTS HER ELECTRONICALLY, SO SHE HAS THEM ELECTRONICALLY SO THAT SHE CAN LOOK.
BUT THIS HAS A LITTLE MORE, YOU MIGHT WANNA, THIS HAS MORE DETAIL THAN, THAN WHAT IS HERE IN HERE, SO, YEAH.
I, I JUST THINK SO OFTEN COMMUNITIES ARE NOT PREPARED.
I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED WITHIN THE STATE AND IT WE'RE JUST, UH, OUR, THE RAPID RESPONSE IS WHAT'S SO VITALLY IMPORTANT AND THAT THE RIGHT PEOPLE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS RAPIDLY.
DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT WE HAVE THOSE PLANS IN PLACE AND HAS, I FEEL LIKE, UH, USING A COMBINATION, WE SAY MANY VOICES, ONE MESSAGE.
SO BY USING A COMBINATION, AS GINGER MENTIONED WITH SOCIAL MEDIA OR CERTAIN EVENTS, IF IT'S JUST SOMETHING WE NEED TO SHARE, HEY, NEXT WEEK WE'RE DOING WORK ON THIS ROAD AND WE'RE GONNA SHUT THE ROAD DOWN FOR A COUPLE HOURS, SOCIAL MEDIA MIGHT BE THE APPROPRIATE MESSAGE.
A PRESS RELEASE MIGHT BE THE APPROPRIATE MESSAGE.
IF THERE'S THOSE INSTANTANEOUS NOTIFICATION AGAINST THE FIRE THAT HAS NOT RELEASED THE, THE POLICE ACTIVITY, THAT'S WHERE WE USE HOPEWELL ALERTS.
AND IT CAN ALSO TALK TO SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT IT GETS US THAT MESSAGE OUT.
REALLY, WHEN WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE DIRECT, WE DON'T SHELTER IN PLACE.
WE WANT GO EVACUATING, WE WANT 'EM TO TAKE THEM ACTION.
WE FEEL LIKE HOPEWELL ALERTS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO SIGN UP.
'CAUSE WITH THAT, THEY CAN RECEIVE A TEXT MESSAGE, A PHONE CALL, A COMBINATION OF A TEXT AND A PHONE CALL.
THEY CAN RECEIVE IT THROUGH AN OFFICE PHONE OR A DESK OR A, UH, CELL PHONE.
SO IT GIVES US MANY WAYS TO REACH OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND GET THAT INFORMATION OUT.
GINGER MENTIONED THE, I PAUSE.
I PAUSE IS THE INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT WARNING SYSTEM.
WE, WE'VE BECOME A AGENCY PART OF THAT S FEMA PROGRAM.
AND THAT ALLOWS US TO SEND A MESSAGE OUT NOT ONLY TO PEOPLE THAT SUBSCRIBE, BUT TO ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT USES A CELL PHONE BASED SYSTEM AND ALSO USES A SYSTEM.
THAT'S PROBABLY THE ONE YOU'VE SEEN THAT YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING YOUR FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOW.
AND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SHOW, IT STOPS AND BROADCASTS THAT MESSAGES AND TELLS US THE TEST OF THE MERCY BROADCAST SYSTEM.
IT TIES INTO THE MERCY BROADCAST SYSTEM.
THERE'S BEEN SOME RECENT CHANGES IN THE COMMONWEALTH AND FEDERALLY, AND WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THE STATE TO GET SOME OF THAT MESSAGING DONE.
BUT WE CAN STILL DO THE LOCAL MESSAGING.
SO WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEND THOSE MESSAGES OUT RIGHT AWAY.
AND THAT GETS EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT A SUBSCRIBED MEMBER AND THEY'RE PASSING THROUGH, IF WE SET THAT MESSAGING UP TO REPEAT ON A BASIS FOR 10 MINUTES OR AN HOUR, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE INCIDENT IS, WE CAN CONTINUE TO REPEAT THAT MESSAGE.
SO SOMEBODY DRIVES IN THE AREA THAT WASN'T THERE, THEY CAN NOTIFY VERSUS THE HOPE ON EARTH, WHICH IS THE ONE TIME, OR AS OFTEN AS WE REPEAT IT, KIND OF MESSAGING.
BUT AGAIN, IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO CUSTOMIZE BASED ON THE EVENT, BASED ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES, HOW WE GO ABOUT OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION WARNING.
SO THIS IS HERE ON SECOND READING.
UM, THIS WAS ADVERTISED PUBLICLY.
[01:35:01]
A PUBLIC HEARING.UM, THE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME DECIDED TO TAKE IT UP ON A VOTE ON THE FIRST READING, WHICH UNDER OUR CHARTER REQUIRES, UH, A VOTE OF FIVE TO PASS ON A FIRST READING.
SO THIS IS SIMPLY BACK ON A SECOND READING.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT COUNSELORS MAY HAVE, UM, IF THERE'S ANY DISCUSSION TO BE HAD BETWEEN COUNCIL AND THEN, UH, STAFF ASKS THAT, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT COUNCIL TAKE THE VOTE ON, ON IT UP OR DOWN AFTERWARDS.
UH, WHAT IS THE WILL OF CITY COUNCIL? I'D LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE, UM, ADOPT THE ORDINANCE, UM, FOR THE LAMB CENTER FOR ARTS AND HEALING REAL ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY.
SEEING NO LIGHTS ROLL CALL PLEASE.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, UH, THIS EVENING I HAVE BEFORE YOU A FAIR HOUSING RESOLUTION.
UM, I JUST HAVE A ONE SIMPLE SLIDE JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND AS TO WHY THIS IS BEING PRESENTED.
UH, BASICALLY HUD, WE, WE ARE AN ENTITLEMENT COMMUNITY, UM, WHICH MEANS THAT WE RECEIVE ANNUAL FUNDING THROUGH THE, UH, FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
THAT FUNDING COMES IN THE FORM OF A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT.
AND ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO CDBG FUNDING IS THAT THE CITY TAKES AN ACTION THAT SUPPORTS FURTHERING, UH, FAIR HOUSING IN THE CITY OF HOPEWELL.
ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS FOR AN ACTION IS THE ADOPTION OF A FAIR HOUSING RESOLUTION.
UH, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
WE TRY NOT TO DO THE SAME ACTION TWO YEARS IN A ROW.
WE TRY TO MIX IT UP AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
UM, OTHER TYPES OF ACTIONS INCLUDE, UH, EDUCATION, UH, UH, QUITE A FEW MEMBERS OF MY STAFF, INCLUDING MYSELF.
WE'VE BECOME FAIR HOUSING CERTIFIED THROUGH THE VIRGINIA FAIR HOUSING OFFICE.
UH, WE DO, WE HAVE ALL SORTS OF FAIR HOUSING BROCHURES IN OUR LOBBY THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH HOUSING NONPROFITS AS WELL AS LEGAL AID IN THE PAST.
THE ONE THING WE HAVE NOT DONE, UH, IS A LANDLORD OR TENANT WORKSHOP, BUT WE'RE LOOKING INTO THAT THIS YEAR.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO, UH, PROPOSE THE FAIR HOUSING RESOLUTION.
SO IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET, UH, AS IT'S PRETTY SHORT.
UM, BUT BASICALLY IT STATES THAT THE, UH, CITY SUPPORTS FAIR HOUSING, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING BASED ON RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, RELIGION, SEX, FAMILIAL STATUS, AND DISABILITY.
THAT COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UH, AND THIS IS E ESSENTIALLY A MODEL ORDINANCE FROM HUD.
SO, UH, I'M AVAILABLE FOR, UH, ONE LAST NOTE.
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS THE CITY'S FAIR HOUSING OFFICE.
WE ARE, WE WOULD RECEIVE LOCAL FAIR HOUSING COMPLAINTS AND COORDINATE, UH, A COMPLAINANT WITH THE VIRGINIA FAIR HOUSING OFFICE.
SO, UM, I'M AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY.
THAT'S REALLY ALL I HAVE ON THIS.
I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT, UM, UH, WE APPROVE THE FAIR HOUSING RESOLUTION AS PRESENTED, UH, DEPARTMENT OF CLAIM DEVELOPMENT.
SEEING NO LIGHTS FOR DISCUSSION, ROLL CALL PLEASE.
[01:40:06]
GOOD EVENING THERE.MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL.
IT IS MY HONOR, PRIVILEGE, AND PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU FOR MAYBE SOME OF YOU THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT.
OTHERS MAY BE A RETURNING FACE, MR. KEITH BOSWELL OF THE VIRGINIA GATEWAY REGION.
KEITH, PLEASE COME UP AND HE HAS A PRESENTATION HE'S GONNA GIVE YOU.
AND WE ARE GONNA LEAVE HERE WITH BIG SMILES ON OUR FACES TONIGHT BECAUSE THERE'S SOME EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING IN THE VIRGINIA GATEWAY REGION.
UM, AND SO, UH, I'VE, I'VE GOT THE PROMPT HERE FOR THE SLIDESHOW, AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JUST, UH, PUSH THE LITTLE CLICKER HERE, MR. BOSWELL, I'LL FORWARD.
IT IS A DELIGHT TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU TONIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OFFER TO COME AND SHARE A FEW THINGS THAT I SEE AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, I CALL IT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT IT'S A REAL REGION.
AND, UH, HOPEWELL IS RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF IT.
AND I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK THE MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, UH, AND REST OF CITY COUNCIL FOR LETTING ME HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UH, ALL IN ALL, THERE'S 10 SLIDES.
I PROMISE I WON'T PARK ON ALL 10 OF THOSE, BUT YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO STOP ME AT ANY POINT AND RAISE SOME QUESTIONS BECAUSE, UM, I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK SOME QUESTIONS, IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
'CAUSE SOMETIMES I CAN GET CARRIED AWAY BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN THE AREA, IN THE REGION.
UM, SO WHAT IS THE GATEWAY REGION? THE GATEWAY, VIRGINIA'S GATEWAY REGION WAS STARTED IN 1960, WHERE THE OLDEST REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, UH, 1960, IF YOU CAN REMEMBER BACK THAT FAR, THERE WEREN'T VERY MANY PROFESSIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS.
THE STATE HAD A PROGRAM, IT'S CALLED THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE TIME.
TODAY, IT'S CALLED THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP.
AND A LOT HAS TRANSPIRED OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
IF YOU, UH, YOUR CITY MANAGER IN 1960 PROBABLY WORE SEVEN OR EIGHT HATS.
ONE OF THEM PROBABLY WAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH PROBABLY MEANT CAN WE GET A STOPLIGHT OR A, A LITTLE ROAD IMPROVEMENT, MAYBE A PIECE OF WATER THAT HELPS OUT IN A LOCAL BUSINESS.
IT'S MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED NOW, BUT THE PRINCIPLES ARE ABRUPTLY THE SAME.
WE REPRESENT A FAIRLY LARGE REGION IN THE COMMONWEALTH, BUT IT'S ALL CENTERED FROM REALLY HOPEWELL SOUTH, UH, ENCOMPASSING.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT FOUR, UH, WE ADDED, I SHOULD SAY THIS, WE WERE, UH, SIX COMMUNITIES AND WE ADDED THREE JULY 1ST, 2025.
AND THEY WERE SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES OF EMPORIA, BRUNSWICK, AND GREENSVILLE.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE, OUR FOOTPRINT, WHICH IS THIS NEXT SLIDE, UM, IT ENCOMPASSES, UH, THIS, THE FOUR CITIES OF HOPEWELL, COLONIAL HEIGHTS, PETERSBURG AND EMPORIA, AND THEN THE FIVE COUNTIES OF PRINCE GEORGE DENWITTY, SUSSEX, BRUNSWICK, AND GREENSVILLE.
AND SO THAT MAKES UP THE REGION THAT HOPEWELL IS PART OF WHICH, UH, YOU'VE BEEN A PART OF FOR, UH, I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE, BECAUSE 1960, I WAS, UH, NOT ALIVE.
UM, HOW WE'RE FUNDED, JUST SO YOU KNOW, UH, EACH OF THE NINE COMMUNITIES DOES CONTRIBUTE.
IT'S A ROUGHLY 45 TO 50% DEPENDING ON WHAT TIME OF YEAR.
AND THEN WE GO OUT AND RAISE THE OTHER FUNDS, UH, EITHER THROUGH GRANT OR, UH, PRIVATE, UH, DONATIONS.
YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A 5 0 1 C3.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, UH, UH, IMPORTANT VEHICLE FOR SOMEONE LIKE US SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GIVE US FUNDS AND THEY CAN BE REDUCED OFF THEIR INCOME TAXES.
THAT'S, UH, IT'S AN ATTRACTIVE FEATURE.
UM, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO GO AFTER GRANTS.
AND THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT THING.
IF YOU'RE ANY OTHER C YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO DO SOME OF THE SAME KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO ON YOUR BEHALF.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR WORK IN, IN THE FUTURE SLIDE.
UM, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS A CULMINATION OF A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
I'M NOT GONNA GO IN THE WEEDS OF HERE, UH, THAT WE WERE INVOLVED IN.
AND THIS IS, UM, THE, THE JOBS AND INVESTMENT THAT WE WERE A PART OF.
AND, UH, I SHOULD SAY THIS ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
ANYBODY EVER TELLS YOU ANYTHING DIFFERENT, IT'S NOT TRUE.
NO ONE ENTITY DOES EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO GET A COMPANY TO SAY YES, EITHER TO GROW OR, AND EXPAND OR SOMEBODY NEW COME IN.
IT TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
AND IT ALL RESIDES WHEREVER THE COMMUNITY IS.
IT ULTIMATELY WILL BE YOUR DECISION ON HOW YOU WANNA PARTICIPATE IN THAT.
SO, UH, AGAIN, IT'S A TEAM SPORT, BUT THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE WERE INVOLVED IN OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
WE, WE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS THAT THE BOARD SET FOR US, AND WE WENT INTO A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, WHICH I'LL JUST TOUCH ON IN JUST A SECOND.
UM, OUR MISSION IS VERY SIMPLE.
IT FOLLOWS OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND SO I'M NOT GONNA GO WORD BY WORD ON THIS, OUR MISSION, BUT IF YOU CAN JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE WAKE UP DOING EVERY DAY IS THAT WE LIVE TO UNITE THIS REGION FOR ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.
[01:45:01]
SO WE'RE THE ONE VOICE THAT ALL THOSE COMMUNITIES HAVE SAID, YES, PLEASE DO THAT ON OUR BEHALF.THAT'S WHAT OUR TRUE MISSION IS.
UH, OUR AND OUR, WE EXERCISE THAT VISION STATEMENT DAILY, BUT OUR VISION, OUR MISSION STATEMENT, I I SHOULD SAY, GOES INTO THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE RIGHT HERE.
THE, THIS IS A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT HAS REMAINED CONSISTENT.
OUR BOARD JUST APPROVED THIS AGAIN AT THE, UM, THE DECEMBER BOARD MEETING.
AND THIS WILL CARRY US ON FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
BUT LIKE ANY STRATEGIC PLAN, IF THERE'S HICCUPS, IF THERE'S THINGS THAT HAPPEN THAT ARE NOT PLANNED ON, WE'LL ADJUST.
THE ONE GOOD THING ABOUT US IS THAT WE'D LIKE TO BE, UH, PLIABLE FOR GOOD SITUATIONS THAT HAPPEN SO THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE FOR OUR REGION.
UH, SO I'LL JUST READ THE THREE STRATEGIC PILLARS, FACILITATING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, IGNITING POWERFUL PARTNERSHIPS, AND DELIVER INNOVATIVE RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITIES.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE THREE THINGS, UH, I, I'LL JUST SAY THAT WE GO OUT AND LOOK FOR PROJECTS, EITHER COMMUNITY OR UH, ORIENTED PROJECTS THAT ARE RAISING UP OUTTA THE COMMUNITY.
SOMEBODY LIKE IN ADVANCED SIX MIGHT BE EXPANDING.
HE MIGHT CALL US IN TO SAY, HEY, CAN YOU GIVE ME A, A EXTRA SET OF HANDS? WE'D BE, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IN OUR WHEELHOUSE.
BUT ALSO SOMEBODY THAT MAY NOT BE IN YOUR COMMUNITY OR EVEN IN THE GATEWAY REGION, WE WOULD GO OUT AND TRY TO FIND THAT PROJECT AND FIND IT A HOME INSIDE THE REGION.
SO THE PARTNERSHIP PIECE IS THAT, AGAIN, THIS IS A TEAM SPORT.
WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA USE ALL THE PLAYERS THAT WE KNOW TO MAKE THE BEST CASE THAT PEOPLE LOOK AND THINK ABOUT OUR REGION FIRST.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS, THESE PARTNERSHIPS, I CAN'T TELL YOU, THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT.
AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES, I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS.
I STARTED AT THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP.
I WAS THE FIRST CLASS HIRED WHEN THEY WENT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO THE VIRGINIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP UNDER GOVERNOR ALLEN.
AND, UM, I WORKED UNDER SEVEN GOVERNORS.
AND, UH, THAT THE, THE PARTNERSHIP MODEL THAT THE STATE HAS IS A GOOD ONE BECAUSE IT'S INDEPENDENT OF ANY GOVERNOR.
SO THEREFORE, YOU GET A BUSINESS CONSISTENT MESSAGE THAT VIRGINIA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
AND WE CAN TAKE THAT AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL, AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO THESE PARTNERSHIPS WITH VDP ARE CRITICAL FOR DEAL FLOW, AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME EXERCISING THAT, UH, THAT PILLAR OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THEN THE INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, I'LL JUST GIVE YOU ONE LITTLE TOUCH, ACTUALLY, I'LL SAVE THAT FOR SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE DO.
UH, BUT WE'VE TRIED TO FIGURE OUT CREATIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN ADVANCE THE MISSION OF INCREASING THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY FOR THE WHOLE REGION AND, UH, PARTICULARLY FOR HOPEWELL.
SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT, UH, HOW TO DO THAT, THIS SLIDE IS IMPORTANT.
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE.
AND SOME COMMUNITIES AND OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE HAVE GOTTEN SIDEWAYS ON TRYING TO JUST BE EVERYTHING FOR EVERYBODY.
JUST GIMME ANYTHING, ANY PROJECT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, IT DOES MEAN TAX REVENUE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, AND IT ALSO PROVIDES JOBS FOR YOUR CITIZENS.
BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS, IS TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE AND GO AFTER THAT SO THAT YOU CAN MULTIPLY AND BUILD ON THE STRENGTHS.
AND THAT'S WHERE THIS GRAD, THIS, UH, CHART RIGHT HERE IS THAT WE IDENTIFIED THE STRENGTHS OF THE REGION.
AND, UH, NOT JUST US, BUT WE GOT OUTSIDE HELP.
I SHOULD TELL YOU HOW WE GOT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE, WE CANVASED ALL, ANY STAKEHOLDER THAT WOULD BE FROM THE STATE, UH, DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL FOR IND UH, OUR, OUR, UH, BUSINESSES, OUR BOARD, AND EVEN THE, UM, CITY AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATION, CITY MANAGERS, COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS, THAT EVERYBODY HAD TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT THEY THINK, THINK THAT BGR SHOULD CONCENTRATE ON.
AND THIS LIST, UH, WAS VERIFIED IN A, UH, OUTSOURCED, UH, STUDY ON WHAT THE GATEWAY REGION SHOULD SPEND.
ITS TIME, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE AND YOU CAN'T CHASE EVERYTHING.
SO THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE WOULD, UH, WOULD NATURALLY CHASE, UH, ON YOUR BEHALF.
SO I'LL GET TO THIS SLIDE AND, UM, THEN WE, AND THEN WE CAN GO INTO QUESTIONS OR WHATEVER, BUT THIS IS, THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.
SO I MENTIONED THOSE THREE NEW COMMUNITIES.
UH, SO WE'RE INCORPORATING THEM INTO THE FOLD.
SO THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN PART OF ANOTHER REGIONAL GROUP, SO WE'VE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE IN THIS FAMILY AND THEY REALIZE THAT THEY'RE HAVE AN EQUAL SEAT AT THE TABLE.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY GETS THAT OPPORTUNITY.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, UH, WE CALL OURSELVES A FULL, UH, UH, UM, A FULL SERVICE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.
UH, SO WE DON'T JUST PARK ON ONE THING OR ANOTHER.
SO SOME REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY GET INTO THE SITE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS.
AND WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME GETTING READY BECAUSE ONE THING THAT WE HAVE AS AN ADVANTAGE, REALLY FROM HOPEWELL SOUTH, WE HAVE AN ADVANTAGE, UM, I HOPE THIS COMES OUT RIGHT, WE'RE LAND RICH.
SO IF YOU GO NORTH, THERE'S NOT AS MANY SITES AS AVAILABLE
[01:50:01]
FOR, UH, INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.I MEAN, THERE'S PROBABLY NO OTHER, MAYBE NEW NEWPORT NEWS.
HOPEWELL AND NEW NEWPORT NEWS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST INDUSTRIAL CITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
AND THAT'S A HUGE ADVANTAGE IF YOU ARE AN INDUSTRIAL, UH, PERSON, YOU KNOW, ENTITY THAT THEY, YOU CAN COME TO A PLACE THAT ALREADY EMBRACES THAT.
NOT EVERY PLACE IN THE COMMONWEALTH WOULD WANT AN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET SITES READY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE REQUESTS AS THEY COME IN.
WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THAT.
AND THAT'S, UH, THAT'S REALLY A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE FOR THE REGION.
SO WE DO GO AFTER GRANTS, WE GO AFTER STATE GRANTS.
WE'RE GOING AFTER AN EPA BROWNFIELDS GRANT.
THESE ARE SITES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN USED, BUT THEY NEED TO BE RECLAIMED OR IMPROVED OR GET INTO BETTER PURPOSE.
AND SO WE ARE, I JUST PUT IN AN EPA BROWNFIELDS GRANT, HOPEFULLY WE GET THAT.
AND THAT CAN BE USED FOR SOME PLANNING PURPOSES.
IT, IT WON'T, THIS PARTICULAR GRANT WON'T BE FOR ANY REMEDIATION, BUT IT CAN GET YOU A LONG WAY THERE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, LET'S STAY TUNED ON THAT.
AND OF COURSE, IF THAT COMES THROUGH, CHARLES, UH, WOULD DEFINITELY KNOW.
UH, I MENTIONED THAT WE DO SOME CREATIVE THINGS.
WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH BRIGHTPOINT COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND, UH, THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKFORCE ALLIANCE AROUND WORKFORCE.
AND WHILE WE DON'T HAVE A PROGRAM, THERE'S PLENTY OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE.
EVERYTHING FROM FREE TO PAID PROGRAMS, DIALED IN PROGRAMS FOR BUSINESSES.
WHAT WE WANNA DO IS BE THE QUARTERBACK.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE A PLANT MANAGER OR AN HR MANAGER OF ANY, ANY ENTITY IN THE GATEWAY REGION, WHO DO YOU CALL? WHO DO YOU CALL? YOU COULD, YOU MIGHT KNOW SOMEBODY, BUT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE SEVEN OTHER CALLS TO GET THE FULL ANSWER.
IF YOU CALL US, WE CAN GIVE THAT ENTITY OF THE FULL ANSWER.
WE CAN DIRECT IT, SAVE TONS OF TIME, AND WE CAN GET THE ANSWER THAT'S NEEDED.
IT MAY NOT BE THE ANSWER THAT THEY WANT TO HEAR, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY THE ANSWER.
SO YOU'RE NOT WAITING AROUND THINKING, YOU KNOW, HOW AM I GONNA GET THIS ANSWER AROUND SPECIFICALLY AROUND WORKFORCE? THAT'S A, THAT'S A UNIQUE POSITION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND MAYBE EVEN IN THE WHOLE UNITED STATES WHERE A REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GROUP HAS PARTNERED WITH A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
WE DO, UH, IN-PERSON MARKETING MISSIONS AND, UH, LEAD GENERATION ACTIVITIES, AND WE ALSO DO VIRTUAL.
UH, SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE'RE OUT THERE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I'VE GOT SOMEONE IN, UH, EUROPE RIGHT NOW WITH SELECT USA, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GOES OVER TO EUROPE AND SAYS, HEY, IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT INVESTING IN THE UNITED STATES, HERE'S SOME ENTITIES COLLECTIVELY, THEY SET UP THESE EVENTS AND WE'RE, WE'RE, THEY'RE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE ALSO GETTING READY TO GO OUT TO, UH, ACTUALLY, UM, TOM SCOTT, OUR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, HE IS IN, UH, LAS VEGAS RIGHT NOW AT THE INDOOR AG CON.
SO ANY THIS INDOOR AGRICULTURAL, UH, INDUSTRY IS, IS IS PRETTY EXCITING.
THERE'S BEEN SOME FITS AND STARTS ON IT.
LONG STORY SHORT, IF YOU'RE NEAR, UH, UH, TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS, YOU REALLY GOT A, AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE IF YOU HORIZONTAL FARMING, YOU NEED WIDE OPEN SPACES, BUT VERTICAL FARMING, YOU NEED TO GET IT TO MARKET QUICK.
SO WHEN YOU'RE HARVEST, YOU'RE PROBABLY, YOU WANNA BE WITHIN THREE DAYS TO GET INTO THE STORE.
AND WE THINK THAT OUR REGION HAS A, A, UH, A, UH, REAL OPPORTUNITY THERE.
THIS PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER THING IS A, IS A REAL DEAL.
IT'S STARTED WITH THIS RIPPLE, THIS, UH, PEBBLE IN THE POND DOWN HERE IN PETERSBURG AT THE OLD INGLE INGELHEIM PLANT.
THE WHOLE COMMONWEALTH HAS BENEFITED.
YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD SOME LIKE ELI LILLY, ASTRAZENECA, EVEN MERCK UP IN ELKTON HAS EXPANDED IN THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
AND THEY MAY NOT HAVE, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS, THIS REAL PEBBLE IN THE POND RIGHT DOWN HERE IN PETERSBURG.
AND WHERE THAT REALLY ADVANTAGE, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PRESS THE GAS ON THIS, IS BECAUSE IN THE, IN THE UNITED STATES, WE DON'T MAKE OUR OWN PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS.
CHINA AND INDIA DOUGH AND CHINA HOLDS ABOUT 80% OF THE WORLD'S CAPACITY AND WHAT THEY CALL ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS, RIGHT HERE IN PETERSBURG, WE MAKE ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS THAT GO INTO THE ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL? WE CALL, THEY CALL A KEY STARTING MATERIALS BECAUSE WE HAVE A CHEMICAL INDUSTRY HERE, WE'RE GONNA INVESTIGATE IF THERE'S A OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER TO MAYBE TAKE SOME OF THE MAYBE CAPACITY IF THERE IS ANY EXTRA, EXTRA CAPACITY.
I KNOW THEY HAVE SOME CAPACITY AT SOME OF THESE PLANTS.
MAYBE THEY CAN START MAKING THE KEY FARM, UH, KEY STARTING MATERIALS.
THAT'S A A A THAT'S A PROJECT THAT WE'RE GETTING READY TO START.
BUT THERE'S SOME RECEPTIVITY, UH, IN THIS PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER IN THE COMMONWEALTH VIRGINIA TO INVESTIGATE THAT.
AND WE'RE ALREADY STARTED TO WORK WITH CHARLES ON AND HIS TEAM ON THAT.
THE LAST THING I WANNA MENTION IS YOU, AS YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT, OKAY, UH, KEITH, YOU SAID THAT WE HAD, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DEVELOPING PROPERTIES.
WELL, WE'RE NOT EXACTLY LAND RICH AND I GET THAT.
SO THERE IS A CONCEPT THAT YOU MIGHT WANT AND, AND PLEASE INVITE ME BACK ANOTHER TIME 'CAUSE THIS IS A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED.
[01:55:01]
COUNCIL PROBABLY A COUPLE, THREE YEARS AGO NOW AND TALKED ABOUT A REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES AUTHORITY, AND THAT'S CALLED A RFA AS SHORT, IT'S BEEN IN CODE SINCE 1960 IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.AND THEY'RE ABOUT 15, 17 AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH RIGHT NOW, ALREADY ESTABLISHED.
THE IDEA IS THAT'S REVENUE SHARING AND ALSO COST SHARING.
SO SAY SOMEBODY HAS A PIECE OF PROPERTY ALONG THE FOUR 60 CORRIDOR, BUT THEY MAY NOT HAVE ENOUGH INVESTMENT TO GET THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY UP TO BE READY TO RECEIVE AN INDUSTRIAL PURPOSE OR EVEN A HEAVY COMMERCIAL ON PURPOSE.
BUT Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE SOME FUNDS.
IF YOU'RE INSIDE OF A RFA AND YOU PUT THAT PROJECT INSIDE THE RFA, NOW YOU CAN INVEST IN THAT AND ALSO GET THE REVENUE SOURCE OFF THAT, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU DO THE COOPERATION AGREEMENT.
I'M JUST GONNA PARK THERE BECAUSE THAT'S A DEEP, WELL, I DIDN'T MEAN YOU'D EVEN BRING IT UP AS DEEP AS I DID, BUT, UM, I JUST WANTED TO TEASE YOU WITH THAT.
UH, I HAVE A WHOLE SLIDE DECK, IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND I'D BEEN MORE HAPPY JUST TO AT LEAST INTRODUCE THAT IDEA A LITTLE BIT DEEPER IF YOU'D LIKE.
SO THAT'S JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING.
I'M, UH, I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO FOR OUR COMMUNITIES BECAUSE I KNOW OUR BEST DAYS ARE BEFORE US.
WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD BEST DAYS AND WE'VE LIVED IN A SHADOW OF A LITTLE BIT OF SOME FOLKS NORTH.
BUT IF YOU, IF, IF YOU JUST PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE THINGS ARE HAPPENING, THINGS ARE MOVING SOUTH, THEY ARE MOVING SOUTH, AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S, IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME WHERE WE GET SOME NICE HITS AND THAT GO BACK TO THAT CHART ABOUT THE, THE BUSINESSES THAT ALREADY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THEY CAME HERE.
WE GET, WE'RE GETTING NAME BRANDS, NAME BRANDS ARE COMING HERE.
AND I WANTED TO JUST TELL YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS THAT COME THAT HOPEWELL GETS INVOLVED IN ABOUT 31% OF OUR PROJECTS LAST YEAR.
HOPEWELL GOT, UH, WAS PART OF THE OFFERING, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S PRETTY SIZABLE.
NOT ALL COMMUNITIES CAN SAY THAT THEY HAD SORT OF 31% OF THE MARKET SHARE OF THE PROJECTS THAT DGR SAW.
UH, WE HAD A COUPLE REAL SERIOUS SITE VISITS.
UH, TWO, WE HAD SOME SITE SELECTORS COME, WE HAD FOUR SITE SELECTORS.
THOSE ARE PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY THAT GO OUT AND GET THESE BIG LARGER, EVEN SMALLER MIDDLE-SIZED PROJECTS TO COME AND LOOK.
WE HAD FOUR OF THOSE FELLOWS COME IN.
UH, WE DID SEVEN TOURS AROUND SPECIFICALLY, UH, HOPEWELL AND AROUND THE PHARMACEUTICAL CLUSTER.
SO THAT SHARED POSITION, WE HAD 25, UH, UH, EITHER BUSINESS RETENTION EXPANSION PLUS, UH, WORKFORCE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS AROUND JUST LAST YEAR ALONE, JUST 25.
UH, YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PROPERTIES FOR US AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED IS THE GREEN PLAINS OPPORTUNITY OVER THERE.
I TELL YOU THAT'S A, THAT'S JUST A TREMENDOUS THING.
AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF NEAT THINGS GOING ON IN THERE, AND THERE MAY BE JUST A SLIGHT, UH, HICCUP, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY GREAT SITE.
I MEAN, IT REALLY IS A GREAT SITE.
YOU JUST GOTTA GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE THERE.
UM, AND THEN I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, THERE'S SOME OTHER KEY PROPERTIES THAT MAYBE THEY'RE STILL IN PRIVATE HANDS, UH, MAYBE A COMPANY OWNS, BUT MAYBE SOME RECEPTIVITY OR WILLINGNESS TO INVESTIGATE COULD THEY BECOME INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES.
AND, BUT WE'RE HAVING ALL THESE CONVERSATIONS AND I WILL TELL YOU, WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WITHOUT WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
AND BY THE WAY, HE IS FANTASTIC.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT Y'ALL, I I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL DONE OVER THE LAST YEARS, BUT THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD MOVE IN OUR BUSINESS.
UH, HE'S BEEN GREAT FOR US AND I HOPE WE'VE BEEN GREAT FOR HIM TOO.
SO I'LL PARK THERE, UH, AND I COULD TALK FOR MORE.
I DID BRING SOME OUR LAST YEAR'S ANNUAL REPORTS, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, I WILL SAY THIS, THAT, UM, OUR, OUR NEW ANNUAL REPORT IS BEING FINISHED RIGHT NOW.
WE DO A CALENDAR ANNUAL REPORT, AND OUR ANNUAL MEETING, WHICH YOU'RE ALL INVITED TO BECAUSE OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE GATEWAY REGION IS NEXT MONTH ON THE 12TH.
UM, AND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, UH, JUST LET ME KNOW, BUT WE'LL HAVE OUR NEW ANNUAL REPORT RELEASED AT THAT, AT THAT MEETING.
I REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, SIR.
I HOPE I DIDN'T, UH, PUT YOU TO SLEEP.
AND MR. ROGERS, CAN YOU PUT ON, UH, FUTURE AGENDA TO HAVE SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS, UH, REGIONAL AUTHORITY? YEAH, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US BEING THAT WE ARE VERY MUCH LANDLOCKED AS A SMALL CITY.
SO IT'S MY PLEASURE TO, UH, TO INTRODUCE PASTOR DARRELL BOGGS AND PASTOR CO, UM, THURMAN COLLIERS, WHO ARE HERE TO GIVE US A REPORT ON THE HOPE CENTER AND THEIR ACTIVITIES, UH, SINCE THEY BEGAN OPERATIONS AT THE, UM, CREW, FORMER CREW BUILDING ON NOVEMBER 15TH AND EVEN, EVEN BEFORE THAT.
MADAM VICE MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, STAFF AND FRIENDS OF THE CITY.
[02:00:01]
THANKS FOR THIS CHANCE.WE WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH THE HOPE CENTER.
AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE EQUALLY AS PASSIONATE AS ANYONE ELSE WHO STOOD BEFORE YOU.
I KNOW WE DEAL WITH A SMALLER PORTION OF THE POPULATION AND A VERY VULNERABLE PART OF OUR POPULATION, BUT WE TAKE OUR WORK VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.
THE HOPE CENTER IS A PART OF A 5 0 1 C3.
THE CITY OF REFUGE IS OUR, UH, MOTHERSHIP.
IT IS THE AUSPICES UNDER WHICH THE HOPE CENTER OPERATES.
THE HOPE CENTER IS A COMPREHENSIVE WORK FOR OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO CALL IT A SHELTER.
OUR GOAL IS TO ERADICATE HOMELESSNESS.
AND TO WORK TO THAT, TO HAVE PEOPLE MOVE INDEPENDENT HOUSING AS QUICKLY AND AS EASILY AS POSSIBLE AND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE THINGS AS QUICKLY, UH, BEFORE YOU AS I POSSIBLY CAN.
WE'RE SET UP WITH BASIC SERVICES.
WE'RE SET UP WITH WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
THESE ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY SEQUENTIAL BY THE WAY.
UM, GIVE YOU SOME IDEAS ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING.
UM, SO THE BASIC SERVICES MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVERY LIVING, BREATHING, HUMAN BEING DESERVES FOOD, SHELTERING CLOTHING.
THAT IS A GOOD BASIC PLACE FOR US AS FAR AS FOOD GOES.
SINCE APRIL, THE ONE WE'VE SERVED OVER 6,000 MEALS ON MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, WE HAVE OTHER PARTNERS IN THE CITY WHO PROVIDE FOOD.
WE'VE JUST PICKED UP FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MEALS NOW.
WE, WE SERVED THOSE MEALS IN THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, UH, BUT HAVE EIGHT TO 10 DIFFERENT CHURCHES PLUS CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THAT FEEDING.
AND WE FEED ABOUT 35 INDIVIDUALS PER NIGHT.
THEY'RE NOT ALL HOMELESS, SOME ARE JUST FOOD INSECURE, BUT IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.
THEN IF WE MOVE INTO THE CLOTHING SECTION, WE HAVE A TON OF CLOTHES THAT ARE DONATED.
THIS AN INCREDIBLY GENEROUS COMMUNITY.
UH, WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS COMMUNITY AND THEY'VE TURNED OUT, UH, IN MASKS TO BRING US CLOTHING, PARTICULARLY WINTER CLOTHING, TO HELP OUR, OUR, OUR UNSHELTERED FOLKS, UH, FACE THE DIFFICULTIES THAT THEY HAVE IN STORMS, LIKE WHAT WE'VE HAD RECENTLY.
SO, UH, THE CLOTHING OPTIONS OPERATE OUT OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
THAT'S JUST A HOME FOR WHERE OUR CLOTHES ARE.
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES THAT THEY CAN COME IN AND SHOP, GET WHAT THEY NEED AND ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS TO DO THAT.
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL STAFF IN THE COMMUNITY THAT COMES THROUGH AND ORGANIZES THE CLOTHES, UH, SORTS THROUGH THE CLOTHES, PRESENTS THE CLOTHES.
UH, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO SHOP, NOT JUST TO BE HANDED CLOTHES.
UM, SO YOU HAVE THE FOOD, THE CLOTHING, AND OF COURSE THE ONE THAT REQUIRES THE MOST ATTENTION, I THINK, AND CERTAINLY THE MOST, UH, EXPENSIVE IS THE SHELTER PART OF IT.
THAT, UH, THE HOPE CENTER SHELTER THAT DOES OPERATE IN THE OLD CREW BUILDING OFF OF 10TH AT, UH, CITY POINT.
I THINK RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 34 PEOPLE IN THAT SHELTER.
JUST A DIFFICULT TIME SAYING NO.
UM, THE NUMBERS HAVE JUST KEEP TRYING TO JUMP AND WHEN YOU LOOK OUT THERE AND YOU SEE THE WEATHER, IT'S JUST SO DIFFICULT TO TURN FOLKS AWAY.
WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN TO GET FOLKS IN THERE.
WE'VE PROBABLY HAD 45 DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COME THROUGH.
SOME ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH.
THEY WERE THERE FOR ONE, ONE NIGHT OR TWO NIGHTS.
UH, BUT OTHERS HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THE, FOR THE FULL DURATION SINCE WE OPENED IT ON NOVEMBER THE 15TH.
UM, WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS IN THE COMMUNITY OF, AGAIN, VERY GENEROUS GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT COME IN AND OPEN THE SHELTER AT 7:00 PM THEY STAY THERE TILL 10:00 PM AND, UH, HELP EVERYONE GET SETTLED IN FOR THE NIGHT.
10:00 PM TO 8:00 AM WE HAVE, UH, EIGHT EMPLOYED STAFF MEMBERS THAT COME IN AND SERVE AS SUPERVISORS FOR THE NIGHT SHIFT.
WE TRY TO RELEASE THEM AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING, BUT WE'VE HAD INCLEMENT WEATHER SO MUCH SO WE CAN NOW POSSIBLY PUT SOME OF OUR, UM, OUR UNSHELTERED FOLKS OUT ON THE STREETS IN WELL BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURE, SINGLE DIGITS.
WE CAN NOW PUT THEM OUT AT EIGHT IN THE MORNING.
WE FIND OURSELVES OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, WHICH CALLS ADDITIONAL STAFFING TO BE IN PLACE.
BUT FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO DO IT, UM, IT DOESN'T INDEED EAT AWAY AT OUR BUDGET.
OF COURSE, WHENEVER WE FIND THAT KIND OF THING HAPPENING BUT, UH, IT'S A NECESSITY FOR THE SAKE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS.
SO AGAIN, WE TAKE VERY CARE, GOOD CARE OF THEM.
WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
SO THOSE, WE'VE HAD, WHAT, PROBABLY 20 DAYS ALREADY, WHERE WE'VE HAD TO BE OPEN 24 HOURS, AND WE WOULD NEVER HAVE ANTICIPATED THAT IN OUR BUDGET.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EATING AWAY IN OUR BUDGET ON THAT ONE.
BUT, UH, TRY TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS EVERY WAY WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THOSE ARE THE BASIC SERVICES, UH, FOOD, CLOTHING, AND SHELTER.
BUT WHEN THEY'RE IN SHELTER, THAT OPENS THE DOOR FOR US TO GET INTO THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, WHICH WE WANNA PROVIDE DEVELOPMENTALLY SEQUENTIAL.
THAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP ALONG THE WAY, THOSE DEVELOPMENTAL OR THOSE, UH, WRAPAROUND SERVICES INCLUDE JOBS.
WE MEET WITH 'EM INDIVIDUALLY.
WE HAVE OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT MEET WITH THEM TO HELP FIND OUT WHAT THOSE JOBS ARE, TO HELP TRAIN THEM FOR THOSE JOBS, DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THEM TO THE INTERVIEWS.
WE HAVE CERTAIN PERSONS WHO SERVE AS MENTORS WITH THEM TO SIT DOWN IN THE LIBRARY, THE COMPUTER TO FILL OUT APPLICATIONS.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THOSE GOING ON AND SOME JOBS THAT HAVE BEEN SECURED WHENEVER IT COMES TO THAT.
WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE SHELTER WHO
[02:05:01]
NEED A GED.WE'RE WORKING WITH SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
WE HAVE TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HOMELESS IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHO ARE ENROLLED IN COLLEGE.
AND, UH, ONE IS RETURNING TO COLLEGE.
WELL, ACTUALLY, BOTH ALL OF THEM ARE RETURNING TO COLLEGE.
AND THE ONE THING THAT WAS HOLDING THEM BACK HAD TO DO WITH COMPUTERS.
AND SO THEY BOTH HAVE BEEN GIVEN COMPUTERS THROUGH THE HOPE CENTER JUST TO HELP THEM AND TO ENCOURAGE THEM ALONG THE WAY IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL ADVENTURES.
ADD TO THAT, THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE, WHICH IS A WRAPAROUND SERVICE.
YOU CAN GET A JOB, BUT IF YOU CAN'T GET TO IT, IT DOESN'T DO MUCH GOOD.
AND MOST EMPLOYERS ARE NOT VERY PATIENT WHEN IT COMES TO MISSING BECAUSE OF LACK OF TRANSPORTATION.
WE'VE FOUND OURSELVES, WE'VE GIVEN AWAY THREE CARS ALREADY.
UH, THIS YEAR, THIS CALENDAR, NOT 26, PUT IN 25.
WE'VE GIVEN AWAY THREE AUTOMOBILES THAT HAVE HELPED HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS OR THOSE WHO ARE SLIDING INTO HOME.
IT'S THEIR ONE PAYCHECK AWAY AND THEY CAN'T GET TO THEIR JOBS.
AND SO WE'VE GIVE THEM THE AUTOMOBILES, THEY TAKE THOSE, THEY FIND THEIR WORK, THEY GET INTO PLACE, THINGS STABILIZE FOR THEM.
ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS TAKES TWO OTHER PERSONS TO WORK WITH THEM.
SO THAT'S THREE FAMILIES IN THAT ONE DONATION RIGHT THERE.
THAT, UH, KEEPS THESE PEOPLE OUT OF SLIDING INTO HOMELESSNESS, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT ONE.
UM, SO JOBS, EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION.
WE COULD SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT OTHER WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
MOST OF THOSE ARE, UH, NOT EMPLOYEES.
MOST OF THOSE ARE JUST WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO LOVE WHAT THEY DO, AND THEY WANT TO SHARE IT WITH INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO THEY'RE VERY HELPFUL ON THAT ONE.
THE NEXT STEP FOR THE HOPE CENTER, THE SHELTER IS JUST BASICALLY A SAFETY NET.
NEVER INTENDED TO BE THE BOTTOM LINE AT ALL.
WE WOULD LOVE TO MOVE INTO TRANSITIONAL HOUSING THAT IS FINDING HOUSES FOR PROBABLY THREE AT A TIME WHERE WE CAN MONITOR THAT, HELP THEM, UH, GAIN A SENSE OF INDEPENDENCE, TRAIN THEM WITH FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ALONG THE WAY.
CASE WORKERS WORKING WITH THEM.
AGAIN, MOSTLY, MOSTLY VOLUNTEERS WHO JUST HAVE A PASSION FOR SHARING WHAT THEY KNOW AND BRINGING THESE INDIVIDUALS TO A PLACE WHERE, FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE NOT EATING.
WHEN I TELL THEM THEY CAN EAT AND WHERE THEY HAVE TO EAT AND WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO EAT, THEY HAVE THE FREEDOM TO BE, MAKE THOSE DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN.
THEY GET TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE AN ELEMENT OF INDEPENDENCE ABOUT THEM AND RESPONSIBILITY ABOUT THEM, AND THAT'S MOVING THEM IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE WON'T BE SATISFIED TILL WE GET THEM OUT OF TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND INTO PERMANENT HOUSING BECAUSE WE WILL HELP THEM WITH JOBS OR HELP THEM WITH UNDERSTANDING FINANCES.
I KNOW IT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR EVERYONE, BUT DON'T, DON'T SLAP ME DOWN FOR OUR IDEALISM.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR.
AND WE ARE REALLY THRILLED TO DEATH WITH, UH, WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO SO FAR.
AND THANK YOU, UH, ON BEHALF OF, UH, OUR FRIENDS, OUR MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS, PERHAPS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HELP ALL MAKE, MAKE ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE.
I WOULD, UH, ASK YOU TO, UM, ASK ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE THAT, UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER FOR YOU.
PASTOR THURMAN COLLIER IS THE CEO, UH, CITY OF REFUGE.
I JUST SIMPLY REPRESENT THE BOARD THAT FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE HOPE CENTER.
ANY QUESTIONS? UH, VICE MAYOR JORDAN, I REALLY DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST, IT'S CERTAINLY THE CONTRIBUTION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE.
IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN WORTHWHILE AND YOU'VE CERTAINLY, UM, DONE A GREAT DEAL WITH THAT, THAT SEED MONEY, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH.
THIS IS A, UH, 12 MONTHS, A 12 MONTHS COMMITMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE, UH, SHELTER AND ALL AROUND THE SERVICES FOR THE HOPE CENTER.
UH, COUNCILLOR HARRIS, I JUST HAVE A COMMENT ALSO IN REGARDS TO THESE TWO GENTLEMEN HERE, PASTOR ES AND PASTOR
I MEAN, THESE ARE SOME TROOPERS HERE, AND I AM OVERWHELMED BY, THEY'RE CHARGED INTO THIS PARTICULAR HOPE CENTER.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT THEY'RE DOING TREMENDOUS D FOR OUR CITY.
YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE COULD HAVE ASKED FOR SOMETHING, YOU GUYS HAVE JUST DONE IT 10 TIMES BETTER AND JUST TAKEN IT TO, YOU KNOW, TOTAL NEW HEIGHTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING A MUCH BETTER, UH, VALUE, UM, OUT OF THE MONEY, UH, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, USED TO GIVE TO A DIFFERENT VENDOR.
UM, AND YOU GUYS REALLY ARE, I MEAN, YOU'RE PROVIDING MORE SERVICES.
UM, YOU'RE HELPING, UM, MORE FOLKS.
UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GETTING PEOPLE, UM, UPLIFTED, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY INTO, UM, YOU KNOW, BETTER ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
AND, UM, AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL TO SEE THIS.
AND, UM, I JUST, I COULDN'T BE PROUDER, UM, OF THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING.
WE WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT YOU'RE PLEASED WITH IT.
IF I COULD JUST MAKE ONE COMMENT.
I'M SURE I HAVE OVERSIGHT OF THE BUDGET AND
'CAUSE WE, WE'D LIKE TO SAY WE CAN HANDLE THIS WITH VOLUNTEERS, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE.
UM, PEOPLE THAT COME IN AT WORK, THEY, THEY WORK FROM 10 O'CLOCK TO EIGHT O'CLOCK AND, UH, MOST OF 'EM STAY UP ALL NIGHT TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE SAFE.
[02:10:01]
THEY, THEY MAY GET A LITTLE NAP, BUT, UM, JUST YOUR CONTINUAL, UH, JUST SUPPORT TO US IS JUST VERY, UH, IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.WE WANNA MOVE THEM INTO, AS DARRYL'S ALREADY SHARED, INTO MORE OF A PERMANENT HOUSING SITUATION.
I LEFT JUST A WHILE AGO 'CAUSE WE HAD TO TURN THREE GUYS OUT 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ROOM.
AND, UH, AS YOU WELL KNOW, IN THE TRI-CITIES AREA, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SHELTERING IN PLACE.
AND SO OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE SORT OF BRINGING 'EM OVER HERE.
AND SO WE'RE HAVING TO, UH, IN FACT, SUNDAY NIGHT WE DID A SUPER BOWL PARTY.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW ANY, UH, WE TOOK THEM, UH, OUR CHURCH, UH, PROVIDED THE SPACE WHERE THEY COULD WATCH A BALL GAME.
IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, WASN'T NECESSARILY HOW I HAD PLANNED TO SPEND SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, BUT IT WORKED OUT PRETTY GOOD.
'CAUSE WE GOT TO WATCH BALL GAME AND, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT TO EAT PIZZA WITH US.
BUT WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE SHELTER, IT WAS REALLY COLD AND WE JUST HAD TO TAKE THREE GUYS AND JUST TRY TO PUT 'EM UP IN A HOTEL.
'CAUSE I JUST DIDN'T FEEL, I, I COULDN'T IMAGINE BEING IN THAT KIND OF SITUATION.
AND SO, AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN AND WE DEFINITELY WANNA MOVE THESE FOLKS.
OUR, OUR GOAL, AS DARRYL'S ALREADY SAID, UH, PASTOR BOGGS HAS ALREADY SAID IS TO MOVE THEM INTO MORE OF A PERMANENT HOUSING SITUATION.
AND WE BELIEVE WE'LL GET 'EM THERE, BUT IT'S A CHALLENGE.
SO WE COT YOUR PRAYERS AND YOUR SUPPORT IN ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN GIVE US.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY DUG.
CHARLES AND I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ECHO, UH, ONE THING.
I WAS IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER WHEN WE SET IT UP AND I WAS COMMUNICATING WITH THESE GENTLEMEN EVERY, EVERY FEW HOURS.
AND WE WERE, WE WERE ANTICIPATING THAT THEY WERE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE 24 HOURS.
AND, AND, UH, PASTOR BOG SAYS, NO, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT VOLUNTEERS, WE'VE GOT STAFF, WE'RE GONNA GET PEOPLE IN HERE.
AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS A HUGE, HUGE THING.
SO IT WAS REALLY GREAT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
OKAY, SO, UH, TONIGHT I'M HERE FOR THE, THE FIFTH PRESENTATION OF THE ENTERPRISE ZONE MACHINE AND TOOLS TAX, UM, REBATE.
BUT I'M GONNA PROBABLY SURPRISE SOME OF YOU IN THAT, UM, WE, UH, HAVE COME TO A DECISION IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE THAT IT MAY BE THE BEST THING TO NOT DO THE CHANGES THAT I'VE PROPOSED.
AND, AND, UM, SO JUST A LITTLE A A LITTLE RECAP.
THE, THE WAY THAT THE, THE PROGRAM EXISTS TODAY, LEMME GET THIS, IS THAT, UM, WHEN A COMPANY APPLIES FOR, UH, ENTERPRISE ZONE BENEFITS, THEY'RE GONNA PUT A NEW PIECE OF MACHINERY IN TO MAKE A NEW WIDGET.
UM, THEY MAKE THE APPLICATION, UH, TO THROUGH THE ENTERPRISE ZONE, UH, PRO, UM, PROCESS.
IT'S APPROVED BY THE COMMISSIONER REVENUE.
UM, MY OFFICE SIGNS OFF ON IT WHEN THAT WORK IS, IS PUT IN, IN PLACE AND THEY BEGIN TO MAKE THOSE WIDGETS.
UH, WE THEN ASSESS THEM, THEIR MACHINE AND TOOLS TAX, IT STARTS THAT, THAT CALENDAR, UH, YEAR AFTER.
THEY REPORT IT IN FEBRUARY 15TH OF THAT, OF THAT YEAR.
AND THAT'S THE YEAR THAT THEY'RE BILLED IN, UM, FOR ANYTHING THAT'S PLACED IN SERVICE BY DECEMBER 31ST THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
WELL, RIGHT NOW WHAT WE DO IS WE GIVE 'EM 30% REBATE THE FIRST YEAR, 30% REBATE THE SECOND YEAR, 30% REBATE THE THIRD YEAR.
AND THEN THEY PAY A HUNDRED PERCENT WITH NO REBATE AFTER THAT.
SO THEY ESSENTIALLY GET 90% REBATE OVER THE FIRST THREE YEARS.
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN WORKING.
UH, FOR THE LAST, UM, 10, WELL, ACTUALLY 12 YEARS OR SO OF THE PROGRAM.
THIS IS SOMETHING I HAD NOT SHARED WITH YOU GUYS AND I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THE ACTUAL FINANCIAL IMPACT.
I DID A SPREADSHEET FOR THE CITY MANAGER AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER.
SO OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS, THIS PROGRAM HAS BROUGHT $602,550,283 IN NEW MACHINE AND TOOLS INVESTMENT.
THAT'S HOW MUCH MONEY WENT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
THAT, THAT THEY INVESTED, THAT, THAT OUR LARGE MANUFACTURERS AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT $60 MILLION A YEAR IN NEW INVESTMENT THAT BROUGHT IN EVEN AFTER WE PAID THE REBATES THAT BROUGHT IN NEW REVENUE YEAR OVER YEAR OF ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN NEW REVENUE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEM COMES IN.
SO I HAD THIS GREAT IDEA, AND MY IDEA WAS WHY ARE WE GIVING THEM 90% REBATE OVER THREE YEARS? IT TAKES US TO YEAR FOUR TO GET THE FULL BENEFIT.
LET'S JUST GIVE 'EM 80% THE FIRST YEAR.
[02:15:01]
BY YEAR TWO, WE'RE GETTING A HUNDRED PERCENT.SO WE GIVE, WE GIVE LESS MONEY TO THEM.
AND THEN, UH, SO WE GIVE, WE GIVE 80% INSTEAD OF 90%.
AND, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOUR YEARS TO GET OUR MONEY.
THE PROBLEM IS WITH, WITH THAT MATH, IS THAT IF THEY INVEST A BUNCH OF MONEY AND THEY PUT IN A BUNCH OF NEW MACHINERY, THEN WE'VE GOT A REAL BIG REBATE TO GIVE BACK.
NOW IT'S ALL NEW MONEY, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN, UH, DEPENDING ON THIS TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS NEW EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
SO WE STILL HAVE THREE MORE YEAR OR WITH TWO MORE YEARS OF THIS 30%.
AND THEN IF THIS YEAR SOMEBODY GIVES A BUNCH OF MONEY, WE'LL, ALL IN ADDITION TO GIVE 'EM THEIR 30% FROM YEAR BEFORE AND YEAR BEFORE, WE'LL DO 80%.
AND SO THERE WOULD BE A ONE YEAR DIP, AND THAT COULD BE DANGEROUS.
SO WHAT WE'D LIKE FOR YOU TO DO IS IGNORE EVERYTHING I'VE TOLD YOU OVER THE LAST FIVE MEETINGS AND TO ESSENTIALLY, AND TO ESSENTIALLY, UH, WE THINK IT MAY MAKE THE MOST SENSE TO KEEP THE PROGRAM EXACTLY LIKE IT IS.
UH, WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO, TO ESSENTIALLY AMEND A MOTION TO JUST CHANGE THE DATE THIS PROGRAM EXPIRED.
IT SUNSETTED ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2025.
AND THE REASON WHY I DID WAS 'CAUSE THAT WAS THE END OF OUR ENTERPRISE ZONE BEFORE THE GOVERNOR LAST YEAR EXTENDED OUR ENTERPRISE ZONE TO 2029, DECEMBER 31ST, 2029.
AND SO WHAT WE'D ASKED FOR YOU TO DO TONIGHT IS ESSENTIALLY TO SAY, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE SAME ORDINANCE.
WE'RE JUST GONNA CHANGE THE DATE.
AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SPEAKING TO THE CITY ATTORNEY, THE CITY ATTORNEY SAID THAT, UH, YOU WILL MAKE THAT AMENDED.
THAT IF YOU, IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT, YOU'LL MAKE THAT AMENDMENT, UH, VERBALLY.
IT'LL BE IN THE, IN THE, IN THE MINUTES.
AND THEN WE'LL PUT IN THE CONSENT AGENDA, THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE THAT JUST CHANGES THAT DATE.
AND THEN WE WILL JUST KEEP ON OUR HAPPY MERRY WAY, PAYING 30% REBATE FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS.
WE'LL BE HAPPY WE KEEP GETTING OUR TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS NEW EVERY YEAR AND REVENUE.
AND, UH, I'LL GO BACK AND, UM, STUDY MY MATH AGAIN.
SO IS THERE A MOTION TO MAINTAIN, UH, THE PROGRAM AS, UH, STATED AND TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM EXPIRATION DATE TO DECEMBER 31ST, 2029? SO MOVE SECOND.
MOTIONS HAS BEEN MADE BY VICE MAYOR JOYER AND SECONDED BY COUNCILOR DAY.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION SEEING THEIR LIGHTS ROLL CALL PLEASE.
UM, I DO WANNA JUST MAKE A FEW QUICK LITTLE ANNOUNCEMENTS.
UM, AL UH, WANT TO FIRST SAY, UM, WELCOME COUNSELOR WHEAT.
WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU OVER THIS YEAR AND MAYBE EVEN LONGER.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, UH, WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO OUR HOPEWELL, UH, HOMETOWN BOY, UH, TRAYVON HENDERSON, UH, WHO, UH, REPRESENTED THE CITY REALLY WELL, UM, AT THE SUPER BOWL.
AND, UM, IT WAS REAL EXCITING TO SEE THE LAST PLAY OF THE ENTIRE GAME.
UH, HE, HE EXECUTED AND THAT WAS, UH, REAL EXCITING.
AND THEN, UM, ALSO, UM, I DON'T THINK, UM, SOME FOLKS, UH, KNOW ABOUT THIS, BUT, UH, WE HAD A, UH, HOPE WELL IN, UH, GET CHOSEN AS THE VETERAN OF THE YEAR FOR 2025 IN THE, UH, FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, UH, DR. WILLIAM BUTLER, UH, WHO SERVES ON OUR, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION.
SO, UH, HOPEWELL'S GOT A LOT OF GOOD THINGS TO CELEBRATE AND A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE DOING GREAT THINGS, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE COUNTRY.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I WILL ASK FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
ANY OPPOSED? THE AYES HAVE IT.