WILLIAMSBURG CITY COUNCIL MINUTES March 10, 2016

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1 WILLIAMSBURG CITY COUNCIL MINUTES The Williamsburg City Council held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, at 2:00 p.m., in the Council Chamber in the Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Clyde A. Haulman called the meeting to order. ATTENDANCE Present in addition to Mayor Haulman were Vice Mayor Paul T. Freiling and Council members Ms. Judith N. Knudson, D. Scott Foster, Jr. and Mr. Douglas G. Pons. Also present were City Manager Marvin Collins, City Attorney Christina Shelton, and Deputy Clerk of Council Gerry S. Walton. Staff Attending: Communications Specialist Lee Ann Hartmann, Planning Director Reed Nester, Finance Director Phil Serra, IT Director Mark Barham, Deputy Human Services Director Chris Powell, Public Works Director Dan Clayton, Parks and Recreation Director Robbi Hutton, Fire Chief Pat Dent and Deputy Police Chief Andy Barker. COUNCIL MINUTES Mr. Freiling moved that the minutes of the February 8 Work Session and the February 11, 2016 Regular Meeting be approved as submitted. Ms. Knudson seconded the motion which carried by roll call vote of 5-0. Recorded Vote on the Motion: Aye: Haulman, Freiling, Knudson, Pons, Foster Nay: None Absent: None MATTERS OF SPECIAL PRIVILEGE -- None PUBLIC HEARINGS None REPORTS Monthly Financial Statement The Monthly Financial Statement was included in the meeting packet. Monthly Departmental Operating Reports The Departmental Operating Reports were included in the meeting packet. In response to Mr. Pons observation that the street sweeper s linear miles swept is down quite a bit and that this seems to be a trend, Mr. Collins said the sweeper had been out for repairs for a large portion of the month and tends to be one of the heaviest vehicle maintenance issues. Public Works Director

2 Dan Clayton stated that the street sweeper is scheduled for replacement next year, 2017, and will cost in the range of $125,000 and $175,000. City Manager Reports Williamsburg Regional Library FY 2017 Budget Presentation Mayor Haulman noted the presence of Library Board of Trustees member Jim Axtell and City staff representative on the Board, Vickie Herrick. Williamsburg Regional Library Director (WRL), Genevieve Owens, introduced Jorge Rivas, the James City County representative on the Library Board and recognized Carrie Binsfeld, Finance & General Services Director for the Library. The updated Mission Statement for the WRL: The Williamsburg Regional Library informs, enriches, and strengthens our community. The City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County value our work and fund the Library as a basic service for their residents. The updated Vision Statement for the WRL: The Williamsburg Regional Library provides excellent collections, programs, services, and facilities that fulfill our community s needs and expectations. Ms. Owens highlighted a few things from fiscal year 2016 that the Library has accomplished: Update of the Williamsburg Regional Library Strategic Plan. The refreshed, rather than a re-write of the Strategic Plan, runs from 2016 thru Circulation of ebooks and downloadable audiobooks, music, and magazines is up 22% from the previous year, with over 58,000 items downloaded. Library staff members worked closely with City staff and architects on the Stryker Center. Library staff held two book fairs distributing over 1,000 books to students in summer school. These events were part of the Library s twelve-year partnership with the Williamsburg-James City County schools. Ms. Owens noted that all Williamsburg Regional Library staff members are governed by the James City County Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual with the exception of the Director who serves at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees. In reviewing the FY2017 Proposed Budget Expenditures and FY2017 Proposed Budget Revenues, Ms. Owens said the revenue from the three jurisdictions is based on circulation for that particular jurisdiction. The requested increase for the City of Williamsburg is 2.03% or an increase of $17,036 over the FY2016 Adopted Budget; the total FY2017 Proposed Budget portion for the City of Williamsburg is $858,196. Council comments included the following: We have terrific regional partnerships and the combined efforts would not be as successful if we all worked separately. York County residents have a drop in circulation and in response to Mr. Freiling s question about the possible cause, Ms. Owens said that although she is not certain, it is possible York County participants might be more active with electronic circulation, and the borrower s jurisdiction cannot currently be tracked. Mr. Freiling said that s fine if that is the Page 2 of 6

3 case, but he hopes it isn t a reflection of any perception of lack of services or that somehow the library has become less appealing to Upper York County residents; Ms. Owens agreed. The impact of the opening of the Stryker Center on staffing for the next fiscal year. In order to mirror the hours of the main library, two vacancies at the library, one full-time vacancy and one part-time vacancy, were reclassified as 1.5 FTEs and shifting them to the Stryker Center. Ms. Owens said the City is also considering staff from the Parks and Recreation Department for weekend coverage. She said they are continuing to track and evolve the kind of staffing that will be required. As noted previously, personnel for the library goes through James City County, and with appreciation, Mayor Haulman noted that Bryan Hill, James City County Administrator, has been very accommodating with this need. In response to Mr. Foster s question regarding the increase in revenue of $5,000 for meeting room usage, Ms. Owens said the fees for the rooms at the Stryker Center will be a little bit more than the rooms at the Williamsburg Library and the James City County Library because the Stryker Center rooms are newer, larger, and more technically equipped. She added that the $5,000 figure is an educated guess at this point. Mr. Pons commented that a contributing factor in the drop in York County resident participation at the library may have been due to the limited parking available during the construction of the new facility. Mr. Collins noted the parking deck, that always has empty parking spaces, is less than one-half block away, and was available during the entire construction process. There is sufficient parking available within a two block walking distance of the library so he doesn t think that is an accurate deterrent. Ms. Owens updated Council on the renovation plans for the Williamsburg Library noting the plans are three years old and don t necessarily reflect the collaborative nature of development that the Board of Trustees now expects from the WRL. Also there are a variety of things that have presented themselves over the last three years, especially at the Williamsburg Library, that weren t thought about three years ago, e.g. the need for a family restroom. The result is that they will be taking a step back and it will probably be FY 2018 before changes begin to happen. Confirming Mr. Pons comment, Ms. Knudson said she has talked with people who feel parking is too far away, even if it s right there. In response to Ms. Knudson s question, Ms. Owens said that while there is hesitancy to use the library s public funds until a technology is tried and true, the Friends of the Library contribute funds that allow the library to experiment with technologies that are new; this is what was done with ebooks. Mayor Haulman said it is important to recognize the critical role that the Friends of the Library and the Library Foundation play in helping ensure that this is a top-rated library. Mayor Haulman suggested there might be a need to review the funding formula given that it is currently based on circulation, yet electronic circulation, which is not considered in the formula, has increased 22%. Ms. Owens said the right set of supplemental measures has not presented itself yet, so she pays very close attention both here and in her professional life about what other libraries are doing to try to measure electronic circulation. Request of Triangle Arts and Culture League, Inc. for Tourism Promotion Contingency Funding for the Art & Garden Event Mayor Haulman stated that Council had a substantive presentation on this request at Monday s work session. Page 3 of 6

4 Mr. Collins briefly reviewed the request for $25,000 from the tourism promotion contingency funding for the Art & Garden event planned for approximately March He said the request was received from the newly established non-profit organization from Terry Buntrock, Founder and Executive Director, and Greg Lilly President of the Board of Directors. The purpose of the event is to establish a fund raiser to support local public art programs. The $25,000 is a one-time funding to support the funding of the development of the event, and they have sustainable funding built into their projected revenue. Mr. Collins said the application for funding is consistent with the criteria outlined in the Tourism Promotion Contingency Funding Policy adopted by City Council on December 10, Council members were very supportive of funding the event as well as the probable outgrowth from the event, e.g. overnight visitation to Williamsburg and the surrounding area, and the provision of financial assistance to other arts events in the City. Ms. Knudson moved that City Council approve the request of the Triangle Arts and Culture League, Inc. for $25,000 in funding from the Tourism Promotion Contingency Fund to market the new Art & Garden event consistent with the application submitted at the City Council meeting. Mr. Foster seconded the motion which carried by roll call vote of 5-0. Recorded vote of motion: Yes: Haulman, Freiling, Knudson, Foster, Pons No: None Absent: None Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Adoption, Proposed Resolution #16-03 Mr. Collins said the Code of Virginia requires each local jurisdiction to prepare and keep current a local Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). Every four years each locality is required to conduct a comprehensive review and revision of its Plan to ensure that the Plan remains current. The revised Plan, utilizing the template provided by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, is to be formally adopted by the governing body. Fire Chief Pat Dent presented the Plan for Council s review and adoption noting that the purpose of the Plan is to direct actions intended to preserve life and protect property from further destruction in the event of an emergency. It is to establish policies and procedures and organizational structure for response to emergencies or planned events. In addition to the Plan, there are three stand-alone documents: The Local Emergency Planning Committee document which deals with hazardous materials, the Radiological Response Plan which deals with nuclear radiological emergencies, and the Hazard Mitigation document. The Local Emergency Planning Committee document and the Radiological Preparedness Plan are part of this approval process. The Hazard Mitigation document is on a different update cycle --- a five year review cycle, and will be brought before Council later in the year. Chief Dent said that in addition to the three stand-alone documents, there are ten hazard-specific annexes that are part of the EOP, and because they contain specific operational information as well as sensitive information, they are redacted from the public portion of the EOP. Page 4 of 6

5 He said that although there are no major changes to the update, revisions to the 2016 EOP include: Compliance with all federal and state regulations Added geographic and demographic information Significant incidents or planned events added as reason to activate the Plan Use of Everbridge notification system to alert community Updated line of succession to increase depth in EOC positions Reorganized emergency operations organizational structure Contact information inserted for the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund Revisions/additions to definitions and acronyms The Coordinator of Emergency Management, the Fire Chief, continually reviews the Plan during the four-year renewal period and makes changes as necessary. While all changes do not require presentation to Council for adoption, City Council should consider adopting/re-adopting the Plan if the change results in a commitment of resources or a significant policy change. Other minor revisions to the Plan may be administratively reviewed and approved by the Director of Emergency Management, the City Manager, or his designee. In response to Mr. Freiling s question, Chief Dent said that although the individual localities must adopt their own Plan and are on different schedules for updates, the City is in constant conversation with the other Emergency Managers for specific annexes where we can experience common emergencies and problems. There are areas in our Plan that talk about mutual aid and the partners that will assist in response to particular incidences. In an incident that impacts all three jurisdictions, our responses are communicated to and coordinated with the other two jurisdictions. Mayor Haulman asked about the City s Emergency Operations Center and the status of updates to the facility. Chief Dent said the Center is still state-of-the art and we are the envy of many localities. Over the last year work has been done with the City s IT department to update some of the computer equipment. Mr. Freiling moved that City Council adopt Proposed Resolution #16-03, Williamsburg s Emergency Operations Plan, as submitted. Ms. Knudson seconded the motion which carried by roll call vote of 5-0. Recorded vote of motion: Yes: Haulman, Freiling, Knudson, Foster, Pons No: None Absent: None {Resolution #16-03} City Attorney Report None UNFINISHED BUSINESS -- None Page 5 of 6

6 NEW BUSINESS None OPEN FORUM Mayor Haulman opened the Open Forum portion of the meeting for comments on any topic. Gary Shelly, 205 Indian Springs Road, stated that he is excited about the new building, the Council Chamber in particular, and that it exceeds his expectations. He said it s wonderful to be here and speak openly and freely about any topic he would choose. Mr. Shelly addressed the issue of Council s decision to loan the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority (WRHA) the funds to purchase 110 Harrison Avenue and specifically Council s omission to inform the public of the existing contract on the property. He spoke about the transparency of government and that when public officials are dishonest, in this case by omission, they need to be called out. There being no additional comment, the Open Forum was closed. ADJOURNMENT There being no additional business before the Council, at 2:53 p.m. Mr. Freiling moved that the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Pons seconded the motion which carried by unanimous roll call vote. Approved: April 14, 2016 Gerry S. Walton, Deputy Clerk of Council Clyde A. Haulman, Mayor {Thursday, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., an Open House was held and the community invited for a tour of the new Stryker Center and refreshments.} Page 6 of 6