MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR THE TOWN OF STRASBURG, HELD ON AUGUST 8, 2006, AT 7:30 P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS OF THE TOWN HALL.
Mayor Crisman opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation was given by Vice Mayor Taylor.
ROLL Called with the following members present: Mayor Tim Crisman, Vice Mayor Tim Taylor, and Council Members Don Le Vine, Sarah Mauck, Steve Nicholson, Carl Rinker, Scott Terndrup, Edith Wallace, and Michael Whittle.
Minutes of the July 11, 2006 Regular Town Council Meeting were approved as presented with several corrections to spelling and grammar made by Council Member Le Vine.
Visitors/Guests:
Delegate Todd Gilbert: Delegate Gilbert gave an update on the State Budget and other General Assembly matters. The State budget was resolved at the last minute and Mr. Gilbert mentioned several items that were approved with this: a 20% increase in education spending; substantial investments in the Chesapeake Bay clean-up; mental health; sex offender and predators reforms and funding for beds to keep the most violent sex offenders off the streets. There is a 16% increase in the State’s budget over the last bi-annual and taxes were not increased. Currently there are surpluses in the State’s Treasury. There is approximately $1.5 billion to be invested in transportation as soon as the General Assembly meets again. There has been much controversy with transportation and taxes. He added that actually they have not adjourned and the date for Delegates to return to Richmond has not been stated as of yet. He said he is available to citizens and to the Town for any assistance he can give. The transportation issue, land use issue, and growth issues are all tied together and he sees this as important to Strasburg. He added Strasburg is getting the “brunt” of these issues from counties far north of here and he will be paying particular attention to any growth legislature that may come up because he knows this will be important to this area. In conclusion, he said he has most enjoyed being able to help people fix problems that they have with State agencies. He is ready to serve the Town with any problems it might have. He introduced Mr. Gary Frink who is his legislative assistant. Mr. Frink was the assistant to Delegate Louderback and he, too, is willing to help the Town and its citizens.
Mayor Crisman said he would welcome Mr. Gilbert back to any meeting and he appreciates him attending this meeting and bringing this update. Mr. Gilbert said he plans to attend meetings and he means what he says about the growth issues confronting Strasburg and he will try to keep the Town updated on these.
Mayor Crisman welcomed all in attendance and said all petitions and communications had been directed toward the appropriate committees. Council Member Le Vine said he had several items he would like to discuss concerning the petitions and communications. The first concerns the “Project Status” and he said under the “Pending Approval,” the Island Farm has 50, 50, 70 units and the proffer is for 18 per year so he thinks this needs to be updated. Also, the potential growth rate is stated to 5 decimal point accuracy and he feels it should be rounded off to one so as to be more realistic on the potential growth rate. He also questioned the letter in the Council Packet from the Strasburg Chamber of Commerce concerning the beer tasting at Oktoberfest; he wondered when this would be acted on. Mayor Crisman said it should be acted on fairly quickly because of the time frame and he intends to bring it up during “New Business.” Council Member Le Vine said he did not understand the letter from Mr. Bushman on behalf of Mr. Holtzman and asked if this required action by Council. Town Manager Fauber said no action is needed at this time, but it has been discussed at the Utilities Committee meeting and he just wanted to bring Council up-to-date and it is for informational purposes only at this time.
Mayor Crisman said he had a brief statement to make and his comments were brought about by last month’s meeting. Reading from a prepared statement, Mayor Crisman said:
“Strasburg has faced – and will continue to face – difficult, controversial, even divisive situations. Yes, we must resolve these challenges, but we must do so in a way that unifies our Town and treats everyone with civility, dignity, and respect.
I believe three principles are essential to our success:
· Courtesy: we must focus on issues not personalities.
· Cooperation: we need to work together to find answers
· Open Mindedness: listen to one another, recognize others have valid concerns, and be willing to compromise.
While important, these principles are hollow without the support and cooperation of every member of Council and all citizens. As Mayor, I will do my part to remind people of their duties and responsibilities and, if necessary, enforce proper behavior. In turn, I ask each of you to conduct yourself so our meetings can be lively in their content, but respectful in their conduct.
In accordance with the Council’s decision last month, I intend to manage Council meetings according to Roberts Rules of Order and our Town Code. I would like to review the main guidelines we will follow:
I intend to repeat these rules until we are all comfortable with them. They will also be printed on the reverse side of each agenda and posted on our web site. I, of course, am open to suggestions for their modifications.
I believe it is time for Council to meet in a Worksession in order to decide procedural and agenda issues. There must be an agreed upon set of standards to govern our proceedings. I will call for that meeting this evening.
Lastly, I believe it would be beneficial if all of us share a common vision for Strasburg. Consequently, I am establishing a group to create a vision statement for Strasburg. This vision should be short, yet distinctive, unifying and inspiring, focused on the future while sensitive to our past. I suggest this group be chaired by a member of Council and include representatives of the Planning Commission, ARB, Hometown Strasburg, the Chamber of Commerce, civic organizations, and four citizens.
My desire is that this group will return with two options at our December meeting. During the next months, there will be public forums allowing citizen comment with, hopefully, an agreed upon vision statement by March 30 of next year.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation.”
Council Member Le Vine also read a prepared statement:
Mr. Le Vine said, “About a week after our last Council meeting, I contacted Councilman Nicholson and we got together for several hours and had a very amicable, frank, productive discussion about many subjects. I then contacted Councilwoman Wallace and we had a similar discussion which I think also was very fruitful, very forthright, and I think, very encouraging. The three of us have agreed as Council People to a statement which I’d like to read on behalf of all three of us.”
The statement reads:
“We, as members of the Strasburg Town Council, commit ourselves to identifying policies, making decisions and enforcing regulations that are in the best interests of our Town; that enhance its sense of community, that stimulate its economic vitality and preserve its beauty.
We recognize there are deeply felt, honest differences of opinion and, therefore, pledge to discuss issues forthrightly and vigorously, to listen attentively and respectively, to act in accordance with the laws and principles of the Commonwealth.
We ask all citizens of Strasburg to join us in making Our Town the pride of Shenandoah Valley.”
Citizens Comments:
Linda Wheeler, 29674 Old Valley Pike, Strasburg: Ms. Wheeler said she was here because of a news article recently published regarding Mr. Rick Redmon, a Strasburg resident who is legally blind. She said Mr. Redmon is a friend of hers and she has walked with him and a particularly difficult street to cross is at Fort and King Streets. She believes there are things that can be done on a State and Local level for Mr. Redmon and other citizens who might have sight problems and she is offering to do a study to see what other towns have done to help people with such problems.
Mayor Crisman said he believes everyone would like to have that information.
Mary Ann Littrell, 418 S. Holliday Street, Strasburg: Ms. Littrell said she was speaking on behalf of the Strasburg Chamber of Commerce and the Strasburg Community Library in regards to the 16-month calendar that will be on sale at many localities in Town. The cost of the calendar is $10 and it is full of many items.
Kim Bishop, 728 Crystal Lane, Strasburg: Mrs. Bishop thanked Council Member Le Vine for speaking with Mr. Nicholson and Mrs. Wallace about their conduct at the last meeting. She thanked them for coming up with a statement to work together. She has always wanted to work with the Council as a citizen. “I truly hope that what happened last month does not happen again. Mr. Nicholson and Mrs. Wallace, you obviously know you were way out of line; you abused your position when you walked out to stop that executive session that was called in advance. You could have politely sat there, listened, voiced your opinions and voted for or against whatever proposals were put to you.” She said they chose to act like spoiled children. In their press release, they tried to incriminate innocent Council members and tried to incite Mr. Boyd to sue the citizens who stood up to him. She said there was no apology for their actions; they just tried to justify their actions. She continued by saying she doesn’t know what Mr. Nicholson and Mrs. Wallace think of her, but all are adults and adults can disagree and still get along with each other. She said she has disagreed with issues brought before Council, but she has also praised Council actions. She has even praised former Vice Mayor Nicholson for things she said and did for this Town. “I have never had a personal vendetta against anyone on this Council --- I’ve had disagreements; I’ve had arguments, but I’ve never had a personal vendetta; it’s always been to the Council unless it was made personal to me and then I came back to that. Mrs. Wallace, I certainly have no animosity toward you, only what happened last month and I was stunned and very disappointed when you followed Mr. Nicholson out. You two showed no regard for the law or your position and as much as you’re trying to make up for it, and hopefully it will, it has not been forgotten and things have to be done. This kind of behavior cannot be allowed to continue.”
Leslie Meaux (Ms. Meaux was on the list of speakers, but was not in attendance).
Joyce Gary, 744 Crystal Lane, Strasburg: “I stand before you tonight as I have so often over the last many months to take advantage of my 3-minutes a month opportunity to express my opinions about issues relative to Strasburg. I usually try very vigilantly to make those 3 minuets really count – by bringing forth the most pertinent issues and facts. Tonight, I am here without that structure. Tonight I am here to tell you how I feel. I am still angry … perhaps less angry than I was a month ago because that was outrage, but I am still angry. But, I am also sad. The last couple of weeks have given me the opportunity to speak to many, many individuals in this Town, many of them the “old-timers;” most of them elderly and many in fragile health. Talking with them and listening to their anxiety, their disappointments, their own feelings of having been betrayed, has left me sad. And, so tonight I am angry and sad.
I am angry because certain members of this Council have made a travesty of their office and brag about it publicly. I am angry because the rest of the members are letting them get away with it. I am angry because you, as a Council and Mayor, have the opportunity to correct a pretty pathetic situation with regard to the Town’s procedural errors and you bailed out.
I am sad for the same reasons I am angry.
You, the Council, are commissioned to represent this Town. You are expected to be honorable and principled people. You are expected to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do – even when it is hard. You are expected to voice the people’s frustration and yes, even their anger. You are expected to do something.
So, I ask you again as I did three months ago, what are you going to do to show this Town’s citizens that you are honorable and principled and that you care enough to do some tough things? What are you going to do to show that you are aware of their sense of confusion, betrayal and lack of trust? What are you going to do to show that you would rather heal this Town than advance your own personal agendas? Sometimes you can’t just ‘make nice.’ Do something for Pete’s sake. Thank you.”
Kim Bishop, 728 Crystal Lane, Strasburg: “I have come to love Strasburg. I learned last week that I might be moving to Georgia, but I’m not now. After last month, I didn’t like Strasburg very much and after thinking of leaving it and starting somewhere else, I really did come to realize how much I do love Strasburg; I really do. Maybe not in the same way as the “non-blowins”, but I do love the Town, none-the-less. My favorite thing about this Town is how small it is --- a fact that I know is going to change --- and that I can walk wherever I need to go. For me, that’s not going to change since I live so close to King Street, but for others it’s going to be a struggle especially when people start looking to park in Town. With growth come more people or “blow-ins” --- that’s one of my new favorite words. With blow-ins come new ideas. New ideas equal new disagreements. Will we be able to handle it? Strasburg’s current citizens have had enough and Strasburg has a fight on her hands. It’s not me and it’s not Mrs. Gary; we’re just two people who speak our minds. It’s a whole lot of people. It’s over 900 people who voted for a change last election, and you can bet they’re watching and waiting and more are coming. At last month’s Council meeting a man said to me, that we, meaning the people who speak out, are hurting the Town and we should just stop and let things be. But, I’d like to say to that man and all you who think that by just closing our eyes things will go away, they won’t. It’s not the citizens who speak out that are embarrassing the Town; it’s the people on Council that are embarrassing themselves and the Town. Yes, this is messy but, it’s not going away. This Council needs to fix what’s wrong, especially with new citizens coming in. Three minutes, once a month, of one side of a conversation is not enough. People just getting up and sitting down is not enough. We need to know we’re being heard and not just dismissed. The last Council came in here with their minds made up before anyone even made an argument – you could tell that because there’s not been any good discussion between members, just statements prepared ahead of time and a vote. Confidence is low, anger is high. I think an open forum, like the candidates forum, would be a good thing to have; an opportunity for citizens and Council people to talk, on the record, before we have last month happen all over again. I love this Town and I know it’s changing, but you have to realize that it’s changing and things can’t go on the way they always have. Personal agendas need to be thrown away and the Town’s needs have to come first. Growth brings change. Let’s try and change for the better. Let’s have citizens and the Council work together. Again, I thank you, Mr. Le Vine, for trying to work that out and for, Mr. Mayor, your ideas on the Council and the citizens getting together. I really, really do love Strasburg and I hope things get better – it can’t get any worse. Thank you.”
Mayor Crisman again called for Ms. Meaux to speak, but she was still not in attendance.
Town Officers Reports
Town Attorney Arthur: absent; no report. Mayor Crisman read a statement from former Mayor Hubert Martin that was given to him and included in the Council Packet.
Mr. Martin had asked that his statement be read and added to the official record. The statement reads:
“Doug Arthur’s retirement as counselor to the Town of Strasburg is a great loss to this town. Doug Arthur, a gentleman’s gentleman, has not only been an outstanding advisor in legal and other matters. He has been a peacemaker. Our thanks to him and best wishes for many Golden Years with music, family and friends.”
Town Manager Fauber: Town Manager Fauber said he had given a projects update memo to members of Council. He highlighted several of the items included in the memo. The bid opening was held for the Capon Road Water and Sewer Main Extension project on July 19. The information and recommendation from the engineers will be forwarded to the Utilities Committee. The Non-potable Water Project is about complete. It is on-line and functioning and ~$300,000 has been spent on this. On July 20, a meeting between Friends of the North Fork, DEQ, Engineers on the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, and the Town was held. The Town received from DEQ on August 7 a revised VPDES permit that will allow the Town to go forward with the expansion project. On August 16, representatives from the Town will attend a meeting with the Shenandoah County School Board regarding an access road to the new Water Treatment Plant. The Bowman Mill Road Project is still ongoing and the ad date for this is February, 2007. This is a revenue sharing project with VDOT and construction should begin in April or May, 2007.
Director of Finance Mullins: absent. Town Manager Fauber said the audit will be conducted during the first week in September. The same audit firm will be used as last year. The Town was pleased with this firm’s work and entered into a three-year contract with them.
Director of Public Utilities Tewalt: absent. Town Manager Fauber said he had covered Mr. Tewalt’s report in his memo and report.
Director of Public Works Rhodes: The curb and gutter portion of the Stickley-Borum Street project is complete and they are waiting on the re-paving of the street. This will coincide with the paving of Ram Hill subdivision which is the new addition to Stickley and Borum Streets. The Queen Street project has been extended and they are currently working on curb and gutter from Massanutten Street to the Town Run and they hope to have this completed by the end of September.
Chief of Police Robinson: absent. Assistant Chief Carroll Wilkin reported the department had answered 770 calls in July. These calls resulted in 126 adult arrests and 4 juvenile arrests.
Town Planner Amos: Planner Amos said the only item from the Planning Commission is a recommendation for an addition to the Planning Commission Bylaws. She added any amendments must be approved by the Town Council. She read the amendment:
8.4 An application will not be included on the agenda for review if adequate information, including staff and agency comments, has not been distributed to the Commission prior to the meeting. The Planning Commission may waive this requirement with a 2/3 vote.
(The current 8.4 will become 8.5).
Planner Amos said the reason for this amendment was that applications were being added to the agenda prior to enough information being given to the Commissioners for adequate review.
Council Member Le Vine asked if the word “agenda” was meant for the Worksession or the Regular Planning Commission meeting; Planner Amos answered it was for both the worksession and regular meeting.
Vice Mayor Taylor moved to approve the amendment to the bylaws as stated; second by Council Member Le Vine. The motion passed unanimously.
Planner Amos also reminded the Council Members of several conferences that will be taking place in the near future. New members of Council attended a conference in July given by VML and another conference for Mayors, Staff, and other Council Members is planned for September. VML’s annual conference is slated for October.
Standing Committee Reports:
Public Safety: Chairman Taylor said the committee had not met and the Police Department’s report had been given by Asst. Chief Wilkin.
Personnel Committee: Chairman Whittle reported the committee had met on July 26. Attending were committee members Nicholson, Terndrup, and Whittle and also Mayor Crisman, Council Members Mauck and Rinker, Planning Commission Chairman Leon Smith, and Town Manager Fauber. Interviews for openings to the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), Architectural Review Board (ARB), and the Recreational Advisory Board were held. Individuals interviewed were: Al Davis, Doug Miller, Brett Kelly, and Rich Orndorff. Also the opening for Town Attorney and an action plan was discussed. A Performance Contract between the Town Manager and the Town Council was given out for future discussion.
The Action Plan going forward was:
Public Utilities: Chairman Nicholson said most of his report had been included with Town Manager Fauber’s report. He added many good ideas had been gained during the meeting with the Friends of the North Fork and he feels the Friends of the North Fork came away with a better understanding of how DEQ works.
Recreation Committee: Chairman Mauck said the committee met on July 25 with all committee members in attendance, along with Town Planner Amos and Advisory Members Sally Yates and Carol Haycock. This was a preliminary meeting to get to know each other and find out what the Recreation Committee had been doing in the past. Discussed was the River Trail, which is an ongoing project. The pool and the park were also discussed. Chairman Mauck would like to suggest that the name of the Recreation Department be changed to Parks and Recreation as it is in other localities. Chairman Mauck will be meeting with Director of Finance Mullins to review the 4th of July Celebration.
Finance Committee: Chairman Le Vine said he has met with Director of Finance Mullins and Town Manager Fauber so as to better acquaint himself with the Town’s finances. He has spoken with the other committee members and it has been decided to meet on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:15 p.m. At the first meeting, Council Member Rinker will be giving a report of what the committee has done in the past. Chairman Le Vine does think there are areas where improvement is needed in the budget process, especially in bringing the Capital Improvement Plan to the forefront. Also, Council needs to give more guidance to Staff in preparing the budget. The plan is to discuss the change in the process at the September meeting and bring it to the Council for review. Chairman Le Vine said any citizen who has an understanding of municipal finance is asked to work with this committee. The committee is open to new ideas.
Ordinance Committee: Chairman Terndrup said the committee met on August 1, 2006 with Council Members Taylor, Rinker, Mauck, and Terndrup and Planner Amos in attendance. The Committee heard continued concerns from the Signal Knolls Homeowners Association about on-site construction debris and equipment. These conditions have been unresolved for over two years. Council Members and Staff have tried to remedy this with the builder to no avail. Town Planner Amos and Chairman Terndrup have begun researching ordinances to remedy construction site debris and equipment storage and it is Mr. Terndrup’s intention to present a proposed ordinance to Council in the next month.
Also, the list of ordinance revisions was discussed. A list of items was prioritized and some items will be discussed with the Planning Commission as they begin working on revisions to the Comprehensive Plan. Included in this was a mandated definition for affordable and accessible housing; looking at design models, including low-impact models; looking at bike and walking trails in the entrance corridors; and greenways, in general. The committee will be looking at commercial parking requirements at the September meeting along with a tall sign ordinance for exit 296, occupancy standards, vacant building ordinances, and corner lot setbacks.
Council Member Terndrup moved for the approval the following additions:
3-10.3 Off-street Parking.
2-11.7 Variations, revisions, additions of land to an approved master plan
2-14.5 Site and design standards
3-10 Townhouses, section g
3-10.2 Dimensional and density requirements
3-10.3B where it talks of all streets, cul-de-sacs, and parking spaces
6-1.5 Contents of landscape plan
#5 Existing vegetation
402.7 Street grades
402.8 Cul-de-sac streets
2.3-11, 2.4-11, 2.5-11, 2.6-10 Requirements for permitted uses
2-7.8(a), 209.3(a) Requirements for permitted uses (a)
3-14.11 grading plans
3-14.12 Record drawings (as builts)
(Complete listing of changes and additions is attached here-to)
Second to the motion by Council Member Rinker.
Discussion: For clarification, Council Member Le Vine asked about certain ordinances that he thought would be voted on. Council Member Terndrup stated several of the proposed changes are being sent back to the Ordinance Committee for review and all items mentioned during the Public Hearing by Mr. Al Davis will be discussed further by the committee before being voted on.
Council Member Taylor thanked former Council Members Larrick and Himelright who spent much time on these changes and amendments and also Planning Commission Chairman Smith and Commissioner Kepler and Council Member Rinker and Planner Amos. This all took much time and he also appreciated the comments from Mr. Davis.
The motion passed unanimously.
Buildings and Grounds Committee: Chairman Wallace said the committee did not meet.
Street Committee: Chairman Rinker said the committee met on July 26. Mr. Ron Mislowsky of PHR&A, representing the owners of property at the top of Crystal Hill, was in attendance to discuss the connecting road from Crystal Hills to Madison Heights. The recommendation of the Streets Committee was for this request to be forwarded to the Planning Commission for review. Town Manager Fauber said the general discussion was on the tie-in of the connection and the consensus was that if the connection is made, some traffic calming devices be looked at. Mr. Mislowsky also spoke about a problem with the road profile at the Aikens/Claytor development. There is about 40’ of road that the gradient will be more than 10%. The committee recommended the possibility of a waiver to the ordinance.
Council Member Rinker moved for a waiver for the 40’ area that is less than a 12% gradient; second by Council Member Le Vine.
Discussion:
Council Member Le Vine asked about the public safety issue of this waiver. Council Member Mauck said this question had been asked at the Streets Committee meeting and Director of Public Works Rhodes was asked to give a visual of a street that goes over 10%. Mr. Rhodes said Thompson Street and North Street are both well over 10%. Council Member Le Vine said that even though it has been done in the past, that doesn’t mean we should approve it now. Council Member Rinker asked Chief Cromer if this distance would cause any problem. Chief Cromer state it will not be a problem unless there are townhouses.
The motion passed unanimously.
Council Member Rinker said he has met with Mr. Steve King who has said he has bought the equipment in Signal Knolls and all the equipment will be moved to a job site in Woodstock in the near future.
Council Member Rinker asked to be excused from the meeting for a short while to attend his grandson’s wedding. Mayor Crisman granted permission.
Special Committee Reports:
Shenandoah Telephone Advisory: Mayor Crisman said the group did not meet and the new representative to this committee is Council Member Wallace.
Strasburg Heritage Committee: The new representative to this committee is Council Member Whittle. Mr. Whittle said the committee has joined in with the Adopt-a-Highway program and on August 19, they will be conducting their first clean-up. The area adopted is Old Valley Pike from the Old Mill Restaurant to Battlefield Road (Fishers Hill). The committee will be meeting either August 16 or 17.
Chamber of Commerce: Mayor Crisman asked if anyone had volunteered to represent Council at the meetings. Council Member Terndrup said he had attended the meeting that morning, but would be unable to continue to do this due to work conflicts. The Route 11 Yard Crawl is slated for August 12, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Shirts are on sale advertising this event. Strasburg calendars are on sale. A Mayfest meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2006 at 7 p.m. The Oktoberfest/Business Expo will be held on October 14, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; this is intended as a thank-you to local citizens. Volunteers are needed to make this successful. The Chamber would like a letter from the Council approving the Beer Tasting portion of this event. The Christmas Committee will meet August 2, 20061 at 1 p.m. at the Chamber Office. The next Chamber Mixer is August 17, 2006 from 5 to 7 p.m., at Buggy B’s. The Chamber voted to endorse a proposed Town directory from Atlantic Communications and the Tourism Committee is heading up this project. The Chamber will be losing its space in November and is looking for space to lease on King Street. It was also discussed having a Chamber satellite office at the Town’s gateways at both Route 11 and Route 55.
Mayor Crisman said the Beer Tasting is a joint project of Hometown Strasburg, Inc. and the Strasburg Chamber of Commerce. Insurance for this would be covered by the Chamber of Commerce, but it would be held on the Town Lot so Town Manager Fauber feels sure the Town’s insurance company would say there would be exposure for liability to the Town. In the past, the insurance company has said the Town is covered, but there is an additional liability exposure.
Council Member Mauck asked how many beer distributors would be in attendance. Vice Mayor Taylor said the area would be roped off and someone would be checking ID’s.
Council Member Mauck moved for approval of the Beer Tasting; second by Council Member Le Vine.
Discussion:
Council Member Whittle asked if Council should get an opinion from Public Safety. Mayor Crisman asked Asst. Chief Wilkin for his opinion. Asst. Chief Wilkin said he would like to know some of the guidelines --- is it just a taste or is it a glass. He said the department would patrol it and hopefully there would be no problems. Council Member Mauck questioned if the Chamber has been in contact with the ABC authorities.
Council Member Le Vine moved to amend the motion to say that Council approves this as long as the Chamber agrees to cooperate with the Public Safety Departments in regards to this issue; second by Vice Mayor Taylor. The amendment passed unanimously.
The original motion passed unanimously.
Hometown Strasburg, Inc.: did not meet
Beautification Committee: Council Member Mauck said the committee had submitted a grant application last spring for re-imbursement for trees along Queen Street, but the committee did not receive the grant. However, Mr. Paul Revel of the Virginia Department of Forestry will be in Town on September 13, 2006 at 11:30 a.m., along with several experts in urban treescapes, to help representatives of the Town come up with a solution to the treescapes. After this, the Forestry Department will come through with the money for the trees.
Unfinished Business or Old Business: Mayor Crisman said that Council Member Le Vine had questioned the growth worksheet and that he (Mayor Crisman) had designed this and it should be updated and revised and he will do so by the next meeting.
Vice Mayor Taylor publicly thanked Council for selecting him as Vice Mayor at the last Council meeting. He looks forward to working with Mayor Crisman, Staff, and the citizens.
Council Member Terndrup said at the last meeting it was decided to adopt Roberts Rules of Order. He said there is a section for small boards and it is recommended by VML that small boards use this and he would like all members of Council to be given a copy of this. Mayor Crisman said this will be distributed.
Council member Rinker returned to meeting at 9:00 p.m.
New Business:
Mayor Crisman said included in the Council Packet was a notice that there will be a meeting at the Town Office on August 15, 2006 at 7 p.m. for a presentation by RFD TV regarding a series on towns in the Valley. The producer presenting this has already done work with both Mt. Jackson and New Market and is completing his work with Harrisonburg. All are invited to attend this meeting. The series will air on RFD TV beginning in September.
Mayor Crisman said in his opening statement he had mentioned having a Worksession on Council relations and the agenda. He would like to have enough time to deal with these issues properly. This Worksession will be held on Saturday, September 9, at 9 a.m.
Mayor Crisman said members of Council had been given a resolution in their Council Packets concerning Route 11 being designated as a Virginia Byway from the intersection of East King Street to the corporate limit line. Vice Mayor Taylor said the State of Virginia is trying to designate all of Route 11, from Roanoke to Winchester, as a Virginia Byway. He then read the resolution.
Vice Mayor Taylor moved to designate this portion of Route 11 as a Virginia Byway as stated in the resolution; second by Council Member Wallace. The motion passed unanimously.
Council Member Le Vine said that he and fellow new Council Members Mauck and Terndrup had recently attended a VML conference on how to be good council people. He said this was an excellent conference and they gained many good ideas from this. He encouraged other Council Members and Staff to attend conferences such as this. Learning from this conference, he believes it would be a good idea to have a speaker come and talk on the Freedom of Information Act and also COIA (Conflict of Interest Act). There have been major changes in the conflict of interest laws in Virginia and he believes all would benefit from this information. Town Manager Fauber will look into this.
Council Member Le Vine said he has also spoken to Town Manager Fauber on the idea of how Council and Staff can respond to the needs of the citizens. He thinks a useful policy for the Staff would be that they respond to a citizen’s concern by letter within three working days of the problem being voiced. Following this, an update letter would be sent every two weeks until the problem is resolved, if it can be resolved. He would also like to have a “matrix” added to the Council Packets monthly keeping Council informed of who has problems and what has been done to resolve them. He would like this to be tried for a period of three months and then revisit it for revisions. Vice Mayor Taylor thinks this should be discussed at the Worksession as he can see where some details need to be worked on. Vice Mayor Taylor also said he has talked to Town Attorney Arthur about getting speakers from VML to talk to Council on various subjects.
Council Member Terndrup would also like to see standardized lines of communication as he doesn’t want it all to fall on Town Manager Fauber; some problems can be dealt with through committees. This will be discussed further at the Worksession.
Committee Meeting Dates as Follows:
COMMITTEE DATE TIME
Public Safety Committee Thursday, August 24 7 p.m.
Tuesday, September 5 7 p.m.
Personnel Committee Wednesday, August 23 7 p.m.
Utilities Committee Wednesday, September 6 7:30 p.m.
Recreation Committee TBA
Finance Committee Tuesday, September 19 7:15 p.m.
Ordinance Committee Thursday, August 31 7:30 p.m.
(Mr. Terndrup will arrive ½ hour early to discuss concerns with citizens)
Streets Committee Tuesday, August 29 7:30 p.m.
Buildings and Grounds Comm. Thursday, August 24 7 p.m.
Council Member Whittle moved that the Council of the Town of Strasburg convene in closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in order to discuss personnel involving specific officers, appointees, or employees of the Town of Strasburg for the purpose of considering such individual’s assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation under Virginia Code 2-2-3711a1; second by Council Member Le Vine. The motion passed unanimously.
Council adjourned to Executive Session at 9:13 p.m.
Mayor Crisman stated the Council of the Town of Strasburg hereby certifies by roll call vote that to the best of each member’s knowledge:
1) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies; and
2) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Council of the Town of Strasburg.
He instructed each member was to respond on roll call vote, “I so certify.”
Deputy Clerk Miller called the roll and each member responded “I so certify.”
Council reconvened at 11 p.m.
Council Member Le Vine stated the process he was going to go through before making his motion for appointments. On September 9, 2006, Council will hold a Worksession with the morning session being devoted to agenda procedures and during the afternoon session a VML speaker will discuss developing a list of criteria of what are the expected responsibilities of the Town Manager to the Council and from the Council to the Town Manager. Another Worksession will be held on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 7 p.m., where each Council Member will bring a list of what they feel should be included in the criteria; Town Manager Fauber will do the same. By the October 10, 2006 Town Council Meeting, there will be an agreed upon list of criteria which can be used to evaluate the Town Manager’s actions as well as the Council’s actions toward the Town Manager. Town Manager Fauber will be evaluated during Executive Session at the March, 2007, Town Council meeting using these criteria. Once a new Town Attorney is appointed, this person is to look into the legalities of changing the dates of appointments to March to avoid the issue of having to re-appoint following an election when new Council Members have just taken office.
Council Member Le Vine moved to re-appoint Mr. Kevin Fauber as Town Manager with his term ending June 30, 2008; second by Council Member Nicholson. The motion passed unanimously.
Council Member Le Vine moved to appoint Mr. Marshall Robinson as Police Chief with his term ending June 30, 2008; second by Council Member Nicholson.
Discussion: Vice Mayor Taylor asked if the process Mr. Le Vine outlined earlier pertained to all appointees and Mr. Le Vine said it did.
The motion passed with one nay (Council Member Mauck).
Council Member Le Vine moved to appoint Mrs. Amy Keller as Town Clerk with her term ending June 30, 2008; second by Council Member Mauck. The motion passed unanimously.
Council Member Le Vine moved to appoint Mrs. Irene Wilson as Town Treasurer with her term ending June 30, 2008; second by Council Member Mauck. The motion passed unanimously.
Council Member Whittle nominated Mr. Al Davis to the Planning Commission; second by Council Member Le Vine.
Council Member Wallace nominated Mr. Richard Orndorff to the Planning Commission; no second to the motion.
Council Member Nicholson nominated Mr. Doug Miller to the Planning Commission; no second to the motion.
Mr. Al Davis was elected to serve on the Strasburg Planning Commission with one nay (Council Member Nicholson).
Council Member Whittle nominated Mr. Doug Miller to the Board of Zoning Appeals; second by Council Member Le Vine. Mr. Miller was elected unanimously.
Council Member Whittle nominated Mr. Brett Kelly to the Architectural Review Board; second by Council Member Le Vine. Mr. Kelly was elected unanimously.
Council Member Whittle nominated Mr. Jeffrey Stern to the Recreation Advisory Board; second by Council Member Mauck. Mr. Stern was elected unanimously.
Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:08 p.m.