Home Page | Town of St. Paul Virginia



MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019TOWN HALL – 6:00 P.M.Council Members:Others Present:Kyle Fletcher – MayorDebora Baca – Clerk/TreasurerKenneth Holbrook-Vice MayorJulie Hensley - Town AttorneyGreg Bailey-AbsentEarl Carter – Public Works DirectorTim BoardwineJonathan Johnson – Police ChiefJosh SawyersBob Harrison – IDA ChairmanHarry KellyRandy Beckner – Mattern & CraigMonty SalyerKathy Stewart – Main St. Mgr.Scott Bowen – CR State Park Mgr.Mayor Fletcher called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and asked council members to review the agenda for approval. A motion was made by Councilman Holbrook, seconded by Councilman Boardwine, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously. Under public presentations, Scott Bowen, Clinch River State Park Manager, gave an update on the new state park. He is in the process of purchasing new equipment for maintenance and placing signage, trash cans and picnic tables. They are working with UVA-Wise to secure office space at the Oxbow Center and have advertised for a Chief Ranger. This position is expected to be filled in January, 2020. The Artrip property has been purchased as another anchor site and they are working on the third site in Scott County. Mayor Fletcher made the following announcements:The Santa Train and Christmas Bazaar will be on Saturday, November 23rd.The tree lighting will be held on December 6th and the parade on Saturday, November 7th at 5:00 p.m.A business owner has complained about cement on their windows and the inspector said it will be addressed. If anyone else has a similar problem, it can be cleaned with vinegar. There was also discussion about using salt on the new concrete. Estes got quite a bit of stone into the sewer system and they have been working on cleaning all of that out.A motion was made by Councilman Holbrook to approve the minutes of the October council meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilman Boardwine and approved by a roll call vote: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyers-Abstain (because he was absent); Kelly-Aye. The motion carried 4-0.Chief Johnson said the police department is taking names and working on their White Christmas. There were no questions regarding his written report. MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE IIThe Treasurer’s Report included the Budget to Actual Report and a list of checks. Ms. Baca said she is working with Reba Hillman in preparation for the audit. Tamara has scheduled the audit to begin the first week of January. Earl Carter reported that there is an obstruction in the water line from Wise Street to the Gray Hill water tank, noting it could be a valve is partially closed or simply be corrosion. They have not been able to locate the obstruction but will continue to work on it. There is also a leak between the Riverside Drive cul de sac under the railroad track toward Food City. Earl also addressed the gravel mentioned earlier by the Mayor. The town has jetted the line for four days, getting it cleaned out from the manhole where the gravel entered, under the railroad track and under the four lane. There is still between 200 and 300 yards that needs to be cleaned out. There was further discussion about charging Estes for this issue. Councilman Salyer pointed out the importance of having documentation about the gravel and whether or not there is mention of this issue in the progress meeting notes. Ms. Baca said it is her understanding that Travis Jessee and Mike Hale have been keeping track of town expenses that should be charged to Estes. Earl confirmed that they are keeping records of costs. Earl invited the council members to the Fire Department Christmas dinner on December 13, 2019 at the Methodist Church. He then announced that the Water Department won a Fluoridation Quality Award.Randy Becker reviewed the Project Report. He said the only remaining items in the downtown project are light poles, striping, and stamping of crosswalks. He expects the final completion of the project by the end of the year. Councilman Salyer asked if the pavement at the two places where they crossed the road at the top of Wise Street will be repaired. Mayor Fletcher said it will be paved from the top down past the last road crossing, adding that Estes will cover everything they tore up laying the sewer line. Mr. Beckner also referenced the concrete splashing the Mayor talked about, noting that the contractor will have to take care of that and it should not be the responsibility of the property owner. Mr. Beckner said if the town has interest in an application to VDH for any of the water system issues, it should be on the agenda in December in order to get a grant application in a timely manner. Mayor Fletcher reminded Mr. Beckner that Estes will have to replace the light post they tore down in front of the town hall.Main Street Manager Kathy Stewart announced that St. Paul Tomorrow has received a $35,000 DHCD Planning Grant on behalf of the town for improvements on Riverside Drive. With the state park here, the group felt this was a key area to revitalize. They are hopeful that the planning grant and design will lead to more grant money to actually work on the revitalization of Riverside Drive. She also reminded the town council to consider pavement for the Hometown Hardware parking lot because it has damage from all of the extra use by heavy equipment during the downtown project, and he allows this parking lot to be used by the public. Mayor Fletcher responded that Estes said they repaired all damages from the construction, however, he agreed that it is used by the public and the council should consider the request. Ms. Stewart noted the additional mural that is now being painted on the underpass will include a picture of the river and MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE IIIa train. She encouraged everyone to participate in Shop Small Saturday on November 30th. Phase I of the Lyric Project is nearing completion. They still need two pieces of glass in the front and the marquee is supposed to be put up this week. They are considering a fundraising event for the actual lighting of the marquee. The Lyric Project has been awarded a $400,000 IRF grant for Phase II and that contract should be finalized in December. Ms. Stewart mentioned another fundraiser for the Lyric. The Lyric Players will be presenting “It’s A Wonderful Life” on December 3rd, 4th, and 10th at Ina Forbes Music Hall in the Western Front Hotel.A motion was made by Councilman Holbrook, seconded by Councilman Boardwine, to approve the consent agenda. The motion passed 5-0.Old Business:Councilman Sawyers reviewed the proposed resolution to assist business/property owners in the downtown construction area with expenses for power washing and cleaning of doors, windows, and awnings. The committee proposed that invoices be submitted to the IDA and 20%, up to $400, will be reimbursed to the business/property owner. Businesses must have a current business license to qualify. Councilman Sawyers made a motion to adopt the Resolution For Cleaning Reimbursement. The resolution is attached to these minutes. The motion was seconded by Councilman Boardwine. Councilman Salyer asked the Town Attorney if he should abstain from voting because Stonebriar will be requesting reimbursement. Ms. Hensley advised that if there is no preferential treatment, she does not see a problem with Councilman Salyer voting on this matter. Ms. Stewart asked if a business owner that is not a property owner would qualify. Following a brief discussion, it was clear that the intent is to reimburse the person who paid for the cleaning. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Kelly-Aye. The motion passed 5-0.Councilman Sawyers reported that the committee has gathered five samples of town manager job descriptions from both inside and outside of the state. However, they have not yet compiled them into one job description, therefore, Councilman Sawyers moved to table this item to allow the committee to review the samples to create a single draft for council review. The motion was seconded by Councilman Salyer. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Kelly-Aye. The motion passed 5-0.As requested by council, Earl Carter presented bids on a water supply pump like the one we used during the recent drought. Xylem was $58,051 and Buchanan Pump was $56,950. He received a third bid for $91,382 right before the meeting. Mr. Carter noted the significant difference in the third bid, but has not had time to review it to see if there are discrepancies in the item they are bidding. He asked that this matter be tabled to allow him time to review all of the bids. A motion was made by Councilman Salyer, seconded by Councilman Holbrook, to table this matter. The motion carried unanimously.MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE IVCouncilman Boardwine recalled at the last meeting the council voted to authorize John Hicks to solicit bids for a new sewer truck. He asked Earl to review the quotes received for an F250 gas engine. Freedom Ford was $30,713.64; Morgan McClure-$30,815.52; Colonial Ford (State Bid)-$31,136.95. A quote was also received for a comparable Chevrolet 2500 Silverado which came in at $34,119. Councilman Kelly asked why we solicited quotes on a F250 instead of a F150 which is comparable to what we have now. There was a brief discussion about the type of truck for which quotes were obtained. Councilman Boardwine made a motion to accept the lowest bid. Ms. Baca added that there is enough in the budget to make a down payment and finance for three years. Councilman Salyer seconded the motion to get it to discussion. Councilman Kelly pointed out that there is only $101 difference in Freedom Ford and Morgan McClure Ford and expressed his opinion that the local dealer should be considered. He then offered a substitute motion to accept the Morgan McClure bid. The substitute motion failed due to lack of a second. Following further discussion, Councilman Sawyers asked for confirmation that the quotes are comparing “apples to apples”. Mr. Carter said the first two are identical and the third quote from Colonial was the same but he had to add all of the options into their base quote. Councilman Salyer said when he does this for his office, he provides area dealers with the state bid to see if they can beat it. Ms. Baca pointed out that both local dealers beat the state bid. Mayor Fletcher talked about the convenience of service from a local dealer. After lengthy discussion about advantages of purchasing local and factors that can be considered according to the policy, Ms. Hensley said there was no deadline and it wasn’t a sealed bid process, but she still doesn’t know about giving one dealer another’s bid. Councilman Salyer pointed out that all of the quotes are now a matter of public record. Councilman Kelly said with only $100 difference, the council should support the local taxpaying business in our town. Councilman Salyer commented that this issue is another example of the need for a town manager. Following a brief exchange between Councilman Salyer and Mayor Fletcher, Councilman Sawyers offered a substitute motion to offer Morgan McClure an opportunity to beat the lowest quote and if they are unable to do that, then accept the lowest bid. Councilman Kelly seconded the motion. Councilman Holbrook said if you give Morgan McClure another opportunity, he thinks you should do the same for all of them. Following further debate on the motion, Councilman Kelly called for the question. Two thirds did not agree with calling for the question and Mayor Fletcher called for a five minute break to allow Ms. Baca to get the policy. Upon return, the Town Attorney read from the Procurement Policy wherein the policy does allow consideration of product quality, service, and vendor reliability, but does not indicate vendor location as a consideration. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote on the substitute motion: Kelly-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Boardwine-Nay; Holbrook-Nay; Bailey-Absent; Salyer-Nay. The motion failed by a vote of 3-2. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote on the original motion by Councilman Boardwine to accept the lowest bid: Kelly-Nay; Sawyers-Nay; Boardwine-Aye; Holbrook-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Salyer-Aye. The motion passed 3-2. Councilman Salyer suggested that, in the future, council members should try to avoid getting involved in these types of things. This has caused dissention and we have staff very capable of handling these things and presenting to the council. Ms. Baca added that it is obviously troubling to everyone that the local vendor did not MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE Vget the award. She suggested that the Policy Committee look at others things to be considered when evaluating bids. Councilman Sawyers pointed out that if we do not support local businesses and cause them to shut down, it would cost the town a lot more than the $100 difference in a bid. Ms. Baca mentioned that because our town has a population less than 3500, we are not required to follow the state procurement policy on everything. The Policy Committee will schedule a meeting to discuss this matter further.Discussing the downtown project, Mayor Fletcher pointed out the need for a rail at the building on Broad Street right up from Carter Bank. Due to the change in slope, the step coming out of the building is a much bigger step down and they have asked that a handrail be placed there for safety. Mr. Beckner said he will ask Jason Snapp about this. Councilman Sawyers said there was an individual that fell on the step in front of Small Town Fitness and suggested the town council look at placing railing on all of the steps. Earl said that is something the town guys could do if needed.New Business:Ms. Baca shared a request from Marketing Manager Andrea Hicks to allocate up to $1,500 for marketing school tuition. Andrea received a grant to attend last year and has applied for a grant for this year’s tuition. She may get a partial grant this year, but at this time, she doesn’t know how much grant she will receive. Ms. Baca expressed her concern that none of the paperwork has been submitted on the MLP grants in order to get reimbursement for a portion of the marketing and tourism money spent by the town. She has discussed this issue with Kathy and with Andrea. Ms. Baca stressed the importance of keeping good records when dealing with grant funds and pointed out that the Town Treasurer is ultimately responsible for keeping these records. We are currently spending on the second MLP grant and still have not submitted any pay requests on the first grant. Ms. Baca said she recently met with Andrea and hopes that document organization will improve. She also pointed out that if we exhaust the marketing funds, it would shut down our marketing efforts until we get some of this money back. Kathy said the turnaround time to get reimbursement is not very long once the request is submitted. During further discussion, Ms. Baca said the “50 Years of Love” grant is not a problem. It was an upfront payment and all of the expenses have been paid through the Treasurer’s office. Considering the investments the town has already made, Councilman Holbrook made a motion to authorize up to $1,500 for Andrea Hicks’ marketing college tuition. Councilman Sawyers asked to add a requirement that all grant paperwork be turned in by November 26th before awarding the funds. Councilman Holbrook agreed to the amendment and Councilman Sawyers seconded the motion. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote: Kelly-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Holbrook-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Salyer-Aye. The motion carried 5-0.MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE VIOn behalf of employees, Ms. Baca presented a request to the council regarding the holiday schedule. She proposed that for one time only, the town council approve Monday, December 23rd as a holiday in exchange for the Lee-Jackson state holiday on Friday, January 17, 2020. The discussion began when Christmas dinner could not be catered on Monday and was scheduled for Friday. After a brief discussion, a motion was made by Councilman Salyer, seconded by Councilman Sawyers, to approve the employee request. The motion passed unanimously.In reviewing the request from Social Services regarding the Foster Care Christmas, it was pointed out that the town gave $500 to Social Services last month for the adult program and our police department has a “White Christmas” drive. There was no action taken due to lack of a motion. A motion was made by Councilman Holbrook, seconded by Councilman Boardwine, to enter into Closed Session to discuss Legal under VA Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(7) and Contracts under VA Code under Section 2.2-3711(A)(30). He asked that IDA Chairman Bob Harrison be invited to stay. Mayor Fletcher asked for a roll call vote: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyes-Aye; Kelly-Aye. The motion carried 5-0.Councilman Holbrook moved to enter back into open session. The motion was seconded by Councilman Boardwine and passed unanimously.A motion certifying that the only matters discussed in closed session were Legal under VA Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(7) and Contracts under VA Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(30) was made by Councilman Holbrook. The motion was seconded by Councilman Boardwine and a roll call vote was taken: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Kelly-Aye. The motion carried 5-0.Pursuant to the November 2016 MOU between the Town and the St. Paul IDA, Councilman Salyer moved to appropriate $148,768 to be paid to the IDA, of which $75,000 will be used to replenish the debt reserve (with VCC) and the remaining funds will be used to pay principal and interest on the St. Paul IDA loan with Virginia Community Capital until May, 2020. The motion was seconded by Councilman Holbrook and a roll call vote was taken: Kelly-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Holbrook-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Salyer-Aye. The motion passed 5-0.A motion was made by Councilman Sawyers that the IDA request from the hotel group a road map for financial solvency over the next two years. The motion was seconded by Councilman Salyer and a roll call vote was taken: Salyer-Aye; Bailey-Absent; Holbrook-Aye; Boardwine-Aye; Sawyers-Aye; Kelly-Aye. The motion passed 5-0.MINUTESREGULAR COUNCIL MEETINGMONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019PAGE VIIA motion was made by Councilman Holbrook, seconded by Councilman Salyer, to adjourn. Mayor Fletcher adjourned the meeting and apologized for any outbursts during debate. _________________________________Mayor_______________________________Clerk ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download