City Council Meeting   12/4/2023

Thomas, would you call the roll?

Councillor Payne?

Here.

Councillor Pinkston?

Here.

Councillor Perrier?

Here.

Mayor Snook?

Here.

Vice Mayor Wade?

Is there a motion to approve or to amend the agenda?

Mr. City Manager, is the report for social services still at the bottom?

It is, unfortunately.

All right.

I would move for approval of the agenda.

Thank you.

First is a work session where we will hear and discuss presentations that do not require a council vote.

to start us off or just somebody standing at the microphone?

So Steve will take it away.

Any questions?

Yeah, I just have a quick question concerning the cyber security, you know, as Councilor, there's a lot of things that keep me up at night now, but one is that we're hacked and someone holds information, it's ransom, we hear about it in other localities, and do you feel confident that we're doing, you have all the tools that you need to keep information safe?

So I don't know if that's really giving you the best answer.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

So that's what runs accounting.

out of everyone in the organization, but there were certainly requests for additional funding.

The reference to last year was in regards to expanding for the HR modules, success factors, so that's the additional piece that came after the original, but there is more to come in regards to the cost of SAP.

Well, those kinds of software, you just have to, it's like an ongoing thing you have to keep up with and

But there are certainly some advantages to it.

So they've always been very helpful, either over the phone or in person.

Everyone would like to hear that.

Anybody else?

Is there a way that we can do something that would make that database more accessible to folks like me?

surprises me, and I'll look into it.

from all the data sets, whatever you want to call them, more really searchable.

And specifically, you're talking about like agenda, like meetings, the notes?

and then I could go back and try to figure it out sort of meeting by meeting until I found and I'm just it would seem to me that in this day and time we ought to have some way of having that be more readily searchable so it doesn't have to be that you've got to know where to look before you can find it.

Yeah, you bet.

Do you know, I'm sorry, Mr. Curtin, do you know, are we in the process of updating our website?

Yes.

Okay.

Color scheme, it's going to look different.

And there's an ADA component to that as well?

There always is, yes.

Okay, great.

And we use a service called AudioEye, which is for ADA reasons, on our website.

Thank you, Mr. Hall.

Thank you very much.

Looks like we've got the police chief coming up next.

He got me twice.

So thank you so much.

And it was just a really whole community approach, to be honest with you, to make that go the way it did.

And the key was pizza.

We got some good pizza in Charlottesville.

You can give us your recommendations for the presentation.

We don't want to sway your presentation.

Absolutely.

And then robbery, rape, burglary continue to see reductions.

Can I ask a question?

Sure.

The distinction between theft and robbery and

Burglary is typically someone's home or something like that.

Okay, thank you.

So a robbery would need to be a theft using some type of threat, assault, intimidation, something of that nature.

Okay, thank you.

This is a regular replacement cycle through the fleet process.

Chief Koch is for those motorcycles?

Yes, motorcycles.

Like if you ordered today, would it be two years before you get it type of thing?

and some of the calls for service when we talk about mental health here in the city this is just a snapshot but as you're seeing unlike part one crime and gun violence we're seeing an increase in mental health calls for service and it's a significant one and here's where we're seeing most of our mental health calls for service mostly downtown operating budget increases

Because it strikes me that the numbers that were lower in the other are higher in this slide, and maybe that's a good thing in a way because people are interviewing.

So that's what that is.

Thank you.

It's a minimal cost, but being a part of those task forces has been tremendous value and allows us to continue to solve some of the violent crime that we're seeing in a very efficient manner.

Yeah.

I tried my hand and that didn't work out well.

Yeah.

So again, we need to focus on those folks within our organization to make sure we can provide the service that our community expects of us.

and so you're presuming that the money that's in this slide would supplement what the individuals could not afford?

Someone to come in and talk about financial wellness and training to our officers.

Thank you.

The co-response model that we were talking about.

Pre-arrest diversion for youth?

We divert before arrest, meaning we would call either, we're working with a few groups, Uhuru is one of the groups that we're talking with, but we would have a process where we would divert them to that process, to a person as opposed to going into the system.

Interesting.

And I would take any questions.

Thank you, sir.

but the culture will change because we all have different personalities so how do we ensure that the work that you and your team have done to recruit and hire stays there and in six months you're not looking for 15 more people or you know.

So this vision, mission, values, all of this, I mean, this has happened in the last 11 months.

Okay.

hiring the right folks with the right mindset, not just, you know, our process is robust and I've been really encouraged about the folks who are applying and who are hiring.

but it's never alarmist it's never like oh my gosh I'm panic-stricken okay when's the next one coming what what what so you or whoever helps you do that I mean I'm sure you do it all by yourself but the thoughtfulness in the manner that you have communicated to the council since I've been a member of the group has been greatly appreciated by me thank you I appreciate it you're welcome

Fourteen.

I'm sorry.

But I mean, what was the, I mean, how did that happen?

Wait until you see the next class in January.

It's a good thing to have to try to explain.

Yeah.

Are you looking at a partnership where maybe police are not the initial contact or just what the hoped for goal is long term?

And so any opportunity we have to do that, we will.

There's something that's launched and off the ground?

Thank you.

Fire Department.

The other Michael.

Joe's the right one

Thank you

Should we take a pause?

Yeah.

We'll keep on trucking if they find where he was at in his slips here.

What's up to you?

I remember that.

Yeah.

construction process or build process.

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

So this is going to be a new station and the old one will be demolished or are you doing renovations to what is currently?

HodgePodge into Ridge Street at the present moment.

And there'll be some monies?

Yeah, that's in with the request for current CIP.

additional materials so if we use five IVs while you're transporting me then you're going to have to have those somewhere else to replace those five versus getting the replacement as soon as you deposit me at the ER.

to be able to potentially hold that more of an in-house pharmacy.

So now you're building a new place that can take care of that accommodation?

Yeah, if it comes to be.

Is that additional certification?

It just depends.

Thank you.

And then we have any questions that may be for us.

Do we still have a mandatory retirement age for your firefighters?

You have the option of 25 years and 50 is the earliest you could leave, but 60, yeah, is the age we still have.

But is that currently factored into the positions that you need or no?

The folks that are retiring within the next couple years, I think there's only one or so that may be topping out age-wise.

Okay, so that's not a part of the 12 that you talked about.

They just haven't chose to leave.

Is that still basically as it has been?

So that's the majority of the calls that they're running, but they do at times have advanced life support personnel as well.

Oh, yeah.

If they're out, it'll pull one of the Fontaine and Ridge units.

No problem.

Thank you.

Gonzalez?

and I apologize if I'm a little nervous because this is my first time presenting to the City Council and it's a little bit outside of my wheelhouse.

Just relax.

We're practicing.

We're in good shape.

Just press.

Thank you.

Great job.

Don't hold that against me.

Gonzalez.

Thank you.

I have that here.

Pursuant to Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia, I move the City Council close this open meeting and convene a closed meeting as authorized by the Code of Virginia Section 2.2-3711A8 for consultation with the City Attorney regarding legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice, specifically legal matters related to the proposed zoning ordinance.

Is there a second?

Second.

So yeah, everybody ready to go.

Yeah.

All right, folks.

Let's have a moment of silence, please.

Counselors, any announcements?

One is that

Any other items for recognition or anything else?

Thomas, would you read the consent agenda, please?

That's all right.

That's all right.

And eight, Resolution to Appropriate State Historic Resources Grant Funds to Jefferson School African American Heritage Center $200,000 first of two readings.

Seeing none, any further questions or comments from Council?

No.

Is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda?

Second.

Passes five to nothing.

Mr. Sanders, is there a report from the city manager's office?

It's great to see how many kids wanted to be a part of it and there were some big kids like myself who rode the trolley.

Did you actually ride it?

So thank you, and that is the report for this evening.

Barnes.

Thank you so much.

Barnes.

T-shirt.

I'm not filling out a form for this T-shirt.

Thank you.

Next up is Anna Askunis.

Sorry.

Sorry, Lloyd.

Thank you very much.

All right, next is Scott Williams

And I just hope that you will pass the budget as requested.

Next is Jennifer King.

Thank you.

Mark Cavett.

Thank you.

Jessica Harris.

Thank you for your time.

Next, John Hosick.

Thank you.

Julia Jones.

I'd like to defer Mount Toms and Hilary Murray, the president of the Neighborhood Association.

She was on the list anyway, so that's fine.

Thank you.

Next up is Ellen Contini-Murava.

Thank you.

Quintini-Mirava.

Bonnie Riley.

Thank you.

Next is Alice Raucher.

Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to provide our perspective.

Next, Roy Van Dorn.

Thank you.

Next, Matthew Gilliken.

I think if we can try to find good design for these buildings it will help us navigate that it's also the height that provides the marginal reduced marginal increase in cost that lets us have the profitability that allows for these big affordable housing fund contributions that's the sort of the trade-off we're going to have to make I think to some extent I understand it's a challenging set of trade-offs in front of you but I hope you'll choose to move forward with these projects thank you thank you Mr. Gillikin

Kimber Hawkey.

Thank you.

Jeffrey Ayton James Kelly

Thank you.

So action items.

Mr. Cullinan.

Thank you.

I have no questions.

I have no questions.

Yes, sir.

I fully expect that to be the case.

Yes, sir.