City Council   6/4/2018

What you doing here?

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

Dr. Bellamy.

Present.

Ms. Walker.

Present.

Ms. Albin.

And we'll have Mr. Jones' response to the community matters.

Madam Mayor, no responses from last month's second meeting.

OK. All right.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

All right.

Next, we have boards and commissions.

Gloria Beard, Josh Bowers, Sarah Burke, Don Gathers, Juan Gonzalez, Katrina Turner, and Guillermo Uvia.

So is there a motion?

Second.

This has to be a joke.

I'm sorry.

Why would you do that?

Why would we ask for a board that's going to hold accountability?

All right, so first we have Marta King.

Thank you for your time.

Are the 400 people from the Charlottesville or just the Charlottesville and surrounding area?

Charlottesville and surrounding area, but pretty much just Albemarle and Charlottesville area.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Ms. King.

Paul Long.

And thank you very much.

Or even if it meant we had to leave it up to a vote of citizens, I don't know exactly, but it's something that I definitely would want us to move forward and pursue.

There's many steps and I want to be able to just come back to the public with a very clear series of steps so that everyone understands just the magnitude of the task at hand to do a change in the city charter, which is what that would mean, a change in the city charter.

Is that what I hear you saying?

At the very least, a report out from either Ms. Robertson or Mr. Jones?

Yeah, that's essentially what I'm asking, that we would add it to an upcoming agenda, and I'm definitely open to hearing all you.

So it could be a really good change in light of what everybody saw last year, which was real problems with the, but I would want the citizenry to be absolutely educated and totally bought in because it would be their government to be governed by.

Tony Wash.

Thank you.

Spot Itau.

I've lived in Charlottesville since 2000.

Come a little closer.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Peter Krebs.

Thanks for the awesome work, and I'll see you there.

You hip-hopping, Kathy?

Yeah, and he said Nikuyah and bike in the same sentence.

We'll get you at the techno ride.

It was a lot of fun.

I won't be at the techno one, but I got you.

It was really nice riding with the hip-hop.

I just was making sure I heard that correctly.

Thanks, y'all.

Thank you, ma'am.

Alright, Don Gathers.

If so, of the seven names presented, which of those represents an individual from this particular segment of the committee?

Thank you.

It's in the paper.

It's not, Mr. Fenwick.

Mr. Fenwick said that.

Not me.

I'm claiming my time.

OK.

Anybody got anything to say?

I've done it many times.

I mean that.

And you all are not backing us.

Alright, Evan Brown.

Thank you.

Did anyone else want to speak?

So, my question to city council, who's the person who's the lower wealth community representative?

Thank you.

I voted against the Civilian Review Board so I don't know if anyone wants to respond because that is in the bylaws or excuse me that's in the resolution that we passed.

But Mr. Bellamy, you never brought that up as a concern.

One saying that I never brought that up as a concern.

Starr, if you just wait just a second, we have some more slots.

I'm not believing it.

All right.

Would someone else like to speak?

My name is Jim Shannon.

and I'm really sick and tired of seeing you people pull this bullshit.

So I'm asking you if you would go back and do the right thing and put Jeff and Rosea on this CRV.

And to be fair, thank you.

Anyone else want to speak?

and I'm going to stay here and I'm going to dig in y'all's ass.

Would anyone else like to speak?

Donna Teachin, Charlottesville.

Thank you.

That was the end of Community Matters.

Wes.

and Michael Kochis

🎵

Hey

Ooh, ooh, ooh

Fifeville,

No, I think we at least should.

I don't think that's the only issue that we're hearing and we are hearing you, but I do wanna note that.

And if we're wrong on that, then we just know that, but I believe that's been confirmed.

So we felt we had a low wealth and a member of the community that had negative experiences with the police and that they are represented on this body.

Any other comment?

I'll leave it at that.

That vocal was the number one person.

So what happened with the survey?

Any other comments from?

Question?

I thought y'all took Jeff over, the one person on the regular.

No.

Because this was the first of the ceremony, y'all, in my life.

So basically, yes.

I think a lot of this came together but we just couldn't get all the way with the board.

When the people already decided, how did y'all decide?

Is that correct, Ms. Robertson?

Only three of you agree so you always adopt a motion to go into closed session where you agree that there's an exemption that applies so you would need to take a vote to change your minds about having a discussion in an open meeting about those matters.

What do you have to hide?

and it's in part possible, I mean, that's a deeper argument that, well, that, so that'll be a whole other.

All right, look, look.

We need some understanding.

And so I just, I think being very careful about individuals talking about individuals is very, very potentially harmful.

But this is indeed different because I don't think we've ever had a public forum for one of our boards.

I think that distinction stands and I agree with it.

So we have now discussed that we have met that requirement, but I still think that the makeup of the board should have looked very differently.

And I'm just, I mean, since we're talking about it, I'm just really disappointed that we don't have, again, a civil rights attorney, an individual who's

But for me, I was very open and open to the discussion around all of the candidates, and I really felt firmly that Mr. Fogel was not someone that I could support.

Okay.

And so for me, that also weighed in on my perspective.

And so I'm just going to leave it at that.

Can I say?

You don't want the information?

Yes.

That's the problem.

You have no knowledge about what we're talking about.

Your opinion on this is nothing.

That's what we did for the mayor decision and it ended up being more transparent than we usually are.

Y'all don't want to talk individually.

I think the points that you're bringing up in terms of the discussion without talking about the discussion isn't helpful.

I'm not going to sit here and be critical about individual candidates.

Is it worth acknowledging where we were strongly aligned as a starting point just to share with the public, where we were aligned?

It is really very, very

Disrespectful of the candidates and this is not something that we should indulge in.

Okay, so I would encourage everyone, correct me if I'm wrong, this process, these meetings will be open to the public?

Yes, the CRB meetings will be open.

And so since there are open meetings, you will be able to participate in that manner, and I hope that you will.

Why not make a good story

So there will be another opportunity for people to apply and be considered.

We're just trying to give them enough time.

Yeah, I think if someone, and again, Lisa, if I'm incorrect, but I think if someone was not filling their attendance obligation to help the group do what it's supposed to do for the first year, then we would appoint another member.

The border commission that someone is not participating on will let you know that and then you have a decision to make about whether to allow that person to continue or to replace them.

But again, I encourage everyone who applied and then other people too to attend and let it be a true community effort and not just a few people.

that the rest of you know that you and Wes are, your folks are the ones that we respect the most and yet the others are overriding essentially with the citizens themselves.

I'll be honest with you.

Yeah, and so I'm just sharing from... May I add something too?

And I do think that that's all I need to say and I really do hope we could move on.

You can come up.

they're like we're not going to talk about this on the diet so I mean like I don't

and this is one where it fell in this way but I think there's been so much other precedence where it has gone in other directions and I just want to continue.

Maybe they all communicate with each other but not with the public.

is actually productive and accomplishing something and I'm just, and that's it.

And I think one other thing to your point is that there are members of the community that Heather

You all probably spend a lot of time with.

you know on forthcoming we'd be about our thinking about certain people but at least you would see the whole process would still be a little but we could do that that's within our power and we could we could have done that in this case and we could do it in the future with ones coming down the next so you know it's never I don't I never feel great I guess the other option is that we have every board appointment is selected through referendum okay that's the public having a direct ability to vote

And I really think it, I would like us to move on if possible.

How will the meeting be set up?

We'll reach out to the applicants and set a process for them to set the first meeting date and go from there.

OK, so we're moving on to the consent agenda.

and Item M, an Ordinance Renewal of Sprint Franchise Agreement, second of two readings.

Is there a motion?

I think I'm permitted to do it.

Not pulling off the agenda.

But I guess I can just make a comment before we vote.

I'll second.

Exacting requirements, we just don't have them here, but their support and my colleagues, I think it's a great program and I think will have wonderful effects, but I just want kind of for the future as we consider requests like this to have to make sure that we meet those kind of fiduciary paperwork type requirements, but I'm not going to vote against it and I applaud Wes for his work on this and CRHA for putting the resolution together that led to it and Ting for doing the good work for the community.

So I just want to underscore that, that this is the housing authority's call, we agree with it, and we're funding it, but we do not meddle in their business.

So.

No progress without a little distress, and nonetheless, I'm very glad that we're moving forward.

How did you go from $200 to $400?

And I'm glad that we're not going to hold it up any further.

I support it, but I do think there are extra questions that we have to ask if we keep them the next time.

when it is finished with team and we will also, we being the CRHA, will provide quarterly updates if need be in regards to the installation process as well as how many users, excuse me, how many public housing residents, all 376, how many of them have actually taken advantage of the non-dollar internet to ensure that all of our concerns are heard.

I just had to say that because it is different from the schools in that respect, the schools we do during budget cycle.

I intend to ask them and that's it.

I'd like to call the question.

If that's something that, if that's an amendment that you would accept as proposed by the Commissioner of Revenue, if someone could just make a motion to amend the pending motion that you adopted on the first reading to include that additional language, that would be all you need to do before you vote.

Second.

And vote.

Oh, and that's 5-0.

That was just the vote.

That was for the amendments.

Oh.

Oh, I thought that was everything.

All right, the vote for the amendment.

I move that we vote for the consent agenda.

Now you're voting for the consent agenda as amended.

And we have 20 minutes for that agenda item.

The city's street closing procedures apply to this application and the application was circulated for review

your staff report reviews the application in a little more detail and responds to three different questions that are matters addressed matters to be addressed as a result of the city's street closing application and so what you're required to do this evening is to hold a public hearing on the request and then make a decision as to whether or not you want to grant it.

Any questions for the council?

when the city accepts an alley.

Parcels, for reasons other than access by a public street.

All right.

Forty years ago, they didn't need cities to have to do it, because the city made sure they got a good salary.

All right, Peter.

I look forward to listening to further discussion about this case and learning more and thank you very much.

Thank you.

I want to appreciate council member Robertson for explaining in great detail.

City attorney.

Thank you.

So it's not just going to be closed, there's going to be something built.

I guess I have a question then for staff on that, when the public hearing is closed.

Close the public hearing.

Ms. Robertson, I guess, or anyone from NDS is here, but have there been drawings submitted for additions or modifications to the building to warrant basically what almost seems like a consolidation of parcels to create a bigger parcel?

they can clearly use that area for their purposes because that would essentially block it off from other people using it.

This is consolidating parcels that gives the potential for a larger building, maybe not this building, but in the future, correct?

And then the remaining portion of the alley can still be accessed by the other lots that are adjacent to it from Capistri.

but it'll be a dead end.

Yes.

Any other comments?

And this is an area I'm learning in still, so could you tell us the difference between this and the item that was on our last agenda that was in Belmont?

Does that make sense, Mayor?

I don't need to get the ball rolling this time, but we do need a discussion.

OK.

I move that we adapt the ordinances of closing, vacating, and discontinuing a portion of a 12 foot wide alley off Dice Street near 7th Street Southwest.

I second that.

But we do discuss it.

I thought we were just having a discussion.

I thought the motion is what allows the discussion to happen.

We were a little out of order there.

Well, go ahead.

And as the initiator of the motion, I believe Vice Mayor Hill has the right to first comments.

This and an additional property owner expressed interest and also this happening we had in the last time around some concern from other property owners that they didn't want to go in that direction and just feel like I may want to be consistent but the same time I do see these as different scenarios and so I'm certainly inclined to support this request.

Right.

So if we don't either have title to it or we don't have a documented legal interest that we've accepted, then we don't maintain it.

It seems that's very appropriate given the fluid nature of this neighborhood and it seems fine to me.

So I'm not going to support this.

So we'll move on to our next public hearing.

The utility rate report is the first of two readings.

With that, I'll turn it over to you.

And then also you have a public hearing this evening, which was advertised on May 21st and May 28th in the daily progress.

Any clarifying questions?

I might have missed it, but the part about best practices and looking at other Virginia cities that have made this change, is there some research about that?

that was the information that we had received and again I apologize for not being able to compile that in a digestible format.

you know, localities in Virginia and how many, like how many of them are on this basis and how many of them have the fixed?

We can pull that together and get that.

I just want to.

All right.

So close public hearing discussion.

So I just wanted to add that added detail.

So to make sure that people you know are aware of those programs and apply if they need the resources.

So it changes totally the cost basis based on the width of your

Which is, if I understand it, it's actually much more equitable because it's based on the volume.

If you were to introduce that same logic on many more things and it became the default, then it really would be hard to do a lot of governance.

more responsible for paying for the roads.

So I'm just flagging it because it is a change and it's a change in paradigm.

You were suggesting that it wasn't fair and I'm suggesting that I believe personally it's more fair.

with most services and fee-for-service as opposed to just spreading it equally.

So I think it's a different conversation.

But I think it's just worth discussing.

We're going to move in a second here to get this.

I make a motion to accept the ordinance amending and re-ordaining chapter 31 utilities of the code of the city of Charlottesville 1990 as amended to establish new utility rates and service fees for city, gas, water and sanitary sewer.

Second.

Okay.

Yes.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

South Barbana Reservoir to Reagan Mountain Reservoir Waterline Project, first of one reading.

Mayor Walker, did you say you want the meeting to end by 10 o'clock?

Wes, good evening.

Option B or C are probably more plausible.

And Mayor Walker, I might just add for Mr. Moyer that our staff has recommended that we go with schedules B or C. And that's reflected in our resolution tonight.

That's your staff, yes.

Okay, discussion?

I move that we adopt a resolution adopting timelines for the South Rivanna Reservoir Waterline Project and for increasing the water level of Ragged Mountain Reservoir.

I'm sitting here calculating how old my kids are going to be when the different ones are done.

And that's still leaving options, both options on the table?

V and C. Yes.

We went through discussion.

Did we keep both up?

I'm very strongly in support of the resolution and I think it will put us in a good path to redundancy and reliability.

You put in so many hours of citizen service on this board, really, so you do know a lot about it and it's appreciated.

Okay, vote.

Thank you very much.

Yes, past five to zero, right?