City Council Meeting   9/16/2019

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Good evening.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Ms. Thomas, roll call, please.

Dr. Bellamy?

Here.

Ms. Walker?

Present.

Mr. Signer?

Here.

Okay, next we have announcements and I'll turn it over to the city manager.

I want to introduce to the public our new CAT director, and that's Mr. Garland Williams.

You come up and introduce yourself, say a few words.

Thank you.

Thank you.

She's the new Director of the Charlottesville Albemarle Visitors and Convention Bureau.

So thank you for having me this evening.

Are there any other announcements?

Hope to see you there.

Mayor Walker, I have a quick announcement.

And Counselor Bellamy, would you please introduce her to us?

We're really happy that she's here and pray that we can get some sleep.

Thank you.

All right, is there anyone who is here who would like to speak on an item that's on the consent agenda?

Thank you.

Ms. Thomas, could you read the consent agenda, please?

N, Ordinance, release of a portion of a gas line easement, shops at Stonefield, second reading O, Ordinance, Valley Road, Monroe Avenue and Jefferson Park Avenue easements, second reading P, Ordinance, amendment to the text of the city's zoning ordinance, city code section 34-896 to modify access requirements for various uses, second reading

After hearing it read, is there anyone who has any comments about an item on the consent agenda?

Okay.

Just a question about if you all checked into M about the amendment for the CACVB and the alcohol.

Angle, and they're willing to make a statement as well.

Yes.

And so this is really just putting in the regulation for us to be able to purchase alcohol just as we did when the city was the fiscal engine.

Do you have any other questions?

No, it wasn't clear that we had done that since the amendment, so that was part of the question.

Thank you for being here.

All right, and then for me, I just want to pull Olu and vote on it separately.

So I move that we adopt the consent agenda, less item O.

Second.

All right, please vote.

I move that we adopt item O, the Valley Road, Monroe Avenue and Jefferson Park Avenue easements.

Second.

Are there any further questions or comment?

All right, next we have the city manager's response, Sir Dr. Richardson, to the September 3rd council meeting.

Thank you.

And first up, we have Mary Carey.

Okay.

Unless you want me to comment on something.

Are you gonna say that?

Ms. Gavin.

Thank you.

Nancy Carpenter.

Good evening.

Thank you.

Thomas Oliver.

Thank you very much.

All right, next we have Harold Foley.

I'm going to succeed my sign to Elif Goode, please.

Thank you.

And so hopefully you all are aware.

And that time is adjusted just also for the public's knowledge that we no longer have the disproportionate minority contact meeting that same evening that's been postponed.

Will the public be able to comment?

Nelson.

You need to do something.

John Hall.

Thank you.

Mason Pickett.

You got to get out there and call these parents for what they are, slave makers.

Folks, nice day.

So I'm going to let Rosa talk more about what that looks like.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So thank you.

Kita Mills.

Hello.

I'm Shakira Mills from the food justice program.

This is just one resource that many community members use to get culturally approved produce in their home.

They offer prescriptions of produce for people with chronic disease and diabetes.

Thank you.

Also, you can go on www.seavillefoodjustice.org and sign up.

Robin Hoffman.

So please participate with your town for the good things too, and okay, bye.

Tanisha Hudson?

Just wondering, since that was part of the discussion of the Blue Ribbon, did we forget that?

We didn't forget.

What do you mean, contextualizing?

Yeah, black history.

OK.

And I don't think the legal battle is necessarily over.

It's not over.

Yeah, it's not.

Thank you for telling everybody.

You know, I just wanted to let you know.

So I'm trying to be calm and nice and figure out a way that we can move forward, but y'all gotta take some type of accountability, and y'all three know who I'm talking to.

Excuse me, go ahead.

I'm Scott Byer.

I say three, they know who they are.

Hi, do I still have to give my address?

I'm not familiar with it.

Thank you.

Did you write the report on Facebook about the Flint Hill development?

Yes, ma'am.

Rosia Parker.

But I just hope that the next time that people step in being on city council, if you're going to work for the people, make sure you're for the people and the color of your skin is not loyalty.

Stop debating and understand that it just needs to be done and just figure out solutions.

And I know that's not what some people are saying.

Oh, and that's not what I just said.

Not saying this is what you're saying, Mayor Walker, but I think just for clarity, it's not fair to the people who've been literally putting hundreds of hours into trying to get this right, that because they didn't pick one specific site that some folks think should have went first, that nothing is being done.

So literally, and people can agree and disagree, but I'm just literally saying that's right next to Cornville.

Hold on, hold on please.

The reason why I'm saying that is because once the redevelopment started and left the other people that are still living in these houses,

So he can comment?

But what I'm saying, even if my personal issue that you know about that I have brought up in the housing meeting.

So Wes, do you have any further comments?

There's a lot of mold and a lot of stuff that is going on.

So are you?

I respect Ms. Parker.

So we just need to make sure that the funding is there so that we can continue the process.

But I have to wait in order for somebody from housing to actually be controlled.

Those are just the two sites that were picked first.

Ms. Hudson?

Ms. Hudson, thank you.

So Councilor Hill, did you have something?

Ms. Parker just described a situation where she had to move from one to another and that condition was even worse and why aren't some of these more simple maintenance concerns able to be addressed because those are everyday concerns that are coming up I hear from residents in more than one community.

So I know for a fact right now there's less than, I'm comfortable with saying there's less than 15 minutes.

But we're just trying to have a discussion about what Ms. Parker brought up.

Just stay there.

But I think she just said that she...

But she just said that the maintenance needs to happen.

Yeah, please move on.

No, no, but I don't think it's right, though, that someone else gets to dictate in terms of.

No, I'm talking about back to our discussion.

Yes.

Okay.

It doesn't have to be obviously tomorrow.

and that will help some but it may, you know, Councillor Bellamy, the conversations about, you know, what can be done and the timeframe that it's taking if we can figure out how to make sure that there are more, you know, updates in terms of the

If council has any other questions, I can get those answers.

OK. OK. All right.

That was perfect.

Thank you.

So that is hopefully where that and especially with the new you know city manager and team here that we will be looking at whether it's you know voted on and implemented beforehand or whether it's voted on with and we had some of those conversations when discussing the work plan for the city manager.

And that's what's being considered.

I think there was a preference to not have it read.

So we're closing the community matters, and we will break until 8 20.

Okay, I didn't, I assumed that it would be a different one.

Alright, we gotta start, I gotta go home.

Hi and if you just want to introduce yourself and just let people know what your position is and because you're also new to the city we probably should have introduced you earlier.

Thank you.

I just wanted to make sure I was understanding like the timeline of all that.

So Belmont Street has had the two, the first two years.

Now we're already into this third year.

So now we're on the third year.

Okay.

Thank you.

So the two down payment assistance versus eight, do we know why it was only two?

Those were the only applications that we had.

Okay, so it wasn't a greater need.

The funding remains there and our partners there still have the ability to use that funding.

Is there not a need for the $200,000 and you needed an extra $50,000 or did you only need $150,000?

have been requesting for additional funds but haven't been getting it just because the priority neighborhood was taking up so much of that percentage breakdown, if that makes sense.

and so we found that we've hit up on that timeliness deadline a bit too much with the amount of funding that we still get from HUD for this grant and so that's why we're recommending a decrease in the neighborhood funding to allow for more of the allocation to go to the city-wide programs that are more competitive at this point.

It was just based on applicants.

And if there aren't applications in that category, there is the opportunity for it to be used in one of the other categories, the housing category or infrastructure.

OK. And the task force, is that the same task force or will new members be appointed?

talk with concerning that we can let you know the neighborhoods that need task force members and you all may know some individuals that we can reach out to and see if they're interested.

Yeah, I think that would be helpful if you could send us the list so we could do that.

And we have appointed some new members since last year's cycle.

All right.

I don't know what number, what page yours would be.

That's why that number is zero.

So it's just more parks, more when you say access to neighborhood amenities, what does that really mean?

So right now we have the 10th and Page Park that's under completion.

OK.

Got it.

Is there anything that prevents us from using this CDBG and home funds for that?

Do you have something to add?

I think Missy has already answered the question because, good evening, Councillors, CRHA neighborhoods are within the designated area, so they can equally apply for the funding along with other potential applicants seeking the money.

It was some of the concern that I expressed.

I mean, would that hurt, but it would also kind of underscore the importance?

It's not going to hurt, provided it doesn't designate, you know, any single person.

So it just has to be a fair application process.

Yeah, exactly.

Thank you.

Do I have a sheet?

I apologize, I was late.

I didn't have a sheet in front of me.

And also to coordinate with CRHA to identify potential uses of CDBG or home funds.

Thank you.

Thank you.

and I would just ask Mr. Blair is that even if it's possible if you want to look at that and let us know.

Look at what Ms. Galvin had and look at adjusting that a bit when you all are ready to adopt the resolution.

Thank you.

Um, is there a motion?

It's the first of two readings, right?

Um, no, that's one.

It's just kind of an underscoring a category.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have an ordinance rental relief for elderly and disabled, first of two readings.

The first one is the kind of

Todd makes me nervous I'm dropping stuff.

This is just with respect to the rent program.

The only question I had in both of these was just your concern about, and it's in here somewhere, I had a note, but it was concerned about if the elderly and disabled members of the community switched over to chat and the benefit that they received with trash stickers and whether that was... Yeah, I can address that.

I can go ahead and tackle them both now.

or should I read it or could we do both or do we have to wait?

I mean you can do both at the same time.

Okay, so we're also doing the changes to real estate tax relief program for the elderly and disabled first of two readings.

The three programs that we administer are staggered fairly well over the year, and so we feel like we handle them pretty well.

But it will work with keeping it, because this program is already administered that way, so you're just saying to keep it aligned, but the dollars amount will change.

I can't remember, so if you don't ask, it's not important.

That was your second point.

And I believe you guys were going to ask about the the max income threshold.

As I present these each year, I'm happy to do that.

I'm happy to bring those things up for you guys to discuss, but ultimately, it's up to you guys.

I love working with Todd on this.

The state code allows just a statement, so we'd like to switch to that.

So it'd be similar to check the box as the CHAP and just sign it?

So I don't know why we should for the other.

If there's no further discussion, then if we can move both items three and four to the consent agenda.

Thank you all.

How's it coming in?

I'll take a look tomorrow.

And we had fun doing our radio tour.

Yes we did.

We did a great job together so you didn't catch it.

Alright, thank you.

Next we have an ordinance amending and reenacting city code chapter 18 article 3 special events third reading

But happy to take any questions from the council.

Any more?

Okay.

Thank you for your work on this.

Here's a little bit of narrative history as opposed to the what's because it is

And that's the conversation we had today.

Yeah, we were going to look at that, how to make this probably on the website a little more understandable that there's the ordinance, but then there are also the regulations that would apply.

So on this one about the

What page is that?

A feasibility exception.

What that's really saying is, so long as it's feasible, the police department or city will issue a warning, except if there is some circumstance that makes a warning impossible, or maybe not impossible, but just illogical.

It's not at all optional.

But then.

And again, it's the default rule is you will give a warning the way it's it's worded, but again, that's counsel's.

and it would still protect the groups that we're concerned about.

But you two are lawyers and I'm not, so.

I understand.

You want to change it to May?

We need a motion to amend it.

Second.

In terms of the discretion that was just discussed, that's been part of the conversation around what some of the issues are with using that instead of making it part of the process.

And the word shall does limit officer discretion.

But I still would argue that it would give us more ability to protect ourselves going forward.

OK, so is there a motion?

Just a point of order then, so procedurally then we could vote on the amendment?

And then it could lose, but then we can vote for the... And I will support this, if this amendment does not win, then I'll support the whole thing.

Okay.

If you go to our website, you go to I want to, then apply for, then a special event permits, and then on that page you will see the special events regulations as well as the special events application.

Please vote.

Oh, no.

It fails.

And so is there a motion?

Senator Walker, I move to adopt the ordinance amending and reenacting chapter 18, Parks and Recreation, Article 3, Permits for Special Events and Demonstrations of the Code of the City of Charlottesville, 1990, as amended.

Second.

My vote is consistent as it has been since these changes you know have taken place but I will acknowledge publicly that this is a better version than we've had in place and that the work being done to make you know this a less intense coordinates I do understand.

And then, you know, the perennial problem, of course, is getting seen or gun control, and that's going to be something that we're going to be applying once again in the General Assembly, but I just wanted to make sure I acknowledged your hard work and appreciate it.

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay.

Next we have a report, public comfort stations for downtown.

Paul Alfordorfer will do that report for the comfort stations.

It's just the few parcels we have that are currently surface lots or storage.

more attractive than Porta John, so it gave more dignity to the whole process.

That's a Portland lube?

But it sounds like right now this portable piece is just for a pilot basis, then to determine what then a more permanent.

And so, you know, if we use this as a pilot and you're talking about two port-a-lets that don't cost that much money, if there was something that was to happen to them, the city's not on the hook for a $27,000 trailer if we tried that first.

My question is around like signage because obviously you want to train like you know people who are on the mall who are looking because I'll be honest I might have my kids downtown and they have to go and I'm not in a position to go and actually like use one of the services of a restaurant and take them all in there and we need a place to go and so I think it would be helpful just for folks even traversing the mall or on the other side of the mall that are in the parks to have signage that can direct them even to this pilot study I think it's important to have that kind of communication.

Yeah I'll see what we can do.

Um, I don't think that's going to alleviate those concerns or give people, um, you know, concerns from the business owners and residents or give people a place to go that because two blocks doesn't seem like the best option.

But the folks that are behaving in that manner are not likely to travel two blocks anyway.

But I would hope that we are purchasing something that people would actually want to use and not just anything because we may not use them.

Services for two units is about $500 a month, and we have about $1,500 in fence reconfiguration.

Is it too late to have a discussion with the new tech building about adding outside restrooms?

What was that one time?

the new building that's going up at the end of the mall.

I mean, they're pretty far along in the project.

Anyway, that was just what had been discussed in the past and the Portland Lou is a very nice little design.

We'll have the discussion.

Thanks.

Good evening.

Fortunately for us, our honorable Mayor Walker, thank you again for leading our 2018 delegation and Greenebar is always mentioning your name.

It was a great, great experience.

I am a queen.

Glad somebody's acknowledging.

Thank you again and God bless you all.

They just took three, maybe, I think?

Two.

We had a conversation with the school system about equipment that they were no longer using that normally would have been thrown away and that equipment was sent over for the schools and we shipped how many, how much?

And so we had to ship all of them there last year.

And we're working on building a library.

I'm excited.

It's a lot of stuff happening.

We're with you.

It's good.

You will come back with a rich experience that you've never had before.

I hope that we can, I think it's a phenomenal initiative and I think the $15,000 from the equity fund will be well used in this initiative.

And those are some of the questions I have.

It would be really great to see that because I haven't had... You have a copy of that.

Of the Sister Cities enabling...

Everything.

And so it's really about us understanding, you know, like just vamping up just overall whether this allocation is approved or not, which of course clearly I support.

What's your deadline for when you need to know about the funds?

What is your deadline in terms of when you need to know about the funds?

The deadline for when you need to know about the funds?

Let me see, probably at the end of November, October.

Council will look at their overall budget and then look at the best path forward in terms of trying to fund that requested amount.

And so we always want Charlottesville to experience these two festivals.

But I really appreciate the request and I appreciate what you're doing with it.

These are kind of nuanced situations and I think if we get into a point in terms of how we allocate resources from the equity fund and we look at them through the same lens in which we use traditional resources, we're going to find ourselves boxing out groups who wouldn't normally get the resources and then we're at the same process.

May I respond?

I don't think that you would have to get away from the regular system to somehow benefit groups who are being discriminated against, disadvantaged.

but this specific request is kind of a one-off and it's new for us this isn't something in which how they need the answer by the end of October or November rather like these kind of things are fluid and again I don't think that our traditional ABRT process or our budgeting process is discriminatory like we just keep all certain groups but the process there in itself isn't one that's conducive for the equity projects that people have across the city

The primary staff member who was in charge of that, that has been a point that has been made for years, so that's a separate conversation now, which is the Viburn Communities Fund, but that was one of the reasons why I pushed so hard to make sure that that process was changed.

And then...

I think that came out of the SIA.

Oh, okay.

Daughters of Zion.

inequities among other groups that also want to come for, you know, they're also in, you know, a month away they need a decision.

when you were just talking about in the CDBG and home funding.

Was there any other support or thoughts in regards to it?

And I think Dr. Richardson has got an idea of how to proceed for when this comes for discussion again.

And then we'll give you a reading of all your equity fund expenditures so you'll have that if that's the question you want.

Just want to make folks aware that this, based on the deadline at the end of October, it's going to have to be at your next meeting, the first reading.

All right, cool.

All right.

There we have it.

Thank you.

Once again, God bless you all.

Is there anyone who would like to speak?

Thank you.

Anyone else?

I don't think, it just confounds me the discussion about the public restroom and I think that there are some other ideas that can be floated and I think I'm sure a business owner would probably like to have some type of rebate on what they're charged on some of the space that they rent if they would open up their businesses that have restroom facilities to the public and that does not necessarily mean the people who are unsheltered, it means people like me too.

Is there anyone else who would like to speak?

No?

OK. Meeting adjourned.