City Council Reorganization Meeting   1/2/2025

A motion to nominate has been properly made.

Do I hear any other nominations?

Hearing none, nominations are closed.

Council Member Dent.

Aye.

Council Member Fleming.

Aye.

Council Member Reed.

Aye.

No.

Okay, our next nomination is for the Vice Mayor.

So do we nominate the Vice Mayor?

I nominate Dany Fleming.

Do we have any other nominations for Vice Mayor?

I. Council Member Dentz.

I. Council Member Fleming.

I. Council Member Robinson.

I. Mayor Reed.

Okay, our next appointment is for city manager.

Who might that be?

So, do I have a council member who would make a motion to appoint

our city manager.

Second, we have a third.

Alright, we have a motion to appoint Andy Banks as our city manager.

Council Member Alsaadun.

Aye.

Council Member Dent.

Aye.

Aye.

Council Member Robinson.

Aye.

Aye.

And we now have, uh, appoint our city attorney.

Third.

Thank you.

Robinson.

Aye.

And we also have to appoint our city clerk.

Okay?

So do I have a council member who will make a motion to appoint our city clerk of beloved Pam Omer?

Council Member Alsaadun?

Aye.

Council Member Dent?

Aye.

Vice Mayor Fleming?

Aye.

Council Member Robinson?

Aye.

Aye.

Welcome back Pam.

Certainly.

Thank you Madam Mayor and members of council.

As you recall, back during COVID, the General Assembly passed some legislation that made it permissible for members of local government to appear at meetings electronically and this council did approve a policy which is required under the state law at that time.

It's been used very successfully, I think, over the last several years.

There have been a couple of changes in the state code and we wanted to go ahead and address that and get this policy in place going forward.

First, the policy now needs to be adopted every year so we can do it now and it takes care of the rest of the year.

The other change was it provided a third category.

As you recall, the two categories that previously existed was if a member has a temporary or permanent disability or other medical condition that prevents the member's physical attendance or

if they were simply unable to attend due to personal matters and you identify the nature of that matter.

The General Assembly added a third condition there that it's a medical condition of a member of the council member's family that requires the council member to provide service or care and prevents them from physically attending.

So we went ahead and added that.

The other significant change was prior

to the General Assembly's latest amendment.

It was limited to two meetings per year.

You could use the electronic participation if it was a matter due to just a personal nature.

The General Assembly has increased that to two or 25% of the number of meetings which for our council basically gives it up to six times per year.

All the other requirements stay in place.

The reason has to be identified to the mayor before the council meeting.

The council has to be assembled in a physical quorum, in a physical relation in a quorum, and council must vote on the members attendance.

Yes, ma'am.

Well, just one other point.

I remember once when the mayor was attending electronically,

then it rolled to me then as the vice mayor to chair the meeting.

That's correct.

Okay.

Okay.

Second.

Any more discussion?

We can do this by voice.

Yes.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Thank you.

All right, we're going to go into the appointments of committees.

And so if we can do, did we get it approved to do it?

Yes.

to make this very clean.

I would like to read the committees and who is going to serve on each committee.

And then at the end, if there's no discussion, we can just do one big motion in second.

Okay, are we all in agreement with that?

Okay.

And if I mess up, vice mayor, I know you worked on this, you can correct me.

All right, first committee is CSP DC and that would be Nasser and Laura.

CVWDB would be myself.

Stormwater Advisory, Dany.

Social Services Advisory, Monica.

City School Liaison would be myself and Nasser.

Library would be myself.

City JMU Liaison would be Monica and Dany.

HRMPO is Laura, Dany and Nasser.

HRCC, Dany.

HDR, Nasser.

So attorney Brown, would we have to vote on that or do we have to appoint someone to that?

I think if you don't want the task force to exist anymore, you would probably just have a motion to disband that.

Or you could just leave it in place with no member and if it's ever needed.

So we don't have to have a member.

I apologize, Mayor.

I could have clarified for those in the audience or watching at home that the mayor presented a list that is equal to the agenda.

So starting with 3G,

I think that you missed Epsack.

Yeah, you can actually apologize for that.

It's one person, right?

Yeah.

Sorry about that.

I'll be missing.

and one other thing, if I may, on 3Q, Harrisonburg, Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Commission, I know you identified the council members.

I think it also requires that you appoint members of staff and that would be

Mr. Banks and Mr. Kotobu and Cheryl Spain as their alternate to Gerald and Amy Snyder as alternate for Mr. Banks.

Hey, I'm do you have all that?

I think I've got it all.

Yeah, I apologize.

All right, if we are clear.

Second.

Any more discussion?

Any opposed?

All right, motion carries.

That's probably the quickest we've ever done that.

Um, if there's, is there any other business that we need to take care of?

Well, I want to say congratulations and welcome to our new council member.

We look forward to working with you.

Well, I like to say, um, I'm very happy to be one of the

City Council members and I will do my best to serve my city and be a good old model for our newcomers.

And thank you for my colleagues for all the assistance that they showed until now.

And I'm happy to work with them.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

I'd like just to respond because I think, well congratulations Councilman Alsaadun.

and you know, often we have elections that create milestones for our city.

We've had those in the past and your election is a milestone for our city.

So I'm very appreciative and excited for that.

So you represent a first for our city as a first immigrant.

Thank you.

We have no further business.

So this meeting is now adjourned.