HomeMy Public PortalAbout1980_07_09 MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL, JULY 9 , 1980
264
P. regular meeting of the Leesburg Town Council was held in
the Council Chambers, 10 West Loudoun Street, Leesburg, Virginia
on July 9 , 1980 at 7 : 30 P.M. The meeting was called to order by
the Mayor, with Mr. Tolbert giving the invocation, and followed
with the Salute to the Flag led by Mr. Hill. Present were : Mayor
Kenneth B. Rollins, Councilmembers Charles A. Bos, Stanley D.
Herrell, Jr. , G. Dewey Hill , Jr. , Marylou Hill, John W. Tolbert,
Jr. and Howard M. Willis, Jr. ; also Town Manager John Niccolls
and Town Attorney George M. Martin.
The minutes of the regular meeting of June 25, 1980 were
approved as written.
MANAGER'S REPORT:
(1) Mr. Niccolls said Mrs. Reynolds advised him today that
the Preservation Society has agreed to donate another $865. 00 to
the cabin project. They had been discussing drywalling the loft
area. The bids last year included all of the work up and down-
stairs, but the bid was too high, so everything in the loft area
was cut out except some insulation. The contractor has now agreed
to drywall and paste and tape the joints for the $865. 00 - this
will improve the upstairs appearance and be one step further along
the way to completing the job. He thanked her for arranging this
with other members of the Preservation Society.
( 2) The date for the reception and dedication of the Log Cabin
has been changed to Monday, July 21st at 4 : 00 p.m. This will be a
nice time for the Council and others associated with the Town and
the project to see it in its completed state before it is really
occupied. There will be refreshments . Invited will be present
and past mayors and councilmembers ; present commissions and boards ;
people who have assisted the project through donations, including
the Preservation Society; the Chamber of Commerce; the Loudoun
Artisans ; Loudoun Museum; C & P Telephone Company and other or-
ganizations that have made contributions.
( 3) The written Activity Report they received on Monday in-
cluded
the good news about the traffic signal at East Market and
Plaza Streets . This is a result of Mr. Hill ' s trip to Richmond.
(4) The Capital Projects Summary has been distributed to-
night. This is a summary of the major on-going projects - this
should be particularly helpful to the new members .
(5) Mr. Taylor has provided the Cash Balance statement - he
points out that the totals do not indicate year-ending balances
because there are expenditures against that cash that will be
paid out before the year closes officially.
(6) The rezoning request before them tonight came in yester-
day and is a new business item .
COUNCILMEMBER INQUIRIES AND COMMENTS :
Mr. Bos was glad to be here and looking forward to working
with councilmembers. He attended the three-day conference Spon-
. 7 sored by the Virginia Municipal League for new mayors and coun-
cilmembers and found it very beneficial. There were sessions on
various aspects of municipal government. Most of the speakers
were either present or past mayors, councilmembers, adminis- - '
trators or consultants . He felt he learned a lot.
Mr. Hill complimented Mr. Bos on attending that meeting he
attended one some years ago and found it very informative for newly
elected officials . He was glad to see that the town will get that
light at Plaza Street - we apparently got our point across , thanks
to the Manager 's help and the Mayor ' s letter to one of the commis-
sion members . He congratulated the two new members of Council ,.and
welcomed them. He also felt the outgoing members should be- given
some commendation. The Council deserves a lot of credit in the
past couple of years - the fruits of their efforts will be shown
in the years to come.
MINUTES OF JULY 9 , 1980 MEETING.
Mrs . Hill requested that a picture be taken of this Council265
in order to continue the "rogue 's gallery" . She also asked if the
street crews could clean up as much as possible after picking up
limbs, etc. Mr. Niccolls said he would work on this .
Mr. Willis said he is glad to be here and is looking forward
to working with everyone. He was not able to attend the VML meet-
ing, however, he attended a Governor ' s meeting in Culpeper along
with Mr. Tolbert. It was very informative to him.
Mr. Herrell said there is a bad pothole where you go into
the Airport. Mr. Niccolls said the crews will be doing more street
repair after they finish the brush pick-up. He was aware that the
road is in bad shape.
Mr. Tolbert agreed with Mrs . Hill, that street looked pretty
bad to him.
MAYOR'S REPORT:
Mayor Rollins echoed Mr. Hill ' s comments concerning Mr. Bos and
Mr. Willis in welcoming them. He believes that the caliber of •
CO those serving here is much stronger than in the rest of the County -
COthey have stood up for what they thought was, right regardless of
N public opinion. He knew the two new members will serve with that
same distinction and dedication and he looks forward to working
W with them.
Q •
Q He asked Mr. Hill if the traffic light at Plaza and East Mar-
ket Streets will be in keeping with the project. Mr. Niccolls said
"Probably not. " It will be hung from wood poles on cables and will
essentially be a temporary installation. The lead time for the in-
stallation called for will probably take about a year. There will
also be a different lane configuration. We have not heard of any
time-table change for the entire project yet.
Mayor Rollins also asked if there is a list prepared_.con- . _.-
cerning the resurfacing program? Mr. Niccolls said Mr. Chaves and
David Frye will be working on this next week after Mr. Chaves re-
turns from vacation. It will probably be a month before Council
will have it.
He also reported that brush at the northwest corner of Valley
View and Davis Avenues needs to be cut - it blocks vision coming
out - it is on the right-of-way and almost in the street.
80-79 - RESOLUTION - RECEIVING AND REFERRING THE APPLICATION OF
SRL PROPERTIES, INC. FOR REVISION OF ZONING
DISTRICT MAP TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR
PUBLIC HEARING UNDER CHAPTER 11, TITLE 15. 1
OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA, AS AMENDED.
On motion of Mr. Herrell, seconded by Mrs. Hill, the following
resolution was proposed, with Mayor Rollins explaining to the new
members that nothing is considered by Council unless it is sent
to committee first. If any member objects to considering the
item without going to committee, it will not be considered. There
was no objection to considering this resolution as a new business
item:
RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia,
as follows :
The application of SRL Properties, Inc. for revision of
the zoning district map, assigned No. ZM-29 , is received
and referred to the Planning Commission for public hear-
ing and recommendation under Chapter 11, Title 15 . 1 of the
1950 Code of Virginia, as amended.
Mr. Charles Ottinger, attorney representing the applicant, said
this is a natural extension of the subdivision recently granted
by the Council - Section 1, Catoctin Circle Industrial Subdivision.
It is contiguous to Catoctin Circle, with Town Branch or Harrison
Street Extended to the west and Barber and Ross immediately behind
e 6 MINUTES OF JULY 9 , 1980 MEETING.
The rest of the grass area is owned by SRL Properties with Mr.
Lipscomb owning all of the stock in the company. They did not
come to the town for a subdivision on that section because it
is zoned F-1 . There is a proposal to eliminate or to change the
100-year flood plain by putting in another culvert under Catoctin
Circle and building :a berm.This will not only benefit this
property, but will alleviate the flow of water going up to J. T.
Hirst and up to the town houses on Dry Mill Road. It will be a
great asset to the town. Their proposal is contingent on being
done to the satisfaction of the Town 's Engineering Department
and various town officials . This is the land immediately in front
of Barber and Ross and it is in the 100-year flood plain. Mr. Hill
asked if this is in conjunction with the other development down
there? Mr. Ottinger said yes, it will be Section 2 . The resolu-
tion was unanimously adopted:
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill, M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None.
Mayor Rollins asked that all councilmembers take note-.of the
document showing Cash Balances of each of the Town ' s funds . All
of Leesburg's finances is based on cash flows. This is the best
way for Council to be aware of just how much is in an account
at a given time. It is a case of fluctuation - real estate tax
revenues and other sources of revenue change these funds consider-
ably. He feels this is one of the most important pieces of in-
formation the Council can have.
COUNCIL REORGANIZATION :
Mayor Rollins felt the Manager, Clerk of Council and the Zoning
lkiministrator should all belappointed at this time - these are all
Council appointments. The Chief of Police , Treasurer, etc. are ap-
pointed with the advice and consent of the Council . Mr. Niccolls
reminded that he was appointed Acting Zoning Administrator in the
absence of the Administrator.
On motion of Mr. Herrell, seconded by Mr. Tolbert, it was_
moved that Dorothy B . Rosen be appointed Clerk of the Leesburg
Town Council. On motion of Mr. Hill, seconded by Mr. Herrell,
unanimous consent was moved and adopted :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos , Herrell, D. Hill, M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins.
Nay : None.
On motion of Mr. Tolbert, seconded by Mr. Herrell, it was
moved that John Niccolls be appointed Leesburg Town Manager. On
motion of Mr. Hill, seconded by Mr. Bos, unanimous consent was
moved and adopted :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill , M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None.
On motion of Mr. Herrell , seconded by Mrs. Hill, Council unani-
mously appointed Robert C. Forbes Zoning Administrator and John
Niccolls Acting Zoning Administrator in his absence :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill , M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay: None.
On motion of Mr. Herrell, seconded by Mr. Willis , Council
unanimously appointed Marylou Hill to serve on the Planning Com-
mission for a term coexistent with her term on the Town Council :
Aye: Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill, M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None.
MINUTES OF JULY 9 , 1980 .
Mayor Rollins advised that Mr. Bos has resigned from the 267
Board of Architectural Review due to his election to Council.
The Town is very appreciative of his service on this Board. He
felt seniority should govern and Mr. Herrell has expressed a de-
sire to continue. He, therefore, appointed Stanley D. Herrell ,
Jr. to serve as the Councilmanic member to the Board of Archi-
tectural Review for a term coexistent with his term on the Coun-
cil (four years) . On motion of Mrs. Hill, seconded by Mr. Tolbert,
Council unanimously gave its advice and consent to this appointment :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill , M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None .
On motion of Mr. Herrell, seconded by Mrs . Hill , John W. Tolbert,
Jr. was unanimously appointed to serve as liaison to the Airport
Commission for a term coexistent with his term on this Council :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell, D. Hill , M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None.
CO Mr. Hill commended Mr. Tolbert for his service - he has certainly
CO kept the Council advised.
N Mayor Rollins recognized Mr. Hill and asked that he explain his
w duties as a member of the Northern Virginia Planning District Com-
Q mission. Mr. Hill said he has been a member of this bureaucratic
body for a number of years - it takes a lot of time - he is a
member of three commissions and/or committees that meet once a
month. It is necessary that Leesburg belong in order to protect
• itself. Appropriations have to be approved by this body before
Federal funding can be approved. Leesburg has only one vote and
there are about 40 members, so we get lost in the shuffle. He
has asked that Council not reappoint him. They have put some re-
strictions on our sewage treatment plant that have never been done
before this - they are using Leesburg to prove a point. Mayor
Rollins felt this is why it is important that someone like him
is there to defend us . Mr. Herrell agreed and felt that Mr. Hill
is the most knowledgable member of Council and should represent
us. Mr. Hill felt he has done an inadequate job the last two years -
there are voluminous amounts of paper each week and there is just
not enough time to read and absorb all this . You vote on things
that you know absolutely nothing about. He felt there are other
members who can better represent Leesburg. Mr. Bos asked if he
feels the pertinence of Leesburg will become greater over a period
of years as it grows and its problems become more synonomous with
those in other areas on this commission? Mr. Hill thought the prob-
lems were common, but when the money is doled out, Fairfax has 17
members to our one. Loudoun County has two votes.
On motion of Mr. Herrell , seconded by Mrs . Hill , Council voted
6 to 1 to reappoint G. Dewey Hill, Jr. to the Northern Virginia
Planning District Commission:
Aye: Councilmembers Bos , Herrell, M. Hill, Tolbert, Willis
and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : Councilmember D. Hill .
On motion of Mr. Herrell , seconded by Mr . Bos, G. Dewey Hill,
Jr. was unanimously appointed Mayor Pro-Tem:
' Aye : Councilmembers Bos , Herrell , D. Hill , M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins.
Nay : None .
Mayor Rollins said he is a strong advocate of the committee
system and feels it is the only way to run a government. There is
no way every councilmember can be aware of everything that goes on.
He hoped the members of council think this system has worked well -
Council has passed some very informed votes as a result of this
system. The following members were appointed to the four committees :
MINUTES OF JULY 9 , 1980 MEETING.
268
Finance and Administration
Marylou Hill
Stanley D. Herrell, Jr.
John W. Tolbert, Jr.
Utility and Public Works
Charles A. Bos
G. Dewey Hill, Jr .
Howard M. Willis , Jr.
He asked that each committee meet to determine its chairman and
meeting time. It was decided that they would meet following this
meeting.
80-80 - RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH EARTH DESIGN
ASSOCIATES FOR SITE SELECTION AND PRELIMINARY
DESIGN SERVICES AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION
THEREFOR.
On motion of Mr. Hill, seconded by Mrs. Hill , the following
resolution was proposed :
RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia,
as follows :
SECTION I . The manager is authorized and directed to
enter into a contract on behalf of the town in a form
approved by the Town Attorney with Earth Design Asso-
ciates, Casanova, Virginia, for site selection and pre-
liminary park design services for the Plaza Street
Neighborhood Park. The terms of the contract shall be
in accordance with the town 's Request for Proposal is-
sued June 27, 1980 and the proposal submitted by Earth
Design in correspondence dated June 13, 1980 and June
26, 1980 . Charges for services will be on an hourly
basis', not to exceed $4 , 800 .
SECTION II. An appropriation is made from the General
Fund to the account below for the fiscal year ending
June 30 , 1981 : Acct. # 11020 . 800 , Expert Services -
$4 , 800.
Mr. Hill said the Public Works Committee requested a check on
other work they have done and received a very satisfactory re-
port so this, along with the back-up material, prompted the com-
mittee to recommend them. Mr. Bos believed there was some con-
cern that they did not have much engineering expertise, but this
was not needed in this application. Mr. Niccolls said there is
very little civil engineering involved in this first phase - in
the second phase, they would retain a consultant to work with
them at their expense, if they are chosen for the second phase.
Mr. Niccolls explained that this is a project for which the
town received $253, 600 in grant funds from HUD under the Com-
munity Development Block Grant Small Cities Single Purpose Grant
Program. The project calls for acquisition of land and develop-
ment of a park development in the Plaza neighborhood to serve,
principally, low and moderate income families in that neighbor-
hood. The first phase is to detail a site selection and then
do a preliminary design. When it comes back next, there will
be some draft designs and some alternative sites to be approved
for that acquisition. There is no municipal contribution toward
this work except the staff time. The resolution was unanimously
adopted :
Aye : Councilmembers Bos, Herrell , D. Hill, M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins.
Nay : None.
MINUTES OF JULY 9 , 1980 MEETING.
269
80-81 - RESOLUTION - MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR ENDING JUNE 30 , 1981.
On motion of Mr. Willis, seconded by Mr. Bos, the following
resolution was proposed :
RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia,
as follows :
The following appropriation is made from the General Fund
to the account below for the fiscal year ending June 30 ,
1981 :
Acct. #14020 . 250 , Expert Services $ 5 , 559 . 00
Mr. Niccolls explained that this is compensation for the financial
management report - MICA. They suggested the one bank account.
Mayor Rollins asked if they are finished? Mr. Niccolls said they
are continuing to work in three other areas - refuse collection
service, insurance, etc. This is for the financial management
report - it represents 90 percent of the first year ' s new reve-
nue derived as a result of their recommendations - the agreement
Q) was to pay them this amount. He recommended payment of this -
CO they did a tremendous amount of work in the Finance Department and
Nmade some good suggestions that did not save us money, but directly
W cash money. They made suggestions that allow us to earn additional
interest on our bank deposits . Mr. Hill asked if we are following
Q their suggestions on the one bank, etc. ? Mr. Niccolls said Yes,
Q this was put into effect June 1 . Mr. Hill asked if we have noticed
anything substantial, or are we able to determine if we are doing
what they said? Mr. Niccolls said we have had only a month ' s ex-
perience so we have not analyzed that. He thinks we should defi-
nitely follow up and then, at the end of an appropriate period,
look back and see if we have, in fact, improved our investment
earnings. He cited, as an example, that our average uninvested
bank balance during the test period (about a year ago for a year)
' was $79 , 000. We thought we were pretty well invested, but we were
going by our books in our office. When we wrote a check for $5, 000
we wrote out that amount. The fact is that these checks are in the
mail so there is "float time" there - they clear through other banks
and there is float time there, so where our bank account may have
shown that we have only $15, 000, $5, 000 or zero thousands, the
bank itself had a lot of money. Their very basic suggestion is
that we require the bank to automatically put money into an in-
vestment account (a repurchase agreement) as soon as the balance
exceeds $25, 000 . We would have a compensating balance of $25, 000 .
For that, they would provide a number of services - they count our
coins from the parking meters and automatically make the deposit.
They provide free checking, deposit boxes, etc. The principal
benefit is that they move our money from our account automatically
into a government-secured repurchase agreement account, on which
interest is earned. So they have lowered our average daily idle
cash on hand from an average of $79 , 000 to $25, 000, so we earn
$5, 503 interest earned on that difference. Mr. Taylor calculated
our investment earnings from repurchase agreements will be on the
order of 8 or 81 percent for the year. This amount has already
been negotiated down from $7 , 000 to $5, 559. 00 . Mr.
Hill asked if the County does anything like this? Mr. Niccolls
said he did not know but believed Mr. Taylor has discussed this
with Mr. Titus . The resolution was unanimously adopted:
Aye : Councilmembers Bos , Herrell , D. Hill, M. Hill, Tolbert,
Willis and Mayor Rollins .
Nay : None.
Mrs. Hill said Mr. Harry Hough says nothing has been done about
his driveway. Mr. Niccolls said we will get to this - they have
spent the last two weeks picking up brush.
On motion of Mr. Tolbert, seconded by Mrs. Hill, the meeting
was adjourned at 8 : 30 P.M.
Mayor
•
Clerk of % e Council