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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