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HomeMy Public PortalAbout1984_06_30SPEC SPECIAL MEETING OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL, JUNE 30, 1984. 153 A special meeting of the Leesburg Town Council was held in the Council Chambers, 10 West Loudoun Street, Leesburg, Virginia on June 30, 1984 at 10:00 a.m. , pursuant to Notice thereof having been delivered to all council- members. The meeting was called to order by the Mayor, with Mr. Tolbert lead- ing the Lord's Prayer, and followed with the Salute to the Flag led by Mr. Willis. Present were: Mayor Robert E. Sevila, Councilmembers Charles A. Bos, Edgar L. Coffey, Jr. , Marylou Hill, John W. Tolbert, Jr. , Charles J. Williams and Howard M. Willis, Jr. ; also Town Manager John Niccolls, Deputy Manager Jeffrey H. Minor, Director of Finance Donald 0. Taylor, Director of Planning and Development Marc Weiss, Director of Engineering Andrew G. Shope, Director of Utility Plants Randolph W. Shoemaker and Town Attorney George M. Martin. On motion of Mr. Bos, seconded by Mr. Tolbert, Council voted unanimously to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters, as authorized by Sec- . tion 2.1-344(a) (1) of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended. Town Manager John Niccolls and Town Attorney George Martin were asked to attend this session: • Aye: Councilmembers Bos, Coffey, Hill, Tolbert, Williams, Willis and Mayor Sevila. Nay: None. The meeting was reconvened at 10:40 a.m. Mayor Sevila announced that it has been suggested that Town Manager John Niccolls submit his resignation. He asked if this is the desire of the Council? All councilmembers agreed that this is the wise decision. 84-102 - RESOLUTION - CONCERNING ACCEPTANCE OF. THE RESIGNATION OF. JOHN_NICCOLLS AND APPROVING A CONSULTING AGREEMENT. On motion of Mr. Bos, seconded by Mr. Tolbert, the following resolution was proposed: WHEREAS, this Council is willing, with regret, to accept the resignation of John Niccolls from the position of town manager; and WHEREAS, John Niccolls' special expertiese, knowledge and abilities are required by the town in certain pending matters; and WHEREAS, an agreement between the Council and John Niccolls is necessary and approperiate to provide for the above: THEREFORE, RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Leesburg in Virginia as follows: SECTION I. The mayor, on behalf of the town and the Council, shall execute an agreement with John Niccolls providing as follows: (a) For the payment to John Niccolls of the sum of $14,125 in accordance with Section III of Resolution No. 76-27; (b) For the payment to John Niccolls of compensation at his FY 1985 pay rate for all unused accrued vacation leave and regular and extended sick leave as of the date of the agreement; (c) For the appointment of John Niccolls as Special Consultant to the town for a period of six months from the date of agreement, during f which time he shall attend such meetings and conferences and pro- vide such advice as requested by the Town Council. Among the ser- vices he shall provide are advice and assistance to the town in matters pertaining to the Potomac River Treatment Plant. Nothing in the agreement shall prohibit John Niccolls from accepting other employment during the term of this agreement. (d) As Special Consultant to the town, John Niccolls will receive the sum of $5,000 and continued membership and benefits as an employee at town expense for the period of this agreement in town's employee group health, disability and life insurance policies with the privi- lege of continuing dependent coverages under these plans at his ex- pense. 154 MINUTES OF JUNE 30, 1984 SPECIAL MEETING. SECTION II. Appropriations to the Executive Department accounts for per- sonal and contractual services are hereby made and set aside from the general fund unappropriated balance to pay the sums required to be paid in the agreement provided above and the Finance Director shall make such payments to John Niccolls upon execution of the agreement by the parties. Mr. Bos commented that he was attracted to Leesburg by its style of town living 15 years ago. As he became more entrenched in the community, he saw. the value of the town to him and other residents and took a greater and greater inter- est. .. A lot of the stores were empty and the sidewalks were paved in concrete, which was not in keeping with the historic district. It was a relatively small government in a small community. Changes were taking place and in the late 60's and early 70's there was a period of rapid growth and the town government could . not keep up with it . When Mr. Niccolls was hired in 1976, we needed the services of a sophisticated town manager, which he has certainly been. Under his term . and under the direction of several councils , the town has never looked better. He personally will miss Mr. Niccolls' services. They are starting a lot of things, some..of'_which will probably be debated for another generation or so. He has..ef- fectively_carried out Council's direction on the utility_system, has instigated a sophisticated budgetary system and Capital Improvements Program, the Town Plan, etc. He looks forward though to forming a new partnership with a new Council and hopes they can form a strong partnership with the Council, the staff and the citi- zens. _ Mr. Williams felt Mr. Niccolls' unique management skills, techniques and his forward vision have been shared by the people in Leesburg and wished him well in his endeavors. Mrs. Hill and Mr. Willis wished him the best of luck. Mr. Coffey repeated a comment heard last night giving Mr. Niccolls and the staff credit for the growth and many other good things that have happenedlin Lees- burg, while many of the other towns in the County are pretty much status quo. He shared this comment and felt Leesburg has progressed - a lot of it has been due to Mr. Niccolls' vision and his abilities. He wished him luck. Mr. Tolbert said he has lived here 53 years and everybody says the town has never looked better - a lot of this credit goes to Mr. Niccolls. He quoted from Julius Caesar - "We come to praise him, but not to bury him." Mayor Sevila shared everyone else's feelings of regret and reluctance, but it is inevitable that Mr. Niccolls' resignation be accepted. In discussing this both publicly and privately with many citizens, the overwhelming reaction in the community is that he will be sorely missed and greatly appreciated down through the years . All you need to see his mark is to look around the town. In the eight years he has managed our multi-million dollar projects, he took the time to see that the grass was cut, the potholes repaired and the garbage picked up. He considers Leesburg today to be unique in the County and in the State - it is aesthetically one of the most pleasant places to live or visit. Without hesita- tion, the town owes a great deal to John Niccolls for his touch and his addition to the aesthetic qualities of Leesburg to its residents and its visitors. He has completed many projects - too numerous to mention - and leaves incomplete some significant ones. His legacy to the town includes not just the things he has accomplished, but the quality and efficiency of government and the quality staff we have. To each member of the staff, the town will look to them for as- _ sistance, guidance, leadership and ability in the months to follow - he hoped they will remain and continue to provide the kind of government to which this town has been accustomed for the last eight years. The resolution was unanimously adopted: Aye: Councilmembers Bos, Coffey, Hill, Tolbert, Williams, Willis and I Mayor Sevila. Nay: None. On motion of Mrs. Hill, seconded by Mr. Tolbert, the meeting was adjourned. JJ� Mayor /p _ , //C. ��• / Clerk of t1L Council