HomeMy Public PortalAbout2004_12_13Council Work Session
December 13, 2004
Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Umstattd presiding.
Councilmembers Present: Kelly Burk, Kathryn Sheldon Hammler, Susan B. Horne,
Marry Martinez, and Mayor Umstattd.
Councilmembers Absent: IVlelinda Kramer and Bob Zoldos
Staff Members Present: Town Manager John Wells, Town Attorney William
Donnelly, Assistant to the Town Manager Nicole Ard, Assistant to the Town Manager
Kathy Leidich, Chief of Police Joe Price, Director of Finance Norm Butts, Director of
Planning, Zoning and Development Susan Swift, Director of Engineering and Public
Works Tom Mason, Director of Parks & Recreation Kaj Dentler, Airport Director Cindi
Martin, Director of Economic Development Betsy Fields, Director of the Office of
Capital Projects Nagi Elsewaissi, Management/Budget Officer Mike Freda, Traffic
Engineer Calvin Grow, Senior Planner Bruce Douglas, Management Intern Tami
Watkins and Assistant to the Clerk of Council Debi Parry.
AGENDA [TENS
Agenda for Council Meeting of December :[4, 2004
a. Downtown streetscape features Town Code revision - Public
Hearing
Betsy Fields stated concerns were raised at the last worksession
concerning the ability of owners to claim any property confiscated by the
town. She stated language has been added to Section 16-31 stating
any confiscated objects will be stored by the town for a time period not
less than 60 days during which time the property can be claimed upon
payment of any expenses incurred by the town.
Ms. Fields stated staff has issued a press release and posted
information on the web regarding these proposed changes. Further, Lisa
Capraro has visited the downtown businesses to provide them with
information and to seek comments. Further, post cards were sent to
the downtown residents and property owners.
Councilmember Hammler stated since Section :[6-38 states only
benches and trash receptacles may be placed in the public right-of-way, is
there any issue with how we define benches as opposed to other
projections that you sit on?
Ms. Fields stated the language could be defined further. She stated an
inventory of the benches and trash receptacles in the downtown revealed
that the majority of benches are town owned. Further, she stated there is
no plan to remove the other benches until they can be replaced with town
owned benches.
Councilmember Hammler stated we should set the tone that we
welcome that kind socialization and meet and greet in the downtown.
Further, she stated as the town expands the historic district throughout
there might be some instances where we would encourage seating,
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 2
benches, and other types of things outside on sidewalks. Further, we may
not want to be so specific as to the Old and Historic District.
Ms. Fields stated she would like to address this as those instances
come up.
b. Changing the due date - Personal Property Tax payments -
Public Hearing
Norm Butts stated this is a proposal to change the Town Code to allow
the town to bill for personal property tax on ,lanuary 5 and collect by
.lanuary 15 moving the date back 21 days so the town has more time to
collect the second part of the personal property tax billing. He stated this
would increase our base year so when the state law, which caps the
personal property tax, goes into effect we will have a chance recover more
of that money.
Councilmember Hammler stated we might want to waive the late fee
for residents who already have the old due date in mind. Further, she
stated if this is approved the staff should put a note in with the billing
stating why the due date has changed.
Mayor Umstattd thanked for Mr. Butts and Mr. Wells for being
conservative and prudent. She stated her concern that residents may be
budgeting already for when they are expected to pay certain types of
taxes. She stated quarterly payments are due January 15; adding
another payment on top of that right after the holidays may hinder their
ability to pay. Further, she asked if the $25,000 amount staff is trying to
capture is ever collected?
Mr. Butts stated staff's estimate is that 95 percent of the tax is
collected in the September billing. He stated in the second billing the
town typically bills out approximately $75,000 of which $50,000 is
collected. Further, based on past experience the town has an average of
$25,000 written off as uncollectable; so staff is really just trying to
capture the additional $50,000.
Mayor Umstattd stated $25,000 is not an insignificant amount because
it could be the debt service on a quarter of a million dollar bond for some
public improvement. She stated she is trying to debate the merits
because she is still concerned about the short notice. Further, she asked
if a notice could be sent to the residents or if the late penalties could be
waived legally?
Mr. Butts stated he could check into the legality of waiving penalties
for late payment, He stated he believes it is not possible under state law.
There was further Council discussion regarding the ability to waive the
penalty or assess it on the previous schedule.
Councilmember Burk asked if the town would be required to keep the
earlier payment date for subsequent years?
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 3
Mr. Butts stated once the cap is set the Town Code could be amended
again to return to the previous collection date.
c. Ratification of an agreement to purchase 6.04:1.7 acres of land
adjacent to the Leesburg Executive Airport
Cindi Martin stated staff is recommending the purchase of this land
to accommodate the perimeter fencing plan for the airport as well as the
the future shaft for the Tnstrument landing system (ILS). She stated the
cost is $299,777. Further, the project is funded 95 percent by the FAA, 3
percent by the Department of Aviation and 2 percent by the town.
There were no Council comments.
d. Ratification of an agreement to purchase 39.0364 acres of land
adjacent to the Leesburg Executive Airport
Cindi Martin stated staff is recommending the purchase of this land,
which runs parallel to the runway. She stated the cost is $1,128,013.82,
which is higher than the appraised value because of the impact on the
owner's residual property. Further, the project is funded 95 percent by
the FAA, 3 percent by the Department of Aviation and 2 percent by the
town.
Councilmember Horne asked what the impact on the residual property
would be?
Ms. Martin stated the landowner felt that there would be an impact to
the usable space because he would not be permitted to construct a
building of any significant height in the radius of 250 feet from the fence.
Mayor Umstattd stated a recent press report on the future of the ILS
system was a quote that indicated the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) is dragging its feet or was not going to approve of it. She asked if
that is the case because Congressman Wolf has been under the
impression that the FAA would provide an ILS for Leesburg?
Ms. Martin stated her experience has been that the FAA has been very
responsive.
Mayor Umstattd stated she and .lohn Wells attended a recent Loudoun
County Board of Supervisors meeting, where she asked that when
reviewing land use applications near the airport that they consider the
impact that converting land to residential might have on the economic
development potential for land around the airport. She stated so long as
that land remains outside the town's corporate limits those citizens who
move into those new homes if approved are going to have less political
influence on the future development of the airport.
e. Supporting membership in the High Growth Coalition
Mr. Wells stated the cost for membership is estimated under
Councilmember Horne asked how likely is it that the dues will stay
around $1,5007 She stated one of the points they make is that they are
Town Council Work Session IVlinutes for December 13, 2004 Page 4
planning to hire an executive director and are spending over
$30,000 a year in legal expenses.
Mayor Umstattd stated we are signing on for one year at a time and if
the price goes up the town can drop out.
Councilmember Hammler reminded Council of the letter received from
Mayor Druhan of the Town of Purcellville urging Council's support.
Transmitting to the State Corporation Commission the Town of
Leesburg's objection to overhead power lines in Leesburg
There was no Council discussion on this item.
g. Animal Control Services agreement between Loudoun County
and the Town of Leesburg
Mr. Donnelly stated the courts have raised the question of the Loudoun
County Animal Control Officer's authority to enforce the town's animal
control laws. He stated staff has proposed an agreement between the
town and the county, which would allow the county's animal control officer
to continue to enforce our animal laws. Further, he stated the county is
notasking that we share any costs of that enforcement.
Mr. Donnelly stated the county is including a request in their legislative
packet for changes in animal control laws at the state level to allow
counties to enforce their ordinances within towns without having a formal
agreement. Further, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has
already approved the form of this agreement.
Councilmember Horne expressed her concern with the county's
request to amend the state law to allow counties to enforce their animal
control laws within towns.
Mr. Donnelly stated the proposal is that they could enforce the
county's ordinance if the town has no ordinance of their own. Further, it
would be the town's option to decide if they want the county's ordinance
to apply or not, therefore we would not lose the ability to enforce our
ordinance.
Councilmember Horne stated it is her understanding that the county's
animal shelter has a policy of putting down animals that display some kind
of food aggression. She stated that kind of policy of putting to death a
puppy whose hungry is disturbing and she would not want to see the
town in a position of supporting that.
Mr. Donnelly stated that is a policy of the animal shelter and not
covered under the ordinance. Mr. Donnelly stated he would be happy to
inform the county of the Council's concern on this issue.
h. Council representation on Loudoun County Economic
Development Commission
Mayor Umstattd stated the county would like the designation of a
primary representative and an alternate. She stated both Councilmember
Horne and Councilmember Hammler have expressed interest.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page
Councilmember Hammler stated she has spoken with Councilmember
Horne and they would like to work cooperatively on this and recommend
that Councilmember Horne be appointed as the primary representative
and she as the alternate. She stated in terms of how the resolution has
historically been written the term would apply for the term of office;
however, given every two years there are new Council members the term
could run till the next organizational meeting in 2006.
Councilmember Burk stated there may be other Councilmembers who
are not in attendance and may be interested in the post.
Mayor Umstattd stated that could be addressed before the vote
tomorrow night.
2. Traffic calming measures for Marshall Drive at Autumn Willow Way -
Standing Residential Traffic Committee report
Liz Whiting, Chairman of the Standing Residential Traffic Committee, stated
staff was concerned with the proposal to install the stop sign at this location because
it would require the realignment of the crosswalk. She stated the committee is
planning to paint a parking lane on the road to provide relief. Further, she stated
the committee is proposing the installation of a speed cushion, which has been
widely used in Arlington County.
Ms. Whiting stated the speed cushion would act as a raised crosswalk to slow
traffic and provide for an even traffic flow; however there is currently no funding.
Further, she stated the committee would like to put a reliance on the speed cushions
in the future.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated his support for the speed cushion. He stated he
would like to see this studied as an alternate solution for locations where the town
has used stop signs.
Councilmember Horne stated her appreciation for the committee's initiative in
traveling to Arlington to explore other traffic calming options.
Ms. Whiting stated Arlington County has offered to assist the town by sharing
their technical specifications and expertise.
Councilmember Hammler stated her support for this initiative as well as the
spearheading of a strategic traffic-calming plan for the town.
Mayor Umstattd verified the committee feels the use of a speed cushion on
Marshall could be a good test case for other locations within the town. She asked
Calvin Grow for a cost estimate for the speed cushion and if there would be any
weather constraint on installation should Council approve funding?
Mr. Grow stated the cost would be approximately $5,000 including the
striping and signs. He stated the schedule would depend on the ability to begin
installation before the end of the month.
Mayor Umstattd suggested voting to approve this proposal tomorrow night.
Councilmember Horne verified it would not be a problem to fund this request.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 6
Mayor Umstattd thanked Mr. Grow, Mr. Wells, Ms. Whiting and Ms. Sandy
Kane for their involvement in this issue.
A resident of Marshall Drive addressed Council stating her support for the
speed cushion. She cautioned Council against painting the parking lanes on the
street for fear it would increase the perception of Marshall Drive as a cut-thru street
for the neighborhood.
Mr. Grow stated the installation schedule would depend on the outside
temperatures and it could possibly be spring before the installation could be
complete. He stated staff has spoken with the Loudoun County School Board
regarding the 15mph school zone speed limit, which should be installed by the end of
January. Further, he stated the Loudoun County School Board is also reviewing the
town's request for a crossing guard at this location.
was the consensus of Council to proceed with a vote tomorrow night.
3. Mid-year financial review
Mr. Wells provided an overview of the information to be included in the
briefing including a draft fiscal policy, an overview of the town's debt capacity as
presented by Mr. David Rose of Davenport and Company and the presentation of the
mid-year financial picture and requests.
Norm Butts outlined the proposed Fiscal Policy for the Town of Leesburg
stating many of the goals included are current practices by the town. He stated the
most important recommendations include the following proposals: (1) to increase the
undesignated fund balance from 10 to :15 percent, (2) to fund 25 percent of all
capital projects with financial resources other than debt, and (3) to establish a
contingency fund of one and a half percent of General Fund revenues to provide for
supplemental appropriations or unexpected expenditures. Further, he stated with
those policies in place we would be in position to keep our current bond rating or
perhaps improve it as the town moves forward.
Vice Mayor Martinez asked staff to provide a comparison sheet detailing the
current practices of the town versus the proposed practices.
Councilmember Home verified the town does not currently have a
contingency fund.
Mr. Wells stated the purpose is to establish this fund within the operating
budget so that items such as raised crosswalks, the Crescent District Master Plan,
trolleys, and other projects that may come up during the course of the year may be
funded.
Mayor Umstattd asked if the total reserve would be :16.5 percent or would the
:1.5 percent for the contingency fund come out of the :15 percent reserve?
Mr. Butts stated the proposal is to have a 15 percent undesignated fund
balance that would be kept at all times and then the 1.5 percent would be an
additional appropriated contingency fund.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page ?
Mayor Umstattd stated she doesn't see anything in the document that would
preclude using the Utility Fund for financing a project such as the Town Hall
expansion and asked if that is indicated somewhere?
Mr. Wells stated Mr. Rose mentioned last time that it would not be prohibited
to use the Utility Fund for that project; however, it wouldn't be prudent given a look
at the status of the Utility Fund. Further, he stated staff would not recommend using
the Utility Fund to finance for that project.
There was further discussion regarding the financing of the proposed town
hall expansion.
IVlr. Rose stated after he provided the briefing to Council in October on the
General Fund and Utility Fund outlook, he and staff met to begin to look at the
town's debt capacity and the identified 2005-2009 C]~P. He stated if financed
properly the town should have no trouble financing the projects while keeping within
the established policies.
Mr. Rose provided historical and projected data regarding the total assessed
value, General Fund revenues, General Fund expenditures, population trends, per
capita income trends, existing government outstanding debt, existing General Fund
debt service, proposed General Fund capital improvement program, existing and
proposed General Fund debt service, the impact on debt ratios vs. expenditures, the
impact on debt ratios vs. total assessed value, and debt vs. total personal income.
Councilmember Horne thanked Mr. Rose for providing this picture of
Leesburg's financial health and stability,
Councilmember Hammler thanked Mr. Rose for the briefing. She stated it is
important to have this information as a base line particularly considering the work
the town is doing on the Comprehensive Town Plan. She asked if lVlr. Rose was
making certain assumptions about new housing developments in town when
compiling this information?
Mr. Rose stated assessed values grow by adding new value by virtue of new
housing or properties and also existing properties will increase by virtue of inflation.
He stated his projections indicate that Leesburg will see growth in both areas.
Councilmember Hammler stated as the town looks to the 60/40 split and the
undeveloped areas of town relative to some major goals which will point to the
necessity to create more jobs in the area this information will be increasingly
important. She asked if property tax revenues included in the General Fund
revenues report consisted of both residential and commercial?
Mr. Rose stated the property tax account for both residential and commercial.
Councilmember Hammler asked if the data is assuming an assessment
increase from the county and that the town's tax rate would remain the same? She
stated at some point the Council should consider offsetting the spike in the tax rate.
Mr. Rose stated in examining data like the assessed values it is important to
remember that this doesn't speak to things such as the tax rate. He stated Council's
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 8
decisions on the tax rate will be predicated by what else the town has going forward
such as recurring items.
There was further discussion regarding the tax rate and other critical
variables to take into consideration when discussing bond financing.
Mike Freda stated as of June 30, 2004 the town had a $7,965,000 as the
undesignated fund balance that can be carried over. He stated this number shows
that the town is doing really well as revenues were above projections and they
stayed within the expenditure timelines. He outlined the budget picture for FY 2005
and the projection for FY 2006 stating the town will have approximately $3.5 million
to spend in FY 2006 after setting aside the 15 percent reserve.
Vice Mayor Martinez asked if the $3.5 million would then become the
contingency fund?
Mr. Wells stated the contingency fund would be approximately $:150,000.
There was further Council discussion regarding the upcoming budget and
projects such as sidewalk and transportation improvements.
Mr. Freda stated between 1996 and 2000 the town issued approximately $37
million in debt; however, in the subsequent three years the town issued only $5.5
million, which allowed the town to pay down the debt. Further, he outlined the
upward trend in revenues stating the spikes will not continue.
Councilmember Hammler stated if you look at the financials for Parks &
Recreation it is interesting that the only line item that has a 300 percent recovery is
the childcare component.
Mayor Umstattd stated it would be helpful if Council had the actual dollar
figures.
Mr. Freda stated the increases are as follows: (:1) the cigarette tax increased
from $58:1,000 in FY 03 to $:L,065,000 in FY 04; (2) the Parks & Recreation fees
increased from $2.3 million to $2.8 million in FY 04; (3) the plan review fees
increased from $385,000 in FY 03 to $796, 000 in FY 04; (4) and the sales tax
increased from $2.9 million in FY 03 to $3.5 million in FY 04.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated Council increased the plan review fees and asked
if the increased revenue could be attributed to that?
Mr. Freda stated the increase could be attributed in part to the fee increase.
Further, he stated the meals tax revenue increased from $2.:1 million to $2.47 million
in FY04.
Councilmember Hammler stated the town is at the top of the market cycle as
it relates to assessments and asked Mr. Wells if it would be a policy consideration to
look at carrying even more than 15 percent.
Mr. Wells stated the 15 percent works to address that issue. He stated staff
will have to be cognizant of this once we take the step forward to approve the new
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 9
debt; we are committed at that point to completing the included projects, whatever
those projects might be.
Councilmember Hammler asked when Mr. Wells would be in a position to
provide Council with a direct answer as to how important it would be for this Council
to take on the level of debt associated with the expansion?
Mr. Wells stated in the budget worksessions staff is looking to address what
the long term needs are for the organization. He stated one of the challenges in
answering that question is trying to determine what the positive impact is going to
be of Council's investment in the new automation system. Further, he stated a lot is
going to come in to play during the budget sessions in March.
Councilmember Hammler stated one of the critical things she learned in
wrapping up the Planners Certification course last Thursday and Friday is that we
have a solid year to review any particular application and it is very important for us
to be involved in the Comprehensive Town Plan to make sure that we are looking at
the long term implications from a land use perspective of where this town is heading
and capturing what our policy and vision direction is as a Council.
Sandy Kane, Leesburg Police Citizen Support Team, read the following letter
into the record:
"Since our founding in April, 1996, our team has contributed approximately
60,000 hours of volunteer service to the Leesburg Police Department and the Town
of Leesburg. This service has taken many different forms. We've done yearly
surveys of all the street lights in town, reporting those which are either out or
malfunctioning; conducted radar traffic surveys on designated streets; assisted with
administrative duties in the department; performed traffic control and foreign
language translation at accident and fire scenes; conducted child identification
services for thousands of children and their parents using fingerprinting or DNA
typing methods; provided a uniformed foot patrol presence at town shopping centers
during holidays and at our elementary schools during the sniper attacks; supported
the town and the Police Department with traffic control at major special events and
when storms caused power outages knocking out our traffic control signal lights; and
worked closely with department patrol units in very successful neighborhood
patrols."
"During the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, our personnel seamlessly supported the
deployment of department personnel as they were assigned to critical posts like the
FAA Control Center. When a plane crash occurred on Tudor Court, our team provided
perimeter security and, as the incident continued through to the next day, we
scheduled personnel to maintain the site security until released by the Federal Crash
Scene :Investigator. In most of the emergency response instances, team members
voluntarily responded after monitoring the emergency traffic on the Police
Departments active radio channel."
"After many years of discussions, the then new 800 MHz radio system was
implemented in April 2002. The Support Team was advised that our 453 MHz radios
would be exchanged for the new 800 MHz radios, but this exchange did not occur.
Over the past several years we've acquired a total of six 800 MHz radios for the
Support Team. Three are reserved for use in our patrol vehicles leaving three to be
shared by the rest of the team's members during callouts and other town events.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 10
We recently received the support of the Police Department in requesting a one time
allocation in our budget of $35,000 to purchase an additional 10 portable radios."
"Due to a reduction in the cost per radio and a decline in our membership we
are only seeking half of the appeal we made two years ago. Our current problem is
focused on the fact that our initial request for $35,000 has been cut back during the
budget review process to $:~0,000 which will only fund 3 radios. Although this would
be a tremendous help during special events, it would still be insufficient to assign a
radio to those members who live and work in the immediate town area. Our goal is
to restore the capabilities of the team by issuing radios to members enabling them to
provide real time information to the department throughout the day."
"¥m appealing to you to restore our request to the full $35,000 rather than
the reduced amount of $10,000. Tn previous years when we had radios then in use
by the Department, our hours of support to the town averaged about 10,000 hours
per year. Without assigned radios our averages have dropped off. We're no longer
able to provide the additional eyes to the department on a daily basis as we have in
the past. A restoration of radio's issued to the Support Team members would enable
us to respond in a more meaningful manner to the many lookouts that are occurring
almost daily and alert the Police Department to situations observed during the day as
we travel though out the town."
"The restoration of the $25,000 cut from our budget request would be a very
cost effective method of enhancing assistance to our Police Department during this
time of manpower shortages within the department. Your help in restoring these
funds to our budget would be sincerely appreciated by the entire Support Team."
Ms. Kane relayed an instance that occurred recently when she witnessed an
automobile accident and without a radio was forced to call in on her cell phone. She
stated this delayed the arrival of the police because her call had to be sent through
dispatch.
Mayor Umstattd thanked Ms. Kane for her efforts as part of the support team
and for addressing Council regarding this issue.
Chief Joe Price addressed Council stating he first saw this request tonight. He
stated Mr. Wells had not had the opportunity to review the department's FY 06
budget request, which includes $10,000 for additional radios for the support team.
He stated the Citizen Support Team is a tremendous asset to the town and we could
not support the special events in town without their assistance.
Chief Price stated in FY 06 the department has requested a 70 percent
increase in their budget because of changes, additional vehicles, etc as well as
funding for three new radios for the support team. He stated the 800megahertz
radios are extremely expensive and run about $3,500 a piece. Further, the support
team has a total of 7 radios.
Councilmember Burk verified the support team is requesting an additional 6
radios.
Councilmember Horne stated the town is very lucky to have the Citizen
Support Team and she will support their request.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page
Councilmember Hammler stated Council is looking at some big picture items
tonight and perhaps this may be the catalyst for a train the trainer program looking
at ways to really expand this program throughout Leesburg. Further, she stated this
might ultimately lead to the commission level, as we have no commission to deal
with public safety.
Mayor Umstattd stated she would support this request to whatever extent
possible; however, she would like to give Chief Price a chance to review it.
Mr. Wells outlined the list of mid-year budget requests. He stated of the
$882,000 in requests the net impact to the budget is $370,000. Further, most of the
requests are one-time expenditures.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated the donations to the high schools should be listed
as $1,000 per school.
Councilmember Hammler stated she is on the board of the Loudoun Abused
Woman's Shelter and was approached by the executive director with a request that
the fee for use of :[da Lee be waived for a major child sexual assault conference they
are having in May.
Kaj Dentler stated the practice at :[da Lee has been that the department does
not waive fees for anything. He stated the department has never waived fees during
his nine years as director and the Parks & Recreation Commission is in support of
maintaining this policy.
Councilmember Hammler stated she also received a call from Peter Dunning
with the Bluemont organization requesting the use of the trolley for First Night
Leesburg.
Mr. Wells stated staff is following up on that request.
Mayor Umstattd asked what the trolley would be used for?
Kathy Leidich stated Mr. Dunning has requested that the trolley be used to
cover the perimeter of the event for those individuals who are not able to get around
as well. She stated in the past the Virginia Regional Transportation Authority has
provided a bus as an in kind donation to the event and we are waiting for a response
from them as to whether or not they would agree to the use of the trolley for this.
Mr. Wells outlined other requests and stated funding for a Northeast
Recreation Outreach Program has been jointly requested by the Parks & Recreation
and Police Departments. He stated normally a project with ongoing costs such as
this would not be included in the mid-year budget; however, there are some time
constraints in applying for grant funding and trying to get the program established
before the end of the school year. He asked that Mr. Dentler and Chief Price to
comment on this project.
Mr. Dentler stated as we have trie'd to address some of the social issues in the
Northeast quadrant by developing a more comprehensive approach to providing
recreational opportunities to citizens in that area. He staled many of the residents in
this area are unable to get to Tda Lee and may not have the funds to pay activity
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Paqe 12
fees. Further, he stated this would be a comprehensive approach where we would
take the recreation services to them to target children between the ages of 5 and 13.
Mr. Dentler stated in working with the Police Department his staff knows
which neighborhoods need to be addressed and the HOA boards that staff will be
working with. He stated staff has met with the county and they are supportive of
these efforts. Further, the program would require two full-time recreation staff that
will be based at Ida Lee but will go out into the communities to organize the
programs for the children throughout the year.
Chief Price stated the department works on a community policing philosophy
in all the town's neighborhoods. He stated last spring and summer there were issues
where there were a lot of young people who didn't have anything to do during the
evening and late evening hours. As a result of this the department worked with
Douglass Community Center to organize the midnight basketball program on Friday
nights, which averages 40 participants a week.
Chief Price stated in order to expand this initiative we need professional
recreation staff to implement these programs in the community.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated his support for this program.
Councilmember Burk asked if there are program objectives in place?
Mr. Dentler stated they have an idea of the types of programs they would like
to implement. He stated they would begin working with the homework clubs first,
provide after school activities and eventually expand the program in partnership with
the police and community leaders.
There was further discussion regarding the future of the program and
involvement with other community agencies.
Mr. Wells thanked Nicole Ard, Kathy Leidich, Mike Freda, Annie Carlson, and
Norm Butts for their work on the mid-year budget.
4. Verizon fiber-to-the-premises proposal
Bill Donnelly stated representatives from Verizon would like to
make a brief presentation to Council regarding their fiber to the premises program.
He stated if the program proceeds as planned broadband would be available to
virtually every residence and business in the town in a matter of months and video
offerings will also be made through the same system. Further, he stated they have
only applied for a cable franchise, which is the only jurisdiction we can authorize at
this point.
Mr. Donnelly stated from here Verizon would make a presentation to the
Cable Commission as well as possibly the Tnformation Technology and Economic
Development Commissions. He stated Council action on the cable franchise is
anticipated for early spring.
Richard Beville, Verizon representative, addressed Council. He stated in this
fiber to the premises program Leesburg would be one of the first communities in the
country to receive this service, which will bring broadband and other services to
every home and business in the town. He stated their main business in dealing with
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December :[3, 2004 Pacl_e 13
the Council would be to seek a cable franchise. Further, he stated residents now
enjoy dial-up services up to 56 kilobits and this program would provide service at 30
megabits per second download and up to 5 megabits per second upload.
Mr. Beville stated this would include a core cable package, which would
compete with satellite services in terms of a comparison of the most popular
packages out there. Additionally an analog service of 20-30 channels will also be
offered. Further, he stated Verizon is working on setting their rates for the services.
Vice Mayor Martinez asked about the status of this project in Falls Church?
Mr. Beville stated Leesburg was behind Falls Church in the original
deployment of the fiber overlay; however, Leesburg is catching up and the general
availability of services will be about the same time frame.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated the Cable and Tnformation Technology
Commissions are interested in having broadband offered to the town, He asked if
the service center would include a studio.
Mr. Beville stated Verizon is not looking to replicate the current studio
facilities. He stated the thought is that the channels would be carried via the
internet and all would connect here at town hall,
Councilmember Burk asked what the construction impact would be to the
town?
Mr. Beville stated it is a very capital and labor-intensive effort to go into the
conduit. He stated the fiber would coil around the aerial lines and would not be
noticeable. Further, he stated there are also a lot of underground lines and there
have been a couple of incidents; however when you pass thousands of homes that is
to be expected.
Councilmember Horne stated she would be interested in working with Verizon
regarding undergrounding utilities through an arrangement with the town in areas
where construction is taking place and overhead lines exist.
Mr. Beville stated they are currently using the aerial lines; however Verizon
does try to work with the town through the voice service on that.
There was further Council discussion regarding the burial of the lines.
Councilmember Hammler asked if there was a ballpark base price for these
services?
Mr. Beville stated the only price that has been announced is the high-speed
data service, which will be around $39.95; however, if you package that with other
services there could be a small discount. Further, he stated the cable pricing has not
been finalized.
There was further Council discussion regarding the services provided and
localities ability to regulate broadband services.
Mayor Umstattd stated she is delighted that Verizon has decided to come
here. She stated she suspects Council will hear complaints regarding construction
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 14
and asked that Verizon do everything it can to alert the town when they suspect
complaints may arise.
5. Leesburg Executive Airport safety enhancement status
Cindi Martin stated the preliminary report has been released on the crash that
occurred during the Thanksgiving Holiday. She stated the preliminary report from
the wreckage at the scene indicates the plane was receiving power and there were
no problems with fuel. She stated the pilot knew he was coming in too Iow and
attempted to pull up as he was making his second approach to the airport. She
stated the equipment was in good working order and the airport played no role in the
crash.
Ms. Martin stated many have speculated that the availability of an instrument
landing system (ILS) at the airport would have prevented past crashes; however, it
might further enhance the safety of the airport. She stated steps to implement the
ILS have been taken thanks to the great efforts of Congressman Frank Wolf.
Further, she stated the FAA's Eastern Region has programmed an ILS for the
airport; however, their engineers are unable to give the town a timeline for the
installation and it is believed the process will take approximately three years.
There was no Council discussion on this item.
6. Downtown parking code revisions
Betsy Fields stated in September the plan to implement parking code
revisions was approved by Council. She stated the six sections to be revised include
(1) fine schedule; (2) meter locations and limits; (3) meter hours; (4) meter rates;
(5) garage regulations; and (6) garage rates. Further, she stated staff will schedule
a public hearing on these proposed changes and will make the same outreach efforts
that were made regarding the streetscape revisions.
There was no Council discussion on this item.
7. Potential purchase of additional trolleys
Kathy Leidich stated the town would have to go through the RFP process to
secure an additional trolley, which would enable the town to set the specifications
and ensure it is similar to the current trolley. She stated the funding, which has been
secured by the Virginia Regional Transportation Authority, would require a matching
amount of $36,000.
Vice Mayor Martinez asked what the current ridership is on the trolley?
IVls. Leidich stated there have been 1,300 riders at an average of 100 people
per day.
Vice Mayor Martinez asked what the ridership was on that route prior to the
trolley?
Ms. Leidich stated it was one of the busier routes and averaged :~,700 riders
per month. She stated given the trolley has only been in service for a little over a
month the numbers seemed to be in line.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page 15
Councilmember Hammler stated Council should establish what we are trying
to accomplish by bringing additional trolleys in.
Mayor Umstattd asked if Council would like staff to pursue this option?
Councilmember Horne stated the Economic Development Commission has
discussed scheduling the trolley to visit retirement or assisted living places to bring
residents to Leesburg for a day of shopping and lunch in the downtown; however,
that can't be done when the town has only one trolley which operates on a fixed
route.
Councilmember Hammler stated she would like to see further analysis, but
would be open to pursuing this next step.
Councilmember Burk stated she would like to see how this works out before
purchasing additional trolleys.
Vice Mayor Martinez stated he would support an additional trolley; however,
we need to understand what we would want to use it for.
IVlr. Wells stated staff will see how the weekend service goes for the
remainder of the month and they report back to Council with various options
including whether we would want to replace an existing bus route or add a more
specialized route.
Mayor Umstattd stated it is worth finding out more information before
pursuing the next step.
Preview items for 3anuary 10, 2005 work session
None
New Business
a. Councilmember Hammler stated in the interest of full disclosure quite a
number of Planning Commissions and Councils around the state make the
decision that they will only entertain presentations by developers as a whole.
She stated this might be something that we can discuss at the retreat.
Mayor Umstattd stated we shouldn't infringe on anyone's right to call a
Councilmember and meet one on one if that is agreeable to the Council
member or commissioner. She stated it would be her preference that
individual members be allowed to make their own decision with regards to
this issue.
b. Councilmember Horne stated she would like to propose that in our
Capital Improvements Program planning process that we build in a long term
plan to underground utilities in the Historic District. Further, she asked to see
a report on which boards and commissions are televising their meetings in the
Council Chamber per Council's request.
¢. Councilmember Hammler asked if the Loudoun County Board of
Supervisors had responded to Council's request for a joint meeting.
Town Council Work Session Minutes for December 13, 2004 Page
Mr. Wells stated he has not received a response and will follow up with
the County Administrator's office.
Councilmember Hammler stated when the meeting is scheduled she
would like Council to approach it the same as was done at the state level by
having a list of priorities in hand.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:22 p.m.
2004_tcwsmin1213