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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2009_tcwsmin0323 Council Work Session March 23, 2009 Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, 7:30 p.m. Mayor Umstattd presiding. Council Members Present: David Butler, Thomas Dunn, II, Katie Sheldon Hammier, Marty Martinez, Ken Reid, Kevin Wright and Mayor Kristen Umstattd Council Members Absent: None Staff Present: Town Manager John Wells, Town Attorney Jeanette Irby, Deputy Town Manager Kaj Dentler, Director of Public Works Tom Mason, Airport Director Tim Deike, Director of Parks and Recreation Rich Williams, Chief of Police Joe Price, Director of Planning and Zoning Susan Berry Hill, Director of Finance Norm Butts, Economic Development Manager Marantha Edwards, Senior Management Analyst Bob Berkey, Senior Management Analyst Annie Carlson, Research Manager Betsy Fields, and Management Specialist/Deputy Clerk of Council Debi Parry AGENDA ITEMS 1. Work Session Items for Discussion: a. Performing Arts Group Work Plan Ara Bagdasarian outlined the history of the Performing Arts Group. He stated Council received a briefing from the consultant in January and directed the group to develop a business plan. He stated that business plan is being presented to Council tonight for endorsement. He stated the founding group of Board Members is being recruited from the Leesburg and Loudoun business community and the first meeting will be held in May at which time the application for the 501c3 designation will be submitted. He stated preferred sites will be identified by August 2009. He stated from there, potential partners will be confirmed with memorandums of understanding and $250,000 bridge funding will be raised by January 2010. He stated the bridge funding will be used for hiring a capital campaign consultant, establishing offices and hiring a project manager. He stated by April 2010 discussions will be held with potential resident tenant organizations and to draft memorandums of understanding. He stated by June 2010 a capital campaign will begin and by January 2011 the group hopes to hire a firm for the preliminary design work. He stated the group is on schedule with the first stages to have the founding board established. Mayor Umstattd asked if a statement could be included indicating that no Town tax dollars would be used for this project. Mr. Bagdasarian stated he would rather not go down that path as there may be a situation in the future involving the Liberty Street lot as a potential location. He stated this will be a separate 501c3 and there is no intention to ask the Town for funds. He stated there may be a situation in the future where the County may want to partner in this and may look for partnerships with the Town; however, the objective is to not seek funds from the Town. Mayor Umstattd asked what is envisioned as the Town's involvement in a partnership being and from who does the task force anticipate receiving bridge funding. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 2 Mr. Bagdasarian stated regarding the bridge funding he would anticipate the Town standing behind the group in support. He stated the performing arts consultant Louise Stevens mentioned that one of the potential roles the Town could play would be to help in the negotiation of the Barber and Ross property. He stated the Town can aid in the process through its political capital. Council Member Dunn stated both his daughter and wife are very active in the Loudoun County Ballet and they are often looking for locations for performances. He stated a lot of what the group is asking for from the Town is political will. He stated we passed up a tremendous opportunity to express political will when the Town, the Board of Supervisors and the School Board did not include a performing arts center along with the Tuscarora High School site. He stated he is in support of this project as long as it does not require Town funds. He stated Liberty Street has been mentioned as a potential site, but Council was told that it would be too tight. He asked how the group envisions the Town assisting in negotiations for the Barber and Ross site. Mr. Bagdasarian stated the political will of the Town being behind the negotiation and perhaps a tax deal could be worked out with the site's owners. Council Member Dunn stated there would be no taxes on the property for a non-profit group. Mr. Bagdasarian stated the most valuable thing the Town would bring is the political will. He stated having the Mayor at the table with the group would be very helpful. He stated all the group is asking for is for the Town to support this effort. Council Member Dunn asked who would staff this facility once it is built. Mr. Bagdasarian stated that is one of the elements that would have to be worked out. He stated the consultant mentioned the possibility of a partnership with an education facility and that is one of the things the group is working for is to have a relationship with a higher education organization who can run the center. Council Member Dunn stated we often get these gifts that are given to the Town that we cannot afford and the Town ends up staffing the facility. Mr. Bagdasarian stated that is not the plan here. Council Member Reid stated the two concerns he has are that we approved this plan which will start building momentum and the next thing you know we cannot find private interests and the group will be coming to us. He stated he would not mind putting funding in the CIP for this project; however, in turn the task force needs to identify where the cut would come from as this budget is tight. He stated this is the type of visionary project that he can support; however, he has to know where the funds would come from. He stated he has been a skeptic of this but the last thing he wants is for 40 or 50 people to come to Council looking for funding for this project and meanwhile someone makes a deal with a developer in eastern Loudoun to build a 700 or 800 seat concert hall. He stated, like Council Member Dunn, he would not like for this to become a regular line item. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 3 Council Member Butler stated one of the first things the group should do is go out and find major contributors. He asked if that would be part of step 7. Mr. Bagdasarian stated that will take place as part of the board that is coming on which will hopefully help raise funds for step 7. Council Member Butler stated he does not want the Town to just throw money at this project; however, if there is a possible return for the Town such as attracting businesses and jobs then he would consider investing. He asked for information regarding the economic impact for Towns who have undertaken this sort of project. He stated if there is a positive economic impact then there may be room for the Town to invest funds in this project. He stated he would not discount Council Member Dunn's suggestion about the Tuscarora High School site. He stated he has been told that it may not be too late for that option. Council Member Wright he stated the request is for Council to endorse the Leesburg Center for the Arts SOlc3 to go forward and build the center. He stated as he reads the work plan, there is nothing written in there today asking for money. He stated basically the study stated the art center should be run by the private sector versus the government. Mr. Bagdasarian stated the task force just wants Council's support to say that they endorse a center for the arts in Leesburg. Vice Mayor Hammier stated Wolf Trap is run by the federal government and it is one of her favorite performing centers. She stated she hopes that someone from the School Board or public school system will be involved on the Board. She asked that Mr. Bagdasarian email Council with a list of Board members. She stated she is excited about the timing of this as we were just discussing the downtown and this really ties in to the downtown as a destination. She stated the timing is perfect with the potential for George Mason University and the other related opportunities that we are actively working on. Council Member Martinez stated he understands the need for the Town's endorsement, which does not mean committing dollars. He stated there are seven members of Council here who can say "no" if there is a request for funding in the future so it does not make sense to worry about it. He stated he believes that the task force will be able to find private funds for this project with the endorsement of Council. He stated he visited Staunton, VA a couple of years ago and saw their beautiful cultural arts center and all it required was for them to have a vision. He stated it did not happen overnight, but you have to start somewhere. He stated this is something that we have missed the boat on for a long time; however, he agreed with Mayor Umstattd that he would not want Town funds used for this project. Mr. Bagdasarian stated there are no funds tied to this resolution. He stated there is a big boat out here that we need to be proactive with in order not to miss the George Mason University boat. Council Member Reid verified the task force is requesting a vote on April 14. He stated according to the plan the task force will be looking for $250,000 in Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 4 January 2010, not a couple years from now as Council Member Martinez referred to. Council Member Martinez stated they can come to the Town to request the funding and we have the option of saying no. Council Member Reid stated he would much rather budget for it now if it may be needed. He stated this is a big project in looking at the consultant's report that requires some government financing. Council Member Wright stated the report did not call for government financing and if the task force cannot get $250,000 in bridge funding then they will not get Council's support because that means the community does not want the arts center. He stated the first steps need to be with the community; however, if the community does not come forward with the funding then Council cannot carry this forward and he would not want to plan for that funding in the budget. Council Member Reid stated that should be made part of the resolution. He stated his other concern is that this is another project on the docket and the EDC is in a very different direction; however, there are other things that need to be focused on. Mr. Bagdasarian stated that is a valid point; however, this is a major component of the EDC map under "Destination for Arts, Entertainment and Dining". He stated this will essentially be taken off the EDC plate and will be moved to the private sector. He stated there will be some involvement from the EDC as some members will be on the board; however, this is a key component of our cultural focus. Council Member Dunn stated Council Member Wright stated the consultant's report had no funding in it; however, it was his understanding that the report did have a Town buy-in of a small portion of this funding. Betsy Fields stated the consultant's report was based on 95 percent private money and five percent from unidentified sources. She stated it was her understanding that the report is counting on that five percent coming from a university partner. Mayor Umstattd asked Mr. Bagdasarian if a more detailed report will be provided to Council for the vote on April 14. Further, she asked if the board plans to expand their search for potential partners. Mr. Bagdasarian stated this is a living document that will grow. He stated this has been worked on by the task force as the board has not been appointed yet. He stated once the board begins meeting they will look at various opportunities for partnerships. Mayor Umstattd asked who would pay for the preparation of the SOlc3 application and the preparation of the taxes and filings every year. Mr. Bagdasarian stated that will be part of the fund raising that will be ongoing for this project. He stated the founding board members would cover the upfront costs. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 5 Mayor Umstattd stated she is concerned about Town funds being used for this; however, it would be wonderful if George Mason University might be able to help carry this project through. Council Member Reid asked if this resolution should wait until after Council receives the results from the George Mason University study. Vice Mayor Hammier stated she does not believe there will be any instant answers on that subject and suggested moving forward with this project conceptually. Council Member Dunn stated we do not know what the results of the George Mason University study will be and we have a number of projects hanging on this one thing. b. Downtown Summit Follow-up Mr. Wells stated four general areas were identified during the recent summit including parking challenges, solutions, overall goals and problems specifically attempted to be solved. He stated staff felt the appropriate next steps might be to allow staff to break down the list of parking specific items, identify some short-term quick fixes that might be of interest and identify a timeline for some longer-term fixes to bring back to Council. He stated in terms of the broader downtown issues, staff could take what items are including in the operating budget and CIP to match up with the list of initiatives identified and bring back to Council to ensure that what has been directed in the budget meets Council's desires based on the discussion. Council Member Dunn stated looking at the discussion and how it evolved Council was not able to get to some items of interest to him such as certain meters that could be moved from one area to another. He stated he would also like to look at areas were the streets could be widened to allow for more parking or areas where parking should be removed because the streets are too narrow. He stated he had also brought up the possibility of using an automated ticket reading system to allow people to pay electronically so staff would not have to man the parking booth. Council Member Reid suggested looking at opportunities for handicapped parking spaces. Council Member Butler stated there are a lot of specific tactical items; however, he is still interested in having Council provide direction for the downtown as a whole. He stated he likes the idea of wider sidewalks and narrower streets to limit the traffic driving through downtown. Council Member Wright stated anytime we talk about parking the theme needs to be that we have plenty of parking, especially in the parking garage. He stated it is important to make sure that the parking signage downtown makes sense. He stated there also needs to be clarification of the payment-in-lieu plan so people know what they are buying into. He stated a new sign has been placed at the parking lot where the jail used to be indicating "authorized parking only". He stated the sign needs to be clarified so visitors know they can park there on nights and weekends. He stated the signage in our own parking garage could be made simpler and concurred with Council Member Dunn's comments Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Paae 6 regarding a kiosk to allow people to pay for parking electronically and use either garage exit. Further, he concurred with Council Member Butler's comments regarding the need for walkable streets, accessible parking and a beautiful downtown. Council Member Butler stated if these improvements spur complaints from people that it takes a lot longer for traffic to get through downtown, we need to respond by saying that is exactly what we are trying to do and suggest that they take the bypass. Vice Mayor Hammier thanked Mr. Wells for his efforts and thanked the citizens who attended the parking summit. She expressed support for moving forward with Downtown Improvement Association (OlA) improvements including items such as parking and lighting. She stated the other very easy fix to reinforce the message that there is parking would be to establish a Twitter account or URL to provide instant information on the parking availability in the parking garage. She stated she firmly believes that we need to focus on the downtown and research and establish a downtown authority to create standards for where we are now. She stated more significantly with the George Mason University report coming back soon and the tremendous related opportunities we are going to have to create parking to accommodate significant development downtown. She stated we have made huge progress over the past few months and she looks forward to addressing the minor fixes as well as larger issues such as structured parking. Council Member Martinez stated he has always felt that there is no parking problem downtown. He stated we need to widen the sidewalks to allow people to walk and ride bikes in the downtown. He stated he unfortunately could not attend the parking summit, but signage is one of the big issues that needs to be addressed to let people know that we have a parking garage. He stated staff conducted a parking audit a couple of years ago and only twice were we close to full. Mayor Umstattd stated Council has debated the fact that if you want to pay into the parking fund in lieu of providing spaces it costs $3,000 per space but to build a parking garage costs $15,000-$20,000 per space. She stated if we begin to charge $15,000-$20,000 per space you will have individuals who would not be able to expand their buildings because of the cost. She stated there is also the question of if you are paying $3,000 per space but your money will never be used to build anything then why are you being asked to pay in. She stated we will have to be candid about the impact that charging the proper rate will have on the business community. She stated she likes the idea of wider sidewalks downtown; however, some owners like having parking in front of their businesses, including the Downtown Saloon. She expressed concern that every time we do a major construction project downtown we lose businesses because of the impact on parking and sidewalk access. Council Member Reid stated adding street parking helps the residents as many downtown residents do not have off street parking. He stated this is not just about the businesses, but also the residents as well. Vice Mayor Hammier stated through the establishment of an anchor downtown and the investments that come with it we will surpass the need for Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 7 asking smaller business owners to make significant contributions to the parking fund. Mr. Wells stated staff will take the conversation tonight to identify a timeline for improvements and potential code changes needed for the downtown. Mr. Reid stated one of our consultants identified that most towns, with the exception of really small towns, have taken parking meters out of their Town Code. He asked if that could be done during our Town Code rewrite. It was the consensus of Council to remove the parking meters from the Town Code. Vice Mayor Hammier asked if the Parks and Recreation Department could help beautify the downtown by expanding the number of hanging flower baskets and adding planter boxes in a larger portion of the downtown. Mr. Wells stated staff can provide a list of opportunities at a future meeting. c. Form Based Code This item was deferred to a future work session. d. Budget Work Session Follow-up Mr. Wells stated a number of Council Members indicated it would be premature to take straw votes this evening as we have the public hearing tomorrow night. He stated staff is suggesting that Council identify areas of the budget that they are comfortable with as well as areas that might need more work. He stated also it would be helpful to find out if there is any further follow-up needed. He stated straw votes could be held tomorrow evening after the input session. Council Member Martinez stated he had a nice discussion with Mr. Wells and feels comfortable at this point. Vice Mayor Hammier stated she is looking forward to the input from the public and her Council colleagues. She stated she has followed up with Mr. Wells to address her specific questions and her main take away is that this budget is healthy and while the economy is not we need to look at this as a multi-year effort. She stated we could perhaps trim a little more to get the tax rate down to 19.5 cents; however, with what is currently proposed, we have already provided tax relief and made a commitment to our workforce that we will not have lay-offs. She stated she is concerned with the use of the "rainy day fund" and will be looking for ways to cut back there. Further, she stated she is very comfortable with the direction Council set with this budget. Council Member Wright asked for further clarification to be emailed to him on the impact of employee grade changes in FY2010. He stated the Communications Team should have a goal for measuring the success of less single communications, broader communications or effectiveness. He stated he was glad to see that the Balch Library Commission is considering raising the room rental rates and stated depending on the outcome of that discussion a staff level decision may be required. He asked for clarification of the spending involved in the Neathawk Dubuque & Packett contract for design of Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Paae 8 advertisements and placement of advertisements and if the cost is higher than the industry standard. Ms. Edwards stated she had not looked at the industry standard for these costs. She stated the budgets for ad design and advertisement placement also include other items besides the Neathawk Dubuque & Packett contract. Council Member Wright asked if we are spending more than we need to spend on design costs. Ms. Edwards stated she feels we are getting a good buy because it allows her to put her attention on business attraction versus ad placement. Council Member Wright stated there seems to be a duplication of costs under Management Services for the Acoustics on the Green. Mr. Wells stated he would correct that in the budget. Council Member Wright stated regarding the question of leaf pick up cost savings, a $68,000 cost savings is listed. He asked if that reduction would result in a real savings of $68,000 or if the $68,000 in staff costs would be placed somewhere else. Tom Mason stated that cost would be placed somewhere else unless the staff is reduced. Council Member Wright stated in brush pick up services, it says the Town received $2.4 million from VDOT in FY 10 for brush pick up; however, the Town spent $2.9 million and he does not understand the correlation. Mr. Mason stated the point that he wanted to make is that the brush and leaf services are partially eligible to count against what we receive in VDOT maintenance funds. He stated staff looked at cutting back on paving and leaf collection; however, it will not take many cuts before we get to a position of not providing services. He stated if we spend less than we receive it has to go back to Richmond. Council Member Wright stated we started this budget in a good spot. He stated the open discussion items for him are in Public Works and taking a look at our supplement to the street maintenance program above what the State contributes. He stated regardless of whether we receive grant funding, we need to look for a way to add police officers. He stated there are some savings opportunities in the budget which can be discussed in detail after the public hearing. He stated as he looks at the rainy day fund spending, debt spending and carryover funds he does not see a tax rate deduction, rather he sees holding the tax rate where it is. He stated looking at the cost of living as it relates to the tax bill starting in 2000 and when you account for inflation we are almost back to what a reasonable tax bill might look like. He stated a rate reduction at this point would be artificial considering the number of capital projects and the amount of the rainy day fund we are using. He stated he would like to narrow the budget to minimize the use of rainy day funds and carryover funds so we go forward in a responsible way and from there have the discussion of whether we use funds to pay cash for a CIP project, or carry it forward for next year. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 9 Further, he stated he would not want to use the savings to hold the tax rate artificially low only to have to increase it more next year. Council Member Butler stated he is concerned with the $2.3 million deficit we are projecting now for FY2010. He stated we need to do what we can to bring that number down. He stated at the end of the year we are likely to have spent less of the budget than what we planned; however, given how tight this budget is there may not be as much carryover as we have seen in the past. He stated if we do this for another year or two while the economy continues to decline then the tax rate will skyrocket. He stated he is looking at a couple of cost saving adjustments in the Capital Improvement Program. Further, he stated he would like to move forward with providing WiFi in the Thomas Balch Library given there is a $250 cost up front and a yearly cost of $2,400 a year. Mr. Wells stated a simple motion could be made to provide direction on providing WiFi for the Thomas Balch Library. Council Member Wright stated Council was given a higher up-front cost for this project last year. He asked for clarification on that difference. Council Member Reid asked the approximate cost of a downtown surveillance camera system. Chief Price stated these systems cost approximately $25,000 per unit for something similar to what is used in Washington, DC. He stated the number needed depends on the amount of area to be covered and line of sight issues. He stated there are vendors that would come in and provide that type of testing and evaluation. Council Member Reid stated he was wondering if the Leesburg Corner Outlets management might be interested in partnering on a project like this which would help reduce the number of our officers used to deter crime there. Chief Price stated the previous management of the Outlet Mall advised that their corporate policy was not to use cameras so as to reduce the likelihood of a liability issue if the camera was not monitored. Council Member Reid asked if the cameras would have to be monitored from the station. Chief Price stated most jurisdictions that have these cameras in place do not provide 24/7 monitoring, rather, they are monitored during special events. He stated the deterrent value is the fact that the area is known to be under camera surveillance. He stated the quality of the cameras are such that they provide very clear evidence of criminal activity Council Member Reid stated this seems it would be a more economic solution for the downtown; however, he would not want to reduce the patrols. Chief Price stated the cameras are a 24/7 operation. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Paae 10 Council Member Reid verified there is no cash funding in the CIP with the exception of the Utility Fund projects. He asked how much money is in the Economic Development reserve. Mr. Wells stated the balance is approximately $675,000. Council Member Reid verified those funds could be used for some of the improvements proposed by the DIA. He asked if it would be more realistic to allocate study money for the Church Street sidewalk. He stated the DIA would like to have all of their suggestions included in one CIP project which is not realistic. Mr. Wells stated there would be practical challenges to doing all of the projects at one time. Council Member Reid asked what would be involved in placing the Morven Park Road sidewalk project into the plan and if it would require study funds at first. Kaj Dentler stated there are no funds for that project. He stated he would have to research the costs involved. Council Member Reid stated he would like estimates for the Morven Park Road sidewalk, the Church Street Sidewalk and the study funds needed for improvements to Edwards Ferry Road at Plaza Street as that project could be eligible for a Community Development Block Grant. He stated the Board of Supervisors is looking at their budget and asked if the Council tax bill would increase. Mr. Wells stated the average tax bill in their budget would decrease by three percent. He stated based on what has happened so far, there have been some reductions made so the amount of savings is increasing. Council Member Reid stated as Council Member Wright mentioned a couple of weeks ago we have to right-size government. He stated not just right-size spending, but really look at long term efforts at cutting back in some areas that he feels are overfunded. He stated he believes there are a lot of good things that we could be doing this coming year like putting some cash on the CIP projects, he stated he would like to see funding for tree planting to increase the tree canopy and maintenance. He stated he would like to see funding for sidewalks. He stated Council will need to take a hard look at the Utility Fund as we are in a deficit. He stated he supports hiring additional police officers and the camera surveillance system. He stated he believes the rainy day fund is tax dollars that we have been accumulating over the years and he is not concerned about using those funds. He stated he would like to keep the tax rate at 18 cents to provide more of a tax break to the citizens this year and he appreciates the fact that the County will also provide a tax reduction. He stated his interest is in keeping the capital projects on schedule because it is a good time to do these projects. He stated a lot of the funds we are spending in operations and on brush pick up would be better spent elsewhere. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 11 Council Member Dunn stated he would like to see a lower tax rate. He stated he does not feel it is Council's job to manage the budget, rather it should be Council's job to set the tax rate based on the desire of the community. Council Member Martinez stated he has been saying that for the last three or four years as it is his belief that the Town Manager always put together the best budget for the community. Council Member Dunn asked if we get leaf and brush pick up from CSI then why is Town staff going out for additional pick-ups. Mr. Mason stated when the contract was written Council had established that Town crews would do bulk leaf and major brush pick-up. He stated the yard waste in CSI contract is grass clippings, leaves and small branches, not a large pile of leaves or large branches. He stated if the leaves are bagged CSI will take them. He stated if we stopped the bulk pick-up and required that all leaves be bagged then CSI would complain that this goes beyond their contract. Council Member Dunn verified the contract could be put out to bid for other companies. He stated there might be an incentive that CSI might want to maintain this contract given the current economic climate and the additional cost may not be as high as we anticipate. He stated it was mentioned that if this service provided by Town staff was cut back then there would be no cost savings to the Town and asked what new duties these staff would take on. Mr. Mason stated Public Works currently has a backlog of storm drainage maintenance and crack sealing projects. Council Member Dunn asked if those areas are suffering because we are providing the leaf and brush pick-up service. Mr. Mason stated that is a possibility. Council Member Dunn stated he had asked a question regarding what the Utility Department would have to cut in order to address their deficit and was told that $3.1 million would need to be cut and was then told that staff could not answer the question due to pending litigation. Mr. Wells stated the best answer can be given following tomorrow night's discussion on this issue. Council Member Dunn stated he does not understand how this relates to the litigation. Jeanette Irby stated she would be happy to answer the question off ,line. Council Member Dunn stated he did not receive a response to the question posed by he and Council Member Reid regarding what would be involved in establishing a utility authority. He stated he would like to hear from the public before detailed numbers are discussed. He thanked staff for their answers to his questions. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 12 Mayor Umstattd stated there has been some discussion of additional officers; however, she is not inclined to support that request. She asked what the cost of an additional officer would be. Chief Price stated each additional officer requires a starting salary and benefits of $66,000 along with $7,500 in equipment. He stated there is one vehicle per every two officers, so one officer would not require the $30,000 expense of a car. Mayor Umstattd asked if staff is working on the projected transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue. Mr. Wells stated staff is looking at TOT, sales tax and meals tax projections as they can be volatile given the economy. He stated we are also trying to track the opening date of the new hotel. Mayor Umstattd stated the TOT is based on room rate so if the rates are lowered we would see less income. She asked if there is any indication of lower rates. Ms. Edwards stated she will follow up with LCVA. Mayor Umstattd stated the Planning Commission has not recommended moving projects forward for inclusion in the CIP and suggested moving certain projects further out. Mr. Wells stated the Planning Commission provided options in the event that Council felt there was a financial need to reduce projects. Council Member Wright stated the Planning Commission was concerned about the debt service. He stated there was a minority of commission members who wanted to suggest cuts; however, the majority endorsed the CIP while expressing their financial concern and suggested reductions if that is Council's desire. Mayor Umstattd asked how much detail we have on the meals tax estimates. Mr. Wells stated he drove through downtown last night and one restaurant was full and one was empty. He stated we are seeing that some of the lower cost restaurants are doing well while the higher end restaurants are not doing as well. He stated overall our revenue has not seen a major drop and we do have a number of new restaurants opening. Ms. Edwards stated as we enter the spring many of the restaurants will see business increase. She stated many of the restaurants do not realize that there is an incentive to pay their meals tax on time or early so there is a lag in the collection. Mayor Umstattd asked how we can get the word out that you will save money by paying early. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 13 Ms. Edwards stated she is working with the Finance Department to get the word out. She stated the fact that we have three new restaurants coming in is a positive indication. Mayor Umstattd stated she is looking forward to public comment. Council Member Reid verified that Council does not legally have to approve the budget by the end of April. Council Member Reid stated police are important and we need to set priorities as there are areas that are top heavy. He stated in addition to the use of the economic reserve for the capital projects, he would not want to ignore the efforts to bring a university or research facility to Leesburg. He stated this is the time to put funds into capital projects as we just had a drainage project that came in way under budget. He stated we need to be looking at opportunities for the future and he is looking forward to further discussion. Mr. Wells stated the plan is to hear from the public tomorrow night and then propose straw votes for changes to the budget in the tax rate, general fund, capital fund, airport fund or utility fund. He the final vote is scheduled for April 14 and a work session will be held on April 13. Council Member Reid stated he would rather not vote on April 14. Mr. Wells stated there is time to act on the rate; however, that will result in less time for citizens to pay their tax bills. Council Member Reid stated he is concerned that we spent three hours discussing the CIP last year and we spent an hour this year. He stated there have been a lot of good questions, but he is not ready to adopt the budget. Norm Butts stated we have to mail the tax bills by May 5 because taxes are due June S. He stated the bills have to be printed which takes time so we have had the vote as late as the second meeting in April; however, it is very tight. Council Member Reid asked if anyone on Council would like to lower the tax rate. Council Member Martinez stated he would rather have that discussion tomorrow night. Council Member Dunn stated his main concern for tomorrow is the opportunity to officially hear from the public. He stated he has received emails and phone calls; however, the more we hear from the public the better. Council Member Reid stated it is his experience that few members of the public come to speak, rather the majority of speakers are representing the non- profit organizations. It was the consensus of Council to move forward with a vote on April 14 with the option to move the vote to April 28. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Page 14 2. Additions to Future Council Meetings Council Member Reid stated at the next meeting he would like to have a discussion on whether to adopt the SRTC recommendations to use their funds for the crosswalk at Battlefield Parkway and Plaza Street. He stated he would also like to support a mid-block crosswalk at Tavistock Drive. Mr. Wells stated there were some questions about the available funds the SRTC has and the trend he has heard is the SRTC budget needs to be set as part of the budget process and anything outside of that should not be entertained. Council Member Reid stated the SRTC has already recommended that the cost of the crosswalk come out of their budget. Mr. Wells stated there has been question as to whether they have a budget and it may be appropriate to discuss those items as part of the FY 2010 budget. He stated whatever is funded by the SRTC should be done as part of the budget process. Further, he stated it could be funded by fund balance for the current budget. Council Member Dunn stated he does not have an appointee for the URAC yet, but will bring that forward at the next meeting. Further, he stated he requested a clarification on the non-verbal submittal of disclosures. Council Member Wright stated he will bring forward an appointee for the Parks and Recreation Commission tomorrow night. Council Member Reid stated he also has an appointee for the Tree Commission. Vice Mayor Hammier stated she will bring forward an appointee for the Planning Commission to be effective at the second Planning Commission meeting in April. Further, she asked that a certificate of appreciation for Ted Kalriess be placed on the April 14 agenda. 3. Closed Session On a motion by Mayor Umstattd, seconded by Council Member Martinez, the following was proposed: MOTION Pursuant to Section 2.2-3711(A)(3) and 2.2-3711(A)(7) of the Code of Virginia, I move that the Leesburg Town Council convene in a closed meeting to discuss potential land acquisition of Izaak Walton Park and to receive legal updates regarding Virginia Dominion Power easements and Meadowbrook The motion was approved by the following vote: Aye: Butler, Dunn, Hammier, Martinez, Reid, Wright and Mayor Umstattd Nay: None Vote: 7-0 The Council convened in closed session at 7:57 p.m. The Council reconvened in open session at 8:34 p.m. Town Council Work Session of March 23. 2009 Paae 15 On a motion by Mayor Umstattd, seconded by Vice Mayor Hammier, the followi ng was proposed: MOTION In accordance with Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia, I move that Council certify that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed or considered in the meeting by Council. The motion was approved by the following roll call vote: Aye: Dunn, Hammier, Martinez, Wright and Mayor Umstattd Nay: None Vote: 5-0-2 (Butler and Reid out of the room) Adjournment On a motion by Council Member Martinez, seconded by Council Member Butler, the meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m. 2009_tcwsmin0323